March 31

LEVITICUS 2,3 Twelve times in these two chapters the Lord says the offerings should be made by fi re. 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 fi re? He also says that the offerings needed to be salted. Is there some kind of link between fi re 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 sacrifi ces speak of Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * 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 three 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 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 SOLOMON 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 * * 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

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. I have read that in Paul’s day, Jewish boys would begin memorizing Scripture at 2 years old, and those would begin with Leviticus. Talk about tough discipline! Maybe 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 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 SOLOMON 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 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. 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

March 29

EXODUS 40 The writer of Hebrews refers to Moses’ tabernacle as a pattern of the true tabernacle in heaven (Heb 8:1-5). Certainly then, Moses’ tabernacle is a picture of our redemption and sanctifi cation that is going on in heaven through the intercession of Christ for us. When the tabernacle was fi nished, it was fi lled with the glory of God. Twice in the same paragraph Moses says that the tabernacle was fi lled with the glory of God. Apparently that glory was so great that even Moses could not enter into the tabernacle. Both Paul and Peter refer to our physical bodies as our earthly tabernacle (2Cor 5:1,4; 2Pt 1:13,14). I wonder if we can make the jump that our own bodies should be a picture of the indwelling presence of the glory of God. Certainly the New Testament indicates that we should be experiencing the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Peter refers to each of us as being living stones being built together for God’s indwelling (1Pt 2:5-10). Are we experiencing that? Can we experience that? How would we experience that? What would happen to us and our communities if we experienced that? Hmmm. . . I don’t know. It would indeed be an awesome thing for the glory of God to fi ll us. However, even with experiencing the presence of the glory of God, Israel still murmured and complained and even refused to enter the land promised to them. So why does God bother to show Himself to us? It is because we were created to experience His glory and to praise Him for it. Oh Lord, please fi ll me and Your whole church with Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * PSALM 88 Wow! Talk about a dark Psalm! I have been depressed before, I don’t think it was ever to this extreme! It seemed to Heman (See 1 Kings 4:31 for a description of his wisdom.) that he was on the brink of death, alone and deserted. Neither loved one nor friend sought to comfort him. He was convinced that all that was happening to him was God’s intent and design. He is angry at God and angry at man. He describes himself as being under the waves of God’s wrath. And yet, he calls out to God for relief. He stretches out his hands toward Him. How does this reflect the glory of God? Deep inside, Heman knows that in spite of the wrath of God, that the Lord is merciful. He will not let go of Him. He knows that God’s mercy will triumph over justice! That is the glory of the Lord Jesus! He is God’s mercy incarnate. It is also fitting that the father has handed all judgment over to the Son. If we neglect His mercy, how shall we escape His justice. If I feel I am experiencing His wrath now, then I should call out to Him for His mercy! That is His glory. He is compassionate, longsuffering and full of mercy! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * SONG OF SOLOMON 3 Disappointment with God I remember the title, although I never read the book. We often run into what we might term as disappointment with God. In reality He is never disappointing, although we might hit circumstances which mold us to feel that way. Our disappointment usually is the result of things not happening the way we planned rather than God having failed. The Shulamite is disappointed that her shepherd did not show up for that night to deliver her. On her bed she enters a dream sequence of her love. Franticly she searches in her dream to find him. Finally finding him she embraces him to never let him go. She desires to take him to her elderly mother to get her mother’s approval for their marriage. But alas the dream turns to a nightmare. Solomon appears on the scene with his retinue. Now she dreams of the event when she was taken by Solomon into his harem. The crowd is enamored with His incense, fragrance and soldiers. His entourage and palanquin are next to none. The spectators cry out to the maidens to go out and meet him. Perhaps they will be chosen to be one of his maidens. Yes, it is disappointment. She doesn’t want to be one of a harem, even if it is Solomon. She wants her shepherd. We often run into disappointment. The world constantly is calling to us. Just when we think we are breaking free, something happens and we feel like we get sucked deeper in. Our dreams turn into nightmares. Oh sure, to most the nightmare is all they dream of. But to those who really know the Shepherd of their souls, we can hardly wait to be free of the world and finally in His presence. Not even the worldly goods of Solomon will suffice when we have met Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john LUKE 5:1-16 Unlike Peter, James and John, I've never been much of a fisherman. I don't usually catch anything. So it ends up being a frustrating rather than a relaxing experience for me. But then, P, J & J did it for a living. They learned how to find the fish and cast their nets upon them as opposed to throwing a single line. When they didn't catch fish, it meant a lack of a pay check rather than just not accomplishing a goal. I do remember one fishing experience that I enjoyed. Bill and I went down to the Cimarron River one spring evening and ran a trotline across it. It was fun wading out into the muddy water to cross to the other side, setting the line and just enjoying the river. We went home and slept and then came back the next morning to retrieve our trotline. Like most of my fishing experiences, most of what we caught were little carp. Several of our hooks had the bait missing with no fish on them. But I think we did catch one or two cat fish. We were successful! Now that is unusual for me in my limited fishing experience. Peter, James and John, had been fishing long enough that they understood the habits of fish. They were apparently good enough at it that they made a good living as well as hired other people to fish with them. Fishing was probably part of their personal identity. Here is this man, who up until within the last year or so, had been a carpenter. His home, as the crow flies, was 30 miles from the Sea of Galilee. He knew nothing about lake fishing. It was a full day’s journey from Nazareth to the Sea. Jesus probably never owned a boat. It is unlikely that He had any experience fishing. When Peter submitted to Jesus' request, it was not that he did so because he believed that he would catch anything. Indeed his response indicates that he didn't expect to catch anything. He did it out of pure respect for the relationship he had with Jesus. Casting their net into the sea, a large school of fish swam right into the net. It was like Nemo telling all the fish to swim into the net. Pulling the net to the boat, the net was starting to break under the heavy strain of the fish. They called their partners to help. The catch was so large that both boats were filled and started to sink! These experienced fishermen were face to face with an absolute miracle. The glory of Jesus was shining forth! Peter, catching a glimpse of that glory, fell down in awareness of his own sinfulness. He had been consumed with the lack of a pay check when the God of glory was in his presence. He was probably thinking how offensive that must have been to the Lord. Jesus calmed his fears and gave him something new to think about. "From now on you will catch men." From that point on they forsook all and followed Him. Paychecks were no longer a concern. What caused such an upheaval in their lives? They were confronted with the glory of Jesus. When we see the glory of Jesus, he begins to change us so that we too catch men. Where do we see His glory? How do we gain that ability? Look at verse 16. He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Often is italicized because there is not a corresponding word in the original. Rather the grammatical construction emphasizes the continual, durative nature of His getting away to pray. We find His glory when, like Him, we withdraw to pray. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

