From Hardship to Harvest: A Study in Ruth Pt.3

Ruth is a book of beauty and a book of big things. The simplicity and warmth of the narrative, coupled with the linear structure of the book, belie its profundity and unflinching confrontation with the difficult things of life. Among the big themes of this little book is that of an invisible God at work in visible ways in the lives of His people, a God who works in the details of ordinary lives to do extraordinary things for the glory of His name.

In the two preceding studies in this short series of articles we have witnessed God's purpose realised through pain and revealed through providence, as Naomi and Ruth journey from hardship to harvest. The first chapter of Ruth has taken us to the wreckage, tracing from v22 a journey to recovery which spills over into chapter 2 as Ruth enjoys provision and protection while working in Boaz's field. Now as the second part of the second chapter comes into focus, the reader can begin to see the early effects of God's providence at work. Naomi and Ruth are not quite along road, but these verses serve as a kind of interim report on how God is affecting the lives of these women as he protects and perfects their lives through pain and blessing.

Arguably the character most affected by the tragedies of Ruth chapter 1 has been Naomi. This short story might be an ancient document but it bears psychological assessment with this character showing clear signs of trauma, stemming from the tragic events which have befallen her. With realism and heartache Naomi demanded a title change in the first chapter, preferring Mara to her given name, reflecting the pain and bitterness she has borne. In this study we will mark two ways in which God's grace and blessing prove transformative for Naomi and Ruth, as chapter two begins to give hints of the heavenly help which will eventually bringing healing to broken hearts and good outcomes from bad events. As we focus on these features it will become clear that God can do precisely these things in our tragedy, He can work in hard places to bring healing and fresh grace.

From Bitterness to Rejoicing (Ruth 2:17-20a)
Following the turbulent events of Ruth 1, little is heard from the lips of Naomi. We have the perfunctory response to Ruth's request to seek employment in 2:2 ('go ahead my daughter') but bitterness seems to be the permanent residence that this embittered widow is inhabiting. Verses 17-18 of chapter two serve as a bridge between Ruth's experiences in the fields and Naomi's experience at home. Ruth has enjoyed a meal with Boaz and the workers, and now as daylight fades she does some threshing, and some stock taking, discovering that she has gleaned an ephah of barley. For those of us reared on lbs or kilos, or both, ephahs don't mean a great deal. In today's terms an ephah is around 22 litres, or equivalent to half a month's wages. Ruth has benefited enormously from Boaz's bounty, but more directly from God's blessing.

The sight of Ruth struggling to carry 22 litres of produce piques the interest of Naomi upon her daughter-in-law's return. Something significant has obviously befallen her, and this observation prompts interrogation - 'where did you glean today?' - followed by benediction 'the Lord bless him' (v20). The shift in the narrative here is subtle but tangible, God is working, God is bringing Naomi from bitterness to rejoicing, breaking in on her broken heart, ministering mercy to the newly named Mara. This embittered soul is encountering God's goodness among the ashes of her old life, seeing new things come to harvest out of hardship.

The skill of the writer here is considerable, accurately portraying the common contours of a broken heart, of a person in pain. Naomi is an individual who has been bruised and damaged by the ravages of life, and now God is showing grace to the disgruntled, the disillusioned.

There is every likelihood that this experience of bitterness carries resonances for many people in our contemporary world, with Christian believers being no exception. We can find ourselves in a place of brokenness all too easily. Perhaps friends and family haven't been to us what they could have been, perhaps we have been failed spiritually by a Christian friend or a Christian fellowship. We can emerge from rough waters distrustful, damaged, and embittered by life's bad experiences. We can face loss just like Naomi, with single or multiple bereavements which break down the health of our hearts, leaving us with 'why' questions that we scarcely dare murmur to another soul. This is an all too common experience, with Naomi's narrative serving as a chart for many who have been knocked about by life.

But Naomi's story penetrates ours, and invites us to see the grace of God; invites us to observe with her that in the midst of pain providence is not powerless, God is still at work and can give joy again. Iain D. Campbell summaries this so helpfully:

'Here is the great lesson of the unchanging God of the covenant - he is able to lift us out of bitterness and he is able to give us blessedness. He is able to transform the night into day, to scatter the shadows of all these feelings and come into our lives with brightness of the noon-day sun'²

From Bankruptcy to Redemption (Ruth 2:20b-23)

The transformation that this passage translates for us is not merely subjective, but objective also, not merely emotional but financial. As Naomi hears Boaz's name she drops a comment which is crucial for the rest of the story 'this man is our close relative, he is one of our kinsmen redeemers' (v20). The concept of a kinsman redeemer is not common in our culture, and so sounds foreign to our ears. This was, however, quite literally a familiar concept in Israel. The role and responsibility of the kinsmen are set out fully in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25, showing that clans were to look after close relatives, to ensure that they weren't left destitute, or exploited. Robert L. Hubbard helpfully suggests five ways in which a redeemer would work on behalf of his clan. He would:

(a) Repurchase property once owned by sold clan members

(b) Redeem relatives our of slavery

(c) Avenge the killing of a relative

(d) Receive damages owed to a deceased relative and;
(e) Assist relatives in lawsuits to see justice done¹

In short the redeemer would come to the aid of those with nothing to offer, he would purchase them, protect them and plead for them. Naomi knows all of this, and in the midst of her bankruptcy rejoices in the redemption that Boaz might bring. Here, at last, is an opportunity to see their fortunes turn around and their condition transformed - redemption may be just around the corner.

In modern terms there are at least two ways in which we might think this through. We might draw comfort from the fact that here God is showing his protection for those who are vulnerable, hurt, helpless. The lessons which found bud in Ruth's employment are almost ready to blossom for her and Naomi's enjoyment. God has been working for them and all of that may be just about to manifest itself in clear and unequivocal terms. Here we once again find consolation that in our darkness, at the very moment when we feel ourselves to be without reserves or resource, God is there - in the seeming emptiness of our human suffering we find him, assuring, providing, protecting.

