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April,
2018
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Volume
10
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Issue
#2
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"Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Psalm
119:105
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Robert T. Oliver
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WHEN GOD SAYS "NO"
I
remember a time when I knew more than I have ever known since. I was
about 17 years of age. I worked for a supermarket in the Detroit
area, and my young manager had a car to sell. I wanted that car. I
looked at the car, and to me it was beautiful. I had the money to buy
it, but I needed my father's permission. My manager drove me home
after work for my dad to see the car. I knew I had a problem when he
seemed to focus on the driver's side of the car. Someone had hit the
car on that side, and the driver's door would not open. I figured I
could get in on the passenger side and slide into the driver's side.
I wanted that car, but Dad said no. Very firmly, he said no. Needless
to say, I did not get the car, even though I wanted it. Sometimes,
parents have to say "no".
That is true of God as well. As any good parent, sometimes He needs
to say "no" even to those He loves. There are two New
Testament accounts that verify this concept. The first involves His
Son. The account is found in Matthew 26:36-39.
Matthew 26:36-39 Then Jesus went with them to a place called
Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray."
And taking with him Peter and the two
sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain
here, and watch with me." And
going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
There were three things Jesus had to do in this life. He had to live
a perfect life, he had to prepare someone to continue his work, and
he had to be the sacrificial lamb to take away sin. Jesus had accomplished
the first two of these goals. His life was perfect, and the disciples
had been taught. What was left was horrifying. Jesus had to submit
his body to die a death too extremely painful to contemplate. It was
so terrible that Jesus left Peter, James, and John to speak with His
Father about this. He begged his Father asking if there was some
other way. Jesus obviously dreaded such a painful, agonizing death.
Jesus did one thing that we always need to remember when we pray. It
is not our will that really matters, it is the will of our Father in
Heaven. Jesus understood this and was willing to pray in that
fashion. It was God's will that Jesus endure this death, for He knew
we were lost without it. Three times Jesus prayed. It must have been
so difficult for the Father. He loved Jesus so much, more than we can
comprehend. But his love of us caused him to say "NO" to
Jesus. He had to die, and he had to die this death.
But God did what he could for Jesus. Luke 22:43 records what the
Father did for Jesus. "And there appeared to him an angel
from heaven, strengthening him." We don't know what the angel
said or did, but we know it must have helped Jesus through this
difficult trial.
There is another account where God said "NO". We read about
this in 2 Corinthians 12:2-10.
"I know a man in Christ who
fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven-whether in the
body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into
paradise-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God
knows-and he heard things that
cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my
own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses-though if I should wish to boast, I would not be
a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so
that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
So to keep me from becoming conceited
because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was
given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me
from becoming conceited. Three
times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." Therefore,
I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. For
the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I
am strong."
Paul, evidently speaking in
third person, was carried to paradise. While there he heard words and
revelations he could not repeat. Such a glorious experience. Yet, to
"keep Paul from becoming conceited" from this experience,
God gave him a "thorn in the flesh". While we do not know
what this was, we certainly understand that it was something painful.
Paul asked God to remove it.
Three times! Paul may have thought he wouldn't be affected, or become
conceited, by what he heard and saw; but God knew better. So Paul was
told "NO" each time. God's grace was sufficient, and God's
power is made perfect in weakness was the answer given to Paul.
There are times in life when we
beg God for a "YES", and we cannot understand why God would
say "NO". This is where our trust in God must come in to
play. Jesus had to trust his Father. Paul had to trust his God, as we
must.
Just because we can't understand
why God might say "NO", we need to remember that he sees
the entire picture; and we do not. We need to remember we do not live
for this life, but the life to come. Sometimes we forget this, but
God never does. His answers will always be what is best for us with
eternity in mind.
Just as we need children to
understand there are times we must say "NO" to them, it is
because we love them that we do so. That is also true of our Father
in Heaven. He will say "NO" when it is in our interest to
do so.
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Feature
Two: an article by R. C. Oliver
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R C Oliver
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The Tabernacle of David
Taken from Light:
November 1955
Acts 15:13-19 And after they had held their
peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto
me: [14] Simeon hath declared how God at
the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for
his name. [15]And to this agree
the words of the prophets; as it is written, [16] After this I will return, and will build again
the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again
the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: [17] That the residue of men might seek after the
Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the
Lord, who doeth all these things. [18] Known unto God are all his works from the
beginning of the world.
This
text, like many others, has served as a center of controversy for
many years. One school contends that the tabernacle of David has
already been set up in this present time, and another insists that
its establishment is yet future. Both views cannot be right, and to
learn which if either, is right, is the purpose of this brief
treatise.
