Matthew 7:7-11

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

— ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭11‬‬

One of my favorite sermons I’ve preached was in a series of “difficult sayings by Jesus.” This passage is not necessarily difficult to interpret, but it’s one that can be difficult to apply or at least difficult to link with our reality. We like to ask for lots of things but don’t always receive them. Is Jesus a liar?

I like to use this passage to challenge common views of prayer or statements like prayer “changes things.” It sometimes makes me cringe. Or talking about the “power of prayer.” I had a favorite gospel group when I grew up singing about “moving the hand of God.” I understand our sentiment, the theology behind these phrases, and even the verses that support them—including Matthew 7:7-11.

Experience even supports saying things like this. We pray for the most outrageous miracles, and healings occur, or financial crisis finds resolution, or estranged relationships become reconciled. Those without any hope find rest and peace. Prayer has worked. Or has it?

I propose two scenarios in response to help double check our theology. (1) The miracle never occurs. Did we not pray long enough, “hard enough”, not have enough people rallying for our cause? Would we say prayer didn’t work? (2) We never pray or tell anyone about a particular crisis. But something insanely beneficial happens anyway. Would we say prayer is unnecessary?

Rather than using someone else’s near death experiences, financial burdens, relational crises, etc, I usually return to our own infertility/adoption journey as an example. My wife Kim has written extensively elsewhere, and this was about a five year process. Yes, we eventually chose the adoption route, we were matched with a birth mother, and we now have two beautiful girls. 

Scenario 1: What if we had never been able to adopt a child? Would that mean we didn’t pray enough or needed more church friends to pray with us? Would Jesus’ words be considered lies, because they weren’t coming true? 

Christian culture at times needs to be careful on two accounts. First, we conveniently slip in the “Wait” answer. “God’s telling you to wait on His timing.” That may well be true, but I tried telling my toddler to wait, and “wait” is actually “no” until it means “yes.” Which again is fine. God is sovereign and in control, just please don’t try to console me with fake promises of what God “may” do in the future.

Another potential problem with the “wait” answer, is that the hopeful believer is so focused on the one desire that he/she waits, waits, waits, and if they finally receive the sought after gift, then praise may rightfully go to God, and the reaction may go something like this: “Yay, I received the gift which I asked for so long. Now I know that God has heard my prayer.” I would hope that God has received just as much gratitude for all the blessings He gave during the interim. 

Second, Christian language/culture can be dangerous when “consoling” a discouraged, praying soul with Psalm 37:4, “Delight in the Lord, and He will give the desires of your heart.” This is not the place to explain genre, or intent of the verse. It may very well mean that God honors those who take pleasure in Him. But when we say God will change our desires once we focus on Him…well, in our case, I just don’t see many infertile couples losing a desire for children. They may gain a heart for adopting or fostering or contributing to the needs of those around them. But we could use a bit more sensitivity in how we address those seeking, asking, and knocking for their desires.

So in our case, I would suggest that God blessed us with children according to His plan because He is a good God. Our open communication with Him was good but did not sway Him one way or another. 

Ok, all of this to ask the main question. Is prayer needed then? If God is going to work or not work whether we pray or not, what’s the point? What is Jesus saying?

Rather than focusing on the act of prayer or even what we receive first, the greatest point of this passage is the character of the Father. He is good. He is kind and gracious and generous. The best of all fathers, and I know many can’t relate to that thought, but this is Jesus’ point. If we are so so imperfect on our best days, God is far superior. He is willing to help.

I could make a point about wisdom literature and these not being promises. In this sermon, Jesus is within the rabbinic tradition and astounding with His authority. These are general, timeless principles. But this is a minor point in light of the overall message.  

I don’t have time here, but we should take time to put this passage in context of Matthew 7 as whole.

Luke’s sermon has a similar passage, but he changes “good gifts” to Holy Spirit, because Luke loves the Spirit throughout Luke-Acts, and that’s a different discussion why. But it would be interesting how the Spirit could be related to our requests.

Best suggestion I’ve heard was in our daily reading to focus on clear commands of Scripture and ask for wisdom to apply them. “Father give me strength to forgive this person. Help me love my wife/husband as you love me. Show me a person in need that I can serve. Give me a heart of generosity. Fill my heart with joy.” 

Keep asking for those gifts. Continue seeking for those gifts, and He will also be a good Father to give them.

Psalm 23

 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation. Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬

Obviously, one of the most well known and loved psalms. Will add notes in subsequent readings.

David mixes metaphors between v. 1-4 and 5-6. Sheep don’t have feasts prepared, and the oil may be a way to honor guests at the banquet—not healing an injured sheep.

