They quickly forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But craved intensely in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them (Psalm 106:13-15).

The psalmist recounts the experience of Israel on the way to Canaan. Israel quickly forgot about the signs and wonders God did before their very eyes in delivering them from Egypt. "They did not wait for His counsel." In other words, they did not trust in God's plan, nor did they wait for His timing, nor did they follow His leading. Instead, they were led by their fleshly desires. They tested God through their grumbling, complaining and mutinous thoughts. In response God gave them their desires, but with it the consequence of pestilence. 

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They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord commanded them,
But they mingled with the nations
And learned their practices,
And served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons (Psalm 106:34-37).

The psalmist recounts the failure of Israel to obey God's command to completely destroy the people of Canaan. God warned them that such failure would lead to them embracing the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites. And that is exactly what happened. What is noteworthy in this psalm is the association of demons with idols. Paul makes the same association:

What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 

No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-20).

Idolatry was demon worship. An idol was nothing in and of itself. They were simply man-made fronts for demons, that is, Satan's minions. As such, the illusion of "answered prayer" from idols was simply the activity of demons among them. Even in the time of Christ, the religious rulers recognized that not all power was of God. Demons could do what appeared miraculous to men (Matthew 12:24). Jesus also prophesied that false prophets would come and do great signs and wonders in order to mislead the elect (Matthew 24:24). Therefore, it would not simply be by the display of power that Christians would distinguish truth from falsehood but the consistency of what was said with what had been written and verified beforehand. So Paul modeled obedience to the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written" (1 Corinthians 4:6). The written testimony of Scripture would be a kind of doctrinal boundary and litmus for any "new" truth.

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The two passages cited above address two failings of the people of Israel, who God brought out from Egypt with a strong and mighty hand. First, they refused to patiently trust in the Lord. Second, they rushed to trust in idols, which were controlled by demons. 

Friends, these failings of Israel are relevant for us today. Are we trusting in the Lord, or do we grumble and complain in our homes because we are not as blessed as we think we ought to be? When God wants to teach us to hope in Him even apart from His benefits (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4), are we turning to ungodly and even idolatrous alternatives because God is not forthcoming with His blessings? Are we exchanging our worship of the true God with a lie (Romans 1:23), that is, the counterfeit works of Satan? Therefore, in faithfulness let us wait on the LORD. As the psalmist also writes,

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14).

Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! (Psalm 107:2 NLT)

The NIV simply reads, "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story," but I like the force of the NLT. "Speak out!" While this command to proclaim God's redemption may seem a bit muffled in the OT by the disobedience of His people, it is loud and clear in the New Testament:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15).

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

There is no suggestion here, but a command. No probability, but a certainty. Go and preach God and make disciples! You will be my disciples! 

Yet, many of us still live our lives as if these are merely suggestions by our Lord. We will obey when we have time and occasion. Even though there is no probability in Jesus' words, we make it so by pushing these commands to the fringes of our lives and ministries. They are not priorities. They do not take precedence over our concerns for personal and family well-being and prosperity. 

Financial success is not bad. Fitness and diet are not bad. Friendships are not wrong. Good education and extracurricular activities for our kids are not out of line. Family vacations are also not a bad thing. But have we made these peripheral things the main thing. If the most valuable commodity we have is time, how much time do we devote to what God says is the Christian's main thing, namely, declaring God's glory, even declaring it through the proclamation of our redemption from sin in Jesus Christ. 

As sharing goes, this entry will come and go. It is much like Sunday sermons. They may stir the heart for a moment, but so often the moment does not translate to any major decision to live for God. 

I hardly do enough. My consolation is this website. My consolation is little speeches I give at tests and tournaments in our Martial Arts Organization. My consolation is discipleship meetings with a few friends. My consolation is private conversations with people here and there, where I can encourage them in the LORD through His Word. My consolation is giving to certain missionaries. My consolation is private praises and daily meditation on God's Word. Yet, I confess these still constitute only the fringes of my life. 

I share these things not to boast, for I would have no leg to stand on before the Lord. I consider myself the chief of sinners, for more than anyone I am painfully aware of the deep and harrowing rebellion in my heart apart from the grace of God.

But I share these things because some of you have hardly considered these matters in your own hearts. You have not seriously considered whether God's main thing is your main thing in life. You have not thought through how you might best declare God's praises in your work, in your home, in your ministry, and even in your discretionary time. Therefore, friends, I encourage you to take the time and make the occasion to consider. May the Lord bless you for doing so.

Psalm 107

Let the one who is wise heed these things 
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD  

Psalm 106

God patiently delivers us, in spite of our forgetfulness and self-wiled rebellion.

106-13-15

In the wilderness, the Israelites were so intent on getting the food and water they wanted that they became blind to what God wanted.   They were more concerned about immediate physical gratification than lasting spiritual satisfaction.  They did not want what was best for them and refused to trust God's care and provision.

As I read these psalms I see how easily we forget God.  I just had an elderly Christian friend tell me this morning that she thinks the reason she slipped into a severe depression after an illness was because she kept bragging about how at her age she was on no prescription drugs and had such good health.  Not once did she give God the glory for this!  I thank God that when I get on my high-horse He humbles me!

Pslam 107

Let the one who is wise heed these things snd ponder the lovingdeeds of the Lord.

What would be out there in our lives that is not under God's care? He is the master of the universe where we have our physical existence. Everything in it, whether it's tangible to our senses or not, has its origin in God Almighty. We must give rightful reverence to Him who not only governs the course of history but also cares for us in its turmoil. Nothing can thwart His sovereign plan for our salvation: even our own rebellion. Throughout the history of Israel was nothing but her disobedience and ingratitude and God's long-suffering toward His chosen nation. What could possibly stand against His course of actions to secure our election today? Even our corrupted, so called, free will cannot withstand His fervent zeal to accomplish His plan for our redemption. Who would or why would he ridicule His authorship of our salvation? Only our desire for destructive autonomy refuses to admit that He has full control over our salvation. Brothers and sisters! Let us rejoice in our Lord and praise Him for His love endures forever!

