Receive the Word and Live

Do you realize what a gift we have in the Word of God? I know most of us reading this will acknowledge the importance of God's Word, but do we really understand what a gift it is to us?

Moses says at the beginning of chapter 4, "And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, ..." With that phrase "that you may live" Moses identifies the Word of God with life. To take this word - to receive it obediently is to live, to experience life as it was meant to be experienced.

Later in verse 4-5 Moses says, "See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'" Here Moses is clearly linking the word with wisdom and understanding. To take this word in obediently is to know how to live this life wisely, as it was meant to be lived. Others in our world will take note and want to know the secret of our way of life.

Finally, in verse 40 Moses affirms again, "Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time." Moses urged the people to diligently live by this word because it would effect not only their lives but also the lives of their children.

As can be seen from these quotations, the Word of God is a blessing to His people. God was not up in heaven figuring out statutes and laws to make our lives miserable. The opposite is in fact the truth. He has given us a law that if embraced will enable us to really live, and will also make our corporate life a testimony to the greatness and goodness of our God.

So how should we respond to this gift? Obviously, we should be diligent to obey it. Over and over Moses calls the people to obedience. Obey and live....obey and live....obey and live. But in our living out this law, we must be careful not to deceive ourselves. Moses warns the people in verse 2, "You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you." Moses warns the people not to add to the Word (as Eve did in the garden, as the Pharisees were apt to do) nor to take away from it. For in doing so we are taking the place of God, the only rightful Lawgiver, and in fact are making God in our own image. Feigning obedience to the law, while we add and subtract things according to our desires disqualifies ourselves from reaping the benefits God has linked to His Word.

So, Bible Readers, as you read the Word each morning, realize what a gift you have been given. Receive the Word and live! And let us remember that the last Word God gave us is the Word become flesh, Jesus Christ. As we take in Christ, THE Word of God, we will know life and wisdom and fullness of days.

Restoration

Restoration is a beautiful concept. Anyone who has experienced estrangement in a relationship knows how wonderful it (restoration) really is. While estranged there is much anguish, turmoil and anxiety, but when restoration occurs there is a new sense of peace and joy.

Israel knew estrangement. In Psalm 85:4-7 we sense their anguish of soul. "Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation." In reading this you catch almost a sense of desperation - they very much want to regain their relationship with the Lord!

Of course, they only had themselves to blame. They brought the estrangement upon themselves by their waywardness. They ran after their own desires heaping idols to themselves. When chastized they sought the help of man instead of God. Isaiah warned them of the folly of this when he says in Isaiah 31:1, "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!" They were prone to chase after the wind and as a result reaped only vanity. During the days of Moses their folly resulted in 40 years of wandering in the wilderness leaving a trail of graves from the generation that was faithless. It could have been so different!

But praise be to our God who is not just interested in punishing wayward children. He actually has a plan for their good, and will work that plan even if it means He has to bring difficulty into His children's lives. After the wilderness wandering the Lord redirected His people. Moses gathered them in the Plains of Moab, recounting the works of their God, and called them to renew the covenant with their God. That's what Deuteronomy is all about. It is about restoration - a second chance. You can imagine the excitement as the people were moving out again toward the Promisde Land. Every victory was even sweeter now as they were reminded of the restoring mercies of their God.

What about you, do you know of the restoring mercies of God? None of us is exempt from estrangement. We are not all that different from Israel. We chase after idols, we look to other things instead of God for help, we go our own way like sheep. As a result we have been estranged from our Creator, but praise be to God who in Christ reconciles us to the Father. We do not have to live with the anguish and lostness of estrangement. We can enjoy a renewed relationship with the Lord. Have you come to Christ to receive His restoring mercies? If not, today is the day of salvation - don't spend another day outside the fold of the Good Shepherd.

If you have received Christ's restoring mercies, have you been extending them to others? The fact is in this world relationships can go bad. We sin against others and they sin against us. But those who have known the restoration that only Christ can bring, ought to be first to extend those merices to others. In fact, Christ lives in you to do just that.

Think about your relationships. If there is one where you are experiencing estrangement, ask the Lord how you might reflect His restorative mercy in that relationship. You'll know great peace and joy as you do!

Love and Obedience

The other day I heard someone ask "What is love?" That is an important question and there are probably a lot of ways to answer it. But I like the answer and insight I get from 1 John 5:3. John declares, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." I think we can learn alot about love from this verse. Consider the following:
1. Love and keeping commandments are tied together. This is exactly what Jesus said in the book of John. He said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." True love does this....it considers the desires of the other and seeks to fulfill those desires. That's what commandments are. They are the desires - yes even the good desires of our God for His creatures. Since this is true, to love God is to consider those desires and to seek with all our hearts to fulfill them. That's how love moves us to obedience.
2. When love fuels obedience, obedience is not a burden. Anyone who has had a time of courtship with a lover knows the truth of this. When you are in love you often consider the desires of the other person. Would she like roses? Would this action please her? What does she want to do this weekend? What would make her life easier? And when we discern those desires it is not a burden to fulfill them. In fact, it is our delight. Love makes the fulfilling of the desires of another easy. I think mothers understand this well when they give birth to a child. The love for this new life propels them to understand what the child desires and to gladly fulfill it. Though it may lead to exhaustion, love lightens the load.
The same must be true in our relationship with our Lord. When we love the Lord, we will continually be considering His desires. What will please the Lord? How does He want me to use my time, talent and treasure? What does He want me to do in this situation? And when we uncover that desire, it will be our delight to fulfill it. It will not be a burden at all!
Have you known this in your relationship with God? Has your love spurred you on to know what God desires of you and to pursue it with delight? If your answer is no, or if you have found it to be more of a burden, then you might want to check your heart.
At the end of the chapter John says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Those idols are our desires that take the throne of our hearts and exercise their rule. When those desires -those little idols are reigning we will find our hearts cold and we will find it more of a labor to obey our Lord. When you feel that way, take a look within - at your heart. Earthly desires may have slowly pushed out your desire for the Lord. That's a good time to repent and to let the love of the Lord flood our hearts once again!
Child of God - love the Lord and find your heart's greatest delight in fulfilling the desires of the One who gave you life, both now and into eternity!

