Psalm 34.19a
We encountered our text recently in the adult Sunday school class on how to meditate. I think that we had a good discussion. My own meditations on the verse didn't end that Sunday. One particular question continued to intrude itself on my thinking. And that was the question, 'Why?' David makes a statement of fact. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' And I wondered why that is the case. God could have worked things out so that, 'Some are the afflictions of the righteous' or 'Few are the afflictions of the righteous' or even 'None are the afflictions of the righteous'. But that's not what it says. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' Why? Why is it that way? I can't help but think that each of you has also asked himself this question, or something like it, at some point – probably when you were confronted with some affliction. It is not a surprising question. Why is this the case? Why is it that 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous?' Why does it have to be so hard?
There will be those who are going to say that asking such a question is inappropriate. We should never question God's ways, they tell us. But actually, it's fine to ask this question, and even helpful, as long as we remember to ask it in the right way. It is never right for a rebellious heart to rise up in anger with a defiant 'Why?!' We submit to our Creator simply because He is the sovereign and we are His creatures. He can do with us whatever He likes without any obligation to explain Himself to us. But there is a way to ask our question that is good and right. The right kind of 'Why?' comes from a heart that wants to honor, wants to obey, a heart that wants to follow Jesus well. And, sometimes, asking, 'Why?' can help. One of our goals as Christians is to understand our God. If we can understand Him well, then we can love Him well. Asking our question – why is it that 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous?' – with this goal in mind fits. We ask it so that we can love better. And the Father gives us some answers to our question. He gives us reasons why we are afflicted. So, let's consider what the Scriptures have to say in response to our question and see where that leads us.
One reason for the afflictions of this life is to develop humility. Israel suffered through forty years in the desert. They were there because that's where God had led them. And Moses, reflecting on those forty years, explains why. 'And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you...' We all have a problem with pride. Too often, though, we limit pride to something like bragging about yourself. But there's more to it than that. Pride is rebellion against the God who sustains you each moment. Pride is thinking, 'I can take care of myself.' Now, we all know that this is sin. But it helps to understand how it is sin. So, for one thing it's a lie, a sin against what is true. It's also the sin of dishonoring our Father. It's also a sin against the third commandment in that we who have been baptized bear God's name. But the sin that I want to focus on is the sin of theft. When someone proudly believes that he can take care of himself he is stealing glory from Jesus. Jesus is the one who sustains this creation and all who inhabit it. The only reason you are able to take your next breath is that it is a gift from Jesus. How does any sense of self-sufficiency fit with that? Israel needed to learn humility, to learn how completely dependent they were on their God. How did they learn this? The afflictions of years of desert life. You get to a place where you expect water but there is none or it was so bitter that you could not drink it. And yet, somehow there was always enough water. Every day you find yourself obligated to gather food that miraculously appears overnight, and it dawns on you that without this manna you would die a painful death. Time after time you make bad decisions, and it's clear that they were bad decisions because the Father sends serpents or a plague or some of your neighbors against you. You can't guarantee water to drink. You can't provide food to eat. And you're wrong time and time and time again. And by the kindness of your God it slowly becomes clear to you that you're not as capable as you thought. You understand much better your limitations, that you are the creature and not the Creator. Humility. And how do you gain this much more accurate assessment of yourself? Afflictions. Along with your next breath, Jesus blesses you with the gift of some affliction so that you might learn humility. Like Israel in the desert, we are a proud people who have been taught and have come to believe that we can handle pretty much whatever comes down the pike. By being well-prepared and by working hard we can overcome whatever. Jesus in His kindness disabuses us of such folly. And one way in which He does that is by afflictions.
Let's move on. Another fruit of afflictions is getting to know yourself. Getting to know the real you, getting to know your own heart, is so important but so very hard to do. 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?' Many of you will remember this bit of wisdom from Jeremiah. But consider the wider context. 'Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."' So, what's going on in your heart? Your God searches hearts and tests minds. And He does that for your good. It is for your good that He sends afflictions to test you. And how encouraging to be able to say, 'I used to fall apart when I had to deal with hard situations like this. But I didn't this time. There has been growth. I am doing better at trusting Jesus.' You find that you are like that tree planted by water and that your heart is bearing good fruit. How reassuring! How encouraging! And you get to see this because of that affliction that Jesus sent your way.
