Author Archives: mikejuntunen

A New Look at the Sermon on the Mount

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In the past, my understanding of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 has been that it was a compilation of sayings or nuggets of wisdom much like the Proverbs. However, when I recently read through the sermon again, I noticed three themes that laid a foundation for Jesus’ message.

However, before we look at the sermon itself, let’s back up a couple of chapters to look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. From Matthew 3:13 to 4:11, Jesus starts preparing for His ministry. He is baptized by John and is anointed by the Holy Spirit (3:13-17). After this, He is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and fasts for forty days and nights. Following this time of fasting, Satan tempts Him three times, but Jesus overcomes the temptation by remaining faithful to God (4:1-11). Jesus then begins His ministry by preaching the Kingdom of God (4:17) and demonstrating the power of the Kingdom by healing the sick and casting out demons (4:23-25). Immediately large crowds from the entire region began to follow Him, and when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and began to teach them thus bringing us to the Sermon on the Mount.

As I mentioned above, I saw that Jesus’ sermon can be divided into three themes. The first one is found in chapter five. He begins His message by discussing attitudes that people of the Kingdom of God should have. He says that people should consider themselves blessed if they are poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and hungry for righteousness. He even says they should feel blessed if they are persecuted. He then talks about us being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and having a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. From here He discusses certain topics such as murder, divorce, and adultery. In each of the topics, He begins by saying “You have heard that it was said…,” and describes the common teaching on that topic. He then adds, “But I tell you…,” and presents a higher standard for each subject mentioned. I imagine the people hearing this sermon were confused because everything He was saying went contrary to human nature and the teachings of their culture.

The key verse which sums up this entire chapter is found at the end in verse forty-eight: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. The word translated perfect means complete, mature, and lacking nothing. When Jesus was baptized by John, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to reveal the character of God, proclaim the message of the Kingdom, and demonstrate the Kingdom’s power. Everything He said and did went contrary to the culture which amazed the people and upset the leadership. In the same way, we are to be so filled with the Spirit of God that we can also demonstrate the nature and character of God to the world. We are not to follow the world’s standard but instead, we are to live by the higher standard of the Kingdom. We are to be the influencers—the salt of the earth and the light of the world that attracts people to God just as Jesus had been doing.

Chapter six presents the second theme. Jesus teaches that we are not to seek attention or earthly praise when we help the poor or in our times of prayer and fasting. Our focus should not be on building up rewards or accolades here on earth. Instead, our emphasis should be on humbly building the Kingdom of God. Jesus adds that our concern should not be on how much wealth we can accumulate in this world, but on storing up “treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20). The key verse in this chapter is verse thirty-three: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV). The principle Jesus presents here also goes against the world’s thinking. He is submitting the idea that we should develop such a passion for the Kingdom of God that the wealth, fame, or treasures this world has to offer are not important to us. He is also advocating that when we put His Kingdom first, we can have the confidence that He will provide for all our needs.

Jesus demonstrated this principle when He faced Satan’s temptation. He was faithful to God and so dedicated to fulfilling the work of the Kingdom that the worldly enticements Satan presented to Him had no effect. The Kingdom of God was first and foremost in His heart, demonstrate and He knew His Father would provide for all He needed (see Matt. 4:1-4).

The third principle is found in Matt. 7:24-27. Here, Jesus is teaching how important it is to build our life upon the Word of God. Throughout this chapter, He talks about making sure our life is in line with God’s Word before we start pointing out the faults of others (7:1-5). He reminds us that we fulfill the Law when we treat others with love and respect (7:12). He also warns us that just saying that we are a follower of Jesus is not enough. We must show it by obeying His Word and demonstrating godly character (7:15-23). It is only when we are committed to the Word of God in our life that will we be able to share the Word with wisdom and power and be able to see the power of God work through us through signs and miracles as Jesus did (Matt. 4:17,23-25). In summary, when Jesus began His ministry, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to reveal God and the life of the Kingdom to the world. He was committed to the Father and the work of the Kingdom so that Satan was not able to distract Him with the attractions of the world. And the Word of God was the foundation of all He did (Matt. 5:17-18). These principles are what Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, and are principles that we, as people of the Kingdom, should be incorporating into our lives. We should make the Word of God the foundation of our life, develop a passion for the Kingdom that overshadows any allurements of the world, and be so filled with the Spirit of God that we live by a standard that is higher than and contrary to the culture of the world. If we do this, we can become the salt of the earth and the light of the world that will draw people to Jesus.

