Strengthened His Hand in God

Strengthened His Hand in God.  The biblical text intends to move us because God wants to lead us. Our physical geography doesn't always change when we follow Christ; instead, we are transformed in our heart, mind, affections, decisions, and pursuits. The classic Henry Blackaby and Claude King line from Experiencing God (1990) sticks with me: “You can’t stay where you are and go with God” (p. 134). Traveling the figurative distance between Point A in our spiritual journey, “where you are,” to Point B, “go with God,” is exactly where trust applies. Our next step could be tiny or huge, but nothing remains insignificant in the realm of faith.

A pair of verses in David's life illustrates one of his many next steps well. In a pinch, David flees for his life from the increasingly maniacal King Saul. While Saul cannot find David, Saul’s son, Jonathan, easily finds David and shields his whereabouts from his homicidal father. On one such occasion, Jonathan “strengthened [David’s] hand in God” (1 Sam. 23:16). That’s an important gesture of friendship and solidarity. David was strong in many ways, even strong enough to face and defeat Goliath. But running for his life from Saul, David becomes fainthearted. He needs a friend. Jonathan became that friend; David never forgets it.

The only other time that verb, "to strengthen,” is used of David comes a few chapters later, with one difference: David is completely alone. Jonathan is off, dying on a distant battlefield when David discovers that his family and his men’s families have been kidnapped by the raiding Amalekites. “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6).

What did it take for David to move forward from 1 Samuel 23:16 where he received good counsel and strength in the Lord from a friend to 1 Samuel 30:6 where he navigated the spiritual desert alone and strengthened himself in the Lord? Whatever that next step of growth was for him, it constitutes the shape of our next step, too. Of course, the details will morph, but the spiritual journey is the same: Point A to Point B. “You can’t stay where you are and go with God.”

A Peaceful and Quiet Life

A Peaceful and Quiet Life.  The “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” that Paul urges all Christians to pray for all people (1 Tim. 2:1), including “kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:2a) have a purpose, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:2b). The purpose, then, is not the prayer itself, but the byproduct of prayer. The supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings themselves are technically undefined in 1 Timothy 2, although the contents could be implied in the next verses: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). Whatever the final form of these prayers might become, at least we must ask God for gospel belief and understanding of the truth for all people, including even the kings and government officials who are imprisoning, marginalizing, and executing Christians.

As we pray in this manner, the overflow is “a peaceful and quiet life.” It is a two-fold blessing: we are blessed by praying for others, and we are blessed by others for whom we prayed. The peaceful and quiet life is not the prayer; the prayer is for God to save all people. The benefit of gospel expansion flowing to all people is that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

Of course, this does not mean that we should not pray for peace and quiet. “[May] the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:26). “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psa. 122:6). Thus, God can provide peace directly and indirectly. Paul reminds Timothy that when all people, kings, and all who are in high positions are blessed spiritually, then through them all people can lead a peaceful and quiet life practically. This could be thought of as the prayer application of the idiom: a rising tide lifts all ships.

This half-verse in the New Testament stands upon the shoulders of five Old Testament verses where peace and quiet appear together (1 Chr. 4:40; 22:9; Psa. 35:10; Isa. 32:17-18). These verses show that peace and quiet are neither idle nor passive characteristics. God tells David that he would have a son unlike him in the sense that he would not need to engage in endless wars. “For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days” (1 Chr. 22:9). Solomon was not idle! His energies could be invested in projects of peace instead of campaigns of war. Conversely, the wicked “do not speak peace but are against those who are quiet” (Psa. 35:20). They were not merely ideologically anti-peace; they were actively against quietness. But the most important cross-reference to peace and quiet resides in Isaiah 32. The prophet speaks of the future reign of Messiah when “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high” (vs. 15): “And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isa. 32:17-18). Peace and quiet, then, are experiential, happy ramifications of being rightly related to God, self, and others.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra (Acts 14:8-23) 

⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked.

⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,

¹⁰ said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and began walking.

¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"

¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,

¹⁵ "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

And Lead Us Not into Temptation

And Lead Us Not into Temptation.  “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matt. 6:9), is the famous beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. It staggers the mind to calculate how many times that prayer has been prayed since Christ’s seismic reordering of practical righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6, 11). However, the ending of the Lord’s Prayer has been consistently confusing, “And lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:4). The words themselves are not the confusing part of the prayer, but its theology for navigating temptation. Is God at all complicit in setting us up for moral failure? Absolutely not! We are instructed very clearly that God tempts no one. “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). We carry the raw ingredients for temptation around with us; sin does not ever originate with God (1 John 1:5). So then, why pray “lead us not into temptation”?

Principally, there are two keywords to interpret and interconnect: “lead” and “temptation.” Yet the definition of temptation unlocks the mystery of God’s lead. Temptation and testing share the same Greek word. Temptation is clearly negative in tone; testing is clearly positive. God doesn’t lead us into a temptation, but into the test where temptation waits. It is a huge distinction! In this sense, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness “to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). God led Jesus into the wilderness, but the tempter brought the temptation to the Son of God. In another similar verse, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Temptation comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil, but God declares “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3).

A masterful explanation given by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones ties up the loose pieces. “We are asking that we should never be led into a situation where we are liable to be tempted by Satan. It does not mean that we are dictating to God what He shall or shall not do. God does test His children, and we must never presume to tell God what He is or is not to do. He knows that we need much training in our preparation for glory. But though it does not mean that we are to dictate to God, it does mean that we may request of Him, that if it be in accordance with His holy will, He should not lead us into positions where we can be so easily tempted, and where we are liable to fall. It means that we should request Him to preserve us from this, and not to lead us in this way. This is what our Lord meant when He said to His disciples at the end, ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation’ (Matt. 26:14)’” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, p. 349).

