Afterwords -- week 32
"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." (Psalm 61:2-3)
July 30, 2022
Dear friends,
In creation God has given us many images that point us to himself (Rom 1:20). These are divinely intended object lessons given to strengthen our trust in him. One of these is mentioned in Deut 32:3-4 -- "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." The great rocks and mountains point us to God's immutability and permanence. They stand for his unchanging perfection, stability, and integrity, that he is a secure place upon which to stand, and a place of eternal refuge and safety for his people. He is the eternal God of faithfulness and justice. This is what we should think about when we look at mountains, peaks, and rock formations.
GOD'S UNCHANGING GOODNESS. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks (Question 4), "What is God?" and gives as the answer: "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." This does not mean that God is an unmoved Mover in the sense of being unemotional, but that in his being, essence, character, will, and purpose he is stable and forever trustworthy. He is the only solid place upon which we can stand. He is the refuge in which we hide from danger.
NO OTHER ROCK. In studying Isaiah 44 in a Bible study group last week, we discussed the nature of idols. The false gods we create, and trust in, and delight in, do not have the characteristics of the true and living God. They are manufactured not permanent, flawed not perfect, wobbly not stable, fickle not faithful, and helpless not protective. They are mute, without a mind and purpose. Delight in them is short-lived. They aren't true or trustworthy. They provide no lasting hope or blessing or protection for us. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock" (Isa 26:4).
FLEE IDOLATRY. King David wrote, "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?" (Psalm 18:31; cf Isa 44:8) In the New Testament the Apostle John closed his first epistle with these words: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). Dan Mock, one of the pastor/elders at BCF recently gave a message on identifying the idols in our life. Here are 4 diagnostic questions to ask ourselves:
1) What defines me? Asked another way - what is my identity?
2) What do I boast in, privately or publicly? Asked another way - what makes me special?
3) What is your source of security or confidence? What is the rock you are standing on?
4) What is your source of comfort or escape? Asked another way - Who or what do you run to in the storms of life?
Hear Dan's sermon "Flee Idolatry" here.
BIBLE READING. I wrote a Bible reading guide based upon the M'Cheyne reading schedule, arranged over two years. Following are links for this weekend in 2020 and 2021. Readings in Jeremiah and Mark are here. Readings in Judges and Acts are here.
OTHER READING.
Finished...
-- T. S. Eliot (Lives and Legacies series), by Craig Raine (Oxford University Press, 2011).
-- John Stott: The Making of a Leader: A Biography of the Early Years, by Timothy Dudley-Smith (IVP books, 1999).
In process...
-- Grace and Glory, by Geerhardus Vos (Princeton, 1922).
-- Knowledge and Christian Belief, by Alvin Plantinga (Eerdmans, 2015).
RECENT ARTICLES
-- John Stott kept the decisions he made about personal finances private during his life. Learn more here about how his life modeled a kingdom mindset amid a consumer-driven culture.
-- "To hold onto a treasured leather-bound Bible is for me a way of holding onto awareness of God’s grace in my life." (Samuel D. James). Read "A Case for Using Physical Bibles."
-- "Honestly, if you were making a list of all the ways to help teens handle social media, these parents checked every single box. And yet, despite all that, you can hear how these girls are tangled up in social media expectations and comparisons. Their lives are being shaped—and misshaped—by how they live online." Read more here.
-- Meanwhile across the pond here's what our British friends are facing.
FINAL QUOTE. "One of the chief glories of the work of redemption is that it produces in the heart and mind of the sinner such a profound, ineffaceable impression of the realities in God." (Geerhardus Vos, Grace and Glory)
Amen for the Reality of God! That's it for week 32.
Sandy
Credits. Photo above by Sean Benesh at Terrebonne, Oregon, on Unsplash. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.