12 “ But you profane it,
In that you say,
‘ The table of the LORD[a] is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
13 You also say,
‘ Oh, what a weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“ And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the LORD.
14 “ But cursed be the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—
For I am a great King,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“ And My name is to be feared among the nations.
(NKJV)
The Lord repeats the charges against His chosen people. And he further says that those who have taken a vow to give of his best offering to God will be cursed if he instead presents before God sacrifices that are blemished. The Lord is reacting to the flippant nature with which the priests and the people have now treated their sacrifices to God. Instead of treating God with reverence, they have chosen to mock him by offering him the stolen, the lame and the sick. The priests and the people have shown disrespect to God. And He in turn pronounces the judgment of a curse on them, anyone who does not present a pure offering, anyone who does not take seriously his own vow to God.
These verses remind us of the seriousness with which God desires the very best of people who worship Him and who honour Him and who revere Him. Although God desires a close personal relationship with us, we should never forget the truth that He is our Lord and Master. In tithing, for instance, we should give our very first 10% or more to God before we settle on the use of the remainder of our monthly income. Are we most of the time scrapping at the bottom just to give a miserly offering to God in return for His bountiful blessings for us? As for the use of our time, are we trying in vain to fit God into our schedules or are we seeking to honour Him and worship Him by fitting our schedule around Him? And when it comes to relationships with others, do we honour God in what we say to others and how we treat them?
Hypocrisy and deceit do not sit well with a holy God.
References:
1. Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/h/henry/?show=worksBy
2. John Calvin's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/c/calvin/?show=worksBy
3. The Spirit-Filled Bible (NKJV)
4. Life Application Bible (NIV)
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Reflections on Malachi 1:11
11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
(NKJV)
I looked at these words written by Malachi around 450 B.C, and I said to myself: "Hey, I'm included in this prophecy!". Ha! Every Gentile Christian is a living testimony of the prophecy. The Lord looked at His chosen people, the Jews, and they have been found wanting.
As a result, He says through Malachi that as surely as the sun will rise and set, His name will be great among the Gentiles. In contrast to the polluted and defiled offerings of the Jews, God says that in every place, incense will offered to His name and a pure offering. God has sovereignly declared that salvation as well as the worship and praise of Him have been offered to the Gentiles and not just the Jews. And that all the nations will come to know of His truth and His name. The words also point to the time when the Gospel would be spread to the world through workers of God.
In the Old Testament, the Jews used animal sacrifices to worship and honour God as well as to have sins forgiven and to have fellowship with God restored. With Christ who became the perfect sacrifice by bearing all our sins on the cross, we no longer need to resort to such practices in order to have our sins forgiven and to have a personal relationship with God. Our sacrifice is now that of praise and worship through our lips and giving thanks to His name, and worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. God is well pleased also with doing good and sharing.
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Hebrews 13:15-16
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
(NKJV)
I looked at these words written by Malachi around 450 B.C, and I said to myself: "Hey, I'm included in this prophecy!". Ha! Every Gentile Christian is a living testimony of the prophecy. The Lord looked at His chosen people, the Jews, and they have been found wanting.
As a result, He says through Malachi that as surely as the sun will rise and set, His name will be great among the Gentiles. In contrast to the polluted and defiled offerings of the Jews, God says that in every place, incense will offered to His name and a pure offering. God has sovereignly declared that salvation as well as the worship and praise of Him have been offered to the Gentiles and not just the Jews. And that all the nations will come to know of His truth and His name. The words also point to the time when the Gospel would be spread to the world through workers of God.
In the Old Testament, the Jews used animal sacrifices to worship and honour God as well as to have sins forgiven and to have fellowship with God restored. With Christ who became the perfect sacrifice by bearing all our sins on the cross, we no longer need to resort to such practices in order to have our sins forgiven and to have a personal relationship with God. Our sacrifice is now that of praise and worship through our lips and giving thanks to His name, and worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. God is well pleased also with doing good and sharing.
