Wednesday, January 31, 2024

January 31, 2024

Deuteronomy 4.15 (NIV)
You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire.
Our earthbound minds can’t completely fathom all he is and all he does.*
In Exodus 33.11, God says he spoke to Moses “face to face.” In Numbers 12.8, we are told that Moses also “sees the form of the Lord.” In Exodus 33.19, God tells Moses, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you,” but, he says in verse 20, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 

God spent a lot of time in Moses’ personal space but what Moses saw was not a countenance or a shape that could be reproduced in stone or on canvas.

There are reasons for God’s not allowing us to see his face. First, he is spirit so perhaps there is nothing to see. This is not an easy concept for us who are limited by the physical world. As someone else said, we are, like the Israelites, “insensitive to the reality of a God who could not be touched or seen.”* We hear his voice, feel the touch of his hand, rest beneath the shadow of his wings, and we’re the apple of his eye – but these, like the burning bush, aren’t God.

Second, even if God has a physical face, what do you think would happen if we saw it (besides dying)?  Someone would paint a picture, make a statue, build an idol. People would start to flock to these images to pray, to get healed, and to see the image shed tears. They - we! - would start to forget that we worship a God who cannot be contained in any earthly vessel – or even the highest heavens (I Kings 8.27). Making “fancied representation[s] of the true God”* is idolatry as much as fashioning idols to false gods.

Third, faith comes by hearing . . . not by seeing (Romans 10.17).  For reasons of his own, “God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified.” (I Corinthians 1.21–23.) We, like the Israelites at Horeb, know God’s presence through his spoken word.*

. . . But then, God’s word became flesh (John 1.14), and suddenly, God has a face. And hands and feet and a heart.   
Jesus speaks the word and is the Word.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

January 30, 2024

Deuteronomy 4.2, 6 (NIV)
Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God. . . . Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations.
Underlying every sacred commandment is the purpose of God to achieve the utmost happiness and benefit for the obedient child of God.* 
The leaders of the Jewish religion in Jesus’ day were notorious for making “many laws out of a few” but Jesus came along and made a “few laws out of many.”* Jesus points out an example of this in Mark 7.9–11. Often the adding to/taking away was done with the sole intent of making it more difficult to be obedient. In Revelation 22.18, we read that there is a curse attached to adding to or taking away from the prophecies recorded in that book.

God’s law, like God himself, is unchanging and reliable. There is no need to fluff it up or smooth it out in order to make it more palatable (or more difficult). Throughout Deuteronomy chapter four, God enumerates the blessings that obedience to the law would bring to his people. But a secondary benefit was that in keeping the law, the Israelites set an example to the nations around them. Among the other nations, they did not enjoy a reputation for their wealth, their military power, or their artistic achievement, but they were respected for their relationship to God.*

While none of us has reached a level of spiritual maturity which allows us to understand everything, God reveals what we need to know when we need to know it – when we are walking in obedience. And walking in obedience has that secondary benefit of speaking to the world about our God.
“Obedience is the only proof of love." We might add that it is likewise the only proof of faith.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Monday, January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

Numbers 12.8 (NIV)
“With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles.”
Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking.*
This is God stepping up and defending Moses against his harsh critics – who, it turns out, were his brother and sister. Perhaps they were jealous of his close relationship with God. Perhaps they thought Moses was an easy target – the Bible says he was the most humble man on the face of the earth. In any case, God was moved to make an appearance on Moses’ behalf. Moses didn’t have to speak up for himself because he had the Almighty as his defense attorney. In mounting Moses’ defense, God placed his seal of approval on Moses. Aaron and Miriam got the message: What Moses says goes.

God does the same for us. He stands up and speaks for us. God also speaks to us – clearly and not in riddles. We may not hear God “clearly and not in riddles” because our relationship with him has not reached that level of intimacy, but the closer we get to God, the easier it is to read his mind (know his will) as it is revealed in his Word.
 
God would not have spoken to Moses if Moses had not been willing to listen. We, too, must assume a listening attitude, if we are to hear God speak.   
God goes to those who have time to hear him.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Sunday, January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024

Numbers 4.15 (NIV)
“They must not touch the holy things or they will die.”
If he had not come to earth as a man, he would have remained completely inaccessible.*
There are strict guidelines for handling radioactive material. Failure to follow proper procedure is a death sentence. So was the mishandling of the sacred items in the tabernacle. God made and enforced the “do not touch” rule regarding the Ark of the Covenant, not just to protect the “symbol of His throne”* from contamination, but because the power and holiness of God, compacted and contained within, was “hotter” than nuclear waste. It was not to be treated with less than the utmost reverence for its sacredness, and respect for its potency.

