Prayer that God Honors

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Context, Context, Context: Circa 1010-930 B.C. King Solomon was established as the king in Israel (2 Chr 1:1). He was the nation’s new leader, successor to his son King David. And he did what we almost never hear of nowadays: he prayed for wisdom. He turned to the fountain of all wisdom. He petitioned the Lord for wisdom.

Text: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chr 1:10).

Teaching: Verse 11 begins by recording God’s response:

11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel. (2 Chr 1:11-13)

God graced Solomon with more than he’d asked for. Sounds a lot like the gospel, doesn’t it?

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)

Encouragement: Regardless of how many times I read through Scripture, a motif recurs: God destroys pride in those he calls to lead and creates in them a humble heart. Solomon was on the mountaintop here, so to speak. He was doing well. But he’d squander much of his life later because he grew proud and self-absorbed. But for now, he got it right. Humility comes before honor. And those who purport to shepherd/lead/rule well must keep short accounts with God, because there is a reckoning (Rom 14:12).

Infinite Knowledge

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Omniscience.

Questions: Ever had to study? Ever had to prep for an exam? Ever had to memorize?

Sure, we all have. Why? In order to pass, in order to succeed, in order to learn.

Here’s a key distinction between God and us: God never learns anything. Why? Because he is omniscient/all-knowing.

Text: This morning I was completing the reading of 1 Chronicles in the Old Testament. Near the end of 1 Chronicles, I read this as part of the context: ” . . . for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought” (1 Ch 28:9b).

Let that sink in.

The Lord knows everything about you, about me, about his cosmos, about the future, about the past, about the end, about today’s headlines, tomorrow’s headlines, and every headline. He does not wake up one day and go, “Oops!” or “Let’s see how the cosmos is running today.”

Teaching/encouragement: Christian theology, like the Bible itself, teaches that God is all-knowing/omniscient. If there is no all-knowing/omniscient God sovereign over all things, then we are of all creatures most to be pitied, because that would entail utter lostness and purposelessness. That is why Scripture attests, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Ps 14:1).

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #417: Why the ‘God Question’ Matters

/ japfth / Leave a comment

As part of the church I serve as a teaching elder/pastor, we have begun sending out 60-second reels on social media entitled “Truth Through Theology.” The goals are simple: depth and brevity simultaneously. It’s no use decrying the fact that we live in a culture plagued by short attention spans. Most folks will not suffer through legthy, weighty, deep discussions or lectures or books. I could whine about that. But as the cliche goes, it is what it is. This is simply where most folks are. To gain a hearing, we almost always have to keep it pithy and easily digestible. Hence, our efforts via “Truth Through Theology.”

So what, right? Why should you care? Well, I’m glad you asked. The reason is that theology is unavoidable. Everyone has a worldview. No exceptions. Some folks are atheists. Some are materialists. Some are pantheists. Some are polytheists. Some are monotheists. Some are nihilists. Others, still, claim to be agnostic. The list could continue.

Regardless of the camp, however, everyone has a worldview. And theology is unavoidable. Everyone has a worldview, coherent or not, consciously held or not, regarding basic questions/issues like the following:

  • Where did everything come from?
  • Does God exist?
  • If God doesn’t exist, on what basis should creatures complain about categories regarding ‘justice’? Rocks don’t complain.
  • If God does not exist, are we not by definition just matter in motion, molecules in motion, hairy apes without freedom?
  • Why is there such evil in the world?
  • Where do we get categories of right and wrong, good and evil?
  • Where did mind come from?
  • How do you explain irreducible complexity?
  • Why is there so much suffering in the world?
  • How do we explain language?
  • What happens when we die?
  • What’s wrong with the world and is it fixable?
  • Why is there something rather than nothing?

This list of questions could go on and on. But each worldview has to grapple with these and other foundational questions. Regardless of one’s worldview, you have to grapple with these issues. Hence, “Truth Through Theology.”

In the Christian worldview, we have answers to these profound questions. God does exist. He has spoken. He has revealed himself in creation, in conscience, in the incarnation of Christ the Son, and in Scripture. For example, David wrote in Psalm 19 the following:

19 The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voicemgoes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)

This is what’s known as general revelation. God’s creation attests to and manifests his existence.

