Tag Archives: Sovereignty

Day 74: The Orchestrator

Deuteronomy 21:15-23:14; Mark 14:51-72

Key Verses

Deuteronomy 23:14
Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy.

Mark 14:61-62
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Many of the laws in this section of scripture pertain to sexual morality which correlates with the 7th commandment: “Do not commit adultery.”

One law from yesterday’s reading directly applies to today’s reading from Mark…

A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established (Deuteronomy 19:15).

The trial described in Mark 14 takes place before the High Priest, Caiaphas. This trial is highly irregular. Firstly, it takes place at Caiaphas’ house. Secondly, it is in the middle of the night. Whoever heard of a trial taking place in the middle of the night? Everything about this trial seems clandestine. They can’t find corroborating testimony, and in the end… Jesus, himself, provides the condemning testimony.

The injustice of this trial is preposterous. I almost wonder if Mark precedes his description of the trial with verse 52 – as a literary commentary on the absurdity of it all..

And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked (Mark 14:52).

This entire scene… the naked man, the middle-of-the-night-trial, Peter’s denials – it all seems nightmarish – yet it was part of God’s plan.

Jesus’ death is the ultimate example of God bringing good out of suffering. Even though the circumstances of this night seemed out of control, God knew what He was doing. He was the one orchestrating the farce of a trial – not the unjust Sanhedrin. This should be a great comfort as we experience confounding and difficult circumstances – that God is the orchestrator; He has a plan, and His plan is good.

Day 60: The Man Who Tried to Outwit God

Numbers 22-24; Mark 8:1-21

Key Verses

Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Mark 8:17-18
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “[…] Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”

The King of Moab was scared. He watched as his neighbors were destroyed by those people – the Israelites. He knew he couldn’t defeat them in battle because He had heard of the power of their God. Instead of doing physical battle, he chose to do spiritual battle… He called upon the great pagan seer, Balaam. Surely, the seer could curse those people, and he, Balak, King of Moab, would stand victorious….

Ha! This king actually thought he could outwit the living God as he tried to manipulate the circumstances to his favor. The story that follows in Numbers 22-24 mirrors the absurdity of the Moabite king!

What do we learn from reading about God opening the eyes of the donkey and closing the eyes of the seer? Or opening the mouth of the donkey and watching the seer grovel on the ground? What do you think about God using the pagan seer, Balaam, to speak truth and blessings upon Israel?

Now contrast Balaam’s spiritual insight to the disciples in Mark 8. Their eyes had not yet been opened! They failed to see the spiritual truth in Jesus’ words about the leaven. How do we make sense of all this?

I’ll tell you what I learn… God can and will do whatever he wants whenever he wants. God also has ultimate control over spiritual understanding. He opens eyes to see and ears to hear. He does this in His own time and in His own way to accomplish His own purposes.

I’ll be frank… I’m sympathetic to the Moabite king… because just like Balak, I don’t like my circumstances! My days are spent caring for my brain-injured daughter. This is not the life I signed up for – but what can I do about it? Can I outwit the living God? No. The only thing I can do is throw myself at his feet and beg for mercy. I ask him to open my eyes to see his purposes. I ask him to give me ears to hear his Word. I ask for spiritual understanding and grace to serve my daughter with patience and compassion. I am at his mercy. And thankfully, He is a merciful God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Day 358: Trust in God’s good plans

Habakkuk 1-3; Revelation 15

I love Habakkuk because he is honest before the Lord. He questions God’s justice and goodness. After dialoguing with the God of the universe, the book of Habakkuk ends in praise…not because he receives answers to his questions – but because He comes to a deeper understanding of God’s character. He accepts God’s mercy and goodness even though he doesn’t understand His ways.

As we struggle daily with the fallenness of this world…especially with the world’s violent opposition to the gospel and God’s people, we can look to Revelation for comfort. For God uses Satan’s attacks upon the Church against him. The martyrs enter eternal bliss – and their sacrifice brings God eternal glory. Against all earthly logic, persecution causes the church to grow!

And in the fullness of time, God will bring judgment on the ungodly. Until that day, we are to stand strong.

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 357: The Redeemed and The Adversaries

Nahum 1-3; Revelation 14

We tackle the book of Nahum today :)

Nahum is a judgment oracle written to proclaim absolute and irrevocable judgment against Nineveh, the great capital city of Assyria. In many ways, Nahum is a tragic sequel to Jonah, for after the Ninevites listened to Jonah’s message and repented, they reverted back to their idolatrous and violent ways – ultimately destroying the Northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Nahum was probably written after the fall of the Northern Kingdom and during the height of the Assyrian empire. Revealing God’s absolute sovereignty, Nahum foretells Nineveh’s inevitable destruction which occurred when Nineveh fell to the Babylonians in 612 BC.

