<BrethrenVoice>
<SUNDAY-GLEANINGS>
<30 June 2002>
Contents:
---------
(1) <Bible-Study> "Synopsis to the Book of Daniel - Chs 1 & 2" - J.N. Darby
(2) <Article> "Justification and its need as seen in the guilt of the
Jews" - Pastor M.Walls
(3) <Article> "Merry heart/broken spirit" - Connie Giordano
(4) <Special> "What will you leave your children?" - Jeff Smith
(5) <Poem> "Jesus Christ our Lord" - Karen Hodkinson
(1) <Bible-Study>
SYNOPSIS TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL CHS 1 & 2
John Nelson Darby
Chapters 1-2
Chapter 1 sets before us the royalty of Judah, formerly established by God
over His people in the person of David, falling under the power of
Nebuchadnezzar; and the king, Jehovah's anointed, given up by Jehovah into
the hands of the head of the Gentiles, on whom God now bestowed dominion.
That which was announced by Isaiah (chap. 39: 7) falls upon the children of
the royal seed; but God watches over them and brings them into favour with
those that kept them. This was especially the case with respect to Daniel;
The two characteristics of the faithful remnant in captivity are
prominently marked in this chapter:-firstly, faithful to the will of God,
although at a distance from His temple, they do not defile themselves among
the Gentiles; secondly, their prayer being granted, understanding is given
them, as we see in chapter 2 in Daniel's case, even the knowledge of that
which God alone can reveal, as well as His purpose in that revelation. They
alone possess this understanding, a token of divine favour and the fruit of
their faithfulness through grace. This is the case with Daniel in
particular, whose faith and earnest fidelity marks out the path of faith
for his companions. This did not interfere with their subjection to the
Gentiles, whose power was the ordinance of God for the time being. But this
is a most important element: the place of true knowledge, of intelligence
of the divine mind, what is called the secret of the Lord, in the days of
Babylonish corruption and power, is the thorough keeping oneself undefiled
by the smallest contact with what it gives, with the meat with which it
would feed us.
On the other hand, we see in the second chapter the mighty king of the
Gentiles made the depositary of the history of the Gentiles, and of God's
entire plan, as the recipient of these divine communications; yet in such a
manner as to exhibit Daniel, the captive child of Israel, the faithful one
who kept himself separate in Babylon as the one whom the Lord acknowledged,
and who enjoyed His favour. But the details of this chapter, as a general
picture of Gentile power, beginning with the dominion bestowed on
Nebuchadnezzar, must be considered more attentively.
We may first observe that the Gentile kingdoms are seen as a whole. It is
neither historical succession nor moral features with respect to God and
man, but the kingdoms all together forming, as it were, a personage before
God, the man of the earth in the eye of God-glorious and terrible in his
public splendour in the eyes of men. Four imperial powers were to succeed
each other, as the great head of which God had set up Nebuchadnezzar
himself. There should be in certain respects a progressive deterioration;
and at length the God of heaven would raise up another power that would
execute judgment on that which still existed, and cause the image to
disappear from off the earth, setting up in its place a kingdom that should
never be overthrown. In the progressive decline in principle and character
of imperial power there would be no diminution of material strength. Iron,
that breaks in pieces and crushes all things, characterises the fourth
power. The peculiar excellency of the head of gold appears to me to consist
in its having received authority immediately from God Himself. In fact the
absolute authority of the first power was founded on the gift of the God of
heaven; the others succeeded by providential principles. But God, known as
supreme, bestowing authority on the head, replacing His own authority on
the earth by that of the head of the Gentiles, was not the immediate source
of authority to the others. Babylon was the authority established of God.
And therefore we found in Ezekiel (and the same thing is seen elsewhere)
that the judgment of Babylon is connected with the restoration of Israel
and of the throne of God.
