Psalm 22: The Song of the Cross (Passion Week Part 3)

Nearly 1,000 years before Jesus was crucified, David wrote Psalm 22 predicting the events of the cross with stunning accuracy and in vivid detail. This prophetic song describes the experience of the cross, in both the physical world, and the supernatural one.

 

Rabbi’s frequently made use of the hinting method, quoting the first part of a passage of Scripture in order to draw the attention of their disciples to the whole passage. As Jesus hung on the cross, I believe this is precisely what He did, directing our attention to Psalm 22 beginning by exclaiming its first line:

 

“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

 

This is recorded in Matthew 27:46-47:

 

And about the 9^th hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani,” that is  “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

 

Sabachthani means "left me alone." It’s like saying “Where are you at?” The original audience clearly understood that this first line was a cry for help. They thought He was calling for Elijah, whose name means "Yahweh is God," to come and help him. Let's read on to see if God was listening and how the Father responded. The next line of the Psalm asks: 

 

Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? 

My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest.

 

Jesus had languished on the cross all day long and God had not yet acted to rescue Him. He had labored in prayer the night before to the point that he was sweating drops of blood, but did not receive a reprieve. Yet, He still trusted in the Father.

 

But you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted and they rescued them. They cried to you and were set free. They trusted in you and were not disgraced.

 

God is enthroned on the praises of His people. When we praise Him, He moves with power in our lives. Here, the original psalmist David, and by extension His descendant Jesus, touts the faithfulness of God. He praises the Father by recounting his good deeds toward the children of Israel. He expresses faith, hope and trust in God's character. We should remember this when going through difficult things in our own lives. Jesus expressed trust in God while enduring the suffering of the cross, surely we can remember that no matter our circumstances, God is trustworthy and deserving of praise and honor. The psalm then then continues with a very strange statement.

 

But I am a worm and not a man.

 

Here, the song references a very special worm. Most of the time, worms in Scripture represent devourers and destroyers that cause decay. But unlike the others, the body of this worm, the kermes worm, actually had special medicinal qualities and healing properties. This reminds us that Jesus is the Great Physician who heals our souls and will ultimately heal and glorify our bodies. But there’s more:

 

The dried bodies of kermes worms were used to make red dye. Some of the priestly garments and cloths that were used in ceremonies for cleansing, healing and purification were colored with this red dye. Jesus was on that tree, providing everything that was necessary for our purification and cleansing.

 

But the most special thing about this worm is the manner of its death. The Kermes worm would affix itself to a tree, covering it’s young, sacrificing it's own life to protect and give life to its offspring. In the same way, Jesus was nailed to a tree, sacrificing his life to give new birth and new life to His children. The worm's body provided covering and protection, Just as Jesus' blood covers all our sins. Like the kermes worm that dies on a tree to give life to its children, Jesus gave His life on a tree so that we might live. These words immediately follow the worm statement to show that Jesus was:

...scorned by mankind and despised by people. Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads. He relies on the Lord. Let Him save him. Let the Lord rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.

Matthew 27:39-44 records the way Jesus was mocked on the cross, as the actions and words of evildoers appear exactly as prophesied in the Psalm above: 

 

And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads....The chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders were mocking Him....He trusts in God, Let Him deliver him now if he takes pleasure in Him. 

 

Luke 23:35-37 records And the people stood by, looking on and even the rulers were sneering at him...and the soldiers also mocked him. 

 

Even one thief on the cross was hurling abuse at him.

 

The accuracy of David’s prophecy is astounding. Continuing on, he wrote:

It was you who brought me out of the womb, making me secure at my mother's breast. I was given over to you at birth. You have been my God from my mother's womb. 

It was the Holy Spirit that made Mary pregnant. Jesus was consecrated at the temple as a baby. Even in the womb, Elizabeth told her cousin Mary that the child within her was blessed. 

Don't be far from me, because distress is near and there's no one to help.

First David, and then Jesus is asked God to be close to Him. Take special note that He longed for the presence and comfort of the Father. 

Many bulls surround me. Strong ones of Bashan encircle me. They open their mouths against me--lions mauling and roaring. 

Since bulls, like the wild auroch bull, were a symbol of ancient cult worship, I tend to think the bulls, called strong or mighty ones, are evil, demonic forces behind bad people, like a strong man (certain powerful religious leaders, a king and a governor come to mind). Any time I see lions used in a way that could be metaphorical in the Bible, I think of youth in rebellion, since the word for prodigal, na'ar, means “one who is roaring” and actually comes from the word for a young lion. The word often describes youth who are separated from their father’s house. Since Bashan is the region West of the Jordan River OUTSIDE of the Promised Land, to me, this seems to represent prodigals who have chosen to live outside of the presence of God, separated from him. 

