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Laundry Day (2)

Monday, June 30th, 2008 | Author:

“Blessed are those doing His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city.” Revelation 22:14

Doing His Commandments – We have a problem.  You see, there is an alternative reading for this verse in the Greek text.  Instead of “washing their robes,” this version reads, “doing His commandments.”  This alternative version stands behind the Greek text used as the basis of the translations of the King James and other earlier Bibles.  It is found in about half of the existing Greek fragments, although not as early as the fragments reading “wash their clothes.”  The latest Greek New Testament remarks that there is some degree of doubt about either reading.

Read the text in your Bible to see which version is used.  Then ask yourself why you were not made aware of both possibilities.

It’s impossible to say why there seems to be such a discrepancy in these versions.  Usually the textual issues are fairly small, just a word or the spelling of a word.  But here we have a fairly significant shift in meaning, unless, of course, we are thinking in Hebrew.  “Wash their clothes” is an idiom for carefully attending to the commands of God regarding sin.  That is precisely the same idea behind “doing His commandments.”  Since both versions point to the same set of instructions, we can confidently conclude at least this much – those who are blessed are very careful about the torah.

Don’t get confused.  This is not about your rescue and deliverance.  The Lamb accomplishes that quite independently of anything you can do.  Grace is a gift.  But blessing (the word is important) is the result of actions that you initiate and carry through.  The word is makarioi.  It is not a verb.  It is an adjective.  It describes the inner state of bliss that accompanies an action taken by the person.  In other words, by doing your laundry (ritual purity) or keeping His instructions, you discover an inner sense of joy and peace.  This inner sense arrives as a by-product of your actions.  You find yourself blessed.  It’s exactly the same use of the word in the Beatitudes.

Those who know the inner bliss of obedience are free to partake of the tree of life and enter the gates.  That might come about because they have taken the steps to cleanse themselves from sin (wash) or because they simply keep God’s instructions.  Either way, something must be done!  You are not going to be invited to join the feast of the Lamb unless you have done the hard work of purification.  Work it out with fear and trembling (because God is working it out in you).

Maybe we need both readings here, just to make the point unavoidably clear.  You are delivered in order that you may obey.  Obedience is not optional once you are grafted into the family.  The only question is this:  Are you doing what God said to do?  Are you blessed?

Believe me, if you are, you will know it!

Topical Index:  Obedience

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Laundry Day (1)

Sunday, June 29th, 2008 | Author:

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city.” Revelation 22:14

Wash Their Robes – Is God really interested in laundry day?  Do we really have to clean our clothes before we can enter into His gates?  If you translate the Greek word for word, that’s what you’ll conclude but it hardly makes any sense.  The expression is a Hebrew idiom.  If you want to have the right to the tree of life, then you better know what this Hebrew idiom really says.

There are two important ideas in this verse.  They are both about clothing.  The end of the book of Revelation is a glorious account of victory.  God’s plan culminates in the renewed heaven and earth.  The triumphant bridegroom approaches the gates of the celestial city.  All of this is foretold in Isaiah 62 and 63.  His raiment is dipped in blood signifying His defeat of the enemies of God.  This blood will not be washed off.  It is the evidence of His victory.  There is a second group of waiting citizens, those who will enter with the triumphant King.  They are instructed to wash their garments.  That imagery comes from a much older text.  It’s found in Leviticus 16:26-28.

If you read the texts about the sacrificial procedures, you will find a lot of information about clothing.  However, the usual texts require the person to be ritually washed before the holy clothing is put on.  Only on two occasions are the clothes to be washed and both have to do with carrying sin away from the camp.  The first is about the scapegoat.  The person who takes the scapegoat out of the camp, thereby symbolically removing sin from the congregation, must wash his clothes before he can return.  Likewise, the person who carries the skins of the sin offering outside the camp must wash his clothes before he can return.  On both occasions, the symbolic removal of sin and the things associated with the sin offering require an act of purification before returning to the congregation.  When John uses this imagery, he points us to the removal of the telltale signs of the sin sacrifice before we enter into the gates of the city.

