Learning to Sing Your Song

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 31-34

As we finish the Book of Deuteronomy, we need to pause for a moment and reflect on the life of Moses. Miraculously saved at birth. Raised in the palace of Pharaoh. Exiled for murder. Bedouin shepherd. Husband. Father. Called late in life to save Israel. Prophet. Miracle-worker. Deliverer. Spiritual and political leader of a nation of wandering ex-slaves. His life, especially the last third, was marked uniquely by his close relationship with God. Now we are at the end. Now the people stand on the borders of the Promised Land. Now he’s on a mountain looking over at the fulfillment of all God has promised. Now is his last chance to share with his people all he has learned in his 120 years of walking with the Lord. So Moses sings them a song...(Deut. 32:1-43 MSG)

“Listen, Heavens, I have something to tell you. Attention, Earth, I’ve got a mouth full of words. My teaching, let it fall like a gentle rain, my words arrive like morning dew, Like a sprinkling rain on new grass, like spring showers on the garden. For it’s God’s Name I’m preaching— respond to the greatness of our God! The Rock: His works are perfect, and the way he works is fair and just; A God you can depend upon, no exceptions, a straight-arrow God…” For Moses, everything begins with God. God’s faithfulness. God’s steadfast love. God’s enduring grace. Without God, he is nothing. Without God, the people of Israel are nothing. Without God, they would still be slaves in Egypt. If God had abandoned them, they would have died in the wilderness. If Moses is going to sing about anything, it will be about the greatness of God! The glory of God! The majesty of God!

“His messed-up, mixed-up children, his non-children, throw mud at him but none of it sticks. Don’t you realize it is God you are treating like this? This is crazy; don’t you have any sense of reverence? Isn’t this your father who created you, who made you and gave you a place on Earth? Read up on what happened before you were born; dig into the past, understand your roots. Ask your parents what it was like before you were born; ask the old-ones, they’ll tell you a thing or two.” Moses also sings of the people he has served. He boldly reminds them of the truth. They are sinners. They are broken. They are rebellious. They despised God. They abandoned God. They doubted God. They disobeyed God. He sings, eyes wide open to the reality of their condition. He pulls no punches. He’s not interested in sentimentality. This is his last chance to speak and he’s not going to waste words on empty flattery. 

“When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on Earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians. But God himself took charge of his people, took Jacob on as his personal concern. He found him out in the wilderness, in an empty, windswept wasteland. He threw his arms around him, lavished attention on him, guarding him as the apple of his eye. He was like an eagle hovering over its nest, overshadowing its young, Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air, teaching them to fly. God alone led him; there was not a foreign god in sight. God lifted him onto the hilltops, so he could feast on the crops in the fields. He fed him honey from the rock, oil from granite crags, Curds of cattle and the milk of sheep, the choice cuts of lambs and goats, Fine Bashan rams, high-quality wheat, and the blood of grapes: you drank good wine!” Moses takes them back to God. It was God who first called Jacob. Found him in the wilderness. Loved him. Nursed him. Cared for him. Taught him how to walk. Taught him how to live. Guided him along the way. Always protecting. Always providing. 

“Jeshurun put on weight and bucked; you got fat, became obese, a tub of lard. He abandoned the God who made him, he mocked the Rock of his salvation. They made him jealous with their foreign trendy gods, and with obscenities they vexed him no end. They sacrificed to no-god demons, gods they knew nothing about, The latest in gods, fresh from the market, gods your ancestors would never call “gods.” You walked out on the Rock who gave you your life, forgot the birth-God who brought you into the world.” What was the response of the people? Again, rebellion. As they grew strong and prosperous, they forgot God. They started going their own way. Doing their own thing. Forgetting God. Seeking to be their own gods. They repeated the sin of Adam and Eve. They fell for the original temptation of the evil one. They gave in, wanting to live like gods themselves. 

“God saw it and spun around, angered and hurt by his sons and daughters. He said, “From now on I’m looking the other way. Wait and see what happens to them…” God judged them. Disciplined them in his wrath. He sought to purify and sanctify them through suffering. Through exile. Through wandering. Through defeat. He was faithful to remind them they held no power of their own. They had no strength of their own. All they had achieved had come via the mercies of God. He would not allow their illusions and self-deceptions to stand. 

“Yes, God will judge his people, but oh how compassionately he’ll do it. When he sees their weakened plight and there is no one left, slave or free…He’ll say, “Do you see it now? Do you see that I’m the one? Do you see that there’s no other god beside me? I bring death and I give life, I wound and I heal— there is no getting away from or around me! I raise my hand in solemn oath; I say, ‘I’m always around. By that very life I promise…Celebrate, nations, join the praise of his people. He avenges the deaths of his servants, Pays back his enemies with vengeance, and cleanses his land for his people.” It took God forty years to bring his people to their knees. But the long years of wandering were not in vain. Now they knew God. Now they saw God. Now they understood God. They submitted. They surrendered. They repented. And they were ready to enter the land He had promised. 

Friends, this isn’t just Moses’ story. It’s not just Israel’s story. It’s my story. It’s your story. And this begs a really important question...when the years grow short and your strength begins to fail and you’re surrounded by your family and those you love, what song will you sing? Will you sing of God and His great faithfulness? Will you sing of His mercies and kindness? Will you declare His glory and majesty? Will you make known His mighty works to the next generation? What song will you sing?

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 1-2, Psalm 105

First Fruits

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 24-27

“A wandering Aramean was my father, he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon they became a great nation, mighty and many. The Egyptians abused and battered us, in a cruel and savage slavery. We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers: He listened to our voice, he saw our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight. And God took us out of Egypt with his strong hand and long arm, terrible and great, with signs and miracle-wonders. And he brought us to this place, gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. So here I am. I’ve brought the firstfruits of what I’ve grown on this ground you gave me, O God. Then place it in the Presence of God, your God. Bow low in the Presence of God, your God. And rejoice! Celebrate all the good things that God, your God, has given you and your family; you and the Levite and the foreigner who lives with you.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭26‬:‭5‬-‭11‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

The principle of firstfruits is an important one in the Bible. Simply put, when we produce whatever it is we produce, we are to take the first portion, the best portion, and offer it to the Lord. Before we take care of ourselves. Before we meet our own needs. Before we pay the mortgage. Before we head to the grocery store. Before we pay the bills. Certainly before we take that vacation. Before even putting money into savings or paying off debt. We are to give unto the Lord first.  

Why? Is God short of cash? Does God need our money? Isn’t this just a way for churches to manipulate God’s people? How do I make sure the money actually gets to God or the people God loves? After all, I’ve seen celebrity pastors buy multi-million dollar homes! I’ve watched ministries spend all kinds of money on stuff that’s not important rather than helping people! I’ve seen the abuse! I’ve seen the waste! Furthermore, I have all kinds of opinions on what my church should spend their money on. I don’t agree with the way they do ministry or what they emphasize or how they operate. Why should I give them any money at all?  

These are great questions. And if we’re honest, we’ve all probably asked them. But let’s go a level deeper. Let’s bring it closer to home. How are we spending our money? Are we actually any better than the church or organization we criticize? If we were to open our personal books and give ourselves an audit, what would we find? How much money did we waste in 2022? What extravagances did we indulge in? How much did we spend on stuff that’s not important rather than helping others? It’s a sobering exercise, is it not? The reality is we are all corrupted by sin and our natural tendency is to hoard our wealth. To spend it primarily on ourselves. To make sure we improve our lifestyles. To make sure we get our needs taken care of. To make sure we get to live the lives we believe we deserve. And after we accomplish that then maybe we’ll throw a little money God’s way just to hedge our bets. We find ourselves in worship so we take out our wallet and give God a $20. Throw Him a bone. Keep Him happy. And we walk away feeling like we at least did something.  