Wisdom is Calling

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In Proverbs 8, Solomon gives wisdom a voice. He personifies wisdom as a woman who is describing herself and the benefits we can receive if we follow her advice. Some of the things we can learn about wisdom from this monologue are—Wisdom is the application of truth and righteousness (vss. 7-8). Wisdom is more valuable than silver, gold, or precious jewels (vss. 10-11). Those who follow wisdom experience blessings and peace (vss. 18-21), and they receive life and favor from God (vs. 35). Just and righteous kings rule with wisdom (vss. 15-16). And God created all things through wisdom (vss. 22-31).

In summary, one could deduce from this Proverb that wisdom is the right application of truth and humbly doing the right thing at all times. It should be valued above even the most precious things such as silver or gold. And, when followed, will bring honor, blessing, peace, and order to their life instead of chaos, fear, or stress (see Matt. 7:24-25).

So, where can we find wisdom if wisdom is so precious and should be sought after? Solomon answers that question in Proverbs 9:10. He says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The next question is what does he mean by “the fear of the Lord”? Are we supposed to be afraid of God if we want wisdom? No, but to understand what Solomon means we need to examine the word “fear” more closely.

The word translated “fear” in this passage is the Hebrew word yirah and it has a wide range of meanings. It can mean having dread or terror from something such as when Israel was afraid of God when He appeared on the top of Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:18-19). Some feel this type of fear is self-centered because the focus is on “what will happen to me?” This is exactly Israel’s response to the Presence of God— “But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Ex. 20:19).

The word yirah, however, can also mean to revere, be in awe, respect, or worship. In this case, the emphasis is not on what happens to the person, but on God’s glory, power, and majesty. And, instead of causing us to draw away from God as it did with Israel, it compels us to move closer to Him and motivates us to please Him like Moses (Ex. 20:21). When we encounter the power and glory of God, it humbles us and brings us to repentance because we recognize our sinfulness in the presence of His holiness (Job 42:1-6), but it also fills us with an awe-inspired love for God. We desire to grow closer to Him and learn from Him. We recognize that His laws are for our benefit because they teach us how to live, and a wise man out of this fear (awe, respect, reverence) for the Lord will put them into practice.

This type of fear of the Lord can be developed and I would challenge you to begin to discipline yourself to grow in the fear of the Lord and wisdom. First, pray for God to put a hunger in your heart to experience the Presence of God (Matt. 5:6). Ask Him to give you a passion for more of His glory (Ex. 33:18). Then, when you read your Bible, don’t read it merely to gain information about God. Instead, read it with the fear of the Lord. Read it with awe, wonder, and reverence (Ps. 19:7-11) as you sit down with the Almighty Creator of the Universe and listen as He speaks to you. Following this, go through your day with the fear of the Lord. Worship the Lord as you think about His power and glory (Ps. 63:1-4) and realize that He is always with you so that you want to please Him in everything you do (Col. 3:22).

Wisdom is calling, encouraging us to develop a true fear of the Lord that will make us aware of His awesome glory and will put a hunger in us to draw closer to Him. She then helps us apply God’s word to our lives so that we can find true life, blessing, honor, and favor from God. Will we listen?

Why All The Laws

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When reading the Old Testament, especially the Torah- the five books of Moses, it is easy to get bogged down in all the rules, rituals, and regulations we see. Many of us will look at them as restrictive and outdated. And, since they have no application for our life today, why bother reading them? After all, we are a New Testament church, so the Old Testament laws don’t apply to us, right?

Actually, they do. In fact, the laws of the Old Testament form the foundation of our faith in the New Testament. We need the Old Testament to understand what God is doing in the New Testament, so it is important to have a proper perspective about the Old Testament and why all the laws are there. One of the best places to start is in our understanding of the word Law. When we think of laws, we think of rules that restrict and punish. However, the Jews don’t see it that way. In the Old Testament, the word that is often translated into the word Law in English is the Hebrew word Torah. This word can mean law, but it is more often looked at as direction or instruction.

God did not give Israel His laws (Torah) to restrict them but to instruct them in a way that will allow them to experience His blessings. He was giving them guidelines on how to live in a way that will bring “shalom”: peace, wholeness, and completeness. His purpose was not to place them under legalistic bondage to rules, but instead to help them enjoy the freedom that comes from a relationship with Him. In fact, God’s goal throughout the Bible is reconciliation: to restore everything to the way He originally intended it to be.

