oRead Acts 1:9-14. 1:11: "why do you stand gazing."

 

Aren't we supposed to gaze at Christ?  The problem is that Christ was not there.  Christ's physical return to heaven was essential for the Holy Spirit to come (Jn. 16:7).  The Holy Spirit must come so every believer, at all times, has Christ in him.  So they were told to quit gazing at nothing.  Yet they did gaze upon Christ.  For 10 days they prayed, and that is the most wonderful way of beholding of Christ.  Believers need to daily gaze upon the Lord through the word and prayer; they also need to set aside extended times to gaze upon Christ and nothing or no one else.

Read Acts 1:4-8. 1:4: "wait for the promise of the Father."

In ministry we must know that God is with us in power.  Jesus promised to be with us in power as we make disciples (Mt. 20:28). So the disciples were to wait until their immersion in the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).  In ministry we do not need to know everything about the job (1:7).  Far more important than a detailed job description is the assurance of God's involvement in my ministry.

oRead Acts 1:1-3. 1:1: "began to do and teach."

 (With todays post we are taking a more "devotional" approach for the next almost 3 months.  These are from a booklet produced with believers in mind who are members of the body of Christ, intended to use their spiritual gifts in the ministry of the Lord's choosing.  In other words, it's for all believers, once they have come to realize who they are in Christ.  The posts are much shorter than what we usually do.  And each one calls for reading a passage from Acts with an emphasis on one phrase or thought within that passage.  We hope you find it helpful.)

Luke wrote 2 New Testament books.  "The Gospel of Luke" told of what Christ "began to do and teach" while He lived on this earth.  Acts tells about the "continuing" work and word of Jesus.  How so, you ask, since Jesus departs this earth in the first chapter?  Because the Church, His Body, was doing the work, and continues to do His work to this day.  What is the work Christ is doing?  The work is, "I will build my Church" (Mt. 16:18).  How is the work accomplished?  The teaching is essential for it is the word of grace that builds us up (Ac. 20:32; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).  That is why we are commanded to only seek that which edifies (1 Cor. 14:1-5,26), which is especially true for those who are evangelists and pastor/teachers (Eph. 4:11-16).  Their task is to equip (build up) the saints that they might do the ministry.

Ps. 119:41-56, Additional Thoughts on “Waw” and “Zayin”

From time to time we post short devotional thoughts on the Psalms.  Here are a couple additions to our posts on two of the stanzas in Psalm 119.

Additional thoughts on 119:41-48 (waw).

This is the “waw” stanza (pronounced “vav”).  As you know, each verse of a stanza begins with the letter from the Hebrew alphabet attached to it.  The waw is inserted at the beginning of a verb and is translated “let,” “so,” also,” and “and.”  It is a connecting letter.  It looks like a lower-case English “l” with a baseball hat on, looking left (if your Bible is like my NKJV the letter is placed at the beginning of the stanza).  In essence, it looks like a tent peg.  And that speaks to its significance.  “Let” something be added.  Here is a truth, “so” do this.  Do this “and” this “and” this,” etc.  I am reminded of 2 Peter 2:5-7: add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, and so forth.

In this stanza, v41-43 speak of things God needs to do in our lives.  v44-48 is a string of things with repeated “ands.”  Perhaps this will remind us that the life we have in Christ is called the “abundant” life (Jn. 10:10).  He makes it so!

 

Additional thoughts on 119:49-56 (zayin).

First the Psalmist prays, “Lord, remember Your word on which You have cause me to hope” (v49).  Then he says, “This is my comfort in affliction” (v50).  He sees his situation as hopeless in terms of him figuring out a way of escape.  He is left with nothing but to trust God’s word.  God puts us in situations to bring us to the end of ourselves, to where we will have no option but to hope in His word.  Paul said this in 2 Cor. 1:9: Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.  Again, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7).

To experience the power of God’s word in our affliction we must remain in the refuge of His word.  If we go out on our own or take a shortcut not given to us by God, we will forfeit His comfort.  So, in Ps. 119, in vs. 51-55, the Psalmist assures us, or perhaps himself, that he is, in fact, in God’s refuge.  Derision did not turn him from God’s word (v51).  The thought that there might be a new path to take, that God’s promises are ancient and not valid today, he ways, I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD and have comforted myself (v52).  He does not allow the peer pressure of the wicked around him to lure him, but rather is indignant against such evil (v53).  He makes himself comfortable and joyful in God’s word, taking it into his soul by singing the words (v54).  In the night, when he is awakened by thoughts of his trial, he uses the opportunity to call out the name of the LORD (v55).  He remains surrounded by the fortress of God’s word, hidden in the cleft of the Rock, sheltered under the shadow of His wings.

The result?  It is that his hoping in God’s word is not just mental; it is deep in His heart.  It is his possession (v56).  This shows us how the renewal of our minds leads us to being transformed, so we know and do His perfect will (Rom. 12:2).  This is how God’s word can do its work in our lives as well.  This is how the Bible can bring comfort to the soul.

Isa. 24 The Little Apocalypse (Isa. 24-27)

Isaiah prophesied against various nations (Isa. 13-23).  Then the LORD gives him a message of judgment for the whole world (Isa. 24-27).  It is often called the “Little Apocalypse” because in some ways it encapsulates the judgments of Revelation.  Today’s post is an introduction to this part of Isaiah.

