Light-work

Cancel-Proof Your Faith: First Principle

A Recent Sermon

https://vimeo.com/541382048

Ready for a New Day?

What a year 2020 was! Everyone seems ready to “get back to normal.” So I have to ask, “Is 'normal' a truly attractive prospect?” The term can refer to what is typical or to be expected. So what can we expect in 2021 and beyond? Is it reasonable to anticipate the coming new day as an improvement?

Jesus (and the other New Testament writers) have perfect insight into what we can expect in the days ahead. Their descriptions are a bit sobering. For example, on the night in which Jesus was betrayed, He prayed for His disciples, including us! Here is one of His prayer requests for you and me: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14). The world views Jesus folk just as they view Jesus. We are aliens, as in off-world aliens. (Remember the movie Independence Day?) We are a threat, not an asset. We are a problem to be dealt with. The Apostle John got Jesus’ point and later cautioned us to do a reality check: Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13).

Jesus and John want us to understand what normal looks like for those who follow Jesus. We will be hated by the world. Do not look so shocked! As our world trends toward this normal, we who are devoted to Jesus will increasingly be considered a roadblock to “progress.”

Jesus provided an extended teaching session about what this approaching normal looks like. His description concerns the season before things ramp up at the end. In other words, Jesus is not describing the end. He is describing what we should expect life to be like before things ramp up. Jesus is describing the now.

And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Mark 13:5–13).

Wars and the threat of war, earthquakes, food shortages - these will be normal before we ever even come to the end. Daring to think or express what Jesus teaches will get you arrested, beaten, and condemned in court. You will not be safe at home, either. Fathers will turn in their children and children will turn in their parents and consign them to death. Doesn’t sound so good, does it? But this will be and even now is becoming the norm.

When Jesus talks about enduring to the end, He is not talking about physical survival. He is talking about staying true to Christ (enduring) right to the end of life. He is talking about losing your life in the name of staying true to Him.

I offer no comments on the recent election, economic developments, and the Covid crisis. These are but side-shows to a larger drama. Things are moving inexorably to “normal,” a normal in which naming the name of Jesus is costly. Persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ are already quite well acquainted with what we should expect. Get used to it - embrace it! We will be increasingly hated for our allegiance to Him.

You might object, "Yes, but I know a lot of folks who don't love Jesus but who don't hate me. Maybe Jesus and John are not talking about my normal?" Good question - stay tuned.

Hunker in the Bunker?

Two weeks ago, if you had described for me what life would be like today, I wouldn’t have believed it. With covid-19 yipping at our heels, Costco is rationing toilet paper. Toilet paper! All across the land this weekend, churches reverberated as preachers “streamed” from an empty room. In two weeks, we have become fluent in the language of “social distance” that is closing stores, restaurants, and schools.

On top of all this, the pandemic has become the butterfly effect, exploding a fiction of stock values. As of this writing, the Dow has fallen from 29K to 20K in about 30 days. Just imagine (maybe you don’t have to imagine) that your portfolio has been reduced by a third while you blinked. Pain and fear are in the driver’s seat.

I can say with assurance that I have never experienced anything quite like this.

I do not know what will happen tomorrow. Which raises a great question! Before I ask it, let me affirm what I do know. I know who Father is! He is gracious, loving, and wise. I know I am His. I know that He is my safety. And I know that He is capable of using our current circumstances to work my good and that of all those who love Him – I may not know HOW He will do this, but I know that He will.

So here’s my question: What does God want to teach us during this singular season? I have come up with a couple of possibilities.

First, here is a grand opportunity for us to learn how to function as His church without churches. Let me explain: At the moment, our government leaders are directing us to meet in groups no larger than 10 people. So, God is not sitting in heaven flapping His arms in frustration and muttering, “How will my people worship under such conditions.” God is saying, “Okay, church, here’s your chance to be the church without all the frills. Break it down into what you and nine other individuals can do. Thrive as my people in groups of ten!”

Frankly, this is something we would do well to learn. In many parts of the world, the house-church is the norm. To the degree that our culture views us as a liability, we will have to learn what others know all too well. So here’s your chance! Figure out how to leverage all the wonderful resources available through your “big church” to raise up a ground-swell of churches of ten or less. As long as we are under a “social distance” mandate, seize it as the opportunity it is to flex your house-church muscles.

Second, this crisis is a window to Gospel opportunity. I am not making light of the rising tide of pain and fear that threatens to engulf us. I hurt for those who are hurting. But precisely here is our open door. All those who are in anguish around us are longing for something, someone, upon whom they can depend, someone who will promote their true good. They are tired of being misled, taken advantage of, and disappointed. There is One who does not disappoint, and we know Him! They are hurting and in pain longing to hear about One who heals. We know Him! They are in trouble and going under. There is One who rescues, and we know Him!

