No Favoritism-Leviticus 14; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12

These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing. – Leviticus 14:32

 

If you want to make God happy, what’s the price? Can He be bribed? If one man brings Him a car, what will God do with another man’s Hot Wheels collection? Laugh?

 

No. Seeking God’s forgiveness and clearance is not about bribes. It’s about atonement. Atonement is admitting to God that we deserve to be judged and bringing an appropriate sacrifice to take our place in being judged. It involved three sacrifices, each with a different message: I am guilty; I have sinned; I will give everything to please You, God. Atonement is weighty. Atonement is costly. Just to seek atonement for infections—not even moral sins!—required two male lambs and a ewe lamb.

 

But some people couldn’t afford that much. Did that mean that their lives could not be atoned?

 

No. God allowed them to bring less than the usual offerings. Two of their three sacrifices no longer needed to be lambs, but could be doves or pigeons. Does this imply that these people were inherently lesser, since their lives could be atoned with lesser offerings? No. It simply shows that God is not a God of favoritism. He allows all people to seek and find His forgiveness.

 

After all, the sacrifices were never able to completely atone for the people; it is impossible for animal sacrifices to take away sins (Heb. 10:1-4). By allowing poorer people to have access to atonement, God was speaking the same message of inclusiveness that He spoke when Jesus Christ died on the cross to offer salvation to all people—even Gentiles! Until Jesus died, even the best sacrifices being offered were not really enough. Everyone, rich or poor, needed to understand that atonement was costly, so some had to bring more costly sacrifices than others to feel the weight of their need. But everyone also needed to know that atonement was available for them, so some could bring less costly sacrifices than others—otherwise, atonement would have seemed to be out of reach!

 

Ultimately, none of the sacrifices was enough. Only Jesus was able to atone for our sins by His death. But His death was the same as the sacrifices offered in the Old Testament: atonement was both costly and available to include all people, no matter what their status in life.

 

Father, thank You that You have provided a sacrifice so costly that I could never have paid for it, a sacrifice for my atonement. And thank You that this sacrifice of atonement is available for me—not just for me, for anyone! Rich or poor, male or female, Jew or Gentile, ruler or ruled! I am poor, yet my life is atoned for through Jesus Christ! You are so good!

 

Infection-Leviticus 11-13; Psalm 38-39; Proverbs 10:8-10

Infections that spread. Ughh. No one wants those. I find it revealing that God, in His law, commands the Israelites to quarantine people for weeks while waiting to decide whether various symptoms are actually infections or just rashes. I mean, if it’s just a rash, can you imagine being quarantined for weeks over a rash?

 

On the other hand, what if you don’t quarantine the person, and it’s a contagious spreading infection?

 

I know these laws were written about physical health issues, but surely they have something to say about our spiritual lives, too, don’t they (compare the way Paul treats Deut. 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:9)? Infection is such an important issue that we should take every precaution when its symptoms seem to show up, and this principle applies to spiritual life, too. Anything that we see in one person, turning him from a healthy relationship with God to an unhealthy relationship with God, should be treated as potentially dangerous for the spiritual health of others. We care for the individual, gently seeking to understand what is happening in his life, and by caring for him, paying attention to his life and seeking to diagnose the spiritual symptoms accurately, we care for the whole community of believers.

 

Health matters. Not just physically, but spiritually.

 

Father, make us healthy people. We need Your healing touch physically and spiritually. We want to be whole, strong, ready to live life to the fullest in Your service and for Your glory. Help us to watch out for each other and to seek each other’s health. Remind us to take symptoms of infection seriously.

 

Accepted. Leviticus 9:7-10:20; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 10:6-7

Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. – Leviticus 9:23-24

 

Have you ever offended or hurt someone? Have you ever tried to ask for forgiveness when they were still offended, still hurting? Perhaps they were still angry? You really want a good relationship again, but you know they would be totally in the right to keep rejecting you. You really deserve their anger. But you ask for forgiveness anyway. You know that awkward pause that comes in times like these? It feels like forever, though it may be less than a second. And all you’re waiting to find out is whether the other person will accept you or reject you?

 

The Israelites’ leaders, Aaron and his sons, had just offered God the prescribed sacrifices. They had confessed their sins to God, and they had offered the sacrifices to ask for forgiveness.

