The Goal of Fathers

April 22, 2011 in Children, Covenantal Living, Ecclesiology, Meditations

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NKJV)
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

In our text today Paul reminds the Thessalonians of his conduct among them – and he uses the metaphor of a father. In so doing, Paul gives us a vision of fatherhood that we will consider for the next couple weeks. Today I would like us to observe that Paul helps us understand the goal of fatherhood: “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe…” What is the goal of fathers? To live devoutly, justly, and blamelessly among those who believe. This is our calling. As fathers in Israel we are to set a standard that all others can witness and follow.

First, we are to live devoutly. We are to models of love for God, love for His law, love for His people. We are to be the ones encouraging our wives and children to grow in their love for the things of God – for His law, for His people. And the principal way in which we encourage this is by modeling it – loving the Lord, loving to read His Word and to pray, loving the singing of the psalms, loving fellowship. We are to live devoutly.

Second, we are to live justly. We are to be models of justice and fair-mindedness, listening carefully to complaints and judging justly based on the principles found in God’s word. We are not to be blinded by our own prejudices; we are not to delight in our own opinions. We are to be steadfastly loyal to the principles of God’s Word. We are to live justly.

Third, we are to live blamelessly. We are to listen to the Word of God and implement it in our lives. We are to live above reproach. Our standard is not that we be cool or that we be hip or that we be fashionable or that we be politically correct or that we be conservative or that we be liberal. Our standard is that we be blameless – clinging tenaciously to the Word of God. We are to live blamelessly.

This, then, is the goal of fatherhood: to live devoutly and justly and blamelessly among those who believe. How can we possibly live this way? Only by the grace of God who calls us into His kingdom and glory. He is the One who must work in and through us to glorify His Name. In ourselves we are not capable to live this way – but by the grace of God we can.

Reminded of our calling to live devoutly, justly, and blamelessly before the Lord and before His people, let us confess our failure to do so to the Lord. We will confess our sins privately and then corporately using the printed confession found in your bulletin. Let us kneel together as we confess.

Not be like their fathers

February 7, 2011 in Bible - OT - Psalms, Children, Ecclesiology, Education, Meditations

Psalm 78:5-8 (NKJV)
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Two weeks ago we considered this passage and its exhortation to fathers – fathers are to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. Our task is to teach our children that they might put their hope in God, trust Him, love Him, serve Him, delight in Him.

This morning as we return to this text, I would like you to notice that the task of instruction is not only positive, it is negative. Not only are we to teach our children that they may set their hoe in God and keep His commandments – this is imperative and the central message that must be coming across – but we must also warn them of the dangers they will face in following Christ. Notice our text emphasizes that we are to teach our children so that they “may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.” The task of fathers is to point out the folly of their fathers and exhort the current generation to remain faithful to God, to – as the psalmist remarks – set its heart aright.

So what will this involve? Quite clearly this will involve a regular study of the Old Testament. The Word of God gives us numerous examples of the way that “our fathers” were not faithful to God but turned away from Him to serve other gods. Whether it is the worship of the golden calf, the defeat of God’s people at the city of Ai because of Achan’s sin, the apostasy of God’s people at the time of Elijah, the destruction of Jerusalem because of our fathers’ unfaithfulness, or the ongoing sin that threatened our fathers in Nehemiah’s day – all these stories should be objects of discussion and instruction. Look at our fathers, look how they were unfaithful to God, look how they went after other gods and worshiped them, look at the dangers they faced and the way in which God was faithful again and again to enforce His Word.

But not only must we talk about the way in which our fathers failed to serve the Lord faithfully in the Scriptures – the Scriptures, after all, are meant to be applied to our generation, meant to instruct us about the dangers we are facing. So as fathers our task is not only to read the Bible but to help our children see the way in which the rebellious spirit that our fathers’ manifested in their day is being manifest in our own. Fathers, your task is to identify the idols of our day and help your children see them and flee from them. We are in the midst of a time of cultural rebellion and apostasy – our children need to know this and be equipped to recognize the signs of it. So, fathers, rise to the occasion.

