Bible

Solomonic Wisdom

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BLUF: The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

Context: Ecclesiastes 2 is the passage. The context is that of wisdom literature. The wisest man, Solomon, is penning a book of wisdom. Here’s a man, but not just any man. Solomon is king. He is unspeakably wealthy. And he is pagan at this point. He is living for his flesh. He does not fear the Lord or have godliness in his sights. He worships at the altar of self. And we are to learn from his poor example. We can learn from all people—especially from those whom we do not wish to emulate. The sort of man described in Ecclesiastes 2 is just that—a type to avoid. Why? Because his love is himself—not God, not others, not the organization, not the unit, not some ideal. He is given over to self.

Text: “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure . . .” (Eccl 2:10).

Encouragement: I love the Book of Ecclesiastes for sundry reasons. One of the reasons is because of its transparency, its rawness. In Solomon, we see an Everyman. That is, he illustrates the universal human condition. We all must battle the temptation to put ourselves at the center of the story. We want to see ourselves as the protagonist, the hero. But Solomon is teaching through the Book of Ecclesiastes that it’s the fool who sets himself up as God. Why? Because we’re all sinners. Unless and until God grips us savingly, we’re idolaters. The encouragement is this: Ecclesiastes does not end with chapter 2. It ends with chapter 12. Until we arrive there, we need to keep short accounts with God who sees our motives. It’s not the wise person who worships at the alter of self; that’s the fool. The wise person knows that he/she is very much the clay and that God is the Potter. And we are wise insofar as we rest in the Potter’s hands.

Not Far Away

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BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): The litmus test for the true prophet

Introduction: This morning I was again studying the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. Specifically, I was focused on chapter 23. The passage below is about the litmus test for the true prophet. That is, how we are to discern and distinguish the true from the false, the genuine from the charlatan.

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord. (Jer 23:23-32, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: Jeremiah was God’s true prophet as distinct from the false prophets. Jeremiah was tasked with speaking uncomfortable truths about God’s righteeousness and judgment to a people who demanded psychological bromides of blessing from the lips of false prophets. Jeremiah spoke of war, invasion, and judgment. The false prophets kept saying, “Peace, peace” when there was no peace. The false prophets peddled a message that made hearers feel good, but their feelings were built on lies. Jeremiah, on the other hand, spoke truth, and people resented him for it. That’s a cost of being a truth-teller in a culture that demands comforting lies.

Encouragement: Jeremiah 23:28 is clear: ” . . . but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.” There are many costs, dear ones, for being the genuine in a world of fakes. But in the end, it will all be worth it. God sees, and God will always do what is right.

The Soiled Loincloth

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BLUF: The Ruined Loincloth

Text: Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing. (Jer 13:1-7, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: Jeremiah was God’s man to call out the sin of the nation. The people were idolaters, worshiper of Baal, self-centered pagans. Only a relatively faithful remnant of believers kept the faith in the one true God. And Jeremiah had the formidable task of calling his own people back to God, back to righteousness. Not an easy mission. God commanded Jeremiah to execute an object lesson whose message would be overt.

Encouragement:  Once again, Jeremiah faithfully executed his mission from God. The soiled loincloth was just that—soiled—after Jeremiah retrieved it from the river. Like the cloth, the nation had become soiled. They were dirty; they needed to be cleaned. Yet they refused. Again, think about the battle to trust the Lord that Jeremiah was enduring. This mission he’d been given was a far cry from the false gospels peddled in our day from the prosperity preachers, who look like they spend more time in front of their mirrors than in the Scriptures. But God was gracious, you see. How? By sending his servant, the prophet Jeremiah, with the only truth sufficient to clean the soiled garments of our sins. God is gracious, but God is simultaneously holy. Those two attributes must both be understood about the unchanging God of Scripture.

