Sacrifice

Readings for today: Numbers 28-29, Mark 9:2-29

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 literally, the priests would be sacrificing millions 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 system 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. To their flocks. To their 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 reminded them constantly 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. To find daily, weekly, monthly, even annual rhythms that will draw us continually back to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Daughters of Zelophehad

Readings for today: Numbers 26-27, Mark 8:22-9:1

Today’s reading is filled with a lot of names. The genealogies of Israel. Not easy reading. These are some of the harder sections of Scripture to get through simply because they feel so remote. After all, we don’t feel a connection to these people or these particular tribes or these particular families. Sure, we acknowledge they are our spiritual mothers and fathers but there’s very little information about most of these names so it’s hard to feel any kind of tie. However, a careful reading reminds us that behind every name is a story. And behind every story is a powerful testimony of God’s faithfulness.

For example, consider the case of Zelophehad’s daughters. “Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.” (Numbers‬ ‭26:33) Their story is a remarkable testimony and worth recapping again…

Five women appear before the gathered leadership of Israel at the Tabernacle to present one of the earliest recorded lawsuits in history. Their claim? Their father died without a male heir which means his inheritance is now in jeopardy. He was not part of the rebellion of Korah so they have legitimate standing to bring his case before the Lord. And they ask Moses to grant them their father’s property rights so they can preserve the family line. 

I cannot imagine the courage this course of action must have taken. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah knew very well that women did not have any rights in the ancient near east. Not in Israel and certainly not in the nations that surrounded them. Women were considered property in that time. Not even counted as human beings. At the death of their father or brothers or husbands, they were not entitled to any inheritance and were often left destitute. Fast forward a few centuries and we see this scene play itself out in the book of Ruth where Naomi loses not only her husband but also her two sons, leaving her to fend for herself.

So imagine you are one of these five women. Raised to believe you have no rights. Your primary value is to bear sons to your future husband so his family line can be preserved. Now imagine making the decision to approach Moses and the gathered leadership of Israel in front of the Tabernacle itself to present your case. You know what you are about to do has never been done. You know what you are about to ask for has never happened before. You know there’s a good chance your petition will fail but you courageously step forward anyway. You argue persuasively for the preservation of your father’s inheritance and you make the audacious claim to be counted among your father’s brothers. 

I would have loved to see the look on Moses’ face. Was it shock? Confusion? Did he smile at the women’s boldness? There is no indication in the text one way or another. What we do know is Moses recuses himself and takes their petition to the Lord. This, in itself, is a strong affirmation of the women. And then there is the response from God. I have to believe their courage brought joy to His heart and He issues a new law for Israel. From this point forward, “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.” (Numbers‬ ‭27:8‬) A statute still used today as legal precedent by the American Bar Association. 

The Bible is a history of God’s interactions with many different human cultures. Human culture, by definition, is always corrupt and unjust. Thankfully, God condescends to speak to us through our unique culture but is also always at work bending the arc of human history towards justice. Towards righteousness. Here is a clear case where God honors the rights of women, granting them a unique status when compared to other ancient near east societies. There is a direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and Deborah who served as judge and spiritual leader for all of Israel. A direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and the female disciples who gathered round Jesus and remained faithful to Him even to the end when all the other male disciples had long since fled. A direct line between the daughters of Zelophehad and the women Paul affirms like Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia who was “excellent among the apostles.” God is still doing this work today as women continue to be affirmed as strong and gifted leaders across all sectors of human society

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 28-29, Mark 9:2-29

Devotion

Readings for today: Numbers 23-25, Mark 8:1-21

Reading the Old Testament is hard. There is so much cultural distance to overcome. It’s tough to really understand what all the words mean and why God responds the way He does at times. Take today’s reading for example. Baal is the Canaanite fertility god. Worshipped by the tribes occupying the Promised Land, he will continue to entice the people of Israel to abandon the true worship of Yahweh. The Moabites and Midianites (nomadic tribesman who wandered frequently much like the Bedouin’s today) worshipped Baal through sex and gluttony. They would hold massive parties where they would eat and drink to excess. In the midst of the drunkenness, they would engage in all kinds of sexual activity. All in an effort to show Baal how faithful they were to him so he would make their crops grow, their flocks multiply, and open the wombs of all the women so they would bear children. So when Numbers 25 talks about the people of Israel “whoring” with the daughters of Moab, it is speaking literally. They were engaging in the worship practices of Baal and this is an abomination before the Lord. One of them even took it as far as bringing a Midianite woman before the Tabernacle and having sex with her in front of Moses and the whole congregation. It was a brazen act of defiance against God. 

If we don’t learn anything else from this passage, we must understand how serious God is about worship. Not just what we do on Sunday mornings for an hour but the worship we give Him every single day. God demands our single-minded devotion. God will not tolerate us worshipping other gods. God will not allow our love to be divided. It’s black or white. You either love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength or you don’t. There really is no gray area. This doesn’t mean we will be perfect and God, in His graciousness, provides for our weaknesses. But the trajectory of our hearts must be set. God must be our North Star! God must be the sole object of our devotion! God alone is worthy to be praised! 

It is critical to think about this passage in context of what we read about Balaam yesterday and today. Balaam was paid by the king of Moab to curse Israel. Several times, he makes the attempt only to have God intervene. God will not allow Israel’s enemies to curse her. He will protect and guard His people. But what about when Israel curses herself? What about when she brings judgment down on herself for her actions? What Balaam could not do, Israel did to herself by worshipping Baal at Peor and this incident becomes almost proverbial in the national life of Israel. It will show up again and again throughout the Old Testament. Deuteronomy, Joshua, Psalms, and Hosea all refer back to this moment in time when Israel broke the first commandment and abandoned her God. 

We aren’t so different, are we? Over and over again, God protects us. Provides for us. Guards us and keeps us. He rescues us from the curse of sin. He breaks the power of the devil. He overthrows death itself. But then we chase after other gods. We pursue success. We pursue wealth. We pursue comfort. We pursue safety. We make idols out of our children. Out of our health. Out of our professional careers. We even bring these idols with us to worship and ask God’s blessing upon them! (I think of the picture that went viral a few years ago of the religious cult in Pennsylvania asking God’s blessing on their AR-15’s! Craziness!) It’s like we’re still worshipping the Baal of Peor.

