The Field is the World (Matt. 13:38)

S: And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:10-11) O: Jonah's is a miraculous story. Not only in the obvious, Jonah's survival after the sea creature swallowed him, but also in the unparalleled revival of the Ninevite people. Jonah's self-centeredness is also remarkable, considering his rescue and the success of his mission. A: Possibly Jonah had been given something of the future of Nineveh, as Elisha had about Syria (2 Kings 8:12). But his concern about his comfort and lack of concern that the young (idiom in 4:11) and innocent livestock perish make an unforgettable picture. The statistics on the cost of comfort for North American Christians is staggering, compared to Jonah's...

S: Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. (Proverbs 28:8) O: This is found in a chapter of Proverbs that has a lot to say about how bad it is when the wicked gain power. I understand it therefore to mean that the stingy man who spends all his time multiplying wealth does so for the righteous man who will be godly and generous with it. It is similar to Proverbs 13:22b, "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." A: Pr. 13:22 is a favorite of the prosperity gospel preachers. But careful reflection on the meaning of this passage reveals the error of much teaching on that one. To a greedy ear, it sounds as if believers are entitled to accumulate massive wealth, so that their grandchildren will be wealthy (so what's so bad about enjoying the luxuries in the process.) But in reality they form a couplet related by irony. The righteo...

S: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:19-23) O: This Psalm is Messianic and is what is quoted on Palm Sunday by the crowds recognizing Jesus as fulfilling Zecharaiah 9:9. In each account, Jesus continues into the city, weeping over their unwillingness in Luke 19:41, seeing the fruitless fig tree in Mark 11:13, and purifying the Temple (all 3 synoptics). The cornerstone passage is quoted many times in the New Testament. (Matthew 21:42/Mark12:10-11/Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7 - also alluded to in Eph. 2:20 and Isa. 8:14,15, which the Peter passage connects to Ps. 118:25) It's interesting to see it this way: the Lord had every right to expect gates o...

S: And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. (2 Chronicles 14:11-12). O: The reigns of Rehoboam, Abijah and Asa were a time of crisis in Judah. Would they follow God, or turn to idolatry as Israel did? Rehoboam humbled himself at the word of Shemaiah the prophet (12:5-12) but it was only a temporary thing to avoid disaster (v. 14). Abijah inspired faith in God among his army (13:4-12) but his faith seems to have been mainly for that purpose. (1 Kings 15:3) But Asa truly gave his heart to the Lord (14:2-5; 15; 1 Kings 15:14). A: The actions of the kings and judges of Israel accurately mirror the hearts of men. When facing trouble, we're quick to repent ...

S:  They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. (Numbers 31:8, 16) O: Because of his treacherous doctrine, the prophet Balaam was slain among the enemies of God. A: What a warning to the man who follows God's call, to beware presuming upon His holiness by thinking what He PERMITS is what He approves. Because of it, his prayer was denied in Numbers 23: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his (Israel's). P: Lord, keep me back from such presumptuous sin. Let me beware the error and doctrine of Balaam, as well as the leaven of the Pharisees. ------------------- Why "SOAP?" See http://www.enewhope.org/firststeps/jou...

S: Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:4-8) O: I can almost picture this Psalm in an orchestral arrangement, with the heathen represented as bowing down to idols and pantomiming looking around for Israel's. How foolish the vanity of idolatry appears as God mocks it and the worshippers of the work of human hands. A: The humility of worship of God is contrasted with the hubris of idol-worship: in Acts 19, as Paul visits Ephesus, we see the true source of concern: not for the glory of the false god Diana, but for the vanity and income of the silversmiths. (Acts 19:24-34) There is no middle ground: either to God's name, or ultimately to my own, I wil...

S: Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven (2 Chronicles 6:13) O: Another simple thought today. The king of Israel, to whom all nations was looking for wisdom and display of wealth and power, raises a platform so everyone can see him (no surprise), then kneels before God. (Big surprise!) A: What must the people have been thinking when he ascended the platform? Some were probably excited at the thought that he would raise himself up and act important. Others may have thought, "oh, brother!" (Rehoboam found that the people had distaste for the heavy yoke placed upon them to finance Solomon's grandeur.) But when he humbled himself by kneeling before the far greater King, what did that say? Even the great Solomon, in all his glory, (Matthew 6:29), recognized that ...

S: "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd." (Numbers 27:16-17) O: Just a simple thought today, although there are lots of profound things to notice in Numbers 25-28. (The provocation at Baal-Peor according to the doctrine of Balaam; the intervention of Phinehas and his reward; the census proving the prophecy of Numbers 14:30; the daughters of Zelophehad; the announcement of Moses' death; the various offerings.) Moses, humbled, does not venture to suggest a name to God (although Joshua was apparent enough as a leader) but asks God to appoint one. A: When we anticipate, we often get it wrong. (For instance, I may be wrong, but I suspect Matthias [Acts 1:16-26] was a mistaken choice.) Plus, it's just not letting God be God. The best choice for Moses wa...