Realizing that some difficult subjects have been rendered more easily
understood by asking questions about them, it is my purpose to
introduce, and answer in this essay, the following questions about
our subjects: (1) What is the tabernacle of David? (2) How is it to
be rebuilt? (3) When is it to be rebuilt? And (4) Why is it to be
rebuilt? Observe therefore the light that may be had upon:
What is the Tabernacle of David?
In studying
this subject, it should be remembered that Bible writers are frequent
users of "metonymy." That is, they, like many other
writers, often use one word for another that it suggests. To
illustrate: Moses used "earth" when he meant the
"people" upon the earth - Genesis 6:11; Jesus used
"cup" when he meant the "contents" of the cup -
Matthew 26:27; John used "Lamb of God" when he pointed to
Jesus who became the "sacrifice" for the sins of the world
- John 1:29; Paul used "house" when the "family"
was meant - Hebrews 11:7; and Ezekiel used "house of
Israel" when the "descendants" of Jacob were meant -
Ezekiel 18:31.
In like manner, when the Lord gave promise to David to build him a
house (2 Samuel 7:11-17 Cf. Acts 2:29-31), it is then explained to
mean that he would set his son upon the throne and through his family
he would at last place ONE on the throne who should never fail!
(Isaiah 9:6-7 Cf. Ezekiel 21:25-27).
Therefore, when the Lord promises to raise up the tabernacle of
David, we are not to understand that He is speaking of the
"literal" tabernacle of David, but the metonymically of his
descendent - Christ! Therefore, the coronation of Christ was the
fulfillment of this promise to rebuild the tabernacle of David.
How Is the Tabernacle To Be
Rebuilt?
The rebuilding
of the tabernacle is to be accomplished by establishing Christ upon
the throne of his father David, as was shown under the preceding
section: "What Is the Tabernacle of David?" That
Jesus occupies the throne of his father David today, is a fact no one
can successfully deny - Acts 2:29-36 Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:56.
However, in view of the fact that many actually expect Christ to
return to earth and occupy the literal throne of David in Jerusalem,
it might be well to point out that if Christ were on earth he could
not serve as priest (Hebrews 8:4), but in that he was to serve as
priest and king at the same time (Zechariah 6:12-13), the fact that
it would not be possible for him to be priest upon earth would make
it likewise impossible for him to serve as king upon earth. Jesus is
to be a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec, who served, at
the same time, as "king of Salem, and priest of the most high
God." - Hebrews 5:5 Cf. 7:1. But he cannot be priest and king
upon earth; therefore, though he reigns today as both king and priest
upon the throne of his father David (Acts 2:29-36), whose throne was
the Lord's throne (1 Chronicles 29:23), yet he does not reign upon
earth, for the Lord's throne is in heaven (Psalms 11:4).
When Is The Tabernacle To Be
Rebuilt?
If you will refer to the text again, which appears at the beginning
of this article, you will see that the tabernacle is to be rebuilt
"AFTER THIS." But just what is to be understood by
"AFTER THIS" is the pivot upon which the argument between
the two schools of thought turns. To quote an authority in one of the
schools I call your attention to the language of R. H. Boll. He
writes: "The critical words upon which the question of the
meaning turns are in the first line of James' quotation from 'the
prophets'; -- 'after these things I will return'." - The
Kingdom of God, page 64. Another authority, of the same school,
when commenting upon these words, writes: "Then James adds 'And
to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written, 'AFTER
THIS' (Notice AFTER THIS. After what? After the Lord had taken out of
the Gentiles a people for his name. "After this I will return
and will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down and
I will build again the ruins other of and set it up." (Acts
15:15-16.) "Nothing can be plainer. God will first take
out of the Gentiles a people for his name and then AFTER THAT
He will return and set up the kingdom." - Hath God Cast Away
His People? By Dr. M.R. De Hann, Page 19.
Though I agree with Brother Boll in believing that "AFTER
THIS" constitutes the "critical words" in this
passage, yet I cannot agree with either him or the doctor in his
interpretation of these words. Though both gentlemen are no doubt
honest yet a more careful study of the passage will show that they
cannot be right in believing that God will first visit the Gentiles
to take out of them a people for His name, and that AFTER THIS He
will establish His kingdom.
Turning to the passage again, what do we read? We read that the
Gentiles have been received into the fellowship of the church, and,
despite a dispute that has been provoked by certain Judaizers over
what constitutes conditions of Gentile membership, it is pointed out
by Peter in verses 7 through 11 that "God which knoweth the
hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did
unto us." Then, in verse 12, Paul and Barnabas show how God has
manifested His approval of the coming in of the Gentiles by both
"miracles and wonders."
