The Beginning and the End

It has been a very trying year.  I have neglected this blog and, I confess, my habit of reading through the Bible every year as well.  There are all of the minor things that we let get in the way, painting the exterior of our house, remodeling, travel, etc., but it is the major things that distract us the most; those once in a lifetime occurrences that consume our past, present, and future.  This year it was the dying days of my 95 year old mother.  She lived a very long, and up until her last six months, faithful, productive life.  Her last days were consumed by pain.  Pain so intense even hospice could not figure out how to make her comfortable.  It is not easy to watch someone you love go through such agony.  But, joy comes in the morning and that morning came at last on December 6th.  Now she rests with all the saints who have gone on before.  Her death was liberating, not just for her, but for all of us who loved her.  She has been freed and is finally at peace and so are we.

I don't know how it all works.  If our spirit soars to heaven at the moment of death or if it is a gradual process.  I do know that the last week of my mothers life, she saw something that set her mind at ease, something that she could look forward to.  My belief is that she saw the heavenly city.  "I've been so foolish," she told me that last week, "so foolish."  I think that is what we will all say when we see heaven and compare it with the worries and woes we experience here on this finite earth.  We are all so foolish chasing after things that really won't matter when we see the Father's face.

My inability to focus has gone and we are ready for a new year of reading through God's word.

We end this year with John's words to the church, our words to you for the coming year.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. - Revelation 22:21 KJV

2 Chronicles 30:9 Turn to Me and I will Turn to You

For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” - 2 Chronicles 30:9 KJV

Sometimes we get lost in the midst of our journey.  Our roadmap gets turned upside down, or perhaps even worse is blown out of our hands and out the window by a burst of wind. We find ourselves lost with no compass, with no guide.  That seems to be the case with regards to my intentions with this blog.  The original intent, to document my yearly walk through the Bible, no longer seems feasible.  For one, I find myself repeating observations on the same stories.  The word is supposed to be new every morning, but instead of listening to what the Lord is saying through that word, for the past few months, I have been more intent on what I am going to write on a daily basis.  As opposed to hearing what God is trying to say to me, I've become caught up in my own words. As a result, not only have words begun to fail me, but circumstances have seemed to spiral out of control to the point where not only can I not write, but the rest of my life has become unmanageable as well.

My mother is coming to the end of her journey here on this earth. It's a daily challenge to watch her struggle with all of the functions she once took for granted.  Our elderly cat is in the same position.  Our financial situation is more precarious than it has been in the past.  This old house is fraught with problems as a result of the recent rains which were much needed, but have caused both the roof and basement to leak.  I have ongoing dental problems where every time one problem is resolved another crops up in it's place.  Tenants left my mothers rental house in total disrepair.  The income which she counts on will be lost until we can bring it back in livable condition.  And on, and on, and on.  When I read the above list, it doesn't seem so bad, but there are times when I am so overwhelmed all I can do is cry.  'O God',  I want to scream, 'when is it ever going to end?'   It is then that I hear his voice, when I get to the point that I no longer have words, when the silence of my situation surrounds me.  It is then I hear him gently say, 'Turn to me and I will turn to you.'  It is then I become aware once more of his mercy and compassion.  It is then that I know that all the rest, every circumstance that surrounds me is fleeting.  He is the answer.  His mercies are new every morning. 

Where I will go with this blog I cannot say, but I will turn.  I will trust without a road map, I will turn, I will follow.

2 Kings 17: No Other Gods

Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” - 2 Kings 17:38-39 NIV

What are the other gods that we worship:  the ones that we think will be able to deliver us from our enemies?  Is it our politicians, our political system, our government?  They continue to prove themselves to be pretty inadequate.  They would have us believe they have the solution when they can barely take care of their personal lives.  Is it our doctors, our pediatricians, our onicologists, our hospitals, our drugs?  They have a pretty spotty success rate at best.  They lead us down the path of the promise of eternal youth, only to be met by yet another health problem, a side effect they never anticipated.  Do we trust in our education, our position, our achievements?  Do we trust in our bank account, our investments, our financial institutions?  They can all disappear in an instant.  Do we worship our pastor, our Sunday school teacher, or the televangelist?  They may provide insight into the ttruth, but even they can never deliver us.

There is only one who can deliver us from the hand of any and every enemy we are facing, the Lord God and he doesn't extract a pound of flesh in order to do so.  All he asks is that we call on him.  Such a simple thing and yet it is usually the last thing that we think of to do.

1 Kings 8: All Have Sinned

“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; - 1 Kings 8:46-50 NIV

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived knew man's heart.  He knew how easily the heart is taken captive, how easily it is stolen.  There is something so captivating about sin.  It creeps up on us, it belongs to someone else, it looks so alluring, even safe.  Then it traps us.  The enemy winds the tendrils of everything that was so attractive around us and binds us so tightly we cannot escape.  The enemy will never let go of us willingly, but we do have a recourse.  All we have to do is confess our sins, prostrate ourselves on the rock of our salvation, and we will be saved.   God will rescue us from the power of our oppressor, he will free us from the enemy's grasp.  The enemy may not be forgiving, but our God most surely is.

2 Samuel 14: Not Estranged Forever

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.  - 2 Sam. 14:14 NIV.

Estrangement is a terrible thing...to be cut off from one you once loved or still love, to have a mountain of misunderstanding, a gulf of careless, inconsiderate actions, separating you from the one you long for.  Someone must make the first move to bridge the great divide, but usually both parties suffer in silence, anger, and recriminations, waiting for the other to bend first.  Such is not the case with God.  He does not harbor resentment for our actions against him.  Rather, he seeks us out, he still offers a relationship, he begs, he pleads, he cajoles us, he woos us as if we were his only love.  He arranges circumstances until we at last are forced to turn and look at him, where all we see is the face of love.  No matter what Absalom had done, David grieved for him until they were once more u tied.  The same is true of God.  He has infinite patience when it comes to waiting for us.  All the while, he will not be waiting silently, but will be arranging events so we will not be estranged from him forever.

2 Samuel 7: Do As You Promised

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?
"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
"And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you. - 2 Sam. 7:18-26 NIV

"Who am I?" David asks, and those few words show the relationship between David and the Lord God.  "There is none like you", he cries.  'Everything is done through your power, not our own.  Every great and awesome wonder comes from your hand and yours alone.'

