Exodus 18:1-12, Transition Between Covenants (1)

The “Acts of the Apostles” is a book of transition.  There are things in Acts not necessarily meant to be “normal” for the Church.  In my view, the miraculous signs (including speaking in tongues) are part of that transition.  Maybe that makes me a “cessationist,” although I’m not sure what that entails.  You can agree or disagree, but for now, I’m interested in the idea of “transition.” 

Did you know that there was a “transition” into the Old Covenant (the Mosaic Law) from the way God was worshiped prior to that time?  What we call “religion” began in Gen. 4 with Cain and Abel.  By “religion” we mean the way a person approaches God.  By “God” we mean: 1) the Creator of all, including people; and 2) the One who provides an adequate Savior to make atonement from our sins against the Creator.  That was “God” for Cain and Abel, who were seeking to atone for their sins.  They came to God, the Creator, because He had promised to provide an adequate Savior (Gen. 3:15).  And they were doing what made sense: when you come to God don’t come emptyhanded; come with gifts so as to give Him thanks.

It turned out that God required the worshiper to come with a blood sacrifice, something which Abel had done and Cain refused to do.  Thus, as we said, religion had it’s beginning.  From that time on, religion involved building altars, bringing live animals, killing the animals and thereby, worshiping God.  Not only did Abel do this.  Noah did it (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (12:7,8 and several other times), Jacob (Gen. 35:1) and Job (Job 1:5) did it.  And finally, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, also called “the priest of Midian” (Ex. 18:1), offered burnt offerings to the LORD (Ex. 18:11-12).  Be sure you note as well: in all these situations the men who built the altars also acted as priests.  A man was priest for his family and household.

Meanwhile, and the Bible doesn’t say much about this, people all over the earth were doing the same thing: building altars and offering blood sacrifices.  They were not necessarily worshiping YAHWEH.  Egypt had a religion, and it involved blood sacrifices.  But it also revolved around the Pharaoh.  And there was a class of priests who oversaw the religion (Gen. 47:22).  There was something similar in all religions because they all had their start in Gen. 4 (Cain and Abel) when both religion and religious persecution had its start.

Did you pay attention to Jethro’s words today?  “Now I know that the LORD (YAHWEH) is greater than all the gods” (18:11).  Each of the Ten Plagues in Egypt were an attack on gods of Egypt.  Moses had just told Jethro all that YAHWEH had done in delivering them, and Jethro, being a priest, sees the “theology” in it all.  Surely, Jethro had offered sacrifices to other gods, for himself and for others.  Remember: Abraham (at least while he was in his father’s house) had worshiped false gods before he came to know the true God (Josh 24:2).  What today’s passage reveals is the “coming to Christ” of Jethro.  More on this in the next post.

1 Jn. 4:12-19; Eph. 3:14-19, Similar Truth in Different Words

(We are traveling.  I had intended to continue and complete our studies in John 12.  However,  I have had some issues with the laptop and have been unable to resolve them.  Thus, I am going to post on various topics until the first of next week.  Thanks.)

When recently working through 1 John I remember thinking sometimes: John and Paul don’t seem to speak the same language.  Their letters don’t sound alike.  Shouldn’t they, since they are Apostles of the same Lord and Gospel?  But as I continued my studies, I came to realize: they were both on the same page!  To show what I mean, here are a few comparisons of 1 John and Paul’s epistles for you to think about and on which you can meditate.  The Bible, with all the different human authors, is such a powerful and consistent message!  It is the Word of One God.

