Why the Church Needs the Infertile Couple

By Matthew Lee Anderson 4/21/2017

     At the center of the remarkable montage near the opening of Pixar’s Up stands the sorrow of infertility.

     On one side lie the joys of a budding marriage, and on the other the delights of its twilight. In the hour of crisis, Carl sees Ellie sitting in the garden facing the sun with a forlorn look, feeling the devastation of their joint barrenness. Neither character speaks throughout the montage, but here their silence is particularly apt: the wordlessness of grief weighs heavily upon them, and upon us. Relief begins when Carl, who is by no means immune to their sadness, places Ellie’s “adventure book”—which has many more pages in it for them to fill—in her lap. It is the most beautiful depiction of infertility I know of; it is among the most tender five minutes of film I have ever seen.

     But the adventures Carl and Ellie are given in the latter half of their lives are not the grand, exotic drama they had wanted. They hoped to someday live on top of a waterfall. Instead, car tires go flat, the roof needs replacing, and bones are broken. At every turn, the ordinary challenges of living in this world prevent them from pursuing the dreams of their youth. Yet if their adventure book is incomplete when Ellie dies, it is not empty; we glimpse the fullness of their love and feel like it is enough. The sadness at their separation stems not from their inability to live out their dream, but from the reality that they are no longer together.

     While the montage is widely regarded as one of the most moving parts of the film, it almost failed make the final cut. Director Pete Docter said the studio was leery of showing their infertility because it was “going too far.” But the filmmakers had no real ...

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Matthew Lee Anderson is a doctoral candidate in Christian ethics at Oxford University, and the founder of Mere Orthodoxy. He invites you to follow him on Twitter or email him at matthewleeanderson.84@gmail.com.

CHAP. XXXI.—LET US SEE BY WHAT MEANS WE MAY OBTAIN THE DIVINE BLESSING.

     Let us cleave then to His blessing, and consider what are the means of possessing it. Let us think over the things which have taken place from the beginning. For what reason was our father Abraham blessed? was it not because he wrought righteousness and truth through faith? (James 2:21) Isaac, with perfect confidence, as if knowing what was to happen, cheerfully yielded himself as a sacrifice. (Gen 22) Jacob, through reason of his brother, went forth with humility from his own land, and came to Laban and served him; and there was given to him the sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel.

CHAP. XXXII.—WE ARE JUSTIFIED NOT BY OUR OWN WORKS, BUT BY FAITH.

     Whosoever will candidly consider each particular, will recognise the greatness of the gifts which were given by him. For from him have sprung the priests and all the Levites who minister at the altar of God. From him also [was descended] our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. (Rom 9:5) From him [arose] kings, princes, and rulers of the race of Judah. Nor are his other tribes in small glory, inasmuch as God had promised, “Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven.” (Gen. 22:17, 28:4) All these, therefore, were highly honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

CHAP. XXXIII.—BUT LET US NOT GIVE UP THE PRACTICE OF GOOD WORKS AND LOVE. GOD HIMSELF IS AN EXAMPLE TO US OF GOOD WORKS.

     What shall we do, then, brethren? Shall we become slothful in well-doing, and cease from the practice of love? God forbid that any such course should be followed by us! But rather let us hasten with all energy and readiness of mind to perform every good work. For the Creator and Lord of all Himself rejoices in His works. For by His infinitely great power He established the heavens, and by His incomprehensible wisdom He adorned them. He also divided the earth from the water which surrounds it, and fixed it upon the immoveable foundation of His own will. The animals also which are upon it He commanded by His own word (Or, “commandment.”) into existence. So likewise, when He had formed the sea, and the living creatures which are in it, He enclosed them [within their proper bounds] by His own power. Above all, (Or, “in addition to all.”) with His holy and undefiled hands He formed man, the most excellent [of His creatures], and truly great through the understanding given him — the express likeness of His own image. For thus says God: “Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness. So God made man; male and female He created them.” Having thus finished all these things, He approved them, and blessed them, and said, “Increase and multiply.” (Gen 1:28) We see, then, how all righteous men have been adorned with good works, and how the Lord Himself, adorning Himself with His works, rejoiced. Having therefore such an example, let us without delay accede to His will, and let us work the work of righteousness with our whole strength.

CHAP. XXXIV.—GREAT IS THE REWARD OF GOOD WORKS WITH GOD. JOINED TOGETHER IN HARMONY, LET US IMPLORE THAT REWARD FROM HIM.

     The good servant (Or, “labourer.”) receives the bread of his labour with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look his employer in the face. It is requisite, therefore, that we be prompt in the practice of well-doing; for of Him are all things. And thus He forewarns us: “Behold, the Lord [cometh], and His reward is before His face, to render to every man according to his work.” (Isa. 40:10, 62:11; Rev. 22:12) He exhorts us, therefore, with our whole heart to attend to this, that we be not lazy or slothful in any good work. Let our boasting and our confidence be in Him. Let us submit ourselves to His will. Let us consider the whole multitude of His angels, how they stand ever ready to minister to His will. For the Scripture saith, “Ten thousand times ten thousand stood around Him, and thousands of thousands ministered unto Him, (Dan. 7:10) and cried, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the Lord of Sabaoth; the whole creation is full of His glory.” (Isa. 6:3) And let us therefore, conscientiously gathering together in harmony, cry to Him earnestly, as with one mouth, that we may be made partakers of His great and glorious promises. For [the Scripture] saith, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which He hath prepared for them that wait for Him.” (1 Cor 2:9)

CHAP. XXXV.—IMMENSE IS THIS REWARD. HOW SHALL WE OBTAIN IT?

