March 30

LEVITICUS 1
I remember my agnostic philosophy professor stating very clearly that he thought it was unjust that an innocent party should pay the penalty for a guilty party even if the innocent one was absolutely willing to do so. No wonder he was an agnostic! If he was right, and if sin is deserving of death, then there can be no just redemption of sinners in the universe. Since any rational person observing the universe would have to admit that we are all sinners, reality would be hopeless. We would all have to bear the death due our own sin. Is it just for an innocent party to pay the penalty for a guilty party?
Why would the slaughter and burning of an animal be a sweet aroma to the Lord? How does that increase His glory? If we can explain that properly, then we have the key to unlock the book of Leviticus. Some have called Leviticus the gospel of the Old Testament. The burning was a sweet aroma not because of the actual smell but because of what it represented. It represents the just forgiveness and cleansing of a sinner because an innocent party willingly took the guilt of the guilty. It represented what Jesus would do for us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 89
We used to joke in our Theology Proper class that the final exam would consist of one problem: “Define God and give two examples.” Who is like the Lord? By definition there can be no other being like the Biblical God. There is only One uncaused being. There is only One who can hold all things together by the word of His power. There can only be One who is Almighty, for if there were another as strong as he, then he would not have power over him. He would not then be almighty.
Every time that I look at pictures of the Hubble telescope, I am struck with awe of our creator God. If you were to hold a quarter out at arm’s length to the night sky, in the area that the quarter covers, the Hubble telescope could find a thousand galaxies (not stars), and that scenario could be replicated throughout the sky. The vastness, precision and order that our Creator has created is beyond my little mind. If we would turn our telescope in and turn it into a microscope, the results would be equally amazing. It has taken vast teams of scientists untold hours of research to unfold the complexity of a simple DNA strand. Yet that DNA performs functions which we cannot explain or replicate. The Almighty is far beyond anything to which I may compare Him.
But for the sake of helping mere men understand a little of what He is like, the Psalmist ventures to offer praise to His name. Unlike pagan gods, the Lord is faithful in His mercy, which He abundantly pours out upon us. He stills the raging sea. When we encounter times in our lives when it seems that we are about to drown in the circumstances of life, when there is just no more breath to be had, He stills the sea. When foes rise up against us and destroy our jobs, our lives, our families, our marriages, He scatters our enemies. When righteousness, justice, mercy and truth seem to be devoid in our government and culture, He at long last will arise and will prevail and will restore justice, mercy and truth.
The Psalm is universally considered by Jew and Christian alike to be Messianic. It clearly celebrates the David Covenant and God’s faithfulness to that covenant. Here are the essential elements of the covenant:

29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven. . . .
33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35 Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36 His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

The seed (singular) of David will rule upon David’s throne. His throne will be established forever. What then are we to make of the Babylonian destruction and the Roman destruction of the nation? What happened to David’s throne? Jesus could trace His lineage to David, but after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., we can no longer trace the lineage of David. Only Jesus is qualified to fill that throne.
There is some question of who is Ethan the Ezrahite mentioned in the title. If the Ethan in 1Kings 4:1 and 1 Chronicles 15 is the same Ethan, then they indicate that he is a contemporary of David. That would place the writing of this Psalm after the time when David brought back the ark to Jerusalem, at the height of David’s rule. But the end of the Psalm seems to indicate that it was written at the time of the exile. The term “Ezrahite” is misleading. To the English speaker it would indicate that he was a follower of Ezra. But actually it means, “‘A descendant of Zerah,’ or ‘arising out of the soil.’” The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906 says:

The name occurring in Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. (in the titles); I Kings iv. 31; and I Chronicles ii. 6. In the last-mentioned passage the Authorized Version gives "son of Zerah." It is not probable that the Ezrahite of Kings, who was famed for his wisdom, was the author of a psalm of the tenor of Psalm lxxxix., which, moreover, must have been written during the Exile, when the crown of the Davidic family was, as it were, broken (Ps. lxxxix. 40). In the superscription to the preceding psalm, the Korahite Heman, also, is called "the Ezrahite"; that is, a descendant of Levi is spoken of as if he were a son of Zerah, who belonged to the tribe of Judah. The addition of "the Ezrahite" to the names of Heman and Ethan in the superscriptions to Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. is due to an error.

Whether or not this name is an error is a whole other topic, outside the scope of this meditation. But this Psalm must have been written after the fall of Jerusalem, simply because that is the best way to make sense of verses 38-51. So the Psalm is a celebration by faith that the throne of David will be restored and the seed of David will sit upon it. Wow! In the darkest of circumstances, Ethan celebrates the promises of God. At a time when Israel had been faithless and it would appear that God had abandoned His covenant (and indication of faithlessness), Ethan takes his stand on the faithfulness of God and celebrates the faithfulness of the Lord!
Last night (2012?) I watched on video the remarks of Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN in reply to Ahmadinejad’s remarks earlier in the week. Clearly we are on the brink of international disaster. Dark circumstances loom before us. Ahmadinejad has made it clear that his country is moving toward the extermination of Israel. Netanyahu has made it clear that some kind of intervention will have to be initiated within the next nine months. Revelation 11:16–18 says:

