Standing in the Storm

Today is leap day, so the reading is just three verses about the bible itself. Instead ... let's turn it up!

Whatever comes,

I'm not giving up.

I still got some life in me!

Providing for the Absolution

Scripture: The anointed priest will then bring some of the blood into the Tent of Meeting, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times before God in front of the curtain. He will smear some of the blood on the horns of the Altar which is before God in the Tent of Meeting and pour the rest of it at the base of the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Leviticus 4:16-18

Observation: Almost every sacrifice involves the process of presenting the sacrifice to the Lord before the tent of meeting, killing it if applicable, then burning it on the alter. This - the "absolution offering" (or "purification offering" in other translations) - actually defines two exceptions for this. In these two exceptions, as part of the killing of the offering, the blood is actually taken inside the Tent of Meeting. Here, it is sprinkled not on the tent itself, but on the curtain/partition that stands between the priest and the holy of holies. The blood is also smeared not on the normal alter, but on the small alter of incense that sits right there in front of the holy of holies.

In other words, this act requires an interaction with the Lord that is much more up-close. It isn't just addressing the confession of sin, but it is also addressing the fact that something has happened that could harm the overall relationship between the Lord and the entire nation of Israel. And what are the two exceptions or occasions that warrant this more intimate interaction? They are the accidental sinning of the priest, and the accidental sinning of the entire nation.

Application: I have read this section before, and I have in fact offered an absolution offering for myself ... for sins I may have committed for which I am not even sure and aware. I am just a member of the body of Christ, so my offering was standard, offered in the manner we have today (money, not burning goats), with a 'normal' process.

That said, as I have written often about the sins of our nation and the path we are on mostly without awareness of, or regard for, the Lord's commands, today I wonder what it will require to make a sacrifice in a manner that addresses and heals the direct relationship between the Lord and his people. Even just yesterday I wondered how it could be possible for all mankind to come back from the precipice. Well, here is a procedure ... but there is another truth beyond this procedure.

Jesus tore down the partition between mankind and the 'holy of holies', and he is the path the Lord now. So perhaps that is the answer ... faith in Messiah removes the need to address the fracture at that innermost access to Yahweh.

I understand Jesus became the sacrifice for all sacrifices, and his blood was spilt for all sin. He tore the cloth, and by faith we now have no partition between us and God. While certainly we all must continue to continue our actions within that relationship, seeking forgiveness for sin and pondering our state of 'cleanliness', our great high priest is already in front of the holy of holies, where our prayers rise like burning incense before the throne. And this is a great hope ... that there is already a way for all mankind - all nations, all God's faithful people - to be absolved and purified together, when we realize and overcome the unintended sins we are committing as a group, and return to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I have asked for restoration of our nation, knowing the major issues and sins we are perpetrating, and I have admitted that the issues seem to huge that I cannot fathom what the way back really looks like. Well, you defined a way back, then you defined how you already provided all that is needed for it through Jesus. You are so great and wonderful, my Lord and my God. May one day our division and fighting and blasphemies be turned to praise and thanksgiving and prayer in your honor. Amen, and amen.

Considering the Future Path Back

Scripture: Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.” Mark 10:5-9

Observation: The Pharisees have asked Jesus about marriage, and Jesus gives a response that is vague enough that the disciples later ask for clarification. There is conflicting guidance on the matter ... the Lord intends for a man and a woman to come together without separation, yet Moses created a precept that allows for divorce. Jesus explains why ... Moses knew that people were hardhearted and could not comply with the true law.

This is difficult to understand, but the logic seems to be as follows. The Lord has commands and precepts and laws we are to comply with. However, when he knows we cannot do it, he sometimes makes a provision out of his mercy that allows us to remain close to him and perhaps later discover his truth and love, instead of simply throwing us into the darkness. He doesn't remove the existence of the law or even deny its negative ramifications, but in his mercy he provides a path back from the shame of the sin.

Application: I sin often, and I am so glad I am not thrown into the darkness. Instead, I have salvation through Jesus, and by my faith in Jesus I receive forgiveness. That doesn't mean I don't sin, nor does it mean I won't sin again unfortunately, and it absolutely doesn't mean my sin isn't wrong or it has no consequences. It means the Lord made a way for me to find my way back to him.

