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Don’t be the crowd! Matthew 21:1-10

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Today is Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem, several days before he died on the cross. I want us to think about this story today, as it is told in Matthew 21:1-10. And I want you to reflect on how you fit into this story – ‘What character would you be?’ ‘What role would you play?’ [Impromptu acting out of Matthew 21:1-10]

Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king

This event has great significance, because this is the first time that Jesus explicitly and publicly proclaims himself king. This whole scene is an intentional enactment of Zechariah 9:9 which says, “Behold, your king is coming to you . . ..” Jesus is here coming to his capital city, the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, as Zechariah said, presenting his claim of kingship to Jerusalem and to Israel.

I want to focus first on how Jesus makes his claim of kingship. Kings rule and people obey them. That’s how kingship works, right? Now we know that in the world kings rule through the use of power. That is, because they have power, people are forced to submit. In Matthew 20:25 Jesus speaks of this. He said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them . . ..”

But Jesus doesn’t operate this way. Jesus doesn’t force Israel to submit to him. And so when he enters Jerusalem as a king, he does not come with trumpets blaring, or troops of warriors exercising power to coerce submission to his rule.

Jesus comes in humility, peacefully, and without force – riding on a donkey. He could have come with legions of angels (Matthew 26:53), but instead he simply presents himself and makes his claim on the people – “I am your king.”

And then he lets the people choose how they will respond. This is how Jesus makes his claim to be the rightful king of Israel.

Next, as we look at the story, both of the entrance into Jerusalem and how it plays out leading up to Jesus’ death on Friday, I want us to focus on three responses to Jesus’ claim of kingship. There are three different responses that are illustrated in this story.

1. The disciples – who are very few in number. They choose to submit to Jesus as king.

2. The religious leaders – also few in number. They openly oppose Jesus. Not only do they reject his claim of kingship, they are offended by it and seek ways to get rid of him.

And then we have 3. the crowd. This is where most people are. Those in the crowd are not sure where they stand with regard to Jesus’ claim of kingship:

  • On Sunday, when they thought Jesus could help them they claimed him as king. They formed a huge procession and said, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is the one who come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven.” Yeah, Jesus, you are our king. Praise God for a Savior!
  • On Friday, when the religious leaders had Jesus at their mercy, and Jesus was not so appealing anymore, they turned on him and disowned him. “Pilate said to [the crowd], ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!’ And he said, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Let him be crucified!’” – Matthew 27:22-23. And they were so worked up that Pilot was afraid of a riot.

So the crowd was fickle, at one time leading a parade to have Jesus be king; at another, nearly rioting to have him killed.

Ever wonder what you would have done if you were there in Bible times? How you would have responded to Jesus? Well, in this case you really don’t have to wonder, because Jesus still works in the same way today.

Jesus comes to us as king

He comes to each one of us and makes his claim on us, “I am your king.”

  • He wants us to recognize that he is our rightful king.
  • And he calls us to complete submission and obedience to him in every area of our lives.

But just as we saw before, he is not like the world’s leaders. How Jesus makes his claim of kingship on us is different. He doesn’t force us to submit. He doesn’t use coercion. He is a different kind of king.

He comes to us humbly to make his claim upon us. He doesn’t overwhelm us. He allows us to choose.

And so the question, like in the story, is, ‘Will we recognize his claim and submit?’ It is in our hands. And we have to choose.

And like in the story, in our lives there are three responses to Jesus’ claim of kingship. And certainly we know from the Scriptures that we are to be like the disciples, because they chose to submit to Jesus as king. They failed for sure, and we will also, but their commitment is there. We are to choose to be obedient to Jesus – our rightful king.

And for sure, we are not to be like the religious leaders, who chose to oppose him, tear him down, cast him aside. This much is clear.

It is the third category – the crowd that is such a stumbling block to so many people. And for this reason I am highlighting it.

  • For here, as in the story, you are with Jesus (at least for a time), when it suits your needs, or if the circumstances are right, or if you are in the right mood, or if it’s the fad of the time and everyone else is doing it. If one of these things is true, then yes, you are for him: “Hosanna! Hosanna! Jesus is my king.”
  • But you are not with Jesus, when it doesn’t suit your needs, or the circumstances are not right, or you are not in the right mood, or if it isn’t the fad anymore and you are the only one. Then you are not for him. He is not your king. And you cast him off, so you can go your own way.

Just as in the story, so today, most people take the way of the crowd. It seems safer because lots of people are with you. It is not so radical, like the religious leaders or the disciples. And if you are wrong, at least you are not a religious leader who completely rejects Jesus.