First, how do we know this is judgment on the world and not Israel.  After all, the terms translated in English as “land” and “earth” (24:1,3,4,11,13 etc) are the Hebrew eretz which can refer to the land of Israel or to all the earth.  The answer to this is found in 24:4 where “earth” is eretz and “world” is tebel which is a more definitive word referring to the whole earth or the inhabitable globe.  Since the terms are used in a synonymous parallelism, we understand that eretz in this context is meant to refer to all the earth.  Gesenius says it refers to Israel, but I believe he is driven by his theology rather than his generally excellent understanding of Hebrew.  The word appears 36 times in the OT and Gesenius makes two exceptions to the idea that it refers to all the earth.  Brown-Driver-Briggs is consistent, saying that it is always used of the world.

In addition, we will remind you that “coastlands” (24:13-16) refers to the nations, and in Isaiah’s day, those nations around the Mediterranean Sea.  Thus, the message of judgment is to the nations who were most immediate to Israel (24:13-16) but also to the ends of the earth (24:17-23).

There are several uses of the phrase “in that day” (24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1,2,12-13).  I believe you will see that the “day” is the still future “Day of the LORD.”  It is tied not only to worldwide judgment but to the Messiah and the salvation of the nation of Israel.

Here is a brief overview of this sermon from Isaiah.

·       24:1-12: God’s judgment will extend to all the earth.

·       24:13-16: It will be a time for joy for those of Israel who have been dispersed to the nations, but who have waited for this.

·       24:17-23: It is a judgment on all the earth, but then also on “the host of exalted ones,” referring to the spiritual hosts who are the real enemy of Israel (as in Revelation where it is the nations but also Satan and his cohorts that are judged.) 

·       25:1-12: This song of praise should be seen as for the joys of Messiah’s reign.  Tears are wiped away (Rev. 21:4), and death is swallowed up (Rev. 20:14).  This is the “day” for which righteous Israel has waited.

·       26:1-21: The Song of Salvation, in that day, will be sung by Judah.  Again, finally, the long-awaited day for Israel.

·       27:1-13: IN THAT DAY the serpent will be slain (v1), God’s vineyard (a term for Israel) will be productive (v2), no longer the object of God’s fury but now regathered (v12) and the nations will worship in Zion (v13).

While the “little apocalypse” has some similarities to The Apocalypse (Revelation), we do remember that the message of the last book of the Bible could not be opened until the Lamb who was slain arrived to break it’s seals.

Dt. 31:26-29; Judges 19:22-30, A Story for Today

This story in Judges has some rather strange elements to it.  But, in my opinion, it is a story that well fits today’s western society.  Let me share a few connections.

·       19:1: A society with no king.  Even Christians struggle with this, seeking to live for Christ without an absolute submission to Christ.  The predominant theme these days is to do what you want, to do what feels good.  Peter tells us that fleshly lusts … war against the soul (1 Pt. 2:11).  In our world, if you are a man but feel like a woman, then you go with that feeling.  If your neighbor makes you angry you feel justified to let loose with the anger.  If you think you can be happy with a different spouse or another toy or a different church or a bigger house or whatever, few people see the need to rule over their feelings. 

·       19:2: I have seen this in several instances, where a wife, after a few years, often after children begin to leave home, that her attention turns outside the marriage.

·       19:3: But here’s something I seldom see: a husband who, after his wife has played the harlot, goes after his wayward wife.  We are more often interested in “justice” rather than forgiveness and mercy.

·       19:4,6,8: Nothing unusual here. Responsible decisions hindered by a few micro-brews or local wines, etc.

·       19:15-16: hospitality gone by the wayside, except by the older generation. That’s a kind of love called for in the NT but often neglected by younger families.

·       19:22-26: It’s way politically incorrect these days to speak of anyone as “perverted,” especially, of course, when referring to the LGBTQ crowd.  And it’s hard to deal with them or with the issue.  It’s impossible to have a discussion because those coming from a Biblical position are labeled as prejudiced.  This is not the only subject like that these days.  The same happens in any discussion of Creation vs. Evolution, climate change vs. the Creator and Sustainer of the earth, and so forth.  As the story continues in Judges you see that the tribe of Benjamin stood solidly behind these perverted persons and resulted in civil war.

·       19:29: The Levite found it necessary to use “shock” methods to call attention to the crime.  It seems like that in our day.  Not much happens until there is a strong action that demands attention.  You can’t just get justice in court because too often wrong is called right and right is called wrong, because it takes too long to work through the system so that there is no sense of deterrence for crime, and because of bribery, by which I refer to the way so many cases are settled out of court just because it costs so much money for people to get justice.

·       19:30: This sounds like it was a first occurrence.  What it is is extreme evil, something that showed how far the nation had drifted from a society where right and wrong were easily determined and commonly accepted. 

The story continues through the end of Judges.  But we will stop here because we have seen the depravity to which Israel had descended after the death of Joshua.  Today’s reading in Deuteronomy tells us that Moses predicted such a depravity.  So we should not be surprised.  Also, there was no central government at the time.  My understanding of the “restrainer” in 2 Th. 2:7 is that it is human government.  That is God’s purpose for government (Rom. 13:17). So again, we should not be surprised.  Perhaps we should not be surprised about the depravity in our own society since there are many levels of government where law and punishments have been loosened.  It is not an excuse to say that the last days will be characterized by this type of society (2 Tim. 3:1-5).  Likewise, the end of a society where God has given them over to sexual immorality and perversion is just what was being seen in Judges (Rom. 1:24-32).  Let us be on the alert, committed to our calling, to be Christ-like lights in a “crooked and perverse generation” (Phil. 1:14-16).

