Exodus 39:21: "They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod-as the LORD commanded Moses."
The high priest, as intercessor for the people of Israel before the Lord, had to wear very specific garments when he entered the Lord's presence in the Tabernacle. Two of these garments were the linen ephod (made with strands of gold and blue/purple/scarlet yarn) and the breastpiece. The purpose of the ephod was to present the names of the 12 tribes before the LORD when the designated priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the atonement sacrifice for the sins of the covenant community. Specifically, the names of the tribes were inscribed on two onyx stones in gold filigree settings mounted on the shoulder pieces of the ephod so that the priest could 'bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD [Exod. 28:12].'
The breastpiece was made like the ephod; it contained gold, blue/purple/scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen. The breastpiece contained four rows of 3 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and it contained the Urim and Thummin so that the priest 'would always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord' [Exod 28:30].
So why would the Lord command that the breastpiece and the ephod be tied together? One could see the practical significance in that the priest would be sacrificing items on the holy altar, and thus he did not need to have the breastpiece swinging out wildly thus encumbering his ability to perform his duties. And the priest certainly did not want the briestpiece to touch inappropriately the altar of the LORD . . . . this would have brought desecration to the altar (and possibly the priest's death as well).
We can see another symbolic reason for this dictate from the LORD. The ephod was the garment piece that the intermediary would wear to bear the names of the chosen people and in effect represent them and their sins before the LORD. The breastpiece was used to represent the people in discerning the will of God. One can see the symbolic significance of the two being tied together, namely that when the Israelites were in a spirit of contrition and confession for their sins, they are able then to seek God's will concerning the direction that they were to take as a people.
We can find a parallel in the Christian walk today. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is the one through whom we are able to receive forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 8:1-2). . . and He is the one through whom we ultimately find the answers to life's questions (Jeremiah 33:3) . To separate our decision making away from the one who provides forgiveness of sins is to seek solutions without the help of God Himself. This is because the Lord is unresponsive to those who would perpetuate their sinful rebellion against Him as Lord (see Psalm 66:18; I Peter 3:12; 4:7; Ezekiel 8:16-18).
Because the Lord Jesus Christ has made the solely sufficient sacrifice for our sins (I John 2:1-2), we like the high priests of ages past now can approach the "throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16); still, we must remember that we need to approach the Lord with a heart of confession and contrition for our sin. When we receive forgiveness for our sins, we then are able to find God and His will for our lives (Jeremiah 29:13). God, who is rich in mercy and love (Ephesians 2:4) will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22). He will pour out His wisdom to the pure in heart so that they can follow Him in obedience and receive His Divine blessings for their faithfulness to Him as Lord.
Let us never forget that repentance and discernment of God's will go hand in hand. Just as the linen ephod and breastpiece were inseparable, so too are we to never separate our contrition and our petitions for wisdom.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
How Would the Lord Teach Us to Pray?
Luke 11:1-4: "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray just as John taught taught his disciples. He said to them, when you pray say, 'Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins. And lead us not into temptation.'"
In this gospel account, Jesus and his disciples had just been in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus had found a certain place to pray. Whereas we don't know exactly where this certain place was, we do know that Jesus made it a discipline to find a secluded place to pray, unencumbered by the distractions of both His disciples and to the crowds that sought His miracles (see Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12). Jesus was modeling for his disciples the need to have focused prayer with the Father. Whereas breathed prayers throughout the day are appropriate, if our prayer life is relegated to these brief exchanges, then we will find ourselves devoid of intimate fellowship with our loving Lord. Prayer should never be a low priority in our hectic lives; rather, we should long to have focused time with the Lord each day and feast upon the fellowship that we have with Him.
Jesus' disciples were impressed with the way John the Baptist's disciples prayed, and they wanted to pray with the same power and eloquence that their counterparts demonstrated. Knowing that the disciples had just been arguing amongst themselves as to whom would be the greatest in God's kingdom (see Luke 9:46), we are led to believe that the disciples did not have the purest of intentions when they presented this petition to the Lord. Most likely, they wanted to be as effective in their prayer life as John's disciples so that they could increase their notoriety in the Jewish community. Jesus responded with instruction that struck at the very heart of the prideful disposition of His disciples; specifically, Jesus illustrated a prayer that was focused on God and not the disciples egocentric behavior:
"He said to them, 'When you pray say,
Father, hallowed be YOUR name (The Greek word for "hallowed" means, "let your name be regarded as holy." Notice that Jesus was drawing attention to the majesty of the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, not the pray-er).
Your Kingdom come (Jesus wanted His disciples to be focused on God, His will, and His kingdom, not their self-adulation).
Give us each day our daily bread (Jesus wanted His disciples never to forget that God is the Provider of their every need, and so their faith should be in Him alone . . . not their abilities or their circumstances).
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that they were sinners in need of the pardon of God. In fact, Jesus likely wanted to draw attention to the sinning that the disciples were perpetrating by seeking greatness over each another).
And lead us not into temptation (Jesus wanted His disciples to know the deliverance of God in protecting His disciples from sin).
Jesus then concluded the teaching by emphasizing the need for the disciples to be persistent in their prayer life, yearning for the very things mentioned above. Jesus told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked for Him. The word "ask" in Greek is continuous aspect, meaning that it is ongoing and persistent; thus, God wanted His disciples to seek Him passionately and consistently. He knew that those who would have such a passionate disposition would appreciate even more the sweetness of the blessing of His presence.
Whereas the disciples were wanting to increase their effectiveness in praying most likely to exalt themselves, Jesus' teaching on prayer was designed to re-orient their focus away from themselves and to center upon worshipping God and surrendering to His Lordship. As we are reflecting upon our own prayer lives, we would do well to hear from the Savior how it is we are to pray.
In this gospel account, Jesus and his disciples had just been in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus had found a certain place to pray. Whereas we don't know exactly where this certain place was, we do know that Jesus made it a discipline to find a secluded place to pray, unencumbered by the distractions of both His disciples and to the crowds that sought His miracles (see Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12). Jesus was modeling for his disciples the need to have focused prayer with the Father. Whereas breathed prayers throughout the day are appropriate, if our prayer life is relegated to these brief exchanges, then we will find ourselves devoid of intimate fellowship with our loving Lord. Prayer should never be a low priority in our hectic lives; rather, we should long to have focused time with the Lord each day and feast upon the fellowship that we have with Him.
Jesus' disciples were impressed with the way John the Baptist's disciples prayed, and they wanted to pray with the same power and eloquence that their counterparts demonstrated. Knowing that the disciples had just been arguing amongst themselves as to whom would be the greatest in God's kingdom (see Luke 9:46), we are led to believe that the disciples did not have the purest of intentions when they presented this petition to the Lord. Most likely, they wanted to be as effective in their prayer life as John's disciples so that they could increase their notoriety in the Jewish community. Jesus responded with instruction that struck at the very heart of the prideful disposition of His disciples; specifically, Jesus illustrated a prayer that was focused on God and not the disciples egocentric behavior:
"He said to them, 'When you pray say,
Father, hallowed be YOUR name (The Greek word for "hallowed" means, "let your name be regarded as holy." Notice that Jesus was drawing attention to the majesty of the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, not the pray-er).
Your Kingdom come (Jesus wanted His disciples to be focused on God, His will, and His kingdom, not their self-adulation).
Give us each day our daily bread (Jesus wanted His disciples never to forget that God is the Provider of their every need, and so their faith should be in Him alone . . . not their abilities or their circumstances).
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that they were sinners in need of the pardon of God. In fact, Jesus likely wanted to draw attention to the sinning that the disciples were perpetrating by seeking greatness over each another).
And lead us not into temptation (Jesus wanted His disciples to know the deliverance of God in protecting His disciples from sin).
Jesus then concluded the teaching by emphasizing the need for the disciples to be persistent in their prayer life, yearning for the very things mentioned above. Jesus told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked for Him. The word "ask" in Greek is continuous aspect, meaning that it is ongoing and persistent; thus, God wanted His disciples to seek Him passionately and consistently. He knew that those who would have such a passionate disposition would appreciate even more the sweetness of the blessing of His presence.