But there’s a serious confusion here. For in this story both the religious leaders and the crowd made the wrong choice. It is only the disciples, and them only waveringly at times, who chose correctly.

The way of the crowd may seem safe and appealing, but in reality it is no better than the way of the religious leaders. For neither obeyed Jesus as king. This is their common choice. The crowd tried to have it both ways. And you can’t have it both ways with Jesus.

The words of Jesus in the vision of Revelation 3:15-16 speak clearly to the place of the crowd: “. . . You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

So the exhortation today is “Don’t be the crowd!” Don’t be in the middle with regard to Jesus. Don’t try to have it both ways. Don’t go the lukewarm route.

Don’t be fooled by the idea that at least sometimes you like Jesus and claim him as king. Because part-time submission to Jesus, when it suits you, when it fits your needs may sound better than open and constant rejection, but it really isn’t.

Part time submission is actually a rejection of Jesus’ claim of kingship over you. For submission that is based on your terms, is not submission at all. You are still calling the shots. You are still seeking to maintain control of your life – only going with Jesus when that meshes with your choices for your life.

You can’t have Jesus on your terms. You can only have Jesus on his terms. And he demands everything. This is how kingship works. So I implore you this morning, give yourself fully and completely over to Jesus as king.

He is here among us right now and he comes to you this morning to present his claim on you as your rightful king. Will you choose the right way? Will you give yourself fully to him?

William Higgins

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The Joseph Stories. The literary structure of Genesis 37-50

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on March 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The following PDFs are my attempt to discern the literary structure of the Joseph stories in Genesis. The first covers all the material. The second looks at structural parallels between stories. These are drafts. The full text is given, from the English Standard Version.

Joseph stories

Jospeh stories structural parallels

William Higgins

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Sketch: Resurrection in Psalm 139:18?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on March 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The phrase at the end of  v. 18 – “I awake and am still with you” has often been interpreted as a reference to the resurrection in Jewish and Christian tradition. The imagery of awakening is a common one for the resurrection. This is the interpretation of the LXX (Septuagint). [See N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, p. 150.]. And it is the interpretation of the Aramaic Targums – “if I should count them in this world, they would be more than sand; I shall awake in the world to come, and I shall still be with you.”

It is, however, not fashionable to read v. 18 in this way today. In fact, the word is often repointed to mean, “come to an end,” that is, the writer comes to the end of trying to count God’s thoughts and is still with God. Or the sense is given that the writer has fallen asleep, thinking about the sum of God’s thoughts, and he awakens to find himself still in God’s presence.

Often the reason given for a non-resurrection reading is that there is no context in the Psalm that leads to this. Let’s look at this. The place of the dead is referenced several times prior to v. 18. The writer speaks of Sheol in v. 8, and takes the position that “you (God) are there.” This is a more positive view of Sheol. Whereas in other places it seems that God is absent from Sheol, here God’s presence would be with the writer if he dies (“make my bed in Sheol”) [Or is he is simply making a visit to Sheol? In either case God is with him.].

vs. 11-12 is also, most likely, referring to Sheol with the phrase “the darkness.” Again there is a more positive view of Sheol. The darkness is not dark to God. The writer can be seen and known by God is Sheol.

Then in v. 15 we have another reference to Sheol in the phrase “the depths of the earth.” Here the writer makes a poetic connection between the womb and Sheol (they are in parallel with each other). Both are places of darkness. But perhaps there is more. If the womb is the place of waiting while being formed for life on earth, perhaps the comparison turns on seeing Sheol as the place of waiting for resurrection life. Sheol is then like a womb – from which will come those who are resurrected.

This then leads into the writer’s marveling over the sum of God’s thoughts/intentions – God’s forming of him in the womb, God’s forming of the days for him while in the womb. And at the end of this we have v. 18. All of God’s thoughts would include God’s purpose to raise him from the dead, so that he is still with God, beyond Sheol.

Also, if v. 18 is a reference to resurrection, it fits contextually with v. 19. The prayer for God to act against the wicked would have an eschatological force. “God bring forth the final day of judgment – the resurrection of the  righteous and the judgment of the wicked.”

Finally, this emphasis would fit well with v. 24, translated as “the way everlasting.”

William Higgins

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I dare you to pray this! Psalm 139:23-24

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on March 18, 2012| 7 Comments »

This post has been moved – I dare you to pray this!

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A sketch: What about calls for judgment in the New Testament?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This is just a sketch, and by no means a complete treatment. Feedback invited. It also serves as a footnote to the teaching on “The purpose and the problem of Psalm 139,” so you will need to look at that to understand this.

