Modern manufacturing and advertising salesmanship has become very ingenious in what they produce and encourage the public to buy – at least that is so in what we call the ‘western’ world.  Many of these things are far from essential, for example, the expensive things that are promoted to make us smell nice, to create pleasing aromas of various kinds.

    This thought came to our minds as we read the opening chapters of Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians.  Paul, after his strictures in his first letter about aspects of their behaviour has a number of positive encouraging things to say.  He writes, “I made up mind not to make any painful visit to you” [2 v.1], then adds “I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.” [v.4] This is the spirit of a parent in dealing with a wayward child they still love.  When there is need for deserved words, and even actions, of disapproval, all such must still be done with a loving spirit.

    Paul says, “Thanks be to God who … through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved’ [v.14,15]  What great examples of a loving attitude should we be toward one another.  Even when we feel the need to point out behaviour that is not good, it is essential that we do this with a loving spirit.

    But what of others who despise and even sneer at the name of Christ?  Well Paul says, “we are (also) the aroma of Christ … among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” [v.15,16].  Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” [John 9 v.5]  True believers represent Christ in this world and must do their best to be both a “light” and an “aroma” that is evident in the increasing darkness around us.

Today we completed reading 1st Corinthians.  Two verses about love caught our eye in this final chapter.   Verse 14 says, “Let all that you do be done in love” – but v. 22 we read, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.  Our Lord, come!”  How do we show our love for the Lord?  Well, we cannot show love for someone we do not know!

We need to have a relationship with someone if we are to love them in a personal sense – love is the cement that binds a relationship together.  This verse is a challenge!  It indicates there is no middle position- we either love or we do not.

Immediately before Paul had written, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” [v.13]  The only statement there that is not fully clear is the first. “Be watchful” – what are we to be watchful for?  When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he chided Peter saying, “could you not watch with me one hour” [Matt. 26 v.40]  Watch for what? Peter had no idea that they were coming to arrest Jesus!  But Jesus said, “Watch with me”, Jesus in the agony of knowing what was about to happen in obeying his Father’s will, would be strengthened, at least in some measure, by their nearness and support.  He was still a normal human being at that stage, “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” [Heb. 4 v.15]

So Paul meant that the Corinthians should “watch” in support of one another, even more so when situations became difficult – surely a message for us!. 

Finally we should note that, after writing, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” he immediately wrote, “O Lord come!”  This takes us back to the words of Jesus about conditions in the final days; he told his disciples, “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” [Matt. 24 v.12,13]  

Let us all endure and say to each other the words Paul used to end this Epistle, 

“My love be with you all in Christ Jesus, Amen.”

Today’s Psalm (106) is a remarkable survey and summary of God’s relationship with his chosen people and the lessons they learned or failed to learn in succeeding generations. The survey begins with their time in Egypt when they became numerous but at the same time lost their vision of their patriarchs: “yet he saved them for his name’s sake that he might make known his mighty power” [v.8]

As a result “they believed his words; they sang his praise” [v.12].  But it did not take long before “they forgot God, their Saviour, who had done great things in Egypt … and awesome deeds by the Red Sea” [v.21,22].  Those who were faithful eventually arrived in the promised land but the next generation “did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded” [v.34] The fatal result was “they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.” [v.35] 

We look back on history and see how those who started to serve God soon made the same mistake.  Religious Jews have repeated this Psalm down the Centuries and v.47 has been answered!  This says, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” God heeded and they have been gathered.  But how many today realize it has been an act of God in directing a whole sequence of events?  Just a few appear to realize.

Christ came 2,000 years ago and in many ways history has repeated itself in subsequent events.  Christ’s church started with tremendous enthusiasm so that masses of pagans came to believe in Christ!  But the vision faded and was lost, succeeding generations making the same mistakes as ancient Israel. With the printing of the Bible there came a reformation and an extensive rediscovery of the ways of God.  But once again people who had become godly have “mixed with the nations”. They now forget that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” [Philpns 3 v.20]  In all our unavoidable involvement with human citizenship let us have in mind the words of God’s prophet Jeremiah, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” [10 v.23] 

 The book of Leviticus goes into great detail about how the people were to become a law abiding people by obeying the laws God was giving them.  Tragically, apart from the Levites, the grown up people who had experienced life in Egypt, even though they had been slaves, never humbled themselves to keep faith with the God whose great power they had witnessed.

