Ruth 1:1-14 - Naomi and Her Daughters-In-Law

Ruth 1:1-14

But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? (v.11)"

Message: Naomi and Her Daughters-In-Law

Time: According to Jewish tradition, Samuel wrote the book of Ruth. The events of Ruth occurred sometime between 1160 BC and 1100 BC. This book stands as a ray of light, showing the power of the love between God and His faithful people, even during difficult times that were present. It is written from Naomi's point of view. Ruth is the gift God placed in Naomi's life. 

What the Lord is Saying: In verse 1 it says "in the days when the judges governed" so this book seems to be at the tail end of the time of the book of Judges. And perhaps a little beyond that time. There is a famine going on and the book mentions a family in verse 2 -- the man Elimelech, his wife, Naomi; and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion; Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. "They entered the land of Moab and remained there." Then in verse 3, Elimelech dies. Her sons took wives - Orpah and Ruth. But then the sons died. So the 3 women remained (v.3-5). 

The 3 of them return to Judah because they heard of food being present. But Naomi tells Orpah and Ruth to return to their homes. She says there is no reason for them to continue with her. But they do not want to go. Naomi says they shouldn't wait for more husbands from her. Orpah leaves but Ruth will not leave and clings to her. 

I don't see many lessons or any lessons really in these verses. The commentary devotional I use, Tabletalk, makes mention that Elimelech took his wife to Moab. The Moabites were enemies of Israel and worshipped Balaam, so surprising Elimelech would take his wife and family there. Yet, Ruth was a Moabite. 

Summary: Naomi and her family go to Moab and get two wives, though all of the men then die and Naomi returns to Judah only with one wife--Ruth. 

Promise: From Tabletalk, "Let us strive to obey the Lord, and if we find ourselves in a bad situation due to our sin, let us pray that the Lord would bring redemption out of it."

Prayer: Lord, this is an interesting start to the story of Naomi and Ruth. I am reminded of your sovereignty here. And the importance of family and friendships. Continue to teach me through your Word.

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

Judges 17-19 - Israel Becomes Sodom

Judges 17-19

All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!” (19:30)

Message: Israel Becomes Sodom

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: 

Judges 17 - Micah of Ephraim is on the scene with his mother with 1100 pieces of silver taken from her now back with him. Mother appreciates this. She dedicates the silver to the Lord but then has her son make a graven image. 200 pieces were taken for the image to be made by the silversmith. Micah made his son the priest with the idols. Note: no king at this time in Israel and "every man did what was right in his own eyes." Once again, people need a king to help them know what to do. A Levite from Judah came to stay with them. Micah promises 10 pieces of silver annually if he will stay. Micah believes with the Levite with him the Lord will prosper him. 

Judges 18 - The Danites, sons of Dan, are seeking an inheritance for themselves. They send out 5 men and came to Micah to lodge there. They recognize the Levite and question him. They ask the Levite if their way is to be prosperous by the Lord and he confirms this. They came to Laish and the Sidonians had no ruler. They believe this is the land to possess. So 600 men of war from Danites set out. They came to the house of Micah. The five men who were spies make a remark about the graven images being present. With the 600 men standing by they took the graven image from Micah. The priest is alarmed but goes with them as they say that is better to be with many rather than just one. But then those in the house of Micah overtook the sons of Dan. Micah and the men are bothered, wondering why the priest and the images have been taken from him. They arrive in Laish and burn the city, now calling the name of the city Dan. They set up the graven image. 

Judges 19 - once again, the chapter begins with a reminder that Israel has no king.  A Levite takes a concubine from Judah. Four months later, she leaves him. The Levite goes back to get the concubine. The father convinces him to stay another day as he is preparing to leave each morning. This goes on for six days and then he leaves. He and the concubine head to Jebus. But these are not Israelites so they go on to Gibran but no one took them in. They end up in a remote area of Ephraim. An older man offers to house them. But then some worthless fellows show up at the man’s house, and want to have sex with the Levite. The owner tries to dissuade these men from this wicked act. The concubine comes out, and the man raped her repeatedly. He tries to have the concubine go with him, but she does not move from lying at the threshold of the door. Ends up cutting her into 12 pieces And sending those pieces throughout the territory of Israel.

Kind of an unsettling set of chapters here. Idolatry is a common theme and also sodomy. All is done without a leader this stressing the importance of good leadership. But even the Levite does not conduct himself in an honoring way. Chapter 17 and 18 mention idolatry and yet people try to speak in a way that the Lord God approves by invoking his name. Overall I continue to see the impacts of allowing the Canaanites and the worlds ways to impact those called by God. We can clearly be impacted by the ways of the world if we are not careful. And we try to cover ourselves by invoking his name. 

I think we dance with danger but we can’t help but getting impacted by it. No matter who we are as even the Leviticus priest was callous. We must continue to surround ourselves with good people - good teaching - daily discipline in God’s word. God needs to be present in every part of our life. 

I am sitting in a doctors office patient room right now. On the wall is a vision statement of the practice and mission statement and 4 core values. The statements seem like common sense in a way. And yet they align everyone. Thus it seems important that they probably have this posted to remind themselves and their patients of these goals. They want to be accountable. This is who they are and want to be. 

In the same way I need to align myself with environment that extol my Christian beliefs. And I need daily reminders to stay on course. 

Summary: once again people did right in their own eyes , idolatry occurred as did sodomy and murder. 

Promise: be consistent with spiritual disciplines. 

Prayer: O Father - you provide me with so many different ways in which I can each day confirm in my life what is most important. Thank you for instilling in me a desire to get in the word and studying for understanding and application. Thank you for helping me be healthy and strong and taking care of myself. You have made me the way you have for a purpose and I have a responsibility to live at a high level in my life. In so many ways, my wife is easy. I see people experiencing challenges in their lives and struggles. I noticed in my life when things are hard and makes everything in life a little bit more difficult. I’m blessed and I thank you God for blessing me. Help me to not be so selfish as I know there’s a continual tendency in me train me to be more of a giving person and helping others.

