March 13, 2020

Exodus 24

Have you ever wanted to have dinner on the grounds with God? Sounds pretty cool, does it not? Can you imagine sitting on the mountainside eating and drinking while God reveals Himself in some form nearby? If you were going to describe to others what God looked like, would the only description be that under where His feet were looked like paved work of sapphire stone? Could it be that they do not describe what God looked like because they couldn’t? Perhaps all they saw was just a cloud of glory, maybe a brightness of representation that let them know He was there. After all, the Apostle John told us twice that no one has seen God at any time. So what did they see? Whatever they saw, the only thing they described was where His feet were.

I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what a sapphire was or looked like, so I went to the internet. A sapphire is generally a blue gem stone, aluminum oxide Al2O3, but it can be other colors depending on what other minerals are mixed with it. When it is red, we call it a ruby. My high school class ring has a blue stone in it. I am not sure if it is a sapphire, but it sure is pretty. So were all the sapphires on the internet.

Once in high school I was attending Falls Creek Youth Camp. It was my last year to attend as a student. I had been attending every year since I was 13. I was sitting with my chin on my hands when I saw a reflection in one of the facets of the stone of my class ring. It was a reflection of three crosses on a hill far behind me. I had never been aware of the crosses before, so it startled me when I saw them. Do you suppose that the reason they mention the sapphire pavement is because it gave a reflection of what God looked like? Maybe even the reflection was full of glory that is indescribable much like the joy which comes from Him, which is unspeakable. Sometimes His presence is like that. He is there all along, but He moves in a special way, and suddenly we see Him in a way that we had missed for years.

How did that sapphire pavement work? Did it move as He moved? Surely He didn’t just stay in one spot during the whole meal. Did the ground or rock below Him just suddenly turn a lovely shiny blue with cut facets and joints like pavement as his glory moved above it? When He moved on, did the ground remain for a little while like sapphire pavement, or did it instantly return to its old drab self. His glory is like that. We are drab and lifeless, and then He shows up. Suddenly life is full of color. There is a vivacious, vibrant color and beauty in life that just wasn’t there before, and it wasn’t there before we were aware of His presence. Those who are far away see the reflection of His glory in us for we have become living stones reflecting His glory. Does it startle those who have never seen it before?

Then Moses and Joshua are invited by God to go up on the mountain with God. Of course they take God up on His offer. Moses instructs the others to wait for Him. As Moses & Joshua ascend into the cloud of glory that covered the mountain top, they disappeared. They took on the appearance of fire as the ascended. What do you think Aaron, his sons and the 70 elders thought as they beheld the sight. How long do you think they hung around? Forty days is a long time. Since Moses and Joshua ascended into a cloud of fire, do you think the elders thought they were consumed by God? Sounds scary to me. But then, experiencing the glory of God is a fearful thing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john


Mark 13:21-37

One of my favorite pictures of space can be viewed at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg The caption tells that it is a narrow "keyhole" of deep space. The image covers a speck of sky 1/30th the diameter of the full Moon as seen from the earth. This is so narrow! Only a few foreground stars in our Milky Way galaxy are visible and are vastly outnumbered by the menagerie of far more distant galaxies. The galaxies are nearly four billion times fainter than the limits of human vision. The field is a very small sample of sky area. It contains hundreds of galaxies. Each galaxy contains billions of stars. Yet this small speck is typical of the distribution of galaxies in space. Our Lord created each of these galaxies and stars and He calls them all by name. I cannot get my mind around the immensity of the universe much less the immensity of my Lord who created and knows it all.

It amazes me that people can believe that Christ has returned. When He comes, the powers of heaven will be shaken. His glory will exceed that of the heavens. It will be unmistakable. We are given two clear commands until His return, preach the Gospel and watch! Our Master is coming. His glory far exceeds that of the heavens. Knowing His glory is more than enough motivation to preach the Gospel. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John