It is most interesting to look back to the time when the Bible was first translated and printed four to five hundred years ago.  This was the time when Kings and Queens began to lose their absolute powers and detailed laws began to be put in their place by the Parliaments that were set up.  Those formulating the laws often took their guidance from many of the principles in the laws God gave to Moses some 3,000 years earlier.  Our generation has forgotten all that – and that God said, “Woe unto them who become wise in their own eyes” [Isa.5 v.21]

Today Leviticus Ch. 6 starts with these words, “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbour in …’” There follows various types of wrong doing – for e.g. “he has oppressed his neighbour or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing (giving an oath) falsely – in any and all the things that people do and sin thereby “ [v.2,3] 

We need to notice the point that all wrong-doing was seen by God as “a breach of faith against the LORD”    In God’s eyes all wrong doing by those who bear his name are sins against him.  David immediately acknowledged this when made aware of his sin. (2 Sam. 12 v.13)  So all our wrongdoing is “a breach of faith”, a lapse in the commitment we gave when we committed our lives to serve our Lord – and God became our heavenly Father. A verse in today’s Psalm particularly jumped out as we read it, “Seek the LORD and his strength: seek his presence continually” [105 v.4].  The more we succeed in doing this, the more we will not sin.  Remember, all wrongdoing “is a breach of faith.” 

 In today’s Psalm (104) we read, “O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” [v.24]   Today, as naturalists and others explore more of the earth, they are discovering more and more living things they never knew existed. 

It has long been acknowledged that there is an incredible interdependence in nature – what a totally wonderful architect is the Creator!   He created innumerable things, trees, plants, animals, insects, birds, etc.  They are interdependent in a whole variety of ways, yet human beings, especially the ‘western’ mind, in discovering more and more of this, is more determined than ever to say it is all the result of blind chance. The God-fearing person sees God as the Master Creator behind it all, even the adaptability within species, which men used to call micro-evolution, is part of his overseeing handiwork. 

So we see God in his “wisdom” has made them all.  What kind of “wisdom” is this?  We immediately thought of David’s Psalm 139 as he meditated on God’s all seeing eyes; “such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” [v.6]. Yet the modern God-disbelieving mind refuses in his pride to see the situation from this perspective.

When we come to Psalm 111 we will read, “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendour and majesty is his work … the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.”  [v.2,3,10]  Solomon in Proverbs says, “The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens” [3 v.19]

Finally our thoughts went to the epistle of James, “Who is wise and understanding among you?  By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom … the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits …” [3 v.13,17]   Those who seek and develop this wisdom will one day know far more of God’s creative wisdom for they will then be “equal to angels.” [Luke 20 v.36].

The phrase “those who fear him,” meaning, who fear God, occurs three times in our Psalm reading today.  The sense of ‘fear’ is – to be in heartfelt awe of what God must be.  This is a Psalm that should reach deep into our hearts; it is particularly encouraging to those who are thinking God has cut off their contact with him because of their behaviour.

This Psalm of David tells us to “Bless the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases … who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” [Psalm 103 v.2-4].   He adds, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love … he does not deal with us according to our sins” [v.8,10]

    Verse 11 has the first reference to fear.   We read, “For as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.”   Two verses further on we read, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” 

The point is made yet a third time, “the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him” [v.17].  God’s steadfast love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness are not for everybody and anybody – it is for those who seek to develop the right attitude of mind toward him.

The Apostle John writes, “We love because he first loved us.” [1 Jn. 4 v,19]  God has always had this attitude toward human beings – because “God made man in his own image.” (Gen. 9 v.6) God said this to Noah and his sons as they were about to repopulate a devastated earth, but we know succeeding generations largely failed to fear God.

It is a challenge to us to try to see human life from God’s point of view.  He looks out on a “sea” of humanity who create “gods” of their own imagination – or thinks all life that exists is just the end result of an incredible timeless sequence of “accidents”!!  

    How can God continue to ‘love’ those who have not the slightest thought for him, or who have ‘gods’ of their own imagination?  Is not the answer obvious!

Another question! Do most who say they believe in God really fear him?   How many take his benefits, his mercy, forgiveness, and love for granted?

Our Corinthians reading illustrates the wrong attitudes among many believers there: they came together to remember Christ in the way he requested at the last supper.  But Paul tells them, “any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement on himself, that is why many of you are weak and ill … when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” [1 Cor.11 v.29,30,32]  

    So many in Corinth had no fear and awe of God because their attitude was all wrong.  

These are all lessons for us to appreciate as we seek “all his benefits.”  Let us try harder to be true children of God and to be among those “who fear him.”

 Paul’s comments on Moses and how the people “all passed through the sea and all were baptised into Moses” [1 Cor. 10 v.1,2] obviously relate to what we have been reading in Exodus.  Paul then states, “For they all drank from the Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” [v.4]  What does he mean?

Their baptism in the sea was symbolic of the baptism to come and which the Corinthian believers had experienced.  Moses had, at God’s command, been able to produce water from the rock as we read in Exodus 17.  This pointed forward to Christ, Jesus knew this and was to say, “on the last day of the feast” when he “stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink, as the  Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ [John 7 v.37,38] These words related to what he had earlier said to the Samaritan woman that, if she had asked, “he would have given (her) living water” [John 4 v.10] which he then explained, “the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” [v.14]

Paul draws a vital lesson in our Corinthians chapter; it is the lesson of the tragic failure of the Israelites in the wilderness, a failure the Corinthians must aim to avoid.  Paul writes, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” [v.6] despite the evidence of God’s care and guidance.