Psalm 12

 

Everything that God is doing throughout history is aimed at the exaltation of His Son, the Messiah and Lord, Jesus.  But at nearly any moment in history God’s people have been able to look around and see a world that looks like anything but a world where Jesus reigns.  And, as in this Psalm, there have been times when it seems God’s people are in such a dwindling minority that their very existence is in doubt.  Around them are people who, by their proud words and threats, seem to boast, “Who is lord over us?”  Wickedness prowls on every side when vileness is exalted rather than the Son of God.  The “poor and needy” yearn for safety in these times.  The answer to this yearning is found in God’s words.  His words are pure and proven.  The intimidation of the empty words of men are no match for the promise of God who can and will always keep His word.

This exaltation of the wicked is the subject of vs.1-4.

·       v1: The seeming disappearance of the godly is not only because of the words of the wicked; it is because fewer men choose to be godly, desiring instead to join in the exaltation of what is vile.  You may remember that Elijah lived in a time like this (I Kings 19, cf. 19:10).  He thought that he was the only one left.  God reminded Him that there was, in fact, a remnant of several thousand that He was protecting.  That’s the idea here.  As David says, the godly cease, the faithful disappear.   But instead of becoming discouraged as Elijah did, we need to put our trust in the Lord as David does here.

·       v2: David describes the words of the arrogant. 

·       They speak idly.  Their words are empty, meaningless.  Let us consider our own conversations. Are we talking about things that matter?  Things that glorify God and exalt what is good?

·       They speak flattery.  The Hebrew means they speak “smooth” words.  This is the way of man.  He has nothing to offer, he cannot make promises of substance because he is man and not God.  So what he does is to use the hypocrisy of flattery so as to gain a following.  This is the nature of false teaching (Rom. 16:18; Jude 16).  It is not to be the way of God’s men (1 Thess. 2:5).

·       They speak with a double heart.  They were deceitful, as the hypocrites, speaking one thing while they had other plans and intentions in their heart.

·       v3-4:  David’s answer is to bring this to the Lord.  He does not simply bemoan the fact, nor does he allow discouragement to set in.  But he also realizes this is not something he can take care of himself.  This kind of treachery requires the Lord’s help.  But more than that, it is the Lord’s issue.  What these wicked talkers are doing is challenging God.  They are in fact saying, “who is lord over us?”

The answer from God is found in vs. 5-8.

·       v5: First God makes a promise.  “I will arise … I will set him (the poor and needy) in the safety for which he yearns.”  This is good news.  God is able to make a promise and keep it, unlike the shallow men who oppress the godly.   And this is enough to encourage the godly.  Why?

·       v6-7: Because the words of God are pure and proven.  God never speaks the lies of flattery or hypocrisy.  And God has never failed to keep His word.  This realization should be the ultimate encouragement to His people!  Do we not find hope in the word of God?  Do we not count on His keeping and preserving promises? 

·       v8: These closing words remind God’s people that the problem they face living in a world of sinners will continue to be a problem as long as vileness is exalted.  This term refers to what is “worthless”.  It is a reminder again as to what must fill the lives and conversations of God’s people.  Are our conversations filled with Christ who is totally “worthy”?  Do we allow the vileness of the flat screen and the big screen to fill our minds?  As long as that kind of emptiness is exalted the wicked will be on the prowl.  May it not be so among the elect.  Here is what our Lord commands to be the nature of our words: “neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 5:4).

2 Cor. 5, Why Should I Care About You?

What we have today is a “paraphrastic” journey through 2 Cor. 5.  I have to do this now and then, talk my way through a section of Scripture, for the purpose of understanding the logical argument that is being made.  It’s not uncommon.  Perhaps you have done the same.  This chapter was such a blessing and encouragement to me personally that I thought I would share it with you. 

2 Cor. 5:1 comes after 2 Cor. 4:16-18 where we are reminded that our view of life must be different than the normal explanations we hear day to day.  We are not overcome by our trials because, from our point of view, they are doing something good in us.  And just what is our “point of view?”  It is the view of eternal things rather than temporary things.  Chapter 5 explains this, beginning with the fact that any of our trials might end in death, the destruction of our earthly house or more accurately, our earthly tent.  Here is how Ch. 5 makes sense to me.

