Righteousness and Justice better than Sacrifice

 

Proverbs 21:3(NKJV)

3    To do righteousness and justice      Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Hmm.

Don't really know what to think of this.  In the New Testament Jesus holds up the widow who gave two mites as a great example of sacrificial giving.  We are told that sacrificial giving is a great thing.  And yet we have this passage from the Old Testament that tells us that to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrificial giving.

That creates some questions in my mind and kind of goes to the heart of my problem with the Saintly Poor.  On the one hand we are told to care for the poor.  On the other hand we are told that X, Y, and Z are benefits of accepting Jesus and that not accepting Jesus leads to outcome A, B, C. 

Many of the poor have rejected Christ and earned the A, B, C outcome through their own choice.  And yet many well meaning Christians seem to think that we should give those people middle class lifestyles.

Scripture tells us that we serve a just God.  In light of that, the Scripture above makes sense to me.  The big question I continue to have is if we give all of the benefits of being Children of God to people who haven't qualified to be Children of God, how is that just?  And by not qualifying I mean they haven't accepted Jesus.

I just think that the way the Christian Church deals with the poor today is a bit out of whack.  I think we should look to the OT for what caring for the poor really means.

We Are All Children of God. Really? That's Not What Scripture Says!

Wow, now this is interesting!  One of the common things that we hear, especially from those who aren't believers, is that we are all children of God.  That whether we believe or not, whether we are Christians, whether we are Muslims, whether we are Buddhists, whether we are atheists; we are all children of God.

My question is really?  Where does it say that?  Because in my research I can't find where it says that.

Here is the Scripture that I read today that prompted my question.  This is the first time in the whole Bible that the phrase "children of God" is used.  That phrase is used 10 times in the Bible but doesn’t appear anywhere in the Old Testament nor does it appear in the first 3 Gospels.  Take a look!

John 1:12-13(NKJV)

12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 

13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Seems pretty clear to me.  Starting here and throughout the rest of the Bible, being a child of God is tied directly to belief in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Notice that it isn't automatic.  It is a right that we obtain from God for our belief in His son Jesus. 

So next time you hear someone make that claim, ask them to show you where in the Bible it says that! 

More On King Solomon

I am always struck by how different things jump out at you each time you read the Bible.  I have lost count of how many times I have read it.  But each time I find stuff that I swear wasn't in there before.

This time through what has really struck me is the difference in tone between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes even though they were at least partially written by the same guy, King Solomon.  Here is a verse I read today. 

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11(NKJV)

4I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 

5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 

6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 

7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 

8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and £musical instruments of all kinds.

9So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10    Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.      I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,     For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;     And this was my reward from all my labor.

11    Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done     And on the labor in which I had toiled;     And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.     There was no profit under the sun.

So we again have the dark, brooding, oh woe is me what's the point King Solomon.  Just the opposite of the optimism we see in Proverbs. 

The question that stands out to me is what could cause an optimist to become a pessimist like that?  If you've ever known a true optimist you know that it seems to be an inborn thing that they can't help.  Off the top of my head I can't think of any optimists that I know who became pessimists.  So why the change in King Solomon's writings?

Here is a guess, but it is only a guess.  First off re-read the above passage.  Notice how it is all in past tense?  He is recounting what he has done in his life which makes me think that this must have been written towards the end of his life. 

Do you remember what Solomon's life  was like in the later years?  Where he went wrong?  He married women of other faiths, and then let them set up alters and temples to their gods in Jerusalem.  And worse, even though Solomon was favored by God, Solomon allowed himself to be influenced by his wive's religions.

So my guess is that what we are seeing in Ecclesiastes is King Solomon in his later years suffering a bit of spiritual confusion or spiritual sickness if you will. 

The other thing that strikes me is the utter hopelessness and despair he seems to feel.  He details all that he has done and follows with lots of "oh what's the use".  Take a look at this verse.

Ecclesiastes 2:16(NKJV)

16    For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,     Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.     And how does a wise man die?      As the fool!

Here we see that King Solomon the wise is demonstrably wrong!  Just about everyone has heard of wise King Solomon but who can name a fool from back then?  So contrary to what King Solomon claims, there IS more remembrance of the wise than the fool.

What Solomon writes next however is spot on.  In the end, we are all dead, the wise and the fool.  As I say, Solomon is spot on, as far as he goes with it.
 

The one big difference that we have today that Solomon didn't have back then is that we have Jesus.  For us it doesn't end in the grave.  For us it doesn't end in hopelessness.  For those of us who believe in Jesus, we get eternal life. 

Have you asked Jesus into your life yet?  Would you like to feel hope instead of hopeless?  Then just ask Jesus to guide you.  Have a conversation with Him and let Him know what you are looking for, what you need.  "Dear Jesus…." 

