Jesus’ Childhood (post #2 of 3)

Posted on October 23, 2019 by russellmckinney

When last we left Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus, they were in Jerusalem in the Jewish temple performing a couple of important services per the Mosaic law. At this point, Jesus is 40 days old and has been circumcised and formally dedicated to God. He’s also had His praises sung by Simeon and Anna, two strangers who have with God’s help recognized Him as the promised Jewish Messiah. These events are all recorded in Luke 2:21-38.

Unfortunately, if we were filming a Bible-based movie about Jesus’ life, we would have to close the scene in the temple by fading to black. I say this because it’s here in the chronology that the Bible goes silent. Luke’s gospel follows up the events at the temple by saying that the family returned to Joseph and Mary’s hometown of Nazareth, but this leaves out a sizable chunk of the storyline.

If you’ve ever really studied the gospels in depth, you now that this type of omission is typical for the writers. More or less, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each just hit the highlights of Jesus’ life and ministry by only writing about the events they felt led of the Lord to include in their gospels (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 21:24-25). In other words, to get the whole record of events — at least as much as we have of it — you have to consult all four gospels and piece the storyline together.

It’s Matthew’s gospel that truly picks up the chronology following the events at the temple. He does this by including the famous story about the wise men’s visit to see Jesus. Yes, I know that a whole bunch of people think the wise men visited baby Jesus on the night of His birth, but we can’t force the Bible to come in line with our Christmas cards, hymns, and movies.

How do we know the wise men’s visit doesn’t take place on the night of His birth? First, Matthew 2:1 plainly says they came from the east after Jesus was born in Bethlehem. While it’s true the word “after” could mean just a few hours after the birth, it is noteworthy that Matthew doesn’t say the wise men came the night of Christ’s birth. Second, they find Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11). That’s a far cry from finding Him in a manger (an animal’s feeding trough) like the shepherds did (Luke 2:8-16). Third, there is the matter of Mary previously having to offer the “poor” version of an offering at the temple (Luke 2:24). (I explained that in the first post from the series.) Fourth, after Herod the Great asks the wise men when they first saw the star in their land, he ultimately has all the children from Bethlehem and its surrounding districts killed who are two years old or younger (Matthew 2:7,16-18). This leads many to believe that Jesus could have been as much as two years old when the wise men came to see Him. Even if He wasn’t quite that old, it’s significant that Herod didn’t just have all the newborns killed.

Evidently, the sequence of events plays out like this:

  • Jesus is born in Bethlehem on the night the shepherds come to see him. (Luke 2:1-20)
  • Sometime shortly afterward Joseph and Mary take up residence in a house there in Bethlehem.
  • Jesus is circumcised and officially named when He is eight days old. (Luke 2:21)
  • Jesus is formally presented to God in the Jerusalem temple when He is 40 days old (Luke 2:22-23). Jerusalem, after all, is only some five miles from Bethlehem.
  • Following the day in Jerusalem at the temple, the family returns to the house in Bethlehem and lives there until the wise men visit (Matthew 2:1-12). Whether that is two years later or two weeks later we can’t say, but I do tend to lean more toward thinking it’s the ballpark of two years.

Okay, so what happens next? Immediately following the visit from the wise men, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and instructs him to load up Jesus and Mary and head south into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14). This flight allows Jesus to miss Herod’s massacre of the small children of Bethlehem, a massacre that serves as another fulfillment of a prophecy given by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15).

The family then remains in Egypt until Joseph receives the news that Herod has died. He receives this news by way of an angel of the Lord (probably the same one from earlier, probably even the same one mentioned in Matthew 1:18-25) appearing to him in another dream (Matthew 2:19-21). By the way, the journey and subsequent stay in Egypt are no doubt financed by the gifts the wise men brought (Matthew 2:11).

Of course, I realize that what I’ve written leaves so many questions unanswered. How did Joseph and Mary afford what seems to have been some type of rental house in Bethlehem? Did Joseph take a job in Bethlehem? Once the family arrives in Egypt, where do they live? For that matter, considering Israel’s Old Testament history in Egypt, why does God the Father want Jesus to abide in that land for a while? The Bible simply doesn’t give us the answers to any of these questions other than to say that Jesus being in Egypt provides another fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy first given by the prophet Balaam (Numbers 24:8) and repeated by the prophet Hosea (Hosea 11:1).

