Their foot shall slide in due time.
Deuteronomy 32:35

In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God's visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God's wonderful works towards them, remained (as vers 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. -- The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.

Question 125 - What is the fourth petition?

Answer - Give us this day our daily bread. That is: Provide us with all our bodily needs¹ so that we may acknowledge that Thou art the only fountain of all good,² and that our care and labour, and also Thy gifts, cannot do us any good without Thy blessing.³ Grant therefore that we may withdraw our trust from all creatures, and place it only in Thee.⁴

In the first installment of this series of articles we saw that the central question posed by the ministry of Jesus had to do with the reign of God. Jesus came to make that which was wrong right, to bring the victory of Yahweh. He began a redemptive process, through his death and resurrection, which will culminate in the final manifestation of his kingdom at the end of this age. We are living in the already part of this kingdom. The not yet, or the final expansion and expression of that kingdom, is still to come. This should fuel optimism in an age of Western moral confusion and growing pessimism. The story is not over. The final chapter will yet be written and it will be glorious when it is.

The theme of the kingdom, and thus of God's reign on earth, specifically works itself out in story form in the New Testament. This happens in a number of literary genres but it is most clear in the parables that Jesus tells in the synoptic Gospels. I believe that these stories should form our core vision of the reign of God and therefore they should powerfully inform how we understand what Jesus is doing in this present age.

Question 120 - Why has Christ commanded us to address God as Our Father?

Answer - To awaken in us at the very beginning of our prayer that childlike reverence and trust toward God which should be basic to our prayer: God has become our Father through Christ and will much less deny us what we ask of Him in faith than our fathers would refuse us earthly things.¹

¹ Matt. 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13.

Last fall I spoke on leadership at a men's retreat. I defined spiritual leadership as knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to get there by God's means in reliance on God's power. I suggested that the way we find out where God wants people to be is to ask where God Himself is going. The answer, I think, is that God loves His glory (April 1982 STANDARD) and that He aims to magnify His glory in all that He does.

So that goal of spiritual leadership is to muster people to live for God's glory.

Question 101 - But may we swear an oath by the Name of God in a godly manner?

Answer - Yes, when the government demands it of its subjects, or when necessity requires it, in order to maintain and promote fidelity and truth, to God's glory and for our neighbour's good. Such oath-taking is based on God's Word¹ and was therefore rightly used by saints in the Old and the New Testament.²

¹ Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Jer. 4:1, 2; Heb. 6:16. ² Gen. 21:24; 31:53; Josh. 9:15; I Sam. 24:22; I Kings 1:29, 30; Rom. 1:9; II Cor. 1:23.

Question 99 - What is required in the third commandment?

Answer - We are not to blaspheme or to abuse the Name of God by cursing,¹ perjury,² or unnecessary oaths,³ nor to share in such horrible sins by being silent bystanders.⁴ In short, we must use the holy Name of God only with fear and reverence,⁵ so that we may rightly confess Him,⁶ call upon Him,⁷ and praise Him in all our words and works.⁸

¹ Lev. 24:10-17. ² Lev. 19:12 ³ Matt. 5:37; James 5:12. ⁴ Lev. 5:1; Prov. 29:24. ⁵ Ps. 99:1-5; Is. 45:23; Jer. 4:2. ⁶ Matt. 10:32, 33; Rom. 10:9, 10. ⁷ Ps. 50:14, 15; I Tim. 2:8. ⁸ Rom. 2:24; Col. 3:17; I Tim. 6:1.

Question 96 - What does God require in the second commandment?

Answer - We are not to make an image of God in any way,¹ nor to worship Him in any other manner than He has commanded in His Word.²

¹ Deut. 4:15-19; Is. 40:18-25; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:23. ² Lev. 10:1-7; Deut. 12:30; I Sam. 15:22, 23; Matt. 15:9; John 4:23, 24.

BOOK 1, CHAPTER 13. The Unity of the Divine Essence in Three Persons Taught, in Scripture, from the Foundation of the World.

This chapter consists of two parts.

The former delivers the orthodox doctrine concerning the Holy Trinity. This occupies from sec. 1-21,and may be divided into four heads; the first, treating of the meaning of Person, including both the term and the thing meant by it, sec. 2-6; the second, proving the deity of the Son, sec. 7-13;the third, the deity of the Holy Spirit, sec. 14 and 15; and the fourth, explaining what is to be held concerning the Holy Trinity.

The second part of the chapter refutes certain heresies which have arisen, particularly in our age, in opposition to this orthodox doctrine. This occupies from sec. 21 to the end.

It is no easy matter to define the holiness of God. For anything like a complete discussion of the content of God's holiness you will want to look at the other articles in this issue of Reformation & Revival Journal. In this article we will narrowly confine ourselves to a single observation about God's holiness: God's holiness demands a corresponding holiness and righteousness in us. God Himself has plainly commanded: "I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44). This, of course, was spoken to His ancient people, Israel, but when we turn to the New Testament we hear it repeated to the church of Jesus Christ:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be Holy, for I am Holy" (1 Peter 1:14–16).

In other words, we are to be like God. We are to be like God in our moral character. Nor is this pious advice to be taken or left aside as the moment dictates. This is basic to the entire Christian life. If we are not holy we will never "see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). In the baldest of terms, "It is holiness or hell."