You are My God – I Cannot Be My Own Master: Augustine on Psalm 143

[In the February 21 sermon on Psalms 142 and 143, I quoted from Augustine’s commentary on 143:10. As mentioned in a December blog post, we do well to interact with believers who are not our contemporaries, for they will often see in Scripture what we miss. I commend to you, therefore, these excerpts from Augustine’s comments on Psalm 143:5-11, based on this 19th century English translation. I have made some edits, updating the verb forms, generally replacing the cited Scriptures with the ESV, adding Scripture references, and clarifying some sentences. So I pray that you may profit from this 1600-year-old exposition! – Coty]

[Verse 5] In all the works of God then, and in meditation on all the works of God, [David] introduces grace, he commends grace, he boasts that he has found grace, the grace whereby we are saved without price…. Why do you boast of your own righteousness? Why lift yourself up, being ignorant of the righteousness of God? Because you contributed to your salvation? What did you contribute to being made a man? Look back then upon the Framer of your life, the Author of your substance, of your righteousness, and of your salvation: meditate upon the works of His hands, for even the righteousness in you, you will find, is the work of His hands [Ephesians 2:9-10]…. Turn from your own work, to His work Who made you; He fashioned you, and let Him refashion what He fashioned and you destroyed. For you exist because He made you; you are good – if you are – because He made you good.…

[Verse 6] And what did I do when I saw that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning [James 1:17]? When I saw this, I turned from the evil work which I had wrought in myself, and I stretched forth my hands unto You…. Indeed, my soul is as a land without water to You. Rain upon me to bring forth from me good fruit…. I can thirst for You; I cannot water myself. My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come to Him [Psalm 42:2], save when He has come to me?

[Verse 7a] “Answer me quickly, O Lord!” For what need of delay to inflame my thirst, when already I thirst so eagerly? You delayed the rain, that I might drink Your flow. If then You delayed for this cause, now give, for my soul is as a land without water to You…. Let Your Spirit fill me, for my spirit has failed me. This is the reason why You should quickly hear me…. I am now poor in spirit; make me blessed in the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 5:3]…. But quickly hear me, O God, rain on me, strengthen me, that I be not dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth [Psalm 1:4]. Quickly hear me, O God; my spirit has failed: let not my need suffer longer delay…. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” [2 Corinthians 5:17]. Old things pass away in our own spirit, they are made new in Your Spirit.

[Verse 7b] “Hide not Your face from me.” You hid it from me when I was proud. For once I was full, and in my fulness I was puffed up. Once in my fulness I said, … “I shall not be moved.” I knew not Your Righteousness, and tried to establish my own; … but from You came whatever fulness I had. And to prove to me that it was from You, You hid Your Face from me, and I was troubled. After this trouble, … then I became like a land without water to You: hide not Your Face! … Hide not Your Face from me, because, if You hide it, I shall “be like them that go down into the pit.” What does “go down into the pit” mean? … He no longer believes in Providence, or if he does believe, he thinks that he has no longer anything to do with it. He sets before himself license to sin, the reins of iniquity being let loose now that he has no hope of pardon. He does not confess his sin…. “Hide not Your face from me or I shall be like them that go down into the pit.”

[Verse 8a] “Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in you I trust.” Behold, I am in the night, yet I have trusted in You, until the iniquity of the night passes away. For we have, as Peter says, “the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” [2 Peter 1:19]. He calls “morning” the time after the end of the world…. “If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience [Romans 8:25] The night requires patience, the day will give joy.

[Verse 8b] But what do we do until the morning comes? For it is not enough to hope for the morning; we must … seek Him…. Since then we must thus hope for the morning, and bear this night, and persevere in this patience until the day dawn, what meanwhile must we do here? So that you will not think you should do anything of yourself to earn your being brought to the morning, he says, “Make me know the way I should go.” That is why God lit the lamp of prophecy, that is why He sent Jesus in the vessel, as it were, of the flesh…. Walk by prophecy, … walk by the word of God. As yet you do not see the Word as He was in the beginning, God with God [John 1:1]: walk by the Form of [the Word as] a servant, and you shall be conformed to the Form of God. “For to You I lift unto up my soul.” I have lifted it up to You, not against You. With You is the Fountain of life: to You have I lifted up my soul. I have brought my soul as a vessel to the Fountain: fill me, therefore, for unto You have I lifted up my soul.

[Verse 9] “Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for I have fled for refuge to You.” I who once fled from You, now flee to You…. I think not here of human enemies. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against whom?… The rulers of this world, of this darkness, the rulers of the wicked [Ephesians 6:12]; against these you wrestle. Great is your conflict, not to see your enemies, and yet to conquer. Against the rulers of this world, of this darkness, the devil, that is, and his angels….

[Verse 10a] “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.” Glorious confession! glorious rule! “For You are my God.” To another I would hasten to be re-made, if by another I was made. You are my all, for You are my God. Shall I seek a father to get an inheritance? You are my God, not only the Giver of my inheritance, but my Inheritance itself [Psalm 142:5]…. Shall I seek a patron, to obtain redemption? You are my God. Lastly, having been created, do I desire to be re-created? You are my God, my Creator, Who created me by Your Word, and re-created me by Your Word. But You created me by Your Word [the Son], Who was with You: You re-created me by Your Word, made Flesh for our sakes. Teach me then to do Your will, for You are my God. If You do not teach, I shall do my own will, and my God will abandon me. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Teach me: for it cannot be that You are my God, and yet I am to be my own master. See how grace is commended to us. This hold fast, this drink in, this let none drive out of your hearts, lest you have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge [Romans 10:2]; lest, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to establish your own righteousness, you submit not yourselves to the righteousness of God [Romans 10:3]….

[Verse 10b-11] Your good Spirit, not my bad one, … shall lead me into the right land. For my bad spirit has led me into a crooked land. And what have I deserved? What can be reckoned as my good works without Your aid, through which I might … be worthy to be led by Your Spirit into the right land? What are my works? … Listen, then, with all your power, to the commendation of Grace, whereby you are saved without price. “For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, You shall make me live.” You shall make me live. “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory” [Psalm 115:1]. “For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, You shall make me live in Your righteousness;” not in my own righteousness. Not because I have deserved to live, but because You have mercy. For I deserve nothing of you except punishment. You have pruned from me my own merits; You have grafted in Your own gifts.

Where is This World Headed?

Within the last week:

  • A former student breaks into a school and murders little children and adults.
  • A former president running to regain the office is indicted.
  • A foreign leader threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

Where is this world headed?

Revelation 13 describes a world in which evil powers rage. A beast rises out of the sea with ten horns, and a crown on each horn (thus indicative of the power of the state). “The whole earth marveled” at the beast (Revelation 13:3), thinking that its power is greater than any other. Indeed, it exercises authority “over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7); many respond by worshiping it. The beast blasphemes God and makes war on any who don’t worship it, on God’s people, conquering them.

A second beast then arises out of the earth, performing miracles such as calling down fire from heaven, deceiving people (thus indicative of the power of false religion). It instructs them to make an image of the first beast – and then gives breath to that image, causing it to speak and even to kill those who don’t worship it. Then people are given a mark identifying them as belonging to these beasts – and only people with this mark can buy or sell.

