Gordon's Bible Blog

WW: Following the Shepherd's Voice (Jn 10:27)

2009-11-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

John 10:27 (NASB)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Teaching

Here Jesus, the good Shepherd, is making a very important point: sheep follow the shepherd's voice. That is, of course, so in real life between shepherd and sheep, and Jesus is using this image to describe the relationship of Him ('Shepherd') and His followers ('sheep'). The context again is the debate on who truly is a genuine leader (shepherd) and who isn't. Jesus did not accept the false leaders as genuine sheep for they disbelieved Him, who was sent by God (vv 25-26). But those who did believe, they were given eternal life (v 28; cf. 20:30-31). There is great security of genuine faith in connection with full surrender to His Lordship: there is eternal security as God will keep us safe (v 29). But the crucial issue is to hear His voice, to be known by Him, and to follow (obey) Him (v 27). Jesus made no secret of the conditions of discipleship and the first followers understood that they had to give everything - and in return gained everything! Jesus alone has the words of eternal life, and following them is worth anything we need to give up in order to stay faithful to Him, the good Shepeherd (see 6:59-69).

To obey God's voice was, of course, the crucial thing for the Jewish people. When God delivered the enslaved Israelites from Egypt, the house of slavery, about 3,500 years ago, He made clear that they are to obey His voice and keep His covenant (Ex 19:4-6). It was that obedience to His voice that would make them into that wonderful people God had chosen and who were to reflect who He was and lead people to the living God. Israel was called to be a light to the nations, an example to all the people lost in idolatry and pagan rites. Israel was the 'cultivated olive tree,' to use a figure of speech Paul used (Rom 11), those who were given the Word of God, the Torah, in order to live the way God sees best for the humanity He created. When God's people fell into serious sin during the time of Jeremiah, as they did during the time of the earlier prophets, it was, above all, their failure to obey God's voice that the prophet pointed out.

Jeremiah 7:23 (NASB)
But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I commanded you, that it may be well with you.'

These are words from Jerem,iah's famous Temple speech, making clear that Temple sacrifices without a genuine faith and relationship with God are not what God wants - He wants His people to obey His voice and walk in His ways (i.e., the way He sees best for the humanity He created).

In the same way Jesus emphasised the hearing and obeying of His voice, as God's Apostle/Sent One, as the crucial and foundational element in our relationship with Him. Communication is the basis of all relationships, hence the importance of hearing God's voice. The result is important: Jesus gives eternal life, which is what Jeremiah emphasised in the words: 'that it may be well with you.' God doesn't want obedience for the sake of it; He wants it because it is right and because it is good for us! His commandments are not burdensome, the apostle John tells us (1 Jn 5:3), but they are the delight of the true believer and worshiper (see Pss 1; 119). God has the welfare of His people and of all of humanity in mind when He calls us to obey His voice and keep His covenant (way of life).

What should also be pointed out is that hearing God's voice happens both through the Bible - God's Word - and through His Spirit, who giudes us. What is clear from Scripture is that the written Word of God and His contemporary spoken Word to guide us are not mutually exclusive nor in disagreement. God gave the Law as the way of life, Jesus gave us the right interpretation of it, the apostles clarified it, and still, God spoke to His people through His prophets and directly, and Jesus promised the Holy Spirit and His guidance. To say that the written word makes the Spirit's voice or prophecy superfluous is not a biblically correct teaching as God still spoke after given the Law and Jesus sent the Spirit to guide us.

Application

The crucial questions here are the following: are you hearing God's voice? If not, why? Have you given your life to the good Shepherd? Are you a genuine sheep that is known by Him? By way of analogy, it is one thing for us to 'know' the Prime Minister of England, but entirely a different one to be known by him. In the same way, people might think they know God, but are we in a right relationship with Him through humility, faith, and dedication? That very surrender to Him will make our heart soft to hear His voice. As He works in us and transforms us, we will be able to walk in His ways and obey His commandments. True love will result in obedience (Jn 14:15).

Discussion

(1) What experiences did you make in terms of hearing God's voice?

(2) Do you know of any hindrances to hearing God's voice?

(3) How have you heard God speaking when reading the Bible?

(4) How does God speak to you apart from Scripture?

