Posts from the When God Said No series

When God Told Jesus ‘No’

And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36

In some ways, this was the moment when our salvation was won. Yes, Jesus still had to physically go through the suffering and death, but during these moments in a quiet peaceful garden, He resolved to face an anguish we do not have the capacity to grasp. Knowing that in the coming hours, His divine foreknowledge would become experience, and faced with all the horrors of sin and judgment and the hopelessness of being forsaken by the Father with whom He enjoyed an incomprehensible oneness, Jesus asked God to take the cup away.

And God said no.

I wonder if our familiarity with the story, or conversely, our tendency to see it as a small detail in a greater narrative, leads us to read through the account of Jesus in the garden. Take a little while to linger here.

Notice the awful price our sin required. The spiritual, mental, and emotional ordeal outweighed even the physical suffering Jesus would soon endure. We focus on the crucifixion, on the pain of the scourging… It was so much more than bearing our sins. He became sin, the very embodiment of sin. The holy, perfect, beloved Son became everything the Father hated.

Consider the love God has for us. John says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1a) The NIV says the Father “lavished” that love on us. It chokes me up even as I write this. He willed, and was willing to endure this to ensure we could be redeemed from our rebellion. Because of His great love for us.

While God didn’t remove the cup, He supplied what Jesus needed to drink it. Jesus demonstrated a supernatural peace, strength, and resolve during His trial, suffering, and death. When God tells us no, it is always with grace. Remember His answer to Paul, “My grace is sufficient.”

Jesus Himself knows what it is like for God to answer a prayer with ‘no.’ He knows what it is to take burdens and fears to God in honest, vulnerable prayer, and to have God say no. But Jesus also shows the utmost confidence in God’s wisdom and perfect plan. Whatever God’s will required of Him, He was committed to doing. Even if that meant the terrible experience of the cross.

Jesus’s surrender to His Father’s will was vindicated. If we meet the ‘no’ with the confidence in and submission to God’s will, ours will be, too.

When has God told you ‘no’? What did you learn? How did it impact your faith?

When God Told Paul ‘No’

By Paula Wiseman

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

In a heartfelt letter to his friends at Corinth, Paul opens up in a moment of transparency and vulnerability about his deep frustration with what he calls a “thorn in his flesh”. But more than just a venting session, Paul uses it to tell his friends what Jesus taught him through the experience. (That in itself is a great model worth imitating.) So let’s see what we can draw when God told Paul ‘no’, not just once but three times.

Everyone struggles. Everyone from scholars to casual readers has offered up opinions as to what the thorn might have been. Frankly, I think that detail is left out so we can more readily identify with the struggle itself and apply the lessons given. Everybody wrestles with something that never seems to let up. It is there at every turn, ready to strip away all the progress we’ve made, making each step forward three times harder than it has to be. Paul was a better pastor for his suffering. His church and readers would know that they weren’t failures or weak or outside God’s favor because they struggled.

Grace – It’s not just for salvation. When God told Paul ‘no’, it demonstrates here, once again, the need for and the power of grace in our lives. You may be able to look back at a time in your life and wonder how you got through it. Grace. Even today, you may question how you’re going to go on. Grace. John MacArthur in his commentary on these verses lists several things that sufficient grace enables us to do: “to believe the gospel; to understand and apply the Word to all the issues of life; to overcome sin and temptation; to endure suffering, disappointment, and pain; to obey God; to serve Him effectively; and to worship Him.”

God knows what we need. Paul listed his impressive credentials a couple of times in Acts and in his letters. Pharisee. Scholar. Zealous for the things of God. It would have been easy and natural for him to devise a plan for evangelizing the known world and working tirelessly to carry out that plan. What Paul needed was Christ-reliance far more than self-reliance and this thorn was one way that Jesus moved Paul that direction. In fact, he used all sorts of difficulties to reinforce to the super-achieving apostle that he was not self-reliant. Neither are we. Following Christ is a life of dependence.