Observe, nevertheless, that God does not here present Himself as God of
earth, but of heaven. In Israel He was God of the earth. He will be so
again at the restitution of all things. Here He acts in sovereignty as God
of heaven, setting up man, in a certain sense, in His place on the earth
(see v. 37, 38). Although more limited, it is a dominion characterised by
the same features as that of Adam. It differs in that men are placed under
his power; it is more limited, for the sea is not included in his
sovereignty, but it reaches to every place where the beasts of the field
and the fowls of the heaven exist. Human strength is found at the end of
its history; but the subsisting power is much more remote from the ancient
relationship of God with the world.
The mixture of iron and of potter's clay is a change wrought in the
primitive character of the imperial Roman power-another element is
introduced into it; the character remains in part, but another element is
added. The energetic will of man is not there in an absolute manner. It is
the introduction into the imperial Roman power of an element distinct from
that which constituted its imperial strength, namely, the will of man
devoid of conscience-military and popular power concentrated in one
individual without conscience. There are two causes here of
weakness-division and the want of coherence between the elements. The
kingdom (v. 41) shall be divided, and (v. 42) it shall be partly strong and
partly brittle. The "seed of men" is, I think, something outside of that
which characterises the proper strength of the kingdom. But these two
elements will never combine. It appears to me that the Barbaric or Teutonic
element is probably here pointed out as added to that which originally
constituted the Roman empire. The fact of a subdivision is seen in verse
43. It is then announced that, in the days of these last kings, He who
rules from heaven will set up a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and that
shall never pass into other hands. This is properly the only kingdom that,
on God's part, takes the place of the kingdom of Babylon. The God of heaven
had established Nebuchadnezzar in his kingdom, and had given him power, and
strength, and glory, making all men subject to him. Doubtless the three
others had followed, according to the will of Him who orders all things.
But it is only with respect to the kingdom of verse 44, that it is once
more said, "the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom." The character, and
some leading features in the history, of the last four of the kingdoms are
given. Nothing but the existence of the two preceding ones is stated,
except the inferiority of the latter of the two to the first. So that the
Spirit of God gives us the divine establishment of the first, the character
of the fourth, and the divine establishment of the fifth or final kingdom.
We will now observe the manner in which this last kingdom is established;
and we see that it is accomplished by means of a judicial and destructive
act which reduces the image to powder, bringing about its complete
dissolution, so that no traces of it are left (v. 34, 35). The instrument
of this destruction was not formed by the wisdom or the schemes of man. It
is "cut out without hands." It does not act by a moral influence that
changes the character of the object on which it acts. It destroys that
object by force. It is God who establishes it and gives it that force. The
stone does not gradually increase in size to displace the image. Before it
extends itself, it destroys the image. When it has become great-it is not
merely a right given by God over men, it fills the whole earth-it is the
exalted seat of a universal authority. It is on the last form of power,
exhibited in the image, that the stone falls with destructive force-when
the empire is divided and is partly strong and partly weak on account of
the elements of which its members are composed. We may observe, that it is
not God destroying the image in another way to establish the kingdom. The
kingdom which He is establishing smites the feet of the image as its first
act. It is the outward and general history of that which, by God's
appointment, took the place of His throne and His government in Jerusalem,
and which had gradually degenerated in its public character with respect to
God, and which at length comes to its end by the judgment executed by the
kingdom established of God without human agency. The kingdom of Christ,
which falls on the last form of the monarchy formerly established by God,
destroys the whole form of its existence, and itself fills the world.
I have nothing particular to say on the four monarchies. We find Babylon,
Persia, and Greece named in the book, as being already known to the Jews,
and the Romans introduced by the name which their territory bore, the
coasts of Chittim; so that I receive, without further question, the four
great empires ordinarily recognised by every one as pointed out in this
prophecy. It does not appear to me that these prophecies leave room for any
doubt on the subject.
The effect of the communication, which proves that God is with the remnant
who alone understand His mind, is that the haughty Gentile acknowledges the
God of Israel as supreme in heaven and on earth. That which characterises
the remnant here is that God reveals to them His mind.
