Today’s devotion comes from 1 Samuel 10:17-19.
“Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.” 1 Samuel 10:17-19.
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Today’s Scripture leads us to consider how we can cling to God alone Who delivers us from all our calamities and our distresses.
Article 29: Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false Church.
… The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin: in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. …
Notice that it is not any preaching or teaching that will meet the mark.
Preaching and teaching must be according to the pure Word of God and according to the pure doctrine of the gospel, and only Jesus Christ is acknowledged as the only Head of the Church.
“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-7.
Too often, we hear preaching and teaching where we get distracted by the personal qualities of the preacher or teacher. The preacher or teacher more effectively presents his personal qualities than the content of what he says.
And, if we can get past our thoughts of his personal qualities in order for us to be able to think about the content of what he says, the content of his sermon is too much filled with his stories, illustrations, and analogies. This makes it difficult for us to meditate upon the word of God.
He may preach for an hour, smugly thinking that he is a great preacher, but the time that he quotes the words of God is less than 10 minutes of that hour.
He slows down when he speaks about a particularly charming story about himself, waiting for the laugh. But, when he feels compelled to read God’s word, he speeds up the tempo just to get through it, so he can get to the good part of his clever illustrations and analogies.
But, any problem of this mess making for worthless worship is the problem of the poor soul sitting on a hard bench in the pew for one hour and one half. “You need to prepare for the church service! You need to listen better! You need to take delight in worship! Of course, there is no problem with the preaching!!”
And yet, how much of Scripture is devoted to what the priests and prophets have done who are the positions equivalent of today’s preachers!
“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:11-14.
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:1-4.
“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’ But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts. “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.” Malachi 1:6-10.
But, there is hope!
In the language of the above Belgic Confession, stick to “the pure Word of God” and make sure that “the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached”.
“The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?” Jeremiah 23:28-29.
“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 