Justice

And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.  (Genesis 39:20-21 ESV)

Justice

Because of sin, ours, others’, and Adam’s, life is not fair.  That is more than a simple overstatement.  We, and others, do not always get what we deserve.  While justice seems to require order, often justice is coated instead with chaos.

But justice does not come from a court, a judge, or Joseph’s master.

Justice comes always, only, solely from THE Judge of the Universe, Christ Jesus.

He uses earthly national courts, earthly leaders, earthly circumstances.  But justice, fairness, and ‘just desserts’ always, only, and solely come from Him.

Joseph was apparently treated unjustly and unfairly.  But God knew what God was doing.  And the result was the salvation of God’s people, from Joseph’s family down to the church today.

We will not find justice in any form, in fact, here and now.  Imbalance, impropriety, bias, and ulterior motives (whether good or bad) will always creep in and taint our justice.

But Christ clears the deck with an act of amazingly unjust justice.

He takes all blame Christians deserve on His own back.

And now, we live under HIS honest, reliable, orderly justice.  It is hard to see sometimes, like it was for Joseph, but we can trust our King’s justice to be just.

We can not find true Justice, but Jesus brings it.

Hated

But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. (Genesis 37:4 ESV)

Hated

I hate to be hated.  When I find out that someone dislikes me, it hurts.  So, I resonate with Joseph, whose own brothers hated him.

When people hate me, it can be overwhelming.  I do not really know how to take it.  Usually, I become even more self-centered in response.  But Joseph seems to have done ok.  While we do not find recorded Joseph’s every emotion or word, we do know that He saw God’s hand in even the most unjust hatred (Genesis 50:20).

And of course, Christ, even more than Joseph, was hated.  He was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3).  In fact, He is hated by the world with more hatred than we have ever experienced (John 15:18).

And Jesus does know how to take it.  He endured it.  He bears it.  He looks hatred in the eye and defeats it on the cross.

When I am hated, Jesus takes that hatred for me.  Particularly when I am hated because of things I might say or do regarding Him (Matthew 5:10-12). 

I cannot bear hatred, but Jesus can.

Speaking (or Writing)

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since You have spoken to Your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” ( Exodus 4:10-13 ESV)

Speaking (or Writing)

It was almost a year ago that I stopped writing about “fear not,” and began to write about “peculiar people.”  As time has gone on, I have found it easier and easier to find Bible verses that speak of how Christians are unique.

It has become a back burner kind of thing…

And now, I find myself writing about something else.

Considering how Jesus CAN do what we CAN NOT, is not that far from considering how peculiar we are… but it is different.

And I found myself struggling, wishing I could go back to the old theme.

When I expressed that to a friend, he wisely said, “I guess if you cannot write them, Jesus can.”

And I thought of Moses.

Everything

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3 ESV)

Everything

I have become far too dependent on my phone, my television, and my internet.  It is how I know things, I seem to think.  But even with all that knowledge at my fingertips, I occasionally discover that I was wrong about something.  I do not have knowledge of everything.

Further, living rurally, at times my internet fails.  At times my phone has poor connection. At times my television does not receive my channels.  I do not have access, always, to all knowledge.

What do I do then?

I remember that I will not know everything, even when I think I need to.  I remember that I can not know everything, even when I think I need to.  I remember that I should not know everything, even when I think I need to.

But the Lord knows everything.  And that is enough for me, when I wake up.

I can not know everything.  But Jesus can.

Holiness

… He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. (Ephesians 1:4 ESV)

Holiness

When I was a youth, I worked for my uncle’s plumbing business.  I was assigned a remodeling job, and I was quite proud of the work I had done.  I learned to measure twice and cut once, I learned to ask when I was unsure, and I learned to look before leaping.

But recently I found out that my work, of which I had been so very proud, was ultimately not mine.  My uncle and my father, unsure of my ability and experience, at first checked my work, unknown to me.  I am sure they found this to correct, particularly in the early days.

