843 acres

M’Cheyne: Deut 23 (text | audio, 3:32 min)
Ps 112-113 (text | audio, 1:05 min)
Psalm 113 (text | audio, 0:45 min)
Highlighted: Ps 113:9

Discerning Brokenness

“The grief hit me in my mid-30s without warning … I now know the grief was over being childless.” @savvyauntie http://ow.ly/lWtU9

“I grieved alone … Grief over childlessness for a single woman in her 30s & 40s is not as accepted.” @savvyauntie http://ow.ly/lWtU9

Year by year, Peninnah provoked Hannah to irritate her because the Lord had closed her womb. And Hannah wept and would not eat. 1Sam1

Imagining Redemption

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! Psalm 113:9

Sing, barren woman … because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the LORD. Isaiah 54:1

Ultimate fulfillment of ‘the barren woman’ is in the new birth through faith in Christ. God can bring life out of a dead womb. @timkellernyc

Praying ACTS

Lord, You delight to bring life from death, strength from weakness. When you do these things, you get the glory, we get the good. #adoration

Lord, When we come to you with honest disenfranchised grief, we confess that we often are confused; we doubt your goodness. #confession

Lord, Thank you for always choosing the weak, unlearned, barren, poor, orphan. For it shows your might, wisdom, sufficiency, love. #thanks

Lord, Make us a people who honestly admit our longings, but then turn in hope to the redemption of our souls in Christ. #supplication

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M’Cheyne: Dt 22 (text | audio, 4:23 min)
Ps 110-111 (text | audio, 1:58 min)
Highlighted: Ps 110:1

Question: “The most boring and unproductive question one can ask of any religion,” writes Alain de Botton, author of Religion for Atheists, “is whether or not it is true” [1]. He continues, “Unfortunately, recent public discussions on religion have focused obsessively on precisely this issue, with a hardcore group of fanatical believers pitting themselves against an equally small band of fanatical atheists.” Instead of asking whether a religion is true, then, perhaps we could ask more engaging questions, e.g., “Is it possible to know whether there is a God?”

Jesus: In this discussion, there are many things to consider (e.g., the five senses, the theory of knowledge). We also might want to ask about the people who have claimed to know God or, even, be him. In their gospels, Matthew and Mark write that, as the religious establishment grew increasingly wary of Jesus, they tried to discredit him by asking him controversial questions, e.g., “Should we pay taxes to Caesar?” His responses were so insightful that even his dissenters found them compelling. Yet Jesus claimed to be more than a teacher; he claimed to be God. In one discussion, for example, he quoted Psalm 110, which everyone believed was a prophecy about the Messiah: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” [2]. Then he asked, “David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” [3]. In other words, “To whom is David talking? Who is David’s ruler? I am. I existed when David lived. I’m not a mere mortal; I’m the Messiah.”

Response: Most people either hated or worshipped Jesus; few, if any, were neutral. Interestingly, even thousands of Jewish people—although they believed in God’s preexistence and would not even speak his holy name—came to believe that Jesus was their Messiah. In fact, the former Jewish leader and zealot, Paul, believed that Jesus was “in very nature God” [4]. What accounts for these changes? What explains why these otherwise rational people, who knew and lived with Jesus, began worshipping him as God just years after his death?

Prayer: Lord, It is possible to know whether there is a God because, in your grace, you sent Jesus. Teach us to be quick listeners and slow speakers in our culture, as we seek meaningful engagement with our words and hearts. May we worship Jesus as God all our days. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Alain de Botton. Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion. [2] Psalm 110:1 ESV | [3] Mark 12:37 ESV. See also Matthew 22:44. [4] Philippians 2:6 NIV

843 Acres: Child Sacrifice and Counterfeit Gods
M’Cheyne: Deut 19 (text | audio, 3:02 min)
Ps 106 (text | audio, 4:30 min)
Highlighted: Ps 106:36-38

Finite Gods: “When I interpret some particular possibility as a threat to some value I consider necessary for my existence, I experience anxiety,” writes Thomas Oden. “Anxiety becomes neurotically intensified to the degree that I have idolized finite values that properly should have been regarded as limited. The more I worship finite gods, the more I make myself vulnerable to intensified anxiety” [1]. Yet our worshipping finite gods does not stop with anxiety. Where else does it go? 

Child Sacrifice: The Psalmist laments that our idol worship can hurt the next generation: “They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood” [2]. In other words, we sacrifice our sons and daughters to our counterfeit gods.

Counterfeit Gods: Tim Keller writes, “Our contemporary society is not fundamentally different from these ancient ones. Each culture is dominated by its own set of idols … We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are driven into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige” [3].