Seize the opportunity! Just because we are keeping our social distance, we don’t have to go dark. Use your phone, computer, and good old fashioned snail-mail to reach out to those in your circle who are hurting. Maybe you are part of a house-church of nine that has room for one more. Bring your friend!

The world may be concerned, and understandably so, about how to “get through” the current crisis. I say to my brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t just hunker in the bunker. Let’s not sigh and count the days till we can “get back to normal.” Let’s flourish as His church (in groups of ten) and as ambassadors of grace (among a people in pain).

Consultants, and Critics, and Bears! Oh, my!

What does a “church consultant” do? And, why do we need them? For me, these are not purely theoretical questions. I recently completed level four of training offered by the Society for Church Consulting and only have one more project to complete before pursuing certification. If I’m gonna be one, I had best know what one does and why!

I can attest to the ubiquity of critics in the church. Everyone seems to have an ample supply of “things I don’t like,” even though the particulars on any given list might be on someone else’s list in the column for “things I really like!” If all the critics weren’t bad enough, there’s the bears. Like their stock market counterparts, church bears are predicting a looming downturn. They wax eloquent, remembering former days of glory, while wringing their hands about how current trends are sure to end badly.

So the notion of adding a third party to the mix could easily make one sound like Dorothy –  “Consultants, and Critics, and Bears! Oh, my!” Why, when we already have enough home-based critics and pessimists in our church, do we need to import more from outside? Isn’t using a consultant like adding another voice to what is already a roiling cacophony?

Maybe what we really need is some fresh air! I find it in 1 Corinthians 4:3-5: But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God (1 Corinthians 4:3–5). This passage attests to the active presence of critics as a constant of church life in Corinth two millennia ago. In Paul’s case, he processed the claims of his critics by affirming two fundamentals: We are only accountable to the Lord, and men’s perspectives are profoundly limited in value.

Hear, hear! Jesus is Lord of the church and the only one qualified to evaluate both individuals and churches. On some future date, Jesus will come for an on-site visit to file a full report. His evaluation will not simply focus on externals. He will put a spotlight on things hidden; He will bring to light men’s true motives; He will get to the bottom of it all. This will be the perfect value determination of what Paul and everyman have done. In this moment, the only opinion that will matter is the Lord’s.

Everyone else’s won’t! For Paul, the opinions of his Corinthian critics, or of any human court for that matter, are of minor importance. It stands to reason. The eyes of men do not see as the Lord sees, and the minds of men are as nothing before His infinite wisdom. Paul maintains that others are simply not qualified to render the final verdict on his ministry. Indeed, he himself is not adequate to do so. The Lord alone possesses the necessary skill-set to discern what truly warrants approval. He alone is qualified to critique His church and His servants!

In the course of 40 years in local church ministry, I increasingly relied on this passage as a steady compass to guide me. I identified in God’s Word His goals for my life and ministry and charted the means He commends for their attainment. This became my true north. As often as I would hear the siren voices of the critics or the murmurings of my own inner doubt, I would hold steady and remember this: In all things, I live for the good opinion of the only One whose opinion matters. When I battled discouragement, I would remember that I am not qualified to see the big picture. I would renew my efforts to live for His pleasure (my part) and respect His abilities to discern their true worth (His part). When my critics sought to convince me of my inadequacy, I strove to gain insight from their comments and learn how to better live for His pleasure (my part), while taking comfort in the knowledge that, in the final analysis, His would prove the only opinion that matters.

There are those, the serpent chief among them, who would like our minds to be led astray from the liberating simplicity of this pure devotion (2 Corinthians 11:3). His plans are thwarted when we live all-out for the Lord alone. But taken in isolation, this principle can become a pretext for a sort of mystic individualism that sniffs, “I am unassailably convinced of what God asks of me. Hold your tongue, step aside, and hallow my signal devotion to Him.” If everyone followed suit, we would achieve but a quick and easy return to the days of the judges: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25).

Going it alone will make the going harder. Yes, we do well to live with heart’s ablaze solely for His pleasure. But we do better when we also appreciate how others can fan our flames of passion in the right direction. The ability to accomplish what will endure is enhanced when we take advantage of the insight and perspective of others: Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed (Proverbs 15:22). Of course, not all counsel is created equal. When a man speaks words of wisdom well suited to a situation, that’s the good stuff: Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear (Proverbs 25:11–12). Sometimes another will even seek our good by telling us truth that hurts. This, too, is counsel you can take to the bank: Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Proverbs 27:6).

