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Mob-brain Mentality

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.”
‭‭Acts 19:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Luke’s writing sounds like it came right out the the Ephesus Times newspaper. It seems that Paul’s preaching about Jesus actually DID effect the idol businesses of that day or it just gave Demetrius the excuse of “handcrafted idols” taking a downturn.

Diana, or the goddess Artemis, mentioned here was THE prominent and well known and loved idol of the city. Right in front of the massive library, they had built a gigantic statue of her standing, overlooking the main road filled with multi-level houses and lined with street vendors selling their goods. Ephesus was a bustling port city until later, the inlet body of water itself dried up and city became an abandoned wasteland. Diana couldn’t and didn’t stop that natural disaster from happening.

Demetrius called all the smaller business owners (idol-makers) together and designed a city-wide protest against Paul. Demetrius played to their livelihood and their religious beliefs, “Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” Ah, yes, Demetrius was so “concerned” about their great mascot. Ah, maybe he was a true cult believer.

It got the whole city angry and it spilled into a riot, as Demetrius knew it would. After the crowd found and dragged two of Paul’s friends into the amphitheater, listen to what Luke commentates about this riot, “Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.” Most of them didn’t even know why they were there! Classic mob-brain mentality. Angry, frustrated and ready to do some serious protest-able damage – yet having no idea what it’s about. This #sohuman!

The crowd yelled, chanted and shouted the fury-filled phrase for hours, “great is Artemis!” Until the mayor of the town (Alexander) could finally calm them down, reason with them and then threaten that the Roman government hated riots because of damage it did to the empire. Rome wanted citizens to feel safe, be at peace and spend money (more money equals more taxes). We are well aware of what protests and public riots do – nothing but bad outcomes. It makes people feel unsafe, aggravated and they spend less money! Plus, the business owners have to pickup the cost of repairs after the looting, fires and destruction. Mobs don’t care about a cause, they only care about destruction and violence. Mobs love riots, protests and marches because they take advantage of the cover it provides to steal, kill and destroy!

Alexander, after a few tense hours, was able to appeal to their good senses, “Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.” He told them to settle the matter in the courts where real arguments and facts could be presented, where both sides could present their case. Novel idea right? Riots, mobs and protests don’t want court cases, those are driven mostly by reason. Mobs want emotionally driven outcomes that do not lead to change, they just do damage.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow, weren’t not just selfish and full of sin, we’re some fickle and a fragile non-thinking bunch. When we get worked up about something, it’s hard to see truth, hard to see right and wrong. And, certainly hard to make the necessary changes to create a good outcome for all. We are so influenced by each other’s emotions and behaviors. This is still true today. Isn’t it possible that the opposite is true? Wouldn’t our good behavior, our peaceful emotions be as viral as the bad? Like the mayor in this story, it seems that someone needs to address the situation and speak peace before things go to far.

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Somebody stop me!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds. They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah‬ ‭6:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Brought to you by the same guy that gave us Jeremiah 29:11. Oh, God has plans alright… but there’s this little (cough, cough) issue of deep, hidden, pervasive SIN. Just before this passage Jeremiah quite dramatically says, “So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury. Yes, I am tired of holding it in! “I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets and on gatherings of young men, on husbands and wives and on those who are old and gray.”

The spokespersons for God had the awful job of delivering warnings, consequences and mostly bad news. Anything to get us, to shake us back into the reality of how far we’ve slid, how far we’ve drifted. And, enough is enough. For selfishness and self serving hunger from sin there is never satiation, it’s never enough. We don’t come to our senses. We don’t have an ultimate endpoint of self awareness to reign in our lust and desires.

God must stop our spiraling pursuit of MORE. Jeremiah describes it as greed, but it’s far more than just material gain, it’s power, control and massive egotistical tyrannies of self-protection.

We are currently being served (or subjugated) by these narcissistic leaders all around us today! No wonder Jeremiah can’t hold it in any more! There’s a moment when we also get a sense that one; we have just given up and expect these bad characters to lead us or two; we want these maniacs in power because they also give us what we want.