Whereas the disciples were wanting to increase their effectiveness in praying most likely to exalt themselves, Jesus' teaching on prayer was designed to re-orient their focus away from themselves and to center upon worshipping God and surrendering to His Lordship. As we are reflecting upon our own prayer lives, we would do well to hear from the Savior how it is we are to pray.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Trust God When You Are Called
Exodus 3:11-12: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' And God said, 'I will be with you.'"
The verbal exchange between God and Moses in chapters 3 & 4 of Exodus presents us with a interesting display of confident Divine calling and skeptical receipt of such calling. God called Moses (who had been away from his people for 40 years) to return to Pharaoh in Egypt and tell him to release the Israelites from bondage. God approached Moses while he was watching his father-in-law's flock in the desert near Horeb (Sinai). I'm sure that after 40 years tending to the flock in the desert, Moses had resigned himself to a rather uneventful life being a shepherd. Whereas he earlier had been reared in Pharaoh's palace and had experienced the privilege of royalty, he had fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian. This Egyptian had been beating a Hebrew slave, and Moses' "intervention" brought Pharaoh's anger and his edict of death for Moses. Moses knew he couldn't stick around if he wanted to live, so he got out of town to save his life.
Forty years later, Moses was summoned by the Lord to go back to Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from their bondage. Moses first response to God was "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh . . . " Moses doubted his own worthiness to be God's emissary to the most powerful ruler in the known world at that time. God replied by saying "I will be with you"; then God gave Moses a prophetic sign to confirm his calling.
Moses then questioned his ability to present a convincing message when he got back to Egypt. He asked God, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Again, God confirmed His calling by changing Moses' staff into a snake; God wanted to show Moses that He would work supernaturally through the messenger. Moses did not need to worry about proving himself to the people in Egypt; he simply needed to be obedient.
Moses then questioned his own eloquence in speaking. He lacked the confidence to speak in the presence of such powerful rulers. God told Moses, "Who gave man his mouth? . . . . Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say."
Finally, with one last desperate attempt to discourage God's calling, Moses simply said, "O Lord, please someone else to do it." This lack of faith brought the anger of the Lord upon Moses, and apparently this response from the Lord was enough motivation for Moses to surrender to God's calling. Whereas Moses had his eyes on his own abilities and believed himself not to be an effective messenger, God had to reorient Moses' focus away from himself so that he would look to the Lord Almighty and His ability to accomplish great things through His chosen servant. Moses needed only to respond in faith to this summons from the Lord.
What is telling is the epitaph that was written of Moses at the end of his life: "No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). Even though Moses initially did not believe himself worthy or able to do what God called him to do, when he submitted to the will of God to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of captivity, he became one of the greatest prophets that the people of Israel would ever know.
This is a great word for us today. God in His sovereign power can take the ordinary servant and accomplish extraordinary things to accomplish His will. When God calls us, we must take our eyes off of our abilities and circumstances and surrender to the will of the Lord for our lives. When we are obedient to God's calling, we can expect that He will work supernaturally in us and through us to further His glorious kingdom.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Watch Your Towers!
Genesis 11:4: "Then they said, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"
This Biblical pericope is brief account of humanity unifying for the purpose of "making a name for themselves." More specifically, these people desired to thwart the sovereignty of the One True God by establishing themselves as supreme rulers of their own lives. Contrary to God's specific command for humanity to fill the earth (i.e. expand outwardly and settle throughout all regions of the earth [see Genesis 1:28]), the people collectively settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia). They were unwilling to listen to the will of God; instead, they determined that they would be in control of their own lives and would do whatever their own hearts desired.
Brazenly, the people determined to set up a towering edifice that would reach into the heavens toward God. In effect, these recalcitrant people were saying, "God, we've decided that you're not going to be supreme anymore in our lives. We're going to show you that we can be our own gods, and we can effectively challenge your right to be the supreme ruler of the world. We're going to build a tower up to your throne and prove that we are capable of challenging your claim to Lordship over us."
As these Babylonians began to build their tower, they swelled with prideful arrogance. They were impressed with their own coordinated accomplishments and said, "Look at us . . . . We're making a name for ourselves . . . nothing now is impossible for us. We are as powerful and able as God Himself; in fact, we are becoming like God ourselves. We now challenge God's command to fill the earth, and we now will be unified in purpose here in the land of Babel."
The Triune God would not permit this rebellion to continue; He saw that the people's unification and collective accomplishments were building within them a pompous attitude of defiance against His Holiness. God was able to see that these people swelled with the pride that they had made a name for themselves and determined in their hearts to assert themselves as co-equal with divinity. In response, God went down to the tower that they were building and confused the people's language. Suddenly the people could not understand each other, for each of them were speaking in strange, undiscernable tongues.
Although the people thought that they would vanquish their Divine foe, the Sovereign God would not be mocked. His purposes would be accomplished whether the people were responsive to His will or not; thus, God confused their language and "scattered them over the face of the whole earth." The construction of the brazen tower came to an abrupt halt, and the land was called "Babel," which sounds like the Hebraic word for "confusion."
There is a good word for us in this passage, namely that God has a divine purpose for us to be surrendered to Him as Lord and to follow His will willingly and obediently. Sadly, we are seeing in our culture a people not unlike the Babylonians of Genesis 11 . . . a people who desire to make a name for themselves and desire to assert their own quest for lordship over the One True God.
We can be assured that God is a God of constancy; just as He did not tolerate the rebellion of these Babylonians, so too He will not be mocked by the rebellion of people today (see Galatians 6:7). Anyone who determines to assert his own quest for divinity over the Lord will find himself scattered by the will of the Lord of Hosts! Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Let us renounce any desires to assert our own lordship and rather submit to the Lord through repentance and obedience. We will find that the Lord will bless our surrender to Him and will bless us for our faithfulness to Him
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
So Why Aren't You Praying?
Jeremiah 33:3: "(The Lord said) Call upon me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
James 4:2b: "You do not have, because you do not ask God."
Luke 18:1: "Jesus told his disciples . . . that they should always pray and not give up."
Throughout Christendom, there is a dearth of fervent prayer to God. If most professing Christians were honest, they would share that their prayer life is rather trite and routine. Most of the prayers that they offer are brief preludes to dinner or possibly the occasional prayer at bedtime (which only lasts until the head hits the pillow).
As we forsake this wonderful privilege of communing with our loving Lord, we wonder why our life experiences are unfulfilling and why we do not see God working supernaturally in our lives. Maybe we have tried praying in the past only to find that our prayers seemed not to accomplish much . . . maybe we have asked God for His Divine intervention only to find that our prayers were not answered according to our expectations. Maybe we have allowed such experiences to quench our faith to believe that God is our advocate, who desires to answer us when we are in need of Him (see Psalm 86:7). Maybe we think that God is so far removed from our everyday lives that He is not a resource for us when we need His supernatural presence (of course, that is not what Psalm 139:7-10 says). Or maybe we have just become too lazy and self-confident to pray . . . we know that it is important, but we don't want to invest the time and effort to do what we think we can do ourselves.
The fervency of our prayer life is a good indicator of how much we really trust God and believe that He is actively a part of our lives. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); therefore, if we are lacking God's blessings, we must look at ourselves to see if we "have not because we ask not." Such introspection gives us reason to ponder just how many blessings we may have missed from God simply because we failed to ask the Lord in faith.
We must remember Jesus' command always to pray and not give up. We too must remember that God's timing in answering us is not necessarily our own, and His delay in answering us is intentional so that He can heighten our dependence upon Him and increase our appreciation of His supernatural work when He does answer us. We must be reassured that God is working all things in accordance with His sovereign purposes, so that we will continue to be transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (see Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). This may mean that His Divine response may be different from what we had expected . . . still, it is ultimately what is best for us, because God loves us even beyond our ability to comprehend.
Let's not give up on what God is wanting to do in our lives. Let us commit ourselves to continual prayer, and expect God to answer us in marvelous ways. And when He answers us, let us offer Him the praise He deserves, for truly our God is a "compassionate and gracious God . . . abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).
James 4:2b: "You do not have, because you do not ask God."
Luke 18:1: "Jesus told his disciples . . . that they should always pray and not give up."
