=========================================================== Scripture Studies: Vol. VIII, No. 4 - May 2001 =============================================== In this issue: Old Testament Study - Zechariah 11 Out of the House of Bondage, pt. 3, by Thomas Watson New Testament Study - Matthew 10:24-33 A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 18 A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 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. If you do not live in the United States, and would like to support "Scripture Studies", please send international postal coupons. Please feel free to upload "Scripture Studies" to any BBS or online service. If you or anyone that you know would like to be added to the subscription list send your request to the above address, or, via email to Scott Sperling at: ssper@aol.com Unless noted otherwise, scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers =========================================================== Old Testament Study - Zechariah 11 ================================== The Good Shepherd Rejected --------------------------- 1Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! 2Wail, O pine tree, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! 3Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined! 4This is what the LORD my God says: "Pasture the flock marked for slaughter. 5Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Praise the LORD, I am rich!' Their own shepherds do not spare them. 6For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land," declares the LORD. "I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands." 7So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock. 8In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them 9and said, "I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another's flesh." 10Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD. 12I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. 13And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter. 14Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 15Then the LORD said to me, "Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs. 17Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!" --------------------- In the previous chapter, Zechariah spoke of the Favor and Union that the Good Shepherd would ultimately bring to Israel: Favor through the special protection from their enemies that will be provided by the Good Shepherd (see Zech. 10:3-5); Union through the physical and spiritual restoration of the children of Israel that will be brought about by the Good Shepherd (see Zech. 10:6-12). "Such strains of prophecy, however, usually need to be offset by words of warning and counsel, for there is no group in this still sinful nation that is entirely ready for God's favors and blessings, and to whom only good can be prophesied. Promises of future greatness need to be offset by words of judgment against sin lest the gracious words breed carnal pride and a false sense of security" [Leupold, 203]. "To complete the prophetic forecast of the future, and also to prevent an abuse of the proclamation of salvation, the obverse side of the picture, which sets forth a yet future apostasy and judgment, had to be presented" [Baron, 375]. Chapter 10 dealt with the Favor and Union that are to be bestowed upon the children of Israel by the Messiah in the end-times. This chapter deals with the rejection of the Messiah, in the guise of the Good Shepherd, when He came to earth the first time to bring Favor and Union. It accurately prophesies the suffering and devastation that resulted from the Israelites rejection of the Good Shepherd. The chapter begins with a poetic overview of this devastation: "Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, O pine tree, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!" (vss. 1-3). This poem pictures total destruction, from the north to the south, from the mighty to the humble, from the strong to the weak. The destruction begins at the northern door of Israel at Lebanon, proceeds southward through Bashan, then down to the valley of the river Jordan. It devours the mighty "cedars", which gives cause for the less stately "pine trees" to "wail". For if the mighty cedars are devoured, then surely the pine trees will also be. And so the destruction engulfs all, from the "cedars of Lebanon," to the "pine trees," to the "oaks of Bashan," to the "dense forest," to the "rich pastures of the shepherds," to the "lush thickets of the Jordan." Such a vast and total destruction has occurred in the land of Israel only once since the time of Zechariah, and this occurred by the Romans after the time of Christ from 66 A.D. to 70 A.D. Jesus hinted that the people of Israel would have been protected from this destruction if they had accepted His protection: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look your house is left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:37-38). Then, He told His disciples, concerning the Temple: "Do you see all these things?... I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down" (Matt. 24:2). Here in