Consider that world of Revelation 13. There are parallels with at least the trajectory of our world – but that world is far worse!

Where is God in such a setting?

The author of Revelation, John, lets us know in four subtle ways that God is very much in control, even as these evil forces seem all-powerful:

  • In verses 5, 7, and 15, John uses “divine passives” to show God’s sovereign control over these evil forces. In Revelation 13:5, the first beast “was allowed to exercise authority 42 months.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Similarly, in Revelation 13:7, the first beast “was allowed to make war on the saints.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Yet again, in Revelation 13:15 the second beast “was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast.” Was allowed by whom? By God
  • The beasts’ time is limited, according to Revelation 13:5. As Jesus says to those coming to arrest Him, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). But Jesus rose from the dead in just a few days, and that hour ended. Just so, God limits the time that these beasts have power.
  • The beasts come out of the sea and the earth. In Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel “set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land.” God is in control of the origin of both beasts.
  • God’s people are not led astray by the beasts. Yes, they suffer – they are attacked and conquered. But Revelation 13:8 tells us, “All who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.” If their names are in the book of life of the Lamb, they are secure.

Thus Revelation 13:10 tells us, “Here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints.”

The world may appear to be under the control of evil forces – and those forces do indeed have much power. There will be persecution and murders; government authority and religious influence will be used against those following Jesus.

But God is in control. His people are secure. So we must endure, whatever the chaos, whatever the trials, whatever the tragedies – endure in faith, endure in joy, and endure in confidence that, however things may appear, there is One Who reigns. For the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, and then loud voices in heaven will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

He is in control now, and He will return to right all wrongs and to bring in His eternal Kingdom.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

[For more on Revelation 13, see the sermon “Tribulation, Endurance, and Faith,” preached July 3, 2005: text, audio.]

Jerry Richardson, Alex Murdaugh, and You

On Wednesday, Jerry Richardson died. On Thursday, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and son.

Richardson brought the Carolina Panthers to Charlotte and was a revered member of the community until allegations came out in 2017 concerning his treatment of employees. Murdaugh comes from a prominent legal family – indeed, his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather served as solicitors/district attorneys continuously from 1920 to 2006, in charge of every prosecution in five South Carolina counties, including Colleton where Murdaugh’s trial took place (and where my ancestors lived).

Though there is a huge difference in the severity of their sins, the parallel is striking: Both seemed to be unassailable; both fell dramatically from their esteemed positions.

How should we Christians respond to the sins and subsequent fall of these two men? Consider five ways:

First: We should not be surprised. The Apostle Paul tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Scripture tells us that even pillars in biblical history such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter sinned. Other than Jesus, your greatest hero is a sinner.

Second: We should be thankful when justice is done. Jerry Richardson had to step away from the team he loved; barring successful appeal, Alex Murdaugh will never leave prison. God sets up government in part to implement temporal justice, punishing those who do evil (1 Peter 2:14). Praise God for justice.

Third: These cases should drive home truths about sin we so easily ignore: Sin always deceives; sin always is discovered; sin always destroys. We are tempted to believe the lie that this appealing sin really will be good for me; that this time no one will ever know; and that I can avoid any negative consequences of the sin. But Scripture makes clear that every sin – from the first in the Garden of Eden to the one I contemplate today – leads to the destruction of joy, not the deepening of joy. In God’s presence, following His paths, there is fullness of joy – and nowhere else (Psalm 16:11). And Jesus tells us that in the next life if not in the present, “What you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

Fourth: We should praise God the Father for providing forgiveness and reconciliation for sinners via the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross. Jesus’ first public exhortation is as true today as it was 2000 years ago: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus came not to gather to Himself people who were sinless, but to call sinners to repentance and thus salvation (Luke 5:32, 1 Timothy 1:15). And that salvation can extend even to murderers – like David, like Alex Murdaugh.

Finally: The lives of Jerry Richardson and Alex Murdaugh should prompt us to examine ourselves, to root out and bring to light the sin within us. Personalize the truths about sin: My sins deceive. My sins destroy. My sins will be discovered. Yet I am forgiven if I repent, trusting only in Jesus’ sacrifice for my standing before God. Thus, we should repent from our known sins, turning away from them, and pray that God would reveal to us those we don’t recognize. As David prays in the psalm we are presently memorizing: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

[I first heard the three “sin always …” statements in a 1985 sermon on David and Bathsheba by Gary Vanderet; it does not seem to be available on the internet. I used those statements in a 1998 sermon and a 2018 blog post based on that sermon – Coty]

Parents, Children, and Education: Rights or Responsibilities?

Parental rights are a key issue this election season – particularly with respect to what happens in public school classrooms. Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe stated in a debate last year, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” He then lost the election to Glenn Youngkin by a substantial margin. Advocacy groups such as ParentalRights.org are promoting this issue at the national, state, and local levels, emphasizing locally the importance of school board elections.

There are indeed dangers to parents in our wider society. For example, some legal scholars are promoting a theory that parents’ rights are conferred by the state. One of these, Professor James Dwyer of William and Mary, says, “The reason parent-child relationships exist is because the state confers legal parenthood…. It is the state that is empowering parents to do anything with children.” Such theories are part of a larger movement (documented by Carl Trueman among others) that denigrates the family, exalts the state, and promotes the idea that we must discover who we are by looking inside ourselves.

Scripture presents a contrasting picture of the relationship between parents and children. But I would not label the Scriptural viewpoint as “parental rights.” It’s much closer to “parental responsibilities.”

Psalm 127:3 is key: “Behold, children are a gift [or “heritage”] from the LORD” (NAS). Note that there is no mention of the state in this verse! Children are created by God; they belong to God; He grants them to parents as gifts; and He entrusts parents’ with their care, their provision, their upbringing. Parents thus have the joy of playing a part in another’s story – an intensive, guiding part for 15 or 20 years, then an advisory part.

Certainly in fulfilling that role granted by God, parents have implied rights.

But the responsibilities are much clearer biblically than the rights. Consider the questions we ask parents at baby and child dedications. We never mention of rights; there is, however, a lengthy list of responsibilities found in Scripture, including:

Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives?

God calls every parent to the task of training up children (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). Parents here make a commitment to help their children live lives of personal obedience. Yet personal obedience is not the goal; faith is the goal. Through learning obedience to loving parents, our children can learn the joy of obedience to a loving God; this can then be a means of grace that God uses to bring the children to faith, and that very faith will bear fruit in genuine Christian obedience.

We also ask:

Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them?

We as parents are tempted to use our children: As status symbols, as props for our egos, as accomplishments, as ways to succeed vicariously where we failed in our younger years. But biblically we are to provide for our children and serve them – not serving under them, but so to lead them that they grow into independent adults who by God’s grace love Jesus Christ, put Him first, and serve productively in society.

Now, if parents have the responsibility to train their children and to provide for the intellectual needs, they clearly are responsible for their children’s education. They are responsible for deciding how their children can be best educated. Some before God will choose to educate them at home; others will think it best to delegate part of their children’s education to a private or public school. But whatever the choice, the parents are responsible. God has entrusted them with their child. They must arrange for that child to be well-educated, intellectually, spiritually, and socially. To the extent that they delegate part of that responsibility to others, they must know what is being taught, how it Is being taught, and then in the home correct or combat any falsehoods or half-truths propagated in the school. Parents as a group, therefore, can and should influence what is taught in schools.

