Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 16: 1-5; … 34 : … [Priestly Preparation for Atonement] … 1 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. 2 The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. >>> 3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. >>> … 34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.
My Journal for Today: There are several good lessons to which I’m drawn to comment in this blog for my devotional journal today from these three chapters in Leviticus which I’m led to study and meditate upon today during my chronological reading plan. Certainly the teachings in Leviticus 18 about sexual sin would be grist for my blog, especially since I was called by God many years ago to found and co-lead a ministry to help Christians find healing and restoration from patterns of sexual sin. However, the section upon which I was drawn to blog today is that at the outset of this three chapters, having to do with God’s instructions to Moses and Aaron about how the Day of Atonement was to be carried out annually, especially the preparations Aaron, as the High Priest, was to make to carry out this ritual of propitiation for sins, i.e., the atonement sacrifice.
The Day of Atonement was to be the most necessary and carefully observed of all of the religious remembrances God had set up in the Levitical system for the Israelites. And at this time it was the only way that God’s people could be “covered” for their sinful nature and practices. God was setting up a way for these sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, with their sinful natures, to have their sins “covered” in a carefully calculated celebration of God’s love, mercy, and grace. And if, in preparing for this ceremony of propitiation, Aaron – or any subsequent high priest – were to try to enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle for this blood ”covering” ritual, he would die, … Aaron’s preparation showing the people just how serious was this atonement ceremony annually.
I’m drawn to meditate on this today because God is so careful with His Old Testament details when He, The LORD, is painting pictures which foreshadow the coming work of His Messiah for His children. When God is showing His children how their sins can be “covered,” He is painting pictures of what His Son, the Lamb of God, would do with His blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. And actually this picture of the atoning grace of God, through Christ’s sacrifice, began to be painted with the “covering” of the ark which Noah was asked to build.
You may have noticed above that each time I typed the term “covered” or “covering,” I emphasized it with bold type and quotations. I did that because the same term in Hebrew, ”kaphar.” which we find used in Genesis 6: 14 [linked here] as instructions for the tar or pitch which God instructed Noah to use to cover the ark, which was to save mankind through Noah’s family, is the same term used in Leviticus to describe the ceremony of atonement which was to be used to save God’s people through the “covering” they would received by the atoning blood sacrifice in the Holy of Holies, so carefully offered by Levitical High Priesthood from the line of Aaron.
And we know – or should know and reverently remember – that we Christians are now of that line of royal priesthood, and our sins have been ”covered” - “kaphar” in Hebrew – with the atoning blood of the Lamb of God. That’s why these pictures in Levitcus, no matter how boring they may seem as we read through them over and over, are such rich word pictures of the One Who came and died on that cross so that you and I could have our sinfulness ”covered” FOREVER by the atoning blood sacrifice of God’s perfect Lamb.
Our sins are ”covered”; and we can – with proper cleansing and preparation – enter the Holy of Holies, which now resides in our hearts, anytime and anyplace and we can be cleansed and made right before God’s throne of grace. And that is because of the ”kaphar” of our Lord and Savior on that cross. His blood ”covers” us all; and I am His priest, coming into His Holy of Holies to remember His atoning grace today. Come with me, dear one; and let’s pray >>>
My Prayer Today: … Most Holy,… Lamb of God, we come into Your presence today knowing that You have shed Your blood – once and for all - that our sins are ”covered” forever by Your sacrifice of atoning grace. Amen
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
February 17, 2012 … God’s Careful Precautions
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 14-15 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 14: 54-47 : … [Skincare and Mold]… 54 These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease, for a sore, 55 for defiling molds in fabric or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean. … These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.
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LEVITICUS 15: 32-33 … : … [Bodily Discharge and Sexual Intercourse] … 32 These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, 33 for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.
My Journal for Today: As one reads through Leviticus, Chapters 14-15 in today’s chronological read of the Bible, you have to be impressed with the details of God’s care for His people; and we must remember that this detail is in the context of the healthcare of those times and in that culture.
Part of God’s watch-care and healthcare precautions were an attempt to help separate God’s chosen people from the health care (or lack thereof) of the other pagan tribes and cultures in those regions, … the “Gentile” cultures. God’s people were being asked to do life God’s way, not in the ways and watch care of the pagans. God was teaching His children to do it the way of their loving, caring, and watching Heavenly Father; and their God would not ask them to do something – anything – which was not for their good. Therefore, if God’s children, obediently followed through with instructions like the ones given to them through Moses, they would remain healthy and hardy. If not? - … Well, you get the picture.
So, should we be doing healthcare exactly as instructed by God’s word in the Old Testament. Well, there are some things which could be incorporated from the Levitical system which would help us out; but generally, since we have God’s updated New Covenant plans for His children, under the watch care and covering of Christ’s blood, we would not have to carry out these legal ways of healthcare. In fact, God has given us – in our times – other, very wonderful, healthcare systems and precautions which are far superior to those in the Old Testament times/cultures.
The primary principle under inspection here is to seek, hear (or read), and follow God as we live our lives. And when we find God’s will for our lives, we live it out, trusting the ways of God to lead us through cultural, as well as healthcare, issues. It’s the working out of the principle of Proverbs 3: 5-6 for our lives as Christians. Find God’s way, primarily through His word, and live out His will. So, do we follow every Levitical law to the letter? No, … that’s not what I’m interpreting here – or God’s will, I believe – would say to us. Those healthcare laws and ways were for God’s children in those times and under their knowledge of the world at that time. Now, we must use what God has given us in the way of healthcare principles to allow us to thrive – in this world and in this time.
The principle of Proverbs 3: 5-6 and others under the watch care of God’s word are not time or culturally limited. And yes, seeking, finding, and knowing God’s will and HIS way, through His word, can be challenging at times for our finite individual and collective minds. BUT, … when Jesus said (in Luke 9: 23) for His disciples to “… deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me,” … those instructions were for any time, any culture, and any generation. And His watch care for our generation, under the watch care of His word, will always keep us healthy: … physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is our responsibility to seek out HIS will, and HIS way, through HIS word … and then to follow it … obediently and without question. That was God’s over-riding principle of watch care for His children in Leviticus … just as it is now, as Christians, in this 21st century.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I seek Your way. … Shine Your light of truth on my path and then help me to follow Your will … always! Amen
Leviticus 14: 54-47 : … [Skincare and Mold]… 54 These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease, for a sore, 55 for defiling molds in fabric or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean. … These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.
=============
LEVITICUS 15: 32-33 … : … [Bodily Discharge and Sexual Intercourse] … 32 These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, 33 for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.
My Journal for Today: As one reads through Leviticus, Chapters 14-15 in today’s chronological read of the Bible, you have to be impressed with the details of God’s care for His people; and we must remember that this detail is in the context of the healthcare of those times and in that culture.
Part of God’s watch-care and healthcare precautions were an attempt to help separate God’s chosen people from the health care (or lack thereof) of the other pagan tribes and cultures in those regions, … the “Gentile” cultures. God’s people were being asked to do life God’s way, not in the ways and watch care of the pagans. God was teaching His children to do it the way of their loving, caring, and watching Heavenly Father; and their God would not ask them to do something – anything – which was not for their good. Therefore, if God’s children, obediently followed through with instructions like the ones given to them through Moses, they would remain healthy and hardy. If not? - … Well, you get the picture.
So, should we be doing healthcare exactly as instructed by God’s word in the Old Testament. Well, there are some things which could be incorporated from the Levitical system which would help us out; but generally, since we have God’s updated New Covenant plans for His children, under the watch care and covering of Christ’s blood, we would not have to carry out these legal ways of healthcare. In fact, God has given us – in our times – other, very wonderful, healthcare systems and precautions which are far superior to those in the Old Testament times/cultures.
The primary principle under inspection here is to seek, hear (or read), and follow God as we live our lives. And when we find God’s will for our lives, we live it out, trusting the ways of God to lead us through cultural, as well as healthcare, issues. It’s the working out of the principle of Proverbs 3: 5-6 for our lives as Christians. Find God’s way, primarily through His word, and live out His will. So, do we follow every Levitical law to the letter? No, … that’s not what I’m interpreting here – or God’s will, I believe – would say to us. Those healthcare laws and ways were for God’s children in those times and under their knowledge of the world at that time. Now, we must use what God has given us in the way of healthcare principles to allow us to thrive – in this world and in this time.
The principle of Proverbs 3: 5-6 and others under the watch care of God’s word are not time or culturally limited. And yes, seeking, finding, and knowing God’s will and HIS way, through His word, can be challenging at times for our finite individual and collective minds. BUT, … when Jesus said (in Luke 9: 23) for His disciples to “… deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me,” … those instructions were for any time, any culture, and any generation. And His watch care for our generation, under the watch care of His word, will always keep us healthy: … physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is our responsibility to seek out HIS will, and HIS way, through HIS word … and then to follow it … obediently and without question. That was God’s over-riding principle of watch care for His children in Leviticus … just as it is now, as Christians, in this 21st century.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I seek Your way. … Shine Your light of truth on my path and then help me to follow Your will … always! Amen
Thursday, February 16, 2012
February 16, 2012 … God’s Protection of Worship
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 11-13 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 11: 24-25 : … [Purity for Worship]… 24 “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
My Journal for Today: As I read though Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus this morning, one could get the idea that God felt that those who touched unclean things, women who had babies, or people with skin diseases were sinful because of their circumstances and conditions. But that would be a misinterpretation of these very careful regulations God was imposing – through Aaron and the Priesthood – on God’s children and their worship in the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the Tabernacle.
No, what God was doing with all these careful instructions to protect the conditions of worship was to set the worship of their living God, Jehovah, apart from the worship of the pagan gods in the cultures surrounding God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
And immediately in reading these three chapters, I was drawn back – by the enlightenment of God’s Spirit, I believe - to instructions which the Apostle Paul gave to New Covenant worshippers, those who’ve come to the Living Tabernacle, Jesus Christ, in faith and desire to worship Him forever, having been purified by His blood on the cross. Jesus was/is the reason why we don’t have to have the same protections which are written of in these three chapters of God’s Book of the Law in Leviticus. And Paul exhorted us – Christians – how to prepare ourselves for worship, when God had him write in Romans 12: 1-2, ... 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My memory also reflected back to the instructions to believers by the Apostle John’s vision, about preparing for the coming BrideGoom, our Savior, Who will be coming for His Bride, the Church, for the wedding feast of The Lamb. The instructions for the preparation of the Bride for the Groom (i.e., our preparations for the worship of the Lamb of God at the wedding feast) are found in Revelation 19: 7-10, where it says, ... 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) … 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” … 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
And by combining the exhortation of Romans 12 with the instruction of Revelation 19, we can glean God’s desire that we – His chosen Bride - be purified for worship … that we be prepared to bow before God with our lives, … purified by keeping our linens clean (i.e., living righteous lives and avoiding the impurities of this world). We are to live lives of “living sacrifice,” pure and undefiled, which was symbolized by the detailed instructions for purity given to God’s people as they prepared themselves – by their living the way God instructed – to avoid those parts of the world and their own flesh which would render them defiled for worship.
God simply wants His Bride – His chosen church (i.e., that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) – to be in a ready and purified state of “living worship” (as Paul wrote in Rom. 12: 1), having our lines clean and purified for the BrideGroom, Who will come to get His Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
Are you ready for Him coming for you, my friend? Are we living lives, purified and prepared for worship on a 24/7 basis in life? I don’t know about you; but I could use some more cleansing of my linens as I prepare for my Groom to come for me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me prepare for You today by cleansing my linens in the purifying blood of Calvary. Amen
Leviticus 11: 24-25 : … [Purity for Worship]… 24 “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
My Journal for Today: As I read though Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus this morning, one could get the idea that God felt that those who touched unclean things, women who had babies, or people with skin diseases were sinful because of their circumstances and conditions. But that would be a misinterpretation of these very careful regulations God was imposing – through Aaron and the Priesthood – on God’s children and their worship in the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the Tabernacle.
No, what God was doing with all these careful instructions to protect the conditions of worship was to set the worship of their living God, Jehovah, apart from the worship of the pagan gods in the cultures surrounding God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
And immediately in reading these three chapters, I was drawn back – by the enlightenment of God’s Spirit, I believe - to instructions which the Apostle Paul gave to New Covenant worshippers, those who’ve come to the Living Tabernacle, Jesus Christ, in faith and desire to worship Him forever, having been purified by His blood on the cross. Jesus was/is the reason why we don’t have to have the same protections which are written of in these three chapters of God’s Book of the Law in Leviticus. And Paul exhorted us – Christians – how to prepare ourselves for worship, when God had him write in Romans 12: 1-2, ... 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My memory also reflected back to the instructions to believers by the Apostle John’s vision, about preparing for the coming BrideGoom, our Savior, Who will be coming for His Bride, the Church, for the wedding feast of The Lamb. The instructions for the preparation of the Bride for the Groom (i.e., our preparations for the worship of the Lamb of God at the wedding feast) are found in Revelation 19: 7-10, where it says, ... 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) … 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” … 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
And by combining the exhortation of Romans 12 with the instruction of Revelation 19, we can glean God’s desire that we – His chosen Bride - be purified for worship … that we be prepared to bow before God with our lives, … purified by keeping our linens clean (i.e., living righteous lives and avoiding the impurities of this world). We are to live lives of “living sacrifice,” pure and undefiled, which was symbolized by the detailed instructions for purity given to God’s people as they prepared themselves – by their living the way God instructed – to avoid those parts of the world and their own flesh which would render them defiled for worship.