JOHN	NOTES	PAUL
”abide” meno 1 Jn. 2:24	Paul sometimes uses meno but he also uses katecho, as does the writer of Hebrews (3:6).  Both mean to continue something already begun.  Both refer to the “present” tense of salvation; having been saved (past), I am being saved day by day as I continue to believe in Christ.	“hold fast” Katecho 1 Co. 15:2
1 Jn. 3:1-3	The Spirit/Anointing reminds us that we are sons of God, having been born of God.  This explains our ability to have deep fellowship with God.	Ro. 8:4-17
1 Jn. 4:1-6	One says “greater is He that is in you” and the other “if God be for us …”	Rom. 8:31
1 Jn. 4:7-11	Both passages speak of the greatness of God’s love, as seen in the work of Christ and its eternal benefits to the believer.  God’s love abides (remains).  Nothing can separate us from God’s love.	Rom. 8:32-39
1 Jn. 4:12-19	(v12) Both address unity of believers (v14-15) (v13) Both see need of the Spirit’s work (v16) (v14-15) Christ at home in the believer (v17a) (v16-18) Love must be perfected (v17b-19a) (v19) Joyful fellowship with God (v19b)	Ep. 3:14-19

The point, of course, is that there is a consistency with the Apostles.  Even though they come at a topic from their own, Spirit-led position, the NT is clear and there is no contradiction: our salvation must be worked out day to day, and it is done in the same way that we first came to Christ.  We must continue to have a "gospel focus," with our eyes set upon Jesus.  In this way, we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

John 12:12-19, Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem

The story of the “Triumphal Entry” is recorded in all four Gospels.  Here is a “timeline,” harmonizing the accounts.  While all saw the same event, they described the ongoing reactions of the crowd in different order.

·       It happened on the day following Jesus’ anointing by Mary in Bethany.

·       As they came from Bethany, climbing over the southern end of the Mt. of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples to Bethphage, further north on top of the mount, to get a donkey and it’s colt.

·       The disciples threw their outer garments on both animals.  Jesus rode on the colt, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.

·       People accompanying them from Bethany spread garments and palm branches on the road (Lev. 23:40, a symbol of joy).  It’s a few days before Passover, by which time the city of 65-70,000 would grow to a million or more.

·       Meanwhile, pilgrims inside the city went out to meet the procession (12:18).

·       Enthusiasm mounted as people shouted joyfully (12:13, from Ps. 118:25-26, a Psalm the Jews recognized as Messianic as announcing the glorious day of the ascension of the Messianic King (118:24).

·       Another source for the crowd involved the large number who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus.  They were giving testimony to what they had seen (12:17).

·       The envious Pharisees appealed to Jesus to rebuke the crowd (Lk. 19:39-40).

·       Having crossed the Kidron Valley Jesus ascended up toward the city gate and wept over the city, knowing that the crowd did not realize what was being offered to them (Lk. 19:41-44).

·       Upon entering the city, many in the crowd were asking who He was.  The answer was, “the prophet, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee” (Mt. 21:10-11).

·       Having arrived at the temple, Jesus cleansed the temple and healed the sick, again resulting in shouts of praise, including from children whom Jesus saw to be a fulfillment of Psalm 8:2 (Mt. 21:12-16).

·       The result of all this was greater resignation on the part of the Pharisees, that they were getting nowhere in their opposition to Jesus (Jn. 12:19).

·       At evening, Jesus and the Twelve returned to Bethany (Mt. 21:17).

·       The Twelve did not understand the full significance of all this until after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (Jn. 12:16).

Jesus made a credible offer of Himself as King to Israel, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament.  The crowd had the right words.  But what was missing was what John the Baptist had said in his ministry: receiving Christ as King requires a heart of repentance.  By the day of crucifixion, it was evident that many in this crowd were not ready to receive Jesus in that way.

John 11:54-12:11, Pure and Simple Devotion to Christ

The Passover of the Jews was near, meaning Jesus’ hour was almost at hand.  It was now time for Him to go to Jerusalem, for that is where He, our Passover Lamb, must be sacrificed. The other Gospels (esp. Luke) tell us about the final trip to Jerusalem for Jesus.  For some time now, the focus of Jesus had been on Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51).  The actual trek began when Luke says Jesus “passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee” (Lk. 17:11). 

Why did Jesus go from Samaria to Galilee, heading north, and not south toward Jerusalem?  John clarified this for us when he said Jesus and the disciples had gone to “a city called Ephraim” after the raising of Lazarus.  Ephraim was in Judah but right on the border with Samaria.  In order to join the “many” who were going to Passover early, He left Ephraim, went north through Samaria (where He healed ten lepers, Lk. 17:11-19), and continued into Galilee as far as Beit Shean where several roads from the north to Jerusalem joined together.  The road down the Jordan Valley to Jericho would have been crowded, and increased the closer they got to Jerusalem.  Along the way Jesus told several parables and answered questions (Lk. 17:20-19:27).  This explains why, when He finally entered Jerusalem in His “Triumphal Entry,” there was such a high sense of expectation by the people. 