     How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in perfect confidence, (Some translate, “in liberty.”) faith in assurance, self-control in holiness! And all these fall under the cognizance of our understandings [now]; what then shall those things be which are prepared for such as wait for Him? The Creator and Father of all worlds, (Or, “of the ages.”) the Most Holy, alone knows their amount and their beauty. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number of those that wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised gifts. But how, beloved, shall this be done? If our understanding be fixed by faith towards God; if we earnestly seek the things which are pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we do the things which are in harmony with His blameless will; and if we follow the way of truth, casting away from us all unrighteousness and iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit, whispering, and evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and haughtiness, vainglory and ambition. For they that do such things are hateful to God; and not only they that do them, but also those that take pleasure in them that do them. (Rom. 1:32) For the Scripture saith, “But to the sinner God said, Wherefore dost thou declare my statutes, and take my covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with (Literally, “didst run with.”) him, and didst make thy portion with adulterers. Thy mouth has abounded with wickedness, and thy tongue contrived (Literally, “didst weave.”) deceit. Thou sittest, and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest (Or, “layest a snare for.”) thine own mother’s son. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest, wicked one, that I should be like to thyself. But I will reprove thee, and set thyself before thee. Consider now these things, ye that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, like a lion, and there be none to deliver. The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and a way is there by which I will show him the salvation of God.” (Ps. 50:16–23. The reader will observe how the Septuagint followed by Clement differs from the Hebrew.)

CHAP. XXXVI.—ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST.

     This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, (Literally, “that which saves us.”) even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms (Or, “rejoices to behold.”) up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge, (Or, “knowledge of immortality.”) “who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Heb. 1:3-4) For it is thus written, “Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.” (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7) But concerning His Son (Some render, “to the Son.”) the Lord spoke thus: “Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.” (Ps. 2:7, 8; Heb. 1:5) And again He saith to Him, “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” (Ps. 110:1; Heb. 1:13) But who are His enemies? All the wicked, and those who set themselves to oppose the will of God. (Some read, “who oppose their own will to that of God.”)

CHAP. XXXVII.—CHRIST IS OUR LEADER, AND WE HIS SOLDIERS.

     Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience, and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. (Literally, “in these there is use.”) Let us take our body for an example. (1 Cor. 12:12, etc.) The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work (Literally, “all breathe together.”) harmoniously together, and are under one common rule (Literally, “use one subjection.”) for the preservation of the whole body.

CHAP. XXXVIII.—LET THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH SUBMIT THEMSELVES, AND NO ONE EXALT HIMSELF ABOVE ANOTHER.

     Let our whole body, then, be preserved in, Christ Jesus; and let every one be subject to his neighbour, according to the special gift (Literally, “according as he has been placed in his charism.”) bestowed upon him. Let the strong not despise the weak, and let the weak show respect unto the strong. Let the rich man provide for the wants of the poor; and let the poor man bless God, because He hath given him one by whom his need may be supplied. Let the wise man display his wisdom, not by [mere] words, but through good deeds. Let the humble not bear testimony to himself, but leave witness to be borne to him by another. (Comp. Prov. 27:2) Let him that is pure in the flesh not grow proud (The MS. is here slightly torn, and we are left to conjecture.) of it, and boast, knowing that it was another who bestowed on him the gift of continence. Let us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were made, — who and what manner of beings we came into the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from utter darkness. (Comp. Ps. 139:15) He who made us and fashioned us, having prepared His bountiful gifts for us before we were born, introduced us into His world. Since, therefore, we receive all these things from Him, we ought for everything to give Him thanks; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

CHAP. XXXIX.—THERE IS NO REASON FOR SELF-CONCEIT.

     Foolish and inconsiderate men, who have neither wisdom (Literally, “and silly and uninstructed.”) nor instruction, mock and deride us, being eager to exalt themselves in their own conceits. For what can a mortal man do? or what strength is there in one made out of the dust? For it is written, “There was no shape before mine eyes, only I heard a sound, (Literally, “a breath.”) and a voice [saying], What then? Shall a man be pure before the Lord? or shall such an one be [counted] blameless in his deeds, seeing He does not confide in His servants, and has charged (Or, “has perceived.”) even His angels with perversity? The heaven is not clean in His sight: how much less they that dwell in houses of clay, of which also we ourselves were made! He smote them as a moth; and from morning even until evening they endure not. Because they could furnish no assistance to themselves, they perished. He breathed upon them, and they died, because they had no wisdom. But call now, if any one will answer thee, or if thou wilt look to any of the holy angels; for wrath destroys the foolish man, and envy killeth him that is in error. I have seen the foolish taking root, but their habitation was presently consumed. Let their sons be far from safety; let them be despised (Some render, “they perished at the gates.”) before the gates of those less than themselves, and there shall be none to deliver. For what was prepared for them, the righteous shall eat; and they shall not be delivered from evil.” (Job 4:16–18, 15:15, 4:19–21, 5:1–5)

Job 4:16–18 (NASB95) 16 “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.

Job 15:15 (NASB95) 15 “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

Job 4:19–21 (NASB95) 19 ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
20 ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unobserved, they perish forever.
21 ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.’