Illustration: As I sit in my library each night and study, my desk and tables and chairs are littered with books. (My wife lets me know the stacks often grow out of control and that I need to give more of them away. Pray for me!) But here’s where I’m going. As I look at the book on my table beside my chair right now that I’ve put down in order to type this out, I could pose some basic questions about the book: 1) Did it just come into existence on its own? No, of course not. That would mean that it had to exist before it acually existed. Self-creation is utterly illogical. One does not birth oneself; 2) Did not the book have an author? Of course. It had an author. And it had an editor. And it was typed. And it was bound. And it was marketed; 3) And did the book not have a mind behind it, a mind that communicates with my mind through the media of language and culture and ideas?

Takeaway: Theology is unavoidable. Everything that has been created has a creator. Each worldview has to deal with the matter of origins. God is the Author of life (Acts 3:15). That’s enough for this installment, but I hope it encourages you to explore foundational/worldview questions. Thanks for sticking with me. More to follow.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #416: Military Lessons about Godly Leaders

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Text: “Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him” (1 Chronicles 19:13).

Context, Context, Context: David was king in Israel. He was God’s man. God was blessing David as prince over the people. But when things are going well, be assured that the devil is scheming. The enemy hates righteousness and righteous rulers. The enemy and those in his army are possessed by a spirit of jealousy and resentment. As such, they plot to thwart righteousness and scheme to make everything about them instead of about God. That demographic is played here by the Ammonites.

The Ammonites’ Evil Act: “So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away; and the they departed” (1 Chronicles 19:4). The Ammonites humiliated some of David’s men.

Teaching: But David’s army was built with God’s men and that makes all the difference. It’s character that counts. Joab was one such man in David’s army. And his response? “Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him” (1 Chronicles 19:13).

Encouragement: Joab was a man of honor, character, and courage. That combination is a winner. Satan’s minions, take notice.

Chaplain Daily Toucpoint #415: Michal, David’s Wife

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Text: “And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart” (1 Chronicles 15:29).

This is one of those lines that strikes Christians like a slap. Why? I think it’s because of the stark contrast between the genuine and the fake. Michal, David’s estranged wife (and wicked King Saul’s daughter, by the way) resents David at this time. David’s star is on the rise. It is more accurate to say that David was part of putting God back at the center of the kingdom. David was, after all, God’s man.

Question: Have you ever noticed that some people keep their focus on other people, with an eye to being critical, while others keep their focus on God?

Teaching: David loved the Lord. He loved seeing God at the center. He was biblically theocentric and theocratic. But he was often surrounded by people who had their eyes on power. There’s a lot of theological spiritual warfare occurring, in other words, and Christians need to discern the times and know what God’s people are to do.

Encouragement: There’s a great deal of wisdom in keeping short accounts with God. Believers should resist the temptation to cast judgmental eyes upon others and focus instead upon God and their walk with the Lord. God sees, dear ones; rest assured in that truth.

What Sets a Godly Leader Apart?

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Question: What sets a godly leader apart?

Character Study: Many people may have some familiarity with King David from the Old Testament. He was the man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14 reads this way: “But now your kingdom [wicked King Saul’s] shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man [David] after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to prince over his people, because you [wicked King Saul] have not kept what the LORD commanded you.

The New Testament, too, refers to David as a man after God’s own heart: “And when he had removed him [wicked King Saul], he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, “I have found in David the son of Jese a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” (Acts 13:22)

In sum, then, David was God’s man.

Question: But ask the question again, What sets a godly leader apart? Focus with me upon 1 Chronicles 12. It’s a passage about David’s soldiers, his “mighty men.”

Text: 16 And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” 18 Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David,
    and with you, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
    and peace to your helpers!
    For your God helps you.”

Then David received them and made them officers of his troops. (1 Chronicles 12:16-18)

Teaching: First, notice how David “went out” to his men. That is, he was a servant-leader. He didn’t expect to be pampered. He was amidst the people, not hanging back. Second, he sought friendship with people of character. He discerned between godly and ungodly soldiers and friends. He didn’t knowingly truck with wicked men. Third, David trusted the Lord’s omniscience and sovereignty to vindicate him. In other words, David trusted God. Again, three things set David apart as a godly leader:

  • David led by serving
  • David distinguished noble from ignoble men
  • David trusted God’s sovereignty

Encouragement: There are countless leadership lessons to be gleaned from studying Saul and David as types of leaders. Saul was self-absorbed, self-centered, narcissistic, and insecure. He trusted no one. And he ended up taking his own life. David, on the other hand, was a servant-leader. He worked hard. He “went out” to his men; that is, he didn’t put himself above them. Rather, he led by example. And David cultivated the right leaders. And David truly was God’s man. He was by no means a perfect man, but his heart was a heart for God. When it comes to leadership, these characteristics set him apart, and redound to God’s work in him, and the lessons are for us, too, whether we’re soldiers, veterans, or civilians.

