1 Tim. 4, The Preacher’s Portrait (1)

I believe that pastors today need to get a grip on this idea of being stewards of God.  I took somewhat copious notes on Stott’s chapter on stewardship and want to share these in the next couple of posts.  For me, it is a reminder of what I must be, and what the Body of Christ needs from its shepherds, as we think about the past and plan for the future of our nation.  I hope you will join me.

Again, these are notes from John R. W. Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait, Ch. 1, A Steward: the preacher’s proclamation and appeal (message and authority).

The preacher is not a prophet.  The prophet was an immediate mouthpiece of God.  The preacher is not an apostle; there is no idea of a “succession of apostles” in the NT.  The preacher is not to be a false prophet or apostle.  These are people who spoke/ speak visions of their own minds, and not from the mouth of the Lord.  The preacher is not a babbler, who has no mind of his own.  The babbler’s present opinion is that of the last person with whom he spoke.  He relays other men’s ideas without sifting them, weighing them, or making them his own.

But the preacher is a steward: he is the trustee and dispenser of another person’s goods.  “The Christian preacher’s message, therefore, is derived not directly from the mouth of God, as if he were a prophet or apostle, nor from his own mind, like the false prophets, nor undigested from the minds and mouths of other men, like the babbler, but from the once revealed and now recorded Word of God, of which he is a privileged steward.”

“The steward has received a trust; he must show himself worthy of this trust.”

The source of the preacher’s incentive.

The gospel was a sacred trust committed to him, weighed heavily upon him.  “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16).  And “I am under obligation to preach the gospel” (Rom. 1:14).  “The steward has received a trust; he must show himself worthy of this trust.”

The content of the preacher’s message.

He is to be faithful to the goods themselves.  “Therefore, every sermon should be, in some sense, an expository sermon.”  Moreover, we are called to preach the whole range of the Word of God: not the New Testament only, not the best known texts only, not the passages which favour the preacher’s particular prejudices only. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God (Ac. 20:26-27). Besides, the church needs instructed laity who should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Eph. 4:14).  All scripture is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16) but all is not equally profitable for the same people at the same time (Ac. 20:20).  He studies their needs, uses discretion in supplying them with suitable food.  The expository preacher is a bridge builder, seeking to span the gulf between the word of God and the mind of man.

Amos 8, Preventing a Famine of the Word of God

One of the interesting, and devastating, judgments of God on Israel was a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD (Amos 8:11). 

Perhaps this is the “blindness” and “deafness” promised in Isa. 12:9-10: And He said, “Go, and tell this people. ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed” (a promise/ prophecy noted in the NT (Mt. 13:14-15; Mk. 4:12; Lk. 8:10; Jn. 12:40; Acts 28:26-27; Rom. 11:8).

Note, from Amos 8:12-13, that they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it.  “In that day the fair virgins, And strong young men Shall faint from thirst.  They will go to great lengths in the search for God’s word, and yet will not find it.  The reason for this inability to find the word of God, as 8:14 indicates, is because in their hearts they have committed themselves to the sin of Samaria and the god of Dan: i.e. the golden calves. 

The New Testament talks about such a situation in 2 Tim. 4:3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  This involves the falling away of the Church.  And the heart issue is the same: their search for the word of God is actually a search to satisfy their own lusts.

It seems to me that we can see this in the church today, although my purpose in this post is not to point out some sin in the body of believers.  I am rather concerned with the shepherds, the pastor/teachers given by Christ to equip the body of believers (Eph. 4:11-16).  Many years ago, early in my pastoral ministry, I came across The Preacher’s Portrait by the evangelical Anglican brother John R. W. Stott.  This was life changing for me.  It was not the totality of the book, where Stott used five NT words to describe the preacher’s calling (steward, herald, witness, father, and servant).  But it was the first concept, that I was a “steward” of the word of God.  A “steward” was a servant in the house who had some particular task involved in the care of the family.  He had to do his part of the Master’s loved ones would be missing some necessity. 

The “steward” idea fits all believers, as each has a gift to be used in the household.  As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).  Perhaps the Apostle Paul was an illustration of this, in 1 Cor. 4:1ff.  Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Although Paul also told us what the bottom line responsibility of a steward is: Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.  But the specific command for pastors is in Titus 1:7: For a bishop (overseer, elder) must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money. 