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Hebrews 13:15-16
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
References:
1. Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/h/henry/?show=worksBy
2. John Calvin's Commentary of the Bible
http://www.ccel.org/c/calvin/?show=worksBy
3. The Spirit-Filled Bible (NKJV)
4. Life Application Bible (NIV)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Born For Such A Time As This
I Have A Destiny
(Eph. 1:11; John 15:16; Phil 1:6)
By Mark Altrogge
© 1988 PDI/Pleasant Hill Music Diadam, Inc. 939 Sundersville Ferry Rd., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
I have a destiny I know I shall fulfill
I have a destiny in that city on a hill.
I have a destiny and it's not an empty wish
For I know I was born for such a time as this.
Long before the ages You predestined me
To walk in all the works You have prepared for me
You've given me a part to play in history
To help prepare a bride for eternity.
I did not choose you but You have chosen me
And appointed me for bearing fruit abundantly
I know You will complete the work begun in me
By the power of Your Spirit working mightily.
God never ceases to amaze me. In my previous post, the Lord led me to this Spurgeon sermon about election and predestination. Then when I was listening to my song collection on Real Player, this song by Kent Henry sprang out. When I heard it, I was very encouraged by the lyrics because as in the Bible, even though we may sometimes not know what God has in mind for us, rest assured that He has a plan and a purpose for us. And that He who has begun a good work in us has promised to finish it until the day of Christ's return. Amen.
Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
John 15:16 (NKJV)
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
(Eph. 1:11; John 15:16; Phil 1:6)
By Mark Altrogge
© 1988 PDI/Pleasant Hill Music Diadam, Inc. 939 Sundersville Ferry Rd., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
I have a destiny I know I shall fulfill
I have a destiny in that city on a hill.
I have a destiny and it's not an empty wish
For I know I was born for such a time as this.
Long before the ages You predestined me
To walk in all the works You have prepared for me
You've given me a part to play in history
To help prepare a bride for eternity.
I did not choose you but You have chosen me
And appointed me for bearing fruit abundantly
I know You will complete the work begun in me
By the power of Your Spirit working mightily.
God never ceases to amaze me. In my previous post, the Lord led me to this Spurgeon sermon about election and predestination. Then when I was listening to my song collection on Real Player, this song by Kent Henry sprang out. When I heard it, I was very encouraged by the lyrics because as in the Bible, even though we may sometimes not know what God has in mind for us, rest assured that He has a plan and a purpose for us. And that He who has begun a good work in us has promised to finish it until the day of Christ's return. Amen.
Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
John 15:16 (NKJV)
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Reflections on Malachi 1:6-10
6 “ A son honors his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the LORD of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “ You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘ In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
‘ The table of the LORD is contemptible.’
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?”
Says the LORD of hosts.
9 “ But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
Whilethis is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the LORD of hosts.
10 “ Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“ Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
When I read these verses, I was taken aback by God's sharp rebuke to His priests. Here, he took them to task over the following charges:
- Despising His name
- Offering defiled food on His altar
- Defiling His name
- Saying the table of the Lord is contemptible
- Offering the blind as a sacrifice
- Offering the lame and sick as a sacrifice
The misconduct of the priests is very serious when we compare their offerings to God's standard of offerings outlined in the book of Leviticus, where God laid out the sacrificial system for His chosen people.
There were five key offerings that the Israelites had to make in order to have their sins forgiven and to restore their fellowship with God.
The burnt Offering (Leviticus 1) - Hebrew (olah)
It is the only sacrifice that is entirely consumed upon the altar, and therefore it is sometimes called the whole offering. It included bulls, sheep, goat, pigeons and turtledoves. The offering is to be a male without blemish to make payment for sins in general, and showed a person's devotion to God.
How it relates to Christ - The unblemished animal symbolised the moral perfection demanded by a holy God, and the perfect nature of the real sacrifice that is to come - Jesus Christ.
The Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) - Hebrew (minchah)
It is a tribute offering made in order to secure or maintain the divine favour, indicating that the fruits of a person's labour should be dedicated to God. Three kinds of offerings are listed: fine flour with oil and incense, baked cakes or wafers of fine flour and oil, and roasted kernels of grain (corn) with oil and incense. The absence of yeast symbolised the absence of sin, and the oil symbolised God's presence. Part of the offering was burnt on the altar as a gift to God, and the rest was eaten by the priests. The offering was to show honour and respect to God in worship, and to acknowledge that all we have belongs to God.
How it relates to Christ - Christ is the perfect man who gave all of himself to God and to others.
The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3) - Hebrew (shelamin)
It is designed to provide expiation and permits the one who makes the offering to eat the meat of the sacrifice. It was often given on a joyous occasion. The offering is to be a male or female of the herd without blemish. It was to express gratitude to God and symbolised peace and fellowship with God.
How it relates to Christ - Christ is the only way to fellowship with God.
The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4) - Hebrew (chatta't)
It is used to remove impurity from the sanctuary. Failure to observe the commandments of the Lord results in a violation of the holiness code and in the covenant relationship with God. The subsequent sin offering may then be given for the anointed priest, the congregation of Israel, the ruler of the people, or an individual of the common people. It involves the sprinkling of the animal's blood (again the animal is to be without blemish) and emphasised purification before God. It is offered to end a person's period of uncleanness, to end certain vows, or to purify from inadvertent sins or sins of omission.
How it relates to Christ - The offering restores the sinner to fellowship with God and also shows the seriousness of sin. Christ's death restores our fellowship with God because He is the final sin offering.
The Trepass Offering (Leviticus 5) - Hebrew (asham)
Known also as the Guilt Offering or the Offering of Reparation, it is prepared for violation of the sanctity of the property of God or of another person, usually by the use of a false oath. The trespass has desecrated the sanctity of God and an offering is required. It was to make payment for sins against God and against others. A sacrifice was made to God and the injured person was repaid or compensated.
How it relates to Christ - Christ's death has taken away all the deadly consequences of sin.
(The notes above on the five offerings are taken from the Life Application Bible - NIV version and the Spirit-filled Bible - NKJV version)
In Malachi, the priests were guilty of profaning God's name, instead of doing their duty and doing honour to His name. God's answer was very clear - He says in His Word that He finds no pleasure in them and He will not accept an offering from their hands.
I thought about what lessons these verses would hold for Christians today, given that the book of Malachi seems very far removed from our modern age. As well, due to Christ's sacrifice, we no longer have to offer animals before God. But in Malachi, we can see clearly that God takes an extremely serious view of sin, and so it is extremely important for us to go before Christ in prayer and confess our sins daily and repent of our sins.
I was telling a close Christian friend that sometimes I tend to take God for granted. Instead of giving God the best of my time, my efforts, my heart and my life, I tend to leave Him with the scraps. Forgive me, Lord. There are always so many things that I would be busy doing rather than spending time with Him in prayer, devoting time to His ministry or to evangelism, or immersing myself in His Word.
Lately, though, I've been trying to consciously spend more time with God through these ways:
- Doing a bible study of each book, starting with Malachi
- Carving out a time period for my quiet time (2am to 4am)
- Blogging my thoughts/notes/reflections on the bible study during quiet time
- Praying before work during the taxi ride to the office (apart from praying during quiet time)
- Praying to God daily for endless portions of these things: passion for Him and His Word; compassion for people; grace; love, joy and peace; humility; wisdom; and increasing revelation of Him and His Word; and faith to believe in the impossible.
And you know what? It is such a tremendous joy, honour and privilege for me to be in the inner courts. This, not because of who I am or what I've done, but because of God's grace upon me as well as Christ's crucifixtion and resurrection. May I ever be grateful for and humbled by this truth. Amen.
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the LORD of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “ You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘ In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
‘ The table of the LORD is contemptible.’
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?”
