Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Psalm 107:27-28)

Morning Thoughts,

Psalm 107:27-28, "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses."

This morning, we live in a world of confusion.  As the moments of life tick by, people as a whole seem to fall further and further into the cavern of bewilderment.  All the while confusion is on the rise, the true sources of comfort and peace either go unnoticed or are slandered by the very souls that stay confused.  When considering the secular world around us, it is painfully obvious that people do not seem to genuinely know the truth and the right way to go on any number of moral and ethical subjects.  Politicians debate over what is and is not right, while common citizens have divided opinions about what is genuinely right and moral today.  Things frowned upon 50 years ago – and sometimes barely spoken of even in secret – are now promoted to be not only tolerated but also accepted.  Is it any wonder that the world seems to fit the illustration above and stagger about like a drunken man and reeling to and fro?

Quite often in our daily toils and labours, we quickly forget what should persistently and constantly occupy our days.  There are many things that we are required to do, but the Lord does not require them of us constantly.  For example, God does not expect His children to never leave His house and be constantly engaged in public worship.  Though He does expect us to attend faithfully and regularly, our place there is not unceasing.  Other requirements of the Lord should be perpetually observed.  One of them is prayer, while others are rejoicing and thanksgiving. (I Thessalonians 5:16-17, Philippians 4:4-6) The Lord in His word has required of us that we faithfully stay and consistently serve Him with heart always attuned in prayerful spirit, overflowing with rejoicing, and abounding in thanksgiving.  There is never a time or season in our lives when we can truly say that it is not a good time in our lives for prayer, rejoicing, or thanksgiving.

One of the truly amazing things that I find upon personal reflection is that my seasons of despair and inner turmoil coincide with my seasons of little prayer and rejoicing.  Even with such consistent revelations of this order, I still find myself – far more often than I would like to admit – lacking the persistence and constancy of those blessed items.  Interestingly enough, it is this very subject matter that encapsulates the one occurrence of the term "perseverance" in Scripture.  When Paul uses that word in Ephesians 6:18, he is closing a discussion on the armour of God in which he mentions watching and prayer last as the covering for the soldier's legs.  When considering what the Scripture commands – as we have previously discussed – we see an interesting facet of the subject on perseverance that is rarely discussed in theological circles when this word comes up.

Quite often, proponents of some non-Biblical or un-Biblical version of perseverance will ultimately change the definition of it.  They will not admit they have changed it, but by close examination, they have altered the basic meaning of the word.  When proponents of the Calvinistic doctrine of perseverance start discussing their tenets, they will quite often define what they mean by perseverance in the child of God's life this way, "Though there may be dark seasons, and though we may stumble.  If you are one of God's elect, you will come back."  By framing their viewpoint in that light, they are trying to provide a safety net for not damning someone that goes astray, while still upholding their errant notion of assurance of salvation.  Yet, by doing so, they are attributing a definition of perseverance to include "returning to the right way."  Perseverance is never defined as having anything to do with "returning."  Perseverance is always defined as "staying" in something.

Therefore, the word is rightfully employed in the discussion and subject matter of prayer as that is something we should be fervently staying in, though quite often we are often returning to it.  Should the false promoters of perseverance in faith and holiness as connected to our eternal deliverance be correct, then no one will land in the shores of glory, because all of us have to return to the right way, but none of us stay in it without fail (thereby fulfilling the requirements that the word perseverance has) and would thereby be denied the glories of heaven.  So, persevering (staying) in things like prayer, watching, rejoicing, and thanksgiving is something that it behooves us to do, but there are no guarantees that we and all of God's family will do these and other acts of goodness, faith, and holiness.

Getting back to the thoughts on our text, we see that calling upon the Lord (prayer and supplication) is something that the Psalmist sees as very lacking in the people under consideration.  From the context in the opening verses of the Psalm, it seems that the primary context could be the children of Israel that came out of Egypt and into the wilderness.  However, as the Psalm gets deeper, the writer seems to broaden the scope somewhat to include God's people in general, which is not only fitting but logical since Paul attributes those very Israelites from that time period as our examples. (I Corinthians 10:1-11)

The dire pattern that seems to emerge over and over in the Psalm – and sadly in our own lives as well – is that we stagger around on our own, try to fix our own problems, and when we have exhausted every natural resource at our disposal, we then end where we should begin: calling upon the Lord for help and guidance.  Notice the descriptive and fitting language for this point.  Like a drunkard staggers around to and fro, so we also seem to vacillate from pole to pole as we reel from the beatings of life.  Now, while life will try to beat us down on a daily and regular basis, we shall stand firmly and resolutely if the Rock is the foundation point of each and every day. (Matthew 7:24-25) One of the most fitting descriptions to the lesson is being at "wits' end."  That expression lines out for us the thought that someone is close to complete irrationality.

