We’ve seen that when we run, God chases, when we pray, God answers, when we repent, God forgives, in chapter 4 we see what God does when we sulk. When God does something that we don’t understand, or that we don’t like, how does God respond to us?
Chapter 4 breaks up into two parts. We find Jonah’s angry prayer in v1-4, and God’s lesson to Jonah in v5-11. Verses 5-11 are the climax of the whole book. Everything else in Jonah happens twice. He is sent in ch1 and ch3, he sees pagans come to know God at the end of ch1 and the end of ch3, and he prays in ch2 and ch4. But the end of the book is the only time that God challenges Jonah about his attitude.
Let’s look at Jonah’s prayer:
V1. He’s angry that God has saved the people of Nineveh. If you don’t understand this point of view, that’s a good thing! Jonah is an anti-example.
V2-3. Like he’s telling the Lord, ‘I told you so!’ This is why I ran the other way, I knew you were gracious, and I knew they’d repent. Jonah is so angry with the Lord for saving the Ninivites that he’d rather be dead than see them worship the Lord.
V4. God has a gracious but challenging answer…’do you do well to be angry?’ Is it a good thing to disagree with the Lord? Is it good that you think you know better than me, the Lord asks. This is the essence of all sin isn’t it? Whether it’s racism and pride as here, or lust, or materialism or laziness or whatever. The root is thinking you know better than God.
In verses 5-11 God teaches Jonah a gracious, fatherly lesson.
V5-6. Jonah sits outside the city to see what will become of it. It’s hot in the desert, so the Lord appoints a plant to come over him and give him some shade. Jonah was in discomfort because of the heat of the sun, the same sort of discomfort he was in when God showed mercy to Nineveh. He was comforted by the plant that gave him shade.
V7-8. Again, Jonah does not come off well here, something that adds to the authenticity of the book. God sends a worm, it destroys the plant, Jonah gets too hot and wants to die! Wants to die! He’s so angry again.
V9-11. Here’s the lesson for Jonah. He pities the plant. Shouldn’t God pity Nineveh. Jonah didn’t make the plant, but God made Nineveh. The plant ‘came into being in a night and perished in a night,’ but there are more than 120,00 people in Nineveh. Shouldn’t God feel compassion on them, if you feel compassion on a plant?
We never learn Jonah’s answer. It’s like he turns round and looks at us. What about us? Where do our sympathies lie? With the unsaved, or with our own comforts? Are our priorities God’s priorities? What does God do when we sulk? He lovingly, but firmly challenges our priorities.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Saturday, 11 August 2012
In The Bible It's Always Spring
As the shining of the sun enlargeth the spirit of poor creatures, the birds in springtime to sing, so proportionately, the apprehension of the sweet love of God in Christ enlargeth the spirit of a man, and makes him full of joy and thanksgiving. He breaks forth into joy, so that his whole life is a matter of joy and thanksgiving.
Richard Sibbes, from The Matchless Love and Inbeing, quoted in Delighting in the Trinity, Mike Reeves, P107.
I've been sharing reasons to read the Bible over the last few days. Sibbes, of course, says it better. Why read the Bible? Because it draws our hearts to God, and produces the overflowing fruit of joy and thanksgiving. In the Bible it's always Spring, life is always blooming, the darkness is always been chased away...
Friday, 10 August 2012
Why Read The Bible (IV)
So far in this series we've seen reasons not to read the Bible, we've seen that reading the Bible brings us to meet with God, and that reading the Bible stimulates our appetite for, and growth in, holiness. Today, we'll look at Proverbs 1:2-6, and see that we should read the Bible to get guidance from God.
Guidance is a sticky issue in the Bible though isn't it? The Bible doesn't tell us who we should marry, or where we should go to college, neither does God anywhere promise any mystical, extra nugget of revelation to help us find these things out. So how does the Bible guide us? Well, just like an Olympic athlete isn't going to train for the 100 metres by just thinking about it, but by putting in the effort, we'll see from these verses that we are supposed to work at finding Gods will for different situations in our life.
Proverbs 1:2-6 promises us seven ways that the Bible will guide us. Solomon's aim for this book is that we would grow in wisdom. In Verse 7 he describes wisdom as beginning with the fear of the Lord. Knowledge and acknowledgement of the Lord is a vital part of the guidance that God would give us though His Word. If we want wisdom, then we have to search it out in the Bible.
