Short Cuts Aren't Always Best

I'm thankful to serve a good, sovereign God that always knows best for His children. I'm also thankful that, even though Romans 8:28 is a huge encouraging verse, we find the same theme of God working goodness for His children throughout the Bible, not just in one isolated text. 

Journey with me back to Exodus 13. The children of Israel have just undergone their first "Passover" experience and are being rushed out of town...for the Egyptians now fear that Yahweh will kill them all unless they let His people go. (Exodus 12:33) We know the story - Moses and the children of Israel escape, make it to the Red Sea, walk across dry ground and begin their trek to the Promised Land of milk and honey. But tucked away amidst all those events is Exodus 13:17-18. Have you ever wondered why God led Israel to a dead end at the Red Sea? It may not be for the reason you think. 

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
(Exodus 13:17-18 ESV)

Notice that God chooses to take His children the LONG way. No short cuts here. The verses are easily overlooked but they are dripping with God's goodness. Here's a God who isn't just concerned about taking His people to the Promises Land. He's concerned about the journey as well. God, in all His wisdom, has come up with the best route possible - the route that will serve Israel the most! Rather than exposing them to a potential fearful situation, He sovereignly redirects them around the Philistine area. It would be easy for Israel to complain about the longer route (and they do!) but just imagine the alternative. God knows what's best, even when it contradicts our own wisdom. The shortest route was clear. But the best route was needed. 

It's verses like this that encourage me during times when I'm unsure of why God is leading me in the direction that He is. While I don't have the advantage of seeing the "big picture" for my story, being able to see the "big picture" of stories like this help me with my own situations. I can rest in the assurance of God's goodness, knowing that God has me on a path that may not always include the shortest route to His goals for me, but it certainly includes the best route for me!

It's not about Esther

Have you ever taken the time to read through the book of Esther? I don't mean do you know the story of Esther...have you read it? Sometimes we discover that stories we have grown up hearing aren't always exactly in Scripture the way we heard them. Case in point, the story of Esther. Did you know that the book of Esther is the only book of the Bible that makes no direct reference to God? Seriously, there is no mention of God in the entire book! On top of that, there is no mention of prayer either.

But I would argue that the book/story of Esther is about God, not the winner of the beauty pageant. While the book doesn't mention God by name, His presence is evident everywhere you turn in the story. Ultimately, the story is about how God sovereignly directs every detail to ensure the continued existence of his people Israel. Remember, Haman is seeking to destroy the Jews because he hates Mordecai. But if Haman succeeds in destroying the Jews, then the Abrahamic Covenant is violated and there is no Messiah.

Instead, we see God faithfully keep His covenant to His people as he works every detail of the story for His glory. Here are some examples.

It's not coincidence or by accident that...

1. Queen Vashti has her crown removed. God needed a vacancy in the palace and He made sure there was one.

2. Esther was chosen out of possibly hundreds of girls. For whatever reason, the king picked her, whether it was her beauty, personality, etc. All those things would have been given to her by God. He made sure she would be the one picked.

3. The King found favor with Esther when she approached his presence. He hadn't seen her in a month, he could have easily been having a bad day and gotten rid of her just like he did with Vashti. But he didn't.

4. The king can't sleep one night and has his servants read to him the records of the palace, only to find out that Mordecai had recently saved his life. He finds this information out right before Haman wants to ask to hang Mordecai, thus stopping the wicked plans of Haman.

Oh, I'm sure some would chalk these events up to luck, but even Mordecai recognized that Esther had been positioned perfectly for "such a time as this." The book never mentions God. But it is indisputable that God is the one behind this entire story. We may call it the "Story of Esther" but trust me, it's a story about God. It's about His faithfulness to a covenant He established. A covenant that promises a Messiah who comes to save both Jew and Gentile. This story is good news for us. Praise God He keeps His covenant!

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Ask the Greek

Jefferson Bethke's video on YouTube continues to gain much attention, both on YouTube and on the blogosphere, examples here and here. Much of the backlash he has received centers on his perspective of "religion". Did Jesus truly hate religion, and if so, why?

