We've all heard certain phrases throughout our lives. “History repeats itself.” “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” (This seems to also be a warning to high school students everywhere.) “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” These phrases all point to the phenomenon of people doing the same thing over and over, regardless of the outcome.
In today's Scripture, the author of Hebrews reminds us that it was the people who knew the truth and even experienced it - the Jews - who rebelled against God. And rebel they did! In three straight chapters in Exodus, the children of Israel complained and rebelled against Moses.
23They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter - that is why it was named Marah. 24The people grumbled to Moses, “What are we going to drink?” 25So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable.
He made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah and He tested them there.
2The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions.”
2So the people complained to Moses: “Give us water to drink.”
“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”
3But the people thirsted there for water, and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!”
5The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the rod you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
But, surely, once they get to the promised land, the Israelites will remember God's provision, right? Well…
1Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. 2All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4So they said to one another, “Let's appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”
5Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces [to the ground] in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community. 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the entire Israelite community: “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. 8If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us.”
It's easy to look back at the failings of the Israelites, and point fingers at them. But, aren't we the same? Don't we do the same foolish things over and over again? It's easy to see how other people don't learn from their mistakes, but it's often more difficult to see our own. Even if we are aware of our failings, though, we still have the inner conflict between the old, selfish nature and our new holy one. Paul expressed this sentiment in Romans 7…
14For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin's power. 15For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21So I discover this principle: when I want to do good, evil is with me. 22For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. 23But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.
So what is the solution? Later in Romans, Paul gives us the answer.
1Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
As gold is refined, it is heated to the melting point, and its flaws are literally burned out. I'm pretty sure that if the gold could talk, it would tell us that it doesn't particularly enjoy this process. However, the result is a more pure precious metal. This is how God works in a Christian's life; He brings challenges into our lives to mold us into His image. Some of these challenges are external, but some are internal. We must give this to God, and trust Him to work His will in our lives. Will we fail at times? Of course. Does that mean would shouldn't try? Not at all!
We have been entrusted with the truth. May we surrender our lives to it, and trust God to use the circumstances in our lives to mold us into His image. May we learn through each of our mistakes, and may God give us the power not to repeat them.
In the passage leading up to this verse, James had been telling us about controlling the tongue, and then he explained that the wisdom we need comes from above. The two problems in this verse are the source of many of our self-inflicted problems.
Envy is jealousy - wanting what someone else has, disliking someone else for the good things that they have in their life. Paul gives a pretty good comparison with envy and jealousy (emphasis mine)…
19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance - as I told you before - that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But, just as Paul followed up his list of negative things with one of the most famous passages in the Bible, James also does not stop with verse 16. He continues…
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. 18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
So, the remedy to “disorder and...evil” is the fruit of the Spirit. By setting aside our own selfish desires, we can allow the Holy Spirit to grow these other qualities in us. May we be able to say “no” to ourselves and “yes” to Him!
16However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame.
Let's look at that in its context, to figure out what “this” is…
13And who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, 15but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all….
Verse 13 starts out with a somewhat rhetorical question - who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? This is an encouragement to his readers (that's us) that most people would not harm them just because they were doing right by the Lord and good towards others. But, in verse 14, he goes on to tell them that even if someone does make them suffer, they are blessed; this echoes the words of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
11“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
In verse 15, Peter shifts toward evangelism, and tells us that we always need to be ready to defend the faith to those who may ask. If someone is doing good, and others are persecuting them, yet they continue to do good, still others will notice, and will wonder where they get the power to continue doing good. This is just what Paul told Timothy.
2Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
Now, having set all that up, we come to verse 16, where we learn how we are supposed to do this. The words Peter uses are “gentleness and respect.” Many people today find the Word of God offensive - even in America, there are a lot of people who have puffed themselves up, believing that they are above all this “religion” stuff. When we share Christ with others, they may be offended; but that does not absolve us of the responsibility to share Him with others. Here is how the author of Hebrews describes the Word of God…
12“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”
Some people will get offended at a two-edged sword diving their soul and spirit, and judging their hearts. Rev. Marc Myers, my pastor during high school, used to put it this way: “A Christian should not be deliberately offensive. If you share the Word of God, and the Word offends, so be it. But if you share the Word of God, and you offend, you would be better off not sharing it at all.” This is true - being offensive while sharing Christ actually does more harm than good. It takes the focus off Christ and puts it on the messenger, and it creates a bad reputations for Christians in general.
