Isaiah’s Warning: Tyre’s Pride and Its Consequences

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Jeweled crown on stone pedestal with wooden scepter in ruined stone building

“This message came to me concerning Tyre: Wail, you trading ships of Tarshish, for the harbour and houses of Tyre are gone! The rumours you heard in Cyprus are all true. Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, that great creator of kingdoms? Her traders were all princes, her merchants were nobles. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low all earth’s nobility. Come, people of Tarshish, sweep over the land like the flooding Nile, for Tyre is defenceless.”
Isaiah 23:1, 8-10 NLT

Isaiah 23 is an oracle against Tyre, the great Phoenician trading city. Tyre was the wealthiest commercial city of the ancient world and was built partly on an offshore island, making it almost impregnable. It was famous for shipping, trade, cedar wood, purple dye, and international commerce, and was closely linked with Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon (1 Kings 5). It later became proud, wealthy and spiritually corrupt. It is believed that Isaiah wrote this prophecy about 700 BC, and it was fulfilled during several sieges, the first when Shalmaneser V and Sargon II pressured Tyre in the 8th century BC. Then Nebuchadnezzar came along and besieged Tyre for thirteen years (586–573 BC), as we can read in Ezekiel 26, but it was Alexander the Great who finally conquered the island city in 332 BC by building a causeway to it. But why did such a magnificent city, the focus of Isaiah’s oracle, fall? Today, the ancient city of Tyre lies in ruins in Sour, Lebanon, about 83 kilometres south of Beirut. It is still accessible by the causeway built by Alexander.

The downfall of Tyre was due to God’s judgment for its pride, a theme common to these early chapters of Isaiah. There is something about the sin of pride that God detests, and we can see His judgment in Isaiah 23:9, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low all earth’s nobility”. In its pride, Tyre believed that wealth guaranteed security, influence guaranteed permanence, and success guaranteed significance, but the Lord declared otherwise. In Proverbs 16:5, we read, “The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished”. Further down the page, we read the proverb, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud” (Proverbs 16:18-19). James quotes another proverb in James 4:6, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’”. 

In Luke 18, we read the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus addressed this parable to “some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else” (Luke 18:9). Who were these people? The description fits the Pharisees very well and the parable commences, “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector” (Luke 18:10). We can read the arrogance in the Pharisee’s prayer, as he thanked God that he was not like other people, especially the tax collector who was praying “at a distance” and not even daring to lift his eyes to Heaven. But Jesus concluded His parable with, “I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). 

In Matthew 23:12, Jesus said, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”, and this principle is clearly demonstrated by the life of Belshazzar, which we can read about in Daniel 5. We all know the story, I’m sure, of when King Belshazzar was giving a great feast for 1000 of his nobles, and to accommodate the wine, he used the gold and silver goblets that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. But then we read, “Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote,” (Daniel 5:5). With his knees knocking together in fear, the king called for his motley crew of astrologers to interpret what the writing said. They failed, and eventually, at his mother’s prompting, the king called for Daniel, who began by reminding Belshazzar of what happened to his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 5:20, “But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory”. Then Daniel delivered the coup de grace, with “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honoured the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” (Daniel 5:22-23). It didn’t end well for Belshazzar, as the story ends in Daniel 5:30, “That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed”. 

We should note that God is not opposed to success, but He is opposed to pride and self-sufficiency. Pride slowly engulfs us with attitudes such as “I built this”, or “I earned this”, things that can develop into the person thinking that they don’t need God at all. The inhabitants of Tyre eventually considered their city a monument to human achievement, which made it the focus of divine humbling. People throughout history, and even today, have found that God often removes the things they trust in, often bringing them down to earth with quite a bump. 

Pride is quite a common attribute among people in our societies today. In a culture focused on achievement, God has been forgotten, and people have generally become puffed up with pride and arrogance. Perhaps a person happened to meet a film star or another prominent person and bragged about it, full of pride. Perhaps a person achieved a degree at University and put their success down to their hard work. But God’s gift of intelligence never figures in their boasting. Even we pilgrims can fall into the trap of bragging about our prowess in our gardens or kitchens, our jobs or qualifications, our abilities in fishing or on the golf course, or even our ability to write blogs and books. We constantly need to humble ourselves before God, pointing to Him as the Author and Finisher of our faith, and the One who has given us so many good gifts. So perhaps a little self-examination is appropriate today, as we thank God for His grace and favour, giving Him all the praise and all the glory.

