Bitter Water

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Numbers 5

Modern feminism has made us hyper-sensitive to the roles of men and women. “Equality!” they cry. They see misogyny in the eyes of every male. So I imagine if your sympathies lie with the feminists, you went ballistic as you read this chapter.

“You mean if some jerk gets jealous of his wife – even without reason – he could take her before the church and force her to drink dirty water that could cause her to blow up like a balloon, in great pain, and maybe leave her unable to ever have children? He’s jealous… and she pays?”

I know. It’s awful if that’s what you get out of reading these verses. But is that really what we see here?

Notice this is a ceremony of a husband who recognizes HIS sin of jealousy. He brings a sacrifice to the priest to atone for HIS sin. Hearing his wife’s public declaration of her innocence, then watching her drink the cursed liquid without having all those horrible things happening to her, was proof that his jealousy was unwarranted, and he is right to confess his sin in order to be forgiven.

Do I think even one innocent woman suffered those physical ailments as a result of drinking the disgusting water? No.

Do you know why I’m 100% sure of that? Because God commanded a jealous husband to confess his sin in this way. And God doesn’t make mistakes.

Yes, more than likely there were women who had affairs, and maybe they did suffer the harmful effects of the bitter water. Scripture doesn’t say one way or the other. But I am looking at the innocent woman and the seemingly unfair treatment of her.

God is not a misogynist. In fact, I see a God who gave dignity to a women unjustly accuse You don’t treat women like that and expect God to be ok with it. This jealous husband who may have wanted to humiliate his wife, was publicly humiliated himself. His jealously was a sin everyone could see. He needed to repent of that sin.

If you were upset by what you read in Numbers 5, go back and read it again. This time remember the character of God, and see if you don’t recognize his love and mercy for both the man who needed to repent, and his wife who needed to be exonerated.

It’s in there.

They Did Everything. It’s a Miracle

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Numbers 1-2

God organized the Jewish people in a very specific manner. There were boundaries. You heard me boundaries. But I digress.

Each family unit was assigned their place within the nation. They knew where they were to pitch their tents, and where they were to get in line when they moved. I got to wondering what that looked like with thousands of tents pitched around the bigger tabernacle tent. Then I thought about what it must have been like to see them all pack up and move out.

I mean, the 600,000 number is the number of men who were of the age to serve in the army. So we are talking about maybe 2 million people counting women, children, and men too young or too old to be considered army-ready.

That’s a lot of people. Wouldn’t it be like trying to herd kittens? The word chaos comes to mind.

I’m a visual learner so I tried to picture what 2 million people would look like. I live close to Jacksonville, but their population in only 1,038,787. That’s not even close to the number of Jews we read about in the book of Numbers. And I thought Jacksonville was a big city.

I’ve never been to Houston but there are 2,435,715 residents there. I wonder what it would take to organize all of them to do what the Jewish nation did there in the wilderness.

I mean, I live on an island off the coast of Georgia with a population of a mere 16,800. Let me tell you what hurricane evacuation looks like here. Where’s Moses when you need him?

But here is what stood out to me as I read these numbers. The Jews did everything the Lord commanded Moses. They didn’t go rogue. They didn’t argue, or think they had a better plan. They listened. And they obeyed.

And because they did, God was able to miraculously lead them to the Promised Land. It wasn’t the organization. It wasn’t the leadership. It wasn’t even Moses. The people surrendered to the will of God.

The lesson? God can do amazing things in our lives when we submit our wills, when we humble ourselves and obey His Word. Every time we think we have a better idea, or for some reason simply ignore His Word, we just may be stopping God from doing something amazing.

They did everything God commanded through Moses. I think if we, if the Church stopped telling God what He ought to be doing, or tweaking the Word to say what we want it to say, and simply obeyed what He commands through His written Word, we would see miracles. We would see people come to Jesus. We would see lives changed, starting with our own.

Let’s open our Bibles and let God tell us His will. Let Him tell us what to do, where to go, when to go and what to say. Let’s do everything that God commands.

Then hold onto your hats. It will be miraculous.

The Fabric of My Life

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Leviticus 11-13

I learned something today. The CSB uses the words, “warp,” and “weft” and I don’t remember hearing those words before. Google tells me they refer to the woven threads in fabric. One is the horizontal threads, the other the verticals ones. (The NIV uses the words “one side or the other.” The ESV says “warp and woof.” Whatever. It all speaks to me today.)

