The Presence of God

Readings for today: Exodus 39-40, Leviticus 1, Matthew 23:23-39

Leviticus. The bane of all Bible reading plans. It describes a world far removed from our own. A world of ritual purity maintained by a never-ending parade of sacrifices. It’s a world of blood and fire and incense and strange worship. It’s a world of intentionality where everything takes on a sacred tone. Food. Dress. Health. Wealth. All of it carefully regulated in order to preserve one’s right relationship before the Lord. It’s a world we frankly do not understand which is why so many of us skim through this book at best. But for those who have the courage and openness to truly enter this world on its terms, there is much to glean about the relationship between God and His chosen people.

First and foremost, I would argue Leviticus - in some sense - really begins at the end of chapter forty of Exodus with the coming of the presence of God into the Tabernacle. “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.” (Exodus‬ ‭40:34-38‬) The people of Israel have dedicated so much time and energy and resources to the construction of this sacred space. They have followed every command to the letter. They have prepared a house for God to dwell in. A tent to carry with them where God Himself will meet with them. And God is pleased. He comes to dwell in the tent of meeting. During the day, He appears as a cloud. A hovering mist for all to see. During the night, He is the fire that burns from within its folds, giving light to the entire camp. Can you imagine it? God being so fully present you can actually see Him? Speak with Him? Consult Him for wisdom? It’s truly incredible and unique in the ancient world.

Second, God’s presence among His people does create a problem. God is pure and holy. Sin cannot survive in His presence. God’s people are impure and unholy. They are sinful and broken. A way must be made for them to approach God without fear of being consumed. So God institutes the sacrificial system. “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” (Leviticus‬ ‭1:1-4‬) Israelites, young and old, can bring an offering to the Lord. They bring an animal without blemish to be sacrificed. They lay their hand on the animal’s head and all their impurities pass onto the sacrifice. Theologically, this process is called “imputation.” God “imputing” their sin to the animal and thus covering or “atoning” for their sin. In fact, the Hebrew word for “atonement” literally means “to cover” and once one’s sins are “covered”, one is able to approach the Lord without fear.

Christians, of course, see Jesus in this text. He is the great sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world. He is the one who made atonement for all humankind. His blood is sufficient to “cover” all our sin. On the cross, God imputed our sin to Christ which is why we can now approach the throne of grace with confidence. But that’s not the end of the miracle. In a beautiful exchange known theologically as “double imputation”, Christ’s righteousness is now imputed to us. Listen to how the Apostle Paul - himself an expert in Levitical law - puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake God made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God. Spotless and without blemish. He is the greater sacrifice of God. Able to not only “cover” our sin but also to make us righteous in God’s sight. Because of Him, we are able to draw near to God without fear and instead be embraced in His love.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 2-3, Matthew 24

Knowing God

Readings for today: Exodus 34-38, Matthew 23:1-22

Today’s reading is one of the most significant in all of Scripture. Moses appearing before God yet again on the top of Mt. Sinai. Moses receiving a second copy of the Ten Commandments as God turns aside his wrath and renews His covenant. Moses getting a chance to see the Lord as He descends in a cloud. "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6-7) Can you imagine actually hearing the sound of God’s voice? Actually seeing the rocks tremble and cry out at the coming of His presence? It’s incredible.

Even more incredible is God’s desire to be known. You see, God isn’t interested in simply giving us a set of laws to follow. He wants us to call on Him by name. He wants us to become familiar with His presence. He wants us to trust His character. He is not just any god. He’s not like the gods of the Canaanites, so capricious and arbitrary. No, our God is merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger. He abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness. He keeps faithfulness to the thousandth generation, forgiving all iniquity and sin, while at the same time exercising His righteous judgment on the guilty. He is a God of justice as well as grace. A God of holiness as well as love. And He shares all this with us so we can have a relationship with Him. 

What is Moses’ response to the divine revelation? “And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” (Exodus‬ ‭34:8) He falls on his face before the Lord. He averts his eyes. He trembles in astonishment and awe at what he’s just seen and heard. The God of the universe leaving His throneroom in heaven to be with His people. The Creator desiring a relationship with His creation. The Maker of all things descending to meet with us, speak with us, and show us His glory. There simply are no words. Just worship. 

Fast forward hundreds of years. The same God who revealed Himself to Moses on Sinai. The same God who would meet with Israel in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. The same God who led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This same God is born in a peasant home in a backwater town in an obscure province of the Roman Empire. Laid in a manger. Worshipped by foreigners and shepherds and the poor of the village. He attracts the riffraff and the outcast. He eats with tax collectors and sinners. He keeps company with all kinds of strange people, even embracing Samaritans and Gentiles. Jesus is merciful and gracious. Slow to anger. Abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He keeps faithfulness to the thousandth generation even though His own creation turns on Him and kills Him. He forgives all iniquity and sin. He takes on the righteous judgment of the Father, perfectly fulfilling the justice of God. And He does all this so we can have a relationship with Him. There simply are no words.

So what is our response? Do we worship? Do we fall on our faces before the Cross? Do we avert our eyes? Tremble in astonishment and awe at everything we’ve just seen and heard? Friends, Jesus came to give us life. Eternal life. And what is eternal life? The Apostle John tells us in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Do you know Jesus? Do you have a deep, intimate relationship with God? Or do you just know about Him? Heard the rumors? The gossip? Do you keep Him at arm’s length? Follow Him from a distance? God longs to draw you close. God longs to embrace you as His son or daughter. God longs for you to know His great love. Open your arms. Open your hearts. Receive Christ. 

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 39-40, Leviticus 1, Matthew 23:23-39

Worship

Readings for today: Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:23-46

Exodus 32 is an incredibly important chapter in the Bible. It speaks to humanity’s rebellious nature. The holiness of God. The power of prayer. The consequences of sin. It is deep and profound and a careful reader will absolutely marvel at what she reads. 

First, humanity’s rebellious nature. We are so impatient. We have such a hard time delaying gratification. When Moses is delayed on top of the mountain - remember there is still fire and smoke coming from the summit - the people decide to take matters into their own hands. They decide to worship God as they please rather than stay true to what God demands. Aaron, in a baffling display of weak leadership, plays to the crowd’s desires. He fashions a calf. Builds an altar. Declares a feast unto the Lord. But this is not what God wants. Now we do need to keep in mind that this scene is playing out in two different locations. Moses is hearing from God on top of Mt. Sinai. He has yet to return and give the people the Law. Aaron is in charge down below, trying to keep the peace. The people honestly have no idea what’s happened to Moses. Perhaps they even fear he is dead. So let’s assume the best. They want to worship God. They want to show their devotion. They want to let God know how much they love Him and are thankful for His deliverance. But their failure is to wait. Their failure to worship God as He deserves and as He demands is a critical mistake. (One we still too often unfortunately repeat...)

So the camera zooms up to the top of the mountain where God and Moses are still deep in conversation. The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly...” (Ex. 32:7) God is angry. His righteous wrath is now aroused. The sin of the people has encroached on His holiness. It offends Him deeply. Viscerally. Their sin is a stench to Him. So He tells Moses - this is important - “your” people whom “you” brought up from the land of Egypt have committed a great sin. God is disowning them as he prepares to destroy them and start all over with Moses. “The Lord also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone, so that My anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Ex. ‭32:9-10‬) Essentially, God is saying to Moses, I will wipe them out and make you a new Abraham. I will reset the deck yet again and start over with the one faithful man I can find. 

