Speaking of preachers, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, here in town, has appointed Paige Patteron as president. Texas Monthly used to call him the conservative revolutionary. Liberal Baptists across the state must be weeping and gnashing their teeth, for Patterson was one of the front line warriors in the conservative take over of the Southern Baptist Convention. But, although he worked from Texas, he didn't win Texas. The Liberal wing of the convention is firmly in control in Texas. This nomination certainly says "they have the state but we have the seminary".

One interesting comment early on was that the new president must have the qualification of getting along with the faculty. Given the recent actions of the seminary administration toward the faculty, that comment should have been delivered with tongues firmly planted in cheeks.

So, the "rank and file" will watch see how this contributes to the impending split between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptistic Convention. Although denomination leaders do not want to admit it, that split will cause great difficulty in some churches, for some of them have divided congregations. There are even families with divided loyalties. It is a little reminiscent of the Civil War, with families and friends splitting over which side to choose.

I office up on the 9th floor of the Justice Center. I can hear a street preacher cutting loose 9 floors below. I cannot understand what he is saying, just the noise. It actually reminded me of listening to a really bad sermon in church. You know, the kind where the preacher got lost in some tangent and could not find his way back, or is droning, or obviously is not prepared, or just not good at preparing sermons. Your mind wanders off to think about something more productive, but the noise is still there.

Sometimes the preacher and the congregation join in the conspiracy. They have tuned out and he knows it. He can see their boredom. But, he is stuck on his course and feels he must finish. The congregation knows they are stuck until he is finished, since it is not polite to get up and leave. So they suffer together, shepherd and flock, until it is mercifully over.

Where does bad preaching come from? There are several sources. First, lack of inspiration. That is, the preacher's own spiritual life is dry and he has nothing to say. Second, lack of preparation. It takes a lot of study and writing to produce a good sermon, if you "full text" it. Hastily scribbled thoughts often do not hold up in the presentation. Third, laziness may prevent the preacher from putting in the hard work necessary to do the job. It is easier to just comment or offer supposedly practical thoughts on a subject than to study the text, read commentaries, look at the original language, etc. Fourth, lack of ability. Some guys just don't have it. I watched the local, public access channel the other day. It is held hostage to preachers in little churches who bring in videos of their sermons so they can say they are on t.v. I could not even tell what the guy was talking about. But, I'll tell you, this guy down on the sidewalk has both a lot of passion and a lot of volume. It must be playing havoc with the t.v. crews down on the sidewalk to report the murder trial. I hope the guy is laying it on. My experience is that media folks could use it.

The jury in the Chante Mallard case returned a guilty verdict in one hour. That usually bodes ill for the defendant. The punishment hearing starts up in 30 minutes or so. Expect the jury to be outraged. How can you sit there and let a man die without even calling 911. Mallard was drinking, taking Ecstasy, and smoking marijuana. Just a great night on the town. To keep from getting arrested, she let the man die, then dumped the body in Cobb park. So many bodies have been found in Cobb Park, she probably figured there was a regular patrol out there that would find him.

This case points out that it is always better to take your lumps when you mess up. Problems and mistakes will not stay hidden. They only grow. Mallard has traded a DWI for a murder and will likely spend years in jail. The case also points out, for the zillionth time, how stupid it is to go out and take drugs and drink. She is now the poster girl for impaired judgment. At least Katy Couric isn't taking up money for her.

"When I'm president, we'll have executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day," said Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri. I guess he never heard of the separation of powers doctrine. Gephardt has now shown us two things clearly. First, he is ignorant of the basic structure of our government. Second, he has no respect for the rule of law. This, my friends, is a dangerous man.

This is embarrassing. Wives of soldiers in the 3rd Infantry are mad that their husbands are staying until August. They are writing their congressmen and demanding the return of their husbands. One said “We’re all making banners and planning vacations for July in Disney World. It’s like a slap in the face. It hurts.” We’ve obviously had too much peace. Everyone seems to have forgotten that the soldier’s job is to fight.