Listen to Nahum’s timeless words…

The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness (Nahum 1:7-8).

These words are graphically depicted in today’s reading from Revelation.

We see how the Lord protects His people as the 144,000, representing the total number of redeemed from all ages, surround the throne with loud and glorious worship. They are sealed by the name of the Father written on their foreheads, which is in direct contrast to those who have the mark of the beast (13:16-17). The redeemed are seen as being pure and celibate – but celibacy is a figurative term for not chasing after other gods (not committing adultery with idols).

Surely… The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him (Nahum 1:7).

In stark contrast to the glorious picture of the redeemed worshiping before the throne is the scene of the angels harvesting the earth. For the unrighteous are harvested and thrown into the great winepress. With gruesome imagery we read of the blood flowing from the winepress of the wrath of God.

Surely… He will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness (Nahum 1:8).

In the middle of these graphic images is a brief, but oh-so-important exhortation!

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

Perseverance is the evidence of an internal saving faith. God gives us grace for both salvation and sanctification. But we must strive to enter his rest! “To be judged by the Almighty God and to be without rest for ever is a worse fate than we can imagine, and we are to be warned and to warn others. In contrast with this, how glorious is the rest and joy and blessedness of those who die in the Lord” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg. 198).

Almighty God, please grant us the strength to persevere to the end. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on the glorious rest awaiting your children. Help us “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with you, God,” with great endurance and faith!! (Micah 6:8) Amen.

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 352: God’s judgment on the Nations

Obadiah 1; Revelation 9

Obadiah is a judgment prophesy against the nation of Edom – which lay to the Southeast of Judah. Edom sat idly as Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians and then gloated over Judah’s demise. God warned that their evil treatment of His people would be returned to them on the Day when all the nations will be judged…

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head (Obadiah 15).

Revelation 9 describes the precursor judgments leading to the terrible final judgment which will come on “the day of the Lord.”

In verses 9:1-2, Jesus gives the key to one of Satan’s angels to open the abyss, the place where God confines all that is evil and demonic. The Beast comes out of the abyss later in Revelation and ultimately, the abyss is the place where Satan is permanently confined (20:3). The abyss is so horrible that even demons beg Jesus not to send them there (Luke 8:31)!

As the abyss is opened, demons are released to torment the unbelievers on the earth. In many ways, these judgments are the fulfillment of many of the prophesies (including Obadiah) describing God judgment of “the nations.” For in the Old Testament, “the nations” was sometimes used as a collective symbol for all of those outside God’s Covenant love. “This judgment upon [the unbelievers] will work as the plagues worked in Egypt. On the one hand they call out for people to repent, for they have nowhere else to turn. Yet on the other hand, when they have nowhere else to turn they would still rather choose death than repent […] Only those who are sealed by Christ will not be affected” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg. 136).

When the sixth trumpet is heralded, 1/3 of mankind is killed, and those who are left, refuse to repent. “The irony is that they continue to worship the very beings whom God has released to bring judgment upon them. In their lack of repentance, they confirm the justice of God’s judgment” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg 138-139).

These passages reveal that God has granted Satan great power, but God’s sovereignty overrules as Satan only manages to torment his own followers! Those who belong to Christ are protected and sealed by God’s greater power, so Christians have nothing to fear from Satan – even in death!

We are reminded of God’s sovereignty and rule at the end of Obadiah when we read the promise that God will restore the land, and redeem His people. He will rule “and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 21)!!

God has always ruled, but His redemptive reign will be consummated at the heralding of the 7th trumpet when Christ will come again in glory!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book, Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 349: The Scroll and The Judgment

Amos 1-3; Revelation 6

Amos was a contemporary of Hosea and also prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel shortly before their fall to the Assyrians in 722 BC. The first two chapters of Amos record God’s judgment on Israel’s neighbors. Smug and prosperous, Israel was probably unprepared for Amos to turn God’s judgment oracles toward them in Chapter 3. But Israel had forsaken their true love for ritualistic religion and oppressed the poor to secure their wealth. They would be held to a higher standard because they knew God’s law and ignored it.

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities (Amos 3:1-2).

Judgment is the theme of Revelation 6 as well. We watch as Jesus opens the seals of the scroll. As each seal is broken, judgment is released on the earth. Interpretations vary, but none deny that God will judge the earth.