March 28

EXODUS 39 Occasionally I come across people who name the name of Christ who have little regard for the arts when expressed in the church. More frequently I meet people who name the name of Christ who heavily criticize churches for heavy spending on beautiful buildings. Sometimes even I have been critical when I thought such spending was excessive. Yet this chapter and the previous chapters seem to indicate that the Lord really appreciates artistic work. It is part of his glory to create beautiful things. But when is too much too much? Here are some thoughts. The Israelites numbered about 2 million people. The tabernacle and its priests were about the only corporate thing of material essence that they had. People need corporate beauty. The instruction for the making of these things came from the Lord and were to refl ect what He is like. HOLINESS TO THE LORD was to be written on the crown of the High Priest. The beauty was to refl ect the holiness of God. Other laws were given to the Israelites that were to indicate that the people should take care of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans. It seems to me that it is part of the glory of God for us to create works of beauty in arts, crafts an buildings as long as it does not deter us from refl ecting the holiness of God or from meeting the needs of people. After all, He is an artistic God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * PSALM 87 My brother once lived in a house that he rented from a farmer. The house did not have a well. It had a cistern. He had to pay to have water regularly hauled out to have his cistern filled. What would have happened if we did not have trucks that could haul the water? He would definitely have to have found another place to live. Life is unlivable without access to water. The theme of the Psalm is the glories of the city of God, Zion. Something or someone’s glory is usually found in what people often say of it. What do Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia have in common with Zion? They are all nations which at one time or another controlled or sought to control Israel. Geographically, they surround Israel, and relatively speaking, they are close. They are the ones who could give testimony of Zion’s glory. Zion is the place where God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Zion is the place where David offered sacrifice stopping the work of the death angel. Zion is the place where Solomon’s Temple was built, where God’s glory dwelt, where sacrifices were made daily and the annual feasts were held. Zion is the place where Jesus died outside the city gates. What is the significance of the threefold repeated statement, “This one was born there?” It is His death and resurrection that made my new life possible. It is His death and resurrection that made our adoption into the family of God possible. In a spiritual sense, I was born there. Metaphorically, everyone who is born again was born there! “My springs come from Zion!” A spring is the source of life. It is the source of a family. It is what makes daily life enjoyable and possible. When we sing, we sing of our joys and our sorrows. We sing of the source of our life. When our springs dry up it renders our life, lifeless. When the springs flow, we are abundant with life. What are the glories of the city of God, of Zion? We are. It is all about His awesome work in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension in order to cause us to be born again into His family! When our lives flow with the joy that springs from the very life of God, the nations and people who surround us stand up and take notice. God is glorified because of the life that flows out of us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * SONG OF SOLOMON 2 Do you ever feel constrained by this world to pursue its goals and desires, and yet at the same time do you feel unworthy yet drawn away by the Spirit of our Good Shepherd to let go of the things of this world to pursue Him? (1-3)The Shulamite laments that she is just one of the simple flowers on the Plain of Sharon which is famous for its spring flowers. But she remembers how her beloved shepherd spoke of her. She was a flower among thorns, not among other flowers. Thorns bring to mind the curse of Genesis 3:17, 18 where the ground is cursed because of the sin of Adam. Our Great Shepherd tells us that He has made us flowers among cursed of this earth. We are that valuable in His sight. When we learn to delight in Him as He does in us, He becomes to us sweet as a tree ripened apple as we sit in His shade in cool fall evening enjoying His presence. (4-7)Her shepherd’s banqueting house was the simple outdoors in the shade of a tree. As she thinks of Solomon’s house with its ornate ceiling coverings, wall coverings and banners, she declares that her shepherd’s only banner was his love. Exhausted with the emotional tension of trying to avoid the advances of Solomon, she rallies her strength by calling for raisin cakes (known for their energizing effects on the body) and apples from her shepherd’s tree. She further strengthens herself by recalling His passionate embrace, and she adjures the court ladies to not encourage her to submit to Solomon’s advances. We are constantly wooed and seduced by the attractions of this world. It's riches and pleasures are constantly beckoning us through our five senses and our pride. Our Shepherd simply tells us of His love for us. He promises and at times gives us His embrace. As our enemy seeks to seduce us through the entrapments of the world, we must constantly call to mind our commitment to Him and His promise that He will receive us to Himself. (8-9)The temptation to despair and give into the approach of Solomon was great. The obstacles that were in the way of her shepherd ever being able to come and deliver her from the harem seemed like a mountain too steep and rugged to transverse. Yet she envisioned her simple shepherd as a mountain goat or stag that was surefooted upon the mountain. He could leap over the obstacles. He would come to her to rescue and receiver her to Himself. She could envision him looking in through the window lattice to call her to Himself. This world seeks us with false promises and entrapments of ease and pleasure. At times the obstacles that seem to separate us from our God seem to be insurmountable mountains. We may be tempted to despair and give into following the ways of the world. At such times we need to envision our great Shepherd as One who is able to leap all obstacles. He is indeed at the window and the door looking in upon us desiring fellowship with us. (10-15)The Shulamite recalls a time when her shepherd lover called her out to enjoy the beauties of his field with him. Our Shepherd also is constantly calling us out to enjoy Him and delight in His creations with Him. He longs to see our face and hear our voice. Do we hide from Him strengthening the world’s grip upon our souls? Or, do we passionately turn to Him letting Him delight in us, and we delight in Him. But the world will not let us go. In the midst of his entreaty the Shulamite’s brothers call her back to work at the vineyard. There is work to be done. The little foxes are destroying the vines. She must catch them. There is not time to spend with the Shepherd. The cares and riches of this world are constantly dragging upon us. According to them there is no time to spend with our Shepherd. Yes, work needs to be done, but why does it always call at the same time that the Shepherd calls? (16-17)The Shulamite declares her love for her beloved in the frustration of the demands of her brothers. The mountains of separation once again seem insurmountable. Her heart’s cry is for Him to come and be with her until the morning when work again calls. She dreams of his presence. Do we dream of the presence of our Great Shepherd? In the midst of our spiritual night do we long for His embrace? In the valleys of the mountains of separation, do we long for Him to leap over the mountains and meet us here? Is his glory more important that the cares of this world? I am convinced He is. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * LUKE 4:31-44 Randy Matthews was a composer and singer of Christian rock in the early and mid 70's. He took a lot of heat in the 70's because of his rhythm and his appearance. He kind of disappeared from my sight at the end of the 70's. I've occasionally wondered what happened to him. I went on line and found out that he is still putting out CD's. I guess they don't get distributed in my circles. I liked Randy's lyrics and his music style in the 70's. I haven't heard any of his new stuff. One of his songs had a line that went something to the effect of, "It took a carpenter to tear down my walls. It took a stronger hand than mine." Of course, he was singing about Jesus. He was singing about how Jesus liberates us from the sin that so easily besets and enslaves us. I wonder how many of us realize how active the enemy of our souls is today? The enemy still desires to enslave us. There is a tendency among Christians in the U.S. to attribute a lot of the accounts of demon activity in Jesus' day to mental illness or even physical illness. Certainly much, if not most, mental illness and physical illness is not a direct result of demon activity. But it seems to me that attributing what Scripture calls demonic activity to simple mental or physical illness, implies that the writers of Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were ignorant of the truth; therefore, they ascribed what they could not understand to a generic title that everyone thought they understood. This would imply then that even Jesus did not understand the nature of people's illness. With a word He silenced the demons, made them come out of the people and healed people. While Jesus as a man only knew what the Father showed Him, Jesus as God's Son knew all things. While as a man, He depended totally upon the Holy Spirit to lead and empower Him, the Spirit did indeed reveal and empower Him. The Spirit of God knows the difference between mental illness and demonic activity. He silenced them when they were crying out that He was the Messiah. Why? Why didn't He want people to know that He was Messiah? Answers to that question will be conjecture because the Scripture does not give a straight forward answer. But let us just say that even the disciples were not permitted to tell the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration until He was risen from the dead. But another conjecture that I have is that demons have a habit of twisting truth and telling half-truths. If demons were proclaiming that Jesus were the Messiah, they would have probably somehow perverted it. After all, even the Mormons believe Jesus is the Messiah. They will tell people that they believe almost the same thing about Jesus that we do. But close investigation as to what they believe, demonstrates that they violently twist who Jesus is. Demons can gain the ability to plant thoughts in our minds. When we yield to those thoughts, we become enslaved to those thoughts. Eventually we act upon those thoughts. Eventually people become deeply ensnared and captivated by twisted thinking. We build our own mental prisons by yielding our thinking process to the enemy (John 8:34). We build walls that keep us imprisoned. It takes a carpenter to tear down our walls. It takes a stronger hand than ours. Jesus is that strong hand. With a word Jesus set people free. He is the One who has power and authority and will break even the chains and walls built because of our own sloppy thinking. Sometimes He does that miraculously, completely and instantly. But most of the time He requires that we work with him after He has broken bonds by our renewing our minds. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us realize where we have wrong thinking and to change it. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us identify where we have yielded to the enemy so that we may renounce it and gain freedom from the enemy. Sometimes it takes a friend who will listen so that we can be heard and given input. In every case it is only Jesus who sets us free. He is the mighty One to deliver! That is part of His glory! He is constantly looking for people who will let Him set them free. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

