Who is Jesus Christ?

The following commentary, originally published on Friday, November 22, 2013, helps to answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ?

Commentary: Christ our Priest

Christ our Priest

There are a couple of things we need to establish before we delve into Christ as a Priest.  We need to reestablish the fact that the sanctuary, its priest, and services were a contingency plan.  God's original plan was to make the children of Israel a nation of priests.  They refused that plan.  So God established a teaching tool so the Israelites – and the world – could learn the Gospel.   This brings us to the second point, the existence and presence of the sanctuary was as much evidence of God's presence as it was evidence of the Israelites failure in Sinai.  The Levitical is part of that contingency plan.  Remember, God promised to make all Israel priests, only the Levites became priests, this reveals that something went wrong at Sinai.  Therefore, the Aaronic priesthood is also a sign of Israel's failure at Sinai. 

Now last week we studied Christ as our sacrifice.  This is represented by the animals sacrificed at the altar.  These all point to Christ.  For the most part, in the Levitical system the priest kills the sacrifice.  In our world, he who takes the life is superior to the one killed.  None of the animals killed were resurrected.  Christ presents a dilemma to the Aaronic priesthood.  Caiphas sought to kill Christ and succeeded.  Thus, it seems Caiphas was superior.  But, when Christ is resurrected, Christ proved to be superior.  He was a better sacrifice (Hebrews 9: 23). 

When we look then at the order of services we see that the priests take the blood do what with it what they are supposed to do in the service.   The Aaronic Priests never went through the experience the animals went when killed, but Christ did.  So, when we look at Christ as a Priest, we have someone that knows how it feels to be sacrificed.  In terms of Christ being the Lamb, the Lamb became a Priest.  And, the blood He shed as a Lamb, as a Priest He applies to us, for our cleansing.  We read in Hebrews 9,

 

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

Christ was a better sacrifice.  His blood was more effective.  He was also a better Priest.  The Priests died and needed replacing, not Christ. 

 

Heb 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 

What does it mean that Christ lives to make intercession?  But some ask why Jesus as our High Priest has to "make intercession" for us before the Father (Heb. 7:25). The word "intercession" implies that somebody is not happy and has to be interceded with on our behalf. Christ "is at the right hand of God," Paul says, "who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:34). John adds his insight when he compares Christ to "an advocate with the Father," the word "advocate" being parakletos in the Greek (1 John 2:1). Vine says the word "was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, who pleads another's cause."

 

In other words, Jesus is a defense lawyer pleading a case "with the Father," John says. It seems that the Father is the Judge and that we are on trial before Him, and that we would lose our case if it weren't for Jesus being there, representing us. This is 100 percent true; we would indeed lose out if it were not for our divine Lawyer working on our side.

 

The Father, as well as the Son, hates sin. But in accordance with the agreement between them Both, Christ became the representative Adam for the human race and paid the penalty as the sinner's Substitute and Surety, having tasted death for every man (Heb. 2:9). Thus, God's wrath against sin was experienced by Christ on His cross. He suffered the curse of God which was the condemnation of the second death. His shed blood qualifies Him as mankind's Advocate with the Father. It makes it possible for the Father to shower his blessings of life equally on both the just and the unjust.

 

But who is He "pleading," "interceding" with? Who needs to be "persuaded" to accept us? Does it make sense to say it's the Father? Wasn't it He who took the initiative to "so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son" for us? How could He be against us, needing Jesus to "intercede" for us? Does the Father have a club behind His back, about to let us have it, and then Jesus steps up and says, "Look, Father, at the wounds in My hands, etc. Please be nice to these people!"? No, that doesn't make sense. The Father loves us just as much as the Son loves us! Then who is Jesus interceding with?

 

Is He interceding with the devil? Will he or his angels ever be persuaded to be nice to us? Hardly! Then who has to be persuaded to "accept" us, to stop condemning us? The good angels? No, they are "all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for" us, not against us (Heb. 1:14).

 

Then who is left who needs to be "persuaded," interceded with to "accept" us, except we ourselves? We are the ones who need to hold our heads high, to join Paul in being "persuaded" that nothing will ever "separate us from the love of God" (Rom. 8:38, 39).

