Jehovah Rapha

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Pete

It had been only three days since they’d walked through the waters. Just 72 hours since they’d participated in God’s awesome deliverance from the last ditch attempt by the Egyptians to take them back into bondage. Less than a week since they had been singing and dancing and declaring, “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation” (Ex. 15:11-13). If that had been Sunday, today was Wednesday . . . and today they were thirsty . . . there was no water to drink . . . and so they complained . . . they grumbled . . . and they murmured.

The “buzz” of walking through the parted sea and witnessing the mighty hand of God had worn off . . . the “high” of worshiping and singing and declaring, “The Lord is my strength and song” (15:2) had been replaced by parched lips and a dry tongue. And I’m not judging these people of God . . . not saying, “How could they?” In fact, they really are a mirror, aren’t they? I know what it is to have a Sunday like they had . . . to be in the presence of God . . . to sing, to worship, to feed deeply on the sermon . . . to teach the word of God to my Sunday School class . . . to have enjoyed sweet fellowship at home Bible study . . . and then find myself on Wednesday (or sooner) having lost that eternal perspective . . . doing life from a horizontal view only . . . getting a bit crabby . . . starting to develop a murmur about way too many things. Oh, how quickly the glory can fade . . how soon the daily grind can take off the shine. Cue Jehovah Rapha!

It’s right here . . . on Wednesday . . . that God wants to meet again with His people. He met with the Israelites and met their need, giving Moses a hunk of wood to throw into the bitter waters, making them sweet to drink. And, as He meets their need He decides this is a good time to test them (15:25). And so He gives them a principle . . . an ordinance . . . a tenet from “Walking with God 101”: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Ex. 16:26).

I don’t think God is threatening His people. Rather, I think He’s saying that the passionate pursuit of the things of God . . . that the determination to live obedient to His word . . . results in knowing Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. Should they choose not to seek Him, to follow Him, to know Him, then, just as with the Egyptians, He would make himself known through suffering, that they might return to Him and bow the knee. But that was “plan B”. “Plan A” was that they would heed His voice . . . and the assurance was that when they sought Him with all their heart, though they might find themselves before bitter waters, they would know Jehovah Rapha . . . they would know “God your healer.”

Jehovah Rapha . . . God is our healer. We know that healing best when we are in relationship with Him . . . when we are seeking His face . . . following His word . . . desiring His kingdom. And, it’s not really the physical healing that I’m thinking about . . . but the inner patching up of the soul. That malady that affects me when I find myself at the waters of Marah, those waters of bitterness. When the high of Sunday wears off and all I can focus on is the thirst of Wednesday. When rather than using my dry tongue to continue to praise God, I instead find myself using it to complain against Him. Maybe not against Him directly, but complain against Him nevertheless as I murmur about how tough this is . . . or how bad that’s going . . . choosing to ignore that He is just as much the God of Wednesday as He is the God of Sunday. Choosing to focus on my hardship rather than on Jehovah Rapha.

But, should I choose to look to Him, even when encountering bitter waters . . . and trust Him . . . and renew my determination to follow Him and praise Him, even with parched lips . . . its then, that Jehovah Rapha can turn the waters sweet . . . can quench the thirst . . . can, without changing the circumstance, satisfy and heal the soul. Yes, I can rejoice . . . even on Wednesday . . . in the God who heals. I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The LORD is my strength and song . . . all week long! He is Jehovah Rapha . . . the God that healeth thee! Amen!

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Gentle Jesus

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Pete

The reality is that Jesus never desired to put on a show. Though He often drew big crowds, that was never His intent. Though He often created a stir where He went, He didn’t plan to create a “big to do”. He did not come as a “steamroller” but as a servant. He never presented Himself as the Grand Jesus . . . but more as the Gentle Jesus.

In the first part of Matthew 12, Matthew records a couple of clashes between Jesus and the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath. In the first, the Pharisees take Jesus to task because His disciples picked some heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. In the second, they want to see if Jesus would “do work on the Sabbath” by healing a man’s “withered hand.” Jesus answers these Pharisees with Scripture on the one hand and by healing the man on the other. His point? That “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (12:8), and that “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (12:12). Jesus then leaves . . . a crowd follows . . . He heals their sick . . . and then orders the crowd “not to make Him known” (12:16).

