Tag Sin

Elam’s Archers

Todd R Leave a comment

Ideas for blog posts come from all sorts of sources.  Sermons, memories, books.  But most often they come from Bible study.  I nearly always use a study Bible and read all of its notes as I go, while also making my own notes.  This post’s inspiration comes from a study Bible note that just said “Elam is famous for its archers,”[1] in reference to Jeremiah 49:35, which says:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.””

The verse is a small part of a long section in Jeremiah where God speaks about His judgement on many nations, as a comfort to the Israelites who were about to go into exile.  The message is: in the long run, God’s people will be redeemed, but their enemies will be judged.

What do Elam’s archers have to do with this?  After reading the “Elam is famous for its archers” note I realized that nation by nation, God’s judgement focuses on the things that the nation took pride in.  His judgement fits the crime; it isn’t just arbitrary.  In Elam’s case, they believed their superior archers were the source of their strength.  They trusted in their archers, not God, and so God would “break the bow.”  Their archers would be helpless against judgement.

Consider also these other examples, from the same chapter of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah announced God’s judgement on Edom, descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau.  They had a longstanding grudge against God’s people, and they rejoiced when Jerusalem eventually fell to Babylon (see the book of Obadiah).  In Edom’s case, Jeremiah said:

“For behold, I will make you small among the nations,
despised among mankind.
The horror you inspire has deceived you,
and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
who hold the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s,
I will bring you down from there,
declares the LORD.”[2]

Petra. Photo by Juanma Clemente-Alloza on Unsplash

Elam took pride in their archers; Edom took pride in their natural defenses.  Edom thought physical protection was their strength and could save them from judgment.  They had fortresses built right into the rocks of the mountains, apparently including the one now known as Petra (pictured).  In addition, by being in the mountains, they had the military advantage of fighting from higher ground, with their “nest as high as the eagle’s.”  But these defenses were overcome by Babylon.

Jeremiah also had a message “Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down.”[3]  Jeremiah doesn’t recount the sins of Kedar and Hazor, but only that Babylon was used as an instrument of judgement against them.  These two people groups were nomadic tribes, moving about rather than settling primarily in cities.  So, how does God judge them?  Jeremiah 49:29 tells us:

“Their tents and their flocks shall be taken,
their curtains and all their goods;
their camels shall be led away from them,
and men shall cry to them: ‘Terror on every side!’”

Without cities, the markers of wealth for these unsettled people were probably their tents and flocks and camels.  These are what the nations of Kedar and Hazor would take pride in, but God in His judgement would take them away.  Repeatedly in these prophecies, God strikes specifically the things those nations have pride in.

Judah was not immune.  They thought their alliance with Egypt would save them from conquest by Babylon.  However, Babylon over time defeated both Assyria, who had conquered Israel, and Egypt, who Judah was counting on to rescue them.  They had trusted in their political alliances instead of in God, putting their pride in the wrong place.

We also are not immune.  What do we and our nations take pride in?  Like Elam, is it the strength of our military?  Like Edom, does our sense of security from enemies lull us into a state of complacency and pride?  Like Kedar and Hazor, has our wealth become a source of pride?  We may not even be aware of these things, but God is aware and He will judge all of our sources of pride.  As He said in Isaiah 42:8 –

“I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.”

God does not tolerate rivals, and we should be ready for God to judge the great Babylon’s of our time, our nation, and our hearts.  Until we are perfected in eternity, we and our nations will have things we put pride in inappropriately.  Our own strength, our own security, our own wealth.  We, and our nations, aren’t perfect, but have many idols.  Things that distract us from God and lead us to do things we shouldn’t.  Only God knows what all of these things are.

If “Elam is famous for its archers,” what do you and your nation put too much pride in?  Pray that God will reveal these to us and help us to overcome them, putting Him in their place.

[1] Reformation Study Bible, note on Jeremiah 49:35.
[2] Jeremiah 49:15-16
[3] Jeremiah 49:28

The Battle Between Good and Evil: A Quint of Quotes

Todd R 5 Comments

Dear fellow travelers,

Here is another “Quint of Quotes” from my collection, five quotes on the theme of good vs evil:

“The majority of us begin with the bigger problems outside and forget the one inside.  A man has to learn ‘the plague of his own heart’ before his own problems can be solved” – Oswald Chambers

“I think the battle between good and evil is fought largely within the individual human heart, by the decisions that we make. It’s not like evil dresses up in black clothing and you know, they’re really ugly” – Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin

“When people do bad things in the name of religion people say religion is inherently bad; When people do bad things in the name of profit people say profit is inherently bad; When people do bad things in the name of science people say science is inherently bad; When people do bad things in the name of government people say government is inherently bad; but have you noticed that every one of these is ‘people do bad things’ but when you say people do bad things because people are inherently bad, people say you are a mean person and out of your mind.” – Anonymous internet comment

“The line separating good and evil passes, not through states, not between political parties either, but right through all human hearts.”  -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” – the apostle Paul, in Romans 7:21-25

Of Love and Forgiveness

Todd R Leave a comment

Fellow travelers,

Have you known Christians who love well?  Not ones who know the Bible well, or who know all the right doctrines, or who are involved in many church activities.  Not even a person who writes (or reads) a great blog.  These are not bad things, and they may help someone become more loving, but they aren’t the same thing as being a person who loves as Christ loved.  Who loves well.

Not everyone like this gets there the same way, but Jesus mentioned at least one specific way: the more we know how great God’s forgiveness for us is, the greater is our love.

This comes from Luke chapter 7, in the story about “a woman of the city, who was a sinner.”  This woman broke an expensive flask of ointment over Jesus’s feet, then wiped the ointment on His feet with her hair and tears.  What a bold statement of devotion to Jesus she made!