 

Now, For Christ to intercede between God and us, to be our mediator, He needs to identify with us.  Ellen White said, 

 

"… the reconciliation of man to God could be accomplished only through a mediator who was equal with God, possessed of attributes that would dignify, and declare him worthy to treat with the infinite God in man's behalf, and also represent God to a fallen world. Man's substitute and surety must have man's nature, a connection with the human family whom he was to represent, and, as God's ambassador, he must partake of the divine nature, have a connection with the Infinite, in order to manifest God to the world, and be a mediator between God and man.

 

"Christ, the Son of God and Creator of the universe, humbled Himself beyond description to be joined together forever with the human race. As Adam was enjoined that in marriage a man would leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, so Christ left His Father in heaven to become forever a part of the human family.

 

"Clothing His divinity with humanity, He came to earth to be called the Son of man and the Son of God. He was the surety for man, the ambassador for God—the surety for man to satisfy by His righteousness in man's behalf the demands of the law, and the representative of God to make manifest His character to a fallen race." 1SM 257

 

The good news of what Jesus did for the human race as revealed in the gospel alone has power to extinguish our love for sin and prepare us for entrance to our heavenly home.

 

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:15, 16

 

A last word: you will notice that the work in the sanctuary is performed by the Priest and High Priest, not the sinner.  Likewise, the work in the Heavenly sanctuary is performed by Christ.  This means that the work of cleansing us, the Holy Spirit's temple, is also done by Him.  We just let Him. 

 

"The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus ... in repentance for his sins" (Steps to Christ, p. 27). Therein is the essence of this cleansing of the sanctuary!

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Insight: The Coming of Jesus

Who was Luke?  According to Ellen White,

 

 "Luke, the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, was a medical missionary. In the Scriptures he is called the beloved physician. Colossians 4:14. The apostle Paul heard of his skill as a physician, and sought him out as one to whom the Lord had entrusted a special work. He secured his co-operation, and for some time Luke accompanied him in his travels from place to place. After a time, Paul left Luke at Philippi, in Macedonia. Here he continued to labor for several years, both as a physician and as a teacher of the gospel. In his work as a physician he ministered to the sick, and then prayed for the healing power of God to rest upon the afflicted ones. Thus the way was opened for the gospel message. Luke's success as a physician gained for him many opportunities for preaching Christ among the heathen. It is the divine plan that we shall work as the disciples worked." -Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, pp. 140-141.

 

As mentioned above, he authored the Gospel according to Luke.  According to our lesson,

 

"Acts 1:1 tells us that before Acts was written, its author wrote a former account. This, and the fact that both accounts were addressed to Theophilus (Greek for 'lover of God'), helps lead us to conclude that one author was responsible for both books. The two accounts can be viewed as Part 1 and 2 of Origin and History of the Christian Church. Part 1 is a narrative of the life and work of Jesus (the Gospel of Luke) and Part 2 (Acts of the Apostles) is an account of the spread of the message of Jesus and of the early church."

 

This quarter we will focus on the Gospel he wrote.  What makes his Gospel unique?  Our lesson states,

In addition to being a physician, Luke was a meticulous historian. In introducing the Gospel, Luke places Jesus in real history; that is, he puts the story in the historical context of its times: Herod was the king of Judea (Luke 1:5), Augustus reigned over the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1), and a priest by the name of Zacharias was exercising his turn in the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 1:5,9). In chapter 3, Luke mentions six contemporary dates related to the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus.

Thus, Luke places the story of Jesus in history-real people, real times-in order to dismiss any idea of mythology with his narrative. His readers must stand in awe and wonder at the fact that Jesus is real and that through Him God has invaded history with the Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11, NKJV).