Some Ruminations on a Theme: Sacrifice (Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #469)

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Introduction: It’s one of those verses that drives me crazy when it’s ripped from its context. It comes from the Gospel of John. It’s John 15:13 (ESV): “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Context, context, context: It’s often referenced at military funerals (of which I’ve officiated hundreds, if not more), so I know the text. But what drives me mad–bonkers, in fact–is that there’s seldom given any context, at least when I’ve heard it. What was happening when it was said by Jesus? Who was present? What was the environment? Why was it said? To whom? For what purpose? And perhaps most of all, how does it fit within the metanarrative of the entire history of redemption? How does it fit within the whole of salvation history, per Scripture?

Answers:

What Was Happening: Jesus, God the Son incarnate, was speaking with his students, the disciples, in the upper room. He spoke metaphorically of a vine and branches. Some branches are pruned and discarded. Why? Because they didn’t bear fruit. They were false; they were pretenders, fake Christians (Jn 15:2). Others remain and bear fruit. Those are the Christians, those who bear godly fruit (Jn 15:5).

Who Was Present? Jesus’ disciples.

What Was the Environment? Upper room. This is Jesus’ final discourse (7/7). Last words are often replete with signficance.

Why Was It Said? Because Jesus was teaching those who would believe about discerning the true from false, the genuine from posers.

To Whom? Jesus’ disciples, 11 of whom were Christians.

For What Purpose? To equip the saints–them and us.

Big Picture: How does it fit within the entire narrative? Well, in short, Jesus (God the Son incarnate) is teaching that, until the end, we will always battle imperfection. Let me illustrate: Jesus had 12, right? But even there, a devil (Judas) was in the midst. This world is fallen. (We are unwise to dismiss the reality that the camel often has his nose inside the tent.) Judas Iscariot was the treasurer, and greed was one of his sins. His heart wasn’t in it (i.e., in Christ as Lord). Therefore, his ‘fruit’ was what one should expect: betrayal, lip service, posturing, etc.

Encouragement: There is a wisdom inextricable from realism. We need to have the honesty to admit the fallenness of human nature. We fail; I fail; we all fail. Let’s call it what it is: sin. That won’t win friends and influence people, but it’s nonetheless true. There are many posers. Many. But those whom God loves, He disciplines. He prunes us. Why? So that we’ll bear more fruit. So that we’ll learn. So that we’ll be faithful. Jesus is sacrifice incarnate.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #468: Steadfast

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Bottom line up front: In what patterns does the Lord delight? How should those attributes shape Christians?

Text: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jer 9:23-24, ESV)

Context: Jeremiah was prophesying about the fall of Judah. He had indicted the corruption of the religious leaders and priests. He had indicted the recalcitrance and hardheartedness and moral rebellion of the people. Jeremiah was a truth-teller. But being a prophet entailed the prophet’s reward: persecution. And yet, Jeremiah remained faithful. And what did Jeremiah say here that the Lord delights in? Three things:

  • Steadfast love
  • Justice
  • Righteousness

Encouragement: Lots of folks talk a big game about commitment, about love, about doing the right things. But where’s the evidence? We all make our theology visible. That is unavoidable. When people say that it’s difficult to know a person’s theology, I disagree. It’s clear to know: watch their life. Do they submit to the authority of Scripture? Is there humility in their lives? Is there a pattern of spiritual disciplines? Is there depth of biblical maturity? Do they serve a local church faithfully? Do they seek to edify and encourage the saints? Are they steadfast, just, and righteous? We’re not looking for perfection; we’re looking for direction. Is their pattern one of steadfast commitment or is it just talk, talk, talk? I have a few select people in my circle that I look up to—those worthy of imitation. They’re not talkers; they’re doers.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #466: The Paradox of Wisdom (Ecclesiastes for Today, Part 3)

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Intro: Currently at church, I’m beginning a 12-week series through the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. For many years, it has been my favorite book of the Bible. Why? To some degree, it is because it is literary and poetic in genre. It’s not a straightforward narrative of a battle, or crossing a body of water, or healing a leper, or epistolary literature about how the New Testament church is to be governed. None of that. Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature. It’s more nuanced. It’s written by a man who went from hero to zero many times, and then back again—Solomon. Solomon was wise beyond his years. He gained unprecedented wealth and reign. People traveled just to come see Solomon’s Temple, his riches, his kingdom, etc.

