Welcome to Day 2710 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2710 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:8-13 – Daily Wisdom

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script – Day 2710

Wisdom-Trek: The Divine Harmony of Grace and Truth – Concluding Our Trek Through Psalm 85:8-13

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2710 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we reach the powerful conclusion of our conversation in Psalm 85, covering verses 8 through 13 in the New Living Translation.

In our last trek, we explored the first half of this poignant communal lament. We heard the people’s prayer for revival, anchored in God’s past faithfulness: “You have restored the fortunes of Israel,” and “You have forgiven the guilt of your people” (Psalm 85:1-3). Yet, their plea was urgent, asking God to “restore us again” and to “show us your unfailing love” (Psalm 85:4, 7). They were caught in the “in-between,” that painful gap between the miracle of the return from exile and the full, glorious reality of true national revival.

Now, the psalmist shifts from pleading to listening, confident that God will speak peace and provide the perfect vision for their complete restoration. This final section beautifully describes how God’s saving presence will transform the land and the people, bringing a divine harmony where love and truth, justice and peace, meet and embrace. This vision of God’s saving power is the glorious answer to their cry for restoration.

So, let’s open our hearts to this prophetic promise, recognizing the divine symmetry that only God can orchestrate.

This first section it titled, The Promise of Peace and the Meeting of Virtues

(Psalm 85:8-11)

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!

The psalmist makes a conscious, deliberate choice here to stop pleading and start listening: “I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.” This is a pivotal moment in any lament! After pouring out our anxiety and our fears, the next step is to quiet our souls and incline our ear towards the divine. The psalmist expresses confidence that God will speak “peace” (shalom), which, in the Hebrew worldview, is not just the absence of conflict, but total well-being, harmony, and wholeness.

This promise of shalom is conditional: “But let them not return to foolish ways.” God’s people must actively participate in their own revival. The restoration is offered, but they must choose to walk away from the spiritual “foolish ways” that led to their former suffering. The warning is clear: true peace requires sustained obedience and integrity.

The psalmist then declares the nearness of their salvation: “Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.” Salvation (yeshû‘â)—their full deliverance—is not a distant hope; it is “near,” close at hand for those who “fear him” (yārē, which means reverence, awe, and worshipful obedience). When that salvation arrives, the result is breathtaking: “our land will be filled with his glory.” This glory (kāvôd) is the visible manifestation of God’s majestic presence. The devastation of the land, lamented in previous psalms like 79, will be reversed by the radiant presence of God Himself.

The most magnificent part of this vision is the divine harmony that God’s presence creates: “Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!” This is stunning poetic imagery, presenting four divine attributes as heavenly beings descending to earth and embracing one another.

• Unfailing Love, (Hesed)—God’s steadfast, covenant-keeping mercy—meets Truth, (‘emet)—God’s faithfulness and reliability. These two, often tested by human sin, now find perfect reconciliation.
• Righteousness, (Tsedeq)—God’s perfect justice and moral integrity—kisses Peace, (Shalom)—wholeness and harmony. The righteousness that demands judgment, and the peace that desires wholeness, find their resolution in a single, affectionate moment.

This harmony is the answer to the chaos the people experienced. Only God’s saving presence, facilitated by His sovereign plan, can perfectly reconcile the demands of justice (He must punish sin) and the desires of mercy (He must save His people). This perfect union is achieved through the work of the Messiah, who satisfied the demands of Truth and Righteousness while simultaneously granting Love and Peace to humanity.

This next section is titled, Flourishing and the Unfolding of Blessing

(Psalm 85:12-13)

Yes, the Lord pours down blessing, and our land will yield its abundant harvests. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.

The reconciliation of these divine virtues in the land has a profound, tangible effect: “Yes, the Lord pours down blessing, and our land will yield its abundant harvests.” The prosperity that the people desperately prayed for is guaranteed when God’s character is fully manifest. The barrenness of the land, a sign of God’s displeasure, will be reversed. The Lord will “pour down blessing,” leading to “abundant harvests.” This agricultural flourishing is the visible, undeniable sign that the time of God’s favor has fully returned. It is the restoration they prayed for, manifested in the very soil beneath their feet.

The psalm concludes by describing the procession of the divine King into His restored land: “Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.” This is a grand, royal image. The King of Glory (God Himself) is returning to fully inhabit His land. But He doesn’t enter without preparation. Righteousness—that moral integrity which was so absent in the human rulers of Psalm 82 and so lacking in the rebellious ancestors of Psalm 78—now acts as a herald (a messenger who prepares the way). Righteousness precedes God, ensuring that the path is clean and established according to His moral law.

The phrase “preparing the way for his steps” is a prophetic image that assures the people that God’s presence is ordered, intentional, and permanent. Where God walks, blessing and justice follow. This final image assures the community that when God acts, His holiness and justice are not threats, but the very things that guarantee their peace and their prosperity. It is a perfect end to the communal lament, confirming that the shalom they so desperately prayed for is dependent entirely upon the tsedeq (righteousness) that God brings.