Says the LORD of hosts.
9 “ But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
Whilethis is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the LORD of hosts.
10 “ Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“ Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
When I read these verses, I was taken aback by God's sharp rebuke to His priests. Here, he took them to task over the following charges:
- Despising His name
- Offering defiled food on His altar
- Defiling His name
- Saying the table of the Lord is contemptible
- Offering the blind as a sacrifice
- Offering the lame and sick as a sacrifice
The misconduct of the priests is very serious when we compare their offerings to God's standard of offerings outlined in the book of Leviticus, where God laid out the sacrificial system for His chosen people.
There were five key offerings that the Israelites had to make in order to have their sins forgiven and to restore their fellowship with God.
The burnt Offering (Leviticus 1) - Hebrew (olah)
It is the only sacrifice that is entirely consumed upon the altar, and therefore it is sometimes called the whole offering. It included bulls, sheep, goat, pigeons and turtledoves. The offering is to be a male without blemish to make payment for sins in general, and showed a person's devotion to God.
How it relates to Christ - The unblemished animal symbolised the moral perfection demanded by a holy God, and the perfect nature of the real sacrifice that is to come - Jesus Christ.
The Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) - Hebrew (minchah)
It is a tribute offering made in order to secure or maintain the divine favour, indicating that the fruits of a person's labour should be dedicated to God. Three kinds of offerings are listed: fine flour with oil and incense, baked cakes or wafers of fine flour and oil, and roasted kernels of grain (corn) with oil and incense. The absence of yeast symbolised the absence of sin, and the oil symbolised God's presence. Part of the offering was burnt on the altar as a gift to God, and the rest was eaten by the priests. The offering was to show honour and respect to God in worship, and to acknowledge that all we have belongs to God.
How it relates to Christ - Christ is the perfect man who gave all of himself to God and to others.
The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3) - Hebrew (shelamin)
It is designed to provide expiation and permits the one who makes the offering to eat the meat of the sacrifice. It was often given on a joyous occasion. The offering is to be a male or female of the herd without blemish. It was to express gratitude to God and symbolised peace and fellowship with God.
How it relates to Christ - Christ is the only way to fellowship with God.
The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4) - Hebrew (chatta't)
It is used to remove impurity from the sanctuary. Failure to observe the commandments of the Lord results in a violation of the holiness code and in the covenant relationship with God. The subsequent sin offering may then be given for the anointed priest, the congregation of Israel, the ruler of the people, or an individual of the common people. It involves the sprinkling of the animal's blood (again the animal is to be without blemish) and emphasised purification before God. It is offered to end a person's period of uncleanness, to end certain vows, or to purify from inadvertent sins or sins of omission.
How it relates to Christ - The offering restores the sinner to fellowship with God and also shows the seriousness of sin. Christ's death restores our fellowship with God because He is the final sin offering.
The Trepass Offering (Leviticus 5) - Hebrew (asham)
Known also as the Guilt Offering or the Offering of Reparation, it is prepared for violation of the sanctity of the property of God or of another person, usually by the use of a false oath. The trespass has desecrated the sanctity of God and an offering is required. It was to make payment for sins against God and against others. A sacrifice was made to God and the injured person was repaid or compensated.
How it relates to Christ - Christ's death has taken away all the deadly consequences of sin.
(The notes above on the five offerings are taken from the Life Application Bible - NIV version and the Spirit-filled Bible - NKJV version)
In Malachi, the priests were guilty of profaning God's name, instead of doing their duty and doing honour to His name. God's answer was very clear - He says in His Word that He finds no pleasure in them and He will not accept an offering from their hands.
I thought about what lessons these verses would hold for Christians today, given that the book of Malachi seems very far removed from our modern age. As well, due to Christ's sacrifice, we no longer have to offer animals before God. But in Malachi, we can see clearly that God takes an extremely serious view of sin, and so it is extremely important for us to go before Christ in prayer and confess our sins daily and repent of our sins.