Throughout Christendom, there is a dearth of fervent prayer to God. If most professing Christians were honest, they would share that their prayer life is rather trite and routine. Most of the prayers that they offer are brief preludes to dinner or possibly the occasional prayer at bedtime (which only lasts until the head hits the pillow).
As we forsake this wonderful privilege of communing with our loving Lord, we wonder why our life experiences are unfulfilling and why we do not see God working supernaturally in our lives. Maybe we have tried praying in the past only to find that our prayers seemed not to accomplish much . . . maybe we have asked God for His Divine intervention only to find that our prayers were not answered according to our expectations. Maybe we have allowed such experiences to quench our faith to believe that God is our advocate, who desires to answer us when we are in need of Him (see Psalm 86:7). Maybe we think that God is so far removed from our everyday lives that He is not a resource for us when we need His supernatural presence (of course, that is not what Psalm 139:7-10 says). Or maybe we have just become too lazy and self-confident to pray . . . we know that it is important, but we don't want to invest the time and effort to do what we think we can do ourselves.
The fervency of our prayer life is a good indicator of how much we really trust God and believe that He is actively a part of our lives. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); therefore, if we are lacking God's blessings, we must look at ourselves to see if we "have not because we ask not." Such introspection gives us reason to ponder just how many blessings we may have missed from God simply because we failed to ask the Lord in faith.
We must remember Jesus' command always to pray and not give up. We too must remember that God's timing in answering us is not necessarily our own, and His delay in answering us is intentional so that He can heighten our dependence upon Him and increase our appreciation of His supernatural work when He does answer us. We must be reassured that God is working all things in accordance with His sovereign purposes, so that we will continue to be transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (see Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). This may mean that His Divine response may be different from what we had expected . . . still, it is ultimately what is best for us, because God loves us even beyond our ability to comprehend.
Let's not give up on what God is wanting to do in our lives. Let us commit ourselves to continual prayer, and expect God to answer us in marvelous ways. And when He answers us, let us offer Him the praise He deserves, for truly our God is a "compassionate and gracious God . . . abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).
Monday, October 20, 2008
Don't Harbor Self Ambition
James 3:14-17; 4:4,6-7; 5:16: "If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit . . . . (for) friendship with the world is hatred toward God . . . anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God . . . . That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you . . . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
As we read through the above cited passage, we are reminded that obedience to God through surrender to Him as Lord and submission to others in love is counter to the prevailing philosophy of the world. Whereas God would have believers renounce any quest for selfish ambition over Him as Master and Savior, the world would advise each person to get all he can (even at the expense of others), for personal desire transcends all other motivations and loyalties in life.
Scripture tells us that a self-absorbed disposition is not only worldly and unspiritual, but it is also "of the devil." When a person is consumed with his personal appetites as the foundational driver for his life, he cannot deny that such a preoccupation is utterly detestable to the Lord. Such sin is abhorrent to the Lord for it attempts to assert one's quest for divinity over the One True God. One need only look at the early chapters of Genesis to see that this craving by man was the catalyst that introduced sin into the world in the first place (see Genesis 3).
What God desires from His devoted followers is a heart inclined to "peace, consideration, submission, and mercy." God wants a people who have renounced everything to follow Him as their Master and will demonstrate the above character traits with those in whom they come in contact. So strong is this imperative from the Lord that He calls those who follow after their wanton desires "enemies of God (whom) God will oppose" in His Sovereign Power. Therefore, Scripture compels the one who is saturated with personal exaltation and satisfaction to forsake such sins and instead submit himself to God. A person who continually recommits himself to God as His Lord will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be able to resist the temptations of the devil.
If one is asking how he might be able to reorient his life from selfishness to surrender, he need only look at James 5:16 as the antidote. In this passage, God implores us to "confess (our) sins to one another and pray for one another to experience healing." Notice that when a person confesses his sins, he is owning up to the wickedness in his life and in a spirit of humility is renouncing such vain pursuits. Notice too that Scripture compels the person to pray for others. Praying for others takes the focus away from self and puts it instead on loving others and seeking their best. The mind is taken away from what the flesh desires and instead thinks how he can be an agent of blessing to those for whom he is praying.
If we don't want to become an enemy of God, we will forsake the desires of our selfishness and instead put God first in our lives and love others with self-sacrificing love. God tells us that if we humble ourselves before Him, He in turn will bless us by "lifting us up" (James 4:10).
As we read through the above cited passage, we are reminded that obedience to God through surrender to Him as Lord and submission to others in love is counter to the prevailing philosophy of the world. Whereas God would have believers renounce any quest for selfish ambition over Him as Master and Savior, the world would advise each person to get all he can (even at the expense of others), for personal desire transcends all other motivations and loyalties in life.
Scripture tells us that a self-absorbed disposition is not only worldly and unspiritual, but it is also "of the devil." When a person is consumed with his personal appetites as the foundational driver for his life, he cannot deny that such a preoccupation is utterly detestable to the Lord. Such sin is abhorrent to the Lord for it attempts to assert one's quest for divinity over the One True God. One need only look at the early chapters of Genesis to see that this craving by man was the catalyst that introduced sin into the world in the first place (see Genesis 3).
What God desires from His devoted followers is a heart inclined to "peace, consideration, submission, and mercy." God wants a people who have renounced everything to follow Him as their Master and will demonstrate the above character traits with those in whom they come in contact. So strong is this imperative from the Lord that He calls those who follow after their wanton desires "enemies of God (whom) God will oppose" in His Sovereign Power. Therefore, Scripture compels the one who is saturated with personal exaltation and satisfaction to forsake such sins and instead submit himself to God. A person who continually recommits himself to God as His Lord will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be able to resist the temptations of the devil.
If one is asking how he might be able to reorient his life from selfishness to surrender, he need only look at James 5:16 as the antidote. In this passage, God implores us to "confess (our) sins to one another and pray for one another to experience healing." Notice that when a person confesses his sins, he is owning up to the wickedness in his life and in a spirit of humility is renouncing such vain pursuits. Notice too that Scripture compels the person to pray for others. Praying for others takes the focus away from self and puts it instead on loving others and seeking their best. The mind is taken away from what the flesh desires and instead thinks how he can be an agent of blessing to those for whom he is praying.
If we don't want to become an enemy of God, we will forsake the desires of our selfishness and instead put God first in our lives and love others with self-sacrificing love. God tells us that if we humble ourselves before Him, He in turn will bless us by "lifting us up" (James 4:10).
Thursday, October 16, 2008
God Gives Us Opportunities to Trust Him
Deuteronomy 8:2-3: "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
When we look back at the wilderness journey of the Israelites during the time of Moses, we can see that God tested them to see if their hearts were inclined to Him and would trust Him as their Lord. In fact, it was not long after they had experienced the supernatural deliverance from the Egyptians and had crossed the Red Sea in miraculous fashion that their first test was introduced. They had traveled just three day's journey into the desert when they began to thirst for water. Instead of remembering that the Lord recently had intervened in Egypt and rescued them, they now looked to their circumstances and lacked faith that God would meet their present needs. These Israelites began to grumble against the Lord, and this complaining spirit would be a pattern for many years to come. In fact, Exodus 15-17, which records the Israelite's experiences during this period, is one of the most concentrated sections of complaining in all of Scripture. God placed the presumed obstacle in their way to see if they would trust Him (see Exodus 15:25); sadly, these Israelites would be more inclined to take their eyes off the Lord and look rather at their abysmal circumstances. Complaining was a necessary product of such a lack of faith. Not only did this displease the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), but it also resulted in a loss of blessing that accompanies one's trust in Him.
What is particularly telling is the way that the Israelites responded a few months later when they were hungry and had no bread to eat. The newness of the freedom that they had enjoyed had now worn off and the hardships of wilderness life had set in. Now the covenant people complained against Moses, wishing that they had died in captivity in Egypt. They even conjured up false memories that they had enjoyed the choicest of food while in bondage . . . something that was not true (they were lucky to get the scraps from the Egyptians). Despite the Israelite's grumbling, God promised to provide supernatural bread from heaven, again to teach His people that man must put his trust in the promises of the Lord in order to live. By performing this miraculous act, the Lord would show His people His glory; He would proclaim to the Israelites that He could intervene and bring deliverance no matter what the circumstances seemed to show. Whereas by all physical observations the Israelites should have died of starvation in the desert, by God's Divine intervention they would be saved. God desired that His people put their faith in Him and praise Him for His triumph over their deplorable circumstances. God tested them in this situation so that in fully trusting Him, they would be able to "know that (He is) the Lord (their) God" (Exodus 16:12).