God simply wants His Bride – His chosen church (i.e., that’s you and me, fellow Christian!) – to be in a ready and purified state of “living worship” (as Paul wrote in Rom. 12: 1), having our lines clean and purified for the BrideGroom, Who will come to get His Bride for the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
Are you ready for Him coming for you, my friend? Are we living lives, purified and prepared for worship on a 24/7 basis in life? I don’t know about you; but I could use some more cleansing of my linens as I prepare for my Groom to come for me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me prepare for You today by cleansing my linens in the purifying blood of Calvary. Amen
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
February 15, 2012 … God’s Priesthood – Plan B!
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 8-10 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 8: 1-5 : … [Priests Set Aside for Holiness]… 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering,[a] the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, 3 and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” 4 Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. … 5 Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
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LEVITICUS 10; 1-2; 8-11; … : … [Aaron’s Disobedient Sons] … 1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. …
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, 11 and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.”
My Journal for Today: Today in the passages of my chronological reading plan which stood out to me, God was teaching about the Priesthood, which was set aside – BY GOD – in a special way, to watch over the flock of God’s people. And in Leviticus, chapters 8-9, we read of the elaborate ordination scheme, in which God made plain that the priesthood was to represent God to man as well as man to God and the Priests were to be the picture of holiness to the people.
But actually this was God’s “Plan B” for the priesthood.
Earlier this year in Exodus 19: 5-6, I read about God’s “Plan A” for His Priesthood, which reads as follows, [God to Moses about His chosen people, the descendants of Joseph] 5 “ ‘ Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you [God’s chosen nation] will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
For you bible students, does that passage ring a bell of connection for you with the New Testament? What about 1st Peter 2: 9-10 [?], which reads … 9 But you [God’s church] are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Yes, my fellow disciples of Christ, we – you and me – are God’s PLAN A for His priesthood. And we are the fulfillment of God’s original plan for His chosen people to become a nation of priests, set aside for holiness, and sanctified for God’s glory. But in those OT days, after the establishment of God’s Tabernacle, as God’s sinful peoples were being prepared for their 40-year purging in the wilderness, God knew that He was going to have a Plan B for the Priesthood; and so we have the ordination of the Levites as Priests, set aside by this elaborate ordination ceremony in Leviticus to be God’s representatives to the people and their representatives to God.
But as you read in Chapter 10 of Leviticus, even the first of these ordained priests couldn’t hack it; and Aaron’s sons lapsed into selfishness and disobedience and away from God’s commission of holiness. And we read how God purified the priesthood by fire, consuming those who would not follow His commandments, as His Priesthood, and could not be God’s representative of holiness to others of God’s chosen as well as their representative to Him.
My dear ones, do we see the implication? WE are God’s royal priesthood now that Christ has come to be the Chief Priest. He has ordained and anointed any and all who are truly born-again believers to be His Royal Priesthood; and it is the shed blood of the Lamb of God which has purified us for this New Covenant Priesthood. And we, representing God to man and man to God, must be committed to living in obedience and holiness as God charged Aaron and his sons to be. And if we cannot, we are subject to the penalty experienced by Aaron’s sons and that is the death of our Spiritual life [i.e., our witness as God’s representatives] which is consumed in disobedience and sin. We won’t lose our promised eternal life because of our sinfulness; but we can – and would – lose our effectiveness and power as witnessing Priests if we cannot live up to God’s charge of grace empowered holiness.
BUT … we can be purified priests every day and in every situation of our lives, if we keep short accounts of cleansing with our God through confession/contrition (again see 1st John 1: 9). And when we do, also choosing to receive and use God’s purifying and enabling grace, we can be God’s Royal Priesthood, His PLAN A of holiness to the sin-ridden world, … letting God’s pure light of redemption shine through us to a world which desperately needs more chosen ones in His Priesthood.
My Prayer Today: … Oh, LORD, let me be Your Priest today as I’m cleansed and purified by my confession and Your forgiveness. Amen
Leviticus 8: 1-5 : … [Priests Set Aside for Holiness]… 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering,[a] the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, 3 and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” 4 Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. … 5 Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
============
LEVITICUS 10; 1-2; 8-11; … : … [Aaron’s Disobedient Sons] … 1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. …
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, 11 and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.”
My Journal for Today: Today in the passages of my chronological reading plan which stood out to me, God was teaching about the Priesthood, which was set aside – BY GOD – in a special way, to watch over the flock of God’s people. And in Leviticus, chapters 8-9, we read of the elaborate ordination scheme, in which God made plain that the priesthood was to represent God to man as well as man to God and the Priests were to be the picture of holiness to the people.
But actually this was God’s “Plan B” for the priesthood.
Earlier this year in Exodus 19: 5-6, I read about God’s “Plan A” for His Priesthood, which reads as follows, [God to Moses about His chosen people, the descendants of Joseph] 5 “ ‘ Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you [God’s chosen nation] will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
For you bible students, does that passage ring a bell of connection for you with the New Testament? What about 1st Peter 2: 9-10 [?], which reads … 9 But you [God’s church] are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Yes, my fellow disciples of Christ, we – you and me – are God’s PLAN A for His priesthood. And we are the fulfillment of God’s original plan for His chosen people to become a nation of priests, set aside for holiness, and sanctified for God’s glory. But in those OT days, after the establishment of God’s Tabernacle, as God’s sinful peoples were being prepared for their 40-year purging in the wilderness, God knew that He was going to have a Plan B for the Priesthood; and so we have the ordination of the Levites as Priests, set aside by this elaborate ordination ceremony in Leviticus to be God’s representatives to the people and their representatives to God.
But as you read in Chapter 10 of Leviticus, even the first of these ordained priests couldn’t hack it; and Aaron’s sons lapsed into selfishness and disobedience and away from God’s commission of holiness. And we read how God purified the priesthood by fire, consuming those who would not follow His commandments, as His Priesthood, and could not be God’s representative of holiness to others of God’s chosen as well as their representative to Him.
My dear ones, do we see the implication? WE are God’s royal priesthood now that Christ has come to be the Chief Priest. He has ordained and anointed any and all who are truly born-again believers to be His Royal Priesthood; and it is the shed blood of the Lamb of God which has purified us for this New Covenant Priesthood. And we, representing God to man and man to God, must be committed to living in obedience and holiness as God charged Aaron and his sons to be. And if we cannot, we are subject to the penalty experienced by Aaron’s sons and that is the death of our Spiritual life [i.e., our witness as God’s representatives] which is consumed in disobedience and sin. We won’t lose our promised eternal life because of our sinfulness; but we can – and would – lose our effectiveness and power as witnessing Priests if we cannot live up to God’s charge of grace empowered holiness.
BUT … we can be purified priests every day and in every situation of our lives, if we keep short accounts of cleansing with our God through confession/contrition (again see 1st John 1: 9). And when we do, also choosing to receive and use God’s purifying and enabling grace, we can be God’s Royal Priesthood, His PLAN A of holiness to the sin-ridden world, … letting God’s pure light of redemption shine through us to a world which desperately needs more chosen ones in His Priesthood.
My Prayer Today: … Oh, LORD, let me be Your Priest today as I’m cleansed and purified by my confession and Your forgiveness. Amen
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
February 14, 2012 … Don’t Make Promises Lightly!
BLOGGER'S REMINDER: HEY GUYS ... go and do something VERY SPECIAL for your lady today ... for you Sisters ... get your man something macho! ;>)
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
Monday, February 13, 2012
February 13, 2012 … All That Sacrifice!
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 1-4 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 1: 1-3 … : … [Animal Sacrifice]… 1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. >>> 3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.
=============
LEVITICUS 2: 1; 11-13; … : … [Grain Offering] … 1 “‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it …
11 “‘Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the LORD. 12 You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
===============
LEVITICUS 3: 1, 5, 6, 11, 17; … : … [Peace Offering] … 1 “‘If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the LORD an animal without defect. … 5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
6 “‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the LORD, you are to offer a male or female without defect. … 11 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the LORD.
17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’”
===============
LEVITICUS 4: 1-3; … : … [Sin Offering] … 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands — 3 “‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. … ”
===============
My Journal for Today: Ugh! I know. Leviticus. All those rules and regs that God puts forth in the Old Testament for His chosen people. Seems like boring reading, doesn’t it? But if you haven’t used my link above to read and study through the first four chapters of this book, at least I hope you take in what I’ve copied and pasted above to highlight the presentation, in these first chapters, of some of the sacrificial system which God set up for His followers once they had built and dedicated the Tabernacle, … the place where all these offerings would be brought for sacrifice.
And one has to be impressed with how much blood and work would be produced with over two million people, … nomad cattlemen, shepherds, and farmers, who were asked to bring their best animals and their first-fruits to the Levite Priests for various sacrifices to their God, … the God Who had established residence in their midst, … and the God Who loved them enough to set up a system whereby they could atone for their natural sinfulness and selfishness, allowing them to find redemption in this elaborate scheme of sacrifices and offerings.
AND … they probably did not recognize it in those times; but it also was giving them a picture of the perfect sacrifice Who would come in the perfect Person, the perfect Lamb of God, their promised Messiah, Who would come to BE the fulfillment of all of the sacrifices we read commanded by God to atone for the sins and spiritual enmity of God’s very fallible and sinful people. Ouch! That’s me we’re also talking about, as well!
And we see that the sacrifices demanded of God were to be the best and the most perfect the people had to offer to their God. If it were to be a bull, it was to be a PERFECT bull. If a lamb, a PERFECT lamb was offered. If it were a grain offering, no yeast would be involved and salt would be added to complete the sacrifice as a covenant sacrifice. All the offerings were to be the first and the best the people could bring to the Priests to be able to bring themselves back into a right relationship with a Holy God, Whose relationship with His chosen people demanded perfected blood or provisional sacrifice to the only One Who could redeem them from their sin.
And as New Covenant Christians, having the advantage of “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say, we know that Jesus, The Christ, came to be our perfect sacrifice and atoning offering for the sinfulness which demanded all of these rituals and sacrifices under the Old Covenant. But are we, who’ve been covered by the blood of Jesus, off the hook when it comes to sacrifice to our God? And I harken back to the word of God through the Apostle Paul in one of my favorite, and most convicting, NT passages – Romans 12: 1-2, where we are exhorted (actually COMMANDED) to become “living sacrifices,” with the way we live being our blood sacrifice (i.e., our atoning blood flowing from the way we live) to the Holy God Who has redeemed us and atoned for our sin. God gives us, through the once-and-for-all perfect blood sacrifice of His Son, the sanctifying and enabling grace to live as first fruits and perfected blood sacrifices for God’s holiness. The question is: “Are we living as sacrifices, pleasing to our God.”
My friend, … anytime we choose to avoid sin and come away from the cross and follow what Christ demanded in Luke 9: 23, we become, under the New Covenant, what was symbolized by these commanded sacrifices in Leviticus, Chapters 1-4. So, my fellow Christian, let’s go out today and be living sacrifices for our Lord on His altar of grace with His Tabernacle being with us in our hearts, provided for by the Lamb of God.
My Prayer Today: … Oh, my LORD, may I be a sacrifice of worship in the way I live for you. Amen
Leviticus 1: 1-3 … : … [Animal Sacrifice]… 1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. >>> 3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.
=============
LEVITICUS 2: 1; 11-13; … : … [Grain Offering] … 1 “‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it …
11 “‘Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the LORD. 12 You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
===============
LEVITICUS 3: 1, 5, 6, 11, 17; … : … [Peace Offering] … 1 “‘If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the LORD an animal without defect. … 5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
6 “‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the LORD, you are to offer a male or female without defect. … 11 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the LORD.
17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’”
===============
LEVITICUS 4: 1-3; … : … [Sin Offering] … 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands — 3 “‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. … ”
===============
My Journal for Today: Ugh! I know. Leviticus. All those rules and regs that God puts forth in the Old Testament for His chosen people. Seems like boring reading, doesn’t it? But if you haven’t used my link above to read and study through the first four chapters of this book, at least I hope you take in what I’ve copied and pasted above to highlight the presentation, in these first chapters, of some of the sacrificial system which God set up for His followers once they had built and dedicated the Tabernacle, … the place where all these offerings would be brought for sacrifice.
