=========================================================== Scripture Studies: Vol. VIII, No. 2 - March 2001 ================================================= In this issue: Old Testament Study - Zechariah 9:11-17 Out of the House of Bondage, by Thomas Watson New Testament Study - Matthew 10:9-15 A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 16 A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 11 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 9:11-17 ======================================= Maccabean Prophecy ------------------- 11As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. 12Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. 13I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword. 14Then the LORD will appear over them; His arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; He will march in the storms of the south, 15and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. 16The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. 17How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. Zechariah continues his Oracle here. He began the Oracle with a prophecy concerning Israel's hostile neighbors (Zech. 9:1-8) that (I believe) was fulfilled during the time of Alexander the Great. While speaking of God's protection of Israel during that time, Zechariah transitioned to a prophecy concerning the Savior of Israel, the Messiah Jesus Christ (Zech. 9:9-10), which spoke of both comings of Israel's King. Here, Zechariah turns again to prophesy an event that has been fulfilled in (as we look back) Israel's history: "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword" (vss. 11-13). The clue to when this prophecy was fulfilled comes in verse 13: "I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword." This verse clearly speaks of a military conflict between the Israelites and Greece. From the time of Zechariah, up to our present day, there has only been one such conflict between the Israelites and Greece, and that came just after the time of Alexander when the Seleucid kings ruled over both Greece and the land of the Israelites. After Alexander the Great died, his empire was split up by his generals. One of these generals was Seleucus. He was the first of the Seleucid kings, who ruled over mainly the eastern portions of Alexander's empire. At various times, through various conflicts, the Holy Land came under the control of the Seleucids. The Seleucid kings ruled ruthlessly, and offended the Israelites by desecrating the priesthood and the Temple in various ways. The Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes "suspended daily sacrifices, abolished the Sabbath, destroyed copies of the Scriptures, forbade circumcision, and erected pagan altars. To crown it all, in December, 167 B.C., he introduced the cult of the Olympian Zeus into the temple by setting up a pagan altar and offering swine's flesh on it... Against this offensive and autocratic rule, the areas of Judah and Ephraim (that is, the northern and southern parts of the ancient Jewish nation) were indeed roused, as Zechariah prophesied (vs. 13). The spark was struck in Modien, a little town in the hill country northwest of Jerusalem. A Syrian officer had demanded that the people make pagan sacrifices. But when a Jew came forward to make the sacrifice, a local priest named Mattathias rose up and killed both the Jew and the Syrian. [Matthias and his sons, with others began a guerilla war. After Mattathias died, his son Judas Maccabeus took over].... Judas won stunning victories against a number of Antiochus's generals and eventually occupied Jerusalem and purified the Temple. The Maccabees were able to achieve a century of Jewish independence that lasted until the coming of the Roman ruler Pompey in 63 B.C" [Boice, 196]. With this historical background, we can analyze and understand this prophecy: "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from a waterless pit" (vs. 11). The Israelites were effectively "prisoners" under the rule of Antiochus. The Lord promised to "free" them "because of the blood of [His] covenant." The "blood of [His] covenant" is the blood of the system of atoning sacrifices that God established in the Law. The rebellion by the Israelites against Antiochus began in response to Antiochus' desecration of the Temple. The desecration made impossible the carrying out of the blood sacrifices established in God's Law. So, "because of the blood of [His] covenant," the Lord came to the aid of the Israelites against Antiochus. The Israelites are told to "Return to [their] fortress", the Lord. They are prisoners who have "hope" through the promises of the Lord: "Even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you." One way the Lord promises to "restore" them is by uniting them in battle against Greece: "I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim." Once hostile with each other, Judah and Ephraim, according to the prophecy, will work together-Judah as bow, Ephraim as arrow-through the Lord. The Lord, in giving the prophecy, speaks to both Israel and Greece directly: "I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword." God is the God of all nations. God speaks to all nations; He controls all nations. In Zechariah's time, many tribes and countries would worship a "local" god, a god that specifically protected them. The God of the Israelites, the True and Living God, has always been the Lord of all. The Lord promises to aid the Israelites in this battle in a powerful way: "Then the LORD will appear over them; His arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; He will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them" (vs. 14). However, although the Lord would aid the Israelites, they, as it would appear to the world, would be the underdog: "They will destroy and overcome with slingstones." The reference to "slingstones" is clearly an allusion to David fighting