Whereas the Israelites were only to collect enough manna to provide for their necessities and trust that each day the Lord would provide again for their needs, some of the people collected more and tried to store up the excess provision just in case God did not come through for them. What they would find the next morning was that the heavenly food had rotted to the point that it smelled profusely and was full of maggots. God would not allow His people to think themselves self-sufficient and thus not be in need of the Lord's daily provision. He forced them to trust His Providential care so that they continually would be reminded that only by faith in the Lord can a people be saved from otherwise hopeless circumstances.
Years later, Jesus would be tempted by Satan to use supernatural powers to satisfy His physical needs. Satan wanted Jesus to think that God would not meet his needs while he wandered for 40 days in the wilderness, and He wanted to get Jesus to take matters into his own hands to provide for himself. Satan wanted Jesus to lose faith in God and look to His own abilities for personal rescue. Jesus quoted the passage from Deuteronomy above to remind Satan that man ultimately must put His trust in God, no matter what situation he sees before him. When a man takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to be consumed with himself, he loses the faith that is needed to experience the blessedness of the Lord.
There is a tremendous word for each of us in this passage. We are presented with tests to see if we truly will trust that the Lord will provide, even though our circumstances would tell us otherwise. We must remember that our purpose for existence is not to become self-sufficient but to fully rely on God as our Provider, Redeemer, and Sustainer. When we take our eyes off of the Lord, we begin to consume ourselves in selfish introspection and we permit our circumstances to dictate our motivations. In fear and self-centered consumption, we fall prey to the notion that the purpose in life is to get all that we can to consume all that we can to satisfy ourselves. What we must do is renounce such sinful pursuits and permit the tests of the Lord to reaffirm to us that God is in control and will intervene in our behalf if we would simply trust Him. In the end, our trust and obedience in the Lord will result in our blessedness. We will be able to see that the Lord has been maturing us in our faith in Him as our Sovereign Provider.
When we look back at the wilderness journey of the Israelites during the time of Moses, we can see that God tested them to see if their hearts were inclined to Him and would trust Him as their Lord. In fact, it was not long after they had experienced the supernatural deliverance from the Egyptians and had crossed the Red Sea in miraculous fashion that their first test was introduced. They had traveled just three day's journey into the desert when they began to thirst for water. Instead of remembering that the Lord recently had intervened in Egypt and rescued them, they now looked to their circumstances and lacked faith that God would meet their present needs. These Israelites began to grumble against the Lord, and this complaining spirit would be a pattern for many years to come. In fact, Exodus 15-17, which records the Israelite's experiences during this period, is one of the most concentrated sections of complaining in all of Scripture. God placed the presumed obstacle in their way to see if they would trust Him (see Exodus 15:25); sadly, these Israelites would be more inclined to take their eyes off the Lord and look rather at their abysmal circumstances. Complaining was a necessary product of such a lack of faith. Not only did this displease the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), but it also resulted in a loss of blessing that accompanies one's trust in Him.
What is particularly telling is the way that the Israelites responded a few months later when they were hungry and had no bread to eat. The newness of the freedom that they had enjoyed had now worn off and the hardships of wilderness life had set in. Now the covenant people complained against Moses, wishing that they had died in captivity in Egypt. They even conjured up false memories that they had enjoyed the choicest of food while in bondage . . . something that was not true (they were lucky to get the scraps from the Egyptians). Despite the Israelite's grumbling, God promised to provide supernatural bread from heaven, again to teach His people that man must put his trust in the promises of the Lord in order to live. By performing this miraculous act, the Lord would show His people His glory; He would proclaim to the Israelites that He could intervene and bring deliverance no matter what the circumstances seemed to show. Whereas by all physical observations the Israelites should have died of starvation in the desert, by God's Divine intervention they would be saved. God desired that His people put their faith in Him and praise Him for His triumph over their deplorable circumstances. God tested them in this situation so that in fully trusting Him, they would be able to "know that (He is) the Lord (their) God" (Exodus 16:12).
Whereas the Israelites were only to collect enough manna to provide for their necessities and trust that each day the Lord would provide again for their needs, some of the people collected more and tried to store up the excess provision just in case God did not come through for them. What they would find the next morning was that the heavenly food had rotted to the point that it smelled profusely and was full of maggots. God would not allow His people to think themselves self-sufficient and thus not be in need of the Lord's daily provision. He forced them to trust His Providential care so that they continually would be reminded that only by faith in the Lord can a people be saved from otherwise hopeless circumstances.
Years later, Jesus would be tempted by Satan to use supernatural powers to satisfy His physical needs. Satan wanted Jesus to think that God would not meet his needs while he wandered for 40 days in the wilderness, and He wanted to get Jesus to take matters into his own hands to provide for himself. Satan wanted Jesus to lose faith in God and look to His own abilities for personal rescue. Jesus quoted the passage from Deuteronomy above to remind Satan that man ultimately must put His trust in God, no matter what situation he sees before him. When a man takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to be consumed with himself, he loses the faith that is needed to experience the blessedness of the Lord.
There is a tremendous word for each of us in this passage. We are presented with tests to see if we truly will trust that the Lord will provide, even though our circumstances would tell us otherwise. We must remember that our purpose for existence is not to become self-sufficient but to fully rely on God as our Provider, Redeemer, and Sustainer. When we take our eyes off of the Lord, we begin to consume ourselves in selfish introspection and we permit our circumstances to dictate our motivations. In fear and self-centered consumption, we fall prey to the notion that the purpose in life is to get all that we can to consume all that we can to satisfy ourselves. What we must do is renounce such sinful pursuits and permit the tests of the Lord to reaffirm to us that God is in control and will intervene in our behalf if we would simply trust Him. In the end, our trust and obedience in the Lord will result in our blessedness. We will be able to see that the Lord has been maturing us in our faith in Him as our Sovereign Provider.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Worship the God of Gods
Deuteronomy 10:12f: "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes . . . . He is your praise; he is your God."
Here in this passage is the summation of all Scripture, namely that God is Majestic in His Holiness and awesome in His Glory; He is due all praise and obedience simply for who He is. Still, what is truly amazing is that this Supreme God lovingly has set His affection upon His chosen people, desiring to commune with them for all eternity. This is an incredible privilege! Therefore, we in response to such a blessing should desire to love, respect, and obey Him as our personal Lord.
First, we are called to love God. As Christ said in Matthew 10:37, God must be first priority above all other things . . . Husband/wife, children, and even life itself. Our love for God should saturate our souls, for He has first loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and has demonstrated His love through His offering of Himself as the atoning (and only sufficient) sacrifice for our sins. Whereas God rightfully could have abandoned us to eternal punishment, a fate deserving of a people who have rebelled against His Sovereign Lordship through their sin, He offered His very self to pay for our sin penalty in order that we might be rejoined to Him for all eternity.
Secondly, we are called to fear God as the One True Transcendent Lord. He is not conjoined with His creation but is separate and above His creation and thus is worthy of our worship. God is not just the man upstairs, but the Supreme Sovereign of Everything. His greatness extends beyond the highest heavens and beyond the deepest depths. He is outside of space and time; He knows all things . . . even the thoughts of man. In Revelation 4:11, we find the 24 elders falling down before the throne of God in Heaven, crying out to the Sovereign Lord, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Our very purpose and existence were brought to life by the Lord; and for His mighty power, we should respond with awe and reverential respect. John Davis in his Handbook of Basic Bible Texts provides a wonderful perspective on our response to God's aseity (independence [and thus His transcendence]), "In every breath, in every heartbeat, we are dependent upon God for our very life and being. This realization leads not only to humility on the part of the creature, but rightfully is a cause of praise and worship to the Creator."
