May 11, 2010

Numbers 20
Referring in part to Numbers 20, the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor 10:4 “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Of course, we have already seen this kind of miracle in Ex. 17. In referring to our meditation on March 6, we read:
The children of Israel, 2,000,000+ strong, were in a geographical area that receives no more than 6 inches of annual rainfall. Not nearly enough to support that many people. However, any Bedouin shepherd today knows that those six inches of rainfall filter down through the sand to the limestone base and moves laterally till it reaches a point of release in the valleys and canyons in the area. Over the years the limestone leaches in to the water and covers the canyon walls sealing the water in the ground. The Bedouin shepherd can then come along and strike the rock walls in the canyon in a thin spot and break the limestone covering. The result? A spring in the desert.
The problem in the Numbers passage is that Moses had been commanded to speak to the rock, not strike it. Why speak to the rock? There were two reasons. 1) The rock is a type of Christ. The first time that Jesus literally provided spiritual water for us was when He was crucified. He was stricken for our sin. Jesus died only once for sin. He was stricken only once. Any need for water from Him after that must come from respect for the One who died for us. After the first time we speak to Him in respect. 2) Moses had been a shepherd in the area for 40 years. He knew how to find water. He knew the secrets of the Bedouins. By striking the Rock Moses was drawing attention to himself. He was receiving glory for his abilities as a shepherd of the people. He had been frustrated with the complaints against him and Aaron concerning their leadership abilities. An angry display of his ability of his ability to bring water from the rock was just what he needed to restore the reputation of his abilities in their eyes. Moses thought it was about him. No it wasn’t. It was and always is about the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

John 2
In order to accomplish something two things must be present on my part. First, I must have the ability to accomplish it. Second I must have the desire to accomplish it. Suppose there were a Hummer dealership down the road from me. Could I accomplish buying a Hummer? Well first, I would have to have the ability. I probably don't. But with today's lenders, I might be able find someone crazy enough to lend me the money. However, from a Biblical standpoint of not borrowing unless you definitely have the ability to repay, I couldn't do it. A Hummer is out of my price range-what I consider to be my ability. Second, I would have to have the desire. Even if I had the cash to buy a Hummer, I wouldn't. My son might, but I wouldn't. There are very few vehicles on the road that are uglier than a Hummer. Sure it is a sign of strength and power, but I don't care about signs of strength and power. My Lord has enough of that for me. For me transportation is transportation. I don't need signs. I simply need to get from one place to another. A Hummer is a waste of money for me. For me it would be poor stewardship of the Lord's money.
John is presenting the beginning of our Lord's ministry. He wants to present aspects of His ministry that demonstrate that Jesus is someone in whom we should believe in order to obtain Eternal Life from Him. Does He have the ability? His first miracle is that of turning water into wine. Now people at the time of Christ probably could not tell you about the molecular make up of wine. But they knew how to make it. And they knew that water, no matter how long it sat, never turns to wine, particularly aged wine. I once heard of the complaint of a skeptic who said, "The atoms present in water would have to have been changed in order to make atoms found in wine. Such a change would have released nuclear power that would have annihilated everyone around." That is part of the point. Only one who could call the world into existence by saying, "Let there be. . ." could rearrange the atoms and molecules without harming those standing by. If He can speak the worlds into existence, then He can rearrange atoms without causing a nuclear explosion. He has the ability to give me Eternal Life.
Does He have the desire? Jesus apparently cleansed the temple at two points in His ministry, the beginning and the end. He entered the temple and found the court of the Gentiles given over to the selling of sacrificial animals and the exchanging of money so that one may use the 'correct currency' to purchase the sacrificial animals. It was supposed to be a place where people of all nations could come and pray. Instead they had made it a place to raise money for the ministry. (Some have suggested that the priests were crooked and were gaining personally from the exchange.) Does not the Lord of Creation have money to provide for His people to do what He requires? He had a zeal for them to seek His name. They had a zeal to establish their own name. This is one of the few times that we see Jesus really angry and violent. Hmmm. Zeal for Your house has eaten me up. He has a desire. His desire is for His people to want only one thing, Him.
They asked for a sign. Pardon me but He had turned water into wine and done many others at this point that John has not recorded. What more signs do they want? He gave one answer, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." It is the sign that stands through all the centuries. Like a huge monolithic obelisk, it points to Him. Most have denied it. Some have tried to refute it. But none have brought it down. It stands as the greatest testament to His ability and desire of all history. He is risen from the dead!
Does He have the ability to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does! Does He have the desire to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does--but, His desire is also that His name be first. To whom does Jesus commit Himself? To those who let His name be pre-eminent in their life, He commits Himself. To those who are willing to let go of all else and be satisfied with just Him, He commits Himself. It is all about His glory, not ours. And why not? He is worth far more than we are! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John