Amos 1:3-2:3, What God Values in our Nation

God chose one people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth (Dt. 7:6).  That is not the same thing as saying God had no plan or purpose in the existence of all the other nations of the earth.  The Old Testament prophets often spoke the word of God to the nations abound Israel, even as they spoke truth to the family of Jacob.  We can learn from these prophets what God values in that nation He has created but which He did not make His “special treasure.” 

Amos’ prophecy gives us a message we Americans can take to heart.  If I know what God desires of Syria and Moab and so forth, I can know what He desires of us.  Amos’ messages to the nations are found in today’s passage.  What nations did God address?  What had they done that caught the attention of the Judge of all the Earth?

·       1:3: Syria (Damascus) had attacked Gilead, that part of Israel that was east of the Jordan River and south of Syria.  They treated the people with cruelty.  This event is mentioned in 2 Kings 10:32-33.

·       1:6: The Philistines of Gaza had taken captives, perhaps in the same event as in 1:3, and turned them over to the Edomites, Israel’s most cruel enemy. 

·       1:9: Apparently Israelites from Gilead had also fled to the north, to Tyre (Phoenicia), and they also turned the captives over to the Edomites.

·       1:11: Edom, the descendents of Jacob’s brother Esau, took the captives given to them and treated them with cruelty and with no pity.

·       1:13: Ammon, a nation that bordered on Gilead, treated the people of Gilead with great cruelty in an attempt to take land from them.

·       2:1: The last of Israel’s neighbors to be judged by God was Moab.  Their sin is both unique and uncertain since there does not seem to be a record of this unrelented revenge against Edom. 

One thing we can say about God’s “expectations” as Judge is that He sees things through His own prism.  The sins have to do with excessive cruelty against His chosen people.  If you read the event, you see that God was judging Israel by taking away from them the area of Gilead.  It was eventually restored, but this was God’s work.  But the sin of the nations was that they went beyond God’s intent.  It indicated a rejection of God’s plan.  I am reminded of Israel’s beginnings in Genesis when Ishmael did not recognize Isaac’s place but ridiculed him, Esau did not submit to God’s promise that “the older would serve the younger” and intended to kill Jacob, and Joseph’s brothers did not accept God’s word through the dreams but instead persecuted Joseph.  The nations must submit to the will and wisdom of God.

Even today the Jewish people, the people of Israel, are under God’s judgment (cf. Deut. 28:64-68).  Yet, they are still God’s treasure.  A nation seeking to be blessed by God would do well to consider this.  Recently this was in the news.  I think it is a good illustration of what we are talking about.

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba — son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni — who is considered to be his likely successor, has spent this week making a barrage of posts on X in support of Israel.  "We stand with Israel because we are Christians," he wrote.

Hosea 7:1-7, Ephraim’s Fatal Failure (2)

We are still wondering about Hosea 7:1, and in what sense the “wickedness of Samaria” was uncovered in the time of Hosea.  You may already have a thought on this from what we have shared so far about the “times of Hosea.”  But before I seek to answer the question, let me go a little deeper into God’s mercy shown to Ephraim.

·       2 Kings 13:17: When Jehoash visited Elisha on his deathbed, Elisha challenged the king to strike the ground with arrows, calling them “the arrow of the LORD’s deliverance.”  This Hebrew word (tesua) is a common word but most often is used of any type of salvation/deliverance.  It is first used by Samson (Jud. 15:18), then Saul (1 Sam. 11:9-13).  When King David speaks of “salvation” he uses another term, yasa, which is related to the name “Jesus.” 

·       2 Kings 13:5: The LORD gave Israel a deliverer to restore the “promised land” to Israel, the land east of the Jordan.  This word is, in fact, yasa.  This word has it’s origins with Moses who “delivered” the shepherdess-daughters of the priest of Midian (Ex. 2:17).  The second use in Ex. 14:30 refers to  salvation at the Red Sea. 

·       2 Kings 14:26: There was no helper for Israel.  God, the LORD, was to be Ephraim’s helper, as Jacob had said when he blessed his sons (Gen. 49:25).  This first use is followed by Deut. 32:38, in the Song of Moses, where a disobedient and idolatrous Israel is told to look to her own “rock” for help.  This term is a powerful reminder of the way it was supposed to be in terms of the relationship between God and Israel. 

