Seeing Without Perceiving; Hearing Without Understanding

There are certain drawing that look like one thing to some and something else to others. (Think of the duck/rabbit picture or the old woman/young woman picture.) The same applies to scripture. I may see one side; you might see another. I fear, however, that sometimes we only see or hear what we want to hear. When it comes to God’s word, there is only one side – God’s. We may point our fingers at those outside the church as viewing God’s this word, but God’s people, historically and today, are in danger of doing the same thing.

Misunderstanding Among God’s Elect

Isaiah 6:10 records God giving Isaiah his mission, and Gad warns that His word would shut the eyes and the ears of the people. In Isaiah 1:16-19, the prophet calls the people to repentance and obedience, and Isaiah 55:6-7 implores those separated from God to return to Him, seeking pardon and forgiveness. Unfortunately, as God warned in chapter 6, the people would hear but not listen. Verse 9 warns Isaiah’s intended audience would see and hear him without comprehension because their hearts are closed. Isaiah 55:10-11, though, proclaims that God’s word will never return to Him without accomplishment.

Moving from one prophet to another, Jeremiah 5:1 records God challenging Jeremiah to seek Jerusalem for anyone who cares about justice and truth. Verse 3 has Jeremiah responding to this by calling the people hardened against God’s word. They have turned away from their Lord, but Jeremiah 5:6-19 warns God’s people will be judged by that word they rejected. As they turned to serve strange gods, so would they be made to serve strange people. Jeremiah 5:20-21 then warns against hearing and seeing God’s words without understanding and applying.

Finally, during the captivity in Ezekiel 12:1-2, God says His prophet is dwelling in a rebellious house that consists of people with eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear. Ezekiel 33:23-28 records the attitude God’s people had, assuming their inheritance of the land of Judah and Israel as a given, but God says He will pull the land from these that reject His word. In Ezekiel 33:30-32, the people come to hear God’s word from the right source, but they fail to apply those words they hear. They sit and listen but do nothing.

Personal Applications

It’s easy to see these failings in coworkers and friends. It’s easy to judge others without judging ourselves. Matthew 13:10 has the apostles asking about Jesus’ habit of teaching parables, and, in His answer, Jesus uses language similar to those prophets of the Old Testament. Those crowds around Him sees without seeing and hears without hearing. Those people claiming to be religious, interested in the words of God, would see and hear what they wanted. They would be entertained by the words but fail to apply. The same can be true of us today.

In Acts 7:57, Stephen is accusing the Jewish leadership of killing God’s messengers time and again. The result of his accusations is his subsequent stoning. In contrast, Peter and the apostles make similar accusations in Acts 2, but verse 37 records a far different response. These opened their hearts to accept God’s word. One would have expected Peter’s and Stephen’s results to be reversed. Hebrews 6:4-6 contains a warning for those who have accepted Christ at one point only to later close their eyes and their ears.

Late in Jesus ministry, in John 6, many leave Him when He stops preaching the things they want to hear. He asks the twelve if they too will abandon Him, and Peter responds that they have no place to go. They recognize Jesus as the source of eternal life. James 1:21-22 encourages us to receive God’s word in meekness, but James goes on to say that we should not only be hearers of that word. We should do it, lest we delude ourselves by only seeing and hearing those things we desire. He says we should humble ourselves before the word, be receptive of the word, and then apply it.

lesson by Tim Smelser

How Many Commandments Are There?

Recently, I was looking at a website with a section called A Crash Course in Jewish History, and one quote from an article on the Ten Commandments caught my eye: “Because we don’t have the temple, 369 of the 613 commandments are no longer applicable today.” By the First Century, the law of Moses had been so analyzed that scholars could enumerate 613 separate laws – 365 negative/248 positive. In Matthew 22, one comes to Jesus and asks which is the greatest on these laws. In verse 37, Jesus answers with two commandments: to love God and to love our neighbors.

In Deuteronomy 4:2 begins by calling on the people of Israel to neither add to or subtract from the commandments, and, when we reach chapter 6, we come to the verse Jesus quotes regarding our love of God. Moses goes on from this command to love God to instruct the children of Israel to know the word of God as they know themselves. It can be an imposing thing to know so many laws, and I think many New Testament Christians look at the Bible the same way – as a list of do’s and don’ts. How many commandments are there that we have to keep?

