The Tranquility in God’s Presence (Isa 26:3)

Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Text:

Isa 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.

Outline:

      I.    You are secure in His presence: “You will keep.”

Application: You cannot go wrong following the path God lays out for you, the path that accords with His provision for His people’s pardon (Prov 3:6).
     II.    You are calm in His presence: “perfect pace.”
Application: God’s peace will protect you from anything and anyone threatening to undo it (Phil 4:7).
    III.    You are resolute in His presence: “[His] mind is steadfast.”
Application: When you think no one is watching, perhaps especially when you think no one is watching, it is important to emulate God’s patience (2 Pet 3:9).
   IV.    You are confident in His presence: “He trusts in You.”
Application: We no longer have a physical sign of His presence, so we must rely on an intangible sign, one evident only by faith (Heb 11:1).
      I.    You are secure in His presence: “You will keep.”
     II.    You are calm in His presence: “in perfect peace.”
    Repetition is a technique Hebrew uses to mark emphasis, as when the seraphim extol the absolute purity of God’s character with a three-fold cry in chapter six:
Or in this passage where shalom shalom is translated most often “perfect peace,” which is what God will give those who keep their attention on Him.
Application: God does not employ half measures. For example, eternal life is not just a few more years than you have now. Count as high as you can; then keep counting, and it still will not be enough. Similarly, the peace God offers is beyond any you can imagine (Manuel 2001). As Paul also says:[3]
    III.    You are resolute in His presence: “[His] mind is steadfast.”
Application: There is a measure of comfort in knowing God is with you, but how great a measure depends on how well you know Him. If you have only a passing acquaintance with Him that is confined to your time in church, then you will probably not know Him well beyond that environment. If He is a regular part of your daily life, someone with whom you have regular even constant contact—and you need not worry about becoming a pest. God is surprisingly patient.[4] As Peter writes…
   IV.    You are confident in His presence: “[H]e trusts in You.”
Application: God’s presence abiding with His people has been His intention since Israel’s trek through the wilderness, accompanied by the ark, which signifies His presence. We no longer have a physical sign of His presence, so we must rely on an intangible sign, one evident only by faith:

Introduction: We generally appreciate the presence of help for certain chores, but not always.

Co-workers sympathized as Edith complained that her back was sore from moving furniture. “Why don’t you wait till your husband gets home?” someone asked. “I could,” Edith told the group, “but the couch is easier to move if he’s not on it.”

We generally appreciate the presence of help for certain chores, but not always. As the Israelites learn, God is present whenever they need help, but His help also includes His peace during a potentially disruptive time.

Background: Isaiah discusses four themes that he cycles and recycles throughout his book—rebellion, retribution, repentance, and restoration (Lancaster and Manuel 2001). It is a tumultuous period. The northern kingdom of Israel has already fallen to the superpower, Assyria, with the next superpower, Babylon, already rising in the East and threatening to over-run the southern kingdom of Judah. It does not bode well for God’s people. Yet in this political uncertainty God brings hope. In chapter twenty-six the prophet treats the unlikely topic of restoration, reminding Isaiah’s audience that even in the midst of tumult God’s people can find peace from Him.

Isa 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.

      God promises Abraham that He will protect Israel from its enemies, those who threaten His people:

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen 12:3)

Those who oppose Israel are actually opposing God and, thereby inviting His wrath.[1] It is an unenviable position, one Israel’s enemies may not realize until it is too late. That is God’s promise through Joshua:[2]

The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised. So be very careful to love the LORD your God. (Josh 23:9-11)

God makes protecting Israel His responsibility, and He does not look kindly on any who undermine that task. While “it’s not nice to fool mother nature,” it’s worse to mess with God’s priorities.

     The Psalmist attests to God’s continuous care for His people: “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps 121:4). He has a singular devotion. No other people has His uninterrupted care. Since God made His covenant with Abraham, He has loved this people above all others:

If you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. (Exod 19:5-6)

He does not require costly animal sacrifices from His people, but He does require their obedient devotion, because in the end “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4).

Application: Caring for God’s people, including you, occupies His full attention. Thankfully, God does not get distracted, and He warns His people similarly. They—you—must remain focused on what is truly important:

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Prov 3:6)

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. (Prov 4:25)

You cannot go wrong following the path God lays out for you, the path that accords with His provision for His people’s pardon.

