Great Expectations

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 8-11

I love this set of verses from the Message paraphrase today, “So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today—live a good life.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) What a great message for Israel, for us, and all who would follow Christ!

“Live in His presence in holy reverence…” Treat God as holy. Honor God above every other commitment in your life. Put Him first by spending sacred, dedicated, intentional time with Him each day. Worship Him with His people each week. Humble yourself before Him by confessing your sin and offering your body as a living sacrifice.

“Follow the road He sets out for you…” Walk with open hands. Your life is not your own. Let God direct your steps. Hold your plans loosely. Never cling tightly to what you have or where you are in life. Let go and let God use you for His purposes and His glory. Be willing to risk it all for the sake of God’s kingdom.

“Love God…” Always remember God is more than your King. More than your Creator. More than your Judge. He is your Heavenly Father who loves you with an everlasting love and He chose you to be adopted as His daughter or son from before the foundations of the world. Love Him in return. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love Him with all that you are.

“Serve God, your God, with everything you have in you…” Don’t hold back. Make it your singular focus to wake up every day to serve your family, friends, church, and community in the name of Jesus. Lay down your life for those you love. Love even your enemies and bless those who may persecute and abuse you. Do not seek to be served but serve and give your life as a ransom for as many as possible just like Jesus.

“Obey the commandments and regulations of God…” God’s way is the best way to live. Really the only way to live. Fear Him and you will fear nothing else. Love Him and your ability to love others will deepen and grow to levels you never thought possible. Trust Him and you will find strength and wisdom and resources you never knew existed and your life will become a living testimony to His goodness and grace.

This, friends, is the very definition of the “good life” and it should shape the expectations of anyone who would seek to follow Christ in our world today.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 12-15

Personal God

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 4-7

“I don’t believe in a personal god.” I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard someone say this to me over the years. Some of them have been Christians, even fellow pastors, in the denomination I once served. Some of them are Jewish and they argue that God is just too big to know and is “wholly other.” Some of them are generically Deist. They believe all religions are essentially pointing to the same, fundamental reality but that God ultimately cannot be truly known. Some are true believers who struggle to reconcile a personal God with all the evil and suffering they see in the world. Some are even agnostic. Though they doubt there’s a God, they concede if God does exist God would be, by definition, beyond human understanding.

The Bible clearly reveals God to be deeply personal. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, defining Himself by His personal relationship with His creatures. He is the God of Moses who is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving His people to the thousandth generation while not ignoring sin. He is the God of Israel, delivering His people from slavery in Egypt and choosing them from among all the nations of the earth to be His treasured possession. He is the God of the famous shema, the fundamental confession of faith for Israel…“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬) Indeed, one cannot read these chapters from Deuteronomy today without coming face to face with a God who makes Himself known. A God who makes His promise personal. A God who refuses to be God without a covenant people to call His very own.

Take a few minutes and re-read the chapters for today. Pay special attention to all the promises God offers His people. In addition to the promise of a covenantal relationship, there is the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. A life of blessing for those who are faithful to the covenant. A life of abundance for those who work hard. The promise of wisdom and understanding. The promise of a great reputation as the nations around them look on the relationship Israel has with her God in awe and wonder. The list goes on and on.

And what about us? The Bible was written for us but not written to us so do these promises still apply? The short answer is “yes.” In Christ, all the promises of God are “yes and amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV) The promise of a new covenantal relationship with God has been sealed in His blood. The promise of a “land” has been extended to the four corners of the earth. The promise of blessing is still in force for those who faithfully follow Jesus. The promise of a great reputation among the pagan nations is also still very much in play as Christians lay down their lives in service to the least reached and least resourced. Spend some time in quiet before the Lord. Let Him speak to you in the deepest places of your heart and remind you of His great love for you.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 8-11

His Story

Readings for today: Deuteronomy 1-3

When I was in college, I took a Women’s Studies class to fulfill a graduation requirement. It was a fascinating experience. Probably the thing I remember most is the first day when our professor walked into the room, walked up to the board, and said, “the first thing we have to do in this class is change our language. History is too often “his story” and we’re here to study “her story.” She went on to change words like “woman” to “womyn” and “human” to “humyn” in order to make the point that even the language of the human race has been dominated by men. While I thought she was being overly pedantic, I took her point and truly enjoyed the class. (I also found her to be extremely fair-minded especially when I offered some counter-points in the papers I wrote.)