No one likes to be told ‘no,’ especially when the request is to ease pain, suffering, and hardships. The truth is, we learn more and we are better testimonies to Christ’s power in our struggles.

Next we’ll finish up this series with a look at the most significant ‘no’ of all.

John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – 2 Corinthians, (Chicago: Moody Press, 2004).

Another Time When God Told David ‘No’

By Paula Wiseman

Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.’ 1 Chronicles 17:4

We’re continuing our look at some times when God said no. We’ve learned some heavy lessons about God’s holiness and that sin is not something to be trifled with. Today the no comes with an overwhelming outpouring of grace.

In the parallel account in 2 Samuel 7 we learn that David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies. No longer having to fight off threats to the nation or to his own rule, David was finally able to catch his breath and his first thoughts were of the God who had made him king. He wanted to build a temple, a real, permanent place for the Ark of the Covenant. He wanted to show that God’s presence with His people Israel was tangible and fixed, representing the eternal promises God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It was a worthy thought, a well-placed desire and Nathan the prophet gave his blessing. “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” (1 Chronicles 17:2).

Except that God had other plans.

He said no to the temple. (At least to David building it.) But then God said He would build DAVID a house, a heritage, an eternal dynasty. The Messiah, the King of Kings would come from David’s and he would forever be associated with the Chosen One of God. He would be called the Son of David. He would sit on the throne of David.

And David said, “Whoa.” (That’s a paraphrase.) You can read his actual response in 1 Chronicles 17:16-27 or 2 Samuel 7:18-29. It’s good stuff.

Here are some takeaways from this no.

God rejected the notion of David building the Temple. He didn’t reject David. In fact, He CHOSE David for a particular honor and distinction that went far beyond that of building the Temple. It’s important for us to remember that a ‘no’ is not personal.

God’s plan was greater than David’s. By promising to build David a “house,” God invited David to take a step back and see a bigger picture, to see a plan drawn out on an eternal canvas. When God tells us no, let’s resolve to look for the greater purpose God is working out in our lives.

The most important thing to build is not a monument but an intimate relationship with God. Since the time that God called Abraham out of Ur, He was calling a people for His name’s sake. On Sinai, He promised to be Israel’s God and they promised to be His people. There had never been a people whom God had met with the way He met with Israel. Today He chooses to dwell not just WITH us, but IN us.

It’s all about Jesus. When God responds to David, He immediately draws the focus to the coming Messiah who will rule over His kingdom forever. If that’s God’s perspective, then that should be ours as well.

Next week we’ll look at a New Testament example when God told Paul no.

When God Told David ‘No’

By Paula Wiseman

David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 2 Samuel 12:16

Before we get started, I want to offer a few statements. This situation with David and the loss of his child is a difficult subject. The loss of a child and the heartwrenching grief that goes with it should not be overlooked, dismissed or trivialized. Nor should it spiritualized to the point of stripping it of the very human emotions and experience it encompasses. However David’s experience is recorded in Scripture to teach us, so we will carefully approach the story with the intent to learn about God and about ourselves.

In 2 Samuel 11, David’s sin with Bathsheba is detailed along with the concomitant sins of conspiracy, lies, and murder. In chapter 12 Nathan the prophet confronts the king and the sin is laid bare. It is an inescapable principle that sin brings judgment. In this case, the judgment was the death of David’s and Bathsheba’s son.

For seven days, during the child’s illness, David fasted and prayed, strenuously interceding for his son, for God’s grace to intervene and remove the judgment.

And God said no.

So what do we take away from this? Is God petty? Or perhaps vindictive? Or mean? No. But here are some things to consider.

Blasphemy is serious. Nathan explains, “However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:14) As we saw last week, God will not allow His name to be defamed. If we don’t protect His honor, He will.

