Life Meets Doctrine

Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?  Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?  Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?  Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?  Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?  Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?  Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?  Amos 3:3-6.

The purpose of these questions are to point out the obvious: Israel should have seen their judgment coming.  The questions are all redundant questions – the answer is obvious.  And they all point to highlight the truths of Amos 3:7-8: “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.  The lion has roared, who will not fear?  The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

The way these questions are used are fascinating.  There is so much more to these questions than I initially saw in the first read through.  God is weaving his message even into seemingly random questions.  We will take them one at a time.

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to meet? The obvious answer is, “No.  They don’t.  They at least implicitly agree to walk next to each other.”  God’s point is made with the simple answer.  But he is also getting at something more here.  He is pointing out to Israel that they have chosen to not walk with him.  He is using a basic image to highlight their hearts’ choice to not walk with him.  He is saying he can not walk with them, unless they agree to it.  They repeatedly ignore him, neglect him, and push him away.  Therefore, Israel does not need to try to fool themselves by thinking they are still religious or still faithful to God.  He just told them they aren’t.

Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? The obvious answer is, “No.  The lion roars when he has found his prey, sprung upon them, and gets to eat.”  But Israel would hear this and connect the lion’s roar to Amos’ sermons that he is preaching to them.  If Israel has any sense to them at all, they would be realizing that God is claiming to be roaring through Amos (as 3:8 later explicitly points out).  If you connect the dots, God’s roar means God has a prey.  He is clamping down on his prey.  He is now calling Israel to account, and his destruction is imminent.

Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? The obvious answer is, “No.  The young lion roars when he has something to eat, brought to him by his mom.”  A wise Israel would hear this and think of even the small warning they had received, the “young lion” roars.  The little things along the way where God showed them their sins.  They have had plenty of warning.

Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Of course not.  A bird can’t be trapped unless an actual trap is out there to catch it.  And this questions is connected to the next: Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? Of course not.  A trap is set to spring up and catch whenever the trigger is stepped upon.  If the trigger is not set off, the trap won’t close.  What God is making obvious is that Israel both set its own trap and then walked right into it.  How?  Through their sins!  They are stuck in their sinful ways; they can’t get out.  But it was themselves who set the trap in the first place.  God is telling them to not be surprised that they are stuck.  They walked right into the trap themselves through their rebellion, their suppressing of the poor, their blatant disregard for the law of God, their false worship of other gods, their sexual revolution, their pride, and their other sins.

Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Nope.  When the sirens go off the people run for cover.  The idea is that some sort of destruction is coming to the city, so an alarm is sounded…but no one does antying they keep right on.  For example: A huge tornado is fast approaching our city, tearing up everything in its path.  So the city turns on the sirens.  But all the people keep right on with their picnics and swimming and walking outside.  They stay on the top floors.  They don’t turn on the radio.  They don’t run for cover.  The idea is ludicrous.  Which is God’s point.  He has given them warning.  He has sounded the siren, but Israel is doing nothing.  They are still hanging out, pretending like nothing is wrong.  They should be afraid, very afraid.

Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? Of course God has done it.  God is all-sovereign and all-governing.  He sends the disaster and the pain so that his children might respond in repentance.  His heart is loving, but he certainly will discipline his children (as 3:1-2 reminded us).  This question gets more to the heart of theology.  It isn’t quite a street-level, practical as the other questions.  But the answer should remain just as obvious.  God was setting Israel up, preparing them for this blow.

These questions are scary-funny. By scary, I mean that they deal with very serious, painful things that Israel will have to endure.  By funny, I mean that they are so obvious.  God is highlighting Israel’s ditzy-ness and stupidity.  An example of such a question for today might be: Does a person throw himself in front of an oncoming 18-wheeler?  First, the funny part.  The question itself is so silly, so obvious.  No way, any person in their right mind does not throw themselves in front of the oncoming 18-wheeler.  That would be so stupid.  It is comical to even think of a right-minded person to do that.  But, second, the scary part.  When you stop to actually consider the image, it is downright scary.  It is a serious matter.  You would plead with that person to not do it, you would grab hold of that person and pull them back off of the highway shoulder.  You would be terrified if you saw the after-effects of that person’s foolish decision.  It is scary.