After this general picture, we have, historically, the characteristic
features of these empires, marking the condition into which they fall,
through their departure from God-primarily and principally Babylon.
[to be continued...]
_______________________________________________________________________
(2) <Article>
JUSTIFICATION AND ITS NEED AS SEEN IN THE GUILT OF THE JEWS
Pastor Mike Walls*
Romans 2:17-3:8
Introduction: Previously we looked at the guilt of the heathen and the
moralist. Before going any further, let me make these few preliminary
remarks. Many of the early people who read the Epistle of Romans were
Jewish people. The Jews viewed all races of people outside of the nation of
Israel as heathen. The unsaved Jewish man almost cheered when he read the
words penned by Paul in chapter one verses eighteen through verse
thirty-two. He could tolerate chapter two verses one through sixteen. He
would have reasoned in his mind that he was a Jew and thus had an advantage
over the heathen and his guilt in chapter one and the moralist in chapter
two. He thought himself to be spiritually superior to both of these classes
of people. Why? He was a Jew.
God knows the Jewish mind and mindset so well. He made sure that the Jews
understood that they were guilt also. He knew that he would have placed the
guilt of the Jews first, that they may not be interested enough to read on.
Israel has rich heritage. God brought Abraham out of the Ur of Chaldees.
He promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of the sky and the
sands of the sea. Do you realize that you can number almost every American,
English and French? But you could never number all the Jewish people of the
world. Why? Foe one reason, you can never find of them for they were
scattered by the Lord because of their disobedience. Secondly, there are
some Jewish people who do not realize they are Jewish because of the fear of
man by their families. Being a Jewish person in many places means to put
you upon the death warrant. Some people do not look like a Jewish person so
they are able to get by without knowing their family background.
It was from the seed of Abraham that we have our Saviour. From the seed of
Abraham, we have a complete Bible. From the rejection of the Jewish people,
we were engrafted into the olive tree of the family of God. Of course, we
will be talking of this truth more in chapters nine through eleven.
In this section of the book of Romans which covers chapter one and verse
eighteen through chapter three and verse twenty, Paul shows us that God sees
all the truth about us that is beneath the surface. The Lord knows all our
secrets. He knows all the skeletons in our closets. He knows all the
carefully concealed, hidden areas of our lives that we keep away from every
other eyes.
It is the truth that God sees all and knows all, that we grow uncomfortable
in His presence. It was this knowledge that caused the publican not to even
so much lift up his eyes toward heaven and asks for mercy. It is this
knowledge that the Lord wants to talk with us. Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool."
It is this that causes the Jewish people want to throw a curve ball so to
speak. They want to try to divert attention from their condition, which is
guilty before God to their background and their religion.
Frequently men when they are trying to divert attention from themselves,
will use the facade of religion when confront by the Lord and His Word. It
is wise to remember that religion is man doing something for God and
salvation is what God wants to do for man and can do for man.
The Jew of Paul's day was the world's greatest religionist. There were very
few Jewish people who were not extremely religious in that day.
God is not fooled by the Apostles' Creed recited devoutly every Sunday, or
the Lord's Prayer piously prayed. Neither does having a Scofield Reference
Bible carried under your arm to church every day fool him. It comes down to
this basic question: what effect does the truth of the Bible have upon you?
Before getting into the message itself, let me ask a few more questions
about religion. Remember Paul is pointing to the greatest religionist of
the world in his day.
1. Does your religion make you more rigid and unbending and legalistic and
demanding?
2. Does your religion cause your neighbors to invite you for coffee when
they see you or do they turn their backs and look the other direction
whenever you are out in the yard?
3. Does your religion make you easy to do business with or does it make you
are shrewd operator that nobody trust?
This is the path that the Jews faced. If you will read modern Jewish
history from the 1930s and up, you will find people who were trusted or
liked many times because of their religion and how they thought they were
better than other folks.