Job 5:1–5 (NASB95) 1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 “For anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple.
3 “I have seen the foolish taking root,
And I cursed his abode immediately.
4 “His sons are far from safety,
They are even oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
5 “His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the schemer is eager for their wealth.

CHAP. XL.—LET US PRESERVE IN THE CHURCH THE ORDER APPOINTED BY GOD.

     These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behoves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. (1 Cor. 16:1-2) He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. (Literally, “to His will.” [Comp. Rom. 15:15-16, Greek.]) Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen.

Clement of Rome, “The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885)

Amen

By R.C. Sproul 11/01/2011

     And all the people said … “Amen!” The “amen corner” has had an important place in the life of the church throughout the ages. However, it is rare to find such a spot among Presbyterians. We are known as God’s frozen chosen for a reason. It has been said that the Methodists like to shout “Fire,” the Baptists like to shout “Water,” and the Presbyterians like to softly say, “Order, order.” Nevertheless, in spite of the idiosyncrasies of various ecclesiastical persuasions, the function of the word amen far transcends denominational usages in the modern era.

     The term amen was used in the corporate worship of ancient Israel in two distinct ways. It served first as a response to praise given to God and second as a response to prayer. Those same usages of the term are still in vogue among Christians. The term itself is rooted in a Semitic word that means “truth,” and the utterance of “amen” is an acknowledgment that the word that has been heard, whether a word of praise, a word of prayer, or a sermonic exhortation, is valid, that is, sure and binding. Even in antiquity, the word amen was used in order to express a pledge to fulfill the terms of a vow. So, this little word is one that is centered on the idea of the truth of God.

     The truth of God is such a remarkable element of Christian faith that it cannot be overlooked. There are those who think that truth is negotiable or, even worse, divisive, and it therefore should not be a matter of passionate concern among believers. But if we are not concerned about truth, then we have no reason to have Bibles in our homes. The Bible is God’s Word, and God’s Word is true. It is not just true but is truth itself. This is the assessment made of it by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (John 17:17).

(Jn 17:17–18) 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.   ESV

     Therefore, when we sing a hymn that reflects biblical truth and end it with the sung word amen, we are giving our approbation of the content of the praise in the hymn. When we have a choral “amen” at the end of the pastoral prayer, again we are emphasizing our agreement with the validity and surety of the content of the prayer itself.

     Worship in biblical terms is a corporate matter. The corporate body is made up of individuals, and when an individual sounds the “amen,” the individual is connecting to the corporate expression of worship and praise. However, we are told in the Scriptures that the truths of God are “yea” and “amen” (2 Cor. 1:20), which simply means that the Word of God is valid, it is certain, and it is binding. Therefore, the expression “amen” is not simply an acknowledgment of personal agreement with what has been stated; it is an expression of willingness to submit to the implications of that word, to indeed be bound by it, as if the Word of God would put ropes around us not to strangle or retard us but to hold us firmly in place.

(2 Co 1:20) 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.   ESV

     There is, perhaps, no more remarkable use of the term amen in the New Testament than on the lips of Jesus. Older translations render statements of our Lord with the preparatory words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” Later translations update that to “Truly, truly, I say unto you.” In such passages, the Greek word that is translated as “verily” or “truly” is the word amen. Jesus does not wait for the disciples to nod their agreement or submission to His teaching at the end of His saying; rather, He begins by saying, “Amen, amen, I say unto you.” What is the significance of this? Namely, that Jesus never uttered a desultory word; every word that came from His lips was true and important. Each word was, as “amen” suggests, valid, sure, and binding.

     Furthermore, even in His own pedagogy, Jesus took the opportunity on occasion to call strict attention to something He was about to say by giving it tremendous emphasis. His practice was somewhat akin to the sounding of a whistle and an announcement over a loudspeaker on a ship: “Now hear this, this is the captain speaking.” When that announcement is made on a ship, everyone listens, realizing that when the captain speaks to the entire crew, what he is saying is of the utmost importance and urgency. However, the authority of Jesus far transcends that of a captain of a seagoing vessel. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by the Father. So when He gives a preface to a teaching and says, “Amen, amen, I say unto you,” our listening ears should be fine-tuned to take note instantly of what our Lord is going to say following the preface, for it is of the utmost importance.

     We also notice that Jesus uses the Hebrew technique of repetition by saying not merely, “Amen, I say unto you,” but “Amen, amen.” This form of repetition underlines the importance of the words that are to follow. Whenever we read in the text of Scripture our Lord giving a statement that is prefaced by the double “amen,” it is a time to pay close attention and be ready to give our response with a double amen to it. He says “amen” to indicate truth; we say it to receive that truth and to submit to it.

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Robert Charles Sproul, 2/13/1939 – 12/14/2017 was an American theologian, author, and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. R.C. Sproul was founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education and discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was also copastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., chancellor of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Dr. Sproul has contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, has spoken at conferences, churches, and schools around the world, and has written more than one hundred books. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

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Problematic Analogies and Prayerful Adoration

By Carl R. Trueman 11/11/2011

     Ask any children’s Sunday school teacher what the most difficult thing to teach is and he will almost certainly tell you: “The doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one but exists in three persons.” Ask them how they do it and you will probably find them outlining an analogy: “God is like water, ice, and steam” is one of the more popular.

     The problem with such an analogy — indeed, with any analogy — for the Trinity is that it is actually more misleading than helpful. What it describes is not really something akin to the biblical Trinity but rather to the ancient heresy of modalism. The detailed problems of this heresy, which sees God as one and as turning from Father into Son and then into Holy Spirit, need not delay us here. My point is that analogies for the Trinity are unhelpful because the Trinity is absolutely unique. There is no analogy to the created world that is more helpful than it is misleading.