The Exalted Position of Christ's Church

In our reading today in Psalm 78 we came across a verse that ought to take our breathe away. The writer Asaph, in the 61st verse of this psalm, states that Israel is "God's power and glory". He directly associates Israel with the power and glory of our Majestic God. Why does he do this and what does He mean by this magnificient statement?
It certainly means that Israel was birthed by God with purpose, and that that purpose was to display the power and glory of God. God so identified Himself with the people of Israel that He claims they are the display of His power and glory to the world around.
In the history of Israel about which we have been reading we have seen this to be true. God took this nation, starting with just a few people, and made them into a great nation. He took a people who for over 400 years were in bondage and miraculously delivered them and planted them in a new land flowing with "milk and honey". He walked with this nation, conquered their foes, guided their path, and gave them a righteous law. He lived among them, stating that He wanted to be their God, and they His people. He wanted that relationship and the effects of that relationship on their corporate life to be a "light to the nations".
Now what was true of Israel, is equally true of the New Israel - the church. We, too, are the power and glory of God to a watching world. We may not display it by conquering nations and inhabiting lands as our forefathers did, but the display of power and glory will be no less magnificient. In fact, it may be more glorious.
We are called to display God's power in our weakness. As we humble ourselves before God and take our place as His needy servants, God is able to do through us what eye has not seen and ear has not heard. He is able through us to change lives, even cultures, transforming them from domains of darkness, to regions of light and life. That's a power greater than any human power!
We are called as well to display His glory, perhaps a glory that was best seen in the cross of Christ. 1 John 4:9b-11 calls us to this. John exhorted his readers by saying, "...God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Our privilege as Christ's church is to display this uncommon kind of love. It is our inestimable joy to represent God by laying down our lives so that others may live. This is the kind of glory to which we are called and empowered by God's very own Spirit who lives in us.
Yes, the church, the people of God, remain God's power and glory. How are we doing at representing this to our world? As they view our lives, both individually and corporately, are they catching a glimpse of the Lord and Savior who is both great and glorious? May God help us not to veil our Lord's majesty, but to put it on display for all to see. That's our high calling whose reality is hard to take in for its exalted station.

Faith, Love and Hope

When I read the letters of Paul I notice that he is looking for signs of growth in the people to whom he is ministering. And what are those signs? He speaks often of faith, love and hope. If Paul wanted to be encouraged that the gospel was bearing fruit he looked for faith, love and hope.
In our readings today we saw evidence that those characteristics were very important as well.
Asaph in Psalm 78 spoke really of the lack of faith in the people of Israel. They had seen God do so much. He led them from place to place (ala Numbers 33) with a pillar of cloud and fire. He daily provided manna. He produces water from a rock. He produced an abundance of meat in the desert. He opened up the Red Sea and allowed the people to pass through on dry ground. All those marvelous works which should have bolstered the faith of the people, which should have given them confidence in God's power to save, but for some reason did not have a faith building effect. In fact, God's work should have given them hope for the future, propelling them to take full possession of the land God had promised to give them. Truly God seeks to produce faith in His people!
John, too, speaks of these important characteristics. He reminds his readers that they are children of God; those born of God possessing the very Spirit of God. As evidence that this Spirit dwelling in them he reminds them that this Spirit will produce belief (tust) in the Lord Jesus Christ and love of the brethren. In 1 John 3:232-4 he says, "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of the Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandment abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us."
Besides faith and love, we saw a wonderful glimpse of hope through the pen of Isaiah. In Isaiah 25:9 we read, "It will be said on that day, 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." And what is that day to which Isaiah refers? Verse 8 suggests it is the day the death is swallowed up forever. It is the day that the Lord wipes away every tear from our eyes, when our reproach is finally and fully removed. It is that hope for which the people waited and which ordered the way they lived each day.
What about you? Is the gospel bearing the fruit of faith, love and hope in your life? Can you look back at your life and see that your faith, love and hope is increasing? Do you think often about the works of God and allow that to propel you to faithful service to the Lord? Are you actively loving your brothers and sisters? Do you see glimpses of the Lord as you lay down your life for others? Do you have a secure hope? When troubles hit you are you able to look beyond the troubles to a day when there will be no more death? Take stock this morning, and if you see growth, be sure to offer praise to God for His blessed gospel in Jesus Christ.