I could not be a plumber on my own.

Holiness is like that, for us.  We strive to obey, we yearn to obey, we try to obey… and some days we are able to do righteous things.  But ultimately, it is not we are holy.

Christ is holy for us. 

Paul later writes that this salvation by grace stops us from bragging.  (Ephesians 2:8,9)

But it is also simply a wonderful thing.  We can not be holy.  But Jesus can be holy in us.

Rest

Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. (I Kings 8:56 ESV)

Rest

Once when I was teaching, I informed the students that they could have a weekend without homework. 

When the students arrived on Monday, a few of them were upset with me.  Because some had entered the weekend behind in the homework, their parents made them study on Saturday.  Another was planning a few days off from school, and had requested the homework ahead of time, and felt obligated to do that homework during the promised work-free days.  And even worse, a couple of the students saw me at a school event, and we ended up conversing about school things.  In hindsight, they accused me of making them do homework against my promise.

Silly examples, but the fact is, that we cannot guarantee each other rest.  In fact, anyone who plans to spend Saturday afternoon watching football, but finds home maintenance necessary knows that rest is not assured.  Anyone who realizes that a relaxing evening is usually interrupted by laundry, dishes, or mowing knows that rest is not assured.  Anyone who plans a vacation knows that work is always involved.

Rest only comes from Christ.  Christ bought our rest via His work on the cross, and it is eternal.  Christ offers us rest through faith in Him.  Christ guarantees and assures us of rest that only comes when we lean on Him.

We need rest, ever since Adam broke everything.  We can only get rest, though, through Christ.

Names

And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26 ESV)

Names

I have usually been glad that my name, Thomas, is usually understand to mean, “twin.”  I do not have a twin.  So my name meaning, “twin” does not give me anything to live up to.

Maybe it is harder for those of you with names like, Grace, Hope, or Joy.  Every time someone calls your name, perhaps it reminds you of a trait that you desire to display more fully.

Or perhaps your name is like William, which means strong protector.  Every day Williams are challenged to be strong, and to protect.

Maybe your name is like Susan, which means Lilly of the Valley.  Susans might feel pressure to be beautiful, peaceful, and adorning. 

It is hard to live up to a name.  And often we are aware that we cannot.

But Christ’s people have one name that someone else fulfills for us.  That name is “Christian.”  Language differences being what they are, “Christian” means little Christ, Christlike, or belongs to Christ.

That might seem as intimidating as William or Susan!  But it is not.

Because being a Christian means that Christ fulfills the meaning of the name FOR us.

His sacrifice makes us perfect in God’s eyes.  His obedience makes us obedience in God’s eyes.  His life, and death, and life make us little Christs.

We can not live up to our name… other than the name of Christ, which He lives up for us.

Second Best

So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. (Genesis 29:30 ESV)

Second Best

From Leah’s perspective, this is one of the saddest verses in the Old Testament.  Jacob loved Rachel more than Jacob loved Leah.  And it was an obvious and well-known fact, so much so, that the fact ended up in the Bible.

We can criticize Jacob for his decision to marry two women.  We can criticize Jacob for loving one wife more than he loved the other.  We can pity Leah for her situation.

But we can also note with joy that while Jacob was apparently unable to truly, unconditionally love, Jesus does love us that way.

He has more than two recipients of love, yet Jesus loves His beloved unconditionally, sacrificially, and without comparison.

Jesus does not love some sinners more than others.

And so, we are never second best.

Leah needed to be loved by Jacob, but Jacob did not love her correctly.

We need to be loved, and we ARE loved by our savior.

Bless

Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” Genesis 27:37 ESV

Bless

Jacob tricked Isaac, and Jacob found himself with not enough blessings to give his other son, Esau.  Scripture does not reveal a lot about Isaac, but anyone can hear his anguish in his words to Esau, his beloved but unblessed son.

Later, he does pronounce somewhat of a blessing to Esau, but it is hesitant, and ultimately far less than the inheritance Isaac gave to Jacob.