Let's travel through these verses today. As we go through them, I will try
to answer these questions:
1. Why was the name of God blasphemed among the heathen?
2. What was the frequent charge against Israel?
3. What is the first great advantage of the Jews?
I. THE JEWS' ADVANTAGE
Vs. 17-18 "Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and
makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that
are more excellent, being instructed out of the law"
It is actually a five-fold advantage.
A. We see that they possessed the Law of God. They were given the Law
written on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. They had the original law.
That makes it more valuable than any copy you and I have. Not only did they
had it written down for them, Moses was able to rehearse it as he heard it
from the mouth of Almighty God. The Law is much more than the Ten
Commandments, yet the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the rest of
the Law of God.
B. They had a relationship with God at one time. Before they messed up
this relationship, God was their shade by day and heat by night. He came
down and rested in the Tabernacle showing His pleasure with them. He spoke
to them from the mouths of His men.
For an example to us, this relationship is covered quite well in the Book of
Deuteronomy. He told them to look back at where they had come. Then He
admonished them to look ahead to where they were going. He wanted to look
up from whence come their help. He wanted them to look around for He was
doing for them now. But if they did not these other looks, He told them to
look out. He was going to take care of business like the relationship
between a father and his child.
C. They knew the will of God. His will included the redemption of the
world to come through them. His will included that they were to live so
clean that others who lived around them would want the blessings of God on
their lives also.
D. They approved of the things that more excellent. The Law provided for
every area of faith and practice. For example, if a person would follow the
Jewish dietary laws as set down in the Law, they would be healthier. That
is more excellent. That is just one of the truths that the Jews had.
E. They were instructed by the Law. All the law was fair and equal for all
men. There were no hidden clauses or loopholes for the rich or poor. The
law was equal just like the ground of the cross is equal for all men.
II. THE JEWS' ACTIVITIES
Vs. 19-20 "And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a
light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher
of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law."
God gave the Jewish people some activities to perform. In fact, these
activities are similar to that which we as Christians should perform.
A. He wanted them to be the guide to the blind. Man's sin has blinded him
to his true condition and to the Lord. All around the land Israel lived
people who were idol worshipers. If they would do the Law as they ought and
lived, as they ought, there could have been many nations won to the Lord by
their lives.
B. He wanted them to be light of them who lived in darkness. Where God is
not, there is darkness. No matter enlightened a society may be, without
God, it is a place of humanism, false religion, no hope or true happiness or
blessedness. Jesus tried to get the Jews to see this in His Sermon on the
Mount. Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
C. He wanted them to be instructors to the foolish. What are some of the
foolish activities found in the Bible?
Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Proverbs 1:22
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight
in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
Proverbs 14:9 "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is
favour." Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he
shall be delivered."
This is not the way God wanted man to live. But man in his sin and
disobedience choose to live this way. It is foolish to do so. He wanted
the Jewish people to live in such a way that people could see the blessings
and bountifulness of God and desire Him through His people the Jews.
D. He wanted them to be the teachers of babes. Imagine what this world
would be like if all nations were to live like the Bible admonishes. There
would not be wars or even rumors of wars. Disease would be a word instead
of a reality. But no nation or individual does every thing right at first.
Remember when your baby learned to eat by his or her own self. There was
more food on them or on the floor than in them. But you taught them how to
do so much. Remember teaching your child how to tie their shoes or button
up their clothes. This is exactly what the Lord wanted the Jews to do.
Teach those around them how He expect folks to live.
III. THE JEWS' ACCUSATION
Vs. 21-24 "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not
thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou
that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy
boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the
name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."
There is a distinct parallel between the charges against the Gentiles and
the Jews. The Charges against the Gentiles was of ungodliness or sins
against God himself. (Romans 1:21-23) This is true of the Jews.
Romans 2:23"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?"
The charge of intemperance is the sin against self in Romans 1:21-23. This
charge is placed at the feet of the Jews also. Romans 2:22 "Thou that
sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou
that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
The Gentiles were guilty of the sin of unrighteous, which we know is sins
of unrighteousness. (Romans 1:21-32). The Jews were guilty of this also.