Do we really want leaders constantly telling us, leading us to DO RIGHT and LIVE RIGHT? God put a stop to all of it when He PUT his own people into slavery, under a powerful leader in the most wealthy kingdom of its day. It starts to feel like God would be saying, “if you want to behave like slaves, then I’ll just let you have your way.”

I’ve been seeing a lot of bad human qualities in me, reflected through these Old Testament stories. One is: I want what I want, when I want it and I don’t want anyone telling me different! Two is: Never point out when I’m wrong, because it is ALWAYS someone else’s fault! Geez, I’m a real piece of work here.

God stopped his people from destroying themselves and lovingly punished them to protect them. And, God is still doing so today in our lives, in our culture, even in our churches. I wouldn’t be too eager to celebrate God’s judgment on our “pagan” neighbors in entertainment, media, politics, policing, education or business. God is willing to start with his own, the church. Peter wasn’t afraid to just plainly write it out in 4:17, “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household.” You know what’s wild, this is GOOD news. To quote Jim Carrey in The Mask, “Somebody stop me!”

Prayer

Dad,
I see that my sin could and would carry me away, far away from you. I see that you’re love equals discipline as much as it means blessing. I see, I know the things in my heart of hearts and I am thankful that the Holy Spirit both corrects and keeps them in check. I cannot get away from my sins, but I can confess and turn and run towards you rather than run from you. Thank you for your correction and your grace.

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You can get what you want.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Backsliders get what they deserve; good people receive their reward.”
— ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:14‬‬

Am I reading this Proverb correctly? Did the wisdom writers actually have and USE the word, “backslider?” I am shocked! I promise you, I thought it was some judgey word from a holiness/pentecostal era. Backslide? Backslider? The Hebrew writers tap into this idea that if Humans don’t want to constantly, continually move towards God, so be it. No one is forcing them to follow God. Well, yeah, there’s also the idea that they CAN get what they want!

The Rolling Stones had a song, “You can’t always get what you want.” It turns out you can. New Living Translation says, backsliders “deserve,” but the Hebrew word is “derek: way, road, or journey.” God will and does give humans the freedom to walk… away.

Oh, and I get the feeling that walking away feels so GOOD, so mature, so freeing, for the moment. Instead of freedom from sin and a redemptive life story, you get whatever results from the rugged, independence of God, “I’ll choose my own truth, own beliefs, own reality – thank you.”

Let me be honest, my parents (all five of them), and much of my extended family choose that way of life. All it brought was a huge pile of poopy for them and us as kids. I’ve been on this God path for over 45 years and there is no way I want to go for it on my own! I’m not perfect either. I’ve had my short bursts of moving away from God, not really intentionally, but just being lazy. The second I realize I’m drifting into a Glenn path, I turn, make it right with God and get back on His road – you know, the narrow, less travelled one.

So be warned or be encouraged, God will let you move away from Him and make your own way. Just know that either way, you’ll reap the results. My advice: move toward and with God. If you’re not on the right path TURN NOW. Find God’s way and get back to following it.

Prayer

Dad,
I had no idea the word, “backslider” was a real thing! I’m kind of shocked about it. Of course, I remember Jesus warning pharisees and prodigals that they can receive their little praise for cool prayers or loud generosity and certainly the son who demanded his future inheritance so he could squander it on Pig Island. They got what they wanted and it wasn’t your desire or path for them. But wow, this is right in our face! I can move towards you or backwards to slide away from you. I want to choose you always. I want to stay on this path, your path for the entirety of my life.

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Living with one foot raised.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.” Luke‬ ‭10:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Travel was expected. These verses bring back memories. At one point in my life I was, as they say, an itinerant missionary. My travel days were light compared to my boss. I was out maybe 60 days a year, my boss, at least 150 days a year. So, yes, he had more air miles, car rental and hotel perks because he was a frequent traveler and fiercely loyal to his membership status. He also had far more travel stories while staying with people, in their homes. Dogs that guarded his door so he couldn’t use the restroom. Waking up with a cat sleeping ON his neck. Staying with a young couple who was pregnant and the guest room was next to the restroom where the wife had to frequently un-accommodate her stomach contents. Even his hotel stays were a series of midnight mishaps mostly mistaking the main door for the restroom, only to find himself locked out in his skivvies.