Now, the state does have a role in the lives of children. Most clearly the state has a responsibility to protect all citizens from law-breakers – and that includes protecting children from parents who clearly abuse or harm their children. The state also has a civic interest in seeing that children receive sufficient education to be good citizens. But the family precedes the state. Furthermore, as G.K. Chesterton wrote, the family is the “only state that creates and loves its citizens.” The governing state should rightly defer to parents on education and childrearing in general, acknowledging that the great majority of parents will do a better job of raising their children than any state institution. Laws for dealing with the exceptional cases of child abuse should not be extended to cases in which parents simply have chosen to raise children in a way contrary to the state’s preferred way.

When the Pinckney children were young, we had an interesting annual interchange in this regard with our local school superintendent in Massachusetts. As homeschoolers, we were required by state law to ask for approval from our superintendent. But before God, Beth and I did not believe the superintendent had the right or responsibility to judge whether or not we were fit to school our children. At the same time, we wanted to have a cooperative relationship with the schools in town and were quite willing to listen to any advice or counsel they might give. So, every year, we wrote a letter informing our superintendent of our decision to homeschool, asking if they had any counsel, but explicitly not asking for approval. And then a few weeks later, we received a return letter approving our homeschool. In this way, everyone was kept happy.

So, parents: Rejoice in the responsibility God has given you to raise your children. Take it seriously, with all its trials and pressures. In a few short years this season of your life will end, and you’ll feel as Beth and I did when our youngest left home: “Like Mel Gibson at the end of Braveheart – your abdomen is open and someone is cutting away at your guts.”

I encourage all of you – vote wisely this week, especially taking into account candidates’ views on education and parental rights.

But may we as a church stand alongside one another and assist one another in raising these precious children to know “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” to His great glory and praise (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Vote? Why? Blessing the Land of Our Exile as Ambassadors of the Kingdom

Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of Government – except for all those other forms.”

That is easy to believe in these weeks before an election, when we can’t help but see attack ads and misleading campaign fliers, when candidates avoid answering questions time and again, when the media twist statements and positions to advance their own narratives, when it can seem as if no candidate is talking in depth about important issues that face our country or city or schools.

Yet in a world of fallen humans, all beset with sin – “all those other forms” of government fail spectacularly. In this country, “we the people” have an opportunity – an opportunity to have a voice. Should we use it?

By all means.

Let me remind you of some biblical principles, and then list some considerations as you decide how to use your voice.

Three Biblical Principles

Principle 1: Followers of Jesus are aliens, exiles, sojourners in any earthly country.

Peter addresses his first epistle to the scattered elect “exiles” or “aliens” or “sojourners” (1 Peter 1:1). He later refers to God’s people as “foreigners” or “temporary residents” (1 Peter 2:11). The picture is thus similar to the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the sixth century before Christ – living as foreigners, away from their own country, wishing they could return. But remember the letter the prophet Jeremiah sent those exiles, found in Jeremiah 29. They will remain in Babylon for 70 years – thus, for the rest of most of their lives. But God’s promises remain. They are to hold firmly to those promises – and, in the meantime, they are to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).

Just so with us. In Christ, God makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We obviously are “in the world,” but we, like Jesus Himself, are not “of the world” (John 17:14). We are aliens, exiles, foreigners, temporary residents here – indeed, ambassadors from King Jesus, as we make His appeal to those around us. And we seek the welfare of the country where we live both through that appeal and in other ways. Voting for the best candidates is one of those ways.

Principle 2: There is no political solution to our fundamental problem

We’ve already said that democracy is messy because we are fallen – we are rebels against God who are prone to self-righteousness, self-centeredness, ingratitude, pride, anger, hatred, groupthink, racism, corruption – the list could go on and on (see Romans 1:28-32 and 2 Timothy 3:2-5 for longer lists). Sin is so pervasive that “none is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). So if on the off chance we elect the very best candidate for every single office – we will still have elected sinners who will fail.

So all the utopians speak nonsense who say, “If we can only get rid of so-and-so, if we can only defeat this party, if we can only dominate this court or that legislature, if we can only elect this president or end global warming or end abortion – then we will save our country and all will be well.” No. The only hope for an enduring Kingdom that cannot be shaken is Jesus – and He promises He will bring it about, in His time, when He returns.

But that does not mean no improvements can be made! Thus our next principle:

Principle 3: In this world, glorify Jesus by working for improvements in your circle of relationships and in your city, state, and country.

The Jewish exiles had no illusions about transforming Babylon into a perfected Jerusalem. But they could work for improvements – and they did. God commands us to do the same. We can have the greatest impact in our own circles of relationships as we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, as we let our light shine before others so they see our good works and give glory to our Father (Matthew 5:16). But we can have at least some impact on the wider society – and at times in history, “some” has become “major.” Read, for example, of William Wilberforce and the eventually successful effort to end the slave trade.

Furthermore, even if we end up having zero impact on the wider society, loving our neighbor, working for the welfare of our city and country, and serving as ambassadors of Christ by proclaiming the Good News are worth whatever cost we bear. God has called us to this. He is glorified through the process – not only through the hoped-for result.

 

Considerations for this Election

1) Don’t believe media characterizations of candidates. Every media outlet has a political perspective, and many massage their stories to advance their preferred candidates. If you read or hear a particularly damaging excerpt from a candidate, search for the full essay or speech or interview. Often when heard in context, the excerpt is seen to be misleading.

2) Frequent media outlets that genuinely present contrasting views. I have found RealClearPolitics to do this far better than most – whatever your persuasion, every day you are likely to find something you think is great, as well as something you disagree with strongly.

3) Pay significant attention to judicial races, school boards, county commissioners, and state legislative races. In many cases these races end up having a greater impact on our lives than the national races. Yet because candidates have few resources, we don’t hear much about them. Under recommended resources above I’ve provided links to help you learn of candidates.

4) Consider seriously candidates’ position on abortion. In past years, when Roe v Wade was in place, there was little a congressman or senator at the state or national level could do to affect abortion policy. But after the overturning of Roe v Wade, there will be significant battles in NC and at the national level to pass legislation. Our country faces many important issues – but it is hard to imagine one more important, one closer to the heart of God than the protection of vulnerable, unborn children.

Please vote. Please work for the welfare of the city and country where God has placed you. Please glorify Jesus as you do so.

And then place your hope not in your vote, not in any political party or objective, but in His promise: “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). Amen. Come, King Jesus.

How Should We Love Our Country? “We and Our Fathers Have Sinned”

“My country, right or wrong!”

During my early teens, in the middle of the anti-Vietnam War movement, some countered the protesters with this phrase, saying it is the duty of citizens to back their country – even if it is in the wrong.

My father was in Vietnam, risking his life as a pilot. He had talked with the family about why he was going, why the war was important. So I had frustrations with the antiwar movement. But even as a teen, I had qualms about, “My country, right or wrong.”

I didn’t know at the time that it originated way back in 1816. A naval hero, Stephen Decatur, who had defeated the North African Barbary pirates, gave this toast: To “our country: In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right, and always successful, right or wrong.” Over time, the phrase lost its nuance, becoming: My country, right or wrong.

