Psalm 1

The first Psalm, like the 119th, begins with “blessing”.  A person is blessed because he fills his mind with the truth of God (v2).  He is blessed because the Lord knows his way (v6).  God’s knowledge of the godly is a positive thing, as is evident in Psalm 37:18-24.

Psalm 1 is also a Psalm of contrasts.  It is not enough to describe the blessedness of the godly (v3); it is contrasted with the cursedness of the ungodly (v4-5).  The classic joke begins, There are two kinds of people in the world …  But this is no joke: there are, in fact, two kinds of people in the world.

The first Psalm is also a “Psalm of the Word”.  It is the abridged version of Psalm 119.  The difference between the godly and ungodly is the shape of their minds and hearts.  The ungodly, step by step, grows deeper in the counsel of the ungodly, stopping to dwell in the path of sinners, and eventually taking his seat with the scornful.  The godly immerses himself in the law of the Lord, making it the substance of his thoughts day and night.  Notice that the end result is not that he seeks to be blessed but that blessing simply comes to him (v3).

Two things are true of the godly person and his relationship to Scripture.  First, he delights in it.  Scripture is enjoyable to him.  It is not a hard task for him to pick up his Bible to read and study.  Do you find this true in your life?  Ask the Lord to make it so.  The experience of many has been that the more time and effort they put into Scripture the more it becomes delightful.

Second, the godly meditates early and often on Scripture.  The term for “meditates” (v3) means to moan, growl, utter, muse, or mutter.  It envisions the person quietly but perhaps out loud repeating the words of Scripture.  Having hidden God’s word in his heart (Ps. 119:11) he now brings it back to slowly mull it over.  He considers it’s meaning, it’s application, and it’s relationship to the very issues of his life. 

It is important to recognize that Biblical meditation is not the emptying of the mind that some may practice.  Meditation is always focused on the things of God (His word and His works, Ps. 143:5).  We are, in fact, contemplating God’s word to us.  We are enjoying conversation with the Creator.  Hearing His counsel, we walk in the path of righteousness, and delight in sitting at His feet.

There are two kinds of people in the world …

Gal. 5:2-5; Mt. 11:25-30: Bearing Your Own Burden

We are still thinking about “bearing one another’s burdens.”  However, in 6:5 we see the goal is that each one shall bear his own load.  Is this a contradiction?

The first thing to note is that the Greek words in v2 and 5 are different.  In v2 “baros” refers to something that is heavy or burdensome.  In v5 “phortion” is simply something to be carried, regardless of its weight.  By illustration, the term in v5 refers to the cargo on a ship, while the term in v2 refers to the undo weight of that cargo during a storm as the ship is being ravaged or torn apart. 

Another thing we might do is note the two verses between v2 and v5.  Gal. 6:3 indicates to me that Paul is still concerned about the “conceit and envy” he mentioned in 5:26.  Those attitudes prevent the kind of caring that will restore a brother rather than simply judge him.  And it prevents the kind of burden-bearing we are called to.  Further, it would prevent the maturity that is needed to bear your own burden.  Conceit and envy are selfish sins, sins that show I am focused on myself and not on Christ or on those I am called to love.  When I bear my own burden, but have an attitude of conceit, I will tend towards self-pity, wondering why no one helps me.  Thus, it seems to me to be sensible, that Paul encourages a proper perspective, seeking to bear my own burden.  I can rejoice in that, because I will know that Christ is helping me and I am not unnecessarily dependent on others.

Thus, let us ask this: what is the normal burden for a believer to bear?

·       Let me remind you, that Pharisees (Mt. 23:4; Lk. 11:46), like the Judaizers Paul is concerned with in Galatians, took the normal burden and made it heavier.  And then they refused to help carry it.  We do not need to bear the burden of the judgment of other people.  Only One is our Judge (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

·       We are not called to bear the burden of our sin and guilt.  Christ has done that.  He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Mt. 8:17; Isa. 53:4).  He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness (1 Pt. 2:24).

·       Whatever our burden, we do not bear it alone; God calls us to allow Him to carry it with us.  Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mt. 11:28).  Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you (1 Pt. 5:7).  Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits (Ps. 68:19).

·       But what is the burden?  It is the yoke of Christ.  Discipleship!  Taking up your cross daily and following Him (Lk. 9:23-26; 14:26-27).  What Christ lays on us day by day, in following Him, comes from a Shepherd, a Master who is gentle and humble.  His yoke is said to be easy, even as Paul says, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17).  Remember: it’s a yoke!  We are yoked together with our Lord.  Thus He promises, you will find rest for your souls. 

Gal. 6:2-5; Rom. 15:1-7, Bearing Each Other’s Burdens (2)

Bearing each other’s burdens, 6:2-5.