With my next post we’ll finish up this short series on Christ’s childhood. We’ll get the family back into Israel and learn what we can about the silent years of Jesus’ upbringing. Admittedly, we won’t have a ton of scripture to consult, but we’ll find enough to do some reading between the lines. So until next time, just keep in mind that this divine baby that once caused so much fuss grew into adulthood, died on the cross for your sins, arose from the dead, ascended to heaven, took His seat at the right hand of God the Father, and will one day return to reign over this entire earth. All that from that babe in the manger? Yep. And that’s why He is worthy of all the devotion and service you can give Him.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christmas Traditions, Scripture, Series: "Jesus' Childhood", The Bible | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Christian verses” Podcast: John 13:34

Posted on October 22, 2019 by russellmckinney

In John 13:34, Jesus says to His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Why did Jesus call that commandment new? And what does the specific group to whom He gave it have to do with its application? Malcolm and I answer these questions in the new podcast, which we’ve called “The 11th Commandment.” You can listen to it by simply clicking on the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/user-185243867/the-11th-commandmentcv2019011

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, Christian Unity, Church, God's Love, Love, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Jesus’ Childhood (post #1 of 3)

Posted on October 21, 2019 by russellmckinney

The Bible is for the most part silent about the years of Jesus’ childhood. As we all know from the Christmas story, He is born in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger, and visited by shepherds on the night of his birth (Luke 2:1-20). But then what happens to Him? Well, that’s a good question, and I’ll try to answer it with this post and the next two.

For starters, when Jesus is eight days old He is circumcised. This is done in keeping with the Jewish law (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:1-3; Luke 2:21). He is also officially given the name “Jesus” during this ceremony. Circumcision is mandatory for each Jewish male because the mark is the physical sign of the covenant that God has made with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:1-27).

There’s no way for us to know exactly how long that manger served as Jesus’ crib. Did the family ever get a room in the inn? The Bible doesn’t tell us. Evidently, however, it wasn’t too long before the family moved into a house there in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:11). Since Nazareth was Joseph and Mary’s hometown, perhaps the house was some version of a rental for that time.

What we do know is that forty days after Jesus’ birth — 32 days after His circumcision — we next find the little family in Jerusalem. They are still residing in that house in Bethlehem but they have made the trip of approximately five miles to visit Jerusalem. Why have they come here? They’ve come because it’s time for them to do some business at the Jewish temple. It’s here that they must perform two very important acts.

Mary is the focus of the first act as she is required to present specific sacrifices to a priest. According to Jewish law, any Jewish woman who gives birth to a son is considered ceremonially unclean for forty days (Leviticus 12:1-5). At the end of the forty days, the woman brings to the priest a yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering (Leviticus 12:6). If she can’t bring a lamb, which is the more expensive offering, she can bring the “poor” offering of two turtledoves (one as a burnt offering and the other one as a sin offering). The fact that Mary offers two turtledoves (Luke 2:24) evidences the fact that the Wise Men haven’t visited Jesus yet. If they had, Mary would have in her possession plenty of gold to purchase a sacrificial lamb (Matthew 2:11).

The family’s second act that day focuses upon the baby Jesus. Under Jewish law, every firstborn son has to be formally dedicated to the Lord (Exodus 13:1-2, 11-15; Luke 2:22-23). This ritual involves the son being redeemed (bought back) from the Lord by the family for a price of five shekels (Numbers 18:16).

While Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are in the temple, they are approached by a man they don’t know. His name is Simeon, and the Holy Spirit has previously revealed to him that he will not die until he has seen the Jewish Messiah (Luke 2:25-26). This same Holy Spirit has led him to the temple that day to experience the fulfillment of that promise (Luke 2:27).

When Simeon sees the baby Jesus, he instinctively knows this is the Messiah for whom he has been waiting. He then takes Jesus in his arms, offers words of praise to God, speaks a blessing upon Joseph and Mary, and warns Mary that the child is destined to be a point of division in Israel and that she herself will have to inwardly endure the pain that others will inflict upon Him outwardly (Luke 2:33-35). All Joseph and Mary can do is stand there and marvel at the Simeon’s words (Luke 2:33).

