Bible in 90, Day 71: You’re not the boss of me!

Matthew 27 – Mark 9

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“You’re not the boss of me!”

Did you ever use that one when you were a kid?  I know I did.  We may not have realized it at the time, but when we uttered those words, we were striking at an important concept.

Authority.

You see, there is power, and then there’s authority.  Power can be seized, wielded, and asserted.  Authority is either given by others, or possessed innately by virtue of who one is.  Power is the ability to do something.  Authority is the right to do something.  A dictator who has the power to lead a country may not have the authority to do so and so he leads by fear and not respect.  I may have the power/ability to cut off the electricity to my neighborhood, but I don’t have the authority/right to do so.  An adult may have the power to try and make a child do something, but without the authority to do so she’ll be sure to hear,

“You’re not the boss of me!”

Jesus had power, there is no doubt about this.  Look at the many miracles we read about today (especially Mark 5:30).  But Jesus also had authority.  Did you notice how many times that word kept popping up?  In Matthew 28, Jesus tells the disciples that all authority on heaven and earth had been given to Him.  In Mark 1, the people are amazed because Jesus is teaching with authority.  In chapter 2, Jesus demonstrates that He has authority to forgive sins.  In chapter 6, He gives authority to the apostles over the evil spirits.  You can’t give authority that you don’t already have!

There were also examples of Jesus’ authority where the word itself wasn’t present.  Jesus declares that He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2).  He appoints 12 men as His apostles, even renaming a few of them (Mark 3).  The wind and the waves obey Him (Mark 4).  A legion of demons ask His permission before they enter the swine heard (Mark 5).

Authority can be given by those who will have it exercised over them, like when we elect the president or some other official.  Authority can also be given by one greater who already possesses authority, like when a manager makes an employee an assistant manager.  Jesus has authority both by virtue of who He is, and He was given His authority by the Father.

Let’s recognize that Jesus not only has power to do things in our lives, He also has the authority.  He is not an omnipotent dictator forcing His will onto our lives.  He is a benevolent King who possesses the authority to back His power.  Let’s recognize this authority, and submit ourselves to it.

originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 61: Apparently pride comes in the summer

Ezekiel 24-35

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Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

~ John Dalberg-Acton

The Pharaoh in Egypt during Ezekiel’s ministry had apparently fallen prey to this tendency (Ezekiel 29).  Rather than recognizing God as the source for his authority and success, he credited himself.  Not only this, he was making very bold claims, like that he had created the Nile River!  He was seriously treading on God’s territory here.  Therefore, God set Himself against Pharaoh and the land of Egypt.  He would punish them for their pride.

God chose to use Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon as His instrument of punishment.  God makes some interesting statements here, the key statement being that Nebuchadnezzar and his army had won a hard fought battle against Tyre on His behalf.  The plundering of Egypt was to be the reward to Nebuchadnezzar, and the punishment for Pharaoh.

There is an interesting contrast here between these two kings.  They are both being directed by God for His ultimate purpose, but Pharaoh has exalted himself over God.  Nebuchadnezzar has not done this, yet.  Keep reading into the next book where the king of Babylon falls into the same trap.

Pharaoh mistakenly thought it was his might, ingenuity, or authority that had elevated him to his high position.  God reveals through Ezekiel that this is not so, that it was God’s doing.  But even the humblest man tends to get arrogant when put into too high a position or given too much honor.  The more glory and power given, and the less accountability maintained, the easier it is for a man to begin believing his own lies.

Let’s never forget that pride comes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).  Let’s never assume that, no matter how high we may climb, that we have arrived there on our own power.  Instead, let’s remain humble before the Lord, who will lift us up in due time (James 4:10).

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 39: Let God arise!

Psalms 1-24

*image courtesy of melisbfly at www.sxc.hu

Did you catch it?  Over and over again in our reading today, a word kept popping up.  I thought I knew exactly what I was going to write about after the first psalm today, but then I heard it.  I kept hearing it.  This word kept finding its way into the text.

Arise.