Is it any wonder that God chose the line of David for the ancestry of the Messiah, that God's own son's earthly lineage would come from David.  "Do as you promised", David says, "So that your name will be great forever."   David didn't say, "So that my name will be great forever," but, so that God's name would be great forever.  I think that sometimes all of our prayers, that God will use us, are to no avail simply because, if we're really truthful, we're seeking the glory for ourselves rather than for God.  God's promises are always fulfilled, but they're for his glory and his glory alone.

2 Samuel 1: How the Mighty Have Fallen

"Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!
“Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
"O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
“Saul and Jonathan—in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
"O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
"How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.
"How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” - 2 Sam. 1:19:27 NIV

Where are the David's of today?  Where are the men who cry for those who have been destroyed, for those who have been brought down in defeat?  What kind of king would David have been if he did not grieve for Saul as he did?  Was his grieving a reflection of God's own heart?

We need to understand what it means to have the heart of God.  It means that rather than being ecstatic over our our enemy's defeat, we grieve for them.  It means we look at our enemies with God's eyes rather than our own.  It means, as Jesus said, that we love our enemies, that we do good to those that 'despitefully' use us.   "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. -Matt. 5:43-48 NIV

In order to be like our Father in heaven, we must have perfect love, love that casts out all fear.  Rather than gloating over the demise of our enemies, we should be grieving and crying as David did, 'How the mighty have fallen!'

1 Samuel 26: The Lords Annointed

So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.
Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won’t strike him twice.”
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the LORD lives,” he said, “the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”
So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the LORD had put them into a deep sleep. 1 Sam. 26:7-12 NIV

Why did God choose Saul rather than David to be the first king of Israel.  The people asked or a king and that's what they got, one that was chosen and anointed by God, but who curiously, let power go to his head.  Is that the end of all power?  It always goes to the ruler's head.  Even, David succumbed to the power of the position.  It turns out that those that God chooses to be the anointed ones are not necessarily the ones that follow the most closely after him.  A lot of times, God chooses the worst possible person to be the anointed one for two reasons:  to give the people what they want and give them what they deserve.  Ungodly kings for ungodly people. 

Instead of railing against the king, David chose to let events run their course.  He was confident that God was in control and God's timing and nothing else would be the end of Saul.  He was the Lord's anointed.

1 Samuel 12: For Want of a King

The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.” - 1 Sam. 12:19-25 NIV

It's so much easier to have a king, someone to make all the decisions for us.  Of course, when men run after a king, they seldom consider the consequences, the price of giving someone ultimate authority.  Having a king is as useless as worshipping idols.  Neither can save.  There is only one king that can preserve and protect us, not just in this life, but in the world to come, yet we continue to chase after poor substitutes and are always disappointed when our chosen object of worship fails to provide for us as we would like.  The people were disappointed with Saul.  When David became king, some of them were disappointed with him.  Each king, after all, was only human.  they still looked after nimber one.  How much better to surrender to the king who loves his creation above anything else, the one who only wants good things for us, the one who would go to the most extreme lengths to rescue us.

1 Samuel 8: A Change of Heart

“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.-1 Sam. 10:5-9 NIV

It is only the spirit of God that can change a man's heart; that can take him from an unassuming person, from the, as Saul would put it, "from the smallest tribe in Israel" to being a strong courageous king.   We have a tendency to look on the outward appearance.  We look for confidence, for strength, for appearance, but that is never what God has used to build his kingdom.  I fear that we women are the most gullible.  We run after those with charisma, the pretty face, the lying tongue.  Is it any wonder that so many of the televangelists are supported primarily by widows and lonely women who think if they send their offering to the current god of the airwaves, they will be rewarded?  Both Saul and later David, his successor,  were not what one would look for as the leader of God's people.  When Saul was to be anointed, he was so fearful that he hid among the stuff.   And David was the least of his brothers when one considered who would be fit to be king.  It was God that changed Saul's heart, it was the spirit of God that rested on David.  We need to follow the the ones with the heart, not the ones with the appearance.

1 Samuel 2: Time for a Prophet

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
"The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
"The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails;  -1 Sam. 2:2-9 NIV

If there was ever a time for a prophet, it was during the time of Eli the priest and his sons.  Not only were the people wicked, but Eli's sons were even more so.  Their sacrilege of the offerings brought by the people to God was reprehensible.  Onto this scene comes Hannah, a barren, tormented woman who trusted God as the above prayer shows.  'The Lord humbles and exalts',  she cries, 'It is not by strength that one prevails.'

God honors Hannah's cries and gives her, her hearts desire in the form of Samuel, who will become as righteous as Eli's sons are unrighteousness.  Samuel's paths are guided by God all his life.  When the people  cry for a king, he is there to anoint both Saul and David.  He lives a long prosperous life while both of Eli's sons meet their fate on the same day that the Ark is stolen, resulting in the death of their father,  Eli, as well.  As Hannah prayed, there is a God who knows.  He knows the hearts of men.  He knows when the hearts of the priests have turned away from him and he knows when it is time for a prophet.

Ruth 1-4: Kinsman-Redeemer

“Don’t call me Naomi, ” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter–in–law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. -Ruth 1:20-22 NIV

The story of Ruth is our story.  We wander off to foreign lands, looking for sustenance.  What looks like our provision, turns out to be our downfall.  We lose everything that we once had, all of our support, everything we trusted in.  We find ourselves in desperate straits, widowed and without any resources.  Our only hope is to throw ourselves at the feet of our kinsman-redeemer.  Just as with Ruth and Boaz, we will not be disappointed.  Christ, our redeemer, spreads his covering over us and pays the price, the ultimate price, to redeem us.  He gives us a future and a hope.  Although we were foreigners, we become part of the family.  We become his bride.

Judges 21: Every Man for Himself

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.-Judges 21:25 NIV.

Judges ends with perhaps the most telling verse in the Old Testament.  Everyone did as they saw fit, and the description in the preceding chapters details just how lawless the people had become under the judges.  When the men of Gibeah saw that a stranger had stopped in their town to spend the night, they besieged the house where he had taken refuge, demanding that he come out to have sex with them.  When that advance was refused, they took his concubines instead, raped her all night long and left her for dead on the doorstop where he had taken shelter.

It's not difficult to see a correlation between those events and the lawlessness to which any and all great civilizations and societies have succumbed.  It is our natural desire to have to have a king.  We have to have a ruler over us or we succumb the 'every man for himself' mindset that allows us to drift towards the depths of depravity.   As Bob Dylan says, "you've got to serve somebody."

