Category Archives: Expositions
Forgiving Iniquity
“Who is a God like you, lifting iniquity and passing over rebellion
Toward the remnant of his possession?
He does not hold his anger forever,
For he is pleased to show mercy.
Let him return; let him greet us with love.
Let him subdue our iniquity,
You shall throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You shall give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham
Which you swore to our fathers
From the days of old.”
(Micah 7:18-20)
So why is it that forgiveness is so important for the believer? First of all, it is modeled for us by God. God is perfect and holy; God is truth and truly beautiful. If we are to grow in grace, that means growing like God. And growing like God means learning to forgive as God forgives. From the very point that Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, there was a promise of redemption. Fallen man has never lived a day where that promise has not been before them. There was no probationary period before forgiveness was extended and no waiting in limbo until God decided what to do about sin. Forgiveness in Christ was offered to Adam and Eve at the fall, that all who would put their faith in him (or for Old Testament Saints—in the promise of the coming Christ) would be saved and be reunited with the Father and have eternal life with him. Thus, in light of all God has done, God expects us to work hard at forgiveness.
And forgiveness takes work. When I was growing up, my parents had a good sized vegetable garden, and as children, my sister and I were expected to help keep it weeded. The problem with weeding a garden is that weeds often have deep and firm roots, and if you don’t get the weed up, root and all, the weed will grow right back practically overnight. It is easy to pull up the top of a weed and make the garden look nice, but it is far harder to get the weed—root and all.
When you fail to forgive someone, the hurt and frustration that you hold onto are very much like the roots of those weeds. They may lie dormant for a time, but they will come back up all over again. I know that there have been times in my own life when I thought that I had removed the anger over a particular situation by the root, but years later, the anger over that situation arises anew and must be killed anew.
Friends, not only will refusing to forgive others destroy your soul in the next life, but it will destroy you in this life as well. Just as weeds sap the nutrients from the soil that good plants need as well as choking those plants out, so too does the anger you hold onto eat at your life and hamper the good works you seek to do before God. Friends, do not hold onto your anger; forgive others that you may be forgiven and forgive others that you may demonstrate the love and mercy of God to the world around you.
Forgiving the Wicked Servant
“After summoning him, his master said to him; ‘Wicked servant! I forgave all of your debit because you begged me, thus is it not necessary that you show mercy on your fellow servant as I also showed mercy to you?’ And angered, his master delivered to the inquisitors until he could pay back all that he was obligated to pay. And in this way your heavenly father will treat you if each of you should not forgive your brother from your heart.”
(Matthew 18:32-35)
If you turn to the Gospel of Matthew and take a peek at the passage that these verses come from, you will see that this is the conclusion of what is often called “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.” As the story goes, there was a master who had a number of servants. Because the servants were not always wise in their dealings, sometimes the master would loan them money. One day the master decided that it was time to bring the accounts up to date. When his accountants presented him with his financial books, he quickly realized that one of his servants had accrued a substantial debit; in fact, it was a debit so great that the master knew that the servant had no hopes of ever being able to pay it off. Thus, he called the servant in to see what he had to say for himself.
When the servant came in, he was horrified at the prospect of having to pay such an astronomical debit and fell on his face, repenting of his evil ways and pleading with the master for mercy and forgiveness. Because the master was a kind and loving master, he not only extended mercy to the man but grace as well. He forgave the man the entire debit so that the servant might know what a good and merciful master he served. The servant understandably went away rejoicing at the master’s gift.
Sadly, bad habits die hard and soon this servant found himself wanting for money again. Then, he remembered that a neighbor owed him respectable, but not overwhelming sum of money. Thus, the servant went to his neighbor and demanded payment. Unfortunately, times had been difficult for his neighbor as well and his neighbor did not have the funds to pay the servant what he owed. The neighbor pleaded with the servant to allow him to pay in smaller installments, but that was not good enough for the servant, and he had his neighbor thrown into debtor’s prison until the neighbor’s family could raise the money to pay his debit.
The master heard about what had transpired, for news travels quickly in any region of the world, and he was enraged by what he had heard. He had shown mercy to the servant in a great way and the servant had been unwilling to show even a small amount of mercy to his neighbor. The passage above relates the master’s fierce rebuke of his servant.
There are a few things about this parable that we should put before us so that we can understand its full impact. The first is that as Jesus tells the story, he refers to the amount of debit that each man had in terms of denarii and talents, and while those measures of money were clearly understandable in Jesus’ day, we have trouble relating to the measure of these debits. A denarius was equal to about a day’s pay for a common laborer during Jesus’ day, thus the money that the neighbor of the unforgiving servant owed was nearly 5 months’ wages (based on a 6 day work week). While not an impossible amount of money to pay off, it was still a sizeable debit—probably about the same level of burden that a new-car payment would be to us today.
A talent on the other hand was equivalent to about 6,000 denarii. In the parable, the servant owed the king 10,000 talents—or 60 million days worth of labor. On a 6-day workweek, that would take nearly 192,308 years to pay off! It would take the entire salaries of 2,000 workers, working for 96 years to pay this debit off! In modern terms, this figure would look something like the national debit. With this before us, now, perhaps, we can start to get a better feel for the ratio of debit that these two men had to their names. To help bring things into perspective even more, the gross national income during the height of Solomon’s reign was 666 talents of gold. Solomon was the richest of the kings of Israel and the debit that this lowly servant owed was 15 times greater.
Friends, Jesus did not tell this parable simply to make us shudder at the amount that this unforgiving servant owed, but he used such great amounts to try and give us a picture of how much we owe to God as a result of our sin—a debit that a hundred, indeed, not even a thousand lifetimes could repay. This debit, Jesus offers to pay for us if we just would put our faith in him. As the hymnist, Elvina Hall once wrote:
Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe;
Sin has left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
Yet, there is another side to the coin. The punishment for the servant who was forgiven yet refused to forgive was to be thrown into torture. This is no debtor’s prison that the master sends the servant to, but literally, the passage says that the master handed him over to the basanisth/ß(basanistas). This word is used not so much to refer to a jailer, but to refer to a jailer who tortures. Probably the closest thing that we have in our more modern history is the Inquisitors that worked for the Roman Catholic Church not only in Spain but elsewhere in the world. These men went out of their way to devise tortures that would push men and women to the point of death without killing them. This is the general idea that Jesus is conveying. It is not simply that this unforgiving servant will have to sit in jail for all of eternity, but he will experience horrendous torture day in and day out for that time.
