The Gospel of the Resurrection

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you … For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

The gospel is the “good news” that Jesus the Messiah died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day. All this is as God foretold in the Old Testament. It is important to note that, as significant Messiah’s death for us on the cross is to this message, it is utterly incomplete without His resurrection from the dead three days later. As Paul so forcefully observes, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:7).

There is a causal relationship between sin and death: “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Death came into the world because of sin (treason against God), and the only way death can be overcome is by dealing with sin. So the resurrection of Messiah demonstrates that He has not only conquered death but has broken the power of sin as well.

The Resurrection is much more than that, though. The expectation of the Jews was that there would be a resurrection of the dead at the end of the age in which God would establish the righteous once and for all upon the earth. What they did not understand, though it was there in their Scriptures, was that Messiah would be raised from the dead. A messiah who needed resurrection was for them a contradiction in terms.

So it was a puzzlement, even to the disciples, when Jesus the Messiah, Son of the Living God, as Peter recognized (Matthew 16:16), was nailed to a tree. On that day they had no expectation that He would be resurrected three days later, though Jesus had foretold them of this a number of times. They were as surprised as anyone else to discover that this had indeed come to pass.

It meant that the end of the age had come upon them in an unexpected way, that it had somehow broken into the world ahead of time. And now here was Messiah who, through His faithfulness on the cross, contended with the powers of darkness, sin and death, and emerged victorious over them all, raised up by God the Father and established as righteous King over all.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the guarantee that all who receive Him will likewise be raised again from the dead at the end of the age and established once and for all upon the earth. He is the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians1:18), the firstfruits of what is to come.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

The resurrection of Jesus is also the promise that our life between now and that future day when we stand once again upon the earth is not meaningless but significant. What we do now will make a difference then. For the kingdom of God is already breaking into the world (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16), the power of the resurrection is already at work in us (Ephesians 1:15-20; 3:20), the darkness is already passing away and the true light is already shining (1 John 2:8). So Paul concludes his resurrection teaching with this strong encouragement: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the guarantee that the power of sin and darkness has been defeated, the kingdom of God has broken into the world, the power of God is now at work in and through those who believe, and at the return of the King our bodies shall be raised from the dust and we shall stand once again upon the earth with our Redeemer.

The Gospel of New Creation

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

There is a new creation coming. It is not a another creation or a different creation but a renewal of creation. God never gave up on the first as a failed creation. Adam rebelled in the Garden of Eden and by doing so, as God’s representative king on the earth, plunged all creation under a curse. But God never set it aside. Instead, He made a way to redeem it.

This plan reached its climax in Jesus Christ, God and Man joined together in one person, who is called the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). At the cross, He defeated the powers of darkness, the devil and all his works (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8), then was raised by God the Father as the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18). It was through the Son of God that the first creation came into existence; it is through the Son also that the renewal of all creation has now begun.

This new creation is not yet complete. We live in between the time of the new beginning and the final fulfillment. Indeed, even creation itself longs for this completion:

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

The bodily resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from the dead is the guarantee that all creation shall be renewed. For all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18), and He rules and reigns as Lord of all, not as a divine but disembodied spirit but as the eternal God/Man who is forever embodied in the stuff of creation. When He comes again, the heavens and the earth will be made new (Revelation 21:1) and “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

The renewal of creation has already begun in Jesus the Messiah, and those who are in Him, who belong to Him by faith in Him, are already part of it. It is as Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

The Gospel of Abraham

And the Scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8)

The gospel is God’s plan to justify the “Gentiles,” the “nations” — the Greek word is the same, ethnoi — to declare them righteous when He comes to judge the world and set things right. It is the good news He preached to Abraham when He promised that He would bless all the nations of the world through him.

The word “justify” means to declare one to be righteous. It is the act of a judge, the decision or finding he makes in a case brought before him. When God justifies you, He finds for you, in your favor, and not against you. It was God’s purpose all along to find for the nations of the earth, and it is happening through Abraham’s seed. 

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “and to your seed,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

This Seed of Abraham is Jesus of Nazareth, descendant of Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Judah and eventually King David. He is the Messiah who was promised throughout the Old Testament. He was never meant for Israel’s sake alone but as God’s redeeming king for every tribe and tongue on earth.

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

The good news God preached to Abraham, to bless all the nations of the earth through him, is fulfilled in the Seed of Abraham, Jesus the Messiah. Through faith in Him, we too are become Abraham’s seed, both to be blessed and to be a blessing.