Certainly, this blessing incident is informed by God’s salvific plan, establishing the line of Jacob through which the Messiah, Jesus, would come. 

But this story displays Isaac’s inadequacy.  He was limited in his ability to bless.  Isaac was limited by his resources, the traditions of his time, his emotions, and his own foolishness.  He was able to help Esau a bit, but he really did have only one birthright and blessing to dole out.

We, too, are limited.  We do not have enough resources to help everyone we wish to help.  We do not have enough time to help everyone we wish to help.  We do not have enough emotional energy to help everyone we wish to help. We do not have enough life to help everyone we wish to help.

But Jesus does.

He blesses our children on our behalf, keeping His promises to us.  He blesses His church, even when it seems there could not be enough blessing to go around.   He blesses all of the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where Isaac was unable to even bless both of his physical descendants. 

Even observe what Jesus has done to fix Isaac’s problem.  All of Esau’s heirs can receive the full inheritance of Jacob, though Jesus Christ!

Do not despair when your ability to bless is hindered, instead lean on Christ’s blessings.

I CAN'T but Jesus CAN

I CAN’T… But Jesus CAN

Our society encourages us to have high self-expectations.

I CAN, YOU CAN, WE CAN are the mantra of modernity.

But I know that I can NOT, more than I CAN.

I am not capable, I am not able, my limitations far exceed my abilities. Just as a human being, I see my ‘can nots.’

Relationally, I am not trustworthy, I am not dependable, I am not loving, I am not aware.  In every relationship, my failures out-darken my light.

Spiritually, I am not obedient.  I am not submissive.  I am not humble. I am not open-hearted to God’s Word or Spirit.  Like Paul, “… I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19 ESV)

But what I cannot do, Jesus can do.

Leaving aside for now our examination of what makes Christians peculiar, we will focus for a time on one very peculiar aspect of Christianity.

Jesus does what we cannot do.

Slavery

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, (James 1:1 ESV)

Slavery

I do not argue often with professional translators.  What knowledge I have gained in Biblical Languages is usually just enough to follow their arguments about particular word choices, and not nearly enough to pretend fluency.

But James did not, as most translations say, claim to be a servant of God.

He claimed to be a slave.

Culturally and historically, the idea of slavery makes most of us uncomfortable.  But we, like James, can rejoice in our slavery to God.  I would not rejoice in slavery anywhere else… but slavery to God is unique because He is absolutely good, unconditionally loving, and holds us so very close.

Slaves absolutely depend on their masters.  Slaves are completely under the authority of their masters.  Slaves trust their masters.  Slaves listen to their masters.  Slaves know they can not exist without masters.

Because of Adam’s world-breaking sin, humanity is in slavery to sin.  Because of Christ’s death and life, and God’s exchange, we are God’s slaves. 

And it is a necessary, comforting, exciting thing.

We are peculiar, we relish our slavery.

Finding Wisdom

Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it; the open-minded find it right on their doorstep! (Proverbs 14:6 The Message)

Finding Wisdom

I stared in bewildered wonder at the dashboard of the unfamiliar car.  I had discovered that there actually IS a CD-player, but I could not figure out how to eject a CD.  I was doomed to listening to Clearance Clearwater Revival until the car died, apparently.

But then I opened the owner’s manual.  And suddenly it all made sense.

No mare CCR!

The world is a lot like me.  They see a world full of mystery, unknown things, and unclear relationships.  And like me, they search, and examine, and theorize.  And sometimes, of course, they get it right!

But we have a quick route to wisdom.  We have a secure way to find truth.  We have a reliable source of knowledge, application, and wisdom.

Wisdom is actually pretty simple.  Although we often find it hard.

Wisdom is listening to God.  Wisdom is not found by hard work, study, experimentation, examination, hypothesis, synthesis, or guessing.  Wisdom is found by asking, “What does God say?”

And we get to do that all the time!

