365 Reflections

The book of Job is hard to get through at times. It's full of personal attacks and false accusations and then rebuttals from Job for the lion's share of the story. YET, and this has happened repeatedly already, there are some of the most wonderful phrases of the Bible found in its pages. Consider this one from Job 19. Job 19:25–27 (ESV)  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! This is perhaps the greatest statement of faith in the Bible. Job is utterly desperate, downtrodden, and defeated by the events of his life. But here he still holds on to the promise of God's redeeming plan for mankind. Yes, the devil had his way with him (although Job thinks it's God), but Job's faith will not waver in the ultimate plan God has for his life. And without Job...

You would think that David would want nothing to do with any person from the house of Saul. You would think he would be fully caught up in his own glory and kingdom having crushed his enemies on every side. You would think David was ready for "David-time." You would be wrong. In 2 Samuel 9, something wonderful happens for one of Saul's descendants. David is ready to bless someone for the sake of Jonathan. It just so happens that someone is a crippled boy named Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9:1 (ESV) And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” We see here that David is unlike any other ancient king. Protocol required all living descendants of a former king to be put to death. But David does the opposite. He seeks out any living member of the house of Saul to BLESS! Let's see who he finds: 2 Samuel 9:3–5 (ESV) Ziba (Saul's servant) said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he...

The end of Ruth is filled with strange twists and turns. It seems Boaz and Ruth are headed to wedded bliss when he stops short. Boaz knows the law. He knows there's a nearer relative who has the Levarite right to redeem Naomi by producing an offspring for her with Ruth. This law was set in place with Moses so ensure that a man's name and inheritance would not be cut off from Israel. Deuteronomy 25:5–6 (ESV) “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. Just when things are looking really good for Ruth and Boaz, he makes the sudden announcement to her that there is a nearer redeemer and according to the law this other man must be ...

On the heels of the terrible loss and horrible episode of Achan's sin, Israel is told once more by the Lord not to be afraid and to move forward. Joshua 8:1–2 (ESV)  And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” Notice that God instructs Joshua to lay an ambush behind the city. The Lord is revealing He is a master strategist here. He knows that Ai just defeated the Israelites quite handily and so now the plan is to use their overconfidence from that event to take them out once and for all.  How incredible to think of this - God can use even our failures and sin to accomplish His purposes in our lives....

Deuteronomy 21 ends with three obscure laws that have zero meaning to us if not for the Cross of Christ and His work to make us God's people. The first is the law of the firstborn son. Basically, if a man has two wives and prefers one (obviously the second wife as no one would prefer the first wife or the second would not exist!), he is NOT to show preferential treatment to the son of his preferred wife. The firstborn inheritance goes to the firstborn regardless of his emotional state. This law looks strange as it seems to allow polygamy. Of course, this is not promoting polygamy but drawing constraints around it so that Israel would not do as they wished in less-than-godly situations. The point to be drawn from here is that God understands how often we let our emotions do the talking. We get irrational and unfair in these moments. Think for instance of the unloved woman's son. He would have to bear the consequence of something between his father and mother. God will not ha...

The theme of a kinsman redeemer runs throughout the Bible. Someone has become poor through whatever circumstance and a close relative must come and purchase his freedom. We see that theme played out in discussions concerning the year of Jubilee. The last section in the chapter is a peculiar instance whereby a member of Israel may become poor and sell themselves to a stranger. Leviticus 25:47–49 (ESV)   “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan, 48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself. In this case, it is important to note that God instructs His people to purchase their fellow brothers out of slavery. There is not to be a perpetual slavery for God's chosen p...

Exodus 30:11–14  (ESV)   The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord . 14   Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD’s offering. Exodus moves from describing the Temple, all it's instruments and designs to the census tax upon those 20 years old or more.  The people of Israel were to know that they were worth something. They had to give a ransom each for their lives whenever they were counted by God's leader. What's also interesting is that the money came into the tabernacle as a sort of tax. They brought the value of their lives to the tabernacle wh...

Exodus 13:11–13 (ESV)   “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord ’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. The most powerful theme of our salvation is redemption. God has purchased us with the blood of the spotless Lamb, Jesus. Here in Exodus 13 we see the foreshadowing of that truth in a practice of Israel established immediately after their release from slavery.  It is interesting that this matter should be addressed immediately following the deliverance of the Israelites. God's first order of business is to institute the practice of redemption so that they will not forget what is most important. Instead of telling them ...

Some call Genesis the "Pentateuch" of the Pentateuch. It's the introduction to the introduction of the Bible. Genesis provides us with the backdrop to God's story for what will be further worked out not only in Israel, but in the redemption of the world. That's good news when you see the final commentary on all that has happened in Genesis from Joseph himself in regards to evils befallen him due to his brothers. When they deceptively engineer forgiveness from them by pulling on his heart strings toward their deceased father, Joseph replies in summary: Genesis 50:19–21 (ESV)   But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Here we have it. God's plan for all evil. It shall be...

When doing devotions or daily Bible Study, it can be a subtle trap of seeking only for hidden gems of wisdom that help us live a "better more productive or peaceful life." Sometimes the Bible isn't about you. In fact large portions of the Bible are about Jesus completely and totally with nothing about you practically.  Many times you just need to understand what story God is writing even if you're daily habits aren't precisely affected by it. That's what I come away with as we go through these last few chapters of Luke.  Jesus has come to Jerusalem, to the seat of authority for what's left of the Jewish nation under Roman occupation.  He is the final act in God's saving plan of redemption.  Hostility is at an all time high and each conversation gets more heated than the previous one. They have questioned him, derided him, sought to kill him and undermined his authority. It's okay, it's part of God's plan from before (See Acts 2:23)! ...