Eventually, maybe soon, maybe in a few years, or maybe a generation or two from now ... we are going to have a LOT of people who are living with the guilt and shame and remorse over the principles under which they lived their early life, and we - the Church - are going to need a way for them to reconcile to God and give their faith to Jesus. That doesn't mean embracing sin, but it does mean ... a process or method or logical path someone can easily take, without shame and earthly judgment, to rediscover God's love.

I don't think "embracing" or "approving" or "endorsing" the sin itself is the way. Neither do I think a process that would involve public denouncements or requiring an overt act of repentance is the way. It will need to involve a relationship between the person involved and the Lord, and trusting in that relationship, allowing that their faith simply exists and is real, just like we do with everyone else we baptize. However, the entry path - the starting point of that process - will need some divine guidance. I do not know where the church leader who can define such a path can be found anymore.

Prayer: Lord, this is my greatest fear for the young generation today. Not that they are behaving as they are, but that there is no path of return for them. Please do not leave them lost forever. Today's bad decisions cannot be eternal, but a future good decision can be. I pray you help us all in creating and supporting the path to that future good decision. Amen.

We are Billions of Johns

Scripture: Meanwhile they were asking, “Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?” Jesus replied, “Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly.” Mark 9:11-13

Observation: After the transfiguration, Peter, James, and John ask Jesus about a specific element of Messiah. With the full understanding that Jesus is truly Messiah, they wonder how that can be since the scriptural scholars agree that Elijah would "come" first to usher in Messiah. Jesus responds in a manner that indicates the fact that this prophesy wasn't about Elijah, but about a prophet in the manner of Elijah, and that prophet was John the Baptist. And true to prophesy, John came first, introduced Jesus, then was killed just as predicted.

This emphasizes the importance of John. It is always interesting how the first disciples did come to understand this, so much so that all four gospels emphasize John's ministry. Luke literally begins with an account of John's - not Jesus' - conception. Mark and John begin their recount with John's ministry, not Jesus. Matthew spends time on Jesus' childhood, but the first 'ministry' conversations are about John. Jesus' revelation about John was so well understood by the disciples, that in telling the world about Jesus they felt they absolutely needed the context of John.

Why has this changed? Why is it that we effectively never tell 'seekers' about John the Baptist? John is no longer "necessary context" for understanding Jesus or believing in his Messiahship.

Well ... maybe that last statement isn't actually true. Yes, John was the predicted form of Elijah who prepared the way for the Messiah with the message "repent, for the Kingdom of God is near!" However, it is very likely that John is now ... billions of believers, within the Church of Jesus Christ, who are supposed to be preparing the rest of the world to receive the gospel of Jesus by telling them that the Kingdom of God is near!

Application: If I am now John the Baptist - a form of Elijah who is supposed to be preparing the world to have a heart to receive the good news about redemption and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ - how am I doing at that? No, I don't need to wear camel hair and eat locust, but I am to be telling others of their need for salvation, softening their hearts to receive the love of God, and guiding them toward baptism.

There are elements of that I participate in. The one element I would like to improve on is ... softening their hearts. I am not a peace-making, heart-softening kind of person. I am too judgmental and strong-headed, angry at the world for its downfall and rebellion against God. I am not gently leading anyone to a point in their life where they are receptive to the idea of Messiah.

It is easy for me to declare that many people are so lost and broken - and in that brokenness, they are so violently hostile toward God in and anyone like me who may mention God - that there is no gentle path upon which to lead them to the metaphorical river. However, that is in fact the easy way out. It isn't the John way. If the world needs more John the Baptists, maybe I better get busy becoming one.

Prayer: Lord, I have a heart to be kind to others as a means to engage them about Jesus, but as you know I am not very good at that. May your Holy Spirit work within me every day, to soften my own heart, so I can find gentle ways to approach others and soften their hearts. Amen.

Commands Over Traditions

Scripture: He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!" Mark 7:9

Observation: This is how Jesus responds to the Pharisees' question about why his disciples do not ceremonially wash before meals. He delineates the difference between God's commands, and the religious practices that have been created. In fact, what he really says is that they are in conflict and thus the religious people have completely discarded the actual commands and teachings and instructions of precepts of the Lord, because they would interfere with the religious-sounding practices and activities they wish to pursue instead.