I am poured out like water. All my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax, melting within me. 

 

Jesus poured himself out for us. Giving up the rights and privileges he could have claimed as God and dying for us instead. Philippians 2:6-7 describes Christ in this way: 

 

Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to cling to. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant... 

 

Jesus gave himself up for us, choosing not to forcibly claim the glory and honor he was due and instead willingly enduring the excruciating pain of death by crucifixion. Bones became disjointed during the intense pressure of a crucifixion. I also believe Jesus’ heart was incredibly sad, He was truly a man of sorrows in that moment.

 

After laboring through the evening in prayer, Jesus had been put on trial all night long before being beaten with rods and striped with whips. After being forced to carry his own cross and hanging on it throughout the day, he was physically drained.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death.

John 19:28 corresponds to this: After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."

 

Jesus’ body was emptied of fluid and drained of strength. He was mentally and physically exhausted from the horrifying torture he had been subjected to. Yet even in this state, he provided us with a powerful object lesson. Through the evening before his suffering as he sweat drops of blood, Our Lord had prayed that if possible, this cup would pass from him. In asking for a drink, Jesus showed that he was willingly drinking the metaphorical cup the Father had sent him to drink. Each time we take of the communion cup, we should remember this salient moment as Jesus enacted a New Covenant.

For dogs have surrounded me, a gang of evildoers has closed in on me

Dogs or wolves, is a common metaphor for pagan worshippers and evil doers on the prowl, ready to attack. In Matthew 7:15 Jesus compared false prophets to ravening wolves. Evil people surrounded Jesus and arrested him in the garden of Gethsemane. He was surrounded by gangs of evildoers all night long at his trials and all day long on the cross. Interestingly, the word for wolf in the New Testament describes a white wolf--one that easily disguises itself among sheep--a wolf in sheep's clothing. The religious leaders were secretly evil doers and not true believers. As Jesus’ languished on the cross, these men stood by and looked on.

...they pierced my hands and feet.

As Acts 2:23 explains, Jesus' hands and feet were nailed to the cross. Though he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.

I can count all my bones. People look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves and they cast lots for my clothing.

Victims of crucifixion were stripped naked and made into a public spectacle. John 19:23-24 records this event, concluding with this statement 

 

They divided my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 

 

This is another direct quotation from Psalm 22 above. Their intention was to humiliate the Son of God. Colossians 2:15 shows how he turned it around on them: 

 

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, HE made a public spectacle of THEM, triumphing over them by the cross. 


But you, LORD, don't be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me. Rescue my life from the sword, my only life from the power of these dogs. Save me from the lion's mouth, from the horns of the unicorns.

My favorite animal reference in the passage is in verse 21 when he says "save me from the horns of the unicorns." Some translations say wild oxen, but the word is always translated elsewhere in the KJV as unicorn--and it is singular. I believe this is an allusion to the one-horned beast from Daniel's prophecy which represents the spirit of anti-Christ--It represents either Satan himself, or his representative on earth--possibly a certain corrupt high priest or his father-in-law (Ananias and Caiaphas) who did not want to relinquish power. Jesus, again asks to be rescued from the evildoers who surround him. In the supernatural view, the lions, wolves and animals represent evil people, but the use of animals as a metaphor also suggests that dark, demonic forces were in operation, tempting and influencing them.

The last half of the Psalm simultaneously prophesies and proclaims victory. 

YOU ANSWERED ME!!!
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you in the assembly. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. All you descendants of Jacob, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him. All you descendants of Israel, revere him. 

At this point the song becomes instructive as to how we should honor God and praise His name. There is joyous, but also deep and reverent worship here. God heard Jesus' cry just as He had heard the cry of his forefather David.

For he has not despised or abhorred the torment of the oppressed. He did not hide his face from him but listened when he cried for help.

God did not turn his face away from Jesus. The word for face and presence is the same word. Remember when I told you to remember the singer of the Psalm was longing for the Presence of God. The Father did not deny Him the Presence He so longed for, but came and rescued Him from the death. God’s timing was perfect. He did not rescue Jesus as he hung on the cross, but he did indeed rescue him out of the grave to rise again alive.

I will give praise in the great assembly because of you. I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you. The humble will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forevermore.

