My feet had almost stumbled....

 Psalm 73:1–28 (ESV): 

1  Truly God is good to Israel, 

to those who are pure in heart. 

2  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, 

my steps had nearly slipped. 

3  For I was envious of the arrogant 

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

4  For they have no pangs until death; 

their bodies are fat and sleek. 

5  They are not in trouble as others are; 

they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 

6  Therefore pride is their necklace; 

violence covers them as a garment. 

7  Their eyes swell out through fatness; 

their hearts overflow with follies. 

8  They scoff and speak with malice; 

loftily they threaten oppression. 

9  They set their mouths against the heavens, 

and their tongue struts through the earth. 

10  Therefore his people turn back to them, 

and find no fault in them. 

11  And they say, “How can God know? 

Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 

12  Behold, these are the wicked; 

always at ease, they increase in riches. 

13  All in vain have I kept my heart clean 

and washed my hands in innocence. 

14  For all the day long I have been stricken 

and rebuked every morning. 

15  If I had said, “I will speak thus,” 

I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 

16  But when I thought how to understand this, 

it seemed to me a wearisome task, 

17  until I went into the sanctuary of God; 

then I discerned their end. 

18  Truly you set them in slippery places; 

you make them fall to ruin. 

19  How they are destroyed in a moment, 

swept away utterly by terrors! 

20  Like a dream when one awakes, 

O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 

21  When my soul was embittered, 

when I was pricked in heart, 

22  I was brutish and ignorant; 

I was like a beast toward you. 

23  Nevertheless, I am continually with you; 

you hold my right hand. 

24  You guide me with your counsel, 

and afterward you will receive me to glory. 

25  Whom have I in heaven but you? 

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 

26  My flesh and my heart may fail, 

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

27  For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; 

you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 

28  But for me it is good to be near God; 

I have made the Lord God my refuge, 

that I may tell of all your works. 

Ever felt jealous and envious of those who do not follow God? Maybe because they ‘are not stricken like the rest of mankind’ and do not live to good moral standards yet seem to prosper. They seem to do better, have more stuff, and they enjoy life in a way you do not. Asaph clearly felt like this, he was jealous of the worldly gains of the wicked when he compared his life to theirs he saw that his is hard, and theirs easy. When you live your life following God it can feel like there are restrictions upon you, rules that stop you having the same type of fun and entering into certain relationships. If you have noticed this and it has bothered you, don’t worry, Asaph the chief musician of Israel from the tribe of Levi - a key worship leader, felt the same! 

If you compare your God-following life with those who do not, you can feel like you can’t do certain things, have less, give more, don’t seem to be as ‘lucky’ and life is a struggle most of the time. You talk different, dress different and act different because you faithfully follow what God has to say about these things instead of following the culture. However you undergo internal and external pressure, difficulty and stress as a result. Asaph saw this and admits, ‘my feet had almost stumbled’. He felt really pressured and enticed by the life of those who were living disregarding God, as he saw that the ‘wicked’ people ‘are not stricken like the rest of mankind’. They can do what they like and not care about it, their lot seems easy and enjoyable. So he was intrigued and found their lifestyle inviting. Asaph, one who has written many worship songs and prayers through the book of Psalms, and was responsible for leading others to honour, love and worship God felt like this. This shows me that none of us are exempt from temptation, we all want to have a fun and easy life, don't you?

Have you ever been tempted to join the ranks of the wicked? We probably all are, and some do. They look at the contrast between the people who follow God and those who do not, and the christian life looks restrictive, boring and responsible, so leading life without God seems simpler, freer and exciting. It is no wonder that Asaph observes that, ‘his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know?”’ Have you noticed the same? Some people get fed up, and so when an attractive temptation comes along they convince themselves that it is not too bad, that “everyone is doing it” so it doesn’t really matter and, ‘How can God know?’ These people initially convince themselves that it is not so bad, and surely God wants them to have a good and easy life, maybe God won't even notice. Asaph admits that he, 'almost stumbled'.  He had begun to persuade himself that maybe there was a better life waiting for him outside of God's domain. Leading an ungodly life intrigued and enticed him as he saw that those who do not follow God are, ‘always at ease, they increase in riches.’ Asaph wondered, could he live his life like those others who do not follow God? For he has kept himself pure of heart and lived obeying God, leading worship, faithfully following and serving God’s people, but he does not have what these others do. Is that fair? (V13-14). His life is dutiful and God-honouring, but it is not always rewarding. In fact it can be boring and hard work at times.