But it is hard to read of Boaz, Ruth, and redemption without at least sensing that there is projection here too. Redemption is now part of Ruth's narrative, part of the warp and woof of what will happen to these helpless, bankrupt people. And this is the very metaphor which will be used most markedly to describe what God will ultimately achieve in spiritual terms for His people, through His Son. Christ, who will follow from the line of Ruth and Boaz's union, will come to purchase His people in a more profound way, bringing fulfillment to the shadow cast by Ruth and Naomi's experience. Through the ultimate act of self-giving on the cross, He will procure His people at infinite cost - redeeming them not just from the symptoms of severance and hardship, but the source of it - our sin. Christ pledges to protect those whom He purchases, with His great and bountiful grace, working to secure  His people from ultimate loss, granting those who truly trust in Him the promise of perseverance and protection to the very end. He also presently pleads for His people, standing in God's presence as the great evidence that justification is possible and salvation is certain because of His righteous, once-for-all offering of Himself.

The journey from Moab to Bethlehem has been short by comparison to the internal journey that Naomi has known, from bitterness to rejoicing, from bankruptcy to redemption. Our story can be her story, for her story is really God's story - a God who ministers to His people, a God who has purchased His people by His Son, with a promise of permanence and eternal welfare for those who have come under the Redeemer's care.

---

1 Hubbard, Robert L. Jr. The Book of Ruth, NICOT, Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 1988, 188-89^↩
2 Campbell, Iain D. Ruth: A Devotional Commentary. Leominster: DayOne, 2010, 91^↩

J.C. Ryle on Two Types of Christianity

I was preaching on Romans 2:17-29 yesterday morning and found the following quote from J.C. Ryle's book Holiness to point up a helpful contrast between formalism and faith:

"The plain truth is, there are two distinct and separate systems of Christianity in England at the present day. It is useless to deny it. Their existence is a great fact and one that cannot be too clearly known.

According to one system, religion is a mere corporate business. You are to belong to a certain body of people. By virtue of your membership of this body, vast privileges, both for time and eternity, are conferred upon you. It matters little what you are and what you feel. You are not to try yourself by your feelings. You are a member of a great ecclesiastical corporation. Then all its privileges and immunities are your own. Do you belong to the one true, visible corporation? That is the grand question.

According to the other system, religion is eminently a personal business between yourself and Christ. It will not save your soul to be an outward member of any ecclesiastical body whatever, however sound that body may be. Such membership will not wash away one sin, or give you confidence in the day of judgment. There must be personal faith in Christ-personal dealings between yourself and God-personal felt communion between your own heart and the Holy Ghost. Have you this personal faith? Have you this felt work of the Spirit in your soul? This is the grand question. If not, you will be lost.

This last system is the system which those who are called Evangelical ministers cleave to and teach. They do so because they are satisfied that it is the system of Holy Scripture. They do so because they are convinced that any other system is productive of most dangerous consequences, and calculated to delude men fatally as to their actual state. They do so because they believe it to be the only system of teaching which God will bless, and that no Church will flourish so much as that in which repentance, faith, conversion, and the work of the Spirit are the grand subjects of the minister's sermon."

Book Review: Engaging with Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Andrew Atherstone and David Ceri Jones (ed.)

This title, recently published by Apollos/IVP is a collection of essays, part appreciation, part analysis of the work and legacy of Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Lloyd-Jones stands astride the evangelical history of the twentieth century as (arguably) its most able preacher and most elder statesmen, a man whose biography ranged from a promising career in medicine, a pastorate in a deprived area of Wales, ministry in Westminster Chapel, London, and enormous influence in the evangelical world more broadly. Rather than biography, the present volume seeks to place Lloyd-Jones' ministry in its wider context of 20th century evangelicalism and to assess, with the benefit of hindsight, his distinctives and legacy.

Engaging with Martyn Lloyd-Jones ranges across eleven chapters, each of which relate the subject's life and work to an individual issue. The topics are varied and challenging, ranging from Lloyd-Jones' representation in biography, through his relationship to his home country of Wales, his perspectives on revival, charistimatic issues, preaching, ministerial education, fundamentalism, Barthianism, Roman Catholicism, Anglican secession and the Protestant past. Contributors range from professional academic historians, to theologians, with each bringing a distinctive voice on this most interesting of subjects.

Atherstone and Jones start proceedings with an introductory survey of how Lloyd-Jones has been represented in biographical literature. This is an interesting and provocative opening, which sheds light on how 'the Doctor' has been portrayed - from the enthusiastic and honouring (Iain H. Murray) through to the critical and analytical (Brencher and Davies) via the familiy tributes offer by Christopher Catherwood. Having been richly blessed by Iain H. Murray's 2 volume treatment of Lloyd-Jones, I found it disheartening that the regular (and for me unfounded) charge of hagiography on the part of Murray was casually posited, with little by way of analysis or moderation. The authors are judicious, however, in their analysis of Brencher and Davies, highlighting their respective strengths and weaknesses. Some of Davies' hypotheses concerning the link between Lloyd-Jones' distinctives and childhood trauma seem unlikely, if not preposterous. As a reader I am glad that I had worked through Murray's two volumes before encountering this introduction rather than after as it may have jaundiced just how reliable I would have held it to be in the light of criticism leveled. Carl Trueman's charge that there is nothing critical in Murray's treatment of Lloyd-Jones is utterly mistaken, seeming to ignore the varied negative analyses proffered in both volumes (although they are gentle and respectful in tone) - particularly in The Fight of Faith. Interestingly much of Iain H. Murray's analysis of the events surrounding Lloyd-Jones in the 1960s is vindicated in Atherstone's subsequent chapter on Anglican secession (more of this later).

