=========================================================== Scripture Studies: Vol. VI, No. 10 - Dec. 1999/Jan. 2000 ========================================================= In this issue: Old Testament Study - Zechariah 1:7-17 A Classic Study - Navigation Spiritualized, pt. 20, by John Flavel New Testament Study - Matthew 8:5-13 A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 4 A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 5:13-20 Masthead -------- "Scripture Studies" is edited by Scott Sperling and published ten times a year by Scripture Studies, Inc., a non-profit organization. It is distributed all over the world by postal mail and via the internet, free of charge. If you would like to financially support the publication and distribution of "Scripture Studies", send contributions to: Scripture Studies Inc. 20 Pastora Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 USA Contributions are tax deductible in the United States. 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Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers =========================================================== Old Testament Study - Zechariah 1:7-17 ====================================== The First Vision: A Man Among the Myrtles ------------------------------------------ 7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. 8During the night I had a vision-and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. 9I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking with me answered, "I will show you what they are." 10Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth." 11And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace." 12Then the angel of the LORD said, "LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?" 13So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.' 16"Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty. 17"Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.'" The prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the remnant of the people of God who returned to Israel from the exile in Babylon to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. While Haggai's prophecies were primarily practical exhortations to encourage the people to continue their physical work on the Temple, Zechariah's prophecies were more spiritual in nature, with the purpose of restoring the spiritual fervor of the people. To accomplish this, most of the first half of Zechariah is devoted to a series of visions. They are a well-ordered sequence of connected visions which outline God's future plan for Jerusalem, Israel, and the Israelites. Thus, the visions support and encourage the Israelites in their work of rebuilding the Temple by letting them know how their work fits in with the Master Plan of God. Upon cursory reading, the meaning of the visions may seem obscure. The key to understanding the meaning of visions and dreams in the Bible is to interpret them as simply and straightforward as you can, and to compare Scripture with Scripture to find the meaning of symbols in the visions or dreams. Zechariah himself helps us in interpreting the visions that are shown to him, because he asks questions of the angel who is showing him the visions. The questions he asks are ones that most of us would ask, had we the opportunity. The answers he receives provide us with enough information to determine the main purpose of each vision. "On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. During the night I had a vision-and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses" (vss. 7-8). Zechariah received this "word of the LORD" three months after he received the first "word of the LORD" (see Zech. 1:1), and exactly two months after Haggai's last word from the Lord (see Haggai 2:20). This was also exactly five months to the day after the remnant restarted work on the Temple of God (see Haggai 1:15). It is quite possible that, as each twenty-fourth day of a month would pass, the remnant would assay the progress they were making on the Temple. We have seen indications that they did compare their work to the former glory of the Temple (see Hag. 2:4). Such a comparison would certainly serve to frustrate the workers. So, it is appropriate that the Lord send a word of encouragement to the people on the twenty-fourth day of the month. As mentioned, this "word of the LORD" given to Zechariah came in the form of eight visions. A vision is similar to a dream, with the difference that the receiver of the vision is in an awakened state. Also, the one experiencing the vision is more of a participant in the vision than a dreamer is. We will see that Zechariah interacts with the angels in the visions. God told the Israelites that one way He speaks to His prophets is through visions: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams" (Num. 12:6). The physical details of Zechariah's first vision are clear: "There before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses" (vs. 8). The meaning of the vision, though, is not at first clear. So, Zechariah helps us understand the meaning by asking a question. Of the "red, brown and white horses", Zechariah asks an angel who was with him: "What are these, my lord?" (vs. 9). It is the man standing among the myrtle trees who answers Zechariah's question: "Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, 'They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.' And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, 'We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace'" (vss. 