We don’t fear destruction of our earthly tent but actually desire the heavenly clothing (v2).  In other words, we’re not leaving this body to be without a body as if bodies are a problem.  In heaven we will not be naked (v3).  Thus we will be “further” clothed (v4) … something that builds on what we have now but takes us much further (1 Cor. 15).  This was always God’s plan, that we have a body (v5).  So for sure, if we are in this body we are not with the Lord (v6).  By faith, we know sometime we will be with the Lord, because that’s our destination (v7).  So when that happens we will be absent from this body (v8).  Whichever body we are in, it is from God and we want to use it to please Him (v9).  This desire to please Him makes sense, because, as His creation, we know we will all give an account to Him for how we lived in this world (v10).  But also, since I know this day of accountability to be true for everyone, one thing that pleases God is that I seek to persuade others to seek to please Him too, with part of that “ministry” involving me being an open testimony before others (v11).  I’m not bragging about this, about being able to be an example for others (v12).  Rather, we are giving you “ammo” to stand up to those who attack you for Christ’s sake (v13).  You can use us for an example since all of us … me, you, and the enemies of Christ … all of us were dead spiritually (v14).  The point is not how good we are but that Christ has provided a means for us to be right before God, and He did this so that we might live for Him (v15).  We see things differently: we view ourselves and those around us spiritually or eternally (4:16-18), as to how they relate to Christ (v16).  In Christ we are a new creation, which is a radical truth to think about, because it makes everything different (new) in our way of thinking and living (v17).  This should not surprise us: it is all part of God’s “reconciling” work in the world (v18), a work in which we also participate with Him (v19).  In other words, it is why we care about others and the confidence or fear they will have when they appear before God (v10-11).  So now I will say to you, as I say to all: be reconciled to God (v20).  Believe in Christ because He is the way we sinners can stand before God in righteousness (v21).  Hallelujah!

Psalm 89:33-45, Book III of the Psalms

Psalm 89 is a real high point in terms of God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant with David.  But today’s passage in the midst of that Psalm gives you the sense of the entire Psalm.  If God is so faithful in keeping His promise to David, then why isn’t there a Davidic king on the throne now?  Over the years, when I would come to this Psalm I would find it confusing.  It is such a glorious Messianic Psalm, and yet the Psalmist (Ethan the Ezrahite) feels justified in complaining that God does not seem to be keeping His promise.

But then came the time that I paid attention to the entire collection of Psalms in Book III, of which Psalm 89 is the last.  They are mostly by sons of Asaph (11), 3 by sons of Korah and two by Ezrahites (likely students of Ezra), with one (Psalm 86) by David.  Other than the one by David, they are quite likely late in Israel’s history.  There are references to scenes that would only fit the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and to the captivity.  So, let’s list these Psalms with a brief description and see if it makes sense of Psalm 89.

·       73: The prosperity of the wicked.

·       74: Why have you cast us (the nation) off forever, Lord?

·       75: The Lord answers: When I choose the proper time I will judge uprightly!

·       76: We will trust you, Lord (emphasizes the Mystery, the promises of Psalm 2).

·       77: We will wait because you are trustworthy.

·       78: God chose Jerusalem and David, a promise He will keep.

·       79: Jerusalem invaded, the temple defiled.  Oh LORD, deliver us and provide atonement.

·       80: A prayer for the restoration of the northern tribes.

·       81: “Oh that Israel would walk in My ways; I would soon subdue their enemies.”

·       82: Bring justice, LORD, because You inherit all the nations.

·       83: A war with Israel’s neighbors, with a victory that the nations might seek the LORD.

·       84: Israel called to make pilgrimage, the return to the land.

·       85: Forgiveness is provided by the cross (righteousness and peace have kissed).

·       86: A prayer of David, seeking deliverance for the king from his enemies.  The focus turns from the return of the nation to the reestablishment of the Monarchy.

·       87: The glory of Jerusalem, the city of God.

The final two Psalms are “contemplations” by two “Ezrahites.”  If that means they lived in the time of Ezra, then the nation has returned to the land, but things are not as before as there is no Davidic king and the people are subject to foreign powers.  Life is difficult.  And the glory of Israel is nowhere to be seen.  It is now the “times of the Gentiles.”

·       88: The discouragement of life in the “times of the Gentiles.”

·       89: The desire for the Messiah, the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.

Num. 11:10-17,24-30; 12:1-15, Moses: Unity’s Double-Whammy

In order to understand this post you need to have some knowledge of the great theologian, Lil’ Abner.  Perhaps you’ve never heard of him.  The daily comic strip that featured Abner is no longer politically correct.  He was part of a hillbilly family in the depression era (1930’s).  He had a grandma who ran the family.  You always wanted to be aware of her “double whammy.”  She could hurt you with the single but could destroy you with the double. 

Pardon my senseless digression, but there’s a “double whammy” in the Bible that can destroy God’s people.  JEALOUSY AND ENVY!  Look what they can do.

·       Mt. 27:18: For envy the Jews handed Jesus over to be crucified.

·       Acts 7:9: For jealousy Jacob’s sons sold brother Joseph into slavery.

·       1 Sam. 18:8-9: For jealousy Saul pursued David relentlessly.

·       Pr. 14:30: Envy is rottenness to the bones.

·       Job 5:2: Envy destroys the simple minded.

·       Acts 17:1-9: For jealousy the Jews pursued Paul from Thessalonica to Berea.

What are envy and jealousy and how do they work.  Jealousy and envy are basically two sides of the same coin in my view.  Jealousy demands complete devotion (thus the God of the Bible is a jealous God).  Additionally, it treats with suspicion a rival or one who is believed to have an advantage.  Envy is the grudging desire for, or the discontent at the sight of, someone else’s excellence or advantage.  Thus: jealousy wants to deprive another of their advantage while envy wants to take that advantage for itself.

