Monthly Archives: September 2014

Main, Mission

At the Gates of Glory

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Psalm 122:1-2 (NASB)
1  I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2  Our feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem,

Daniel 9:2-6 (NASB)
2  in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
3  So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
4  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
5  we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.
6  “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.

Daniel 9:9-17 (NASB)
9  “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;
10  nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.
11  “Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.
12  “Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem.
13  “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.
14  “Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15  “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked.
16  “O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.
17  “So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

What a difference a generation makes. Daniel, believed to be a part of the first deportations to Babylon around 605 B.C., bore witness to the desolation of God’s people and His temple.  The identity of God’s people was associated with the city of Jerusalem. Daniel remained faithful apart from the geographical association and served God personally, even bringing the knowledge of God Most High to the gates of Babylon. At the time of 536 B.C., Daniel called upon a covenant God to restore a national identity again for the sake of His name.

Warnings of the reproach of God’s people are explicitly recorded throughout Scripture from the time of Moses and his Deuteronomic homily.  Even in the time of David and God’s choice of an early king to govern His people, the warning is very conspicuous:

2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NASB)
12  “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13  “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14  “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
15  but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16  “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”‘”

Worship took preparation. Worship was preceded by expectation. To the devotee, it is an approach to the gates of God’s throne. David and Daniel both stood in defense of the name of God Most High in the face of a dominant nation. Zerubbabel said in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” A prayer attributed to Blaise Pascal says, “Lord, help me to do great things as though they were little, since I do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since I do them in your name.”

 

Main, Work

The Gracious but Hard Master

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His master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:26-30).

What’s the difference between the first two servants and the third servant? Faithfulness. The first two servants received their talents graciously, and they faithfully served their master by using those resources to do the work their master would be pleased in their doing. The third servant focused on himself rather than his master. He didn’t want to work; he didn’t want to take risks. So he did nothing. He was unfaithful.

One thing that the unfaithful servant does acknowledge is the character of the Master. You could say all three servants acknowledge the character of the Master. You might have read this before and thought, “What does this mean?” Consider this interpretation that brings out a meaning for us today that is very sensible. The wicked servant judged his Master based on a flawed understanding of GRACE. Some may think the Master was wicked and exploited the talents of others by robbing them of their hard earned fruit; however, what does the story reveal about the Master? He gives to those who have not themselves worked for it. I’m taken back to the Promised Land and the story of Israel. It says something of God’s grace when He gives to Israel all the fruitfulness of the Promised Land that comes from the toil of another. Some in Israel wanted the status quo to remain and refuse to share the wealth of their godly potential. Men like Joshua and Caleb took advantage of the grace of God and by sowing it’s promise found a future reward that would benefit generations to follow. When you think about it, all people have been given a chance to experience God’s grace (Romans 1:19, 20) and have opportunity to work for a return from it. The wicked of the world who stifle such grace accuse God as being a tyrant and a hard man continuing to “show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4) whereas others who benefit from God’s redemption will appreciate Him as a benevolent benefactor.