And wisdom, verse 2 promises us, leads to discernment. We'll be able to choose the good from the bad, the right from the wrong. We'll have the skills to analyze a situation, not just emote over one. To look around the Church today is to see people needing to grow in discernment. Bible reading will help us to do that.
Thirdly, regular Bible reading will give us instruction. What for? For wise dealing, or good living. Instruction that teaches us to pay the bills before we go to the mall, to turn the tv off after 10pm. Through diligent application of what we see in the Bible, we will be instructed for life.
Next, verse 4 promises us the ability to make a plan. So often we can be caught between two good options, we need to train ourselves how to choose. This verse promises to help people who struggle with direction in life, it gives them knowledge, discretion and prudence. Where do we learn the ability to make a plan that pleases God? In the Bible!
Verse 5 tells us that we will listen and learn if we are wise. The wise man is always listening and always learning. To keep listening to God's Word and to keep learning it's story is vitally important if we're going to survive a winter of our souls. To do this is to store up grain for a bad winter, to have somewhere to feed when our world crashes around us.
Verse 6 tells us that reading the Bible will give us understanding. As we read we'll grow in our understanding of the Bible, how it fits together, and how it relates to all of our life. We'll have a chance to understand proverbs and sayings.
Put all this together and what do you get? Leadership. As we work to read the Bible. As we set aside time, as we puzzle out the difficulties and apply wherever we can, we'll grow as Christians. We'll grow into leaders of whatever sphere we are in.
We have to see how all three reasons to read the Bible are linked. We meet with God in the Bible, as we meet with God and behold His face we grow in holiness. As we grow in holiness, loving what is right, then we will find the guidance we need to live faithfully in the Bible. None of this will happen apart from regular Bible reading. This is our Father's chosen means to grow His children. We ignore it at our cost...
Guidance is a sticky issue in the Bible though isn't it? The Bible doesn't tell us who we should marry, or where we should go to college, neither does God anywhere promise any mystical, extra nugget of revelation to help us find these things out. So how does the Bible guide us? Well, just like an Olympic athlete isn't going to train for the 100 metres by just thinking about it, but by putting in the effort, we'll see from these verses that we are supposed to work at finding Gods will for different situations in our life.
Proverbs 1:2-6 promises us seven ways that the Bible will guide us. Solomon's aim for this book is that we would grow in wisdom. In Verse 7 he describes wisdom as beginning with the fear of the Lord. Knowledge and acknowledgement of the Lord is a vital part of the guidance that God would give us though His Word. If we want wisdom, then we have to search it out in the Bible.
And wisdom, verse 2 promises us, leads to discernment. We'll be able to choose the good from the bad, the right from the wrong. We'll have the skills to analyze a situation, not just emote over one. To look around the Church today is to see people needing to grow in discernment. Bible reading will help us to do that.
Thirdly, regular Bible reading will give us instruction. What for? For wise dealing, or good living. Instruction that teaches us to pay the bills before we go to the mall, to turn the tv off after 10pm. Through diligent application of what we see in the Bible, we will be instructed for life.
Next, verse 4 promises us the ability to make a plan. So often we can be caught between two good options, we need to train ourselves how to choose. This verse promises to help people who struggle with direction in life, it gives them knowledge, discretion and prudence. Where do we learn the ability to make a plan that pleases God? In the Bible!
Verse 5 tells us that we will listen and learn if we are wise. The wise man is always listening and always learning. To keep listening to God's Word and to keep learning it's story is vitally important if we're going to survive a winter of our souls. To do this is to store up grain for a bad winter, to have somewhere to feed when our world crashes around us.
Verse 6 tells us that reading the Bible will give us understanding. As we read we'll grow in our understanding of the Bible, how it fits together, and how it relates to all of our life. We'll have a chance to understand proverbs and sayings.
Put all this together and what do you get? Leadership. As we work to read the Bible. As we set aside time, as we puzzle out the difficulties and apply wherever we can, we'll grow as Christians. We'll grow into leaders of whatever sphere we are in.
We have to see how all three reasons to read the Bible are linked. We meet with God in the Bible, as we meet with God and behold His face we grow in holiness. As we grow in holiness, loving what is right, then we will find the guidance we need to live faithfully in the Bible. None of this will happen apart from regular Bible reading. This is our Father's chosen means to grow His children. We ignore it at our cost...