Because God allowed himself to be contained within a vessel that we could touch, perhaps we under-estimate our need to be properly prepared to encounter him. While a purification “ritual” is necessary after exposure to radiation, cleansing is required before one may come into contact with the presence of God. “As the Ark was the only place Old Testament believers could go (through the high priest) to have their sins forgiven, so Christ is now the only way to salvation and the kingdom of heaven.”* Our purification ritual requires us to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ through baptism into his death and resurrection.
God still may not be approached carelessly. Each person must examine his or her life, to be certain that God’s purity is not violated.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

January 27, 2024

Leviticus 20.7 (NIV)
“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.”
No man can make himself pure by obeying laws.*
Consecration is the procedure for making something holy. In the Old Testament, God’s people could attain a state of temporary holiness by observing the rituals and sacrifices required by the law. Today, people of God strive for “moral holiness” for the same reasons that the Israelites did: because God is holy.

We tend to miss the mark, however, because we are tolerant of a certain amount of sin in ourselves, and in others, depending on who they are and what they’ve done. God’s holiness is not compatible with tolerance. We can’t come into his presence with just a little bit of sin on us or mask our sin with make-up. It must be washed completely away. On our own, we do not have the power to consecrate ourselves. On our own, we are not holy, but he has made it possible for us to approach him through the blood of his Son.

Once something becomes holy, it should stay that way. But because we are human and weak, we can lose our state of holiness. The good news is that Jesus’ blood is “a mighty solvent”* and it flows freely. We don’t have to understand it to benefit from it – we only have to accept it and apply it.
 
Are you washed in the blood?
The destined end of man is not happiness, not health, but holiness.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Friday, January 26, 2024

January 26, 2024

Leviticus 19.18 (NIV)
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
One cannot love God and not love one’s fellow human being, for God does not accept such love.*
Did your parents ever answer your “why” question with “because I said so”? Sometimes God answers us the same way. We may offer excuses as to why we can’t love our neighbor but God will not be drawn into our argument. “I am the Lord,” reminds us of his authority.

This verse (and Jesus’ quoting of it in Matthew 22.39) is frequently used to promote the theory that in order to love others, we must first love ourselves. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to love ourselves; indeed, no one has to tell us to love ourselves. We hold grudges against each other but we are always ready to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and make excuses for our behavior. We are quite capable of loving ourselves even when we know how unlovable we are. But, as Christians, we must learn to have that “same intense love for others”* that we have for ourselves. . . . Because he said so! 
Only harbor a grudge when God does.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Thursday, January 25, 2024

January 25, 2024

Exodus 34.6, 7 (NIV) “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.”
Numbers 14.18 (NIV) The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.
Psalm 86.15 (NIV) But you, O lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103.8, 10 (NIV) The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. . . . [H]e does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 
God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.* 
Interviewing for a job challenges our ability to balance just the right amount of modesty with a healthy dose of self-confidence. We can be proud of our accomplishments but we don’t want to come across as over-confident . . . unless we have God’s résumé. Yes, the verse quoted above from Exodus, contains God’s words about himself. I can picture the bullet-points on God’s résumé listing his strengths (no weaknesses!): 
  • Compassionate
  • Gracious
  • Slow to anger
  • Abounding in love and faithfulness
  • Forgiving sin and rebellion
But, in the interest of full disclosure, he adds:
  • Does not leave the guilty unpunished
If the verses in Exodus are his résumé, then the verses in Numbers and Psalms are his references, verifying and attesting to his character. The psalmist is careful to say only good things but the “reference” from the book of Numbers is brutally honest, listing all the wondrous attributes of God then scrupulously including the qualifier: he does not leave the guilty unpunished.
 
If this were a real résumé, the applicant would now have to go on to explain how such contradictory attributes can live in the same person. It could be a rather lengthy document, say about the size of the Old and New Testaments, but it might be condensed for the sake of the résumé: "God does not leave the guilty unpunished but we are no longer guilty because of the blood of Jesus.”*

A pretty impressive résumé! Now we have all the information we need to determine that he is the only qualified applicant for the job!
The most wonderful truth revealed in all of the word of God is that mercy stands higher than the law as the guiding principle of God's relationship with men.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

January 24, 2024

Exodus 33.19  (NIV)
“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
God is always consistent with Himself in His actions.* 
When God speaks these words, it is not to portray himself as a God of whimsy, or of random or frivolous behavior, but to remind us that he is God. What does he mean then, that he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy?
 
God’s grace is always free, so it can’t be earned; it is always dished out according to his purpose. In contrast, God doesn’t say, “I will be at angry at whom I will be angry,” because we have actually earned his wrath by rejecting him. 