If there was a question about mold or disease on a piece of fabric, the priest evidently examined it closely enough to consider each thread. Sometimes a good washing took care of the problem Sometimes a diseased patch had to be cut from the rest of the cloth and destroyed. Sometimes the whole garment had to be burned. (lots of spiritual imagery there if you think about it).

But what occurred to me is that the spot in question was not ignored, dismissed, or pushed aside to be addressed at a later date, no matter how simple or drastic the treatment it required.

Looking at these chapters as a picture of Jesus helps me appreciate the cross even more. I can be assured that when Jesus examines my heart He doesn’t do a quick look-over. He carefully touches every thread in the fabric of my life, and deals with the microscopic disease of sin that, if left there would grow and contaminate my life.

Jesus absolutely took care of my “big” sins there on the cross. But He also dug deeper and died for the unclean thought, the unclean attitude, the little shift away from His Holiness. Now, when I am convicted at the first sign of disease, I can repent and know God forgives and cleanses me before that thought or attitude or shift begins to grow.

I thank God for a conscience, for conviction that addresses the uncleanness of the warp and weft in the fabric of my life. Those are signs of God’s loving, gentle. and personal care of my life to save me from a world of hurt later on if those things are left untreated.

May I – may you – allow God to cleanse us at the first sign of sin. The disease of sin is never stagnate. It either spreads left unchecked, or it is stopped by God’s hand. One leads to contamination. The other to holiness.

Let’s choose holiness.

The Facts of the Presence

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Exodus 39-40

The tangible, unmistakable Presence of God stayed with the Jews by way of a cloud by day, and pillar of fire at night. They had only to look toward the tabernacle, and there He was! How amazing is that? They saw with their own eyes the evidence that God was right there, leading and protecting them every step of the way.

I find myself wishing I could see God’s Presence with my eyes, too. Yet I happily exchange the physical signs of His Presence over the tabernacle, for the privilege of having His Presence in me, guiding and protecting me.

Yes, I have to use eyes of faith. But it doesn’t make His Presence less real.

I think one thing we Christians get wrong is the idea that we can and should feel the Presence. I’m not sure there are any verses that say that exactly. I could be wrong and would love if you would set me straight if that’s the case.

I think we’re wrong to pray for the Presence when God says He never leaves us. How insulting is that for us to say, “Holy Spirit come into our midst” when He’s saying, “Hello! Didn’t I promise I’d be here?” What makes us think the Holy Spirit needs our invitation when He’s the one inviting us to come to Him?

One thing I see in these verses is the fact that the Jews didn’t feel the Presence. We place so much emphasis on our emotions, I think we miss something precious. The Jews recognized the Presence even if they didn’t get that fuzzy feeling. Their assurance of the Presence didn’t depend on their feelings, but rather the fact that God was there regardless of how they felt. The cloud was there. The fire was there. The Presence was a fact.

It still is, if you are a Christian. Didn’t Jesus say He will be with us to the end of the age? Didn’t He say, “never will I leave or forsake you?”

Those are the facts. When we accept the grace of God, the forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence. He doesn’t go on vacation. He doesn’t leave for a minute to run an errand. His Presence is in us even when we find it hard to smile, even when we’re facing the biggest challenge of our life. The Presence is with us 24/7.

That’s the precious truth I think we sometimes miss. You might argue, “But I don’t feel Him.” And I will give you the good news: You don’t have to! You don’t have to manufacture a euphoric feeling to know the Presence. In fact, that feeling is not the litmus test. The litmus test is the character of God. Either He is true to His word, or He isn’t. Either His Spirit is in you as a Christian, or He’s not.

Even if you can’t “feel” Him, the precious reality is you can know He’s there anyway, leading, protecting, loving on you every minute. Hold on to the truth of it. Use those eyes of faith and rest in the reality. His Presence is with you!

That’s a fact.

God Speaks

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Exodus 36-39

I could have saved Moses a lot of ink if I had been writing these chapters:

“And Bezalel did everything God commanded.”

We read the detailed instructions God gave for the making of the Tabernacle, then we read the details of how Bezalel and his men followed the detailed instructions. Piece by piece. Stitch by stitch. Yawn!

But wait. These are God’s words. He didn’t just get wordy here. There’s a reason for every syllable.

So I sat here wondering what God wants me to know about Bazelel’s careful adherence to God’s blueprint.