God created man to have an intimate relationship with him forever. Sin, however, shattered that relationship, and everything God has done since then has been for the purpose of restoration. Therefore, whenever we read the rules about cleansing, purification, and holiness—especially when we read verses that direct us to be holy as God is holy (Lev. 11:44)—we need to read them with the understanding that following these instructions will help reconcile us back to God and bring “shalom” in our relationship with Him.

We may sometimes feel that God demands that we be holy because He cannot be around anything that is not holy. We might even get the impression that God would somehow be contaminated if anything unclean was to ever enter His presence as though He had an immune deficiency and had to protect Himself in a sterilized environment. However, the truth is, is that God is not requiring us to be holy for His benefit, but for ours. We, as sinful men, cannot enter the presence of a holy God and survive (Ex. 33:20). So, again, God’s instructions on holiness are not to restrict us, but to allow us the freedom to be reconciled to Him and experience shalom in our relationship with Him once again.

The same is true regarding the instructions on how we treat one another. Whenever we read passages such as Leviticus 18-19 that deal with sexual relationships, honoring parents, treating the poor and our neighbors fairly and with respect, and being honest in our business practices, we need to again keep in mind that the reason for all these regulations is to reconcile our relationship with each other. When we put these guidelines into practice, we remove conflict and bring peace to our relationships with others. We also demonstrate to the world the character of God and what it is like to live in His Kingdom.

The regulations regarding the sacrifices are put in place so that, on those occasions when we do sin and our relationship with God or man is broken, we have the means to seek forgiveness and restoration. They are there, again, to reconcile and bring us back to a place of peace in our relationships. The festivals are also intended to help in our relationship with God for they are opportunities to remind us of who God is and how He has provided for our needs. They allow us moments to reflect, refresh, and reconnect with our Lord. All the commandments, then, regarding purity and holiness, the regulations for the sacrifices, and the rituals of the festivals are there to bring reconciliation: to restore our relationships with God and with each other. The goal of them all is to bring shalom: peace and wholeness to our lives and allow us to experience the freedom that comes with living under the blessings of God. Therefore, I would encourage you to not look at the “laws” of God as rules designed to restrict and hold us in bondage. Instead, whenever you read the Old Testament, remember that these “laws” are guidelines that will bring reconciliation and freedom.

You Have a Purpose

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Anyone who has been around the church at all has undoubtedly heard the stories about Joseph: his dreams, the special coat given to him by his father, his brother’s jealousy that led them to sell him to merchants heading to Egypt, becoming a slave to Potiphar and ending up in prison without reason, his interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams which led to him being exalted to a high position in Egypt, and how he was reconnected to his family and saved them from the famine by bringing them all down to Egypt (You can read these stories in Gen. 37-50).

All the events of Joseph’s life have all the makings for an exciting soap opera—dysfunctional family setting, jealousy, seduction, mystery, revenge, and many other plot twists. However, I think the most interesting thing about Joseph’s life is found in Gen. 45:4-8 when Joseph reveals to his brothers that he is not angry with them for selling him as a slave because everything that happened was a part of God’s plan. He tells them “do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen. 45:5,8).

God made a promise to Joseph’s great-grandfather Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in a strange country for 400 years after which He would deliver them and bring them to the promised land of Canaan (Gen. 15:13-16). Joseph was the key to the fulfillment of that promise. Therefore, everything that happened to Joseph—both the good and the bad—was part of God’s plan to get him where he needed to be to fulfill God’s purpose. These events also helped prepare Joseph for the work God was calling him to do. The enslavement, the seduction by Potiphar’s wife, and the wrongful imprisonment all helped build his character and his faith in God because Joseph could see that God was with him through it all (Gen. 39:2-6, 21-23). He could also see that nothing that happened to him was by chance or accident but was all part of God’s purpose for his life.

Many years ago, I attended a leadership seminar during which we were asked to make a timeline of our life. We were to list the major events of our life on a chart—both good and bad. We were then asked to identify the historical and cultural setting into which we were born, our family influence that helped shape our personality and moral sense, and the skills and talents we were born with or that we acquired over the years. Finally, we were asked to look at all the events and experiences of our life to see how God had been working and preparing us for the purpose He has for our life.

Going through this exercise helped me realize that, just as with Joseph, nothing happened to me by chance. God had/has a purpose for my life and everything that happened to me was part of the process of getting me where I needed to be and building my character so that I can fulfill that purpose.