So back to the principle of firstfruits...why is it important? It serves as a reminder that everything we have comes from the Lord. Israel was descended from a wandering Aramean named Abraham. A man of no consequence other than the fact God chose Him to become the father of a mighty nation. His descendents immigrated to Egypt where they grew into a large and prosperous people until the Egyptians felt threatened and enslaved them. For hundreds of years they suffered until they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God brought them out from Egypt with miracles and signs and wonders. He fought on their behalf. He defeated Pharaoh and his army. He provided for them in the wilderness. Fed them with manna. Brought water from a rock. And now He would bring them into the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey. A land full of natural resources where they would flourish. None of this was their own doing. None of this happened through Israel’s strength or ability or hard work. They are not masters of their fates or captains of their souls or in charge of their own destinies. They are God’s people. His treasured possession. Among all the nations of the earth. So in recognition of this special status that they did not earn...they give. They offer the first and the best of what they have to the Lord. 

What about us? Do we do the same? Do we live our lives in recognition of all God has done for us? Do we offer Him the honor He deserves? Do we thank Him for where we were born? The family we were born into? The nation in which we get to live? The talents we are naturally endowed with? The opportunities He’s given us along the way? The gifts we’ve received that we did not earn? And do we acknowledge His sovereign grace over our lives by offering back to Him our firstfruits?

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 28-30

The Curse

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 20-23

Today‘s are especially harsh to 21st century ears. Once again, we are confronted with the cultural distance between us and the world of the ancient near east. Holy war. Dead bodies. Rebellious children. Rape. And a host of odd rules regarding planting, plowing, and the mixing of fabrics. The overarching purpose of all these commands has to do with ritual purity. Something God is deeply concerned about. He wants to make sure His people are not polluted by the impurities that surround them lest they find themselves coming under the curse. This is why the punishment He doles out is so brutal and unyielding.

Buried in all the discussion today about who gets stoned for what and when is a key passage that’s easy to miss. Deuteronomy 21:22-23, “When a man has committed a capital crime, been given the death sentence, executed and hung from a tree, don’t leave his dead body hanging overnight from the tree. Give him a decent burial that same day so that you don’t desecrate your God-given land—a hanged man is an insult to God.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭21‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Blessings and curses are a huge theme in Deuteronomy. If you do well, you will be blessed. If you rebel against the commands of God, you are cursed. And not just you but your family, your land, your friends and neighbors because every action we take has communal consequences. This is why God is constantly telling His people to expel those who break His law lest they defile the land. 

Enter the Apostle Paul. He picks up on this theme of “blessings and curses” in the Book of Galatians. He is writing to a group of largely Gentile believers who are doing their best to keep the Law of Moses. The entire book is a forceful critique that draws a sharp contrast between life under the Law and life under the Spirit. “Anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.…Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping…and Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree…” That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.” (Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Basically, Paul argues that when we seek to justify ourselves by keeping the Law, we become cursed because no one can actually achieve what the Law demands. Furthermore, he tags Abraham and reminds God’s people that it is not the Law that justifies in the first place but faith! So what then happens to the Law? What happens to all the curses that have piled up over the centuries through the failure of God’s people to keep it? Christ literally becomes the curse for us! He takes our place and perfectly satisfies the Law’s just demands and the sign of this great salvific event is the cross. Golgotha is the place where Jesus literally hangs on a tree, becoming cursed on our behalf. As we know, He doesn’t hang there all night but is buried that same day in accordance with the instructions given in Deuteronomy so even in His death, He fulfills the Law. This is incredible news but Paul’s not done! Not only did Christ remove the curse through His saving death, He also unleashed all the blessings! All the promises God made to His people from Abraham forward are now ours in Christ Jesus! All the blessings of obedience are given to us because of Christ’s great faithfulness!

It is so easy to make the mistake of reading Deuteronomy and get crushed by the weight of expectations. We read about the blessings and curses and think immediately of our own lives and how often we fall short. We start to wonder and question our faith in God. We immediately recognize the gap that exists between who we are and who we should be. An honest person knows they’ve sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. An honest person knows they’ve done things that bring them under the curse. An honest person looks at the sin of their life and experiences deep grief over what they have done. All that is good because it drives us to Christ! It brings us to the end of ourselves. The end of our pride. The end of our self-sufficiency. And there Christ meets us with open arms. Hands and feet bearing the scars from where He hung on the tree. He embraces us. He lets us know all has been accomplished. The work of salvation has been finished. We are set free. 

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 24-27

Capital Punishment

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 16-19

I remember seeing death row for the first time. I was serving as a volunteer chaplain at New Jersey State Prison and I was being given a tour by the head chaplain of the facility. I was not allowed on death row but I was able to see it from the outside. The men housed there had committed horrendous crimes and, as such, were isolated from one another. They were never allowed to mix with each other or the general population. They were given one hour a day outside their cell for exercise. They took their meals by themselves. They basically were running out the clock on their appeal process. The last person to be executed in New Jersey was in 1963 though the death penalty wasn’t officially abolished until 2007, about five years after I finished my chaplaincy.

When I first began serving at NJSP, I was pro-death penalty. I believed some crimes were so horrendous and some people so evil, justice demanded they pay with their lives. I believed it helped the victims and their families find closure. And, perhaps most of all, I believed it was biblical. Passages like the one we read today were some of the key texts I relied on in my own thinking. “But only on the testimony of two or three witnesses may a person be put to death. No one may be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The witnesses must throw the first stones in the execution, then the rest of the community joins in. You have to purge the evil from your community.” (Deuteronomy 17:6-7 MSG) I found that last statement particularly compelling. Purging the evil from the community seemed like a good thing especially when one considered the nature of the crimes that would merit the death penalty.

When I finished my service at NJSP, I was anti-death penalty. Why did my views change? After all, the nature of the crimes these men committed were still horrendous. The trauma they caused still demanded justice. The grief and pain of the victim’s family and friends was still very real and heartbreaking and demanded closure. And the Bible certainly didn’t change. So why my own change of heart? First and foremost, I was challenged to dig deeper into Scripture. Even in the passage cited above, it’s important to pay close attention to the process God lays out when it comes to capital punishment. There must be two or three witnesses which eliminates any reasonable doubt. Furthermore, the witnesses themselves must be so convinced that they are willing to throw the first stone or flip the switch in our case. Not only that but the entire community must be part of carrying out the sentence. It cannot happen behind closed doors or in private or in secret. This stands in sharp contrast to how we carry out the death penalty today. Second, the chaplains I worked with and trusted shared with me how elusive closure could be for the families of victims. Simply killing the person who killed their loved one often didn’t bring any sense of peace and it actually robbed the person of the potential opportunity to extend forgiveness. Third, executing someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ sentences them to an eternity in hell. Add to this all the additional costs of the appeal process (it’s actually cheaper to keep a person in prison for life), the lack of evidence that it acts as a deterrent, and the fact that poverty and race play a disproportionate role in convictions and you can see why my views changed.

God is a God of justice. He will by no means clear the guilty or give the sinner a pass. He gives us the law in order to restrain the evil impulses of the human heart. Evil impulses that result in abuse, violence, and so much pain and suffering. God hates what we do to ourselves and what we do to others. He cannot stand man’s inhumanity to man. This is why He came. This is why He died. This is why He rose again. He breaks the power of sin that enslaves and oppresses and creates the conditions under which we commit our crimes. He breaks the power of death, commuting our own death sentence by dying in our place. Finally, He gives us the gift - not of life in prison - but of eternal life with Him. Praise be to God for His amazing grace!