Before Asaph gave up his faithful, obedient, God-honouring life, he spent some time considering this comparison he saw between the faithful and the wicked. He tried to get his head around it but he couldn’t, he says it wore him out (v16). It didn’t make sense to him and he got tired of trying to understand. So, what he did next was key. He didn’t just abandon the life he had been living following God to explore the alternative straight away, but he went to God (v17). 

The psalm does not say that he spoke to God about what was going on, but that he simply, ‘went into the sanctuary of God’. He met with God, placing himself in His presence. Even though at this time Asaph was feeling resentful, annoyed and hard done by, he still chose to be with God. Sometimes, just being in God’s presence, getting close to Him, spending time with him, with or without words or music, can cause things to make sense or to seem not that important any more. This is what Asaph found. Whilst in the presence of God, he had a revelation; ‘then I discerned their end’. Whilst in the presence of the Almighty, connecting with the creator and protector of life, Asaph has a realisation. He recognises that those who do not follow God, ‘are destroyed in a moment’. They may seemingly enjoy life and have much, but one day the life they have lived will end. The luxuries, fun, relationships and investment in earthly things will be; destroyed, broken apart, ruined. ‘For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you’ (V27). Is that the end you want to your life story? Asaph didn't!

So, no matter how enticing and enjoyable the present life of others looks, do not be tempted or distracted - they are heading for ruin. Instead, do as Asaph did and get into God’s presence. Spend time with Him. Then you will see the reality of a life lived away from Him. Do you want to take the risk of having a lifestyle that is seemingly good now, at the expense of the eternal peace, comfort and steadfast love that God gives? Is anything worth sacrificing that for? When you are tempted to live a different kind of life, to sin, to turn your back on faith, what is your response? Asaph, ‘went into the sanctuary of God’. He approached God, chose to get near to Him. He didn’t hide, run away or follow the wicked, but he went into the sanctuary - into God’s presence. Why not try that for yourself next time temptation comes - chose to get close to God and see what will be revealed to you. Asaph declares, ‘for me it is good to be near God’ and, 'there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you', what do you think?

love your neighbour as yourself

‘My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honourable name by which you were called? 

8 If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 

James 2:1-13

In the verses above, James is telling us that favouring one set of people or one person above others is wrong. We should not judge anyone for the way they look, speak, their age, background or how much/little money they have. This may seem obvious to us today as we teach about equality and diversity wherever we go, yet this was clearly an issue to those to whom James wrote (and if we are honest with ourselves, we have so much training because it is still an issue today). It was obvious then that the rich were given preferential treatment over everyone else. So it is useful for us to consider if there are people that we are bias towards or against. 

We must remember that Jesus died for the rich and the poor, old and young, the beautiful, ugly, well-spoken and the common, those you like and those you don’t. Jesus made no distinction. Nor should you. 

In this text James reminds us that Jesus has instructed us to, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. In verse 8, James challenges - are you REALLY loving your neighbour as yourself? If so, you are doing well. If not, well, then you aren’t. If you show favour/bias/partiality to others then you are not loving your neighbour as yourself, and therefore you are not carrying out the command of Jesus. James goes onto say, ‘if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.’ It is a serious thing to be bias towards or against others. It is a sin. It is breaking the law of God. Jesus in the book of Mark precedes the command to love your neighbour with loving God first and foremost. This is the law of liberty that James refers to, loving God and loving others. Jesus shows how the rest of the laws from the Old Testament are stemmed from these two commands. If you live out these commands to love God and others this will effect your speech and actions and you will be following the 'law of liberty', honouring God and living life Jesus’ way. 

However if you do not keep these commands then it doesn’t matter what other rules you follow, you have still broken the law. It is not permissible to be committed to keeping some of the Law. If you break one part of it, you break all of it. If you steal, lie, cheat, murder, hurt someone, blaspheme, you are breaking the law of God and that is serious. You break God’s law, then you break relationship with Him and separate yourself from others. James wants you to be aware that just as not murdering or stealing is important for maintaining the law of God, so is your treatment of others. If you're unfair or unkind, treating some people with distinction and others with derision, you are breaking the same law that a murderer or an adulterer does. Breaking the law in any way has the same effect - separation from God. 

You may be reading this and be thinking you’re ok because the blood of Jesus has wiped away all your sin. It is 100% true, Jesus died for all your sin, he took it all on, so that when you decide to live your life following him you are free from the weight of sin and free to live a new life. A new life where you are dead to sin, as it no longer has power over you and you can receive forgiveness and mercy. This is all completely true. However when you gave over your life to Jesus you did not die to responsibility. 