Flee These Things

Flee These Things.  The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, had suffered a lopsided loss at the Battle of Brooklyn. They found themselves pinned between the East River and the world’s superpower of that era, Britain. Under the leadership of British General Sir William Howe, the Redcoats were preparing a siege that would annihilate the overpowered and cornered Patriots. But that evening, August 29, 1776, Washington adapted. Lighting but then abandoning their campfires, the soldiers retreated toward the river under the cover of night. There, with skillful help from a regiment of fishermen from Massachusetts who muffled the noise of their oars with rags, Washington began ferrying 9,000 soldiers and all their equipment to safety under Howe’s very nose. When daylight arrived, though the maneuver was not yet complete, thick fog rolled in, preventing British cannons from sinking Washington’s makeshift flotilla. By retreating across the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan that night, the Americans survived to fight another day and eventually won the War of Independence. New York was not the goal; independence was the goal. Sometimes a retreat is progress.

However, organizing and executing a large-scale retreat is one of the most difficult tasks a military leader can attempt. Without discipline and calm, the soldiers could easily scatter, thus alerting the enemy. Without leadership and cohesion, the soldiers could also easily lose their formation, thus trampling over their compatriots in a panic to escape. Retreating requires self-control in the moment and trust in the plan. Retreating is the pursuit of a better goal.

Joseph, a prince of Israel who became a slave in Egypt, might have reached the same conclusion as Washington: sometimes a retreat is progress. Sold by his jealous brothers to slavers, Joseph was sold again to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (Gen. 39:1). After Joseph earned Potiphar’s trust, Potiphar’s wife repeatedly attempted to seduce Joseph. In fact, she commanded it! But each time, though he could not flee the scene completely, Joseph fled her pursuit (Gen. 39:12, 13, 15, 18). She finally caught Joseph’s garment and repeated her command: “But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house” (Gen. 39:12). Potiphar’s wife quickly changed her tactic with Joseph’s tunic in hand, accusing him of attempted rape (Gen. 39:15). Despite being thrown into prison, Joseph’s retreat proved to be progress. Escaping Potiphar’s house was not the goal; pleasing God was the goal. After retreating from Potiphar’s wife, Joseph soon became Potiphar’s boss (Gen. 41:43).

The very word, “flee,” that summarizes Joseph’s ultimate victory over temptation, is used by Paul several times in the New Testament. “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). “Flee idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14). “Flee these things” (e.g., the love of money; 1 Tim. 6:11). “Flee youthful passions” (2 Tim. 2:22). Sometimes a retreat is progress toward a better goal: godliness. 

Train Yourself for Godliness (Part Four)

Train Yourself for Godliness (Part Four).  Only a handful of verses speak even vaguely about leading a group through its spiritual development stages. The author of Hebrews nearly scolds the Jerusalem church for its prolonged immaturity: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child” (Heb. 5:12-13).

The Apostle John seems to indicate that there are several stages concurrent within each congregation: little children, children, young men, and fathers. “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:12-14).

If the seven churches in Revelation are allowed to be somewhat allegorical, in addition to being actual and historical congregations, then each church situation could conceivably represent a different developmental stage: Christ can technically be in a church but no longer that church’s “first love” (Rev. 2:4). A church might be weakened due to its doctrinal confusion (Rev. 2:14-16) or corrupted due to its moral degradation (Rev. 2:20-21). A church may nurse a reputation for life while it is dead (Rev. 3:1). A church could be victorious despite being viciously opposed (Rev. 3:8). Christ is nauseated by the type of church that is so accommodating to the world that it has become non-distinct, neither hot nor cold (Rev. 3:16). Especially ironic, Christ could be functionally outside the church that he established with his blood, knocking at the door for re-entry (Rev. 3:20). Taken together, a loose spectrum somewhat emerges for a congregational lifespan, ascending from young and passionate, to growing though tested, to established yet cool, then descending from codified yet corrupt, to orderly yet compromised, to reputational yet dead, to institutional and unchristian. Congregations come and go, but of the church Christ said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

Train Yourself for Godliness (Part Three)

Train Yourself for Godliness (Part Three).  Of all the sociological models of human development, none are sufficient at depicting the spiritual growth of a Christian. Whether the indigenous Wheel of Life model (Maiden, Mother, Mage, Crone), Aristotle’s Three Stages of Man (Youth, Prime of Life, Old Age), Hippocrates’ Seven Stages of Life which Shakespeare put into As You Like It (Infant, Schoolboy, Lover, Soldier, Judge, Pantaloon, Second Childhood), or Erik Erikson’s standardized Stages of Psychosocial Development (Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood), all these theories of development are linear, flattened, and intentionally non-religious. However, a Christian’s individual spiritual growth and a congregation’s collective spiritual growth are progressive and participatory, though not precisely formulaic.

Nevertheless, a faint sketch emerges in the Bible of the spiritual growth of individual Christians and local congregations. With some effort, landmarks and causeways on the spiritual map to maturity appear. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Cor. 13:11). “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal. 3:24-26). “[Build] up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children” (Eph. 4:12-14). “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7).

The training vocabulary that Paul lifts from the culture and repurposes for discipleship (Greek, gymnazo, like English, gymnasium) is a fixture in the Greco-Roman world. The ancients valued highly physical training. However, Paul speaks of a different kind of training at a different kind of gymnasium. “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).