Simeon has barely finished speaking when all of a sudden here comes a woman who is very old. Her name is Anna and she is a prophetess. She was once married, but her husband died seven years into the marriage and since then she has spent her life as a widow. She is “a widow of about eighty-four years.” (This either means that she was an eighty-four-year-old widow or that she had gotten married in her teens, remained married for seven years until her husband died, and then lived another eighty-four years. The latter interpretation would add up to her being over 100 years old.)  She never leaves the temple and serves God with fastings and prayers night and day (Luke 2:36-37). (Perhaps this indicates that she had some type of residence on the temple grounds.)

When Anna sees the baby Jesus, she follows suit with Simeon and gives thanks to the Lord. Then she starts telling all her fellow Jews who are living in expectation of the Messiah that He has now arrived (Luke 2:38). Her actions serve as a lasting testament to the fact that the elderly can still perform great acts of service to the Lord. Getting old doesn’t mean that a person can’t bear fruit.

What a memorable time the baby Jesus and His earthly parents have that day at the temple. It all makes for a highlight-reel from His early weeks of life. But what happens next? Unfortunately for those of us who are the curious type, the Bible’s record of His early days then goes silent for an extended period of time. I’ll ask you to tune in next time, though, as we jump right back into the stream of the storyline as it is given. And until then I’ll also ask you to keep looking for the coming of Jesus like Simeon did and keep serving Him and telling others about Him like Anna did.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christmas, Elderly, Series: "Jesus' Childhood", Service | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Death Is Precious

Posted on October 19, 2019 by russellmckinney

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:15, K.J.V.)

The Hebrew word translated in this verse as “precious” is yaqar. It’s an interesting word, one that carries multiple shades of meaning. Let me mention three of them.

First, yaqar can mean “valuable.” This is how it is used in 2 Samuel 12:30 to describe the stones (jewels) that were set in the crown worn by the king of the Ammonites. Second, yaqar can mean “rare.” For example, 1 Samuel 3:1 speaks of a time when the word of the Lord was rare (yaqar) in Israel. Third, yaqar can mean “honorable.” It’s used this way in Psalm 45:9 to describe the daughters of a king.

What all this tells us is that when a saint dies, God looks upon that death as a precious, valuable, honorable event. A difficult race has been finished (2 Timothy 4:7) and a good fight has been waged (2 Timothy 4:7). Furthermore, the death can also be classified as rare because God’s people are always the minority in this world (Matthew 7:13-14).

As Jesus stood before the tomb of the recently deceased Lazarus, He wept (John 11:35). The Jews who were watching understood His tears to be Jesus’ way of mourning for Lazarus. That’s why they said, “See how He loved him!” (John 11:36).

However, other explanations have been offered as to why Jesus cried at that particular moment. I myself don’t claim to have any special insight into the question, but there is one explanation that makes me smile. It’s the one that says that Jesus wept because He knew that He was about to bring Lazarus back from a better place and reenter him into this world of trial, trouble, disease, and death.

Have you ever thought about the fact Lazarus had to experience physical death twice? That had to be rough. I wonder if anyone who knew the post-resurrection Lazarus took the time to get his unique perspective on life after death. Surely there were numerous people who did, and I have no doubt that he had a fascinating story to tell.

Anyway, to get back to the point, the next time you attend the funeral of a Christian just remember that God looks upon that death as precious, valuable, rare, and honorable. Really, it’s a homegoing. The soul of the deceased has departed the body and gone to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-8) and will never again experience any pain or sorrow. Therefore, while mourning is appropriate, it should be more for the loved ones left behind than the dearly departed. After all, those people are the ones who are experiencing the pain. The Christian departed certainly isn’t.

Posted in Death, Heaven, Resurrection, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

God Doesn’t Change, But Don’t Try to Put Him in a Box

Posted on October 17, 2019 by russellmckinney

“For I am the Lord, I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6, N.K.J.V.)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17, N.K.J.V.)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, N.K.J.V.)

These three verses all convey the same basic truth: God doesn’t change. However, we shouldn’t take this basic truth to mean that God never changes the ways in which He accomplishes His purposes. To the contrary, He is wildly creative and adaptive when it comes to bringing His will to pass.