This profound conclusion to Psalm 85 transforms the nation’s longing into a vision of hope, reminding them, and us, that God’s restoration is comprehensive, reconciling spiritual truth with physical prosperity, and securing the land for His eternal glory.

As we conclude with Wisdom on the Trek: The Prerequisites for Peace

The profound wisdom of Psalm 85 for our journey lies in The Prerequisites for Peace .

The psalmist teaches us three vital steps for moving from national or personal chaos to Shalom:

1. Cultivate A Listening Heart: The restoration begins not with a great battle, but with silence: “I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying.” When we are in the “in-between,” we must stop shouting our pleas and start listening for God’s peace. We must be careful not to “return to foolish ways,” understanding that our stubbornness is often the greatest impediment to our blessing.
2. Recognize the Divine Harmony: We must understand that God’s great work reconciles seeming opposites. When we suffer, we often feel that God’s Love and His Justice are at odds. This psalm assures us that “Unfailing love and truth have met together.” We cannot separate God’s mercy from His moral law. Salvation is the point where Righteousness and Peace can finally kiss—the cross of Christ perfectly achieved this reconciliation for all who trust Him.
3. Prepare the Path for Righteousness: The greatest promise is that “Righteousness goes as a herald before him.” If we want to see God’s glory fill our “land” (our lives, our homes, our communities), we must let Righteousness clear the way. We must actively choose to live with integrity, honesty, and moral purity, thereby preparing the path for the King to enter and grant us the abundant harvest that follows His steps.

Our hope for revival is not a passive waiting; it is an active listening and an intentional commitment to live righteously, trusting that God’s steps will inevitably bring Shalom.

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of… ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this Trek together, let us always: Live Abundantly… Love Unconditionally… Listen Intentionally… Learn Continuously… Lend to others Generously… Lead with Integrity… Leave a Living Legacy Each Day…

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to, ‘Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and, ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

Welcome to Day 2709 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2709 – A Clean Life – Strong Warnings About the World 1 John 2_12-17

Putnam Church Message – 08/31/2025

Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John

“A Clean Life – Strong Warnings About the World.”

Last week, we explored 1 John 2:1-11 as we learned the seven rules on how to live a ‘Clean Life’ with “Wise Words from a Family Meeting.”

This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will cover 1 John 2:12-17 as we explore how to live a ‘Clean Life’ with “Strong Warnings About the World.” Let’s read 1 John 2:12-17 from the NIV, which is found on page 1900 of your Pew Bibles.

 ^12 12 I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³ I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁴ I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Opening Prayer

When danger draws near, a warning is in order. And the greater the danger, the more vital the warning.

Let me share a story from a long-time pastor and President of Dallas Theological Seminary, Chuck Swindoll. I will share it in the first person as he did. /When I think of warnings, my mind goes back over sixty years to when I found myself standing on the deck of a massive troopship, seeing the city of Yokohama, Japan, in the distance, just across the Tokyo Bay. Our ship was slowly snaking its way through the bay because there were still some naval mines lurking beneath those waters—leftovers from World War II. As the pilot was guiding us carefully, a full colonel called some thirty-five hundred Marines to an assembly.

He called us together to give us a warning. Great danger drew near. Not the physical danger of the naval mines. Those could be easily navigated. He had other dangers in mind … dangers lurking not in Tokyo Bay but in the streets of Yokohama, where thousands of pent-up Marines were about to be unleashed.

“All of you, listen up,” he said. “For many of you, you will be the foreigner for the first time in your lives. You’re going to be walking in an area you’ve never walked before. You’ll be among people who speak a language you’ve never spoken before. You’ll be in the midst of a culture you don’t understand. So, I have a few words of warning for all of you. First, a message to every one of you: You’ll be wearing your uniform. It’s the uniform of the United States Marine Corps. You’re representing your country while you’re on this land. Don’t bring reproach to our land and our country. Behave yourselves.”

And then the colonel went into some particulars as he addressed some specific categories of personnel. “Some of you,” he said, “are older men. You’ve traveled abroad before. You know better what to expect. But you’re not safe any more than the younger men among us.”

Then he said to those of us who were younger: “Most of you have never been out of your own country, so you hardly know where the danger lies. Let me say to all of you: Remember these things today. Less than two days from now, at 1100 hours, we will be leaving this dock, and I want all of you back on this ship. Between now and then, you’re going to find yourself among great crowds of people. Watch out for pickpockets. Be careful what you eat … and where you eat. Don’t buy any food off the street. In some parts of the city, there’s open prostitution. Don’t be stupid. The bars would love to see you come in. And they’d love to see your face flat on the floor. And when you wake up, you’ll have nothing of value that belonged to you before. So, discipline yourself.”