We are peculiar, we know how to find wisdom.

Patience

But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. (Galatians 1:15-17 ESV)

Patience

Have you ever asked God to develop patience in your heart, and found yourself demanding that patience right NOW?  Paul did not act like that. 

Even after God had amazingly converted Paul, had told Paul mouth to ear that Paul was going to preach about Jesus, had brought fulfillment of all of Paul’s previous life in Paul’s new calling, new job, and new position… Paul was patient.

It reminds us of David, waiting years after Samuel anointed David as King before accepting the throne.  It reminds us of Jeremiah, preaching and preaching and preaching with no results, but still preaching.  It reminds us of Simeon and Anna, knowing that the Messiah was due to be born, but having to wait for so very long.

They had patience.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning that we receive it because God offers it to us and gives it to us.

We can be like Anna, and Simeon, and Jeremiah, and David, and Paul.

Because we know God, we can hear God’s promises and be patient.

We are peculiar, we do not really need it now.

Pride

They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. (I Kings 4:21 ESV)

Pride

I learned in school that the ancient nation of Israel was a tiny place, tucked between other mighty lands, and only notable because the Bible notes Israel’s existence.   But that is not an accurate picture.

In David and Solomon’s time, the Kingdom of Israel was powerful, wealthy, and respected.  Because it literally was God’s land.  Israel was no flea-land, but was the nation other kings turned to for knowledge, for advice, and for help.

Just as Rome was sought after, so was Israel.  Just as Britain was emulated, so was Israel.  Just as Chinese emperors established governmental traditions that lasted for centuries, so was Israel.

I have seen Christians act ashamed of the place of Israel in ancient history.  But instead, we can be proud.  I have heard Christians belittle David’s line.  But instead, we can be proud.  I have read the History of God’s people belittled as never having made a difference in the world.  But instead, we can be proud.

Because ancient Israel was mighty, and because ancient Israel set the stage for the Messiah.

God honored Israel in preparation for Jesus!

We are peculiar, we have an amazing heritage.

Credit Evangelism

And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice. (I Kings 3:28 ESV)

Credit Evangelism

One of the easiest ways to do evangelism is to copy Solomon.  He was famous for his wisdom, but Solomon gave God credit for it.  When Solomon’s decisions were praised, this verse hints that Solomon did not brag, describe the hard steep path to the top, or offer video courses on “Five Steps to Good Government.” 

He gave God credit. 

And so, all of Israel gave God credit, too.

We get to do that, too.  When we are praised for an accomplishment, give God credit, and the world might hear.  When you find success, big or little, shine the spotlight on God, and the eyes of your friends might look at Him, too.  When your plans reach fruition, when you learn a new skill, when you get a reputation for doing something right, say, “God was in me.”

The result in Israel was accurate praise of God.  It can be for us, too.

We are peculiar, we know how success really happens.

Sensible

When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. (Genesis 26:34, 35 ESV)

Sensible

I once worked for a man who had a strange rule… no shoes were allowed in his house.  He did not have particularly nice flooring, he just didn’t like shoes.  Apparently, it is illegal in some cities to spit on the sidewalk.  I do not know if such rules are enforced, but they certainly are strange.  My parents declared a very arbitrary bedtime when I was a child.  I never understood the rationale.  I still do not.

But God’s rules, laws, and commandments are not only His holy instructions to set us apart from the rest of the world, they also make sense.

Look what happened to Isaac and Rebekah after Esau married two other women.  God’s intention from Genesis 2 onward was a man and a woman to marry, but Esau decided he knew better. 

And the result was a bitter life.  As we would expect in any multi-spousal family.

But God’s commandments make sense.

Because they are His.

We are peculiar, we can follow His sensible laws.