Goliath. And indeed, the Maccabees were certainly the underdogs against the vast Seleucid empire. Not only was help in the battle promised, victory was also promised: "They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people" (vs. 15-16). Indeed, God was true to His promise. The Maccabeans scored a miraculous victory, and won self-rule for the Israelites for a time. That time was a time of prosperity for the Israelites, as the Lord prophesied through Zechariah: "They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women" (vs. 16-17)-a symbolic picture of prosperity ("grain") and joy ("new wine"). True to the Lord's promise, "the Maccabean rule was one of such prosperity as to fulfill the terms of this prophecy, and designate its era as one of the bright pages in the Hebrew annals" [Moore, 156]. =========================================================== Out of the House of Bondage, by Thomas Watson ============================================= [Here we begin 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). Egypt and the house of bondage are the same, only they are expressed under a different notion. By Egypt is meant a place of idolatry and superstition; by the house of bondage is meant a place of affliction. Israel, while in Egypt, was under great tyranny; they had cruel task-masters set over them, who put them to hard labour, and set them to make bricks, yet allowed them no straw; therefore, Egypt is called, in Deut. 4:20, "the iron furnace, and here the house of bondage." From this expression, "I brought thee out of the house of bondage", two things are to be noted: God's children may sometimes be under sore afflictions (In "the house of bondage"); but God will, in due time, bring them out of their afflicted state ("I brought thee out of the house of bondage"). God's children may sometimes be under sore afflictions in the house of bondage. God's people have no writ of ease granted them, no charter of exemption from trouble in this life. While the wicked are kept in sugar, the godly are often kept in brine. And, indeed, how could God's power be seen in bringing them out of trouble, if He did not sometimes bring them into it? Or how should God wipe away the tears from their eyes in heaven, if on earth they shed none? Doubtless, God sees there is need that His children should be sometimes in the house of bondage. "If need be, ye are in heaviness" (II Peter 1:6). The body sometimes needs a bitter portion more than a sweet one. Why does God let His people be in the house of bondage or in an afflicted state? He does it, (1) For probation or trial. "Who led thee through that terrible wilderness, that He might humble thee and prove thee" (Deut. 8:15,16). Affliction is the touchstone of sincerity. "Thou O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us as silver; Thou laidst affliction upon our loins" (Psa. 66:10). Hypocrites may embrace the true religion in prosperity, and court this queen while she has a jewel hung at her ear; but he is a good Christian who will keep close to God in a time of suffering. "All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee" (Psa. 44:17). To love God in heaven, is no wonder; but to love Him when He chastises us, discovers sincerity. (2) For purgation; to purge our corruption. "And this is all the fruit, to take away his sin" (Isa. 28:9). The eye, though a tender part, yet when sore, we put sharp powders and waters into it to eat out the pearl; so though the people of God are dear to Him, yet, when corruption begins to grow in them, He will apply the sharp powder of affliction to eat out the pearl in the eye. Affliction is God's flail to thresh our husks; it is a means God uses to purge out sloth, luxury, pride, and love of the world. God's furnace is in Zion (see Isa 31:5). This is not to consume, but to refine. What if we have more affliction, if by this means we have less sin! (3) For augmentation; to increase the graces of the Spirit. Grace thrives most in the iron furnace. Sharp frosts nourish the corn; so sharp afflictions nourish grace. Grace in the saints is often as fire hid in the embers, affliction is the bellows to blow it up into a flame. The Lord makes the house of bondage a friend to grace. Then faith and patience act their part. The darkness of the night cannot hinder the brightness of a star; so, the more the diamond is cut the more it sparkles; and the more God afflicts us, the more our graces cast a sparkling lustre. (4) For preparation; to fit and prepare the saints for glory (see II Cor 4:17). The stones, which are cut out for a building, are first hewn and squared. The godly are called "living stones" (I Pet 2:5). God first hews and polishes them by affliction, that they may be fit for the heavenly building. The house of bondage prepares for the house not made with hands (see II Cor. 5:1). The vessels of mercy are seasoned with affliction, and then the wine of glory is poured in. How do the afflictions of the godly differ from the afflictions of the wicked? (1) They are but castigations, but those on the wicked are punishments. The one come from a father, the other from a judge. (2) Afflictions on the godly are fruits of covenant-mercy (see II Sam. 7:14). Afflictions on the wicked are effects of God's wrath. "He hath much wrath with his sickness" (Eccl. 5:17). Afflictions on the wicked are the pledge and earnest of hell; they are like the pinioning of a malefactor, which presages his execution. (3) Afflictions on the godly make them better, but afflictions on the wicked make them worse. The godly pray more (see Psa. 130:1). The wicked blashpheme more. "Men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God" (Rev. 16:9). Afflictions on the wicked make them more impenitent; every plague upon Egypt increased the plague of hardness in Pharaoh's heart. To what a prodigy of wickedness do some persons come after great sickness. Affliction on the godly is like bruising