2 Chronicles 30:18-20
"18For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, 'May the good LORD pardon everyone 19who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.' 20And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people."
One of the popular criticisms that folks today make of the Old Testament is that it depicts a cruel God who rules with an iron fist. This is, of course, contrasted with the New Testament "fluffy lamb" - namely Jesus - who loves everyone. There are even "Christians" who have sought to throw the OT out and hang on to just the NT documents (consider the "German Christians" who went apostate in Germany during Hitler's rise to power).
This view, which lacks cohesion between both testaments, cannot be held onto when one actually reads the Bible. This passage is a perfect example.
Context
Here in 2 Chronicles 30 King Hezekiah has taken over the monarchy of the southern kingdom, Judah. At this point in Israel's history, the nation has been split in two - Israel up north and Judah down south. In a daring move, Hezekiah invites not only people from his kingdom to participate in the reinstating of the Passover, but also the people of the northern kingdom! Many of them, unfortunately, "scorned and mocked" Hezekiah's invitation (v. 10b). Still it was not a total loss, some did respond and made the trek to Jerusalem in order to commit their hearts back to the LORD.
Those who did make the journey must have realized their desperate need to be restored to their true God. The northern kingdom had been exceedingly unfaithful to Him and had been experiencing severe oppression by the nation of Assyria. Those who made it to Jerusalem had escaped this oppression. In their faithlessness, they had not been keeping up with ceremonial law and were thus considered unclean which would deem them unfit to participate in the Passover observance and celebration.
God's Grace Apart from Works
The beautiful part of this passage comes right after Hezekiah's prayer where the chronicler writes, "And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people." The king knew these Israelites were unfit to be restored to God because of their failure to observe the law. He also knew that their only hope of restoration would be through God's cleansing, not their own works. In order to show His lovingkindness, God grants Hezekiah's request. The LORD effectively teaches Israel (and us) that the heart is of supreme importance to God. He knows that if the heart is changed, the actions will follow.
Preparing the Way for the True Cleanser
Not only does this passage show us God's character (he delights to pardon), but it prepares the way for the One who would once and for all accomplish mankind's cleansing. Jesus' coming and His substitution for sinners would show us decisively that God "desires mercy and not sacrifice" (see Hos. 6:6 and Mt. 9:13). He knows our inability to uphold the standards which He laid out in the law. And so, He has made the sacrifice in order that we may obtain His mercy. He has provided the law-abider to stand in place of the law-breakers. This is the grace we must put all of our trust in if we wish to be changed in the heart and be restored to our Maker.
--
If you're a skeptic who thinks God is some bully in the sky, won't you reconsider? The just judgment which He has rendered against humans, He has bore in Himself so that we can be saved.
If you know Christ already, I pray that you would sink deeper into His love by seeing more and more, all the He has done for you! He has proved over and over His love for you. Taste it once again and continue to be changed!
May the Lord grant to all of you a greater understanding of His pardoning grace!
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
About Me
- Dustin Smetona
- I am a 25-year old sinner saved by grace. I have been richly blessed with a wonderful wife. I work to find Christian homes for children in foster care. I photograph weddings and portraits with my wife. Most importantly, I love Christ because He has saved me, and I hope that by reading this blog, you will be pleased to say the same.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Christian Liberation of Women
In my last post I sought to articulate how modern, American culture attempts to liberate women through the promotion of corporate success, physical beauty, and sexual promiscuity. While that movement has accomplished plenty of good things (i.e. women's suffrage, women in the business world, women's rights, etc.), it has also caused a form of oppression to arise against women with more traditional values.
I think it's important to note that this kind of cultural/societal oppression goes back and forth. Women have been oppressed into the "traditional" mold and the "modern" mold. Sins have been committed on each side. Whenever either side gains momentum, they look down on those who disagree with them. My answer to this problem is not to take sides. I see that each side has their strengths and their weaknesses. The deep-seeded problem, however, is that both mentalities have the same fatal flaw. The flaw in both is that they are seeking self-satisfaction in their own accomplishments. They are enslaved to searching for significance in themselves. Their liberation can only come when they find significance outside of their achievements.
In view of all that, the question I am seeking to answer is this: How does the announcement of what Christ has done (the Gospel) liberate women from their cultural bondage?
I'd like to answer in three parts:
1. Christ Liberates Women from Self-Pity
Self-pity is really an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Its onset comes about as a result of an inability to reach perceived goals. I've identified that the woman with modern values is looking for corporate success, physical beauty, and sexual promiscuity. In her mind, she has created a level that she must reach in each of those categories to feel satisfied. The traditional woman does the same thing but with well-behaved children, a beautiful home with which to entertain guests, and a loving husband. We all do the same thing, just plug in your own particular ideals. We may think "If I can just get a job that I enjoy going to everyday, then I'll be happy!" or "If I can just lose 20 more pounds, then I'll finally like my body!" You get the picture.
