2 Chronicles 34 : REMEMBERING THE REFORMATION @ 500

On the 31st of October 1517, 500 years ago, a Roman Catholic monk of the Augustinean order nailed 95 statements to the door of the castle - church in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses were protests against the severe abuses of the Roman church under the leadership of Pope Leo X. 

One of the things that Luther protested against was the "milking" of the German people by the Italian pope who wanted money to build the very expensive St. Peter's basilica in Rome. This was done was by the sale of indulgences in conjunction with the so called doctrine of purgatory.[1] Indulgences were a kind of promissory note from the pope that the person that purchased an indulgence would get their time in purgatory reduced. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as ‘a final cleansing of human imperfections before one is able to enter the joy of heaven.’ We pray for the souls in Purgatory, especially during the month of November, to help them pass through to heaven faster than they would on their own.”  

So, when a member of the Catholic Church[2] dies   he or she first goes to purgatory - an intermediate state between earth and heaven.  Time in purgatory depends on the kind of life one has lived, whether one went to church regularly, did good works etc., plus the prayer of the living for the dead (especially in November[3]) to get them out there sooner.  It certainly is not marketed as a place where you want to be for a long time.

In Luther’s times the sale of indulgences for time off in purgatory was used to raise funds for the pope’s extravagant building projects in Rome.  Offering a financial way out of a guilty conscience remains a favourite tool by spiritual manipulators in our own day. People will spend a lot of money to relieve their guilty consciences. A Roman Catholic monk called Johan Tetzel (1465 – 1519) drove the indulgence agenda of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. He marketed the idea to ignorant and superstitious Germans and he coined the catch phrase, “As soon as the gold in the casket rings, the rescued soul to heaven springs.” [4] This was simply too much for Dr.Luther, a respected professor of the Catholic church. 

He said:  

"before long all the churches, palaces, walls and bridges of Rome will be built out of our money. First we should rear living temples, next local churches, and only last of all St Peter's, which is not necessary for us. We German's can't attend St Peter's… why doesn't the pope build the basilica out of his own money? He is richer than Croesus. He would do better to sell St Peter's and give the money to the poor folk who are being fleeced by the hawkers of indulgences." [5] 

Now this kind of sentiment expressed by Luther was shared by many a German.  In fact, the Italian leadership in Rome did not think much of the Germans, and so when bishop Albert of Mainz forwarded Luther's 95 theses to Rome, Pope Leo apparently said: "Luther is a drunken German. He will feel different when he is sober!"   He made light of Luther. Luther in turn referred to the Pope as an anti-Christ because he believed that term appropriate for anyone blocking people from freely coming to Christ without money and price (Isa. 55:1).

Luther’s main concern with the Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory and the sale of indulgences was that it undermined the free gift of God in salvation. It undermined the definite work of Christ on the cross for sinners, and therefore it is heretical.   Clearly, if you can save yourself from your sin in another way, then Christ’s death for sin becomes just an option, or even worse, His death on the cross becomes irrelevant.    Imagine for a moment that you could buy your way out of hell (or into heaven) by means of money!  So Luther began to demonstrate from the Scriptures that salvation was not something that could be given by human hands. The Scriptures clearly teaches that Christ ALONE had secured the salvation of all who would come to Him.  There can be no human aid or effort involved in the work of true removal of our guilt and sin. Salvation is from Christ the Lord   ALONE. Substituting the work of Christ for any other form of human scheming makes null the Word of God!

Now why do I tell you this story about pope, purgatory and indulgences? I want show you   that the problem and principle remain relevant in our own day.  Everything conspires against the work of God in Christ   for sinners. Everything conspires against that which God has written for us in His holy Word.   But right now, I want to take you back to an example in the Bible in which biblical principles of Reformation are clearly seen.  In 2 Chronicles 34   we see what the rediscovery of an inspired piece of Scripture does in its day, bringing about a profound transformation.

JOSIAH AND THE REFORMATION :  2 Chronicles 34

34:1  “Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign…”. Our story begins with an 8 year old boy born to an evil father Amon. Amon, his father was in fact assassinated by his servants after only 2 years in office. (2 Chron. 33:21-25).  Concerning Josiah[6] we read that “while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David  his father, and in the 12^th year  he began to purge  Judah  and Jerusalem of the high  places…” (vv. 3-7). Note then firstly, that the little boy–king had an early God- awareness, and it related to the faith of David, and we are told twice that he walked in the ways of David, his father (and not of Amon).  

In the first 7 verses we read of an outward, moral   reformation in which all the foreign gods and influences, undermining the faith and practise of Israel were removed under Josiah’s direction. Now there are many important things that one wants to say about Josiah, and I have been privileged to do some profitable reading concerning the times in which Josiah ruled. Incidentally, the prophet Jeremiah[7] prophesied concerning the impending doom of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, but he is not mentioned here.   Yet from Jeremiah 22:15-16 we know that he commended Josiah (Jer.22:15) for his reforms. The prophet Zephaniah also make mention of him (Zeph.1:1).  