We have mentioned these terms to emphasize that God had not ceased to desire to be in a relationship with the people of the NK.  Through prophets like Hosea and Jonah, as well as Elijah and Elisha, God made it clear that the door was still open for repentance.  During this time the terrible times of Baal worship had come to an end.  We know that in Elijah’s time there were many prophets of the LORD in the NK (1 Ki. 18:3-4; 2 Ki. 2:3,5), which continued to be the case with Elisha (2 Ki. 2:15). 

This is the significance of the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.  They stand out for their ministry to the NK.  Their days are critical for Ephraim.  Ephraim must repent or God will, shut the door.  This was what happened.  After the death of King Zechariah the NK only lasted another 41 years, with 5 kings.  We are not told of any prophets who ministered in the NK during that time.

Hosea describes Israel in his day, using several pictures.  One is that they are “like an oven” (Hos. 7:4-7), with evil passions that are hot that drive them.  They are like a “cake unturned” (7:8-10).  They have been baked on one side, perhaps in that Baal worship has been rejected.  But the cake is not being finished by turning to their true and only Rock, the LORD their God.  Instead they have resurrected the wickedness of Samaria. Perhaps there is an application for the USA as we approach the 250^th birthday of our beginnings.  More than anything, this “celebration” should be an opportunity to consider our relationship with our Creator, a relationship that He has graciously provided through Christ Jesus, and ONLY through Christ Jesus.  The door will not always be open!

Hosea 7:1; 2 Ki. 9:1-10, Ephraim’s Fatal Failure (1)

(We are coming up on the USA's 250th Birthday, so for this week we will post accordingly. We begin with two posts on Hosea 7:1.  Hosea is a prophetic book, written for Israel, but with definite application to the nations as they are addresses in Ch. 1 and what is prophesied about the Northern Kingdom of Israel often fits God's handling of the nations.) 

Over the years I have wondered about Hosea 7:1.  The LORD says, “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, and the wickedness of Samaria.”  To what does this refer?  At some point God was available, even intending, to bring spiritual healing to the Northern Kingdom.  But they sin was uncovered.  The assumption I always have made was that the iniquity of Ephraim and wickedness of Samaria had to do with the golden calves introduced by Jeroboam at the time of the dividing of the Davidic kingdom.  That was uncovered then, and was noted in the reign of every one of the succeeding kings of Israel.  So what was uncovered in the time of Hosea’s prophecy?  What is this talking about.

To find an answer we first need to get the historical context of Hosea.  Hosea 1:1 says he prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.  Hosea speaks to both nations, but, of course, our passage and question has to do with the NK.  So it is the days of Jeroboam, often referred to as Jeroboam II.  He was the longest serving King of the NK, 41 years.  It was a time of great prosperity.  2 Ki. 14:23-29 describes this time, and we will reflect on that later. 

We actually need a larger historical context.  Jeroboam II was the great grandson of King Jehu who was the head of a dynasty that made it briefly to great, great grandson Zechariah who reigned 6 months and whose death ended the house of Jehu.  Let’s start with a brief description of these kings.

·       Jehu, 2 Ki. 9-10.  He was anointed by Elisha, to be the king who would destroy the house of Omri, particularly Jezebel and all the descendents of Ahab and Jezebel.  He was God’s chosen servant, and he was a good servant.  He destroyed all Ahab’s sons, and also totally eradicated Baal worship from Israel.  However, during his time the LORD brought about the captivity of the tribes east of the Jordan.  God gave this promise to Jehu: Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight5, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Isreal to the fourth generation (10:30).

·       Jehoahaz, 2 Ki. 13:1-9.  In his reign the LORD became angry with Israel and allowed Syria more opportunity to oppress them.  Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him (13:4).  Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians (13:5).  That is an unusual thing in the NK, that the LORD was merciful to Israel.  But it was also unusual for a king of the NK to cry out to the LORD.

·       Jehoash, 2 Ki. 13:10-25.  It was during his reign that Elisha died.  We will come back to this later.  Also in his reign, Israel recaptured from Syria the East Jordan tribal areas.  As promised by Elisha, Israel had three victorious wars with Syria.

