Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Herod vs. God

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Boxing GlovesFor those of us raised in democratic countries, it is difficult to image life under a despot like Herod. When the despot is upset, the people will feel his wrath. This is why, in Matthew 2,  it says that Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3)

Yet, behind and above the throne of Herod stands one who is greater. Herod sought to eliminate a threat to his power, but that threat represented God’s plan for the salvation of humanity, a plan that God would not allow to fail. God protected Joseph, Mary and Jesus by revealing Herod’s plan to them in a dream.

Kings and governments have power, but it is limited and that power cannot overrule God’s plan for bringing us into relationship with himself.

In the United States, we are heading into a presidential election year. Starting soon, we will be bombarded by ads in print, television and radio letting us know that if we do not vote for a particular candidate, life as we know it will end. From my vantage point, it seems that each of the political parties is more interested in increasing its power than they are in solving the problems that are staring them in the face. They give the politicians far too much credit in their ability to fix or break the government. But I digress.

The point of this is that no matter how corrupt or despotic the government may be, God remains in control and will work things out according to his plan in his timing.

Jesus made that clear during his interview with Pilate when Jesus said to Pilate,

“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”” (John 19:11, ESV)

Paul tells us that governments have been given authority by God to keep order in the world. But even when this authority is abused, God’s will cannot be thwarted.

Because we are limited to a particular place at a particular time, it sometimes appears that evil will triumph. The lesson we can learn from Matthew 2 is that when Herod fights against God, God  wins.

I am reminded of some lines from This Present Crisis by James Russell Lowell:

Scaffold

Why I write Attempts at Honesty

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Labor of LoveWe have gotten a decent amount of traffic so it appears that people are getting something out of reading these posts. With new readers discovering the blog all the time, I felt that it was necessary to articulate some thoughts about why I keep up the blog and some items that are not reasons that I do it.

First let me list some items that are not reasons why I keep up Attempts at Honesty:

  1. I do not write this blog to make money. The only real advertisement that is on the blog is for Covenant Eyes, and any revenue from that ad goes directly to my blog host, Davis Services Group, to offset the cost of hosting this blog.
  2. I do not write this blog because I am an authority on any aspect of Christian living. I’m fumbling through my Christian walk just like everyone else.
  3. I do not write this blog because I want to create controversy or disharmony. If anyone is to be offended by what I write, I hope that I have accurately reflected what Scripture says and it is Scripture by which they are offended.
  4. I do not write this blog because I have lots of time on my hands and little else to do.

Here are some reasons I do maintain the blog:

  1. I have a sense of calling to be used by God to point to the Cross and bring people into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
  2. I find that writing is a good way for me to work out my thoughts about the various issues and Scriptural observations.
  3. These posts are a good reminder to me of lessons that I’ve learned and constantly need to keep in mind. In many of these posts, I am preaching to myself and letting others listen in.
  4. I want to encourage others who feel that they don’t measure up to the standard that their church seems to promote. The one central truth is that none of us measure up on our own. The only holiness we have is given to us by Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21).
  5. I want to be encouraged by the responses of people (whether they agree or disagree) and provide a place of dialog so that we all can come to a better understanding of The Truth.
  6. I want to provide a forum for others who are interested in giving blogging a try to see if it something that they would like to pursue. If you are interested in doing this, see the guest post guidelines.

The bottom line is that Attempts at Honesty has been a labor of love to which I am committed as time allows.

After reading this, if you have any thoughts or feedback, I’d love to hear it.

Keep pressing on (Phil. 3:14) . . .

Joseph the Grinder

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RumorIn sports, a player who is not spectacular but always gets his job done is sometimes called a “grinder.” The grinder can be counted on to do the right thing.

In reading about Joseph in Matthew 1 this morning, the term “grinder” is what came to mind. Joseph could be counted on to do the right thing.

First, when he found out that Mary was pregnant, rather than make a spectacle of her to clear his name, he looked to get the matter resolved privately. (Matthew 1:19)

Second, when the angel explained what really happened, Joseph did what the angel told him to do. He followed through and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:24)

One aspect of small town living is that people know what is happening in their neighbors’ lives. It would have been no different for Joseph and Mary.

If Joseph knew that Mary was pregnant, it would not have been long before the rest of the town would have figured it out. Mary was pregnant before their marriage had been finalized. This was a scandal that would have tongues working overtime sharing the sordid details of what must have happened. Rumors of what had happened would have worked their way through the entire community.

When Joseph decided to do the right thing and marry Mary, he was taking on a lifetime of people whispering behind his back about the timing of Jesus’ birth. Therefore, Joseph became Mary’s husband and Jesus’ father at some personal cost. He willingly bore the stigma of the timing of events surrounding his marriage and Jesus’ birth. The birth would continually have had the stigma of illegitimacy attached to it.

To readers in 2015, this may seem like less of a big deal than it really was. Our culture has a flexible view of marriage and what is permissible before marriage. So we need to work a little to understand how scandalous this really was.

My big takeaway this morning is that Joseph did the right thing in the right way even when no-one else knew or acknowledged that it was the right thing. Joseph was a grinder, getting the job done even when it is not glamorous.

Paul tells us that we are all called to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). This means that we are called to do the right thing even when it may cost us something or if it goes against the grain of our culture.

As I consider Joseph this morning, I am encouraged by his example. Are you? Please take a moment and share your thoughts below.

 

A prayer for today

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Daniel PrayingI recently read Daniel 9 and it struck me that Daniel’s prayer for the Nation of Israel is a good prayer for any nation.

Here is his prayer as recorded in Daniel 9:4-19:

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

The people of Israel were a lot like us. They did not automatically do the right thing, nor were they very keen on obeying the word of God. They rebelled and reaped the consequences of their immoral behavior.

We can learn a lesson from Daniel’s prayer. Daniel earnestly interceded on behalf of his people and asked God to intervene and do something about it. God has provided the ultimate response by sending Jesus.

Jesus came to begin to repair the damage that has been done throughout the ages. We have been in rebellion since the declaration of war which took place in the Garden of Eden. Jesus has been correcting the damage done by our rebellion; he has done so, is doing so, and will do so by changing individual hearts.

In all my years of church attendance, I’ve not heard anyone offer a prayer like this for his church or his nation. But now would be a good time to start praying in this way.

In watching or reading the news, it is not hard to figure out that my country needs it, I assume that yours does also.

 

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