My home stays however we’re delightful and memorable. When I stayed with retired couples we would often stay up late into the night (like 10pm 😂) talking about God and the church. When I stayed with families with littles or youth it was a joy just to be a part of the holy-chaos of evening homework or morning exit plans. I always prayed WITH and for the families I had the honor to stay with. Every single one of them were peaceful and the “blessing” stood! Even though I was away from home, in a strange sense I felt like I was staying with family. This is how the body of Christ functions. There was a bond of kinship and care and I deeply appreciated it. Sometimes I was able to return for multiple years and could watch the family grow and change as well.

My boss had this idea that Christianity and followers of Jesus should provide what he called “Radical Hospitality.” I guess he was old-school that way. Having experienced a sense that God’s work is “out there,” and often finding a sense of home where there are these pockets of hospitality.

In the book Heroic Leadership, Lowney writes, “when people see the whole world as their home, they can turn a hopeful, interested, and optimistic gaze toward new ideas, cultures, places, and opportunities. By freeing themselves from inordinate attachments that could inhibit risk taking or innovation, they become poised to pounce imaginatively on new opportunities. And by looking at the future with optimism, they become more likely to find those opportunities and solutions. Loyola called it “living with one foot raised.” Jesus called his followers to live with this idea that our lives should not be so static that we never experience new or unknown, but to live fluid enough to raise a foot and go out – go forward in and with our faith.

Prayer

Dad,
I get far too comfortable when living or existing in one place. I probably yearn for a sense of safety and security as much as the next person, but I tasted adventure. I saw opportunity open up before my very eyes as I got out, or away from the familiar and the mundane. It was odd that after a few years of these “road trips,” I had grown accustom, not exactly comfortable, but prepared for what “travel” brings. Delayed flights, lost reservations or luggage, just the unfamiliarity of my destination. I got used to a loss of control. But in those moments, I was also learning that you are IN CONTROL and had a plan, or an alternate plan. Maybe even a better plan that I could have never made happen. My trust, my faith increased with unfamiliar, unstable, unpredictable moments. Thank you.

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Easter eggs hidden throughout the Bible.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“For the Lord holds a cup in his hand that is full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours out the wine in judgment, and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭75:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Wow. This cup that the Psalmist refers to is the cup of judgment from God. Asaph writes about all those who are arrogant and defiant towards God, “I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’ I told the wicked, ‘Don’t raise your fists! Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’” He says that God mixes a bitter drink and makes the wicked drink it. This is cup of judgment. Benson says, “God is here compared to the master of a feast, who, in those days, used to distribute portions of meats or drinks to the several guests, as he thought fit.” And Barnes says, “It is full of mixture – Mixed with spices, in order to increase its strength; or, as we should say, drugged. This was frequently done in order to increase the intoxicating quality of wine. The idea is, that the wrath of God was like wine whose native strength, or power of producing intoxication, was thus increased by drugs.” The king, giving these different cups to their guests were signifying either a blessing or judgment. And, these cups of blessing or curses were mentioned all through the Old Testament.

The gospel writers bring back this idea, these symbols of cups at the last supper, and in the garden of Gethsemane. “And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it,” Matthew‬ ‭26:27‬. “Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew‬ ‭26:42‬ ‭NLT‬. One more reference is made to the guards offering Jesus “sour wine,” possibly an analgesic to ease the pain. Jesus refused this ‬drink. Matthew 27:34.

God is definitely into these deep, symbolic moments of mystery and has hundreds of encoded “Easter eggs” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media) ) scattered throughout scripture. All of them leaving clues and all them pointing to the fulfillment of the work Christ has done for us.

Prayer

Dad,
You are amazing at not only telling your grand story of tragedy and redemption. But the sheer amount of details woven into the salvation of humans is astounding! There are so many clues, so many hints hidden in plain sight. I do however notice that people have to actually look for them. Even in the parables, Christ plainly said, they don’t give answers they encourage seeking! And when we seek… we FIND. I am thankful that you brought me the message of hope and made it so clear, so simple. I think it’s another sign of your mercy to those who are broken, and how you give grace to the humble.