Zechariah, verses 4 through 7 contain a visionary parable of sorts, where Zechariah plays the part of first the Good Shepherd, then the "foolish shepherd". The suffering and devastation occurs because the people reject the Good Shepherd. We conclude then, that the devastation spoken of in this chapter is that which the Romans wrought from 66 A.D. to 70 A.D. Boice gives us the historical background: "For years before this war the country had been in turmoil, various small skirmishes against the existing authorities being commonplace. At last revolutionaries gained control of Jerusalem and massacred the Roman garrison stationed there. The year was A.D. 66. In the next year General Vespasian, dispatched by Nero, arrived in Antioch. From there he moved first against the fortified towns of Galilee, subduing or arranging the surrender of each, and then against Jerusalem. In A.D. 68 Nero died, and after a considerable delay Vespasian was proclaimed the new emperor. He returned to Rome, leaving his second-in-command, Titus, to carry on the war. By this time Jerusalem was host to three rival factions, which made negotiations with the Romans impossible and greatly intensified the coming tragedy. Jerusalem was surrounded. Food was cutoff. People starved; some even resorted to cannibalism. Steadily the Romans broke through wall after wall, defense after defense, and the defenders were driven back to the temple. On July 17, A.D. 70, the daily sacrifices came to an end for lack of men to offer them. At last the gates of the temple were burned and then the temple itself. Thousands were crucified. The victorious Titus set up Roman standards in the temple court and returned to Rome to celebrate his triumph in the year A.D. 71. Through this great war and a later series of rebellions and reprisals, Judaism ceased to exist politically, and Jewish people were widely scattered throughout the known world." [Boice, 201]. Beginning with verse 7, Zechariah acts out a parable that illustrates the different types of leadership the Israelites would experience. The Lord, in verses 4 to 6, summarizes this parable: "This is what the LORD my God says: 'Pasture the flock marked for slaughter. Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, "Praise the LORD, I am rich!" Their own shepherds do not spare them. For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,' declares the LORD. 'I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands'" (vss. 4-6). Interestingly, Zechariah is told to be a shepherd to the Israelites, who are "marked for slaughter." The Lord sees ahead of time that the people will reject the Good Shepherd, and so, for this reason, they are "marked for slaughter." The affliction they suffer will come at the hands of their leaders: "Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Praise the Lord, I am rich!' Their own shepherds do not spare them" (vs. 5). This is somewhat deserved, for they rejected the Good Shepherd, who would have protected and saved them. Their rejection of the Good Shepherd (which is described beginning in verse 8) caused God to remove for a time His special protection of them: "'For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,' declares the Lord, 'I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands'" (vs. 6). Note especially the statement: "I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king." This depicts internal strife (as everyone is handed over "to his neighbor"), as well as external domination (as everyone is handed over to "his king"). This statement was certainly fulfilled during the war of the Romans against the Israelites, as described above by Boice. Recall, there were "three rival factions, which made negotiations with the Romans impossible." The fact that they were handed over to their "king", Caesar in this case, is ironical. When the Israelites rejected the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, they told Pilate to crucify Him, saying: "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). (The study of this chapter will continue in the next issue.) =========================================================== Out of the House of Bondage, pt. 3, by Thomas Watson ==================================================== [Here we continue a study that deals with affliction faced by God's people. It was written by Thomas Watson, and is taken from the introduction of his work on the Ten Commandments.]