March 27

EXODUS 38 Living in Oklahoma, we experience many kinds of weather extremes. We’ve experienced temperatures as cold as twenty degrees below zero and as high as 115. We are known for our violent thunderstorms which produce destructive hail and tornadoes. We have the world’s highest incidence of tornadoes per square mile. When the rains do come, they seem to fall all at once. We were once known for being the “Dust Bowl.” In the thirties a combination of poor farming practices, poor water conservation methods and poor rainfall wreaked havoc upon the land. The last few years in Oklahoma have once again been a drought equal to, if not worse than, the 1930’s. Our ponds and lakes are literally drying up. If we have another year like the last two years, we are going to be in big trouble. We haven’t been in a dust bowl this time because the fi rst dust bowl taught us that we needed to change our farming and water conservation practices, but even stored water eventually disappears if there is not enough rainfall. We have a population of 3,814,820 spread out over 68,594.92 square miles for an average of 54.7 persons per square mile. The state as a whole averaged 33.93 inches per year over the last 120 years. Today’s passage tells us that their census revealed 603,550 men twenty years old or older at Mt. Sinai. If each man had a wife and two children, then there would have been 2,414,200 people, about 63% of the population of Oklahoma. The Sinai Peninsula receives less than 4 inches of rainfall per year (11% of the average rainfall of Oklahoma) and covers 23,000 square miles (33.5% of the size of Oklahoma). That is 63% of the people in 33.5% of the land receiving 11% of the rainfall of Oklahoma. Even that is deceiving, for the Israelites were all living together and not spread out over the Sinai. It would be like moving 2.5 million people into an area smaller than the Stillwater city limits of 28.3 square miles, about 113 people per acre. Having just moved to the area, they had no water collection projects, no ponds, no lakes, no cisterns. They only had natural lakes, wells and seasonal rivers, basically nothing. Providing the water, food and sewage needs for that number of people in a desert would have been a logistical nightmare! Talk about extremes! It would have been humanly impossible. God’s glory is seen in His miraculous provision for them. He alone could have provided. Only food rained from heaven could have produced food needed for them to survive. Only water driven from the reservoirs of the underground could have met their need. How they managed the sewage, is a whole other topic! But God met their need! Can He meet my need/our need? Certainly He can, and He will! It is His glory to do it, but He has one requirement, which is that we trust and obey. Trust means that we are still long enough in His word, to hear His instruction. (Hearing His voice is part of what the furniture of the Tabernacle symbolizes.) Obedience is that when we hear, we do what He instructs. The result is that we will see His glory. There is no other option. Perhaps that is why we see so little of His glory today. We are unwilling to hear and obey. Never-the-less, His glory remains, and He awaits our hearing and obeying to reveal it. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * PSALM 86 Look at this list of the glories of the Lord! He is merciful (3, 5, 13, 15). He makes us glad (4). He is good and ready to forgive (5). He listens to our prayers & supplications (6). He answers us (7). There is no one like Him (8, 10). He does great and wondrous things (10). He is truth (11, 15). He delivers me (13). He is full of compassion and longsuffering (15). He helps and comforts (17). With a resume like that, why are we so slow to praise Him in spirit and truth? David hits on the answer in verse 11. He pleads with the Lord to “unite” his heart to praise His name. Now wait a minute! This is the man whom God describes as a man after His own heart. This man has a problem with a divided heart. Oh there is hope for me! I am so fractured. I know how wonderful the Lord is, but my heart is deceitful. It seeks to tell me not to trust Him with every detail of my life. It sees the appearance of the things that the system of this world offers. It hears the lure of the enemy whispering that the world’s system really will not kill me. I hear him saying that the world’s system can really make me wise. My heart hears the old nature whispering that the world’s system is pleasant and it will make me wise. Yet that list of what God is like tells me that the world, the enemy and my old nature are all liars! Oh God, unless You unite my heart, I am undone! Unite my heart that I might praise Your name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * SONG OF SONGS 1 The Song of Songs has had four different approaches to its interpretation throughout the millennia. 1. Allegorical. Some approach it as a non-literal narrative that looks beyond the relationship between the lovers to a spiritual meaning of the relationship between Jehovah and Israel , and for the church between God and the church. 2. Typical. Some view the Song as a type of the love between Christ, the Bridegroom, and the church, His bride. 3. Literal. Some view the book as a portrayal of love songs or poems that are designed to extol human love. 4. Dramatic. Some view the book as a drama. The Shulamite, who has already given her heart to her shepherd, is taken by Solomon to be part of his harem. It concerns her resisting Solomon to remain pure to her true lover, the shepherd. I tend toward a dramatic interpretation with a typical application. For the purposes of this Meditation on the Glory, this is the route I will take. I am not dogmatic upon this. Who knows, maybe next year I will take a different approach. But for right now, this is the one with which I am comfortable. Indeed, maybe when I am done with these eight chapters then I will say, “Nah, that just doesn’t fit.” On the other hand, I might be more convinced that it is the proper route to take. Besides if the literal approach is the proper one then I have little to say for eight chapters, 117 verses, other than, “Love between married partners is good. Jesus invented it. For that, we should give him glory!!! Using the dramatic/typical approach, the Shulamite is a beautiful young maiden having older brothers and whose father is deceased. As such, she has been keeping a vineyard as part of her household responsibilities (v.5). In the process she has met a shepherd to whom she has pledged her love. Her opening statement (v.2) is a statement of longing to be with him again, but she has been abducted by the king to be part of his harem (v.4). She dreams out loud to go and find her shepherd lover (v.7) The court ladies are tired of her complaint and would be glad for one less rival, so they bid her go (v.8). King Solomon seeks to have her stay by promising her jewels like those with which he adorns his horses (v. 9-11). (Can you imagine wasting riches upon decorating horses with jewels?) The Shulamite in the banqueting room makes reference to king Solomon’s sitting in the circle of his friends. While she waits she dreams of being with her Shepherd lover (13,14). Then she recalls a love dialogue (either of the past or one desired v. 15-17). So what is the glory of Christ in this drama? If this is a type, then looking beyond the drama, we would see Solomon as a type of the world which constantly seeks to lure the Bride of Christ away from Him. The Shulamite is the church. The shepherd would be the Shepherd of our souls, our Lord Jesus Christ. In this drama, why should the Shulamite desire a simple shepherd as a husband over being one of king Solomon’s wives? There are at least two reasons. 