Proverbs 30:32-33

Choices. Research from Roberts Wesleyan University suggests that an adult makes about 35,000 conscious choices a day, while children only make about 3,000. Research from Cornell University estimates that we make 227 choices daily about food alone. If you get seven hours of sleep each night (during which you make no conscious choices), you then make about 2,000 conscious choices per hour for the remaining 17 hours of the day.

Leadership author and speaker John C. Maxwell says, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” My father said it more simply, “Life is a choice, and the choice is yours.” My father also wisely and frequently said, “Stop and think.” In other words, before you make an important choice, stop to think about it first.

That’s what Prov 30:32-33 teaches. It does by first asking two diagnostic questions, then by giving three perceptive observations. By asking these two diagnostic questions and making these three perceptive observations, you will be able to make better choices that honor God, especially social, relationship choices that affect other people.

A wise person examines the motives of his actions.

The first thing a wise person does when making choices, esp. key choices that affect other people, is ask questions about his own inner heart attitudes and motives. We describe this practice various ways, like being “self-aware” or practicing “self-reflection.”

Jesus himself, in the Sermon on the Mount, said that this practice should be a defining, special quality of his followers in his kingdom (Mt 7:5):

First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

It’s easy (or so we think) to see problems with the choices that other people make, but it’s hard to see problems with the choices we make ourselves. To help with this, Prov 30:31 gives us two diagnostic questions that we should ask ourselves when making choices that affect other people.

Am I exalting myself?

Have I been foolish in exalting myself?

The question here evaluates whether you have made a decision motivated by arrogance, pride, or a sense of self-importance. It describes a choice to “lift up” yourself over others, to make yourself the most important person in the conversation or situation at hand.

We do this when we try to prove ourselves to others or promote ourselves over others. Evidence of this motive shows when we dominate or interrupt conversations, when we take more credit than we deserve or fail to give others the credit they deserve, when we refuse to receive correction thoughtfully, or when we criticize others in ways that make us look better by comparison. This also occurs when we refuse to follow appropriate, God-given authorities or wise advice and guidance, or when we refuse to do small, humbling, uncomfortable, or difficult tasks because they get unnoticed or feel “beneath” us.

A special moment in the life of Jesus occurred the evening before his crucifixion, as he entered the Upper Room to observe the Passover meal with his disciples (Jn 13:1-20). For whatever reason, the host for that home offered no one to wash their feet, so Jesus decided to do it himself, washing the feet of his own followers.

Any of the disciples should have gladly offered to do this act of service, instead, but they didn’t because they believed it was below them. Why is it, for instance, that so many – if not all – menial household tasks fall to the wife and/or mother of the home? Everyone has a reason, but if Jesus were present, perhaps he would see things differently.

And this diagnostic question applies not just in acts of service but in expressing one’s opinion and supporting or pursuing various courses of action in a group (Phil 2:3-4):

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Imagine how much better a home, church, or workplace could be if all who claim to follow Christ examined themselves with this both before and even after making decisions. But there is a second question to ask, as well.

Am I planning evil towards anyone?

While the first diagnostic question examines one’s motives regarding themself, the second question examines one’s motives regarding others.

Have I devised evil?

The question here evaluates whether you have made a decision for the purpose of causing damage, frustration, or pain to another person.

We do this when we spread information to make someone else look bad, when we withhold helpful assistance or information to make someone’s job more difficult or less likely to succeed, when we intentionally exclude someone from a conversation or event who has a good reason to be involved, or when we refuse to forgive and pursue reconciliation and restoration in a relationship breakdown.

With motives and choices like these, our goal is not giving help, seeking restoration, or expressing love, but to make someone else suffer for selfish, evil reasons. We struggle to call our plans “evil,” even though that’s technically and truly what they are.

In Jn 13:1-20, when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in the Upper Room, he also displayed the opposite of this motive.

The devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him…

This is the very thing that Prov 30:32 warns against – planning evil against someone. Judas Iscariot was planning to betray Jesus to the Jewish religious leaders so that they might prosecute him in an unjust trial and crucify him. Jesus knew that Judas was planning evil against him, yet that’s the very moment when Jesus chose to take the towel to wash his disciples’ feet, including the feet of Judas.

This is amazing, right? How do you respond when someone plans evil against you, or at least you think that they are? Do you plot an equal and opposite course of action against them? Do you seek revenge? Jesus showed a better way. He took the path of humble service motivated by love, and this is how we should treat one another.

Imagine how much better a home, church, or workplace could be if all who claim to follow Christ examined themselves with this both before and even after making decisions.

If you have been foolish in making choices with these wrong motives – to exalt yourself or to plan evil towards other people – then Agur gives good advice: literally “hand to your mouth,” or as we might say, “put a hand over your mouth” and stop right now. In other words, stop before it gets any worse and don’t do or say those kind of things anymore.

Having considered these two diagnostic questions for ourselves, we should now turn our attention to a set of three perceptive observations that help us not only evaluate the motives of our choices but also the likely outcomes of our choices, too.

A wise person anticipates the results of his actions.

Before we make choices, we should evaluate the motives of our choices, but we should also consider the possible or likely results of our actions. Proverbs repeats the following similar advice two times previously (Prov 22:3; 27:12):

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.

Jesus himself taught this same wisdom to his followers (Lk 14:28-32):

Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

How many times have you been like the builder who didn’t count the cost of his tower before he built it or the king who didn’t consider whether he had enough troops to win before he started a war?

While this principle applies well to all sorts of decisions, it especially holds true in the choices we make within relationships. From these three examples Agur gives, we can learn to ask ourselves three questions before we make important choices about what we say and what we do, especially towards other people.

Will my actions yield good and positive results?

The churning of milk produces butter.

This first scenario is a positive one. The word churning here means “to twist or turn,” and it describes how people produce butter from milk. In some cultures, the process involves putting milk in a cloth or goatskin sack, then twisting the sack until butter pressed through. In other cultures, it involved churning and stirring milk vigorously until it solidified as butter.

Whatever the case, this statement reminds us that there is wisdom in plain sight, godly order and wisdom is there for us to gain if we will just pay attention to ordinary procedures around us in the world. When you turn or “churn” milk, you get butter. You don’t get candy, meat, gold, or a brand-new cow. You get – butter.

• When you plant corn seed, you get corn – not wheat, fruit trees, or pumpkins.
• When you put yeast into dough, it rises – it doesn’t shrink, change colors, or fly away.
• When you heat water it boils, it doesn’t freeze, change flavor, or turn into Maple syrup.

Paul emphasized this reality to the church (Gal 6:7-9)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

He emphasizes that if we make good choices, we will reap good results. We need to be reminded of this, because sometimes the good results take a while to grow, but they do and they will grow. When you do good, good will come of it eventually.

But what about the next two observations that Agur makes?

Will my actions yield negative results?

Wringing the nose produces blood.

This describes exactly what it sounds like, and it uses the same word that the first example uses – the word twist. So, when you turn milk it, butter comes out, but when you turn a person’s nose, blood comes out. This is an unpleasant example, but it’s just as true and predictable as getting butter from milk. The next and third example is equally true.

The forcing of wrath produces strife.

What’s fascinating, here, is that this third example also uses the same word for twist as the first two. It describes “twisting” or “stirring up” wrath and it describes a case in which a person you say or do something to a person who is already angry or upset which will stir up their anger even more.

To describe this kind of warning today, we say things like, “don’t poke the bear,” or, “don’t stir the pot,” or, “don’t pour gas on the fire,” or, “don’t push his/her buttons.”

The word strife here means something of an escalated nature, such as a public dispute or quarrel or a lawsuit. The idea is that if you know someone is already angry or upset, be aware that if you say or do anything to further agitate or anger them, you may end up with a bloody nose yourself or worse yet, a lawsuit.

So many arguments are predictable, if you’re willing to think about them beforehand. You can tell that a person is angry or upset, but you go ahead and say or do something that only angers or frustrates them even more. Then, after their anger escalates, you act innocent or surprised as though you had no clue that they were angry or that your input was poorly timed or poorly worded.

We need to acknowledge and admit that the consequences of our actions, though often unpredictable in a certain sense, especially in the details, are often more predictable than we may first believe. If we are willing to stop and think about our own motives first and then make basic observations about how life and relationships normally work, we can often predict with a great degree of probability what will happen.

Then, armed with this self-awareness and basic, perceptive observation, we can decide whether to “put a hand to our mouth” and not proceed, or else to proceed anyway. And this leads me to our final question and point of the sermon.

If yes, should I change course or proceed anyway?

We need to ask ourselves a basic question which may easily and often be overlooked. If I know that twisting someone’s nose will cause blood to come out, should I automatically assume that it is always wrong to twist someone’s nose?

And if I know that agitating and already angry person will only make them angrier and make my own problems more public and painful, then should I automatically assume that it is always wrong to add frustration to a person’s pre-existing anger?

Here, the answer should be no. We should note that Agur does not say that doing these things is automatically or inherently wrong. He only tells us what the probable outcome will be if we make certain choices. And those probable outcomes are not necessarily wrong, though they are clearly painful and uncomfortable for sure.

To determine whether you should make a choice or perform an action that has a guaranteed or high probability of negative or painful response or outcome, you should first evaluate your motives. If this were a flowchart, you would draw an arrow from verse 33 back to verse 32. You would need to ask whether you are making the choice for selfish motives (to exalt yourself) and/or to plan evil towards another person.

In earlier verses in Proverbs, examples of stirring up strife (agitating an already-angry person) give us some good examples of both situations:

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (Prov 10:12)

Hatred describes an attitude, feeling, or motive that views another person as being of low value to you and that views yourself as better, higher, and more important than the other person. When this is your attitude or motive, doing anything which would stir up more anger should be viewed very suspiciously and is probably not a good choice to make.

An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression. (Prov 29:22)

Anger here describes an attitude, feeling, or motive that believes the other angry person deserves justice, even (and often esp.) when the person about to make a choice to stir up another person’s anger has an inaccurate or incomplete view of the other person’s situation and – as is often the case – when the initiating person is unwilling to trust God with their offense, believing that they must take matters into their own hands.

If either of these attitudes or motives are at play in your heart, then you should do what Prov 30:32 says and “put your hand over your mouth” and not make that choice.

But there are cases when we should say or do something even though we know there is a guaranteed or highly probably chance that the outcome will be difficult or painful, either for you, for the other person, or for both of you.

• Moses confronted Pharoah ten times, even though many of those times Pharoah was angry with him already, and he only became angrier.
• Numerous Old Testament prophets spoke truth to kings who were upset with them, knowing that doing so would only stir up their anger more.
• Jesus confronted the Pharisees numerous times, knowing full well that they already resented him and were angry with him.
• Stephen confronted the Pharisees weeks after the crucifixion, knowing they were already angered about the message and resurrection of Jesus.

If the possibility of injuring or further angering another person is high, but your reasons for speaking or acting towards them are motivated by a desire to lift them up (not lift yourself up) and by a desire to plan good for them (and not plan evil towards them), then you may be facing a situation in which “twisting the nose will draw blood” or “stirring up an angry person will bring a lawsuit,” but doing so is still the good and loving thing to do. As Prov 27:5-6 says:

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Here, we see that a wise person understands the value of saying and doing things that may cause increased difficult, discomfort, pushback, opposition, and pain are, indeed, the best, right, or wisest course of action even though the immediate outcome will likely be painful, either to the person speaking or doing the thing, the person receiving it, or both.

What we learn from Prov 30:32-32 is not that negative consequences and outcomes are automatically the wrong course of action. Instead, what we learn is that we should be aware of the guaranteed or likely outcome of our course of action beforehand and should not speak or act impulsively without thinking about it first.

So, from these proverbs, we can learn several things:

• If you are about to make (or have already made) a choice (in word or deed) that is motivated by exalting yourself or planning evil towards someone, you should stop immediately and either not do it at all or stop doing it anymore.
• If you are about to make a choice, you should also consider the possible and likely outcomes of your choice before you make it so that you are not surprised by what happens afterwards.

A good practice I recommend to you, then, is this.

• Before you make choices about important conversations and decisions in your life, pause beforehand to prayerfully evaluate your motives. Is what I’m about to say or do motivated by godly love for the other person (answer in good conscience)?
• Once that’s been evaluated, if moving forward still seems like a good and loving thing to do, then carefully evaluate the possible outcomes. How might the other person respond to what you may say or do towards them? Might they respond well? Might they respond poorly? Might things seem to get worse, either for them or for you or for both of you? Once you have mapped out the possibilities and likely responses, then ask whether you should change course or proceed anyway. If proceed anyway is the conclusion, then depend on God’s grace to accept whatever results occur, even if they are difficult, knowing that you are acting and speaking in love for God and for them.

In Isaiah 50:6-7, Isaiah tells us how Jesus would respond to his mission of speaking the truth to the people of Israel, and to the painful results of injustice, mistreatment, and crucifixion which would follow:

I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. The Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.

The NT gospels quote from these verses multiple times to describe how Jesus felt and what he experienced in his mission to bring God’s love to the world and to save his people from sin. The things Jesus would say and do along the way, especially in his final Passion Week before the cross, showed that he not only spoke and acted without selfish motives and without evil plans for other people, but that he was able and willing to make choices that would result in negative, more difficult and painful outcomes both for others and for him. As a result of his words and actions, many angry people became more angry, but he was willing to accept that as a necessary outcome of what he needed to say in love.

He was also ready for more than his own nose to be twisted – he was prepared for his entire reputation, body, and life to be beaten, tortured, and destroyed to the point of death. He did not walk into these situations mindlessly. He had accounted for these outcomes already beforehand and went forward anyway.

We should do the same. Know what speaking the truth in love and showing Christlike love may bring about as people respond to us in negative ways at times and as our words and actions may bring about conviction, shame, and even greater frustration and anger as a result. We must not do these things flippantly, should evaluate our own hearts prayerfully first, but then speak and act for Christ in love no matter the cost.

As we reflect on the suffering and death of Christ for our sins today, may we do so with deep appreciation for his willingness to accept negative, painful, adverse outcomes and experiences both for us and for himself so that we could be freed from our sins and be able to live out the wisdom we read in his Word no matter how difficult and at any cost.

Examine your motives. Consider the consequences. Then do right for Christ’s sake, no matter what. Let’s pray.

Proverbs 30:29-31

Many people struggle with bad posture, like chronic slouching, due to a variety of factors. These include bad desk setup, frequently looking down at a phone, unhelpful shoes, favoring one side of the body, lack of exercise, and staying still too long. Bad posture may also be caused by chronic pain, weight challenges, and joint problems.

Health and medical experts tell us that good posture matters as it fosters better breathing habits, less physical pain, and optimal blood circulation. Perhaps you’ve heard the advice, “Lift with your legs, not with your back.” Following this advice when lifting heavy things can make the difference between getting or recovering from a serious spine injury or not.

Good posture also matters for social reasons, because good posture communicates confidence and seriousness, which in turn encourages people to treat you with respect and enables you to speak more effectively. It can even affect whether or not you have a successful job interview, receive a promotion, or get a date with a serious person.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, advice for good posture includes keeping your head above your shoulders, your shoulders above your hips, and your lower body in a stable position. Remarkably, in Prov 30:29-31, Agur reflects on the value of posture and poise.

Posture refers to a person’s physical position. A person can have good or bad posture, sitting or standing in a healthy position or sitting or standing in an unhealthy position.

Poise is similar but emphasizes good posture, and not just good posture, but a good attitude and demeanor. It refers to someone whose posture projects confidence, peacefulness, and grace. A ballet dancer exhibits poise, and so does a gymnast, or a soldier in a military march, or a graduate who approaches the commencement podium to give a valedictorian’s keynote speech.

Agur thought about posture and poise by observing the behavior of three animals and one person. To him, this person and three animals were good examples of poise, and thinking about them reminds us that it is important to walk with dignity and confidence.

As we reflect on this proverb today, we should ask ourselves some questions. How do I respond to people who exhibit confidence in their demeanor, posture, and stride? Also, does my demeanor and posture exhibit confidence or insecurity? If insecurity, is that an accurate reflection of your true heart condition and how can your confidence improve?

We admire the poise of confident animals.

As Agur reminds us, it is important to walk with dignity and confidence in our lives. We know this by how we feel when we see animals behaving and walking with confidence in the natural world. Consider the three examples that Agur gives us.

“A lion which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any.”

Agur first mentions a lion, which is probably one of the first – if not the first – animal which comes to mind when you’re asked to mention a confident, powerful animal. That seems to be what Agur is doing here. He highlights how an lion is stronger and more powerful than other land animals. He also highlights how its exceptional strength emboldens it to hunt down or stand its ground against any other animal which may come its way.

We are familiar with how a lion walks, with steady, deliberate steps and muscular strides. It’s impressive to see in a nature documentary, and even more so in person. I’ve seen lions walking around in zoos (Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Bronx, and Omaha – to name a few). I’ve also observed them up close both in an enclosed lion park and also on the open range in Kruger National Park, both in South Africa.

Lions are considered an “apex predator,” which means they are at the top level of their animal ecosystem and have no natural predators which hunt them for food, and they hunt other large animals which many other animals would not attempt to do. By the calm, confident, observant way a lion walks, it seems they know their top-tier status.

“A greyhound”

This animal, unlike the lion, is not an easy Hebrew word to translate. It can mean various things, from rooster, to greyhound, to hunting dog, to warhorse. Whichever it may refer to, the root meaning seems to have something to do with being “girded up.”

Whether that’s how a horse is saddled up for battle, a rooster sucks in its stomach to crow and prance around, a greyhound postures itself for running fast, or a hunting dog postures itself to track down an animal, this word describes an animal that is confident and prepared for action – whether that action is battle, a race, or defending the henhouse.

So, from these first two animals, we see that their poise reflects confidence that comes from strength (the lion) and confidence that comes from being prepared (a rooster, greyhound, or warhorse.) Agur adds one more animal to his meditation on poise.

“A male goat, also.”

This refers to a buck goat, which is a fully mature male goat, or else a billy goat, which is a younger but mature male goat. Agur envisions a mature male goat who takes responsibility for a heard of goats, which include younger males, females, and children.

If mature, such a goat has both experience and strength to give him confidence. If young, such a goad has enthusiasm and energy to replace the wisdom that he lacks. But in either case, this male goat takes responsibility for the herd. He does this because he knows it is his responsibility to do so.

The younger billy goat knows this is his destiny and aspires to take charge, while the older goat knows it is his responsibility and, in fact, is often the breeding goat for the female goats and is therefore the father of many if not all of the younger goats in the heard.

As the alpha goat, this goat stands tall, alert, and ready while the rest of the flock grazes, rests, and plays in the field beside him. As Max Anders explains:

“The he-goat at the head of a flock of goats puts on an aggressive front intended to show any rivals that he is in charge.”

This kind of goat stands tall as he stands watch, alert and attentive to the landscape around him, walking steady and tall, ready to charge, intimidate, or fight off any other male goats or predators which may try to threaten them. In cases of a threat, he may even engage in an impressive head-butting display to drive the threat away.

From these three animals Agur mentions, we see how being confident, being prepared, and being responsible has a direct link to how we walk, determining whether we carry ourselves in an insecure, hesitant manner or with calm confidence and poise.

We also admire the poise of confident people.

Agur makes this connection in his next, fourth observation by shifting his focus to a person who walks with confidence and poise – and in this case, not just any person, but a specific kind of person in a specific situation.

“And a king whose troops are with him.”

Agur draws attention to a king. This is the word for king or ruler and refers to a powerful person who holds a position of government and/or military authority and responsibility.

But Agur draws attention not only to this kind of person but to this kind of person in a specific situation, “whose troops are with him.” This phrase may be more directly translated as, “against whom there is no rising up.”

This seems to describe a king who is firmly established in his position – one who has the full backing of his military generals and armies and who has no serious threats to the throne. It describes a king who has the support of his military and the favor of the people he governs. Such a man walks with confidence and poise. He is confident in what he does, prepared for whatever he may need to do, and takes responsibility for defending and providing for his people.

History provides us with examples of both insecure and confident kings. King Saul, for instance, was an insecure king who hid when he was being chosen, hesitated to make hard decisions, and lived in a constant state of anxiety, depression, and fear. When the future King David arrived on the scene, Saul was hiding in his tent as the giant Goliath threatened his people, but David marched out to fight Goliath with confidence.

An insecure king walks as though every person is a threat; a confident king walks as one who knows his place, accepts his responsibility, and rests in the strength behind him. Such a leader inspires confidence in the people he leads, but an insecure king does not. A weak and insecure king encourages uncertainty and revolution, instead.

J.R. Tolkien tells the fictional story of Theoden, King of Rohan, once known in his younger years for his bravery, horsemanship, and leadership. As years wore on, he became an increasingly insecure person who was disconnected from his people and unable to defend his people from the enemies who sacked their towns and waged war against them.

Agur envisions the kind of brave, courageous king that the Theoden had once been, not the weak, insecure ruler he eventually became. He envisions the kind of king who walks with confidence, dignity, and poise because he is confident, prepared, and takes responsibility for his role of caring for and protecting his people.

We should not confuse arrogance with confidence.

As we reflect on Agur’s observations about poise, we should take a moment to distinguish between arrogance and confidence. Arrogance is when a person walks with confidence but for the wrong reasons. This is a person who thinks too highly of themselves and who claims positions and privileges which do not rightfully belong to them.

When an arrogant person walks with confidence, we may call them cocky, conceited, presumptuous, and smug. When athletes or politicians behave this way – or anyone for that matter – behaves this way, we generally find such people unattractive.

But today, I would like to draw your attention to another, more subtle but equally, if not more, harmful problem. This problem is when people, or society, wrongly confuse confidence as arrogance. To illustrate this problem, I will give you two examples of how we experience this today: (1) when we promote passive, weak men as role models and (2) when we believe that sharing Christian beliefs confidently is unloving and rude.

First, when we promote passive, weak men as role models, we discourage men from taking responsibility, taking risks, and leading. When we do this, we encourage men to say yes and never no, to appease people and never offend them, and to carry themselves in a hesitant, cautious, apologetic way.

We do this whenever we confuse humility with passivity, gentleness with weakness, and conviction with arrogance. When that happens, men learn to shrink back rather than step forward, to appease rather than lead, to avoid responsibility rather than embrace it.

When men, young or old, take risks for right reasons, attempt to do hard things with wisdom, and try to say hard things with courage, rather than surround them with criticism, we should surround them with encouragement and support. A king walks with confidence when his troops surround him in support, but not when they surround him in defiance.

Second, when we believe that sharing Christian beliefs confidently is unloving and rude, we confuse confidence with arrogance. This happens when we believe that being “nice” is the greatest virtue. This happens when we believe that “to not speak the truth” is love rather than choosing to “speak the truth in love” even if doing so makes enemies.

Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ (Eph 4:15)

Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? (Gal 4:16)

While being rude and obnoxious is unloving, choosing to be “nice” over speaking the truth when truth is needed is equally unloving, if not more so. We live not only in a community but in a country where people increasingly perceive anyone who speaks with conviction about moral principles from a biblical, godly perspective is considered intolerant and prejudiced. And where people believe that being dogmatic is being proud and unloving.

As followers of Christ, we must recover our confidence, embrace our conviction, and remind one another that it is not arrogant or rude to walk with dignity and poise, to speak the truth, and to do what is right.

In 1961, President Kennedy gave a speech that included the famous line, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” This quote did not originate with him but from a Baptist pastor, Charles Frederic Aked, who was born in England and eventually moved to America, mid-1800s into early 1900s. The full quote is as follows:

“The people in the liquor traffic,” said the speaker, “simply want us to do nothing. That’s all the devil wants of the son of God—to be let alone. That is all that the criminal wants of the law—to be let alone. The sin of doing nothing is the deadliest of all the seven sins. It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing.”

Today, as much as ever, if not more, we need followers of Christ to walk with confidence and poise, ready to speak and act for biblical, godly values and for the gospel message itself, even when doing so is considered by the majority to be arrogant, intolerant, and mean – even though it is not.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Rom 1:16)

From this, we see that it is important to walk with confidence and poise as followers of Christ, and that as believers in him, we should walk with confidence – in the Lord.

We should walk with confidence – in the Lord.

From the OT to the New, Scripture gives clear examples of God encouraging his people to follow him, serve him, and lead with confidence and courage. To Joshua, God said:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Josh 1:9)

And to believers in the church at Ephesus and today, he said:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Eph 6:10)

Then he goes on to say:

Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph 6:13)

We are living in an “evil day,” but we should not hesitate to stand and walk with confidence in the Lord. That is why Christ left us with these confidence-boosting words:

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mt 28:18-20)

Christ gives us the responsibility about which we must be confident, for which we must be prepared, and for which we must take responsibility. That is teaching people the truth about Jesus and calling them to be baptized (which itself takes confidence and courage).

But notice two things here. First, we do these things with Christ’s own authority, and he promises that he himself will be with us as we do this for him. Does this remind you, at all, of the king who walks with confidence because his troops are with him?

In 2 Kgs 6:8-23, Elisha the prophet served Israel for God during a period in which the Syrian were bullying and raiding Israel. He did this by repeatedly warning Israel’s king of when and where the Syrians were going to attack. By doing this, the Israelites were able to thwart each attack before they happened.

So, the king of Syria sent a large army to capture him in Dothan. When Elisha’s servant saw the Syrian forces surrounding the city by the thousands (called a “great army,” 2 Kgs 6:14), he was terrified, but Elisha reassured him:

“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

After this, God opened the servant’s eyes so he could see an army of uncountable heavenly horses and chariots of fire in the mountains surrounding them, assuring him that no matter how large and threatening Syria’s armies might be outside the city, God’s heavenly armies were greater.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them. (Psa 34:7)

For us today, though, we should not only be inspired to walk with confidence because God’s heavenly troops are with us but because our King himself is with us. The angel of the Lord himself surrounds us and Jesus Christ, who is the angel of the Lord, is with us when we speak and act towards others for the spread of the gospel, helping people take their next steps in following him, even when doing so is considered arrogant, intolerant, unloving and not nice.

As followers of Christ, we should walk with dignity and poise, speaking and living with calm confidence and courage and not be insecure about it. This is our mission.

Remember Theoden, King of Rohan, who I mentioned earlier? Though he had become a weak, insecure, and disconnected leader, he was restored to confidence and courage in the end and led his people to a final, difficult, but victorious battle – the infamous fictional battle of Helm’s Deep. In his eulogy, it was said:

“He was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”

Today, if you find yourself living in the shadows of passivity, weakness, insecurity, and fear – perhaps under the banner of being nice – let me encourage you to rise out of the shadows to be part of a bright, fair morning.

May you be like a lion who is confident, a greyhound who is prepared, like a goat who takes responsibility, and like a king whose troops support and surround him. You may still walk with calm, confident, courage that comes from Christ, knowing that our King is with you. And may we encourage and support those who walk with confidence among us, even when our culture does the opposite.

Walk with dignity, stand with confidence, speak with conviction, for Christ is with you. Let that change how you walk into every room, face every moment, and speak to every person.

Discussion Questions

• Do you tend to be someone with poise, or not? Why?
• How can we distinguish between righteous confidence and selfish arrogance?
• Based on Ephesians 4:15, how can we objectively tell if we are avoiding a difficult conversation out of a cowardly desire to be "nice"?
• What is a specific way you can actively support and encourage someone in our church family like a king with his troops?
• What are some ways that we might hinder our confidence, especially spiritually?
  • How can we remove these hindrances to our confidence?
• What should our greatest source of confidence be?
  • How can we develop that confidence further?

Introduction
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

Many of Aesop’s fables may as well have been written in Proverbs 30. In fact, the ants and their diligence to work now for their needs later seems to likely have been influenced by Augur’s proverbs.

Last week’s section of four proverbs showed us the wisdom of wonder. This section of four proverbs will shed some more light on wisdom for us by giving us practical examples like that of the ant.

The first thing we can notice is that Augur contrasts the small size of these four things with their great wisdom. I think we understand size, but let’s make sure we are all on the same page when we use the word wisdom.

Wisdom skillfully lives out God's truth.
Wisdom is the primary theme in the book of Proverbs. In every chapter, wisdom is the goal. If you want to understand how to be wise in the course of your daily life, then I would tell you read quite a bit of Proverbs. The book addresses money, work, marriage, parenting, friends, government, leadership, speech, and so much more. I cannot think of an ethical topic that Proverbs does not address.

Wisdom is not easily summarized in a definition, and it would be better just to read this book a chapter at a time to understand what wisdom is. In fact, you may or may not realize that our culture uses the biblical proverbs without even recognizing it.

• Spare the rod and spoil the child Proverbs 13:24
• Pride goes before a fall Proverbs 16:18
• Like a dog to vomit Proverbs 26:11
• As iron sharpens iron Proverbs 27:17

Even more than that, we can rightly say that all wisdom comes from God.

“Nay, but let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master.” Augustine

“All truth is from God; and consequently, if wicked men have said anything that is true and just, we ought not to reject it; for it has come from God.” Calvin

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Proverbs 1:7

God is the source of wisdom, and so to know wisdom, we must know God’s truth.

What is the ant doing? He is learning a lesson from the story of Joseph in Genesis 41, who told Pharoah to store food away during a time of prosperity for the upcoming time of famine. Augur’s rock badger could have learned from David when he fled from King Saul in the caves in the rocky area around En Gedi. You see my point.

These lessons may have come by experience, but that experience only helps if God somehow reveals his light to us. Even if we have no contact with the scriptures, and manage to piece a puzzle of wisdom together, it is because God has revealed himself to us in creation.

So wisdom is based on understanding God’s truth that is also skillfully applied to our lives.
So let’s say, you are relatively young, and have limited resources financially. You need to buy a car.

So buy cheap and save money? We have already seen the value of saving from the ant. There are other texts we could use. So we could buy the cheapest thing that  will get decent gas mileage and doesn’t have any obvious issues because we want to save money for the future.

But the Bible also says:
Proverbs 14:4: "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests."

So which one? Do we save now or spend now to save later?

Well, I’m sure there are other factors we could consider. Maybe other principles in the Bible would help us. Regardless, wisdom takes skill.

And we see this in each of Augur’s examples of wisdom. It isn’t always obvious when to store up or set yourself up for the future, or when to cooperate with others like the locust or to opportunistic like the spider.

It takes knowing God’s Word, and practice at skillfully applying it.
So what are the ways in which these little things are using God’s truth in their situations. I think there is a commonality to their wisdom.

Wisdom overcomes disadvantages.
Each one of these little things is (metaphorically) understanding their limitations and the ones of their environments and skillfully overcomes these limitations.

According to Augur, this is a core part of what it means to truly be wise. Do we have limitations? Yes! How can we overcome the disadvantages in our lives?

Well, the first thing I want to note is that Augur is true to his personal theme which we have noticed in multiple sections of Proverbs 30. He is humble. Who is he really talking about when he says “little?” Himself. Us! In order to overcome disadvantages, we need the humility to recognize, I have disadvantages, maybe even ones to do with who and what I am! And also, I need help with them! I need someone else (God) to tell me how to overcome them!

Humility is essential for wisdom. As we read earlier, “Fools (the opposite of a wise person) despise wisdom and instruction.” If these little things saw themselves as big dogs, they could not be exceedingly wise. We can be exceedingly wise if we recognize how small we are.

So what do little things do to overcome disadvantages?

By working ahead
This is a theme throughout Proverbs. The most obvious cross-reference would be:
Proverbs 6:6–8 “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.”

And we have already noted the narrative example of Joseph.

Wisdom recognizes that we do not know the future, only God does. So, often, it is a good thing to work while we have time to do so. We should not presume upon tomorrow. To do so would be to assume that we are more durable and less expendable than we really are. Wisdom acknowledges the limitation that I won’t always be as able to work as I am today so I should prepare for that time now.

By compensating for weaknesses
The rock badger, or coney, is a small mammal that looks like a mousier ground hog. Augur’s rock badger hides in crevices between rocks for self-defense. On its own, it stands no chance against predators, but by contrast, the predators have no chance of breaking these rocks to get to the rock badger prey.

What are your weaknesses? We can only compensate for weaknesses if we are aware of them.

A few weeks ago we looked at Augur’s admission of personal weakness to temptation. The Bible’s advice for those facing temptation is to avoid temptation.
This verse also has implications for personal self-defense. It is wise to plan for that.

By cooperating with others
Cooperating with others requires that we recognize that we need others.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

There are about 50 “one another” commands. And the vast majority are supposed to be done in the church.

By this shall all  know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

We can do more together, and we must do more together. It is wise to partner with other people.

 By acting in self-interest
The spider is perhaps the most peculiar of the little things on this list. What does a spider up high near the ceiling line of the palace have to do with wisdom?

Should we all become Spiderman and crawl up the wall to hide in fancy places?
No, this spider uses his natural abilities skillfully to get into prestigious places. Spiders do not belong in palaces because they are prestigious places. They are small and they are pests.

Some of you might see lizards in your translation. Hebrew can be tricky like that. The meaning is the same regardless. Wisdom means sometimes using what God has given you in audacious ways to be in positions that you do not normally belong in.

Jesus put it this way: And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. Luke 16:9
Now, you might say, Pastor Will, you have beaten the humility horse to death in Proverbs 30. How can you say that now, we are supposed to be self-interest. That doesn’t sound very Christian or Christ-like!

Do you think that Joseph became 2nd in command of the global power of his time without doing something that could be described as “self-interested?” How about Daniel who advised some of the most powerful men in history?

Sometimes the most God-glorifying thing you can do is to be shrewd for the kingdom of God! And that means doing something that might advance yourself! You might end up in a palace.

It almost should go without saying, but of course, we are not talking about selfish promotion for its own sake. That truly is sinful. But don’t be afraid to be audacious for God’s purposes.
Put in for the promotion at work. Start that business. Work hard, take some careful risks, and thank God. As a church, it’s not wrong to use money to make money if it does not hinder, but helps us in helping people take their next steps in following Christ.

That is our ultimate goal because…

Wisdom depends upon Christ above all.
Augur asks us to see ourselves as small, and that becomes a lot easier when we understand what God says about what we truly are. Our greatest disadvantage is a self-inflicted one.

Our sin. And there is no way that we can overcome this disadvantage.
The humility that Augur demonstrates, to admit our own smallness, is necessary to be wise in the responsibilities God has given to us, but most of all we must be humble to admit our spiritual poverty.

As Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3
So my friend, how do you see yourself? Are you “little?” Do you need help? Even more, do you see yourself as spiritually poor? Unable to please God with your own performance?
So the wise person depends upon Jesus. They understand they need to be saved from their own sinfulness and perversion. God made us to be wise in his own image, but each of us has rejected him and rebelled against him.

We were made to be big like him, but decided instead to be small. And now, in order for us to be the way we were meant to be, we must admit how small we truly are, and we can be made wise in Christ. The ultimate wisdom says, Jesus I need you.

How wise would you think your colleague to be if they refused to ask for help on a task they haven’t been trained for? How wise is the CEO who asks for help on the manufacturing floor because he hasn’t done it before?

Friend, God sent his Son to do what we could not. The only way to overcome our own spiritual weakness is by trusting in what he did for us, not by trying to figure it out in our smallness.

Conclusion
In closing, I want to read another of Aesop’s fables for you.

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank to the hub in a rut.

The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid. Then, it is said, Hercules really did appear, saying:
"Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself."

And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned.

There is wisdom in this story. But even more so, it shows a stark contrast. Hercules comes down to say, help yourself. God the Son comes down to say, “Let me help you.” Those of you who have not believed on Christ, will you turn from sin and trust him today?

My brothers and sisters who have, dedicate yourselves to living out God’s truth. Learn the Bible, and start practicing it in your life.

Discussion Questions

• Rock badgers use the natural protection of crevices in rock to hide from predators. What are some “workarounds” or “life hacks” you use, even in everyday life.
• What are some biblical principles of wisdom that have helped you?
• What is the difference between a situation with a clear-cut choice between right and wrong, and one that requires wisdom?
  • What are some ways we can become more skillful at applying biblical principles in complex situations?
• How can Brookdale be more like the locusts in cooperating with one another?
  • In what ways might it require humility to cooperate like that?

Introduction
Part of me saw value and changing the topic of the sermon this morning too this. Many of you may not be able to see it so here it is on the screen. if we will talk about wonder this morning, our discussion is as much about things like the Grand Canyon as it is about things like a blade of grass.

“To us also through every star, through every blade of grass, is not a God made visible if we will open our minds and eyes?” Thomas Carlyle

Of all of Augur's interesting proverbs in proverbs chapter 30, I personally think this may be one of the fuzziest ones in the text. God's word clearly communicates everything he wants us to know, but sometimes certain texts take more work than others to come into focus. Most of us are very used to our cameras, bringing pictures into focus on their own. However, it used to be that the photographer. Had to work to bring the objects in the frame into proper focus.

This morning, we will make some conclusions by meditating on this text together. As we work to bring its meaning into focus, we will see how wonder itself brings a lot of reality into focus.

God’s creation is wonder-full.
“There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.”  Prov 30:18-19
An eagle in the air. Serpent on a rock. Ship in the ocean. A man with a woman.

This list seems a little random. Yes, some have some majesty, but a serpent on a rock. Even an eagle, for someone in the ancient east, would have been less impressive than it is for us. Americans love the eagles. Did you know that eagles don’t sound the way we think they do? They actually are very raspy and weak sounding.

What Augur is doing is marveling at the blade of grass. He acknowledging that we have something to learn by observing all of God’s creation. Yes, the heavens declare the glory of God. But so does the dirt.

Are you willing to stoop down and see it? Will you take time to marvel “at the blade of grass?”

A question you may have like I did, when studying this passage is this: ‘ok. So Augur is wondering at even some ordinary things. Why does he list those things? Is there a common thread between them?”

Well, there are many theories about what exactly that common thread is. Regardless of where we land on which is the best, we can say this: Isn’t a little mystery a little bit of the point? Perhaps God clearly explains what we must know at times, leaving what we want to know a little more unclear? Even the character of the text itself, I believe, teaches us some lessons which we will expound upon throughout the rest of the sermon.

What seems to be the common thread between the eagle, the snake, the ship, and the couple? Each seem to have a sense of movement, and defy simple explanation. There is an air of mystery in what they do. We must clarify that we are not necessarily talking about the objects themselves, but their WAYS. “They way of…”

This is especially important when we remember, that there is a fifth one. Like a credits scene in a movie or an epilogue. Pastor Thomas has actually already covered this one in a separate message because it has a distinct meaning from the list. But I believe that its meaning, which is more easily discerned is a clue to the more difficult one of our passage.
“So is the way…” Connects the fifth to the rest. If we understand what Augur means by the way of the adulterous woman, we might understand what he is referring to about the way of our four mysterious objects.

Just as the adulterous woman so carelessly wipes away the apparent consequences of her sin, so too do these things leave no trace. This seems to be the best way to explain the mystery of our four wonderful things. As the eagle, the snake, and the ship move, any evidence that they were ever there vanishes. There is a gliding, almost effortless quality.
Now, I want to be reverent here, but there is such a physical quality to the way of a man with a woman. The text is being specific here when referring to the way of a man with a woman. This is further clarified by the contrast with the adulterous woman and the imagery in the passage.

Throughout chapter 30, we see the humility of Augur. He looks upon these ordinary things in life, which to us might seem mundane, and finds lessons to be learned. There is much we can learn from him.

Don’t let explanation replace wonder.
The Scripture are replete with people using metaphor and analogy to illustrate spiritual truths. You very well may be aware of this, but that does not happen on accident!
Jesus

“Look at the birds of the air...”
Matt 6:26
“Consider the lilies of the field...”
Matt 6:28
Solomon
“Go to the ant...”
Prov 6:6

Paul Galatians and 1 Cor agriculture. (seeds, planting, watering, sowing, reaping)
It takes time to think, not just about spiritual life, but also material life. It is a good thing to slow down, and think about not very much. Do you have times when you do that?
We think that we always need to be listening to something. Podcasts, music, radio. None of them are bad. And some of them help us to think deeply and learn new things! But there ought to be some time in which each of us can slow down, stop consuming, and enjoy God’s creation.

A constant drive to fill our time with passive thinking (like listening, watching, consuming) actually results in a stunted ability to think deeply. The pursuit of knowledge can crowd out our ability to wonder.

We live in a hyper-materialistic culture that seeks to explain all of life down to the smallest particle. We have molecules, atoms, and quarks. I think something comes after that but I am not sure what it is. We want to be able to Google/AI search every illness, every condition, every question, anything and find the answer. And  when “the science” gives us the answer, now there is no question. We have reached ultimate certainty on the matter and it cannot be questioned.

Beyond, the self-contradiction of the scientific method that this way of thinking presents, even more, this perspective has lost the ability to wonder at God’s creation. Our sense of certainty in explaining everything replaces wonder in our lives.

CS Lewis observed this problem decades ago:
“But you cannot go on ‘explaining away’ for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to ‘see through’ first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To ‘see through’ all things is the same as not to see.” CS Lewis

My friend, it is a good thing to stop and marvel that something is just plain cool. Maybe, some investigation is appropriate. That might help us to marvel a little bit more. But sometimes, it’s good to look at your family and stop psycho-analyzing. Just admit your wife and kids are beautiful. Or sit and thank God for the beauty of your lawn, or the craftsmanship of your well-made furniture. Stop consuming, and just think.

All of it is part of God’s marvelous plan for his creation and therefore can be fully enjoyed and appreciated without fully comprehending it. Allen P. Ross (on this passage)
Why do I say that wonder is such a good thing?

Wonder induces worship.
From a Christian perspective, enjoying the common things of life point us back to God. Well, who gave us the wife and kids? The lawn? The intricate furniture? Ultimately, God did. He provided for them. He sovereignly worked in our lives to bring them to us. Wonder should resolve in a look toward God. There are four worshipful response to wonder I’d like to show you this morning.

Be humble.
Wonder causes us to be humble because we recognize that even small things are worth our time. I am not above a blade of grass and thinking about it for a few minutes. Often, I think that my time is so valuable that I should fill it with something more meaningful. On some level, this isn’t even a matter of humility, but of true understanding. Wonder actually is very meaningful, but pride often distorts reality.

Augur’s proverbs reverberate over and over again with the importance of true humility. This humility is not self-referential, but instead active. Rather than groveling, Augur uses his view of himself and of God to inform his choices and his perspective on all of life.

As he says, wonder has an aspect of admitting, I do not fully grasp this thing! It is amazing!
Here is a test-case for us: do you really understand the blade of grass? Well, I cut thousands of them all the time! (Not so much this summer) They are nothing. What is a blade of grass compared to me? For me, it is a good thing to stop, recognize I don’t know everything about this ordinary thing.

In other words, I stop being the god of my world for a moment. That is really good for us.

Enjoy creation.
It is only when we regularly see the difference between us and God that we can truly enjoy God’s creation as a blessing from him. Yes, it is an object of study. And that is part of enjoyment! But it is so much more than that.

 “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.” Ecclesiastes 5:18

 “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.”Ecclesiastes 3:12–13

It is such a good thing to savor a meal. Every once in a while, eat the nicest meal you can while still being fiscally responsible. That might be a well-cooked chicken. And slow down. And savor it.

Play a game with your loved ones and laugh. Don’t feel the need to critically analyze what is truly funny. There is so much we can learn from doing this.
Take a walk outside and look up! Or down, past your phone. See the magnificence in the mundane!

Praise and thank God.
If we look for wonder in normal things, we have so many more opportunities to praise and thank God. It becomes a core part of our lives. If we do this with normal things, praising and thanking the Lord becomes a lot more normal. I encourage you to keep a gratitude journal. Writing is thinking, and keeping a daily journal of thanking God for things helps us to think a little more about the less obvious blessings God gives to us.

Trust and obey God’s Word.
This posture of humility leads to dependence upon God.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Prov 3:5–6

If I do not fully understand the way of the eagle, the serpent, the ship, and the couple, I know I need God’s help to know the way

Conclusion
After this sermon, I expect everyone to be out in the church lawn staring at grass. Kidding.

But I do hope you will commit to some intentionality about taking time for wonder. Take a walk outside. Spend some thoughtful, quality time with your family. Savor some good food.

Discussion Questions

• What is a meal or something else you enjoy savoring?
• Let’s practice wonder by having multiple people give examples. Choose something you have seen over the past day. Describe a mysterious aspect of this object and how it is fascinating to you.
  • How can these qualities in these objects reflect God’s glory?
• Why might it feel humbling for you personally to wonder at ordinary things?
• How can an underdeveloped sense of wonder go hand in hand with believing you are the god of your universe?
  • Can Christians do this?
• What are some practical steps one could take to start growing in their ability to wonder?

Proverbs 30:15-16

Have you ever noticed people like this? People who sit quietly in a corner at the coffee shop, on a bench at the park, in a pew at church, or in a swing on their front porch and watch the world around them with an observant eye. These people pay close attention to the details that most of us fail to see or think about in our busy, hurried lives.

Proverbs 30:11-33 reads like a man who makes it his habit to sit down and observe the world around him. One day, he might sit down in a crowded marketplace, another day alongside a quite nature trail. Wherever he sits, he pays attention to everything – animals, nature, and people of all kinds, and he makes profound observations about what he sees.

First, Agur noticed four kinds of people: disrespectful people, hypocritical people, arrogant people, and predatory people. These kinds of people encourage us to avoid such tendencies and influences in our own lives.

Next, he turns attention to other scenes, which include standing water, childless homes, cemeteries, vast fields, and fireplaces. Though these settings may seem varied and unrelated, Agur fits them together like a five-piece puzzle that spells out a message. Let’s look at the pieces, then put them together to see what this message might be.

Greed is gross.

The leech has two daughters—Give and Give!