Romans 2:21 "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not
thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
God placed the following accusations against the Jews. He accused them of
stealing. Let me cite one from an Old Testament passage. Malachi 3:8
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
They were accused of adultery. This includes spiritual adultery. James
4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God."
They had a long history of idolatry. In the book of Judges, it was this
sin that caused them to be oppressed by other countries over and over again.
You can see it is in the Book of Ezekiel also. Ezekiel 8:7-12 "And he
brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the
wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had
digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold
the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold
every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of
the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood
before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the
midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer
in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son
of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the
dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth
us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth."
They broke the Law in every way yet their pride prevented them to truly
repent and turn back to God.
IV. THE JEWS' APPROACH
Vs. 25-29 "For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if
thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not
his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and
circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But
he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart,
in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of
God."
The Jews is trying to use an age-old argument in their behalf. They refer
to their Judaism. Their name "Jew" is even religion. It means praise.
They refer to their circumcision that was the great mark of being the people
of God, yet it was just an outward sign. They are praising the Lord that
they are the true people of God. Inward there was no difference between
them and the uncircumcised Gentiles. Their breaking of the Law nullified
their circumcision.
Today people substitute other things when you deal with their sins. They
will talk of their confirmation, baptism, church membership, communion,
mother's prayers or even a church office. How frequently you find people
praising these things! Any outward signs do not fool God. He is looking
for changed hearts.
The Jewish people try to rely upon their rite without any righteousness.
You will find very few Jewish people no matter how liberal that they may be
that will observe some of the Jewish holidays. It is a badge of
righteousness for them. It is similar to Catholics. You would not find
them missing church on Easter or Christmas.
Being a Jew is matter of faith not fanaticism. When we get to chapters nine
through eleven, you will find that the church, I am speaking of all saved
people, will be engrafted into the family of God. It is our faith in Jesus
Christ as Saviour that engrafts us into the family of God.
V. THE JEWS ANSWERED
Romans 3:1-8 "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of
circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed
the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief
make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but
every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy
sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our
unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God
unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then
how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded
through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not
rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,)
Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just."
A. We find a privileged position.
Vs. 1-4 Their great advantage is the fact that they had the Law. It was
committed to their trust. They were supposed to spread the Good News that
the Lord wants to have a relationship with mankind. It does not mean that
they were righteous before God. We are justified by the imputing of the
righteousness of God by Jesus Christ at the moment of our conversion.
Church history tells us some sad facts. D. L. Moody was probably one of the
greatest soul winning preachers that every lived; yet it is almost certain
that none of his children were saved. Billy Sunday's son was a drunkard.
Yet if you were to talk to these people they would have waved the family
flag as a mark of salvation.
These are false refuges. Paul reminds the Jews and everyone else of one
immutable truth in this passage. God never lies. Man lies. God never
lies. No matter how privileged you and I may be, God has the final say.
B. We find a pious picture. Vs. 5-8
It is seen in the oldest of all arguments used by the Jews and many others.
It is this: the end justifies the means. Some people figure and this
includes the Jews that it really does not matter how you live, it just
matter that you are whatever. To the Jews, it matters that they are Jewish.
To many, it is being a Baptist. Others it is being a Catholic or a
Methodist. But the truth of the matter, it is the blood of Jesus Christ
that cleans man of his sin, not his religion.
God does not have a scale to weigh out your good deeds and you bad deeds.
God sees us for whose we are not who we are.
None of these defenses or justifications will stand before Him. He knows
how we hate to be stripped of all our natural defenses such as our religion.
He knows how hard it is for us to swallow our pride. He knows that that we
like to cling to our self-respect and self-confidence.
God is undermining the self-righteousness of man no matter what race he may
be. Being a Jew is not a defense. Being a religious Gentile is not a
defense. He strips away all those defenses so He can show forth the
righteousness that he can give through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
His death on Calvary.
