March 12

EXODUS 23
Many years ago, our mayor and one city councilman were in the news a whole lot over a period of about six months. If you were from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you were aware of the accusations that were flying between them. The mudslinging had been so great that it resulted in the circulation of a recall petition for the mayor and for the city council member. Both men categorically denied that the charges brought against them were true. Most of us sat back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wondered what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as went into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
In that instance I was not even sure that I was going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, was circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them was totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party was telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.
Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 71
“Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me.” Throughout David’s life God had delivered him from many adverse situations. Now he is old. Once again he is in an unnamed tenuous situation. Once again he calls out to God for deliverance. This time he requests deliverance in God’s ‘righteousness.’ What does that mean? Does it mean that because God is righteous, then He ought to deliver David? The implication would be that God is righteous, and David is righteous, and God should deliver righteous people, and therefore He ought to deliver David. One of the problems with that logic is whether or not the second premise is true.
At least twice in the Psalm, David refers to his old age. I am beginning to realize that I am rapidly approaching old age. I’m 57. I suspect that David was older than 57 when he wrote this Psalm. What was David encountering at my age? Absalom was born to David in Hebron to David’s fourth wife (I’m including Michal). That means that David was between 30 and 37 when Absalom was born. I’m guessing that David sired Absalom when he was 31 or 32. So Absalom was around 25 when David was 57, probably during the time that David was having problems with Absalom. David died at around 70 years of age. If I die at 70, I only have about 13 years left. My last child was born just 13 years ago. The Reese Chronological Bible dates David's death to 985 BC and Absalom's rebellion to 993 BC. That makes David about 62 when Absalom died. Absalom was about 30.
This Psalm has the feeling that there has been some distance in time for healing from Absalom’s death. Yet David still has detractors that threaten him:

Verses 12–13 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.

My guess is that David wrote this during the rebellion of Sheba. This rebellion came on the heels of Absalom’s rebellion. David was again threatened. He would have been at least 62, maybe older, definitely old age, less than eight years from death. In the midst of his trouble, David declares that he will sing in rejoicing and declare with his lips his own redemption and the righteousness of God. Hmmmm. . . One would think that after all the adversity through which David has come that at some point David would say, “Lord, You are not being fair with me! Don’t I deserve a break in my old-age? Why don’t you call off the dogs?” But what he desires more than anything is the nearness of God and the help of His presence! Why? Because he is grounded in the redemption and righteousness of God.
I need to continually remind myself of redemption and righteousness of God. This is a great part of His glory! All that comes into my life is allowed because He is righteous! Indeed He is merciful because I deserve worse treatment than I receive. That is part of redemption. His blood was shed so that I might drink the cup of redemption, salvation. He is right all the time. He is also a sure help in times of trouble. I will declare His righteousness in all situations. How about you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JOB 41
Leviathan, we are not sure exactly what it is. The animal is now extinct. We could compare it to several living things, giant serpents, lizards, whales, insects and/or lizards that can shoot fire. Whatever it was, it was an awfully fearsome creature. What is the point? Man cannot control it much less create it. But God can control it and did create it. How can we ever question Him? When we don’t understand, He calls us to trust. What is going on in my life today that I do not understand, but I need to trust? I choose to trust. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MARK 13:1-20
Many years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets were in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.
The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John