Moses is quick to respond. He prays one of the most important prayers in human history. "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” (Ex. ‭32:11-14‬) Moses is quick to remind God whose people He’s really talking about. These are God’s people. They are the people God delivered by His own hand. If God were to destroy them, God’s reputation would suffer. The Egyptians - before whom God has made Himself known - would begin to doubt and question Him. The promise God had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would become null and void. This is an incredible prayer of faith. Praying not for mercy but trusting God to be true to Himself. Trusting God to stay true to His character. Trusting God to stay faithful to His promises. There is no question in Moses’ mind that God will remain true to Himself and so Moses prays his prayer in faith. 

What are we to make of such a prayer? Is Moses talking God down? Is he talking God off the ledge? Does Moses prayer enact some kind of change in God? Is God the kind of God would could lose control in anger and lash out at His people? These are really important questions to wrestle with as we read. What I believe is happening here is something similar to what took place between Abraham and God when they discussed the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. God is specifically inviting us into a deeper relationship with Himself. A relationship where our prayers are real. Where the thoughts and desires and emotions of our hearts are taken seriously by God. God is still free to act as He sees fit. He still destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah after all. But He did rescue Lot and his family so perhaps Abraham’s prayer was answered? Here Moses intercedes on behalf of the people. He steps into the gap God provides and prays in great faith. His prayer thus creates a new situation to which God responds. No longer are we just talking about God’s holiness and the people’s sin. Now we have a man of faith stepping into the gap. A mediator who intercedes. And God honors the intercessor by relenting from the disaster He had prepared. (By the way, the Book of Hebrews picks up this imagery and assigns Jesus the role of eternal intercessor before the Father.)  

Moses’ intercession doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences for sin. Moses comes down the mountain. He shatters the tablets at the foot of the mountain. Grounds the calf to dust and makes the people drink it. There is death as the Levites have to kill almost three thousand people before the sinful revelry settles down. And the chapter closes with a plague sent from the Lord as well as this promise, “Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” 

What do we learn from all this? God takes worship seriously. We are to worship Him in the way He demands and the way He deserves. God takes prayer seriously. Intercessory prayer is powerful and effective when it comes from the lips of a righteous man or woman. God takes sin seriously. He will not let us escape the consequences of our actions though He does provide a way - through Jesus - for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him.  

Readings for tomorrow: None

Render unto Caesar?

Readings for today: Exodus 29-30, Matthew 22:1-22

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew‬ ‭22:21‬)

I have long pondered the meaning of this verse. When I was younger, I subconsciously interpreted these words in dualistic terms. God ruling one sphere of life. Caesar ruling a second sphere of life. Keep God’s stuff apart from Caesar’s stuff. Don’t co-mingle your faith with the rest of your life. Pay your tithes to God. Pay your taxes to Caesar. Never the twain shall meet.

As I grew older, my thinking shifted. Is there a single square inch in all of creation over which Jesus does not reign as Lord? Does not God own it all? Including Caesar? Should I not render everything to God? Caesar has no claim on me. He has no claim on anything I have. He has no claim on what I believe or think or say or do. This led me to take a more hostile, rebellious approach to the world. To treat “Caesar” as an enemy and to resist his authority. I went from dualism to monism and missed the mark of what Jesus was saying yet again.

Now I find myself in a third theological space. A space where the distinctions between God and Caesar are maintained but God’s authority over all spheres is never compromised. God does indeed reign and rule over all. His reign and rule extends over ever Caesar in this world. This, of course, is what the Pharisees were hoping Jesus would affirm so they could charge Him with sedition. Jesus, however, sees right through their ploy. More importantly, Jesus is operating on a completely different level than his opponents. God does not engage in the petty ways of this world. His authority and power are in no way dependent on any human recognition whatsoever. You have a question about taxes? Money is meaningless to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. You have a question about pagan images? Caesar putting his face to a coin? That’s utter silliness because Caesar is nothing in the eyes of God. He is no rival. He is no competitor. He is no equal. So humor Caesar. Give him what he thinks he deserves. Pay him whatever homage he asks for. Just make sure to never worship him as God. Never confuse him with anything other than a weak, sinful human being.

Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s but make sure to render to God what is God’s. Render to Him all your worship. All your devotion. All your praise. Give Him your total and complete allegiance. Surrender all to Him. Submit to His authority. Make any sacrifice He demands. Make Him your first love. Treat Him as your supreme treasure. Honor Him above everything else in your life. This is what it means to render unto God what He truly deserves and demands.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:23-46

God’s Law

Readings for today: Exodus 23-25, Matthew 20:17-34

Someone recently asked me a great question, “If God were to come down and speak to us today, would his laws be the same or changed for the current day?” The laws we read about in Exodus, or later in Leviticus, definitely seem foreign and strange to us. They have to do with the customs of the ancient near east and while they represent in many cases significant advances in human rights for the time, we don’t often see them as such because of how far human civilization has advanced. 

One key to answering this question can be found in the difference between Exodus 20:1 and 20:22. In Exodus 20:1, God gives the Ten Commandments. They are written on stone tablets by His very hand. They are words directly from the mouth of God. However, in Exodus 20:22, a shift takes place. Now Moses will become the lawgiver. He will be the one to flesh out the details of the laws that will govern the daily life of Israel. Some of these laws will be ceremonial in nature, governing the worship of God. Some of these laws will be civil in nature, governing the emerging national life of Israel. Some of these laws will be moral in nature, governing God’s people in every time and place. These distinctions are important to keep in mind as you read and they are the main reasons God’s people have historically kept the Ten Commandments but not necessarily kept all the laws of Moses as they are written.

A second key to answering this question is pushing beyond the letter of the laws themselves to the principles they represent. This is where our study of these laws becomes very fruitful even for our own 21st century American context. For example, it’s worth considering the dignity the Hebrews assigned to slaves, women, children, and families. Again, these were utterly unique among ancient law codes and represent a trajectory towards our modern understanding of universal human rights. Or consider the laws of proportional justice which limit revenge by making the punishment fit the crime. This principle still undergirds much of our modern legal system today. The principle of restitution is another one we understand and practice. As is God’s concern for widows, orphans, and the poor. 

Applying these principles in our modern, 21st century American context requires wisdom but it certainly isn’t impossible. Let’s take one example that is a political hot button today. Immigration. What does the Bible have to say about the principles that should shape our policies in this area? Consider the following verses, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Ex. ‭22:21‬) “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Ex.‬ ‭23:9‬) “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” (Ex. ‭23:12‬) God makes it very clear to His people that they should treat the immigrants within their midst with compassion and mercy and kindness and care. The same principle would apply to refugees. Those fleeing their homes due to political, social, or religious persecution. Why? Because this is how God treated them when they were immigrants in Egypt. Does this mean we should have open borders? No security? Just let everyone come on in? I don’t think so. But I also believe that when immigrants come, in whatever way they may come, we need to treat them with as much care and compassion as possible. Their treatment at our borders should be modeled off of the love God has shown us. This is just one example of where truly seeking to follow the principles laid out in Scripture would make America a “light” to the nations.

Fundamentally, the Truth that undergirds the entire law of God is the idea that we should treat one another as we have been treated by God Himself. We should extend to others the same kindness, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness that God has shown us. We should deal with one another righteously not just because “God said so” but because God DID so with us! This is what it means to keep and follow God’s law and it’s something Jesus Himself will affirm in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) which, by the way, is simply a restatement of the Ten Commandments.  