Thirdly, we are called to obey Him. To obey is to submit to the authority of the One who deserves our surrender, and obedience is the way that we demonstrate our true love for our Lord (see I John 5:3). Our call to obedience is the evidential fruit of a life truly submitted to His Lordship (Romans 6; Matthew 7:15ff; John 8:47).
Lastly, we are called to service. Never are we called to be passive in our profession of Christ. Through word and deed, we are called to be light reflectors of His glorious Light to a darkened world. Proverbs 4:18 tells us that the "path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." The closer we walk with the Savior, the more we have the ability to reflect His glory to a world that have no connection with Him. Our service to our Master, when done in a spirit of love and gratitude for His amazing grace, will accomplish His purpose to introduce Himself to others. Therefore, "let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Again, why do we do all this? Because God is the God of gods, the awesome and loving Lord, who not only has the ability to rule over all things but initiated our eternal communion with Him through His sacrificial death and resurrection. To truly worship the God of gods is to make Him the object of our total praise.
Here in this passage is the summation of all Scripture, namely that God is Majestic in His Holiness and awesome in His Glory; He is due all praise and obedience simply for who He is. Still, what is truly amazing is that this Supreme God lovingly has set His affection upon His chosen people, desiring to commune with them for all eternity. This is an incredible privilege! Therefore, we in response to such a blessing should desire to love, respect, and obey Him as our personal Lord.
First, we are called to love God. As Christ said in Matthew 10:37, God must be first priority above all other things . . . Husband/wife, children, and even life itself. Our love for God should saturate our souls, for He has first loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and has demonstrated His love through His offering of Himself as the atoning (and only sufficient) sacrifice for our sins. Whereas God rightfully could have abandoned us to eternal punishment, a fate deserving of a people who have rebelled against His Sovereign Lordship through their sin, He offered His very self to pay for our sin penalty in order that we might be rejoined to Him for all eternity.
Secondly, we are called to fear God as the One True Transcendent Lord. He is not conjoined with His creation but is separate and above His creation and thus is worthy of our worship. God is not just the man upstairs, but the Supreme Sovereign of Everything. His greatness extends beyond the highest heavens and beyond the deepest depths. He is outside of space and time; He knows all things . . . even the thoughts of man. In Revelation 4:11, we find the 24 elders falling down before the throne of God in Heaven, crying out to the Sovereign Lord, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Our very purpose and existence were brought to life by the Lord; and for His mighty power, we should respond with awe and reverential respect. John Davis in his Handbook of Basic Bible Texts provides a wonderful perspective on our response to God's aseity (independence [and thus His transcendence]), "In every breath, in every heartbeat, we are dependent upon God for our very life and being. This realization leads not only to humility on the part of the creature, but rightfully is a cause of praise and worship to the Creator."
Thirdly, we are called to obey Him. To obey is to submit to the authority of the One who deserves our surrender, and obedience is the way that we demonstrate our true love for our Lord (see I John 5:3). Our call to obedience is the evidential fruit of a life truly submitted to His Lordship (Romans 6; Matthew 7:15ff; John 8:47).
Lastly, we are called to service. Never are we called to be passive in our profession of Christ. Through word and deed, we are called to be light reflectors of His glorious Light to a darkened world. Proverbs 4:18 tells us that the "path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." The closer we walk with the Savior, the more we have the ability to reflect His glory to a world that have no connection with Him. Our service to our Master, when done in a spirit of love and gratitude for His amazing grace, will accomplish His purpose to introduce Himself to others. Therefore, "let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Again, why do we do all this? Because God is the God of gods, the awesome and loving Lord, who not only has the ability to rule over all things but initiated our eternal communion with Him through His sacrificial death and resurrection. To truly worship the God of gods is to make Him the object of our total praise.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Cure For the Sour Economy
I Peter 1:3-9; 13; 2:11: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls . . . . Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed . . . . Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."
In recent days, we have seen incredible volatility in our economic markets, and many in our nation are fearful for their financial future. People are asking questions like, "Will we have enough money to retire?"; "Will we lose equity in our homes?"; "Will we have jobs to provide income for our families?"; et al. Whereas these are important questions to ask during these turbulent times, Scripture provides the true follower of Jesus Christ with the antidote to the fear that comes during such economic chaos.
Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter tells true followers of Jesus Christ that we are "strangers" in a foreign land and therefore we should be fixing our minds upon the blessedness of our true home: heaven. Peter begins with a word of praise to our loving Lord, because God has provided to us His great mercy . . . which has given to us the hope of our resurrection into an inheritance "that can never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for (us)" (1:3-4). Notice that we have an eternal inheritance that is being kept in heaven for us by our Loving Father. This gift is not subject to the turbulence of the current stock markets; rather, it is guaranteed by God to those who surrender themselves to Him as their Lord. And of course, the blessing of this inheritance is so much beyond the paltry wealth that this earth provides us; so we should not fall prey to the misconception that earthly treasures are of comparable value to the blessedness that awaits us in heaven. The luster and permanence of these treasures should encourage us to keep our minds fixed on eternity.
Therefore, we are called to live lives of joy here on earth, trusting that God will protect us by His mighty power until the day of our union with Him in glory. This does not mean that we will not suffer through this life, but it does mean that God will provide us the strength to endure whatever trials may come our way. Joy is a disposition that is not responsive to our circumstances; rather, it is a peace and contentment in God, irrespective of our circumstances.
Scripture tells us that tribulations come our way to test our faith so that we will respond to the difficulties of life in the assurance that God is in control and will deliver us in the end. This type of faith brings praise, glory, and honor to our Lord, and He is well pleased when we trust Him in the midst of our difficulties (see Hebrews 11:6). Scripture also tells us that our faith is of greater worth than gold, because it will usher us into the presence of our Almighty King and His eternal blessedness. No amount of earthly treasure can even come close to such privilege.
We therefore are called to "prepare our minds for action; be self-controlled, and set our hope fully on the grace to be given when Jesus Christ is revealed." This means that we need to fix our hearts continuously on the coming of our Lord and Savior who will redeem us from the misery and uncertainty of this world. When we orient our minds and hearts toward Jesus Christ, we are able to weather the turbulent storms of this life, no matter what form that they may take. We need to have a regular attitude of thanksgiving to the Lord for His redeeming us from the "empty (vain) way of life handed down to us by our forefathers" (1:18), and this redemption is not with "perishable things like gold and silver . . . but by the precious blood of Christ (1:18-19). What privilege! What joy!
Since we have been given this great eternal gift from the King of kings, we need to not fall prey to the entrapment of this world, namely that earthly treasures are the standard for measuring our personal fulfillment. Peter tells us to "abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul" (2:11). We can only break free from the enticements of the world by renewing our minds on Christ and His glorious place He has prepared for us. Let's not permit the global economic gloom to bring fear and dread to our souls; rather, let us by faith in the glorious hope of our redemption through Christ's death and resurrection celebrate our future, no matter what earthly situation may befall us.
In recent days, we have seen incredible volatility in our economic markets, and many in our nation are fearful for their financial future. People are asking questions like, "Will we have enough money to retire?"; "Will we lose equity in our homes?"; "Will we have jobs to provide income for our families?"; et al. Whereas these are important questions to ask during these turbulent times, Scripture provides the true follower of Jesus Christ with the antidote to the fear that comes during such economic chaos.
Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter tells true followers of Jesus Christ that we are "strangers" in a foreign land and therefore we should be fixing our minds upon the blessedness of our true home: heaven. Peter begins with a word of praise to our loving Lord, because God has provided to us His great mercy . . . which has given to us the hope of our resurrection into an inheritance "that can never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for (us)" (1:3-4). Notice that we have an eternal inheritance that is being kept in heaven for us by our Loving Father. This gift is not subject to the turbulence of the current stock markets; rather, it is guaranteed by God to those who surrender themselves to Him as their Lord. And of course, the blessing of this inheritance is so much beyond the paltry wealth that this earth provides us; so we should not fall prey to the misconception that earthly treasures are of comparable value to the blessedness that awaits us in heaven. The luster and permanence of these treasures should encourage us to keep our minds fixed on eternity.
Therefore, we are called to live lives of joy here on earth, trusting that God will protect us by His mighty power until the day of our union with Him in glory. This does not mean that we will not suffer through this life, but it does mean that God will provide us the strength to endure whatever trials may come our way. Joy is a disposition that is not responsive to our circumstances; rather, it is a peace and contentment in God, irrespective of our circumstances.
