God Is Watching
Commentary
I wonder what we think when we hear this phrase: "God is watching." For all too many, I suspect that it means that all they do and think is transparent before God. They live in constant fear that they will do something which will offend him and bring wrath down upon their heads. What a terrible thing. It is bad enough to be disliked and hovered over by a friend, a member of the family, or the boss at work. But it is much more terrible to go through every day living in mortal fear that God may pounce at any time.
Sometimes I hear preachers painting scenes which make God seem like that and then call it the Gospel. Good News? Not for me. Sounds more like bad news.
Check out Luke 3:15-18. Here John the Baptizer comes with his hell fire and damnation preaching and says, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Then Luke adds, "So, with many other exhortations he preached Good News to the people."
Luke must have rolled on the floor in paroxysms of laughter. Good News, my foot! John brought bad news and Luke knew it. He means to contrast it with the Good News of Jesus.
To say that God is watching over us is to be like the child who can face the dark of the bedroom alone because he has prayed his prayers and is certain that God watches over his sleep.
It is that spirit of trust that such a statement is meant to engender. Check out Psalm 139 again. Find there the poetic lines that tell of God's omniscience, his omnipresence, and his omnipotence. Whether it is said in a letter, or a gospel, or a poem, the message is the same. There is One who cares for us and in whose presence our lives are lived and our dying done. We need have no fear.
OUTLINE I
A Song for Pilgrims
Psalm 121
Introduction: In order to aptly deal with this Psalm, one has to imagine the situation. Here we encounter a pilgrim on the way to Jerusalem. On the way, no matter from which direction one comes, the trip winds through rough terrain. In such places bands of robbers often lurked and preyed on unsuspecting travelers. Here comes one who is on the way, perhaps for Passover or Pentecost or the Feast of Tabernacles, the three mandatory holy days of the year. Now continue.
A. A sentence left out. Read line one. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills." Then, "From whence does my help come?" A sentence is left out. It ought to read:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
I see there the pagan shrines.
Others see these shrines as a place from
which they gain their safety. So ...
From whence does MY help come?
See the meaning? Since Jews were prevented from making images of their God, no such shrines existed for them. They would have never thought of trying to shrink their God down to the size of anything made by man. After all, their God made all things and could not be so represented.
B. Now read the rest of the poem and its many words of reassurance. The God of the Jews is not limited in space or time as he comes to meet their needs. Their God is much bigger than that of the pagans who raise up shrines on tops of hills. Poor pagans, they are only protected in the area where their god is effective.
Conclusion: In every threatening case, God's protection is acknowledged. They live under his watchful eye. And so do we. The Jew could repeat this poem and the one in Psalm 31 and then live with a confidence born of God's presence. By the way, the 31st Psalm is the Jewish "Now I lay me down to sleep." Note that verse 5 is quoted by Jesus from the Cross.
OUTLINE II
Advice for a Young Preacher
2 Timothy 3:14--4:5
Introduction: If you are ever called upon to be the speaker at an ordination or consecration or installation service for one who will serve in the church, you will find what is written here tailor-made for your address. I think that you can take it just as it is and comment on it as follows.
A. Reminded of His Heritage. Why not? All of us are recipients of most of what we have. When a strong faith orientation has been a gift from our parents and our friends, we have the best of all foundations for beginning.
B. Keep the Faith. Here it is related to the Scriptures. And, remember, the writer is talking about the Old Testament. The New Testament will not be canonized for nearly another 200 years. There are those who think that the Old Testament is irrelevant. Don't you believe it. The writer of this letter would have never accepted that.
C. 4:1-2. Now if we have it anywhere, we have here the job description for the minister of the Word. Who can add much? Just let it speak for itself.
D. Verses 3-5. "Ain't it the truth." Everybody likes to hear whatever will make them comfortable. As someone has wryly said, we are called not only to comfort the afflicted, but to afflict the comfortable. The implication is clear. If one intends to speak the truth, there will often be a price to be paid. Be ready for that.
Conclusion: While this passage can easily be used as outlined above, it can also be used in almost any context where the call to ministry and service is involved. And while you are at it, be on constant watch for those with itching ears.
OUTLINE III
The Case of the Pushy Widow
Luke 18:1-8a
Introduction: If there is a parable that is easily misunderstood, it is this one. At first glance, it seems to teach that if we will be constant in prayer and keep banging on heaven's door, we can get almost anything we want. God seems to some to be a heavenly tyrant who slowly and grudgingly gives in after we have battered him into submission. Take another look.
A. Verse 1-5. Here is truly a human story. The widow is so pushy that the judge finally gives in and hears her case. You know how it is. There comes a point when it is no longer good sense to resist. So give in. But is that the way it is with us and God?
B. Verses 6-8a. Here one must hear the unwritten "how much more." It is clearly spoken in Luke 11. Almost the same story is told in 11:5-8. But note those meaningful words here in verse 13. The meaning is clear. God is not like those who have to have their doors banged on repeatedly in order to get their attention. Long before we know our own need, he knows it. We come to him to discover what it is we need and find that he is ready, more ready than we imagine, to give us what we need.
Conclusion: The other day the phone rang and a member of the church said to me, "I have just been over my accounts with my bookkeeper and we have discovered that I owe the Lord money from last year. I hear that you need some new computers. Could you use $4,000?" I replied, "Of course, and this is one of those marvelous times when God answers my prayers before I get around to praying." That is what we are to hear: a message about a God who loves us so much that he never lets us go and only unwillingly at the last will let us send ourselves to hell.