1) With Solomon she will always be just one of a thousand. When he tires of her, he will move on to the next pretty face that strikes his fancy. O sure, she will still be well cared for in his harem, but she will always be missing that relationship for which she longs. 2) The shepherd has an intrinsic quality that is living and vibrant. His kisses are desirable. He has learned to fragrantly perfume his ointments. His name is pleasant. (Remember that in their culture, one’s name was a window to their soul, to their character, to their personality.) The bedroom for the shepherd is the pleasantness of green grass. His house is the shade of a large cedar. His rafters are fir trees. In the poetic, idyllic thought what could be more pleasant that than this setting during perfect weather in the springtime? This is the shepherd’s house. So what is the glory of Christ? Unlike the world which constantly seeks to seduce us and lure us into its bedroom, Christ is faithful. The world flashes promises of pleasure and prosperity, but in the end, it will only cast us aside. Jesus promises the pleasure of the sweetness of affection, his aroma, the faithfulness of His name. His house is indeed pulsing with real life. It is not made with wood, stone and metal. It is living and vibrant. It is better than the garden of Eden, which was perfect, and Adam and Eve needed no house. Recently I have met many who feel that they have been cheated or picked on by this world’s system. For them I would say one thing, “Jesus will give us what we need for His glory.” In the midst of giving us that, we can expect shelter, clothing and food for each day. We can expect the joy of His affection and the faithfulness of His name. Those things may not come in the form which we expect, but they will be there. Unlike the world, He does not use us up then throw us away. He allows us to live for His glory, and then He brings us into the glory of His home. Let us resist the seduction of the world and pursue His pleasure! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * LUKE 4:1-30 One thing the car had was power. When I was a freshman in college a high school friend of mine, two years younger, had just purchased a Camero. I forget the size of the engine. But, it was the largest Chevy could put in a Camero in the late 60't early 70's. He had a four barrel carburetor put on it. The first time I rode with him he said, "You wanna see what it will do?" I said, "Sure," thinking we'd go out on the highway. Instead he stomped on the accelerator and off we went. As my eyes sunk to the back of my head, I remember thinking, "He's gonna hit someone." We were in a residential area, and I was afraid some kid might jump out in front of us. After a couple of seconds I said, "That's good enough." He let off the accelerator. The raw power in the engine was indeed impressive. In those few-however-many seconds we went from 0 to 55, and he seemed to have the intent to continue accelerating had I not said anything. The wisdom of accelerating in that neighborhood was indeed unimpressive. But I have to admit, that car had a lot of power. Look at the glory of Jesus. He has all power as God. But as a man before the resurrection, He chose not to use that almighty power. Instead, as a man, He depended upon the Holy Spirit for His power. The Spirit took Him out in to the wilderness to show Him what He could do. It was 0-40 days without food, then the temptation set in. His first was to quit depending upon the Holy Spirit to have His hunger needs met. He had tremendous hunger pains at this time. It would have been easy to justify the inordinate use of His own power to meet His needs. After all, He was led there by the Spirit. He had not had anything to eat for 40 days. The fast was over. It was only right that He should have something and something now! But no, the Spirit would provide. His second temptation was to side step the Spirit's path to the throne of David. If Satan would just relinquish his hold on the world why not do this one act and side step all the work. But no, the Spirit would provide. His third temptation was to side step the Spirit's plan for humility. He could use His power to show the world how great He really was. There would be no need for people to be skeptical of His credentials or mistrust Him when even the Chief Priests would observe that He was rescued by angels! But no, the Spirit would provide. Wow! Such power over sin is unbelievable! Lord, O I would that Your people might begin to avail themselves of this awesome power! But power did not stop at just victory over temptation. He had power to preach, power to heal and power to set free! This is the Jesus we follow! He has power that pushes our eyes to the back of our skull. It is awesome power. But it is power under control! His control! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

March 26

EXODUS 37 We find again the description of the furnishings of the tabernacle. Before, God gave Moses the plan for their construction. Here Moses records their skillful making by Bezalel. Why does God choose to have it recorded twice? I think it is because we need to hear it repeatedly. We easily forget that which is not set before us regularly. What are we to be reminded of? The Ark of the Covenant reminds us that God the Son became perfect human. The two natures were forever united in one person so that the righteous demands of the law could bring Him death as our substitute, atoning for our sins. Jesus as the lampstand reveals both our sin before He washes it away and our holiness He gives it to us so that we may enter into fellowship with the Living God. The table of bread reminds us that only by feasting upon His body can we have fellowship with this Almighty God. The altar of incense reminds us that He is our High Priest constantly interceding for us. Through Him we can make our requests and wishes made know to God. The incense is our prayers as we offer them up according to His will. He is also the anointing oil, the One who comes upon us enabling us to do His will. Isn’t He marvelous? This Holy God humbles Himself to become one of us so that He might cleanse us of our sin and that He could delight in us coming into His presence. Wow! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!--Pastor john * * PSALM 85 (written in 2012) Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed (10). What happens when mercy and truth do not meet? Or, what happens when righteousness and peace do not kiss. Yesterday I read and editorial in the News Press by a national columnist. It addressed how Obama was losing in the swing vote states because of his radical pro-abortion stand. It seems that word is finally leaking out that three times as an Illinois senator, he voted against a law which would grant full constitutional rights to a baby who survived an abortion attempt. He has publicly stated that he will not back down on his stand for abortion rights. I hope you understand what that means in terms of righteousness. There are few people with more potential and less vulnerability than a new born baby. To refuse rights to a new born infant has to be one of the most visible transgressions of righteousness that exists! Who among us would walk away from a newborn leaving him or her to die unattended, or actually kill the child. That kind of behavior should make us angry and wrathful against the behavior! But when righteousness does not step up to the plate when unrighteousness rears its ugly head, that kind of behavior is what results. What was it that pulled the trigger when God declared that Judah must be kicked out of the land? It was unrighteousness manifested in child sacrifice. Listen to this passage in 2 Kings 21:14–16:

14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’ ” 16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

Or listen to this passage:

2 Kings 24:2–4 And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

It was the shedding of innocent blood that pulled the trigger of God’s righteousness when He drew the line and said, “No more!” Sure, that was not the only issue. There was a multitude of other issues, but that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. What was the shedding of “innocent blood?” Listen to what 2 Chronicles 33:1–6 has to say:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

Unrighteousness had reached it fullness in Judah under Manasseh’s reign. It was just a matter of time before the hammer fell. The Lord’s anger had been torched. He was aflame with wrath, and it was a righteous wrath. There comes a point when if righteousness does not step up to the plate, then all righteousness becomes a mockery, and one wonders if it even exists. Wrath expressed by God against unrighteousness is a good thing. It must necessarily exist for goodness to exist. If it did not exist, then moral good would be meaningless. Righteous anger must be expressed. Judah felt it. That is what this Psalm is all about. But, the Lord’s anger is not like mine or other humans. His anger is just, and He forgives. When we repent, He relents in His anger. His mercy is extended! A peace treaty is signed. He turns his wrath away. He restores us. How can mercy and peace come forward without violating His righteousness? That is what His glory is all about! Consider Ephesians 2:14–18:

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

He is our peace. He fulfills for us the righteous demands of God’s holiness. Can it get any better than that? The truth of the standard of His righteousness is fulfilled, and His mercy and peace are extended toward us! Righteousness and peace have kissed! He will revive us again! When righteousness and peace do not kiss, one of two extremes happens. Libertarianism or license overtakes the moral climate. Ungodliness rules the day. Pleasure masquerades as a “right.” Babies are murdered in the name of a right to privacy. Or, mercy is forgotten. Peace is lost and chaotic justice rules the day. Justice masquerades as a vigilante. Abortion clinics are bombed. But our gracious King has intervened. By the power of His cross and resurrection, He rules the day! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * ECCLESIASTES 12 Jeanne Calment entered this life on February 21, 1875. She resided most of her life in Arles, France. Remembering having met Vincent Van Gogh, she said that he was "Dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable.” Mrs. Calment died on August 4, 1997, giving her the distinction of having the longest confirmed human lifespan in modern times. At this writing I am one month shy of 59 years of age, not even half of Calment’s life span, 28 years past the average life-span in Swaziland, only 7 years shy of the world-wide average life-span, 19 years shy of the average life-span in the United States. Already I have been called ‘old.’ I have gone to McDonald’s and been given the senior discount without asking for it. Yet, I haven’t even lived half of Jeanne Calment life. I insist, “I am still young!” Being still young there is great instruction for me in today’s passage. I am to remember my Creator in the days of my youth. Before my eyes go bad (sun & moon are darkened), before my body begins to tremble with old age (when the keepers of the house tremble), before I become bent over with osteoporosis (strong men bow down), before I start losing my teeth (grinders cease because they are few), before I lose my hearing (doors are shut in the streets and sound of grinding is low), before I lose my ability to sleep (rising at night at the sound of a bird), before my hair turns gray (when the almond tree blossoms), before my spinal chord is broken (silver chord), before head is crushed (golden bowl), before my heart ceases to beat (the pitcher is shattered at the fountain or the wheel at the well), before all of these happen, I am to remember my Creator in my youth! Before all of these happen, I am to learn from the wise but not become overcome with book learning. One thing I can learn from the wisdom of Solomon. I will never figure it all out, to try is vanity. It is useless. One thing is true. I will someday stand before the Judge of all the earth, and He will judge me. Looking back upon the days of my youth to the day I die, will I have reflected consistently upon the glory of my Creator and lived my life accordingly? He will then bring it all into the light. That He will judge me accurately and completely is a testimony of His glory. It is important to live that glory now, lest I come into His presence, “Dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable.” He alone can cleanse me, dress me and make me agreeable. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment on 3/25/2014. * * LUKE 3 I spent a good portion of my life growing up in trees. Maybe I am a good argument for evolution. When I was in grade school, our house had a huge Elm tree in the front yard. My oldest brother put a thick rope in it. We could swing out way over the street and back. It was a blast. Our side yard had an oak tree. I loved jumping from limb to limb pretending I was Tarzan. We lived in a small town. So within just a couple of minutes of walking I could be in a woods full of elms, oaks, hickories, pecans, walnuts, cottonwood etc. In my memory they were huge. We built several tree houses in the woods. Generally, I stayed out of fruit trees. They didn’t make very good trees for climbing unless you were trying to steal an apple or a pear. With the exception of some apple trees, most fruit trees are too little to provide good shade. They are usually not large enough for building a tree house. Other than just appearance, fruit trees without fruit usually provide very little functionality. If anyone ever saw the light of the glory of Jesus, it would have to be John. The Spirit of the Lord had communicated so clearly to him through the word concerning Jesus that he could see what was coming. He described the Lord in such terms that even Roman soldiers were converting and preparing for the coming One. Compared to the Messiah we are none better than a brood of vipers, a fruit tree that never bears fruit. What good is a fruit tree that never bears fruit? None. You can’t build a house in it. It isn’t worth climbing in. What good are we compared to Him, none. Ever seen furniture built of fig wood, pear wood, apple wood, plum wood, coconut wood? Probably not. It is usually not worth the trouble. It is better to just throw it in the fire. Compared to the glory of Jesus we are fruitless fruit trees. But the picture John paints of the glory of Jesus is that He is our salvation. When He comes, He changes our fruitlessness into fruit. John then switches metaphors. When Jesus comes He makes us like wheat. He takes the chaff and waste of our lives and burns it in unquenchable fire. He takes a kernel of grain and makes us valuable and useful in making the bread of life. That is the beauty of His glory. We are nothing compared to Him. We are wonderfully valuable with Him. Seeing that is what motivated even callous Roman soldiers to convert. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! I think I’ll go climb a tree. --Pastor John

Book

My new book is ready for purchase: If you would like to purchase it, you may go to www.westbowpress.com click on the bookstore tab. In the author search type in J. Craig Chaffin, and it should take you to the right page to purchase it. The complete title is Meditations on the Glory of Christ Genesis through 2 Chronicles. I hope you will give it a try and tell your friends about it. -john