Some of us recognize that we are part of a kingdom already, that we have a king who has established the only order that works.  When men cry out that society has gotten so depraved that the second coming is imminent, we only need look to history to see that isn't so.  Mankind left to it's own devices will always sink to the lowest depths.  Throughout history the only thing that has changed those circumstances is God's intervention.  Only God can pull us back from the brink.  How he chooses to do that is his alone to know.

Judges 2-6: Deliverance

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. -Judges 2:18-19 NIV

We are no different now than the Israelites were in ancient times.  We always tend to follow after men rather than God.  If a righteous person is installed, we follow righteousness.  Otherwise, we copy the actions of whoever seems to be in charge.  The Israelites began to follow after the Baals and Asherahs and disaster ensured.  God gave them a godly judge, Othniel and they were at peace for forty years.  When the godly judge was gone,  they forgot all about God and lived under oppression until Ehud rescued them.  After that, they were saved by Shamgar, Deborah, and finally Gideon.  All of these judges arose during difficult times to lead God's people against the enemy that surrounded them.  We need to ask God for a righteous judge.  Not a righteous president, governor, senate or court.  We need a righteous judge in the midst of God's people.  One who will pursue the enemy, the true enemy, and put him to death.  We have been overcome by the enemy of God, he is the one that is bringing about the rapid descent into lawlessness and lasciviousness that we witness in our country today.  We need to cry out to God that he will raise up people who hear his voice and are not afraid to not just face, but chase after the enemy.  Only when God sees righteousness in the midst of his church, will we be delivered.

Joshua 24: Who Will You Serve?

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15 NIV

As always, we have a choice.  What the world does not understand is that God is not a demanding god.  Unlike the gods of this world such as money, fame, or drugs, God always gives us a choice.     Once people bow down to the god of money and it's power, once they become caught in the grip, once they succumb to it's draw, they are helpless to pursue anything but.  The same is true of fame, people will sacrifice their morality, their dignity, even their humanity for the thrill that fame provides.  And, even more sorrowfully, in the instance of drugs, once a person has chosen to worship at that altar, they have little chance of abandoning their god.  They will give up family, position, even their freedom to pursue the fix that their god provides.

Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses and Joshua does not have a lock on our adoration.  We can choose to love and serve him or we can walk away.  He does not hold us in a powerful grip.  He holds us in the arms of love.  With other gods, if and when one can loose themselves from their powerful grip, one finds freedom.  With God, the opposite is true, when we walk away from God, we abandon life as it is supposed to be.  What kind of god do you want to serve?  One that grips so tight that you can't get free, or one who gives you the freedom to choose.

Joshua 7: The Way out of Despair

The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?
Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 
That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. - Joshua 7:10-12 NIV

How many times am I guilty of this same thing...falling down on my face in despair, crying out, 'Why has this happened to me?'  Sometimes, I need to be told "Stop!'  I need to be brought up short, short of where my frailties, insecurities and even sin will take me.  I need to look deep inside.  Just as Joshua had to peel away the layers of tribe, descendants and families to find the guilty party, I need to peel away the layers that keep me from facing the truth that I am usually solely responsible for the situation that I find myself in.  That's not to say that worldly events are happening all around me, but it is my reaction to them that causes the majority of my angst.  Whenever, I worry about my provision, when ever I take matters into my own hands, when I shy away from God's provision, I fall into a well of despair that is impossible to climb out all by myself. 

God is so gracious.  He no longer takes us outside the camp to be stoned to death.  Instead, he sent his son who took the punishment for all of our sins, and all of the sins that are committed against us.  We can still wallow in despair if we want, but if we want a way out, it has been provided.  Just as the death of Achan freed the Israelites to be victorious, Christ's death frees us to be the same.

Joshua 1: Getting Ready for Possession

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9 NIV

It's so easy to think our time of worth has evaporated, that we no longer have anything to offer, that our days of service have passed us by while we were busy earning a living, raising children, or taking care of our responsibilities.  But that is not the case, just as it was not the case with Joshua.  Hoshea, as he was originally called, son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim, dutifully followed Moses.  For over forty years, he was by Moses' side.  He watched as Moses ascended the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God, he waited behind in the tabernacle after Moses communed with God to bask in the glory, he spied out the land and came back with a favorable report.  It was at that time, that Hoshea's name which meant 'Salvation', was changed to Joshua which means 'God is Salvation'.  Was that the purpose of all of Joshua's years of waiting in the wings, all the years of not being in the forefront?  Was it so that he would learn that salvation comes only through God?  Was it so that he would learn that anything that is undertaken has no power unless the power comes from God?  Was that so he would learn that strength and courage, true strength and true courage, is a result of total dependence on God.  Was the waiting a means to dispel terror rather than to promote it?  Were the long days of following, of being obedient and subservient, the path away from discouragement?  If so, perhaps some of us need to re-evaluate our lives and see that the years that have passed us by have not been in vain.  They have been building us into someone ready to possess the promised land.

Deuteronomy 32: Full of Power

“See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.
I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever,  when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. -Deut. 32:39-41 NIV

How different our lives would be if we truly believed that this is the God we serve, the only god, the one who puts to death and the one who brings life.  If we truly believed this, we would pray for our enemies as Jesus said we were to do.  We would turn the other cheek, we would understand that vengeance is God's alone.  We would know that God needs no defending, he can defend himself.  We would be cursing the darkness, not the unfortunate souls who inhabit it.  We would be offering light and hope and salvation to a world that is desperately lost.  We would be confident in our God and his mighty power rather than trying to turn back the darkness on our own.  If we truly believed in the power of God, our lives would be full of his power.

Deuteronomy 30: A Broken Record

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. - Deut. 30:11-16 NIV

Why do we make it so difficult?  Why do we struggle like a broken record, going round and round and round thinking that there is going to be a different answer; thinking that there is some magical formula that will call down God's blessing in our lives?   We try to make it so complicated only because we don't want to recognize the truth:  Love The Lord your God, walk in his ways, keep his commands, decrees and laws.

Deuteronomy 26: A Promise Keeping God

The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him.  And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised. -Deut. 26:16-19 NIV

It's so easy to forget that we are in a covenant relationship with The Lord; to forget that there are vows taken by each side that must be forever remain in place.  That means that we are bound to God, we cannot come and go as we please.  We cannot choose to obey only part of his commands.  We are wholly his, just as a bride is wholly her husband's, we are God's treasured possession.  We have made a promise to be faithful and that covenant cannot be broken

On the other side,  God belongs to us.  We have his promise, his everlasting commitment to us.   Nothing can change that.  He is a never changing, ever faithful God.  It is no wonder that marriage is used to describe the believers relationship with God, and vice versa.  It's hard for us to understand that in these days when divorce comes so easily, when friendships are dependent upon what we get out of the relationship, and when even family ties no longer hold people together.  While commitment may not mean much to most of us, it is still important to God.  In fact, it is the  very core of his being.  While all around us, relationships crumble, he is faithful, he will always be.  He is a promise keeping God.

Deuteronomy 15: Obedience Brings Blessing

However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. -Deut. 15:4-6 NIV

These words leap out at me as what might have been the promise at the founding of our country as well.  They could be the promise to us as individuals as well.  Obey The Lord and you will be blessed, nations, states, cities, individuals, all find blessings when they obey the Lord God, when hearts follow after him.  If you doubt that, look at the rise from the rubble of countries such as South Korea and the contrasting decline of North Korea; one where the majority of the population is now Christian and the other godless.

We can attribute the decline in our country and our own life to external factors, but the truth remains, God blesses those who follow his commands.  As Samuel said, "Obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam. 15:22). I pray we will be able to apply it in our lives in order to live lives where we will be blessed and can bless others, rather living lives of poverty and subjection.

Deuteronomy 10: Over and Over and Over Again

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff–necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. Deut. 10:12-17 NIV

He chose us, the God of heaven and earth, the God of the Ages, the Beginning and the End, he chose us and requires so little of us, yet we wander off on our own over and over again.  We choose alien gods, gods of clay, wood, hay and stubble, thinking that they can provide for our needs, but they fail, over and over again.  We wonder why our world keeps falling apart, over and over again.  All the while, God, our God, the one who has called us by name, stands patiently by, waiting for us to come to our senses and acknowledge him.  Acknowledge that without him, we are nothing.  He waits for us.  Over and over again, he stretches out his arms to us and we ignore him.  We ignore the God who owns the highest heavens and this puny earth that we call home.  We cast our eyes on other sources while he waits, over and over and over again.

Deuteronomy 8: Pride Before the Fall

Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. -Deut. 8:11-14 NIV

It is so easy to let this happen, to let our prosperity lull us into thinking that it is something of our own doing.  In the valleys of despair, we are very aware of our inability to do anything for ourselves.  At those times we bare our souls and cry out for God's intervention.  We recognize our total dependence on him as our source and we are not disappointed.  He always carries us through.

However, once we are out of the valley, once we have conquered the mountain, we begin to think that we have done it all in our own power.  As Moses says, when God's blessings become manifest in our lives, our hearts have a tendency to become proud and we forget that it was the Lord our God who brought us out of our despair and planted our feet on the high place.  It is at those times when we think that we have triumphed that we face the most risk of falling. 

Deuteronomy 4: Idle Worship of Idols

After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and provoking him to anger, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. There you will worship man–made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. -Deut. 4:25-31 NIV

Most of us would be hard pressed today to name our idols.  We know better than to worship gods of wood and stone, but then the majority of people on the earth no longer worship gods of wood or stone, they have become obsolete, replaced by the trappings of modern society.  Now we worship technology and all it has produced.  We worship our iPads, smart phones, and all that is contained in them.  We worship our cars, bicycles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and even our houses.  We worship our children and grandchildren.  We worship our leisure. 

Ultimately, it is our leisure that drives us away from worshipping God.  It is in our leisure, when we are bored or anxious, that we turn to the one thing that calms us most.  Some of us run, some of us read, some of us watch CNN, some of us, those who like to think of themselves as holy, watch CBN, and some of us, myself included, play computer games.  None of these pursuits are harmful in and of themselves, but when they become our consolation, they become our gods. 

Moses reminded the Israelites of the consequences of worshipping other gods.  We face the same consequences today, but we also possess the same antidote.  If we seek the Lord God with all of our heart and soul we will find him.  We will find a God that meets all of our needs, who fills up all of the empty places in our lives, a God who makes the idle worship of idols unnecessary.

Deuteronomy 1: God's Promises

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. - Deut. 1:29-33 NIV

This is often so true of us.  We have seen God go before us; have seen him fight for us, but, when he reveals what he has promised to us, we quake with fear.  It's too much.  No matter how much we want to believe the promise, we hesitate to reach out and grasp it.  It's too big we cry, we can't do that.  There are giant obstacles standing in our way.  Sure, the reward would be sweet, but we don't have what it takes.  We take the burden of the vision from God and place it on our own shoulders, and sure enough, it is too heavy us to carry.

God's promises, promises for our future, are not dependent upon our abilities, but on him.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 NIV
The promises, the visions, the desires of our hearts are placed in us by him, and he will carry through on what he has promised.

Numbers 35: Bloodshed Polutes the Land

“‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. - Numbers 35:33 NIV

Of all the things we Christians worry and fret about today, promiscuity, homosexuality, greed, licentiousness, etc., perhaps the most offensive to God is the shedding of innocent blood.  We still get up in arms about abortion, but there are not many speaking out about the murder running rampant in our country.  In fact, a lot of Christians are arming themselves  They see it as their right to protect themselves all the while shedding no tears over the young men, primarily minorities, who are dying daily.  We cannot protect our own lives without protecting the lives of others.  As scripture says, "Bloodshed pollutes the land" .   Our land is polluted by the bloodshed on television, in the movies and video games, and on the streets, not to mention the blood shed by abortion.  We have to address all of these issues if we want our land to be restored.

Numbers :24: No Fear!

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
“No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. - Num. 24:19-21 NIV

We have just returned from a trip to California to visit family and friends.  Whule we were there, we attended a worship service, held in the local Boys and Girls Club, where people from several churches got together to do nothing but praise and worship the Lord.  It was one of the most moving worship experiences we have had since we left our little church in Jockey Hollow, New Jersey.  If I were to use one sentence to describe that night, it would be, "The shout of the King was among us!"

We Christians, worry so about our place, our security in the world, just as the Israelites were prone to do.  And just like the Israelites, we are oblivious of the power we possess, a power that the world is aware of far more than we are.  Whether or not we acknowledge it, the world is afraid of the power of God and of those who possess his power.  We have the power of God in our midst, the God who only does wondrous things, and yet we concede that right to all of the principaliies and powers that are helpless in his presence.

I came away from that night convinced that we need to worship more and worry less.  The LORD our God is with us; the shout of the King is among us!  We have nothing to fear!

On the Road

We are on the road for a couple of weeks...will resume in a week or so...in the meantime, we are having a wonderful time getting together with family and old friends,, restoring our hearts and minds.

Numbers 22: Baalaam

Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.

The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”  Num 22:2-6 NIV

We forget just how powerful we believers appear to the world and then wonder why they treat us as they do.  Regardless of how we feel or how we see ourselves, they sense the power that is God living in our lives and it scares them.  The world senses, and rightly so, that should God choose to do so, their lives would be turned upside down, the world as they know it destroyed, just as the world of the Amorites and Moabites was.  The enemy toys with them and gives them the false impression that they can wage war against God and win, that they can curse God's people out of existence.  If that were true, it would have been done centuries ago, but it is not true and will never be.  Since the Children of Israel followed Joseph to Egypt, empires and civilizations have vanished, leaving nothing behind but a few crumbling monuments, but, God's people are still alive, the gospel is still alive, God is still on our side.  People have summoned various Baalam's through the centuries to curse God's people, but it has all been in vain.  God's people have survived, the Baalam's have not.

Numbers 14-21: Crisis After Crisis

they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Num. 21:5 NIV

Crisis after crisis, after crisis, complaining after complaining.  It's a wonder that God didn't abandon the Israelites once and for all, all of them, including Moses.  The people rebel and are struck with the plague.  Korath and his friends rebel and are swallowed up.  Miriam and Aaron get testy and Miriam turns leporous.  Even Moses gets frustrated at Meribah and strikes the rock twice when they grumbled about the water, forfeting his chance to enter the promised land.   In between all of this, God is still issuing  instructions for the priesthood and how they are to live their lives.

That's the same God that we serve, he has never changed.  He is still faithful when we are not.  He still loves us and still chastises us when we get out of hand.  It is always for our own benefit, however, just like the Israelites, we may not see it Immediately.  Perhaps it is only through the veil of  history we will see our rebellion and God's love.

Numbers 13: Giants in the Land

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
But the men who had gone up with him said, “ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” - Num.  13:30-33 NIV

There have always been giants in the land, giants of poverty, disease, inequality, disability, addiction, infidelity, lust, ambition, envy, gluttony, all those things which would keep us from God's promises.  We can refuse to go up against them, we can go around in circles in the desert of despair, or we can face them.  We can say, like Caleb, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  Or we can declare, like the rest of the spies,  "We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”   Just as with the Israelites, God has given us his promise.  He goes before us.  What more do we need?  There are giants in the land, but they're nothing compared to our God.

Numbers 9: Where is God?

At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD’s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. - Num. 9:18-23 NIV

What was God protecting the Israelites from?  What was he propelling them away from or towards?  Did they ever grumble, 'We've been here too long.  When are we going to move?' or 'Why are we moving so soon?  We just got settled'.  The same questions revolve in our heads today.  Can it be that   God is moving amongst us, that he is ordering our lives even when we don't sense it.   Perhaps we'd be more comfortable with a fiery cloud to demonstrate that God is still with us, that he is orchestrating our lives, when all we feel is silence on his part, when all we experience is the mundane or excruciatingly never ending pain.  Where is God in those times when there is no guidance?  Where is God?

Numbers 7: Following God

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;  one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;  one male goat for a sin offering;  and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering.

This exact phrase is repeated twelve times in the seventh chapter of Numbers.  Since there are no accidents in God's kingdom, why was it so important that the identical offerings from each tribe in Israel be documented?  Is it perhaps to illustrate how precise God's requirements are, how they must be carried out exactly as prescribed, how there can be no deviation from the requirements.  For those of us on this side of the cross, is it to illustrate just how powerful Christ's sacrifice was, what it spared us from?  Not just hell fire and eternal damnation, but the monotonous repetition of trying to live up to God's standards.

 I'm afraid that if I were born an Israelite during the time of the Exodus, I might have ended up like Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu.  I'm a rebel at heart.  The last thing I want to do is conform to any set standard, to be just like everyone else, yet that is what God calls us to do.  Whether we admit it or not, we are all conformed to something, even if it is our own individuality.  In doing so, we miss everything that God has for us.  Christ's death provided access to eternal life, but it did not take away our human desire to carve out our own life. Conforming to a lot of laws and regulations does not make us holy, following God does.  Allowing our mind to let go of all pre-conceived notions of who or what we are to be frees us to be all God intended us to be.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)

Numbers 6: Basking in His Love

The LORD said to Moses, 
“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 
“‘“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. ”’ 
“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” - Numbers 6:  22-27 NIV

We look for so many blessings, but do we look for the one true blessing that makes the whole of our life better, the one that raises our head?  That can only be the blessing that comes when the Lord makes his face to shine upon us, when he is gracious to us, when he turns his face to us and gives us peace.  No other blessing, nothing else that we would ask for compares to having God's face directed at us.  Earthly outcomes no longer matter when we bask in the presence of his love. 

Leviticus 26: Who is to Blame?

“‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.  - Lev. 26:3-9 NIV

Anyone who wants to understand what has happened to our country need only read the first verse of this passage.  There was a time, in our founding when, perhaps not all, but a good portion of the citizens were people of faith.  They obeyed God's laws as well as those of the founding fathers and as a result, this nation prospered.  I fear that now the covenant has been broken.  Not just by the people who were never people of faith, but by those who consider themselves to be the children of God as well.  I know that I have failed in many ways to follow God's decrees.  I know that my sins are covered by the blood, that my soul is secure, but that does not mean that my sins are not contributing to the breaking of God's covenant with this country.  It may be something as simple as not loving my neighbor as myself, but any sin, either of commission or omission, threatens the covenant with God that secured prosperity for this country in years past.  We can't point fingers at the world and expect them to repent. We can't blame them for the situation in our country if we don't accept any part of the blame ourselves.

Leviticus 24: Safety Insurance

 “‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. -Lev. 24;18 NIV

We will do anything to insure safety, both physical and emotional, often putting one above the other.  The drug addict is too worried about his emotional needs to care about his safety.  He forgets to eat, abandons those he loves, all in the quest for that one thing which will fill the emotional void within.  Others are so concerned for their safety that they forget to take care of their emotional needs, morphing into workaholics who have no time for relationships or leisure. The end result for both is not a place of safety but of peril.

Ultimately, most of us fail to realize the one aspect of our lives that will guarantee both our physical and emotional safety; that is our spiritual safety, our relationship, our obedience, our trust, our reliance on God to meet all of our needs.  God promises that if we rely on him, if we obey him, we will find safety.  All our needs will be met and more.  We will eat our fill and live in safety.  Why is that so hard to do?

Leviticus 18: To Give Life

The LORD said to Moses,  Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. 
You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.  You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.  Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD. - Lev. 18:1-5 NIV

It is so hard to be holy.  We drift from one extreme to the other, from total abstinence to total abandonment, neither of which was decreed by the Lord.  All the while, we miss the point; God's commands are to give us life, not to take that life away.  Why are we not to defile our family or our neighbors?  Because to do so brings death, not necessarily physical death, although sometimes that is the result, but spiritual death.  When we choose to follow our desires despite God's commands, the life giving, life sustaining, life enabling source in our soul dies.  Is it any wonder we see so many people dependent on outside influences such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc., today?  Their souls have died, and they will do anything to make themselves feel alive again, if only for a fleeting moment in time.  God knew that his people would be surrounded by those with no hope, those who would use any means possible to fill up the god-sized vacuum in their lives.

On the other hand, we have such a life affirming gospel.  We should not be afraid to share it with the world, for it is life.

Leviticus 10: One Fell Swoop

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.  So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 
Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: “‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored. ’” Aaron remained silent. - Leviticus 9:1-3 NIV

Aaron was silent. He had just seen two of his sons consumed by a fire that came out from the presence of the Lord.  Now his sons are lying dead in front of the sanctuary. Was he thinking, 'I must have done something wrong, I must not have trained my sons right'?  A myriad of thoughts must have been running through his head.  'Is it my fault that they sinned?  Is it my fault that they were show-offs?  Is it my fault that they thought the rules didn't apply to them?  Is it my fault that they did not understand how we are to approach God?  Is it my fault they did not understand the implications of God's anointing?  Is it my fault that they could not tell the difference between the holy and the profane?'

Today, we are so relaxed in how we approach God.  While the new covenant brought about by Christ's sacrifice gives us freedom from all of the old laws, it does not change the nature of God.  God is still the awesome, mighty, everlasting creator of the universe that he has always been.  He is still the Great I Am.  It would still behoove us to approach him with the awe and wonder that he deserves.  Even today, he can destroy any of us with one fell swoop.

Leviticus 8: The Perfect High Priest

Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done. ”
Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.  He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it was fastened on him.  He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.  Then he placed the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on the front of it, as the LORD commanded Moses. - Lev. 8:5-9 NIV

How did Aaron get to be the High Priest.  He certainly was not a likely candidate.  He was, after all, the one who could not stand up to the people, but crafted a golden calf for them after they thought God had abandoned them in the wilderness when Moses was too slow in coming down from the mountain.  This is Aaron, whose sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and then offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command.  This is Aaron, who along with his sister, Miriam, began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife which resulted in Miriam becoming leprous.  This is Aaron, who did not seem to have a word of his own, who did not hear directly from God, but from Moses instead.  How is it that this, Aaron, was the one, the only one, authorized to accept and present the sacrifices of the people to the Lord? 

The author of Hebrews explains it this way:  Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. (Hebrews 5:1-4 NIV)  Only those who are called by God, only those who are painfully aware of their limitations are truly qualified to deal with the rest of us who are always tempted to go astray.  Our earthly priests are still capable of sin, they will disappoint us, just as Aaron did.  The one exception to this is Christ, who was tempted just as we were, yet without sin.  Jesus understands all of our weaknesses, he faced the same temptations, yet never sinned.  Christ is the perfect High Priest, the one and only perfect High Priest. 

For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son who has been made perfect forever. - Hebrews 7:28 NIV
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Leviticus 5: Wrongdoing Against The Lord

"If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; he has been guilty of wrongdoing against the LORD."  - Lev. 5:19-19 NIV

I look at this in light of the world today and wonder how different our society would be if we had to make a sin offering for every unintentional sin.  Instead of, "It's not my fault," we would be paying the consequences.  We would have to offer up an innocent ram, a blood sacrifice, for our carelessness.  Surely, this would keep us aware of the consequences of our actions, that for any sin, something must die.

Contrast that with our current reality, where there are seldom repercussions for what would be considered flagrant sins by Old Testament standards.  Anything has become permissible and sin runs rampant.  As Christians, we need to remember that any sin, even that which is unknown, requires a sacrifice.  We have been made whole in Christ, but we cannot take his sacrifice lightly.  Blood, innocent blood, had to be shed on our behalf.  In even the smallest sin we are guilty of wrongdoing  against The Lord.

Exodus 40: Beyond the Wildest Dream

Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. 
Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 
Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. - Exodus 40:33-35 NIV

Did Moses ever dream that the latter part of his life would be so full, that he would be leading a people, however rebellious, out of bondage into a land promised by God to his forefather, Abraham?  Did he ever imagine that he would be in the presence of the creator of heaven and earth, that he would see his glory?  How could God use someone like Moses with such a checkered past, a murderer and then after he fled to Midian, a sheepherder for his father-in-law?  Did he think that was how his life was going to be for the rest of his life?  Did he think that all of his good years were in the past? 

God doesn't always use just the young and energetic.  Sometimes he even chooses those who are way past their prime, such as Abraham. God will use anyone, at any stage in their life, as long as they are listening to the voice of God, as long as they are willing to follow even when his requests seem somewhat implausible. He's looking for those with open eyes and ears and willing hearts.  He's looking for those with faith.

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward..  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. - Hebrews 11:23-29 NIV

Exodus 33: Fellow Travelers

Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’  If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” - Ex. 33:12-14 NIV

We all need someone to go with us; this journey is too much to undertake on our own.  God waking with us should be enough, but most of the time, we are not looking for God to walk with us, we are looking for earthly companions.  His presence gives us peace, gives us rest, but few of us take advantage of what he offers. We are looking for help on the human level rather than the help that comes from God. We rely on those we feel are more holy, more religious than us to be our guide rather than on God's word and his Holy Spirit.  Many of us spend more time reading books by Christian authors than the Word of God.  Many of us spend more time listening to the latest televangelist or video teaching than we do listening to God. Many of us spend more time telling our brothers and sisters our problems than we do telling God.  That's not to say that others don't bring us comfort or share our burdens, but they will never be for us what God is meant to be. 

God had confidence in Moses because Moses sought the Lord.  Moses wanted to know God because he knew that only God could give him what he needed to lead this undisciplined people that God had saddled him with.  While Moses may not have recognized it, God also gave him the others he needed to share the journey with.  He had Aaron and Miriam, although sometimes they were more of a hindrance than a help.  He had Joshua, Joshua who was everything that Moses might have been were he younger, Joshua, who would not leave the Tent of Meeting where God spoke with Moses, Joshua who would someday lead the people. God also gave Moses Caleb who was not afraid, even of giants.  When Moses became content with God being his only companion, God gave him others to share the journey.

God never fails to put fellow travelers in the path of those whose eyes are set on him. 

Exodus 31: A Sign Forever

The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’” -Ex. 31:16-17 NIV

One of the things you have to say about the Israelites, or Jews as we know them today, is that they took God's commands about the Sabbath seriously.  Just like the rainbow is a sign of God's covenant with man that he will never again flood the earth, the Jews observance of the Sabbath is a sign that they have never forgotten their covenant with God.  They continue to observe the Sabbath, even as they have had to adapt it to modern   If ever you are staying in a hotel in Israel on the Sabbath, you will be aware of this when you notice that the elevators have a mind of their own from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.  They will stop on every floor for people to board so they do not have to push the elevator buttons.  Some of us may think this is taking things a little too far, but at least they are aware of God's commands and are still, after all these centuries, trying to stay faithful to those commands.  

If remembering the Sabbath is a sign of God's covenant with the Jews, what is the sign of our covenant with him?  It might be that we are to show we love one another.  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35 KJV). If so, I'm not sure we have been as faithful to that covenant as the Jews have been with their observance of the sabbath.

Exodus 28: Holy to The Lord

"Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.  Ex, 28:36 NIV

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light - 1 Peter 2:9 KJV

If we are, as Peter says, a royal priesthood,  can we imagine ourselves with an engraved plate on our forehead that says "Holy to The Lord"?  Is that what others see when they come into contact with us?  Do they see our consecration, our commitment to the Lord, or do they see something else.  Do they see our commitment to ourselves?  Do they see our commitment to our jobs, to our houses, to our way of life, to our entertainment, to our leisure, to our political views, or even our commitment to our families, more readily than they see our commitment to God.    I think most of us today don't want to be a peculiar people, we don't want to be set apart, we don't want to embarrass non-believers with our faith.  Perhaps our message and influence on the world would change if we truly saw ourselves as "Holy to The Lord".

Exodus 18: Jethro

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 
He said, “Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 
Then Jethro, Moses’ father–in–law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father–in–law in the presence of God. - Exodus 18:9-12 NIV

Throughout the Bible, God uses people who are not of his chosen people to bring his word to those very people.  Jethro was one of them.  He was not a descendent of Abraham, but he recognized the hand of God in rescuing the Israelites from the Egyptians.  Not only did Jethro recognize God's work, but he brought God's wisdom to Moses.  Moses was trying to do all of the work himself and it was impossible.  He had to rely on others to hold his hands up because they tired of all the work.  Jethro was God's mouthpiece to deliver a better way of dealing with the vast number of people and issues.  Sometimes we need to listen to those who may not be of our own spiritual family in order to hear God's word and his wisdom.

Exodus 15: The Right Kind of Fear

“The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’ 
But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.  “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? 
You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.
“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. 
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. - Exodus 15:9-14 NIV

 We are such a weak people and as a result we attribute that same weakness to God, but that is not the case.  There is nothing weak or subservient about our God.  God is a fearful god, one to be feared, but he is not fearful, full of fear.  On the contrary, he knows how great his power is and because of that, he is gentle, longsuffering, forgiving when we are prone not to be. 

If he is too fearful to contemplate, if his power is so vast that with just one breath, he can cause the seas to rise and cover our enemies, we need to re-consider what we are afraid of.  Rather than fearing our enemies, we should fear the fate that awaits them because of their unbelief and disobedience. Rather than being worried about what their political position is going to do to our comfort level, we should be worrying about why our testimony doesn't convict them of the need for our God. We are surrounded by friends, neighbors and family who are desperately in need of a relationship with God.  If Christ's message is not getting through, it is because of the messengers not the message. Somewhere along the line, Christians stopped being bold in the message of hope to those in sin and started being bold in their condemnation of the sinners.  It has to stop or we will have to face the wrath of God for not getting his message of salvation across. We cannot fear the boasting of the enemy, we have the living God on our side.  We must instead fear for the outcome when they have to face God.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:30 KJV)

Exodus 13: Be Still

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  - Ex. 13:13-15 NIV


 "Be still!"  I hear these words over and over, these words, this command of God.  "Be still."  Be still and know that I am God.  Be still and know that I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Be still and know that I am the God that hardened Pharaoh's heart.  Be still and know that I am the God that led the Israelites out of Egypt. Be still and  know that I am the God that led them into the promised land.  Be still and know that I am the God who will deliver you.  Be still and know that I am the God God who will fight for you.  Be still and know that I am the great I am!

Exodus 12: Doing What God Commands

All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions. -Exodus 12:50-51 NIV

The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded and that very day, the very day of their obedience, they were delivered.  Does that sound familiar?  Do we have a tendency to struggle and struggle with an issue, waiting for the Lord to act, when all the time, we are the one who is supposed to be doing something.  God is waiting for us to act, to be obedient.  It may be a habit that we are wanting to break.  We pray and pray, asking to be delivered, when all we need to do is act. Perhaps our heart needs to change toward another person.  If we do as we are supposed to do, if we love that person, bless that person, honor that person, we will find that our attitude is changed.  We act and we find that that desire which we thought impossible to quench is gone. 

God always gives us the grace, but it is when we need it most, not while we are waiting.  Grace is needed in the thick of things.  Just like the Israelites, on the day that we do what the Lord commands, God will act in our behalf.  He will bring us out of our Egypt because we have been obedient.  We all know what God is commanding of us in this moment.  If we want to be delivered, we need to act.