The first four seals reveal four horsemen that hearken back to Zechariah’s vision of the patrolling horsemen (Zech 1:8-17; 6:1-8). “The horsemen are used as God’s instruments to bring judgment on his people’s enemies. The colors stand for the four points of a compass” indicating that the whole earth is affected by the horror these riders inflict (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg 95). It’s as if Satan has a bow and is set to “conquer” which is why Jesus exhorts the churches to “overcome” in Rev. 2-3.

I believe we are living under the effects of the four riders on the earth, presently. For they bring war, famine and disease…BUT, their power is limited by God. Specifically, we read that the horsemen bringing famine and death are restricted in their destruction (6:6, 8). When the fifth seal is opened we see God’s rationale for the judgment rendered by the riders…to avenge the blood of the martyrs. But it is also important to note that Christians are not exempt from the horror that is brought by the horsemen. “The work of these evil forces therefore brings punishment on some but also works to refine the faith and works of those who belong to Christ” (P. Gardner, Revelation, pg 93).

The sixth seal reveals the end is near – that Jesus is on His way to finally judge the earth, and the whole earth cries, “Who can stand?”

The Sovereignty of God is on full display in John’s vision of the seals. The horsemen are agents of Satan – but they are directed and restricted by God! How do we reconcile God’s love with this picture of Him sending horror on the earth?

We must remember that our lives are but a small dot on an eternal line.

The same suffering that embitters the unbeliever toward God refines the Christian in holiness. And God not only sends the bad, He also sends the good! The same blessing that causes the unbeliever to turn away from God in self-sufficiency will cause the believer to fall to his knees in gratitude. Our responses to both suffering and blessing reveal our true allegiance. And in God’s mercy, He delays His return so the sinner can repent and be saved!

Disclaimer: I humbly and cautiously offer an interpretation of the book of Revelation based on my Reformed understanding of Scripture, an Amillennialist eschatology, and a heavy reliance on the book,Revelation, The Compassion and Protection of Christ by Dr. Paul Gardner.

Day 335: Peter’s final warning

Psalms 124, 127, 130, 131; 2 Peter 2
(Psalms 125, 126, 127 & 128 were read on Day 272)

Peter continues his warning against false teachers in 2 Peter 2. He goes into great detail describing the characteristics of false teachers, and unsurprisingly, false teachers of today display these same attributes!

…there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words (2 Peter 2:1-3).

False teachers throughout the ages have been characterized by sexual sin, a lust for money and dishonesty. Peter’s words are just as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago!

So we, too, must be encouraged by Peter’s logical progression in verses 4-8 which proves that God protects His true children in all circumstances.

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials (2 Peter 2:9).

Our God is strong to save. He is faithful to protect His children from false teachers and persecution. He is able.

There is a mysterious balance in living this Christian life. It’s like two sides of one coin. On one side is God’s absolute sovereignty, He will protect His children. He will save. He will sanctify. But on the other side of the coin is man’s responsibility to persevere in faith through a godly lifestyle and seeking after Him through prayer and obedience.

We are not to sit idly and let the world’s ways and ideas bash and mold us. No! We are to wholeheartedly seek after God’s word and ways. It takes great effort and diligence to walk the narrow path of obedience in this evil world!

But as we strive, we do not strive out of fear of judgment – we strive to obey because we are saved, because we are loved, because he equips us in every way for “life and godliness.”

If we live in acknowledgment of both sides of the coin…that is, if we live humbly in the knowledge of God’s sovereignty and live purposefully as we strive to live obedient and godly lives – the result will be a calm and quiet soul.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high; (a sign of humility)
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me. (a sign of trust)
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 131)

This is what true Christianity should look like to the world…a calm and quiet soul. A soul which rests in God’s grace as it strives to be obedient, a soul which hopes in God’s eternal promises, and a soul which loves unreservedly. This is the mark of a Christian. This is the mark of Christ.

Day 328: The effectiveness of prayer

Psalms 108-110; James 4
(Psalm 107 was read on Day 271)

I’m going to depart from my usual big picture approach and share a personal story which highlights only one verse from today’s reading… And that one verse is not from Psalm 110 (one of the most amazing Messianic Psalms – one in which Jesus, himself, uses to prove his divinity). Rather, I’ve chosen a verse buried in the plethora of wisdom sayings in James. So here goes…

I and my three children were involved in a horrific vehicular accident in which my middle daughter was critically injured. She was life-flighted from the scene. Upon arriving at the hospital, they immediately performed a CT scan of her body. The CT scan showed massive bleeding and swelling in her brain. Her eyes were fixed and dilated.