If you haven’t made the connection yet, Jesus is painting a picture of what Hell is like. It is a place of never-ending torment and pain. It is a place devoid of mercy. It is the place prepared for the Devil and his minions, yet unbelieving humans will be sentenced to that place as well if they stand unforgiven by God.
Friends, you who have been forgiven so much, how is it that you can refuse to forgive the comparatively small debits that people around you owe. Even the greatest offense that one can inflict upon you is but nothing compared to what you or I owe to God. Believer, you have been forgiven that which you could never hope to pay—demonstrate that same mercy that God has shown you to the world around you.
Forgiving Others
“For if you should forgive people their offenses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you should not forgive people, neither will your father forgive you your offenses.”
(Matthew 6:14-15)
While the language of this passage is fairly clear and explicit, conveying what Jesus wants us to understand, there are some things about this passage that we need to highlight so that we will understand the intensity of this statement. Jesus is not making this statement simply to add clarity to the petition for forgiveness found in verse 12, but he is saying this in such a way as to add teeth to the petition—to drive it home as a carpenter hammers in a nail. This statement is meant to make us feel uncomfortable and if we simply gloss over it lightly, we are not doing justice to the text.
The first thing that we should note is that most English translations do well when they translate the word for offense differently than they do verse 12. Most will translate verse 12 as “forgive us our debits” and verse 14 and 15 as “trespasses.” When we looked at the body of the Lord’s Prayer, we discussed how some groups have gone back to use the term “trespass” in the actual body of the Lord’s prayer when they recite it. Though this conveys a very similar idea, translating both verses in the same way causes these two verses to loose some of their punch.
In Greek, there are two separate words at work. The word found in verse 12 is the word ojfei÷lhma (opheilama), which literally refers to a financial debit that is owed to another. This, we discussed in terms of our sin debit that is owed to God—something that we could never hope to pay and that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was a payment for the debit that his people owe to God.
Yet, in these verses, Jesus alternates to the term para¿ptwma (paraptoma), which is used to refer to wrongdoing or sin. As you would read through these verses that follow the Lord’s Prayer, you should be expecting that the word ojfei÷lhma (opheilama) would be used, and there is a shift to para¿ptwma (paraptoma). This would have caught his original hearers off guard, just as it should catch us off guard when we see the word change from “debit” to “trespass.” When you read that, a flag should go up, and you should immediately be asking yourself, “why is there a change in language here?” That forces you to stop and allow these two verse to sink into your heart.
Secondly, there is a parallel structure to these two verses. Essentially, both verses say the same thing, but they do so in two different ways and from two perspectives (one positive and one negative. The language of “offenses” acts as outer bookends or parenthesis to Jesus’ statement. This kind of thing is very common within the Hebrew psalms and other poetic literature, and is used specifically for emphasis. And indeed, that is exactly what Jesus is doing—emphasizing this incredibly important doctrine of forgiveness.
This may seem incredibly technical to be discussing when dealing with verses like this, but when you start to get the handle on what Jesus is doing by structuring his statement in this way, you can begin to appreciate how much it should stand out as being important to deal with as we struggle to grow in our faith. God gives many wonderful blessings to his people, people who have been forgiven more than we can begin to imagine—but at the same time, he expects us to forgive others their sins toward us. Loved ones, how is it that we who have been forgiven so much neglect to forgive others the petty things that they offend us with?
The Year of the Lord’s Favor: Isaiah 61:2a
“To proclaim the year of Yahweh’s Favor…”
(Isaiah 61:2a)
There are two promises in view with the words of this phrase. The first is the concept of the Year of Jubilee that we discussed above. This was the season when debts were forgiven and family lands were restored-the oppression of division from the community by debit was brought to an end. Indeed, this is what we find in Christ Jesus, where all believers are brought into the covenant and are given an inheritance in the land-a land that is being reserved for us free from corruption, by Christ in Heaven (1 Peter 1:4-5. Indeed, the celebration that Christ ushers in is an ongoing Year of Jubilee before the Lord.
Yet there is more at work than this, for the Year of the Lord’s Favor, ushered in by Christ, is a promise to be enjoyed by Gentiles as well as by Jews. It is to be enjoyed by all who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The language of this verse also picks up on the language of Isaiah 49:8, where God promises that in the “time of the favor” of the Lord, God will work salvation for his people, bringing the nations into the covenant. Indeed, the verses that follow echo much of the language of chapter 61. Thus, in Christ, we see the principle of the Year of Jubilee applied to the gentiles as well as to the Jewish people. In Christ we find that the fortunes of all the tribes of the earth-all of the descendants of the sons of Noah, find blessing as the gospel is brought to them.
We need to raise one more issue regarding this passage. Given that we know the context of the Year of the Lord’s favor with respect to the Year of Jubilee and its extension to the gentiles, we still ought to ask the question of what favor means. I raise this question, because oftentimes when we think of favor, we think of earning someone’s favor, and this is obviously not the case with God. The word “favor” is the Hebrew word, !Acr” (ratson), and while we find the term used in a variety of contexts, normally it is used to refer to favor that is graciously given and not favor that has been earned. In many of the cases, this term could also be translated as “grace.” Do understand, loved ones, that the language of the Year of God’s Favor is the language of a gracious gift that has been given, not something that has been earned in any which way. Seek Christ, and enjoy the year of his grace-enjoy his mercies and rest in the assurance of his promise. That which you could not do for yourself (being brought into the favor of the Lord) has been done by Christ for us! Hallelujah! Amen!
Liberation!: Isaiah 61:1f
“and to the ones imprisoned—liberation!”
(Isaiah 61:1f)
This final clause in Isaiah 61:1 naturally follows the previous statement. With the coming of the Messiah, the chains of bondage to sin are released, they are broken, and the prison cells of death have been opened wide. Indeed, our Lord proclaimed just that message:
“Truly, Truly, I say to you that an hour is coming and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and the ones who hear will live.”
(John 5:25)
The final clause in this verse, which I have translated as “liberation,” is a Hebrew idiom comprised of two similar ideas for release, or delivery from prison: x;Aq-xq;P. (peqach-qoach). The key to remember here is that the language reflects the idea of being released by someone else from something that you could not free yourself of. In other words, it reflects the idea of being liberated and not the idea of escape. Indeed, there are many human bonds and constraints that we may be able to throw off on our own strength, but sin and death are the two things that have bound us as a race in a way that we are helpless against apart from a divine act of liberation. And indeed, dear friends, this is the liberation that is worked by Christ Jesus!