Judgment Day

If you are reading this today it means that you have escaped yet another prediction of the end of the world. Yesterday came and went and the prediction, earnest as it was, was seen to be false. That may cause us to giggle a bit, or be embarrassed that "Christians" do such things, but it should not lull us into thinking that judgment is not part of the God we serve.
Our readings the last few days have been pregnant with illusions to judgment, some of which took place at an earlier day, some of which are still to come. From our reading today we came across the following:
Psalm 75: 2 - At the set time that I appoint, I will judge with equity.
Psalm 75:6-8 - For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
Psalm 76:7-9 - But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth.
Isaiah 23:8-9 - Who has purpose this (judgment) against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princews, whose traders were the honored of the earth? The Lord of hosts (armies) has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
Even our passage in Numbers 31 demonstrated judgment as God used Israel to bring long deserved judgment upon Midian. No, let us not be lulled into thinking that God does not or will not judge. His Word testifies to the fact that God is judge over all the earth, and a day of reckoning is coming.
So, how are we to respond to the realities of God's judgment? Well, it should first of all give us a reverence for the Lord. He is able to cause the earth to teeter, and when He sends His word of judgment from heaven, nothing will be able to stop it. But even more importantly these realities should cause us to come to Christ who actually took our judgment at the cross. God is not only a God who will humble the proud, He is also a God who lifts up the humble. He has already done this in His Son, who took upon Himself the sin John so clearly speaks about in 1 John, and then received the judgment - even the wrath of God on that sin. Now those who will look to Christ, the Judged One, in faith will receive remission of sins, and escape the judgment to come.
Oh rejoice Christian, for the Lord's mercies are great! He has taken your judgment. Now live your days in gratitude seeking to be the means God might use to rescue others from that Great Day of the Lord.

Irrestible Authority

I grew up in a day when all authority was questioned. In fact, in the late 60's and early 70's a lot of those authority structures were relegated to the ash heap. Sadly those who were tearing things down did not have a vision for its alternative. It was easy to tear down, but to build something more virtuous in its place was a more challenging accomplishment which was never realized.
From a biblical perspective authority is not a bad thing. It is how you use your authority that matters. (That may, in fact, have been the reason authority was attacked and torn down. Authority that is abused is never a pretty thing, and in time will not be tolerated.) The author of all authority is our God. By virtue of His being Creator of all things, He has the right to rule and reign over His creation. He has the right to exercise authority, and the testimony of Scripture suggests that He has always used it well.
The author of all authority also has the right to share his authority with others. God does that, sharing His authority with government leaders, employers, parents, church leaders and others. This in itself is not problematic; it is a good thing. The problem comes when those given authority cease to use that authority for the purposes of the Creator and the good of other creatures.
That's why I found Psalm 72 so refreshing today. Here is a man with great authority - a king - whose desire is to use it well. Note the following from the passage:
1. First he prays for God's justice and righteousness. By this I mean that the king is asking God for grace to judge or rule his people in righteousness. That is always a good starting place for one who wants to use authority appropriately.
2. He uses his authority to defend the cause of the poor, to give deliverance to the children of the needy and to crush the oppressor. Instead of using his authority for his own advantage, he uses it to make better the lives of those who are needy and often unable to improve their lot in life. This is so much like our Lord who used His authority to lay down His life, so that all needy sinners might be lifted up to newness of life.
3. He wants to be a blessing to his people. In verse 6-7 the king asks that he be like rain on the mown grasss and like showers on the earth. He desires to use his position to help all of his people; to see their lives prosper, grow and flourish.
4. He wants to use his authority to further righteousness and peace in the land. Again this is so like God in His Son, Jesus, who left the abode of heaven to bring favor with God and peace among men.
Hopefully you see glimpses here, not of an authority that you are compelled to resist, but rather an irrestible authority - an authority that is so compelling that you are drawn to come under it and bask in its goodness. This is true of our Lord's authority. When we come to see how good the Lord is to His creatures; when we come to see the depth of His love and mercy, we no longer want to break free from that authority, but we gladly surrender all. Have you seen the Lord's irrestible authority and have you come joyfully under it?
And if you have, are you now reflecting that kind of authority in your relationships? Husbands, parents, employers, church leader, leader of government - is your authority reflecting the benevolence of the One who gave it to you? Whatever your answer is to these questions take time today and pray like the king from Psalm 72 that the Lord gives you His spirit of justice and righteousness.

The Gospel for all time

Often when we think of spreading the good news of Jesus we think of the dimension of space. We want to proclaim this message to every place on the earth. We want to share Christ with the nations. This is vital to spreading our faith and is the impetus for many a church mission program.
But what we sometimes fail to remember is that God is not only interested in the dimension of space, but he is also interested in the dimension of time. He wants His name to be known not only in every place under heaven, but God wants His name to be known in every time - throughout the generations.
That's where our minstry to the younger generation comes in! Every Christian who is interested in spreading the gospel must not only be interested in the space dimension but also the time dimension, and that means we must be looking to pass on this blessed message to those who will come after us.
It was heartening today to see in Psalm 71 that the psalmist had the benefit of knowing God from an early age. Someone had been faithful to pass on to him a knowledge of God which he carried with him all his days. In verses 5 he declares, "For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth." What a blessing to know the Lord from your youth and to be able to lean upon and trust in Him throughout your days!
It was even more heartening that this writer, now apparently older, has not forgotten the benefit of being taught the faith by others at an early age, now has the desire to share that blessing with those who will come after him. In verses 17-18 he again declares, "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." What a prayer - asking God to sustain you until you have had the chance to pass on the faith - to pass on the might and power of the Lord to another generation!
In Numbers 27 today we read how Moses commissioned Joshua to take over leadership. Placing his hands upon Joshua, Moses conferred his authority on him. He knew he would soon be leaving the earth and wanted to make sure the people had a shepherd leader. Those of us who are older should have that picture in mind. We should always be thinking that one day we will be leaving the earth, and if we are to going to proclaim the gospel through time, we must be passing it on to those who are younger than us - to those who are to come.
The gospel we have is a gospel for all space and all time. Let us not neglect to share it everywhere the Lord takes us, especially looking to those younger who can continue to spread it to future generations - all to the glory of God!