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

Judges 9 - Danger from Within

Judges 9
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Message: Danger from Within

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: Gideon has died and now his son Abimelech is coming into power, but appears to be starting off on the wrong foot - focusing on himself instead of God as he becomes king (verse 7) at the expense of others who fall dead. 

I have seen this cycle in Judges with the people - Evil, Discipline, Prayer/Revival, Restoration. It now seems that the restoration period, as mentioned for example in Judges 8:28 as being 40 years was also marked by a period of people falling away. So it wasn't all good. It was simply that it wasn't a period of discipline. The Lord gave the people grace, but in that time was a gradual falling away. For instance, 8:30 mentions that Gideon had many wives (70 descendants) for soon after his death, without him around the people dove head first into idolatry (8:33). And so that descent is the precursor of this chapter. 

Abimelech decides that he should be king. He convinces the people around him that with all of the descendants Gideon has had, it makes the most sense to let himself be the ruling heir. He receives jewels from a worship house of Baal that allows him to hire fellows that will come with him to his father's house and kill his siblings, all 70 of them, though it is actually 69, as Jotham was spared (v. 4-5) because he hid himself. Jotham has still an allegiance with God. He tries to speak of this to the men of Shechem (v.7-21) a warning that God will judge these people for going their own way. 

After 3 years of Abimelech ruling (v. 22), an evil spirit is sent to create discord between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. This discord continues when the men of Shechem switch their trust from Abimelech now to a new leader - Gaal the son of Ebed. One of Abimelech's rulers hears of this and sets up an ambush (v. 32 "lie in wait in the field") and eventually overtook these other people creating the discord (v. 41) and eventually slaying all of these other companies of people (v. 45). But victory did not last long for Abimelech. A woman would end up throwing a stone on Abimelech, crushing his skull (53). He lived and rather than it being said a woman killed him, he has another man kill his with a sword (54). 

The discord had been set and God had used these evil men and their choices to eventually take away the opposition and presence of evil. 

Summary: After the death of Gideon, his son Abimelech basically erects himself as king, slaying the his siblings, though one son Jotham remains, but discord erupts and Abimelech and the people of Shechem eventually period because of their sin. 

Promise: We must be careful of the sin we tolerate, it creates a discord among people, among us, that can be damaging. 

Prayer: O Lord, my allegiance to You needs to be one of my whole heart. It is not simply one of duty in order to receive blessings and yet blessings come when our lives are lived before you of heartfelt obedience. My trust in You needs to be one of trust in You not duty so that I will receive a blessing. It is hard to hear of discord that occurs. It is hard to be around it. Thank you for these lessons and the reminder to me of not letting sin be tolerated but also to remain consistent in my faith and trust of you. Teach me the meaning of this and help me to be guarded against the world and their ways. 

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

Judges 8 - Gideon's Short-Lived Revival

Judges 8
Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household. - verse 27

Message: Gideon's Short-Lived Revival

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: Well, I ended up teaching in my Sunday School class on Sunday, June 22, and I chose to teach through these lessons I have slowly been going through since October - Joshua and Judges. It was a good time to do that teaching and I learned a lot but I had already been sort of struggling through these lessons, going at them slow, but at the same maybe that was a good thing, to slowly get through these lessons. 

The focus of my lesson was really to highlight our mission today, to go and make disciples. But in that is big words of comfort - God is with us and He says to us, "I am with you." He has said those words to His people throughout the ages. I showed how he voiced these words to Joshua and later to Gideon. He gives us a task to do, but he is also ahead of us in doing that task. I mentioned the ark of the covenant being sent ahead of us in Joshua and him calling Gideon a valiant warrior before he was that person. But I also stressed the importance of us not making covenants with people in the World or anything in the world. Instead, whenever we have trouble, we need to simply ask God for help. Sometimes that is proof when he has asked us to do things. But we need to ask him and He will show us the way. This is our time right now. And we have a great opportunity to continue to be ambassadors for Him. 

Now I move on to Judges 8. This book starts in verse 1 with the men of Ephraim being bothered with Gideon. Despite the fact that God took the large number of warriors from 32,000 down to 300 in conquering the Midianites, the men of Ephraim are bothered that they weren't able to be a part of the large army. But in verse 3, Gideon does what is recorded in Proverbs 15:1, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." He tells the men of Ephraim the great work God has done in their lives. So it isn't that God has done nothing. He has. 

Another lesson here is that when the people of God see God doing something great, they want to jump on board. But often God is already doing something great in those people's lives. Gideon here reminds them of that, and he even tells them that what they were able to accomplish was greater than what God had done through Gideon. 

With the 300 men that conquered the Midianites in Judges 7, Gideon is still leading them now to conquer Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. Along the way, he is looking for help with the people of the land - the leaders of Succoth, but he doesn't get help from. He asked for loaves of bread, but they gave nothing. Also the men of Penuel gave them nothing. Gideon, it seems possibly out of anger tells these leaders of Succoth and Penuel that if he has victor he will come back and do harsh things to them: verse 7, "I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers." In verse 9, "I will tear down this tower." A little perplexing it seems that Gideon speaks words of retribution for not helping his people. Not thinking this is something to emulate and perhaps expresses the great need Gideon felt for his men at the time. 

Verse 10 mentions 135,000 Midianite men - 120,000 of which have already fallen and 15,000 that remain. Sobering numbers. I was speaking to a guy online yesterday and he was appalled thinking that God favors one people over another. God chooses people to be His. He does not choose others. But those individuals in not being chosen are still responsible for not turning to God in their behavior. These are hard lessons for us to see and listen to and read. These Midian people were not part of His chosen. 

Then Gideon goes back to Succoth and Penuel and "disciplined the men of Succoth...He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city." Ouch. Harsh. 

After Zebah and Zalmunna are killed, in verse 22, the men of Israel ask Gideon to rule over them, but Gideon responds, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.” Good answer. The Lord must do the work. The temptation to be an idol was presented here to Gideon but he refuses. Then in verses 24-27, Gideon asks that each person produce an earning from his spoil, almost like a tithe it would seem. It was an ornament that came together as an ephod - an ornament generally worn by the priesthood. That was his attention, to signify this as a piece worn and attributed to God. But the people turned it into an idol. It seems there was potential for this. Whether it was honorable in his intent to create it or not is not known, but it did result in some sort of idolatry. 