Many Christian commentaries suggest that this is an allusion to the atoning work of Yeshua.  They submit that His death on the cross is the vehicle by which we are cleansed.  Washed in His blood, we are ritually pure and able to enter.  But the text is active, not passive.  It does not say “Blessed are those whose clothes have been washed.”  It says that the blessed are the ones who washed their own clothes.  Certainly this cannot be the atonement provided by the Messiah since we have no part in earning what is a free gift.  Our part comes in obedience after salvation.  If we focus on the active tense of this verse, we realize that washing our own robes is a metaphor for obeying the instructions given by God for approaching Him.  In particular, this metaphor reveals the need for those who have put off sinful behavior to clean the residue from their lives before coming into the Lord’s presence.  How is that accomplished?  By keeping His instructions.

Who will have the right to the tree of life?  Who will enter through the gates of the city?  Those who have washed themselves of the stink of sin.  Their guilt has been removed by Yeshua, but until they have cleaned up according to the torah, they cannot come back into the congregation.  They carry the residue of the sin offering.  It is removed by obedience.  From beginning to end, Scripture teaches obedience.  Are you prepared to enter?

Topical Index:  Obedience

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Cornucopia

Saturday, June 28th, 2008 | Author:

and there shall no longer be any curse Revelation 22:3

Curse – Do you remember what the Hebrew word for curse really means? ‘arar means binding, hedging in with obstacles and rendering powerless.  We have lived in a world that has been bound since the days of Adam.  But some day things will change.  Some day the curse will be lifted.  The world will no longer be powerless.

Go back and read the context of this hopeful vision in Revelation.  You will find that it is a description of the Garden of Eden.  Crystal clear water, the tree of life yielding fruit in season, healing and the throne of the Lamb are all part of this vision.  In this context we discover that the curse will be no more.  What does that mean?  Since Adam and Eve were never cursed in the first place, lifting this curse does not take away sin.  This is not an event in salvation history.  This is an event in the restoration of earth.  John must have wept when he heard these words from God.  The earth is going to be re-newed (oh, yes, by the way, the Hebrew word here would not be new but rather renew).  Now do you understand why Paul says that the earth groans for the day of redemption.  The earth itself has been bound for thousands of years.  It has been rendered powerless to do what it was intended to do.  All because of sin!  And when the consequences of sin are lifted from the earth, the dirt itself will rejoice.  It will at last be able to function exactly as God designed it.

The re-newed heaven and the re-newed earth is part of the cosmic restoration plan.  It’s not about you and me.  We are not center-stage actors in this drama.  We have a part to play, but the production is much, much bigger.  It is a blessing and a privilege to be invited to the stage.  Rejoice in that and then enjoy the show.

If John’s apocalyptic vision means anything at all, it adjusts our perspective on God’s interaction with the world.  Far too often we assume that this entire drama is all about us.  Of course, we might agree with Rick Warren that there is a bigger purpose, but if that bigger purpose is still about human projects like church planting, soul winning, body edification and moral legislation, we are still thinking in a very tiny box.  God is at work in and on behalf of the universe.  This is the greatest possible stage play.  Go take a look at a wonderful exhibit on the size of everything (www.atlasoftheuniverse.com) and see how important you feel.  God has some very big plans.  It’s simply amazing that He even cares about us.  But He does.  You see, we are just like that bound dirt.  We have a role to play in the perfect design of creation.  Intuitively, you know this is true.  If your existence were just an accident, you wouldn’t be aware of that deep longing for true purpose and fulfillment.  You wouldn’t know when you were frustrated with life itself.  But you do.  You know it because you were made for something other than the bound universe.  You know it.  Nature knows it.  The planet knows it.

Can you imagine what it will be like to live in an unbound world?  Can you imagine what deep pleasure it will be to see things work as God intended?  It will be the cosmic dream come true.  Revel in the idea.  Let the power of this hope lift you out of your tiny little box.  Cast your gaze at the stars and realize that everything is going to change.  Everything!  I can hardly wait.