First, Agur looks closely at a pool of standing water somewhere to the side of a gently flowing stream. In the water, he sees a small, slimy creature from about 1-6 inches long, called a leech. There are different kinds of leeches, but Agur focuses on their common feature, which is two mouths, one at each end.

Leeches are gross and slimy creatures – small, soft worms – that live in ponds, marches, slow streams, and standing water. They move along by stretching and inching forward, using their suction-like mouths as feet to pull them forward. When possible, they latch onto animals and people, gripping on tightly so they can suck up their blood.

There’s nothing pleasant about leeches. They’re like mosquitoes in slug or worm form. What Agur notices about them here, though, is that they have not just one but two mouths (or suckers), one at each end. He causes these suckers “daughters.”

Both mouths on a leech are used to grab and hold onto things, but only the mouth at the front end is used for feeding. The feeding mouth either cuts or pierces the skin of its host, then secretes an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting while it feeds. So, you could say about the two mouths of a leech that one grasps while the other gorges.

By focusing on this fascinating feature of this repulsive creature, Agur gives a message that “greed is gross.” What is greed? It is a strong desire for the things this world offers, a desire that is never satisfied and is always searching for more, like a leech.

At first, a leech looks like a small, gross, slimy worm. But once it latches on and begins to suck, it can enlarge 5-10 times its weight. When this happens, its skin becomes thin and pale and it can barely move, making it easy prey for birds, fish, and other leeches. It becomes an engorged sack of blood. Sometimes a leech vomits blood to relieve pressure, though they may also be overfilled and burst.

Reflecting on leeches this way should encourage us to ask questions about what we value as American Christians today. Why might we need look at leeches up close? Could it be that what we view as a normal or noble mindset is actually gross and repulsive?

For instance, we say a person is ambitious, has drive, is a high-achiever or go-getter, or has an “entrepreneurial spirit.” We tout values like productivity, efficiency, growth mindset, winning, and influence. And while there may be good in these concepts and these descriptions may be noble in certain cases, it is also possible that we may be putting lipstick on a pig or a tuxedo on a leech.

How many hard-charging businessmen and CEOs have been touted as leaders in their field, writing books about their success, but are nothing more than greedy people on overdrive, who when you get to know them personally, behind-the-scenes, up-close, you find that they are rude, selfish, and impatient people? And is it possible that your own drive for success is more like a lurching, grasping leech than a hardworking philanthropist working for the good of your family and community?

As he reflects on the grossness of greed, Agur turns his attention to another related concept. He notices the nature of discontent and a desire for more, that it is gross like leeches, but he notices the scope of discontent, that is present everywhere.

Discontent is all around us.

There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, “Enough!”: the grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water— and the fire never says, “Enough!”

Agur zooms out from looking at leeches in a stagnant pool and starts building a list of other ways that discontent is present in the world around us. He says, “There are three things … four.” This is a like saying, “I can think of three things like this, actually, I can think of four, come to think about it.”

This doesn’t mean there are only four things like this but that there are even more. I can imagine Agur playing games like Categories, Scattergories, Name 5, or I Spy, can you? Perhaps, after hearing Agur’s list, you can think of a fifth or sixth example of discontent in the world around us? If you can think of another, what would it be?

To describe the category for this list, the thing that everything on the list has in common, Agur uses the descriptions of “things that are never satisfied” and “things which never say ‘enough.’” To be “never satisfied” means to never be filled – like a teenager’s stomach, never having enough to eat or drink. To never say “enough” would be like a broken fuel gauge that never says “full,” even if the tank is overflowing.

When my father was in high school, he tried to change oil for the first time. After he drained the old oil from his uncle’s car, he poured the new oil, one quart after another. But as he poured in each quart, he wondered why the engine was never getting full. Not until his uncle came by did he get the answer. He had failed to put the drain plug back in, so the new oil was running out the bottom of the drain pan, down the street, and into the sewer.

Agur lists four things like this in the world around us. The first is the grave – or Sheol, the underworld. He notices how death is never satisfied. There are always more people dying, to the tune of about 2 people per second and 60 million per year, with no end in sight. That’s why being a mortician or undertaker has strong job security. More people are always dying and this will never stop – the grave is never satisfied.

The second thing that is never satisfied is a barren womb (or woman without a child). God gives women a strong desire to bear and raise children. Even when a woman is unable to have a child, the desire doesn’t go away – it just gets louder. Like Rachel said to her husband Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” (Gen 30:1). And as Hannah demonstrated by her desire for a child, being married to a loving husband wasn’t enough to satisfy her desire for children.

Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (1 Sam 1:8)

The third example of things that are never satisfied is ground which never has enough water. Here, commentators sometimes suggest that this refer to the arid Negev desert around the outskirts of Israel, which soaks up water rapidly whenever it rains. While this may be true, it is true of ground all over the Earth. Think about it, about 500,000 cubic kilometers of water falls to the Earth each year as rain and snow. That’s enough water to cover the entire United States a mile deep. Yet this much water comes down to the Earth every year and the Earth is never saturated or has enough.

The fourth example of things that are never satisfied is fire. While this might refer to a raging forest fire, devouring everything in its path, it likely refers to something like a fireplace or campfire. Whatever the case, the point is that no matter how much fuel you give to a fire (paper, wood, etc.), it never says ‘enough,’ but always takes more. In fact, if you don’t keep feeding it, it will die, but if you do keep feeding it, it gets larger.

So, from a leech in pool of water to the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty earth, and the hungry fire, Agur has shown us two important truths about discontent. First, discontent is gross: it grasps, feeds, swells until lit bursts, and still wants more. Second, discontent is everywhere. Wherever we look, we see something that is never satisfied and never says “enough.” But before we draw the final lesson from these proverbs, we should notice two concluding observations about the way discontent works in the world around us.

It appears in both life-giving and destructive ways.

As gross as greed and discontent may be, it appears in both life-giving and destructive ways. That’s what makes it difficult to evaluate sometimes. In Agur’s observations, we see two positive examples (water giving life to the ground and a woman desiring to give birth to a child) and two negative examples (death and fire).

It’s easy to spot the destructive, negative examples of greed and discontent when we see them. But when the thing that we desire or are discontent about is good and noble, we can feel justified in our discontent and fail to see how gross our discontent really is.

Some of the most dangerous forms of discontent attach themselves not to evil things, but to good and noble desires. A woman may long for children, a man may work hard to provide, a parent may want a child to succeed, a single person may desire marriage, a family may pursue financial prosperity, a hurt person may desire justice, a person may want better health.

None of these desires are wrong in themselves. But when they are fueled by an underlying feeling of discontent, these desires can produce bitterness, anxiety, neglect, envy, harshness, or despair. In such cases, the problem is not the goodness of the thing desired, but the way discontent turns even good desires into grasping demands that never say, “Enough.”

It is never satisfied by natural means.

But there is another conclusion we can draw from Agur’s observations here. Not only can good desires turn into unhealthy discontent and greed, but whatever our desires may be, they will never, can never, be satisfied by natural means.

No matter how many people die, the grave will never be full. No matter how many words you may offer to a woman unable to have children, you cannot turn off her desire. No matter how much rain falls, the Earth will always have room for more. And no matter how much organic matter you feed to a fire, it will always want more to burn.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. (Eccl 1:8)

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. (Eccl 5:10)

Perhaps you can speak to this from personal experience. You eat your fill at a restaurant, only to be hungry again hours later. You enjoy a good night’s sleep only to be tired again the next evening. You buy a new phone, car, toy, or computer game, only to want a newer model or version later. You finish one home project only to discover ten more to be done. You reach one financial goal, only to realize that there is more you could accomplish. You finish your well-planned vacation, only to hope for a better one next time, instead.

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Prov 27:20)

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? (Isa 55:2)

So, by putting these five puzzle pieces together from Agur’s observations of the world around him, can you tell what the message from God might be? Perhaps we could say it this way – discontent is dangerous because it cannot be satisfied, or at least, it cannot be satisfied by natural means. So, are we hopeless? Are we destined to live greedy, unsatisfied lives? Thankfully, the answer is no. There IS a solution.

In John 4, Jesus spoke to a woman where they met together at a well. She had come to the well to draw water, but Christ spoke to her about far deeper things.

Jesus answers and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (Jn 4:13)

When Jesus said this to her, he spoke about more than her thirst for water. He spoke also of her thirst for love and relationship, pointing out to her that she had been married to five different husbands, but was not living with a sixth to which she wasn’t even married. This revealed that she was a discontent person with unmet needs in her life, not only for water but for the acceptance, love, and security of human relationship.

Jesus pointed out to her that though desires like these could never be satisfied through natural, normal, material means, these and all other desires and discontentedness could be met through the water that he himself offered to her was himself.

Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (Jn 4:14)

Jesus said similar things many other times, as well.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (Jn 6:35)

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (Jn 7:37-38)

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Mt 11:28-30)

In Proverbs 30, we see what Agur saw when he looked out at a world full of things that never say “Enough,” and he warned us that the human heart is just as restless, just as hungry, just as unsatisfied. History gives us vivid pictures of what that looks like.

Another man, a Baptist preacher named Russell Conwell, told the story of an ancient Persian man named Ali Hafed. He told this story as part of a sermon entitled, “Acres of Diamonds,” a sermon he reportedly preached more than 5,000 times from 1900-1925.

This man, Ali, "owned a very large farm that had orchards, grain fields, and gardens... and was a wealthy contented man." But one day a Buddhist monk from far away told him about diamonds and how wealthy he could be if he owned a diamond mine. In a moment, he experienced a strong, persistent desire for more. Ali Hafed went to bed that night a poor man, poor because he was discontented.

Craving a mine of diamonds, he sold his farm and set out to search for them. He traveled the world, chasing the promise of greater wealth, until he became so poor, so broken, and so defeated that he took his own life.

Meanwhile, the man who had purchased Ali’s farm from him one day led his camel into the garden for a drink. As the camel put its nose into the brook, the man saw a flash, a glint of light from the sand in the stream, and he pulled out a stone that reflected colors of the rainbow of the rainbow.

He had discovered the diamond mine of Golcanda, which would become one of the most magnificent mines in history, especially at that time. Had Ali remained at home and dug in his own garden, he would have had acres of diamonds instead of discontent and death.

This man’s tragic story resembles Agur’s gentle warning: discontent is dangerous because it cannot be satisfied, or at least, it cannot be satisfied by natural means. More importantly, this man should have searched for satisfaction in Christ. Only then could he truly say, “Enough.”

John Bunyan, a Baptist pastor in the 1600’s, wrote this about contentment:

He that is down needs fear no fall;
He that is low, no pride;
He that is humble, ever shall
Have God to be his guide.
I am content with what I have,
Little be it, or much;
And, Lord, contentment still I crave,
Because Thou savest such.

When you sit and stare at the waters of your heart, can you see any leeches swimming there? Is your heart in any way like the grave, a barren womb, dry ground, or a burning fire that never has enough and which grows larger the more you feed it?

Today, let me encourage you to turn to Christ and find forgiveness and satisfaction in him. Only then can your thirst, your hunger, and your exhaustion be fulfilled. Only then can you say, “Enough.”

Satisfied
By Clara Tear Williams

All my life-long I had panted
for a drink from some cool spring
that I hoped would quench
the burning of the thirst I felt within.

Refrain:
Hallelujah! I have found Him-
whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings;
through His blood I now am saved.

Feeding on the husks around me
till my strength was almost gone,
longed my soul for something better,
only still to hunger on. [Refrain]

Poor I was, and sought for riches,
something that would satisfy;
but the dust I gathered round me
only mocked my soul's sad cry. [Refrain]

Well of water, ever springing,
Bread of Life, so rich and free,
untold wealth that never faileth,
my Redeemer is to me. [Refrain]

Discussion Questions

• Are you a “people-watcher” like Augur? What kinds of things can you learn about individuals by watching them in this way?
• What is the difference between a virtuous drive for Christ-honoring achievement and selfish greed?
• Other than money, what are some more subtle areas in which we can be discontent?
• How can a desire for something good or noble be driven by underlying discontentment?
  • What are some practical ways to maintain godly contentment when pursuing the good things to which God has called us?
• How can we pursue ultimate satisfaction? What are some practical steps?

Proverbs 30:11-14, 17, 20

Sometimes government agencies, such as departments of health, or public health organizations promote awareness and prevention campaigns to help people recognize the warning signs of conditions or diseases that might otherwise be overlooked.

Smoking and tobacco prevention, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, diabetes and heart diseases awareness, cancer screening campaigns, dementia awareness and prevention, etc. are examples of what they might educate about and warn against.

They do this through brochures and fact sheets, commercials, billboards, posters, and signs, social media campaigns, public service announcements, screening events, and so on. They do these things so people will recognize early symptoms and take action before their condition worsens.

You may be familiar with similar campaigns raising awareness about problems like bullying, cyber-security/phishing threats, domestic violence, human trafficking, drunk driving, scam and fraud, and suicide.

The proverbs we’re looking at today serve a similar purpose. They raise awareness of certain kinds of people, and they do this for at least two reasons. One, so we can identify symptoms of these problems in our own lives and resolve the problem before it worsens. Two, so we can identify people like this around us so we can respond to them with caution and wisdom, not choosing them as influences, friends, and partners in our lives.In Prov 30:11-14, you can see four groups of people that Agur describes. Each time he says, “There is a generation that …” and them describes them in a particular way.

The word generation often refers to a group of people which are defined or grouped together based upon their shared place and time in history. There was the generation of Israel, for instance, who were rescued from slavery in Egypt and who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, then there was another subsequent generation of Israel who were born during that time and then entered into the Promised Land.

We use the word generation today to categorize groupings of people in our nation who were born within certain periods of time and who share some general, universal qualities. We label them as The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Gen Beta, etc.

In Prov 30:11-14, generation doesn’t refer to people groups by times of birth but to people grouped by certain characteristics. You might translate this by saying, “There are people like this, and there are people like this.” Or you might say, “Some people are like this, and other people are like this.”

In this case, Agur points out these people because they are very harmful, problematic people. These kinds of people are not necessarily rare or hard to find – there might be many of them in any place at any point in time, but even if they are many, their presence and influence might easily be overlooked or underestimated.

In his book called “Respectable Sins,” Jerry Bridges observes that Christians often focus on certain major societal sins while neglecting other spiritually damaging behaviors. These sins may fit into this category and must be pointed out for a person to live a wise and godly life.

Which is worse? A house on fire or a house infested with mold? While one is visually obvious and the other is harder to see, both are serious problems which make the house dangerous and unlivable. So, it is with these kinds of sins and these kinds of people. These kinds of sins in our own heart and these kinds of people in our lives, churches, and society are more harmful than we may realize. A wise person will acknowledge this and take account for that in his life.

So, with this perspective clearly in mind, let’s take a look at four kinds of sins and people which Scripture says are especially harmful to a wise life and godly society.

A wise person takes note of disrespectful tendencies and people.

There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother.

This first proverb raises awareness of disrespectful people. It gives the signs or symptoms of this disrespect in both a positive and negative way. Ironically, it uses a positive form to state the negative description, then it uses a negative form to state the positive description. This kind of person does curse his father and does not bless his mother.

By making separate statements about father and mother, Agur does not describe two different problems but rather emphasizes or doubles down on the same problem. This is a person who callously despises and disregards his parents, which is the opposite of honoring and valuing them.

To curse means to treat someone as insignificant and small, to dishonor them. This can include attitudes of disdain and disrespect, and it can also include public, verbalized prayers and wishes calling for their harm and pain, desiring bad things to happen to them.

To “not bless” is the opposite way of saying the same thing. It means that while harboring a negative, spiteful attitude and calling for bad things in their lives, a person also refuses to say anything balancing or positive towards them. By saying this, Agur emphasizes the seriousness of this problem. It is not a passing attitude or errant comment but a person’s deep-seated resentment of his parents.

Can you imagine sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for the doctor to arrive, looking around at the various posters hanging on the wall, raising awareness of certain diseases and health concerns? Can you imagine seeing a poster hanging on the wall that warns against the problem of disrespect towards parents? Would that catch your attention?

In a WSJ article published this week, an author raises awareness of an alarming trend therapeutic counseling today. Therapeutic counselors are increasingly advising their clients cut off ties with their parents in instances where their clients feel that their parents’ weaknesses or failures are a key reason for their own personal struggles. It states:

Proponents of the trend hold that advising patients to consider a cutoff from a close relative or spouse they deem toxic or unsupportive can protect their mental health and allow for emotional growth. Meanwhile, critics—many of whom are researchers who have studied relationships for decades—say that it encourages self-centeredness and self-delusion and ruins families.

Most therapists agree that sometimes people are justified in breaking ties with their parents or a close relative, especially if they were physically or emotionally abusive.

What’s changing now is the bar for what is deemed abusive enough for a cutoff. “We are in a culture where we emphasize fragility, everything becomes trauma, and the solution increasingly is to split and leave,” says William Doherty, a therapist and professor emeritus of family social science at the University of Minnesota who has researched the ways that therapy may be harmful. “But it should be the tragic exception that you cut off a parent or loved one, not business as usual in therapy.”

This trend is a symptom of an underlying, widespread problem about which Agur raises our awareness. He even says more about this problem in v. 17.

The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.

“Mocks” means to “make fun of” and “scorns to obey” means to “have deep, strong negative feelings about one’s duty.” In this case, it describes a person who makes fun of his parents and who is deeply repulsed by any sense of obligation to his parents.

When a person tolerates this sort of attitude towards his parents, he should not be surprised when he faces an uncomfortable, unfortunate death and receives no honor or respect from others. That’s what “ravens and eagles eating his eyes” describes, a person who dies, and his corpse is left abandoned in the field, with no one to bury him or honor his memory. People who dishonor may feel justified in the present but in the end, in the future, their disrespect for their parents will come back to haunt them.

A wise person takes note of hypocritical tendencies and people.

There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness.

This second proverb raises awareness of hypocritical tendencies and people. The symptoms and warning signs are rather obvious, which in this case is ironic. The symptoms are “filthiness,” which alludes to the vomit of a drunken person (Isa 28:8) or to human feces and waste (2 Kgs 18:27; Isa 36:12). Have you ever interacted with a person who never showers and who never cleans themselves after using the toilet? Have you ever spent time with a person who vomits all over themselves but never changes clothes?

But the problem here is not poor hygiene but an extreme lack of self-awareness and self-reflection. The problem is that such a person is “clean” in her own eyes – she thinks that she is okay. This means that she has a false sense of being good before God and others when, in fact, she is quite the opposite. In v. 20, Agur says more about this problem:

This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wickedness.”

Here, he describes a person who engages in immoral behavior, then moves on with life as if everything is okay. No big deal. Such a person, to use terminology from Paul, has a “seared conscience” (1 Tim 4:2), or as Paul specifically says, people whose consciences have been “seared with a hot iron.” Their moral sensitivity is so dull or desensitized that they can commit egregious sin and with zero remorse and think they’re doing fine.

This activity describes much of the entertainment (esp. so-called “adult” entertainment) industry today. It describes those who promote and participate in abortions, sex-change procedures, promiscuous dating, human trafficking, illicit drug dealing, and more. It especially describes those who participate and are complicit in such things with no guilt or remorse.

So, it goes without saying that we should beware of tendencies and people like this in your life and avoid them. That’s what a wise person will do. They will look for the signs and symptoms and take steps to sensitive their conscience by training it with God’s Word and not befriending or engaging with people who behave this way.

Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death. (Prov 7:27)

Don’t let a calloused or seared conscience deceive or fool you. Participating in egregious and immoral sin is no light matter, nor is it harmless. Not only will you experience painful, serious consequences eventually in this life that you cannot control, you will – as like disrespectful people – very likely face a painful, unfortunate, dishonorable death, likely dying before the usual time. A wise person will acknowledge this and turn away.

A wise person takes note of arrogant tendencies and people.

There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

This third proverb raises awareness about tendencies and people who are arrogant, people with “lofty eyes” and “highly lifted eyelids.” Another way to describe these people is that they walk around with their nose stuck up in the air, looking down on others and expecting everyone else to look up to them.

Sometimes young people have a reputation for being this way. Employers, for instance, complain about teenagers and college students entering the workforce expecting everyone to give them special treatment in the same way or better than people who’ve been in the workforce for a long time are treated.

While this may be a trend, it’s not a new problem, nor is it limited to “young people these days.” There are people like this in every stage of life and at every time in history. I like to describe this problem as “taking yourself too seriously.”

Earlier in Proverbs, King Solomon said this to his son Rehoboam:

Surely, he [God] scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. (Prov 3:34)

Then both Paul and Peter repeat this truth in the NT, saying:

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Jam 4:6; 1 Pt 5:5)

Solomon also said:

“Six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him: a proud look …” (Prov 6:16)

Friends, arrogance is not a minor, respectable, tolerable sin. It is a serious sin that must be noticed and avoided. Signs of this tendency in your life can include:

• Being quick to speak and interrupt but not quick or serious about listening.
• Taking credit quickly but taking blame and responsibility rarely and reluctantly.
• Wanting to be served but not volunteering for service.
• Only serving when it gives a sense of importance and recognition, believing that some jobs are “beneath you.”
• Expecting people to obey rules while ignoring them yourself.
• Never saying ‘thank you.’
• Being easily offended when you are not thanked or acknowledged.
• Dismissive body language.

If you notice these symptoms in your life, then let me encourage you to humble yourself before God.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Prov 16:18-19)

If you don’t, then as with disrespect, destruction and humiliation will be in your future. That’s why a wise person will learn to be aware of this problem before he travels too far down this road.

A wise person takes note of predatory tendencies and people.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

This fourth proverb raises awareness about tendencies and people who take advantage of other people. And by taking four lines to give this warning rather than only two lines, as with the previous three warnings, Agur indicates that he views this as an especially serious problem.

He describes these people as having “teeth” and “fangs,” which pictures them as “a hungry, wild animal that tears the flesh of its prey with its sharp teeth” (Reyburn and Fry). But he mixes this animal analogy with a more human analogy when he mentions “swords” and “knives,” which are weapons people use for injuring and killing other people.

While people who commit violence may be included in this problem, that does not seem to be the emphasis that Agur is making. First, he focuses on the teeth of these people, that is to say, their mouths. Through their words, they cause damage and take advantage of other people.

Furthermore, Agur focuses upon a certain kind of person as their victims. They don’t just target anyone indiscriminately. They target defenseless, helpless, hurting, needy people. In other words, these people routinely take advantage of people in need.

Today, people like this include the people behind fraud schemes and scams, people who befriend lonely, insecure people to manipulate and use them, religious teachers who exploit for money people with spiritual needs, payday lenders, bosses or employers who take advantage of desperate workers by underpaying and overworking them, and politicians who use people’s suffering as a means for their own advancement.

Predatory people are those who smell weakness the way a wild animal smells blood; they use words, systems, relationships, money, or influence to take from people who are already poor, needy, wounded, or defenseless.

To borrow language from Paul again, we should “mark and avoid” people like this in our lives, unless we have some obligation or opportunity to influence them for Christ (Rom 16:17-18). This means that when we encounter these things in our lives – whether internally or around us – we should take note and do what we can to remove it from with in and avoid it from without.

And if symptoms of these tendencies are present in your own life, be wise, repent, turn to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing. Then get into the Word and into accountable Christian relationships in the church to turn those tendencies and behaviors around.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (Jam 5:16)

In Prov 30:12, we were made aware of a person who presumed herself to be washed clean from sin and guilt even though they were not. So, how are we truly cleansed?

We are truly cleansed only one way: by the saving work of Jesus applied to us through repentance and faith. Scripture tells us to the blood of Jesus alone is what cleanses us from our sin in the sight of God.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb 9:14)

As we come to the Lord’s Table, we remember that cleansing is not achieved claiming to be “pure in our own eyes” (Prov 30:12). Cleansing comes when we confess our sin honestly, trust the sacrifice of Christ fully, and submit our hearts to his ongoing work of grace.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9)

In a moment, as we take the bread and cup, may we together thank God that Christ’s body was broken, and his blood was poured out to wash us clean from our sins.

Discussion Questions

• What are “respectable sins?”
  • How are “respectable sins” like a mold-infested house versus a house on fire?
  • What are some obvious societal sins which can be easy to be critical of in some ways?
  • What are some less obvious personal sins which are easy to hide?
• What are the biblical problems with the therapeutic trend to cut people off? Especially when it comes to parents?
• How does hypocrisy happen according to 1 Timothy 4:2?
  • What are some ways we can avoid being a hypocritical person by dealing with sin in our own lives?
• What are some arrogant tendencies with which you are tempted?
• How does harsh language about sin in the scripture help us to experience God’s grace?

Proverbs 30:10, 21-23

In one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays called Troilus and Cressida, there is a scene in which Greek generals debate why it was taking so long to defeat the armies of Troy. After seven years of war, they had made no progress. Two generals suggest a noble, positive explanation, that they are being delayed by the gods as a test of their endurance and strength. But a third general, Ulysses, suggests a negative, self-reflective answer – that they are delayed due to an internal failure which we may call a “crisis of degree.”

In the phrase, “a crisis of degree,” crisis refers to a breakdown or failure, and degree to social order and hierarchy. Put together, this refers to a breakdown in social order.

Ulysses described this problem by using the solar system as an illustration. Thanks to gravity, planets are made to orbit the sun and moons orbit the planets. And as in an orchestra, for all the instruments to play well together, instruments are divided into sections, each led by a first chair player, each of which is led by a single conductor.

In a similar way, God has designed society to function with a particular order. Homes orbit around husbands and fathers, governments around kings, presidents, prime ministers, and governing documents, churches are led by pastors, armies are led by generals, and businesses are led by bosses.

According to Shakespeare, this was the reason why the Greek army was failing to conquer Troy – they had become internally and systemically weak. They were not effective because they did not follow proper order and degree. Leaders were not taking responsibility for leading and everyone else was refusing to follow. He even names patricide as a symptom of their problem, which is when children kill their fathers.

Degree enables generational progress and stability. It allows people to find their place, and (potentially) to move up. Fathers can hand off the family business to the son. Soldiers can rise from privates to sergeants to captains. The student becomes a professor … Degree preserves order while allowing for change and transition. But in the absence of Degree, envy and rivalry are cataclysmically released until total antagonism reduces us to appetite and self-devouring. (Joe Rigney)

Rigney goes on to summarize what Ulysses said about a crisis of degree:

“A breakdown of authority across the various spheres of society; a cascade of bitter rivalries and envy, mirror images of each other; and multiplying accusations, blame-shifting, and scapegoating.”

Like the Greek army, our society is facing a crisis of degree. This didn’t occur overnight but is the result of many men and leaders over time refusing to take responsibility and lead with courage and strength. This happens when men guilty, lazy, or selfish and can often occur under the guise of being nice. But no matter how or why it happens, whenever it happens there is a resulting rise in aggression, anxiety, and disorder throughout society.

The verses we are looking at today point out some ways that people behave when there is a crisis of degree. We can look at these biblical observations not only to assess the condition of our own society but to assess whether we are encouraging or tolerating any of these attitudes or behaviors in our own hearts and in our own spheres of influence and responsibility – at home, church, or otherwise.

As we look at these observations, we can see a shared theme, that we should understand our place in God’s social order and should respect that place, both for ourselves and for others. We should do our part to encourage, maintain, and strengthen the divine order that God has established.

We should respect a person’s professional reputation.

Do not malign a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be found guilty. (Prov 30:10)

Here we see the need to respect a person’s professional reputation and their relationship with their employer. In this scenario, the servant is dependent on their employer. Their master (employer) provides their income and housing. Without this arrangement, the servant will have nothing to live by and no place to live, both for himself and for his family.

The problem occurs when a third party, such as yourself, maligns a servant to his master. Malign means to “slander” or “say damaging things about another person.” The assumption here is that the things you say are either at worse, false, at best, unproven, or else – as a third option – irrelevant.

Why would a person do this to another person? Sometimes out of envy, because they resent another person’s position or success. Sometimes out of revenge, because they want the other person to pay for some perceived wrong, real or imagined. Sometimes for self-promotion, believing that tearing another person down will somehow lift themselves up. And sometimes because they are careless with words, repeating suspicions, rumors, or irrelevant criticisms without considering the damage they may cause.

Whatever the case, this kind of behavior inserts you into another person’s affairs, with potentially damaging consequences both for them and yourself. For them, they may lose their job and livelihood, may lose their reputation, and may lose the ability to get new work, too. For you, they may pray for justice (“curse you”) and you will suffer in some undesirable ways as a result of God’s disciplinary intervention in your life.

Listen to what the NT has to say about this.

We urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you … (1 Ths 4:10-11)

Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody [meddler] in other people’s matters. (1 Pt 4:15)

Notice how Peter places meddling in the same group of sins as murder and theft. What do these three things have in common? They disrupt God’s moral and social order. Next, we move on to Prov 30:21-23, verses which continue this theme even more strongly.

We should respect God’s established social order.

These three verses give four prime examples of what happens in society when there is a crisis of degree. Agur claims that these things make “the earth perturbed,” which means to make the earth quake, shake, or tremble. He also claims that they prevent the earth from “bearing up,” or from standing.

While this may cause you to imagine an earthquake, it refers not to the physical earth but to the earth filled with people – God’s created social order. In other words, these four things shake up God’s social order and make it unable to stay intact. These four behaviors and phenomena, when permitted to spread, cause a crisis of degree, bringing chaos and disorder to society. When tolerated, society crumbles.

Social climbers undermine divine order.

For a servant when he reigns (30:22)

This seems to refer to a specific situation, because sometimes servants make excellent leaders. Consider Joseph in Genesis, for instance, who was promoted from a servant in prison to the leader of Egypt. And consider Daniel, who was promoted from a servant to the king to the de facto leader of the Babylonian Empire.

The situation in view would be when a royal advisor or servant to a government leader usurps the leader through betrayal, blackmail, influence, and intrigue. We may call people like this “scheming social climbers,” and they exist at all levels of our government today. They also exist in other places, too, such as at work and school.

People like this, like the senators of Rome who killed Julius Caesar and like the assassins of President’s Lincoln and Kennedy, undermine God’s established social order. And this doesn’t happen through assassination only. It can happen through blackmail and many other schemes.

But to understand God’s order for society, we must understand that “God removes kings and raises up kings” (Dan 2:21). We should not use questionable means to help God out but should rather trust his own divine process. As Christ himself taught:

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Mt 23:12)

Beware of social climbers who use questionable tactics to gain positions of power and certainly don’t be such a person yourself.

Well-fed fools undermine divine order.

A fool when he is filled with food (30:22)

This is another kind of person who undermines God’s established moral and social order. This is a foolish person, a person who lacks common sense and moral sense, who consistently makes selfish, unwise choices. Such a person should not be “filled with food.” Compare this to what Paul says in 1 Ths 3:10-12:

If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

To be sure, we should feed the poor. Doing so is a divine mandate from God. But we should not feed – or at least feed sumptuously – a person who’s a fool. It’s one thing to feed a person who cannot work, but it’s another thing to feed a person who can but won’t.

When we subsidize foolish people, we upend God’s social order. We lead people to believe wrongly that God blesses foolishness. And by doing so, we subsidize and promote an ungodly lifestyle. Fools who would persuade no one to their cause or way of life or who would otherwise die end up living, living well, building a platform, and influencing others to their ungodly perspective and way of life.

We should evaluate our welfare system in light of this warning. Does feeding the poor require us to feed foolish lifestyles? Should foolish people have equal opportunities to thrive alongside honest, hard-working people who take responsibility for their life and the people under their care?

We should also evaluate our own church and personal charitable giving. Paul helps us to do this very thing in 1 Tim 3:3-16:

Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these things command, that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned aside after Satan. If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows.

These are difficult principles to follow because they can seem to contradict our values of generosity, love, and being nice. But when we support foolishness lifestyles and make no difference in our giving between vice and virtue, we end up undermining God’s moral and social order, causing a crisis of degree in the name of being nice. No matter how noble our motives may be, if we subsidize foolish people, we weaken our society, our church, and our own personal lives. This is one of four things that undermines God’s order.

Bitter women undermine divine order.

A hateful woman when she is married (30:22)

The word hateful here is translated as “odious” or “bitter” by other translations and it describes a woman who harbors feelings of resentment and refuses to let them go. The book of Proverbs has a lot of things to say about women, esp. married women / wives, like this. In other places, Proverbs speaks about the following kinds of wives:

• Angry: easily provoked, emotionally volatile (Prov 21:19)
• Contentious: prone to arguing, conflict, and strife (Prov 19:13; 21:9, 19; 25:24)
• Destructive: tears down her home (Prov 14:1)
• Loud: boisterous, attention seeking, noisy (Prov 7:11; 9:13)
• Nagging: compared to a “continual dripping” (Prov 19:13)
• Scheming: lying in wait (Prov 7:12-15)
• Seductive: manipulative, morally destructive (Prov 5:3; 7:21)
• Stubborn: refusing correction (Prov 29:1)
• Unrestrained: “her feet do not stay at home” (Prov 7:11)
• Vexing: causes grief and frustration (Prov 19:13)
• Wayward: rebellious, leaving covenant boundaries (Prov 7:11-12)

At the root of these problems is a bitter, dissatisfied heart that may be described as “hateful,” which means to look down on others and value oneself over them. When such women marry, they undermine God’s social order by turning their marriage and home into a struggle rather than a delight, a place of pain and sorrow rather than of happiness and peace. This may be a difficult warning to give and receive, but not to give it only increases our crises of degree. We need to teach these things to preserve and uphold God’s established order. Society crumbles when the voices of bitter women prevail.

Homewreckers undermine divine order.

A maidservant who succeeds her mistress (30:22)

At first, this warning may seem mild and less important than the others. But by placing it fourth, Agur actually gives it the greater emphasis. This warning is not speaking against a maid who receives a rightful inheritance or promotion from her mistress (or female supervisor). Instead, it warns against women who literally “displace” or “drive away” their mistress through blackmail, intrigue, seduction, and scandal.

Numerous commentators point out a leading culprit of this kind of woman, which is seducing her mistress’s husband, causing a divorce and other similar problems. Proverbs calls this kind of woman immoral, seductive, and strange – and woman like this through all sorts of means today are undermining God’s divine order for marriage, family, and society. The order of our world cannot stand when women like this roam free. Such behavior cannot be tolerated.

How should we respond to a message like this? How can we apply this basic wisdom to our lives? First, we should carefully and honestly evaluate our own lives. Do we tolerate any of these attitudes, tendencies, or behaviors in our own lives?

If so, what can we do to eliminate and reverse them? To do this, we must name our sins to God and repent of them clearly, receiving his full forgiveness through Christ. Then, we must put together a gameplan to know what God’s Word teaches about his established order so that we can commit ourselves to following that order by faith in him. Doing so is not comfortable or convenient, but it is right. We may also need to establish a close relationship with another brother or sister in Christ to provide accountability and support.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up … and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Eccl 4:9-12)

Second, we must commit ourselves to reestablishing God’s order however we can. We can do this by teaching other’s God’s ways, engaging in thoughtful but courageous conversations with people who need to learn God’s way. Husbands, fathers, and pastors especially have this responsibility. We must move on from blame-shifting and finger-pointing to taking responsibility lead and love with courage and grace.

• We should “stay in our lane,” pursue promotion at work through hard work and ethical means, trusting God to exalt us and keeping our nose and tongues out of other people’s affairs.
• We should choose our government leaders with greater scrutiny and spread accurate information about candidates to support leaders who are marked by ethical behavior and integrity.
• We should exercise more discernment in our charitable giving and the way we use our time to help others, choosing to assist and support people in genuine need rather than enabling foolish people.
• We should promote proper expectations for marriage. Fathers (and mothers) should involve themselves in helping their adult children choose godly spouses, not consenting to foolish choices. And unmarried men should only settle for marrying a committed, godly wife and nothing less.
• We should establish accountability and trust in marriage to prevent seduction and scandal. Husbands and wives should have access to each other’s financial records, computers and phones, travel plans, and more. Clear, open lines of communication and wise boundaries should be established, including in work-related matters, to prevent seductive people from driving them away from one another.

So, having looked at these observations, can you see the shared theme? We should understand our place in God’s social order and should respect that place, both for ourselves and for others. Furthermore, we should do our part to encourage, maintain, and strengthen the divine order that God has established, even if doing so requires courage.

In conclusion, we must ask ourselves honestly: am I strengthening God’s order, or am I weakening it? Am I using my words to protect another person’s reputation, or to damage it? Am I pursuing advancement through humility, diligence, and trust in God, or through envy and manipulation? Am I showing generosity with discernment, or am I enabling foolishness? Am I cultivating peace and faithfulness in my home, or am I feeding bitterness, contention, and secrecy, opening a door to scandal through negligence?

The only right response to these questions is not to point our finger at someone else but to bow before Jesus in prayer. We should confess the ways we’ve meddled, envied, gossiped, enabled, resented, schemed, or neglected our own responsibilities. We should receive the forgiveness God gives through Christ, then return to the places he assigns us with renewed humility, courage, and love. If we do this, we will no longer undermine God’s established order for the world but help reestablish his order and point people to him.

The Greek armies I mentioned from Shakespeare’s play eventually did defeat Troy, but only by finding another way. They could not overcome their enemy through ordinary strength because their own ranks were weakened by disorder. So, they found another solution, entering the city from inside the Trojan Horse.

But as followers of Christ, we have something far better. We don’t need a Trojan Horse to solve the problem, because Christ himself dwells within us. By his Spirit, we can face the negligence, envy, disorder, and sin within our own hearts with honesty and courage. We can repent. We can change. We can return to our place before God with joy.

Christ himself shows us the way. Though he is Lord of all, he humbled himself, took the form of a servant, and obeyed the Father (Phil 2:5-11). He did not seek glory through selfish tactics but received it through faithful obedience. And now he calls us to follow him, not by grasping for places God has not given us, and not by refusing the responsibilities he has given us, but by serving faithfully where he places us until he exalts us in his time.

May God give us homes, churches, workplaces, and communities strengthened by people who know their place before him: leaders who lead with righteousness, followers who follow with humility, workers who work with integrity, spouses who keep their marriage covenant with joy, and believers who speak and serve in ways that preserve rather than destroy the order God made. We don’t need a Trojan Horse. We have Christ.

Discussion Questions

• In the phrase, “a crisis of degree,” crisis refers to a breakdown or failure, and degree to social order and hierarchy. Put together, this refers to a breakdown in social order. Have you ever experienced a crisis of degree?
• What were the motives for slandering another person mentioned in the sermon?
  • How do these contrast with how God wants us to use our speech?
• Read Matt 23:12. Who is doing the exalting of the humble?
  • What does it look like to humbly submit to God’s order while pursuing advancement?
• How can we apply Proverbs 30:22 to our public policy?
  • What about our church’s and personal charitable giving?
• How can the church help women to avoid becoming a “hateful” wife?
• What are some ways that men can prevent allowing a homewrecker to ruin their marriage?
• How did Christ seek glory?
  • What are some real-life opportunities for us to follow his example?

Prov 30:7-9

Introduction
To Robert Selig, George Washington's victory at Yorktown, aided by French General Rochambeau, was the pivotal point in the American War for Independence. 1980 was a bad year for the Continental army, and their financial woes were coming to a head.
Washington's army was on the brink of collapse, and so, as Selig records, he wrote, “We are at the end of our tether, and . . . now or never our deliverance must come.” Just a few days before Washington wrote that to a comrade, French ships set sail for the colonies to help them. Later in September, Washington asked the French for 26,600 Spanish dollars. By the end of October of that year, the Americans and their French allies had forced the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, and turned the tide of the war.

Washington recognized his army needed help, and he needed help. Reportedly, he was reluctant to let the French troops help them on the battlefield, but later did allow them to do so. Without his willingness to receive help, the war would not have likely been won.
George Washington recognize his situation was dire, and depended upon others.
People face a far more dire situation today, and we must depend upon God for help.

Humble people pray to God dependently.
If you have been at Brookdale for the past few Sundays, then you have learned a lot about this man Augur from Proverbs 30. In fact, all that we know about him is found in these verses.

How would you describe Augur? What kind of person was he? Well, first of all, we notice that he was a truly humble man.

The vast majority of this book of wise sayings, or the Proverbs, was written by Solomon, the king of Israel. Solomon says, tells us that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. As Pastor Thomas preached a couple weeks ago, Augur says that wisdom begins with admitting how dumb you are. And really, Augur and Solomon are not different at all because after he admits how much he doesn't know, he compares himself to the one who does know everything. Humility is not merely lowering ourselves. It is lowering ourselves under God. The humble man deprecates himself only to show how great God is.

So, last week, we progressed through Augur's flow of thought. We don't know everything; God does know everything. Now, Augur tells us that God reveals his truth to us in His Word, which is fully reliable and certain.

This week, we take the next step. I don't know everything, God does, God communicates his knowledge to us in the Bible, and so what do we do? We ask God for his help.
True humility results in a dependence upon God/dependence.

We may say that we are humble. We may have perfect theology (we don't), but if we are not like Augur, without moving from our beliefs about God to prayer to God, are we truly humble?

Did you ever marvel at a bird feeder as a child? You set this food out, and after some time, maybe even a few days, birds start showing up. And they keep showing up. There's a member of our church who has his own kind of mobile bird feeder. In fact, the birds basically view him as the feeder. He walks around his neighborhood, culling rabbits. When he finds one, he tosses it to the crows. Now, when this man goes for a walk, the crows follow!

Here's the difference between us and crows: the crows go where the food is. They have no shame. They are happy to have someone give them what they need. And their knowledge of where the food can be found results in action. We are either too self-dependent or lazy to be like the crows.

Peter recognized thin his first letter to the church at large.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6–7

And Peter takes it a step further: He cares for you. Our God is not a cosmic bird feeder. He is a person who loves and cares for us.

There may be some exceptions to this rule, but who is the one person in the world to whom you might go to for help more than anyone else? Your father whom you know loves you and cares for you.

Are you depending on God in prayer? Are you humble enough to seek his help? Prayer is the place where doctrine turns to practice. He is a good God who wants to be there for his children.

So Augur's view of himself, and his view of God cause him to depend upon God in prayer. He asks God for help. What does he ask God for?

The first thing he asks for is to be kept from deceit.

Now, what does it mean to be kept from deceit? Does he mean that he wants God to help him tell the truth, to not tell lies himself? Or, does he mean to keep him from being lied to?
Well, I'm gonna level with you. I can't be sure. I can give you my sanctified and (modestly) informed opinion, but I think that is beyond the point.

If he means, he wants God's help to rightly respond when he is lied to, then he is talking about how easy it is for us to be deceived by money and the way the world views it. We so easily are tricked into believing that money will make our lives better. Whether we have too much or too little, we think that more money means more happiness. This is a lie! So he is asking for God to preserve and protect him.

If he means, he wants God's help to not tell lies, is this a general request for all lies? No, it seems his request here is a further confession of his need for God. He is admitting he is weak and very well may tell lies, and his concern is primarily about money and meeting one's needs. How would he do this? By living lies when it comes to money. In order to tell lies by living them out, you have to believe them.

Whether he is talking about the deceit of riches and poverty, or from being a liar himself about riches and poverty, either way, he is admitting that he himself can be deceived. And therefore...

Everyone can be deceived.
Whoever is doing the deceiving, Augur is doubling down in his humility and his dependence upon God. He is admitting that he is vulnerable and needs God's help, especially when it comes to finances.

and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:19

And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

Scripture is clear about the complexity and danger that money brings to our lives. There is real peril, or mortal danger when it comes to money. Augur is saying, "When it comes to money, I do not have it all figured out. And even when I might have part of it figured out, I can be deceived."

According to the Scriptures, a humble person recognizes, I can be deceived by this. I cannot handle this on my own, and I must be careful about this matter.

This is a crucial aspect of humility, recognizing how susceptible we are to sin. And this susceptibility is for life:
"Deprive me not before I die..." (vs. 7)

Augur is not giving his final wish. He is saying, I need this for the rest of my life. As we get older, at least in our society, we typically have more money. We tend to be able to sustain higher standards of living, and a lot of the time our net worth increases. We have less expenses, and can use our wealth to make more money! The temptation may be in that stage of life to think that we are passed needing any help when it comes to money. That is not how Augur feels.

Whether you are young or old, poor or rich, Augur says there is a real danger to money. We must ask for God's help to not be deceived by money. Instead, we must go to the Word! This is why the sufficiency of God's Word is so crucial for us to practice! The only way to combat lies is to know the truth. God cannot answer Augur's prayer for protection from lies unless he is working to know the truth himself.

This humble dependence upon God that Augur demonstrates by his prayerfulness and his confession of weakness is a model for us, not just when it comes to finances, but in every area of sin, especially those that are tricky or devious.

If we had a child watch you, and they saw your attitude and could hear your prayers, how dangerous would they think sin is? How convinced would they be that you have specific and deadly weaknesses?

Or, based on your life, would they think, oh, sin is no big deal?

You ever watch someone pull out one of those pill organizers? How careful and detailed they are? How serious do they take those health conditions? How dangerous do they believe their weaknesses are?

I like to think that I am good at situational awareness. I want to appear as if I am good at reading the room, and doing what is appropriate. I think we often lack situational awareness because we think we can handle temptation.

Have you ever thought about that part of the Lord's prayer? As a kid, I did. I thought, isn't a good thing to be strong? Shouldn't we pray to handle temptation better? Well, that's not how the Bible views it primarily. (1 Cor 10:13; 2 Tim 2:22)

This why Paul says to mortify, or KILL these things "which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Col 3:5-7)

You can't handle it. You're not that guy, pal.

1. Ask for God's help to know your particular areas of weakness.
2. Ask for God's help to not believe the lies of sin, especially in your areas of weakness.
3. Seek and give help in these things from and to the church.