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Dumb Human Tricks of pretending Darkness is Light!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:6-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬


New Living Translation’s attempt to communicate Paul’s intent uses the word, “fooled,” but really it’s don’t be apatáō – deceived, using tactics like seduction, giving dis­torted impressions and luring into deception. And we do so with kenos: empty, worthless, of no value, words. It’s a if Paul knows how humans justify our behaviors by just word-vomiting all over each other. Ah, yes, we spin and wordsmith just the right phrases and repeat them so often that we begin to believe our own lies.

It all begins by lying to ourselves, doesn’t it? We’ve got to. We know it’s wrong. Or, at least I believe that we have a God-given conscience that tells us we’re wrong, but we want to do it anyways. What else are we going to do? Should we go around admitting we’re wrong and acting foolishly? No! We want to DO WRONG but BE RIGHT about it!

We say to ourselves and others, with as much hubris vibrato we can muster, “I am not sinning, you just misunderstand truth.”

Distraction is the core of magic, right? “Look over here, I’ll prove to you that my behaviors are not bad, they are actually good and helpful to my soul and society.” Then the inevitable, “wouldn’t you love to join me in my own version of truth?” There’s no way I’m going to change my behavior, so I will distort the truth!

Paul kinda says that’s ridiculously silly. He says that’s like calling the darkness, light (probably vice versa as well). Yep, dark is dark and light is light. So to switch them means that you’ve gone mental, or traded a truth for a lie.

So that’s why it’s so important to drag behaviors or deeds of darkness out of the shadows, out of the night and into the daylight! To prop up a good lie, a dark behavior, to force EVERYONE to unilaterally admit it’s true and good – it has to be paraded and propagated in the actual light of day.

The best way to seduce the world into accepting a wrong behavior is to drag that thing into the daytime and get a whole bunch of people to agree that it’s good and not bad, it’s truth and not a lie!

Paul says that God’s light, which is not the daylight produced by the sun, but eternal light that emanates from the Son of God himself will EXPOSE darkness and make everything and everyone see truth. Paul says to BE a believer means there is no deceptively seducing yourself or others with ridiculous, empty spinning of truth.

You stand, full on in the light of Jesus Christ and see yourself as a sinner, exposed but also saved by His grace. And as this light of Christ penetrates our soul, there is no need to lie or deny but allow Him and him alone to SEE us and forgive us.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow, we are so creative to avoid truth! Why are we so good at being bad and constantly convincing ourselves that it’s okay? Are we so determined to get away from you and be “independent” of your goodness that we will spend our lives calling lies, truth and darkness, light? I am really that sinful, aren’t I? Forgive me. Forgive us. It’s so embarrassing to know that these thoughts and behaviors exist in our “freedom” and free-will. Come quickly Lord Jesus, for our sin is great and our deception has gone viral.

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Natural or Supernatural Miracles?

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my Lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.” Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.” 2 Kings‬ ‭2:19-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Aren’t miracles, well…miracles, you may ask? I thought so. Then I watched this documentary about Moses and the Jewish people crossing the Red Sea. The water parted, it separated, and over a million people walked across on dry land. Then the Egyptian army, with chariots and thousands of foot soldiers followed them into the water. The Jewish people arrived safely on the other side, then God closed the opening on the sea, drowning the entire Egyptian army. Remember this? The documentary had lots of theories, but shockingly the experts were divided on this idea of natural vs supernatural miracles. Did God use the natural forces of the earth (wind, specific spot in the body of water, even the gravitational pull of the moon and earth in that exact moment) or did God just command the water to divide and it obeyed?

This “little” (not little at all) miracle that Elisha performed was titled, “Elisha’s First Miracle.” Well, yeah it was God’s miracle through Elisha but I get it. Was it natural or supernatural? Does it matter to you? It really doesn’t matter to me. I love science and knowing some of the cool mysteries of our world. I love that scientists thought their discoveries would become more simple as they searched deeper and higher than man had ever searched before. But instead, their searching has become more complicated, forcing them to ask even more difficult questions. This applies to the smallest microscopic particle to the largest and many universes in the cosmos. So if Elisha’s was some kind of chemical biologist, knowing that a few cups of salt would permanently balance the PH levels in an ever flowing river, and God gave him this knowledge – so be it. However, if God told Elisha about the salt or even if he came up with it on his own then God just “healed” the water supply for the whole city – well that’s fantastically okay with me as well!