The same is true for you! If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a special part of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-31). God never intended for His followers to come to church and just sit, being mere spectators while others do the work of the ministry. He designed each of us to serve according to our gifts (1 Peter 4:10-11). He has a place for you and a role for you to fulfill. Therefore, He is working through the circumstances of your life (good and bad) to prepare you for that role.

I would encourage you to briefly examine your life. List all the events and experiences of your life and look at how God used those experiences to build your character and develop your skills: to shape you into the person you are today. If you do this, you will also recognize that nothing that happened to you was by chance but was all part of God’s plan to bring you to the place you needed to be. And, just like Joseph, you will realize that you have a purpose!

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

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I’ve known for a long time the importance of reading Scripture in its context. Whenever we read a passage, we should always look at the verses before and after to understand the flow of thought. We should also research who is writing, the individuals to whom they are writing, and the reason they are writing to fully appreciate the meaning of the passage. Only when we understand the historical, literary, and cultural context—when we can see how the recipients received and understood the message, can we apply it to our lives today. However, I have recently come to realize the need to include the geographic context in my study of a passage of Scripture. It is important to know where an event took place because it can have some bearing on the meaning of the text, especially when the location is clearly noted in the passage.

One example of this is in Matthew 16:13-20. This is the passage where Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is. After listing several names, Jesus then asks them whom they say he is. Of course, Peter speaks out and makes the declaration that he is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Following this, Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16: 17-18 ESV).

Of course, this is a very familiar passage of Scripture. I have read it and taught from it many times. However, I never paid attention to an important item in verse thirteen which brings a whole new understanding to Jesus’ words. At the beginning of this passage, we are told that Jesus went to the district of Caesarea Philippi. I believe that Matthew added this information because he wanted us to know that it was not by accident that Jesus asked this question at this location. He chose Caesarea Philippi as the place to make his declaration. Why?

Caesarea Philippi is about twenty-five miles north of Galilee. Just outside the city is a large cave carved out of a sheer cliff face. In the Old Testament times, this area was the center for Baal worship, however, following the conquest of Alexander the Great, it was dedicated to the worship of Greek fertility gods, particularly the god Pan. At the mouth of the cave, archeologists have found a temple, shrines, a courtyard for rituals, and niches for statues related to Pan.

Worshippers of Pan and other fertility gods believed that the cave created a gate to the underworld where the gods lived during the winter and returned to the surface each spring. To entice the gods to return each spring, the worshippers engaged in all kinds of detestable sexual acts. To these pagan worshippers, the gods traveled to and from the underworld through this cave which they called the gates of hell.

Over the years, there has been much discussion on what Jesus referred to when he said, “on this rock I will build My church.” Was he talking about Peter whose name sounds like rock in Greek? Was he referring to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah? I admit that I was never really sure what He meant by the phrase either. But now I believe that when Jesus made this statement he turned around and pointed to the large cliff in which the cave was carved. He then declared that on THAT rock: the center of pagan idolatry, debauchery, and spiritual darkness he was going to build his church. He was stating that he was going to reclaim territory Satan had taken as his own and was restoring it to God’s original purpose for the Kingdom of God. And, pointing to the cave entrance, Jesus announced that even the Gates of Hell—all the authority of Satan—cannot stop it.

I believe Jesus was using the cliff and cave at Caesarea Philippi as a backdrop to announce to Satan that his time was up, and that Jesus was beginning the work of restoring all things. I also believe that he was giving a challenge to his disciples. Gates are defensive structures. So, when he said that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, he was telling his disciples (and us) that the church should not be hiding from evil. Instead, we should be storming the gates of hell and, through the authority we have in Jesus Christ (Matt. 16: 19), building the church in the places most filled with spiritual darkness and moral corruption. We should be reclaiming our cities for the Kingdom of God knowing that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!”

Who Are You?

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In Genesis 25- 35, the biblical narrative focuses on Jacob’s life, and, if you have spent any amount of time in church, I’m sure you have heard some of these stories. You’ve probably heard that Jacob and Esau were twins and at the time of their birth, Esau was born first, but Jacob was grasping Esau’s heel as he was born, thus he was given the name Jacob which comes from a root word that means to seize the heel, circumvent, supplant. The suggestion is that this is a person who will trip someone by the heel, undermine or usurp someone, or deal craftily with them. In Jewish culture, names were very important because a person’s name was a reflection of their character. And, in this case, Jacob definitely lived up to his name.