Scripture tells us that tribulations come our way to test our faith so that we will respond to the difficulties of life in the assurance that God is in control and will deliver us in the end. This type of faith brings praise, glory, and honor to our Lord, and He is well pleased when we trust Him in the midst of our difficulties (see Hebrews 11:6). Scripture also tells us that our faith is of greater worth than gold, because it will usher us into the presence of our Almighty King and His eternal blessedness. No amount of earthly treasure can even come close to such privilege.
We therefore are called to "prepare our minds for action; be self-controlled, and set our hope fully on the grace to be given when Jesus Christ is revealed." This means that we need to fix our hearts continuously on the coming of our Lord and Savior who will redeem us from the misery and uncertainty of this world. When we orient our minds and hearts toward Jesus Christ, we are able to weather the turbulent storms of this life, no matter what form that they may take. We need to have a regular attitude of thanksgiving to the Lord for His redeeming us from the "empty (vain) way of life handed down to us by our forefathers" (1:18), and this redemption is not with "perishable things like gold and silver . . . but by the precious blood of Christ (1:18-19). What privilege! What joy!
Since we have been given this great eternal gift from the King of kings, we need to not fall prey to the entrapment of this world, namely that earthly treasures are the standard for measuring our personal fulfillment. Peter tells us to "abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul" (2:11). We can only break free from the enticements of the world by renewing our minds on Christ and His glorious place He has prepared for us. Let's not permit the global economic gloom to bring fear and dread to our souls; rather, let us by faith in the glorious hope of our redemption through Christ's death and resurrection celebrate our future, no matter what earthly situation may befall us.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sanctity of LIfe
Job 10:8-12: "Your hands (O Lord) shaped me and made me . . . . Remember that you molded me like clay . . . . (you) clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews. You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."
In the politically charged environment in which we live today, one of the hot topics vehemently debated is the sanctity of life. Pro-abortion rights activists propagate the woman's right to exclusive domain over any actions involving her body; and they brazenly proclaim that the child growing in the womb is not a person per se, but a tangled mass of organic material without identity and person hood. These activists use the topics of rape and incest as platforms to inculcate the need for the "victim" (in this case the woman abused) to have self-determination as to how the painful consequences of sexual abuse are remedied. From rallies and marches to hearings before the Supreme Court, these advocates of abortion rights (what they would call "women's rights") are strongly resolved to keep abortion not only legal but culturally acceptable (even desirable).
Rather than catering to our cultural opinions, what we as a nation must do is look to the Scriptures to see the opinion of the Sovereign Lord. In the above mentioned passage, we find that Job, in appealing to God's mercy to deliver him from his physical pain, reaffirmed that the Lord had "shaped (Job) [i.e. his body] . . . molding him like clay . . . clothing him with skin and flesh . . . (and thus) giving to him life." There is no doubt that Job believed that God was directly involved in the physical development of his body while it was being formed in the womb; thus, we find in the divinely inspired Scriptures that God's participation in the development of one's life begins at conception . The fetus developing in the womb is not merely an organic mass without person hood, but as Job states in 10:12, the fetus has a spirit that God watches over while He crafts the body to be introduced into the world.
King David concurs with Job's summation of the status of the unborn child, for in Psalm 139:13, the psalmist says, "For you (O Lord) created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful . . . . My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my uniformed body." There is no doubt that the unborn child is in fact a person, ordained by the One True God with life, identity, and purpose. To take the life of one who was made in the image of the Lord is to invite the wrath of the Almighty, for He tells us in Genesis 9:6: "And from each man I (God) will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man."
As utterly detestable as rape and incest are, bringing great violation to the person being abused, these extreme instances do not provide license to excuse the further violation of life by terminating the life of the one who has not had any verbal say in the matter. God does not condone the further degradation of the situation by permitting the conceived child to be destroyed. Tragically, these scenarios are the ones most propagated by abortion rights activists; however, the more prevalent cases of abortion involve women who do not want to live with the consequences of their consensual sexual behavior. Their decision to abort their child is to avoid the added responsibility that the child would bring into their lives; for many, the child represents an added "inconvenience" that must be eliminated.
Job tells us that God watches over all of mankind and will "not let (the) offense (of sin) go unpunished" (Job 10:14). Those contemplating abortion need to examine not their personal preference in the matter, but what God's ultimate will is . . . and we know from Scripture that God desires that the child LIVE! Preservation of life is a non-negotiable to the Lord, for He has a purpose for each life created; and that purpose is to see him rise up and praise the Lord for His "glorious splendor and meditate on His wonderful works" (see Malachi 2:15 & Psalm 145:5).
Be warned! Job tells us how to identify the "wicked" in the world. They "shake (their) fists at God and vaunt (themselves) against the Almighty" (Job 15:25). If you are seeking your "rights" or personal preferences rather than surrendering to the Lord, you are in danger of His eternal judgment. For Scripture tells us that the wicked "will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away." Don't demand your will over the One True God; rather, submit to His will and follow Him as Lord.
In the politically charged environment in which we live today, one of the hot topics vehemently debated is the sanctity of life. Pro-abortion rights activists propagate the woman's right to exclusive domain over any actions involving her body; and they brazenly proclaim that the child growing in the womb is not a person per se, but a tangled mass of organic material without identity and person hood. These activists use the topics of rape and incest as platforms to inculcate the need for the "victim" (in this case the woman abused) to have self-determination as to how the painful consequences of sexual abuse are remedied. From rallies and marches to hearings before the Supreme Court, these advocates of abortion rights (what they would call "women's rights") are strongly resolved to keep abortion not only legal but culturally acceptable (even desirable).
Rather than catering to our cultural opinions, what we as a nation must do is look to the Scriptures to see the opinion of the Sovereign Lord. In the above mentioned passage, we find that Job, in appealing to God's mercy to deliver him from his physical pain, reaffirmed that the Lord had "shaped (Job) [i.e. his body] . . . molding him like clay . . . clothing him with skin and flesh . . . (and thus) giving to him life." There is no doubt that Job believed that God was directly involved in the physical development of his body while it was being formed in the womb; thus, we find in the divinely inspired Scriptures that God's participation in the development of one's life begins at conception . The fetus developing in the womb is not merely an organic mass without person hood, but as Job states in 10:12, the fetus has a spirit that God watches over while He crafts the body to be introduced into the world.
King David concurs with Job's summation of the status of the unborn child, for in Psalm 139:13, the psalmist says, "For you (O Lord) created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful . . . . My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my uniformed body." There is no doubt that the unborn child is in fact a person, ordained by the One True God with life, identity, and purpose. To take the life of one who was made in the image of the Lord is to invite the wrath of the Almighty, for He tells us in Genesis 9:6: "And from each man I (God) will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man."
As utterly detestable as rape and incest are, bringing great violation to the person being abused, these extreme instances do not provide license to excuse the further violation of life by terminating the life of the one who has not had any verbal say in the matter. God does not condone the further degradation of the situation by permitting the conceived child to be destroyed. Tragically, these scenarios are the ones most propagated by abortion rights activists; however, the more prevalent cases of abortion involve women who do not want to live with the consequences of their consensual sexual behavior. Their decision to abort their child is to avoid the added responsibility that the child would bring into their lives; for many, the child represents an added "inconvenience" that must be eliminated.
Job tells us that God watches over all of mankind and will "not let (the) offense (of sin) go unpunished" (Job 10:14). Those contemplating abortion need to examine not their personal preference in the matter, but what God's ultimate will is . . . and we know from Scripture that God desires that the child LIVE! Preservation of life is a non-negotiable to the Lord, for He has a purpose for each life created; and that purpose is to see him rise up and praise the Lord for His "glorious splendor and meditate on His wonderful works" (see Malachi 2:15 & Psalm 145:5).
Be warned! Job tells us how to identify the "wicked" in the world. They "shake (their) fists at God and vaunt (themselves) against the Almighty" (Job 15:25). If you are seeking your "rights" or personal preferences rather than surrendering to the Lord, you are in danger of His eternal judgment. For Scripture tells us that the wicked "will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away." Don't demand your will over the One True God; rather, submit to His will and follow Him as Lord.