We see evidence of this throughout the pages of scripture, particularly in the major thematic differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here are a few of those differences:

  • In the Old Testament, the hard times that come upon God’s people are typically the result of God chastising/judging His people because of sin. In the New Testament, the hard times are typically the result of God’s people suffering persecution simply because they are serving Him well.
  • In the Old Testament, human warfare occurs frequently as God’s people get attacked and oppressed by enemy nations (the Egyptians, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, etc.). In the New Testament, the warfare turns much more spiritual in nature as God’s people get attacked and oppressed by Satan and the other fallen angels (demons).
  • In the Old Testament, God grants earthly blessings as the result of obedience to Him. We see this in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, etc. In the New Testament, treasure in heaven becomes the promised reward for obedience.

In his colloquial, Texas-country-boy way, football coach Bum Phillips once famously said of fellow coach Don Shula, “Don Shula can take his’n and beat your’n. Or he can take your’n and beat his’n.” That was Bum’s way of saying that Shula could make a winner out of any team regardless of who the players were. Well, the same thing can be said with even more accuracy about God. Even though He never changes in terms of His character and nature, He is a master at adapting His ways to fit any given situation in order to bring about His desired result.

Keep this mind the next time you ask God to grant a prayer request. Assuming that granting the request is His will at all, don’t try to put Him in a box as to how He does it. For example, if you have a legitimate financial need, feel free to ask Him to meet that need, but don’t attempt to name a specific way (e.g. “Lord, let me win the lottery”) by which He must meet it. Just make your request, have faith, and let God handle things His way. It’s been my experience that you’ll be surprised — dare I say amazed — at not only what he does but how He does it.

Posted in Faith, God's Omnipotence, God's Provision, God's Will, Needs, Prayer Requests, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Genesis 12:3 & Modern Israel

Posted on October 15, 2019 by russellmckinney

Genesis 12:3 is one of the most famous verses in the Old Testament. It’s the foundational verse for what is known as the Abrahamic covenant, the covenant that God entered into with Abraham. The record of the ceremony that took place between Abraham and God to formally seal that covenant is found in Genesis chapter 15.

At its core, Genesis 12:3 is a three-fold promise that God speaks to Abraham. The promise goes as follows:

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3, N.K.J.V.)

The meaning of this three-fold promise isn’t hard to understand. If a person, a group of people, or even an entire nation blessed Abraham, God would bless them. On the other hand, to curse Abraham was to evoke God’s cursing. As for the part about all the families of the earth being blessed in Abraham, that found its highest fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who as a genetic descendant of Abraham died for the sins of the world.

We know from the book of Genesis that God honored His promise concerning Abraham. When Egypt’s Pharaoh naively attempted to make Sarah (Abraham’s wife) his wife, God plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues (Genesis 12:17). Years later, when Abimelech tried the same thing, God came to Abimelech in a dream and began the conversation by saying, “You are a dead man” (Genesis 20:3). For good measure, God also closed up all the wombs of the women of Abimelech’s house as long as Sarah was under Abimelech’s roof (Genesis 20:18).

But the question that concerns us today is, are we right to carry the Genesis 12:3 promise over from Abraham to modern Jews? Putting the question another way, is the promise that God specifically made to Abraham long ago transferable to the current nation of Israel? Well, the answer you get depends upon whom you ask.

Those who say the promise is transferable cite Numbers 24:9, where the prophet Balaam, in clear reference to the entire nation of Israel (not just to Abraham, who was long since dead), says:

…Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you. (Numbers 24:9, N.K.J.V.)

Furthermore, these people point out that just a few verses beyond Genesis 12:3, in Genesis 12:7 to be exact, God appears to Abraham and says concerning the land of Canaan, “To your descendants I will give this land.” By placing Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 12:7 alongside each other, we can see the divine link between Abraham, who never actually possessed Canaan, and his descendants, who eventually did possess it. Obviously, God wasn’t just interested in Abraham; He was interested in Abraham’s descendants as well.

And then there is Deuteronomy 30:7, where Moses quite bluntly says to the Israelites under his leadership:

Also the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. (N.K.J.V.)