I, for one, found the video thought provoking. But, as is often the case, when thoughts and feelings are communicated through poetry, much of the content is left for the hearer to interpret on their own. And this interpretation is usually the result of our context in hearing it. A poem is meant to communicate something, often feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts and perspectives. Often full explanation is not divulged, instead the hearer is often left to draw some of their own conclusions and applications from what was heard.

Because of this, poems can be both dangerous and damaging. And in the case of dealing with what God's Word communicates, the responsibility is great. Bethke undertook a big task in addressing the topic of "religion" through poetry. Undoubtedly his poem was heard and understood in different ways, as a result of different contexts. This is why some would label his work as an attack on any organized religion, while others would see it as a call to true religion. But perhaps there is a third group, like me, that is left asking the question, "What is religion?"

The poem, liked or hated, rests on how one defines the word "religion". At first this seems easy, but the word is used differently so often today. A few ways I've found myself using it the past include...

1. Different ways of getting to God - we use the term "religion" when dealing with other groups of people who believe they are on a journey to God, in a different way than we believe. "False Religions" or "World Religions" is a way of defining clear, distinct belief systems of appeasing God and enjoying the afterlife. It can also be used for "our religion" for how we understand God's revelation. For Christians, we would understand both the Old Testament system and the New Covenant as "our religion".

2. Rules for getting to God - in our own Christian faith, often times the word is used in relation to a false mindset of "working our way to heaven". The better term perhaps is legalism. Basically, it's the idea of condensing the call to holiness down to a manageable (at least its perceived that way) list of tasks to be accomplished to ensure that God is pleased. At times the Old Testament Jewish system produced those who were guilty of this. These are the ones that Jesus addressed so sternly, and caused him so much anger. The Sermon on the Mount was Jesus declaration against this hypocrisy. It's "our religion" gone wrong.

3. Taking care of orphans and widows - a lot of times, when we want to use the term "religion" positively, we turn to James 1:27, where in some translations we are told that pure and undefiled religion is to care for the helpless. Sometimes forgotten, we are also told it means to remain unstained from the world.

4. Organized religion - sometimes the word is used as a reference to organized religion in and of itself, i.e. the local church, the call to holiness, the ordinances of baptism and Lord's Supper, the responsibility to meet with other believers and submit to godly leadership, etc.

I'm sure there are others, but those are probably the most common uses I am aware of in my context. How Bethke's poem is heard and responded to will greatly depend on how the word "religion" is defined by you. I heard his poem in the context of an attack on the legalistic mindset of working for God's favor and priding oneself on religious accomplishments. Perhaps, because I am currently studying that topic for myself. The gospel frees us from work. In fact, its the very idea of not working or ceasing to work that leads to our salvation. (Rom. 4:5) If Bethke's purpose was to attack the good works mentality that won't be abolished until Jesus returns, then I wholeheartedly endorse that message. If he is attacking the "our religion gone wrong" mindset, then I say "Amen!" Others perhaps heard a more wide sweeping attack on religion to include both the organized church as a whole. If his message is to call us to a more spiritual approach to life, absent from the "religious" responsibilities of aligning ourselves to an organized body of believers, that regularly participate in the activities the Word calls us to, then his message is destructive. I'm convinced he wasn't trying to communicate that at all based on what I know about him from his other works.

But what does God's Word say? Did Jesus hate religion? I guess it depends on not so much the definition, but the word we are using. The trouble we are experiencing in answering this question lies in the fact that we are having this discussion in English, when the New Testament is written in Greek. Why is that problematic? Kevin DeYoung rightly stated in his article that the word "religion" appears five times in the English Standard Version. Were you to do a word search in another version, it would appear more or less. But I think it's a mistake to then base our understanding of the word on such a search. Most who want to say that Jesus did not hate religion, will turn to James 1:26-27. Here, as we've already said, we are given a picture of true religion or right religion. But is the word "religion" being used the same way here as it is in the other four passages in the ESV word search? Did you know that the Greek word for "religion" in James 1:26-27 is only used in two other passages of the New Testament? And it's only used in one of those passages that results from a word search in the ESV? Let's look at both...