WW: The Door to God's Provision (Jn 10:9)

2009-11-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

John 10:9 (NASB)
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Teaching

Previously we looked at Jesus the good Shepherd, in allusion to God the Shepherd of Psalm 23. In the context of John 10 and Jesus' teaching on the good Shepherd, He makes another remarkable saying: 'I am the door.' A door, an obvious figure of speech, is a place of entrance and access; the door leads somewhere. Jesus is the entrance point to all of God's rich provision and goodness. Jesus assumed a role of leadership and importance that transcended all previous leaders. He is the Prophet Moses said would be raised up (Dt 15:18ff; cf. Lk 9:35).

The second part of this verse is interesting, for one can find yet another allusion. The ideal leader according to Moses is one who goes out and comes back ahead of God's people, a leader who will ensure that God's people are not like sheep without a shepherd.

Numbers 27:15-17 (NASB)
Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd."

Surely, when the original audience of Jesus heard Him speak of a good shepherd and say 'if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture,' they would have not only thought of the passages discussed in the last two studies, but also of the above passage from Numbers. Moses was speaking of Joshua (Nm 27:18) who succeeded him as leader over Israel. He was the kind of leader who went ahead of God's people in order to protect and provide - the very responsibilities of a good leader.

Jesus is the kind of leader with integrity who can be trusted - He never fails, never disappoints, and never forsakes His people. Granted, sometimes we think 'God is late,' yet delay is not denial! Just because we think 'God is late,' doesn't mean He actually is late, right? Our understanding of time is not always God's! What is important here is that Jesus can be trusted to be the door to God's provision: He brings salvation and abundance, here described with the figurative 'pasture.' Sheep and shepherd was a common scene in biblical Israel and the analogy to God and His people well known. Hence the allusion.

Application

Timeless Truth: As the one giving access to God's provision, Jesus can be trusted as our Lord and Leader with the ability to provide for us at all times.

We all need guidance in life, and Jesus is the Lord and Leader for the believer. He gives access to God and His rich, abundant provision. We as His 'sheep' can trust Him to lead us out and in and provide for the life and work He has called us to. Unlike human leaders who might fail us at times, God's good Shepherd Jesus won't ever fail us. That is not to say that we shouldn't trust human leaders; the opposite is true: God works through human leaders, yet they can, on the one hand, not replace God as our ultimate guide and authority in life, yet, on the other hand, we need to be in a place of good, caring, and capable leadership through whom God works to accomplish His will. The key principle is that a good leader is one who will use His God-given gifts and position to build up the people under his care, whereas a bad leader will (mis)use people to build up his own 'ministry.' What we need to ensure is that the leader(s) above us are godly people with pure hearts, those who, like Jesus, lay down their lives for the sheep and lead by example (i.e., 'practice what they preach'). Those leaders can and should be trusted, for they are God's instruments to equip us, advise us, and protect us.

Discussion

(1) Are you in a place of trusting Jesus the good Shepherd to provide for you in all things?

(2) Are you in a good place with godly leadership who can edify, encourage and equip you?

(3) If you can answer both questions positively, you are blessed and can thank God for your leaders; if not, you should spend time this week to establish that trust with Jesus and earnestly seek a church with the kind of leadership God intends for all His people.

WW: Jesus - the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11)

2009-11-07T02:07:00.000-08:00

John 10:11 (NASB)
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Teaching

Jesus is the good Sheperd, as is recorded in John's Gospel. Other biblical authors also understood Him to be that Shepherd of our souls (see Hebr 13:20; 1 Pet 2:25; 5:4). As we have seen last week in The Lord is your Shepherd, God is our Shepherd who cares for us, leads us, and protects us. A shepherd in Scripture is a leader, a guide, and person who protects others. God, the good Shepherd of Psalm 23, is the foremost Shepherd, the model for other leaders to follow. The reason why David could be king was because he first was a shepherd. Hence, he did not rule over the people as corrupt leaders did, but he led the people by exmaple, self-sacrifice, and care and protection.

The main reason Jesus can claim to be 'the good Shepherd' is because He 'lays down His life for the sheep.' Selflessness is the key to being a good leader. Jesus died for our sins at the cross, a most brutal and agonising death - He did it for us; He laid down His life in death for us so that we could find peace and reconciliation with God (see Rom 5). He is 'the God of peace,' who raised Jesus, the 'great Shepherd,' from the dead in order to redeem us, as well as equip us to obey Him and thus do His will, yet by the power of the Spirit, that is, God working in us (Hebr 13:20-21). The death of Jesus was not just a redemption for eternal life, but also a way to empower us to live holy, righteous, and effective on earth.

