There Are Exceptions to the Principle of Sowing and Reaping. Job 21:13.

Job’s friends have a Res Ipsa Loquitor view of suffering. Res ipsa loquitor is Latin for “the thing speaks for itself.” This is a lawyer’s argument to prove negligence when traditional evidence may be lacking. For example, if an X-ray reveals a pair of forceps left inside a patient following surgery, the mere presence of the forceps is proof of negligence. There is no need for videotaped evidence of a surgeon closing an incision while leaving surgical tools behind. The presence of forceps alone is proof of negligence. Job’s friends have a res ipsa view of suffering. Let me explain.

Job’s friends believe that good people will be rewarded with good times and bad people will be rewarded with bad times. Children think this way. When a child works hard at something, but it turns out badly, what do they say?

“It’s not FAIR!”

And it’s not just children. Adults think this way too—and we should, to some extent. We live in a world in which people reap what they sow. USUALLY. But just as a farmer may sow a good seed and cultivate it all season long, sometimes he will reap only weeds and thistles. Or the ground may yield beautiful plants, only to see them destroyed during a ten-minute hailstorm. Sometimes good people suffer terrible things. And sometimes bad people enjoy years of wealth and privilege.

The black-and-white view of sowing and reaping is like a pair of simple math equations:

good choices + time = prosperity.

bad choices + time = poverty.

Job’s friend Zophar would agree with these equations. When Zophar sees all the terrible things that have happened to Job, he assumes Job is hiding sin in his heart. And Zophar is not simply being judgmental. In fact, Zophar might argue he is practicing an early form of apologetics: Zophar is using reason to defend God.

Like Job, Job’s friends love God, and the miserable destruction of Job’s life presents a difficult challenge to their belief in a good and just God.

Zophar is trying to defend God’s honor. To Zophar, the notion of a good God that would allow so much suffering in an innocent man’s life is sacrilegious. Zophar, along with Bildad and Eliphaz, believes God is good, therefore Job must have done something terrible to cause God to take away Job’s children, his health, and all his possessions.

Zophar concludes that his old friend Job must be wicked. Zophar then proceeds to describe the wicked by saying he will be sick and suffer: “his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again” Job 20:14-15. Zophar assumes the wicked—and by implication, Job—has oppressed the poor (v.19) and now he will be destroyed “the bow of steel shall strike him through” Job 20:24. Zophar, like his two friends, assumes that the mere presence of suffering in Job’s life is proof of Job’s guilt.

The three take a ‘RES IPSA LOQUITOR’ view of suffering: the presence of suffering is proof of sin.

Naturally, Job does not agree. I suspect he might have agreed a few weeks earlier—before all these horrible things happened to him. But he certainly does not agree now. Job disagrees for one simple reason: he knows he has not done anything as sinful as the wickedness his friends describe. Job responds to Zophar by talking about how wonderful the lives of the wicked can be. (And he’s right, isn’t he?)

“Why do the wicked live, become old, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. [Their bulls and cows have healthy calves, and the wicked parents have healthy children] … They spend their days in wealth” Job 21:7-13.

As you probably know, God later vindicated Job. He showed up and told Job’s three friends “Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right” Job 42:7.

We must not distort the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping.

The Bible says, “whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” Galatians 6:7. If you work hard in school, you will make good grades. If you work hard at the gym, you will grow stronger. But sometimes the hard-working student will suffer a circumstance leaving him with a bad grade. Likewise, the gym rat may sprain his ankle walking to the car and be forced to drop out of the Ironman competition he was anticipating.

When it comes to suffering and prosperity, nothing is ever black and white. There is no res ipsa loquitor argument that can prove righteousness or wickedness. The innocent will suffer and the guilty will enjoy prosperity and all we can do is trust God and walk by faith. He is sovereign and his ways are higher than our ways.

“Oh, the depth of riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways” Romans 11:33.

Dear God, thank you for the truth of your Word! Not only Job, but Ecclesiastes and many others who speak truths that every skeptic already knows: yes, we suffer! Thank you for writers who admit that yes, the wicked seem to have great lives, and yes, sometimes the righteous suffer so much! Thank you for the peace and the grace and the simple satisfaction that comes from knowing that we are not crazy, but that yes, things can seem mixed up and backwards and life is not always fair. But you are sovereign. And you are on your throne. And you love us.