After these three men testified how God had received the Gentiles,
and how He had manifested his approval of them by both "miracles
and wonders," then James speaks up, beginning with verse 13, and
shows how the coming in of the Gentiles is but a fulfillment of an
Old Testament prophecy: "...as it is written, After
this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David,
which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I
will set it up:" Now, question: Why are you going to rebuild
and set it up? Though we shall study this question more fully later,
yet it is important that we see its answer now, which answer is: (1)
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and (2) That the
Gentiles might seek after Him also. From this, it is obvious that the
Gentiles could not seek after the Lord until the tabernacle has been
rebuilt. He built the tabernacle so the Gentiles might seek Him, and
not after they had found Him! It was therefore to be rebuilt
BEFORE and not AFTER He had visited the Gentiles to take out of them
a people for His name. The "AFTER THIS" of our text cannot
therefore mean after God has visited the Gentiles, as
premillennialists insist , for the tabernacle must be first rebuilt
before the Gentiles can seek Him. What, then, I ask, is the meaning
of "After this"?
Turning to the original prophecy (Amos 9:11-12), you will read that
God said he would "sift the house of Israel among all
nations," (Amos 9:9), then He says: "IN THAT DAY,"
that is, in the day that I have sifted them, or "AFTER THIS"
as James expresses it, that is, after I have "sifted the house
of Israel among all nations," then that is "AFTER
THIS" sifting the tabernacle will be rebuilt, and the Gentiles
will begin to seek the Lord, The only question now remaining, so far
as "AFTER THIS" is concerned is this: At the time the
Gentiles were brought in to the church, had the house of Israel been
sifted among the nations? The questions is answered in Acts 2:5.
There it is written: "And
there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, OUT OF EVERY
NATION UNDER HEAVEN"! On
this same day of Pentecost it was declared that Christ has been
raised to David's throne (Acts 2:30), whose coronation is a
fulfillment of the prophecy that God would rebuild the tabernacle of
David, as has already been pointed out under "What Is the
Tabernacle of David?"
Summing up, then, what do we have? (1) Israel has now been sifted
among all nations - Acts 2:5, (2) AFTER THIS sifting God raised
Christ to sit on David's throne thus filling the prophecy to rebuild
the tabernacle of David and (3) The Gentiles are now seeking the Lord
and their coming in has been approved of God by both "miracles
and wonders"! Can language be plainer?
Why Is The Tabernacle To Be
Rebuilt?
Turning to the text again, we learn that the tabernacle of David was
to be rebuilt for two reasons, viz: (1) That the residue of men that
is the remnant of Israel, might seek the Lord, and (2) That the
Gentiles might seek Him also. Though the verb "might seek"
is not used specifically in connection with the term
"Gentiles", yet by parsing the word one can immediately see
that "might seek" is to be understood. For instance,
"Gentiles" is a noun, proper, third person, plural number,
common gender, and is in the nominative case being the subject of the
finite verb "might seek" understood. Therefore, if the
tabernacle of David has not already been rebuilt -if it is not
standing now, then we who are Gentiles cannot seek the Lord today;
rather we must remain in our sins; for our true condition apart from
the tabernacle is: "without Christ"...having no hope,
and without God in the world." -Ephesians 2:12. But in view
of Christ's invitation which has been extended to "WHOSOEVER
WILL," whether Jew or Gentile, "let him take of the water
of life freely," we conclude that the tabernacle of David has
been rebuilt in the restoration of his family in the person of
Christ, to his throne, which occurred AFTER the house of Israel had
been sifted among all nations, the purpose of which restoration is
the salvation of the whole world - both Jews and Gentiles.
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Feature Three: Sandy's Women's
Corner
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Sandra Oliver
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Editor's Note: You
can read weekly articles from Sandy at the following Web site: abiblecommentary.com
"Blog for Christian Women"
A LOOK AT THE POSITIVE
Most of what we hear in the news, read in the newspapers, and hear in
general conversation about teenagers is negative.
I suppose it is natural since there are a lot of rude, disrespectful
teens. There are also a lot of rude, disrespectful adults. We meet
them every day on the roads as we go about our daily activities.
But I am thankful that I know a lot of respectful, caring, loving
teens and pre-teens that make me proud to attend worship services
with them. They prove to our congregation week after week that they
are doing their best to live Christian lives.
A few weeks ago, on Wednesday evening, one of young men led the
singing for the congregational devotional. Two other young men sat
with him on the front row to encourage him. As we stood to sing the
invitation song, the young man on the end encouraged the other one
sitting with him to move down in case there was a response to the invitation.
This same young man appeared at the door of my classroom one Monday
morning. I was changing bulletin boards, and he was there with others
on his holiday from school to practice puppets for a presentation.
While waiting on the others to arrive, he offered to help me. His
comment was, "I am really good at taking things down but not too
good at putting things up!" Then he proceeded to take all the
pictures, boarder, and letters from my bulletin boards. He laid
everything out in neat piles so that I could put things in storage.