Foundational Grace

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. (Genesis 25:27 ESV)

Foundational Grace

From the beginning, scripture gives hints that Esau was a better man than Jacob.  In their day, a man who was skillful in outdoor tasks was superior to a man who quietly hung around home.  And the comparison continued.  Esau was honest, Jacob a liar.  Esau was hard-working, Jacob was sneaky.  Esau was steady, Jacob was flighty.  Eventually Esau was gracious and kind, and Jacob was often bitter and angry.

So why was Jacob God’s chosen man for the line of the Messiah?

I have no idea.  He would not have been my choice. 

But God is gracious.  He chose Jacob because He chose Jacob.  He does not explain why.

I notice that He chooses me the same way.  Others have nobler character than me.  Others are more kingdom-useful than me.  Others are smarter, healthier, warmer, kinder, and even better looking.

He chose me to be His adopted child because He chose me.  He does not explain why.

So I do not need to fear losing His choosing.  I do not need to be insecure about my standing in His family.

The foundation of my relationship with God is grace.

We are peculiar, He chose us.

Reverse Heirs

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. (Genesis 25:1 ESV)

Reverse Heirs

Sarah had died, and Abraham got married again.  While Sarah only had one son, Keturah had six.  It might seem that Abraham would favor Keturah.  Now that the ONE son had arrived, Isaac, these other six sons were delicious icing on the cake!  And even perhaps further assurance of God’s promise keeping.  But Genesis 25:6 shows that none of Keturah’s sons held Abraham’s attention or affection.

This sounds odd, or even bad, to our ears.

But if so, it is because we are forgetting the BIG picture.  Sarah and Keturah were both beloved companions of Abraham, but only one of them was connected by blood to the Messiah.  Abraham favored the line of Sarah over the line of Keturah not because Isaac was better than Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

But because of Jesus, born of Sarah and Isaac.

Jesus is the center.

And likewise God favors His people over Buddhists, Muslims, Thor-worshippers, or atheists.  Not because we are better, indeed we are often not!  But just like Sarah and Isaac looked ahead to Jesus, we look back. 

But because we are connected to Jesus through HIS blood.  And any Buddhist, Muslim, Thor-worshipper, or atheist can be favored by God, too.  Just connect to Jesus.

We are peculiar, we are reverse heirs.

Promises

So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.  After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. (Genesis 23:17-19 ESV)

Promises

Even though God had promised the entire region would be Abraham’s,  so far Abraham had not seen much fulfillment.  In the same way that Abraham and Sarah might have doubted God’s promise for a child, they might have been doubting God’s promise of land.

And Abraham believed enough to start the ball rolling.  He bought this land, with the purpose of burying Sarah, as the first installment of the Promised Land.  Just as Isaac was only one child on the way to legions, so the cave of Machpelah was the first square of land on the way to the expanse of heaven itself.

Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah all end up buried in that place.  Because their families all believed God’s promises. 

Today, Christians, heirs of Abraham, are more than I can count, fulfilling God’s people-promises.  And today, Christians live under King Jesus all over this world, fulfilling God’s land-promises. 

We are peculiar, we can see God’s promises are kept.

Weakness

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:9,10 ESV)

Weakness

I know a young man who is amazingly clever with Rubik’s Cubes.  He owns dozens, of different shapes and compositions.  But no matter how difficult the situation, that guy can solve it post haste! 

But, of course, if I were better at those puzzles myself, I might not enjoy watching him as much.  The fact that I am unable to solve even the simplest allows me to relish his performance that much more!

In the same way, I take pleasure in the skills of my mechanic when he gets rid of that annoying noise in the engine compartment.  I find pleasure in a well baked dessert.  I smile when I listen to a flautist, a pianist, a trombonist, or a ukulele-strummer.

Because I can not do those things.

The whole world feels bad about ourselves when we discover our weaknesses, encounter our failures, or taste our disasters.  But Christians do not need to react that way.

Our weaknesses allow us to see Christ’s perfections.  Those things that I believe I can do well are hard for me to surrender to Christ.  But those things I am unable to do, I have no choice but to gladly hand over to Him.

We are peculiar, even our weaknesses show us Jesus.