David Bebbington's treatment of 'Lloyd-Jones and interwar Calvinist resurgence' serves as a helpful snapshot of the theological climate in which Lloyd-Jones ministered, and out of which he helped to bolster and increase interest in the doctrines of grace. Bebbington's tone is helpful in this treatment, showing as it does the historic precedent and preparation for the resurgence that would find full flow in the 1950s, while realistically placing Lloyd-Jones within events.

David Ceri Jones treatment of 'Lloyd-Jones and Wales' is at once affectionate and accurate, balancing the realism of Lloyd-Jones marginal legacy within contemporary Welsh Christianity, with the huge impact for good that he had as a pastor in Port Talbot and a patriot from London. Jones' tone is at times a little biting, assuming for instance that his subject embodied 'divisive separatism' (p.72), but he is also helpfully critical - showing the dangerous tendency of some young men to blindly imitate their hero.

The editing skill embodied in this volume is considerable, and this is nowhere more clearly seen than in its middle chapters. Ian M. Randall's helpful tour of the main contours of 'Lloyd-Jones and revival' lead logically and organically into Atherstone, Jones and Kay's assessment of 'Lloyd-Jones and the charismatic controversy'. For me this was a landmark chapter in the book, providing a cool headed and wide ranging analysis of where 'the Doctor' stood on these issues. Using careful research and reference the authors construct a compelling case for  Lloyd-Jones' charismatic sympathies, leaving me with a sense of unease at some of the encouragements which he offered to prominent figures within the UK's nascent charismatic movement. While this chapter shows its subject's feet of clay most clearly, Atherstone and Jones' editorial skill also enables the reader to make suggestive connections between his sympathies in this area and his true burden to see revival come.

Ben Baillie surveys 'Lloyd-Jones and the demise of preaching', which brings some of his thoughts from Preaching and Preachers into an historical context. There is little that is new here, but it is a helpful overview nevertheless.

Philip Eveson brings a refreshing glimpse of 'Lloyd-Jones and ministerial education' demonstrating an affection for his subject's perspective on this issue, while also gently showing some of the inherent contradictions in his overall perspective on theological degrees. Quotation from Donald Macleod shows that while Lloyd-Jones may not have gone through formal theological education, his medical degree and clinical training were formative on his ability to expound God's Word. This is an illuminating, warm hearted and at times amusing summary of Lloyd-Jones sentiments on ministerial education with his deep concern for a new generation of preachers being nurtured and educated shining most brightly throughout.

For me, Robert Pope's 'Lloyd-Jones and fundamentalism' is the weakest chapter in this volume. While helpful in places it did come across to me at times that he was harvesting facts from the life of Lloyd-Jones to support his thesis on the degree to which Lloyd-Jones qualified as a fundamentalist. This is most clearly shown in his citation of Bethan Lloyd-Jones' encounter with a woman who took Christ's admonition to literal extremes (p.206) as a normative measure of how she and her husband used a theological framework to govern their insistence on interpreting Scripture with Scripture. The link seems tenuous and the argument conflated. Pope's tone when handling his subject's commitment to the literal truth of Scripture does (whether consciously or unwittingly) stray into the patronising at times with the following quotation with regard to creation serving as an example: 'he nevertheless held those accounts to be true and historical (regardless of obvious differences between the accounts found in Genesis 1 and 2)'. This is a disappointing chapter which  adds little to the overall content of the book.

Robert Striven's treatment of 'Lloyd-Jones and Karl Barth' is intriguing and delightfully structured, taking as its point of focus an annotated copy of Barth's Christ and Adam which Lloyd-Jones had worked through. The 'Doctor's' take on Barth's thinking is mined from brief comments left in the margin of this book and provide a touching portrait of Lloyd-Jones as pastor-theologian perceptively wrestling with Barth's distinctive outlook and seeking to come to terms with his place in the evangelical view of Scripture.

John Maiden takes an historical snapshot of 'Lloyd-Jones and Roman Catholicism', showing his subject's deep love for individual Catholics, his refusal to join Protestant societies, and his resolute resistance to Roman Catholic dogma - particularly on the issue of authority. Maiden gives a fascinating account of how Lloyd-Jones emphasis moved from 'positive Protestantisim' to a more strident (he is careful to mark not militant) engagement with Rome in the context of rising ecumenism.

Andrew Atherstone's treatment of 'Lloyd-Jones and the Anglican secession crisis' is, for me, one of the highlights of this volume. Via sensitive and judicious research Atherstone carefully traces the contours of Lloyd-Jones most famous (or notorious) confrontation within the wider evangelical world. Atherstone's ear for what happened, his ability to see beyond some of the unhelpful caricatures of Lloyd-Jones' position on this issue, and his careful archive work on periodicals from the time lend his account depth and veracity. I found it interesting that the long-view assessment provided here largely (although not exclusively) affirms Iain Murray's account of 1966 and following - earlier charges of hagiography notwithstanding.

The final essay is John Coffey's 'Lloyd-Jones and the Protestant past', which traces the subject's concern for Puritan and Reformed history, his instrumentality in seeing its recovery, and his use of that history for personal and polemical effect.  As further reviews emerge it will be interesting to hear how those who knew Martyn Lloyd-Jones and attended his historical addresses assess Coffey's depiction here.

The volume concludes with an extensive and helpful Lloyd-Jones bibliography which will no doubt prove most useful to anyone seeking to get firsthand experience of primary sources.

In my opinion this is a helpful book, although one with the inevitable flaws which attend a multi-contributor work. The air of realism, of broad concern for historical fidelity, and of a largely muted esteem  for the subject, lend the volume value. My overall impression of Lloyd-Jones remains one of gratitude to God for providing such a man for such a time within evangelicalism. Engaging with Martyn Lloyd-Jones does not airbrush its subject, or refuse to offer criticism, but it holds this degree of intellectual honesty in fairly constant tension with a tone of respect and appreciation for 'the Doctor'. Certain sections are more easily recommended than others, but overall this is a helpful and incisive treatment of a fascinating subject.