March 25

EXODUS 36 I really don’t know what went into persuading T. Boone Pickens to give his hundreds of millions to OSU for the building of a football stadium and an athletic complex. It must have been a fund raiser’s dream come true. I have tried to help raise funds for a few organizations (and I think most every organization was more worthy than a football stadium and an athletic complex). I wish that I could have raised for those organizations even one tenth of one percent of what was given to OSU. But then that is not where God has placed me. Why was Mr. Pickens so willing to give to OSU? It was because he caught a vision of what the glory of the athletic program at OSU could become. It was important to him. All the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5 and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much. Granted there were other factors than willingness which account for the abundance of giving. For example there is the ratio of wage earners to the project competing for donated funds. There were about half a million men as part of Israel at this time and only one project. If all the people (every man, woman, child and college student) of the Stillwater area were assessed to give an amount so that the sum would equal Mr. Pickens gift, it would be around $3,000.00 each. In my household of four, that would equal about $12,000.00. I would have to take out a loan paying it back over the course of years, and I would not be a happy camper. Granted, the Israelites probably had to give a much lesser percentage of their belongings, but still they gave willingly. They gave so willingly that they had to be restrained from further giving. Why were they so willing? They seen had a little of the glory of God. They had a vision of a place where the glory of God could be experienced. Did you know that one day the glory of God will fill the peoples of the earth? When will that day come? Jesus said it would come when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached as a witness to every ethnos of the earth. Do we have a vision of the glory of God filling the earth? Did you know that if the people who name the name of Jesus in the United States gave ten percent of their income to their churches and another one percent to the fulfillment of the Great Commission that there would not be a single ministry in the U.S.A. or missions sending organization that would go underfunded? Maybe our problem is that people who name the name of Christ really don’t have a vision for the glory of God. What would happen if each of us spent time in the word daily until we saw something of the glory of Christ? What would happen if each of us then shared what we saw of the glory of Christ with someone else on that day? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * PSALM 84 I have visited the Biltmore Estate. America’s largest single-family dwelling built by the Vanderbilts in the early 1900’s is indeed the epitome of opulence. I have also toured the Marland Mansion finished in 1928 and built by E.W. Marland founder of Marland Oil Company (later to become CONOCO). Marland lost his oil company in a hostile takeover by J.P.Morgan. Marland had to move out of his mansion into the adjacent artist studio because he could no longer afford the utilities on the mansion. Eventually Marland had to sell the mansion for $66,000.00, 1.2% of its building cost. The mansion, though dwarfed by the lavishness of the Biltmore Estate, was also amazing in its grandeur. Both palaces are residences which almost all people can only dream of owning. If either of the mansions were offered to you, and you were told that you would be given a yearly income sufficient for living in the place, you would probably joyfully accept the offer. But what if you knew that you also would need to give up enjoying the glory of Lord? Obed-Edom once housed the tabernacle of the Lord for three months (1 Chron 13:13). David was improperly transporting the ark to Jerusalem; when the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, God slew Uzzah for his insolence. In anger David gave up trying to transport it and left it in the home of Obed-Edom. We read that while the ark was housed in his house that the Lord greatly blessed Him. He experienced the presence of the Lord. In 1 Chron. 15:24 we read that Obed-Edom was appointed a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. What would prompt him to leave his home west of Jerusalem to take up residence in Jerusalem just so that he could be a doorkeeper for the ark? I think that there can only be one answer. Obed-Edom’s life was so changed by that presence of God’s glory that he would gladly give up his comfortable residence just so that he might continue to experience His glory. Obed-Edom was a Gittite. A Gittite is someone who had lived in Gath. Notice that our Psalm was written to be sung accompanied by an instrument of Gath. Why an instrument of Gath? Do you suppose that Obed-Edom taught the proper playing of the instrument of Gath? I believe he did. I think the sons of Korah wrote this Psalm and dedicated it to be played on an instrument of Gath in memory of Obed-Edom’s love of the presence of the glory of God. When we truly experience the glory of God, everything else fades in comparison to the wonder of Him. I would never trade the glory of God’s presence for the Biltmore Estate or the Palace on the Prairie. They are pig stys compared to His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * Ecclesiastes 11 "I'm twenty-one and strong as I can be. I know what freedom means to me. I can't give a reason why. I should ever wanna die,” so go lyrics to the song “Twenty-one” released on an Eagles album in 1973. If you are as old as I and are an Eagles fan, then I am sure you remember the song. It probably captured the rebellion and idealism of my generation better than any other pop song. The whole album was an idealistic comparison between being rock and roll stars and being outlaws. Our generation was on the edge of the moralistic protest concerning war, racism and ‘free love,’ and the completely ‘me’ focused generation that was to follow. When I review my youth and my contemporaries, I cringe a little at the Preacher’s advice here: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes.” The NKJV commentary has a footnote to ‘ways’ and ‘in the sight’. It would seem that a good way to translate it would be, ‘impulses of your heart, And as you see to be best.’ I think of the impulses of my heart as a youth and of my generation when we were young, and I see a mixed bag. I see at times an unbridled immorality and at times a passion for what we thought was right. Youth had an optimism that time and experience has dimmed. That optimism should be applauded. However, youth also had an impulsiveness that led many down a path of unrighteousness under the sun and moon. But the Preacher did not leave them there. He follows-up his advice with, “But know that for all these, God will bring you into judgment.” There is more than just life ‘under the sun’. As the Scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this comes judgment.” One day believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We must give an account for all our deeds done on the earth. For those deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit we will receive reward. Those deeds done in the power of the flesh will be burned away. One day unbelievers will stand before the great white throne of Jesus and they will be judged according to their works and cast in to the lake of fire. If in our youth we really believed those two judgments were going to happen, how would it change how we lived our lives? Twenty-one passed me by almost 35 years ago. I still know what freedom means to me. It means knowing Jesus and sacrificing everything for Him. It is not being able to do what my impulses tell me. That is bondage under the sun. It is knowing what is right and doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit. I can give several reasons why I want to die and why I want to live. I want to live because in so doing, He gives me opportunity in the power of His Holy Spirit to glorify His magnificent name! I want to die because in so doing, I will be able to directly experience His glory. That is much better than living. But for Him, I pursue His glory here and now. If the impulse of my heart is truly to experience His glory, then, old or young, let me pursue it with all that I am! Lord, give me that mountain! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