Because of Jesus' sacrifice and the work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit together, we will eat our fill of spiritual food. We will be satisfied with his word and enjoy the benefits of God's presence and His spirit in our lives. He will give us renewed hearts and eternal life. 

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you.  For Kingship belongs to the Lord. He rules the nations. All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down. All those who go down to the dust will kneel before him--even the one who cannot preserve his life.

This passage is rich with representation and references within the Scriptures. Revelation 5:9 speaks of Jesus: Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. At the Great Commission, Jesus sent us into all the world to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations. Rev. 7:9 affirms that every tribe, language, people and nation will be represented among those who are saved. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16) Every knee will bow before Him. (Romans 14:11) Even unbelievers who die will bow down before Jesus, though Isaiah 65:12 teaches us they will bow down to be slaughtered. 

Their descendants will serve him. It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn that HE HAS DONE IT.

This great work that Jesus accomplished has been taught for over 2000 years, generation after generation. On the cross, His last words were

 

"Into thy hands I commit my Spirit" and "It is Finished." 

 

Psalm 22 concludes with the words He Has Done It. This corresponds with Jesus' shouting Teleo, which means It is finished, or It has been accomplished. This was a great victory cry. Satan was defeated. Death was defeated. Sin was defeated. Salvation had been provided. Jesus had accomplished everything the Father sent Him to do.

 

Thinking of the words of this Psalm, Jesus expressed complete faith and trust in the Father during His moment of greatest trial and suffering. He sought comfort in the word of God. The Psalm ends with a note of certainty about Christ's success. He had come to earth to take the punishment for our sins. He had come to provide a way for mankind to be restored into a right relationship with God. Every evil intention that hell and humans had for the cross, Jesus turned it around. He ended his earthly life by shouting a great cry of victory, TELEO--declaring that his mission was a success. He had provided all that was necessary for our salvation. In that moment, He declared victory over death, hell and the grave with complete faith, hope and trust in the Father to raise Him from the dead. And on the 3rd day, creation witnessed His Resurrection. 

Here are links to the other articles in this series:

Palm Sunday: Passion Week Part 1)

The Last Supper: Passion Week Part 2

Resurrection Sunday: The Whole Story (Passion Week Part 4)

Ghost in the Graveyard: Grave-Sucking and Dia De Los Muertos

One of the most bizarre rituals being observed by people on the eccentric fringe of the Charismatic movement is the practice of Grave-Sucking. They go visit the graves of famous people of the Pentecostal persuasion in order to soak in their spirit and receive their anointing.  This practice is also called mantle-grabbing and grave soaking. I am including a link of them visiting the grave of Smith Wigglesworth so that you can see what I am talking about. The leader uses some slick Christianese language, but what he is doing is anything but Holy. Notice that they are "imparting" the anointing of a dead person. He is functioning like a medium to channel power from a dead person. Notice how they cackle like a coven of Salem witches in the middle of the prayer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=311&v=LrHPTs8cLls

I was always taught that a cemetery is a solemn place where you should behave respectfully and that you should never step on a grave, yet I see pictures of people sitting and lying down among the graves and on top of headstones. Benny Hinn claimed that an anointing came on him from visiting the graves of two women named Amy Semple MacPherson and Katherine Kuhlman.

Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California teaches that claiming a spiritual inheritance from previous generations enables us to start our Christian life at spiritual levels that might normally have taken us years to reach. He goes on to say: There are anointings, mantles, revelations and mysteries that have lain unclaimed, literally where they were left... Many of the pictures of grave-sucking are attributed to students from the school of supernatural ministry at Bethel. It seems that grave soaking is one of the ways which Bethel endorses of claiming these anointings and mantles. Cal Pierce, an Elder from Bethel is quoted as praying to receive the anointing from the bones of a man named John Lake and a visit to Lake's grave, led by Bill Johnson is reported to be the beginning of the practice. 

Isaiah 8:19-20 instructs:
When they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the spiritists who chirp and mutter," Shouldn't a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? Go to God's instruction (law) and testimony! (The Bible)

The word pray means to ask, or inquire. It is wrong to pray to anyone other than God. Why would anyone seek the Holy Spirit from a dead and rotting corpse, or being channeled through a medium when we have direct access because of the cross of Christ? This makes no sense. It is just a sneaky way for occult practices to enter the church and any "spirit" that is obtained this way will not be Holy. 

