God’s loving discipline – wooing His people back to Himself

Leviticus 26 blew me away this past week! Verses 1-13 talk about God’s blessing on His people for their obedience. Certainly in light of mankind’s depravity, ANY blessing from God is undeserved. Yet God promised exactly that for the Israelites. Unfortunately, they did not obey God, despite these wonderful promises.

The rest of the chapter, verses 14-46 talk about discipline for disobedience for the Israelites. Look at how God does this (Scripture quotations from ESV):

“14But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16then I will do this to you…”

“18And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins…”

“21Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins.”

“23And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.”

“27But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.”

“40But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”

We know from history that the Israelites did disobey. The thing from this chapter that stood out to me wasn’t that God was vindictively punishing the Israelites for their disobedience, but rather how God was wooing His people back to Himself through loving discipline. The discipline becomes increasing more severe for the Israelites the more they disobey. The point isn’t God becoming increasingly angry at the Israelites for their continued disobedience. What God is doing is increasingly bringing discipline on them so as to bring them to a point of repentance. In a sense, God is doing whatever He needs to do to get the Israelites to repent. God’s heart in this is love for the Israelites. In their disobedience, they are prostituting themselves and serving other gods. Through discipline, God is lovingly wooing them back to Himself, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the God above all other gods. Disciplining them is the most loving thing God could do in the midst of their disobedience. And the fact that the discipline starts out light and becomes more severe shows that God was trying to woo them back to Himself, not unlovingly punish them in anger. The best evidence of this is the way the chapter ends in verses 40 and following where God talks about how He will graciously remember His covenants with their Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if they repent.

Leviticus 26 represents a type (Webster’s Dictionary: “a person or thing (as in the Old Testament) believed to foreshadow another [as in the New Testament]”) of the gospel message in the Old Testament. Just like Israel, all of mankind is sinful and repeatedly and continually runs after other gods. The penalty for this sin against God is death. God mercifully and graciously paid the penalty for our sin in the death of Jesus Christ. Just as He did with Israel, through discipline God lovingly woos mankind unto Himself so as to bring us to repentance (Hebrews 12:1-13). He graciously blesses those who repent with all kinds of blessings (Ephesians 1:3), just as He promised to bless Israel.

To God be all the glory for His wonderful gospel!!! Father, in your mercy, enable me to always respond favorably and quickly to Your loving discipline.

Identity

13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” – Exodus 3:13-14 (ESV).

A thought hit me as I was thinking about this verse. God’s identity was based solely and purely on Himself. “I AM WHO I AM” could also be translated “I AM WHAT I AM.”

Not so with me. I’m always looking for something outside of myself to base my identity. If someone would ask me who I am, I would answer things like: child of God, husband, father, friend, youth director, etc. My identity is always based in relation to someone else or something else.

Not that this is a bad thing. On the contrary, I think it was God’s design. “26Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” God designed us to find our identity in Him.

My struggle is that I so often base my identity in other things, especially things I’m good at (relative to other people) or try to be good at. In a way, I live my life as if I have to earn my identity. I’m not just a child of God; I want to be a good Christian. I’m not just a husband, father, friend, or youth director; I want to be a good husband, father, friend, and youth director, etc.

The reality is that God chose me before the world began (Ephesians 1:4) and loved me even while I was a sinner (Romans 5:8). There is nothing I can do to gain my identity in Christ; He already did it for me!

God's relentless pursuit

“Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 21 And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” – Deuteronomy 31:19-21 (NIV)

These are the words from God to Moses as he is about to pass on his leadership of Israel to Joshua. God’s words here blow me away. God, knowing the Israelites’ disposition to reject him as king and serve other gods instead, still goes with the Israelites to conquer the Promised Land. But because of His love for them, he tells Moses to teach them a song to remind them of who He is and what He has done for them; I’m presuming in hopes that they might turn back to Him. Wow! God relentlessly and tenaciously pursues those who are His.

