Author: divinewisdomforchristians

Thankfulness for God’s Word

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalms 33:6-9)

I have written three emails this morning to consult with people who are co-laborers in Christ because I seek their wisdom. I hope that my words will not only result in their help but encourage them to know that God will use us together to produce a good outcome. Our words are important; God’s words are essential, powerful, and the reason that we even exist. On this Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., we thank God first because of our faith in him. He deserves thanks before our country, family, possessions, friends, pets, and all the others things that come from His hands. 

God’s Word piled up waters His word? He did so at the beginning of creation when he gathered the waters, separating them from dry land (Genesis 1:6-7). “…the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God.” (2 Peter 3:5) Later God spoke and stacked up the Jordan river so that Joshua and all Israel could cross over into Canaan, the Promised Land (Joshua 3:13). These are the times that we amaze us with awe, but the Lord also keeps the seas and oceans firmly in their place most of our days on earth. When Tsunamis and floods are released, controlled by God’s sovereign power, we are shaken because of this great contrast to God’s usual firm grasp on these raging waters. 

However, it is not the water that is the focus of our passage, but the power of God’s speech that is highlighted and the reason why we should fear and praise Him. Admittedly, it is harder to appreciate and wonder at that which is invisible, compared with all the things we can easily see. I suppose that is why I look out my window at the landscape or sit on my patio quietly contemplating things, since nature reminds us of God’s creation, and thus, reminds us of our Creator. Going further with our meditation on God’s Word takes us to Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

When you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, will you take some time with others to proclaim praise for the Living Word, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world? If your family and friends don’t usually pray before eating, will you boldly insist that today is a day when prayer is not only appropriate but required since everything we have is by God’s Word? Even more, will we all give thanks especially for Jesus Christ, who accomplished propitiation for our sins that were piled up on him on the cross? Whose words redeem and sanctify sinners? 

“Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth; Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. Great is Thy Faithfulness!” (Hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness)

God’s Glorious Restraints

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” (Job 38:4-11)

When was the last time you were truly surprised by something or someone? How do you react when you are driving and someone cuts you off, causing you to slam on your brakes? When I am driving and someone does something completely unexpected I jump and gasp a little. But there are times I prepare myself for unexpected driving events, such as when trucks surround my little Toyota on a highway under construction with temporary shifting lanes. Job thought he was ready to die with proper knowledge of God after suffering for no apparent reason—he wanted God to hear his case. Instead of providing Job with a Q & A session as he requested, God conducted his own question and answer hearing for him. Only God’s questions were aimed at Job’s lack of knowledge, which clearly surprised him (Job 42:3). Here is a call for us to examine the limits of our understanding of God, embracing them to remind us that we are finite creatures, but God is infinite, exhaustive, and omniscient.

“Where were you…?” “Since Job was not around when God created the earth and did not see the plan there are obvious gaps in his knowledge of its execution.” (1) Job also did not know that God had restrained Satan in his testing of Job’s faith when God commanded Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” (Job 2:6) In the passage from Job 38, God mentions his controlling and restraining commands over nature by measuring the earth with a line, sinking its bases, laying its cornerstone, and shutting in the sea with limits after he released it. God placed the stars in the sky resulting in joy for his children when the darkness might otherwise be overwhelming. I imagine that Job’s humbling was accompanied by great delight in hearing from his God, who had not forgotten him but had a much bigger purpose for his suffering—to remind us all of the Lord’s superintendence over the world and all his creatures, including Satan. 