After several other similar warnings, he concluded, “Again, we’re leaving this dock at 1100 hours in less than forty-eight hours. I want all of you back on the ship, in uniform, on your feet, ready to make your way down to Okinawa.”

I hardly need to tell you that some promptly forgot the warnings. It wasn’t long before some had their pockets picked. Some got back on the ship with temporary food poisoning, others with long-term diseases they picked up from streetwalkers. Several of them were still inebriated or nursing hangovers. And, yes, a handful even missed the ship! I’ll never forget when we were leaving the dock at 1100 hours sharp. A few guys were running toward the ship, waving their ties and yelling, “Wait! Wait! Wait!” The ship didn’t delay its departure for them. It just sailed right out of the harbor as planned.

Many of those men—young and old alike—didn’t take the colonel’s warnings seriously. Maybe they thought he was just killing time while the ship weaved around the naval mines. Maybe they thought the “old man” was simply obligated to go through that litany of do-nots as part of an official “cover our behinds”> policy. But he was serious. These were real warnings from an older, seasoned Marine who wanted to impart wisdom to those under his charge. But because many failed to take heed, they became victims of the dangers. And they paid the price.

My mind immediately returns to that scene on the ship decades ago as we turn to 1 JOHN 2:12-17. I can picture the apostle John, seasoned by years of trials and tragedy, made wise by years of testing and triumph. Like that veteran colonel imparting wisdom to a ship of Marines young and old alike, John was leaning into his audience—not to tell them things they wanted to hear, but to tell them things they needed to hear. Whether they were older men and women or younger men and women, whether they had been believers for a few days or a few decades, John needed to impart to them strong warnings about the real world.

2:12–14

John precedes his strong warnings by again addressing his readers with that term of grandfatherly affection that underscores their close family relationship: “I am writing to you, dear children” (2:12). I understand this as a general address to all his readers, as it is throughout this letter (see 2:1, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21).

However, included among his spiritual children are “fathers,” “young men,” and even “children” (2:13–14). The term “fathers” is probably used in the same sense as in 1 Timothy 5:1, where Paul says, Never speak harshly to an older man,^[a] but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. John is addressing the older members of the church, “mature in the faith” (NLT), perhaps even the church’s leaders. In this case, the “young men” would be a reference to those under the mentorship of the older members. “young in the faith” (NLT) Finally, the word translated “children” in 1 John 2:14 is not teknion, as in 2:12, but rather the word paidion [3813], which usually refers to a preteen who is still under the tutelage of teachers. In any case, the term likely refers to the youngest members spiritually of the church, especially those who are still very early in their spiritual formation.

Like that colonel in our story who addressed his warning about Yokohama to both battle-hardened veterans and wide-eyed novices, the apostle John calls to attention every generation at every level of spiritual maturity. In my lifetime as a believer, I’ve learned that some are so young in age and so new to the faith that they have no idea how dangerous the world can be to their spiritual lives. On the other hand, some are so old and mature in the faith that they begin to believe they’ve outgrown the power of temptation. These older types fittingly fall under Paul’s warning: If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. (1 Cor. 10:12). The truth is, we all need these warnings about the world.

Before launching into his warnings in 1 John 2:15-17, John reminds his readers of the spiritual blessings they have in their permanent family relationship with Christ. Though different blessings are associated with different groups within the church, these are general qualities that apply to all believers. He first reaffirms the complete forgiveness of their sins (2:12). your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. These believers are children of the eternal God, not because of their own merit or something special they have done or achieved. They are forgiven “for His name’s sake,” purely by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. This is the permanent condition in which they stand.

These forgiven ones “know Christ, who existed from the beginning.” (2:13–14). It may seem strange that John repeats this statement virtually word for word in these two verses. The only difference is that in the first instance John says, “I am writing to you, fathers” (2:13), while in the second he says, “I have written to you, fathers” (2:14). Bible scholars have puzzled over the reason for John’s repetition and change of tense in these two statements, and it’s probably impossible to sort out precisely what John’s doing.

Perhaps his reference to writing in the present tense refers to 1 John, while his reference to writing in the past refers to the Gospel of John. In that case, John would be emphasizing the fact that knowing Christ “who has been from the beginning” is a significant theme in his writings, life, and ministry. In John 20:31, he made his purpose in writing the Gospel clear: “But these are written so that you may continue to believe^[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.”

John clearly wants to underscore the importance of knowing Christ, who is “from the beginning.” This description of Christ, emphasizing His eternal deity,/ recalls the opening words of the letter: “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,^[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.” (1 Jn. 1:1).

Because of their permanent, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the “young men” have “overcome the evil one” (2:13). This blessing is also repeated, with a couple of significant additions, in 2:14: “you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” Our relationship with Christ results in the indwelling of the Spirit and the empowering of His word. As Jesus taught:

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^[a] who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. (John 14:16–17, 20)

This indwelling presence of the Spirit is what gives believers strength, which results in an ability to stand firm against the spiritual wickedness of the world.

