Promises You Can Bank On

I am still trying to digest the passage from this week’s YotB reading where Israel has finally settled into the Promised Land of Canaan, distributing the land accordingly among her 12 tribes.  This was a triumphant culmination of the fulfillment of God’s promises.

But where did it all begin?

In Genesis, Abraham was called from a family of idolators and given a unilateral promise from God for a land, a seed, and a blessing.  That promise is reaffirmed to his son Isaac and then to Isaac’s son, Jacob.  God proves faithful to Jacob’s son, Joseph, in preserving him through family betrayal and unjust imprisonment to exalt him to the status of Pharoah’s chief assistant.  Not only is this preservation individualized but through Joseph, God preserves nascent Israel by allowing Jacob’s family to be fed through a ravaging period of drought and agricultural barrenness.  Fast-forward centuries later when Jacob’s small family of 70 grows to be a multitude that poses a major threat to the reigning Pharoah, thereby instigating a period of Hebrew enslavement that would last until God graciously raised up Moses to deliver Israel in the Exodus to take hold of the Promised Land.  Along the way comes the giving of God’s Law at Mt. Sinai, a gracious provision that would guide and direct Israel’s civil, judicial, and religious conduct upon entrance into Canaan.  At Kadesh-Barnea, the nation in rebellion refuses to enter and is left wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  Finally, Joshua is raised up to take the baton of leadership, leading Israel in conquest over her enemies and taking possession of the land.  Whew!  God fulfilled promises.

There are times during the historical narrative where Israel is reminded of God’s faithfulness.  What He promises, He fulfills.  His sovereign and guiding hand and His divine presence accompany the nation every step of the way until they finally take residence in Canaan.  And this all despite the shortcomings and stubbornness of Israel: the incessant complaints about food, the Golden Calf, and the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea, to name a few.  The people had given God every reason not to fulfill,but what He swore to do, He did.  This is where the incredible statement is made in Joshua 21:43-45,

Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.   And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers.  Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for  the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands.   Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Breathtaking.  I believe it’s especially striking when sequentially reading through from the beginning of Genesis to this point in Israel’s history.  What God has promised to do, He will fulfill in full measure (even despite having every justifiable reason not to do so).

This understanding of God should dramatically impact the way that we think about the certainty of God’s promises to us being fulfilled in His sovereign time.  Some of these include:

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together  for good,  for  those who are called according to his purpose.

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28  I give them eternal life, and  they will never perish, and  no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Philippians 4:19 And my God  will supply every need of yours  according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and  he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The ultimate promise given to us was God’s promise to send a Savior who would live a life of perfect obedience, be crucified in our place for our sins as a propitatory sacrifice, and resurrect in victory over death.  The Old Testament was replete with God’s promises and shadows testifying to His Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.  When we cling to this Savior in faith to be our absolute righteousness, the Spirit continues to empower us to continue trusting in God’s promises.  After all, there are still further promises remaining to be fulfilled, including the return of Christ to consummate His reign as our King and though we may be uncertain with regard to the times and dates, we can bank on these promises with full assurance.

A Rant: The Importance of Both Heart and Mind

I think this short article from John Piper summarizes something that I’ve always felt a strong conviction about: Love for God cannot be reduced so that it is expressed exclusively in terms of either heart or mind.

I don’t believe that God is glorified for a second by the disciple who will only choose to indulge shallow feelings of love and affection that aren’t based on substantial Word-saturated truth.  I can generate emotive warmth artificially at the thought of a companion’s love for me or by listening to good music.  Or I can manufacture “passion” by surrounding myself with the company of supportive friends.  Far too often the church has skipped out on the hard work of mind-straining study of Scripture and theology in the name of avoiding intellectual presumptuousness.  Though a real problem (see below), frequently it’s just an excuse to veil intellectual laziness.  Ultimately that will manifest in dismissive suspicion of doctrine and theology in favor of trivial conversations misunderstood as “fellowship”.  It’s proven so when the church resorts to expediency and pragmatics; turning off lights and amplifying the music, all in an effort to making a more suitable environment to pour out superficial feelings to God.  If you aren’t growing in your understanding of the Scriptures and the Gospel it testifies to, the warmth of your heart will inevitably grow cold.

On the flip side, hard study of theology and the Bible that yields nothing but a frigid orthodoxy, wary of practice and obedience is myopic at best and at worst, an utter abomination to God.  The Lord detests pride in all forms but perhaps it is the arrogance of the mind that is barren in life that is the greatest affront to the God who exudes love, grace, compassion, and mercy.  If you’re not stirred up in your study with growing zeal for the lost, enlarged affections for Christ, and greater commitment to the church, then there’s a good chance the Holy Spirit is not involved in all your efforts to pore over tomes, manuscripts, periodicals, and lexicons.  That kind of heart produces “keyboard warriors” (a phrase coined by Ted Kluck in critiquing a certain kind of blogger) that are more committed to their doctrinal systems than they are to the kingdom of Christ.

Somewhere in the middle is the life of devotion that incorporates both heart and mind.  It is not an either-or issue.  These things are meant to be mutually compatible.

God has given us a mind to study Scripture and theology in order that our knowledge of Him might be deepened.  Let us then exert the mental energy required for the study of theology and Scripture to grasp the scope of biblical and redemptive history.

God has given us a heart so that we might engage in love and joy in the Christian life.  Let us then share the Good News of Christ’s perfect righteousness and sacrifice for the elect in word and in deed to our unbelieving neighbors and friends, be more deeply committed to prayer as an expression of true piety, and strengthen the church by the exercise of spiritual gifts.

Don’t put asunder what God has brought together.  Prayerful dependence on the Spirit and attentiveness to biblical guidance will ensure we don’t divorce the heart and the mind in our devotion to the Lord.