Jesus told the crowd not to reveal what He’d done. You kind of get the feeling that if Jesus were walking the earth today He wouldn’t have a public relations team . . . or a press secretary . . . or be buying air time on network television. I don’t sense that He would advertise His arrival in a town with a billboard campaign . . . or have t-shirts made up listing all the cities where He’d taken His “2010 Healing Tour.” Not Jesus’ style. And Matthew, instructed by the Holy Spirit, understands Jesus’ warning to the crowd to not make Him known as fulfilling that spoken by the Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust.” (Matt. 12:18-21, Isa. 42:1-4).

As I meditate over it, I am so drawn to the gentle character of God’s Beloved . . . His Servant . . . the One in whom the soul of the Father is well pleased. He had come to declare justice. But this lowly Servant wouldn’t quarrel or pick a fight. His style wasn’t to shout it over others. No standing on a soap box on some corner and raising His voice with some “turn or burn” message. Instead, He viewed those He encountered as bruised reeds . . . crushed souls . . . on the verge of snapping should anymore weight be forced on them. And His determination? . . . He would not to break them. He would look upon the multitudes and see individuals who were like smoking flax . . . a smoldering wick . . . flickering candles in danger of going out if too great a wind were cast upon them. And His approach? . . . He would not quench them.

Oh, there will come a day when He will send forth justice . . . when He will arrive with trump and sword and judge the living and dead who have refused Him. But, for now, He comes as God’s gentle Servant. Not with great fanfare, but quietly wooing the hearts of the lost to Himself. Not as lording it over His followers, but as a Shepherd who knows His sheep and seeks to lead them beside still waters. He is the meek and lowly Jesus.

And, knowing what it is to be a bruised reed at times, and a smoldering wick at others, I am so grateful to the One who so patiently and carefully draws along side to call me to Himself . . . to restore me to Himself . . . and to reveal Himself to me afresh as the Lord of all. Not too flashy . . . no neon lights . . . no bullhorn . . . just the quiet witness of His Spirit with mine. Praise God for His Beloved Servant! All glory be to Gentle Jesus!

Posted in Isaiah, Matthew | Leave a comment

Risk and Reward

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Pete

I think what really grabs me about Psalm 26 is David’s invitation to God: “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart” (26:2). Chew on that for a bit. Talk about transparency . . . talk about opening the door and letting Him in! Scrutinize me God, put me on trial . . . test me like metal, assay me, determine my qualities . . . smelt me, put me in the refiners fire, flush out the impurities if they’re there. David is so opening himself up to God. And it’s not the perfection of his actions that David offers up for trial, but his heart and his mind . . . his motivations and his attitude . . . his desire, his internal GPS. I imagine uttering these words myself and, I confess, it’s a bit intimidating. So how can David do this? Why would he do this?

The how, I think, lies in David’s determination to pursue God with integrity. “I have walked in my integrity” (26:1) . . . “I have walked in Your truth” (26:3) . . . “I will walk in my integrity” (26:11) . . . “my foot stands in an even place” (26:12). I don’t think David’s claiming a perfect walk or a walk apart from failings and fallings or else he wouldn’t appeal to God to redeem him and be gracious to him (26:11). But David is saying that in simplicity, in wholeness of heart, in a straight up way, he has sought to walk the talk. He’s not tried to fake it. He’s declared his intention to be a follower of Yahweh and Him alone. He’s not playing both sides of the fence — “I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence” (26:4-6a). He had taken sides. What you saw on the Sabbath was what you saw throughout the week — a man whose heart and mind were set on walking in God’s truth.

And so, David trusting that the Lord honors a heart of integrity, says “Vindicate me, O Lord” (26:1) . . . judge me and see if it isn’t so. This isn’t the arrogant challenge of a blind, self-righteous, self-made man. Instead it’s the plea of one who desires truth in his most inner parts. He wants to be “the real meal deal.” In sincerity he has set his heart on pursuing the things of God and entreats God to help him through careful, divine examination. It’s not the only time in the Psalms we find this transparency in David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). That’s how David could invite such examination . . . he sincerely had set his heart on walking in the way of everlasting.