(See also The Gospel of the King)

The Upright in Heart

My defense is of God
Who saves the upright in heart.
(Psalm 7:10)

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy all you upright in heart.
(Psalm 32:11)

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
(Psalm 36:10)

The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
(Psalm 64:10)

But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
(Psalm 94:15)

Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
(Psalm 97:11)

I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn your righteous judgments.
(Psalm 119:7)

The Hebrew word for “upright” is yashar and speaks of being straight, level, right, pleasing, just, fitting, proper. To be upright in heart is to be transparent, open before the LORD. David knew much about this. His heart was so opened up to God that he was called “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).

David learned that there is no hiding out from God. He had tried that and it didn’t work — he became sick inside and out (Psalm 32:3-4). It was not until he became honest before God, confessing his sin, that he not only experienced relief but also an unexpected sense of elation, for he discovered once again the graciousness of God (see Surrounded by Faithful Love and Joyful Shouts). He recommends that same kind of transparency of heart before God, because there is gladness, and twirling and shouting for joy to be had (32:11).

To be upright in heart is to know God (Psalm 36:10). Knowing God is not about having information about Him but relationship with Him. It is personal, not perfunctory. The focus is not on duty but on delighting in Him. Paul’s prayer for the Church was that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17), to know God more and more, deeply and intimately.

To be upright in heart is to trust in the LORD. It is the transparency of faith. We can depend on Him to defend and deliver us (Psalm 7:10), enlighten and guide us (97:11), instruct us in what is right and good (119:7). It is faith in God that actually pleases Him. Not that our deeds are unimportant, but they must come from an open and trusting heart that is turned toward God. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

For those who know, honor and love the LORD, who diligently seek after Him, who are transparent before Him and confident in Him, the rewards are really quite magnificent. He will spread out His steadfast love and faithfulness to cover them (Psalm 36:10, see The Prevailing Love of God). When He comes to set everything right, they will be around to see it (94:15) and their boast will be all about what He has done (64:10), with ecstatic praise, joyful shouts and wild dancing. These are the upright in heart.

The Gospel of God’s Messiah King

Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:3-4)

This is the “gospel of God” to which Paul devoted his life, the good news promised by Israel’s prophet.

This good news is about the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.

• Son of God. In Psalm 2, God speaks of His Son in a very singular way. He is called “Anointed” (Messiah) in verse 2. God says of Him, “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (v. 6) and “You are My Son, today I have begotten You” (v. 7). God gives Him this promise: “Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (v. 8). To the kings of the earth who have heretofore set themselves against the LORD and His Anointed (vv. 1-2), He now gives the invitation: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry … Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (vv. 11-12) (See my articles on Psalm 2).
• Jesus. This is His name. It literally means “salvation.” Jesus is the Anglicized version of Iesous, which is the Greek translation of Yeshua, the Hebrew word for “salvation.” That is why the angel of the Lord said to Joseph, “You shall call his name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
• Christ. This is the Anglicized, Greekified version of the Hebrew Messiah, which means “Anointed One.” It is not Jesus’ last name, as many people seem to think, but a title that signifies that Jesus is the one promised by God, anointed by God to be the deliverer and King of Israel and all the world.
• Lord. This does not mean “mister” or even simply “master.” Jesus is not one lord among many, He is “Lord of lords” (Revelation 17:14). In the Roman Empire, it was Caesar who was hailed as Lord, ruler over all, and when he died, he was thought to have ascended to heaven to be deified. But Paul turns all that on its head with his declaration that it is Jesus the Messiah who is Lord — King over all.

The good news is that Jesus was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. This statement does not merely establish the true humanity of Jesus, but identifies Him as the fulfillment of all God’s promises from the beginning (see The Gospel of the King). He is the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of the tribe of Judah and of the house of David. He is the promised Messiah King whom God would set to rule over all.

The good news is that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. This statement establishes that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, anointed to be King over all. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead demonstrates this to be so. The Jews believed there would be a general resurrection of the righteous at the end of the age, but here now was Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, vindicated by God and shown to be righteous by His resurrection from the dead ahead of time by the power of the Holy Spirit. It signaled that the old age was coming to a close and the age of God’s kingdom was now beginning on earth.

This is the gospel of God Paul came to announce: Jesus is King and God has raised Him from the dead. It is this confession, this agreement in faith, by which we are delivered and restored and brought into proper alignment with God and His kingdom: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Blessed are all who put their trust in Him.

The Gospel of the King

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:1-4)

The apostle Paul was all about the gospel — God’s good news for the whole world. He understood himself to be a servant of Yeshua the Messiah, sent forth on His behalf and set apart for the express purpose of proclaiming this unique message.

This gospel comes from God. It was not Paul’s idea, but God’s. Paul was taken quite by surprise by it, blinded by the brightness of its glory — literally knocked to the ground by it (he gives testimony of this dramatic encounter in Acts 22 and 26).

