Sunday Night, February 4, 2018 PM

Herod’s Curiosity Without Repentance

To hear from John the Baptist, but it was simply, it was more curiosity, it was more kind of, here's a novelty, here's something a little interesting. There's something, sometimes I think that when a person is truly grabbed hold of by God, there's an attraction there, because that person is living in a more human way than a lot of people around them, and there's an attraction there that people are looking at and saying, wow, but Herod never repented.

He was intrigued. This is interesting. Perhaps Herod in some way was being entertained, not that John was entertaining him, but Herod felt a little entertained because of the novelty of it, but he never repented.

What a dangerous position to be in, you know. Oh, this is interesting. Maybe I'll learn a little bit more. Maybe I'll learn about a little bit more, but there was never Herod never gave himself to that message, that truth, to the call to repent.

What do we think about this interest here? Now he's interested in Jesus. Maybe it's like some of the same kind of, I had John beheaded, but who's this one? You know, and he kept on trying to see him, but Jesus, when did Jesus appear before Herod?

And what kind of performance did Herod get for finally waiting so long to finally see Jesus? What kind of performance did he get out of him? Yeah. What do we think about that? It didn't make Herod very happy, did it?

There's something there. There's something there that Herod had his chance when John was preaching to him, and he kept on denying, kept on denying, would not repent, and although he had the same kind of novel interest in Jesus, Jesus was the real king, and he was the one in charge, and he wasn't going to let Herod satisfy any kind of curiosity in him, and but when he finally showed up before Herod, he didn't say a thing.

That's judgment. That's judgment. Silence is judgment. God doesn't say anything. So it's interesting, you know, and it's one of those things we get to be careful about. There are people who are interested in things.

They find Christianity to be interesting. They find things about the Bible to be interesting. They find systematic theology interesting, and they like to kind of satisfy some of that curiosity, but that's not what Jesus meant when he said, take up your cross and follow me, right?

There's a difference between being interested in Christianity, interested in the Bible, versus trusting in Christ and following him, and I think Brian pointing out that this is a verse that kind of shows us a little bit of that difference, right?

Judgment on Judah and the Loss of Sons and Husbands

Well, I think it's a good question. In the normal course of the judgment that came to pass against Judah, a lot of it involved warfare, and over successive attacks, first by the Assyrians and then later on the Babylonians, the men who would try to defend the cities and so on and so forth would more and more be killed until there'd be a disproportion between the amount of women still alive versus the men.

That's just going to be part of the natural course of the judgment that the soldiers would be killed, and the men of the city who are trying to defend what's left of the city would be killed, and then the widows are left.

I think that's why it's just kind of a natural consequence of the judgment that came. Well, I think that there were definitely some that were left, and in the descriptions, it was the poorest of the land that were left.

Instructions were given for a remnant to remain, but I think the intent here is really honestly speaking about great judgment. Not only are they widows we read, but they are also made childless we read as well in verse 9 and verse 7.

So in one sense, if you read verses 7, 8, and 9, you're reading about childlessness, widowhood, childlessness, and you talk about a very, very sad trio of verses. I mean, it's pretty bleak. Yeah, show me something interesting.

Jesus as Entertainment and the Difference Between Aesthetic Feeling and Truth

Yeah, sit up and do tricks. Yeah, imagine Herod, and what kind of life did Herod live? Apparently, he liked to be entertained. You know, he liked John for the entertainment value and liked to throw parties, and John got beheaded because of a party that Herod threw because of a certain dance that was danced before him, and here he wants to be entertained again.

Jesus is just one more form of entertainment. Does this sound familiar? Where are we today? Jesus has been turned into just one more form of entertainment. There are, and you know, art is not bad, and the aesthetic qualities are not bad.

When we read descriptions of how the tabernacle was made, how the temple was fashioned, and so on, God obviously cares about the aesthetic, but what He wants us to worship is never the image, not the created, but the creator, and to whatever degree we are skilled in the arts, we should use that for the glory of God, but as soon as we make the aesthetic feeling the end all, and we're confused.

I know I've said this before, but Herman Baving wrote about the turn of about the 1900s, early 1904, around there. He commented on the fact that his society, and that was the Dutch society, and I'd say it's same for us, had lost the capacity to distinguish between different kinds of feelings.