Dear Father God. Our success in life is all down to You and Your grace working out in our lives. There is nothing we can claim to be able to do or achieve without You being there behind it. Thank You. Amen.

Isaiah’s Nakedness: A Symbol of Obedience and Judgment

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod, the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt. Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! They will say, ‘If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.’””Isaiah 20:1-6 NLT

Here is a short but profound chapter in Isaiah, containing themes that, in many ways, continue the previous few chapters, containing as they do prophetic warnings of God’s judgment yet to come. It may be interesting to note for us Scottish readers that the name of King Sargon’s command-in-chief was “Tartan”. However, Isaiah was told to remove “the burlap” that he had been wearing, the idea being to imply shame. It’s highly likely the prophet kept a loincloth on, but nevertheless what he was wearing, or the lack of it, was seen as a humbling state of undress. Given the customs of the day, anyone who saw the prophet in public undressed in this manner would not forget the image.

This was an extraordinary command for the prophet, and he lived this way for three years, becoming a living illustration of God’s impending judgement. He probably endured embarrassment, ridicule, misunderstanding and criticism, yet he obeyed anyway. We pilgrims should note that faithfulness is not measured by public approval but by obedience to God. Sometimes God asks us to forgive when others demand revenge or He asks, even expects, us to remain honest when dishonesty would benefit us. We must speak the truth graciously and wait patiently rather than forcing events. Obedience to God often looks foolish before it proves wise. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15). How often have we read that short verse without ever realising what it could mean in practice? And yet in our society, there are men and women who are prepared to stand on street corners, giving out tracts or Gospels, or preaching the Good News about Jesus. In the city of Dunfermline, where I live, occasionally a man walks around wearing what is called a sandwich board, displaying a number of Bible verses and encouraging people to turn to God before it is too late. But how would we respond if God asked us to do the same? We could also take note of the faith of men like Abraham and Noah. Hebrews 11:8, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going”. That was a big ask in those days, to leave a place of comfort and head into the unknown to live in a tent. And then we have the story of Noah in the previous verse, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith”. Imagine the hassles he received! And then we have Samuel’s rebuke to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22, “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams””. Jesus’ command “If you love me, obey my commandments”is something we pilgrims must take seriously.

Isaiah’s near-nakedness symbolised humiliation and captivity, and that was the message that he took to people around him. It wasn’t a brief act carried out on a Saturday afternoon in a shopping mall somewhere. Isaiah’s message was in the public square for three years and his actions would have become well known in his nation, as the word spread around. The people had ample time to consider their positions and attitudes, their sins and evil acts, because God gave them the time. But the inhabitants had a false sense of security, thinking that the Egyptians would come and save them. In our verses today, we read, “they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt”. But we find that the Assyrians and the Egyptians themselves would suffer the same fate as the inhabitants of Ashdod. At times like this, we pilgrims should stop and consider where we are placing our own security. 

The image of the near-naked Isaiah in a way points to Jesus. There on the cross we read that He was publicly humiliated as we read in John 19:23, “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom”. Naked on the cross of execution, stripped of His garments, mocked and shamed, Jesus bore all of that for us, and it is the more remarkable that He knew what was coming. Unlike Isaiah, who merely portrayed judgement, Jesus actually bore our judgement.

Isaiah wore the sign of another nation’s shame, but Jesus carried our shame so that we might be clothed with His righteousness. In Hebrews 12:2, we read, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne“. Similarly, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ”. However, in both Isaiah’s and Jesus’ acts of obedience, something was demanded of the people. That was, they had to accept the message and be obedient to what God required before they could experience the benefits of His grace.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, and thank You for Jesus, who died so that we would not have to face the consequences of our sins. Now righteous before You, we offer up our praise and worship to You. Amen.

Finding Refuge: Overcoming Pride in Times of Trouble

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Send lambs from Sela as tribute to the ruler of the land. Send them through the desert to the mountain of beautiful Zion. The women of Moab are left like homeless birds at the shallow crossings of the Arnon River. “Help us,” they cry. “Defend us against our enemies. Protect us from their relentless attack. Do not betray us now that we have escaped. Let our refugees stay among you. Hide them from our enemies until the terror is past.” When oppression and destruction have ended and enemy raiders have disappeared, then God will establish one of David’s descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is just and be eager to do what is right. We have heard about proud Moab—about its pride, arrogance, and rage. But all that boasting has disappeared.”
Isaiah 16:1-6 NLT

Isaiah chapters 15 and 16 paint a heartbreaking picture. Moab is devastated. Cities have been destroyed, people are weeping, refugees are fleeing, and families are desperately searching for safety. Throughout Isaiah 15 we repeatedly hear the language of grief, with mentions of weeping, crying, faint hearts and more.  It is a picture of people who have discovered that everything they trusted will be taken away. Yet amid this terrible situation, there appears to be an opportunity for refuge. Moab is encouraged to turn towards Zion. But there is a problem. Pride. In our verses today we read, “We have heard about proud Moab—about its pride and arrogance and rage”. Moab desperately needed help, but pride stood in its way.