God promised this good news through His prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures. Not just in a passage here or there, but all throughout. The whole movement of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in this joyful announcement from God that Paul now delivered. We see this, for example:

• In Genesis 3:15. Immediately after Adam and Eve rebelled, God promised that the seed of the woman would prevail over the seed of the serpent. This is known as the proto-evangelion, the first mention of the gospel.
• In Genesis 12:1-3. God revealed His plan to make of Abraham (then called Abram) a great nation and promised him, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” He confirmed this promise by cutting covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 and again with the sign of the covenant in Genesis 17.
• In Genesis 26:2-4, 24. God confirmed this promise to Abraham’s son, Isaac: “In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
• In Genesis 28:14. God confirmed the promise to Isaac’s son, Jacob: “In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
• In Genesis 49:10. Jacob prophesied over his son, Judah, that from his tribe a king would come who would rule over all.
• In 2 Samuel 7:12-16. God made covenant with King David, of the tribe of Judah: “I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
• In Jeremiah 31:33-34. God promised to make a new covenant with Israel which would be for everyone: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
• In Ezekiel 40-47. God gave Ezekiel a message for Israel, the vision of a new temple the Lord would make in His kingdom, to be His dwelling place on earth. From it would flow healing rivers in every direction.
• In Daniel 7:13-14. God gave Daniel this vision: “One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”

These and many other Scriptures converge on God’s plan of redemption and restoration, and they are all fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. After His resurrection, Jesus spoke with the Emmaus disciples about all the prophets had spoken. “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Him” (Luke 24:27).

God has good news for the world — the gospel of the King — and it is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah, in whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

The Prevailing Love of God

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

(Psalm 36:10)

Exalting in the reach of God’s faithful love (vv. 5-6) and the abundant pleasures of that love (vv. 7-9), David now brings his song full circle to address the problem with which he opened up this psalm: wicked men and the evil they do (vv. 1-4). David is now moving from praise to petition: Continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You.

The Hebrew word translated “continue” means to prolong, stretch out, extend or draw. Young’s Literal Translation renders it as “draw out,” which is interesting, considering that the psalm writer describes the faithful love of God as a river and a fountain: Draw out of the fountain of life and the river of delights now to protect us from the wicked.

This love, this protection, belongs to those who know the Lord. To know Yahweh is to have regard for Him and His ways, which is what the wicked in verse 1 lacked. Those who love, honor and trust in the Lord can expect Him to deliver them when evil men come.

The righteousness of God is His justice. This prayer is for God to do justice — to set things right — for those who are upright, those who are doing what is good and right, in contrast to those who are doing what is evil. David now spells out his concern:

Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. (v. 11)

Then, having placed this before the Lord, David has a vision of what he has just asked for — he sees it as a foregone conclusion:

There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise. (v. 12)

When the faithful love of God arises to do set things right, the wicked and their evil deeds are no match. They go down for the count and are not able to get back up. This lovingkindness belongs to all who know, love and trust Him.

The Abundant Pleasures of Divine Love

God, Your faithful love is so valuable
That people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

(Psalm 36:7 HCSB)

What love God lavishes on His beloved! It is precious and valuable, worth more than anything else in life. It is a refuge for all who come to Him — even for the wicked, if they would turn to Him. His love is not just a temporary shelter from the storm but an abode, a permanent dwelling place, for all who trust in Him. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust” (Psalm 91:1-2). It is like a costly jewel, and David describes the splendor of its facets for those who know Yahweh:

• They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house (v. 8). God flings open the doors of His house and invites us to partake of His table and enjoy His hospitality to our heart’s content. “He brought me to the banqueting house [treasure house, house of wine], and His banner over me is love” (Song of Solomon 2:4).
• You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures (v. 8). God always intended for us to enjoy His pleasures. The Hebrew for “pleasures” is eden, as in the Garden of Eden. Heaven on earth! How is it that we settle for so much less when He offers us so much more?
• For with You is the fountain of life (v. 9). God is the source of life. Jesus came that we might “have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” (John 10:10 Amplified Bible). It springs up like a fountain from a very deep place, pure and refreshing.
• In Your light we see light (v. 9). God is the creator of light (Genesis 1:3) and the Father of Lights (James 1:17). Indeed, God is light (1 John 1:5). It is in Him that we see and know the glory of heaven on earth. Apart from Him there is only darkness.

The faithful love of God is not only a refuge and dwelling place for those who trust Him, but the source of satisfying abundance, sublime pleasure, overflowing life and the glory of everything that is good.