It is worth pointing out that the language of “liberation” has been used by some in our culture to promote an un-Biblical political theology. “Liberation Theology” as it has been called, takes passages like this and argues that the purpose of Christ’s life and death was to open up avenues for relief from political oppression. This theological model has then been adapted to meet the specific needs of particular groups. Thus, there has been Feminist Liberation Theology, Black Liberation Theology, Hispanic Liberation Theology, etc… And while genuine Christianity lived out does seek to lift people from their oppressed conditions (the abolishment of the slave-trade, for example), this particular theology seeks to reverse the roles, placing the oppressed in a position where they can now oppress their former oppressors.
Not only does this theology blend political Marxism with a mis-interpretation of scripture, but it also departs from the witness of historical Christianity, where believers have regularly sought to evangelize their oppressors. More importantly, it misses the whole point of Christ’s atoning and liberating work. Jesus did not come to serve a political agenda, he came to redeem us from our sins. He did not come to make it possible for us to throw off our earthly oppressors; he came to redeem us from the eternal judgment of God. It misses the point when Jesus says, “blessed are those who have been persecuted in the name of righteousness…” (Matthew 5:10). In addition, does not Peter also teach us that it is of no merit if we suffer for our sin (1 Peter 2:20)? Instead of repaying evil for evil, are we not to repay evil with good (1 Peter 3:8-9)?
Beloved, rejoice in the liberation that you have been given, but understand what Jesus is liberating you from. You are being liberated from sin and death; you are being liberated from the fate of eternal judgment! How much greater and more wonderful is this liberation than anything that men can work in this world! How much more permanent this liberation is! Don’t be fooled, loved ones, by the false teachers that surround you—search the scriptures and guard your heart, for there are many who would lead you astray. Be like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) and do not follow the lies of those who would manipulate God’s word to serve their own ends.
“For this is no empty word for you, but it is your life. And in this word your days will be made long upon the ground which you are passing over the Jordan to inherit there.” (Deuteronomy 32:47)
Release to the Captives: Isaiah 61:1e
“To preach release to the captives…”
Isaiah 61:1e
In the context of Isaiah’s ministry, this statement would have had a very specific promise, recognizing that at this point in history, the northern Kingdom of Israel has fallen and the people had been taken and scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire. In addition, the southern Kingdom would, within 100 years, fall as well. To those who would hear this prophesy, that would speak of the hope of the return of the people from exile with the advent of the Messiah’s coming. When Jesus spoke these words of his own ministry, the people would have responded in a similar way, not only thinking of the return of the various Jewish people who had been scatted all over the Roman Empire, but also of the lifting of Roman oppression in the Holy Land. Yet, Jesus had an entirely different bondage in view—one that was far more dangerous than the taxation and oversight of the Romans. Jesus was dealing with our bondage to sin.
The language used by Isaiah echoes this great promise that Jesus has come to fulfill. The word that we translate as “release” or “liberty” is the Hebrew word, rArD> (deror), which specifically has in view the release that God commanded in conjunction with the Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee (which is where verse 2 picks up—also see Leviticus 25:10). Essentially, God commanded that every 7th year was to be a Sabbath year set aside for himself. During this year the fields would be left fallow, Jewish slaves would be set free, and debts would be considered satisfied. In the Year of Jubilee (every 50th year), even the family lands that had been sold to pay off debts would be returned to their rightful owners for the purpose of preserving the family in the land. It was to be a time of celebration and deliverance from economic and social bondage. Yet, do not miss the purpose of the Year of Jubilee and Sabbatical years, or you will miss what Isaiah is doing by referencing it and you will miss what Jesus is doing by applying it to his own Messianic ministry.
Leviticus 25, a chapter devoted to the release that was to be associated with the Sabbatical Year and with the Year of Jubilee, ends with God’s explanation for instituting these events:
“Because, to me, the sons of Israel are servants;
they are my servants which I brought out of the land of Egypt.
I am Yahweh, your God.”
(Leviticus 25:55)
In other words, God is saying that the reason for these Jubilees is because the people of Israel belong to no one other than to himself. He did not share them with Egypt, but delivered them, and he will not share them with those who would exploit them in their own land. God’s people are God’s servants and a perpetual bondage means that he is forced to share with one who is an illegitimate owner. God brought his people from Egypt to be his own; he is not going to let them go.
Do these words not also ring true with the language of our Lord?
“All that the Father gives me will come to me; I will definitely not cast out.”
(John 6:37)
“Also I give them eternal life, and they shall never be destroyed; no one will snatch them from my hand.”
(John 10:28)
Yet, this language echoes even more strongly with the language of the writer of Hebrews:
“Remember those who are bound as ones bound with them; and the ones who are tormented, as they are in the body. Let marriage be precious to all, and the marriage bed be morally pure; for the sexually immoral and adulterous God will judge. Let your lifestyle not be covetous, being content with what is at your disposal. For he has said: “I will never send you back, nor will I ever leave you behind.” Thus we can say with certainty, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:3-6)
Okay, let’s put the puzzle pieces together in light of what the writer of Hebrews teaches. We know from Leviticus that God has delivered his people from their bondage in Egypt for the purpose of making them his own servants. In light of that, God instituted the Sabbatical Year and Year of Jubilee in Israel’s governmental law for the purpose of ensuring that the people would not sink back into bondage. The writer of Hebrews builds on this idea and asks us as Christians to look at several things that will lead us into different kinds of bondage. We are to remember believers who are in actual chains—why? Because God hears the cries of his persecuted people (Exodus 2:23-25). We are to preserve the sanctity of our marriages—why? Because in marriage, one man and one woman are bound covenantally together to the point that they are seen by God as one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Thus, this binding must always be a holy one—one that does not detract from the couple’s ability to serve God, but instead aids it (1 Corinthians 7:2-7, 26-28). We are not to defile our marriage bed with sexual immorality or adultery, why? Because not only does this sinful activity ruin the holy nature of the marriage, but it also enslaves the person who entered into such sin to the sin and to the one with whom he or she has committed said immorality and adultery (1 Corinthians 6:16). Our lifestyles must not be covetous (more than just the love of money, but the 10th commandment includes coveting your neighbor’s house, wife, servants, and/or property—Exodus 20:17). Why? Because this places you in bondage to the lust of material things—things that belong to this world, and not to the things of God (1 John 2:15-17). All of these things that the writer of Hebrews mentions are things that binds us in servitude and slavery to things or persons other than being bound in service to God.