So why take the chance? Why even risk inviting God to peek into places and uncover stuff that perhaps you’re not even aware of? As I noodle on this Psalm, I think it lies in not just wanting to be true to the walk, but also in experiencing the reward. With integrity of heart and with washed in innocence, David says, “So I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells” (26:6b-8). A true walk leads to true worship. The lips that openly confess a determination to follow the way of truth, also proclaim with the thanksgiving the wonders of God. The heart sincerely set on seeking, finds its way to the place His glory dwells. An honest desire to follow the ways of God, leads to the holy of holies and the very presence of God.

That’s the reason for taking the risk and inviting the examination. It’s so that we can be in that place where the glory of God dwells . . . and to offer up to the Redeemer of our souls the honor, praise, and blessing due His name. Who wants to waste time playing games? What’s the point in faking it if it never gets you to the glory? Better to be laid bare before the God of grace and restoration and to end up at the altar of sacrifice, than to fool ourselves into thinking we can hide from Him and continue in a two-faced pursuit of God and the world and end up with nothing. It’s the passion for the presence of God which fuels the walk of integrity and the willingness for examination. Sure, it’s risky to take the Psalmists words as our own, “Examine me . . . prove me . . . try my mind and heart”, but the reward is worth it. Amen?

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No Pwobwem!

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Pete

You know, I’m kinda glad that so many “Biblical heroes” have clay feet . . . that the Spirit, when authoring the Holy Scriptures, didn’t shy away from recording not only the good, but the bad, and the ugly, as well. Unfortunately, sometimes we can read of our heroes’ failings and get a bit critical, “How could they?” we say. But far from being critical, their failings should be what connects us to them . . . and to their God.

Let’s face it, Moses’ calling was a tough one. You can imagine the scene as he’s there before the burning bush . . . “I am the Lord God of Your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” . . . and Moses hid his face (Ex. 3:6). “I have heard the cry of My people” (3:7) . . . and Moses is thinking, “That’s good!” “I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians” (3:8) . . . and Moses is grinning (at least inside), “Awright! Yes! Bring it on!” Then God says, “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt”(3:10) . . . SCREECH!!!! “Huh,” thinks Moses, “Wait a minute! Me? What?” Can you blame him?

And this Moses who had hid is face and was afraid to look on God enters into a running debate with the Divine, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? (3:11) . . . Suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you?’ (4:1) . . . O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue (4:10) . . . O my Lord, please send someone else to do it (4:13) . . . I am of uncircumcised lips (NKJV) . . . I speak with faltering lips (NIV) . . . I am unskilled in speech (NASB) . . . and besides, I stutter (MSG) (6:12).”

I don’t think this is just humility 101 . . . this is someone thinking “Houston, we have a pwobwem!” Quite simply, Moses doesn’t speak too well . . . it takes a while for it to come out . . . and when it does, it’s not always exactly right. He’s not really superhero material. No jumping into a phone booth here and changing into his super-suit complete with red cape flapping in the wind. He is an unlikely hero. He is not the guy we’d pick to be top of the class . . . not the one chosen by the class as  “most likely to be a deliverer” . . . this is Moses of clay feet . . . tongue tied Moses . . . the guy who always gets his “merds wixed up” . . . the guy who knows as well as anyone else that pobody’s nerfect!

Exactly! Just the kind of person God loves to use. How come? Oh, I love this verse . . . “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2Cor. 4:7 NIV) God’s super heroes are super not because of their capability or “natural talent” but because God is super . . . the theological term is “Omni-super” J

The deliverance wasn’t going to be because Moses was eloquent of speech . . . or impressive in stature . . . or charismatic in nature. Instead, God tells him, “I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.” (6:6-7). Moses asked the wrong question when he asked, “Who am I?”. It wasn’t going to be about who he was . . . but all about who I AM was (3:14).

Sure, Moses was called to be the front guy . . . but it wasn’t about Moses. God would bring them out. He would rescue and redeem them. He would take them as His people. He had determined to be their God. It would be Him who would lead them to the land flowing with milk and honey. And while Moses would be at the front of the parade, God would get all the glory. Moses was a just a jar of clay . . . available (after some persuading) to be used of the Master Potter for His purposes. Moses would grow in the faith . . . the people would be blessed . . . and God would show Himself as the great I AM.