There is an important spiritual lesson here for us pilgrims. Sometimes the greatest barrier between ourselves and the help that God can supply is not our weakness. It is our pride, and in it we say that we can manage, that we don’t need help from anyone. We say that we will sort this or that particular problem ourselves, and anyway, if all else fails, we will then turn to God. But faith says something very different: it tells the Lord that we need Him. However, we know that God offers us a place of refuge. Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble”. Matthew 11:28-30 NLT, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light””. But to come to Christ we must first admit that we need Him. We cannot receive grace while insisting that we are self-sufficient. We cannot find refuge while refusing to admit that we need shelter. We cannot experience the strength of God while pretending that we are strong enough on our own. The tragedy of Moab is that help was available, but pride stood in the way.

Perhaps today God is reminding us that we do not have to carry everything ourselves. We can come to Him, admitting our weaknesses, confessing our needs, and, of course, laying down our pride. And when we do, we discover that God is not waiting to condemn the humble heart. He is waiting to become our refuge. James wrote, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. … Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour” (James 4:6-7, 10). 

Isaiah 16:4-5 reads, “Let our refugees stay among you. Hide them from our enemies until the terror is past. When oppression and destruction have ended and enemy raiders have disappeared, then God will establish one of David’s descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is just and be eager to do what is right”. We pilgrims remember that, in all the mayhem of this turbulent time in history, Someone was coming to establish a Kingdom of mercy and truth, justice and righteousness. His name was, and is, Jesus, our wonderful Saviour. Unlike the Maobites, who had yet to experience the coming King, we know Him from His brief time on this earth. He came as a baby, subsequently living a life of austerity, but His love and compassion were limitless, and through the testimonies of His faithful disciples, we stand before Him, loved, saved and forgiven. We know Him. And we wait for His return, to complete the promise given so many years ago to a people suffering under foreign occupation. 

God is indeed “our refuge and strength”, but is our pride getting in the way? Are we preventing ourselves from entering into the refuge of rest that He promised? In all humility, we bow before Him today, confessing our pride and arrogance, and asking for forgiveness. Are we pilgrims facing into difficulties today, for which God has a solution, if only we would put aside our pride and embrace His provision?

Dear Lord, forgive us for the times when pride prevents us from admitting how much we need You. Help us to stop trusting in our own strengths and abilities. Teach us to come humbly into Your presence and to find our refuge, strength and security in You. Thank You that when we come to You, we know that we will never be turned away. Amen.

The Danger of Pride: Lessons from Isaiah 9

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it – Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria – who say with pride and arrogance of heart, ‘The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig-trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.’ But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them and has spurred their enemies on. Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.”
Isaiah 9:8-12 NIVUK

Isaiah sharply switches from the wonder of the coming “great light”, the One who will “reign on David’s throne” forever, to a warning against Israel, the ten Northern tribes. And the message makes grim reading. Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and mostly prophesied to the kings and people of Judah, which comprised the remaining two tribes of the Jewish nation. But occasionally, he had a word for those in the North. Straight away, he put his finger on their problem – “pride and arrogance of heart”. The references to Ephraim and Samaria refer to the people and their centre of political power. 

The city of Samaria was a source of pride for the Israelites, and they had built it up, so they thought, by their own efforts. And so they reasoned that, should it be destroyed, they would rebuild it even better. Their own efforts would be sufficient, so they thought. But how did they reach this mindset, with the Assyrians building up their forces on their borders? What was it in their logical thought processes that made them think that if they were attacked, then they would just recover through their own efforts? That’s arrogance. “We did it before, so next time it won’t take so long” was perhaps their motto. 

The Israelites had obviously forgotten the proverb, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), or another one, “Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance, but humility comes before honour” (Proverbs 18:12). In Daniel 4, we can read what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. He had a dream that Daniel interpreted for him, and it ended, “You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses” (Daniel 4:25). It was a year later that his pride and arrogance showed up, and Daniel’s prophecy came true. Daniel 4:30, “As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendour’”. The next verse delivered God’s judgment, “While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom’”, and off he went to eat grass for seven years and until he “honoured the One who lives forever”.