Application: At its core, this is how I feel about my in-laws. They are faithful believers in Jesus, but they also give my wife grief over her job as a pastor, and the activities of our church. They question it because they think church requires ... old wood pews, hymnals, organ music, and a printed order of service with some activities labeled with Latin. They have their religious practices, and don't like it when the work of the Great Commission (for example) would interfere with those practices.

I am sure I have issues and blind spots in this area, too. I certainly have things I 'like' about certain church activities, and others I don't like, and carry those opinions regardless of what the Lord may instruct about which may or may not align to his commands. This is likely part of being human, and part of the trap of original sin, which is falling into a pattern of preferring our own decisions instead of relying completely on the Lord for instruction and decisions. I am not above that, and should not judge others. However, I can be aware of it, especially in myself.

The great point I think is that this is not about preferences, but about obedience and faith. Again, our behavior should align to the Lord's commands, and not to human-made standards, practices, and rituals, even when those elements were initially intended as a tool to assist with obedience (and especially when they were created to simply serve the church and not the Lord).

Prayer: Lord, may by behavior not be based on ritual, nor upon my preferences for what I like to do. Instead, may I simply follow your instructions and directions for living. Amen.

Only Able to Do what they Know

Scripture: When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, “Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what’s happened to him?” Exodus 32:1

Observation: As Moses has spent several weeks on the mountain receiving God's covenant and instructions, Israel builds a golden calf and worships it as a god. These are people who have seen first-hand the mighty hand of Yahweh; They witnessed the plagues against Egypt, participated in the crossing of the parted sea, and even heard God's commands as he called Moses up the mountain. They know of Yahweh, even believe in him and celebrate him, but they have no idea what to do and how to behave when it comes to ... being with him.

Israel knows from their lives in Egypt that celebrating and being near your 'god' means to direct worship toward some golden statue, and that's what they do here. They know nothing else. They don't know how to pray, or how to be in relationship with the loving spirit of God, or to listen to that spirit in relationship, or feel hope and mercy and pass that along to others as an expression of faith. They just don't have these examples and lessons. Even as they know that the Lord acted with great might while being unseen, they cannot translate that into their daily behavior.

It is this understanding that make a relationship with the Lord so different from the rest of life. The rest of life involves material things and physical experiences. A relationship with the Lord involves communing with the Holy Spirit, trusting in historical truth, and listening for the voice of the Lord to guide and comfort and help and encourage.

Application: Lord, this is a lesson I forget often. I often look for you to act in this world ... for my relationship with you to manifest as something that this existence would define as "real". This error sets me up for idol worship ... for the idea that I will look to something physical to represent you, instead of simply looking to you and engaging in a relationship with you through the Holy Spirit.

Like Israel, I try to put you in the context of what I know of this world. That's backwards, and I know it. I should be putting this world into the context of you, its creator. My I remember that proper order and context more often, every day.

Prayer: Lord, you are my Lord and my God and my savior and my creator. You are also my daddy. May I order the rest of my life in a manner that makes you first and central, with everything else subordinate to you, and may that ordering then define my behavior. Amen.

Then Please Claim It

Scripture:
God claims Earth and everything in it,
God claims World and all who live on it.
Psalm 24:1

Observation: This powerful psalm is about the Lord claiming all the earth for his glory, honor, and good purposes. It asks who can be part of this world where the Lord rules, and answers that it is the faithful who believe and honor the Lord. This then begs for the response in the second half of the psalm ... that those who are failing to honor the Lord need to "wake up" because the King of Glory is about to arrive, and that King of Glory is the Lord God almighty, mighty in battle, strong in might, and prepared to judge.

Application: Again I say, oh that this would happen now! How wonderful it would be for the King of Glory - the Lord God almighty - to openly stake his claim in all the earth, oppose the evil that exists in our cities and in our society, and embrace the proclamation by his believers that he is wonderful, powerful, just, merciful, loving, and true. It would be so great if the earth and everything in it ... the world and all who live on it ... would turn their face to the Lord.

Prayer: Please, Lord, come claim your world. While even your faithful are not perfect and proper to your instructions, we strive to be so, and we long for your goodness to rule. There are so many challenges that it seems clear only your power and authority can overcome the dark of this world. Please, come claim it. Amen.

