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Is Greg right about angels?

Posted in Book Commentary, Scripture on October 17, 2010| 1 Comment »

I have known people who take great comfort in the idea that they or their children have angels who watch over them.  Some have crossed the line from worshipping God to worshipping angels.

Yesterday I shared a quote from Greg Lucas’ book, Wrestling with an Angel, that Dianne particularly liked because Greg asserts that God, and not angels, stand watch over boys like Jake and Paul.  Here’s a shorter excerpt:

I believe it is God who watches, not any created being. And it is God who supplies whatever help is needed.

Jake’s care is not delegated. (Lucas, p. 73)

Greg used this passage to frame that section of the book:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10

I think Greg is absolutely right to conclude that it is God who leads and calls into action, rather than angels having some sort of independent oversight.

  • Zechariah receives Gabriel’s good news that Zechariah will be the father of John the Baptist, but asks how it can be possible.  Here is the response: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.” (Luke 1:19) God will overcome the physical limitations to Zechariah and Elizabeth conceiving this child; Gabriel is the messenger.
  • Mary receives the happy news that she will be the mother of Jesus, and Gabriel again gives credit to God:  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth (Luke 1:26). . . And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:35-37)
  • Daniel is given incredible visions of the future, and help to understand them by a messenger from God: And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” (Daniel 10:11)
  • Then Daniel is given this extraordinary view into the unseen spiritual realm, showing that there is real spiritual evil to contend with: Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” (Daniel 10:12-14)
  • The book of Job is an example of Satan’s destructive, and completely limited, power on this earth.  The fallen angel, Satan, is afflicting Job only as much as God allows.
    • Job recognizes God as the effective actor in Job’s suffering. God does not correct him when Job gives God the credit for the suffering he is experiencing.
    • Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10)
  • Jesus himself talks of the angels standing ready to do the Father’s bidding: Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53)

This isn’t to suggest that angels only serve as messengers.  Clearly, God gives them things to do, and not always things what we would call ‘comforting’ or ‘peaceful’:

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”  And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (2 Kings 19:32-35)

And at a key moment in all eternity, an angel ministers to Jesus:

And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:41-44)

Angels are real and from the typical first words they utter – ‘fear not!’ – I gather their appearance and their abilities are incredible.

But they are created, just like we are.  It is far better to trust, cling to, ask forgiveness from, cry out to, and hope in the creator and sustainer of all things.  And if God uses angels to help us, as I expect he does, to thank the sender of help rather than the obedient angelic servants.

After all, they rejoice when sinners come to God!  “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  Luke 15:10

And it has the advantage of being consistent with the Bible’s message that God is sovereign over all things – like disability, disease and suffering – rather than Satan.  Satan may hate us and seek to destroy us, but God alone has the final say, even in our times of deepest sorrow and pain.

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Does the Bible really teach that Jesus rules over all things?

Posted in Scripture on October 14, 2010| 1 Comment »

In a word, yes.  And that means he is Lord over all creation, including those created with disabilities:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:15-20

One of my favorites, Matthew Henry, describes that Lordship this way:

Being created by him, (all things) were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure and for his praise. He is the end, as well as the cause of all things.

Which means, also according to his pleasure and for his praise, he will help us no matter what we face, no matter how hard it is, no matter how tempted we are by other things.  Jesus himself will prove decisive.

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Did David really hate ‘the lame and the blind’?

Posted in Scripture on October 12, 2010| 43 Comments »

I know I make bold statements on occasion, and I try to be intentional about them.  But I recently read a bold assertion that made me stop and think about how intentional the author really was in making the statement.

In her very interesting chapter on Leviticus 21, Dr.  Johanna Dorman drops in this assertion:

“Although David feels a deep hatred for blind and deaf persons . . .  (2 Sam 5:8)” (Dorman, p. 26).

I remembered the Biblical reference, but I did not recall concluding that David felt hatred towards people with these disabilities.  So I looked it up again:

And the king (David) and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 2 Samuel 5:6-8

Frankly, I don’t see the hatred.  David is being taunted – “even our weakest members could keep you out!” David responds in kind to the taunt.

It looks remarkably like school-yard behavior from my childhood – “You throw like a girl!”  “Oh, yeah, well, you ARE a girl!”  Thankfully, nobody died on the schoolyard.  But passions would rise at such words.