S: Amos 5-9 - highlights: Seek good, and Hate evil… it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14-15) Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! (Amos 5:18) "Woe to those… who sing idle songs… but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! (Amos 6:4-6) The Lord GOD has sworn by himself… "I abhor the pride of Jacob…" (Amos 6:8) …behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire… Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" The LORD relented concerning this: "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD. (Amos 7:1-6) Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. "You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' Therefore thus says the LORD: "'Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself ...

S: Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. (Proverbs 25:26) O: How true this is! It's not enough to be in the right—you must be resolute in your stance as well. If you are swayed by a wicked but popular opinion, you're no more than a polluted fountain. A: I have seen some very unpopular, but right, positions adamantly held, and I have seen right positions abandoned through political pressure. The first may not earn friends, even in the end, for even Christians can be most unforgiving when proven wrong. But the second type have the guilt of compromise to live with, or learn from. P: Lord, if I'm unpopular, let it be for the right reasons and not the wrong ones! Give me discernment to know when I'm in the wrong, but courage to stay the course when I am following your will.

S: Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. (Psalm 111:2-8) O: The LORD's works are "studied by all who delight in them." Wonderful, full of splendor and majesty, revealing His faithfulness, grace and power. A: The Psalms give the believer a structure for praise: consider how God's works are calculated to show His character. We who delight in God's works should be the first to study them. To collect evidences of Hi...

S: He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. (2 Chronicles 3:17) O: The meaning of Jachin is said to be "He establishes" (or directs, makes ready, arranges) and Boaz is "in His strength" (or fleetness). At this time, Solomon was still "little in his own sight" (1 Samuel 15:17) and, regardless of the splendor of the Temple he was building, he still saw it as completely established by the Lord by His strength alone. A: These names are rich with meaning for us, as we're supposed to picture prayer as going boldly before the throne of grace because of our great High Priest's completed work and our rest in it. (Hebrews 4:11-16) The way to His throne is arranged and established by Him, and is in His strength alone. P: Father, you knew it was the only way my faith could stand - that it be 100% by your plan and in your strength, not by the will of f...

S: He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! (Nu 23:21-23) O: Balaam may himself be a perverse character (2 Peter 2:15, Jude v. 11, Rev. 2:14) but it was his privilege to give voice to some powerful prophecies about Israel. God hasn't seen anything wrong with Israel. Didn't we just see iniquity in Israel, when they spoke against God and Moses and He sent the fiery serpents? Yet God did not now see their iniquity (vanity, idolatry, misfortune). God is with them and there is no enchantment (Strong's <05173>=enchantment, divination, <05174>=copper, bronze, <05175>=serpent - these 3 Hebrew/Aramaic ...

S: "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!' (Amos 4:1) O: Through Amos, thought to be the first writing prophet to Israel, God pronounces woe on Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon Moab... then, Judah and Israel. It must have been shocking to hear. God says they were selling the righteous for silver (which makes me think of Christ), being careless of the poor and afflicted, engaging in sexual perversion and ritual prostitution, extorting the poor and carousing with their ill-gotten gain (2:6-8). A: What struck me here was the derisive way God calls the women of Israel "cows of Bashan" who oppress the poor, crush the needy and make demands of their husbands that require the same things. I usually think of the men as the oppressors, but the godlessness has permeated this society to such extent that God calls out the women as offenders as...

S: My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23:15-26) O: Wise words from a father to a son urge him to give him his heart a...

S: That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! (Psalm 108:6) Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. (Psalm 109:6) For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. (Psalm 109:31) The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." (Psalm 110:1) The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. (Psalm 110:5) O: The right hand represents blessing, skill and power. To pray against one's enemies, as David has done in Psalm 109, that an accuser (or Satan) stand at his right hand was to turn their blessing and effectiveness into curses. In Acts 1, Peter applied this passage to Judas. By contrast, God is the protector and Savior of the needy person, and the ultimate fulfillment of the symbolism is Christ, the Anointed One, who has the place of blessing and exercises all the pow...

S: Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your ho...

S: This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every sin offering of theirs and every guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons. (Numbers 18:9) O: Note God's care for the priests - 1/12th of Israel received 1/10th of the offering. If everything worked out OK, they would have received more than 1/10th even after giving back 1/10th. Of course, we know from the Biblical record that the offerings weren't what they should be. A: Even though we're under a New Covenant that doesn't explicitly set giving percentages as the Old Covenant did, if we followed the same basic guidelines, all would be well: 15 people of average income could start a church, pay a pastor an average income and even rent a building. It doesn't work because average giving is around 2%, not 10%. With those stats, you need a church the size of the average mature churc...

S: Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. (Joel 1:13-14) "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the eld...

S:     Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,         for he shares his bread with the poor.     (Proverbs 22:9 ESV)     O:    This attitude has impressed me very much since coming on staff with Campus Crusade. I see clearly now that some individuals are gifted and called to a very prosperous trade, so that Kingdom work can be funded. Others are amazingly able to act in faith as if they are very prosperous and the Lord somehow multiplies their gifts and their ability to give. It amazes and encourages me to see this, and I wonder what it must be like, as some of them have described the delight that it is to see so much of what God is doing and take such a significant part in it. But especially when it comes to generosity to the poor and humble, this passage, 19:17, Luke 14:13-14, and Matthew 25:40 remind us that God has special regard for those who care for others who could never pa...