“God questions Job so that Job may come to a greater measure of self-knowledge. His lack of clarity about God reflects his lack of clarity regarding himself. In a series of questions about the natural world, the Lord reveals to Job just how little he actually knows. If Job does not understand God’s ways with nature, how can he understand God’s ways with mankind? Job has displayed impatience and presumption, of which he should repent. True piety is not based on comprehending all about God but on trust in His wisdom and goodness.” (2)

We often think of our lacks and restraints from illness, injury, weakness, financial shortcomings, inadequacies, or circumstantial limitations to be a problem. Most of us know that our circumstances are not the problem, but instead, our attitudes or perspectives need biblical realignment. Rather than pray for resolution of the restraints God has placed on us, why don’t we see if we can correct our view for God’s bigger picture? As Christmas approaches, where will our minds go? Will we be consumed with thoughts of food, gifts, and arranging for family gatherings, or rejoice that Christ chose to be born to die for our rebirth? How about starting with Thanksgiving as the time of praise for God’s plan for the world and salvation in Christ and limits over all creation for his glory and our good?

(1) The Reformation Study Bible, Job 38:4, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

(2) Ibid—Job 38:1-40:2.

God’s Wisdom Before Creation

“The Lord possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there.” (Proverbs 8:22-27)

We laugh when our teens and young people suddenly realize that we older folks may know something about life. The saying is that the older they get, the wiser we become. Now, it is true that we grow wiser with age, but the point here is that young people don’t seek our particular brand of wisdom until they face certain challenges, such as working, making a budget, owning a car, buying a home, getting married, or having children. The wisdom they seek in us has always been there, but their need seems to “bring it out” of us. In the same way, God’s wisdom is an essential part of his being and character. It is not separate from him; “The wise plan of God precedes his action.” (1) We may think of this as being similar (but certainly not the same) as the way our prayers for our children precede our actions. In God’s case, it is all his wisdom, his preparation, and his acts that shaped the mountains, hills, fields, and dust. God’s wise plan and word established the heavens. 

We may note that wisdom was “before” the mountains, hills, and earth; wisdom was the first of God’s acts. (v. 22) This poetic language has influenced many commentators to interpret this as a revelation of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ, who has always reigned as the supreme second person of the Godhead. John Gill writes, “Now Christ, as the Son of God, as the only begotten of the Father, existed before his human nature did, or before he was the Son of man. When he prepared the heavens, I was there,…. Made, beautified, and adorned them; when he gave them their form, figure, magnitude, and motion; when he garnished them with the sun, moon, and stars; then was Christ present, not as a mere spectator, but as a co-worker.” (2) I don’t think any of us will dispute the truth of John Gill’s statement, but is it the meaning in Proverbs 8:26-27? Most commentators, including Gill, say that the Hebrew actually would translate as “the Lord ‘fathered’ me at the beginning of his “way.” The Reformation Study Bible comments that “’brought forth’ is poetic language, not an indication that wisdom is another being.” (3)

Sometimes we think of wisdom as something to attain, separate from God, like an asset or possession. However, this passage calls us to remember that God and his wisdom cannot be separated. I give you 1 Corinthians 1:22-24: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Proverbs 8 may or may not be a revelation of Jesus Christ but the New Testament indeed is, and it is thought that Paul was perhaps inspired by Proverbs 8 when he penned his letter to the Corinthians. (4)

As we seek to be wise today, let’s remember that God—specifically Jesus Christ and his gospel–is the highest wisdom we can share with anyone. He is immutable and perfect, so his wisdom is reliable and trustworthy. We will be wise if the gospel informs our prayers, words, and actions. We will be wise if God comes first today.

(1) The Reformation Study Bible, Proverbs 8:22-24, Reformation Trust Publishing(Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Proverbs 8:26-27,  https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/proverbs-8.html

(3) The Reformation Study Bible, Proverbs 8:22-24, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

(4) ESV Study Bible Notes, “Introduction to Proverbs, The Personification of Christ in Proverbs 8”, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.

God’s Wise and Orderly World

Proverbs 3:19-20 “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.”