They were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty.” (Isa 6:3)

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

God’s peace is beyond human comprehension and appreciation. Moreover, God’s peace will protect you from anything and anyone threatening to undo it. The danger of a particular situation may remain, but the mental and emotional anguish it causes need not trouble you.

     The reason you can be assured of God’s peace is that He has a unique perspective on life:

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. (Isa 46:10)

God is not simply a glorified fortune teller. He does not only foresee the future; He forms the future, causing events to happen or preventing them from happening. No fortune teller, regardless of how accurate the claims, can do that.

     In the face of such power, you can be confident that because He has the best interests of His people at heart, your interests occupy His close attention. Therefore, your situation and your needs will not escape His notice. Even as Jesus promises to be with his disciples “always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20), so God the Father makes a similar promise to Israel facing the uncertainty of life in a new land:

The LORD Himself…will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deut 31:8)

Both Jews and Christians have the same promise of His presence.

     Isaiah presents a contrast between an unstable mind “blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Eph 4:14) about the cause of and the solution to Israel’s dilemma. James warns against a similar attitude:

He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (1:6-8)

Rather, “the mind fixed upon the promises of God” (Young 2:207) is confident He is present even in the midst of trouble. “To trust one’s ability partly and God partly is the surest prescription for insecurity and anxiety” (Oswalt 1986:472). God expects all a person’s eggs in one basket: His.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)

This virtue contrasts sharply with what is true for most people, particularly when stuck in traffic. Even at such times as those, or when you think no one is watching—hopefully no one who also notices your religious bumper sticker—perhaps especially when no one is watching, it is important to emulate God’s patience.

     Man’s confidence that God will be with him begins with trust in His promise to forgive him. That is saving faith, but it grows with experience into a living faith, and into a confidence that God is with him always, which is what Isaiah advocates here. Moses expresses a similar confidence in God’s abiding presence as he addresses the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you…. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut 31:6, 8)

God gives a similar assurance to Joshua, who must conquer the Promised Land:

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Josh 1:5)

It is Solomon’s prayer at his crowning as king over God’s people:

May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us. (1 Kgs 8:57)

It is part of David’s caution to Solomon at the new king’s coronation:

If you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. (1 Chr 28:9)

It is a common warning in Jeremiah, and the people’s failure to heed this warning is a cause of disappointment to God:[5]

You forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of Me. (Jer 2:19)

Given what God has promised and demonstrated over the centuries, His people should have confidence in His presence with them.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Heb 11:1)

Nevertheless, faith in God can be demanding, even costly, especially as it does not generally evince instant gratification. Consequently, prayer and patience go hand-in-hand.

Conclusion: Even in the most unlikely set of circumstances, when events seem totally out of control, God is able to bring order out of chaos and impose peace on a volatile situation. “The Tranquility in God’s Presence” that He offers the people of 8^th century Judah is available to people of the 21^st century, to you.

Bibliography

Lancaster, Steve and Paul Manuel http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

     2001      “Issues in Isaiah: Vindicating the Holy One of Israel.” An unpublished Bible study.

Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

     2001      “What Does the Bible Mean by the Word ‘Peace’?”

Oswalt, John N.

     1986      The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-39. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Young, Edward J.

     1965      The Book of Isaiah. 3 vols. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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[1]Israel holds a most-favored-nation status with God:

Zech 2:8 Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.

[2]Panic is also what some of Israel’s enemies experience:

Exod 12:33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”

1 Sam 14:15 Panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.

2 Kgs 19:35 The angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!

[3]Other Pauline references to peace:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Phil 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

[4]There is a little ditty my grandmother used to recite, the truth of which personal experience probably bolstered:

Patience is a virtue; possess it if you can.

It’s seldom found in women…and never found in men.

[5]It is a common warning in Jeremiah, and the people’s failure is a cause of disappointment to God:

Jer 5:7 Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods.

Jer 5:19 You have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your own land.

Jer 9:13 They have forsaken My law, which I set before them.

Jer 12:7 I will forsake My house, abandon My inheritance.

Jer 14:9 We bear Your name; do not forsake us!