And one has to be impressed with how much blood and work would be produced with over two million people, … nomad cattlemen, shepherds, and farmers, who were asked to bring their best animals and their first-fruits to the Levite Priests for various sacrifices to their God, … the God Who had established residence in their midst, … and the God Who loved them enough to set up a system whereby they could atone for their natural sinfulness and selfishness, allowing them to find redemption in this elaborate scheme of sacrifices and offerings.
AND … they probably did not recognize it in those times; but it also was giving them a picture of the perfect sacrifice Who would come in the perfect Person, the perfect Lamb of God, their promised Messiah, Who would come to BE the fulfillment of all of the sacrifices we read commanded by God to atone for the sins and spiritual enmity of God’s very fallible and sinful people. Ouch! That’s me we’re also talking about, as well!
And we see that the sacrifices demanded of God were to be the best and the most perfect the people had to offer to their God. If it were to be a bull, it was to be a PERFECT bull. If a lamb, a PERFECT lamb was offered. If it were a grain offering, no yeast would be involved and salt would be added to complete the sacrifice as a covenant sacrifice. All the offerings were to be the first and the best the people could bring to the Priests to be able to bring themselves back into a right relationship with a Holy God, Whose relationship with His chosen people demanded perfected blood or provisional sacrifice to the only One Who could redeem them from their sin.
And as New Covenant Christians, having the advantage of “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say, we know that Jesus, The Christ, came to be our perfect sacrifice and atoning offering for the sinfulness which demanded all of these rituals and sacrifices under the Old Covenant. But are we, who’ve been covered by the blood of Jesus, off the hook when it comes to sacrifice to our God? And I harken back to the word of God through the Apostle Paul in one of my favorite, and most convicting, NT passages – Romans 12: 1-2, where we are exhorted (actually COMMANDED) to become “living sacrifices,” with the way we live being our blood sacrifice (i.e., our atoning blood flowing from the way we live) to the Holy God Who has redeemed us and atoned for our sin. God gives us, through the once-and-for-all perfect blood sacrifice of His Son, the sanctifying and enabling grace to live as first fruits and perfected blood sacrifices for God’s holiness. The question is: “Are we living as sacrifices, pleasing to our God.”
My friend, … anytime we choose to avoid sin and come away from the cross and follow what Christ demanded in Luke 9: 23, we become, under the New Covenant, what was symbolized by these commanded sacrifices in Leviticus, Chapters 1-4. So, my fellow Christian, let’s go out today and be living sacrifices for our Lord on His altar of grace with His Tabernacle being with us in our hearts, provided for by the Lamb of God.
My Prayer Today: … Oh, my LORD, may I be a sacrifice of worship in the way I live for you. Amen
Sunday, February 12, 2012
February 12, 2012 … God’s Into The Details
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 39-40 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 39: 32; 42-43 … : … [Doing God’s Kingdom Work] … 32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. >>>
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
========
EXODUS 40: 1-2; 16-17; … : … [God Says It! – Moses Does it!] … 1 Then the LORD said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. >>>
16 Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him. 17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.
My Journal for Today: I just read through Chapters 39-40 of Exodus; and one thing, documented by the few verses above which I’ve copied/pasted into this journal entry for your study, just jumped out at me; and that point is reflected by the title above: God’s Into The Details!
If you’re reading along with me, let me quote another verse – this one from the NT – which reflects my title point today and this inexorable biblical truth. Jesus said it; and we need to internalize it (from Matt. 10: 29-30): … Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Yes, the God Who saved me is into the details of my life.
He cared enough for His wandering children, the Israelites, that He gave – through Moses – extremely detailed and elaborate instructions on exactly how to build a Tabernacle for Him where He could be with His children, … protect them, guide them, and love on them. And at least here – in this place and in this time – God’s chosen people listened to their God – through their Pastor, Moses - and they did things exactly as God instructed them to do.
Okay, I think this point need not be drawn out and exacted with any more of my wordiness. God shows us the way; and, of course, we do it?
Got it? … GOT IT? … GOT IT?!!
No, … I’m afraid I don’t got it!! … Yes, I do try; but so, so often … I know God’s way and His will; … even having His Word to shine a light on my path; and what do I do? I go off and do it my way rather than following His instructions to the “Nth” detail. I’m just going to leave it here for today; because if I were a betting man, I would wager that any of you readers following along with me have some “fessin-up” to do with regard to being totally and utterly obedient to God’s will for your life – maybe even something you need to own up to right here and now.
But let’s take heart from the truth of 1st John 1: 9, which I hope you have memorized. If not, please go look it up, … be encouraged, and do your “fess-up” to the Lord … right here and now.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, again I pray as I do so often – shine Your light on my path - way brightly - so that I can’ t help but see Your way through the wilderness of life. Amen
Exodus 39: 32; 42-43 … : … [Doing God’s Kingdom Work] … 32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. >>>
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
========
EXODUS 40: 1-2; 16-17; … : … [God Says It! – Moses Does it!] … 1 Then the LORD said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. >>>
16 Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him. 17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.
My Journal for Today: I just read through Chapters 39-40 of Exodus; and one thing, documented by the few verses above which I’ve copied/pasted into this journal entry for your study, just jumped out at me; and that point is reflected by the title above: God’s Into The Details!
If you’re reading along with me, let me quote another verse – this one from the NT – which reflects my title point today and this inexorable biblical truth. Jesus said it; and we need to internalize it (from Matt. 10: 29-30): … Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Yes, the God Who saved me is into the details of my life.
He cared enough for His wandering children, the Israelites, that He gave – through Moses – extremely detailed and elaborate instructions on exactly how to build a Tabernacle for Him where He could be with His children, … protect them, guide them, and love on them. And at least here – in this place and in this time – God’s chosen people listened to their God – through their Pastor, Moses - and they did things exactly as God instructed them to do.
Okay, I think this point need not be drawn out and exacted with any more of my wordiness. God shows us the way; and, of course, we do it?
Got it? … GOT IT? … GOT IT?!!
No, … I’m afraid I don’t got it!! … Yes, I do try; but so, so often … I know God’s way and His will; … even having His Word to shine a light on my path; and what do I do? I go off and do it my way rather than following His instructions to the “Nth” detail. I’m just going to leave it here for today; because if I were a betting man, I would wager that any of you readers following along with me have some “fessin-up” to do with regard to being totally and utterly obedient to God’s will for your life – maybe even something you need to own up to right here and now.
But let’s take heart from the truth of 1st John 1: 9, which I hope you have memorized. If not, please go look it up, … be encouraged, and do your “fess-up” to the Lord … right here and now.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, again I pray as I do so often – shine Your light on my path - way brightly - so that I can’ t help but see Your way through the wilderness of life. Amen
Saturday, February 11, 2012
February 11, 2012 … The Fellowship of Community Service
Exodus 36: 1-7 … : … [God’s Kingdom Work] … 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.”
2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.” 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
My Journal for Today: Reading through the Chapters designated for my chronological reading plan this morning, I was re-stricken by the highlight passage above, especially Exodus 36, verses 4-7, where Moses had to order the people to quit giving to the project of building the tabernacle because they had more than enough, from communal effort, to complete the project which honored their God and provided for their communal worship.
God called His people, through Moses, to get this tremendous project done which would house and honor their God as they traveled together though the wilderness; and not only did the people come together to build the tabernacle, they did, by coming together, way more than was required. This reminded me of the work of God’s people, under the leadership of another of God’s called leaders, Nehemiah, when the people came together in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, which we read about in Nehemiah, Chapters 4-6, especially note chapter/verse 6: 15), where it took a communal effort of God’s people to vigilantly, and with tremendous communal spirit, to rebuild the gates and walls of the city of God in just 52 days.
What a delicious dilemma it would be for any Pastor of a church in today’s world to call God’s flock together under his shepherding to carry out some difficult task and to see God’s people come together with way more people, treasure, talent, and time than would be necessary to carry out the task. It’s just not happening in today’s church, is it?
It is said that if only 50% of the evangelical Christian peoples would come together and tithe (i.e., give 10%) of their gross income in the USA, we wouldn’t need a welfare system in America; because that amount would way more than is needed to take care of ALL the people in need in our country. Yes, right now – in CHRISTIAN AMERICA – less than 5% of the church people tithe on their income to God’s work for His church. Certainly we’re not coming together as God’s chosen to do His kingdom work as His people did in the times of Moses or Nehemiah, are we?
I’ll leave it to you and God if this is a convicting message to anyone who might read this. We certainly need more of the Tabernacle building – wall building communal effort by God’s church people to do so much more for His glory; and that’s just a matter of His chosen ones coming together and doing what HE is calling us to do – again, …TOGETHER – to build His kingdom for His glory.
Sadly enough, … enough said!!!
My Prayer Today: … Lord, may the heart of Your church come together – in Your Name – to work TOGETHER for Your glory!! Amen
2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.” 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
My Journal for Today: Reading through the Chapters designated for my chronological reading plan this morning, I was re-stricken by the highlight passage above, especially Exodus 36, verses 4-7, where Moses had to order the people to quit giving to the project of building the tabernacle because they had more than enough, from communal effort, to complete the project which honored their God and provided for their communal worship.
God called His people, through Moses, to get this tremendous project done which would house and honor their God as they traveled together though the wilderness; and not only did the people come together to build the tabernacle, they did, by coming together, way more than was required. This reminded me of the work of God’s people, under the leadership of another of God’s called leaders, Nehemiah, when the people came together in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, which we read about in Nehemiah, Chapters 4-6, especially note chapter/verse 6: 15), where it took a communal effort of God’s people to vigilantly, and with tremendous communal spirit, to rebuild the gates and walls of the city of God in just 52 days.
What a delicious dilemma it would be for any Pastor of a church in today’s world to call God’s flock together under his shepherding to carry out some difficult task and to see God’s people come together with way more people, treasure, talent, and time than would be necessary to carry out the task. It’s just not happening in today’s church, is it?
It is said that if only 50% of the evangelical Christian peoples would come together and tithe (i.e., give 10%) of their gross income in the USA, we wouldn’t need a welfare system in America; because that amount would way more than is needed to take care of ALL the people in need in our country. Yes, right now – in CHRISTIAN AMERICA – less than 5% of the church people tithe on their income to God’s work for His church. Certainly we’re not coming together as God’s chosen to do His kingdom work as His people did in the times of Moses or Nehemiah, are we?
I’ll leave it to you and God if this is a convicting message to anyone who might read this. We certainly need more of the Tabernacle building – wall building communal effort by God’s church people to do so much more for His glory; and that’s just a matter of His chosen ones coming together and doing what HE is calling us to do – again, …TOGETHER – to build His kingdom for His glory.
Sadly enough, … enough said!!!
My Prayer Today: … Lord, may the heart of Your church come together – in Your Name – to work TOGETHER for Your glory!! Amen
Friday, February 10, 2012
February 10, 2012 … Glimpses of Glory
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 33-35 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 33: 7-11: … [Yahweh Meets With Moses] … 7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
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Exodus EXODUS 34:33-35 … : … [God’s Glory Revealed on Moses’ Face] … 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Exodus, Chapters 33-35 in my daily chronological reading plan, a scenario involving God’s revealed glory to Moses struck me; and I chose (with God’s help I believe) two highlight passages (see above) which reflect this very personal relationship God had with His friend and chosen leader, Moses.
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t seem to reveal Himself so personally and dramatically to us in these times as He did back with Moses in the era I’m reading/reporting on today? These encounters Moses had with God are called “theophanies;” and like several other Old Testament chosen ones, Moses had several of these (for example in the burning bush or in these scenarios reported above). And it was so apparent to the people that Moses had this special relationship with God; … so apparent that Moses’ face glowed with the radiance of God and even had to be covered with a veil.
But why Moses and not Bill Berry – or you? Why doesn’t God reveal Himself in some angelic or creational form as He did for Moses or Abraham or Daniel in the Old Testament [as we read above in Exod. 33: 11 or to Abraham in Gen. 18: 1-11 or to Daniel in Dan. 3: 25] ?
Well, … I believe there are two angles to answer that question.
The first is that God doesn’t need to be so dramatic in intervening - Himself - with mankind in this New Testament or New Covenant era because He has revealed Himself to man in a once-and-for-all incarnation in the form of His Son, Jesus, The Christ (read about that in Phil. 2: 6-11). AND, we also have God’s written story (i.e., HIStory), the Bible, where God, Himself, is revealed in the pages of Scripture [see 2nd Tim. 3: 16-17]; and God doesn’t need to travel in physical, revealed theophanies appearing as He did with His people when He was establishing His relationship with His chosen people, the original Jewish children. We – you and I – can simply go and have a revelational encounter with the living God everyday – if we so choose, as I have this morning – in and through His word. And though you may not see the glory of the LORD shining on Bill Berry’s face as God’s glory shone on Moses’ face, prayerfully you do see God’s glory shining – at least a little bit – in what I’m writing here … or maybe in the way I’m so compulsively addicted to pursuing my relationship through God’s word daily. Surely you don’t think that I’d be here, so obsessively – on a daily basis – NATURALLY; … do you? My friend, anything you read in these blogs or see in the way I live which reflects the character of God IS NOT NATURAL. It’s not Bill Berry! It’s a God thing!!!