And to the “children,” John offers a reminder to them that they “know the Father” (1 Jn. 2:13). To know Jesus, who is “from the beginning,” is to know the Father. Jesus Himself said, “If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.^[a] From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” (John 14:7). John writes later in this letter, “The one who confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 Jn. 2:23); and he writes in 2 John, “The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 1:9).

Because of the reality of the triune God in the lives of all believers—young and old alike—believers are able to take a stand against the world.

2:15–17

Having firmly established the believers’ irrevocable position of power and victory because of the forgiveness of their sins and their relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit (1 Jn. 2:12–14), John levels some strong warnings about the world.

What does John mean by “the world”? In his usage here, the Greek term kosmos [2889] refers to the system of this present age before the return of Christ. This world is led by Satan, who works against Christ and His people. It’s therefore hostile to righteousness. The world magnifies humanity, celebrates depravity, and rejects God’s word. In this negative sense, the world’s values, pleasures, pastimes, aspirations, and even attitudes have no room for God, no respect for Christ, and no regard for His followers. John uses the term kosmos in this sense throughout the letter, but in 2:15–17 alone, he uses the term six times as part of his strong warning.

John begins his warning with a straightforward, simple command: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world” (2:15). But wait! Doesn’t John 3:16 say “For this is how God loved the world:”? And didn’t God send Jesus into the world “but to save the world through him” (John 3:17)? Why does John seem to tell believers not to love what God clearly loves?

The answer is found in the two different senses of the word “world” and the two different senses of the term “love.” While John’s warning in 1 John 2:15–17 is primarily concerned with the wicked, fallen world system, the “world” that is the object of the self-sacrificial love of Christ is the world of humanity in desperate need of a Savior, just as John said earlier in this letter: “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (2:2). Also, the word “love” here is used with the meaning “to have high esteem for or satisfaction with” or to “take pleasure in” something. What are the things in which a lover of the world takes pleasure? In 2:16, John describes them as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”

Let’s take a closer look at these things of the world. The first is “the lust of the flesh.” The term “lust” refers to a craving or a passionate desire. This is more than a person who is hungry and desires food. It’s more like an alcoholic who longs for a drink … or a drug addict who’ll do anything for another hit.

The term sarx (4561), translated “flesh,” refers most basically to physical things, particularly the material nature of the body. In that neutral sense, “flesh” is not essentially evil but can be used as a vessel of holiness to glorify God (2 Cor. 4:11). However, the term can also be used in a negative sense, as in 1 John 2:16. This is similar to the way the apostle Paul often used the term “flesh” in reference to our sinful, rebellious manner of thought and deed that reveres the world system, perverted since the Fall. Sarx is that part of our fallen state that opposes God and is in conflict with the Spirit’s work of instilling attitudes and promoting actions that counter the world and its values.

The “lust of the flesh,” then, appears to be self-generated. It’s our internal sinful tendencies taking shape and looking for something to satiate our carnal desires. This includes selfish ambitions and self-serving objectives—the all-powerful triumvirate of me, myself, and I. It finds its focus in self: my comfort, my possessions, my money, my future, my career, my hopes. The lust of the flesh starts with me, ends with me, and keeps me in the middle of it all.

John next refers to the “lust of the eyes” (2:16). This includes sinful cravings triggered by what we see, leading to covetousness and envy. We may be perfectly content with what we have, but then we see what somebody else has. Suddenly our own house, car, spouse, family, job, clothes, or church just isn’t enough anymore. The lust of the eyes can also be our symbols of success: titles, positions, degrees, or added pages to our résumés. The lust of the eyes suddenly makes us desperately “need” something we never knew we didn’t have!

Finally, John refers to “the boastful pride of life” (2:16). The lust of the flesh comes from our sinful hearts. The lust of the eyes comes from the sinful world around us. And the boastful pride of life comes from our lips. The arrogant words. The prideful claims. The exaggerated tales that make us look greater than we are, usually at the cost of tearing other people down. We see this kind of boasting flowing from many sports heroes, slick politicians, and strutting rock stars.

Those are the things of the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. This cocktail of cravings is not a nourishing spiritual drink served up by the Father of Light, but a toxic poison pushed and promoted by the father of lies through the means of a wicked world. The point of John’s admonition in 2:15–16 is clear: The object of a Christian’s unconditional devotion and commitment should be God and His people, not the sinful world and all of its delights. To embrace the wicked world system with the same kind of boundless love we should have for God is to demonstrate that “the love of the Father is not in [us]” (2:15). When we fall in love with the world, we fall out of love with God.

As if we didn’t already have enough reason to avoid a love affair with the world, John gives us one more warning in 2:17: The world with all its lusts “is passing away.” These sinful delights have no part to play in eternity. Those who embrace the world system embrace what is temporal. But when you do God’s will—believing in His Son and living by the power of the Spirit—you embrace the eternal.