I simply  wish to  focus  on  Josiah’s  attempts  at reforming   the society of his day under the Word of God and the effects that this had  on his own generation.     

Following the  first  attempts  at reforming the nation which had fallen  into  deep sin as a result of the wicked reigns of Manasseh and Amon, in vv. 1-7, something deeper and profounder happens in vv. 8- 33. Josiah had given instructions to repair the temple, when in the process of the ‘clean–up’, “the Book of the Law (TORAH)”, was found in the temple (v.14). Thus began a period of reform that lasted until the death of Josiah (v.33).  

So what we see in vv. 22-33 is an earnest attempt to deal with the Word of God. I remind you that at the heart of the Torah is the teaching found in Deuteronomy 5 and 6 - the Shema, the summary of the greatest commandment in Deut.  6:1-9, as expounded in the 10 commandments of the preceding Chapter (Deut. 5:1-33).   These two chapters have taught God’s people to always love God supremely and from this, to also love our fellow man. To that end we have been created to glorify God.  And it wasn’t happening in Israel. The Law of God was clearly forgotten, and   the regular worship of God in the temple was neglected. The temple was in a bad state of repair. Evil and idolatry flourished instead.   And Josiah was greatly disturbed and he understands the consequences as laid out in v.25. The  young king’s repentance brought about  a word of comfort by the prophetess Huldah,   and  with it  followed temporary reprieve and assurance  from the Lord  (vv. 27,28)  and the  subsequent reforms are recorded for us in verses  29-33.

At the heart of this chapter we  find  that  the  Book of the Covenant was read to all,  both great and small (v.30). The covenant was reaffirmed, and a new commitment was made to perform the words of the covenant, and the results  are seen  in v.33. Josiah was faithful in his day, and he really helped his own generation to fear and obey the Lord. That, dear people  is  our great responsibility.  Each generation needs reformation under the Word of God. Each generation needs to be reminded  anew  that we can only be saved  from our ongoing  problem  of sin and continual backsliding  when we are brought under the  Word of God which  ALONE  will save us.  It alone  can restore health and healing to our  idolatrous  society.

So what do we learn from Josiah’s  and Luther’s Reformation ?

1.   God must work by giving us a catalyst.  God gave us many catalysts in biblical history and church history. They were instruments of bringing society back from the brink of spiritual apostasy   followed  by man made disaster.  We have recently shared  with you a cross section of Reformation Cameos – people who  were used by God as catalysts  in their respective environments, and often beyond. Pray  that God would give us godly leaders, such as Josiah and Luther  to lead us out of this mess that was created by our fathers  and forefathers.   

2.     There needs to be a desire to see our environment reformed.   It is no good hearing the Bible read and explained, but nothing done about it.  Josiah  and Luther worked hard  to remove the idolatrous  stumbling blocks of the  societies in their  day  and real change followed.

3.     Central to our Reforms  needs to be the Word of God.   Note, it is when the Word of God is read   and explained that deep-seated conviction occurs. The Reforms   brought about by the Word of God need to have  the following effects :

 ·       A real response to the Word of God- not just lip service.

 ·       Real repentance for our faithlessness to God and a real desire to go forward in obedience. If we are never moved to change when reading the Bible, then let us search our souls, and ask ourselves why we are not able to respond in obedience.  

 ·      Real humility.  We need to see ourselves as God sees us.  The Bible helps us to maintain that perspective that produces proper humility before God.  

 ·    Real Worship of God and Christ in the Holy Spirit.   Heartfelt, glad, habitual   worship from a heart that has been set free by God to serve Him, replacing the  idol worship (the replacement of God)   in which we  have learned to indulge..  

 ·       Real Reformation for old and young.  Josiah assembled both, the young and the old to hear the Word of God. Children must  hear the Word . They must not be kept out of the   church where   the Word is preached. Pastors must learn to communicate the Word of God to young and old alike. 

 ·   Real comprehensive Reformation of society. Reformation brings about not only spiritual changes, but moral changes, resulting in political and societal changes. A great example of this is the 18^th century Reformation under the preaching of men like George Whitefield. In our own country the ministry of a man like Martin Rautanen had a similar effect among the Oshiwambo people.  Josiah saw this in his day. So did Luther.  So did many others. Why not we?  We have seen some very positive changes in our Baptist Churches in  Namibia. Let us call out to God for more substantial  changes.

In Summary – the 5 SOLA’s of the Reformation  : A real  Bible ; a real Christ ; real Grace , real Faith – a God really glorified!  

