Wives, Submission and the Rest of the Story - Day 276 Through the Bible

Burnsille, NC Public Art

Title:  Ann-Marie   Medium:  Stone and Steel   Artist:  Carl Peverall

TRAC (Toe River Arts Council) 828-682-7215

My Lessons and Applications from Today's Readings

(Ellipses are mine and are used for contemplation.)

Chastised in Fury, Saved in Mercy, for His Glory - Isaiah 59 and 60 (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) – God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah.  Does God sill intervene in our lives?  The reminder:  God still saves.  He still hears.  “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; nor is His ear heavy that it cannot hear.”  Why is God not coming to the rescue of His people?  Because of their…iniquity.  What iniquity?  Because…”their hands are defiled with blood….they have spoken lies…perversity…no one calls for justice…nor pleads for truth…but they trust in empty words…speak lies (X 2)…conceive evil…bring forth iniquity…violence…evil…causing wasting…destruction…have not known the way of peace…have made for themselves crooked paths.”  Who or what testifies against us? “Our sins, transgressions, iniquities testify against us…in transgressing against….lying against…departing from our God…speaking oppression…revolt…conceiving of and uttering falsehood…justice, truth, righteousness  and equity are turned back…and he who departs from evil makes himself its prey.”    The LORD intervenes into the idolatry, apostasy and evil.   God brings His own salvation, righteousness, recompense to evil.  “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him…for those…who turn from transgression.”  The promise of the LORD:  “He will put His words in His people’s mouths and His Spirit upon His people from generation to generation – forever.”  God’s call:  “Arise…shine…lift up your eyes to see…FOR the glory of the LORD has come upon you.  In My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I have mercy on you.”  The enemies will be turned into His people’s servants.  Peace will reign in place of violence and sorrow… THAT…”you shall know that I the LORD am your Savior…your Redeemer…the Mighty One of Jacob…THAT…I may be glorified.”  Principle: Some of the oppression we experience is the result of our sin.  There will be divine consequences when His people sin, YET He will show mercy when transgressors repent and turn from their wickedness back to Him.  This is for His people’s good and His own glory.

Glory To God – Not to Us – Psalm 115: 1-2 (Facts:  What It Says – Summarized) “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us...but...to Your name give glory…because…of Your mercy…Your truth.  Why should the Gentiles say, ‘So where is their God?’  But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”  Principle: Soli Deo Gloria!

Exhortations to Believers -Ephesians 5:17-33 - Facts:  What It Says – Summarized)   (From verses 15-16:  “Walk circumspectly…redeeming the time…BECAUSE…the days are evil”)….”THEREFORE…be not unwise…but…understand what the will of the Lord is.  Do not be drunk with wine…but…be filled with the Spirit…speaking to one another in psalms…hymns…spiritual songs…singing…making melody in your heart to the Lord…giving thanks…always…for all things…to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.  “Wives submit to…respect...your husbands since he is your head as Christ is the head of the church.  Husbands love your wives (X 4)…as your own bodies…just as…Christ loved the church…and…gave Himself...for her.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but…nourishes…cherishes…it, just as the Lord does the church.  FOR we are members of His body…His flesh…and of His bones.  FOR THIS REASON…a man shall leave his father and mother…and be joined to…his wife…and the two shall become…one flesh.  This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular…so love…his own wife…as himself…and let the wife see that she…respects…her husband.”

Principle:  Those who “possess” – not just “profess” - faith will manifest that faith outwardly in behavior – in a circumspect, sober, Spirit-filled life of constant gratitude to God.  Particularly, this proven faith will manifest itself in a Christian marriage that emulates Christ's love for the church, where the husband so loves his wife that he would gladly give his life for her, and where the wife will submit to and respect her husband.

