Editor’s Note: AMI devotionals from Sept. 28-Oct.2 are written by Pastor Ryun Chang.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
2 King 24:3-4 (ESV): Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.
Joseph Prince, pastor of a megachurch in Singapore, who writes, “We don’t have to keep on asking the Lord . . . for forgiveness because He has already forgiven us,” would probably warn us to stay clear of this verse: “The LORD was not willing to forgive” (NIV). However, be rest assured that even during the Old Testament time, God was all too willing to forgive the wayward Israelites with whom He had covenanted unconditionally (i.e., an unbreakable contract). Though indignant God had declared, “I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should forgive them” (Hos. 1:6), in the next breath, He added, “Yet I will show love to the house of Judah” (1:7). God assured the Jews being punished in Babylonia as captives, “I will restore [your] fortunes and have compassion” (Jer. 33:26).
Then why does God make statements that seem to contradict His very nature? How can an omniscient God, upon seeing man’s wickedness during Noah’s days, “repent[] . . . that he had made man on the earth” (Gn. 6:6 KJV). Surely, the term “anthropomorphic” is too heavy for a morning devotion, but we cannot understand why God would say, “I’m not willing to forgive,” apart from grasping its meaning. Anthropomorphism is attributing human qualities to God, so that we may gain an adequate understanding of this infinite being whose nature and qualities would otherwise be unknowable to finite humans. The essence of anthropomorphic expressions isn’t doctrinal exactitude—but emotional candidness, to draw us closer so as to hear His heartbeat. And as we wait in stillness, we would hear Him say, “You matter to me.” Think about that for a second: the God of this vast universe, instead of being indifferent, actually cares about me; so much so that He would respond emotionally—rather than doctrinally—when we err to our own detriment!
God has already forgiven all our sins in Christ, but we must first acknowledge our sins and then confess them for His forgiveness to be effectual (1 Jn. 1:9). So today, examine your heart in light of the Scriptures; and under the guidance of the Spirit, confess your sins to the Lord in order that your relationship with Him would be truly restored.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I praise You this morning for your loving kindness. While I’m easily dismissed and ignored by those who are more powerful than me, I’m heartened to realize that You, who is above everyone and everything, considers me so important that You would open Your heart towards me. While I don’t understand why I would matter to You, I’m awed and grateful that You do.
Bible Reading for Today: 1 Thessalonians 3
Lunch Break Study
Pastor Prince comments that since “[God] . . . forgave all—past, present, and future—of our trespasses” (p. 44) . . ., we don’t have to confess our sins in order to be forgiven. We confess our sins because we are already forgiven” (p. 104).
Read Matt. 6:14-5: For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 John 1:9-10: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Matt. 18:34-5: And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Question to Consider
- How would appraise Prince’s theology or teaching in light of these verses?
- If you consider this matter similar to Christ’s atonement for the world (1 Jn. 2:2: “He is the atoning sacrifices for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world”) and our need to actually believe what he did to be saved, then, what would you say to those who insist that we don’t need to confess ours sin because they are already forgiven?
- Are you in need of asking forgiveness from God? We learned today that we must first ask forgiveness from the one whom we wronged. Pray about making that call to reconcile today.
Notes
- The main problem is that his teaching doesn’t address these verses that say that we won’t be forgiven unless we forgive those who wronged us and unless we confess our sins. Having read his book (2007), he either ignores these verses or does a very poor job of explaining them. For instance, he insists that 1 John 1:9 addresses the unbelieving Gnostics, which is incorrect, since John wrote 1 John to the believers to “make [their] joy complete” (1:4).
- The fact that Jesus is the “atoning sacrifices for the sins of the whole world” doesn’t mean that everyone in the world for which Jesus died is already saved. They need to first hear the gospel, and then believe. Likewise, those who are in Christ are already forgiven in Him (future sins included), but they must first recognize and then confess them in order for God’s forgiveness to “kick in.” That doesn’t mean that unforgiving Christians who, therefore, are unforgiven of a particular sin are no longer saved; while the relationship is still intact, there cannot be a true fellowship with God as long as we linger in our unconfessed sins.
- Personal response.
Evening Reflection
One undeniable fact is that we are full of self-righteousness. As a result, we see “the speck of sawdust in []our brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in []our own eye (Matt. 7:2). In looking back, were you upset at someone today for what that person said or did to you? Stay still and ask the Holy Spirit to bring clarity to that situation. What really happened? Does that person still owe you an apology, or is it you? Even if that person did wrong, were you overly righteous in your response (Eccles. 7:16)? Did you forgive or ask for forgiveness? It is never too late.