A Prayer : Psalm 85 :1-7

                                                  

---

[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm#III 1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.

[2] Any  person baptised  by the RC Church is considered a member , and in their eyes this cannot be undone.

[3] All Souls Day – 2^st November : praying for all the souls that have not yet reached heaven; All Saints Day on 1^st November is  celebrating those  who have already entered into heaven.

[4]  Altes Deutsch : “Sobald der Gülden im Becken klingt,  im huy die Seel im Himmel springt“ [Hochdeutsch: “Sobald das Geld im Kasten klingt, die Seele in den Himmel springt!“]

[5] Roland Bainton: Here I stand, p.63 (Hendrickson Publishers)

[6] reigned for thirty-one years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BC. He is also one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew

[7] Jeremiah 1:1

Genesis 19: 30-38 “The Sad Results Of Poor Decision Making”

Here we are again. Another a very sad story, and another  very difficult  text to preach on  – not one that I would have chosen  to preach on, if I had my way. But  the Bible  holds us accountable, and we  must  deal with every issue as it presents itself , and with the help of the Holy Spirit who caused this to be written down for our sake, we must seek to understand what this  means  for our own day and  times.  

In a nutshell then,  our portion of Scripture  presents us with  a  thoughtful study  on the nature  and results of pathetic and  shallow and self- willed  thinking, drivenby a  form of living that feeds on short term gratification and based  on a lack of godly reflection, resulting in devastating long term consequences.

We have   previously seen that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had chosen to live in Sodom, one of a number of cities at that time known by God for sustained patterns of sexual immorality, and a wide acceptance of the practise of homosexuality in particular. Although he was not guilty of the sins of the men of Sodom, Lot had chosen to live there. 2 Peter 2:7,8 tells us that  Lot was actually a righteous man, and we cannot argue with the assessment of Scripture.  We know that he actually defended the angelic visitors against homosexual rape. He told the people of Sodom not to act so wickedly (19:7)….”He was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds…” (2 Pet. 2:8)

But the fact remains that he and his family had settled into a comfortable mode here, and therefore were liable to the temptation of compromise. Many Christians struggle with this   tendency. The Bible warns us repeatedly to flee temptation. But the heart wants what the heart wants.  And so we find that his daughters, who clearly did not share their father’s sensitivity to sin, were to be married to men of that city. When the angels of judgement urged them and their prospective husbands to get out of the city   because the LORD God was going to send a devastating destruction upon it, they chose to stay. Likewise, Mrs Lot, whilst dutifully fleeing with her husband and daughters, kept looking back, for her heart was still in Sodom, and the Bible tells us that she too perished.

In the end, only Lot and his two daughters escaped. Whilst Lot had it in his mind to escape to a little town called Zoar (19:20), we are told that he and his daughters never actually settled in Zoar, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. 
Why was he afraid to live there? Well, Zoar was essentially like the cities that perished in this great judgement, and this city escaped by God’s mercy alone. It seems most likely then that he thought that Zoar was going to meet the same fate in time, and so Lot and his two daughters, out of fear chose not to live there, but instead  they went to live in a cave, away from the city.  Fear, incidentally is never a good motivation for living wisely.  Fear makes us insecure, and we easily become candidates for making bad choices. This is what happened in Lot’s case.   It happened in the case of Abraham. We saw it in   12: 10-20 when Abraham, as a result of the drought went down to in Egypt, and when he feared that Pharaoh would kill him on account of his beautiful wife, Sarah. We shall see the same thing happening again in Chapter 20, when Abimelech takes Sarah for himself, because Abraham said that she was his sister. There was clearly something in Sarah’s appearance that made her very attractive, even in her older years.

Back in the cave, and in the meantime Lot’s daughters began to think about their future – about having a family, and then they thought that there was no future. All they had was their old father, and so they schemed. And then the unthinkable happened.  They schemed to get him drunk and then to lie with him, to get an offspring for themselves by this ungodly means.   John Calvin comments, “It is true that they were not so much motivated by sensual lust as a foolish desire to procreate their family.”[1]

Under the influence of alcohol, convictions and morals and inhibitions crumble. Immoral conduct becomes more likely when alcohol is involved. We see this in our city. Most car accidents are caused by drunken driving.  People are routinely stabbed and killed in nightclubs where alcohol liberally flows. Wife abuse, husband abuse, child abuse is accentuated when alcohol is involved.  There is a connection between drunkenness and sexual immorality. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, and people lose control, and it leads to all sort of long term problems.

You will remember that a similar thing happened to Noah (Gen. 9: 18—29). He planted a vineyard, made wine, and became so drunk, that he lost his sense of modesty and he was found lying exposed and naked in his tent. When his son Ham   found Him in this condition it seems that Ham made fun of his father before his brothers.  His brothers Shem and Japheth by contrast dared not look at their father’s exposed body and instead they covered him respectfully.   There are some parallels here. Both men were delivered by God from their ungodly societies. Both had escaped the judgement of God upon their societies, and both fell into the sin of drunkenness following their deliverance.     