·       Jeroboam II, 2 Ki. 14:23-29.  He reigned 41 years and not a lot is said in 2 Kings about his reign, although what is said is significant.  He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.  For the LORD was that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and whether bond or free there was no helper for Israel.  And the LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash (14:25-27).  We do know that these were very prosperous times, both in Israel and Judah (under King Uzziah who reigned 52 years). 

·       Zechariah, 2 Ki. 15:8-12.  He reigned 6 months, and was assassinated, fulfilling the promise to Jehu, being the fourth generation from Jehu.

Spiritually, there were some high point in this dynasty.  All but the last served lengthy reigns: 28, 17, 16 and 41 years.  We see the LORD seeking to be merciful to Israel.  The words of the LORD in the time of Jeroboam almost sound like how He spoke to Moses at the burning bush.  But in the end, every one of these kings is said to have followed in the idolatry of the golden calves, even Jehu who destroyed the Baal worship.  May I encourage you to see the love of God in this time.  I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them.  I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them (Hos. 11:3-4).

Psalm 109

This is not the first imprecatory Psalm we have studied.  This and Psalm 69 are major but there are many that emphasize David calling upon God to take vengeance on his enemies.  Psalm 109 is particularly difficult in that David calls upon God not only to afflict wicked but also the family of the wicked (cf. 109:6-13).  But before we draw the wrong conclusion let us first lay out a framework for this Psalm and then we will make some notes.

·         109:1-5: This paragraph sets the scene for David’s prayer.  If you are prone to be critical of David be sure you do not overlook the evil of his enemies.  Their works reek of deceit, injustice and a major case of returning evil for good.  As to the specific situation we cannot be sure but we can feel for David’s pain.

·         109:6-13: He prays for justice, that his enemy be found guilty.  He also prays that the life of his enemy will be short, leaving his wife and children to suffer without him.  The result would be that his family would not flourish, being homeless or hungry.  Perhaps you saw 109:8, the passage quoted by Peter concerning Judas (Acts 1:20).  The other major imprecatory Psalm also has a reference applied to Judas (Ps. 69:25, quoted in Matt. 23:38; Lk. 13:35).  If nothing else Judas helps us visualize the person who was afflicting David.

·         109:14-20: David continues, praying that this evil man will not stand before God.  He prays that he will not be blessed but cursed and that God will reward his enemy with the kind of thing he has dished out, so to speak.

·         109:21-25: David prays that God will deal with him in mercy and goodness.  But note that he prays God will do this for His glory and honor.  David has been shamed but his request is for God’s glory.

·         109:26-29: David prays that God will humble the wicked man and exalt him, David, the poor and needy man.  He asks God to bless him and not let the curse of the wicked stick; this is opposite of what he prayed for his antagonist.

·         109:30-31: David vows to praise God publicly for His goodness.

Let us note some things that not only explain what is happening here but also gives us encouragement to, in fact, do the same.  First, David is giving vengeance to God, the only One who is able to be perfectly right in His judgment.  We are commanded to do this ourselves (Rom. 12:19).  Further note how often David asks for the wicked what the wicked have given to others.  This is the law of the harvest, God giving us what we deserve.  Third, David leans on another Biblical principle which is that God always exalts the humble and humbles the exalted (e.g. Lk. 1:52; 1 Sam. 2:7-8; Mt. 23:12).  And lastly, David’s ultimate concern is with the honor of God.  We see David’s integrity in the fact that he humbled himself before God.

We would simply say that if our inner motivations were in line with those of David, then our dealings with those who deceive and mistreat us would be honorable.  David has done well in giving God the place of settling scores.

**********

Psalm 109 Revisited and Improved

I would like to revisit Psalm 109.  In yesterday’s post we talked about “imprecatory” Psalms and what David was trying to do.  While you were reading that, I was in Psalm 109 and seeing the Psalm in a completely different light.  Then I went back in the evening to read the blog that I had written several years ago, and rejoiced that the Lord had not given up on me.  What I am saying is that I think I really missed the boat.  Here is what I see in Psalm 109 now.

·         109:1-5: There is not a word in these verses that Jesus could not have spoken from His cross.  Verses 2-4 are somewhat of a summary of what comes in the rest of the Psalm.  He is not talking about the Romans.  When He arrived at Golgotha He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  These words did not apply to the religious leaders, the shepherds of Israel.  They did know.  In the final days in Jerusalem leading up to the Cross Jesus warned the people of what was coming because of their rejection of Him.