“His wrath is always just and holy,”* but thanks to his mercy and grace, his anger is deflected. Justice demands payment but God chooses to be merciful. That is his prerogative. It is our prerogative to choose whether we will be recipients of his mercy or victims of his wrath. 
He never damns by prerogative, but by prerogative he saves.*

*Quote sources available upon request.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

January 23, 2024

Exodus 33.16, 17 (NIV)
“How will anyone know that you are pleased with me . . . unless you go with us?  What else will distinguish me . . . from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
God answers prayer when our life choices radiate from our faith.*
How could God and Moses be having this conversation? Remember back in the desert when Moses was like, “Who me?” and God was like, “Who made your mouth?” (Exodus 3.11 and 4.11)

These verses are rich in meaning on more than one level. There’s the literal: it’s a conversation between God and Moses. And there’s the spiritual/personal: how it applies to us. On the literal level, we see Moses asking God to manifest himself in such a way that the world will know that God is pleased with him. God admits that he is pleased with Moses and agrees to fulfill Moses’ request.

For our personal application, I see two blessings and a promise. Let us beg for the first blessing: that God be pleased with us. And then let us be thankful for the second blessing: that he knows us by name and by heart.

Finally, let us claim the promise that God will do the very thing we have asked so that the world will know that he is pleased with us, and to distinguish us from all the other people in the world. And what was it that God gave Moses? What sets us apart from the rest of the world except God’s presence?
What is to His glory is always to our good.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Monday, January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024

Exodus 33.14 (NIV)
The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 
 
 
Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances . . . but on your relationship to God.*
While Moses’ mind was on performing God’s will – on getting the job done - God was promising him rest. God probably wasn’t talking about giving Moses a good night’s sleep; likely he was referring to rest from wandering after taking possession of the Promised Land. Along with the thrill of claiming God’s promise came the “assurance of the divine presence.”*

God knows that we need rest – he made us that way. As someone has observed, “Rest is a universal human longing.”* But at times our schedules do not allow for lots of rest. Life is often hectic and out of control. These are the days when we need to claim God’s promise that his presence will give us rest.


In his presence, we are so comfortable that we find rest at its finest. No stress, no unfinished business, no worry should keep us awake if we trust him. We might call it peace but God just calls it rest.
God requires two things of those who seek his peace:  focus and trust.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

January 21, 2024

Exodus 33.13 (NIV)
“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
God has unlimited ways to get our attention and to transform us.*
The words of this verse are spoken by Moses, the man who tried to get out of the duty to which God had called him by pointing out how useless and unskilled he was; the same Moses about whom it was said, just two verses earlier, that God spoke to him as to a friend. Here he seems to be negotiating with God: “Okay, you say you are pleased with me – so show me what you want me to do.”

It is an interesting concept - that God could be pleased with me before I have learned his ways. We think that we have to know how to be a Christian before we can become one but this verse indicates that God teaches us as we go. And as we learn, we continue to find favor with him.

“Just as I am” is exactly the way God accepts us but he does not expect us to stay that way.
Becoming whole is a process, not an event.*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

January 20, 2024

Exodus 33.11 (NIV)

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. 
I saw the Lord. He was high and lifted up and rightfully adored . . . I saw the Lord . . . and He saw me.* 
I can’t think of anything more splendid than to be in Moses’ position. God didn’t just reveal himself to Moses; he spoke to him face to face as a man speaks with his friend. Don’t you wonder what Moses and the Lord talked about? Friends don’t always discuss weighty issues; sometimes they just have fun discussions. Friends encourage one another and share stories about themselves. Is it disrespectful to imagine God and Moses sharing a laugh?

I have never actually seen God’s face, but like Moses, I am friends with the awesome, powerful Creator of the universe. I have known his presence and heard his voice. Many times he has reminded me of his promises, spoken to me of truths, and comforted me through his Word.

I don’t know what God and I will talk about when we sit down together in Heaven, but I know I will have his undivided attention as we meet face to face. 
He takes his children to higher levels of fellowship so they may hear him speaking “face to face.”*


*Quote sources available upon request.

Friday, January 19, 2024

January 19, 2024

Exodus 31.18 (NIV)
When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. 
The incarnation reminds us that the personal touch matters.*
If the “tablets of Testimony” were written by God, with his own finger, there could be no question about whether the law was inspired by God; no question about its authenticity. As another writer expresses it: “No other set of laws can claim such an origin – conceived in the heart of God and transcribed by the finger of God.”* Under those circumstances, you would think that the Israelites would have been afraid not to obey!

God is spirit, so in his natural state he probably doesn’t actually have a finger. But the Bible is full of references to God as if he does have body parts because God has gone to a great deal of effort to relate to our humanity and to allow us to feel his touch. So much so that he became an entire human in the form of his Son, Jesus Christ.

In Jesus, we see how God transcends human understanding. God is spirit so he cannot be contained in anything – and yet he dwelled in his Son, and now his Spirit lives in me. Jesus was man and he is God. Jesus is God but he called God “Father.” Jesus was really dead and now he is really alive.
From the resurrection to the Lord’s Supper, Christianity is all about embodiment.*


*Quote sources available upon request.