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12–13

Augur couples his wisdom about God, himself, and the truth with a hatred for sin, and so he asks God for help in defeating it. Now, let us look at the rest of this prayer in earnest.

Wisdom prioritizes personal godliness over material prosperity.
Tim Keller, author of Counterfeit Gods, a book about idolatry, taught that there were multiple tests to see what your idols are. One of them, he said was that he would ask the person he was counseling about this, "What are your greatest nightmares? What keeps you up at night?"

As we have seen, one of Augur's greatest nightmares is having too much or too little money. Well, I think many many people can identify with one of those nightmares, having too little money. But that one monster under the bed often isn't scary to us for the same reason that it was to Augur.

The reason that monster (which was inside of him, not outside) was scary was because of this:
Lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:9

Wow! Can you imagine the kind of person that would make this request? Do we often think about the ideal amount of money and ideal standard of living being just enough to keep us humble and dependent upon God?

He wanted just the right amount to make him worshipful, and to keep him from temptation.
Many of us just want more! But Augur uses his theology as a lens to view all of life. He only wants money and possessions to help him be content in God.

While I think the primary temptation for most of us is to sin when it comes to wanting too much, Augur also says he wants to not have too little. I want to ask a question, why does he say not too little? Is there really temptation in that?

Another way to ask this is:
Are poverty and persecution ideal for Christianity?

For kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 1 Timothy 2:2

Does a quiet and peaceful life, dignified in every way sound like impoverished ostracization? It talking about our life circumstances, not inner peace, although that is addressed elsewhere in scripture. The prosperity of Western civilization has, especially in the past, been a good thing. Money and societal stability have been blessings God has given through the Protestant tradition, and we experience those blessings in our church and the Fargo-Moorhead community. We need to prioritize godliness over prosperity, but don't fall into the ditch of believing that poverty is inherently virtuous. Trust in the Lord to give you what you need, and pray far more for deliverance from temptation than deliverance from Walmart.

We often hear of how Christianity is thriving in persecuted places. And we praise the Lord. We're thankful to God for the testimonies we hear from people we know about such places.

Conclusion
In closing, I want to tell you a fairy tale story. It's called, Augur-locks and the three friends. He goes to visit his friends, Peter, Matthew, and Bert.

Peter's house is too big, Matthew's house is too small, but Bert's house is just right. Why? Because it is just the right size for Augur-locks to think about living in his father's house for all eternity and help others do the same.

Peter's car is too luxurious, Matthew's car is too dumpy and breaks down too much, but Bert's car is just right. Why? Because it helps him to focus on the good responsibilities he has to travel to do in the car, and bringing others to good places too.

Peter's clothes are too flashy and impractically extravagant, Matthew's clothes are too tattered and dingy, but Bert's clothes are just right. Why? Because they keep him warm and appropriate for the settings he goes into to do what he needs to do, and they are durable enough to keep him focused on what he needs to do.

By the grace of God in Jesus, be thankful for what God has given you, and strive and pray to be like Bert.

Discussion Questions

• What is a specific time in your life when you finally had to admit you couldn't complete a task alone and had to ask someone for help?
• What are some everyday signs that we are acting too self-dependent or lazy to go to God for our daily needs?
• What does neglect in killing (or totally removing) sin from our lives say about our belief in our own strength?
• How would your daily habits and routines change if you took your spiritual weaknesses just as seriously?
• What are some of the lies you might believe about money?
  • What about other areas of temptation?
• What are some specific, practical ways to prioritize spiritual growth over material success?

Proverbs 30:5-6

Last week, we learned from Prov 30:1-4 that true wisdom begins when we humbly admit how little we know before God. Agur introduced this chapter of wisdom in Proverbs not by describing himself as a knowledgeable person worth listening to, as how a book author promotes his credentials on the back cover of his book, but by doing the opposite. He confesses his limitations in both a shocking and unimpressive way by saying he knew less than any other person and was, in fact, as knowledgeable as an animal.

When we consider the vastness of creation, from the smallest details under a microscope to the immeasurable expanse of the universe seen through a telescope, we see that human knowledge is incredibly small compared to God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom. When compared to the wisdom of God, it is as though we know nothing at all.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Rom 11:33)

Agur also showed us that a truly wise person not only acknowledges that he knows nothing before God, but he lets his great limitations turn him to faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the wisdom of God. When we trust in Jesus and submit completely to him as God and Savior, we know the One who knows all things.

We’re probably curious to hear whatever Agur has to say next, right? What kind of wisdom will he share with us in the next twenty-nine verses? The first thing he says follows immediately and of necessity from these opening thoughts. Since we know nothing and God knows everything, a wise person will choose to trust in God’s Word.

God’s Word is reliable.

Leading influencers in United States history recognized this. Signers of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights recognized this.

John Adams said, “The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon earth.” James Madison said, “The Holy Scriptures are the best guide for moral instruction.” And George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

If you’re going to trust in something, you need to know it’s reliable. That’s why you research vehicle ratings before buying a car, check restaurant reviews before you go out to eat, or verify the credentials of a doctor before choosing them as your physician. So, what about God’s Word, the Bible? Is it just a collection of myths and religious fairy tales? Or is it reliable and true? Agur says, “Every word of God is pure.”

To understand this statement, we must first know what each word means. “Word” refers to individual words and to groups of words, we call statements. “Of God” restricts this statement to words and statements that come from God, but then “every” broadens this statement to include every word or statement that God has spoken, not just some of them.

Finally, this statement claims that everything that God has ever said is “pure.” This word means “purified” as in “smelted” or “refined.” It speaks of the process by which a metal worker removes elements from metal by heating it at increasingly higher temperatures. The result of this process is a metal that consists of only one element or substance. No matter how hot or how many times you heat it, no more impurities will rise to the surface.

By saying this, Agur is saying something very helpful, though at first it may seem unnecessary. First, it may seem unnecessary since he has already explained that God is all knowing and all wise. If he is all knowing and all wise, why would we question the value or reliability of what he says? Unfortunately, we are sinful people who not only question what God says but that God exists at all.

To counter this problem, Agur points out that God’s Word has never been wrong. It has a perfect, 5-star record, a clean history, and has never once been wrong. First, this is true from a historical standpoint. There are many examples of people and places mentioned in Scripture with no external evidence to support their existence. Yet, time after time, archeologists have unearthed evidence that verifies what the Bible has said for centuries.

• Historians used to believe the Hittite Empire was fictional, but now there are thousands of inscriptions and ruins in Turkey which prove its existence.
• Historians doubted Jericho’s miraculous destruction, but excavations have revealed walls that collapsed outward and remnants of a burnt city, as Joshua 6 describes.
• Pontius Pilate was once viewed as a fictitious person until a stone inscription unearthed in Caesarea confirmed his existence and title, just as Lk 3:1 describes.

Many other examples like this could be given. My favorite, though, is the testimony of Sir William Ramsey, an accomplished archaeologist and historian at the turn of the 20th century. He began his career as a skeptic who adamantly believed the book of Acts was historically false. To prove his theory, he spent decades traveling Asia Minor (Turkey), excavating ancient cities, studying inscriptions, retracing Paul’s missionary routes.

Instead of finding errors, though, he repeatedly discovered that Luke’s geographical details, political titles, cultural descriptions, and historical references were accurate and precise, and he could find no exceptions. As a result, his research led him to conclude that not only was Luke “a historian of the first rank” but that Acts was a completely reliable book. Over time, the total archaeological evidence convinced him not only to accept the historical accuracy of Acts but to believe on Christ as his God and Savior.

But God’s Word is not only reliable in a factual, historical sense in that it is correct and true and never inaccurate or wrong. It is also reliable in a personal, practical sense, in that whenever we apply what God says to our lives and rely on it in the choices we make, it always proves to be true in this way, too. That’s what Agur means when he says, “He is a shield to those who put their trust in him.”

A “shield” is what you probably have in mind, a defensive piece of armor to protect a person from danger. We’re familiar with ancient shields, the kind Roman soldiers, Viking warriors, and medieval knights used, but we should also be familiar with and thankful for shields today, as well.

The vehicles we drive, for instance, have heat shields in various places to protect passengers and other parts of the car from the extreme heat the engine and other parts produce. Our vehicles also have windshields to protect us from oncoming wind, weather, and objects as we drive down the road at high speeds.

But even those shields aren’t completely reliable. We buy insurance for windshields because they get chipped, cracked, and even smashed. Heat shields get damaged, get loose and rattle, even fall off. And when heat shields fail, the vehicle can perform poorly and in worst case scenarios are at risk of fire.

So, how does this apply to the Word of God, the things that God has said? Unlike the other shields that humans design and use, God’s Word never fails. His promises always come to pass and the truth he speaks always proves to be true.

The last verse of this chapter is a clear example of how what God says is reliable. It says:

“For as the churning of milk produces butter, and wringing the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife” (Prov 30:33)

Three times this statement uses the word for “to twist” but we translate it as “to churn,” then “to wring,” then “to stir up.” If you twist an animal skin bag filled with milk you get butter, if you twist a person’s nose, you get blood, and if you twist or aggravate a person who is already angry, you will probably get punched in the nose or something similar. This is an example of reliable truth from God’s Word.

But just as simple truths like this are reliable, so are the more difficult truths, as well. Consider what Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13:

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Here, God guarantees that whether you face financial needs or enjoy financial abundance, he gives wisdom and strength through Christ to respond well to your situation without being ruined, one way or the other. Do you believe this?

Anyone who has trusted in this promise and applied it faithfully to their life situation has never been disappointed by God. The key is to know what God says, to understand what God says, then to put your trust in what he says by doing what he says to do and relying on him to do what he said he would do, as well. Listen to how Paul explains this:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16)

“All Scripture” refers to everything that the sixty-six books of the Bible say. Theologians call this “verbal, plenary inspiration,” but it simply means that everything the Bible says is what God himself has to say, down to both every word and every statement. There are not parts of the Bible which are true and others which are not. It is all true and from God.

As a result, the whole Bible is helpful and useful for four things: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. “Doctrine” is knowing what is right. “Reproof” is knowing what is wrong. “Correction” is knowing how to fix what is wrong. And “Instruction in righteousness” is how to keep things right.

Friends, in God’s Word we have a perfectly reliable message from God himself, the One who is perfectly knowledgeable, understanding, and wise. It has a perfect and reliable track record and always proves to be true when we trust what it says in our lives. Do we treat it this way?

Patrick Henry, a signer of our Constitution, said, “I have trusted God, and I have never been disappointed.” John Jay said, “The Scriptures assure us that those who trust in God shall not be confounded.” Isaac Backus, a Baptist pastor in early colonial America said, “The Lord never disappoints the soul that rests upon His Word.”

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8-9)

You may know that this is the Scripture verse I put in birthday cards. I do this because it reminds us of how important and reliable God’s Word is to our every day lives. But God’s Word is not just perfectly reliable, in fact and in practice …

God’s Word is sufficient.

The word “sufficient” means “to be enough.” It describes a meal that leaves you full, an experience or relationship that makes you satisfied, and the amount of money it takes to purchase something. If a meal is not sufficient, you may look for more food somewhere else. If an experience or relationship leaves you dissatisfied, you may look for another experience or relationship that’s better. If you don’t have enough money to purchase something, you may need to get money from someone else or take out a loan.

But God’s wisdom in God’s Word is not this way. That’s why Agur says, “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” To say “do not add to His words” means there is never a need to add anything to what God says because what God says is good enough – it is sufficient, it is all that you need.

Both the Old and New Testaments make similar claims about God’s Word elsewhere:
Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. (Deut 12:32)

… if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life … (Rev 22:18)

There is a sense in which Dt 12:32, Prov 30:6, and Rev 22:18 function like a warning that appears at the beginning, middle, and end of the Bible. It is a warning not to make changes to what God has said.

These warnings do not mean if you recite a Bible verse and mistakenly add or forget a word that you’ll be in trouble with God. It also doesn’t mean if you are typing out a Bible verse and make a typo that you’ll be judged by God. I think you know this already.

These warnings are not about inadvertent memory or typo errors; they’re about deliberately altering what God has said by either disregarding or deleting something he has said or else adding or treating as equally important something else outside of what God has said. In Prov 30:6, Agur focuses exclusively on adding to God’s Word. How can we do this? I can think of at least seven ways:

• Empty, Secular Philosophy (Col 2:8) – here Paul warns against being “spoiled” through “philosophy and empty deceptions.”
• Extrabiblical Predictions (Dt 18:22) – here Moses warns against believing or making predictions about the future which God himself has not made.
• Legalism (Col 2:20-23) – here Paul warns against enforcing additional commands and rules which are not already clearly taught in Scripture.
• Man-Made Traditions (Col 2:8) – here Paul also warns against popular, repeated teachings and rituals which are not taught by Scripture.
• Personality Dependence (1 Cor 4:6) – here Paul warns against “going beyond what is written” in Scripture, treating whatever a person says as though it is equal to Scripture.
• Superficial Knowledge (1 Tim 6:20) – here Paul warns against following advice from people who claim to be experts but are not rooted in Scripture (“so called knowledge”).
• Supernatural Phenomenon (Col 2:18; 1 Tim 4:1) – here Paul warns against knowledge that comes from supernatural sources, like angels and demons.

Podcasts. YouTube channels. Talk shows. Newscasters. Popular preachers. Politicians. Social media influencers. New York Times best sellers. Pop musicians. Spiritual gurus. University professors. Psychologists and psychiatrists. Neighbors, classmates, friends. We have so many sources and voices of info to choose.

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic … but the wisdom that is from above is first pure ... (Jam 2:15-17)

If we’re not careful, we add to what God says by internalizing and living out ideas, mantras, and wisdom that doesn’t come from him. When we do this, Agur warns that we will eventually be corrected and discover that we have either lied or been deceived. “Lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

Thankfully, we don’t need all these additional sources of knowledge to learn and live a life of faith with God.

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Pt 1:4)

How would you describe your approach to God’s Word today? Do you treat it as the source of all knowledge and wisdom from God, reading and reflecting on it daily and applying it intentionally and rigorously to your choices and life? Or do you consider and consult it rarely, relying on all sorts of other sources of information, treating God’s Word as though it is not sufficient for life and godliness?

What sources of information do are “adding” to your view of God and life in a way that undermines the sufficiency of God’s Word in your life? What if treated God’s Word like we treat our cell phones?

• What if we carried it around in our pockets?
• What if we flipped or scrolled through it repeatedly every day?
• What if we panicked and turned back to go get it if we left it behind?
• What if we spent too long in the bathroom because we were reading it on the toilet?
• What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

Makes you think about your priorities, right? Unlike the text messages, podcasts, newsfeeds, and videos on your cell phone, which you can never be quite sure are reliable, everything you need and everything you read in Scripture is always reliable.

When you build a life and make choices around wisdom apart from and outside of God’s Word, you will be certainly disappointed. Wisdom that is not rooted in God’s Word will ultimately prove to be false, whether you taught it to others or convinced yourself of it.

Throughout this sermon, I’ve quoted several key influencers from the founding of our nation. I’ve done this because we are celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary. Our nation has been blessed by God because it was founded on the generally held belief that Scripture – the Bible, God’s Word – should be a guiding light to our nation and its laws.

You may be fascinated to know, though, that not all our founding fathers were Christians. Some were atheists or deists. Many were Anglicans and Puritans (Congregationalists). Some were of other beliefs. Those who were Anglicans and Puritans (and the few who were Catholics) believed in and practiced a “state church.”

You may also be fascinated to know that our Constitution did not guarantee religious freedom. To be sure, it laid the groundwork for religious freedom, but it did not make clear that religious freedom would be granted – leaving the door open for each state to enforce a state-mandated denomination.

But it was the influence of faithful Baptist pastors who ultimately influenced the Founding Fathers to ensure religious freedom as the first protection given in the Bill of Rights, which was instated several years after the Constitution.

Two of the most influential Baptist pastors in those days were Obadiah Holmes and John Leland, both Baptist pastors whose lives demonstrated what Agur teaches in Proverbs.

Obadiah Holmes upheld the reliability of God’s Word through courageous suffering. In 1651, he was publicly whipped in Boston for preaching the gospel and gathering believers to worship outside of the state‑mandated Puritan church. His back was horribly injured but his faith was unshaken. He later testified that during the beating, the Lord’s presence was so real to him that he was able to bear the pain. His refusal to deny Scripture or submit to a state church became one of the earliest examples in America of a believer suffering for the right to obey the Bible. It is well-documents that his story spread widely and influenced Founding Fathers like James Madison (Anglican) and Thomas Jefferson (theistic rationalist).

John Leland, another Baptist pastor, influenced the Founders through his own tireless efforts to uphold biblical authority. Leland tirelessly preached, wrote, and lobbied political leaders, especially James Madison, arguing that true faith must be free, never forced. He insisted that government must protect the liberty of conscience because God alone is Lord of the conscience and people must be free to respond to God’s Word for themselves by faith. Leland held a famous meeting with Madison in 1788 to secure Madison’s promise to include language within the Bill of Rights establishing religious freedom in all the States. Madison fulfilled that promise by drafting what became the First Amendment, ensuring that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Together, Holmes’s suffering and Leland’s persuasion formed a powerful testimony: biblical faith requires biblical freedom. As the apostle Peter famously said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Their influence convinced our Founding Fathers that religious liberty was a moral necessity grounded in Scripture itself.

As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, we must also recognize the sobering pattern that history teaches. Many renowned empires like Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Arab Caliphate, the Ottoman Empire, and even the height of Britain’s global influence rose to great prominence and then declined or disappeared after about 250 years. Their fall did not occur from a lack of military strength or political strategy by from drifting away from the moral and spiritual foundations that once held them together – by disregarding and adding to the wisdom of God’s Word.

Today, at our own 250‑year mark, we must be honest: we are at great risk of treating God’s Word as insufficient, supplementing our lives with “empty, secular philosophy” and “man‑made traditions,” allowing worldly wisdom to shape our thinking more than Scripture itself. If the United States, especially the believers within our nation, does not return to lives clearly governed by the wisdom of God’s Word, then we will follow the same path of decline as these other nations. Our early Baptist forefathers understood this danger well, and they were willing to obey God’s Word at any cost, trusting that everything we need and everything we read in Scripture is reliable.

But the greatest concern is not just the future of our nation but rather the condition of our own hearts before God. We need more serious Christian believers who trust in the reliability and sufficiency of God’s Word, who study it, internalize it, and let it influence and shape their choices, values, and lifestyle. We need more serious genuine followers of Christ who follow what God’s Word says no matter what, men like the early Baptist American Obadiah Holmes who suffered for the Word of God and like John Leland, who spoke courageously, openly, and persuasively in defense of God’s Word.

So, as we reflect on Agur’s words, we can thank God that He used faithful believers in our nation’s early history to secure the freedom for us to live by that pure and sufficient Word. Their legacy encourages us to do the same: to trust God’s Word fully, obey it boldly, and defend its truth courageously in our own generation. If we do this, God will be our shield as we put our trust in him.

Discussion Questions

• What do we mean when we say, “the Bible is inspired?”
  • What does verbal inspiration mean? Does the Bible claim this about itself?
  • What does plenary inspiration mean? Does the Bible claim this about itself?
  • Is God’s Word reliable when it makes claims about science and history?
• What does it mean for you to depend upon God’s Word like a “shield?”
• What are some ways that we might alter God’s Word?
  • What are some habits that cause us to treat other views as equal to God, even when we might not realize it?
  • What are some practical steps we can take to correct our thinking?
• To what areas of life could we apply a conviction of the sufficiency of Scripture?
  • What would it look like to do in each area?

Imagine looking into a powerful microscope. At first, you think you know what you’re looking at: a leaf, drop of water, or grain of sand on the slide.

But the moment you turn the dial and zoom in, your mind is blown. You see objects, patterns, and movements you never knew existed. Cells appear. Then inside are molecules, atoms, and inside atoms you see a world of things you can’t explain. The deeper you look into the world God made, you realize you have no idea what’s inside a leaf, a drop of water, or a grain of sand.

Now flip the lens. Imagine look out through a telescope at the night sky. At first, you see stars. Then you see more stars, and more stars. As you zoom in, you realize that many of those stars are actually entire, vast galaxies and systems of their own. Those galaxies become clusters. When you consider that light traveling at 186,000 miles per second would still take billions of years to cross the expanse of our universe, you realize that the farther out you look, you have no idea what’s out there.

That’s what the “mind blown” emoji is for (or as it is technically known, the “exploding head”), the yellow face with an open mouth and the top of its head exploding in the shape of a brain-like mushroom cloud. It’s used to express emotions like amazement, awe, disbelief, and shock – also migraines. It’s for those moments when we think we know something only to find out that we don’t know anything at all.

Today, we’re going to highlight this “mind blown” feeling as a God-given way to bring us not only to a place of greater humility of heart but to faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

A wise person learns how to say, “I don’t know.”

One of the hardest things to say is, “I don’t know.” Why do you think that is? Perhaps because we have an inaccurate view of our knowledge? Perhaps we view ourselves to be far more intelligent and knowledgeable than we really are?

Unlike most if not all the previous material in Proverbs, this chapter was not written by Solomon. Instead, it was written by a man named Agur. He was the son of a man named Jakeh, and he first made these statements to two other men, named Ithiel and Ucal (not the University of California). When we read information like this, we naturally want to know more about these people, but in this case, we don’t know anything else about them.

Thankfully, the value of wisdom is not measured by the fame or fortune of the person who speaks but by the truth of the words which are spoken. You will agree when I say that many infamous people have said worthless things and many unfamous people have said valuable things. Today, and throughout our summer preaching series from Proverbs 30, we will learn godly wisdom from an otherwise unknown person named Agur.

Agur’s opening statement is both shocking an unimpressive. It is shocking because he says some blunt and extreme things about himself. He says not only that he is stupid (foolish) and has trouble understanding things. He says that on a range or scale of comparison to other people, he rates himself as the most stupid kind of person there is, placing him in the 0 percentile of knowledge.

Furthermore, he describes himself not only at the lowest place on the scale of human knowledge, but he then describes himself as not even belonging on the scale at all but places himself on the scale of animal knowledge, instead. That’s what he means by saying, “and do not have the understanding of a man.” This is shocking indeed.

But this is also most unimpressive. Imagine going to purchase a book but reading the author’s bio on the back cover first. These bios are written to impress and reassure the reader that the author knows what he’s talking about. They highlight things like the author’s credentials, previous books, awards, and accomplishments, and any other details which make the author sound interesting, intelligent, and relatable.

Agur does the exact opposite. Instead of giving his credentials, he describes himself as though he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Instead of explaining why he is qualified to give us some godly wisdom, he tells us why he is unqualified. He sounds like Sergeant Shultz of the 1960’s “Hogan’s Heroes” when he said, “I see nothing, I know nothing!” How does this make you feel about what he is about to say?

We shouldn’t take what Agur says to mean he is actually the most uneducated, uninformed person there is. How would he know? He didn’t know everyone anyway and would be entirely incapable of ranking himself in this way. We should also not take him to mean that he had the capabilities of an animal, because he was a human, after all.

Instead, we should take what Agur says to be a strong expression of humility. He is writing in poetic form, a common feature of wisdom literature in that time, and should be understood to be writing in an ironic, hyperbolic way to make a point.

Paul did the same thing. Just as Agur said, “I am more stupid than any man,” Paul said he was “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15).
This didn’t mean either man was what they claimed but that this was how they genuinely felt about themselves. Perhaps if Agur had been able to use emojis, he may have used the “exploding head” emoji here, too.

This raises an important and interesting question. How do you feel about yourself? If you were to rank yourself on a scale of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, what percentile would you be? Could you say with Agur, “I feel like I don’t know anything?”

As human beings, we know a lot of things. We can measure our knowledge by vocabulary size, test scores, degrees, books we’ve read, experiences we’ve had, or the number of facts we can remember. We know faces, facts, memories, skills, routines, words, and many other things, and whether we know thousands or millions of these things, the fact remains, there are an infinite number of things we don’t know.

When an honest, reflective person (no matter how intelligent they may be) sets whatever he or she knows beside all the total knowledge that exists, the scale and scope of any person’s knowledge shrinks to nearly nothing. It’s like comparing a grain of sand to the Earth, or like comparing the Earth to the largest known star in the universe. When we do this, no matter how big the grain of sand or the Earth may be from our viewpoint, it becomes next-to-invisible when placed beside the largest star that exists. So, in this sense, perhaps Agur is not speaking with hyperbole – perhaps he is telling the truth.

So, Agur teaches us that a wise person learns to say, “I don’t know.” A wise person understands and accepts the limitations of his knowledge and realizes that no matter how much he knows, it’s as though he knows nothing at all. And this is true not only when we compare our knowledge to all the knowledge that exists, but it is also true – even more so – when we compare our knowledge to the knowledge of God.

A wise person examines himself before God.

In this chapter, Agur not only compares his knowledge to other people but more importantly he compares his knowledge to the knowledge of God. When he says he says in verse 2 that he “hadn’t learned wisdom” and “doesn’t have knowledge of the Holy One,” he isn’t saying he never learned anything wise or that he knows nothing about God. What he is about to say in the rest of this chapter proves otherwise. Instead, he is saying that he doesn’t have the kind of wisdom or knowledge that God has.

By calling God “the Holy One,” Agur is describing God as a being who should be singled out, who is entirely different, distinct, and separate from everything and everyone else. And because of this extreme difference, he is awesome and commands ultimate respect.

On October 5th, we heard a sermon about the omniscience of God which reminded us that God knows everything. He never discovers or learns anything. He always knows everything all at once, with no change in his knowledge at any point in eternity. Not only does he never learn anything new which he didn’t know before, but he never forgets anything either. He always knows everything all at once. As theologian Wayne Grudem says, “God is always fully aware of everything” and his “knowledge never changes or grows.” God’s knowledge is and always has been complete.

This is what Agur is acknowledging here in Prov 30:3. When compared to the knowledge and wisdom of God, Agur is making it very clear that God is infinitely more knowledgeable and wiser than him. Bible teacher Allen Ross says it this way:

It is rather both an acknowledgment of the limits of human understanding and a humble confession that only God is truly wise.

To expand this thought and draw people into this thought process so they (and we) can arrive at the same conclusions, Agur asks a series of five questions, one after the other.

The first four are “who” questions. They aren’t questions that are looking for answers, as though Agur is confused and wants to know who has done these things. Instead, they are questions with only one obvious answer, and when you give the right answer, you should automatically agree then with everything else Agur has already said.

• A parent asks their child, “Who pays the bills around here?”
• A coach asks, “Who makes the lineup?”
• An employer asks, “Who signs your paycheck?”
• A police officer asks, “What is the speed limit here?”

These are similar questions you might be familiar with today. The parent, coach, employer, and police officer aren’t seeking information, they are asking you to acknowledge an obvious fact. And that’s what Agur is doing here. God asks Job questions like this at the end of the OT book of Job (Job 38-41) and Solomon asks some similar questions (Prov 8:24-29; Eccl 7:24).

• Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
• Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
• Who has bound the waters in a garment?
• Who has established all the ends of the earth?

The NLT translates these questions this way:

• Who goes up to heaven and comes back down?
• Who holds the wind in his fists?
• Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak?
• Who has created the whole wide world?

Now, let’s think about these statements in a visual way.

• We spend billions of dollars to shoot rockets into outer space and the farthest a human has ever traveled into space and back again is the Moon. The only possible answer to the first question is God.
• Whenever wind blows, whether as a blizzard, hurricane, tornado, windstorm, or any other kind of weather event, we have no ability to control or stop it. The only possible answer to the second question is God.
• We are also at the mercy of water in the world. Floods, hurricanes, monsoons, storm surges, tsunamis, and more. The only possible answer to the third question is God.

The fourth question is especially fascinating. As of today (several thousand years after Agur’s time), we have mapped over 97% of the Earth’s surface. But when we take a more complete view of all the possible places in the world, we should include land area, underwater ocean-/sea-floor area, underground areas (caves, caverns, crust, mantle, and core), and the sky within our atmosphere. When we include all these places in the world, various estimates indicate that we have probably studied scientifically less than 20% of the world and only physically visited less than 10% of the places on and under the Earth (see biologyinsights.com). This in mind, the only possible answer to who has not only been to but personally confirmed and established all places in the Earth is God.

To those who are thinking deeply, you might ask, “Don’t these questions speak about God’s omnipotence rather than knowledge?” There is a sense in which you would be right because these questions speak about doing impressive, powerful things, not just knowing things. But if you look carefully, you’ll see these are not only impressive things but complex, difficult, even impossible things from a practical, scientific, technical standpoint.

The focus in this chapter is not just knowledge but wisdom. Wisdom means proficiency and skill. The difference between knowledge and wisdom may be illustrated by comparing the difference between a junior high biology student dissecting a frog for the first time on one hand and a world-renown heart surgeon performing an open-heart surgery.

Wisdom is what this whole book of Proverbs, not only this chapter, is about. It teaches us not only what we need to know about God, but what we should do with what we know about God. This is wisdom – applying what we know about God to the actions, challenges, choices, and questions of everyday life, and no one does this better than God.

It is worth noting that the things that these four questions envision show us that God is not just powerful, doing impressive things because he has the force and brute strength to do them (like travel anywhere in the universe, control the wind and oceans, and confirm and establish every place on the globe. They emphasize that he can do these things because he knows everything and is infinitely skillful and wise. He can do these impressive things not only because he is powerful but because he is skillful and wise.

So, from Prov 30:1-3, we see that this man named Agur is a wise and humble man because he has learned to say “I don’t know” and, more importantly, because he has learned to acknowledge and compare himself to God, who is the only one who knows everything and is completely proficient and skillful at everything that is possible to do. But before he moves on to the next section of this chapter, he asks one more key question, and this question teaches us that …

A wise person learns to trust in Jesus.

In his fifth and final question, Agur changes his question from a “who” to a “what.” He asks, “What is his name – and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!” (Prov 30:4, NLT).

This final question asks for a first name then a second name, not a first name and last name (or surname) like a person uses today, but a two different names for two different persons. The first person he asks for the name of is God himself, and the second person he asks for the name of is God’s son. By asking for a name, Agur is asking us to answer his previous questions, and the first answer is obviously God. And to answer this question you could use the more personal name, Yahweh, or any of his other many special names and titles given in Scripture.

But what about the second person, “What is his son’s name?” The original audience of this question in the OT would most likely have understood this to mean “who else, what angel or human being do you know of who is so closely related to God that he has the same attributes and qualities as God, the same knowledge, experience, and wisdom as God? The first and obvious answer is “no one.” No one else, esp. no other angel or human being, has such knowledge and wisdom. Only God does.

But when you study the OT more closely you realize that there is another person who is so closely aligned with, related to, and associated with God that he is called his son. Psalm 2, for instance, makes this very clear when it says the following:

“The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son.’” (Psa 2:7)

“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psa 2:12)

From this we see that even in the OT, God told us of a divine Son who is equal to him in knowledge and power, who we know today as Jesus Christ, God himself, coming to Earth as our Savior and King. According to Psa 2, we should submit to the Son as unto God, we should worship the Son as God, and we should “put our trust in Him.”

The NT then confirms this and makes this very clear. Consider how the NT actually answers the four questions which Agur asks us in verse 4. John 3:13 answers the first question loud and clear.

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

Then Luke 8:25 answers the second and third questions in dramatic fashion.

He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (Lk 8:25)

Then Colossians 1:16-17 answers the fourth question emphatically:

By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Col 1:16-17)

• Who goes up to heaven and comes back down? Jesus does.
• Who holds the wind in his fists? Jesus does.
• Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Jesus does.
• Who has created the whole wide world? Jesus does.

Jesus not only created all things, but he holds all things together. He establishes the ends of the Earth. Not only does God the Father do these things, but so does Jesus the Son of God do these things, as well. They do these things equally together as God. And according to Psa 2:12, we should not only name the Son, who is Jesus Christ, but we should submit to and worship the Son and trust in Him. If the wind and waves obey him, we should, too. Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your God and Savior?

As we begin our preaching series through Proverbs 30, we should allow these opening verses to do two things in our hearts. First, we should let the vastness of the world and the wisdom of God humble our hearts. We should acknowledge and confess any arrogance or pride in our hearts and be able to say that before God, it is as though we know nothing at all. He alone is all-knowing and all-wise.

This means that to be wise and live in a skillful, successful way we must know God well. And to do this, we must submit to, worship, and trust in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Some intelligent people have reached the same conclusion as Agur, Job, and Solomon:

• “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucious
• "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." — Aristotle
• “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” – Einstein

But the difference between the humble conclusions of these great, historic minds and the wisdom of Scripture is that many great minds were left bewildered and uncertain while godly men, like Job, Solomon, and Agur were drawn towards Christ.

According to 1 Cor 1:23-24, 30, Jesus himself is the wisdom of God.

We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1:23-24)

Of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1 Cor 1:30)

As a human, there is so much that you don’t know, compared to the vastness of what can be known in our universe and compared to the infinite wisdom of God. But if you know Christ and trust in him, you know the wisdom of God in a personal and everlasting way. To know Christ and trust in him is to know what truly matters. To know Christ as your God and Savior will enable you to gain the wisdom from God that you need not only for this life but for the life that is to come.

True wisdom means that we can not only say, “I don’t know,” but that we can say with even more confidence, “But I know the One who does.” The more we stare into the microscope, the more we realize we don’t know, and the more we look out into the universe through the telescope at night, the more we realize our need for humility and reverence for the God who made, knows, and understands it all. This discovery should not only humble us but it should encourage us to turn with confidence to Christ, who is the wisdom of God for us.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

(“How Great Thou Art,” by Carl Bobert)

Discussion Questions

• Have you learned about anything, gone down a documentary or YouTube rabbit hole, recently that was “mind-blowing?”
• Why is it so difficult for you to say, “I don’t know?”
• What is wisdom, especially as opposed to knowledge?
• What are some practical ways you can be like Augur in comparing yourself to God in power and wisdom?
• Does it matter that the Old Testament mentions another person “who is so closely aligned with, related to, and associated with God that he is called his son?”
• What is the difference between a Christian and a secular perspective in their responses to the realization of our ignorance?
  • Note: Secular means of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world. (Merriam-Webster)

Acts 16:16-40

Fathers fill an irreplaceable role in family and society. And while fathers are often criticized for their failures, recent studies have revealed an encouraging trend – fathers are spending more time with their children. This is especially true of fathers who are married and have a college education. By spending time, we mean doing things like changing diapers, feeding, talking, reading, playing, helping with homework, attending school meetings, planning activities, and transporting them to and from activities.

This is an encouraging trend! While we acknowledge this good development, we must also acknowledge another trend, that fathers aren’t providing spiritual leadership for their homes. A study called The State of Biblical Fatherhood indicated the following:

• 83% of Christian fathers don’t pray regularly with their family
• 78% of Christian fathers teach the Scripture to their family at home
• Only 26% of fathers spend intentional time with their children to help them grow in Bible knowledge and spiritual maturity

Pair this with the conclusions of a study by Baptist Press and Promise Keepers:

• If a father doesn’t participate in church, even if his wife does, only 1 in 50 children will become a regular worshiper.
• In contrast, if a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, 2/3 and 3/4 of their children will attend church as adults.

These studies verify what we already know to be true, that the spiritual influence of a father is very significant in the spiritual development and faith of their children. This means that the spiritual influence and faith of men is a major influence on the spiritual health and faith of not only families but of communities and culture and large. Could it be that our nation has major faith, religious, and spiritual problems because men are not being the spiritual leaders God has called them to be?

Today, we will look at Acts 16 to see the kind of men whose faith makes a difference for God. We will see this kind of man twice, first in the Apostle Paul and second in a prison guard at Philippi. In Paul, we see a man who lived with conviction, spoke and acted for truth, and trusted God even when doing right brought suffering. In the Philippian jailer, we see a man who responded to Christ with faith, identified with Christ through baptism, led his household to Christ, and went on to serve Christ with what he had.

These men show us the kind of men our families, community, and country needs, men whose faith is not passive, private, or sentimental, but active, public, and courageous. Men of faith like this do more than spend time with their children, which is so important, but they influence their families and community for God.

Our community needs men who live with conviction. (Acts 16:16-25)

What is a conviction? It is a firmly held belief about something which is a matter of truth, principle, or morality. And it is more than it a belief, it is a belief that motivates a man deeply enough to act and speak out based upon that conviction, even if it would be unpopular to do so. A biblical example of acting and speaking with conviction would be when three men refused to worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar even though that meant they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Some examples from history include:

• Martin Luther speaking out against the Catholic Church to promote salvation by faith in Christ alone.
• William Tyndale translating the Bible into English even though it meant he would be burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church.
• William Wilberforce speaking out against the slave trade in England when slavery was prevalent and the source of wealth for many powerful people.
• Jack Phillips was a baker in Colorado who refused to create immoral designs and messages for customers, despite facing lawsuits and media scrutiny.
• Charlie Kirk was a public speaker who defended and promoted not only important matters like family values and the rights of the unborn but the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Men like Daniel’s three friends, Martin Luther, William Wilberforce, Charlie Kirk, and others in our own day remind us that conviction is more than private belief. It is truth held deeply enough that a man is willing to act, speak, and suffer rather than go along with the culture when it goes against God.

In Acts 16, we see the Apostle Paul being a man who lived with conviction. He saw a young girl being misused by some adult men who were making money from her, so he intervened to free her from this abusive business arrangement. As a result, the men who were making money from her reported Paul as a troublemaker. The result was that he was sentenced to be beaten with rods and imprisonment.

Would you have done what Paul did if that was the result? Paul’s conviction was so strong, in fact, that after he had been beaten and imprisoned unfairly and unjustly, he prayed and sang praises to God out loud while he was in prison. This meant that his firm belief and conviction about Jesus Christ continued even during his suffering so that people around him would continue to hear about Jesus.

Paul’s faith was not passive, it was active. His conviction was not private, it was public. His belief in Jesus was not sentimental, it was courageous. And as a result, not only was a young girl freed from abuse, but an entire household was brought to faith in Christ. Let’s take a closer look at what happened because of Paul’s courageous conviction.

Our community needs men who lead with faith. (Acts 16:26-40)

Late at night, after a long hard day of courageous actions for Christ followed by painful suffering for Christ, Paul spending the night in a terribly uncomfortable prison cell, surrounded by other prisoners. As he prayed and sang songs of praise to God out loud, the other prisoners listened. As this was going on, a violent earthquake shook the area so powerfully that the prisoners’ chains broke free and doors of the prison broke open.
It would naturally follow in this situation that the prisoners would take the opportunity to escape from prison. And according to Roman law, if a prisoner ever escaped custody, the prison guard would be executed as a result. This policy ensured that prison guards took their job seriously. And in this case, we might feel sorry for the prison guard because if the prisoner’s had escaped, it certainly wouldn’t have been his fault.

Still, seeing that the prison had become open, the prison guard drew out his sword to commit suicide. He would do this to avoid the embarrassment of a public execution. But before this could happen, Paul called out from within the cell, “Don’t harm yourself, everyone is present and accounted for!”

Thanks to Paul’s outspoken faith in Christ, he had made such an impression on the prisoners that he convinced them to stay in jail. Then as a result, he was able to save the life of the prison guard. But he did more than save this man’s physical life, he saved his spiritual, eternal life, too – so much so that this man, this prison guard, also became a man who would lead with faith.

Who believe on Christ (Acts 16:26-31)

Hearing that no prisoners had escaped, the prison guard grabbed a lantern, ran into the prison cell, and fell on the ground before Paul shaking and trembling from the emotional trauma he had just experienced. Then he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” What did he mean “to be saved”? He couldn’t have meant to be saved physically because that had already happened. He meant instead to be saved spiritually, to be saved not from physical death but from spiritual, eternal death through separation from God.

Paul answered this question by saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” This man was Roman citizen, so he was probably trusting in false gods, idols, and the Roman Caesar himself for salvation and the afterlife. But here Paul told him to believe on Jesus Christ, instead. This meant that he would have to turn away from whatever else he was trusting for salvation to trust in Christ alone, instead.

To believe on Jesus Christ does not mean only to believe that Jesus existed, or that Jesus was a good man, an excellent teacher, or a powerful miracle worker. You can believe all these things about Jesus and still not be saved. You must believe the most important things about who he is. These three things are all present in the name “Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Lord emphasizes his complete authority and deity. You must submit to him as your master and acknowledge him as completely God.
• Jesus emphasizes his mission and humanity. You must depend on him as your Savior and acknowledge him as completely human, a man who took your place at the cross.
• Christ emphasizes his role as God’s promised Messiah. He is God’s anointed one, so you must believe on him as the one and only way that God has provided to save you from sin, death, and hell and to bring you into God’s family and kingdom forever.

Paul explained believing on Jesus Christ for salvation this way (Rom 10:9-13):

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

It’s important to point out that saving faith, believing on Christ is a personal choice that occurs in your heart and is expressed by your mouth. The prison guard believed on Christ in his heart and expressed that faith with his mouth at the same time. He didn’t perform a variety of rituals or perform various good works, nor did Paul answer his question for how to be saved by giving him a list of things to do. Whoever “calls” on the name of the Lord (acknowledging and trusting in him as Lord, Jesus, Christ) will … be … saved.

Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved? This is not the same question as “were you sprinkled as an infant,” or “did you grow up in a Christian home,” or “did you complete catechism class,” or “do you observe the sacraments,” or “do you go to church”? We need men who have clearly, intentionally, knowingly, personally believed on Christ.

Who are baptized for Christ (Acts 16:33)

We also need men who are baptized for Christ. And what is Christian baptism? The word “baptism” means “to dunk, immerse, or submerge.” And according to Christ and Scripture, it is being immersed by the church in public soon after a person clearly and consciously believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why should a person be baptized? The clear and simple answer is because Christ commanded it. Baptism is the public, visible way that we publicly identify ourselves with Christ and are joined to the church. It is the first step we must take to show that we do indeed believe on Christ as Lord by obeying his command. When a person who claims to believe on Christ will not receive baptism, they raise a serious question about whether they have genuinely believed on Christ at all.

Here is what Jesus said about baptism:

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20)

As you can see, he places baptism first, making it the first outward step of following him. Then everything else he commands should come after that. Then, as the church began in the earliest days, that is exactly what happened.

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. (Acts 2:41)

People who heard the word about the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation believed, then they received baptism soon afterwards, publicly identifying themselves as followers of Christ. Inward, heart belief in Christ is what brings salvation. Outward, visible baptism by immersion soon after is what brings public acceptance of your faith by the church.

My father grew up in church, was sprinkled as an infant, graduated from catechism class as a kid, and did a lot of things in the church as a teenager. But not until he was 17 years old when he heard a preacher explain what it meant to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ did he clearly, intentionally, knowingly, personally believe on Jesus to save him.

Soon after, he realized his need to be baptized. He realized that bring sprinkled as an infant wasn’t baptism because it wasn’t immersion and it didn’t occur after he consciously, personally believed on Christ. So, he received baptism to take his first meaningful step of obedience to Christ, showing that he did indeed believe on Jesus as Lord.

That’s what this prison guard did in Philippi. He believed on Christ, then he was baptized. In these ways, he was a man who led with faith. But he led with faith in more ways, too.

Who bring their household to Christ (Acts 16:32-33)

Not only did this man believe on Christ and receive baptism soon after, but he also introduced his family to Christ. As you can see in Acts 16:32-33, the man invited Paul to “speak the word of the Lord … to all who were in his house.” Yes, this would include his immediate family members (spouse and children), as we would view a household today. But “household” meant more than this. It included people like parents and household servants and employees, too, anyone who relied on him for their care.

This means that he gave the people who lived under his care the opportunity to believe on Christ for themselves, and in this case, everyone who heard the word also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as he had also done. This isn’t always the result, for some men who believe on Christ will wives and children, etc. who refuse to believe on Christ. But regardless, a man of faith should do what he can to give all who are in his house an opportunity to believe on Christ.

It’s crucial to point out here that just because this man believed on Christ does not mean everyone else in his household was automatically saved by default. Nor does it mean that any infants in his household believed or were saved. Though the passage doesn’t say there were any infants in his home, it does say that whoever was in his home had heard the message about Christ first and believed as a result. Infants can’t do this because they don’t have the ability to understand language and make conscious choices about faith.

A recent survey has concluded that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% chance that everyone else in the household will follow. If a mother is the first to believe, there is a 17% chance that everyone in the household will believe. But if the father is the first to believe, there is a 93% chance everyone else in the household will follow. This shows how influential a husband and father’s faith can be.

Our community, nation, and world need more men who not only take care of their families and spend time with their families – we need men who will lead their families in faith in Christ. We need men who personally believe on Christ Jesus as Lord, who have obeyed Christ first through baptism, and who also do what they can to intentionally lead and guide the people who are under their care to their own faith in Christ, as well.

This prison guard shows us one more way that men should lead their households in faith.

Who get involved with serving Christ (Acts 16:34-40)

If you look closely at Act 16:34-40, this man involved himself immediately in supporting the cause of Christ. He welcomed Paul into his house, fed him, bandaged his wounds, and gave him a place to sleep. He offered him generous hospitality.

He also served as a go-between and messenger between local government officials and Paul, letting Paul know that his sentence had been officially revoked and then conveying a message from Paul back to the government officials, as well.

In other words, this man didn’t just receive salvation and move on with his life. He received salvation then involved his energy and resources in supporting gospel work. He was not just a recipient but a participant. He opened his home and contributed his resources to gospel ministry. He became a follower of Christ and a supporter of the church.

The faith of fathers can determine the faith of a family, a household, a community, and a nation. It may be said that the faith of our nation and our community is weak because we need more men to be leaders of faith in their homes.

We need men who live with conviction, as Paul did when he acted and spoke for truth even though it brought suffering to his life. Second, we need men who lead with faith, as the Philippian prison guard did after he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. This kind of man believes on Christ personally, is baptized for Christ publicly, brings his household to Christ intentionally, and gets involved with serving Christ faithfully.