-Ed. Out of the House of Bondage by Thomas Watson (1620 -1686) ----------------------------- 1And God spake all these words, saying, 2"I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:1-2, AV). [2] These words can be understood mystically and spiritually. By Israel's deliverance from the house of bondage, is typified their spiritual deliverance from sin, Satan, and hell. (1) From sin. The house of bondage was a type of Israel's deliverance from sin. Sin is the true bondage, it enslaves the soul. Nihil durius servitute (Cicero). "Of all conditions, servitude is the worst." "I was held before conversion," says Augustine, "not with an iron chain, but with the obstinacy of mine own will." Sin is the enslaver; it is called a law, because it has a binding power over a man (see Rom 7:23); it is said to reign, because it exercises a tyrannical power (see Rom 6:12); and men are said to be the servant of sin, because they are so enslaved by it (see Rom. 6:17). Thus sin is the house of bondage. Israel was not so enslaved in the iron furnace as the sinner is by sin. They are worse slaves and vassals who are under the power of sin, than they are who are under the power of earthly tyrants. Other slaves have tyrants ruling over their bodies only; but the sinner has his soul tyrannized over. That princely thing, the soul, which sways the sceptre of reason, and was once crowned with perfect knowledge and holiness, now goes on foot; it is enslaved, and made a lackey to every base lust. Other slaves have some pity shown them: the tyrant gives them meat, and lets them have hours for their rest; but sin is a merciless tyrant, it will let men have no rest. Judas had no rest until he had betrayed Christ, and after that he had less rest than before. How does a man wear himself out in the service of sin, waste his body, break his sleep, distract his mind! A wicked man is every day doing sin's drudgery-work. Other slaves have servile work; but it is lawful. It is lawful to work in the galley, and tug at the oar; but all the laws and commands of sin are unlawful. Sin says to one man, defraud; to another, be unchaste; to another take revenge; to another, take a false oath. Thus all sin's commands are unlawful; we cannot obey sin's law, but by breaking God's law. Other slaves are forced against their will. Israel groaned under slavery (Exod 2:23); but sinners are content to be under the command of sin; they are willing to be slaves; they love their chains; they will not take their freedom; they "glory in their shame" (Phil. 3:19). They wear their sins, not as their fetters, but their ornaments; they rejoice in iniquity (see Jer. 11:15). Other slaves are brought to correction, but sin's slaves are without repentance, and are brought to condemnation. Other slaves lie in the iron furnace: sin's slaves lie in the fiery furnace. What freedom of will has a sinner to his own confusion, when he can do nothing but what sin will have him? He is enslaved. Thus sinners are in the house of bondage; but God takes His elect out of the house of bondage; He beats off the chains and fetters of sin; He rescues them from their slavery; He makes them free, by bringing them into "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21). The law of love now rules, not the law of sin. Though the life of sin be prolonged, yet not the dominion; as those beasts in Daniel had their lives prolonged for a season, but their dominion was taken away (see Dan. 7:12). The saints are made spiritual kings, to rule and conquer their corruptions, to "bind these kings in chains." It is matter of the highest praise and thanksgiving, to be taken out of the house of bondage, to be freed from enslaving lusts, and made kings to reign in glory forever. (2) The bringing Israel out of the house of bondage, was a type of the deliverance from Satan. Men naturally are in the house of bondage, they are enslaved to Satan. Satan is called the prince of this world (see John 14:30); and the god of this world (see II Cor 4:4); because he has power to command and enslave them. Though he shall one day be a close prisoner in chains, yet now he insults and tyrannizes over the souls of men. Sinners are under his rule, he exercises over them a jurisdiction such as Caesar did over the senate. He fills men's heads with error, and their hearts with malice. "Why hath Satan filled thine heart?" (Acts 5:3). A sinner's heart is the devil's mansion-house. "I will return into mine house" (Matt. 12:44). And sure that must needs be a house of bondage, which is the devil's mansion-house. Satan is a complete tyrant. He rules men's minds, he blinds them with ignorance. "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not" (II Cor 4:4). He rules their memories. They remember that which is evil, and forget that which is good. Their memories are like a strainer, that lets go all the pure liquor, and retains only the dregs. He rules their wills. Though he cannot force the will, he draws it. "The lusts of your father you will do" (John 8:44). He has got your hearts, and him you will obey. His strong temptations draw men to evil more than all the promises of God can draw them to good. This is the state of every man by nature; he is in the house of bondage; the devil has him in his power. A sinner grinds in the devil's mill; he is at the command of Satan, as the ass is at the command of the driver. No wonder to see men oppress and persecute; as slaves they must do what the god of this world will have them. How could those swine but run, when the devil entered into them? (see Matt 8:32). When the devil tempted Ananias to tell a lie, he could not but speak what Satan had put in his heart (see Acts 5:3). When the devil entered into Judas, and bade him betray Christ, he would do it, though he hanged himself. It is a sad and dismal case, to be in the house of bondage, under