It was not long after the story of their birth that we are told how, when Esau returns tired and hungry from a trip, Jacob deceives Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of stew. Later, we also learn how Jacob tricks his aging father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing of the firstborn instead of giving it to Esau, the rightful recipient of the blessing. We know that Esau then becomes so angry that he threatens to kill his brother when their father dies forcing Jacob to flee to his mother’s homeland.

As the story continues, we learn that Jacob meets and falls in love with Rachel, but he must work for her father, Laban, for seven years before he can marry her. When the time comes for them to be married, Laban deceives Jacob and gives Rachel’s older sister, Leah, to him as his wife instead of Rachel. Jacob now must work another seven years for Laban so he can marry Rachel, the one he loves. Jacob is now on the receiving end of lies and deception from his father-in-law, Laban, and ends up working for him for twenty years.

In the end, we read that God blesses Jacob with twelve sons and a daughter, many male and female servants, large flocks of sheep, and many camels and donkeys. Jacob was a very rich man when God told him to return to his homeland. Of course, going back meant he had to meet Esau and he was afraid of what Esau might do. On the way home, one evening Jacob has his famous encounter with a “man” (a messenger from God). He wrestles with him all night until the man blesses him and changes his name from Jacob to Israel. Following this, Jacob meets Esau, and the two brothers are reconciled.

This is a very short synopsis of the events covering these ten chapters, but I wanted to present this overview to share an important point from Jacob’s life. From his birth, Jacob was labeled a heel-grabber, a cheat, a deceiver, or a usurper. In fact, every time someone called his name, he was reminded of this label. Is it possible that having heard it so much as he was growing up, he eventually took on the character of the label he was given? I don’t believe he was called Jacob because he was a deceiver. Instead, I believe he became a deceiver because that is what he was called.

I also believe that having been on the receiving end of deception from Laban, Jacob realized that he needed to change. He no longer wanted to be the old Jacob. But when the time came to make restitution from his past regarding Esau, he struggled with fear and the old manipulator started to rise up (Gen. 32:1-21). It wasn’t until he wrestled with the messenger from God that the old Jacob was finally broken, and his name was changed. When he left, he was no longer Jacob, the deceiver, but he was now Israel, the overcomer (Gen. 32:28).

What about you? Is there a name that you were labeled with? Did you grow up hearing that you were ugly? Worthless? No good? A troublemaker? Have you struggled with fears, anger, addictions, or sins that you could never seem to overcome so you gave up thinking that that is who you are, and you will never change? Have you allowed these labels or thoughts to keep you in bondage to insecurities, feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, and hopelessness? Have you even begun to doubt if God can really love you or if you have any value to the Body of Christ?

Like Jacob, if we hear these labels often enough, we begin to believe them. We believe that is who we are, and that belief affects our behavior—we do what we believe. Therefore, if we have been told that we are worthless, then that is how we will see ourselves, and that is how we will behave. Our lives reflect who we believe we are. We behave like “Jacob” because that is the name we have been given: that is our identity.

However, also like Jacob, that label can change! The Bible tells us that if we surrender our life to Jesus Christ, we are a new creation. Our old life with its names and labels is gone, and we are a totally different person (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul even addresses this in one of his letters to the church at Corinth. After listing several sins such as immorality, greed, idolatry, drunkenness, etc., he adds “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). What Paul is saying in these letters to the church is that no matter what you were in the past, that is not who you are now. We may have to wrestle in prayer over the old self, fears, sins, or addictions, but once we have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and been touched by the Spirit of God, we are changed. We are no longer a sinner, but we are now a saint and an overcomer. And if anyone tries to put that old label on us, we can simply tell them, “My name is not Jacob anymore. My name is now Israel!”

Satan As a Roaring Lion

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1 Peter was written to Christians facing persecution in Rome and the Roman territories of Asia- modern-day Turkey. Peter warns the believers of all kinds of trials that they would be facing for their faith, gives words of encouragement, and instructs them on how to live during times of persecution. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter encourages them to be watchful because Satan, as a roaring lion, is “seeking someone to devour”.

As I read this passage the other day, I began to wonder about a lion’s roar: when does he roar and why, so I did some research on the subject. I found out that it is the male lions who roar most and have the loudest roar. They usually roar at night when the air is cooler and sound travels farther. And they usually roar for four reasons: 1) to warn the pride of impending danger, 2) to locate members of the pride who may have strayed and gotten lost, 3) to scare away intruders, and 4) to display dominance. Lions do not roar when they attack their prey because they are sneaking up on them and, therefore, want to be as quiet as possible. So, other than warning of danger and locating lost members of the pride, the purpose of the lion’s roar is to frighten and display dominance.