1. Acts 26:5 -They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

2. Colossians 2:18 - Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,

Those are the only two uses of James word for "religion" anywhere in Scripture, when you do a Greek word search. Notice in the second usage of the same word from James, the translators of the EVS use the word "worship" instead of religion. Again, this is the only two times the Greek word in James is used elswhere in the Bible.

What's my point? That I don't think we can clearly define Jesus' views on "religion" if we are trying to make religion mean one thing. The word doesn't have one clear definition or usage as revealed in Scripture. On top of that, it is an English word that is being applied to Greek words. And as we just saw, sometimes the word religion isn't even applied consistently to the same Greek word. I think Kevin DeYoung makes a mistake when he says, "Religion is all law and no gospel. If that’s religion, then Jesus is certainly against it.But that’s not what religion is. We can say that’s what is has become for some people or what we understand it to be. But words still matter and we shouldn’t just define them however we want." Because that is exactly what he does. He defines it differently that what he perceives in the poem because he understands it differently. The fact is that word "religion" does mean different things. It is used differently based on what we are trying to communicate at the time. And on top of that, I can't think of anyone who wants to be known as "religious", which means no matter how much we wish that word didn't have negative connotations, it so often does. Jesus often rebuked those who thought they were "religious" but the Scripture is so silent on affirming people who were "rightly religious". Meaning the N.T. writers never praise churches for being "religious". Instead they use words such as "faithful", "called", "child" and "loved".

Bethke's poem is certainly not perfect, nor is it absent from things I personally would have said differently. Bethke perhaps could have done a better job of defining what he meant and didn't mean. I think the important thing to clarify is that whether you liked the video or not, everyone I talk to agrees on the same things. We hate false religion and we embrace "right religion" whether we call it that or not. We love Jesus, we hate the damning message of Satan that says "good works will get you to Jesus" and we all embrace the call to love the church of Jesus and serve this world faithfully until Jesus returns.

Learn about Hebrews

My friend Rob Conti from Snowbird is starting a series on the book of Hebrews for the Snowbird blog. I would encourage you all to follow along. The big of Hebrews is deep (meaning it's hard to understand) and rich (meaning it's worth the effort to understand) and I know Rob will do a great job of passing a long tid bits of truth from this wonderful, Christ-exalting book.

Did you know that when the New Testament canon was being finalized that the book of Hebrews was up for debate because no one new who wrote it? Ultimately though it was determined that the book was so Christ exalting that it had to be written from God.

Follow along with Rob's blog on the side bar under our Recommended Blogs. You won't be disappointed.

Another 24 Books Complete!

At the beginning of last year I made the commitment to once again read two books a month. By God's grace I was able to find the time to complete 24 books for the year. I've listed the books I completed below and would encourage you to pick up any one of them this year to read. I was encouraged greatly by all of them. Let me know if you would like a specific review on a title. As always, use caution and discernment as you read as these men are not inspired.

1. Basic Christianity by John Stott

2. Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney

3. The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraaff

4. A Life of Prayer by Paul Cedar

5. Alone with God by John MacArthur

6. A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

7. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper

8. Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung

9. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
10. Radical Together by David Platt

11. Money: God or Gift by Jamie Munson

12. The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel

13. Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

14. Doctrine by Mark Driscoll

15. Christian Beliefs by Elliot Grudem

16. Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem

17. Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

18. The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

19. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever

20. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer

21. Christ and the Future by Cornelis P. Venema

22. Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

23. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

24. Letters to a Young Calvinist by James K.A. Smith

Balaam and the Abrahamic Covenant

I've been reading a lot lately through the book of Numbers. When you come to Numbers 22 you find a story that sounds more like Shrek 5 than you do something in the Bible. A talking donkey? For real? What's even more bizarre is that Balaam, a well known prophet, just starts talking right back to the donkey. I mean is Balaam from some fairy tale reality where this type of deal is considered normal? Who strikes up a conversation and responds to a talking donkey?

But if you focus on the talking donkey then I think you miss the point of the whole story. Let me set the context for you...

