Disinterest or Just Disinterested?
I have learned over the years that often people in churches are disinterested in learning what the Bible teaches beyond a certain point. Often, that certain point has a great deal to do with a person’s comfort zone (particularly in the realm of Christian living) and often that certain point has to do with what a person finds to be overall “interesting.” Talk to people about David and Goliath, Joel, Jonah, or Lot’s daughters and people’s attention is grabbed, but challenge people on their sexual ethics or approach to worship and they turn you off. In this case, much like some people’s hearing, interest can be selective.
Interestingly, the word “disinterest” has two different uses. Commonly, we use it as a synonym for the word “uninterested.” If we don’t give a flying leap about a matter, we are not interested. We might say we are uninterested, but very often we simply say that we are disinterested in that particular topic.
Yet, in a more technical sense, while being “uninterested” in a topic means that you don’t find it interesting, being “disinterested” in a topic means that you are unbiased toward a given outcome. In other words, being a “disinterested judge” in a matter is actually a good thing and something toward which we should strive. It means that you are willing to listen to the argument at hand and if the facts of the argument demonstrate an error in your view, you will alter your view accordingly.
What might it be like, were we able to conduct theological debates in disinterested ways? Often, when I have had theological debates with a person, I have laid out all of the Biblical reasoning behind a view and the response of the person would be to say, “Yes, but I prefer to do such and such (whatever that might be).” That response is an “interested” response because a person has gone into the matter with their own preconceptions that they are not willing to change. A disinterested response would be: “Wow, you are right about what the Bible teaches; I guess that my views on the matter do need to change.”
It does not matter as to the topic that is at hand. We may be talking about Creation, the use of Psalmody in worship, the doctrine of Election, Abortion, or the nature of the human will, whether we are comfortable with a notion is irrelevant. The question that must be asked is, “Is this True and Right?” If it is true or right, it does not matter what our preferences may be nor does it matter what we might find comfortable. What matters is if we are aligning our understanding with God’s understanding as He reveals it in the Scriptures. Then, what matters is if we are aligning our practice with God’s revealed Truth. In the words of one contemporary philosopher, “nothing else matters.”
Historically, being disinterest was a mark of good philosophical thought, but it was also a hallmark of the pre-Reformation and the Reformation itself. Here were men like Waldo, Wycliffe, Huss, Zwingli, and Calvin who were disinterested in what Rome was teaching that God used their disinterest to drive them back to the Bible and the early church. Yet, somewhere in the western world we have become comfortable in our preconceptions and are often unwilling to have them challenged.
In the Reformed world, this is essentially the notion of Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda (sometimes abbreviated simply as Semper Reformanda). If the church is reformed yet always reforming (what the phrase means), then on what basis is the church always reforming? Certainly it must not always be reforming to match the culture or the preferences of those in the church. No, the church is always reforming on the basis of a disinterested approach to theology as found in the Bible and as has always been understood by the True Christian church. Yet, the only way to get to that point of disinterest is to become interested in honoring God, loving what He loves, and obeying what He commands. That will have great consequences in the church. You may even discover that some groups that claim to be churches aren’t really churches at all — at least as defined by the Bible and the “faith that was once and for all time handed down to the saints.” No, there will be upheaval in the church if people truly approached theology and practice with a disinterested demeanor. But, it would also mean reformation in the church and perhaps our God will honor that disinterested reformation with revival.
Eternal King
“So, to the Eternal King, imperishable, invisible, God alone, honor and glory forever unto the ages, Amen!”
(1 Timothy 1:17)
Doxologies like this are not only common in Paul’s writings, but in the Bible as a whole. How can we even begin to put into words the glorious character of our God? Statements like this make a great start. And we must be very clear that we understand that declarations like this are not a matter of mere fancy or flights of spirituality, but they are clear statements as to the character of the God we serve, and as such, they should instill within us a holy fear for who He is.
One of the trends of the last generation has been to try and emphasize the personal and the relational nature of our God. Indeed, He is personal and he does condescend to us. Yet, the Bible also presents Him as being gloriously transcendent and our theology needs to capture both. Today, talk about the “Fear of the Lord” is frowned on in many circles, yet if we are going to take this passage seriously, these words should engender just that fear in our lives, for they speak of God’s profound transcendence over all He has made.
He is Eternal King. In other words, he is the ultimate ruler over all that exists. He has always been its ruler and always will be its ruler. He is God. Kings also protect what is theirs and they enforce the Law. Since God is also Lawgiver, now we see the language of Him being Law Enforcer, which reminds us that he is the final judge over all things. We may be tempted to think that if we write human laws in such a way that they excuse our sins that we are okay when it comes to judgment. Nevertheless, human laws do not supersede divine ones. He sets the standard. We often abuse it, twist it, warp it, and malign it for our own ends. And we will be judged accordingly for having done so.
God is imperishable. In some senses, this goes along with God being eternal, but it is a reminder that were we to stand up against God, we will never prevail. God is invisible, for He is spirit. And, God is alone. He is not one God amongst many nor is he even the superlative example of a class of beings. No, God exists alone. He is in a class that is entirely His own and there is none to rival Him; all others are pretenders at best.
And thus, all honor, glory, and praise belongs to our God forever. And the only right statement to add to these words is, “Amen!” It is our testimony that these words are both true and that they are engrained in the very innermost part of our being. Indeed, He is the one to be praised! Amen and Amen!
Paul the Prototype
“Rather, because of this I was shown mercy in order that in me, as the most prominent Christ Jesus might demonstrate the perfect patience as an example to those who would subsequently believe upon Him into life eternal.”
(1 Timothy 1:16)
The reading is simple, though its application is profound. Paul has already professed himself to be chief amongst sinners due to his persecution of Christians earlier in his life. Now, Paul is driving the point home by saying that the reason that God chose to save him was to be a model of the extent of God’s grace poured out on those who believe. Basically, it is a picture of God reaching down to the least of the least, the most wretched of the wretched, the most wicked of the wicked and showing that person grace as an example to those who will follow in faith.
What is the application of this teaching? Evangelize! Share the gospel! There is no sinner that is so far gone that it is impossible for God to save them. It is true that we do not know who the Elect are, but that is exactly the point. We don’t know who the elect are, so we should share the Gospel with all we meet. If Paul is a “model” or an example, then it can be confidently said that God delights to redeem those who we might view as incorrigible or irredeemable. Think of the many wicked men in church history that God has turned into believers and his servants: Augustine, John Newton, the many former cannibals of the New Hebrides Islands who became Christians through the work of John Paton. The list goes on and it is a list in which I would include my own name. Perhaps that list includes yours as well.
God will save His elect. Further, God did not choose His elect on the basis of anything in us. It is all about God’s will and God’s good pleasure. Our job is to be faithful and well-sharpened tools in the Master’s hand and to give Him praise and honor for the work He is doing in building Christ’s Kingdom.
Law and Gospel
“Faithful is the word and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am preeminent.”
(1 Timothy 1:15)
While Christ has preeminence in creation over all that was made and over all that is good, Paul describes himself as having preeminence amongst sinners. As he confessed above, he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. Yet, that is Paul’s point. Jesus did not come into the world to save people who had their act together (good thing, too, because he would have found no one in that category!). He came into the world to save sinners (like you and me).