Adventures in the NIV2011 Pt.2 - Finding Vault and Finding Fault

My adventures in the NIV2011 carry on apace and I find myself enjoying and engaging with the revision of the NIV1984 so far. The 'Bible in One Year' edition I am using is cleverly set out, with just the right mix of consecutive Old Testament chapters, and shorter sections of the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.

Day one, in chapter one of Genesis exposed me to the first obvious alteration made in the new NIV. In describing the separation of sea and sky in Genesis 1:6 the NIV1984 (along with other translations) describes the firmament as an 'expanse'. Strangely, the NIV2011 re-translates this to 'let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water'. Given that clarity and readability are watchwords for the Committee on Bible Translation, this translation choice is hard to fathom (pardon the pun). In normal English usage the term 'vault' is suggestive not of expansive sky scapes  but of narrowly enclosed spaces, most commonly safe rooms or well secured cellars. Strange indeed.

I've also encountered my first instances of gender-neutral language, and  it hasn't been too troubling so far. I want to return to the wording of Psalm 8 in another post in the near future, but apart from this instance the language is mostly clear and uncluttered. I frequently have to clarify the term 'man' when preaching, to make sure that those who are from a non-church background know that what they are reading applies to both genders. Psalm 1 is a good example of this gender-neutral language at its best, and I think it is a good rendering.

What is puzzling, however, is the seemingly arbitrary employment of gender neutral language. This is most evident in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Take for instance Jesus' teaching on murder and the need to settle disputes before offering service to God. Matthew 5:23 says 'therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you...' So here we have gender-neutral language at work, making sure that the reader knows that such teaching does not merely apply to brothers (men) but to brothers and sisters (men and women).

What then of the verses that follow, namely 5:27-28? Here we read Jesus' teaching on adultery, with the Lord stating 'I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart'. Regardless of your view of gender-neutral language this translation decision is mystifying. Surely if one is going to be consistent in making sure that everyone knows that teaching is for everyone, then all references should be evacuated of all gender-specific reference? Or is it only men who can look lustfully at members of the opposite sex?

To me this is where the gender-neutral agenda may wear thin. I'm not concerned here to debate the issue in terms of overall translation philosophy, but it seems that even the NIV2011 demonstrates an inability about where to draw the line when seeking to eradicate gender specificity. This is a major judgement call and one which is fraught with difficulty and dangers.

This will be seen more clearly when I post on Psalm 8.

If you're reading through, or have read through the NIV2011 I would love to hear your thoughts and discoveries also.

Book(let) Review: What's Wrong with Preaching Today? by Albert N. Martin

Banner of Truth publish an excellent range of little booklets dealing with hot topics and practical issues in the Christian life. Over the next while I hope to publish reviews of some of them by way of encouragement to others to benefit from these atom-bomb resources.

My latest foray into the realm of Banner of booklets was in the shape of Albert Martin's What's Wrong with Preaching Today?. This booklet, based on original lectures given at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1967, analyses what may be lacking in pulpit ministry. In spite of the 44 years that have transpired since its delivery this little book packs punch for today and comes with the studied impact that characterises much of Pastor Martin's ministry.

The structure of the booklet is straightforward in the extreme. The author initially deals with the man and then analyses the message showing how a deficiency in either leads to weakened preaching.

Much of what struck me and convicted me lay in the section on 'the man'. Here Martin probes with Puritan-like precision the underlying compromises and failures which can so fatally reduce pulpit ministry. The author contends that 'the soil out of which powerful preaching grows is the preacher's own life' and unpacks this via the personal devotional life, practical piety, private prayers and purity of motive resident in the personality of the preacher. In a sense this section of the book only bears reading, so challenging are its contents. Martin rebukes complacency or any sense of lethargy in the minister's personal life. This area will govern the effectiveness and integrity of any ministry. I think I need to read this section again - with more tears and less speed.

The second section concerns the message. Martin highlights deficiencies in doctrinal substance, practical application, and the manner of delivery of the message. This part of the author's argument, while less emotive that the first section, drives home the need to teach God's Word fully with God's people in mind.

I highly recommend this little booklet. It should be essential reading for every preacher, but also serves to mark up the priorities which God's people should be praying for in their pastors and preachers. Reading this book didn't require a great deal of time, nor did reviewing it. Applying it will be the preoccupation of many months to come.

Adventures in the NIV2011

I've been a fond reader of the 1984 edition of the NIV for a number of years. This is my Bible version of choice, and I use it for my own devotional reading, small group work, preaching and pastoral visitation. I had briefly courted the idea of using the ESV for ministry but found it to be too partial a revision of the RSV and very wooden in places (more so than the NASB in my opinion). The NIV has always come in for considerable criticism, partly because the 'N' stands for New (!) and partly because its translation philosophy isn't to everyone's liking. For me it is a highly readable and accessible version, and one which comes with the commendation of people like D.A. Carson, whose expertise in Biblical languages is undisputed.

During the course of last year the Committee on Bible Translation decided to phase the NIV1984 out, and replace it with the NIV2011 - released in print in the earlier part of this year. This is an exercise in planned obselescence on the part of the CBT and represents something of a gamble given the original NIV's devoted readership.

I was recently purchased a copy of the NIV2011 Bible in One Year and over the next while I'm going to try to steadily read through this new version and to blog about it as I do. I'm aware that the NIV2011 isn't without controversy (especially over gender-inclusive language) and while I'll tackle some of these issues I also want to simply offer some early responses to how the text reads.

I trust you'll join me on this journey and interact with what I have to say. I'm approaching this project with an open mind, but also with the prayer that the NIV2011 might prove as helpful and faithful a version of Scripture as I have found the 1984 to be.