The Bible clearly teaches what we need to know about the things that matter. So understanding what the Bible says about an issue being faced by another is where all good counsel begins. Word based discernment of how the Lord would evaluate a local church is key to helping consultants, and critics, and bears offer apples of gold in settings of silver. Oh, my!

Jesus, the supreme church consultant, would advise a particular kind of church to buy from Him gold refined by fire (Rev. 3:18). When Jesus, the critic worth heeding, has items on His “things I don’t like” list (Rev. 2:4, 14, 20), they have got to go. When Jesus gets bearish over a church’s future and issues a warning (Rev. 2:5), any church with similar issues had better pay attention. When we, His servants, aptly discern from His Word what Jesus thinks of a local church, and report what we see with grace and wisdom, we therein serve the Lord by promoting the good of His church.

A consultant or interim pastor can render valuable service to a local church by bringing them back to the Word and by helping them understand what Jesus wants them to be and do. A consultant or interim pastor can then follow up by helping a church answer these two questions: (1) To what extent do we actually demonstrate the characteristics of Jesus’ people? (2) To what extent are we actually accomplishing the mission Jesus gave us? Once these questions can be answered in a way that is confirmed by a fair-minded assessment of the pertinent facts, a consultant or interim pastor is able to help a church determine and implement a sound strategy to do better.

A consultant does well in the role of a servant. He seeks to promote in others whatever is needed for them to hear “well done.” He is like a pairs figure-skating coach whose energies are directed at helping his team members win the approval of someone else. In the final analysis, the coach is not the judge of his team. He does not score their efforts. But the better he anticipates what the judges are looking for, and uses that information to bring out the best in his charges, the more effective he is as a coach. The same goes for church consultants and interim pastors!

Allow me to return to my initial two questions and make them personal: (1) What will I do as a church consultant or interim pastor and (2) why would a church need my help? Here are my answers: (1) As a church coach, I will help a congregation to better be and do what the Lord of the church expects of His people. Ultimately, their accountability is not to me but to Him.

(2) When something matters as much as hearing the Lord say “well done,” we should seize every advantage. Any congregation that genuinely wants to do better will seek out wise counsel from a circle bigger than themselves. As often as I am invited into this circle, I will offer up whatever wisdom God gives me in order to help a people live for His pleasure. When the Lord someday says to them, “well done,” I will rejoice for them and thank God for whatever He allowed me to contribute toward their success.

A Stupendous and Colorful Chart of Parental Unit Effectiveness

I was at a wedding a few weeks ago, and someone asked, “What do you like most about retirement?” I answered, “I love being able to study the Bible for as long as I want.” In the 40 ministry years prior to this season of Jubilee, the constraints of “the next thing” have regularly limited my explorations of the Book to an allotted time before giving the next sermon or teaching the next class. My pre-sermon credo was the same as the rodeo bull-rider in the chute who said, “Son, you’re never ready, it’s just your turn.”

Over the years, Rochelle and I have taught on child-training under the titles of “Musar Classes” and “T12 Seminars.” These classes have focused on biblical principles for training younger children. We have always wanted to bring the same rigor to a class for the coaching phase of child training (teen years) but the pace of ministry consistently opposed that desire.

Until now! Over the last few months, I have been able to dig into what the Bible says about training children to adulthood. It has been exciting to chase rabbits at will! As I have, an amazing picture has emerged. This bigger picture shows parents how to raise up children to become like Daniel, an early teen who prevailed against pagan indoctrination because he truly owned his faith. The foundation of the T12 material integrates seamlessly into this bigger picture.

The chart that I will be unveiling is the master summary of this material. There is much more to say and I will have to save it for the book. But this chart will give you a good start, and will probably tell you enough to get your parental wheels turning. Today, we will do an overview of the chart. In a few successive posts, I will reveal a little more from the master chart and add some explanatory notes.

The chart is titled “Crucial Steps to Proverbs 22:6.” This title is intended to work on two levels. First, it suggests that the chart is providing a sequence of steps by which to “train up a child in the way” of wisdom. But the title also announces that this sequence can lead to the outcome described in Proverbs 22:6: These crucial steps form a personal  commitment in a young adult to live by wisdom for a lifetime.


The green and blue bars describe core content that parents will address from year one to the day a child leaves home as an adult. Notice how there is a sequence to this content. Parents will begin focusing on the first area sometime around the child’s first birthday. They will continue to strengthen their child in that area for some time. But once the first core concept has been introduced and the child is making progress in living the associated wisdom principles, it’s time to introduce the second concept. Each new content area builds on what has gone before.