Idolatry is the most common sin it seems among Israel and others in the Old Testament times. God seems to always show that he is not to be shared. Yet, people so clearly and easily go down this path. I am not sure today even if we understand the intent of the way we live, as we often covet things in our lives and place them on equal footing or above God (entertainment such as movies, music, eating, drinking; obsessed with knowledge such as reading the newspaper or watching the news in the name of being informed; our electronic devices (phones, computers, TV, games); remaining healthy both by going to the gym, fitness and pursuing any remedy possible to preserve our health with the goal to escape from any trial; expanding wealth by adding to what we already have making our homes bigger, acquiring expensive cars, going to far away places for travel, even pursuing opportunities for our children). I wonder about all of these and their tendency to be idols in our lives. They most often take much time and besides simply being a form of rest in our lives, they often move to something greater - replacing time that we could be spending with God or sharing His good news with others. But I notice, all too often they are not talked about much and yet, as I speak to people in places in which people have so little, all of these things are not as possible. And so they can by synonymous with wealth. 

In the remaining verses, it mentions that period of restoration now for Israel - 40 years. 6:1 mentioned the time of discipline being 6 years. I notice that these times of restoration are always longer than discipline. Gideon, through his concubine, has a son - Abimelech, and then Gideon dies (verse 32). 

Then the people forget. With Gideon alive, they did well, but once he has died and they no longer have their leader, they fall away:

33 Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. 34 Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 35 nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.

Unfortunate, but I suppose expected. The cycle continues - evil, discipline, prayer, restoration - in this book, this time period. 

Summary: Gideon continues through Midian and takes down two more kings, and yet their are signs of idolatry. The people have restoration for 40 years, then Gideon dies, and the people go back to worshipping idols. 

Promise: There is danger in life to compromise. We must stay faithful all the days of our lives. Let us do this and encourage one another to do the same. 

Prayer: O God, you are rich in mercy. You are the anchor of our lives, the cornerstone. You are all that life is about and all of life is meant to be lived to glorify You. You are to be praised. It is all about You. Forgive me and even raising a family whereby we often replace times with you with other times of not living for you. In the name of opportunity and broadening horizons, I can see myself doing things that are beyond what you intended my life to be about. Our wealth very often has clouded our way. There is such a dichotomy in our world between the have's and have not's. I see the tendency in me. O God, wake me up. Get me focused more on what You are doing and coming alongside You in that work. May I seek to reach those that you have called me to and placed in my path with the truth of who You are. Help me to always encourage people in this. Thank you for Gideon and his great example, to keep pursuing You God even if that means questions and wanting confirmations. You are there and you will provide. 

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

Judges 2 - A Tragic Cycle

Judges 2

18 When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.

Message: A Tragic Cycle

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: Verse 1 begins with a word from the angel of the Lord, "I will never break my covenant with you." Conversely in verse 2, "You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land." God has chosen us. He has chosen me. And I am to be about Him and His purposes and not about those that take me off track of that; they will. 

Then an interesting word in verse 3, "I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you." Evidently, they will remain among us - those that might bring us down. If that's what that means, then that is a very interesting statement. Verse 4 says, "the people wept" upon hearing this. 

Verse 7 and 8 repeat Joshua 24 but mention Joshua age at death being 110. It states that the generation after Joshua "did not know the Lord" and "did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. (v. 10-11)" and "forsook the Lord" and "followed other gods" (v. 12). "And the anger of the Lord... (v.14)." 

Their evil continued and God's anger toward them continued. And the Lord said that he would use these other people in the land "to test Israel" and "whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not" (v. 22). 

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 mention warnings to Israel as they enter the land. Verses 16 and 17 state that they are to "save nothing that breathes." As verse 18 states that letting them leave they will turn them away from the Lord. Strong words. And yet truth. God's people are to be about Him. But, after Joshua, the Judges record that the people allowed the inhabitants of the land to live. By letting them stay, though, God would leave them to be tested and then it will be seen who they will serve. 

There is mention of other gods they are worshipping. Verse 13 says they "served Baal and Ashtaroth." Tabletalk states, "Baal was the Canaanite storm god and Astarte was his female consort, and these pagan deities were thought to provide fertility to the land of the ancient Near East. Here the plural forms “Baals” and “Ashtaroth” are used because Baal and Astarte were worshiped under various names across Canaan and the surrounding lands. The worship of these deities frequently included child sacrifice and cult prostitution to get the gods to pour out rain and make the land fertile." 

People are desperate at times for divine intervention when things are hard and don't go as planned. I almost feel like in America, the pursuit of riches and then also the rescue from sickness results in serving alternate gods or finding any means necessary for achieving outcomes wanted. These temptations are real. We dance with danger rather than simply pushing it away. I do this. I keep giving air time to things that I need to rid in my life. 

Summary: The Lord's plan was the destruction of the Canaanites, but the people after Joshua let them remain and God agreed and kept them around, challenging the people to serve the Lord and not alternate gods or desires. 

Promise: Our land is filled with false gods and false worship practices, and if we are not careful, they can lead us astray. 

Prayer: God, I confess I often ignore your warnings like Israel did in times past. You have given me all I need and my hearts desire and yet I trade it often for something else. And in the process I suffer consequences and perhaps my children as well. I need to rather stay close to You and your ways. Get me right and give me the courage to stand firm in my faith, always. Get behind me Satan. 

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

Joshua 23 - An Exhortation to Faithfulness

Joshua 23

Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left (verse 6).

Message: An Exhortation to Faithfulness

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: Joshua is older now, advanced in years, and he calls all of the leaders of Israel together to speak to them. He speaks of the Lord God and all that God has done for them - fighting for them. Land has been provided for you. Possess it, but also be a people that will "Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left (verse 6)." God has gave these people a lot. He provided them land and rescued them from dangers and in return, the people owe them their life to follow his words throughout their lives. He provides, we respond. People owe it to him. 