I think that our attitude toward sin is rather distorted in this world. On one hand, sin tends to be downplayed in the context of the church. Preachers tend to focus on the love and mercy of God and not upon the reason that love and mercy is needed. As a result, many people live lives that disregard the weightiness of sin and live much like the world does. On the other hand, many Christians, once convicted of sin in their lives, fall into a trap of thinking that their sin is so serious that God could not (or would not) forgive them. Paul brings this distortion into perspective with this verse as well. He is looking back upon his life, recognizing the greatness of his sin and offering the reminder to us and praise to God that God would forgive one such as him. It is a reminder that if God forgave Paul, he can forgive us as well.
Law and grace must be balanced in the Gospel. We will never understand grace until we understand the greatness of our offense against God. Yet, we will never run to God in repentance if we do not understand the grace that can be found in His Son, Jesus Christ. All must be proclaimed in balance and in conjunction with one another. This verse demonstrates the balance in a profound manner. Gospel and law, law and gospel: inseparable aspects of God’s redemptive plan.
An Outpouring of Grace
“Yet the grace of our Lord poured over with faith and love in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Timothy 1:14)
The language of the twenty-third psalm echoes behind these words of Paul. What pours over from the cup on the table that pours over (Psalm 23:5)? It is God’s grace (symbolized by the wine). What is the result of our cup pouring over? It is faith and love in Christ Jesus. Recognize this: Paul did not believe in Jesus because he consciously decided to do so. In fact, Paul left behind a comfortable life on the Sanhedrin for a life of persecution when he became a Christian. He became a Christian entirely because of the work of God in him. And the same goes for you and for me. We did not become Christians because we made a decision, prayed a particular prayer, answered an altar call, or did any good work. We became Christians because God poured out His grace into our lives and made us ones, giving us faith and love in Jesus Christ.
What ought the work of God in our lives look like? We live lives of faith in Jesus and love for Jesus. Faith is more than just an intellectual assent. It is assent to the Word of God that flows into applying the teachings therein to every aspect of your life. Love applies likewise. Love is worked out in a life of obedience to Christ (John 14:15). It is behaving in a manner that is consistent with the teaching of scripture and living for God’s glory and not for your personal goals or pleasures. We spend ourselves and are spent for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is indeed what we see modeled by the Apostle Paul. This is rarely what we see in western Christianity. Something to consider…
The Change wrought by Mercy
“Formerly, I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. Yet, I was shown mercy, for I labored in ignorance and in unbelief.”
(1 Timothy 1:12)
Paul’s testimony is powerful because his life illustrates what God can do. Further, verses like this also illustrate the humility of this convert. Think about it, Paul had been a Pharisee of Pharisees, studying under the great rabbinic teacher, Gamaliel. He had even been given authority to arrest the followers of Jesus under the charge of blasphemy. Yet here he is claiming that he had been the one blaspheming and without faith. For most of us who have grown up in Christian circles, it is hard to relate to how profound a statement this happens to be, but it would be the equivalent to a Muslim Imam converting to the Christian faith or perhaps even that of a Roman Catholic Bishop or Archbishop converting to the Protestant faith.
Yet, notwithstanding Paul’s personal testimony, I think that we need to look more closely at that which Paul accuses himself. Ultimately, it is three things: blasphemy, persecution, and violence. While it manifests itself differently in different contexts, I think it is fair to say that all these things still take place even within Christian circles. Blasphemy is any form of dishonoring God’s name. This certainly covers the Third Commandment, but we ought to remember that dishonoring God’s name can be just as much a a physical as it is a verbal action. For instance, one need not use God’s holy name as a curse word or vulgar oath, one can go about willfully breaking the commandments and still be guilty of blasphemy against God. When worship services follow the directives of men rather than the directives of God, that is blasphemous. When false teachers present a gospel that is not the Gospel as delivered in the Scripture, again, blasphemy is taking place. Any time the things of men are substituted for the things of God (especially in worship and in the life of the church), blasphemy is taking place.
Yet, we are not through. Is not gossip a violence against the name or character of another person? Do you realize that by not following the principles that Jesus lays down in Matthew 18, when you are aware of a brother or sister in sin, that you are committing violence against them. People so often run directly to the pastor or Elders when there is an offense, bypassing their Biblical obligation to speak to the offending brother one to one in the hopes of restoring relationship. How often I have told parishioners that the Elders and I will do nothing until Matthew 18 has been followed. How often people are frustrated by that stance. Yet, to do otherwise is a violence against an unsuspecting brother or sister. In some cases, where there is a breakdown of discipline in the church, it may even a form of persecution.
While Paul addresses sins in various places in this text, to see the change in Paul is a testimony to the mercy God showed him. When a person genuinely experiences the mercy of God, their life is changed. The sad thing is, what does that statement say about so many of the churches in our midst?
God Has Done It
“Grace to Him who has given me strength, to Jesus Christ our Lord, for He counted me faithful and put me to use.”
(1 Timothy 1:12)
This is a passage of scripture that can easily be misconstrued to suggest that it was Paul’s inward faithfulness that caused God to choose him for service. In reality, just the opposite is true. God chose Paul because of God’s own purposes. God made Paul faithful. Further, God is the one who strengthened and equipped Paul to be useful in His service. It begins with God and it ends with God. Plus, God is in all the in-betweens. Like a petulant child, our nature is to strive to take credit for things we did not do. Yet, despite what our sin might justify, all is a work of God and if we look closely enough, we will see it even here in this verse.
Paul begins by offering grace to God. Paul commonly uses the term χάρις (charis) not only in its technical manner, speaking of the grace of God, but also as a kind of greeting. It is a way of his giving thanks for the goodness he has experienced in and from God. And so, in this context, Paul is lifting up his thanksgiving to God. Why is he doing so? It is because God has given him strength in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thus, God strengthened Paul and put him to good use. The word ἠγέομαι (egeomai), translated here as “counted,” speaks in terms of accounting. This is put in such and such a column to balance the numbers, for instance. It is essentially the result of reasoning through a question and then registering the result in a more public manner. It is a term that we sometimes translate as “imputed.” God has credited Paul with the right to be called a servant of God. Again, this is God’s doing, for God has ordered Paul’s life to make him faithful. This is not a matter of Paul earning a wage or a title (as God has done the labor), but Paul is speaking of the privilege he has been given in the service of the King.
The Fruit of Heterodox Doctrine
“We know that the Law is good, if one should use it lawfully, understanding this: the law is not put into place for the just, but for the lawless and unruly, and ungodly and sinners, for unholy and profane and patricidal and matricidal and homicidal, for sexually immoral, homosexual, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to healthy doctrine, according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
(1 Timothy 1:8-11)
What is the opposite of heterodoxy? The opposite of heterodoxy is “healthy doctrine.” Heterodoxy leads one into endless speculations and myths; healthy, or orthodox, doctrine leads one into ideas and thoughts that rightly reflect the gospel of our glorious and blessed God. How do we know the difference? Heterodoxy leads one into lawless behavior. Healthy doctrine does not.
What we have in these verses is just one of many lists of behavior that is contrary to Christian living. Behavior like this, the law condemns. It is lawlessness and thus, sin (1 John 3:4). This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it broadly covers the sins that the heterodox teachers seem to be either promoting or are (at least) permitting. As such, it is meant as a clear directive that if you find a pastor or church leadership giving permission to these behaviors, you should flee, for these are heterodox teachers who will lead you away from healthy doctrine.