Thus, it is in this context that the writer of Hebrews quotes Jesus as saying, “I will never send you back, nor will I ever leave you behind.” While this is likely a reference to Jesus’ promise to his Apostles in John 14:18, it picks up the language of the passages quoted above from John above as well as other promises of Jesus that he will be with us always, even to the end of eternity (Matthew 28:20). All of these statements must be understood in the context of God’s calling of us to be his own. Why will Jesus not allow us to be left behind? Because in being left behind, we are left in bondage to the things of this world, to sin, and ultimately to death. As the Apostle Paul writes:
“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves to men.”
(1 Corinthians 7:23)
So, we return back to Isaiah 61:1 and to Jesus’ proclamation that he is the fulfillment of this prophesy (Luke 4:21). Our Lord came to proclaim, and thus the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims, that we are released from our bondage to the world—Egypt has no more claims on us; sin has no more claims on us; the kingdoms of the world can do nothing to us for we are eternally bound to the risen Christ. Oh, beloved, how is it that we so often bind ourselves to the world even in light of this great truth! Loved ones, let us live in service of Christ, for he is our only master—the chains of this world have been loosed, and we have found our freedom in him!
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the lamb;
Redeemed through his infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
-Fanny Crosby
The Shattered Heart: Isaiah 61:1d
“He has sent me to bind the heart which has been shattered…”
Isaiah 61:1d
When I read this part of the verse, my mind cannot help but to think back to the promise that was made by God earlier in Isaiah 35:4:
“Say to those whose hearts are hasty; be strong and you must not fear.
Behold, your God of vengeance will come in the recompense of God—
He will come and save you.”
And indeed, now, those whose hearts have caused them to run ahead, chasing after their own plans and dreams instead of chasing after holiness, will find that God, in his might and in his power, will come to save them—save them by sending his Son, Jesus Christ. And Christ will be the one who takes their hearts, as broken, war-torn, and shattered as they are, and bind them back together. Note the power of this great and wonderful promise, Jesus is not simply one to put back together a heart that has been fractured, like a bone that is broken might be set in a splint or a cast, but the Hebrew word used here is derived from the Hebrew verb, rb;v’ (shavar), which means “to shatter.” Any human doctor can mend a fractured bone, but it takes God to mend that which has been shattered beyond recognition. And note that when the Hebrews were speaking about the “heart,” they were not speaking simply in terms of one’s emotional well-being or of one’s passions as we often do; when the Hebrews spoke of the heart, they had in mind the intellect and the personality—that which makes you, you. And this is the work of Christ. Jesus is more than a family counselor or a psychologist helping you to get your emotions in check. And he does more than to nurture bruised egos—Jesus mends lives! And Jesus does far more than mend lives that have been beaten around and bruised by the world, but he mends lives that have been blasted away, shattered, demolished, and utterly crushed, and he restores us whole!
I am reminded of the story of Humpty Dumpty. Indeed, all of the kings horses and men could do nothing to patch that shattered egg and to restore him to strength. Yet, Christ is far more than a servant of a human king; he is the King of Kings, Son of the Living God and creator of the universe. Indeed, there is no life, no person who is too broken and shattered that he is beyond the ability of our Lord, Jesus Christ to put back together. Yet, there is another difference. When Jesus puts a life back together, he does not simply restore one to health, but he restores one slowly into the image of himself—we are remade not for a fallen world, but Christ’s remaking is designed to prepare us for glory! What a wonderful promise that we find in our great and glorious Lord!
“He is the one who heals a shattered heart;
and the one who binds their sorrows.”
Psalm 147:3
Into Thy gracious hands I fall,
And with the arms of faith embrace;
O King of glory, hear my call!
O raise me, heal me by Thy grace!
-Wolfgang Dessler
Good Tidings: Isaiah 61:1c
“to herald good tidings to the meek”
Isaiah 61:1c
These words should immediately bring to mind the language of the angels in proclaiming the good news before the shepherds (Luke 2:10). Indeed it was the role of the angels to proclaim the birth of the one who would bring such good news and glad tidings to the world—who would emboss onto the history of mankind the great hope and promise of redemption that would be brought by this Jesus. In Christ, men and women no longer need to live in darkness and fear, but could dwell forever in Christ’s marvelous light. Indeed, there are no better tidings than the reality that God has come into the world to dwell with men, to bear the sins of those whose faith is in him, and to face the mighty wrath of God on behalf of his own. The one who needed no redeeming came to earth, took on flesh to identify with us as his people, and did the mighty work of redemption on behalf of we who needed redeeming, yet could not even begin to do that work on our own.
And it is important to see the way in which this message of good tidings is proclaimed to those who are meek. It’s root is the word rv;B’ (bashar), which means, “to bear good news.” Yet this verb is found in what is called the Piel stem in the Hebrew language. The Piel stem is used in Hebrew to point to a repeated action. In other words, the idea of the good news borne or heralded by Christ is not just a one-time deal, but it is good news that is repeatedly proclaimed in the hearts and in the lives of God’s people. How true this is indeed! The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is news that bears repeating in the lives of those who know him and before the waiting ears of those who do not. How often God’s people need to be reminded of the wonderful good news of the hope that is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
But look at to whom this proclamation is directed. It is directed to the meek or to the poor, depending on your translation. The term that Isaiah uses here is wn”[‘ (anaw), which is related to the word ynI[‘ (ani). Literally, wn”[‘ (anaw) refers to one who is bowed down or dejected, one who has been humiliated and broken under the oppression of outside forces. Its cousin, ynI[‘ (ani), picks up the idea of one who has become poor and afflicted as a result of oppression. It is not to the proud or to the powerful that this message is proclaimed, but to the poor, to those who have suffered under the oppression of the world and under the oppression of sin and who understand that there is no place to look for a redeemer other than to God. This language is reminiscent of the Israelites in Egypt, crying out for God to deliver them from Pharaoh’s hand (Exodus 2:23). And indeed, it is this idea that Jesus picks up on in his Sermon on the Mount when he says, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
The proud, the arrogant, the haughty, those trusting in their own strength or righteousness, these are not the marks of those being drawn to God faith (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Indeed, the first step in coming to faith is genuine, heart-felt repentance, and in repentance there is no room for the pride of men. Loved ones, do not picture yourself approaching God with trumpets blaring and shouts of acclamation; do not picture yourself because you have earned an audience with the Almighty King. Understand that we come before him on our knees, pleading forgiveness and mercy, and in His undying grace, to all who come into His presence through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, to them—to us—he has given us eternal life, no longer seeing us as rebels, but adopting us as sons and daughters. Loved ones, oh, what a day of rejoicing that will be!