Those of us who've done this for long enough realize that it's a battle which cannot be won. Once we get that job we love going to, eventually we have days or weeks where we wish we could stay home or find another one. When we lose 20 pounds we still feel fat. We've tried every parenting trick in the book and still our kids seem overly defiant. It's at that point when self-pity sinks in. We just don't feel successful, beautiful, or talented even though we've done all we can. The problem is that we are looking for an abiding sense of satisfaction internally and peripherally.
The Gospel-saturated Christian is saved from this self-depleting mentality. We don't have to seek satisfaction in personal achievements. Why would we when we know that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). God gave up His greatest treasure, His only Son, so that He could have us. Through Jesus, God has given us eternal life, abundant life, freedom, work, family, inheritance, spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Spirit, righteousness, holiness, and a host of other blessings. If we hold on tight to this truth, there is never a need to feel inadequate since He has made us adequate! All our necessary achievements have been met by Christ. Whenever your head drops because you fail to achieve your self-made goals, think about all that Jesus has secured for you and He will become the "lifter of your head" (Ps. 3:3).
2. Christ Liberates Women from Self-Worth
When you read this title you may ask the question, "What's wrong with self-worth? Isn't that a good thing?" Let me define what I mean by "self-worth" before I talk about why women need liberation from it. When I say "self-worth" I mean that she finds her value in herself, namely her accomplishments. If she sets standards for herself and achieves them, then she feels like she's worth something.
Let's look at the modern woman and the traditional woman again. The modern woman tells herself, "Once I make CEO, then I'll know I'm talented and hard-working!" Our traditional woman tells herself, "If I can just marry a handsome, hard-working man then I'll know I'm loved!" Once again, each woman has identified a temporary object that is supposed to give them lasting satisfaction. They are asking those objects to bear a burden which they can't possibly bear! Pause for a moment and plug your own object into that phrase. What are you waiting for or hoping for that you think will FINALLY make you happy?
Got it in your head? Now, allow me to burst your bubble: it won't make you happy.
Do you know why this kind of discontentment exists? So that you will long for the LORD! God makes temporary things unsatisfying so that you will say that "as a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God" (Ps. 42:1). St. Augustine puts it wonderfully when he writes, "You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You."
Am I saying that women shouldn't desire to be CEOs or to have good husbands? Nope. I'm saying that they need to find their satisfaction in the good news that Jesus has redeemed them by sheer grace. Jesus' love and affection is the only thing that can give them the satisfaction which they long for. If they try to make a job or a man do that for them, they'll be faced with disappointment after disappointment. And why would she do that when Christ is standing there saying, "I have loved you with an unbound love. Is that not enough?" If she comes to a place where Christ is enough, then she will be free from the need to find her worth in herself. She feels worthy because Christ loves her, not because of her accomplishments.
3. Christ Liberates Women from Selfishness
The reason that human societies decay is due mainly to selfishness. We humans (especially Americans) look at our resources, abilities, and talents as ways in which to advance ourselves. Let us consider, for the third and final time, our modern woman and our traditional woman. The modern woman looks at her promiscuous sexuality as a means for her to ultimately please herself, not to please another. And the traditional woman looks at having well-behaved children as a sense of status and accomplishment. Neither of these women are using their respective talents purely for the sake of others or to glorify God.
The reality is that the sin committed by each and every woman (man as well) has racked up a debt with God that they can never hope to repay. Each one has slighted God and hurt other people through their self-glorifying deeds. And Christ, in His mercy, has come, at infinite cost to Himself, and paid their debt. How can a woman moved by that kind of love try to boast about her own accomplishments? A woman who is profoundly struck by that good news rejoices with the psalmist declaring that "My soul makes its boast in the LORD" (Ps. 34:2). She who knows all that Christ has done for her is free from selfishness. She knows that she is nothing, but she also says in her heart that "Christ has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul" (from the hymn It is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford).
--
Jesus Christ's love is not some abstraction. It is made known in tangible action. He has accomplished so much for you, not because you are deserving, but because you are needy. You cannot add to it; "It is finished!" You need nothing else to be satisfied. Forget about sexual conquest, a respectable family, a high-paying job, and your looks. They will never make you truly joyful. Rejoice in the King who became poor, so that His peasants could become His royal court.
I pray with Paul in Ephesians 3:19 that you "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." When you do, you will be free from every cultural bond.
I think it's important to note that this kind of cultural/societal oppression goes back and forth. Women have been oppressed into the "traditional" mold and the "modern" mold. Sins have been committed on each side. Whenever either side gains momentum, they look down on those who disagree with them. My answer to this problem is not to take sides. I see that each side has their strengths and their weaknesses. The deep-seeded problem, however, is that both mentalities have the same fatal flaw. The flaw in both is that they are seeking self-satisfaction in their own accomplishments. They are enslaved to searching for significance in themselves. Their liberation can only come when they find significance outside of their achievements.
In view of all that, the question I am seeking to answer is this: How does the announcement of what Christ has done (the Gospel) liberate women from their cultural bondage?