Sizing Up the Problem

Scripture: They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can worship our God lest he strike us with either disease or death.” Exodus 5:3

Observation: The stage is set for Moses to pursue the release of Israel from Pharoh, yet that isn't even what he first asks for. He doesn't ask for total release, he asks for ... a three-day weekend. It is to this simple request that Pharoh not only says no, but even gets angry and punishes all of Israel for asking.

This is the true size of the challenge ahead. Of course Pharoh wouldn't simply allow several hundred thousand slaves to walk away free. The economy of Egypt was based on slave labor, so saying "let us go" was a non-starter. But Pharoh won't even allow them to take a break to worship their God. There is no possible break in store for them, ever. This is the problem against which God will contend and win ... not one large problem like commanding Pharoh to release slaves, but one problem so huge that something miniscule by comparison is a total non-starter for Pharoh.

Application: I often think about the HUGE problems we have on earth, and wonder how God could overcome them. Well, I may wonder 'how', but I should never wonder 'if', because the Lord has proven his ability to overcome totally impossible problems. He doesn't just take on an issue, he takes on issues so massive that the tiny trial-run, inconsequential version of that problem is itself impossible.

I don't know what God's going to do about the problems in our world. They are massive. What I do know is that he is totally capable of fixing everything. He will decide how to do it. I just need to participate however he decides - which might even be just watching in awe - and worship the Lord both before, during, and after he acts.

Prayer: Lord, you are the great and mighty Lord God, creator of heaven and earth. You wield your mighty arm as you wish, and nations tumble. I celebrate how you will overcome these tremendous problems we have, and I don't celebrate after the work is complete, but now even when it seemingly hasn't begun. You have sized up the problem for us, and we know it is massive, which only makes your victory all the more amazing. Hallelujah! Amen.

Amazed when Others Listen

Scripture:
You rescued me from a squabbling people;
you made me a leader of nations.
People I’d never heard of served me;
the moment they got wind of me they listened.
Psalm 18:43-44

Observation: The psalmist has asked for the Lord's protection and salvation, and then acknowledges this outcome ... the Lord doesn't just deliver, but elevates him even higher. He doesn't just go from 'in trouble' to 'not in trouble,' but advances to "leader of nations". He advances from lowly to listened to.

Application: The low point in my life is now behind me, but in hindsight it looked a little like what is described here. I was in a job where I had been hired due to my expertise. Immediately, everyone there rejected all I said, resisted improvements, and backstabbed me to the point of destroying my career (and I did more fighting back than I should have). God rescued me from that - what had been considered a position of leadership - and placed me a seemingly obscure position, and from here ... I have had officials from countries ranging from Ghana to Romania to Brazil to Norway - and so many others - seek my advice, listen to my opinions and instructions, and consider me an expert. People I'd never heard of listened to me.

I am not personally proud of this. I truly wish to serve others in this capacity, and I sincerely find joy when a coworker succeeds because I was able to help in a situation. I remain at the bottom of any 'org chart' that could be created, and am content to be there. In rescuing me, the Lord has shown me a different way of living, and I embrace it. I do not wish to be served by anyone, nor have anyone seek or receive 'orders' from me. I only wish to avoid squabbling and help everyone I possibly can.

Prayer: Lord, you did rescue me. I know this, but I am still amazed by it, unworthy as I am of any attention or care from you. May I offer others the opportunity to feel better about themselves today. Amen.

Waiting for the Flood

Scripture: The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. Matthew 24:37-38

Observation: As Jesus concludes his passage about the timing of the 'end times', he compares it to Noah and the flood. People were "carrying on as usual, having a good time," ignorant of the impending event. Jesus uses that to describe how people won't know the timing of his second coming.

However, Jesus isn't just saying that the even will arrive like the flood did ... suddenly and unexpectedly. He is more directly saying that people will be behaving as they did "in times like Noah's". And what were those times like? "God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." (Genesis 6:12) That is the immediate context right before "So God said to Noah ...". Earth was full of corruption and sin. Specifically, people had corrupted their own ways. They were not just acting in sin toward each other, but they were corrupting themselves. The people were doing things that harmed their very own lives, corrupting their very own 'image of God' through acts that undermined their own created nature.

These were the times of Noah, and they describe the time when Jesus will return.

Application: As we can read the budding of leaves on a tree and know that the winter is ending, so may the Church today read the signs of the times and be prepared.