The Reach of Divine Love

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens.
(Psalm 36:5 English Standard Version)

In the first stanza of this psalm, David described why the wicked to what they do (see The Heart of Transgression). But suddenly his focus shifts and he begins to sing of the steadfast love of the Lord. The Hebrew word for this love is hesed. It is the covenant love and mercy of God by which He has committed Himself to show kindness to His people. It is variously translated as “mercy,” “lovingkindness,” “faithful love,” and as in the ESV, “steadfast love.” In this psalm, it appears in verses 5, 7 and 10, each time opening a new stanza.

The second stanza describes the height and depth of this love: “LORD, Your faithful love reaches to heaven.” The love of God operates on behalf of those He loves according to His faithfulness, righteousness and judgments:

• Faithfulness. (Hebrew, emunah), the trustworthiness of God to keep His word, the stability of God to keep His way, the steadiness of God to continue His works. It reaches “to the skies” (v. 5).
• Righteousness. (Hebrew, tsedaqah), the rightness of God — He will always do with is right. It is “like the highest mountain” — rock solid (v. 6).
• Judgments. (Hebrew, mishpat), the decisions and verdicts of God—they are always true. They are “like the deepest sea,” a wisdom that is richer, deeper, fuller than we can comprehend (v. 6). It is the justice of God that comes and sets things right.

The last line of verse 6 sums up this stanza: “O LORD, You preserve man and beast.” The Hebrew word for “preserve” is yasha, and speaks of salvation, liberation, deliverance and victory.

The steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness and justice God has those who belong to Him is higher, deeper, greater than any adversity you will ever face.

Dead Reckoning

dead reckoning •

“Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

The Heart of Transgression

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.

(Psalm 36:1 English Standard Version)

David casts this psalm in four parts. The first (vv. 1-4) is about the motivations of the wicked. The Hebrew for the first line of the first verse is somewhat difficult to translate and there is a bit of variation among the existing Hebrew manuscripts. Consequently, there is a divergence among various translations: The NASB, the Amplified Bible, and the ESV render it like the above. The NIV, the HCSB and the NKJV translate it along this line: “An oracle in my heart concerning the wicked …” (NKJV).

Which ever translation is correct, the truth remains: Transgression is a matter of the heart. Neither God nor His precepts, nor anything external to a man cause make him to sin.

Let no one say when he is temped, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is draw away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)

Nor can satan make a man sin, for no one could be tempted to do evil unless the desire was already present deep in his heart. Why is the desire for evil so deeply embedded in the heart of the wicked? Because he has no fear of God before his eyes.

The fear of God is regard for God and His ways, respect for the one who made heaven and earth. It is the recognition that life and everything good comes from Him, and that we were created to know and fellowship with Him. It is the dread of missing out on God, the source of all life and goodness.

Our eyes were meant to be full of God, to behold the splendor of His glory. But the eyes of the wicked are too full of himself to see anything beyond himself. He flatters himself too much to understood what is good and hate what is evil, much less to identify and turn from his twisted ways (Psalm 36:2).

The mouth of the wicked is full of malicious lies (v. 3). So also his heart, for as Jesus said, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). The wicked is indifferent to wisdom and therefore to doing good — the things that lead to stability, success, beauty and bliss (v. 3). Instead, he lies on his bed at night scheming how he might inflict his hate on others and he is intent upon doing what is evil (v. 4). It consumes him.

David begins this psalm very darkly. However, his focus is not on wicked men working evil deeds. They are merely a source of trouble he has identified. He does not allow them to eclipse his view of life. Now, having described the problem, he turns to the solution. The existence of wicked men and evil deeds in the world is a fact of life, at least for now. However, there is a greater truth at hand, which will ultimately prevail: The faithful love of God. That is what the rest of this psalm is about.

The faithful love of God is more powerful than the heart of transgression and the evil deeds of the wicked.

Surrounded by Faithful Love, Joyful Shouts

Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You
    at a time that You may be found.
When great floodwaters come,
    they will not reach him.
You are my hiding place;
    You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.

Selah.

(Psalm 32:6-7 HCSB)

In Psalm 32, David expresses the deep happiness — the bliss — of being forgiven by God (v.1). There is no hiding out from God then, and no need to (v. 2). David had tried keeping his sin hidden, but it was tearing him up. Inside, he was brittle and dry, and his strength drained away “as in the summer’s heat (vv. 3-4). Then he turned to the Lord and acknowledged his sin, and to his joy discovered, “You took away the guilt of my sin” (v. 5).

