Not My People

And the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God."  --Hosea 1:9

Last weekend I went to my nephew's wedding.  He is what some would call "special".  He has a way with words.  When he and I get together in the same room, puns run amok.  At one point in our hilarity (when no one else in the room was laughing), I said, "I love you, man.  You speak my language."  His new wife chimed in, mockingly saying, "He is my people."

Many times people want to distance themselves from others.  To keep from having guilt by association, they proclaim, "I am not one of them."  Said another way, "Those are not my people."  It may be used to distance oneself from one's in-laws or some other branch of the family.  It may be spoken in political terms, in opposition to a position the state or local government has taken.  An example might be a strong proponent of civil rights declaring that he or she will not be a party to discrimination, especially if they feel that laws or ordinances are discriminatory.  Nationally, one might voice his opposition during a protest rally by holding a sign saying, "Not My President."

In my last post I talked about a child of the king who was living in a town called Lo-debar, which we learned means "no pasture" or "no word."  By the mercy and grace of King David, this man was given a place at the king's table.  His land and fortune were restored.  He was not related to David, but he was treated like a prince.  The Hebrew word "Lo", meaning "no" or "not", is used two other times in the Old Testament.  Both of these uses are in the book of Hosea.

The back-story of Hosea is pretty amazing.  God directs Hosea to be a living object-lesson for His people.  As the book opens, God randomly commands Hosea to take a woman with a history of harlotry to be his wife.  "When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord." (Hosea 1:2)

The woman that God has picked out for his spokesman Hosea to have and to hold from this day forward was a woman who had not been faithful.  She had not been pure.  She had not kept herself a virgin for her future husband.  Most parents I know try to raise our daughters with these virtues.  By adhering to these morals, we hope that the man who eventually asks her to be his forever is also himself godly, virtuous, and moral.  Yet Hosea, a man of God who has kept the Law, is told to go out and find a loose woman, one who has not only given herself to others, but has accepted payment for it.  She has sold herself, yet is loved by none.  Hosea promises her no money, but instead gives her a family, a sense of belonging, and genuine love.

God wants us to know that He wants to offer Himself to us like that.  He knows that we have not kept ourselves away from other gods; He know we have sold out our virtue to idolatry and sin.  Yet He offers us His provision, His protection, and His perfect love.

As the story of Hosea and his family goes on, his family gets bigger.  His first son is born, and God says, "I want you to name him Jezreel."  Jezreel means "God will sow".  There is a fertile valley in Israel called Jezreel--much good food is grown there.  But there is also a warning to the people of Israel:  God may sow grain so His people will have food to eat; but He may also sow seeds of judgement.

Do you remember the song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"?  Julia Ward Howe first published these words in The Atlantic in February, 1862, linking the judgment of the wicked at the end of the age (see Isaiah 63 and Revelation 19) with the American Civil War.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal";
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on. 

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the same way, God told Hosea to use his son Jezreel as a warning to the sons of Israel, that God could sow seeds of destruction if they did not turn back to Him.  Sadly, the people did not heed God's warning.  That is why when Hosea's daughter was born, they called her Lo-ruhamah.  "Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter.  And the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them." (Hosea 1:6)

"Ruhamah" can mean to love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, and to have compassion.  This pretty much describes the love of God.  Yet he told Hosea to put the "Lo" in front of it, meaning "not" or "without".  Since God saw no response to His offer of love, protection, prosperity and blessing, He exercised His right to withdraw the offer.

You may be thinking, "Wait!  That goes beyond what I believe about the nature of God.  Doesn't the Bible say that God is Love?  Isn't that love abundant and free to all?"  Yes, He is all that and more. But the Bible also says, "I Myself will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the Name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion (ruhamah) on whom I will show compassion." (Exodus 33:19).

Paul expounds on this in Romans chapter 9.  He says we cannot possibly accuse God of injustice.  At the same time, God demands that we love Him will heart, soul, mind and strength, and to some He gives that ability.  "So then it does not depend on the man who wills (to obey) or the man who runs (from obedience), but on God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16).  Paul reminds us that it was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that He could demonstrate His power through the sons of Israel, that His name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.  "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires."  (Romans 9:18)  Lest we shout, "Unfair!  God is completely unfair," Paul gives this answer:  "Who are you, O man, who answers back to God?  The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it?  Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?"