Prayer: Lord, You are the only God that leads to joy, not anxiety, for you offered yourself as a sacrifice to save us. Yet we confess that we worship finite gods and, as a result, we sacrifice our families and friends at their false altars. Lord, break the bond that they have over our hearts and reveal their lies to us. Cause us to hate our sin—not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of those around us whom we love dearly. Amen.

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M’Cheyne Weekend Texts (our reading plan)

Sat, June 15 Deut 20 (text | audio, 3:16 min) & Ps 107 (text | audio, 3:54 min)
Sun, June 16 Deut 21 (text | audio, 3:43 min) & Ps 108-109 (text | audio, 4:54 min)

Footnotes

[1] Thomas C. Oden. Two Worlds. | [2] Psalm 106:36-38 ESV | [3] Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods.

843 Acres: Bravery to Stand Up
M’Cheyne: Deut 18 (text | audio, 3:06 min)
Ps 105 (text | audio, 3:46 min)
Highlighted: Deut 18:18

Courage: In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Quirinus plots to steal the stone and Harry, Ron and Hermione plan to stop him. To thwart his plans, however, they have to search the school in the middle of the night, which is against school rules. Knowing they will lose points if caught, their friend Neville tries to prevent them from going. Although he is unsuccessful, headmaster Dumbledore applauds him: “There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends”.

Stand: Moses stood up against Egypt when he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” and accepted mistreatment along with the Hebrews [1]. He stood up against Pharaoh when he killed an Egyptian and, instead of seeking pardon from the palace (which would have been granted to him as Pharaoh’s grandson), he “left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king” [2]. Later, with Pharaoh’s army behind him and the Red Sea before him, his people complained, “Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians” [3], and he stood up to them, saying, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today” [4].

Cross: Moses was merely a shadow. As God told him, “I will raise up from them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak in my name” [5]. Jesus fulfilled that promise. In leading his people out of slavery to sin and into freedom in him, Jesus stood up against his enemies and, at times, even his friends. For he knew what they did not—that he had to die for them if he wanted them to live: “ … for the joy that was set before him endured the cross …” [6]

Prayer: Lord, Jesus faced opposition from his enemies, opposition from his friends (e.g., Peter) and even opposition from himself (e.g., Gethsemane) that threatened to keep him from offering himself as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Yet he stood up to it and, as a result, we live. We praise you for his courage, a courage that comes from treasuring you. Therefore, increase our affection for you so that we may be brave in Christ. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Hebrews 11:24 ESV | [2] Hebrews 11:27 ESV | [3] Exodus 14:12 ESV | [4] Exodus 14:13, 14 ESV | [5] Deuteronomy 18:18 ESV | [6] Hebrews 12:2 ESV

M’Cheyne: Deut 16 (text | audio, 3:28 min)
Ps 103 (text | audio, 2:04 min)
Highlighted: Ps 103:8-12

Discerning Brokenness: The Burden of Guilt

“When I look into my heart, and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss.” #Edwards

“When I have had turns of weeping and crying for my sins, I thought I knew at the time that my repentance was nothing to my sin.” #Edwards

“I carry my sins around with me, there’s nobody there to forgive them.” Kingsley Amis #atheism #guilt #burden

Imagining Change: The Freedom from Condemnation

We are in danger of “having too low or light a view of one’s sin” and also “too light a grasp of what Jesus has done for us.” @timkellernyc

No matter how great our sin may be, however, the grace and mercy of the Lord is greater: Psalm 103:8-12. #GreatSin #GreatSavior

If you could keep [Jesus] more constantly in view, you would be more comfortable. He would be more honored. #JohnNewton

Praying ACTS: A Prayer of New Vision

Lord, You are a great Savior. You condescended by becoming man to save us from our sins even when you yourself were without sin. #adoration

Lord, We confess that we are sinners. You had to die for us. Yet we confess that we often take our sin & your grace too lightly. #confession

Lord, Thank you for the cross. How marvelous that, in Christ, our sins are as removed from us as far as the east is from the west! #thanks

Lord, In our confession, show us the infinite depths of your grace so that we will be free from sin and its condemnation. #supplication

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M’Cheyne: Deut 15 (text | audio, 3:16 min)
& Ps 102 (text | audio, 2:31 min)
Highlighted: Deut 15:4, 7

Morality: As The Ethicist at The New York Times Magazine, Chuck Klosterman responds to ethical questions (“moral quandaries—not etiquette issues”) [1]. Is it possible, however, to respond to such questions in a culture that has no moral unity? In 1863, John Stuart Mill lamented that, although thousands of years have been spent asking the same ethical questions, we have made “little progress” [2]. He wrote, “From the dawn of philosophy, the question … concerning the foundation of morality has been accounted the main problem in speculative thought” [3].