Have you ever considered how irrational drunkenness is?  Someone willingly and voluntarily gets in a situation where there is loss of control.  Quite irrational to willingly lose control of the senses and inhibitions.  Have you ever considered how irrational it is to try to get through the arduous affairs of life without beseeching God to help and guide through them all?  The patterns are akin to each other.  Finally to conclude the illustration before tackling the heart of the lesson, have you ever considered what insanity truly is?  Insanity is quite often described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.  How insane would it be to drink to excess over and over and expect not to become senseless and staggering about?  How insane is it to think we can handle something without the Lord's help?  Yet, we can act like chronic drunkards by consistently tackling things on our own and jumping out on things without asking the Lord's guidance.  At our wits' end and complete insanity seem a fair description of the pattern.

However, the heart of the lesson is quite a comforting one.  Notice the end of our study verses.  Even though we repeatedly call upon Him last when we should call upon Him first, He does not deal with us as we so oftentimes deal with Him.  Though we deal wrongly toward Him, He never behaves wrongly toward us.  Indeed, He does chasten us for our wayward steps, but He is still patient to hear our petitions, cries, and He does still deliver us out of, through, and in our many distresses.  Even though we do not persevere (stay in the right way) as we should, He has never failed to persevere in any of His promises or sublime characteristics of His being.  In all things at all times, He is and will forever be the One whose character is unwavering in its uprightness, holiness, and verity. 

We act insane sometimes by staggering about when we should not have to.  Should we call upon the Lord perpetually and rejoice in Him at all times, we will find the answer(s) long before we are beaten to and fro by the things of this world.  However, we also act insane sometimes when we expect the Lord to act differently than He has before.  Sometimes we fear to come before Him as we wonder, "I just don't know if He'll hear me this time.  I've been so bad."  Yet, we are expecting a different outcome than we have ever received in the past.  Therefore, let us come before Him often, consistently, and expecting that He will be true to His word in all things.

Brethren, our lives can always improve in many ways, but when I consider the aspects of calling upon our Lord in constant fashion, I realize how faulty I am in this subject particularly.  Much of my staggering from the blows of the world and confusion of mind about what to think comes from failing to call upon Him nearly as often as I should on a daily basis.  When I have these reflections of shortcomings in this regard – and surely you the reader have too – may our constant behaviour after this realization not be to fall into a hole of guilt and despondency.  As humans, we are apt to do that quite often.  May we – upon coming to these realizations of shortcoming – reflect that other behaviour that should be constant in our lives and rather than feel despair all over again, may we thank Him that He is so much better than we are.  He upholds His promises to keep us, hear us, and be with us at all times.  Then, going forward may we get back to the right way of constantly calling upon Him and persevere in that mindset and behaviour all our days.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Job 17:9)

Morning Thoughts, , ,

Job 17:9, "The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger."

This morning, the thoughts before us and the writing style of this little piece will be quite different from most of our other efforts.  Several years ago, Elder Adam Green wrote an outstanding short expose on our study verse.  His article – by his permission – will be appended to the bottom of my writing.  It is not our intention to improve upon his conclusion but rather to expand his conclusion and thoughts in the face of two other common views to this text.  More often than not, I prefer to simply deal with the way that I believe is right rather than talking a lot about how things are not, but every so often, I feel the impression to put opposing views side-by-side to see which ones stand up the best.  Whenever one goes down that path, however, one rule must be followed for edification, "Never tear down a house unless you can build and show a better one."  Therefore, while I hope that this writing does not come across like a wrecking ball, I do hope that the conclusion of this treatise shows a better house for the tenets of our study verse to abide within.

During times and seasons of theological controversy, verses are ripped out of their immediate and direct context, and almost always, the heart and soul of the verse is completely lost.  Such has sadly happened to our verse, from my limited perspective.  Over the last several years, I have heard three opinions on this verse, and of those three, one is principally unsound, while the other is Scripturally valid but I believe ultimately misapplied.  Having said that, one position is unbearable, while the second is bearable to a point.  Both positions do share one common bond, they miss the heart and soul of the third position that I hope and trust is the right one – since it happens to be the one that I hold.

The first position on this text basically declares this verse as a prooftext for showing some over-arching principle that all children of God follow some pattern of life that is perhaps even measurable and observable to some degree.  Oftentimes, promoters of this view try to allow themselves a caveat of saying, "Even though someone may stumble and fail, if they are really a child of God, they will come back.  After all, the righteous shall hold on his way."  However, if they want to allow themselves this caveat, they immediately have this verse stripped from their theological scope, as the verse talks about "holding" rather than "returning."  No matter the language or verbiage they use for their lesson and position, this text cannot be talking about an ultimate returning.  Rather, the language of the verse only allows for people that are currently standing on the path.