What “makes the list” as it were? It is for those who are lawless. In other words, it is for those who reject the law of God or think that it does not apply to them. Similarly, it is for the unruly. In Greek, the notion of being unruly refers to someone who considers themselves to be independent or a law unto themselves. These unruly are those who are not ruled by the law of God and who are not ruled by a standard greater than themselves. When Jesus met the Centurian, a “man under authority,” he marveled and proclaimed that he had not found a faith like the Centurians in all of Israel (Matthew 8:5-13).
Why did Jesus marvel? He marveled because this gentile demonstrated a faith that was in submission to the law of God and he found that faith in a gentile. True faith does not run rampant and it is not an individual thing. True faith is in submission to the Word of God and it is in submission to the Confessions and Creeds that have been developed by the church councils across the ages so long as those confessions and creeds are faithful to the Biblical text. In a world where independent churches have become commonplace, Paul’s words stand as a clarion call for repentance and a return to the ancient creeds and confessions of the church as well as for submission to the Word of God.
The next body of people that Paul lists are those who are ungodly. Only the fool, we are told, proclaim that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Recognizing that idols have no real existence (Psalm 96:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4), this applies to idolaters as well as to those who are atheists. What follows next in Paul’s list are sinners — those who would pursue sin rather than righteousness. Those who would do so, John tells us, are children of the Devil (1 John 3:8) and those who believe that they can pursue sin and that God will not judge, these God says he will never forgive (Deuteronomy 29:19-20).
Next, Paul speaks of those who are unholy. Holiness means being set apart for God’s purposes; thus, unholy refers to setting oneself aside for the pursuit of things that dishonor God. What follows, in turn, are the profane. In Greek, the notion of being profane means that one is so amenable to anything that one stands for nothing of substance. How often that describes Christians in this world who do not wish to chance offending someone. How many sermons never address sin and the need for repentance, but are instead, simply encouraging little motivational bits? This is profane in the Biblical sense of the term.
Next, Paul speaks of murderers…those who seek to kill their fathers, their mothers, and their fellow man. Remembering that when we are angry with someone in our heart, we are guilty of murder (Matthew 5:21-22), these words ought to convict us all. Next come those who are sexually immoral. This refers to any form of sin, heterosexual, homosexual, or auto-erotica. One who sits in front of pornographic magazines or internet sites is just as guilty by Paul’s standard as the one who actually commits fornication. Paul drives his point home by speaking not just of sexual immorality, but doubles down by speaking of homosexuality. There are some who would argue that since the term used here — ἀρσενοκοίτης (arsenokoites) — specifically refers to male homosexual activities, that lesbian activity is not included. Yet, since the masculine is commonly used to speak of all people without exception and since the Bible also addresses female homosexuality (see Romans 1:26), it can be easily concluded that this activity, too, is condemned by God and it is permitted only by those who teach heterodox doctrine.
The final grouping are that of kidnappers, liars, and perjurers. The first, most commonly, was the way the slave trade was operated. Thus, one should not be surprised that Christians largely worked to abolish the slave trade in more recent eras and the ancient world as well. Liars bear false witness and perjurers bear false withness to a court, usually for the purpose of financial gain. Both are sins before God.
And “things like these” is the reason that God gave the law. While Christians are judged by grace and no longer the law, it is true, that does not mean that Christians are to jettison he law. Without the law, how would we know how to live? Without the law, how would we know what doctrine is healthy and what is heterodox? Without the law, to what would we submit? Without the law, on what basis can the church councils meet to make judgements that will be brought to bear on the whole church? Christians are not antinomians, we are not against the law. Praise be to God that we are not condemned by the law because we are in Christ (Romans 8:1), but the law teaches how to live as ones who are grateful to God for His saving work. Thanks be to God for that law.
Missing the Mark
“Certain people have missed the mark and have turned to fruitless talk, desiring to become teachers of the Law, neither understanding what they say nor the things that they confidently assert.”
(1 Timothy 1:6-7)
If sincere faith in God is the goal, those who strive toward fruitless talk are those who have missed the goal — they have missed the mark or the standard for which they are to aim. The word that Paul uses here, ἀστοχέω (astocheo), means to go astray from a moral or spiritual standard and is a synonym with the word ἁμαρτία (hamartia), which is commonly translated as “sin.” Whether the straying is intentional or unintentional, it is still straying and is thus a sinful action.
One of the questions that floats around Christian circles is the question of whether it is sinful to have, hold, or teach a false doctrine. The answer to the question is, “Yes, it is.” Why is it sinful to be in error on a doctrine? Simple, it is missing the mark, even if it is unintentional. Unintentional sins still are sins, as testified to by passages such as Leviticus 5:17. Does that mean that someone is going to hell for a false doctrine? If they are born again, no, of course not. Salvation is by God’s grace through the faith that he places in His elect. Then again, there are doctrines that lead to death for they lead to people trusting in their own works or in the work of the church for their salvation. Trusting in anything or anyone apart from Jesus is a false doctrine that will lead you to be amongst those to whom Jesus will say, “Depart from me you workers of lawlessness, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23; also 1 John 3:4).
Clearly, those in Paul’s view are not committing unintentional sins for they wish to be known as teachers of the Law even though they do not understand what the Law says nor what they fervently assert to their hearers. Teachers must be trained so that they teach well and do not condemn themselves as well as their hearers (James 3:1). The sad thing is that such still takes place today. There are many who build doctrines simply on their own speculations rather than on the Scriptures. There are those who wish the reputation of being a teacher but do not have the skills to teach. And, worse yet, there are those who have received some training in orthodox theology, but desiring to make a name for themselves, they invent novel applications of theology that lead them into heterodoxy and endless, useless speculation. This, Paul condemns in his letter. I wonder, how stern would his letter to the churches in America be, were he to address us.
Love and Truth
“Now, the end goal of our exhortation is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
(1 Timothy 1:5)
What is the opposite of useless speculation, mythologies, and heterodox teachings? It is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Heterodox theology produces a heterodox life; a true faith produces a life marked by Christian love and a peaceful conscience.
The problem that many people face, though, is what constitutes true faith? Truly, every person who calls themselves a Christian preacher would describe their own beliefs as true, yet so many of these views are not consistent with the Bible. Furthermore, when compared to views held by other “Christian” teachers and denominations, they often have views that are irreconcilable with one another. So, how do we resolve these differences in the hopes of practicing a true faith that produces a true Christian life?
The first part of that answer rests in the Scriptures. The Bible is the ultimate authority by which all faith and practice is to be judged. And, it should be said here that we are not talking about isolated proof-texts, but the consistent teaching of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. If you cannot support a view from clear Biblical exegesis, you cannot hold that view to be Christian. Furthermore, if there are passages that seem to be inconsistent with each other, one must always interpret the unclear references by the clear passages in the text. This is how we let the Bible speak for itself.
