Beware of culture creep!

They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.

Judges 2:13-14

Idolatry always has consequences. In Israel’s case, it took just one generation for God’s people to become pagans. A generation chose idols over Yahweh. They forgot their history. They took for granted that their life in a land that their ancestors fought to receive from God would just always be. They assumed it was always theirs. They abandoned the Lord.

And such casual drift into worship of false gods is easy to do. The nations around Israel that previous generations just tolerated, to the next generation became role models and lifestyle barometers. One generation failed to completely follow God’s will. The next generation chose to completely follow Baal and Ashtaroth. Disobedience to God has generational decay as a sad consequence.

The idolatrous generation that preferred gross pagan worship (rites that included child sacrifice and religious prostitution)… that generation experienced judgment by God as well. Israel was regularly plundered and oppressed. Occupying Canaanite forces grew stronger. Sadly, the pagan gods just brought pagan occupation and oppression. Idolatry made everything worse. It always dominates and destroys. 

Hearts that are drawn to worship the stuff of this earth, or the lifestyles of those outside God’s people, are always going to pay this kind of price. Heeding the setup warnings on the Book of Judges requires that we guard our hearts from “culture creep”. There are still types of Baals and Ashtaroths that can lull us into idolatry, and then oppress our lives miserably!

God gives

I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

This verse, situated in Psalm 81, which Asaph wrote as a spiritual history lesson for Israel, emphasizes four important ways God worked among His people. And what God gave to Israel in the Exodus, He also gives through Christ today.

First, God emphasizes PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. “I am the LORD your God.” The Jews have a unique covenant life with God. He is their God. They are His people. He cares for them in that relationship. He revealed His unique purposes, plans, passion, and position to them as His people. And through His people He sent One Who would save and bless the entire world!

Next, God emphasizes His RESCUE of His people. God brought about their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. God gave them Moses as their leader. God brought about the means for their salvation when it took the Passover’s death angel to bend Pharaoh’s hardened heart to release Israel from bondage. In Christ we are rescued from sin’s slavery now!

God also emphasizes His POWER to His people. He brought them out. He made them His own. He kept them fed and cared for in the wilderness. In the covenant relationship, God’s supernatural power was the highest and greatest display of His constant care of Israel. They simply had to follow. And so it is with Jesus. His power saves us. We must believe and follow.

And finally, God’s PROVISION is emphasized. The command of joyful divine generosity is this: “Open you mouth wide! I’m going to fill it up with the good stuff!” God lived up to His promise of provision, not only in the wilderness, but beyond, in all of Israel’s history. He has kept covenant at His great cost, even when they failed. And His generous grace still pours to believers now, even when we are less than worshipful or obedient. In Jesus we are in relationship, rescued, empowered, and provided all we need for life and godliness by His great and precious promises!

the soils

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

Mark 4:20

Jesus told the parable of the soils in order to teach His disciples how the kingdom would grow as the gospel was preached. Not all who hear the gospel accept and believe the gospel. And not every soil in which the Word is planted will ultimately bear fruit. But the sower still sows.

Some people, caught in the schemes of the Devil, have the gospel plucked from their hearts before it even has a change to germinate into a convicting thought. This is a way the world wars against the gospel. And it isn’t just a post-modern problem. Jesus warned of it in His preaching.

Some people have an emotional reception of the gospel. Jesus says they receive it with joy thinking it to be wonderful good news. But when hardships come because of the gospel, they reject it. They assumed it was all about feel good prosperity. And the truth of endurance makes them swiftly wither away.

Still others seem to hear and believe, but never really “leave” the world’s cares fully for Jesus. And the worldly siren song is louder in their hearts than their praise of their Savior. They are choked silent by the overgrown jungle of materialism, pride, and sensuality. They never thrive because they never let the gospel change their hearts.

The kingdom grows however with fruit bearing disciples. They aren’t lulled by culture, deceived by Satan, or driven by their own emotionality. They believe that Jesus alone is Savior and Lord and that they are sinners made holy ONLY by Him. They follow Him and grow. They too share the seed of the gospel so that their lives may bear fruit for His kingdom, not all to the same degree, but all for the same ends… So Jesus will be glorified and His Kingdom made known!

hearts that test God

They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

Psalm 78:18

Our sin can be particularly grieving to God when we put God to the test in our unbelief. In the long history of Israel recounted in Psalm 78, this is seen over and over. God was faithful to His people. They wanted even more from Him. God gave it to them in mercy. They did not repent and instead their hearts demanded even more. And then God would judge their sin.

Interestingly it all starts in the heart. They tested God first in what their hearts demanded. Sin begins with evil desire. And evil desire is often a twisted form of a good desire. In Israel’s case in the context of Psalm 78:18, it was a good desire to have food. But the desire became a testing of God in sin when Israel DEMANDED God give them a specific food they craved. Manna was His heavenly gift! Soon they demanded meat instead. And as their hearts assigned contempt for God’s care and demanded He provided differently, God’s anger arose because of their unbelief and failure to trust His saving power (Psalm 78:22).