The term “burden” is not necessarily difficult to define.  It is simply something that is heavy or burdensome.  But we might have difficulty determining when a brother-in-Christ’s burden is one we should take on ourselves.  Something I often pray for, is that people will not take on themselves burdens God did not intend.  Usually I am thinking about such things as “worrying about tomorrow;” God did not intend that we do that, so I pray that people will be able to trust God to carry tomorrow’s burdens.

But when am I obligated to share another person’s burden?  After all, we have an additional goal in today’s passage, that we be able to bear our own burdens.  Am I to help a brother carry any of his burdens, any burden he asks help to bear, if it is one he should bear himself? 

To help us think about this, let me add some definitions of the term in this context.  A. T. Robertson says the burden the Lord has in mind is one that is about ready to press down the individual.  We can see him or her failing under the load.  ISBE (Int’l. Standard Bible Encyclopedia) says the burden speaks of a difficult requirement, even one involving moral infirmities. 

Let’s see if, from Scripture, we can be a little more precise.

·       I would say that the restoring of a brother caught in sin is one of those burdens that we should help them bear.  That is the immediate context.  And the word “caught” indicates, as we noted, a situation that has overcome them.

·       Romans 14:1-15:6 speak of another burden, that of a brother young in the Lord who is weak in the faith.  The context has to do with issues like eating meat sacrificed to idols and which day is the proper day of worship.  These are two issues that, in the end, are not important.  We can tailor our views and practices if we see it has the potential to cause a brother in Christ to stumble.  We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples (weaknesses) of the weak, and not to please ourselves (Rom. 15:1).

·       Acts 11:27-30 speaks of a material burden that should be shared.  It involved the Jerusalem Church, during the time of a great famine.  The Church at Antioch took an offering and sent it to their brothers and sisters.  Paul argued this offering was appropriate in Rom. 15:25-27.  You may remember in Ac. 6 the Jerusalem Church cared for widows, providing meals for them.  Not welfare or a way of life but burden-bearing. 

Any time a brother is stumbling under his load should catch our attention, at least.  God promises a “way of escape” in all our trials (1 Cor. 10:13).  Sometimes that escape involves the sharing of the load by those in the body of Christ. 

Gal. 6:2-5; Eph. 4:11-16, Bearing Each Other’s Burdens

Bearing each other’s burdens, 6:2-5.

I want to use this post to encourage you with some quotes on the matter of “body life.”  This first quote is from Ray Stedman, a pastor in Palo Alto, California, who was born and raised in Montana.  His 1972 book was entitled, Body Life; this excerpt is from the Preface.

The first aim of the church is to live to the praise and glory of God … to declare the word, and demonstrate in attitude and deed the character of Jesus Christ who lives within His people … To declare the reality of a life-changing encounter with a living Christ … To demonstrate that change by an unselfish, love-filled life.

The next quote is from John MacArthur, from a 1973 book entitled The Church: The Body of Christ, on p167.

Because the church is one body, all its members are members of one another.  It is like a human body with connected tissues, muscles, bones, ligaments and organs.  No member of the body of Christ exists detached from the rest of the body, no more than your lungs can lie on the floor in the next room and keep you breathing.  No one member can escape his responsibility toward all the other believers.  The health of the body, its witness and its testimony are dependent on the faithful ministering of all the members of one another.

The third quote is from Francis of Assisi.

“O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Lastly, Jesus said these words:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Galatians is concerned about a particular conflict in the churches.  What was happening?  In 5:15 Paul warned, if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.  In 5:26 he admonishes them: Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.  Thus, as Paul concludes the letter, it is with practical ideas for the fellowship that deal with serving one another with love in these times or situations of conflict.  Sometimes the Body of Christ is known more by disunity than demonstrating Christ by their love (Jn. 13:34).  How valuable it is if, in the midst of conflict, there are those who serve each other in love, no matter what side that person may be on.

Heb. 3:12-13; 2 Tim. 2:21-26, Restoring a Brother/Sister

·       How does restoration take place?  These principles are based on a word study of “restore” in Gal. 6:1.  The term is often translated perfect in some English translations.  We will highlight the restore term in the Scriptures we consider.

o   God must do this work, so be humble, praying for yourself as well as for the one in need of mending.  May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing His will (Heb. 13:20-21).

o   Pray for them endlessly.  Paul did this.  Our prayer is for your perfection (2 Cor. 13:9).

o   Help them plan for restoration by the word of God.  Paul said in 2 Cor. 13:11, Finally brothers, aim for perfection.  The goal is not just to convince them they need to change.  Help them to take the first step and then the next, etc. until they are on their own two feet again.

o   Be an example.  Restoration is a form of discipleship.  The student (the one overtaken in a trespass) needs to see in the teacher (the one who is spiritual) how to walk.  As Jesus said, a student is not above his teacher; but one who is fully trained will be like his teacher (Lk. 6:40).

o   Be ready to endure hard times.  Restoration, like any spiritual growth, usually requires difficulty.  The God of all grace, after you have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you (1 Pet. 5:10).

o   Teach them to draw from the body of Christ, including submitting to those Christ placed in the body.  Eph. 4:11-13 says that Christ gave evangelists, pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service.

o   Note this, about the body of Christ.  Disunity in the body can block restoration.  Agree with one another that you may be perfect (1 Cor. 1:10).