I'd like to answer in three parts:
1. Christ Liberates Women from Self-Pity
Self-pity is really an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Its onset comes about as a result of an inability to reach perceived goals. I've identified that the woman with modern values is looking for corporate success, physical beauty, and sexual promiscuity. In her mind, she has created a level that she must reach in each of those categories to feel satisfied. The traditional woman does the same thing but with well-behaved children, a beautiful home with which to entertain guests, and a loving husband. We all do the same thing, just plug in your own particular ideals. We may think "If I can just get a job that I enjoy going to everyday, then I'll be happy!" or "If I can just lose 20 more pounds, then I'll finally like my body!" You get the picture.
Those of us who've done this for long enough realize that it's a battle which cannot be won. Once we get that job we love going to, eventually we have days or weeks where we wish we could stay home or find another one. When we lose 20 pounds we still feel fat. We've tried every parenting trick in the book and still our kids seem overly defiant. It's at that point when self-pity sinks in. We just don't feel successful, beautiful, or talented even though we've done all we can. The problem is that we are looking for an abiding sense of satisfaction internally and peripherally.
The Gospel-saturated Christian is saved from this self-depleting mentality. We don't have to seek satisfaction in personal achievements. Why would we when we know that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). God gave up His greatest treasure, His only Son, so that He could have us. Through Jesus, God has given us eternal life, abundant life, freedom, work, family, inheritance, spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Spirit, righteousness, holiness, and a host of other blessings. If we hold on tight to this truth, there is never a need to feel inadequate since He has made us adequate! All our necessary achievements have been met by Christ. Whenever your head drops because you fail to achieve your self-made goals, think about all that Jesus has secured for you and He will become the "lifter of your head" (Ps. 3:3).
2. Christ Liberates Women from Self-Worth
When you read this title you may ask the question, "What's wrong with self-worth? Isn't that a good thing?" Let me define what I mean by "self-worth" before I talk about why women need liberation from it. When I say "self-worth" I mean that she finds her value in herself, namely her accomplishments. If she sets standards for herself and achieves them, then she feels like she's worth something.
Let's look at the modern woman and the traditional woman again. The modern woman tells herself, "Once I make CEO, then I'll know I'm talented and hard-working!" Our traditional woman tells herself, "If I can just marry a handsome, hard-working man then I'll know I'm loved!" Once again, each woman has identified a temporary object that is supposed to give them lasting satisfaction. They are asking those objects to bear a burden which they can't possibly bear! Pause for a moment and plug your own object into that phrase. What are you waiting for or hoping for that you think will FINALLY make you happy?
Got it in your head? Now, allow me to burst your bubble: it won't make you happy.
Do you know why this kind of discontentment exists? So that you will long for the LORD! God makes temporary things unsatisfying so that you will say that "as a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God" (Ps. 42:1). St. Augustine puts it wonderfully when he writes, "You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You."
Am I saying that women shouldn't desire to be CEOs or to have good husbands? Nope. I'm saying that they need to find their satisfaction in the good news that Jesus has redeemed them by sheer grace. Jesus' love and affection is the only thing that can give them the satisfaction which they long for. If they try to make a job or a man do that for them, they'll be faced with disappointment after disappointment. And why would she do that when Christ is standing there saying, "I have loved you with an unbound love. Is that not enough?" If she comes to a place where Christ is enough, then she will be free from the need to find her worth in herself. She feels worthy because Christ loves her, not because of her accomplishments.
3. Christ Liberates Women from Selfishness
The reason that human societies decay is due mainly to selfishness. We humans (especially Americans) look at our resources, abilities, and talents as ways in which to advance ourselves. Let us consider, for the third and final time, our modern woman and our traditional woman. The modern woman looks at her promiscuous sexuality as a means for her to ultimately please herself, not to please another. And the traditional woman looks at having well-behaved children as a sense of status and accomplishment. Neither of these women are using their respective talents purely for the sake of others or to glorify God.
The reality is that the sin committed by each and every woman (man as well) has racked up a debt with God that they can never hope to repay. Each one has slighted God and hurt other people through their self-glorifying deeds. And Christ, in His mercy, has come, at infinite cost to Himself, and paid their debt. How can a woman moved by that kind of love try to boast about her own accomplishments? A woman who is profoundly struck by that good news rejoices with the psalmist declaring that "My soul makes its boast in the LORD" (Ps. 34:2). She who knows all that Christ has done for her is free from selfishness. She knows that she is nothing, but she also says in her heart that "Christ has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul" (from the hymn It is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford).
--
Jesus Christ's love is not some abstraction. It is made known in tangible action. He has accomplished so much for you, not because you are deserving, but because you are needy. You cannot add to it; "It is finished!" You need nothing else to be satisfied. Forget about sexual conquest, a respectable family, a high-paying job, and your looks. They will never make you truly joyful. Rejoice in the King who became poor, so that His peasants could become His royal court.
I pray with Paul in Ephesians 3:19 that you "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." When you do, you will be free from every cultural bond.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)