The Wisdom that Comes from Heaven
James 3:13-18
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Two kinds of wisdom are contrasted in this scripture.
The wisdom that comes from heaven (13, 17 -18) and the earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom (14 – 16).
Jacob & Esau
Genesis 25:19 – 34
God’s Sovereign Choice
Abraham’s God-promised-son Isaac married Rebekah (20). After 20 years, she became pregnant with twins. In Genesis 25:23, God said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
Relevant verses are found in the book of Malachi, the prophet 1:1-3.
1A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”
Interpretation
The interpretation is found in Romans 10. Let us read from v6 to v13.
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand:12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Esau Sells His Birthright to Jacob
See v29 – 34.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
Interpretation
The above event was interpreted in the book of Hebrews 12:16 – 17.
Hebrews 12:16-17 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
The background of Hebrews 12:17 is in Genesis 27:30 – 41.
Jesus who met a thirsty Samaritan woman
John 4:1-26
Key verse – John 4:26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
This scripture deals with a woman married & divorced 5 times and lives with the 6th man. During the conversation, she revealed that she was waiting for the perfect man, the Saviour (the Messiah, the Christ). Jesus declared in v26 “I, the one speaking to you – I am he.” Jesus is the true husband she was looking for.
The Bible indicates us that our relationships on the earth like husband & wife, father & son, and shepherd & sheep are mere shadow of true reality. God is husband and believer is His wife. The bridegroom is our Saviour and we are His brides. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep.
Men on the earth understand what women do before and after marriage would make them happy. We can apply the same principle to the relationship between ourselves and the Christ. We can think of whether we are good women to the Christ. Based on our purity, commitment, and love toward Him, we may see ourselves somewhere between pure brides and wayward wives. If you want a pure bride who makes 100% commitment to you and only loves you, you can know what the Christ also expect from us. Therefore let us always worship and serve Him only. Let us not be astray but give our heart to Him alone.
There are four types of love – Eros (erotic love) , Philia (friendship), Storge (love in family), Agape (unconditional love of God). The love the woman pursued is Eros.
We don’t know why the woman of the scripture was so love-hungry. But we all have hunger & thirst for love & satisfaction. It can make us astray and go extensive distance in life. Our life – its time and resource – is so precious and it is so important to understand and handle this issue. The solution is found in John 4.
The Bible is a so amazing book. Each verse gives us the important message. For example, v7 (how Jesus humbles himself to ask help to start communicating with close-minded woman), v9 (how this woman responds to Jesus to show scars in her heart), v15 (she is tired of the life of drawing water), v25 (she was waiting for Messiah), etc. But it is impossible to mention everything the scripture wants to tell us in one piece of writing.
Instead of interpreting verse by verse, this time, let us study a relevant topic.
God or pleasure?
2 Timothy 3:4 mentions “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” of terrible times in the last days. What does this mean? We are created to love God (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5) and love our neighbours (Leviticus 19:18). But they love pleasure (what God created) more than the Creator. We are created to worship God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10). But they serve their own pleasure and stomach only (Romans 16:18).
When the Samaritan woman in John 4 was ignorant of the true object of worship & service to God, ‘husband’ was her object of worship & service. Human men are imperfect and have faults which could be selfishness, self-centredness, greed and/or others, causing scars in her heart. So, men are not the right object of worship. But her pursuit would never end because boundless desires she has are out of control unless worshiping, serving and obeying the true object of worship.
See Ecclesiastes 12:1
1Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
This verse also contrasts Creator and pleasure. The youth may be busy serving their pleasure, forgetting their Creator. Don’t forget we are created to serve God. The message here is “Serve God rather than pleasure.”
This verse also indicates the remorse of being gotten old without having been serving God, having wasted all life to serve pleasure.
Not serving God will result in remorse, the great remorse. Serving God is your greatest honour, privilege and desire your soul have. It is because God is your loving Father who concerns most about your happiness and interests. You owe Him for all you have. He sent His one and only Son to die for you.
God and His love are real. When we pray before God and say, “I want to serve you”, we start to recognize His presence, feel His love, remember what God did for us and can’t help crying.
Let us start to serve God in the days of our youth.
Preach the word
2 Timothy 4:1-5
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
1 John 2:15-17
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Good reading materials during mid-year recess are found @ http://christiscoming777.com/.
Evasion & Pursuit Strategies
2 Timothy 2:22-26
22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
See v22a. “Flee the evil desires of youth”
The term “Flee” is understood if v26b is read.
“escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (26b)
- the trap of the devil: the devil traps through the evil desires, therefore flee!
- has taken them captive: the trap was in order to captivate, therefore flee!
- to do his will: people you see doing what is wrong are his captives, therefore flee so that you may be neither captivated nor doing his will!
See v22b. “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Pursue is related to ‘goals’ and ‘actions’. This word “pursue” indicates that we are asked to not only actively flee negative sources but also actively pursue positive directions.
In Ephesians 6:14 and 16, “righteousness” is “the breastplate” and “faith” is “the shield”, among the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) to put on.
“along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart”: let us surround ourselves with right people of right purpose and right motives.
Good reading materials during mid-year recess are found @ http://christiscoming777.com/.
The information in the above website includes what to know about ‘the traps of the devil’ so that we may not be ensnared.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified
1 Thessalonians 4:3-12
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
The Supremacy of the Son of God
Colossians 1:15-23
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