I have a friend with a bad head cold, which is making the rounds in Texas. When I spoke with her yesterday she couldn’t remember what day it was because she was “foggy,” either from the medication, she is taking or from the cold. I woke up feeling groggy myself, and still am a little bit sluggish, even after coffee. I wonder if I am also fighting something because coffee usually does the trick to wake me up. Something is unsettling about being disorderly and discombobulated (as my mother used to say). We like to have our days at least start with some order, even if they seem to disintegrate into disarray later, because God made us in his image, as orderly creatures who are central to the symmetry of God’s creation. 

The proverb’s passage speaks of God’s founding and establishing the world with understanding and wisdom. “The essential point is that God has built the principles of wisdom into the structure of the world itself; wisdom is the ordering principle by which everything functions and does not devolve into chaos.” (1) Alertness to life and the way we live is required to be wise, but a legalistic order is not. “When one lives without integrity, one violates the very rules whereby everything is held together. One cannot do this and thrive.” (1) I find this reflection on Proverbs 3:19-20 helpful because integrity is called to account, not order like planning or scheduling, but personal veracity and honor, which is only possible by God’s good grace.

Many people I know, who do not believe in God’s creation of the world would not agree with my blog post this morning. They are confident that their integrity, which is commendable, is based on their intentions to uphold a high standard of personal excellence. But how would it be possible for a creature created by mere chance to know what is good and right, to behave according to those ethics? The ESV Study Bible points out, “The essential point is that God has built the principles of wisdom into the structure of the world itself; wisdom is the ordering principle by which everything functions and does not devolve into chaos.” (2) 

It is one thing to know and believe that God’s wisdom has created and sustains the world and yet another to yield to his wise restraints, as the heaven stays in its place, separated from the earth. On the other hand, we may not recognize or apply the outpouring of his grace, like the waters from the deep or the dew from the clouds. “Since God’s wisdom created such a well-ordered world for Him, God’s wisdom can surely create a well-ordered world in our lives.” (3) How will you attend to and respond to the Lord’s wisdom today?

(1) ESV Study Bible Notes, Proverbs 3:19-20, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.

(2) Ibid.

(3) The Reformation Study Bible, Proverbs 3:20, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

Worshipping God Who Made Everything Wisely

“The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night when all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all.” (Psalm 104:16-24) 

It’s remarkable to me how many different climates there are in the world, and how varied the weather and landscapes are at this time of the year. Here in Texas, the Autumn nights are cool and the afternoons mild and sunny, in the 60s or 70s. In Minnesota the high temperature today will be 26 degrees, and in Calgary, Canada it will only be 12 degrees, but no more snow forecast for either location in the upcoming days. On this same day in Monrovia, Liberia the humidity and sun will combine to feel like 96 degrees, with palm, coconut, and banana trees waving in the hot breezes by the ocean. Only God could make a world as diverse as this, yet stable and useful for people and every type of animal in each ecosystem.  

Two particular aspects of creation are emphasized in these verses—the strong, tall trees of the forests that grow wild and the dark nighttime with its luminary, the moon. The trees are those that God alone plants by the work of nature which re-creates life as seeds and hulls fall to the ground; these are not the trees you and I plant in our yards or the nursery owner grows in the greenhouse. The “cedars of Lebanon” receive their nurturance from God’s natural system of the water cycle, the earth, and the sunshine, to provide homes for even the large birds like storks. (See photo below.) The stork was considered an unclean animal in the Old Testament, but the Lord, in his grace, provides for them, as he gives for his unclean, sinful people. (1)

The moon lights the way for the animals at night, many of which were also considered unclean. The moon illuminates the darkness, and on moonless nights, when the clouds hide even the stars, there is a bit of light, since light always overcomes the darkness. Here were are again reminded of God’s general grace over all creation, and his special grace in the light of Jesus Christ, who is the “light of the world” (John 1:5; 9:5) 

“There is a most glorious display of the wisdom of God in the most minute thing his hands have made; he has made everything beautiful in its season: a skillful artist, when he has finished his work and looks it over again, often finds some fault or another in it: but when the Lord had finished his works of creation, and looked over them, he saw that all was good; infinite wisdom itself could find no blemish in them: what weak, foolish, stupid creatures must they be that pretend to charge any of the works of God with folly, or want of wisdom?” (2)

Does not the Lord deserve our grateful worship today for his continual demonstration of wisdom to all creatures, be they people or animals, clean or unclean, forgiven or yet to be forgiven?