 

So, Luke presents Christ, the Son of God, as a man.  He was born like we are, and lived as we live (without yielding to temptation).  This according to Ellen White is key to the plan of salvation.  She states,

 

The more we think about Christ's becoming a babe here on earth, the more wonderful it appears. How can it be that the helpless babe in Bethlehem's manger is still the divine Son of God? Though we cannot understand it, we can believe that He who made the worlds, for our sakes became a helpless babe. Though higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of heaven, He became one with us. In Him God and man became one, and it is in this fact that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in the flesh, we look upon God in humanity, and see in Him the brightness of divine glory, the express image of God the Father (Selected Messages 3:127, 128).{LHU 75.5}

In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand baffled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot comprehend. The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing does it appear. How wide is the contrast between the divinity of Christ and the helpless infant in Bethlehem's manger! How can we span the distance between the mighty God and a helpless child? And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet wearing the garb of humanity! Divinity and humanity were mysteriously combined, and man and God became one. It is in this union that we find the hope of our fallen race (The Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896).{LHU 75.6}

 

God's love for us is equal to how much did Christ lowered Himself for us.  All we are ask ion return is heartfelt appreciation – to be grateful.  

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

The Virtuous Woman

The Virtuous Woman

There are three kinds of women featured in Proverbs.  The strange woman – which leads men astray, the contentious woman - which rots his bones, and the virtuous woman - which supports him.  The wise man warns against the first two, but encourages the man to find a virtuous woman.  The latter is apparently not easy to find.  After offering a clear description of this virtuous woman, the wise man contrasts her with the other two.  He says, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:30). 

Let us clarify what the fear of the Lord is. The translators of the NET version of the Bible included an accurate explanation of this concept.  They say the title,

'the Lord…' functions as the object of fear. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term for fear is used commonly and has a three-fold meaning: (1) 'dread; terror' (Deut 1:29; Jonah 1:10), (2) 'to stand in awe' (1 Kings 3:28), (3) 'to revere; to respect' (Lev 19:3). Used with the Lord as the object of fear, it captures the polar opposites of shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration. Both categories of the meaning appear in Exodus 20:20, where the Lord descended upon Sinai amidst geophysical tremors. Moses encouraged the Israelites not to be afraid of God arbitrarily striking them dead ('Do not fear!'). Furthermore, he also informed the people that the Lord revealed Himself in such a terrifying manner to scare them from sinning ('God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him in you so that you do not sin'). The fear of the Lord is the foundation for wisdom (9:10) and the discipline leading to wisdom (15:33).  Therefore it is expressed in reverential submission to his will which is the characteristic of 'true worship.'

One of my favorite author's also expounds eloquently on this subject.  Let us read what he says,

'The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.' Prov. viii.13. It is not to be afraid of Him and shun His presence, but to hate and shun that which is unlike Him. The love of God is that we keep His commandments. And as hating evil is identical with keeping His commandments, so the fear and the love of God are identical. God wants all men to love Him; and 'there is no fear in love' (E.J.W., The Present Truth [British] April 4, 1895).

It is clear in Proverbs that the wise fear the Lord.  Therefore they hate evil.  But, what happens when the wise realize there is evil in them?  This is not far fetched.  David cries out to God, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps 139:23-24).  The Lord answered David's prayer several times.  One such occasion was the Bathsheba and Uriah incident, where David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband Uriah afterward. In response, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to reprove David, who admitted that he had sinned and cried out to God in Psalms 51:1-4,

'Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.'

Solomon says that, "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool" (Proverbs 17:10).  A person of virtue is not a person that has never erred, but someone who does not scorn reproof when it is given.  This person reverently submits to God's chastisement.

Taking the contrast of the virtuous and non-virtuous woman further, Ellen White says, "In Revelation 17, Babylon is represented as a woman, a figure which is used in the Bible as the symbol of a church, a virtuous woman representing a pure church, a vile woman an apostate church" (GC 380).  God is searching for His virtuous church (Luke 18:8).  In John 18:4, she is warned to, "…Come out of [Babylon], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Many feel safe from Babylon because they do not attend a Sunday keeping church.  Others feel safe because, they know or practice 'this' or 'that' other truth. But, what if the Lord finds them partaking of the sins of Babylon?  We ought to remember that the Third Angel's Message and the Message to Laodicea are for the last days; therefore they are for the same people.  We could even argue that they are the same message.  Regarding Laodicea, Ellen White states,

The people of God are represented in the message to the Laodiceans as in a position of carnal security. They are at ease, believing themselves to be in an exalted condition of spiritual attainments… What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they are right, when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception ... Those addressed are flattering themselves that they are in an exalted spiritual condition ... secure in their attainments ... rich in spiritual knowledge" (3T 252, 253). 