Think about the abortion clinic. A gentle and respectful way to fight against an abortion clinic is to stand out on the sidewalk and talk, one to one, to the women coming in. I know from experience that women seeking abortion, a lot of times, are using that as means to an end, not an end in itself. Sharing Christ with them can give them hope, and when God works in their spirit, the baby is not only kept, but welcomed and wanted.
Another way of dealing with an abortion clinic is bombing it, destroying it so that it is no longer a conducive place for abortion. However, not only is this offensive (disrespectful to the property of others, irresponsible towards life in that people may be in the building), it is also illegal. Verse 17 says that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Eric Rudolph is suffering for doing evil, not good.
Peter wraps up chapter 3 by reminding us of Who else has suffered for doing good. Christ is our example, and just as the world was offended at His message when He delivered it, it still finds this message offensive today. In the verse above from Matthew, Jesus said that they also persecuted the prophets before Him. While we should strive not to offend, this should be encouraging to us; if they take offense at our message - well, that's nothing new, is it? May we have the courage to share Christ, and the humility to share it without our methods offending.
16He speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
The “he” in the beginning of the verse is Paul, who wrote many of the letters that are now books in the New Testament. This is a good recommendation from a fellow minister, but it comes with a couple of warnings.
First, Peter warns the church that some of the things which Paul has written to them are difficult to understand. This is certainly true - even today, there is often spirited debate over the meaning of some of the things Paul wrote. Of course, rather than just listening to debate, and deciding which side is more convincing, it is important to search the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal its interpretation. And, knowledge without application is useless - once you have determined what the Scripture says, that knowledge needs to be put into action.
The second warning Peter has for the church is that the “untaught and unstable” will try to twist what the Bible says. Man has been doing this since, quite literally, just after Creation. Let's look at the first recorded twisting of God's Word. God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions regarding the Garden of Eden.
16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
But when Eve is talking to the serpent a few verses later, she gets it… well, not quite right.
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'”
Now, we don't know whether it was Eve who got it wrong here, or if it was Adam who amplified God's warning when he was telling Eve what God had said. But either way, what God said is not faithfully represented in Eve's answer to the serpent. And, just as the Bible begins with this story illustrating (among other things) twisting God's words, it ends with a warning as well.
18I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. 19And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.
I don't know if you've read the book of Revelation all the way through or not; if you have, you know that you certainly don't want all the plagues of that book added to you!
Another application of these warnings applies to selecting a version of the Bible to use for study. Before making assumptions, research the translation philosophy, and whether the version is a literal translation or a paraphrase. Using more than one version can help you understand a tough passage.
The key in interpreting the Scripture is to be sure that you know what It says. Don't rely on what other people say about It - what does It say? I pray that we will all study the Scriptures, and allow God to reveal His interpretation of it to us.
(Note - we'll discuss more on Bible study when we get to 2 Timothy 3:16.)
John is reminding the recipients of his letter that Jesus provided the ultimate example when it came to love. He gave everything for us. But one of the most amazing parts of His sacrifice is that it was just that - a sacrifice. No one took Jesus and killed Him against His will. In fact, Jesus mentioned in John 10:17-18 that He would lay His life down willingly.
17This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.
Jesus' sacrifice is truly our example. But, if we were saved, and then died for someone else, there wouldn't be very many Christians around! Giving up our lives is noble, and there are many who have done that for others - military people, police, and firefighters risk that and often make that ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. But rather than put our lives on the line, this should remind us that anything God asks us to do less than that is really no trouble at all. Laying down our lives can just mean giving up something of ours for the benefit of someone else.
13No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
It isn't actually circular reasoning - I believe that there are two different things we can take from this. The first of these reminds us of Jesus' words, when asked what the greatest commandment was.
34When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together in the same place. 35And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
37He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."
Both parts of the greatest two commandments, according to our Lord, deal with love. This is the second principle we can see in this passage. Even looking back at the Ten Commandments, we can see this.
2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
3Do not have other gods besides Me.
4Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
7Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will punish anyone who misuses His name.
8Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work - you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13Do not murder.
14Do not commit adultery.
15Do not steal.
16Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Think about it - if you love the Lord, you won't have other gods, you won't worship idols, you won't misuse His name, and you'll set aside a day to remember what He has done for you. By the same token, if you love your fellow man, you'll honor your parents by recognizing what they've done for you; you won't murder your fellow man; you won't steal from them, whether their spouse or an earthly good; you won't lie about them; and you won't be jealous of the blessings they have received from God.
So, you see, it's not really circular at all. Love is the command, and the command is love. May God grow in us His love, both for Him, and our fellow man.
Author
Daniel is a man who wants to be used of God however He sees fit.