10-11). We learn much in this answer to Zechariah's question. First, we learn the identity of the man among the myrtles. He is "the angel of the LORD." The "angel of the LORD" appears various places in the Old Testament in human form. And though he appears in human form, he is designated as God many places that he appears (read carefully Gen. 16:7-13; 22:11-12; Ex. 3:2-6; Judg. 6:14,22; Judg. 13:9-18,22). For this reason, many commentators, including myself, have concluded that the "angel of the LORD" is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who alone among the creatures is God and man. It is the "angel of the LORD" who answers Zechariah's question, which seems to suggest that He is the source of the answers in the vision, and also the source of the vision itself. We learn also from the answer to Zechariah's question the mission of the "red, brown and white horses." The "angel of the LORD" sent them "to go throughout the earth" and report back to Him. The purpose of these messengers is not that we should learn that God needs messengers to tell Him what's going on on earth, but that we should learn that God is "actively interested in the conditions of earth, especially as they relate to His earthly people, Israel" [Feinberg, 276]. God is not shut up in heaven and keeping to Himself. No. God is watching, indeed is concerned, moreover, is active in the affairs of the earth. He did not, as Creator, wind up the watch of the creation and let it run. No. He constantly directs and even intervenes in the events on the earth, and in the lives of His people. "So now, when Zechariah sees many runners, who have been sent by God to perambulate and to survey the earth, it may with greater certainty be learnt that nothing is carried on without design or by chance in the world, but that all things come before God" [Calvin, 35]. "Nowhere in the Old Testament is God portrayed as impassive, aloof, uninvolved with our world" [Baldwin, 99]. Given all these things, we can speculate on some of the symbolism in the vision. For instance, we may speculate that the "myrtle trees" represent the nation of Israel, given that this word of the Lord is directed to Israel, and that the "angel of the Lord" is standing among the "myrtle trees". Myrtle trees are small and fragrant, thick and bushy trees. Some have noted that the myrtle tree is an appropriate symbol of Israel: not a cedar in its pride (Lebanon is the cedar), or an oak in its strength, but a myrtle: lowly, humble, "and exhaling its sweetest graces when bruised by the weight of affliction" [Moore, 46]. We may also speculate concerning the symbolism relating to the horses. The horses themselves suggest a military outfit with the ability to act quickly. There is also, most likely, symbolism in the color of the horses, particularly the "red horse" ridden by the angel of the Lord. In the book of Revelation, the red horse symbolized war and bloodshed (see Rev. 6:4). So here, the fact that the angel of the Lord is riding a red horse probably signifies that He is ready to make war on behalf of the nation of Israel. This is supported by the conversation that makes up the rest of the vision. "Then the angel of the LORD said, 'LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?' So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me" (vss. 12-13). In reply, "the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with [Zechariah]" (vs. 13). Why did the LORD reply to the angel speaking to Zechariah, rather than to the angel of the LORD? Because the angel of the LORD was speaking to the LORD Almighty what was on Zechariah's heart. Zechariah and the people of Israel were wondering when God's mercy would be poured out on Israel, when the glory of God would again be reflected in the glory of the nation of Israel. It didn't seem right that the rest of the world was "at rest and in peace" (vs. 11), while the nation of Israel was in shambles. The "angel of the LORD" was interceding for Zechariah, mediating between God and man for Zechariah. This is certainly in keeping with the mission of Jesus Christ: mediator between God and man, interceding to the Father for us (see Rom. 8:34). The angel speaking to Zechariah relayed the "comforting words" spoken by the LORD Almighty: "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.' Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty. Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.'" (vss. 14-17). God's covenant relationship with Israel is like that of a husband with his wife. Israel had been unfaithful to God, chasing after idols. So God told the people, "I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion." However, God's anger in jealousy for Israel was nothing compared to His anger against the nations that persecuted His people: "I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to their calamity." Far from being pleased that the whole world is "at rest and in peace" (vs. 11), God was "very angry with the nations that feel secure." He was angry because they "feel secure" in their rebellion against Him. God told the people of Israel (through Zechariah) about His anger against the nations because, from looking at external circumstances, God's anger was not obvious. The nations were "at rest and in peace", while the remnant were struggling to build the Temple of God. The people needed this word from the Lord because people tend to conclude (incorrectly) that external circumstances mirror God's favor. The peace enjoyed by the nations did not mean that God was pleased with them. The struggles faced by the remnant did not mean that God was displeased with them. God communicated to His people that He sees their affliction and that He sees the peace enjoyed by the nations, so that the people would not get discouraged, for God chose not to act right away to remedy the situation. God's action would come later: "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the Lord Almighty. Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem'" (vss. 16-17). "It must [be noticed here], that God speaks only here, and is not going forth prepared to execute His vengeance: and it is a real and just trial of faith, when God bids us to depend on His word" [Calvin, 45]. Apparently, the remnant expected all of the promises in the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah to be fulfilled at the end of the seventy years of exile. Zechariah's vision, and word from the Lord, let them know that the fulfillment of those prophecies would come later. This word from the Lord, though it challenged their faith, must have been heartening, for God promised that, not only the Temple (which they were working on), but the whole city, indeed, the whole nation of Israel would be rebuilt, and would prosper. We ourselves have seen this happen. The modern nation of Israel, though challenged with adversaries on all sides, prospers. And what of the nations who were "at rest and in peace" in Zechariah's time? Where are they now? "Where are the great nations of antiquity who have lifted up their hands against the Jewish people? And in modern times the ancient word which He spoke to Abraham is still verifying itself in the experience of nations as of individuals: 'I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse' (Gen. 12:3)" [Baron, 37]. God is faithful to His promises. God is sovereign. His will shall be done. Praise be to the Lord! =========================================================== A Classic Study - Navigation Spiritualized, pt. 20, by John Flavel ================================================================== A Classic Study by John Flavel (1628-1691) ------------------------------------------ [Here, we continue our reprint of excerpts from John Flavel's book Navigation Spiritualized. John Flavel was a 17th century minister in the seaside town of Dartmouth, England.]-Ed. Beware the Devil's Bait Whilst thou by art the silly fish doth kill, Perchance the devil's hook sticks in thy gill. OBSERVATION. ------------ There is skill in fishing that they that go to sea in a fishing voyage use, without which they can do nothing. They have their lines, hooks of several sizes, and their bait. They carefully observe their seasons when the fish fall in, then they ply their business day and night. APPLICATION. ------------ But how much more skillful and industrious is Satan to ensnare and destroy souls? The devil makes a voyage as well as you; he hath his baits for you, as you have for the fish: He hath his devices and wiles to catch souls (see II Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11). He is a serpent, an old serpent (see Rev. 12:9). Too crafty for man in his perfection, much more in his collapsed and degenerated state, his understanding being cracked by the fall, and all his faculties poisoned and perverted. Divines observe four steps, or degrees of Satan's tempting power: First, He can find out the constitution-evils of men; he knows to what sin their natures are more especially prone, and inclinable. Secondly, He can propound suitable objects to those lusts, he can exactly and fully hit every man's humour: as Agrippa mixed her poison in that meat her husband loved best. Thirdly, He can inject and cast motions into the mind, to close with those tempting objects, as it is said of Judas: "The devil put it into his heart" (John 13:2). Fourthly, He can solicit, irritate, and provoke the heart, and by those continual restless solicitations weary it: and hereby he often draws men to commit such things as startled them in the first motion. All this he can do, and if he finds the work sticks, and meets with rubs and difficulties, yet doth he not act to the utmost of his skill and power, at all times, and with all persons? Neither indeed need he do so: the very propounding of an object is enough to some, and without any further solicitation, the devil makes an easy conquest of them. And, beside all this, his policy much appears in the election of place, time, and instruments to tempt by: And thus are poor souls caught, "as fishes in an evil net" (Eccl. 9:12). The carnal man is led by sense, as the beast; and Satan handles and fits him accordingly. He useth all sorts of motives, not only internal and intellective, but external and sensitive also; like the sparkling of the wine when it gives its colour in the glass; or the harlot's beauty whose eyelids are snares, hiding always the hook and concealing the issue from them. He promises them gain and profit, pleasure and delight, and all that is tempting, with assurance of secrecy: By these he fastens the fatal hook in their jaws, and thus they are led captive by him at his will. REFLECTION. ----------- And is Satan so subtle and industrious to entice souls to sin? Doth he thus cast out his golden baits, and allure souls with pleasure to their ruin? Then how doth it behove thee, O my soul, to be jealous and wary! How strict a guard should I set upon every sense! Ah, let me not so much regard how sin comes towards