Every morning I begin my quiet time reading an excerpt from an AW Tozer sermon. (Mornings with Tozer, complied by Gerald B. Smith; Moody Publishers; 1991, 2008). Today, January 30, he shared an experience he had with a well-meaning brother who tried to correct Tozer’s interpretation of something Paul said. I’ll let Tozer tell it in his own words:

“One gentleman has written saying that I have it all wrong, and that Paul did not mean what I had said he meant as I applied Paul’s statement to everyday life.
I took time to write a reply: ‘When it comes to saying what he meant, Paul’s batting average has been pretty good up to now. So I will string along with what Paul plainly, clearly said.'”

He goes on to say he figured he really didn’t need someone who has decided the Bible doesn’t mean what it says to “straighten him out” about what the Bible says.

So when I read how Bezalel followed God’s instructions without wondering what they meant, I am challenged to do the same. I think God is a pretty good communicator. If He says something – He means it.

I think the Church is in trouble because we waste so much time trying to interpret what God meant instead of hearing what He said. We think we have to interpret His words through the lens of culture, or tradition, or perceived enlightenment, so we tweak the words God spoke to mean what we want them to mean. That’s a recipe for the disaster I think we are seeing.

I love reading commentaries and other blogs, listening to sermons, being part of Bible studies and talking about Scripture with friends. I write this blog full of my interpretation of Scripture. But I would encourage us all to put all of those in the “opinion category.” And, if I or anyone tweaks God words to fit an agenda or to claim we know what was “meant” other than what it says… place it in the “deleted category.”

I believe there is a time to put away our commentaries, turn off our TV’s, close down our Google Apps, stop reading blogs, and open God’s Word.

Do you think you can’t understand Scripture without the help of Kay Arthur, John MacArthur, Dr. Jeremiah, your pastor or Sunday School teacher? Then you aren’t giving the Holy Spirit the credit He deserves. I agree you can’t understand your denominational theology, or the trend of the day without looking to the interpretations of others. But don’t tell me God can’t give you understanding of His Word.

Let’s fashion our lives and opinions like Bezalel fashioned the Tabernacle – on the Word of God. Read the Bible for yourself. Pray and ask God for understanding. Read it again. Find other verses that speak about what you are reading in the Bible. Let the Bible speak for itself. Let God speak for Himself.

Right there, in those precious pages, is where God speaks. The question is, are you listening?

Well-Dressed Sinners

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Exodus 28-29

I will admit I don’t totally understand all the symbolism in these chapters about the priesthood. But I accept the fact it all points to Jesus. So today, as I read I was first of all struck by what must have been the beauty of Aaron’s priestly garments.

From the turban with the gold medallion, to the engraved precious stones, down to the hem of his robe, every inch was a work of art. The colors, the gold, the embroidery work made this a one-of-a-kind garment, costly in both money and man-hours to create it according to God’s instructions.

If I were Aaron I’d be afraid I’d mess it up by either spilling my coffee or stepping on the hem and ripping it. I think of a nervous bride on her wedding day, wanting to present a perfect image to her husband. No pressure.

But then, and this is the second thing that stood out to me as I read these chapters today, God told Moses to take some of the blood from the sacrificed animal and throw it on that priceless garment! Blood. You know you can’t get blood stains out. We’re talking permanent blood stains on that beautiful, perfect, clean robe!

And here’s where I see Jesus. It wasn’t about the robe. It was about the blood. It was always about the blood. It still is.

Sometimes I think we put on our priestly robes – church attendance, good deeds, good intentions – and think we’re golden. We think we are fit for service. We think we please God. But without the blood, we are nothing more than well-dressed sinners.

My prayer is that today, we will begin by not only being sprinkled, but washed in the blood of Jesus. May we lay our sins at the foot of the cross and wear the stains of Jesus’ blood proudly and loudly. Never forget the blood that washes our sins. Never forget that without the blood there is no forgiveness.

Thank God for the blood!

The Lord is my Banner

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Exodus 16-18

Sports enthusiasts are gearing up for the 2026 Winder Olympics in Italy. In just a couple weeks, hundreds of athletes who have sacrificed, trained, pushed themselves beyond their limits, will be competing under the banner of a country they identify with, a country they will represent on the world’s stage.

You won’t have to guess what country they are competing for. They will be wearing the colors of that nation’s flag. They will be holding or walking behind a very large banner with the name of that country printed proudly for all the world to see.

