Don’t Make Your Job Complicated—Obedience is Simple. Jeremiah 22:3.

What is your job description? Some are clearly defined: ride the back of the trash truck and empty trash cans into the truck at each stop. Others are loosely defined: be my personal assistant, show up at 8 every morning and do whatever I ask until I send you home.

What is the job description of a king? The role may seem terribly complex. But God gave Jeremiah a few simple words for King Jehoiakim:

“Thus saith the Lord, ‘Do what is just and right. Rescue … the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood” Jeremiah 22:3.

These are simple rules: (1) Do what is right; (2) Rescue the crime victims; (3) Show compassion to foreigners, orphans, and widows; and (3) Do not shed innocent blood. King Jehoiakim could sum up his job description in two words: JUSTICE and COMPASSION.

God promises to bless Jehoiakim if he obeys and to make the king’s palace a desolation if he does not, Jeremiah 22:4-5. Sadly, Jehoiakim chooses not to obey.

“And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done” 2 Kings 23:37.

Not only does Jehoiakim follow the evil ways of the kings before him, but he also refuses to listen to the Lord.

“I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your manner from your youth—you refuse to hear my voice” Jeremiah 22:21.

When King Jehoiakim chooses the evil path of so many kings before him, God sends the prophet Jeremiah to warn the nation of coming judgment. Jeremiah preaches the same message for twenty-three years: if Judah does not repent, it will suffer captivity and desolation.

“For twenty-three years … the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened … This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years” Jeremiah 25:3,11.

For over two decades Jeremiah predicted seventy years of captivity in Babylon before it finally happened. But it did happen.

First Nebuchadnezzar invaded, capturing citizens of Judah and taking them captive back to Babylon, including Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. Then the Lord sent more armies:

“The Lord sent against [Jehoiakim] bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets” 2 Kings 24:1-4.

God gave Jehoiakim a crown and a job. What a nice combination. Most of us are lucky simply to have a job. But some of us should probably consider ourselves kings—whether in power, wealth, leadership, or simply because we love what we do. That is the kind of position God gave King Jehoiakim—he was the king. The job was simple: do the right things, enforce justice and compassion. But instead Jehoiakim rebelled against God, even cutting up and burning God’s words, Jeremiah 36:20-23. Eventually Jehoiakim paid the price—and the nation of Judah paid with him.

God, help us to obey you in all things. May we do our jobs well, exceeding the expectations of our employers. More importantly, help us to exercise justice and compassion, to treat people as you would have us to treat them and to worship and honor you in all that we do.

AΩ

How to Respond to Scandals in the Church. Jeremiah 48:10.

I was the best man in Joe’s sham wedding. The wedding was Joe’s way of hiding his interest in children. I eventually found out about his past convictions in Tennessee, and when he later wound up in prison, I was pleased, having gained knowledge of a great deal of fraudulent acts and crime for which he would never be charged.

There’s more. The once-and-future convict had secured for himself a job that immediately conferred on him a great deal of respect, rendering him a leader in the community.

And that’s not all.

Smooth-talking Joe had gotten the job without providing any credentials or even passing a background check. He was simply incredibly good with people and everyone trusted him. What was the job with which he had been entrusted?

He held a pastoral position at a church.

I am too trusting. I know that. But the years I spent as one of Joe’s best friends forced me to realize that about myself and to recognize all the red flags I had ignored.

I no longer ignore red flags. If something smells fishy, I think about it constantly and discuss it with my wife who has the gift of discernment. And the biggest red flag of all is someone becoming upset when I ask them for credentials or evidence–for something to read–in support of whatever it is they are selling me.

Manipulators will make you feel guilty when you ask shrewd questions. But Jesus said, “Be SHREWD AS SERPENTS!” Matthew 10:16.

I will never feel guilty about asking for evidence, not if you are selling me a food supplement, or anti-vax message, a pro-vax message, an opinion about COVID-19, or politics, Ukraine, or the Middle East. Give me something I can read and examine, preferably something peer reviewed. YouTube videos and podcasts are not serious public discourse. Bring me an article from the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More importantly, another result of my relationship with Joe is that I have spent decades thinking about scandals in the church–and reading about every church scandal in the United States since. I have reached a few conclusions.

Do fallen preachers hurt the cause of Christ? Absolutely.

Will skeptics cite corrupt, scandalous preachers and other errant Christians as a reason not to come to Christ? Absolutely.

The terrible harm such leaders do to the cause of Christ raises tough questions:

Should we hide the sins of preachers who consort with prostitutes (Jimmy Swaggart), preachers who fleece their flocks (Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker), or preachers and youth workers who have inappropriate relationships with under-age children and youth (Robert Morris, Bill Gothard)? No.

What about the sins of an international evangelist and gifted apologist who went from Yale to Oxford to Harvard to MIT changing the lives of the world’s best and brightest (Ravi Zacharias)? No.

Well, can we at least cover-up the institutional cover-ups?

If the Catholics or the Baptists tried to keep a lid on things, they had good intentions, right? My speculation is that their intentions were a mixed bag at best. But the answer is no. We should not cover-up the cover ups.