If it is true that lions do not roar when attacking their prey, then I wondered why Peter said that Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (ESV). To try and get a better picture, I further examined the words he used. The word for prowl is the Greek word peripateo which means “to walk, live, conduct your life, behave, or be occupied with. The word, then, is not just referring to strolling or going from one place to another but is used in reference to their behavior or conduct. We use it in the same sense today when we say someone should “walk the talk”: that their behavior should match their words.

Also, the word devour is the Greek word katapino which means “to drink, swallow, destroy, and consume. But it also means “to be overwhelmed”. It is used in 2 Cor. 2:7: “so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow” (ESV emphasis mine). With all this in mind, then, I believe a paraphrase of this verse could be: “Be aware of our enemy Satan for he is occupied with overwhelming us with fright through his roars.”

When Nancy and I were missionaries in Hungary, we lived in the city of Debrecen, the second largest city in Hungary. Debrecen is a beautiful city with a large zoo about a mile from our apartment. The zoo housed some lions and on some summer evenings, we could hear the roar of the lions. They say that a lion’s roar can be heard for up to five miles, so you can imagine how loud and clear the roar was for us. I knew that the lions were in a strong enclosure so we didn’t need to fear, but I could imagine how fearful it might be to hear that sound on the African savanna at night.

I also know that it is easy to be overcome with fear when Satan roars. However, I don’t believe Peter was warning the believers because Satan posed a threat. On the contrary, he immediately tells them that they can resist him (1 Peter 5:9). Instead, I believe that he was warning them of Satan’s tactics: that Satan is going to make a lot of noise to attempt to frighten them. But, because Satan was defeated through Jesus’ death and resurrection, all his roaring is just that—a lot of noise! He has no power or authority over God’s people, so he tries to intimidate and display dominance.

In my opinion, in these verses, Peter is giving the believers instructions on how to handle the adversity they are or will face. He tells them to humble themselves under God’s mighty hand (verse 6). In other words, they should place themselves in God’s care because He is bigger than any problem they face, and they don’t need to worry about the problem (verse 7). They should remember that Satan is defeated and all he can do now is make noise to frighten them. Therefore, they don’t have to give in to that fear but can stand against his attacks (verses 8-9). And they can rest assured in the fact that, in the end, God will restore all things in Christ (verse 10). The message Peter gave to the believers facing persecution in Asia is true for us today. No matter what attacks, persecutions, or problems we face we can stand firm in God’s power and care knowing that no matter how loudly Satan roars, we will not fear because we know that God is bigger, and we win in the end.

Because You Obeyed

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In Genesis 22 we read the familiar story of Abraham offering his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice in obedience to God’s command. We know how Abraham, Isaac, and two young men traveled three days to the land of Moriah. As they approach the mountain, Abraham and Isaac leave the young men and go up the mountain alone with the wood and the fire. Isaac, of course, asks his father where the animal for the sacrifice was, and Abraham responds by saying that “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8).

At the top of the mountain, Abraham builds the altar, lays the wood on the altar, binds Isaac and lays him on the wood, then raises the knife to slay his son. Of course, God stops him, Abraham sees the ram caught in the thicket by his horns, and they sacrifice the ram instead of Isaac. Following this, the angel of the Lord calls to Abraham, and the words he says I believe are significant, not only for Abraham but also for us.

The angel says, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:16-18).

The blessings mentioned in these verses are part of the covenant blessings God made with Abram earlier (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-5), but it appears that the promised blessings were conditioned upon Abraham obeying God’s command. Is it possible that, though God gave Abraham the promise, he would not have received the fulfillment of that promise if he had not done what God asked him to do and offer Isaac as a sacrifice? Could God be testing Abraham’s faith to see if he would fully commit himself to God regardless of the cost? I believe the answer to both questions is, yes.  

 We know that Abraham did make a great step of faith when he left his family and homeland not knowing where he was going—only that God would show him (Gen. 12:1). However, there were moments when Abraham’s faith wavered. He showed a lack of trust in God when he asked Sarah to say she was his sister when they were in Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). And he and Sarah did not show great faith when they tried to help God provide a son by having Abraham father a son through Hagar (Gen. 16:1-4). Then, both Abraham and Sarah laughed when God confirmed that they would give birth to a son (Gen. 17:15-17; 18:9-12).