 

But then there was a bit of a wait. Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting.

 

God’s response did not come until after they came out. They came out and blessed the people. And then God displayed His glory to all the Israelites! And fire came out from His presence! It burned up the burnt offering and the fat portions (from the sin offering) on the altar! The sacrifices were accepted!

 

And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

 

I wish I saw more of this joy among believers and even in my own heart and life. Sometimes I think I’m not fully aware of the wonderful grace of God: He has accepted me! He has forgiven me! He has forgiven us! Come on, people of God! Let’s shout for joy! Let’s respond to our God’s grace toward us! Let’s fall down on our faces before Him in happy worship! He is so kind! So gracious! So forgiving and loving!

 

Father, thank You for Your grace toward people, toward Your church, toward me! May I be full of joy each day just because You have accepted me.

 

Deadly Privilege, Deadly Responsibility. of Life - Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5

What has been done today was commanded by the LORD to make atonement for you. You must stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and do what the LORD requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded." So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD commanded through Moses. – Leviticus 8:34-36

 

Serving the Lord is a deadly privilege. It is a deadly responsibility. Which is ironic, since the goal of serving the Lord is to give people life.

 

When Aaron and his sons were consecrated, the event was deadly serious, though. Moses made sacrifices and put the blood of the sacrifices on Aaron and his sons to make atonement for them. Those who serve the Lord and His people must be people who have been forgiven for their sins, or they themselves will die.

 

When Aaron and his sons were consecrated, they had to stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and obey the LORD’s requirements. Disobedience to the LORD would bring death. Those who serve the Lord and His people must be obedient servants, or they themselves will die.

 

God wants to give life. But life is found only in His forgiveness. Life is found only in His ways. To make light of His forgiveness or to stray from His commands and ways is death. Those who want to lead people to life must understand the deadly consequences of straying from the LORD.

 

Father, help me not to make light of my relationship with You. Help me to take You seriously. Life is only found in You; help me to forsake everything else. Thank You for Jesus Christ, my atoning sacrifice through whom You have forgiven me. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, guiding me in Your commands and ways. I need You in every way. May others find life through me as they find You through me. And may any ministry I offer show them Your forgiveness and Your ways clearly.

 

No Dating God: Leviticus 6:1-7:27; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 10:3-4

The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. – Lev. 6:13

 

We are fickle creatures. Our attention darts quickly from one activity to another. Our eyes are never satisfied, and we constantly crave new experiences. Staying in one place too long, listening to one person too long, reading one book too long, eating the same food too long—they all grow boring. We must have options. We must have big menus. We must have 100s of ice cream flavors. We crave variety.

 

As Americans, this desire for variety extends even to our love lives. We begin, when we’re young, to date. Essentially, we taste-test many people’s beauty, intellect, wit, skillfulness, interests, and moodiness. We usually even taste-test each other’s sexuality. Compatibility is the goal, and so we sample each other and reject many relationships in our search for the one person who might fit comfortably enough to endure or even enjoy for a lifetime.

 

And if, after marriage, we don’t like the flavor of their lives—if we get a bit of a sour aftertaste—many of us feel justified to pursue the search for our favorite flavor. Some stay married, but flirt with others. Some have affairs and commit adultery, just to “keep things fresh and exciting.” Some grow so tired of the original spouse that they divorce, rejecting one person entirely, essentially returning them to the potential spouse store to be put back on the shelves for display, picking out a newer or classier model and returning home.

 

Our fickle craving for variety is the stuff unfaithfulness is made of. In some areas of life it matters more; in some areas less. And we easily lose track of the boundary line between permissible unfaithfulness and impermissible.

 

With God, unfaithfulness is impermissible. You don’t cheat on God. You don’t flirt with other ways of doing life away from Him. You don’t marry Him and then allow Your attention to fall away. You keep the fire burning.

 

I think that’s what Leviticus 6:13 (see also verses 9 and 12) is talking about. We could easily suggest that the fire represents fervor and zeal; perhaps it does. But I think the command then might be “keep the fire burning strongly.” We want zeal to blaze brightly, right? A good picture for zeal might be a bonfire, a forest fire, something really intense.