Going back to Hosea, God underscores His message to the people by giving another name to Hosea's third child, a son.  "And the Lord said, 'Name him Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God." (Hosea 1:9).  The Hebrew word "Ammi" can mean people, nation, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men, kinsmen or kindred.  God was telling the people through Hosea that you are none of those to Me.

He was essentially writing them out of the will, without pity.

At the time of Hosea's ministry, the people of Israel had five books in their sacred writings.  They called their Bible the Torah, or the Law.  If they had picked up the book of Deuteronomy and had read Moses' last words to the sons of Israel before he died, they would have remembered this covenant language:

Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:  Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.  Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.  Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.  Blessed shall you be when you go in and blessed shall you be when you go out.  The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. --Deuteronomy 28:1-7

What was the commandment that they should follow?  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your strength, and with all your mind.  And what would happen if they didn't keep their end of the bargain?  It is outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.  Notice that the blessings seemed to be all-encompassing, but were summarized in 14 verses.  The curses, however, take some 53 verses to delineate.  Not only are there promises like "cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country", but all of the blessings will be reversed.  Not only that, but Moses foretold the diaspora, the scattering of the people throughout the nations.  He prophesied that they would be enslaved by their enemies.  He prophesied despair, underscored by nightmares so vivid that they would be afraid to sleep.  Finally God says through Moses that some might escape back to Egypt, where God had said they would never return. "And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer." (Deuteronomy 28:68)

With this promise as background, God makes one more example of Hosea's family.  Hosea's wife Gomer leaves her husband and three kids, and goes back into the streets.  It doesn't work out for her, and she finds herself on the slave market.  This is not like the movie "Pretty Woman", where the prostitute has a say over whom she does business with and for how long.  Gomer was sold as a slave in the open market.  She now belonged to a man who treated her like cattle.  Her freedom was gone.  Her family was gone.  Her fortune, such as it was, was gone.

God directed Hosea to go and buy her back.  He was to pay the full price for her, and bring her back home.  He was not to shame her.  He was not to humiliate her.  He was to redeem her and restore her to her place as wife of the man of God, and as mother to her children.  This was a foreshadowing of the redemption that Jesus made for us for our sins.  He paid the full price, taking the full wrath of God in our place.  Paul says in Romans 9:25-26, "As He also says in Hosea, 'I will call those who were not My people "My people," and those who were not beloved "My beloved".  And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, "our are not My people," there they shall be called sons of the living God'."

Restoration is real.  It was available in the Mosaic law, as we see in Deuteronomy 30:

So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished  you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you....Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. --Deuteronomy 30:1-3,6

Note that the mark of the covenant has changed.  No longer is it required that we have an outward sign of circumcision.  Instead, if we demonstrate true repentance and place our faith solely and completely in Him, then He will circumcise our hearts.  The source of our love will get a make-over, and the hard calloused shell will be cut away.

Please understand that I am not espousing a works-based salvation.  We can never love God enough in our own heart, never focus on God enough in our own mind, never do enough for God in our own strength for Him to accept us.  What I am saying is that I believe Scripture is clear:  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9).  However, I do not believe in Universalism.  The promise of blessing in John 3:16, "that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life," is nullified to those who will not believe.  Yes, grace is amazing.  Yes, God's love is far-reaching; but if you do not appropriate that grace into your life, if you do not accept his redemption, then you are under a curse.  You are unloved; you are not His people.

I saw a meme when I was preparing this essay that said this:  "Just because I am giving up on you doesn't mean I never loved you.  It just means I realized you never loved me."  Please don't harden your heart toward God.  I don't want for you to hear God say "I am giving up on you--not because I never loved you, but because you never loved me."

Sanctuary Cities

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. --Psalm 23:2

A lot of attention has been given recently to so-called "sanctuary cities."  These are places set apart from what are perceived as unjust laws.  A person who is guilty of a crime can escape prosecution by taking up residence in one of these towns.  He can claim sanctuary, in the sense of claiming safe haven.

The root word of "sanctuary" is "sanctified", meaning set apart.  In fact, the Latin prefix sanct- is the word for holy or sacred, as in "inner sanctum," the most holy or sacred place within a temple or shrine.  It is a place where few people are admitted.  More importantly, it is a place in which judgment can be withheld, and consequences can be avoided--consequences of sin and shame and guilt.