Sin hurts innocent people both in an abstract and very personal sense. David’s and Bathsheba’s son died. Bathsheba’s husband died. Soldiers in Israel’s army lost their lives. All as a direct or indirect result of David’s sin. No doubt in the justification that preceded the sin and in the moment the line was crossed, David was sure no one would ever know about the encounter, no consequences would follow. But the self-delusion doesn’t overturn reality. Our sins cause the innocent pain and suffering. The ultimate outworking of that is the suffering and death of the innocent Christ for our sins.

Sin is not to be trifled with. Through David’s experience, we see that we cannot treat sin as a pet who occasionally makes messes we have to clean up and instead realize it is a killer we cannot control. Once we understand that we grasp how desperately we need a savior and God’s amazing grace in giving us one.

Admittedly, this was a tough one. There was another instance when God told David ‘no,’ but the circumstances and the results were much more uplifting. So are the lessons. We’ll look at that occasion next week.

Read the series When God Said No

When God Told Moses ‘No’

By Paula Wiseman

But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. Deuteronomy 3:26

No one likes to be told “no,” whether it’s asking for time off, looking for volunteers, or seeing if there’s one last piece of cake left. It is even more significant, sometimes even faith-shattering, when we hear “no” from God. Somewhere along the line, we’ve grabbed on to an idea that because God loves us, He’s supposed to answer us with a ‘yes.’ The reality is God often says ‘no,’ and we can learn a lot about ourselves and our relationship with God in those times.

In Numbers 20, Moses is instructed to take up his rod and then speak to the rock there and God would provide water for the nation of Israel. Instead, Moses hit the rock … twice. In verse 12, God decrees that neither Moses nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land with the nation. Now that’s a rich account in itself, but let’s jump ahead to Deuteronomy 3.

Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying … I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’ But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.’ Deuteronomy 3:23-26

Moses earnestly, sincerely asked God to reconsider, to allow him to lead Israel into Canaan. And God said no. No, and don’t bring it up again. A cursory reading might give the impression that God is needlessly harsh and intractable. However, if we consider the exchange more carefully we find out God reveals quite a bit about Himself and His dealings with His people.

God’s holiness cannot disregard defamation. At Meribah, (besides the Christ-typology in the water from the rock) Moses communicated to Israel through his own short-tempered frustration was that God was put out with meeting the needs of His people, that He was weary of hearing their requests, that it was a hassle to fulfill the very things He had promised. God cannot simply let such distortion and disrespect slide. He didn’t then with Moses and He won’t now with us.

Intimacy with God doesn’t bring privilege. Moses enjoyed an amazingly intimate relationship with God, a fact Yahweh acknowledged in Numbers 12. “I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. “ Numbers 12:8. I admit, reading the exchange in Deuteronomy, my reaction is, “But God, it’s MOSES… and it’s the PROMISED LAND…” But the standards God holds us to apply equally to all of us. Those who cultivate a close relationship with the Almighty are not afforded Teacher’s Pet status. We are all equally bound to obedience. Even Moses.

Grace doesn’t grant presumption. God is gracious beyond measure and understanding. However, His grace is dispensed in line with His will and His purposes and always reflects His character and His holiness. Because God is gracious and has demonstrated the grace to us doesn’t give us place to presume on that grace. The idea that we can do what we want – even if that is giving in to frustration like Moses – and then God will forgive us later because He’s gracious is contrary to the declaration that He is Lord. He is in no way obligated to show grace or to forgive. Grace, by definition, is a gift, an undeserved one. That’s what makes it amazing.

Another result of this ‘no’ was the increased humility and transparency it brought out in Moses. Since the exchange with God was private, Moses could have kept it quiet. Israel would have never known. However, in the book of Deuteronomy, he very candidly reveals what God said, and he doesn’t hide his grief and disappointment. Moses was a great leader, though, and he understood that leading Israel out of Egypt was not just a matter of geography or socioeconomics. It was a process of replacing false notions about God with revealed truth, even if the revelation came from hard circumstances.

Moses wasn’t the only one who heard God say, ‘No.’ Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at a few of them, beginning with David next week.

Consider a time when God told you ‘no.’ What was your reaction? What did you learn from the experience?