March 24

EXODUS 35 What makes you willing to sacrifi ce? For Jesus it was the joy set before Him. For that joy He was willing to die the most grueling death creation has ever known. What makes you willing to sacrifi ce? I submit to you that the most motivating motivation is to experience the glory of God. When the Lord gave instructions for the building of the tabernacle, He asked for gifts for building material. What was the stipulation for the giving? The gifts had to come from those who had a willing heart. The stipulation is repeated twice. The call was for building materials to build the tabernacle and related tools and garments. It was for the place where the physical manifestation of the presence of God was to dwell. The people gave more than willingly. Why? They gave because they had spent the last nine months observing the glory of God. They wanted it to continue. Once you have tasted of the glory of God, nothing else will do. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * PSALM 83 There are certain confederacies and governments today that do not believe in the right of Israel to exist. In their opinion, the only good Israel is a non-existent Israel. Sounds much like the enemies of Israel referred to in this Psalm. Asaph asks the Lord to do some pretty awful things to them. Why does he request such events? Notice the stated goal for the retribution: Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth. I would rather have awful things happen to me, which would lead me to a personal knowledge of God, than live a life of luxury and ease yet never find Him. The awful things would become a blessing. Why? The awful things would lead me to a clear relationship with the Almighty. I would rather live a life of deprivation which would lead to knowledge of the glory of God than live a life of comfort and never taste His glory. His glory is just that important. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * ECCLESIASTES 10 16A country is in for trouble when its ruler is childish, and its leaders party all day long. 17 But a nation will prosper when its ruler is mature, and its leaders don’t party too much. 18 Some people are too lazy to fix a leaky roof—then the house falls in. 19 Eating and drinking make you feel happy, and bribes can buy everything you need. (CEV) These short verses describe the majority of the governments of this world. The last clause of verse 19 is translated in the NKJV as, “But money answers everything.” Sounds like the current culture of the United States of America. Somehow we think that money and what makes us happy is the answer to everything. It is not. There is only one well from which we can draw that never runs dry. It is the well of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Church people in the USA are no different. People chase after churches which will make them happy. We run from church to church looking for the latest “move of the Spirit”. We are never satisfied because in most cases what is hailed as the “move of the Spirit” is really the dressed up carnality of very talented men. The ministry is in reality based on the ‘persuasive words of human wisdom’ rather than the demonstration of the power of God. When ministry is done in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is glorified. When that happens we are digging a well that will never run dry. We can walk away from the well to try a well at somebody else’s party, but one day that party well will run dry. We will then have to find another well. What does it take to truly draw from the well of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? It takes a long obedience in the same direction. What direction? It is the direction of daily, moment by moment looking for the glory of the Lord in His word, listening to the voice of His Spirit, doing what He says when He says it. The problem is I listen too quickly to my own voice or the voice of others around me. I settle for a Jesus who is less than what the Scripture declares of Him. I mold Him into the image of my choosing. It’s an image that makes me happy. But He is greater than happiness. He is after all, God! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * LUKE 2:1-24 When my grandma turned 90 she sent me a little note that said, "The preacher was by the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking about the here after. I told him, ‘I do think about the here after. I am constantly going into a room and thinking, “Now what was it that I am here after.”'" Not long after that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So, there is a little bit of bitter irony in her joke. She died at the age of 104. I am in my 50’s and I am already thinking about the here after--in both senses. I am constantly forgetting where I laid something down. Sometimes I will find things in the most surprising places, such as where they are supposed to be. The disturbing thing is that I've usually already accused one of the kids or Laura of having done something with them, only to find out they are where they should be. Although, a couple of days ago I needed to use my drill. A few years ago I opened my drill bit case, and lo and behold there was the chuck key to Brice's drill press. Now, that was surprising because Brice and his drill press were in Ft. Hood, Texas. Also, there were copper drill shavings in the drill bit case. Brice was drilling copper the last time that he used his press. It wasn’t my fault! Now that is surprising! The glory of the Lord is often found in surprising places. But His glory always has the same message. It is the message of war and peace. The message is that God is at war against sin. That is not a popular message in our culture. However, it is none-the-less true. Those who would minimize it do so at the peril of finding true peace. The other part of that message is that God has done everything to provide peace with those who have sinned. (And in case you have not heard--that is all of us!) That peace is found only in the Messiah, the Christ. So at His birth where would you expect to find the birth announcement sent from heaven that the Christ was born? I would expect it in the temple where He is worshiped! It did not happen there. It was on a lonely hillside near Bethlehem. Alfred Edersheim thinks it was at Migdal Eder. Jewish tradition seemed to hint that the Messiah's birth was to be revealed from the Migdal Eder, or 'tower of the flock'. The flocks which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices and accordingly, the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. So, it may be a surprise to us but not to Jewish tradition that the glory of the Messiah was first revealed to the shepherds who watched the flocks destined for sacrificial service. The announcement of the birth of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was first given to the shepherds, not the priests. This Lamb brings peace with God to all who will trust Him. Why did it not happen in the temple? The glory of God continues to be found in surprising places. Where would you expect to find it today? It should be in the church. Ephesians 3:21 says, "To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Alas that is often not true. I recently read a testimony book by Randy Meuhlman called The Quest for Glory. It was Randy's struggle with legalism that led him through pendulum swings in spiritual growth and in his relationship with the Lord and the organized church. The one constant in His testimony is God's pursuing love for him. When he finally grasped that, it healed him and to some degree his relationship with the organized church. You see, He finally found peace in His war with God. His peace was found not in performance but in the person of Jesus the Christ. Why isn't the glory of God found too often in church by some people? Probably partly the same reason it was not found in the temple at Jesus' birth. Anytime we organize to worship, we are liable to fall into the trap of thinking, "If I do it this way, God will show up." It is never about, "How we do it." It is always about Jesus. When the focus is on Jesus and not on the trappings, He reveals Himself to us. That is a hard focus to maintain. So, it often surprises us when He shows up. Where did I leave Jesus? Oh yeah, I always find Him right where He should be, the center of my focus, when I am seeking Him with all my heart. Now, why was I blaming someone else for misplacing Him? Isn't He beautiful? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