As we read the first few chapters of Deuteronomy this morning, I thought about how history truly is His Story. It’s the story of God’s interactions with humanity. Relentlessly pursuing them with His love. Remaining faithful to them despite their unfaithfulness. Rescuing them from slavery and bondage. It’s why the great Jewish Rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, once called the Bible the story of “God’s search for man” rather than man’s search for God, as it is in every other religion. As Moses recounts the journey Israel has undertaken to get to the plains of Moab, poised to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, he makes it clear that only God could have brought them thus far. He pulls no punches as he lists the many ways they failed along the way. He even acknowledges his own sin which will preclude him from crossing over. He wants to make sure this next generation remembers the mistakes of their ancestors so they won’t repeat them. But even more than that, he wants them to remember God’s faithfulness. He wants them to remember God’s saving work. He wants them to remember God’s miraculous deliverance at every point along the way.

There are many who don’t believe the Exodus happened. Many who believe Israel appeared essentially out of nowhere. They cite the lack of archaeological evidence in the Sinai peninsula, ignoring the fact that the desert has a way of burying such evidence very quickly. (For example, a military jeep from the Six Days War in 1967 was recently found beneath 51 feet of sand.) They cite the lack of evidence in the Egyptian archives of the massive slave revolt as if the Egyptian pharaohs would allow such a defeat to be recorded under their watch. They cite all kinds of problems in squaring what we know of history with the conquest narratives of Scripture which admittedly can be tricky but only if you fail to take into account the fact that such narratives are not written with objectivity in mind. They are written from a theological point of view with a desire to honor God’s faithfulness to His covenant people which doesn’t mean they are any less true though they are most certainly biased. No matter what you believe about the veracity of the details of the story, without a doubt something significant must have happened. The Exodus is the seminal event in Israel’s history. It shapes them profoundly to this day. God acted in history to save His people from slavery. That much must be true. The story has too much power to not be grounded in real world events.

The same is true for our Exodus as Christians. So many people try to spiritualize the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like Thomas Jefferson famously excising the miracles out of the Bible, they do all they can to eliminate the supernatural when it comes to the life of Jesus. But a fiction would not have held up especially in those early centuries when the church was undergoing significant persecution. A fiction would not hold up under the torture and martyrdom so many men and women endured. A fiction would not have prevailed over the might of a thoroughly pagan empire like Rome. All the enemies of Christ had to do was produce a body. But they could not and therein lies the difference between the resurrection of Jesus and all the other so-called resurrection myths that exist in other cultures. Jesus was a real man who died a real death who rose again to new life, left behind an empty tomb, and appeared in the flesh to hundreds of people before ascending into heaven. This is His Story. This is our story as believers. Thanks be to God.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 4-7

Travelogue

Readings for today: Numbers 33-36

I will admit that I used to pass over the readings for today with the exception of the daughters of Zelophehad in chapter 36. The names and places on Israel’s journey didn’t mean much to me. The division of the Promised Land and the assignment of the cities to the Levites didn’t hold much allure or much relevance for me. But then I took a trip to the Holy Land this last summer that included a week in Jordan. We traveled the length and breadth of the country and it dawned on me that I was traveling in the same territory as the ancient Israelites after they left Egypt. I was in the ancient Biblical kingdoms of Edom and Ammon and Moab. I was catching a glimpse of their world through their eyes. It changed everything for me.

Wadi Rum is a desert valley located in the southernmost part of Jordan. It was once part of the ancient kingdoms of Midian and Edom. It is a trackless wasteland with little to no water. One can easily see how Israel, moving through this territory, would have become discouraged. Petra, the capital of Edom, is located just to the north. The Nabateans used this valley as a trade route and it’s entirely possible the people of Israel used their routes as they traveled north towards Jericho and the Promised Land.

Jamal Haroun is the traditional site revered by Christians as Mount Hor where Aaron died and was buried. You can reach his shrine today via an 11km trail from the center of Petra. You can also catch a glimpse of Jabal Haroun from the tallest mountains in Petra.

Eventually, of course, they end up on the plains of Moab outside of Jericho. Moses ascends Mount Nebo where tradition tells us he sees the Promised Land before he dies. The mantle of leadership is then passed to Joshua who leads the armies of Israel across the Jordan River to begin the conquest of the Land of Canaan.

One of the things I would encourage anyone to do if they are able to take a trip to Israel is spend a few extra days in Jordan to see some of these sights. The Old Testament will come alive in ways you never imagined.

Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 1-3

Sacrifice

Readings for today: Numbers 29-32

It is important to read the Bible honestly because the text begs all kinds of questions. For example, today’s reading details the enormous number of sacrifices the people of Israel were called to make on a regular basis. Anyone else wonder how they accomplished it? The logistics alone must have been incredibly complex! Not only that but why all the sacrifices? What’s the deeper meaning behind all this instruction?

The first thing one has to understand is that the Book of Numbers was not written as a math textbook anymore than Genesis was written as a science textbook. Israel often reported their “numbers” collectively rather than individually and sometimes spoke hyperbolically to make a deeper point. For example, Numbers 11 talks about God giving quail to Israel to eat after they complained about the manna. One skeptic, doing the math, suggests God would have had to send 29 trillion quail if we take the calculations literally. Obviously, this is a misreading and the careful reader is able to make room for hyperbole without losing sight of the larger point. The Torah is not a system of equations to solve which is why Biblical numerology is junk science.  