My Lessons and Applications:  It is a somewhat acerbic joke among many that if you have ever attended a Baptist church you have already heard the one sermon:  “Wives, be submissive to your husbands and tithe ten percent.”  I heard the “Wives, submit to your husband” sermon so often growing up, that I found myself just skimming over the more lengthy following commands to the husband.  One of the most memorable sermons I heard on this passage was in a very strict Bible church (with a staff of well-educated, seminary professors and pastors and where only men were allowed to speak in church.)  The “preaching elder” said that if the exhortation to the husband to love his wife were followed and lived day-by-day, there would be no concern about the wife submitting to or respecting her husband. This same patriarchal church said that in the 40 or 50 years of their own marital counseling and study, a very great majority of marital problems (they actually gave a percentage that was about 90%) stemmed from the husband – not the wife – contrary to what many of us have been led to believe in pulpit sermons on this passage.  Just thought I would give voice to “the rest of the story” that we rarely hear preached!  My application here is the importance of my knowing the Bible in its entirety – not just sitting under the Ministry of the Word, as important as that is.  I must allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me, listen to what He has to say to me about my particular situation.  I must have a personal relationship with God, not just an hour spent on Sunday listening to someone else tell me what God is saying.  As in Isaiah, I must know when the Holy Spirit is convicting me – when my sins speak against me.  I must confess and turn from wickedness in order to maintain my close walk with God.  One of the lessons that has most struck me this year in the reading through the Bible is the immense importance of my praise to God…of having a thankful heart and voicing that to Him often…regardless of the circumstances…of just being alone with Him, loving Him…enjoying Him…glorifying Him now and forever!

Arise, Shine.  Isaiah 60:1  “Arise from the dead.”  Ephesians 5:14

When the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, ‘Buck up,’ we find that the initiative is inspired.  It comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing.  The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is the life comes after we do the “bucking up.”  Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – ‘Stretch forth thy hand,’ and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative.  If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.  We must do the thing and not lie like a log.  If we will arise and shine, drudgery becomes divinely transfigured.  When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it.  Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Your Light Shall Break Forth Like the Morning---Day 275 Through the Bible

                                           "Your light shall break forth like the morning." Isaiah 58:8

(Scripture readings for today: Isaiah 57:1-58:14; Psalm 114:1-8; Proverbs 26:22; Ephesians 5:1-16)

These chapters in Isaiah contain some of my favorite scriptures. When faced with the death of a beloved family member or friend I find a great deal of comfort in knowing that God says those who are saved and pass from this life are, in fact, taken away from evil (Isaiah 57:1).  In this chapter, God proceeds to reprimand those caught up in idolatry--"Also behind the doors and their posts you have set up your remembrance (pagan symbols). God says, "You are wearied in the length of your way; yet you did not say, 'There is not hope'. You have found the life of your hand; therefore you were not grieved" (v.10).  When things are going well for us--even if we're caught up in sin--we are unlikely to be grieved.

God says He inhabits eternity, His name is Holy, and He dwells "with him who has a contrite and humble spirit" (v.15).  God goes on to say, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 'There is no peace', says my God, 'for the wicked'" (v. 20-21).

God's people in chapter 58, appear to "take delight in approaching God" (v. 2), and yet God says, "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers".  Verse 4, "You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high". God describes the fast of His choosing in verse 5,----"A day for a man to afflict his soul (in contrast, they found pleasure)? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?  Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?"  (Do we view fasting from God's perspective?)

God addressed the fact that His people fasted "for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness" (v. 4). They desired to have the upper hand rather than humble themselves before God in sackcloth and ashes. God asks, "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?"  (Fasting is to bring a change of heart and attitude in the one who is fasting.  It is not a "hunger strike" to try and convince God to do what we want.) Yet, these people were seeking pleasure and exploiting those who worked for them. We are to fast in a manner that humbles us--we are to have "the wind knocked out of our sails" so to speak, to be reminded of our human frailty and to have pride knocked out of us. God is looking for that contrite and humble spirit that He mentioned in chapter 57:15.

The desired outcome of a fast that meets God's criteria?---"To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke". Fasting, when done correctly, reminds us we are all in the same (fleshly) boat and should result in increased compassion for others so that we are willing to "share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh" (v. 7).

When our pride is squelched and we begin to realize everything doesn't revolve around us, we begin to really see those around us, and our humbled hearts become filled with compassion.  Fasting serves to change us from the perspective of our weakness--God's says His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). God cannot liberate us when we refuse to turn loose of our pride. God describes the spiritual breakthrough that comes from proper prayer and fasting in this manner: "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily" (Isaiah 58:8).  Ephesians 5:8, says it this way, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. . .finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (v. 10).  "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (v.14)!