The sin must come to light or the sin will never stop. AGAIN—

WE MUST SHINE A LIGHT ON THESE SINS OR THESE SINS WILL NEVER STOP.

“And this is the judgment, that Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed” John 3:19-21.

There are many things that require privacy. There are delicate situations that merit discretion from pastors and church leaders. There are families, dramas, people—the church exists by and for people and we are fallen and fallible in a million ways. Even good decisions and meetings of wise, well-intentioned leaders often merit confidentiality.

But some issues require full-disclosure and total accountability. Members, donors, and the general public ought to be able to read by-laws and meeting minutes and understand a great many things about the business of the church–and any para-church organization to which they might donate money.

How much church business is being done behind closed doors? Are financial decisions kept from the light of public scrutiny? Is your favorite non-profit unwilling to open up its books to an outside accounting firm? Does the charity, church, or 501-(c)(3) keep its bylaws hidden? Does it use a board of voting members who are all yes-men? Are hard questions and open discussion discouraged? Is the public welcome in at least some of the meetings?

We must drag ourselves into the light. And we certainly must not hide the sins of our paid staff. Does a pastor who cheats on his wife give the church a black eye? Absolutely. But we must stand up and take our lumps. Fire the pastor and drag the scandal into the light before a journalist does it for you.

“Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully” Jeremiah 48:10.

We, the body of Christ, we the members of His churches, must never allow deceit. We may be ashamed, appalled by the actions of a man we trusted so deeply, so implicitly. But if we cover up his sins, we have added to the deceit. We must instead bring the facts into the open and prepare ourselves and our church for the harsh light of public scrutiny. Buckle up and weather the storm. It will not last forever.

Ask yourself this question: Would the Apostle Paul cover up the sin of a local pastor? Would he “put him away quietly,” (Matthew 1:19) as Joseph considered doing when Mary was found to be pregnant? No.

“I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not to even eat with such a one … REMOVE THE EVIL PERSON FROM AMONG YOURSELVES” 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.

“Cursed by he that does the work of the Lord deceitfully.” I will not add to the deceit by covering up another man’s sins. “The one who practices truth comes to the Light” John 3:21. Bring the pastor or minister’s sins into the light. That is the only way to bring healing to the victims.

  1. Be shrewd and recognize that even men of God can go astray and quickly become master manipulators, Matthew 10:16.
  2. Recognize that those who do evil always prefer secrecy (such as NDAs), over openness. Evil doers love the darkness and hate the light, John 3:19.
  3. Remove the evil person from among you, 1 Corinthians 5:13.
  4. Publicize the scandal as appropriate; avoid a cover-up at a minimum, lest “what is done in secret be shouted from the housetops” (Luke 12:3) and the church suffer further harm to its reputation due to being caught in what is, or appears to be, an attempted cover up.

Jesus, forgive us for sins that damage our witness. Forgive us for pride, for fear, for cover-ups, for clandestine, cloak-and-dagger operations. Forgive us when we hide the truth from church members. Forgive us when we try to hide our finances. Forgive us for ambition, pride, lust, and greed. Forgive us when we lose our way. God, give church members and volunteer leaders the courage to shine your light on scandals in the church. Show us how to remove the evil person from among us—even when the evil masquerades as your servant.

AΩ

P.S. One point I would like to add here is this: THE CREDIBILITY GAP. That is a term popularized during the Vietnam War. A credibility gap exists when there is a gap between the reports from our leaders (in this case, politicians) and what everyone is experiencing. During the Vietnam War, the credibility gap widened as politicians continued to insist America was winning the war and would soon bring the boys home in triumph, yet every night the TV news broadcast images of bloody battles and Americans coming home either wounded or dead.

The credibility gap took hold in the 1960s and 70s, and following Watergate, the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, a rash of police brutality cases, Enron, COVID-19, and the proliferation of conspiracy theories taking hold on both the left and the right, Americans are more cynical than they have ever been. Institutions can no longer assume they will be revered and their leaders trusted. That trust must be earned. And the only way to earn trust is with transparency.

Perhaps there was a time when a scandalous matter could be handled quietly. That time has passed. Besides being untrusting, through the democratizing power of the internet, everyone now has a voice, and every pocket a video camera. It is impossible to keep secrets long. Drag your scandal into the light. Face the ugly consequences and move on.

Are You Jealous or Envious? Zephaniah 1:4.

Envy and jealousy are not the same thing. Do you know the difference? I like to think in terms of first, second, and third person. Envy is a situation in which the first person wants what the second person has—and the third person plays no part. Envy requires only two persons, where jealousy requires three.

Jealousy is a situation in which the first person fears he will lose his relationship with the second person because of the interference of a third person. In such a case, the first person is jealous of the third person—a rival interest. A simple example involves two men and one woman: a husband who is jealous of his wife’s male coworker, fearing the man has become a rival interest.