  

So here they are - Lot’s daughters, thinking about their future, thinking no further than their own noses. But then again,  we  are forced to think about their father. Righteous man that he was, for he was justified by God, yet he was an unprincipled father figure. He chose to live in Sodom, and he was not opposed for his girls to marry men from Sodom. What was worse however is that when the safety of his angelic guests was at stake he had even offered his daughters   to this mob of  sexual perverts  (19:8). 

What does this do to the thought life of a young woman? My father was willing to give me up!  He was prepared to sacrifice me to those beasts!   

And thus begins the vicious chain of abuse. The abused becomes an abuser in turn. One sin leads to another. And now the daughters are not thinking about their father’s honour.  Because he didn’t think about their honour!  He was sacrificing them  on the altar  of a misplaced perspective  on honour  and hospitality,  and now they,  in turn, were  willing to sacrifice a good conscience before God and man for the sake of their idolatrous desire of having a family at any means. In that sense they were actually no different to Abraham and Sarah,  when they used devious means to get children for themselves. They were unwilling to trust God for an outcome. That is always the danger when we want something and when we  want it NOW…. In that process we easily sacrifice God given principles, and this  leads to the danger of making poor choices that have negative and long term effects.

This is a plain warning to all of us who are fathers of daughters. We dare not make little of our daughters’ honour and purity.  Fathers, cherish your daughters and protect them from this oversexualised society. Teach them to love purity. We must not become a stumbling block to them in this regard; otherwise they will count their lives as cheap and disposable.  And be jealous about whom they will marry, without being overbearing.

In this passage we have a sobering reminder of what happens when we are not careful about the company that we keep. It has an impact upon our children. Where we live, and how we respond to evil, and our own spiritual commitments - all of these things are vital in the spiritual formation of our children. Our moral environment significantly influences our lives.  “Bad company ruins good morals” [1 Cor. 15:33].  For this reason the Bible exhorts us to have fellowship with believers of like faith. So this passage reminds us again of the result of the worldly environment in which Lot's daughters had been raised. And they embraced that form of thinking (and not godly reflection) when they became desperate.

Was there another way out? Yes of course.  But they did not think of asking the same LORD that just had delivered them from such a great destruction, to provide husbands for them.  And they could have left that cave and gone to their uncle Abraham.  They must have known that he was living not far from them.  But pride always gets in the way. And   this is the way with worldly young people. They do not want to be found in the company of their religious family.  Perhaps it was too convicting. Maybe they even resented him. Maybe their uncle Abraham even had previously spoken to them about not marrying those boys from Sodom. Who knows?  I know that this is a conjecture, but there is a reason why they did not settle with Abraham.  They did not share the faith of Abraham.  And so we see that there was clearly no godly desire in them, as seen in the next few verses…

VV 36-38 : “Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called him Moab (which means, ‘from the father’) . He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son  and called his name  Ben-ammi ,which means  ‘son of my close relative’ . He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.” 

Now, what were the consequences of this?  ‘In that cave the impregnation was all over in a few minutes but the legacy of what happened there lasted a thousand years’, says Geoff Thomas.  From our reading if the OT Scriptures  we  understand that  the  Moabites and the Ammonites,  the extended family of the children  of Abraham, Israel  became some of their  cruellest and  bitterest enemies, just like the sons of Ishmael, born to the illegitimate union between Hagar and Abraham who became sworn enemies of Israel.  

And so we read for instance that when Israel left Egypt and asked Moab permission to pass through their land on their journey to the promised land, they were refused and resisted (See Numbers 22-24). As a result the Lord pronounced judgement upon Moab. When Israel camped in the plains of Moab and ready to cross the Jordan their men were seduced by Moabite women and they began to sacrifice to Baal the god of the Moabites ( Numbers 25:1).  They were a great stumbling block to Israel.

The Ammonites worshipped the idol god Molech. Molech worship included child sacrifice. Leviticus 18:21 warns Israel:  "Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord."

The Moabites and Ammonites also raided Israel in the time of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah and again in the days of the prophet Elisha.  So, the grandsons of Lot did not become friendly cousins, a blessing, but a curse to Israel. 

A last word about Lot.  He disappears from the scene, never to be heard of again. Matthew Henry says this about Lot: "From the silence of scripture concerning Lot henceforward, we may learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes men forgotten; and many a name, which otherwise might have been remembered with respect, is buried by it in contempt and oblivion." That's a sad thought. Even though he was a righteous man in his generation, his convictions did not translate into wise family leadership, and so the consequences are that his family line descends into evil, and we take note of the judgment of God against sin.

