Do you know a “talebearer?” They always know the latest gossip and rumor. They speak with a wink and a whisper. Their words never elevate your estimation of others, but always tend towards disunity and strife. Yet, their news seems irresistible to the ears, like the “tasty” morsels of Turkish Delight were to Edmund’s stomach. Their words “go down” sweet, but sour your heart towards others. If you know a talebearer, rebuke them. And if they continue, avoid them.
Paul wrote a personal letter to Philemon on behalf of his runaway slave, Onesimus, who may have also stolen from his master (v.18). Under Roman law, a slave was property and could be executed for such. Yet, Paul, who wrote from a Roman prison, had led Onesimus to faith in Christ and now called him a “son.” He sent the letter to let Philemon know of this and also that he was sending Onesimus home to him. Paul pled with Philemon, who he had also led to faith (v.19), to accept Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a “beloved brother” (v.16). This is the new way of Christ on exhibit, that master and slave would become as brothers. This is the grace of Christ that brings forgiveness and reconciliation to every relationship. Surely, Onesimus would have been fearful of returning to Philemon, but Paul knew it was the only way that he could be truly free.
Jeremiah gave a scroll to Seraiah, a staff officer to the king of Judah, before he went into Babylonian captivity. In the scroll were the words the Lord had given to Jeremiah concerning the future judgment on Babylon. He instructed Seraiah to read all the words of judgment in the scroll aloud when he arrived in Babylon. When he was finished reading, he was to “tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River” (v.63). The words would be a warning, and the scroll thrown into the Euphrates would be a sign, to make the Babylonians “weary” of the coming judgment. God had allowed Babylon to conquer Judah, but He did not hold them innocent. They too would be judged. For the Lord “rules over the nations” (Psa. 22:28) His purposes to unfold.
Today, the land where Babylon once stood is desolate. Its ruins lie in the desert of modern day Iraq. It fell to King Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C. It sank and has not risen again in the 2500 years since.
The psalmist used three names for God in this verse:
– “LORD” – The Hebrew is “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” This is the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush.
– “God” – “Elohim.” This is the first name used for God as found in Gen. 1:1.
– “God-Who-Forgives” – “El Nasah.” The Hebrew “El” means “God” and “nasah” means “to forgive,” or “to bear.”
The LORD answered those who prayed to Him on behalf of the people of God. In this case, the psalmist referred to Moses, Aaron and Samuel (v.6), who were priests. God answered and God forgave the people when these three men acted as mediators. He forgave the people, yet He still punished their sinful deeds.
Today, God has sent His Son to be our “El Nasah.” In Him, God has answered, forgiven, and even judged our sins. For Christ received the punishment that was ours, that we might receive the acceptance that is His.
The psalmist praised the “LORD.” When English translations use all caps for this word, it shows that the revealed name, “Yahweh,” is being translated. Because the Jews considered the name too holy to say, they substituted the word “Adonai,” or Lord in its place when reading it aloud. Yahweh was the name that God had “made known” to Moses at the burning bush. It was the LORD who brought little Israel out of Egypt and established them as a nation in Canaan, so that all the nations knew He had delivered them. Yet, this was only a foreshadowing of the salvation God would “make known” through Christ Jesus. Now, Jesus has commanded His disciples to “go” and “make known” the good news of His salvation to the “nations” (Matt. 28:19-20).
What does it mean to be wise in your own eyes? It means that you think your know better than the Lord. Your “wisdom” is just as good as His or anyone else’s. Ironically, this is the worse kind of foolishness. For the truly wise man admits his limited knowledge and is always teachable. But the fool is a know-it-all that will not listen to counsel. Wisdom is more than knowledge. It is more than intellect. Wisdom is the knowledge and fear of God put into practice. The one who knows and fears the Lord accepts his own insufficient wisdom. The truly wise know that they don’t know all.
Certainly, this is a question posed by every generation. We look around at the violence and depravity in the world and wonder how much longer it can go on like this. Yet, God is not unaware. Nor is He sitting idle. His clock is not our clock, but it is ticking. Time is not circular, but linear. It may seem long to us, but as someone has said, there will be a “payday someday.” On that Day, only those who have received forgiveness of their sins through faith in Christ will be able to stand. So, we preach the gospel that those who hear it might believe. For no man “knoweth the hour” (Matt. 24:36), but the hour is coming nonetheless.
There are so many voices vying for our attention. To whom do we listen? Whose approval should we seek? The apostle Paul advised the young pastor Timothy to focus on God’s “approval.” He told him to “be diligent” in this, studying to hear God’s voice and please Him above all others. This rightly required “shunning” (2 Tim. 2:16) voices that competed with or spoke contrary to God’s Word. He told Timothy to work at the study and preaching of God’s Word like a tentmaker who cuts straight the thick camel hides of his craft, “rightly dividing” the Scriptures. Don’t water it down. Cut it straight!
This is still good advice for today. Work diligently to fulfill the calling God has on your life. Focus on it. Live for the approval of God, not man.
Paul encouraged Timothy, his “beloved son” in the Lord, to overcome fear, knowing that it didn’t come from God. Timothy was Paul’s young protege, but he wasn’t yet as bold and confident as Paul. Even though Paul had left him in charge of the church at Ephesus, it seems he sometimes struggled because people looked down on him because of his youth. So, Paul reminded him of his spiritual heritage, his ordination and of the “power, love and sound mind” that was his in Christ Jesus.
The word “fear” that Paul used might also be translated “timidity,” or “fearfulness.” The weight of responsibility and the constant challenge of pastoring a church in one of the largest cities in the Roman empire was no doubt heavy on young Timothy’s shoulders. The “spirit of fear” that assailed Timothy was not from God. It may have been from the evil one, but more likely it was of the fleshly kind, the kind that comes from self-doubt. This kind of fear is the opposite of faith and must be put off. Paul told him to rely on the “dunamis power” that had raised Christ from the dead and now belonged to him. He told him to draw on the “agape love” of God that had motivated Him to send His only Son. Finally, Paul told Timothy to think clearly with a “sound mind,” which is the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16) when considering the source of his fear, so that the fear would evaporate like a mist.
Are you suffering under a “spirit of fear” today? Put off fleshly fear and put on the power, love and wisdom of Christ!
Pull your trust off of your dead idols (i.e. worldly wealth) and put your trust in the living God! This is Paul’s command to those who are “rich in this present age.” Don’t get the big head about having more stuff than someone else. After all, it is the Lord who “gives” us whatever we have, whether in this age, or in the age to come. Besides, worldly wealth is “uncertain.” It can be gone in a moment. But the inheritance we have in Christ Jesus “is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4).