Friends, God will not be mocked. God will not tolerate our sin. We cannot pretend there won’t be consequences for our rebellion. It may not be Phineas with his spear but it could be much, much worse. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt. ‭7:21-23‬)

What sin are you indulging in your life right now? What thoughts do you entertain? What feelings are you holding onto? What activities are you engaging in that will bring down God’s judgment? A man by the name of H. Richard Niebuhr once argued that too many Christians want to believe in a “God without wrath bringing men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” If you have fallen for this lie, you need to repent. If words like “judgment”, “sin”, “wrath”, etc. have fallen out of your vocabulary, you are in danger of missing out on the heart of the gospel. Yes, God is love. But because God is love, He hates our sin. Because God is love, He sent His Son to die. Because God is love, He bore the wrath we deserved. Paid the price we owed. Satisfied the judgment we earned. God’s love is not some warm fuzzy. It is fierce. Jealous. Loyal. Steadfast. True. And it will not tolerate any rivals. 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 26-27, Mark 8:22-9:1

The Donkey that Spoke

Readings for today: Numbers 21-22, Mark 7:14-37

When I first became a Christian, I started eating at this little pit BBQ place off Arapahoe in Boulder. It was owned and operated by an amazing man named Bruce. Bruce was the son of the famous “Daddy Bruce” who served the homeless of Denver for so many years, making sure they got a full Thanksgiving dinner. Bruce Jr. was cut from the same cloth as his father. He not only served the homeless of Boulder well, he also was a strong believer in Jesus Christ. I don’t know that I’ve ever met someone quite like him. He literally could quote you chapter and verse from the whole Bible. He would quiz me every time I came in before he would make me any food. He would tell the best stories about how God had worked in his life. One day, he was sharing with me his frustrations with how biblically illiterate Christians tend to be. He was a black Baptist preacher and could preach with the best of them. I still remember the crescendo of his sermon that day...”Doug, when I’m in need don’t you give me Footprints in the Sand! I don’t need no Prayer of Serenity! Tell me about the donkey that spoke! Now that’s in the Bible!” I still chuckle to this day every time I think about it!

Today we read a crazy story about a fortune-teller named Balaam and his donkey. Israel is moving towards the Promised Land. God is going to fulfill His promise to Abraham. But it won’t be easy. The land is already occupied. There are forces arrayed against them along the way. Nations and tribes and cities whom they will have to fight in order to claim this promise as their own. Arad. Amorites. Bashan. All fall before Israel. All are put to the sword. Devoted to destruction. And now it’s Moab’s turn. (If you remember, the Moabites are descendents from Lot who was Abraham’s nephew. His oldest daughter got him drunk and slept with him in order to get pregnant. So these are distant cousins of Israel.) One can almost imagine living in those days. Getting word of a new superpower rising from slavery. Defeating the Egyptians. Overrunning all who oppose them. Fear and trembling seize the Moabites. So Balak, their king, sends for Balaam. His hope is that Balaam will use his magic to put a curse on Israel, thus weakening them so they can be defeated. But Balaam is visited by God. God commands Balaam not to go with the princes of Moab. However, Balaam eventually relents to the pressure Balak brings to bear. So he mounts his donkey and begins his journey. It’s not long before the donkey freezes in its tracks. It can see the angel of the Lord blocking their path. Balaam, in his blindness both physically and spiritually, is unaware. God opens the mouth of the donkey (insert your favorite Shrek scene) and speaks to Balaam. The net result of all this is that Balaam will indeed go to Balak but will only speak blessings over Israel. 

So what are we to make of all this? Magic? Fortune-telling? Donkeys that speak? The point here is that God uses all things to accomplish His purposes. Even our superstitions. Remember when Jacob peeled poplar and almond trees in order to breed a specific kind of goat and sheep in Genesis? Does anyone actually believe the power was in the trees? Or was it God using even Jacob’s foolishness to accomplish His purposes? Or what about the bronze serpent on the pole? Is it really the talisman that saved Israel from the poisonous snakes that were killing them? Or was it God using even their delusions to deliver them? Think about the fallacies we live with today. The “invisible hand” of Adam Smith from his famous book, Wealth of Nations. The myth of universal human rights in a world where every tribe or nation seems to place a different value on human life. The notion that democracy is transcultural and can be universally applied in the way we apply it here in America. (A mistake that cost us dearly in Afghanistan and Iraq...) The reality is we too believe in magic. We too believe in myths. They may be couched in more sophisticated language and political or economic theory but they are fairy tales nonetheless. 

So what’s a Christian to do? We have to push past our superstitions and look to God. We have to push past the “bronze serpents” we create and stop looking to “fortune-tellers” to show us the way. We have to dig deep into God’s Word. We must fix our eyes on Jesus! See Him lifted high on the cross! Paying for our sin! Showing us the way home! Showing us how to live a life with and for God! He is our only hope! He is greater than any bronze serpent! He is wiser than any Balaam! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 23-25, Mark 8:1-21

Blame-Shifting

Readings for today: Numbers 19-20, Mark 7:1-13

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. “And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink." (Num. ‭20:3-5‬) 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 truly be unbelievable if I didn’t see it everyday. 

Jesus addresses “blame-shifting” in the Sermon on the Mount. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. ‭7:3-5‬) 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 don’t 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 then gets to confront us and we are safe. Or so we think. 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 take their criticism personally? 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 21-22, Mark 7:14-37

The Mission of God

Readings for today: Numbers 14-18, Mark 6:30-56

“But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,” (Numbers‬ ‭14:21‬)

Do you ever wonder why God chose to create in the first place? Do you ever wonder why God didn’t just wipe everyone and everything out after Adam and Eve and start over? Do you ever wonder why God doesn’t step in and eradicate all evil and suffering once and for all? Here in the Book of Numbers we find our answer. God’s primary purpose in creation is to share His glory. It’s why He made human beings in His image. It’s why He gives human beings the mandate to “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.” God’s stated goal is to send us out bearing His image and glory to the ends of the earth.

Tragically, we reject this high calling. We exchange God’s glory for our own. We seek our own good above His good. We abandon His mission and instead exploit creation for our own selfish and greedy ends. And if God were not faithful. If His steadfast love did not endure forever. If His grace was not extended to generation after generation. We would be dead. We would be destroyed. Our penchant for rebellion is simply too hard to resist. Our pride is too much to overcome. Sin corrupts everything we think and do on some level.

The people of God quake in fear at the report of the spies. They mutiny against Moses and the Lord. They make plans to head back to Egypt. Back to slavery. Back to what was familiar. It reminds me of one of my favorite Proverbs, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (26:11) But for the intervention of the Lord, they would have stoned Moses to death! Incredible! So God tells Moses to step aside so He can destroy them and start all over yet again. Once again, Moses is being tested. Once again, Moses is being challenged to stand in the gap for God’s people. Once again, Moses intercedes. He calls on God to remember His own name. To be true to His character. To forgive as He has promised which is what God does. 

