Bethlehemian Rhapsody

Thanks Leelund for drawing my attention to this video.  Enjoy the puppet show....

The Deep, Bitter Roots of Disobedience

There is a reason God delights greatly in obedience and hates disobedience.  First Samuel 15:22 says that the Lord delights or finds joy much more in obedience than in religious ritual where there is no obedience (or where there is "partial obedience.").  So, why is this the case?  I believe 1 Samuel 15 shows us that the acts of disobedience (in action and thought) have deep and bitter roots.  The roots of our disobedience are all anti-the-glory-of-God.  I see at least four "roots," and I think every disobedient act or thought can be found rooted in one of these.

Misplaced Glory

1 Samuel 15:12 “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”

Disobedience finds root in a desire for my own glory instead of God's glory and praise. It strikes at the glory of God.  It seeks praise for self instead of God.  On the other hand, obedience, true obedience, seeks the glory of God and His name being made great.

Misplaced Pleasure or Desire
1 Samuel 15:19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?"

The word "pounce" appeared earlier in 14:32 where the people were starving and pounced on the spoil to satisfy their appetite.  Desires are not bad in and of themselves.  But, if I desire something God says is bad or I desire something that is good too strongly, I will let that desire rule me instead of God.  I seek my pleasure in things instead of God.  What an offense to the perfect and all-satisfying God of the universe.  I worship the gifts instead of the Giver. So, disobedience is so bitter because it raises pleasure in things above pleasure in God.


Misplaced Fear
1 Samuel 15:24 Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice..."

Disobedience is often rooted in a fear of human consequences more than a fear of the divine.  It fears men who can kill the body but after that do nothing instead of fearing God who can cast both body and soul into Hell.  It places the fear of the creature above the fear of God.  Obedience properly fears God.

Misplaced Trust
1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

Divination is to seek insight and wisdom on what to do or how to live from some other source than God. It could be going to a palm reader.  But, we often do this in a much more domesticated way.  We often turn to our own wisdom or the world's wisdom.  We ignore God's Word and seek wisdom for how to live life from other sources.  We make other sources of "wisdom" our trust and confidence.  This leads to idolatry.  We put that new source above God.  It is our god.  And if we have made our feelings and thoughts higher than God's then we have made ourselves and idol- namely SELF.  So, disobedience is so serious because it places trust in something other than God and His Word.

Round-Up Won't Kill These Roots
All of these roots are an attack on the glory of God.  This is why all sin is ultimately an attempt to de-God God.  This is why disobedience is so serious and obedience so wonderful.

 These roots are deep.  They are too deep to be killed by a little Round-Up weed killer.  No, the depths of these roots prove that we need a redeemer who has killed the bitter root for us. This should call us to obedience, but more than that it calls us to recognize that we desperately need our redeemer.  A self-help book or 12 step program cannot sever the roots of disobedience.  They are too deep, too strongly rooted in our nature.  That is why God sent us a redeemer.  Jesus is our righteousness and He has given us new life so that we can continue to kill the already mortally wounded roots of disobedience in our lives.

Signs of Pride

As I mentioned in my last post, I am enjoying rereading Thomas Watson's book A Godly Man's Picture.  I mentioned the signs of humility he discusses.  Now I want to turn and look the picture of pride he paints. I pray this helps you, as it is helping me, kill pride and cultivate humility in your heart.  Humility doesn't naturally spring up in our hearts.  We must be careful to sow the seeds of humility and pray that the Holy Spirit will grow these seeds within our hearts.

Those who are proud....

1. Boast in their riches and by their clothing. 
• Immodesty (wearing clothing that is sexually provocative or simply intended to draw unwarranted attention to one's self) is nothing more than pride on display. Immodest dress is nothing "but the flags and banners which pride displays." (82)
2. Have a high opinion of their own excellences.
• "Those who look at themselves in the magnifying mirror of self-love appear in their own eyes better than they are" (82).
3. Despise others. 
• Because the proud is so big in his own eyes, he finds it easy to look down on others who are not as smart, funny, good looking (insert any other way we see ourselves as large).
4. Trumpet their own praise. 
• "A proud man is the herald of his own good deeds" (83).
5. Take the glory of God to themselves. 
• "Pride is the greatest sacrilege; it robs God of his glory" (83).
6. Are never pleased with their condition. 
• They complain about God. Maybe not directly, but in the way they complain about their circumstances (which God has placed them in).

Does God Give Victory on the Football Field?

Here is an interesting article by Owen Strachan on Tim Tebow's recent, amazing fourth quarter and overtime comeback victories. He provides helpful theology as we seek to think biblically about this issue which is such a big part of sport's conversations at the national level.