John indicates Jesus turned aside into Bethany to stay with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  At supper, while the men reclined at the table and the women served, Mary took a very expensive perfume (a denarius was a days wages, so this was almost a years wages worth) and anointed Jesus, pouring it on His head (Mk. 14:3) and then His feet, which she washed with her hair. 

This may seem strange to us, but it was a very loving, worshipful act on Mary’s part.  She was criticized for wasting the expensive perfume, by Judas was all about the money.  But Jesus blessed her.  A study of the Old Testament teaching about “drink offerings” helps me understand this.  Drink offerings (Lev. 23:12-13) were poured on an animal as it was burning.  Thus, the drink offering was totally consumed; it added nothing to the meat sacrifice; and it was totally a sacrifice to God (it went up in smoke, an aroma pleasing to God).  This is what Mary did for Jesus.  It was the epitome of worship and that is why Jesus blessed her.

Jesus understood the full significance of this event.  Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  This was the beginning of preparing Jesus’ body for burial.  Not only did Judas object to this.  The Jews also objected.  They were there in force, it appears from John’s account. Lazarus was continuing to be a forceful testimony of Jesus’ Messianic claim, and many were continuing to believe in Him. 

Mary had a pure and simple devotion to Christ.  We are called to this devotion (2 Cor. 11:1-4), to be, as Paul (2 Tim. 4:6), a drink offering poured out to the Lord!

Psalm 144

In the previous Psalms David was overwhelmed in his spirit (142:3; 143:4).  Here he is in great waters (144:7).  In other words David is again in a situation where he is incapable of handling his situation on his own.  He cries out to God.

This Psalm, I believe, should be understood by the final verse: those whose God is the Lord are happy/blessed.  While David is in a difficulty here, this Psalm sees him in great confidence in the Lord (v1) and ready to lift his praise to the Lord (v9-10).  Again we are reminded: there are times of distress when we are overwhelmed; but this is not the end of our story.  Even before we experience the actual deliverance from affliction, our prayer of faith should bring us to happiness (not giddiness but to a sense of joyful blessedness simply because God is our LORD!)  Here is how that happens.

·         To David, God is everything he needs and desires, his Portion (v1-2).

·         Further, David recognizes that God is not simply in heaven but He has condescended to know him and come to him (v3-4).  Believers today should be supremely aware of this given the Incarnation of Christ, the greatest visit of God to earth.

·         Thus, what David prays for is that God, who has condescended, will continue to bow down and come down to us in our neediness (v5-8).  He prays for this for his personal happiness (v9-10) as well as for the happiness of the people of God that he shepherds (v11-14).  These verses contain a great description of what Israel would be like if they were experiencing God’s favor in their homes and land.

May our prayer come before God when we are surrounded by great waters.  Thus we too will have God’s happiness.

John 11:45-57, One Man Died for All

As you might expect and hope, many of the Jews (i.e. the leadership) “believed in Him" that day (v45).  But sadly, as you might have anticipated, the conspiracy against Jesus also grew stronger (v46-47).  This is Jesus.  His mother had been told at His birth, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.  Jesus is what we call a “watershed” issue in life, or, as we in the Rocky Mountains call it, Jesus is the “continental divide” of life.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (Jn. 3:36).

The decision by the Jews to reject Christ had been made previously.  In John’s gospel you see it when Jesus cleansed the temple (Jn. 2), and again in Nicodemus (Jn. 3), a leader among the Jews, who had to come to Jesus at night because there was already opposition to Jesus.  The opposition became a plot to kill Him when He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:16-18).  It didn’t happen for various reasons, primarily because Jesus’ time had not yet come (Jn. 7:30,44; 8:59; 10:39).  But now, after the raising of Lazarus, the leaders knew they needed to “pull the trigger,” so to speak. 