One of the names of God, given by Moses, is The Lord is my Banner. “Let there be no mistake,” Moses is saying, “God is our everything. He is the One for whom we fight, the One who has our loyalty, the One we identify with and honor.”

I have to ask myself what is written on my banner. Could it be my own name? Maybe the name of my family, or my career. Might “VICTIM” be displayed, or “HEALTH AND WEALTH?”

The questions I’m asking myself are, who or what has the majority of my attention, the bulk of my effort, the focus of my life? Is God my everything, or just another thing? If I am identified with The Lord, do I honor Him with my words and actions? Do I represent Him on the world’s stage with honesty and integrity?

I want to display The Lord is my Banner loudly and proudly, understanding that means I represent Him on the job, in my family, with my thoughts and in every choice I make.

People are going to be watching the Olympic athletes both on and off the competition field. They are going to be judging countries by the performance and behavior of the athletes wearing their colors. Will they measure up to the expectations of the country under whose banner they compete? Will they enhance the reputation of that country, or will they be a black mark against it?

People watch you, too, both in church and outside the walls of your church. They will be judging God by your performance and behavior. I pray we who call ourselves Christians, who march behind the The Lord is my Banner, will represent the Lord in a manner worthy of Him.

Let’s pray for each other, as we together proudly display The Lord is my Banner.

Pharaoh’s Hard Heart

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Exodus 7-12

I know there are people who get stuck on the fact that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. “How fair is that?” they ask. “Doesn’t sound like a loving God.” I confess I see their point on the surface.

But then I read in God’s own words what happened and I”m not so quick to throw God under the bus.

Did you know it wasn’t until the sixth plague that we read, “God hardened…?” Throughout the first five plagues Pharaoh presented a hard heart toward God of his own making. His rejection of God was planted in cement long before we read God had anything to do with it.

Yes, in plagues 6-10 it’s clear that God did the hardening. But He didn’t harden a heart that was seeking Him, or tender toward Him. In fact, these words found elsewhere in Scripture – “He gave them over…” come to mind.

I believe what we see here in these plagues is a God who is patient, slow to anger, abounding in love, not willing that any should perish but that all will come to Him. He gave Pharaoh multiple chances to obey. God is patient, but He will not let the guilty go unpunished.

If you tell yourself you’ll live life on your own terms right now, then surrender to God when you are older, please hear me. Every day you reject God your heart grows harder and harder. Surrendering to God later isn’t going to be easier than it is today. In fact, it’s the rejection of God that gets easier.

If God is telling you today is the day of salvation, believe HIm. It won’t be easier tomorrow. And surrendering to God is what makes this life worthwhile!

Pray Anyway

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Genesis 22-24

The man prayed. And before he said “Amen,” the answer to his prayer was right in front of him. Now, you might say Rebekah went to the well every night at that time. Must be a coincidence, right?

Not at all. To prove this was more than a happy accident, God gave Rebekah the exact words the man prayed.

This was a direct answer to prayer.

I talked to my sister this morning before I read these chapters in Genesis. I love God’s timing. She told me that she and her daughter had taken two cross necklaces to a jeweler. They needed a chain for one of the crosses, and the chain for the other one repaired. The owner of the store explained that their business was struggling so they no longer did repairs, and they didn’t have what they were looking for. So my sister picked up the boxes from the counter and returned to their car.

My niece said she would take the necklaces to another jeweler at a later time, so they headed back home. My sister sat in the passenger seat, holding the two boxes. When they pulled into my niece’s garage, her mom handed her the boxes, got into her own car and headed home. At least that what my sister remembered happening.

Later, my niece asked her mom if she had the necklaces. My sister reminded her that she had given the boxes to her. I think both mom and daughter doubted the memory of the other at this point. And neither was 100% sure their own memory was correct.

My niece and her husband have a security camera in their garage, so she looked at the video and watched her mom hand her the boxes, watched herself take those boxes into the house. Mystery solved. Well, kind of. Now she knew they got into the house. But where were they now?

She started looking everywhere. Then, when she didn’t find them, she looked again. When her husband got home, he looked. For two days they searched. I’m pretty sure there isn’t an inch in the whole house that wasn’t uncovered. Still, no jewelry boxes.

My sister, seeing how upset her daughter was after days of frantic search, prayed. “God, please help her find those boxes.”