Come to the Waters, Come to Me - Day 274 Through the Bible

Burnsville, NC Public Art – near Mt. Celo Church

Title:  Stream   Medium:  Ferro Cement   Artist:  Martin Webster

TRAC (Toe River Arts Council: 828-682-7215)

My Lessons and Applications from Today’s Readings

(Ellipses are mine and are used for contemplation.)

Come to the Waters, to Me – Isaiah 55 and 56 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) – We are called. God is continuing to call His people…and all people…everywhere…from all nations…you who thirst…you who have no money…to…”come to Me…listen carefully to Me… incline your ear…”seek the LORD while He may be found…Call upon Him while He is near.”  We are admonished. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy?  We are promised.  “Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you.”  We are exhorted.  “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD. Keep justice…do righteousness…keep from defiling the Sabbath…keep from doing any evil” We are warned and comforted.  “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it.”  We are all included as believers.  “The foreigner…the eunuchs…everyone…who keeps from defiling the Sabbath…and holds fast My covenant…even them…I will bring to My hold mountain…even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off…For My house shall be called…a house of prayer…for all nations…The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.’” Principle: The Jewish nation has been chosen, has refused God, except for a remnant.  Now all are invited and will be accepted into the kingdom of God in Christ (the “yet” by which He will gather us all) through faith (exemplified in obedience) by His grace.

Praise the LORD – Psalm 113: 5-9 (Facts; What It Says – Summarized)  “Praise the LORD…who dwells on high…who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth.  He raises….the poor…out of the dust…lifts…the needy…out of the heap…THAT He may seat him with princes…with the princes of His people…He grants…the barren woman…a home…like a joyful mother of children.  Praise the LORD!” Principle: God in Christ raises, lifts, grants a home to those with none, along with His people.  Again, this is the gathering of all people – the Jew and the Gentile in Christ.

Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace – Ephesians 4 (Facts: What  It Says – Summarized) – Paul is reminding the Ephesians – and us – of the “good work” to which we were called as unified believers…in Christ…through the cross…both the Jew and the Gentile…in the new man.  He begs…beseeches us to “walk worthy of this calling…with all lowliness…gentleness…long-suffering…endeavoring to keep…the unity of the Spirit…in the bond of peace.”  This unity, the apostle says, is made possible through Christ Himself “who gave some to be apostles…some prophets…some evangelists…some pastors and teachers…FOR…the equipping of the saints…for the work of ministry…for the edifying…of the body of Christ…till…we all come…to the unity of the faith…and…of the knowledge…of the Son of God…to a perfect man…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…no longer tossed to and from…and carried about with every wind of doctrine…by the trickery of men…in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…but speaking the truth in love…may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ .”  Paul reminds us we are a…whole body…in Christ…”joined…and knit together…every joint doing its part, causing the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”  The old man : futility of their minds…alienated from God…blinded in their hearts.. past feeling…have given themselves to lewdness…to work all uncleanness…with greediness.  But we, the new man…”have been taught by Christ…put off our former conduct…are being renewed in the spirit of our minds…in true righteousness and holiness…putting away lying…speaking the truth…members of one another…being angry but not sinning...letting no corrupt word proceed out of our mouths but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearer…not grieving the Holy Spirit of God…putting away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, all malice…being kind to one another…tenderhearted…forgiving one another…even as God in Christ Jesus forgave us.”  Principle:  God has come in Christ to reconcile the world – both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, man and woman - to Himself – in unity – as one new man.  As such, we are called to a new life, a renewed mind, a different conduct – possible only through the leading of the Holy Spirit within us.