The writers (David mostly) kept calling upon God to arise (Psalm 3:7, 7:6, 9:19, 10:12, 12:5, 17:13).

).  What exactly does this mean?  Often in the Scriptures, when we “see” God, He is seated on His throne as we’ve discussed before.  Now, when a great king rises up out of his throne, you can bet something interesting is about to happen!  When the King of the Universe rises up out of His throne, the whole of creation pays attention.  David calls upon God to rise up against His enemies on behalf of His people.

Sometimes people have trouble with these psalms.  They are called imprecatory passages, passages where someone calls upon God to deliver judgment on someone else.  The problem some people have is that it doesn’t seem to match up with the God of love that they picture.  But if you read your Bible (and that’s what we’re doing these 3 months!), you discover a different picture of God.  He is a God of judgment as well as love.  He is a God of wrath as well as mercy.  In fact, one of God’s essential attributes, one that is discussed uniquely in the Bible might surprise you.

Holy, holy, holy.

God is holy above all else.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God is love, love, love; or grace, grace, grace; or peace, peace, peace.  The only adjective used in this way is “holy.”  God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and His love is a holy love.  God gives grace (Proverbs 3:24, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5), and does so in a holy manner.  God’s chief attribute is His holiness.

God’s holiness includes His hatred of sin and injustice.  Because of this, He judges sin and sinners.  Peter warns us against forgetting or denying God’s judgment (2 Peter 3:3-9).  He reminds us that God’s judgment will come, and it will be fierce.  God is a just God.  In the end, all the accounts will be settled, and things will be made right again.

This is why I don’t have a problem with David’s words.  We as Christians are supposed to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse us.  However, David appeals to the justice of God, and this is okay.  We should always pray for sinners to be saved, but we do so understanding that those who do not accept Jesus are rightfully condemned and judged (as would we be if we did not accept Jesus).  God is a God who judges sin and corrects injustice.

The good news is that God is also a God who saves.  While we all deserve the wrath of God because of our sin, Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for us (Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16-17).  But, rest assured that one day God will arise in judgment.  He will set the record straight.

Let God arise!

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 36: … and other four letter words

Esther 1 – Job 7

*image courtesy of ugaldew at www.sxc.hu

In Esther, we see a woman who is constantly having to decide whether she will do her own thing, or obey the authority God has placed over her.  Mordecai tells her not to reveal her heritage as a Jew (Esther 2:10).  He has done this, most likely for her protection.  Rather than being a brash young person, she obeys the wisdom of her elder.  Later in the story, this proves to be a key element in the salvation of the Jews.  It is her hidden ethnicity that ruins Haman.

When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she had a choice to make.  Each girl was allowed to take whatever she wished with her.  Esther chose to follow the advice of Hegai, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed in charge of her (2:15-16).  Who would know the king better, one of his long-time servants, or a young girl who had just entered the palace a year ago (2:12)?  She submitted herself to the authority placed over her, even preferring his wisdom to her own.

Later in the story (chapter 4), Mordecai urges Esther to intercede before the king on behalf of the Jewish people.  In this interchange, we see her recognizing and submitting to two authorities.  First, she recognizes the penalty for breaking the king’s law about approaching his throne un-summoned.  But, dangerous as this is, she submits to the authority of Mordecai and agrees to try.  There is, or course, the element of self-sacrifice that is always celebrated in this story.  But don’t forget that part of this is the continuation of the habit of being under authority and submitting to and obeying it.

As Christians, we should have the highest standards of integrity, and the best reputations as those who obey authority.

This is so counter-cultural.

It’s almost un-American.  We are a country founded on rebellion.  I may catch some flack for this, but the fundamental principle of our nation’s government is one of revolt against authority.  Originally, this was a revolt against authority that was seen as being tyrannical, but it has morphed into so much more.  It has been perverted to the point where anytime we disagree with authority, we feel we are not only permitted, but almost duty bound to rise up and throw off the shackles of oppression.  I’m not downing our country, I’m trying to expose a satanic tendency and mindset in our culture that says “No!” to authority whenever it can justify it.