And my second way of answering my rhetorical question (in bold above) is that we do have glimpses of God’s glory in our lives; and sometimes He shows himself pretty clearly in the events of life to us; or sometimes these signs of the living God are more subtle. Have you ever had something happen to you that simply could not be explained naturally or in terms of human reality? Well, I sure have. >>> Many of you have heard or read my testimony of how God used the number 13 in my life to reveal Himself to me … so clearly that I could not deny Him. If you’re reading this and you don’t know that story, email me (at … willieb13@rocketmail.com ); and I’ll be glad to tell you about it. But I’ve had other times where God just showed up – in wonderful ways – to remind me of His presence or His power; and I call these “glimpses of glory.” And if you know God as your personal LORD and Savior, I’d bet you have a story or two of such glimpses of God’s reality in your life.
So, our faces as Christians may not shine forth as did the face of Moses as he intervened with/for God in Exodus; but if you have a deepening relationship with God, wrought through your discipleship and devotional life with God in pursuit of the LORD through His word, in prayer, and in time spent with Him daily, it’s going to show in your life … the decisions you make, … the peace of your waiting on God, … and your power in spiritual warfare daily. That my friend is giving you – and others – a glimpse of God’s glory in/through your life. And it is the working out of the truth we read in passages like ... Josh. 1: 8, Prov. 3: 5-6, Psalm 119: 9-11, Ephesians 2: 10, 1st Cor. 10: 13, and of course, Jesus’ spoken word in Matt. 5: 16 and Luke 9: 23. And, … when others see these truths shining forth in your life, they get a glimpse of God’s glory and they can see Him – and not the reality of your humanity – in and through the proclamations, choices, and actions of your life.
Oh, … that is my prayer this morning for all of us.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, reveal Yourself to us in Your word; and then shine brightly as we reflect these glimpses of Your glory in and through our lives. Amen
Exodus 33: 7-11: … [Yahweh Meets With Moses] … 7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
==========
Exodus EXODUS 34:33-35 … : … [God’s Glory Revealed on Moses’ Face] … 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Exodus, Chapters 33-35 in my daily chronological reading plan, a scenario involving God’s revealed glory to Moses struck me; and I chose (with God’s help I believe) two highlight passages (see above) which reflect this very personal relationship God had with His friend and chosen leader, Moses.
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t seem to reveal Himself so personally and dramatically to us in these times as He did back with Moses in the era I’m reading/reporting on today? These encounters Moses had with God are called “theophanies;” and like several other Old Testament chosen ones, Moses had several of these (for example in the burning bush or in these scenarios reported above). And it was so apparent to the people that Moses had this special relationship with God; … so apparent that Moses’ face glowed with the radiance of God and even had to be covered with a veil.
But why Moses and not Bill Berry – or you? Why doesn’t God reveal Himself in some angelic or creational form as He did for Moses or Abraham or Daniel in the Old Testament [as we read above in Exod. 33: 11 or to Abraham in Gen. 18: 1-11 or to Daniel in Dan. 3: 25] ?
Well, … I believe there are two angles to answer that question.
The first is that God doesn’t need to be so dramatic in intervening - Himself - with mankind in this New Testament or New Covenant era because He has revealed Himself to man in a once-and-for-all incarnation in the form of His Son, Jesus, The Christ (read about that in Phil. 2: 6-11). AND, we also have God’s written story (i.e., HIStory), the Bible, where God, Himself, is revealed in the pages of Scripture [see 2nd Tim. 3: 16-17]; and God doesn’t need to travel in physical, revealed theophanies appearing as He did with His people when He was establishing His relationship with His chosen people, the original Jewish children. We – you and I – can simply go and have a revelational encounter with the living God everyday – if we so choose, as I have this morning – in and through His word. And though you may not see the glory of the LORD shining on Bill Berry’s face as God’s glory shone on Moses’ face, prayerfully you do see God’s glory shining – at least a little bit – in what I’m writing here … or maybe in the way I’m so compulsively addicted to pursuing my relationship through God’s word daily. Surely you don’t think that I’d be here, so obsessively – on a daily basis – NATURALLY; … do you? My friend, anything you read in these blogs or see in the way I live which reflects the character of God IS NOT NATURAL. It’s not Bill Berry! It’s a God thing!!!
And my second way of answering my rhetorical question (in bold above) is that we do have glimpses of God’s glory in our lives; and sometimes He shows himself pretty clearly in the events of life to us; or sometimes these signs of the living God are more subtle. Have you ever had something happen to you that simply could not be explained naturally or in terms of human reality? Well, I sure have. >>> Many of you have heard or read my testimony of how God used the number 13 in my life to reveal Himself to me … so clearly that I could not deny Him. If you’re reading this and you don’t know that story, email me (at … willieb13@rocketmail.com ); and I’ll be glad to tell you about it. But I’ve had other times where God just showed up – in wonderful ways – to remind me of His presence or His power; and I call these “glimpses of glory.” And if you know God as your personal LORD and Savior, I’d bet you have a story or two of such glimpses of God’s reality in your life.
So, our faces as Christians may not shine forth as did the face of Moses as he intervened with/for God in Exodus; but if you have a deepening relationship with God, wrought through your discipleship and devotional life with God in pursuit of the LORD through His word, in prayer, and in time spent with Him daily, it’s going to show in your life … the decisions you make, … the peace of your waiting on God, … and your power in spiritual warfare daily. That my friend is giving you – and others – a glimpse of God’s glory in/through your life. And it is the working out of the truth we read in passages like ... Josh. 1: 8, Prov. 3: 5-6, Psalm 119: 9-11, Ephesians 2: 10, 1st Cor. 10: 13, and of course, Jesus’ spoken word in Matt. 5: 16 and Luke 9: 23. And, … when others see these truths shining forth in your life, they get a glimpse of God’s glory and they can see Him – and not the reality of your humanity – in and through the proclamations, choices, and actions of your life.
Oh, … that is my prayer this morning for all of us.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, reveal Yourself to us in Your word; and then shine brightly as we reflect these glimpses of Your glory in and through our lives. Amen
Thursday, February 09, 2012
February 9, 2012 … Pondering Important Questions
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 30-32 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Focus Passage of the Day #1: Exodus 30: 11-16 : … [Payback for God’s Atonement] … To study this passage, go to this link -
Focus Passage of the Day #2: Exodus 31: 12-17 : … [Keeping the Sabbath]
… To study this passage, go to this link -
Focus Passage of the Day #3: Exodus 32: 1-6 : … [The Golden Calf]
… To study this passage, go to this link -
My Journal for Today: I’m going to blog this morning’s devotional time a little differently than I have during my chronological read through the Bible and my journal entries thus far in 2012. To this point I’ve asked God to highlight one passage from each day’s study/meditation, blogging about that passage from a personal or teaching point of view, letting God give me something FOR ME, personally, or maybe something He, The Holy Spirit, wants me to share with others. However, today three passages, documented with links above, stood out for me; and there’s no way I could journal on all three and not overburden you, … especially given my tendency toward wordiness (i.e., my logorrhea – I hope you’re smiling right now ;>).
So, I’m simply going to ask you to read – AT LEAST – the three focus passages to which I’ve linked you above. But before you do, pray seriously and ask God, the Holy Spirit, to really give you HIS MIND and HIS WISDOM (as He promises He will in Isaiah 55: 11 and 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17 and James 1: 6-7). Ask the Lord to let one or more of these passages be a light unto your path, trusting COMPLETELY as believers in Christ are instructed to trust in His word - see Prov. 3: 5-6 and Psalm 119: 105. And then see what God’s Spirit gives you this morning. And below, I’m going to take each one of these focus passages and give you a few questions for you to ponder (I promise that’s all I’ll write!) … points upon which God’s Spirit was causing me to dwell today. And if you’re so led, maybe you might take a few moments and journal what you think God is leading you to consider. The latter is up to you; but I can promise – from experience – that if you do the latter, God will bless you with HIS ministry of enlightenment, enablement, or empowerment.
Focus Passage of the Day #1: Exodus 30: 11-16 : … [Payback for God’s Atonement]
WRB Comments: What do we owe God from our 24/7 life of worship? How do I need to live to be the “living sacrifice” of Romans 12: 1-2? Do I give enough to my church – joyfully … as instructed in 2nd Cor. 9: 6-7 - to account for my atonement and Christ’s sacrifice?
Focus Passage of the Day #2: Exodus 31: 12-17 : … [Keeping the Sabbath]
WRB Comments: Do I really keep THE SABBATH? And when I don’t, what does God say that I deserve? But what has He made provision for me from 1st John 1: 9 and Prov. 3: 5-6?
Focus Passage of the Day #3: Exodus 32: 1-6 : … [The Golden Calf]
WRB Comments: Have I built any “golden calves” in my life? If so, how can I tear them down and come back to a surrendered worship of my Yahweh, … my LORD and Savior? And again, how can I be or become the “living sacrifice “ of Romans 12: 1-2?
Well, my friends, those are some question which God has me pondering over this morning; and they are pretty serious issues, at least for me. What about you? Well, I’ll leave you and God together to deal with those questions in your life and for your worship of the God Who saved you - as He has me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, as I pray so often, … shine the light of Your word on Your will that I may surrender and follow You as Your “doulos” (i.e., Greek for “slave”). Amen
Focus Passage of the Day #1: Exodus 30: 11-16 : … [Payback for God’s Atonement] … To study this passage, go to this link -
Focus Passage of the Day #2: Exodus 31: 12-17 : … [Keeping the Sabbath]
… To study this passage, go to this link -
Focus Passage of the Day #3: Exodus 32: 1-6 : … [The Golden Calf]
… To study this passage, go to this link -
My Journal for Today: I’m going to blog this morning’s devotional time a little differently than I have during my chronological read through the Bible and my journal entries thus far in 2012. To this point I’ve asked God to highlight one passage from each day’s study/meditation, blogging about that passage from a personal or teaching point of view, letting God give me something FOR ME, personally, or maybe something He, The Holy Spirit, wants me to share with others. However, today three passages, documented with links above, stood out for me; and there’s no way I could journal on all three and not overburden you, … especially given my tendency toward wordiness (i.e., my logorrhea – I hope you’re smiling right now ;>).
So, I’m simply going to ask you to read – AT LEAST – the three focus passages to which I’ve linked you above. But before you do, pray seriously and ask God, the Holy Spirit, to really give you HIS MIND and HIS WISDOM (as He promises He will in Isaiah 55: 11 and 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17 and James 1: 6-7). Ask the Lord to let one or more of these passages be a light unto your path, trusting COMPLETELY as believers in Christ are instructed to trust in His word - see Prov. 3: 5-6 and Psalm 119: 105. And then see what God’s Spirit gives you this morning. And below, I’m going to take each one of these focus passages and give you a few questions for you to ponder (I promise that’s all I’ll write!) … points upon which God’s Spirit was causing me to dwell today. And if you’re so led, maybe you might take a few moments and journal what you think God is leading you to consider. The latter is up to you; but I can promise – from experience – that if you do the latter, God will bless you with HIS ministry of enlightenment, enablement, or empowerment.
Focus Passage of the Day #1: Exodus 30: 11-16 : … [Payback for God’s Atonement]
WRB Comments: What do we owe God from our 24/7 life of worship? How do I need to live to be the “living sacrifice” of Romans 12: 1-2? Do I give enough to my church – joyfully … as instructed in 2nd Cor. 9: 6-7 - to account for my atonement and Christ’s sacrifice?
Focus Passage of the Day #2: Exodus 31: 12-17 : … [Keeping the Sabbath]
WRB Comments: Do I really keep THE SABBATH? And when I don’t, what does God say that I deserve? But what has He made provision for me from 1st John 1: 9 and Prov. 3: 5-6?
Focus Passage of the Day #3: Exodus 32: 1-6 : … [The Golden Calf]
WRB Comments: Have I built any “golden calves” in my life? If so, how can I tear them down and come back to a surrendered worship of my Yahweh, … my LORD and Savior? And again, how can I be or become the “living sacrifice “ of Romans 12: 1-2?
Well, my friends, those are some question which God has me pondering over this morning; and they are pretty serious issues, at least for me. What about you? Well, I’ll leave you and God together to deal with those questions in your life and for your worship of the God Who saved you - as He has me.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, as I pray so often, … shine the light of Your word on Your will that I may surrender and follow You as Your “doulos” (i.e., Greek for “slave”). Amen
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
February 8, 2012 … Dressed for [Spiritual] Success
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 28-29 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 28: 1-5 … : … [Dressed for Leadership in Worship] … [Yahweh’s Instructions to Moses … 1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. …
31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die.”
