May 13

NUMBERS 22
What about the Heathen who never heard? That used to be a common objection to embracing Jesus as the only way. Yet, the LORD never leaves Himself without some trace of the knowledge of Him. Who is this Balaam? He lives in Pethor, a Hittite city in Northwest Mesopotamia. Roughly it would be located near today’s border of Iraq and Syria. The Hittites were a culture of a thousand gods. It was from this area that Abram came to be a sojourner in the land that the LORD had promised to the Israelites. How did Balaam come to a knowledge of the LORD? We are not told. All we know is that he had some kind of relationship with the LORD, albeit somewhat lacking in truth. The relationship was strong enough that the LORD blessed those whom Balaam blessed and cursed those whom Balaam cursed. Hmmm. . .
What does this tell me about the glory of the LORD? It tells me that His glory is so great that no man is without excuse. Anyone who really desires to know the LORD may find Him, if he will seek Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

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PSALM 132
Does God get tired? This Psalm implies it, but is that what it means? It would appear that this Psalm was written by Solomon near the time of the dedication of the temple. The core of the psalm can be found in 8-9 & 13-14 concerning the resting place of God upon the ark of the covenant:
8Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.

9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy. . . 13For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 14“This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

How is it possible that the Eternal God needs a place to rest? It isn’t. The concept of resting comes from the wilderness wandering experience. In Numbers 10:35-36 find the explanation of how the Children of Israel knew when to break camp and to make camp. When the pillar of cloud/fire (the visible manifestation of God’s glory) rose off of the ark/tabernacle, the people would know that it was time to break camp. When the pillar came to a standstill, the people knew that it was time to make camp. The people knew that they could now rest. Soon Moses began the practice of poetically pronouncing what was happening:

35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.” 36 And when it rested, he said: “Return, O LORD, To the many thousands of Israel.”

With the building of the Temple, there was no longer a constant wandering of the ark, but rather there was a permanent home. God’s people no longer wandered around, but could build homes and rest from their journey. But there was more symbolism than that! The ark is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word for ark translates as “ark” 195 times, “chest” six times, and “coffin” once. Consider that! The word could also be translated as “coffin!” The Ten Commandments were placed in the ark, the coffin. On top of the ark was placed the golden mercy seat. Once a year on the day of atonement, the blood of the sacrificial goat was sprinkled on the mercy seat. When the blood was sprinkled on the seat, His people received mercy. When Jesus went to the cross, our sin was placed upon Him. God’s wrath was poured out upon Him against our sin. His blood was shed on our behalf. When we trust in Him, His blood brings us mercy from God.
It is in the presence of the living ark, the Lord Jesus Christ that we experience the presence of God. And He gives us rest. This is the way into true rest. This is the way into victory. This is the message of the Bible. Our great God became flesh to give us rest. Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him. Now that is glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

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ISAIAH 43
I’ve had floods surround my house. I have had my house burn down. I have had an infant die in my home. I have experienced financial deprivation. I have experienced the rejection of people. There have been times when I felt that I was working as hard as a slave. What does God mean when He says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you, the waters won’t overflow you; the fire won’t burn you; I will give you water in the desert; I will redeem you from the nations?” Contextually this is addressed to the nation of Israel. They experienced slavery; they experienced the burning desert; they experienced fire destruction by their enemies, they knew the devastation of flood. Look at the Holocaust, millions were burned! Does God keep His word?
Yes God keeps His word! The promise is not that we will never experience hardship. The promise is that in the midst of hardship, He will deliver us through it! He promises that we will come out victorious on the other side. He gave small instances of victory to assure us that He will remain true. Twice He delivered the nation of Israel by dividing the Red Sea and by dividing the Jordan. Once he delivered Daniel’s three friends when they were cast in the fiery furnace. Twice He provided water from a rock. Other times he healed unusable water. The implication of the promises is not that we will not have hard times, but that we will come through then in victory. Though we worry Him with the multitude of our sin, He delivers us in the end. He only insists that in the midst of the hard times that we remember that He is. Before Him there was not God formed, and there will not be anyone after Him. He is the only savior. He is our Lord, our Holy One, The Creator of Israel and our King. We should quit dwelling on the past, and look for Him to do a new thing. He brings rivers in the desert so that we can declare His praise. He blots out our transgressions to glorify His own name. He chooses to never again remember our sins. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

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JOHN 3:22-38
I have been a groomsman in a couple of weddings, my brother's and a friend. The neat thing about being a groomsman is you don't have to do anything. The attention is all on the bride and groom. Indeed, as a groomsman you are not supposed to do anything that detracts attention from the bride and groom. Like John the Baptist, we are groomsmen. Jesus is the groom. All that we do should bring attention to Him. That is why we must focus upon His glory daily and share what we find with others. His fame must increase and ours decrease. What can we know from this passage about Him?
He is from above. We enter into existence upon this earth. We do not have a pre-existence as some would teach. But He is from above. He existed from the beginning. He is from eternity in fellowship with the Father. Because of that, He was able to explain what the Father is like.
He is true. He never speaks or spoke a false word. He never exaggerates or exaggerated except as a figure of speech. His word can be counted upon. What He says, He will accomplish. We can entrust our lives to Him. I have been disappointed by many who have not spoken the truth to me or about me or were unfaithful to me. But Jesus always speaks the truth, and He is always faithful to me.
He gives His Spirit so generously that His gift cannot be measured. I need His Spirit to become what He wants me to be. And He gives generously.
He gives me everlasting life if I just believe in Him. Couldn't be simpler. He is also a God of wrath. Failure to trust in Him-something so simple-produces wrath. There is none like Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John