I have not put any age markers on the x-axis because children don’t all learn at the same pace. So don’t lock yourself into some arbitrary time table, i.e., “my 5-year-old should be on block six by now.” And don’t compare children, yours or someone else’s – this is not a competition. Your job is to discern when your child is ready and then introduce him or her to the next content block in the sequence.

The lavender shaded area describes three different forms of parental influence that can be used during the course of a child’s upbringing. Once again, a sequence is involved but a very fluid one. In the early years, parental influence takes one form. A second form of influence comes into its own in the middle years. A third influence becomes dominant as a child nears adulthood. Although the forms of these three influences differ, the goal is the same, to give a child maximum opportunity to live according to wisdom. Each influence phase aligns with some key content blocks and targets relevant wisdom challenges.

Okay, now that you have the big picture, we are ready to zoom in for a closer inspection.

 

Is Proverbs 22:6 Just Pie in the Sky?

I tried, I really did, to break this story into two or three smaller installments. But I just couldn’t without detracting from the telling. So, get a fresh cup of coffee, sit back, and let me tell you the untold story of the most amazing parents we never knew. Ready? Let’s begin . . .

Taken

There was no way to put a good face on this. One minute he was a favored son from a prominent family, a young man with bright prospects. The next moment he was a prisoner captured by an invading army. Forcibly separated from family and transported over 500 miles from his homeland, he was scheduled to be “de-programmed” at an institution where every connection to his former life would be stripped away.

The majority of people from his homeland had defied God for years, and their recent defeat against the invaders (now his captors) was the beginning of God’s judgment of them. A good boy being jerked around for others’ mistakes, no one would have blamed him if he wondered, “Why weren’t they taken captive? Why me, God?”

The young man was marshaled to the formidable capital city, Babylon, through one of nine gates named after local deities: Ishtar, Marduk (also known as Bel), Sin, Enlil, Urash, Shamash, Adad, Zababa, and Lugalgirra. The point could not have been more obvious to all who entered Babylon – This city was the center of idolatry, paganism, and the worship of all things fashioned by the hands of men. The training center in which the young man was forcibly enrolled for “re-education” was steeped in philosophies hostile to his faith.

It didn’t take long for it to get personal. The young man, whose given name of Daniel meant “God is my judge,” was renamed “Belteshazzar,” which is derived from the name of a local god (Daniel 4:8), perhaps Bel or his consort, Belet. “Belte” + “shazzar” means something like, “Belet, protect the king.” So every time Daniel was called by someone using his newly assigned name, Belteshazzar, the one who summoned him was invoking a false god for the king’s protection. How humiliating for Daniel who feared the one true God to have his name turned into a prayer to an idol.

So here was a second reason for young Daniel to struggle. Before being captured, he enjoyed all the spiritual benefits of being raised as a follower of the one true God. Now he was thrust into the center of a world that opposed Yahweh and enrolled at an institution bent on crushing his faith. For one who affirmed God’s control over all things, it would be easy to wonder, “Why has God consigned me to forces compelling me to forget Him? How does this make any sense?”

These are the provocative circumstances in which we are first introduced to this remarkable young man named Daniel. He does not question God’s fairness, sovereignty, or wisdom, even though his circumstances might sponsor such doubts. Instead, we see a young man whose bold trust in God rises above his circumstances, indeed whose faith rouses him to challenge a core tenet of the very institution charged with his “re-education.” Probably in his teens at the time, Daniel proved himself a spiritual force to be reckoned with in Babylon.

Daniel’s Dilemma

The King of Babylon was interested in grooming future diplomats and ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to screen the group of captives of which Daniel was a part. Daniel (as well as three friends) was among those who excelled and was enrolled in the king’s college. Hardly had he begun his training before drawing a line in the sand, but not in a place we might expect. He did not protest being named after a god who was no god. He did not refuse to master the language and literature of the Chaldeans, literature that was riddled with praise for the pantheon of Babylonian gods. His allegiance to God was not threatened by these impositions.

But in a matter that would seem benign, Daniel dug in his heels. The biblical account reads: “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). Popular explanations for Daniel’s conviction propose that the “king’s choice food” did not conform to dietary requirements of the Mosaic Law or that this food had been sacrificed and offered to pagan gods. These seem reasonable explanations but cannot be regarded as anything more than plausible speculations since the text makes no mention of them to explain Daniel’s response.

There is another possibility with a stronger biblical basis. In order to understand why eating “the king’s choice food” was a problem for Daniel, we should look at other passages where “choice food” is found. Outside of Daniel 1, this term is only found in one other place in the entire Bible, namely, in Daniel 11:26.