As for a New Testament passage that might prove that Genesis 12:3 can rightly be applied to the nation of Israel as a whole, Luke 7:1-10 could potentially be mentioned as a candidate. There we read about a Roman centurion who sent a group of Jewish elders to Jesus to ask Him to come and heal the centurion’s beloved servant, who was gravely ill. As those Jewish elders made the request to Jesus, they explained to Him why the Gentile centurion was deserving of help from a Jewish rabbi. They said of the centurion, “He loves our nation and has built us a synagogue” (Luke 7:5). Because of that specific compliment, we might theorize that Jesus actually had Genesis 12:3 in mind when He agreed to go to the centurion’s home and heal the servant.

Still, though, while all these passages might seem to make the case that God really does bless those who bless the modern nation of Israel and curses those who curse it, there is a possible pushback to this interpretation. This pushback comes from the writings of the apostle Paul. Consider the following passages:

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Romans 2:28-29, N.K.J.V.)

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel. (Romans 9:6, N.K.J.V.)

Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7, N.K.J.V.)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26,29, N.K.J.V.)

You see, Paul taught that there are, in a very real sense, two “Israels.” As he described the situation, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel.” First, there is what we might call national Israel. That consists of all Jews whose ancestral lines genetically trace back to Abraham through his son, Issac. Second, there is what we might call spiritual Israel. That consists of only those Jews who have by faith accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah/Savior and have thus become Christians.

With this in mind, our question then becomes, should we apply the Genesis 12:3 promise to all Jews (especially modern Israel as a recognized nation) or should we apply it only to Jews who have become Christians by placing their faith in Jesus as Messiah/Savior? Since it’s been well said that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible, let me offer a couple more passages from Paul that are applicable to the question. The first passage is Galatians 3:16, where Paul references the Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 12:7 promises by saying:

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,’ who is Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

This verse certainly brings an important new detail into the discussion, doesn’t it? Paul says, “When God spoke to Abraham about his descendants, He was actually referring to just one of those descendants: Jesus Christ. Therefore, the promises that God made to Abraham and his “seed” were made to Abraham and to Jesus.”

The second passage is Galatians 3:8-9, where Paul again references the Genesis 12:3 promise when he writes:

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. (N.K.J.V.)

As you read that passage, don’t miss the fact that it plainly says that Gentiles who place their faith in Jesus as Savior “…are blessed with believing Abraham.” Read that again. It doesn’t say that the Jews as a national whole are blessed with believing Abraham. No, it’s the individuals — Jews and Gentiles alike — who place their faith in Jesus who are the ones blessed in this way. As a matter of fact, an argument can be made that Christians have more of a Biblical claim upon Genesis 12:3 than the modern-day nation of Israel does. This explains why many Bible teachers do not hold the position that the Genesis 12:3 promise can be transferred to Israel as a nation today.

As for me, I agree that modern-day Israel is not a nation worthy of the spiritual legacy of Abraham. I mean, we can’t just forget about the fact that the Jews who make up that nation are in vast majority lost unbelievers who have never placed saving faith in Jesus Christ. A lost person is a lost person, whether that person be a Gentile living in Atlanta or a Jew living in Jerusalem. I’m not an anti Semite, and I certainly don’t go around persecuting Jews, but I’m not going to lie about their spiritual state, either. The irrefutable fact is that they don’t truly know Abraham’s God because they don’t truly know Abraham’s Savior.

So, does this mean that the ethic nation of Israel is doomed permanently because of its rejection of Jesus Christ? No, that’s not what the Bible teaches. What the Bible teaches is that there is coming a day when a remnant of the nation will embrace Jesus as Messiah/Savior and in so doing will experience spiritual salvation and be welcomed into Christ’s 1,000 year reign upon the earth. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this embracing will not occur until the days of the seven-year Tribulation Period that will precede Christ’s Second Coming. Until then, whatever national Israel does, it does it apart from any authentic spiritual connection to Abraham. The biological, genetic connection is there, but the spiritual connection simply isn’t.

