WAIT ON THE LORD Concluded
The second Hebrew word translated “wait” seems obscure, but it is, nevertheless, a vital part of our waiting that builds faith and patience.
“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”
Isaiah 64:4 NLT
In Paul’s explanation regarding the mystery of God’s redemption plan, which was hidden from the fallen spiritual rulers of the nations, but revealed in Christ, he quoted from Isaiah 64:4
“No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
1 Corinthians 2:7-9 NLT
The unspiritual mind i.e., those who are dead to God because of sin, cannot conceive of or even understand the mystery of God’s plan for those who believe in Him, or as Paul puts it, those who love Him. How does this statement connect with Isaiah’s?
Paul’s quote seems to present an interpretation not found in Isaiah’s statement. He uses the word “love” in place of “wait”. How does he express his connection with Isaiah?
The word “wait” in Isaiah 64:4 has an alternative meaning which translators ignored. The word “chakah”, translated “wait” comes from a primitive root associated with piercing.
Where in the Bible is the concept of piercing used?
“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.”
Exodus 21:5-6 NLT
The love of the slave for his master and family caused him to submit to the ritual of ear piercing. The blood on the door post was a perpetual reminder that he belonged to his master and could never be sold to another.
“Blood on the door post”? Another picture of belonging! The children of Israel were saved from the angel of death in Egypt because the blood on the door posts of their houses indicated that they belonged to God.
Jesus was pierced for us that we might belong to God.
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honour God with your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
It is our love for Jesus and our obedience to His Word that indicates that we are bound to Him forever because He was pierced for us. We participate in that piercing by being “in Christ” through faith in Him.
How does this concept of piercing connect with waiting on God?
Our love for God is based on our confidence in His trustworthiness. We can wait for Him by weaving our “faith rope” because our “piercing” guarantees that He will answer us for our good and for His glory in His time.
What a marvellous reassurance… that, because we belong to God through His Son’s death, He will always do the best for us. Our faith grows stronger as we wait, our character of steadfastness, patience, and loyalty grows in the likeness of Jesus.
Waiting, then, is not idleness, kicking our heels impatiently while we beg God to intervene. Waiting is a period of steadfast growth in faith and character as God works His will for us.
Monthly Archives: September 2023
WAIT ON THE LORD
WAIT ON THE LORD
How often we are told in Scripture to wait on the Lord! We have an issue;
we cry out to God for help; then we are told to wait…. The last thing we want
to do us wait when we need a solution NOW.
So, what is this waiting about? What does it mean to wait?
So far, I have found two Hebrew words, translated “wait”, that throw
light on the process of waiting for God to act on our behalf.
The first word is “qavah” meaning, among other ideas, to bind
together by twisting. This is a picture, in ancient Hebrew, of a rope maker. He
buys strands for his rope from the peasants in the market. Some strands are
good quality, others inferior, but he uses them all in the making of his rope.
This illustrates the process of “twisting” our life experiences into
a “rope” of faith that connects us to God. As we wait, i.e.,
“twist together” the strands of our lives, good and bad, and we are
creating the faith that connects us with God.
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to
come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who
sincerely seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith
and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Hebrews 6:12 NIV
So, waiting is the process of developing the faith that God rewards.
Patience is an essential part of that process. The Greek word,
“makrothumia” implies longsuffering, the willingness to endure
whatever it takes to get the outcome you desire.
God works in His way and in His time to develop in us those qualities which
reflect His nature in us. His agenda is always, in the end, to transform us
into the likeness of Jesus. He uses all of our life experiences, including
those we struggle with and cry out to Him for help, to twist together a rope of
faith that waits for Him to work “for our good in all things.
This kind of faith takes us from “trusting God for… ” (the way in which
we get what we want) to “trusting God…” (the person in whom we put
our trust).
To be continued…
THE PROBLEM OF INSECURITY
THE PROBLEM OF INSECURITY
We have focused on the two Sauls in Scripture, the one who failed because of his insecurity. He didn’t trust God. The other who went all the way to death, secure and at peace, because he believed God’s promises.
The problem of insecurity is unbelief. When we refuse to take God at His Word, we put our confidence in things or people that are bound to fail us – money and possessions, fame, physical beauty, or achievements. All are worldly crutches which will not last.
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 NLT
We can only be secure and at peace when we trust and live in what God has said about us. Our condition was hopeless – helpless sinners, separated from God, guilty, condemned, and headed for eternal death until God stepped in.
Jesus died in our place. He took our sin, paid our debt and removed sin’s guilt and power forever.
We are now forgiven, cleansed, redeemed, and set free from sin’s power, restored to fellowship with God, filled with and led by the Holy Spirit, given God’s nature, united to Jesus, adopted into God’s family, loved by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, part of the Body of Christ, His Bride, and eagerly awaiting His return.
As if that is not enough, God has promised us an eternity in His presence, in His Kingdom, with eternal rewards we are yet to discover.
How, then, can we ever be insecure in a topsy-turvy world unless we don’t believe what God has promised.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises…”
2 Peter 1:3-5a NLT
We have only ourselves to blame if we are not secure and at peace regardless of what goes on around us.
PRAYER
O God, forgive my foolishness for not believing every promise you have made regarding my security in you. I doubt your Word because your promises seem to be too good to be true.
But you, God are true. You said, “I am who I am.” That means that you are always true to yourself. You can never go back on what you have said.
Lord, please help my unbelief. I choose to take your promises at face value and make them my own. In an uncertain world, I need the security of your unchanging Word based on your unchanging character.
Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me and setting my feet on the solid rock of your truth.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT “ALL THINGS”?
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT “ALL THINGS”?
I love definitions because they add meaning and colour to the words that I so
often use without understanding.
Take, for example, the word “good” in Romans 8:28.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good
of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:28 NLT
“Good” can mean anything I want it to mean, or it could mean nothing
to me without a definition.
I found the meaning of “good” in Strong’s Concordance intriguing.
– Lexical: ἀγαθός
– Transliteration: agathos
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Phonetic Spelling: ag-ath-os’
– Definition: intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be
so or not, the widest and most colourless of all words with this meaning….
Another meaning of “good” according to ancient Hebrew understanding
is “functional”, i.e., that which works.
So, God is working for us, in all our circumstances, good or bad, that which is
functional, whether we see it like that or not.
Now, isn’t that comforting! This truth puts God in the centre of what is
happening in our lives at any time. Nothing is accidental, coincidental, or
purposeless, not matter how unpleasant or uncomfortable it may be at the time.
Of course, this does not mean that God causes our difficult circumstances.
Sometimes we are the engineers of trial and trouble through our own
foolishness. It does mean, however, that He uses the adversities, whether we
cause them or not, for our good.
However, the meaning of “good” can be very broad. We need to read it
in its context to understand “good” in greater detail.
Our problem is that we often don’t read enough to connect our word with its
context. When we read on in Romans 8, the context focuses us in, like
binoculars, on the purpose for the good God is working for us.
“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like
his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters.”
Romans 8:29 NLT
Suddenly, what was vague becomes clear. Again, like a pair of binoculars, we
see God zeroing in on Jesus His Son, as the prototype of every person born into
His kingdom. He requires that all His children should be perfect replicas of
Jesus!
Wow? How is that possible? He does it by using “all things” to shape
and prune us until everything that does not resemble Jesus, is removed. God is
determined to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10), sons who love, trust,
obey, and submit to Him in all things, to be like Jesus who is the prototype of
all His brothers.
We will never reach perfection in this life but, thankfully, John puts the
final piece into the puzzle.
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown
us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be
like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
1 John 3:2 NLT
That’s it! God will put the finishing touches to His work when we come face to
face with Jesus. The sight of His glory, which we saw only partially in this
life, will transform us instantly into HIS perfect likeness.
“So, all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the
glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like
him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
So, what does this all mean for us?
1. Submit joyfully to God’s “all things”! Submit, submit, and
again I say, submit.
2. Gaze unceasingly on the glory of Jesus. Gaze, gaze, and again I say, gaze!
We become what we focus on. Some believers see the devil behind every bush.
It’s no wonder they struggle so much with sin! Others see Jesus in every dark
cloud, and problems become opportunities.
So..
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on
things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now
hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you
also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:1-4 NIV
THE LAZARUS EVENT
THE LAZARUS EVENT
Something drastic changed Lazarus forever!
Why did Jesus leave him to die? Couldn’t He have just healed him to accomplish
His purposes?
Jesus never does anything by half measures. Even if it takes time and distress
for those involved, He will do a thorough and complete work for our good and
His glory.
Many details come together in this Lazarus event. Jesus was destined for the
cross. He called it “being glorified”. Raising Lazarus from death was
the final event that triggered the religious leaders to move against Him… the
final nail in His coffin, if you will.
First get rid of Lazarus because the sight of him made them mad at Jesus. Then
kill Jesus because He was the thorn in their flesh.
“When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him
and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the
leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that
many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.”
John 12:9-11 NLT
“Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising
him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason
so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.
Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look,
everyone has gone after him!”
John 12:17-19 NLT
Whenever we read snippets about the Bethany siblings, Lazarus is missing. Why?
Did he have an issue with Jesus? We don’t know. Perhaps he stayed out of the
way because he was not convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. His sisters were
fascinated with Jesus but not him!
So, Jesus needed a powerful way to convince Him that He was who He said He was.
Then Lazarus became deathly sick….
In tune with the Holy Spirit, Jesus whiles away two more days before He moves
to go back to Bethany. The disciples are puzzled. According to Jesus, Lazarus
is beyond help, so why go back to the danger zone?
We know well the events that happened on His return to Bethany. Jesus appears
to be sure of His every move. Encounters with the sisters, patiently dealing
with their rebuke and confusion over His seeming indifference to their
desperate cry for help, He’s got it all in hand.
Then the miracle! He brought others back to life, but never one whose
body had already begun to return to dust. Lazarus shuffles from the open tomb,
still shrouded in grave cloths…
Fast forward to the following week. A massive banquet was held in honour of
Jesus…Martha in her element, doing what she loved to do, making magic in her
kitchen…Mary where she loved to be, at Jesus’ feet, worshipping Him with her
best gift.
Where was Lazarus? Right there at the table, sharing in the celebration meal!
What had changed? Lazarus! I wonder, did Lazarus taste the terrible experience
of dying outside of faith in Jesus? Did Jesus let him die to put this little
family back on track?
Martha, doing what she did best with no pressure on her sister. Mary, utterly
convinced and at peace with her Messiah. Lazarus, finally accepting and loving
the presence of Jesus in his life. A family united in Jesus, at last!
As I said at the beginning, Jesus doesn’t do things by half measures. He always
completes what He started. So, instead of trying to hurry the process or cut it
short through unbelief, why not let Jesus do His work unhindered because His
outcome is always the best!