Far from criticizing or judging Moses, I should be connecting with him . . . so aware of my own inadequacies . . . my own fears . . . my own way. Connecting with him as another jar of clay that, if yielded to the Father, can be used in mighty ways to fulfill His purposes for His glory. And I have no pwobwem with that! Amen!

Posted in Exodus | Leave a comment

Just Call Me Jacob

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Pete

Ok . . . so I am so far from being even remotely a Hebrew or Greek scholar . . . in fact, it’s kind of even ridiculous that I put that in type. I have my handy-dandy Bible program and know enough to try and “look under the hood” at the Scriptures by looking at someone else’s “interlinear” mapping of how the original language ties with the English translation. And I do this especially when I come across a verse where the translation is notably different between what I read in my New King James version, and other translations. Before you kind of declare yourself to fall on one side of the fence or the other, it’s good to know what those two sides are. So . . . here’s the deal with Psalm 24:6 . . . Jacob.

The word Jacob just kind of is there in Psalm 24. It’s there along with two other “entities” . . . the generation that seeks the face of God . . . and God, Himself. And as a translator, you gotta make a call whether Jacob is describing “the generation” or describing God. Hence, two ways to translate it:

“Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” (Ps. 24:6 ESV) and the NIV has that flavor too . . . or . . .

“This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face.” (Ps 24:6 NKJV) and the NASB would link Jacob with the seekers as well.

As for me, I’m leaning towards the NKJV . . . so just call me Jacob.

It’s not really important what you link Jacob to . . . what’s really important is there are those seeking the Face . . . and there is the Face that is to be sought.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. . . This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.” (24:3,4,6)

These are the true seed of the patriarch, those who seek the face of the God of the patriarch. They have been blessed of the Lord . . . they have received righteousness from the God of their salvation (24:5) . . . their hands are clean . . . their hearts are pure . . . their souls not attached to an idol . . . marked with integrity . . . and with a drive and a passion to ascend the hill . . . to stand in the holy place . . . and to encounter the very presence of God. And they pursue the place and the Face not on their own merit but on the merit of Another.

Their hands are clean because Jesus has born their stain, it is He who has loved them and washed them from their sin in His own blood (Rev. 1:5) . . . clean hands not of their own righteousness but according to the mercy of the One who saved them through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Their hearts are pure . . . having had their hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). And so, with clean hands, they seek, by His grace, to maintain clean hands. With a new heart, they do what they can, by His power, to maintain a pure heart. They determine, as much as lies within them, to allow nothing to take precedence over their God . . . to seek no idol. They have tasted of the kingdom of heaven and so desire to know it more . . . they have encountered the King and so seek His face and to know Him more intimately. They, like Jacob, have encountered the living God and will not let go (Gen. 32:22-30). They are that generation which have been won by grace . . . have entered through faith . . . they are the generation who would seek God. This is Jacob . . . and so, because of His grace, just call me Jacob.

Father, thank You for the clean hands and pure heart You have given me through faith in Your Son. Thank you for His death on the cross that my sin might be washed away. Thank you for His risen life that I might know Him and enjoy a taste of His Kingdom to come. My desire is to be of that generation of Jacob . . . to keep my hands clean . . . to not allow my heart to be contaminated with the world’s pollutants and other gods . . . to seek Your face, O God of Jacob . . . for my blessing . . . and for Your glory . . . amen!

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Freely, Freely

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Pete

You know it’s kind of funny how the memory works. Stuff that you might think is long gone . . . if not gone, at least packed away somewhere in storage. And then, you come across something . . . a smell, a song, a sound, a place . . . and that something acts as a trigger . . . a key that unlocks that storage unit . . . and what you may have thought you had forgotten, floods back as vivid memory. Sometimes these can be not so good . . . and sometimes, oh, they can be such delight! Such is the case for me this morning as I read 6 words . . . “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:8)

I started to exercise my “mustard seed of faith” in the God at the end of 1977 and over the course of the first few months of 1978, God, in His grace, led me out of a spiritual stupor into marvelous light. In His wonderful provision, He led this guy who wanted nothing to do with church people, even after he was saved, to a small church of authentic believers. By the summer of 1978 I started to discover that God hadn’t taken away my song (I had played and sang in a dance band), but that He had replaced it with a new song . . . with many new songs actually . . . one of which was a “praise and worship chorus” (as we used to call them) written in 1972 (38 years ago . . . unreal!) entitled, “Freely, Freely.”