In regards to how nations such as the United States should relate to modern Israel, all I can offer is what I would do if I was the President of the United States. I would try my best to maintain a balance between keeping a healthy alliance with Israel while at the same time recognizing that each and every Jew who doesn’t know Christ as Savior is not a part of the covenant that God has eternally made with Abraham. And this foreign policy wouldn’t be a cop out. To the contrary, I would consider it to be an accurate application of all the relevant scriptures from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Someone says, “But Israel isn’t like other nations; they are God’s chosen nation.” Yes, that’s true, and that’s why I, as President, would tend to give that nation preferential treatment. As I’ve pointed out, though, modern Israel doesn’t even pretend to be a Christian nation, and the harsh reality is that the souls of lost Jews who die go to the same hell as the souls of lost Muslims who die. This reality applies regardless of any promise made as part of the Abrahamic Covenant, and it’s not one that is ever going to change. Merely being born as a biological descendant of Abraham just isn’t enough. Each Jew must also be “born again” as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ if he or she wants to eternally come under the umbrella of Genesis 12:3.

Posted in Christ's Second Coming, Christ's Return, Current Events, Politics, Prophecy, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Christian Verses” Podcast: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Posted on October 14, 2019 by russellmckinney

Is there really a season for everything and a time for every purpose? Well, that’s what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1. Join Malcolm and me as we delve into this verse and discuss it for the latest podcast. If you are waiting for a pleasant season to come around or if you are waiting for a difficult season to end, this podcast is for you. Here’s the link:

https://soundcloud.com/user-185243867/a-time-for-everythingcv2019010

Posted in "Christian Verses" podcast, God's Timing, God's Will, Impatience, Patience, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How God Taught Nebuchadnezzar a Lesson

Posted on October 11, 2019 by russellmckinney

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was on top of the world. His army was the most formidable one seen to date, his empire was the largest in existence, and he was the unquestioned ruler over it all. He seemed invincible and untouchable.

But then one night he had a dream (Daniel 4:4-5). In the dream, he saw a tree, already great in height, but continuing to grow until its height reached to the heavens and could be seen to the ends of the earth (Daniel 4:10-11). The tree was covered in leaves and abundant fruit (Daniel 4:12). Animals gathered under it to enjoy its shade, and scores of birds dwelt in its massive branches (Daniel 4:12).

Everything was perfect about the tree until a “holy one” (also called a “watcher” in the K.J.V. and N.K.J.V., most likely an angel) descended from heaven and ordered that the tree be chopped down, its branches cut off, its leaves stripped, and its fruit scattered (Daniel 4:13-14). The tree’s stump and roots were to be retained, but a band of iron and bronze was to be bound around them (Daniel 4:15). This signified that the tree’s decimated condition would remain the same as long as the band was in place.

Next in the dream, the holy one explained that the tree, in actuality, represented a man. This man was to undergo an experience humbling enough to teach him that God rules in the kingdom of men and gives that kingdom to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:16-17). The man was Nebuchadnezzar, and God wanted him to learn the lesson that it wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar’s own brilliance, ingenuity, or force of will that had made him the ruler of the world’s greatest empire. No, Nebuchadnezzar held that lofty place in world affairs because God had handed him the keys to open that door.

The holy one described what would happen by saying that Nebuchadnezzar’s heart would be changed from that of a man to that of a beast (Daniel 4:16). In taking on the behavior of an animal, Nebuchadnezzar would get wet with each morning’s dew and would feed by grazing upon field grass (Daniel 4:15). He would remain in this insane condition until “seven times” (seven years) passed over him (Daniel 4:16).

Exactly one year after the prophet Daniel provided Nebuchadnezzar with the interpretation of this nightmare dream, the king was walking in his palace one day and basking in all that he had accomplished (Daniel 4:29). By now he had dismissed his odd dream and Daniel’s dire interpretation of it, and his ego was at full measure. In other words, he was ripe for God’s judgment.

As he walked about his palatial palace, Nebuchadnezzar said to himself, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30, N.K.J.V.). But even while those words were still in his mouth he heard a voice from heaven telling him that the kingdom had now departed from him and that he would be driven out from men (Daniel 4:31-32). Rather than continue to dwell in his luxurious palace, he would be compelled to make his dwelling with the beasts of the field. He would eat grass like the oxen for seven years, long enough to prove to him that God (the Most High) rules in the kingdom of men and gives that kingdom to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:32). That very hour Nebuchadnezzar’s mental state radically changed (Daniel 4:33).