When “John,” who was in my youth group many years ago, wanted to speak to me in private, I just assumed that he was having problems with his parents; but I was wrong—he was having problems with me! Dumbfounded by a litany of his accusations, I surprised even myself by refraining from responding to him in anger. Was it because all his charges were groundless? Most of them were—but not everything. What galled me the most was the fact that he wasn’t exactly a model citizen—he frequently ditched school and was into pornography.
Miami Heats, down 3-2 to San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals, were trailing by 3 points with seconds left in the sixth game. Then Miami’s Ray Allen, after grabbing the rebound, frantically backpedaled to the corner to launch a 3-pointer without checking to see if his feet were on the 3-point line. The ball went in and the Heat eventually became champions. Later, it was revealed that Allen had invented a drill in which he backpedaled to the corner, received a pass, and shot without looking at the 3-point line. After 17 years of doing the same drill, Allen delivered.
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story, “Leaf by Niggle,” Niggle is a perfectionist painter who wants to paint a picture of a leaf and then a whole tree. While this project becomes his sole responsibility, Niggle doesn’t get much done because of his intense focus on painting the leaf and his heart for helping his neighbors. After an unfortunate accident, Niggle dies— weeping that he left only a single painted leaf. But as Niggle enters heaven, he is comforted by Mercy because of his willingness to sacrifice for others. He, then, discovers that his tree, fully detailed and finished, is now “part of the True Reality that would be enjoyed forever.”
Some of us who follow a reading plan to read the Bible in one year, have had times when we had absolutely no idea what we had just read; nonetheless, we were content to mark off another 5 chapters from the reading chart. But King Josiah wasn’t like that. Upon discovering the Book of God’s Law that had been lost for a long time, he devoted himself to purify the land of Judah of its idolatry so that Judah’s ways would conform to what was written in God’s book. He read God’s Word to the people of Judah and led them to renew their commitment to walk in the way of the Lord. The majority of this chapter (vv. 4-20) records how Josiah removed idolatrous priests from the house of the LORD, removed altars that previous kings of Judah had built, burned vessels that were for Baal and Asherah worship, and more. Josiah truly turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and certainly, with all his might.
How amazing is it that we effortlessly fill our brain with trivial stuff (e.g., batting average of your favorite player) while neglecting the important matters, which, in the end, will cost us dearly. 2 Kings 23 shows us that when God’s people disregard God’s Word (in Israel’s case, she didn’t even know where the “Bible” was), not only their hearts turn away from God, but they end up doing the unthinkable.
Fall is football season, and there are few sports in which the beauty of teamwork is more evident. Marathons are by nature individual, basketball can be played one-on-one, but with football, you need a team. Even before the quarterback throws the ball, he is only able to because he has teammates protecting him from getting tackled, giving him the time he needs to assess the overall situation on the field and make the best decision. The quarterback could then run with the ball himself, but most of the time it’s more effective for him to pass it to another in a better position to run with it. Teamwork is therefore essential and a great part of what makes the game enjoyable.
Leaders will be held accountable by God for the influence they exert, for good or for evil, and the direction in which they lead people; but people are also responsible for their choices. In 1 & 2 Kings, we have seen a succession of good kings and bad kings, their reigns and legacies defined by this one standard: whether or not they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. If they did what was right, the nation flourished; if not, the nation suffered. When the nation’s history is recorded in a structure that highlights the lives of the leaders, it can be easy to start thinking that it was all the kings’ responsibility. Even in today’s passage, if we just read verses 11-14, it could seem that Manasseh was a wicked king that led a hapless people into sin, and that because of what he had done, God was going to punish the whole nation; how sad, unfortunate, and almost unfair to the people.
When I was younger, I liked reading books about magic. Before Harry Potter, there were classic fairy tales, the Oz books, the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I remember one of the very first series I really enjoyed as a young reader featured a little witch named Dorrie. I loved the whimsical illustrations and charming narration: “This is Dorrie. She is a witch. A little witch. Her hat is always on crooked and her stockings never match.” Because she wasn’t a grown-up witch, her spells did not always come out exactly right, and that was what made things fun.
It’s always easier to start a project than to finish it. A simple proof of this is looking at the attendance of your local gym. At the beginning of January, the gym is packed full of people starting off with goals to lose weight and get physically fit. But usually by the end of the month, the gym looks the same as it did in December, with only a handful of people still on top of their New Year’s resolutions.