Paul and Barnabas admonished the heathen to turn from “vanities unto the living God.” One cannot trust in the Lord and simultaneously trust in anything else. In order for an individual to be saved, he must repent of trusting in anything other than the Lord. One aspect of repentance involves ceasing to trust vanity and turning one’s faith toward the living and true God. This saving faith needs to become a living faith following salvation. Believers should consistently turn from “vain thoughts” and love the law of God (Psalm 119:113). They should turn from the vain labours that spend their strength for nought (Isaiah 49:4) and be “steadfast . . . in the work of the Lord” knowing that their “labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Additionally, believers should turn from “vain words” (Ephesians 5:6) and hold “forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:16).
People unite over various causes. Some of those causes are righteous, while others are not. Unity based upon a righteous cause pleases the Lord and leads to righteous acts. Unity based upon ungodly or carnal causes grieves the Lord and leads to the wickedness we find so prevalent in the world today. After the flood, the Lord commanded Noah and his family to “replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1). They could not replenish the earth if they remained together so the Lord wanted Noah’s family to spread out across the earth. Yet, the people immediately began settling together and “Noah began to be an husbandman” (Genesis 9:20). This may seem insignificant, but it was only the precursor to the unified desire in Genesis 11:4 to build “a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.” Noah’s disobedience led to further and greater disobedience and unity in a common wicked cause.
One does not have to read much Bible before finding that God is completely worthy of man’s trust. The Lord preserved Noah and his family from a worldwide flood. God gave Abraham and Sarah a son long after it was thought to be physically possible. The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt and led them through a barren wilderness, providing their every need on the way to the land of Canaan. The Lord gave David a great victory when he faced the giant Goliath. God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world. He brought His Son out of the grave and now hears that Son as He intercedes on behalf of believers. No wonder David said, “they that know thy name will put their trust in thee.”
The Bible plainly and repeatedly warns believers not to put their trust in men. In addition to this truth, men are not to trust in themselves. As today's passage shows, sometimes God allows circumstances to come into our lives in order to teach us not to trust in ourselves. If any mere mortal could stake a claim to self-trust, it would have been the apostle Paul. He was “circumcised the eighth day,” “an Hebrew of the Hebrews,” and “a Pharisee” (Philippians 3:5). In spite of this, Paul knew these attributes were not sufficient to trust for eternal life. In fact, he counted these things but dung, that he may win Christ (Philippians 3:8). If Paul understood that he could not put his trust in himself or his accomplishments, everyone else should realize that his or her ability or merits are not worthy of trust.
When man trusts in nothing, he receives nothing in return. That is the primary point of Job 15:31. Yet, that is not the only truth being taught. It is also true that people should not trust in anything of little to no value. This would include beauty (Ezekiel 16:15; Proverbs 31:30) and riches (Psalm 62:10). Unfortunately, many in this world have become accustomed to trust in their intellect, beauty, and riches. The end result is borne out in the entertainment and business worlds, but the seeds of this troubling problem usually begin in early childhood. Young people often hear the emphasis placed upon their appearance or education as the primary means of getting the things that these young people want most in life.
Of course, God encourages man to think. This may come as a shocker to many but the Lord does not want man to blindly accept information without first giving it thought. During the Lord’s earthly ministry, He often asked men what they thought (Matthew 17:25; Matthew 18:12; Matthew 21:28). His purpose was not because He valued men’s opinions; but, rather, to cause men to think. The problem for the Lord is not that man thinks, but that man thinks and focuses upon the wrong things. God has specific things upon which He wants man to ponder. These involve things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praise (Philippians 4:8). As such, believers should focus their attention upon these righteous thoughts rather than those thoughts espoused by the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Twenty-first century believers hold onto many misconceptions concerning the Lord’s desire for harmony. Far too many believers desire harmony at any cost. This harmony is commonly promoted on various ecumenical levels as spirituality and truth are sacrificed upon the altar of unity. Though the Lord certainly promotes unity within smaller units, He has never commanded unity in spite of diversity. All the way back to man’s earliest days, the Lord established His desire for His people to separate (read Genesis chapter 9). The only way for Noah to “replenish the earth” was for him and his seed to multiply and spread out upon the face of the earth. The people refused to divide, so we read the resulting judgment upon the world in Genesis chapter 11. The people stayed together and united to build a tower (Genesis 11:4). The Lord had other plans and divided the people by confounding their languages so that they could no longer communicate and cooperate in their godless endeavours (Genesis 11:5-8).
The Bible clearly teaches that no believer is sinless. As such, each believer experiences times when he is rebuked of the Lord. It is a natural part of the Christian life. At the same time, there will be circumstances which will bring about rebuke from other believers (Ecclesiastes 7:5). These are healthy elements of Christian growth. Yet, the goal of every believer should be one where he lives a life beyond rebuke. Paul’s desire for the Philippian believers was that they “may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” (Philippians 2:15). He then admonished Timothy to keep God’s commandment “without spot” and “unrebukeable” (1 Timothy 6:14).
Simply stated, prayer is talking to God. Most Christians think of prayer as simply asking and receiving from God, but the Bible points out that prayer also involves the making of requests. Both Philippians 1:4 and Philippians 4:6 mention making requests. Yet, considering the whole counsel of God indicates that prayer is not merely asking and receiving nor is it simply limited to making requests. This is why the Lord taught that prayer should include a time of praise. When asked by His disciples how they should pray, the Lord began by speaking of the greatness of the Father’s name (Matthew 6:9). Prayer often includes a time when requests are made and praise occurs. Yet, the overall purpose of prayer involves portraying the greatness of God while testifying to man’s inherent frailties.
The Lord detests murmuring. He hates it so much that He sent fire among the Israelites because of their murmurings (Numbers 11:1). In the New Testament, He warned believers to avoid falling prey to the same sin as the Israelites (1 Corinthians 10:1-14). Additionally, New Testament believers are admonished to do all things without murmurings (Philippians 2:14-16). People murmur as they focus on events within their lives rather than upon the Lord and His word. Yet, the Christian’s life events are ultimately brought to pass, either directly or indirectly, by a loving and caring God. The Lord abhors murmuring because it directly insults His working and provision in our lives.