Jer 17:13 All who forsake You will be put to shame.

Jer 19:4 They have forsaken Me and made this a place of foreign gods.

Jer 22:9 They have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God.

Providence Versus Fate - 2020

Dr. Paul Manuel—2021

(Updated from Original)

     One of our aides asked me if I believe in fate (crassly, “luck” or “chance”).  Linda, who is often able to respond more quickly than I, replied, “We believe in providence.” This made me consider how providence (not fate) really does represent our understanding of the events in our life together. Either way, it is not by luck or by chance that we do anything. It is by choice.

    None of the items on the “Gratitude” list (Manuel 2022) is the result of fate, the impersonal meandering of a rudderless universe where some unknown and unknowable Star Wars type force ‘directs’ (a misnomer that implies intention, which is not an option with fate) one’s future. Quite the contrary, each of the items on that list reflects the working of a personal, purposeful, powerful, and praiseworthy deity. The involvement of God is what marks the difference between providence and fate: Fate is godless, undirected and unpredictable; providence is godly, directed and (somewhat) predictable. The notion that “everything happens for a reason” (Albert Schweitzer) is true only in the presence of providence:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. (Eccl 3:1)

Because God has a plan He is fulfilling, there is also a sense in which destiny (intention, inevitability) plays a role in our lives, as He moves all events toward a specific goal: “His eternal purpose” (Eph 3:11).

     Although death is a common experience for all, death is not the last experience for all (exceptions include Enoch and Elijah), and it is imperative to plan ahead now, while it is possible to influence the final outcome:

Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. (Eccl 7:2)

Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. (Heb 9:27)

As with providence, only God’s involvement gives destiny meaning (i.e., direction toward the future):

In Him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28)

He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. (Eph 1:5)

Free will plays an important role in conjunction with God’s will at the outset of man’s journey through life (see Manuel 2020). God allows the former to complement the latter, more than that, to advance it. From the beginning of creation God has allowed man to make his own choices, even when those choices contradicted God’s will and were detrimental to man:

The Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, [which he freely did] for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:16-17)

That freedom of choice has remained with God’s people through some challenging periods of their history:

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Josh 24:15)

God is a great respecter of persons. He does not force anyone into His kingdom who will not go voluntarily. Moreover, obeying Him has always been a matter of choice not compulsion. The first (primary) decision before every man is binary: to serve God or not. It is man’s decision to make, not one God makes for man:

If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17)

The second decision before every man is also binary, but it is one God makes for man: to spend eternity with God or not. The man who chooses not to follow God (the first decision), He condemns to perdition. The man who chooses to follow God, He rewards with eternal life:

The [wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

(Matt 25:46)

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. (Rom 2:7)

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8)

Either way, man’s final destiny is initially his own choice, and that choice determines God’s subsequent decision, about his final placement.

     Providence operates according to a perceivable, even if not immediately obvious, norm. God’s ways are frequently inscrutable and, thus, not necessarily understandable or recognizable ahead of time, but they do follow a pattern and proceed toward the goal He established (sometimes clear later):

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. (Ps 33:11)

My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways…. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

Providence is often evident only in hindsight and reflection; fate, having no actual direction, is not truly evident at all. (The Star Wars “force” is not a model because, though it may claim to be predictable, it is reproducible only in the realm of fiction.)

 

     Are there things in my life I would do differently if I could do them over? Do I have regrets? Yes, there are, and yes, I do, although surprisingly few, which is also a testimony to the consistency of God’s benevolent hand, albeit not a testimony to the consistency of my attention and obedience to Him. God will apprise me of everything I have done wrong and of all the opportunities to do right I have missed when I stand at last before His bar of justice:

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10)

It will be a “This is your life” review I anticipate with some trepidation as it will bring to light my many shortcomings:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10)

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Tim 1:15)

Nevertheless, it is an event Linda and I will meet confident the outcome will be to our ultimate and eternal advantage, despite my many shortcomings, because He will cleanse us “from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Moreover, God will address all our regrets:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev 21:4)

Consequently, we do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). Furthermore, we “shall know fully, even as [we are] fully known” (1 Cor 13:12) and, most spectacularly, we will see “His face” (Rev 22:4). It will be a glorious and momentous revelation, especially as “no one [here] may see [Him] and live” (Exod 33:20).