My belief is that is exactly the emotions the Israelites would have felt when they heard God’s questions in Amos 3:3-6.  The answers were so obvious and funny that it was truly scary.  And it led perfectly into the truths of Amos 3:7-8: For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.  The lion has roared; who will not fear?  The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

i am thinking and praying about God opening doors a lot right now, as we consider big changes in our family’s life and location. here are a few verses i have noticed:

paul prays for open doors. Colossians 4:3: at the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

paul stays where he is because a door opens. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9: but I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

a door is opened, but paul does not walk through. 2 Corinthians 2:12-13: when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

doors close to opportunities for what looks like gospel ministry. Acts 16:6-10: And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bythinia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And the vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

as i have been listening through some Tim Keller sermons, certain passages of Scripture have truly stood out to me. one of those has been Galatians 6:2: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. as i think on this verse in the context of giving to the poor and needy, it brings out a whole new element of giving. i personally enjoy giving and blessing others (whether in real poverty or just having a short-term need, like for a mission trip). but i only like giving to the extent that it does not infringe on my family’s normal budget. i like to give out of the margins, the edges. it is kind of like in the Law where God tells his people to not harvest the edges of their fields. leave that for the poor. i would be fine with that. but i don’t think i would be quite so fine with the command to give the first tenth of my fields produce…especially when the remaining nine-tenths wasn’t exactly guaranteed.

i don’t mind the first command because it does not infringe on my comfort or lifestyle. i do mind the second command because it might infringe on my comfort or lifestyle. naturally, i will give to the extent of (and stop once i get to) my personal comfort. or, in other words, i will give out of my surplus, my extra.

then Galatians 6:2 comes into the picture and it commands me to bear a burden. i should experience some burden, some infringement on my comfort, some imposing on my lifestyle. this text specifically says i should do it to the degree that someone else has need – a real someone else, someone i know, a brother (Galatians 6:1). this command does not allow me to only give out of the surplus or the extra.

to bear means to carry, to pick up. and burdens just refer to troubles, hardships, weight. i am commanded to carry someone else’s weights. i am commanded to take the hit for someone else.

Other uses of the word for bear in the New Testament:
* Matthew 8:17: Jesus bore our sickness.
* Luke 14:27: we are commanded to bear our cross and follow Jesus.
* John 19:17: Jesus bore his cross.
* John 16:12: Jesus didn’t tell his disciples everything because they wouldn’t have been able to bear it.
* Acts 3:2: the crippled man Peter healed was borne and lain daily at the Beautiful Gate.
* Romans 15:1: those that are strong are commanded to bear the failings of the weak and not to please themselves.
* Galatians 6:5: in a balancing verse, each one will have to bear his own load.

that last passage (Galatians 6:5) leaves me wondering just what is up in Galatians 6. On one hand we are commanded to bear one another’s burdens. On the other hand we are told that each of us should bear our own burden. Maybe Paul is talking to both the giver of aid and the receiver of aid. to the giver of aid Paul says, “bear their burden; don’t just give from the edges.” but to the receiver of aid Paul says, “don’t get lazy; start working and producing for yourself; the fact is you need to bear your own load.”

this is also a good balance to some givers. we must be careful to not give to the point that we burden our own families and lives. we must be responsible and faithful to bear our own load, first. then, we bear one another’s burdens. it’s just that i can’t keep using family comfort as a rationale or excuse for not bearing another’s burdens. i must be diligent to take care of my family responsibility, but that is an entirely different standard of living than family comfort. in order to bear one another’s burdens, i need to live at the level of responsibility, but not at the level of comfort.

i am starting to open up more and more to the verses that follow one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible. for years now, i have loved the mutifold truths in Luke 12:32: Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. i love it! the metaphors are loaded in there (flock/sheep, father/children, king/kingdom). the goodness of God is there. the removal of our fear. the giving nature of God. and so much more. i love it!