     Another area where Christians are wont to use analogies is that of the incarnation. Here the analogies often flow the other way: the created realm is not used to explain the incarnation so much as the incarnation is used to explain some aspect of the creation. Thus, some have argued for an incarnational analogy as a means of understanding how the divine and the human relate to each other in the doctrine of Scripture, given that the Bible has both human and divine authors. There is no monopoly by one party in the church. Liberals have used this notion; but so did the orthodox Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck. Others have used the analogy to explain the relationship of Christ to culture. Still others have used it as a means of explaining how the eternal God works in the flux of history through providence.

     There are theological arguments pro and con for these various uses of the incarnational analogy, and I will not rehearse them here. I want rather to make a simple point relating to these analogies from the perspective of the church’s praise: the Trinity and the incarnation are unique, and that is why the church had to develop particular and precise means of articulating them. We should also remember the dynamic that drove the debates that led to these formulations: Christian worship. The early church needed to know what she meant when she declared: “Jesus is Lord.” and why she baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If analogies therefore serve to reduce the uniqueness of God and the incarnation, they will eventually shape the church culture in ways that impact our worship. Whatever the problems with popular uses of theological analogies, the key practical issue is the way such watering down of uniqueness will also water down the church’s praise.

     Vital to worship is the acknowledgment of the vast difference that exists between God and His human creatures. Part of that difference is the fact that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, while we are creatures and sustained in our being by God. Part of it is moral: He is holy, but we are sinful. Part of it has to do with salvation: He is the gracious Savior, and we are vessels of grace. In all three categories, mystery and incomprehensibility provide the backdrop to His action in history.

     The doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation guard that mystery because they state biblical truth in a way that is not reducible to the categories of our finite minds. The result of that for the Christian is surely not to be confusion but adoration. The failure of our intellects to penetrate these mysteries is vital to our Christian lives because that very failure is what drives us to our knees in gasps of adoration, praise, and wonder.

     My conviction is that analogies blunt this. By reducing the distance between creation and God, they somehow make Him more manageable, more amenable to our ways of thinking, and thus take some of the urgent spiritual hunger away from our praise and adoration. This is not to argue for fideism, to say that the more mystical our faith, the greater our praise. But it is to say that there is an appropriate place for mystery and uniqueness that must be maintained if our worship is to be truly Christian. The task of the teacher is not to explain the Trinity or incarnation, or reduce them to creaturely categories; it is rather to point to the splendor of the same as a means of provoking awe and wonder in the congregation.

     When we talk of God, we should remember we walk on holy ground. We can go only so far before we have to stop and fall on our faces in adoration. As Gregory Nazianzus, an early church father, said of God as Trinity: “Every time I think of the One, my mind is drawn to the Three; yet every time I think of the Three, my mind is drawn to the One.” He could not explain the Trinity; he could simply worship and adore the Three in One and the One in Three. The mystery, the boundary of incomprehensibility, was to him a reminder that he was not God. The maintenance of such a boundary is crucial. Let us not allow any attempt to communicate the faith to become by accident a means for domesticating the faith.

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     Dr. Carl R. Trueman is Paul Woolley Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

Carl R. Trueman Books:

• 1     Grace Alone---Salvation as a Gift of God: What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters (The Five Solas Series)
• 2     Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History
• 3     The Creedal Imperative
• 4     From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective
• 5     The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
• 6     Luther on the Christian Life: Cross and Freedom
• 7     Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone
• 8     Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative
• 9     The Wages of Spin: Critical Writings on Historical and Contemporary Evangelicalism
• 10     Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
• 11     Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen Calvinism
• 12     Precious Blood: The Atoning Work of Christ
• 13     Luther's Legacy: Salvation and English Reformers, 1525-1556
• 14     Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
• 15     John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man (Great Theologians)
• 16     Histories and Fallacies by Carl R. Trueman (2011-01-21)

God’s Hammer

By R.C. Sproul Jr. 11/01/2011

     Sometimes, indeed often, we build and maintain our paradigms for our own comfort. Our worldviews are usually less the result of careful, dispassionate, sober-minded analysis and more the result of self-serving, special pleading, rationalization of our sin. We believe not because these beliefs commend themselves to our minds but because in our minds the beliefs commend us. It is these habits of our desperately deceitful hearts that make us miss the voice of God. He speaks, but we hear what we want to.

     We come to our Bibles with this most fundamental presupposition —whatever the Bible may be saying, it can’t be telling me that my life needs to be fundamentally changed. Wherever the Bible calls for such change, it must be addressing someone else. Out of this presupposition flows what I call “the diabolical art of simultaneous translation.” This is what happens when our eyes roam across the very words of God in Scripture, but our minds change what we read into something safe, something reasonable, something inoffensive. Jesus, for instance, tells us not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear, that this is what the Gentiles worry about, and that we ought to know that we are under God’s care. What our minds hear is something like this: “Those people who are more prosperous than I am need to stop worrying about money. When I get as prosperous as they are, I will be pious enough to no longer worry. Those worrying prosperous people really ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

     Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and we hear: “Those people who don’t believe, who aren’t in the kingdom, who don’t have the righteousness of Christ, need to get serious about pursuing these things. Thank heaven I already have this covered. Because I have already done this, I can now devote my time to something important, worrying about what I will wear and what I will eat.” When the Bible steps on our toes, we try to quietly tiptoe away. What we’re supposed to do is face our sins. What we’re supposed to do is repent and believe.