What should be our attitude toward our country – toward this country, the USA, which celebrates its 245th birthday today?

Today’s text, Psalm 106, helps us answer that question. Like the previous psalm, this one looks back at the history of Israel. But whereas Psalm 105 relates the history of God’s faithfulness to His promise to Israel and His sovereign control over all events in bringing about His plan, Psalm 106 highlights the sins and failures of the nation. God in response brings judgment – but nevertheless fulfills His promise.

Verse 6 introduces the theme: “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.”

We today can say the same about our country. We and our fathers have sinned. Yet there are some voices today calling for us to say little else about our country’s history, only: “We have sinned, we have sinned!”

But both for Israel and for us there is much more to say. Let’s see how this psalm helps us to know what more to say.

We’ll examine it under four headings:

  • A Command, An Observation, and a Request
  • Israel’s sins
  • God’s Righteousness
  • How Should We Love Our Country?

A Command, An Observation, and a Request

Though the confession of sin in verse 6 provides the theme for the bulk of the psalm, the author does not begin with sin. He begins instead where we should always begin: With God. Indeed, the psalm begins and ends with the command, “Praise the Lord!”

  • He is the good one.
  • His love never ends.
  • He has acted time and again showing that love.
  • We fail, but He never fails.
  • We could praise Him for the rest of our lives and never finish declaring all the praise He deserves.

So praise Him! Thank Him – whether you are rejoicing in good times or are suffering in bad times. God is always good, always worthy of praise.

That’s the command.

The observation is in verse 3: “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” God observes justice; God does righteousness at all times. So we are blessed, we are fulfilling the purpose of our creation, when we act like Him.

The psalmist will highlight many cases in which the Israelites fail to do this. But nevertheless maintains: saying: This is the way to true joy: Be like Him.

The request is in verses 4-5:

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. (emphasis added)

Given what the psalmist is about to say, this is of great importance. The psalmist knows God will fulfill His promises to His people. He knows that despite all that he is about to say about sin, God will show favor to them, He will save them. He wants to be part of God’s people, sharing in that future.

Just so with us.

  • May we fulfill the command: Praising Him and thanking Him continually.
  • May we hold fast to the observation: That true blessings come only to those who by His grace take on His character.
  • May we – seeing His church, with all her weaknesses and failures – may we long to part of that church, part of Jesus’ Bride, confident that God will perfect His church and glorify His Name through her.

Israel’s Sins

This brings us to verse 6: “Both we and are fathers have sinned.”

The psalm then recounts seven specific sins at particular times prior to their entering the Promised Land, followed by a brief description of how those sins continued once they entered the land. All seven result from a failure to fulfill the earlier command, to remember the earlier observation, or to continue to make the earlier request.

First sin: At the Red Sea: Rebellion through failure to remember (Psalm 106:7-12)

God has shown His power and love through sending the plagues on the Egyptians while sparing the Israelites. But when the Egyptian army approaches them when their backs are to the Red Sea, the people forget God’s love, God’s power, and God’s faithfulness. They “did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled” (Psalm 106:7). As recorded in Exodus 14:12, they cry out, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Second sin: In the Wilderness: Putting God to the test (Psalm 106:13-15)

This incident is recorded in Numbers 11. God has provided them for their sustenance miraculously, sending manna six mornings every week. But they cry out, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at” (Numbers 11:4-6). Despising God’s marvelous gift, they put His love to the test, effectively saying, “If God really loved us, He would give us whatever we want.”

Third sin: In the Wilderness: Jealousy of God’s chosen leaders (Psalm 106:16-18)

In Numbers 16:3, certain men say, “All in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you [Moses and Aaron] exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” Yet God had shown in miraculous ways who His chosen leaders were. Thus Moses says in Numbers 16:11, “it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together.”

Fourth sin: At Sinai: Idolatry (Psalm 106:19-23)

While Moses is on the mountain, the people have Aaron make a golden calf and worship it:

They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt (Psalm 106:19-21).

Paul alludes to this passage in Romans 1:

Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images (Romans 1:21-23).

Fifth sin: In the Wilderness: Lack of faith in God’s promise (Psalm 106:24-27)

This passage refers to the incident recorded in Numbers 13 and 14. Twelve men return from spying out the Promised Land. They all agree that it is fruitful, but ten of the spies say that the nation will be destroyed if they enter, for the land is populated by powerful nations, including giants. The people then want to choose a leader to take them back to Egypt.

As Psalm 106:24 says: “Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.”

This is the fundamental sin: Lack of faith in God, lack of faith in His promises.

Sixth sin: In the Wilderness: Worshiping false gods (Psalm 106:28-31)

Rather than destroying the inhabitants of the land, as God instructs, many of the people participate in the worship of Midianite gods (Numbers 25). This worship includes practicing sexual immorality with Midianite women.

Seventh sin: In the Wilderness: Not trusting God (Psalm 106:32-33)

God has provided miraculously for the needs of His people time and again. Yet when they lack water, they blame Moses, saying, “Why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink” (Numbers 20:5).

God tells Moses to strike a rock, and He will cause water to flow. But Moses, angry with the people, speaks as if the water comes by his own power. God then punishes him.

The General Sin: In the Promised Land: Desiring to be like other nations (Psalm 106:34-39)

God set them apart from every other nation. But they despise this huge privilege, this great honor of belonging to Him, of being unique, and therefore repeat the earlier sins of idolatry, failing to remember, and lacking faith in God’s promise.

Twice in this sorry narrative, the psalmist deviates from the litany of sin, highlighting the way God uses Individuals who hate the sin and take action in quite different ways.

  • The sixth sin: God sends a plague in punishment for the worship of Midianite gods. Leaders of the congregation are mourning over the sin and pleading with God for the people. At that very moment, a man brings a Midianite woman into the camp right in front of those pleading with God. They enter his tent and engage in sexual relations. Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson and thus in the priestly line, enters the tent and kills them both. As the psalmist says, “Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever” (Psalm 106:30-31)
  • The fourth sin: God tells Moses He will destroy the people for their sin with the golden calf, and will make a new nation from Moses’ descendants. But Moses pleads with God. The psalmist tells us, “[God] said he would destroy them – had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them” (Psalm 106:23).

These two Individuals are faithful to God in the midst of a sinful people. They both intervene – but in quite different ways. Phinehas acts, displaying God’s righteous wrath. Once that act takes place, God ends His plague. Moses on the other hand prays. He agrees that the people deserve judgment, but prays for God to be glorified among the nations by continuing to go with the people, so that other nations won’t be able to say that He brought them into the desert to kill them.

Thus God uses individuals in the midst of His sinful people for His good purposes.

God’s Righteousness

What is God’s righteousness?

It is more than His doing acts that are right and just. God not only does acts that are right and just; He is at His very core right and just. To do acts that are right and just is to display who He is – that is, to glorify Himself. So we can think of God’s righteousness as His living up to His character, His displaying His character. He does that in this psalm both by punishing sin and by being faithful to His promise. Let’s look at these in turn.

God punishes all the recounted sins except the first, at the Red Sea. The account of God’s righteous punishment of sin culminates in Psalm 106:41-43, where the psalmist summarizes the book of Judges:

He gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.

God hates sin. He sees to it that every sin is punished. This is one important aspect of His righteousness.