1. You can ask God to act for justice, to right wrongs done against you. The persistent woman in Luke 18 is praying for justice and in context is a model of prayer for the disciples. There is no need to think that this is teaching us to call for non-redemptive judgment. It can be seen as a call for redemptive judgment and also as a call for the kingdom to come (v. 8).

This is how I read Revelation 6:10, where the martyrs pray, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” It should be seen as a variant of the prayer – “Your kingdom come, bring forth justice! And don’t forget us, Lord!” The focus is on timing. But they are reminded to be patient and to defer to God’s timing.

But there is a tension in these prayers, as noted in the teaching on Psalm 139.

2. You can announce God’s judgment upon an evildoer. This is not you calling on God to judge someone in a destructive way, but God speaking through you to proclaim this. Here are some examples –  Jesus announcing woes in Matthew 23; Peter speaking to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5; Peter speaking to Simon in Acts 8; Paul speaking to Bar-Jesus in Acts 13.

3. A curse is involved in church discipline contexts, but it is meant to be redemptive. A formula for excommunication is taken from the synagogue context and used in the church. It goes like this – “let _____ be anathema.” Anathema means cursed. The idea is that one who is excommunicated is turned out of the community that bears God’s blessing and is given over to Satan and the world – which is a curse. But the judgment is to be redemptive, because the hope is that this very action will cause the person to wake up and turn once again to God. (See 1 Corinthians 5:5).

When Jesus says in Matthew 18:17 – “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector,” the phrase, “let him be . . .” is the anathema formula. He is to be seen as outside the church.

This, then, is the background for 1 Corinthians 16:22. Paul says, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.” Paul is speaking of the Corinthian Christians. Here we see the anathema formula – “let him be accursed (anathema). He is saying that any believer who has no love for the Lord is to be disciplined.

This is also the case with Galatians 1:8-9 – “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” In both v. 8 and v. 9 there is the anathema formula. Paul is saying that false teachers should be disciplined and excluded from the church. This is not an invocation of a non-redemptive curse. It is redemptive because it is a part of the church discipline context

William Higgins

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The purpose & the problem of Psalm 139

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2012| 1 Comment »

This post has been moved – The purpose and the problem of Psalm 139

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Psalm 139 literary structure

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on March 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Here is a PDF of the literary structure of Psalm 139. The formatting is too complex to put in a post. William

Psalm 139 literary structure

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God knows all about you! Psalm 139:1-18

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2012| 1 Comment »

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Psalm 95 – Scriptural connections

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Sunday school lesson

Review. We have looked at the two parts of Psalm 95. The first calls us to worship God. The second calls us to listen to and obey God’s voice. Now we look at how these two parts fit together, along with how the second part of this Psalm connects to some other key Scriptures.

Read the text. 

“[1] Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! [2] Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! [3] For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. [4] In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. [5] The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. [6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! [7a] For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

“[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. [10] For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

How the first and second parts of the Psalm connect. There is such a significant difference between vs. 1-7a and vs. 7b-11 in tone and focus that many have thought they should be seen as separate. Yet there are a number of connections between the two parts. Here are three examples:

Question 1: What name is God called in v. 1 (part one)? What plays a key role in the two stories in part two (Massah and Meribah)? 

Question 2: Near the center point of this Psalm (in terms of words) , God is called “our Maker” (v. 6). How does this name speak to why we should praise God (part one) and why we should listen to God (part two)?

Question 3: What is the image of God in v. 7a (part one)? How does this fit with the call to listen to his voice in 7b (part two)? [hint – John 10:4]

A central connection between the two parts is the progression of worship in the Psalm as a whole, noted before. The people come to the temple with loud praise, they come in to bow down (part one) and then they listen to a message from God (part two). And there is a message in this. Yes, true worship involves thanksgiving and loud praise, as well as bowing down before God (part one). But it also involves listening to and obeying God in faith. The first is relatively easy. The second is not always easy. For instance, in Exodus 15 Israel praised God with song, but in Exodus 17 they did not obey, but tested God at Massah.

The idea of God’s rest is also a connection between the two parts of this Psalm. As we saw last week “God’s rest” can refer beyond just entering the promised land. It can also be a reference to the temple (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:14, Isaiah 66:1) and it can look back to when God created the world and then rested (Genesis 2:2-3).

  • If we see also a reference to God’s rest as creational, then this ties part two together with part one’s focus on God creating both the earth and Israel.
  • If we see also a reference to God’s rest as relating to the temple, then this ties part two together with part one’s focus on coming to the temple to worship.