And yet we find grace in the midst of this mess, and we must not fail to see this.   In the providence of God we find that centuries later a woman comes out of Moab.  Her name was Ruth, and the story of Ruth lives on in a book of the Bible. She eventually married a Jew called Boaz, and to them was born Obed, and of Obed was born Jesse the father of king David.  And of this line Jesus was born, our eternal King, made incarnate by the will of God. He was born to Joseph and Mary, both descendants of David.Geoff Thomas says: “Through the umbilical cord that attached Jesus to Mary, the line of our Lord goes back …to this cave and to a drunken righteous man and his scheming immoral daughters.” 

And, remember, each one of us, this is where Jesus found us,  when He found us … ‘fast bound in sin and nature’s night’ (Charles Wesley: ‘And can it be)’. 

Jesus came to redeem sinners, and we shall discover that nobody will be found in heaven that deserves to be there, but because of the tender mercy of our God.  

We thank God that we may see His grace even in the midst of such  utter  sin and unbelief, and we thank Him once again for  for such  a severe mercy. Amen

---

[1]  John Calvin : Genesis, Crossway Publications, p.186

Acts 18:1- 17 ”I Have Many People In This City “

18:1 Leaving Athens in Acts 17, Paul went on to Corinth in Acts 18. Corinth was situated about 80 kilometres west of Athens. If Athens was the intellectual centre of the ancient world, the city where Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno had taught and made their respective marks, then Corinth was the commercial centre of Greece.

Corinth was situated close to the isthmus which joined mainland Greece to the Peloponnesian peninsula.  2 ports were nearby, Lechaeum on the Corinthian gulf to the west, and Cenchrea on the Saronic Gulf to the east.   Now Corinth was associated in everybody’s mind with immorality. Behind the city was a mountain called the Acro-Corinth. On top of this mountain, which had a flat top was the temple of Aphrodite (or Venus) – the goddess of love. Apparently this temple had a thousand female slaves, who also roamed the city at night as prostitutes. The immorality was proverbial, so that the word ‘korinthiazomai’  to be Corinthian,  was coined to describe immorality.  

Paul first visited the city in AD 49 or 50, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia [18:12].  With the help of Roman history we can thus date the book of Acts fairly accurately. Paul lived   in Corinth for 18 months [18:11].

18:2,3: In search of Christian company he first became acquainted with Priscilla and Aquila, a Jewish Christian couple.  We are told that they had come to Corinth from Rome, where Christians and Jews (the Romans did not know the difference)   had been banished by the emperor Claudius, because the gospel was apparently causing disturbances in that city. The gospel certainly   does not bring peace, but division, Jesus said (Matt. 10:34ff). To become a believer  and in taking up the cross one will need to separate from, and leave one’s dearest idols behind and follow Jesus. 

So, Paul found this couple in Corinth and they worked together as tent-makers[1]. Later they moved with Paul to Ephesus [18:18,19,26].

18:4,5: Paul’s preaching  follows  an  established  pattern[2], first  to the unconverted  Jews, and therefore he always went to the synagogue whenever there was one in a town or city.[3] Also note that Silas and Timothy re-joined Paul here, having last seen him in Berea.

18:6-8: Here we find once again, the habitual rejection of the gospel by the Jews.[4]  They generally refused, opposed and reviled Paul’s message. From this followed his resolve no longer to speak in the synagogues wherever he travelled [13:46; 18:6], although he did also go to the synagogue in Ephesus after this [18:19]. He said 'From now on I will go to the Gentiles'. Generally speaking then the mission began to focus more and more upon the gentiles and that has been the general trend to this day.

As Paul leaves the synagogue the irony is that he finds an open door to preach the gospel right next door to the synagogue in the home of Titius Justus. What is even more amazing is that despite all the opposition from that synagogue, the synagogue ruler, Crispus and his family believed and were baptized.[5]  

Those were the facts so far. And now consider this following text to which we want to pay closer attention:

18:9-10:  The Lord spoke to Paul one night in Corinth: "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and  do not be silent, for I am with you, and no-one  will attack you to  harm you,  for  I have many in this city  who are my people."  Some may be surprised at the thought that the apostle Paul shows signs of fear when we have been so used to see him walking where angels fear to tread. We see him time and again, unafraid of sharing the gospel of Jesus with people everywhere, often at great personal expense. We see him rejected and persecuted and persevering with joy. But here he appears to be afraid! Don't believe that Paul was a "spiritual superman". He too was weak and afraid at times. (Who is weak and I am not weak? 1 Cor. 11:29). Paul's ministry in Corinth provides a picture for us of the normal tension between discouragement and encouragement, fear and courage. It is something    that all God's people and we Pastors experience in the course of life and our ministries. It is the inevitable result of being a committed follower of Jesus. We need to retain a God-given perspective on this matter.