When the Bible says “thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17), it refers to the sin of envy. Envy of your neighbor’s possessions leads to sinful actions as serious as theft, robbery, murder, and war. But jealousy, also a powerful and dangerous emotion, is not always sinful. In fact, God describes himself as jealous.

“For I, the Lord your God, am a JEALOUS God” Exodus 20:5.

How can God be jealous? God is jealous because he desires a two-party relationship with His children. God loves and blesses me and I love and worship God. But if I begin to love and worship a third party—any other god, idol, or rival interest—God jealously desires the restoration of his one-on-one relationship with me. In addition, God hates the idol or rival interest because he knows it will cause me so much harm.

God hates the rival gods because these rival gods destroy his children.

The prophet Zephaniah foretold destruction. The nation of Judah and many of its neighbors would suffer God’s wrath because of their persistent worship of idols. God, the jealous God, would not be patient forever.

“Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them … but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy” Zephaniah 1:18.

God strikes out against the idols: “I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims [idolatrous priests]” Zephaniah 1:4.

After that opening, the language of judgment begins. God will destroy his rivals. Look at the verbs, the words of action describing the judgment to come:

“I will utterly consume all things … man and beast will be swept away … I will cut off … I will stretch out my hand … I will cut off … I will punish … there shall be the noise of a cry, and a howling … Howl! I will punish the men that say in their hearts, ‘the Lord will do nothing,’ … It is a day of wrath, of trouble and distress, waste … desolation … darkness … gloominess … clouds … thick darkness … I will bring distress” Zephaniah 1:2-17.

“Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast … Surely Moab shall be as Sodom … [a land of] nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation … the Lord shall be terrible unto them, for he will famish all the gods of the earth [idols] and men shall worship him” Zephaniah 2:5,9-11.

God, thank you for your JEALOUS love. Thank you for loving us fiercely, with a determination to protect us from the idols and distractions that threaten our relationship with you. Thank you for loving us deeply and defending us loyally. Help us to love you with a fierce, loyal, persistent passion that never tolerates any other interest.

AΩ

Do You Live in the Kingdom of NO? Nahum 3:8-10.

Small children love to say ‘no.’ They are quick to discover agency and autonomy. They don’t know the big words, of course, but they understand the ideas: I don’t have to do what Mommy says. I can choose to do what I want. Even toddlers will assert themselves by saying No to everything. My cousin Josh discovered the word No when he was two or three years old. One day his mother found him in his room yelling No! into his pillow. He was not quite ready to disobey, but he was getting close!

No was a wealthy city on the Nile river that was the capitol of Egypt for centuries. The Kingdom of No (also known as “Thebes”)[1] was nearly surrounded by water. The rivers and seas served as a moat, rendering the city impregnable.

“Are you better than populous No, that was situated among the rivers, that had the waters about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite” Nahum 3:8-9.

Imagine that. The prophet Nahum describes the Kingdom of No as having “infinite” strength. No might also be said to have had “infinite” wealth. Many of Egypt’s greatest archaeological and historical treasures are located in and around the ruins of the ancient city of No.

But who were the people of No? Did they follow Yahweh? No.

Did they serve the one true God? No.

Did they live righteous lives? No.

Did they come to God in true repentance? No.

Was the city truly impregnable? No.

Invulnerable? No.

Did the Kingdom of No actually possess infinite strength? No.

In fact, the Kingdom of No was conquered, captured, and carried away. The destruction was what sports fans would call a blowout.

“She was carried away. She went into captivity. Her young children were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets. They cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains” Nahum 3:10.

In the time of Nahum the destruction of No was recent and well-known. Why bring it up? Because Nahum is prophesying the destruction of Nineveh. The prophet is warning the people of Nineveh, as did Jonah before him, that they will soon be conquered just as No was conquered.

A century before Nahum, the people of Nineveh repented when Jonah warned them of God’s coming judgment. But a hundred years later, they have returned to their evil ways, conquering, plundering, enslaving. The primary income of the people of Nineveh is actually plunder. They live off what they can steal from other nations. They even eat by stealing the crops of others.

“The lion [Nineveh] did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his rooms with prey, and his dens with meat … Woe to the bloody city! It is full of lies and robbery” Nahum 2:12, 3:1.

Nahum charges Nineveh with crimes, then compares it to the fallen Kingdom of No:

“Art thou better than populous No?” Nahum 3:8.

Did Nineveh follow Yahweh? No.

Did they serve the one true God? No.

Did they live righteous lives? No.

Did they come to God in true repentance? No.

Were they impregnable? No.

Invulnerable? No.

Did Nineveh possess infinite strength? No.

In fact, Nineveh and its Assyrian Kingdom would soon be conquered, captured, and carried away.

I’m all for agency and autonomy: we must prepare children for adulthood. Everyone grows up. Future adults need to be given more and more independence every day and taught when to say no—and when to say yes.

If you live in the Kingdom of No you will be destroyed.

You must submit to God. Submit to your Lord and say YES!

Believers need hearts tender to the Holy Spirit. We must say YES to God in whatever he leads. And often we must say yes to those around us, not only to authority figures, but to peers, partners, and those who need our help.