As usual, those who engage in the rite of grave-sucking have taken a verse of Scripture wildly out of context to support their strange ritual. In 2 Kings 2:13 we find out that when Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha picked up his cloak, or as the older translations say, his mantle. This was a visual representation of the fact that the anointing that had rested upon Elijah, would now rest on Elisha. In 2 Kings 13:20-21, we learn that Elisha had now died and was buried, long enough that the flesh had rotted from his skeleton. Some Moabite raiders were about to get caught and so they threw the corpse of one of their dead friends into Elisha's grave. When the man's lifeless body touched Elisha's bones, He revived and came back to life. The Moabite man did not receive Elisha's mantle or anointing, he just came back to life. Looking back, with New Testament eyes, we understand that the mantle or anointing Elisha had was the Holy Spirit. The point of the passage was to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit has resurrection power and to show that the power Elisha had was from the Spirit of God. It was a unique testimony to pagans about the power of God.

Since I have moved to Texas, I have also become aware that Christian members of the Mexican and other Latin-American communities go to graveyards to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead, in order to commune with their dead relatives, a day on which Ofrendos, ritual altars, are built to the dead and offerings are given to them. This is absolutely pagan in every way. I realize it is also called all Saints day---but it is still a completely pagan and inappropriate activity for a Christian to engage in. Our culture and heritage is found in Christ and when we become part of God's family, we must leave behind such practices.  

No where in the Bible are believers taught to engage in grave-sucking or any other such boneyard practice, in fact, it is forbidden.

Isaiah 65:3-4 describes such practices as provoking God's anger:

These people continually anger me to my face, sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks, sitting among the graves, spending the night in the monuments.

Sitting among tombstones and hanging out in graveyards at night are forbidden activities for Christians. 

Mark 5 tells the story of the Gerasene demoniac. The man was possessed by evil spirits and lived among the tombstones. When Jesus cast out the demons, he returned to dwell among the living. The impulse to stay in the graveyard was an unnatural one. Once he was restored to his right mind, he was delivered and set free from this demonic desire.

Numbers 19:11 teaches that, under the Old Covenant, anyone who touched a dead body would be considered unclean for 7 days. Then they had to go through a special purification process.

Leviticus 21 and Ezekiel 44:25-27 teach that priests were not to make themselves unclean by going near the bodies of their dead relatives or near the body of any dead person, except members of their immediate family. And then, they would have needed to go through the purification process. They would not have been able to perform priestly duties or minister before the Lord for 7 days. 

Deuteronomy 18:10-11 teaches that no one should be found among God's people who is a medium or spiritist or who inquires of the dead. Leviticus 19:31 also says: Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God. Necromancer is also translated as spiritist, or one who consults with spirits of the dead. Leviticus 20:17 required the death penalty for anyone committing these sins. Any sort of contact with the spirits of dead people is strictly forbidden by God's word. Leviticus 20:6 describes these people as playing the harlot against God and declares that they will be cut off from His people. 

Under the New Covenant, because of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, we are made clean. We don't have to worry about becoming unclean by attending a funeral or sitting at the bedside holding the hand of a loved one as they depart from this life. We are free to place flowers on the graves of those who have passed and we can even respectfully visit the final resting places of important people in our faith and learn about our history. 

If Dia de los muertos is celebrated in your family, I recommend taking a day to remember family members that have passed on or placing flowers on a grave to show that you care about them, but leave out the altars and offerings and certainly do not try to communicate with them. Have a nice family meal celebration and discuss happy memories, but know that if they have passed on in Christ they are now part of the great cloud of witnesses with the Father and you must not try to speak with them. 

What we cannot do, is sin by participating in rituals, séances, ceremonies or interactions with dead people or their spirits. There is tremendous danger in seeking spiritual power or wisdom any other way than directly from God. Grave-Soaking is likely to open a person up to the influence of evil, demonic spirits. That is why Deuteronomy 18:10-11 forbids every possible method of seeking supernatural wisdom, knowledge, power or insight except for receiving it directly from God. 

It is true that in the medieval church, con-artists made great profits off of selling relics, or bones of saints. This is nothing but a form of pagan ancestor worship. By the way, the word pray, means to ask or inquire. So when a person prays to a Saint, they are inquiring of the dead and directly sinning against God. It is an insult to pray to or through another person when God's word forbids it AND He has given us direct access to the throne of God through Jesus Christ. 