And as Job said, “I know that my redeemer liveth, and in the end, he will stand upon the earth, and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God! With my own eyes, I will see him! How my heart yearns within me” Job 19:25-27. Yes, Lord. Our hearts yearn to see you! Thank you for your love and compassion. Thank you that no matter what we suffer, you are always with us. You are a good, good father!

AΩ

Jelly Roll and Jeremiah. Jeremiah 11:14.

Image from 20 the Countdown Magazine.

The people of Israel made God angry many times: by doubting him, by worshipping idols, by questioning the leadership of Moses, by having too little faith to enter the Promised Land, and more. God reacted to their disobedience in many different ways: with mercy, grace, silence, punishments that were brief, punishments that lasted decades. But in the book of Jeremiah we see something new. God specifically tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people of Judah.

“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them. Do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you” Jeremiah 7:16.

God says it again a few chapters later:

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in their time of distress” Jeremiah 11:14. 

Then he says it a third time: “Do not pray for the well-being of these people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry” Jeremiah 14:11.

God says he will not listen to Jeremiah and he will not listen to the people when they cry out in a time of distress.

It sounds like God is fed-up!

But what’s going on here? I thought God’s mercy was everlasting?

It turns out, Jeremiah is not the only Biblical writer who talks about times when God prefers we do NOT pray, and times when God says he will NOT listen to prayers. The reason God rejects prayers at such times is the sinfulness of those for whom we pray. “All have sinned,” of course, and God welcomes the prayers of sinners. But in rare cases he rejects the prayers of those who have spent a lifetime rejecting him.

Through Isaiah, God confirms, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you. Even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening [because] your hands are full of blood!” Isaiah 1:15.

Through Micah, God warns, “Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done” Micah 3:4.

But this is Old Testament stuff, right? No.

Jesus spoke of a sin that would not be forgiven:

“Whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come” Matthew 12:32.

John says do not pray for those who commit this “unpardonable sin”—“There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that” 1 John 5:16.

To simplify a difficult subject, to commit the unpardonable sin is to reject the pleadings of the Holy Spirit. When do you know a person has committed that sin? When they die without Christ.

A pastor I know suggested (though he admitted he had no clear scriptural evidence) that he had heard of cases in which a person rejected Christ so often, for so many years, that finally everyone just stopped trying. It was as though the burden to win his soul was lifted from the believers around him. Even the man’s own wife spoke of an odd relief—she loved him, she grieved for his lost soul, but she no longer felt a burden to witness to her husband. She wondered whether the man had finally said NO to God one time too many.

What’s going on here? Can a skeptic thumb his nose at God, rejecting over and over the tug in his own heart until finally God has had enough? And did the people of ancient Israel reject God, lusting so hard after idols that God finally said, ‘Don’t even pray. I don’t want to hear it. You are being punished now’? Yes.

Remember: God has a heart. He is bigger than the universe and more powerful than ten thousand suns. But we hurt God when we reject him. We hurt the Holy Spirit when he pleads with us to repent and we simply laugh in his face and trudge on in our sinful ways.

And the thing is—we KNOW we are doing it. I believe somewhere deep down, no matter the deception, people know they are repeatedly rejecting God over and over and over and over. The Bible says, “He has placed eternity in their hearts” Ecclesiastes 3:11. We have a sense of the truth of eternal life. And we also have a sense of justice, and of the rejection we are engaged in when we tell God to stay out of our lives. Consider these song lyrics:

I only talk to God when I need a favor

And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer

So, who the hell am I, who the hell am I

To expect a Savior, oh

If I only talk to God when I need a favor?[1]

Clearly Jelly Roll[2] understands—sometimes we pray selfishly, or we never pray at all. Why do we expect God to rescue us when we are unwilling to obey him and serve him? The logic is actually quite simple. If Israel is determined to worship idols all week long, then God says don’t bother me with your prayers on the Sabbath day. And if Israel is determined to worship idols for decades—for generation after generation—then God tells even his prophets not to pray on behalf of this wicked nation.

But if you love the Lord, spend some time with him! If part of you wants to pray, encourage that part! Make walking with Jesus easier for yourself! Spend more time with those who love him. Spend some time reading the word. Get to church at least once every week. Make walking with God a habit, and I know he will bless your life and answer your prayers.