But this wasn’t just an Old Testament problem. Jesus said, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). About Jesus, Paul wrote, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). In the preceding verse, Paul wrote, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had“, and that really sums up all that was wrong with the Israelites. The only had an attitude of pride and arrogance, and this ultimately led to their destruction.

But we pilgrims need to be careful. It is so easy to slip into the same mindset as the Israelites, adopting an attitude of pride and arrogance. Perhaps things are going well for us, and we forget that it will be God showing us His favour, not our efforts producing good results. We must always keep close to God, thanking Him for being with us, for keeping us safe when we could so easily lapse into danger, for helping us when we run out of ideas, and for giving us His Spirit to lead and guide us through the minefields of life.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and favour, and for always being with us each and every day. Amen.


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Encouragement and Peace in Christian Fellowship

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All of God’s people here send you their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NLT

We continue today with a second look at Paul’s final thoughts in this, his second letter to the Corinthian church. He asked the believers to “encourage each other” and “live in harmony and peace”. Was this an impossible ask, or was it achievable amongst the disparate believers in Corinth? From a natural perspective, any group of people will eventually fall apart because it is not long before there is a falling-out, and the group members will go their separate ways. Selfish desires, differences in intellect and perspectives, different agendas, and so on soon reveal themselves with fault lines that grow until the gaps are unbridgeable. However, some groups with a clear set of rules and a common goal will survive, as with a golf club or another hobby-based vision. Or, better still, a group focused on Jesus. 

Among Christians, there is a clear bond that draws each person ever closer to one another and to Christ. I always envision a triangle, with God at the apex and believers at the other two points. As they look up to God and get closer to Him, they inevitably get closer to each other. If they neglect their relationship with God, they will move further apart. It is also a good analogy to use in marriage counselling. Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to “live in harmony and peace” implied a common bond, as they “grew in maturity,” meaning they were becoming more and more like Jesus every day. 

In Romans 12, Paul used the analogy of our physical bodies as the body of Christ. Romans 12:4-5, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other”. Paul revisits the analogy in 1 Corinthians 12:12, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ”. But in the next verse, he emphasises that no matter our differences, we are all still part of the body of Christ. “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit”. And further down the page, we read, “In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honourable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honour and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:22-26). In these verses, one word emerges, and that is “honour”. We should honour one another as a priority in our relationships, because that is how we live together as a body of believers. 

It is therefore obvious that a properly functioning body of believers will only live in harmony with each other if they care for each other in the same way as we care for our own bodies. So if we cut ourselves, we clean the wound and put on a plaster. But what we don’t do is ignore the hurt, as otherwise the wound may become infected and lead to a more serious condition. In the same way, in the body of Christ, if a member is hurting, we tend to the hurt so that it doesn’t worsen and lead to an infection that could ultimately destroy the body.

To “live in harmony and peace” requires effort and diligence on the part of the church members. Otherwise, the believers become separated from each other, and the church ceases to function as God desires. This can be seen in some declining churches, where members meet only on Sunday morning for an hour or so, and leave their fellowship there. Then, when a crisis erupts, there is no cohesion, and the opposite of “harmony and peace” appears. To be a fellowship of believers in the way Paul was encouraging the Corinthians requires diligence and effort. They would have had to work hard to bind with one another and live out his instructions, particularly, as his letters have shown, there was much going on with the potential to tear them apart. 

Are we pilgrims a part of a fellowship, living in “harmony and peace” with each other? If not, we must ask ourselves the question “Why not”? Our relationships with one another start with our relationship with God and cross cultural and racial boundaries. To be harmonious starts with Jesus. Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”. But here’s the thing. The next verse nails it, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus“. Any group of believers that lacks harmony and cohesiveness will find that personal and corporate peace is elusive. Jesus said, “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” (John 14:27). The peace of Christ didn’t die out with the Apostles. It is still there for us, from the fount that never runs dry.

So are we pilgrims experiencing a lack of peace today? As we look up to Jesus and gain His perspective, we will soon find the way back onto the right track.

Dear Heavenly Father. As with joy, You are the Source of peace. Thank You for the peace we can experience as we live in harmony with each other. Amen.