     Those who attempt to navigate life without God are thus without assurance their existence will have enduring significance or legacy. Many people assume they live in a ‘closed system’ and what they see is all there is. Theirs is a myopic view of reality leaving little to the imagination. Their minds are unreceptive to an alternative possibility. Thankfully, God has not allowed man’s narrow-sighted delusion to remain unchallenged but has broken through this façade of self-deception with the truth of His existence, more than that, with the promise of His love:

God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Cor 2:9)

     God allows man to determine what his status will be at the end: redeemed or condemned. In this life, man has whatever group of friends and family he can assemble around him, companions who are with him temporarily and for only part of his journey, yet who are not with him in the next life (if he and they are not redeemed), eternally and for the duration of his existence then, which is very long. He has one opportunity to decide his final destiny. After that, he will not be able to change his mind. He will have sealed his own fate:

Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. (Luke 16:26)

The last judgment for the “many” (Matt 7:13; 22:14) will be a solitary affair (“outside [in] the darkness” Matt 25:30), accompanied by others, to be sure, but not necessarily aware of them. In contrast, the last judgment for the “few” (Matt 7:14; 22:14) will be a comforting affair, with the One who “who lives in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16) and with “a great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1), such as “Abraham” (Matt 8:11, “Moses, and Elijah” (Matt 17:3), along with “those who had been slain because of the word of God” (Rev 6:9).

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     Many fellow students at CBC struggled with the uncertainty of knowing God’s will for their lives, as if it were a mystery He keeps hidden from all but His most devoted followers. It is not:

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ. (Eph 1:9)

To be sure, there is mystery in life, but it does not concern the afterlife, where one will spend eternity. God has made that clear:

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
(1 John 5:12)

(1 John 5:12)

     The common answer to the question about God’s will is obedience to God’s word. His will is that we keep the general admonitions that appear frequently in scripture:

Keep all My decrees and all My laws and follow them. I am the Lord. (Lev 19:37)

Keep His decrees and commands…so that it may go well with you. (Deut 4:40)

While He intends some decrees for specific classes of people (e.g., kings, priests, farmers, merchants), obeying God’s general laws (e.g., His two greatest commandments) is God’s will for all people in all instances:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt 22:37-39)

     Knowing God’s will beyond what He has revealed in His word is essentially a function of obedience. By obeying God, a person aligns his thoughts with God’s thoughts, making God’s priorities his priorities, which is not man’s usual order of things (i.e., giving Him first place before our place):

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. (Isa 55:8)

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Rom 12:2)

The more experience a person has obeying God, the more confidence he can have that he grasps God’s will.

     Beyond God’s general admonitions, there may be more than one answer to the question about His will. That is, God’s will is not necessarily as specific, pre-determined, or focused as many people assume, such that He has a unique and detailed plan for every individual in every circumstance that a person must discover if he is to find fulfilment, and failure to uncover this unique plan will doom a person to disappointment and ruin. On the contrary, God may not have a particular inclination necessary for a person to accomplish His will until that person reaches a certain point in life. Any one of several options may meet God’s criteria:

You know His will, and you approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law. (Rom 2:18)

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ…. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. (Eph 1:9, 11)

Although Paul calls God’s will a “mystery,” it is one “you know,” that “He made known to us,” and that accords with His “law.” Because God is sovereign, He is able to integrate a number of variables (our choices) into His plan.

     Moreover, even as major a decision as finding a mate may at first be a matter of personal preference rather than God’s specific intention. When I was looking for a potential partner, there were several girls in the church whom I might have pursued. (This was before Christian dating services.) Any one of those girls would have accorded with God’s will for my life, as none of them would have caused me to violate the prohibition against joining with “unbelievers” (2 Cor 6:14). I chose to pursue Linda and, with her agreement, she became God’s will for me and I became God’s will for her, as our wedding vows formalized:

When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. (Num 30:2)

Perhaps, He gave us both a nudge, knowing she would be the ideal helpmeet for me, because I would not get very far on my own. But the field of potential candidates, at least initially, was open, and He left the task of narrowing it to human consideration.