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Exodus 29: 44-46 … : … [Consecrated for Worship] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
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1st Peter 2: 9-10 … : … [A Royal Priesthood] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
My Journal for Today: Today, in my chronological trek through the Bible, I was led to read from Exodus, Chapters 28-29 where God instructs Moses in the establishment of the line of Levite priests, … as well as, in detail, how these descendants of Aaron were to dress and be consecrated for worship. And, from the highlighted passages, which I’ve copied above from these two chapters in Exodus, that’s why I titled my devotional today, Dressed for [Spiritual] Success. There was great detail from God about how the Tabernacle Priests were to be outfitted and God took great lengths to give instructions to Moses about the leadership of the Tabernacle and how He, Yahweh, was to be worshipped during His people’s trek through the desert.
And as I read through and meditated upon these chapters this morning, another passage reference from the New Testament bubbled into my consciousness [i.e., 1st Peter 2: 9-10], which I’ve also copied above for your edification. I brought up the latter passage because, not only are we, as His chosen New Covenant Christians, charged to be worshippers who are “living sacrifices” [see Romans 12: 1], we are, according to the NT passage above, The Lord’s “royal priesthood.”
And as I was meditating on all of this, it caused me to contemplate on how our corporate worship has become so contemporized and “culturalized” (I know, not words – but concepts which hopefully communicates) that our attempts to accept anyone to “come as they are” to our worship services has “dressed-down” our roles as God’s “royal priesthood” in our world of corporate worship today.
Now please don’t mistakenly take what I’m about to say as prideful or judgmental; but, I’ve been asked by some in my church why I choose to ALWAYS wear a suit and tie or the best threads I have to worship service in our church on Sundays. Many come to our worship service in their everyday jeans or very casual “threads.” And I have to confess being “turned-off” a bit by such dress for Sunday worship.
Years ago, my Christian grandmother taught me a lesson about how I should dress; and this was years before I became a Christian. She told me, in preparing to go to our church on Sunday, “Bill, when you go to someone’s wedding or funeral, your mom and dad will always want you to wear your best to honor the couple being married or the person being buried. So, shouldn’t you wear your best to Church each Sunday to honor God?” I’ve never forgotten that lesson; and I apply it today to the way I dress for “Spiritual success” for my worship. And this is especially the case since I happen to be one of the Elders in my church as well as an “Ordained Minister” of the Gospel by my church.
But really, and I have to guard against being judgmental here, since we’re all part of God’s “royal priesthood,” when you read the above passages, wouldn’t you say that we – God’s royal New Testament priesthood – who have become God’s temple of worship (see 1st Cor. 6: 19), should be dressing the part and witnessing our worship in the same way God instructed for worship by the Levites in the time of their exodus toward the promised land. We – in the New Covenant – are also trekking through life toward the “promised land” [of heaven]; and we have God’s tabernacle in our hearts. Therefore, I think (just my belief and opinion) we should be witnesses to our LORD, the Yahweh of the Old AND New Covenant, by the way we dress when we come for corporate, or Temple, worship. Hence, I don’t see myself wearing my jeans or khakis and a sweatshirt on Sunday mornings. I choose to wear my best – as I would to your wedding or funeral – honoring the One true and living God, Who mercifully saved me and has sanctified me to be part of His “royal priesthood.”
My friend, you can wear what you want to church; because God will, in fact and in truth, accept anyone’s genuine and humble worship from the heart, no matter what they wear. However, if you come to Collierville, TN, and to Central Church on Sunday mornings, you will see Bill Berry wearing his “Sunday best” as I come into the House of God to worship and praise the LORD Who saved me. And I hope you don’t think that’s an “uppity” attitude. It’s just one member of God’s “royal priesthood” trying to live up to the instructions God has given to His line of priests [see above] as to how our LORD is to be worshipped.
And as Lily Tomlin used to say with a childish lisp as “Edith Ann,” on Laugh-In … “That’s the truth!” … [and you can see it with this link]
My Prayer Today: … Lord, there is no laughing at the way we present ourselves as Your “royal priesthood” and as we worship You in loving witness, coming to Your tabernacle of deliverance on Sunday mornings. Amen
Exodus 28: 1-5 … : … [Dressed for Leadership in Worship] … [Yahweh’s Instructions to Moses … 1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. …
31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die.”
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Exodus 29: 44-46 … : … [Consecrated for Worship] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
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1st Peter 2: 9-10 … : … [A Royal Priesthood] … [Yahweh’s Continued Instructions to Moses … 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
My Journal for Today: Today, in my chronological trek through the Bible, I was led to read from Exodus, Chapters 28-29 where God instructs Moses in the establishment of the line of Levite priests, … as well as, in detail, how these descendants of Aaron were to dress and be consecrated for worship. And, from the highlighted passages, which I’ve copied above from these two chapters in Exodus, that’s why I titled my devotional today, Dressed for [Spiritual] Success. There was great detail from God about how the Tabernacle Priests were to be outfitted and God took great lengths to give instructions to Moses about the leadership of the Tabernacle and how He, Yahweh, was to be worshipped during His people’s trek through the desert.
And as I read through and meditated upon these chapters this morning, another passage reference from the New Testament bubbled into my consciousness [i.e., 1st Peter 2: 9-10], which I’ve also copied above for your edification. I brought up the latter passage because, not only are we, as His chosen New Covenant Christians, charged to be worshippers who are “living sacrifices” [see Romans 12: 1], we are, according to the NT passage above, The Lord’s “royal priesthood.”
And as I was meditating on all of this, it caused me to contemplate on how our corporate worship has become so contemporized and “culturalized” (I know, not words – but concepts which hopefully communicates) that our attempts to accept anyone to “come as they are” to our worship services has “dressed-down” our roles as God’s “royal priesthood” in our world of corporate worship today.
Now please don’t mistakenly take what I’m about to say as prideful or judgmental; but, I’ve been asked by some in my church why I choose to ALWAYS wear a suit and tie or the best threads I have to worship service in our church on Sundays. Many come to our worship service in their everyday jeans or very casual “threads.” And I have to confess being “turned-off” a bit by such dress for Sunday worship.
Years ago, my Christian grandmother taught me a lesson about how I should dress; and this was years before I became a Christian. She told me, in preparing to go to our church on Sunday, “Bill, when you go to someone’s wedding or funeral, your mom and dad will always want you to wear your best to honor the couple being married or the person being buried. So, shouldn’t you wear your best to Church each Sunday to honor God?” I’ve never forgotten that lesson; and I apply it today to the way I dress for “Spiritual success” for my worship. And this is especially the case since I happen to be one of the Elders in my church as well as an “Ordained Minister” of the Gospel by my church.
But really, and I have to guard against being judgmental here, since we’re all part of God’s “royal priesthood,” when you read the above passages, wouldn’t you say that we – God’s royal New Testament priesthood – who have become God’s temple of worship (see 1st Cor. 6: 19), should be dressing the part and witnessing our worship in the same way God instructed for worship by the Levites in the time of their exodus toward the promised land. We – in the New Covenant – are also trekking through life toward the “promised land” [of heaven]; and we have God’s tabernacle in our hearts. Therefore, I think (just my belief and opinion) we should be witnesses to our LORD, the Yahweh of the Old AND New Covenant, by the way we dress when we come for corporate, or Temple, worship. Hence, I don’t see myself wearing my jeans or khakis and a sweatshirt on Sunday mornings. I choose to wear my best – as I would to your wedding or funeral – honoring the One true and living God, Who mercifully saved me and has sanctified me to be part of His “royal priesthood.”
My friend, you can wear what you want to church; because God will, in fact and in truth, accept anyone’s genuine and humble worship from the heart, no matter what they wear. However, if you come to Collierville, TN, and to Central Church on Sunday mornings, you will see Bill Berry wearing his “Sunday best” as I come into the House of God to worship and praise the LORD Who saved me. And I hope you don’t think that’s an “uppity” attitude. It’s just one member of God’s “royal priesthood” trying to live up to the instructions God has given to His line of priests [see above] as to how our LORD is to be worshipped.
And as Lily Tomlin used to say with a childish lisp as “Edith Ann,” on Laugh-In … “That’s the truth!” … [and you can see it with this link]
My Prayer Today: … Lord, there is no laughing at the way we present ourselves as Your “royal priesthood” and as we worship You in loving witness, coming to Your tabernacle of deliverance on Sunday mornings. Amen
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
February 7, 2012 … Building The Tabernacle
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 25-27 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 25: 8-9, 40 … : … [God’s Place of Residence] … [Yahweh’s Instructions to Moses] … 8 “Then have them [i.e., specially selected craftsmen from God’s people] make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. … 40 See that you make them [i.e., everything in the tabernacle] according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
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Exodus 26: 31-33 … : … [Setting the Holy Place] … 31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place."
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Exodus 27: 1 … : … [God’s Altar of Sacrifice and Atonement] … [More of God’s Instructions to Moses] … 1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide."
==========
My Journal for Today: Okay, … for those who’ve taken your time to read what God (I believe) has given me to write in this blog through Exodus, admittedly the second book of Moses can get a bit tedious; but that doesn’t detract from it’s importance. For example, in the next few days I’m going to be plowing through God’s description – to Moses and to God’s people – of how they should build THE TABERNACLE, … that place where God was going to reside as God’s people journeyed to the promised land. And there was great detail in Yahweh’s description through Moses and his scribes to the craftsmen who would do the building of the Tabernacle. And this detail can seem – on the surface – as tedious and non-essential reading. But stick in there and read these chapters (linked for you as usual above); because there are several reasons for the importance of all of this description. And the commentary that I use as I read along in my chronological study this year describes these three reasons why all of this is important. Therefore, quoting from the Parsons Online Commentary, it offers the following description as to why God gave such detailed instructions for His dwelling place.
>>> “First, the high quality of the precious materials making up the Tabernacle shows God’s greatness and transcendence. >>> Second, the curtain surrounding the Most Holy Place shows God’s moral perfection as symbolized by his separation from the common and unclean. >>> Third, the portable nature of the Tabernacle shows God’s desire to be with his people as they traveled.”
Those truths are worthy enough for us to pay attention as God also gives us a physical description of the most important reason He was building this tabernacle for His dwelling; and that was as a picture of the place His Son, Jesus, … the Messiah, … would dwell one day in the hearts of believers like you and me. And in this description, which we’ll be reading about in the next chapters of Exodus, we begin to see that Yahweh, as the the Messiah, would one day dwell in the hearts of His disciples as our place of worship and sacrifice.
Think about it, fellow Christian. As Parson’s Commentary again puts it, ” When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the curtain in the Temple (which had replaced the Tabernacle) tore from top to bottom (see Mark 15:38), symbolizing our free access to God because of Jesus’ death. No longer did people have to approach God through priests and sacrifices.”
… And now, dear one, because of Jesus, the living tabernacle, we can come into the Holy of Holies anytime, any place, for anything. I have the Tabernacle and the High Priest, in Person of Christ, in my heart; and I don’t need a human high priest to bring my blood sacrifice to God’s altar of grace. No, every day … every moment … becomes my living sacrifice on God’s holy altar of worship in my heart; because Jesus made the ultimate - and last - blood sacrifice on Calvary so that He could (and does) tabernacle in my heart, which is His Holy of Holies.
ISN’T THIS MAGNIFICENT!! And it certainly brings pertinence and power to the reading in Exodus of all the details of God wanting His tabernacle for His people to be so perfect and infinitely special.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for dwelling in the Tabernacle of my heart where I can become and be a living sacrifice before Your altar of grace. Amen
Exodus 25: 8-9, 40 … : … [God’s Place of Residence] … [Yahweh’s Instructions to Moses] … 8 “Then have them [i.e., specially selected craftsmen from God’s people] make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. … 40 See that you make them [i.e., everything in the tabernacle] according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
==========
Exodus 26: 31-33 … : … [Setting the Holy Place] … 31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place."
==========
Exodus 27: 1 … : … [God’s Altar of Sacrifice and Atonement] … [More of God’s Instructions to Moses] … 1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide."
==========
My Journal for Today: Okay, … for those who’ve taken your time to read what God (I believe) has given me to write in this blog through Exodus, admittedly the second book of Moses can get a bit tedious; but that doesn’t detract from it’s importance. For example, in the next few days I’m going to be plowing through God’s description – to Moses and to God’s people – of how they should build THE TABERNACLE, … that place where God was going to reside as God’s people journeyed to the promised land. And there was great detail in Yahweh’s description through Moses and his scribes to the craftsmen who would do the building of the Tabernacle. And this detail can seem – on the surface – as tedious and non-essential reading. But stick in there and read these chapters (linked for you as usual above); because there are several reasons for the importance of all of this description. And the commentary that I use as I read along in my chronological study this year describes these three reasons why all of this is important. Therefore, quoting from the Parsons Online Commentary, it offers the following description as to why God gave such detailed instructions for His dwelling place.