Now he recognized that if God would do that for him, He will do that for anyone who quits hiding and turns to Him in faith. Though there is a time when God will bring forth justice into the world, there is still time for grace and mercy to be found. Then when calamity falls all around, those who are pardoned will remain.

There is a “hiding place,” a covering, a refuge, a secret place of safety. That hiding place is the Lord Himself. Before, David had been hiding from God but now he was learning to hide in God, for the Lord protects and preserves those who turn to Him. He watches over them like a shepherd, holding them near, to keep them in times of danger and guard them when adversaries and oppressors appear.

The Lord surrounds them with “joyful shouts of deliverance.” Not cries of fear. Not wails of despair. Joyful shouts of deliverance, the testimony of those who have seen the storm pass and find themselves still standing. They turned to the Lord and experienced His liberating power at every turn. They did not hide their sin from Him and they do not hide their praise from others — loud shouts and boisterous praise to the One who rescued them.

David did not hide his wrongdoing but confessed it to the Lord, and learned once again that “the one who trusts in the LORD will have faithful love surrounding him” (v. 11). The apostle John put it this way: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is no in us. If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (v. 7).

When we come out in the open with God, He surrounds us with faithful love and joyful shouts.

The Table of Covenant Revelation

Praying in the psalms this morning, as is my habit, this passage became my meditation as I went to the Table of the Lord.

The LORD is good and upright;
therefore He shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.

All the LORD’s ways [show] faithful love and truth
to those who keep His covenant and decrees.
Because of Your name, LORD,
forgive my sin, for it is great.

Who is the person who fears the LORD?
He will show him the way he should choose.
He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
and He reveals His covenant to them.
My eyes are always on the LORD,
for He will pull my feet out of the net.

(Psalm 25:8-15 HCSB)

First, notice that it is out of His goodness that the Lord shows us His way. Being a sinner does not disqualify anyone from receiving it (or else we would all be in trouble). The real qualification is the humility of faith — believing God. Those who are humble are teachable, but pride and arrogance keep one from being able to receive anything from the Lord.

God entered into covenant with Israel, offering them many wonderful promises and benefits (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14). All who kept that covenant — the way of the Lord — would enjoy those promises and benefits. For God always keeps His word, and when He commits Himself, as He does in covenant, to show His “faithful love” (Hebrew, hesed, steadfast love and mercy — covenant love!), He will move heaven and earth to reveal it. It is out of this great love and mercy that He forgives sin.

Who is the person who “fears the Lord?” To fear the Lord is to live in awe of Him, to love and trust Him with all our hearts. To honor what He honors and hate what He hates, to treasure His favor above all things and avoid His displeasure at all costs, to take pleasure in His word, His will, His ways and His works. (Psalm1is another way of describing this, and its benefits; see Two Paths.)

To those who fear the Lord, He will reveal the path they should choose, the one that will lead to a good life, and their descendants will inherit the earth, the blessing of peace and prosperity in the land. He will reveal His secrets to them and they will see His covenant promises fulfilled on their behalf.

Israel was meant to receive all these blessings and benefits, not only to enjoy for themselves, but to reveal and extend the salvation of God to all the world. The problem, though, was that she kept turning away from God and needed to be delivered from the terrible exile she had brought upon herself.

That was a big problem, but God had a big solution. Very early on in the story, God promised a Messiah, an Anointed King who would come and not only rescue Israel but also gather in all the nations as well to enjoy the pleasures of God. This Messiah was revealed, historically, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only one who ever faithfully fulfilled every obligation of God’s covenant with Israel. By His death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, He destroyed the works of the devil and defeated every power that stands against humanity — not only for the Jews, but for all the nations of the world. It is not only the taking away of sin but also deliverance from the power of sin, and from every enemy of spirit, soul and body.

It is that victory we find portrayed in the Table of the Lord. Jesus’ body was given and His blood shed on our behalf and for our benefit. In it, the new covenant between God and His people, foretold in the Old Testament (see Jeremiah 31:31-34), was instituted.

At the Table of the Lord, our eyes are always on the Lord Jesus the Messiah, who has pulled our feet out of the net. The secret counsels of God and the new covenant He has instituted with us are revealed in the signs of the body and blood of King Jesus.

Two Paths

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

(Psalm 1:1-2)

Psalm 1 describes two different kinds of walks. Each represents a way of life. One way seeks after God, the other does not. The one who seeks after God takes great delight in His law (the Hebrew word is torah and means “teaching,” instruction for living well). It gives him counsel, guides him along a good path and seats him in a place where he is a blessing to others.

The other one follows the advice of people who habitually do evil. It leads him into a path that is harmful both to himself and those around him, and it seats him with those who only know how to mock what is good.