Favourite Hymns: I Once was a Stranger to Grace and to God

This is a marvelous piece. We sang it this morning at the Lord's Table in Millisle Baptist. M'Cheyne has gifted the church a tremendous legacy in so many ways, and this piece, penned by him, gives words to our experience of the Gospel in such a profound way. [Jehovah Tsidkenu means 'the Lord our rightousness' by the way].

I once was a stranger to grace and to God,
I knew not my danger, and felt not my load;
Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree,
Jehovah Tsidkenu was nothing to me.

Like tears from the daughters of Zion that roll,
I wept when the waters went over His soul;
Yet thought not that my sins had nailed to the tree
Jehovah Tsidkenu—’twas nothing to me.

When free grace awoke me, by light from on high,
Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die;
No refuge, no safety in self could I see—
Jehovah Tsidkenu my Saviour must be.

My terrors all vanished before the sweet name;
My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came
To drink at the fountain, life giving and free—
Jehovah Tsidkenu is all things to me.

Even treading the valley, the shadow of death,

This “watchword” shall rally my faltering breath;
For while from life’s fever my God sets me free,
Jehovah Tsidkenu, my death song shall be.

George Liddell - Ministry Aspiration

I recently heard this piece of writing quoted in a John MacArthur sermon on Biblical leadership and, while it does tend a little to hyperbole, I was touched by its sentiment:

Give me a man of God, one man

Whose faith is master of his mind,

And I will right all wrongs

And bless the name of all mankind.

Give me man of God, one man,

Whose tongue is touched with heaven's fire,

And I will flame the darkest hearts

With high resolve and clean desire.

Give me a man of God, one man,

One mighty prophet of the Lord,

And I will give you peace on earth

Brought with a prayer and not a sword.

Give me a man of God, one man,

True to the vision that he sees,

And I will build your broken shrines

And bring the nations to their knees.

Brian Edwards at Millisle Baptist Church

This evening we had the privilege of hosting Pastor Brian Edwards (see an excellent interview with him here) as our preacher at Millisle Baptist Church. It was an evening of warm fellowship and excellent Bible ministry and many expressed their appreciation for the Christ-honouring message that was brought to us. We were delighted to have with us members from 3 other local Baptist churches and it was a blessing to enjoy this wider fellowship. 


Below is a sketch of Pastor Edwards' exposition of Hebrews 1:1-2:1.


No writer sets out more plainly the glory of Jesus Christ before, during and after His earthly ministry than the author of Hebrews. Jesus Christ is presented as God's final Word: reject Him and God has nothing more to say. One can only begin to imagine the silence in Eden after Adam and Eve's Fall. Adam and Eve ran away and hid, it was God who broke the silence. God called out to them, and that is the essence of the Gospel. Since then God has been speaking: in the last days he has spoken supremely through Christ.

Hebrews shows Christ to be superior in 7 ways:

1. By His relationship to the Father

2. By inheritance

3. By His creation: all tings were made by His supreme word

4. He holds all things together

5. By His character

6. By His purification of us from sin

7. He sat down at the Father's right hand

4 cameos of Christ emerge in the verses under consideration, each using an Old Testament Psalm to back home their message.

1. A Kingdom of Righteousness (vv8-9)
In our world we know of no such thing as a kingdom of righteousness. In the ancient world a king would sit on his throne surrounded by his imperial guard, and no one dared to approach him. A good example of this can be found in Esther 4:11 where the throne room of Xerxes is depicted.

In the picture in Hebrews 1, Christ walks confidently to His Father's side and sits down. We are told in 1:8 that His is a sceptre of righteousness and justice. In our world the greater the authority, the greater the cruelty. Our hope of heaven is not found in a golden bauble, but in the righteousness of Christ.

This is a key test of our acceptance by our Saviour: our longing to be holy. This is good evidence that we will enjoy a safe arrival at last. His reckoned righteousness has been put to our account, but the test of our confession is our desire for holiness.

2. A Kingdom of Joy (v9b)
This man, this Christ, is the one who created all things, who spun the stars into space - He calls us His friends. He is not far away from us - He has given us His message in language we can understand. This joy he provides for us is of a special kind, and if often portrayed as joy in the face of persecution. In spite of her persecution around the world, the Church knows joy because of the comfort she finds in God alone. The Church is always looking on to what lies ahead. We live in a world of broken marriages, of unhappy children and young people. The third most common cause of death in people under 25 is suicide - suicide speaks of the absence of hope. Christ knew about this kind of suffering, but He came to give joy. There is always hope when God is with us. This joy isn't dependent on things, heaven is the expectation that brings us gladness - what will be the experience of it! No-one will be disappointed when they get to heaven.When some Christians die they reach their treasure, other have to leave it behind. The oil of gladness spoken of in Hebrews 1:9 is because of the hope we have.

3. A Kingdom of Agelessness (vv10-12)
People today cling to the hope of longer life. We all wear out and die, and quickly. The only constant in life is Jesus. People despair of finding a lasting anything: only Christ can give it. The Christian has eternal life: ageless, timeless joyful life, experienced only in the New Heaven and the New Earth. John 14 explains the promise of heaven. Jesus assures His disciples 'I wouldn't have done all this unless it was infinitely worthwhile'.

4. A Kingdom of Victory (v13)
The mention of a footstool provides a very powerful image. In Bible times when a nation was defeated the conquering king would place his feet on the necks of his enemies. It was a visual way of expressing 'You're finished, he is in control'. No sign was more humiliating for the defeated, nor triumphant for the victor. Christ has enemies: Satan and his legion of demons who will ultimately be thrown in to hell, other religions which deny the Gospel of Christ, and atheistic belief. Christ taught that all who are not with Him are against Him. That is terrible, fearful, frightening, but true. The question is will you be among them? Are you content to be among them? Those who do not bow their head at the cross, will bow their head at the feet of Jesus. Some who feel that they're not so bad will be denied entry to Christ's Kingdom. Would we dare to reject the Son of God who owns the universe, to turn our back on him.