Both my ESV Study Bible and the MacArthur Study Bible agree that this was probably a taunt:

“The Jebusites probably meant that the fortifications were so strong that the city needed no able-bodied defenders.  David quotes their words in ordering the attack, referring to the Jebusites as “the blind and the lame.” ESV Study Bible, p. 549.

“The Jebusites taunted the Israelites and mocked the power of David by boasting that the blind and the lame could defend Jerusalem against him.” MacArthur Study Bible, p. 426.

Probably the greatest argument that it was only a taunt and not really about people with disabilities at all comes from the second half of Dr. Dorman’s sentence:

Although David feels a deep hatred for blind and deaf persons (2 Sam 5:8), he returns to Mephibosheth all the land of Saul, and invites him to eat regularly at his table (2 Sam 9:10-13).

Mephibosheth was lame, and ate at the King’s table.  Of course, David is honoring the promise he made to his dearest friend, Jonathan, but that did not need to include the invitation to eat at David’s table.  If he really felt hatred or revulsion, he could have made sure Mephibosheth’s needs were taken care of, but out of his sight.  Eating at the king’s table is a very intimate, personal affirmation of Mephibosheth’s standing before King David.

So, I think Dr. Dorman simply wasn’t careful, both because the Biblical reference doesn’t include people who are deaf at all, and because the reference isn’t really about hatred towards people with disabilities.

But statements like that start to bleed into the general assumptions about what a passage means or about the character of the person making the statement (in this case, David).   I can almost guarantee I will see that assertion about David again somewhere else.  Only that person might not be as careful as Dr. Dorman in providing the Biblical reference, further disconnecting the assertion from the source.

Mostly I take this as a personal warning that I should be careful in how I read (and write about) any Biblical passage.  The Bible is worth being careful about!

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Being desperate is a good thing

Posted in Scripture on October 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I had lunch with a dear brother on Friday, one of those men who stirs things up wherever he goes (in a good way).

He said more and more he’s ‘desperate’ for a movement of the Holy Spirit.  That’s a great word.  And it can apply to the not-yet as well as the right-now:

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Paul’s inspired writings are a constant help.  He writes with understanding – we are burdened!  He encourages us that we can always be of good courage in Jesus.  And he reminds us that what happens in this life is really important; we aren’t just waiting around until we get to be with Jesus.

And it puts all the hardship and all the wonderful things associated with disability in proper perspective.  For those who trust in Jesus, only in this age do we groan; only in this age are we burdened.

I am not always of good courage – because I do not always walk by faith nor do I always seek to please him.  But Jesus never loses anyone he has called:

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28

Yes, being desperate for God is a very good thing!

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Just remember, this kind of evil has always existed

Posted in News, Scripture on October 7, 2010| 2 Comments »

This video is shocking, horrifying:

The bold proclamation about ‘putting a pillow over its face’ feels like a different kind of evil even than what we’ve seen proclaimed by abortion providers and their supporters.

But it really isn’t.  Through every generation since the fall there have been people who thought or behaved exactly like what was articulated in this video.  The fact that someone would feel free to say it, for whatever reason, is more a sign of the culture than it is of the person saying it.

The answer to that evil remains the same:  Jesus.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36

The world needs to know about this Jesus.  The world needs to understand that God is a very big God, sovereign over everything that happens, including over little babies who suffer.  And he provided Jesus.

It is an awesome thing to know and cling to and love this Jesus, who rips out hearts of stone that lead to bold statements about killing babies, and replaces it with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26) that trust God to help every day address suffering in little children.

This video clip was forwarded to me, so I don’t know how the woman in the religious collar responded.  It looked like she was as horrified as I felt.

Regardless, the ultimate answer is Jesus.

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Some other things besides disability that God is sovereign over

Posted in Scripture on October 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Weather:  And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” Luke 8:24-25

Leaders: The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

Life: Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

Eternity: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28

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What should we do about genetic counseling?