Jealous for God

It seems strange to think of God as jealous. We have so long been told that jealousy is a bad thing and to attribute that characteristic to God seems blasphemous. Yet, God Himself declares that He is a jealous God. In fact, in our reading today from Numbers 25, in His commendation of Phinehas, God said, "...he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy." So....the fact is God describes Himself as jealous, so what do we do with this?
One important point in thinking clearly about jealousy is this: God's jealousy is not self-centered whereas human jealousy is very self-centered. When humans are filled with jealousy they are usually thinking about themselves and what they want or don't want to lose. They are thinking that another person has the "upper hand" and they do not like being "cheated" in this way.
God's jealousy is quite different. Yes, He does demand the sole devotion of His creatures, but He does so because He knows that it is best for them. When humans go after idols they end up ruining themselves. When they seek pleasure in something other than God they end up being enslaved to their passions and when this pursuit reaches its end, humans are living more like animals than humans. This grieves the heart of God. He does not like to see His creatures wasting away, moving rapidly toward death. So, in his jealousy He acts, often disciplining His people so that they will be drawn back to Him alone.
Now a jealousy that has in mind the welfare of others truly is something divine and worth emulating. That seems to be what Phinehas did. He saw the idolatry of his people. He saw the judgment of God upon that folly. He saw people dying all around him because they had defected from their God, so he acted with jealousy for his God.
Though his actions seem brutal, killing two people with a spear, his actions actually saved a multitude of people. For this he was commended by God who said "he was jealous with My jealousy." Phinehas' jealousy was not a human jealousy. He was zealous to see his people wholly devoted to God because he knew there is life only as one's affections are fully given to God.
Are you ever jealous? Do you ever look at people and feel hostile because of some advantage they have over you? That is human jealousy which will only destroy you. Repent of it and live! Then consider being jealous for God. Realize the people around you will only be fully alive as they give themselves wholly to God. Give your jealous energies to point them to Christ in whom they will find life and that more abundantly (John 10:10).

A Place of Abundance

I love the transformation described in Psalm 66:10-12. The psalmist declares: "For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us a silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance."
Don't you love that phrase "yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance"? Those words offer hope to anyone who is in the midst of a trial, who may be suffering while they sojourn this earth.
Certainly the people of Israel knew suffering. Much of it was brought upon them by their own misdeeds. Instead of seeking the Lord with all their heart, soul and strength, they went after futile idols, and all those idols brought to them was alienation and destruction. At times, however, the Lord brought trial to them. In so doing He was testing a people, teaching them to trust Him and lean upon Him alone. They had know that kind of trial in Egypt but the Lord brought them out and intended to bring them to a place of abundance.
We, too, will know suffering in this world. It may feel that we are in a net, that God has laid a crushing burden on our backs; that men are riding over our heads; that we are going through fire and a flood of water. Some of this may be as a result of our own folly, but some of it may be because the Lord wants to take us further into His life.
At a spiritual level we all know the bondage of being enslaved to our own selfish ways, and thus alienated from God. But, in Christ, God changes all that. He brings us to a place of abundance. And how is that place described? Peter describes it in 2:9-10 like this: But you are chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Now that's transformation! We who were alienated, separated from God and His life, living in bondage and fear, are now in Christ, brought to to be His people, His very own possession. Mercy is poured upon us in abundance and we are given a position in the universe which is second to none - we are called to proclaim His excellencies to a world in darkness.
Do you know this place of abundance? Has the Lord brought you to see your bondage and alienation, and has He given you grace to seek His Son who alone can lift you up to this place of abundance? And if you have come to the Lord in this way, but today are being pressed by your circumstances, remember that our Lord is able to take you through this valley and set you on a high place. Look to the Lord. In Him there is always hope!