Yet, what if it is a matter that the Bible does not address directly? For example, should we baptize infants? Should believers worship on Saturday or is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? What is the right way to articulate the Trinity or the dual-nature of Christ? There are answers to all of these questions and more, but to find these answers, we must consult the documents produced by the historic Christian Councils. To borrow the words of Vincent of Lerens, the Canons produced by these Councils help us to understand what has been consistently held by Christians at all times and in all places. These Canons are not inspired, and thus they can never supersede Scripture and are always to be under the judgment of Scripture, but they provide us with a body of case-law by which we can understand how the Christian is to live with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
The Romanists and the Eastern Orthodox place too much weight in these documents, in some cases, elevating these Councils to the level of Scripture. Yet, the protestants often ignore these documents for fear of being confused with the Catholic and Orthodox. So long as you recognize that these documents are human documents given as helps and guides to the church, you need not fall into either error. So long as you recognize that these documents are always to be judged by Scripture, which is our absolute standard, you won’t be misled by the errors of application that show up in a number of these councils. Yet, if you ignore them, you rob yourself of the wisdom that God has given to the church and you will find yourself in danger of useless speculation.
Loving one another in the church is a product of being unified in the Truth of the Word. It does not work the other way around.
Heterodoxy
“Inasmuch as I exhorted you to remain in Ephesus, when [I was] traveling into Macedonia so that you should command certain persons not to teach heterodox doctrines and not be concerned about myths and endless genealogies which encourage useless speculations rather than instruction of God in faith.”
(1 Timothy 1:3-4)
Gee, things haven’t changed much. Here is the church in Ephesus was established in large part by Priscilla, Aquila, Apollos, and the Apostle Paul (see Acts 18:24-19:41). You don’t find much better of a pedigree than that when it comes to churches. The letter that Paul had addressed to the church, likely about 4-5 years before he wrote this letter to Timothy, was filled with imagery of the Gospel and closes with a reminder to put on the full armor of God to defend against the powers of darkness. Yet, as Paul is addressing Timothy, what is his first task? To deal with false teachings. How quickly such things find their way into the church in every age.
The theme of protecting against and destroying heterodox doctrines is one of the major motifs found in Paul’s writings. He chastises the Corinthian church because they have put up with eloquent speakers preaching a different Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel than the one he taught (2 Corinthians 11:1-6). He tells the Galatian church that he is horrified that they have so quickly deserted the true gospel and that any teaching (even if it came from an Angel) that is contrary to his teaching, is to be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9). Twice, in this letter, Paul speaks to Timothy about the same. Never once in the scriptures do we find an instruction to tolerate false teachers or false teachings. Not once are we commanded to be polite to those who proclaim a false gospel. At no point in the Bible are God’s people taught that they are to consider those who hold to a heterodox teaching to be fellow believers. No, we are to strive to take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; Matthew 28:20).
And, how is Timothy to do this? Is he encouraged to persuade people not to teach false doctrines? Does Paul exhort him to preach truth so that the people of Ephesus can hear both sides of the debate and decide for themselves? No! Paul tells Timothy to “command” these people not to teach heterodoxy! The Greek word translated as “command” in this text is παραγγέλλω (parangello). It means “to give orders, to command, to insist that it be done.” It is military language that leaves no room for negotiation. God commands our obedience through His Word and we are expected to obey and not look for wiggle room because people are nice, traditions are fulfilling, or they sing the songs we happen to like. No, we are to obey, but how few professing Christians understand that principle and how many make excuses for their own disobedience?
What are the marks of those who teach a heterodox doctrine? The first thing that Paul says is that they concern themselves with myths or fables. Remember, this is the Greco-Roman culture of which we are speaking. Stories of gods and goddesses abound and in the early church, gnostic religions sought to combine elements of Christianity with the fables, myths, and philosophies of the Greeks. We may be tempted to wipe a bead of sweat off of our brow upon hearing this, because surely we don’t have those who are devoted to myths in our culture. Think again. Any teaching that is grounded in something other than scripture becomes a form of mythology. There are churches that have idols in them, statues and pictures of Christ that are meant to aide devotion. These are clearly contrary to the Second Commandment and are again a form of mythology. In the Greek language, anything that constitutes a fictional narrative is considered a form of myth. Thus, any doctrine or practiced based on a fictional narrative, falls under the category of those teaching heterodoxy.
Yet, we are not done. Paul also speaks about “endless genealogies.” What are these? In the Jewish church, people often fell into the trap of thinking that because they had a proper birthright or could trace themselves back to Abraham, that they were special and favored by God. Paul utterly demolished this teaching when he wrote that not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring (Romans 9:7) and that those who have faith in Jesus are the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). How many people in our churches view themselves as favored because they have a long history in the church? How many churches give deference to old families over the plain teaching of Scripture? How many people think that because their parents were Christians or that they are going to heaven as well? As some older preachers used to say, “God has no grandchildren, only sons and daughters.” Of course, Satan has no grandchildren either.
What does heterodoxy encourage? Useless speculation. Note, there are times we may draw inferences based on Scripture and speculate based on what we know from the Word and from history or natural theology, but these speculations are not useless so long as they are clearly grounded in the Word. Useless speculations are grounded in the minds of men. So, when inferences or speculations take place in church, where are they grounded? Are they grounded in the clear teaching of the Word or in the fantasies of men? In the end, useless speculation detracts from focusing on the Word. Dare I ask, how much of your church service is clearly the Word of God and how much is based on the words of men. How many sermons have you heard that simply use a scripture verse as a jumping-off point for the preacher to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about?
Instead of these things, what is the purpose of the church? Paul writes that it is the instruction of God in faith. The Greek word he uses here is ὀικονομία (oikonomia). Literally, this means “house-law.” What are the rules of the house? How is the household to be ordered? Paul is simply stating that heterodox teaching skews or provides a lopsided and distorted view of how life is to be ordered in the household of God. And, what is the starting point of the right view? It is faith. It is not faith plus works nor is it works alone. It is faith alone. Paul will go on to develop those things that are marks of a church rightly ordered according to God’s law, but for now, we conclude with a simple question: who rules your church? Is it Christ? If so, all things must be done in a manner that is submissive to the Word of God. Are they?
Legitimate Children
“Timothy, my genuine child in faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(1 Timothy 1:2)
Paul concludes his greeting with these words to Timothy. The language of grace, mercy, and peace is language consistent with much Christian writing. For instance, we see all three of these terms used in both of Paul’s letters to Timothy as well as in John’s letter to the elect lady (2 John 3). It should be noted that in all of Paul’s other letters, his ordinary phrase is “grace and peace,” but I do not think that provides grounds to suggest that Paul is setting this greeting apart in any particular way (other than perhaps his affection for Timothy) as he wishes “peace and mercy” to the whole of the faithful church of Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:16). In addition, mercy is a common theme in Paul’s writing as a whole. These are words of greeting that model for us the love and care which one believer has for another. Yet, in a society that is used to communicating with texts and emails, I wonder what things would look like if we took the time to model Paul’s greeting to Timothy within our own communications.