In 2 Samuel 9 we are introduced to a young man who was seeking safe haven from David, the king of Israel. The young man's name was Mephibosheth, and he had good reason to stay out of sight of the king.  You see, Mephibosheth was the grandson of Saul, the king of Israel before David.  In those days, whenever a new king ascended from a new family or dynasty, it was customary for the new king to slay all of the sons of the deposed king.  In this case, young Mephibosheth was just five years old when the news came to Jerusalem that Saul and his son Jonathan had both been killed in battle.  Fearing for the child's life, the nurse or nanny taking care of Mephibosheth grabbed him up and started running, out of the palace, and eventually out of Jerusalem.  But in all the rush, she dropped him.  The boy landed on his feet, but was lame or crippled the rest of his life.

Being disabled meant he would be solely dependent upon the kindness of others all his life. He couldn't work. He couldn't earn a living. He may have begged in the street--can you imagine, a grandson of the king having to beg for food?  Shameful.  Yet it seemed that it had been fore-told long before.

The name Mephibosheth literally means "from the mouth of shame", or one might say "despised one."  He is named for Bashtu, one of the baals, the false gods that Israel had long struggled with.  In fact, another name given to Mephibosheth was Merib-baal, literally, "one who struggles with baal."  How would you like to have a nickname like that?

I wonder whether you see something of yourself in Mephibosheth.  No, you may not be disabled or unable to work.  But you may be hiding something.  Your family may have carried a generational curse.  You may be trying to stay as far away from God as you can because of your own guilt and shame.  Your heritage is not holiness or sanctification, which is why your are seeking asylum in a haven or sanctuary city.

David himself was familiar with the struggle. He, too, was despised by his family.  When his brothers went off to war and became soldiers, David was left to tend sheep.  Believe it or not, a shepherd is not a glam job.  You don't need a good education to tend sheep.  Shepherds don't tend to be famous or rich.

When the prophet Samuel was directed to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to find the next king of Israel, Jesse was delighted.  He paraded seven sons before the prophet, thinking surely it was one of them.  God told Samuel no as each one passed.  Finally, Samuel asked, "Have you no more sons?"  Jesse answered, "There is still one, but he is out tending the sheep."  The Hebrew word that this proud father used to describe his youngest son was ha Katan, which means "the insignificant one," or even "the useless one."

So yes, David knew what it was like to be despised.  Friend, so does Jesus.

Back to our story.  David has become king over Israel.  He has taken his position in the palace.  He has ultimate authority.  One day, he asks if anyone knows whether there are any left from Saul's family.  Let me quote Dr. James Garlow, author of The Covenant: a study of God's extraordinary love for you:

"Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" David asks in verse 1.  The word "kindness" actually is the word chesed in the Hebrew, which implies a tenacious love that will not give up.  It's covenant love.  I prefer to call it "pit bull love", because it never lets go.  It's the "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" type of love (referencing the title of a hymn written by George Matheson, 1842-1906).

Someone in David's household remembers that Saul had a house servant named Ziba.  David sends for Ziba and asks whether there are any blood relatives of Saul left that he can honor.  Ziba tells him about Mephibosheth, a disabled person living in a town called Lo-Debar.

Let's stop here a moment.  Lo-Debar means "no pasture" or "a dry and parched land."  Literally, it means "a land of no word."  What better name for a sanctuary city?  You mind your own business there, and nobody tells a soul a thing about you.  It is in the desert, so there is no farming done there; Mephibosheth would have no shame in not being able to grow his own food, because nobody there could farm.  It actually sounds a lot like Las Vegas--an artificial haven in the desert whose motto is, "What happens here, stays here."

I think this is one reason that David was known as "a man after God's own heart."  The author of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters,"--that same David sends to Lo-Debar, a desolate land of no pasture and no peace, and fetches Mephibosheth to the palace.

Do you remember being called to the principal's office in school?  Or maybe being called to the manager's office at work?  You get that sinking feeling: nothing good can come of this.  Your mind starts listing all of the things you have done that might have gotten you into trouble: you called that girl a name, or you took something home that wasn't yours, or you made that personal long distance call on company time.  You can imagine, then, what poor Mephibosheth must have been thinking.  "I'm a dead man.  Dead man walking--no, I am lame, I can't walk.  Dead man crawling."  Here is what the Bible says happened next.

Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself.  And David said, "Mephibosheth."  And he said, "Here is your servant!"  David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the l and of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." --2 Samuel 9:6-7.

Wait.  What?  This is unbelievable.  Mephibosheth thinks he must not have heard the king right.

Again, he prostrated himself and said, "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?"  Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to  your master's grandson.  You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless, Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly."  --2 Samuel 9:8-10

Yesterday, he thought he knew who he was; today, he has a new identity.  Yesterday he was begging on the street, couch-surfing with friends in a barren land where no one spoke a word to him.  Today, he has received word that he owns productive land, that he has more food that he can eat, because he is a child of the king.

Dr. Garlow puts it this way:

You see, David does for Mephibosheth what Jesus does for us.  A crippled man, dwelling in a lonely and desolate place, doesn't know the truth of who he is--the son of a covenant partner.  So David sends Ziba to get Mephibosheth--just as God sends the Holy Spirit to pursue us and bring us to Jesus.  Mephibosheth represents us.  Jesus looks at the covenant mark, where the nails pierced His wrist, and says, "Are there any more offspring out there who have not known the benefits of the covenant?  Invite them to My banquet table--compel them to come!  Ziba (Holy Spirit), go get them and bring them home."  LIke Mephibosheth, our response to God's offer is often mixed.  We know we are unworthy, emotionally crippled, living in a spiritually deprived land.  Se we fall on our face, imploring, "Don't kill me, Lord!"

Instead of giving us what we deserve, He offers a seat at His banquet table.  "Leave Lo-Debar behind," He says.  "What's Mine is yours."  Let that sink in a moment.  All that God has is yours, because of the covenant of grace.  I will let Dr. Garlow finish here.

The glorious truth of the gospel is that God has given us His riches in Christ Jesus.  He never intended for  us to be "despised" and living in desolation.  The sad truth is that the Church (that's us) often lives below the covenant provision God intended.

I found the cartoon at the top of this page after spending literally hours trying to find an image that would encapsulate this message.  David, when he said "you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies", was mirroring God Himself, who invites us, His sworn enemies, to dine with Him.  We, who are covered in sin, are able to be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus (Isaiah 61:10) so that we can enter into His presence, His sanctuary, His haven of eternal rest.

Confessions of a Recovering Polemicist

But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God (revealing His plan of salvation), and righteousness (making us acceptable to God), and sanctification (making us holy and setting us apart for God), and redemption (providing our ransom from the penalty of sin).  --1 Corinthians 1:30 AMPLIFIED BIBLE

True confession:  I am a recovering polemicist.

 If you don't know what that means, I will tell you.  It means that if you don't believe like I believe, you are going to hell.  We even have our own Facebook pages: polemicsreport.com and pulpitandpen.org.

We start with sound doctrine: sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, sola Christo.  Faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone.  "For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But then we kind of veer away from grace a little bit.  Baptists are okay, and Presbyterians, because they share our doctrine.  But Church of Christ is not preaching true salvation, because they believe you have to be baptized before you can go to heaven (in the sense that baptism is some work they require you to do).  Charismatics do not preach true salvation, because they emphasize a "second blessing" to realize true redemption (kind of a "cult of the Holy Spirit").  And God help Catholics, Coptics, and Eastern Orthodox, because they rely not only on the sacraments (more works done by men) but also emphasize Church tradition to the same level as the Bible (something the Bible explicitly warns against--do not add to or take away from Scripture, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" Galatians 1:8).

Never mind that some might think if we are not willing to follow the simplest of commands to follow Him in baptism, then maybe we are not His.  Forget that the disciples in the early church were "continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52, suggesting that it was a recurrent act, not a one-time event).  And don't tell me that the Christian church in Rome and in Egypt and in Greece over the centuries has not promoted practices that promote community and proclaim Christ crucified.

Yes, there are differences in worship styles and spiritual emphasis.  There may even be small heresies, but nothing that would allow me to judge them unworthy of Heaven.  So while I still keep an eye on the polemicists, I do not join them very often any more.  By the way, synonyms for the word "Polemic" include diatribe, invective, rant, tirade, broadside, attack, harangue, condemnation, criticism, stricture, admonition and rebuke.  Are there time when individual Christians might need admonition or rebuke?  Yes, by all means.  That is biblical.  But the condemnation, diatribe, and invective? Not so much.