Jesus died to release you from the consequence of sin when you turn your life around and follow him, but that carries with it a responsibility. Letting go of the old sinful life means that you’re born into a new life with new rules, roles and responsibilities. It means that you have been born into the life of Jesus, the life of following the law of liberty, of prioritising loving God and loving others. Being a follower of God means being obedient to his instructions. Jesus says, ‘if anyone loves me, he will keep my word’ (John 14:23) are you keeping his word? Are you obeying Jesus instructions to love God and love others? 

If you are someone that believes in God, then your life should be known for how you love, honour, serve and follow God, and in turn, how you speak, act, love, honour and care for others, all others. You should celebrate that mercy has overcome judgement in your life as Jesus has taken, destroyed and forgiven all your sin, but it doesn’t stop there. Are you extending mercy or judgement to others around you? If you wish to receive the mercy of Jesus, you need to be one who acts with impartial mercy to others. This is how you will show that Jesus Christ lives in you as you, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.

How you treat others matters

The people of Edom, Esau’s descendants, have turned away from God and from their connections with their relatives - the tribes of Israel. They have disregarded God’s best for them, and have ended up affiliating with those that have persecuted their kin. Therefore God has decreed what will happen to them, not just because of this cruelty but also because of their pride and self-confidence. This is how their downfall will occur;

7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you —  you have no understanding. 

Obadiah v 7

How terrible it is when those we love, care for, connect with and generally do life with let us down. That is bad enough, but what about when those you trust in and share life with actually lead to your downfall? That is what God says will happen to the Edomites. Those closest to them will transform from friends to enemies. The people that should have come to their aid will aid their destruction. The Edomites were so confident and assured in the relationships they had built up with others, feeling secure, safe and comfortable. They believed they had mutually respectful relationships with those around them, that they had built trusting alliances. Yet they were about to be betrayed. Just like the Edom had done to the Israel. As they had betrayed their family, they too were heading for being ensnared by those they treated as family. 

How you treat others matters. 

We see this from this episode in the Old Testament, through all the rules and regulations set out by God, and into the New Testament. Jesus teaches into it; ‘whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 7:12). In Luke 6:31 it is put this way, ‘as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them’. Both of these verses show that how you treat others matters. Firstly, because if you treat others as you want to be treated, then you are fulfilling the will of God! That’s a pretty big thing if you have chosen to live life following Him! The simple act of treating others well, with kindness and consideration, as you would wish to be treated, is actually fulfilling God’s wishes - isn’t that a wonderful thing?! Jesus shows in these words that the rules and regulations have been about showing love, care, and justice to fellow man - treating others as you’d like to be treated, simple. So, if you are not sure what God wants you to do in life - start with that - treat others how you want to be treated, by doing so you'll be fulfilling the will of God!

How you treat others, even sometimes despite how they treat you, shows which kingdom you are a part of. It is not always easy, and we have times when we do not feel like it and there are people that you probably think don't deserve kind treatment, but the standard of Jesus is still the same - treat them as you would like to be treated. This is what Jesus says the Law and the Prophets have been guiding us towards, so would you break the laws of the land just because you don't want to keep them? Or because you think it is hard?  Probably not, the same is true here. Will you neglect to fulfil the wishes of God because someone else is annoying, difficult, different, even wicked? You get to choose which kingdom you are a part of by how you behave towards others. The kingdom of God teaches that how you treat others matters, and you can build and demonstrate His kingdom when you treat others well. Which kingdom do you display by how you manage your relationships - The kingdom of God or of the World? 

How you treat others matters. 

Law v Jesus

In the 7th chapter of Hebrews, we are told that The Law is, ‘set aside because of it’s weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.’ (Verses 18-19) What do you make of that?

This is key for christianity; that the Law - the set of instructions from God that the Jews worked hard to live by - is here referred to as weak, useless and set aside.

To understand the relevance and impact of this, we first need to realise the purpose of The Law.
The Law is an extensive set of instructions given to the Israelites as a standard of perfection that they were to aim to live by in order to make themselves right and acceptable before God. It gives clear guidance about everyday life and sets a clear standard. By doing so it shows the many ways in which we all can offend God and separate ourselves from Him. Even in ways that we have no control over.
The Law also makes clear that we need to make amends for these offences and how we can do that.  Every human being that’s ever lived has done something offensive to God - that's why we needed The Law - to show us what was wrong, and how, eventhough we are separating ourselves from God in a  myriad of ways, God still yearns for a positive relationship with us. God doesn't want us to be separate from Him, yet we are.
This is the problem.
So, God made a way for mankind to be able to seek and enter His presence -  He put together The Law and gave it to us. The Law reminds us not only of the awesomeness of God, how holy and pure He is, but also the standard required by Him. We, then sadly see ourselves in stark contrast to that.
When we read The Law, it doesn't take long to realise that it seems unattainable. Due to our imperfections and sin, it is so easy to see how we do not measure up. We can never be fully righteous according to The Law - there is always the necessity for some restitution requiring an offering to be made, and not a one time offering either, the sacrifices and offerings required are continuous. Every time something comes along to remove us from God's perfect standard, another sacrifice is needed.