A few weeks ago, I asked one of the 5th graders in my
Sunday class to lead the closing prayer. I was aware that he had
never done this before.
At
first he said, "No thanks". I told him I was sure he could,
and he agreed to try.
He stumbled a little, but that didn't matter. I sat with tears in my
eyes knowing the progress he had made. At the end of his prayer, he
apologized for "messing up". One of the other boys told him
not to worry. He said, "Everyone messes up sometimes".
Sunday evening, this same 5th grader led a song when the
young men led our evening service. On Wednesday evening I told the
boys what a great job they did, and he told us that he was very
nervous about being in front of so many people.
The same boy that told him it was ok to "mess up", told him
that he was nervous too. He encouraged him to keep trying.
The young ladies gave a devotional for the women before the worship
service. They led songs, gave speeches, and led prayers.
I have watched them grow both physically and spiritually. Many of
these young ladies serve at our annual ladies' tea, ladies' days, and
other events.
Our teens and pre-teens come to work days at the building. They go to
the homes of elderly Christians to rake leaves and perform other
chores. They serve!
Our teens aren't perfect; but when I see the love and respect
they have for our congregation and their parents, I am so proud of
them. I am also so thankful that I have had the opportunity to teach
most of them.
When you see a teen doing good, being respectful, honoring their
parents, dressing modestly, or serving the Lord, take a minute to say
"thank you". Believe me, they need to hear it!
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Feature Four: Our Communication
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The Pentecostians
It is not uncommon to hear a
Christian say: "The Pentecostians heard, believed,
repented, and were baptized," etc., etc. But who, I ask, were
the Pentecostians?
If Christians are justified in applying the name of a day to a body
of people who did something upon that day, then how can they
consistently condemn their religious neighbors for applying the same
name, of the same day, to a church? It appears to me that both are
wrong; for in the word of the Lord the word "Pentecost" is
applied to neither people nor churches, but it is the name of a day-the
day of Pentecost!-Acts 2:1. Therefore, watch your speech.
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Feature Five:
Bible Question
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Doesn't the age of the earth
prove that the creation story of the Bible is a fable?
Scientists have no idea how old the earth might
be. Their guesses run into the millions, and perhaps billions of
years, but they are guesses. One of the reasons they have
chosen such large numbers for the age of the earth is the fact that
fossils have been found around the world. They then indicate that it
took thousands or even millions of years for these fossils to form.
But is that true? Consider the following quotation:
"Let's
consider just permineralisation - what most of us think of when we
think about fossilization. Permineralisation requires a good
availability of minerals such as sulphur, iron, carbon and silica, in
the water or sediments around the fossil. The more minerals
available, the more rapidly fossilisation can occur, assuming other
conditions are optimal. The
speed at which this occurs will also depend strongly on the size of
the organism - tiny organisms, eggs or embryos can actually fossilize
really quite quickly. Perhaps in a matter of weeks or months. Eggs
may be particularly good for rapid natural fossilization, too, as in
many marine species they show adaptations to slow the rate of
decay.... In the laboratory, paleontologists have been able to
fossilize lobster and shrimp eggs in just 2 - 8 weeks!"
Obviously, someone is wrong. But does it really
matter? How thorough was God in the creation? When God created man,
did he create a fertilized egg, or a fully-grown man? Had you
examined Adam ten seconds after he was created, how old would you
have supposed him to be? God created him as a mature man, ready to
work upon the earth. What of the plants and animals? Were they not
also created fully developed? If we can understand this, why is it so
hard to picture God creating the earth as a "full-grown"
planet? This would include everything necessary for it to show age.
It wasn't molten rock! If coal, oil, and fossils are necessary for
the earth to be "fully grown", would not God have created
them in the creation process? Could he have done this? I'm not saying
that this is how it happened, but could it have happened this way? Is
this not a valid scriptural possibility? As mentioned earlier in the
article, fossils can form more quickly than some believe, so perhaps
the dinosaurs did live on the earth and died in the flood, or just
became extinct. It really goes back to the question, "How great
is your God?"
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A father was reading Bible
stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned
to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back
and was turned into a pillar of salt." His son asked, "What
happened to the flea?"
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As I work on this issue of "Light for our
Age", I approach my 72nd birthday. I have discovered
that no matter what our age might be, there is work to be done in the
Lord's kingdom. We should always approach our tasks as a work of joy,
for there is so little time to be able to be a servant of Christ. I
pray that all is well with you and your family. Good-by for now, till
we meet again.
Remember: Past issues of "Light for our
Age" can be found on this Web page:
Abiblecomentary.com/Lightforourage
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