I read a great blog post this past week by David Prince. He talked about the fact that, as we read Scripture, we need to start by finding the "bad guy", then look for the "hero" (though still sinner) who emulates Christ, and, finally, look for the true Hero, Christ, in that passage.
He goes on to say this about the bad guy: "One of the problems many people have in rightly interpreting and applying the Bible is that they immediately attempt to identify with the hero in the text and not the bad guys. We should personally identify with the bad guys in the text. Simply coming to the text and asking, “How am I like the people in the text who are doing the wrong thing” is transformative and beneficial in gaining a gospel perspective in understanding the text. This approach helps us to remember that the Bible is not a book of rules or a manual on morality; it is a story of God’s grace to sinners, and ultimately, the only perfect hero of the story is Jesus."
I got to giggling because I couldn't help but think that my blog posts this past week have followed that model....between the Israelites and Peter....I'm more "bad guy" than I'd like others to see. Yet, old habits die hard, and I found myself shaking my head and wagging my finger at the Israelites this morning as I read through Deuteronomy 6-11. The blessings God promised to pour out on them was amazing!!! God was giving them "a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, wells dug that you did not dif, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant..."(6:10-11) Could it get any better than that? Could the blessings pour down more?
Couldn't the Israelites have just obeyed? Couldn't they have wiped out the inhabitants off the land instead of marrying them and worshipping their false Gods? What is wrong with those people???
The answer is pretty simple....Nope, they couldn't obey. And neither could/can I apart from the saving work of the Lord and His indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact, I really have to go a step further if I truly understand my own depravity. There is nothing good I CAN do to earn any of God's favor or blessing. I only deserve His wrath and condemnation. The only good in me is Christ in me and I can stand before God ONLY because Christ lived the perfect life I could not live and died in my place so I could be covered with the cloak of HIS righteousness!
In fact, anything more than hell is all mercy and glorious grace. Even when I do receive material blessing from the Lord...it may not even be because God is blessing the "path of obedience" I am on. In the end, He's most concerned with His glory...and my blessing may simply be a byproduct of that! Hear me out. The Israelites received all that "good stuff" not because of them, but IN SPITE of them!
"When the Lord your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." Instead, the Lord will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness. You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the Lord your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are stiff-necked people." Deut. 9:4-6
If that doesn't humble us all, I don't know what will! Yet, that is exactly where God wants each one of us....aware of our sin, broken of pride, and in awe of God's holiness. He wants us to fear Him...to have a heart of worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect for our great God. And when we truly see ourselves for who we are and God for Who He is....we will find ourselves rejoicing and giving thanks from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes! We will find great peace in walking by faith and not by sight...because we trust the One Who's name is above all names! His marvelous grace will amaze our hearts!
"Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad." Psalm 126:2-3
"In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Isaiah 25:9
He goes on to say this about the bad guy: "One of the problems many people have in rightly interpreting and applying the Bible is that they immediately attempt to identify with the hero in the text and not the bad guys. We should personally identify with the bad guys in the text. Simply coming to the text and asking, “How am I like the people in the text who are doing the wrong thing” is transformative and beneficial in gaining a gospel perspective in understanding the text. This approach helps us to remember that the Bible is not a book of rules or a manual on morality; it is a story of God’s grace to sinners, and ultimately, the only perfect hero of the story is Jesus."
I got to giggling because I couldn't help but think that my blog posts this past week have followed that model....between the Israelites and Peter....I'm more "bad guy" than I'd like others to see. Yet, old habits die hard, and I found myself shaking my head and wagging my finger at the Israelites this morning as I read through Deuteronomy 6-11. The blessings God promised to pour out on them was amazing!!! God was giving them "a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, wells dug that you did not dif, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant..."(6:10-11) Could it get any better than that? Could the blessings pour down more?
The answer is pretty simple....Nope, they couldn't obey. And neither could/can I apart from the saving work of the Lord and His indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact, I really have to go a step further if I truly understand my own depravity. There is nothing good I CAN do to earn any of God's favor or blessing. I only deserve His wrath and condemnation. The only good in me is Christ in me and I can stand before God ONLY because Christ lived the perfect life I could not live and died in my place so I could be covered with the cloak of HIS righteousness!
In fact, anything more than hell is all mercy and glorious grace. Even when I do receive material blessing from the Lord...it may not even be because God is blessing the "path of obedience" I am on. In the end, He's most concerned with His glory...and my blessing may simply be a byproduct of that! Hear me out. The Israelites received all that "good stuff" not because of them, but IN SPITE of them!
"When the Lord your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." Instead, the Lord will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness. You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the Lord your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are stiff-necked people." Deut. 9:4-6
If that doesn't humble us all, I don't know what will! Yet, that is exactly where God wants each one of us....aware of our sin, broken of pride, and in awe of God's holiness. He wants us to fear Him...to have a heart of worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect for our great God. And when we truly see ourselves for who we are and God for Who He is....we will find ourselves rejoicing and giving thanks from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes! We will find great peace in walking by faith and not by sight...because we trust the One Who's name is above all names! His marvelous grace will amaze our hearts!
"Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad." Psalm 126:2-3
"In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Isaiah 25:9
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