In John 10 Jesus was, of course, alluding to Psalm 23. His audience, when hearing of the 'good shepherd,' would immediately think of Psalm 23. The Jewish people were very familiar with their holy Scriptures, having been raised by them from a very early age. They would thus associate Jesus with divine characteristics found in the psalm in which David had described God. But the audience would not only think of Jesus as the good shepherd of Psalm 23, but two other crucial passages from the prophets would come to mind: Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34. These were famous passages about false shepherds, corrupt leaders who sought their own welfare at the expense of the people's. They would feed themselves rather than 'the sheep' under their care. Leadership, in the Bible, is not about ruling, but about serving (cf. Mk 10:42-45). Yes, a leader leads, but by good example, not compulsion; by selflessness, not by self-interest; by humility, not by arrogance; by following God himself, not by telling people what to do without doing it himself (cf. 1 Pet 5; Mt 23).

How do I know that the audience would have thought of these three passages? Well, Psalm 23 is obvious - it is well-known to believers today, and so it was then (even more so). But consider John 9: there we find that a bild person was healed; Jesus restored His sight. Yet some of the religious leaders were upset because Jesus didn't play by their rules. After the dispute, Jesus makes a remarkable statement.

John 9:39 (NASB)
And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

These are tough words, and the religious leaders still didn't get it! The healing of the blind man wasn't just a miracle in itself; it served beyond that as a sign to illustrate spiritual blindess. Some people could not see Jesus for who He was - the Son of God, God in the flesh (person), the Saviour of the world, the King of the Jews, to name but a few titles of Jesus in John's Gospel. Jesus used the miracle as an 'object lesson' to demonstrate that He did not only come to restore physical sight, but also spiritual sight - so that people could see who He truly was - and find salvation through it. John's Gospel has the purpose of inspiring faith in Jesus so that people will find eternal life by it (see John 20:30-31). This pattern of miracle followed by discourse in relation to it, is found throughout John's Gospel. Jesus was implicidly rebuking the spiritual leaders who opposed Him for their spiritual blindness, while He affirmed that the humble, like the blind man, would not only be healed physically, but be restored to accurate spiritual sight.

A 'shepherd,' in that context of a dispute on Jesus' identity, would clearly refer to leaders. Hence, the continued opposition against Jesus. It is ever to sad that when people are confronted with their ignorance and blindness that they won't humble themselves and be set free, but rather fight to the death and remain in their spiritual darkness. Jesus knew that the good leaders are those who will genuinely and selflessly take care of others; 'hired shepherds' would not give that kind of sacrifice. Yet Jesus truly is the 'owner of the sheep,' and hence willing to protect them at any price. Jesus is like David who would chase a lion or bear whenever a sheep's life was at stake. Jesus came to save that which is lost (Lk 19:10). As the good Shepherd He will lead you besides 'still waters' and 'green pastures' (i.e., provision, abundance, health) when you hear His voice and follow Him (Jn 10:27). Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (Jn 3:16-17), yet people who refuse to acknowledge Him and humble themselves, won't see who He is - and thus miss the salvation He offered to a suffering world. Why don't you take some time this week to reflect on Jesus in John's Gospel?

Application

Timeless Truth: Jesus is your good Shepherd, who laid down His life to redeem you, guide you, and empower you in life.

Did you humble yourself to recognise the good Shepherd? Were you healed of spiritual blindness? If not, you have the chance to do so: humble yourself like the blind man and ask Jesus to heal you. Through it, you will find 'recovery of sight,' which the Messiah brought (Lk 4:18-19). Once you can see like the man born blind and can say with him, 'Lord, I believe' (Jn 9:38), and continue to be humble for it is the only way to live your life. Unless we are converted and become humble like children, we won't be part of God's kingdom - neither in this life, nor in the life to come (Mt 18:1ff). The psalmist said that he won't go into matters of pride and arrogance, but be content with knowing God and serving Him; with such an approach to life, he was at peace like a weaned child (Ps 131). Have you recently seen a weaned child? I do not know of a more peaceful sight to behold than a weaned child asleep - there is simply no worry whatsoever! God wants us to learn to live like that. Jesus can make it happen for you; as the good Shepherd He will take care of you, protect you, and guide you on the right path. Don't seek to be wise in your own eyes; be humble before God, seek Him, follow His word, and be content and at peace like a weaned child. God bless you with His Shalom (peace, health, fullness, etc)!

Discussion

(1) Did you humble yourself to receive spiritual sight?

(2) Are you willing to live a life of humility before God so that you can be at peace with Him and with yourself?

(3) What does Psalm 131 speak into your own situation in life? (share if it's not too private)

Jesus Culture - Your Love never Fails

2009-11-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

How it works...

