O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. 2 Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. 3 Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all (Psalm 139:1-4 NASB)
There are those today known as open theists who believe God does not know the future. They have drawn this conclusion from their position that God is most committed to His creatures freedom. For a summary of this position with their own arguments you could read The Openness of God by Clark Pinnock and others (IVP 1994). Their view of freedom cannot permit God to know what will happen because then man is not truly free to chose anything, but only that which God foreknows. I do not subscribe to their view of freedom nor their view of God. More importantly, the Scriptures do not even permit such a limited view of God's knowledge and power. Though we could easily build plain arguments based upon clear precepts in the Word of God, today we have evidence of different sort in the Psalm. The open theists clearly want "freedom" more than they want God's foreknowledge. However, would David, the Holy Spirit inspired author of Psalm 139, want a god who does not know the future? Would you prefer an ignorant god?
David takes great comfort in the fact that God knows him, inside and out. God knows where he goes and what he does, even when he sits and stands. God knows his ways, that is to say, his plans. Up to that point the open theist might actually agree, but then David goes further and confesses that God knows his words before they are spoken. God cares so much about David's needs that God has thought of them before David expresses them. (cf Matthew 6:8) Later in the Psalm, David, with praise, confesses that God knows all of his days, for they are written in his book, even before there is one of them. This the open theist cannot admit and be true to his position. This (God's glorious foreknowledge) David could not deny.
The fact that God knows me now, something I know only in part, and knows me tomorrow, something I cannot know, is of great comfort to me. I need not fear the future, even if it be darkened by shadows. I much prefer that God knows my future, even to my sitting down and rising up, even to the very words on my mouth, even to the extent of my days and my appointment with death, than to beleive that it is all in my hands. I rejoice that I am wrapped up (encompassed before and behind) in the hands of God instead of having my "fate" in my own hands. So which do you prefer? Do you want a god who is ignorant of the future and leaves you to have your own way, or will you joyously rest in the hands of the Potter who fashions your life according to His design?
Used with permission from Freefoto.com
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Generation to Come
Psalm 78:6-7 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, That they should put their confidence in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments....
What will be the legacy of our generation? I suppose every generation has asked. Few ever know for certain, but there are signs and indicators. The generation to whom Psalm 78 was written knew. Their legacy was stubbornness, rebellion, unprepared hearts, and unfaithful spirits. (vs 8) Yet even to them hope was offered if they would pass to their children the testimony of God. Even in a period of economic recession we know that we will leave to our children more material possessions than any generation before us, but will we there be an inheritance of faith? Today the church is more like a country club than a sanctuary for souls. Indicators in the church in America, even apart from a scientific evaluation, lead us to think that the church is a dying institution in many communities. Attendance is low, baptisms are low, enthusiasm is low and commitment is largely non-existent. The future looks dim, but must we resign ourselves to pessimism?
There is reason for hope, not of the political flavor that we hear about so regularly, but of the spiritual flavor - a genuine, unfailing hope in the power of the gospel. Hope will flourish in the generations to come if we will proclaim to them the testimony of God, that is His word, unadulterated and undiluted. The psalms are full of references to the word of God and its power, but nowhere more pronounced than Psalm 119, where 175 of the 176 verses contain an explicit reference to the scriptures. Psalm 119 contains more references to revival than any other single chapter in the bible. The hope of the Psalmist in 119 is personal revival through memorizing, meditating and mastering God's word. Like the Psalmist we all struggle with sin and affliction (cf. Psalm 119:75, 107). Like the Psalmist we are all darkened in our understanding and need the illumination that can come only from the Spirit of God. (cf. Psalm 119:18, 34,73) And like the Psalmist we are subjected to all sorts of unrighteous voices with messages of hopelessness and condemnation. (cf. Psalm 119:42,78) To which voices will you listen? Those who say the church is dead, the future is doomed and Christians might as well concede their defeat, or will you trust in the Word of the Lord and meditate on His precepts?