“Submit to one another in the fear of God” Ephesians 5:21.

And we must learn when to say no and how to say it with grace. (Even if that means shouting it into your pillow!)

God, make us humble before you. May we turn from our rebellion, from sinful ways, from selfishness, and pride. Give us tender hearts that are sensitive to your Spirit of mercy, compassion, and holiness. Help us to submit to you and to others as you would lead us. Give us hearts that submit and say Yes.

AΩ

[1] No or Thebes, Egypt should not be confused with Thebes, Greece.

Be NUMBER ONE! … at Prayer. 2 Chronicles 35:3.

Image: New York City’s famous Chess Tables in Washington Square Park–one of many pastimes available to the recently retired.

We raise children under constant talk of college and career:

You need to read more so you can get into a good college. You need to practice your lacrosse so you can get a scholarship. You need to develop good work habits now so you can have a great career someday.

These messages are ubiquitous. We train children to dream big and to want it all.

After a young adult lands a job, the talk changes:

Get promoted.

Earn more money.

Increase your responsibilities.

Be the CEO.

BE NUMBER ONE!

Is it ever enough? No. We encourage our children, our friends, ourselves to aspire to the highest of heights. To BE NUMBER ONE! As if everything we do is a competition—and there is no joy in participating, only in being the top dog.

Youth sports often reinforce this message: there is no pleasure in an activity. There is only pleasure in winning the activity. That message is destructive. Yes, we want to motivate children. But we must balance that with the love of the game. If playing the game is not fun, why bother? If the only way to enjoy school or an education is to be the valedictorian, then more than 99 percent of the students will not enjoy it. If I can only enjoy my career if I am the CEO, then thousands of us are destined to hate our jobs.

But this is nonsense. An education can be a source of tremendous pleasure, and not just for the top students. A career that rewards autonomy, creativity, and meaningful work can be deeply satisfying. And the average athlete will lose half of all games. Does that mean he had no fun on the field? Is there no pleasure in playing the game? Of course there is. People play games because games are FUN!

But what happens to the ambitious valedictorian-turned-CEO when life forces him to retire? If his health forced him to abandon his work, will he ever find pleasure again?

Consider the work of the Levites. These non-priest members of the tribe of Levi were responsible for moving the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle throughout the forty-year wilderness journey. But what about after Solomon built the temple? What responsibilities did they have left? What could they look forward to now that they were “retired” from the ark and the tabernacle?

When he was bringing reforms to a nation that had lost its way, King Josiah asked the men of Levi to step up:

“And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, ‘Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, did build. It shall not be a burden on your shoulders. Serve now the Lord your God and his people, Israel’” 2 Chronicles 35:3.

King Josiah explained it was time for the men of Levi to move on. They were “retired” from their work with the ark and the tabernacle. But there were many other tasks they could still perform. The nation needed them. The king needed them.

Like the Levites, one day we too will retire–from sports, from academics, from a career.

But God has more for us: travel, time with family and friends, maybe a few games of chess in Greenwich Village (pictured). Enjoy your retirement!

But while you are on this earth, God has Kingdom Work for you. As we age, our responsibilities narrow. We work less. We hobby less. We work in the yard less. We have fewer people living in our home, fewer mouths to feed, fewer meals to cook. Less laundry to handle. We do less at church. Sometimes it is our choice; sometimes we have no choice.

But as God reduces the responsibilities of the venerated generation, I believe he asks of them–offers them–something more: PRAY MORE.

I know it is easier said than done. But with decades of life experience, decades of shorter, smaller prayers behind you, and larger blocks of time in front of you, a growing and vibrant prayer life may be the secret to aging well (and storing up treasure in heaven).

Of course, aging makes even prayer more difficult. Maybe you lose your train of thought. Maybe you misplace the written prayer list you were working on. Maybe you struggle to stay awake. God may remove many of your once-distracting activities without removing some of those nagging hindrances to prayer.

But pray anyway. Pray more. Find a way. Write prayers down. Write answers down. Do whatever it takes to stay engaged. God may have given you this opportunity “for such a time as this” Esther 4:14. Use it! Be ambitious about it! Forget being a top student, a CEO, a star athlete.

Be Number One at prayer!

God will reward you.

“And when you pray, go into your closet and shut your door, and pray to your father who is in secret, and your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly” Matthew 6:6.

And for the rest of us who may be years from retirement: pray more! Begin now building the skills that will make your retirement years the best years–and most EFFECTIVE years of your life.

 AΩ

When Clergy Become Abusers. Jeremiah 5:26-29.

Image. (I have not read this book, but I like the cover.)