Christians are called to submit to authority.  Whether this be federal, state, or local government, our boss, our parents, our pastors, our committee chairperson, our coach, our spouse, and even the brotherhood.  Peter tells us to love the brotherhood of believers (the church), fear God, and honor the king (the government).  Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 that we are to consider others (specifically in the church) as better than ourselves and look to their needs first.  Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

If I view myself through the lens of Scripture, I will see that I don’t have it all figured out and I am not perfect.  I may find that, perhaps, I’m not as smart as I think I am, and that I could stand to listen a little more and talk a little less.  I might just submit myself to those God has placed in authority, and not assume that I’m right and they’re wrong.

originally at Words of Reason

P.S. if this sounds familiar, it’s because I posted it back on Sept. 12, 2009 before I began the 90 Day Challenge

Bible in 90, Day 19: Right in our own eyes

Judges 15-Ruth-1 Samuel 2

*image courtesy of jeffphoto at www.sxc.hu

So that last part of Judges is pretty rough huh?  Did you find yourself reading and thinking, “How in the world could they do these things?!”  How is it that the people who not long ago were begging Joshua to accept their vow to follow the Lord (Joshua 24:19-22) were now killing, raping, mutilating, and generally running amok?  The answer is found repeatedly throughout Judges (17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25) – “There was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Mark Driscoll talked about this in a sermon last year.  In that sermon, he said that without God, we are capable of anything.  He’s right.  The old cliché “But for the grace of God, there go I,” holds true.  If we totally abandoned ourselves to our sinful desires, held no regard for the things of God, and kept ourselves outside of the means of His grace, we might be shocked at what we would be capable of.

Oddly, it is in the midst of this period that the story of Ruth is told (Ruth 1:1).  In the original Hebrew ordering of the books of what we call the Old Testament, Ruth follows right after Proverbs.  Proverbs 31 talks about the virtuous woman, and then is followed by an example of such a woman – Ruth.  It is noteworthy, and speaks to Ruth’s character that her story should shine in the midst of the dark, perverse time she lived in.  Interestingly, Ruth is a not a Jewish woman!  The most faithful and noble character in this story is a Gentile!  Ruth has the honor of being one of only two women to have a book of the Bible named for them (Esther is the other), as well as being one of a handful of women who are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (The others are Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary – Matthew 1).

After this story, we are introduced to a new character, Samuel, and a new era in Israel’s history.  The wickedness continues into 1 Samuel, and is found now in the priesthood!  But God has a plan in place to bring Israel back to him.  We see the first peeks of this plan as God honors Hannah’s prayer and brings forth a very special son.  “Samuel” is Hebrew for “God hears/heard” and will be an ironic pun used later when God calls him as a young boy.

There are at least two things we can take from the theme we’ve examined today.  The first is that God is always working out His plan.  No matter how dark and twisted the times may get, God is still on the Throne (see Day 4)!  God kept enough people for Himself to maintain the holy line of the Messiah and bring about a beautiful story such as Ruth’s.

Second, is that we must never allow the culture or our sinful selves to determine our values.  Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes in Israel.  How similar this is to our culture today!  “If it feels good, do it!”  “I’m ok, and you’re ok, and that’s ok!”  “It’s all relative.”  We do not live a day of firm moral conviction and undeniable truth.  We live in a day of lax ethics, uncertainty, pride, and selfishness.  We are not the only society to raise our own views and thoughts above everything and everyone else.  Rome did it, France did it, even Israel did it!

Let us never assume that 50% + 1 equals truth or right.  Let us never assume that our own views, formulated in the selfishness of our own hearts are the best.  Let us look to God and His Word for what is good and just, what is evil and corrupt.  Let us not do merely what is right in our own eyes, but let us walk humbly before our God.

Bible in 90, Day 11: Poor Moses!