Conclusion: There are several lessons that can be gleaned in this passage.
The greatest is that your religion is null and void without a personal
relationship with the Lord. When we stand before God and every man will, it
will be the righteousness of Jesus Christ that will be needed. Man's
self-righteousness will be no more cover him than the fig leaves kept Adam
and Eve covered in the Garden of Eden.
I think the other lessons are thus. God has left us with a job to do. It
is found in verses nineteen and twenty. ("And art confident that thou
thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of
knowledge and of the truth in the law.") We are to be a guide to the blind.
The god of this world has blinded the eyes of men. It is our job to lead
them to the One who can open up their eyes to Him.
We are supposed to lights in dark places. We ought to glow for our Lord
Jesus. We are supposed reflection of Him who is the light of the world.
We are to be instructors to the foolish. To be an instructor, we have to
know the material ourselves. I would not want Patrick to teach a class on
how to start an IV. Neither would he want me to teach a class on postal
regulations or shooting. Why? We do not know the material. Knowing
material involves doing the work required understanding how these subjects
work. It is the same about instructing the foolish. You can not lead
someone further than you have been yourself.
It is our responsibility to teach new babes in Christ. You need to teach
them the four basis growth steps. Everything else you learn as a Christian
spring up from these. You teach them the importance of prayer. You show
them the importance of reading and learning the Bible. You point out how
important being in God's House is. (I learn as much or even more sitting at
the feet of my pastor than I did at the feet of my Bible Institute
professors.) Then you teach those babes in Christ how rewarding and growth
stimulating winning others to Jesus Christ is. I learned tithing when I was
in church. I learned Bible prophecy when I read the Bible, sat in church
and prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. These four basis truths
will lead a person to grow into a mature believer that will bring honor and
glory to Jesus Christ.
[Mike Walls shepherds the flocks at Smithfield, NC, USA]
___________________________________________________________________
(3) <Article>
"MERRY HEART/BROKEN SPIRIT"
Connie Giordano
Who would you select for a close friend - a person who has a merry heart or
one who has a downcast spirit?
Who would you call upon for prayer - a person with a cheerful disposition or
one who is always troubled and downhearted?
What kind of person would you want to minister with - one who has gladness
of heart or one who is depressed in mind and circumstances?
Lastly, what kind of person are you - one who is always cheerful and happy,
always seeing the brighter side of things or one who has a sunken and
negative spirit, always anticipating the worst to happen?
The Scriptures contrast two particular dispositions. One is the "merry
heart;" the other is classified as the "broken spirit." Each has its own
unique characteristics as well as its own results. Let's examine three
Scriptures from the Book of Proverbs and see what we can learn about these
two varying dispositions -
Proverbs 15:15 - "All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of
a merry heart hath a continual feast."
Proverbs 15:13 - "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow
of the heart the spirit is broken."
Proverbs 17:22 - "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken
spirit drieth the bones."
First of all, what exactly is a "merry heart"? What is a "broken spirit"?
The Scriptures mention a "broken spirit" elsewhere in a good sense as in the
case of Psalm 51:17. However, here it is referred to in a negative sense.
What is the difference?
The "merry heart" is a heart that is blithe, gleeful, joyful, and always
rejoicing. It is happy, glad, and cheerful. The "broken spirit," on the
other hand, is depressed in mind and circumstances, troubled, downcast,
sorrowful, unhappy, unpleasant, disagreeable, distressed, and miserable.
In Psalm 51 David mentioned the "broken spirit" as something that is
pleasing in the sight of God -
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."
Here David was referring to himself, coming before God in godly sorrow and
misery for his Sins of adultery and murder.
Psalm 51:12 - After he repented of his Sins and God washed away their awful
stain, then God restored to him the joy of his salvation. There was no
further need for a downcast spirit.
In contrast, the Book of Proverbs is referring to a regularity, an attitude,
or a disposition of a person's
personality when speaking of a "broken spirit."