“See the kind of love that the father has given to us, in order that we might be called children of God; and we are. Because of this, the world does not know us: because it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1)
“And as it says in Hosea:
I will call those who are not my people, ‘my people.’
And she who is not beloved, ‘beloved.’
And it will be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called, “Sons of the Living God.”
(Romans 9:25-26)
Because Yahweh has Anointed Me: Isaiah 61:1b
“Because Yahweh has anointed me…”
Isaiah 61:1b
Oh, what an amazing statement this is in itself, that this Messiah is not one anointed by man, but by the covenantal God, Yahweh, himself! How much more significant this becomes when you realize that this construction is only ever used three times in the Old Testament. It is used first in 1 Samuel 10:1 of God’s anointing of Saul, it is used secondly here, of the Messiah, in Isaiah, and thirdly, it is used of Jehu, who destroyed the house of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 22:7). There are many instances where God asks a prophet or a priest to anoint someone as he did with Samuel’s anointing of David—but these are the only instances where Yahweh is said to have anointed.
There are several things that we can learn from this. In each case, this was a kingly anointing. Saul was the very first human king over Israel—Jesus was the last. Saul was rejected by God because he did not execute God’s judgment upon Agag, the king of the Amalekites—one of the great persecutor of Israel. In contrast to Saul, Jehu was anointed king for the express purpose of executing God’s judgment upon the house of Ahaz (Ahaziah) in Judah and upon the house of Ahab in Israel—both kings which promoted pagan idolatry. Of course, Jehu’s downfall is that he did not go far enough in the purging of Israel of its idolatry and wickedness. Christ is the greater fulfillment of that which both Saul and Jehu failed to complete. Jesus is the greater king that not only redeems his people, but also promises complete and final judgment upon God’s enemies—upon all those who would devote themselves to idolatry.
The second thing that we can learn from this is the very nature of the Kingship of the Messiah. The verb, “to anoint” in Hebrew is the word xv;m’ (mashach) and is the very word from which we get the word “Messiah,” literally meaning, “the anointed one.” Not only then, is Isaiah pointing toward the very reality that this promised Messiah will be God himself, but also that he will fulfill the promise that God gave to David, in that a king will be raised up from his household who would have an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
Thirdly, it is an ever-present reminder of the nature of Jesus’ Kingship. Jesus himself said that he did not come to peace but division (Luke 12:51). John the Baptist describes Jesus as one who comes as with a winnowing fork to separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 3:12). And what is the purpose of all this division? It is salvation (John 12:47). How is it that both can be true? The wrath of God being poured out upon his enemies is the means by which God saves the world for he brings her to purity only after he has separated the distillates out of her in the refining process. Refinement is done with fire, thus fire is brought by Christ to both redeem and destroy—both go hand in hand. In the case of Saul and Jehu—the destruction of God’s enemies ended their idolatrous influence (at least for a time). In the case of Jesus, the destruction of God’s enemies means a promise of the eternal end to the idolatrous influence of the world upon our lives—oh praise be to God that our Lord would come in this way!
The Spirit of the Lord Most High: Isaiah 61:1a
This passage is one that is very familiar to us because of Jesus’ use of it during his first sermon back in his hometown of Nazareth. Notice the unambiguous nature of this statement—“the Spirit of the Lord Most High, Yahweh, is upon me. To begin with, when x;Wr (ruach), which can mean “spirit” or “wind”, is used in construct with the personal name of God (Yahweh) and is used in the terms of being placed upon someone, it is consistently used in terms of God’s power, and that power being placed upon an individual to complete God’s design. It is used of Othniel (Judges 3:10), Samson (Judges 14:6), of David (1 Samuel 16:13), and of Elijah (1 Kings 18:12). Most importantly, it is used of Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22). How this shines light on passages like Colossians 2:9, which speaks of the fullness of God being pleased to dwell in Christ. How so it is that the Spirit rushed on these Old Testament saints in part and for a time, yet came upon Christ in full and remained upon him for eternity. What is more is that same Spirit rushed upon Peter and the other apostles at the time of Pentecost and likewise remained upon him for the length of their ministry. And that same Spirit—the third member of the divine Trinity has shown himself to be pleased to dwell in you and within me both for the purpose of accomplishing God’s work in this world and for the purpose of drawing you and I more closely to himself in intimate fellowship. This is not a change of state for Jesus, but it is a promise. It is a promise that in Christ all of the promises of deliverance that are contained within the words of the Old Testament find their fullness in Christ and in his work. And it is a promise that it is the very Spirit of God that will bring about God’s designs in your life and mine. What a wonderful way for Jesus to announce his ministry to the community that thought they knew him best. Oh, how much greater a sin it was for these townsfolk—those who knew Jesus from childhood—to reject him in the way that they did.
Yet, we must not stop there. It is not only the x;Wr (ruach) of Yahweh, but we are told that this is the x;Wr (ruach) of the yn”doa] (adonay) of Yahweh. The Hebrew word !Ada’ (adon) means lord in the generic sense (much like we would use the word “sir” in English as a term of respect), but when you add the Qamets-yod ending (the “ay” sound), that intensifies the word, which communicates the idea that this Lord is the most high of all Lords—a term never employed of anyone in the Old Testament but God. Finally, we should not neglect to note the covenantal name of God, Yahweh, that is employed in this Statement. We can be left with no doubt of what Isaiah is seeking to communicate within this passage. The messiah of whom he speaks will have the fullness of the covenant God of Israel upon himself—that he is the fullness of God—and that is a statement that can only be made of God. This messiah of whom he speaks will be, and can only be, the covenant God of Israel, having taken on flesh and come to redeem his people. It points to and can only point to Jesus Christ, the very Son of the living God. By declaring that this prophesy was fulfilled in himself as he did before the people in the synagogue of Nazareth, he declared himself to be none less than God in the flesh.
The Garden of God’s Word
Before I enter scripture itself, I wanted to begin with it as a whole. God’s word is very much like a wonderful garden, filled with all kinds of produce. And, it is a garden that reflects back at us all of the thorns and thistles of our lives. When I was growing up, my parents kept a large vegetable garden. This garden usually caused me to lament the coming of Saturday, for I often was made to spend them pulling up weeds or tilling the soil when I would have rather been playing baseball or watching cartoons like my friends. Yet, though we all sweated and toiled over it, the produce was always a blessing on the dinner table.