The Gospel in a Serpent

Tucked away in the Old Testament book of Numbers we have a beautiful picture of Christ and the gospel. In fact we don’t even have to use our “astute” interpretative skills on this passage because the gospel writer, John, makes it clear that this passage points to Christ.
The text is found in Numbers 21. The people of Israel have been at it again – grumbling, dissatisfied, wanting more, not trusting their leader nor the Lord. They even suggest that it was a mistake for them to have left Egypt. (Think about how ludicrous that statement is! How quickly they forgot the misery of the bondage of Egypt. They cried out for 400 years for deliverance; now they want to go back?)
In response to their ungrateful grumbling, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. When bit by these serpents the people would die. The text said many did die. So, the people cried out for help. They acknowledged their sin and asked the Lord for His mercy in taking away the serpents.
God’s response to Moses’ intercession for the people, was that he was to take a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Then he was to instruct the people that if they were bitten all they had to do was look upon the serpent and live. Their deliverance from this certain death was as easy as looking and being healed.
Now there is much in this story to which we all can relate. We are all subject to the rebellion and ingratitude observed in the people of Israel. In fact we have been bitten by the serpent of sin and are in danger of eternal death. The fact is, as well, that we are helpless and hopeless to do anything about it. All we can do is cry out for mercy.
Thankfully, God has heard mankind’s cry for mercy. He has placed His Son on a pole (the cross), placed our sin (the serpent) upon Him, and judged that sin in Christ (the reason the serpent was bronze – usually a symbol of judgment.) Then he calls us to look upon the One upon whom their sin was judged and promises healing to those who do.
John put it this way in 3:14-15: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”
In the days of Israel those who believed that promise looked up to the serpent upon a pole and found healing. But those who did not believe found no healing; but only came to their death because of the hardness of their hearts.
Have you found the healing from sin and death that only comes through Jesus? God’s promise still stands that those who look to Him – who believe in His name – will find forgiveness of sins. They will cross over from death to life (John 5:24). Have you crossed over? Don’t let hardness of heart keep you from the life that Jesus wants to pour into you. Look to Him today….and then don’t take your eyes off Him again.

Your words are not your own

Perhaps you remember the biblical inquiry, “What do you have that is not your own?” Now when we think about this verse we often think about our possessions, or gifts, or even time. We acknowledge that all of these things are gifts from the Lord and as a result need to be used for HIs purposes and HIs glory.

But have we ever thought about our words in this way? Are they not a gift from God? Should they not be used for God’s purposes and His glory? Why do we think we own our words even though the Bible is clear that ALL we have comes from God.

In our reading today we came acrosss the prophet Balaam. He was asked by the Moabite king to curse the people of Israel. He was asked to use his words in a very specific way. To his credit he did not immediately agree. He went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord was very clear that it was not His desire to curse this people that He intended to bless. Balaam seemed to get the point, but when approached again, this time by more honorable people, being offered a more honorable reward, Balaam was tempted to see if there was a way he could accomodate their request.

Through a very interesting story that involved a donkey talking (I mean if a donkey can use its words properly, can’t we?) Balaam comes to the conviction that “The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” (vs. 38). Balaam, as God’s prophet, had come to the right point!

But is this only for prophets? Are prophets the only ones that need to speak only the words the Lord puts in our mouth? I think not. If we are true to Scripture we would have to say that our words are a gift from God to be used for His purposes and His glory, like every other gift God gives us. Have you ever thought about your words in this way?

The applications of this truth are numerable and obvious. The next time you are ready to ream out your spouse, or child, or work associate, or friend….think about the fact that your words are not your own. Your words are a gift to achieve the purposes God has for them. Thinking this way will be a great guide helping you to avoid wasting words on self-serving purposes.

But rather than just focusing on avoiding negative uses of words, let follow the counsel from Isaiah 12:3. In this verse Isaiah gives the great positive end for our words. Listen to them: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted.”

The privileged purpose of our words is to offer praise to God, and to use them to help others know how awesome and good our God is. Let’s all commit to this use for our words. When we do we will be contributing to the furthering of Christ’s kingdom in a world that desperately needs a “good word”.

To Know and To Really Know

As I read Scripture I observe that there are different kinds of knowing. In fact, in the Greek language there are two words, very closely related, that have important and nuanced differences.
There is the kind of knowing that is more like knowing "about" something. It is more on the factual level. Take for example the statement, "God is good." We can know this truth at face value and believe it without ever having experienced its reality. But there is another kind of knowing that is deeper. It is a knowing that has penetrated our experience. So...that statement "God is good" at this level is not something I am unacquainted with, but rather in my experience I have seen that God is good. I have experienced His goodness and know it to be a reality at the deepest level.
To take a personal example: Since the time I became a Christian I have know the fact that "God is good". But I came to really know the goodness of God in the midst of one of the most difficult times in my life. As I was struggling with the situation I was facing and seeking God, His answer to me was so clear and so direct, that at that moment I felt I "really" knew the goodness of God. I couldn't believe that He would so clearly answer the prayer of one such as I.
I think this is what is happening with the people of Israel in the wilderness. They know things about God, but God is schooling them to "really" know Him. As He walks them through the desert God brings challenges to them, so that they can advance in the true knowledge of God.
In Numbers 20 God causes them to run out of water. In their discomfort they grumble to Moses. He, in turn, looks to the Lord and the Lord directs him to speak to a rock in order for it to begin pouring out water. Moses doesn't exactly do what the Lord instructs (and pays the price for his arrogance), but in the end the people are provided an abudance of water "from a rock". Now do you think they learned something about God that day? I mean did they walk away that day "really" knowing God? They might have known that God was a provider, but after that experience they should have really known Him to be a provider. (Only hard hearts would keep them from this...)
I like the way Moses speaks of this. In verse 13 he says, "These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy." That day the people of the Lord really learned that the Lord is holy; that He is like none other. Who else can bring water from a rock? Who can do the things God does and care for His people the way God does? That day they advanced in a deeper knowledge of their God.
As we read through Psalm 58 and 59 we see a similar thing. In both Psalms the author is confronted with great difficulties, but as he walks through those difficulties he really learns something about God. He learns of God's strength, that He is a fortress, that His love never fails. Only as the author went through the flame of these trials did he truly learn these realities about God.
Brothers and sisters, the next time you walk through diffiiculty try to remember this thought: God may be advancing you in your knowledge of Him. He may be bringing you from factual knowledge to experiential knowledge. See your trial as our loving God's way of drawing you into a deeper and fuller knowledge of Himself, which in the end is drawing you into the fullness of His life.