Understanding Paul’s Thorn: Lessons in Humility

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.”
2 Corinthians 12:6-8 NLT

I wonder what Paul saw and heard in Heaven. We don’t really have a clue about what is there, although Jesus called it Paradise. Revelation gives us a few glimpses of what John saw there, with a door opening for him to reveal a throne with the One sitting on it, appearing as brilliant as gemstones. There was a sea of glass, an emerald rainbow, flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Elders, 24 of them, wore gold crowns and white robes. Living creatures were there constantly singing a hymn of praise to God. But this was all that John could describe in a brief glimpse of Heaven. Paul had a similar experience, being “ … caught up to paradise and [where he] heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:4). John was told to write down his experience, but Paul was commanded not to. It’s possible that Paul saw what eternity would be like and now knew things the rest of humanity could never know. Such an immeasurable gift would have given Paul seemingly limitless confidence to keep preaching, despite terrible suffering. It also gave him the perspective that such suffering in this life was not worth comparing to the glory of eternity. 

A lesser person than Paul would have become puffed up with pride and would have gone through his life boasting about his experiences. After all, if someone today meets a special person, such as a royal, or a famous actor or actress, they make sure everyone knows about their experience. So just in case, Paul “… was given a thorn in [his] flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment [him] and keep [him] from becoming proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7). What would this have been? The imagery Paul creates here is that of a sharp object, like a sharp piece of wood, stabbed into his body, unable to be removed, bringing chronic pain and discomfort. Paul attributed it to it being a “messenger of satan”, and we read that he begged the Lord to take it away from him. It was something that he was constantly aware of, but it was not so debilitating that his ministry was affected. 

There has been much speculation by scholars and theologians about what Paul’s thorn was, with suggestions that it was his eyesight. We know from Galatians 6:11 that his writing had to be enlarged to make it visible to him. We also know from Acts 23 that Paul had a problem in trying to discern who the high priest was amongst the gathered members of the Sanhedrin, perhaps due to his poor eyesight. Then there are some who think he might have had a tremor of some kind, such as a friend of mine has. 1 Corinthians 2:3, “I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling”. Perhaps Paul had a problem articulating his words in a way that could be easy to listen to or understand. 2 Corinthians 10:10, “For some say, ‘Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!’”. But this is all speculation, and we won’t know what his “thorn” was until we can ask him ourselves one day. 

But whatever the cause, Paul had a physical condition that kept him from becoming proud about his wonderful experience in the Third Heaven, a place he referred to as paradise. Paul was therefore continually in a state of humility, knowing that God had allowed something to happen to him for a purpose. We should also note that Paul attributed his condition to satan, meaning that God had given him permission to cause him some distress. We know that this can happen, because of the story of Job. We read in Job 1:10-12 the account of a conversation between satan and God about Job, and satan complained, “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence”. Nothing happened to Paul by the devil without God’s permission, and we can assume the same. Why would God allow such an attack from the enemy? If it were against us, we could assume it was for our higher good, as it was with Paul. In Hebrews 12:6 we read, “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child”. It is possible that the devil would be allowed to assist in this process.

If any of us pilgrims are living with a physical condition that is debilitating or unwelcome, we must never assume that it is a “thorn in our flesh” as it was in the case of Paul, or given to us by satan. We live in a fallen world, and sin will sometimes be manifested through illness or disease. But whatever the situation, we learn to look up rather than inward, because it is only as we see God and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Third Heaven that we can find the strength to continue in our lives here on Planet Earth. 

Dear Father God. We confess our sins before You today. Please forgive us for our moaning and complaining. Instead, we pray for a glimpse of Heaven to sustain us through Your Spirit, in our years ahead. Thank You. Amen.

Receiving Credit: God’s Perspective vs. Worldly Views

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message,”
2 Corinthians 12:4-6 NLT

What do we pilgrims get credit for? It starts with our goals and aims in life, so a student will get credit for passing an exam, or an athlete for winning a medal. Someone with an unblemished payment record will be assigned a good credit score and, similarly, will be eligible for a credit card. In our employment, a good worker will be credited with a pay rise. A good preacher will receive credit for their oratorical skills or perhaps for their knowledge of the Bible. Receiving credit for something brings with it a glow of self-importance or self-satisfaction. But these are all worldly examples, and they do not apply in God’s Kingdom, where self-promotion is never valued. It is only God who gets the glory. 