Monday, October 6, 2008
God Sees Everything
2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."
The context of this passage in the book of 2 Chronicles is the pronounced Divine judgment upon King Asa of Judah for his lack of faith in the LORD. For thirty-five years, this king was faithful to the LORD; he removed all of the detestable idols that his people had been worshipping, and he commanded that his kingdom serve the One True God exclusively. Earlier in this king's reign, his realm was attacked by the nations of Cush (Ethiopia) and Libya. Although the circumstances looked abysmal, Asa immediately went to the Lord in prayer, asking that God deliver His people from the hands of these invaders. In response to such faith by the king, God brought victory to the Judeans by striking down the Cushites; so impressive was God's intervention that the Cushites were "crushed beyond recovery" (2 Chron 14:13). It truly was a time of celebration in Judah as the people marveled God's goodness to them.
King Asa now was even more determined to follow the laws of the Lord, and for Asa's obedience, the LORD brought 20 more years of peace to the kingdom. Tragically in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's rule, the king forgot that the Lord could provide deliverance for his kingdom; for when the northern tribes threatened war against Judah, Asa quickly formed an alliance with a pagan nation for security. In fact, the Judean king "took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD's temple and his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus" (2 Chron. 16:2). God sent a seer by the name of Hanani to Asa and rebuked him for such a lack of faith. Hanani reminded the king that God had been his protector against the Cushites and would have been against the northern tribes as well had Asa sought the Lord first and not relied upon his own "ingenuity" to solve his perceived problem. Asa had reached a low point in his rebellion against the Lord, for instead of repenting of his sins, the king had the seer imprisoned for speaking against his royal decisions.
Even though Asa had 35 years of successful rule in Judah, when he started down the path of rebellion against the Lord, the Lord in turn would begin the process of removing the king from his position of authority. Within 6 years, the king would be dead from an illness that might have been recoverable had the king sought the Lord during his illness. In any event, the king died and was kingdom was given to his son, Jehoshaphat. Whereas Asa could have gone down in the annals of Biblical history as one of the greatest kings of Judah, his lack of faith in the Lord during his latter years of rule brought disdain to his legacy. No matter what Asa thought he could get away with behind the scenes in defiance to the Lord, God would not be fooled. God sent the seer, Hanani, to remind the king that God sees everything, and He "strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (as Lord)" (2 Chron. 16:9).
This is a great word for each of us. God sees those who faithfully seek Him first in their lives, and He showers His Divine blessings upon them. Conversely, those who follow a path of personal desire above the Lord and choose not to trust the Lord with their lives (and circumstances), God removes His hand of blessing. May we not seek our selves above the One True God, and may we not lose heart when our circumstances test our faith in the Lord. As King Asa did early in his reign, may we seek the Lord through prayer and ask for His hand of protection when our circumstances look rather bleak. And may we continually recommit ourselves fully to His rule in our lives so that He will strengthen us with His presence and His blessing. We will never regret the decision to trust the Lord and follow Him in obedience.
The context of this passage in the book of 2 Chronicles is the pronounced Divine judgment upon King Asa of Judah for his lack of faith in the LORD. For thirty-five years, this king was faithful to the LORD; he removed all of the detestable idols that his people had been worshipping, and he commanded that his kingdom serve the One True God exclusively. Earlier in this king's reign, his realm was attacked by the nations of Cush (Ethiopia) and Libya. Although the circumstances looked abysmal, Asa immediately went to the Lord in prayer, asking that God deliver His people from the hands of these invaders. In response to such faith by the king, God brought victory to the Judeans by striking down the Cushites; so impressive was God's intervention that the Cushites were "crushed beyond recovery" (2 Chron 14:13). It truly was a time of celebration in Judah as the people marveled God's goodness to them.
King Asa now was even more determined to follow the laws of the Lord, and for Asa's obedience, the LORD brought 20 more years of peace to the kingdom. Tragically in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's rule, the king forgot that the Lord could provide deliverance for his kingdom; for when the northern tribes threatened war against Judah, Asa quickly formed an alliance with a pagan nation for security. In fact, the Judean king "took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD's temple and his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus" (2 Chron. 16:2). God sent a seer by the name of Hanani to Asa and rebuked him for such a lack of faith. Hanani reminded the king that God had been his protector against the Cushites and would have been against the northern tribes as well had Asa sought the Lord first and not relied upon his own "ingenuity" to solve his perceived problem. Asa had reached a low point in his rebellion against the Lord, for instead of repenting of his sins, the king had the seer imprisoned for speaking against his royal decisions.
Even though Asa had 35 years of successful rule in Judah, when he started down the path of rebellion against the Lord, the Lord in turn would begin the process of removing the king from his position of authority. Within 6 years, the king would be dead from an illness that might have been recoverable had the king sought the Lord during his illness. In any event, the king died and was kingdom was given to his son, Jehoshaphat. Whereas Asa could have gone down in the annals of Biblical history as one of the greatest kings of Judah, his lack of faith in the Lord during his latter years of rule brought disdain to his legacy. No matter what Asa thought he could get away with behind the scenes in defiance to the Lord, God would not be fooled. God sent the seer, Hanani, to remind the king that God sees everything, and He "strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (as Lord)" (2 Chron. 16:9).
This is a great word for each of us. God sees those who faithfully seek Him first in their lives, and He showers His Divine blessings upon them. Conversely, those who follow a path of personal desire above the Lord and choose not to trust the Lord with their lives (and circumstances), God removes His hand of blessing. May we not seek our selves above the One True God, and may we not lose heart when our circumstances test our faith in the Lord. As King Asa did early in his reign, may we seek the Lord through prayer and ask for His hand of protection when our circumstances look rather bleak. And may we continually recommit ourselves fully to His rule in our lives so that He will strengthen us with His presence and His blessing. We will never regret the decision to trust the Lord and follow Him in obedience.
Friday, October 3, 2008
We Have An Obligation
Romans 8:12-14,16: "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . . The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
Romans 8 begins with a wonderful celebration of God's gift of His very own Son as a sacrificial offering for the sin of man. Of course, this gift was demonstrated by Jesus Christ on a cross, where the very Son of God subjected Himself to a most horrific death in order that the righteous requirements of God's law might be FULLY met through Him. There was no way in which humanity was able to satisfy these requirements because each of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Thus it was only by God's death and resurrection that full atonement for our sin could be offered. We were not able to merit our own favor before the One True Holy Righteous God, and this necessitated God's intervention.
Still, we have an obligation in response to this incredible offering by the Lord. Scripture tells us that we are to renounce any allegiance to the old ways that we once followed in our dark days of of following our sinful nature. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within the believer, we are to live in obedience to the will of the Lord, as we are surrendered to Him as our King. This "surrender" is counter of the sinful mind that is "hostile to God . . . not submitting to Him" (8:7). Still, the blessedness of this submission is life in the eternal presence of the One True God of all Splendor and Majesty (8:11).
For the one who would believe that he can be a Christian in name only and yet still live a life of sinful rebellion against the Lord is sadly mistaken in his understanding of true conversion. Scripture tells us that those who continue to worship the sinful nature through surrender to it do not have the Holy Spirit and thus do not have a personal relationship with Christ (8:9). These people, though they believe that they are redeemed, are destined for eternal death in hell.
Still there is hope for those who are still alive; they have the opportunity to yield themselves to the Lordship of Christ, receive His forgiveness for sin, and through the power of the Holy Spirit live lives of obedience to Him.
Romans 8 begins with a wonderful celebration of God's gift of His very own Son as a sacrificial offering for the sin of man. Of course, this gift was demonstrated by Jesus Christ on a cross, where the very Son of God subjected Himself to a most horrific death in order that the righteous requirements of God's law might be FULLY met through Him. There was no way in which humanity was able to satisfy these requirements because each of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Thus it was only by God's death and resurrection that full atonement for our sin could be offered. We were not able to merit our own favor before the One True Holy Righteous God, and this necessitated God's intervention.