If you study some of the Old Testament prophets’ miracles, you’ll find they are pretty strange. Floating axe heads, Elisha and the two bears, or laying nose to nose, toe to toe on a dead little boy’s body, you’ll really scratch your head and say, “Whoa, this is some crazy stuff!” But the point still remains here. Jericho had a citywide problem and the leaders went to the new man’s of God, Elisha. They may have expected him to pray or make a big spectacle of it all. He didn’t. He asked them for a bowl of salt. He went out to the spring that was the water supply for the city and threw the salt into the running stream. Then he tells them, the Lord says, “I have purified this water.” Boom. Miracle.

Prayer

Dad,
You are the God, the only God. And, since you created all things, it’s not surprising at all that you do both “natural” and supernatural miracles. I don’t even think they are miracles to you, just simple commands that all the existence of any and all universes and planets within must comply with! Yet with us, you allow us to choose. You’ve given us freedom to believe, to know you. Or, to not believe and deny not only your existence, but also your plan to save us from ourselves. I believe in you and in miracles!

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Backing away from the mental edge of a cliff.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me. Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers.” Psalms‬ ‭59:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How to pray when you’re attacked! David knew how to bring his honest, earnest thoughts, fears and prayers to God. Again, how many of us talk with God with such specificity? David lists their methods of stalking and trash talking. “They come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.” Isn’t it interesting that David KNOWS that God hears his prayer, but also hears the profane disregard for decency of the thugs that work for King Saul.

David also asks God to NOT kill them, but to throw them off balance, “Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield.”

But while all of this is going on, even amidst the prayer for protection, David decides to behave in a very specific way. He decides, “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.” He sings about God’s power, not the thugs. He starts his day by singing with joy about God’s unfailing (secure) love! David owns his attitude and sets his behavior everyday that he is going through this incredible pressure of being hunted down by the King. This is a lesson for me, for us when we feel that we are under the threat and pressure of attacks – real or perceived!

Prayer

​Dad,
You know that when I am feeling out of control or certainly under any kind of attack, that my mind obsesses, for days, over the possible negative endings. And if it feels like an unjustified correction or complaint against me – it just sends me spiraling.

I’ve have tried and tried to shorten the amount of time it takes me to gain my mental footing and talk myself back into anything healthy. David met his enemies both external (the thugs) and internal (his own fears) with a very practical action – he prayed, he sang. He reminded himself of who YOU are and then sang about how trustworthy you are until joy and a sense of peace brought him back from the brink of that mental cliff.

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A contract is a contract, and it must be paid in blood.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.” Ephesians‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The outsiders! New Living Translation plays this verse a little too fast and loose, the word “outsiders” is not in the original text. The translators are trying to make the point Paul is suggesting. I found an article that said there were approximately 4 million Jews living in the Roman Empire at that time. They had to have been a force to be reckoned with because a number of Roman emperors tried to eliminate them. But in the religious world, in this “new” messianic Jew era, the Gentiles, or the heathens were outnumbered. Paul takes another dig at a previously honored distinction- pride in circumcision. Saul/Paul had been circumcised. However, it had long been known that it was only a physical indication and no longer a matter of a heart that was separated unto God. God had even declared that the physical trait had lost its effect because of sin, stubbornness and disobedience. When the “insiders” control the rules of the game, then everyone else is seen as outside the “accepted by God”circle. But Paul wrote, you were “formerly” heathens. Did they get circumcised? Well, certainly not physically. Paul was referring to what Christ had done for every human being – his blood had circumcised their heart. The mark, the “physical” proof was cut, contracted in the heart, right where God said he would writes his laws upon human flesh.

Contracts were said to be “cut” in ancient days because each party would physically cut into their own body, producing a little bit of blood. This is also why God choose circumcision as a sign of covenant with His people. That blood covenant or contract was a visible, visceral statement that declared, if I don’t keep my end of the contract, my blood, my life will be given in return. Ancient contracts were blood pacts!

