True Justice

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Leviticus 2-5

A couple of things stood out to me today as I read these chapters in Leviticus. One is that no one was exempt from offering a sacrifice for sin. Offering a sacrifice was the ONLY way a person could be forgiven by God. No exceptions.

If a person was too poor to offer a lamb, or even a couple of birds, he could offer a handful of grain. Being poor did not give a person a free pass. And the poor person didn’t expect someone else to bring a sacrifice for him. A person’s offering had to cost that person something.

The truth we see here is that each of us has to bring our own sins to the foot of the cross. We are responsible for our own repentance, our own acknowledgment of sin, and our own offering of ourselves to God in order to be forgiven. No one can do that for us. Dealing with our sin is something between ourselves and God in a personal, intimate encounter. It’s the same for every human being.

The other thing that stood out is actually related to the first. It’s the fact that ignorance is not bliss. Someone who sinned without realizing that what he’d done was considered a sin, was still guilty of sin. There was no such thing as, “My bad!” to get off the hook.

Once an action was revealed as sin, the guilty party had to offer a sacrifice in order to be forgiven of that sinful action. That’s why I think we who know the Truth need to be calling sin sin, not choice, not a character flaw, not a mistake or shortcoming.

Sin is serious. The wages of sin is death. And the only way to escape that eternal separation from God is to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, to accept His gift of grace; the forgiveness of our sin.

The requirements are the same if you sin knowingly or unknowingly, if you are wealthy or poor, Jewish or Protestant, American or Iraqi. That’s what makes God’s conditions fair for all of us.

There is perfect justice because God is perfectly just. There is one requirement all humans must meet in order to receive eternal life. Jesus met that requirement when he died on the cross, then came back to life three days later. He is the perfect sacrifice for my sin and yours.

And you and I are required by God’s Law to “believe in the Lord Jesus.” Jesus, the Messiah, eternal God in the flesh, the fulfillment of the Law, the only way, truth, and life, the perfect Lamb of God.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

That’s true for every single person without exception. That’s true justice.

What Are You Doing About It?

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Exodus 31-33

God gave individual abilities to the men who were assigned the task of building the Tabernacle there in the desert. Each person used their knowledge and skill to create something truly amazing. How far would they have gotten, I wonder, if there were only carpenters willing to work? It took weavers, metal workers, strong backs, and gnarled fingers sewing seams to make it happen.

Paul in Romans 12:4-5 tells us:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

We do not all have the same function in God’s Church. But sometimes we might look at our abilities and, either think we are more important than others in ministry, or we think our abilities are unnecessary.

Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:14-18

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ears should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Did you catch that? You are at your church for a reason. You are equipped by God Himself to be an important part of your church fellowship, just as God wanted you to be.

It’s easy to give the bulk of the work to preachers and teachers. But the Church – your church – needs nursery workers and custodians, choir members and greeters, people to organize fellowship, and those with a heart for meeting the material needs of others. The Church needs prayer warriors and people willing to stuff envelopes, mow the grass, shovel the snow, unlock the doors before service and lock them again when everyone has gone.

God has equipped YOU for service in His Church. That’s a given, according to Scripture. The question is – what are you doing about it?

It Is Finished

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Exodus 28-30

The intricate details spelled out in these chapters of Exodus speak of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. What we read here are the demands of God for the forgiveness of sin. It wasn’t simply that an animal was sacrificed. Every inch of that animal was significant. Every drop of blood had purpose.

We all know Jesus died on the cross, the Perfect Sacrifice for sin. He fulfilled the requirements we read about in Exodus. Every minute detail was carried out to perfection when Jesus died.

This past Sunday our church celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. Taking communion can become mundane, just another “thing” we do. Oh, may it never be that to me again.

When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He was referring to the sacrificial system I read about today. He completed the requirements perfectly, once and for all. Every drop of blood He shed had a purpose. He became sin, and climbed up on that altar of sacrifice willingly.

I sinned. I deserve death, the eternal separation from Holy God. Jesus said, “Kill me instead.” And they did.