Israel is on their way to the Promised Land. God's chosen people have been wandering in the wilderness for years now because of their disobedience but now they are beginning to position themselves to enter the land that was originally promised to their forefather Abraham. Now the people of Moab are getting freaked out. The drive to the Promised Land is starting to pick up some steam as Israel is conquering nation after nation on their way. So naturally the people of Moab are greatly concerned.

Enter King Balak of Moab. Knowing that he is probably doomed like the rest of Canaan, Balak makes a last ditch effort to win this coming battle. He summons for Balaam, a well known prophet who is supposedly effective at cursing large groups of people.

Two things to note...

1. Don't miss the importance of v. 2. "They were many" - this side comment has eternal relevance for us as believers. This is God fulfilling his covenant with Abraham. Remember way back in Genesis 12? "I'll make you a great nation." God goes on to say that He will multiply the offspring of Abraham so that his descendants will be like the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. GOD IS DOING WHAT HE PROMISED! "They were many!"

2. Balak sent his men to recruit Balaam for this cursing ceremony. But when the men reach Balaam he tells them he will have to consult with Yahweh. God tells him in v. 12 "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." GOD IS DOING WHAT HE PROMISED AGAIN! Remember he told Abraham, "I'm going to bless you." This is God being faithful to the covenant once again.

3. But why is that important? Why should I care if God is keeping promises to Abraham? Because God promised our salvation when He made that promise to Abraham! Remember, God said, "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Galatians 3:8-9 tells us how this part of the promise is fulfilled. God planned to save Gentiles (which is most of us) through what He promised to Abraham. Ultimately, Jesus Messiah was promised through Abraham as the ultimate blessing!

So as you read the Old Testament find encouragement in reading it in context of this important covenant. Yes there was a talking donkey...but don't miss the main point of the passage - God's faithfulness! Every time you see God's faithfulness to this covenant, let it reassure you that God is going to be faithful to save you, just like He promised.

Worldly Grief = Death

Have you ever shared the gospel with someone, felt like the person was getting it, and then a few weeks later they seem to have no interest in following Christ? It can be hard to share the gospel faithfully when we continue to see people respond positively, but only for a short period of time. I personally long to see more and more people come to Christ because of my ministry. And I long to see those people follow Christ for the long haul, not just for a few days.

While it can be discouraging to see people reject the gospel, it should not surprise us. Jesus himself had many who heard him teach, yet walked away unchanged and unresponsive to following him. The apostle Paul testified of men he had poured his life into, who abandoned him later in life to return to the things of this world. Many faithful Christians have shared the gospel, only to see people ultimately reject a new life with Christ.

The Bible tells us that this kind of conviction and response is not genuine. II Cor. 7:10 says that some experience sorrow or grief about their sin, but it isn't motivated out of a genuine desire to turn from it so that they can please God. Instead, many people will initially respond to the gospel for fear of hell and punishment. Not that hell and punishment are bad motivations for salvation. But for many, the thought of hell is quickly gone, and after a few days, they become unconcerned once again with the punishment and wrath that awaits them. They initially say "yes" to Jesus out of fear, but once the fear goes away, it is back to loving the things of this world, which will one day lead to death.

Pharaoh, unfortunately, serves as a good example of this type of sorrow. In Exodus 9, God is continuing to pour out plagues on Egypt because of Pharaoh's rebellion and stubbornness. As the hail storm rains down wrath upon Egypt, Pharaoh begins to cry out and acknowledge his sin. He says, "This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I am my people are in the wrong. Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

This would seem to be the response that Moses and God had been waiting on all along. But this repentance isn't real. This type of repentance only comes because there is regret due to the punishment. Once the punishment is removed, the sin and rebellion comes right back. Moses even says, "I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."

Don't be discouraged as you share the gospel and see people ultimately reject it. You can expect this to happen, as we see it happen throughout Scripture, but in the Old and New Testaments. But you can also expect the opposite. Lest we forget, the book of Revelation proclaims a scene where people from the entire earth, a number that no one can count, standing before the throne of God in worship. People will be saved. And we can expect it. As we spread the seed of the gospel, remember much of it will fall on good soil that will spring up and last. As Paul says in I Thessalonians 1:1-5, when the gospel comes in the power of the Holy Spirit, true conviction will happen and we will be able to rejoice over real salvations.