It seems, however, that since the birth of Isaac, and Abraham saw the faithfulness of God to keep His promises, his faith grew to the point where he believed that God was even able to raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:17-19).  Abraham had grown to trust God so much that when God asked him to give up the son of promise, he was willing to obey because He knew God would somehow fulfill his covenant promise of a multitude of descendants through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed.  He may not have understood why, but he trusted God which is why Abraham is called the father of our faith (Rom. 4).

So, what does that mean for us today? There are three points that I take from Abraham’s story. One is that faith is really a matter of trust. I think we have this idea that faith is simply saying the right words, making the right confession, or believing in something strong enough that it will happen. But faith comes out of our relationship with God. The closer we get to God and the better we know Him, the more we can trust Him. So, if we want to see our faith grow, we need to grow closer to God. The second point is that our faith does grow with experience. We are not going to start out as giants of the faith who can see amazing miracles happen right away. Like anything else, we begin trusting God for little things. Then, as we see that He keeps His promise in the small things, we will know that we can trust Him for bigger things. This is all part of building our relationship with Him. The third point is that obedience must accompany our faith. James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). I remember hearing a pastor say years ago that faith never stands around with its hands in its pockets. Faith is always demonstrated with action. If we have faith in God, we will do what He asks us to do even if, as with Abraham, we may not understand why. It is only when we put our faith into action and obey God that we will see the promises God has for us fulfilled. Only “because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:18).

Remember Lot’s Wife

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In Luke 17, the Pharisees asked Jesus about the coming of the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:20). Jesus responded by comparing the coming of the Kingdom of God with the days of Noah and Lot—that people will be going about their daily activities when judgment will overtake them suddenly. Then, during His description of the day of the coming of the Kingdom, Jesus admonishes the people to remember Lot’s wife (17:32). Of course, the people Jesus was speaking to knew immediately the story of Lot’s wife, as I’m sure you do as well. It is a very familiar story. But, before we look at the reason for Jesus’ reference to this story, let’s go back to Genesis 19 and review it again.

We know from Genesis 18-19 that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so grievous that God could not ignore it any longer (18:20; 19:13), and He had no choice but to destroy not only those cities but the entire valley as well (19:24-25). Following His conversation with Abraham, God sent two messengers (probably angels) to the city of Sodom. Once the wickedness of the city became apparent during the night (19:1-11), the messengers told Lot to take his family and leave the city because they were going to destroy it. Then, taking Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand, they led them outside the city and told them to flee to the mountains not looking back or stopping in the valley (19:15-17).

My previous understanding of the action from this point on is that, while Lot and his family were fleeing from Sodom, God began to rain down fire and brimstone upon the cities. And, as they were running away, Lot’s wife turned around to glance at the destruction and turned into a pillar of salt. However, after reading the passage a bit closer, I don’t believe that is exactly how it happened.

I recently noticed that when the messengers took Lot and his family to the edge of the city and urged them to flee, they said, “Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there” (19:22 emphasis mine). Then, in the next two verses, we read that, “The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. THEN the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah…” (emphasis mine). In other words, the destruction did not begin until after Lot and his family arrived safely at their destination.

However, when we get to verse 26 and read, “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”, it becomes a little confusing as to when this actually occurred. There are different viewpoints on this, but my feeling is that Lot’s wife did more than merely glance behind her when she turned into a pillar of salt. The word “looked” in verse 26 is the Hebrew word nabat and it means to behold, gaze, observe, look intently on, or regard with pleasure, favor, or care.

I believe that, as they were fleeing, Lot’s wife, who was following behind Lot and their daughters, began to think back with pleasure on Sodom. Maybe she thought of her other family members or friends and didn’t want to leave them, or wanted to try to convince them to escape with her. Or maybe she remembered something she left behind and wanted to go back to retrieve it. For whatever reason, I believe she returned to Sodom while Lot and his daughters, not realizing that she was not with them, continued to Zoar. Once they arrived at Zoar, God began the destruction, and Lot’s wife was caught in it and became a pillar of salt along with everyone else in the cities. God provided a way of escape from the coming judgment, but Lot’s wife’s heart was still attached to Sodom. She chose the world, and it destroyed her.