How Psalm 95:7b-11 connects with other Scriptures. It is tied to numerous other Scriptures that reference Massah and Meribah and testing God in the wilderness. We will mention one and look at another.

Psalm 95’s sermon may well be based on Deuteronomy 6, which is itself a sermon based on Israel’s testing of God in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 6:16 says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” Notice also two key words from Deuteronomy 6 – “hear” (vs. 3, 4) and “today” (v. 6) that are also found in Psalm 95:7b.

If Psalm 95:7b-11 is a sermon based on Deuteronomy 6, Hebrews 3:6-4:11 is a sermon with Psalm 95:7b-11 as its text. Notice the layers here: 1. Massah (Exodus 17:1-7) and Meribah (Numbers 20:2-13); 2. Deuteronomy 6; 3. Psalm 95:7b-11; 4. Hebrews 3:6-4:11.

The author of Hebrews uses Psalm 95 to reflect on Massah and Meribah and to apply it to Christians. Look at the material below and then read Hebrews 3:3-4:11.

  • The situation in Exodus and Numbers: the children of Israel are without water in the wilderness
  • The situation in Hebrews: Christians struggling under hardship and persecution. The “today” of Psalm 95 is applied to this.
  • The failure in Exodus and Numbers: they tested God by not believing and obeying him.
  • The failure in Hebrews: they will test God if the message of the gospel is not held to by faith with obedience.
  • God’s rest in Exodus and Numbers: the promised land is at the forefront.
  • God’s rest: the promised land is combined with the creational rest of God in Genesis to speak of the rest of the coming new creation, the kingdom of God.
  • The result in Exodus and Numbers: they did not enter the land.
  • The result in Hebrews: they will not enter God’s rest, unless they renew their faith.

*According to Hebrews 4:1, 6, 8, 9 – the truest fulfillment of God’s rest has to do with Christians entering the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 3:6-4:11: [6] – And we are his (God’s) house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. [7] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works [10] for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ [11] As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.'”

[12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. [15] As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

[16] For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? [17] And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

[4:1] Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. [2] For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. [3] For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ “although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. [4] For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” [5] And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”

[6] Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, [7] again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

[8] For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. [9] So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, [10] for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. [11] Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Note: Massah and Meribah are translated not as place names but according to their word meanings, here rendered as “rebellion” (Meribah) and “testing” (Massah). [This is how the Greek Old Testament (LXX) translates Psalm 95. The King James also.]

Question 4: According to the author of Hebrews how does the message of Psalm 95:7b-11 challenge Christians in his day?

Question 5: How should it challenge us today?

Large group discussion of answers.

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Don’t test the Lord. Psalm 95:7b-11

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on February 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Sunday school lesson

Review. Last week we saw how Psalm 95:1-7a calls us to worship the Lord. God is worthy because he is the creator – both of the world (vs. 3-5) and of us his people (v. 7). These acts demonstrate how great God is. But also, simply because God is our creator and we are his, we ought to offer up praise to God. This is the right response. Finally we give thanks because this same God who made all things, “is our God” (v. 7), not some other idol or false god.

We also noted how there is a progression in this Psalm, much like what happens in a worship service: First we are called to sing, give thanks and make a joyful noise (vs. 1-2). Second we are called to bow and kneel (v. 6). Finally, we are called to listen to a message from God.

Read Psalm 95:7b-11.

“[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. [10] For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

Commentary. These verses have a structure to them, just like we saw in the first part of Psalm 95. vs. 7b-9 form an inverted outline and vs. 10-11 parallel each other. Take a moment to look at the chart below: 

Our verses today, although brief, have rightly been compared to a sermon. And if they are a sermon they are based on the two stories mentioned in v. 8 – the story of Massah in Exodus 17:1-7 and the story of Meribah in Numbers 20:2-13. These stories are very similar, and in both God provides water for his people from a rock.

The word Massah means “testing.” The word Meribah means “quarreling.” In Exodus 17 Moses names that place both Massah and Meribah, while in Numbers 20 Meribah is mentioned as a place name. We will refer to the first as the Massah story and the second as the Meribah story. 

The tone of this sermon is a real contrast with the first part of Psalm 95 which is upbeat and joyful. It gives a strong warning to avoid the mistakes made by the people of God in these two wilderness stories.