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 20-23

The End of Poverty

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 12-15

Poverty is a very real issue in our world today. Despite major advances in the global war on poverty - and the progress truly has been miraculous as over 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1990 - the struggle remains. Furthermore, this issue is complicated by how we define “poverty.” There are some objective measures defined by the World Bank and others. Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $1.90/day. Moderate poverty is less than $3.10/day. But then there is this idea of “relative poverty” which measures the economic distance of an individual from a certain percentage of the median household income in a particular community. Our response to the problem of poverty will depend to some extent on which definition we are working from and this, in turn, will shape how we approach our interpretation of the Biblical text. 

In my travels around the world, I have personally witnessed life-threatening poverty. I have seen what extreme poverty does to a person. Physical bodies wasting away from hunger. Lifeless eyes staring into the distance. Mothers begging me to take their newborn children. Men and women bombed out on khat lying in the streets. I have seen the effects of extreme drought and famine. I have seen what happens when crops fail or the rains don’t come. I have seen the graves of those who’ve perished in the violence that often ensues when resources become scarce. And though I acknowledge the truth of Jesus’ words, “you will always have the poor with you”, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. 

Thankfully, God cares deeply for the poor. We see His tender love and care on display in our readings from today. Deuteronomy 14:28-29 contains part of the national tax code for the nation of Israel. Every year, the Israelites were expected to contribute a tithe (10%) to the Lord in sacrifices. This essentially provided income and food for the Levites since they had no property inheritance among the tribes of Israel. A second tithe was contributed to provide food and income for the Israelites themselves during those seasons when they celebrated the required feasts and were not able to work their land. In addition to these first two annual tithes, a third tithe was required every three years to provide for the poor, orphaned, widowed, foreigner, and Levites who lived in the community to make sure everyone was provided for and no one went hungry. “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” (Deut. 14:28-29) For those keeping score at home, this equates to an annual tax rate of 23% for each Israelite household and, in addition, they were expected to contribute freewill offerings as well. 

What is the goal here? Believe it or not, it’s to bring an end to poverty. “But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.” (Deuteronomy 15:4-5) If God’s people will obey God’s voice, contribute their tithes and offerings as commanded by the Law, and give generously to the foreigner, orphan and widow in their midst then the problem of “absolute poverty” disappears. However, this will be a continual process. A continual test the Lord will put before them according to Deuteronomy 15:11. “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” 

Human society is unequal by definition. People are not all given the same gifts and talents. People are not all given the same opportunities. People are not given the same resources. Furthermore, there are forces beyond our control that make a huge impact on our economy. Natural disasters. Wars. Death. Disease. Famine. Drought. Availability of natural resources. All exact a toll. Throw in the fact that some human beings simply work harder and smarter than others and the gap between rich and poor only seems to grow. 

God recognizes this very “human” trend which is why He demands generosity from His people. We who are blessed must in turn bless others. For our blessing did not come from ourselves but from God. He commands Israel to always remember their time as slaves in Egypt. To remain humble and compassionate towards those who have experienced economic hardship and therefore sold themselves into slavery to pay off their debts. When the Sabbatical Year comes (every seven years), they are to release their slaves, forgive their debts, and help them get started in their new life. “And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.” (Deut. 15:13-14) The Sabbatical Year serves almost as an economic “reset” as the wealth of the nation - which God has provided - is redistributed in a way that closes the gap between rich and poor. This effectively addresses the “relative poverty” of the country and provides hope and opportunity for those who wouldn’t otherwise have it. 

It’s an open question how often Israel actually kept the Sabbatical Year or what practical application it could have in today’s global economy. But the principle remains. If we live our lives with the understanding that all we have has been given to us by God. All our wealth. All our talent. All our opportunities. Then it becomes a lot easier to live generously. To provide for others. To sacrifice our own lifestyles so that we might relieve the burden of poverty for those around us, whether they live next door or on the other side of the globe. 

Readings for tomorrow: None

Great Expectations

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 8-11

I love this set of verses from the Message paraphrase today, “So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today—live a good life.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) What a great message for Israel, for us, and all who would follow Christ!

“Live in His presence in holy reverence…” Treat God as holy. Honor God above every other commitment in your life. Put Him first by spending sacred, dedicated, intentional time with Him each day. Worship Him with His people each week. Humble yourself before Him by confessing your sin and offering your body as a living sacrifice.

“Follow the road He sets out for you…” Walk with open hands. Your life is not your own. Let God direct your steps. Hold your plans loosely. Never cling tightly to what you have or where you are in life. Let go and let God use you for His purposes and His glory. Be willing to risk it all for the sake of God’s kingdom.

“Love God…” Always remember God is more than your King. More than your Creator. More than your Judge. He is your Heavenly Father who loves you with an everlasting love and He chose you to be adopted as His daughter or son from before the foundations of the world. Love Him in return. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love Him with all that you are.

“Serve God, your God, with everything you have in you…” Don’t hold back. Make it your singular focus to wake up every day to serve your family, friends, church, and community in the name of Jesus. Lay down your life for those you love. Love even your enemies and bless those who may persecute and abuse you. Do not seek to be served but serve and give your life as a ransom for as many as possible just like Jesus.

“Obey the commandments and regulations of God…” God’s way is the best way to live. Really the only way to live. Fear Him and you will fear nothing else. Love Him and your ability to love others will deepen and grow to levels you never thought possible. Trust Him and you will find strength and wisdom and resources you never knew existed and your life will become a living testimony to His goodness and grace.

This, friends, is the very definition of the “good life” and it should shape the expectations of anyone who would seek to follow Christ in our world today.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 12-15

Personal God

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 4-7

“I don’t believe in a personal god.” I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard someone say this to me over the years. Some of them have been Christians, even fellow pastors, in the denomination I once served. Some of them are Jewish and they argue that God is just too big to know and is “wholly other.” Some of them are generically Deist. They believe all religions are essentially pointing to the same, fundamental reality but that God ultimately cannot be truly known. Some are true believers who struggle to reconcile a personal God with all the evil and suffering they see in the world. Some are even agnostic. Though they doubt there’s a God, they concede if God does exist God would be, by definition, beyond human understanding.

The Bible clearly reveals God to be deeply personal. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, defining Himself by His personal relationship with His creatures. He is the God of Moses who is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving His people to the thousandth generation while not ignoring sin. He is the God of Israel, delivering His people from slavery in Egypt and choosing them from among all the nations of the earth to be His treasured possession. He is the God of the famous shema, the fundamental confession of faith for Israel…“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬) Indeed, one cannot read these chapters from Deuteronomy today without coming face to face with a God who makes Himself known. A God who makes His promise personal. A God who refuses to be God without a covenant people to call His very own.

Take a few minutes and re-read the chapters for today. Pay special attention to all the promises God offers His people. In addition to the promise of a covenantal relationship, there is the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. A life of blessing for those who are faithful to the covenant. A life of abundance for those who work hard. The promise of wisdom and understanding. The promise of a great reputation as the nations around them look on the relationship Israel has with her God in awe and wonder. The list goes on and on.