Posted in commentary, News, Scripture on September 23, 2010| 1 Comment »

Bethany was kind enough to add to the discussion on genetic screening yesterday.  She also wrote about it on her blog and added some questions of her own:

Is it too much to expect my doctor to value my child herself, not just because I value him/her?
Is it dumb to insist on a pro-life doctor when a pro-choice one may be just as or even more skilled medically?
Is it worth making a fuss about these tests. I mean, should I just go through with them to make the doctor happy?
Would it possibly be helpful to know about a disability before birth? Would it allow time to get the necessary specialists together so the baby could have instant care upon birth?

The question about knowledge of disability before a child is born is a really difficult one.  People are generally not neutral on that subject, either.  The way it is handled can create division between friends and family and church members.

Here’s how we talked about it in a document we submitted to the Elders of Bethlehem almost six years ago:

While we take a strong stand in support of pre-born children, we take no particular position on the use of technologies in discovering disability among the pre-born.  Even amongst the parents of the current Disability Ministry, different couples chose different routes. . .  In both cases, the children were going to join their families as God allowed, regardless of what was known or not known. (Horning, Horning and Knight, p. 8 )

On the question about the life and worth of the pre-born child with a disability we were all in absolute agreement: let the child live.  After that, the choices are not quite so clear.

Discovering disability before birth is just one of several questions that could easily divide us within the disability community.  We are bombarded with choices in therapies, nutrition, medication, educational programs, and emerging technologies.  And our children all respond differently, even when they have similar diagnoses.

But in looking for an answer for our child or children with disabilities, we can become ferocious even with (or possibly especially with) those who share some commonality with us.  The tone of voice may be calm and even, but the words used might be shouting:

You must do this for the sake of your child!  How can you possibly make a different choice than I am making!!  You don’t care about your child!!!

Ironically, this was probably a greater problem during Dianne’s treatment with her cancer than it has been in our situation for Paul.  Lots of people, including some who felt the need to come into my own home, had opinions about what treatments she ‘should’ be getting.  I’m still sorry I didn’t throw one couple out of my house and gotten the elders involved with church discipline!

Oh how we need God to help us to serve each other with wisdom and kindness!

Of course, sometimes we need to speak up and challenge other parents in the decisions they are making.  But I find that this is rarely necessary, especially after they have dealt with disability for a few years.  If I remember to just listen from beginning to end, and ask a few questions to help me understand, usually I can see the logic a parent is applying – and that my first impression to jump in and ‘save the day’ would not only not have been welcome, it would also have been wrong.

In the end, we are all fallible.  I know my son better than you do, but I don’t know him like God does.  And he has promised to help us:

fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

And I believe that means he will help us – no matter the question.  When we see a brother or sister doing something for their child with a disability, something that we disagree is right or effective, we should first go to God and ask for his help and for his wisdom and for a clean heart.  And then we go to that brother or sister in love, ready to serve, mindful that God alone is God.

I’m praying that I can behave more like this and that we can all be known for this:

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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Encouragement that the Bible really teaches the perseverance of the saints

Posted in Book Commentary, Scripture on September 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Or, to put it another way, the Bible teaches that God grants faith and the strength to persevere in that faith.  God grants pardon for our sins because of Jesus, we receive joy in him, and God receives all the glory.  What a great exchange!

Kevin DeYoung is a pastor, writer and prolific blogger, and I think he would call himself a friend of Bethlehem.

I was very encouraged by his posting this week, Does the Bible Really Teach the Perseverance of the Saints?

He quotes extensively from Herman Bavinck’s book, Reformed Dogmatics:

In his intercession before the Father, Christ acts in such a way that their faith may not fail (Luke 22:32), that in the world they may be kept from the evil one (John 17:11, 20), that they may be saved for all times (Heb. 7:20), he is to behold his glory (John 117:24). The benefits of Christ, which the Holy Spirit imparts to them, are all irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). Those who are called are also glorified (8:30). Those who are adopted as children are heirs of eternal life (8:17; Gal. 4:7). Those who believe have eternal life already here and now (John 3:16). That life itself, being eternal, cannot be lost. It cannot die since it cannot sin (1 John 3:9). Faith is a firm ground (Heb. 11:1), hope is an anchor (6:19) and does not disappoint us (Rom. 5:5), and love never ends (1 Cor. 13:8) (Emphasis in bold mine).

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An excellent wife who can find?