Segue: But then you get a book like Ecclesiastes. And what you find there is a series of mood pieces and reflections upon a life that has seen many highs and many lows. In Ecclesiastes 1, for example, we read the following:

      I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

                                             For in much wisdom is much vexation,

                                                And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow (Eccl 1:16-18, ESV)

Teaching: The paradox is striking. Here’s Solomon, wise beyond all other men, and we would think his mood would be one of joy. His heart, he writes, “has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 16). And yet he found that they—though noble and proper pursuits—were also vanity/wind/hebel (Hb.). Even in wisdom, Solomon was well acquainted with sorrow. Because he saw into the heart of the matter, he grieved over it. That’s what he means by, “And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (v. 18b). It’s much more convenient to skate upon the surface of life, to doomscroll from one image to another, to plug your ears with earbuds conveying only the views with which you agree. Postman wrote years ago a wonderful book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. I have found it prophetic. How? Well, we’re living in a time when many have entertained themselves into imbecility. Ask a person what shade of red lipstick Taylor Swift is wearing today, and he or she would be engaged. But ask a person the last deep book he/she read, and enjoy the hum of crickets.

That’s what Solomon’s driving at; he understands viscerally the fallenness of the world—that wisdom entails more than a taste of sorrow, because human fallenness is the most empirically verifiable reality. Solomon knew it, and that’s part and parcel of wisdom—learning to admit the reality of fallenness in this world.

Encouragement: Learning to live with the paradox of wisdom is less easy than one might wish for. There is wisdom in hoping for good from ourselves and others. At the same time, however, there is wisdom in being realistic about human nature and knowing the condition of the flocks with which we are dealing.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #465: Quiet Consistency

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There’s a great narrative in the Old Testament book of Joshua that resonates with Soldiers. It is found in Joshua 6. It teaches many fundamental theological doctrines but what I want to focus on here is simple: the value of quiet consistency.

Context, Context, Context: Reading things in their proper context is essential. The big picture overview of the book of Joshua is that it’s set in the 1400s B.C. It centers upon Israelite conquest of Canaan, the so-called promised land. The book as a whole is about God’s covenant faithfulness and the Lord himself is the ultimate Warrior-King.

Quiet Consistency: Joshua was the human typology of the warrior-king-leader of a covenant people, those who believed. It had nothing to do with race or tribalism. It had everything to do with those who believed God versus those who did not. God commands Joshua to “march around the city” of Jericho for six days (Josh 6:3). Then on the seventh day, Joshua and the others are to “march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets” (Josh 6:4). A battle strategy? Hmmm. Most of us, especially military types trained in tactics, techniques, and procedures might have balked: “Really, Lord? This is the plan?”

But that was God’s order. The people obeyed. They blew the ram’s horn, marched, marched, and marched some more. On the seventh day, they marched around Jericho seven times and shouted, and the wall of the city collapsed. Rahab and her family, those who believed God, were spared.

Encouragement: Regardless of how many times I read this history, I am struck at what God reveals about the importance of obedience and trust in him. This divine battle plan overturns any boasting in human military strategy. It’s a way of showing that what is required of the Christian is trusting the Lord rather than trusting human machinations. It’s about quiet obedience in a godly direction. 

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #464: Ecclesiastes for Today (Part 2)

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Text: 

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man (Eccl 2:1-8, ESV). 

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Know the condition of the well from which you drink. 

Context, Context, Context: Ecclesiastes is part of the ‘wisdom literature’ in Scripture. Its goal? Wisdom–to lead the wise from fruitless pursuit of wisdom under the sun to true wisdom in the Son. Solomon is a magnificent case study. He went from hero to zero many times. But he, in my view, finally got it right. Wisdom drives the Christian pilgrim to Christ, wisdom personified and incarnated. 