>>> “First, the high quality of the precious materials making up the Tabernacle shows God’s greatness and transcendence. >>> Second, the curtain surrounding the Most Holy Place shows God’s moral perfection as symbolized by his separation from the common and unclean. >>> Third, the portable nature of the Tabernacle shows God’s desire to be with his people as they traveled.”
Those truths are worthy enough for us to pay attention as God also gives us a physical description of the most important reason He was building this tabernacle for His dwelling; and that was as a picture of the place His Son, Jesus, … the Messiah, … would dwell one day in the hearts of believers like you and me. And in this description, which we’ll be reading about in the next chapters of Exodus, we begin to see that Yahweh, as the the Messiah, would one day dwell in the hearts of His disciples as our place of worship and sacrifice.
Think about it, fellow Christian. As Parson’s Commentary again puts it, ” When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the curtain in the Temple (which had replaced the Tabernacle) tore from top to bottom (see Mark 15:38), symbolizing our free access to God because of Jesus’ death. No longer did people have to approach God through priests and sacrifices.”
… And now, dear one, because of Jesus, the living tabernacle, we can come into the Holy of Holies anytime, any place, for anything. I have the Tabernacle and the High Priest, in Person of Christ, in my heart; and I don’t need a human high priest to bring my blood sacrifice to God’s altar of grace. No, every day … every moment … becomes my living sacrifice on God’s holy altar of worship in my heart; because Jesus made the ultimate - and last - blood sacrifice on Calvary so that He could (and does) tabernacle in my heart, which is His Holy of Holies.
ISN’T THIS MAGNIFICENT!! And it certainly brings pertinence and power to the reading in Exodus of all the details of God wanting His tabernacle for His people to be so perfect and infinitely special.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for dwelling in the Tabernacle of my heart where I can become and be a living sacrifice before Your altar of grace. Amen
Monday, February 06, 2012
February 6, 2012 … Blood Shed for the Remission of Sin
WARNING!! … This is a long one! But please stick in there with me. You may be blessed by what God has given me to share today. And please see my BLOGGER'S NOTE below.
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 22-24 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 24: 1-8 … : … [God’s Covenant Patience] ... 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him."
3 When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has said we will do."
4 Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey."
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."
My Journal for Today: Today, in reading through and meditating on Chapter 22-24 of Exodus [linked for your reading above] in my chronological Bible reading plan for 2012, I encounter, along with God’s instructions through Moses to His people after presenting them with The Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20), the instructions God gives to His children about how they must live to be festivals of living sacrifice. If you go back to my journal entry for Feb. 3, 2012 at this linked website, you can read how God wanted His people to remember what the Lord had done for them in delivering them from bondage in Egypt and how their lives should become “living sacrifices” in faithful remembrance of His redeeming faithfulness. And here in these chapters – for today’s reading – we read of how God gave His children specific instructions as to how they must live to become the living remembrance to Yahweh’s faithful deliverance and His patient, covenant love.
Now, in today’s highlight passage, copied above, we read of the ceremony which God presented for the people, through Moses, Aaron, and the Elders of the twelve tribes. However, in this elaborate covenant ritual, Moses was the only one whom God would allow to approach the altar of worship. And then note the corporate response of God’s chosen people when God’s instructions were presented to them by Moses. They said in accord, "Everything the Lord has said we will do." Well, I’m no Bible scholar; but I have read through THE BOOK, and I’m sure you know as well as I that these people would not live up to their part of God’s deal for them.
Yes, God, being our omniscient Lord, knew that His children, still under the influence of their Adamic nature, would fail Him; but He still needed to establish the ground rules for the game of life, re-establishing and ceremoniously re-setting in motion God’s part of His deal with His people. And in part of this ceremony, which we read about in today’s highlight passage, we see the importance of “the blood” in this covenant ritual. And now, being New Covenant believers, from our reading of God’s completed “Book of the Law,” our Bible, we know all about what was being pictured in this re-establishment of God’s Covenant with His people.
We know (or should know) that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of or redemption from sin [see Hebrews 9, especially verse 22; and this ceremony, we read about above, was God’s way of giving a ceremonial picture, which He established through the rituals of blood sacrifice in the Old Testament times, to foreshadow what was to come when His Son would become the Messianic blood sacrifice, the Lamb of God, shedding His blood, once and for all, to “seal the deal” God was making with His people from the Old Covenant.
And now we who are established and sealed by the New Covenant blood sacrifice, will live with our Lord and Savior forever because He, as the final blood sacrifice, the Lamb of God, shed His blood to cover us and release us from our past bondage to our sin nature.
If you’re reading along with me, can I get a resounding “HALLELUJAH?!!”
However and hopefully, we can be more faithful to our part of the New Covenant fulfillment than God’s children were when they declared that they would be obedient to God’s original covenant. Prayerfully, we can live as living sacrifices more in remembrance of God’s promised and fulfilled sacrifice than did those in Moses’ time when the people saw His glory and yet balked in trying to fulfill their covenant promise to their God.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, though we are sinners and don’t deserve Your blood, You shed it for me, and all who receive Your blood in faith, that we may be saved by Your grace and mercy, through our faith in the shedding of Your blood for our forgiveness. Oh, Yahweh, …thank You … and … HALLELUJAH!!! Amen
Blogger’s Note: I want to declare here, for any who might be willing to read along with me, that God is giving me far more than I prayed for … and WAY MORE than I deserve … as I’ve been reading through His word this year. In the beginning of 2012, I desired – and prayed for – God to fill me up with His wisdom as I made the commitment to do the chronological reading plan which our local church was promoting for 2012. But to be quite honest, I felt under obligation – more than real commitment – as an Elder in our church to model this reading plan. But nonetheless, I prayed that God would give our church flock – and me too – His wisdom, light, and direction from this reading of His word. And if you know God’s promised from both Psalms 37: 4 and James 1: 5-6 as well as Isaiah 55: 11, seeking to know God and His mind through the study of His word will ALWAYS be productive – WAY MORE than we could fathom [see Eph. 3: 20]! … And that has truly been the result of my reading thus far, chronologically, through the Bible this year. So, as with today’s journaling above, I’m more than encouraged – I’m excited! – to continue on being filled up every day by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word. Oh, how I pray others will find the Ps. 37: 4 treatment as well from committing and reading through the Bible in 2012.
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 22-24 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 24: 1-8 … : … [God’s Covenant Patience] ... 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him."
3 When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has said we will do."
4 Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey."
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."
My Journal for Today: Today, in reading through and meditating on Chapter 22-24 of Exodus [linked for your reading above] in my chronological Bible reading plan for 2012, I encounter, along with God’s instructions through Moses to His people after presenting them with The Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20), the instructions God gives to His children about how they must live to be festivals of living sacrifice. If you go back to my journal entry for Feb. 3, 2012 at this linked website, you can read how God wanted His people to remember what the Lord had done for them in delivering them from bondage in Egypt and how their lives should become “living sacrifices” in faithful remembrance of His redeeming faithfulness. And here in these chapters – for today’s reading – we read of how God gave His children specific instructions as to how they must live to become the living remembrance to Yahweh’s faithful deliverance and His patient, covenant love.
Now, in today’s highlight passage, copied above, we read of the ceremony which God presented for the people, through Moses, Aaron, and the Elders of the twelve tribes. However, in this elaborate covenant ritual, Moses was the only one whom God would allow to approach the altar of worship. And then note the corporate response of God’s chosen people when God’s instructions were presented to them by Moses. They said in accord, "Everything the Lord has said we will do." Well, I’m no Bible scholar; but I have read through THE BOOK, and I’m sure you know as well as I that these people would not live up to their part of God’s deal for them.
Yes, God, being our omniscient Lord, knew that His children, still under the influence of their Adamic nature, would fail Him; but He still needed to establish the ground rules for the game of life, re-establishing and ceremoniously re-setting in motion God’s part of His deal with His people. And in part of this ceremony, which we read about in today’s highlight passage, we see the importance of “the blood” in this covenant ritual. And now, being New Covenant believers, from our reading of God’s completed “Book of the Law,” our Bible, we know all about what was being pictured in this re-establishment of God’s Covenant with His people.
We know (or should know) that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of or redemption from sin [see Hebrews 9, especially verse 22; and this ceremony, we read about above, was God’s way of giving a ceremonial picture, which He established through the rituals of blood sacrifice in the Old Testament times, to foreshadow what was to come when His Son would become the Messianic blood sacrifice, the Lamb of God, shedding His blood, once and for all, to “seal the deal” God was making with His people from the Old Covenant.
And now we who are established and sealed by the New Covenant blood sacrifice, will live with our Lord and Savior forever because He, as the final blood sacrifice, the Lamb of God, shed His blood to cover us and release us from our past bondage to our sin nature.
If you’re reading along with me, can I get a resounding “HALLELUJAH?!!”
However and hopefully, we can be more faithful to our part of the New Covenant fulfillment than God’s children were when they declared that they would be obedient to God’s original covenant. Prayerfully, we can live as living sacrifices more in remembrance of God’s promised and fulfilled sacrifice than did those in Moses’ time when the people saw His glory and yet balked in trying to fulfill their covenant promise to their God.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, though we are sinners and don’t deserve Your blood, You shed it for me, and all who receive Your blood in faith, that we may be saved by Your grace and mercy, through our faith in the shedding of Your blood for our forgiveness. Oh, Yahweh, …thank You … and … HALLELUJAH!!! Amen
Blogger’s Note: I want to declare here, for any who might be willing to read along with me, that God is giving me far more than I prayed for … and WAY MORE than I deserve … as I’ve been reading through His word this year. In the beginning of 2012, I desired – and prayed for – God to fill me up with His wisdom as I made the commitment to do the chronological reading plan which our local church was promoting for 2012. But to be quite honest, I felt under obligation – more than real commitment – as an Elder in our church to model this reading plan. But nonetheless, I prayed that God would give our church flock – and me too – His wisdom, light, and direction from this reading of His word. And if you know God’s promised from both Psalms 37: 4 and James 1: 5-6 as well as Isaiah 55: 11, seeking to know God and His mind through the study of His word will ALWAYS be productive – WAY MORE than we could fathom [see Eph. 3: 20]! … And that has truly been the result of my reading thus far, chronologically, through the Bible this year. So, as with today’s journaling above, I’m more than encouraged – I’m excited! – to continue on being filled up every day by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word. Oh, how I pray others will find the Ps. 37: 4 treatment as well from committing and reading through the Bible in 2012.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
February 5, 2012 … Handling the Load
Passage of the Day [Yesterday]: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study for Feb. 4: Exodus, Chapters 18 … To study this chapter, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study for Feb. 5: Exodus, Chapters 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 18: 13-23 … : … [Taking Good Advice] ... 13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
My Journal for Today: Well, today, I read through the Chapters (i.e., 19-21) of Exodus, as instructed and planned for me in the Chronological Reading Plan from the Bible reading website, YouVersion.com; and there is so much meat from which I could journal my comments this morning. There is the story of Moses going up Mount Sinai and God reinstating His Covenant with Moses in Chapter 19. Of course, there is the rather meaty chapter in Exodus 20 about none-other-than the Ten Commandments; … as well as God’s instructions on the proper use of altar worship, all of which one could comment for days. Then there are the instructions God gave through Moses in Chapter 21 about the laws given to the people to allow them to be obedient to God’s purposes and His will for their lives, including none other than the “eye-for-an-eye” principle. You’d think I could find something from these chapters on which I could journal; wouldn’t you?
But yesterday, as I was closing out my journaling from Exodus 16-18, in the verses copied above from 13-23, something caught my teacher’s eye, which I felt compelled to comment on here today. So, I hope any reader following along with the Chronological reading plan, after reading through all the meat of Chapters 19-21, will allow me the latitude of going back and commenting on the passage God seems to not let me leave without blogging from yesterday (i.e., the meaty passage copied above).
That passage above is the story of Moses getting some advice from his father-in-law, Jethro, the Midianite shepherd, about how Moses was using his time and delegating leadership in his role as Shepherd for God’s people. Have you ever felt like you just had too much going on in your life? Maybe you felt like you were strung out in the various roles you are required to hold down. These days many of us have a lot of roles for which we must be “the master.” I’m a retiree; and you would think that would allow me a lot of latitude for “time management.” And I do have a lot control over my time choices. But in my life, I’m a husband, a father, a grandfather, a church elder, an adult teacher in my church, the founder/leader of a discipleship ministry, and the not-so-small matter of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in a world that is becoming ever more burdensome because of the evil demands it places on any follower of Christ.
Therefore, that is why the passage from yesterday’s reading plan rang so clear and true for me and has led me to return for comment here today. I just don’t want to miss the chance to document how strongly Jethro’s advice for Moses means to someone, like me, who can very easily take on too much and try to do too much for too many people in my life. I’m one who finds it very difficult to say “NO” to people and the demands from the world. Maybe you’re one of those “people-pleasers” like me. Well, if so, we could all take to heart how Jethro was trying to help Moses.