He exhorts the people to not associate with the nations and their gods. They are not to serve them or bow down to them. And there is application today for me as well. We are to be a people about Him, loving God and serving Him. It seems like anything that is selfish or for me might be a god today. Entertainment at times I think can be a god, even watching basketball to no end or movies or listening to music. I guess I think of these as gods or idolatry if they start getting in the way of my relationship with God and serving him. The admonishment from Joshua was to not associate with them. But instead "you are to cling to the Lord your God." I like that word -- "cling." It gives an idea of hold on tight or grab a hold of. We cling because it says later, "the Lord your God is He who fights for you (verse 10)." And "love the Lord your God (v. 11)." Then Joshua gives a warning about clinging in the wrong sort of way. Do not go and cling to the nations, intermarry. When we do, the Lord is not near to us to fight for us. 

It seems people simply expect God to bless them no matter what and think they can live their lives however they want. And yet God seems clear here that what we need is to cling to him and serve him. The anger of the Lord is mentioned so it is real and we need to watch out from this anger and stay clear from it. 

Summary: Joshua tells the people as he is aging that they need to cling to the Lord and not serve other gods. God will keep fighting for us as we do this. 

Promise: Let us continue trusting the Lord this day, and let us encourage the generations that follow us to do the same.

Prayer: O God, you are rich in mercy. You provide for me and bless me in ways I cannot fathom. I don't give you enough credit. Thank you for the setting this land before me and giving it to me. You have been faithful to me. Now, help me to be faithful to you and live in a way that honors you. Forgive me for my sins and getting angry so often. Keep me focused on You o God, relying on You God at all times. Keep me far from idolatry and going after things that are not about You. I want to live in a way that leaves no question as to my allegiance to You. 

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

John 18:38b-40 - Exchanging Jesus for Barabbas

John 18:38b-40

38b And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. 39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Message: Exchanging Jesus for Barabbas

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)." 

What the Lord is Saying: I am at the end of John 18. After going to a garden with the disciples, Judas arrives as well bringing Roman officers, chief priests and Pharisees to arrest Jesus. Jesus willingly goes. It's time, but Peter isn't ready to see Jesus leave and pulls out a sword, striking the high priest's slaves ear. Jesus tells Peter to put the sword away. Jesus is taken to a court for interrogation, first to Annas, then Caiaphas, then Pilate. Peter follows, and yet when questioned about being a disciple is recorded as being questioned by 3 people of his affiliation with Jesus and 3 times denies being a disciple/follower. Jesus had predicted this. Jesus proceeds to defend Himself from the officials questions. Throughout He speaks truth. The accusations seem unclear. Jesus wonders what is being asked of Him and defends His mission: to speak, teach in the synagogues, and be open to people. He is King, but his Kingdom is not of this world, but He has entered this world to speak Truth. 

Truth is what I see everyone wants in life. Defining themselves. Our jobs are about doing truth. Doing things right where we are planted. I am a Men's Retreat and we are seeking truth. This is who John has presented to us in His Gospel. The man of truth. It has been a simple message.

• Believe (3:12)
• Believe in Jesus (3:16)
• To enter - born of water and Spirit (3:5)
• Drink of Him, His water (4:13-14)
• Worship (4:23)
• Jesus is doing His Father's will on earth (4:34)
• Do not sin (5:14)
• Jesus gives life to whom He wishes (5:21)
• Believe and have eternal life (5:24)
• Receive Him who God sent (5:43)
• "I am the bread of life" (6:35)
• To come to Jesus, must be drawn (6:44)
• The world hates Jesus because He speaks of their evil deeds (7:7)
• If thirsty, go to Jesus and drink (7:37)
• Believe in Jesus and innermost being will flow rivers of living water (7:38)
• Follow Jesus, the light of the world, and you will have the light of life (8:12)
• Not believing results in dying in your wins (8:24)
• Abide in Jesus' words (8:31)
• Enter through Jesus, the door, to be saved (10:9)
• Jesus will lay his life down and take it up again (10:17-18)
• Jesus sheep hear His voice (10:27)
• Believe and there is life even if one dies (11:25)
• The Son of Man will be glorified (12:23)
• To believe in Jesus is to believe in God (12:44)
• Love one another (13:34)

At this point, the tone shifts to Love. It is as if people have believed and now Jesus focuses on His love and our need to love others and in the process bear fruit (15:8)

• A Helper will come (16:7) 
• He will guide you into all truth - to Glorify Jesus (16:13-14)
• Jesus wants us with Him (17:24)

This is the Truth. At least the truth John speaks of Jesus in His Gospel. And it is because of these words that when given the opportunity to release one prisoner during the Passover - Barabbas or Jesus -- Barabbas being a criminal who most likely murdered someone, they chose to release Barabbas, resulting in Jesus being condemned to death -- though not really guilty of any crime - and yet not a friend to the world, but one focused on a broader goal -- Truth for eternity. 

Interesting dichotomy here. 

People of this world are indeed stuck in this world. 

Part of me wants to absolve Pilate of being responsible for Jesus' death because He does state that he finds no guilt in Jesus. Yet, at that moment, he does not let Jesus go. I think of most scenes in a court and when a judge pronounces someone innocent, he is let go. But Pilate does not do that and instead knows that the Jews need to let someone go who is guilty. 

Verse 39 mentions a custom of releasing someone. Leviticus 16:5-10, "5 He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7 He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8 Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat." In this scenario, there is determine to be one scapegoat or one that escapes the offering. And the process of choosing will be casting lots. Casting lots appears to be random. Proverbs 16:33 however says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." What appears to be random is not random. It is a decision from the Lord. And in that decision results in one dying and one not. 