Laodicea is a fool – wise in her own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).  And, like all fools, she scorns and hates reproof (Proverbs 9:8).  Ellen White points to what was revealed in relation to reproof,

I have been shown that the greatest reason why the people of God are now found in this state of spiritual blindness is that they will not receive correction. Many have despised the reproofs and warnings given them [Ibid].  

Can Laodicea become virtuous?  The solution is in Revelation 3:18-20,

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Ellen White expounds further by saying,

The gold that Jesus would have us buy of him is gold tried in the fire; it is the gold of faith and love, that has no defiling substance mingled with it. The white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the wedding garment which Christ alone can give. The eye-salve is the true spiritual discernment that is so wanting among us, for spiritual things must be spiritually discerned (RH, April 1, 1890).

We ought to pray David's prayer (Ps 139:23-24).  Let Him reproduce Himself in you.

-Raul Diaz

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

The Humility of the Wise

The Humility of the Wise

Matthew 5:3 [KJV]

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:14 King James Version (KJV)

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Spiritual Adults are as Little Children

When Christ explained the kingdom of Heaven to the disciples his explanations were is full of paradoxes. For example He said to them, "The first shall be last…," and "He who looses his life, shall live…"(Matthew 20:16; 16:25). Let us consider this week another paradox found in Matthew 18: 1 - 4. Let us read the passage,

Matthew 18: 1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Matthew 18: 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

Matthew 18: 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The disciples' misunderstanding of the Gospel led them to argue who of them would be the greatest in the Kingdom to come. They wanted to settle their argument and went to ask Jesus. As we read in the above passage Jesus called a little child. The child came to Him and Jesus set him on the midst of the disciples and the child stood there. (The child modeled what Christ wanted from them.) Then Christ proceeded to tell them that He who answers when he is called, he who comes when he is summoned, he who stays put until told he can leave is the greatest. It is not the independent, self assertive, do it yourselfer that God commends. God commends those who totally humble themselves and totally depend and trust in God. They wait for God's words for instruction, when God speaks they listen, they stay when and where God says so, they do not move until God says so, and toward where God points them. There is in them an implicit trust in God, which comes out of knowing God's love and will and being thankful to Him.

What things do children have that we should emulate? Many people say children, in general, forgive easily. They fight with their playmates and a few moments later they play again as if nothing happened. They tend not to keep tabs nor hold grudges. In general, children also display an eagerness to learn and tend to be teachable. The old expression, "you cannot teach a new trick to an old dog" holds true for many adults. They are set in their ways, inflexible, stubborn and many times proud and arrogant about what they consider the right way. They reject anything that does not agree with whatever they hold true and dear. Children exhibit openness to new things and a willingness to try them.

There is something else about children that we must learn. Children, in general, always come back to their parents because they know they can always depend on them. They, perhaps subconsciously, know that without their parents they will not survive. Their parents know this, which is why their parents take care of them, and train them to survive without them in the future. Likewise, we cannot survive without God. God wants to train us to learn to trust Him and depend on Him at all times. Yes, it takes humility to accept this and live like this. Only the Holy Spirit can give us that humility. However, unlike children that grow to be independent adults, we can never grow to be independent of God. Spiritual adults are those who choose to give their will to God continually. Spiritual adults trust and depend on God continually.

We can be confused when we read what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13: 11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Notice Paul refers to childish things: Whining, complaining, temper tantrums, self-centeredness, etc. As we submit to the indwelling Spirit of God, He takes away the negative ways of Children and replaces them with the positive. He replaces these negative traits with humility, and a willingness to listen and learn. Those who allow this are the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Words of Truth

Proverbs 23

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 

Consider carefully what is before you; 

2 And put a knife to your throat 

If you are a man given to appetite. 

3 Do not desire his delicacies, 

For they are deceptive food. 