the power and tyranny of Satan. When David would curse the enemies of God, how did he pray against them? That Satan might be at their right hand (see Ps. 109:6). He knew he could then lead them into any snare. If the sinner has Satan at his right hand, let him take heed that he be not at God's left hand. Is it not a case to be bewailed, to see men taken captive by Satan at his will? (see II Tim. 2:26). He leads sinners as slaves before him in triumph; he wholly possesses them. If people should see their beasts bewitched and possessed of the devil, they would be much troubled; and yet, though their souls are possessed by Satan, they are not sensible of it. What can be worse than for men to be in the house of bondage, and to have the devil hurry them on in their lusts to perdition? Sinners are willingly enslaved to Satan; they love their gaoler; are content to sit quietly under Satan's jurisdiction; they choose this bramble to rule over them, though after a while, fire will come out of the bramble to devour them (see Judges 9:15). What an infinite mercy is it when God brings poor souls out of this house of bondage, when he gives them a gaol-delivery from the prince of darkness! JESUS CHRIST redeems captives, He ransoms sinners by price, and rescues them by force. As David took a lamb out of the lion's mouth (see I Sam. 17:35), so Christ rescues souls out of the mouth of the roaring lion. Oh, what a mercy is it to be brought out of the house of bondage, from captives to the prince of the power of the air, to be made subjects of the Prince of Peace! This is done by the preaching of the Word. "To turn them from the power of Satan unto God" (see Acts 26:18). (3) The bringing of Israel out of the house of bondage was a type of their being delivered from hell. Hell is domus servitutis, a house of bondage; a house built on purpose for sinners to lie in. There is such a house of bondage where the damned lie. "The wicked shall be turned into hell" (Ps. 9:17). "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23:33). If any one should ask where this house of bondage is, where is the place of hell? I wish he may never know experimentally. "Let us not so much," says Chrysostom, "labour to know where hell is, as how to escape it." Yet to satisfy curiosity, it may be observed that hell is locus subterraneus, some place beneath. "Hell beneath" (see Prov 15:24). Hesiod says, "Hell is as far under the earth, as heaven is above it." The devils besought Christ "that he would not command them to go out into the deep" (see Luke 8:31). Hell is in the deep. Why must there be this house of bondage? Why a hell? Because there must be a place for the execution of divine justice. Earthly monarchs have their prison for malefactors, and shall not God have His? Sinners are criminals, they have offended God; and it would not consist with His holiness and justice, to have His laws infringed, and not inflict penalties. The dreadfulness of the place. Could you but hear the groans and shrieks of the damned for one hour, it would confirm you in the truth, that hell is a house of bondage. Hell is the emphasis of misery. Besides the poena damni, "the punishment of loss", which is the exclusion of the soul from the glorified sight of God, which divines think the worst part of hell, there will be poena sensus, "the punishment of sense". If, when God's wrath is kindled but a little, and a spark of it flies into a man's conscience in this life, it is so terrible (as in the case of Spira), what will hell itself be? In hell there will be a plurality of torments, "Bonds and chains" (II Pet. 2:4). There will be the worm (see Mark 9:48). This is the worm of conscience. There will be the lake of fire (see Rev. 20:15). Other fire is but painted to this. This house of hell is haunted with devils (see Matt 25:41). Anselm says, "I had rather endure all torments, than see the devil with bodily eyes." Such as go to hell must not only be forced to behold the devil, but must be shut up with this lion in his den; they must keep the devil company. He is full of spite against mankind; a red dragon that will spit fire in men's faces. The torments of hell abide for ever. "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever" (Rev. 14:11). Time cannot finish it, tears cannot quench it (see Mark 9:44). The wicked are salamanders, who live always in the fire of hell, and are not consumed. After they have lain millions of years in hell, their punishment is as far from ending, as it was at the beginning. If all the earth and sea were sand, and every thousandth year a bird should come, and take away one grain, it would be a long time before that vast heap would be removed; yet, if after all that time the damned might come out of hell, there would be some hope; but this word forever breaks the heart. How does it seem to comport with God's justice to punish a sin committed in a moment, with eternal torment? Because there is an eternity of sin in man's nature. Because sin is crimen laesae majestatis, "committed against an infinite majesty", and therefore the sin itself is infinite, and proportionally the punishment must be infinite. Because a finite creature cannot bear infinite wrath, he must be eternally satisfying what he can never satisfy. If hell be such a house of bondage, what infinite cause have they to bless God who are delivered from it! Jesus "delivered us from the wrath to come" (II Thess. 