The opening line is the point of the poem. God provides everything so the Psalmist, and by extension, those who follow Him, do not need anything. He leads, guides, protects, calms, reassures. 

All of this is for the sake of His name/reputation/glory. 

I like other translations that emphasize deep dark valleys, not just “death.” Not sure if we need to emphasize the word “must” in v. 4, whether God is leading us through it, because of v. 2, or if life just brings us to a dark valley. There are several examples we can put here. Fear is completely natural and human. It’s also crippling. 

Power of His presence is huge. This is what dissipates fear. (True in parenting, too.)

Rod and staff were always taught to me as being disciplinarian, but NET says it carries idea of protection and emotional security. This makes much better sense, and I’m not just saying that to buck what I’ve been taught. Some quick research shows that the idea of breaking sheep’s legs is not only debatable but some would say— insane. This idea made popular from a book back in 80s or 90s and “went viral.” Carrying a huge sheep does seem a bit counterintuitive. 

 Linked to idea of God’s presence (you are with me), which may be the most important idea in the song.

The Lord’s house in OT is pretty much always referring to the temple (or tabernacle for David). David thrilled to gain favor in the middle of so many enemies and to be able to worship his God all his days.

Age of Accountability

There are multiple reasons why someone like me would avoid a topic like this: (a) I really don’t like debates, especially of an emotional nature, (b) it is 100% in the realm of systematic theology

So before I get any further, let me be very clear. Yes, I believe babies and children who pass away have gone to be in the presence of Jesus. 

The why and the how and the basis…that’s the issue here.

There’s certainly no biblical author that discusses the “plan of salvation for little ones” as part of their flow of thought. We do have certain examples of “households” being saved early in the life of the church (e.g., Cornelius, the Philippian jailor), but we are not told ages or any individual conversion decisions. These passages do lend weight to the idea of children being “saved,” but questions still remain.

Some also want to point to David’s time of confession after his grievous sin with Bathsheba. The child falls ill, and David begs for miraculous healing. God says, “No.” David responds that the child will not come back to him, but David will go to him. I definitely side with those who see David as simply predicting future death. It’s possible that looking back we can see future hope and seeing loved ones, but to insert this into David’s words is a bit much.

I’ve heard scholars argue from Matt 18-19, where Jesus says the kingdom of God is made up of children, or “those like children.” It’s obviously debatable. The likely conclusion of these paragraphs is that the kingdom of God is for those with child-like faith and dependence on Jesus. We need an attitude of ultimate humility, not pride/self-sufficiency. 

If we were to argue for a so-called “age of accountability,” I don’t see any biblical texts that support such a  a concept. Sure, we have prophets talking about “those who don’t know right hand from left hand” (see the end of Jonah for a good example). This phrase is debated, and it could refer to children or just those without spiritual discernment (i.e., not open to God’s truth/revelation). 

Wouldn’t the age of accountability be different for individual children (with more or less knowledge and moral wisdom as they developed)? Has it changed throughout history? Different for the genders? We can’t pick a random age/date out of the air and label it for all people throughout all time. 

My simple point is we don’t have revelation on the issue. So I have real hesitation being dogmatic on the salvation process of infants/children. We only invented this doctrine because of our strong stance on original sin/original guilt. I believe all humans are sinners, even from conception, and that Jesus is the only source of eternal life, but those truths don’t lead to happy conclusions. I’m not going to invent doctrines that Scripture doesn’t support, though.

So how do I reach any conclusions at all? If I don’t want to dive into philosophy and systematics, how do I reach hope and joy? Easy. 

I have confidence in the goodness of God. Does that resolve all the tension? Probably not. But I would rather rely on the character of God, His mercy, kindness, and love for His creation, than try to twist His revelation to make it fit my logic. He loves children. Jesus invited them nearer to Himself on every occasion. That doesn’t mean they have earned anything or are sinless by any means. 

I don’t know at what point God’s general grace requires someone to exercise his/her own faith in response to the gospel message. And I’m not trying to cross over into other debates regarding people who have never heard the gospel (or those who are mentally challenged, etc.). I’ll leave that for the theologians (or another post). It’s probably different for unique individuals. 

If I knew all the answers, I would probably think them unfair. I would probably argue with God. I would probably doubt His grace or try to make up different rules. So I’d rather choose to rely on that He knows what’s best with this question, do my best to disciple the ones around me, and leave any and all results to Him.  

God is good

Numbers 6:22-27

 “The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and protect you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.””

— ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬-‭27‬‬

Leviticus 9:22 has situation where this blessing would be spoken (after sacrifices, especially atonement). All NET notes in this passage are very helpful. Verb tenses and moods are important. Jussive is more than wish or desire, but priest is saying what God will in fact do, and it’s probably based on the fact that the sacrifices have been made.

Two main actions are blessing and protecting. The other words are images of what that looks like. Lifting up a face is opposite of looking down (anger). Shining face is pleasure and beaming father in light of His children. 

Paul probably carried over some of this into his letters (grace and peace). Easy to see how Jesus fulfilled sacrifices and offers grace and peace. Working through own thoughts on Gods wrath/anger vs pleasure in people. Atonement is a difficult doctrine and multiple theories. But the point here is that God loves His people and wants to bless them. He is good and gracious. He offers peace. 

Ethnic Israel is not the church. But God is still the same character. Do these words apply to us directly? Debatable maybe. But they inform us of Him and Jesus brings favor, peace, and blessing.

James 1:17-18

 “All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

— ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭18‬‬

Not sure if v. 16 goes with what comes before or what comes after. Could be a transition thought.

I don’t see at first read how these thoughts go with the idea of a person struggling with sin/temptation and being accountable for his own fall (i.e., don’t blame God). Could be a strong paragraph break but need to read more on James.

NET makes good point that the very act of giving as well what is given comes from God. He is good. He is generous. Next phrase may give some of us pause. “No turning or change.” That’s one of the biggest accusations against God in Bible. Shift from OT to NT or even between passages. Could be that how we experience God changes. 

Lights is a planets/stars term. Bodies move and create shadows of darkness/light as they turn. God does not turn. He remains steady/constant. Perhaps one of the most important traits of good fathers: consistency. 

And He is sovereign. Gave life to early believers (and by extension us) so we can offer more life to the rest of creation. His plan is always to create and continue giving gifts. 

Our plan is sometimes to self destruct. Maybe that’s the connection with preceding thoughts.

Psalm 34

“I will praise the Lord at all times; my mouth will continually praise him. I will boast in the Lord; let the oppressed hear and rejoice! Magnify the Lord with me! Let’s praise his name together! I sought the Lord’s help and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬

 “The godly cry out and the Lord hears; he saves them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged. The godly face many dangers, but the Lord saves them from each one of them. He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil people self-destruct; those who hate the godly are punished. The Lord rescues his servants; all who take shelter in him escape punishment.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭17‬-‭22‬‬

Though the headings at the beginning of psalms are not inspired or part of the original text (i.e., inserted by tradition), in this case it at least reminds us that these words had/have a context. That is, they belong in both a literary and historical context. If I were to read this in many churches today, I would either be praised or critiqued for promoting prosperity theology. It’s right here in the verses. 

But ASSUMING, the tradition of when it was written is anywhere close, let’s say I had experienced anything close to David. Captured by foreign king. About to die. Deserve to die in that culture. Hunted for years. Fake insanity. Released. I could write words/poetry that reflect something about God’s abundant goodness and faithfulness to His covenant and how His enemies always fail.

Psalm of thanksgiving/ praise. Genre is key when studying psalms. Have distinct structure

V 5 has translation options based on Hebrew forms. Read NET note, but could be statement or imperative in light of how God has acted on behalf of others.

Always good to reflect on how God has worked for us, and praise Him for His might. The knee jerk is to question why this doesn’t happen all the time or how do we know it was God or if good things would happen anyway? (Because God would want good things all the time) 

And is it really for me or is it for Him? Different sides of same coin. God really does love those who follow Him and wants good things for them. His ultimate goal is His glory. This is not a false dichotomy.

Vv. 17-22 Notice how NET translates all verbs whether imperfect or perfect as present tenses. Gives it a general feel. Certainly evil people prevail. And righteous people suffer. We could disprove this text in a heartbeat, but we would miss the point. 

Statements are still true but not promises. General statements that apply throughout time. And David is celebrating a major victory. No, we don’t escape everything. The point is not that we are evil at the time. The point is we need a broader view of the passage and God’s workings on our behalf. 

All doesn’t always mean all in poetry. I wish it weren’t so.

Psalm 107

 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his loyal love endures!”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭1‬‬

Beginning of Book 5 of Psalms. Books 4-5 are similar but need to restudy how the separation into books are important for understanding flow of Psalms.

Psalm of exile. Thanksgiving for God’s work for exiles. Even in desperate times, tragedy, destruction, captivity, psalmist calls for praise. God has been with His people, blessed them, provided for them, brought them together, etc. This verse serves as some sort of chorus, since its theme is repeated throughout the chapter.

Goodness and faithfulness are not the same thing.