APPLICATION:1 JOHN 2:12–17

Overcoming the Things of the World

John’s warning to believers is clear: Don’t get tangled up with the world or the things of the world. If you do, you’ll be like those late-arriving Marines stranded at the dock, shouting and waving their arms as the ship pulled away and left them behind. They were so wrapped up in the pleasures of Yokohama that they had forgotten the colonel’s warning. The dangers were real, and the consequences left permanent marks on their military records. I don’t know precisely what the colonel said later to those Marines when he confronted them, but I know I wouldn’t be able to use those words here!

We need to heed John’s strong warnings about the world. And we need to be sensible and practical when it comes to putting these warnings into action. I know it’s easy to jump to extremes. Back on that ship, a soldier could have walked out of the colonel’s assembly, headed to their bunk, and hid under the covers for forty-eight hours. That would have definitely kept them safe from the pickpockets, pork products, and prostitutes of Yokohama! But he would have gone to an unnecessary extreme.

Similarly, some Christians respond to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life by resorting to radical isolation—“HIDE YOURSELF!” Their list of “don’ts” would include things like: Don’t own a television! Don’t go to the movies! No computer! No smartphone! Stay away from worldly people! Don’t watch sports! Don’t ever dress up or drive a decent car! Keep your life plain and drab and colorless.

But Jesus clearly stated in John 17:15, I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. God’s will for believers is not isolation, but insulation—to be living in the world but not as part of the world. We’re to be salt and light, witnesses in the world. How are we to do that if we disengage entirely, hide ourselves, or seek shelter in what amounts to a Christianized ghetto?

At the other extreme, some Christians may engage in radical provocation—“ASSERT YOURSELF!” Their rules of engagement would include things like: Everywhere you go, openly insult those who embrace “the things of the world.” Broadcast your moral convictions in ways that not only shame sinners but also anger them. Be obnoxious about your displeasure with the world. Go out of your way to insult people who disagree with you. Put down those who are more liberal than you or less faithful than you. In short, openly judge them!

But Paul said, “When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. ¹⁰ But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.” (1 Cor. 5:9–10). In fact, he takes it much further: ¹² It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. ¹³ God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (1 Cor. 5:12-13). Our presence in this wicked world should be pleasant and gracious. We stand firm on our convictions, but we respond to outsiders with kindness, not condescension. Peter puts it best: “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” (1 Pet. 3:15).

That’s balance—not isolation or provocation, but insulation and proclamation! Next week, we will continue our exploration of 1 John. Our message for next week is “A Discerning Life – Dealing With Deceivers. Our Core verses for next week will be:  1 John 2:18-27 – Closing Prayer

Welcome to Day 2708 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2708 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 85:1-7 – Daily Wisdom

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script – Day 2708

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2708 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we begin a new and profoundly hopeful conversation, continuing our journey through the Psalms with Psalm 85 in the New Living Translation, encompassing its opening verses, 1 through 7.

Psalm 85 is another Communal Lament, a prayer of profound longing for national revival and restoration. It is widely believed to have been written after the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, a time when the physical journey home was complete, but the spiritual and political realities were far from the glorious restoration promised by the prophets. The Temple was still being rebuilt, the nation was weak, and the initial burst of post-exilic joy had given way to discouragement and doubt.

This psalm is a beautiful and necessary transition from the previous psalms. In Psalm 84, we heard the joyous longing for God’s presence, declaring that “a single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else” (Psalm 84:10). Now, in Psalm 85, the people acknowledge that same presence but ask God to complete the work of salvation. They remember God’s past faithfulness and use it as an urgent argument for Him to move again in the present. This is the prayer of a people who have seen God move, but whose current circumstances demand a fresh move of divine power.

So, let’s open our hearts to this fervent prayer for revival, feeling the weight of hope and the desperate need for God’s face to shine upon His people once again.

• Remembering Past Favor, Pleading for Present Peace

(Psalm 85:1-3)

Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel. You have forgiven the guilt of your people— yes, you have covered all their sins. You have withdrawn your furious anger and turned away from your blazing wrath.

The psalm begins not with a complaint, but with a confident historical acknowledgment of God’s past goodness, a crucial starting point for any plea for revival: “Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel.” This immediately grounds the prayer in God’s proven faithfulness. The psalmist remembers the great work God has already done, specifically the Restoration from exile. God had indeed acted, bringing the people back from Babylon, pouring out “amazing blessings” (literally, “been favorable” or “showed favor”) upon their land. He “restored the fortunes of Israel” (shuv shevut), a technical term used by the prophets for the major act of bringing the exiles home and reversing their national calamity.

This physical restoration was rooted in a spiritual reality: “You have forgiven the guilt of your people—yes, you have covered all their sins.” The ultimate blessing of the return was not just the rebuilding of the walls but the divine act of forgiveness. God’s grace was powerfully demonstrated: He “forgave the guilt” (nasa’, “lifted up, carried away”) of their iniquity, and He “covered all their sins” (kāsâ, “covered over”). In the ancient Israelite understanding of the sacrificial system and atonement, to have sins covered meant the barrier between a holy God and His sinful people was removed. This was the greatest act of covenant restoration, making the new beginning possible.