Eighty-eight-year-old Pope Francis died this morning and rather than the customary few days of kindness in the press, only hours after the man’s death critics are shouting that he did too little to address the clergy sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, argue Pope Francis is the third in a string of popes who “covered up sex crimes before they became pope.”[1] These stories gained global attention in the 1980s and ‘90s, but documented cases allegedly date back a thousand years—the Wikipedia page on this scandal is too lengthy to print.[2]

Unfortunately, clergy sexual abuse of children is not simply a Catholic problem. It is pervasive. It has touched every denomination and many, many churches. It is so common, in fact, it is difficult not to conclude that this is a special tool of the devil, an incredibly effective weapon he uses not only to crush the hearts (and faith) of children, but to neutralize members of the clergy who might otherwise have done good work. Jesus said we have an enemy who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy” John 10:10. Surely an evil as destructive and life-altering as priests, pastors, and youth ministers who abuse children is a weapon of the devil.

Should we excuse those who perpetrate such evil, knowing they may have fallen into the enemy’s trap? Absolutely not. Those who sexually abuse children—or anyone—should never be allowed to work with children or on a church staff again. Churches should use criminal background checks to screen both volunteers and new hires. The abusive crimes of both paid clergy and church volunteers should be made public.

Second, any efforts to sweep the matter under the rug—to keep the abuse from the public—should also be publicly reported and condemned.[3] On this score, U.S. state governments have actually done a better job than most Christian denominations. Churches and church-related ministries tend to be so concerned with maintaining our witness, that we cover up the worst sins of our leaders, when we should be exposing them to the light of truth and publicity. Will news of another abusive pastor cause people to stumble? Yes. But his misdeeds must be publicized anyway, if we are ever going to heal wounds and re-gain trust.

Why clergy? Why do churchmen commit these most horrible, most personal crimes? As discussed, on a spiritual level, this is probably an attack from the enemy. But on a human level, these men are particularly vulnerable: they are charming, good with people, skillful leaders, and sometimes just prideful enough to think they can talk their way out of anything. In their flesh, some ministers are born manipulators. Con men. God forbid you have con-man skills and no integrity or conscience.

“Among my people are found wicked men. They lay wait, as one that sets snares. They set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit, therefore they are become great … Shall I not visit for these things? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Jeremiah 5:26-27,29.

God writes his indictment. Then he promises that punishment is coming: raiders from another land.

“Behold a people cometh from the north country … They shall lay hold on bow and spear. They are cruel and have no mercy. Their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses set in array for war against thee” Jeremiah 6:22-23.

What can be done? Return to God. Repent!

“Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings” Jeremiah 3:22. Return unto me, and if you will put away your abominations, then you will not be banished, Jeremiah 4:1. “Break up your fallow ground … circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah … lest my fury come like fire” Jeremiah 4:3-4.

No one likes to talk about circumcision. But perhaps it fits when discussing clergy sexual abuse of children. What Jeremiah is saying is change yourself, even if it hurts. Don’t be like the non-believers and the pagans. Remove the worldliness and evil from you, from your personal body, but also from your corporate body.

I would paraphrase this passage this way:

Cut off the sexual abuser from your church. If someone in a position of church authority, whether paid or volunteer, used that authority to gain access to his or her abuse victims, then you must rid your church of that person. Better yet, turn the entire matter over to local law enforcement.

Why not just fire a person and forget the matter? Because they will move to the church across town and do the same thing again. Therefore, you must surrender the entire matter to local law enforcement.

Finally, a word about grace. Does God forgive? Of course. Will God forgive and restore humble, repentant former-abusers? Yes, I believe he will. But because these abusers have used the church to facilitate abuse, effectively abusing not only the abuse victim, but the church itself, I believe the church cannot concern itself with the restoration of the abuser. When abuse happens at the church, at church functions, or in relationships created by the church, the church must focus on providing grace and restoration to the VICTIMS of abuse. God will take care of the abusers as he sees fit.

AΩ

[1] https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2025-04-21/survivors-of-clergy-sex-abuse-say-pope-francis-response-to-crisis-was-insufficient

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases#International_extent_of_abuse

[3] While efforts to cover up abuse should be made public, there is no duty to publicize allegations that are actually baseless. But how much time should church leaders spend quietly investigating an allegation before making it public or turning it over to local law enforcement? For expert guidance, review the resources tab of the website of attorney (and grandson of Billy Graham) Boz Tchividjian: https://bozlawpa.com/.

Old Testament Mercy. 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.

When I was a little boy, a girl down the street told me that God the Father was mean and angry, and that only Jesus the Son was merciful.[1] Have you heard this idea? It goes hand-in-hand with the oft-repeated trope that the Old Testament tells the story of a God of vengeance, and the New Testament tells the story of a God of compassion. These are errors bordering on heresy.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not have different levels of compassion. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” John 10:30. And God never changes, Malachi 3:6. God was exactly as compassionate and merciful under the Old Covenant or Testament as he is under the New. Frankly, I don’t understand why readers of the Old Testament are so obsessed with God’s vengeance.

When I read the Old Testament, I am struck by how evil and rebellious the people are. Even the children of Israel, rescued from slavery through a series of audacious miracles, continue to worship idols and rebel against God—over and over. I don’t blame God for wrath. In fact, sometimes I am amazed by God’s patience. Consider the story of the truly evil king, Manasseh.