spices, which are most sweet and fragrant: affliction on the wicked is like pounding weeds with a pestle, which makes them more unsavoury. Use one. (1) We are not to wonder to see Israel in the house of bondage (see I Pet 4:12). The holiness of the saints will not excuse them from sufferings. Christ was the holy one of God, yet He was in the iron furnace. His spouse is a lily among thorns (see Song of Sol. 2:2). Though His sheep have the ear-mark of election upon them, yet they may have their wool fleeced off. The godly have some good in them, therefore the devil afflicts them; and some evil in them, therefore God afflicts them. While there are two seeds in the world, expect to be under the black rod. The gospel tells us of reigning, but first of suffering (see II Tim 2:12). (2) Affliction is not always the sign of God's anger. Israel, the apple of God's eye, a peculiar treasure to Him above all people, were in the house of bondage (see Exod 19:5). We are apt to judge and censure those who are in an afflicted state. When the barbarians saw the viper on Paul's hand, they said, "No doubt this man is a murderer" (Acts 28:4). So, when we see the viper of affliction fasten upon the godly, we are apt to censure them, and say, these are greater sinners than others, and God hates them; but this rash censuring is for want of wisdom. Was not Israel in the house of bondage? Were not Jeremiah in the dungeon, and Paul a night and day in the deep? God's afflicting is so far from evidencing hatred, that His not afflicting does. "I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom" (Hos. 4:14). God punishes most when He does not punish; His hand is heaviest when it seems to be lightest. The judge will not burn him in the hand whom he intends to execute. (3) If God's own Israel may be in the house of bondage, then afflictions do not of themselves demonstrate a man miserable. Indeed, sin unrepented of, makes one miserable; but the cross does not. If God has a design in afflicting His children to make them happy, they are not miserable; but God's afflicting them is to make them happy, therefore they are not miserable. "Happy is the man whom God correcteth" (Job 5:17). The world counts them happy who can keep out of affliction; but the Scripture calls them happy who are afflicted. How are they happy? Because they are more holy (see Heb 12:10). Because they are more in God's favour (see Prov. 3:12). The goldsmith loves his gold when in the furnace. Because they have more of God's sweet presence (Psa. 91:15). They cannot be unhappy who have God's powerful presence in supporting, and His gracious presence in sanctifying, their affliction. Because the more affliction they have, the more degrees of glory they shall have; the lower they have been in the iron furnace, the higher they shall sit upon the throne of glory; the heavier their crosses, the heavier shall be their crown. So then, if afflictions make a Christian happy, they cannot call him miserable. (4) See the merciful providence of God to His children. Though they may be in the house of bondage, and smart by affliction, yet they shall not be hurt by affliction. What hurt does the fan to the corn? It only separates the chaff from it; or the lance to the body? It only lets out the abscess. The house of bondage does that which sometimes ordinances will not; it humbles and reforms. "If they be held in cords of affliction, he openeth their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity" (Job 36:8,10). Oh! What a merciful providence is it that, though God bruise His people, yet, while He is bruising them, He is doing them good! It is as if one should throw a bag of money at another, which bruises him a little, but yet it enriches him. Affliction enriches the soul, and yields the sweet fruits of righteousness (see Heb. 12:11). (5) If Israel be in the house of bondage, if the Lord deals so with His own children, then how severely will He deal with the wicked! If He be so severe with those He loves, how severe will He be with those He hates! "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31). If they that pray and mourn for sin be so severely dealt with, what will become of those that swear and break the Sabbath, and are unclean! If Israel be in the iron furnace, the wicked shall lie in the fiery furnace of hell. It should be the saddest news to wicked men, to hear that the people of God are afflicted. Let them think how dreadful the case of sinners will be. "Judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?" (I Pet. 4:17). If God thresh His wheat, He will burn the chaff. If the godly suffer castigation, the wicked shall suffer condemnation. If He mingle his people's cup with wormwood, He will mingle the wicked's cup with fire and brimstone. Use two. If Israel be in the house of bondage, (1) Do not entertain too hard thoughts of affliction. Christians are apt to look upon the cross and the iron furnace as frightful things, and do what they can to shun them. Nay, sometimes, to avoid affliction, they run themselves into sin. But do not think too hardly of affliction; do not look upon it as through the multiplying-glass of fear. The house of bondage is not hell. Consider that affliction comes from a wise God, who prescribes whatever befalls us. Persecutions are like apothecaries: they give us the physic that God the physician prescribes. Affliction has its light side, as well as its dark one. God can sweeten our afflictions, and candy our wormwood. As our sufferings abound, so doth also our consolation (II Cor. 1:5). Argerius dated his letters from the pleasant garden of the Leonine prison. God sometimes so revives His children in trouble, that they had rather bear their afflictions than want their comforts. Why then should Christians entertain such hard thoughts of afflictions? Do not look at its grim face, but at the message it brings, which is to enrich us with both grace and comfort. (2) If