2009-11-02T08:56:00.001-08:00

Let me briefly explain how Gordon's Bible Blog works, ok?

Courses

We'll start with a course that will first take us through the Bible. This course is called, "Introduction to the Bible" (IttB). I will write an article to a passage of the Bible that you can read. Within that there will be a Bible reading plan, which will set out certain chapters you should read. It is, of course, the best thing to read the whole book under discussion. Yet maybe you may not always have timne to do so, and that's why I will lay emphasis on certain chapters so that you will have the historical context. In this course we won't be able to discuss all biblical books, but you will get an overview of biblical history and more clear understand the main message. It will be important that you participate in the discussions; you can comment at the bottom of the article ("comment") and try to answer my questions (short and sweet) and also ask questions about the text. In this way we can all share online and help other another - we can all learn from each other and your input will be important! As soon as we have complete this introduction to the Bible, we can tackle different themes and go deeper into biblical books and doctrines.

Word of the Week

In the "Introduction to the Blog" I wrote that we need a good balance between devotional and analytical Bible reading. In order to that, I will write a "Word of the Week," which should encourage you, motivate you to pray and meditate, and challenge you to discuss with other Christians. These articles will be in three parts: teaching, what the text meant; application, how this has relevance for you and how you can apply this biblical text personally; discussion, in which you can share with others via "comment" at the end o fthe article and by which we can help each other. I will also participate in the discussions and I am looking forward to learning many things from you!

Is everything clear now? If not, do ask questions below: "comment." Thanks! Remember, there is no such thing as a silly question. Perhaps someone out there on the web doesn't dare to ask the very question you are posing, and because you are bold to do so, you are helping someone. Isn't that good, right?

Shalom,
Gordon

WW: The Lord is your Shepherd (Ps 23:1)

2009-11-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Psalm 23:1 (NLT)
The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.

Teaching

Many people today, especially those from the city, do not know anymore what a shepherd is. Meat is imported from New Zealand and elsewhere und only seldom do we see a herd of sheep under the supervision of a shepherd. But in biblical times this was not so; the opposite, rather: in biblical times there were numerous shepherds, for owning sheep (and other animals) meant great wealth. Like the Indians had their buffalos to survive and used everything a buffalo provided (not only its meat for food, but also its skin etc), so animal herds in biblical times were necessary to sustain families or tribes.

A shepherd was someone who too care of a herd of animals, provided for it, and, if need arose, protected it. Little David, who later became the greatest king of Israel, was the shepherd of his father's herd. Before David was anointed to be king the first time by the prophet Samuel (1 Sam 16), he was a shepherd; his "hobby" was music, or more accurately, worship and praise of God. Whoever has to tend sheep the whole day, has a lot of time to do other things, too. Nowadays one would read books or go on Facebook...! Of the 150 psalms in the Bible, over 70 were written by David. He was both a shepherd and a Psalmist.

When Goliath - some of you know the story from Sunday School - the giant intimidated and scorned the army of Israel, it was this unseeming dwarf called David who was the only one who dared to face Goliath. All the other "great warriors" p... their pants... Whatever the case, what is important, is David's preparation - where did this shepherd learn to fight? Probably not from his sheep! No, but in connection with his "job" as shephered: when ever a bear or a lion took a lamb, David went out after it to save it - and while doing that he happened to kill a bear or a lion! (see 1 Sam 17:34-37) WOW, you might say, this seem amazing. Well, a true shepherd will hold back nothing to protect his sheep - David gave everything for his sheep. One may think, "Well, one sheep more or less, who cares?" But not David; no, he gave everything for his sheep! He was a true shepherd.

Once we understand this background from his life, does Psalm 23 make more sense? We don't know when David wrote this psalm, yet his experience as a shepherd of sheep gave him understanding of God as shepherd. God will give everything for His people; He protects "His sheep" from evil, destructive influences. For David, God was a shepherd who cared for him. The images David uses in this psalm (river, pastures etc) come from his life as shepherd, and he used them to illustrate God's provision, guidance and faithfulness. God is revealing Himself as a faithful Shepherd wh leads and feeds, or guides and provides.

Application

Timeless Truth: God is a Shepherd for you in the same way as He was one for David!

In other words, the Lord is your Shepherd! This means that God wants to care for you, protect you, and lead you. When you read the whole psalm, please note that there is something called "valley." This is an image for dificult times, in which not all things work out well. Perhaps you are in such a "dark valley" at the moment. David knew these circumstances only too well - he too had several years of difficulties (see 1 Sam 16--31). But, and this is important, despite all difficulties, he knew that God was with him and he trusted God through it all.