Christ didn't sit down until purification of sin was made: 'by himself he made purification for sins'. This was mission accomplished! And now Christ is always representing us in heaven (Hebrews 7). His presence in heaven is a perpetual reminder to the Father that salvation is utterly accomplished. Job was able to boast that he had an advocate in heaven. What a blessing to know that our Friend is there on our behalf. We all fail, our faith is weak, Satan accuses us, but Christ is ever living to intercede for us. No-one can pluck us out of God's hand. The only way we can go to hell is if Christ came with us! Heaven will be a place of victory and triumph, glory and peace, design and creativity - we will be all that we are now without the interjection of sin. Heaven can be described without resorting to negative words - it will be victory, nothing but victory. Christ, our Christ, our Friend, our Companion is above all.

The Manslaughter of Michael Jackson: Two Thoughts

Dr Conrad Murray was yesterday found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of pop singer Michael Jackson. As the verdict and terms of custody were read out the Doctor's impassive face provided a sharp contrast to the emotional and jubilant scenes outside the court as fans received news of his guilt. BBC journalist Alistair Leithead opined that it 'is hard to overemphasise the power Michael Jackson still has to people who idolised the man and his music'.

Two very brief thoughts crossed my mind as I listened to this. One springs from the sense of vindication that Jackson's fans now feel regarding the cause of his death. As often happens with modern cultural idols the concept of his self-destruction or possible culpability for his own death has been utterly unthinkable. Now the evidence has been presented and the verdict has been reached which proves that as a medical practitioner earning £100,000 per month in Jackson's employ, Murray was negligent and ultimately responsible for the superstar's death. When this thought is transposed from those who worship the man Michael Jackson to those who worship the man Christ Jesus the contrast could not be more sharp. When the Christian looks into the death of their Lord they find that guilt is a painful thing to ponder. Yes, fingers can be pointed at the Roman authorities and the Jewish leaders, but ultimately we discover that the reason for His suffering and death, the cause behind the brutality He faced at Calvary is us. It was our sin, our warp and woof depravity, our utter inability to save ourselves from the consequence of our transgressions that put Him on the cross. We find that God the judge pronounces us guilty by means of His Law, but in grace and heart melting mercy gives His only Son as a willing sacrifice to save us, and bear the penalty on our behalf.

The second thought is the cold comfort that comes from idolising man. For millions of people Jackson has literally been a god. His enigmatic personality, his mercurial career, his almost superhuman dance ability and the solid beat of his music have all combined to make him an object of worship and adulation. This devotion remained undented through allegation and accusation levelled at the singer during the latter part of his life, viewed as merely the persecuting zeal of infidels, the dubious sentiments of those outside the fellowship.

But now he is dead. The audio of his drugged pronouncements about his aspirations for the tour which never took place frame his life with a tragic note. The man's whose voice could spark such worship was dreadfully reduced in his last hours, a fact which can prompt nothing but sadness in all who hear it - fan or non-fan. In spite of all of this the fact remains - Jackson was born, thrived, declined, and died. The trajectory and the tragedy of his life is identical to that which will mark ours, and nothing - not even a Los Angeles judge and jury apportioning blame to Conrad Murray - can claw this back.

But for the Christian, and as an objective fact of history, Jesus Christ has risen. The object of the Christian's worship was vindicated not by any human court but by the power of the living God, his eternal life is not the pretended permanance of a creative legacy, but the vital and victorious life of the Lord of Glory. The Christian worships Christ not with the pain of parting but with the hope of meeting, not with the pathos of a young man's life cut short, but of the God Man's life laid down to grant us forgiveness and make us right with God.

Appreciating Edward Donnelly

The arrival of the Banner of Truth magazine month by month is always a blessing. Whether it be stimulating contemporary articles, reprint and abstracts from Puritan and Reformed literature, or simply the News and Comment, or Book Reviews, there is always something helpful and heartwarming to be encountered.

This month's edition has a moving appreciation of Rev. Edward Donnelly of Trinity Reformed Presbyterian in Newtownabbey. The Rev. Donnelly has recently retired and Iain H. Murray looks back over his influence at the Banner conference during many years. Murray states that 'Often have been the times when we have gathered, half-dispirited by one problem or another, only to be raised to fresh vision and the consciousness that 'now are we the sons of God'. I believe that not a few, but hundreds of pastors would say 'Amen' to that statement'.

This short blog post is simply to add one such amen. I've only ever been able to attend one Banner conference (2006) and Edward Donnelly's ministry was for me the highlight. He spoke from Jeremiah over the course of three evenings, and his Tuesday night exposition of the trials the prophet faced in serving God still lives warmly in my memory. Few are the moments when one finds oneself literally speechless and full of emotion following a sermon, but this was one such occasion. So personal, pastoral and helpful was this message that at its conclusion there was an awesome silence across a room of around 300 pastors as the weight and depth of what had been shared sank in. Above and beyond the components of the message was a clear sense of God, and His sweet consolation to the hearts of many of those gathered. It was an experience that I will never forget and to this day I find snatches of the sermon come to mind, and as I read through Jeremiah year by year resonances remain of that captivating and God-honouring message. The Master, not the man, is to be glorified, but how I praise God for the privilege of being allowed to listen to such a message.

From Hardship to Harvest: A Study in Ruth Pt.2

On 20^th July 2011, for the first time in thirty years, the UN declared a famine. The region affected had endured a long and merciless drought, leading communities in parts of the Horn of Africa to suffer terrible deprivation. Refugees made their way from parts of Southern Somalia to Ethiopia and Kenya in the hope of finding food and more favourable conditions. One mother who was in transit with her young family summed up the suffering of many of her fellow countrymen when she said ‘I don’t know what’s in Kenya, but I’d rather walk than watch my children die’.