And this forgiveness had a direct impact on God’s posture: “You have withdrawn your furious anger and turned away from your blazing wrath.” The psalmist acknowledges that the national calamity and exile had been the result of God’s righteous anger against their unfaithfulness (as we saw extensively detailed in Psalm 78). But now, God has “withdrawn” (’āsap, “gathered back”) His furious anger and “turned away” (shuv, “turned back”) from His “blazing wrath.” This suggests that the judgment phase is over; God’s face is no longer set against His people. This memory of past forgiveness and the cessation of judgment becomes the powerful argument for present intervention.

• The Urgent Cry for Complete Restoration

(Psalm 85:4-7)

Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Stop being angry with us. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath through all generations? Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

With the foundation of past faithfulness established, the psalmist now moves to a fervent plea for completion. The work of restoration is only half done: “Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Stop being angry with us.” The prayer shifts from the past tense of acknowledgment (You have restored) to the present plea (Now restore us again). They are asking for a second, deeper, and more comprehensive act of restoration—a full spiritual and national revival that goes beyond just the physical return from Babylon. They appeal to God as the “God of our salvation,” the One who alone has the power to deliver. The direct plea to “Stop being angry with us” implies that while the worst of the judgment is over, the full measure of God’s favor has not yet returned; some aspect of His displeasure lingers over their struggling community.

The psalmist then voices the fear that their suffering might be unending, echoing a common lament theme: “Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath through all generations?” This is the crucial “How long?” question (as seen in Psalm 79 and 80). It expresses the anxiety that the current state of weakness, turmoil, and political vulnerability—the lingering effects of God’s anger—might persist indefinitely. They beg God not to allow this punitive season to become permanent, lasting “through all generations.” This is the core fear in a post-exilic world—that the promises of prosperity and peace are eternally out of reach.

The plea for revival then becomes explicit, rooted in the desire for joy: “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” The word “revive” (ḥāyâ) means “to bring to life,” “to restore life,” or “to preserve life.” They are asking for a spiritual and national re-animation, a complete turning around of their depressed state. The purpose is not selfish: it is “so your people can rejoice in you.” Their greatest joy, their ultimate happiness, is found only in a vibrant, restored relationship with God. Revival is desired so that their praise—the very thing that distinguishes them as God’s people—can be renewed.

The psalm concludes this section with a concise, all-encompassing request that summarizes the entire prayer: “Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.” This is the essence of their need. They ask for God to visibly “show” (rā’â, “to see, to perceive”) them His “unfailing love” (hesed), that steadfast, covenant-keeping love that is the bedrock of Israel’s hope. This is their plea for God to turn His face toward them (as lamented in Psalm 80:4, where they asked for His smile) and to “grant us your salvation.” This salvation (yeshû‘â) is comprehensive—it includes deliverance from their enemies, restoration of their dignity, and renewal of their spiritual life. It is the visible fruit of His hesed.

This section beautifully transitions from a confident look back at God’s past faithfulness to an urgent, yet hopeful, look forward, asking God to complete the work of revival and show them His perfect, saving love. The confidence that God will answer is built entirely upon the reality that He has already forgiven their sins and turned away His blazing wrath.

• Wisdom on the Trek: The Cycle of Remembrance and Revival

The experience of the people in Psalm 85 provides profound wisdom for our own Wisdom-Trek today. Their journey from captivity to return, and their subsequent struggle with disappointment, reflects a pattern we often see in our lives: The gap between the miracle and the settled reality.

The psalmist successfully navigates this gap by adhering to two vital spiritual disciplines: Remembrance and Petition.

1. The Power of Remembrance: They do not begin with lamenting their troubles; they begin by acknowledging God’s past goodness (verses 1-3). They say, in effect, “We know You are good, because You have restored us. You have forgiven our guilt. You have turned away your anger.” This act of remembering God’s past hesed is the very engine that powers their present prayer. We, too, must intentionally recall God’s specific acts of grace in our lives—the burdens He removed, the sins He covered, the times He turned away from our foolishness. This remembrance is the antidote to the despair of the “How long?” question.
2. The Urgency of Petition: They are honest about their current state, recognizing that they are still struggling and still need God to “restore us again” (verse 4). This prayer for revival is rooted in their vulnerability. The plea to be revived (ḥāyâ) is a universal cry. It’s asking God to breathe life back into the areas that feel spiritually dead, tired, or dry. In the context of the lament psalms, they understand that God’s work of salvation is comprehensive; it’s not finished until His people are not only forgiven but also actively rejoicing in Him (verse 6).