King Manasseh led Judah into idol worship and other evils. “Manasseh seduced them [the people of Judah] to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel” 2 Kings 21:9.

(Imagine that. The pagans were so evil, God destroyed them–after giving them 400 years to repent (see Gen. 15:16)–and gave their land to Israel. But now Manasseh has made the people of Judah even MORE evil than those they displaced.)

King Manasseh spent the nation’s money and labor engineering new ways to get more people worshipping idols. “He built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed. He raised up altars for Baal and made a grove [a wooden idol]” 2 Kings 21:3. He even desecrated the temple, 2 Kings 21:4-5.

King Manasseh sacrificed his own children to idols. “He made his son pass through the fire” 2 Kings 21:6. This is how you know King Manasseh was a true believer, deeply committed to idol worship. This was not a political strategy designed to keep his citizens happy, like Aaron when he fashioned the golden calf in Exodus 32. Manasseh was doing this because he deeply believed in it. Otherwise, he would have spared his child.

King Manasseh personally participated in all the occult practices of darkness, including witchcraft, casting spells, and sorcery. Manasseh “used enchantments [potions], and dealt with familiar spirits [‘spirit guides’], and wizards. He wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord” 2 Kings 21:6. He also used witchcraft, 2 Chronicles 33:6.

King Manasseh shed much innocent blood; some believe he even murdered the prophet Isaiah. “Manasseh shed innocent blood very much until he had filled Jerusalem from one to the other” 2 Kings 21:16.

My Bible includes this note: “Tradition says that during Manasseh’s massive slaughter, Isaiah was sawed in two when trying to hide in a hollow log (see Hebrews 11:37-38). Other prophets may also have been killed at this time.”[2] (Of course, tradition should never be elevated to the level of scripture.)

Do you see how horrible King Manasseh was? Not only was he deeply committed to his own evil practices, but this man was using all the power of the crown to drag the nation into satanic practices with him. Consequently, God sent judgment. Manasseh was captured, shackled, and taken away to a Babylonian dungeon.

So what did he do? Pray to his ‘familiar spirits,’ his spirit guides? Or check his astrological sign? Or sacrifice a prison rat to Baal? No. Remarkably, he turned to the one true God.

“And when he was in affliction, he sought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him, and he was intreated of him, and God heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God,” 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.

After decades of ruinous leadership, King Manasseh repents and humbly seeks God. And God forgives him! Not only that, God gets the king out of jail and restores to him his kingdom! And you think the God of the Old Testament is not compassionate? That God is a harsh judge? Look at the life this horrible man lived! Yet, God showed him great mercy.

The man sacrificed his children to idols!

He led the entire nation into idolatry!

The harm this man caused will echo throughout Judah for generations and generations.

How could God forgive him? How?

Because God is not a man. Men honor anger, vengeance, fighting, and killing. But God is absolutely NOT A MAN.

“I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger. I will NOT return to destroy … For I am God and NOT MAN, the Holy One in the midst of thee,” Hosea 11:9.

God is holy. God is just. God enforces limits. He will not tolerate all sin for all time. But he will often tolerate and forgive more than we think. And God is particularly forgiving when we truly humble ourselves the way Manasseh did. Or the way David does in Psalm 51.

“God is opposed to the proud—but gives grace to the humble” Proverbs 3:34.

God, reveal to us your great compassion. Show us your mercy. Thank you that you are HOLY and because you are holy, you are GOOD. You are so good to us, so patient and compassionate. Never let us be confused by those who would say you are primarily a God of wrath. Thank you that you have described yourself for us: “God is love” 1 John 4:8.

AΩ

[1] This young lady also told me that thunder was the sound of God bowling, and that because Eve was made from one of Adam’s ribs, men will forever have one less rib than women. I have since found more qualified Bible teachers.

[2] Chronological Life Application Study Bible, KJV. Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, 2013, p.916 n.2 Kings 21:6.

This Cellophane Life. Isaiah 65:17-25.

Image: cellophane. Cellophane is the original name for clear plastic wrap or “shrink wrap.” Our lives on earth are like cellophane: thin, see-through, and not particularly durable. C.S. Lewis argued long ago that in heaven our lives will be “made of solider stuff,” and weighty, powerful, and filled with meaning. Rather than being flimsy and sheer, like a gossamer wing, we will find ourselves–to borrow an expression from comic books–MEN AND WOMEN OF STEEL.

I have a vivid childhood memory of being on stage in a scene that represented heaven. All the people were dressed in white and we children pretended to play our golden harps.

Is that what heaven will be? A monochromatic worship service? I’m sure the music will be incredible, and whatever the people may wear, I know heaven will be a place of amazing color. The Bible may not answer all our questions about heaven, but it answers more than you might think.

We read about heaven in many places: the words of Jesus, Paul’s epistles, Revelation, the book of Daniel, and more. You will need to study those passages to gain a comprehensive picture of the afterlife. But here are some facts about heaven in the order in which Isaiah addresses them in chapters 65 and 66.