     One way we might begin to do battle against this weakness is to come to the Bible with a prior commitment to this basic truth—whatever this text or that text is saying, it is likely that it is speaking to me and my sin. Before we decide whether a covenantal paradigm or a dispensational paradigm makes more sense, before we settle the vexing question of who wrote Hebrews or which gospel was written first, before we figure out whether Genesis 1 and 2 are history or poetry or both, we need to come willing and eager to have the mirror of the Word show us our sins. That will happen when we expect it to show us our sins.

     The Word of God consists of the words of God. Their meanings tell us what His meaning is. They are little mirrors that build the big mirror. They are also, however, little hammers that together make up the sledgehammer God uses to smash our recalcitrant hearts. Because our hearts are hard, we insist on soft words. When alone with our Bibles, we soften our Bibles, translating our hammers into pillows. When in the pew on Sunday morning, we insist on preaching that does not offend, that does not confront, that does not strike, that rests lightly on our stony hearts.

     God’s hammer smashes not just the icons of the world around us; it also smashes the idols of my heart. It is hard, heavy, even painful, precisely because of the love of the One who wields it. He has promised to forgive me for my hard heart but has also promised to soften it. He has promised to beat it into submission. As He pounds my heart, He, in turn, opens my ears. Thus, we move from grace to grace, from life to life, from faith to faith.

     When our stony hearts are beaten, they do not merely turn into gravel. Instead, they turn to soil—soft, welcoming soil. And then the Word no longer comes as a hammer but as seed. The soft ground of our hearts welcomes that Word, and soon it bears fruit, multiplying thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. Soon we find that we have ears to hear and eyes to see, and the very mystery of the parables unfolds before us. If we would hear, we must be willing to hear. If we would be willing, He must make us willing.

     His kingdom is that place where His Word is heard, welcomed, and obeyed. That same Word has promised that if we will drop everything for the sake of the kingdom, all these things will be added to us. Therefore, His kingdom is where worry about tomorrow is banished. God’s Word is a hammer, but it is a hammer that speaks blessing to us. May He be pleased to give us ears to hear the blessings that He speaks.

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     R.C. Sproul Jr. has served previously as a pastor, professor, and teacher. He is author of numerous books. Some are listed below.

     R.C. Sproul Jr. Books |  Go to Books Page

Six Ways to Hinder Your Prayers

By Tim Challies 5-23-2008

     It is the Lord’s delight to give us what we ask of Him in prayer. Like David, we should all pray, “O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth” (Psalm 54:2). If Christians did not believe in the efficacy of prayer, there would be no reason for us to ask anything of God. He is the one who tells us that we can have confidence that our prayers ascend to Him. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14,15). While as Christians we pay lip-service to the superlatives in that sentence (“whatever” and “anything”), how often do we really believe it?

     The fact is that our prayers are often hindered. There are times when it feels like our prayers are reaching the ceiling and going no further; times when we are lying face-down on the floor and feel that our prayers are rising no higher than the fibers of the carpet. While we can be sure that God does hear our prayers, there are times when He chooses not to heed or answer them. In this brief article we’ll go over six reasons God may not heed our prayers. This list is incomplete, for there may be other ways our prayers are hindered, but it contains the most likely and significant ways.

     It is important to know from the outset that I am the only one who can hinder my prayers. You are the only one who can hinder your prayers. I cannot hinder your prayers anymore than you can hinder mine. And while we may have done much to hinder our prayers, we are not necessarily even aware of this. So let’s look at these as six warnings from Scripture.

Selfish Motives

     All humans are selfish. It is part of our human nature that we naturally regard our own interests ahead of the interests of others. And sadly, we often regard our own interests ahead of God’s. In the passage we read above, 1 John 5:14 and 15, the apostle tells us that our confidence comes from asking “according to his [God’s] will.” James similarly exhorts “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3).

     So the first hindrance to our prayer is our motives. We must ask in accordance with God’s will as revealed in the Bible. We must ask only for things that are consistent with the character and nature of God. We must ask for things that are for the spiritual benefit of ourselves or for the person on whose behalf we pray. God will not answer our self-centered, self-serving prayers.

Turning Away From Scripture

     If we are not spending time immersing ourselves in Scripture and are not obeying what we have learned, we should not expect God to answer our prayers. Our defiance in ignoring the life-giving Words of the Bible may hinder us from having our prayers answered. Solomon goes so far as to suggest that prayers made from such a hardened heart are an abomination to God. “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

     When we read the Words of Scripture, we ask and encourage God to speak to us. He provides the understanding we need to live lives that bring glory to Him—lives that are increasingly consistent with His standards of grace and holiness. If we thumb our nose at the importance of this discipline and if we disobey what He teaches, He will not answer our prayers. Without submitting ourselves to Scripture, we may not even know what and how to pray. We pray best and most effectively when we are saturated in the Word of God.

Unforgiving Hearts

     The Christian has been forgiven for the greatest of offenses. He has been forgiven for knowingly, purposely and unrepentantly transgressing the Law of God. And yet we are often slow to forgive our fellow man for the smallest of transgressions. Even the biggest of the sins committed against us are as nothing compared to how we sinned against God. God does not honor this attitude. In Mark 11:25 Jesus says, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

     Our ongoing assurance of pardon before the Father is in some way dependent on our willingness to forgive others. We must be attentive to our hearts, to ensure that we are not harboring hatred and resentment towards others. If we have this attitude we should expect our prayers to be hindered.