Ideal: Here, in Deuteronomy 15, we see an example of the gap between the normative moral ideal and the present moral reality. Moses says, “But there will be no poor among you” [4]. Yet a few verses later, he says, “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor …” [5]. How can this be? How can one of our brothers become poor, if there will be no poor among us?

Imagination: Scripture gives us God’s ideals for human flourishing and, as we increasingly see glimpses of his glory, we long to see those ideals in our midst. Yet we live in a broken world that is filled with both good and evil. In such a world, how can we respond to moral quandaries? Perhaps we should be the first ones to admit that this world is not yet as it will be? Instead of being shocked when we discover brokenness in others and ourselves, perhaps we should view this as the reality of our present age? Perhaps we should begin to imagine the world as it could be—where the end goal is not to have perfect morals, but rather to know Christ and see morals as mere byproducts of changed hearts that long for him? If we do this—that is, admit that the present reality is imperfect and point to the complete redemption in the future—what would happen in our communities and, indeed, even in our own hearts?

Prayer: Lord, We confess that our world is broken, and we admit that we are broken, too. This is the reality of our present age. Yet you have given us a vision of what is to come. You have set eternity in the human heart [6]. Show us how to live in this tension in such a way that is honest about the human condition and attractive to those who see our lives. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Twitter. @TheEthicist. January 10, 2013. | [2] John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism. | [3] Id. | [4] Deuteronomy 15:4 ESV. | [5] Deuteronomy 15:7 ESV | [6] See Ecclesiastes 3:11.

M’Cheyne: Deut 11 (text | audio, 4:29 min)
Ps 95 (text | audio, 1:10 min)
Ps 96 (text | audio, 1:22 min)
Highlighted: Ps 95:4-6

Huxley: Modern naturalism is indebted to Thomas Huxley (1825—1895), an English scientist who thought that society’s true intellectual leaders should be scientists, not theologians. He believed that religion should be “a private matter of emotion and values—not something that deserved any place in serious intellectual discussion.” Indeed, he enjoyed setting up science and theology as rivals, with science as the certain victor: “ … whenever science and orthodoxy have been fairly opposed, the latter has been forced to retire from the lists, bleeding and crushed, if not annihilated; scotched, if not slain” [1]. Is there any other way to view science and theology?

Bacon: Francis Bacon (1562—1626) had a different view. Bacon argued that the empirical method—that is, making observations through experimentation—was the best way to gain knowledge about the world. He thought that science was meant to point to God, not replace him: “God, [Bacon] argued, was the first cause of everything. He is the ultimate reason that anything happens. God makes things happen, however, in certain natural ways. He makes flowers grow, for instance, by providing sunlight and rain. These mechanisms can be regarded as the secondary cause, the way in which God goes about doing things. By separating our first and second causes, Bacon was able to discuss second causes while contemplating the first one. As he himself wrote, “[L]et no man … think or maintain that a man can search too far or be too well studied in the book of God’s word or in the book of God’s works, divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both.”

Psalmists: In response to seeing creation, the Psalmists cry out for the Creator: “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture” [2].

Prayer: Lord, Science and theology are not necessarily at odds. Instead, as we see the earth’s depths and the mountains’ heights, we consider your greatness. When we contemplate the sea and land, we marvel in your glory. Let us, therefore, bow down in worship and kneel before you as the first cause of everything. Amen.

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M’Cheyne Weekend Texts (our reading plan)

Sat, June 8: Deut 12 (text | audio, 5:20 min) & Psalm 97 (text | audio, 1:12 min) & Psalm 98 (text | audio, 0:59 min)
Sun, June 9: Deut 13 (text | audio, 3:01 min) & Deut 14 (text | audio, 3:20 min) & Psalm 99 (text | audio, 0:57 min) & Psalm 100 (text | audio, 0:31 min) & Psalm 101 (text | audio, 1:01 min)

Footnotes

[1] See Kristen Birkett. “I Believe in Nature: An Exploration of Naturalism and the Biblical Worldview.” via The Gospel Coalition. | [2] Psalm 95:4-6 ESV

M’Cheyne: Deut 10 (text | audio, 2:58 min)
Ps 94 (text | audio, 2:00 min)
Highlighted: Deut 10:17-18

Bribes: As a young man, Candide – whose name means “innocent” – believes, “What happens, happens for the best in the end,” writes Voltaire. His theory, however, is tested through a series of events – one being his acquisition of a great fortune. Initially, he thinks that his new money will help him bribe his way out of arrests, beatings and other troubles. Yet he soon discovers that seeing his money go to unscrupulous merchants and officials brings him even greater unhappiness. In other words, he realizes that, when justice is for sale, even those who can afford it can take no comfort.