  1. Life in the new heaven and new earth will be so amazing it will eclipse our memories of life on earth. I don’t mean you will forget everything, but this cellophane, short life of evils, illnesses, and gut-wrenching griefs, will surely dim in the face of a more weighty, more perfect, eternal existence. “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” Isaiah 65:17.
  2. Your eternal life will be filled with joy—joy for you and joy for God, who will find joy in you. He will delight in you. “I create in Jerusalem a rejoicing, and in her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard, nor the voice of crying” Isaiah 65:18-19.
  3. Your eternal life will involve a house and a job and an opportunity to serve. (And it won’t be an eternal church service.) You will do meaningful work in heaven. “And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat … Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain” Isaiah 65:21-23.
  4. In heaven, your prayers will be answered instantly. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” Isaiah 65:24.
  5. Heaven will not be a land of bloodshed, death, decay, and rebirth. That cycle will be over. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not destroy in all my holy mountain” Isaiah 65:25.
  6. Heaven will be a place where God gives us great comfort. “As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem” Isaiah 66:13.
  7. Heaven will be a place of legacy. I am not sure I understand this completely. But the Bible contains pages and pages of some 25 lengthy genealogies, detailing not only the famous like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, but also generations and generations of unknowns, like Jabez. God has proven his deep interest in legacies. In families and family trees. And in heaven, those lines may matter more than you think. God seems to indicate family lines will endure just as heaven itself will endure: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain” Isaiah 66:22.

Dear God, thank you for the promise of new birth in Christ and a new home in heaven. Help us understand more about our eternal life. Give us an eternal perspective. May our treasure truly be in heaven. Thank you for a destiny that is more solid, more real, more lasting, and more meaningful than anything we experience during our short lives on earth. May we love you more and may our hearts draw us closer every day to Heaven, OUR REAL HOME. Thank you.

AΩ

Fasting and Prayer. Isaiah 58:3-9.

Do you ever wonder why God does not answer your prayers? Do you blame God or assume that he must be ignoring you? God always hears our prayers. God can certainly answer our prayers.

“Behold, the Lord’s arm is not shortened, that it cannot save. Neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies and your tongue has muttered perverseness” Isaiah 59:1-3.

So the problem lies not with God. He hears our prayers and has the power to answer them—his arm is plenty long. The problem lies with us and our sin. “Your sin has separated you and your God.” What can you do? Repent. Humble yourself. Confess your sin to God and try to make things right.

Is there anything else you might do? A token, an action, some bit of symbolism to really show God—and yourself—that you are serious about changing and making better choices? Yes. There is fasting. But fasting is more than simply missing a meal or meals. Fasting is about your heart. When you fast, you “afflict your soul.” You choose it as an act of humility.

In Isaiah 68, the people of Israel were fasting the wrong way, and God rebuked them. And from his rebuke, we can learn how to fast the right way:

“Why have we fasted, they say, and thou seest not? Why have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge?” Isaiah 58:3. But God answers that they have fasted on a day of pleasure and work, of partying and profit-making. In other words, their hearts were not right. Where is the humility? Where is the grief over sin?

God says this is the wrong way to approach fasting: “But is this the fast that I would have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow his head as a reed in the wind, or to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?” Isaiah 58:5.

Isaiah writes that proper fasting means to stop oppressing the poor and the laborers. Break every yoke and let men go free. Give bread to the hungry. Bring the poor and homeless to your own house and feed them, clothe them, shelter them, vv.6-7.

And THEN—YOUR PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED.

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily, … and the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer” Isaiah 58:8-9.

When you need to repent, add fasting to your worship. And when you desperately want God to grant your prayers, you may wish to add fasting to your worship. But fasting is solemn, sober, and serious. Yes, Jesus told his disciples to wash their faces and smile when fasting, Matthew 6:16-18. After all, if you make your fasting obvious, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. It is a solemn, private practice between you and God. Fast with humility and seriousness. Confess and repent of your sins. Seek God’s face earnestly. And allow the hunger created by fasting to “afflict your soul” and draw you closer to God in your need.

In my experience, fasting feels like an illness. There is a benign sort of oppression that comes over you—a feeling akin to a mild illness. It feels like weakness at first, but as the hunger increases, it is not uncommon to feel something similar to depression. It’s not depression; it’s hunger. But your soul does indeed feel “afflicted.”

Fasting brings a deep humility to the soul, preparing the heart to worship well.

And God rewards fasting. I’m not sure why. Just as God rewards prayers, “ask and ye shall receive,”(Matthew 7:7) so also God rewards fasting. Sometimes God even brings us to situations that require fasting: “These will not come out but by prayer and fasting” Matthew 17:21. When you need an extra boost to your prayers, to your repentance, or simply because you are desperately praying for your child and don’t know what else you can do—sometimes fasting is the answer.

Dear God, help us understand fasting. Call us to it now and then. Teach us the role fasting can play in our lives. Teach us to pray and fast when circumstances require it. Never let us miss an opportunity or a blessing because we were unwilling or unaware of fasting as a spiritual tool.