Light to penetrate the darkness

By now in our reading throughout this year we should have learned that life is full of challenges. (Actually we might have figured that out from our own life...) The Bible is not a book that tells a story that is all rosy and upbeat. We are confronted page after page with the realities of a world that has been troubled with sin, and which has a cloud of darkness hanging over it.
David was no stranger to these challenges. Some he brought on himself by his own sin; but others came as a result of the people around him. Before becoming king he was chased around the countryside by Saul, trapped at least twice in a cave, brushing ever so closely with death. As he fled Saul he came in contact with others who wanted to do him harm. In Psalm 56 we are told it was the Philistines who seized him. So...in these inevitably dark situations what does one do? That is the beauty of Scripture. We can learn how men and women of old weathered the dark, difficult times of their lives and find the means that can carry us through as well.
What did David do that enabled him to pass through the floodwaters of difficulty? Consider the following:
1. In the midst of difficulty, when he found himself filling up with fear, he turned his gaze away from the situation and from the people who were causing the trouble, and remembered the Lord and His word. In Psalm 56:3-4 David said, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"
2. In the midst of difficulty he remembered the depth of the Lord's care. In Psalm 56:8 David said, "You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" David calmed himself by considering how intimately acquainted the Lord is with His life. A tear is not shed, a sleeepless night is not experienced without our Lord being fully aware.
3. In the midst of difficulty he cries out for mercy and rests in God's sovereign purposes. In Psalm 57:2 David writes, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me." It is such a benefit to be able to look heavenward, to know how much the Lord cares, and to cry out to Him knowing that He is a God of great mercies. It is also an encouragement to know that nothing comes our way except through the grid of the benevolent purposes of our God, whose purposes cannot be thwarted. Though we may not know all that God intends for our lives, we do know that His purposes for us are for good. The giving of His Son should convince us of that.
4. In the midst of difficulty he takes his eyes off his own deliverance and focuses on the glory of the Lord. In Psalm 57:11 David says, "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!" When our focus is redirected to something grander than ourselves....in this case, the glory of the Lord, we will find strength to endure the severest of trials. When we do this we will find that our trial takes on new meaning in that it may well be used to bring glory to the Lord. This is that for which we live!
5. Finally, in the midst of difficulty it is helpful to remember that our Lord is a God who loves to shine His light in the darkness. Isaiah 9 offers a beautiful example of this. It speaks of a people dwelling in darkness, finally seeing a great light. Ultimately, that light is the Lord Jesus Christ. In the darkness of our world, God sent forth His Son, the light of the world. It is so good to know that God specializes in sending light into dark places. During those times we should look in faith for that light to shine. Jesus is very near!
C. H. Spurgeon, in speaking of those dark times, encourages his readers to stand firm in faith because if we do "we will come out into greater light than we have as yet hoped for."
May God grant us all grace to weather our challenges with the same hope our forefathers once did!

The Lord is My Helper

Life is rarely smooth. Rarely do we live this life without encountering at least patches of difficulty. For some these are not patches but are more like a marathon of trouble.
In our readings today, we saw many troubles, often caused by other people. Moses and Aaron had trouble caused by Korah, Dathan and Abiram. They questioned their authority. Korah asked, "Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" Others blamed them for making themselves princes over the people. In light of such opposition what does one do?
I think if Moses and Aaron were dependent on the approval of others, this might have devastated them. If they had tied their value as people in what others thought of them, this would have crushed them. If this was the case they might have fought for the approval of others. They might have defended themselves. But that was not the case. They had been appointed by God for the task; Moses had even been reluctant to take the task, so in the midst of this challenge they simply went to God. They went to the One from whom their position and all other things flowed, and God showed very clearly what His will was.
David, too, had many detractors. Saul chased him around the countryside. Doeg and the Ziphites spoke against David. Many were speaking evil of David and desiring his downfall. So what did David do? He looked to the source of His leadership, yes, of his very life, and declared (Psalm 54:4) "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life." In the midst of His trial, He looked to the only source of real help - the Lord.
The same message was found in Hebrews 13 as well. The author tells his readers to be "free from the love of money, and to be content with what you have..." He then tells why this is to be the case. He says, "For he has said,'I will never leave you nor forsake you." Is that what you expected the author to say? It did take me by surprise but when I thought about it, it made great sense.
Why be content? We can be content because if we have the Lord, what else do we need? We don't need money, we don't need fame, we don't even need life to be comfortable and easy. The author lands at the same place as Moses and David when he says in verse 6: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
Brothers and sisters, when we have Jesus as our life, when His life is filling us and completing us, we don't need anything else. Then when those rough patches come our way; when people rise up against us, we will not fall apart, because with Christ we always have all that we need.
Are you going through a trial right now? Is it getting you down? Take a moment to think about what you have in Christ. Call on Him as your helper. Let His presence and resources settle your soul with great peace and confidence as you ride out the rest of the challenge.

