Tag: promises

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Everything is good when God is at home.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel. Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!” Psalms‬ ‭99‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This Psalm is one of the expressions of the Ark of the Covenant being moved back into the tabernacle – God’s mobile home. In other words, coming home. God set this system up where he had Israel’s top craftsmen make a beautiful, gold covered box, filled with a few powerful reminders of God keeping his promises. Hebrews 9:4 says the ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. The manna was added later, after the contract and budding staff. Why the ark? It was a representation, filled with memory-reminders, that God makes and keeps his promises. He also shows up to come through for his people. A few Psalms, 97-100, are the celebrated passages of God not just “coming home,” but also gives a sense that everything is right and in its proper place. These two verses capture the essence or feelings of Israel’s leadership and the people of this now great nation. I must remember this Psalm is just a snapshot, a moment in place and time, but it’s these moments that are highlights of how things should be, could be when God’s people simply follow his ways.

The Psalmist boldly repeats this theme – God loves justice! God established both “shaphat” – good judgement or government and “yashar” – fairness, to be straight or equitable. God created humans and the rules of how all life should be lived. When those rules were broken by US, there were consequences. God would not be just or fair if he just flippantly let go of even one infraction. If, even once, God were to wink at it or just pretend he didn’t see it, he would not be just at all. God is either right, just, fair and true or he is not! The first humans broke the one rule God gave “Don’t eat,” and there were eternal consequences. He made several contracts with Israel, his own beloved people group (then and now). They broke the rules (chasing other loves) and there were consequences. God delivered discipline, correction and forgiveness over and over again with Israelites.

These verses acknowledge what every human soul introspectively understands, if they will just quit making excuses and get super quiet to listen to their God-given conscience! God always acts with justice and righteousness. Our lack of perspective and complete knowledge and wisdom of how everything works is no excuse to judge God’s character or intentions. It would be more honest for me to say, “I know God is always right, just and true, I just don’t LIKE it!”

This is what the Psalmist helps us with… fixing our perspective and our posture. He declares to us, still today – EXALT God, for He is always good! And bow low before his feet, for He is always holy (pure, sacred and beyond our complete understanding). When we don’t know or understand something (or truly know and understand so little), get this… God is trustworthy and right every time, all the time! Welcome your own amazing box of memory-promises into your home, your heart to remind you as well.

Prayer

Dad,
We may not have a beautifully crafted box of memories like the ark of the covenant, but we do have plenty symbols and memories of our own to regularly remember your goodness and mercy in our lives. I not only want to bring those memories into my heart, my home, but I also want to keep my heart open and clean for your Holy Spirit to reside there.

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When God shows up.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This short Psalm was written when the first temple was being dedicated and the ark of the covenant was being brought into it’s new home. I’m not sure we even have words to describe the moment. This relief, excitement and sense of well being when the physical presence of God, purposely and symbolically represented in this elaborate gold, hand-crafted container, is in its place. As Ezra describes Solomon’s extraordinary opulent, abundance of decorum and cost of this celebration, no wonder it’s so grand! In 2 Chronicles 7, “Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats.” And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. Chronicles records that God showed up in spectacular glory, “The priests could not enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it.”

God was so pleased with the unity, worship and massive display of gratefulness that he came to Solomon with a durable promise. The promise we often quote as though we, in our current situation, as citizens of the United States, could claim for ourselves. Even though it is not ours to claim. 2 Chronicles 7:12 “Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices.” Then it says, “At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.”

WARNING: NSFC (not safe for church)!

Wait, wait, wait… Am I saying that this promise, made to Solomon is not ours to claim. Yes, it is not specifically. Promises, especially these contractual promises are NOT ours to personally or corporately claim. Don’t throw stones at me yet. I do believe there are principles within the context of these circumstances that are applicable and can be emulated. Like the unity, the humble attitude, the outpouring of real worship and rejection of selfishness and evil – these postures are ALWAYS good and acceptable before God. In those moments I am positive that his presence is supernaturally present in abundance. Even in those completely unified efforts of humility and sacrifice of praise, I am sure that God would show up in forgiveness, mercy and possibly even new promises of restoration. The promises may even be better than Solomon’s promise. But this one was to Solomon and the people of God in that place and that time of history. I believe similarly about Jeremiah 29:11. Of course God has plans for us and they ARE good. But that contractual promise was for Jeremiah and again the people of God a that time. Principles can be applied but I do not take those promises as our own.