for the longest, though, i didn’t know what to do with the following verses. and even now i don’t really know what to do with them, but i do feel like they have more meaning, they are taking more shape, they aren’t quite as scary as before. Luke 12:33-34: sell your possessions, and give to the needy. provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. this is right after the tender reassurance of God in Luke 12:32.

the power is built up in verse 32:
* we have no need to fear
* we are the sheep of the greatest shepherd
* we are the children of the most generous, wealthy father
* we are the offspring of the most pleased, happy father
* we are the subjects of the most powerful king
therefore we are commanded to sell our possessions and give to the needy. oh the truth shows up over and over again. God’s pleasure and God’s love is not meant to terminate on us! we are missing it if we become the final stop of God’s financial blessings. we are meant to be the passage through which his blessings flow.

it is striking to me in Luke 12:33 that we are commanded to do two things: (1) sell our possessions, and (2) give to the needy. if Jesus only said give to the needy i could get away with the occasional closet cleaning and giving to Goodwill. i could get away with making a monthly pledge to help a missionary. but Jesus doesn’t only say give to the needy. he says sell your possessions. we must take a hit for the team! we must feel the effects of loss! we must give something up – something we currently like and use and enjoy. otherwise we lose the power of the whole thing. we lose the blessed freedom of realizing that Jesus is better than the stuff – the good stuff, the sweet stuff, the stuff we really want to keep.

i am sure there is more to be had in this passage, but this is all i will post for now. please, Jesus, help me to give as you have given to me – with the care of a shepherd, the heart of a father, the authority of a king’s son, and the generosity of the richest (or poorest?) man in the world.

Proverbs 14:20: The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. It certainly seems like this is true, especially in general terms. no one likes to see a poor person on the street; they would rather turn away from such a sight. the poor is disliked. but even when you get close to the people who are close to the poor – their neighbors – you find that even their neighboors don’t like them. and their neighbors are also usually poor, whether they be a geographic neighbor or a social-class neighbor or someone intersecting with the poor on a consistent basis (like children in school). even the poor’s neighbors don’t like the poor. the poor hate the poor. they feel like they can’t trust each other even though each other is all they’ve got. of course, on the other hand, the rich has many friends. everyone wants to be nice to the people withy lots of money and possessions. this passage especially deals with my attitude towards the poor: i want to like the poor.

Proverbs 14:21: whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. the proverb writer is calling for a change in the way things are as he described them in the other verse. even though in general the poor is disliked by his neighbor, you better not be that neighbor who dislikes the poor. despising your neighbor – whether he be rich or poor, even though i think a poor neighbor is mainly in view here – is a sin. it is not allowed! and to motivate us to care for our neighbor we are given the promise that those who are generous to the poor are blessed. it doesn’t say that lots of money comes to those who are generous. it says that those who are generous to the poor are already blessed. that is who they are. the blessed ones give. this means there can be people who have money who are not blessed. how do we know if they are not blessed? by observing that they don’t give to the poor. if they were blessed they would give to the poor. clearly, blessing refers to so much more than possessions. it is a state of being, an attitude of the heart. this passage deals with how i handle my attitude toward the poor: i want to be generous to the poor.

Proverbs 14:31: whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. now we see that our relations with the poor is actually our relations with the Maker of the universe. Jesus definitely echoes this in Matthew 25:34-40. i must be so careful in my thoughts towards the poor and interactions with the poor. when i oppress them i am insulting Jesus. naturally, this seems so disconnected. surely Jesus wouldn’t line himself up with the poor, right? it is totally against my habits, my normal way of thinking, my culture. but the writer of the proverb is clear: oppressing a poor man = insulting God; giving to a poor man = honoring God. this passage deals with why i should be generous to the poor: i want to be generous to the poor because i want to honor God.