Was King Solomon Schizophrenic?

I only ask because I just finished reading for the 31 chapters of Proverbs about how important it is to seek wisdom.  Now in the 1st Chapter of Ecclesiastes which was written by King Solomon who wrote part of Proverbs as well, I read the following:

Ecclesiastes 1:18(NKJV)

18    For in much wisdom is much grief,      And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Does that strike anyone else as a bit incongruent?  For me it has always seemed strange that the same guy could write both books.  If I had to put it in a nutshell, Proverbs seems so optimistic which is probably why I am drawn to it.  Ecclesiastes on the hand seems to be so dark, brooding, and pessimistic as to be almost suicidal!

So what do you think God is trying to teach us by offering such diametrically opposed views by the same guy?  What do you think the point of the above Scripture is? 

After spending 31 chapters telling us to pursue wisdom, is Solomon now telling us not to pursue it?  Or is it something different? 

While there are probably many ways to interpret this, let me offer one that strikes me.

I have always taken the pursue wisdom advice to heart.  I am always learning new things, new skills.  I am always seeking new knowledge.  It is a passion.  It is fun.  It is rewarding.  It is an extremely fun and exciting and satisfying way to live.  That's probably why God recommends it!

Here is where the grief and sorrow comes in from gaining wisdom and knowledge.  I see a lot of people out there in this world who are hurting, financially as well other things.  People who feel hopeless.  People who feel that they don't have a chance.  Some of those people are even Christians.

But how many of those people do you see pursuing wisdom and knowledge?  One of the things in the Bible that God spends 31 chapters of a book on, how many people are following His advice? 

Would their lives be better if they did?  Absolutely!  Would start to feel some hope?  I believe they would.  What is stopping them?  Is it cost?  Nope.  Libraries are free.  Pursuing knowledge is free.  Doesn't cost a thing.  You don't have to get anyone's permission to do it.  The only thing stopping them is themselves!

So for me the grief and sorrow comes from seeing people struggling when I know how easy it is to fix the problem.  Seeing  people not willing to follow God's advice and seek wisdom.  That is truly sad! 

Why didn't Jesus just tell Satan no?

Now isn't this interesting.  One of the questions that is often asked is why does God let bad stuff happen to good people?  I think these verses give us a clue.

Luke 22:31-32(NKJV)

31£And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 

32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

First of all look at the first part where Jesus says Simon, Simon.  Jesus says Satan asked specifically for Simon.  And what does Jesus say He did?  He prayed for Simon.

Now I don't know about you but if I were Simon I would probably be thinking something like "You prayed for me?  Way to go out on a limb to help.  Why didn't you just tell him no?!"  :)

Think about that.  Jesus himself certainly had the authority to tell Satan no if Jesus had chosen to.  And it is not as if Jesus didn't care.  Simon was one of the chosen 12.  He and Jesus were really close.  So why would Jesus let someone that He really cares about and loves be tested by Satan?

As I've written before, I believe it is because there are certain lessons that can only be truly learned through adversity.  We are made stronger by the hard times, not the easy times.  Notice the end of the verse.  Jesus seems to know that going though it will strengthen Simon's faith and help give him the tools to step into the leadership role that awaits him.

I'm sure that if there was any other way to have accomplished the same thing, Jesus would have spared Simon the anguish.  In addition let's tie in my favorite verse from Romans.

Romans 5:2-5(NKJV)

2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Notice the system that God has in place.  Tribulation, perseverance, character, and hope.  It starts with our tribulations and builds from there. 

God has a great plan for our lives.  Is it going to be easy?  Nope, but it sure is exciting.  Why not join in on the fun?  It starts by asking Jesus to lead your life.  Have you done that yet?  No?  Then lets get started now.  Just have a conversation with Jesus and ask Him to lead you.  "Dear Jesus…."

 

Reflections In Water

The Bible tells us of the importance of where our hearts are at.  It is a very important issue to God from everything I have read.  Here is a NT verse that speaks to the issue. 

Luke 6:45(NKJV)

45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil £treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

But for pure poetry I think this OT verse says it best!

Proverbs 27:19(NKJV)

19    As in water face reflects face,      So a man’s heart reveals the man.

This makes me wonder

One of the tenants that I have always believed is that once saved, always saved, unless you renounce your salvation.  And even then if you repented Christ would still take you back.  This statement by Jesus makes me wonder.

Luke 9:62(NKJV)

62But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Does this mean that if someone renounces their salvation, they don't get a second chance?  Not that I'm thinking of renouncing or anything.  Just kind of curious.