The ultimate lesson here is that our greatest source of hope is the unchanging character of God. The people knew that the same God who had removed their sin and had turned away His wrath would surely show them His unfailing love and grant them complete salvation. When we feel stuck in the “in-between”—between the promise and the fulfillment—we must use the psalmist’s prayer: Acknowledge the miracle, and then pray for the complete revival.

Let us resolve today to anchor our faith in God’s history, using His past mercies as the firm foundation for our present prayers for revival. For our God is the God of salvation, and His unfailing love is always searching for a way to “show” itself.

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy!’

Welcome to Day 2706 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “The Great Reversal” – Supernatural

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script – Day 2706

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2706 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Today, we continue with the 13^th of 16 segments of our Theology Thursday lessons. I will read through the book “Supernatural,” written by Hebrew Bible scholar, professor, and mentor Dr. Michael S. Heiser, who has since passed away. Supernatural is a condensed version of his comprehensive book, ‘The Unseen Realm.’ If these readings pique your interest, I would recommend that you read ‘The Unseen Realm.’ Today, we will read through chapter thirteen: “The Great Reversal”

Aside from stories about Jesus in the Gospels—such   as accounts of his birth, death, and Sermon on the Mount—perhaps the most familiar passage in the New Testament is Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit rushes upon the followers of Jesus at the day of Pentecost. It marks the launch of the fledgling church and the beginning of global evangelism in the name of Jesus.

As familiar as the passage is, there’s a lot more going on in it than most realize. Acts 2 is in fact designed to telegraph the campaign to reverse the post-Babel cosmic geography of the Old Testament, in which the nations other than Israel were under the dominion of lesser gods. What happened at Pentecost was a battle plan for infiltrating all the nations disinherited by God at Babel with the gospel of Jesus—an ancient strategy for spiritual war.

Pentecost

What Acts 2 describes as happening on the day of Pentecost was certainly unusual:

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each one of us, in our own native language?” (Acts 2:1–8 leb)

Some of the things that take us into the supernatural worldview of the Old Testament in that remarkable passage aren’t obvious in the English translation. The “rushing wind” associated with the arrival of the Spirit is a familiar description of the presence of God in the Old Testament (2 Kings 2:1, 11; Job 38:1; 40:6). Fire is also familiar in descriptions of God (Ezek. 1:4; Isa. 6:4, 6; Dan. 7:9; Ex. 3:2; 19:18; 20:18).

It’s clear from those references that God was present at the event and behind what was going on. His intention was to launch his campaign to take back the nations from the lesser gods he assigned to the nations (Deut. 4:19–20; 32:8–9) but who became his enemies (Ps. 82).

God’s tool for doing that was the words of the disciples—hence the imagery of tongues. God enabled the Jewish followers of Jesus to speak to the rest of the Jews gathered at Pentecost—who lived in all the nations under the dominion of enemy gods. When they heard the gospel and believed, they would go back to their nations and tell others about Jesus.

Pentecost and Babel

The Tower of Babel incident was what gave rise to God’s decision to scatter the nations and put them under the authority of other gods (Deut. 4:19–20; 32:8–9). At first glance there doesn’t seem to be much connection between that event and what happened in Acts 2. But in the original languages, there are clear connections between the two.

Two key items in Acts 2 connect its events to Babel. First, the flaming tongues are described as “divided,” and second, the crowd, composed of Jews from all the nations, are said to have been “confused.” In English, that may not seem particularly convincing. Luke is writing in Greek, and the Greek words he used here translated as “divided” and “confusion” come from Genesis 11:7 and Deuteronomy 32:8, both of which describe the division of the languages and nations at Babel and the resulting confusion.

Luke, the author of Acts, was a Gentile. He could only read Greek. Consequently, he was using the Greek translation of the Old Testament known widely then (and still today) as the Septuagint. It was the Old Testament of the early church, since few people could read Hebrew. Luke was thinking of the Babel event when he wrote Acts 2.

But why make the connection? Think about what happened at Pentecost. The Spirit came as God so often had come in the Old Testament, with rushing wind and fire. The confusion of having multiple languages (which was a result of Babel) was removed when the flaming tongues enabled the disciples to speak in the languages of the Jews from all across the world gathered in Jerusalem for the celebration. Three thousand of them believed the message about Jesus (Acts 2:41).

Those new believers who embraced Jesus as messiah would carry that message back to their home countries​—the nations scattered at Babel. Back in Genesis 11, God had turned his back on the nations of humanity and, right afterward, in Genesis 12, called Abraham to establish God’s new people and nation. He was now going to gather people from all those nations he had rejected and bring them back into his believing family alongside Jewish believers descended from Abraham. In time, God’s kingdom would overspread the kingdoms of the enemy gods.

The incredible part of all this is the list of nations in Acts 2 and the order they are presented. If you looked them up on a map, you would move from the east, where the Jews had been exiled at the end of the Old Testament in Babylon and Persia, westward to the farthest point known at the time. They cover the same distance and scope as the nations listed in Genesis 10—the ones put under the lesser gods.