Impartiality: In Deuteronomy 10, we see that God’s justice is not for sale: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe” [1]. This means that he is able to care for those who cannot afford bribes: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing” [2].

Integrity: Sometimes our hearts want to strike bribe-like deals with God: “If I do X for you, then will you do Y for me?” Yet we know deeply that, we can take no comfort in God’s justice if it is for sale. We desperately need it to have integrity. When we look upon the cross, therefore, it is a joy to see God’s commitment to his not-for-sale justice. On the cross, we see that God sent Jesus to satisfy the demands of his justice. His sacrifice was not a bribe, but rather the costly payment of the debt we owed. In turn, God never asks us to strike deals with him because the debt has been paid. Instead, he merely longs for us to recognize our widow-like, orphan-like and sojourner-like state of helplessness before him and fall upon his everlasting grace.

Prayer: Lord, Justice that is for sale is no justice at all. We confess, however, that we sometimes are tempted to deal with you as though your justice is for sale. Forgive us, Father, and let us rejoice that your justice has integrity. As we see the cross, give us a vision for lives of holiness that recognize our helplessness before you. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Deuteronomy 10:17 ESV | [2] Deuteronomy 10:18 ESV

M’Cheyne: Deut 9 (text | audio, 5:32 min)
Ps 92 (text | audio, 1:27 min)
Ps 93 (text | audio, 0:38 min)
Highlighted: Ps 92:5-6 

Mystery: Ironically, one thing that we can know about God is how little we can know about Him. In large part, he is a mystery – not because he chooses to withhold himself, but rather because he is God and we are not. As A.W. Tozer puts it, “Exactly what He is He cannot tell us. Of what God is conscious when He is conscious of self, only He knows. ‘The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.’ Only to an equal could God communicate the mystery of His Godhead; and to think of God as having an equal is to fall into an intellectual absurdity” [1].

Depth: In Psalm 92, the Psalmist sings praise to God and rejoices, “How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this” [2]. Then he continues by describing those things that the fool cannot understand—namely, the ways and judgments of God.

Approach: When we approach the Lord, how often are we conscious of his “deep thoughts”? Even his personhood is mysterious! Tozer continues, “Our sincerest effort to grasp the incomprehensible mystery of the Trinity must remain forever futile, and only by deepest reverence can it be saved from actual presumption. Some persons who reject all they cannot explain have denied that God is a Trinity. Subjecting the Most High to their cold, level-eyed scrutiny, they conclude that it is impossible that he could be both One and Three. These forget that their whole life is enshrouded in mystery. They fail to consider that any real explanation of even the simplest phenomenon in nature lies hidden in obscurity and can no more be explained than can the mystery of the Godhead. Every man lives by faith, the nonbeliever as well as the saint; the one by faith in natural laws and the other by faith in God.”

Prayer: Lord, Like the Psalmist, we look upon your creation and see your mysterious glory. Our world is full of the visible and the invisible, the material and the spiritual. It is a wonder that we are not constantly overwhelmed by even the simplest phenomenon in nature. We marvel in your presence. Fill us with wonder for knowing you. Let us not be arrogant or presumptuous for we live by faith. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] A.W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy. | [2] Psalm 92:5-6 ESV

M’Cheyne: Deut 8 (text | audio, 2:55 min)
Ps 91 (text | audio, 1:33 min)
Highlighted: Dt 8:10, 17

Discerning Brokenness: The Challenge of Prosperity

“We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity. For in prosperity, we forget God.” Dwight L. Moody

Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” Deut 8:17

“When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” Hosea 13:6

Imagining Change: The Balm of Thankfulness

“And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” Deut 8:10

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” Psalm 115

I say grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing & before I dip the pen in the ink. #Chesterton 

Praying ACTS: A Prayer of Dependence

 Lord, Yours is the greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty. All things come from you and point to you. #adoration

Lord, We confess that we forget your benefits. We become proud in our own efforts and talents. We take credit that is due you. #confession

Lord, Thank you for regularly reminding us that you are the source of all good things, especially our salvation in Jesus. #thanksgiving

Lord, Awaken us to remember that you led us through the wilderness and fed us with manna so that we will obey your voice. #supplication

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