It’s kind of like, put in the work yourself! Spend the time with God. Press in and humble yourself. Repent and worship him yourself individually or as a community. Then maybe God will move, speak and give you (or us) our own promise, personally, even contractually! I don’t need to take Solomon’s, Jeremiah’s or even Abraham’s, Isaac’s or Joseph’s promises for myself (or our community) – I can go, we can go and get our own. Agree or not, this is a proper way to not only interpret scripture, it’s the better way to apply it!

These days of celebration and community commitments to God were beautiful. God’s response is miraculously amazing. We can even celebrate what God did then. However, we need to have our own experience and not just try to draft off of theirs. God is living and present now, not just in the past.

Prayer

Dad,
I love reading stories of the past and how you worked and moved among people back in time (history for me, present for you). However, I didn’t live, I don’t live back there. I am here now, today. And since I truly believe you are the same yesterday, today and forever (because you’re eternal), I would really like to have our own experiences now. In fact, I would love for us to practice the same posture that prompted your amazing promises back then! I want to practice humility, mercy, confession, worship and wonder before you today. I want us (our community of faith) to do the same. Not to get something from you but to experience an outpouring of Shekinah glory, your presence together! Because we want and need your presence more than just your promises. They needed you then, we need you now.

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Last laugh.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees. “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied. Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just another normal hot day on the plains of Canaan. By this time, Abraham had not only built up a sizable wealth with hundreds, maybe thousands of herds of cattle, sheep and possibly camels, he also had a good size army of warriors totaling over 300. Even though he was still a nomad, not owning his own land, he was a respected chief of a large community of families.

As you know, Eastern ancients on the plains or in the cities were extremely hospitable. Strangers were not only welcomed, but fed, housed and protected while they visited. Moses, who wrote Genesis, tells us that three visitors just happened to walk through Abraham’s very large compound. Moses, also identifies one of the visitors with a special title. The story begins with “three men,” then Abraham addresses one as “my Lord,” as a sign of respect. But then one of them is soon addressed as “The Lord.” “Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘why did Sarah laugh?”

This was no normal day, and no regular visitor. This was a visitation of Jesus, known as a “theophany.” Jesus and two other angels were on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to check out the rumors of the city’s sin – “So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.” Gen. ‭18‬:‭20‬. Am I to understand that Jesus showed up in the Old Testament to randomly stop by Abraham’s large community to tell him that his 90 year wife was soon to be pregnant? And Jesus does so while on the way to personally, physically checkout sin city? Yep!

This was not, is not normal at all. Sarah, overhearing what the men were talking about, gets an earful when the Lord says to Abraham, “I’ll be back next year and will get to meet your son, your bio-son.” Ya know, the one God promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:4, where his descendants will be more numerable than the stars in the night sky. Remember that? “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Gen. 15‬:‭6‬.

So laugh all you want to Sarah, doubt all you want old men and women. God keeps His word! God has big plans, unstoppable plans for the entire planet. Those who believe in Jesus, should start adjusting to the fact that God knows what He is doing. We should, as Abraham originally did, “believe the Lord,” which is seen as righteousness to God. Faith is necessary and pleasing to God. Just for the record, God may in fact get a giggle when we snicker at the impossible. God’s like, look and learn who gets the last laugh!

Prayer

Dad,
You see how fragile our faith is and how weak our belief and trust in you can be. I take it that the lack of faith in all of us came with the whole sin package? It’s frustrating for us too! I want to, we all want to believe, but it is hard to trust. It’s hard to see what cannot be seen and believe what is not apparent. Even when you do miracles and speak your Word, literal truth into us, we forget! Jesus even said, THAT is the world’s sin – we don’t believe in you. We so quickly forget your miracles, forget your promises. We go back to leaning on and living by our own understanding! This is what makes this human journey so frustrating. I identify with the father who’s son had a demon in him. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Help me not to forget your Word nor your promises!

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I promise on my mother’s grave.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This section in Matthew where Jesus digs into some deep Jewish history and culture is fascinating. Matthew really loves bringing out the rich, but controversial nuances of Jesus’ teachings on Old Testament values and behaviors. This one goes into the loose but socially accepted use of promises or vows.