Caiaphas, the High Priest, made this clear in an interesting statement in v50: it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.  John makes a comment about this, that Caiaphas as High Priest actually prophesied this.  Caiaphas was anything but a God-glorifying prophet.  He stood against the One sent by God.  And further, Caiaphas did not mean to say what John says he said.  Caiaphas meant Jesus must go or all the people will choose to follow Him and then the Romans will kill us all!  John said that, being High Priest, God put words in Caiaphas mouth that were profound: Jesus would die as the substitutionary sacrifice and atonement for the people.  In other words, the death of Christ, meant for evil, would be for good. 

If you think this is twisted in some way, let me remind you of a couple of things.  First, in the Old Testament there was a prophet named Balaam (Num. 23-24) who was known for his greed: he was in it for the money, like Caiaphas.  Yet, God overcame Balaam’s poor motivation and spoke some amazing prophecies through him.  In other words, God can and will use whomever He wants.  Second, the fact that God used sinful men to accomplish His will is common knowledge in the New Testament.  Peter preached it in the first sermon, that in God’s plan men with lawless hands crucified Jesus (Ac. 2:22-24).  Paul referred to the “mystery” of God, where God determined before the ages that, for our glory, the evil rulers of this world would crucify “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:6-8).  Oh, the love of God for this world full of sinners (John 3:16)!

John 11:28-46, Dead, Delivered and Dangerous

Martha still did not understand she was about to see Jesus’ “resurrection and the life” authority in action (cf. 11:39).  But neither did the others (11:37).  Everyone seemed to believe Jesus’ healing powers, but never thought that He could do what He was about to do.  This included Mary, whose words were the same as Martha’s: “if only You had been here earlier…”  Jesus did not respond to Mary with words, but instead, it was with emotions: He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 

Why was Jesus troubled, and weeping?  I don’t think He was weeping along with the rest of the people who had lost a friend or loved one.  He would have been crying when He first heard about Lazarus’.  Nor was He was weeping just because He was thinking about His own impending suffering and death.  It does appear that Jesus’ emotional response grew as He approached the tomb. 

Death is the most grievous result of sin.  Death is the greatest power of Satan, the “god of this world.”  Jesus came to destroy Satan’s work and to bring deliverance from death.  Think about this.  Jesus cried as He approached Jerusalem, knowing the dark days of death in her future (Lk. 19:41).  Jesus had great sorrow in Gethsemane, knowing that He would soon be subject to death (Mk. 14:32-34).  That is why we see Jesus weeping as He approaches the tomb of Lazarus.  Jesus was keenly aware of the wages of sin and death’s grip on humanity.  His sorrow would crescendo on the cross when, bearing our sin, He would cry out to His Father, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?  We should be so in tune with the truth that we sorrow and are trouble over sin and death.

As you read the climactic account of 11:38-44, you should have a sense of how amazing the scene was.  Jesus prays out loud, not that it’s necessary for His Father to hear, but so the people can hear and believe.  Then, “with a loud voice” He commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb.  As many have noted, Jesus called out Lazarus by name lest all the dead should hear and rise.  Such is the authority of the Son of God, who is the resurrection and the life.  We used the term “amazing” to describe the scene.  That’s an overworked term in our world, as are “awesome” and “wonderful” and so forth.  Just remember: what we mean in this case is, “how glorifying to God!”  This story is all about the glory of God!

Many years ago, I heard a sermon preached by Stuart Briscoe, an Englishman associated with the Capernwray Fellowship, who had moved to Wisconsin to pastor a church.  The sermon, entitled “Dead, Defeated or Dangerous,” was based on the story of Lazarus, who was first dead, then alive but bound in the grave clothes, and finally freed to live a “dangerous” life for the glory of God.  We are each in one of those categories: either dead in sin and needing to believe in Christ; or alive in Christ, but bound by the remnants of death, sin that hinders us; or alive in Christ, filled with the Spirit and living with zeal for the glory of God.  Perhaps that will encourage you, as it does me, in a life of faith in Jesus, the Son of God!