Is there anything random in this life? While up at the men's retreat, after playing guitar, the guitar player dislocated his finger and had to leave to go back to town to the emergency room. This happened while he was in bed. Someone later called it a freak accident. Yet, I wonder if it was random. Often, we think of cancer or aliments that people get as being random because you do not know when they will strike, and yet I wonder if it is all indeed random or if there is intention of the Lord. Maybe at the time we see it as being random and yet, in His perfect plan of working all things out for good (Romans 8:28) he takes seemingly random events and makes them good. Yet, how can we say this about a school shooting, a hurricane that takes the lives of thousands, a terrorist bombing, a genocide, the World War II concentration camps? Do we prefer to conclude these are random events? Perhaps it makes us feel better to not think that God could have been involved in all of this for some purpose that He decides. Those events occurred due to the choices from man, we could conclude following the result of Adam and Eve's sin. But not all. Hurricane's, Tsunami's, earthquakes, happened according to nature and winds and atmospheric pressure - yet, all of these set up by the hand of God - created as part of this world. 

Scapegoat - A person or group that is blamed for something wrong that someone else did, or made to suffer in their place. For example, "Politicians have used the financial sector as a scapegoat for the global economic crisis". In the Bible, a goat that symbolically took on the sins of the people during the Yom Kippur ceremony and was then sent into the wilderness. The term was coined in 1530 by Protestant scholar William Tyndale during his translation of the Hebrew Bible into English.

Other Verses:

Leviticus 19:4 - Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God. 

Matthew 27:15-21 - 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”

Luke 23:18-25 - 18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

I John 5:21 - Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Interesting that these others verses that accompany this reading are references to idolatry. In choosing Barabbas, the one chosen was not the real thing, but an impostor. So on one hand, their was a chose, a rather obvious one in that the innocent one was not chosen. And yet as mentioned earlier, it was not random. Thus, in the choosing, in what appeared to be random - it wasn't. 

Summary: Pilate states Jesus is innocent, but he remains a prisoner and the chief priests must determine between Jesus and Barabbas, the murderer. Barabbas is chosen to be spared. 

Promise: Both this (Jesus) and the other goat (Barabbas) typified Christ; this in his death and passion for us, that in his resurrection for our deliverance.

Prayer: Lord, I am still trying to understand this passage of scripture and how it relates to Leviticus 16. But, I do know you were chosen as it would seem, though innocent, to take on our sin. The lot fell to Barabbas to be set free and yet as the thief, his sin and all of our sin was transferred to Jesus, the ultimate scapegoat for the sins of all people. Thank you God for knowing what we need always and in all things I submit and surrender to You and accept what You provide. 

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

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. 

Joel 2:12 - Fasting in Worship

Joel 2:12

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

Message: Fasting in Worship

Time: Little is known of the prophet Joel. He identified himself as the son of Pethuel, preached to the people of Judah, and expressed a great deal of interest in Jerusalem. A date of approximately 835 BC or soon after is what can be pieced together. Joel gives no indication of the time period.

What the Lord is Saying: Fasting is the lesson today. Corporate and individual. Lately, whenever I think of fasting, I think of my brothers and sisters in Africa and how fasting is a normal part of their lives - a common occurrence. My friend Daniel and new convert Akeem in Nigeria have been fasting for 30 days now. A friend in Tororo, Uganda mentions that he and his church fast frequently, dedicating their time together to pray for all of the various needs of their community and beyond. In contrast, fasting is something in the United States that is not mentioned much or I don't hear of people fasting very much or at all. 

And in this lesson today, the writers of Tabletalk mention that fasting is not necessarily only an individual practice by people but something groups of people will do or the church even corporately. 

Today's passage from Joel 2 is an interesting call by the priests of that day to warn people of the consequence of sin. In this passage is a description of the impending judgments - the Day of the Lord is coming (Joel 2:1) - and then its description follows. There is meant to be an alarm going off before the people of the intensity and wide effects of this judgment (darkness, never been like it nor again, nothing escapes it, people are trying to flee with all of their power because of what is coming, people in anguish, faces pale, who can endure it?). It affects everyone and this description seems to take up the first 11 verses of the chapter. 

And so then the response from the people is a response now to return to God with all of our hearts. "All" to me points to everything. It is consecrating everything to Him. It is complete surrender. It is to align ourselves only with the way of Jesus Christ. It is to stare at everything in our life that is potentially an idol and turn from it. The word "return" is used. "Return to Me." It is the realization that we have gone astray, that I do go astray, that I get myself off track often and aligned in other realms and other dimensions of my life and so I need to return to God. And so in this recognition, this turning from our sin - is it just to be different? Yes. But the response begins first with a time of "fasting, weeping and mourning." 

To start new is to wipe out everything that was there before. And for us as believers in Christ, it starts with fasting. Everything is silenced for a moment (food, TV, screens, worldly ways), for a time to get things right with God and this includes weeping and mourning over getting off track in my life -- so that when I start anew I start right with him, then introducing things into my life that are correct. It is pulling back and seeing that the going through of the motions of life is moving me away from Him. It is complete surrender and complete turning away from sin to embrace completely Christ and His righteousness. 

In some ways this is what happens anytime I come before God. It is right now as I read and discover this passage and spend time alone with God as I start my day. It is when I gather together with other Christians and re-root myself as we discuss our lives and how they have gotten off-centered and Christ needs to be at the center. It happens when I go to church and sing songs and lift up the name of Jesus in song and praise. I return to Him, to center myself, to align myself with him, setting aside all that has happened maybe in the week prior of getting my focus off of Him. And in that there is worship through fasting, through weeping over my sin and what I did, mourning over my sin and the consequences that resulted from that. 

And then what follows is verse 18 and beyond is God's deliverance. See the problem - turn - God will save. This the extent of the gospel -- 1) see your sin; 2) turn from your sin and 3) God saves us. 

In this seeing sin is seeing that judgment is real and is coming. This is a reminder I need, because in my selfish interests continually of getting things I want I forget about this future judgment actually taking place. It is true I made a point decision in life in 1982 to turn from sin to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, but this turning needs to be daily because the temptation to follow idols is present each day. And so because of this, shouldn't my actions be fasting, weeping and mourning - over the fact that I trade truth for a lie continually. 

Summary: I need to realize that judgment is a reality. I have wandered from him and still do. Judgement is coming. So stop. Return to God. With All of My Heart. Start with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 

Promise: When we fast, we are driven to more urgent prayer and to remember our creaturely dependence. If you have not fasted before, consider whether you should fast and pray this week.