Israel be sometimes in the house of bondage, in an afflicted state, think beforehand of affliction. Say not as Job: "I shall die in my nest" (Job 29:18). In the house of mirth think of the house of bondage. You that are now Naomi, may be Mara (see Ruth 1:20). How quickly may the scene turn, and the hyperbole of joy end in a catastrophe! All outward things are given to change. The forethoughts of affliction would make us sober and moderate in the use of lawful delight; it would cure a surfeit. Christ at a feast mentions His burial; a good antidote against a surfeit. The forethought of affliction would make us prepare for it; it would take us off the world; it would put us upon search of our evidences. We should see what oil we have in our lamps, what grace we can find, that we may be able to stand in the evil day. That soldier is imprudent who has his sword to whet when he is just going to fight. He who forecasts sufferings, will have the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit ready, that he may not be surprised. (3) If afflictions come, let us labour to conduct ourselves wisely as Christians, that we may adorn our sufferings: that is, let us endure with patience. "Take, my brethren, the prophets for an example of suffering affliction and patience" (James 5:10). Satan labours to take advantage of us in affliction, by making us either faint or murmur; he blows the coals of passion and discontent, and then warms himself at the fire. Patience adorns sufferings. A Christian should say as Jesus Christ did, "Lord, not my will but Thy will be done" (Luke 22:42). It is a sign the affliction is sanctified when the heart is brought to a sweet submissive frame. God will then remove the affliction: He will take us out of the iron furnace. =========================================================== New Testament Study - Matthew 10:9-15 ===================================== Instructions to Apostles - II ----------------------------- 9"Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. 11"Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." Jesus continues His instructions to the apostles for their first missionary journey. In the first eight verses of this chapter, Jesus instructed the apostles to preach and to do good. Here He tells them how they are to sustain themselves on their journey: "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you" (vs. 9-11). Jesus was very specific in His instructions, lest He be misunderstood. He told them not to take anything extra, and to depend on those who heard the preaching to sustain them, "for the worker is worth his keep." There is a fine line to be drawn here. Back in verse 8, Jesus told the apostles, "Freely as you have received, freely give." Now here in these verses, He tells them to expect that those who hear the preaching sustain them. This fine line can be clearly delineated if we understand that it is the responsibility of the apostle to preach with no financial strings attached, and it is not the responsibility of the apostle to ask for sustenance. Rather, it is the responsibility of those who hear the gospel to sustain their teachers. And then, the apostle should willingly, and without any sense of guilt at all, accept any hospitality, or financial gift, that is freely offered to him. Under no circumstances should the apostle use any kind of coercion, or even pleading, to try to impel the hearers to give financially. Such coercion does battle with the idea that the gospel is a free gift. Jesus told His apostles to find a "worthy" person (i.e., someone who could afford to put them up), and to wait to be "welcomed." If they were not welcomed, they were to move on. I can't help but thinking that many television evangelists here in America violate these principles. They plead, and beg, and then make threats that if the money doesn't come in, they will be forced off the air. I tend to believe that Jesus would tell them, following the principles He set forth for His apostles, to preach the kingdom of God. Do not ask for, but do welcome the sustenance received through the preaching. And if the amount received is not enough to continue preaching on the air, "shake the dust off your feet" and find some other medium to use to spread the free gift of the Gospel. On the other hand, let us not forget the responsibility of the hearers, those who are ministered to by preachers. It is their obligation to financially support their spiritual leaders. Paul tells us: "Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor" (Gal. 6:6). If you are not giving at least ten percent of your gross income to your church, to support the good work of preaching the Gospel, then today, sit down, and review your finances. Make a budget so that soon, you may do your part in providing for those who minister to you, "for the worker is worth his keep." The strategy for sustenance that Jesus gave His apostles was a wise strategy for this first missionary journey for multiple reasons. First, it allowed the apostles to be acutely aware of God's providence. Their own money was not going to sustain them. The Lord would provide for them through the goodness and hospitality of the people who heard and responded to the good news the apostles were bringing. Later, after the journey, Jesus would remind them of God's providence on this journey: "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they answered" (Luke 22:35). Second, it kept them from staying too long in a town that was unresponsive to their message. If they could not find anyone who would put them up in a culture that valued hospitality, then they certainly would not be able to find many people willing to pay heed to their message concerning the kingdom of God. In general, for this first journey, Jesus did not want them staying in one place too long, even if the town accepted their message. He told them to stay at the same house in any one town until they