Paul refers to Timothy as his “genuine child” or his “authentic child. The term he uses here is γνήσιος (gnesios), which refers to something that is genuine or true and was often used in the ancient Greek world to denote when a child was a legitimate child as opposed to those who might have been illegitimate and unworthy of a birthright. The significance of this language should be obvious: Timothy was not Paul’s biological son as Paul was unmarried and remained celibate for his entire ministry (1 Corinthians 7:6-9). Thus, Paul is looking to Timothy as his son in the context of the Christian faith. In some Christian circles, it is not uncommon to speak of those who had been our fathers and mothers in the faith. Sometimes these are our biological parents but often they are men and women who have been instrumental either in leading us to the Christian faith or in discipling us in Christian maturity. In a very real sense, these spiritual children we might have are just as legitimate as our biological children (if not more so). In the past, I have often challenged people to get “Fathers Day” or “Mothers Day” cards for those who were their spiritual parents. It is not that I am advocating man-made holidays, but simply the principle of reminding those who have been instrumental in your faith that you are grateful for them.
Christ our Hope
“Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our Hope.”
(1 Timothy 1:1)
It is believed that the letters of Paul to Timothy were written toward the end of his life. Much of this is based on the tone we find in these words as Paul is preparing Timothy to take on the mantle of leadership in the church. It is clear from the second of these epistles that Paul is writing from Rome while under house arrest, but the similarity in the themes implies that this first letter comes from much the same context. The letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus are often referred to as “pastoral epistles” (of which I would also include Philemon), where you see Paul giving pastoral advice to those he has put into place in church leadership.
It should be noted that while Paul often includes some deep theological truths within his opening words, these are some of the most profound. He begins by establishing his own Apostolic office, something given to him “according to the command of God.” It was not Paul’s decision to become an Apostle nor did Paul acquire that role on the basis of his own efforts. In addition, the office of Apostle was not given to him by men. Much like our salvation, Paul’s Apostleship was entirely a monergistic work of God — something in which he did not participate.
These words alone carry important ramifications as to the nature of our understanding of the office of Apostle. If this office is bestowed at the command of God, there is no handing down of the office (Apostolic Succession) as would be held by Roman Catholics nor is there any new office of Apostle as would be held by many in the pentecostal movement. Further, it implies that Peter’s action of appointing Matthias to membership of the Twelve (Acts 1:12-26) was not an appointment to the office of Apostle (notice that the Bible never refers to Matthias as an Apostle, only a member of the Twelve), but that it was simply a practice of filling Judas’ shoes in terms of leadership in the church. As to Apostolic leadership, it seems that Paul becomes the twelfth of the Apostles. Why? It is because of God’s call and God’s command (just as the earlier Apostles had been appointed by the command of God (Jesus) Himself.
Yet, Paul does not stop there. He speaks of “God our Savior.” This is not terribly uncommon language to the New Testament, though we are used to hearing the language of “Jesus our Savior.” First, this is just one of many New Testament affirmations that Jesus is God. Second, it is an affirmation of the unity of the work of the Trinity, that those things that are attributed to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, can be attributed to the Trinity as a whole. In other words, even though God the Son was the one who primarily did the work that brought about our salvation, God the Father and God the Spirit were present with Him at all times. The Godhead is not divisible as some would suggest it, nor is one ever separate from the works of another. There is a simplicity and unity within the Godhead that Goes beyond our comprehension; nevertheless, it is affirmed by passages such as this in the Scriptures.
Finally, Paul speaks about our hope. Often, pastors do not emphasize hope as significantly as they emphasize the classic “faith and love” aspects of the Christian life. That said, hope plays a significant role in the practical outworking of the Christian life. In Greek, ἐλπίς (elpis) refers to one’s reasonable anticipation of something taking place, in this case, the fulfillment of a promise. It is essentially, the belief that God is capable of fulfilling those things he has offered to you in Christ and that He will do them for you personally and individually. The Biblical notion of hope is not a fanciful thing, but it is something grounded in who Christ is and in what He has done. It is not wishful thinking; it is a reasoned anticipation.
Biblical hope enables the Christian to carry on even when the world seems like it is falling apart around him. It is that which keeps him sure and steady during trials and optimistic that even when facing difficulties, God has a purpose behind all that He is doing. Indeed, it is hope that assures the believer that God is working all things for the believer’s good and well-being (even when we cannot understand why). For Paul, he is in prison and facing a death sentence. For Timothy, he is anticipating the death of a beloved mentor and taking on a role in the church that will likely see him executed as well (church tradition states that Timothy would be stoned to death). Today, as I look around at the compromise that has become so prevalent within the church (even “good” conservative ones), it is hope that reminds me that God has a purpose and a plan even if that means the removal of so many lampstands from their place. Hope is a critical part of the Christian life; how appropriate it is that Paul begins here. Christ is our hope.
God Has Been Faithful; Shall We Not Try?
“And He gave to them the lands of the peoples,
The toil of the peoples they possess.
So that they might keep His statutes and watch over His Laws.
Hallelujah!
(Psalm 105:44-45)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question as to what our purpose is as human beings. The answer succinctly sets before us two things: “to glorify God” and “to enjoy Him forever.” Yet, how are we to glorify God? Do we glorify God by doing our jobs and making lots of money? Do we glorify God by attending churches that best match our preferences or that suits our sensibilities? Do we glorify God by “living our best life now?” This is an important question to ask, for how can we enjoy Him forever if we do not glorify Him in the here and now?
The Catechism continues by pointing out that it is the Word of God that instructs us how to glorify and enjoy God and that the scriptures teach not only what we are to believe about God, but as to what God commands of us? But, does that mean that the Scriptures give us a kind of smattering of good ideas and good principles? No, the Scriptures are filled with God’s Law for mankind. And, as we close this psalm, we see David, our inspired psalmist, speaking these words…God gave the land to the people (as he had promised Abraham in Genesis 12&15) for a purpose. What is that purpose? To obey God’s Laws.
Probably one of the hardest things for Christians in our age to understand is that God expects our obedience. We do not earn salvation by that obedience, but we do show our gratitude to God by our obedience. We are to live by God’s moral standards. We are to call things evil that God calls evil and we are to love those things that God loves and calls lovely. We are to worship in the manner that God teaches us to worship and we are to sing the songs, hymns, and psalms that He has given us in His Word. Shall we not learn the 150 psalms of the psalter before we learn any other? We shall seek out those sheep and prodigals who have gone astray, we are to tear down every “high place” that the world would set up for its own glory, and we are to take every thought captive to the Word of God…not to the word of men.
Folks, while the Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question of our purpose on earth, the older Heidelberg Catechism begins with a question about our only comfort. What is the heart of that comfort? It is that we are “not our own but belong body and soul to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.” If we are not our own, why do we think we have a choice when it comes to the manner of life we live, the way we worship, or the way we interact with the world around us? No, we are not our own, we have been bought with a price and Jesus has paid that price. When will the church wake up and start living like it? God has been faithful; shall we not also be faithful? Shall we not try?
The Celebration of Judgment
“He led out His people with jubilation;
With a shout of triumph His chosen ones.”
(Psalm 105:43)
Arguably, what comes to mind with these words is the worship of God’s people at the bank of the Red Sea and as they continue through the wilderness toward the promised land. One of the things that is striking is that not only do the people worship as the Egyptians are destroyed by the waters of the Red Sea, the people of Israel worship again with the fall of Jericho. It may seem logical to see the worship of God’s people on the way out of Egypt and again on the way into Canaan, but what is striking is that in both cases, the people celebrate in worship at the destruction of God’s enemies.