And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Jesus will return when we will be on the brink of the destruction of the world. Hmm. . . He will set up His throne in Jerusalem and fulfill His promise to rule upon the throne of David. Whether or not you agree with that interpretation, you have to admit that it appears that we are on the brink of what could be one of the darkest hours of world history. Will we take our stand with Ethan and proclaim, “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.”
Even if this does not happen to be the final apocalyptic battle, there are still events in our lives and communities that call upon us to stand and proclaim the faithfulness of the Lord in the midst of the darkest of circumstances. Yesterday at Stillwater Junior High, a young man took his own life on campus. For family, friends and community this is a very dark circumstance. Can we stand together and proclaim, “Lord, by faith we announce Your faithfulness to us!”? We should be able, for He is indeed faithful, and that is His glory! In His time, He will calm the raging sea! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

SONG OF SONGS 4
To the western mindset the beloved shepherd’s poetic description of the Shulamite’s beauty is a bit bizarre. However, keep in mind that the idyllic shepherd is giving metaphors and similes that are consistent with his experience. He is letting his lover know how attractive she is. His description includes seven parts of her body, eyes, teeth, lips, mouth, neck, temples and breasts. Seven is the number of perfection and as such he is describing how he considers her physical appearance to be perfect. He delights in her. Do you ever stop to think that the Lord Jesus Christ does that with His bride of whom you are a part? Yes, if you are in Christ, you are part of His body, His bride. He has not only declared you to be perfect, but He also is working to present you pure and spotless to Himself. When we come in line with His designs for us, He delights in us even as the shepherd delights in the Shulamite. He delights in you.
In verse 6 he informs her that he must go and there will be a short time of separation until he returns for her. Our great shepherd has informed us of the same thing. Having won our love upon the cross, He has returned to heaven for a time of separation until He returns for us.
In the meantime he informs her of how she has won his heart. Her beauties are intoxicating and have won his heart. Her love is better than wine. He calls her his sister indicating that his love for her is deeper than just sexual attraction. There is a platonic relationship present that is expressed in more than just the physical. It is a deep life-long affection that crosses beyond the sexual. Have you ever considered that the love of the Lord Jesus Christ toward His bride, toward us, is very similar? He loves us with a fierce, passionate, undying love.
But what about her love for him? He views her love to be like an enclosed garden. It is a garden that is private. Walled all about, only he is given entrance. Only he is allowed to enjoy the choicest fruits of her life. Hers is a chaste love. She desires only his presence. Are we as chaste for the Lord Jesus Christ? He loves us with a pure fierce passionate, undying love. That is what makes Him so desirable. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LUKE 5:17-39
A pastor friend of mine told me this true story of a pastor friend of his who went on a short-term mission trip to India. It was an inter-denominational trip of a few churches from the same local area. His pastor friend was of the independent-fundamental Baptist type variety that believed the miracle gifts-particularly healing ceased with the passing of the Apostles. As they were ministering, the pastor fell and broke a shoulder or elbow or something. Here he is in a third-world country, where he doesn't speak the language and is skeptical of the quality of medical provision at best. If he goes to the hospital, he will have to deal with the doctors with a language barrier. Sitting in the house contemplating what he should do, one of the pastors indigenous to the area came in. It seems this pastor was of the variety of Christians who believe that when the Lord is near, so is His power to heal. He regularly prayed for healings and had seen many healings. He asked the injured pastor if he could pray and ask God to heal him. The injured pastor's immediate response was from his theological framework. The answer was absolutely not! He sat in the room in great pain contemplating his situation. Should he return immediately to the states to get attention, or should he chance the local physicians with whom there would be language problems? The pain was incredible. Finally, the thought occurred to him, "What would it hurt to let him pray?" Humbling himself, he asked the pastor to come back to pray for him. The pastor did. He was instantaneously healed. The pain left instantly. The bone mended instantly. This was a strange thing to his theological paradigm. It really disrupted it.
The Lord was ministering in Galilee. Luke says, "The power of the Lord was present to heal them." (Does this imply that there were times when the power of the Lord was not present to heal?) In the presence of that power, he told a paralytic, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." Now this really disrupted the Pharisees theological paradigm. In their paradigm only God could forgive sins and they thought that Jesus was not God. Demonstrating His power to heal and forgive, Jesus gave the command and the paralytic rose and walked. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord went to Levi's (Matthew) house. Levi was a tax-collector. Now tax-collectors were considered to be traitors and sinners by the Pharisees. There was great enmity between the two groups. That Jesus, who purported to be a holy man, would enter a sinner's house to eat with him was indeed a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Then Jesus gave an even stranger response, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord seemed to like to enjoy food. He never fasted or abstained from drink when ministering to people. The Pharisaical mindset was that fastings were a required part of making oneself holy. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through! Jesus' response was that new wine requires new wineskins! The person who drinks old wine prefers old wine. New wine should be put in a new wine skin. Otherwise, the fermentation process will burst the old wineskin. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Theirs was an old paradigm. God was doing a new thing. They preferred the old. He was doing a new paradigm.
When God wants do a new thing, His glory shines through. When we like the old way that He showed His glory, it makes us uncomfortable. We then have a choice. We can recognize that He always is breaking our paradigms to show us His glory. If we prefer the old, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in new ways and accept it, even though we prefer the old. Or we can fight against the new. If we prefer the new, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in the old ways and accept it, even though we prefer the new. Or we can fight against the old.
In either case, I don't believe it is the Lord's desire for us to fight. But He simply wants us to enjoy His glory. He is so beautiful. Part of His glory is that while He never changes, we are finite and are changing; therefore, to grasp a little of His glory, we must at times change in order to appreciate the greatness of the appearance of His glory. In enjoying it we will indeed encounter some strange things, not to Him but to us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John