Let’s get a little background on Daniel 11 before looking at “choice food” in verse 26. Daniel 11 is a remarkable, extended prophecy which precisely predicts events that will occur in the Middle East in the centuries to follow the time of Daniel. This prophecy traces events in Medo-Persia, the rise of Alexander the Great, and the division of his empire into four kingdoms. Then it predicts the conflicts between two of these kingdoms, named the North (the Seleucids) and the South (the Ptolemies), in the years after Alexander the Great. They are called the North and South, respectively, because of their relation to Israel.

Daniel 11:26 foretells exactly what will happen to a particular king from the South who will be betrayed by members of his inner circle. This prophesy was fulfilled when Ptolemy VI was fooled by two of his counselors, Eulaeus and Lenaeus, who purposely gave him bad advice. Despite having a superior military force, the false counsel of Eulaeus and Lenaeus led to Ptolemy’s sound defeat by a king from the north in 170 BC.

Here is Daniel’s prophecy concerning these events: “Those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow, but many will fall down slain” (Daniel 11:26). Eulaeus and Lenaeus are described as “those who eat his choice food,” which is an idiom used by Daniel to denote the inner circle of the king, individuals who should be devoted to the King. Ptolemy met disaster because Eulaeus and Lenaeus subverted him even though they should have been loyal to him as befits those who eat his choice food.

Based on how the phrase is used in Daniel 11:26, refusing “to eat the choice food” of the king (in Daniel 1:7) constitutes a refusal to pledge unstinting loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel, along with his three friends, discerned that their allegiance to God would be compromised by eating food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table. They were willing to attend the king’s college, serve in the king’s court, and cooperate with the king’s staff. But Daniel and his three friends would not eat the king's choice food and therein broadcast a denial of their loyalty to God alone.

If this smacks of treason, you will find the response of Daniel’s headmaster perfectly understandable: “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king” (Daniel 1:10). The man was not closed to hearing Daniel’s objections, but was more than aware of the implications. If Daniel’s refusal was discovered, his own life was at risk. Make no mistake, Daniel’s objections to “eating the king’s choice food” could make heads roll!

When Daniel “resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food,” he was most definitely NOT messing around. You know how the story proceeds. Daniel suggested a creative alternative that was granted a trial run. The plan was a stunning success and the crisis averted.

More Loyalty Tests

Events to follow kept the question –  “Whom do you serve?” – on the front burner. In chapter two, Daniel and his three friends are sentenced to die, along with all the members of Nebuchadnezzar’s brain trust. But Daniel and company get before God in prayer Who gives them what they need and what eventually leads Nebuchadnezzar to declare: “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery” (Daniel 2:47).

In chapter three, Nebuchadnezzar grills Daniel’s three friends over the question, “Whom do you serve?” Their reply takes my breath away for its audacious boldness: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17–18). Once again, you know how the story ends. Don’t let that knowledge diminish your appreciation for this profound moment and their poignant declaration. They did not know how things would turn out even as they made their bold declaration. Daniel’s three friends, kindred spirits in the “God alone” club, stare at the mega pizza oven that will claim them and unflinchingly declare, “We trust God alone. We will trust Him to the death. Any questions?”

Living Examples of Proverbs 22:6

Who are these guys! And how is it possible for men so young and so deprived of the spiritual support structure of home and country to display such incredible strength of commitment to God? From their first days as foreign students enrolled at the king’s college to the earliest days of service in the king’s court, they show themselves not as king’s men, but God’s men who serve God in the court of the king. (Remember the hat trick post!)

I believe that Daniel (as well as any one of his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) is a poster child for Proverbs 22:6. The spiritual conviction and boldness of the four friends most naturally displays the fruit of efforts informed by this verse: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The most reasonable explanation for the faith of Daniel is that he was trained in the way of wisdom prior to being taken to Babylon. I realize that the ultimate explanation was that God had His hand on this young man. But I also think there is clear evidence in the book of Daniel of a "Proverbs 22:6-driven process" through which God worked to raise up a Daniel.

Evidence That Daniel was Trained

We know virtually nothing about Daniel’s parents. But we do know two things: (1) They gave their son a name that probably means, “My judge is God.” Every time someone called Daniel, they declared great theology, that God is the only one to whom Daniel was ultimately accountable and that God’s is the only opinion that matters.

(2) The second piece of background on Daniel’s years in Jerusalem is embedded in the description of Daniel’s entrance exam for the king’s college. Ashpenaz was on the lookout for men who met specific criteria, including “skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning” (Daniel 1:4, ESV). Note the three core qualities, wisdom, knowledge and learning. Don’t miss this: When Ashpenaz declared that Daniel already possessed the requisite wisdom, knowledge, and learning to be enrolled in the king’s college, he was telling us that Daniel received wisdom training before coming to Babylon. Daniel was fully trained during his formative years among family.