Sadly, this is something that tends to be lacking within our churches today. We often fear praying for God’s wrath against the wicked who oppress us. And, then, when he brings His wrath against them, we shudder and we do not celebrate. While it is right to shudder at the hand of God against His enemies, it is also right to sing praise to Him for their downfall. This is a part of the purpose of the imprecatory psalms. Yes, these psalms were prayed by God’s people in private and dark places, but they were also sung by God’s people in public and communal contexts. We should too.
It is bad enough that many churches would never dream of singing God’s words back to him, but the majority of those who do shy away from what one commentator calls “the war psalms of God.” Yet, the scriptural testimony (which must always be the standard toward which we strive) is that these were sung and sung boldly.
There is one additional element that comes out from the text. Historically, we recognize the worship of God’s people did take place as this verse describes, but grammatically, these words also seem to point us back to God, that God brought His people out and shouted in triumph over His enemies. The simple point is that God is not apologetic about destroying the wicked. He is not apologetic in the here and now and He will not be apologetic in final judgment. His wrath will be poured out on His enemies as He casts them into the fiery pit and the elect that He has redeemed will sing praises in joy at this time as well. As a dear friend once said to a family member, “If you don’t repent, there will come a day when you will find yourself being cast into the pits of Hell and in that day I will praise Jesus for doing it.” It is strong language, but it is the Biblical witness. Jesus’ death was meant to save God’s chosen ones without exception, not all people without exception. And God’s will will be done.
Our Source of Hope – God’s Remembrance
“For He remembered His holy word
To Abraham His servant.”
(Psalm 105:42)
We return to the theme of remembrance. In verse 5, God’s people are called upon to remember the faithful things that God has done; now, we are reminded that God remembers his holy Word to Abraham. In a world where people like to present God as changing and unpredictable, the Scriptures remind us over and over again that God is unchanging, and because God is unchanging, we have hope. Furthermore, because God is unchanging, He is worthy of our worship, for He will lose none of His elect ones through the ages. Indeed, God is resolute in His promises and in that we can find great hope for the future.
Many translations will make an inference here and translate אֶת־דּבַר קָדְשׁוֹ (eth-dabar qadesho) as “His holy promise” instead of “His holy word.” The inference is a natural one because all of God’s Word is given as truth and a promise. In particular, they are looking toward the covenant promise that was given to Abraham and fulfilled as the people entered Canaan (of which the psalmist speaks). That said, it is worth reminding ourselves that the promise of God that is connected to the covenant is not the only aspect of His Word that “God remembers.” No, it is the totality of all He has spoken that stands unwaveringly before God as a neon-sign in the heavens declaring what God has done and what God has yet to do. This is part of God’s eternal Counsel (think Ephesians 1:11) and nothing can shake it. What God has said will come to pass for the joy of the believer and to the dread of the reprobate. What God has said, God will do. Not one “jot or tittle” will ever be lost or forgotten. And once again, in that, we can take hope.
Watered in the Wilderness
“He opened a rock and water flowed out;
They traveled through dry places like a river.”
(Psalm 105:41)
Here we once again have a reminder of God’s provision, not just with manna, but also with water. Most likely this is a reference to the waters of Rephidim (Exodus 17:6), but some also suggest Kadesh (Numbers 20:11). This, of course, also points us toward Christ’s eternal redemption of His people, for the rock was symbolic of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
What is interesting is the contrast that is established here between the wilderness wanderings of Israel and the fulfillment in the Promised Land and the wilderness wanderings of the church as we anticipate the fulfillment in the greater promised land…the new heavens and earth. While God certainly provides for our needs while on earth, provision in abundance is not something we should expect in the here and now (hence the error of the prosperity preachers). In the church age, we pray for our daily bread. In the land to come, Isaiah speaks in this manner:
“The Lord of Hosts will make for every people
On this mountain
A feast of fat and a feast of wine dregs
Fat full of marrow and refined wine dregs.”
(Isaiah 25:6)
The richness of God is to come for God’s elect from every tribe and nation. For now, we still travel through the wilderness with our daily provision from God. We await a better kingdom to come.
Provision
“They asked and he brought quail;
He satisfied them with bread from Heaven.”
(Psalm 105:40)
“Asked” is perhaps the polite way of putting it. The people whined and complained. Yet, how often God humors us in our whining and complaining. It is not that food was unnecessary to the people of Israel during their wilderness wanderings. Indeed, it was essential. Yet, God knows our feeble frames; he made us and knows what we need (Matthew 6:8), he provides for the creatures of the earth (Matthew 6:26), will he also not provide for you? Indeed, He will.
So, why do we fret our days away, worrying about things over which we have little or no control? Why to we lay awake at night fretting about the day to come? Why do our prayers so often sound like complaints rather than “Draw me close to you, Lord”? The simple answer is that we often doubt what we cannot see. So, like Israel complaining about not having meat and wondering what the stuff God provided on the ground happened to be, מן (man — translates as “manna”) means “What is it?,” and then complained because they had too much of it, so we do much the same. Yet, we should follow Jesus’ model, asking for our daily provision and learning to be satisfied with it.
Perhaps think about it from a different perspective. The Bible describes us as servants and slaves of God. A good master provides for his servants and a bad master leaves them alone to fend for themselves. God is a good master, so why do we feel entitled to complain about His provision? I believe that if most Christians looked over their lives, they would see God’s hand at work bringing provision and sustaining them through trial. Perhaps, if we remember this, it will help us avoid all the whining and complaining that often comes from our mouths in prayer.
Shekinah Glory
“He spread a cloud as a screen
And fire illuminated the night.”
(Psalm 105:39)
Here we see the Glory Cloud of God being described in the psalm. It is a veil by day and a veil illuminated by fire by night to provide light. This is often referred to as the “Shekinah Glory of God, which simply means, “The Glory of Yahweh dwelling with us.” It is a symbol of His presence and it stood before the people as a sign of His protection and guidance. Importantly, in the New Testament, such language is applied to Jesus (John 1:14).
Another thing worth noting is that the term that is used to refer to the cloud’s covering over the people is מסך (masak), which is most commonly used to refer to the screen that was placed at the entrance to the Holy Place (see Exodus 26:36; 35:15; 36:37; 39:38; Numbers 3:25, etc.). What is the significance of this? The earthy tabernacle was meant to be a shadow of the eternal tabernacle (Hebrews 8:5) and thus the screen to the Holy Place and the curtain to the Holy of Holies were meant as barriers that blocked people from coming into the presence of God without a sacrifice. Indeed, this cloud did much the same. By becoming the eternal sacrifice, Christ tore down this barrier. So, just as the screen obscured the view of the interworking of the Tabernacle from the outside observer, the cloud obscured the view of God from those who would view from the outside. The veil was torn (Luke 23:45).
Destroying Dedun and the Egypt
“Then He led them out with silver and gold,
And no one in His tribes staggered.
Egypt rejoiced when they left
Because terror had fallen on them.”
(Psalm 105:37-38)
Here we find the account of the plundering of Egypt. The Israelites went to their former masters and asked for things of wealth. This was given to them not because the Egyptians were generous, but because the Egyptians feared the power of the God of Israel. The term translated here as “terror” is פחד (pachad), which means to tremble and shake so greatly due to the fear and dread you have. Egypt was living through a nightmare as God brought them low in bringing his people out of Egypt.