     God may also leave to us the decision about which career path to take, able to work whatever we choose into the fabric of His purpose. That is what I understood to be His answer when I posed the question in prayer whether or not I should go to college. “You choose,” He seemed to say, satisfied that I was sufficiently devoted to Him and would submit to Him in whatever I decided.

     As long as we commit to keeping His general admonitions, He makes what remains become His will for us, and whatever more specific guidance we need He provides along the way. Meanwhile, obedience to what we already know is paramount.

     The most challenging areas of uncertainty about God’s will are often ones that involve more than a single person, as in marriage. Those decisions frequently showcase either individual integrity, the resolute commitment to keeping one’s own word (“for better or for worse”), or intractability, the stubborn insistence on having one’s own way (e.g., by claiming “irreconcilable differences”).

     To eliminate this uncertainty, God reduces the number of people in charge for most situations, thereby limiting the number of decisions one must make:

        Wives should submit to their husbands in everything. (Eph 5:24)

        Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (Eph 6:1)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters. (Eph 6:5)

Submit yourselves…to every authority instituted among men. (1 Pet 2:13)

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     Through a major role decision, God put the husband in charge in a marriage because of Eve’s part in the Fall:

The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. (Eph 5:23)

Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived. (1 Tim 2:14)

Despit allowing herself to be deceived by Satan, Eve’s culpability does not absolve Adam of responsibility. In fact, he shows an all-too willingness to disobey God with his easy acquiescence to her suggestion. Eve is just the first to step out of line.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food…she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband…and he ate it. (Gen 3:6)

God makes Eve’s primary role in the Fall the reason for women’s secondary role in the marriage:

Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived. (1 Tim 2:14)

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (Col 3:18)

God intends the husband to be head of the household, which becomes a patriarchal versus a matriarchal institution.

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     Nevertheless, a marriage relationship is often egalitarian, with both husband and wife charting its course together. The greatest difficulty in determining God’s will arises when we fail to make His general admonitions paramount, including love for one’s mate.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…. Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Eph 5:25, 28)

The wife must respect [not love?] her husband. (Eph 5:33)

        Cf. A reciprocal relationship;

                    I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. (Song 6:3 KJV)

After those matters occupy their proper place, other matters fall in line.

 

     I am very grateful that disunity has not been a problem for Linda and me, although our abiding equanimity may often be because of her willingness to defer to me, a willingness that makes me love her all the more:

Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this…life that God has given you under the sun. (Eccl 9:9)

Each one of you…must love his wife as he loves himself. (Eph 5:33)

A husband is responsible for his wife, and the direction he takes, for good or ill, generally affects the direction she takes, especially as she follows his lead. I pray that whatever good my decisions realize is also good for Linda.

     What God has enabled me to accomplish—physically (9^th degree), academically (Ph.D.), professionally (ordination), and maritally (Linda!)—is truly gratifying. He has given me “the desire[s] of [my] heart” (Ps 21:2) and more. At this point, my most important and ongoing task is, as it has always been, remaining faithful to Him:

I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart. (Ps 40:8)

Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. (Ps 73:25)

In the end, I hope to have emulated the example of Ezra, who “devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees” (7:10).

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     In the Lord, “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24), man has a companion who will remain with him always, “to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20), even when he crosses the final ‘barrier’ (another misnomer, because it implies a division that is more apparent than real; it is rather like a low ‘threshold’ or a ‘speed bump’), which is simply a transition from this life to the next life, separating the physical world (hRΩzAh MDlOoDh) and the ethereal world (aD;bAh MDlOoDh). It is a change we anticipate eagerly.

     Obedience now, in the present, determines whether our lives have any enduring significance or legacy later, in the future. To that end, it is important we run “the race [He has] marked out for us” (Heb 12:1), living in compliance with His will. We hope on that score we shall not be “found wanting” (Dan 5:27):

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:19)

     Again, the primary difference between fate and providence is the involvement of God: Fate affronts Him; providence affirms Him. Linda and I have seen—have experienced—God’s providential love and care for us repeatedly in our half century together, and we look forward to more of the same, especially because we will spend eternity with Him, a prospect for which we are most grateful.

 

 

Bibliography

 Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

     2020a     “Cat and Other Tails.”

     2020b    “An Essay about Free Will.”

     2022      “Gratitude.”