Two radically different ways, two dramatically different outcomes:

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

(Psalm 1:4-6)

The one who diligently seeks after God, delighting in His ways and meditating continually on His instruction, finds great reward, not only in the life to come but also in this one. His life is well established, abundant and fruitful. He has something to offer for every season of life. He goes from prosperity to prosperity.

Not so for the one who walks in the way that is not God’s. His life becomes dry and dusty, like chaff, and is soon blown away with the prevailing winds. On the day when God comes to stand everything up and set everything straight, there will be no place for the evil man. He will not be found among those who are found doing what is right.

For God has great regard for those who do what is right, who “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” — God’s rule and reign and His way of doing and being right — and everything necessary for life will be added to them (Matthew 6:33). But for those who follow the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of evil and conspire with the mockers of everything good, there is nothing left except a wasted life and a dismal future.

Two radically different paths. Two dramatically different outcomes. In what will you delight?

Walking with God

Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

The author of Hebrews comments on this unusual primeval event:

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found because God had taken him”; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)

The Greek word for “taken,” used in all three instances in this verse, means to transfer, transport, or translate. In other words, Enoch walked with God and ended up very differently than when He began. He was not just changed as to his spiritual condition, he even experienced a change in his physical state. God, who is Spirit, created the material universe, so physical reality is essentially a manifestation of the spiritual realm.

The Septuagint, an early translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, uses in Genesis 5:24 the Greek verb for “pleased” in place of the Hebrew word for “walked.” It signifies that Enoch did not merely happen to be accompanying God in this journey, but he actually pleased God in doing so — he was a delight to Him.

God had wanted to walk with Adam in this way. He came walking in the Garden in the “cool of the day,” looking for him (Genesis 3:8-9). But of course, Adam had already disconnected from God by his rebellion. It is significant that the “hall of fame of faith” in Hebrews 11 does not begin with, “By faith Adam …” Adam acted as he did precisely because he did not believe God.

But that is what pleases God — faith! As Hebrews goes on to say, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is believing that God is, and that He rewards those who seek Him out. That pleases God, which is exactly what Enoch did. He walked with God in faith — and it changed his entire existence.

There is a way of walking in this world that can transport you into a higher reality, a new realm of living, a delightful fellowship with God. It is the way of faith — believing God.

Judging the Nations

Rise up, God, judge the earth,
For all the nations belong to You.

(Psalm 82:8 HCSB)

The judgment of God comes, not to condemn, but to set things right, to line everything up with His will and purpose. God is good, so His purpose is nothing but good. That is why Jesus came, why the Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:17-21)

In Psalm 82, God calls the rulers of the nations, especially Israel, to account. “He judges among the gods” (v. 1). They are called “gods” because He intended for them to represent His justice on earth. But instead of defending the poor and fatherless, and doing justice for the afflicted and needy, freeing them from the hand of the wicked, these faithless rulers judged unjustly and show partiality to the wicked (vv. 2-4).

God chastises them: “They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable” (v. 5). They love the darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. They have no understanding because they are not interested in truth. And the world is unstable because of it. So God delivers His verdict:

I said, “You are all gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes. (vv. 6-7)

Then comes the call for God to rise up and judge the earth — to set things right all over the world — because all the nations, not just Israel, belong to Him.

The prayer for God to rise up and judge the earth is not a call for destruction and death but for redemption and life, to rescue the nations. God answers this call in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life of God for all the earth (John 14:6). God’s desire is to rescue the world, not condemn it. Condemnation is a condition of unbelief. When we do not believe God, when we do not love what is light and good and true, we condemn ourselves to darkness, evil and deception. The judgment of God does not come to condemn but to expose our true condition. If we are willing to do the truth and come to the light — to receive the Son — the judgment of God rescues and restores us.

The Bold Confidence of Faith

Who through faith … quenched the violence of fire. (Hebrews 11:33-34)

Hebrews 11 has often been called the “Hall of Fame” of faith. It begins with this definition: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (v. 1). It describes a solid confidence that is rooted, not in what is seen but in what is unseen.

The ones who by faith quenched the violence of fire are, of course, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, the three young Hebrews who refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. Consider the deep confidence of their faith as Nebuchadnezzar confronts them:

Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego boldly answer:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-18)

Notice the elements of their answer:

1. “We have no need to answer you in this matter.” It was immediate and direct. They needed no time to reconsider. They had taken their stand and they were sticking with it. “We’ve already done what we’re going to do. Now you go ahead and do what you are going to do.”
2. “If that is the case.” This is a conditional statement. Not about their action but about the action of the king. They had already made their decision. Now they were laying out, in logical fashion, the king’s choices and what would happen with them.
3. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” They had no doubt that God was quite capable of protecting them from the fire.
4. “And He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Here is where the confidence of their faith is fully seen. It is one thing to speak theoretically about what God is able to do, quite another to declare what He will do.
5. “But if not.” This is another conditional statement. It is important to understand that this if not statement corresponds to the earlier if statement.
6. “Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Whatever Nebuchadnezzar decided would make no difference at all to these young men. Either way, they were not going to bow down and serve his gods.