However, Jesus was criticized by a Pharisee for not refusing this act of worship: “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”[1]  To the Pharisee, an upright, respectable religious person should have nothing to do with this sinful woman.

In response, Jesus tells a parable about a man who was forgiven a very large debt, and therefore loved the one who forgave him more than another man did who was forgiven a smaller debt.  Jesus contrasts the actions of the Pharisee – who didn’t treat Jesus with nearly as much honor as the “sinner” – with the woman, and says: “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

We don’t know much for sure about this woman’s sins, but we know the Pharisee was aware of them and hated her for it.  He thought her sins were worse than others and should exclude her from any social interactions.  We also know that she was aware of how great her sin was, but she also knew that Jesus loved and forgave her anyway, even though her sin was great.  Jesus tells us her devotion is proof of that.

This story shows us that those with “checkered” pasts, full of sin, pain, and suffering, can become the most passionate believers, as they know what the gospel is capable of overcoming first-hand, in themselves and in others.  Jesus and his early followers went to these outcast people, and the faith of that first generation of Christians changed the world forever!

So, who is willing and able to reach out to sinners in the same way God reached out to them in Christ?  Those who have a very real sense of how great are the sins God that has forgiven them. Often the greatest “sinners” are the ones who learn how to love well.

[1] Luke 7:37-39

Surprising Answers to Prayer

Todd R 2 Comments

Jesus told many parables, often in response to situations or people He came across.  These parables are full of great lessons, but sometimes there’s also a lesson in the prelude to the parable.  One such example happens in Luke 12:13-15, which says:

“Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”   But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.””

Jesus goes on to tell the “parable of the rich fool,” who loses his soul because he only cares about worldly goods.  The parable is a lesson about coveting, greed and priorities, but I believe there’s also a broader lesson about prayer in the 3 verses above before the parable even starts.

We can put ourselves in the place of the “someone in the crowd,” who wants something, and brings it to Jesus.  Unlike him, we don’t meet Jesus physically on the street, but we come to Him in prayer all the time.  We want something and we pray about it.  When we pray, we often we want to get a particular answer, hopefully giving us what we want.

In the case of “someone” in the Luke 12 story, he wanted part of the family inheritance.  In our case, we could want any number of things like financial gain, an end to a societal problem, better governance from our leaders, success for our children or others, a safe business trip or vacation, etc.  God wants us to pray to Him about all things, and we do.  “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

However, we often aren’t ready to listen to a different answer than the one we want.  In the story, Jesus didn’t respond to “someone” with a direct answer, but with an answer that challenged the attitude behind the question.  “You shall not covet”[1] is one of the Ten Commandments after all, and Jesus was letting “someone” know the condition of his heart was more important than the condition of his bank account.

God can respond to our prayers in the same way.  Instead of solving what we think is the problem, He may try to reveal to us a deeper problem we need to deal with.  But if we’re focused on the answer we want, we might miss the point He wants to make.  To God, our sanctification is more important than our gratification but we often get that backwards.

When we pray for financial gain, God may respond by challenging our priorities, our diligence, our spending habits, etc.  In the Luke story, Jesus confronted the man’s covetousness.

When we pray for an end to societal problems, God may respond by telling us to care for a single mother[2], or support a homeless ministry, or volunteer at a food bank.

When we pray for better governance from our leaders, God may respond by telling us to control what we can control, by reminding us of His sovereignty, or by giving us practical means to work on the problems we want the politicians to solve, but on a smaller scale.

And so on.  Sometimes we do get what we ask for in prayer, but sometimes God will use prayer to do what He promises to do: make us more like Jesus.  Again, our sanctification is more important than our gratification, but sometimes we miss the point because we’re focused on our needs.

It’s ok to bring all of our needs and concerns to God in prayer, and sometimes we get what we want. However, don’t be surprised if He responds in surprising ways, but how?  He can speak to us any way He chooses, but in my experience, He usually points things out in His word, through our circumstances, and through other believers.

Listen and be open to His answers.  No matter what they might be.

“The majority of us begin with the bigger problems outside and forget the one inside.  A man has to learn ‘the plague of his own heart’ before his own problems can be solved” – Oswald Chambers

“The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.” – Warren Wiersbe

[1] Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21
[2] James 1:27

Serving Other Gods

Todd R 1 Comment

Foundational to God’s relationship with His people – His covenant – is the idea that He will be our God and we will be His people.  If we forsake all other “gods,” we will be blessed immeasurably by the true God, Yahweh.

However, in the time of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, right before the exile of Judah into Babylon, God’s people were not being faithful to Yahweh and were worse than prior generations in their rebellion.  So, Jeremiah says in chapter 16, verse 13 – “Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.”

This punishment has 2 parts: banishment from the Promised Land, and also “you shall serve other gods day and night.”  Have you ever thought that serving gods other than Yahweh is a punishment, or just that its bad or sinful?   It certainly isn’t the way the world sees it: many consider serving any god as punishment.  Others might have their own gods and would only consider serving other gods, including Yahweh, as punishment.  But here the Bible says that it is only punishment to follow false gods.

Why is this?  A good explanation comes from another prophet, Zechariah, in chapter 10, verse 2:

“For the household gods utter nonsense,
            and the diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
            and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
            they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.”

Compared to a loving, omniscient, wise God, these other gods have no knowledge or wisdom and are not benevolent.  They cannot give us what we need to live and are not worthy of worship.  They cannot guide us like our Good Shepherd can.  Therefore, when we choose to follow anything other than Yahweh, are we punishing ourselves?

When Yahweh said “You shall have no other gods before me” in Exodus 20:3, He said it for our own benefit, and for His glory.

Amen.