Friends, God has a mission! His mission is make His name known over all the earth. Not because God needs His fifteen minutes of fame. Not because God wants to be an influencer. Not because God is self-conscious or insecure. But because God is God and we are not. He deserves His glory. He is worthy of His glory. He reigns and rules over all He has made and as such, He will make His glory known. He will accomplish His will. No obstacle will stand in His way. No power will prevent Him from accomplishing this great task! Not sin. Not evil. Not death. “But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,” (Num. ‭14:21‬) It’s an incredible statement! A mission that drives God even to this day! God’s plan is for God’s people who are made in God’s image to multiply and fill the earth! This is the “Great Commission” given to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel. Jesus renews this Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel when He sends His disciples out into all the world to make other disciples and this is how the glory of God fills the earth.

Friends, this is God’s great mission and the greatest obstacle standing in His way is...us! You and me! God’s people! Korah rebels. Dathan and Abiram rebel. The people of God blame Moses and Aaron for their deaths. So once again, God steps in. He must discipline His people. He must teach them to obey. So He sends plagues. He opens the earth. He reminds them of the law. He allows them to be defeated in battle. He makes them wander in the wilderness until an entire generation passes away. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s sobering. Yes, we do not understand why people have to die but God is eternally consistent. He warned us in the Garden that the wages of sin is death and His judgment is righteous.

Friends, God is faithful. Not just to us but ultimately to Himself. God is steadfast. Loyal to His will and His way. God is holy. He will not be mocked. God will not allow His people to derail His mission. So think about your life. Do you intentionally order your life around the will of God? Do you intentionally live in such a way that you bring glory to His name? Is your life oriented towards God and His Kingdom or are you oriented around your own selfish desires? What drives you? Is it the fulfillment of God’s mission or is it your own selfish ambitions? What sins are you clinging to, refusing to let go? Is it pride? Is it anger? Is it disappointment? Is it fear? Where are you personally getting in the way of God’s mission to fill the world with His glory? 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 19-20, Mark 7:1-13

Humility

Readings for today: Numbers 11-13, Mark 6:1-29

There seems to be this yearning in the human heart for deep connection. To God. To other human beings. There is a real craving in the world today for authenticity. A desire to “be real” and be known. I hear it all the time and I feel it down in my bones as well. The problem, of course, is most of us don’t really want to engage on an authentic level because things get messy when we do. We run into all kinds of warts and sin and ugliness and we’re frankly not very good at accepting each other’s faults. We aren’t very good at showing each other grace. We aren’t very good at forgiveness and reconciliation because such things take a lot of work. So we settle. We settle for less in our human relationships. We settle for not being known. Not being understood. Not being connected. And worst of all, we settle in our relationship with God. We only let Him in so far. We only let Him reign and rule over parts of our lives, not the whole. We submit only halfway and the result is a lot of pain and suffering and heartache. 

This is nothing new. The people of God have struggled with these things for thousands of years. In fact, the struggle is hardwired into our system by the Fall. (Remember that tragic event in Genesis 3? It frames everything.) Think about the blessings Israel enjoyed. A literal pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. God visibly present among them. God’s Shekinah glory filling the Tabernacle. Moses literally speaking to God on their behalf. Silver trumpets blowing every time they went forth to remind them God would be with them. The parting of the Red Sea. Deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Rescue from the plagues. Manna in the wilderness. The miracles they experienced were incredible! And still they complained! Still they struggled to believe!

“And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.” (Num. 11:1) 

“Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat!” (‭Num.‬ ‭11:4)

“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the Lord heard it.” (Num. ‭12:1-2‬)

“And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." (Num. ‭13:33‬)

Loving God’s people has never been easy! There is always complaining. Always whining. Always criticism. But guess what? That’s real! That’s authentic! That’s people being themselves! And if we’re honest, none of us are immune. Even Moses complains, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.” (Num. ‭11:14‬) 

So what’s the answer? Humility. One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is Numbers 12:3, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” What. A. Statement. Moses’ leadership was not based on his power or eloquence or influence or wealth or talent. It was based primarily on his humility. His meekness. And because Moses considered others more important than himself, he wasn’t threatened when God put His Spirit on other leaders. He wasn’t threatened when God’s Spirit showed up in other parts of the camp. He wasn’t crushed by the betrayal of Aaron and Miriam. He remained faithful. 

Humility gives us the ability to accept other people for who they are...warts and all. It gives us the ability to extend grace even in difficult circumstances. It gives us the ability to address the log in our own eye first before we go to pluck the dust out of our brother or sister’s eyes. Most importantly, it is humility that allows us to submit our lives to the Lord and to follow in His ways.  

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 14-18, Mark 6:30-56

Waiting on God

Readings for today: Numbers 8-10, Mark 5:21-43

I’m reading a devotional book this year titled, “Waiting on God” by Andrew Murray. There are readings for each day of the month and each day’s reading posits a reflection on what it means to wait on God. The Bible talks a lot about waiting on God. But more often than not, I find myself “translating” that message in my own mind to mean “waiting on God to do something.” I wait on God to heal. Wait on God to deliver. Wait on God to fulfill His promises. Wait on God to intervene on my behalf or on the behalf of those I love. I wait on God to revive our church. Revive our nation. Fill us with His Spirit. None of these things are bad. In fact, all of them have their place. But waiting on God is different. It’s literally waiting on His presence. Waiting on my awareness of Him to catch up with the reality that He is always with me. It’s waiting for my eyes to be opened. The fog of my life to lift. The cacophony of voices to die down. It’s waiting for the things of this earth to grow strangely dim in the light of His abiding glory and grace.

Israel knew what it meant to wait on God. In fact, the account we read today describes it in great detail. “On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.” (Numbers‬ ‭9:15-23‬) Imagine literally walking in the light of the Lord. Imagine moving at His command. Imagine setting out when God sets out and settling in when God settles in. Remember, Israel did not know where they were headed. They were walking into the great unknown. All they had was Moses’ word and God’s promise that the land they were going to was flowing with milk and honey. Life in the wilderness was hard. They had already suffered many things. They had struggled to remain faithful. And yet God abides. God endures. God never fails.

Think about everything that has taken place over the last year. A global pandemic caused by a strange new, highly contagious, virulent disease that has taken the lives of half a million Americans and over 2.5 million worldwide. Racial tensions spilling into the streets resulting in violence and billions in property damage. Political differences ratcheting up in intensity, taking on an apocalyptic tone, leading to an insurrection at United States Capitol. Economic shutdowns putting millions of Americans out of work. Children falling behind in school as they try to adjust to online learning. And, as usual, the poor and powerless tend to suffer the greatest. Fear and anxiety are driving us like the fire-breathing horses of Ares to self-destruction.