And not only must our fathers rise to the occasion, but so too must you children. Your calling is to listen to your fathers as they apply the Word of God to our current generation. Your calling is not first and foremost to imbibe the wisdom of the world offered in the form of movies, music, and literature – your calling is first and foremost to set your heart aright before God and have a spirit that is faithful to Him. And this type of heart, this type of spirit, will necessarily get you in trouble with our broader culture. Just last night our family read of the murder of John the Baptist – a man whose heart was set aright before God and whose spirit was faithful to Him. This is the challenge set before you – to be that kind of man, that kind of woman.

Reminded of our calling to learn from the errors of our fathers – both those in Scripture and those in our own society – let us confess our sins to God. We will have a time of private confession followed by the corporate confession found in your bulletin. Let us kneel together as we confess.

Sanctity of Life Sunday

February 7, 2011 in Abortion, Bible - OT - Ezekiel, Children, Meditations

Ezekiel 16:20-21 (NKJV)
Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to [your idols] to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

Once upon a time there was a couple, man and wife, who longed to have a child. But for some years the wife could not become pregnant. Finally to their great delight she found herself with child and husband and wife both eagerly awaited the birth of their first child

It just so happened that this couple lived near a walled garden that was owned by a terrible enchantress, the Witch Gothel. Each day the wife glanced down into the garden and as her pregnancy progressed she developed a craving for the rapunzel that she saw growing there. She begged and pleaded with her husband to get some of the rapunzel for her but he refused – the wrong of stealing coupled with fear of the witch enabled him to resist her pleas. But the wife became so desperate that she ceased eating altogether and her husband grew alarmed. Soon his fear for his wife overcame his scruples and his fear of the witch. He broke into the garden and obtained his prize.

His wife was delighted. She made herself a great salad and devoured the rapunzel. But her feast only increased her hunger. The next day she demanded that her husband return to the garden for more – and then the next day again. But this time just as the husband made away with his prize he was discovered by the witch. Great was her wrath as she loomed above him.

“How dare you steal from my garden?” demanded the witch. “Prepare to die!”

“Please,” begged the husband, “have mercy! I would not have dared to steal from your garden but my wife is pregnant with our first child and declared that she would die without this rapunzel.”

At these words Gothel’s demeanor softened though her lips curled in derision and her eyes bore a hungry look. “Very well, you may take the rapunzel to your wife. But this is the price you must pay – when your wife has borne this child, you must give it to me.”

The man agreed. After all, what else could he do? He had stolen from her garden and would lose his own life if he refused. So he departed with the rapunzel. Soon his wife gave birth to their child, a daughter. Immediately Witch Gothel appeared to claim her prize and the parents watched helpless as she took the child away. They were brokenhearted.

The story of Rapunzel reminds us that when we choose to serve other gods, they frequently give us their goods – even as Witch Gothel gave the husband the rapunzel – but these goods always come at a cost. And that cost is frequently our children. It was for this abomination, the abomination of handing their children over to their idols, that God exhorts the people of Israel through His prophet Ezekiel.
Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to [your idols] to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday. Yesterday was the 38th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision. Since then Americans alone have slaughtered approximately 52 million human beings, offered them up to our gods and polluted our hands with blood. In America the gods that we have been worshiping – consumerism, greed, money, power, influence, convenience, beauty – have been demanding our children. We’ve made a pact with the Witch Gothel and now we’re giving her our children. Even more tragically, many of these slaughtered children were slain by professing Christians. We have taken God’s children and caused them to pass through the fire.

Is there hope? Only in our dear Prince, the Lord Jesus Christ. He can rescue us from our insanity, deliver us from the madness that has overtaken us, and take us to His own kingdom. For though He too demands our children, He demands them that they might live not that they might die. So let us listen to Him, hear His voice, and turn from the false gods we have worshiped.

Reminded that we have been worshiping other gods and sacrificing our children to them, let us kneel and confess our sins to the Lord.

Catechisms as Teaching Tool

February 7, 2011 in Bible - OT - Psalms, Children, Ecclesiology, Meditations

Psalm 78:5-8 (NKJV)
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Last week we remarked that one of the lessons which the fathers of Israel are to teach the people of God is the necessity of instruction. Fathers are to teach their children – and one of the tools that our fathers have handed down to us to accomplish this task is the catechism – a question and answer format that summarizes some of the most essential teachings of Scripture.