 

But this is not a picture of intensity. It’s a picture of faithfulness. Through the day, keep the fire of the burnt offering going. It should always be ready for service to God. Through the night, don’t let it die. Keep your attention on your relationship with God. A fire that is already going can quickly be worked up into a blaze, but a fire that has gone out is a picture of neglect. We dare not neglect our relationship with God, even for a moment. We dare not allow our attention to linger long enough on anything or anyone else that our readiness to serve God is extinguished.

 

Keep the fire burning. Through the day, through the night. Fiercely burning or gently glowing. Faithfully. Constantly. Always ready. This is the LORD we are talking about, and there is no room for unfaithfulness toward Him.

 

Father, thank You. All throughout history, You have called people to Yourself. You have told us how to know You, how to find forgiveness, how to live in love and righteousness and truth. You have provided for us, saved us, protected us, guided us, put up with us, and even enjoyed us. You have committed Yourself to us, even giving Your Son to die for us. And yet we dare to allow the flames of our commitment to You to die out. You are gracious. You do not expect us to be always at full force, but You call us to be always ready, open, oriented toward You and Your will. May we not grow bored with You. May we find variety within You, rather than apart from You. May we find that You are constant, but that You are profoundly deep and that we could never reach the end of new, wonderful, living experiences with You. Make us faithful. Keep our fires burning.

 

What if I Don't Know I Did Something Wrong? - Leviticus 4-5; Psalm 36; Proverbs 10:1-2

If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty. When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. – Lev. 4:27-28

 

Did I break the law if I don’t know I broke the law? Do I deserve punishment if I wasn’t trying to hurt anything? Should I have to pay if I wasn’t trying to take advantage?

 

Yes.

 

We like to think that our intentions make us innocent. They don’t. Our intentions simply reflect our limitations.

 

We don’t know everything. Even about right and wrong, we just don’t know everything. We are not the authorities. We don’t have everything under our control. When we mess up without knowing it, we just show again that we are not God… and that there’s a reason we are not God.

 

On the up side, when we sin without knowing it, at least God doesn’t condemn our motivations. He knows what we have done wrong, He understands that we are ignorant, and He provides a way to forgiveness. He doesn’t see us as rebels.

 

But if we sin without knowing it, we are still guilty of sin. We still need God’s forgiveness. Thank God! He offers His forgiveness so freely that He sent Jesus Christ to die so that we can be forgiven! Are we guilty for our unknown sins? Yes. But is God out to get us because of them? No. He knows our ignorance, He loves us, He provides a way of forgiveness. What a great God we serve!

 

Father, thank You that even though You are far more aware of my shortcomings and sins than I am, You do not despise me. You love me—Your dirty, sinful, ignorant creature—enough to clean me, make me righteous, teach me, and call me a son. May we not fear admitting that unknown sins make us guilty before You. We don’t have to plead ignorance, because that is not a sufficient plea to justify us. The only sufficient plea is that we believe in Your Son Jesus Christ, the King who died and rose for us—the Way You sent for us to be forgiven!

 

Pleasing to God, Remembering God, Fellowshipping with God: Leviticus 1-3; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18

Father, as I look over the sacrifices you required of the Israelites, I am challenged and encouraged to offer my life as a sacrifice filled with the same meanings as these sacrifices. Like the burnt offering, may my life’s work be fully devoted to You, filled with faith in You, a pleasure for You alone. Like the grain offerings, may my time be spent remembering Your work in me and for me, making sure that get the praise and thanks You deserve even in the small things. Like the fellowship offerings, may my wake time and sleep time, work time and rest time, providing time and receiving time—all my life—be a life lived in relationship with You. May I enjoy Your lordship, your fatherhood, your friendship. Every gracious relationship that You offer me I accept. I want to spend my life with You.

 

God Does Not Follow His People - Exodus 39-40; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 9:11-12

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out--until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

 

God does not follow His people; God’s people follow Him.

 

I think that sometimes believers get the idea, because of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20 (“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”), that we can relax about following our God. He’s always with us, right? He came to us, right? Surely, if we just sit on our couches and enjoy ourselves, He’ll stay with us, right? Why do the hard work of following Him wherever He leads when He has promised to be with us always?

 

That’s not how it was after the Exodus. When God stayed put, His people stayed put. When God moved, His people moved. If God stayed put and the people moved, they would no longer have been together. If God moved and the people stayed put, they would no longer have been together, either.