The Curriculum for Daniel’s Training

In the preface to the Book of Proverbs, the author explains the book’s purpose: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion” (Proverbs 1:1–4). Proverbs is the young man’s course (It works equally well for young women, by the way!) for walking in the way of wisdom. Did you notice the highlighted terms? Wisdom and knowledge are the same words in both the preface to Proverbs and Ashpenaz’s list of search criteria.

It seems more than coincidence that the Book of Proverbs represents curriculum for the development of the precise characteristics that Daniel effectively demonstrated in his interview. Ashpenaz was looking for the very thing that training in the way of wisdom produces. He was looking for young men who have been on the receiving end of a Proverbs 22:6 ministry!

Identity of Daniel’s Trainers

The most reasonable explanation for what Ashpenaz saw is that someone made a Proverbs 22:6 investment in young Daniel. And the most reasonable identification of who made that investment would be the same parents who named him “My judge is God.” I suspect that some of the most amazing parents we have never known are the fathers and mothers of Daniel and his three friends. I must allow for the possibility that others trained Daniel besides his parents. But whether directly, or indirectly, Daniel was “trained up in the way he should go” and his parents cannot have been anything other than supportive of the process.

Living Proof of Proverbs 22:6

Although we cannot say with certainty who did the actual work, it is obvious from the evaluation of Ashpenaz that someone trained up Daniel in the way he should go before he was taken to Babylon. Remember the second half of Proverbs 22:6? “And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Daniel was forcibly taken from the support structure of home and country. Despite the absence of these spiritual benefits, he never departed from the way of wisdom all his days. Proverbs 22:6 tells us that if parents will impart to their children a personal devotion to God’s way before they become adults, they give their children maximum opportunity to stay faithful to God for all of their days.

The story of Daniel and his friends shows us that Proverbs 22:6 is not just some pie-in-the-sky idealism disconnected from the real world of parental challenges. Proverbs 22:6 is about something that actually works. It is doable, it bears fruit, it can set our children up for spiritual success even when the odds are against them. It can lay a foundation for wisdom living for a lifetime. Daniel is the proof!

So, what does this story have to do with “An Amazing and Colorful Chart That Affects Everything Parents Do!” I believe this chart can help us unpack what is involved in “training up a child” the way Daniel was trained.  I believe it shows us what parents can do to raise up Daniels (and Danielles) who have a bold, audacious faith, a faith that they make their own. Daniel shows us it can be done. Now, we need to better understand how it can be done.

Priorities, Part 4: Hat Trick

  

 

If you have tracked with me in the previous three posts (see links below), then you never ever have to say something stupid like “God is my first priority, then my spouse, then my family, then my church, then my job...” This notion of a hierarchy of priorities is neither biblical nor practical. In fact, this 123 plan has more in common with the worship of many gods than devotion to the one true God.

When God presents Himself as the God who is one, He means for us to replace attempts to juggle multiple allegiances with the freedom of pleasing just Him. Living for God alone is also the smart play: We are trusting in the only One who is worthy of perfect trust.

Perhaps you are saying, “That’s all well and good, but you haven’t told me how to relate to my wife and children if I live for God alone.” Let’s take care of that right now! Someone might construe living for God alone as a warrant to say farewell to the world, turn his back on his spouse, children, parents, and church and head to the woods (or monastery) to pray and meditate 24/7. This would be precisely the right thing to do, IF God is expressly asking for it. But in most cases, He isn’t.

God declares in the Bible exactly what He expects of those who live for Him alone. In many cases, these directives are role and gender specific. God wants husbands to conduct themselves in ways that honor Him in their role as husbands. Same for wives, parents, children, citizens, and even servants. The Bible is loaded with guidance about how to honor God in a variety of roles.

The illustration above depicts something similar to Dagon's debacle. A wheel with “God Alone” in the center is knocking down a series of 123 priorities. This wheel illustrates how we can live for God alone as we occupy different roles. The outer circle of this wheel specifies some possible roles occupied by followers of Jesus. I have listed six, but not every role, like “Servant,” “Parent,” or “Spouse,” is relevant to everyone. Further, there are more roles beyond the representative six in this wheel, roles like “Friend,” “Neighbor,” “Employee,” and “Student.”

Think of these roles as hats. At any given moment, you are wearing at least one of these hats. Sometimes, you must switch hats in the blink of an eye. But regardless of which hat you are wearing at any particular moment, your challenge and privilege is to conduct yourself in a way that honors God alone.