“God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name; I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name; And in Jesus’ name I come to you; To share His love as He told me to. All power is given in Jesus’ name; In earth and heaven in Jesus’ name; And in Jesus’ name I come to you; To share His power as He told me to. He said, ‘Freely, freely, you have received, Freely, freely give; Go in My name, and because you believe, Others will know that I live.'”

And as I read those words in Matthew 10 . . . and recalled that chorus . . . it took me back to that time when I was just starting to get my legs underneath me as I sought to walk the Christian walk. Back to a “college and career” group that proved foundational for what has been, by God’s grace, over 30 years of seeking the kingdom . . . figuring out the pilgrim pathway . . . learning to be led by the Spirit. But more than being a very cool trigger to waves of nostalgia and fond, fond memories, these 6 words in Matthew’s gospel become a wonderful principle to guide the believer in their walk.

The specific context was the disciples first “solo mission”. Jesus gave them power (Matt. 10:1) to cast out demons and heal the sick and told them to go to the lost sheep of Israel (10:6) preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (10:7). They were to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (10:6)

Hold nothing back, Jesus said. They hadn’t earned the power . . . they didn’t earn the Spirit’s enabling upon them . . . their “gifting” wasn’t dependent upon their capability . . . Jesus freely gave . . . they had freely received . . . now they were to freely give . . . and bless as many as extensively as possible.

That word “freely” isn’t really common in the New Testament. Found only 9 times, it comes from a root word that means “gift” . . . probably not too surprising. Paul writes to the Romans of “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). John the Revelator records the word spoken to Him by the risen King of Heaven, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts” (Rev. 21:6) and also writes “. . . let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

Oh, how freely we, as believers have received. Not that the walk has always been easy or enjoyable, but that we have tasted of the very water of heaven . . . born again into newness of life and meaning and hope . . . blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing, blessed beyond comprehension . . . freely given the spirit of adoption wherein we can snuggle up on the very lap of God and own Him as a Abba Father . . . given promises beyond number . . . given strength for the day beyond what we ever thought we’d need or could possess. So, having feely received, how can we not freely give?

Oh, that we would embrace such a life principle . . . freely received . . . freely give. That we would be givers. Givers of our time . . . our tithes . . . our talents. Givers of the grace we have so freely been given . . . cutting others slack . . . pouring out “unmerited favor” in abundance. Givers of the gospel . . . ready to share that word in season . . . always living the gospel in lives consecrated to our King and freely giving that “silent witness.” Freely, freely, you have received . . . freely, freely, give. Yes Lord! . . . by Your grace . . . for Your glory, amen!

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The Turning Point

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Pete

Psalm 22 is no doubt some of the “holiest ground” in all of Scripture. From the opening words of the Psalm, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me” . . . those same words which the Savior cried out from the cross (Matt. 27:46) . . . from those opening words, you know, should you care to pay attention, you are about to enter into something of the suffering of the Messiah upon the cross . . . the suffering endured for your sin.

You see the Son of God in a place where He feels forsaken of God . . . where He considers Himself “a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people”. He is ridiculed and mocked, “If God so delights in You, why are you hanging there? Let Him deliver You.” He is beset by an angry, ravenous crowd gazing upon the spectacle of His forsaken-ness . . . they are like gaping bulls, like raging and roaring lions, like a pack of dogs cornering their prey. He Himself is poured out like water . . . His bones are out of joint . . . His heart like melted wax within Him . . . His strength evaporated . . . His tongue dried out and clinging to the sides of His mouth . . . nearing the dust of death. His hands and feet are pierced . . . and the people stare at Him . . . some gambling for the clothes stripped from Him. (Ps. 22:1-18)

And all that is left to the One who became flesh . . . to the One who, though He knew no sin, became sin for us (2Cor. 5:21) . . . to the One who though He possesses heaven’s treasures, yet, for our sakes, He became poor (2Cor. 8:9) . . . all that He can do is appeal to the Father who has gone silent, “But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!” (Ps. 22:19-21a)

And then, you hit the turning point . . . “You have answered Me” (22:21b).