In the list of the “works of the flesh” in Gal. 5:19-21, the order expresses quite well the effect of these two lusts.  Contentions are followed by jealousy.  Factions are followed by envy. In today’s passages there is an interesting flow of events.  The people complained, and Moses finally got tired of it.  Apparently the additional judges that Moses had trained to share the leadership were not sufficient.  So God told Moses to add yet more leaders.  It was then that envy and jealousy became an issue, through Miriam and Aaron. “Has the LORD only spoken through Moses?”  Days later, after Israel’s refusal to enter the land at Kadesh Barnea, men of the priesthood and leaders of the tribe of Reuben (the true firstborn) would also rise in jealousy and envy, asking Moses and Aaron, “Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD” (Num. 16:3).

In the midst of all of this are God’s words about Moses, that he was the most humble man in the world.  His humility did not keep others from lusting after his position as God’s chosen leader of Israel.  But it did enable him not to fight back but, in both cases, to allow God to confirm his calling and position.  And God did that, in the leprosy of Miriam, the death of Korah and his group, and Aaron’s rod that budded.

1 Tim. 3, Mosaic Leadership in the Body of Christ

Let’s take this post to continue thinking about leadership, but let’s see it in the Body of Christ.  Moses selected judges who feared God and were trustworthy.  This approach was also what Paul advised for the Church, with 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1 being key passages containing a description of godly men.  The lists are similar though not identical.  The point is that one key aspect of leadership is “leadership by example.”  In addition, of course, trustworthy men will make better decisions.  The judges appointed by Moses were taught the law by Moses.  So, in the NT, leaders in the Church must have a solid handle on the Word of God. 

These lists are a “must.”  But we should remember.  This is not another “law.”  The qualities are, for the most part, general terms.  A man should be known by “gentleness,” for example, but that shows up in different ways.  It’s not that he has never failed; it is that he is known for gentleness.  And remember that these are attained by grace.  The NT leader is a man who has an abiding relationship with Christ, who knows what it is to walk in faith, love and the Holy Spirit.

If we revert to a legalistic approach to attaining these or even defining them, we will find ourselves in the same mucky cistern the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were in.  Jesus addressed this in Matt. 23.  Here are some of the sins in which they were trapped and that we must avoid when we look for godly leaders.

·       23:3: hypocrisy.  They didn’t practice what they preached.

·       23:4: finger-pointing. They tied up heavy loads of moral obligation and put them on men’s shoulders.

·       23:5: show-business.  Everything was done just for people to see.  23:25-28: You clean the outside of the cup/dish but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence … You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.

·       23:8-12: doctor-it is.  They loved to be called rabbi or father or whatever made them sound important.

·       23:13: counter-productive.  You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.

·       23:16-22: nitpickiness.  They highlighted minor things.  saying that swearing by the temple means nothing but swearing by the gold of the temple is binding.

·       23:24: perfectionism.  They demanded and bragged about perfection in little things they were good at while botching it in bigger things. 

Our point is that evaluating a person’s character can lead off into a quagmire of legalism.  When grace and faith rule the day, this is the product of a “born again” relationship with Christ whereby we are not under law (Rom. 6:14) or being tutored by the law (Gal. 3:25).  A godly life is one where Christ is and has been the focus (Rom. 13:14; 2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:1-4).

Ex. 18:13-23, Moses the Leader

Moses was God’s choice to lead Israel.  God never ceased to be at work in Moses’ life that he might be a better leader, a true “shepherd” of Israel.  Every story in Moses’ life reveals this work of God.  The story from today’s passage is a “typical” leadership story.  Moses was spending so much time with the day-to-day details of the lives of the Israelites that he was unable to actually lead the nation. 

His solution was not to “drop the job” but to train others.  I have heard some that believe this was a “work of the flesh” approach to leadership.  The reason, they say, is that God did not tell Moses to do this but rather it came from Moses’ father-in-law, the priest of Midian.  I reject this idea for several reasons.  First, Jethro was a priest in the pre-Exodus sense, as in the case of Abraham and Melchizedek (Gen. 14), and seemed to have a knowledge and appreciation of Yahweh.  Second, this was not the only time God used “Gentiles” to encourage His people.  Again, there was Melchizedek; the sons of Heth who sold Abraham the burial cave (Gen. 23); Pharaoh (Gen. 12), Abimelech (Gen. 26), Laban (Gen. 31), and the Egyptians (Ex. 12) who helped make the Patriarchs and the Israelites quite wealthy, and so forth.  Third, Jethro said to Moses, “If you do this thing, and God so commands you” (18:23), acknowledging the need for God’s approval.  Fourth, the qualifications for leadership were spiritually correct (to fear God and be trustworthy); they were not the worldly qualities (Harvard grad, made significant contributions to the right political party, etc.).  And fifth, what Jethro suggested was later incorporated in the Law for Israel when they entered the land (Deut. 1:18-20).

It is interesting that later in Israel, while the Davidic kings were supposed to abide by the Law given to Moses, they also got their title by simply being born into the right family.  I want to list some of those kings, who were good leaders who illustrated valuable principles, but who also had significant shortcomings that ruined their leadership.  This is for meditation purposes, all from 2 Chronicles.

·       Joash: was a good leader as long as the priest Jehoiada lived (24:2) but who strayed after the priest died (24:17). Principle: have good advisors.

·       Amaziah: listened to the prophets (25:10) but later brought back idols.  Principle: live by the word of the LORD.

·       Uzziah: sought the LORD (26:5), but after he became powerful he turned away.  Principle: prayer, seeking the LORD in making decisions.

