Devotions From the Pen of Dr. W. A. Dillard by W.A. Dillard - HTML preview

UNDERSTANDING GREED

“So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” Proverbs 1:19.

Greed is the universal requisite of natural man. It is his sinful nature, manifesting itself repeatedly, and often. Greed may be likened to the grease that keeps the wheels of insatiable desire turning. It is the sinful motivation of natural man to create an elusive, indefinable, apex of life that cannot satisfy or be perpetuated due to the deterioration of all things, and the brevity of earthly life. Greed is soundly condemned in the pages of Holy Writ. From its description of ultimate selfishness in Psalm 17:12, and Proverbs 1:19 to its marked prohibition in pastors and deacons in I Timothy 3 to the woes pronounced upon the perishing in Jude 1:11, the Holy Word underscores its wickedness.

Dreamers of an ultimate, human heaven on earth of their own making have led men far afield from the best government ever experienced on earth: Theocracy! The Hebrews knew this in their liberation from Egyptian slavery, the wilderness wanderings, and possession of the Promised Land. But greed led them to reject their government. They wantonly lusted after the monarchical form established by godless nations around them, with the human glory and personal gain it could bring.

So, over the millennia of time men ever searched onward for their zenith of a utopia on earth. From monarchical, to oligarchical, to fascist dictatorship, communism and socialism they dream and work on. It is somewhat interesting though that there is a form of government that stands out as superior to them all. It is capitalism! Communism and socialism purports to equalize the standards of men, stifling the baseness of greed. Only trouble is, it does not work because all men are greedy. So the populace is forced into poverty while the rulers bask in luxury; the ill-gotten product of their greed. Soon the system breaks down as history consistently shows.

On the other hand, Capitalism plays to the greed of men, allowing a free market place and a republic form of democracy restricted to protecting those tenants. It works well for all because it encourages entrepreneurship. Men may work and enjoy the fruits of their labors. Is it a perfect form of government? No, by far, it is not, but it is the best the world has to offer as its continued success testifies. Is greed good? Certainly not, but greedy is what sinful men are.

One day, heaven will rule on earth. Then and only then will men realize their fullest potential, and appreciate what a perfect government can do, and be, for them. But sadly, even the millennial reign of Jesus will ultimately be rejected by sinful men to their own eternal punishment. What follows is a new heaven and a new earth; a new city of complete perfection for God’s people.

Now that is what should be the desire and preparatory work in the hearts and minds of everyone.

FOR THOUGHT: Since greed is universal in the human race, do you think there is a form of human government that can produce true equality? If not, isn’t it true that capitalism offers the best material opportunities for all if they are willing to work for what they get?

“The greatest inequality is treating as equal those who are unequal.” Do you agree with this statement? Why? Why not?

UNDERSTANDING THE THEOLOGICAL POWER OF CONJUNCTIONS

There is great power in language conjunctions to transmit proper, cohesive thought. It is true in daily language usage, but greater in theology. Think!

To help assure continuity of thought, such conjunctives as “furthermore,” “and,”

“additionally,” signifies continuing thought with previous statements. Words such as “therefore,”

“subsequently,” “but,” “however,” “conversely” signal a change in thought pattern to a different or opposite effect.

Obviously, the use or misuse of these powerful unions of thought convey strong implications in both spoken and written form. Unfortunately, the translators of the English Bible choose to use what they thought was a neutral conjunctive “and” almost exclusively. But, it is not neutral. “And” being used to imply both continuous and diverse thoughts may confuse the reader, especially the unstudied one.

Genesis 1:1-2 is a case in point. Verse One denotes the Almighty, Triune, Creator creating (cutting out, forming, shaping in perfection ) both the heavens and the earth. Verse two states,

“And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” There is no mention of the heavens being in such a chaotic state. Here. focus is shifted from the universal cosmos to the planet earth. The shift does not convey a continuation of the actions of verse one, but a different effect altogether. What a difference would be made if readers were reading “but” or “however” which is contextual y warranted instead of “and.” The context that warrants such understanding does not reference the heavens being in such a chaotic state, but both were created instantly by the power of the Word of the Almighty. Yet it is only the earth which is portrayed as a chaotic mess of which God is not the author. It is simple: The perfect God never does an imperfect thing!

The prophet Isaiah underscored this fact. He wrote in 45:18 that the Creator did not create either the heavens or the earth in vain “tohu” the same Hebrew word used to describe the chaotic condition of the earth in Genesis 1:2. The method of creation is simply the Word of His mouth, and a sudden reality, as denoted in Isa. 48:3. In the ancient Hebrew language, there is a distinct difference between a consecutive conjunction and a simple conversive conjunction. Consecutive conjunctions are employed in all the verses of Genesis 1:3-31, but in Genesis 1:2 it is a simple conversive conjunction that is not to be understood as consecutive to verse one action.

While this theological explanation may not be fully appreciated by the average person, it is a vital part of the overall understanding that is to be derived from the pages of Holy Writ both here and in other places as well.

FOR THOUGHT: Do you thoughtfully employ appropriate conjunctions to facilitate both the flow of language as well as ease of comprehension within their contexts? What is the danger of ignoring context by the stubborn persistent use of the same conjunction? Could this cause misunderstanding in the world of theology?

UNITY OF THE HEAD AND BODY

Among earthlings, the head of a body is very much a part of the body, but inside the head the processes of activity and of life itself are formulated which control the body. Moreover each body is totally subject to the signals of the mind inside the head. Any exception would be recognized as a crippling disease. This is simple enough, but what is the point? Think with me for a moment.

These earthly entities are used to illustrate and parallel spiritual realities. Deep in the heart of Hebrew history, the installation of kings, prophets, and high priests were accomplished by the anointing of oil on the head that ran down on the body. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit of God which accompanied the anointing, and empowered the anointed one to have the necessary capacity to fulfill his newly bestowed role.

In fulfillment of that type, the God/man Jesus, in the fullness of time, submitted Himself to the baptism of heaven’s messenger, John the Baptist. It signaled the official beginning of the ministry He came to earth to fulfill: our prophet, high priest, and king. Accordingly, in keeping with the type, immediately following His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in a form similar to a dove, and the heavenly Father voiced His approval. Jesus, the head of the New Covenant would constitute, in His ministry, an appropriate body for the head. That body is His New Testament Church, which was also anointed with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The term

“anointed” is English. In Hebrew, it is “Messiah.” In Greek, it is “Christ.”

Understanding these things causes several scriptures to become more meaningful to the Bible student. It is the purpose of the church (the body) to be in complete submission to the dictates of the Head (Jesus). In spite of earthly difficulties, the body will one day rule and reign with the Head as His glorious bride.

Consider such verses as Rev. 11:15, “. . . The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. . . “ Without question, “Our Lord” is none other than Jesus. His Christ (anointed body) is His church. Psalm 2:2 states, “. . . the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed. . .`` ' LORD” is “Jehovah,” ( New Testament Jesus) the office God (Elohim) uses to reach out to fallen man. His anointed here references His church (anointed body) whose divine offerings to men from the Head continue to be offered though often rejected. The apostles quoted this very verse in rejoicing at their tribulation, Acts 4:24-30.

Make no mistake about it, God works among men through His anointed body, and there is great unity of the body with its head.

FOR THOUGHT: In Jesus’ prayer (John 17) He prayed for His church body to be one as He and the Father were one. Do you comprehend how such unity must include the same anointing?

Do you agree that it is only by heavenly help that men may please the Holy God?