left that town. Jesus most likely wanted the twelve apostles to cover as much ground as possible in a short time. So, the length of their stay in any one town was not to be any longer than they would be welcome at any one house. They were not to force their message upon those who were not willing to listen: "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town" (vss. 14-15). Jesus prepared them for the eventuality that the hearers would not "listen to [their] words." This is not an unusual occurrence for the ministers of God's Word. "Our Lord Himself had already been rejected at Nazareth (see Luke 4:16), and in the country of the Gadarenes, and was rejected afterwards at a Samaritan village (see Luke 9:52); indeed, in general, 'He came to His own, and His own received Him not,' (John 1:11). We need not then be surprised if some reject us and our message, since it was so with Jesus, and so with the apostles" [Broadus, 223]. Note the response that Jesus commanded to those who did not listen: "Shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town." This was a symbolic gesture akin to washing the hands of a situation. No blame could fall on the apostles. The apostle would have performed his responsibility of preaching the Gospel. The attitude portrayed here is that the Gospel is a valuable thing, something precious. There's no need to loudly rebuke or denigrate people for rejecting the good news. We shouldn't have to beg or bribe people to accept the Gospel. It's a precious gift, and should be treated as such. Hopefully, the "shaking off" of dust would cause those who witnessed it to think twice about their rejection of the good news. Jesus bluntly tells the apostles the consequence of the rejection of the Gospel: "I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town" (vs. 15). This is an astonishing claim that Jesus is making about Himself. He is saying that the eternal destiny of people depends on whether they accept or reject His message about the kingdom of God. Note how Jesus introduces this statement: "I tell you the truth...." This signifies that what follows is significant, and important to heed. Next, He compares the judgment for rejecting the Gospel to one of the best-known displays of God's judgment: the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. One of the messages of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is that sin will not go forever unpunished. So too, our sins will not go unpunished. But God, in His grace, through the sacrifice of His Son, provided a way for us to escape the punishment, by accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. However, if we reject the Gospel, we will have to face the judgment for our sins, just as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had to face judgment. It is a dangerous thing to do, to reject the Gospel. "This is a doctrine fearfully overlooked, and one that deserves serious consideration. Men are apt to forget that it does not require great open sins to be sinned in order to ruin a soul forever. They have only to go on hearing without believing, listening without repenting, going to church without going to Christ, and by and by they will find themselves in hell! We shall all be judged according to our light; we shall have to give account of our use of religious privileges: to hear of the 'great salvation', and yet neglect it, is one of the worst sins man can commit (see John 16:9; Heb. 2:13)" [Ryle, 96-97]. Make no mistake, the judgment of those who reject Christ will be terrible. They will be held accountable for all of their sins. "There is no wonder that Christ declares it will go more easily with them, than with those unbelievers who have refused to hear the Gospel. For when men refuse authority to their Creator and Maker, and grant His voice no audience, but repel His kind invitation, and undermine confidence in Him who promises all ready gifts, such impiety reaches the utmost peak of all possible wrong-doing" [Calvin, 296]. As the writer of Hebrews warns: "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" (Heb. 2:3). =========================================================== A Topical Study - Loving God vs. Loving the World, pt. 16 ========================================================= [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 particular study, Mr. Annesley continues his enumeration of the degrees of love to God. He has already discussed the first three out of five degrees of love. The first three were: 1. To love God for those good things which we receive from Him; 2. To love God for Himself, because He is good; 3. To love nothing, except for God's sake.]-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). DEGREES OF LOVE TO GOD (CONT.) ------------------------------ 4. The fourth step of our love to God is, for our highest love of everything to be hatred in comparison of our love to God.-The truth is, we can never so plainly know to what a degree we love God, as by weighing it against whatever stands in competition with it. Why should I so far debase my love to God as to weigh it in the same balance with love to sin? But, alas! Why do besotted sinners so dote upon sin, as if love to God were not worthy to be compared with it? Methinks, I may a little more than allude to that passage of Isaiah: "They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and be maketh it a god," &c. (Isa. 46:6). They give out their gold by handfuls, without weighing, for matter of their idols; but they will be good husbands in their expenses about the workmanship of them. Man cares not at what rate he loves his idols, those lusts upon which they bestow their affections; though in all other things they are wary enough. But why should I waste time in speaking to these? They have not yet gone one step towards the love of God; and, therefore, are so far behind, that they are not within learning of what is spoken to good