The parents carried 40-day old Jesus into the temple for his dedication to God Luke 2:21-40. When aged Simeon took the baby from his mother's arms, and held him in his own, he at God's behest symbolically separated Jesus from all earthly relationships. That's a distinction Jesus made clear as a Preacher, Mark 3:20-21, 31-33, and finalized as the Savior John 19:25-27.
It also explains the inevitability of Christ's resurrection, as David wrote in Psalm 16:8-11. And why Jesus would say to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life" John 11:25a, b. His mother Mary conceived, carried and gave birth only to the human Jesus when he came as the God-Man, I John 2:22-23, 4:2-3, but not to God the Son—as the "mother of God." God has no mother. And God the Son has only a Father—and he in Heaven, not on earth. Which also explains WHY Jesus could resurrect all believers in his Deity, Sacrifice and Resurrection. We RISE AGAIN because the Living Christ RAISES us. But he ROSE again by being GOD in the Flesh. Since God cannot die, the Christ in Jesus's body inevitably brought the body of Jesus to life, never to die again.
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Mother Eve proved she put God first in her life by understanding that God empowered her to produce a man Genesis 4:1. Sister Hannah desired a son so desperately that she dedicated him to God as a Nazarite from birth to death. See Numbers 6:1-21. Brother Samuel, the promised son, would serve God so comprehensively that he anointed two men as kings of Israel. He only of the three had a birth-record in scripture. And he only of the three served as God's judge/prophet as Israel transformed from a theocracy (rule by God) to monarchy (rule by king).
Both women serve as models for women today, proving that God must be first in marriage, the home and in the lives of children. While the Nazarite had the highest of religious callings in ancient Israel, all Christians share in the highest possible calling of discipleship: to embody Christ's teaching and nature as examples for unbelievers and encouragement for believers. Where we say, "whatever we don't know about Jesus, we'll learn. Whatever we have heard before, but learn new insights from further study, we'll embrace. Whatever behavior Jesus honors, we'll put into practice. Whatever compassion he wants from us, we'll show it. Whatever generosity he expects, we'll express it. Whatever he desires of us, we'll oblige him." Only with such allegiance to his teaching, in keeping with our love of him, will disciples find themselves in the highest possible cause, with the greatest possible inspiration, for the only eternal purpose—glory to glory. Then will we find that the limitations we once used to excuse our failures as Christians become reasons why, with faith in him, we must succeed. For God wills his truth to "triumph through us." God called Abram from Ur of the Chaldees to be a witness of monotheism to a Mesopotamian world of polytheism. God called Moses to lash a turbulent mob of Hebrews into a nation of Hebrews as a witness of God's Law to an Egyptian world of royal privilege. God called Christians to be witnesses of GRACE through Christ's death and resurrection to a Roman world of militarism. That witness continues in all succeeding times until the FINAL TIME.
Each of these callings from God to chosen servants had a purpose: that the nations would learn but ONE GOD exists; that his ONE LAW governs, allows, restricts and forbids behaviors; and that, from the beginning of human history in Eden to the end when Jesus Christ returns from Heaven, God's GRACE ALONE through Christ will perfectly forgive all human sin repented and confessed to him. Every world-view into which God called his servants proved instinctively hostile to each witness. Including now, including ours. Nevertheless, God's purpose prevailed and prevails. And Christians will continue to have diminishing influence in society until we once again "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...and teaching them" Matthew 28:18-20. Evangelism is the presently unused method by Christians for influencing society. When will we return to Christ's purpose in coming to earth? Summary thoughts for this series of blogs.