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Why Read The Bible (III)
So far we've seen bad reasons to read the Bible, and we've seen that when we read the Bible we can meet with God. Today, from one of my favourite passages of scripture, we're going to see that reading the Bible helps us to grow in holiness.
What comes to mind when you think about holiness? A boring set of rules to follow? Or an unobtainable idea? Or something designed to stop you having fun? None of these ideas come anywhere near what the Bible teaches us holiness is. Holiness is inward change, brought about by exposure to God in Christ, that impacts the way we live. Holiness is a heart issue, because our problems are heart issues. Our problem is not that we do wrong, our problem is that we love wrong. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6 helps us to see why reading the Bible changes our hearts, and produces holiness.
Lets look at it slowly. In verses 7-11 we see that Moses was changed on the outside by what Paul calls the 'ministry of death.' He was physically changed so that the Israelites could not look at his face, it had to covered with a veil. You can understand Paul's question in verse 8. If that which is passing away, that which bought death contained so much glory that it changed Moses like this, how much life-changing glory will be in the ministry that brings life? It will be like holding a candle up to the sun at midday, it will be like there was no glory in the old ministry at all. We should expect exposure to this ministry, exposure to the Bible to change us.
In verses 12-18 we're told that just as Moses was hidden behind a veil, so Jesus is hidden behind a veil for some when they read the Bible. Hard minds and veiled eyes are a result of refusing to turn to Jesus as Lord, because only then is the veil removed. And when the veil is removed...what freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When the Lord is working in hearts and minds, in affections and understanding, there is freedom! Freedom from sin, from pride, lust, envy and the million paper cuts that threaten to kill us.
This freedom becomes ours as we are transformed by looking at the Lord. As we behold the Lord in the Scriptures we will be changed. I'm encouraged by the way Paul says our change is 'by degree.' Sometimes it won't feel like much heart change is going on, sometimes it will, but it always is. We can't help but be changed as we behold the glory of the Lord!
But why does this change us? A quick jump to 4:4-6 helps us begin to understand. These were some foundational verses to me as a young Christian, in fact, they still are. What is the fundamental problem that unbelievers have when they read the Bible? They've been blinded so that they can't see, or to use language from 3:17-18, behold, the light that shines from the Gospel. They can't see that which will change them. What is this holiness producing light? The same light that shone into darkness as God spoke creation into being. The light that we behold, the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ is the light we behold as we see Jesus in scripture. This is the light that changes us.This is the light that produces holiness.
Meeting with God through reading the Bible produces holiness. As we see more light, we begin to love aright, and as we love aright, we live aright. We still do what we want to do, but what we want to do has been changed by the glory we've seen in the Bible.
What comes to mind when you think about holiness? A boring set of rules to follow? Or an unobtainable idea? Or something designed to stop you having fun? None of these ideas come anywhere near what the Bible teaches us holiness is. Holiness is inward change, brought about by exposure to God in Christ, that impacts the way we live. Holiness is a heart issue, because our problems are heart issues. Our problem is not that we do wrong, our problem is that we love wrong. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6 helps us to see why reading the Bible changes our hearts, and produces holiness.
Lets look at it slowly. In verses 7-11 we see that Moses was changed on the outside by what Paul calls the 'ministry of death.' He was physically changed so that the Israelites could not look at his face, it had to covered with a veil. You can understand Paul's question in verse 8. If that which is passing away, that which bought death contained so much glory that it changed Moses like this, how much life-changing glory will be in the ministry that brings life? It will be like holding a candle up to the sun at midday, it will be like there was no glory in the old ministry at all. We should expect exposure to this ministry, exposure to the Bible to change us.
In verses 12-18 we're told that just as Moses was hidden behind a veil, so Jesus is hidden behind a veil for some when they read the Bible. Hard minds and veiled eyes are a result of refusing to turn to Jesus as Lord, because only then is the veil removed. And when the veil is removed...what freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When the Lord is working in hearts and minds, in affections and understanding, there is freedom! Freedom from sin, from pride, lust, envy and the million paper cuts that threaten to kill us.
This freedom becomes ours as we are transformed by looking at the Lord. As we behold the Lord in the Scriptures we will be changed. I'm encouraged by the way Paul says our change is 'by degree.' Sometimes it won't feel like much heart change is going on, sometimes it will, but it always is. We can't help but be changed as we behold the glory of the Lord!
