Twelve times in these two chapters the Lord says the offerings should be made by fire. Why does He repeat Himself so many times? Why couldn’t it have been a different kind of offering? What is He trying to teach by making such an issue of fire? He also says that the offerings needed to be salted. Is there some kind of link between fire and salt? What do they have in common? Both are purifying agents. What is He trying to teach us? Could it be His own purity? Part of His glory is that He is perfectly pure. To be in His presence demands purity. As sinners, we need a substitute to make us pure. He has provided it for us in Jesus. The sacrifices speak of Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 90
I did not sleep well last night. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t sleep. The last time I looked at the clock, it was around 3:00 am. I awakened naturally at around 7:00. It was a short sleep. I am 57 years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was playing little league baseball. Almost every time that I look in the mirror lately, my first thought is, “Who is that old man?” Then I realize that it is I. It was just a short time ago that I donned that baseball uniform. I am a grandfather now. How did that happen so fast? It seems only a short time ago that I brought home my first child from the hospital. Now he has four children.
Moses lived to be 120 years old. That would indeed have been a record in his day. His first 40 years were spent in comfort in Pharaoh’s household. His second 40 years must have been tedious indeed, as he took care of sheep in the desert. His last 40 years were stressful leading Israel through the wilderness. Over his last 40 years, everyone died who was above twenty years old when they left Egypt, an entire generation, or possibly two generations! Imagine that! That is over 250 funerals per day! By the time Moses died, there was not a single person in Israel who was over 60! It must have been awfully depressing for Moses. How could he possibly have kept his sanity? I think this Psalm reveals how. Moses looked steadfastly at the glory of the Lord and found in it his solace and what was needed for the people.
First He recognized the eternality of God, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Then He recognizes the justice of God, “You have set our iniquities before you.” Then He recognizes the compassion of God, “Have compassion on your servants.” Finally, he recognizes that the only solution to the dreary dread of this malady is to be overwhelmed with His glory:
Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
No human except maybe Peter, James and John should know the glory of the Lord better than Moses. Moses had the privilege of spending 40 days and nights basking in the glory of God at Mt. Sinai. Moses had the privilege of speaking with God as a man does with his friend. Based upon what Moses knew of God and what he knew man, what does he ask of God? Let the glory and work of the Lord appear to His people. We can endure just about anything, if we can simultaneously experience his glory. His glory is just that good. Oh, Lord it has been too short a time since I last saw your glory. Let your face shine upon me. Let Your beauty establish the work of Your hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
SONG OF SONGS 5
Finally, the time of separation is at an end. The shepherd has gathered his myrrh and his spices, his dowry, he is ready to bring his bride to himself. He comes for a bride who has kept herself for him alone. Yesterday we saw that the Shulamite in this drama was a type of the bride of Christ who was to keep herself for His delight alone. In the first verse of today’s reading, we see Him coming with that pure, fierce, passionate and undying love for His bride. His friends encourage Him to go and finalize their love.
But as He arrives, the Shulamite is cast into one more turbulent dream sequence. In the dream, He arrives at the door and knocks seeking entrance. But she is slow at inviting Him in. He withdraws His presence. Frantic at having missed Him she runs into the streets looking for Him. The world’s watchmen abuse her and send her home. The world asks for a description of her beloved. She faithfully accounts His beauty, and she concludes, “Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!“ She calls Him her ‘friend.’ Once again, as highly charged sexually this passage is, it also delivers a strong friendship relationship.
I am reminded that Jesus told his disciples:
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.Yet, Jesus tells His church in Rev. 3:20 that He stands at the door and knocks. He seeks to have fellowship, friendship with His bride. But we keep Him locked outside. Maybe part of the reason the world has a hard time understanding the Gospel from our lips is because we have denied Him entrance into our lives. We keep Him at an arm’s length. When our friendship with Him is deep and rich, perhaps we have a better footing to declare the beauty of His presence. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
LUKE 6:1-26
My church experience of my years of 2nd grade through part of 7th grade were spent in a little country church in Oklahoma. During those 7.5 years, I had 7 different pastors. A couple of them left on good terms. One was a missions candidate and he left for Africa. Another was there for 6 months and then left. He never really said why. Another was there for over a year. He left because it became too much of a strain on his family to drive from Tulsa every weekend. The rest were not 'happy' partings. It left an indelible mark upon me. When God first began to speak to me about ministry, I wanted nothing to do with it. Part of the reason was because of what I had observed. I just cannot stand conflict. I've concluded that conflict is a given in ministry. Even Paul had to deal with it in the church in Corinth. Fleshliness had raised its ugly head even there. Wherever there are people, it is there.
There are so many things that divide God's people. The hot issue in Jesus' day was how one observed the Sabbath. The Law is clear that one should do NO work on the Sabbath. It did give some exceptions. So, what constituted work? Kindling a fire was considered work. Today there are still ultra-orthodox Jews who will not turn on a stove on the Sabbath because that would constitute work. There are a few streets in Jerusalem where I am told that if you drive on them on the Sabbath that people will pick up rocks and throw them at you because you are breaking the Sabbath.
The disciples were hungry as they walked from one ministry location to another on the Sabbath. Fortunately for them, they were going through a grain field. They plucked the ripe wheat heads as they walked along. Now that is harvesting, and harvesting is work. Then they would rub the husks and chaff off of the heads of grain. Now that is threshing, and threshing is work. Then they ate. Now this was just too much for the Pharisees. They thought the disciples were clearly in violation of the fourth commandment.
What was the purpose of the fourth commandment? For the nation of Israel it was a sign of the covenant. For everybody, it was to give man an opportunity to cease worldly activities in order to focus on God. Six days is enough to focus on the world. We need one day to focus on God's glory. We need to be refreshed by Him. When we focus on having to define what is and isn't work in order to keep the letter of the Law, we are missing the point. The point is being refreshed by the glory of God! What was Jesus' answer? It was "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." The disciples were focusing upon the Son of Man on the Sabbath. What difference did it make if they refreshed themselves by a little "work" while they walked? Their focus was on Him. He is the glory of the Sabbath. Our activities on the Sabbath should be constrained by the principle, "Will this help or hinder my focus on Him? Will He be revealed as Lord by my doing this?" and nothing else.
On another Sabbath they were watching to see if He would heal. Healing would be work, a clear violation of the Sabbath law. Jesus gave them something to have conflict about. He healed the man. What greater glory could there be than healing and giving life on the Sabbath. He healed the man to reveal His glory. The Pharisees? They were filled with rage, so filled that they could not see His glory as it stood in front of them.
Luke contrasts this with the choosing of the disciples, more healing and then the Beatitudes. The poor in spirit recognize a need for the glory of God. Those who hunger for righteousness will do all they can to see His glory. Those who see they lack righteousness will weep until they receive His glory. Focusing on His glory will eventually cause some others to hate you. Why? Because His glory so blatantly reveals their emptiness. I guess fleshliness will always be here until He returns, even in me. That is why I need to see His glory so much. When I see His glory, there is only one thing to do with the flesh--kill it--count it crucified with Him. If we would do this, it would eliminate so much of what divides us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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