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Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Morning"—weekly essays written to
encourage, never to discourage. Christians have
been benefitting from reading this publication since
2003.
George Dana Boardman (often called "The Younger") was
born in Burma in 1828, the son of George and Sarah
Boardman, Baptist missionaries there. Young George
followed in his father's footsteps into ministry,
attending Brown University and Newton Theological
Institution. He eventually entered the ministry,
pastoring in Rochester from 1856 to 1864 and in
Philadelphia from 1864 to 1894. He also served as
president of the American Baptist Missionary Union.
Between 1865 and 1880 he produced a series of biblical
exegeses that remain one of the significant collections
of biblical studies of that period.*
But he is best known and remembered for one very
powerful statement that has been quoted by hundreds of
public speakers over the past century:
"The law of the harvest is to reap more then
you sow. Sow an act, and you will reap a habit. Sow a
habit, and you will reap a character. Sow a character,
and you will reap a destiny."
This week's "TM" is based on the teachings of the
Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatian Christians.
Paul began (verse 7) by saying, "A man reaps what he
sows." Then the apostle compared those who do things to
please themselves with those who do things to please the
Spirit of God. There is a stark difference between those
who do things only to please themselves (self-centered)
and those who do things to please the Spirit
(Christ-centered). Paul's point is clear: "The one who
sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will
read destruction." But the one who sows to "please the
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Paul's
conclusion is simple: "Let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of
believers" (Galatians 6:7-10).
The title for this week's message is simply,
"Retribution." It is not about man's retribution, but
God's. It is attached below. Continue reading whenever
you are ready.
Tom Barnard
Editor and Fellow Pilgrim
*Boardman's major literary work consisted
of 981 lectures listed in a monograph entitled "Titles
of Wednesday Evening Lectures." According to the
Online Encyclopedia, while Boardman pastored in
Philadelphia, he led his congregation through the New
Testament in 643 Wednesday evening lectures, consuming
nearly 18 years. Afterwards, he continued his studies in
the Old Testament, following the Wednesday night
format. Boardman died in 1903. For a discussion on the
application of Proverbs 26:27, see Stephen Olford's
Windows of Wisdom (Ambassador-Emerald
International, 2001, pages 155-157
________________________________________________________________ Retribution Tom Barnard
uestion: Should Christians exact retribution to those who do evil things? Short answer: No. Does God exact retribution to those who do evil things? Short answer: Yes. When the final count is made, can we trust God to balance the books with evil people? Absolutely.
Whenever I hear the word, “Retribution,” I think of the scripture that reads, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Retribution is not a pleasant subject. It speaks of bad things that will happen someday to people who do bad things. There is a remote verse in Proverbs that helps us understand how God deals with evil people:
“If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.”
In other words, whatever you sow, you will reap. In Romans Paul said, “God will give to each person according to what he has done (2:6)…There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil” (2:9). Paul repeated the warning in Galatians 6:7-8:
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.”
In a chapter earlier in his letter to the Galatians, Paul outlined what the “acts of the sinful nature” were: “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (5:19-21).
Solomon wrote about digging pits and rolling stones. Sounds like a highway engineer and a rock band, right? Wrong. Actually, it refers to bad things people do to others. “Digging pits” refers to how wild animals were caught. A pit was dug in such a way that an animal could be herded into a disguised trap. The opening was just large enough for the animal to enter, but it sloped quickly downward to the bottom. The pit was deep and narrow which prohibited an animal from turning around or changing directions.
The biblical admonition is clear: If you dig a pit for someone else, you will fall into it yourself; if you push a stone up a hill planning to send it rolling down the other side toward another human being, you will lose your grip on the way up the hill, and the stone will roll back on you, crushing you instead.
There is a biblical principle behind both of these metaphors.
Built into the fabric of our actions are certain inevitable consequences. The evil we wish on someone else will inevitably come back and harm us instead.
This principle applies both to the present and the future. It is a solemn truth to realize that those who dig pits to trap others today will not only be caught in their own trap here and now, but they will also be caught in the pit of eternal darkness and separation from God. There is always a future retribution. God will make sure it happens. In His time. He said it; we can believe it.
But there’s another message that God has for us. In the Galatians 6 passage above there is a second truth. It begins in verse 7 and concludes in verse 10:
“A man reaps what he sows…the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” 6:7-10.)
Our role is to do good to everyone. That’s what God expects of His people. He will do His part: He will balance the books for us. Retribution is a God thing. Let’s let Him do His thing, as we do ours. |