Next thought. Afflictions are meant to teach. We have come to believe that learning comes from books and lectures. And it does. But books and lectures are not always the best way to learn. God wanted Israel to learn about the importance, the central importance, of His words. And how did He teach this lesson? It wasn't by having a little Bible study where He explained the concept and then sent them away. Moses describes God's method of teaching. 'And he let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.' Israel in the desert learned a crucial lesson about God's words by having to face some bitter realities. Their God brought troubles their way. And they learned. We know the verses about God's care and recite some of them. 'He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"' And that's just one example out of many such verses. We've read these and heard people speak about them. And yet, it's different when some really hard life situation forces you to look at them again. And it's then that you find that they really are true. Afflictions will do that. It's when life falls apart that you learn – in a way that no book can teach – that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and that nearness becomes so much more precious than ever before. Afflictions teach us and they do that in a way that mere reading or listening cannot.
Next thought. Afflictions wean you from this world. 'It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting...' Who likes to go to funerals? I have yet to attend one that I have enjoyed. And the closer the relationship to the person who has died the more difficult it is. Afflictions. And yet, we are told that being at a funeral is better. And why is that? Here's the rest of the verse. '...for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.' Every one of us will end up in a casket. We are all going to die. When we do, we will take nothing with us except whatever virtues that have developed within our souls. Every funeral, as painful as it may be, teaches this. And what is the benefit? That we learn to hate this life? Absolutely not! There is much to enjoy and give thanks for here. The benefit is that we see this life more clearly. As a result, we are weaned from the improper love of this life. And that makes dealing with persecution easier. 'But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' The saints to whom this letter was written were able to deal with suffering and persecution for Jesus' sake. They were bold to be compassionate toward those of their group who were imprisoned, risking being tossed in with these enemies of the state. And they even joyfully accepted the plundering of their stuff. This was Godly living in the face of conflict and loss. And how were they able to do this? '... since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' Heaven. Being in the house of mourning is not pleasant. It is an affliction. But it reminds us that this life is oh so temporary. This is not our abiding home. This is not the place where hopes and dreams blossom in their fullness. This is not the place where our stuff is eternal. This is a place that will pass away, taking everything with it. But we have a better possession, one that will never fade or disappoint. And that is what we are to lay to heart. Another lesson of afflictions.
Well, we've looked at some Scripture. Now, we're ready to pull it all together and answer our question. Why is it that 'many are the afflictions of the righteous'? Here's one answer. We endure many afflictions because in doing so we make Jesus look good. (Remember, that's our translation of the Church words, 'Glorify Jesus'.) We deal with it all because of Him, because we love Him. Let's go down the list.
Our first reason for affliction: so that we might be humbled. As that happens to us we no longer steal glory from Jesus. The truth comes out. He is the reason we do as well as we do, not our own ability or hard work or anything else about us. And so, He gets the credit that He has earned. Our humble lives make Him look good.
Second reason for affliction: so that we might get to know our own hearts. And as we see more clearly the work of the Spirit within us we rejoice in our salvation. We shout, 'Look at how Jesus has changed a miserable sinner like me.' When we do that within the Church it's edifying and encouraging to the other saints. When we do that out in the world, it's evangelism, the kind that they will see as real and not canned. In both cases we're pointing to Jesus. We're making Him look good.
Third reason: so that we might learn, by experience, truths from God's Word. The most unlearned saint who has experienced the truth of the Word is so much more powerful a tool in the hands of the Spirit than any scholarly person whose knowledge of the truth is limited to books. Some might be struck by the education of the scholar – but that simply encourages them to want to be scholarly themselves. But those who are faced with a saint who knows Jesus by experience will be drawn to the Savior. That saint has made Jesus look good.
Last reason: so that we might be weaned from this world. One of the great needs of our world these days is the witness of Christians who enjoy this world fully, are involved in improving it and yet are ready to walk away from it all at a moment's notice simply because that's what Jesus wants. It would be clear to a watching world that these people are not odd hermits who remove themselves from society but neither are such Christians trapped by the system, like the rest of the world. It is at this point that the watching world will ask how that can be. And that results in an opportunity to give a reason for the hope that is within you. You've made Jesus look good.
We endure many afflictions because in doing so we make Jesus look good. We deal with it all because of Him, because we love Him.
Let me end by pointing to one implication of all of this. Afflictions are hard. They hurt. Our flesh does not like them. But they are gifts from Jesus to do us good and, more importantly, to make Him look good. So, we are not to try to hide from them. That's the attitude of the world. 'Protect yourself! Do all you can so that bad things don't happen to you.' The world lives for pleasure, and so, it is always in fear of pain and works hard to avoid it. We do not seek out affliction, but we do not run from it when it comes our way. We do not try to manage our lives to protect ourselves from it. Why would we? Our afflictions will make Jesus look good. So, consider the game plan you've adopted, the basic principles you've chosen to guide you as you make decisions about your life. Consider your expectations. Are you trying to keep affliction as far away as possible? Is that what you hope for and desire? How will that make Jesus look good?