 

God is leading us toward His purposes, His destination, the fulfillment of His plans. When Jesus said that He would be with us always, it was immediately after He gave us our marching orders: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). For a believer not to be involved in these things is rebellion. A believer who refuses to follow Jesus’ lead in making disciples should not assume Jesus is with him; instead, he should test himself to see whether he really believes that Jesus is the Christ whom sinners killed, who rose to life again, and who is coming back one day to restore His kingdom and wipe sin, decay, curse, and death off the map.

 

If Jesus is our King, our Lord, our God, let’s act like it. Let’s follow Him.

 

Father, thank You that You are willing to be our King and Father. Thank You that You are willing to be with us—so willing that You sent Your Son to die so that we could be forgiven and have an open relationship with You! And thank You that now, as Your people, we can follow You all the way to heaven. Remind us to follow. Give us clear instructions day by day. Thank You for accepting our weak, limited, powerless obedience and guiding us forward by Your strong, limitless, powerful hand. Give us the strength and life to listen, to obey, to follow.

 

Emma's Quote of the Day:

 (Reading Jack and Jill, Emma points to the reddish stones at the base of the hill): “And Michael, that’s where all the blood is, because they fell down.”

 

Playing Hide-&-Seek with Michael

I was chasing Michael, and he ran to hide in our closet. He was laughing, giggling, and so easy to find. But in his mind, he was safe. He was hidden.

So I pretended I didn’t know where he was. In fact, I pretended I wasn’t even around. And I hid behind our dresser. I decided the easiest way to chase my little boy would be to wait him out.

It didn’t take long. I called, “Where’s Michael?” And then I waited. Laughing and giggling, Michael came out of hiding. When he didn’t see me, he started running toward the bedroom door to look for me. He ran right past my hiding place, and I caught him.

Sometimes hunting down our “prey” is better done by waiting and watching than by chasing.

Obeying as Much as You're Commanded: Exodus 37-38; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 9:9-10

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood--two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high… - Exodus 37:1

 

I love clear, detailed instructions. I don’t have to wonder what someone else wants that way; if I follow the instructions, I’ll fulfill their request.

 

Bezalel and his co-workers were blessed to have very detailed instructions from God as they built the tabernacle. And they obeyed those detailed commands—every one of them.

 

We should obey fully, too. When God commands us to do something specific, to accomplish some task, we should do it down to the last detail we have received from Him. And when God gives general commands, without a whole lot of details, we should seek to obey those general commands fully, too. Sometimes, because God hasn’t told us precisely what to do in each situation, obeying general commands feels more difficult. For instance, when we have to choose between loving our wife by taking her out on a date and loving a neighbor by driving him to a doctor’s appointment, which way do we turn to obey God’s command to love others? Such times may be confusing, but we still should seek to obey God. Probably if He hasn’t told us the specifics, we should be encouraged to move forward with at least one of the options we have before us, knowing that we will obey God’s command by doing either one. God knows our limitations.

 

Father, help me to obey You as fully as I know how. When You give specific commands in Your Word, may I obey them to the last detail. When You give general commands and I seem to have several options for fulfilling them, may I choose at least one of the options and obey You as fully as I know how with it. May I always respond to Your commands with obedience.

 

Generosity and Precision: Exodus 35:10-36:38; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8

Father, help me to be as generous as the Israelites were toward You. Help me to want Your work to be done in my life and in the lives around me enough that I give time, resources, skills – everything – to get Your work done. And help me to be as careful as they were about doing things Your way. It’s so tempting sometimes to take shortcuts and try to do Your work in my way. May I follow Your instructions as precisely as You have given them.

 

Foolishness. It's destructive.

This morning I finished breakfast before Emma and Michael, my children. Christy had already left the table, and I needed to start cleaning the kitchen, getting the kids' vitamins ready, and preparing for their after-breakfast activities. So I got up and went into the kitchen, only two steps around the corner from our table and our kids.

I wasn't in the kitchen long. But when I came back, I decided my time would have been better spent doing nothing but sitting at the table.

Milk was everywhere. On the table. On the chairs. On the floor. Everywhere. The kids were swimming in it.