Bill McCartney was the founder of the well-known men’s ministry called “Promise Keepers.” He was also a former head football coach for the University of Colorado Boulder. He once said that “a real man, a man’s man, is a godly man.” And this is what we need today. Will you take the next step towards being that kind of man today, like Paul and like the prison guard at Philippi?

Together, Paul and the jailer show us that men of faith do not keep their faith passive or private, but live it our actively, publicly, and courageously for the good of their families, church, community, and nation. Are you a man who needs to believe on Christ? Are you a man who needs to be baptized for Christ? Are you a man who needs to lead his family to Christ? Are you a man who needs to get involved in serving Christ?

Are you a man who needs to live out your faith publicly with conviction? If so, please speak with a pastor, a deacon, or a man you know from our church about what God is calling you to be and to do today and we will look forward to helping you take your next steps in following Christ. Be bold, be courageous, be intentional and God will bless your faith in a mighty way I promise. And your faith will not only affect your own life, but the lives of those in your household, your community, and your nation.

Discussion Questions

• What are some stories of people who lived with conviction that have impacted you personally?
• What are the challenges that men face to be men of faith from the external opposition of the world? How about from the internal opposition of character flaws?
• What are some ways the church can support and encourage men in having faithful conviction?
• Why is it easier for some men to provide for and spend time with their families than to lead them spiritually?
  • What are some practical ways men can be leaders in their home?
• What do people mean when they say faith is a “private matter?”
  • How does the faith lived out by the men in Acts 16 differ from “private” faith?

Malachi 4:1-6

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

These are the opening lines from this beloved hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, written by Thomas Chisolm in 1923. More than a hundred years ago, many things have changed, but God remains just as faithful, merciful, and loyal to his people today as then.

This was true for the people of Malachi’s day at the end of the OT, too. A thousand years before this book was written, God made a special covenant with the Hebrew people at Mount Sinai to form them into the nation of Israel, as recorded in Exodus. This covenant fulfilled a promise he made to Abraham hundreds of years before that. When the second generation of Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God repeated this covenant with them a second time, as recorded in Deuteronomy.

Near the end of Deuteronomy (Dt 27-28), God explained a series of blessings and curses that would happen to them – blessings if they were faithful and loyal to him, curses if they were unfaithful and disloyal. Nearly 1,000 years later, they had now experienced some effects of the curses by being taken from their land as prisoners of war. But God also rescued and restored them back to their land again, which his where Malachi comes in.

Very few years had passed, however, and they were already showing signs of disloyalty. This book shows that by recording a series of six conversations with God in which he charged the people with disloyalty to him. They responded to God, though, with surprise and asked for proof, so he gave them evidence of their disloyalty. After these six conversations, God closed the message with a preview of the future and a call for renewed loyalty to him. Let’s first look at his preview of the future.

God gives two official, vivid previews of the future.

With the Babylonian and Assyrian captivities behind them, God wanted Israel to not take their future for granted. Those who concluded it was useless and unprofitable to serve God (Mal 3:13-18) and more beneficial to live arrogant, materialistic, self-serving lives would have one kind of future to look forward to, while those who genuinely believed, feared, and followed God regardless of immediate, tangible benefits would have another very different kind of future to look forward to. Previews like this can be helpful.

• A parent tells their child if he does his homework he can play after supper, but if not, he will lose privileges.
• A doctor advises her patient if she stops smoking, she will improve her health and longevity, but if not, she will increase her risk of disease.
• A financial advisor projects his client will have a stable, secure retirement if she sets aside a certain amount of money, but if not, she’ll face anxiety, debt, and uncertainty.
• An employer discloses if an employee will perform consistently and well, he will receive regular raises and good benefits, but if not, he will lose the job completely.

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. (Prov 22:3)

Previews like this motivate us to behave better in the present. If we take them seriously, we make changes to secure the desirable, positive outcome and to avoid the undesirable, negative one. This is what a wise person will do, but a foolish person will ignore the warning and forge ahead in the wrong direction. Here was God’s preview for Israel.

Unbelieving people will be burned up.

The first part of this preview gives an undesirable, negative possible outcome.

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “that will leave them neither root nor branch. (Mal 4:1)

Here God warns that people who live arrogant, materialistic, self-serving lives will be destroyed. He describes this future time as a hot, fiery furnace or oven and the unbelieving people as chaff.

Chaff is the thin, dry outer shell of grain that breaks down and falls off when the grain is harvested. It is so insignificant that it blows away like dust. When these particles blow or fall into flames, they burn up and disappear immediately. God also describes this burning as a devouring, scorching fire that will destroy entire trees so thoroughly that neither branches nor roots will be left behind.

We can envision an entire landscape of grain fields and fruit orchards blackened, charred, and smoking from a massive fire that blew across the land. Only here, it is arrogant, materialistic, self-serving, unbelieving people who are burnt up, not fruit, grain, and land. This future would be there’s if they continued to live arrogant, materialistic, self-serving lives. But thankfully, there is a second part to this preview.

Believing people will go free.

The second part of this preview gives a desirable, positive possible outcome.

But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts. (Mal 4:2-3)

God uses two concepts to describe this positive future. First, the Sun, which like the previous negative future outcome is a fire, but here it is a positive fire, one that gives light, brightness, happiness, and warmth, not death and destruction. An earth-borne fire destroys, but the glow of airborne fire, the sun, brings growth and well-being.

The “wings” that give healing here aren’t bird wings but the rays of light that beam from the sun, the edges or fringes of the sun’s light that reach and touch Earth, bringing growth, health, life, and warmth to all things.

Though this description includes all sorts of positive benefits and blessings God gives, it emphasizes one specifically – how God gives righteousness to his people. From this, we see something that Scripture teaches frequently in a variety of ways, that God is not the source of righteousness only because he does and will make all wrongs right (which is certainly the case), but also because he alone makes arrogant, materialistic, self-serving people righteous. In this way, Christ is and would be “the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12).

This leads to the second concept God uses to explain this possible, positive future. Those who are loyal to him will not only enjoy happiness, light, warmth, and righteousness from God as the Earth benefits from the heat and light of the sun’s rays, they would also go free like calves released from their stall. This image portrays a young calf which a farmer has contained in a very small pen for a while. When that energetic calf is released into an open field to graze, it leaps and dances exuberantly with sheer, unbridled delight.

To expand this picture even further, God pulls in the previous negative picture of unbelieving, wicked people being like burnt, charred ashes left behind from a raging fire to say that his people who are like dancing young calves would trample on their ashes. You can envision when a field burns down here, followed by fresh, green new growth bursting through as a transformed meadow for new calves to graze in.

This description pictures a dramatic reversal. When we look around, it may seem like arrogant, materialistic, self-serving people thrive as faithful, loyal, God-fearing people suffer and survive. But in the end, when the Sun of Righteousness rises, those unbelieving people will be as burnt ashes, and the believing people of God will be blessed and exalted in every way. Their future will be filled with delight, freedom, and success.

Before moving on, we should notice an important detail. In describing both possible future outcomes for people, God includes the statement “says the Lord of hosts” both times. This phrase means something like “the Lord of heaven’s armies” and portrays God as the superior, supreme commander of countless angelic armies.

This means he outranks and overpowers all earthly powers and can therefore guarantee that the two possible outcomes he is previewing here will certainly occur – no one or nothing can stand in his way or prevent it from happening. The betting odds of these future outcomes are 0-1, which is 100%.

With these two possible outcomes now clearly in mind, which path would you want to take? It’s at this point that God called his people to choose their path.

He calls his people to remember their covenant with him.

Here God calls his people to look in two directions, not left and right, but backward and forward, to reflect on the past and peer into the future. This encourages the best perspective when making important decisions. When you make a big choice, you should do so considering what God has done in history and what he promises to do in the end.

We normally make navigation choices, for instance, like a car sitting in traffic, seeing what’s immediately around us; but it’s far better to make travel choices based on an aerial view from a helicopter, seeing what’s behind and ahead. Unfortunately, we don’t usually have helicopters (or flying cars) to get around, but for more important, spiritual and life choices, we do have God’s ultimate aerial shot of history and the future in his Word.

First, to look back he tells them to “remember” the Law of Moses “… with the statues and ordinances” (Mal 3:4). With this instruction, he is telling them to pay close, diligent attention to everything he had said in the covenant he made with them through Moses.

He also describes this covenant and law as what happened at “Horeb.” Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai and seems to be a more personal, sentimental way to refer to this special place in Israel’s history. By pairing Horeb with “laws, statues, and ordinances,” God seems to point back to place where his covenant relationship with Israel began, much like how a spouse may refer to the wedding vows of their marriage or to the special place where they proposed, married, or honeymooned.

The desired effect of this pairing portrays God’s covenant with Israel as more than a historical event and record to know about, and more than a formal, legal arrangement to observe. It portrays the covenant as a memorable, special relationship that evokes fond, heartfelt affection, devotion, and love rather than duty and obligation.

Malachi was calling Judah to a lifestyle guided at all times not by human wisdom, ambition, or societal expectations but by the thoughtful application of God’s Word. (Taylor & Clendenen)

Calling them to “remember” all the words of the covenant also resembles a married couple remembering the words of their wedding vows and premarital counseling. The longer a marriage endures, the more easily one or both spouses may lose awareness of their commitments and vows to one another and to the counseling and guidance they received before they married.

The results of such forgetting can be devastating, even leading to the destruction or end of the marriage. (Auto-pilot, existence, neglect, and survival are not good patterns in marriage.) But those who truly devoted to their spouse will reflect often on the moment and place of their wedding and will recall their counseling and vows, taking those things more deeply to heart and determining more, not less, and to practice those things in love.

Said another way, God called the people of Israel back to attention. They had “lost their first love” and had turned away their hearts and eyes from their covenant relationship with him, looking covetously and with envy at the arrogant, materialistic, self-serving lifestyles and people around them. They had become dissatisfied with God.

But those who genuinely believed in and feared him would have bright future awaiting them, one in which God would place his righteousness in their hearts and in which they would enjoy the fullest degree of happiness, light, warmth, and well-being of his healing touch. But those who chose the arrogant, materialistic, self-serving path would prove their unfaithfulness over time suffer destruction and judgement with the wicked.

He would send another reminder.

To help Israel prepare for the future day of reckoning, God promised to send another reminder, or rather a person to remind then and prepare the way. Just as the respected OT prophet Elijah had called the people of Israel back to God away from worshiping Baal, so God would send another man to prepare them for salvation from coming judgment.

I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (Mal 4:5)

God would send a man like this some 400 years later, named John the Baptist, and he prepared the people of Israel for the coming of Jesus to Earth. When John the Baptist was born, the angel told his mother, Elizabeth, that he would be like Elijah and then quoted Mal 4:5-6 in connection with his birth:

He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Jesus himself would later mention this prophecy as connected somehow to John the Baptist (Mt 17:10-13; Mk 9:11-13). But it is also possible that John that Baptist was simply like what this prophecy foretold without being the full fulfillment of it.

I say this since it’s also possible this prophecy looks forward even further to a still-future time when Christ will return not only the first time to present himself as our Savior but to return finally, fully a second time to judge the world in a way that more closely resembles the burning of the wicked and the healing and freeing of the righteous here in Mal 4:1-3.

Elijah himself is often suggested as one of two unnamed witnesses in Rev 11:3. Scripture repeatedly links him to end‑time judgment, and Mal 4:5 promises “Elijah” will come before the great day of the Lord. While Jesus taught that John the Baptist functioned in this role somehow, the prophecy does not require that the fulfillment be limited to John alone.
Elijah’s OT ministry fits the pattern of the witnesses in Rev 11, calling down fire and shut up the sky, miracles that mirror Elijah’s historical ministry. His appearance with Moses at the Transfiguration of Christ (Mt 17:2-3) in the gospels further supports the idea that these two men represent the Law and the Prophets and may reappear together in the last days. Both died (or were taken away) at the end of their lives by God in abnormal, mysterious ways, so that makes this possibility even more fascinating.

Still, Scripture never identifies the witnesses by name, so Elijah remains a strong possibility, but not a certainty. At any rate, we know that while the full judgment and day of the Lord will come in the future, it began in a special way when Christ came into the world the first time, preceded by John the Baptist.

He would restore foundational relationships.

Whatever the case, the ministry of this Elijah person would serve an important purpose:

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. (Mal 4:6)

One commentator explains this promise in a helpful way:

The point is that fathers and sons would no longer live self-serving lives, but fathers will take their sons to heart and sons will take to heart their fathers, considering the effects of their actions on one another in the course of their lives. (Taylor & Clendenen)

When people take their relationship with God seriously, then end up taking seriously the other important relationships in their lives – the parent/child, father/son relationship, esp. This is a central theme and principle throughout the OT law and is the same in the NT. It is clear, direct application and reflection of how Jesus taught that loving God is inseparable from loving your neighbor.

A key mark that any group of people, Israel or otherwise, is living an arrogant, materialistic, self-serving life is that they suffer serious breakdowns and breakups in close family relationships, like husband/wife and parent/child. A mark of any group of people taking seriously their relationship with God, fearing and loving him in a devoted way, is a strengthening, prioritizing, restoration, and building up of these same relationships.

While this is true, Malachi may be saying something else profound here, too, esp. with the second statement, that “he would turn the hearts of the children to the fathers.” He may be speaking about more than just immediate parent/child relationships and may be referring to a much larger scope, that of restoring respect of one generation of his people for those people of faith who preceded them many years before – “restoring the respect of descendants for their forefathers.”

This means he could be speaking about restoring the people of Israel to a shared faith with and respect for men and fathers of faith in their past like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, etc. When a generation or group of people lose connection with, knowledge of, and respect for key people who’ve gone before them, it is both a cause and symptom of a weak faith and devotion of their own and restoring connection with and respect for such people is both a means and result of renewed faith and devotion. The nearly 200-yr. old hymn, Faith of Our Fathers, emphasizes this spiritual reality as it calls us to remember and respect those followers of Christ who have suffered and even died for their relationship with God – at the hands of Roman Catholic persecution and more.

Faith of the martyrs, living still
in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
whene’er we hear that glorious word!

The martyrs chained in prison cells
were still in heart and conscience free,
and bless’d would be their children’s fate
if they, like them, should die for thee!

Faith of the martyrs, we will love
both friend and foe in all our strife,
and preach thee, too, as love knows how,
by saving word and faithful life!

Faith of the martyrs, holy faith,
we will be true to thee till death.

May God grant us a deeper respect for our fathers in the faith throughout history.

Now, when we come to the NT, we see that this closing prophecy of Malachi finds its fullest meaning in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, the Elijah-esque messenger who prepared the way, explained that Christ would do what no other prophet could ever do:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3:11-12)

Can you see his references to Malachi’s prophecy here? Jesus is the One in whom the two vivid previews of the future are accomplished. He is the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing for all who fear God’s name, and he is also the Lord who separates the wheat from the chaff and brings fiery judgment upon the proud and unbelieving.

The same Christ who will one day judge the world first came to save sinners. He bore the judgment that his people deserve so that all who repent and believe in him might receive not the fire of condemnation, but the cleansing gift of the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of God. So, Malachi’s final word does not leave us staring at a coming fire of judgment. It leads us to the only Savior who can rescue us from it. The One who judges is also the One who died and rose again so that guilty, proud, self-seeking people like us can be forgiven, made righteous, and set free.

So, let me ask you today, how’s your heart? Our forever faithful God has spoken clearly, and he has shown you where each path leads. If you have never trusted in Christ, then turn to him now in faith and repentance to escape the fiery judgment to come. Do not cling to pride, materialism, and self-seeking when Christ stands ready to save.

If you do belong to Christ, then renew your devotion to him today. Turn your heart again toward your faithful Savior by becoming more attentive to his words, remembering them, treasuring them, and letting them shape your life more than the material, self-seeking voices and influences do, pressing in on you from every side. May you treat God’s Word the same way that a long-married spouse should treat their premarital counseling and wedding vows – treasuring them and bringing them to bear on every aspect of life in love.

Little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 Jn 2:28)

This closing message of Malachi leaves us with both a warning and a hope. The warning is that the day of the Lord is surely coming, and no arrogant, unbelieving heart will stand in that day – including your own if you do not believe on Christ as your Savior. The hope is that our forever faithful God has not left us without a Savior, without his Word, or without a clear call to return to him. So, remember his words, look to Jesus Christ, and respond while there is still time. For those who fear his name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings – and that’s a promise.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Malachi 3:13-18

Imagine a sail ship whose crew slowly turns against its own captain, not because he failed them, but because they convinced each other he had. That’s what happened aboard the HMS Bounty in 1789. A handful of sailors, who resented their captain’s rigorous expectations and desired an easier life, began whispering half‑truths and exaggerations about Captain Bligh to one another. The more they repeated their stories, the more the crew believed them.

Before long, the captain’s real character didn’t matter because the talk among the crew had taken over. Their words became stronger than his authority, and in the end, they staged a mutiny. They pointed bayonets at Bligh in the middle of the night, forced him on deck, and ordered him and 18 loyal men aboard the ship’s launch Royal Museums Greenwich. Bligh and his men were then cast adrift in a small boat, navigating over 3,600 nautical miles to safety.

This is the sixth and final time in this book – which is a conversation between God and the people of Israel – that he has told the people they were violating their covenant with him. Like the other five times, they act surprised and ask God to prove what he is saying.

God hears when we speak negatively about him.

Here God makes a new claim to the people of Israel. “‘Your words have been harsh against me,’ says the Lord.” The words translated “harsh against me” can mean a variety of things like “speaking harshly or strongly against someone” or “overruling someone.”

This resembles what happened with the mutiny on the HMS Bounty. Sailors were not speaking harsh or strong words to their captain, they were speaking negative things about him and overruling him by what they said about him to each other.

The people responded to this claim by acting surprised. “How have we spoken against you?” With this response, they understood that God was implying they had said things which resembled some of their notorious, wicked enemies.

• The messengers of the Assyrian king Sennacherib “spoke … against the LORD God” and “wrote letters insulting the LORD, the God of Israel,” saying he was unable to protect Jerusalem (2 Chr 32:16-17).
• The Edomites “boasted against [God] and spoke against [him] without restraint” (Ezk 35:13). The prophet Hosea tells us what God said about them: “Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me” (Hos 7:13).
• After he saw the miracle of the fiery furnace, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sided with God and decreed that “the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble” (Dan 3:29).

So, the people wanted to know how it was that they had spoken against God like their notorious enemies had done. Had they misheard God? Surely, they were not like Nebuchadnezzar or the Edomites, but God answered their question clearly and quickly:

“You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts?’ So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’” (Mal 3:14-15)

As you can see, their answer had two parts. The first part was what they were saying about God and the second was what they were saying about wicked people.

When we conclude it is unprofitable to serve him…

The first thing they were telling each other about God is this:

“It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?” (Mal 3:14)

Here they describe their relationship with God as one of service and conclude that serving God is useless and unprofitable. They had made some kind of attempts to do what the covenant called for them to do but did not receive the financial, material, temporal benefits they had hoped to receive in return.

They were handling their relationship with God in a pragmatic way as if it were a vending machine – “if we do this thing, we’ll get this other thing in return.” In politics, we call this “pay to play,” in business, “quid pro quo,” in marriage, “conditional love,” a “transactional relationship,” or “using someone.” In church, we call it a “consumer mindset.”

Now, apart from this being a self-centered, wrong view of our relationship with God, it also naturally and eventually brings us to a disenchanted, disillusioned view of God.

To be disenchanted or disillusioned means to feel that someone or something you once hoped in and trusted doesn’t meet your expectations. Disenchantment can arise because something truly fails you, or else because your expectations were wrong to begin with.
If you go to McDonalds expecting a 3-star Michelin experience, you’ll be disappointed, but it won’t be McD’s fault because that’s not the kind of restaurant advertise: you had the wrong expectations. But if you go to McD’s for an affordable, fast, and savory meal and you get a large bill, slow service, and dry, lukewarm food, you’ll also be disappointed and it will be McD’s fault since you expected them to be what they advertise.

When people are disenchanted or disillusioned with God, it is never because God has failed them but because they had the wrong expectations, as the people of Israel did. We form wrong expectations when we grade the value of serving God in measurable ways. These measurable ways include the following:

• Measuring Time: grading how soon favorable, positive things happen to us
• Measuring Wealth: grading how our net worth increases
• Measuring Success: grading how much our difficulties and suffering decrease and how much our accomplishments and recognition increase

To be clear, God does intend to bless his children in measurable, material ways. Sometimes, even often, today he does so in the present, in this life to some degree. Consider how Jesus himself said that God responds to his children who make generous financial and material investments into his kingdom:

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Lk 6:38)

Also consider the timeless promise God gives to people who honor their parents well:

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Eph 6:2-3)

If you give generously to God’s kingdom, he says he will bless you through the generosity of others. And if you honor your father and mother, he may bless you with a healthy and long life in this world. But sometimes God provides these blessings at a later time than we want him to or in another form than we assumed them to be, and he may even defer these blessings to eternity beyond the grave. Even so, God does what he says he will do.

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19)

One man who struggled with this challenge of looking and waiting for God’s blessing as he was faithfully serving God was the prophet, Isaiah. Notice how he wondered whether his service to God had been worthwhile, because people didn’t generally respond to his message and ministry in a positive, receptive way:

Then I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, and my work with my God.” (Isaiah 49:3)

But when he expressed his question to God, he quickly pivoted to a God-focused perspective. He chose to trust the outcome of his service for God to God. But that’s not how the people of Israel responded to a similar question. Instead, they turned their eyes away from God and concluded that a worldly life was better than a life of serving God.

When we conclude a worldly life is better …

The second thing they were telling each other about God is this:

“Now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.” (Mal 3:15)

Since they weren’t getting the benefits they wanted from God when they wanted them, they looked around and saw arrogant and evil people living godless, worldly lifestyles. These people actively, even intentionally, opposed God. But the irony was that they seemed to enjoy the blessings, stability, and freedom that the people of Israel wanted.

When they saw this paradox, an apparent contradiction, they reached what seemed to be a logical, rational conclusion. If people who serve God receive lower- or slower-than-expected material and tangible blessings, and if people who don’t serve God receive more immediate, measurable material blessings, then it made better sense not to serve God.

But this is like a teacher trying to prove that sugar makes students smarter. So, she gives a group of students a full-size candy bar before a test, and that group scores higher than another group gets no candy scores lower. It would be easy to say, “See, sugar helps students do better!” But that conclusion would be faulty, because there may be other reasons for the difference in student performance.

Perhaps the first group had more sleep, studied more carefully, or simply came to class better prepared. Without taking those things into account, the conclusion sounds logical, but it is reliable because it lacked proper controls. In the same way, the people of Israel looked at their lives and concluded that serving God seemed empty and unprofitable, while those who ignored God seemed to flourish. But they were judging too soon. They were not factoring in God’s patience and wisdom, the difference between temporary ease and true, eternal blessing, or the certainty that God will make all things right in the end.

Psalm 73:1-3 expresses a similar struggle, only in this case, the person struggling with this was self-aware and repented of his wrong perspective.

Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Do you ever feel this way? That serving God is costly, inconvenient, and not worth your effort and time? Would you rather do things which have more immediate material and tangible returns?

God hears when we express our loyalty to him.

At this point in the conversation God was having with Israel, some of the people chose to let go of the popular talking points against God and band together over a shared faith and trust in God. These were genuine believers and followers of God who had been drawn in by the peer pressure prevailing talking points of their community and culture at that time. But because of their genuine faith, they corrected their course and rejected that thinking.

They “feared the Lord” (2x) and “thought much and highly of his name” (Mal 3:16). This means that they decided to dismiss the faulty conclusions of the majority, namely that it was more profitable and useful not to serve God than it was to serve him. They decided to broaden their perspective account for everything they knew about God.

To fear God means to take seriously everything you know about him and live in a way that respects and responds well to who he is, no matter what the immediate benefits may or may not be. In this case, as it usually does, it meant that the people chose to serve him no matter how low or slow their material, tangible, and temporal blessings seemed to be. We’re familiar with these two competing underlying motives, transactional or devotion.

In marriage, some are loving for comfort, security, or affection, but others are faithful because they’re devoted to their spouse. At work, some labor for pay, praise, or promotion, but others work with integrity because they believe in the mission of the company. In friendship, some stay close because the relationship is useful, but others do so because they truly care. In parent-child relationships, some children obey only for allowance or privileges, while others obey out of love and respect. And in church involvement, some participate for encouragement, help, or social benefits, while others do because they love God and want to worship him no matter what – they fear him.

When immediate benefits slow down or disappear, transactional motives are exposed, but devotion remains steady. And God responds to genuine devotion in a devoted way. He expresses this devotion in Malachi 3:16-18 in four ways.

He remembers those who serve him.

Malachi described how a “book of remembrance” was written before God (3:16). This book could be several things. Some people believe this refers to something called “the Book of Life” elsewhere in the Bible. Others believe it refers to a special book created by God for this specific moment and group of people. Still others believe it refers to a book that people – possibly Malachi himself – created at this moment to write down the names of the people who chose to follow God by faith even when material blessings were thin.

Esther 6 is a good example of this practice. There the Persian king, Ahasuerus, could not sleep, so he ordered the official records to be read to him and realized that a Jewish man named Mordecai had once exposed a plot against his life. That act of loyalty had been written down, preserved, and then brought back to the king’s attention at the right time so he could reward it properly. In this case, he honored and promoted Mordecai, executed Mordecai’s enemy, Haman, and protected Mordecai’s people Israel from destruction.

In the same way, Malachi uses the image of a “book of remembrance” to show that God does not overlook those who fear him. The thief on the cross used the same language, hen he asked Christ to “remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42).

God remembers both disloyalty and loyalty, selfish motives and devotion, and will respond to each in his time. Though immediate blessings may seem few, when the time is right, he will bless, exalt, and reward those who fear him.

He treasures those who serve him.

Not only does God remember those who serve him, but he treasures them. The phrase “make them my jewels” means something like “make them my special treasure” and refers to God choosing some people out of many into a special, unique place of recognition and relationship with him.

In Exo 19:5, at Mount Sinai, when God formed the Hebrew descendants of Abraham into the special nation of Israel, he used the same language to describe all the people of Israel from an ethnic, national standpoint.

If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

Now here, about 1,000 years later, God uses the same language but narrows the scope from all who are born into Israel to all who serve him, fear him, and meditate on his name.

“Possession” is a technical expression of the people of YHWH as His treasure or property, one rightly His by virtue of redemption. (Eugene Merrill)

“Like a shepherd coming to claim his lost sheep and like a bridegroom coming for his bride, God will come to claim his people who are prepared to meet him.” (Taylor & Clendenen)

Think of the many stuffed animals scattered throughout your bedroom (when you were a kid). One or two are clearly your favorite – do you know its name? Anyone can tell which ones they are because they are the most worn. The fur is matted, a seam may be loose, an arm, eye, or leg may be missioned, and all because have been carried, hugged, played with, cried on, and slept with far more than the others. The wear does not make them less valuable to the child; it proves they are especially treasured.

Which is best, to receive treasure from God or be treasured by God? And if earthly, temporal blessings seem thin and if your life of following God seems hard now, which is better – an immediate outpouring of material blessings or hearing and knowing more deeply that God treasures you more than anything else in the world? The cure to disenchantment and disillusionment with God is not more immediate, material blessings from God but a deeper, more personal realization that God treasures you.

He spares those who serve him.

Not only does God remember and treasure those who serve him, but he spares them, too. And here, Malachi leans firmly into this promise to spare them. He does this by repeating the statement twice, one after the other. In the study of biblical Hebrew translation, we call this “telescoping” – it describes how a concept is introduced in one statement, then repeated and expanded from that point more emphatically in the next.

Here, God says he will “spare them” in the first statement, then he says he will “spare them” a second time in the next statement but describes it in an even more special way than the generic statement that came before. So, how does a father spare “his own son who serves him”? Douglas Stewart explains this very helpfully:

“The son who serves his father (or, more neutrally, the child who serves a parent) is twice beloved. He enjoys the love of the father automatically because he is his child, and beyond that he has pleased the father by faithful service. The father’s favor is both natural and earned, both instinctive and merited.”

This special promise explains how God would treat those people of Israel who served him in genuine faith and devotion, not merely for immediate, material blessings. When he finally judged the world in a full and decisive way, he would spare totally spare them from his wrath and judgment – not just a little, but completely.

The word “spare” itself means to show compassion or mercy and speaks of treating someone in a special way that they don’t deserve. And this can only refer to a person who accepts and understands that they are a sinner who deserves God’s judgment, not a good or neutral person who deserves God’s blessing.

And this is one of evidence or symptoms of a transactional relationship with God, one motivated primarily by potential blessings rather than by a deep respect for God himself. This evidence may be called “entitlement,” which is the mindset that God owes you blessing, comfort, and reward – that you inherently deserve these things.

But a heart of genuine faith and devotion to God is not marked by an entitled attitude. It is marked by a humble, repentant attitude that is deeply persuaded you do not deserve his blessing and are amazed that he would remember, treasure, and spare you at all.

He separates those who serve him.

Finally, God not only remembers, treasures, and spares those who are faithfully devoted to him, he separates them, too. Why is this important? To help us understand the purpose for this promise, we should pay attention to the word “again” (Mal 3:18). With this word in mind, we should compare the beginnings of God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai with the people of Israel 1,000 years later after they returned from captivity in Assyria and compare it to how planting a garden works.

When a person plants a garden, it’s easy to tell the difference between the garden and the rest of the countryside around it. This distinction becomes more difficult to see, though, after the onset of weeds. As weeds grow and spread and the garden becomes indistinguishable from the countryside, it becomes necessary to either weed the garden by separating and removing the weeds.

When God established his covenant with Israel at Sinai, it was easy to tell the difference between the people of Israel and the unbelieving people of the world. But as years wore on, the nation became increasingly populated by people who were following God for immediate, material, temporal benefits only. So, at the end of time, God will separate from those who genuinely believe on him from those who do not. Today, that may not immediately be clear, but it will be perfectly clear on that day.

Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (Mal 3:18)

Jesus taught more about this future time of judgement and separation (Mt 13:41-43):

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

At this time, the consequences of your motivations for following God will be more crucial than anything you can desire or value in this immediate, material, and temporal life. God will not separate people the way our present world does, by measurable, tangible factors: age group, stage of life, IQ, tax filing status, ethnicity, nationality, professional titles, credit score, gender, marital status, political party, social class, income bracket, and more.

Instead, he will separate and categorize us by one thing – whether or not be believed on Christ, feared God, and served him with genuine, devoted, loyal faith that endured, even in difficult times when material, temporal, immediate blessings were low and slow.

So, in Malachi 3:13-18, we see that the real crisis in Israel wasn’t their difficult, uncomfortable circumstances but their attitude towards God. They had allowed disappointment, delay, and comparison to change their theology. They spoke harshly about God, not with raised fists but with quiet, cynical conversations that spoke of him like we do when we leave 1- and 2-star reviews on Google or Yelp for a business or service-provider who provided unsatisfactory care.

God revealed their transactional motives and contrasted them with a smaller number among them who feared him, meditated his name, and served him even when blessings were low and slow. And God promised that he remembers, treasures, spares, and will one day separate those who truly belong to him. The question Malachi leaves ringing in our ears is not whether God is faithful, but whether we will trust God’s devotion when the immediate rewards are hard to see.

The call for us is clear: believe on Christ, fear God, and serve him with a loyal heart. Let his character and his Word, not your circumstances, shape your conclusions about God, about life, and about the people around you. Examine your motives honestly before him.

Are you following Christ because he is worthy, or because you hope he will make life easier for you today? Are you serving Him for who he is, or for what you hope he will give you? The God who remembers, treasures, spares, and separates his people is looking and listening for hearts that are wholly his, hearts that will follow Christ at any cost, even when blessings are delayed, disguised, or deferred to eternity.

Let us reject the consumer mindset that whispers, “What does it profit to follow Christ?” Today is a good day to realign your heart with the fear of the Lord and renew your loyalty to him, regardless of your circumstances.

A gardener once planted two trees side by side. One grew quickly into a tree that was tall, leafy, and impressive see. The other grew slowly into a tree that was small, sturdy, and unimpressive. Neighbors praised the fast-growing tree, but the gardener kept tending the slow one with careful love and a green thumb.

Years later, a violent storm swept through. The tall tree snapped in half, but the small tree stood firm because its roots had grown slow but deep. Though this surprised many, they didn’t realize that the fast-growing tree had a shallow root system and a fragile trunk.

In the same way, don’t be enamored by or feel entitled to the material blessings this temporal world can offer. Though God can and does bless his people in these ways today, we should be sure not to demand those things from him but rather devote ourselves to serving him because he is worthy. God is not impressed by the quick, comfortable, flashy lifestyles of material success. He treasures the quiet, steady devotion of those who fear him in any circumstance and serve him even when the winds of difficulty and trial blow.

May we at Brookdale be a group of committed believers who are like that tree, rooted, faithful, and standing firm in the end because we know that we don’t deserve God’s blessings and because we believe, fear, and serve him no matter what.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think we discount the effect of negative speech, like the speech of the  HMS Bounty or the people of Israel?
• How do we operate on a “transactional” (quid quo pro/pay-to-play) basis in our ministry at church? In our prayer lives?
• What are some practical ways that we can maintain proper expectations of God’s blessings to those who serve him?
• What could be some positive aspects to material, tangible blessings being low and slow?
• How is an attitude of humility and repentance an antidote to entitlement?
• What do you desire most during times of disenchantment?
  • How can faith in the future separation of those who serve God from those who do not impact our desires during those times?

Malachi 3:7-12

The book of Malachi is written as a conversation between God and his people. This conversation is important because it happened after 2,000 years of God being faithful to his promise with Abraham and after 1,500 years of being faithful to Abraham’s descendants, rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, forming a permanent covenant with them, and giving them the land of Palestine as their own.

This whole, very long span of time, he had faithfully and loyally loved them – meeting their needs, correcting them when they went astray, and using every means possible to form a close and special relationship with them. Despite his abundant, enduring love for them, he initiated this conversation with them through the prophet Malachi to point out a series of clear ways they were either neglecting or rebelling against their covenant with God.

This conversation is disappointing because each time God points out an area of neglect or rebellion, the people respond with denial and surprise. “How could this be true? Surely, God is misunderstanding something or being hypersensitive.” The dialogue sounds like the script of a parent having a conversation with a child or teenager who isn’t listening well or like an interaction with a person who has fallen into a pattern of projection.

The next section of this conversation continues in this way. And it begins with a blunt, simple statement by God, followed quickly by a surprising observation – surprising to the people, at least.

First, God asks a blunt question: “Will a person rob God?” (3:8). Now, who would knowingly try to do such a thing? It’s an absurd situation, like trying to rob a police officer, cheat against a chess master, pick a fight with a professional wrestler, or injure your mom. To steal from God would make no sense because he knows and sees everything, loves the whole world, and will be the judge of every person.

But God follows with a massive claim: “Yet you have robbed me!” (3:8). He says in unmistakable, unmysterious terms that his own people had robbed him. Not foreigners, not enemies, but his own people. How shocking is that? Somehow, they had taken wrongly for themselves what belonged only, rightfully to him. They had stolen from God.

This claim seems to have surprised the people, because they immediately asked, “How have we robbed you?” (3:8). It seems they had become so desensitized, oblivious, and unaware of their own actions that they were robbing God without realizing it.

Was God accusing the people of kleptomania? Kleptomania is an impulsive behavior, repeatedly stealing items you don’t need due to a strong urge that feels irresistible. But this wasn’t the problem in view. They weren’t stealing from God by taking things away from him; they were stealing from him by withholding what was rightfully his.

A person audited by the government can understand this scenario. You receive a letter in the mail saying you may have wrongly reported or withheld taxes. Unless you have done this intentionally, you are surprised and want to know what you may have done wrong or how you have misunderstood the tax code. Tax rules can be quite complicated, right?

But God’s answer wasn’t hard to understand. He gave a clear and quick answer that didn’t require complicated explanations: “In tithes and offerings” (3:8). Okay, so there you have it. They were robbing God by withholding tithes and offerings they were supposed to be giving to him. So then, what are tithes and offerings? What was God referring to?

The word tithe appears 14 times in the Pentateuch: Genesis 1x (Gen 14:20), Leviticus 5x (Lev 27:30-32), Numbers 3x (Num 18:21, 24, 26), and Deuteronomy 5x (Dt 12:17; 14:23, 28; 26:12), 14x total in the covenant God made with Israel (13x in the rest of the OT).

The word offering appears 44 times in the Pentateuch: Exodus 17x, Leviticus 6x, Numbers 8x, and Deuteronomy 3x. (32x times in the rest of the OT).

When paired together, these words speak of contributions God asked his people to give, and they were to give them for sacred purposes, purposes which were an important part of his covenant with them, which required financial and material resources to do.

Think of it this way. When a man marries a wife, there are some basic financial and material expectations which are an important part of that relationship covenant. The husband now becomes responsible for giving a significant portion of his income to fund things which are important priorities to and for his wife. Not only do they share food, housing, and travel expenses, but he must also provide for her wardrobe, dietary and medical needs, sometimes her education, and also her hobbies and other interests.

If a husband views these marriage obligations as a negative, selfish expectation and refuses to contribute to those needs through his financial and material resources, he is neglectful and unfaithful to her, and he calls into question whether he is devoted, loving, and loyal to her as a husband. He is robbing her. That’s what Israel was doing to God.

So, what are tithes and offerings? Tithe means “tenth part” and refers to 10% of a person’s financial and material increase. Offering is a more general word for a range of things which people were to give to carry out and support God’s sacred purposes.

In OT times, people would give not only money but also other material resources: grain, oil, gold, fruit, jewelry, cloth, animals, silver, bronze, spices, and more. They used money as a form of exchange much less than we do today and did more bartering instead.

These resources were primarily used to support the worship of God in the Temple in three ways: providing supplies needed to conduct worship activities and events, providing resources needed to build or maintain the worship facilities, providing income and resources priests needed to survive and to provide for their families, both when they served as priests (from age 25) and when they retired (from age 50 onward).

These resources were also used to care for the needs of orphans, poor, and widows who had no family to care for them, and of foreign people who had turned to faith in God and lived in Israel but had no inherited land. These were all causes dear to God’s heart, and being in a close relationship with God meant caring for those things together with God and for God with the resources God gave them.

Altogether, the tithes and offerings God called for totaled about 23% of an average man’s annual income in Israel at that time. Knowing this total percentage helps God’s correction and instruction to Israel in Mal 3:10 make more sense:

“Bring all [emphasis added] the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.”

This food God requested would be stored in warehouses built for this purpose, and the supplies stored in those warehouses would be distributed to provide for priests and their families, for ceremonies and festivals at the Temple, and for orphans, poor, and widows which needed care, as well as foreigners who lived among them without land.

So, to say “bring all the tithes” is a clue that people were not robbing God by giving no tithes and offerings at all (though this may have been true for some people), but by only bringing some tithes and offerings, not all of them. So, the sacred causes previously mentioned and important to God were being neglected, underfunded, and unfulfilled.

Now that we have gained a clear understanding of what God is saying here, let’s do two more things. First, let’s take a closer look not only at the meaning of what God says here, which we have already done, but the significance of it in a spiritual sense. Then, let’s ask how this message applies to us today, if at all – because, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re not Jewish people living in Old Testament Israel and following the Mosaic Law.

Generosity towards God was a test of devotion.

When we talk about things like tithing and giving money to God, it’s easy to think legalistically. We naturally ask questions like, “What should I give,” “how much should I give,” and “how often should I give?”

For a variety of reasons, some more valid than others, we tend to have a negative, pessimistic, and reluctant attitude towards churches and pastors talking about money and tithing. While the reasons for this attitude are important to explore, we don’t have time to do that today. But I hope you can set such an attitude aside, if it even exists in your heart, to recognize two things.

First, God does talk about giving money and resources to support sacred causes which are important to him. Second, just because bad actors have abused this teaching for ungodly purposes is a poor reason to minimize, neglect, or reject this teaching from God. Should a husband refuse to marry a wife or else refuse to give generous support to his wife once married because bad wives exist and have abused this expectation? No.

So, here is the most important question of the day. Not, “what should I give,” “how much should I give,” and “how often should I give?” I’ll attempt to answer those questions briefly at the end of the sermon. But first, we must ask the deeper, motivating question: “Why should I give money and resources to God?”

It tested a person’s devotion to God.

As we’ve already learned, tithes and offerings were not rituals and rules assigned by God because he likes telling people what to do. They also were not God’s way of getting resources from people because he needed their help; God doesn’t need anyone’s help and has all the resources he needs at any time. So, if God doesn’t need his people to give him financial and material resources, why does he ask them to give them to him?

The answer is tied to the way God intended for these resources to be used – those sacred causes of worshiping him and caring for people who relied more directly on him for their livelihood. Though God could provide for these people however he wanted and without any help from people, he called people in a close, loving, covenant relationship with him to be part of this process to test their devotion to him and the things he cares about.

In other words, God wanted to give his people a clear, obvious way to show – beyond words alone – that they were devoted to him by investing in those things which he cared for deeply. Tithes and offerings were God’s way of involving his people in fulfilling his sacred purposes, and they were to do this with resources he gave them for this reason.

“Israel’s attitude toward and use of their possessions was one indication of the health of their relationship with God.” (J. H. Wright)

When they faithfully gave that 23% of their income to the purposes God outlined in his covenant with them, they showed evidence of belief and devotion to him. When they withheld all or some of those contributions, they showed a lack of devotion to God. As Jesus himself would clearly explain 400 years later to the Jewish people:

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:21)

With this simple test, Christ shows us how to know what we really value in life. If you invest money and resources into your wife and your children, men, that means far more than saying, “I love you,” then turning around to invest large portions of your income into personal development and hobbies while neglecting or resenting any significant financial investments in your wife and children. In his excellent book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Randy Alcorn makes this excellent suggestion:

We should consider the converse of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:21: Where our treasure isn’t shows where our heart isn’t.

And that was the primary, underlying reason for tithes and offerings in God’s covenant with Israel. He didn’t ask for these things because he needed these things from them – after all, he was the one who gave them everything for them in the first place. He arranged things this way to give them a clear, obvious way to know and show that they loved him. But this arrangement also tested something else.

It tested God’s devotion to his people.

First, let’s ask, why would people not give tithes and offerings to God, amounting to 23% of their annual income? Reasons could be multiple, ranging from outright rebellion and refusal to ignorance or laziness, to simply being afraid they would not be able to take care of themselves, or at least to provide a lifestyle for themselves that they wanted to have.

Whatever the case, God gave them a challenge. “Try me now in this,” he said (Mal 3:10). The word try me (“test me”) can mean various things in Scripture. Sometimes, it means to challenge or dispute something, as how the first generation of Israel tested God in the wilderness by their repeated complaining and disobedience, testing the limits of God’s longsuffering, mercy, and patience.

Other times, it means to check, evaluate, or test the integrity or reliability of something. When I was in sixth grade, I made a toothpick bridge. Then I tested my bridge by hanging bricks on it in a bucket to see how much weight it could bear without breaking.

That’s what “try me” means here. God is telling his people that if they are withholding tithes and offerings because they feared they couldn’t afford to obey, then they should think differently. If there was something they couldn’t afford, it was withholding tithes not giving them. Their cautious, neglectful, or reticent approach was the reason for their financial and material difficulties, not a solution.

It is wrong to test God with complaining, rebellion, and unbelief, it is not wrong to test him with obedience, especially when he commands it.” (Taylor and Clendenen)

Withholding contributions from God actually put them in a less beneficial, less prosperous position. They were “under a curse” (3:9), something God had warned them about 1,500 years before in the covenant given through Moses (Dt 28:15-68), and which prophets had reminded them about many times since then. He refers to effects of this curse in 3:11 when he says their “fruit was being destroyed” and “vines were failing to produce fruit.”

In summary, he says, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes” (3:11), which means he would bring to an end whatever was destroying their crops and reducing their production. Devourer describes “something that eats” and is used in Scripture to describe fire when it devours cities (Hos 8:14), wild animals when they ate crops (Hos 2:12), and locusts, a flying insect which would devour entire fields at harvest.

Here, the devourer refers generally to all or anything which might cause the people’s income or production to decrease or be destroyed. God promised that if they would resume their devotion to him through tithes and offerings, he would reverse the curse and bless them greatly instead. He describes his desire to bless them this way:

“I will open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” (3:10)

“Windows [floodgates] of heaven” occurs in Gen 7:11 and 8:2 to describe the source of torrential rains which flooded the entire earth at the time of Noah. But here, God uses this language to describe not floods of divine judgement but floods of divine blessing.

“There will not be room enough to receive it” should remind us of v.10, where God tells Israel to bring all their tithes into his storehouse at the Temple. In other words, if they would fill his warehouses with tithes and offerings to use for his sacred purposes, he would fill their own personal storage places (barns, stables, vats, warehouses, wells, etc.) so completely that they wouldn’t even have room to contain it all.

When (if) people showed their devotion to God by bringing all their tithes and offerings to him, he would bless and prosper them so abundantly that neighboring, surrounding nations and people in the world would be amazed and drawn to God by seeing the devotion and generosity of his people and the devotion and generosity of God.

“All nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

From this we see that God desires to bless his people not only for their own enjoyment and pleasure, though this is also true, but he desires to do this so that other people will see his glory and be drawn to faith in him.

Generosity towards God today is a test of devotion and delight.

With these things in mind, let’s now ask, “How do these things God said to Israel in the OT apply to us today?” Let me make a clear and simple observation. The NT gives no specific commands to tithe. The only times the NT speaks about tithing are when Jesus corrects the Pharisees for their wrong view of tithing or when the writer of Hebrews makes observations about tithing that happened in the OT.