Rest

12“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” – Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (ESV)

I find it interesting that the ESV Study Bible notes on this section say, “All but the Sabbath commandment (5:12–15) and the commandment against carved images (vv. 8–10) are explicitly reinforced in the NT.” Think for a moment how many things Jesus intentionally did on the Sabbath to correct the Pharisees’ misinterpretation of the above passage. On one of those occasions, Jesus says this, “27And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.’ Mark 2:27-28 (ESV)” Sure, Jesus may have not directly reinforced the idea of keeping the Sabbath, but his actions sure seem to reinforce it.

In my observance, Christians in America today seem to favor keeping most of the 10 Commandments, but the Sabbath one seems to be functionally left out. How often do we hear of Christians taking an entire day to rest? It seems more often than not that Christians I see may take a day for leisure and attend church on Sunday, but I’m not convinced they see the day as a day of rest. I too was once in that very boat before talking with a mentor who helped Jenny and I see the need for Sabbath rest in our lives.

It was a few years ago in the spring. I was exhausted from a busy ministry schedule. I realized I needed rest, but I didn’t know I needed Sabbath rest. I had tried "resting" on my day off, mostly playing computer or video games and spending time with family. Though I wasn't "working" that type of "rest" didn't really provide the deep rest I was craving. Sabbath rest, it was pointed out to me, is different than rest as the world practices it. It’s more than leisure, more than a temporary distraction from work or a busy life. It’s resting in God’s presence, sitting on His lap as God’s child. It’s taking time to slow down and enjoy God and find satisfaction in Him. It’s releasing my concerns to God, trusting Him to do His part and recognizing my part in them. It’s taking a moment to ponder and process the past six days of life with the help of the Holy Spirit, making sure to take care of any sin that might have crept into my life. It’s taking time to remember God and how He has rescued me from my slavery to sin, just as God commanded Israel to remember how He has rescued them from slavery to Egypt (verse 15).

Of course our first question to this mentor was, “How do we do it with two small children at home (Sammy 2 ½ & Caleb 9 months)?” His idea was that I watch the kids for a couple of hours so that Jenny could have at least two focused hours alone with God and then we switch for another two hours. The rest of the day would be focused on spending time as a family and resting – making sure to cook easy meals (like frozen pizza) and not doing any house work. That seemed reasonable to us. Exhausted as we were, we decided to give it a try.

And it made a big difference in our lives. About three months later, some friends of ours were at a crisis point, and Jenny and I felt the need to give up our Sabbath time for that week so we could serve them. It was a good weekend with our friends, but we were once again exhausted. Needless to say, it was obvious to us how important Sabbath rest had become to us and how important that time is for us.

Jenny and I have been taking Sabbath rest for well over a year now. Sure we’ve missed a few Sabbath days here and there, but we try to make sure to do it once per week. It’s not always easy, and there is temptation some weeks to let it slide, but the reward is always so good when we faithfully obey God’s commandment.

If you’ve never taken the time to try a Sabbath rest, I would encourage you to try it. If you have questions or want more information, my wife and I would be happy to share with you from our 1+ year of experience. Better yet, I highly recommend you read Jim Anderson’s book For God’s Sake Rest or attend one of his Sabbath Rest retreats. You won’t regret it.

Peace-faking

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts. – Psalm 28:3 (NIV)

This verse speaks of those who pretend to be nice to their neighbors but harbor hatred (and probably bitterness) in their hearts toward their neighbors. There’s an element of being two-faced. Besides being guilty of murder in God’s eyes (see Matthew 5:21-22 and 1 John 3:15), this action is completely devoid of any integrity. Peacemaker Ministries would refer to this type of person as a peace-faker, not a peace-maker.