I mentioned before that this practice of grave-sucking or grave-soaking is also called mantle-grabbing. A mantle is simply a robe or covering. Elisha's mantle was the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 61 promises us that God will take away a spirit of heaviness and give us Garments of praise. He tells us that God will clothe us with garments of salvation and cover us with robes of righteousness. Do you remember when Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high? Acts chapter 2 records His followers receiving their mantles, their powerful spiritual clothing from the Holy Spirit. There is no need to visit the graves of dead saints to receive a mantle, ALL Christians already have one. There's another word for a mantle: an Anointing. Under the New Covenant, all believers have the very same Holy Spirit that Elisha had. 1 John 2:20 assures us You have an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the Truth. 

If you are a Born-again, Baptized follower of Jesus Christ, you already have the same anointing and the same mantle as Elisha. If you want to grow in that anointing and mature in your faith, then you need to get it directly from God through prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers (living ones) and reading God's word. Soak in that. 

In Luke 9:59-60, Jesus said to a man Follow me. Lord, he said, First let me go and bury my father. But he told him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God. 

There is nothing we can do to help the dead. But we can help the living. Jesus was teaching that there is an urgency about sharing the good news of salvation. There is no time to waste. Since he was still under the Old Covenant, this man would have needed to go through the 7 day-purification process if he stayed to bury his father. If the urgency was so serious that this man needed to depart immediately to follow Jesus before his own father's funeral, then surely those who call themselves by the name of Christian should not be wasting precious time messing around with ridiculous, sinful nonsense such as grave sucking, ancestor worship, and other pagan practices. If we have truly been clothed with power from the Holy Spirit, then we need to be about the Lord's business because we have already been given all that we need. 

Black Panther: The Positive and The Pagan

Black Panther is perhaps Marvel's most epic and visually spectacular offering to date. It contains timely and cutting social commentary and the much needed addition of a headlining Black superhero to the Marvel Comics Universe is long overdue and welcome indeed.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Positive
T'Challa, the young King of Wakanda, continues the journey of personal growth he began in Captain America: Civil War. His path of maturing to become a wise and thoughtful leader is a highlight of the movie and its driving force.

His love interest Nakia is a humanitarian who is more than willing to give up material comforts, the love of her life and even the possibility of becoming queen in order to devote herself to helping others. She rescues victims of human trafficking, cares for the poor and speaks up for them boldly.

The pair comes to realize that Wakanda must no longer be selfish with it's resources and that they should not use them to conquer or provide weapons, but should employ them to help the downcast in society and improve the lives of people all over the world. The film draws a critical picture of the way our world utilizes wealth and resources and calls for action.

Because of the abundance of white, male superheroes, I was very glad to see the addition of such a strong and fantastic woman to the Marvel Comics universe and I was hopeful that The Black Panther would turn out to be a role model as well. While his character and resolve is admirable, it is unfortunate that the writers chose to include some very dangerous pagan practices in the movie, which tarnish its otherwise positive message and noble protagonists.

The Pagan
The people of Wakanda worship the false goddess Bast. In Egyptian mythology and worship, she was the cat goddess. In fact, they worshipped cats because of her. In the world of Wakanda, she is portrayed as the panther goddess. She is credited with giving the Black Panther his powers to protect the people. My concern is that they have used an actual false diety from the real world as the object of worship in this movie. Exodus 34:14-15 forbids the worship of any god but the one true God.

For you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God--Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices

Young T'Challa and his entourage also engage in ancestor worship. They venerate their ancestors, seeking dead people out for wisdom and advice. This is an extremely serious offense that blatantly defies God. 

No one among you is to make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or a familiar spirit, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these acts is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable acts.

In the movie, men take a drug made from a type of flower that puts them into a near-death or comatose, trance-like state. They are then buried and speak to their dead ancestors. This is similar to what the Ba'al worshippers did, lacing wine with drugs to get high and communicate with false gods and spirits to receive visions. The ancients also used mediums  and other practices to communicate with the dead. Some Native American tribes continue to engage in a similar practice using peyote to get high, go into a trance and communicate with their "spirit guides," who Christians understand to be demonic, evil spirits. As we read in the passage above, these practices are explicity forbidden by Scripture. Speaking to spirits or the dead is a serious sin and it is unfortunate that they included such a dangerous, real-life religious practice in this movie. After the trance, the men are re-born as the Black Panther and given special god-like abilities. 

These practices do not free or strengthen people, they enslave them. As evil and disgusting as the institution of physical slavery is, spiritual slavery, the enslavement of a human soul, is far worse. Over the millennia, millions of human beings have been enslaved by these pagan, occult practices. True freedom is found in Jesus Christ.