But this doesn’t mean that we have no need to give financially and materially to support God’s sacred causes. Consider the following NT statements given to people in the church. These statements reveal some of God’s sacred causes today and they are very similar to the sacred causes of God in the OT.

Supporting Pastoral Leaders in the Church

Churches don’t have priests to serve them since all believers are priests today. But churches do have pastors and teachers to provide them with spiritual care and guidance.

The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. (1 Cor 9:14)

Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. (Gal 6:6)

Supporting Other Faithful Members in the Church with Real Needs

Churches don’t have a large-scale obligation to care for the needs of underprivileged people in our community, as Israel did, because Israel was both a religious group as well as a government. Churches are not the government, so some of those needs are to be cared for by our government instead. Even so, the NT does call churches to care for genuine needs of members within the church who have no other source of support.

Widows and Orphans: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble… (Jam 1:27)

Widows: Honor widows who are really widows. (1 Tim 5:3)

Other Churches in Need: Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. (Acts 11:29)

Other Churches in Need: It pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. (Rom 15:25-27)

Supporting Other Faithful Ministers

Even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. (Phil 4:16)

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well. (3 Jn 5-6)

And as we do life and ministry together as a church, there are necessary financial and resource demands that come with that – things like building maintenance, insurance, and other practical costs associated with the ministry and worship that we do together.

As followers of Christ and members of this church together, God calls us – among other things – to give financially and materially to support God’s sacred purposes in the church, which is his Bride. While we don’t have a command to “tithe” today, we do have clear guidance from God to churches in the NT to provide generous support to the church as a faithful, loving response to God’s grace – not out of duty but from devotion and delight.

Consider what the following NT Scriptures teach us about giving in the church today, taken from 2 Corinthians 8-9:

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. (2 Cor 8:1-4)

From this we see we should give (1) motivated by God’s grace, (2) even during difficult trials, (3) motivated by joy, (4) liberally (generously), (5) sacrificially, and (6) willingly.

As you abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also. (2 Cor 8:7)

From this we see we should seek to be abundant, generous givers just as we should seek to be abundant and faithful in other acts of Christian faith, speech, learning, ministry, and love. We should not view these other means of Christian service and support for the church as alternatives to financial giving, nor should we view financial giving as an alternative to these other forms of service. But we should include generous, willing financial support for the church and its vital functions as an essential part of our church responsibilities portfolio, so to speak.

The rest of 2 Cor 8 provides more good teaching about being a generous giver to the church, then 2 Cor 9 gives some practical guidance for how to do this:

Prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. (2 Cor 9:5)

Paul said something similar in 1 Cor 16:2, when he said:

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

From this we see the wisdom of giving intentionally, regularly, and with planning, not just spontaneously “in the moment.” We also see more encouragement to give generously, not out of mere obligation or pressure. 2 Cor 9:6-7 continues emphasizing these themes:

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Again, we see an increased emphasis on being generous, being purposeful, planned, and intentional, being willing not coerced, and being cheerful and glad to give, not reluctant to do so. And we see that when we give this way, God promises to bless us abundantly in return, however he desires to do so.

The administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men. (2 Cor 9:12-13)

Here, Paul emphasizes the importance of giving to meet the needs of fellow believers in the church – which includes both church leaders and other members and churches in financial need. Then he points out how generous giving in this way greatly increases praise to God and the beauty and power of the gospel. And all of this happens when people in the church are generous in their giving to the needs of the church.

You might say, “Well, this all sounds good, but I just can’t afford to give much at all.” Or you might say, I agree with all of this in theory, but I’m not genuinely happy about it, so I don’t want to give in an insincere way – therefore I don’t give much right now. If you feel this way, then you’re not alone. According to a recent survey by Vanco, a provider of church management and stewardship solutions:

• Just 27% of churchgoers give at least the traditional tithe of 10% of their income, and that figure has stayed fairly consistent in recent years.
• Roughly 70% of all Christian giving comes from the top 10 percent of Christian donors.

This last stat matches a common, recurring phenomenon in which a small percentage of people in a church provide the majority of financial contributions and support. But does it have to be that way, and more specifically, does it have to be that way at Brookdale?

Let me remind you what Christ himself taught us – and this is not just a requirement of the OT law, it is a universal principle we should wholeheartedly embrace.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Mt 6:33)

Here, Christ teaches us to make the priorities of his kingdom our top priority. When we do, he promises to take care of all our earthly needs. Do you believe this and do you have intentional, regular habits of giving generously, joyfully, and willingly to support the sacred causes which are dear to God’s heart through the church? Jesus also said this:

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Lk 6:38)

And while we’re at it, you should know that he also said this – and Paul said this is something we would do well to remember:

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

And according to Jesus, it is much better to give than receive. And this is so true in a church for sure. It is one thing to be blessed, encouraged, and served by a faithful church, but it is so much more special to give back to that church, to become a generous contributor, donor, and supporter, not just a receiver. And doing this shows not only devotion but delight in God’s sacred purposes.

At Brookdale, we call this our Mission Investment Plan (MIP), which is an annual financial guide the pastors and deacons prepare and the church approves. It maps out the cost of doing the things we need to do as a church to fulfill our sacred purposes. It also features three levels – an essentials level, a growth level, and an abundance level, which gives us additional opportunities to expand and increase our effectiveness if we devote ourselves and find delight in giving back to God in an especially generous and joyful way.

If you are a member or considering becoming a member of our church, I would encourage you to be familiar with our MIP and to ask yourself before God if this is a way that you could express your devotion and delight in God for his church through your financial support. Our deacons or pastors would be very happy to talk about this with you. We also have a deacons’ fund, which is a special way we have of caring for people in need, as Scripture calls us to do.

In closing, let me pass along some wise and motivating words by Randy Alcorn about a possible response I might have to a sermon like this:

“God says not to give if you can’t give cheerfully. I can’t give cheerfully so I don’t give!” God wants us to be cheerful, yes, but he also wants us to be obedient. The path to cheerfulness is not by abstaining from giving, but giving even when we don’t feel like it. If we’re not cheerful, the problem is our heart, and the solution is redirecting our heart, not withholding our giving. Our heart follows our treasures (Matthew 6:21). Put your treasures in God’s kingdom, and a cheerful heart will eventually follow. God also loves an obedient giver.”

In conclusion, while we don’t live under the OT law today, the NT clearly teaches many similar principles: God still calls his people to give generously, willingly, and joyfully to support the sacred causes that matter deeply to him through the church. And if God expected his people to contribute 23% of their annual income for his sacred purposes before Christ died on the cross, how much more should the grace of Christ given to us now move us to be generous financial supporters of his church today?

Though we have not taken time today to address all the reasons why people may feel pessimistic or reticent about giving money to the church today, I hope this simple and straightforward teaching from Scripture has persuaded you that this is a good and important, even exciting, thing to do. And if you have questions about anything in this message, please feel free to speak with a pastor or deacon to learn more. Is it possible that you are robbing God? If so, it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can be a generous, joyful giver to the sacred causes that God cares about deeply.

Discussion Questions

• What is an example of a big purchase (at the time) for which you saved up when you were younger? (Either as a child or even as an adult.)
• Since God does not need people’s money to fund his purposes in the world, why does he ask believers to give toward his cause?
• What does Jesus teach that we can discover from our financial investment habits in Matthew 6:21?
• Is God’s command to “try” him surprising to you? How can it be right to test God?
• In what ways does generous giving to God glorify him?
• Should we give when we do not feel cheerful about it? (2 Cor 9:7)

Malachi 2:17–3:6

A parent stands in the doorway of the family room. With dinner nearly ready and toys across the floor, they tell their child, calmly and clearly, “It’s time to pick up your toys.” The child barely looks up. “I’m still playing with them,” she says. The parent replies, “You’ve had hours to play and dinner is almost ready.” But the child replies, “You never let me finish anything.”

“That’s not true, I’ve let you finish many things, just look at all the pictures and building sets sitting on the table over there.” “You’re always telling me what to do.” “I’m your parent. Pick them up.” “But you never listen to me,” replies the child. And then the child looks straight at the parent and says, “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

Conversations like this are hard to handle. How should we respond when the person we speak with shifts blame, ignores correction, and accuses you of the very ways in which they are wrong. That sort of interaction is expected from children and can happen from teenagers, too. But unfortunately, it often happens from adults, too. When adults interact this way with God, it is especially disappointing.

This is what Israel was doing to God in Malachi 2:17–3:6. In fact, it’s what they do through the entire book of Malachi. God gives them a correction or statement and they argue and ask questions right back, saying things which show they aren’t listening to what he says.

• He’s told them how deeply he loves them, but they questioned his love.
• He’s told them they are being disrespectful, but they insist they are being respectful.
• He’s told them they are being disloyal, but they insist they are being loyal.

Back and forth they go until next, they question whether God is just and faithful. Have you ever done this? Have you ever argued with God rather than take seriously what he says?

We weary God when we ask insincere questions about his justice. (2:17)

The people of Israel were accusing God of favoring evil people over them. They said, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them,” and asked, “Where is the God of justice?”

It seems these were two popular sayings repeated by people in Israel at that time. With these comments, they accused God of failing to be who he claimed to be and expressed dissatisfaction with God and what he was doing in their lives. They had a pessimistic view of God’s character and promises and portrayed God as being inconsistent and negligent.

There’s an English idiom, “Not all it’s cracked up to be.” It’s based on an old use of the word “crack,” which meant to brag highly about something or talk something or someone up. The famous American pioneer, Davy Crocket, said this about Martin van Buren (a politician who became the 8th U.S. president), “He’s not all he’s cracked up to be.”

Doubters and skeptics through the ages have raised similar remarks about God, saying he’s not all Scripture claims him to be. But Malachi says comments like these “weary God.” To be weary means to be physically exhausted from strenuous labor or emotionally exhausted due to relentless frustration. Endless, unresolved arguments can do this.

Since God is all-powerful and infinite, we know he cannot be weary in a literal sense (Isa 40:28). In fact, he is the source of strength for people who are weary (Isa 43:29-31). So, when God says people weary him, he is saying that his patience is nearing an end. And what was bringing his patience to an end? The senseless claims and questions of Israel.

God didn’t view questions like theirs as expressions of natural curiosity, healthy relationship building, or searching for the truth. He viewed them as expressions of foolish, stubborn unbelief about things which are clearly, plainly obvious. This disproves a maxim promoted by scientist Carl Sagan and popularized by newspaper columnist, Abigail Van Buren, author of the Milwaukee newspaper column “Dear Abby.”

“There are naïve questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world. There is no such thing as a dumb question.” (Carl Sagan)

“There is no such thing as a stupid question if it's sincere. Better to ask and risk appearing stupid than to continue on your ignorant way and make a stupid mistake.” (Dear Abby)

According to God, there *are* bad questions. Israel had numerous claims and statements by God from numerous prophets in Scripture, esp. the words of God’s covenant with Israel through Moses, plus countless impressive, undeniable examples of God’s faithfulness, justice, and loyalty shown to their forefathers and themselves in real-time. Their questions ignored these obvious evidences of God’s justice and loyalty.  

Bad questions to God are those which people ask about God which show they are ignoring the obvious answers he has already given. Bad questions are those which people ask when they already know the answer.

Sometimes people take something they’re experiencing or guilty of themselves and shift the blame or guilt onto someone else. A suspicious friend who has been talking behind your back accuses you of gossiping. A jealous coworker who feels threatened by your success at work accuses you of trying to show off. A detached church member tells people that their church is standoffish and judgmental.

These are examples of “projection,” which occurs if someone attributes their own attitudes, failures, motives, or sins to another person. This often happens unintentionally, without realizing it. And this is what Israel was doing to God in Malachi 2:17–3:6. They accused him of inconsistency and injustice, qualities which described themselves instead. They were the ones, not God, who were favoring evil people and behaving unjustly. They were the ones offering disrespectful sacrifices, divorcing their spouses for selfish reasons, marrying people who worshiped idols, and more. Douglas Stewart observes:

Sinners are invariably inconsistent. The thief is always outraged when someone steals from him. The liar is deeply offended when someone lies to her. The cheater deeply resents finding that she has been defrauded, and the murderer wants himself and his family to live in peace. The expectations of sinners are characteristically hypocritical.

The apostle Paul acknowledges this problem when he says:

You are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. (Rom 2:1)

Have you ever caught yourself doing the same thing, accusing other people or God himself of letting you down in a way that you yourself failed God or other people? Children do this naturally and it’s easy to spot when they do:

• A child fails his exam at school and blames his parents for the result. He claims that the chores and bedtimes they assigned prevented him from studying well. The reality, though, is that he used his free time to nap, read books, and play computer games.
• A child breaks something valuable and blames her parents for leaving it where she could reach it. She says the accident was really their fault, but the reality is that she had been told multiple times not to play carelessly in that area but ignored the warning.

When we do this as adults to God, we act like children and God is not impressed with our antics with this attitude. There is a key difference, though, between people criticizing God and children criticizing parents. At one point or another, children realize their parents, no matter how loving and wise they may be, are imperfect sinners, so there is always an angle or way to find a flaw or imperfection with them. But when we criticize God, we act worse than a child because there is no imperfection with him. There is nothing to criticize.

If anyone wants to be clever, they can accuse God of being unjust and negligent because he doesn’t judge evil immediately to the full degree. But even that is disingenuous and self-contradictory because if God did judge evil immediately to the full degree, no one would survive a day free from divine judgment. Be careful what you wish for.

Sure, God’s justice can be hard to see because he doesn’t judge evil immediately to the full degree. But he is just, nonetheless. As the German poet Friedrich von Logau said:

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.

So, God responded to these sayings of Israel by announcing some of his plans. These plans would begin to occur about 400 years later. Patience would be required, and even then, once they began, they would require even more patience to happen completely.

He promised to send a messenger – John the Baptist. (3:1)

Sometimes a parent will respond to a child’s attempts at blame shifting and projection by taking some immediate action to prove their child wrong.

• “You never let me have any fun,” says the child. So, the parent cancels homework for the night to play games and watch a movie late into the night.
• “You don’t care about me because you make me eat stuff I don’t like,” says the child. So, the parent makes a separate meal for the child and increases their dessert.
• “You don’t love me,” says the child in a tantrum at the store. So, the parent buys them a candy bar or toy to prove they love them.

Kneejerk reactions like these comes from insecurity in the heart of a parent, but God has no insecurity and nothing to prove. He knows he is faithful and just and that these facts are blatantly obvious, no matter what we may say about him. So, to respond to the wearisome questions of the people of Israel, God stood firm and remained calm in his response to their childishness.

He didn’t stoop to their level with a quick, immediate response, doing something right to prove he is just and faithful. He gave them a big-picture, long-term response about what he had planned for the future, four hundred years later. This response showed he had a just and faithful plan but was working it out intentionally and would not be rushed.

• “You never let me have any fun,” says the child. So, the parent explains how if they do their homework, they will do better in school and be more likely to do get a good job in the future.
• “You don’t care about me because you make me eat stuff I don’t like,” says the child. So, the parent explains the complexity of building a meal schedule, how healthy food helps them grow strong and prevents disease in their future.
• “You don’t love me,” says the child in a tantrum at the store. So, the parent explains the difference between needs and wants, shows how much the family already spends on groceries, and reveals how much they need to save for their summer vacation.

God explained that his justice would involve sending a messenger. We could say “another” messenger, since Malachi was also a messenger of God, not only since he was an OT prophet but since that’s what his name means, literally. The word/name “Malachi” is the Hebrew word for “messenger.” By promising to send a messenger in the future, God was telling people to look for another messenger both after Malachi and like Malachi.

The OT speaks about this messenger three times, twice in Malachi and once in Isaiah:

Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. (Mal 3:1)

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (Mal 4:5)

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isa 40:3)

Jesus quoted Mal 3:1 to explain that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy (Mt 11:10):

This is he of whom it is written: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.”

Though John the Baptist would arrive four hundred years later to prepare people to receive and believe on Jesus Christ, this approach accomplished several things.

First, it proved that though God was not reactionary in his justice, doing something right away because people questioned him, he was faithful and just to his people. Rather than destroy or disown them for their insolence, he would remain faithful to his covenant with them for another four hundred years. Second, it proved the faithfulness of God because four hundred years, John the Baptist came just as Malachi had promised.

In the business world, there is a mantra, “make a plan, work the plan.” This motto separates dreamers from doers and recognizes that deliberate movement in a clear direction towards clear goals is far better and just than quick reactions and bursts of speed. More than anyone else, it describes the nature and behavior of our faithful God.

He doesn’t let our criticisms and questions force kneejerk reactions. He made a plan in eternity by his sovereignty, and he simply works out that plan one intentional, well-planned step at a time. And nothing you ever do or say will change what he is doing. Whether you agree or not, he knows he is faithful and just, and that’s all that matters.

He promised to send a refiner – Jesus Christ. (3:2-5)

After announcing that John the Baptist would come, God also announced another messenger who would come right after him. Notice this sudden change in the middle of 3:1 from speaking about the messenger, John the Baptist, to speaking about himself (“me”) and “the Lord.” This shift in the sentence mirrors the quick shift that would happen between the public ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. Jesus would come onto the scene only a few months after John the Baptist began preparing people to hear him.

In 3:1, Malachi describes this third messenger as “the Messenger of the covenant” and calls him “the Lord.” What’s more, he claims that the Temple is “his” Temple, which can only be a reference to God himself, who would prove to be none other than Jesus Christ. To the Jews living in Jerusalem at that time, this referred to the newly rebuilt Temple that Ezra had recently help them build. The one to whom this Temple belonged would come!

Only months after the birth of John the Baptist, the parents of Jesus took him to the Jerusalem temple at eight days old (Lk 2:21-38), and he spent much time worshiping and teaching there during his ministry. And he was the one who cast out the people selling animals in the Temple for sacrifices, using worship of God as a money-making scheme.

This announcement of a coming messenger followed by the Messenger, God himself, was God’s answer to the crazy question of 2:17. Question: “Where is the God of justice?” Answer: he’s coming to the Temple soon (in 400 years). You will know it is him because another man like Malachi and Elijah will announce him several months in advance.

Moving on, Malachi described the behavior of this third Messenger, Jesus Christ, to be like a silver refiner or a laundry worker.

A silver refiner is someone whose work is to apply controlled, intense heat to raw silver so that every impurity rises to the surface and can be removed.

“A laundry worker’s task was to clean clothes by soaking them in water in which lye had been dissolved, then beating and scrubbing them, and finally rinsing them. This was a separation process as well—separating dirt from fabric. The dirt was taken away and the pure fabric remained, just as in refining the slag was taken away by the heat of the fire and the pure metal remained.” (Douglas Stuart)

From these illustrations, we see that God would eventually remove and cleanse out from Israel those who didn’t genuinely believe on him and from those who did. Because he is just something they questioned, he would not bless them indiscriminately.

He would purify the priests and spiritual leaders (“the sons of Levi”), for instance, separating those who were genuine believers from those who were not, to restore genuine worship and end the hypocritical worship they were engaging in.

But he would do this for all people, too, not just the priests. He would judge people who practice sorcery, commit adultery, do perjury, deprive workers of wages, oppress widows and orphans, and withhold justice from foreigners. What do these sins refer to?

• Sorcery: any kind of magic or supernatural behavior which sought information and power from the supernatural world apart from God himself.
• Adultery: immoral, sensual activity which violated the covenant of marriage.
• Perjury: lying under oath, which often included invoking God’s name and honor.
• Depriving wages: mistreating and taking advantage of people who rely on you for their needs only to benefit yourself.
• Oppressing widows and orphans: mistreating and taking advantage of people who have no one to care for them.
• Withholding justice from foreigners: mistreating and taking advantage of people who are at a disadvantage because they weren’t native to that area.

All these practices were clearly forbidden in God’s covenant with his people, given by Moses. They were a matter of loyalty and justice. When people do these things (and things like this), they show that they “do not fear God” (3:5), which means they do not take God seriously. They also show that they are genuinely concerned about justice. They may say they care about justice and may even accuse God of being unjust, but in reality, if they do these things, they are not genuinely concerned about justice at all.

God says that Jesus will be both the witness and judge. He “will come near for judgment” and “be a swift witness” (3:5). This resembles what John later presents as the Great White Throne judgment, that final judgment which will occur for all people (Rev 21:5-8):

He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new” … but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

What we read in 3:2-5 refers to the full sweep of Christ’s coming into the world, from the time he came as an infant, teacher, and sacrifice 2,000 years ago to the time he will come as a judge in the future still to come. And though this would all begin to occur 400 years after Malachi spoke these words and though some of these things have yet to occur, one this is very clear – and this is what we must acknowledge.

We are the ones who change, not God. (3:6-7)

“I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’”

If you’re tempted to agree that God isn’t “all he’s cracked up to be” in Scripture, then you’re tempted by a wrong idea. It is not God who says one thing but does another. That would be us. We, like the people of Israel, say good things but do bad things. While God’s justice may move slowly, it moves steadily and surely. While we are the ones who make U-turns and take wrong exits, God doesn’t change directions. God is just, we are not.

For more than 2,000 years, God had repeatedly proven himself just countless times. In the covenant he made with Israel at Mount Sinai, he featured a variety of commands and principles we expected his people to follow, both for how they worshiped him and how they treated others. In all these instructions, he insisted upon justice for all in every way.

Through all those years, he had been faithful – through all those years, he had been so, so good.  It was the people, not God, who had been unfaithful, unjust, and unloving, both to him and to one another. Therefore, it was them who needed to change, not God. And because God is faithful and just, he did two things.

First, he gave them the clear call and opportunity to repent and return to him. If they would acknowledge their sin and turn to God in faith, he would forgive their sin and bless them.
Second, he promised to give them a Savior, a “messenger of the covenant” who would make this forgiveness and salvation possible. In Lk 22:20, we see Jesus Christ speak as this “messenger of the covenant” four hundred years after Malachi wrote this message.

Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Lk 22:20)

As Malachi finishes God’s reply to Israel’s senseless question, “Where is the God of justice?” he makes something very clear. God is not absent, indifferent, or unfaithful. He had a plan to come to them in a new and special way, to show his justice and faithfulness to them in a way not seen before.

When Jesus, this “messenger of the covenant,” came, he didn’t merely argue with the religious leaders or call out the people’s sins – which he did. He came to do what God had promised all along, not only to cleanse and remove wicked people from among them, but also to cleanse and remove sin and injustice from the hearts of people who would repent and return to him.

Most importantly, he showed God’s justice and forgiveness at the cross, where he shed his own blood as the consequence and covering for our sin. The justice of God was not denied at the cross, it was displayed there.

That is why Luke 22:20 is such a fitting place for us to close today: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” The people in Malachi’s day questioned God’s justice and loyalty, but at the Lord’s Table we remember that God’s justice and mercy meet perfectly in Christ. Here is the covenant Messenger, not only announcing God’s justice, but fulfilling it with his own blood – showing us the injustice of our sin and dying for the guilty, so that we can return to God in full forgiveness and faith.

So, as we come to the Lord’s Supper today, let us come with any thoughts or accusations against God, but trusting him, not questioning his love, but remembering it, not excusing our sin, but confessing it. And let us eat this bread and drink this cup with hearts of humble gratitude, because the God whose justice we could never satisfy has satisfied it for us with his Son, the messenger of God’s covenant of faithfulness.

May we stop accusing God of things for which we ourselves are guilty because he himself died as though guilty for our sins so that we may, with complete justice, go free.

Malachi 2:10-16
In the 50s and 60s, my father bought packs of baseball cards at the general store. In those days, they came with a stick of gum inside. He would chew the gum, then put the baseball cards on his bicycle spokes to make his bike sound like it had a motor. Today, those baseball cards would be worth thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars if he had taken good care of them, but because he used them on his bicycle wheels instead, he “devalued” them. That’s what we are doing with marriage in America today.

In the 1950s, 20-22 was the median age for getting married. In 2025, the median age has risen by 10 years to 30-32. What’s more, statistics show that there are fewer marriages in the U.S. on a per-person average than at any previous point. Why might this be the case? While a variety of answers may be given as contributing causes, one answer must certainly be made clear: we disparage marriage. We treat it like something with low value.

According to a website called “WhattoGetMy.com,” there are five good reasons to marry:

• For relational reasons – to provide love that helps each other survive a difficult world.
• For financial reasons – to save money, especially by reducing taxes.
• For psychological reasons – to gain a sense of acceptance and confidence.
• For legal reasons – to provide better protection of property in case of a divorce.
• For professional reasons – married men earn more than single men.

The article goes on to point out that married people tend to experience better health, too.

But if these are the main reasons to marry, then marriage is no more important than going to Disneyland, taking on a hobby, investing in the stock market, or going on a diet. It’s good to do because it’s fun, beneficial, and improves your quality of life.

But marriage is far more important and valuable than this. It is a sacred, serious, special covenant before God. It is so special that more often than not you should want to do it, and it is so serious that you should do whatever you can to maintain that covenant for life, even at great personal cost.

In Malachi 2:10-16, God confronts and corrects a wrong view of marriage by his own people. He reminds them of two primary purposes for marriage, and between these two purposes he points out two ways they were violating these purposes. Let’s take a look.

For God’s people, marriage pictures God’s covenant with his people. (v. 10)

In 2:10, God asks three questions of his people. The first two questions reminded them about some important, obvious facts. The third question, then, draws attention to some wrong behavior which contradicted these facts. In other words, the first two questions point out what the people claimed to believe and know about God, then the third points out how their behavior contradicted the beliefs they claimed to hold.

This sequence is based on the premise that what you say you believe may not be what you actually believe. What you actually believe is revealed not by verbal statements but by the way you choose to live.

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 Jn 3:18)

Frank Harrison, the CEO of Coca-Cola seemed to understand this when he said, “The only words that matter are the ones backed by action.”

People contradict their stated beliefs with their actual behavior in all sorts of ways.

• We talk about good health but drink soda and eat junk food frequently.
• We say sleep matters but watch television shows late into the night.
• We claim to value friendship but do very little to make new friends.
• We tell others to save but don’t cut costs, track spending, or save money ourselves.

According to what God said through Malachi, a major way people contradict their stated beliefs by their actions is in marriage. They claim to believe in God but then contradict that belief by how they behave towards marriage. In fact, our behavior towards marriage should be motivated more than anything else by theology, our belief about God.

For instance, the people of Israel claimed to believe two things about God: that he was their divine, supernatural Father and that he had created them as a special nation (2:10).

On your first reading of this verse, you might think Malachi is referring to God as the Father and Creator of all people, which he is. But that universal truth is not what Malachi has in view. He is referring to God’s special relationship with the people whom he had entered a covenant thousands of years before. He became their Father when he made a promise to form a special nation from Abraham’s descendants, then rescued them from Egypt and created them into a special nation of his own at Mount Sinai through Moses.

The prophet Isaiah speaks about Israel as the special people of God in the same way:

Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him. (Isa 43:7)

And it was because of this special relationship they had with God as their Father and Creator as a people that they were called to behave towards marriage in a serious way.

Today, we who follow Christ by faith are not the nation of Israel, we are also a special people created by God through faith in Christ. The NT makes this very clear.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5:17)

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:10)

Since we are also a created by God to be his special people through Christ, we have clear expectations from him for our behavior towards marriage. Our behavior towards marriage is God’s special way of revealing his faithfulness and the truth of the gospel.

“Just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” (Eph 5:24-25)

More than anything else, a Christian marriage is supposed to be a living illustration of the gospel, a visible picture of God’s relationship with his people today. And we should prepare for marriage, pursue marriage, enter marriage, and persevere in marriage with this primary motivation and purpose guiding our hearts.

In Malachi’s day, the problem was that God’s people were not treating marriage as a theological choice or as a covenant that revealed important things about their God. And though any marriage breakdowns are a sad situation for sure, breakdowns in the marriage of a person who claims to follow Christ is doubly heartbreaking because it expresses wrong messages about God and the gospel.

In 2:10-16, God uses some strong and tragic language to describe certain kinds of breakdowns in the marriages of his people. He says that we degrade, desecrate, and devalue (“profane”) the experience of marriage. He also describes these failures not as accidents or mistakes but to betrayal and treason (“treachery”). He uses “treachery” five times in seven verses and “profane” twice, which shows how strongly he feels about this.

To “profane” is to treat something valuable like trash, as when my father used valuable baseball cards as flaps on his bicycle wheels. Other examples of treating something in a profane way would be using an antique heirloom dining table as a workbench, wearing a suit or expensive dress on a camping trip, or hosting a paintball battle inside your house.

“Treason” (or “treachery”) is an even more tragic word. According to LegalClarity.com:

Treason is one of the most serious crimes under U.S. law, carrying severe legal consequences. Defined in 18 U.S.C. 2381, it applies to acts that betray the United States, such as waging war against the country or aiding its enemies.

When we fail to treat marriage with the devotion, honor, and respect that God asks of his special, created people, we don’t just “make a mistake” or “mess up” a little, we help the enemy spread a wrong view about God and we betray one another, too.

God also uses the language “committing an abomination” (v. 11) to describe certain failures in marriage. An “abomination” is a detestable, repulsive thing, which is heartbreaking not only because it is wrong but because marriage, of all things, is something God values in a special way. It is “the Lord’s holy thing which he loves” (2:11).

So, how did God’s people, Israel, devalue marriage? Malachi points out two ways.

We violate this picture if we knowingly marry an unbelieving spouse. (vv. 11-12)

Mal 2:11 says God’s people ruined God’s purpose for marriage by marrying people who worshipped other gods. He goes on to clarify that he is speaking of people who do this knowingly (“being awake and aware,” v. 12). This excludes people who marry someone who seems to follow Christ only to reveal sometime after marriage that they do not.

The problem here is not that the people of Israel were marrying people from other ethnic backgrounds and cultures. God is not opposed to such marriages. In fact, numerous such marriages occurred in Scripture with God’s blessing. The problem here is not differences of background or culture but differences of faith.

God describes how such people, after they married unbelieving spouses, would continue to go through the motions of worshiping God, coming to the Temple to offer prayers and sacrifices, acting as if everything were okay. “They bring an offering to the Lord of hosts” (v. 12) and they “cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying” (v. 13).

Since God had created them to be a special people who belonged to him and would reflect and reveal his goodness and nature to the world for their salvation and God’s glory, then they were only to marry people who shared their faith in God. (Notice that parents do have a degree of responsibility in who they will accept or allow their child to marry.)

“You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.” (Dt 7:3-4)

To marry a spouse who worshiped another god is, in God’s view, an act of treason – like partnering with the enemy of God. It turns people, including the spouse, away from God not towards him, which is the very opposite effect of what marriage is intended to do.

But God’s people were not only marrying people who did not believe in God, they were divorcing their spouses to do so.

We violate this picture if we abandon our spouse for selfish reasons. (vv. 13-15)

God brings attention to a second way his people violated the purpose of marriage. Not only were they marrying spouses who worshipped other gods, but some were divorcing their wives to marry unbelieving ones. Some, for instance, had married while young and captives in Persia. Now that they returned to Jerusalem, they met other women they liked better, so they divorced their former wives to marry unbelieving ones they liked more.

Here it is important to clarify something. Notice how I said, “if we abandon our spouse for selfish reasons.” I did not simply say, “if we divorce our spouse.” To be sure, every divorce is heartbreaking. Just ask anyone who has been wrongfully divorced or who has been abandoned, abused, or been the victim of adultery and filed for a divorce as a result. There is nothing easy about it. But not all divorces are equal. Some divorce is allowed by God, though heartbreaking for sure, as the offended party will always agree, while other divorces are forbidden by God. It is these second kinds of divorces – not all divorce – that God is confronting here in Malachi 2:10-16.

In God’s covenant with Israel, he gave an allowance for divorce (Dt 24:1). This provision permitted divorce for things ranging from immorality to serious nondisclosures. Such disclosures could include finding out after marriage that your spouse worshiped another god. Even the NT teaching of Christ and the apostle Paul permitted divorce for egregious violations of the marriage covenant. Such egregious violations include abandonment, abuse, and adultery (though even then, divorce should not be a hasty or quick option, and forgiveness and restoration should always be an option).

The problem here in Mal 2:15-16, though, is not that divorce had occurred but why occurred. People, esp. men, were divorcing their spouses for invalid, selfish reasons. This would be like our “no fault” divorces today in which we simply declare “incompatibility” and walk away.

Now, here’s where I need you to put on your “thinking caps.” Mal 2:16 is notably difficult to translate. Many translations translate it to say that “God hates divorce” (Mal 2:16). But there is another very possible way to translate this verse, one that connects the “he” back to the men who were divorcing their wives (2:15).

This translation would read something like this: “For the Lord God of Israel says that he [the treacherous husband] hates, divorces, then covers his garment with violence” (2:16).

If this is correct, then this statement explains what Mal 2:15 means to “deal treacherously” with your wife. It means to “hate, scorn, or decrease in status” your spouse in your mind and heart. If you let attitudes, feelings, and thoughts like this linger unresolved, then you will become more susceptible to actually acting on those thoughts and feelings and divorcing your spouse outright – not because he/she violated your marriage covenant in an egregious way but because you developed a bad attitude towards them and stopped cherishing and valuing them as you covenanted to do at your wedding.

So, God gives the following warning: “Therefore, take heed to your spirit” (2:16). This warning sounds strikingly similar to the same warning Peter gave to Christian husbands:

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.” (Col 3:19)

So, God is speaking here about selfish, sinful divorce, the kind that abandons your spouse
for reasons of a personal and selfish nature. He is calling his people who marry to keep a devoted, loving attitude towards your spouse through all the challenges that come your way in all stages of married life.

If you think long enough, you can find all sorts of ways to qualify your spouse’s blind spots, flaws, and sins abuse and neglect. If you think hard enough, you can permit small offenses to grow into egregious offenses in your mind, especially if they happen repeatedly over time. Shallow, selfish reasons for divorce are many today:

• Loss of romantic excitement: “I’m not in love anymore.”
• Boredom
• Incompatibility: as a catch-all for ordinary differences and challenges
• Disappointment and unrealistic expectations
• Bitterness and resentment
• Financial frustration or difficulties
• Midlife crisis
• Conflict avoidance: choosing to escape over the hard work of relationship
• Family or social pressure: letting outside opinions govern marriage commitment
• Career or lifestyle priorities: viewing your spouse as an obstacle to personal plans

Then along comes another more attractive person or the possibility of independence, so you rationalize your bitterness and dissatisfaction and label it in a way that justifies a divorce, in your mind, and you find people – even people who call themselves marriage professionals, spiritual leaders, or friends – to affirm your desires. This is the sort of divorce that God calls an abomination, profane, and treason.

When God’s people abandon their marriages for reasons like this, they bring into question whether they believe in God at all. Because genuine faith in God understands that God is lovingly devoted to our salvation and should view marriage as a primary means of reflecting that belief in a real-life way. If you believe that God is committed to you in faithful covenant love, then why would you violate that picture by treating your marriage in a cheap and treasonous way and damage this picture of the gospel?

A key point I need to point out here is that Mal 2:12-13 ties back to the previous section (Mal 1:6–2:9). That section emphasizes the problem of God’s priests, the spiritual leaders of God’s people, accepting and affirming disobedient and hypocritical worship. In these verses, God repeats some of the same language to indicate that a key part of the problem here is not only that God’s people were marrying unbelieving spouses and divorcing their spouses to do so, but they were being accepted and affirmed by the priests in doing so.

I point this out to say that today, pastors must take this warning to heart and every follower of Christ in the church must expect them to do so. It is not a pastor’s obligation to accept and affirm, or to perform the wedding of a church member of their child simply because they claim to love their fiancé. As much as a pastor may want to be nice and supportive, hoping for the best, it is a pastoral duty to teach God’s people to choose spouses well.

A Christian pastor (Doug Wilson) offers this clear, simple biblical advice for who to marry:

• a Christian

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14)

To this I would add one that is biblically, properly baptized (Mt 28:19). If a person has not obeyed Christ by declaring their faith openly through baptism, then what guarantee do you have of their covenant faithfulness not only to you but to Christ if they have not followed his first command?

• a Christian who would not be disobeying God by marrying you

Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Lk 16:18)

In other words, a person who is not entering into marriage with you while leaving a past history of unresolved sinful choices towards others.

• a Christian of sterling character

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. (Prov 31:30)

• a Christian whose personality gels well with yours

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)

• a Christian whom you find romantically attractive (Prov 5:19)

As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.

If we would follow this basic advice in choosing a spouse, we would do well. Unfortunately, many professing believers let circumstances and feelings guide their choice of a spouse rather than being led by clear, biblical wisdom. So, as a pastor, I urge those who are unmarried today to only covenant in marriage with such a person.

Finally, we must look at one more primary purpose and reason for marriage. Not only does the marriage of a believer reflect God’s covenant with his people, but …

God’s people must build loyal marriages to produce godly children. (v.15-16)

Did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. (Mal 2:15)

Here God gives a second primary reason for marriage, and this should be a primary reason for why any follower of Christ should prepare for marriage, pursue marriage, enter marriage, and persevere in marriage – to produce godly offspring.

Commentators Richard Taylor and Ray Clendenen make an insightful observation:

"Too often do contemporary married couples think of children as an option; they regard their own personal happiness or fulfillment as the primary goal in marriage. This was never to be the case according to the biblical revelation. The first divine command given to the first human couple was to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28)."

This is why followers of Christ must marry followers of Christ – so that they can give birth to more people who they can teach and train to follow Christ. And it is why married believers must be faithful to their spouse – so that their children can see a close-up, living picture of how God is faithful to his people.

This past week, my wife and I and our three oldest children were watching an episode of a BBC police mystery series set in Great Britain post-WWII. Though it was a fascinating episode in other respects, it featured a clear and obvious message distinct to that episode. That message was this – that it was old-fashioned and wrong for people to expect women to marry, give birth, and raise children. While this is a nice thing to do for those who want to, it should not be expected as the norm.

But here’s the problem – the Bible, from beginning to end – does expect this to be the norm. The Bible expects men and women to work together to produce and raise children who will follow God by faith. From Moses in Genesis 1 (“be fruitful and multiply”) to Paul in Titus 2:4, which says:

[Older women should] admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (Tit 2:4-5)

… Scripture is very clear. Though women can certainly work hard and earn an income, this should never be done at the expense of their primary duty, which is caring for the home and caring for the children born into her family.

Let’s make an honest observation here. Today, it’s difficult for believers to accept this instruction wholeheartedly without feeling a little bit embarrassed or culturally out-of-touch. But that’s even more reason to be discerning when choosing your spouse. If it’s hard to find a Christian spouse who believes this way, it will be even more difficult to expect an unbelieving spouse to think this way because the spirit of our age outside of Christ represents the total opposite of this perspective.

And in connection with this, how can you expect to raise not only children but godly children if you marry a spouse who is not serious about obeying Christ’s commands? If you are serious about having and raising godly children, why would you consider marrying anyone who is not serious about that very same thing and showing it by taking Christ’s commands seriously for themselves already, before marriage?

Now, before we close, we need to make one more observation, or rather application. What about those of us who aren’t yet married, or those who are married but can’t give birth to children for various reasons ordained by God, or those who have a limited number of children, or those who can no longer have children and are well past those years? Perhaps there are other exceptions, too. If we say that a primary reason for marriage is producing godly children, then doesn’t that exclude everyone else who can’t have children? To this I will offer the following outstanding observation, also from Taylor and Clendenen:

" Although couples can no longer be assured of bearing children (as the theme of barrenness in Genesis makes clear), they are still to “seek” them [children] and can reproduce themselves in other ways if necessary, through adoption and/or spiritual discipleship." (Taylor and Clendenen)

If you marry or are married and are able to have children, you should definitely do you part to give God that opportunity to produce children according to his ordinary, God-designed ways. But if in doing this, you find that you are unable to have children, while you can continue to pray for and pursue this, you should prayerfully explore other ways which are also ordained by God. Adoption is one such avenue and discipleship is another. In fact, discipleship is a way of multiplying godly offspring for Christ that should always be a priority for any believer, married or unmarried.

But those who are married are specially equipped to disciple other people to follow Christ. If you are not raising children and you are also not involved with discipling other people to follow Christ, then you are likely falling short of God’s intended purpose in marriage. Consider the shining example of the married couple, Aquila and Priscilla, for instance.

[Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:26)

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. (Rom 16:3-5)

Here was a married couple who have no children named in Scripture yet devoted themselves to discipling other people to follow Christ. It is for this reason that you should prepare for marriage, pursue marriage, enter marriage, and persevere in marriage – that you would be able to produce a godly offspring, whether through childbearing, adoption, or discipleship. And discipleship is for everyone, especially those who are married.

As we close, I want to acknowledge that people hearing a message like this come  from varied backgrounds. Some of you may look back on choices you have made about marriage with deep regret. You may see clearly now that you sinned, that you were sinned against, or that your story includes choices you cannot undo. But hear this clearly: there is grace for you in Christ today. There is forgiveness for every sin at the cross.

If you believe on Christ, you belong to Christ, and you do not have to live imprisoned by shame or defined forever by your worst decisions. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). So come honestly to him, confess your failure, receive his mercy, and walk forward in the cleansing and restoring grace that only Christ can give. Whatever your marriage situation is today, there is grace for you to put to practice God’s purposes for marriage – which are picturing his covenant with his people and producing godly children.

Today, we are reminded by Malachi 2 that marriage is not a cheap, shallow experience merely for personal enjoyment but a sacred covenant most of all meant to display God’s faithful love and to help produce godly offspring. For that reason, we must not profane marriage by treating it lightly, and we must not deal treacherously with one another through unfaithfulness, selfishness, or disobedience to God’s design for marriage.

Whether you are preparing for marriage, seeking marriage, entering into marriage, or persevering in marriage, the call is the same: take heed to your spirit, honor God’s covenant purposes for marriage, and let your life say what your lips profess, that the Lord is faithful, holy, and worthy of wholehearted obedience. You reveal your actual beliefs about God by how you behave towards marriage.

Introduction
Why get married?

The United States has a marriage crisis. I think most of us have a sense that something is wrong when it comes to marriage. Let alone the record high divorce rates, people are not getting married.
This crisis of marriage is one of the most telling symptoms of our societal problems, and it causes a crisis of family.

1949: Highest marriage rate at 78.8%
2022: Lowest marriage rate at 46.8%

And on top of that people are taking longer and longer to get married: In 2024, the average age for a first marriage was 30.2 years for men and 28.6 for women. The youngest median ages of marriage were in 1956, when it was 22.5 for men and 20.1 for women.

Why this sharp decline? Don’t we have the most progressive view of marriage we’ve ever had as culture? Don’t we have the most freedom to marry whoever we want? I believe the reason we despise marriage is because we do not understand its goodness. God is the one who gave us marriage, and so his teachings about it are what defines it.

For the past 75 years, we have witnessed the emptiness of a perspective that can only explain marriage from nature. If our society is made up of matter and social constructs, then this is what we get. However, we know that marriage is good, not because it’s conducive to human evolution, but because God says it is. So, we must recognize that God deserves our attention because:

God blesses man through marriage.
I have good news for every man in here: Based on what we understand of human genetics, Adam as the first man and our first ancestor, was the ideal human being physically. He had the most pure genes (not talking about Levi’s) of any man ever. And even Adam spent some time with unwanted singleness.

Seriously though, God wants to teach us about marriage by showing us Adam’s life before marriage. He says that it is was not good. Good is one of those words that has a really broad range of meanings. When God says that it is not "good," he is talking about good in the same sense as when we say, "It is good to see you." This is right. This what we need. This is beneficial to us.

The reason it is important we understand how and why marriage is good is because understanding this helps us understand its purpose.

How was marriage better for Adam? Was it because it made him happy? Was it because it made him complete? Was it because he became emotionally or sexually fulfilled? If you had to answer why it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, what would you say? Here is the Bible's answer in context: I will make him a helper fit for him.

He needs someone that helps him. Not to be the best version of himself. Not to fulfill his dreams or accomplish everything he wants to. To do what God told him to do. To bring God’s order to the whole world by tending the garden and filling the earth with their descendants.

So what would make your marriage, hypothetical or not, a good marriage? If it helps you to be the person God has created and saved you to be and to do the things he has created and saved you to do. This is what we mean when we say, marriage is a blessing. It is good to help us be who God made us to be and to do what God made us to do. Because marriage is a blessing, we should act accordingly:

Anyone who desires the blessing of marriage should pursue it.
Now, notice that this point could apply to anyone who wants this kind of marriage that God has given us regardless of whether they are married right now or not.

To my friends who are married and love their spouses, but do not have a happy marriage in the way they want right now: Because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, even though you may not deserve it, God can help you have a good marriage. One that brings glory to him in personal christlikness, serving God together, and a godly marital relationship.

To my single friends who may want to be married: God has given us longings for marital intimacy. These are good things. For right now, God has given you a special burden. Do not give up. Thrive in the place in which God has placed you. Don’t waste singleness. When we understand why and how marriage is good, there is no shame in desiring a good marriage.

I want to present two points of application from this conclusion we have made. First, to married people:

• Husbands are to be the head of their home. Men are to lead the household but their leadership is to be one of responsibility. They are also commanded to love their wives and be understanding toward them.
• Wives are to submit to their husbands and love their families by taking a special nurturing role in the home.

These kinds of biblical principles are not popular, but that’s not because they’re weird. If the Bible is true, feminism and passive husbands are weird. Disordered and dysfunctional homes are weird. These things are true, good, and beautiful because God made marriage and he made the world.

Romans 12:1–2 tells us: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

A blessed marriage is not (normally) a white-knuckled, grit your teeth and bare it, kind of enterprise. God gave us deep longings for marriage so that when those desires are fulfilled according to his design, it is all the sweeter.