But God also is righteous in being faithful to His promise, despite the sins of the people. We see this in verse 23, when God turns away His wrath after the incident with the golden calf after Moses prays; in verse 30 when He stops the plague after Phinehas acts; in verse 43, delivering the people many times. As the psalmist records:

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive (Psalm 106:44-46, emphasis added).

While commenting on the Red Sea experience, Psalm 106:8 makes this point most succinctly: “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.”

God always displays His justice, His hatred for sin. And God always displays His love, His mercy, His grace. In both ways, He works “for His Name’s sake,” for His glory. That is His righteousness. And thus that righteousness is the only hope of sinful people like you and me.

How Should We Love Our Country?

How is our country today similar to ancient Israel? How is it dissimilar?

We certainly can say with the psalmist, “Both we and our fathers have sinned.” Similar to Psalm 106, we could look at the history of the United States and make a list of past and present sins. That list might include:

  • Saying all men are created equal and then not treating many as equals. At different times and in different ways, those sins have been against African Americans, women, Native Americans, Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Poles, Roman Catholics, and others.
  • Putting to death over 60 million unborn children in the last five decades. And though praise God the annual number of abortions has decreased, still today one in five pregnancies in this country ends in abortion; in some cities, that proportion is over one half.
  • Throughout our history, we as a people have run after idols: The idol of freedom, as if we are free to do whatever we may desire; the idol of prosperity; the idol of power; and, yes, the idol of country – “My country, right or wrong” is a symptom of that idolatry.

So, yes, like ancient Israel, our country’s history contains a long list of sins, of rebellions against God. We could say the same about every country today.

There are other ways that all countries, including the US, are similar to ancient Israel. Here are four:

  • God’s sovereign hand is over both. As God says in Jeremiah 27:5, “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.” He removes governments and sets up governments. He rules all nations.
  • There’s an element of corporate responsibility for our national sins. The psalmist says, “We and our fathers have sinned.” He doesn’t have to be guilty himself of any of these seven specific sins to say that. Recall that Daniel confesses sins of the people, saying, “We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules” (Daniel 9:5). We know of no such sins committed by Daniel as an individual; indeed, the account of his life is exemplary.
  • We all have an Individual responsibility to act for God’s glory in our spheres of influence – as we’ve seen that Phinehas and Moses did. Whether through public actions, like Phinehas, or through private prayer, like Moses, we are to intervene for the good of our people and the glory of God’s Name.
  • God’s character doesn’t change – so our responsibility doesn’t change. The same God who punished and showed mercy to Israel still punishes, still shows mercy.

If our countries today are similar in all these ways to ancient Israel, what is the difference?

The difference is the promise.

God makes no promise to the US as a country. This nation is not God’s chosen people. There is no promise that through America, through our descendants, all the families of nations will be blessed. God does not promise a coming American Messiah.

The promise today instead is to God’s church – God’s worldwide church. The Messiah already has come – Jesus Christ. His Kingdom will endure forever. All the promises of God are “Yes” in Him.

Therefore: We do not know if the US will endure as a country until Jesus returns. We do not know if we will drift into irrelevance over time (as the Roman Empire did over centuries), or be conquered by a foreign power (as the Babylonian Empire was), or experience a massive revival and be a major force for the advance of the Gospel.

So given who we are as a country – how we are like and yet unlike ancient Israel – how can we love our country?

The answer is in the beginning of Psalm 106: the command, the observation, and the request.

  • We are to thank Among mighty deeds of the Lord is placing you in this country. We all are beneficiaries of the history of this country; we inherit a blessing by being born into or immigrating to the US. So thank God for the positive aspects of the history of this nation, especially for highlighting the idea that all are created equal. Thank Him for raising up those who sacrificed so that we might have this inheritance. Thank Him for freedom of speech – especially the freedom to criticize the government, which most people have never had. Thank Him for our elected officials, praying for them. Thank Him for freedom to worship, and pray that it may continue.
  • We are to know the observation: “Blessed are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times” (Psalm 106:3). Knowing this, we ask: How can we take the inheritance we have in this country and improve it? What can I do individually – in my family, in my neighborhood, in my city, in my church? Perhaps God will use you like Phinehas and Moses, having you play a major role in improving our wider society. But don’t look down on the seemingly small ways you influence those around you. Particularly don’t look down on prayer: For national and local leaders, for churches, for us corporately as a nation.
  • We are to make the same request: “Help me be among your people.” Our most important identity is in Christ. Our most important citizenship is in the Kingdom of God, not in the US. Indeed, the best way for you and me to love the US is to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, to be like Christ, to follow Christ, to love with His love, to serve by His power, to proclaim the Gospel and to act according to His righteousness.

Love the United States on this 245th birthday. Love our country by thanking God, by acting and praying, by being an ambassador.

Conclusion

So what about that phrase: “My country, right or wrong”?

That phrase does not represent biblical patriotism. No ancient Israelite should have said that; we surely shouldn’t today.

Yet: a lesser known incident in the history of that famous phrase surprisingly brings out the right way to understand it.

Carl Schurz immigrated from what is now Germany shortly before 1850. He became a citizen, served in the Union army in the Civil War, and in 1868 was elected to the US Senate from Missouri as a Republican. Disappointed with the presidency of Ulysses Grant, however, he left the Republican party and attempted to form a new one.

In 1873 a fellow senator accused Schurz of working to undermine the US. Implying that Schurz was still a foreigner, with his allegiance divided, this other senator said Schurz should live out, “My country, right or wrong.”

Schurz replied: “In one sense I do say, ‘My country, right or wrong:’ If right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.”

May we as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God be His agents to keep right what is good in this country, to right what is wrong, especially in our individual spheres of influence, and to thank and praise Him that our hope is not in any country, but in the redeeming power of Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:14).

[See Carl Cannon’s July 1 column at Real Clear Politics for the source of the Carl Schurz story. This devotion is based on the July 4, 2021 sermon, which is available as video here and as audio here].

 

Donald Trump and the Nature of Sin

January, 1977, western Kenya. Twenty-year-old Coty Pinckney arrives to begin teaching secondary school days after Jimmy Carter has been inaugurated president.

Students gather around to discuss the American election. One asks: “Why did Gerald Ford leave office?”

“Because he lost the election.”

“We know he lost the election. But why did he leave office?”

Thirteen years after Kenya’s independence, with their first president still in power, these students had never witnessed a peaceful transition between presidents of opposing parties. Indeed, the great majority of Kenyans had much more faith in a party or a leader than they had in the democratic system. When informed that 99 percent of Ford’s supporters would have abandoned him if he had tried to remain in office, the students were astounded.

Over the last 44 years many in the US have lost faith in that system. I have no idea what percentage of Trump voters would support his staying in office despite the election results, but it is surely several multiples of one percent. Similarly, had President Obama tried to remain in office in 2016, citing the dangers of a Trump presidency, several multiples of one percent of his voters would have supported him.

One of the primary strengths of the US constitution is its recognition of man’s sinful nature and the corrupting effect of power. Through constitutional checks and balances and, with the 22nd amendment, a limit on a president’s time in office, we weaken the authority vested in one man and encourage greater faith in the system for those holding opposing political views.