Family Discord

     It is God’s will that families live together in peace and harmony. It is, of course, impossible for us to live in perfect peace, but God demands that we maintain close relationships and that we seek harmony in our family relationships. It is foremost the responsibility of the father, as the head of the household, to ensure that there is not discord within the family. When this discord exists, especially in the relationship of a husband to his wife, his prayers may well be hindered. The apostle Peter, a married man himself, exhorted husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, being sensitive to their needs, “showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).

     The relationship between a husband and a wife is to reflect that of Christ to His church. It is to be a relationship of absolute love, adoration and sacrifice. If Christ gave His life for the church, how can a husband do any less for his wife? This is, of course, impossible when the relationship is strained or broken. Thus a man should examine his relationship with his wife to ensure this is not a hindrance to his prayers (and to hers).

Unconfessed Sin

     Just as unforgiveness can hinder our prayers, so can sin in our lives that we have refused to confess before God. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18), says the Psalmist. Before we conclude that God has simply not heard or prayers or that it is not His will to give us what we ask, we need to examine our hearts to see if unconfessed sin stands as a barrier between ourselves and God.

     While we need to continually examine our hearts, we need also to ask God to reveal our sin to us. We should ask those closest to us what they have observed in our lives. While God most often reveals sin through the reading of and meditating upon His Word, we should realize that if we do not learn our lesson from Scripture, He may have to resort to harsher tactics where our sin is revealed before others, even publicly. While this may be difficult and humiliating, He does so because He loves us and does not wish for this sin to continue to corrupt us and to stand as a barrier between Himself and us.

Doubt

     God wants us to have confidence in His ability and willingness to provide what is necessary for us to attain to godliness. He wants us to believe that He can and will do what He says. Thus when we doubt—when we ask expecting rejection and when we ask almost hoping for rejection—we will hinder our prayers. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:5-7).

     Our prayers cannot be separated from our faith. If we are to ask God, we must ask with expectancy, believing in our heart of hearts that God can and will give what we desire, provided that what we desire is really what we need and what will bring glory to Him! We are to ask with confidence and expectancy, praying out of the faith He has given us.

Conclusion

     The eighteenth chapter of Luke is premised with the following words: “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Jesus goes on to share the parable of the persistent widow. It is a parable designed to teach the importance of persisting in prayer. It is God’s desire that we persist in our petitions before Him. When we ask and do not receive, we need to examine ourselves and question why our prayers are being hindered. Are we asking selfishly? Have we turned away from God, harbored unforgiveness in our hearts or ignored sin in our lives? Or have we allowed discord to creep into our families? These questions can lead us back to the Word of God, guide us to an examination of our hearts, and lead us back to sweet communion with the Lord.

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     Tim Challies: I am a Christian, a husband to Aileen and a father to three children aged 10 to 16. I worship and serve as an elder at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario. I am a book reviewer, co-founder of Cruciform Press.

     I began my web site in 2002 and have been writing there daily since 2003. It is my place to think out loud and in public while also sharing some of the interesting things I’ve discovered in my online travels.

     Tim Challies is founding blogger of Challies.com and a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter @Challies. He began his web site in 2002 and has been writing there daily since 2003. It is his place to think out loud and in public while also sharing some of the interesting things he discovers in his online travels.

     Tim Challies Books |  Go to Books Page

By John Walvoord

The Promised Land in the Millennium (continued)

     Daniel 2:20–23. Daniel’s praise to the Lord revealed his spiritual maturity, careful choice of words, and fitting recognition of the wisdom and power of God and His mercy in revealing to Daniel the secret of the dream.

     Daniel 2:24. Daniel reported to Arioch that he would interpret the dream, and Arioch immediately, hoping to gain favor from the king, went to Nebuchadnezzar and stated, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means” (v.  25 ).

     Daniel 2:25–28. Having been given immediate audience with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, in his answer to the king’s question, was careful to attribute the revelation to God rather than to any human intelligence. He told Nebuchadnezzar, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed your mind as you lay on your bed are these” (vv.  27–28 ).

     Daniel 2:29–35. Daniel described the vision and said it was like “a large statue — an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance” (v.  31 ). The statue in the vision apparently was larger than the normal stature of a man, and the statue stood close to the bed of Nebuchadnezzar in a situation that would cause Nebuchadnezzar to respond with fear. Daniel further explained that the head of the statue was of pure gold and that the upper part of the body was of silver. He further described the lower part of the body and the thighs as made of bronze (v.  32 ). The legs were made of iron and the feet part iron and part clay (v.  33 ).

     Daniel recorded how in the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw “a rock was cut out, but not by human hands” and that it “struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them” (v.  34 ). The result of the impact of the rock on the statue was that the whole statue broke up into fine pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor (v.  35 ). He then saw the chaff blown away so that all the debris of the statue disappeared. Finally, Daniel recorded that he saw the “rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth” (v.  35 ).

     No doubt Daniel’s recital of the vision’s details either reminded the king of the dream he had or confirmed what he remembered. In any case, he was astounded that Daniel told him the dream.