God’s word is the same way. As a Christian, we need to labor in it. It takes work to root out the deep truths and riches that it contains. Does that mean that the Bible is full of thorns and thistles, subject to the fall? Certainly not! The thorns and thistles are the things that we bring to the table. These are our secret sins and lusts. The word of God is powerful and potent when it comes to convicting men of their sinful ways. And if we are going to approach the word of God seeking its fruit, then those thorns and thistles in our own life must be pulled out by the root.
But what a rich variety of fruit that lies within God’s Word! There are the sweet berries of God’s promises, the abundant and hearty beans of God the Father’s nature revealed within, the spicy peppers of the power of God the Holy Spirit moving through history, and the earthy tubers of God the Son’s work on earth. There are the majestic and flowering fruit trees of God’s grace and there are the bitter radishes of God’s judgment on unbelievers. And the abundance therein proclaims without hesitation God’s glory and his constancy toward and provision for his people.
And just as is with any healthy garden, it is full of life. Worms to till the soil, bugs to pollinate, and birds to fill the trees with song, God’s word is alive and healthy and how the Christian ought to long to rest therein for all of his days. And the garden most importantly is a garden that is fed with a spring of pure and living water, even though it is surrounded by a dry and arid land. What an oasis we have in God’s Word! Oh, how the Christian inflicts such pain on himself by seeking the worldly pleasures of baseball and cartoons over the riches of God’s word.
God’s Garden
(Genesis 2-3)
It would seem that God is the original gardener. And what a garden he planted. It was paradise! Yet, what made it paradise is not the variety of beautiful and tasty plants, but God’s own presence therein. God strolled freely with Adam and Eve in the garden. Even the pits of hell would be paradise with Him as a companion. Yet this garden also was not fallen. There were no thorns or thistles, there were no pesky rocks to till out, and there were no diseases within the place. There were no storms in Eden. There were no natural disasters or floods to worry about; just the cool summer rain that fell gently on their backs.
There was no viciousness in the animals and no predators to worry about. They could sleep under the stars gazing at a picture of God’s glory undefiled by the clouds of sin or the fear of darkness. They lay naked and unashamed. What a contrast this is to our world today. And Adam and Eve gave all of this up for a bite of fruit and a lust to be like their creator.
It has been said that you never appreciate your blessings until they are gone. How this truth is illustrated by Adam and Eve. They threw away paradise! And we would do the same if we got the chance. How often we find ourselves longing for the “greener” grass on the other side of the hill. We know that it is not greener, but our heart still yearns for it. How often we reflect longingly at past paths of sin. We only remember the fleeting moments of pleasure and never the lasting pain of guilt and grief. Oh how often we see the seeds of temptation as harmless, yet, time and time again, they sprout in our fertile hearts.
Let our hearts long once again for paradise. For the believer in Jesus Christ, paradise has been reserved for you in heaven, no more will the ravages of sin destroy. Yet, as we look around at those we care about, we must ask, how many of them will not be joining us there. Let us seek to plant the seeds of paradise in the hearts of those around us, that they might walk the cool meadows of heaven by our side.
Adam’s Garden
(Genesis 4)
What a contrast Adam’s garden is to God’s. Adams is filled with rocks, thorns, and thistles. It requires the sweat of the brow to be worked, and where was the eternal spring of water to nourish the produce? And where was the presence of God, walking freely within?
There is such a difference between the things that God has made and the things that we attempt to make. We marvel at our towers and sky-scrapers, yet God built the mountains to tower miles high. We have seen towers topple as a result of earthquakes and hurricanes. On September 11th a few years back, we found out how quickly towers fall in an explosion. Yet, even with the explosive force of a volcano, which is millions of times more powerful than a detonating airliner and thousands of times more powerful than an atom bomb, there is still quite a formidable mountain that remains. James says that the edifices of man will burn away like grass under the hot winds of the summer. Pound for pound, the tensile strength of the silken strand of a spider-web is many times greater than that of man-made steel alloys. Oh the vanity that lies with in the garden of the children of Adam.
And what fruit did Adam’s garden bear? It bore the fruit of discontent and shame, for it was Cain the gardener who slew his brother in the fields. And we are still slaying each other today in our fields. Yes, we may be more subtle than to bash in our brother’s head with a rock, but when we destroy his marriage because of a fling with his wife, we do the same thing. Calvin said that the heart of man is a factory of idols. If that is the case, it is the mind of man that is the heart’s marketing firm. And production is in high gear. Not only do we fill our lives with the thorns and thistles of sin, but we export our sins to our neighbors and our children. What a mess Adam’s garden was. What a mess ours continues to be.
Noah’s Vineyard
(Genesis 9: 20-29)
What a picture of human nature we have painted for us here by Moses. Noah, “the preacher of righteousness” to quote Peter, had just exited the ark and planted a vineyard. Though that is not a bad thing in itself, what he does next is. Noah becomes drunk and in some way exposes himself to his son Ham. Ham, perhaps with a tinge of sarcasm or humor, tells his brothers, “guess what dad did!” And all over again, we have the separation of the children of God and the children of the world. Ham and his line are cursed and Shem’s line is blessed.
How often in our own lives have we fallen into this trap. During times of great trial and difficulty our faith shines and is strong. But during times of peace and prosperity, we let our guard down, falling prey to the sins of the world. This is what happened with Noah. Once he had a chance to relax, he fell back into his old ways. Is this not the tendency of the church itself? The times of greatest church growth are always during the times of great persecution and trial.
I would argue that this is the greatest trial of the church in America today. We have great freedoms when it comes to expressing our faith and in religion. We don’t have to worry about government oppression or persecution. While this is a great blessing, it has become a stumbling block for many. Church has become culturally acceptable and in turn it requires no sincere commitment.
I suggest that we learn from Noah’s folly. Even in times of prosperity and rest, we need to keep our guard up. Yes, we are reminded of the humanness of many of these “Bible heroes,” but more importantly, let the lessons of their failure fall on attentive ears. Satan is always seeking to destroy, he is always lurking behind the next corner. Though he may not attack with claw or bite, he will attack in some way and it may be with wealth and flattery. Let us seek to live to God’s glory every day and in every moment and not fall into sin during times of relative comfort.
The Jordan Valley
(Genesis 13)
When Abram offered Lot a choice of land to settle in, Lot chose the Jordan Valley for it was well watered as Eden had been. Abram trusted in the Lord for his provision, but it is clear here, that Lot evaluated things by the way of men. But what he found in that valley would eat at his heart. Peter tells us that Lot’s heart was tormented because he lived and worked around the wicked men of Sodom. The grass looked greener in the valley, as the Garden of the Lord, scripture tells us, but there was one thing missing from that garden altogether: the presence of the Lord. God had left those men to their wickedness.