But over the last century, as the power of the presidency and the impact of the national government on our lives have grown, we have placed relatively more of our faith in political parties and particular leaders, and less in the democratic system. Thus the trends cited above.

Of all people, Christians should be especially wary of such trends. For we know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We know that “there is no one righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). We know that “man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:20). We know that our Lord Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  And yet many professing Christians saw Donald Trump as something of a savior – just as, eight years earlier, many professing Christians of a different political bent saw Barack Obama as something of a savior.

Scripture is clear: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation…. Blessed is he … whose hope is in the LORD his God” (from Psalm 146:3-5).

These last few days provide us with a valuable spiritual lesson in this regard. Consider: What does Donald Trump love? His supporters believe he loves this country. Most recognize that he loves his children. His opponents say he loves power, and (to use biblical language) he loves magnifying his own name.

But in the weeks leading up to the assault on the Capitol, and especially in his speech to the protesters, what did he accomplish? He harmed his country. He seriously damaged his legacy. He effectively destroyed any chance of his receiving the Republican nomination for president in four years (unless the party splits and he’s nominated by the Trump rump for a quixotic final campaign). Compared to a week ago, today his family members are much less likely to hold future political office.

That is: Donald Trump harmed what he loved most.

Some are deeply disappointed in the man. Others point to these events, saying, “He acted as I always knew he would! He is evil and dangerous!”

But, friends, these last days just give us a very public example of what all of us sinners do. We harm what we love most. We think that sin will lead to joy and fulfillment – but it always, always leads to the destruction of joy, and, left unchecked, to the loss of what we love most.

For me that became apparent when I almost destroyed my marriage five years after my students asked about Gerald Ford, during my second period of residency in Kenya. As a confident and accomplished PhD student in my mid-twenties, I was forced to acknowledge that sin was not just breaking a few rules. Sin was a deep part of me, affecting the core of who I was. Furthermore, my wife Beth was similarly stained. Our marriage had no hope if it depended on either of us. We both wanted this marriage, we both loved this marriage – and we were both destroying it.

God graciously saved our marriage and redeemed us by the blood of His Son – the only possible way to redeem the mess we had made. Here we are, happily married 38 years later.

The point: What is true of me, what is true of Donald Trump, is true of everyone, and thus of every political leader. One way or another, in obvious ways or not (1 Timothy 5:24), every one of us sinners harms what we love most.

So don’t put your trust in Biden or Harris or Pence or Haley or the next charismatic politician. Don’t put your trust in the Republicans or the Democrats. Put more trust in the democratic system than in individuals or parties. Help others to do the same.

But even that system will fail one day – maybe soon. We can and should love our country and work for its improvement – but in God’s providential plan it will not endure. Along with all of this creation, it will be shaken and removed (Hebrews 12:27). Yet in Christ we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). He is the only source of eternal joy; His is the only Kingdom that will endure; He is the only remedy for the destructiveness of our sin.

Thus, in light of a public sin by our president and the subsequent harm to what he loves most, may we ask God with David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

George Floyd and the Misuse of God-Given Authority

The Apostle Paul tells us:

There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God…. If you do wrong, be afraid, for [the ruler] does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer (from Romans 13:1, 4).

The government, the state, thus has authority to work for the good of its citizens.

One aspect of that authority is the authorization to use violence against citizens of the state. But this authority is not to be used haphazardly – randomly harming some and supporting others. That’s terror. Nor is it to be used racially – systematically harming those of one ethnicity and supporting those of another. That’s genocide or its precursors. Nor is it to be used politically – harming one’s political antagonists and helping one’s political supporters. That’s tyranny.

Rather, God grants the state authority to use violence against wrongdoers as agents of God’s wrath. The state should give a foreshadowing of the justice to be implemented on the Last Day, when God sees to it that every sin is paid for – either by the blood of Christ or by the punishment of the perpetrator of the sin. So the state should only use violence when that is either necessary to halt a crime, or when that violence is just retribution for a crime already committed.

The authors of the Declaration of Independence argue that King George III had systematically misused such powers of the state, and thus the American colonies were justified in rebelling against him, and in setting up their own government.

But the government they set up was not another monarchy, substituting one king for another. Rather, “we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution.” As Abraham Lincoln so marvelously described this political experiment four score and seven years later, it was “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” That is:

  • “Of the people:” The governing authorities are not foreigners nor aristocrats nor a dominant ethnicity, but come from the citizenry, from among the governed.
  • “By the people:” The rulers receive their authority neither from ancestry nor by the decision of a select group, but by the choice of the governed.
  • “For the people:” In line with Romans 13 and the Constitution’s preamble, the purpose of this government is to benefit its citizens as a whole – not to enrich its rulers or to extend the power of one faction or party over another.

When the state or agents of the state violate these principles – when they use law enforcement powers and violence to advance causes other than justice, other than the general welfare – they call into question the legitimacy of the government and thereby undermine their own authority. Most importantly, they misuse the authority God has granted, dishonoring Him, and making themselves liable to His perfect judgment.

The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman is a particularly egregious example of the misuse of power. Surely as time goes on we will learn what happened prior to this man being handcuffed, whether or not the officers were justified in so doing. But there is no possible justification for standing on a subdued, cuffed man’s neck for more than eight minutes until he dies from asphyxiation.

Why did this happen? What led a policeman – who should see himself as a servant of the public – to abrogate to himself the authority to take a life?

I would suggest it’s the same mindset that led to the misuse of the intelligence agencies in an attempt to take out political opponents in 2016/17; the same mindset that during this pandemic led a governor to open beaches in areas where his supporters predominate, but to close them in an area where his political rival is mayor; the same mindset that led a president to spread horrible rumors about a former congressman being a murderer.

This mindset is not, “I’m a servant of all these citizens.” It is rather: “I’m in charge. I’m here to advance my purposes, and the purposes of those like me. If someone annoys me, if someone gets in my way or in the way of our movement, he doesn’t deserve justice – he deserves to be taken out. I don’t bear the sword in vain.”

This mindset – often clothed in self-righteous justification of one’s actions – is antithetical to biblical teaching as well as to the founding principles of this country. May we, Christ’s church, call to account those who display this mindset – whether we agree or disagree with their political positions. And by God’s grace, may our governing authorities live out Romans 13 as well as the Constitution’s Preamble and the Gettysburg Address.

But it is not only policemen and politicians who are susceptible to the virus of this mindset. Many pastors are infected. Millions of church members have caught the disease. None of us is immune. And there is no vaccination available to prevent it.

So check your social media presence. Consider how you’ve interacted this week with those who are in some sense under you – those in your family, those in your workplace, those serving you in stores. Search your heart via God’s Word. Pray with David, “See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:24).

Our Lord came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). May those who wield the sword see themselves as servants of the people – and may we exercise our authority as those who serve.

 

Abortion and Selfish Ambition

[This is a shortened, edited, and updated version of a sermon preached January 23, 2000. You can read the sermon in its entirety here.]

Thursday January 22 marks the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that prohibited states from putting almost any restrictions on abortion. Since then, tens of millions of unborn babies have been aborted in this country, very rarely less than 7-8 weeks after conception. At 7-8 weeks, the baby’s heart is beating; his hands and feet are formed; she swims through the amniotic fluid.