I was telling a close Christian friend that sometimes I tend to take God for granted. Instead of giving God the best of my time, my efforts, my heart and my life, I tend to leave Him with the scraps. Forgive me, Lord. There are always so many things that I would be busy doing rather than spending time with Him in prayer, devoting time to His ministry or to evangelism, or immersing myself in His Word.
Lately, though, I've been trying to consciously spend more time with God through these ways:
- Doing a bible study of each book, starting with Malachi
- Carving out a time period for my quiet time (2am to 4am)
- Blogging my thoughts/notes/reflections on the bible study during quiet time
- Praying before work during the taxi ride to the office (apart from praying during quiet time)
- Praying to God daily for endless portions of these things: passion for Him and His Word; compassion for people; grace; love, joy and peace; humility; wisdom; and increasing revelation of Him and His Word; and faith to believe in the impossible.
And you know what? It is such a tremendous joy, honour and privilege for me to be in the inner courts. This, not because of who I am or what I've done, but because of God's grace upon me as well as Christ's crucifixtion and resurrection. May I ever be grateful for and humbled by this truth. Amen.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Reflections on Malachi 1:2-5
2 “ I have loved you,” says the LORD.
“ Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the LORD.
“ Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4 Even though Edom has said,
“ We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“ They may build, but I will throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
‘ The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
(NKJV version)
Brief summary taken from Matthew Henry's commentary (paraphrased)
Malachi draws an argument outlining God's love for Israel by contrasting the fate of Edom and Israel. The country which the Lord gave to Esau was called Edom (or Mount Seir or Idumea) and his descendants were Edomites. The Lord says here that there is eternal judgment against the Edomites and their land will be laid to waste and desolation, even as they try to rebuild their land. But in the case of Israel, even though God was displeased with His chosen people, He says that they will see and they will say that the Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.
My thoughts
As I was reading the verses, the first question that popped up was why God favoured Jacob and hated Esau. And if one thinks beyond these verses, then we would ask why God favoured Abraham and why God favoured the Jews. In doing so, we approach the doctrine of election.
I went online to search for answers, and I came across a sermon that Charles Spurgeon preached on Jacob and Esau on Jan 16, 1859 - http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0239.HTM
Spurgeon covered what he termed as "terrible text" but said he "will be honest with it if he can". This is actually the first time I've come across an online sermon devoted to election and God's sovereign grace. What I like about Spurgeon is that he doesn't pull any punches regarding God's sovereignty, and that at the end of his sermon, he redirects the congregation back to the most important point - the Gospel.
Below are some extracts from his sermon
The truth is, neither you nor I have any right to want to know more about predestination than what God tells us. That is enough for us. If it were worth while for us to know more, God would have revealed more. What God has told us, we are to believe, but to the knowledge thus gained, we are too apt to add our own vague notions, and then we are sure to go wrong. It would be better, if in all controversies, men had simply stood hard and fast by "Thus saith the Lord," instead of having it said, "Thus and thus I think."
I can tell you the reason why God loved Jacob; It is sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love.
