June 22, 2010

June 22, 2010 Deuteronomy 27
Saturday I had the privilege of going to the Mongolian National Museum. On display there is a huge granite stone many centuries old. It was quarried as a tall rectangle at least 8 feet tall. Engraved on three sides was Mongolian script, and on the back side was Chinese script. I have forgotten now what the text was about. But I am sure that it had something to do with the glory of the country and its laws. In ancient times it was a practice for rulers and conquerors to record their glories on large upright stones for all to read. It was a way in which they could live forever by recording what they accomplished. Other kings, such as Hammurabi, would record the laws of the land. By these stones we know how just the kings were. The Egyptians had engravings for the important things. But for things of slightly less importance they would plaster stones and then paint on them. This was an easier, and hence, somewhat cheaper method.
The Lord instructs the Israelites to build a heap of stones on Mt. Ebal, plaster it, and then write the Law upon it. A few days ago we looked at the justice of God. Here we see on display once again His mighty justice. It was to be recorded for all to read. But wait, is God cheap? Why does he have them plaster the stones and paint upon them. We all know that the best paint jobs left out in the weather never last more than one generation at best. Could it be that God wanted this to be a continual event, so that at least once every generation, the nation would be reminded of His glorious justice? There is a place for meditating upon justice. Without it we do not understand mercy and grace. I want to revel in mercy and grace, but without understanding justice, mercy and grace are meaningless. I am so glad that God is just, aren’t you? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Acts 6
"There arose a complaint." Satan is always trying to destroy the glory of Christ. His best weapon is to use Christians. He tried it in Ananias and Saphira. It backfired on him. Here he is trying the racism angle. In a city made up mainly of Hebrews, the complaint among believers arose. The Gentile widows felt that they were being neglected in the church's care. Real or perceived it was a complaint. If it was real, then the racist fault lay with the Hebrews. If it was perceived, then the fault lay with the Greeks. If it was a mixture of the real and the perceived, then some fault lay on both sides. The unity of the young church is being tested. How will our glorious Lord respond? That the unity of the church had not been tested before this point is a real tribute to the glory of our Lord. Adding up the numbers given in previous chapters, the church has to number more than 10,000 by this point in her life. It is no wonder that the religious leaders were threatened. They were losing control, losing members.
The solution of the twelve, as they reasoned together, was to select seven servants, for the purpose of overseeing the distribution of food to the widows. It is amazing to me that they could ever have grown this large and only just now needing to elect deacons! It is a great testimony to the glory of the Lord. When thousands are yielded to Him, filled with His Spirit, He can move them with very little "official" leaders. The key is that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and were focused on the glory of Christ. What was the criteria for selecting these seven?
1. of good reputation
2. full of the Holy Spirit
3. full of wisdom
What is the Lord of Glory's answer to complaint? Assign the problem to men who have a reputation for being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. His glory shines through them, as is seen in the stories of 2 of the 7, Stephen and Philip. Apparently the Lord's plan worked. We have no more report of complaint. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John