So where is our hope? Our hope comes as we wait on God. Wait on His presence. Abide under the shadow of His wings. Sit at His feet. 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out all fear...” God is love. He is Perfect Love. And as we abide in His presence, we experience the perfect love that drives out our fear. Calms our anxiety. Settles our hearts. When we are deeply aware of God’s presence in our lives, all the uncertainties and unknowns of the future. All the cares and worries about tomorrow seem to fade away. God is enough. And in His presence there is peace. This is what the nation of Israel experienced on their wilderness journey. The cloud by day and the fire by night served as a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. God’s holy presence in their midst. In God’s presence, they experienced safety and provision and direction. And the same is true for us. As we cultivate an awareness of God’s abiding presence - of “Emmanuel - God with us” - we too find blessing and strength and hope for the journey.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 11-13, Mark 6:1-29

The Blessing

Readings for today: Numbers 6-7, Mark 5:1-20

One of the ways I’ve found comfort in the last year is listening to representatives from churches all over the UK sing a song called, “The Blessing”, over their nation. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone to YouTube just to pull this song back up. It’s brought me hope in the midst of my despair. It’s brought me encouragement when I feel down. It’s lifted my spirits when I was overwhelmed. In short, this song does what Aaron’s blessing is intended to do! Lift our eyes above our circumstances to the One who loves us and is for us.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 8-10, Mark 5:21-43

Sowing Seeds

Readings for today: Numbers 4-5, Mark 4

How do you respond to the Word of God? How do you feel when you hear it preached? When you read it during your devotional time? When you listen to it on your way to work? Do you find your heart open to its message? Is it comforting? Challenging? Life-changing? Do you find yourself wanting more of the Word or is it a struggle to read? Are you intentional about applying its lessons? Aligning your lifestyle with its laws? Submitting yourself to its authority? Do you trust its promises? Do you believe its truth? Do you hold fast to what it says no matter how much opposition may arise? As you think back over the course of your life, do you seek growth? Spiritual maturity? Are you bearing fruit?

These are important questions to reflect on and Jesus offers a great diagnostic tool for such reflection in the parable of the sower. Jesus is the sower. He is at work even now in the world spreading the seed of the Word of God. He works through preachers and pastors as well as ordinary men and women to spread the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth. As the seed is sown throughout the world, people respond in different ways. Some hearts are hard. Like a paved road. the seed cannot penetrate. It is rejected. It never takes root. And the enemy comes and steals it away. Some hearts are shallow. There is an initial response. Driven by the emotions of the moment. By all outward appearances, it looks like the seed has taken root. There is joy. There is excitement. But such feelings gradually wane. The seed cannot put down roots. The heart drifts away towards other things. Some hearts are divided. They receive the seed. Roots are put down. But the soil is mixed. There are weeds and thorns and thistles. As the seed springs up so do these other things and eventually the growth is choked off. The fruit never ripens. Their spiritual growth is stunted. Finally, there is the open heart. The humble heart. The heart that is good soil. Ready to nurture and water and grow the seed. These hearts hold fast to the Word and what it teaches. They seek to align their lives with the Word and over time, they bear much fruit.

Now it’s time for an honest assessment. We’ve been reading for a two months. Where do you find yourself? What have you learned thus far? What lessons have you sought to apply to your life? Put another way, where do you find yourself in the parable? Is your heart hard? Unwilling to receive what Jesus says? Unwilling to submit to His ways? Unwilling to surrender to His Lordship? Is your heart shallow? You hear the Word but don’t do it. Your devotion to Jesus only goes skin deep. In fact, reading the Bible. Worshipping Jesus. Spending time in prayer. These things are boring and often feel like a waste of time. Is your heart divided? Are there other activities that take priority over spending time with God? Do you find yourself rejecting God’s Word along the way in favor of other desires? Other needs? Other wants? Have you fallen prey to the cares and worries and riches and pleasures of this world? Do you presume on the grace of God and assume God will overlook your sin? Is your heart true? Do you prioritize your time in God’s Word? Do you intentionally seek to submit your life to His way? Do you allow God’s Word to confront as well as comfort? Disrupt as well as affirm? When push comes to shove and God reveals something in your life that needs to go, do you obey? When doubt creeps in - as it always does - do you make the conscious decision to hold fast to the promises of God?

Friends, the seed is being sown. The Word is being proclaimed. God is making Himself known. How will we respond?

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 6-7, Mark 5:1-20

Was Jesus Crazy?

Readings for today: Numbers 2-3, Mark 3

I want you to close your eyes for a moment and engage in a thought experiment. Imagine you have a son who decides to quit his job one day and begin a protest movement against the government and the social injustices of his day. Imagine him earning no income. Living off the generosity of others. Imagine him traveling the region and gathering large crowds. Imagine him with a bullhorn out front preaching. Imagine him calling out the authorities. Confronting them on their corruption. Insulting them at times. Posing a direct threat to their power. Imagine hearing rumors about plots on his life. Imagine him speaking up for the poor and marginalized. Those who’ve suffered injustice or oppression. The forgotten of society. Imagine hearing all kinds of crazy stories about him healing people or casting out demons. Now imagine everyone knows he’s your son. Everyone knows he belongs to your family. And the people back home are whispering. Rumors are spreading. It’s getting embarrassing. The local police drop by and interview you. You begin to wonder if your son’s behavior is putting your life in danger. How would you respond?

Perhaps like Jesus’ family? “And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind”…And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” (Mark‬ ‭3:21, 31-32‬) It’s hard to believe. Jesus’ own family standing in opposition to Him. Jesus’ own flesh and blood opposing Him. It’s part of the story we often forget. The images we have of Mary, Jesus’ mother, are at the manger or at the cross. We rightfully honor her for her faithfulness but she too had her moments of doubt. We read the words of James in the New Testament and we marvel at his deep faith but he wasn’t always a true believer. Initially, they thought Jesus was crazy. They believed He was insane. And so they did what any good family would do. They did everything they could to bring Him back home.

We tend to forget the radical nature of Jesus’ ministry. We tend to think Jesus was widely accepted and esteemed by all who knew Him. But the Bible clearly tells us otherwise. It wouldn’t be until after Jesus’ resurrection that the reality of who Jesus is would click into place. Before this, He was seen as just another itinerant preacher. A miracle-worker. A good teacher. A rabbi. A holy man. Yes, people came from all over to hear Him but they all had their own agendas as well. Some came because they needed healing. Some came because they needed freedom. Some came because they needed community. Some came because they wanted in on the new revolution. This was true for Jesus’ disciples as well. Each of them joined the movement for various reasons and each of them needed to have their lives re-oriented around the Kingdom of God.