Topical Index:  Curse

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The Good Life

Friday, June 27th, 2008 | Author:

“that they may have My joy fulfilled in them.” John 17:13

Fulfilled – Jesus does not plan a “cheerless barren existence” for His followers.  He anticipates and provides for a life of joy!  I wonder if we truly believe that – and if we are experiencing this “full of grace and beauty” living.  I suspect that most of the time we allow the cares of this world, the deceit of economic gain and the confusion about law and grace to keep us in chronic spiritual dyspepsia.  We don’t think of Jesus as joyful.  We think of Him as obedient, suffering and detached.  Since we don’t have His perspective clearly in focus, we don’t really know what He is talking about.  We just take two aspirin and hope things will be better in the morning.

The Greek verb, pleroo, literally means “to fill a container to the brim.”  Figuratively, it implies abundant supply.  You can find it in phrases like “richly impart,” “abundant living,” and “the fullness of God.”  The key is that this verb is a passive perfect tense participle.  That won’t mean much to you until you know the meanings of the terms.  Passive means that you and I are the recipients of the action, not the performers of the action.  The perfect tense means that this is an action that was completed in the past but has continuing effects in the present.  Finally, this verb is a participle, a verb that acts like a noun.  What Jesus is saying is that the joy He wants us to have is given, not earned, has always been an essential element of the universe, is guaranteed to followers, is more than adequate for life, overflows from its past foundation into the present and is available to everyone who lives obediently under God.  (Better read that again.)

When did God establish this program of joyful existence?  From the very beginning.  You will find this Greek verb in Genesis 1:22 as a translation of the Hebrew verb male (two syllables) meaning “fill, complete, finish or satisfy.”  In other words, it has always been God’s intention for us to experience this joy.  That was the purpose behind the original command!  God wants you to be absolutely passionate about living.  He wants you to experience amazing satisfaction in what you do.  He wants you to know His purpose, complete it and discover wholeness in the process.  Jesus prays that the original plan will be restored.

Everything important in the Bible happens in the first three chapters of Genesis.  All the rest is amplification and clarification.  If we just understood those first three chapters in their depth and scope, life would be very different.  Jesus came to restore us to the original design, not to usher in some new program.  When He prays for our joy, He knows exactly what that requires.  It requires a return to the only authorized plan that ever existed.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sang about our collective waywardness when they used the lyrics, “got to get back to the Garden.”  That’s where we belong.  We have been outsiders for a very long time.  Jesus comes to return us to a place where we can walk in the cool of the evening with God.  If you want the good life, you’ll have to follow His directions.  He’s the only one who knows how to get there.  What a joy it will be when you arrive.

Topical Index:  Plan

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Unity Defined (2)

Thursday, June 26th, 2008 | Author:

“keep them in Your name; those you gave to Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:11

May Be – Sometimes it takes a Greek phrase to give us deeper insight into a text.  This may be one of those times.  Most of us read this prayer and assume that Jesus is pleading for some future, anticipated unity.  If we read Greek we would know that this isn’t true.  Jesus has something else in mind, and we desperately need to know what it is.

The Greek is hina hosin.  Biblical scholar R. C. H. Lenski points out that if the Greek meant “to get to be one,” the verb would have to be genontai.  Instead, we have a Greek construction that must mean to continually be one.  That means that Jesus is not praying that unity will come to pass at some later time, but rather that the unity already exists and the disciples are invited into it.  Leon Morris notes that churches often cite this verse as a justification for ecumenism, but the real implication here is “something much more difficult.  It is unity of heart and mind and will,” a unity that is founded on abiding in the divine love between the Father and Son.  That kind of unity has always been the case.  We don’t abide in it until we partake of the life in the Son.  Jesus is not praying about getting along with your Methodist neighbors or your Pentecostal friends or your Catholic co-workers.  He is praying that every follower of The Way will enter into the same personal intimacy that He enjoys with the Father.  The reason that ecumenism is even possible is not our desire to join hands in fellowship.  It is because when we abide in Him from the heart, we are brothers and sisters in arms with everyone else who walks in The Way.