me in the temptation, as how it goes off at last. The day in which Sodom was destroyed, began with a pleasant sunshine, but ended in fire and brimstone. I may promise myself much content in the satisfaction of my lusts: But O how certainly will it end in my ruin! Ahab doubtless promised himself much content in the vineyard of Naboth, but his blood paid for it in the portion of Jezreel. The harlot's bed was perfumed to entice the simple young man (see Prov. 7:17), but those chambers of delight proved the chambers of death, and her house the way to hell. Ah! With what a smiling face doth sin come on towards me in its temptations! How doth it tickle the carnal fancy, and please the deceived heart! But what a dreadful catastrophe and upshot hath it! The delight is quickly gone; but the guilt thereof remains to amaze and terrify the soul with ghastly forms, and dreadful representations of the wrath of God. As sin hath its delights attending it to enter and fasten it, so it hath its horror and stings to torment and wound: And as certainly as I see those go before it to make a way, so certainly shall I find these follow after, and tread upon its heels. No sooner is the conscience awakened, but all those delights vanish as a night vision, or as a dream when one awakes, and then I shall cry, "Here is the hook, but where is the bait? Here is the guilt and horror, but where the delight that I was promised? And I, whither shall I now go? Ah, my deceitful lusts! You have enticed and left me in the midst of all miseries." =========================================================== New Testament Study - Matthew 8:5-13 ==================================== The Faith of the Centurion -------------------------- 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." 7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." 8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And His servant was healed at that very hour. Matthew, showing that Jesus had the authority to say what He said in the Sermon on the Mount, continues to recount some of the miracles that Jesus performed. The next miracle was performed on behalf of a centurion: "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.' Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.' The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed'" (vss. 5-8). From these few verses, there is much commendable we can say concerning this centurion. First, he showed great care for his servant, humbling himself to ask Jesus to heal the servant. We too should show such care for others, helping them in their needs, even those who, from a worldly point of view are "below" us. Second, he went to the best possible place for help for his servant: to Jesus Christ, Lord of the Universe. We too should seek help from the Lord Jesus Christ first, bringing our needs and the needs of others before Him, with the faith that He can tend to our needs. Third, he came to the Lord in humility. From a worldly point of view, the centurion was in a position of authority over Jesus. But he humbly came before Jesus, stating his request, and acknowledging that he did not even deserve to have Jesus in his house. And we too should come to the Lord in humility, acknowledging our unworthiness as sinners before Him who alone is worthy in the eyes of God. Then also, the centurion showed great faith that Jesus could heal his servant without even coming near his servant: "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." The centurion explained the rationale for his faith: "For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (vs. 9). The centurion applied his understanding of the rules of authority in the Roman guard in order to understand how Jesus' authority works. The centurion was a subordinate commander, so he knew well what it was both to command and to be commanded. He understood that true authority and power comes not from within oneself, but from being under the authority of someone greater than oneself. For example, the authority that the centurion had over people came from the fact that (ultimately) the Roman emperor stood behind his authority. Thus, the centurion was, in effect, vested with the authority of the Roman emperor: people obeyed the centurion as if they were obeying the emperor. In the same way, the centurion understood that Jesus is under the authority of God the Father, the Creator of the Universe. Thus, Jesus has authority over the Creation, just as God does. Given this, the centurion correctly reasoned, Jesus could command the forces of nature such that his servant would be healed. The centurion realized the Jesus' healing power was not magic and did not depend on ritual, but was power as given under the authority of the Father. "When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, 'I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith'" (vs. 10). Some may be surprised that Jesus, God in the flesh, was "astonished". However, Jesus, having come as a man to earth, was limited in His knowledge when He walked the earth. "Jesus [could be 'astonished'] as a man, while as God nothing could ['astonish'] Him. It is only the same difficulty that we meet with in such facts as His growing in wisdom (see Luke 2:52), and His not knowing the day and hour (Mark 13:32)" [Broadus, 179]. "Though amazement is not appropriate for God, seeing it must arise from new and unexpected happenings, yet it could occur in Christ, inasmuch as He had taken on our human emotions, along with our flesh" [Calvin, cited in Morris, 