What about us? Why have we signed up to follow Jesus? Is it because of some personal agenda? Some need we have inside that only He can fill? There’s nothing wrong with being honest. This is where all discipleship starts. At the same time, growth in the Christian life should lead to a more radical commitment to Christ and His agenda. It should lead to greater surrender, greater relinquishment, and humble submission to His will. Fair warning, this will put you at odds with the world. The categories the world uses to classify us simply will not fit any longer. Those around you will think you are odd, weird, perhaps even a bit crazy! You may even be considered a threat. Take heart! Jesus has walked this road before you! He knows the way! He’s blazed the trail! He’s charted the path! Stay close to Him and let Him be your guide. He will take you on the adventure of your life!

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 4-5, Mark 4

A New Eden

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

What is God’s will for my life? What is God’s will for our life together? What is God’s will for His people? His church? Here at the end of Leviticus, we catch a glimpse of the new Eden God desires to create on earth. It’s the fulfillment of the prayer Jesus will later teach His disciples to pray - “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is an echo here of eternity as God once again reaffirms His desire to walk with His people in the Garden in the cool of the day. “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26:11-13‬)

God has always intended to make His dwelling place on earth. To live in intimate relationship with the creature He made in His own image. This is why God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt. It’s why He calls them a chosen race, a holy people, a royal priesthood, a people for His own possession. It’s why He gives them the Law on Sinai. It’s why He shapes their national and communal life through the Levitical code. It’s why He sets up a priesthood and gives them plans for a tabernacle. God is seeking to set His Kingdom up on earth. His plan is for His people to be the city on a hill that cannot be hidden. The light of the world that cannot be quenched. The salt that is spread far and wide to bring flavor and preservation to all of life. Israel is intended to be a new Eden. An Eden the nations can actually see and touch and taste and feel. In this new Eden there is abundance. There is overflowing life all around. There is peace. There is safety and security. Listen to how God describes it, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26:3-10) Sadly, Israel does not keep God’s commands. Israel quickly abandons God’s ways. Instead of blessings, all the curses of God fall. The nation is shattered. The people are scattered. Their glory becomes a byword to the nations of what happens when one fails to walk in faithfulness with God.

The same is true for us. God’s plan hasn’t changed. He still longs to make His dwelling among us. He longs to walk with us in the cool of the day. He longs to be our God and for us to find our true identity in belonging to His people. If you have doubts, all you need to do is look to Christ. In Christ, the Word of God became flesh and blood and made His dwelling among us. In Christ, the Word of God walked with us and talked with us. Healed us and comforted us. Suffered for us and died for us. In so doing, He broke the bonds of slavery to sin and death. No longer do we need to be afraid. No longer are we held captive by our anxiety. Christ has broken the bars of our yoke once and for all and caused us to walk erect once more. Shoulders back. Heads held high. We are now sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

So why then do we so often fail? Why then do we face so much hardship and pain? Why do the rains not always come on time? Why do the harvests fail? Why is there so much violence in our land? Why do we feel so afraid? It’s because we’ve abandoned our covenant with God. We no longer find our truest and deepest identity in Christ. We lose sight of Him and instead chase our own ambitions. Our own dreams. Our own desires. We are double-minded people. Caught between worlds. On the one hand, we long to live in Eden. We long for God’s Kingdom. On the other hand, we kind of like our lives in this world. We like our stuff. We like our lifestyles. We like to be in control. We are no different than our spiritual parents in Israel. We struggle to live in perfect dependence on God and this is why the “edens” we create are but a pale reflection of the paradise God has planned for us.

So what’s the answer? What shall we do? We look to Christ. We seek our greatest satisfaction in Him. We place our faith in His finished work. We follow Him out of love and devotion not obligation. We deny ourselves. We lose our lives. We seek to serve rather than be served. We give our lives as a ransom for many just as He did for us. This is what it means to pick up our cross and follow after Christ. And this is what gives us access to a new Eden. A life with God that never ends.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 2-3, Mark 3

Life in God’s Kingdom

Readings for today: Leviticus 24-25, Mark 1:29-45

Leviticus 25 is one of my favorite chapters because it gives us a snapshot of what life looks like under the reign and rule of God. If you’ve ever wondered what life will be like once heaven comes to earth and Jesus returns again, spend some time meditating on these verses. Consider the care God exercises for His creation. Ponder God’s perspective on personal property. Think deeply about God’s special love and provision for the poor. Fundamentally, these laws are designed to build trust.

Will you trust God to provide when you give your land a Sabbath rest? Will you trust the land to yield up enough of a crop on its own to feed your family and your livestock? Will you trust God to bless the land and make it fruitful? Allowing land to lie fallow for a period of time is important. It allows nutrients to replenish so it can produce during the years where you sow seed. We see similar practices in our own time as farmers rotate crops to allow certain sections of the land to rest for a year.

Will you trust God with your personal property? The Year of Jubilee was designed to serve as a reset for the people of Israel. All property was returned every fifty years to the original owners. Those who had fallen on hard times over the previous fifty years and were forced to sell off their inheritance as a result had the opportunity to get it back and start over. Those who had accumulated much and grown wealthy during the previous fifty years were reminded who truly owned the land and therefore were set free to be generous. While there is no evidence Israel ever declared a Year of Jubilee, the principle is a beautiful one. We are all essentially “stewards” of what we’ve been given. Everything we own is God’s and is intended to be used for the blessing of others.

Will you trust God as you care for the poor? No charging him interest. No enslaving him for economic gain. No price gouging or huge markups to take advantage of his helpless condition. Quite the contrary. You are called to take him into your home. Care for him as you would your own. Treat him as part of the family. You do this to honor the memory of your family’s slavery in Egypt and to honor the redemption of God.

Can you imagine how different life would be if we would follow these principles? Imagine a world where the church were on the frontlines of caring for creation, caring for the poor, and held all things in common. You actually don’t have to imagine it. Just look to the early church. This describes the life they pursued and it’s what gave their witness such power. From the first to the fourth century, the number of believers grew from a few thousand to almost twenty million! They literally conquered an empire! Not by military might but by the sacrificial way they lived.

I know there are many praying for revival in our nation today. Many praying for the spiritual renewal of the church. I am too. I join them in those prayers. However, I also know revival comes through repentance. And repentance is about turning from the sinful, exploitative ways of this world to the generous and gracious ways of God. May the church hear and respond to the call of the gospel! May our lives become a reflection of what it means to live in God’s Kingdom!