Narrowing the List

In Psalm 15, David asks who will dwell with the Lord, and he reduces the law of Moses to eleven principles.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Even in these, we might find gray areas or have a hard time remembering all eleven principles. Isaiah 33:15 narrows this list down to five items – one who walks and speaks uprightly, rejects oppression, avoids bribes, does not listen to words of violence, avoids looking at evil. Taking things farther, in Micah 6:6-8, the prophet speaks of three things God looks for in His followers: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.

After going from 613 to eleven to six to three, Isaiah 56:1 reduces the requirements to two basic principles. He calls on God’s people to keep justice and to do righteousness. Amos 5:4-6 calls on God’s people to seek Him, and Habakkuk 2:4 says the righteous shall live by faith. All of these come back to the same general ideas of righteousness, holiness, honesty, justice, and love. These are characteristics that are neither easy to follow, nor are they always encouraged.

The Foundation of God’s Law

I don’t think God looked at His law as 613 commandments. What He wanted and still wants from His people is holiness and uprightness. When Jesus answers the question of the greatest law in Matthew 22, He is telling His listeners to love God more than anything and to treat others the way you want to be treated. Love others even if they do not love you. Remember the Ten Commandments? The first four cover man’s relationship with God, and the rest relate to man’s relationship with his fellow man.

James 1:21 calls on us to put away wickedness and to receive God’s word into our souls, and James 2:22 tells us our faith must be living and active. Back in James 2:8, the author calls loving your neighbor as the royal law. We should respect the authority of God’s word and follow His pattern, but, in our daily lives, it can be as simple as putting God first and loving our fellow persons as ourselves. Instead of focusing on the checklist, we should be focusing on our God and those lives we touch every day.

by Tim Smelser

Who Will This Child Be?

Repeatedly, God’s people in the Old Testament are admonished to teach their children and their grandchildren. Each newborn child brings new hopes and opportunities to the life of their parents, and we wonder, “Who will this child be?” In Luke 1, the priest Zechariah is expecting a son, and this child is born in verse 57. The tradition would have been to name the child after the father, but both Elizabeth and Zechariah insist his name will be John. After seeing the signs surrounding the birth of John, the people wonder, in verse 66, “Who will this child be?”

The Unguided Child

We wish for our children to be better than ourselves, and we should realize that our choices impact that outcome. What kind of children do we desire? How can we impact the direction they go as they mature? What spiritual goals do we have for our children. Proverbs 22:6 discusses the importance of working with our children early, laying a foundation for their life later. Solomon encourages to take a hands-on approach with our children, and Proverbs 29:15 warns that a child left untended will bring shame to his or her family. Also, chapter 22:15 encourages us to correct our children when they behave foolishly.

I Corinthians 15:33 warns about the people we spend time with, and the same warning applies to our children. We should be encouraging our children to surround themselves with good influences and spiritual friends. I Peter 3:3-4 calls on us to focus on inward beauty over outward beauty. What if we teach our children that fashion is more important than modesty or goodness? What if we teach them to prioritize the secular over the spiritual? Matthew 6:33 records Jesus teaching to seek God’s kingdom first, placing our worldly concerns in God’s hands.

At God’s bidding, the high priest Eli has to reprimand his sons for their sins in serving God and their example to the people. King Rehoboam governs foolishly because he ignores the advice of his father’s advisors and listens to his foolish friends. Salomé inflames Herod to sin because of her immodesty. Paul criticizes Demos for loving the things of this world. These individuals put the world before God, are uncontrolled, are immodest.

The Nurture and Admonition of the Lord

Proverbs 20:7 blesses the children of one who walks in integrity. Ephesians 6:4 calls on fathers to nurture and train their children in the ways of the Lord – not always what is most enjoyable, but what is needed. Deuteronomy 6:4 records Moses instructing the people to make God’s word a daily part of family life, and Luke 4:16, the gospel writer reveals the child Jesus had been customarily taken to worship by His family.

Proverbs 13:20 says wise companions bring wisdom, and III John verse 4 expresses John’s joy in seeing his spiritual children walking in truth. We take pride in much that our children do, but character is what we should be able to take the most pride in. Our families should also be prayerful, James 5:16 encouraging us to pray earnestly. Think of Samuel, Timothy, John and Jesus, David and Jonathan, Barnabas, and Paul – the examples they serve in the scriptures. These once had parents who brought them up and influenced who they would be.