Now I like my kids. But kids aren't known for their wisdom. They had decided in their childishness (they are children, after all) that the milk contained in their sippy cups would be better used for playing than for drinking. So they had turned their cups over and had shaken them up and down to encourage the milk to drip out. Then they had spread the milk, splashing their hands in it and swiping their hands through it.

The results were lovely, to say the least. They had fun, but their foolishness destroyed the milk, destroyed their freedom (time out was in order for a little while), and destroyed my efforts to save time by getting work done while they ate.

"Whoever fails to find [wisdom] harms himself." - Prov. 8:36. Perhaps I should have just stayed at the table.

"For Me" - Exodus 34:1-35:9; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6

“O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes,” he said, “then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.” – Exodus 34:9

 

How would you feel if a group of teens vandalized your home? If they slashed your tires? If they made flyers with your face photoshopped into some disgraceful scene and spread them all over your neighborhood?

 

What if your son came to you and said, “These guys are my friends. They’re with me. You love me, right? Can they go on vacation with us?”

 

The Israelites had worshiped an idol, a golden calf. They took this thing they had made with their own hands and jewelry, and they praised it as though it had overcome Pharaoh and the Egyptians, as though it had divided the sea, as though it had sent the ten plagues. They equated God with a lump of metal. They trashed God’s name.

 

Moses was faithful to God. He hadn’t trashed God’s name. He was serving God wholeheartedly. God was pleased with him.

 

But did God appreciate Moses enough to put up with the rest of the Israelites? That’s what Moses asked for: “O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us.” Essentially, Moses said, “Love them for me. For me.” Moses asked an incredibly bold favor. The thing is, it was granted.

 

Jesus Christ has done the same thing for us. He is our advocate with His Father, pleading with God to accept His human brothers and sisters. “Father,” He says, “Love them for me.”

 

Father, thank You that Your best servants are so generous, like You. Thank You that we have Your Son, Jesus Christ, seeking our best interests. Thank You that You are so willing to forgive us that You will include us—who have sinned against You—in the favor and love You show toward others. Thank You that You loved Moses and Jesus so much that You were willing to include the rest of us in Your love for them.

 

"Where Did You Learn to do That?" - Exodus 30:11-31:18; Psalm 32; Proverbs 8:27-32

Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts--to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.” – Exodus 31:1-6

 

Father, so often we believe that our skills are natural, inherent, self-taught. But they come from You.  Even as we go about doing what we do best, may we learn to humbly praise You for giving us the skills that we have.

 

What Work Did God Do Before Creation? - Exodus 29:1-30:10; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26

 “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” – Proverbs 8:22-23

 

When things weren’t they way they are now, when there were no seas, no sky, no land; no fish, no birds, no animals; no micro-sized life forms, no expansive galaxies; no men, women, or children—was anything happening? When God was alone, by Himself, with no creatures to watch over, sustain, or enjoy, was He bored? Did He work? If He worked, what did He work on? Before us, was God’s life meaningless, dry, purposeless? Without us, could God enjoy anything?

 

Amazingly enough, God wasn’t bored without us there. He had work to do. He had purposes that did not require our existence. And He had joy. Alone. Without us. For God, life was still good.

 

What was He up to?

 

Wisdom.

 

From before creation, God was working with, giving birth to, and enjoying His virtues. He was producing gloriously good works, good things that have been with Him forever and that we can recognize in our world today. His goodness—beautiful treasures that everyone enjoys and values—is made up of characteristics that we cannot see, smell, hear, taste, or feel. But these characteristics, such as wisdom, have been God’s work, purpose, and joy since before creation. God has always been good, worked on what is good, produced what is good, and rejoiced in goodness. So life for God has always been good, interesting, purposeful, enjoyable.

 

Father, thank You that I get to know You. Thank You that I can be called a child of God—a child of a God so good that even before Creation He was producing good and valuable treasures, like wisdom. You are truly amazing, You are wise, and Your life must be perfect bliss. Thank You for creating us, being patient with us, and sacrificing for us. You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t need us so that You could be happy, because Your life has always been filled with wonderful goodness! Thank You for spreading that goodness toward us!