And don’t wait to talk to him until you need a favor!

AΩ

[1] “Need a Favor,” song by Jelly Roll, 2023.

[2] Say what you want about Jason DeFord, but he may be the most interesting singer to emerge in years. DeFord, whose mom began calling him “Jelly Roll” when he was still a child, is a unique cross-over artist, whose music has been played on country, rock, alternative, pop, and adult contemporary radio formats. The ex-con with the face tattoos has a kind of universal “street cred” that causes his music to appeal to the widest audiences imaginable. Even Christian contemporary stations are playing his collaboration with Brandon Lake, “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” Jelly Roll writes music that openly tackles personal problems. These lyrics are not simply vulnerable. They are raw. Consequently, many of his songs ask searing questions about spirituality.

The Weeping Prophet Curses His Birthday, but Maintains Hope.

Dear Diary,

Every day is hard now. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a nice meal and a few laughs. It’s all so serious all the time. God continues to give me messages of doom and destruction. Honestly, no one even knows my name anymore. They just say, “Here comes the weeping prophet.”

And they call me worse things.

No one likes the bearer of bad news. And I’ve got news for you: Being the bearer of bad news is no picnic either.

These sermons are terrible. Yesterday it was all about how the sword of God’s wrath would be drunk with blood [Jeremiah 46:10]. Try to wrap your head around that metaphor: God’s sword of death will drink so much blood it becomes intoxicated.

But today was new low: cannibalism. That’s right. Actual cannibalism.

God said, “I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his friend” Jeremiah 19:9.

When people call me the ‘weeping prophet’ I want to say, “Of course! Could anyone prophesy this kind of devastation over his own nation and NOT weep?” A man would have to be a sociopath to preach these messages in anger like some kind of nutty religious zealot. I love these people. I love Israel and Judah. I love God’s people, and every day he tells me to prophesy horrible things to them if they won’t repent. There is nothing I can do but weep for them and their bad choices.

I think God weeps too.

You know what else? I still don’t have a wife because God told me not to [Jeremiah 16:1]. No wife and no kids. He won’t even allow me to attend weddings or funerals. Like I said, you’d weep too if you were me.

But IF I DID HAVE A WIFE, I’d be complaining to her instead of scribbling in a diary. And my imaginary wife would say, “Surely it’s not as bad as all that is it?”

And I would answer, “Yes. Here’s an example. God said he would wipe out the nations that take his people captive, but he would only punish us in measure.

“I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure” Jeremiah 46:28.

Yep. Sure, hun. You’re right. It’s not so bad. God will wipe out the bad guys. But Israel and Judah he will only destroy up to a certain measure. He will correct us without wiping us completely off the map. Yep. Good news. Even the wrath of God has its limits.

Do I sound sarcastic? I am being sarcastic.

I think.

Kind of.

I mean, I love God, and I trust him. But today is another one of those days—like most days—where I hate delivering his messages. I hate being the messenger. I hate my life. It’s all doom and gloom and bad news.

No one wants to hear what I have to say. I’m the ‘oh-no-here-we-go-again’ guy. People see me coming and they cringe.

I feel like Job. (Except Job had a wife and lived to see four generations of his children! Job 42:16.)

What I have in common with Job is that sometimes I wish I’d never been born. I curse the day of my birth. I don’t celebrate it. Why would I?

“Cursed be the day wherein I was born. Let not the day be blessed. Cursed be the man who told my father he had a man-child. That man should have slain me in the womb. My mother should have been my grave. Why did I even come out of the womb? To see a lifetime of labor and sorrow? To live an entire life consumed with shame?” Jeremiah 20:14-18.

The other day I resolved to just stop preaching. To just keep my mouth shut. Mind my own business. Work quietly around the house, do a bit of gardening. Try to be a good neighbor. Retire peacefully. But I couldn’t do it! I failed even at keeping my mouth shut!

“I said, ‘I will not make mention of him, nor speak anymore in his name. But God’s word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I grew weary with holding it in. I could not stay quiet!” Jeremiah 20:9.

Can you see why I hate my life? Why I curse my own birthday? Why everyone calls me the weeping prophet?

And yet, I have hope.

I do.

I see God. I know his hope and his love and his grace and forgiveness.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.