AΩ

P.S. Obviously missing meals presents physical challenges and is not always wise or appropriate. I do not believe God would ask you to put your health at risk or to behave foolishly because you are desperate to receive his help. When fasting is not an option, you might consider other things that harmlessly “afflict your soul,” such as drinking only water, doing without parts of a meal (skip the butter and salt!), and spending more time in prayer and more time reading the word. Ultimately, God knows your heart and he wants to partner with you in addressing both your needs and your wants. Spend more time in his presence.

The Great Stork Derby. Isaiah 54:1,4-5.

Image: The Timleck family, one of four winners of the Great Stork Derby.

One of the craziest contests in history was the one Canadian journalists dubbed “The Great Stork Derby.” In 1926, wealthy Toronto lawyer, businessman, and practical joker, Charles Vance Millar died, leaving behind a will that included several practical jokes. “Millar started off by giving shares in a jockey club to gambling opponents and shares in a brewery to teetotalling religious leaders. Then he left his house in Jamaica to three men who hated one another, on the condition that they own it together.”[1] 

But the most outrageous clause of the will is credited with setting off a mini-baby boom in Toronto, Canada. Millar instructed that because he had no heirs, and because he had amassed a fortune greater than a childless man could spend, he would leave the money “to the mother who has in the ten years since my death given birth in Toronto to the greatest number of children as shown by the Registrations under the Vital Statistics Act.”

Soon reporters heard about the will and the “Great Stork Derby” was on. Women all over Toronto seemed to be having babies, and as the decade neared its end, some eleven women emerged as front runners.

But there was litigation. The court had to first determine whether the will was enforceable. It was.

Then the judge had to decide whether to count babies born out of wedlock. He eventually said no. Mom better be married.

Then came the thorny question of stillborn children, leading to significant courtroom testimony. In one case, a mother of some 13 living children (several born too early to take part in the contest) was asked to testify about her stillborn babies. That was difficult for her, in spite of her many living children. After she was allowed to step down from the witness stand, the physician who delivered the still births was cross-examined: Did the child breathe at any time? Could you detect a heartbeat? What color was the child’s skin at birth? Was there any indication of life? Could you determine at what point the fetus may have died?

This testimony was too much for the mother and she burst from the courtroom weeping.

In the end, the court ruled against illegitimate births and still births, and the prize was divided among four women, each having birthed nine living children within the bounds of matrimony during the ten years in question.

In reading these stories, I was struck by the the mother who ran from the courtroom. Though she had 13 kids, it hurt her to think of those she lost.

That is a private hurt that few but the grieving parents will know. Mom and Dad remember the months of pregnancy and preparation for a baby that never came. Women carrying that pain are everywhere. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one in four pregnancies ends before week 20 and is termed a miscarriage (1 in 4!). A smaller, but not insignificant group of pregnancies is lost after week 20, and are termed stillbirths. A huge number of women have experienced one or the other, or both, and carry inside this gnawing ache that will not go away.

The Bible speaks to this egregious loss:

“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child. Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed. For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman, says the Lord … Fear not, for you will not be put to shame. And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. But you will forget the shame of your youth … For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts. And your Redeemer is the holy one of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth” Isaiah 54:1,4-5.

In heaven, the sons of the desolate will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman. Why? Because your husband is your Maker, and God is your Redeemer. He will make a way where there seems to be no way.

These promises are not merely for the woman who is married and barren, but also for the woman who is unmarried—and for single men as well, and men who can never be fathers, whatever the reason:

“Let not the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord, ‘To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, and choose what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant, to them I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial, and a name BETTER than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off” Isaiah 56:3-5.

God will bless the barren woman and the unmarried man and woman. In heaven there will be no shame, no childlessness, no gnawing ache that will not go away. God will give the childless more sons, a husband who is our Maker, and an everlasting name greater than the legacy of sons and daughters.

Finally, God reminds us that it is okay to begin with nothing. Have you lost everything? Career? Money? Possessions? Loved ones? Whether you are childless, jobless, homeless, barren, or simply single, God will provide:

“Look unto Abraham your father … for I called him alone and blessed him and increased him” Isaiah 51:2. Abraham began with nothing. Even at his death, he saw little evidence his descendants would ever outnumber the stars. But God comforted Abraham and Sarah (with a child named “laughter”) and God can comfort you and me.

“For the Lord shall comfort Zion … He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody” Isaiah 51:3.

Have you been redeemed by the Lord? If so, then everlasting joy shall be upon your head … “I, even I, am he that comforts you” Isaiah 51:11-12.

Dear God, we bring you our hurts, our griefs, our losses, our lifelong disappointments that will never be resolved on earth. Thank you for being our REDEEMER. Thank you for loving the barren, the broken, the single, the lonely. Bless us and remind us that you have rewards stored up for us that are so great we cannot conceive of them. Thank you for being a good, good Father.

AΩ

[1] I have recently read a number of stories about the Great Stork Race and may cite facts from each of them. But I am quoting from this one: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-a-dead-millionaire-convinced-dozens-of-women-to-have-as-many-babies-as-possible/