Another Tyrant Humbled/One Command Encompasses All Others
Posted by: ba <ba@...>
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Straight to the Cross
We goofed! For Phil Sanders's course material on
hermeneutics, as well as O. C. Lambert's book
online, Catholicism Against Itself, see here:
forthright.antville.org/stories/627818/
COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
Another Tyrant Humbled
by Tim Hall
When he was discovered, he was barely
recognizable. Those who had known him in better
days were shocked at his present appearance. He
once was strong, well-groomed, cocky and the
picture of command. Now, however, he looked like
the homeless man he was. He was filthy, his hair
was matted, his beard long and unkempt, and he
acted almost incoherently. Could this be the man
they had once feared?
By the way, we're not describing last week's
capture of Saddam Hussein – though we could be.
Instead, we're elaborating on the information
found in Daniel 4:28-33 regarding King
Nebuchadnezzar. Ironically, Nebuchadnezzar reigned
in the same land as Saddam. The great city of
Babylon was located only about fifty miles south
of present-day Baghdad. Both rulers were feared by
their subjects, and both boasted of great things.
In time, however, both were brought down from
their lofty perches (though Nebuchadnezzar heeded
his warning and repented).
Isaiah 14 contains "a proverb against the king of
Babylon" (v. 4) that well describes the fate of
Nebuchadnezzar, Saddam Hussein, and any others who
exalt themselves against the will of Almighty God.
Consider these lines: "How you are fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are
cut down to the ground, you who weakened the
nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will
ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God; . . . I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most
High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to
the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isaiah 14:12-15).
In a sermon on the day Saddam Hussein's capture
came to light, Proverbs 29:23 was noted: "A man's
pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit
will retain honor." Pride is perhaps man's
greatest stumbling block. Humility is our greatest
need. We have again witnessed a dramatic
illustration of the truth God has long tried to
teach.
Doubtless there will be others to rise up and sit
on Nebuchadnezzar's throne of arrogance. They,
too, will be cast down in due time. Those who are
wise, however, will consider these examples and
learn.
Read this article online, tell us what you think,
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COLUMN: Outlines of Faith
One Command Encompasses All Others
by Greg Tidwell
If you really fulfill the royal law according to
the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing well (James 2:8).
In a style reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount
and of the Old Testament wisdom literature, the
Epistle of James distills great practical truths
into plain and straightforward statements.
The principle quoted from the Law of Moses "love
your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18), is
denoted as "the royal law". Some modern theorists
have attempted to use this primacy of love to set
aside other commands recorded in Scripture.
The rule of love stands above the other
commandments, however, not in the sense of setting
the others aside but in the sense of encompassing
the other commandments. As the apostle Paul
explains:
Owe no one anything, except to love each other,
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the
law. The commandments, "You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not
steal, You shall not covet," and any other
commandment, are summed up in this word: "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:8-10).
The Bible provides many commands to explain and
clarify what sort of life we ought to live in
response to the love of God. These commands are
not in contrast to the way of love, they are the
embodiment of God's love directing our lives.
Much trendy religion paints the Christian message
in terms of self-indulgent gratification. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Love, as
commanded in Scripture, is always self-denying,
never self-affirming. Love is described in terms
of what the one who loves must not do. The way of
love is the way of the cross - a focus on serving
others, not on being served.
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