This approach to priorities is thoroughly biblical and eminently practical. Here is a general verse: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Paul’s principle is: “Regardless of what you are doing, even the small stuff, do it for God alone.” It doesn’t matter what hat you are wearing, conduct yourself in a way that honors God.

Here are some verses that are gender and role specific: “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). When a woman operates in the role of wife, her response to her husband is the outworking of her response to the Lord. When men wear their husband hats, God expects them to love their wives the way His Son loves the church: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

Here is a passage that is striking for its reference to an “obligatory role,” that of a slave: “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ” (Ephesians 6:5). The Bible is not advocating or endorsing servitude, but is advocating that those who find themselves wearing this hat should conduct themselves in a way that reflects well on the one true God whom they ultimately serve. For those who are wearing a hat that they wouldn’t choose for themselves, this passage encourages them to honor God while wearing that hat.

Understanding the hat rack with God alone in the center is not a complete answer to the question of priorities, but it is the perfect place to start. This is the ultimate hat trick, in which our lives are profoundly simplified for the fact that regardless of what hat we wear, our goal is to please God alone; trust God alone; serve God alone. Husbands, love God by loving your wives. Wives, respect God by respecting your husbands. Parents, serve God by seeking His best for your children. Sons and daughters, honor God by honoring your parents. Disciples of Jesus, love God alone by obeying the commands of His Son. Citizens, make God look good by living in accord with the laws of the state.

This is not complicated: Live for God’s pleasure, no matter what hat you are wearing. Would you like a handy copy of the “God alone” chart to post on your refrigerator? Click Here. Even better, make this question the starting point for every decision about what to do next: "God, based on your Word, how can I make you look good by how I conduct myself in this situation?"

Priorities, Part 3: Dagon’s Debacle

The Philistines were nothing but trouble in the days of Samuel the prophet. On one occasion, the Philistine army bivouacked at Aphek while Israel camped to the east in Ebenezer. When the Philistine army drew up in a menacing line, Israel deployed to bring down the hammer. The clash of two armies rippled outward drawing more soldiers into the fray. When the dust had settled on round one, Israel was defeated and lost 4,000 soldiers.

God’s people were incredulous. The one true God was supposed to be on their side! So how could they be defeated? Israel’s leadership assumed that the symbol of God’s presence, the ark, was too far away. They reasoned that if the ark were relocated and prominently positioned in the middle of the battle, this would better leverage God into acting on their behalf. In essence, Israel felt she needed to improve her technique for manipulating God.

God is not to be manipulated. Round two of the battle betrayed the flaw in their logic: Israel was thoroughly routed – 30,000 Israelite infantrymen were slain, the scattered remnant of the army went AWOL to hide in their homes, and the ark was captured by the Philistines. To be clear, the Philistines did not defeat God, they defeated a nation that thought God can be manipulated. God was teaching His people a lesson and using the Philistines as an instrument of His instruction. But once the Philistines carted the ark to the city of Ashdod, it was their turn to attend the School of Yahweh.

Dagon was a grain and storm god worshiped by the Philistines. (I’m not sure the artist’s rendering above really captures him.) The Philistines brought the ark to Dagon’s temple and put it on display. Early the next morning, Dagon was discovered face down before the ark of God. The Philistines promptly propped up their god. With the following sunrise, Dagon was back on the floor, prostrate before the ark. Only this time, his head and hands had been removed and unceremoniously plopped on the threshold to Dagon’s front door. The one true God was making a bold and inescapable declaration of Dagon’s inferiority and utter powerlessness: "Dagon can’t keep his head on straight. He can’t even lend you a hand because his are missing!" The Philistines may have bettered Israel in battle, but their god was no match for the God of Israel.

The Philistines had assumed they could add Yahweh to their collection of gods. After what they heard God did to Egypt in the ten plagues, they assumed it was a smart move to get Him on their team with Dagon. They assumed wrong! God didn’t knock Dagon down out of spite or a bruised ego – but to make a point: Dagon is nothing. He cannot even right himself when tumped over. Even a mere child learning to walk can do more than this. Giving ANY allegiance to such a pitiful god is worse than pointless. God was doing the Philistines a great service, showing them that their trust was placed in a dead lump of stone.

The facts were clear –  devotion to Dagon is dumb! (Like Dagon!) Alas, the Philistines had trouble accepting the facts, so God had to sign them up for some remedial education: “Now the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, ‘The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god’” (1 Samuel 5:6–7). Amazing! The Philistines recognize that Yahweh is having His way with Dagon, yet they persist in revering him as their god. Sometimes men don’t get it when the facts are staring them in the face. Devotion to Dagon wasn’t just stupid, it was working their harm. An outbreak of some sort of genital tumors was laying waste to the citizenry because they refused to acknowledge the one true God.