That there is the feeling that is created by the aesthetic, and there's the feeling that he calls the religious feeling, that when you're moved by truth, and when you're moved by art versus when you're moved by truth, that's a different kind of feeling both ways, and we just kind of lost the capacity to distinguish between the difference, and he said that the theater was invading the church, and so people were getting moved by aesthetics and not really being moved by truth, and he considered that to be an impoverishment, and so, you know, they're skilled entertainers, and people who are very skilled in the aesthetics, and that's not bad, but when you're playing to that, when you're after that, then we're missing something, and of course, and Herod was missing something.

He was looking to be entertained somehow. Boy, that'll preach. All right, let's go ahead and turn over to Genesis 13. Interesting passage here where Abram and Lot make their way back up out of Egypt into the promised land, and we remember that Abram went down to Egypt and tried to make a mess of things, and God wouldn't have it, and he brought him safely through and brought him safely out, and now Abram is coming up out of Egypt, a much more wealthy man than when he went down.

Despite the failures of Abram, he plundered Pharaoh, so we come to verse one of Genesis 13. Abram, so Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev. This is the southern country of the promised land. He and his wife, and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

Now, Abram was very rich in livestock and silver and gold. He went on his journey from the Negev as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

You have a sense that Abram's kind of returned to where he's supposed to be. He had fled down to Egypt because he felt with the famine on in Canaan, it wouldn't be enough to supply his needs, and so he ran away.

He had the sense he's coming back to where he's supposed to be, coming back to where he worshipped the Lord and anticipated the goodness of God in the land. We have a problem again though, verse five.

Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, and the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.

The land could not sustain them. In a sense, it's almost like we're hearing about another famine. It was the problem the first time, the land could not sustain them, and again, Abram is faced with another problem.

This land is still not sustaining me. But what Abram decides to do is much different than the first time. There's a different approach. Verse seven, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock.

Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then dwelling in the land. So Abram said to Lot, please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.

This is an interesting approach. We were reminded that the Canaanite and the Perizzite are in the land, and it's just Abram and Lot, and everybody else is of a different family, and Abram and Lot are the only two guys of the same family.

Let's not fight. We're brothers. Let's find a way to fix this. It's not the whole land before you. Please separate from me. If to the left, then I will go to the right, or if to the right, then I will go to the left.

This has, of course, been noted that the elder is giving preference to the younger. What a very humble thing to do, not to be expected. Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere.

This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, very ominous, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward.

Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly, and sinners against the Lord.

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that it was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? No matter what lies behind it, boy, that looks good. And it wasn't that he pitched his tent kind of in the general area.

No, he pitched his tent as far as Sodom, and by the time we come back to him, we find him living in Sodom. As notorious as Sodom and Gomorrah were, and Abba and Zeboim, the satellite cities, there's no way that Abraham and Lot, they knew what kind of place that was, but Lot went there anyway.

So Lot does not stick with Canaan, but Abram does. We see a distinction between Lot and Abram, don't we? Between the ways that they deal with things, how they approach life, there's a distinction as well in that they are separated from one another.

Is that surprising that Abram would be separated from Lot, or that Lot be separated from Abram? It's actually a very strong theme in the book of Genesis. Seth was separated from Cain, Shem was separated from Ham and his descendant Canaan.

Abram was separated from Lot. Isaac was separated from Ishmael. Jacob was separated from Esau. Israel was separated from Egypt at the beginning of Exodus. And now the story of Abram is being told to the Israelites who have been separated from Egypt.

And they're coming back to the land that was first given to Abram, a land that they're supposed to dwell in. And they hear about Lot who is kind of joining up with the Sodomites, with the wicked, versus Abram who's staying in the land.

He's separating from Lot. How does that help the Israelites with all the separation on the brain? It teaches them to be separate, doesn't it? It teaches them to be different. It says it's okay to be separated.

And I think there is a clarity brought to the true lineage of the seed through all this separation over and over and over again. Well, let's continue the story. Verse 14, the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.

For all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth. So that if anyone can number the dust of the earth and your descendants also can be numbered.

Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you. Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron. And there he built an altar to the Lord.

Now, there's also this distinction between Abram and Lot. What did Lot see? And then what did he get? Any thoughts? He saw a rich, lush valley. And then what did he get? Yeah. Well, yeah, he's about to get captured in chapter 14.