But why does this change us? A quick jump to 4:4-6 helps us begin to understand. These were some foundational verses to me as a young Christian, in fact, they still are. What is the fundamental problem that unbelievers have when they read the Bible? They've been blinded so that they can't see, or to use language from 3:17-18, behold, the light that shines from the Gospel. They can't see that which will change them. What is this holiness producing light? The same light that shone into darkness as God spoke creation into being. The light that we behold, the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ is the light we behold as we see Jesus in scripture. This is the light that changes us.This is the light that produces holiness.
Meeting with God through reading the Bible produces holiness. As we see more light, we begin to love aright, and as we love aright, we live aright. We still do what we want to do, but what we want to do has been changed by the glory we've seen in the Bible.
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Why Read The Bible (II)
Yesterday we looked at reasons not to read the Bible. So let's start looking at some of the great reason we should read. I don't know what images Bible reading suggests to you. Maybe you simply don't like reading and it's that part that puts you off. Maybe you're too busy and, despite the best intentions, Bible reading always gets pushed to one side. Maybe you simply don't see the point? If God loves me and i'm saved what more is there to know? Or maybe you just think Bible reading is boring. You've tried and there's nothing in there for you. There's nothing practical to help you, nothing that tells you what you should do in the situations that are worrying you.
Bible reading is one of the pleasures of the Christians day, for at least three reasons i can think of. Today we'll look at the first one. We read the Bible to meet with God.
1st Samuel 3:1 must be one of the saddest single verses in the Bible. The word of the Lord was rare in those days, there was no frequent vision. When Eli was priest no one sought the Lord. No one waited on the Lord, no one searched the Scriptures to hear His voice and be changed by Him. There was no vision. But that wasn't the case one night for Samuel at Shiloh. What happens according to 1st Samuel 3:21? The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel...by the Word of the Lord. Samuel saw the Lord with his ears. His Bible was opened, and he met with the Lord. If we want to meet with God today, or any day, we must have our Bibles opened. The Lord has chosen to communicate in this way, we can not ignore Him!
Who does John say that Jesus is? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Who is with God and also God? Jesus! Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is the final revelation of God the Father. He spoke before at many times and in many different ways, but in these last days He has spoken through His Son. Where do we see His Son? In the Bible. God is the life spreading God. Jesus is the giver of that life. To read the Bible is to get a life!
2nd Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible is breathed out by God. We can trust it because it comes with divine authority and power. And we know we can meet God in the pages of the Bible because they are His Words from His own breath. 2nd Peter 3:16 reminds us that this applies to the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. One of the marks of friendship is the desire to get to know each other, so you talk. Marriage is like one long conversation. If you are serious about knowing God, you'll be serious about reading the Bible.
In the end, our view of the Bible and our view of God are linked. If we struggle to trust one, it's probably because we struggle to trust the other. if we're bored by the Bible, ultimately we're being bored by God.
What's the first answer to the question, why read the Bible? We read the Bible to know God better, both in our affections, and our understanding, as we'll see in the next couple of days...
Bible reading is one of the pleasures of the Christians day, for at least three reasons i can think of. Today we'll look at the first one. We read the Bible to meet with God.
1st Samuel 3:1 must be one of the saddest single verses in the Bible. The word of the Lord was rare in those days, there was no frequent vision. When Eli was priest no one sought the Lord. No one waited on the Lord, no one searched the Scriptures to hear His voice and be changed by Him. There was no vision. But that wasn't the case one night for Samuel at Shiloh. What happens according to 1st Samuel 3:21? The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel...by the Word of the Lord. Samuel saw the Lord with his ears. His Bible was opened, and he met with the Lord. If we want to meet with God today, or any day, we must have our Bibles opened. The Lord has chosen to communicate in this way, we can not ignore Him!
Who does John say that Jesus is? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Who is with God and also God? Jesus! Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is the final revelation of God the Father. He spoke before at many times and in many different ways, but in these last days He has spoken through His Son. Where do we see His Son? In the Bible. God is the life spreading God. Jesus is the giver of that life. To read the Bible is to get a life!
2nd Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible is breathed out by God. We can trust it because it comes with divine authority and power. And we know we can meet God in the pages of the Bible because they are His Words from His own breath. 2nd Peter 3:16 reminds us that this applies to the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. One of the marks of friendship is the desire to get to know each other, so you talk. Marriage is like one long conversation. If you are serious about knowing God, you'll be serious about reading the Bible.
In the end, our view of the Bible and our view of God are linked. If we struggle to trust one, it's probably because we struggle to trust the other. if we're bored by the Bible, ultimately we're being bored by God.