You don’t get that from the NIV which translates it as a continuation of the plea, “Save me!” The ESV translates it closer to the NKJV, “You have rescued me.” I think the NKJV and ESV are in the ballpark because after this, the tone of the Psalm takes a 180 degree turn . . . “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him” (22:22-23). It’s the turning point.

And as I pause over this verse . . . it cries out to me, “Resurrection!” Isn’t that how the Father answered the Son’s cry from the cross? God’s purposes were served through the Sons obedience upon the cross . . . but then He answered the prayer . . . and delivered Him from death . . . not allowing His Holy One to see corruption (Ps. 16:10). And in the power of that resurrected life He says, “I will declare Your name to my brethren . . . in the midst of the assembly I will praise You!” Because He lives, He can promise that “the poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord, let your heart live forever!” (22:26). Because He conquered the grave, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations” (22:27-28).

From victim to victor . . . from forsaken to forever before Him . . . from poverty to praise . . . from wasted to worship. It all lies in the turning point . . . the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory . . . amen.

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A Gem

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Pete

They really are all over the place . . . they are scattered freely throughout the New Testament, but in the Old Testament they are sometimes a bit more hidden and surprising to encounter . . . there, they are amidst storylines and dramas, and so, you can often miss them. But then, there are those times when — and I’m seeing them more and more as Holy Spirit directed times — when you kind of trip over them . . . they cause you to pause . . . and look again . . . and it starts to dawn on you, “Hey, I found another one!” What are they? Gems . . . precious gems of Scripture . . . tucked away insights into the mystery of God and His work among men. And I found one this morning in Genesis 48.

Context . . . Jacob and the fam are now in Egypt with Joseph. Jacob, renamed by God, Israel, because He prevailed in His struggle with God (Gen. 32:28), is 147 years old (47:28) and nearing death. Joseph brings his two boys, Manasseh and Ephraim, to his father’s bedside that they might be blessed by the patriarch. Jacob determines to own the boys as his own (48:5) and then, in a storyline twist which has become common place surrounding Jacob, Jacob determines to bless Ephraim over Manasseh . . . setting the younger before the older . . . sound familiar?

In a nutshell that’s the drama played out in Genesis 48 . . . read over it too fast though and you miss something that’s pretty cool. Check this out . . . “And [Jacob] blessed Joseph, and said: ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’ ” (48:15-16).

There it is! What I “tripped over” . . . or perhaps what the Holy Spirit tripped me with . . . was the word “redeemed.” And I start thinking that this is the first time I’ve come across this word in Genesis . . . and I check it out with my handy dandy “Online Bible” and sure enough . . . this is the first occurrence in Scripture of the word “redeemed.” (Note: you miss this in the NIV because they’ve translated this as “delivered” and have used “delivered” before for other Hebrew words). It’s the first occurrence of “gaal” . . . to redeem, to act as a kinsmen-redeemer, avenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman. Here in the Old Testament . . . the law . . . we find Jacob talking about being redeemed from all evil . . . ransomed . . . rescued.

And you look at it a bit more and you see it is imbedded within Jacob’s description of His God . . . “The God who fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from evil.” And the light of this “gem” grows in it’s beauty and wonder! Here God is equated with “the Angel”. God is the faithful feeder of Jacob in all circumstance and He is the redeemer from all evil. Is it just me, or is the truth of the Trinity all over this? At least the translated structure seems to use “God” and “the Angel” as synonyms. God is the Angel . . . the Angel is God. In the person of God He is faithful provider . . . in the person of the Angel, He is the blessed Redeemer. God is the Father . . . the Angel is the Son . . . together, with the Holy Spirit who operates in the background (and is moving Jacob to articulate such a blessing), the three comprise one . . . the Godhead, the Trinity . . . He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

He was Jacob’s faithful provider and, praise God, He is mine. He was Jacob’s redeemer, He is mine. Oh, how ancient the purposes and works of God . . . literally, from the beginning.