The Disgrace of Wicked King Saul

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Text: “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

Context, Context, Context: Wicked King Saul had been a disaster. The Bible teaches that he was an unbeliever. He was a false king to the true God. He was enamored with himself. He did not care for the people. He was so bad, in fact, that Scripture records that Saul’s suicide was brought about by the Lord as a judgment for Saul’s depravity. That’s what the two verses above are all about. Saul had breached faith. He had broken faith with the Lord. He did not keep the command of the Lord. He consulted a medium/spiritist. The list is long when it comes to Saul’s depravity.

Teaching: In the New Testament, we are told why we are given the histories like this. They are for our instruction so that we will learn from them. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Encouragement: God has covenanted to bring about the king of his choosing. In the immediate context, that was going to be “David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:14). Ultimately, however, it was and is Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).

My Servants the Prophets: Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #413

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word prophet? One who predicts future events? Bravery? Truth-teller? Forth-teller?

In Scripture, all of those attributes are true. Think of Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John the Baptist, as just some examples. Each man was used by God to tell the truth forthrightly; each man was brave; each man did speak of future events that would and did take place, etc.

Now think of the text below from 2 Kings:

10 They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, 12 and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:10-18)

Teaching: Israel once again fell into idolatry and apostasy. They failed to believe God and follow his revealed covenantal promises. They sinned, and they grew increasingly callous. They sacrificed their children by burning them atop idols. The list is long of their abominations. And yet, God sent his servants the prophets. And what was their duty? To call the people back to God, to holiness, to restoration.

Encouragement: As I’ve said countless times to our people, “Soft preaching makes hard people; hard preaching makes soft people.” That is undisputable. If you tickle ears and pimp people sentimentally, you’re a hireling and coward. God hates such shenanigans. God calls his servants the prophets to tell the truth, to serve the Lord, to fear God and love the sheep of his pasture. The fear of man is a snare. If we’re God’s shepherds, we’re to fear the Lord and serve the Lord. And that baseline will shape the trajectory of our ministries because that’s the solemn office to which some of us are called. The crux comes in having people with enough discernment to distinguish between hirelings out for their own fame and fortune and the true men of God who are laboring to please the Lord Jesus and to serve his bride, the true church.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #412

/ japfth / Leave a comment

Text: “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his own opinion” (Proverbs 18:2).

Context, Context, Context: Proverbs is a book of wisdom for daily life. Penned mostly by Solomon, it is chock-full of aphorisms. It has one overarching goal: obedience to God’s wisdom.

Questions: Ever known folks who talk more than they listen? Ever noticed how some folks long to be viewed as smart but they often just come across as smart alecks?

Mark Twain wrote, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Encouragement: Scripture says a great deal about those who teach. James wrote, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). None of us who teaches Scripture escapes divine evaluation. We are told up front in Scripture that we are held to a higher standard. Solomon wrote another book of wisdom entitled Ecclesiastes in which he penned the following: “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). The tongue is a fire, Scripture teaches. It is often set on fire by hell (James 3:6). Ergo, let the wisest among us know when to use it and when to refrain from using it. 

Time in the Hills: Bones, Deer, & Waters

/ japfth / Leave a comment

After officiating another military funeral honors today, I drove home, got out of my uniform, changed into casual clothes, grabbed a water bottle, laced up my hiking boots and took to the woods. The temps were in the 40s, the sky was cerulean, the wind cool and steady, and the sun constant. It was all perfect for a few miles in the hills. Below are some pictures and videos of today’s food for my soul. I hope you enjoy, too.

Benison fell like leaves. Blithe are the miles spent under these tall timbers when I pause and take a sip of water and gaze at the empyrean and sense my soul crescent to these realms of beauty, stilly under March skies.