This explanation of events fits with Jesus’ reference to Lot’s wife in His description of the coming of the Kingdom of God. In Luke 17:28-33, Jesus compares the coming of the Kingdom of God to God raining fire and brimstone on Sodom. He then says that when the Son of Man comes those who are on the housetop or in the field should not turn back to gather their goods from the house (17:31). He admonishes them to remember Lot’s wife (17:32) and concludes with a warning that if we seek to preserve our life we will lose it, but if we are willing to lose our life, we will keep it (17:33).

The point Jesus is making, and the lesson for us is that if we hold on to our old life, as Lot’s wife did, it will destroy us. Instead, we should be willing to give up our old life and the things of the world so that we might obtain the life of the Kingdom of God. He should be our desire above everything else, and He should be more valuable than anything the world has to offer. This is why the Bible tells us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:29-30).

Therefore, it would be good to develop a daily habit of praying David’s prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24). Or “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Ps. 51:10-12).  Lord, search our hearts so that there is nothing that is drawing us back to the world and hindering us from fully following you. Help us to set our heart on you so that we desire you above everything else. And help us to remember Lot’s wife!

And God Remembered Noah

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I am sure most of you are familiar with the story of Noah. In Genesis 6, the Bible says that mankind was so wicked that God was grieved that He had created man and found it necessary to destroy the world (Gen. 6:5-7). Noah was a righteous man and walked with God, so God commissioned him to build an ark to save him and his family along with representatives of every kind of animal (Gen. 6:8-22).

In Genesis 7, we read that after Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark, God shut the door. It then rained for forty days and forty nights, the waters of the deep burst from the ground, and the heavens opened up a deluge (Gen. 7:11-12). The flood waters covered the entire earth and rose above the highest mountains. Every living thing, both man and beast, on the earth perished in the flood and all the dry ground was covered (Gen. 7:17-23). The only ones left were those on the ark, and all they could see was water.

Imagine being on the ark and experiencing the horrendous torrent of rain and the dramatic upheaval of the earth bringing a flood that destroyed all of life on the earth. Then, picture yourself living through the next 150 days of seeing nothing but water. How would you feel? Would you feel abandoned? Lost? Without hope? Would you wonder, “Where is God?”

Then we come to Genesis 8:1 which reads, “But God remembered Noah…”. At first glance, this almost sounds as if God woke up one day and, slapping His forehead, said, “Oh my, I forgot I left Noah, his family, and the animals bobbing around in the water on that ark!” However, that is not what this phrase means. It is important for us to realize that Hebrew words have a much fuller meaning than most of our English words do. Lois Tverberg explains it as follows:

In English, our definition of the word remember focuses entirely on the idea of recalling memories and bringing ideas into our thoughts. To forget is to fail to bring a certain memory to mind. Both words are concerned entirely with mental activity—whether or not information is present. But the Hebrew verb zakhar has a much wider definition than just “remember.” It includes both remembering and the actions that are taken because of remembering. It often implies that a person did a favor for someone, helped them, or was faithful to a promise or covenant.a

In other words, with the Hebrew words, the emphasis is on action and not on mental activity. When the Bible says that God remembered Noah, it does not mean that He was recalling lost information. Instead, it means that He was acting upon a promise He had given earlier. It was now the right time to keep His promise to Noah, and to intervene and fulfill His purpose.

We see another example of this in the New Testament in Mark 6:45-51. In this passage, Jesus, after feeding the 5,000, sends His disciples in a boat to cross the sea to the other side while He goes up the mountain to pray. A storm came during the night and the disciples struggled to make any progress. I’m sure they were fatigued and fearful that they might not survive the storm. I also believe they may have wondered where Jesus was and why He wasn’t helping them as He had done before when they were caught in a storm (Mark 4:35-41).  Jesus, however, had not abandoned them. He was on the mountain watching everything that was happening (Mark 6:48), and at the right moment, He went out to them walking on the water, and rescued them.

I believe that everything Jesus did with His disciples was done for a reason. I believe sending the disciples into the storm was a test of their faith. It was an opportunity for them to learn to trust Him, and to know that no matter how difficult the storm, He is always watching them, and He will come at just the right time to help them: He will remember them.

What storm are you going through now? Do you feel lost, helpless, and without hope? Do you feel as if God has abandoned you? I want to encourage you to remember Noah and the disciples. Even though you may not feel God’s Presence in your current situation, He has not forgotten you. He sees you and knows what you are going through. And, at the right moment, God will remember you and will intervene to keep His promise and fulfill His purpose for your life.

aTverberg, Lois. Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Location 918