Connection: Who among us has not played the fool? Haven’t we all been like Eliot’s Prufrock at least once? I certainly have-more than once. Who among us has not fallen prey to pursuing stuff, promotion, popularity, power, wealth, status, etc., only to find we felt worse after the shine wore off? 

Encouragement: Solomon is one of my enduring favorites from history. Why? Because he’s an “Everyman.” He ‘gets us’ to use modern parlance. He’s shot through with our sins, our patterns, our fallenness, our proclivities. 

But here’s the good news: Chapter 12 is coming. Why’s that important? Because Solomon finally seemed to get it into his own stubborn head. Anybody else out there have the honesty to admit we’re all a lot more like Solomon than we differ from him? We pursue stuff, promotion, the approval of the sheeple, wealth, etc. There’s really no end to our idols. But what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul (cf. Mt 16:26)? The question answers itself. 

To Whom Does God Look?

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This morning I completed another reading through the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It is 66 chapters of absolute sovereignty. In the book, the prophet Isaiah writes in the 700s B.C. of his (God’s) incomparable name. He pronounces, through the life and ministry of Isaiah, his (God’s) absolute sovereignty.

How does God do that? Mainly through pronouncements/oracles of cursing and blessing. It’s God’s way of showing that the earth is his and the fullness thereof. He is not in need of anything or anyone. God, as I tell the saints at church week in and week out, is the hero of the story.

Creation>Fall>Redemption>Restoration.

That’s the overarching pattern in Scripture and in history.

We are creatures; God is the Creator.

We are fallen due to our sin nature.

God the Son became incarnate in order to redeem his bride (the true church) from all ages. Abraham is in the true church; Moses is in the true church; Ruth is in the true church; Peter’s in the true church; and Christians from all ages are in the true church because they are grafted into the seed of promise (Christ).

Then God restores all things in the consummation. The story comes full circle. The first Adam failed; the last Adam (Christ) succeeds. A new Jerusalem comes down; Eden is once again made perfect by the work of the triune God.

When I was wrapping up Isaiah’s book again this time, I was struck by a passage in the last chapter:

All these things my hand has made,
    and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word (Is 66:2, ESV).

To whom does God look? To the one who is humble and contrite in heart. Who is it that does God’s will perfectly? Abraham? No. David? No. John? No. Peter? No. Paul? No. You? No. Me? No.

You see the pattern? All of us have fallen–and continue to fall–short (Rom 3:23). God is the hero. Over and over again, God gets the glory. Our duty and joy as Christians is to herald that truth, to strive to live it out as salt and light, to preserve the good, and to expose the darkness in faith that God does–always and forever–what is right.

Leaving a Legacy

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Over the last few days, I’ve been privileged to witness the passing of leadership from one great leader to another. It’s interesting when you really pay attention to people. You can get a glimpse of their true nature—who they really are. When we honored COL Stone, he didn’t make the day or event about himself. He referred to God, to his own mentors, and to his brothers in arms, to his family, to his friends, and to all the Soldiers with whom he has served for nearly three decades. How can one not be moved by such words? He has now left his own legacy, just as many did before him, and many will do after him.

Question:  What does it mean to leave a noble legacy? Many things, of course. Overcoming adversity; resilience; improvements; victories; accomplishments, etc. But I think one of the things we should emulate is selfless service. It’s a spirit where the team and the mission require that each Service Member be mindful that his/her actions reflect upon the whole team. It’s that culture where the small decisions each of us makes ripple out and across the surface and under the surface. It’s leaving things better than we found them. It’s leaving it all on the field for the sake of honor at having done our best. We all have bad days; let us concede that. But the overcomer is the one who does not lose sight of the legacy he/she aims to leave.

I’ve been privileged to serve under and alongside many, many fine leaders. COL Stone was one of those. May his tribe increase. May we continue to learn from such men and, as Scripture says, honor those to whom honor is due (Rom 13:7).