We can be certain of God's promise that His Word will not return to Him without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent. If the church will pass on to her children the testimony of God, then we will see fruit. If we withhold the testimony of God and substitute an easier, less offensive, less challenging message then we can expect to be irrelevant and powerless to impact the coming generation. Let's resolve to trust in the word of God and not the voices of our detractors. Let's resolve to call out to God for revival and trust it will come by His word. "Revive me, O Lord, according to Thy word." - Psalm 119:107
What will be the legacy of our generation? I suppose every generation has asked. Few ever know for certain, but there are signs and indicators. The generation to whom Psalm 78 was written knew. Their legacy was stubbornness, rebellion, unprepared hearts, and unfaithful spirits. (vs 8) Yet even to them hope was offered if they would pass to their children the testimony of God. Even in a period of economic recession we know that we will leave to our children more material possessions than any generation before us, but will we there be an inheritance of faith? Today the church is more like a country club than a sanctuary for souls. Indicators in the church in America, even apart from a scientific evaluation, lead us to think that the church is a dying institution in many communities. Attendance is low, baptisms are low, enthusiasm is low and commitment is largely non-existent. The future looks dim, but must we resign ourselves to pessimism?
There is reason for hope, not of the political flavor that we hear about so regularly, but of the spiritual flavor - a genuine, unfailing hope in the power of the gospel. Hope will flourish in the generations to come if we will proclaim to them the testimony of God, that is His word, unadulterated and undiluted. The psalms are full of references to the word of God and its power, but nowhere more pronounced than Psalm 119, where 175 of the 176 verses contain an explicit reference to the scriptures. Psalm 119 contains more references to revival than any other single chapter in the bible. The hope of the Psalmist in 119 is personal revival through memorizing, meditating and mastering God's word. Like the Psalmist we all struggle with sin and affliction (cf. Psalm 119:75, 107). Like the Psalmist we are all darkened in our understanding and need the illumination that can come only from the Spirit of God. (cf. Psalm 119:18, 34,73) And like the Psalmist we are subjected to all sorts of unrighteous voices with messages of hopelessness and condemnation. (cf. Psalm 119:42,78) To which voices will you listen? Those who say the church is dead, the future is doomed and Christians might as well concede their defeat, or will you trust in the Word of the Lord and meditate on His precepts?
We can be certain of God's promise that His Word will not return to Him without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent. If the church will pass on to her children the testimony of God, then we will see fruit. If we withhold the testimony of God and substitute an easier, less offensive, less challenging message then we can expect to be irrelevant and powerless to impact the coming generation. Let's resolve to trust in the word of God and not the voices of our detractors. Let's resolve to call out to God for revival and trust it will come by His word. "Revive me, O Lord, according to Thy word." - Psalm 119:107
Monday, February 16, 2009
Greener Pastures
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures... (Psalm 23:1-2a)
Our great Shepherd has purposed to lead us into green pastures where we might be nourished and comforted. I detect in that promise a sense of regular moving from one pasture to another. In a natural sense it would be impossible for those pastures to grow ever greener over time, even in small increments. But in the spiritual and therefore real sense, the pastures into which we are led grow greener as the days pass. Shadows fall over us, but the pasture of the scriptures is richer and fuller as we journey with our Savior.
Such truth is both encouraging and challenging is it not? Encouraging, in the sense of knowing that the Lord desires to feed us well with His word all our days; Challenging, in the sense that our taste for scripture is not always what it ought to be. So my objective in blogging expositions of scripture and reflections on life will be to encourage you with the richness of God's truth, and to challenge you to treasure it and to long for it especially when you are tempted to feed your soul with something else.
Our great Shepherd has purposed to lead us into green pastures where we might be nourished and comforted. I detect in that promise a sense of regular moving from one pasture to another. In a natural sense it would be impossible for those pastures to grow ever greener over time, even in small increments. But in the spiritual and therefore real sense, the pastures into which we are led grow greener as the days pass. Shadows fall over us, but the pasture of the scriptures is richer and fuller as we journey with our Savior.
Such truth is both encouraging and challenging is it not? Encouraging, in the sense of knowing that the Lord desires to feed us well with His word all our days; Challenging, in the sense that our taste for scripture is not always what it ought to be. So my objective in blogging expositions of scripture and reflections on life will be to encourage you with the richness of God's truth, and to challenge you to treasure it and to long for it especially when you are tempted to feed your soul with something else.
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