Today we are reminded that the function of these catechisms, the function of this instruction, is not first and foremost to fill the minds of our children with facts. Knowing what Scripture teaches is important, but this knowledge is not intended to exist as a repository of data; it is to move them, to touch them, to transform them by the grace of God. Notice what the psalmist declares:
[We teach] That the generation to come might know them [here is the knowledge level – but note it doesn’t stay here], The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

Notice the several purposes which this instruction is to have. Children, take note what you are supposed to be learning from the catechism, from the teaching which your parents are giving you. First, you are to learn the importance of giving this information, this instruction, to your children. You are going to grow up. You are going to have children yourself, most likely. God is giving you this information now so that you in turn can give it to your children.
Second, God is giving you this instruction so that you might put your hope in Him. The world wants to offer you all kinds of objects in which to put your hope. Put your hope in an ipad; put your hope in a great education; put your hope in diversity; put your hope in a change of government; put your hope in health care; put your hope in your ability to defend yourself. The catechism teaches you to put your hope in God. He will not betray you; He will not desert You; all His promises will reach their fulfillment; He is entirely trustworthy.

Third, the psalmist insists that the purpose of instruction doesn’t end here: when we have learned what God has done in the past, when we have learned that He is totally and absolutely trustworthy, we will then be reminded of the absolute necessity of obeying Him and keeping His commandments. After all, when we learn the stories of Scripture, one of the things we learn is the seriousness with which God takes His Word, the faithfulness with which He judges His people when they ignore it. And so, the catechism teaches us what it means to obey God, what it means to serve Him and delight in Him. This is the duty which God requires of man.

Let us consider, therefore, what the purpose of our instruction is – the purpose is not just to fill the mind but to touch the heart, to move the will, to shape the conscience. Parents, how are we doing molding and shaping not just the minds of our children but their character? Children, how are we doing learning not just the facts, not just the information that is being given, but the significance of this information for our own lives?

Reminded that the function of education is to do all these things, let us kneel and confess that we have often neglected them.

Fathers as Teachers

February 7, 2011 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Children, Ecclesiology, Meditations

Proverbs 3:1-2 (NKJV)
1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

For the last number of weeks we have been considering the lessons which fathers teach us as the people of God. And here in our text we find a critical lesson – fathers serve as our teachers, our instructors. It is fathers who are to pass down to their children laws and precepts, commands and ordinances. My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; Why? For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. The very principles given by fathers to their children add length of days and long life and peace to the next generation.

Children are exhorted by God Himself, “Honor your father and your mother, that it may go well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” And so now Solomon gives a window into one way that the honor which children show their parents translates into long life. Fathers give commands to their children and these commands preserve their children from sorrow and trouble. Children, you know the nature of some of these commands. “Junior, don’t play ball in the middle of the freeway; don’t touch the stove when it’s hot; don’t stand in front of the microwave; don’t waste your time playing games all day.” The function of these commands is to protect and preserve your lives – and, as you honor and obey your parents, your lives are extended.

The entrusting of spiritual principles to our children is no less life giving. God is the Lord. He governs in the affairs of men. And so as we fathers teach our children to know and love and serve and worship the Living God, we are teaching them how the world works, how to preserve their life from trouble, to guard their souls from destruction. “Junior, worship the Triune God alone, make sure that you gather together to worship the Lord on the Lord’s Day, don’t steal your brother’s bike, remember who made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, pray regularly.” These precepts as much and more than the pragmatic, day to day precepts, preserve the lives of our children from destruction and add to them length of days.
One of the tools which our fathers have passed down to us to help new generations of fathers instruct their children in these basic spiritual principles is a catechism. A catechism is a means of summarizing essential truths of the Christian faith in question and answer format so that fathers (and mothers) can use these questions and answers to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. “What is God? God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.”