We can see that this reflects a relationship: God was faithful, David trusted. This application is relevant for you today: God is faithful to you, and you can - and you should - trust Him. Always remember, God can form and train us in difficulties. David didn't learn to fight in the "Karate Club of Bethelhem," but in his everyday life as a shepherd. See your situation as a place of training for what God has planned in the future, ok? See the positive in the difficulties (Phil 4:4-9).

Take time this week to meditate on this psalm; read it several times, best several times a day. Think abut situations in your life in which you experienced God's faithfulness. Think about the fact that God wants to give you everything you need (but not always everything you want). Hold fast to God's faithfulness - He will never let you down!

Discussion

(1) How and where can we experience God as a shepherd?

(2) How can one trust God in difficulties?

(3) Do you want to live the rest of your life in this relationship with God and trust Him always?

Does God exist?

2009-10-31T13:41:00.001-07:00

Introduction to the Blog

2009-10-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to G's Bible Blog!

Have you ever read the Bible without understanding it? Right, you know what I'm talking about! Cool, but wouldn't you want to know more about the Bible and better understand its meaning? Wouldn't it be great if we could find explanations for 'strange' or unclear Bible passages rather than just overlooking them? I think so too! And that's exactly why I've started this online Bible School - so that we can all read, study, discuss and hopefully learn something and grow in our knowledge of and obedience to God. Interested? Great! Then read on...

The Bible is God's Word and teaches us how to live a healthy life.

Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

God's Word shows us the right path in life, that is, God knows how we are to behave in our respective circumstances in order to live healthy, successful and right in His eyes. This is especially important in a society in which good values are being lost and in which people are being tormented by all kinds of deceptions and circumstances - even Christians! Yet Christians are called to be the "salt of the earth," that is, the very people who stop the decay of society (see Mt 5). But this can only take place when we understand the biblical message correctly and accurately, and learn to obey it! One problem here is that there is too much confusion over what the Bible actually teaches, for if we're confused over its meaning, how are we going to obey its message? Good Bible study will 'lift the fog'!

But not all Christians can attend Bible School, have sufficient teaching materials in their churches, access to a good library, or right instruction in reading helpful books. And for this reason my blog should help - you! We will explore the Bible, read and study it, answer questions and seek the meaning and its application for our lives today. The Bible is a book of highest relevance and wisdom, and we can live wise and relevant lives when we follow biblical instruction. Even if religion often appears irrelevant and boring, God and the Bible are never boring or irrelevant, but always provide answers for life, give power and hope in life, and give us comfort and encouragement during difficult circumstances.

We want to tackle a lot of things and answer relevant questions about life, yet first we should get an overview of the Bible. To see the "bigger picture," to get an overview, always helps before going deeper into details - do you agree? So, the first part here is an "Introduction to the Bible." The most important element here is the Bible itself. Without reading the Bible we can never understand it (even though we do sometimes read it without understanding it!). The following articles should help here. I will explain historical and cultural backgrounds, so that the setting of the Bible will become more familiar to the reader; I will elaborate on the main theological themes, but in a way that we can understand them (although some theologians may make the Bible more complicated than it is, this should not stop us from studying it); and I will give to the reader helpful advice on sound Bible interpretation and application. The Bible is both prophetic - in that it "speaks" to us - and pragmatic - in that it gives us instruction for our daily lives very practically.

When we read the Bible we have to hold two things in a sound balance: on the one hand, we seek the deeper relationship with God and read the Bible with that approach; this is the devotional or relational way to read the Bible. By it God speaks to us through His Word and we read the Bible prayerfully and humbly. On the other hand, we also need a theological, analytical Bible study so that we won't read our ideas into the Bible - something that happens faster than one may think or one is conscious of. But with this approach we also want to read and study prayerfully and humbly, yet we will need to study. Here we seek primarily the meaning of the Bible to the original readers (that is, what the text meant at the time it was written), before we deal with the meaning of the text for us today. To understand the biblical books in their historical setting is one of the most important principles of sound biblical interpretatiuon and application.

So, are you ready for "a journey through the Bible"? Then let us board the "time machine" and fasten our seat belts, for the "flight" is about to take off...

But let us first pray the following:

Psalm 119:18 (NRS)
Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Shalom,
Gordon

PS: in case you want to sign up as a "follower," you are very welcome to do so!