Readings for tomorrow: None

Sacred Rhythms

Readings for today: Leviticus 21-23, Mark 1:1-28

Sabbath. It is a core, foundational principle in Scripture. Hardwired into our system at creation so that we could find rest. One day out of every seven. One year out of every seven. One year out of every fifty set aside for rest. Set aside to honor God. Set aside for not only our rest but that of the land. Animals. Basically, all of creation. A pattern God Himself followed at creation. Six days God labored to make the universe and all that is in it and on the seventh day He rested.  

We ignore this command at our peril. Not just because God commands it. This is no arbitrary rule God puts in place to test us. It’s not divine busy work just to make sure we are listening. No. God has hardwared the human body for rest. Our best medical professionals will tell you the source of so much of the depression, anxiety, fear, and pain we suffer from is due to the stress of feeling like we have to work 24/7.  We are being crushed under the weight of the burdens we carry. The responsibilities. The obligations we’ve taken on as a family and as individuals in our world. Social media only exacerbates this problem with it’s never-ending stream of connection. The reality is we were not built to be “on” all the time. 100% productivity is a goal that will kill us if we achieve it.  

I remember seeing this play out when I worked as the Manager of Patient Access Sevices at Boulder Community Hospital. The stated goal of the Human Resources department was to get maximum productivity from each employee. They actually had an equation they followed to determine how much each employee was expected to produce. They kept our available workforce as lean as possible in order to achieve this goal. The result was a much higher number of sick days, lower quality of life in the workplace, and therefore, lower productivity. In their effort to achieve maximum efficiency, they lost sight of the very real human cost. 

That was almost thirty years ago. Things have not gotten any better. As a pastor, I watch as people try to squeeze 28 hours worth of work into a 24 hour time period. I see them running from dawn to dark, giving themselves barely any space to breathe, much less sleep. The result is broken marriages. Broken families. Broken lives. 

The Sabbath is designed to create a “speed bump” in our lives. To get us to slow down. To rest. To let God be God. It is perhaps the most tangible expression of our faith because it forces us to relinquish control over our lives. When I Sabbath, I am letting God back onto the throne of my life because I am specifically choosing NOT to produce anything. And that’s a good thing. Even a godly thing.  

God loves His people. The feasts of Leviticus 23 set up a sacred rhythm in the national life of Israel. A rhythm designed by God with their good in mind. It was a rhythm intended to remind them of their need for God. Their need for His saving work in their lives. The need for His presence. His holiness. His justice. His mercy. His grace. It was a rhythm put in place to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. According to the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is the Sabbath rest of God. Jesus is the Passover lamb who was slain from the foundations of the world. Jesus is the firstfruits of the new creation. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Embrace Jesus, friends. Embrace your Sabbath rest. Before you fill your schedule with all your pre-pandemic activities, make sure to build in the sacred rhythm God set up for you so you might experience the blessings He intends for your life.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 24-25, Mark 1:29-45

The Golden Rule

Readings for today: Leviticus 18-20, Matthew 28

Raise your hand if you knew the Golden Rule came from Leviticus? Most associate the Golden Rule with Jesus and rightfully so. After all, Jesus repeats it as part of His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 7:12) However, very few people realize that God first enshrined this rule in law in Leviticus. Lost in all the conversation about sacrifices and priestly garments and what one should eat or wear is this beautiful picture of community life in Leviticus 19:9-18.

We see God’s heart for the poor and less fortunate...“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” 

We see God’s concern for honesty and transparency..."You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”

We see God’s compassion, especially for the less abled in our midst..."You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” 

We see God’s desire for justice and righteousness and truth..."You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.” 

And finally, we see God’s admonition against hate, anger, rage, contempt, and most of all, vengeance..."You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” 

These laws are so applicable in our world today! Could you imagine a community of people who sought to put these into practice? Who gave generously? Dealt honestly? Showed compassion? Fought for truth? Laid aside anger and rage and malice and hate in the name of love? Hopefully you can! It’s called the Church! Now I know no church is perfect. After all, it’s full of imperfect sinners like me who struggle to keep God’s law faithfully. However, as we seek God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can expect to see some of these same behaviors break loose in our lives! We can expect to bear this kind of fruit for the Kingdom! And as brothers and sisters called into community together, we can make a HUGE difference in the world today! That’s the call! That’s the challenge! That was God’s plan for Israel and it’s still God’s plan for His people today!

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 21-23, Mark 1:1-28

The Humanity of Jesus

Readings for today: Leviticus 16, Matthew 26:57-75

Matthew 26 is a powerful chapter that speaks to the humanity of Jesus. Eating at a table with his disciples. Enjoying one last meal with his closest friends before his arrest and execution. Then there is his time in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is sorrowful and troubled. His fears and anxieties rise. His soul in great distress. In agony, He weeps. He sweats great drops of blood. Some theologians speculate that what Jesus was experiencing in that moment was the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit. The withdrawal of the Father’s abiding presence as He begins to take on His shoulders the full weight of human sin. The dark reality of what He is about to suffer hits Him with full force. He begs the Father to take the cup away. But the Father is committed to this course of action. The Cross awaits the Messiah. 

The disciples flee. All their hopes are dashed as Jesus commands them to put away their swords. Their secret dreams of an uprising that would overthrow the Romans and re-establish the Kingdom of God on earth come to an end when Jesus heals the wounded soldier. One can imagine their bitter disappointment when Jesus DOESN’T call on legions of angels to fight at His side. So they abandon Him. They finally see where all this headed and it doesn’t look good. 

But Peter isn’t quite ready to give up. He follows at a distance. Maybe waiting for an 11th hour miracle that would justify the last three years of his life. Has it all been a waste? Have all the sacrifices he’s made been for naught? Leaving his business? His home? His family? So he sits in the courtyard of the high priest hoping to hear news of the verdict. A servant girls sees him. He denies knowing Jesus and gruffly moves away to the entrance. She follows. Again, he denies knowing Jesus. A crowd has now gathered. Finally, he lets out a curse and swears he has never been with the man. In that moment, Jesus turns and looks at him. Peter sees His Lord on His knees being brutally beaten by the Romans. The religious elite jeering and cursing and spitting on Him. Peter is utterly broken. This is really happening. All hope is truly lost. 

I’ve often wondered what Jesus must have felt in that moment as well. His most faithful disciple. The one He loved perhaps more than any of the others. The man He had poured so much of His life into over the last three years abandoning Him. Betraying Him. Denying Him. Though expected, it must have cut Him deeply. Jesus is now all alone. His followers are all gone. The Spirit has withdrawn His presence. The angels are no longer at His side. He must face His suffering alone. He has been forsaken. And this is just the beginning. It is the Father’s will that He drink this cup to its dregs in order to save us from our sins.  