Such conditions, and our ready access to them via 24 hour news, rightly move our hearts and motivate our giving. Famine and drought are alien to us in pampered Western Europe, but we try our best to imagine what it must mean to walk hundreds of miles to avoid starvation.

Such an image might help us to escape the flannel-graph world which we readily reduce biblical narrative to. The opening to the book of Ruth is set, not against lush green fields and pastoral warmth, but in a world of extremity, poverty and scarcity. In our last study we witnessed the travels and troubles of a family of food refugees traversing long stretches of treacherous terrain to try to find the means of survival in Moab. Naomi, initially faced with no food eventually finds herself bereft of family and weakened in faith, returning to her native Bethlehem with nothing but wounded pride and a pagan daughter-in-law. This is the famine ravaged context in which the second chapter of Ruth begins. Naomi is traumatised and troubled by her past, even as the heads of barley show their readiness for harvest.

As light dawns on Naomi and Ruth’s first days back in Bethlehem these women’s lives are not marked by much certainty. For them the chapters and the challenges which we as readers know they will face and overcome are as yet unwritten: life for them does not carry the predictability of the printed page. Naomi wants to be known as Mara, expressing the bitter backdrop of her recent life, reflecting on a God who has seemingly turned his hand against her and her family, bringing ruin to her rather than blessing. For her Bethlehem is all too familiar territory, standing as a marker for the life she once knew before famine and misfortune stripped everything away. Life is not much easier for Ruth, Bethlehem is a foreign city, with all of the culture shock and personal uncertainty which migration brings. Life has not been linear in the past for these women, and there are few guarantees that it will be in the future.

Definite Provision

The first rays of hope for Naomi and Ruth glimmer faintly on the horizon of chapter 2. A relative is mentioned on Elimelech’s side, a man on the margins who will soon become a major player. Like the gifted modern film maker, the author of Ruth affords us only the briefest glance at Boaz for now, sowing the seed in our minds that he will come into clearer focus as the drama unfolds. The reader is thus empowered to see the significance of things, to see events from a vantage point which the other characters don’t enjoy. Thus as Ruth sets out to find work in v2 we have a sense that something good is going to happen and that Boaz is in some way bound up with this.

In a move typical of those who live with the daily reality of deprivation, Ruth shows industry in the face of poverty. She seeks permission from her mother-in-law to get some work, ‘let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favour’. The background to this job-search is perhaps helpful. Israel was not quite a welfare state, but passages of the Law such as Deuteronomy 10:9-10 made definite provision for those suffering from deprivation. There was a mercy in God’s Law for those on the margins, a commitment to leave the edges of fields ungleaned so that those who were foreigners, and those who had fallen on hard times could find food for themselves and their families. Ruth’s awareness of needing to ‘find favour’ may reflect the morally reprobate condition of Israel at this the time of the Judges, this is after all a world where he Law is held lightly and where moral relativism is the order of the day. This foreign national will need to fall on someone’s mercy to receive the bounty of God’s covenant which should rightly fall to her.

Ruth 2:3 is a theological atom bomb. Locked within its unassuming casing lies the mystery of God’s sovereignty and the importance of human activity. Ruth goes out to the fields, and the narrator informs us that ‘as it turned out’ she finds herself working on Boaz’s land. ‘As it turned out’ could literally be translated as ‘as luck would have it’ or ‘as things fell together’. Ruth goes to reap at random and in human terms as things turn out, she is in the very field of the family member referenced just a few verses ago. It is so helpful to unpack the loaded language of these first verses of Ruth. We have a link (Boaz); we have a Law (the covenant’s provision of ungleaned edges) and we have luck (Ruth just happens to venture on to Boaz’s field). All of these components remind us that as Robert L. Hubbard boasts ‘God is the hero of this story’. One can imagine the writer of Ruth wearing a wry smile as behind this piece of ‘luck’ he traces the definite provision of the Lord.

These big picture issues are now worked out in the fine details. Boaz arrives and in a pastoral scene of stunning warmth and earthiness he is presented as a man who doesn’t stand on ceremony but with freedom and friendliness greets the workers on his land. 2:5 captures Boaz’s question to the foreman seeking to know who Ruth is, vv7-8 bring the response and then comes Boaz’s provision for her in verse 8, ‘stay here, glean with my girls’. Boaz gives Ruth the freedom of the land and its produce, mercifully opening his hand to this foreign national in Bethlehem’s fields.

All of these events provide us with a stunning portrait of God at work in the midst of life’s finer details. This is a God who is silently, invisibly, and sovereignly moving and manipulating events to His own ends. Neither Naomi, nor Ruth, nor Boaz could possibly conceive of the degree to which God is working to do His will, to fulfil His big purpose – not just for them, but for the salvation of all nations.

The contents of this chapter ought to encourage us also. God is still at work in this way, conspiring all things for His glory, and for the good of those who trust Him. We can trace this subtle sovereign care in our own conversion, looking back on seemingly incidental details which were divinely orchestrated to bring us to faith. God was at work long before we sought him. In our present walk with God we can also see that every issue, every appointment, every disappointment, every diversion and direction we face comes from God’s hand to fulfil His purpose for us and His kingdom. In the midst of life’s heartaches and devastating twists and turns this is a great truth to hold to.

Double Protection

Provision is not the only element in this portion of Ruth’s story. Around the fringes of chapter 2’s action is an element of unpleasantness, an unsavoury undertone. This is no pastoral idyll, but the real world of Israel with its moral declension. Boaz instructs his men not to touch Ruth (verse 9) indicating that some physical (or other) threat is present, and his men are likewise instructed not to put Ruth on the spot should she wander into the main harvest away from the edges assigned to her. Boaz provides for Ruth’s protection, standing to her aid, ring-fencing her dignity, making sure that her welfare is prioritised.