·         109:6-13: In this paragraph we have a clue.  Peter quoted v8b in Acts 1 when they were choosing a replacement for Judas.  But I know there are many who read these OT quotes and think that the Apostles just pulled these words out of context because they fit what they were doing.  If you follow our blog, you know that we don’t believe that at all.  All the NT quotes come from OT contexts that perfectly fit their point.  Verse 6 begins, “Set a wicked man over him.”  It’s singular.  You can read this stanza again and hear Jesus speaking these words about His betrayer.

·         109:14-20: Now look at v14: Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.  The Psalm now moves to those who used Judas, the shepherds of Israel, the religious leaders.  They were Jesus’ “accusers” (v20).  They brought Jesus to Pilate and demanded that he crucify Him. 

·         109:21-25: You can now hear these words from the cross of Christ.  This is an expanded version of “into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” 

·         109:26-31: And finally, we can hear Jesus pray that God would make it clear that He, God, was at work in all of this.  He concludes by speaking of future ministry beyond the cross and the grace.  This fits Psalm 22 (v22-31) and Isa. 53 (v10-12).

 

Now lest you think we are making this too much about Messiah and not enough about David, let me remind you of two things.  1) Jesus was tempted/tested in all points like we are.  From just a human point of view, David did not experience anything in the way of testing that Christ did not also experience.  We should expect to see Jesus in the testimony of David.  2) Jesus is the “fulfillment” of the Davidic Covenant.  David experienced the rage of proud men (Ps. 2:1-3) and trusted in the promise of God for victory over the nations (Ps. 2:4-9).  But we know that Psalm 2 is a most powerful Messianic Psalm.  Thus, again, we should expect to see David, when he is at his best, showing us what the Messiah would experience.  Psalm 109, like all Scripture, is best understood with a focus on Christ.

Lam. 3:37-42; Rom. 12:1-2, PTSD and the Word of God (7)

Jeremiah has a better understanding of his situation.  He saw as the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and removed the Davidic king.  For Jeremiah this was a challenge to the faithfulness of God.  Yet, he has now come to see the situation more accurately.  God can be trusted to fulfill His promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), even as He had been faithful to His promises to Moses (Deut. 11:26-28; 28:2,15).  The former promised a land and nation and salvation to the world, all of which had become doubtful to Jeremiah; the latter promised judgment on Israel if they were disobedient, all of which was evident to Jeremiah. 

Given his renewed perspective, Jeremiah called the people to two conclusions.  First, there should be no complaining against God since He had done as promised to Moses: Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishments of his sins?” (3:39).  Second, building on the first, the people should turn back to the LORD (repent).  They should acknowledge that in all that happened, God was righteous: We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not pardoned (3:42). 

This is the end to which those created in God’s image must come, that God has been righteous in our traumatic experiences.  It is why we have said that our struggles with PTSD will be missing the most fundamental source of healing if we do not, as Jeremiah did, bring our Creator into the picture.  Daniel, in dealing with the same event (Israel’s chastening by the Babylonians), said it clearly: O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face (Dan. 9:7).  Affirming God’s righteousness made it possible for Daniel to then reaffirm God’s mercy: To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him (Dan. 9:9).

But now let us see something that takes us away from Jeremiah.  Under the new covenant, established through the death and resurrection of Christ, sins have been forgiven for those who have received this good news (gospel) of Christ.  On the cross He took our punishment, paying the price for our sin by the shedding of His blood.  By the empty tomb He has defeated death and brought “life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10).  This life is bound up in the Holy Spirit who has been given to all who put their faith in Christ, having received this good news.  The Holy Spirit enables us to live the life to which we have been called, a life of submission to our Creator.

This fits perfectly with what we have seen from Jeremiah.  To believe in Christ means we submit ourselves to Him: I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1).  Day by day we yield ourselves to Christ.  And then, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).  We can come to a deeper appreciation and embracing of God’s will for our lives as our minds are renewed, as we gain new perspectives through the word of God.  What Jeremiah said you will quite likely find hard to swallow.  The words are strong, especially when we are in the midst of our traumatic experience.  But in submission to Christ there is the desire and ability to be transformed into the person God has called us to be, to see that it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).