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted...Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews‬ ‭2:17-18, 7:25‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 17, Matthew 27

Lessons on COVID from Leviticus

Readings for today: Leviticus 13-15, Matthew 26:20-56

First of all, it needs to be said that Leviticus 13:40 brings great comfort. “"If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean.” :-)

On a more serious note, this is where Leviticus starts to get really challenging. Holy. Unholy. Clean. Unclean. Common. Polluted. Lots of words that we don’t think much about in our own context and culture. This begs for some explanation. Scholar Gordon Wenham does a great job describing the distinctions in his commentary. 

“Everything that is not holy is common. Common things divide into two groups, the clean and the unclean. Clean things become holy, when they are sanctified. But unclean objects cannot be sanctified. Clean things can be made unclean, if they are polluted. Finally, holy items may be defiled and become common, even polluted, and therefore unclean… . cleanness is a state intermediate between holiness and uncleanness. Cleanness is the normal condition of most things and persons. Sanctification can elevate the clean into the holy, while pollution degrades the clean into the unclean. The unclean and the holy are two states which must never come in contact with each other.” (pp. 19-20)

Why does all this matter? Because God’s stated goal for His people is for them to be holy as He is holy. “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."(Lev. ‭11:44-45‬) Yes, in Christ the ceremonial laws of Leviticus have been fulfilled. We no longer need to worry about clean and unclean animals. (See Peter’s vision in Acts 10 as an example.) We no longer need to fear being made unclean by touching lepers or coming into contact with the dead. Through His shed blood, Christ has not only washed us clean (in the Levitical sense) but also sanctified us permanently! This is incredible to think about as we read about the rituals the Israelites had to perform!

In addition, it is fascinating to read these passages in the middle of a global pandemic. Leprosy was considered a highly contagious disease in ancient Israel. One they took very seriously not only for the reasons stated above. Those with leprosy were removed from community. They were isolated. Quarantined. Often grouped together in colonies where they struggled to survive. They were not allowed to mix with healthy people. They were barred from corporate worship. The local priests - who also served as frontline healthcare workers in their communities - monitored their care closely with the goal of restoring them to fellowship as soon as possible.

It’s so tempting to read the Bible through western eyes. We read these chapters and immediately our hearts go out to those individuals who’ve contracted leprosy. We react to their pain on a visceral level as they are cast out of their homes and separated from their families. We fundamentally believe such measures are unjust and unrighteous. But there is another angle here as well. Reading these chapters through Middle Eastern eyes brings us to a much different conclusion. While we acknowledge the pain and suffering of the individual, we privilege the need to protect the community. When an individual becomes “unclean” by contracting a disease, they are often isolated in order to stop the spread. The same might be true in cases of habitual or addictive sin as well. For example, a Christian recovering from alcohol addiction would need to isolate themselves from situations where temptation might rise that would cause them to drink. Practically speaking, these chapters from Leviticus show us what it means to put the needs of others before our own. To put the needs of the wider community above our own. To sacrifice for the greater good of those around us.

These are good words to prayerfully consider in the midst of the ongoing public health crisis. What has been your response to COVID over the last year? Have you been more focused on the health and safety of those around you in your community or have you been more concerned about your own personal freedom? How have the needs of others factored into your decision-making? It’s not a simple process and there are no easy answers. COVID-19 has impacted every sector of society and the public health issues are multivalent. Economics. Education. Marriage and family. Mental and spiritual health. The suffering is immense. The challenges are enormous. Continue to pray for our political leaders to seek the wisdom of God so our communities can be restored as soon as possible. And, as you pray, consider how your own response to this crisis might lead to the restoration of community as well.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 16, Matthew 26:57-75

Dangerous Worship

Readings for today: Leviticus 10-12, Matthew 26:1-19

We treat worship far too casually. We don’t really understand the heart of it all. We don’t really grasp the significance of coming into the presence of the Living God. We come and go as we please. We show up if we have nothing better to do. We complain if we don’t like the music. We evaluate it based on whether we get anything out of the sermon. In short, we make the experience all about us. All about our feelings. All about our desires. All about our preferences. Then we come face to face with a story like today and we are confronted with how dangerous such attitudes can be.

Worship for the Israelites was a dangerous proposition. Not because God is capricious or reckless or mentally unstable. But because God is holy. Pure. Dwelling eternally in unapproachable light and glory. His presence is a consuming, purifying fire. It separates gold from dross, wheat from chaff, clean from unclean by its very nature. It’s a double-edged sword. Piercing to the deepest recesses of our souls and joints and marrow. Cutting away all that is rotten and septic within us. Every time we invoke His name. Every time we enter His presence. Every time we come before Him in worship, we are literally entering the Most Holy Place. And this is why we must challenge ourselves to become more aware of our surroundings. More aware of gulf that exists between an unholy people and a Holy God. More aware of the nature of the One we approach and to make sure we’ve made the necessary preparations in our own hearts before we come to worship.

The Israelites knew all this, of course. And yet even they could become far too casual about worship. “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace.” (Lev. 10:1-3) I cannot imagine watching my children die in worship. I cannot imagine watching them burn to death before the Lord. I cannot imagine the fear and anger and frustration I would feel. But then again, I have not seen God face to face. I’ve not had to endure His fiery presence. I’ve not felt the fear the Israelites experienced when they approached God in His sanctuary. Christ, thankfully, saves me from His righteous wrath. Christ, thankfully, turns aside the Father’s burning anger and takes it on Himself. Christ, thankfully, satisfies all the demands of God’s justice and because of His shed blood, I am made pure. I am made clean. I am made holy. Aaron and his sons had none of these benefits. They had to tread very carefully in the presence of God. They had to perform their duties with devotion and carefully do all God commanded. 

We do not understand the nature of sin. We tend to think of sin in rational terms. Errors in judgment. Honest mistakes. Poor choices. Leviticus uses completely different categories. Sin is impure. Unclean. Unholy. It is rotten. Decaying. Festering. Decomposing. Corruption. In order to really grasp the nature of sin, we have to leave the rational behind and think in Biblical terms. The other day, my children took on of our dogs on a walk. Along the way, he found the corpse of a rabbit that had been dead a while. He naturally grabbed it and my kids were disgusted. How many of us have been hiking in the mountains and have come upon the worm-filled, decomposing corpse of some animal and been similarly repulsed? I think of the clean up work we did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the smell of rot and decay we had to put up with as we gutted homes and cleaned out refrigerators. It was nasty work that made us routinely gag. That’s the stench of sin and it’s why sacrifices had to be burned continually before the Lord. 