Ruth’s breathless response shows the blessings that Boaz has heaped upon her ‘why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?’. Ruth’s astonishment is ours also. Why has all of this happened to this woman in the midst of life’s hardship? Why are we witnessing this journey from hardship to harvest? Boaz puts it bluntly: he has heard of her kindness to her mother-in-law, but more than that he has heard of her commitment to Jehovah – ‘may you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge’.

Here is the core cause of the blessing in Ruth’s life. She has come from the world of the pagan to the world of providence, and she is now living with God in her life. Consequently she may find herself blessed by what other humans do for her, but ultimately she is coming to realise the protection and care of God Himself, fulfilling his purposes, and promises, proving His provision for her.

Ruth’s story in chapter 2 is one of divine favour and the blessings of faith. Ruth no longer lives the random life of godless Moab, but the ordered life of a Jehovah worshipper. She is the recipient of God’s grace, and now lives off God’s mercy. She is proving that this God of Naomi whom she has come to worship, is the God of all things who works all things together for the blessing of His people.

And Ruth speaks loudly to us. We have come to trust this God. Not some passive deity whose unflinching face we beseech for some tokens of his reality, but the active God of covenant who works with prevenient and prevailing grace for those who fear Him. This is what real worship of the real God looks like in the real world, and what a blessing to know His provision and His protection, invisibly working in the small details to do great things for His people and through His people.

Favourite Hymns: O Sacred Head Once Wounded

O sacred head once wounded,

with grief and shame weighed down,

how scornfully surrounded

with thorns, your only crown!

How pale you are with anguish,

with fierce abuse and scorn!

How do those features languish

which once were bright as morn!

What bliss was yours in glory,

O Lord of life divine!

I read the amazing story:

I joy to call you mine.

Your grief and your compassion

were all for sinner's gain;

mine, mine was the transgression,

but yours the deadly pain.

What language shall I borrow

to praise you, dearest Friend,

for this your dying sorrow,

your pity without end?

Lord, make me yours forever!

nor let me faithless prove;

O let me never, never

refuse such dying love.

Be near my when I'm dying;

Lord, show your cross to me!

Your death, my hope supplying,

from death shall set me free.

These eyes, new faith receiving,

from Jesus shall not move;

whoever dies believing

dies safely in your love.

Robert Bridges, 1899

Praying for the Kingdom

I've been benefiting enormously from Matthew Henry's A Way to Pray (a full review will hopefully follow in due course). This morning I was struck by the detail Henry invests in helping the believer pray through the prayer the Lord gave to His disciples. This section from 'Your Kingdom Come' is powerful in the extreme:


"Let the kingdom of your grace be manifest more and more throughout our land and in the places where we live. Let your word have free course and be glorified... Let your gracious kingdom permeate all our lives, so that our bodies can be proper temples of the Holy Spirit. Let no iniquity have dominion over us. Overturn, overturn, overturn the power of corruption inherent in us. Let the prophesied One, who has the right to rule, come to us. Make us altogether willing in the day of your power. Rule in us by your truth." 

Book review - John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock by Iain H. Murray

I've made no secret on this blog of my fondness for the writings of Iain H. Murray. I count him to be my favourite author, whose books have singularly impacted the way I view my faith, my ministry, and church history. Chief among his titles is his two volume biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, which is peerless in its evocation of a period in church history and the power of God working through one man for the glory of His name. It is reviewed here.

Recently Grace to You (UK) sent me a free copy of Murray's latest title John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock. This book had been high on my wishlist, so you can imagine my gratitude for receiving it gratis. This book, for me, combines three great things. It is written by my favourite author, about one of my favourite preachers, and is published by my favourite publisher (Banner of Truth). It is a short work, which makes no claim at being an exhaustive biography, but which gives an impression of the man whose ministry has meant so much to so many.

John MacArthur's chief commitment in life has been to the verse by verse exposition of God's Word. This ambition has been realised in the context of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California, where he has served as Pastor for over forty years. Murray's book celebrates the impact which such a simple ministry principle has had on this congregation and on many others worldwide.

MacArthur's early life is sketched out in simple detail, showing the dramatic impact that the preaching ministries of his grandfather and father had on him. Having excelled in sports MacArthur's life took a dramatic change when he made a simple decision to devote himself to understanding God's Word. A period of study at Talbot Theological Seminary preceded his accepting a call to Grace Church where an early effort at recording his messages for those unable to attend quickly became an international audio ministry, reaching millions of people.

Murray's treatment of MacArthur is succinct and helpful. A snapshot of the work of Grace to You around the world is nicely framed by a family trip undertaken by MacArthur and his family, and the book's depiction of some of the controversies around' Lordship Salvation' is deftly handled. The book also manages to emphasise its subject's home life, with a chapter dedicated to MacArthur's wife Patricia and simple testimonials scattered throughout from co-workers and family members. Murray is unafraid of offering gentle criticism of MacArthur in places, particularly in the area of eschatology, but such engagement is phrased in respectful tones.

The overwhelming impression left on me by this book is that John MacArthur is a humble man, whose great ambition to honour the Word of God through expository preaching has been singularly honoured by God in the salvation of souls, the discipleship of believers, and the development of others pastors. MacArthur has invested passionately in proclaiming God's Word, pastoring God's people, and preparing God's servants for ministry.

This, then, is a testament to a life well lived for the Lord. As I read this book during a recent period of leave I was struck once again by the impact that MacArthur has had on my own life. His book The Vanishing Conscience was the first mature Christian book I read while at university and it switched on a light which led me to read Lloyd-Jones, and that has ultimately brought me into the riches of Reformed literature. I have a lot to thank God for in John F. MacArthur and Murray's book has encouraged me to do so. Highly recommended.

John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock by Iain H. Murray is published by Banner of Truth. It has 240 pages and costs £14.50