Using mythology in a superhero story is nothing new as we have seen in Thor, Wonder Woman and other movies. The problem with Black Panther is that the practices it depicts are real, pagan acts of worship which have taken place for thousands of years. When a person engages in any type of necromancy, séance or trying to commune or speak with the dead, they open themselves up to demonic influence and spiritual harm. The word pray means to ask or inquire. This is why Christians should never attempt to pray to a Saint. The only time an ancestor ever answered a prayer in the Bible is when Saul used a medium, the witch of En Dor, to attempt to conjure up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel appeared and pronounced God's judgement on Saul. 1 Chronicles 10:13 informs us that consulting with this medium was one of the reasons Saul was rejected by God and killed. In addition, when a person worships a diety other than the one true God, they open themselves up to the influence of Satan and grant him power in their lives. 

I really like the character and noble actions of T'Challa and Nakia. I hope they prove to be interesting, virtuous, dialogue-inspiring additions to the Marvel franchise. The pagan aspects of this origin story are a continued source of concern which will need to be monitored. 

Is It Ok For UnMarried Christian Couples To Travel Together?

When you're single, it's really hard to take a vacation. In the last 19 years since I started teaching, I have only taken 2 actual vacation trips, both long weekends. I understand the need to get away and the desire to travel to amazing destinations, see beautiful sights and experience interesting things. Not to complain, I have enjoyed spending time off resting, visiting family and taking in the local sights and cuisine and the occasional day-trip. I have taken my Bands to some really great places, but those aren't vacations, more like the opposite. Most great vacation destinations aren't fun by yourself. If I had a girlfriend, I can see why it would be tempting to want to vacation together, but because I am a Christian, I know better. This post is by no means a claim that I am some sort of perfect, sinless saint or expert when it comes to relationships. I am none of those things. But I have seen many friends that I respect, even people involved in professional ministry, who seem to think it is perfectly fine to travel alone with their significant other.

It concerns me when I see Christian friends posting pictures all over social media as they travel the country and the world, alone, with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Are you paying for separate rooms? .....Hmmmm? I doubt it. Are you sleeping in separate beds? ....Probably not. Your pictures indicate an intimate couples retreat. The moment I see those pictures, I am tempted to have less respect for you than I previously did. I can't help but question your integrity and that of your ministry. (Though I promise, I'm trying to remember my own various failings as well) It's one thing to sin. We all do. But it is quite another to parade it in front of the world and ask them to celebrate your sin with you. 

Now, I have no problem with a couple traveling together to meet each other's families...If you're going to be staying at someone's parent's house...in separate bedrooms. I have no problem with my Un-Christian friends traveling wherever they want, whenever they want and with whomever they want. But when we call ourselves by the name of Christian, and in particular when we take positions of ministry and influence within a church, then we don't get to do things like that and we surely do not get to flaunt it. James 3:1 admonishes us:

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 

From a Biblical perspective, it is true that sex is the act of marriage. BUT, before the union of husband and wife ever took place, a marriage contract was agreed to. While the marriage celebration would have taken place after the consummation of the relationship, the marriage covenant was already in place. To apply that to modern times, you should have a marriage certificate before engaging in marital intimacy. Before sexual intimacy, a man needs to make formal promises and pledges of his faithfulness, intention, motives, provision, family plans and most importantly, Love. And these promises need to be witnessed.

Gentlemen, even if you feel that giving a girl an engagement ring gives you the right to the marriage bed, (though I believe you are mistaken) you are responsible for her reputation and future ministry as well as your own. In speaking about rights verses responsibilities, 1 Corinthians 8:9 teaches us:

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Our actions should not harm someone else's faith or give them reason to question the integrity of the gospel message we deliver. Even if you have made a pledge or given your word, you need to have the legal document in place. If I was your pastor, church discipline might be in order. But I am not your pastor, I am your brother. I have made the choice not to look down on someone because their particular sin happens to be different than mine. What I am saying is that we need to think about how we represent Jesus. 

Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

It really gets to me when people who present themselves as being sold out for Jesus and laboring in the gospel, commit flagrant open sin and advertise it to the world as being ok. 1Timothy 3:2 teaches:

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach

1 Corinthians 6:18 tells us to Flee Fornication. That refers to any type of sex outside of covenant marriage. The good news is that intimacy within marriage is absolutely holy. Hebrews 13:4 teaches: Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. If you want to travel with her, fellas, then marry her. If you can't wait any longer, then Marry her. As a teenager, I remember being very upset that a couple I respected had chosen to go on a honeymoon before they got married for the sake of convenience and the wedding date they had set. If it affected me that strongly, how might it have affected an unbeliever who looked to them as an example? I also remember being very impressed when one of our FCA sponsors, a very godly man explained to us at our Bible study meeting that he had set a wedding date, but they felt they could not wait for  months until a church became available, so they were having a Saturday wedding in their backyard for an intimate gathering of close friends and family. I never forgot his integrity. 

Years ago I know some friends who had purchased an apartment together, but the wedding date was a few months away and they could not afford to keep paying separate rent. So they hopped across the state line, visited Lavern's wedding chapel and got hitched. They went through with the big church wedding for their family. But this way, they were not a stumbling block to any of the friends that knew they were already co-habitating. 

I have seen friends post pictures of themselves traveling with that special someone they probably expected to marry, but then didn't..... Ladies, when I was in college, I can't even tell you how many guys would give a cheap promise ring or enter an engagement without a ring to get a girl to sleep with them...with either no intention of ever tying the knot, or lacking the integrity to see it through. 

The Biblical standard is and always has been crystal clear. Sex is for marriage between one man and one woman for life. A marriage covenant always preceded sex. If you are unfamiliar what the Bible teaches on this subject of sexuality, I would invite you to study more in-depth here: http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2016/04/identity-crisis-created-in-image-of-god.html

When you post pictures on facebook or other social media for your friends to "like" and "love" and show approval of your un-married couples vacay, you are inviting them to join in your sin by affirming it. Whatever freedoms we may have, or think we have, in the Gospel, are always tempered by responsibility. Galatians 5:13 leaves us with this encouragement:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Let's serve each other by the way we represent Jesus and humbly sacrifice some of our own desires for the sake of the good news and the calling we have received. 

Nebuchadnezzar's Nightmare is Our Dream Come True

Daniel came into great favor with Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Babylonian empire, by interpreting a dream. With the growing anti-Christian environment we are currently experiencing, there is much we can learn from Daniel who was God's man operating in a hostile and dangerous world. There is a vital lesson hidden away within this dream that is meaningful for us today.

In King Neb's dream, recorded in Daniel 2:31-45, he sees an enormous statue, like a giant idol. The statue has a golden head, silver chest and arms with a bronze stomach and thighs. Below the knees the legs are constructed of iron with feet made of both iron and clay, like pottery. It is important to know what they represent.

1. The Golden Head

The head represents the Babylonian empire and Nebuchadnezzar himself. He was meant to realize that all Kings are expected to rule according to God's laws and ways. But like many other earthly rulers, he had become arrogant and corrupt. 

2. The Silver Chest and Arms

These represent the Medo-Persian empire which would follow Babylon. The arrogance of the Babylonian kings to persist in their pagan ways and refuse to honor only the one true God would ultimately lead to their downfall. (It would be Cyrus, King of this New empire, who would allow the Jews to return home from their exile in Babylon)

3. The Bronze Stomach and Thighs

The Greek Empire which followed after the Medo-Persian empire is represented by the bronze portion of the statue. 

4. The Iron Legs with Feet of Iron and Clay

This is the Roman Empire which overtook the Greek Empire. The Iron represents the power, strength and might of Rome. The clay represents God's people who lived inside of the empire, but were distinct and separate from it.

What Does This Mean For Us?

Because of the clay, this giant idol will not be able to stand for ever. The clay is the greatest weakness of the idol. One day it WILL fall. While the clay represented the Jews, dispersed throughout the Roman empire, this is a prophetic picture of what God's people look like now, spread throughout the world. We don't mix in. We are in the world and we are from the world, but John 17:14 teaches that we are no longer of this world. 

I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

We are different. Today, more than at any time in my life, Christians are separated from all that the world values, or at least we should be. All of the kingdoms of this world are idols. The giant idol in this dream is a representation of the dominion of darkness. Every earthly kingdom ultimately becomes corrupted, but there is an inherent weakness in that dominion, insuring that it cannot stand forever.

In the dream, there is a rock which falls without anyone pushing it, crushing the giant idol into pieces. The stone grew into a great mountain filling the whole earth. That rock is Jesus. The mountain is the Holy Mountain of God, representing HIS Kingdom. Isaiah 9:7 tells us that His kingdom will never stop growing and will never end. The rock that grows into a mountain is a picture of the Kingdom of God which is built on our rock, our chief cornerstone, Jesus.