I thought of this as I was reading in 1 Timothy this week.  Look at this: "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (1 Timothy 1:5).  A pure heart (holiness) without love is criticism and condemnation.  A good conscience (righteousness) without love is a broadside attack.  Sincere faith (wisdom from God) without love is an invective or tirade.

Often we are known by our criticism of others.  We may not criticize other Christians so much, but what about lawyers, or legislators, or politicians--are they fair game.  Let's look at what Paul told his young protege Timothy about how the church ought to behave.  This is from 1 Timothy 2

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time...Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.  --1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8

Does Jesus warn that not all who say to Him, "Lord, Lord" will automatically enter into the kingdom?  Yes, and there is time for prayerful individual discussion with those few who are in danger of going there.  On the other hand, I don't believe it is our right or our responsibility to condemn huge groups of faithful Christians to hell en masse.  Before you accuse me of being a Universalist, I don't believe Jehovah's Witnesses are true Christians.  Did you know that they re-wrote the Bible, editing out any evidence that the Holy Spirit is divine?  Speaking of sacred writings, the Mormons are in no way Christian, as they have written a different Testament that they believe should be added to (or replace) the Bible.  Yet their most cherished doctrines (that Jesus and Satan are brothers; that we can become gods over our own planets) are not even in the Book of Mormon.  So we should try to gently, prayerfully convince them of the truth of Scripture.

Yes, we should try to convert Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and even Jews to a saving faith in Jesus, who is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life.  Many of us (and I am guilty here) do not know or come into contact with people of other faiths, so we waste our time condemning other Christians.

Look at the photo at the top of this page.   The phrase, "You are holy, righteous, and redeemed" is not because of any works that we have done.  It is only possible by the grace given to us through faith in Christ alone, as is revealed to us through scripture.

Wield Your Shield

In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. --Ephesians 6:16

Most of us are familiar with the passage in the Bible describing the armor of God, and Paul's exhortation to "put on the full armor."  To fully prepare for the onslaught of the enemy's attacks, we should not forget any piece of it.  Truth is like a belt, because without it all of the other pieces of armor would fall away.  Righteousness is like a breastplate, protecting our hearts.  The shoes allow us to spread peace wherever we go--and just as the spikes on the bottom of the Roman battle sandals allowed each soldier to stand his ground and not slip, so does this particular fruit of the Spirit allow us to be grounded and not "tossed around by every wind of doctrine."

Not all of us, however, are familiar with the Roman shield, from which the apostle Paul drew the comparison to our faith.  Sometimes as big as a door, it was constructed in such a way as to connect with the shield on either side of the soldier, so that the enemy would see a solid wall approaching, and would become intimidated.  As the image above illustrates, the group of soldiers banded together were much stronger than any one of them could be by himself.

The face of the shield may have been decorated, but it was constructed of animal skins, six or seven skins deep, one on top of the other, pressed together into a virtually impervious material.  The skins would remain useful as long as the shield was maintained by the soldier anointing it with oil on a daily basis.  I remember when I was a kid I read a book about a young man who loved baseball.  As evidence of his love for the game, the book made a point of saying that he would oil his glove every night.  He was committed to keeping the leather mitt soft, supple, and malleable, to fit his hand, but also to conform to the shape of the ball so that it could do what it was intended to do: catch the baseball. (More on this later).

When facing an enemy that shot flaming arrows, the soldiers would immerse the shield in water.  Also to defend against archers, the second line of soldiers could raise their shields to serve as a canopy, protecting the entire group from aerial assault (see image above).  The flames would be doused, and the darts or arrows would fall away, as long as the shield was properly maintained and properly wielded. (More on this later, as well.)

In the same way, the faith of a congregation is multiplied, exponentially greater than the sum of the congregants.  It is no wonder, then, that the author of Hebrews wrote, "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:23-25).

How often do we forsake assembling with other like-minded believers?  It is easy to miss a meeting, then several, and before we know it we are found faithless, left alone against the ravenous wolves around us.  Just as easily, we might even lay aside our faith, failing not only to maintain and cultivate it, but even laying it aside for expediency sake.