In Genesis 15, we can read the story of Abraham and the covenant God made with him. It started with a vision which we can read about in Genesis 15:1, “Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great’”. But this was a problem for Abraham because he had no heir to his wealth, and he was concerned that it might instead go to one of his servants. But there then came the promise, “Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir’” (Genesis 15:4). And just to confirm His promise, “… the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!’”. How would we have responded in such a scenario? Here was Abraham getting close to 100 years old, with a wife not far behind, barren as well,  and yet God was promising a son? I would think it would have been a miracle if the old couple were having sexual relations at that age, let alone seeing the fruit of it with a child. And yet we read in verse 6, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness”. 

There are many spiritual blessings that we are credited with, not the least our salvation. And we mustn’t forget the physical blessings we receive as well, all credited to anyone created by God. So we have the environment around us, in a world just right to sustain the lives God has populated this planet with. We have our life, our health, our families, food on our tables, homes and clothing. God has credited us with many blessings. And all these things are there for us through God’s love and grace.

But back to Paul. He had much to boast about, with his vision of being taken up into the Third Heaven. Not many people, if any, can boast about such a thing. However, Paul wasn’t going there, and instead, he only wanted credit for the things he was doing for God and what God had done in his life. He didn’t even want to make claims about this, preferring to let people see it in the way he lived and acted, and through what he said. So it should be the same for us pilgrims. Self-promotion may be the way of those living a worldly life, but it is not the way for Christians. Paul was a very humble man, and he encouraged believers to be the same. He wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5). Jesus said to His disciples, “… You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave” (Matthew 20:25-27). 

We pilgrims, to our credit, believe in God. The Apostles creed starts with “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”. But it doesn’t stop there. A bit further down we read, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord”. And it finishes, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting”. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our Trinitarian God, the One we worship. And every time we speak out that creed, believing what we are saying in our hearts, then our faith brings us credit with God. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We do believe, but please forgive us for the times when we have doubts and waver in our faith. Thank You for Your many blessings and provision, Your love and grace. And Your patience with us. Amen.

Paul’s Warning: Beware of Persuasive Fools

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too.”
2 Corinthians 11:16-21 NLT

There is something deeply unsettling about listening to someone who is clearly confident—but quietly wrong. Confidence has a way of persuading us. It carries weight, presence, and often admiration. Yet in 2 Corinthians 11:16–21, the Apostle Paul exposes a sobering truth: not everything that appears wise truly is. In this passage, Paul does something unusual. He begins to “boast”, but he does so reluctantly, even apologetically. He calls it what it is: foolishness. “Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little” (2 Corinthians 11:16). It’s clear that Paul is not comfortable with this approach. Boasting, in his mind, is not the way of Christ. And yet, he adopts this tone for a reason.

The church in Corinth had become enamoured with a different kind of leadership. Certain individuals, whom Paul later describes as “super-apostles”, had arrived with impressive credentials, persuasive speech, and a commanding presence. They measured success by outward standards. They spoke with confidence. They looked the part. And the Corinthians were captivated. Paul’s irony exposes the flaws in the Corinthian mindsets: “After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!” (2 Corinthians 11:19). In other words, he wrote, you think you are being discerning, but you are tolerating what is actually foolish. In accepting their new leaders, they were taken in by their polished, persuasive words and outward appearances. The problem was that the Corinthians were taken in by these men, lacking discernment, and resulting in them ending up in a dangerous situation

The problem in Corinth is not confined to the first century. If anything, it has intensified in our own time. We live in an age saturated with voices in sermons, podcasts, videos, and books, with each one competing for attention. And often, the voices that rise to the top are not necessarily the most faithful, but the most compelling. We are drawn to confidence and apparent clarity, with the speaker or writer being a charismatic person who seems to say all the right things and who even comes across as a source of truth. But Paul reminds us that confidence is not the same as truth. It is entirely possible for someone to speak boldly, persuasively, and even attractively, and yet be fundamentally misaligned with the Gospel. The Corinthians fell into this trap. They confused charisma with authority, eloquence with truth, and self-promotion with spiritual maturity. And before we get on our high horses and claim that would never happen to us, we are no less vulnerable.

One of the striking elements of our verses today is how willingly the Corinthians accepted these “foolish” voices. Paul says they “enjoy putting up with fools”. We almost get the impression that they were very comfortable and accepting of what the “super-apostles” had to offer. There is almost a sense of eagerness and an appetite for what these teachers had to say, and that raises an uncomfortable question for us, because what do we, as Christians, tend to celebrate and promote? I know someone who spends a lot of time watching Christian speakers on TV, big names who tick all the charisma and charm boxes and confidently speak about Bible verses, even relating them to world events and what they believe is coming. They may even include appeals for donations, thereby manipulating their viewers’ emotions. It is easy for such people to present themselves with confidence and polish, but these are not the marks Paul points to as evidence of true ministry. In 1 Corinthians 2:2-5, Paul wrote, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”

At the heart of Paul’s irony in our verses today is a call to discernment. The Corinthians believed themselves to be wise, yet their discernment was compromised. They were not testing what they heard carefully enough. They were not looking beneath the surface. And so Paul, almost reluctantly, met them on their own terms. If they valued boasting, then he would “boast” as well, but in doing so, he exposed how empty that standard really was.