·       Jotham: walked steadfastly before the LORD (27:6).  Principle: obedience.

·       Hezekiah: in some ways he brought the best of all the kings together.  But also, he worked wholeheartedly (31:21).  Yet later, pride was found in him (35:21f).  Principle: apply yourself completely to the work.

·       Josiah: He sought the LORD, humbling himself (34:3,27).  Later, he disregarded the LORD’s word through Pharaoh (35:21f).  Principle: humility.

Deut. 18:15-22, The Mosaic Messiah: The Prophet (8)

Deut. 18:15-19

In John 1:45 we read: Philip found Nathanael and said …, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’  Jesus told the Jews, Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, who will you believe My words (Jn. 5:45-47).  

In his sermon after healing the lame man by the gate Beautiful, Peter proclaimed this warning: For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren.  Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.  And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people’ (Ac. 3:22-23).  Those words of Peter come from today’s passage.  Stephen, in his sermon that led to his martyrdom, also referred to the Prophet prophesied by Moses (Ac. 7:37).

This Messianic prophecy given through Moses is the last one.  What Moses said was that after he was gone there would be another Prophet like him that God would send.  The people, at Mt. Sinai, had told Moses that he should speak for God.  They were so afraid of God they didn’t want to hear directly.  Whatever you think of the motivation of the people, this defines a prophet.  He comes between God and man, and speaks to the people what God tells him to say.  (The priest also comes between God and men, and offers sacrifices to God to appease Him, so that the priest can then pray, or speak to God on behalf of the people.)

How do we know Moses was talking about the Messiah?  After all, God sent many prophets after Moses before Messiah came.  Some we know, like Samuel, Nathan, Elijah and Elisha, and those whose names are on Old Testament books.  There were others whose names we don’t know.  There was even a School of the Prophets (1 Sam. 19:18-24), whose attendees were called “sons of the prophets” (1 Ki. 20:35).  Their purpose was, as v17-18 says, to tell everything I command him. 

As you read today’s passage however, it should be clear that Moses has one particular prophet in mind.  The word in Hebrew is singular.  This was how the Jews understood the promise.  And as we noted in the beginning of this post, this was how the earliest believers in Christ understood Moses’ words.  Don’t be confused.  The Jews often referred to Jesus as “a prophet” (e.g. Jn. 9;17).  But He was preeminently the Prophet, the One who not only spoke the Word of God but was the Word of God.  He ended the need for others to speak God’s words in any “original” sense.  New Testament prophets only spoke what Christ had already said.  Hebrews 1:1-3 makes this clear.  God, who spoke through the prophets in previous times, in Christ spoke with finality.

Psalm 11

 The issue of “soul-talk” comes up often in the Psalms, but perhaps no more clearly than in this Hymn of David.  By “soul-talk” we are referring to what we tell our soul or inward man.  The soul in turn talks to us, instructing us how to think as various situations arise during our day.  Our inward man may at times tell us things that are not true.  It may repeat something we used to think but which we have come to know is not according to the renewed mind (Rom. 12:2).  Or it may tell us what the world around us has said, but which does not fit Scripture.  We need to instruct and correct our soul so it will speak truth to us. 

Someone is telling David to “flee” in fear and panic, to “focus” on the power of the wicked, and to “fret” over the what ifs (v1b-3).  In the NKJV the quotes are only around one line (“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?)  But perhaps the entire section should be in quotes (remember, the quotation marks were not in the Hebrew).  At least we know that clear through v3 we are hearing the call to fear.

Who is saying this to David?  It seems that this is advice he is getting from the wicked themselves.  This is certainly not the way a believer should think.  But it is possible that he is saying this to himself.  It may have been his first thought to some sudden or extreme crisis.  His mind spoke panic to his soul; his soul lost courage; and now David questions his very own thoughts.  Whatever the case we should see ourselves in this.  We must remember that every thought we have is not necessarily true.  They must be evaluated and rejected or affirmed based on the truth of Scripture.  We must cast down everything that exalts itself against God and every thought needs to be made captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-6).

Let us also see ourselves in what David is hearing.  When problems come we very often first have a thought that we should “flee” the situation.  But in fact this is quite often not the will of God for us.  As David will point out later, God tests us.  To flee is to fail the test.  We want to flee because our focus is on what the wicked are doing and how seemingly unstoppable they are.  In weakness we try to analyze the situation and all we come up with are “what ifs” that are ominous; we have no answer.  Thus we think we need to move or leave or run. 

How does David deal with this loss of strength in his soul, the gnawing in the pit of his stomach?  In the beginning of the Song he makes a terse statement of the truth and the rebuke that truth pronounces on all his fearful thoughts.  “How can you cay these things!  I have put my trust in the LORD!”  This is the bottom line.  But when we say it’s the bottom line we do not mean it’s all we need to say to our inner man or to those around us.  Sometimes we may encourage someone to trust God in their problem.  But what our faith needs is a reminder of what it means to put our trust in the LORD.  What is it about the LORD that is so important?  David does this in magnificent, broad and clear statements.  There is no room for confusion, no eternal struggle with “the problem of pain”, nor any thought about what David must do to resolve the crisis.  He speaks of the LORD!