1:10). Jesus Christ suffered the torments of hell in His soul, that believers should not suffer them. If we are thankful when we are ransomed out of prison, or delivered from fire, oh, how should we bless God to be preserved from the wrath to come! It may cause more thankfulness in us, seeing the most part go into the house of bondage, even to hell. To be of the number of those few that are delivered from it, is matter of infinite thankfulness. Most, I say, go to that house of bondage when they die; most go to hell. "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matt 7: 13). The greatest part of the world lies in wickedness (I John 5:19). Scripture compares the wicked to briers (Isa. 10:17). There are but few lilies in your fields, but in every hedge thorns and briers. It compares them to "the mire in the streets" (Isa. 10:6). Few jewels or precious stones are in the street, but you cannot go a step without meeting with mire. The wicked are as common as the dirt in the street. Look at the generality of people. How many drunkards are there for one that is sober! How many adulterers for one that is chaste! How many hypocrites for one that is sincere! The devil has the harvest, and God a few gleanings only. Oh, then, such as are delivered from the house of bondage, in hell, have infinite cause to admire and bless God. How should the vessels of mercy run over with thankfulness! When most others are carried prisoners to hell, they are delivered from the wrath to come. How shall I know I am delivered from hell? (1) Those whom Christ saves from hell He saves from sin. "He shall save his people from their sins" (see Matt 1:21). Has God delivered you from the power of corruption, from pride, malice, and lust? If He has delivered you from the hell of sin, He has delivered you from the hell of torment. (2) If you have got an interest in Christ, and are prizing, trusting, and loving Him, you are delivered from hell and damnation. "No condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). If you are in Christ, He has put the garment of his righteousness over you, and hell-fire can never singe it. Pliny observes, nothing will so soon quench fire as salt and blood: the salt tears of repentance and the blood of Christ will quench the fire of hell, so that it shall never kindle upon you. =========================================================== New Testament Study - Matthew 10:24-33 ====================================== Instructions for Apostles - IV ------------------------------ 24"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! 26So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Continuing His instructions to the twelve Apostles preceding their first missionary journey, Jesus has been informing them that they will face persecution. In this section, Jesus gives three reasons why they should not fear this persecution. Three times in this passage, Jesus tells His followers, "Do not be afraid." In fact (so I've heard), the most oft-repeated commandment in the Bible given to God's people is "Do not be afraid." With an all-powerful, and all-loving Lord, why should we be afraid of anything? The first reason given by Jesus that they should not fear persecution is that He Himself, their Lord, faced persecution: "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! So do not be afraid of them" (vss. 24-26). As we learn in Mark 3:22, Beelzebub was a name given to the prince of demons. In that verse, Jesus is accused by the teachers of the law of being possessed by Beelzebub. Given this, Jesus here intimates that the apostles should not consider any persecution that they may encounter to be strange, for "a student is not above his teacher." On the contrary, we should expect, even rejoice in, such persecution, as Peter tells us: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" (I Peter 4:12-13). Moreover, Jesus next tells His apostles that they should not let any persecution deter them from spreading His message: "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs" (vss. 26-27). Note that the message we proclaim is one we have received from the Lord. It is not something that we make up, or deduce ourselves. It is something we receive from Him as we study His Word, and as we meditate on it. And at times, as suggested here, He speaks to us "in the dark", presumably as we seek His will in prayer. The second reason given by Jesus that His apostles should not fear persecution has to do with God's control over our ultimate destiny: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (vs. 28). With this in mind, we would have to agree with Solomon when he said that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). Whenever there is a conflict between what men say and what God says, it only makes sense to pay heed to the One "who can destroy both soul and body in hell." "There is no cure for the fear of man like the fear of God" [Spurgeon, 128]. "In proportion as one has a true fear of God, he will feel no fear of man" [Broadus, 230]. Men have no direct control over our ultimate destiny. Any persecution we face from men is temporary, even trivial, when viewed from the perspective of eternity. However, God would rather not win us over with threatenings. Paul would have us realize that "God's kindness leads you toward repentance" (Rom. 2:4). And despite the reality of His threatenings, God (as Peter tells us) does not want "anyone to perish", but rather wants "everyone to come to repentance" (II Pet. 3:9). This brings us to the third reason that Jesus gives for us not to fear the persecution of men: God cares for us. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of the your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (vss. 29-31). There are those that believe in God who think that God only cares about the "big" things. Jesus, our Lord, assures us here that God is concerned with absolutely everything that goes on here on earth, even down to the most trivial detail. And not only is He concerned, He directs every detail. Read again: "Yet not one of [the sparrows] will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father" (vs. 29). The implication is clear. Since "you are worth more than many sparrows", there is nothing that happens to you that is not sanctioned by God. If you are persecuted by men as a result of your apostleship, this is the will of your Father in Heaven. "Nothing can happen in this world without His permission: there is no such thing in reality as chance, accident, or luck" [Ryle, 104]. And so, Father in Heaven, help us to heed the command given here by Jesus, "Do not be afraid." Give us boldness in sharing the good news of the Gospel with others. Give us strength in enduring whatever persecution we may experience. Help us to realize that in enduring persecution, we are walking in the steps of our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured persecution for our sakes. In His name we ask these things, Amen. =========================================================== A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 18 ========================================================= [Here 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 resumes a multi-part study by Samuel Annesley, in which he examines, in detail, the greatest commandment. In this study, Mr. Annesley continues enumerating properties of love to God.]-Ed. How May We Attain to Love God by Samuel Annesley (1620 -1696) ------------------------------- "Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment'" (Matt. 22:37-38, AV). THE PROPERTIES OF LOVE TO GOD (CONT.) ------------------------------------- 2. The absolute properties of love to God are, among many, some of them such as these: (1.) It is the most ingenious of all graces.-In poor, inconsiderable loves, not worth the mentioning, how do persons contrive ways for the expressing and exciting of love! And there is no way to prevent it. O how much more when the soul loves God! There is nothing meliorates the parts like grace. Divine love makes the best improvement of wit, parts, time. When a person loves to pray, though he can scarce speak sense to men, he can strenuously plead with God. A person that loves to meditate,-though he knows not how to make his thoughts hang together in other things, they multiply on his hand with a spiritual and profitable consistency. In short, to do anything that may engage the heart to God, what gracious stratagems doth love abound with! That as he that beholds his face in a glass makes the face which he sees;-his very look is the pencil, the colour, the art;-so he that loves God sees such a reflexion of God's love to him, that a proud person doth not more please herself in her own fancied beauty, than this gracious soul is graciously delighted in the mutual dartings of Divine Love. Keep from will-worship and human inventions in the things of God, especially from imposing upon others your prudentials of devotion; and then I will commend it to you, to try all the experiments which the scripture will warrant, to increase the flame of your Divine Love. (2.) Love to God is the most bold, strong, constant, and daring grace, of all the graces of the Spirit of God.-"Love is strong as death" (Song. 8:6): and everyone knows what work death makes in the world. It is not the power of potentates, nor the reverence of age, nor the usefulness of grace, can prevent its stroke: it conquers all. So doth love to God. Nothing can stand before it. What dare not love to God attempt? It designs impossibilities, namely, perfection; and is restless for the want of it. I may in some sense say, It would fain have contradictions true; namely, to be without the body, while in it; the body's being a clog is so wearisome. Love to God not only baffles Satan, but, through God's gracious condescension, it even prevails with God Himself, that God will deny nothing to the soul that loves Him. (3.) Love to God is the only self-emptying and satisfying grace.