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Commentary on "The Power of Choice"

MARTIN L. CAREY

 

Day 6: Thursday, April 8, 2010

 

Review

Today’s lesson discusses how the choices of people cause others to suffer and experience unequal advantages and opportunities. Parental drug use, domestic violence, poverty, and political corruption are some of the things that are often beyond our choices, yet we must live with them.

There is one choice that we do have, the lesson states, and that is to follow Jesus. Our spiritual walk after that choice determines how we can negate the effects of the poor choices of others. Our spiritual life happens as follows: “As we choose Jesus as our personal Savior, as we repent from our sinful ways, and as we are baptized, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The fruit of the Spirit will come into our lives as we allow the Spirit to take control of our wills.

This lesson has chosen a wonderful passage in Psalms 87 as a message about circumstances that are beyond our choices:

“And of Zion it will be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.’ The Lord will record, when He registers the peoples: ‘This one was born there.’ Selah.” Psalms 87:5, 6

 

Observations—No Foreigners Allowed

Psalms 87 is the perfect text to begin a discussion about how God deals with the tyranny of circumstances. It will also help us understand when we receive the Spirit to help us make the right choices. This lesson does not explore depths of this Psalm at all, but only asks the reader to find its message. Here in seven short verses, Psalms 87 shows us why we can celebrate the fact that bad human choices are trumped by our sovereign King:

On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zionmore than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.
                         
Selah

Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—"This one was born there," they say. And of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; for the Most High himself will establish her. The LORD records as he registers the peoples, "This one was born there."
                         
Selah

 Singers and dancers alike say, "All my springs are in you."

Zion is God’s special place of power, blessing, and protection, a glorious heavenly place, God’s city (Piper, 1989). This place is made only for the “commonwealth of Israel,” so to be a citizen there, one must be born in it. It is the most exclusive place in the universe, foreigners are absolutely excluded.

But God is sovereign, and He is Lord over births and citizenship, so He numbers people from Egypt, Babylon, Africa, and everywhere as “those who know Me.” They belong in Zion, too, because, “’This one was born there’, they say.” They are natural born citizens, just like the sons of Jacob. Zion is the place where “This one and that one were born in her,” because He makes it so. Jesus said,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

This divine declaration reminds us of the words at the base of the Statue of Liberty:

“Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

When hopeful immigrants landed at Ellis Island, they had to prove their merit to achieve citizenship, or be sent back. But at the kingdom of God, when we are born of the Spirit, we are no longer foreigners or aliens. There is no going back, for we cannot be unborn. By the gate of Zion, He stands and registers us, “This one was born there.” But we will not find Him at Sinai, where there is fear. Hebrews 12 contrasts the fear of Mt. Sinai with drawing near to our Father on Mt. Zion:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven…” Hebrews 12:22, 23

Notice that “you have come” is in the past tense. When we are born of the Spirit and belong to Christ, we are already there.

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:3, 4

What must we do before receiving the Holy Spirit? The lesson states that we must first choose Christ, repent of our sins, and be baptized. Then the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. But this is in reverse. None of those things are possible without the Spirit’s aid, not even the choosing part (John 6:44). The choosing and timing of the new birth are all His doing, giving us the right to become natural born citizens:

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13

 

Summary

  1. Psalms 87 tells of Mt. Zion, God’s city, but only natural born citizens of the Commonwealth of Israel can go there.
  2. God is the sovereign King over births and citizenship, so He makes aliens, from every nation, into natural born citizens through the new birth.
  3. Mt. Zion is not like Mt. Sinai, where there is terror and exclusion. Zion is where we draw near with fellowship with our people, in our city, with our King.
  4. The new birth is not caused by us, and it is the foundation of everything good we do afterward, such as repent and obey Christ.
  5. The new birth, just like natural birth, is not reversible. Citizenship is permanent.

 

Insights from John Piper, “Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God Shines Forth,” Sermon, October 8, 1989.

 

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