For the past few years, our congregation has recited the Heidelberg Catechism each Lord’s Day. This year we are switching to the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Both catechisms accomplish the same basic task. Their function is to summarize some of the basic truths of Scripture. And because we want these truths taught not just in the congregation but in the homes of our congregation, we are switching this year to the Westminister Shorter Catechism. Why? Because those of you who have small children uniformly use the Shorter Catechism rather than the Heidelberg Catechism – and the elders want to do all we can to encourage and buttress the work you are doing of having your children memorize the catechism. Again, why? Because length of days and long life and peace they will add to us and to our children.

Reminded that our responsibility is to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to give them the words of life that their lives might be full of the grace of God and the knowledge of Christ, and reminded as children that our responsibility is to honor and respect and give heed to the teaching we receive, let us kneel and confess our failure to do these things to the Lord.

Pleading the Blood of Christ

December 27, 2010 in Atonement, Bible - OT - Job, Children, Meditations

Job 1:4-5 (NKJV)
4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Several weeks ago we spoke about various things that separate the men from the boys – and one of the things we mentioned is that men take responsibility. They do not point the fingers at others. They do not make excuses. They avoid undue explanations. They take responsibility.

In our text today we observe Job doing this very thing. His children loved one another and so frequently enjoyed a good time feasting and drinking together, celebrating the goodness of God and His kindness in providing them with such largesse. But Job was fully aware that whenever one attempts to honor God in feasting, there are always pitfalls: tempers can flare, indiscretions can be committed, drunkenness can rear its ugly head, relationships can be strained. And so at the conclusion of the feast Job took responsibility for their condition, reminding them of their sacred obligations to serve the Lord and to honor Him, and pleading the blood of Christ on their behalf in the presence of God.

Pleading the blood of Christ? How did he do that? Well note that after the party Job not only sanctified his children – reminded them of their sacred duties and prayed for them – but he also offered burnt offerings “according to the number of them all.” He didn’t leave out any of his children but made a sacrifice for each of them.

So what did these sacrifices mean? In themselves, these sacrifices were worthless and empty. After all, how could the blood of an animal take away the sins of a man? The animal didn’t sin. Man did. We rebelled against God; we transgressed His law; we spurned His authority. The blood of bulls and goats could never truly take away sin and this is why, Hebrews tells us, these sacrifices were repeated again and again and again. Every sacrifice pointed beyond itself, declared the need for the true Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ, the man who would offer Himself in our place.

Every time Job offered up an animal as a burnt offering for his children, this is what he was saying: “God, have mercy on my son ___________ and forgive his sin for I know that Your mercies are everlasting and that one day Your are going to send a Lamb who will truly take away all our sins. So have mercy on my son and forgive him.” This is what he said every time he offered up an animal; he plead the blood of Christ for his children.

So, husbands and fathers, have you plead the blood of Christ on behalf of your families? Plead with God to have mercy upon their sins even as He has had mercy on yours? This is part of what it means to take responsibility for them.

And children, I want you to notice this day the seriousness with which God takes sin. Sin is no light matter. The psalmist reminds us, “But there is forgiveness with You, O Lord, that you may be feared.” Forgiveness of our sin comes at a terrible price – a price that none of us, not one parent, not one child, not one friend, not a collection of them all – forgiveness comes at a price none of us could ever pay. But Jesus paid it. So children, how seriously are you taking your sin? Do you daily plead the blood of Christ for your own sin knowing that all our sin deserves the wrath of God? Do not treat sin lightly – it sent Jesus to the cross.

All these things remind us of our need to confess the seriousness of our sins and to plead the blood of Christ on our behalf. So let us kneel and confess to the Lord.

Longing for the Wedding Day

July 9, 2010 in Bible - OT - Song of Solomon, Children, Meditations

Song of Solomon 3:9-11 (NKJV)
9 Of the wood of Lebanon Solomon the King Made himself a palanquin: 10 He made its pillars of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of purple, Its interior paved with love By the daughters of Jerusalem. 11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his heart.

Young women love weddings – from serving as bridesmaids to walking as the bride, from enjoying others’ weddings to anticipating their own, from designing wedding dresses to choosing out just the right one for their wedding. Weddings are the transition point for many young women – the transition from being young women to being married women – and so many years are spent in anticipation.