So often this is a testimony to the result of our own decision making. We often make our choices based on human ideas and terms. “What do I think that I would like,” we ask. “Where would I like to serve in ministry?” “How should I spend MY money.” Yet, the money does not belong to us, the ministry does not belong to us, and our life does not belong to us. Thus, the only opinion of what we should or should not be doing that matters is the opinion of our Lord and Savior. I think that it was Spurgeon who said that there is no ideal place to serve God—except where he puts you. How often do we truly seek God’s will first and our will second. Let us learn from righteous Lot the torment of making decisions based on human reasoning.
The Promised Land
(Joshua 1)
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt, having had to work to irrigate the gardens which they grew, they had traveled through the desert, with God as an oasis from the elements, and they were about to enter into the Promised Land. This land was to be a place much like Eden, where the vegetation was lush and the thorns and thistles were few. It was described as paradise, but Canaan was only meant as a partial fulfillment of God’s promise to his people. Canaan had been polluted with the sin and wickedness of its inhabitants and the Israelites did anything but purge the land of sin. Rather, they quickly joined in with the pagan revelries.
How little we do to preserve the purity of what God has given us. We pollute our marriages with want and a wandering heart; we pollute our families with the things we teach our children to ignore. We pollute our jobs with laziness and we pollute our relationship with our Creator with neglect and sin. We may not have carved Baals and Asherahs, but we have set humanism and materialism in our hearts. We need to turn our hearts back toward the Lord, seeking his glory and the joy of the promised land kept and preserved from ruin for those who would call on the name of Jesus for salvation.
Naboth’s Vineyard
(1 Kings 21)
Once more, we have a picture of Adam’s garden. Ahab wanted that which was not his and Naboth was too stubborn to give the king what he wanted. While Naboth is certainly “in the right” by all legal and moral estimations, he still coveted the land of his fathers. Now we can certainly talk about Leverite law and how a family is to keep the land within the family, but we also must remember Samuel’s warning about the ways of kings (1 Samuel 8:14).
Perhaps Naboth was not aware that Ahab would seek his death. Perhaps Naboth was not aware of the wiles of Jezebel. No, that hardly seems possible. Ahab had deliberately sought the death of the prophets of God. Perhaps Ahab was just misunderstood by those pesky prophets. “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all of the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16: 33). I hardly think that there was any misunderstanding about the nature of Ahab.
Naboth coveted his land and would not give it up to the king. Naboth had to know to what end this path would bring. And once again, blood flowed. Sticking to your guns is a good thing, even in the face of death, but I am not convinced that Naboth is doing just that. So often we too hold stubbornly to the wrong things. And usually those things are sins that God is calling us to mortify. We must always remember that it is not our fathers who have given us their land, but it comes from God, and it is given for His glory, not our satisfaction. He who giveth can also take.
Solomon’s Garden
(The Song of Solomon)
While it is important not to allegorize this book, there is a clear sense of looking both forward and back. This is Solomon’s pursuit of a young lady, but the purity with which this pursuit is done is a model for all Christians today. In addition, it points back to the purity of the marriage pursuit of Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall and it points forward to give us a picture of our Savior pursuing his bride, the church.
Yet, there is something else worth noting about the setting of this book. This book describes a hidden garden where the maiden works. The garden is a safe place, a place where these pursuits can take place without fear or threat. Our homes need to exhibit that same sense of safety. They need to be a place where husbands and wives can come together with joy and pleasure, knowing that they will not face the kind of the scrutiny that the world gives out. And it needs to be a place of safety where children can retreat to and find comfort and hope therein when the world seems to hate them. It must be a place of building up, not tearing down.
Is that how our spouse would describe our home? How about our children? If not, then there is cultivating to be done.
Jeremiah’s Garden of Hope
(Jeremiah 32)
The setting and timing of this event is as bleak as it gets. The Chaldeans are bearing down on the city of Jerusalem. They have been on a warpath conquering all of Judah, and the walled city of Jerusalem is one of the last holdouts. Jeremiah has been preaching to the people that the reason that the Chaldeans have come is because God is using them to bring punishment on the people for their faithlessness. Many wish to fight, Jeremiah is telling them to surrender, for this is God’s will.
Yet, as bleak as this time seems, there is a point of hope. Though the promised land is about to be totally overrun by the Chaldeans, God instructs Jeremiah to buy the field of his cousin. While this might seem contrary to common sense, God was using this purchase to make a statement.
Though Judah had sinned, though God was bringing catastrophic judgment on the people, God would also restore his people. Jeremiah’s purchase was a sign that the land would be restored to the people of Israel. They could not know this, but God would bring Cyrus to power in Persia to overthrow the Chaldeans, and would eventually send the exiles home. The field that Jeremiah bought would eventually be redeemed, as would all the land.
Yet, we must remember, that even that hope was a temporary one. Though there was repentance on the part of the people, a solution had to be had to atone for sin. God had that planned as well, for he would later send his son Jesus to do just that and to prepare a land that is permanent and unfading for his people. We have a great hope in Christ, dear friends; take courage. Even though things may look bleak, God, is, as he has always been and always will be, in control.
Habakkuk’s Garden
(Habakkuk 3: 17-19)
In many ways, Habakkuk’s story is like that of Job’s. Though Habakkuk had not been afflicted personally with trial, God’s people were being afflicted by their neighboring nations. Assyria had conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel and Babylon had just conquered the kingdom of Assyria and would soon come to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah. And behind it all is God’s hand of judgment on his people for their idolatry. In the face of this, Habakkuk boldly places the question before God as to how he could do this. How could God use the ungodly to punish his people? And ultimately, by God’s grace, Habakkuk comes to the same conclusion as did Job: God is sovereign and he will use those means that he chooses to rebuke his people. Yet, no matter how harsh the rebuke may seem, God will redeem his people as well. What a message of hope this is today, in a world that seems to have embraced chaos instead of holiness.
At the end of this little book, Habakkuk gives us a picture of his garden. It is a picture of barrenness and destruction. There is no blossom on the fig tree, no fruit on the fine, and the olive crops have failed. There is nothing in the fields, either plant or animal, and there is nothing in the stalls. This is a picture of a desolate land. Yet, it is not desolate at all! Why? For he understands that his strength, his help, and his salvation do not come from the crops that he produces or the animals that he owns, but it comes from the hand of God himself. God will deliver his people even when all of the means that this world has to offer are spent.