-Love,-it is self's egress; it is a kind of pilgrimage from self: he that loves is absent from himself, thinks not of himself, provides not for himself. But, O how great is the gain of renouncing ourselves, and thereby receiving God and ourselves! We are, as it were, dead to ourselves, and alive to God; nay, more, by love we live in God: "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (I John 4:16). By faith we live upon God; by obedience we live to God; but by love we live in God. It is herein alone that we can give something like a carnal (though it is indeed a highly spiritual) answer to Nicodemus's question, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" (John 3:4). We have our souls immediately from the Father of spirits; by regeneration we return to God again, from whom by sin we are estranged; and by love we live in Him, in some little resemblance to the child's living in the mother's womb. What the mother loves, the child loves; what the mother longs for, the child longs for; in the mother's health the child is well. The child lives there in a far different manner from how it lives in the world: though it cannot stir out of its enclosure, yet it never cries nor complains of its imprisonment. So the soul that entirely loves God hates what God hates, and loves what God loves; its life is far above the life of others, and it desires no greater liberty than to be, as it were, imprisoned in God, to have no will of its own, no one motion but what God graciously concurs in: yet it is so far from esteeming this a restraint, that it counts it the highest happiness of its imperfect state. He feels a sweetness in that beyond what the heathen that spake it ever thought of, "In God we live, move, and have our being." (4.) The love of God makes us anxiously weary of life itself.-In this love there is one death and two resurrections: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20). Christ lives, and the soul lives; and both by love. I must acknowledge, all manner of love is apt to be extravagant and irregular; our very love to God is, in thus, blind, when it comes to any considerable height; it is apt to overlook (not in a way of neglect, but ecstasy) what is to be done and suffered, and would fain be at the enjoyment of God in heaven. By the way, let not doubting Christians be discouraged, because it is not thus with them. Though these properties be but in the bud, they may in time be full blown; therefore believe and wait; heights of grace are ordinarily as well the work of time, as of the Spirit of God. Besides, you know, there is nothing more common than for lovers to dissemble their love; so here, it is too common for gracious persons rather to belie the Spirit of God, than thankfully to own their love to God, because they are afraid of being mistaken, and they are afraid of boasting of a false gift; and here, though love, when it is perfect, it casteth out fear, yet while it is imperfect, fear proveth our love. 3. So much for the positive properties; I will be very brief in the transcendent properties of our love to God. (l.) Love to God is the great general directing grace, containing all other particular graces in it, and most intimately goes through the acts of all of them (see I Cor. 13)-Love in the soul is as the pilot in the ship, who steers the ship and all its passengers. Love steers the soul, and all its operations. Love is the needle in the compass, that is still trembling towards its divine loadstone. J. Eusebius Nierembergius compares other graces to bullion uncoined; which, though it have an intrinsic value, yet it is not that money that answers all things. What shall I say? Find out a thousand transcendent metaphors, love will answer them all. (2.) It is in a singular manner infinite.-Among all the faculties of the soul, there is none but the will that can, in any sound sense, be said to be infinite: all the other faculties are more bounded than the will. Now love is the natural act of the will; and love to God is the supernaturally-natural act of the renewed will. Its desires, which is the love of desires, are to be united unto God, the Fountain of all blessedness. And here, those that love God least, so it be sincerely,-their desires are infinite. For example: desires are the feet of the soul: their love will creep when it cannot go. Desires are the wings of the soul: love will flutter when it cannot fly. Desires are the breathings of the soul: love will pant, and groan, and gasp, where it can do no more. Again: the contentment and satisfaction of the will, which is the love of complacency, is infinite, in as large a sense as that word can be ascribed to creatures. Desires are the motion and exercise of love; delight is the quiet and repose of it. My beloved, to have the heart to delight in God, or to ache and tingle with the discourse of the love of God, through reflection upon the want of it, as unable to stand under his own thoughts,-this infallibly shows great love; and this soul's satisfaction in God is in some sort infinite. =========================================================== A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 ======================================== The Conclusion of the Matter ---------------------------- 8"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" 9Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. 