Numbers 8-21

*image courtesy of Rene at www.sxc.hu

There are several recurring themes in today’s reading – complaining, God being furious, leadership challenges, and Moses & Aaron on their faces. And Moses really takes a lot in this passage!  Every time you turn around, someone is asking why Moses and/or God brought them out to the wilderness to die, or trying to usurp authority from Moses, Aaron, or even God!

The people complain that they are sick of manna.  They actually wish for the “good ol’ days” back when they were slaves in Egypt!  In one of my favorite lines in the Old Testament, God declares that they will have so much meat it will come out of their nostrils and they will loathe it!

Tee hee! God humor!

… and other four letter words

 

*image courtesy of ugaldew at www.sxc.hu

1 Peter 2:13-17 tells us “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.“

Today, I went through the books of Esther and Habakkuk (Yeah, that’s a book of the Bible, look it up.).  “But,” you say, “you just quoted 1 Peter!”  

Yes, yes I did.

The Bible is an integrated, consistent, whole.  In 1 Peter we are told that submission to authority is a must forbelievers.  In Esther and Habakkuk, we see shining examples of this.  If you never have, I’d recommend going and reading these two short books for yourself before you read further.  I’ll be discussing them both as though the general outline of both is already understood.

Habakkuk was a prophet who called out to God, calling His attention to the wicked ways of his people and asking for Him to do something about it.  God responds by saying that He will raise up the Babylonians to punish the Israelites.  Habakkuk responds in disbelief, saying that the Babylonians are too wicked to be used of God.  He asks God how this can be, and then he waits.  He earnestly seeks God answer, and he receives one!  Though he doesn’t understand everything God is doing, he has decided to trust himself into God’s plan and authority.  

In Esther, we see a woman who is constantly having to decide whether she will do her own thing, or obey the authority God has placed over her.  Mordecai tells her not to reveal her heritage as a Jew.  He has done this, most likely for her protection.  Rather than being a brash young person, she obeys the wisdom of her elder.  Later in the story, this proves to be a key element in the salvation of the Jews.  It is her hidden ethnicity that ruins Haman.  

When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she had a choice to make.  Each girl was allowed to take whatever she wished with her.  Esther chose to follow the advice of Hegai, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed in charge of her.  Who would know the king better, one of his long-time servants, or a young girl who had just entered the palace a year ago?  She submitted herself to the authority placed over her, even preferring his wisdom to her own. 

Later in the story, Mordecai urges Esther to intercede before the king on behalf of the Jewish people.  In this interchange, we see her recognizing and submitting to two authorities.  First, she recognizes the penalty for breaking the king’s law about approaching his throne un-summoned.  But, dangerous as this is, she submits to the authority of Mordecai and agrees to try.  There is, or course, the element of self-sacrifice that is always celebrated in this story.  But don’t forget that part of this is the continuation of the habit of being under authority and submitting to and obeying it.  

As Christians, we should have the highest standards of integrity, and the best reputations as those who obey authority.  

This is so counter-cultural. 

It’s almost un-American.  We are a country founded on rebellion.  I may catch some flack for this, but the fundamental principle of our nation’s government is one of revolt against authority.  Originally, this was a revolt against authority that was seen as being tyrannical, but it has morphed into so much more.  It has been perverted to the point where anytime we disagree with authority, we feel we are not only permitted, but almost duty bound to rise up and throw off the shackles of oppression.  I’m not downing our country, I’m trying to expose a satanic tendency and mindset in our culture that says “No!” to authority whenever it can justify it.

Christians are called to submit to authority.  Whether this be federal, state, or local government, our boss, our parents, our pastors, our committee chairperson, our coach, our spouse, and even the brotherhood.  Peter tells us to love the brotherhood of believers (the church), fear God, and honor the king (the government).  Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 that we are to consider others (specifically in the church) as better than ourselves and look to their needs first.  Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

If I view myself through the lens of Scripture, I will see that I don’t have it all figured out and I am not perfect.  I may find that, perhaps, I’m not as smart as I think I am, and that I could stand to listen a little more and talk a little less.  I might just submit myself to those God has placed in authority, and not assume that I’m right and they’re wrong.

God help me to do just that!