Proverbs 15:15 tells us - "...he that is of a merry heart hath a continual
feast." He has ongoing, continuous, perpetual and constant blessings coming
his way.(Or at least this is how he perceives things.) This man feels as
though he is seated at a huge banquet table which is spread before him.
What a concept!
Before him lies everything that his heart desires. He is so grateful for
every blessing - whether large or small. He counts his blessings, naming
them one by one. Constantly, he is tasting of the Lord's goodness. He is so
satisfied with what he has to enjoy. Each blessing adds growth to his life.
To some, he may not have that much. But to this man, he is rich and is
always feasting.
Do you wonder why this man continually has a "merry heart"?
Proverbs 15:13 tells us that "A merry heart maketh a cheerful
countenance..."
Having a "merry heart" will make a person cheerful, happy, joyful, and glad.
There is not a more definite place for this heart condition to express
itself than on the "countenance" or face of the individual. A smile, along
with sparkling eyes and a radiance of the face, will reveal immediately that
this particular person has a "merry heart."
What a very beautiful, pleasing, and enjoyable sight it is to behold!
Proverbs 17:22 tells us that "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine..."
This is incredible! The Scriptures are actually telling us here that having
a "merry heart" does a person as much good as medicine does to the body.
What does medicine do? It is commonly used by God to bring healing and
wholeness. It fights the sickness, getting rid of it completely. Therefore,
we can say that a "merry heart" works a good healing to a person's soul and
even to the body. It can make a person well and help to keep him well. A
"merry heart" will fight against the sicknesses of the soul as depression,
oppression, fretfulness, anxiety, and stress - getting rid of them
completely.
The "merry heart" is a wonderful gift from God. Would to God that we all
would have it at all times. We would perceive life in Jesus as the
"continual feast" that it is supposed to be! We would enjoy better physical
and mental health. What a testimony it would be to everyone around us to see
us going through trials and hard times, yet always smiling because we have a
"merry heart."
In contrast to this "merry heart" is the "broken spirit."
Proverbs 15:15 says - "all the days of the afflicted are evil..." Each and
every day for the depressed, the troubled, the downcast, and the anxious one
is miserable. It is bad. There is no good to be found. There is no pleasure,
no happiness, and no joy. At least, this is how he feels.
Proverbs 15:13 says - "...but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."
2 Corinthians 7:10 mentions "godly sorrow" which is the offspring of true
repentance and leads to life. This particular "sorrow," on the other hand,
works death. It is an unhealthy and very hurtful melancholy. It is a
dejection, despondency, gloom, and unhappiness that takes hold of the mind
and the emotions. It breaks or wounds the spirit, thus rendering the
individual unfit for the service of God.
Lastly, Proverbs 17:22 tells us - "...but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
This is the same "broken spirit" that is mentioned in Proverbs 15:13.
Through an injurious "sorrow of heart," the soul is affected as well as the
body. Here we see that this "broken spirit" brings sickness.
"Drieth up the bones" means that it literally dries the bones of all
moisture and causes them to wither as the herbage. Hence, it ruins our
health and wastes our lives.
At this point we need to ask ourselves some questions - What do we want to
have - Evil Days or a Continual Feast?
A cheerful countenance and enjoyment of life or a broken spirit with a long
face and a despondency to go with it?
A healthy mind and body because of a merry heart or a withered, broken-down
body because of a broken spirit or unhealthy mind-set?
No one can live our lives for us. God has given each of us the gift of life.
What are we doing with it? What kind of stewards are we?
We have seen both sides. The rest is left to us.
Which way will you choose - the merry heart or the broken spirit?
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
---
Copyright 2002 by Connie Giordano
_______________________________________________________________________
(4) <Special>
WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN?