Virtues We Want Are Adjuncts of Our Spiritual Inheritance Self-help books proliferate by so many needing the virtues/qualities/traits Christians possess, without accepting God in Christ. Let us learn that all who trust God in Christ naturally accrue what others vainly seek elsewhere. If Christians don't have them, it's because we haven't claimed and tried them, not because they don't exist. Temptation Is a Goliath Overcome The Philistine threat to Israel hadn't been removed by Goliath's death. Saul's obsession with a non-existent threat from David limited his ability to once-for-all finalize Philistia's incursions. Point of Fear. Like Goliath, temptation is no joke. Like him in other contests, temptations seem invincible. Only with David's accession did Israel exhaust Philistia's strength. They tested his strength and found IT imperviously redoubtable. Point of Faith. Goliath-sized problems always appear to intimidate us. Impossible situations rise for which no solution exists. And sometimes man-killing tasks that everyone else avoids. David's confidence in God fills us with assurance. As his victory over the man representing Philistia anticipated Israel's conquest of Philistia in his later reign, our resistance to or victory over any temptation represents what can always be the result when facing problems. God is the Greater power whatever Great power we face, the Waymaker by being THE WAY, over, through, under or around otherwise stunning obstacles. For sometimes God doesn't so much kill the giants as he makes us so much bigger it shrinks them to runts. The Historic Struggle Continues David's success in slaying Goliath symbolized the victory of Israel's monotheism over Philistine polytheism. The outcome of the entire contest, first suggested by Goliath, and accepted as the basis of battle by David, proceeded on the basis of ONE God or Many gods. New Testament Christians confronted the same struggle. Did but ONE God exist or did a plethora of gods and goddesses aplenty and lords and saviors not a few? In his ministry Jesus declared his Spiritual Singularity against all the plurality Roman society advocated. John 14:6 but one of many examples. His people naturally accepted his authority as absolute. And, for the first 30 years, Roman tolerance served as a haven for Christians beleaguered by Jewish fanaticism. Then, beginning in A.D. 64, with Nero's persecution of Christians, a shift from tolerance to suspicion occurred. With the destruction of Herod's temple in A.D. 70, Rome became aware of the distinction between Judaism's former compliance with societal expectation and Christianity's refusal to negotiate Christ's authority. That led to the frightful persecutions of Christians during the latter part of the first century, the episodic persecutions throughout the second through the first decade of the third. In Revelation 2-3 the greatest danger facing Christians in the Roman world was the temptation to soften Christ's dangerous Singularity into a compromising Diversity; diluting his Pure Spiritual Truth with doses of innocent-sounding theories and philosophies. It hasn't changed to this day. The thoughtless immigration changes in the 20th century—buttressed by America's failures in war—have brought to America foreign nationals wanting all the freedom and prosperity we enjoy while demanding the right to retain all their customs and religious practices. Christians agree to freedom of religion. But we'll never agree that freedom OF religion means equality IN religions. Jesus demanded that his people defend his Singularity under the Caesars and hasn't changed his Singularity into a more comfortable Duality now or a cuddly pluralism that reduces him to a religious figurehead among equal religious figureheads. Fini David had two advantages over Goliath, the first infinite, the second relative. God armed his servant, Goliath served himself; and David had a mobility in battle denied the giant. In fact, for all the protection armor provided him, it prevented quick moves and instant direction-changes.
The apostles likewise possessed a divinely-given purpose, coupled with a simple organization in the months after Pentecost. They were free to act under the Holy Spirit's tutelage, while the cumbersome bureaucracy built through the centuries shackled the Sanhedrin's response. While the apostles KNEW they couldn't "help speaking about what we have seen and heard," Acts 4:20, the 70 member Sanhedrin debated how to respond: some wanted to kill them outright; others wanted further dialogue with them; still others wanted to WAIT, Acts 5:33-40! That inability to react swiftly and decisively gave the apostles freedom to preach, to heal, to influence and to baptize. And when the leadership finally decided to punish them, and did, Acts 5:41-42, it merely increased apostolic influence in Jerusalem, leading to Acts 6:1ff. The Sanhedrin's vulnerability vis á vis the apostles illustrates Goliath's vis á vis David. In a rage Goliath lumbered forward, likely expecting David to run for cover. THAT'LL BE THE DAY! The boy had descended the hill and crossed the valley to confront, to attack, to destroy his enemy. He instantly loped forward, in a sweat of concentration, looking for a chance to hit Goliath with the stone in his sling. After several passes around the giant, David found it—an opening around the nose and lower forehead. He stopped, stood and watched as the oncoming menace neared, his long spear glinting in the sun, his shouts booming across the plain, his flaming eyes glaring hatred, his mouth covered with spittle forming on his beard. On he came to wreak his revenge. On he came to kill the king. The boy again broke into a trot, heart pumping wildly. His trot became a wind sprint covering the last twenty yards between them. And as he flew across the ground practiced hands pulled the sling aloft and, at ten yards, as Goliath cocked his spear to strike, David twirled his slingshot once, twice, thrice, then...at the behest of the Holy Spirit's "FIRE"...David opened the sling's pocket and hurled the stone like a guided missile. Seconds passed and, as David glided to Goliath's right, he re‑armed to strike again. Without need. For the stone had almost instantly crashed into the target's forehead. Stopped in his tracks, he at first did nothing. Then David heard a pitiful moan as the Philistine wavered, his knees buckled, he dropped his unspent spear, then slowly collapsed, limb by limb by limb, face to the ground, whimpering in a mournful death struggle. David quickly bent at the Philistine's side, whipped the sword from his scabbard and severed his head. Holding the grisly trophy aloft, David waved to his brothers above. They burst into so explosive a whoop that the terrified Philistines didn't even break camp. They panicked and fled across the mountains and down to the seacoast towns. And in pursuit angry Israelite warriors unleashed vengeance to the very gates of Gath and Ekron. End Part VIII George Müller started a network of orphanages across England in the 19th century. Despite being responsible for thousands of kids, he never appealed for money or daily provisions. He wanted GOD ALONE to be his provider and prayed constantly for his beneficence. He admitted to developing faith in God equal to the daily responsibility of his ministry. "My faith...has increased little by little....over 26 years." Then Sings My Soul, Vol. 1, p. 103.