·       v4a: He first paints a picture of the Sovereign LORD.  He is both in His sanctuary, the place where He is worshiped continually; and He is on His throne.  David knew something of what John saw in Rev. 4.  Read that short chapter so you can know the LORD in truth and can correct your fearful soul.

·       v4b: David then tells his soul that God sees everything.  His throne and temple are in heaven; the LORD doesn’t miss a thing.  Quite often our fears are based on questions about “how long” before God will act?  Or we wonder, “where is God when I need Him”?  These are foolishly based on the lie that God is far removed from the lives of His people.  God does not miss a thing.

·       v5-6: Then David gives the clear answer as to God’s purpose and perspective.  This is a “black and white” picture.  We struggle often because we allow ourselves to see so much “grayscale”.  We do not know what God’s detailed plan and purpose is in a situation.  And yet we do!  We know that He tests the righteous and His soul hates those who love violence.  This crisis we are in is a test of faith.  As we walk through it with God we will grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  And as we walk we can know, for certain, God will bring judgment to bear on the wicked.  The length and severity of the trial, things we do not know, should in no way cloud this clear picture!

·       v7: Why does David so clearly see all this?  Because he knows the LORD!  The LORD is righteous; the LORD loves righteousness; and the LORD is close to the upright.  And friends, there it is again: if our minds are renewed so our theology is right, then we will face life successfully.  We see it often, the advertising slogan, “No fear!”  This is not an advertising slogan.  This is substance.  These are thoughts based on absolute truth!

Num. 24:15-25, The Mosaic Messiah: King of Kings (7)

As we are noting the tremendous importance of Moses’ writings in describing the Savior that God promised to send, we need to briefly note that the Christ is all over the pages of the Pentateuch.  He is seen in the Tabernacle and the priestly garments that are described in Exodus 35-40.  He is the light of the world (the menorah), the bread of life (the table of showbread) and the means by which God dwells with men (the Ark of the Covenant) and so forth. 

He is also the focus of the sacrificial system in Leviticus.  All the requirements (male lamb, without defect, etc.) point to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  The various feasts are prophetic of the major stages of the ministry of Messiah (Passover: the Cross; Pentecost: His ascension; etc.).  These are all worthy of study and are foundational for later writings in the Old Testament as well as background for the Incarnation. 

But having noted these things, our approach here is to zero in on specific prophecies that define God’s Savior, so we will move on to two more passages.

Num. 24:17-19

The fact that there are Messianic truths in the prophecies of Balaam is somewhat astounding, were it not for the fact that Balaam did say he would only say that God gave him to say (Num. 22:20,38).  Balaam uttered four prophecies.  In the first (23:7-10) he said God had blessed Israel and would not curse them.  In the second (23:18-24) he said God saw nothing in Israel to cause Him to curse them.  In the third (24:3-9) he described Israel as beautiful, and her King as higher than other kings, and that those who blessed Israel God would bless (from the Abrahamic Covenant, Gen. 12:3).  This certainly touches on the Messiah, God’s Son, to whom God promised to give the nations as an inheritance (Ps. 2:6-9).

The fourth prophecy (24:15-24) builds on this ascendency over the nations, where the Most High says, A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.  Balaam continues on to describe some of the victories of this King.  Some believe this refers to David, who did, in fact, experience victories over some of the enemies referred to in this prophecy.  However, what is described goes beyond David.  In my view it is like the Psalms of David where he cries out to the LORD to deliver him from his enemies.  David is trusting in God to fulfill Psalm 2 in his situation, to crush the enemies who rage against him.  But the ultimate fulfillment, both of Balaam’s words and David’s Psalms, is foreshadowed in David but complete in the Christ (e.g. Rev.16:16-21).

Jesus Christ is truly a perfect fulfillment of all that Moses described by the Holy Spirit.  Read Rev. 11:15: The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

Gen. 49:1-12, The Mosaic Messiah: Lion of Judah (6)

Gen. 49:8-12

In Gen. 49 Moses records the prophecy of Jacob, telling his sons, “what shall befall you in the last days” (v1).  Of interest is that two sons, Judah and Joseph, share the role of the firstborn, and neither one is the actual firstborn (Reuben, cf. v4).  Judah becomes the leader of the family while Joseph receives the double portion.  In terms of the Messiah/Savior, our attention is on Judah.

Judah means “praise,” and he is the praise of his brothers.  This was true in the story of Joseph earlier in Genesis, and it would be true in the future when the scepter would rest in Judah.  The other tribes “shall bow down” (v8) and the people of Israel would obey the King who would come from Judah (v10). 

The prophecy speaks of the ascendency of Judah.  At the time Jacob uttered these words Joseph was ascendent as he was a major ruler of Egypt and had been used of God to make provision for the family.  Joshua, who replaced Moses and led Israel into the Promised Land, was from Ephraim.  The early capitol of Israel was Shiloh which was in the tribe of Ephraim.  But, as Psalm 78 explains, God took His blessing from Ephraim and instead chose David (from Bethlehem in Judah) and Jerusalem as the location of the temple and palace.

Judah is said to be a feared “lion,” the feared king of beasts.  From that, Jacob makes a clear reference to a future king: the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet.  Again, Jacob refers this to the “last days.”  In v10 he says, “until Shiloh comes.”  The word “Shiloh” is in the family of words for “peace” (shalom).  It is doubtful that Jacob is referring to the city of Shiloh that would be significant for awhile in Israel, although it is possible that the city got that name from this passage.  More likely Jacob is saying that this future King will rule in the time of peace and prosperity described in v11-12. 

