Think Wink.

Last week in a Bible study, I noticed a connection between James and the Psalms, namely Psalm 24. Consider the parallel between James 4:8 and Psalm 24:4,

Now linguistically, James is not quoting Psalm 24:4. He uses similar terms as the Psalmist (LXX of course) but he does not quote him. So I wanted to see what impact this Psalm might have upon understanding what James is talking about in James 4.

Psalm 24 opens with a declaration of Yahweh’s creational-sovereignty. He created the world and everything in it and therefore it all belongs to him (Psalm 24:1-2). Now a question is asked in Psalm 24:3, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” Who shall dwell with Yahweh in his sanctuary and home? Who is worthy to stand before Yahweh? The answer is found in Psalm 24:4-6. The person who cleanses his hands (deeds) and purifies his heart (inner disposition and thoughts), who seeks the face of the God of Jacob. The person who does not swear deceitfully and lifts his soul to what is false. This person will receive blessing from Yahweh, he will be justified (It is interesting here to see that righteousness (and blessing) is not so much a status but being allowed to dwell in Yahweh’s presence, salvation is dwelling in Yahweh’s “holy place” and on his “holy hill”). So a concluding question, “Who is this King of Glory?” The Psalmist commands the city to welcome in the “King of Glory,” but who is he? It is Yahweh, the mighty and strong Warrior. The Creator-Ruler is the King of Glory and the Psalmist commands the doors to welcome him and the gates to open to him. Thus the point of the Psalm is that for a person to dwell with Yahweh, the Creator and King of glory, that person must be pure in heart and deed, not lifting the soul to false things and deceiving neighbors.

Now in James 4, James is addressing a people that are fighting amongst themselves out of covetousness and envy. James describes them as waging “war” against each other, murdering and stealing. They are not seeking God for their wants and desires. When they do seek God, it is in a wrong manner, from a disposition that seeks to please themselves and not honor God. This activity is not friendship with God, according to James, but enmity with God and friendship with the world. They are not reconcilable. A person is either a friend of God or his enemy (James 4:1-6).

So James commands his audience,

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

It is here that one can see why James is alluding to Psalm 24. James is writing to a people who is acting as an enemy to God, who is their Creator and ruler. They are not seeking God out of pure motives and clean hands. They seek him, if they do, from a purely selfish motive. They are succumbing to the devil’s schemes. They are lifting themselves to that which is false, the devil and their own pride. They are deceiving each other and trying to deceive God. So James commands them to submit to God and draw near to him. But who can dwell on his holy hill? Who can be in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart. The one who seeks the face of the God of Jacob. They will be granted the right to dwell in the presence of God. James wants them to open their gates and doors to the King of Glory. They must humble themselves and God will grace and exalt them with his presence.

If they persist in their enmity with God and war with each other, they will come under the judgment of the King of Glory. Who is the King of Glory? He is Yahweh, “strong and mighty, mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8). They will fall under certain judgment of the King who will defeat them. Their enmity will be futile.

So the question I have to ask myself, am I cleansing my hands and purifying my heart and seeking the face of the God of Jacob? I have to confess that I don’t. But I thank God for Christ, in whom I have received every spiritual blessing from heaven. In him I have access to the Father and to a High Priest who understands my short comings and has secured my place among the people of God in the new creation. Have you come face-to-face with the Creator and King of Glory? Have you trusted in the work he performed to secure you a place among God’s people at the Day of Judgment?

Faith, Works, Amen

James White on John 3:16-17

James White on Steve Gregg

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. — John 19:28-30

Kinda gives a new meaning to John’s account of the soldiers giving Jesus something to drink huh?

No related posts

I came across an open theist’s response to the Reformed interpretation of Romans 9. In this article Greg Boyd presents six arguments against the Calvinistic interpretation of Romans 9, what he calls the “deterministic interpretation.” So I read the article and I have to say it is very unconvincing in this six arguments. In this next few posts I want to respond to his arguments and defend the Reformed interpretation. Read more

Objections to Calvinism Part 1 of 5

Objections to Calvinism Part 7 of 5

My Comfort in Romans 9

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.–James 3:13-18 (ESV)

Every week I attend a Bible study which is currently going through James. Last night we covered James 3 and a very striking observation came over me: this is a very tightly woven together epistle. James has a very compact work here. Read more

No related posts

[T]here are so many pictures and illustrations of the reality of propitiation, viewed from different standpoints. It is a shallow fallacy to imagine, as many scholars unfortunately do, that this variety of language must necessarily imply variation of thought

J I Packer, In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the atonement, p 42.

I think this applies to more than just propitiation. This also applies to much of the reasoning for supposing different authors for the Pauline literature and the book of Isaiah, etc.

No Doctrine But Love?

A Treasure Chrest

What is “He will save?”

I am now on twitter at http://twitter.com/hankimler. Just felt like I needed to do it.

No related posts

Here is a critique of this pastor and his KJV-Onlyist mentality.

My two cents about Pastor Anderson’s hate-speech. I understand that Anderson does not like Barak Obama. I agree that Obama’s position on issues like abortion and homosexual marriage are not biblical and do fall in line with what our Creator has designed for his creatures. I understand that these actions on the part of President Obama may make him the enemy of Jesus. However in Romans 12:9-21 (ESV), Paul tells the Romans (just before launching into a treatise on our relationship to our government) to love one another and to honor each other. He commands us to “bless and do not curse” (12:14). He says “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all” (12:17). He says to be at peace with everyone in terms of our actions and what we do. He says leave vengeance to God, as Moses commanded, and never avenge oneself. Instead Paul cites Proverbs 25:21-22 and says, “‘if your enemy i hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (12:20-21). Anderson’s sermon was not about overcoming evil with good, but evil with evil. He wasn’t showing peace to Obama, thereby heaping the greater coals upon Obama’s head. Rather, he was taking a Psalm written in a specific culture and point in history out of that context to justify his hate-speech. Is Obama God’s wrath upon an immoral nation? Possibly. Does that mean I don’t pray for God to save Obama and return this country to a society to loves and worships and delights in Jesus Christ? No it doesn’t. I pray for Obama to come to know Christ as Lord and Savior. I want to call Obama my brother in Christ and spend eternity with the President worshiping Christ together.

Abortion and Barak Obama

Piper on this Election

Everyone Loses It At Some Point

My Translation
16 Do not be deceived my dear brothers and sisters. 17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or hint of change. 18 By his will he gave us life through the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all his creatures. 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger 20 for a person’s wrath does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, put away all filthiness and evil excess and in meekness take up the word that has been implanted within you, that word which is able to save your souls. 22 And be doers of this word and not just hearers of it, thus deceiving yourselves. 23 The one who only hears the word but does not do it is like a man who beholds his own face in the mirror 24 He looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who carefully inspects the perfect law that brings freedom and continues to do so is not one who forgets what he hears but rather lives it out–and he will be blessed in living out the law. 26 If someone seems to be religious, but not bridling his tongue and so deceiving his heart, his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God the Father considers to be pure and undefiled is this: to care for the orphans and widows during their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Read more

Faith, Works, Amen

James White on John 3:16-17

James White on Steve Gregg