  

Prayer: O God, wow. Your word is so alive. Even in this moment, you remind me that judgment is coming and from that I can see more clearly now that I still get side tracked and away from you and aligned with other priorities of my days and get off track. I refuge in entertainment, selfish ways. Yes, I work hard, but I don't actively and intentionally bring you up and show others that what I am doing is for your glory. God, I return to You. With all of my heart. I consecrate all of me to You. You are Holy Forever. I can then start afresh with Fasting, while in those moments I weep and mourn for my past sin of replacing You. O God, thank you that you are there waiting to deliver me and set me right always. You are the God who saves. You are Holy Forever. 

Romans 1:18-23 - Guidance In Worship

Romans 1:18-23 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 

Message: Guidance in Worship

Time: Paul wrote to Rome, the city he never visited, from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57. He writes to a church that he believes needed to hear basic Gospel doctrine. The city was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idolatry.

What the Lord is Saying:

It is interesting but most of the arguments in the church are over how God is worshipped. Even going back to the 4th century controversy that Arius of Alexandria brought up that the essence of the Son, namely Jesus Christ, was different from the essence of the Father - this controversy had its basis in worship and whether Jesus would be worshipped like the Father. Later in the reformation, there was the question of whether Mary could be worshipped. 

The argument by Paul in Romans 1 is that worship is a part of every human. He says that in each person God is manifest or revealed and if a person does not honor God, the person will honor something else. This moves into the argument of idolatry which is extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. I John 5:21 says, "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." The 2nd commandment, Exodus 20:4, "You shall not make yourself an idol." In Jesus' sermon on the mount he says in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters." There is this recurring idea in Scripture that our ultimate worship belongs to God and God alone. I think the difficult part is always trying to figure out that love and admirations are okay, but we must be careful of the intensity of those loves - making sure they don't rise to a level that our love for them not only conflicts with God but what God is asking us to do in His Word. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith makes this known in 21.1. 

But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited to his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.

The basic premise of our message today is to look to God's word for guidance on how we are to worship. We do not need to imagine or devise other methods ourselves, but we are to look to scripture and apply the standards from Scripture. 

Deuteronomy 12:32 - Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it. 

Summary: It is simple and yet remains hard in determining worship today. Start with scripture and let scripture define our ways in worship. 

Promise: We must follow God's prescriptions for worship. We risk offering false worship to God when we do not follow His inspired directions for how to praise Him. 

Prayer: Lord, in my life, I have seen so many different types of worship music and even differences in worship services take place. It is hard to understand for me if I am to be guided by my own personal desires and choices or if there is something wrong in some of these practices. Help me now in this study to think from Your word and to be guided by Your Spirit in worship and how I am to engage in worship of You. I want to be a true worshipper. 

Exodus 20:4-5 - Images and Idols

October 25

Exodus 20:4-5 - “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me."

Message: Images and Idols

Time: Most likely this book was penned by Moses. The book covers a period of approximately eighty years, from shortly before Moses’s birth (c. 1526 BC) to the events that occurred at Mount Sinai in 1446 BC. The Bible's message of redemption appears in Exodus as well: though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom, provided the Law, established the system of sacrifice, and gave instructions on building of His tabernacle. God began to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What the Lord is Saying:

I've always been a little confused by this commandment. I think one reason is it seems on the surface to be closely linked to the first commandment of having no other Gods. Both commandments seem to be linked by worship. We are to worship only God and not other gods and this includes here gods that we might fashion or make to mirror even a likeness of God in our lives. Now, the first commandment is a little more focused on rival gods that are mentioned at times like the scripture I gave from Judges 2:11-15. Many religions of the world hold to a myriad of gods. There are different gods for different needs. I think overall this is what the first commandment is talking about. 

So in this 2nd commandment, it even more clearly speaks of worship in verse 5. God our Lord is a jealous God and only He is to be worshipped. He says that we are not to worship or serve these carved images or idol that we make. The message is clear and simply - only worship God and only worship Him as He is. 

And yet there seem to be many applications of this verse today. What is key is whether the object we are talking about is worshipped. 

One of the concerns I have had over the years is the Catholic church because it appears that people are worshipping Mary or a Saint. I saw this article and it states that this is not happening but rather what is occurring is revering people for their faith in God. This article asks to consider the context or what was occurring at the time of the giving of these commandments. 

October 26

When the Jews were under the bondage of the Egyptians there was a temptation to worship the animal like gods of the    Egyptians. Many of the Egyptian gods were made in the images of jackals, birds and other animals. In the above text God is making an direct condemnation of this practice when he says do not make a graven image of anything in heaven, the earth, under the earth and in the water.

Now I can't personally think of people right now that are tempted to fashion a god from the image of an animal. Some say that the application today of this command is the way in which we worship idols such as money, sex, status. From that standpoint, I think what we tend to do is instead of making God number one, it seems that money, sex, or status is made number one in our lives. In a way I think there is some merit in these objects being considered as idols. People I think do start to define their lives by these idols of money, sex, and status and think that life can only be good when we have these. 

Going back to examining the context of Exodus 20, the article goes on to say that graven images are not bad always, as it is recorded in Exodus 25:17-22 about the figures of cherubs (angelic beings) that were woven into the fabric of the curtain on the tabernacles. The thought being that the figure was an aid in the worship of God. But others argue that this is artwork and is not the same as having a statue of Mary or wearing a Saint Christopher medal around your next with the idea that the medal will keep you from harm. 

It seems like what has occurred over time is we have started with something that originally was not meant to be worshipped, but over time we have been tempted through practice to focus on the object and therefore turn it into an image or idol that we do in fact worship. And this seems to me to be the intent of the commandment that was given. It is to remind us of our tendency as humans to make something more than it was meant to be and turn it into an object that we do in fact worship. 

October 27

Let's face it, we are visual people and God knew this. Again, as I think of these commandments that He gives us, it is because we need to be confronted with these reminders because our tendency is to do the opposite or to do what we are told not to do. As humans, we like images and like to see with our eyes. God knew this and yet God doesn't want us to try to make something in our life that ends up replacing him. Or take his place. 