Mark Byron’s priceless quote: “the American Librarian Association seems to be so militantly anti-censorship that they seem to be flacks for the libertine wing of American politics; you can fit my sympathy in a flea's navel and still have room for both Bill and Hillary's moral compasses.” I’m going to have to memorize that and reuse it. Read him here.

Welcome home, Mike! Hope you enjoyed your vacation. The girls went to La Playa Maya in your absence. The Little Woman and I went to the hallowed ground of Chaps, though. We missed you. Hope you had a good time. Here is the Sunday School lesson for today. However, you'd need to hear the tape to get the preaching and the comments on Bruce Almighty. Let's go to Starbucks!

ISAIAH 17-ISRAEL AND SYRIA: PARTNERS IN JUDGMENT

The alliances we make can have a great effect on us. If we ally ourselves with someone who is corrupt, we will often become corrupt. Even if we do not corrupt ourselves, we may suffer the same consequences as the corrupt partner because of our alliance him.

When I was in private practice, parents would often come to me for help for their child who was in jail. They would often say “he is not a bad kid, he was just hanging out with the wrong people.” I would often think “yes, and he will be doing that for a while longer now.”

Paul warned us about alliances with unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. [Read it!] It is commonly believed that this passage refers to marriage between believers and non-believers, but could also apply to other partnerships or alliances. This principal was set out in the Old Testament too, as the Israelites were to be separate and not adopt the ways of their pagan neighbors.

During Isaiah’s time, Israel violated this premise by making an alliance with Syria to oppose Judah. This was really a symptom of the fact that Israel had become pagan like Syria and its other neighbors. The book of Hosea deals with the idolatry of Israel and God’s promise of judgment.

17:1-3 (Destruction of Syria)

These verses prophecy the destruction of Damascus and other cities in Syria. Damascus was captured by the Assyrians in 732 B.C. 2 Kings 16:9 records this. This also tells you, by the way, that Syria had taken control over land given to Israel by God, that had formerly been land of the Amorites. Numbers 32:35 says that the children of Gad built Aroer. God says these cities will be destroyed so that animals will sleep there undisturbed and all their glory will be gone. (Panthers sleeping in the streets?)

This passage also shows that Israel will be unprotected (the fortress will also cease) and will no longer have glory as when they followed the Lord and had his protection.

17:4-6 (A Remnant Preserved)

Isaiah again shows that God will preserve a remnant of his people.

17:7-8 (Respect For God)

This passage shows the common reaction of the carnal man to life’s trials. When things are going well, he takes the credit, he believes it will last forever, he has no time for God. But, when things go bad, he will “look to his Maker”. When we feel like we lose control, we look to God to be in control. But, the fact is, we are never in control, during good times or bad. Only God is sovereign. God wants us to look to our Maker all the time, not just during trouble. See Micah 7:7. Sometimes he has to use trouble to get our attention. I had a friend who became an atheist in seminary. But, later, he hurt his back and was out of work recovering for a year. He came to believe in God again, as he was totally out of control and totally helpless.

The second phase is to have respect for God. Prayer becomes a priority when we are desperate. Worship becomes a necessity. We recognize God’s place versus our place.

Third, we give up the things we have made. In Old Testament times, those things were false religious idols the Israelites adopted from their pagan neighbors. We are more likely now to put faith in what we have bought, such as houses and cars and businesses. These are really representations of ourselves rather than false gods. In our time, we tend to worship ourselves rather than Dagon or Chemosh. But, in times of trouble, we drop even this idol worship and return to God.

God gives us clear instruction on the matter of self-reliance. See Proverbs 3:5-6. Jesus also told a parable of a rich fool in Luke 12:16.

17:9-11 (Truth And Consequences)

There are consequences for abandoning God and worshiping idols. Here there is desolation and destruction of the country. God says they have forgotten the God as the source of salvation, and as the protector (rock and stronghold). Because of this their work comes to ruin, grief, and sorrow.

As countries fall here, we see these consequences in individuals. Those who turn to things other than God often bear the consequences in their lives as things break down. Romans 8:6 says to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

17:12-14 (Much Ado About Nothing)

Isaiah here points out that the nations, those opposed to God, can make a lot of noise. But, when God rebukes them, they all fall silent before him. When God is ready, all will acknowledge his sovereignty.