We encountered our text recently in the adult Sunday school class on how to meditate. I think that we had a good discussion. My own meditations on the verse didn't end that Sunday. One particular question continued to intrude itself on my thinking. And that was the question, 'Why?' David makes a statement of fact. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' And I wondered why that is the case. God could have worked things out so that, 'Some are the afflictions of the righteous' or 'Few are the afflictions of the righteous' or even 'None are the afflictions of the righteous'. But that's not what it says. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' Why? Why is it that way? I can't help but think that each of you has also asked himself this question, or something like it, at some point – probably when you were confronted with some affliction. It is not a surprising question. Why is this the case? Why is it that 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous?' Why does it have to be so hard?
There will be those who are going to say that asking such a question is inappropriate. We should never question God's ways, they tell us. But actually, it's fine to ask this question, and even helpful, as long as we remember to ask it in the right way. It is never right for a rebellious heart to rise up in anger with a defiant 'Why?!' We submit to our Creator simply because He is the sovereign and we are His creatures. He can do with us whatever He likes without any obligation to explain Himself to us. But there is a way to ask our question that is good and right. The right kind of 'Why?' comes from a heart that wants to honor, wants to obey, a heart that wants to follow Jesus well. And, sometimes, asking, 'Why?' can help. One of our goals as Christians is to understand our God. If we can understand Him well, then we can love Him well. Asking our question – why is it that 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous?' – with this goal in mind fits. We ask it so that we can love better. And the Father gives us some answers to our question. He gives us reasons why we are afflicted. So, let's consider what the Scriptures have to say in response to our question and see where that leads us.
One reason for the afflictions of this life is to develop humility. Israel suffered through forty years in the desert. They were there because that's where God had led them. And Moses, reflecting on those forty years, explains why. 'And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you...' We all have a problem with pride. Too often, though, we limit pride to something like bragging about yourself. But there's more to it than that. Pride is rebellion against the God who sustains you each moment. Pride is thinking, 'I can take care of myself.' Now, we all know that this is sin. But it helps to understand how it is sin. So, for one thing it's a lie, a sin against what is true. It's also the sin of dishonoring our Father. It's also a sin against the third commandment in that we who have been baptized bear God's name. But the sin that I want to focus on is the sin of theft. When someone proudly believes that he can take care of himself he is stealing glory from Jesus. Jesus is the one who sustains this creation and all who inhabit it. The only reason you are able to take your next breath is that it is a gift from Jesus. How does any sense of self-sufficiency fit with that? Israel needed to learn humility, to learn how completely dependent they were on their God. How did they learn this? The afflictions of years of desert life. You get to a place where you expect water but there is none or it was so bitter that you could not drink it. And yet, somehow there was always enough water. Every day you find yourself obligated to gather food that miraculously appears overnight, and it dawns on you that without this manna you would die a painful death. Time after time you make bad decisions, and it's clear that they were bad decisions because the Father sends serpents or a plague or some of your neighbors against you. You can't guarantee water to drink. You can't provide food to eat. And you're wrong time and time and time again. And by the kindness of your God it slowly becomes clear to you that you're not as capable as you thought. You understand much better your limitations, that you are the creature and not the Creator. Humility. And how do you gain this much more accurate assessment of yourself? Afflictions. Along with your next breath, Jesus blesses you with the gift of some affliction so that you might learn humility. Like Israel in the desert, we are a proud people who have been taught and have come to believe that we can handle pretty much whatever comes down the pike. By being well-prepared and by working hard we can overcome whatever. Jesus in His kindness disabuses us of such folly. And one way in which He does that is by afflictions.
Let's move on. Another fruit of afflictions is getting to know yourself. Getting to know the real you, getting to know your own heart, is so important but so very hard to do. 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?' Many of you will remember this bit of wisdom from Jeremiah. But consider the wider context. 'Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."' So, what's going on in your heart? Your God searches hearts and tests minds. And He does that for your good. It is for your good that He sends afflictions to test you. And how encouraging to be able to say, 'I used to fall apart when I had to deal with hard situations like this. But I didn't this time. There has been growth. I am doing better at trusting Jesus.' You find that you are like that tree planted by water and that your heart is bearing good fruit. How reassuring! How encouraging! And you get to see this because of that affliction that Jesus sent your way.