194]. Jesus was all the more "astonished" because the man who showed so much faith was not a Jew, but a Roman centurion. One of Jesus' primary missions on earth was to be the Messiah to the Jews and to fulfill the Old Testament Messianic prophecies. Yet, sadly, as Jesus told those following Him: "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." The lack of faith of the Jews would have dire consequences for those who did not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah: "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vss. 11-12). Many Jews thought that mere descendency from the patriarchs "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" earned them entrance into the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus here explicitly teaches us that many of the original "subjects of the kingdom", the descendants of "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob", because of their lack of faith, "will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." "The centurion comes from the camp to Christ, and the Israelite goes from the synagogue to hell. The harlot bows at Jesus' feet a penitent, while the self-righteous Pharisee rejects the great salvation." [Spurgeon, 90]. Let us note here that there are only two choices: the kingdom of heaven, and the outer darkness. And one's final destination is tied to his faith in the power of Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus as the Messiah to the Jews, and the Savior of all, leads to the "feast" in the kingdom of heaven. Rejection of Jesus Christ leads to the outer darkness. We may differ on our understanding concerning what hell is like-whether it is literally a burning fire or not-but let us understand clearly that, whatever the specifics of hell may be, hell is always described in the Bible as a place of great torment and suffering. The immediate result of the centurion's faith was the healing of his servant: "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.' And His servant was healed at that very hour." (vs. 13). Jesus, though He had the power to heal all who were afflicted, chose often to respond to faith. And He responded to faith, not only in the act of healing, but also in the manner of healing. Had the faith of the centurion been weaker, Jesus was prepared to go to his house and lay hands on the servant (see vs. 7). Because the centurion had strong faith in the absolute power of Jesus over sickness, Jesus responded to his faith and healed the servant immediately, without going to the centurion's house, or even seeing the suffering servant. So even now, Jesus chooses often to respond to our faith, when we pray for need. Thus, it is very important to strengthen our faith in the power of Christ, in the sovereignty of God, through meditation, and through study of the Bible, which chronicles His wonderful works. =========================================================== A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 4 ======================================================== [With this study, we continue our series that has the goal of increasing our love for God and the things of God, while decreasing our love for the world and the things of the world. This series will consist of three classic sermons by noted godly men of the past. In the first sermon, Thomas Chalmers teaches that our love for the world cannot be expelled unless we replace it with love for a greater object: the love for God. This is the fourth and final part of that sermon. The first three parts established that men, by nature, do not give up love for something unless a greater love replaces it, and that the stronghold of the world upon the hearts of men is great: they love the world and the things of the world. Given these things, the most effective means of convincing men not to love the world is not merely by pointing out flaws in the world, but to replace the love of the world by a greater love: the love of God. This is achieved by instilling in men the love of God through the preaching of the Gospel.]-Ed. The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, by Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) ------------------------------ 15"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (I John 2:15). The object of the Gospel is both to pacify the sinner's conscience, and to purify his heart; and it is of importance to observe, that what mars the one of these objects, mars the other also. The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a pure one, and by the love of what is good, to expel the love of what is evil. Thus it is, that the freer the Gospel, the more sanctifying is the Gospel; and the more it is received as a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine according to godliness. This is one of the secrets of the Christian life, that the more a man holds of God as a pensioner, the greater is the payment of service that he renders back again. On the tenure of "Do this and live," a spirit of fearfulness is sure to enter; and the jealousies of a legal bargain chase away all confidence from the intercourse between God and man; and the creature striving to be square and even with his Creator is, in fact, pursuing all the while his own selfishness, instead of God's glory; and with all the conformities which he labours to accomplish, the soul of obedience is not there, the mind is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed under such an economy ever can be. It is only when, as in the Gospel, acceptance