Psalm 106 presents a poetic panorama of Israel's history from the Exodus to the time of the Judges. It pictures God's faithfulness and grace and Israel's unbelief and rebellion. Many people try to provide a survey of the Old Testament, but we would do well to pay particular attention when the Bible does so. It provides a good check on whether we are pulling out the correct truths from that history or not. In this psalm, I keyed in on one verse in particular, Psalm 106:8,

Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His Name,

God did not choose Israel because they were righteous. In Deut 9:6, God says, "Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people." God did not save Israel because they were a great nation. In Deut 7:7, God says, "The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples." God chose them and saved them because of His Name. He set His affection on them by a sovereign choice that cannot be searched out because it arises out of the hidden counsel of His will (cf. Romans 11:33). This is why Israel is often called "the elect." The principle of John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you," applies both to OT saints as to NT saints.

What we have to understand is that God will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 48:11). We must understand that God's sovereignty is in His very Name. In Exodus 33:19, God showed Himself to Moses like to no other, and He proclaimed His Name:

And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

What is that perfection that is unique to God alone? Self-determination. Thomas Aquinas, in his defense of God's existence, argued that since all things have cause and effect, there must by necessity be a First Cause, an Uncaused Cause. That is God. Contrary to popular opinion, human beings are not ultimately self-determining beings. In fact, Paul says of God's design for people: "God has bound everyone over to disobedience" (Romans 11:32). Therefore, when you were born into this world, you were born a sinner condemned to destruction. Is God unjust in doing this? Paul would answer, "Does not the Creator have the right to do wtih His creation whatever He chooses to do?" (cf. Romans 9:21). If you and I were to make something, we can choose to keep it and display it or else we can throw it away. This is our right. Let us understand that this is also God's right over us and all His creation. Let us not have such a high view of ourselves. We are created in the image of God, but we are not God - there is that often forgotten creature-Creator divide.

When will we understand that salvation is all of grace? That is why Paul writes, "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy" (Romans 9:16) and "God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden" (Romans 9:18). Do we complain to God because some people only get one "chance" at salvation while another gets numerous "chances"? How about those who never hear? When will we understand that while there is CHOICE ("faith"), there is no FREE choice that leads to salvation, and our FREE choice leads only to destruction, because "Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin" (Romans 3:9) and "there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God" (Romans 3:10). Truly, left to ourselves we would always choose death. In fact, that was our condition before grace came: we "were dead in our transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). As is true for NT saints, this was also true for OT saints. In fact, Paul writes in Romans 11:7, "What the people of Israel sought so earnestly [salvation] they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened." Everyone who is not elect are among those "prepared for destruction" (Romans 9:22).

This is hard for many to accept, and because there is such a divide among believers on this issue, I would encourage everyone to diligently search this out for themselves. Most people would affirm that God could save everyone, but most would also affirm that God does not save everyone; yet, these same people cannot affirm that God would not save everyone. The fundamental argument is that God could but does not save everyone because He would not want to violate a person's "sacred" FREE WILL. On the other side, I would argue that in order for God to save us He must violate our free will, because our free will leads only to sin and destruction. In fact, a case can be made that the very stumbling block that caused Israel as a nation to be lost was their adamant insistence that they could keep God's Law (cf. Romans 10:1-3; 3:20). Is this so different from believers today insisting that people could choose God? How can we say this, when the Bible affirms so clearly, "You did not choose me..." and "No one seeks after God."

But...But...But... This very discussion opens the door to many questions. I hope you will ask them freely :). While your understanding or confusion on this matter does not necessarily impact your salvation, it does affect your motivation for service. Pardoxically, if one insists on free will, one will live in greater bondage than one who rests in God's sovereignty. It is perhaps the difference between John Wesley and George Whitfield. They both preached forcefully and diligently in their day, but Wesley nearly wore himself out because he was convinced that people would be lost without his witness. Wesley also believed that believers could be perfect this side of heaven.

While few people would say that by free will they mean that they "earned" their salvation, it is hard to see the logic in this when they also believe that God, who could and would save everyone, only saved some over others because of their free will. One of the great verses that puts everything, choice and sovereignty, in perspective is John 1:12-13,

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

This verse gives both the what and the how. In context, John just wrote that Jesus came into a world that "did not recognize him" (John 1:9) and to a people that "did not receive him" (v. 10). Yet, some did "receive him," even "believed in his name" (v. 12). How? It was not hereditary ("not of natural descent"; literally, "not of blood"). It was not biological ("nor of human decision"; lit. "not of flesh"). And it was not volitional ("nor of a husband's decision"; lit. "not of man"). Birth itself is something that happens to all of us, but one, where the baby has no choice about it. That is why pro-lifers say that they speak for the person, the baby, who has no voice. And when the pro-choice crowd speak of choice, they are certainly not talking about the baby's choice.

In John 1:12, while it is obvious the one born did not choose to be born, the text goes so far as to say that even the parents and community had no say in the matter. No, those who received and believed did so because they were "born of God." Jesus would say to Nicodemus a couple chapters later, "Unless a man is born again [this can also be translated "born from above"], he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Just as a baby, who has no say in being born, so let us understand that our new birth in Christ was all of God's sovereign decision. There was no heredity or partner involved. Our new birth was only and all of God.

There is no answer to the question "Why did God save me?" if we are looking for the answer in ourselves, but Psalm 106:8, gives us the best answer: "He saved us for the sake of His Name." soli deo gloria. To God alone be the glory!