Originally published on Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Unshakable Faith

The story is told of a group of Christian refugees praying in a church during a time of civil upheaval. Storming the church property, a group of soldiers discovered the people praying. Not wanting to alert the people to their presence right away, they quietly searched the church for anything of value. Unfortunately, they found nothing but a picture of Jesus on the wall. Angered, the commanding officer decided to take it out on the praying Christians. Ordering all those present to come forward, the commander insisted they approach the picture, spit on it, and renounce Jesus by stating, "You are worthless, and I don't need you!" If they failed to do this, the commander threatened to shoot them on the spot. The elders of the Church were the first to come forward. Boldly they stood up, approached the picture, spat on it, and repeated the heinous words. Others, one by one, followed the example of the elders. After a few moments, and several persons later, a young girl stood up. Walking to the picture with her scarf in her hand, the young girl wiped away the saliva, softly uttering the words, "Jesus, I need You for I am worthless." All were silent, wondering what would happen next. The girl, apparently unafraid, stepped before the Commander and said, "You can shoot me now." Falling to his knees, the now contrite commander began to cry inconsolably; his heart broken, he gave it to Jesus. This true story of courageous faith occurred in Rwanda during the bloody massacre of its people. We all need to ask ourselves this question, "in the moment of truth, will we have 'the faith of Jesus' " as this little girl did? 

Although frightening, we often wonder, "how can I develop this type of unshakable faith--and do I want to?" To these questions, let's add the question, "is wanting to enough?" Let's begin by looking in the book of Daniel, to see if there is an answer. Scripturally, the story in Daniel chapter 2 follows consecutively the one in chapter 3, as would be expected. Thus both stories seem to have occurred relatively close in time, yet they did not. Ten to twelve years intervened between the King's dream of the image and his golden construction of it. How easy it is to forget the impression made on the mind by the Holy Spirit, and the response of faith, when we do not abide in Him. The time in between chapter 2 and chapter 3 provides a test for King Nebuchadnezzar-- namely, will he after accepting the interpretation of the dream as from the Lord, wait on Him for its fulfillment. All of heaven and earth were 

waiting to see, "will the Babylonian King surrender his will -- along with its attendant pride and ambitious plans -- to the King of Kings, or after a time of delay, will he be found building a monument to his own dreams?" 

In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar is confronted with the choice to exercise faith. Brought to the point of decision at the revelation of his dream, the king honors the Lord by saying in Daniel 2:47-"Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." Hearing this, we would say that the King believed Daniel, and God. But His response, while a heart response, was not made by a broken, contrite heart. It was made by a heart still prideful and boastful, thus allowing Satan control of this stronghold in his life. The disciples also found themselves in this predicament when they could not cast out the demon-filled child (Matt. 17:14-21) and again when they were almost capsized in the squall on the lake (Matt. 14:22-33). Vacillating between the "pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes," they were unprepared to hold on to the Word of promise -- their living Savior. 

In Daniel chapter 3, the three Hebrew youth are also confronted with the choice to exercise faith. They too are brought to the point of decision when it is declared that if they do not bow down and worship the golden image they are to be burned alive. Imagine, the peer pressure to conform. It was worse than when they refused to eat the King's food from his table. After all, the King has his pride to lose if these Hebrew youth refuse to follow his orders this time, and that will make him extremely hostile and angry. All the dignitaries of every land of importance are there, ready to oblige the King's decree. There is no mention of Daniel's whereabouts, so we must assume he is absent, but everyone else is present. The statue itself is 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide--in plain view--in the plain of Dura. It was not to be missed. So, how do the Hebrew youth stand up to that pressure? How would you stand? In Daniel 3:12, we note that they did not yield--bow down. The pressure to yield to doubt and disbelief increased greatly, as they were called before the king. In verse 14-15, the King gives them another chance to obey his decree because he liked them. What is their response? Let's view Daniel 3: 15-18: 

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us our of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." 

Their response is one of belief and trust in the God who delivers. According to their statement, they believed that God would do right by them whatever the outcome was. Yet they had determined to stand steadfast without regard to whether they were delivered or not, for they were representing Him --and He changes not. Their will was to do the will of Him who sent them there, which was to demonstrate His character to Babylon, as well as the surrounding nations. Israel and Judah's kings had been proud and boastful. They lacked the humility that comes from a contrite and broken heart, and so they led the people and their nation into captivity. 