Now to my friends who are single but want to be married. We live in such a strange and anxious time. I think, in part, we are anxious about marriage because we make too much and too little of it at the same time:

• Too much because we make it ultimate, rather than God being ultimate.
• Too little because we make it about us, and therefore, small in scale, purpose, and significance.

But, friends, if getting married is not just a matter of getting what we want, but of fulfilling God’s design and callings, then marriage is worth pursuing. Prioritize biblical signs of Christian maturity:

• Look for someone who is committed to their church and in ministry.
• Men, find someone who can help with the callings God has given you.
• Ladies, look for a man who is intentionally pursuing godly endeavors which you could support.
• Find someone you enjoy being with and are attracted to, but work through expectations corrupted by the world.

To conclude, I want to look at one more passage to understand the nature of marriage: Ephesians 5:31–32 says, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Marriage becomes glorious as we follow God’s Pattern.
The goodness of marriage, as we follow God’s design, points us to the goodness of the union of Christ and the church. Your marriage can be glorious because the husband can be the loving, sacrificial head of the wife like Jesus is for the church. Marriage is not just an earthly, human relationship.

Today is Mother’s Day. Why are homes so dysfunctional? Why are divorce rates through the roof? Why does it seem as though our society is so chaotic? Because people do not understand the goodness of marriage only makes sense as a good gift from a good God.

Conclusion
Loren Krytzer was a former carpenter and struggling amputee. When his grandmother passed, his siblings took most of her possessions but they left behind an old Navajo blanket. One day, Loren saw that a Navajo blanket was sold for $500k on an auction while watching TV. He wondered if he could get some money for his.

After being turned down by multiple dealers, he talked to an auction appraiser who told him he would get $200k. As word spread, the starting price at auction was $150k. It was topped by a $500k bid, then $1 million, and ended at $1.5 million. Loren’s life was changed forever because he finally understood the true value of something.

May we value God’s glory infinitely more than a blanket and live as though marriage is truly good.

Discussion Questions

• The sermon ended with the story of a man who had no idea his old Navajo blanket was worth $1.5 million. What is something in your own life—whether it was an old object, a piece of advice, or a relationship—that you completely underestimated the value of at first?
• What are the alternative perspectives on the goodness of marriage of the world and the flesh?
  • How could these be so deceptive for you?
• God gave Adam a "helper" not so Adam could fulfill his personal dreams, but so they could do what God called them to do. Describe the kind of person who works toward a marriage focused on God’s callings.
  • What choices does this person make to cultivate this personal priority?
• How do we make “too much” of marriage? How about “too little” of it?
  • What is the answer to both extremes?
• What are some practical steps we can take to gain confidence that biblical teachings on marriage roles are not weird but normal?

Malachi 1:6 – 2:9

Have you ever been guilt of an awkward moment when you did or said something either by habit or with good intentions only to find out it was embarrassing, hurtful, or worse? In a multicultural situation, this is especially easy to do.

• In the Middle East and parts of Asia, it is disrespectful and insulting to show the bottom of your shoe in a social setting.
• In China, Philippines, and parts of India, it is disappointing to eat all your food because it signals to your host that you’re still hungry.
• In Latin America, it can be disrespectful and forward to show up early or on time.
• In parts of Asia, looking at an older person in the eyes can be viewed as disrespectful.

Most of these examples, if not all, are generally harmless and not inherently wrong, only disrespectful because people view them that way. But sometimes our disrespect, whether ignorant or intentional, has serious consequences – for ourselves and for others:

• When we behave or speak disrespectfully towards authority figures (bosses, coaches, pastors, teachers, political leaders, and law enforcement officers) in public ways, we undermine God-ordained social order, damage trust in God-given care providers, and encourage chaotic or unsafe environments.
• When we dishonor and disrespect parents or older family members through harsh words, dismissive attitudes, and neglect, we cause long-term relational wounds, make existing wounds worse, break family bonds and connections, and undermine the most basic, foundational building block of a happy, healthy, and strong society.
• When we speak disrespectfully to a spouse, in tone, sarcasm, belittling, or mean words, we erode trust, increase resentment, and damage the happiness, safety, and satisfaction of that most sacred and special relationship – and we help turn the tide of public opinion against marriage rather than promoting it to them.

The principle of respect – especially for parents, government officials, and church leaders – is a crucial part of relationships and society in God’s plan. When we fail to give proper respect in these ways and to insist on and teach such respect to others, we do something far more damaging than hurt someone’s feelings. We undermine the very fabric of society and do serious damage to the most fundamental aspects and qualities of life.

This reminds us that disrespect is never a small thing. And if ordinary human relationships and societies suffer when we fail to show proper honor to other people, how much more serious is it when we disrespect the God himself who made us. That is what we discover when we read Malachi 1:6–2:9.

Last week we learned from Mal 1:1-5 that God had loved his people with a faithful, devoted, love that spanned many centuries, a love they still questioned because they had lost sight of the big picture. When we forget God’s faithful love for us, we begin to treat him lightly and take him for granted. And that is exactly why Malachi had to confront Israel with the need to give God the respect he deserves. So, he confronts them with this truth, that God deserves maximum respect.

God deserves maximum respect.

In God’s first statement to Israel as they settled back into their Promised Land after Persian captivity, he stated his undying, forever faithful love to them, and they had the audacity to ask, “How have you loved us?”

Next, he brings an actual confrontation by making an obvious observation about standard cultural, relationship expectations, one family-oriented and one socially oriented. Children should honor their parents and employees should honor their employers.

The word honor means respond to something in a way that corresponds to its heaviness or weight. We all do this when we’re driving on the highway:

• A twig or plastic bag blows across the road; we drive straight through with no thought.
• A squirrel darts out and we instinctively tap the brakes or twitch the wheel.
• A shredded tire in the lane prompts us to slow down a bit and steer slightly around it.
• A police car in the median ahead causes us to change lanes deliberately with a signal.
• A full-length tractor-trailer rig barreling toward us in the wrong lane forces us to swerve dramatically if necessary, doing whatever it takes to avoid being hit.

We see how the weight of an oncoming object determines our response or the degree of respect we give to that object in our driving choices. In life, we respond with greater respect to those people who carry “the most weight” in a relational and social aspect.

When we choose to treat our parents, pastors, and employers more like a twig or plastic bag on the highway and less like a police car or a semitruck, we experience painful results as people, families, and society at large. Even more, when we fail to give proper respect to the infinitely greater weight and glory of God himself, we place ourselves in sad place.

Why should we give maximum respect to God? Mal 1:6, 11, 14 give us multiple reasons:

• He is not just a father, he is the Father. The Father of fathers. The maker of fathers. The Father, Creator, Provider, Protector, and Savior for all people.
• He is also our Master. As the Maker of all things, all things are accountable, answer to, and are judged by him.
• He is the “Lord of Hosts.” He is the captain and commander of uncountable angelic, heavenly armies and is the One to whom all human armies must ultimately answer.
• He is not just a king or the King, but a “great” King. This portrays God as the most impressive, majestic, powerful, wealthy king that exists – the King over all kings, the King to whom all kings and rulers and all nations and people must answer. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Knowing who God should cause us to give him the maximum respect in our lives. We should not respect God because he is somehow egotistical or narcissistic but because he actually is God and inherently deserves our respect. To not respect God in a maximum way is to show that we do not understand how life works at all.

When we see who God is – the great Father, Master, Lord of hosts, and King – it is clear he deserves the highest honor we can give. But in Malachi’s day, Israel’s problem wasn’t only that they failed to respect God in the attitude of their hear, they also failed to respect him in their actions and attitudes of worship. Their hearts were casual, their offerings were careless, and their devotion was half‑hearted towards God. So, after confronting their lack of respect, God explains how that disrespect showed itself in their worship.

He calls people to show respect through devoted worship.

When God raised the problem of the people’s disrespect towards him, they were confused (or at least claimed to be) as to how they were disrespecting God. After all, they were offering sacrifices, doing all the things they were supposed to do at the newly built Temple.
Just as they asked, “How have you loved us?” they now asked, “How have we disrespected your name?” God gave an answer to this defensive, deflecting question.

First, God pointed out how they were offering low-quality, low-cost, low-value sacrifices at the Temple when they came to confess their sins and worship him. They were offering blind, crippled, and diseased animals, not the best of the flock and herd as he deserved. Before you allow yourself to wonder whether God is being choosy, demanding, or picky here, ask how you or anyone else would feel if the same thing happened to you/them?

• Give someone who needs a refrigerator a broken one you were about to throw away.
• Bring a half‑eaten, week-old birthday cake to your friend’s 50th birthday party.
• Hand your boss a thank-you note written on an oil-stained piece of cardboard you pulled from the garbage can.
• Give your spouse a wilted flower or used socks found in the gas station parking lot.
• Or, as God himself suggested – try dropping off some diseased cows and goats at your local mayor or town councilman’s office and see what kind of response you get.

If you do any of these things, is the person on the receiving end being choosy, demanding, or picky to question your sincerity? Hardly. By doing these things, you are not only showing a serious misunderstanding about the basic realities of life, but you are also doing something which – if it continues to be habit for you – will cause great heartache and sorrow because of your inability to build meaningful relationships with anyone. In fact, it would be disrespectful and unloving if a friend failed to point this out to you.

If this would be disrespectful to earthly people, then it is certainly disrespectful to God. But isn’t God different and more forgiving and tolerant than everyone else? Shouldn’t he, of all beings, be willing to accept low-quality offerings? The answer is ‘no,’ because to accept such offerings would mean to permit people to have a low view of him, and when people have a low view of God, they will misunderstand everything else in the world.

People further disrespected God not only by offering poor quality sacrifices but by doing so with a miserable attitude. When they came to the Temple with their low-quality offerings, they didn’t feel or say, “I’m so glad to be here,” they were saying, “Oh, what a weariness!” (“what a hardship,” “what a difficulty,” “I’m too tired for this,” etc.) (1:13).  

From what Malachi says, it sounds like the priests had the same attitude as the people. God even says they snorted about it. I wonder what that sounded like. Maybe like kids or teens … or adults … who don’t want to do their house chores?

In summary, God made it very clear their worship was unacceptable to him. He didn’t get any enjoyment or pleasure from their offerings and activities at the Temple and wished that anyone would have the decency or integrity of character to simply close the doors to the Temple and put up a “Closed” sign, “no sacrifices accepted.”

“Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the Lord of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. (1:10)

But this desire went unfulfilled. The people just kept coming back to the Temple with their pathetic offerings and miserable attitudes, and the priests kept letting them do it. They thought they could just pray to God, and he would accept it anyway – surely God would be nice and say okay (1:9), but nothing was further from the truth.

In this passage, God points out a major problem with this unserious worship by his people. Not only was this disrespectful to God, but it encouraged a bad, poor attitude and view of God by the people of the world around them.

When people saw that the people God loved, his special people, the people who were supposed to be following him were treating him so poorly, in action and attitude, they would themselves develop a low view of him. This was horrible because they themselves needed to be drawn to this God, not pushed away from him.

Imagine a town whose volunteer fire department has protected the community for years. But the firefighters themselves grow careless. They show up late, complain about every call, neglect maintenance on their equipment, and treat their mission like a tiresome burden, complaining that they never get paid and the sacrifice isn’t worth it.

Before long, the community notices. Trust in the fire department fades, financial support dries up, and people stop believing the department can help them. The very people meant to uphold something vital end up teaching everyone else not to take it seriously. As a result, the fire department is no longer able to recruit new volunteers, and the community no longer gets the help they need in emergencies.

That’s exactly what was happening in Israel. The people’s cheap and convenient offerings and miserable attitudes didn’t just dishonor God, they taught everyone watching to have a low view of him, too. And if the people were guilty of this, the priests were even more responsible. They were the ones appointed to uphold God’s honor, teach his truth, and model reverence before the nation. Instead, their failure only deepened the people’s disrespect of God. Malachi turns next to confront the priests themselves, showing that God calls his leaders to show respect through faithful, serious, wholehearted teaching.

He calls priests to show respect through faithful teaching.

After this warning, God gave more specific attention to the priests themselves. As leaders in Temple worship, they were the ones responsible for officiating ceremonies and sacrifices and for teaching the people God’s expectations, nature, and ways. They should have corrected the cheap offerings and confronted the bad attitudes of God’s people long before they developed into habits and standard practices. They should have taught the people clearly how to worship God well long before Malachi brought this message.

In the opening verses, God corrects them for refusing to “give glory to his name” (2:2). By this, he means to insist that people worship God well rather than continually affirm and tolerate their poor-quality offerings and miserable attitudes. They permitted the people to treat God in an unserious way even though he is the most serious and weighty being by every measure to an infinite degree.

Sometimes we see this same problem in families today. When parents become permissive, never correcting harmful attitudes, never addressing disrespect, never insisting on what is right, then their children develop a low view of the very values their parents claim to uphold. And the whole family feels the consequences.

In Malachi’s day, the priests were doing the same thing on a far more serious level. Instead of correcting the people’s careless worship, they permitted it. Instead of teaching the weight of God’s name, they affirmed attitudes that treated him lightly. Their permissiveness didn’t just harm the people, it dishonored God.

The reason they were permissive wasn’t necessarily that they feared the people but that they did not “take to heart” who God was and what he had commanded them to do (2:2).

The word “heart” (lēb / lēbāb) denotes in Hebrew what may be called the command center of a person’s life, where knowledge is collected and considered and where decisions and plans are made that determine the direction of one’s life. (Richard A. Taylor & E. Ray Clendenen)

This means these priests hadn’t taken seriously who God was and what he had commanded them to do. The weight of God’s greatness and the seriousness of his commands hadn’t come to bear on their hearts and minds. Think of it this way. When a lightweight object, like a feather, falls on wet concrete, it makes no serious marks on the clay. But when a heavy object, like a anvil, falls on not just wet but hardened concrete, it makes a mark. That weight can be felt as a result of a sudden drop and collision or it can also be felt as the result of a slow, steady push, like from a hydraulic press, for instance.

Whatever the case, for the priests to do their job of teaching the people the weight of God’s glory, they needed to let the weight of his glory, greatness of his nature, and significance of his commands first make a deep impression and mark on their own hearts so that they would be able to impress upon the hearts of the people the weight of God’s glory through their teaching and service.

That’s the point God is making here. The priests themselves had not taken God’s nature, his glory, and his commands to heart. They didn’t take God seriously and their lack of depth and serious awareness of God and the importance of his commands was enabling everyone else to take a low view of God.

To help the priests understand how horrible their low view of God and his commands happened to be, God gave them a gross illustration.

Behold, I will rebuke your descendants and spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your solemn feasts; and one will take you away with it. (2:3)

This is a disgusting illustration, to say the least, but it’s far more meaningful and significant than you might suppose. This is not merely an example of God speaking in a crude way to express the strength of his feelings. It actually turns a key step in the process of offering sacrifices at the Temple into a vivid illustration in a clever, impactful way.

When people offered animal sacrifices at the Temple, priests did several things to prepare the sacrifice just as a butcher, cook, or farmer prepares an animal for eating or sale. They had to drain the blood, clean the animal, and separate various cuts or parts of the carcass. They also had to remove any waste which was still inside the animal. If they removed any waste, they were required to take that waste to a remote place outside the city because it was viewed as not only useless but contaminating and harmful.

With this surprising illustration, God is saying that it would be helpful and instructive to smear the waste that the priests removed from the sacrificial animals on their own faces so that they would also have to be removed to a remote place outside the city because their permissive priestly service and unserious teaching of God’s Word was not just weak and subpar, it was – like animal waste – contaminating and harmful. If they did this, then the next generation of priests would be warned to do better.

God also points back to the first priest in their priestly line, Aaron. Even though he had failed God at times, his overall attitude towards God was one of devotion and respect. He feared God (emphasized twice) and showed reverence to him (2:4-6). He also meditated seriously on God’s truth, refused to speak unjustly, maintained a peaceful and clear (plain, equitable) relationship with God, and taught many other people to turn away from sinful choices. By devoting himself to these things, he had let the weight of God’s glory make a deep and indelible mark on his own heart so that he was then capable of teaching others to show the maximum respect to God that he deserved.

This is the job of every priest – to represent God by reflecting deeply on God’s Word and then teaching others about him and his ways. But when priests have not taken God’s Word to heart, they cause people to have a low view of God and turn people away from him by the things that they say.

When you listen to anyone teach God’s truth or claim to have a lesson, message, or sermon from God, ask whether that person has a deep awe and reverence for God. And ask whether that person lives in a way that shows respect for God and his commands. Then ask whether that person’s teaching is deeply filled and formed by the clear substance and teaching of God’s Word. If these things are not the case, if God is not weighty to the teacher, then you will not be taught to respect God well.

The sobering part of Malachi’s message is that the priests had failed in their crucial role of honoring his name, teaching his truth, and helping people see the weight of God’s glory so that they would also show proper respect to God. And when we hear this, our minds naturally jump to pastors and Sunday services, right? We connect OT priests to NT pastors and apply these warnings to them. And we connect OT sacrifices and ceremonies to Sunday AM worship services and apply these warnings to them.

While that connection isn’t wrong, it’s only a small part of the picture, because in the NT, God makes a key change. The priesthood is no longer a small group of religious leaders who officiate ceremonies in the church (as Roman Catholicism still implies). Everyone who follows Christ is now a priest before God, and every part of our lives, not just what happens in a church building on Sunday morning, becomes an act of sacrificial worship.

So, before we think only about ancient priests or modern pastors, we need to see how this calling rests on all of us today – this calling to give maximum respect to God through devoted service and faithful teaching.

Today every follower of Christ is a priest who must continually bring honor to God.

In the NT, God makes it unmistakably clear that the priesthood is no longer limited to a small group of religious leaders. While it is true that pastors have an important role to play in providing leadership, guidance, and teaching to churches, through Christ, every believer has been brought into a new priesthood.

Peter tells us we are a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet 2:5, 9), called to offer spiritual sacrifices and to proclaim the excellencies of the God who saved us. John also tells us that Christ has made us “priests to our God” (Rev 5:9-10), and those who belong to him will serve him as priests forever (Rev 20:6).

This means the calling Malachi placed on the priests of his day now rests on all who follow Christ. We are the ones who bear God’s name in the world. And we are the ones responsible to honor him in the way we live, speak, worship, and serve. We are the ones who bear a significant responsibility if we do not do our part to help the people around us learn to respect God well. We are the ones who help others see the weight of his glory.

Because we are priests, something else has become a new reality. This reality is both exciting and sobering. It is this – that all of life becomes an offering to God, not just whatever we do in church on Sunday morning. This means that whatever showing respect to God at church means for us today applies equally so in every other activity and moment of our day-to-day life. How does that make you feel? Sober or excited?

Paul urges us to present our bodies to God as a “living sacrifice” continually (Rom 12:1), meaning every action, choice, conversation, and relationship is part of our worship. We should treat our Sunday morning behavior no differently than our behavior any other time.

Paul also teaches that our financial and material generosity is a sacrifice (Phil 4:18). And when we use our resources to support the work of the church and its leaders, we are showing God the respect he deserves and teaching others the weight of his glory.

Paul also teaches that our ministry to unbelievers is a priestly offering (Rom 15:16). Even our willingness to pour out our lives in a sacrificial, wholehearted way for the good of others is described as a sacrificial drink offering (Phil 2:17; 2 Tim 4:6).

The writer of Hebrews teaches that our praise is a sacrifice, so we should be in the regular habit of saying and singing praises to God (Heb 13:15), both at church and otherwise. He goes on to teach that our service to others is a sacrifice, too (Heb 13:16).

In other words, God is not looking merely at pastors and at what we do in a church building on Sunday morning. He is looking at the whole pattern of the lives of all his followers, our attitudes, words, relationships, work, homes, and habits. He is calling us to always honor him in all of these things in our lives. As priests of God today, we carry the weight of his name wherever we go, and we are called to offer him the very best of our lives in grateful, devoted worship. But if we have not let the weight of his glory make a deep and lasting impression on our hearts, we will fall short of this incredible calling.

Since all of us who follow Christ are called to be priests of God who are devoted to his service and committed to faithful teaching, then here are some examples for how we should live as priests in our daily lives before God and people.

As a church member in a worship service

• Arrive early enough to settle your heart, pray briefly, greet someone warmly, and be ready to sing and listen with focus, instead of rushing in late and distracted.
• Listen and follow along with sincerity and attention to the words of everything that happens, even if you don’t feel like it, because your attitude teaches others how respond respectfully to God.

As a church member in other ways

• Become a member and involve yourself faithfully in ministry opportunities in every stage of your life, then follow through even when it’s not easy or convenient.
• Serve with a joyful attitude and speak well of your church and its people when talking with coworkers or neighbors, refusing to grumble or complain in ways that lower their view of God’s work – even though we certainly have our flaws.
• Make it a top priority to participate teaching and learning opportunities with your church so that you can grow in learning the full weight of God’s glory and can also disciple others, which is a primary responsibility of any priest of God.

As a spouse (husband or wife)

• Choose kind words and tone in moments of irritation, honoring God by refusing to be sarcastic, unresponsive, dismissive, or raising your voice.
• Serve your spouse in regular, specific, thoughtful ways without announcing it or resenting it, and even if it seems inconvenient, costly, or unfair.

As a parent

• Correct disrespect clearly and calmly, teaching your children that honoring authority, incl. imperfect parents, matters since God is weighty and deserves maximum respect.
• Read Scripture or pray with your children regularly, even briefly, showing them that God is not an afterthought in your home.
• Make church gatherings, events, and ministry a top priority in your home at the expense of other things and do so joyfully, even when inconvenient or uncomfortable.

As a child

• Respond to your parents’ instructions with “Yes sir/ma’am, I’ll do it” instead of sighing, rolling your eyes, or delaying, honoring God by taking them very seriously. Do things they desire without being asked, even going above and beyond their expectations.
• Show gratitude in specific ways (a note, a hug, a verbal thank‑you) for meals, rides, or help, reflecting a heart that respects God’s command and takes nothing for granted.

As an employee

• Do your work with excellence, turning in assignments on time and with care, not doing the bare minimum or cutting corners when no one is watching.
• Stay in your lane and do not attempt to assert yourself in ways that are above or outside of your role, showing respect to those who have that greater responsibility.
• Refuse workplace gossip or complaining, choosing instead to speak with integrity and gratitude, which teaches others the weight of God’s name.

As a student

• Complete homework with diligence, even if you don’t think your teacher will check it closely, because your schoolwork is an offering to God.
• Show respect to teachers by listening without interrupting and following instructions promptly, demonstrating that you take God’s authority seriously.

As a neighbor

• Do small acts of kindness like mowing their lawn, bringing a meal during illness, shoveling their sidewalk, and so on. View all these things as sacrifices to God and do them with a joyful attitude.
• Maintain a consistent, godly testimony by avoiding loud and dramatic conflicts, keeping your property tidy, and speaking kindly of one neighbor to another, so your neighborhood sees the weight of God’s glory through your life.

As we prepare to go into our week with God, the call before us is both simple and searching … God deserves our maximum respect, and as his priests, we carry his name wherever we go. May the weight of his glory rest deeply on our hearts so that our worship is sincere, our service is joyful, and our lives teach others to honor him. May we offer him not the leftovers of our time or energy, but the best of all we have and all we can do. And may our homes, our work, our church, and our daily relationships become places where the greatness of God is seen, felt, and experienced – because we know that he loves us.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever unintentionally disrespected someone? Is it reasonable to hold someone accountable for disrespecting you if they did not intend to do so?
• What are some areas in which we can show proper respect to authorities and institutions given to us by God? These would be arenas of life in which God has placed us.
  • What are some practical ways in which we can participate in cultural change in these areas?
  • What kind of difference might we make?
• What are some ways in which we offer substandard worship to God?
• What would it mean for you to be a faithful priest, showing honor to God?

Malachi 1:1-5
In the fascinating story called Animal Farm, George Orwell tells how Farmer Jones was run off from his farm, leaving the animals in charge. Before long, the pigs took charge. Though Farmer Jones had been a careless, neglectful farmer, the pigs were even worse.

In a way, this story resembles what we see in the Book of Malachi. This book shows us how the people of Israel place themselves in judgment over God. Rather than let God be their judge, they tried to correct and question him. They were like pigs running a farm and revealed some serious misunderstandings and blind spots in their perspective.

The structure of this book is easy to see. It gives a series of six statements by God about Israel’s spiritual condition. But each time, the people reply with a “gotcha” question. They think they are “speaking truth to power,” telling God what’s what and demanding that he explain himself and answer to them for what he has said or done. Consider how this kind of reverse judgment occurs in our lives today with other people:

• Parent: “Your attitude has been disrespectful lately.” Teen: “How am I being disrespectful? You’re overreacting. You just don’t get how stressful my life is right now.”
• Teacher: “You’re not giving enough attention to your schoolwork.” Student: “Your assignments aren’t interesting to me or relevant to my life. Your teaching is boring.”
• Spouse: “You’re too busy and don’t give enough attention to our relationship.” Other spouse: “I’m the one doing what we need most, and your expectations are too high.”
• Doctor: “Your habits are hurting your health.” Patient: “My grandfather ate this way and lived to 90. Doctors always change their minds and only care about money.”

These examples show how people deflect difficult statements by throwing the fault or problem back on the other person. But when God is giving the correction, judgment, or perspective, we should never question him this way. He is our creator and has no faults.

Indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (Rom 9:20)

So, in the book of Malachi, the people of Israel treat God this way – they respond to his correction by trying to deflect their blame and guilt back on him with defensive questions.
They do this six times and Malachi records each instance for us and also records God’s response to each of their questions.

With this basic overview in mind, we should also know why God was correcting them and why they responded in a defensive and deflective way. To piece these reasons together, let’s review some things we have learned from our Forever Faithful preaching series

• Exodus tells about how God made a covenant of faithful love to Israel in abt. 1446 BC.
• Deuteronomy tells how God repeated this covenant, in abt. 1406 BC, to a second generation of Israelites because the first generation, their parents, had quickly slipped into unbelief, disobedience, and rebellion to God. They had questioned God and his ways in the wilderness even though he had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and they had seen him part the Red Sea and swallow up Pharaoh’s armies.
• Hosea was written abt. 650 years later (approx. 750 BC), when God warned the northern ten tribes of Israel that they would be defeated and taken into captivity by Assyria because they had been persistently disloyal to him.
• Habakkuk was written approx. 600 BC (abt. 50 yrs. later), when God warned the southern two tribes of Israel – including Jerusalem – that they would be defeated and taken into captivity by Babylon because they had been persistently disloyal to him.
• Now, Malachi. Malachi is the final prophetic book in the Old Testament (OT), written abt. 175 years (approx. 425 BC) later. This book speaks to the surprising (or not so surprising) spiritual condition of Israel after they had returned to their land from Persia.

During the 175 years that passed between Habakkuk and Malachi, some major things occurred. Israel had been defeated and taken captive to Assyria and Babylon. A third empire, the Persians, overtook these empires, and the Israelites endured 70 years of captivity. Then some had been allowed to return to their homeland, to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, to resume worship of God there, and to rebuild the city walls. They were establishing themselves once again as a nation with a capital city.

Despite being restored to their land, the Israelites were still quite weak as a nation, and they were not especially productive or wealthy. In addition to this, though they had resumed worship at the new Temple in Jerusalem, they were merely “going through the motions” in a basic, formal way, but not seriously or sincerely from the heart.

In short, though God had rescued and restored them from captivity in Persia and been faithful in his covenant of love to them for more than 1,000 years, they were acting the same way as their first generation of ancestors coming out of Egypt had acted. They were ungrateful, unsatisfied, and unbelieving towards God.

By their six surprising, defensive questions to God, the Israelites revealed an underlying heart problem. So, for today and six more Sundays, we’ll ask the question, “How’s your heart?” as we look at the six ways the Israelites questioned God to see if we have some of the same wrong attitudes and perspectives towards God, even as we remind ourselves that he is faithful to his people forever.

God begins this book with: “The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi” (1:1). The word “burden” means something like “oracle” or “pronouncement” and speaks of a special divine message given directly from God. In this case, it was a message given directly from Yahweh – the one, true God – spoken through a man named Malachi.

God expresses his love for Israel.

Remarkably, God doesn’t open this message with a threat, list of demands, reminder of Israel’s failures, or even accusation or charge against Israel. He opens with a simple, heartfelt affirmation of love for them. Abt. 1,000 years prior, God said to the second generation of Israel that he chose to love them, which is why he rescued them from Egypt:

because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Dt 7:8)

Abt. 800 years later, before they were captured by Babylon, God said this to his people through the prophet Jeremiah:

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again, I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt … (Jer 31:3-4)

Now here, another 200 years later, marking a timespan of 1,000 years, God says once again, very clearly, that he loves Israel in a special and devoted way. In Mal 1:2, he opens this letter by saying: “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.”

Imagine these words coming from the lips of a father or mother to their child at their child’s graduation, “I have loved you.” Or from the lips of a 90-yr. man to his wife or a 90-yr. woman to her husband on their 70th wedding anniversary, “I have loved you.” How would you expect the graduating child or lifetime spouse to reply?

Perhaps the graduate would say something like, “Thank you. I know you have loved me, and I love you, too.” Perhaps the lifelong spouse would say something like, “Thank you for loving me all these years. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Heartwarming stuff.

But how would you feel if the immediate response from the graduate or lifelong spouse was, “How exactly have you loved me?” All at once, all the care, devotion, patience, and sacrifice of years would be swept aside as if for nothing. A parenting journey and a lifetime of marital love thrown away with the swipe of a sentence.

Yet that is exactly how Israel replied to God when he said, “I have loved you.” After 1,000 years of faithful love from God and after being restored to their land from captivity in Persia, they answer, “In what way have You loved us?” (1:2). How horrible is that?

Israel questions God’s love for them.

This response is shocking, to say the least. For a thousand years, God had proven his love to Israel time and time again at great cost and pain. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness.

Even when they rebelled, God remained faithful, giving them His law, guiding them through leaders and prophets, and kings, establishing them as a nation in the Promised Land, and repeatedly forgiving their sins against him. Through centuries of wandering, idolatry, exile, and return, God kept pursuing them with mercy and love, sending prophets to call them back and promising to restore them. He even promised to renew their heart and give them a Savior and King to rule them in goodness and justice forever.

After 1,000 years of being forever faithful to his people, even though they had been repeatedly unfaithful to him, he restates his love for them, and they brush it aside by questioning the legitimacy of his love. Yikes.

Do you ever question God’s love? Rather than sing, “All my life you have been faithful,
all my life you have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God,” do you sing, “All my life you have been distant, all my life you have been hard to find. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the harshness of God?”

For Israel, though they had been rescued from captivity in Babylon, returned to their land, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and resumed a form of worship in a new Temple, they were dissatisfied because they were not as large, powerful, or wealthy as they once had been. They wanted more than God had given them in a material sense.

We do this when we set our own self-focused expectations for God and he seems to come short of them. We do this when we equate perfect health, financial success, stress-free relationships, and a problem-free life because we claim to follow Christ. When we set these wrong expectations on God, we easily question God’s love when these things don’t happen. We ask, “Why don’t you love me God?” even when the evidence of his love is obvious and all around us.

If you were God, how would you respond to this question? Would you tell them you’d had enough and were going to move on? Would you call out their incredible blindness and ignorance? Would you simply refuse to answer?

While God could have done any of these things, he graciously chose to answer their question in a surprising way.

God validates his love for Israel.

God didn’t remind them about rescuing them from slavery, giving them a covenant at Mount Sinai, giving them food and water in the wilderness, giving them military victories and lands, houses, and farms in the Promised Land, giving them a dynasty with King David, or returning them to the land and allowing them to rebuild the walls and Temple.

God answered by reminding them about something he had done for them 400-500 years before he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Rather than go back 1,000 years, he went back 1,500 years, 400-500 years before Moses led them out of Egypt to when he called Abraham out of a foreign land and promised to bless and love his descendants forever.

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau have I hated.” (1:2)

Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had two sons named Esau and Isaac. These brothers were twins, but Esau was born first and Jacob second. This birth order meant Esau would carry on the family line and be primary recipient of his father’s blessing and inheritance for generations to come. But God passed over Esau and chose Jacob instead to be the family line through which his promise of faithful covenant love would continue.

The language God uses here is shocking to us. To love one person sounds okay enough, but to hate the other person sounds exaggerated and unnecessarily harsh and mean. But we need to understand that the language of “love and hate” was used in ancient Hebrew culture to speak less about feelings towards a person and more about the treatment and status that you chose to give a person held in your life. Though feelings would often be involved, they were not the focus of these concepts.

We make choices like this all the time today:

• On a less serious level, we do this when we choose one internet provider for our home and not another or eat at one restaurant after church and not the others.
• On a moderately serious level, we do this when we choose one university for our education but not the others or when we vote for one political party and not the other.
• On a more serious level, we do this when we choose one job over others, buy one home not another, or choose to marry one spouse and reject all the other possibilities.
• On the most serious level, we do this when we choose one faith over another.

That’s what God was referred to when he said, “I loved Jacob instead of Esau.” This is a strong point because it was not the expected choice. The normal choice would’ve been to choose Esau, since Esau was the firstborn son. But the fact that God broke social norms and chose Jacob instead showed a serious and intentional choice. God broke cultural, relational, and social norms to choose Jacob nearly 1,500 years before.

But God strengthened his point even more by explaining not only how he chose Jacob over Esau against all expected norms, but how he treated Esau in the years that followed. He didn’t just casually ignore or politely turn down Esau, or as we might say today, he didn’t just “ghost” Esau when he chose Jacob. He actually took deliberate action to obstruct and oppose Esau and his descendants for years to come.

…and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness. (1:3)

To understand what this means from the standpoint of history, let me give you a brief overview of what happened to Esau and his descendants through the 1,500 years of time from the time of Esau to the time of Malachi.

The descendants of Esau formed the nation of Edom. These people settled and formed a powerful, influential kingdom in the rugged desert region called Seir south of the Dead Sea. This kingdom included fortified cities such as Bozrah, Teman, and Petra.

Edom was known for its heavily fortified cities, often carved into high, elevated stone cliffs, making themselves easy to defend and hard to attack. They also controlled a main segment of the King’s Highway, a major artery on the trade routes of that day, giving them the ability to supervise and tax commodities traveling through their area.

Gen 36 tells us that Edom had established a formal monarchy of ruling kings long before Israel had kings, perhaps as far back as the Exodus. And Num 20 tells us that when Moses and the Israelites were traveling from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, the people of Edom refused to let them use the King’s Highway to get there. Instead of fighting with their historical cousins, though, Moses chose to take the long way around, instead.

Throughout OT history, Edom repeatedly acted with hostility toward Jacob’s descendants. They fought against Israel once they also had kings and were a persistent source of irritation and trouble on Israel’s southern border. A key turning point came when Babylon attacked Israel in 586 BC. When this happened, Edom not only celebrated Jerusalem’s fall but helped the Babylonians by blocking Israelites who tried to escape. As a result, prophets like Obadiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel prophesied directly that Edom would soon be destroyed.

After Babylon invaded Israel, Edom itself suffered devastating losses. Babylonian armies decimated Edomite cities. And since they were now in a weak position, unable to defend themselves, nearby tribes of people called the Nabateans invaded the cities of Edom and forced them to move westward out of their land farther into the harsh Negev desert.

By the time of Malachi and this message (1:2-5), Edom had lost its homeland entirely and existed only as a small, displaced group of people known as Idumea. Meanwhile, Judah had returned from Babylon, had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple, while Edom lay in ruins with no realistic future.

So, can you see God’s point? 1,500 years ago, God had chosen Jacob over Esau, even though that was not the normal thing to do. And for 1,500 years, he had remained faithful and committed to that choice. While Israel had been completely defeated and taken captive into a foreign land, he had returned them to their land and enabled them to rebuild and restore their nation. Meanwhile, Edom had also been destroyed but was unable to rebuild their kingdom as Israel had done.

But there’s more, as Mal 1:4-5 tells us. God not only chose Jacob over Esau, and God not only restored Israel (Jacob’s descendants) to their kingdom and land but did not restore Edom (Esau’s descendants), he also guaranteed that Israel would have a permanent, unending kingdom and presence in the world, while Edom would not.

Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places,” thus says the LORD of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, ‘The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’”

Here God spoke to Edom’s hopes and plans during the time of Malachi to rebuild and restore themselves to prominence. God assured Israel this would never succeed. History shows us that all of Edom’s attempts to rebuild were continually thwarted, exactly as Malachi 1:4-5 predicts.

During the Persian and early Greek periods (from the time of Malachi until the time of Christ, a period of about 400 years), Idumea remained a small but distinct region south of Judea. Over time, the boundary between Judeans and Idumeans became blurry. 200 years before Christ, a Jewish leader named John Hyrcanus conquered Idumea and forced the Idumeans to practice Judaism, which essentially absorbed the descendants of Esau into Israel. This made the distinction between Jews and Edomites very unclear.

Then, during the final 100 years before Christ, the Roman empire chose a man named Herod to govern the area of Israel on behalf of Caesar, which meant that descendants of Esau and Edom were now effectively ruling the Jewish people, an ironic twist which placed Esau in a dominant place over Jacob.

Herod and his relatives – all called Herod, who governed Israel from the time of Christ through the time of Paul, were incredibly corrupt and wicked men. It was Herods who ordered the death of Jewish boys at the time of Christ’s birth, who presided over Christ’s crucifixion, who ordered the death of Christ’s brother James, and who nearly executed the Apostle Paul.

This last gasp of prominence for Esau and Edom would be short-lived, though, for after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Idumea disappeared from history as a distinct people group. Their assimilation into the Jewish population and the devastation of the region under Rome ended their separate existence and identity forever, fulfilling what God said about their future in Mal 1:4-5 – “They may build, but I will throw down.”

So, when God said, “I have loved you,” and Israel asked, “How have you loved us?”, God answered by reminding them he had chosen them long ago over another more rightful branch of the family tree and that he had remained devoted to that choice by preserving and restoring Israel as kingdom and people group while reducing and removing Esau’s descendants and nation, Edom, from existence as an ethnic group of nation.

The point here is the only reason Israel existed in the first place is that God had chosen them (for no apparent reason) and had faithfully preserved them and restored them, even though they had treated him horribly for 1,500 years. What an answer. It reveals how oblivious Israel was to the big picture of the reason for their existence. Instead of feeling like God owed them something more, they should have been blown away that they even existed at all. The only reason they existed was because God loved them.

In the New Testament (NT), Paul points to this place when he speaks to Christians today:

• He points out that God chose Jacob over Esau before the boys were born and before they could do anything good or bad (Rom 9:11).
• Then he quotes Mal 1:2, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (Rom 9:13).
• Then he quotes what God said to Israel at Mount Sinai, when he made his covenant with them in the first place, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion” (Rom 9:9; cf. Exo 33:19).
• Then he concludes, “Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills…” (Rom 9:18).

From this we see that we should view our salvation and relationship with Christ in the same way the people of Israel were to view their relationship with God as a nation. When they faced difficult things in life, when they experienced suffering, when their experiences did not rise to the level of their expectations in an experiential, material, physical, and tangible, they should not question whether God loves them or not.

Instead, we should step back and see the big picture. We should remind ourselves who we are. We are people – like Jacob – who would not normally be preferred, who did nothing to earn God’s favor, and who did not deserve anything from God. We should remind ourselves that God owes us nothing, but for reasons known only to him and based only in mercy, grace, and love, he has chosen me to be his child.

When we are tempted to complain about our situation in life and like the Israelites, to question whether or not God loves us, we need to remember that if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we have been chosen by God as his children. We do not deserve to be his children, we have not earned his salvation, and he owes nothing to us. Just the fact that I am his child, forgiven from sin, and forever secure in my relationship with him – no matter what I may experience in this life, I know I am loved, and I should never question that.

Just as Israel, at the time of Malachi, could look back 1,500 years to see God’s love for them in his choice of Jacob over Esau, how much more can we look back 2,000 years from now to see God’s love displayed at the cross. For us, God points to the greatest act and evidence of divine love – the death of his Son lifted up on cross, suffering the full judgment for our sin and restoring us to God.

If Israel should not have asked, “How have you loved us?”, then how can we ask this same question when we stand before the cross of Calvary?

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jn 3:16)

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

The cross is God’s final, unchanging, undeniable answer to the question of his love.

And this is why we come to the Lord’s Table multiple times as a church throughout the year. Here, by the bread and juice, we remember the love that chose us, redeemed us, and keeps us close to God. We remember that Christ’s body was given for us and his blood was poured out for us. We remember that the covenant love God declared to Israel, the love they doubted, is the same covenant love that God proved and sealed for us through the death of His Son.

As we eat and drink, we are not merely remembering a doctrine or a historical event we are strengthening with our hearts the assurance that the God who loved Jacob, the God who restored Israel, and the God who gave his Son is the God who loves us still.

“I have loved you,” says God to us. “How have you loved us?” we say back to him. “By sending my Son to die for your sins on the cross,” he answers back for eternity.

In 1987, country music singer Randy Travis released a number one hit single called “Forever and Ever, Amen.” It speaks about a young man telling his future bride that he will love her devotedly for a lifetime. And while it’s a song of love between a young man and his bride-to-be, it was originally inspired by the love of a young boy for his mother.  Don Schlitz, one of the men who helped write the lyrics to this song, came up with the title after hearing his young son say his nightly prayers. After his son said his nightly prayers, he would often turn to his mother before going to sleep and say, “Mommy, I love you forever and ever, amen.” Listen with me now to the closing lyrics to this song:

If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen

Friends, in case you’re wondering, this is how God loves you. Like God chose Israel to be his special people, even though they didn’t deserve his love and did many things over many years to turn him away, he refused to let them go and restored them time and time again. And because God sent his Son to die on the cross for our sins, we know that he will love those who trust in him forever, and ever, amen.

As we conclude this rich prophetic book, we are going to witness another significant step as the prophet continues to move from fear to faith. In chapter 3 we find Habakkuk’s response rise in a zenith of praise to God and find faith now more firmly imprinted on the humbled and strengthened heart of this man.

What prompts the response we will find in chap 3? Let’s make a brief review. The first two chapters are difficult. Habakkuk is struggling as he looks outward, seeing an overwhelming flood of wickedness and injustice while wondering where God is and why he seems inactive. God responds with grace, even to the point of revealing some details of his plan for the future. Although perplexing, Habakkuk begins to bend his emotions and will to God’s sovereign power and plan. This culminates with a call in 2:20 (READ). The audience is called to consider the immensity of God in his holy temple and what that awesome thought evokes…. Silence. The prophets Zephaniah (1:7) and Zechariah (2:13) issued the same call…. Look! See who and where God is and be hushed before YHWH!

Can we identify with this call? There are certainly experiences in life to which we can relate that invoke a similar response; standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or other lofty height at sunset where vastness and beauty make speech feel small, or the climatic, final note of an incredible, orchestral performance that leaves the audience in silenced awe. Can you think of the last time when thoughts of God in his holy temple reduced you to silence? Should that be a frequent occurrence in the life of a believer? As a result, what should my response be?  

We are going to observe Habakkuk’s response today. It is instructive as a personal testimony of what God did in his heart and a wise pattern for us to follow in our lives. Sometimes we may wonder or even be skeptical of the value in the writings of these OT prophets. After all, we are in the church age. The church isn’t Israel or vice versa. Weren’t all of these writings for different people and time?  The answer is no. “All Scripture is…profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.” Do we really believe that? The apostle Paul did and reminded the believers in Rome of the value which God places on the message of the prophets (Rom 15:4) – “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience/endurance and the comfort/encouragement of the Scriptures might have hope.”

So, for our endurance and encouragement this morning, we are going to examine this valuable text by contemplating ways in which the faith of the righteous grows out of silence and contemplation of God.

Faith responds in worship of God. (Hab 3:1-2)

Objectifying, personifying “faith”.

We could ground this response back in 2:4 (“The righteous shall live by faith”) by saying it this way, the righteous person’s faith grows through trials as his focus on God results in awe and submissive worship.

Habakkuk’s approach to God in chapter 3 sounds different than his questioning of God in Chs. 1-2. Although not identified as such, could we consider those earlier exchanges with God as prayer? Certainly. We are not prohibited from asking questions as we pray. In fact, one of the amazing, and encouraging things about reading the OT (Moses, the prophets, Psalms) is that we mere humans are encouraged to approach God openly when life is difficult or even when we wonder if things are being managed well. And God, in his grace, always listens and sometimes responds. But here is the key. Rather than letting his doubts and fears drive a wedge between him and God, Habakkuk submits them to God in worship through prayer. As Chapter 3 opens, it simply says, “A prayer of Habakkuk…” In this simple phrase we witness a change in tone and focus. Habakkuk seems to shift away from looking out and around at the world and people toward an upward focus on God, who he is, what he has done and what he will do. This pattern is not unfamiliar in Scripture. David routinely goes through this recital in the Psalms; a look outward with all its perplexing and frightening aspects then grounded by a look upward to focus on and remember the God to whom he belongs. These patterns are not accidental. God has graciously given them to us for our “endurance and encouragement” and we would be wise to follow the same pattern.

v. 2 – Habakkuk is overwhelmed in awe when he considers the scope of what God has revealed to him and the reality that it is imminent. We remember these themes from the first two chapters as: “Lord, how long?" "Lord, why them?" and "Woe to the Proud!” Even as God’s answers to his questions were perplexing, he bows to and accepts the awesome and eternal nature of God’s perfect holiness, righteousness and justice. Also mindful of God’s faithfulness, he remembers and pleads for God’s unfailing mercy in the midst of coming judgement.