All the way back to the garden and the reality of death for disobedience caused a permanent rift, a tear a chasm between humans and God. God setup a way to repair that breech. The contract with Abraham was a blood pact and the contract with Moses was the temporary method for failing to keep our end of the deal. As humans we kept failing to keep our end of the contract so the blood of animals was the temporary “atonement” or really a promise to pay in full one day with our own blood, our own lives.

We all had this blood/death sentence hanging over us. It didn’t matter if humans believed in God, or even knew about the contract arrangements – it is a reality ever human would have to face. Let’s say you get pulled over for a traffic violation and the office gives you a ticket, a fine that must be paid. You know it does NO GOOD whatsoever to tell the judge, “I didn’t know it was against the law!” The judge will tell you, “ignorance is not a defense.” Ignorance is not a defense with this blood contract either.

God’s plan was to become human and be born in perfection, no sin, completely innocent – Christ was never under the contract because he never violated the agreement. However, being perfect, and human he was able to make THE payment that no innocent temporary animal could ever make with its own blood (Remember animals live in a sinful world, but they do not commit sin – they do not have a human soul thus they were never at fault for disobedience). Because they are NOT human, their innocent blood could only be a temporary peace offering, a promise for its owner to pay in full at some point in the future. Christ was born perfect and lived perfect, so his blood, his death was the only real solution to all of humanity’s big pile of “IOU’s!”

Now, the only way to avoid paying for your sin is to show the judge your “paid in full” receipt, not because a small amount of blood was “cut” in circumcision, but the paid contract has been cut in your heart, where you believe in God’s payment plan through Christ and show it by the way you live now as “circumcised” Gentile.

Prayer

Dad,
All I can say is thank you! Thank you for your plan, your salvation. Thank you for your law being written on my heart. Thank you for grace to look forward, live forward unafraid of death as my own payment for sin.

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A God ordained and sanctioned coo!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet had summoned a member of the group of prophets. “Get ready to travel,” he told him, “and take this flask of olive oil with you. Go to Ramoth-gilead, and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Call him into a private room away from his friends, and pour the oil over his head. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you to be the king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run for your life!” 2 Kings‬ ‭9:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This chapter reads like some CIA operation – Codename: Righteous Justice.

Elisha calls out one of the students in the school of the prophets and in a very clandestinely manner, gives him the assignment. Basically this young prophet was going to instigate a takeover of the country. This prophet would secretly anoint an new king, Jehu. The prophet does as Elisha says and gets Jehu alone. He doesn’t just anoint him King, he tells him that he is going to bring justice to the nation by eliminating Ahab and his wife Jezebel. And the young prophet tells Jehu how Jezebel would meet her demise! “Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Whoa. Then the young prophet did exactly what Elisha had instructed him, he opened the door and ran. Secrecy doesn’t last long and word travels fast, so this was a quick “in & out” job.

When God moves on something he does so quickly. This whole timing thing is real. It can feel like you’re waiting forever for an answer or opportunity or for justice to kick in, but it’s all about the perfect timing of God who is control of every tiny detail. Crazy thing – it all happened just as God had said it would. Jehu pulls into the palace court where flashy, trashy Jezebel is sitting in the palace window, high above the ground. After throwing some serious verbal shade on Jehu, things turn very dark for the wicked woman who had been so cruel to so many.

“When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You’re just like Zimri, who murdered his master!” Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, “Who is on my side?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves. Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Afterward he said, “Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.” 2 Kings‬ ‭9:30-35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer:

​Dad,
Personally, I am glad this is included both in the Bible and in your storyline of how humans can really screw things up. I’m just a huge fan of justice, especially when it comes to flagrant disregard for others and their worth. These characters, Ahab and Jezebel, are a wicked duo that represents thousands of local and global leaders who so arrogantly rule over their change and do so out of a complete and utter sense of self. At any point, these two could have turned from their wickedness and repented, but there was no way they were going to break or bow. Jezebel’s last words bellowing out her perched window was proof that she believed she was untouchable and no one could do anything about it. Wow, her own bodyguards pushed her out the window.

As a leader in such a small venue of family and church, I just want to serve. I just want to do right. I don’t need to store up power, fame or fortune – I just need wisdom and mercy to lead and do my best.