Signs of Humility

Killing pride and growing in humility is key to growing in godliness. Pride keeps me in the kingdom of self (for my glory) whereas humility frees me to live in the Kingdom of God (for His glory). This also means pride keeps me from true joy because it turns me in on myself and makes me the center of things. It is only in humility that I find joy because I am living as I was designed to be: a humble creature of God, basking in His glory. 

I have been rereading Thomas Watson's book A Godly Man's Picture and came across his section on how a Christian can know he or she is humble. I thought I'd summarize the things he mentions to help us evaluate ourselves and to give us practical areas to battle pride and grow and humility.

A humble soul...

1. Is emptied of all swelling thoughts of himself (doesn't think too highly of himself)
2. Thinks better of others than himself (Phil 2:3)
• "A humble Christian studies his own infirmities and another's excellences and that makes him put a higher value upon others than himself" (79). [note: careful not to think this means disregarding God's graces at work in your life or that you are to compare yourself to others in envious ways]
3. Has a low esteem of his good works
• "Pride is apt to breed in our holy things as the worm breeds in the sweetest fruit..." A humble person sees his good works weigh too little and "therefore desires that Christ's merits be put into the scales" (79).
4. Is living in light of his own sinful condition. He is not always speaking of his own goodness and successes.
5. Will justify God in an afflicted condition- a humble person won't complain in times of adversity because he knows that God is always better to him than he deserves.
6. Is a Christ-magnifier 
• "He gives away to Christ the honour and praise of all he does" (80)
7. Is willing to take reproof for sin 
• "The humble-spirited Christian can bear the reproach of an enemy and the reproof of a friend" (81).
8. Is willing to have his name and gifts eclipsed so that God's glory may be increased. 
• "He is content to be outshone by others in gifts and esteem, so that the crown of Christ may shine brighter." (81).
9. Likes the condition God sees best for him. 
• "A proud man complains that he has no more; a humble man wonders that he has so much." (81). In otherwords, the humble person doesn't have an entitlement mentality. He recognizes that his singleness or lack of a nice house or lack of exciting food is nothing to complain about for God has given him so much.
10. Will stoop to the lowest person on the social ladder. He does not have a "holier than thou" approach, but associates with the lowly. 

Battling Anxiety During Exams

Here is a link to an excerpt from an article by David Powlison on anxiety. A timely read as exams are looming.  Take some time to read it- it's worth the read.

The Link Between Disobedience and Unbelief

This past Sunday, I taught from 1 Samuel 13.  The main point I sought to draw out was the connection between unbelief and disobedience in the life of Saul and in our lives.  We often don't think of our acts of disobedience to God as symptoms of residual unbelief in our hearts.  That just sounds too serious or too horrible to be true of us, but I believe it is true.  Below are the three points of reflection and application I made about this subject:

True faith or unbelief is often demonstrated in how we respond to hopeless situations. It is often in the difficulties of life- a broken relationship, financial hardship, health problems- that we see what is really going on in our hearts.  How we respond, either by obedience or disobedience to God, shows what is in our heart: trust or distrust of God’s sovereignty, wisdom and goodness.   Every time we choose to sin, unbelief is a factor. We are failing to believe that obedience to God gives superior joy compared to the empty promises of sin.

Disobedience to God is so serious because it is actually a sign of unbelief .  This is clear in 1 Samuel, but made even more explicit in Hebrews 11:24-26.  In this section, contained in "the hall of faith," Moses is held up as an example of faith.  He obeys God even though it means giving up an easy life for a life of difficulty and suffering.  The reason he does it is he believed God's promises.  The opposite is true too.  When we disobey God, it is a sign that we are not believing his promises are greater than the fleeting pleasures of sin.  This is important to remember when you are battling a particular sin or helping someone who is.  When a person is sinning with pornography or indulgent spending or out of control anger, the primary issue is not a lack of self-control (though that is an issue).  It goes deeper.  It is believing the false promises of sin over the joy producing promises of God.  It is living by sight and feeling instead of faith in what God has said.

We can have unbelief even in religious ritual.   Saul demonstrates his unbelief by offering sacrifices.  Just because we do a religious thing doesn't mean we are demonstrating true faith.  Faith is not simply external action (though it should affect our actions).  It comes from a heart that is truly seeking God.

It is scary to think unbelief still resides in our hearts.  You may wonder, does this mean I am an unbeliever? If what I have said is true (that every sin is a mark of remaining unbelief) then all Christians still have lingering unbelief because we all still sin.  The difference is those who truly know God realize they still have unbelief and cry out "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:20-24).  In other words, "I believe, but my faith is weak.  Help me believe you God."  Those who don't offer this cry to the Father should hear the warning of Hebrews 3:12, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."