How seriously do you take your sin? How seriously do you take your thoughts, attitudes, and actions before the Lord? How seriously do you take your worship? Do you take Christ’s sacrifice for granted? Are you, as the Book of Hebrews warns, “sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth?” If so, hear very clearly these sobering words, “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume...” (Heb. 10:26-27) We will never be perfect, of course. But to continue to sin deliberately. To continue to pursue a lifestyle that offends God. To continue to refuse to give God the glory and honor He deserves is to wallow in filth. It’s to “trample underfoot the Son of God and profane the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified and outrage the Spirit of grace.” (Heb. 10:29) And this, my friends, is a dangerous thing. Just ask Nadab and Abihu. 

Readings for tomorrow: None

Sacrifice

Readings for today: Leviticus 7-9, Matthew 25:31-49

One of the biggest challenges in reading the Bible is keeping in mind the larger story. It is so easy to get down in the weeds whether we’re talking about the laws of Leviticus or the statistics/genealogies in Numbers or the tragic stories in Judges. It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and how each of the books of the Bible ties together to illustrate a seamless whole.  

The basic story the Bible tells happens in four acts. Act 1: Creation. God creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. Everything is good. Everything is right. Everything is beautiful. Humanity reigns and rules with God over all He has made. Act 2: Fall. Humanity rebels and decides to go it’s own way. Sin enters the world. Creation falls into ruin. Death. Disease. Pain. Suffering. All become commonplace. Act 3: Redemption. God doesn’t abandon His creation. Out of love He reaches out in rescue. Deliverance. Salvation. The culmination of His plan is Christ who defeats Sin and Death once and for all on the cross. Act 4: Glorification. The reunion of the heavens and the earth. The joining back together of the two spheres of life that were separated by the Fall. Jesus’ resurrection is the firstfruits of this reality and His promise is that He will return one day to make all things new. 

It’s important to note that Acts 2 and 3 are running simultaneously throughout the Scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, we see humanity rebel over and over against her God. We also see God’s grace on display as He relentlessly pursues those He loves. The sacrificial system instituted by Moses in Leviticus is one movement, if you will, within Act 3. It is not the final movement. Rather, it points beyond itself to the climax to come when Jesus will become the Perfect, Spotless Lamb. This entire system with it’s different offerings and different requirements and specific instructions is given as a means to prepare God’s people for Christ. To get them ready so they will recognize Him when He appears. It’s a system designed to prepare the heart and soul for the culmination of God’s redemptive purposes.  

By reading and reflecting on Leviticus, we are reminded over and over again of the extreme penalty our sin deserves. Death seems to reign throughout this book. You almost can’t turn around without stumbling over the carcasses of bulls, rams, sheep, goats, and turtledoves. The sacrificial fires would have been kept burning day and night as the people of Israel - now numbering in the hundreds of thousands - came to make their offerings. The priests must have been exhausted from all the hard work of gutting and dressing and cleaning each animal. The smell would have permeated the camp. Again, all to remind God’s people of the monumental effort it took to keep them holy before God.  

This should only deepen our appreciation for Christ. Fully God. Fully Man. As God, He is fully able to satisfy the justice of God for all sin for all time. As Man, He is able to truly represent us. Take our place. Become our substitute. In Christ, Act 3 comes to its glorious close! The Father making Him who knew no sin (Christ) to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God! (2 Cor. 5:21) Because of what He has done, no more sacrifices are required. No more blood needs to be shed. We ARE holy just as He is holy! This is the glory of the gospel which the Levitical sacrifices foreshadow. 

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 10-12, Matthew 26:1-19

Living Intentionally

Readings for today: Leviticus 4-6, Matthew 25:1-30

If I were ever to preach a sermon series (watch out PEPC!) on Leviticus, it would be titled “Living Intentionally.” I mean, if nothing else, you have to admire the integrity of the sacrificial system. It makes a certain kind of sense. God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly just. God is perfectly righteous. And this perfect God desires to dwell with His people. There’s only one problem. Sin. Human beings are not holy. Not just. Not righteous therefore they cannot enter into the presence of God. Something therefore must be done to purify them before the Lord. They need a substitute. Someone or something to take their place. Pay the price God’s justice demands. Make satisfaction for their sin. So God institutes a system whereby sins are paid for in blood. The blood of specific animals for specific sins. The result is a purified people who can now live in relationship with a perfectly pure God. 

Sadly, when we read this book, all we see are rules and regulations. Achaic laws governing strange behavior. We find them ridiculous. Dated. Certainly not binding or even relevant in a post-resurrection context where Christ has set us free from the demands of the Law. Of course, honesty demands that we acknowledge our innate hatred of any restrictions. We do not like to be told what to do or how to do it. We are Americans. Born to be free. Born with incredible privilege and opportunity. The very idea that someone - even God Himself - could demand anything from us is laughable. “I couldn’t believe in a God who...” As if God needs our belief? As if God should have to work to recruit us for His team? As if God has to prove Himself to us? It’s absurd. 

Furthermore, all one has to do is take a look at the state of the world around us and we can easily see what a mess we’ve made of things. We are not good people. We are not smart people. We are not intentional people. We are driven by desire. Our passions get the best of us. Our emotions often override any kind of rational thought. I love how Yuval Harari - himself an atheist Jew - put it in His bestselling book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , “Despite the astonishing things that humans are capable of doing, we remain unsure of our goals and we seem to be as discontented as ever. We have advanced from canoes to galleys to steamships to space shuttles – but nobody knows where we’re going. We are more powerful than ever before, but have very little idea what to do with all that power. Worse still, humans seem to be more irresponsible than ever. Self-made gods with only the laws of physics to keep us company, we are accountable to no one. We are consequently wreaking havoc on our fellow animals and on the surrounding ecosystem, seeking little more than our own comfort and amusement, yet never finding satisfaction. Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?” Scary, isn’t it? And right on point. 

So what do we do? How shall we live? Is there another way? The Psalmist paints the big picture that Leviticus works out in detail. “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated...Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalms‬ ‭36:1-2, 5-7‬) We have a choice. We can depend on ourselves or we can depend on God. We can trust ourselves or we can trust God. We can keep going down the paths we’ve created for ourselves or we can walk in the paths of the Lord. Does that mean we have to keep Levitical Law? Not necessarily. But it does mean we have to take God far more seriously and obey God far more faithfully than we currently do. In short, we have to live with godly intentionality. 

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 7-9, Matthew 25:31-49