Twenty years ago our friend Michele gave birth to baby Sean, only six months into her pregnancy. Sean weighed 28 oz; here is his picture. Today, by God’s grace, Sean lives. Yet thousands of babies as old and developed as Sean have been aborted in this country, legally, many by a procedure too gruesome for me even to describe.

Indeed, today a large percentage of all babies conceived in the US are aborted, while millions of couples wait years for a baby to adopt.

Why does this happen? Why do mothers kill their own babies? Why do fathers agree to do away with the bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh? Even among those who identify themselves as Christians, why do some favor no limits on abortion, or even have abortions themselves?

The fundamental problem is that we give the wrong answer to the question: Where does one find fulfillment and satisfaction?

Getting this answer right is of central importance, above and beyond the abortion debate. You may give the “right” answer to abortion questions, but still get this answer wrong. If you believe that you will only find fulfillment and satisfaction by success in this world – by accomplishment, by relationships, by pleasures – then in the end you can rationalize almost any action.

Dear friends, the only source of true fulfillment is God Himself. If we are satisfied with God, if we seek Him first, if we truly delight in Him, then we have all good things.

On the other hand, a heart not satisfied with God, not delighting in Him, a heart which is dead set on trying to get what the world has to offer, frequently will not let anything stand in its way. When our hearts are set on fulfilling our worldly desires, we end up destroying what God has given us for true fulfillment – like the children He has given us.

So where is your heart?

We will first examine a question specific to the abortion debate: Is an unborn baby human? Then we’ll return to James and investigate the central problem, which he identifies as selfish ambition resulting in death. But James also presents the solution to this problem: Humbling oneself, resulting in exaltation.

Is an Unborn Baby Human?

What does Scripture say about unborn babies? Are they human? Let’s consider three biblical reasons for answering “yes” to the question, along with biblical support for our actively defending the unborn.

First, the Bible uses the same word to refer to babies before and after birth. Genesis 25:22, referring to Isaac’s wife Rebekah when she is pregnant with Jacob and Esau: “The children struggled together within her.” The word “children” is the normal Hebrew word. Similarly, Luke 1 records what happens when Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is in the 6th month of her pregnancy with John the Baptist: “When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.” The word “babe” translates the same word used in the next chapter to refer to Jesus after his birth: the angel says to the shepherds, “You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Second, God chooses and works on unborn babies. In Psalm 139:13 David writes, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” David’s essence, what makes him David, was put together by God not at birth, but prior to birth, in the womb. Furthermore, the angel says to Zechariah concerning his son, John the Baptist: “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’ s womb” (Luke 1:15). Can a non-human be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Third, Adam’s original sin and humanness are passed on at conception. David writes in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” David is not saying that his mother was particularly sinful. He is saying that from the moment of conception, he was in sin. In Romans 5 Paul states that sin entered the human race through Adam and is passed down to all his descendants. Therefore at the moment of conception, that new creature is both sinful and human, created in the image of God.

So the Bible teaches that unborn babies are human. But does it matter? Do we need to be concerned with these babies, particularly before they are viable outside their mother’s womb?

God is especially concerned with the weak and powerless. Psalm 82:3-4 reads: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Who is weaker and more needy than that little one who will die if separated from his mother?

If the unborn baby is a weak, needy human, and if God is especially concerned with the weak and needy, then abortion is a terrible, common sin.

Let us now turn our attention to the central cause of such sin.

The Problem: Selfish Ambition

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. James 3:13

James asks each one of us: “Do you think you are truly wise and intelligent?” What is the evidence for wisdom or intelligence?

James says the evidence includes “his deeds [done] in gentleness of wisdom.” The word translated as “gentleness” here is translated “meek” in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” This refers to our yielding to God, our willingness to say, “God, you are the wise one. I submit to you, acknowledging that your ways are far above mine.” So I would paraphrase “deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” as “actions characterized by wise yielding to God.”

Now James contrasts such a person with the false wisdom of the world:

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. James 3:14

The person in verse 14, instead of yielding to God, has “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition.” The wise person has a focus on God and his goodness; this person is focused on self, on what he does not have.

The word translated “selfish ambition” is unusual, appearing in earlier literature only in Aristotle, where it refers to the way a politician will try to make himself look good — frequently through deceitful means — to attract more support. Like such a politician, the unwise man is trying his best to arrange matters so that he gets what he wants; the unwise man tries to get others to admire him, even if he is unworthy of their admiration.

But isn’t this the advice that we hear so often today? In books and on the internet, we read how to present ourselves in the best light so that we can advance in our careers; on the racks in the supermarket, we read headlines telling us to buy the magazine so that we can know the secrets of making a 40 year old look like a 20 year old, so that we can find life by catching that attractive, elusive member of the opposite sex. In effect, all this advice is instructing us in the best way to fulfill our selfish ambition.

What is the source of such “wisdom?”

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

Clearly, this is not the godly wisdom we read of in verse 13. Instead it is “earthly, natural, demonic.” In English translation it appears that there is a contradiction between the last two words. But James’ contrast is not between “natural” and “supernatural.” Instead, he contrasts the wisdom from God with the natural, pseudo-wisdom of our sinful selves.  These natural, sinful desires can cause us problems on their own — but Satan also works through these desires, tempting us away from God.

What is the result of selfish ambition?

The Result of Selfish Ambition: Death

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. James 4:1-2

James says the result of this selfish ambition is murder, death. Certainly James is not talking exclusively about literally killing another person; for example, if I am filled with selfish ambition, and my wife gets in the way — then I kill the marriage.

But just as certainly, this verse is fulfilled literally in abortion: If my baby girl gets in the way of my selfish ambition — kill the baby before she’s born.

Abortion and other forms of killing result from our selfish ambition, our exalting pleasures and fulfillment in this life above the true fulfillment that only God can give.

For in the end, all forms of sin constitute a rejection of God. Indeed, James goes on to say that this rejection of God is the equivalent not only of murder but also of adultery:

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

James uses the word “adulteresses” here. Does this mean that all of us men are off the hook? No. God’s people are the bride of Christ. So if God’s people look for pleasure and fulfillment away from any source other than God himself, that is adultery. Hostility. Becoming God’s enemy. We, Christ’s bride, are adulteresses.

Therefore, selfish ambition leads us to become murderers and adulteresses. We have rejected God. Will he reject us? Will he divorce us? James has just said we have made ourselves into God’s enemy; is there no hope?

The Solution: Humbling Oneself

Consider this paraphrase of James 4:1-10:

(1) Why is it that you war and battle each other? Is not the source the strong desires for what you do not have, these desires that battle inside you? (2) You want something badly and don’t have it, so you kill; you passionately want something others have, and can’t obtain it, so you battle and war with each other.

Fools! God is the source of everything good. You don’t have, because you haven’t asked Him! (3) Or, you’ve asked Him, but you’re trying to use God as a genie to provide ephemeral pleasures for yourself.

(4) Do you not realize that you are the bride of Christ? If you then love the world, you are nothing but an adulteress! You are acting in hatred toward your true husband, making yourself His enemy! (5) Did God write this in the Scriptures for no reason? “I have made my Spirit to live in you, and thus I have a deep, jealous desire that you be mine alone.”

