Contradictory concepts
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I see that God is no respecter of persons;
Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Is your Christian life a contradiction to what it seems the normal Christian life as described in the scriptures is to be? Do you seem to always get the “tail-end”, miss out on promised blessings and end up unhappy, discontented and full of doubt and unbelief? Is your Christian experience all “desert” with very little relief? Have you had Satan whisper in your ear that God is a liar – since not one of His promises have come true in your life? Do you sometimes wonder why God seems to bless the most unlikely and seemingly ungodly characters while “deserving you” are passed by?
It is when we face times like this we are tempted to become bitter and charge God with favouritism towards some – and we feel we are not “one of the chosen.”
The opposing concepts I perceive in the Word of God are:
- God doesn’t respect or show favouritism to anyone.
- God doesn’t bless everyone the same; which indicates favouritism – yet His promises are to everyone.
How do we resolve this and make sense of it?
The following passage of scripture illustrates both opposing concepts resolved:
Matthew 15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. [23] But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. [24] But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [25] Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. [26] But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. [27] And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. [28] Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
In this incident that happened during the earthly walk of the Lord Jesus we find some remarkable facts that should give us resolve to receive from God in spite of what it may seem regarding God’s favouritism. If anyone was not a favourite, it was this woman.
Note:
a) She was a Canaanite – Marks Gospel says she was a “Syrophoenician” – definitely not one of God’s favoured covenant people – Israel. She did however have a need and had heard that Jesus could resolve her need.
b) She approached Jesus on a religious level – she called Him Lord and acknowledged His position as David’s son. She was almost trying to claim a right to the blessings God had given to Israel.
c) Jesus acted in a rather rude manner by ignoring her – she was not a favoured person and had no right to ask for anything on basis of a relationship she never enjoyed! Jesus seemed to be showing partiality and favouritism here.
d) Jesus set her straight and almost encouraged her to approach Him the right way. Her way was to claim what wasn’t her right to claim and Jesus let her know that only Israel had right to the covenants and promises.
e) She changed her approach – she worshipped Him with no thought of deserving anything and humbly asked for help. Now she was on the correct platform of approach to God. God hears all who call upon Him – without claiming anything based on rights or on merit.
f) Christ’s next response to her plea is also rather disconcerting – almost discouraging. It does however demonstrate that God wants us to hang on in spite of His seeming reticence to answer us! He tells her that all God’s blessings are for His “favourites” and it is not proper to give “bread” to those who are not favourites. In fact, being outside the scope of God’s promises she was considered a “dog”.
g) Her response is remarkable under the circumstances. She’d just been told there was no hope of getting what she wanted. She was told she was a “dog” and should “beat it!” She wasn’t taking “NO” for an answer; she wanted something and knew who alone could give it to her. She acknowledged the “favourites” had an abundant excess – surely as a dog she could at very least get some of the “crumbs” that fell off the feasting table.
h) Christ’s response made her a “favourite” as well – she got the “bread” and received exactly what she had asked for. What she wanted she got – because she approached on the proper basis.
How can we become favoured of God? How can we get what we want from God? Can we get from the Lord what we not only need but also want?
The promises in the Word of God say yes! However our approach is so often wrong – and we don’t receive what we want or ask for. Here are a few guidelines on how to ask and receive based on the above story:
- Don’t make request based on merit or reward for your status. We don’t get anything from God because we deserve it.
- Make request based on the promises of God.
- Become a “favourite” by believing God’s Word in spite of His silence and seeming lack of response.
- Don’t take “No” for an answer, but listen to what He says to you.
It is faith and only faith that pleases God – whether expressed by “covenant people” or by those outside of the covenant. God is a “giver” and a “lover” – He delights to bless those who will acknowledge Him and seek Him.
“Ye shall seek Me and find me when ye search for me with your whole heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Ask for “crumbs” with the right attitude and get all the “bread” you could ever want or need. Ask in faith – use strong arguments based on the Word of God.
Peter Crause
This is not copyrighted and may be freely used and distributed.
e-mail: crause.pd@shaw.ca