What's the first answer to the question, why read the Bible? We read the Bible to know God better, both in our affections, and our understanding, as we'll see in the next couple of days...
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Why Read The Bible (I)
Why should Christians read the Bible? That's the question we're going to be looking at over the next couple of days.
I guess before we start, we should talk about bad reasons to read the Bible. There are bad reasons to read the Bible? Sure. Reading the Bible well needs prayer and attention, if we read the Bible for the wrong reason, we're bound to be lacking one of those.
So, we don't read the Bible to do God a favour. Father, Son and Holy Spirit will do just fine forever, if you and i never open the Bible again. He is not sitting on the edge of His seat waiting for us to do Him a favour. A God that needs us, or anything outside of Himself to be satisfied is no sort of God. If we read the Bible to do God a favour, it will probably always be a joyless experience. Our eyes won't be on Christ, they'll be on the clock, we won't see beauty in the narrative, but boredom, they'll be no grace beheld in the law, just the demands of an insecure deity. Don't read the Bible to do God a favour!
And don't read the Bible to earn points. A verse a day keeps the devil away right? No! Bible reading is not a magic spell to keep us close to Jesus, it's not something we do to earn our boy-scout badge. Again, this view of the Bible points to a very low view of God. A God of the notebook, a God who is keeping score. When we read the Bible this way, again, there will be no joy. There will be concern that we haven't read long enough or well enough, guilt when we can't read for some reason. Again, our eyes won't be on Jesus, they will be on us, and when, ten minutes later, we've forgotten what we've just read, we'll feel condemned. Don't read the Bible to earn points, because, however deep down it is, you know you'll never earn enough.
The Bible is not 'basic instructions before leaving earth.' If it is, what sort of instruction is the genealogies, or the temple laws, or the battles? The Bible is not a book about you and me, so don't read it like that. Paul was writing to Rome, not Greenville, Jeremiah prophesied to exiles in Babylon, not the 21st century secular world. You and I are not in the Bible. We're just not there, so stop trying to find yourself. Look at Jesus instead, behold Him in Genesis, bathe in His love in the Song, be convicted by Him in the Gospels and honour Him in all of life in the letters.
Simply, if we read the Bible for any other reason than to make much of God in Christ, we'll miss the point. Open the Bible, and search the city for your beloved...
I guess before we start, we should talk about bad reasons to read the Bible. There are bad reasons to read the Bible? Sure. Reading the Bible well needs prayer and attention, if we read the Bible for the wrong reason, we're bound to be lacking one of those.
So, we don't read the Bible to do God a favour. Father, Son and Holy Spirit will do just fine forever, if you and i never open the Bible again. He is not sitting on the edge of His seat waiting for us to do Him a favour. A God that needs us, or anything outside of Himself to be satisfied is no sort of God. If we read the Bible to do God a favour, it will probably always be a joyless experience. Our eyes won't be on Christ, they'll be on the clock, we won't see beauty in the narrative, but boredom, they'll be no grace beheld in the law, just the demands of an insecure deity. Don't read the Bible to do God a favour!
And don't read the Bible to earn points. A verse a day keeps the devil away right? No! Bible reading is not a magic spell to keep us close to Jesus, it's not something we do to earn our boy-scout badge. Again, this view of the Bible points to a very low view of God. A God of the notebook, a God who is keeping score. When we read the Bible this way, again, there will be no joy. There will be concern that we haven't read long enough or well enough, guilt when we can't read for some reason. Again, our eyes won't be on Jesus, they will be on us, and when, ten minutes later, we've forgotten what we've just read, we'll feel condemned. Don't read the Bible to earn points, because, however deep down it is, you know you'll never earn enough.
The Bible is not 'basic instructions before leaving earth.' If it is, what sort of instruction is the genealogies, or the temple laws, or the battles? The Bible is not a book about you and me, so don't read it like that. Paul was writing to Rome, not Greenville, Jeremiah prophesied to exiles in Babylon, not the 21st century secular world. You and I are not in the Bible. We're just not there, so stop trying to find yourself. Look at Jesus instead, behold Him in Genesis, bathe in His love in the Song, be convicted by Him in the Gospels and honour Him in all of life in the letters.
Simply, if we read the Bible for any other reason than to make much of God in Christ, we'll miss the point. Open the Bible, and search the city for your beloved...
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