Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures
[1 Corinthians 15:3]
Why does Paul say it twice in this passage, that both Jesus’ dying for our sins and his rising from the grave happened, “according to the Scriptures”?
Apparently he thought it was a crucial part of the gospel to know, even for 1st-century Gentiles from Corinth. But why is that? Why is God’s foretelling the good news such a crucial part of it?
One reason is that it gives us confidence that all of his promises will one day come to pass. God has proven his trustworthiness by telling us beforehand what he was going to do through Christ, and then doing it.
Therefore, believers can really believe that the gospel is good news (and not just a false prophecy), because we know that God will carry out all of his saving promises to the end, just as he has perfectly carried out all of his other promises so far (cf. Joshua 21:45).
On the other hand, unbelivers can really fear his wrath, for God will likewise carry out all of his dreadful promises of judgment against those who persevere in sin.
Posted by Johnathon under
Commentary 1 Comment
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
[Psalm 119:14-16]
In Psalm 119:14-16, the poet gushes over God’s statutes like one who has found a trove of jewels. For the psalmist, the Bible is a book full of booty.
But notice how this gushing functions in the context of the entire stanza. In the beginning verses (9-11) he writes:
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
God’s word is a feast for the heart and it is a bouncer that keeps the riff-raff out of our souls. But the two are not unrelated concepts because the feast feeds the bouncer. In other words, it is by delighting in the way of God’s testimonies that we keep ourselves from sinning against him. By gorging ourselves with revelation, we starve our appetite for rebellion.
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
[Psalm 119:14-16]
The title is cheesy, but true. Obedience is first an attitude. It is the inner condition of being content to trust and follow our heavenly Father.
What you do in response to that or how you do it—though important considerations—are secondary issues. To make them primary is a big mistake: it fools us into thinking that we can do religion, with the result that we often bypass the heart.
The psalmist here has it right: he delights in God and his word. He is happy to hear and heed his Father’s voice.
This emphasis on heartfelt obedience is the tenor of the entire Bible (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:5-6; Psalm 1:1-2; Matthew 22:36-40).
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
[Psalm 118:13-14]
It is a repeated theme of Scripture: instead of saving us from peril, the Lord saves us in the midst of peril.
In Psalm 118, the Lord did not prevent the psalmist from being pushed hard in battle. He even let him begin falling.
Why does God so often do it that way? Why doesn’t he just prevent the trial and its dangers and its pains?
Paul’s experience is telling:
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. [2 Corinthians 1:8-10]
The Lord does it this way to root out our self-reliance and force us to either reject him or cast ourselves on him. He does it for our good, since our self-reliance does not benefit us but only limits our experience of him. He does it so that he himself will be our sustenance and our tune.
Only by trial and danger does he become our deliverance.
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
[Psalm 118:13-14]
Unless he had been pushed hard, the psalmist wouldn’t have experienced God’s helping hand.
The pushes in my life have been slight compared to many, but I can affirm with praise in my heart that,
- Unless my missions team had gone through significant relational difficulties, I wouldn’t have gained as much appreciation for God’s solid and unchanging word.
- Unless a potential marriage relationship had crashed, I wouldn’t have known the deeper comforts of God’s love or be as hopeful about Jesus’ return as I am now.
- Unless my van had broken down last winter, I wouldn’t have experienced the Father’s care in generously providing me free transportation and maintenance through his saints.
What push can you praise God for?
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear …
The LORD is on my side as my helper …
[Psalm 118:6-7]
“On my side” is an ambiguous phrase. In English it can mean at least two different things:
- God always agrees with me. He supports me no matter what I do and will never go against me.
- God knows what is best for me, and he wants me to have it. Therefore he will deny my desires, let me fall, or actively oppose me when necessary.
I believe Psalm 118 is talking about the second option.
First of all, the Hebrew for “on my side” here translates literally as “for me” (see NET Bible note), which helps us see that the connotations for “on my side” that are in English—such as option #1—are probably not there in the original.
Secondly, 12 verses later we hear the speaker say, “The LORD has disciplined me severely,” which is evidence in this same psalm that God doesn’t always go easy on us or let us have our own way.
In love God sometimes deals us a hard hand that goes against our natural desires. But in the end he is doing us good.
Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. (Psalm 118:5-8)
Mankind is bent toward worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). This is our universal malady and the root of all sin. We have all turned our backs on God, the fountain of living water, and have hewed out for ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).
One of the chief expressions of this wicked inclination is the love of money. Rather than searching for our satisfaction, security, and identity in God, we search for it in dollar bills. I can’t see God, but I can sure see a paycheck.
Psalm 118 addresses this idolatry head-on. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Answer: ultimately, nothing. Why? Answer: “The LORD is on my side as my helper; [because of this I know that] I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.” Therefore, because of this unshakable hope, the Psalmist can say, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”
Having God on your side is greater than any earthly prop, money included. The author of Hebrews picks up on this and writes, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
In Christ, God is for us and not against us (Romans 8:31-32). He is on our side as our helper because of the cross. Therefore, we don’t need the false security that money promises and are free to live lives of lavish generosity!
Children Desiring God has just made available a CD of all of this year’s Fighter Verses put to music. Here’s the description:
These songs were written and arranged to be an effective tool to help you and your family memorize and recall God’s Word as a companion to the Fighter Verse Scripture memory system. This music CD contains the ESV Set D (of the five set, A-E) Fighter Verses. Composed and produced by members of Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis so that God’s Word might be treasured, memorized and applied.
You can go to the product page to listen to song samples and to purchase ($7.50).
HT:SJ
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
[Psalm 105:4]
Why should I seek God’s strength?
- [P]ower belongs to God.
[Psalm 62:11c]
- [H]e is the one who gives power and strength.
[Psalm 68:35c]
- I am poor and needy.
[Psalm 40:17b; 70:5a; 86:1c; 109:22a]
- He has pity on the weak and the needy.
[Psalm 72:13a]
- He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
[Isaiah 40:29]
- … to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
[2 Corinthians 4:7]
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
[Psalm 105:4]
The seeking spoken of in this verse is not like kind you do when you play “hide-n-seek.” God ain’t hiding (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19).
Then what does the psalmist mean? The seeking he recommends sounds more like that of Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
That is, this verse is not so much a call to discovery as it is a call to devotion.
Sure, there are things you discover about God as you devote yourself to him. But the gist of this verse is more like,
“Hey, you know God! You’ve seen his deeds (v.1). You’ve seen his works (v.2). So why would you wander away from him? Stay near! Pursue his presence! Don’t join the crowd that will one day wish God was hidden (Revelation 6:15-17).”
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