In captivity, how did the Hebrew youth get to this place of faith? The answer is in Daniel chapter one. Remember, they refused to eat the King's food-- because they knew that it was God who fed them (with manna in the wilderness then and in captivity now) to make them know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live (Deut. 8:3). Although captives, their hearts were contrite and broken over the wickedness that led to their national ruin and captivity. Yielding their will to God in the little things, they were counted faithful, and God blessed them further. By remembering God's goodness and mercy, they continued to be faithful. Through prayer and fasting, they were prompted to join with Daniel as he beseeched the Lord to reveal the dream and with its interpretation (in chapter two). Thus, Christ developed these youth from faith to faith, and from grace to grace. By the constant yielding of their will to Christ, they were dying daily, and thus were prepared to state that fact under great pressure. 

The three Jewish youth were like Job who said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him:" (Job 13:15). There was in these three – and in Job – a total dependence on Christ. Such a life of yielding, Christ lived, remaining faithful to the end by depending on His Father completely. This constant dependence on God for everything enables us to conquer, as He conquered. It is through dependence on God that we receive the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us, enabling us to be willing to hear and to do all of His good will. This is what gives us unshakable faith. 

The King of Babylon did not yield his heart. He yielded his emotions, and intellectually assented to the truth. Thus he had no root in himself, and as the great tree, could not stand. Had his feelings and thoughts been constantly bound up with the truth, had he like the King of Nineveh, who repented by faith through grace, his pride would not later have driven him mad. Lessons of those who with contrite and broken heart demonstrated the faith of Jesus are among the pages of inspiration and we would do well to hear them. Listen well, for our willingness to attentively hear and to do is at the foundation of heart obedience without which it will be impossible to endure. 

According to Sister White: 

"Important are the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Hebrew youth on the plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God's servants, though innocent of wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled with envy and religious bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a universal decree will denounce these as deserving of death. 

As in the days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so in the closing period of earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand steadfastly for the right. He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in the fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding presence will comfort and sustain." (Ellen White Notes, page 25.) 

As unpleasant as it may seem, let Christ break our hearts upon Himself, let Him wash us and make us contrite. It will be natural to yield to Him then, and we will have that unshakable faith we so desperately need. 

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

The Froward and Adultery

Originally published on Friday, July 24, 2009

The Froward and Adultery

A lesson from a few years ago opened with the following story:

 "A pastor had been counseling a husband and wife. The problem? The husband had been having extramarital affairs. That's not an extramarital affair but, in fact, many of them. The husband tried to calm the situation by telling the wife that although he had been with other women, it didn't mean that he didn't love her. In fact, he said, he loved her more than any of the others.

As could be expected, his words—far from solving the problem—only made it worse. Why? Because if you love someone, you show it by your actions, by your deeds, not just by what you say."

The story is troubling for more than the obvious reason.  First, let's deal with the obvious: adultery is Sin.    It says in Exodus 22: 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

We also read in Proverbs 22:14:  "The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein" (KJV).  This text in Proverbs 22:14, , seems to say that any man who commits adultery is "abhorred of the Lord."  Obviously, it sounds very serious!  The Revised English Version says, "... is like a deep pit, he whom the Lord has cursed will fall into it." Sounds even more serious!  The Goodspeed Version says, "He with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it."

It does not say that if a man falls into adultery then the Lord will "abhor" him or be angry with him; no, the idea is, that the anger and abhorrence of the Lord comes before the man falls into the pit of adultery.  Sounds even more serious still!  This man apparently abhors God so much, God has no choice but abhor him.  Before falling in adultery, this man harbored sin in his heart.  

 Why would the Lord "abhor" or be "angry" with any man?   We find the answer in Proverbs 3: 32.  "The froward is abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 3:32).  The key word here is "froward."  The word in Hebrew means to depart or turn aside.  It has a similar meaning of the word for apostasy: backsliding or departing.  It reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 53:*  "all we like sheep have gone astray."  Those who are recklessly going on in their own way, are the "froward" people whom the Lord cannot help but "abhor."

We dealt with the obvious. Then there is the not so obvious in the story.  Assumptions are made; for example, that the man is wrong, and she is right.  A Pastor was once preaching on the implications of all members of the Body of Christ being one (1 Corinthians 12: 20, 27).  He then used as an example married couples, since "The two become one."  The Pastor said that he had counseled many couples with problems.  In his experience, Most of the time, she blamed him and he blamed her.  However, it did not take long to figure out that they both were to blame.  After all, the two are one. 