Now, the next question is a different one: Why did God hate Esau? I am not going to mix this question up with the other, they are entirely distinct, and I intend to keep them so, one answer will not do for two questions, they must be taken separately, and then can be answered satisfactorily. Why does God hate any man? I defy anyone to give any answer but this, because that man deserves it; no reply but that can ever be true. There are some who answer, divine sovereignty; but I challenge them to look that doctrine in the face. Do you believe that God created man and arbitrarily, sovereignly—it is the same thing—created that man, with no other intention, than that of damning him? Made him, and yet, for no other reason than that of destroying him for ever? Well, if you can believe it, I pity you, that is all I can say: you deserve pity, that you should think so meanly of God, whose mercy endureth for ever. You are quite right when you say the reason why God loves a man, is because God does do so; there is no reason in the man. But do not give the same answer as to why God hates a man. If God deals with any man severely, it is because that man deserves all he gets. In hell there will not be a solitary soul that will say to God, O Lord, thou hast treated me worse than I deserve! But every lost spirit will be made to feel that he has got his deserts, that his destruction lies at his own door and not at the door of God; that God had nothing to do with his condemnation, except as the Judge condemns the criminal, but that he himself brought damnation upon his own head, as the result of his own evil works. Justice is that which damns a man; it is mercy, it is free grace, that saves; sovereignty holds the scale of love; it is justice holds the other scale. Who can put that into the hand of sovereignty? That were to libel God and to dishonour him;
May grace now be given to you to bring you to yield to this glorious command. May you now believe in him who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Free grace, who shall tell thy glories? who shall narrate thy achievements, or write thy victories? Thou hast carried the cunning Jacob into glory, and made him white as the angels of heaven, and thou shalt carry many a black sinner there also, and make him glorious as the glorified. May God prove this doctrine to be true in your own experience! If there still remains any difficulty upon your minds about any of these points, search the Word of God, and seek the illumination of his Spirit to teach you. But recollect after all, these are not the most important points in Scripture. That which concerns you most, is to know whether you have an interest in the blood of Christ? whether you really believe in the Lord Jesus. I have only touched upon these, because they cause a great many people a world of trouble, and I thought I might be the means of helping some of you to tread upon the neck of the dragon. May God grant that it may be so for Christ's sake.
The Spurgeon Archive
http://www.spurgeon.org/mainpage.htm
“ Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the LORD.
“ Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4 Even though Edom has said,
“ We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“ They may build, but I will throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
‘ The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
(NKJV version)
Brief summary taken from Matthew Henry's commentary (paraphrased)
Malachi draws an argument outlining God's love for Israel by contrasting the fate of Edom and Israel. The country which the Lord gave to Esau was called Edom (or Mount Seir or Idumea) and his descendants were Edomites. The Lord says here that there is eternal judgment against the Edomites and their land will be laid to waste and desolation, even as they try to rebuild their land. But in the case of Israel, even though God was displeased with His chosen people, He says that they will see and they will say that the Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.
My thoughts
As I was reading the verses, the first question that popped up was why God favoured Jacob and hated Esau. And if one thinks beyond these verses, then we would ask why God favoured Abraham and why God favoured the Jews. In doing so, we approach the doctrine of election.
I went online to search for answers, and I came across a sermon that Charles Spurgeon preached on Jacob and Esau on Jan 16, 1859 - http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0239.HTM
Spurgeon covered what he termed as "terrible text" but said he "will be honest with it if he can". This is actually the first time I've come across an online sermon devoted to election and God's sovereign grace. What I like about Spurgeon is that he doesn't pull any punches regarding God's sovereignty, and that at the end of his sermon, he redirects the congregation back to the most important point - the Gospel.
Below are some extracts from his sermon
The truth is, neither you nor I have any right to want to know more about predestination than what God tells us. That is enough for us. If it were worth while for us to know more, God would have revealed more. What God has told us, we are to believe, but to the knowledge thus gained, we are too apt to add our own vague notions, and then we are sure to go wrong. It would be better, if in all controversies, men had simply stood hard and fast by "Thus saith the Lord," instead of having it said, "Thus and thus I think."
I can tell you the reason why God loved Jacob; It is sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love.