Paul makes a particular point in v.11, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction.”  Among the things written down Paul particularly notes, as a common temptation, “it is written, ‘the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did … we must not put Christ to the test …” [v.7-9]  

Our Master sees the motives we have in our hearts.  Near the end of today’s chapter Paul states a simple but profound principle we must all aim to keep, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” [v.31].  

    A final thought: a “rock” cannot literally follow, but Jesus used exactly the same phrase as Paul did when he taught, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [John 8 v.12] and again, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”[John 10 v.27]   In following Christ, it means he also follows us, providing for our needs (as distinct from our wants) Let us follow the lessons that were written down for our instruction.

 Love is, above all, an active quality; genuine love causes us to do things: it is a motivation from the heart.  The things love causes us to do are not things we do out of a sense of obligation, occasions when we say, “I suppose I had better …”

We meditated on this as we read the start of 1 Corinthians Ch. 8.  Verse 3 tells us, “But if anyone loves God , he (or she) is known by God.”  When God, who sees all things through his spirit (Psalm 139) knows our professions of love for him are genuine – we are “known by God.”   But this is more than a one sided sense of knowing, to truly know God results in a two-way relationship, David’s Psalms show this, we read this morning, “Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his” [100 v.3]

We read a few days ago in Exodus, “Moses said to the LORD … you have said, ‘I know you by name … therefore if I have found favour in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you …” [Ch.33 v.12,13]  Knowing God comes through living and therefore working for and with him and knowing his ways; there comes the wonder of the realization that we are “working together with him” [2 Cor. 6 v.1].

One of the wonders of this, Paul told the Corinthians is to realize that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” [1 Cor. 10 v.13]  Many believers in Corinth experienced temptations to continue to enjoy the fleshly advantages of “fellowship” in the idol temples and the feasting on the food that had been offered to the idols.  In human ways of thinking this food was special having been blessed by Temple priests: we have seen this happening in Indian temples.

It is not difficult to see the modern equivalents, especially in prosperous countries in the things that the masses idolize.  In Corinth athletic sports were idolized, it is no different today; the spectators idolize those who compete.  Paul’s pointed comment is – “Every athlete exercises self control … they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” [1 Cor. 9 v.25] He tells believers, “So run that you may obtain it … I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” [v.24,27] 

    We can say that the ‘oil’ which ‘lubricates’ all our understanding and ways of thinking and resultant efforts to “run” effectively – is – our love for God and our awareness that we are “known” by God.

Our Psalms today are, in one sense prophetic and we can readily imagine them being sung in the kingdom age when Christ returns to reign from Jerusalem resulting in wonderful rejoicing among the faithful when righteous living is expected of all who are alive. 

Until that time, Christ reigns in the hearts (Rom. 6 :6-8; John 14 v.23) of those who have a conviction of faith in this future and they will read these Psalms for inward rejoicing. “Worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns!’” [Psa. 96 v.9,10]   The Psalm ends, “… for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” 

Psalm 97 tells us that “righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne” [v.2] How literal is the indication in this Psalm of the way “justice” is dealt out to them who do not want him to reign over them? (Remember Jesus’ words – Luke 19 v.27) If the words in this Psalm are seen as symbolic, what are they symbolic of? We read “Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around … the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax … the heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory” [v.3-6].  There will be new heavens, which means, new rulers, the saints – recall what we read in the first 6 verses of Psalm 50.

We know of one mountain that is going to split in two – the mount of Olives (Zech.14 v.4].  There will be trembling among all those who do not believe in the one and only God that he has created them and all that exists – and others who, although they believe to some degree have failed to act on that belief.  Verse 10 tells us, “O you who love the LORD, hate evil. He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them …” Let us hate evil – and look in faith for his deliverance.

Psalm 94 contains many consoling and stimulating thoughts for us, especially for those who have to cope with the world and its unspiritual values most days of the week. This Psalm shows that our only sure strength of mind when life is difficult – is to have a real ‘living’ relationship with our God.

We read, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” [v.19] and “When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.” [v.18] What are God’s consolations? It has the sense of compassion and comfort.  It reminds us of Paul’s words, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” {Philpns.4 v.6,7]

When God answers the petition with which this Psalm begins we will need that attitude of mind in all its fullness.  We read, “O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance shine forth!  Rise up, O judge of the earth … O LORD …how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words …” [v.1-4] 

The Psalm concludes, “But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.  He will bring back on them their iniquity and will wipe them out for their wickedness …” [v.22,23]  Psalm 95 is also our reading today.  Let us meditate on v.6-8, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts …”   We hear his voice by reading his word, let us make sure we “hear” what we are reading.