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 26-28, Matthew 21

Mt. Sinai

Readings for today: Exodus 20-22, Matthew 20:1-16

Today’s reading represents a hinge point in the Book of Exodus. We move from sweeping epic to Israelite case law and it’s easy to start to skip over this part. I remember my eyes glazing over during this section the first several times I read through the Bible in a year. However, if we slow down and read carefully, some wonderful truths are revealed. 

First, a look at the big picture. Israel arrives at Mt. Sinai as a rag-tag group of folks with no national identity or charter. The only reason they’ve made it this far is due to the miraculous intervention of God. He saved them. He defeated the Egyptians. He fed them. He watered them. He has met every need. His goal is to get them to Sinai in one piece where He will begin to teach them what it means to be His people. Once they are at Mt. Sinai, God comes down to meet them face to face. The revelation of God is so intense, the mountain shakes and burns. The people’s hearts melt and they tremble in fear. God’s holiness is so fierce that the people must be protected from it lest they die. Then God speaks. He writes the Ten Commandments with His own finger on tablets of stone. He dictates His laws to Moses and in doing so, he shapes a nation.

The laws God issues are revelatory in nature. They are similar and yet critically different than the laws of the nations around them. Almost all societies, even ancient ones, have laws prohibiting murder, stealing, etc. Old Testament law is unique, however, in that it protects women, children, and families. It restricts revenge by instituting the principle of lex talionis - otherwise known as “an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth” - thus making justice proportional. Furthermore, it makes slavery a voluntary arrangement. Available for those who cannot pay their debts. Freedom was a guarantee unless the slave himself chose otherwise. Protections were built in to prevent abuse and slave trading was punishable by death. “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” (Ex. 21:16) These are massive advances in human rights and set the nation of Israel apart from the other nations around them. 

This is exactly God’s point, by the way. Remember, in “Abraham” all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It will be through Abraham and his descendents (now starting to “outnumber” the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore) that the world will come to know Yahweh is God. Pharaoh’s already learned this lesson the hard way. Other nations now have the opportunity to learn from Israel. To model their own national life and laws after the Law of God. In giving Israel His Law, God is setting them up to serve as a light to the nations. An example to the Gentiles. He wants the nations of the earth to see what life looks like in His Kingdom. When Israel is faithful to the Law, the nations will flock to her. She will experience blessing and peace and prosperity. When she disobeys the Law, she will be judged and punished thereby continuing to serve God’s purposes as He makes an example of them in His wrath. The point of it all is that God is now in relationship with Israel and Israel with God. She is bound to Him through His saving grace and He will never let her go. 

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 23-25, Matthew 20:17-34

Open Hands

Readings for today: Exodus 16-19, Matthew 19:16-30

“Walk with open hands.” I remember when God first spoke these words to me. I was in my final year at Princeton. I had passed my ordination exams. I was completing my degree and getting ready to graduate. I was looking forward to what was next. I had applied to over thirty churches across the United States but had no idea where the Lord would take us. I had a good friend who took the opposite approach. He drew a circle around his hometown. 45 minutes in each direction. Only looked for churches within that window. He and I talked about the differences in our respective approaches. He believed God would never call him to leave his hometown. I believed the opposite. By limiting God, he really struggled to find work and when he did, he didn’t last long. For him, geography trumped ministry fit and it led to heartbreak. As I wrestled with my own sense of call and my own desire to be close to family and friends, I realized God often calls us away from home. God often calls us from what’s familiar into the unknown. God often calls us to leave home, kindred, and country to follow His call on our lives. Along the way, God also calls us to trust. Trust Him to lead. Trust Him to provide. Trust Him to deliver us safely to the destination He has laid out for us.

Walk with open hands. This, in essence, is what God is teaching Israel in our reading for today. Meat. Manna. Water. All of it had to be provided by God in the wilderness where resources were scarce. The command regarding the daily collection of manna always strikes me. “And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning…On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.” (Exodus‬ ‭16:14-19, 22-23‬) The people of God literally had to walk with open hands every single day. They had to trust the Lord to provide their food for that day and it was always just enough. There was never any left over. There was never any lack. It was always just right. If they tried to save some for the next day, it would spoil overnight. Except on the sixth day. On that day they gathered twice as much so they could observe the Sabbath. It’s a powerful lesson about the miraculous provision of God and it’s one the Lord reinforces in the prayer He taught His disciples to pray. “Give us this day our daily bread…”

Walk with open hands. Our lives are not our own, friends. We’ve been bought with a price. Jesus Himself now claims us as His own. We are His treasured possession to do with as He pleases. God continues to reinforce this idea in my own life. He’s loosened my grip on things especially over this last year. My plans. My calling. My job. My home. My children. My life. I’ve learned how much I need to come before Him for the strength and wisdom I need for each and every day. I cannot rely on yesterday’s manna. I cannot borrow from tomorrow’s supply. I must make do with what the Lord provides today and trust it will always be just enough.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 20-22, Matthew 20:1-16

God’s Love for Children

Readings for today: Exodus 13-15, Matthew 19:1-15

“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.” (Matthew‬ ‭19:13-15‬)

There’s something special about children. Especially little children. No matter where you go in the world, you find little children playing. Laughing. Dancing. Exploring. They have an almost insatiable curiosity. An irrepressible joy. An unshakeable faith and trust. They see the world through rose-colored glasses. They endure hardships that would break an older person. They bounce back from grief and loss. They are tremendously resilient.

I’ve played games with children as they received chemotherapy. I’ve drawn pictures in the dust with children living in life-threatening poverty. I’ve held children as they watched a love one pass from this world. I’ve taken walks with children, making sure to smell every flower and touch every tree along the way. I’ve played all sorts of games with children at Vacation Bible School. I’ve taken hikes with children and watched in amazement at how they persevered when their little legs got tired to make it to the end. I’ve spoken to many children over the years about the love of God and seen their eyes light up. It’s a beautiful thing.

Jesus has a special place in His heart for little children. When He gets bum rushed by a bunch of kids in the passage we read today, the disciples try to shoo them away. Perhaps they thought Jesus had more important things to do. Perhaps they believed the children were just a nuisance. Perhaps they were just tired and irritated and didn’t have time for them. I know I’ve felt all these feelings and more over the course of my life. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in me and my stuff that I lose sight of the miracle of spending time with a little child and seeing the world through their eyes.

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children. Why is that? I think it has to do with how they see their world. Full of wonder and beauty. New adventures around every corner. An imagination running wild with all the possibilities of each new day. They do not worry about tomorrow. They do not carry the burdens we adults like to bear. They do not stress over things they do not have. They simply find ways to make the most out of each moment of each day. Faith comes easy to them. Trust seems natural. And God is very present with them and among them.

Have you ever taken time to think back to your own childhood? Years ago, I was challenged to do an exercise where I broke my life down into five year increments and wrote down what I could remember. I filled page after page of memories. Not all of them were positive of course. Our lives are full of suffering and pain. Even as children we experience these things though we may not always understand the impact until much later in life. But there were many precious memories as well. Riding in the combine with my grandfather. Jumping on the trampoline with my cousins. Sleepovers out on the screened-in porch with friends. Pickup baseball at the empty lot next door. Saying prayers to a God I did not know but in whom I believed even from a very young age. It was a wonderful exercise that reminded me yet again of the value of the simple things in life. Finding joy in the ordinary and everyday. Rest from all the stress of striving. This, friends, is the kingdom of heaven and it belongs to those who come to Jesus like little children.

