365 Reflections

In Ezekiel 47 the prophet is ushered to the outer gate facing east and sees a trickle of water flowing from the south side of the Temple. As he watches, the temple tour guide goes out eastward from the temple measuring the water depth that flowed from that source. Every 1000 cubits the water gets deeper and deeper.  Ezekiel 47:3–6 (ESV) Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. It's an amazing picture that as the water gets further from t...

The story of Esther ends with a celebration. The feast of Purim is inaugurated in Jewish life and still remains to this day. So cool. But evidently, some people needed reassurance that the threat against them was indeed over and they had the king's authority to defend themselves AND that they should CELEBRATE.  Esther 9:29–32 (ESV) Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing. A second letter is necessary for the Jews to hear the news of their victory and ...

Esther 2:1–4 (ESV) After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so. So far, in the book of Esther, for all the pomp, power, glory and authority that Xerxes has going for him, he still largely plays victim to the events of his life and the opinions of those around him. It was his wife that refused him and sent him into a rage, it was his advisors that told him to cast her out and now in chapter 2 it is once again his you...

Sometimes we make a false choice in the Christian faith. We believe God can only use people totally weak and helpless because any strength offered by man would boast of man's glory and take from God's glory. But is that the picture the totality of Scripture paints?  Yes, Paul talked about how strength comes from our weaknesses.  2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV) For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. In back to back verses, Paul refers to God's strength in places of great weakness. Yet remember the context. He was speaking of his heavenly vision and the thorn in the flesh given him so that he might not grow proud and arrogant. In spite of that thorn...

2 Kings 13:20–21 (ESV) So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. For 50 years, Elisha had been Israel's lifeline. Now, as the nation continues its descent into immorality and pagan heathenism, he dies. Imagine this moment if you will. Your nation seems to be on an irreversible course toward exile. God had already promised such in 1 Kings 14: 1 Kings 14:15–16 (ESV) the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.” You have to th...

1 Samuel 16:18 (ESV)   One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Where do we get the idea that a safe and conflict-free environment is the best arena in which to raise a child or grow ourselves? This is not how the Lord grows His children. Why do we kick against God's repeated manner of training in hopes that we can spare our loved ones and/or ourselves the hardship of conflict when we KNOW it will ultimately come our way? What does the servant of Saul say about David? Mind you, Saul is looking for someone to play the harp so he can get through wicked fits brought upon him for his rebellion. And you would have it in your mind (as I do I) that a harp player is someone who has not exactly had a rough and tumble upbringing. Surely the harp player in YOUR mind is someone with no callouses and smooth skin....

Judges 3:15–16 (ESV)  Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. The story in Judges 3 of Ehud killing Eglon is very funny. We hear that Eglon first subjects Israel for 18 years. This is 10 years longer than what they first experienced at the hands of Cushan-rishathaim earlier in the chapter. The Judges cycle of disobedience and being sold into the hands of their enemies already looks ominous. Israel is struggling to stay faithful and things are getting worse. Now because of this disobedience, God sends an overweight man who HE made strong to take them captive: Judges 3:12 (ESV) And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD s...

Are you living on the East or West of the Jordan river? Joshua 12:6–7 (ESV) 6 Moses, the servant of the Lord , and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, The Jordan symbolizes crossing over into total victory. When we cross through it, we identify with the victory our true Joshua comes to give us.  Moses took the people out of Egypt and to the edge of the land. He also took SOME of the first fruits of the inheritance for Israel by war and conquest. Joshua, however, led the people through the Jordan as an entrance into a victorious c...

Numbers 20:10–13 (ESV) Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord , and through them he showed himself holy. Numbers 20 is a defining moment for Moses. It's a sobering reminder for everyone that all human leaders ultimately fail us. For all that Moses has done thus far and so well in the work of God's redemption, he fell prey to his own anger, resentment and exasperation. I don't blame him. I never...

Leviticus 14:14–17 (ESV) The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. This is the anointing that is applied to the cleansed leper after the priest inspects and finds him healed. he is earlier in the chapter prescribed to wash, saved, and then be presented before the Lord by the priest. It is a picture of the saving atoning work of Christ on...

A powerful thought just occurred to me in reading Exodus 33. Do our prayers often get limited by our own false understanding of what God is like? Do we see him as a begrudging old man who only gives us a few cents for candy every now and then and only when we've been good boys and girls? Or do we see Him the way the Bible presents Him: generous beyond our own understanding? I think its time we get our facts straight about God in this regard. For too many of us are living substandard lives in Christ because we think God is not interested in doing more for us than we can imagine! Look at this two verse exchange in Exodus 33 between Moses and God: Exodus 33:17–18 (ESV)   And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” This is God answering Moses' prayer to go with them into the promised land right after He almost divorced them. God had...

You either accept that God can do the miraculous or you don't. It's often that simple. Rejecting God can do the miraculous, however, leads one to the most silly readings of scripture imaginable. For instance, I find it hard to believe how some commentators treat this passage: Exodus 12:37  (ESV)   And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children .  The number that messes them up is the 600,000 men on foot, or fighting men in some translations. That would mean there were 2 to 3 million Israelites coming out of Egypt after just 400 years of slavery. Some commentators try to change the number based on the word "eleph" for "thousand" to become something far more manageable. They cannot imagine that many people being there! Think about that for a moment. They want to reduce God's multiplication. It's very laughable. For one, that number is repeated several more times with...

In Genesis 49, Jacob shares his last blessing with his youngest son Benjamin. The son born to him at his wife's death at his old age. Here's what he says about Benjamin's tribe: Genesis 49:27 (ESV)   “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.” The tribe of Benjamin's blessing is odd in comparison to the character trait Benjamin the boy possessed in the Genesis narrative. In fact, all we've seen of Benjamin is passivity throughout the entire drama that has played out between his maternal brother (Joseph) and paternal brothers (10) of jealousy and rage. Benjamin hasn't even said a word. But Jacob's blessing is going to play out in Benjamin's tribe in surprising accuracy. The tribe of Benjamin does become ravenous and wild. The accounts of the book of Judges reveal a hedonism and disregard for human life that would shock any society (see Judges 19). Benjamin would produce the arrogant and p...

Genesis 17:5 (ESV) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. The significant feature of Abram's name change to Abraham is the fact that God simply added the "ha" sound to his name. This is the sound of "breath" from the Hebrew "ruah" which also means "Spirit." The name change here from Abram to Abraham was significant. As God is now humbling Abram before the task He has given him, that he might become the father of a multitude though he only has one son by human effort and not of God's promise, so too God is making a salient point for Abram to receive...  Abram will do this, but no longer on his own power, but with the Spirit of God upon Him. It is as if God is saying clearly, Abraham, apart from me you cannot do this, but I will join myself to you, I will be the strength in you, I will be the one who empowers you to become what I have det...

Typically when God does something special or new in our lives, the enemy is enraged and attacks. Jesus said in the parable of the soils (Matthew 13) the evil one comes in and steals the seed of the Word before it even has a chance to settle into the soil. The enemy of our souls hates the power of God's Word. It's because he (the enemy) knows the power of God's Word even more than us. It is the first thing he sought to question before the woman in the garden. The longest Psalm of the collection is dedicated to the Psalmist's love for God's Word. He commits to it and desires it... praying earnestly:  Psalm 119:18–19 (ESV)   Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. 19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! He wants God's Word deep in his heart because he knows his time on Earth is strange and at times unwelcome. He needs the guidance of the God of heaven. But notice that as soon as he desires God's W...

Sin is bigger than you. David makes this statement in Psalm 38: Psalm 38:4–6 (ESV) For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, 6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. A fundamental problem with 21st Century Christianity is a horrible misjudgment of sin. The Bible makes clear that our sin is enormous and grievous. And those who pridefully believe they haven't been as bad as others may very well be the worst of the lot (see Jesus' parable of the tax collector and Pharisee).  Modern Christianity has replaced the depth of our sin with such phrases as: - A God-shaped hole. - Something missing in my life. - Need for meaning. - A search for significance. - A purpose to live for. We may like these phrases as they lessen the reality of our natural standing before a holy and just God... but these phrases misdiagnose our malady and lea...

Psalm 24:1–2 (ESV) The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalm 24 is all about the Lord. First, He established and owns the Earth where we dwell. We are not our own. Even those who do what is godless are his servants. He told Pharaoh he would get glory from his resistance. The Lord Jesus owns it all. Second, the Lord is the one who ascends to the holy place. Psalm 24:3–6 (ESV) Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah The answer to these questions is NO ONE. We cannot ascend to the hill of the Lord because none of us is...

Psalm 18:1–3 (ESV) 1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18 was written after the death of Saul who had been chasing David for years seeking to kill him. David knew God to be his strength, his rock, and his shield. But it took being put in the weakest of situations for very long periods of time to see it first hand. He was anointed king at 17. He wasn't King in reality until 33. He testifies that he knows God as his rock from the experiences of being at the gates of death. But it was through the running and troubles, war and struggles of David's life where God's great preparation happened.  He writes: Psalm 18:32–34 (ESV) the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. 33 He made my feet like the feet o...

Tonight is a State of the Union address from one of the most secular Presidents in US history. Honestly, I didn't watch. I don't have to. I know what it will be... more promises, more aggrandizing, more posturing for a better results in the midterm elections due this fall. But no matter what happens in Washington DC. God has the same response. Laughter. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 2. It's a Royal Psalm, written about David, the King of Israel. The Lord has established his anointed King. Who can stand against him? Well, that was before Jesus. And today we understand Jesus is the Lord's anointed King who shall never lose His throne. But the enthronement of Jesus is not the disappearance of those who rebel. Psalm 2:1–3 (ESV)  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away th...

Revelation 17 presents the secular government and false religion mixed together in the end times to form a dysfunctional yet powerful union. John sees the prostitute of Babylon (false religion) seated on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns (political power). This combination of religion and world domination in the end will lay a heavy burden on those who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Martyrdom will result and a final battle will ensue in which Jesus Christ will conquer. But John notes an interesting detail of this relationship between false religion and secular government. It seems their happy union will end destructively after all: Revelation 17:16–17 (ESV)   And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the w...