Here is where a lot of preachers and Bible interpreters get it wrong. They think the answer of the young Hebrews runs like this: “If you throw us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us. But if He does not, we still won’t serve your gods or bow down.” It sounds like a very valiant faith, trusting in God even if He does not come through and deliver them.

The problem, however, is that the text does not say, “But if He does not.” Some translations will render it that way (the NASB and the NIV, for instance) but in the Hebrew text, it is simply, “But if not.” That is why it is important to notice points 2 and 5 above. They are both conditional statements. One says if, the other says if not. They correspond to each other. The if statement means, “If you cast us into the fiery furnace ...” The corresponding if not statement means, then, “If you do not cast us into the fiery furnace …” In other words, the if not statement is not about whether or not God would deliver them but about whether or not Nebuchadnezzar would toss them into the furnace.

Besides the corresponding nature of the if and if not statements, there is another simple reason why the if not statement refers to the king’s actions, not God’s. It would be completely unnecessary for them to point out that, if God did not deliver them from the fiery furnace, they would not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. It would be exceedingly obvious. If God did not deliver them, they would be instantly killed by the flames — and dead men don’t bow to anything, not even to the king and his gods.

But hear the boldness of their answer and the confidence of their faith. In context, it runs like this: “O Nebuchadnezzar, if you cast us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver is — and He will deliver us! But if you do not cast us into the fiery furnace, know this: We still will not serve your gods or bow down to your image.”

As we know from Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar did throw them into the furnace — and God did indeed deliver them, just as they had declared. Their response was not based on that which was seen, Nebuchadnezzar’s threats or the reality of the fire, but on that which was unseen, the faithfulness of God. They trusted not just in the ability of God, but just as important, in the faithfulness of God to deliver His people. They may have been uncertain about what the king was going to do, but they had no doubt what God was going to do.

Bold and confident faith in the faithfulness of God is able to work miracles. It goes beyond saying, “God can deliver me,” to declaring, “God will deliver me!”

Imparting Vision with Inheritance

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22)

The good man is the one who walks in the instruction of the Lord, the promises of God and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. He has an inheritance to leave to his children’s children. It is not limited to the spiritual realm, because the prosperity of God offers abundance for every area of life, as John demonstrated in his prayer for Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2).

The thing about inheritance is that it passes from father to son, from a dad to his kids. In other words, it is about relationship. It is significant in Proverbs 13:22 that is it not just the children of the good man, but his children’s children — his grandchildren — who receive his inheritance. They receive it because their parents have received it and passed it on to them. Their parents “get it.” That it, they understand what they have received from their father. They not only walk in the benefits of the inheritance but they also live in the vision of it. They know what it is about and where it is headed. Because they see what it is for, they are able to maintain it and even add to it and enlarge it for their own children. It has purpose, direction, focus.

Whatever else the inheritance of the good man may be, it comes wrapped in goodness and wisdom so that it is truly a blessing and not a curse to the next generation. Many an inheritance has been squandered because it was not imparted with wisdom, understanding and vision. That is why the second half of Proverbs 13:22 gives us this contrast: “But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

The good man sees that there is a future for those who do what is right, that it is full of peace, shalom — wholeness and prosperity, nothing missing and nothing broken (Psalm 37:37). He knows that those who delight in the Lord and His ways will prosper in whatever he does (Psalm 1:1-3). He understands that the ways and wealth of the wicked will not endure but be driven away like chaff blown in the wind (Psalm 1:4-6).

Those who disregard God and His ways are in a slippery place that leads to destruction (Psalm 73:18). Though they may increase in riches, it is only for a time. Whatever they have gained will quickly evaporate. Their wealth will not cease to be, but it will slip from their own hands and no longer be theirs. It will eventually find its way into the hands of the upright, those who know God and live by His instruction.

The good man imparts godly vision along with the inheritance. Indeed, it is the most important part of the inheritance. When the father is faithful to pass that on to his children, his children will pass it along to their children. He will know how successful his inheritance has been in his own children when he sees his grandchildren walking in the wisdom and wealth of it.