Readings for tomorrow: None

The Scandal of Forgiveness

Readings for today: Exodus 11-12, Matthew 18:21-35

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother or sister sin against me, and I forgive them? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew‬ ‭18:21-22‬)

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve asked Jesus this same question. Lord, how many times must I forgive? How many times must I forgive the one who hurt me? How many times must I forgive the one who betrayed me? How many times must I forgive the one who abandoned me? How many times must I forgive the one who let me down. Frankly, most of the time, that “other” person has been the guy staring back at me in the mirror. He seems to be the hardest for me to forgive but there have been others as well.

I think of a person I knew many years ago. I was doing church planting work in Wisconsin. We built a friendship. I thought we might even become partners in the work God was doing. He seemed friendly enough. We had meals together. We spent time with him and his wife. Our children loved staying over at their house. But about six months in, something changed. To this day, I do not know what happened. What I do know is he started to sabotage the work I was doing with the board. He planted rumors questioning my integrity. He attacked my character constantly behind my back. When I would speak to him face to face and ask him what I had done wrong, he would become evasive. When I would ask him for forgiveness for whatever it was that I had done to hurt him, he would refuse to acknowledge it. Week after week. Month after month. I met with him regularly seeking reconciliation. Sadly, it never happened. Things only escalated and eventually reached a point where he physically threatened me. Outraged, I ended the relationship.

Unfortunately, the damage was done. The church planting work we were engaging in imploded all around us. I was utterly broken. My wife was utterly broken. I resigned my position. It was the darkest time of my life. For a few months, I averaged about 2-3 hours of sleep a night. I would pace the living room floor, yelling at God. Angry with Him for all that had happened. Blaming Him from bringing me to this place. Allowing me to fail. Subjecting me to all kinds of hurt and pain. God held me close in those months. Closer than I realized. Finally, my anger was spent. I was exhausted. And there in the darkness as I lay on the floor worn out by all my raging at God, He spoke to me. Told me He loved me. Told me everything I was going through was part of His will to break me down so I could be built back up in His image. I surrendered. I accepted. His grace overwhelmed me.

A few weeks later, one of my daughters got sick. It was H1N1 and it was serious. We rushed her to the hospital and discovered she had double pneumonia. They drained her lungs. We sat and prayed by her bedside for days. During that time, I got a call. It was the person who had threatened me. They wanted to let bygones be bygones and come to the hospital. I felt the familiar anger well up inside. God intervened. He was quick to remind me of the grace He had shown me. I felt a peace come over me. I shared with the person that I forgave them for all that had happened. I was thankful for the ways God had used our broken relationship to bring me to a deeper, richer faith. I shared with them how much I appreciated their love and concern for our daughter. And I also shared with them that I was not comfortable with them coming to the hospital to visit as we needed to focus all of our energy on our daughter. They were disappointed but understood.

Forgiveness is hard. Because it is so hard, so few seem to practice it. Including Christians. I cannot tell you the number of believers who have told me they would “never be able to forgive” this person or that person for what they have done. I cannot tell you the number of Christians I know who have walked out on relationships. Walked out on churches. Walked out even on God because they simply could not bring themselves to forgive. They forget that forgiveness is a divine act. It is not something we can muster up the strength to do ourselves. It only comes as we reflect on the grace we’ve been given in Jesus Christ. We can only forgive as we ourselves are forgiven by our Father in heaven. If you are struggling to forgive someone in your life today, let me encourage you not to dwell on all they have done to you but all that the Father has done for you. Reflect on the immensity of the grace given to you so that can then extend that grace out to others. The one who has been forgiven much, forgives much. The one who has been forgiven little, forgives little. /

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 13-15, Matthew 19:1-15

God isn’t Fair

Readings for today: Exodus 7-10, Matthew 18:1-20

Today we have to grapple with one the deepest mysteries in all of Scripture. God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Before we even get started, let’s acknowledge the obvious. We hate this truth. It runs counter to everything we’ve been raised to believe about free will, everyone getting a choice, God loving everyone, etc. It calls into question God’s justice. God’s righteousness. How could a righteous God harden someone’s heart to the point where they are kept from saving faith? And yet, if we are courageous enough to take the text at face value, we are left with no other conclusion. 

“But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you.” (Ex. 7:3)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants...” (Ex. 10:1)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.” (Ex. 10:20)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.” (Ex. 10:27)

God is relentless with this man. He will not let him repent. He will not let him escape judgment. He will not let him give in until his nation lies in ruins. God will not let up until there is no doubt who is God and who is not. (Remember, Pharaoh was worshipped as a god by his people.) Now this is hard for us. This is a different side to God that we aren’t used to. A God who reigns over the affairs of humanity. A God who rules over the universe with a firm hand. A God who is to be feared as much as loved. A God who will tolerate no rivals. No equals. So again, the question is pressed...how could a righteous God harden someone’s heart to the point where they are kept from saving faith? 

The key is how we define righteousness. Do we define it from a human perspective? Or a Biblical one? According to Scripture, God’s highest aim is NOT the salvation of His people. As important as this is, we are the means God chooses to achieve a higher end. What is that “higher end?” The full display of God’s power and glory and majesty and sovereignty over all creation. God’s greatest aim is to fill the earth with His glory. His grand design calls for all creation to honor His great name. This is the purpose for which we were created and it is clearly revealed in the Exodus narrative. 

“But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." (‭‭Ex. ‭7:3-5‬)‬

“Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord." (Ex. 10:1-2)

And the Apostle Paul affirms God’s purposes when he looked back on the Exodus story. “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (Rom. ‭9:17‬)

The point is clear. God will make His name known. And He chooses to make His name known through “vessels of mercy” (His people) and “vessels of wrath” (not His people).  And lest we think this somehow compromises God’s justice or righteousness or goodness or just isn’t fair; we have to remember our condition before God. All of us are dead in our trespasses. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All of us deserve eternal condemnation. We are in NO position - broken, sinful, and rebellious as we are - to pass judgment on God. God is free to choose to use whomever He wills in whatever way He wills and this in no way compromises His integrity. 

So what does this mean for us? Does it mean we should be scared of God? Does it mean we are at the mercy of a God who is arbitrary and capricious? Not at all. In Jesus Christ, God demonstrates His great love for us. In Jesus Christ, God proclaims His desire that all should be saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. In Jesus Christ, God has provided the perfect Passover lamb. He has become the sacrifice that saves. His precious blood delivers us from death. All so that we might go forth to proclaim the glories of His grace to the world!

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 11-12, Matthew 18:21-35

Meeting the Lord

Readings for today: Exodus 5-6, Matthew 17

Too often we make the mistake of reading Scripture through 21st century eyes. We subconsciously assume the people we read about think like we do. But there is a massive cultural gap between 21st century America with our ideals of freedom and liberty and justice for all and ancient Egypt where Pharaoh was worshipped as a god. Pharaoh did not consider himself to be a man like any other man. He ruled the greatest empire at the time. His domain stretched for thousands of miles in every direction. He was wealthy beyond belief. His armies were feared. His power unquestioned. He truly believed he was divine. He truly believed his people existed to serve his needs and his purposes. So it comes as no surprise when Moses approaches him with a demand from Yahweh to let the Hebrews go that Pharaoh would have laughed. "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2) For all Pharaoh knew, this Yahweh was just another small-time, tribal god who had no power. After all, this Yahweh had allowed His people to become slaves for hundreds of years. Clearly, He was not a god to be respected, much less feared. 