 

Clothes, Dignity, and Honor: Exodus 28; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13

Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor. – Exodus 28:2

 

Bernard Madoff has nice clothes. Does that mean he has dignity and honor? This man who allegedly has confessed to a $50 million Ponzi scheme—do his clothes keep him above reproach?

 

Today we might question the legitimacy of Exodus 28:2. We don’t believe that clothes make the man. Because they don’t.

 

So what was God saying? Our God, who knows men’s hearts more intimately than men do, surely knew that honorable, dignified clothes wouldn’t make honorable, dignified men!

 

And of course, God did know these things. But God was appointing Aaron and his sons to represent Himself. And God is a God of honor and dignity. His people are to represent Him with honor and dignity. This honor and dignity is given to us. It begins as God allows us to enter a relationship with Him, forgiving our sins. It extends to our hearts and minds as God goes beyond forgiving us to teaching us how to live life with goodness and love. It goes beyond our minds and hearts to our actions and words as God disciplines us and instills discipline in us so that we begin to do His will habitually. God makes His people honorable. God gives His people dignity. Without God, they would have none.

 

So when God commands sacred clothes for Aaron “to give him dignity and honor,” God is commanding the Israelites to continue growing in what He has already begun. The God who has honor and dignity works in His people to make them honorable and dignified. His people are to represent Him, and the honor and dignity He gives must show up on the outside, too, where everyone can see it.

 

Let’s do everything we can to represent our God with honor and dignity, all the while realizing that what we do outwardly means nothing apart from what God does inwardly.

 

Father, make me an honorable, dignified man so that I can represent You well. Whether I’m wearing snazzy clothes or work clothes, may people see that You are honorable and dignified because of Your work in me and through me. You deserve the best representation I can give You—and I can only represent You as You work in me. Do Your work in me.

 

Serving Those Who Deserve Their Daily Trouble-Exodus 21:22-23:13; Psalm 29; Proverbs 7:6-23

If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. – Exodus 23:4-5

 

“He got what he deserved.”

 

Doesn’t it feel good to say that? Isn’t it awesome when things just happen, and people who have been a royal pain in the keister suddenly get what they’ve had coming? Shouldn’t we rejoice when justice simply happens?

 

Justice is good. And ultimately, we know that God will make sure justice comes.

 

But justice usually doesn’t happen in the every day details of life. Justice happens in a courtroom and as the result of a judge’s measured deliberation. Justice occurs when a carefully weighed sentence is carried out. Justice doesn’t simply happen.

 

So when we see someone who has mocked and ridiculed people, who has insulted them and denigrated them to the point of tears, and this person’s in need, our God calls us not to turn away. When we see a youth who has vandalized the neighborhood, deliberately annoyed everyone after being asked to stop blaring his music, and broken into our vehicles to steal our electronics, and this youth’s car has a flat tire, we should stop to help him. When our next door neighbor is a 57-year old convict who served his jail time for assaulting his wife, and his disability prevents him from cleaning his completely clogged and sagging gutters, we should not neglect his need.

 

Justice will happen. But it will happen in a courtroom and through a sentence. Ultimately, the good and righteous Judge or the whole world will make certain that justice stands. But outside the courtrooms, in the day to day rhythms of life, we are not judges. We are neighbors. And even though people hurt us, insult us, and scare us, we are to live like neighbors, helping and serving even the people who treat us badly.

 

Love your enemies and those whose lives are despicable. Help them. Serve them. Be their neighbor. Leave justice where it belongs, in the courtroom of the Judge.

 

Father,

I fall so short of Your commands. When I fail to serve people I don’t like, I often find an excuse that sounds better than “I don’t like him.” I’ll say, “I don’t have time right now,” or, “I don’t know how to help with that.” But for others, for those I respect, I would have found the time; I would have called up a friend with the right skills to counsel me. Forgive me for neglecting my neighbors. Forgive me for lying about the motivations for my neglect. Help me to trust Your righteousness and justice so that I can serve joyfully and gladly. Help me to remember that helping a terrible person with his normal daily needs will not protect Him from Your judgment in the end. Help me to have compassion on the worst of people because I know they face the worst of fates. And strengthen my resolve and power to serve them. Maybe they, too, can find the mercy I have found in the death and resurrection of my Lord and King Jesus Christ, who took the punishment that was justly mine! Help me to serve because You have served me, and may my service lead the worst of people into Your grace.