The second position observes that Job is later rebuked by God for his self-justification rather than praise and worship of God. This position posits the idea that this verse is indeed one of those self-justifying statements by Job and therefore the sentiment Job expressed is – at the very least – misguided.  Indeed, when the Lord arrives upon the scene in Job 38, He will spend a great deal of time rebuking Job for that very behavior.  However, God will also go on to speak of Job speaking that which is right as well. (Job 42:7-8) So, now that we know that Job spoke things that he should and should not have, we are charged with the duty of finding out which case this was.  Let us briefly leave the immediate context and consider the big picture of this book for a moment.  When Job's three miserable comforters arrive on the scene, they have an extended dialogue that lasts from chapter 3 until the close of chapter 31.  At that point, Elihu (who had not spoken to that point) takes up the mantle of the conversation until the Lord speaks in chapter 38.  During the long dialogue between Job and the other three, a very predictable pattern ensues.

Job speaks, and then one of the three tries to take him to task for some "secret sin" that he is now suffering for.  Most of the time, the dialogue changes back and forth rather quickly.  Every so often, a speaker (generally Job) will have dialogue that lasts longer than one of our chapters and takes two chapters to encompass.  Then, one of the three will take his turn, and then Job will speak again.  However, the pattern shifts in chapter 26.  Job speaks for the entirety of chapters 26-31.  What could have prompted such a long discourse by him?  What makes the conversation shift in a direction unlike its previous history?  If we consider the short chapter 25, we see that Bildad (one of the three) asks a series of staccato-like questions that talk of God, but are meant to hurt Job.  One of those questions (Verse 4) asks, "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"  Bildad asks a question along the same subject line (justification) that Job is later rebuked by God about.  These series of questions seem to "send Job over the hill" as he starts talking for a long time.  When I consider the tenor of Job's words in those chapters, he has an edge to him that he has not previously had.

Consider a couple of chapters after our study verse.  Job is talking in chapter 19 about the beauty and glory of his Redeemer that will ultimately raise his body in glorification. (Job 19:23-27) Since this dialogue happens after our study verse, it sure does not seem to my simple mind that Job has yet entered the dire pit of self-justification.  However, Job's words are strikingly different in the chapters following Bildad's questions than they have been before.  Based on the fact that Bildad asked a question about Job's eventual failing as pointed out by God, Job's change of tone, and Job's length of speaking, I suggest that Job's self-justification occurred in those chapters and not in the midst of our study verse.  As we said at the outset, the first position is absolutely untenable as the verse does not support unsound theology.  Indeed, no verse props up rotten boards, and this verse is no exception.  The second position is not untenable or unsound, but I believe ultimately misapplied.  Therefore, let us go on to the building and beauty of the verse, and pray that God give us the wisdom and light to shine forth the richness of His word.

Since Brother Adam's article deals with Verse 8 as well as the specific language of Verse 9 itself with the usage of the word "also," let us pass from that and consider some of the other expressions in the context.  Job begins chapter 17 by talking about his low condition (Verses 1-4).  Since Job's case has gotten so pitiful, one might wonder how anyone could get through it.  Verse 6 strengthens this thought by talking about Job's case being a byword among the people, whereas before the trial, his life was more pleasant like a tabret.  Job makes the point that it was not like he never had anything, but what makes his case so hard is not just what he currently endures but also the loss that went before it.  His life is no longer like a song but is more like the sad sorrowful tale that people tell one another.

By the time that Job gets to our verse, one might think that such a situation was hopeless and wonder how anyone could possibly get through and endure it.  Yet, Job was encouraged in the thought that his life could serve as an example for others also dealing with loss.  Have you ever noticed how much it helps people when they learn that others have been where they are?  Just knowing that others feel and have felt the same kind of pain serves to lessen the blow many times.  The fear of loss and pain pales in comparison to the fear of isolation and complete loneliness.  So, for someone to know that they are not alone helps them renew their courage to press on.  The courage to deal with the loss of family and possessions and still not charge God foolishly was immense on Job's part.  The courage to rebuff 3 miserable comforters that were positive they were right about Job when Job knew they were not took mettle and fortitude.  The boldness to call his wife a foolish woman when she encouraged him to curse God and die seems sadly lacking by many today.

How could such courage endure?  Job encourages the suffering innocent and upright man by his actions.  Job's case serves to show us that we can endure and get through things, because if the Lord is on our side, who could possibly be ultimately successful against us?  Job's reminder in our verse serves as a steady and rich guide of encouragement to say what Paul said to Timothy, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (II Timothy 4:7) Though Paul's trials were different than Job's, Paul still made the same encouragement to the younger upright and innocent ones following him to be faithful and war a good warfare.