(6) But do not despair; God’s grace is greater than all our sin. Therefore he also says in the Scripture, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (7) Therefore, be humble! Submit yourself to God as to a military commander, who has the good of the entire army at heart. Do not give in to Satan’s temptations, but resist him — and by God’s grace he will flee from you. (8) Approach God yourself, and he will come to you. Cleanse yourself from outward sins; make your inner thoughts and desires pure, devoted to God, instead of divided between God and the world. (9) Mourn for your sin, and for the sin around you; replace your carefree silliness of enjoying worldly pleasures with gloom and mourning for all that’s wrong. (10) In sum, come into God’s presence, falling on your face, acknowledging that you deserve nothing from Him, that you have spurned the one who loves you — and your husband, the source of all true joy, will pick you up, honor you, and give you the true joy and pleasure of knowing Him.

James’ final command, to humble ourselves, sums up all the commands. He tells us: Replace your selfish ambition, your desire to put yourself to the forefront, with true humility, acknowledging and accepting your place in God’s plan. Only in that way is there hope.

The Result of Humbling Oneself: Exaltation

The irony of all this is stated in verse 10: When we truly humble ourselves, when we acknowledge that we are nothing before God, when we quit trying to make ourselves look better than we really are, then God lifts us up! He exalts us! God tells us that we will find our true selves by abandoning the world’s ways of exalting ourselves. When we humble ourselves, we become what God intends us to be; we find all true fulfillment, all true glory, all true happiness, all true joy. For joy and peace are found only in a relationship with our Creator.

Conclusion

John Piper puts it this way:

The root cause of abortion is the failure to be satisfied in God as our supreme love. And, for all the great legal work that needs to be done to protect human life, the greatest work that needs to be done is to spread a passion – a satisfaction – for the supremacy of God in all things. That’s our calling

Do you find your satisfaction in God? Or in the possessions and relationships of this world?

How often do you give in to the temptations of this world, and seek fulfillment through exaltation of self, killing and destroying all that gets in your way?

What about abortion itself? As we have seen:

  • Aborting a baby is a terrible sin.
  • Encouraging another to have an abortion is a terrible sin.
  • Planning to have an abortion should you or your girlfriend become pregnant is a terrible sin.

How many of us have committed one of those terrible sins?

How many of us have committed other terrible sins, of seeking after earthly treasures, loving this world, pursuing ephemeral pleasures?

My friends: I am a terrible sinner. But the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus died on the cross for terrible sinners such as you and me!

So humble yourself! And He will exalt you!

I encourage you: Take a piece of paper, and on that paper write two words: “Condemned” and “Forgiven.” Look at those two words; consider the implications of each one. Then circle the one that is true for you. For there are only two choices. One is true. The other is not.

If you circle “condemned,” then I praise God. You’ve taken the first step toward forgiveness. Humble yourself in God’s presence. Trust Jesus as the One who paid the penalty for your sins. You need no longer be condemned.

If you circle “forgiven,” if you are forgiven in Christ, then there is no longer any reason for guilt, no matter what you have done, no matter what terrible sin you have committed.

Have you mourned for your sin? Have you wept over it? Do you want to be clean, in your actions and in your heart? Do you long to be rid of this sin that ensnares you? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord? Will you be satisfied in him?

Psalm 51 tells us: A broken and contrite heart he will not despise. Know it! Delight in Him! Be satisfied in Christ alone!

 

When Prominent Christians Fall

Josh Harris announced recently that he is no longer a Christian, and he and his wife are divorcing.

The fall of prominent pastors should not surprise us; there have been many such falls over the last few decades. But unlike many of the others, Josh Harris was not a health, wealth, and prosperity preacher. He had not raised suspicions by amassing a personal fortune. He gave every appearance of teaching God’s Word faithfully.

How should we react?

In addition, let us remember two biblical truths, and then ask a question:

First biblical truth:  We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). And the chief of these spiritual forces “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Second biblical truth: We do not have the power in ourselves to fight this lion. If we gallantly go out to take him on in single combat, we will be overcome and devoured. Instead, the Apostle exhorts us, “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9, emphasis added).  As the Lord God says, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

This leads to the question, however: Faith in what?

We all know the right answer: Faith in God. Faith in Jesus.

Many will go deeper in their answer: Faith in the penalty paid by Jesus’ death on the cross. Faith that God is for His people, for their joy. Faith that He is working all things together for His glory and the good of those people.

Yes, in the American evangelical church we know the right answer. But I fear that we quite often grasp for something else to hold on to. Something else to believe in. Something else to trust.

What is this “something else”? Gimmicks. Tools. Techniques. Ways of doing church. Methods of presenting the Gospel.

And most of all: Heroes. Idols. Prominent people we admire.

The early prominence of Josh Harris after writing a book in which he gave advice which he had not yet lived out is symptomatic of this problem. Rather than rightly seeing that book as having value to the extent that it pointed us to scriptural truth, many latched on to I Kissed Dating Goodbye as the answer, as the solution to a sex-crazed, hookup youth culture.

And so we in the evangelical church lunge from fad to fad: “Here’s the answer!” “There’s the answer!” The latest movement, the latest evangelistic technique, the latest denominational program; the latest book, the latest music, the next great film, the next great preacher, the methods of the latest megachurch: This will be the key! This will open people’s hearts! This will lead to thousands coming to faith!

Get this: No pastor, no evangelist, no tract, no movie, no gospel presentation, no great argument, no new way of “doing church”, no outreach method, has ever brought anyone to Christ. For, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (1 Corinthians 5:17). No person can do that. Only God creates. “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Only God can perform such a transplant. You and I cannot.

Now, God may well use a pastor, an evangelist, a tract, a movie, or a particular Gospel presentation as the occasion for performing that miracle.

But the power is not in the method. The power is in the Spirit working through His Word.

Remember, as John the Baptist said to those impressed by their ancestry, “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). He doesn’t need our techniques. He doesn’t need our gimmicks. He certainly doesn’t need our celebrities.

The point is not to throw out all the books and films, the tracts and techniques; neither is the point to ignore prominent Christian teachers. On the margin some of these are useful tools. Check them out biblically; search the Scriptures to see if they accurately communicate truth. They may help in some circumstances.

But the power is in the Word. The power is in the Spirit. The power is in God. He will complete His plan. He will fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea.

So rather than jumping from fad to fad, from technique to technique, from the newest greatest book to the next newest greatest book, look to that Word! Obey its commands; cultivate its mindset.

And then, friends, the Christian life is not faddish, and really is not complicated: Believe in God. Believe also in Jesus (John 14:1). Delight in Him. Depend on Him. Love Him. Love your brothers and sisters in Christ deeply from the heart. Love your neighbor. Love and be faithful to your spouse. Raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Do not neglect meeting together. Sit under the faithful preaching of the Word. Let the Word dwell in you richly. Pray without ceasing. Speak the Gospel. Make disciples of all nations. Spur one another on to love and good works. Give cheerfully. Put on the full armor of God.

Yes, we have no strength in ourselves to resist Satan, our enemy. But by God’s grace we can be firm in the faith, not seeking something to hold on to other than Him, but holding firmly to Him and His Word.

Our Lord promises, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). And we can endure, for He also says, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

So take this occasion of the fall of a prominent man to commit yourself to enduring in faith to the end. And so endure, according to His Word, by God’s grace, as given through His people.