is bestowed as a present, without money and without price, that the security which man feels in God is placed beyond the reach of disturbance-or, that he can repose in Him, as one friend reposes in another-or, that any liberal and generous understanding can be established betwixt them-the one party rejoicing over the other to do him good-the other finding that the truest gladness of his heart lies in the impulse of a gratitude, by which it is awakened to the charms of a new moral existence. Salvation by grace-salvation by free grace-salvation not of works, but according to the mercy of God-salvation on such a footing is not more indispensable to the deliverance of our persons from the hand of justice, than it is to the deliverance of our hearts from the chill and the weight of ungodliness. Retain a single shred or fragment of legality with the Gospel, and we raise a topic of distrust between man and God. We take away from the power of the Gospel to melt and to conciliate. For this purpose, the freer it is, the better it is. That very peculiarity which so many dread as the germ of antinomianism is, in fact, the germ of a new spirit, and a new inclination against it. Along with the light of a free Gospel, does there enter the love of the Gospel, which, in proportion as we impair the freeness, we are sure to chase away. And never does the sinner find within himself so mighty a moral transformation, as when under the belief that he is saved by grace, he feels constrained thereby to offer his heart a devoted thing, and to deny ungodliness. To do any work in the best manner, we should make use of the fittest tools for it. And we trust that what has been said may serve, in some degree, for the practical guidance of those who would like to reach the great moral achievement of our text-but feel that the tendencies and desires of Nature are too strong for them. We know of no other way by which to keep the love of the world out of our heart, than to keep in our hearts the love of God-and no other way by which to keep our hearts in the love of God, than building ourselves up on our most holy faith. That denial of the world which is not possible to him that dissents from the Gospel testimony, is possible even as all things are possible, to him that believeth. To try this without faith is to work without the right tool or the right instrument. But faith worketh by love; and the way of expelling from the heart the love which transgresseth the law, is to admit into its receptacles the love which fulfilleth the law. Conceive a man to be standing on the margin of this green world; and that, when he looked towards it, he saw abundance smiling upon every field, and all the blessings which earth can afford scattered in profusion throughout every family, and the light of the sun sweetly resting upon all the pleasant habitations, and the joys of human companionship brightening many a happy circle of society-conceive this to be the general character of the scene upon one side of his contemplation; and that on the other, beyond the verge of the goodly planet on which he was situated, he could descry nothing but a dark and fathomless unknown. Think you that he would bid a voluntary adieu to all the brightness and all the beauty that were before him upon earth, and commit himself to the frightful solitude away from it? Would he leave its peopled dwelling places, and become a solitary wanderer through the fields of nonentity? If space offered him nothing but a wilderness, would he for it abandon the homebred scenes of life and of cheerfulness that lay so near, and exerted such a power of urgency to detain him? Would not he cling to the regions of sense, and of life, and of society?-and shrinking away from the desolation that was beyond it, would not he be glad to keep his firm footing on the territory of this world, and to take shelter under the silver canopy that was stretched over it? But if, during the time of his contemplation, some happy island of the blest had floated by; and there had burst upon his senses the light of its surpassing glories, and its sounds of sweeter melody; and he clearly saw that there, a purer beauty rested upon every field, and a more heartfelt joy spread itself among all the families; and he could discern there, a peace, and a piety, and a benevolence, which put a moral gladness into every bosom, and united the whole society in one rejoicing sympathy with each other, and with the beneficent Father of them all.-Could he further see, that pain and mortality were there unknown; and above all, that signals of welcome were hung out, and an avenue of communication was made for him-perceive you not, that what was before the wilderness, would become the land of invitation; and that now the world would be the wilderness? What unpeopled space could not do, can be done by space teeming with beatific scenes, and beatific society. And let the existing tendencies of the heart be what they may to the scene that is near and visibly around us, still if another stood revealed to the prospect of man, either through the channel of faith, or through the channel of his senses-then, without violence done to the constitution of his moral nature, may he die unto the present world, and live to the lovelier world that stands in the distance away from it. =========================================================== A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 5:13-20 ======================================== No Satisfaction in Wealth ------------------------- 13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. 15Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? 17All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. 18Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. 19Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. 20He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. In the previous section, Solomon wrote about the love of money and how those who love money are never satisfied. Here, Solomon points out that wealth is not only unsatisfying, but it is also temporary: certainly not lasting beyond the grave; often, disappearing long before the grave. Solomon shows this by relating some examples from real life that he has seen: "I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand" (vss. 13-15). Solomon here gives us three examples from real life that touch on the fleeting nature of wealth. In the first, a man, who realizes that wealth is fleeting, ruins his own life by "hoarding" his wealth. In the second, the wealth is not hoarded, but the wealth is "lost through some misfortune." By juxtaposing these two examples, Solomon points out a dilemma: the realization that wealth is fleeting leads us to hoard wealth, but hoarding wealth is nearly always done to the harm of its owner; but, on the other hand, if we do not guard our wealth, we stand a chance of losing it through some misfortune. If money and wealth are the focus of your life, and the center of your happiness, you can't win! In the third example, Solomon points out that all this concern about money and wealth is kind of futile, because one's worldly wealth never lasts beyond the grave: "Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand" (vs. 15). Indeed, envying the wealthy of this world is shortsighted, as the Psalmist points out: "Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him" (Ps. 49:16-17). Solomon ponders this: "This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger" (vss. 16-17). Indeed, if you are living for money, if to gain wealth is the central goal of your life, then certainly you are "toiling for the wind". You will certainly "eat in darkness", because you will not realize the harm your love of money is causing, you will be blind to the futility of striving after wealth. Thus, you will experience "great frustration, affliction and anger." But there is another way, as Solomon points out: "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart" (vss. 18-20). Instead of striving after more and more wealth, be satisfied with the lot God has given you, "find satisfaction in [your] toilsome labor". Solomon realizes here, and we also should realize this, that it is God who enables a man to "enjoy [his wealth and possessions], to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God." Though Solomon may seem grim in the book of Ecclesiastes (because he often points out what is futile in life), he does also touch on what is "good and proper" in life. And when he points out what is "good and proper", when he speaks of finding satisfaction in life, when he talks of finding happiness, God is named as the source. The world sees things differently. The prevailing view of the world is that possessions and wealth bring happiness, and God brings gloom and melancholy. "There is a school among us who are fond of describing religion by its sorrows, and who forget, or seem to forget, their overbalancing joys" [Bridges, 119]. The world is wrong. As Solomon has pointed out in this and the previous chapter, wealth and possessions can be a source of great misery. They become a source of misery when we look at them as the means to fulfillment in life. When we do this, they become our god. To focus on the gifts of God, rather than on God the Giver, is idolatry. God, of course, hates idolatry, and so it only makes sense that God will not enable a man to find happiness and fulfillment in his idolatry. Now, do not misapply these teachings. The way to fulfillment is not necessarily to throw all of your possessions away and live in a state of poverty, for a poor man can revere possessions as an idol as easily as a rich man. No, the answer is to get your eyes off of your possessions and to direct them to God. The goal of your life should not be to make more money, to get more possessions. To do this is to follow an idol. Rather, the goal of your life should be to follow God's will for you life, and be content with what He has given you. God may direct your life in a path that leads to wealth. Praise the Lord for this, and thank Him for the gifts He gives. God may direct your life so that you lead a humble life. Praise the Lord for this, too, for wealth and possessions are sources of great temptation, and catalysts for strife. "[Wealth and possessions] are always a temptation. So often a rise in the world is declension or apostasy from God. It is only when they are consecrated to God, and laid out in the service of our fellow-creatures-that they become a blessing" [Bridges, 118]. "If we focus more on the gifts than the Giver, we are guilty of idolatry. If we accept His gifts, but complain about them, we are guilty of ingratitude. If we hoard His gifts and will not share them with others, we are guilty of indulgence. But if we yield to His will and use what He gives us for His glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied." [Wiersbe, 71]. Oh, that we too could live like the content man Solomon describes: "He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart" (vs. 20).