Now, the next question is a different one: Why did God hate Esau? I am not going to mix this question up with the other, they are entirely distinct, and I intend to keep them so, one answer will not do for two questions, they must be taken separately, and then can be answered satisfactorily. Why does God hate any man? I defy anyone to give any answer but this, because that man deserves it; no reply but that can ever be true. There are some who answer, divine sovereignty; but I challenge them to look that doctrine in the face. Do you believe that God created man and arbitrarily, sovereignly—it is the same thing—created that man, with no other intention, than that of damning him? Made him, and yet, for no other reason than that of destroying him for ever? Well, if you can believe it, I pity you, that is all I can say: you deserve pity, that you should think so meanly of God, whose mercy endureth for ever. You are quite right when you say the reason why God loves a man, is because God does do so; there is no reason in the man. But do not give the same answer as to why God hates a man. If God deals with any man severely, it is because that man deserves all he gets. In hell there will not be a solitary soul that will say to God, O Lord, thou hast treated me worse than I deserve! But every lost spirit will be made to feel that he has got his deserts, that his destruction lies at his own door and not at the door of God; that God had nothing to do with his condemnation, except as the Judge condemns the criminal, but that he himself brought damnation upon his own head, as the result of his own evil works. Justice is that which damns a man; it is mercy, it is free grace, that saves; sovereignty holds the scale of love; it is justice holds the other scale. Who can put that into the hand of sovereignty? That were to libel God and to dishonour him;
May grace now be given to you to bring you to yield to this glorious command. May you now believe in him who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Free grace, who shall tell thy glories? who shall narrate thy achievements, or write thy victories? Thou hast carried the cunning Jacob into glory, and made him white as the angels of heaven, and thou shalt carry many a black sinner there also, and make him glorious as the glorified. May God prove this doctrine to be true in your own experience! If there still remains any difficulty upon your minds about any of these points, search the Word of God, and seek the illumination of his Spirit to teach you. But recollect after all, these are not the most important points in Scripture. That which concerns you most, is to know whether you have an interest in the blood of Christ? whether you really believe in the Lord Jesus. I have only touched upon these, because they cause a great many people a world of trouble, and I thought I might be the means of helping some of you to tread upon the neck of the dragon. May God grant that it may be so for Christ's sake.
The Spurgeon Archive
http://www.spurgeon.org/mainpage.htm
Monday, March 19, 2007
Reflections on Malachi
Malachi 1:2
"I have loved you," says the LORD.
Even as God sent his prophet Malachi to deliver a very stern rebuke to them on their ingratitude, the Lord starts off by saying He loves His chosen people.
This jumped out at me because it shows that the motivation of God is His love for us. It was out of His love that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, down to die for us that we may live and have life everlasting - because of Jesus' sacrifice and His resurrection.
Love also motivated God to create us - the only ones created in His image - so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. God is a God of relationships.
I, for one, find it very hard to develop new friendships or relationships even though I'm friendly. I can be extremely shy at times and hide that aspect of me behind a mask of aloofness.
On a day when I was in charge of the team, I overheard someone saying that she always smiled at the person but the person is always black-faced. I think she could have referring to me. Usually when I'm in charge, I'm more stressed out than usual and I've a lot of things on my mind. I frown when I'm thinking, I frown when I'm checking, I frown when I'm going through a story, I frown when I'm trying to keep to the deadline etc. So I tend to carry this perpetual frown on my face.
In the light of that, I would need to be more aware of how I come across to people. I could be perceived as being highly unfriendly.
I would also need to be more aware of the people around me, and be more sensitive to them. It is not good if people perceive me, a Christian, as being unfriendly and unapproachable.
I want people to see Christ in me, and having a constant frown is not going to help at all in that area. A friend remarked that I've got a permanent frown line running down the middle of my forehead.
Well, I think it's time I worked more on the smiles and the laugh lines.
"I have loved you," says the LORD.
Even as God sent his prophet Malachi to deliver a very stern rebuke to them on their ingratitude, the Lord starts off by saying He loves His chosen people.
This jumped out at me because it shows that the motivation of God is His love for us. It was out of His love that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, down to die for us that we may live and have life everlasting - because of Jesus' sacrifice and His resurrection.
Love also motivated God to create us - the only ones created in His image - so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. God is a God of relationships.
I, for one, find it very hard to develop new friendships or relationships even though I'm friendly. I can be extremely shy at times and hide that aspect of me behind a mask of aloofness.