And what about us? The Bible was written for us but not written to us so do these promises still apply? The short answer is “yes.” In Christ, all the promises of God are “yes and amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV) The promise of a new covenantal relationship with God has been sealed in His blood. The promise of a “land” has been extended to the four corners of the earth. The promise of blessing is still in force for those who faithfully follow Jesus. The promise of a great reputation among the pagan nations is also still very much in play as Christians lay down their lives in service to the least reached and least resourced. Spend some time in quiet before the Lord. Let Him speak to you in the deepest places of your heart and remind you of His great love for you.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 8-11

His Story

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 1-3

When I was in college, I took a Women’s Studies class to fulfill a graduation requirement. It was a fascinating experience. Probably the thing I remember most is the first day when our professor walked into the room, walked up to the board, and said, “the first thing we have to do in this class is change our language. History is too often “his story” and we’re here to study “her story.” She went on to change words like “woman” to “womyn” and “human” to “humyn” in order to make the point that even the language of the human race has been dominated by men. While I thought she was being overly pedantic, I took her point and truly enjoyed the class. (I also found her to be extremely fair-minded especially when I offered some counter-points in the papers I wrote.)

As we read the first few chapters of Deuteronomy this morning, I thought about how history truly is His Story. It’s the story of God’s interactions with humanity. Relentlessly pursuing them with His love. Remaining faithful to them despite their unfaithfulness. Rescuing them from slavery and bondage. It’s why the great Jewish Rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, once called the Bible the story of “God’s search for man” rather than man’s search for God, as it is in every other religion. As Moses recounts the journey Israel has undertaken to get to the plains of Moab, poised to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, he makes it clear that only God could have brought them thus far. He pulls no punches as he lists the many ways they failed along the way. He even acknowledges his own sin which will preclude him from crossing over. He wants to make sure this next generation remembers the mistakes of their ancestors so they won’t repeat them. But even more than that, he wants them to remember God’s faithfulness. He wants them to remember God’s saving work. He wants them to remember God’s miraculous deliverance at every point along the way.

There are many who don’t believe the Exodus happened. Many who believe Israel appeared essentially out of nowhere. They cite the lack of archaeological evidence in the Sinai peninsula, ignoring the fact that the desert has a way of burying such evidence very quickly. (For example, a military jeep from the Six Days War in 1967 was recently found beneath 51 feet of sand.) They cite the lack of evidence in the Egyptian archives of the massive slave revolt as if the Egyptian pharaohs would allow such a defeat to be recorded under their watch. They cite all kinds of problems in squaring what we know of history with the conquest narratives of Scripture which admittedly can be tricky but only if you fail to take into account the fact that such narratives are not written with objectivity in mind. They are written from a theological point of view with a desire to honor God’s faithfulness to His covenant people which doesn’t mean they are any less true though they are most certainly biased. No matter what you believe about the veracity of the details of the story, without a doubt something significant must have happened. The Exodus is the seminal event in Israel’s history. It shapes them profoundly to this day. God acted in history to save His people from slavery. That much must be true. The story has too much power to not be grounded in real world events.

The same is true for our Exodus as Christians. So many people try to spiritualize the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like Thomas Jefferson famously excising the miracles out of the Bible, they do all they can to eliminate the supernatural when it comes to the life of Jesus. But a fiction would not have held up especially in those early centuries when the church was undergoing significant persecution. A fiction would not hold up under the torture and martyrdom so many men and women endured. A fiction would not have prevailed over the might of a thoroughly pagan empire like Rome. All the enemies of Christ had to do was produce a body. But they could not and therein lies the difference between the resurrection of Jesus and all the other so-called resurrection myths that exist in other cultures. Jesus was a real man who died a real death who rose again to new life, left behind an empty tomb, and appeared in the flesh to hundreds of people before ascending into heaven. This is His Story. This is our story as believers. Thanks be to God.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 4-7

Travelogue

Readings for today: Numbers 33-36

I will admit that I used to pass over the readings for today with the exception of the daughters of Zelophehad in chapter 36. The names and places on Israel’s journey didn’t mean much to me. The division of the Promised Land and the assignment of the cities to the Levites didn’t hold much allure or much relevance for me. But then I took a trip to the Holy Land this last summer that included a week in Jordan. We traveled the length and breadth of the country and it dawned on me that I was traveling in the same territory as the ancient Israelites after they left Egypt. I was in the ancient Biblical kingdoms of Edom and Ammon and Moab. I was catching a glimpse of their world through their eyes. It changed everything for me.

Wadi Rum is a desert valley located in the southernmost part of Jordan. It was once part of the ancient kingdoms of Midian and Edom. It is a trackless wasteland with little to no water. One can easily see how Israel, moving through this territory, would have become discouraged. Petra, the capital of Edom, is located just to the north. The Nabateans used this valley as a trade route and it’s entirely possible the people of Israel used their routes as they traveled north towards Jericho and the Promised Land.

Jamal Haroun is the traditional site revered by Christians as Mount Hor where Aaron died and was buried. You can reach his shrine today via an 11km trail from the center of Petra. You can also catch a glimpse of Jabal Haroun from the tallest mountains in Petra.

Eventually, of course, they end up on the plains of Moab outside of Jericho. Moses ascends Mount Nebo where tradition tells us he sees the Promised Land before he dies. The mantle of leadership is then passed to Joshua who leads the armies of Israel across the Jordan River to begin the conquest of the Land of Canaan.

One of the things I would encourage anyone to do if they are able to take a trip to Israel is spend a few extra days in Jordan to see some of these sights. The Old Testament will come alive in ways you never imagined.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 1-3

Sacrifice

Readings for today: Numbers 29-32

It is important to read the Bible honestly because the text begs all kinds of questions. For example, today’s reading details the enormous number of sacrifices the people of Israel were called to make on a regular basis. Anyone else wonder how they accomplished it? The logistics alone must have been incredibly complex! Not only that but why all the sacrifices? What’s the deeper meaning behind all this instruction?

The first thing one has to understand is that the Book of Numbers was not written as a math textbook anymore than Genesis was written as a science textbook. Israel often reported their “numbers” collectively rather than individually and sometimes spoke hyperbolically to make a deeper point. For example, Numbers 11 talks about God giving quail to Israel to eat after they complained about the manna. One skeptic, doing the math, suggests God would have had to send 29 trillion quail if we take the calculations literally. Obviously, this is a misreading and the careful reader is able to make room for hyperbole without losing sight of the larger point. The Torah is not a system of equations to solve which is why Biblical numerology is junk science.  

Having said that, it doesn’t mean every detail of these stories should be taken allegorically or metaphorically. These events did actually take place. There is real truth here that needs to be teased out. So, Israel’s sacrifices. Without a doubt, life in ancient Israel was a virtual slaughterhouse. Practiced faithfully, the priests would be sacrificing thousands of animals every single year. Here again the principle of representation applies as it is entirely possible one man’s sacrifice would “represent” an entire family, clan, or tribe. Furthermore, considerable latitude was given in ancient near east cultures when it came to the practical application of the law. What I mean is that it’s highly unlikely Israel ever truly lived up to the standards Moses set for them. At the same time, the sacrificial fires were kept burning day and night. By the time we get to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Talmud depicts priests wading knee deep in blood. Some passages describe up to 1.2 million animals being slaughtered in a single day, something the Roman historian Josephus confirms. Archaeological evidence from dumps outside the city seem to confirm these findings as well. The reality is the sacrificial system of Israel created an enormous economic engine that had to be supported by trade, animal husbandry, a literal army of priests, etc.  