     Daniel 2:36–45. Having told the dream, Daniel explained its meaning (v.  36 ). He reminded Nebuchadnezzar that he was a great king and that God had given him a great dominion and glory not only over men but beast as well (vv.  37–38 ). He declared to Nebuchadnezzar, “You are that head of gold” (v.  38 ).

     Daniel explained that the upper part of the body represented another kingdom that was inferior to the kingdom of Babylon (v.  39 ) and that it would be followed by a third kingdom of bronze that will rule over the whole earth (v.  39 ). Later in Daniel these kingdoms are named Medo-Persia and Greece ( 8:20–21 ).

     Then Daniel defined the meaning of the fourth kingdom represented by the iron legs and the feet part of iron and part of pottery. He declared, “Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others” ( 2:40 ). A separate explanation is given of the feet and toes, which were partly of baked clay and partly of iron. Daniel said that they represented the divided kingdom (v.  41 ). It would have the strength of iron but the weakness of clay pottery (v.  42 ). Daniel explained the mixture of clay and iron as representing the mixture of people who were not united (v.  43 ).

     In the vision there remained the explanation of the rock that destroyed the image and then grew to be a mountain. Daniel explained this: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces” (vv.  44–45 ). The kingdom represented by the rock is the kingdom that Christ will inaugurate at His second coming. It will destroy all previous kingdoms.

     Daniel summarized the whole vision as God showing the king what will take place in the future (v.  45 ).

     This prophetic revelation makes clear that the kingdom from heaven is not a spiritual kingdom, which by spiritual processes will gradually conquer the earth, but rather a sudden catastrophic judgment from heaven destroying the political kingdoms of the Gentiles. This will pave the way for a political millennial kingdom that will begin with the second coming of Christ. The revelation gives no support to either the amillennial view that the kingdom is a spiritual kingdom now on earth or to the postmillennial view that the kingdom will gradually gain control over the earth spiritually in a thousand years or more.  The destruction of the Gentile world powers is  an event, not a process, and will be fulfilled by Christ in the second coming. 

     Daniel 2:46–49. The interpretation of the dream left Nebuchadnezzar overwhelmed, and he “fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him” (v.  46 ). His reaction to Daniel’s revelation was profound. He said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery” (v.  47 ). If Nebuchadnezzar was searching for truth about the God of heaven, he had been given a dramatic introduction.

     As a result of Daniel’s interpretation of the dream, even though he was probably yet a teenager and either was nearing or had just finished his educational period with Nebuchadnezzar, he was given the high rank of “ruler over the entire province of Babylon” and was placed “in charge of all its wise men” (v.  48 ). This was especially remarkable because Daniel was a Jew, a foreigner, not a Babylonian.

     Daniel was not unmindful of the part that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had in the prayer that led to the revelation of the dream and asked that they be appointed over the province of Babylon; and Daniel himself remained in the court of the king (v.  49 ). In one brief day, Daniel, having interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, was raised from the position of a lowly slave among hundreds of others to a unique place where he, even though a Jew, was placed in charge over “the entire province of Babylon” and “in charge of all its wise men” (v.  48 ). Up to this time no comprehensive prophecy had been given concerning the times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar and will end with the second coming of Christ. Daniel continued to serve the king as an executive administrator until Nebuchadnezzar’s death in 562 BC.

The Golden Image of Nebuchadnezzar

     Daniel 3:1–30. In response to the revelation in  Daniel 2 that Nebuchadnezzar would be the head of gold, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the building of an image entirely of gold. No doubt, this served to reflect his thinking that he did not want anyone to succeed him.

     Strictly speaking,  Daniel 3 is not prophecy, as it does not anticipate a specific future, but the events of the chapter to some extent support the general idea of God restoring and saving His people.

     As recorded in  Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar set up an image near Babylon that was plated with gold, ninety feet high. The image itself was probably built on a platform that raised its height. At the sound of the trumpet, everyone was commanded to bow down to the image (vv.  4–6 ). In the Babylonian religion, the power of the emperor was part of their worship of the Babylonian gods, and the two concepts were intertwined.

     While the whole multitude bowed down at the sound of the music, Daniel’s three companions, whose Babylonian names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stood erect and did not bow down to the image. The king’s followers noted this and reported it to Nebuchadnezzar.

     In a rage Nebuchadnezzar brought the men before him, reminded them of the command, and told them if they did not bow down, they would be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace (vv.  13–15 ).

     Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, however, told the king that they could not do this because they served the true God. And they told the king that their God was able to rescue them, but even if He did not, they would not bow down before the image (vv.  16–18 ).

     Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal and had the three men bound with rope and cast into the fire with their clothes on.

     As Nebuchadnezzar watched, he was astonished to see four men walking in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and he said that the fourth “looks like a son of the gods” (v.  25 ). The fourth figure may have been Christ as the Angel of Yahweh or an angel. Approaching the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar asked the men to come out. Then he saw that the flames had not harmed them, their hair was not singed, their robes were not scorched, and there was not even a smell of fire on them (vv.  26–27 ). Their marvelous deliverance prompted Nebuchadnezzar to issue a decree that anyone who would say anything against the God of Israel would be cut into pieces. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted in their positions in the province of Babylon.

     Though the chapter is entirely history, to some extent it anticipates the ultimate restoration of Israel in spite of the wrath of the Gentile world in the great tribulation at the time of the second coming of Christ. It was also an important chapter in the progress of Nebuchadnezzar in understanding the power and glory of the God of Israel.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Great Tree

     Though  Daniel 4 is largely a historical record of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, it also contains a prophecy in its fulfillment as related to Nebuchadnezzar. The chapter is most unusual in that it is in the form of a decree of the king that was circulated throughout the empire. It is possible that  Daniel had a part in framing the document on behalf of Nebuchadnezzar.