About that time, my niece wondered if she had somehow put them in the trash. But the trash was at the street ready for pick-up. She hurried to the curb and pulled out three bags. She figured the top two bags had been filled after the jewelry went missing. So she opened the third bag and there – on the top – were the missing boxes!

An answer to prayer, or a coincidence?

Sometimes we seem to think there are some things we should just handle on our own. It’s such a little problem, we don’t want to bother God. He’s a busy guy. So we try this, then that, we search here, then there. And finally, we pray.

Friend, let me encourage you to pray. Not as a last resort, but may prayer be our first line of defense. The man’s answered prayer in the chapters we read today in Genesis, and my sister’s testimony today ought to remind us that God answers prayer. God delights in answering our prayers. We have not because we ask not.

These two examples aren’t necessarily about getting a wife for Isaac or finding two valuable pieces of jewelry. Both these examples point to a God who is intimately involved in the lives of his children. This is about a God who answers prayer. Yes, I know not all prayers are answered in this same way. Some prayers are answered with a “No,” or a “Wait.”

Pray anyway. Then trust the Lord to answer your prayer in exactly the way He knows is best. And when you get an answer to prayer… shout it from the rooftops. Or tell it to a sister who might put it in a blog and into cyberspace.

And may God be glorified when we pray.

Should I Make My Child Go To Church?

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Genesis 19-21

Lot didn’t leave Sodom willingly. He hesitated, so the angels took him by the hand and led him, his wife, and daughters out of the city about to be destroyed by God. Why the hesitation? Did they doubt the seriousness of the angels’ message? Did they doubt these men were really even angels? Were they so intrenched in this sinful lifestyle of Sodom they didn’t want to let go of it? Or maybe they thought, “it can’t be that bad. I can handle whatever comes?”

Whatever the reason for the hesitation, it’s evident that Lot and his family took their sin with them when they were forced to leave Sodom. They’d heard the truth. They knew judgment was coming. They left, albeit reluctantly. But they didn’t repent. They changed their address, but they didn’t change their hearts.

I think there are some parents who might feel like those angels every Sunday morning when they have to take their hesitant (or even rebellious) children by the hand and drag them to church. Sometimes they might wonder if it’s worth it.

It’s worth it.

First let me say good for you for fighting that battle every week. Don’t give in. Don’t let your kids “decide” for themselves. Be the parent. No one said it was going to be easy. Keep battling. Their eternal souls are worth it. It’s your responsibility to train them up in the way they should go.

But I must warn you, even though you probably already know the truth of it. Simply getting your children to church doesn’t guarantee their salvation. Along with attending church, you’ve got to pray that God would break through their resistance until they humble themselves and believe, until they turn from their sin and follow Jesus willingly themselves.

I pray that you are modeling what it means to be a Christian, and not just on Sundays. I pray your children recognize the Fruit of the Spirit in you – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. I pray they see you reading your Bible, hear you talking about it, and watching how you choose holiness.

I pray that when you fail, when you sin, they’ll see what it means to humble yourself, repent, ask for forgiveness, and/or forgive another.

So if your question is “should I make my kid go to church?” I would say the answer is, “yes.” (Ok. Not just any church. A Bible believing, truth teaching fellowship of faith. Please be careful). And only if you go to church with them.

Dear One, there is more to raising Christian children than getting them to church. Let’s learn from Lot’s experience and take it a step or two further than getting them through the doors (or out of the “city”). Be the Christian you want your children to be.

I’m praying for you.

___________________________

Ok, so yesterday after posting this I was scrolling through Instagram and heard a young preacher talking about this exact topic. They, of course, take their children to church every Sunday. But he and his wife take it a step further. They want their children not only learn about going to church, they want their children to learn to BE THE CHURCH.

Which reminded me a family with three boys who are members of our church. Our church has a Wednesday night family dinner before Bible Study and youth activities. Every Wednesday we get together and enjoy a meal together. Sometimes 50, sometimes 80 family members strong. It really is a special church family time.

But here’s what made me think about this family. The parents prompted the boys to go around to those who are finished with their meals and offer to take their empty plates to the trash. These boys all under 10 years old, clear the tables of the trash, put silverware in the tray for cleaning. These boys are learning to be servants and I will tell you they do it with smiles on their faces.

So yes, take your children to church on Sunday. But I would encourage you to not leave it there. Show them what it means to be the Church. I think that is one way you can teach them in the way they should go, to make going to church more than a habit, so that when they are older they will not depart from it. They are the future Church!