Author: japfth

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #377: On Wisdom (again)

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Types: One can divide the world into at least two categories of people: 1) those characterized by wisdom and 2) those characterized by folly.

When I was a boy, I was very close to my grandparents. I have always gravitated to people of depth. And they were certainly that–people of depth. They may not have had lots of letters after their names but, believe me, they were wise. The aphorisms that issued from their lips were among the most shaping influences upon my life. Now that I’m a grandpa, I aim to pass that wisdom on to my own grandchildren. Our kids are grown now, so they are making their own ways in life, but my bride and I hope and trust that the Lord will grip them in His sovereignty and that they, too, will lead lives of inculcated wisdom.

Connection: In the wisdom literature of Scripture, Solomon penned these four masterpiece lines:

A faithful witness does not lie,
    but a false witness breathes out lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
    but the folly of fools is deceiving. (Pr 14:5-8)

Teaching: I know that some folks struggle with poetry. So here is the prosaic expression of Solomon’s wisdom:

  • Faithfulness is wed inextricably to honesty
  • Mockers do not want wisdom; they ‘scoff’ at it
  • The wise person will flee that folly
  • Discernment is a characteristic of the wise man/woman

Encouragement: If I could have any people who have died returned to my life for thier wisdom and love, it would be my grandparents and my father-in-law. Why? Because they were wise, discerning people. They did not suffer fools. May we be blessed by surrounding ourselves with wise, discerning, godly influences.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #377: Studies in Job (Part 3)

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Bottom line up front: Trust not in emptiness.

Context: Job, called a blameless and upright man in Scripture, had three friends. Sometimes they were wise friends. Sometimes they were lousy, foolish friends. But even when they were lousy friends, or at least lousy theologians, they at times spoke wisdom.

Here’s one example of wisdom from one of Job’s friends:

Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
    for emptiness will be his payment. (Job 15:31)

That’s a zinger!

What Eliphaz, Job’s friend, is telling Job is that the wise person is not to trust in his own wisdom and righteousness/self-righteousness. The wise person is to look to God for wisdom and righteousness.

Questions: Were Job’s friends often rotten counselors? Yes and amen. Were they sometimes loquacious when they should have remained silent? Yes and amen. Were they oftentimes too big for their britches, as my beloved departed grandmother was wont to say? Yes and amen.

But on occasion, they were spot on, bull’s-eye. That’s what that line from Eliphaz is. It is bull’s-eye, 100% wisdom:

Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
    for emptiness will be his payment. (Job 15:31)

Encouragement: We’re to seek the face of the Lord in the Scriptures for wisdom and righteousness. It’s God’s righteousness and wisdom we need. And those are two of the treasures found only in the gospel.

A Story in Pictures

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Over recent days, we have received several winds in our sails.

One was a sweet time with our daughter and granddaughter. Mommyhood is new to our daughter, and she’s navigating it like a champ. And our granddaughter–in my completely unbiased and objective opinion, of course, is perfect, a little slice of heaven. I was able to cuddle her some more yesterday afternoon and have her fall asleep in my arms. I’ve heard for a long time now that grandparenthood is a unique blessing, and I could not agree more. Hopefully, many more sweet times are on tap.

Another series of events is unfolding, too, concerning our church family. Things are falling into place, and the Lord is moving, and people are tender, teachable, and ready to come alongside one another in service to Christ and His church. Stay tuned for details …

Lastly, this morning on the track, I was again at it during my favorite time of each day. That’s those moments just before the sun displays its majesty, during the dawn, and the moments afterwards. I never tire of that time of the day, regardless of my location.

Below are a few pictures from some of these sweet days.

Press on . . . in the truth.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #376: Studies in Job (Part 2)

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Question: What does true friendship look like?

Text:

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. (Job 2:11-13)

Context, Context, Context: Always keep the big picture in mind. The big picture in Job is the question of the sovereignty of God, the so-called problem of evil, and what true faith looks like.

Job’s wife, bitter and shortsighted, told Job, “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9b). How’s that for wifely counsel? Um, no thanks, ma’am. Impetuousness is unwise. Cursing God is foolish. Better to learn from God.

Sinners can deny God, curse God, and rebel against God, and more, but you cannot outrun God. Just ask Jonah. Job’s wife was a fool.

Friendship: But for a little while, Job’s three buddies were wise. Here’s what they did: they came alongside their friend. They didn’t sermonize (not yet, anyway). They didn’t lecture. They didn’t pretend to have it all figured out. They just were present with Job.

Encouragement: Have you ever been through a period in your life when what you needed most was just to know you weren’t alone, that you had a network of friends that came alongside you, and said (or just demonstrated without words) that they were there with you? I certainly have. And the value of those people is beyond words. Why? Because they just came alongside you.