I must be careful to define God by His Word. Because I know I have at times expressed to people the God I want rather than the God who is. 

Summary: I need to accept God as He is, and be careful of not making something He is not or placing other things in my life as more important than Him. I must guard against this always. Pictures, statues, symbols, art, people are not bad in and of themselves. They can all help point me to Him, but be careful about placing too much emphasis on these things I see. 

Promise: From Tabletalk -- "In light of the second commandment regarding the prohibition of graven images, we should think carefully about the use of images in all of life. Images can be powerful conveyors of truth or error, so let us consider and be discerning about what we set before our eyes and the eyes of our families at all times."

Prayer: O God, I am continually reminded of how I need to be careful. It is so easy to define you according to what I like or what I want you to be. Lord, there are people that have been swept away in this and have ended up worshipping pictures, people, or other gods; help me God to love these people. Help me to not be critical of them but if they speak to me, I want to be ready to defend You. Keep me going back to Your word to defend You and help me to rightly understand Your word. 

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 July is about 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 and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. The One and Only God - I seek to trust and love God above all else today. 

Jeremiah 13

I was very much moved by this passage from Jeremiah 13 because it amazes me, though I suppose it should not, when I see how relevant the word of God is to the time of today. As I read these words and study them I am amazed that they are so relevant to today. As a reminder, I have been working on reading the Bible daily, - following the M'Cheyne Reading Plan "Secret." Yet, I struggle and fail often. It takes time for me to study and my time gets displaced often. But, I am thankful for coming back to the Word. Today I read from Jeremiah 13 and I have prepared this outline based upon my thoughts from Enduring Word.

TWO WARNING SIGNS

The Sign of the Linen Sash

Hiding the linen sash - verses 1-5

• Lord tells Jeremiah - Get a sash (decorative belt) and put it around your waist (1)
• Sash was a priestly garment for High Priest and Regular Priest - a sign of dignity and nobility
• Go to Euphrates (not sure if this was actual journey or vision) for if it would have been a 3 month journey that would have alarmed people of Anaathoth (4)
• Hide the sash in a rock (4)
• The direction of the Euphrates was where Babylon would be coming from to destroy Judah

Finding the Decayed, Useless Sash - verses 6-7

• Go to the Euphrates and retrieve the sash (6)
• It was still there, but had deteriorated and was ruined, good for nothing (7)

Ruining the Pride of the People - verses 8-11

• In the same manner of the sash, the pride of Judah and Jerusalem will be ruined (9)
• These people would be taken to the Euphrates and beyond
• 3 main sins of Judah (10)
• Refuse to hear God's words (Not reading His Word)
• Follow the dictates of their hearts (trusted in themselves, looked to self instead of the Lord)
• Walked after other gods to serve them (trusting in themselves, they were led to idolatry)
• As the sash clings to a man, so we are to cling to God
• But they would not listen (11)

The Sign of the Wine Bottle

Every bottle filled with wine - verse 12

• Every bottle shall be filled with wine echoes the proverb - Everything will fulfill its purpose

The people of Judah drunk and destroyed - verses 13-14

• Wine breaks people and God's rebellious people would be in a state of stupor and stupidity, drunk with wine (13)
• The people would be dashed against one another (fighting among themselves - we are really seeing this today like never before) (14)

How to Respond to God's warnings

Humble yourself and give glory to the Lord - verses 15-16

• We are told of the biggest problem we have for not listening to God - our pride (15)
• "For the Lord has spoken" - as he speaks we have a choice on how we will respond - yea or nay
• Thus, give glory to God before darkness is all we know (16)

The price to be paid for not heeding God's warnings - verses 17-20

• Jeremiah didn't merely observe, he experienced weeping and tears because judgment was coming (17)
• And so he keeps pleading "humble yourselves" (18)
• It should begin with the leaders - King and Queen (18)
• The invaders are coming for the beautiful sheep (20)

The guilt of those whom the Lord punishes - verses 21-23

• When the punishment actually happens, the people were incredulous that such calamities had overtaken them (21), just as a woman in labor would exclaim "Why have these things come upon me?" (21,22)
• Them (enemies) are taught to be lords (chieftans) over them (21)
• Your skirts have been removed (22)
• Judah commits spiritual adulteries and they would be terribly and tragically violated by their conquerors
• "Lift up the skirt" is a euphemism for sexual attack both here and elsewhere in the OT
• Can the Ethiopian change his skin or leopard his spots? (23)
• God changes/transforms the nature of man

The determination of the Lord to scatter His people - verse 24-25

• Their lot was to be scattered across the Babylonian empires (24)
• And because you have forgotten Me and trusted in Falsehood (25)

The exposed shame of God's people - verses 26-27

• For not humbling oneself, a greater shame results (26)
• The Lord exclaims that they still are not clean (27)

Promise: In this chapter is the promise that the primary sins of Judah can also be sins of our day and they are not reading God's word, trusting in ourselves and in turn trusting in idolatry.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the truth of your word and showing me continually the importance of listening to you and keeping my focus on You. Not on You means it will be on me and I will find fulfillment instead with me. Lord, I pray that I will humble myself and I would get out of the way from what you are teaching me and accept it.

Malachi 3:6 - The God Who Never Changes

Malachi 3:6
For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Message: The God Who Never Changes

Time: Malachi delivers a message to the Judean people who worship at the temple, but our turning away from the true worship of the Lord. This is after the completion of the second temple. Late 5th Century BC, possibly during Nehemiah's return to Persia, around 433-424 BC.

What the Lord is Saying:

The message here is simple: God does not change. These are the words spoken by Malachi, a prophet of the Lord. His book is the final book of the Old Testament, about 450 years before Christ. This idea only should bring comfort to us - that God does not change. Malachi was speaking a message to his people here in chapter 3 of purification by a messenger. As we study and look back at this message, knowing Jesus came, we naturally want to see this as a prophecy of Jesus and His coming to cleanse the temple, cleans the people. However, the text is not completely clear that this is about Jesus. What it is clear in addressing is the need for the people of Judah to be cleansed, to be purified. In verse 7, they have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. He speaks of the kinds of people that are present: the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me. 