Knowing this hunger, the daughters of Jerusalem are invited in our text today to witness the wedding procession of King Solomon:

Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his heart.


This hunger that young women display for weddings is to teach us something as the people of God. For God in His wisdom describes the ultimate consummation of the Messianic Kingdom as the final enjoyment of the wedding feast – the day when the Church will be presented to her Groom a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. King Solomon is a mere type of the Greater King Jesus. And the day of His wedding will be the day of the gladness of His heart.

Consequently, we are to anticipate that day and strive for it with all our might. We are to make the bride – the Church – more lovely, more beautiful, more glorious. We are, as we shall see this morning, to remove her reproach, and prepare her to wed the Groom.

There are many who think that this loveliness will just happen: the wedding day arrives and – poof! – a beautiful bride magically appears. But any man who is married and any woman who has been married and any young woman who dreams of being married knows that this is a farce. It takes an immense amount of labor, invested for months and even years, to reach the day on which the bride is adorned and beautiful. Months of preparation go into a mere hour or two of ceremony. Preparing for weddings is hard work.

The bride must consider what she shall be wearing, what the attendants shall be wearing, the jewelry that shall adorn her, and how she can best honor the Groom. All these details and thousands more have to come together. And this is the picture given to us of the ultimate destiny of Christ and the Church. We are to be planning for that Wedding Day in the same way in which a young woman prepares for hers. We are to meditate upon the glory that will be ours, consider the joy that shall be ours, and give attention to the garments of holiness in which we shall be arrayed. The anticipation of this great day will demand an incredible amount of labor on our part as we make the Church more glorious by making ourselves more holy.

So reminded that we are called to labor for the beauty of the New Jerusalem and that that beauty is amplified by our own holiness, let us kneel and confess that we have failed to pursue that holiness with passion.

Pillars Sculpted in Palace Style

June 14, 2010 in Bible - OT - Psalms, Children, Meditations

Psalm 144:11-15 (NKJV)
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood— 12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; 13 That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; 14 That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. 15 Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

Here in our text today, our Lord Jesus identifies why it is that he prays for God to rescue Him and His people from His enemies, from those not in covenant with Him, who are prone to deceit and falsehood. And the first thing that He identifies, the main reason why He wants God to protect and guard us, is for you young folks out there. He prays so that the sons and daughters of Zion may grow into maturity in the midst of their youth. “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daugthers may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style.”

Jesus’ prayer reveals to us not only his desire for our protection from enemies but also His vision for young adulthood. Our Lord hungers for you young adults, young men and young women alike, to grow into maturity. He wants young men to be like plants grown up – fruitful, strong, resistant to disease – in your youth. He doesn’t want you to wait until your twenties or thirties like so many. He wants you to be mature now – so how are you doing striving for it?

Likewise, he prays for the daughters of Zion that they may be as pillars, sculpted in palace style. Since we have been doing a series of exhortations on the lessons young women teach us, it is fitting that we get a sense of Jesus’ vision for young womanhood here. First, note that he wants you to be pillars. And what is the purpose of a pillar? Pillars hold things up. They are strong, steady, stable. Notice in this young ladies, that Jesus’ vision for your calling in the Church is to be a source of stability, strength, wisdom, and gravitas. Young women – at one level because of your sensitivity to art, beauty, and spirituality, at another because of your immense influence upon young men – Jesus’ has put you in our midst to hold us up in your labors, in your prayers, and in your purity.

But beware that as a pillar you truly are what you portray yourself to be. Our word sincere comes from two Latin words, sine – which means without – and cera – which means wax. A sincere person is a person without wax. For you see ancient Rome, just like modern America, had her unscrupulous contractors. And these builders were often contracted to make marble columns. But it was quite a task to find the right kind of marble and craft and polish it to perfection. So some builders would take shortcuts. They would fill the gaps and cracks in their piece of marble with wax. Only when the column collapsed would the trickery be revealed – and it might be a few years out. So make sure that you are a sincere pillar.