This verse describes me (and believe me, I don’t like to be referred to as wicked). I do this more frequently than I would like to admit. And I think this is something that is, unfortunately, rampant in the Church in America today. For some reason, we’ve succumbed to the idea that we must be nice (even though the word nice doesn’t appear in Scripture). While the Bible does tell us to be kind to one another, the overarching command is to love one another. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is confront someone of their sin (Matthew 18:15). Instead, we so often bury it in our minds, thinking it won’t matter. We think we can just forgive and forget. Yet we harbor the hurt and dwell on the other person’s sin and, all the while, a root of bitterness grows in us (Hebrews 12:15).

The solution is reconciliation. If someone’s sin is serious enough that I cannot overlook it or easily forget about it, I need to lovingly and gently confront in hopes of reconciling with him/her. Confession and subsequently forgiveness needs to take place. By God’s grace, that’s what would allow me to “speak cordially with my neighbors” without “harboring malice in my heart.”

In His grace, may God make us peace-makers, not peace-fakers.

Pride

I was out edging my driveway a while back with a flat-edge shovel. Being the perfectionist I am, I was disappointed with the first side because the edge of grass/driveway wasn’t perfectly straight. Learning from my mistakes when edging the first side, I was able to get the second side very straight. Standing back and observing my work, I began taking pride in my ability to edge the driveway in such a straight line using only this flat-edge shovel. Then it hit me: pride is a ridiculous thing. Here’s what I mean:

Everything I have is from God (James 1:17): He created me and gave me gifts, talents, passions, interests, and personality, not to mention wealth and opportunities as an American that many in the world don’t have. Look what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:6-7, “⁶Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, 'Do not go beyond what is written.' Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. ⁷For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (NIV). Because EVERYTHING I have is from God, it is absolutely insanely ridiculous for me to boast in anything I am or do. INSANELY RIDICULOUS!

So I can edge in a straight line. Who gave me arms and legs to do the work? Who gave me the ability to edge in a straight line? Who gave me the desire to edge in a straight line? Who gave me the driveway, grass, and shovel? GOD DID! And I want to take pride in something I did? Insanely ridiculous.

I know edging for most people is about as important and exciting as watching paint peel off an old weathered deck, but that’s not the point. The point is this: regardless of what we’re tempted to take pride in, whether it’s scoring the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or being great in one’s occupation or being a 4.0 student, it’s insanely ridiculous to take pride in our accomplishments.

Furthermore, in taking pride in what we do, absent of giving glory to God, we’re actually attempting to steal God’s glory. That’s right. We’re actually attempting to STEAL GOD’S GLORY! This is even more insanely and heinously ridiculous! Think about it. When I’m taking pride in myself, I’m trying to glorify myself. I’m trying to attract attention to myself. I’m wanting others to notice me, look up to me, like me, respect me. I’m wanting others to have a bigger picture of me. Me, me, ME. When I’m in that state, it’s all about me.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” and answers “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” If I’m making part of my life all about me, I’m not glorifying God or enjoying him. I’m trying to enjoy myself and the attention I can garnish. One of my professors in college, Dr. J. E. Harvey Martin used to ask this question, “When you leave a room, do you leave people with a bigger picture of you or a bigger picture of God?” I’ve never forgotten that question.

Admittedly, I so often live in such a way that I might leave people with a bigger picture of me. I don’t want this. I want my life to glorify God and not myself. So the million-dollar question is this: “How do I live in such a way as to glorify God and not myself?”

Well, I think it begins with a realization that EVERYTHING I am and have is from God. Then that realization must be applied and internalized. I think it would be helpful for us to regularly thank God for what He has given, be it money, possessions, opportunities in life, talents, relationships, or spiritual gifts. When we receive praise for an accomplishment, we should immediately give God the credit. And certainly asking God for help in these matters and that God would develop our humility and give us a proper perspective on our own importance (see Romans 12:3). Finally, we needs to evaluate ourselves in comparison to God, not man (see Luke 18:9-14). Admittedly the above list is not comprehensive nor is it a formula but rather a few ideas that come to mind as I think about the solution to my pride.

May we all humble ourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).