The Exodus story has so many layers and we make much of the drama between Pharaoh and Moses.  But the real story is the conflict between Pharaoh and Yahweh. Yahweh is using Pharaoh as an instrument to reveal His true glory to the world. He will say as much in Exodus 9:13-16, “Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” The Apostle Paul underscores this same idea in Romans 9:14-18, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” The reality is God is not going to relent with Pharaoh until he reaches a place of complete and total submission. God will not stop with the plagues until Pharaoh is completely broken and grasps the difference between himself and Yahweh, the Lord of the Universe. So plague after plague after plague rains down. The people of Egypt suffer. Their lands and livestock are largely destroyed. Fear begins to permeate the land as the Egyptians realize that the god they’ve come face to face with is no tribal deity! He is Yahweh! He is the Lord! He is God! 

And God isn’t just revealing Himself to the Egyptians, He is re-introducing Himself to His people.  “Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.” (‭Exodus‬ ‭6:6-8‬) After four hundred years of silence, God is once again on the move. He is fulfilling His promises in His time. Now some may ask why God waited so long? What about the people who don’t get to experience the miracle of the Exodus? What about those who had lived and died under the lash of the Egyptians? Here WE come face to face with the fact that our God is no tribal god. His primary purpose is NOT to meet our needs. It’s NOT to make sure we remain safe and happy and live a blessed life this side of heaven. No, God has a better plan for us. To live with Him in His eternal Kingdom forever. He has a greater plan in mind and that is to reveal His glory to the world. This is why God delivered His people. To show forth His power and glory to the world. To leave no doubt as to who is God and who is not. 

So the question then comes to us...will we believe this God? Will we trust this God? Will we worship this God? Or, will we harden our hearts like Pharaoh? Will we cling to our pride and continue to act like “little gods?” Or, maybe like the Israelites, our spirits have been broken by the pain we’ve suffered in this world. Perhaps belief is beyond us because of how beaten down we feel. Will we pray the prayer Thomas prayed, “Lord, help my unbelief?” Friends, God will answer such prayers if we cry out to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 7-10, Matthew 18:1-20

Is God Forgetful?

Readings for today: Exodus 2-4, Matthew 16:5-28

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus‬ ‭2:24-25‬)

My family has a history of dementia. Early onset Alzheimer’s. Diseases that rob us of our precious memories and make strangers of those we love. My grandfather died in his middle thirties due to this disease. My aunt when she was in her early sixties. My grandmother on my mother’s side spent the last few years of her life in an almost catatonic state. So I know the journey. I know the pain of watching someone you love slip away from you while they are still living.

I’m also a pastor. As such, I’ve spent countless hours with people who wonder if they’ve been forgotten by God. They go through incredible hardship and pain. They face great tragedy in their lives. They wrestle with deep depression and demonic powers. And they feel all alone. They cry out to God in their suffering and they wonder if He hears their cries. I often take them back to these verses from Exodus.

Surely the people of Israel must have wondered if God had forgotten them. Remember, God has not yet revealed Himself on Sinai. He has not yet given them the Law nor the plans for the Tabernacle. They have not seen His presence. They have not witnesses His miracles. The Red Sea. The wilderness wandering. The journey to the Promised Land. All of that is still in the future. All they have to go on is a few stories that have been handed generation after generation about a God who chose the family of Abraham to be His people. That’s it. And now they’ve lived in Egypt for many years. They’ve multiplied greatly. They’ve been enslaved. They’ve been abused. They’ve even suffered genocide as Pharaoh attempted to kill all their male children. Such is life when one serves a man who sets himself up as a god-king.

Thankfully, the Bible says, God “remembers” His covenant promises. God “hears” the groaning of His people. God “sees” their suffering and pain. God “knows” what’s happening. These words are what’s known as “anthropomorphisms.” They are human attempts to describe God. Due to our limited, finite understanding, we human beings often project onto God our own human attributes. It’s our way of trying to make sense of things. In the fullness of time, God calls Moses to deliver His people. In the fullness of time, God sends Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh. In the fullness of time, God will make Himself known not only to His own people but to all people everywhere. He will clearly demonstrate for the world who is God and who is not. He will do this by bringing the world’s mightiest empire and the world’s mightiest ruler to their knees. He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Not allowing him to escape until God has had His way. He will rain down plague after plague until all the magicians in Egypt are exhausted and spent. He will defend and protect His people from any and all harm. In this way, they will know and come to understand their special place His chosen, set apart ones.

Friends, God still remembers His covenant promises. It’s why He sent His one and only Son. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all God has promised. He is the Second Adam. The Faithful Israelite. He lives a life of perfect obedience. He is the perfect Passover lamb who is sacrificed on our behalf. He delivers us from the powers of sin and death and evil by dying on the cross. He parts the Temple curtain so that we might gain access to God. He clearly demonstrates His authority over Satan and all his demonic forces by rising from the dead. All this He does for us. All this He does to deliver us. All this He does to save us. Yes, in this world we will face suffering. In this world, we will face trials and temptations. In this world, we will experience pain but we look to Jesus and take heart. In Christ, we know God sees us. God hears us. God remembers us. And God answers us.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 5-6, Matthew 17

Everyday Heroism

Readings for today: Genesis 49-50, Exodus 1, Matthew 16:1-4

“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus‬ ‭1:8‬) One of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history begins with these ominous words. A new Pharaoh has risen. One who did not know Joseph. One who had forgotten what God had done for Egypt through Joseph. One who saw Joseph’s descendents as a threat to his power. One can understand his trepidation. A foreign people living on the eastern edge of the Nile delta who have multiplied exceedingly over the generations and grown strong. They worship a strange god you do not know. They have strange customs you do not follow. They speak a foreign language you do not understand. It is easy to understand the source of this new Pharaoh’s fear. 

So he takes action. He enslaves them. Subjects them to abuse, harsh treatment, and a lifetime of hard labor. But the more they oppressed the Israelites, the more numerous and powerful they became. Anxious about the potential of an uprising, Pharaoh calls for draconian population control. He orders the midwives to kill every male child that is born. In this way, he hopes to reduce their numbers to a more manageable size. But the midwives courageously defy the king. Denying themselves, they save the male children from death. It’s an incredible act of faith. 

Shiprah and Puah. Their names are important. Two ordinary women engaged in an ordinary profession. There is nothing remarkable about them. Nothing special or unique. They have no biblical training. No seminary degree. They come from no special lineage and carry no family name. We do not know their tribe or their background. We simply know their names. Their occupation. And the one thing that does set them apart...their fear of God. These two women pave the way for Israel’s deliverer, Moses, to be born. They make it possible for God’s salvation to come. Through their act of selfless obedience, they create the conditions for what will become the seminal event in Judaism. The Exodus. Without them, there is no Charleton Heston. :-) No Ten Commandments. No Moses. Without them, there is no parting of the Red Sea or journey to the Promised Land. Without them, the Hebrews eventually die out. Cease to exist. The covenant God made with Abraham would be broken and all of salvation history go defunct. All because two women decided to obey God and perform their professional duties faithfully under threat of death. 

Do you think about your profession in this way? Do you connect what you do with what you believe? Is God on your radar screen as you go about your day to day activities? It’s amazing how often God uses the ordinary and mundane to accomplish His purposes. In my experience, it is not the pastors and church leaders who move the dial of the Kingdom but the faithful man or woman who often goes unnoticed. They spend their days working at their job. Caring for their families. Praying and studying the Bible. And eternity moves at the sound of their voice. The wheel of God’s salvation history turns by their hand. It’s truly amazing. What could God do with an accountant? A truck driver? A fast food worker? A sanitation engineer? What could God do with a doctor? A lawyer? A university professor? What could God do with a teacher? A mother? A father? A friend? The answer is...everything. Anything. God uses those who are available and humble and willing. Does that describe you? 