Let’s take time today to consider the eternal significance of Jesus’ voluntary death on the cross. Read these verses in Exodus and praise God for satisfying every intricate detail so that you and I can be saved from the awful consequences of our sin. Let’s worship and adore our Perfect Sacrifice who alone can say, “It is finished!”

Why All The Tiny Details, God?

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Exodus 24-27

Were you tempted to skim over these chapters today? If you are a visual learner or if you aren’t into architecture and construction details, you probably were like me and found your eyes glazing over. Pictures! I need pictures!

Whatever was God thinking, to include such minute details in His Word for a structure that has long since been destroyed? I don’t even know what a cubit is – or care.

But as is the case every time I read these chapters and others like them, I am reminded ALL Scripture has a purpose. It grows us, stretches us, strengthens us to make us useful members of God’s kingdom. God’s Word reveals Himself in an intimate and meaningful way. All of it. Including these chapters in Exodus.

So this morning, when I found my eyes glazing over I stopped, backed up, and read again, asking God to speak to my heart. He always answers that prayer!

Today I found myself honing in on the Mercy Seat, the Holy of Holies, and the curtain that separated God from the people. The building of the Tabernacle was so that God could be a visible Presence as the Jews wandered in the wilderness. It was the place the people could go to God in praise and worship, and to receive forgiveness for their sins. From what I can tell, it must have been a beautiful structure there in the desert. And there in the center of it all was where God lived on Earth.

Amazing!

The truth of it is, every detail of the Tabernacle points to Jesus. Probably in more ways than we realize. The Tabernacle was a real life picture of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. When I read how the curtain in the Temple tore in two the moment Jesus died, I think back to the description of the curtain here in Exodus, and the purpose it was there.

It reminds me that now, after Jesus, there is unhindered access to the throne of God. God doesn’t live in a tent any more. He does not live in temples made by hands. He lives in those of us who have accepted His mercy and grace through the blood of His precious Son, Jesus!

We are the temple of God if we have repented of our sin. And all the minute details we read about in the building of the Tabernacle, God is as detailed in His building of you and me, His current home on Earth.

So don’t skim over these chapters. Read every word. Every detail. They were written for you from the God who loves you and wants you to know Him!

Prepare

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Genesis 16-19

This past Sunday in Sunday School we talked about worship, our responsibility and God’s acceptance of our worship. We agreed that our present day Church seems to have adopted a more casual approach to worship, more so than when we were young. We wondered if God was pleased.

Today I read In Exodus what God told the Israelites to do before approaching Him. And I was interested in what my study Bible said about 19:9-11:

“Moses was told to consecrate the people. This meant getting them physically and spiritually ready to meet God. The people were to set themselves apart from sin and even ordinary daily routine in order to dedicate themselves to God. The act of washing and preparing served to get their minds and hearts ready. When we meet God for worship, we should set aside the cares and preoccupations of everyday life. Use your time of physical preparation to get your mind ready to meet God.” (Chronological Life Application Study Bible (KJV); Tyndale House Publishers; 2004; page163) (emphasis mine)

So often we approach worship in the same way we attend a sporting event, high-fives and laughter. Some attend worship service with less thought than they put into going to a neighborhood picnic. Many churches have foregone a prelude because, either no one listens anyway, or it is deemed “traditional.” The worship service begins when the song leader, over the chatter and noice, says, “Good morning!”

Is that how you pursue worship of our Holy God? Are your actions before approaching Him important? The Bible seems to think so. Thinking about this today has me considering how I approach my quiet time each day as well. I am convicted.

Let’s prepare our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls for worship this week, and every time we dare approach God. Sunday’s primary objective is not to catch up with your friends. Take time to greet them after you worship. The primary objective is God, and only God.

As you shower, tie your shoelaces, drive the car, walk through the doors of your church, direct your attention to the important reason why you do those things. Take a seat, bow your head, quietly lay your sins at the feet of the One you are there to worship. Prepare your heart. He doesn’t accept our worship if we don’t.