Posted in commentary, Scripture on September 17, 2010| 1 Comment »

Ours is a pretty happy home, largely because Dianne pursues the good of her family and frequently counsels me on how I can better serve the children.

And she pursues our good because it is an overflow of what Jesus has done for her.  Whether it is dealing with the common things of family life, issues related to Paul’s disability, or her own cancer, I know I will hear these words from her, “God will help us.”

Because she manages our household, she also manages most of Paul’s medical care.  After he had two seizures on Wednesday, she was on the phone Thursday morning with the neurologist’s staff.  She would not describe herself this way, but as I listened to her explain the situation, I was struck by many of her qualities exemplified in that phone call:

  • Her knowledge of and passion for her son
  • Her desire to serve him
  • Her persistence in pursuing his good
  • Her ability to articulate clearly and purposefully
  • Her ability to listen and understand new information
  • Her kindness to whoever was on the other end of the phone
  • Her genuine gratitude

It isn’t like this is unusual for her – she demonstrates these qualities all the time.  So I don’t exactly know why the Holy Spirit encouraged me to listen differently to this phone conversation.  Maybe it was to encourage me to pause and thank God again for this woman.  I am happy to do so!

An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:10-12

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“But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

Posted in News, Scripture on September 16, 2010| 9 Comments »

That verse in the title, found in John 9:41, came to mind as I read one of the comments attached to Amy Julia Becker’s blog posting on why she declined prenatal testing for her third pregnancy.

Happily, the vast majority of comments were positive, including several similar stories of good decisions women made to let their babies live.  A couple of dads even weighed in.

A genetic counselor, however, wrote a comment on his or her sorrow at how prenatal testing was presented.  What grabbed me was this statement:

No judgement (sic), no pushing- that’s how my appointments work. I mainly want patients to feel comfortable and informed, no matter what they choose.

No matter what they choose?

It sounds all very soothing and helpful and reasonable.  How often is this comfortable ‘choose what is right for you’ given as the final answer.

That ‘choice’ statement would be nonsense even if people considered disability to be normal.  But we know the direction of the culture is against our children with disabilities.

And no matter how prepared a parent is, this issue is never neutral.  Disability frightens people.  There is no safe space where ‘non-judgmental’ conversations exchanging objective information can happen.

What children (and their parents) really need are advocates, not professionals who will make parents feel comfortable about whatever decision the parents make.  I’m good enough at self-justification to not even need that kind of ‘counsel’.

Hopefully you’ve read enough on this blog to know we live in the real world of hurt and loneliness and financial difficulty associated with disability.  There are no romantic notions here about disability being easy.  We live with an entirely different framework than the culture, however, knowing that God is sovereign over all things and has promised to help us.

And, frankly, this counselor is disingenuous.  The desire to help people feel comfortable with any decision means that the counselor is comfortable with the idea of aborting a little human being on the basis of disability.  I am not comfortable with that, and don’t ever want to be comfortable with that, and I don’t want anyone else thinking it is ok to be comfortable with that decision.

Embracing this notion of choice also validates the idea that we are god, entirely able to make whatever decision we want to concerning a human being who is entirely defenseless.

If we claim this kind of sovereignty over our own lives (and little babies’ lives) and attempt to justify ourselves before God, there is nothing standing between us and the righteous wrath of God.

But, we can have full confidence that every sin, including aborting or encouraging the abortion of a child with a disability, is completely covered by what Jesus did for us in obedience to the Father at the cross.  When God calls and gives us faith, we are entirely clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.  And that allows us to live a different kind of life entirely, under his good care.

After all, it is God alone who makes these bold statements about his sovereignty over disability:

Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Exodus 4:11

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3

And we have clear instructions from God about how to think about those who are weaker:

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:21-26

And God alone will have the final say:

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31

So let us never put on a neutral tone regarding the choices people face with their unborn children with disabilities.  Let us remind counselors that their duty is to actively counsel against bad decisions, not justify every decision.  Parents need to know the truth about the good and the bad in raising a child with a disability, be offered ideas for dealing with issues, and receive support in their deepest moments of grief – so that the child is allowed to live.

We can do this boldly in the midst of another’s deepest pain and confusion because we have a promise no secular counselor can ever offer, and it is one we can bank everything on:

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

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