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 2-4, Matthew 16:5-28

Was Jesus a Racist?

Readings for today: Genesis 46-48, Matthew 15:21-39

“And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.” (Matthew‬ ‭15:21-28‬)

*Much of today’s writing comes from Kenneth Bailey’s work in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. I highly recommend it.*

Today we come to one of the most difficult passages in the gospels. Many commentators have wrestled over this interaction. On the face of it - read through 21st century eyes - it seems like Jesus is a racist. Shaped and formed by the same supremacist attitudes that most of the Jews held towards those who were not part of God’s chosen people. Furthermore, this woman is a Canaanite. She belonged to a particular tribe of people who were ancient enemies of the Jews. Then you layer in all the honor/shame components of an ancient near east society. The fact that women did not approach men they were not related to much less speak to them. The fact that the woman’s daughter was demon-possessed which would have made her ritually unclean. All of these factors come into play as we seek to understand what’s happening in this story. And a huge part of the challenge is setting aside our own cultural understandings to let the text speak for itself.

So why doesn’t Jesus initially respond to the woman? Why does He initially dismiss her request? This doesn’t seem to fit His character. After all, we’ve seen Him break all kinds of barriers and social taboos. We’ve seen Him reach out in compassion to those who are lost and hurting and marginalized. Why would He shift gears so suddenly? What’s really going on here? Bailey suggests this is a typical “honor/shame” interaction in first century Palestinian society that was meant to both test and educate at the same time. He is testing the woman’s faith and He is educating His disciples who still haven’t grasped the inclusiveness of God’s Kingdom.

So let’s walk through the text. The interaction begins with the heart cry of this woman whose daughter lies in desperate need. This is where the testing begins. Jesus initially seems to ignore her cry but doesn’t send her away as His disciples suggest. Instead, He makes a statement that is more directed at them than the woman. He’s sees their hearts. He knows their prejudices. He is going to challenge them with this interaction. One can imagine Jesus turning from His disciples back to the woman with a smile on His face to see what she will do. The woman rightfully sees this as an invitation to press further which she does. As Ken Bailey explains, the woman “did not move because she believed Jesus did not mean it.” She cries out for help. Once again, we are confused by Jesus’ response which would have been typical for his day. Dogs were unclean animals. They were not pets. They were not part of the family. At best, they were used to guard property and at worst were mangy scavengers. To be called one was a great insult and yet Jesus intentionally softens the language by using a word best translated as “little dog.” Certainly not a term of endearment but also not as threatening. It both signaled to the woman that the exchange should continue while at the same time signaling to the disciples that their cultural bias was rooted in sin. Once again, the woman is invited to respond. Will she get angry? Leave in frustration? Rage at the injustice of her treatment? Remarkably, Bailey points out, she responds with wisdom. She passes the test. And one can almost see the twinkle in Jesus’ eye. The utter delight on His face. “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” 

I find Bailey’s interpretation deeply compelling. Partly because I’ve seen similar interactions in North Africa where I spend a great deal of time each year. There are certain cultural exchanges in honor/shame societies that seem strange to Western eyes. We are so used to direct forms of communication that we often miss what is taking place in cultures where indirect communication is more of the rule. When I’m able to lay aside my own cultural biases and let the text speak for itself. From it’s own cultural milieu. My eyes are opened much like the disciple’s must have been to the many ways Jesus challenges the prevailing attitudes of His day and our day.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 49-50, Exodus 1, Matthew 16:1-4

Godly Perspective

Readings for today: Genesis 44-45, Matthew 15:1-20

“So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:4-8)

What does it look like to have God’s perspective? To look at life with all its ups and downs and see the hand of God at work? Consider all that Joseph had gone through. Assaulted by his own brothers. Sold into slavery. Falsely imprisoned. He could easily have adopted a victim mindset. He could easily have become bitter and angry. He could easily have sought revenge. But Joseph - perhaps more than anyone else save Abraham in the Book of Genesis - walks with God. He cultivates a close relationship with God. Interestingly enough, we have these accounts of God coming to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Visiting them over and over again throughout their lives. Speaking to them. Making promises. Not so with Joseph. Yes, he does receive visions and dreams but it’s not the same. And yet, his relationship with God seems to be the closest!  

The Joseph cycle is a tender one filled with special moments. Joseph reuniting with his brothers. Judah, the one who sold Joseph into slavery in the first place, now offering his life for Benjamin’s. Jacob hearing the news that his beloved son is alive. God visiting Jacob one last time to assure him he would see his son before he dies. When one stops to think about it, one can probably see many parallels in our own lives and families. What an encouragement to know God is at work! What an encouragement to know God uses all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! What an encouragement to know God is sovereignly orchestrating the events of our lives according to His good and perfect will! 

Where do you need God’s perspective today? Can you take a step back and see His hand at work in your life? In your home? In your neighborhood? In your school? At work? In our nation? Even if you are in the middle of great trial and struggle or you’ve experienced significant loss or suffering pain, do you have confidence God is with you? Trust in God’s promises! Lean on Him for strength! Cling to Him for hope! He will carry you through!

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 46-48, Matthew 15:21-39

The Narrow Way

Readings for today: Genesis 42-43, Matthew 14:22-36

Ultimately, there are two ways to live. You can live honestly. Openly. Transparently. Vulnerably. Daily practicing unconditional love and forgiveness and reconciliation. The result being a life of peace. A life of deep joy. A life of gracious self-acceptance because you have nothing to hide. Nothing to fear. Nothing to protect. No false self to prop up. Jesus calls this the narrow way. It’s a hard way. Those who find it and are willing to submit to it are few. Or you can choose the wide way. The easy way. The way the world recommends. Always hiding your true self. Always living deceptively on some level, not letting anyone in. Guarding your heart against any pain and suffering. Refusing to look in the mirror. You can love conditionally. Forgive selectively. Refuse to reconcile. The result is a life of guilt. A life of fear. A life of fleeting joy. A life of self-regret. A life of self-destruction.

Sadly, I meet too far many people who choose the latter of the two scenarios. Just like Jesus said I would. Rather than take an honest inventory of their own failings and mistakes, they become hyper-critical of others. Rather than take responsibility for how they may have contributed to another person’s pain, they lash out defensively, always protesting their innocence. Rather than do the hard work of navigating broken trust in relationships, they simply ghost the person and move on. Recently, I read an editorial from a major news outlet extolling the virtues of cutting people out of one’s life. The premise from the author was that her life was better without her mother. DNA doesn’t matter. Biological connections simply aren’t worth it. We should discard anyone in our lives who we deem to be “toxic.” Now are there scenarios where estrangement needs to happen? Of course. Some people are so abusive - verbally, emotionally, physically, spiritually - that we need to cut them off. But such tragedies are never to be celebrated. They are to be grieved. Friends, the brokenness of our world is legion. It is breathtaking in scope and heartbreaking in depth. And it leads in a direct line to the rise of suicide, depression, anxiety-disorders, opioid and other drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual addiction, etc. that so many are struggling with today. We all know it. We must come to grips with it. We have to face it. And we have to ask God for the courage to choose the narrow way.

The Joseph narrative reveals a similar dynamic. As a young man, Joseph was an insufferable fool. The favored son of an aging father from his beloved wife, he was given all kinds of privilege and power in the family. Resentment grew to the point where his own brothers wanted to kill him. After throwing him in a pit, they made the fateful decision to sell him into slavery instead so they could turn a profit. It seemed like such an easy solution to all their problems but this tragic act will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Fast forward a few decades. Joseph has risen to power in Egypt. He has saved the nation from a devastating famine and now the whole world comes to humble itself before him. His own brothers make the journey and he immediately recognizes them. But he is suspicious. Why are they here? What do they want? Most importantly, do they regret the decision they made all those years ago? So he puts them to the test. They believe they’re being punished for the sins of their past. The pain is real. It extends back to Jacob, their father, who has to undergo the pain of letting his youngest son - the only son he has left from the wife he loved - go to Egypt with no guarantee he’ll return. Reuben attempts to assuage his father’s concern. “Kill my two sons if I don’t return with Benjamin.” What kind of monster would Jacob have to be to kill his own grandchildren? The dysfunction here is real. The consequences of the sinful choices of this family over the years are now being realized. The weight of their guilt and shame lies heavy upon them. They are once again at a crossroads. Which path will they choose?

We all live dysfunctional lives to some extent. We all find ourselves straddling on some level the two paths I outlined above. I imagine most of us have days when we are honest and open and transparent and real. I imagine we also have days when we are guarded, dishonest, and secretive. I imagine most of us have days when we are able to love unconditionally. Forgive generously. Reconcile freely. And I imagine we all have days when love is difficult. Forgiveness a pipe dream. Reconciliation beyond us. I know I do. Friends, the goal of the Christian life is to surrender more and more each day to the Holy Spirit. To let Him draw us close into the presence of our Heavenly Father where there is grace and peace and life in abundance. It is a life of openness and honesty and transparency because, after all, who can hide anything from God? It’s costly because it forces us out of our comfort zones, out of the protective cocoons we’ve created for ourselves, out of the self-centered life we tend to naturally choose. And it’s not easy. Our bodies, minds, and emotions often rebel. The act of submission is a courageous choice we all have to make in a world that will never celebrate following Christ. That’s why Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew‬ ‭7:13-14‬) May we choose the narrow way today.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 44-45, Matthew 15:1-20

True Allegiance

Readings for today: Genesis 41, Matthew 14:1-21

‭‭Over and over again we read how the Lord was with Joseph. He was with him at the heights of his success. He was with him in the depths of his failures. With him when he was rapidly climbing in favor. With him when he was falsely accused and imprisoned. No matter where Joseph went, God was at his side. How do we know? Because of the fruit his life produced. Joseph was a humble man. He submitted his life to God’s will. He walked in God’s ways. He refused to let bitterness or anger or fear get the best of him. Whatever others may intend for evil, Joseph knew God could turn to good if he would trust Him. Joseph’s life is a model of faithfulness. A model of humility. A model of walking with open hands and an open heart to however the Lord would choose to work. Joseph’s steps were determined for him. He did not choose to go to Egypt. Did not choose to be part of Potipher’s house. Did not choose to be thrown in prison. Did not choose to serve Pharaoh. Joseph, like Daniel after him, simply chose to grow where he was planted. Like the seed that fell on good soil, his life bore thirty-fold, sixty-fold, a hundred-fold for the Lord. And the result was the blessing of a pagan nation. 

I am sure Joseph had his moments. Perhaps he cried out like the Psalmist to God for vindication. Cried out for justice. Cried out for peace. I am sure Joseph spent many a dark night in the prison cell asking God why this had happened. Reflecting what God wanted to teach him. I am sure Joseph’s faith was put to the test by his experiences and yet through it all, Joseph chooses the path of faithfulness. The path of trust. Come hell or high water, Joseph throws his lot in with God. It’s a powerful testimony, one Joseph himself confirms in the naming of his sons. “Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house. The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Gen. 41:51-52)

What about us? Today is a good day to reflect the life of Joseph and the faithfulness of God. Today we inaugurate a new president. Depending on where you fall on the political spectrum, you might view the next four years as a time of plenty or of want. You might look back at the last four years in a similar vein. What we need to remember is to never place our hope in Pharaoh. We should never become too comfortable in Egypt. God has not designed us to live comfortably in this world and we should never cozy up to the political ideologies of one particular party or another. No, our hope is in God. Our home is His country. Our allegiance to His Kingdom. This was something Joseph never forgot. Even as he lay on his deathbed, as we will see in a few chapters, he secures a promise from his children to take his body one day back to the Promised Land.

What does your life look like when you experience the ups and downs? When you are attacked and falsely accused? When the people around you…the very people who are supposed to love you…actually intend evil and seek to harm you? What happens then? How do you respond? So often, I find myself reacting in one of two ways. I lash out. I go on the attack. I violently defend myself if necessary. Or I run. I curl up in the fetal position. I let my fears get the best of me and I try to hide. Neither approach is gospel-centered. Neither approach is faithful. God calls us to place our trust in Him. To seek our approval in Him. To place our faith in His will and His way and ultimately, His vindication. To walk with the Lord means blooming where He plants us. Blessing the people He has placed around us be they Christian or pagan. Praying for our political leaders be they Republican or Democrat. We walk in His ways on the mountaintop when things are going great and in the valley when things are hard. We accept both good and evil from his hands like Job. As we do so, God produces in us a great harvest of righteousness.  

So where does life find you today? As our nation undergoes a transition of power, where are you placing your trust? Is it in your circumstances? Is it in a new administration? Is it in the people around you and their opinions of you? Or is your hope in God?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 42-43, Matthew 14:22-36

The Faithfulness of God

Readings for today: Genesis 38-40, Matthew 13:24-58

The story of Judah and Tamar seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s almost an interruption in the much larger story of Joseph. And yet, it is critical for our understanding of the saving purposes of God. In the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Judah and Tamar are both mentioned and Matthew knows his audience will immediately call to mind this story from Genesis. Women, by the way, are almost never included in any ancient near east genealogy but Matthew makes sure we know the names of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. That’s prostitute, prostitute, Moabite, and adulteress for those scoring at home. The point Matthew is making is that even the family tree of Jesus is not free from scandal and sin! 

All kinds of important questions are raised by this text. Why does God kill Er and Onan for seemingly minor offenses? Why is Judah engaging the services of cult prostitutes? Is this his regular practice after his wife dies? And why is the penalty for adultery so harsh for Tamar? Burning at the stake? What is God up to here? 

After the incident with Joseph where Judah sells his own brother into slavery, he leaves his family. Perhaps out of guilt over what he has done. Perhaps just to get away from the family dysfunction. We aren’t given a reason. He marries outside his clan and his wife bears him three sons. Er, his oldest, is so wicked that the Lord puts him to death. Again, no reason is given. It is simply something we have to accept. In the ancient near east, brothers were required to take their widowed sister-in-laws into their home with the hope they could get them pregnant and thereby continue the family line. Onan is fully aware of this custom but apparently only uses Tamar for his own personal sexual gratification while refusing to fulfill his filial responsibility. And the Lord puts him to death for his offense. This rightfully frightens Judah. He’s not about to lose his third son as this will put his own family’s future at risk so he sends Tamar home to her own family and asks her to wait until Shelah comes of age.  

Then the subject of the passage shifts. Tamar is now the primary actor. She also is frightened for her future. She’s been married twice. Her reputation is in tatters as both men have died. She’s been sexually abused by at least one husband. And she knows by now that Judah has no intention of fulfilling his promise. So she dresses herself as a cult prostitute, complete with a veil so he won’t recognize her. She knows his wife has died. Perhaps she even knows Judah visits prostitutes with regularity although the text doesn’t indicate as such. And she places herself in prime position to meet him along the way. Judah takes the bait and Tamar is crafty enough to ask for his signet, cord, and staff, all of which clearly identify him to the community. Then she returns home. Three months later, she starts showing. And even though she’s living in her father’s home, she is technically Judah’s responsibility. He brings her out to be burned at the stake and that’s when the other shoe drops. 