In situations like this many assume that she is right. But, what if she has behaved in a way to provoke him to be unfaithful?  It would not lessen his guilt.  But, she would not be the victim she portrays herself to be.  (It does not mean that she should have not sought intervention).  We should also ask if she cheated in the past?  Even if she has not been with someone else, has she committed adultery in her heart as stated in Matthew 5, 

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Can she actually say that she has never lusted consciously or subconsciously after a man she is attracted to?  We do not know this.  To whom did she direct her affections?  Human love only seeks after its own.  The heart that harbors it will lie and cheat in order to please itself or escape terrible consequences.  Jeremiah 17: 9 says that, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

 In contrast, we have God's love.  Let's see what 1 Corinthians 13 says about it,

4 Agape suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Agape never faileth:  (Italics for emphasis supplied by author)

How different would the story be if the woman's concern was not for herself, but for her husband's eternal life?  In other words, that her main concern would be not that he is unfaithful to her, but that his unfaithfulness to her shows that he does not have fellowship with God, that he is not walking in the Light, and does not know God (1 John 1:6, 7; 1 John 2: 3). This man's behavior shows what he really thinks of Jesus and the Cross.  Knowing this about Him, would give her sorrow, because He is missing on so much and she wants him to know Jesus as she does.  How different would it be?

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Wise versus Fools

Wise versus Fools

In the first week of our Quarterly lesson we discovered that Wisdom cries out.  We read from 

Proverbs 1.

Prov 1:20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Prov 1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

Prov 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Prov 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Prov 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

Notice that wisdom in this passage is personified.  Who could wisdom be? Can wisdom be a person?  Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1: 30).  It is Christ who cries out, "come unto me all ye who are burdened and heavy laden, … I will give you rest" (Matthew 11: 28 - 30).  Who are the wise?  Let us read, Prov. 1: 5,

Proverbs 1: 5  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

What is then wisdom in human terms?  A disposition or attitude of willingness to hear, understand and hearken to the Word of God.  Wisdom starts not when we acquire knowledge and experience, it starts when we choose hear and understand the source of wisdom.  Wisdom, then, is a practice, a behavior or habit.  Now, to hear the Word of God is also the road to faith.  So, true wisdom is only found in those who live by faith.  The just live by faith, therefore the just are wise. The wise see things how God sees them.  The unwise do not.  

Now notice the similarity between proverbs 1 : 5 and 4: 1, 

Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Both call for hearing and understanding.  While Proverbs 4: 1 is a call to hear for instruction and know understanding, Proverbs 1: 5 says that it is those who are wise that do this.  And, in fact, the wise will continue to do that.  

What our lesson points out is that wisdom will find expression in our daily affairs.  The way we treat others and carry ourselves in our daily events will be a reflection of the kind of wisdom we practice and acquire.  A true wise person, a just man, will treat others with as Christ treated others.  "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The Bible is full of examples of wise and unwise being contrasted.  Many parables are about this.  The good Samaritan was wise. The priest and the levites were not wise.  The young publican crying for mercy in the temple was wise.  The Pharisee was not wise.  The son that repented and did his father's bidding was wise. The prodigal son in going back to his father was wise.  The elder brother was unwise,  although he stayed.  

What happens to the wise? Let us read from Matthew 25,

Matt 25:21 …enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Matt 25:34 Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

What happens to the unwise or foolish?  What happens to those who refuse to hear and hearken unto the Call of Wisdom?  Let us read Proverbs 10: 21,

Proverbs 10:21 …fools die for want of wisdom.

In rejecting Wisdom, fools reject Christ, Who is Life and the source of Life.  The sad part is that fools are not those who've never heard, fools are those who continually refuse to hear Jesus.  In Matthew 7 we find out that they are active church members.  They thought that they were in good standing.  But, Christ said, "I never knew you, depart from me you evil doers."  They thought in there foolishness that they were wise.  But, the wise man says,

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

In the end, the fools do not get what they see.  But, the wise get what they do not see, for faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11: 1).  

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com