So, what can I do to bring about this intimate, personal abiding?  Do I just sit, waiting for the Spirit to suddenly empower me to become a holy person?  Do I do nothing until I am overcome with God’s presence and He changes me?  By now you know that God never does what we are supposed to do.  He gives the gift of this spiritual intimacy, but we have to act to accept it.  We are supposed to work out this relationship with fear and trembling (while God works in us).  God waits for obedience before He pours on the enabling grace.

Jesus made it pretty clear.  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  Christians have a tendency to think that this means we are to “love” everybody.  We have this amorphous, vague idea of some sort of soupy benevolence.  I doubt that Jesus had that in mind.  Jesus is far too direct, too practical, too operational to suggest some sort of undefined feeling.  If you want to know what “commandments” Jesus had in mind, you might consider the fact that He is the “Word” incarnate.  That means the author of the torah stood before the followers of The Way and told them to act according to His former instructions.  Of course, He clarified a good deal about those instructions, removing man-made additions and subtractions, but He never set aside a single precept of the authorized edition.  Why would He?  He owns the copyright.

Unity begins with action.  It ends with joy.  If you aren’t experiencing that joy, maybe you need to take a look at your starting point.

Topical Index:  Unity

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Unity Defined (1)

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 | Author:

“keep them in Your name; those you gave to Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:11

One – Why are we so divided?  Why do we argue over theological details, church policy, evangelical focus?  Why does every group of believers build its own steepled fortress?  If “ecumenical” is a bad word, what do we do about Jesus’ prayer of unity?  Have you ever thought about this obvious contradiction to spiritual reality?  Perhaps we can get some small insight if we think in Hebrew.

First, Jesus used the Hebrew word ‘ehad.  We find this word in the all-important Shema.  “Hear, O Yisrael, YHWH is your God.  YHWH is one.”  It signifies the unity that comes from only one God.  There is no other god.   Not politics, not economics, not religion.  Nothing else can take YHWH’s place.  By the way, there is a reason why we use the four-consonant divine name (YHWH) here instead of the usual expression “Lord”.  When you look up Deuteronomy 6:4, you will see the verse as “The LORD is your God,” but, of course, that is only an editor’s substitution for the real divine name, YHWH.  You might decide to continue with the word “Lord,” but remember that God is notifying Israel that He is not any of the supposed dozens of gods that they experienced in Egypt.  He is the God whose personal name is YHWH, the same God known by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It is this god, the only true God, Who is one with the Messiah.

Second, we might notice that the way that we are one is also very Hebraic.  To have only one God, whose name is YHWH, is to observe His instructions for living.  That means following the pattern of living that He established in the constitutional covenant agreement with Israel, a covenant that covered everyone who worships Him without regard to their bloodline. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, there were plenty of people in that exodus who were not from the bloodline of Jacob.  It was the same in the time of Jesus.  It is the same today.  If you want to be one with YHWH and His Son, the Messiah, you must adopt His family rules.  It’s as simple as that.

So, what about the endless theological debates?  Enjoy them!  Stimulate your mind.  Challenge your perception.  Hebrew theology is filled with “friendly” arguments over the precise meaning and application of the text.  But this much is never questioned.  If you worship and serve YHWH, you live by His code.

Think of it this way.  If you were an orthodox Jew, you could travel anywhere in the world and find communities that lived exactly the same way, worshipped the same way, taught the same things and held a worldview that was uniform.  They might have rousing debates about points of interest, but there would never be any question about the authority of the torah.  There would be unity in action even if there were disagreement in concept.

What would happen if “Christians” discovered that they were supposed to be grafted into that kind of uniformity?  What if we started acting according to God’s rules and left the theological debates to the professionals?