Right now, we are like clay. In order to extract us from the world, we will have to be broken away from it's iron grip. He is the potter and we are the clay, we must be willing to be broken so that we can be remade into a great and beautiful Kingdom which will never fall.

Fortified cities were often built on mountains for protection and positions of strength that are easy to defend. Psalm 18:2 says this about our God:

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

The mountain of God is a stronghold, a place of safety, shelter and strength. We can always come to God for those things.

Ultimately, all evil will be destroyed and God's Kingdom will cover the earth. Daniel completes his interpretation for King Neb by telling him that this dream is a prophecy and that it is certain, guaranteed. These events will come to pass. And that is good news. Friends, Jesus is our rock. He is building us into his Holy city on a mountain, Jerusalem. Like Daniel, we may face trials and difficult times, but when Jesus comes back, those difficult times will end and His Mountain, His Kingdom, will fill the whole earth, just as Isaiah 11:9 promises us:

They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

Jesus Confronts Religious Leaders Who Take Advantage

The story of the widow's 2 mites is one of the saddest stories in Scripture. But the problem started centuries before. For all the great things he did, Nehemiah made one big mistake that grew and worsened over time. He forgot the widows. While he served as governor over Judah, he re-established the tithe to provide food for the priests during their times of service and for the upkeep of the temple. Tithing was good, but it was never for the upkeep of the temple, which was meant to be provided through freewill offerings. True, the tithe was to provide food for priests during their annual weeks of service in Jerusalem, but it was mainly to provide food for widows, fatherless children and foreigners living among them. In an effort to correct what he had perceived as a sin, Ezra the priest caused many men to commit an even worse sin by divorcing their foreign wives and orphaning their children. Both men turned their backs on groups of foreigners who had chosen to live among them and worship the one true God. They made no mention of providing for widows, orphans or sojourners and even ruined the lives of some of these people. They missed the whole point of tithing.

Over the centuries, the priesthood became corrupted, especially those living in Jerusalem. Many religious leaders of Jesus' day lived lavish lifestyles, clothed with expensive garments, eating scrumptious feasts and being treated like high society celebrities. Herod had monetized religion and created a system of earning great profit from the temple. In addition to collecting tithes and inflating the price of sacrifices, people were required to pay temple taxes. Most of us are familiar with Jesus driving all those conducting commerce out of the temple and turning the tables on the whole system. On another occasion he openly called out the religious leaders for their corruption, showing who they were hurting:

While all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, who love respectful greetings in the market places, the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widow's houses and say long prayers just for show.  These will receive harsher judgement. He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins (mites). Truly I tell you, he said: This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on. As some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said: These things that you see--the day will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down. (Luke 20:45-21:6)

The Title was created FOR widows, not FROM widows. It was established for the purpose of providing food for widows, but this woman's money was being used to make the temple more extravagant and to fund lifestyles of the rich and famous religious leaders. Her actions were honorable and full of faith. But these men were taking money from the very people they were supposed to be using their resources to minister to and provide for. James 1:27 tells us:

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The words look after, or visit in some translations, means to look out for. It means to seek out people in need of help, to keep a watchful eye to notice people in need. We shouldn't just sit back and wait for them to come to us asking for help. We should go to them. We should always be on the lookout for anyone who is struggling so that we can offer assistance. This verse calls for an eagerness to help and serve. 

Jesus' disciples learned from the lesson He taught in the temple that day. In Acts 6, we learn that the very first ministers ever appointed included Stephen and six others, faithful men whose purpose and function was to make sure that the widows were served fairly and faithfully in the daily distributions of food. These men were called Diakonos, the word we get our word deacon or minister from, which describes the service of waiting tables. In our day of super-wealthy celebrity Christian figures, we need to be cautious and Biblical in who we choose to follow. 1 Corinthians 9:14 tells us that The Lord has prescribed that those who preach the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel. It is proper to support our Pastors and take very good care of them. But Jesus said that those who take advantage will be harshly judged. Real leaders serve others, not themselves.

So, How Can We Help?

I am grateful for faithful churches that serve their communities through food banks, counseling, pregnancy programs, clothing closets and support. We can all help through our giving and support of these programs. But free babysitting and fixing problems around the house for a widow or single mother can be just as important. I know many wonderful Christian people who have adopted--that is true and undefiled religion right there. Jesus led into this teaching by talking about loving our neighbor as ourselves. One way we show our love of God is by showing how we love others with our time, talents, money and through meaningful, supportive, caring relationships.