He became what we would now call “out of his mind” and lived outside like an animal in the field. He stopped cutting his hair and nails, so much so that eventually his hair became as coarse as eagles’ feathers and his nails became like birds’ claws (Daniel 4:33). There is a known medical condition called boanthropy that is a psychological disorder that causes a person to believe that he or she is an ox or a cow. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with this condition. Then again, lycanthropy is a similar disorder that causes a person to believe that he or she is a wolf. This condition is considered the basis for the werewolf folklore.

Whatever exactly went wrong with Nebuchadnezzar, what we can say with certainty is that the humbling did its work and produced its intended result. At the end of the seven years, his understanding returned to him and he reverted back to his old self. All his earthly blessings, including his royal staff, that he had previously enjoyed were restored to him and he quickly returned to his former place of majesty (Daniel 4:36). He was, however, permanently altered in one very important way in that he was now ready to sing the praises of the Most High God. Believe it or not, most conservative commentators believe that Nebuchadnezzar actually got saved and that his soul is in heaven right now. You talk about going from the penthouse to the outhouse to an even greater penthouse!

Okay, so what truths can we learn from Nebuchadnezzar’s weird experience? Allow me to offer five of them as the close to this post. Needless to say, I trust these will find a lodging place in your own understanding. Ready? Here we go:

  1. God, in His sovereignty, decides whom He will place in positions of prominence and leadership. Rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar, either from the ancient past or the current age, don’t get to the top without God either causing it or at least allowing it. For this reason, every leader’s ego should be checked at the door.
  2. Current success doesn’t automatically ensure future success. God raising up a person to a place of prominence and leadership doesn’t obligate Him to keep that person in that seat continually. How God treats the person going forward has much to do with how the person handles the big chair.
  3. God’s judgment doesn’t always come to pass quickly. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, a full year elapsed before God made good on the dream. Typically, God’s delay in judgment is an act of longsuffering on His part as He gives the person every last chance to repent and avert what is coming.
  4. God humbles us to teach us the lesson that He despises pride. He will not share His glory with another, and that includes us anytime we start thinking too highly of ourselves.
  5. When God’s judgment is received in the way it should be, it can produce tremendous spiritual benefits. Unfortunately, more often than not the judgment is received in a way that causes the person to become bitter toward God rather than be drawn closer to Him. In this way, we might say that Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to God’s judgment was the minority reaction.

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Attitude, Brokenness, Character, Dreams, God's Judgment, God's Sovereignty, Humility, Politics, Pride | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A Word About Church Work

Posted on October 9, 2019 by russellmckinney

A youth Sunday School teacher asked her students to use their Sunday afternoon to write a letter to God. The letters were then returned to her the following Sunday. One little boy wrote, “Dear God, we had a good time at church today. Wish you could have been there.”

While most people will chuckle at that little story, those of us who know the ins and outs of church work might think the boy’s comment hits a little too close to home. Does God truly have a voice in every decision that gets made in our churches? Uh, no, I can’t say that He does. Does His full measure of support rest upon everything that we do in our churches? Again, I’d have to answer no on that.

Truth be told, the problem with church work is the problem with church workers. I could write a book on this subject, but for the purposes of this post let me just list five of the problems that any church faces in regards to church work (or church workers):

  1. So much of what we today call church work has no Biblical basis. For example, try to find a passage where the apostle Paul lays out the qualifications for a nursery worker, a chairman of the Building & Grounds committee, a choir director, or a church secretary. Trust me, such passages do not exist. I’m not saying that all of these roles (and others like them) can’t possibly be of God because they aren’t mentioned in scripture. I’m just pointing out that things get debatable pretty quickly anytime we can’t consult scripture for specific guidance regarding a matter.
  2. Potential workers who are talented and gifted to play certain roles in church aren’t dedicated enough to volunteer to do them. What this does is leave vacancies open that need to be filled if the church work is going to keep rolling.
  3. Workers who aren’t necessarily talented or gifted to play those roles get plugged into the vacancies simply because they are willing to fill them. While these peoples’ willingness to do something for the Lord is certainly commendable, let’s not pretend that church work functions at a high level when workers attempt to do jobs they aren’t equipped to do well.
  4. Church work is different than work that gets done in a place of employment in that you can’t just demote people (without repercussion) for inefficiency. If you demote someone, not only will that hurt that person’s feelings, it will also anger the friends the person has in the church. In other words, if you think there won’t be fallout you’d better think again.
  5. Even workers who have the talent, gifting, and dedication to play the roles they are playing don’t always seek God’s will regarding every decision in those roles. The funny thing about the talented, gifted person is that he or she is the one most likely to think, “I can handle this on my own. I know what’s best in this situation.”