Topical Index:  Unity

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As Hebrew As It Gets

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 | Author:

“keep them in Your name; those you gave to Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:11

Keep – If you listened to Jesus praying in the Garden, you would have heard some very familiar words.  In this verse, that familiarity could only remind you of one thing – Deuteronomy.  “Keep” is the often-resounding cry of shamar – to preserve, guard and observe.  It is most notably applied to God’s instructions.  Hundreds of times in the Scriptures, God instructs His people to keep His word.  Of course, the Hebrew idea of a name would also be clearly understood.  Names were not simply convenient labels attached to people, places or things.  In the world of ancient Semitic cultures, a name was a shorthand description of the essential character of the object.  When it comes to God’s name, His very personal name, the word itself is holy.  Its sound carries with it the sum total of God’s majesty, glory and holiness.  For Jesus to pray that we be kept in His name is to say a good deal more than some sort of guardian angel invocation.  It is to enlist the Creator Himself, and all that His name implies, as the guardian of His children.  Of course, that is essentially what God promised to do in the covenant with Abraham.  And God does not break a promise.

Does this mean that God stands over us, scanning the horizon for attacking forces?  No, I don’t think so.  That God is merciful and compassionate is beyond question, but when it comes to keeping us in His name, I imagine that the first thing that would cross the mind of a Hebrew would be the instruction book of life that was authored by God.  After all, His name is eternally attached to this manual.  To keep me in His name is to push me onto the path of His operational plan and make sure that I stay there.  Essentially (a good Hebrew concept), Jesus is saying that His disciples are to be divinely assisted in keeping torah.

Now, why would He say that?  Every Jew of the first century knew that keeping torah was important.  In fact, Jesus’ argument with the Pharisees usually involved an over-zealous application of additions to the torah.  If there was one common theme in Israel in the time of Jesus, it was the torah.  The memory of the devastation of the Babylonian captivity made an indelible impression on Hebrew consciousness.  Never again!  Or so it seemed.  The “Law” was elevated to the holiest place, and bolstered with hundreds of “extras” just to make sure that Babylon stayed in the past.

Jesus has something else in mind.  This night Jesus prays that the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah would begin.  Jesus prays that the Father will write the covenant on their hearts.  He is about to seal the new covenant agreement in a sacrifice that guarantees a new heaven and a new earth.  As He initiates this monumental shift in history, He prays for the first sign of the renewal to be manifest – the covenant written in flesh and blood, not on stone.

When we come to believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, when we are grafted into the family tree of God, we experience a new life, a life that manifests itself with a desire to do God’s will.  And that is the sign that the covenant is being written on your heart.  It might take awhile, but God has all the time He needs to finish the job.  All you have to do is let Him etch His words where no man can write.

Topical Index:  Covenant

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Out of Time

Monday, June 23rd, 2008 | Author:

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.  Mark 3:29 (with parallels in Matthew 12:31-32 and Luke 12:10)

Blasphemes – Do you think that God always forgives?  Contemporary Christianity often presents the “all-forgiving” God, implying that no matter what you do, this God will always accept your insults and disobedience and forget about them.  If that’s the God you serve, you won’t find Him in the Bible.  Jesus makes it as plain as any man ever could.  There are some sins that will never be forgiven.  Obviously, it’s very important to understand what these sins are – and to be certain they are never part of our lives.

The only way we can understand what Jesus is really saying is to look at the Old Testament Hebrew background.  It’s not as easy as you might think.  First, the Greek word here (blasphemeo) occurs in only a few places in the Old Testament and none of those are directly connected to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  The Hebrew word is ne’asa.  It means to treat someone who formerly offered favor with disrespect and disdain.  There are a lot of synonyms in Hebrew.  They include rebellion against authority, disobedience, hatred, disbelief, forsaking commitments and scornful or slanderous speech.  It’s important to notice that the concept of blasphemy is not limited to what I say.  It’s about what I do, what I feel and what I think.  To blaspheme God is to treat Him in a way that denies that He is the Supreme Authority.  I can do that in all sorts of ways, most of which have nothing to do with swearing.