(1) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Psalm 104:17, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/psalms -104.html

(2) Ibid, Ps. 104:24

These marabou storks are over 3 feet tall and roost in the trees in the middle of Kampala, the capitol city of Uganda, East Africa.  

God’s Covenant of Confidence

“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” (Psalms 25:14)

“…the upright are in his confidence.” (Proverbs 3:32b)

I have a dear friend who sometimes needs help with something but doesn’t like to ask for it because she doesn’t want to be a bother. I used to be frustrated that she wouldn’t let me know how or when I could help her until I learned the secret of making it easier for both of us. If I visit with her, to spend time together, after we have enjoyed each other’s company for a few minutes, she will ask me to help her with something. After doing that task, we visit again, and she will ask for another favor. The process will continue until she has run out of chores, or we hit a roadblock. Psalm 25:14 reminded me of my friend who reveals her needs to be in the context of our friendship.

Unbelievers do not know God as a friend; they regard him as an impersonal, universal power source, global peace among humans, a magician, a mean, legalistic judge, or they may not regard him at all. Friends are people we enjoy and like to spend time with, in pleasant or helpful ways. Christians are those who fear the Lord because he has brought us into a covenant of grace with him. God doesn’t first consider us his friends—”God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11) If we were friendly toward God, we would not need to be reconciled to him, but enemies and those whose relationship is conflicted and need reconciliation. 

“Secret communion with God is enjoyed by those that fear him, which is what the world knows nothing of, and the joy that results from it is what a stranger intermeddles not with; the Lord has his chambers and secret places, into which he brings them, and where they dwell. The secret of his Gospel is with them; and the mysteries of it, which were kept secret since the world began.” (1) How did David and his son Solomon know that God brings the righteous into his confidence, but by God’s work in them, albeit temporal at the time, for the occasion of their ministry? “Each time Abraham doubted God’s ability to fulfill the promises of Gen. 12:1-3 God appeared to him and renewed the covenant (Gen 15; 17).” (2)

Now we have the permanent indwelling of the Spirit, so there is never a time when a believer does not have access to the Lord’s covenant of grace. Every time we doubt God’s promise of forgiveness we can run to him for reassurance. “Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:21-23) So today, in faith, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (v. 24)John

(1) Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Psalm 25:14, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/psalms-25.html

(2) The Reformation Study Bible, Psalm 25:14:, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

Our Secret Works

“When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you…when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you…when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-4, 6, 17-18)

I am in the process of deciding what gifts to send to my relatives for Hanukkah and Christmas this year. Presents for my four great nephews and great niece are purchased. However, gifts for my siblings and nephews are harder to choose, like those for spouses and parents. However, I think my biggest challenge is not material but spiritual since my family members do not share my biblical faith in Jesus Christ, and my desire to celebrate his greatest miracle, the incarnation. Christmas is one time when I especially celebrate the sweet fellowship and transformative power of Christ that infuses my life with hope and joy. However, it helps to remember that we have the opportunity to celebrate Christ’s perfect, intercessory life at any time, by his gospel invitation (Matthew 11:28-30). 

We often forget those and that which is invisible, but it should not be so with God. “Pray to thy Father, which is in secret; who is invisible; not to be seen with the eyes of the body, but to be approached with a true heart, in faith and fear, through his Son Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man; and who is the image of the invisible God, and in whom he is pleased to manifest himself to his people.” (1)  The verses in Matthew 6 encourage us to make that which is visible invisible—our acts of giving, praying and fasting. When we give, pray, and fast we are to do so with complete guilelessness and sincerity. As I picture myself or others doing this, I think of a baby, about six months old asleep on his parent’s shoulder. The baby is completely unaware of his father but is utterly dependent upon his loving protection and care. We are to be like a baby, assuming the Father’s deep love as we rest in him, and quietly, almost unperceptively give, pray, and fast. 