·       What warning must restorers heed?  They must be considering (themselves) lest you also be tempted.  The legalist may never be tempted by adultery because he will only stand back and point the finger.  The restorer, who jumps in to help, is always only one fleshly step away from sin and must watch himself.  What is worse than someone in the church overtaken by a fault?  The one who restores, who is spiritual and more mature, falling into the same sin!  Time and again we see this and it so dishonors the Lord!  Here are a few preventative suggestions:

o   Don’t unnecessarily expose yourself to temptation.

o   When sensing weakness, immediately back off (i.e. flee!). 

o   Involve another brother/sister for your sake.

We hope you find this helpful so that you might be used of the Lord.  Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).

Gal. 6:1; 2 Cor. 13:7-14, Restoring a Brother/Sister

·       What is restoration?  We are not just talking about returning someone to what they were at a previous time.  The presence of scars and of consequences won’t allow for that.  Rather, it is restoring someone to usefulness, for service to the Lord.  The Greek term used in Gal. 6:1 is the same as in Matt. 4:21, where James and John were mending their nets.  What a great picture of restoration!

·       When is restoration needed?  The NKJV says, if a man is overtaken in any trespass.  A trespass is, of course, a misstep, and thus a sin.  To be overtaken is to be caught by surprise.  In some way or another, a person has not been on the alert as our Lord said we must be.  Perhaps they can justifiably say they didn’t know better.  But more likely, it began with an impulsive action that snowballed to the point where they are trapped and cannot get out on their own.  Their attitude toward the sin might involve blaming others or excusing their sinful behavior in some other way. 

·       Who can be a restorer?  You who are spiritual.  What does that mean?

o   Given the context of Galatians, some have suggested Paul might be using sarcasm here, in the sense, “you who claim to be so spiritual, prove it.”  The point here is that legalists will judge people but won’t restore them.  They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them (Matt. 23:4-5a).

o   Most would say Paul means what he says.  But who is spiritual?  The word refers to things or people that are caused by, born of, or filled with the Spirit.  In Galatians, it is one who walks in the Spirit and manifests the fruit of the Spirit.  It is the opposite of one who is “carnal” or walking in the flesh (1 Cor. 3:1).  On the other hand, it is applied to those who have the mind of the Lord (1 Cor. 2:15-16).  It is not simply elders, pastors, deacons or other church leaders but anyone controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Like the people in Rome, restorers are able to admonish one another (Rom. 15:14).

·       What attitude is critical in restoration?  Paul calls for a spirit of gentleness.  This is meekness in the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23), defined as yielding my rights and expectations to God.  It is the opposite of using a chastening rod (1 Cor. 4:21), being bold (2 Cor. 10:1), or slandering (Titus 3:2-3).  We are not to approach restoration with both guns blazing.  Instead, in meekness correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.  It is keeping in mind that we were once foolish and disobedient, serving our lusts (Titus 3:2-3).

We will conclude this discussion in our next post.

Gal. 6:1-10, Practical Ideas on Serving One Another

Gal. 5:26 is a transition to this passage.  Paul is still talking about how those who are free in Christ can serve one another in love.  Further, 5:26 (Let us not be conceited, provoking one another) seems to lead right to 6:1 (restore your brother, but watch out for yourself as well).  There is not just a prohibition; there is an encouragement to love.

In this passage we have found the following practical ideas: restoring a brother in Christ (6:1), bearing each other’s burdens (6:2-5), sharing good things with those who teach (6:6-8), and doing good (6:9-10).

Restoring a brother in Christ, 6:1.

Consider the following from Isaiah 40:27-31:

The everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary … He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.  But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

God is a God who restores and renews people.  Remember Naomi, in the story of Ruth?  She went from “Naomi” (pleasant) to “Mara” (bitter, Ruth 1:20-21), but then was restored by God (Ruth 4:14-15).  What about David?  He went from being the man after God’s own heart to having the prophet point his finger at him and say, you are the man!  But then God restored him according to Psalm 51:10: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Israel, as a nation, chosen by God to be His treasure, descended from the glory of the reigns of David and Solomon to being carried off captive.  Yet, the prophets were not ashamed to plead with the LORD for restoration. 

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure (Lam. 5:21-22). 

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known, in wrath remember mercy (Hab. 3:2).

Psalm 126 reflects on God’s bringing the nation back from captivity, referring to those who sow in tears reaping in joy.  He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.  Restoration is a vital Christian ministry because it is built on a hope that God Himself supports, the hope of being useful again in service to our Lord.  That makes Gal. 6:1 a valuable study for us.