June 27

DEUTERONOMY 32
Herr Wolhert was a great German teacher. I had him for my first semester of College German. The second semester I had Frau Wolhert. It has been 35 years since I took German. You know the old saying, “Use it or lose it.” Well, I have lost most of my German, except for one thing. Herr Wolhert taught us a folk song. To this day I can still sing the song, “Oh wie wohl ist mir am abend, mir am abend. Wenn su rue die glocken leuten, glocken leuten.” I doubt that I spelled it correctly. But I believe I still pronounce it correctly. “Oh how well I am in the evening, in the evening, When I hear the bells ringing, bells ringing.” The song is about getting off work. Even if I don’t get the words exactly right, I still have the melody imbedded in me, and I remember the general meaning of the song.
Yesterday we asked, “How do we prepare someone to die?” We prepare them to live. Moses gave them a song about life. Songs are powerful tools. Moses gave us several songs. Miriam sang one in Exodus 15. This song in Deut 32 was specifically to teach the Israelites how to live. Psalm 90 also belongs to Moses. He wrote it at the end of his life. Verse 12 of Psalm 90 says, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The song in Deut 32 was given to teach the people how to live. It was given to teach us how to number our days. It was given to us to teach us to not waste our days on things that will not last.
What are the important concepts in this song that will teach us to number our days? First, God is our rock. He alone is the fount of truth and justice. He alone is our safety and refuge. We dare not go to any other for these things. Next we are to know that just as He has set boundaries for the peoples of the earth (v. 8), so He has given us a unique purpose in those boundaries. We need to find the purpose that the Lord has given us to live and learn to soar in that purpose. Next as we live in that purpose, the Lord will bless us. That blessing may be financial; it may be family; it may be spiritual; it may be emotions. We will become “fat” in that blessing. In the midst of that blessing we must always remember that it is the Lord’s blessing, not ours. We hold the blessing with a loose grip, willing to give it away whenever He asks. Otherwise, the blessing will lead us to make it a god. There is no god besides Him (v. 39). He and His glory must always remain preeminent. That is how we learn to evaluate and number our days. As we do that, we will live for His glory. The song will be a powerful tool in giving our life meaning in light of His glory. We are prepared to live when we see His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 27:23-27
Two days ago I was walking my dogs in my son’s neighborhood. As we walked by a former neighbor’s house, we stopped to talk to him. As we were talking his cat came. The cat was obviously furious concerning the two dogs which we had on our leashes in the street. The cat crept closer and closer with his ears back and growling at the dogs. My standard golden doodle was quietly straining at the leash desiring to get the cat. I said to my neighbor, “That is a really brave cat.”
He responded, “Oh he loves to attack dogs. If he attacks, he would probably get the better of the dog.”
“Wow, an attack cat, interesting!” I replied. Hmm. . . I am reminded that Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Lord, You are the great Shepherd. It is to Your glory that you tend Your flocks and take care of Your sheep. You have appointed me and the elders as under-shepherds to this flock called Christian Missionary Alliance Church. You instruct in a general sense the shepherds to know the condition of their flocks. Enable us to know the spiritual, emotional, mental, social and physical condition of our flock. Enable us to know our condition especially in relation to our purpose and our core values. Enable us to know how to teach, guide, protect and direct and equip each sheep so that it might fulfill its purpose within the development of Your flock and this congregation, not only in Stillwater but also in our state, district, nation and world. Make us all that You want us to become in being warrior, builder and valiant sheep in Your Kingdom. In relation to the enemy, make us attack sheep raiding the gates of hell to bring out new lambs in your flock. Keep us from attacking each other. Expand Your glory in us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 22
He was a godly man. His father was an idolatrous, baby-killing, whoremonger. How did he become a godly man? His brother walked in his father’s footsteps. His sons were evil. How did that happen? His grandson was extremely evil. I speak, of course, of Josiah. How was it that he was a godly man? Jeremiah speaks in this chapter of the evil of Josiah’s sons, grandson and brother. Each of them reigned successively after Josiah. Each was removed from his reign because of his evil. The first nine verses are probably addressed to all three descendent kings of Josiah. As Jeremiah summarizes their evil, what was it? Here is what he says:
3Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. . . . Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.
Beginning with Shallum (Jehoahaz) (v.10-12), he tells him to weep for himself, not for Josiah, for Shallum will never see Jerusalem again. Shallum, Josiah’s middle son, was set up as king by the people after Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt, killed Josiah in battle. But three months later, Pharaoh took him captive and set up Jehoiakim, Shallum’s older brother, as king. Jehoiakim was more evil than Shallum. Here is how Jeremiah summarizes Jehoiakim:

13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, 15 Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD. 17“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence. . . . 19He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. . . . 21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, that you did not obey My voice.

How about that! Part of knowing God is judging the cause of the poor and needy. Because of his lack of justice toward the poor Jehoiakim was removed from office after 11 years. Finally, Jeremiah addresses Coniah (Jeconaiah or Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, grandson of Josiah). What does he say to him? We are not told specifically what Coniah did that was evil, but he only reigned 3 months before he was deported to Babylon. We can only assume that he increased the sin of his father. His sin was so bad that the Lord cursed him from ever having a blood descendent from reigning upon the throne of David. Joseph the husband of Mary the step father of Jesus was a descendent of Coniah.
So what was their sin and what does that tell us about the glory of Jesus? Their sin is that they were idolatrous men who put their own comfort above justice toward the poor and refused to listen to the voice of the Lord. It is the glory of the Lord that He pursues justice for the poor and expects us to listen to His voice. Am I pursuing justice? Am I listening to His voice? This is part of knowing Him. Lord, enable me to pursue justice for the poor! Enable me to listen to Your voice! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 8:26-40
Do you realize that the glory of Jesus is stamped throughout Scripture? Remember on June 1 as we looked at John 12, John identified the glory of Yahweh as the glory of Christ? Here the Holy Spirit uses Isaiah 53:7,8 to capture the heart of the Ethiopian eunuch. He knew that Someone significant was being spoken of but he just couldn't quite figure out who it was. The eunuch longed to understand of Whom the Scripture spoke. Why? Because the glory of Christ was shining through it. What did Philip speak? "Beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him." As they came to water, the eunuch wanted this glorious Jesus. Apparently, Philip had mentioned baptism or the eunuch understood its significance from some Jewish teaching. But somehow this eunuch wanted the glory of Jesus and he understood it to be related to baptism--buried with Christ in baptism and risen to walk in newness of life. "What prevents me from being baptized?" he said. "You must first trust in Jesus," was Philip's reply. For someone who has seen the glory of Jesus, that's a no-brainer. The eunuch's reply was, "I believe." How about that? A Gentile from Ethiopia recognizes the glory of Jesus in the prophet Isaiah. But the hardened Jewish leaders do not. He wanted this glory to dwell in him. He received it. Whosoever will may come. That is the simple and magnificent glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today! He uses your speech to draw others to Himself.
--Pastor John