proficients in the love of God. Let me only leave with them this parting word: From a person's first sincere and ardent love to God, he can neither speak nor think of sin without abhorrency. From the first infusion of grace, there is a graciously-natural antipathy against sin. Sin receives its death's wound: it is too true, it may struggle for life, and seem to be upon recovery; but grace will wear it out, and will never leave the conflict till it has obtained the conquest. But this is not the thing I intended to speak to in this particular: it is other kinds of things than sin that the soul that loves God is afraid to spill his love upon. He prizeth those ordinances wherein he meets with communion with God, but is afraid his love should terminate there; he values them but as windows to let in the light: though something excellent may be written there, as with the point of a diamond, yet it is neither writing nor window that is prized, but the light. When that is gone, they shut up the window as if it were a dead wall that is no more regarded till the light returns. It is the light of God's countenance that is better than life itself. Perhaps you will say, this comes not up to what I asserted, that our highest love to everything is to be hatred in comparison of our love to God. Well, let this be warily considered: One whose love to God is at this height, is exactly curious in the management of his graces; and while he is so, he is as curiously jealous lest grace should warp, to rob God of his glory. He loves inherent grace heartily. "O," saith he, "that my soul were more enriched with it!" But yet while he is breathing after perfection in grace, he admiringly prefers God's wise love in saving him by Christ, before salvation by inherent grace: he utterly renounceth the beat of his graces, when pride would have them jostle with Christ for the procuring of acceptation. In short, a soul that is overcome with God's method of salvation, is unable to bear any thing that darkens it. "Would God have me to be as watchful against sin, as if there were no Christ to pardon it?" "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (I John 2:1). Our first care must be not to sin. "O that I could perfectly comply with God in this! But, alas! I cannot! Would God have me to rest as entirely upon Christ after my utmost attainments, as that wretch who pretends to venture his soul with him out of an ill-spent life? O Lord, I trust no more to my good works than he can to his bad ones, for his meriting of salvation! As I would not ungratefully overlook any thing the Spirit hath done in me, so I would not have anything which I have almost marred in the Spirit's doing of it, to draw a curtain whereby Christ should be less looked on." 5. The most eminent degree of our love to God, is ecstasy and ravishment.-We need not go down to the legends of the Philistines to sharpen our incentives to the love of God. I could over-match what can be said, with truth, of Ignatius [Loyola] and Xaverius, with several, whom many of you knew, whose unparalleled humility hid them from observation, whose communion with God was often overwhelming: but I forbear. Take a scripture-instance of this kind of love; compare but these three passages to the Song of Songs: "I am sick of love" (Song. 2:5). This is upon Christ's first overcoming discovery of himself. "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my Beloved, that ye tell Him, that I am sick of love" (Song. 5:8). This charge is from her spiritual languishment, through earnest desire of reconciliation, after some negligence and carelessness in duty. And in Song. 8:6, when she hath had the highest communion with God that an imperfect state affords; when she was, as it were, upon the threshold of glory; and then she saith, "Love is strong as death." As if she had said, "I shall die unless thou grant my desire"; or, "Let me die, that my desire may be granted." Jealousy is cruel as the grave: "That as the grave is never satisfied, so neither will my love without the utmost enjoyments of thyself." The coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a must vehement flame: "My love burns up my corruptions, shines in holiness, and mounts upwards in heavenly-mindedness." Many waters cannot quench love: "The waters of afflictions are but as oil to the fire." If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned (see Song. 8:6,7). She scorns all things that would force or flatter her out of her love to Christ. Now, if you except against this as spoken of love to Christ, and not of love to God essentially, to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I readily answer, "We cannot see God lovely but in Christ." If any will be so curious as to assert they look upon Christ Himself as but a means to bring them to God; it is God essentially, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, when Christ shall have given up his mediatory kingdom (see I Cor. 15:28), that must be their complete happiness: the means is not to be rested in, in comparison of the end. This may well be compared to "a sea of glass" (see Rev. 15:2,3), slippery standing. O that I could but discover what my soul should long for; namely, how to look beyond Christ to God, in whom alone is my complete happiness, and then to look in some respect beyond God to Christ, to give the Lamb His peculiar honour, when I shall be with the Almighty, and with the Lamb as in a temple; when the glory of God and of the Lamb shall be the light (see Rev. 21:22,23), whereby I shall see that God, who dwelleth in such light, as no mortal eye can behold (see I Tim. 6:16). That will be a blessed vision indeed. "When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (see I Cor. 13:10ff). We have yet but childish apprehensions of these things, to what we shall have when we come to "a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). Now we see "darkly, through the glass" of ordinances; but then "we shall see face to face." Now we "know but in part"; but then "we shall know God", according to our measure, as God knows us. And then the greatest grace will be love, perfect love, that will cast out all fear; fear of not attaining, and fear of losing, that joy of our Lord into which we are taken. But, alas!