Jesus begins His dialogue with a reference to the strong man.  This places the context in the book of Isaiah (see Isaiah 49:24).  The story is about the strong man’s house, but the issue is about authority.  When the scribes challenge Jesus’ power to heal and cast out demons, they suggest that Jesus does these mighty acts by Satan’s authority.  Jesus rebukes them by arguing that no one undoes the bondage produced by Satan by using Satan’s power.  In order to bring about restoration, Satan (the strong man) must first be bound.  Of course, we could focus on the healing and restoration in this incident, but that really isn’t the point.  The point is that the scribes refuse to recognize God’s glorification and sovereignty when it is plainly demonstrated.  After all, Jesus performs a miracle of enormous good.  It happens right before their eyes.  Yet they reject the evidence and ascribe the power to the enemy.  This is a case of deliberate disbelief and rebellion.  Jesus says something terrifying about this behavior.  He says that this particular kind of sin cannot be forgiven.

We know that God does forgive our sinful behavior, attitudes and words.  So, what’s different here?  The only place in the Old Testament where the idea of grieving the Holy Spirit occurs is in Isaiah 63:10.  When we see what is happening in this passage in Isaiah, we will understand why grieving the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin.

Certainly every scribe knew this text.  It is a declaration of God’s great compassion and saving mercy.  God Himself is speaking.  He says that He came to heal the afflictions of His people.  He came to save them.  But He discovered that they rebelled against Him.  In spite of His goodness, they rejected Him.  This is not a single occurrence to disbelief.  This is a long history of disrespect and hatred for the things of God.  As a result, something terrible happens.  God becomes their enemy.  God’s lovingkindness is turned to wrath, not because God’s character changes but because these men consistently reject God’s grace to the point where they are no longer capable of repentance.  When that happens, there is nothing left for them but judgment.

The Old Testament gives us examples of men whose hardened hearts leave them in this pitiful state.  Pharaoh, the citizens of Sodom and the Amalekites are examples.  They aren’t the only ones.  Jesus tells these scribes that it is possible to tread on God’s mercy so long that the tide changes forever.  His warning is just as true today.  God forgives.  There is no doubt about that.  But unless we embrace that forgiveness, we start down the road of a hardened heart.  And at the end of that road, God is my enemy.

Topical Index:  Forgiveness

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Not Enough

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 | Author:

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver Matthew 27:3

Remorse – The usual Greek word for repentance is metanoeo.  It means a complete change of mind, a reversal of direction.  To repent is to turn back to God; accept God’s verdict on my sin and become obedient to His way.  That process usually starts with an experience of guilt.  But there is a parallel experience that feels like repentance but isn’t.  That’s what happened with Judas.  Judas felt remorse (in Greek metamelomai), not repentance.  He experienced similar pangs of guilt, but they did not lead to God.  They lead to suicide.

What’s the difference between these two experiences?  The answer is crucial because far too often we substitute remorse for repentance.  We feel guilty.  We regret what we have done.  We even chastise ourselves.  But we have not repented.  We have slipped into emotions that aren’t enough to really change who we are.  They are just enough to lead us toward greater destruction.

Remorse is the emotional and mental conviction that my actions were inappropriate.  I know that what I did was wrong.  I wish I hadn’t done it.  I’m sorry.  I apologize.  “If I have offended you, I ask you to forgive me.”  The focus of remorse is on me – how I feel and what I can do to change my feelings.  Remorse is recognizing that I feel terrible and trying to do something to fix it.  So, Judas took back the thirty pieces of silver.  He tried to get rid of his feelings by returning the blood money.  It didn’t work.  It never will.  Remorse is not repentance.

But the focus of repentance is on God.  Repentance begins when I see that my behavior insults and slanders God.  Repentance is David’s cry, “Against You  and You only have I sinned.”  Repentance is not really about how I feel, although it is often a shattering emotional experience.  Repentance is about God’s holiness and my hideousness.  It is the recognition that I have tried to be my own god.  It is the willingness to accept the punishment I deserve at the hands of the Judge of all mankind.  I offer no excuses.  I only plead for mercy.  I know that there is nothing I can do to save myself.