There was a hierarchy of worthiness when one would attach a vow to a physical or conceptual object. A few are mentioned specifically in this teaching, heaven, earth, the beloved city of Jerusalem and one’s own head. At first I thought the whole “promises backed by – whatever” was kinda silly. The closer to personhood, for example my own head (hair or lack thereof), would be the least trustworthy. Moving on to the city or the earth would promise a more robust, reliable promise. Oh, but heaven, ah that was very serious, very dependable. Funny, right? You may have heard this phrase and ask why the Jewish people would never “swear to G*d?” Remember, a few years back, when that was super common to flippantly profane God’s name with such disrespect! I think the atheists and agnostics finally realized the hypocrisy in swearing to a God they didn’t believe in. The Jewish people would NEVER have gone that far. Using God’s name like that would mean instant and total judgment, you would be stoned on the spot. And if the crowd didn’t kill you for it, God would likely strike you with lightning himself – so it was thought. Even as a non believing, non church kid, I would have been smacked in the mouth if I said those words.

Years past we had similar, weird, promise-keeping associations as well, “Cross my heart and hope to die.” Or, “on my mother’s grave.” Or, “on all that is holy.” So, yes, our modern culture has done similar when trying to beef up a promise to make it sound ominously secure. All of these attachments are just begging the listener to just trust us at our word.

Jesus cut through years and layers of nonsense and silly wordplay to help us understand a couple things: let your word and your behavior BE your bond! If you say you’re going to do it – then DO it. If you vow or promise you won’t do it… uh… then DON’T do it. Stacking well respected places, things or people (heaven, Mom or our own death demise) just WEAKENS our word, our promise. Keeping it simple, keeps it effective – if you follow through with it. Is it yes? – then do it. Is it no? – then don’t do it. Jesus caps the conversation with a critical reminder. Anything beyond our simple “yes” or “no” is ponéros: evil or malicious. So quit stepping on the crack and breaking your mother’s back – or using her grave to boisterously boost your credibility!

Prayer

Dad,
How did we get so weird? We were created in perfection and I completely understand that our own sin, not just broken DNA from Adam & Eve, has really messed us up. But, we are such a strange bunch! And why is it that we are so socially susceptible to each other’s absurd proclivities that we willingly adopt them and start using them in our own life. I believe that much of our bizarre beliefs and behaviors are spread to each other in some kind of social virus! I see, I hear, I do and repeat. I see one person’s behavior or strange choice and I may be shocked or offended. I may even loath the sight of it. Then I see two and I am less put off, but still bewildered. Oh, but three, four or more and suddenly I’m intrigued, curious and feel the pull of peer pressure – even if they are not my peers! Next thing you know I’ve got a piercing or pair of retro bell bottom pants. How is this even possible? Are we, as humans, bound to each other by mimicking good and bad? Is this how thought and behavior is transmitted to take over my own self will? I don’t like it. Not at all. I just want to be a cultural contrarian. Help us Jesus. Help us see and model your ways above and beyond our culture, our influences of friends or strangers.

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Is God a prude?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only God would go where mortal men fear. This is Jesus, the revolutionary, speaking out on issues that were never spoken about in public. Jesus, being the light of the world, drags the deeds only done in darkness, only whispered behind closed doors, out into the open. No one exposes sin better than God. Is God a prude? Hardly.

He not only created us, but he also gave humans the free will to be and explore everything on the planet as well as everything about our own human body, soul and spirit. However, freedom doesn’t mean exploitation. Freedom doesn’t mean satisfying oneself at the expense and destruction of another. God is far more like a parent than he is catholic school teacher. He loves us.

Jesus dives into the most destructive side of our free will, exposing the dark and callous desires of our unbridled souls. Jesus just finished talking about adultery and put a hard stop on the issue of “thoughts verses physical deeds.” We all know that thoughts, good or bad, lead to behaviors. We do as we think about doing.

Here’s a thought Jesus pulled from our secret souls, “we don’t get to fantasize about destroying relationships by ‘having your way’ with whatever we set our eyes on!” Boom. That’s right. There are selfish sins against God and there’s a bunch of them against each other. The big TEN commandments were boundaries to PROTECT and preserve our relationship with God and one another. In fact four of the rules are about God, six are about each other.