The neurosurgeon on call performed an emergency craniectomy in which he removed a portion of her skull and inserted an intraventricular drain – both of which were done to relieve the pressure in her brain. Once the pressure began to decrease, my daughter’s eyes became responsive to light.

She survived the surgery, barely. The surgeon informed my husband that she might not make it through the night.

That night, as my husband was lying beside her hospital bed, he awoke to see a friend, standing and praying over our daughter. It was 2am and dark in the ICU room – but there he stood, praying.

He wasn’t alone. Countless others prayed for our little girl. The church held special prayer meetings for her. They called the congregation to fast. People in our community, school and neighborhood prayed and prayed and prayed.

She made it through that first night. Then the doctor informed us that things would get worse before they got better. So many came to see her in the ICU – and each one prayed for her life.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16, NIV).

By God’s grace, our little girl survived. Did the prayers of God’s people affect the outcome? According to James, yes, because prayer is effective. Will God always answer our prayers so quickly and affirmatively as he did for my daughter? No.

Prayer is a mystery. It’s hard to reconcile the effectiveness of prayer and God’s sovereignty. Personally, I get frustrated when my prayers seem to be ineffective as I watch marriages dissolve, children abandon the faith and loved ones die. But regardless of my limited understanding, while Jesus was on earth, He commanded us to pray. And he not only commanded us to do it, he also stressed the importance of persevering in it.

My daughter survived, but she lives with a severe traumatic brain injury. I feel like I ask God over and over again to help my daughter recover. Will God answer all of my prayers this side of heaven? No, probably not. But Jesus told us to pray, so we pray.

I think He knew that in the face of seemingly unanswered prayer, we would need that extra encouragement to persevere. I believe perseverance is key. So regardless of how I feel about the effectiveness of my prayers, I ask God to help me persevere in prayer. Because somehow – in the spiritual realm – in a way that I can’t comprehend… prayer works.

Day 327: A humble response to a gracious God

Psalms 105-106; James 4

Psalms 105 & 106 are historical Psalms. Psalm 105 focuses on God’s faithfulness while Psalm 106 highlights Israel’s faithlessness. Overarching both historical accounts is the fulfillment of God’s Covenant promises to Israel (105:7-11; 106:44-45).

These two Psalms paint a beautiful picture of God’s sovereignty and grace. Listen to the psalmist’s description of God’s dealings with the patriarchs…

When they were few in number,
of little account, and sojourners in it,
wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!” (Psalm 105:12-15)

This is a God worthy of our praise…especially considering the sinfulness of humanity – so aptly described in Psalm 106 and James 4…

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? (James 1:1-4)

Who is this God that stoops to have a relationship with sinners? Why would the creator of the universe desire to have a relationship with us? The answer is mysterious and should evoke a humble gratitude – a heart willing to submit to One so powerful AND so good!

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:6-8).

Day 291: Where is God’s wrath?

Job 38:1-40:5; Colossians 4

God’s wrath… all of Job’s friends expected it. In fact, all three of their first references to God spoke of his wrath!!

Eliphaz’s first mention of God referred not to His holiness, His love, His mercy, or His goodness, but to His anger toward “those who sow trouble:” “At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish” (Job 4:9).

Bildad’s first reference to God touched on one of Job’s deepest griefs, the deaths of all ten children. Did BIldad refer to the God who heard “Rachel weeping for her children” (Matthew 2:18)? No! To the heartbroken father, Bildad said of God: “When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin” (Job 8:4).

Zophar’s first reference to God was not a prayer on his friend’s behalf, but a wish for God’s wrath to rebuke Job: “Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you…” (Job 11:5).

(Frances Bennett, Job, Lessons in Comfort, CEP, 2009, pg 89-90)

So when God finally speaks, and says to Job, “Brace yourself like a man,” (Job 38:3) we expect God to unleash his wrath…but he doesn’t.

God talks about creation and how “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (38:7).

We see his grace as he creates the dawn to limit evil (38:12-15)…and as he sends the stored-up snow to slow or cease wars and catastrophes (38:22-23).

We see his care and concern for his creatures… providing food to the raven (38:41), watching the birth of the does (39:1), freeing the donkey (39:5) and releasing the ox from its burden (39:9-12). He gives the horse its might (39:19-25) and even the ostrich is given joy (39:18).

Where is God’s wrath? I only see grace. And how does Job respond?? 

Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further” (Job 40:3-5).

Job sees his smallness in the face of God. He recognizes that He does not understand his small role in God’s big plan, and he vows silence. No more questions. No more demands for justice. Just a quiet, humble trust.