In our delight and reliance on Jesus, John Gill offers additional help on fasting. “But thou, when thou fasts, Christ allows of fasting, but what is of a quite different kind from that of the Jews; which lay not in an outward abstinence from food, and other conveniences of life, and refreshments of nature; but in an abstinence from sin, in acknowledgment and confession of it; and in the exercise of faith and hope in God, as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin; wherefore cheerfulness, and a free use of the creatures, without an abuse of them, best became such persons.” (2) 

Today I think I’ll back up to Thanksgiving now, remembering all the blessings of our Christian family in our fellowship with Jesus, and fast from Christmas and materialism. Give, pray, and fast —in secret with a heart leaning on Christ, quietly, softly, and repentantly.

(1) JohnGill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Matthew 6:6, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/matthew-6.html

(2) Ibid (Matthew 6:16-18)

God’s Secret Judgment

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

I don’t know about you, but I think I judge myself every day, at least once, over some trivial matter, such as finishing a task or forgetting to make a phone call. We judge politicians, media companies, reporters, Hollywood stars, sports figures, leaders in every realm of our lives, and even our local grocery stores. I think you see what I am getting at—our judgments are minuscule and insignificant because they have no power to do anything other than discourage and dishearten those who are judged and those who hear these kinds of judgments. I have a family member who is a judge in the state court system. Even legal judgments for those who have either broken the law or are unfairly accused do not compare to God’s judgment. On the other hand, judgments based on biblical discernment about Christian trends, ideas, and theology can be immensely helpful and needful in the right context. These more closely approximates God’s perfect, righteous judgment that is coming to every human being.

I have many secrets with God that I don’t share with others. I love having a secret relationship with the Lord, which includes confessing to him daily and asking him to help me with various confounding personal issues and ongoing sin patterns in my life, hidden from others. However, it is vital that at some point I share about these challenges because none of us are called to live independently of each other, but to encourage, instruct, and love others by our vulnerability and transparency. When we read about God’s future judgment, we may become fearful and even resentful, not wanting our secrets to be found out. But these verses serve as warnings to relate to God as one would a beloved and respected father. Commenting on Romans 2:14-16, the Reformation Study Bible reminds us that in the gospel, the bad news of judgment to come for sin precedes the good news of gracious forgiveness in Christ.*

The man Job had faith in the God of Judgment and cautioned his friends. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!…be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.” (Job 19:25-29)

Referring to Ecclesiastes 12:13, we keep the commandments of God by believing in Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel to penetrate to our secret thoughts, desires, and motives, with the utmost reverence and love. Rather than make so many judgments about the temporal things of this world, let us consider weightier matters of eternal significance today. “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

* TheReformation Study Bible, Romans 2:14-16, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015. 

God’s Secret Work

“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalms 139:15-16)

Sometimes we think we know what someone is thinking or intending and other times their actions are a complete mystery to us. I have an older friend who has been making some choices lately that made no sense to me at all. But a couple of days ago she realized that something she feared would not happen, and told me that this fear had influenced her in things lately—and all became clear to me. We even do this ourselves, not knowing why we are reacting to things differently or what changed our perspective. We hide our feelings, fears, and desires because they frighten or dismay us. But God’s work, mysterious and incomprehensible as it is, need never be the reason for our anxiety. Aren’t you grateful that the Lord, who created you in darkness, who has adopted you in Christ, has a plan for all your days, into infinity? (1)

Sometimes we want to understand everything and know how to plan for our futures. Ecclesiastes 11:5 informs us that we cannot understand how God works. We must make our plans based on what we do know about God, others, and ourselves, in this order. I know that God wants my friend to serve him even as she grows into her later 90s because he has given her a missionary’s heart. I also know much about my friend, who is unafraid of death and only wants to serve him, very much aligned with his will for her. My frustration lately stems solely from my inability to focus on her rather than myself—thinking that I would not choose what she did—and my discomfort with being “in the dark.” So I must ask myself, is this how I relate to the Lord, whose thoughts and plans are greater than anything I can imagine?