But why? Why all the blood? Why all the slaughter? Why all the sacrifice? What’s God trying to prove? The sacrificial system’s main purpose was to remind the people of Israel of their utter dependence on God. Everything they “owned” was given to them by Him. He held first claim to their harvests and flocks and lives. Making these regular offerings reminded them they were simply stewards of God’s gifts. Nothing more. Second, the constant shedding of blood reminded them of their sin and their need to remain pure before the Lord. The people of Israel were human beings just like you and me. All of them had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of them stood in constant need for forgiveness and grace before the Lord. Third, the sacrificial system set them apart. It made them different than the pagan nations around them. Israel enjoyed a special, unique relationship with God. They were His chosen race. His royal priesthood. A people for His own possession. As such, they maintained a particular, even peculiar, way of life that served as a continual reminder of their exalted status.

What does all this have to do with us? Well, I love how the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-2‬) Jesus is our perfect, eternal sacrifice. Through His suffering and death, He lays claim to our lives. Through the shedding of His blood, we are purified from sin. Through His resurrection, we now enjoy the same unique relationship with Him that Israel enjoyed with Yahweh. This is why the author of Hebrews challenges us to keep our eyes on Christ and find daily, weekly, monthly, even annual rhythms that will draw us continually back to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 33-36

Sex and God

Readings for today: Numbers 25-28

Today is one of those days where I would encourage everyone to read the passage in the Message version so you don’t miss the significance of what’s happening. Because of the cultural distance, the meaning of the original languages is difficult to convey. The ESV summarizes Numbers 25 as “Baal Worship at Peor” while the Message titles the same chapter, “The Orgy at Shittim.” The ESV tells us the people of God began to “whore with the daughters of Moab” while the Message says they “began to have sex with the Moabite women.” Obviously, the translators of the ESV are staying true to the original language which I deeply appreciate and normally prefer while the translator of the Message (Eugene Peterson of whom I am a big fan) is trying to convey the meaning in modern terms which I think is helpful. Let’s lay verses 1-3 side by side so you can see what I mean…

“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.” (Numbers‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

“While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel.” (Numbers‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Why is this important? Because we often struggle to understand the depth of God’s righteous anger. We feel it’s unfair or unwarranted or an overreaction. This is why it’s critical for us to grasp the depths of the depravity of human sin. Baal was a Canaanite god worshipped in many different ways by many different tribes. Baal is typically understood to be the storm god. The god of weather and fertility. In an agrarian culture, one can easily see how such a god would gain ascendance and become the primary object of worship along with his divine consort, Astarte. Worshipping Baal involved ritual sex. Priests and priestesses would copulate with worshippers who came to make offerings at the shrine. On high holy days, the community would gather and engage in large-scale orgies as they sought to commune with Baal. Some Baal cults went to the extreme often sacrificing children or worshipping their own excrement. Yes, you read that last part right. Their worship literally involved the uncovering of the rectum - the most shameful part of the human body according to the Jews due to its almost permanent state of uncleanliness - and depositing their waste on the altar. Such was life under the cult of Baal-Peor. God hates Baal worship. Hates it for what it represents. Hates what it does to His divine-image bearers. Hates how it de-humanizes and demeans. He is disgusted by it. Offended by it. So when His own people - the people He miraculously saved and sustained - begin to worship the Baal of Peor, He responds with swift, righteous judgment. A plague is unleashed, perhaps originating from the very waste the Moabites worshipped, killing 24,000 Israelites. Things would have been much worse except for Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, who takes up a spear and kills an Israelite man and Moabite woman as they engaged in ritual sex in front of Moses and the gathered congregation at the entrance of the Tabernacle itself! This incident at Peor is so horrifying, it becomes a watchword for future generations of Israelites. It will be used as a metaphor in both the Psalms and prophetic literature to describe extreme acts of unfaithfulness on the part of God’s people. 

Sadly, Baal worship is experiencing a revival in our own day and age. Perhaps not in the extreme form represented by Baal-Peor but certainly in the sexual liberties of 21st century American culture. Sex has become a god in our world. Lust has been mainstreamed. Altars to Eros have been erected all over and command millions of worshippers. Sexual restraint is considered unholy. The denial of sexual desire almost criminal. Speaking out against the god of sex blasphemous. Baal has even ensnared millions of Christians as well. Pornograpy. Sexual promiscuity. Adultery. Homosexuality. Serial divorce. You name it, the American church has condoned it. And where has it led us? Broken marriages. Abortion. Abuse. Sexually transmitted disease. Broken families and broken relationships. The consequences are legion. 

Against this rising tide of paganism stands Jesus. He affirms God’s design for holy sexuality within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. He speaks out against the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. He calls for sexual restraint in His Sermon on the Mount. He sets us free from the enslaving power of sexual desire and He offers us the far more fulfilling life of holiness instead. Are you struggling with sexual temptation in your life? Have you experienced sexual brokenness and shame? Do you feel enslaved to your sexual desires? Jesus offers you freedom. Jesus offers forgiveness. Our faith in Jesus gives us the power to live a holy life and experience the joy that comes from submitting our sexual desires to Him.  

Readings for tomorrow: None

Salvation

Readings for today: Numbers 21-24

Today’s passage became a lot more real to me last summer when I was in Jordan. On the final day of our tour, I found myself standing on the summit of Mt. Nebo where Moses looked out over the Jordan River valley before he died. In addition to the beautiful church, a magnificent statue has been erected that combines the cross with the bronze serpent from today’s story and the passage from John 3:14 that refers to Jesus being “lifted up” just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Why is this reference important? John 3:15 states it plainly, “so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

Our God is a God of salvation. Whatever else you may say about God, you must say this. From the beginning of Scripture until the end, God reveals Himself to be a God who saves. A God who delivers. A God who rescues His people. When the people of Israel complained to God - once again - about their conditions, He sent a plague of fiery serpents. The plague raged throughout the camp, killing many Israelites and they cried out for relief. So God directed Moses to craft a bronze serpent and “lift it up” on a pole tall enough for all to see. Those who had been bitten could look to the serpent and find healing, those who did not would find death. Interestingly enough, this same bronze serpent would later become an idol in the national life of Israel and it was destroyed under the reign of King Hezekiah as an act of faithfulness to Yahweh.

So much of the Old Testament foreshadows the eventual fulfillment of salvation history. It’s why the New Testament writers filled their gospels and letters with allusion after allusion to the Old Testament stories. In this way, Jesus refers to Himself as the “bronze snake” who saves. He will be lifted up at the end of His life and that those who look upon Him in faith will live. How is Jesus lifted up? He is clearly speaking of His manner of death. He will be lifted up on a cross and put on display for all to see. Those who look to Him and trust in His atoning death will be healed of their sin for all eternity while those who look away will only find judgment and death.

Friends, the message of the gospel is very simple…Jesus came to earth to die and be raised and all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. I love St. Augustine of Hippo’s commentary on today’s passage, “Just as they who looked on that serpent perished not by the serpent’s bites, so they who look in faith on Christ’s death are healed from the bites of sins.”

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 25-28

Shifting Blame

Readings for today: Numbers 17-20

As a pastor, I do a lot of counseling. One of the most common issues I face is something called “blame shifting.” Basically, a person commits a wrong and when confronted on it, “shifts” the blame to someone else. This can be their spouse. Their children. Their parents. Even their pastor! ;-) I cannot tell you the number of times I have counseled a couple on their marriage only to have them blame me for their eventual separation and divorce. Nevermind the fact they were unwilling to put in the work. Unwilling to do the homework I assigned. Unwilling to change any of their unhealthy behaviors. Unwilling to engage each other at a different level. At the end of the day, because the counseling didn’t “work”, it must be my failure as a pastor. 

