Four Seven
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor 4:7 NIV)
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to Four Seven. We're not sure how regularly this will be updated, but basically this started with an exposition I wrote on a new Jars of Clay song called "Show You Love". We'd been pondering doing something like Four Seven for some time, but had never really gotten around to it before now. With a little prodding Four Seven was pretty much born as a place to ponder, dissect, and thoroughly massacre as many Jars of Clay songs as possible.
Enjoy.
Have you ever been haunted the way I've been by you Christ continually haunts us, coming to mind; he is omnipresent within us. He is, to quote Zechariah 2:5, our "wall of fire around", and our "glory within". Our entire theology is based around Christ. Remove that, and we are nothing.
And have you ever felt the measure of the days
That I've spent waiting, pining for you? For those of us who are waiting for Christ to return, it is an ephemeral, ethereal idea. Nearly 2000 years have passed, and while many people tell us that the end is near, we still have no idea if it truly is. Jesus himself said, "Keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour." (Mt 25:13) Those who are seeking Christ constantly have him near, yet never in this lifetime near enough.
I can't see the sun for the daylight
I can't feel your breath for the wind Two variations on the old "I can't see the forest for the trees" metaphor. It describes someone who is too wrapped up in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole.
For a Christian, this would seem to indicate someone who's obsessed with Christ's return to the point of forgetting why Christ first came. Yes, we have been saved through the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, yet too many billions of people throughout the world do not know God and have not obeyed the Gospel! If Christ were to come back now, then those who have would be saved, but untold numbers would be lost. God desires that no one die, and to that end he patiently waits, trying to get all to come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
The details of the problem are insignificant when we remember that God desires everyone to have a room in heaven, and right now too few do. That is the whole situation.
I don't want to step from these shadows
'till you're coming back again As a Christian, it's very tempting to hide yourself away. It keeps you from having to resist the world, especially if you live with people also seeking God. It's an easier life. Unfortunately for us, it's not the one we've been called to. Because God wants all men to come to repentance, we are called to not only step from the shadows, but shun them entirely. Sitting around waiting for Christ to return is not what we are commanded to do!
I'll dam the emotions to keep my lanterns lit If we were to truly pour out all our emotions to God, our longing to be with him in heaven, our desire to be clothed with heavenly garments rather than these mortal shackles, our dreams that come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil ... we would not be given pause. The world would think we're insane, but still ... to give full vent to those emotions would be a wailing not known before. And, when it was over we'd be exhausted ... and probably too tired of crying, too tired of waiting to wait for God to return.
The lit lanterns seem to refer to the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-12, where five virgins brought extra oil for their lamps and five did not. Since the bridegroom did not arrive until late, the five without extra oil had to go buy more, and thus missed the wedding. Only by bringing extra oil, by conserving what they had and not sharing theirs with the lazy five, could the five who brought extra oil keep their lanterns lit.
In the same way, we need to store up our faith, our energy, and our emotions so that when Christ returns, we can be joyful, our faith can be rewarded, our perseverance will pay off, and our energy will be poured into praise. Without that, we will have to go buy more when he comes, and we will miss the wedding.
I'm shaken by this longing that courses through my veins
In my mind, I can't make sense of it Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Cor 5:1-4)
No Christian in his right mind wants to be here rather than in heaven! At least ... I can't think of any. =P The best justification, and one I often use myself, is in Philippians 1:21-25, where Paul notes his divided nature: he desires to be with Christ, but he knows that if he stays here it will mean years of fruitful work. But "knowing that there's work to be done here" and "not wanting to be in heaven" are two different things. For us, to die is gain. "If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." (Rom 14:8)
We are God's children. I, at least, want to be with God. I know that many people still need to come home, but I certainly will not complain when it is my time to go, or if Christ returns before then.
Sound like I can't quite make sense of whether I want to live or die? ;-) It's a difficult conundrum: do we live and continue working, or die and go home to the author and perfecter of our faith, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls?
I can't see the sun for the daylight
I can't feel your breath for the wind See above.
I get so used to these shadows
Are you coming back again? It's very easy to become complacent. As Christians, we realize that Christ is coming back, but we also can become involved in the darkness of the world to an extent that we forget who and what we are. Then we begin to wonder if God will ever return for us, and if we can truly believe Him when we are told "the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish." (Ps 9:18) Our charge is found in Matthew 24:42-46, to be ready for Christ's return, no matter how long it takes. Verse 47 describes the reward for those who faithfully endure. Yet we also know that it's very easy to fall into the trap seen in verses 48-50, where we begin to think that our master will never return. How long will we sing this song? How long will we be left to wonder, "Are you coming back again?"
Do we give up the search and turn out the light
And give up this Holy Ghost that rattles through the night? Matthew 5:14-16 tells us about the light of the world. If we are the light of the world, then giving up will cover the land in a second darkness from which there can be no escape. To give up the search is to give up our salvation and to lose that which makes us holy. It will turn out the light, and for us to do so would be to lose our deposit of salvation, the Holy Spirit which God has put into our hearts.
I can't see the sun for the daylight
I can't feel your breath for the wind
I don't want to step from these shadows
'till you come back again See above.
I can't see the sun for the daylight
I can't feel your breath for the wind
I get so used to these shadows Yeah ... see above.
Will you chase away these shadows
When you come back again? I left this as an away message one night, and one of my good friends from church very kindly responded with two verses:
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 Jn 1:5)
"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." (Rev 21:23)
To me, what this shows is that in God there is no darkness. And the new Jerusalem, the church, is given light by the glory of God, and Christ is our lamp. The shadows have already been chased away, if we will just step from them and hearken to the call. We are seated with God in Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph 2:6) and thus we show the light of God to the world. Our shadows are chased away -- will we chase away the shadows of others?