There is an interesting clause in the first verse. The psalmist states that none of the tribes “staggered” or “stumbled” as they went out. The term used in that verse is כּשׁל (kashal), which refers to stumbling under a great burden of weight. The simplest reading is that the Israelites were given wealth and they were strong enough to carry it all out of the land. Yet, I think that there is also a note of irony being used here. While in slavery, the Israelites stumbled under the yoke of Egypt. In their deliverance, they no longer stumbled or staggered under Egypt’s yoke. The phrase seems to anticipate the words of our Lord when He says,
“Take up my yoke upon you and learn from me,
For I am gentle and humble of heart
And you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:29-30)
In the case of Jesus’ statement, you will notice that He is not saying that yokes shall be broken and cast aside. He is saying that His yoke is a better yoke to bear than the yoke of the oppressors of our world. Why is Jesus’ yoke easy? It is because Jesus is a benevolent master. Why is His burden light? It is because He frees our souls from such oppressive masters as the world imposes upon us. It is good because the masters that this world will provide have a habit of crushing you under their boot. Jesus, as Master, gives life and life abundantly.
Too often, professing Christians behave as if they are their own masters. That is certainly not the case. Jesus says that the nature of taking on His yoke is that we learn from Him. If you are not learning from Christ, through His Word, you are not a disciple (for a disciple is a student) and you are most certainly not under Christ’s yoke. Further, a student not only learns facts given by his teacher, but they put those facts into application in life. Whenever I have taught students, I have consistently told them that success in the classroom is not about whether you can earn an “A” on an exam. Success is whether you are living out the principles you have been taught even when you lie down to die.
Another question that sometimes gets asked is whether it is proper to take wealth from pagans. Shouldn’t we only accept benevolence from those who share our faith? This was certainly not the case with the Israelites coming out of Egypt. They were happy to pillage the wealth of Egypt and then repurpose it for Holy things as they traveled to the Promised Land. Nehemiah gladly accepted pagan wealth to fund the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus’ parents arguably used the pagan wealth of the Magi to fund their flight to Egypt to protect the Christ child from Herod. Examples abound. If a pagan wishes to give money to a Christian cause, we should welcome it with thanksgiving to God so long as the pagan is not seeking to make us beholden to him.
Why did Egypt rejoice when Israel left? The plagues ended. God removed His people (and thus His influence) from their land. In doing so, God left Egypt devoid of wealth and power, and left them to their wicked idolatry, which eventually destroyed them. Remember, though the presence of God may seem a hard thing if you are trying to justify sin, when God removes His hand of restraint, that sin will consume and destroy a people. This, we are seeing in the western world as we collapse into paganism, idolatry, and the permitting of all sorts of moral evils: homosexuality, pedophilia, adultery, vulgarity, and irrationality. While many of us still pray for revival here in America, it looks like we are on a trajectory for final judgment as a nation. Today, the western world is much more like Egypt than faithful Israel. Dedun was the god of wealth in the Egyptian pantheon…and he seems to be the god that many Americans bow down to today.
Destroying Pharaoh
“And He smote all the firstborn in the land,
The first of their generative power.”
(Psalm 105:36)
On a human level, the tenth plague was certainly the most devastating. We are told that when this took place, there was a great cry across the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:30). The term used in the Hebrew text is צְעָקָה (ts’aqah) which refers to loud yelling and screaming in despair. How the sound of that must have echoed through the land; how eerie it must have been to listen to that as an Israelite who had been delivered.
While this was a judgment against goddesses like Hathor and Isis (both goddesses of motherhood) or Best (the god of children) in the Egyptian cult, but also the various gods and goddesses of the underworld (there are quite a few in the Egyptian pantheon). God is the God over life and death, not the household deities that the Egyptians worshiped. In addition, this was a curse against Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh was seen as the embodiment of Amun-Re and thus, Pharaoh’s firstborn was also treated like a god. He too was struck down by the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth.
There is another aspect to this curse that must not be missed. It is a picture — perhaps a small taste — of the final judgment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth by those who are cast away from the eternal blessedness of God and left under His eternal wrath. There will be shouting and crying and that sound should be a reminder of the blessedness of the Redeemed. Woe to the one who stands against the Almighty God for their only end will be the most intense sorrow that can ever be conceived. And beloved, this judgment is not harsh, though we often think it sounds harsh. No, it is just and it is the rightful judgment for the sin that has been committed. Our problem is that we don’t take our sin as seriously as we ought and (for the believer) we don’t appreciate the grace of God as we ought. When it comes to our redemption, we did not do it nor do we deserve it. Praise be to God that He has done it and has applied it to us as He brings all of His elect to salvation.
Destroying Seth and the False Church
“He spoke, and the locusts came,
Creeping locusts that could not be numbered.
And they ate all the plants in the land
And they ate all the fruit of the ground.”
(Psalm. 105:34-35)
Word choice is always an interesting thing to pay attention to when reading through the psalms. In the first mention of locusts, the term אַרְבֶּה (arbah — migratory locusts) is used. This is what we find in the account of the eighth plague in Exodus 10:4-19 (and a judgment against Seth, the god of the deserts, from which the locust came). In the parallel use in the second clause of verse 34, the term יֶלֶק (yeleq) is used instead. While synonyms are regularly used to reduce redundancy in poetic works, what is interesting about this word choice is that the only other place that יֶלֶק (yeleq) is used is in the prophetic works and it is used to speak about God’s judgment on the people. Certainly, the choice fits the context as David reflects back on the events of the Ten Plagues. These creatures were not only a means to torment the people of Egypt, simply giving Moses leverage to change the Pharaoh’s mind; they were acts of judgment against the Egyptian people for being idolaters.
Sometimes people read the account of the Ten Plagues as a simply a means of God trying to persuade the Egyptian king, making things worse and worse in an incremental manner. But that is not how the Bible presents these plagues. They are not a matter of God hoping that just a little more pain and suffering will bring release to Israel. This is a matter of God bringing His wrath upon a wicked people — wrath that He has ordained that they receive in full measure. This is one of the reasons that we find the words, “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart” several times in the Exodus account. As Peter writes, God knows how to deliver His own while keeping the wicked under judgment.
Often, people in evangelical Christian circles speak about praying for our nation’s repentance. And, it is good and right to pray for such things. At the same time, I wonder sometimes whether or not we are at a point in our country where the full measure of God’s wrath is about to be poured out. Much the same can be said for what “passes” as the Christian church in the western world. God has blessed our world with prosperity and a voice that has opened wide the gates of missionary activity. With that, though, has come the propagation of false truths and false worship — often even of worship that is fueled by worldly things rather than by the Word of God. God has withheld his hand, perhaps in deference to the remnant of True Churches in our land…but the times remind me much of God’s conversation with Abraham…”If I find fifty, if I find forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, ten…. The number of True Churches grows smaller and smaller every day it would seem.