Even if hope is all I have, I will hold on to my hope in God. Even when I hate my life and curse my birth, I’m never without hope. God’s hope is always there, smoldering inside me, a hot coal of joy. His hope remains.

AΩ

Gratitude Will Make You Happy; Comparison Will Make You Unhappy. Jeremiah 45:3-5.

Some lives are harder than others. They just are. Nothing is “fair” and things do not even out.

Most of us today live in an age of antibiotics and vaccines for childhood diseases. We have clean drinking water, pasteurized milk, and more food than we can eat. Many parents will never bury a child. Those of us in the United States have never seen battles in our cities, the bombing of our homes, and the mass deaths wrought by global wars. Many work white-collar jobs in the air-conditioning, and rarely more than eight hours a day. We think an interruption of our cellphone service or WiFi is a major problem. A car repair is an unbearable inconvenience.

Reflecting on the incredible state of modern life, Comedian Louis C.K. says, “Everything is amazing and nobody is happy.”[1] We forget that those of us born in the modern world with first-world conveniences have won the lottery—our lives are easier than everyone’s in history.

But again, life is not fair and things do not always even out. God often asks his children to walk a difficult road. Some are sent to war. Some to the mission field. Some suffer with diseases, a bad marriage, or other problems.

Sometimes it just feels like bad luck, like Nothing ever goes right for ME. Or worse,

I’ve served God faithfully for years and STILL nothing ever goes right for ME.

Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch felt that way. For over twenty years the man wrote down every word of Jeremiah’s preaching. Working for Jeremiah meant sharing Jeremiah’s grief. It meant being hated by all the people who hated Jeremiah. And it meant not pursuing whatever other dreams Baruch might have had. He grew frustrated. Baruch grew frustrated and complained. I’m not sure it was a prayer; he may have simply complained to himself. But God heard him. Here is what Baruch said:

“Woe is me now! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am worn out with groaning and find no rest” Jeremiah 45:3.

God gave Jeremiah a message to pass on to Baruch:

“Thus saith the Lord, ‘I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted throughout the earth. Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people. But wherever you go, I will let you escape with your life” Jeremiah 45:4-5.

God did not offer Baruch a great deal of comfort. Why not? Is God not compassionate? He is. But Baruch is a grown man, and in my opinion, God is treating him like a man. Rather than offering Baruch a shoulder to cry on, God says in effect, Man up. The whole world is suffering under my wrath. You do not live in a time of ease and comfort. But I will give you this promise: you will survive.

Sometimes I think selfishly. There are things I want but do not have. I have dreams I may not achieve. I have experienced a lifetime of amazing things, yet often find myself thinking of things I have not experienced. My thoughts can be self-centered and childish. And yes, sometimes I even dabble in the sin of comparison, wishing my life was more like someone else’s:

“Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art or that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least….”[2]

The truth is, everyone is discontented sometimes. What can you do?

(1) First, remember that a first-world life in an age of modern medicine puts you miles in front of most of the people who ever lived on earth. Our lives are longer, healthier, and packed with more creature-comforts than all the richest kings of Europe. You have to know you are winning. Never stop being grateful for that!

(2) Second, practice gratitude and contentment. Trust God like Baruch needed to do. Accept your role, your gifts, and whatever life God has given you. Be content in who you are and again—BE GRATEFUL. Practice gratitude every single day.

(3) Finally, never lose your eternal perspective. Because this life is NOT your story. This is not all there is. This is the messy back side of God’s amazing tapestry. In heaven you will flip it over and see His wisdom in every stitch, every moment of your life. From that perspective, from the view of HEAVEN, YOUR REAL HOME, you will be overwhelmed with gratitude for all that God has done.

“The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the joy that is coming in heaven” Romans 8:18.

AΩ

[1] Check out Louis CK’s hilarious insights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFB7q89_3U

[2] William Shakespeare, Sonnet 29 “When, in Disgrace With Fortune and Men’s Eyes.”

***Once again, I heartily recommend HEAVEN: YOUR REAL HOME, by Joni Eareckson Tada.

*** Jeremiah ALSO complained to God about how hard his life was. The weeping prophet goes so far as to curse the day he was born. He even resolves to stop preaching, but God’s word “was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary of holding it in” see Jeremiah 20:7-18. https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2025/05/02/the-weeping-prophet-curses-his-birthday-but-maintains-hope-jeremiah/

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/.