Our choices have an impact in determining who our child will be. Our children have more than an earthly father and mother. They have a Father in Heaven who also looks down upon them. What relationship do you and I have with God? What do our children see in our walk as children of God? If we want out children to reflect godly qualities as they grow, we should first be reflecting these qualities in our own lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

A Royal Priesthood

Peter uses a passage from Exodus 19 in I Peter 2:9, directly quoting God speaking to His people through Moses. Peter reminds us that we had no true identity prior to obtaining mercy, but now we are His people. now we are His priests. In the Old Testament, a priest was one who performed sacrificial and mediator duties. In Latin, a priest is one who “builds bridges.” A priest crosses the divide between the mortal and the divine.

These duties go back to the days of Cain and Able in Genesis 4. Also Noah, after disembarking from the ark, offers sacrifices to God – as do Abraham, Job, and other Old Testament figures. Numerous individuals are engaged in priestly service in the Old Testament prior to the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. With the establishment of the Levitical priesthood comes an established covenant relationship.

Holy and Anointed

The Levitical priests oversaw the daily offerings and sacrifices, and God emphasizes their holiness when making the offerings. They maintained the lamp, the alter fires, and the incense. They maintained the sanctity of the people, keeping the covenant, knowing the covenant, and teaching the covenant. They were to maintain their own purity in their service of God. They were set apart for service unto God most high.

Exodus 29:7-9 describes the anointing of Aaron and this priesthood. No other was to use it or duplicate it in Exodus 30:31. Exodus 40:14 continues this anointing for Aaron’s sons. This holy oil is used again in I Kings 19:16 when the prophet Elijah is instructed to anoint kings and prophets. Kings, prophets, and priests were all sanctified by this holy oil – all those who served God as mediator between Him and His people.

Exodus 7:16 records God calling His people from Egypt so they may serve Him, and Numbers 3-4 records the census of the Levites. Time and again, reference is made of the Levites serving in the tabernacle. In the New Testament, in Hebrews 9:1, these duties are revisited. Throughout history, God expects sacrificial service from those ordained in His service. These roles had nothing to do with helping “me.” Rather, the focus was and is on serving others and serving Gods.

An Imperfect Priesthood

There were shortcomings, however. In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu are struck down for insufficient service. I Samuel 2:12 records the failings of the High Priest Eli’s sons. In II Kings 23, we read of priests offering children in sacrifice to Molech, and Malachi 1:6 has God scorning the priests who fail to honor Him properly and fail His name. Though the priests were outwardly sanctified, human failings could still bring down these separated servants of God.

A Perfect Priest and King

Psalm 110, however, speaks of a king higher than David, and this king would also be a priest in a manner similar to Melchizedek. Also, Zechariah 6:9-13 contains prophecy of a priest who would sit on His throne, a Branch that would promote peace through His roles as priest and king. This is a unique pairing of roles, for, in the Old Testament, the offices of priest and king were strictly separated.

In Luke 1, Zechariah the priest (a coincidence of names that is probably no coincidence), is serving before the alter of incense. There, Zechariah learns that his son will be the forerunner to the Messiah, and we can read of the ministry of this son in John 1. Those listening ask John if he is the one to come, and John answers that He prepares the way.

Hebrews 7 draws a distinction between the priesthood of Aaron’s sons, Melchizedek, and Jesus. The Hebrew writer argues that Jesus’ priesthood is established by an oath and that it is an eternal priesthood. Hebrews 4:14-16 describes the High Priest of Jesus as one who shares our humanity, and Hebrews 2:14-17 calls Him our brother. He is better mediator of abetter covenant enacted upon better promises. He intercedes on our behalf, and He is God’s obedient servant as seen in Hebrews 5:7-9. His service is obedient and sacrificial.

A Nation of Priests

Returning to I Peter 2, we are a spiritual house, a priesthood given over to spiritual sacrifices. Philippians 2:5 calls on us to have the mind of Christ. As Christ’s service was obedient and sacrificial as a priest of God, we are to likewise serve. We are priests serving under a great High Priest and King. Our mindset is not centered on “me” any more than Christ’s. He gave Himself on our behalves, and we should be sacrificially giving ourselves over to Him. We can be a beacon hope for one another and for the world, serving in God’s house as priests.

lesson by Tim Smelser