Gaining Perspective

In some teacher training I've done I have taken a picture and enlarged it. Then I have cut out a section of that picture and asked students what they think it is. It is interesting the variety of answers I get because it is really hard to determine the piece without having the benefit of the whole.
I do this exercise to teach the principle of context. It is vitally important to understand every text of Scripture in its appropriate context, otherwise we can make the Bible say anything we want. That would not be helpful to our auditors nor an appropriate way to handle Holy Scripture.
The principle of context has an important life application as well. The pieces of life must be understood in light of a larger perspective if they are to be understood in truth. This is what our readings from Psalm 49 and Isaiah 2 taught us today.
In Psalm 49 the psalmist is wrestling with those who have riches. It is so easy to get caught up with their wealth and their surrounding glory that we lose sight of reality. Looking only at the "piece" we can think these people are godlike.
But the psalmist gives us perspective. He says that no amount of riches can redeem a man's soul. He also says twice that "Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish." Though a man has an abundance of earthly things, at the end of the day he will die just like the animals. His fate is no different, and when he dies he will not be able to take any of his riches with him. Only the man who has made God his riches will declare that God is able to "ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me." (vs 15) This is the kind of perspective that we all need and which will help us live wisely.
Isaiah has a similar message. He speaks of those (vs. 6-8) who are full of things (possessions, wealth, power, idols,...). These men are proud and lifted up, and it is easy to be impressed with them. But Isaiah weaves several statements that bring them down to real life. He says in verses 11&17 "And the haughtiness (haughty looks) of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day." At the end of the chapter in verse 22 he emphatically says, "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" Isaiah looks at the terror of the majestic Lord and views the coming judgment and declares that it is silly to think much of man in his pomp. With his exhoration he urges his readers to gain perspective - to see life from the correct vantage point.
This is a message suited for every age. We are surrounded by people of power, wealth, and prestige and it it easy to idolize, even envy them. But when we gain perspective, when we see the Lord in all His glory, when we see Him as "true riches" we will no longer be impressed with what is at best an illusion. From this perspective we will be encouraged to pursue what is truly valuable and lasting - and if we find ourselves impressed with men at all it will only be those who appear to be "rich toward God" - who have true riches.

Graves of Craving

In Numbers 11 we encounter the Hebrew phrase "Kibroth-hattaavah" which means "graves of craving". This place received its name from the events that are chronicled in this chapter.
As you will remember Israel has just departed from their meeting with the Lord at Mt. Sinai. There the Lord gave them the law and entered into covenant with them. He would be their God and they His people. As they walked in His ways and followed His commands the Lord would provide for them all that they needed. He had already provided for them the manna which miraculously appeared each morning, but most importantly He provided the blessing of His presence. God had been so good to this people and had plans to bless them all the more in a land flowing with milk and honey.
But there were some among the people, described as the rabble, who wanted more. They were not satisfied with what God had provided. They had a "strong craving". So they began to complain to Moses that they had no meat and wished they were back in Egypt where they ate at no charge fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. They also complained that they were sick of manna every day. They wanted a little variety in their diet.
Now though their complaint came to Moses, the Lord heard it, and it was against the Lord that they really complained. The Lord said Himself in verse 20 that they had "rejected the Lord who is among you". That is to say that in their craving for more than what God had provided, what they were really doing was rejecting the Lord, who was not only the source of all that they had, but was Himself the best gift they had received.
So in His anger the Lord gave them what they craved for. May I say at this point, "Be careful what you crave for!" The Lord may just give you want you want above Him, and you will not like the result. The people of Israel did not like the result, for though the Lord rained down quails to satisfy their cravings, before they were able to consume the meat, many of them had died. Thus the name of the place was called "graves of craving".
I think there is a lesson in this for us all. Our greatest desire is to be the Lord. If we have Him in our midst with that we are to be content. But when we go after other things; when we tell the Lord that He is not enough; when we declare with our complaints that we are not satisfied with what He has provided....we place ourselves in a very dangerous spot. God may well give us what we want, but all aberrant cravings always lead to death - they lead to "graves of craving".
Brothers and sisters we have been given the greatest gift - the presence of the Lord Jesus. Having Him we have all we really need to experience the abundance this life offers. All other desires need to take a place of lesser importance, lest they lead us down the path of destruction. May we say with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You, and on earth I desire nothing besides You." Psalm 73:25