Repentance is really between me and God, and no one else.  All the victims of my sinful behavior will be involved at some point, but until the issue is resolved between God and me, nothing else really matters.  When I repent, I reverse the direction of my life.  I return (the Hebrew is shuv) to God’s way.  I reject my previous behavior and adopt His way of living.   Grace follows, only because God is merciful, not because I deserve it.  And then I make restitution with others.

There are lots of times when we play the “Judas” card.  We regret our actions.  We feel remorse.  It’s not enough.  To confuse these feelings with repentance is extremely dangerous.  When our objective is to feel better, we are on the false path.  Repentance is not about feeling better.  It is about recognizing my true state in front of God.  That will probably make me feel worse, but it leads to righteousness.

Judas tried to fix his feelings.  What are you trying to do?

Topical Index:  Repentance

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Stormy Monday

Saturday, June 21st, 2008 | Author:

but Jesus was asleep Matthew 8:24

Asleep – Without saying a word, Jesus still reflects an Old Testament perspective on life.  To sleep in the midst of a storm reveals complete confidence in the sovereignty of God, just as the Scripture suggests in Leviticus 26:6 (lying down with no concern about trouble), Job 11:18-19 (resting securely) and Psalm 3:5 (the Lord protects the righteous even in sleep).  Jesus is the Old Testament man even when He is doing nothing at all.

Sleep is perhaps the truest indicator of our confidence in God.  You know this whenever you observe a small child sleeping.  No cares, no worries, no wrinkles on the face, the child enters into a refreshing rest confident that someone else is taking care of the world.  How tragic it is when children are robbed of this great blessing from God due to circumstances of life!  How wonderful to be reminded that God watches over a child in spite of the vulnerability.  But too often, we think, “I wish I could sleep like that.”  We have allowed the care of the world and the deceit of riches to rob us of God’s outpouring of grace, found only when our eyes are closed.

The disciples couldn’t imagine how Jesus could sleep in the midst of such danger.  Jesus couldn’t imagine how they could be so concerned when they were in the presence of God.  It’s a matter of perspective, isn’t it?  Most of our stormy Mondays are really a matter of misaligned perspective.  Once we forget that God is absolutely sovereign, we are vulnerable to all the chaos around us.  That noise and confusion shouts only one message, “Be afraid!”  That’s when we need to notice that Jesus is asleep in the boat.  His life is governed by the tender care and total control of the Father.  If we rest in the Father’s arms, there isn’t a single storm in all the world that can disturb our refreshing slumber.

I remember years ago sitting in the bedroom of my oldest son when he was about three years old.  He was sleeping so soundly.  His face was radiantly relaxed.  He was perfectly at ease.  I was weeping.  My life wasn’t at all like his.  My life was full of sorrow, regret and remorse.  My life was chaotic, and that chaos would eventually touch him.  I knew even then that my sins were spinning out of control and it was only a matter of time before his tender slumber would be turned into nightmares – all because I was falling apart.   I can remember that time like it was yesterday.  My tears were not for me.  They were for my son.  My sins robbed him of his innocence.  Within a few months, I was divorced.  His life was never the same.  Neither was mine.  The pain of that lost sleep still haunts me, after nearly thirty years.  In those days I didn’t pay attention to the God who was sleeping in my storm-tossed boat.  If I had only looked at Him, I might have seen the peace that I so longed to have.  But I looked out at those crashing waves and listened to that roaring wind, and decided that I needed to make my own way to the shore.  I threw away a child’s rest in order to save myself.  And I drowned.  No one can save himself.

Perhaps you are like me.  Perhaps you looked toward the storm surrounding you.  Perhaps you forgot about God asleep in the boat.  Look back!  The security you need to survive is not on the shore.  It’s in the storm-tossed boat with you, asleep under the protection  of the compassionate Father.  Why don’t you just close your eyes and rest next to Him?

Topical Index:  Sovereignty

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