Why  might  Paul have been overcome with fear  at this point?

(i)         Learning from the immediate context: He had just come from Athens, where the going was tough. His mind and his energy were sapped by the many useless debates [17:21]. Add to this the fact, that only a few believed [17:34]. Add to this the ministry in Corinth, which was tough going [18:6] and you have a recipe for fear and discouragement. Nothing is more discouraging in the ministry than seeing little or no response  to the gospel and  seeing  professing Christians not maturing in their faith.

(ii)        The experience of personal rejection in 18: 5- 6 must not be underestimated. It hurts to be rejected by the people you care for most. Paul loved his people, the Jews (Rom. 9:3; 10:1), and for all his boldness, Paul is not unaffected. His second letter to the Corinthians portrays much of his inner feelings on this subject.  God's servants are not untouched by rejections. Moses experienced the rejection of his people; Joshua wanted to give up (Josh 7:7); Jeremiah felt  rejection keenly, and frequently wavers between discouragement and encouragement (eg. Jer.20:7-19).

(iii)       Paul really struggled with personal feelings of inadequacy.  The first letter to the Corinthians was written in response to his first visit. See his comments in  1 Cor. 2: 1 - 5 

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  

Paul really believed that he was not equal to the task of preaching the gospel in these challenging situations. “Who is sufficient for these things?”  (2 Cor. 2:16), and he was acutely aware that he constantly needed God's enabling power   “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor.  12:9 )

Here then are a number of factors that cause discouragement: fatigue (Paul worked hard); lack of results and much resistance and personal feelings of inadequacy. This leads very naturally to fear. This all needs divine perspective. May God give us the grace in our times of discouragement, to see His hand at work and to hear His still small voice encouraging us on the way. 

ENCOURAGEMENT in the midst of discouragement:

One of the greatest and most comforting theological facts is that God never leaves nor forsakes His children. For this reason the Psalms have been of  such great comfort to Christians through the ages. Whenever   he sensed trouble,  Luther  would say  to his congregation: “Come let us sing the 46^th Psalm”.   God is with Paul in Corinth, even though Paul may feel fearful.  Let us see where we find  encouragement in this text:  

(i)         18: 1-5: Paul would be encouraged by the fellowship of his Christian friends - here Aquila and Priscilla ; Silas and Timothy. Christian friends are a great blessing!

(ii)        18: 6 - 8 :  Paul would be encouraged that there was some response. Despite the  fact that relatively few people have come to faith, these are nevertheless trophies of grace and triumph.  The number of people converted in Athens may be pitifully insignificant, but the angels in heaven rejoice over every sinner that repents (Lk 15:7,10). If heaven rejoices over one sinner, shouldn't we?  And even though Paul is thrown out of the synagogue, when the Jews became abusive [18:6], there was an open door next to the synagogue in the home of  a man called Titius Justus.  We are told that the synagogue ruler Crispus and other Corinthians believed and were baptised [18:8].  Let us learn not to despise the day of small things.

(iii)       18:9 - 10: Paul received personal encouragement from God.

(iv)       18:12 - 17: God is at work in the world, ruling and overruling for the good of His church. The attack on Paul by jealous opponents of the gospel proved to be ineffective and the spread of the gospel  continued.

SUMMARY  

In the midst of our ordinary challenges that often produce fear, remember these things ...

1. The Gospel is ultimately in God’s hands. It is the gospel of God (Rom 1:1). And the main thing about the gospel is that God’s people are called to share it in all sorts of context. Paul shared it in the synagogue, in the market place and in many informal conversations along the way.  

  

2.  The Gospel will encounter resistance, but it will also find favour.  Expect resistance, such as we see here. But do not forget the wonderful truth is that God has a people everywhere – chosen from before the foundations of the earth (Eph. 1:4). You go and find them, but without using trickery and deceit. (2 Cor. 4:1-5).

3. Thank God for fellow gospel labourers - thank God for Aquila and Priscillas, for Timothys and Silas’s. They greatly encourage us.

4. Don’t labour where there is no promise. Although this needs to be thought through carefully (e.g. Jeremiah and Isaiah and most of the prophets laboured and persevered in unpromising circumstances), yet there came a time  when Paul had to move out of the synagogue and on to  the open door, next door to the synagogue,  where the church of God  had its birthplace in Corinth. There may come a time when our missionary focus must shift away from the unwilling to those that are willing to listen.  Currently this happens in many churches around the world, when the gospel preached by a pastor drives out hardened traditionalists and brings in new converts. Often, it forces evangelical preachers  to leave a hardened congregation and go ‘next door’ to those who will listen. 