So, in light of all these problems (and others that I didn’t even name) should we just give up on church altogether? No, that’s not what Jesus would have us do. In Matthew 16:18, He calls the church “My church.” In Ephesians 1:25, the church is referred to as “His body.” And in Ephesians 5:25 we read that He loved the church enough to give Himself for her. All of these verses show us that Jesus is very much in favor of the church, and, yes, that includes each local version of it that meets every Sunday.

One saying says, “If you find a perfect church, don’t join it because you’ll ruin it.” Another saying says, “We could have a great church if it wasn’t for all these people.” Both sayings have a nugget of truth in them, and both help explain why church work doesn’t always get done efficiently or proficiently. Still, though, church marches on and will continue to do so until Jesus ends the church age by way of the Rapture. Therefore, it is up to each Christian to play the role that he or she is gifted to play in church and to make sure that God is there whenever and wherever we have church.

Posted in Church, God's Work, Ministry, Spiritual Gifts, Talents | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is Your Dagon Still Standing?

Posted on October 7, 2019 by russellmckinney

Israel’s army went to battle against the Philistines, and the result was a Philistine victory in which approximately 4,000 of Israel’s soldiers were killed (1 Samuel 4:1- 2). Fearing a similar result from a second battle, Israel’s elders had the fabled Ark of the Covenant brought from the Tabernacle in Shiloh to the site where Israel’s army was encamped near Ebenezar (1 Samuel 4:3-9). The elders believed that Israel’s army was invincible as long as it carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle.

What they didn’t realize was that God was using the Philistine army to chastise Israel for the corruption and wickedness of Eli (Israel’s high priest) and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 2:12-17; 2:22-36). So, the second battle went even worse for Israel than the first one had as this time 30,000 of Israel’s soldiers died, including Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 4:10). Even more devastating to Israel as a nation was the fact that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it with them back to Philistia (1 Samuel 4:11).

The Philistines took the Ark to Ashdod, one of their five major cities, and placed it inside the temple of their god Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1). As a matter of fact, they placed it right next to a graven image of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:2). However, the next morning they found the Dagon image fallen on its face to the ground before the Ark (1 Samuel 5:3). They set the image back in its place, but the following morning they found it again fallen on its face to the ground before the Ark. To make matters worse, this time the image’s head and the palms of its hands were broken off (1 Samuel 5:4).

Furthermore, God struck the people of Ashdod and its surrounding territory with tumors (1 Samuel 5:6). The plague was so great that it convinced the Philistines to return the Ark to Israel. They had held the Ark in great respect even before all these events (1 Samuel 4:5-8), but now they were absolutely terrified of it and couldn’t get it out of their land fast enough.

While there are many spiritual lessons that we can glean from this story, the one I’d like to focus upon has to do with God refusing to share space with a false god in your life. If you have some “Dagon” (false god, idol) to which you devote the bulk of your time, energy, resources, and money, you needn’t bother trying to set God alongside it for a peaceful coexistence. Remember that God Himself has said that He is jealous enough to be called by the name “Jealous” (Exodus 34:14) and that the first of the famous ten commandments is: You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2).

What all this means is that God isn’t going to share space with any false god. Whether that false god is work, money, power, popularity, fame, success, sports, sex, etc., He won’t share your worship with it. He’s far too jealous for that. So if you have some “Dagon” in your life, whatever or whoever it is, don’t be surprised if God knocks it down. And if you erect it again, don’t be surprised if He just go ahead and breaks it altogether.

Posted in Commitment, Discipleship, Faithfulness, God's Sovereignty, Idolatry, Money, Sex, Sports, Submission, Work, Worship | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment