365 Reflections

The turn in Ezekiel's prophesy seems to come in chapter 24 with the death of the prophet's wife. He symbolizes for the nation that their precious possession, the Temple, will be lost, and they would be unable to grieve in captivity to Babylon for fear of seeming seditious. Now, in chapter 25, the message from the Lord to the prophet is against those nations that scoffed, laughed at, or helped in the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.  Ezekiel 25:1–4 (ESV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Because you said, ‘Aha!’ over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your m...

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 get the headlines in sermons and Christian coffee cups. I understand. The passage is about our future and we are often so worried about it that we need a lot of reinforcement to embrace it. After all, you cannot stop the future from arriving. Some translations say, "he will direct your paths." And I love that too... and we all should do exactly as this verse suggests. But it should be mentioned repeatedly that "all scripture is God-breathed and profitable" to equip us (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17). To that end, look at the verses PRECEDING those incredible words from Proverbs 3:5-6: Proverbs 3:1–4 (ESV)  My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3 Let not steadfast love and faith...

I don't know about you, but I want to stand for God when no one else does and when all hell breaks loose. I really do. But there are times it gets challenging and the temptation to compromise is real and I often take it in subtle ways.  If you feel the same way, the story of Hezekiah is for you.  Hezekiah comes to the throne of Judah after a long dark period in Israel's history. Scripture recounts the testimony of his deep trust in the Lord in spite of what his predecessor did and the neighboring nations were doing. 2 Kings 18:5–8 (ESV)  He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him ; wherever he went out, he prospered . He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistin...

1 Samuel 2:17–18 (ESV) Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord , for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. 18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy clothed with a linen ephod. The first two chapters of Samuel provide a theme for the rest of the narrative. In the midst of corrupt political power, God is raising up His servants to faithfully obey Him and establish His kingdom on the Earth. I can't think of a more important truth for Christian service in any age. Consider Hannah's fervent prayer in chapter one amidst the ignorance, arrogance, and indifference to her struggle from all those around her (her rival wife, arrogant Eli and indifferent Elkanah). Now her son will be placed in a situation much like her own. Samuel will grow up in the Temple. But this Temple is far removed from Aaron's priesthood. The priesthood is corrupt and Eli's family was fragmented. His sons are wicked and will not listen to hi...

Judges 2:14–15 (ESV) So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress. This is not a comforting passage. But it just as important as those which comfort us. We must remember that the Lord's anger is not out of place. It is Israel that has prostituted themselves to non-gods and worshipped the very gods they were called to eliminate. But we need to go a few steps back in the text to see where it began. Let's take them each in order from latest to earliest. Judges 2:12 (ESV)   And they abandoned the Lord , the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods...

Joshua 8:30–31 (ESV) At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord , the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. The nation of Israel had recovered well from the Achan episode militarily. But there's a nuance in the text after Ai's king is buried from right before this verse that was used in regard to Achan's burial. The text says both graves were visible at the time of the writing of Joshua so people were well aware what had happened.  The visual image of death that would have appeared in their minds would quickly be replaced with the emphasis on the Altar of meeting and the Words of the Covenant. Joshua doesn't let the nation dwell on the death of Achan nor the burial of Ai's king. As ...

Why do we think God is so angry? In Exodus 34, we see Moses climb the mountain early in the morning to see the glory of God. He desires to KNOW God's glory. The glory of God is His "weightiness" or "heaviness" in the Universe and in our lives. The heavens declare the glory of God, says Psalm 19. People are made for God's glory, says Isaiah 43. The glory of God is what we are made for. The glory of God is what knowing God is all about. When Moses asks for glory he gets a sermon! Notice how God reveals His GLORY to him: Exodus 34:5–7 (NIV)  Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord . 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming , “The Lord , the Lord , the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their ch...

Exodus 7 is a bit of a turning point in the story. It moves from the story of the man God would use to the story of redemption God will perform. Here's God's commission to Moses and Aaron: Exodus 7:2–4 (ESV)   You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. What a job. God first says, "Say all I command to Pharaoh." Then God says, "And I want you to know he will not listen to you." If that were my assignment I'd wonder what was the point! But herein lies the secret to works for God for those He has called. You are not in charge of results, you are simply assigned the task to speak. No one can m...

Are you worried about where your life is headed? Do you tend to freak out thinking the wrong people are in power over you? Do you think someone may be hindering your purpose and destiny in Christ? Stop. It's just not true. You have to read the scriptures to understand no human hand can stop God's plan. Jacob and his family of 66 are arrived in Egypt in Genesis 47. The 7 year famine is in year 7 and things are bleak. The nation is starving, the people are selling everything for grain - their fields, their homes, eventually even themselves. It's hard times for everyone. On top of this, the chosen family is on foreign soil. They are strangers at a strange time in a strange land. You don't want to be someone's guest when they have nothing good going for them. You feel like more of an intruder than normal. Yet right in the middle of this horrendous period of Egypt's history, Jacob's family is possessing property, growing, multiplying and increasing! Loo...

We haven't had a good relationship. Christians and Government have been growing into mortal enemies of each other lately. Recent Supreme Court decisions and the growing ebb of secularization in our country has led to one of two responses from faithful Christians that we must learn to avoid: The first is hostility . That Christians grow more antagonistic and angry toward their government as they will feel ostracized and demonized by the culture at large. Let's face it, Christianity or Christians have been portrayed as villains of progress in recent decades of American life. So came the moral majority and political action on the part of some... which left even deeper wounds on those far from God or bad memories for those who love Him and seek to love all He has made. The second is withdrawal . To hunker down in our fox holes and holy huddles through non-interaction of all kinds. This too has failed as Christians are called to be lights and salt and do good in front of pagans ...

Psalm 138 is famous for the refrain between every phrase: "his steadfast love endures forever" It is recited in each of the 26 verses. One line after each of God's acts as recorded in Scripture from who He is to what He made to who He chose and how He is enthroned in heaven. What's interesting is when the Psalm uses the term  "steadfast love" it's using the Hebrew word, "Hesed", which means loyal love. This Hebrew word for love is almost exclusively used for God's relation to His people. HE alone is the TRULY loyal lover of His people. What a God we have! Do you know what to be thankful for? His LOYAL LOVE. When you read the account of Psalm 138, you learn just how loyal God is in spite of our doubtful His people were. He delivered Israel when they didn't trust or believe in Moses. Psalm 136:10 (ESV) to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; He saved them dramatically while th...

These verses were once thought the middle of the Bible. I'm not entirely sure if that's true. Either way, they are a great couple of verses to meditate on. Psalm 118:8–9 (ESV) It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. A few thoughts about this passage. Notice it says it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better. It's not always easier. Man is visible and audible and available in our present reality. Man can make promises and seem sincere and appears to be the path to success. Go to the right school, work for the right company, get ahead, move up and move onward. That's the easy way. The better and often more difficult path is to trust God. But this requires faith. God is unseen and not audible (apart from the scriptures). God is not visibly standing beside you and does not specialize in the fast track to financial success the world so often purs...

Paul in defense of his calling and apostleship continues in Galatians: Galatians 2:7 (ESV) On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised The word that stuck out to me was this: "entrusted."  Everything about the Gospel is entrusted.  It is serious business.  God doesn't just hand this out lightly.  It is a high calling to hold to and teach and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The reason is many people are out to twist the Gospel. Some for financial gain. Some for personal recognition. Some for sinful living. Some to abuse others. Some to control and manipulate. This is why Paul calls a curse down on anyone who distorts the Gospel.  If anyone adds to justification by faith alone, let them be "anathema!" In this chapter we find the verse that set Martin Luther on fire: Galatians 2:16 (ESV) yet we know that a...

The Pharisees didn't try to trap Jesus with the question on paying taxes.  It reads like this: Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him , along with the Herodians , saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.  They didn't have the guts to show up themselves.  So they sent their disciples. I never realized why until I read from N. T. Wright. The moment they produce a coin for Jesus is the moment they implicate themselves in compromise. Casear's coin had his image (a disgusting thing for a Jew) and inscription: "Son of God... High Priest"  Producing the coin shows they were using the very coinage of an evil and hated godless regime.  And in the temple no less!  No wonder these lackeys were sent in for this confrontation.  The Pharisees knew it, and ...