My Lessons and Applications:  I sit under heavy conviction as I read these admonitions of the apostle, knowing how much I fall short of the perfection required here.  Then I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that this is an ongoing work, an ongoing struggle as we remain in the flesh – the Spirit within us warring with our flesh.  I am reminded of the essence of sitting under the Ministry of the Word, of studying, meditating upon and applying the Word of God…until Christ is formed in me…in fullness.. at the redemption.  I am reminded that keeping the unity of the Spirit – in the bond of peace on earth is a continuous endeavor as we stand against the old man we are putting off and “the prince of the power of the air, and the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2: 2)  I am humbled that holy God – in His love for us, His mercy, His grace cares so much to bring us all into communion with Himself that He sent Jesus to die for our sins, that He has torn down the walls and veil of separation, that our Lord and Savior still continually makes intercession for us at the right hand of God, that we are granted constant access – even now – to the very throne of Almighty God, in the heavenly places, through prayer – to speak with our heavenly Father.  Am I hastening to His throne for others…for His kingdom?  Am I fulfilling my part in fitting together and building up His kingdom work here on earth?

 Till we all come…unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  Eph. 4:13

Rehabilitation means the putting back of the whole human race into the relationship God designed it to be in, and this is what Jesus Christ did in Redemption.  The Church ceases to be a spiritual society when it is on the lookout for the development of its own organization.  The rehabilitation of the human race on Jesus Christ’s plan means the realization of Jesus Christ in corporate life as well as in individual life.  Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this purpose – that the corporate Personality might be realized.  We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy spiritual retirement; we are here to realize Jesus Christ that the Body of Christ may be built up.  Am I building up the Body of Christ, or am I looking for my own personal development only?  The essential thing is my personal relationship to Jesus Christ – “That I may know HIM…in entire abandonment to Him..”  It will be a big humiliation to realize that I have not been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ, but only about realizing what He has done for me.  My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

 Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

The Riches of His Glory---Day 273 Through the Bible

                              "From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised."
                                                                    Psalm 113:3

(Today's Scripture readings are: Isaiah 53:1-54:17; Psalm 113:1-4; Proverbs 26:17-19; Ephesians 3:1-21)

"A man of sorrows acquainted with grief"; a man despised and rejected by men. "And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities . . .all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  Isaiah 53, does not contain an artist's rendering of Christ's facial features and physical frame. Rather, God reveals the Messiah's impact on the world and mankind's less than accepting response to that impact. It describes His perfect life--"He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth" (v. 9).  The prophet Isaiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives an account of His death and what was accomplished by it.  It raises our awareness of His familiarity with sorrows and His acquaintance with grief.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John bear witness in the New Testament to the fulfillment of this prophecy. "He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors" (v.12). What was accomplished in His death is also revealed in these same verses: "By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities . . .And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors".

Israel is compared to a childless woman in Isaiah 54, (an embarrassment and disgrace in the culture of that time). God explains that His forsaking of Israel was similar to "the waters of Noah's flood" (v. 9)--temporary.  God's kindness and mercy never depart even though our sins result in affliction. God describes the beautiful foundation He will lay for His beloved people, weary of sin.  "O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established" (v. 11-14).  He promises in verse 17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord".

"From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:1-4). What a wonderful (memory) verse with which to begin the day!  The writer of Proverbs in his God-given wisdom advises about meddling in a quarrel that is not our own and compares it to "(taking) a dog by the ears" (26:17).  The man who deceives his neighbor and says he was joking is compared to "a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death" (v.18-19).

Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14, that he "bows (his) knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named".  (There's so much "meat" in this passage, lets take it a phrase at a time.) "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man". (According to The Life Application Study Bible, Paul may have intended for this letter (Ephesians) to be circulated to all the churches in the area--not just at Ephesus--the phrase "at Ephesus", in chapter 1, verse 1, does not appear in the earliest manuscripts.) "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith".  "That you, being rooted and grounded in love" (v. 17). "May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" (v. 18).  "That you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (v. 19).  "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (something to remember as we pray), according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (v. 20-21).  (Ephesians is broken down into two sections in The Life Application Study Bible. Section One addresses "Unity in Christ" and finishes with verse 21, which is considered a doxology or hymn of praise to God.)

We are left with much to digest in these passage in both Isaiah and Ephesians. They are filled with food for thought as well as food for prayer as we consider our place in the body of Christ and the Christ described in Isaiah 53, our Redeemer and Lord!