 

"You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me"-Exodus 19:16-21:21; Psalm 28; Proverbs 7:1-5

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. – Exodus 20:2-3

 

When God commits Himself to us, we can do nothing less than commit ourselves to Him. Anything less is not only idolatry; it’s an insult.

 

Father, I am Yours. May those who do not yet realize what You have done for them hear and believe that Your Son Jesus Christ became one of us, died on a cross for our sins, rose from the dead to lead us out of sin and death, and is now at Your right hand preparing a home for us. May we all be set free from our slavery to sin and death and, once free, may we gratefully follow only You! “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15

 

The LORD is My Banner-Exodus 17:8-19:15; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. – Exodus 17:15

 

When we think of God and banners, we usually think of the phrase, “His banner over me is love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). But here in Exodus, the banner refers to what had just happened: As Moses had lifted up the staff of God, the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites in battle. The altar Moses built was a tribute and memorial to the LORD’s overwhelming power against his people’s enemies.

 

Yikes! In today’s America, a warrior God is not very politically correct! Can we actually serve a God who makes war, a God who accepts praise for His victory in battle? Or have we come to a point where we only accept a God who never fights?

 

Certainly, there have been times when God’s people attacked others, wrongly believing they were doing God’s work. Not all war done in God’s name is good.

 

But not all war is bad. God is good. He has declared war on all that is twisted, warped, and wicked in this world.* The LORD is the banner over His people. He is leading them, transforming them, preparing them for a completely redeemed world. His banner over us is love—love toward those He is redeeming. But to those who oppose God, to those who reject His good plans to remove wickedness, death, and decay from this world, there is nothing left but death. They are not only outside the LORD’s camp; they oppose it. The same banner that is love to God’s people is war to God’s enemies.

 

Praise God! This LORD is our banner! Would we really want to serve a God who didn’t take a stand for the good things He’s doing?

 

Father, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your power to get good things done. Thank You for protecting Your good works. Thank You for protecting Your people, the people who have agreed to let You make them good. Thank You that You are the banner of Your people, and that those You represent will be victorious.

 

*I am not advocating religious wars here. I am saying that when God goes to war, He is good. When people go to war and claim they are doing God’s will, their claims are subject to examination.

 

When God Seems Far Away - Exodus 15:19-17:7; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26

And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?" – Exodus 17:7

 

The Israelites didn’t feel like life was as blissful as it ought to be for people whose God was the Creator and Ruler of the universe. They were going through the desert and had no water. They reasoned that if they claimed to follow the God who provides for the whole universe, then that God ought to make life especially easy for His own people.

 

So they grumbled and quarreled. Life wasn’t easy.

 

And they tested God. Rather than trusting Him—the God who had already brought them out of Egypt by sending ten plagues on the Egyptians, the God who had divided the Red Sea for them, the God who had destroyed the Egyptian army in the same Red Sea, the God who had sweetened the water at Marah, the God who fed them every day with manna from heaven—rather than trusting this God who gave them evidence every day that He was with them, guiding and caring and providing for them, the Israelites set up a test: If God gave them water, He was with them; if He didn’t, He wasn’t with them (implication: “we need to find a new god”).

 

This kind of behavior basically spits in God’s face. Yes, we follow God because He is capable of caring for us. Sure, we should expect that a good and powerful God will provide us with good things. But when God has delivered us from oppression, saved us from danger, guided us safely along a path we do not know, destroyed our enemies (at least some of them!) already and has already provided water where no drinkable water existed, when God makes it clear every day that He is there for us (pillar of cloud and fire/today: His recorded words available and His Spirit within us), when God is literally giving us our daily bread every day, is this response right? When we test God, aren’t we just becoming manipulators? Aren’t we treating God more like a slave than a God?

 

Father, help me to trust You today and every day. You are God. You are visibly providing most of what I need every day. When needs come up and I can’t see how you’re meeting them, remind me of all the things You have already done for me. Open my eyes to all the things You are already doing for me today! And teach me to humbly ask You about the needs that are overwhelming me. You are God. You are good. You are with me. Help me to be thankful and humble, trusting that You will meet all my needs. And help me never to manipulate You, wickedly pretending that You have not been good to me for long enough that I can fully trust You now.