A Rock for Uncertain Times

The people of Israel were finally setting out. (By the way, aren't you glad they are moving out? That means we have gotten through all the details of the law... Don't worry, though, if you miss the law we'll see it again in Deuteronomy.) It must have been a very exciting time, but might have also been a time with much apprehension. They were traveling together in an unknown wilderness (that's why Moses wanted Hobab to join them) to an unknown land where they would be met by one enemy after the other. That might be enough to unsettle the stoutest of heart.
But they had one thing going for them - really the only thing that mattered. They had the Lord in their midst. In fact, the Lord even gave them a trumpet that was to be sounded so that the Lord, their God, upon hearing the alarm, would remember them and save them from their enemies.
Actually, however, I don't think the alarm was to cause the Lord to remember anything. I don't think He turned His gaze from His people. He certainly didn't need to be awaken from His sleep. I think it was more for the people, to remind them that they must enter into battle only with the Lord fighting for them. It was to remind all the people who heard the alarm that the Lord was in their midst and would be prospering their journey. How blessed they were to have such a Rock in the midst of the uncertainties they faced along the way.
That same sentiment is captured in Psalm 46. The first verses declare, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."
What the psalmist describes is indeed frightening. Think about it: mountains being moved into the heart of the sea; the earth giving way. It reminds us of recent events with tsunamis and earthquakes and lots of destruction. Such things do bring fear and apprehension into our hearts, but the psalmist says that he finds refuge and strength in the Lord. Twice he repeats the phrase, "The Lord of host is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." I think with these statements he is calming his heart in the midst of the trial.
Well, what was a great help for the people of Israel and for the psalmist is no less ours. We have a Lord who is present among us. In fact, in these days He has taken up residence in our hearts. He goes with us every day. He walks with us in our trials and in our joys. When times are uncertain he is there to speak peace to our hearts; to tell us to "be still, and know that God is the Lord." He truly is a very present help in a time of trouble.
Are you experiencing trouble today? It may not be as dramatic as the earth slipping into the sea, but it may feel that way to you. As you experience this trial, to what or whom are you looking? Take the example of the people of Israel and of the psalmist. Blow your trumpet each day to remind yourself that the Lord is with you. Look to Him and come to know in your experience that He is indeed a very present help in time of need; that He truly is a Rock for uncertain times.

Back off or Draw Near

In the Old Testament one gets the sense, that even though God had drawn near His people to dwell in their midst, the people were kept at a distance. When the people were delivered from Egypt they encountered the Lord at Mt. Sinai, but only Moses was able to climb the mountain and meet with Lord. Everyone else was told to stay away and not even touch the mountain.
When the Tent of Meeting was constructed, the Lord favored the people with His presence, but not all had the same privilege. It was only the High Priest who could enter the Holy of Holies, and only the Levites who were able to serve. Everyone else had to keep their distance. They had to "back off".
But when we come to book of Hebrews, we encounter the phrase over and over - "draw near". In verse 19 we find this: "...but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God." Again in verse 25 we find: "Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him,..." So what is difference? What changed?
According to the author of Hebrews the priesthood changed. The Levitcial priesthood was filled by mere humans who themselves were sinful and who needed to offer sacrifice for their own sins. Their mortality also got in the way making it necessary for many to fill this role.
But another priest arose according to the order of Melchizedek. He is described (vs. 26-27) as "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself."
And who is this priest? It is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His perfect life made Him the perfect sacrifice. His indestructible life, made Him the perfect High Priest. So now, having offered Himself, once for all, He lives to make intercession for us. He sits at the right hand of God pointing to His perfect sacrifice, and declaring that we who draw near to Him are no longer to be separated from the Father. We have been reunited through the blood of Christ's cross. Through the sacrifice of Himself and through His eternal priesthood, He is able to save us to the uttermost.
Brothers and sisters, we live in a privileged day. No longer is the message "back off" but it is draw near. And the reason we can draw near is because we have a High Priest who is like none other. We have a High Priest who lives forever to speak on our behalf giving us the confidence to "draw near with pure hearts with full assurance of faith". Rejoice today for this privilege and by His grace let us go out and proclaim to the nations that the Holy God calls us to draw near through His beloved Son.

Do you want to be a Levite?

If you lived in the days of Moses would you have wanted to be a Levite? Or would you have been glad that your life had not been "relegated" to serve others at the Tent of Meeting?
During the exodus from Egypt the Lord preserved all the firstborn in Israel who had applied the blood to their doorposts and lintel. All those in Egypt who failed to come under the blood lost their firstborn. But in God's economy what He redeems, He owns. If His blood delivers you from death, then you are His. You have been bought with a price.
This is evident from the way the Lord speaks in verse 17. "For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself,..."
But instead of taking all the firstborn, the Lord instituted something different. He took a whole tribe of Israel and set them aside instead of taking everyone's firstborn. The Levites became His, and were assigned a role on behalf of the people.
And what was their role to be? Well, the text makes it very clear in verse 19. "And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary."
The role of the Levites was to serve. Daily they gave their lives for the good of others. They offered sacrifices to make atonement (covering) for the sins of the people. This was essential for maintaining a proper relationship with the holy God who dwelt in their midst. They also got to spend their days wholly devoted to the Lord. Every day was a day spent near the Tent of Meeting realizing that their life and service was fully the Lord's.
So what do you think? Would you want to have been a Levite? As you think about their role you can begin to see that rather being something to which they were "relegated", their calling was actually a privilege.
It is, in fact, not all that different from the privilege that all believers have. We, like the Levites, have been bought with a price. Christ's blood has delivered us from sin and death. Now we are not our own. We are wholly the Lord's and are to be given fully to His service. We, like the Levites, can spend every day near the Tent of Meeting, for, in fact our bodies are that Tent of Meeting, where the Spirit of God resides. We, too, have the privilege of serving others - offering prayers on their behalf, representing the hands and feet of Jesus, proclaiming with our mouths the salvation that can be theirs in Christ. We who are in Christ indeed have a privileged position not all that unlike the Levites.
As we go out today, let us rejoice in the Lord's goodness to us. Let us remember we are His to serve His purposes and His people. And let us remember that as we serve others, God will not overlook our service which is really an expression of love to our Lord. As it says in Hebrews 6:10 "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do."