Tag Archives: Written in the dust

SOME PUZZLES OF SCRIPTURE

Bible Study, ,

What did Jesus write in the dust?

Another intriguing story appears in John 7 and 8.

During the Festival of Shelters, after an altercation with His brothers, Jesus went from Galilee to the festival in Jerusalem but secretly, at first.

‭John 7:14-15, 31-32, 45-48 NLT‬
[14] “Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. [15] The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.

[31]Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?” [32] When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus… “

… but the Temple guards returned empty-handed.

[45]”When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” [46] “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded. [47] “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. [48] “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? [49] This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”

The members of the Sanhedrin revealed their contempt for Jesus and His teaching, rejecting His offer of the ‘living water’ He came to provide for His spiritually thirsty people.

The high priest, carrying out the water ritual at the end of the Festival, poured a jar of water onto the ground, water that would do no more than drain away into the soil. In response, Jesus stood up and loudly offered ‘living water’ to those who were thirsty. (John interpreted Jesus’ invitation to refer to the Holy Spirit who would be ‘poured out’ after His death).

The sequel to the story is recorded in John 8. Although this story has been omitted from some early manuscripts, it fits perfectly into the context of John 7.

The Pharisees hated Jesus so much that they set a trap for Him. Knowing His passion to show mercy, they wanted to catch Him out for not upholding the Law.

Probably using one of their own as a volunteer, or perhaps trailing a known ‘sinful woman’ until they could catch her out, they grabbed her in the act of adultery and threw her down in front of Jesus.

The Pharisees had failed to learn not to challenge Jesus. He was too smart for them. They arrogantly demanded a response from Him. “She was caught in the act. The Law says to stone her. What do you say?”

Without a word, Jesus bent down and began to write in the sand. Impatiently, they pressed Him for a response. Eventually, He stood up with a challenge, “Anyone who is innocent can throw the first stone.” Then he bent down and continued writing.

There are many speculations about what He wrote. To me, the most plausible one, that got the exact response He wanted, was like this.

Jesus knew the Scriptures (He authored the Bible)! So did the Pharisees. So, He knew the hearts of these Pharisees and responded exactly according to Jeremiah’s words…

‭Jeremiah 2:13 NIV‬
[13] “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

…and God’s judgment on them.

‭Jeremiah 17:13 NIV‬
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

What did Jesus write in the dust? He wrote the names of the Pharisees as an act of judgment against them. What did they understand that scared them off? They realised the frightening reality that JESUS KNEW THEIR HEARTS.

David expressed the same sentiment about his enemies and what he would do to them with the Lord’s help.

‭Psalms 18:39-42 NLT‬
[39] “You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. [40] You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. [41] They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. [42] I ground them AS FINE AS DUST in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.”

The sequel is well known. Jesus could show the woman mercy despite the law because there were no witnesses against her. Instead of judging her, He forgave her and sent her on her way to live a new life.

There may be more in the details of the story that are yet to be discovered, but what we have learned indicates that Jesus was much more than a good man. He was God, clothed in human flesh, and revealing the all-knowing nature of God to those who were willing to examine the evidence. Despite His revelation to these Pharisees, they never did recognise the truth or believe in Him.

Another story reveals Jesus’ supernatural knowledge that startled and transformed a loose woman. When Jesus told the Samaritan woman of her sordid history without knowing her, she was not ashamed but elated. His intimate knowledge of her life, WITHOUT JUDGING HER, drew her like a magnet to everything He had told her, and she was changed.

Faith comes to the one who takes an honest look at the evidence and, on the strength of that, believes!

To be continued…

GOD’S HEAVENLY LIBRARY

Christian Life, ,

Did you know that God has a library in heaven? Of course, I am writing figuratively, not literally since all God’s wisdom and knowledge is within Himself. I found this interesting article, written by Ray Pritz, on the Internet. (biblesocietyinisrael.com)

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.’ (Revelation 20:12)

God has a library. Unlike a normal library, it is not a place where people come to study. It seems to be more of an archive or official record. What kinds of books does God keep on his bookshelf, and what is written in those books?

The passage in Revelation 20 tells us that some of the books contain a record of the things we have done. I am reminded of the story of Mordechai in the book of Esther. Mordechai had done a good deed for the king, in fact he had saved the king’s life. The king had forgotten about it, but it was all recorded in the official records of the kingdom, and Mordechai was rewarded (Esther 6:1-3). God does not forget our deeds, of course (except our sins when they have been forgiven), and they are all recorded in heaven.

Even the words we say are all preserved in heaven: “I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). Well, perhaps it is not quite such a comfort to know that everything I have ever said is just waiting in heaven for God to confront me!

It is amazing to consider—indeed, impossible to understand—that God has known all these things long before we did or said them. But that is exactly what scripture says: “You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began” (Psalm 139:16).

What exactly does this include? A beautifully encouraging verse, Psalm 56:8, tells us that God even records every pain we feel, every tear we shed: “You number my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle; are they not in your book?”

God is made especially happy when his people meet together in fellowship. In fact, he seems to have a special book dedicated just to those precious moments: “Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him.” (Malachi 3:16)

We have seen that God writes down both what we say and what we do. Some of God’s books, seem to be written in pencil, where things that are written can also be erased. This seems to be the meaning of Psalm 130:3-4: “If you kept [a record of] our sins, who could escape being condemned? But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you,” and it is confirmed by passages like Isaiah 43:25 and Micah 7:18-19.

The first verse we looked at, Revelation 20:12 speaks of the book of life. This same book is referred to by different names. Jesus (Luke 10:20) just says “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 tell us that this book was written from the foundation of the world, and that there are some whose names are not written in the book. According to various scriptures, it is possible for a name to be erased from this book. So Moses says (Exodus 32:32-33), “’But now, if You will, forgive their sin — and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” And David prays that his enemies “may be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). And in Revelation 3:5 Jesus says to the church in Sardis, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life.”

It should be a sobering thought that something will be erased from God’s book: either my sins or my name.

God knows us intimately; every word, every thought, every act is recorded in heaven. While this may serve as a warning to us, it should also be a comfort. God knows, remembers, and cares about everything we go through. The “book of life” is “the Lamb’s” (Revelation 21:27); those who belong to the Lamb of God are written in that book and will enjoy eternity in the presence of God.”

Thank you, Ray, for this reminder of God’s intimate knowledge of all people.

I would like to add another sobering note to this enlightening article. God also has a place where He writes the names of those who refuse His grace.

‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:13‬ ‭NIV‬
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

On one occasion, when the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus for His judgment, Jesus bent down and wrote in the dust. Since Jesus knew the Scriptures, did His action not mirror Jeremiah’s words? Was He not writing the names of each accuser in the dust?

In a mute but telling action, was Jesus not warning His opponents, “I know you.” He knew their names. By writing them in the dust, He was revealing His judgment on them. “I know each one of you. Just as many footsteps and the wind will obliterate your names I have written in the dust now, so you names will disappear from God’s records in eternity, never to be remembered.”

So, if our names are not indelibly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we have no hope that God will ever remember us in eternity. Like writing in the impermanence of dust, our names will be forgotten forever.

One last thought.

‭Isaiah‬ ‭49:15‭-‬16‬ ‭NIV‬
[15] “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! [16] See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;…. “

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