We see this same dynamic in play in Moses’ relationship with Israel. How many times do they accuse Moses of failing to lead them well? How many times do they blame him for not providing water, food, or getting them to the Promised Land? Nevermind their own sin. Their own lack of faith. Their own fear. Their worship of false gods. “We wish we’d died when the rest of our brothers died before God. Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike? And why did you take us out of Egypt in the first place, dragging us into this miserable country? No grain, no figs, no grapevines, no pomegranates—and now not even any water!” (Numbers‬ ‭20‬:3‬-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Over and over again, we hear this refrain. Let’s go back to Egypt. Let’s go back to slavery. You brought us out here to die. You brought us out here to suffer. It would be truly baffling if I didn’t see it everyday. 

Jesus addresses “blame-shifting” in the Sermon on the Mount. “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” (Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭3-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬) Essentially, we have to be humble enough to acknowledge our own fears and failures and struggles and sin before we dare to confront someone else on their issues. We have to be willing to look ourselves in the mirror and honestly confront our own faults before we point out to others where they fall short. In my experience, there is plenty of blame to go around in just about every broken relationship. It’s always a two-way street. 

We live in a highly critical world. A quick glance through Twitter or Facebook reveals how quick we are to blame others. We blame the system. We blame the government. We blame the church. We blame liberals. We blame conservatives. We blame Republicans. We blame Democrats. We blame our leaders. We blame teachers. We blame coaches. We blame absentee fathers. It’s like “blame-shifting” has become the national pastime. What you rarely see is anyone taking responsibility for why they find themselves in the position they’re in. You rarely find anyone acknowledging the ways they failed and how that contributed to their pain and suffering and heartache. No, it’s always someone else’s fault which makes us the “victim.” And there is great power in our culture today in casting ourselves as “victims” for it means we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. We set ourselves beyond accountability. No one gets to confront us and we think we are safe. The sad reality is when we avoid confrontation, accountability and responsibility; we never grow. And because we never grow, we tend to experience only more loneliness, pain, and heartache. It’s a vicious cycle. 

So where do you find yourself today? Are you the kind of person who takes responsibility for your failures? Is confessional prayer a regular part of your life? Do you find it easy to apologize and ask for forgiveness? When confronted, do you listen and receive what the other person is saying or do you get defensive? Do you blame shift? In Christ, we are set free from the need to be perfect. In Christ, we are set free from the need to perform. In Christ, we have nothing to fear and no need to blame. In Christ, we can accept the reality that we are sinners in desperate need of grace.  

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 21-24

Intercessory Prayer

Readings for today: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95

Yesterday we read about Moses being the most humble man on the face of the earth. Today we see his humility in action. Over and over again, the people of Israel question his leadership. Question his motives. Question his character. They accuse him of bringing them out of Egypt only to kill them. They accuse him of being power-hungry and authoritarian and a dictator. They resist him at every turn. They refuse to obey the commands of the Lord. They complain bitterly. They walk in fear not faith.

What is God’s response to their rebellion? Righteous anger and judgment. He is fully within His rights to kill them all and start over which is exactly what He threatens to do on multiple occasions. The only thing standing in the way of God and the complete destruction of the people of Israel is Moses. Rather than become defensive or take their attacks personally, Moses remains faithful. He stands between them and God as an intercessor. He pours his heart out in prayer. He calls on God to be faithful to His own character. He cries out to God to stay true to His vision to make His glory known throughout the earth. He asks for forgiveness and mercy for the sins of the people and God responds to Moses’ prayers by issuing a lighter sentence and extending grace.

It’s an amazing interaction that demonstrates the power of intercessory prayer. Listen to it again from the Message version, “All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!” Soon they were all saying it to one another: “Let’s pick a new leader; let’s head back to Egypt.” Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of the entire community, gathered in emergency session…But, up in arms now, the entire community was talking of hurling stones at them. Just then the bright Glory of God appeared at the Tent of Meeting. Every Israelite saw it. God said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long refuse to trust me? And with all these signs I’ve done among them! I’ve had enough—I’m going to hit them with a plague and kill them. But I’ll make you into a nation bigger and stronger than they ever were.” But Moses said to God, “The Egyptians are going to hear about this! You delivered this people from Egypt with a great show of strength, and now this? The Egyptians will tell everyone. They’ve already heard that you are God, that you are on the side of this people, that you are present among them, that they see you with their own eyes in your Cloud that hovers over them, in the Pillar of Cloud that leads them by day and the Pillar of Fire at night. If you kill this entire people in one stroke, all the nations that have heard what has been going on will say, ‘Since God couldn’t get these people into the land which he had promised to give them, he slaughtered them out in the wilderness.’ Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said, “God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; Still, never just whitewashing sin. But extending the fallout of parents’ sins to children into the third, even the fourth generation.” Please forgive the wrongdoing of this people out of the extravagance of your loyal love just as all along, from the time they left Egypt, you have been forgiving this people.” God said, “I forgive them, honoring your words. But as I live and as the Glory of God fills the whole Earth—not a single person of those who saw my Glory, saw the miracle signs I did in Egypt and the wilderness, and who have tested me over and over and over again, turning a deaf ear to me—not one of them will set eyes on the land I so solemnly promised to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with such repeated contempt will see it.” (Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭5‬, ‭10‬-‭23‬)

I can’t imagine the humility it must have taken for Moses to stand in the gap for the very people who rejected him. He and Aaron found themselves in the midst of a mutiny and yet fell to their knees before God to intercede on behalf of those who were seeking to kill them. Furthermore, I cannot imagine the courage it must have taken for Moses to stand in the gap before the righteous anger and judgment of God and ask Him to turn aside. Moses quite literally laid down his life in making this prayer and God honored his sacrifice.

Yesterday, I received a call from a dear friend. Her son is in critical condition in the hospital. He has struggled so much over the course of his life and, though he knows the truth of the gospel, he has yet to fully surrender to it. She wept as she shared his broken condition with me and her heart to see him healed and restored not just physically but spiritually as well. I told her I believed with all my heart that God is already at work answering her prayers. How can I say something like that with confidence? Because our God truly is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. I know He looks down and sees this mother’s tears. He has heard every single prayer she’s offered for years on behalf of her son. And I cannot believe a child who has been so fervently prayed for will perish. God will heal and restore him in this life or the next. This is the power of intercessory prayer.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 17-20

Seeing God

Readings for today: Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90

Jesus once said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” He might have been talking about Moses. Moses was a humble man. In fact, he was more humble than anyone living on earth at the time. His humility was demonstrated over and over again throughout the course of his life. His leadership was a model of humility as he collaborated with others. One never gets the sense that Moses had any ambitions of his own. He simply lived to serve God and His people.

In our reading today, Moses’ humility is put to the test by his own family. Those closest to him. Those he loved and trusted the most. They had become bitter and resentful towards Moses. They aspired to the same position and authority as Moses among the people. More than anything, they were jealous of the unique relationship Moses had with God. “Is it only through Moses that God speaks? Doesn’t He also speak through us?” The obvious answer is “no.” God clearly wasn’t speaking through Aaron and Miriam like He was through Moses and He even goes on to tell us why. Moses is no ordinary prophet. He is God’s special servant with whom God speaks face to face.

