The Lord was fiercely angry with Israel because of Achan’s sin. Is that glory? To my American mindset, it does not sound fair. That is what independence is all about in America. It is the right of the individual. One of my students turned in a solution argument paragraph dealing with crime. As an example of how to deal with crime she cited China, which does not mess with criminals. If you are caught in a wrong, you are severely dealt with. Now I am not suggesting that we emulate China’s justice system; however, I do think that some other cultures have a better understanding of corporate guilt than we do. I also think that some other cultures have a better understanding of justice than we do. Achan’s sin was the county’s sin. It was right that God was angry with it. It violated the truth that God was the sole source of provision for their need. He was rightly offended. And His anger was fierce. I am glad that God is fiercely angry with sin. If he were not, there would be no justice.
There is a unique command that Joshua gives Achan, “Give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Achan does it. He is punished. God is glorified in his confession and in his punishment. I don’t quite get it, but I believe God is glorified in it! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 4
I remember the early days of our relationship. Laura’s face would literally brighten when she saw me. I cannot put into words how fulfilling that is to me. Here is the person of my choice, and she brightens when she sees me. “Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.” That word for countenance is literally face. Listen to what the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) says of this word:
This particular word always occurs in the plural, perhaps indicative of the fact that the face is a combination of a number of features. As we shall see below, the face identifies the person and reflects the attitude and sentiments of the person. As such, panim can be a substitute for the self or the feelings of the self. . . . A “shining” face is evidence of joy. . . . Most of these idioms and phrases are also applied to God. God’s face “shines” as a sign of favor and good will.
To ask God for the light of His countenance upon us is to ask Him to be joyful about us. It is to ask for His favor upon us. It is to ask the person of greatest worth to treasure us. It is to ask the person of our choice to enjoy us. It is to ask Him to fulfill us. It is to crave Him, to desire Him. It is more than just a smile of joy. It is to know that He is pleased with us. Remember in the movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That is Eric experiencing the light of God’s countenance. God has indeed made us for a purpose. That purpose is related to how He made us physically, mentally and spiritually. When we seek Him to fulfill that purpose, God experiences inexpressible joy in our seeking. He in turn sheds the light of His countenance, His pleasure, upon us. It is ecstatic.
This is the divine romance. Nothing is more pleasurable to me than when my wife joyfully responds to my pursuit of her. Nothing is more deadening to me than when my wife ignores my pursuit of her. Nothing is more deadening to my wife than when I expect her to respond to me when I have not pursued her. I would hope that nothing is more life giving to her than when I have pursued her, and she responds. Our marriages are to reflect the marriage of Christ and the church. He pursues us, but do we respond to Him? The divine romance is that He pursues us and we respond by pursuing Him. Is it any wonder that there is such a lack of divine life in our congregations when there is such a lack of response on our part to His pursuit of us?
In mountains near Ashville, North Carolina, lies the Biltmore Estate. Built by George Vanderbilt near the turn of the 20th century, it is America’s largest single family dwelling. It rests on 8,000 acres of land. The house has his and her bedrooms. One is at one end of the mansion; the other is at the other end of the mansion. Each bedroom is larger than my house. It is a couple of minute walk from one bedroom to the other. I understand that the Vanderbuilts only had one child. I really don’t know, but it sounds like their sleeping arrangement might have had something to do with it. It sounds like there was a problem with pursuit and response. In the midst of opulence and wealth, there was very little offspring life. Sounds like the American church.
Could it be that we have failed to respond to His pursuit of us? Could it be that as the culture around us turned the glory of our Groom into shame that too few of us were angered by it? Could it be that those who were angered by it responded in a sinful way? Could it be that we have failed to meditate upon our beds concerning the ecstasies of the righteousness of our Groom? Could it be that when He was pursuing us to let the light of His countenance fall upon us, we were ho-hum about it thinking, “Who will show us any good?” Would that not deaden His pursuit of us?
Is it not time for us to cry out to Him, “Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us!” If we responded in such a way, would He not pour out gladness in our hearts? Would it not bring joy in excess of this world’s wealth or wine? Would we not then lie down in peace in sleep? Would we not then experience true safety? Would it not produce an overflow of glory to His name? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
JEREMIAH 30
I have been with my wife each time that she birthed one of our five children. I have also passed a kidney stone. I know enough that I know that I do not ever want to be in a position where I have to give birth, especially since I do not have the physical apparatus to accomplish this feat. Yet Israel’s hard time is likened to a man delivering a baby—a lot of pain but nothing is going to happen. What a miserable existence! But when we take a yoke that God has not designed for us, that is what it leads to! The good news is that He is a deliverer! If we turn to Him, He delivers! He breaks the old yoke and gives us His yoke. He is indeed a Savior! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
ACTS 13:36-52
The glory of Jesus is that He defeated sin on the cross and death in His resurrection. That seems to be the essence of Paul's messages whether his audience is Jew or Gentile. That message still overwhelms me when I take the time to focus on it. The eternal, holy God, the Creator of all things, became sin on my behalf and died on my behalf and rose again on my behalf. Why don't more people see that glory? In Antioch of Pisidia Paul was light of the glory of Jesus to both Jew and Gentle. That light received a mixed reception. When a bright light shines brightly in the presence of a totally blind person and blind person does not see it, it is not the fault of the light. The problem lies with the blind person. They lack the receptors to see the light. The glory of Jesus is that He breaks through our inability and enables us to see. Herein lies the mystery of the sovereignty of God, which frankly I have neither ability to comprehend or explain. People can't believe because they won't and won't believe because they can't. God breaks the cycle for some by appointing them to eternal life. In breaking that cycle He commands us to speak His glory to all. As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to speak light into darkness and He shines, making us lights for salvation to the ends of the earth. Are you filled with His Spirit? Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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