What do we pilgrims make of all this? I think that Paul has put his finger on something we all need to consider – how discerning are we? When a speaker preaches a sermon, or engages with us in a Bible Study or prayer meeting, do we accept at face value what is said, or do we critically test and examine his or her words? Do we ask ourselves questions such as, “Is this teaching faithful to Scripture?” Or “Does this reflect the character of Christ?” And does the presenter provide the message with a spirit of humility, or is there a brashness or overconfidence present? In James 1:5-6, we read, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind”. We need wisdom whenever we hear messages or read books that contain confident, and even dogmatic, statements, and we should discard anything that has a whiff of falseness or overemphasis.

Paul ironically wrote, “After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!” (2 Corinthians 11:19). This verse is a warning as much as it is a rebuke. In a world full of confident voices, the greatest danger is not always obvious error; it is persuasive foolishness. Beware the kind of message that sounds right, feels compelling, and gains traction, yet subtly leads us away from the simplicity and humility of Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom in our world, where strident and competing voices clamour for our attention with messages of falseness and error. Guide us into all truth we pray, and we do so by looking to Jesus, who is the Author of truth. Amen

The Dangers of Comparing Ourselves to Others

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!” Those people should realise that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away. Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”
2 Corinthians 10:10-12 NLT

There were a group of men full of their own importance in Corinth, men who had emerged as leaders in the congregation and were hostile to Paul’s ongoing involvement in the church there. They subversively undermined Paul and his teaching and preached their own version of the Gospel. They may even have attempted to include some of the Gnostic or other erroneous teachings in their messages, although there was no evidence of that from Paul’s letters. Perhaps Paul gave a hint of concern when he wrote, “You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us” (2 Corinthians 2:17). But regardless of what really was the situation in Corinth, Paul was pulling no punches and he had some hard words about “these other men who tell you how important they are”. 

About “these other men”, it seems that their self-declared importance came from “comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement”. Straight away, we can see the danger in this, because a human being is no proper standard of measurement. Yes, we can get out the tape measures and the bathroom scales, the blood pressure monitor and the thermometer, and make certain physical measurements, from which a comparison can be made with others. For example, a person’s temperature can be compared with the temperatures of many others, and a good idea can be obtained about their health from that, with an elevated temperature indicating some form of infection. But when it comes to spiritual matters, then there is a problem. There is no final arbiter of the state of a human being other than God Himself, because He is absolute truth, whereas people are not. A person with all the Bible knowledge in the world, even a professor of theology or an expert Bible scholar, can fall short in the comparison stakes. 

“These other men” in Corinth were comparing themselves with each other, but what was the criterion they were using in the comparison? Was it their ability to pray in public? Was it their knowledge of the Gospel? Was it their ability to preach and bring a message that everyone could understand? Or was it their boasting about how good or rich they were, something supported by their material status in the Corinthian society? That latter question exposes the human problem of comparing oneself with others, using the physical or external attributes of their appearance in the comparison. So today, young girls can end up in trouble by comparing themselves with film stars or catwalk models and making decisions based on diet or clothes. Men can suffer the same from their prowess on the golf course, in the gym, or from the car they drive. 

But how do we pilgrims consider ourselves? Are we comparing ourselves with anyone? If so, what criterion are we using, and anyway, why are we doing it? Paul wrote about this in Philippians 2:3, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves”. Paul continued, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. …” Philippians 2:5-7a). So we pilgrims aspire to being humble, but what does that look like? This can be applied too far, so that the person shies away from offering an opinion or praying in public, lest they be considered boastful. In Romans 12:3, Paul provided some light on the situation. “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us”. We pilgrims must honestly do and say things in accordance with our faith that we have in the gift God has provided for us. How do we reach this point? Through prayer and, in the end, trial and error, perseverance with humility and the willingness to say we were wrong if necessary. 