     Daniel 4:1–3. The opening of  Daniel 4 is a greeting recognizing the greatness of God, His marvelous signs and wonders, and that He is an eternal God.

     Daniel 4:4–8. As in  Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and what he saw terrified him. As in chapter  2, he called in the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners, but they could not interpret the dream, even though he told them what he had seen. As a last resort Nebuchadnezzar called in  Daniel because of his previous experience in having him interpret the dream of  Daniel 2 many years before.

     Daniel 4:9–18. As recorded in  Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar in his dream saw a great tree of enormous height and size that was visible to the whole earth. It bore beautiful fruit and lovely leaves. Beasts found shelter under it, and the birds of the air lived in its branches (vv.  9–12 ).

     As Nebuchadnezzar saw the tree, however, he heard “a messenger, a holy one” coming from heaven and calling with a loud voice to cut down the tree and trim off its branches and scatter those that were being sheltered by it (vv.  13–14 ). Instruction was given, however, that the stump should be bound with iron and bronze (v.  15 ).

     The messenger from heaven also said that Nebuchadnezzar should live among the animals and be given the mind of an animal and be drenched with the dew of heaven until “seven times pass by for him” (v.  16 ). Nebuchadnezzar reported that he was told that the fulfillment of his dream would make clear that God was the Most High God and able to set over kingdoms “the lowliest of men” (v.  17 ). As he recited the dream to Daniel, he asked Daniel to interpret.

     Daniel 4:19–23. Daniel was reluctant, however, to interpret the dream because he realized it was going to be a catastrophe for Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel summarized the image and then proceeded to the interpretation.

     Daniel 4:24–27. Daniel informed the king that the vision meant that the king would lose his mind; he would be driven away from his palace, would live like a wild animal, eating grass, and would act like the cattle of the field (vv.  24–25 ). The length of the trial would be seven times, meaning seven years. The fact that the stump had a band around it Daniel interpreted as revealing that ultimately he would be restored to his kingdom. On the basis of this prophecy, Daniel pleaded with the king, “Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue” (v.  27 ).

     Daniel 4:28–32. As the vision had indicated, twelve months later, as Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, he said to himself, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (v.  30 ). As Nebuchadnezzar said these words, he heard a voice from heaven indicating the time had come to fulfill the prophecy of the vision.

     Daniel 4:33. Nebuchadnezzar, according to the decree, was then driven away and ate grass like cattle. He lived outdoors with his body drenched with dew. His hair was allowed to grow, and his nails became like “the claws of a bird” (v.  33 ). His rare illness has been identified as insania zoanthropica or boanthropy, in which an individual thinks of himself as an ox.

     Daniel 4:34–35. At the end of the seven years, Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity was restored and he expressed in the decree his praise of God, declaring that God’s dominion was eternal, that all people were under His authority, that He could do what He pleased and no one could tell Him to hold back His hand (vv.  34–35 ).

     Daniel 4:36–37. Subsequent to his restoration of sanity, he was immediately returned to his former glory as the king of the empire. It is probable that Daniel was instrumental in maintaining the kingdom during the seven years of the king’s insanity and also assuring the king’s court that when he came to the end of the period he would be restored. Ordinarily, if something like this had happened, his enemies would have conspired and killed the king.

     Nebuchadnezzar closed his decree with this statement: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble” (v. 37 ). This chapter makes clear that Gentile power is subject to the will of God and will eventually be destroyed.

     On the basis of this experience, the question has been raised whether Nebuchadnezzar ever placed faith in the God of Israel. Though opinions vary, he does seem to have had a growing consciousness that the God of Daniel was the true God as illustrated in the revelation of the four kingdoms of the image in  Daniel 2, his experience with the companions of Daniel in  Daniel 3, and now this personal experience where God made it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that all his power and grandeur was subject to God’s bestowal. It may be that in answer to Daniel’s prayer over many years Nebuchadnezzar put his faith in the God of Daniel.

          __________________________________________________________________

Every Prophecy of the Bible: Clear Explanations for Uncertain Times

Read The Psalms In "1" Year

Psalm 86

Great Is Your Steadfast Love
86 A Prayer Of David.

1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

ESV Study Bible

The Continual Burnt Offering (John 10:11, 14)

By H.A. Ironside - 1941

August 10

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,   ESV


     The shepherd character of our Lord Jesus Christ is delightful to contemplate. We were all as sheep going astray, until through grace we returned to the Shepherd and overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). But we would never have returned at all unless He in His love had sought and found us (Luke 15:4-7). Now having made us His own He undertakes to carry us safely home. He makes Himself responsible to supply all our needs; to guide us through this desert way and to see that we have everything our souls require in order that we may grow in grace and glorify Him in all our ways. Surely the least we can do is to rely upon His love and wisdom and thus be able to say with happy confidence, “I shall not want.” 


1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.   ESV

O Thou great all-gracious Shepherd,
Shedding for us Thy life’s blood,
Unto shame and death delivered,
All to bring us nigh to God!
Now our willing hearts adore Thee,
Now we taste Thy dying love,
While by faith we come before Thee,
Faith which lifts our souls above.
--- Mrs. Wellesley

The Continual Burnt Offering: Daily Meditations on the Word of God