We have all heard the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways.” Often through very difficult and sometimes painful circumstances God works amazingly. How often have you experienced some disappointment or setback only to see how God worked it out for something greater than you could have imagined? But there is also another side of God’s mysterious workings, where God works through our sin or rebellion. Samson was like this.
Samson was called to be a deliverer for Israel against the Philistines. But there was a problem; Israel was much too comfortable being ruled by the Philistines. What is noticeably absent from this cycle is that Israel does not cry out to God for deliverance. How far has Israel fallen, they don’t even want deliverance! But God has other things in mind for Israel; he uses Samson’s wanton lust for a Philistine woman to destroy this “peace (v 4).” Samson’s first confrontation with the Philistines ended with thirty men from Ashkelon being killed to satisfy a bet and his wife being given to another man escalating into further violence.
This story brings up a number of strong questions. Does this confrontation happen because God brought it or because of Samson’s wanton lust? The answer can seem very unsatisfying, but it is both. Samson was fully responsible for his own lust and anger, but God was also at work as more than a silent partner. God was also driving the situation so that the confrontation occurred and his people would be delivered. This interplay is a mystery and we too often want to break it down further than is possible to remove that mystery.
This mystery with Samson is but a shadow compared with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross was the ultimate sin and rebellion against God, nothing compares to it, yet God moved all of history so that Christ would come and die. It was the climax of history, yet the Pharisees and Romans were equally guilty and responsible for it. However, out of this mysterious working, God gave to us the greatest blessing we could never fathom—His sacrificial grace. So the question remains for us, “Do we trust God?” Can we look past our current difficulties and trust that he is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28)? We have hope because God is working and though it may be mysterious it is more powerful than we could ever imagine.
Posted by Aaron Miner
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Malachi 4: Our Hope
Have you ever had high hopes which were on the verge of being fulfilled… then disaster comes? We have experienced this in our sports, where our sports team seems unstoppable only to fumble away its victory. We have experienced this in our jobs, where we worked for that great promotion, only to be laid off. We have experienced this in relationships, where we thought everything would soon be perfect only to face bitter betrayal. Israel’s return from exile was like this, where the Temple was rebuilt and God’s glory would again fill the land. But instead great blessing, disillusionment quickly set in. To these disheartened people the prophet Malachi speaks.
Into this discouragement, Malachi declares that God loves his people (1:2), that He is Israel’s father, creator and master (1:6, 2:10), that He is the God of justice (2:17), who does not change (3:6), and is honest (3:13). Most importantly Malachi presents a vision of the future of the day where God will come to judge the wicked (4:1) and heal those who fear him (4:2). But before this day God will send his prophet Elijah to bring the people to repentance.
God has proven himself to be faithful to his word. This Elijah has come. The Gospels describe him as John the Baptist and he prepared the way for Christ to come and to save his disheartened people. We may experience all types of discouragement and heartbreaks, but Christ will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God will cause all things to work for our good (Romans 8:28). Let us then walk freely and in our hope in Jesus Christ that brings us life and strength.
Posted by Aaron Miner
Into this discouragement, Malachi declares that God loves his people (1:2), that He is Israel’s father, creator and master (1:6, 2:10), that He is the God of justice (2:17), who does not change (3:6), and is honest (3:13). Most importantly Malachi presents a vision of the future of the day where God will come to judge the wicked (4:1) and heal those who fear him (4:2). But before this day God will send his prophet Elijah to bring the people to repentance.
God has proven himself to be faithful to his word. This Elijah has come. The Gospels describe him as John the Baptist and he prepared the way for Christ to come and to save his disheartened people. We may experience all types of discouragement and heartbreaks, but Christ will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God will cause all things to work for our good (Romans 8:28). Let us then walk freely and in our hope in Jesus Christ that brings us life and strength.
Posted by Aaron Miner
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Acts 27
What history and Biblical imagery! It is clear that this trip with Paul was probably the most powerful experience of Luke’s life. His eyewitness depiction of the events is breathtaking, particularly for ancient history. Yet, even as he tells the details of the story, it is hard to not see Biblical imagery through the events.
Only those who would remain on the ship would survive—kind of like Noah and the ark. The angel appears to Paul and promises safety to the entire ship on account of Paul’s presence with them—kind of like those who bless Abraham would be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. Paul the prisoner, miraculously becomes the leader who through providence and dreams delivers the entire ship to safety—kind of like Joseph the dreamer, who through providence became the leader and deliver for Egypt and Israel. Paul, on the night before impending doom gives thanks, breaks bread and encourages the hearts of all on board—kind of like Jesus in the upper room before his impending doom.
The sailors were charged to stay with the ship and not to trust their own plans by getting in the life boat. They would be saved only if they trusted the words that Paul had given them by which they would be saved. Salvation in Christ comes to all who will trust his way and will not pursue their own ends for justification, peace or hope.
Yet Jesus salvation is fundamentally different from that of the ship. If we would use Paul and Luke’s experience on the ship as an analogy, the only way we can understand Jesus in it is to see Him as the ship itself. Jesus is the ship that is destroyed while bringing them to safety. All those who stayed with the ship had encouragement in the storm and were brought to safety at the expense of the ship. Jesus’ story is still better because he is not just a ship that is crushed to bring us to safety, but He is a ship that rises again to lead us to a new life.
Salvation expresses itself in every aspect of our life. Trust is a day by day, hour by hour reality. A lack of trust in Paul’s words got the ship in danger once it left Crete. However, trust is ultimately what saved the day.
Only those who would remain on the ship would survive—kind of like Noah and the ark. The angel appears to Paul and promises safety to the entire ship on account of Paul’s presence with them—kind of like those who bless Abraham would be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. Paul the prisoner, miraculously becomes the leader who through providence and dreams delivers the entire ship to safety—kind of like Joseph the dreamer, who through providence became the leader and deliver for Egypt and Israel. Paul, on the night before impending doom gives thanks, breaks bread and encourages the hearts of all on board—kind of like Jesus in the upper room before his impending doom.
The sailors were charged to stay with the ship and not to trust their own plans by getting in the life boat. They would be saved only if they trusted the words that Paul had given them by which they would be saved. Salvation in Christ comes to all who will trust his way and will not pursue their own ends for justification, peace or hope.
Yet Jesus salvation is fundamentally different from that of the ship. If we would use Paul and Luke’s experience on the ship as an analogy, the only way we can understand Jesus in it is to see Him as the ship itself. Jesus is the ship that is destroyed while bringing them to safety. All those who stayed with the ship had encouragement in the storm and were brought to safety at the expense of the ship. Jesus’ story is still better because he is not just a ship that is crushed to bring us to safety, but He is a ship that rises again to lead us to a new life.
Salvation expresses itself in every aspect of our life. Trust is a day by day, hour by hour reality. A lack of trust in Paul’s words got the ship in danger once it left Crete. However, trust is ultimately what saved the day.
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