-all I can say in this matter is rather the restless fluttering of the soul towards God, than the quiet resting of the soul in God. Let me close the paragraph with that [which] I call a rapture of profound Bradwardine: "O Lord my God! Thou art the good of every good; good above all good things, a good most infinitely infinite. How, therefore, should I love thee? How shall I proportionally love thee infinitely? O that I could! But how can I, that am so very little and finite, love thee infinitely? And how otherwise will there be any proportion between thy loveliness and my loves? My God, Thou art super-amiable; Thou infinitely exceedest all other things that are lovely. Perhaps, Lord, I should love Thee infinitely as to the manner, when I cannot as to the act. It pertains to the manner of loving, to love Thee finally for Thyself; and no other good finally for itself, but for Thee, who art the Chiefest Good, and the Beginning and End of all good things. But perhaps I may, in some sort, love Thee infinitely, as to the act both intensively and extensively: intensively, in loving thee more intensely, more firmly, more strongly, than any finite good, and when I love nothing but for thy sake; extensively, when I compare Thee, Lord, with all other great and good things, and had rather they, and myself also, had no being, than once to offend my good God. But yet, most loving Lord! When I consider a proportion of love, I am greatly troubled. If love should be according to the worth of the object; by how much Thou art better than I am, and more profitable to me than I am to myself, I should love thee more than Thou lovest me; but that I never can. O Lord, I beseech Thee, how much dost Thou love me? Is it weakly and remissly, according to my goodness? That be far from thee, Lord! Thou lovest Thine incomparably more than Thou art loved of them; as Thou art incomparably greater and better than they. But, O great and good God, that fillest heaven and earth, yea, the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; why dost thou not fill my poor little soul? O my soul, why dost thou not open all thy little doors? Why dost not thou extend thy utmost capacity, that thou mayest be wholly possessed, wholly satiated, wholly de-ebriated with the sweetness of so great love ? Especially when, though thou art so little, yet thou canst not be satisfied with the love of any lesser good. Many questions might be proposed to expostulate my soul into a flame of love. But I see, Lord, it is easy to speak and write these things; but it is hard to do and perfect them in effect. Thou, therefore, most good and Almighty Lord, to whom nothing is difficult, grant, I pray Thee, that I may more easily do these things with my heart, than profess them with my mouth." [Bradwardinus, De Causa Dei]. And thus, having, after my poor manner, put you upon practice, and pointed you the way from the lowest to the highest step of divine love, I am sensible that both good and bad have their exceptions ready against what I have delivered. The humble, trembling Christian,-he fears that if the lowest degree of love to God hath such heights in it, he shall never be able to reach it; and he is grieved whom God would not have made sad. On the other hand, those that call themselves Christians, though there is no reason for their usurping that title, without any consideration of either the duty or themselves, will bear you down, that they love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds, and that they have always done so, and that they are unworthy to live that do not love God; and if you inquire into any particulars whatsoever about their love to God, they will rather quarrel with you than give you any satisfying answer. If I could, therefore, propose any thing that would apply itself, that is, by its own evidence work itself into the conscience, I might hope to dissolve their self-flatteries. I cannot at present think of a more compendious way of undeceiving both these, and of further persuasively urging the love of God, than by plainly naming the infallible PROPERTIES and constant EFFECTS of this love; hereby those that despondingly fear they want it will find they have it; and those that groundlessly boast of it will find they want it; and both be instructed what must be done to evidence and exert it. (And indeed, in the next issue, Mr. Annesley will look at the properties of love to God.) --------------------------- =========================================================== A Study of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 11 =================================== Dealing with Uncertainty ------------------------ 1Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. 2Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. 3If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. 4Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. 5As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. 6Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. 7Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. 8However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. 9Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. 