Sometimes I hear preachers painting scenes which make God seem like that and then call it the Gospel. Good News? Not for me. Sounds more like bad news.
Check out Luke 3:15-18. Here John the Baptizer comes with his hell fire and damnation preaching and says, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Then Luke adds, "So, with many other exhortations he preached Good News to the people."
Luke must have rolled on the floor in paroxysms of laughter. Good News, my foot! John brought bad news and Luke knew it. He means to contrast it with the Good News of Jesus.
To say that God is watching over us is to be like the child who can face the dark of the bedroom alone because he has prayed his prayers and is certain that God watches over his sleep.
It is that spirit of trust that such a statement is meant to engender. Check out Psalm 139 again. Find there the poetic lines that tell of God's omniscience, his omnipresence, and his omnipotence. Whether it is said in a letter, or a gospel, or a poem, the message is the same. There is One who cares for us and in whose presence our lives are lived and our dying done. We need have no fear.
OUTLINE I
A Song for Pilgrims
Psalm 121
Introduction: In order to aptly deal with this Psalm, one has to imagine the situation. Here we encounter a pilgrim on the way to Jerusalem. On the way, no matter from which direction one comes, the trip winds through rough terrain. In such places bands of robbers often lurked and preyed on unsuspecting travelers. Here comes one who is on the way, perhaps for Passover or Pentecost or the Feast of Tabernacles, the three mandatory holy days of the year. Now continue.
A. A sentence left out. Read line one. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills." Then, "From whence does my help come?" A sentence is left out. It ought to read:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
I see there the pagan shrines.
Others see these shrines as a place from
which they gain their safety. So ...
From whence does MY help come?
See the meaning? Since Jews were prevented from making images of their God, no such shrines existed for them. They would have never thought of trying to shrink their God down to the size of anything made by man. After all, their God made all things and could not be so represented.
B. Now read the rest of the poem and its many words of reassurance. The God of the Jews is not limited in space or time as he comes to meet their needs. Their God is much bigger than that of the pagans who raise up shrines on tops of hills. Poor pagans, they are only protected in the area where their god is effective.
Conclusion: In every threatening case, God's protection is acknowledged. They live under his watchful eye. And so do we. The Jew could repeat this poem and the one in Psalm 31 and then live with a confidence born of God's presence. By the way, the 31st Psalm is the Jewish "Now I lay me down to sleep." Note that verse 5 is quoted by Jesus from the Cross.
OUTLINE II
Advice for a Young Preacher
2 Timothy 3:14--4:5
Introduction: If you are ever called upon to be the speaker at an ordination or consecration or installation service for one who will serve in the church, you will find what is written here tailor-made for your address. I think that you can take it just as it is and comment on it as follows.
A. Reminded of His Heritage. Why not? All of us are recipients of most of what we have. When a strong faith orientation has been a gift from our parents and our friends, we have the best of all foundations for beginning.
B. Keep the Faith. Here it is related to the Scriptures. And, remember, the writer is talking about the Old Testament. The New Testament will not be canonized for nearly another 200 years. There are those who think that the Old Testament is irrelevant. Don't you believe it. The writer of this letter would have never accepted that.
C. 4:1-2. Now if we have it anywhere, we have here the job description for the minister of the Word. Who can add much? Just let it speak for itself.
D. Verses 3-5. "Ain't it the truth." Everybody likes to hear whatever will make them comfortable. As someone has wryly said, we are called not only to comfort the afflicted, but to afflict the comfortable. The implication is clear. If one intends to speak the truth, there will often be a price to be paid. Be ready for that.
Conclusion: While this passage can easily be used as outlined above, it can also be used in almost any context where the call to ministry and service is involved. And while you are at it, be on constant watch for those with itching ears.
OUTLINE III
The Case of the Pushy Widow
Luke 18:1-8a
Introduction: If there is a parable that is easily misunderstood, it is this one. At first glance, it seems to teach that if we will be constant in prayer and keep banging on heaven's door, we can get almost anything we want. God seems to some to be a heavenly tyrant who slowly and grudgingly gives in after we have battered him into submission. Take another look.
A. Verse 1-5. Here is truly a human story. The widow is so pushy that the judge finally gives in and hears her case. You know how it is. There comes a point when it is no longer good sense to resist. So give in. But is that the way it is with us and God?
B. Verses 6-8a. Here one must hear the unwritten "how much more." It is clearly spoken in Luke 11. Almost the same story is told in 11:5-8. But note those meaningful words here in verse 13. The meaning is clear. God is not like those who have to have their doors banged on repeatedly in order to get their attention. Long before we know our own need, he knows it. We come to him to discover what it is we need and find that he is ready, more ready than we imagine, to give us what we need.
Conclusion: The other day the phone rang and a member of the church said to me, "I have just been over my accounts with my bookkeeper and we have discovered that I owe the Lord money from last year. I hear that you need some new computers. Could you use $4,000?" I replied, "Of course, and this is one of those marvelous times when God answers my prayers before I get around to praying." That is what we are to hear: a message about a God who loves us so much that he never lets us go and only unwillingly at the last will let us send ourselves to hell.