As a previous blog in this series suggested, the Holy Spirit empowered 15-year-old David with Samuel's anointing with oil I Samuel 16:1, 13. As a result, possessing faith in God far beyond his physical age, he confronted Goliath with confident audacity. Across the swells in the valley floor David could see the ever-larger form of a monster-man towering higher with every few yards. No matter to the lad. He knew God had already devoted Goliath to himself and would use David as his servant of destruction. At perhaps 60 yards Goliath had begun his plodding way, heralded by his armor-bearer, now just a companion. At 50 yards he stopped, looked and began to swear in thunderous disdain against the insult to his manhood. Then, in anger equal to the insult received, he determined to make a meal for vultures of the boy. "You want a fight, boy?" he shouted across the yards. "Fine; let's fight. But I'll warn you now, you'll lie in this field until the birds eat your eyes out and the animals bare your bones. No burial for you." On he went, poisoning the air with curses on Saul and the pup he sent as a warrior. This is what is called a boast. David stood those yards apart, listening. When Goliath finished, David began, answering boast with boast. Only he outboasted Goliath, in length and in content. He had come in God's name, not with sword or spear, David shouted. And the God he served, whom Goliath had disgraced, would uproot him from life like a dead plant pulled from the ground. David would strike him, cut off his head and see to it that Goliath's corpse remained on the field to be consumed by carrion. It would all be done to prove that Israel had a God who saved by his power alone. At last, all the talking over, all the bragging done, the combatants stood yards apart, Goliath sneering in contempt at David, David dripping with scorn for Goliath. End Part VII The battle joined. While Goliath awaited a grown man in full armor—as much like himself as possible to have even a minimal chance of success—he saw but an unarmed "fresh from the farm" boy approaching. His warrior nature as enraged as his personal prowess insulted, he ranted and swore and clanked his armor and weapons in protest. He had taken all those weeks of boasting to summon a tall man—and a runt appeared yards away; a mere dog unworthy of a vaunted strong man.
Dog is an interesting word in the Bible, never used in a complementary way. Always used in unworthy ways. As an unworthy object of a superior's attention:
Goliath ignored the even-then military axiom, "one who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off" I Kings 20:11. Or, as the military theorists would later say, "never underestimate your enemy." Because he considered SIZE, EXPERIENCE and EQUIPMENT essential to a warrior, the Philistine reviled a boy lacking all three. Like the University of Michigan Football team in 1924 marginalized the Fighting Illini's Red Grange, A.K.A. The Galloping Ghost. Like warriors putting on their armor, they bragged that Grange hadn't yet faced Michigan's powerful defensive line and would be shattered when he did. To prove his team's invincibility, the coach directed the opening kickoff at Grange.
I'll leave the readers' there with this Question: what problem do you face that taunts you as UNABLE to be defeated and must be accepted as your burden? One that not even God can lift? You've tried before and failed; why think success is possible this time? The sin has earned the right to be in your life. Why fight it? It demands your pound of flesh; most importantly...you can't think that God considers little ol' you important enough to empower you with his overcoming grace! All of those are Satan's lies, and lies, and lies. Never listen to him. Cover your ears and shout him away! End Part VI |
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