Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Co 1:2). Amen.
There is no shortage of questions from day to day. They come from different people depending on who is around us and in different places depending on where we are. It can be a simple, “How are you?” to a straightforward, “Who are you?”
Not that that is wrong. We need the facts. We want the answers. In fact, we are often encouraged to ask because there is no such thing as a question that is dumb. (That is not a challenge to come up with one.) A good question then deserves a good answer.
There are the standard questions words: who, what, why, when, where, and how. You determine or decide which one based on the situation or circumstance. A reporter will apply any or all of them to get the scoop on a breaking story for the nightly news.
The writer of a section of the book of Proverbs, his name is Agur (That is about as much as we know about him.), poses a series of 4 “who” questions:
“Who has gone up to heaven and come down?” (Pr 30:4).
“Who has gathered up the winds in the hollow of his hands?” (Pr 30:4).
“Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?” (Pr 30:4).
“Who has established all the ends of the earth?” (Pr 30:4).
Then he follows it up with 2 “what” questions:
“What is his name?” (Pr 30:4).
“and the name of his son?” (Pr 30:4).
Finally there is the challenge: “Tell me if you know!” (Pr 30:4). It is along the lines of “because you possess that information.” That is reminiscent of the instance when the Lord addressed Job. We recall Job. He was incredibly rich, but lost it all—wealth to family—in a day. His three so-called “friends” came to comfort him. Really to confront him. “Job, you must have done something really bad for this to have happened.” Job wanted to speak to God to assert his innocence.
The Lord did come. In a storm (Job 38:1). He bombarded Job with questions about the beginning of the universe. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone” (Job 38:4-6). God compares himself to an architect, a surveyor, and an engineer. He didn’t need Job’s help. He didn’t badger Job with that barrage to humiliate him, but to humble him. God is in charge. He knows what he is doing. He wanted Job to get rid of his pride and hold on to him in trust.
We recognize his greatness and goodness without having to give us an explanation as if he owes us one. He is above us. We realize our frailness and feebleness. We are below him. We stand in awe of him.
And we do know him. Because God himself has told us. We know his name—not only what designations we call him (Father, Messiah, Holy Spirit), but also everything that he has revealed to us about himself (kind and compassionate [Ex 34:6,7]). We know the name of his Son, Jesus (Ps 2:7).
But if we review those questions, it is more than just the standard, catechism answer “God,” even though that is right because they are not rhetorical.
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? (Pr 30:4). Yes, God. But there is more.
- Think of the occasion when the Lord came down to see the city and tower that the men of Babel were building, reaching up to the heavens (Ge 11:1-9). He doesn’t do anything in an arbitrary fashion. He can spot sin.
- Call to mind what Jesus once mentioned: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man” (Jn 3:13). God gave his Son to the world (Jn 3:16). The apostle Paul pointed out that God did it to reconcile us to himself (2 Co 5:18)—changing our relationship from one of hostility toward him to harmony with him. He stated how so succinctly “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Co 5:21). Jesus took on our sin so that he could put on his holiness. That is a great exchange. Jesus died in the place of and instead of all and was raised again (2 Co 5:14,15). We are now “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Co 5:17).
Who has gathered up the winds in the hollow of his hands? (Pr 30:4). Yes, God. But there is more. There Jesus is asleep when that sudden squall came up on the Sea of Galilee. When his fearful disciples woke him up, he “rebuked the wind …, ‘Quiet!’” (Mk 4:39). And it was immediate. No more blowing in their face. The wind submitted to him. The breeze was nonexistent.
Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? (Pr 30:4). Yes, God. But there is more. From the back of the boat, Jesus also bellowed: “Be still!” (Mk 4:39). And it was instantaneous. No more beating against the ship. The waves surrendered to him. The lake was glassy smooth.
Who has established all the ends of the earth? (Pr 30:4). Yes, God. But there is more. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Ge 1:1). He did it with his almighty word. “Let there be” and there was. Jesus was there too (Jn 1:1). “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that that has been made” (Jn 1:3). And now our “help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Ps 121:2).
And when we revere God for who he is, we respect him for what he says (cf. First and Second Commandments). “Every word of God is flawless” (Pr 30:5). The content of what he communicates is perfect and pure—just like when gold is tested and refined. There are no longer any impurities or imperfections. What God relates is completely reliable and what God declares is totally dependable. It is absolutely true.
The proverb writer then makes a comparison: “He [that is, God] is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Pr 30:5). He is like the small weapon that a soldier takes with him into battle to protect himself from attack. We go to our God because there we find safety and security. The tallest to the tiniest is helpless by himself, but helped by his Savior. When we turn to him, we can trust in him.
Consider that in the context of the disciples. These experienced fishermen thought that the unexpected gale would do them in (Mk 4:38). They run to the right person, but proceed with a rude inquiry: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mk 4:38). Of course he did. But that sounds like a child to his parent now that Mother’s Day was a month ago and Father’s Day was a week ago—especially when he doesn’t get his way: “Don’t you care?” How quickly the gratitude and gratefulness turn into criticism and critique. Those followers of Jesus called him “Teacher,” but they apparently didn’t take his teachings to heart.
We have been there. You don’t have to raise your hand. What goes through your mind when the “storms of life” hit. And not a gentle rain that is refreshing, but a hard downpour that is draining. “Jesus, this doesn’t seem to be a care to you. What is happening? Why is it happening?” It is almost as if we take God to court, to call him to account. What do we do with those questions? We need to listen to his Word.
The dangers and difficulties will come. That is not shocking or surprising to you. We know to whom to look and on whom to lean: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Ps 46:2). Those are certainly catastrophic events. But “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps 46:7,11). We can be confident of his presence and power and not convinced of our own reason or resources, not depending on our might, but delighting in his muscle. We can’t hear it too often: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). And God keeps his word. He will not leave us, not even in death.
God doesn’t have a problem with questions—who, what, why, when, where, and how. As long as we are ready and willing to pay attention to him. God’s Word answers good questions. The Creator of is the Controller of all. And because his word to us is consistent, we can take shelter in him. Those answers are from him and to us in the darkest hour to the brightest day on earth all the way to eternity.
We read from Proverbs 30:4,5:
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the winds in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!
5 Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Co 13:14). Amen.
June 24, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment