2 Chronicles 3 - Solomon Builds the Temple

2 Chronicles 3

Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (verse 1)

Message: Solomon Builds the Temple

Time: 2 Chronicles, like 1 Chronicles has a mystery writer and was separated into 2 books in 200 BC when the Septuagint was translated. This book focuses on Judah from 971-586 BC. The chronicler focused on the blessings God bestowed when leaders were faithful to His law. It covers Solomon's ascension to the throne to Judah finally carried into exile in Babylon. 

What the Lord is Saying: It has been a lot of preparation, which is understandable, given the magnitude of the temple. But now in these verses is the beginning of the construction in the fourth year of Solomons reign. 

This first temple will be a historical site, and the writer mentions the significance of the site as a place where the Lord appeared to his father David. Mount Moriah is also where Abraham offered Isaac. The site was also a threshing floor. This was recorded back in I Chronicles 21:18, "Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite." While it is mentioned as Ornan the Jebusite's threshing floor, this was purchased by David as mentioned in 2 Samuel 24:24, "The king (David) said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver." He bought it and built and altar there for it to be a place of worship. 

The threshing floor is a common open space that was used for separating grain. It was an activity that only occurred during harvest time. Threshing separated the edible from the inedible. A reaper or someone that harvests crops would take a bunch of stalks of wheat with one hand, bending over, and then with a sickle in the other hand would slice or cut the base off and then take the remaining stalk and bind it into sheaves. Taking it then to the high hilltop, a sledge board with rocks in holes would beat against the stalks and help loosen them. This would be followed by throwing the stalks somewhat in the air with a winnowing fork and the wind or breeze would do the separation. 

Thus, the valuable grain separated from the worthless chaff by the wind. It is a reminder to me that God separates what is valuable and useful from what is not. Thus, it was a metaphor for God separating that which is ordinary into chosen or wicked. The wind or the Holy Spirit takes someone through the refining process with the result of the Word of God becoming alive in the person by the active agent of God in that person's life. The word takes root in the person. The person is chosen by God. 

Like many metaphors it uses an event or situation that was common in that day to help people understand. For those living in Bible times, grain represented 1/3rd of their diet.

When I think of my life, I don't see that I have accomplished anything spellbinding, but I have been witness to God's goodness through the reading and study of His word. 

Starting in verse 3, the description of the temple begin, starting with the foundation (v. 3), the porch or entrance where someone transitions from the secular to the sacred (v. 4), the main room (v. 5) being a central room where priest performed daily rituals to emphasize the sacredness of the space. For me, in the main room is where I read and study God's word and train myself daily for Godliness (I Timothy 4:7-8). 

Then more specifically is the design of the temple mentioned - the exterior (v. 6), the beams, thresholds, walls, doors (v. 7). 

The holy of holies is mentioned (v.8), the most sacred part of the temple where the priest would enter but one day of the year to offer atonement. This atonement is described in Leviticus 16. It is a vivid description whereby a goal is taken for an offering to "make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities...their transgressions...in regard to all their sins." And following the sacrifice, to "sprinkle some of the blood on the horns of the altar seven times" with "the goat bear on itself all of their iniquities" and then the body is bathed in the water to purify oneself like we do with baptism now. That baptism is another metaphor to show us the death and resurrection of Christ. And bathing oneself occurred prior to going to the Tent of Meeting, the place where we worshipped God. Our lives worship him and we need that baptism in our life. 

And Jesus will be the final scapegoat. "For it is on this day that atonement shall me made for you to cleanse you, you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (verse 30). 

This holy of holies is described in much detail with the cherubim in the room, representing the presence of God in that place. 

Verse 14 mentions the veil where there is separation from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place. 

This same description of the temple is also mentioned in 1 Kings 6. In verse 7 there is a mention of "neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool" used in the building. Thus it was built in silence and also without any instruments of war. Verse 38 mentions a seven year process to build the temple. 

To read of this description and the details and the awe. There should be an approach I have towards God of reverence and awe thinking of all he has done in building this sacred place of worship, first in decoration but ultimately in building me - my self and designing me in the way he has. Our bodies are a temple, designed by Him. 

Summary: Solomon builds the temple in 7 years with the site being on the threshing floor marking the separation God makes in us from the secular to the sacred. 

Promise: We should approach God in worship with reverence and awe. 

Prayer: Lord, I have been busy in my life this past week, taking time many days to get through this study and as I did, took intentional days to think about the threshing floor, the place of separation that you have instituted in my life, that you have made happen. It is only by your mercy and love that I am a child of yours and made for your use. You have washed me in your spirit but also I bathe through baptism into the work of what you have done. I make myself clean so I can go into all the world and make your name known. Lord, thank you for the detail of this temple and raising up me as the temple and raising up your son Jesus to make the most ultimate sacrifice. I have described this to people and it seems funny to them or unusual, but a scapegoat is needed to cover sin. Lord, it is sad how in our day only certain sins are valued and yet thankful that there are any at all that are mentioned and yet there is so much in our life that is corrupt. Thank you for making me a new creature and bathing me anew and afresh to walk in life. Lord, there is so much that you have done and completed. And now I walk in newness of life. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

I Samuel 6 - The Ark Returns to Israel

I Samuel 6

And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom will He go up from us?” - verse 20

Message: The Ark Returns to Israel

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: Chapter 5 mentions the impacts of the ark remaining with the Philistines and bad things that occur because of it. They try to get rid of it to other cities but bad things continue to happen to the people in those areas. Chapter 6 begins by telling us that the ark had been with the Philistines for 7 months. The Philistines speak to the priests and diviners for their guidance as to what they should do in getting rid of the ark and sending it on its way. 

The priests give them directions, mentioning an offering that should now be done. They mention a guilt offering of five gold tumors and five gold mice. They are to prepare a cart with two milk cows on the cart, cows that have never been yoked. Their calves are to be separated from them. The gold mice would be attached as well as likenesses to the tumors. 

The priests said that if the cart goes the way of Beth-shemesh then it is a sign that the Lord God has done this evil to them. It does go that way and the people there respond with joy and they in turn do offerings as well in thankfulness to God. 

17 Now these are the gold tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron; 18 and the gold mice, corresponding to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five governors, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they placed the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

But the people of Beth-shemesh were struck by the Lord. 50,070 men died for looking into the ark. And they said, "Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom will He go up from us?” I think this is a question many voice at times. In a word God is holy and no one seems worthy to stand before Him and that seems true. Only Jesus was worthy. And perhaps that is the point often of the words of these books and judges and writers. God is holy. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." All are unworthy. 

It seems very possible that we as people simply do not recognize the full meaning of this - to know what it means for God to be holy and separate from us. These Israelites show me the importance of us worshipping God. They did it through sacrifices and in a way it is a sacrifice for me to set aside my ways and times to worship God. 

Summary: The Philistines turn over the ark, directed to by making a guilt offering of tumors and mice and it is received by offerings from the people as well. 

Promise: God is Holy

Prayer: O Lord, you are Holy. God, you are not to trivialized. You are to be set apart. You are to be revered. And I need to always make you number one in my life, loving you above all else. Thank you for loving me, accepting me and knowing me. You are holy and true. It is only Jesus that helps me to come to you each day. Teach me the meaning of these words continually in these scriptures and words and how I am to make them relevant to my life today. I praise you. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Joshua 5:13-15 - Joshua Meets the Commander of God's Army

Joshua 5:13-15

13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Message: Joshua Meets the Commander of God's Army

Time: Joshua "Yahweh saves" led Israel, under God's command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. The book spans about 25 years, beginning about 1406 BC. The conquest of Canaan, numerous military campaigns and regathering of the nation are major components. 

What the Lord is Saying: In the previous verses, Joshua and company are at Gilgal, on the eastern side of Jericho and it is there they circumcise the males (not previously circumcised) and then celebrate Passover for the 3rd time. And then provision of manna ceases as it is no longer needed. Now picking up verse 13 Joshua continues to be "by Jericho." Not sure if he has progressed any further past Gilgal. He is still by Jericho. I learn that Jericho was a well-defended city, difficult to capture, but a great holding ground for those forces that could attack Joshua and others, so getting past it would be quite an achievement. 

Joshua states that a man is standing opposite him, with a sword drawn and Joshua said, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?” This is not a vision. Joshua sees a man with a sword drawn to show Joshua that he is speaking to him about what is before him. This man knows. 

The man then testifies that he is the captain of the host of the Lord. "I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” Joshua recognizes the man and falls on his face and bows down. Verse 15, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”

What is this here? This seems to be a visible manifestation of the Eternal Word of God. Exodus 3:2 at the burning of the bush states, "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush." 3:4, "God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And in verse 5 says, "remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." The same words are spoken here with Joshua as at the burning of the bush. 

In Numbers 22:31, Balaam had his way blocked to the vineyards by a man standing with a sword, "Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground." 

In Judges 13:3, "the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman (Samson's mother, wife of Manoah) and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son." 

Isaiah 63:9, "In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old." 

Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them."

Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts."

The angel of the Lord is distinct and yet identified with Jehovah. The eternal word of God and the angel of the Lord (Captain of the Heart) are one and the same. And this figure states his function. Joshua sees himself as a servant to the Lord, and so sees this One as having authority. He is a man that stands outside of the house of Israel or any of the adversaries for he states he is not on either one's side. 

This is an interesting set of verses - important in the life of Joshua as he is receiving confirmation repeatedly of the Lord at work - through circumcision, the Passover, manna removed, and ultimately confirmation that the Lord God is there, with him. He has this protection from God. 

Summary: Joshua encounters a man with a sword and realizes he is Lord and this man's servant, captain of the host of the Lord, who resides on holy ground. 

Promise: God will anchor us always with Him and provide us with the assurance that He is with us as we encounter life's challenges. 

Prayer: Lord, I think of Joshua and this man that you called to lead the people of Israel to the promised land, a land you promised to them. There was a goal that you had for them and their was to be joy in the journey, as you led them and were over them continually. You parted waters and then instructed them to signify this with a sign of circumcision, an inner change and then also the Passover, and finally confirmation that You are there. You were with Joshua and you are with me. You are there with me throughout all of life's challenges, providing me peace and as my guide through those situations. At times, I will walk through life, with only a promise, but at certain times You do reveal yourself to me and I thank you for those times, when you show me. And you show others your power, and the peace found in You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 12:41 - Glory and Purity

John 12:41 - These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

Message: Glory and Purity

Time: Throughout church history, Christians have consistently attributed this gospel to Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee. John was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing he was to confirm the belief that Jesus was both the Christ and the Son of God.

What the Lord is Saying: I continue my study of God's glory, how all of life is for His glory. It is a bright, shining light, it is divine, and there is an eternal weight or value to it. There is nothing more important than it. And there are also attributes that we share as humans while also attributes that are set apart. 

In today's verse, Isaiah saw His glory, Jesus' glory. Isaiah, who lived 700 years before Christ. Isaiah 6:1, "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord (Yahweh) sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple." Isaiah saw the pre-incarnate Christ. How do we know this? Well, let's follow the process as this is a rather bold statement in John (a book that has many bold statements linking more directly Jesus as God). This is the only time in Scripture in which someone sees Yahweh and Jewish tradition is that Isaiah was put to death in support of Exodus 33:20, "But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”" John connects Isaiah's seeing of God with Isaiah seeing Jesus. In John 12:38, John quotes from Isaiah 53:1, "Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" leading him to make the statement in verse 41 referencing Isaiah 6:1. In Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah proclaims the Lord Yahweh whom He saw as Holy -- “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

As such our lesson today is this, that God's glory is Holy. God's glory is Holy and separate. Holiness is separating from what is common. Isaiah 42:8, "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another." In this context of His salvation, His glory is not to be shared. Glory is connected with God's holiness and in His holiness there is also purity. I John 1:5 mentions, "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Our God is perfectly pure. There is no darkness, no sin in Him at all. God cannot be tempted by evil -- James 1:13 -- Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."

This is why Jesus came into the World. John 3:19, "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil." Jesus, the Light, the pure light, came into the world, to expose people's Sin. Darkness cannot live with Light. Men loved darkness. Men love their evil and their evil ways. Jesus is separate. He is holy. 

And we circle back to Isaiah 6 again and what happens to Isaiah. His sin is atoned for. Isaiah 6:6-7, "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” The only way we see the Lord is through sanctification - Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."

It is all connected. Scripture connects Jesus with the Lord Yahweh, His holiness, being separate, being pure, with no darkness at all. Only light. Jesus is the Light of the World, exposing the darkness in every person, in order to bring that person before the presence of God. We cannot be with the Lord unless we are sanctified. Bold statements. 

This is the Gospel message. God redeems man in his sinful state, and restores Him to be with God for all eternity. 

Summary: In God's glory is holiness and purity or light. God is light. Jesus is light. Light exposes darkness. Jesus is holy and pure. 

Promise: From Tabletalk, "We will not love what is holy if God does not make us holy, and in Christ the Lord not only declares us righteous in our justification but He purifies us in our sanctification."

Prayer: Lord God, your scripture is rich. It is powerful and Lord in it you speak life to us and give us understanding of who You are. We have so much to discover in it. It is bold. Help me to be bold in my life to people. Jesus, You are the Light of the World, exposing in us the sin that we love. You are Holy and separate and pure. 

Jeremiah 7:1-4 - Ritual vs. Ritualism

Jeremiah 7:1-4 - The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

Message: Ritual vs. Ritualism 

Time: The son of a priest from the small town of Anathoth in Judah, the prophet Jeremiah dictated prophecies from the Lord to his secretary, Baruch. He spoke to a people, though, that would not listen and his words have much emotion to them. Jeremiah’s ministry began when he was 20 years old, in 627 BC and ended sometime around 582 BC. Jeremiah prophesied in the final years of Judah before God’s people were exiled to Babylon.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Ritualism by definition is the regular observance or practice of ritual, especially when excessive or without regard to its function and spiritually it is going through the motions without an inner disposition to worship the Lord. I was looking at this word and realizing that in our jobs we can be ritualistic, going through the motions, not thinking so much about why we are here and what our purpose here is in our work. We get caught up in personal feelings and expectations and needs, which we all have. 

Yet, rituals are not bad. It is important to practice things in a regular manner, even in my work, but here we are talking about our spiritual lives and church lives. I have rituals of brushing my teeth each time after a meal; i have a ritual of going to church each Sunday, singing songs, hearing a message, and being in Christian fellowship. In the Bible we are told to practice the Lord's Supper regularly, to tithe regularly. We do this out of obedience, helping ourselves, and also being good stewards. 

And yet, in these recurring activities there can be a temptation I think to simply go through the motions and very easily getting caught up in an idea that it is the performance of these which is important. I was speaking to a person the other day that remarked leaving church partly over the feeling that her not attending church was met with scrutiny by those attending, that somehow their was guilt because church attendance didn't seem mandatory in a person's life. Even in our churches we get too focused on works and obedience and not enough on grace. 

Regarding the arts, I admit that artistic drawings or paintings have not been present in most of the churches I've attended. The one exception was attendance at Hope Church and partly it was I think an artist, Fernando Ortega, who was there leading worship and he brought the importance of art into worship. The art was there I think to paint a picture of what it might have looked like and thereby that picture could assist us. 

But it is interesting to read about the history. At the time of the Reformation in which Luther helped people see that God has saved us by His grace and not by our works, there was this feeling at times to cleanse ourselves from everything that was near and dear to the church before and one of the things this included was art. Why? Idolatry. The 2nd commandments warns us against practicing any sort of idolatry, replacing God for an image. It is a temptation that has been present throughout history. We focus on what we can see, not what we can't and God can't be seen. By the late middle ages (AD 1300 - 1500) religious people had a tendency to worship sculptures and praying specifically to saints. And the line between the person and the God we worship blurred. So for some, like John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, they wanted to purge all forms of sculptures, saints, and artwork, while Martin Luther believed it was fine to retain the art as long as it helped us focus more on God and what He had done. In some places these artistic pieces were removed and in others they were destroyed. The word that is used to describe this is Iconoclasm -- the religiously motivated destruction of works of art, especially figurative images.

This history fascinates me because its practice continues today. And I am not sure we realize that we are the way we are today because of something that happened over 500 years ago. 

And this same thing has occurred with liturgies. Liturgy is a pattern used in worship. Liturgy to me, growing up in church, referred to repeated sayings or repeating prayers like can be found in the Book of Common Prayer. Again, at Hope we jointly would do this, respond together with a prayer written so that we are unified in agreeing to this prayer. Yet, the Puritans worked reform some of these practices to distance themselves possibly from practices of another religion. The Anglican church split from the Catholic church in 1534 and the Episcopal Church is affiliated with this. And then later the Puritans of the 1600s sought to distance themselves from practices that still were Catholic and this to them included the Anglican church. So in our effort to be different, there is a tendency to remove all practices. 

I think this lives on today. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it and yet even the Christian church at times struggles to retain the history and practices found in the Old Testament. I think people get scared and they don't know how to combine the two, so they simply get rid of the one and uphold the other. 

For today's passage I took a moment to read all of Jeremiah 7 a couple of times. Verse 1 tells us that this is a word that come to Jeremiah from the Lord and the entire passage then is the Word of the Lord. My summary of this words from the Lord is crying out to a people that needs to amend their ways and deeds and instead simply obeying God's voice. This is a cry out to people that have been listening to deceptive words. They have not been kind to neighbors or aliens (people outside their fold). They are living dual lives - looking like a follower of God and probably practicing temple worship but not living like they are a follower of God. Therefore, God's anger and wrath will follow. 

So what is highlighted today is a statement of ritual. Every Jew was required to visit the temple thrice (three times) a year and therefore some have thought this was the reason for the three fold utterance in verse 4: Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. In Isaiah 6:3 we read, "And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.;" And in Jeremiah 22:9 says, "O land, land, land, Hear the word of the Lord." Thus, this three times repeated words or phrases possibly mirrored the 3 time expectation of visiting the temple. But this is a side note. What is possibly being meant here is the danger of the Jews feeling like it was only the temple that embodied the Lord and their practice therefore of visiting the temple is all that was needed. Thus, ritualism. 

Summary: The problem is not with rituals themselves but with ritualism, which happens when we go through the motions without an inner disposition to worship the Lord. 

Promise: Ritualism is a danger for all of us, so we should ask God to keep us devoted to Him, and we should seek to engage our entire being in worship every time we gather with God's people to praise our Creator. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you so much for this lesson today and the opportunity to revisit history and see how we are today in our church practices is based upon circumstances that happened 500 years ago. Lord, help me to guard myself against rituals that move into a habit that I start to not really see the heart of the reason for the ritual. Lord, we are in danger of this all of the time. I am in danger of this. Thank you for the truth of your word and I am sorry for being a part of misinterpreting it and making people feel they are aliens. Help me Lord to be a person that truly is about You and praising You. Thank you for art and people who want to capture you in order to help us get closer to understanding You and who You are. Help us to keep doing these things for your glory. 

Ephesians 1:1 - God's Holy People

Ephesians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus. 

Message: God's Holy People

Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Based upon the Apostle's creed, we are looking at 4 truths about the church of Christ: its unity, its holiness, its catholicity, and its Apostolicity. The last 2 lessons looked at our unity which transcends the local body each of us may be involved in and connects us with people throughout history and in other lands. 

In our time on earth, the Christian is both holy and still a sinner. We are set apart to be holy in virtue, being in Christ by faith. Being justified by faith in Christ we possess the righteousness of Christ and yet at the same time we still have a fallen nature, still sin, still walk in His grace, daily toil, daily need to be reminded of His forgiveness and strive to live in a way to glorify Him in all we do. 

When God describes something as holy, it is set apart first and foremost for God's special use. 

Incense - "And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves, it shall be holy to you for the Lord." (Exodus 30:37). 

Sabbath - "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord" (Exodus 31:15).

Tithe - "Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord" (Leviticus 27:30). 

To be holy is to be separated by God for a special use. God sets us part. By the Spirit we become purer and purer in action but in Christ, each of us begins by being Holy, set apart unto God. Thus, as is recorded today by call, each of us are "saints" or called-out one's. 

Summary: By being in Christ, though we still have a fallen nature and sin daily, God has set us apart as holy, as his saints or called-out one's. 

Promise: The church is already holy in position, yet becomes purer in practice. Thus, we pursue personal and corporate holiness. Let us encourage one another to live Holy lives. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for crowning me as Holy and showing me the truth of Your Word and how you have decreed other things as holy: incense, Sabbath and Tithes. Thank you for the clarity of this truth. You have set me apart as holy, as a saint already. Now help me to keep focused on being holy in my life, making me purer and purer each day. And may we exhibit this in our churches, in my church. May we work together to show ourselves distinct and different from the world, so the world will want to come in our doors, to be among us and hear the Gospel preached. Take us there. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am now working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of August is about the Body of the Lord - the Church recovered in the Reformation; July was the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation, Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Christ's Body

The Body of Christ - The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ loves the church. We are to imitate Christ and see that the Church is how Christ carries out His purposes in the world. The Head of the Church - Christ is Head of the church and he only has final authority and gives life to the church. Life is found only in Jesus Christ our Lord. - The Church We Can See - Belonging to a church is not optional, for anyone. We are meant to live in a community with other believers, to hear the Word of God preached, and to grow. The Church We Cannot See - What we see is the Visible church, the invisible church only God knows because He is omniscient and that is the Church we cannot see. 

Truths about the Church from the Apostles Creed

Church Unity - The church is bigger than our local assembly; there are core beliefs among the invisible church. One People Throughout History - God has only one people; throughout the world there are people that share doctrines and truths despite their being differences in where we attend or belong. 

Acts 26:12-18 - Faith and Sanctification

 Acts 26:12-18

12 “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Message: Faith and Sanctification

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying: 

The thing that has already amazed me about this teaching and truth about the fact that good works are separate from saving faith, though clearly testifying to others of the faith we have, is the notion that those good works are being done without an expectation of receiving something. Thus, they are truly good. They are a response of our commitment not in order to earn favor with God. And therefore the motive or reason we do them is pure. It is untainted. 

I am not sure there is really much in my life that is done where I am not hoping to get something in return for it. I work hard but a paycheck is always at the end of two weeks. Granted, I often work beyond my 40 hours and so maybe this shows my commitment to the work, but still I am getting paid. Volunteer work I think shows our true desire to serve and give of ourselves. 

Sanctification is the inward transformation we experience from the point of our conversion. It is the state or process of being set apart as holy. At the point of conversion, God accepts us not on the basis of who we are and what we have done, but on the basis of Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done.  And this is by faith. Yet, after conversion is the process of sanctification or being made holy in the life of the believer. It is the process whereby we move the needle to actually look like Jesus. This is also by faith.  

According to Tabletalk, there are 2 ways scripture speaks of sanctification: 

1. Positional or Declarative Sanctification -- At the moment of trusting in Christ alone for salvation I am set apart as God's holy person. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - I Peter 2:9-10 Thus, in God's sight I am holy. I am a "new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

2. Progressive Sanctification - Until I am glorified, I am unholy in practice. Thus, I engage with the Lord in the process of sanctification. Daily I die to self and live unto Christ, seeking to obey Him in all things. Here I am becoming in my experience what I am already in God's sight. "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." - I Peter 2:11-12. And this process is work. It is faith in God to work this out in me, but it is also work by me choosing behavior that will glorify God. Romans 8:13 - "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." As Paul records so clearly in Philippians 2:12-13 -- "work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Wow, this is an amazing truth. I am declared holy by faith, but daily I choose holiness. Acts 26:18 - "receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Thus, I am living my entire life by faith. Faith that God has declared me accepted and faith that He continues in me to be holy. 

Promise: As Tabletalk records --- we are justified by faith, but even the sanctification and good works that follow our justification are based on faith. 

Prayer: O God, you are glorious and it is a wonder to understand You and Your words of truth. Thank you for this message that I needed to hear this day. That I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy person, possessed by You. You have declared me accepted and in Christ. I am a new creation. And yet each day I live, I make choices to be united with You or not united with You. I pray that daily I would dies to self and live unto Christ. I want to be united with your Spirit and live in a manner that is glorifying to You. Thank you for giving me this strength each day and working in me, giving me the will and the work so that I will glorify You. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mankind's Condition - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. 

The Law Speaks - The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all, but we are sinners. Human Inability - man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Only Justified through Christ (God) - The Obedience of One - with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin; we trust only in His words, not ours. God's Initiative In Justification - God initiates the act of justification through the work of Christ alone; he saves us out of His kindness. Faith and Justification - no one is continually righteous; only through Jesus one will be made righteous; to be made righteous one must believe in God, ask for His mercy. 

Saved by Faith - Faith and Righteousness - Faith is what God uses in us to build the bridge to being accepted by God and restored to a right relationship with Him. Justification and Sin - Nothing changes the fact that we are sinners, but our status before God changes by Christ's obedience as this declares us to be righteous. Not by any of our works - Justification is by faith alone. By adding any work, we must add all works. Why Faith - Faith is the instrument [or what we do] to usher in to our life the finished act of righteousness. 

Faith Works - What is Saving Faith - Saving faith is not simply understanding truth, it is believing the truth is true and then living by that truth. Justification and Our Good Works - Once God declares us righteous by the righteousness of Christ, we cannot help but do what is right. Keeping Grace Gracious - if being restored to God's plan is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. Don't mix the two. Keep them separate. But keep them both extremely valuable.

My Utmost for His Highest - March 27th - Vision By Personal Character

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” - Revelation 4:1

An elevated mood can only come out of an elevated habit of personal character. If in the externals of your life you live up to the highest you know, God will continually say--"Friend, go up higher (Luke 14:10)." The golden rule in temptation is--Go higher. When you get higher up,  you face other temptations and characteristics. Satan uses the strategy of elevation in temptation, and God does the same, but the effect is different. When the devil puts you into an elevated place, he makes you screw your idea of holiness beyond what flesh and blood could ever bear, it is a spiritual acrobatic performance, you are just poised and dare not move; but when God elevates you by His grace into the heavenly places, instead of finding a pinnacle to cling to, you find a great table-land where it is easy to move. 

Compare this week in your spiritual history with the same week last year and see how God has called you up higher. We have all been brought to see from a higher standpoint. Never let God give you one point of truth which you do not instantly live up to. Always work it out, keep in the light of it. 

Growth in grace (2 Peter 3:18) is measured not by the fact that you have not gone back, but that you have an insight into where you are spiritually; you have heard God say 'Come up higher," not to you personally, but to the insight of your character. 

"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do (Genesis 18:17)?" God has to hide from us what He does until by personal character we get to the place where He can reveal it. 

Oswald Chambers - From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

- Underlines and highlights are courtesy of Mom from her Print Edition

My Utmost for His Highest - March 25th - The Most Delicate Mission on Earth

He who has the bride is the groom; but the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. - John 3:29

Goodness and purity ought never to attract attention to themselves, they ought simply to be magnets to draw to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing towards Him, it is not holiness of the right order, but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection and lead souls away into side-eddies. A beautiful saint may be a hindrance if he does not present Jesus Christ but only what Christ has done for him. He will leave the impression --"What a fine character that man is!" That is not being a true friend of the Bridegroom; I am increasing all the time, He is not.

In order to maintain this friendship and loyalty to the Bridegroom, we have to be more careful of our moral and vital relationship to Him than of any other thing, even of obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey, the only thing to do is to maintain a vital connections with Jesus Christ, to see that nothing interferes with that. Only occasionally do we have to obey. When a crisis arises we have to find out what God's will is, but the greater part of the life is not conscious obedience but the maintenance of this relationship--the friend of the Bridegroom. Christian work may be a means of evading the soul's concentration on Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, we may become amateur providences, and may work against Him whilst we use His weapons.

Oswald Chambers - From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

- Underlines and highlights are courtesy of Mom from her Print Edition

My Utmost for His Highest - December 4 - The Law of Antagonism

To him that overcometh… REVELATION 2:7

Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.

Health is the balance between physical life and external nature, and it is maintained only by sufficient vitality on the inside against things on the outside. Everything outside my physical life is designed to put me to death. Things which keep me going when I am alive, disintegrate me when I am dead. If I have enough fighting power, I produce the balance of health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a vigorous mental life, I have to fight, and in that way the mental balance called thought is produced.

Morally it is the same. Everything that does not partake of the nature of virtue is the enemy of virtue in me, and it depends on what moral caliber I have whether I overcome and produce virtue. Immediately I fight, I am moral in that particular. No man is virtuous because he cannot help it; virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is the same. Jesus said — “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” i.e., everything that is not spiritual makes for my undoing, but — “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I have to learn to score off the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness; then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Holiness is the balance between my disposition and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ. From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

My mother provided the underlines and highlights from her print edition

My Thoughts

• Antagonism - active hostility or opposition

Jesus Calling: April 10

     Trust Me in every detail of your life. Nothing is random in My kingdom. Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me. Instead of trying to analyze the intricacies of the pattern, focus your energy on trusting Me and thanking Me at all times. Nothing is wasted when you walk close to Me. Even your mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good, through My transforming grace.  

     While you were still living in darkness, I began to shine the Light of My Presence into your sin-stained life. Finally, I lifted you up out of the mire into My marvelous Light. Having sacrificed My very Life for you, I can be trusted in every facet of your life. 

Jeremiah 17:7
English Standard Version (ESV)

     “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
         whose trust is the Lord.

Verse Thoughts
I think of this often that I am to live and be all that I can be, trusting in God's statutes and following His ways, but in all my circumstances, I am to rest in His outcome for my life and all it's parts. He is sovereign and He will do what is best in me. I tend to grade those outcomes and decide if I like them, but I rather must trust Him.

Romans 8:28
Amplified
     We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

Verse Thoughts
I need to remember the context of this passage because "working together for good" is a thought that is based upon "present sufferings (v.18)", "frustration (v. 20)", "bondage (v. 21)", "groaning (v.22)", "wait patiently (v.25)", "our weakness (v.26)". Help me remember this Lord because I tend to think good is material wealth, happiness, career acclaim, but it seems to be more about the assurance that the finish line awaits as I go through present sufferings.

Psalm 40:2
ESV

     He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
         out of the miry bog,
     and set my feet upon a rock,
         making my steps secure.

I Peter 2:9
New King James Version
     But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

My Prayer
Help me find reason and comfort in each moment of my day. I can give a timely word to people in need. I want to trust in You Lord. Help me to see that the mistakes I make, the anger, the impatience, can be used by you to transform me. Your grace is amazing. Thank You for lifting me up from the pit of destruction and setting my feet upon a rock and making my steps secure. Thank You for choosing me and making me holy and setting me a part to be Your special people. Lord, I praise You and praise You again. I once was blind, but now I see. And it's all because of You. 

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Mark 6:14-16 - The Allure of Holiness

Mark 6:14-16
¹⁴ And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” ¹⁵ But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
 
Message: The Allure of Holiness

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus arrives in Nazareth, about a 3 day journey from Capernaum. He has made it to his hometown and he speaks in the synagogue, as he has done elsewhere. Many of his people did not accept him; he continued to heal, but maybe not to the extent that he could because of the unbelief present in Nazareth. The message still goes out. Jesus commissions his disciples with the message and send them out with nothing on their backs. Their needs will taken care of on their journeys. But the message of the Gospel--repentance--must go forth.

This passage centers on what happened to John the Baptist, who hasn't been on the scene since chapter 2 when John is mentioned as fasting along with the his disciples (John is not one of the 12 disciples). And King Herod heard - this is Herod Antipas, who inherited one-fourth of his father's kingdom after the death of Herod the great. As the message of the gospel of repentance goes out Herod hears of it - for His name (Jesus) had become well known. Perhaps what people were hearing was a man doing great things. 

And people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

What is clear is people are fascinated with spiritual men. Even though Herod beheaded John the Baptist, at the request of his daughter, he knew that he was a spiritual man. Even though he had him killed, he still knew he had something special in him. He may have rejected him, but there was still an allure about him.

Our world today is continually marveled at spiritual men. On the heels of the death of Billy Graham, many men, some of faith, some not, have been interviewed and their remarks of Billy Graham are all similar. This passage also reminds me that people everywhere try to come up with explanations for spiritual things that are often not accurate. There are many messages of untruth that get presented and communicated throughout our world regarding spiritual things. We need to be people of discernment, to look to scripture and let it define the truth. I think we all must be careful about attaching to certain people that they are people of the Truth. Just because someone speaks of him does not mean they have a relationship with him. 

Summary - As the message goes forth, we need to realize that many will jump on board. There is an allure to Jesus as a great spiritual leader to some, but his real message is one of repentance and self-denial and following him in our every day life. We must always come back to the scripture and lean on the Holy Spirit and allowing the Truth to shine.

Promise: Even the most ardent skeptics are quick to admit that Jesus is a compelling figure. 

Prayer: Help me Lord to be discerning. Thank you that there is truth and excitement and majesty in who You are. There is a special allure that you have. This is real. Help me to be a person to testify of the truth of who You are. Equip me. Keep me a disciple of truth. Give me understanding and wisdom of who You are as I want to be one who testifies of who You are.  

Jesus Calling: December 25

As you wait attentively in My Presence, the Light of the knowledge of My Glory shines upon you. This radiant knowledge transcends all understanding. It transforms every fiber of your being: renewing your mind, cleansing your heart, invigorating your body. Open yourself fully to My Presence, be awed by My glorious Being.
     Try to imagine what I gave up when I came into your world as a baby, I set aside My Glory, so that I could identify with mankind. I accepted the limitations of infancy under the most appalling conditions--a filthy stable.That was a dark night for Me, even though angels lit up the sky proclaiming "Glory!" to awe-struck shepherds.
     When you sit quietly with Me, the process I went through is reversed in your experience. As you identify with Me, heaven's vistas open up before you--granting you glimpses of My Glory. I became poor so that you might become rich. Sing hallelujahs to My Holy Name!

2 Corinthians 4:6
English Standard Version
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
 
Philippians 2:6-7
English Standard Version
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
 
Luke 2:13-14
English Standard Version
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

2 Corinthians 8:9
English Standard Version
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Jesus Calling: December 13

Take time to be holy. The word holy does not mean goody-goody; it means set apart for sacred use. That is what these quiet moments in My Presence are accomplishing within you. As you focus your mind and heart on Me, you are being transformed: re-created into the one I designed you to be. This process requires blocks of time set aside for communion with Me.
     The benefits of this practice are limitless. Emotional and physical healing are enhanced by your soaking in the Light of My Presence. You experience a nearness to Me that strengthens your faith and fills you with Peace. You open yourself up to receive the many blessings that I have prepared for you. You become a cleaned temple of My Holy Spirit, who is able to do in and through you immeasurably more than you ask or imagine. These are just some of the benefits of being still in My Presence. 

2 Thessalonians 1:10
English Standard Version
when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Psalm 27:4
English Standard Version
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.
 
1 Corinthians 6:19
English Standard Version
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
 
Ephesians 3:20
English Standard Version
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

My Prayer
I was reminded today that Jesus went off to a secluded place to recharge himself, so the Father would confirm his mission of preaching the Gospel. Lord, I need this each day. It is too easy to get distracted in this world. I want to be guided by your power, to be led by Your Spirit, to dwell in the house of the Lord, and to glorify You God. Make me holy. 

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Exodus 26 - The Role of Beauty

Exodus 26
¹ “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. ² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. ³ Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. ⁴ And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. ⁵ Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. ⁶ And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
⁷ “You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. ⁹ You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. ¹² And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. ¹⁴ And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
¹⁵ “You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. ¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. ¹⁷ There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; ¹⁹ and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, ²¹ and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. ²² And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. ²³ And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; ²⁴ they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
²⁶ “You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. ²⁸ The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
³¹ “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. ³² And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. ³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. ³⁴ You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.
³⁶ “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. ³⁷ And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.


Message: The Role of Beauty

Time: The date of Exodus has been subjects of scholarly debate and their is no consensus on its time nor of the historicity of the exodus of Israel from Egypt as is mentioned in the book as well as in Acts and Romans.

What the Lord is Saying:

In this chapter, the design and structure of the Temple is clearly laid out, including the placement of parts of the Temple, such as the ark, the lampstand, pillars, cherubim, and the most Holy place.

In the history of building churches and decorating them, there have been two very distinct thoughts, one is adorning the church with images of Mary, saints, and maybe other statues or decorations, including stained glass windows and paintings, while others have thought to have a very plain structure with very little adornments. Those without the adornments are concerned about idolatry and bringing in media that gets our focus off of God. Yet, here in this chapter 26 of Exodus is a picture of the beauty that encompasses the tabernacle - with beautiful colors and images of cherubim and other things in creation. Beautiful imagery seems okay as long as our motive for those things is decoration and not worship.

Promise: God is supremely beautiful. He alone can satisfy our need for beauty.

Psalm 22:1-15 - The Messiah Forsaken

Psalm 22:1-15
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. ² O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. ³ Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. ⁴ In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. ⁵ To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people.⁷ All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, ⁸ “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” ⁹ Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; you made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. ¹⁰ Upon You I was cast from birth; you have been my God from my mother’s womb.¹¹ Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.¹² Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. ¹³ They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion.¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; is melted within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death.

Message: The Messiah Forsaken

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background and Initial Observations
I continue to forge through these readings from Psalm. It has been illuminating and I admit, I tend to approach each one sort of separate from the others. I was reading the first couple of chapters of CS Lewis book on Psalm and reminded that there is a lot of consistent ideas and thoughts and approaches that were a part of these poetic dissertations. So hopefully that can help me look at these differently.

The reading from Tabletalk associated with this entry mentions that the outcry of Christians and even the holy leaders of that day, namely David shared a sentiment that we often have regarding a desire for answers and for being rescued and often we feel the Lord is not heeding our cries. And yet in those dark times we do continue to pray, demonstrating that we believe that our Father has not forsaken us.

The first words of this Psalm were echoed by Jesus on the cross, My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? It was Jesus proclamation on the cross and speaks of his full humanity on the cross and the abandonment he felt from God. But, this is really just a feeling and not a fact. God never leaves us though it does feel like it often. There is comfort for us for Jesus to feel this. Even though the cross was a path he knew he would be on, the experience was still a hard one for him.

And I think it is interesting to read this Psalm, for it sits in our Bible before Psalm 23. Psalm 23 has been memorized and recited over and over, at so may different occasions.

1st Reading
The Psalmist is not only feeling hurt, but sort of abandoned by God. He mentions that God is faithful and he knows this because of those that have come before him assure him of this; he also knows this because he was born into love; but he still hurts and he still feels pain. And being a man of faith often brings him ridicule from others as they mock his faith and trust in God.

There is such an intense realness and authenticity in these words; in this prayer to God. He knows God is real and there, but he does not hear an answer to his cries. God is holy and God has been there for those in his family, in the past. Those individuals in the past cried out and he knows that God came to their rescue. He has heard the stories, the victories, the deliverance. But, he is not experiencing this and instead, he is experiencing the pain from those that just want to see him do poorly. But, God has chosen him and has pulled him into community with Himself, God. And so he continues to call upon the Lord as he hurts, as he has no strength, as he sinks down in despair.

I feel alone
Verse 1 - My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. This verse begins with David (I'm going to assume at this point that this prayer is a prayer of David) expressing not just to the God who is out there, put this God is his God. He says My God here. He is somewhat at the end of the ropes. I think it is normal to want to believe that rough circumstances we experience in life don't come from God, but instead something else. I think we want to believe this. We want to think that our God who loves us and cares for us is not the one that is abandoning us. We don't want to think that the one who knows us better than we know ourselves is now, not just involved, but at the foundation of the misery we are experiencing. And how is it possible that the God who saves, who has saved me from eternal damnation and rescued me from the wages of sin, is now allowing me to suffer. David feels forsaken or left alone. So much has been done for me so why am I feeling forsaken or removed from the presence of God? Far from my deliverance is to me the feeling that my rescuer isn't even nearby. This feeling of the trail ending is not even close by, but rather my deliverance is far away and the words of my groaning exclaim the degree of pain I am experiencing. It is completely normal to ask God why bad things are happening to me. There is the ever present question often asked in life, "Why do bad things happen to people" but I think we too quickly want to debate this question among peers. This is a question only for God. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Where are you God in this pain I am experiencing?

Verse 2 - O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. My crying is not a momentary thing. The pain I am experiencing is not just for the moment. But, also, my cry to God is not just a one occasion happening. But I cry by day...and night. And God You do not answer and I have no rest. I imagine on the cross, Jesus experiencing a never ceasing pain and his cry was ever apparent. God is there. He has not abandoned us. But His answers are sometimes not quick. They are delayed. And in that delay it is normal to feel that he is not going to ever answer and rescue and my unrest is fine for now.

God is Holy
Verse 3 - Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. But our confidence remains in God. He may not be answering, but He is still the answer. There are contrasting feelings here. One, David feels forsaken or left alone, and yet his confidence in God remains. God must have a reason for the calamity he is experiencing. And in a moment he will talk about what God has done in the past. For some reason, I think at times, we think that since God is love that only good things are to come to His children; that there can only be things to happen that will make us happy and when something bad happens, exceedingly bad, though we have experienced exceedingly good things as well, we just question that God is there at all. Yes, David is hurting. Yes, he feels alone. He expresses those feelings. But, God is still his answer. God is still his God.  

God has delivered in the past
Verse 4 - In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. David remarks first that God is holy and then states that those that came before him, his ancestors, his heritage put their trust in God. He has heard the stories and he knows, despite his current circumstances that those before him trusted God and God delivered them. Obviously, not stated here is a tough circumstance or a forsaken feeling his ancestors experienced and yet God delivered them. David was reminded. We need to be reminded. Celebrations, such as the Passover, the Lord's Supper, the birth and resurrection of our Savior, the feast of tabernacles, etc. We need to be careful that our focus is not simply "what have you done for me lately" because as we experience trials we can stop and remember that God has been there in the past and he will be there in the future. Even a wedding day is a celebration day that we commemorate each year to remind ourselves of a joining together, of God removing the loneliness and replacing it with a union.

Verse 5 -  To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. In verse 2 David cries out, but receives no answer. Here, he is reminded that his ancestors cried out and were delivered. In other words, wait for it. The answer may not be quick, but our confidence can remain to be delivered. And also their trust in God did not disappoint. [Lord, I so need to remember what you have done in my life. I'm too quick to be mired in feeling like life is just one new problem. Show me past victories.] 

I am a worm
Verse 6 -  But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. Basically, woe is me. My ancestors got delivered, but I got nothing. This is the proclamation of a man in pain. Declaring himself to be a worm or the lowest form of an animal. Worms are primarily used as bait for catching other animals. This could also more clearly be referring to Messiah. He is publicly ridiculed and despised. 

Verse 7-8 - All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
The meaning here is to mock, to deride, to treat with scorn. There is no evidence that this occurred in David's life. He could have felt it or this could be more the focus of a prophecy towards Jesus, our Savior and Lord. He is receiving insults. And people express mocking and taunting words about his trusting in the Lord. Like, if your God is so great, he will deliver you and rescue you.

Yet, I am of value
Verse 9 - Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; you made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. There is almost this sort of tennis match or back and forth that David is expressing here. He starts with feeling alone and yet God is holy and His deliver. But, he feels like a worm. He is bouncing back between feelings and facts. There isn't guilt in this passage. There is not right now verses crying out mistakes that David has been made. These are simply words where David is knee deep in his feelings of feeling alone and even abandoned. David is proclaiming that God brought him into this world and since an early age, he has had a love for God; he has had a faith; so it doesn't make sense that now he would then be abandoned. Verse 10 - Upon You I was cast from birth; you have been my God from my mother’s womb. Once again his words are pleading verses. He is not a momentary believer of God. He is a lifer. He hopes that this will make a difference. 


Be not far from me
Verse 11 - Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Verse 12 - Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. Verse 13 - They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion. Trouble is near. I need you God to be close to me. I talk to a lot of people and they often exclaim, "How do I get close to God? I don't feel like he is close." I should encourage them to tell God to not be far away. 

Verse 14 - I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; is melted within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death. - There is reality here in these verses and what David is feeling. He feels like no one is there to help him. He is being surrounded by attackers. They are ready to pounce on him. He is weak. He has no strength. 

We come to God open and honestly. In this passage, I feel alone. God is Holy. God has delivered people in the past. I feel like a worm. But I know God sees value in me. God, be not far from me. 

Promise: Be honest with God. Share your feelings, but also be reminded that God is there. He is holy. He saves people.