And Jacob’s blessing to his son and to his grandson is my blessing this morning. Jacob’s testimony is mine. This gem, now marked in my Bible and put in my “treasure chest”, reveals something of the glory of God. The God who provides and the God who redeems. I’m reminded that God has always been in the redeeming game and that, before the Son manifested Himself as the Jesus of Nazareth, He was the Messenger of God, the heavenly Kinsman-Redeemer, rescuing men, such as Jacob . . . and such as me . . . from the penalty of sin. To the Father, and to the Son, be all glory and praise . . . amen!

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What’s He Doing Here?

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Pete

It’s one of the classic expressions of surprise . . . that subtle movement that indicates something unexpected has been encountered . . . when it’s exaggerated it can be great physical comedy . . . it’s called the double take. You know, when someone encounters someone else or something they weren’t expecting and then their head snaps back quickly . . . their eyes bulge out . . . the sound effects guy lets go with a big “boing!” (or something like that). Well, this morning I had a bit of a double take. Nothing too over-the-top . . . nothing too funny . . . no sound effects . . . but a double-take nevertheless.

I’m reading in Acts 13 . . . about the church in Antioch . . . a place where the grace of God had fallen and many, many had come to faith — both Jew and Hellenist (Grecian-Jew). A great number believed and turned to the Lord . . . Barnabas was sent by the church in Jerusalem to check it out . . . he determined to encourage these new believers to follow the Lord “with purpose of heart” . . . and then he went and got Saul . . . and for a whole year the two of them assembled with the church and taught them. And this became the place where disciples of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:19-26).

And it says in Acts 13 that “in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul” (13:1). There it is! Head swings back . . . eyes bulge out . . . do you hear the “boing?” What’s he doing there? Manaen! One who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch? He’s in the church? . . . he’s a prophet? . . . he’s a teacher? . . . he’s worshipping Jesus? . . . he’s fasting? . . . he’s laying hands on Saul and Barnabas under the direct orders of the Holy Spirit and commissioning them for their first missionary journey? What’s he doing here?

Come on . . . you just don’t expect anybody who had anything to do with Herod to be in church . . . much less a prophet, teacher, or leader. It says he was brought up with Herod the tetrarch. You remember Herod . . . the guy who had the head of John the baptizer cut off and handed to his step-daughter . . . actually she was his niece until he lusted after his brother’s wife and took her for his own. The same Herod who, when Pilate sent Jesus to him, was glad to see Jesus because he was hoping to see Him perform, hoping to see a miracle or two, . . . but when Jesus didn’t perform, and didn’t even answer his questions, he treated him with contempt and mocked him and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:7-11). This Herod who was part of a family of Herods who were bad, bad, bad people. So what’s a guy who had been brought up with Herod doing in the church of Antioch?

Looks like there’s differing opinions as to exactly what Manaen’s relationship was with Herod. Some think that it was Manaen’s mother who was Herod’s nursemaid and so they were kind of foster brothers or, as the NLT says, “childhood companions”. Peterson, in the Message, speculates that he might have been an advisor to Herod, the ESV says he was a “member of the court of Herod.” Whatever the exact relationship, it seems clear that he and Herod had a strong association. You gotta think that Manaen was subject to the same influences . . . shared some of the same background . . . knew some of the same opulence and power, at least indirectly. So what is a contemporary of Herod the fox (Jesus’ words not mine (Luke 13:32)) doing in the church of Antioch worshiping, praying, and fasting with Saul and Barnabas and other teachers and prophets?

Simple answer: the grace of God.

You know, we can so easily look at a person’s upbringing and write them off because “normal” for them is so debased for us. Or, we find out about someone’s history and we look right past them. Or, when they do show up in church we’re somewhat suspicious . . . maybe even asking ourselves, “What’s he doing here?” In those times, oh that the Holy Spirit would move us to do a double take and think Manaen. In fact, some of us were Manaens. Brought up so far from the things of God . . . ignorant and arrogant . . . using Jesus’ name in a way that the Name above all names should never be used. Yet, by the grace of God . . . the love of Christ . . . the work of the Holy Spirit, we ended up part of His body . . . assembling with His people . . . and maybe even had spoke of us, “What’s he doing here?”

He’s here because Jesus saves . . . here because God so loved the world, the whole world, that He gave His one and only Son as a payment for all sin . . . here because God in His sovereign grace drew him to Himself and he believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that in Him is life eternal. Kind of amazing who you might find on a church’s membership roster isn’t it . . . that’s kind of how God works . . . amen?