Still, we have an obligation in response to this incredible offering by the Lord. Scripture tells us that we are to renounce any allegiance to the old ways that we once followed in our dark days of of following our sinful nature. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within the believer, we are to live in obedience to the will of the Lord, as we are surrendered to Him as our King. This "surrender" is counter of the sinful mind that is "hostile to God . . . not submitting to Him" (8:7). Still, the blessedness of this submission is life in the eternal presence of the One True God of all Splendor and Majesty (8:11).
For the one who would believe that he can be a Christian in name only and yet still live a life of sinful rebellion against the Lord is sadly mistaken in his understanding of true conversion. Scripture tells us that those who continue to worship the sinful nature through surrender to it do not have the Holy Spirit and thus do not have a personal relationship with Christ (8:9). These people, though they believe that they are redeemed, are destined for eternal death in hell.
Still there is hope for those who are still alive; they have the opportunity to yield themselves to the Lordship of Christ, receive His forgiveness for sin, and through the power of the Holy Spirit live lives of obedience to Him.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Settling for Second Best
2 Chronicles 12:1-2,9: "After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD. Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam . . . . When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made."
In order that we might better appreciate the magnitude of the losses to Rehoboam, the royal heir to King Solomon, we need only to look at what Solomon had amassed during his forty year reign. God was faithful to His promise to Solomon that He would give him riches and honor so that in his lifetime he would "have no equal among kings" (1 Kings 3:13). Solomon's accumulated wealth was quite vast; each year, the king would receive 25 tons of gold, not including over revenues from merchants, traders, and conquered nations. So impressive was the royal display that the Queen of Sheba, upon her visit to the King of Israel, was quite overwhelmed and exclaimed, "in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard." What is sobering in examining the degree of royal affluence is that Solomon had no use for silver, for it was considered of little value to the king (I Kings 10:21). Only the finest gold, cedar, and ivory in the region were used in the construction of the king's palace and his decorative furniture. Of particular note were the 200 large golden shields and 300 smaller golden shields that adorned the halls of the King's Place at the Forest of Lebanon. Each of these shields were made of 7.5 pounds and 3.75 pounds of hammered gold respectively. At the end of the hall, Solomon constructed a throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. Lions were crafted at either side of the armrests and on either side of each of the six steps leading to the throne. Even the footstool was made of pure gold. It is safe to say that the king's palace was quite an impressive sight. In 24 years since the original promise from the LORD that Solomon would prosper, the king would find himself with "greater riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth" (1 Kings 10:23).
After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam was crowned king, and he ruled over Judah for 17 years. Early in his reign, Rehoboam committed himself to strengthening his kingdom by fortifying his defenses. The king placed weapons in all of his cities, and he dispersed his sons throughout his kingdom, in order that he might assure faithful commitment from his subjects. Within 5 years, Rehoboam seemingly had secured his kingdom to the point that he believed himself self-sufficient and no longer in need of the One True God. Quickly and rather flagrantly he and his subjects began to defy the law of the Lord. So brazen did the people become, that they would worship false gods and goddesses on mountaintops and would participate in grossly immoral practices in public. The people of Judah had reached a point that they were not ashamed of their rebellion against the Lord; they were willing to flaunt their wickedness openly as an act of open defiance against the Lord who had blessed them under Solomon's reign.
Of course, God would not be mocked by such recalcitrance. He raised up a pagan king, Shishak of Egypt, to invade the Judean territory, just 5 years after Solomon passed on his magnificent realm to his son. When the Egyptian armies entered the Palestinian region, they took everything of value from the Israelites, including the golden shields that adorned the king's palace. When the dust settled from the invasion, and the enemy returned to Egypt with the spoils of war, Rehoboam was left with none of the ornate regalia that his father had amassed. The king tried to salvage some respect from his subjects by re-crafting shields for his palace, but this time they were made of bronze instead of gold. Whereas it may have been an impressive display, it was nothing compared to the once great palace of gold. The tragedy in this story was that the king thought himself so great that he did not need the Lord; and as a result of Rehoboam's rebellion, the Lord removed His blessing so that the king would have to settle for second best.
There is a good word for us in this passage, namely that we should never think ourselves above the Lord. When we start to act in a way that defies the Sovereignty of God, we can expect that He will withdraw any blessing that He may have afforded to us in the days of our obedience to Him. Anytime we begin to worship our sinful appetites over the One True God, our idolatry will be judged by His Righteous Right as King of Kings. In the end, we will see that our rebellion will bring the loss of God's best for our lives; and we may find ourselves staring at second best as a result of such sin. What we must do is determine in our hearts to renounce any sin of rebellion against God's Sovereignty and follow Him obediently as Lord. When we do so, we can expect that the showers of blessing from the Lord will be poured upon us.
In order that we might better appreciate the magnitude of the losses to Rehoboam, the royal heir to King Solomon, we need only to look at what Solomon had amassed during his forty year reign. God was faithful to His promise to Solomon that He would give him riches and honor so that in his lifetime he would "have no equal among kings" (1 Kings 3:13). Solomon's accumulated wealth was quite vast; each year, the king would receive 25 tons of gold, not including over revenues from merchants, traders, and conquered nations. So impressive was the royal display that the Queen of Sheba, upon her visit to the King of Israel, was quite overwhelmed and exclaimed, "in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard." What is sobering in examining the degree of royal affluence is that Solomon had no use for silver, for it was considered of little value to the king (I Kings 10:21). Only the finest gold, cedar, and ivory in the region were used in the construction of the king's palace and his decorative furniture. Of particular note were the 200 large golden shields and 300 smaller golden shields that adorned the halls of the King's Place at the Forest of Lebanon. Each of these shields were made of 7.5 pounds and 3.75 pounds of hammered gold respectively. At the end of the hall, Solomon constructed a throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. Lions were crafted at either side of the armrests and on either side of each of the six steps leading to the throne. Even the footstool was made of pure gold. It is safe to say that the king's palace was quite an impressive sight. In 24 years since the original promise from the LORD that Solomon would prosper, the king would find himself with "greater riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth" (1 Kings 10:23).
After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam was crowned king, and he ruled over Judah for 17 years. Early in his reign, Rehoboam committed himself to strengthening his kingdom by fortifying his defenses. The king placed weapons in all of his cities, and he dispersed his sons throughout his kingdom, in order that he might assure faithful commitment from his subjects. Within 5 years, Rehoboam seemingly had secured his kingdom to the point that he believed himself self-sufficient and no longer in need of the One True God. Quickly and rather flagrantly he and his subjects began to defy the law of the Lord. So brazen did the people become, that they would worship false gods and goddesses on mountaintops and would participate in grossly immoral practices in public. The people of Judah had reached a point that they were not ashamed of their rebellion against the Lord; they were willing to flaunt their wickedness openly as an act of open defiance against the Lord who had blessed them under Solomon's reign.
Of course, God would not be mocked by such recalcitrance. He raised up a pagan king, Shishak of Egypt, to invade the Judean territory, just 5 years after Solomon passed on his magnificent realm to his son. When the Egyptian armies entered the Palestinian region, they took everything of value from the Israelites, including the golden shields that adorned the king's palace. When the dust settled from the invasion, and the enemy returned to Egypt with the spoils of war, Rehoboam was left with none of the ornate regalia that his father had amassed. The king tried to salvage some respect from his subjects by re-crafting shields for his palace, but this time they were made of bronze instead of gold. Whereas it may have been an impressive display, it was nothing compared to the once great palace of gold. The tragedy in this story was that the king thought himself so great that he did not need the Lord; and as a result of Rehoboam's rebellion, the Lord removed His blessing so that the king would have to settle for second best.
There is a good word for us in this passage, namely that we should never think ourselves above the Lord. When we start to act in a way that defies the Sovereignty of God, we can expect that He will withdraw any blessing that He may have afforded to us in the days of our obedience to Him. Anytime we begin to worship our sinful appetites over the One True God, our idolatry will be judged by His Righteous Right as King of Kings. In the end, we will see that our rebellion will bring the loss of God's best for our lives; and we may find ourselves staring at second best as a result of such sin. What we must do is determine in our hearts to renounce any sin of rebellion against God's Sovereignty and follow Him obediently as Lord. When we do so, we can expect that the showers of blessing from the Lord will be poured upon us.
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