If we’re honest, this grates a bit. We probably sympathize more with Aaron and Miriam. Believing rightly that all are equal in the eyes of God, we often make the false assumption that all are called to the same roles in God’s Kingdom. I see and hear it all the time. Men and women who look to those in authority above them in an organization and believe they can do as good a job or better. Those who are just getting started in their professional careers who believe they can do just as good a job as those who have years of experience. Even among pastors this dynamic often comes into play as assistant or associate pastors become jealous of the influence or the position or the authority of a senior pastor. In fact, this is so common most churches have special rules in place to make it harder for associate and/or assistant pastors to ascend to the senior pastor role! So we are all more like Aaron and Miriam than we want to admit and this is a major reason why we don’t see God.

To see God, we must be pure in heart. We must have the purest of intentions. We cannot allow selfish ambition or vain conceit to get in the way. We cannot let our aspirations or dreams to become more important than God’s dream for our lives. We must learn to humbly accept the role God has called us to play in His Kingdom. We should not look to others and play the comparison game. We should not allow envy or jealousy to get in the way. We should fix our eyes on Jesus who humbled Himself and became our servant. We should follow the example of Moses who humbled himself and became a servant. After all, the greatest in the Kingdom are the servants which is why they shall see God.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95

Waiting on God

Readings for today: Numbers 6-9

One of the hardest things to learn as a follower of Christ is how to wait. We are always in such a hurry. We rush around in the morning to get off to work and school. We rush around all day trying to get things done. We rush around in the evenings to different activities and events. Then we wake up the next day to do it all over again. Furthermore, we live in a world of instant gratification. We get what we want when we want it and woe to anyone who cannot deliver on our timeline! Patience is no longer a virtue in our world. Waiting is considered a waste of time. 

The Bible is clear that “waiting” is a key skill for any disciple. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Long-suffering is something God’s people know intimately. Consider what we read from Numbers today. “The day The Dwelling was set up, the Cloud covered The Dwelling of the Tent of Testimony. From sunset until daybreak it was over The Dwelling. It looked like fire. It was like that all the time, the Cloud over The Dwelling and at night looking like fire. When the Cloud lifted above the Tent, the People of Israel marched out; and when the Cloud descended the people camped. The People of Israel marched at God’s command and they camped at his command. As long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, they camped. Even when the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for many days, they honored God’s command and wouldn’t march. They stayed in camp, obedient to God’s command, as long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, but the moment God issued orders they marched. If the Cloud stayed only from sunset to daybreak and then lifted at daybreak, they marched. Night or day, it made no difference—when the Cloud lifted, they marched. It made no difference whether the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for two days or a month or a year, as long as the Cloud was there, they were there. And when the Cloud went up, they got up and marched.” (Numbers‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭22 ‭MSG‬‬) The passage tells us that sometimes they camped for days in one location. Sometimes for hours. The point is Israel didn’t move until God moved. Israel didn’t break camp until God broke camp. Israel was learning how to wait on God. 

I’ve been in ministry now for over twenty years. In that time, I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in my office counseling people through all sorts of different seasons in their lives. One of the most common issues I have to address is impatience. It makes total sense. People in crisis want out of crisis as soon as possible so I get it. However, in their rush to get out of crisis they often jump from the frying pan into the fire. Refusing to wait on God, they prematurely end their marriage. Prematurely cut off a relationship. Prematurely make a professional decision. Prematurely rush into what they think is a solution only to find their supposed “cure” worse than their disease.  

God wants us to wait on Him. His time is not our time. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. So often when we wait on God, we don’t understand. I am sure there were moments when Israel looked around and said, “Really God? This is where you want us to camp? This is where you want us to settle down for a few days?” I’m sure there were other times when they found wonderful pasture and plentiful water only to have the pillar of cloud rise the next morning, taking them onward. They had never seen the Promised Land. They had no idea where they were headed or what it would look like when they got there. They simply had to wait on God.

Where is God calling you to trust Him in your life today? Is it with a professional decision? Is it with your children’s future? Your marriage? Is it with you finances? Perhaps your aging parent’s health? Maybe it’s your college choice? A career decision after you graduate? What does it look like for you and how are you learning to wait on God to reveal His will? 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90

Strange Rituals

Readings for today: Numbers 3-5

The Bible is full of rituals that seem strange to us. This is part of the cultural distance we must keep in mind as we read. What may have been normative for an ancient near east Israelite is certainly not normative for a 21st century American and vice versa. Of all the strange rituals recorded in the Bible, the one detailed in Numbers 5 has to be among the strangest. A woman suspected of adultery is put to a test whereby she has to drink bitter water to determine if she is guilty of committing adultery.

First and foremost, we need to remember the context. Women and men were not considered equals in the ancient near east. In fact, women were more property than they were people so we shouldn’t be surprised at the patriarchal tone of the text. It doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t mean God is in favor of patriarchy. It simply means God is speaking to His people through the cultural norms of the day and revealing His sovereign will just as He does to this day.

Second, we need to remember the seriousness of adultery. Adultery was one of the “big three” crimes in ancient Israel. It was punishable by death along with idolatry and murder. The reason God lays out such harsh penalties is to protect the family. The family unit is the fundamental building block for God’s chosen people. It is through the family unit that faith is passed from one generation to the next and the story of God’s history with His people kept alive. God wants to protect the family at all costs and adultery puts the family at significant risk.

Third, God is a God of justice. Unlike the pagan cultures that surrounded Israel, God wanted to make sure that women were not cast aside on the jealous whims of their husbands. He wanted to protect women by providing a way for them to prove their innocence. He uses the cultic practices of the ancient world to place a hedge of protection around women to prevent them from being slanderously accused.

Finally, God is a God of honor. The honor of the wife and the honor of the husband and the honor of the family are of paramount importance to Him. Jealously threatens the honor of the family as does suspicion, gossip, and whisper campaigns that human beings seem to take so much delight in. By subjecting the woman to a public sacred ritual, all potential dishonor is put to rest. Furthermore, the public nature of the ritual would also act as a deterrent to husbands who might be tempted to bring frivolous charges against their wives.

So what do we take away from our reading today? Well, it’s worth pondering our own attitudes towards sexual fidelity in marriage. Do we guard our hearts and take adultery as seriously as God? Second, how can we protect the honor of our families in the way we think, speak, or act? How can we protect those we love from frivolous and slanderous accusations? Finally, we look to Christ who drank the bitter cup and took on the curse for us and we give thanks for His willingness to take our place.

Readings for tomorrow: None

The Beauty of God’s Law

Readings for today: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

Wow. You’ve just finished Leviticus! Well done! Your reward? You now get to read Numbers! ;-) In all seriousness, this is one of the harder stretches of the Bible for sure. But if we persevere, we reap the rewards of our reading. Take our passage for today which describes the purpose of the Law.

Theologically speaking, God’s law serves three distinct purposes. The first is to act like a mirror. It mirrors the perfect righteousness of God as well as our imperfect unrighteousness and reveals our desperate need for Christ. Second, the law restrains evil. While the law itself cannot change human hearts, it can protect the vulnerable from oppression. The righteous from the unjust. The third purpose of the law is to train us on how to live for God’s glory alone. To show us what it means to bring Him honor in all we say and do. As we finish Leviticus today, we see all three of these “purposes” on display.