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Not Trusting in Horses

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Pete

Ok . . so you might remember them . . . those old black and white cowboy movies. And that classic scene in a number of those old westerns where there’s a guy in jail and his buddies are going to get him out . . . and so sneak around back of the jailhouse to where his cell is . . . and they tie some ropes to the bars of the jailhouse window . . . tether the rope to a pack of horses . . . give ’em a swat . . . and the horses pull the bars and good portion of the wall out . . . and voila! . . . “they dun sprung ‘im!” You wonder if Peter was thinking of such plans of escape that night he got thrown in the slammer (Acts 12).

But no way it was going to be as simple as hooking up a bunch of horses to an outside window. You kind of get the sense that Peter’s cell was buried in the depths of the prison. What’s more Peter was bound by chains to two soldiers who doubled as cell mates . . . and there were two more at the gate of the prison . . . all in all, four squads of soldiers were assigned to make sure Peter didn’t escape (12:4,6). Herod was determined to have himself another public execution. The Jews had responded so favorably to his execution of James . . . and it had been such a long time since the the Jews liked him at all, that Herod determined to hold an encore performance . . . this time it would be the head of Peter that would roll. And no one . . . no how . . . no way . . . was going to spoil it by helping Peter to escape.

And so that night . . . the church prayed (12:5) . . . Peter slept (12:6) . . . and God acted. And you know, it’s way to easy to skim over this part . . . the part where the angels come and rescue Peter . . . because it can seem so fairy tale like . . . the stuff of Sunday School flannel graphs . . . we read it . . . and believe it . . . but don’t connect it with how God REALLY works in human affairs. But hey! Why not? Isn’t He the same God, yesterday, today, and forever? And so I slow down and read these verses and am amazed with the manner in which God can intervene in the lives of His people. I’m not saying this is God’s normative method of rescue . . . but this is an example of the normative power of our God!

You check out the account in 12:7-11 and it’s absolutely mind-blowing! Peter’s asleep . . . and then an angel is there amidst a bright shining light . . . and he has to give Peter a whack in order to wake him up ( an aside . . . doesn’t seem like Peter was having problems sleeping . . . you gotta think it was an indicator of the peace Peter possessed as he trusted God for whatever was to happen). Peter’s chains fall off . . . he’s free of the guards . . . they are still in la-la-land . . . the angels then lead Peter out of the prison . . . opening up doors . . . or walking through walls . . . or whatever . . . it all seemed unreal to Peter because he thought he was experiencing a vision. They stroll by the first and second guard posts . . . you don’t sense they were skulking in the shadows . . . hiding behind corners with their backs pressed against wall . . . but that they angels had done something to the prison guards so that they could just walk past them out to the gate . . . and then open the gate . . . and then send Peter on his way. How awesome is that? And it’s not the fact that God uses that game plan for every rescue that is amazing, but that He can . . . it’s part of His repertoire . . . the same God who has promised never to leave me or forsake me has that kind of power to deliver. Maybe if I really got that, I’d sleep at night more like Peter rather than worrying myself into insomnia.

Peter hadn’t seen any of those old western movies. Thinking about a team of horses pulling down the walls of his prison cell probably wasn’t even something that could come to mind. But even had horses been a possibility . . . I’m thinking Peter wouldn’t have given it a second thought . . he wasn’t trusting in horses.

The Psalmist reminded me this morning that “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Ps. 20:7). And isn’t that the bottom line? God can use horses . . . He can use chariots . . . and He can use angels too. Our God is able to deliver . . . through the “normal” and mundane and yes, if He chooses, through the blow-you-away miraculous. The issue isn’t how God delivers . . . its not about the means by which He will sustain His people . . . it is that He can . . . and He will. And mine, is to trust. I know it’s easy to say when you’re not sitting in the prison cell . . . but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. By His grace, and through His Spirit in us, may we know that deep abiding calm and assurance that comes from trusting wholly in Him in all things and through all circumstance.

In those times where we need rescue . . . angels would be cool . . . horses might be nice . . . but we’ll trust in the name of the LORD our God. Amen?

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