These discussions in Matthew about relationship in sexual desire and covenant commitments in marriage are both about boundaries and behaviors. Yes, men were primarily called out and held responsible because, at that time, they were in power and the main offenders of these rules. God seriously and deeply cares about relationships, and Jesus highlights a couple of our major missteps in how we handle each other. No, a man or woman does not get to mentally strip, invade and exploit another human being just for fun! Neither do we get to make cheap promises.

Jesus goes after the frivolous way we treat our commitments, our covenants between a man and a woman. Moses wrote about a legal way to dissolve a marriage (Deut 24‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬), although we’ve got to keep in mind, God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). He HATES everything that is destructive to our relationships! Come on, are we not smart enough to figure out the never ending cycles of pain, suffering and financial ruin of our lives that come with divorce? Have we not seen the massive, deep hurts we deposit into children’s lives by dismembering their most trusted bond between their parents? Do we not recognize an entire generation of fatherless children because our parents were so self absorbed to just do whatever they felt like doing? Why are we mad at God and blame him for being a prude when we are obviously so foolish and blind to our own destructive desires and behaviors?

I am not an expert on divorce by any means. However, I had to pick up the broken shards of fragile glass in my own soul. My family, my heritage is littered with divorce and remarriage! My own adopted mother, searching for true love, safety and belonging went shopping for a man FOUR times. With her last attempt at relationship, she just gave up on the covenant of marriage and allowed a live-in looser to suck her life and finances dry for over a decade! I believe that Jesus is not only speaking TRUTH, he is also saving us from the LIES we tell ourselves and others. Here’s the facts, adultery and divorce destroys relationships and are toxic and deadly to everyone involved.

Prayer

Dad,
Forgive us oh God for we know what we do and what harm it causes, but we want to do it anyways. Save our children from our selfish foolishness.

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God does a woodcraft object lesson with Ezekiel

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Again a message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words: ‘This represents Judah and its allied tribes.’ Then take another piece and carve these words on it: ‘This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.’ Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of wood. When your people ask you what your actions mean, say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.’” Ezekiel‬ ‭37:15-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I just love the physicality and practicality of God. In having a chat with one of His spokespersons, God tells him, “pick up a couple of sticks and write on them.” There is something wonderfully simple with connecting our God given senses to learn or teach a lesson. The more senses involved the better.

Ezekiel LOOKS for a couple of pieces of wood, he sees the perfect set, he puts thought into the type, length, maybe even circumference. Then Ezekiel picks up the wood, he FEELS the weight and roughness of what was once part of a tree. Maybe he HEARS the sounds as he cuts and carves into preparing the wood and as he does so takes in the aroma as pieces fall to the ground. Wood has its own unique SMELL, individual to the tree that it came from. I love the smell of fresh cut or carved wood!

God had Ezekiel participate not only in a wonderful object lesson by working with these two pieces of wood, but it is also a beautiful picture of craft time with God himself. I wonder if Ezekiel choose two different pieces of wood, different tree stock to represent the two very different tribes of Israel. Maybe one of them was dark and hard, dense and difficult to carve. Maybe the other was lighter, softer, easy to carve but also easy to make mistakes.

When I read these messages, these prophetic words, which by the way IS the point of the writing, I am delighted by the lesson, the idea and delivery behind them as well. God tells him to hold the two sticks together as if they were ONE piece of wood. Ezekiel, after selecting and preparing the woodcraft, would then practice the lesson so that he could easily share it with the people, “Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.” God has Ezekiel walk around showing them this strange lesson, and it will make them curiously ask, “why are you showing us this?” Isn’t that the best teaching method ever? When the passive watcher wants to know more? Then Ezekiel told them that God himself will personally hold the two pieces of wood (representing the divided nation), just like they see before them. He tells them about God’s promise, “And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever.” Just so you know, God is speaking of Jesus as the peace covenant and we, being filled with the Holy Spirit, become the temple. God still speaks today and still gives us amazing object lessons to help us understand, even using our own senses to make the point sticky!

PRAYER:

Dad,
You’re greatness, your holiness and majesty of all might, authority and dominion does not mean you are not creatively and intimately involved with us even in the smallest details of a lesson or learning. Thank you for truly being with us, as a father and now also as a friend. Thankful for being mindful of both our weakness and our expansive wonder and curiosity.