Exodus 9: Eagles' Wings

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” - Exodus 19: 4-6 NIV

Have you seen, have you experienced those times when God carried you on eagles wings, times when your knees knocked so bad that you could not move forward in any strength of your own?  Well, if not, then you are missing what it means to be totally dependent on God and all of the blessings that follow from that dependency.  We were not created to tough it out of our own accord, rather as Isaiah says, "They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles;" (Is. 40:31 KJV).  I have always had the picture in my mind of having my own wings, but perhaps that is not the right image.  Perhaps it is more like when the great eagle, Landroval, carried  Frodo and Sam to safety from Mount Doom, in The Lord of the Rings.  Perhaps that is what God is wanting to do for us.  Perhaps being totally obedient means letting go of our own means of transportation and relying instead totally on the Lord.  What great adventure are we missing because we think we have to do everything in our own power? 

Exodus 4: Believing Without Seeing

and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. -Ex. 4:31 NIV

All the leaders of the Israelites needed was to hear that God had not forgotten them.  They were in much direr straights than most of us find ourselves; slaves in a foreign land being worked mercilessly.  Even in the midst of their trials, knowing that God was concerned about them was enough to make them bow down in worship.  Can we say that we do the same thing in the midst of our misery, or do we have to see the answer before we can fully worship God.  It should be enough for us to just know that God is on our side, but most of us put the cart before the horse.  We want to see proof of God, proof of his love, proof of his intervention in our lives before we can truly worship.  God has told us he is concerned about us, he has told us that he cares.  That should be cause enough for us to bow down.  That should be the only reason we need for worship

Exodus 2: God in the Reeds

But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
“Yes, go,” she answered. And the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”  -Ex. 2:3-10 NIV


When we think of Moses, we tend to let the story of the burning bush overshadow the story of Pharaoh's  daughter finding the infant Moses floating in a basket where he had been hidden.  Which is the most miraculous?  Both events were orchestrated by God and were a necessary part of the story of the Israelites being led out of Egypt.  There are no accidents in Gods kingdom.  There are no accidents in our lives.  God uses it all, even something as simple as saving the life of a child, to further his purposes. Most of us are looking for God in the burning bush, when we should be looking for God in the ordinary.  He might be lurking in the water among the reeds.

Genesis 47: Behold What Manner of Love

Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.  Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty–seven. -Gen. 47:27-28 NIV

What a life Jacob had.  When he took his brother's birthright and stole his father's blessing, did he ever imagine what it would all mean?  When he dreamed of the angels descending and ascending into heaven, did he know he would father twelve sons by four different women to fulfill the promise that he would be a great nation?  When he wrestled with God and received a new name, did he know that it would become the name of a nation that survives to this day?  When he wept over the bloody coat of his beloved son, did he realize that Joseph was going ahead to prepare a way for the entire family to survive?  As he wandered from place to place, always looking for a safe place to settle down, did he know that his last years would be spent as an honored guest in the land of Egypt?

The same is true of our lives.  God has called all of us.  We have heard his voice and chosen to follow him.  We have his promise that he will never leave or abandon us.  As we journey through this life, we may occasionally hear his voice or dream his dreams, but most of the time we are just living, moving from place to place, while it is God who is shaping our lives into what he created us to be.  What we are to be, what we will be is not yet made known.  All we have to know is that we are the children of God.


How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 NIV

Genesis 40: How Soon They Forget

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.  And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged. ”- Gen. 41:9-13 NIV

It's easy for us to spend our lives thinking that the world, or those in power can give us what we want, or what we need:  security, prosperity and a long life, but this is a misconception, or as in the case of Pharaoh's servants, just a dream.  Any recognition, other than that of God is just fleeting.  Any position, any favor meted out by the world doesn't have as much worth as a promissory note.  It can be, and often is, taken away at a moment's notice due to no fault of our own.  We lose our jobs, the stock market crashes, our insurance is cancelled, the mortgage foreclosed.  Our world crumbles and there is nothing we can do to stop it.  No one is immune, look at all of the politicians, celebrities, and sports figures who fall from grace even faster than their meteoric rise to fame.  There are no guarantees except with God.  His mercy never comes to an end.  He did not abandon Joseph, not when he was thrown into a cistern by his brothers, not when he was thrown into prison by Pharaoh.  He did not abandon him, and he does not abandon us.  No matter the circumstance we can be sure that he is aware of it all and just like Joseph, it will be engineered for his good as well as ours.

Genesis 36-39: Deceit

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it. -Jer. 17:9 KJV

Sin is definitely intergenerational.  What began with Jacob stealing the blessing and birthright from his brother Esau, continued throughout Jacob's life.  First, his wives plotted continually to have children by Jacob, using their concubines, mandrakes, whatever means possible to get one over on the other, then Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers who concoct a great lie to tell their father, and finally, Judah, the firstborn, is deceived by his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who resorts to disguising herself as a prostitute in order to get the what Judah promised but would not deliver.  The outcomes of all these schemes never produced the desired effect.  It takes a long time for the resulting chaos to be put right and sometimes, it never is.

That's how it is in man's world, but not in God's.  God's world, and his plans always involve redemption; from Joseph being the one who rescues his entire family from a severe drought, to God's own son coming to provide us a way out of our own dire circumstances and despair, God can make marvelous endings out of the most inauspicious beginning.  Unlike the ancients, we don't need a dream to tell us that it will be okay in the end, we have God's word.  We don't have to resort to deceitful tactics to ensure our survival, we have God's promise.

Genesis 36: Foreign Gods

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. - Gen. 36:2-5 NIV

Jacob was always cunning, and if not conniving, he was taking advantage of the situation offered to him.  He willing accepted the birthright from Esau, he went along with his mother in getting Isaac's blessing, and figured out how to insure that his flocks prospered as opposed to the flocks of Laban.  Did he know then, that Rachel had stolen her father's gods?  He may not have been aware of it at the time, but the die was cast.  Although he received a warm reception from his brother, Esau, whom he feared, their journey home was not an easy one.  Just as Jacob was wont to do, his sons took matters into their own hands when Hamor violated their sister, Dinah.  Hamor and his son, Shechem, were slain by Jacob's sons whobecame a stench to the inhabitants of all the towns they passed through.  Even after the foreign gods and earrings were buried, the consequences were still there.  First Rebecca's nurse died, then Rebecca, herself, died giving birth to Benjamin.  It was only after all of these events that God appeared to Jacob once more.  This time, God changed his name. The old Jacob was gone and now, Israel, the father of the nation of God's people was born.  The one who would use any means to get what he wanted, even the gods of foreign people, returned to his father a changed man.