11The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails-given by one Shepherd. 12Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. 13Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Solomon here concludes the book of Ecclesiastes. Most of this book contained Solomon's observations as he devoted himself "to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven" (Eccl. 1:13). Solomon sums up what he found: "'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Everything is meaningless!'" (vs. 8). "He took an inventory of the world, and all the best things in it. He cast up the account; and the sum total is vanity." [Bridges, 299]. Through human wisdom, Solomon could find no meaning in life, no rhyme nor reason to life. Given this, Solomon now goes outside of human wisdom to offer up some words of advice on how one should live. But first, he gives a review of his qualifications: "Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true" (vss. 9-10). Solomon's writings were the result of hard work and research. Since he was the king of a very wealthy nation, Solomon's experience and resources were vast. Moreover, Solomon not only researched well his subject, he also worked hard to communicate well his conclusions, as he "searched to find just the right words." In summary, Solomon's work was well researched, and well stated. In preparation for his concluding statements, the summing up of his wisdom, Solomon reminds us of the merits of the words of a wise man: "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails-given by one Shepherd" (vs. 11). First, they are like "goads." Just as the driver of the oxen "goads" the stubborn oxen onto the correct path, so does the words of the wise steer us onto the right path in life. Second, they are "like firmly embedded nails-given by one Shepherd" (vs. 11). At face value, this is saying that the words of wisdom are sure, strong and true, just like "firmly embedded nails." But here I see a bit of prophetic symbolism. Does not the juxtaposition of the "nails" and the "Shepherd" remind you of the cross of Christ? And when pondering wisdom, one would always do well to be reminded of the cross of Christ. The value of any human wisdom must be ascertained taking into consideration of the cross of Christ, and all that it means. With this standard, much human wisdom becomes frivolous. Solomon warns us to beware of frivolous, superfluous wisdom: "Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (vs. 12). For wisdom, for meaning, for guidance, turn to the Bible first. "Be warned" of worldly wisdom. "Be warned" of any advice that does not come from God. Be careful that the things of the world do not distract you from the truth of God. "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." Do not be wearied by the study of worldly wisdom. Keep your mind sharp for the study of God's Word. To conclude, Solomon gives concise guidance on how we all, without exception, should live our lives: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man" (vs. 13). As Solomon discovered, human wisdom leads us nowhere but to "meaninglessness". Many people ask, "How can I find happiness?" or "How can I find satisfaction in life?" or "How can I find meaning in life?" The answer is given succinctly here, by Solomon: "Fear God and keep His commandments." As Solomon notes: "This is the whole [duty] of man." Actually, he says, "This is the whole of man" (the word "duty" was added by translators). I believe the literal translation sums up the advice better: To fear God, and keep His commandments, is the "whole of man." Human wisdom leads to meaninglessness and emptiness; fearing God leads to wholeness. To fear God means to realize that God is the Creator of all, and that He is in control of everything that occurs in this life, as well as the life to come. "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else" [Chambers, in Wiersbe, 135]. If one fears God, he will naturally seek to "keep His commandments." Now, we have a loving Creator, and so the commands He gives us are for our own good. "God created life and He alone knows how it should be managed. He wrote a 'manual of instructions' and wise is the person who reads and obeys. 'When all else fails, read the instructions!'" [Wiersbe, 135]. As John told us: "This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome" (I John 5:3). Solomon concludes the book with an overriding reason for following his last piece of advice: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (vs. 14). After we die, we will be judged. There is no way around this. Man is "destined to die once", and "after that, to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27). We will be judged by God, through Jesus Christ. Knowing this, it makes sense to "Fear God, and keep His commandments." (This concludes our study in the book of Ecclesiastes. In the next issue, we will resume our study in Psalms)