What type of soldier would lay down his shield?  A lazy one, yes.  "It's too heavy," he whines. "Do you see it? It's as big as a house!"  And heavy, too, especially when dripping wet.  That's another thing--it is way too much trouble to maintain.  Oiling it down every day, checking the frame, and dowsing it with water in case we are met with flaming arrows.  That's a lot of work.  It's much easier to lay it down and only pick it up when it's needed.  When we do that, it's much more likely that the shield (aka our faith) has deteriorated to the point that it no longer serves its purpose.

So the soldier that may lay down his shield is not only lazy, but suicidal, or worse, traitorous.  Not only does he place himself at risk, but he is no longer standing in the gap for his fellow soldiers.  On the battlefield, that kind of action is grounds for court martial.  It is not just abandoning your post, it could be considered treason.

In the sixth chapter of John's gospel, we see that Jesus had escaped the multitudes to spend some time alone with the Father.  After He had walked to the other side of the lake (walking on the water in a storm, no less), the crowd soon followed in small boats, struggling to find Him.  Remembering His miraculous feeding of the five thousand just the day before, they asked Him how long He had been there.  Jesus' answer cut to their real concern--they did not care about Him personally, but only sought after Him because He had fed them.  Knowing to what lengths they had gone to find Him, he exhorted them, "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life." (John 6:27a)

Some in the crowd challenged this statement.  If we are not to work for our food, they thought, then we must trust God, and work for spiritual fitness.  But how?  "Therefore they said to Him, 'What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?' " (John 6:28)  If God uses spiritual power to meet our physical needs, then how can we increase our spiritual power?

"Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.' " (John 6:29).

Read that last verse again.  Believing, exercising our faith, is the work which God requires of us.  What are some things you can do to work out spiritually, to strengthen your faith?  Read the Bible daily.  Meet regularly with like-minded believers.  And find fresh ways to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling," remember it is not by works that we do that we are saved (that work was completed by Jesus on the cross) but through faith in Him (not of works, lest any man should boast--Ephesians 2:9).

Here is a fresh idea that I have started doing recently.  Since I already shower daily, I am trying to remind myself to anoint my shield with water to quench the flaming darts of the evil one.  I have written this verse on a piece of brown paper and have attached it to my bathroom mirror: "...Christ LOVED the CHURCH and gave Himself up for her, to SANCTIFY her, CLEANSING her by the WASHING with WATER through the WORD." (Ephesians 5:25b-26).  So every morning I am reminded to anoint my shield with water.

Many other scriptures encourage us to anoint our heads with oil (since the mind is the center of the will and emotions, that help define our faith), I will go into the kitchen every evening, twelve hours after my morning shower, and dab a bit of oil on my forehead (in the shape of a cross).  I may recite this part of Psalm 23, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil."  I am reminded that David did not encourage us to sit down with our enemies and break bread with them; rather, he admonishes us, by faith, in serenity and peace that passes all understanding, to dine with the Father even as the battle rages all about us, protected by the shield that Paul talked about. I am also reminded that in New Testament times oil was used for medicinal purposes.  James 5:14-15 says, "Is any among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."  I am broken.  I am a sinner in need of healing and forgiveness.  This is why I anoint my head with oil.

Jesus, the object of our faith, is encouraging us to make a career of believing that Jesus was sent by God.  Let me put it another way.  Often we equate our identity with what we do for a living.  "Who was that?" we may ask when someone walks away.  "Oh, he is the carpenter," one might answer.  Or the teacher.  Or the mediator.  Or one of thousands of other occupations by which one is known.

Friends, Jesus was a carpenter.  He built others up.  He is a teacher.  He shows us the way to live.  He will be our mediator, standing between us and judgment before a holy God.  Let us, then, also be known by our works.  Let us be known as a believer above all else.  Let us be known as one that rightly divides the words of truth.  Let us be known as a man or woman of faith, believing with all our hearts that Jesus is the One sent by God to dwell among us and to eat with us, and to become a sacrifice for us.

Let's all work together to build up one another in faith and good works, to the glory of God. "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Spite

But I say to  you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use  you and persecute you.  --Matthew 5:44

I like a radio program on NPR called "Freakonomics Radio."  They put human behavior into purely economic terms, and listening to it helps me to better understand human behavior (and sometimes helps me to understand economics better.)