Psalm 95 tells us that in both instances Israel “put me to the test and put me to the proof” (v. 9). They tested God. Read the following Scriptures to see what Israel did:

  • Exodus 17:1-3 “. . . there was no water for the people to drink.  Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
  • Numbers 20:2-5- “Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

Interestingly Psalm 81:7 tells us that God was also testing them. God let them experience these difficulties to see how they would respond to him.

The phrase “for forty years” (v. 10) refers to the time of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. The story of Massah (Exodus 17) would have been near to the beginning of this time. The story of Meribah (Numbers 20) would have been near to the end of this time. That generation of Israelites was known for their fighting with God from beginning to end.

Vs. 10-11 show that the result of such disobedience to God is judgment. “God loathed that generation.” God was angry. God excluded them from the promised land.

V. 11 tells us that God swore an oath in his wrath. The content of this oath was that “they shall not enter my rest.” Deuteronomy 9:22-24 relates the Massah story to the story of the spies in Numbers 14. It is here that God swears that none of that generation would enter the land (Numbers 14:20-35). Failure to obey God’s voice is cited in Numbers 14:22 as the reason for this. Psalm 95:7-8 tells us to listen to God’s voice.

The word wrath is not mentioned in the stories of Massah and Meribah. However, Deuteronomy 9:22-24 speaks of the Lord’s “wrath” in connection to Massah, and Psalm 106:32 speaks of God’s “anger” in connection with Meribah.

God’s rest (v. 11) can refer to several things. It can look back to God’s Sabbath rest after the creation of the world (Genesis 2:2-3). It can also refer to the temple, the place where God rests (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:14, Isaiah 66:1). Or it can refer to the land of promise, which was often called God’s rest (Deuteronomy 12:9, Joshua 1:15, 1 Kings 8:56). In the context here, the last one seems to be at the forefront. God does not allow them to come into the rest of the promised land.

Questions:

Question 1: What did Israel do wrong in the stories of Massah and Meribah? How does our Scripture describe what they did wrong (vs. 7b-9)? They quarreled and tested God. Grumbled. Asked, “Why? Why? Why?” Demanding.

Psalm 95 says they hardened their hearts to God so that they didn’t listen; they put God to the test and to the proof.

This is the core issue – they assumed that God could not handle this. Unbelief. No confidence in God. And this showed up in their complaining and quarreling. We’re gonna die!

They took the stance that God had to prove himself to them, which is what it means to test God.

Question 2: What should they have done when confronted with their desperate situation (no water in a desert)?  They should have known that God can take care of them. And if God led them into a place with no water, God had the ability to provide water for them.

They should have trusted God. They should have come to God in confidence – “OK God, how would you like to work through this problem. We know you are able.”

Question 3: How does the end of v. 9 – “though they had seen my work” play into God’s judgment of them? They knew better. They had seen already many great miracles. There was no need for God to prove himself to them. They had no excuse.

Question 4: How do we test God? What are some examples? In our difficulties – instead of trusting God and saying, “OK God, how would you like to work through this problem we know you are able?” we stand back and say God why did you let this happen? We complain. (this is not a discerning “why?” but a complaining “why?”). We assume God isn’t able to take care of us. We demand that God prove himself trustworthy to us. It doesn’t matter what God has done in the past – “Prove yourself again Lord!”

Question 5: V. 7b says, “If you hear his voice.” What do you think God is trying to say? Trust me. Look to me. Keep doing what I have commanded you. Don’t harden your heart to this so that you start to complain, argue, and put me to the test.

Question 6: If we are not allowed to test God (also Deuteronomy 6:16), why is God allowed to test us? God doesn’t need to prove himself. God is able and completely faithful. It is we who need to prove ourselves. Will we be faithful? Will we rely on God? This is very much a question.

God’s motive is also different. God does it for our own good. We want peace and no problems – and complain if we don’t have this. But God wants us to grow and become more faithful. And so he allows us to have problems. So that we can learn. *God loves peace, but loves even more that we learn to trust in him.

Large group discussion of answers.

Final thought: “Today” in v. 7b is a word of grace. Yes, the generation in the wilderness failed. But it is a new day for God’s people “today,” that is, all of us who hear this message from Psalm 95. And we are being invited to get it right. To trust God in our times of testing. To have faith. To move forward in obedience to God even when it is hard.

Jesus, in his wilderness testing (Matthew 4/Luke 4), quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 – “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” This verse is a part of our complex of Scriptures connected to the sermon in Psalm 95. Jesus trusted God. He listened to God. He did not harden his heart. He got it right. And he is our example and can be our help in our times of testing.

How will you respond “today” in your difficult situations?

Handout – Two rock -water stories

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