So what is God up to here? Over and over again, it seems like the salvation plan of God teeters on the brink of collapse. There is the barrenness of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. All women who desire children but cannot seem to conceive through natural means. Then there is the sinful scheming of the men. The lies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob constantly threaten God’s promise. And now we read about Judah’s failings as a father-in-law. One would think God might be tempted to give up on this family! But God is faithful and the central message of Genesis is that God uses even the frail, sinful people in Abraham’s family to bring about His sovereign purposes.

What about your life? Where has nature itself seemingly conspired against you? Where have time and chance not gone your way? Where have you failed and lost sight of God’s promises? Friends, do not be afraid! The same God who opened the wombs of the barren women and saved the men from their sin is the same God who is active in your life today! He is using all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! He is sanctifying you through His Spirit, granting you a faith that is strong enough to endure every trial.   

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 41, Matthew 14:1-21

Dangerous Dreams

Readings for today: Genesis 36-37, Matthew 13:1-23

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day we set aside in our nation to honor one of our heroes. A man who fought against racism and poverty and war. He dedicated his life to following the way of Jesus. Like Jesus, MLK displayed a fierce commitment to the truth. He refused to let injustice stand. He took great personal risks that put his life in danger on many occasions but never resorted to violence even in self-defense. One would think such a man would have been celebrated in his own time. Hailed as a hero especially in a nation that claimed a strong Christian heritage. Tragically, this was not the case. He was hated and violently opposed for his beliefs. Public opinion polls taken at the time of his death showed a 75% “disapproval” rating. What was it about MLK’s dream that was so dangerous? His radical commitment to peace posed a threat to a growing military industrial complex. His radical commitment to care for the poor posed a threat to runaway capitalism and corporate greed. His radical commitment to equality posed a threat to a nation who refused to repent for the sins of her racist past. And though our nation has made progress since those dark days in 1968, we still have so far to go before we see Dr. King’s dream realized.

I couldn’t help but think of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech as I read our passage today. Joseph’s dreams were similarly dangerous. They posed a threat to a family system governed by the strict rules of an ancient near east culture. Younger sons did not rule over older sons nor did parents ever bow down to their children. Such a notion was deeply shameful and dishonoring which is why Joseph’s brothers respond so violently. They are well within their rights to cast him out of the family. Punish him for his transgressions even if their father will not. They know he is the favored son and perhaps they worried that Jacob may indeed upend the “system” to elevate Joseph and make all his dreams come true. Little did they know how their actions were serving the larger purposes of God. Indeed, decades will pass before Joseph will see his dreams realized. In that time, he would suffer tremendous hardship and pain. He would face disappointment time and time again. He would rise only to fall and he must have had his moments of despair. But eventually he came to a point where he could see what his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good.

I have to believe God is up to something similar in our day. As I reflect back on the events of the past year, I find myself wondering if what we are seeing are the birth pangs of a new age. I think of the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 24:4-14, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” You see, Jesus too has a dream. He dreams of a world where peace and justice reign. A world where wars will cease and hatred is replaced by love. A world where every injustice is made right and every wrong redressed. A world where truth and righteousness are lifted up and lies, deceit, and conspiracy theories laid low. He dreams of a world where the poor and needy and outcast are treated with compassion. He dreams of a world where sinners repent and every human being takes responsibility to steward the gifts and resources they’ve been given for glory of God and in service to His Kingdom.

Friends, our world is not friendly to dreamers. Especially those who dream God’s dreams. It will take courage to hold fast to God’s dreams in a world where violence and hatred and outrage and injustice are on the rise. It will take courage to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Turning the other cheek. Repaying evil with good. Offering a gentle answer in response to wrath. Fighting for justice in non-violent ways. And so I challenge you on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day to not just post a quote on social media but to actually take the pledge MLK offered to his followers during the Birmingham campaign in 1963…

1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.

2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation — not victory.

3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.

4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.

5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.

6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.

7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.

8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue or heart.

9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.

10. Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain of a demonstration. (Our Captain being Jesus and our Movement being the Kingdom of God.)

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40, Matthew 13:24-58

Wrestling with God

Readings for today: Genesis 31-35, Matthew 12

One of the things I love most about God is His willingness to wrestle with us. His willingness to get down in the mud with us. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Not afraid to engage us in the deepest, darkest places of our hearts. Not afraid of our outbursts of anger. Not afraid of our doubts and questions. We can bring all this to God. Meet Him unafraid and unashamed and struggle with Him over His sovereign will for our lives. God is not after robots. He is not after automatons. He doesn’t want uncritical, unthinking obedience. He wants our hearts. He wants our souls. He wants our bodies. He wants our minds. He wants all of us. Every part of us must eventually surrender to Him. And that’s a fight because our sinful nature pushes back. 

My mother would tell you I’ve always been independent. Even as a child. I didn’t like to cuddle. Didn’t like to be held. I would push back against her when she would try to wrap me up in her arms. When I got older and headed off for my first day of school, I shed no tears. Just got out of the car and walked towards the school, no looking back. Recently, she and I had breakfast together. We talked about how I am still pretty independent. She loves me. She’s proud of me. She’d love for me to need her for something. Anything. I do the same thing with God if I am honest. I push back. I don’t like to be wrapped up in His arms. I want to be independent. Do my own thing. I don’t want to need Him. I like to pretend like I have it all together. Like I’m good on my own. It’s all a lie of course. I do need God. I do need my mom. I am not an independent creature. It is not good for me to be alone.  

It’s taken some hard experiences for me to learn this about myself. Experiences much like Jacob had. Jacob’s entire life is a house of cards. He steals his brother’s birthright. Steals his brother’s blessing. Steals from his uncle. He is constantly manipulating and scheming in order to get ahead. Frankly, he even tries to “scheme” God. But now he’s got to face the consequences. Now all the chickens have come home to roost. His brother is on his way to meet him. When last they say each other, Esau was in a murderous rage. Now Jacob’s afraid. Is his brother coming to exact vengeance? Is his brother coming to kill him and his family? This is what drives Jacob down to the Jabbok to wrestle all night with God. Have you ever done the same?

Like Jacob, I know what it’s like to wrestle with God all night. I’ve been there and done that. I’ve battled Him. I’ve fought with Him. I’ve watched the sun rise and set only to do it all over again. This was my life in the fall of 2009. I averaged 2-3 hours of sleep a night for a few months. God and I went to war over my life. My family. My ministry. My future. Everything I have and everything I hold dear was in play. Finally, there came a point where He simply broke me. He broke my heart. He broke my spirit. He broke my pride. And while the pain was intense and real, there was relief as well. A profound sense of freedom flooded my being. I’ve been walking with a limp ever since.

Where have you wrestled like Jacob? Where are you wrestling like Jacob? Where are you mad at God? Frustrated with God? Upset with God? What questions do you have for Him? Doubts? Fears that need to be expressed? Where are you resisting Him? Pushing back against His will? Struggling to accept His sovereign plan? Today’s passage invites you into the ring! To grapple with God honestly! God’s a big boy! He can handle everything you throw at Him and more! Let your guard down and lay it all out before your Lord. Fight Him until you break before His relentless love and grace.  

Readings for tomorrow: None