Yet, The Law did provide a way to get closer to God.
It gave us a standard to live up to, a manner in which to repent of our wrongs, a way in which to show worship and gratitude to God,  but it never completely made up for our iniquities. There was always the need for more sacrifice. Every time we sin, another sacrifice is required, every time we become impure, another offering needed.
The Law, as incredibly prescriptive and clear as it is, still does not allow us to obtain full perfection or full restoration with God. It does supply a temporary fix, but the offerings need to be repeatedly given and the rules constantly obeyed. Even then, humanity could still not attain complete perfection or holiness.

Therefore the Law is weak and useless.

It cannot repair what we have broken, it cannot put together God and mankind as they were intentioned to be at the beginning of creation. Therefore, even in it’s complexity and thoroughness, the Law is weak. The Law is useless at providing an eternal solution to the problem of sin separating us from the holiness of God.

Thank God for Jesus!

Now, because of the perfect son, the perfect, holy, and pure sacrifice of Jesus, we can realise that, ‘a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.’

Wow!

We now can, ‘draw near to God’.

All because of Jesus!!

The Law no longer has the power to separate us from God. When we put our hope and trust in Jesus; perfect, pure, Jesus, who offered his own life as the unblemished, holy sacrifice to atone for all of our weakness and sin; He makes a way for us to be made perfect in the eyes of God. He has restored the relationship between us and God forever. Nothing can diminish or destroy what Jesus has done. Jesus sacrifice is the once and for all sacrifice that was needed. Jesus has achieved what we, and The Law could never attain - He has brought about the hope that we can draw near to God!

Hearing by Faith

I was reading Galatians:1-5 this morning, and I was struck by the repetition of the phrases, 'works of the law' and 'hearing by faith'. 

It got me thinking of the differences between these, and what these phrases actually mean. We hear them so often we can assume that we understand what they mean as they trip off our tongue. so, I spent a bit of time thinking about it and this is what I came up with;

'works of the law' - the hardwork of abiding by the instructions/rules without any context. This can be draining, confusing and boring! 

Thinking about it though, this is so easy to do, when we have busy lives (and who doesn't?!), it's so easy to go with the flow, carry on doing things naturally like we're on a default setting. 

I do it, you know when you pray and read the Bible, give, help out others because it's routine. It's like we are performing in a certain way because, 'it's the right thing to do'. 

{Sometimes, it's right to do this, i'm not saying stop doing those things because the reality is, life gets hard sometimes, and it is a struggle, and if we can keep feeding ourselves with what is good, then that can still change our hearts despite our attitude.}

  

'hearing with faith' - taking time to focus and concentrate in order to benefit through the strength of the trusting relationship that has been built.

Thinking about this this morning I have realised that this involves TIME. Time that is set apart to spend with God, reading the Word and praying. So, I have set time out in my diary to do that. If I don't, it wont happen. also, if I don't, I miss out on what God wants me to hear. 

After pondering on this I was led to draw, and the result is below:

I then thought about how living by works of the law can seem comfortable and safe, like being in the cage although it restricts what we are able to see and do. We are provided for and have the basics we need. Hearing with faith however allows us to experience the abundance of what God has for us. 

I was quite happy with this interpretation, until I thought about what happens when the storms come? the night sets in? the enemy attacks? being free and out in the open can then suddenly seem pretty lonely and terrifying! The cage is secure. 

I felt that God was reminding me that you have to have a bit of both. It is ok to rest and re-coop in His safety, we will ALWAYS need His word and prayer in order to fuel us for living by the Spirit. 

It is so easy to see the 'law' as old-fashioned, out-of-date, but it is actually foundational and revelatory. Each person who lives by faith has a place where their foundation was born. This probably originated, or has certainly grown strength in the Word of God, and speaking to Him. 

I know that this has challenged me, maybe because I recognise that although we can often sneer at those we read about in the Bible, thinking 'haven't they got it yet'? 'how many chances do they need?'

 

but I now see, I am one of those. 

I have often realised that I should spend more time with God, but I still slip into the 'works' of life, and trundle on. That is what it is, trundling, not getting very far, but it's hard work. 

I decide anew, now, to make an extra effort to 'hearing with faith' what God has to say to me, through His word and prayer.