  

5. Even though we may grow discouraged and fearful in the work of the gospel, we must not be overcome by fear. God’s gospel mission cannot fail.  All that the Father has given to His Son will come.  If we labour in a mission field in which little is happening, let us be content with that, and continue to be faithful to our calling. Don’t despise the day of small things.  (Zech. 4:10)

---

[1] from which is derived the modern Christian concept of tent-making, i.e. earning your living  from  a trade, while making it your main business to preach the gospel

[2] Acts 11:19

[3] Acts 13:5,14,43 ; 14:1; 17:1,10,17 ; 18:4,19

[4] Acts 13:45-52; 14:2-5,19; ( The Judaizers in 15:1ff and the Jerusalem council); 17:5-9,13 ; 18:6; 19:9 ; 20:3 ; 21:27-36 ; 23:12-22 ;

[5] No Corinthians were baptized by Paul himself except Crispus, Gaius and some of the household of Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:14, 16).  The household of  Stephanas were  "the first converts  in  Achaia" (1 Cor.  16:15). Gaius, was Paul's host the next time he visited the city (Rom. 16:23).

Genesis 19: 23-29 “The Judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah”

We have previously  considered, 

(i)  the announcement of the Judgement  of Sodom  and the intercession of Abraham  

(ii) the  personal revelation of the wickedness of Sodom to the 2 messengers of God,  and the rescue mission of Abraham’s nephew  Lot and  his family, and now...  

(iii) we shall consider the actual  destruction of  Sodom and  Gomorrah, along with the tragic incident  involving Lot’s wife.

There are few  more terrible and tragic accounts in the Bible  than this one. Martin Luther   confessed that he could not read the chapter without  being deeply affected (‘Es geht mir durch mein ganzes Herz’- this   story  pierces  my  whole heart). [1]  

23-25. As the sun had  risen, Lot came to Zoar, and  the LORD Yahweh rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah sulphur and fire from  the heavens…  Although only Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned, we learn from Deut. 29:23[2]  that Admah and Zeboiim were involved as well.  We read of  this group of five towns  in Genesis 14:2,9  and it appears that of  these, Zoar the town to which Lot fled, alone was spared. These towns were communities under the judgment of God.  For many years the LORD God had been patient with them, restraining His anger, giving the people much time to repent and change their ways, but now the time had come when their sin had reached its full measure. This was all confirmed by the two angels of God who had come for that final investigation. It was also these angels  that  were instrumental  in getting  Lot and his family out of these cities of destruction. It was these that told Lot and his family in v.17,  “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in this valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”

The  text tells us  that  the LORD – Yahweh rained  upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulphur and fire". Nothing points to a volcanic eruption. No volcanic lava remains are found  in the immediate vicinity.  Some have thought   that it was  a violent earthquake, referring to the word "overthrew"(vv. 25,29). There certainly is  seismic  activity in this  area of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.  I understand that this is all part of the Rift Valley that runs from the  Middle  Near East down through east Africa into Kenya.    An earthquake occurred when Christ died (Matt. 27:51) and when Paul was in prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25).

However the best explanation given is that  the "fire" which rained down from heaven may have been lightning. The "sulphur" ( Brimstone) , common  in the Middle East  may have been connected to a huge explosion of highly inflammable materials, connected with the "bitumen pits"  mentioned  in   Gen. 14:10   causing a vast conflagration.  The towns were overthrown, and all their   inhabitants, and  even what grew on the ground vanished (v.25)

It happened! It is a fact. It was an act of God.  It happened in history,  like the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in  AD 79,  one of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions in European history. Mount Vesuvius spewed forth a deadly cloud of  gasses to a height of 33 kilometres, ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings.  Several Roman settlements were obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, the best known cities being Pompeii and Herculaneum.[3]

It happened  like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake  which caused a  series of devastating tsunamis, killing 230,000–280,000 people in 14 countries, and swamping coastal communities with waves up to 30 metres  high. It was one of the deadliest disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. It is the third-largest earthquake ever recorded.  

And it happened like the 2011 Japan earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world, since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres.   Almost 16 000 people died, apart from huge damage to homes and infrastructure.  The tsunami also caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima power plant.  The World Bank's estimated economic cost was US$235 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in history.[4]

And all these tell the same story.  They are acts of God. God is sending temporary judgments  into this fallen world, reminding  the world frequently that  the world as we know it  will  have a  catastrophic ending , followed  by a general resurrection and  a Great White Throne  judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).  Sodom is a foretaste of that day, and these  so called natural disasters, and catastrophes , according to Jesus  are but the beginnings of the birthpains. (Matt. 24:8)  

V. 26.  But Lot’s wife, behind him  looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. What did the angel of God say in v. 17?  “Don’t look back!”, and yet  she did  (v.26).  Here she  is.  She is fleeing with her husband and her daughters but her  heart was in Sodom. She had left Sodom, but Sodom was still in her heart. If she had her way she would have stayed behind like her prospective sons in law. The world was in her heart, and her heart was in the world. In this state she lived, and in this state she died. She followed, not because of personal conviction. She followed because it was her duty to follow her husband.  Oh how many there are in our churches like that.   There are so many people in the world that follow Christ out of duty and not out of delight.  You may have spiritual advantages of every description. You may belong to a good family of Christians. You may be in a church where  the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed and where many are devoted to following the Lord Jesus.   All this may be, and yet you yourself may remain without a true desire to love and follow Christ.  And so when  ‘push comes to shove’, and  when you are called by Jesus  to  make choices that  take you away from the world, taking steps like Christian in Pilgrims Progress towards heaven, you look back  and wish that you  could  enjoy  more of this Sodom.   

Now remember the words of the Lord Jesus in  Luke  17:28-33 . In that context, with reference to the days of Lot, He says, “Remember Lot’s wife.” ….whoever seeks to preserve his life (in Sodom) will lose it, but whoever loses his life (to Christ)  will  keep  it” (v.33). 

 

"She looked back.”  This might seem like a small insignificant thing, but it spoke volumes of what really mattered to her. Little things will often show the state of a man’s heart and mind more accurately than great ones. Little symptoms are often the signs of a deadly disease. Cancer starts with a little cell.  A virus and bacteria are invisible to the naked eye. But they have powerful effects. This backward look showed what was first in her life. 

So many have shown promise in spiritual matters. They started well. They followed the Lord Jesus zealously for a while, but when it really mattered, they loved the world more than Jesus. They followed Him no longer (John 6:66). Their love grew cold (Rev.  2:1-7). They became lukewarm  (Rev. 3 :14-22). They have tasted of the goodness of the  word of God and  the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away….” (Hebr. 6:5,6).   Remember Lot’s wife, says Jesus! She is  a warning  to all who do not make a clear-cut break with the world.  

Vv.27, 28. Abraham goes back to the place where he had "stood before the LORD Yahweh"- where he had interceded for Sodom  and Gomorrah. What he saw down below in the valley must have been gut wrenching.   He saw vast volumes of smoke rising from in all the land of the valley . If you remember Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991)  the response   to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait  on 2^nd   August 1990 and the burning oilfields of Kuwait , then you will get an idea  of what Abraham  would have seen here.

The expression used here, literally translated here as  "smoke of the earth"[5], seems to suggest that the very ground burned.  Again,  this points to  the possibility that  oil deposits near the surface may have been ignited to cause  this  enormous conflagration.

V.29. “So it was that when God  destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot  out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew  the cities in which Lot had lived”. The primary thought of the verse is: God remembered Lot for Abraham’s sake. Abraham’s prayer, although it was not answered in the way he had wished, resulted nevertheless   in Lot’s preservation.  But Lot was not delivered for his own sake but for Abraham’s. "The  prayer of a  righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)  

REVIEW  AND APPLICATION

This text which we have considered is no fairy tale, and Luther’s reaction to it, should be ours. It is a terrible thing to see sinners falling into the hands of an angry God.  This is a reminder of the final judgment.  It appears that people in our day are just as cynical and unbelieving about the fact of that coming judgment, just as they were in the days of Noah. Jesus said so! (Lk 17:26). And in all this we must remember that God is not slow to judge.   “He is patient… not wishing anyone to perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

The  lesson of Lot’s wife  is  a particular warning for those that associate  with Jesus and His church , but  who remain fundamentally attached to this world . In the  NT she is a standing warning against worldliness. Jesus will tell you,   “remember Lot's wife”!  

Abraham, the intercessor, reminds  us  that Christians have a duty to pray  for  their   world and to be exercised over its ungodliness, whilst at the same time  pleading with God for His mercy. There is a great promise here for those of us  with unconverted families. God hears our prayer  for their sake. We are told that God spared Lot because of Abraham's intercession.

One last thing : Jesus said  to His disciples in Matt 10: 14-15 , "And if  anyone will  not receive you, or listen to  your words,  shake the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable in the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town." Jesus is saying that those who reject the gospel message are liable to a more intense judgment than Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement.

And where will you be in that  day? Where is your heart rooted? Remember  Lot’s wife. She had experienced many spiritual privileges, but  ultimately  she would  experience the same judgment as  did the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. She was so  close  to the gates of Zoar and yet so far away.

THE LORD’ SUPPER

An invitation  to come to  Jesus  your Zoar, your Redeemer,  your   Deliverer, the One who has  facilitated  your great escape.  

---

[1] http://www.ccel.org/ccel/leupold/genesis.xxi.html

[2] see also Hosea 11:8

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_of_Mount_Vesuvius_in_79

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami

[5]  Hebr:  qîtor ha’árets