Are you prepared to worship? Really prepared? You need to be.

God Is Here.

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Exodus 12-15

I’ve known about the times God appeared as the Angel of the Lord to people in the Old Testament. It’s called “theophany,” God appearing in a physical form. I’ve always thought of it as God in human form – which is true.

In Genesis 18, God appeared to Abraham as one of three men going to Sodom and Gomorrah. Jacob wrestled with the angel in Genesis 32. Afterward, Jacob said he had seen God face to face!

But appearing in human form isn’t the only theophany in Scripture. God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush, to Balaam in the form of a talking donkey. But until today I didn’t consider the fact God showed up in the form of the pillars of fire and cloud when the Israelites were traveling the wilderness for forty years. It was God Himself who led them. It was God Himself who protected them.

God didn’t just send help. He WAS the help!

I am comforted and encouraged by that realization today. God is not a distant, uninvolved being who merely points to an angel and tells him to rescue me. God is not pushing buttons on some cosmic control panel. He is right here in the trenches with me!

HE is my guide. HE is my protector. HE is my ever present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Today I am overcome with the knowledge that God is all I need. I can rest in His arms, trust HIs will, and stand firm because He promises never to leave or forsake me.

God is here in this room, in my heart. And He will absolutely go with me into the day. God: all knowing, all powerful, ever-present.

I trust you know Him, too.

It’s Not About The Plagues

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Exodus 8-11

The plagues were sent by God to reveal the Truth of Him to Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the Jews. There could have been redemption if Pharaoh had humbled himself and believed. But the plagues only made Pharaoh dig in his heels in rebellion.

I believe two things about this:

  1. God did not harden Pharaoh’s heart against Pharaoh’s will. God didn’t make Pharaoh sin in order for God’s plan to come to fruition. God doesn’t tempt anyone with evil. Yet God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, according to Scripture. God would have us understand that the consequences of rejecting God result in a hardening of the heart against God’s revelation of Himself. The more you reject Him, the easier it is to reject Him. That’s how God created us. That is God’s doing.
  2. Pharaoh wasn’t the only one ignoring God’s signs. His wasn’t the only heart hardening. And the same thing is happening today. God reveals Himself to the world every morning when the sun comes up, when a paper cut heals, when there is joy and laughter in a child. He reveals Himself in storms and sickness and earthquakes. God is drawing all people to Himself every minute, every breath, every heartbeat. We see His love, His protection, His grace and mercy, as well as His righteous judgment, if we just pay attention.

The lesson here in Exodus is clear. Your response to God not only effects you, it effects your children, your co-workers, friends, neighbors. It effects a nation if the people reject God’s revelation of Himself.

The lesson in these chapters isn’t about the plagues. Don’t waste time trying to figure out the logistics. The lesson here is that there are devastating consequences for rejecting God. Those consequences start in our hearts, and extend out to touch the lives of others.

So don’t blame God when we are faced with our own modern-day plagues. We have no one to blame but ourselves, as long as we refuse to acknowledge the God who wants us to know Him.

Ready To Give An Answer

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Genesis 50; Exodus 1-2

Our church is conducting an Apologetics class Wednesday evenings, led by our Youth Pastor, a young man gifted by God with insight into God’s Word beyond his years. I am loving this study.

What DO I believe? Why do I believe it? How do I know what I believe is true? And can I share what I know in love to someone whose beliefs are void of God?

I love the Bible. My whole life is grounded in God’s revealed Word. But what does that mean to someone who doesn’t believe the Bible is even true? For me to say I believe because it’s in the Bible would mean as much to them as their telling me they believe what they believe because Santa Claus said it’s true.

Can I, grounded in God’s Word, share what is in there without chapter and verse? I thought of that when I read Exodus 3:14. God reveals His Name as I AM THAT I AM. In other words, God is self-existent, self-sustaining, stable, unchanging. He is who He is and always has been, always will be. He is the supreme authority.