What, you ask, are the marks of a true church? The Belgic Confession does a nice job of summarizing the Bible’s teaching on this matter. First, a true church is one where the pure doctrine of the Gospel is preached. This means that there is no mixture of Biblical and humanistic or Biblical and non-Christian being taught. What the Bible plainly teaches, this church plainly preaches without compromise or apology. Where the Bible teaches on creation in six-ordinary days, creation in six days is taught. Where the Bible teaches on election and the sovereignty of God over all things, well, this is what is taught. Where the Bible teaches on God’s hatred toward wicked men, God’s hatred toward wicked men is taught and practiced. Where the Bible teaches on the elements of worship (prayer, preaching, Bible reading, singing psalms, listening to the preaching, and proper sacraments, etc…) these things are taught and only these things are practiced.
Secondly, the True Church practices the Sacraments as Christ has instituted them. It leaves the sacraments as two: Baptism and Holy Communion. It does not add a sacrament or subtract from the sacraments. It recognizes those sacraments as Christ has presented them — as signs and seals that must be joined to saving faith to become effective. It does not make the sacraments idolatrous or something to adore. They are signs. And when it comes to the Lord’s Table, where there is no faith, the sacraments are fenced. Thirdly, discipline is practiced for the purpose of chastening sin. The true church takes sin and repentance seriously. It does not treat some sin more softly than other sins. It has the integrity of a body that cares about righteous living and desires to live under the authority of the Word of God in every area. It desires to live by God’s Law and not by the laws of men and practice follows principle.
In all things, these marks can be summarized by the recognition that the church does not belong to the members or to the denomination. The church belongs to Christ. He is its King and Bridegroom and just as a wife is to submit to her husband’s authority, so too, the church is to submit to Christ’s authority. Part of disciple-making, Jesus teaches, is teaching people to obey everything that Christ has taught us — that “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” would be the heart’s cry of the Church. Find a church that takes these things seriously and without compromise and you have found a true church. Yet, finding such a church is getting harder and harder.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 31 that an excellent wife is a rare thing to find. Let us, as the church, strive to be that excellent wife to our Bridegroom and King, Jesus Christ, lest we find ourselves consumed by judgment that God is bringing into our land.
Destroying Tefnut and Shu
“He gave them rain showers of hailstones,
And flames of fire in their land.
He smote their vines and their figs
And he smashed into fragments
The trees within their borders.”
(Psalm 105:32-33)
We now arrive at the seventh plague — that of hail and fire. If you live in a part of the world where large hail is common, you know just how damaging that hail can be. In this case, the text describes the trees as being shattered into splinters or fragments. What the Psalmist does not record is that the remaining livestock and the people who remained in the field were also killed by these great falling hailstones (Exodus 9:19). As such, the economy of Egypt was decimated (except for the wheat, which was late to come up – Exodus 9:32), yet again, God preserved his people in Goshen (Exodus 9:26).
What is the purpose of such violence against Egypt? They are idolaters, most certainly, and deserve such judgment. They have wickedly oppressed God’s people. Yet, Moses preserves the ultimate reason for this violence — a reason that the Apostle Paul applies to all of the reprobate; God is doing this to show his mighty power that it may be proclaimed throughout the earth (Exodus 9:16; Romans 9:22-23).
In the Egyptian pantheon, they recognized Tefnut and Shuas twins who ruled the moisture (rain) and air, respectively. Here, God demonstrates that these false gods are unable to stop Him from raining down terror by controlling their domains. Once again, the pagan gods are demonstrated as being inept and impotent when faced with the God of the Bible.
Destroying Geb and Nut
“He spoke and there came swarms,
Gnats in all their boundaries.”
(Psalm 105:31)
Some would suggest that this is simply a reference to the third plague, that of gnats (KJV renders this as lice) throughout the land. Yet, the term עָרֹב (arob) is used to refer to the plague of flies that arrived in the land (fourth plague — see Exodus 8:17) and not to refer to the previous plague. So, here, there are two plagues brought together by the psalmist. Swarms of nuisance insects, first in the form of gnats and then in the form of flies. Yet, with the flies, these creatures only infested the lands of Pharaoh and not the lands where the Israelites dwelt (Exodus 8:22).
In the Egyptian pantheon, Geb (god of the earth) was the husband of Nut (goddess of the air). Interestingly, these plagues are thus joined. The third plague (gnats or lice) begins as Moses throws the dust of the earth (that which is supposed to be controlled by Geb) into the air (the realm of Nut) and it becomes pestilence. Then, from the air (Nut) come flies (swarming nuisance insects) by the command of God. Both of these plagues follow the death of Heqet’s frogs, creatures designed to keep such pests at a tolerable level.
Once again, we find the God of the Bible demonstrating that He has power over the gods and goddesses that the people of Egypt worshiped. In the account of the ten plagues, here would be where the “missing two” plagues would fall. The plague of the death of the livestock (fifth plague) and that of the boils (sixth plague). Since there are no Egyptian deities associated directly with these two plagues, it may be assumed that the psalmist is simply omitting them because his focus is on the idolatry of the Egyptians.
Some would suggest that these are indirect plagues against Hathor and Isis, goddesses that were protectors of the people and their property. Yet, one could argue that every plague is directed at those gods and goddesses who were to be protectors of the people. Another option, might be to argue that the fifth and sixth plagues are plagues that arose out of the third and fourth plagues. For instance, swarms of flies can be very detrimental to a herd of cattle, biting them, sucking their blood, and infecting them with disease. Similarly, if the King James translators are correct that כֵּן (ken) should be translated as “lice,” then the boils could be a result of the sores and sickness that might be described as boils (remember, lice too, can carry infectious disease). Thus, it could be speculated that the sixth plague could be a byproduct of the third plague and the fifth plague a byproduct of the fourth plague. While speculative, it would offer an explanation as to their absence.
Destroying Heqet and Sobek
“The land crept with frogs
In the rooms of their kings.”
(Psalm 105:30)
We find ourselves with a retelling of the second of the Ten Plagues and the language used is much the same as what we find in the Exodus account. Sometimes people speculate as to the purpose of the second phrase about the chambers of the kings. The word used here is הדר (hadar), which is a generic word that refers to any sort of room or private chamber. This may simply reflect the extent to which these frogs were swarming the land, demonstrating that even the king (or kings — leaders) were incapable of escaping the presence of these creatures. Another option is a little more tongue and cheek, recognizing that the purpose of some of this language is designed to show the extent to which God humiliates his enemies. In this case, הדר (hadar) could be understood to be the inner chamber where the king would relieve himself privately (see a parallel in Judges 3:24) — the Pharaoh cannot even go to the bathroom in peace.
There is some discussion as to which Egyptian god this plague is directed against. On one side, Heqet was the goddess of frogs (depicted with a frog’s head). She was the goddess of fertility and birth, which is a good thing when controlled, but when fertility runs amok (too many frogs!), it certainly can be detrimental. The other option we have is Sobek, the Egyptian god of crocodiles. He was associated with fertility (as so many pagan gods are), but also was a god of chaos. The reason that Sobek is significant here is that it was his job (or the job of the crocodiles) to keep the frogs of the Nile under control. Thus, with God putting Sobek under his thumb of judgment, the frogs became a nuance in the land. A third option is that this is a judgment against both of the Egyptian false gods, with Yahweh demonstrating his power over both.
In either case, God continues to use what the Egyptians bow down to in such a way that He humiliates them. How similar this is to Paul’s language in Romans 1, that God uses the sin of those who do not honor His name to bring judgment upon them. Food for thought in our Neo-pagan culture.
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