Prayer: Lord, I am prepared, and hopefully working as you would have me do. I hope I do better at that every day, being a proper servant. May this be said of your entire Church, whether your arrival be now, soon, or still in the distant future. Amen.

Right Concepts but Wrong Context

Scripture:
When times get bad, people cry out for help.
They cry for relief from being kicked around,
But never give God a thought when things go well,
when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts,
When God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom,
using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.
People are arrogantly indifferent to God—
until, of course, they’re in trouble,
and then God is indifferent to them.
Job 35:9-12

Observation: Elihu is the 'fourth' friend who shows up after the three elders have given up in correcting Job. He corrects everyone, and his message is this ... the Lord is the creator of all things and in control of the entire universe, so no one can possibly understand everything he understands and how he chooses to interact with his creation. He summarizes people's own reaction to the Lord this way: People turn to God when they are in need, but forget him when their lives are going good, and despite the fact that he has laid out all nature itself as evidence of his greatness, they usually ignore him completely (so of course he ignores them back).

Elihu probably does come closest to being accurate about the Lord, at least as far as the fact that humans cannot completely understand the Lord and thus should worship God at all times, in all circumstances. However, Elihu is still trying to explain God. The idea that creation itself is evidence of the Lord's greatness and love and power and complex mind is accurate, but the idea that the Lord ignores humans out of pettiness for us ignoring him denies the Lord's same love and patience and mercy.

And in all of this, Elihu is most wrong in this ... declaring he has it all figured out. Even when he is right, he is right due to his own intellectual judgment, and by human standards of correctness.

Application: When I read Elihu, I myself feel he is about 80 percent correct. If the wisdom of the three friends was sort of like reading Proverbs, and the wisdom of Job was sort of like reading Ecclesiastes, Elihu is some balance between them. He acknowledges God's greatness, states God is unknowable, and summarizes it by stating that the best we should all do is worship and trust in the Lord.

Yet, I find he is missing God's love. He declares understanding is a context that seems devoid of relationship. He has the concepts right, but the context wrong.

I am NOT declaring a better understanding than Elihu. I don't get the concepts and understanding right most of the time, and I fail to apply what I do understand almost all the time. However, I strongly believe in the context, which is God's great love, expressed most notably through Jesus Christ. The truth is, if that is all I really understand, it is enough.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your love. I do see your love and greatness all around me, but I also know it permeates our relationship with you. May I serve you better and better every day. Amen.

Let the Lion Roar

Hail, Hail Lion of Judah!!

Lamenting Common Sense

Scripture:
Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
Proverbs 3:21-22

Observation: The more accurate translation of verse 21 tells the reader to hang onto "wisdom and understanding" - common words in Proverbs referring to the Lord's word and instructions - however "clear thinking and common sense" are an interesting spin on the same idea. These two ideas are so basic. They don't imply education or advanced philosophical thought, but rather just imply basic logic. And what elements of modern life completely defy "clear thinking and common sense"?

-- Celebrating babies being born either 'girl' or 'boy', then declaring that genders are fluid and non-binary

-- Protesting when police arrest a person who fights against them while committing a violent crime because we say the police did it due to the color of his skin

-- Celebrating the idea that everyone has an abnormal mental health anomaly, ignoring the fact that wasn't true just 30 years ago

-- Holding elections for the benefit of our country, and in those elections attempting to critically destroy everything we can about our country and our people

-- Justifying terrorist aggression as if it's a valid act of a territorial war, ignoring the history of the actual territory and local violent oppression

-- Stating we want to help the homeless and destitute restore their lives, while also facilitating 'safe' drug use

-- Refusing to allow trained individuals to examine the emotional stability of teens whose brains we know are undergoing major physiological change, and also defending the teens' access to guns

Application: I know very, very well there are hundreds of millions of people who would read what I just wrote and declare ME as the problem with society today. They would call me ignorant, racist, intolerant, privileged, unenlightened, uninformed, bigoted ... hateful.

And here is all I will say of them ... their souls are not alive and well, but I pray for their good that they will be someday.

Prayer: Lord, so many believers on earth have been declaring hope in 'awakening' and 'revival'. Oh, that it may be so, Lord! We as a society are in such a dark place. First and foremost, may we be your light. And second, may that light spark light in others and become a roaring flame. Amen.