In the time of impending doom that Judah was facing at this point, what a message of hope and encouragement this is. What a stark reminder it is to us? So often we look only with discouragement at our own gardens. The things of our life may not be working out the way we have planned, never-the-less, if our trust is in God, he will provide for us our needs. God is a great and merciful God, and is abundant in blessing toward his people. Let us learn from Habakkuk’s own testimony; the sure provision of God is better than all that the world can provide.
A Treasure Hidden in a Field
(Matthew 13:44)
This parable, I find to have some particularly interesting elements. First of all, the man stumbles on the treasure by accident, or, more accurately, by God’s providence. He was not looking for it and he found it in a field that had been tilled and planted by another who had not found the treasure. Secondly, the field was not his own. This says both that the man was trespassing and that the field’s owner had no interest in things of true value.
Yet, the setting is still a field or a garden. It is a place that is not wild or unkempt but in a place that has been ordered and cultivated. And even though the treasure finds the man if you will, it is worth noting that the place in which the treasure is found is not in the chaotic wilds. So many people feel that the last place they can “find God” is in the church. “I feel closer to God when I am outside in the middle of nature.” Yet, usually, that is not where God is to be “found.”
I will admit that the church is often anything but a place of love and joy and compassion. Yet it is a place that has ordered itself in such a way as to strive to emulate God’s will. This is where God delights to make himself known. Sometimes it catches us by surprise and sometimes we are diligently searching for it. Regardless, unless we are in a place that strives to reflect God’s glory, the treasure will usually remain unseen.
Gethsemane
(Matthew 26:36)
What a sad garden, indeed. It is the place where Jesus went to spend his final hours with his disciples. It is the place where the disciples could not even stay awake with him in his final hour. It is the place where one of his disciples would betray him. And, it is the place where the rest of the disciples would flee.
How heavy our Lord’s heart must have been as he ascended this hill. The Songs of the Pilgrims Praising God and announcing his triumphal entry less than a week earlier must have felt a lifetime away. That night, darkness reigned. Yet, though darkness made its false claim of triumph from this garden, in not too many days, the angels of the Lord would announce to the women Jesus’ triumph over death in another garden. “He is not here for he has been raised!” These words of hope have split the darkness in the heart of many a man. It is a word which God has planted in the heart of all who he calls his own, that we might not only share the joy of a risen savior but so that we might be encouraged when we enter times where the devil appears to have triumphed.
Joseph of Arimathea’s Garden
(John 19: 38-42)
What a drastic contrast there was in this garden. We are told that Joseph of Arimathea was one of the secret disciples of Jesus, and that he and Nicodemus (who dialogued with Jesus early in his ministry—see John 3) brought the body of Jesus to a tomb in a garden that Joseph had reserved for himself.
What a heavy heart they must have had. They carried the lifeless body away from the ugliness of the cross to a place of beauty. Their task was to prepare Jesus’ body for burial, and quickly, for the Sabbath was coming shortly. Have you ever handled the body of a friend? It is a sobering occasion. When Jesus was a toddler, three Magi from the east had given him gifts suited for a king. Now, Joseph gives Jesus another gift suited for a king. It was only the wealthy who could afford a tomb like this, and usually because it had been a place where all the family members were buried. Joseph gave Jesus a virgin tomb. No death had defiled the place, and in this place, they laid Jesus’ body.
They made their preparations, the Romans rolled the stone into place, and the two men were bidden to return to their homes. What a dark night that would be. But, praise be to God that this is not the end of the story! For the day after the Sabbath Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of Zebedee went to the tomb. And what did they find? It was anything but what they expected!
Here in the place of death was life! Angels from heaven accompanied by all of the splendor of heaven filled this garden with light. And Jesus had arose! The garden was transformed not by earthly hands, but by the very power of God! God was saying even through the change in the garden, “Have hope, for I am in control, and I will be glorified!”
What a great God we have, dear Christian. This moment here, these words of life that were announced by the angel, are the most important words in the human language. And this event is the most important event in human history. Without the death and resurrection of Christ, there can be no hope, but with it, there is hope in abundance. Friends, rest in that hope, never deviate from it or look another way, for outside of Christ, life is nothing more than darkness and despair—much like Joseph’s garden was before the work of Christ. Glorify his name with all your life, and trust in his grace even in your darkest times, for it is more than sufficient for you. Amen.
James’ Garden of Righteousness
(James 3:18)
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
James reminds us that it is not only the physical gardens in our life that need attention, but the spiritual ones as well. Even before you begin to plant, you must prepare the soil of your garden. You must till it, remove rocks, fertilize it, and hoe it before any seeds are sown. And seeds must be sown if we have any hope of a harvest.
James says that if you want to have a harvest of righteousness in your life and in your church, you first must sow peace. But peace is not always easy. Peace takes work and it costs you something. Peace is not compromise, for in a compromise neither party is happy with the results. Rather peace is a true resolution of the issues between the parties and a coming together. Jesus was the greatest peacemaker of all. He brought peace between a rebellious people and a holy God. Yet, for this to happen, it cost him his life on the cross.
Sometimes, as we work the soil in preparation for planting, we can get frustrated and tired, yet we do not begrudge the crop when it finally comes in. Let’s look at the church in the same way. Sometimes sowing peace in a church or a community costs us sweat, tears, and blood. Yet, there is a harvest that is awaiting us. Sometimes God will bless us here in the church, getting to see lives changed and renewed. But, even if this is not God’s will, there is a time of Glory waiting for us in Heaven and there is a new creation that is coming when the evil will be finally judged and the harvest of righteousness will be more abundant than we can imagine.
The New Heavens and Earth
(Amos 9: 13)
With all of the failed attempts to make a garden of peace by the hands of man, it is no surprise that God would choose to remake things in the end. This is the only way that there would be a guarantee that the results would not be a mess. I am most encouraged by the picture of the new earth in the close of Amos’ prophesy. It will be a time where we will work, but the work will prove to be productive beyond our wildest imagination. Amos tells us that the harvest will be so abundant that those who plow will catch up to those that harvest—that the harvest will be so abundant that those who are reaping will not have time to harvest all of the bounty before it is time to plant again. It will not be filled with thorns and thistles of frustration and failure, but the hand of God will be on our labors.
But there is a more important difference between our gardens now and God’s final garden; God will be present. He will once again stroll with man, and we will see his glory. There, dear Christian is a picture of paradise: being in the presence of God.
For the LORD comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the LORD;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
(Isaiah 51:3, ESV)
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