God’s judgment on insolent hearts was first to give them all that they craved. Water sprang from a rock in the desert. Manna rained from heaven daily. A strong wind covered their camp in quail until there was so much meat feasting that they were nearly sick from it. And as they satiated their craving on quail, God struck them down mid feast. Even after judgment they still eventually returned to their whining, craving lack of faith.

Thankfully in judgment God had mercy. He did not destroy Israel and all His wrath was not poured out in an exercise of divine restraint (Psalm 78:38). He took into account His covenant and their weaknesses and kept covenant with them despite a consistent pattern of sinful craving and rebellion (Psalm 78:39). Thank God, He does not treat people as their sins deserve, but is great in mercy! This mercy even forgives me when I test God in my heart.

remembering the precious and powerful

I consider the days of old,

the years long ago.

Psalm 77:5

I keep a journal as a means of remembering, recording, and reflecting on God’s Word and work in my experience. Psalm 77 has insight in the process and reasons to do this. Here’s an outline:

1. Remembering can hurt. God can feel distant. (Psalm 77:1-3)

    A.  Faith cries out from the soul. (Psalm 77:1-2a)

    B.  Feelings confuse the soul. (Psalm 77:2b-3)

          1. Lack of comfort

          2. Expressions of sorrow

          3. Spiritual weakness

II.  Remembering can haunt. God can leave unanswered questions. (Psalm 77:4-9)

      A. Comfortless lack of sleep. (Psalm 77:4-6a)

      B.  Answerless litany of questions. (Psalm 77:6b-9) There are 5 listed. They are answered at the end of the psalm.

III.  Remembering can heal. God does great wonders and works. (Psalm 77:10-20)

       A.  Choose to believe despite feelings. (Psalm 77:10)

       B.  Conviction based on God’s person and work. (Psalm 77:11-20)

             1.  God’s unique work (Psalm 77:11-12)

             2.  God’s unique person (Psalm 77:13)

             3.  God’s unique revelation (Psalm 77:14)

             4.  God’s unique salvation (Psalm 77:15)

             5.  God’s unique covenant with His people (Psalm 77:16-20)

The multi-faceted reality of remembering is aided by writing it down. And the real beauty of the process is known when I read past journals regularly. Not only do I remember and worship God for His past faithfulness, but I deeply relate with my Father because those reflections came in the forging of my heart. I see God. I see what He is doing in me. Difficult or delightful, remembering all of that precious work of God is preserved and celebrated in journaling. God does great work!

Giants Fell

There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.

Joshua 11:22

When Israel spied on Canaan land

the sight of giants gave them fear

they failed to trust God’s loving hand

rejected the gift that was so near

Giants seemed undefeatable

imposing strength and towering size

the Israelites were just pitiful

“We are grasshoppers in their eyes.”

And so filled with giant fears

a generation was left to wander

the desert wastes for forty years

in unbelief to whine and ponder

Yet Joshua always trusted the Lord

never giving in to giant worry

he lived to see God fulfill His Word

when Canaan was conquered the giants scurried

Cities of giants before Israel fell

As God gave His people inheritance

eventually all ended quite well

no more fears of gargantuan pestilence

The God who fells giants, makes them run

is still here to help defeat fear

all foes have fallen to His Son

with the power of His Spirit always near

when it all feels bad

“At the set time that I appoint

I will judge with equity.

When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,

it is I who keep steady its pillars.” Selah

Psalm 75:2-3

Whether it is processing natural disaster that has brought unbelievable destruction and death, or just looking at a truly sick world that is unhealthy in nearly every aspect (pandemic, societal unrest, economic uncertainty, and moral abandonment), this psalm is a firm reminder that God is very much in control. He has appointed His time to deal with all of this. We feel the world is tottering and reeling, but God keeps the pillars firm. And those who trust in God can be confident even while all these pressuring issues demand our attention and lead us to the temptations of fear and unbelief.

God steadies the world as its pillars wobble. It is held firm by the cross and the foundation of an empty tomb. He has done so since the start of the worldwide pandemic. He still steadies us, even as this virus continues unabated and humbles science, dealing out still more rounds of sickness and death. God provides comfort for all loss, not only from disease, but from disaster. And no tornadic storm, hurricane, or blizzard is unknown or a surprise to Him. These tragedies call humanity to trust in the power and mercies of a God Who holds us steady, even as we wrestle with these losses and changes. As world population grows, these storms and natural events continue to get our attention. Yet our attention should, as this psalm calls us, be pointed to the God Who holds us secure amid our uncertainty.

And in a human society rife with the ongoing aftermath of evil, we must trust that God has appointed His means to judge with fairness in the time He has determined. God sees the wrong and will render His judgment. Innocents are still slaughtered. Injustice still marginalizes many people. Power is often corrupted by the powerful. Economies can fail us. And as prices go higher, the richest seem to only prosper more. It is a painful realization on a day-to-day level. Yet it is not the wealthy who have the true power. Riches cannot save. It is God Who keeps the pillars!

Ancient Israelites sang this song, in the first person, reminding themselves of what God Himself says and personally promises: 

• “I will fairly judge in the time that I appoint.”
• “I will keep you safe when it feels like everything else is shaking.”

In worship, my soul sings these truths too.