My friends, if you’re one, like me, who has to wear a lot of hats, masks, and robes, we simply must learn to decide what’s most important and to find others in our lives, who can help shoulder the load with us. Jesus knew this principle; and He was (and is) God! He knew that the responsibilities of the Savior-of-mankind were going to have to be shared by others; so he found a few others and then charged the rest to all of His Church (i.e., His Bride) to carry His load to the world [that of course, is the Great Commission]. And if that advice was good enough for Moses and for Jesus, don’t you think it’s good enough for you and me?
So, I hope you take in – as I have – the advice of Jethro to Moses, and from Jesus in His life example, and find others to help us carry the burdens which God has given us to carry. Think about it, when someone comes to you and says, “I really need some help with this task; and I know you could help me out with your abilities;” how does that make you feel? You’d feel complimented and would want to help, wouldn’t you? Now, of course, you’d have to prioritize that demand with the challenges and roles in your life. However, if you had the time and could help your friend who’d asked you to share some of his burdens, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?
And so, I hope we’ll all take Jethro’s advice to heart to seek out and get the help of others when we’re feeling burdened by the demand of our lives.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank you for those in my life who help me carry the burdens You’ve given me to carry. Amen
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study for Feb. 5: Exodus, Chapters 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 18: 13-23 … : … [Taking Good Advice] ... 13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
My Journal for Today: Well, today, I read through the Chapters (i.e., 19-21) of Exodus, as instructed and planned for me in the Chronological Reading Plan from the Bible reading website, YouVersion.com; and there is so much meat from which I could journal my comments this morning. There is the story of Moses going up Mount Sinai and God reinstating His Covenant with Moses in Chapter 19. Of course, there is the rather meaty chapter in Exodus 20 about none-other-than the Ten Commandments; … as well as God’s instructions on the proper use of altar worship, all of which one could comment for days. Then there are the instructions God gave through Moses in Chapter 21 about the laws given to the people to allow them to be obedient to God’s purposes and His will for their lives, including none other than the “eye-for-an-eye” principle. You’d think I could find something from these chapters on which I could journal; wouldn’t you?
But yesterday, as I was closing out my journaling from Exodus 16-18, in the verses copied above from 13-23, something caught my teacher’s eye, which I felt compelled to comment on here today. So, I hope any reader following along with the Chronological reading plan, after reading through all the meat of Chapters 19-21, will allow me the latitude of going back and commenting on the passage God seems to not let me leave without blogging from yesterday (i.e., the meaty passage copied above).
That passage above is the story of Moses getting some advice from his father-in-law, Jethro, the Midianite shepherd, about how Moses was using his time and delegating leadership in his role as Shepherd for God’s people. Have you ever felt like you just had too much going on in your life? Maybe you felt like you were strung out in the various roles you are required to hold down. These days many of us have a lot of roles for which we must be “the master.” I’m a retiree; and you would think that would allow me a lot of latitude for “time management.” And I do have a lot control over my time choices. But in my life, I’m a husband, a father, a grandfather, a church elder, an adult teacher in my church, the founder/leader of a discipleship ministry, and the not-so-small matter of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in a world that is becoming ever more burdensome because of the evil demands it places on any follower of Christ.
Therefore, that is why the passage from yesterday’s reading plan rang so clear and true for me and has led me to return for comment here today. I just don’t want to miss the chance to document how strongly Jethro’s advice for Moses means to someone, like me, who can very easily take on too much and try to do too much for too many people in my life. I’m one who finds it very difficult to say “NO” to people and the demands from the world. Maybe you’re one of those “people-pleasers” like me. Well, if so, we could all take to heart how Jethro was trying to help Moses.
My friends, if you’re one, like me, who has to wear a lot of hats, masks, and robes, we simply must learn to decide what’s most important and to find others in our lives, who can help shoulder the load with us. Jesus knew this principle; and He was (and is) God! He knew that the responsibilities of the Savior-of-mankind were going to have to be shared by others; so he found a few others and then charged the rest to all of His Church (i.e., His Bride) to carry His load to the world [that of course, is the Great Commission]. And if that advice was good enough for Moses and for Jesus, don’t you think it’s good enough for you and me?
So, I hope you take in – as I have – the advice of Jethro to Moses, and from Jesus in His life example, and find others to help us carry the burdens which God has given us to carry. Think about it, when someone comes to you and says, “I really need some help with this task; and I know you could help me out with your abilities;” how does that make you feel? You’d feel complimented and would want to help, wouldn’t you? Now, of course, you’d have to prioritize that demand with the challenges and roles in your life. However, if you had the time and could help your friend who’d asked you to share some of his burdens, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?
And so, I hope we’ll all take Jethro’s advice to heart to seek out and get the help of others when we’re feeling burdened by the demand of our lives.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank you for those in my life who help me carry the burdens You’ve given me to carry. Amen
Saturday, February 04, 2012
February 4, 2012 … And the Beat Goes On!
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 16: 1-3 … : … [Discomfort Yields Disobedience] ... 1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
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Exodus 17: 1-4 … : … [Same Ole – Same ole!] ... 1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
My Journal for Today: If you read/meditated with me yesterday in Chapters 13-15 of Exodus, we see a pattern beginning with the recalcitrant people of Israel, having been delivered so mercifully by God from Egypt. And this pattern is going to repeat itself over and over and over again throughout the Old Testament. God gives His children His promises; … God delivers on His promises; … Got gives His children some rope to hang themselves in selfishness and sin; … and Israel, over and over again, hangs itself in selfishness and sinfulness. >>> And the beat goes on … and on … and on … and on!
I find it interesting in today’s reading that God leads Moses/Aaron and the Jewish people out of the “Desert of Sin,” which really has nothing to do the English word “sin;” but coincidentally (or maybe not) it was the actual name of the place they began to grumble (back to Chapter 15) about their discomfort. And over and over again, from today’s reading in Chapters 16-18 and onward through Exodus; and even reading onward, we see that every time the Jewish people are tested with challenges in their comfort zone where God delivers on His promises, they begin to grumble; … and then they move into disobedience, selfishness, and sinful choices.
My mother used to say, “Out of the boiling pot into the frying pan.” And here we see God’s people getting display after display of God’s wondrous deliverance and protection; and they still begin to grumble as soon as their selfish desires are not being met. To them it was out of the Desert of Sin and into the Promised Land of challenge; and these baby believers couldn’t handle any of the tests which God led them through to show them His mercy and grace.
And I’m sure you know that, as we continue to read on in the Old Testament, we’re going to see that old song title from Sonny and Cher, playing itself out over and over again: … And the Beat Goes On
But we shouldn’t point fingers of blame at these Jewish wanderers, should we? Isn’t it true that all of mankind – including you and me – begin to grumble when we’re thrown into the testing pot of discomfort and denial? It’s just human nature to want everything to stay in the warm-fuzzies of life. And as soon as the heat is turned up with denial of our comfort, or most certainly some degree of privation, we begin to grumble; … and then we seek to find our own ways to move back into the comfort zone. And this latter pattern so often leads to outright disobedience and denial of God’s promises and His plans.
Yep! Been there, done that, and I have several T-shirts to prove it!
Need I say more! … ”And the Beat Goes On!” … And on and on and on! >>>
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to break out of the desert of sin and into the promised land of faith. Amen
Exodus 16: 1-3 … : … [Discomfort Yields Disobedience] ... 1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
=============
Exodus 17: 1-4 … : … [Same Ole – Same ole!] ... 1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
My Journal for Today: If you read/meditated with me yesterday in Chapters 13-15 of Exodus, we see a pattern beginning with the recalcitrant people of Israel, having been delivered so mercifully by God from Egypt. And this pattern is going to repeat itself over and over and over again throughout the Old Testament. God gives His children His promises; … God delivers on His promises; … Got gives His children some rope to hang themselves in selfishness and sin; … and Israel, over and over again, hangs itself in selfishness and sinfulness. >>> And the beat goes on … and on … and on … and on!
I find it interesting in today’s reading that God leads Moses/Aaron and the Jewish people out of the “Desert of Sin,” which really has nothing to do the English word “sin;” but coincidentally (or maybe not) it was the actual name of the place they began to grumble (back to Chapter 15) about their discomfort. And over and over again, from today’s reading in Chapters 16-18 and onward through Exodus; and even reading onward, we see that every time the Jewish people are tested with challenges in their comfort zone where God delivers on His promises, they begin to grumble; … and then they move into disobedience, selfishness, and sinful choices.
My mother used to say, “Out of the boiling pot into the frying pan.” And here we see God’s people getting display after display of God’s wondrous deliverance and protection; and they still begin to grumble as soon as their selfish desires are not being met. To them it was out of the Desert of Sin and into the Promised Land of challenge; and these baby believers couldn’t handle any of the tests which God led them through to show them His mercy and grace.
And I’m sure you know that, as we continue to read on in the Old Testament, we’re going to see that old song title from Sonny and Cher, playing itself out over and over again: … And the Beat Goes On
But we shouldn’t point fingers of blame at these Jewish wanderers, should we? Isn’t it true that all of mankind – including you and me – begin to grumble when we’re thrown into the testing pot of discomfort and denial? It’s just human nature to want everything to stay in the warm-fuzzies of life. And as soon as the heat is turned up with denial of our comfort, or most certainly some degree of privation, we begin to grumble; … and then we seek to find our own ways to move back into the comfort zone. And this latter pattern so often leads to outright disobedience and denial of God’s promises and His plans.
Yep! Been there, done that, and I have several T-shirts to prove it!
Need I say more! … ”And the Beat Goes On!” … And on and on and on! >>>
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to break out of the desert of sin and into the promised land of faith. Amen
Friday, February 03, 2012
February 3, 2012 … Living Sacrifices
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 13-15 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 13: 6-9 … 51-52: … [Remembrance Through Sacrifice] ... 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
My Journal for Today: Orthodox Jews – to this day – observe the festival of unleavened bread to remember the day God delivered them from Egypt and to have themselves set apart from other peoples as God’s chosen and delivered children. God ordered and ordained this festival to Moses, who imparted the remembrance to God’s people in the Torah, … the Book of the Law, from which I’ve take today’s focus passage from Exodus 13: 6-9.
And as I read through Chapters 13-15, in my chronological reading plan this day, I chose to focus my journal comments because the passage copied above seemed to be asking of me, “Bill, what marks your life in a regular, recurring way which remembers the New Covenant sacrifice which allowed you to be drafted into God’s people, … as an heir to God’s throne of grace?” And as I meditated on that question, which came to me through the passage above, two New Testament passages bubble up out of my consciousness.
The first is one I’d bet many of you know by heart; and it is a command directly from Jesus in John 13: 34-35, which exhorts Christians … “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
And I believe that this command from Jesus is saying to the New Covenant believer much the same thing God was saying to believers of the Old Covenant in our focus passage above; and that is … remember ME, your loving Redeemer by the way you live your lives, loving others the way I AM has loved you. And you may already be remembering the other passage, which came from the Apostle Paul from God in Romans 12: 1-2, which is probably rolling off your tongue from memory right now, saying, … I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For any reading with me today, don’t you agree that we – as believers in the same God worshipped by those in the days of Moses … and as believers in the Lord, Jesus, Our Deliverer and Redeemer – should be living our lives as festivals of remembrance, … lives which brand us as living sacrifices, showing off the love of God for us by the love we show to others, especially fellow believers? Our lives should be living witness to the God Who delivered us from the slavery of “our Egypt,” which is the bondage all mankind has to our sinful nature.
Jesus shed His blood as God’s perfect Lamb of sacrifice so that we, who declare belief in that atoning work on the cross, would be freed forever from slavery to sin; and now it’s time that we declare – by the living of our lives, sharing the love of God with others – that we are His forever.
I hope that you, who read along with me today in God’s word, are feeling the need to live more as “living sacrifices” of love. That is my prayer today. Will you join me?
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I live for You. Help my life to be a festival of remembrance to/for Your love in/through my life. Amen
Exodus 13: 6-9 … 51-52: … [Remembrance Through Sacrifice] ... 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
My Journal for Today: Orthodox Jews – to this day – observe the festival of unleavened bread to remember the day God delivered them from Egypt and to have themselves set apart from other peoples as God’s chosen and delivered children. God ordered and ordained this festival to Moses, who imparted the remembrance to God’s people in the Torah, … the Book of the Law, from which I’ve take today’s focus passage from Exodus 13: 6-9.
And as I read through Chapters 13-15, in my chronological reading plan this day, I chose to focus my journal comments because the passage copied above seemed to be asking of me, “Bill, what marks your life in a regular, recurring way which remembers the New Covenant sacrifice which allowed you to be drafted into God’s people, … as an heir to God’s throne of grace?” And as I meditated on that question, which came to me through the passage above, two New Testament passages bubble up out of my consciousness.