“Prayer is an integral part of worship in Scripture. In the OT the petitions and supplications of God’s people are based upon his character and divine covenants. The honor of God’s name and steadfastness of his word are a frequent appeal.” (Scofield)

Before examining the main body of this prayer, there are some aspects of it that are worth noting:

• v. 1 Shigionoth – not clear but could be that of expressing an emotional response. What has been conveyed by God leading up to this could certainly evoke emotion. Perhaps this is tied to…
• v. 19 This prayer/poem/song is intended to be accompanied by stringed instrument and used in temple worship. The possessive phrase “my stringed instrument” may indicate that Habakkuk was personally trained in the use of such and personally involved in temple liturgy. This is the only OT writing besides the Psalms to contain musical notations.
• The literary style is that of the ancient epic. Epic literature features aspects such as grand subject matter, wide historical range, an heroic protagonist, elevated style and supernatural elements, all of which may be found here.

So, once again faith responds in worship of God.

Faith rehearses what God has done. (Hab 3:3-15)

We just talked about the features of epic literature. One of the tendencies in reading such is that we are drawn to the heights of elevated style and speech. It can almost seem like we are soaring over the text at 30,000 feet. It could be likened to the IMAX theater experience and the thrilling, adrenaline rush as you are taken over the precipice and the whole world drops away under you. There is nothing wrong with this, and it certainly would have its place in the temple as God’s people worshiped. However, as we take the time today to text, there is great value in pausing to consider the imagery of some detail in the text. This is important to our understanding and embracing of God’s specific actions in time and space. So, we will try and focus on a few of them.

vv. 3-4 – “God came from…” Habakkuk’s mind is drawn back to a specific time in which God came and was present with his people. This is known in Scripture as a theophany.  This theophany recounts the events of exodus from Egypt and journey through the Sinai wilderness. Here, God’s very presence was with his people (we are familiar with the visuals of this story; pillar of fire, cloud, descending on Mt Sinai, etc.). Habakkuk recounts the visual impact of God’s presence; Glory, splendor, praise, brightness, radiance, flashing rays, all of which incredibly reveal, yet shroud God’s omnipotence. (v. 4 – “There his power was hidden”)

v. 5 – As God’s presence and power went forth, awesome events occurred. Pestilence was visited on Egypt in the climactic death of the firstborn. Plague (fever) came upon Israel on multiple occasions in the wilderness. Why? They repeatedly lifted themselves up in pride and complained against the leaders God had given over them.

vv. 6-7 – The phrase “startled the nations” alludes to the scattering like chaff which fell upon the nations of Canaan and surrounding peoples who opposed and obstructed God as he fulfilled the covenant with his people.

v. 8-11 – Here is recounted God’s judgement as it is seen and experienced throughout the natural world. With respect to water, he recalls events like the rivers and streams of Egypt turned to blood, the parting of the Red Sea, the parting of the Jordan river, the moving waters and vast oceans responding to God’s Word. The personification of natural elements and physical creation are an important feature of this epic. The same is often found in Psalms, sea roaring, rivers clapping their hands, hills being joyful before the Lord. Further in this text, the sun and moon stand still as God did for Joshua before the Amorites. All these rehearsed events are overarched by the visual image of YHWH riding as a conquering warrior with incredible power over the entire earth and its nations.

v. 12-15 – Here begins a shift from looking back to now anticipating what God will do. The Bible is the grand epic of God’s redemption of all creation. The rehearsal of God’s past acts of power are always rooted in future purpose, that of the redemption and salvation of his people, echoing back to the promise in the garden (Gen 3:15), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” We see the same alluded to in v. 13 - “You struck the head from the house of the wicked”. There is hope for the future as the promise of complete victory over the seed of the serpent is again remembered.

This wonderful song of hope in salvation is heard throughout Scripture.

• Moses sang of this in Exodus 15 – “The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation…”
• David’s song of deliverance in II Samuel 22 – “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation,…”
• David again sings in Psalm 68 ‘ “The God of our salvation! Our God is the God of salvation…”
• Mary sang of this in Luke 1 – “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior…”

In epic and musical form, Habakkuk offers a prayer rejoicing in hope; past, present and future, even amid personal, national and worldly turmoil.

Let’s stop here for a moment… Should we, as believers today, recall and rehearse the things that God did in Israel’s history and claim that hope for our own? Or was that just for them? Should we recall and rehearse that which is recorded in the NT as God showed his faithfulness to the first century church? Outside of Scripture, should we read and recount God’s deliverance of his followers down through the next 19 centuries? Should I recall the faithfulness of God demonstrated in the recent, brief history of my life and church? Should I consider Revelation, looking eagerly ahead to God’s faithfulness until the end of time and the ushering in of eternity future? YES, YES, YES, YES AND YES! The hall of faith in Hebrews 11 is followed by the challenge to believers to consider and remember that we are surrounded by that “great cloud of witnesses”.

So, to again tie back to 2:4 - The righteous person’s faith grows through trials as he remembers/rehearses ALL that God has done, both in his life and others.

Faith rejoices in God, my Savior. (Hab 3:16-19)

v. 16-17 It is interesting to contemplate these three sentences. Habakkuk has laid a solid theological foundation of who God is and what He has done. He will end by rejoicing and resting in what God will do. This is right and proper. Bookended within this triumphant hope is the rollercoaster of reality in which he finds himself as a natural man living in a fallen world. I think this is a place to which we can relate.

v. 16 - He admits to the reality of what he will likely witness and experience during the Babylonian siege. It frankly reduces him to a physical wreck, chattering teeth, knocking knees, incontinence. Uncontrollable physical response to terror.

Then, an interesting observation:

The phrase: NKJV “That I might rest in the day of trouble..” may also be translated as: “Yet I quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.” (ESV)

He must endure this terror quietly as he waits for God to bring subsequent judgement upon the oppressor.

v. 17 - Then, he continues this reality check by making detailed inventory of what they will lack. The result? Severe starvation. Elsewhere in the prophets, the sobering realities of starvation during a siege a shockingly detailed.

However, he uses a key word in this which changes everything, “though”. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, though the labor of the olive may fail, though the flock may be cut off…” although we will face starvation….

v. 18 - “YET I will rejoice in YHWH, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” This exultation is a declaration that Habakkuk’s love for God is not based on what he expects God to give him in this life. Though he will endure suffering, deprivation and loss, he will rejoice in the God of his salvation. Here is one of the strongest manifestations of faith, rooted back to God’s words in 2:4 – which may be translated, perhaps more fully to: The righteous shall live by his faithfulness. This could be expanded to what is at the end of our notes…..

A person with true faith in God endures hardship in the present with true joy because he rests in God’s character and promises, even if the immediate circumstances of life seem to contradict.

v. 19 – Is there anything more to say? Yes, and it is not insignificant. “God, my strength…” Here, and elsewhere in Scripture this phrase expresses furthest, deepest statement of rest in the assurance and unshaking security of the man who trusts God by faith.

Many of the Psalms and other prophets contain strong and encouraging reminders of these precious truths, God my salvation and God my strength. Listed in the notes are several upon which you may wish to meditate further.

>>> Psalm 18:2,46, 25:5, 62:1, 73:26, 88:1, Isaiah 12:2, 61:10, Micah 7:7 <<<

We have considered personal application at several points along the way. We know that the precious Words of God found here in this seemingly inconspicuous writing of an otherwise unknown man is not isolated. The call to a life of growing faithfulness is repeated throughout the Bible. So, we’ll conclude with the call of James 1:2-4:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience/steadfastness. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Discussion
Life101

• Can you remember experiencing something that left you with a sense of awe?
  • What could we change about our habits to feel this way about God regularly?
• What does Habakkuk’s progression from praying about the people and injustice around him to focusing on God in worship reveal about him?
• How might this explain his ability to submit his doubts and fears to God in a righteous way?
  • What are some habits we can build to be like Habakkuk in this way?
• The sermon tells us that the righteous person’s faith grows through trials as he remembers/rehearses ALL that God has done What are some examples things which God has done in the physical world that we can “rehearse” to worship Him?
  • What about some spiritual things that God has done?

Digging Deeper

• Multiple references to the first promise of the Gospel in Gen. 3:15 are made in Hab. 3:12-13. How can the future hope of the Gospel enhance worship through rehearsal of God’s acts?

Habakkuk 2:5-20

Nimrod, Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, and Herod. Genghis Khan, Cleopatra, Louis XIV, and Nero. Adolf Hitler, Bernie Madoff, Harvey Weinstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell. What do all these people have in common? Some of them were government leaders while others were not, but they all exhibited a flagrant, obvious arrogance seen by how they abused and took advantage of other people for selfish reasons.

While we don’t normally encounter or live directly under the power of well-known public villains like these, you’ve probably had experiences with similar people in a more personal, less public way. The school bully, abusive spouse, manipulative relative, controlling boss or supervisor, sarcastic, name-calling coworker, intimidating landlord or businessperson, unjust judge, and so on.

Like Habakkuk, we easily wonder how God can permit self-centered people like this to enter our lives and prosper in the world. In Hab 1:1–2:4, we learn that God’s plan is bigger and better than we can comprehend. So, rather than try to figure out what God is doing and why he is doing it that way, we should live by faith. Since he is eternal, faithful, all-powerful, holy, and unchangeable, we should wait patiently for him, trusting completely in him from beginning to end, no matter what arrogant, ungodly people may do in our lives.

But even when are trusting fulling in our faithful God, it helps to know what God thinks about arrogant people. In 2:5-20, he gives us his divine perspective on arrogant, ungodly people. He warns them of serious judgment and destruction, describing five behavioral traits and patterns of these kinds of people. Then he calls all people, whether abusers or abused, oppressors or oppressed, to turn from their idols to him in reverent worship.

Knowing what God thinks about arrogant people and will do to arrogant people is helpful for us in two ways. This knowledge helps us deepen our trust in him when arrogant people are causing us difficulty and pain. But it also helps us identify any arrogance in our own hearts so we can turn from it to trust in God with greater honesty and humility.

In summary, from this part of Habakkuk’s message, we see that proud people think too highly of themselves and too little of others. They reveal their arrogance by treating other people poorly in order to benefit themselves. And they do this because they do not trust in God. From this we see that arrogance grows where trust in God is missing, and it always shows in how we treat other people. Pride mistreats others because it refuses to trust God. When we stop trusting God, we start using people.

God warns of judgment for arrogant people.

At this point in the book, Habakkuk has asked God two questions. First, why did it seem God was overlooking the corruption and injustice of his neighbors and fellow citizens in Judah. Second, why would he use an arguably more wicked nation like Babylon to judge Judah for their sins?

But now Habakkuk is done asking questions and makes a confident, dogmatic statement, instead – that God will judge every arrogant person severely. By severely, I don’t mean God will punish them in an excessively harsh, rash, and reactive way but that he will judge them in a decisive and just way that matches the severity of their sin. Pride will not go unpunished, even if it seems to roam free without consequence now today.

In Hab 2:5-20, a key word appears 5 times, the word “woe.” This word appears 53 times in the OT. Seventy-seven percent (more than three quarters) of the time it means a “cry of doom” (Kenneth Barker) and announces deeply frightening, horrifying circumstances that will happen due to a person’s persistent, unrepentant sin.

These painful consequences are normally announced in a graphic, intense, and public way. This is intentional to encourage stubborn, unpersuadable people to repent, letting them know in clear terms that if they refuse to repent, their only possible and certain future is death, judgment, and destruction. These “woes” do not describe a mere wish for proud people to be punished but rather a statement of certain judgment that will definitely occur.

Habakkuk introduces here a series of not just one or two woes but five. And he previews what he is about to say in a brief phrase in 2:4, then a long verse in 2:5. In this preview, we see that God is calling out the sin of arrogance and pride. He describes it as a restless, greedy desire that cannot be satisfied; it abuses and exploits all kinds of people for selfish reasons. He compares the appetite of pride to death and the grave, which continues to seize more people every day yet is never filled.

When pride is a dominant desire in a person’s heart, they behave like a drunken person – inconsiderate of others and overconfident in themselves. Such people are difficult and frightening people to be around today because their behavior is so harmful to others. But in the end, the very people whom they bullied will be witnesses against them at the future judgment of God. They will then be able to taunt the arrogant people who tortured them.

The five woes of Habakkuk against proud people are offered this way – as mocking taunts, songs which essentially make fun of the bullies. In the traditional folk tale, The Three Little Pigs, as animated by Disney, the pigs mock the big bad wolf with a song: “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf? Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Tra-la-la-la-lah-la-la-lah?” They do this as he hunts them, blows their houses down, to terrorize and eat them.

Here in Habakkuk 2:5-20, God gives this kind of song with five verses. While it’s primarily directed not at the big bad wolf, but at the Babylonian kings and armies which would soon invade and terrorize Judah, it’s vague enough that it could also be sung about any arrogant people today or in history. In summary, though, Hab 2 teaches us those who trust in God will live, but those who are proud and refuse to trust in him will be destroyed.

Let’s look at the five verses of this mocking song against arrogant people and see five ways a proud and arrogant heart reveals itself through a person’s behavior. From these five behaviors, we see that proud people think too highly of themselves and too little of others. They reveal their arrogance by treating other people poorly to benefit themselves. And they do this because they don’t trust in God. Arrogance grows where trust in God is missing. Pride mistreats others because it refuses to trust God.

Woe to anyone who takes advantage of other people.

2:6-8 says arrogance and pride often reveals itself through the kind of behavior that takes advantage of other people. We call this exploiting, extorting, manipulating, or victimizing. God mentions a specific way of doing this here that involved increasing personal resources and wealth through a practice called “taking pledges,” or as Habakkuk says, “loading up many pledges.”

In the ancient world, “taking pledges” referred to seizing collateral from a person who owed a debt. In the case of the Babylonians (or any other arrogant people who take advantage of others), this often involved taking basic items which are essential to life, like clothing, food, house, or livestock. These pledges were supposed to function as temporary guarantee, not a permanent confiscation, and God’s law placed strict limits on how and when pledges could be taken.

The problem in this case was that the Babylonians would use debt as a weapon. They stripped already vulnerable, weakened people of what little they had left, forcing them into ongoing debt and keeping what was necessary for daily survival and dignity as mandatory collateral. This wasn’t a neutral business practice; it was predatory exploitation designed to keep people beholden or dependent on them. It revealed an arrogant heart that treated human beings like milk cows, squeezing all the milk they could from them with no regard for their personal dignity, health, or survival or the survival of their young calves.

In this verse, we see that Babylon would set off a domino train of events which would not end until they had at last been taken advantage of by others, just as they were taking advantage of other nations and people. As Paul says in Gal 6:7, “You reap what you sow.”

The emphasis here on “suddenly” reflects the poetic justice in God’s justice and plans. Babylon would rise to power quickly and but they would fall from power quickly, too. Babylon was the world superpower from approx. 612 BC to 538 BC, so only abt. 75 years, or one person’s lifetime. Compared to Assyria before them (abt. 300 yrs., or 4 lifetimes) and Persia after them (abt. 200 yrs., or 2.5 lifetimes), they would be a short-lived empire. (The United States is currently at somewhere between Assyria and Persia in age, btw.)

Anyway, this is what arrogant people do. They see people not as neighbors to love and serve but as assets to be used and abused. They use whatever advantage, position, or power they have to enrich themselves by draining others, showing little concern for the dignity, wellbeing, or survival of the people that they hurt.

Woe to anyone who indulges himself at others’ expense.

2:9-11 expands on the first verse of this taunting song by calling out how arrogant people not only take advantage of other people as a matter of business, but they do it to enrich and indulge themselves. They take the material gains they accumulate by extortion to make their own lives bigger and better than before.

The phrase “covets evil gain” here is interesting. In Hebrew, it is “cuts off an evil cut.” It describes how a tailor may cut some fabric for a customer but cuts it shorter than requested while charging a higher price so he could cheat the customer and end up with more money and more fabric for himself.

This phrase is used broadly to describe raising your profit margin and inventory by cheating and swindling people. Here it refers to how Babylon – esp. it’s rulers and leaders – would embellish and enlarge not only their empire and kingdom but also their individual, private houses and dwellings to be more impressive and safe for themselves.

They would be like a bald eagle building its nest far above other birds by stealing twigs and sticks from the nests of those birds less powerful than themselves. This taunt speaks of giving “shameful counsel to their house,” “cutting off many peoples,” and “sinning against your own soul.” While the Babylonians (or arrogant people) thought they were building strong, fortified houses and buildings by cutting up lumber and stones they had claimed from the people they conquered and their tortured labors, it was actually their own homes and families’ futures which were being cut off.

The taunt claims that even the stone and wood they used to build their houses would cry out as witnesses against them. In other words, even if they destroyed every single enemy, their own grand houses and buildings would be permanent witnesses and reminders of the people they abused and took advantage of to build them.

So, arrogant people take advantage of other people and indulge themselves at others’ expense. They also …

Woe to anyone who advances himself through violence and crime.

2:12-14 speaks of building towns and cities through violence (“bloodshed”) and crime (“iniquity”). “Through violence” refers to cities built through the efforts and labors of people who are poorly treated and die to achieve the goal. The word “iniquity” (“crime”) refers to social, property, and commercial sins – seizing private property, shaming people unjustly, using underhanded business policies and financial practices to get what they want, even threatening people through mafia-style tactics. They built their towns and cities on the blood, sweat, and tears of bullied and enslaved people.

Those who build houses and projects on the backs of bloodshed and through crime and violence only labor in the end, only do so as an elaborate preparation for the massive bonfire of God’s judgment. What seems to be an impressive building project and scheme is nothing more, in God’s eternal sight, as a simply gathering kindling wood for the fires of divine destruction. All the grandiose building projects of the world which occur through unjust, violent, and corrupt means – whether large-scale government building projects or else the building projects of wealthy and corrupt financiers – are ultimately “in vain” (or useless and wasted).

“The Lord of Hosts” emphasizes God as the supreme commander of all forces in existence, seen and unseen. “Hosts” refers not only to earthly armies but to the vast angelic forces and even the stars themselves, all of which serve at God’s command.

A clear and dramatic illustration of this appears in 2 Kings 6, when Elisha’s servant feared the large enemy army surrounding them, and God opened his eyes to see the hills filled with horses and chariots of fire, with the countless unseen angelic armies of the Lord standing ready to act on behalf of his people.

Throughout the OT, this title reminds God’s people that no empire, nation, or ruler acts outside of God’s authority. When Habakkuk speaks of the Lord of Hosts, he is declaring that the God who sees arrogant oppression also commands unlimited power to judge it decisively. The bullies, enemies, and oppressive people which seem overwhelming to us are surrounded by forces far greater than any human power on our behalf.

Here, Habakkuk points out that the purpose of God’s judgment and punishment would be not only to punish arrogant people but to ensure that the whole world would know the Lord in a real, personal, unmistakable way, either as Savior or Judge.

The entire story of the Exodus, for instance, centered on the fact that Pharaoh did not know God (Exod 5:2), but God wanted to introduce himself to Israel (Exod 6:6) and to Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Exod 7:5) (Kenneth Barker).

A clear knowledge of the greatness and justice of God will be so universal it will be as common and obvious as the lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans that cover the world. The arrogance of corrupt and unjust people, along with all their grand but unjust accomplishments and projects, will be burned and washed away and will be nothing more than a means for all people to be introduced to the power and judgment of God.

Proud people take advantage of other people, they do so to indulge themselves, and they do so through violence and crime. But there is a fourth way that arrogance reveals itself.

Woe to anyone who abuses and shames other people for pleasure.

The fourth verse of this taunt song, 2:15-17, emphasizes drunkenness and abuse as behaviors of arrogant people. This is especially appropriate because the OT shows that Babylon was a nation known for its wild drinking parties (Dan 5). Somehow or another, they also forced the people they conquered to join them in drunkenness. When they were drunk, they mocked and abused them in shameful ways as they did the sort of things that drunk people do (see v. 15).

Ironically, God announced that they would have the same thing happen to them in the end. Since they had intoxicated others and shamed them, then would be intoxicated and shamed themselves in the end.

In Scripture, a cup of wine, held out and poured out by a king, represented judgment, and the right hand represented power. 2:16 says this would happen to Babylon and arrogant people like them.

Babylon had destroyed the forests of Lebanon and deprived animals in those dense, lush woodlands of their natural habitat. What had once been a lush forest of majestic cedars and thriving wildlife had been exploited and mismanaged to build corrupt opulent building projects. Worse yet, they had done the same thing to the cities and people in them, too – not just the forests and the animals. So, here we see that arrogant people not only abuse other people, but they abuse and mismanage God’s creation – both plant and animal life – for their own selfish purposes, too. God judges this behavior, too.

For this reason, God said they would be drunk and exposed to the world. And this is exactly what happened. At the end of their brief, 75-year existence as an empire, the Syria army sprung a surprise attack on their capital city. Ironically, they attacked and overthrew the city while King Belshazzar and all his government officials were participating in a drunken party. That night, the Syrian empire killed him and brought the Babylonian empire to a sudden end.

So, proud people take advantage of other people, they do so to indulge themselves, they abuse and shame other people for their pleasure, and they do so through violence and crime. But there is a fifth and final way that arrogance reveals itself – they trust in idols.

Woe to anyone who trusts in idols.

In this fifth and final woe, God places the ‘woe’ in the middle of the taunt rather than the beginning. Doing this “jumps right into” the topic and shows a special sense of urgency and seriousness about this particular sin. He has already introduced this problem earlier, too, in Hab 1:11, when God pointed out how the Babylonians would worship their nets for the fish that they caught and the people they conquered.

But here, God points out the emptiness, futility, and uselessness of trusting in idols – or manmade things. If a human being makes something, they are automatically superior to that thing, whether an idol or anything else (like a fishing net, etc.). So, to worship an idol or manmade thing is ridiculous. It is no more than a block of wood overlayed with a mineral like gold or silver. It cannot talk, it cannot breath – it has no life or existence at all. So, the woe here – the doom and destruction to speak of – is in the idol itself. It is nothing, does nothing, and will be good for nothing in the end when God’s judgment comes.

As human beings, we are trusting beings. We are created by God to trust in him. But we choose, for sinful reasons, to trust in all sorts of other wrong things. We trust in riches (Job 31:24; Prov 11:28), important people (Ps 146:3; cf. Jer 17:5-8), military fortifications (Dt 28:52; Jer 5:17), beauty (Ezk 16:15), and personal abilities (Prov 3:5; 28:26). We even trust in evil (Isa 30:12).

But as Paul says in Rom 1:25, when we trust in created things rather than the God who created everything, we trade the truth for a lie.

Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

And it is for this reason, that arrogant people who refuse to turn to and trust in God must resort to all the abusive, dishonest, and even violent means God mentions here in Hab 2:5-20, because people who trust in idols get no help, from the idols or from God.

So, we see that proud people think too highly of themselves and too little of others. They reveal their arrogance by treating other people poorly in order to benefit themselves. And they do this because they do not trust in God. From this we see that arrogance grows where trust in God is missing, and it always shows in how we treat other people. Pride mistreats others because it refuses to trust God. When we stop trusting God, we start using people.

God calls for reverent worship from all people.

Habakkuk closes this five-part series of warnings of coming doom and destruction on arrogant people with a surprising shift in tone and focus. After exposing the arrogance, cruelty, and idolatry of proud people, God gives a universal command not only to Babylon, but also to Judah and to all people everywhere to respond to God with reverent worship.

When he says, “keep silence,” he is calling not only for verbal quietness but for an inner heart attitude of humble submission before God. After all the loud and grandiose activity and bluster of arrogant people, God now calls every voice to fall silent in his presence.

The Hebrew word hasah translated “be silent,” literally means to “hush.” It is the same word used in other serious calls to show reverent respect before God (Zeph 1:7; Zech 2:13). It describes proper response of finite, sinful beings like us before the infinite, holy creator God. It should be an awe-filled stillness.

Ironically, in the previous verses, idols themselves are silent, not because of reverence, but because they are lifeless. They cannot speak, act, rescue, or save. In Hab 2:19, idol worshippers cry out to blocks of wood and stone, commanding them to wake up and do things, but nothing happens.

Here in v.20, the contrast is obvious. God calls arrogant, proud people to be silent, not because he is powerless, but because he is fully alive and reigning. We are to become silent like idols, not because God is mute, but because we no longer need to speak, shout, scheme, or manipulate when we have God. We can quietly trust him instead of engage in clamorous, loud, raucous chanting, yelling, and so on as when worshiping idols.

The reason all the earth must fall silent is that “the LORD is in his holy temple.” This does not only refer to the Temple building in Jerusalem, but to God’s heavenly throne room, of which the earthly temple was only a small copy. As Psa 11:4 declares, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven.”

Habakkuk draws our attention away from dumb, man-made idols to the self-existent, eternal, holy, sovereign God who rules the universe. This God was eternal before creation (1:12), remains unchanging through history (3:6), and is altogether holy in his character and actions (1:12; 3:3). From this heavenly temple, he reigns over every nation, empire, and person.

Because the Lord alone is living, eternal, and sovereign, the appropriate response is universal and unavoidable: “let all the earth keep silence before him.”

No nation is exempt. No person can tell him what to do or manipulate him. He is sovereign over all things, and no idol can rival him. God will be exalted among the nations and in all the earth—just as Psalm 46:10 proclaims:

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

So, we see that proud people think too highly of themselves and too little of others. They reveal their arrogance by treating other people poorly in order to benefit themselves. And they do this because they do not trust in God. From this we see that arrogance grows where trust in God is missing, and it always shows in how we treat other people. Pride mistreats others because it refuses to trust God. When we stop trusting God, we start using people.

As we close, this passage can turn the spotlight onto our own hearts. The five woes are not just a description of “other people out there.” They are a mirror that can reveal subtle (or not so subtle) forms of arrogance that can creep into our own behavior each day.

When someone engages in pornography, they are participating in the abuse of people made in God’s image. When we make cutting, sarcastic remarks, especially under the guise of humor, we publicly shame others to feel superior. When we exaggerate numbers, hide mistakes, or cut corners at work, we cheat people for personal gain. When we mistreat employees, customers, classmates, or family members, we are exploiting people rather than loving them.

Arrogance and pride doesn’t only reveal itself in the lives of the famous, powerful, and rich. It often appears in our own personal lives. Habakkuk calls us to ask hard questions: Where am I using people instead of trusting God? Where am I protecting myself, advancing myself, or indulging myself at someone else’s expense?

At the same time, this message comforts those who are suffering under people who live this way. Some of us are affected daily by manipulative coworkers, domineering supervisors, abusive spouses, dishonest business partners, or cruel family members.

Habakkuk reminds us that God sees every act of exploitation and abuse, every shaming word, every ounce of violence and injustice, and none of it escapes his judgment. He says “woe” to these people in no uncertain terms. He is not like a useless idol which is no help at all. He is the creator God who will act with the full powers of his divine nature.

The proud may flourish for a time, but they do not escape accountability. God’s justice is not rushed, but it is sure. That frees us from the exhausting and destructive burden of revenge, fear, or despair. We can remain silent, not because injustice doesn’t matter, but because God reigns. We can entrust our pain, our defense, and our future to him, confident that the Judge of all the earth will do right (Gen 18:25). Woe to the proud but comfort and salvation to his people who trust in him.

Today, we began by naming some notorious figures in history who are known for their arrogance and pride. But Habakkuk has shown us that the danger of pride is not only out there in world governments or public villains, but in any heart that trusts in idols, refuses to trust in God, and who then abuses and uses people for selfish advantage and gain.

The same pride that fueled Jezebel or Babylon, Cleopatra or Bernie Madoff can appear in our own lives, workplaces, homes, and churches whenever we exalt ourselves at the expense of others. When we do this, we reveal that we are worshiping idols of our own making rather than God.

That’s why God’s final word to Habakkuk is not merely “woe” but an invitation to repent and to worship: “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab 2:20). The answer to pride is not louder arguments, tighter control, or greater self‑justification, but humble, quiet, obedient, and reverent trust in the living God. When we acknowledge his sovereignty, rest in his justice, and trust in his grace, we are freed from arrogance and fear. Woe to the proud, but comfort, safety, and hope to all who bow in humble worship before the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 56-58

We live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. People make promises then break them. Doctors offer wildly different diagnoses for your health condition. News outlets report the same events with opposing details. Weather forecasts change by the hour. Financial markets swing unpredictably between boom and bust. Politicians revise policies frequently. Even our technology goes from cutting-edge to outdated in only months or even weeks.

In a recent journal article published by Frontiers in Psychology, the authors point out that uncertainty is a neglected field of study, especially with regard to research on how uncertainty affects human behavior. It observes, “Uncertainty has important psychological effects…but more often uncertainty has negative or potentially maladaptive [mental], emotional, and behavioral effects.”

A more recent article published by Science Direct concludes “uncertainty is a permanent condition in human lives, a fundamental experiential realm of human existence.” This article observed what seemed to be strong links between uncertainty and: anger, anxiety, depression, fear, frustration, hopelessness, sadness, stress and distress, and worry.

In other words, uncertainties are a regular feature of our human experience, and this has a significant, wide-ranging effect on our personal well-being, including not only our physical health but every other aspect of our existence. Think about it. How much of your own anxiety, fear, and other negative feelings, thoughts, and conditions may be traced back to your response to some kind of uncertainty as root cause? The timing and means of our death, for instance, and what will happen afterwards is by itself an uncertainty which affects us in more ways than we may easily realize.

In this letter called 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses some significant causes of uncertainty in the church at Corinth. This uncertainty in the church was rooted a cluster practical, moral, and relational problems in that church as well as a series of challenging theological questions the church was asking.

The real-life problems they were facing included interpersonal divisions, lawsuits between members, sexual immorality within the church, and even a case of incest (1 Cor 1:10-6:20). The theological questions they were asking included (1 Cor 7:1-14:40):

• How to view marriage (7:1-24)
• How to view singleness (whether virgin and widow) (7:25-40)
• How to handle doubtful things (8:1-11:1)
• How to view the role of women in church worship (11:2-16)
• How to view and practice the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34)
• How to view spiritual gifts (12:1-14:40)

Needless to say, these problems and questions caused a lot of uncertainty for the members of this church. At one point, Paul even said, “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [ahem, are dying]” (1 Cor 11:30).

It’s easy for a church to be distracted by problems and questions and to lose focus due to uncertainty. So, after addressing these problems and answering these questions, Paul closes this letter by bringing into focus something which gives certainty in the face of uncertainty, courage in the face of fear, and hope in the face of hopelessness. This is the gospel, the good news of death, burial, and resurrection of Christ – with a special focus and emphasis on the resurrection.

In a world marked by uncertainty, we can find great certainty, confidence, and hope in the resurrection of Christ. As Paul makes clear, this good news about Christ’s resurrection is not only a certainty on which we can begin a life of faith, forgiveness, and salvation, it is also a certainty that makes possible a life of continual, persevering faithfulness in our daily mindset, routines, and service for Christ.

Because the resurrection is both a historical and timeless certainty, it not only deserves our faith for salvation, but it also strengthens our faithfulness for life and service – no matter how many problems we experience in our lives or questions we ask in our hearts.

The resurrection is a historical certainty that deserves our faith.

As Paul brings his letter to the church at Corinth to a close, he does what he did for them the first time he met them – he preaches to them the gospel (15:1, 3). And what is the gospel? This word means “good news” and it describes the kind of good news a war-weary, out-of-breath foot soldier brings as he runs on adrenaline to announce to the women and children back at camp that their husbands and sons have won the long, bloody battle in the valley below.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isa 52:7)

Only, instead of describing the play-by-play tactics of a victorious battle plan which secured the victory, or the heroic moves of the soldiers who did the fighting, Paul describes the death and resurrection of one man who won the greatest victory for all of us – that Jesus died on the cross and rose again.

But for the resurrection to be good news that brings certainty, confidence, and hope to our lives, we must first know that he died. For a resurrection without a death is no resurrection at all.

Jesus definitely died – his burial proves it. (15:3-4)

Four books in the NT (the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) each give details about the death and burial of Jesus. These four men wrote these books independently of one another, yet their conclusions are the same – that Jesus died. We know this for many documented reasons.

The procedures for Roman executions made survival impossible. They scourged and whipped Jesus severely, then they crucified him, then they pierced through his chest with a spear to verify that he was dead. Multiple independent witnesses verified his death, including Roman soldiers, a Roman centurion, multiple faithful women at the cross, a man named Joseph of Arimathea, and another man named Nicodemus. These two men in particular handled his body and confirmed he was dead, and Pilate even required an official, certified confirmation before releasing the corpse to them. In the ancient world, only dead people were buried, and the Gospel writers emphasize the physicality of the burial. Burial itself functioned as the public certification of death.

Furthermore, the burial details themselves make any survival scenario impossible.

“Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” (Jn 19:40).

Here is how the burial process worked. While they didn’t embalm him, bleed him, or remove internal organs as the Egyptians and other cultures did, they slathered his body with an excessive amount of aromatic ointments and spices, far more than normal (Jn 19:39). The gospel of John indicates about 66 lbs., so can you imagine a 50-gal. bucket of exotic, aromatic cream being slathered onto your body, with 3 more gallons for good measure?

This mixture created a thick, glue‑like resin that hardened around the body. The smell alone would have overwhelmed any living person, not to mention that amount of weight covering his body making it impossible to breath well. But more importantly, the wrappings would have completely immobilized him, too. No one in a state of extreme trauma – much less unconscious, comatose, or barely alive – could breathe under those layers, let alone unwrap himself from the inside. You can’t even unwrap yourself if someone wraps plastic saran wrap around your bed on April Fool’s day, even if you’re the stronger, healthiest person in town – what’s more a comatose person with the severe physical damage and wounds that Christ had suffered that day.

So, even if Christ had somehow fainted, swooned, and then came back to consciousness, he could not have freed himself, then rolled away a massive stone, and then slipped past or wrestled triumphantly with armed Roman guards. Every physical detail of the burial proves with certainty that he certainly died.

Taken together, the historical, medical, and procedural facts lead to one unavoidable conclusion, that Jesus truly and completely died. Christ’s suffering and physical condition ensured it, witnesses confirmed it, burial practices sealed it, and physical realities of the tomb made any alternative impossible. The early church therefore proclaimed not a metaphorical or spiritual death, nor a near‑death, but a real, bodily death. That’s what makes Christ’s resurrection so incredible. Because he actually died, then he actually resurrected from the dead – which is astounding.

Jesus definitely resurrected – his appearances confirm it. (15:4-8)

Just as the four NT gospels give many proofs for the real death of Jesus, so they also give many proofs for the real resurrection of Jesus three days later.

All four accounts – again, written independently – agree that Jesus’ followers visited his tomb early on the first day of the week, that they verified his body was gone, and that he appeared physically, repeatedly, and unmistakably to many of his followers. The empty tomb itself is powerful evidence: the large, heavy, and sealed stone was found rolled away and the graveclothes were left behind in an orderly, undisturbed state.

John highlights that the linen wrappings were still lying there, and the face cloth was folded separately (Jn 20:6-7), a detail which makes grave robbery an impossible explanation for what happened and signals an intentional, calm departure by Christ.

The women who were the first witnesses in all four Gospels experienced both confusion and an angelic proclamation: “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said” (Mt 28:6). Their testimony is especially significant because women were not considered legally reliable witnesses in the ancient world, yet the Gospels boldly put them forward as key witnesses, showing that this was a real resurrection because they were unconcerned about relying on women as their first witnesses.

The resurrection appearances confirm a real, physical resurrection, not some kind of spiritual-only alternative, like the appearance of Jesus as a ghost, spirit, or something unphysical. After his resurrection, Jesus spoke, walked, taught, ate, and invited physical contact and touch, first from his disciples who knew his well (Lk 24:39-43), and also by the one who had been absent at first, Thomas (Jn 20:27).

He appeared to other individuals, like Mary Magdalene, small groups like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and large gatherings, like the eleven, and later more than 500 at once, as Paul records. In fact, it is upon these many witnesses of the resurrected Christ that Paul leans most heavily to show the certainty of the resurrection (15:4-8).

Perhaps you or someone you know might argue, “Well, with that many people claiming to have seen the resurrected Christ, were there also people who dispute those claims. Are there any historical records which indicate that these people may have been wrong?

The answer to this question is ‘no.’ There are no ancient historical records that counter, dispute, or refute these claims of witnesses. No Jewish or Roman sources ever produced a body, denied the empty tomb, or refuted the resurrection appearances in any way. The only historic attempt to explain away the resurrection of Christ is the “stolen body” lie recorded in Mt 28:11-15. Ironically, this attempt actually admits the tomb was empty and that eyewitnesses existed immediately. Early opponents never argued that “no one saw Jesus” or that “he was still buried.” Instead, they tried to explain away the facts they could not deny. What’s more, no ancient critic, whether Jewish, Roman, or otherwise, ever challenged Paul’s claim that more than five hundred people saw the risen Christ, many of whom were still alive and available for questioning at that time.

In other words, the historical record contains no denial of the witnesses, no alternative account of the body, and no document claiming Jesus remained dead. The earliest critics conceded the evidence and only attempted to come up with alternative explanations, hoping people would think that though it looked like Jesus has risen from the dead, he actually didn’t.

About these witnesses, we should note that when people encountered the resurrected Christ, they did not go away unaffected or unchanged. If they were fearful and hiding, they turned into bold, unafraid proclaimers of the resurrection, instead. If they were tired, sad witnesses, they changed into people who ran quickly to go tell others what they had seen. Seeing the resurrected Christ changed people.

Most importantly, we must not only accept the historical factuality of Christ’s resurrection.

We must believe this message to be saved.

When Paul reminds the members of the church at Corinth of the resurrection of Christ, he does not only speak about the historical certainty of the resurrection, he speaks about the way both he and they responded to it personally. He said they “received it” (15:1), he “received it” (15:3), and they “believed” (15:11).

In Paul’s case, he had been a very religious person, following all of the laws and rituals of Jewish orthodoxy to a tee. And as you know, Jewish orthodoxy denies the resurrection of Jesus, and they deny that Jesus is the Messiah, King, and Savior. As you know, it as the Jewish religious leaders (like Paul) who spread the “stolen body” theory. And they even, as Paul did, punished by beatings, imprisonment, and even execution anyone who publicly promoted the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead. To this day, orthodox Jews claim that biblical and historical records of the resurrection of Christ are either mistaken, misunderstood, or intentionally embellished by his followers.

But when Christ himself appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, he knew that he had risen from the dead. At that moment, he turned from his sin and unbelief to believe on Jesus Christ as his God and Savior – even though this put his own life in danger at the hands of his own Jewish colleagues and friends.

As result of his life-changing belief in the resurrection of Christ, Paul devoted his life to spreading this message to others. On a journey to Greece, he did this very thing in the city of Corinth, where he met and spoke about Jesus to people for the length of one and a half years (1 Cor 18:1-11). As a result of his time there, many of them had also come to believe on Christ for salvation after hearing about the death and resurrection of Christ.

Why is it important to believe that Christ died and rose again? In part, so that we will receive forgiveness of sins from God. As Paul says clearly, with emphasis, Christ didn’t just die, he died “for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3).

This means that Christ, who himself never sinned, voluntarily accepted the role of taking full punishment and judgment for your sins and mine upon himself. In this way, he essentially “swapped places” with us so that the punishment of God’s wrath we deserve for our sins fell on him (who was innocent) instead of on us (who are guilty).

You see, if Jesus did not die for our sins, then his death is nothing more than a horrible tragedy at worst or else an example of extreme love at best, but one which we can never live up to. But Scripture teaches that our sin brings about real guilt, real separation, and real judgment, and only a real substitute can remove these things. When we confess that Christ died for our sins, we are embracing the heart of the gospel: that Jesus willingly took our place, bore our guilt, satisfied God’s justice, and opened the way for real forgiveness, peace, and new life through his real death.

Notice how Paul said Christ did this “according to the Scripture.” This reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before, said Jesus would do for us when he died:

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:4-6)

Since Christ not only really died “for our sins” but he also really resurrected, then we know that his death “really worked” and was “really victorious” not only over the cause of our failure and guilt – which is sin, but also over the consequence of our sin – which is death.

When this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54-57)

So, to experience the certainty of forgiveness from sin and salvation in Christ, you must believe in the good news of salvation – that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose again. These things are not a myth or wishful thinking. They were promised by God and they actually occurred in history. The certainty of the resurrection deserves our faith.

But the resurrection of Christ not only a historical certainty that deserves our faith, it is also a timeless certainty that strengthens our faithfulness.

The resurrection is a timeless certainty that strengthens our faithfulness.

As we noted at the start of this message, we live in a world where the only thing that seems certain anymore is uncertainty itself. And we live in a world where uncertainty affects our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual condition. But thankfully, the resurrection of Christ gives us certainty and hope not only for a moment when we believe on Christ for forgiveness of sins and salvation, but to keep on believing on Christ through the difficulties of this life to the end.

We must continue to believe this message to be saved.

Notice what Paul says in 1 Cor 15:2, “By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” With this statement, Paul places a kind of condition on believing the gospel. This is a condition which – if met – will render a person’s faith for salvation null and void and, in fact, literally “meaningless.”

This condition he frames as a contrasts between “holding fast” and “believing in vain.” If a person “holds fast” then they will be saved, but if they “believe in vain” then they will not be saved. What does this mean? It means that a person who believes in Christ for salvation must believe genuinely. The alternative to genuine belief, though, is “vain” belief, which is “empty of meaning” and “of no real purpose.”

How can a person know whether they have genuine or vain faith? By whether or not they “hold fast” to the word of the gospel they believed in the beginning. In other words, we test the genuineness of our faith in Christ not by analyzing in a retrospective way our psychological state at the moment we believed the gospel initially, but by holding firmly and tightly to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for salvation on a daily basis.

A person who believes to the end of their life is saved, but a person whose faith is empty does not. This does not mean that a person who believes on Christ can be saved for a while then abandon or withdraw from their faith and salvation. Instead, it means that a person who abandons or withdraws from their faith and salvation never believed on Christ in a genuine way at all – their initial faith, then, was empty and meaningless, not real.

As Bible commentator David Prior helpfully explains: “We constantly need to reiterate the heart of the gospel, and that involves taking a firm grip on the historical facts.”

So, here Paul makes clear that saving faith is not momentary or superficial. It does not come and go. Like the death and resurrection of Christ itself, it is does not come and go – it is certain. If it is genuine, it will be enduring. True belief receives the gospel and then holds fast to it, while a faith that proves empty eventually lets go – because it was never genuine in the first place. Real saving faith in Christ believes the gospel and then clings daily to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for the rest of your days.

Finally, this daily firm grip of faith on the gospel does not remain passive or private. The same resurrection that secures our salvation and gives us confidence of salvation throughout our lives also motivates us to go forward in faithful, steadfast service for Christ.

We must continually labor so that others will believe this message.

In Paul’s conclusion to this section of his letter about the certainty of the resurrection of Christ, he says these encouraging, inspiring words:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor 15:58)

What does this mean? While it is true that this means in a general sense that because Christ rose from the dead, we should be able to persevere through life with a calm, clear confidence, peace, and purpose, no matter what hard trials come our way. Yes, this is true. But Paul has an even more specific purpose in mind, though.

To close, let us zoom in on a word in this verse – the word “labor.” This word speaks of difficult, hard work. It speaks of the kind of work we might call toil, the kind which makes us feel tired, weak, and weary. Earlier in this letter, Paul uses this word to describe how he worked hard at cutting, tanning, and stitching animal hides to make tents to earn income to support himself when needed (1 Cor 4:12). This was difficult, hard work.

But Paul uses this word labor four other times in this letter. And in these majority of times, he uses the word to describe not manual, physical labor but rather gospel ministry efforts, instead (1 Cor 3:8; 15:10, 58; 16:16). From what Paul says about these gospel ministry efforts, we see that God expects us not only to believe the gospel for salvation and forgiveness of sins but also to work hard so that others will believe this message also.

And this makes sense, right? If Christ really died for our sins and really resurrected from the dead to bring salvation, then not only should this energize us to persevere in telling others this amazing good news, but it should compel us to do so. If we do not actively work hard at getting this message to others and persuading them to believe it, too, then how well do we comprehend or understand the significance of the gospel?

According to Paul, doing what we can so for others to believe the gospel should not be viewed as a casual side quest, an occasional half-hearted attempt, or a special calling and task for special, gifted people. No, it is the duty and should also be the delight of a person who has not only depended on Christ for salvation but devoted themselves to helping others do the same.

When a man goes to work to provide for his family, or a woman roles up her sleeves day-in-and-day-out to care for the home God has given her, they need a deep, relentless motivation that pushes them through the difficult moments, the endless days, the long hours, and the sleepless nights. People do not work just for work’s sake.

The same is even more true with the gospel. If we are going to labor and work hard as individuals and together as a church to bring others to believe in the death for their salvation, then we must be motivated by the certainty of the resurrection. Those first disciples were so transformed that they moved from depression and sadness to confidence and courage, bringing other people to faith in Christ, as well. Does this describe the life you live today? Have you been that kind of transformed by the certainty of the resurrection?

On this Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate not only a feeling, tradition, or inspiring story, but a certainty that changes everything. Jesus really died, he was truly buried, and he definitely rose again. Let that sink in. And because he lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because he lives, our faith is not in vain.

If you have never believed on Christ for salvation, today he calls you from the other side of the grave to turn from your sin and trust in him alone for forgiveness, salvation, and new life.

And for those who believe, the resurrection urges us to keep on believing, since this is what genuine faith does. And it sends us into our lives with courage, steadiness, and purpose, knowing that nothing done for Christ, to bring others into this faith, is wasted or forgotten, no matter how difficult and wearisome that labor may seem to be.