Jeff Smith
Introduction
-------------
Parents constantly worry about the future of their children
- many times, this focuses on money
- most notably, they make all sorts of plans for their future
- college education funds
- whatever inheritance is likely
- many parents say, "I want my children to have it better than I did"
No doubt, this has greatly contributed to the "hurry-up crammed" lifestyle
that characterizes us today => trying to accumulate all we can
- after all, "we're doing it for the children"
Theme
------
There are several reasons why this lifestyle is dangerous
- it neglects warnings (Lk. 12:15; Mt. 16:26)
- it leads to other sins (covetousness, greed)
- leads to forfeiture of heaven (Col. 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:10)
However, our focus is on an equally-important reason => the damage parents
do their children when they adopt such a lifestyle
Body
------
A) REVIEW OF TEEN SURVEY
- disclaimer
- funded by San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian)
- sponsored by seminary's Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project
- sought cooperation & equality from 17 denominations
- despite the disclaimer, this survey reveals eye-opening truths
- survey's overall assessment of American teens:
"PARENTS DON'T LIVE SPIRITUALLY THEMSELVES"
"PARENTS DON'T TEACH SPIRITUALITY TO THEIR CHILDREN"
B) REINFORCEMENT OF TEEN SURVEY FROM THE SCRIPTURE
- God has always expected parents to guide, lead children in spiritual
truths
Old Testament
- Deut. 6:4-9 => anticipating a new home
- Josh. 4:2-7, 19-24 => reason for success
- Josh. 24:31; Judg. 2:7, 10 => influence of godly parents
- Psa. 78:1-8 => only way for future generations to know
- Prov. 22:6 => only way to ensure children's success
New Testament
- Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21 => children either provoked, exasperated
or taught, nurtured
- 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15 => parent's faith to be instilled in their children
- notice Eunice didn't have help from her husband, but still
was successful
Will we repeat the same sad tragedy today of the "post-Joshua" generation,
or will we embrace our God-given responsibility of living the Christian life
and depositing it into our children?
C) APPLICATION TO PARENTS
- remember.our children are a gift from God (Psa. 127:3)
- they are ours only for a little while until we give them back to God
- while we have them, with what will we fill them?
- if we do nothing or not enough, we'll end up with teenagers & grown
children who will illustrate
our failures as parents
- they'll decry our failures to teach, lead, guide them
- they'll live for the flesh => evidence our failures
- the time to begin is NOW while our children are young, teachable
- read, tell Bible stories with them daily
- sing Bible songs, pray with them daily
- opportunities to make spiritual application of everyday life events
- but we also have to live what we teach them (Rom. 2:17-24)
- even children can spot hypocrisy
Conclusion
------------
What will you leave your children?
Being God-fearing, Bible-believing Moms & Dads is the best thing you can
leave your children
- living such a life yourself
- instilling such in your children
It is the only one that lasts into eternity (Mt. 6:19-20)
It ensures God will have His heritage (Eph. 1:11)
Our children will naturally look to us as guides for meaning to life
- may God help us to teach them the truths they need to get through this
life, and to prepare them for the life to come.
_______________________________________________________________________
(5) <Poem>
JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD
Karren Hodkinson
He tried to teach the people
The ways of His Father,
But they would not listen
To do evil deeds they'd rather.
There were a few who felt
His words and deeds were good,
And they chose to follow
Everywhere they could.
Luckily for us
These few chose to believe,
A man who by Gods' Spirit
And a virgin was conceived.
For thirty-three years
He taught and he preached,
Carried out many miracles
Christianity was unleashed.
Tho' He was not guilty
Of any crime,
The people had Him crucified
At Easter time.
Mocked and taunted
Until He could bear no more,
Jesus our Saviour
Fell to the floor.
In His dying moments
He did not think of Himself,
But asked Gods forgiveness
For those who ended His life.
He died on the cross
For all of mankind,
That our sins may be forgiven
If true repentance we find.
Now He sits in heaven
At the right hand of God,
Risen from death
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Halleluiah,
Amen.
---
Karen © 3/4/2001
____________________________________________________________________
["EXAMINE YOURSELVES WHETHER YOU ARE IN FAITH." (2 Cor 13:5)]
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