The first is one I’d bet many of you know by heart; and it is a command directly from Jesus in John 13: 34-35, which exhorts Christians … “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
And I believe that this command from Jesus is saying to the New Covenant believer much the same thing God was saying to believers of the Old Covenant in our focus passage above; and that is … remember ME, your loving Redeemer by the way you live your lives, loving others the way I AM has loved you. And you may already be remembering the other passage, which came from the Apostle Paul from God in Romans 12: 1-2, which is probably rolling off your tongue from memory right now, saying, … I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For any reading with me today, don’t you agree that we – as believers in the same God worshipped by those in the days of Moses … and as believers in the Lord, Jesus, Our Deliverer and Redeemer – should be living our lives as festivals of remembrance, … lives which brand us as living sacrifices, showing off the love of God for us by the love we show to others, especially fellow believers? Our lives should be living witness to the God Who delivered us from the slavery of “our Egypt,” which is the bondage all mankind has to our sinful nature.
Jesus shed His blood as God’s perfect Lamb of sacrifice so that we, who declare belief in that atoning work on the cross, would be freed forever from slavery to sin; and now it’s time that we declare – by the living of our lives, sharing the love of God with others – that we are His forever.
I hope that you, who read along with me today in God’s word, are feeling the need to live more as “living sacrifices” of love. That is my prayer today. Will you join me?
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I live for You. Help my life to be a festival of remembrance to/for Your love in/through my life. Amen
Thursday, February 02, 2012
February 2, 2012 … God In the Humility Business
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 10-12 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 12: 31-32 … 51-52: … [Broken and Believing] ... 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."
… 50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Chapters 10-12 of Exodus in my chronological Bible reading plan this morning, I was struck by how deep was the pride of Pharaoh and how patient, yet relentless, was God in doing what it took to show Pharaoh that his pride was the only human element which kept God from getting what the Lord desired – i.e., freedom for His people, the children of God’s covenant promise.
My friend, … do we get this message? God is God; and we are not!! And the only way God is going to prevail in our lives – giving us the blessings of His promises – will only happen when (or IF) we’re willing to yield to His will in humility. Perhaps you remember that little saying my friend, Loretta, who’s now with the Lord, used to say to my wife and me. We called it “Loretta 1: 1,” and she would say, “First obedience, … then the blessing.” And to me, that’s the simple – but very hard to learn – lesson from today’s reading. At least it’s tough for this chronically prideful heart to learn this lesson, which all too often has to be broken by God’s humility training in life. How many times have I had to redo God’s humility lessons, teaching me that it’s so much better – and less painful – for me to CHOOSE, on the front end, to be humble, receiving God’s enlightening, enabling, and empowering grace, freely offered by God to allow me to find and carry out His will for my life? And when I do humble myself, freely and willingly, God is so willing to pour out His grace into my life.
HOWEVER, when, like Pharaoh, I buck up an attitude of pridefulness, thinking, in my mind, “Hey, God, I can handle this one (whatever the life circumstance might be),” I’m in for troubles, testing, and all the tribulations God will have bring into my life before I can get God’s lessons of Prov. 3: 34, James 4: 4-6, and 1st Peter 5: 5-7 [and I really hope, if you don’t have these passages memorized, you will go to them and meditate on them].
Unfortunately, Pharaoh never had the benefit of having learned those lessons, which I have so freely available to me from God’s word (and His truth). But Pharaoh learned – the hard way – that God is seriously into the humility business; and the Egyptian king finally moved from brokenness to belief – through all those plagues and problems – learning to be humble and yield to God’s way and His will.
I hope we all – you and me – learn this lesson from God’s truth and we CHOOSE to obey God’s will and His way, which we most often get from His word, BEFORE we have to be humbled by God’s lessons of trials, tribulations, and temptations, … all those fires of life God often has to use to get our attention and to purify us for His purposes in life. I don’t know about you, my dear one; … but I plan to get in on that obedience business as early and as often as I can so that I can receive – willingly – God’s blessings for my life.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, the more I know of Your will for my life from Your word, I will walk humbly and obediently in Your way. Amen
Exodus 12: 31-32 … 51-52: … [Broken and Believing] ... 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."
… 50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Chapters 10-12 of Exodus in my chronological Bible reading plan this morning, I was struck by how deep was the pride of Pharaoh and how patient, yet relentless, was God in doing what it took to show Pharaoh that his pride was the only human element which kept God from getting what the Lord desired – i.e., freedom for His people, the children of God’s covenant promise.
My friend, … do we get this message? God is God; and we are not!! And the only way God is going to prevail in our lives – giving us the blessings of His promises – will only happen when (or IF) we’re willing to yield to His will in humility. Perhaps you remember that little saying my friend, Loretta, who’s now with the Lord, used to say to my wife and me. We called it “Loretta 1: 1,” and she would say, “First obedience, … then the blessing.” And to me, that’s the simple – but very hard to learn – lesson from today’s reading. At least it’s tough for this chronically prideful heart to learn this lesson, which all too often has to be broken by God’s humility training in life. How many times have I had to redo God’s humility lessons, teaching me that it’s so much better – and less painful – for me to CHOOSE, on the front end, to be humble, receiving God’s enlightening, enabling, and empowering grace, freely offered by God to allow me to find and carry out His will for my life? And when I do humble myself, freely and willingly, God is so willing to pour out His grace into my life.
HOWEVER, when, like Pharaoh, I buck up an attitude of pridefulness, thinking, in my mind, “Hey, God, I can handle this one (whatever the life circumstance might be),” I’m in for troubles, testing, and all the tribulations God will have bring into my life before I can get God’s lessons of Prov. 3: 34, James 4: 4-6, and 1st Peter 5: 5-7 [and I really hope, if you don’t have these passages memorized, you will go to them and meditate on them].
Unfortunately, Pharaoh never had the benefit of having learned those lessons, which I have so freely available to me from God’s word (and His truth). But Pharaoh learned – the hard way – that God is seriously into the humility business; and the Egyptian king finally moved from brokenness to belief – through all those plagues and problems – learning to be humble and yield to God’s way and His will.
I hope we all – you and me – learn this lesson from God’s truth and we CHOOSE to obey God’s will and His way, which we most often get from His word, BEFORE we have to be humbled by God’s lessons of trials, tribulations, and temptations, … all those fires of life God often has to use to get our attention and to purify us for His purposes in life. I don’t know about you, my dear one; … but I plan to get in on that obedience business as early and as often as I can so that I can receive – willingly – God’s blessings for my life.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, the more I know of Your will for my life from Your word, I will walk humbly and obediently in Your way. Amen
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
February 1, 2012 … Miracles Or The Message?
Blogger's Note: Continuing on with the chronological reading plan through the Bible this year (found in www.youversion.com for those who desire to following along). Now it's day 32 - in February, getting to know God more through His truth-filled word.
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 7-9 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 7: 10-13: … [God Speaks, … Man Can’t Hear] ... 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
My Journal for Today: In my chronological reading plan today [Day 32, BTW], I’m taken to the accounts in Exodus of Moses encountering Pharaoh with one miracle event after another, beginning with the one copied above where Aaron’s staff became a snake. And if you’ve studied these miracle plagues which God used to communicate His message of deliverance through Moses/Aaron to Pharaoh, we know that each plague/miracle was a message to the Egyptian king and the people in Egypt that their gods were impotent to overcome God and His plan of deliverance. In each instance, from the simple snake illustration to other more elaborate and horrifying plagues, God was saying to Pharaoh, “You’ve got nothing to overcome Me … because ‘I AM’ !”
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t do a similar gig in these times to show the rulers of the word that things have gotten way out of hand and that God’s people, the Church, are being enslaved by the world and Satan’s schemes? I used to wonder that early in my Christian life; but then God showed me, through HIS-STORY and His word, that we have all the truth this world needs; and we don’t need plagues and wondrous miracles to either establish or bolster our faith. We have THE MESSAGE in the established and canonized WORD OF GOD, the Bible, which carries all the truth we need to know the great I AM and to live according to His will.
Why would I, if I had a hardened heart, like Pharaoh, need anything more that the truth of 2nd Timothy 3: 16 – 17, … and Isaiah 55: 11, … and John 3: 16, … and Phil. 2: 6-11, and Romans 10: 9 – 13 to establish me in faith or to help me to decide the truth of Hebrews 11: 1, 6. I hope you know God’s communication of truth from that chain of messages from the Bible I’ve listed here. If not, I’ll leave it to you to go back, read, and meditate on them. But in a nutshell, these passages say, from God’s word (i.e., Scripture), all we need to know God’s purposes and His plan for our lives; and when we know and believe that truth, God’s love was made complete in the life , death, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ, … that whomever believes in what He did for us on the cross and by His resurrection, … that one will have eternal life.
It’s all there! We don’t need any wondrous miracle or a series of plagues to know God’s message of salvation and His plan of sanctification, … do we? We have the MIRACLE of His word, His MESSAGE, to establish His plan of salvation and His plan of truth for our lives. Oh, there was a time in my life (in fact for the first 39 years) which I was like Pharaoh, … hard hearted, hearing Spirit-led Christians giving witness to God’s truth and His word, but like Pharaoh, summarily rejecting God’s message which was being transmitted to me through His word. But finally, also like Pharaoh, a series of life challenges helped me to receive and believe the truth of His message in His word. But unlike Pharaoh, I was able to humble myself and receive the truth of God’s plan for my life; and I was saved.
I hope – and pray – that anyone who might read this can allow the “plagues” of life circumstance [those are the MIRACLES] to break through and allow you to see that God wants you to get His MESSAGE, from His word, to give you the gift of His saving grace. Yes, we today do have MIRACLES – even plagues - in life to help us see and receive God’s MESSAGE; but it is the MESSAGE, from His word, which carries God’s truth, not the MIRACLES.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I know You through Your MESSAGE of truth from Your word; and I’m bolstered to know You more through the MIRACLES of life which bring me back to Your MESSAGE. Amen
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 7-9 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Exodus 7: 10-13: … [God Speaks, … Man Can’t Hear] ... 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
My Journal for Today: In my chronological reading plan today [Day 32, BTW], I’m taken to the accounts in Exodus of Moses encountering Pharaoh with one miracle event after another, beginning with the one copied above where Aaron’s staff became a snake. And if you’ve studied these miracle plagues which God used to communicate His message of deliverance through Moses/Aaron to Pharaoh, we know that each plague/miracle was a message to the Egyptian king and the people in Egypt that their gods were impotent to overcome God and His plan of deliverance. In each instance, from the simple snake illustration to other more elaborate and horrifying plagues, God was saying to Pharaoh, “You’ve got nothing to overcome Me … because ‘I AM’ !”
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t do a similar gig in these times to show the rulers of the word that things have gotten way out of hand and that God’s people, the Church, are being enslaved by the world and Satan’s schemes? I used to wonder that early in my Christian life; but then God showed me, through HIS-STORY and His word, that we have all the truth this world needs; and we don’t need plagues and wondrous miracles to either establish or bolster our faith. We have THE MESSAGE in the established and canonized WORD OF GOD, the Bible, which carries all the truth we need to know the great I AM and to live according to His will.
Why would I, if I had a hardened heart, like Pharaoh, need anything more that the truth of 2nd Timothy 3: 16 – 17, … and Isaiah 55: 11, … and John 3: 16, … and Phil. 2: 6-11, and Romans 10: 9 – 13 to establish me in faith or to help me to decide the truth of Hebrews 11: 1, 6. I hope you know God’s communication of truth from that chain of messages from the Bible I’ve listed here. If not, I’ll leave it to you to go back, read, and meditate on them. But in a nutshell, these passages say, from God’s word (i.e., Scripture), all we need to know God’s purposes and His plan for our lives; and when we know and believe that truth, God’s love was made complete in the life , death, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ, … that whomever believes in what He did for us on the cross and by His resurrection, … that one will have eternal life.
It’s all there! We don’t need any wondrous miracle or a series of plagues to know God’s message of salvation and His plan of sanctification, … do we? We have the MIRACLE of His word, His MESSAGE, to establish His plan of salvation and His plan of truth for our lives. Oh, there was a time in my life (in fact for the first 39 years) which I was like Pharaoh, … hard hearted, hearing Spirit-led Christians giving witness to God’s truth and His word, but like Pharaoh, summarily rejecting God’s message which was being transmitted to me through His word. But finally, also like Pharaoh, a series of life challenges helped me to receive and believe the truth of His message in His word. But unlike Pharaoh, I was able to humble myself and receive the truth of God’s plan for my life; and I was saved.
I hope – and pray – that anyone who might read this can allow the “plagues” of life circumstance [those are the MIRACLES] to break through and allow you to see that God wants you to get His MESSAGE, from His word, to give you the gift of His saving grace. Yes, we today do have MIRACLES – even plagues - in life to help us see and receive God’s MESSAGE; but it is the MESSAGE, from His word, which carries God’s truth, not the MIRACLES.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, I know You through Your MESSAGE of truth from Your word; and I’m bolstered to know You more through the MIRACLES of life which bring me back to Your MESSAGE. Amen
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