Confessions for Your Children

To confess, literally, is “to say the same thing.” That is how the English word derives and also what its counterpart in New Testament Greek, homologeo, means. To confess something is to speak in agreement with it. When we confess our sin, as in 1 John 1:9 for example, we are agreeing that they are indeed sinful, things we ought not to have done. When we confess the Lord Jesus, as in Romans 10:9, we are agreeing and affirming that Jesus Christ is indeed our Lord.

When we confess Jesus as our Lord, we have so much more we can confess because we become heir to all the promises of God. And what wonderful promises He has given for us and our children! In difficult times, such as the present economic distress, when we might wonder how our kids are going to make it through, it is good to remember and affirm these promises and expect to receive them, for our children as well as for ourselves.

With that in mind, I have this list of things I confess, based on the Word of God, beginning with the commitment of our household to God. If you find them helpful, you are welcome to use them. If I may recommend, it is good to keep them in your thoughts and in the silences of your heart, but it is also very helpful to speak them aloud, even to shout them. That can be wonderfully freeing, help break the spirit of heaviness and despair, and assist you in laying hold of God’s promises with a vigorous faith. The Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). That is, faith is the underlying reality of what we are expecting (see Faith is Reality and Faith Brings Expectation).

Here are the confessions I speak over my children:

• Regardless of what anyone else may choose, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)
• God’s promise of salvation is for our children as well as for us, and they receive it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 16:31)
• The empowering gift of the Holy Spirit is for our children as well as for us, and they bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in their lives — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. (Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 5:22-23)
• We are blessed in the city, blessed in the country, and our children will also be blessed. (Deuteronomy 28:3-4)
• The LORD teaches us His ways so that we shall dwell in prosperity and our children shall inherit the land. (Psalm 25:12-13)
• We shall never be abandoned, not even in old age, and our children shall never have to beg bread. We shall not have to borrow but will have abundance for lending and generosity. Our children will be a blessing because they themselves are blessed. (Psalm 37:25-26)
• Wealth and riches will be in our house, and our children will be mighty on earth, an upright and blessed generation. (Psalm 112:2-3)
• The LORD gives us increase more and more, to us and our children, and we are blessed by the LORD, Make of Heaven and Earth. (Psalm 115:14-15)
• We are imparting a rich inheritance for our children and our children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22)
• Our children are instructed by the LORD, and great shall be their peace, their shalom — their wholeness and prosperity, nothing missing and nothing broken. (Isaiah 54:13)

See also Confessions and Praying Over Your Children with Power.

Divine Portrait of Prosperity: Psalm 128

God gives us a number of wonderful portraits of prosperity. Here is what it looks like in Psalm 128:

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
Yes, may you see your children’s children.

Years ago, when I was going through the Psalms of Ascent, writing a song for each one (I call them the “Pilgrims Psalms”), I struggled with this one — it seemed too good to be true. It portrayed happiness and prosperity as something God has for all His people, for all who fear Him and walk in His ways. But that clashed with the theology I had learned, the religious mindset I had been discipled in up to that time.

Growing up in church and going through Bible college, I was taught that God wanted us to have joy but not necessarily happiness. “God would rather you be holy than happy,” other Christians would later tell me. As if we can only be one or the other, or that holiness and happiness are like matter and antimatter and would annihilate each other if they ever came into contact.

Then there was the question of prosperity. “God doesn’t have prosperity for everyone,” I was advised. “You can’t expect that things will always work out for you.” Life for the Christian is “blood, sweat and tears, and hard, hard work,” I remember someone saying. Oh, joy!

But here was the psalm writer speaking unabashedly about having prosperity, being fruitful, enjoying the produce of our work — and being extremely happy! The Hebrew word for “blessed” in the first verse literally exclaims, “How happy!” or “What happiness!” It is the kind of happiness that comes from everything going well in your life. That is hard for some people to accept, but it is what Psalm 128 describes. The Message puts it this way:

All you who fear GOD, how blessed you are!
How happily you walk on his smooth straight road!
You worked hard and deserve all you’ve got coming.
Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!  (vv. 1-2)

The Contemporary English Version reads, “Your fields will produce, and you will be happy and all will go well” (v. 2).

So I made the decision to leave behind all those old voices that were still ringing in my head and go with what the Word of God now set plainly before my face. I wrote the song according to the psalm. No apologies, no regrets. Oh, some have tried to talk me out of this expectation, often “spiritualizing” the life out of this and similar Scriptures. But they are too late — I’ve already seen it in the Word and have been experiencing it in increasing measure in my life.

I hope you do, too. Even, or especially, in these difficult times.

The favor God has for His people extends even to happiness and prosperity, for all who live in awe of Him and walk in His ways. Set your expectation on this.