But he was captured in another way, captured by the sinfulness and the affluence of the area. And he just kind of fell in with his bad company. What did Abram see from where Abram stood? Yeah. Every direction that he looked, God said, I'm going to give you this land.

More land than Abram could see. And God even told him to travel. Then he's, you know, arise, walk about the land. Do you think Abram got to every single acre of the promised land in his lifetime? No. It was more land than Abram could see.

What about his descendants? More than he could count. This is what God offered. This is what God promised. More land than you can see and more descendants than you can count. Wow. And God said, arise, walk about, explore, come see what I've given you.

That Derek Kidner in his commentary commented that verse 14 and verse 17, verse 14 says, the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward and westward.

And then verse 17, arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth for I will give it to you. Derek Kidner said this reminds him of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter three, verse 18 and chapter four, verse one.

That Genesis 13, 14 and 17 remind of Ephesians three, 18 and four one. Paul prays that Ephesians may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God, more blessing than we can measure, more love than we can comprehend.

And verse one of chapter four, therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, to walk the length and breadth, the height and depth of all that has been given to us in Christ.

See the call to obedience is not the call to earn the salvation that we've been offered. The call to obedience is the call to experience the salvation that we have been given, to walk the length and breadth of it, to see all that God has given to us.

When we come to verse 18 of Genesis 13, Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. These two terms are going to dominate the rest of Abram's life, tent and altar.

He would go about, pitch his tent and build an altar. Wherever he would go, he would pitch a tent and build an altar over and over and over again. What does that tell us? Wasn't attached to the world?

No. What was he doing? Well, obviously he's obeying. He's, you know, walking through the land, the length and breadth, but what's he looking for? Right? Miss Darlene knows. What's he looking for? Looking for a city.

He's looking for a city not made with hands, whose foundations are sure not made with human hands. See, Abram, Hebrews 11 tells us that Abram lived his life, in other words, pitching his tent and building his altar, and he never saw all that God had promised, did he?

He didn't see all the land. It was more land than he could see. It was more seed than he could count. That's the word in the Hebrew, seed. Over and over again, more seed than you can count. He didn't see it all, did he?

He died without seeing the promise. But Abram, Abraham will see the promise. He will see the promise. And in this, we're reminded, Peter himself, when writing to Christians, called them those who have been scattered, called them of the diaspora.

He called them pilgrims. We are much like Abram. This world is not our home. A story Becca shared more than once about Francisco and Maritza meeting with Danny Roten, that they like to say this world is not our home.

You know, and recognizing in these two things that, you know, we're pitching our tent, we're building our altars, that we are looking for something else, and we're moving forward in worship and anticipation and in hope of God fulfilling all of his promises.

In that sense, we find ourselves very much in agreement with Abram. I think it's important that in this Old Testament context, there was more land than Abram would ever see. And there was more descendants than he could ever count.

And if you keep on tracking through with that understanding, even when Joshua led the people to victory and broke the back of the Canaanite defenders through three military campaigns, at the end of Joshua, we hear that the promises are fulfilled.

And yet, there were still Canaanites in the land. And we read in the book of Judges, and we read that there were people groups in Canaan that were too strong for the Israelites to fully conquer. And there were pockets all throughout the land that they did not conquer.

And they did not until King David really brought about a more fuller subduing of the land under David and under Solomon, who reigned in glory for a time. But even then, with all the land under the reign of the tribe of Judah, the king of Judah, didn't David try to count the people?

What happened? God told Abram it was more land than he could see and more descendants than he could count. And David tried to count. Was that a good thing? It was a horrible thing. Great judgment fell.

Joab, even Joab knew that was a bad thing. And if Joab knows something's bad, then it's really bad. And he refused to count. This is in his first Chronicles 21. But he refused to count Benjamin and Levi, just because.

So two of the tribes didn't even get counted, because he knew it was bad to count everybody. There's something about the promises that God gave to Abram. More land than you can see, more descendants than you can count, that he wanted it open-ended.

And you're not going to define or constrain God's promise, because it's ultimately fulfilled in Christ. There's a multitude which no man can count, and there's a new creation yet to come. So there's more than our calculators and our maps can measure.

And his promises are very great. Okay, well, let's go ahead and close by singing the doxology.