We Wrestle Not against Flesh and Blood

Most of the book of Acts is about Paul’s missionary journeys. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles—the person initially sent by God to start churches in the nations outside Israel. Paul’s journeys and life circumstances, such as his arrest by the Romans, took him ever westward.

In his New Testament letters, Paul often talked about the spiritual forces opposing his ministry and the spread of the gospel. His vocabulary for the evil entities whose domains he violated in the wake of Pentecost shows that he understood the Old Testament’s cosmic geography. Do you notice a common thread running through Paul’s terminology (drawn from the ESV) for the unseen forces of darkness?

• rulers/principalities (Eph. 1:20–21; 6:12; Col. 2:15)
• authorities (Eph. 1:20–21; 3:10; 6:12; Col. 2:15; 1 Cor. 2:6) • powers (Eph. 1:20–21; 3:10) • dominions (Col. 1:16)
• lords (Eph. 1:20–21; 1 Cor. 8:5)
• thrones (Col. 1:16)

All of these words denote geographical rulership. In fact, these same terms are used in the New Testament and other Greek literature of human political power holders. Paul’s language is that of domain authority. It reflects how the Old Testament depicts the spiritual world’s relationship to the human world: the nations set aside by God are under the dominion of spiritual beings hostile to him and his people.

“I Will Go to Spain”

The book of Acts ends with Paul journeying to Rome. Paul was a prisoner, and he was going to Rome for two reasons: to appeal to Caesar and to spread the gospel. But Paul knew that to reclaim the nations under the hostile gods, he had to get to the end of the known world at the time. In Old Testament times, that place had been called Tarshish. In Paul’s day, it was called Spain. Paul had to get to Spain to complete his mission. His words to the Romans before his imprisonment tell us he fully intended to go to Spain—to the westward end of the earth in his day—to reclaim every nation for Jesus:

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.… When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. (Rom. 15:24, 28)

Paul was motivated by the realization that God’s plan to restore his kingdom had been launched in his own lifetime. He believed that when “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” then “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25–26). He thought he was to finish what Pentecost had begun.

Why This Matters

Paul had a supernatural perspective on his own life. He viewed himself as an instrument of God. And he was. But so were all the other unnamed new believers who, after Pentecost, went before him from Jerusalem to infiltrate demonic strongholds where they lived.

And so are we.

If we are instruments of God in the same way Paul was an instrument of God, then why was he so much more influential and effective? One difference is that Paul understood what his life was about. He believed the powers that had dominion over the earth were real—and that the power behind and within him was greater.

Do you believe those things? The Bible puts them forth as givens. And that’s how Paul treated them in his own life.

Paul didn’t know how big the world really was. He didn’t know about North America, South America, China, India, Norway, Australia, Iceland, and many other places. God did. God knew the task of spreading the gospel to all the world would ultimately be much greater than Paul could comprehend. God knew others would have to follow Paul’s goal for himself if the gospel was to reach every part of the earth. If we’re not actively trying to complete the task, we aren’t doing what we’re here on earth to do. If we want God only so he will come to us to meet our needs, then we’re more like the people at Babel than we are like Jesus, the Twelve, and Paul.

Another implication of the passages of Scripture we’ve examined is that the notion of demonic strongholds is biblical. We aren’t given a full description of demonic zones or turf boundaries, or even a spiritual pecking order for the dark side. We are told, however, that the unseen powers see earth as their domain. We’re told those powers resist God’s kingdom and don’t want people to become part of God’s plan to spread his good rule everywhere. That means we should expect resistance we can’t explain with logic or empirical evidence and we can’t defeat it on our own. God has given us his Spirit and unseen agents of his own to help us further his mission (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Heb. 1:13; 1 John 4:4).

The real question to ask ourselves is this: What would our lives be like if we woke up each day with a view of the world and its supernatural influences that matched Paul’s? What if, each day, our lives were organized around our knowledge of our status as part of God’s family, tasked with delivering siblings from darkness? What if we lived intentionally, knowing that each decision we make and each word we speak isn’t randomly purposeless? What if, instead, we believed unseen intelligences all around us use our decisions, our actions, our words to influence other people—for good or evil—whether or not we see or know them? Our jobs, our income, our talents, even our problems are of no consequence when it comes to knowing who we really are, and will be, and why we’re here. We cannot see the supernatural world—nor can we see the microscopic world—but we’re inextricably part of both.

Early believers thought this way. As we’ll see in the next chapter, they believed the world around them was enslaved to darkness that would one day yield. Despite the fact that the battle was literally them against the hostile world and its powers, they quietly produced the global thing we call Christianity, with God and his unseen agents working with them. They believed the spiritual conflict was real and that, ultimately, they couldn’t lose. We’re living proof that they didn’t.

Join us next time on Theology Thursday as we explore ‘Not of This World.’

Reflect…

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!