The contrast between our minds and God’s is expressed directly by the psalmist in verses 4, 6, and 11-12. “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it…If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

“If indeed a man could foresee and be assured of seasonable weather for sowing and reaping, or a proper opportunity for doing good, all circumstances agreeing, it would be right to wait for it, and take it; but as these things are not in our power, nor within the compass of our knowledge, we should take the first opportunity of doing good, and leave the issue to divine Providence: as in many things in nature we are and should be content to be ignorant of them, and leave them with God, who brings them about by his secret power and providence.” (2) Are you ready to sow and reap today, trusting God for his secret power at work in your life and the lives of others?

(1) “The Bible clearly teaches God’s providential control…over man’s birth and lot in life…There is…a special providence in which God concerns Himself with the details of history, the affairs of human life, and particularly the affairs of the righteous…A ruler that simply laid down certain general principles and paid no attention to particulars, or a business man who failed to look after the details of his business, would soon come to grief. The Bible teaches that even the minutest details of life are of divine ordering.” (Berkoff, L., Systematic Theology, “Providence,” (Page 168), Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI, Reprinted 1993.)

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Ecclesiastes 11:5, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ecclesiastes-11.html

 

 

God’s Secret Providence

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

I’ve watched the TV show “Fixer Upper” a lot since I’ve been back in The States. I’ve probably seen every episode, including the Gains’ restoration of their restaurant and the Silos. So my trip over the weekend to Waco was mostly to satisfy my curiosity. My friends and I ate at Magnolia Table after our three-hour wait, shopping in a nearby store where Joanna shopped for the show. Then we went to the crowded Silos and Magnolia Market but decided to skip the bakery, since the line was down the block. I am satisfied because I enjoyed being with my friends, and I am no longer bothered by wondering if the iconic sites are as they looked on TV (which they do). One of our Uber drivers shared his disillusionment with the Gains family personalities, the difficulties of neighbors whose taxes increased when they restored homes in their community,  and dismay at the prices they charge for their merchandise. But all along I knew TV was doing its work by creating a cult following with idealistic images. I wasn’t shocked (now that I’ve tarnished your image of them), and I don’t care about these issues since I was only curious about these two restorations.

It’s ironic that our passage today is about not trying to uncover the secret things that only belong to God. Unlike reality TV personalities, God’s image and character are perfect and consistently righteous, pure, and infinitely deep. “The reference to “secret things” may suggest that Moses anticipates the uncertain future of the nation, remembering their waywardness and how they turned to the golden calf at Horeb (Ex. 32). In this uncertainty, Moses trusts the hidden future to his trustworthy God.” (1) “Not everything that is true of God has been revealed…there are secret things anticipates the need to trust, obey, and be humble before God.” (2) God owns everything and controls the mysteries of his person and work, revealing them as he sees fit, redeeming, encouraging, strengthening, redirecting, convicting,  sanctifying, and teaching his people, for his glory and purposes. Paul expresses it this way in Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

What God has revealed in his Word, however, is meant to be obeyed with faith. Scripture should inform, change, and work actively in our lives as God works out his purposes in his providence. It’s easy to look back to see how our lives have been affected and perhaps driven by God’s intentions, but harder to humble ourselves today, accepting that we don’t know what the Lord is ultimately doing. How will we speak and behave, with these limits and instructions?

(1) TheReformation Study Bible, Deuteronomy 29:29, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl., 2015.

(2) ESV Study Bible Notes, Deuteronomy 29:29,(digital edition), Crossway, 2008.