The people of Ashdod passed the ark of God to Gath like a hot potato. Same result. So Gath forwarded it to Ekron. Ditto! There was mercy in all this – God did not utterly extinguish the people. But the plague was severe enough to get everyone’s attention and raise the question, “Is worshiping Dagon doing us any good?” Not!     

This was not an isolated incident. It simply illustrates the rightful place of God in our lives. In different words, Jesus once said the same thing of Himself: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26–27). Jesus is not advocating familial hatred. He is declaring that not even devotion to parents, or spouses, or children, or siblings, or self can be allowed to compete with one’s allegiance to the Lord alone. When devotion to one’s children, or devotion to one’s spouse, or devotion to onself opposes devotion to Jesus, the consequences are severe and eternal.

In the previous post, I declared: “We have only one priority! It is our joy and privilege to serve God alone in all that we do, to love him with reckless abandon. Precisely here is the beauty of loving the God who is one.” To that I now add, “Whenever we elevate something, be it a person or a pursuit or possession, to compete for the worship that belongs to God alone, we invite God to demonstrate the vanity of that devotion.”

God does not do this out of spite or a bruised ego, but to help us. He wants us to learn that giving priority to anything or anyone other than Himself is vain and harmful. The Dagon Debacle is a case in point. Our true good is found in loving the one true God alone.

Priorities, Part 2: Gods With Attitudes!

To do what matters most, we must understand Deuteronomy 6:4-5. And to understand this passage, we need to appreciate it as God’s call for Israel to brace for impact with Canaanite culture. Polytheism makes idol worship like picking stocks: Try to avoid the losers while buying the winners. For a Canaanite living in the second millennium BC, there were over 150 “gods” to choose from. Literary sources from the time suggest that some of the big guns were:

• El (“the mighty one”), aka Lupton, head of the divine assembly that meets “at the source of rivers” in the mountains. El’s three wives are Astarte (or Asherah), Athirat, and Anath.
• Asherah, she who treads/subdues the sea
• Ashtaroth, daughter of El and Asherah, goddess of fertility, love, and war
• Baal (“lord” or “owner”), possibly also goes by Hadad (“lord of heaven”), a storm god who is into thunder and lightning
• Mot, god of the underworld and death who always wins his annual battle with Baal
• Dagon, sometimes represented as the fish god, but probably also a storm god
• Molech, an Ammonite god of consuming and “purifying” fire. Children were sacrificed to this god.

According to J S Deere (Bible Knowledge Commentary ad. loc. Deuteronomy 6), “the ‘gods’ of the ancient Near East rarely were thought of as acting in harmony. Each god was unpredictable and morally capricious. So a pagan worshiper could never be sure that his loyalty to one god would serve to protect him from the capricious wrath of another.” The Canaanite worship challenge was figuring out how to appease one “god” without offending another. Sounds like attempting to serve two masters – good luck with that!

Against the backdrop of a religion that juggles appeasement of rival “gods,” Moses declared, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). When Moses says, “The Lord is one,” he is not just saying “God first” but “God only.” And “God only” is the biblical starting point for any discussion of how we can do what matters most.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is part of Israel’s mission briefing before entering the Promised Land. Once God’s people crossed the Jordan, they would enjoy the benefits of an established infrastructure, including ready-made houses, cisterns, and vineyards. But receiving these blessings would expose Israel to risk. They might take these gifts for granted, forget the Lord, and adopt the polytheistic worship of their predecessors. God anticipated this danger and declared, through Moses: “You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 6:14–15).

The oneness of the one true God is clearly set in contrast to some hierarchy of Canaanite gods. When Moses said, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one,” Israel faced a clear choice between the God of Israel OR every other so-called god. There was no middle ground. Either love the God of Israel who is without rival or peer, OR “go Canaanite” and try to prioritize many gods in the hope of appeasing the ones who matter more. This is really just a variation of the classic 123 plan, only the “priorities” to be ranked are gods and demigods as opposed to people and activities.

Monotheism is both simple and freeing. Every Israelite may shout, “There is one God! He is our God! And we are free to give Him 100%. We choose to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might without fear of offending any other so called god, without having to divide our allegiance and measure our devotion.” People of the one true God are liberated to go all-in with the God who is one.

So here is the first principle of priorities: We have only one priority! It is our joy and privilege to serve God alone in all that we do, to love him with reckless abandon. Precisely here is the beauty of loving the God who is one.