Jesus is asked this question twice (and maybe other times, too). i am fascinated by Jesus’ response. in Luke 10, Jesus answers the question with the story of the Samaritan helping the beaten man on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho – an example of social mercy. in Mark 10, Jesus answers the question with the command to sell everything and give it to the poor – another example of social mercy. honestly, i find it troubling and startling that when eternal life is talked about social mercy is this close to the heart of Jesus. his immediate responses to two different people asking the same question both have to do with social mercy. oh my, how i fall short on taking hold of eternal life if social mercy is truly as essential of an element as Jesus makes it out to be. Jesus, help me! teach me, too, what i must do to inherit eternal life.

i have been amazed lately how God repeatedly brings poverty to my attention. here are just a few ways he has done this:
* began praying for Omaha, NE, which led to discovering Open Door Mission
* Matt Chandler mentions international mercy ministry in a sermon
* Mark Driscoll mentions poverty and riches in a sermon
* Jase Wilson mentions extravagant giving in a time of financial crisis, referring to the story of the widow’s mite
* i read through A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, which is mainly for educators but has lots of insights on understanding people in the lower class in America.
* i read through Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider, which mainly deals with international poverty and hunger but has great sections of biblical understanding God’s heart for the poor
* i have a talk with Pastor Dominic from Kenya who deals with orphans, poverty, and hunger on a daily basis; it is the world he lives in
* i have a talk with the Reed family from Mozambique who also deals with orphans, poverty, and hunger on a daily basis; it is the world they live in
* i talk with Ben Wong a former pastor in Hong Kong who re-planted a church targeting the lower class in Hong Kong; we talk a lot about “simple church”; Ben has a great insight into unreach people groups and why they remain unreached. he says it might be because most of them are either (1) poor or (2) muslims or both. no one wants to be poor or persecuted so a lot of us end up not going to unreached people groups.
* in an intern meeting we watch a NOOMA dvd where Rob Bell talks about wealth and poverty; it is entitled “rich”
* i pick up a book that had been on the shelf for a long time and the next chapter to read is marked as “the discipline of social mercy”

as i have been reading through Jeremiah lately, God has brought to my attention a few potent verses. here are a few of them:
…If you utter what is precious and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth…. Jeremiah 15:19

I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD. Jeremiah 31:14

Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. Jeremiah 48:10

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon. Jeremiah 50:34

And one from Lamentations:
You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be on them. Lamentations 3:65. It is truly scary to me that one possible sign of God’s curse on a person’s life is their dullness of heart. They do not deeply or truly care for God, for people, for pain in others’ lives, for anything. Their hearts have grown dull.

here are some more pictures. they are a little smaller than the other ones, but if you click on the picture you can see the bigger version.

it is hard to tell, but this is actually believed to be Peter’s house in Capernaum. Jesus spent about 75% of his ministry in Capernaum, and most likely this would be where he stayed.

whitney is posing in front of a boat that was recently discovered. it dates back about 2,000 years. of course, no one has any idea whether Jesus ever was on the boat, but it is still a good idea of what the boats that Jesus was in looked like.

this is a view looking north in the ancient ruins of Caesarea. one of the Herods lived here, and he was super rich. this main sand area would have been the arena of the city – where chariot races happened, where other big events happened, where martyrs might have been killed.

this is a view of the Roman Coliseum from its stage in Caesarea. There was a huge concert in this coliseum just a few days before we toured it. it is huge!

here is beautiful whitney in our hotel room holding a basket full of gifts that we received from our friends in israel. it might be hard to see, but look carefully at the bed. it is actually 2 beds! we slept on two twin-size beds pushed together – separate sheets, separate covers. we did our best, though.

whitney took this awesome picture of the akko sklyine and the mediterranean sea. isn’t it beautiful?

here is another picture that whit took. again, it is beautiful (just like her).

this guy is jumping off of the massively tall ancient city walls of akko into the (shallow? deep?) mediterranean sea below. we just hoped they knew what they were doing. we definitely know they liked having a crowd of americans looking on. a bunch of them jumped, and each time someone would gasp. and each time…they came out just fine.

whitney took another excellent picture – this one of the waves crashing on the rocks just off of akko.