On a day when I was in charge of the team, I overheard someone saying that she always smiled at the person but the person is always black-faced. I think she could have referring to me. Usually when I'm in charge, I'm more stressed out than usual and I've a lot of things on my mind. I frown when I'm thinking, I frown when I'm checking, I frown when I'm going through a story, I frown when I'm trying to keep to the deadline etc. So I tend to carry this perpetual frown on my face.
In the light of that, I would need to be more aware of how I come across to people. I could be perceived as being highly unfriendly.
I would also need to be more aware of the people around me, and be more sensitive to them. It is not good if people perceive me, a Christian, as being unfriendly and unapproachable.
I want people to see Christ in me, and having a constant frown is not going to help at all in that area. A friend remarked that I've got a permanent frown line running down the middle of my forehead.
Well, I think it's time I worked more on the smiles and the laugh lines.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Introduction to Malachi
Finally, I have settled down to doing a proper study of Malachi. As mentioned previously, I decided on Malachi because it was the last book of the Old Testament, and I wanted to go from the last book to the first book Genesis in that order. (Yeah, I know that's quite illogical but I wanted my bible study to be different and unusual.)
I'm using Matthew Henry's and John Calvin's commentaries for my study of Malachi.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc.i.html
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom30.html
Just a brief introduction to Malachi:
Malachi (whose name meant My Angel or My Messenger) was the last of the prophets. After him, there was a lapse of 400 years in which God didn't speak through prophets until Christ was revealed.
During the time that he spoke, the Jews had recently returned to their own country but they had reverted to their old ways. They had forgotten God's favour on them, and had relapsed into many sins and many vices.
Hence Malachi was actually delivering a very stern rebuke from God to His chosen people but he reserved his harshest comments for the priests, who were anointed by God to be teachers of the law and of uprighteousness, but who had actually committed a great deal of the sins of that time.
I wanted to start off this entry with my reflections and thoughts on Malachi 1, but I realised that the two commentaries that I'm using offer a very detailed study of the book, including longish notes on each verse so I've decided to go through the notes on Malachi 1 before penning my thoughts on the first chapter.
John Calvin's notes on Malachi's chapter 1, for instance, runs into 28 printed A4-sized pages, and his entire commentary for the book (only four chapters) runs into 93 pages.
So I now need to decide how I want to distill both the commentaries into a series on Reflections of Malachi. Following that, then I will pick up on Malachi 1 and post my thoughts.
PS: I caught the biblical origin of the song "From the rising of the sun to the going down, the Lord's name is to be praised, is to be praised". It's in Malachi! :-)
Malachi 1: 11
For from the rising of the sun,
even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
I'm using Matthew Henry's and John Calvin's commentaries for my study of Malachi.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc.i.html
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom30.html
Just a brief introduction to Malachi:
Malachi (whose name meant My Angel or My Messenger) was the last of the prophets. After him, there was a lapse of 400 years in which God didn't speak through prophets until Christ was revealed.
During the time that he spoke, the Jews had recently returned to their own country but they had reverted to their old ways. They had forgotten God's favour on them, and had relapsed into many sins and many vices.
Hence Malachi was actually delivering a very stern rebuke from God to His chosen people but he reserved his harshest comments for the priests, who were anointed by God to be teachers of the law and of uprighteousness, but who had actually committed a great deal of the sins of that time.
I wanted to start off this entry with my reflections and thoughts on Malachi 1, but I realised that the two commentaries that I'm using offer a very detailed study of the book, including longish notes on each verse so I've decided to go through the notes on Malachi 1 before penning my thoughts on the first chapter.
John Calvin's notes on Malachi's chapter 1, for instance, runs into 28 printed A4-sized pages, and his entire commentary for the book (only four chapters) runs into 93 pages.
So I now need to decide how I want to distill both the commentaries into a series on Reflections of Malachi. Following that, then I will pick up on Malachi 1 and post my thoughts.
PS: I caught the biblical origin of the song "From the rising of the sun to the going down, the Lord's name is to be praised, is to be praised". It's in Malachi! :-)
Malachi 1: 11
For from the rising of the sun,
even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
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