There is no merit in comparing ourselves with others because their gifting and faith will be different to ours. All God asks us to do is in accordance with how He has made us and resourced us with His Spirit. In the Kingdom of God, the worldly rules don’t apply, and most of the time carry the caption “sin”. The Psalmist wrote, “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10). That is where I want to be. Many around us may claim to have a good life, something they conclude by comparing themselves with others, but all we must aspire to is a life of service to God. As we look up into Heavenly places, there will be no time to look to others.

Dear Father God. What can we say but “sorry” for the time we spend comparing ourselves with those around us. Please forgive us, we pray, and we ask for help when we get trapped in such a way. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Pretentious Speeches

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?”
1 Corinthians 4:18-21 NLT

Can we remember those days as a young child, having been caught out for some misdemeanour, or having been sent home from school with a bad report? Our mother said, “Wait until your father gets home!” and there was then a long wait, full of dread, as we anticipated a major telling-off or worse. Possibly, sanctions would follow, such as a loss of liberty, a favourite toy or some other punishment. Well, Paul said to the Corinthians that some naughty children amongst them reckoned that he was too busy elsewhere to return and bring correction and discipline. These “arrogant” people thought that without Paul with them, they could continue in their pretentious ways without fear of getting a telling off and being made to look the small people that they really were inside. 

Why was Paul feared so much by the Corinthian congregation? After all, he was only a man and wasn’t even very good at preaching, so they thought. But we find that Paul had one attribute that they couldn’t dispute, and which provided authenticity to his presence. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you, I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than relying on clever and persuasive speeches, I relied solely on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom. Still, in the power of God”. The power of the Holy Spirit was something that would have filled them with dread. His was the opposite approach to those “arrogant people” who were giving puffed up speeches full of their own claims and arrogance, but were nothing more than hot air. It was one thing to claim greatness. Still, another to prove it by “the power of the Holy Spirit“.

Of course, there would have been those who claimed that God was full of grace and love and would never do anything harmful to anyone. But I wonder if the story of Ananias and Sapphira had reached the Corinthians? Perhaps it had, and the news would have filled them with dread. Acts 5: 3, 5, 10, “Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. …  As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.  … Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband”. Those present when all this happened, we are told, were terrified. I expect they were, because in those days, such a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power gave an incredible weight to the Word of God, and His expectation for integrity and honesty in the hearts and deeds of believers everywhere. On the positive side, there was the account of the lame beggar, healed at the Temple’s Beautiful Gate, an account we can read in Acts 3. But despite all this, there were still some in the Corinthian church who must have had little respect for the Holy Spirit and instead displayed an arrogant tendency to make “pretentious speeches” before the rest of the congregation. It is one thing to claim greatness but another to prove it through the Holy Spirit’s power. 

Perhaps those arrogant and pretentious members of the Corinthian church would have done well to read a couple of Scriptures, which they would have had access to, because they are both in the Hebrew Bible. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall”, might have been a good one to remember. Another we find in Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:3, “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions”. But Paul said that the final arbiter was the answer to the question – did “they really have God’s power”? It is not by their words that they would be judged, but by their actions.

We pilgrims can learn much from these verses at the end of 1 Corinthians 4. It does not matter what we say in our Christian lives. Those around us will soon sniff out a fraud. Someone who acts all religious on a Sunday morning will soon be caught out if they act in a worldly way in the office on a Monday, with foul and unedifying speech and demeaning behaviour. Arrogant claims are just a puff of wind and will soon be discerned by the Godly. In the presence of brothers and sisters in Christ, such arrogant people can have a disruptive and negative effect, leading to division, quarrelling and strife. Factions will develop, and before soon, a church will start to disintegrate. It is just as well today that the Holy Spirit’s power is not manifested in an Ananias and Sapphira way, because with such a manifestation, much of our national religious denominational structure would collapse overnight. Imagine the chaos, the anxiety, fear and soul-searching! But that is not to say that God will not achieve His own ends in other ways. There may be nothing so dramatic (however, it would be foolish to discount such a move of God, by the way), but He is patient and kind in this season of grace, and nothing will get in the way of His will and purposes for His church. Remember that one day we pilgrims will form part of the Bride of Christ, wedded to Jesus forever (Revelation 19:7-9). 

In Philippians 2, Paul set out the true way that we believers should behave and present ourselves in our churches and fellowships. Philippians 2:3-5, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had“. No “pretentious speeches” were ever heard from the lips of Jesus, and none should come out of our mouths either. 

Dear Father, we need Your help. Our humanity gets in the way of our spiritual desires, and we all have a tendency to act in a worldly way. Please forgive us and lead us on the path of true righteousness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.