In verses 1-13, God lays out the blessings of obedience. “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit…I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them…I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order…I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) It’s a beautiful picture of what happens when we commit our way to God and something Jesus Himself reinforces when He commands His disciples to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the rest will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

The script flips in verses 14-39 where God invokes the second purpose of the law. “But if you refuse to obey me and won’t observe my commandments, despising my decrees and holding my laws in contempt by your disobedience, making a shambles of my covenant, I’ll step in and pour on the trouble: debilitating disease, high fevers, blindness, your life leaking out bit by bit…I’ll discipline you seven times over for your sins. I’ll break your strong pride: I’ll make the skies above you like a sheet of tin and the ground under you like cast iron. No matter how hard you work, nothing will come of it…If you defy me and refuse to listen, your punishment will be seven times more than your sins…And if even this doesn’t work and you refuse my discipline and continue your defiance, then it will be my turn to defy you. I, yes I, will punish you for your sins seven times over: I’ll let war loose on you, avenging your breaking of the covenant; when you huddle in your cities for protection, I’ll send a deadly epidemic on you and you’ll be helpless before your enemies…And if this—even this!—doesn’t work and you still won’t listen, still defy me, I’ll have had enough and in hot anger will defy you, punishing you for your sins seven times over…I’ll abhor you; I’ll turn your cities into rubble; I’ll clean out your sanctuaries; I’ll hold my nose at the “pleasing aroma” of your sacrifices. I’ll turn your land into a lifeless moonscape…I’ll scatter you all over the world and keep after you with the point of my sword in your backs…You’ll perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will eat you up. Any who are left will slowly rot away in the enemy lands. Rot. And all because of their sins, their sins compounded by their ancestors’ sins.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭14‬-‭39‬ ‭MSG‬‬) If we reject God’s law, He becomes our adversary. He disciplines. He punishes. He gives us over to the consequences of our sin and removes His protective hand.

Finally, as chapter 26 comes to a close, we see the first purpose of the law on full display. “On the other hand, if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, their treacherous betrayal, the defiance that set off my defiance that sent them off into enemy lands; if by some chance they soften their hard hearts and make amends for their sin, I’ll remember my covenant with Jacob, I’ll remember my covenant with Isaac, and, yes, I’ll remember my covenant with Abraham. And I’ll remember the land…in spite of their behavior, while they are among their enemies I won’t reject or abhor or destroy them completely. I won’t break my covenant with them: I am God, their God. For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I, with all the nations watching, brought out of Egypt in order to be their God. I am God.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭40‬-‭45‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The reality is God’s people will not be able to fulfill God’s law and this is by design. God is teaching us that righteousness and holiness are beyond us. He brings us to our knees in what I call “holy despair.” He drives us to the end of ourselves. The end of our strength. The end of our ability. The end of our self-sufficiency. All so we get to a point where we cry out to Him for mercy and grace and turn to Christ. This is the beauty of the law.

So here’s the most important question as you finish Leviticus...do you find yourself resenting the Law of God? Dismissing the Law of God? Or do you find yourself overwhelmed by a deep sense of inadequacy before the Lord? If it’s the former, I would encourage you to go to prayer and ask God to soften your heart towards Him. If it’s the latter, be encouraged that you are drawing ever closer to Christ and He stands ready to take your place! 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 3-5

Holy and Healthy Rhythms

Readings for today: Leviticus 23-25

We had some neighbors over for dinner a few years back. A young couple with two young children. We had a delightful time getting to know them. We laughed. We shared. We ate good food. Our kids played well together. But in the course of our conversation they let us know they had NEVER been over to another person’s house for dinner. Crazy, right? So we started asking them about their lives. The husband travelled almost 300 days a year for work. The wife woke up early every morning to take her daughter to softball training. Dropped her son off at before care at his school. Went back to get her daughter to take her to school. Went to her job. Had her parents pick up both kids after school. Dropped by her parent’s house to get the kids on her way home from work around 6 pm. Took them to their softball and baseball practices respectively. Tried to grab a quick bite to eat and some quick snatches of conversation along the way with her kids. Finally got home around 9 pm every night. This was their life in some form seven days a week. 52 weeks a year. Occasionally, they would get a vacation here and there but always in and around their kids’ sports schedules. It was brutal. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t make it. They got divorced about a year later.

Sadly, this is normal life for a lot of people. They work hard. They play hard. They drive their kids hard. They barely get enough sleep. Barely get enough to eat. Barely get enough time together. Their relationships fracture. Their friendships are non-existent. They suffer from anxiety and depression. But rather than slow down. Rather than pump the brakes on life. They medicate. They act out sexually. They crash and burn. It’s heartbreaking.

Contrast this way of life with God’s ways in Leviticus 23. Sabbath. One day out of every seven where we refrain from work. One day out of every seven where we slow down. Focus on worship. Focus on each other. Focus on the relationships that are most important. Passover. An annual celebration intentionally focused on the salvation of God. Firstfruits. An annual celebration intentionally focused on God’s abundant provision. Weeks. An annual celebration of God’s revelation of Himself to His people though His Word. Trumpets. Another celebration of God’s provision at harvest time. Day of Atonement. One day set aside each year for national and individual confession and repentance of sin. Booths. An annual celebration designed to remind God’s people of their utter dependence on God as they wandered in the wilderness. Taken together, these weekly and annual feasts serve to slow God’s people down. They act as spiritual speed bumps in life. They remind us life is more than what we produce. Life is more than what we achieve. Life does not depend on us and our strength and our willpower. Life is God’s. He gives. He takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Friends, we must face reality. The American way of life is killing us. Literally. It is bad for our mental, physical, and emotional health. We were not built for the pace we’re trying to keep. We were not designed for the race we’re trying to run. We were not created for the life we’re trying to live. We were made for a different world. A different life. An eternal existence. Something so deep and meaningful and purposeful, the garlands of this world come off withered by comparison. In the face of all God has planned for us, the trophies of this world lose their shine. As the old hymn says so well, “the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

A Life of Blessing

Readings for today: Leviticus 19-22

Here’s a potential new thought for you…a holy life equals a blessed life. Following God’s way leads to the flourishing of human life. The deepest intimacy in human relationships. The redemptive lift of all human society. For far too long, holiness has been perceived as a net negative. We tend to look at God’s laws as restrictive, confining, even limiting. They cut against the grain of our natural desires so we tend to reject them.

But what kind of life have we created for ourselves? What kind of life have we gained by indulging our desires? What kind of life have we found by going our own way? Not a great life. Not on balance. Humanity’s inhumanity is on display every single hour of every single day. Despite the fact that there is plenty of food to go around, millions are starving. Despite the fact that we have the ability to deliver clean water to every person on the planet, millions go without access. Despite all our medical advances and technology, millions go without access to basic healthcare. Despite our aversion to suffering and death, millions suffer violence and abuse every single day. If we focus our attention closer to home, things don’t look much better. Our selfishness tears apart relationships. Our greed widens the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.” Our laziness makes hard work seem like a necessary evil. Our lack of resiliency makes us vulnerable to anxiety, despair, self-harm, and suicide. It’s tragic and heartbreaking on so many levels.

Friends, God’s ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He knows exactly what we need to grow and flourish and thrive. The rules He sets out are for our good. Yes, some of those rules change over time because our Heavenly Father knows our needs change over time. What human beings needed in the ancient near east or in 1st century Greco-Roman culture is different to some extent than what we may need in 21st century America. For example, the civil laws governing ancient Israel no longer apply in our context nor do the ceremonial laws governing ancient Israelite worship and purity. At the same time, some of the rules God lays out are eternal. Moral laws restricting violence, deceit, stealing, and sexual immorality appear throughout the Scriptures, are affirmed by Jesus and His apostles, and therefore remain in force in our day as well.

Do you want to live a life of blessing? Listen to what the Lord says, “Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy.” (Leviticus‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Holiness equals blessing. Holiness leads to human flourishing. Holiness is what sets us apart as followers of Christ and makes us His light in this dark world.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 23-25