But not only does Jesus pray that you would be pillars, he also prays that you would be one sculpted in palace style. Jesus knows that pillars come in various designs. A rough yewn log pole can be a pillar. Not very lovely but it does the job. That’s not the kind of pillar for which the Lord prays. He doesn’t want just a sturdy pole, he wants a beautiful column, one whose beauty makes all those around stand in awe. That pole barn you saw on your way to worship may be just as sturdy as the Acropolis in Athens – but who would dare claim it is just as lovely? I remember Douglas Wilson telling the story of the atheist Edward Tabash’s visit to Moscow when Tabash remarked at dinner, “I’ve never met so many beautiful, confident women.”

So what does this beauty look like? Peter tells us, “Do not let your adornment [your beauty] be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” This is the beauty that our Lord Jesus desires for you – a beauty which shall be a source of strength, stability, and glory for the Church of God.
Reminded that our Lord Jesus prays for us, that he prays for our young men and young women to be mature even in their youth, let us seek the Lord’s forgiveness for failing to value maturity. Let us kneel together.

The Virtue of Scorn

June 6, 2010 in Bible - OT - Isaiah, Children, Meditations

Isaiah 37:22 (NKJV)
This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning [Sennacherib, the King of Assyria]: “The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back!”

Sometimes Christian girls are far too nice. We have become hesistant to hurt others’ feelings; hesitant to tell men what we really think of their scandalous behavior; hesitant to shower scorn on those who deserve it. So let me speak this morning on the biblical virtue of scorn.

One of the things most evident in the relationship among the sexes is that men frequently overestimate their charms while women underestimate theirs. I recall a cartoon with two frames. The first showed a decidedly corpulent fellow, midsection protruding between shorts and dirty t-shirt, with unkempt facial hair who looked as though he hadn’t showered in a week. As he gazed at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Go get ‘em tiger! You handsome devil!” Meanwhile the other frame showed a woman of stunning beauty, all dressed up, having meticulously groomed herself – hair, makeup, and all. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh, I look so terrible!”

In our text today Isaiah pictures Sennacherib as a typical man – puffed up with himself, imagining that he is God’s gift to the female sex, sure that all the ladies will be swooning at his feet. For Sennacherib was treating the people of God this way. He was sure that Jerusalem would fall under his sway and so he tells them to acknowledge his greatness before he has to prove it. But here is the Word of the Lord to him: You are such a buffoon that the daughter of Jerusalem is laughing you to scorn! You are God’s gift to women – a gift to cause them to laugh. The virgin daughter of Israel is shaking her beautiful head of hair at your foolishness. For what was God preparing to do? He was going to crush Sennacherib’s pride, killing his army in a single night and sending him packing back to Assyria.

Here’s what I want you young ladies to see this morning. One of the lessons which you are to teach us as the people of God is how to scorn those who are full of themselves and rabidly opposed to God. Consequently, there are times when a young woman should scorn a man. Mr. Collins deserves your derision. Gaston is fool despite his three fauning admirers. Willoughby is a cad. When a fool presents himself before you, longing for your approval, longing for your admiration, sure that you will fall at his feet and acknowledge his charms, disappoint him. Scorn his advances.

And here’s a word of encouragement – your scorn can be a means of salvation. Nothing is more likely to cause a man to examine himself closely and evaluate himself than the scorn of a woman. Nothing is more likely to inspire a man to greatness than the prospect of earning a woman’s admiration. So young women – cultivate the biblical virtue of scorn and use it well. Do not be captivated by a fool.

And we as the people of God are called to learn this lesson from the young women in our midst. When the enemies of God vaunt over us, when they are swollen with pride and imagine that we shall soon fall under their sway, yes – even when they mock us and persecute us and kill us – we are to shake our heads in scorn knowing that God is on our side. Need we fear Sennacherib with his mighty host? No! Our God who sits in the heavens laughs, “As for me, I have installed My King on Mount Zion.” So we too can laugh, “As for us, our King is installed on Mount Zion. He is the King of Kings and Lord of lords and you shall have to answer to Him.”

Reminded that we have failed to cultivate the biblical virtue of scorn, that we have feared our enemies, showed pity where we ought not, indulged fools and answered them in accordance with their folly, let us kneel and confess our sins to God.