Last night we briefly touched on something called the Ontological Argument which starts with the premise that there is a higher power, a highest, greatest conceivable being. An honest look at nature, at science would lead you to that conclusion. There is order, there is purpose, there is design. And it fits together to become life as we know it. That didn’t happen without a greatest conceivable being.

The beauty of this orderly universe is that this greatest conceivable being invites us to know Him, intellectually, and relationally. He is the Great I Am.

Now, I am in no way ready to sit with an atheist, walk them through what I believe, and lovingly point them to the Truth. But I want to be ready to do that because I have people close to me who need to hear it and believe it. I imagine the same is true for you.

So, what DO you believe? Why do you believe it to be true? On what authority do you stand? Are you ready to give an answer for the hope you have in I AM?

Open Arms

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Genesis 42-45

I love this part of Joseph’s story. He is finally reunited with his brothers. It’s a beautiful reunion. But it could have ended quite differently.

Joseph was looking at the ten men who had wanted him dead, who had thrown him into a pit then sat down to dinner like it was the most normal thing in the world. They sold their brother to evil men, probably hoping Joseph would die at their hands instead of the brothers’. It a heartless betrayal.

Yet when Joseph meets them after thirteen years a slave, he embraces his brothers. There is no mention of the sins they had committed against him. He eventually welcomed them with open arms.

Most of us wouldn’t have blamed him if he had acquired ten slaves that day. Tit for tat. An eye for an eye. Karma, baby! That’s not what happened. And some people scratch their heads and wonder why.

The answer is in the life Joseph had lived those thirteen years in captivity. He walked with God. He trusted God, depended on God, submitted to the will of God. You can’t hold a grudge if you’re holding onto God.

Which got me thinking about the term, “open arms.” When you stretch out your arms to someone you leave your heart unprotected. It’s a gesture of openness, acceptance, trust. vulnerability. You take a chance when you open your arms to someone who has wronged you.

But isn’t that what Jesus did? The ultimate open arms occurred when they stretched His arms out and nailed Him to the cross. Talk about vulnerable! And He opened Himself up like that for those of us who betrayed Him, disrespected Him, hurt Him.

He did that for you.

We know that Joseph is a type of Christ, a picture of who Jesus is. I think it’s a beautiful picture.

What I see in these chapters I read today is an example of how I want my walk with the Lord to look. No grudges. No revenge-seeking. No holding onto hurt or painful memories.

Is there someone who needs your open arms today?

Me

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Genesis 35-38

Reuben discovered his brother Joseph was missing. Joseph, the Golden Child, Dad’s favorite son wasn’t in the pit Reuben and the other brothers had dumped him in. Now, the boy was gone!

Had he somehow escaped and gone back to Dad to tell on them? It’s not like he hadn’t done that in the past. Had a wild beast gotten to him, dragged him away and killed him? Was he kidnapped by evil men who would abuse him? Reuben didn’t know. And he was visibly upset at the realization Joseph was gone.

I think we may have all experienced imagining the worse when something unknown happened. It’s understandable Reuben would be upset and worried, thinking about the “what if’s.”

But heres’ the kicker: Old Reuben wasn’t worried about Joseph! “What’s going to happen to ME?” he cried.”

Wow. Heartless!

Hold on before we get too judgmental here.

Someone is diagnosed with cancer. What am I going to do without her?

Friends are getting a divorce. Who are we going to hang out with now?

Oh, you might pity them for a second. But then your thoughts go to Me! Me! Me! Where’s the compassion?

This past Sunday, our SS class talked about the difference between pity and compassion. Pity is a feeling. Compassion is an action. I think God would have us save our pity if it isn’t followed with compassion.

The “I” is one of Satan’s favorite arrows to shoot at us. But I’m reminded God has told us to die to self every day. Crucify the “I.”

Let’s remember the world doesn’t revolve around “me.” Look around. Someone needs your compassion today. Make a call. Go to lunch. Write a note. Be a taxi or just sit and listen.

People are hurting. And it’s not about you! Be God’s hands, feet, and ears to someone who needs Him today.