Next thought. Afflictions are meant to teach. We have come to believe that learning comes from books and lectures. And it does. But books and lectures are not always the best way to learn. God wanted Israel to learn about the importance, the central importance, of His words. And how did He teach this lesson? It wasn't by having a little Bible study where He explained the concept and then sent them away. Moses describes God's method of teaching. 'And he let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.' Israel in the desert learned a crucial lesson about God's words by having to face some bitter realities. Their God brought troubles their way. And they learned. We know the verses about God's care and recite some of them. 'He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"' And that's just one example out of many such verses. We've read these and heard people speak about them. And yet, it's different when some really hard life situation forces you to look at them again. And it's then that you find that they really are true. Afflictions will do that. It's when life falls apart that you learn – in a way that no book can teach – that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and that nearness becomes so much more precious than ever before. Afflictions teach us and they do that in a way that mere reading or listening cannot.
Next thought. Afflictions wean you from this world. 'It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting...' Who likes to go to funerals? I have yet to attend one that I have enjoyed. And the closer the relationship to the person who has died the more difficult it is. Afflictions. And yet, we are told that being at a funeral is better. And why is that? Here's the rest of the verse. '...for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.' Every one of us will end up in a casket. We are all going to die. When we do, we will take nothing with us except whatever virtues that have developed within our souls. Every funeral, as painful as it may be, teaches this. And what is the benefit? That we learn to hate this life? Absolutely not! There is much to enjoy and give thanks for here. The benefit is that we see this life more clearly. As a result, we are weaned from the improper love of this life. And that makes dealing with persecution easier. 'But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' The saints to whom this letter was written were able to deal with suffering and persecution for Jesus' sake. They were bold to be compassionate toward those of their group who were imprisoned, risking being tossed in with these enemies of the state. And they even joyfully accepted the plundering of their stuff. This was Godly living in the face of conflict and loss. And how were they able to do this? '... since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' Heaven. Being in the house of mourning is not pleasant. It is an affliction. But it reminds us that this life is oh so temporary. This is not our abiding home. This is not the place where hopes and dreams blossom in their fullness. This is not the place where our stuff is eternal. This is a place that will pass away, taking everything with it. But we have a better possession, one that will never fade or disappoint. And that is what we are to lay to heart. Another lesson of afflictions.
Well, we've looked at some Scripture. Now, we're ready to pull it all together and answer our question. Why is it that 'many are the afflictions of the righteous'? Here's one answer. We endure many afflictions because in doing so we make Jesus look good. (Remember, that's our translation of the Church words, 'Glorify Jesus'.) We deal with it all because of Him, because we love Him. Let's go down the list.
Our first reason for affliction: so that we might be humbled. As that happens to us we no longer steal glory from Jesus. The truth comes out. He is the reason we do as well as we do, not our own ability or hard work or anything else about us. And so, He gets the credit that He has earned. Our humble lives make Him look good.
Second reason for affliction: so that we might get to know our own hearts. And as we see more clearly the work of the Spirit within us we rejoice in our salvation. We shout, 'Look at how Jesus has changed a miserable sinner like me.' When we do that within the Church it's edifying and encouraging to the other saints. When we do that out in the world, it's evangelism, the kind that they will see as real and not canned. In both cases we're pointing to Jesus. We're making Him look good.
Third reason: so that we might learn, by experience, truths from God's Word. The most unlearned saint who has experienced the truth of the Word is so much more powerful a tool in the hands of the Spirit than any scholarly person whose knowledge of the truth is limited to books. Some might be struck by the education of the scholar – but that simply encourages them to want to be scholarly themselves. But those who are faced with a saint who knows Jesus by experience will be drawn to the Savior. That saint has made Jesus look good.
Last reason: so that we might be weaned from this world. One of the great needs of our world these days is the witness of Christians who enjoy this world fully, are involved in improving it and yet are ready to walk away from it all at a moment's notice simply because that's what Jesus wants. It would be clear to a watching world that these people are not odd hermits who remove themselves from society but neither are such Christians trapped by the system, like the rest of the world. It is at this point that the watching world will ask how that can be. And that results in an opportunity to give a reason for the hope that is within you. You've made Jesus look good.
We endure many afflictions because in doing so we make Jesus look good. We deal with it all because of Him, because we love Him.
Let me end by pointing to one implication of all of this. Afflictions are hard. They hurt. Our flesh does not like them. But they are gifts from Jesus to do us good and, more importantly, to make Him look good. So, we are not to try to hide from them. That's the attitude of the world. 'Protect yourself! Do all you can so that bad things don't happen to you.' The world lives for pleasure, and so, it is always in fear of pain and works hard to avoid it. We do not seek out affliction, but we do not run from it when it comes our way. We do not try to manage our lives to protect ourselves from it. Why would we? Our afflictions will make Jesus look good. So, consider the game plan you've adopted, the basic principles you've chosen to guide you as you make decisions about your life. Consider your expectations. Are you trying to keep affliction as far away as possible? Is that what you hope for and desire? How will that make Jesus look good?
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