As a little illustration just from my lane as a soldier, I do quite a bit of hiking and walking and jogging. I don’t like to run, but I have to do it. There are times when my lungs and knees scream at me: “Stop!” But you know what? It’s a lot easier to keep going when a buddy beside you says, “Come on; we’ve got this. Just one more mile.” And you know what? That mile is doable. You make it to the end and think, “Yep, we did it. Together.”

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #375: Studies in Job (Part 1)

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Introduction: It is among the oldest of narratives. It is the narrative of Job in Scripture. It deals with some of the toughest and most existential questions we ask as people: 1) Why such evil?; 2) How do I trust in the goodness of God amidst such formidable suffering?; and 3) What does wise faith in the true and living God look like?

Because I love the wisdom in the Book of Job, I am having to battle for brevity here. This is, after all, just a blog. But here’s the bottom line up front regarding how the Book of Job begins. Job was truly a good man. He was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (1:1). Right there in the very first verse, so much theology and wisdom is packed.

Why do I say that? Because God is showing you the themes of the book from the very beginning. The problem of being ‘good’ in a world that is plagued by sin and suffering, but also–and this is crucial–that Job “feared God.” Why’s that so important? Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 9:10). Most people fear other people, but Job was wise. His fear was of the Lord. That is a point not to be minimized.

Fear of man leads to people-pleasing and manipulation and other sins. But Job’s fear was of God. He had an accurate theology. Therefore, his anthropology was solid.

And in the very first chapter of Job, God summons Satan and asks him, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (1:8).

Many folks have a misreading of Job. They think Satan was the one who initiated Job’s trials. Not true; God did. God set it all in motion. He not only allowed it, but He ordained it. God is the sovereign, not Satan. (Don’t miss that.)

And in verses 13-19 of Job 1, Job’s life was obliterated. His sons, daughters, sheep, servants, and more were killed. And his property was destroyed.

We think we have bad days? Just read the narrative of Job!

Job’s Response:

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:20-22)

Encouragement/takeaway: The next 41 chapters of Job are going to explore the themes nested in chapter one. It’s all there–goodness, suffering, theodicy, the righteousness of God, the craftiness of Satan, heartbreak, tragedy, loss, redemption, restoration, agony, ecstasy, and more. For now, just think on this: “Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (1:22). Job trusted the Lord to be the Lord; Job was going to learn that God was not and is not afraid of honest questions. And God is good. Job ends on a high note–with benediction and praise. For now, though, just follow Job’s unfolding tests, and connect them to yours, and lean into–not away from–the God who rules all of history. Every square inch of it. God knows. God sees. And God is good.

The Beauty of the Cup

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Introduction: Surely many know the poem from the Old Testament:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23)

Today’s Focus: It is one of the most cherished of poems from sacred Scripture. And for good reason. But today’s focus is upon the phrase my cup overflows.

That imagery . . . wow! A cup filled beyond what it can hold. Why’s that so moving? Because it’s not about the cup. It’s about the One who fills it.

I say again: it’s not about the cup. It’s about the One who fills it.

Teaching: I do not presume to speak for others when I write. I speak my thoughts, and I try to align my thoughts under the Author of all that’s true and beautiful and good.

Have you ever doubted? Have you ever doubted God’s providence? Have you ever thought (even if you didn’t say it to others), that God didn’t see your suffering?

Rest assured, dear saints: God sees. God knows. And truth will prevail.

Encouragement: Trust the Lord. His faithfulness is unbeaten. He is undefeated. You can think you murder the truth; you can dupe sheeple into thinking you’ve got them fooled, but God’s truth will out; it will prevail.

May we be a ransomed people of transparency, light, and truth. Why? Because God will fill our meager cups to overflowing.

Friday Evening Reflections

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For me, this evening is a quiet one indoors. Outside our home the rain is falling softly and steadily. Small shallow pools of water are on either side of the front steps. Our Cavalier King Charles does not want to go pee outside for fear of getting her paws wet. [She is truly a ‘Lady’ (that’s her name)]. And I just completed the reading of a slim volume of theology by Jim Boice entitled Standing On the Rock.

Like Boice’s other volumes, this one was winsome and wise. In this volume, Boice tackled common objections secularists and liberals have historically raised about the sufficiency, authority, and inspiration of the Scriptures. And just as in his other volumes, he more than withstood all inquiries via vetted scholarship. He answered honest (and often dishonest) questions and assertions raised against the authority of Scripture, and gently called naysayers and skeptics to the truth via evidence.

As one steeped in this sort of polemics, his answers were not new to me. The same questions have been around since the Patristic Era and before. And honest answers are not hard to come by if one will do a bit of study.

But what I was so moved by this quiet evening were all the stories he shared in this slim volume–of skeptics who came to faith in Christ in the most interesting ways. One was of a man shouting ad hominem attacks, who challenged Boice to a debate. Boice willingly accepted the challenge, but the man refused.