10So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless. In this chapter, Solomon concludes his words of proverbial wisdom. In verses 1 through 6, he advises us how to act in the face of some uncertainties of life. In verse 2, we are told: "...for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." In light of this uncertainty, Solomon advises: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight" (vss. 1-2). Given that disaster may strike at any time, Solomon advises liberal generosity-even what some may call foolish generosity. There are two major opinions concerning the literal meaning of verse 1: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." Some believe it refers to maritime commerce, advising to send ships selling grain out to many different ports, for some are bound to gain success. Others believe it refers to casting seed on the shallow areas of a river, with the hope that some will take root. Whatever the literal meaning, the figurative lesson seems to be that a daring, seemingly foolish, distribution of your assets will yield returns in the future. More specifically, these returns will come at a time when you most need them: when disaster strikes. "Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." Note that Solomon advises liberal generosity, giving not just a pittance, but a "portion." Now, Solomon's advice may be counter-intuitive for some. The natural man would say, "Hoard up your possessions, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." Solomon, however, wisely knows that generosity in good times is the best insurance for making it through bad times. God will honor your generosity. Those who were recipients of your generosity will return the favor in the bad times. The next uncertainty that Solomon deals with is that of natural phenomena: "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things" (vs. 5). In light of this, Solomon warns against inaction due to expectation of what will happen: "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap" (vs. 4). There are some natural signs that can be easily interpreted: "If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth" (vs. 3). Other signs are more difficult to predict: "Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie" (vs. 3). We must be careful not to be overly confident that we can tell from natural signs what will happen, lest we end up doing nothing. Excuses for inaction can always be found. The expected weather will never be just right. "There is no greater impediment of action, than an over-curious observance of time and season" [Bridges, 270]. By the way, I find it interesting that, despite all the advances of science since Solomon's time, we still "do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb" (vs. 5). The inaccurateness of our weathermen prove that we "do not know the path of the wind." Likewise, "the attempt to comprehend one's self conquers our understanding. Anatomical experiments may bring out some facts. Questions may be asked. But they can only be answered by the confession of our ignorance-the way of the spirit, or the human soul-how it is formed-whence it comes-whether by the immediate creation of God-how it is conveyed into and animates the body-the formation of the body itself-how the bones (without which we should only creep as worms) are jointed and grow in the womb-the union of the soul with the body-of the immaterial spirit with the gross corporeal substance-in all this the soul is a mystery to itself. We know not the way" [Bridges, 273]. The last uncertainty that Solomon deals with is that of how things will go for us in our professional endeavors: "...for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well" (vs. 6). His advice in light of this uncertainty is to be diligent and to work hard: "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle..." (vs. 6). We here in the twenty-first century have too many ways to vegetate. There are way too many leisure-time diversions. Solomon suggests we put in a full day's work: "Sow your seed in the morning...," and then, even after that, don't waste your time, "...and at evening let not your hands be idle." Solomon ends his proverbial words of wisdom with two sets of verses that seemingly (as is often the case with proverbial wisdom) contradict each other. In the first, he says that the future is meaningless: "Everything to come is meaningless" (vs. 8). In the second, he says that the past is meaningless: "...for youth and vigor are meaningless" (vs. 10). It seems to me that the second set of verses (vss. 9-10) is a reappraisal of the first set of verses (vss. 7-8). The reappraisal comes because Solomon realizes that we must not follow the worldly point of view that "everything to come is meaningless." For the world, everything is in this world; there is nothing beyond this world. For the world, "everything to come is meaningless." The worldly man would say, without qualification, "however many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all" (vs. 8). Solomon warns, "But let him remember the days of darkness", that is, the days after this life on earth, "for they will be many." The worldly man's retort to this is: "Everything to come is meaningless." In the final verses of this chapter, Solomon recasts verses 7 and 8 from a godly perspective: "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth" (vs. 9). There is nothing wrong with enjoying the days of youth, enjoying life on this earth. But we should enjoy it, with awareness of what will happen after life on this earth: "Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment" (vs. 9). Most young people feel as if they are invulnerable. They think death and judgment are far off. They tend to ignore the judgment, and the "days of darkness." They must realize that, whether judgment be near or far, they will be judged for all the deeds they do in this life, "for all these things God will bring you to judgment." Therefore, the best way to live an enjoyable life is to "banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body" by living a godly life. Don't be fooled by the world. There is great joy and peace to be found in living a godly life. And the joy of a godly life is an untinged and lasting joy. Godly joy brings no regrets. Godly joy keeps the conscience clear. Godly joy yields a lasting smile.