This weekend the show's topic was Spite.  I was intrigued.  The example they gave from an economic perspective was a game show in which one person was given a sum of money, say $100.  He was told that he could keep it all, or share it with the other contestant.  The other contestant was given the choice to agree with the split, or he could veto the whole thing, in which case both contestants would get nothing.  For example, if the first guy decided to evenly split the $100 pot, so that the contestants each received $50, then it would be in the second person's interest to agree.  But if the first one decides he wanted, say, $70 or $80, then the second person might get angry and spiteful, and decide that it would be better to receive nothing than to have such an unbalanced and unfair division of the pot.

There are two ideas at play here. First, most of the time economists assume that all people will try to make the best economic decision for them.  People generally try to maximize their wealth by making the best decisions about their money.  There are exceptions, of course.  Some people may choose to buy the more expensive brand of peanut butter because of advertising or personal taste. The store brand of peanut butter may be just as good, but the consumer is convinced that it is worth it to him to pay the extra money for the advertised brand, thus leaving less money for investment or other purchases.  That's human nature at work in economics.  So the ideal person, homo economicus, does not actually exist.

This leads us to the second idea:  Instead of homo economicus, describing people as always making the best decision for themselves, we have a rival attitude of homo animus, in which people compare themselves to other people.  "Getting ahead" does not mean making the best overall decision, as long as you are doing better than your rival.  It's all about the win.  That explains why the game show contestant cited above might give up $20 or $30 in free money just to ensure that his rival does not receive his $70 or $80.

It is important here to differentiate between the idea of Spite and that of Revenge, because people often confuse the two.  If you thought that your rival was getting too successful, you may manipulate events so that your rival suffers a loss, but your circumstances are unchanged or even improved just a bit, that is Revenge.  The benefit you derive from it may merely be the satisfaction that your rival has failed, but that is in itself a benefit.  Spite, on the other hand, is manipulating events so that both you and your rival suffer loss.  In this case, you don't care that you have suffered a loss, as long as your rival suffers as much or more.  Revenge is part of our sinful human nature, like feeling a sense of satisfaction when your ex breaks up with the person they left you for.  Spite borders more on the sociopathic or psychopathic, as in a suicide bomber.

Some psychologist and behaviorists think that Spite in its purest form does not exist.  If Spite is sacrificing your own well-being to see a rival fail, then the thinking is that the spiteful person would derive some benefit from knowing that his rival has failed.  It is very much like the virtue of Altruism, which is the flip side of Spite.  If Spite is doing evil without regard to your own consequences, then Altruism is doing good without seeking a reward.  The idea is that there is no truly altruistic person, because giving gives them publicity (e.g. naming the building after you) or the good will of the recipient (heart-felt thanks) or just the self satisfaction of having given.  On a human level, there is no such thing as being truly altruistic, or truly spiteful.

On a spiritual level, however, it is a different story.  Jesus did not derive any personal benefit from leaving Heaven, taking on the form of a man, being despised and rejected, and dying on the cross.  Yet He did it anyway, for our benefit.  In the same way, Satan does not get any personal gain from tormenting us, seducing us to sin, or in keeping us from being Christ-like.  In the end, Jesus is the resurrected Savior who will return to Earth and gather His Church to Himself in Heaven.  Satan, on the other hand, is the angel of light cast out of Heaven and whose ultimate punishment will be torment in a lake of fire.  A similar fate faces all those who reject Jesus as the Messiah, sent from God to save us from our sins.  What more altruistic act than what Jesus did?  None exists more spiteful than Satan.

Jesus told a parable when He was here on Earth that illustrates the two extremes.

The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, 'See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.' "  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized the servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderer, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you  find, invite to the wedding."  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  --Matthew 22:2-10

 Here is our mission: we are to be like Jesus.  The apostle Paul encourages us by his own example:

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.  But even after we had suffered and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.  For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.  But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.  For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness--God is our witness.  Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.  But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. --1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8

Did you notice Paul's dedication to his message of the gospel?  He was willing to put his own life on the line, even when spitefully treated, for no earthly benefit.  And even if we receive rewards in Heaven for our good works for the gospel, we will lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus (Revelation 4:10).

Ultimately, our altruism is for His glory.  Spitefulness is of the devil.