Another was of how W.A. Criswell told First Baptist Dallas that he was going to preach through the entire Bible as their pastor–from Genesis to Revelation–knowing that many folks could not even locate books like Habakkuk and Zephaniah in their Bibles. Critics laughed and scoffed at Criswell. But the result? The hearers could not fit inside the church, there were so many. His exposition was so accurate and the Word of God was so powerful, people were regenerated by God.

The stories go on and on. And all of them testify to the power of the Scriptures–the very breath of God.

When I see my own writing on my laptop, I sometimes chuckle now. Why? Because when I was a young man, full of intellectual pride and a sharp tongue, and I studied philosophy and literature, and went on to earn several graduate degrees, I get what the Apostle Paul meant when he said he had learned to count all those things as so much rubbish. He didn’t mean that he devalued the life of the mind. Just the opposite, in fact.

What he meant is that zeal without true knowledge/wisdom is vanity and pride. True knowledge comes when we fall under the recognition that this is God’s world and therefore God’s Word is the authority. It’s not man’s world or the words of men that carry ultimate authority. We are always the creatures; God alone is the Creator. We are borrowers of the creation only.

God is bigger than our trials, dear ones. His Word proves true. You can kick against it, besmirch it, shun it, and pervert it, but it survives and remains authoritative. As a friend of mine wrote earlier this week when she quoted Isaiah, I will do the same:

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #373: Studies in the Life of Joseph (Part 3)

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The Issue: Trust Man or Trust God?

Text from Genesis 39:11b-23:

But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

Teaching: One of the many things I admire about Joseph is his consistency. You could predict his behavior because he was a “Steady Eddie” personality, an even keel, a “box” in the Shapes curriculum. He was a rule-follower. The leaders in Egypt elevated Joseph to positions of authority because he was trustworthy. Folks could count on him. He was not an excuse-maker, or someone who claimed, “But you don’t understand!” or “You’re misrepresenting me.” No; folks knew Joseph’s track record and they trusted him because he’d earned that trust.

Encouragement: Again and again in Scripture, we read this refrain about Joseph: “the LORD was with him” and/or “The LORD was with Joseph” (Gen 39:2, 3, 23). Folks, this is essential doctrine. We’re to keep short accounts with God, because God sees all.

Joseph endured immense sufferings due to the jealousy and sins of others, whether that be his kith and kin, the rulers in Egypt, a harlotrous wife, prisoners, et al. But “the LORD was with Joseph.” If you’re in Christ, dear ones, the Lord is with you. Be encouraged. God sees and God’s truth prevails.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #372: Studies in the Life of Joseph (Part 2)

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Text: Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. (Gen 39:6b-10)

Context, Context, Context: Already at this point, Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, sold to Potiphar, and more. But here’s the thing: God was with him. The Lord saw it all. And the Lord was using Joseph for purposes of providence.

Teaching: Joseph kept short accounts with God. He knew the Lord savingly. Joseph was not impressed by Joseph. Joseph’s boast was in the Lord.

Encouragement/takeaway: When Potiphar’s wife framed Joseph, when she enticed him, when she lied about him, etc. Joseph trusted the Lord for vindication and for the truth to be revealed. Should not we do the same?

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #371: Studies in the Life of Joseph (Part 1)

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Bottom line up front: The Hatred of Joseph

Introduction: It is one of the most important stories in history and certainly one of the most important in Scripture. It is the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob/Israel and Rachel. Why is this such an important story? Because it is a foreshadowing of Christ.

Joseph was initially hated by those God sent him to save. Jesus was hated, too, viscerally. He was in fact murdered. But Jesus came for sinners. That’s us, folks. And it’s the good news that Christ came to save His people from their sins.

Following the Story: Jacob the patriarch had been renamed Israel by God:

And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel (Gen 35:10)

Joseph as Typology:

 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. (Gen 37:5-8)

Questions:

  1. Do you see how, when Joseph announced his news from God, the people resented him, even hated him?
  2. Do you see how God used symbolism to show how God was going to raise up this man Joseph for His (God’s) own purposes?
  3. Do you see how Joseph was predicted to become as one who has authority to reign?
  4. Do you see how this connects inextricably to the New Testament and to Christ?

Takeaway: Scripture is revealing one coherent story, guys. It’s all connected. It all redounds to God’s glory in Christ Jesus, but you have to be able to connect the dots and see how all of the historical events point to Christ.

*This is Part 1 of several I’ll do as we look into the life of Joseph, and how God used him as a type of the One who was to come later, God the Son incarnte, Jesus of Nazareth. For now, just notice how Joseph was hated, and how that hatred is echoed in the hatred Jesus experienced.