March 23

EXODUS 34 Yesterday we saw that the Lord promised to place Moses in the cleft of a rock. There He would cover him until His front side had passed then Moses could see the back side of His glory. As He passed, the Lord proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation. Today we see that Moses once again climbed the fi ery mountain taking with him two fresh tablets of stone for the others had been shattered. The Lord kept His promise. While the New Testament does not explicitly say that the rock is a type of Christ, it does say, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” I think we can safely say that the cleft in the rock is a type of Christ. Moses climbs into the cleft with the stone tablets. The stone tablets would soon have the writing of God upon them delineating the Ten Commandments. They would be commandments which every one of us have broken every commandment. There in the rock the ‘hand’ of God covered Moses until the justice of God had passed. Then Lord proclaimed His mercy, grace and compassion. Jesus is our place of safety from the wrath and justice of God. He is our place of refuge to receive mercy, grace and compassion. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which fl owed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s commands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever fl ow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fl y; wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. --Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady But the glory of God does not stop with just the dispensation of mercy, grace and compassion. Notice at the end of the chapter that after another 40 days on the fiery mountain with God, Moses’ skin glows with the glory of God. What’s more, we not only receive mercy, but as we gaze upon His glory, we are made like Him, even more than Moses. As the word says in 2 Cor. 3:18: All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. Wow, we receive mercy, grace and compassion, and then we have opportunity to be transformed into His image. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john If you would like to see a picture of the traditional site of Mt. Sinai go to http://genesistochroniclespictures.blogspot.com/ the entry titled “Traditional site of Mt. Sinai” * * PSALM 82 Jon Edwards was a North Carolina Senator with a glamour boy face who once ran for President/Vice-President. He billed himself has having come from humble origins and a champion of the people’s rights. He was the perfect Democratic candidate. He made his money as a trial lawyer, representing the ‘little man’ against corporate injustice. He may have been representing the ‘little man’, but he certainly wasn’t hurt by that representation. I’ve seen videos of his estate upon which he lived while running for President. The land alone was probably worth millions, not to mention the vast mansion built upon it. If he came from humble beginnings, then I would say that his career as a trial lawyer fed his coffers by tens of millions of dollars. Seems to me, his motivation was more than defending the ‘little man.” Seems to me, his motivation had something to do with filling his own pockets from the corporate coffers. Is that justice? God’s glory is that He is just, and in as much as it is possible, He calls us to be the image of His justice. The leaders of a country are called to reflect His justice. The fatherless have no one to turn to as a role model. They have no one to teach them how to live. The poor have no one to defend them in court. As the old saying goes, “A man who serves as his own lawyer has a fool for a client.” The court appointed attorney was originally put into place because of teachings like this one from the Bible. Unfortunately, in practice the court appointed attorney often does a less than stellar job defending his/her client because it is a drain on his/her resources. People who are rich give a better reward for a job well done, or the possibility of taking money from the rich is a better reward. God’s justice is dispensed despite the outcome. Ours should be the same. He seeks justice no matter what is received of us. Matthew Henry says this of the justice He expects us to dispense: These are clients whom there is nothing to be got by, no pay for serving them, no interest by obliging them; yet these are those whom judges and magistrates must concern themselves for, whose comfort they must consult and whose cause they must espouse. That is how God distributed His justice toward us. Justice was distributed upon the cross. Jesus paid our debt. The only pay He received by serving us was us. The only thing which Jesus received by obliging us was us. By the world’s standard of justice, that is a strange justice indeed. Yet it was the delight of the Father and the Son to do that for each other. What an awesome love! He calls us to do the same for others out of love for Him. Now that is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John * * ECCLESIASTES 9 Comedians love to make jokes about their spouses. That is probably because most people can relate to their jokes. Living joyfully for a lifetime with one person for most people is a chore. It takes work that the selfish cannot endure. I think my wife is probably going to have a special reward at the judgement seat of Christ for the graceful way in which she has endured me for the 34 years we have traveled thus far. She is a real gem. I was greatly enriched when the Lord gave her to me as my wife. I remember the comedian/preacher Bob Harrington, pastor of Bourbon Street, used to make a lot of depreciating jokes in his sermons concerning his wife. Even as a young teen, I often wondered how she felt about those jokes. Obviously, I was not privy to his marital situation, but I was not all that surprised when the news announced that he was divorcing his wife and soon married another woman. Is the Preacher being sarcastic when he says, “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun?” I think he is being sarcastic. “Apart from God, Your spouse is the best thing you are going to get! Ain’t life grand?” Remember throughout the book of Ecclesiastes the phrase, ‘under the sun,’ seems to speak of life lived apart from God. Like the comedians of our day, he is offering up a truism that we have difficulty living with because we refuse to submit to the complete plan of God! It is only by submitting to the complete plan of God that we will be able to make sense of the direction that life takes us. Because only by submitting completely to Him can we really see life in the proper perspective of His glory. When the NKJV translates, “Live joyfully,” it gives a footnote indicating that it should be literally translated, “See life joyfully.” The only way that life can be seen joyfully for a lifetime with a spouse is that we see it together through a perspective that is above this world. It must be seen through an eternal perspective. It must be seen through the glory of God. What is He doing in our lives to bring glory to Himself? Anytime I cease to see life joyfully with my spouse, it is because I have ceased seeing Him, and I focus on my spouse’s faults. When I focus on Him what do I see? I see the mystery of the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God, yet They are three persons. Classically stated, “There are three persons in one essence.” Henry Thiessen explains the great practicality of the doctrine this way: It allows for eternal love. a. Love was before creation, yet love needs an object. Love is always flowing among the persons of the trinity. b. Only God can reveal God. By God the Father Sending God the Son, God could be manifest. (and is still manifested today through the Holy Spirit) c. Only God can atone for sin. This is accomplished through the incarnation of God the Son. d. It is hard to conceive of personality existing without society. The persons of the Godhead relate one to another in perfect harmony, a perfect society. “If there were not trinity, there could be no incarnation, no objective redemption, and therefore no salvation; for there would be no one capable of acting as Mediator between God and man.” There is eternal love and joy flowing within the Trinity. That is why marriage without Him is impossible. My marriage is to reflect Him/Them. It can only be mocked under the sun. Submitted fully to Him, it can be achieved. That is why we must focus upon Him. When we look at the Baptism, the Transfiguration and the Glorification of Jesus, we see that the Father truly loves the Son. When we look upon the Son on the cross, we see that the Son truly loved the Father. He went there because the Father sent Him there. His love for the Father is clearly demonstrated! Where would I go for my wife? Where would my wife go for me? Hmmm. . . Comedians make marriage jokes because it is at the same time desirable yet apart from Him impossible. The good news is that submitted to Him, He makes it possible because He has already done it! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * LUKE 1:57-80 "Dawn take you all and be stone with you." I'd have to look it up, but I think those were the words of Gandalf in The Hobbit. The occasion was that Bilbo and the dwarves had been captured by some trolls. Gandalf's problem was to rescue them all without them being injured. Gandalf's magic would work if the he could keep them outside until the first ray of light shone upon them. Gandalf managed to use ventriloquism to keep the trolls arguing among themselves until morning light. The dwarves and Bilbo were able to listen to the argument as to the best way to cook dwarves and hobbit. Encouraging, huh? The trolls argued right up unto the dawn. Then Gandalf pronounced the words, and the trolls turned to stone. Isn't that an interesting metaphor? Zacharias speaks so much of the glory of the Lord. He prophesies about John preparing the way for the Lord. He speaks of the Lord as being the Dayspring or dawn from on high. We are those who sit in darkness. You ever feel like the powers of darkness were just sitting around arguing over the best way to cook you? Jesus is the dawn. When He comes our enemies turn to stone. He brings light and life. What is my problem anyway? The Dayspring is coming. I may be in the stinking hands of the powers of darkness now, but the Dayspring is coming. I may be listening to the conversation of the various ways that I might be cooked, but the Dayspring is coming. His glory turns my darkness to stone. I have light in which I may walk. He is my Dayspring. He is our Dayspring. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John