In a world filled with uncertainty, the risen Christ gives us certainty for today, confidence for tomorrow, and hope beyond the grave. This is the good news our anxious, fearful, sad, and stressed-out world needs. The resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to uncertainty. There is nothing more certain than the resurrection of Christ.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).

Discussion Questions

Life 101

• Which evidence or proof for the real death and real resurrection of Christ do you find most fascinating, and why?
• How does the resurrection help us to have confidence rather than being distracted or disheartened by uncertainty?
  • What kinds of things would this certainty give us boldness to do?
• If Christ had merely died for our sins, but not risen again, what difference would it make?
• In what ways is telling people about Jesus like “hard labor?” (see 1 Cor 4:12; then 3:8; 15:10, 58; 16:16)

Digging Deeper

• The sermon notes that the grave clothes were left orderly and the face cloth was folded (John 20:6-7). How does this specific detail destroy the theory that Jesus' body was stolen?
• How does Paul say we can tell the difference between genuine and vain faith? How is this different from how many Christians often test the genuineness of their faith?

We’re aware of the “no kings” rallies that pop up from time to time. Through these events, people claim to renounce the idea of absolute rule, insisting that no single person should hold unchecked power. But is this a good idea? Is it always undesirable and wrong for a single person to hold unchecked power?

If so, then we should remove the Gospel of Matthew from the Bible, cease observing Good Friday and Easter, and stop following Jesus altogether. You see, the Gospel of Matthew is written for the very purpose of presenting Jesus as the King we all need. Yes, that’s right, we need a King, and his name is Jesus. That’s what Matthew tells us.

Jesus is the king.

The Old Testament (OT) ends sadly with the royal line of Judah’s kings coming to an end as they are carried away into captivity in Babylon. But four hundred years and fourteen generations later, we read about child who was born into that same royal line of kings through his mother, named Mary (Mt 1:1-17).

Then in Mt 2:2, some wise, influential men from a foreign land arrive in Jerusalem and ask King Herod: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Fast forward to Mt 21:5 and Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem at Passover time. This is when he instructs his disciples to fetch a donkey for him to ride into the city. And as Matthew retells this moment, he also tells us that this event occurred to fulfill what the OT prophet Zechariah foretold and prophesied (Zech 9:9): “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

After he arrived in the city, he taught people various things, including some important things about the future, upcoming judgment of people at the end of this age as God builds his eternal kingdom. Referring to himself in this case, he says, “When the Son of Man … the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:31).

Later on, during Christ’s final suffering and trials leading up to his crucifixion, Pilate asked him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (Mt 27:11). To this Jesus replied, “It is as you say” (Mt 27:11). As a result of this claim, the Romans placed a sign above his cross which stated the reason for his crucifixion. The sign said, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Mt 27:27). The Roman soldiers also mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Mt 27:29), and the Jewish religious leaders did the same, mocking him with, “If He is king of Israel …” (Mt 27:42).

So, we see clearly from Matthew’s Gospel that the OT points to Jesus as King, the opening genealogy presents Jesus as King, foreign dignitaries recognized Jesus as King, and Jesus himself portrayed himself as King. But what kind of King was He?

Jesus is the king who confronted our sin.

We see this behavior clearly throughout Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus was not an impotent, weak king. He is not a king who accepted bribes, believed flattery, and played hypocritical political games. He is a fair, just, and courageous king who boldly confronted our sin.

He confronted the sin of people in general.

He called people to repent – to turn from their sinful lifestyles. “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17).

He pronounced “woe” on them (which is essentially a curse of divine judgment) because they would not repent of their sins and believe on him (Mt 11:21). He even said that they were worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.

He called people “an evil and adulterous generation” because they were more interested in seeing him perform miracles than they were in listening to and submitting to his teaching (Mt 12:39).

He called them a “faithless and perverse generation” because of their refusal to believe on him (Mt 17:17).

But Jesus didn’t only call out the sins of people in general, he directly and specifically confronted the sin religious leaders.

He confronted the religious leaders.

He said to them, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Mt 9:4) over their anger at him for healing a man and forgiving his sins.

He accused them of “transgressing the commandment of God” because they created technical loopholes in their benevolent giving laws which enabled them to withhold money from their parents in need while keeping it for themselves for selfish uses (Mt 15:3). He called them “hypocrites!” for the same reason (Mt 15:7).

After his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he called them ‘hypocrites’ again because of their not-so-clever questions designed to trap him and twist his words so they could discredit him (Mt 22:18).

He waxed eloquent and pronounced a series of seven severe woes on them in Matthew 23, accusing them of being not only hypocrites but also blind guides, stupid fools, poisonous snakes, and a den of vipers.

But Jesus didn’t only call out the sins of people in general and the sins of religious leaders.
He confronted his own family.

We don’t have as many records of him doing this, but we do have one instance. In Matthew 12:48, he said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” By this, he indirectly corrected his family for distracting him from the work he had been called to do by God the Father.

And finally, we see that besides people in general, the religious leaders, and his family, Jesus also confronted his disciples.

He confronted his closest followers.

In Mt 8:26, he said, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” He said this in response to their frantic, panicked reaction to the stormy water while they were on a boat with him in the Sea of Galilee at nighttime.

In Mt 15:16, he said, “Are you also still without understanding?” He said this to correct their wrong ideas about the sinfulness of the human heart.

In Mt 16:23, he said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” He said this to correct Peter for trying to persuade Jesus against dying on the cross.

And in Mt 26:40, he said to his disciples, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?” He said because they had fallen asleep when they were supposed to be staying awake to guard him while he prayed in the hours just before his trial and crucifixion.

Put yourself on the other side of these comments by Jesus – as people in the crowd, as a religious leader, as a close family member, or as a close follower of Jesus. How do these bold, direct statements of confrontation make you feel? And how do they make you feel about Jesus? Would you feel that he was being mean or courageous? Was he being rude or was he being a good leader?

We appreciate leaders – even kings – who speak the truth and call out injustice. But that changes if they are speaking about or calling out injustice of our own. But a good king, the kind we all need, calls out our sins whether we want him to or not.

As William Wilberforce once said, “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you did not know.” He said this as both a British politician and government official and also an serious-minded Christian who led the way in confronting and abolishing the transatlantic slave trade.

Like Wilberforce and so much more, Jesus is a king who reveals the truth about people to people that people would much rather avoid. Such bold confrontation is an act of both courage and love.

This is the very kind of love that God calls Christian husbands to have towards their wives when he says that husbands should have a “cleansing and sanctifying” effect for their wives as Christ does for the church, and how? Through “the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:15).

And this is true for any leaders who will be like Christ. They must be willing to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). The truth is not a matter of democracy. It is a matter of fact and of truth, whether it is convenient and wanted or not. In fact, speaking the truth may even cause a person to view you as an enemy – but this fact should not prevent you from speaking that truth anyway.

Thankfully, Jesus is this kind of King, unafraid to speak the truth to people in love, even when that truth is uncomfortable and hard to receive. But there is more. Jesus is not only the King who confronts our sin.

Jesus is the king who carried our sin.

Just as Jesus calls husbands to “cleanse and sanctify their wives by the washing of water by the word,” so he also calls husbands to “give themselves” for their wives as Christ “gave himself for the church” (Eph 5:25). And how did he give himself for us? Through his trials, sufferings, and death on the cross. That’s how.

You see, in Matthew’s Gospel, he not only reveals Christ as the King we all need and as the King who confronts our sin, he also reveals him to be the King who carries for us the sin that he confronts in us.

He gave his life for a ransom of many.

In Mt 20:25-28, Jesus taught his followers the right kind of leadership – the way a good king
is supposed to lead.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

As we acknowledged previously, a husband must be willing to lead his wife with courage, saying what needs to be said for her cleansing and sanctification. And though he must never do less than that, he must also do more than that and speak those words from a life that is also giving himself for her as Christ did for us in his trials, suffering, and death.

You see, Christ did not abandon the priority of a good King to speak the truth clearly and with courage, but in doing so, he did not speak arrogantly or boastfully (though speaking the truth was wrongly considered as such by the people he confronted). Instead, having confronted the people about their sin, he then devoted himself to suffer for their sin, as the second, necessary means to their salvation. He confidently, courageously, and compassionately “gave His life a ransom for many.”

Notice the completeness of this giving of himself. He didn’t give part of his life or some of his life. He gave all of himself so that as many as would turn from their sin to believe on him would be able to do so. And by giving his life, he devoted his daily agenda, effort, and life’s work to free us from the very sins which he confronted in us.

This is what a good husband must do. He must speak the truth and lead in the truth, but then he must set himself to give of himself for the truth – sacrificing his body, life, and reputation for the good of his wife so that she might be able to better receive and respond to the word that he gives her. And in doing this, he has the King we all need as his support, his example, and his King to which he must himself submit.

He shed his blood for remission of sins.

Then as Christ observed the last Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room, in the hours leading up to his betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane, he told them that the juice of the Passover meal and now the juice of Communion represents in vivid ways his blood which would be shed on the cross as he died for our sins. “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mt 26:28).

You see, Christ did not just tell us what was wrong. Though he certainly did this, he did not only do this. He also did something about what was wrong. He did something about the sin he confronted. He gave himself to resolve our sin even though we were at first in a resistant, unrepentant state. Just as a husband should devote himself to loving and serving and giving himself at any cost to his wife even when she is not responding in kind, even more so to an infinite degree did Christ give his life for us – even to the bloody, violent, painful, torturous death of the cross. It is because he died in this way for us, for our sin which he boldly confronted, are we able to be saved from our sin.

He shed his blood so that God would be able to punish him instead of us, so that God would be able to rightly and fully forgive our sins.

Consider how Isaiah the OT prophet movingly portrayed and prophesied Christ’s death for our sins.

“I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” (Isa 50:6)

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:3-6)

Today, we live in a challenging moment of time. Our society as a whole relishes the idea of “speaking truth to power,” as it were. We announce “no kings,” and we resent anyone who speaks the truth about our sin. But it is not until we accept the truth about our sin – as Jesus himself calls it out – that we can rightly understand what he was doing on that dark Good Friday night. He was carrying on himself the very sin in us which he first so boldly and courageously confronted.

The One who said, “Woe to you,” also said, “My blood is poured out for you.”

So tonight, on this Good Friday, we look back on the death of a King, not the king the world is accustomed to, the King we truly need. He is the King who did not deny our guilt, excuse our rebellion, or soften the truth about our sin. He confronted it plainly, courageously, and lovingly. And then, amazingly, he lifted that very sin onto his own shoulders and carried it to his death.

Good Friday forces a personal question on each of us: What will we do with this King? We cannot applaud him from a distance and remain unchanged. We cannot admire the cross while refusing to repent of the sin that put him there. The King who spoke “Woe to you” is the same King who now says, “My blood is poured out for you.” To reject him is to remain under our sin. To receive him and believe him is to be freed out from under our sin forever because the punishment for our sin fell on him instead.

And husbands – men – let me encourage you to give yourselves to your wives in this same way.

This is the King we need.

Habakkuk 1:12-2:4

When it seems that God is silent and unresponsive to our prayers when conditions around us spiral downwards, God seems uncaring and unjust. How can a holy, loving God permit such immoral and unjust behavior to occur with seemingly no consequence?

But there is a second way that God seems unjust to us – when he does respond to our prayers and intervene in the unjust behavior around us, but his intervention seems either more confusing, difficult, or unjust than his silence.

There are times when a child becomes seriously ill, even though they may not feel terribly bad at first. When their treatment begins, their life changes quickly. Doctor visits increase, they go through uncomfortable procedures, and they have to take medicine that causes nausea, weakness, or other unpleasant side-effects.

To a young child, all these things feel incredibly unfair. The child didn’t cause the illness, and they don’t understand what the doctors are doing. They may wonder why their parents, who say they love them, are allowing these scary, painful, and uncomfortable things to happen to them.

As difficult as these experiences are to the child, parents know that without this treatment plan, the child’s illness will grow worse. They know allowing these uncomfortable and painful things now will save the child in the long run, while giving in to their cries instead will lead to devastating consequences later. So out of love, a parent permits what is necessary, even when it causes their child temporary confusion and hardship.

The key to these situations is for a child to trust completely in the character and words of his parents, even when their painful, confusing experiences seem to contradict their parents’ expressions of love and promises of better health and recovery.

The same is true for God’s people, and that is what Habakkuk begins to learn in our passage today. A person with truth faith in God endures hardship in the present because he rests in God’s character and promises, even if the immediate circumstances of his life seem to contradict God’s character and promises at the moment.

Sometimes God’s plans seem unfair.

For Habakkuk, God’s solution to the rampant, prevailing injustice of people in Judah seemed worse than his silence and apparent lack of intervention. As impressive as the Babylonian armies would be in many respects, they were also – by many observable measures – even more unjust and wicked than the people of Judah. While it was true that Habakkuk was bemoaning the rampant injustice and lawless behavior of his own people, seemingly without any consequence, discipline, or punishment from God, God’s solution of judging his people with an invasion of armies from Babylon seemed even worse. To Habakkuk, the problem seemed worse than the solution because the Babylonians seemed worse than the people of Judah.

Evidently, Habakkuk was already aware of the Babylonians. Somehow, he had kept up on news headlines from afar, possibly by interacting with traders and travelers coming to and from Jerusalem to faraway places. What he already knew about the up-and-coming Babylonians made him wonder greatly how God could use them to accomplish anything good at all. Here is how described them (1:13-17):

• They “deal treacherously.” This means that they deliberately break or betray trust, use behave in deceptive ways and are disloyal partners in any agreement.
• They “devour.” This means that they behave in an “all or nothing” way, unwilling to make deals and unwilling to negotiate.
• They are “less righteous” than the people of Judah. This refers to the fact that they worshiped pagan gods and had no allegiance to God’s moral expectations.
• They conquer other people easily as though they were helpless fish. It was like being a school of fish in a lagoon in which marauding fishermen all throw their fishing lines, personal nets, and dragnets in all at once, taking up all the fish with no contest.
• They gloat in their easy victories. This resembles what it’s like for a burly teen bully bragging to his friends about beating up a toddler on the playground. There’s no honor in that at all.
• They worship their nets for their victories, which is a way of saying that they gave zero credit to God for their military victories.
• They have no compassion, which means they were ruthless and showed no mercy.

Both according to the Bible and also external historical records and archeological findings, the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were known for being deliberately and excessive cruel to people they conquered. Their campaigns went far beyond military defeat and were designed to terrorize and humiliate the people they captured.

Scripture says when Babylon captured Jerusalem, they slaughtered leaders, executed King Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then blinded him and carried him into exile (2 Kgs 25:6-7). They burned the temple, dismantled the city, and forcibly deported men, women, and children, marching them by foot for hundreds of miles away (2 Kgs 25:8-12).

Historical records match what the Bible tells us:

“Monuments from Mesopotamia document the custom of literally driving a hook through the lower lip of captives. Long lines of captives with hooks through their lips are depicted being hauled off to Babylon. In a second figure of Chaldean brutality, Habakkuk pictures the Chaldeans dragged along in a “net.” The figure is apropos. In one relief from this period the major Babylonian deities are depicted dragging a net in which their captives squirm.” (James Smith)

From these historical records, we see that the fishing illustrations that Habakkuk uses were not only for illustration purposes but reflected things which the Babylonians actually did. This kind of ruthless, unrestrained violence and inhumane treatment of people, marked by arrogance and lack of compassion, that made the Chaldeans extra famous for their cruelty, and this explains Habakkuk’s confusion at God’s decision to use them as his instrument of judgment for his own people in Judah.

How would you respond to this plan if you had been Habakkuk? Though Habakkuk expressed serious questions to God about this confusing and surprising plan which seemed entirely unfair, he first grounded his questions in what he already knew to be true about God’s character, promises, and ways.

Faith focuses first on correct theology.

If you noticed, our first point in the sermon today skipped v. 12 to look at vv. 13-17, instead. I did this to point out the reason for Habakkuk’s concern and confusion. But before he expressed any of those things to God, he first focused his heart and mind on what he knew to be true about God’s character, promises, and ways.

This is what I mean by “theology.” I am referring how anyone with genuine faith in God must develop a deep, familiar, and thorough knowledge of God by studying and meditating intentionally on what the Bible says about God. Last year, our church went through a preaching series called “Incomparable,” in which we focused closely on various attributes and qualities of God.

We can study many things in this world, and we can focus our hearts, minds, and energy on many things in life, but more than anything other thing, we must first and foremost be a student of God. More than anything else, we should dig deeply and drink regularly from the Word of God to inform our minds and strengthen our hearts with the truth about God. This appears to be true for Habakkuk. So, when he was faced with a confusing and frightening situation, before expressing his concerns and questions, he rooted his thinking and perspective in what he knew to be true about God.

From Habakkuk 1:12, we see that Habakkuk believed the following things about God:

• He believed in the eternality of God. (everlasting)
• He believed in God as the faithful and loyal to his covenant with his people. (Lord/Yahweh)
• He believed in God as the all-powerful deity. (God/elohim)
• He believed in the absolute holiness of God. (my Holy One)
• He believed in God the supreme judge of mankind. (appointed them for judgment)
• He believed in the consistent, unchangeability of God. (Rock)

From this we see that Habakkuk did not ask questions from a place of unbelief. He did not ask questions as though he didn’t believe in God. He asked his questions and expressed his confusion from a place of deep conviction and faith in God. He didn’t question God. He questioned, instead, how what he knew and believed about God coincided with what he knew of God’s plans and works. He didn’t doubt the justice of God. He wondered how the justice of God could be paired with God’s plan of raising up the cruel and ungodly Babylonian’s as his means for judging his people.

Is this how you respond to the confusing situations and difficult circumstances of life? Do you look at everything through a clear and consistent lens of serious, sound theology? How do you develop and strengthen your theology? How do you expand and improve your knowledge of God and his ways? Do you have a habit of reading and studying God’s Word and good theology books to do this? Do you have anyone in your life with whom you talk regularly about God and his ways? Are you involved in a group within your church that engages in discussions like these on a regular basis?

So, before Habakkuk expresses his confusion to God, we see that he grounded his questions in a strong personal theology. But we also see that he follows his questions to God not by abandoning or walking away from God, but by waiting for him, instead.

Faith waits patiently for God.

After asking God to help him make sense of this plan to send the ungodly nation of Babylon to judge the people of Judah for their seemingly lesser sins, Habakkuk behaves in a way that shows his faith is strong – confused but strong (2:1-3).

• He stands firm and resolutely.
• He watches attentively like a guard or sentry who scans the horizon.
• He looks forward eagerly to God’s response.
• He expects God to correct him somehow (not the other way around).

It’s fascinating to see here that Habakkuk does not attempt or expect to correct or criticize God with his questions. Instead, he seeks to clear up his own personal confusion. He assumes that God is right and he is wrong, not the other way around. And he fully expects that after asking his questions, God would actually correct and reprove him.

“Habakkuk expects that the message will bring correction and proper orientation to his anxieties. He is not so much challenging God with a complaint as he is desiring to have his perplexities alleviated and his viewpoint corrected.” (Richard Patterson)

In response to Habakkuk’s question, God answers him again – sort of. In his answer, he gives him no new information, though, but doubles down on what he has already said.

• He tells him to write down the prophecy of Babylon as a permanent record.
• He wants it to be written in a plain, easy-to-see, easy-to-understand way.
• He wanted it to be spread broadly to the public at large. In other words, God wanted Habakkuk to make this message easy to read and easy to carry from village to village and city to city, so that as many people in Judah as possible could hear it.
• He also wants Habakkuk and anyone else who hears the message to wait – though Babylon would not march into Judah that same day or the next, they would come marching over the horizon soon enough.

And this is a major feature of genuine faith in God. Genuine faith in God grounds its questions, confusion, and anxiety in a firm, deep, thorough theology and then waits patiently for God to work out his plan over time. Genuine faith does not run away but rather runs to bring others to the truth with them, no matter how long they must wait for God’s promise of justice to occur. They do not abandon or disobey God because they hurt, because they are confused, or because it takes too long.

From beginning to end, faith relies completely on God.

In addition to God’s preview about a soon, devastating invasion by Babylon, God also gives Habakkuk a central, core, guiding principle of life. Rather than explain his methods and reasons for using a “more wicked” Babylon to punish a “less wicked” Judah, God instead gave Habakkuk a big-picture, overarching truth about life.

“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” (Hab 2:4)

There’s something important to observe about this truth: it always applies to all people everywhere, not just to people in Judah or Babylon. At the end of the day, and more specifically at the end of time as we know it, God is far less interested in comparing groups of people against each other, such as announcing who is more wicked than the other.

Isn’t Judah better than Babylon? This question was at the heart of Habakkuk’s question to God. Though he knew Judah was sinful, he believed Babylon was even more sinful.

Questions like these bother us today, as well. Is North Dakota better than Minnesota? Israel better than Iran, Ukraine better than Russia, and the United States better than any other nation in the world?

In God’s answer to Habakkuk’s question, he does not engage in that sort of conversation and comparison. After all, groups of people don’t stand before the judgment seat of God at the end of time, do they? God judges and God saves individuals, and so he does whatever he does in the world in such a way that individual people will believe on him.

In the next section of this prophecy, through the end of Chapter 2, God gives a strong message of warning to people who are arrogant, proud, and not right before him. This message applies equally to arrogant, self-righteous people in Judah as well as Babylon, and it always applies to all people everywhere, no matter what cultural, ethnic, national, or geopolitical group they may or may not be a part of.

But today, we must focus on the other side of this truth. On one hand, God judges every person who is arrogant and proud, but he preserves and saves everyone who lives by faith. And what does it mean to live by faith?

To live by faith is an underlying mindset. It describes the heart and perspective of a person who trusts in God rather than themselves. It means to trust in God alone for salvation of every kind.

• It describes a person who trusts in God for salvation from injustice around them – as Habakkuk trusted in God despite the widespread sin around him in Judah.
• It describes a person who trust in God for salvation from other larger evil powers and injustice in the world – such as trusting God with the coming invasion by Babylon.
• And most importantly, it describes a person who relies upon God for ultimate salvation in the end.

The point here is that no matter what confusing or difficult questions a person may have about God or his ways, and no matter what difficulties or injustices – real or imagined – they may be observing in the world or experiencing painfully for themselves, they can know they are in a right standing before God if – and only if – they rely completely upon God him.

To rely completely upon God consists of two key elements: (1) a strong inner, personal reliance upon what God has revealed about his nature and promises and (2) a daily, intentional perseverance in living according to what God has revealed in his Word.

To Habakkuk, God’s “the just shall live by his faith.” This means that a person who is in right standing before God is one who will live and not be destroyed by God for his sins. As Habakkuk clearly stated, despite a coming invasion and destruction of Judah by Babylon, “We shall not die” (Hab 3:12). But here, it is as though God is saying, I cannot make this promise to every inhabitant of Judah; I can only guarantee to preserve and save – on an individual, case-by-case basis – anyone who has faith in me.

This stands in contrast to the self-righteous people of Judah – Habakkuk’s own family, friends, and fellow countrymen – who believed they were okay with God only because they were a nation to whom God had promised special blessings, who practiced the sign of circumcision, and who possessed and followed the Law of Moses (though only in loose and minimal way).

This also stands in contrast to the ungodly people of Babylon who worshiped their fishing nets (1:15) and gave credit to their false, imaginary gods for their growing control and power (1:11). Neither the people of Judah nor the people of Babylon were trusting in God.

To more fully understand what “the just shall live by his faith” means, we should also hear how the NT uses this general principle and truth in its teaching to us.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:16-17)

In this first occurrence of a quotation of this principle in the NT, Paul closely echoes what Habakkuk emphasized – that a person’s right standing before God is due to his faith in God. In this way, he refers to the beginning of a person’s life of faith before God, when he trusts completely in the gospel of Christ for salvation from sins and for a right standing before God at the future judgment.

We can only receive God’s salvation by faith, and this is true for every person. There is no “different way of salvation,” or “different way to God,” etc. relative to your cultural, ethnic, or national identity. Just as God told Habakkuk people of Judah needed faith in God for salvation just as much as people from Babylon did, so Paul says here that people of the Greek empire needed faith in the gospel of Christ just as much as people from Israel did. There is no difference – the only way to have a right standing before God is to believe on the gospel of Jesus. Have you believed completely in the gospel of Christ for salvation from sin and for a right standing before God at the future judgment?

But the life of faith is more than entering into a right standing with God or being in a right standing with God at the final, future judgment. As important as these guarantees of salvation may be, the life of faith is far more than a beginning and end, for in many ways, the greatest challenge (or rather challenges) to our faith is everything in between.

Paul touches on this reality by quoting “the just shall live by his faith” a second time.

That no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” (Gal 3:11)

Here Paul speaks not only of beginning or entering into a right standing with God by faith but by living in a perpetual state of right standing before God, as well. Here, Paul points out that it is wrong to think we gain a right standing before God by obeying the Mosaic Law or – worse yet – by obeying all sorts of additional laws and rules which we may create as additional safeguards to our relationship with God.

The law says, “Do these things every day and God will accept you,” but faith says, “Believe every day that Christ did all these things every day and God will accept you.” Just as we must reject self-righteousness and reliance on the Law for salvation from God, so we must continually reject self-righteousness and reliance on the Law for daily acceptance and closeness with God.

But there is a third way which God calls us to “live by faith” today, as well.

You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Heb 10:38)

Here, the writer of Hebrews quotes from Hab 2 to look forward not to the coming invasion of Babylon (which had already happened centuries before), but to look forward to the second coming of Christ to judge the wicked and establish his kingdom of righteousness in this world forever, once and for all. And because Christ is coming again to make all wrongs right forever, we must live by faith in God’s promises in this way – we must confidently, faithfully, and joyfully persevere through the confusing questions, difficult dilemmas, painful experiences, and widespread injustices and wickedness of our day.

In summary, then, the NT quotes Hab 2:4 to teach us that:

• We are made righteous by faith. (Rom 1:17)
• We live daily by faith rather than self-reliance and self-righteousness. (Gal 3:11)
• And we endure to the end by faith. (Heb 10:38)

As we step back and take in all that God has shown us through Habakkuk, we are reminded of this unshakable truth: a person with true faith in God endures hardship in the present because he rests in God’s character and promises, even when the immediate circumstances of life seem to contradict God’s character and promises at the moment.

God did not give Habakkuk a full explanation for his confusing seemingly unjust plan. Instead, he called Habakkuk to keep on trusting in him as the God who is everlasting, holy, faithful, and unchanging.

That same call comes to us today. If you have never trusted in the gospel of Christ for salvation, this is where a life of faith begins, not with understanding everything about God and his ways, but with believing that Christ has taken your judgment, suffered your punishment, forgiven your sin, and secured your future and salvation.

And if you have already trusted in Christ as your God and Savior, then this passage calls you, like Habakkuk, to persevere: to wait, trust, and hold fast to God’s promises even when his ways feel difficult or unfair.

In just a moment, we will observe the Lord’s Supper together, and there is no clearer reminder of this truth. At the cross, God’s plan looked more unjust and confusing than anything else, yet it was there that God was accomplishing our salvation. The bread and the cup remind us that when God’s purposes seem hardest to understand, his love has never let us down. As we come to the table, let us examine our hearts, renew our trust, and rest in Christ in a stronger, greater way. Whether you desire to begin the life of faith today or are persevering through hardship, questions, and injustice, may this special, sacred act and moment of remembrance reinforce our confidence that God is faithful, and that the just shall live by faith.

Discussion Questions

• Sometimes, our suffering is like the suffering a confused, sick child endures from the side effects of treatment. How would a belief that God is like a loving parent of such a child affect the way we handle suffering?
• What does Habakkuk confess in Habakkuk 1:12?
  • What purpose does this confession serve?
  • Hint: This is the beginning of his second “complaint.” Look at the context of the following verses.
• What kind of attitude does Habakkuk’s commitment in Habakkuk 2:1 tell us he has?
  • In what actual ways can we demonstrate this same attitude?
• The people of Judah self-righteously depended upon their ethnicity, religious observance, and Israelite status in contrast with the just who live by faith. Upon things do we personally rely rather than God?
• Habakkuk did not understand how God could use a nation he viewed as more wicked than Judah to judge them. What are the problems with comparing our sins to those of others?
  • How do we engage in this comparison?

Habakkuk 1:1-11; 2:4
From Exodus and Deuteronomy, we learned have that God rescued and entered a permanent covenant and commitment with his people. Then, from Hosea, we have learned that God loves his people relentlessly. Even when we turn or wander away from him, he pursues after us with never-ending faithfulness, mercy, and love to restore our relationship with him.

But now we will turn our attention to Habakkuk, another small Old Testament book, to explore a difficult challenge God’s people often face. This challenge is answering the question of how a holy and loving God can permit sin and injustice to keep on happening in the world. Has anyone ever asked you a version of this question? Or have you ever asked this question yourself?

William Tyndale gave the English-speaking world its first English translation of the Bible. He was a faithful follower of Christ who experienced many injustices: forced into exile for translating Scripture into English; hunted across Europe as a criminal; betrayed by a supposed friend; imprisoned for over a year; strangled and burned as a heretic.

Adoniram Judson was the first American and first Baptist missionary to a foreign nation. Though he served Christ faithfully and sacrificially for the duration of his life, he suffered what seemed to be many injustices: lost two wives and multiple children; imprisoned brutally in Burma for nearly two years; subjected to starvation, chains, and illness; labored for seven years before a single convert.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. Despite her courageous faith, she suffered many injustices: betrayed by an informant; arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo; father died shortly after arrest; sister Betsie died in a concentration camp; Corrie herself endured forced labor, starvation, sickness, and cruelty.

Elisabeth Elliot (who died only 9 years ago) was a faithful Christian missionary, author, and women’s teacher. Though she served Christ faithfully, she experienced many things which seemed unfair and unjust: married missionary Jim Elliot only 10 months before he was murdered by the Huaorani people of Ecuador; widowed at age 29, with a young child; later buried a second husband after he endured years of illness; lived decades under the shadow of many unanswered questions “why?”

Perhaps you know someone like this – a person who has faithfully followed Christ but has suffered many difficult experiences which seem unfair and unjust. Or perhaps that person is you? If God is faithful, loving, and devoted to his people, then why does he let injustice occur? Why does he let injustice happen so widely and so long?

The book of Habakkuk is a short book with a short message, only three chapters long. The man who wrote this book is named Habakkuk. But other than that, we know little about him other than that he was called “Habakkuk the prophet” (Hab 1:1; 3:1). To call himself “the prophet” may mean he had been formally trained in a school for prophets, something which did exist in Israel during the time of David and Saul and also the time of Elijah and Elisha (1 Sam 19:20; 2 Kgs 4:38).

The apocryphal book, Bel and the Dragon, (which is not biblical) claims that Habakkuk was the “son of Jesus of the tribe of Levi,” which would mean he had been born into a priestly family. This book tells the tale of an angel carrying Habakkuk by the hair from Judah to Babylon to drop food for Daniel into the lion’s den. Such claims and stories about Habakkuk are fascinating but of little to no historical, factual value.

While we don’t know much about the man who wrote this message, we do know something about the background of this message. Habakkuk wrote this message during a time of widespread injustice among his people. From the details of this book, it seems that Habakkuk wrote during the reign of the third-to-last king of Judah – Jehoiakim.

If you recall from previous sermons, Hosea had spoken to the people of Israel. These were the ten tribes of Israel who had settled to the north and who had abandoned worshiping God to worship Baal and to pursue an immoral, wicked lifestyle. As consequence for their sin, God had sent the Assyrian Empire from the northeast to conquer them and take them as captives away to Assyria. This had happened approx. 700 years after God had rescued his people from Egypt and made a permanent covenant with them in love.

Despite the northern kingdom’s rebellion against God, the southern kingdom – called Judah – consisted of the two other tribes of Israel, Judah and Benjamin. They had proven to be more faithful to God, so God had given them a longer period of protection. Even so, they also descended into a widespread ungodly lifestyle, who would also be conquered and invaded by a foreign empire approx. 120 years later (more on this later).

So, here we are to start this book. A man named Habakkuk and who is also a prophet is living in the southern kingdom of Judah nearly 100 years after the northern ten tribes had been taken away to Assyria for their idolatry and immorality. But now God’s people living in the southern two tribes had also become increasingly ungodly. It was this rising and continuing injustice that Habakkuk saw among his own people in Judah that caused him to question God in prayer.

God’s silence sometimes seems unjust to us.

In Hab 1:1, we read an announcement of Habakkuk’s prophecy. What’s interesting about this prophecy, though, is that unlike other OT prophecies, this one is not specifically directed to a group of people. Nowhere here in the introduction or elsewhere in the rest of the book does Habakkuk say God was giving him this message for a particular group of people. Instead, the entire book simply reads as a record of Habakkuk’s own personal interactions with God. And these personal interactions with God begin with two difficult but serious questions that Habakkuk asked God in prayer. We’ll look at the first one here and the second one next week.

God does not always respond immediately to our prayers.

In this first question, Habakkuk asks “how long” he must pray to receive an answer from God. He explains to God in v.2 that no matter how long and how frequently he prays, God doesn’t seem to answer.

O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?

And he also explains in v.2 that no matter how intensely he prays and how serious his prayers seem to be, God still doesn’t seem to answer.

Even cry out to You, “Violence!” and You will not save.

This word ‘violence’ is translated from the Hebrew word hamas, which does certainly have modern-day parallels, for sure – so you can get a feel for what Habakkuk was describing. Only here, he wasn’t describing to violent activities of foreign, Muslim terrorists, he was describing the commonplace activities of God’s own people in Judah. Violence had become commonplace and nothing was being done about it. As we read in v.4:

The law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore, perverse judgment proceeds.

Habakkuk’s point here is that violence was not being restrained or punished because the judges, priests, kings, and any other enforcers of the Mosaic law were themselves behaving in ungodly and unjust ways. From the words he uses in v.3, we see that theft and abuse, lawsuits and arguments were common and increasing. Sounds a lot like America and our world today, does it not?

God does not resolve every injustice immediately.

The problem for Habakkuk, though, was not necessarily that injustice was occurring, but that his prayers to God weren’t causing any change or bringing about any divine intervention. If he prayed long enough and hard enough, wouldn’t God do something about this widespread problem? So, for the Hosea, the question was not necessarily about why people were being unjust and abusive, the question was whether or not God was himself being unjust by doing nothing about injustice.

From this opening question and prayer, though, we are forced to acknowledge that God does not answer our prayers for justice immediately, the first time we pray them. Nor does he resolve every injustice immediately. Like a good fisherman, he knows how to “let the line go out” before he yanks the hook.

In many types of fishing, especially with live bait or certain species, the fisherman doesn’t set the hook immediately. Instead, he allows the fish to fully take the bait, commit to the line, and move away before he applies resistance. If he pulls too soon, the fish may spit out the bait, or the hook won’t set completely. A good fisherman knows that good timing is often better than sheer force. He also knows that it is sometimes necessary to let the line out to redirect the fish he wants to catch from rocks, weeds, logs, and other snags. Rather than overpowering the fish, he allows it to have some controlled freedom, waits for it to get into the best position, then yanks the hook and pulls the line at full strength at just the right moment. It’s often true that you won’t get the fish by dominating it immediately but by wearing it down over time.

God is this way and more in matters of justice. From our way of thinking and on our limited vantage point and way of viewing time, it may seem that he is slow and unresponsive to correct and judge injustice. But he often “lets the line go out” and “gives a long leash.” He does this for many reasons which only he alone can fully comprehend. But one such reason is that he is longsuffering, desiring for as many people to be saved as possible.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)

Think about it this way, where would you be today if God had yanked the hook on you as soon and swiftly as possible? Aren’t you glad he was long-suffering and patient with you? Maybe he is still being so towards you today. If so, let me encourage you to repent from your sins and turn to Christ for salvation and restoration today. You don’t know how much longer he will suffer your sinful and unjust behavior.

God does not guarantee to shield his people from injustice.

Another feature of Habakkuk’s question and prayer to God here is this – that he wonders why and how long God will allow him to experience injustice personally. It’s one thing for us to read national and international headlines and see frequent, growing headlines about all kinds of injustice that’s going on. We can and should rightly be bothered and concerned by that. But the problem becomes far more difficult when injustice affects us in a local, personal, and direct way. Notice Habakkuk’s emphasis on this aspect of injustice:

Why do you show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me …” (3:3)

When injustice affects you personally – or someone else who is close to you – then this question hits especially hard. Why does God seem silent? Why does God let injustice continue to occur, seemingly without consequence, while his own people who trust in him have to live with it, see it, and experience it daily?

Well, from Habakkuk’s opening question and prayer to God, we see that God does not guarantee to shield his own people from injustice. Not even his own Son, Jesus Christ, was shielded from injustice, so why should we be any different?

God’s silence doesn’t mean he has no plan.

As we consider the question of how God’s silence can seem unjust, enabling injustice to increasingly occur, what follows next in Habakkuk’s conversation with God shows us that God’s silence doesn’t mean he has no plan.

God is not challenged or upset by our questions.

First, though, we need to know that God is not challenged or upset by our questions. To be sure, not all questions to God are of equal value. Some questions are cynical and sarcastic, not looking for a genuine answer. Some questions are rooted in hard-hearted unbelief and rebellion. But some questions are the result of our simple, childlike inability to understand God’s ways and a sincere desire to figure things out and make sense of a difficult, seemingly contradictory situation.

Throughout Scripture, people of genuine faith asked God similar questions:

• Abraham asked God, “How can I know?” to better understand God’s promise of giving him a son in old age. (Gen 15:8)
• Moses asked God, “Why have you brought this trouble on me?” after he obeyed God, spoke to Pharaoh, and things went from bad to worse. (Exo 5:22)
• David and other Psalm writers asked, “How long, O Lord?” in the face of difficult, painful trials that didn’t seem to go away. (Psa 13:1)
• Job asked God, “Why have you made me your target?” as he experienced a series of heart-wrenching trials for no apparent reason. (Job 7:20)
• Jeremiah asked, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper, and why are they happy?” (Jer 12:1)
• And Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, asked, “How will this happen?” when told that she would give birth as a virgin to our Savior. (Lk 1:34)

While God has zero obligation to answer our questions or to tell us what he is going to do about the injustices we experience, we can also know that he is a big God who is more than able to take our questions. Whether our questions are good ones or not, and whether he can answer them or not, we can always take our confusion and frustration to him in prayer and know that he is just – even in his answer or choice not to answer.

For God, our questions are no problem at all, and for us, our questions are often not a detriment to our faith but a pathway to deeper, stronger faith. Because the more we ask genuine questions of God, the more we will learn about him and learn to trust him. Do you have any questions that you need to ask God today, even if he doesn’t answer?

When we ask questions of God today, we should not look for some verbal or visual answers, such as a personal revelation of prophecy or a dream of vision of some kind. Instead, we should look to God’s Word to see what it says about our question, and we should do such study of God’s Word in a careful, prayerful way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psa 119:105)

We should not simply “open the Bible and point to a verse on whatever page it falls to,” but we should do a diligent search to study what the Bible actually says about whatever the topic or nature of our question might be.

[The Bereans] … received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

We should be like the Christians in Berea and be people who not only pray to God about our questions but who also carefully study God’s Word to discover whatever answers we can find.
God’s plans are more impressive than we comprehend.

For Habakkuk, since he was a OT prophet, God gave him a more specific answer to his prayer, and we find this answer in 1:5-11. Before giving his answer, he prepares Habakkuk for what he is about to hear (1:5):

Look among the nations and watch—be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

With these words, it is as though God is saying, “Brace yourself, Habakkuk, because what I am about to tell you is going to absolutely blow you away.” The words ‘utterly astounded’ means something like being “frozen stiff with amazement” or “absolutely astonished and amazed.”

God also tells Habakkuk that the plan he is about to reveal will be hard to believe and that it will come to pass within Habakkuk’s lifetime, so he would actually get to experience it. This sounds like good news! Then God goes on to explain his amazing plan.

• He would choose another rising world empire, this time from East, called the Chaldeans. (Scripture and history also knows them as the Babylonians.)
• They would be an aggressive nation who take over other lands and nations and would be frightening and terrible to anyone who resisted them.
• They would possess elite armies of cavalry with horses superior to other nations’ horses in every way – faster than leopards, fiercer than wolves, and with the focus of an eagle.
• They would come from the East and be like a powerful east wind that gathers prisoners of war like an east wind blows grains of sand.
• They would easily take down every king and emperor who tried to resist them and would destroy every form of defense which tried to prevent them.

Wow, what an amazing plan. So, as you can see, just because God had been silent in answering Habakkuk’s frequent and urgent questions about rising injustice among his people, he was not oblivious to the problem, and he was not without a plan. His plan was absolutely incredible. He was building a brand new army of elite fighting forces who would take down not only other ungodly, unjust nations of the world – including Assyria, the nation who had taken the Northern Kingdom away as prisoners of war – but he would also use this new empire and fighting force to judge Judah, as well.

This solution that God was preparing as a consequence for all the injustice Habakkuk was seeing and experiencing in Judah was far more impressive than he had ever imagined. On one hand, it seemed that God was unconcerned and silent in the face of injustice, but in reality, he was preparing a solution which was far more impressive that we could comprehend.

Have you ever expected one thing, only to receive or experience something far more impressive instead? Maybe you went to a restaurant to celebrate your birthday quietly with a relative only to find out that the entire restaurant had been rented out for a large surprise party with all of your family and friends. Or perhaps a friend gave you a small envelope which you thought had a note inside, only to find out it held a check for $10,000.

This is how it is with God. We ask him our questions and wonder why he doesn’t intervene to resolve the injustices that we see in the world and experience for ourselves. And we envision or perhaps even suggest certain solutions to “help him out.” But if we really understood not only why he was waiting but what he eventually, actually planned to do, we would be completely amazed. While it may seem that God is not doing anything, he is actually planning something that is far more impressive than you could ever comprehend. Can you trust him?

Faith trusts God when injustice seems to prevail.

While we will have more to say in upcoming sermons about how God responds to our questions and to the problem of evil and injustice in the world and in our lives, now is a good time to “peek ahead” at the central verse and truth of this book from Habakkuk.

The just shall live by his faith. (Hab 2:4)

This is the central verse and truth of this entire message from Habakkuk. And though the Bible never mentions or names Habakkuk anywhere else outside of this book, it does quote this statement three times in the NT.

Paul quotes Habakkuk in Galatians 3:11 and also in Romans 1:17, which shows this was a major part of his theology and how he lived out his faith before God. The writer of Hebrews also quotes this verse in Heb 10:39 to encourage God’s people who follow Christ to persevere in their faith no matter what the difficulties are that they may face.

For a person to live by faith in Christ does not mean they cannot or will not pray to God about
the difficult questions they have about life, but it does mean that they will ask their difficult questions and then continue to believe God, both that he has the right to remain silent, and that his plans – whether we know what they are or not – will turn out to be far more impressive than we could ever comprehend.

There is a stage in every child’s early development when curiosity seems endless and “why?” becomes not only their favorite question but their apparent response to almost everything. Why can’t I touch that? Why do I have to go to bed now? Why can’t we do it this way? Why? Why? Why?

A loving parent often tries to answer this question, to explain the reason or the why that they are seeking, but any experienced parent knows that this rarely satisfies the child’s curiosity. Instead, it only causes them to think for a moment about their parent’s explanation only to say again, “But why?”

So, eventually a parent realizes they need to learn when to say, “I can’t explain all of that to you right now, you have to trust me.” This answer doesn’t mean the parent doesn’t care, even though the child may interpret their response that way for the moment. But the child lacks experience, maturity, and vocabulary needed to understand the answers. Children face similar questions and struggle with unsatisfied curiosity in their teenage years, too, only on a higher, more complex level.

The parent sees consequences the child cannot see, dangers the child does not recognize, and outcomes the child cannot imagine. And often, years later, that same child looks back and realizes their parents understood far more than they, as a toddler, could grasp at the time, that what felt like unnecessary restriction or silence was actually wisdom, protection, and love.

As we conclude, Habakkuk reminds us that it is not sinful to ask God hard questions. When injustice seems to increase and God seems silent, Scripture does not tell us to suppress our confusion or pretend everything is okay. Instead, God invites us to bring our struggle, our frustration, and even our fear directly to him in prayer.

“How long?” is not necessarily the language of unbelief. It can often be the words of an honest, sincere, but confused cry of faith that seeks understanding from God. God is not threatened by our questions, and he is not offended when we speak candidly with him about what we see and what we experience in this broken world, whether abroad in world and national headlines or nearby in our local communities, or even within our own church, family, and personal life.

Habakkuk also teaches us that lasting peace, though, does not come primarily from getting answers from God, but from trusting in God because we know that he has the answers. Whether he chooses to explain himself to us or else to remain silent, he is never absent, never indifferent, and never out of control. His timetable extends far beyond our impatience, and his perspective rises far above our limited view.

What feels to us like a delay or forever is often divine patience and purposeful restraint. What appears to be disorder is, in reality, being governed and guided by a sovereign God whose plans are already unfolding according to perfect wisdom. This fact includes not only the injustice that Habakkuk was watching unfold in Judah but the injustice we see all around us today, far away and nearby. What seems to be chaos is actually a world progressing according to God’s sovereign plan. And “will not the Judge of all the Earth do right” (Gen 18:25)? He is and he will.

So, when injustice disturbs your heart and your anxiety grows in the shadow of God’s silence, this is when and where God calls us to move from fear to faith. Not because our questions have all been answered, but because our confidence is anchored in who God is relentless in love and faithful to his people. He sees the full picture, he works on a longer timeline, and his plans to judge injustice and establish righteousness are far more impressive than we could ever imagine. Until that day comes, the just – those who believe and follow Christ – should live by faith, asking honest questions without demanding answers, trusting completely in God’s character, and resting in the certainty that he will make all things right in his perfect time. This is what we do when God seems silent.