The initial fulfillment of this is bound up in the stories of Ruth (she is from Bethlehem and gives birth to ancestors of David, Ruth 4:13-22), David and the covenant God made with him to have a Son forever on the throne (2 Sa. 7:12-17).  The genealogy of Matt. 1 establishes that Jesus of Nazareth is that Son, Son of David (Rom. 1:1-4), and “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David (Rev. 4:5).  As Jesus is also the LORD from heaven, the Son of God, He is both “a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch … out of his roots” as well as “a Root of Jesse” (Isa. 11:1,10). 

The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy comes in the Messianic Kingdom, the Millennium described often in the Old Testament as a time of peace, righteousness and prosperity, and the time following the return of Christ (Rev. 20:1-6).

Gen. 15:1-6; 22:7-19, The Mosaic Messiah: God’s Son (5)

Gen. 22:1-19

In a previous post we noted the importance of the “Son” in terms of God’s provision of righteousness, or having a right standing with God.  Abram questioned God’s provision for him since he did not have a son and he was already too old to produce a son.  But God promised, and Abram believed, and his faith was counted as righteousness with God.  Several generations after Abel’s righteous faith Abram had come to the same point.  Abel’s faith involved the bringing of an excellent sacrifice.  Abram’s faith involved a son.  Both men were said to be righteous, having a right standing with God.  The reason is that, for both men, their faith was in the Savior that God had promised from the beginning of sin. 

In the New Testament, Gen. 15 and 22 are critical to saving faith.  Paul says it was the faith of 15:6 that justified Abraham (Rom. 4:1-4).  James says it was the faith of 22:12 that confirmed his justification (James 2:21-24).  We don’t need to go into that issue, which we have done previously.  The point is that both stories involve the Savior, as the faith Abraham gave him right standing.  And in both stories, that faith is in the Son. 

You should not be fooled into thinking that Abraham thought that Isaac was the Savior.  The exchange between them on the way up the mountain make that clear.  My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.  And, of course, the story we know tells us that God Himself was going to make His own Son the Savior.  His Son would shed His blood for sinful men.

Now again, you may rightly question whether Abraham understood this, that God was prophesying that the Savior would be the Son of God.  He may have had some such insight.  It’s not impossible.  I say this in light of 22:14. Clearly, Abraham knew this event was about the provision of the Savior.  That’s what he is reflecting on when he names the place “The-LORD-will-provide.”  But Moses also understood this, as he was recording the story hundreds of years later.  “As it is said to this day” refers to the days of Moses.  The story was passed along, from generation to generation, that the event that would bring satisfaction to God on behalf of sinful men, would take place “in the Mount of the LORD” (i.e. the area of Mt. Moriah where God had provided the substitute for Isaac).

All of this helps to make sense out of 22:15-19.  God repeats His covenant with Abraham, that Abraham and his descendants will be great, and that through them all the nations of the earth will be blessed.  Abraham’s faithfulness was essential for us to have access to the grace of God by which we have been accepted by Him, even as Jesus’ faithfulness was also essential.  What a great truth is being unfolded for us in the writings of Moses.

Gen. 4:1-8, The Mosaic Messiah: Lamb of God (2)

Gen. 4:1-8

You are correct if you noticed that we are not in consecutive order of Genesis.  The reason is because I overlooked this passage.  That is a failure on my part because I know that this passage is foundational to the revelation of the Messiah in the writings of Moses.  So let’s consider what we learn of the promised Savior in the story of Cain and Abel.

What we learn, of course, is that the shedding of blood would be a part of the story of the “Seed of the woman” who would be God’s solution to man’s sin and guilt that separates him from God. 

In the story, both men are doing right in that they have come to worship God and to give Him thanks.  It makes sense that each man brings some of the prosperity with which God has blessed them.  But when they come with their offerings, the LORD looked at or acknowledged Abel’s but not Cain’s.  It was at this point that God explained to Cain what he needed to do.  The story makes it very clear: sinful man cannot properly give the Creator thanksgiving without a blood sacrifice.  He will not look at their gift.

Gen. 3:15 tells us the Savior will be human.  Gen. 4:4-7 tells us you cannot be right with the Creator apart from a blood sacrifice.  These two truths are back-to-back in Genesis, even though they occurred years apart.  You might think that we see that God required the shedding of blood for the remission of sins because we have perfect hindsight.  You might doubt that Cain and Abel (and Adam and Eve for that matter) understood this at that time.  But I would maintain that from the beginning people understood God because they paid attention to His words. 

God made a connection between the sin that controlled Cain and his ability to please his Creator.  If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire if for you, but you should rule over it.  To be “accepted” is to be lifted, given right standing.  The standing in question here is the sinner’s standing with God, the same question that faced Adam and Eve. 

The writer of Hebrews understood this when he, by the Holy Spirit, saw the faith of Abel.  He offered a more excellent sacrifice and “obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.”  Abel was accepted because he brought a blood sacrifice.  From that point on this is what men knew they were to do.  They were, as created beings, to bring offerings to God to express their thanks, and those offerings were to involve the shedding of blood.  It was not hard for people to make the connect, that the resolution to the sin issue, involving the “Seed of the woman,” would require the shedding of the blood of that Man.