And in between these words is the proclamation that I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. By not changing, to me, this means that the Lord's expectations on His people does not change. He still remains a selfish God that wants His people to honor Him and worship Him. He gives them statutes for them to be kept. He expects his people to honor him and not seek their own way. When they do this they become human idol factories, thinking that their own way is the better way. 

What is clear is that the Lord will purify His people. This is a message from God that has remained throughout history. God is our redeemer. And yet this call to purification still requires a response. God may choose us, but there still is a response that is required from man. In verse 7 he says, "Return to Me." 

We think at times that the message of the New Testament, of repentance and love is so very clear, but it is the same message, but simply has a more clear presenter: Jesus Christ. But the message remains: God redeems. Man returns to Him. Our God does not change. 

That's His message and we can accept it or reject it, but that is His message. God will not change. He sits outside of time. One of my brothers in the Lord begins our prayer time weekly with, "Thank you for a new day." It is a reminder that we change. We celebrate with jubilation the turning of time, the beginning of a new year recently. It is 2019. Time is growing. Life is changing. We are growing daily, aging. We are changing. But, our God does not change. We look forward to a day of no change when things will remain the same and when our true relationship as true worshipers will be present. 

Promise: Each day I can rely on the One who is incapable of changing and will never allow His promises to fail. My security remains in Him. He promises to always keep me safe, safe in Him. 

Prayer: Lord, you do not change. You remain the same and your Ways remain the same. Thank you for being that anchor, the rock, the fortress, the horn of our salvation, our stronghold. I love You Lord. You are great. I need this reminder in my life daily that though I live in a day of improvement and wanting each day to be better than the next, I can rest in the idea that You never change. You desire me and desire people to know you and listen to You. You are a selfish God and you always know what is best for me. Lord, I want to return to You. Each day Lord I want to return to You. I want to listen to these words you have spoken through your prophet Malachi 2500+ years ago that remain true to this day: Return to You. As I live and move and change, keep pulling me back to your message, reminding me that you are still there. You still want me. I can still return to You. Lord, I admit my ideals are often the ideals of this world - for daily happiness and enjoyment and peace and security and comfort -- and even as those things are okay, help me have a stronger love for You and seeking you and desiring to never disappoint You. I know you will always take me back, but still I want my life to honor You. You deserve it. And I need it. It is the only way to live.


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 with January being about the doctrine of God.

I Chronicles 16:25-26 - Yahweh and the gods of the peoples

I Chronicles 16:25-26
25 25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.

Message: Yahweh and the gods of the peoples

Time: 1 Chronicles has a mystery writer and focuses on David's reign though doesn't repeat David's sin with Bathsheba. It was written in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah or 538-333 BC while the Jews were dispersed throughout Persia, some having returned from Israel. The book lists genealogies, priests, Levites, armies, temple officials, and other leaders of various ministries and devotes significant attention to proper worship of Yahweh and adherence to the regulations of the Law. It focuses on obedience that results in God’s blessing, the priority of the temple and priesthood, and the unconditional promises to the house of David.

What the Lord is Saying:

Contrary to other belief systems, Christianity (as well as Judaism and Islam) hold to a belief of one God. But, other religions one God is different from the biblical God. So it begs the question are there other gods? This verse in 1 Chronicles states that the Lord is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the peoples are idols. It seems that there are other gods that people to try to worship. Idols are images such as wood or a statue that people worship. But these are not to be worshiped as God. It is true that people do recognize other gods but these gods are not real.

I Corinthians 8:4-6 states - Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

It seems clear that on one hand there is only one true God and the other gods mentioned in history are another sort of supernatural being, a pretender to the throne of the Almighty. There may be other gods mentioned but they are not the same as the one God. So if there is only one God and yet these other gods are mentioned then what are these other gods? They are demons. I Corinthians 10:20 - the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. So demons are worshiped under such names as Krishna, Baal, and even Allah. Thus Allah is not God. It may be touted as the same god just with a different name but it is in fact a different god. There is no god equal to the God of the Bible.

While the Bible does acknowledge other gods that man attempts to worship, these gods are not real because they are not the one true God. They are instead impostors and instead demons. The worship of idols is actually the worship of devils. The devil has set up these alternate forms of worship in order to distract people from the one true God. Again, our culture often doesn't view this. In the name of tolerance in our day and age, we therefore think that all of the gods of this world are equally valid and all end up in the same place. But, the God of the Bible is unique and set apart and therefore separate from all other claimed gods and in face those gods are not gods in the same sense because again there is only one God. It's really a sobering truth because I think I have a hard time seeing all of these people and there are millions, if not billions in history that worship these other gods. Even in the world of Catholicism that seems to add physical people and rise them to the level of an idol.

But there is only one creator. And that creator is to be worshiped. People everywhere are caught up in the supernatural. It is a hard line to stand at times because we struggle more and more stating that so many people have false beliefs.

Couched in these verses are the words For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised and the Lord made the heavens. These verses represent a Psalm of David found here in I Chronicles 16:8-36.

Promise: As Christians we serve the only true God and need never fear the enemy.

Prayer: God, you are it. You are the only God. I give thanks to You and I call upon Your name. Lord, I want to make known your deeds, your work to all. I sing to You and sing Praises to you. What you have done I sing. I glory in Your holy name. I see You and therefore am glad. I see you Lord. You are strong. I look to You continually. Lord, remove the blinders that are on so many people. So many have been trained to think a way that is not true. As I sat in church yesterday I thought of how many came come to church, go through confession and worship and yet never really look inward and see that the Christian is not simply worship but it is admitting a need for life change. We come to You Lord to get a right understanding of who we are. We need You. I need to change. I need daily to be different. Lord, there is such a danger today of people thinking they don't need change. But when we see Love as it is, we see that we are not true people of love. O God, you are the only God and I worship You. Help me be true to Your name as I live in this world.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with January being about the doctrine of God.