Practical godliness is a many faceted and flavoured subject that is quite often sullied by the promoters of theological error.  Should Job really have the idea that his words served as some guidepost on manifestation of the family of God, his words lose so much weight and power.  What is the beauty of godliness if God's children are going to do that anyway (in some preordained fashion) thereby proving their status as the family of God?  The very idea robs the beauty from service and the richness of sacrifice.  Yet, there is great beauty and richness to be found in serving the Lord at all times and seasons (even hard ones) and building the mutual faith of God's people by example.  When someone considers Job's case, they may eventually recall the fact that he did end up finally needing rebuke from on high for his presumption, but most – if not all – do immediately recollect hardships, sufferings, and the courage of the man that went through it all in spite of his torments from familiar friends and family.

Dear friends, what have we been through in our lives?  Can any of us match our case against Job's and say we have had it that bad?  Most certainly, I cannot.  Therefore, if we find roadblocks and hardships along our way, may we also (with the other upright and innocent ones) hold on our way.  If we are pursuing a life of godliness, may we strengthen our hands to the good work before us and thereby get stronger in the things of the Lord as good soldiers of the cross and war a good warfare in this life.  If we do, may our lives serve as examples of good stewardship to our children, grandchildren, other family, and friends.  Never let rotten theology rob you of a delightful time in the Lord.  If we are following the Lord, we will most assuredly find hard times, but it can still be a delightful time if He stands with us.  As the songwriter of old said, "While blessed with a sense of His love, a palace a toy would appear.  And prisons would palaces prove if Jesus would dwell with me there."

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Hold on His Way
By Elder Adam Green

Job 17:9 – "The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger."

This remark by Job is sometimes used by some to teach that all the elect children of God will persevere in practical sanctification and a continuation of Gospel profession. But if this text is used in such a way, the candid hearer should notice that (if used to attempt to support such a position) it would quickly begin to prove more than the user intended! "The righteous shall hold on his way!" it is proclaimed. But let us consider the verse in that light for a moment. It does not say that the righteous shall return to his way. It does not say that the righteous shall falter from his way but later repent. It says that the righteous will hold on his way. If this text is to be considered to speak of practical sanctification or Gospel profession, then it would give grave doubt to the gracious state of most of those mentioned in the Bible, and all of us I fear.

Did David "hold on his way?" When he sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered – was that "holding" on his way? No, that would quite surely be a falling from the good way. Did Solomon "hold on his way?" He spent a good deal of the latter years of his life engaging in idolatrous practices with his wives. That was not holding on his way. What about Lot, a man that the Scriptures specifically say was righteous? The last record of Lot shows him fathering his grandchildren in a drunken stupor. Did he "hold" on his way on that occasion?
What about the reader, or the writer? I have no desire to publish my faults and failures in this format (or any other), but I can assure the reader that I have many times fallen aside from that which I should do. I have not held on my way. The honest reader will likely make the same confession. So, then, if this passage were to be used to teach this doctrine, it would prove far more than intended.
I believe that God holds His children, and we are eternally safe in Him. Though we may fall by the wayside, or become shipwrecked as warned by Paul, our eternal destiny is still in Him and is secure. That being said, the knowledge that we can forsake our profession of faith or become shipwrecked should cause us to place great importance on doing commands of God. He may live there, and he may die there, but he will never be happy there, and the chastening hand of God will not be stilled.

Now, to understand what this verse is teaching, we must first consider the context. Job has been surrounded by miserable friends, who have attempted to blame Job's troubles on some un-confessed sin of his. The more Job defended his conduct, the more they insisted on his guilt. In this chapter, Job bemoans the continued provocation of his miserable comforters, and their seeming hypocrisy, He then states in verse 8 of the effect the history of Job's experience will have on others who hear of it, such as us. "Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite."

Now in verse 9, he speaks of the righteous holding on his way. Notice that this verse is often misquoted, and the word "also" is left out. This word "also" ties verse 9 in with verse 8. It seems plain to me that Job is continuing to speak of the effect his story would have on future generations, specifically others who were being troubled, mocked, or scorned when they were trying to do right. What effect will it have? It will encourage the man or woman who is trying to live a Godly, righteous life to "hold on his way," They will be emboldened to keep on doing what they believe to be right. The man who knows his innocence in the face of hypocritical accusers will feel a kinship with Job, and will be strengthened.

Did Christ not give us similar encouragement? Matthew 10:24-25 states, "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?" We have similar encouragements around us today. We also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. So then, let us use the witness of Christ, Job, and saints we know from our experience to give us courage to hold on our way, and strengthen our grip on the plow of service. Let us bow our backs to the load, and strive to live in better obedience to our Lord and Master.