Having said that, it doesn’t mean every detail of these stories should be taken allegorically or metaphorically. These events did actually take place. There is real truth here that needs to be teased out. So, Israel’s sacrifices. Without a doubt, life in ancient Israel was a virtual slaughterhouse. Practiced faithfully, the priests would be sacrificing thousands of animals every single year. Here again the principle of representation applies as it is entirely possible one man’s sacrifice would “represent” an entire family, clan, or tribe. Furthermore, considerable latitude was given in ancient near east cultures when it came to the practical application of the law. What I mean is that it’s highly unlikely Israel ever truly lived up to the standards Moses set for them. At the same time, the sacrificial fires were kept burning day and night. By the time we get to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Talmud depicts priests wading knee deep in blood. Some passages describe up to 1.2 million animals being slaughtered in a single day, something the Roman historian Josephus confirms. Archaeological evidence from dumps outside the city seem to confirm these findings as well. The reality is the sacrificial system of Israel created an enormous economic engine that had to be supported by trade, animal husbandry, a literal army of priests, etc.  

But why? Why all the blood? Why all the slaughter? Why all the sacrifice? What’s God trying to prove? The sacrificial system’s main purpose was to remind the people of Israel of their utter dependence on God. Everything they “owned” was given to them by Him. He held first claim to their harvests and flocks and lives. Making these regular offerings reminded them they were simply stewards of God’s gifts. Nothing more. Second, the constant shedding of blood reminded them of their sin and their need to remain pure before the Lord. The people of Israel were human beings just like you and me. All of them had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of them stood in constant need for forgiveness and grace before the Lord. Third, the sacrificial system set them apart. It made them different than the pagan nations around them. Israel enjoyed a special, unique relationship with God. They were His chosen race. His royal priesthood. A people for His own possession. As such, they maintained a particular, even peculiar, way of life that served as a continual reminder of their exalted status.

What does all this have to do with us? Well, I love how the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-2‬) Jesus is our perfect, eternal sacrifice. Through His suffering and death, He lays claim to our lives. Through the shedding of His blood, we are purified from sin. Through His resurrection, we now enjoy the same unique relationship with Him that Israel enjoyed with Yahweh. This is why the author of Hebrews challenges us to keep our eyes on Christ and find daily, weekly, monthly, even annual rhythms that will draw us continually back to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 33-36

Sex and God

Readings for today: Numbers 25-28

Today is one of those days where I would encourage everyone to read the passage in the Message version so you don’t miss the significance of what’s happening. Because of the cultural distance, the meaning of the original languages is difficult to convey. The ESV summarizes Numbers 25 as “Baal Worship at Peor” while the Message titles the same chapter, “The Orgy at Shittim.” The ESV tells us the people of God began to “whore with the daughters of Moab” while the Message says they “began to have sex with the Moabite women.” Obviously, the translators of the ESV are staying true to the original language which I deeply appreciate and normally prefer while the translator of the Message (Eugene Peterson of whom I am a big fan) is trying to convey the meaning in modern terms which I think is helpful. Let’s lay verses 1-3 side by side so you can see what I mean…

“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.” (Numbers‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

“While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel.” (Numbers‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Why is this important? Because we often struggle to understand the depth of God’s righteous anger. We feel it’s unfair or unwarranted or an overreaction. This is why it’s critical for us to grasp the depths of the depravity of human sin. Baal was a Canaanite god worshipped in many different ways by many different tribes. Baal is typically understood to be the storm god. The god of weather and fertility. In an agrarian culture, one can easily see how such a god would gain ascendance and become the primary object of worship along with his divine consort, Astarte. Worshipping Baal involved ritual sex. Priests and priestesses would copulate with worshippers who came to make offerings at the shrine. On high holy days, the community would gather and engage in large-scale orgies as they sought to commune with Baal. Some Baal cults went to the extreme often sacrificing children or worshipping their own excrement. Yes, you read that last part right. Their worship literally involved the uncovering of the rectum - the most shameful part of the human body according to the Jews due to its almost permanent state of uncleanliness - and depositing their waste on the altar. Such was life under the cult of Baal-Peor. God hates Baal worship. Hates it for what it represents. Hates what it does to His divine-image bearers. Hates how it de-humanizes and demeans. He is disgusted by it. Offended by it. So when His own people - the people He miraculously saved and sustained - begin to worship the Baal of Peor, He responds with swift, righteous judgment. A plague is unleashed, perhaps originating from the very waste the Moabites worshipped, killing 24,000 Israelites. Things would have been much worse except for Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, who takes up a spear and kills an Israelite man and Moabite woman as they engaged in ritual sex in front of Moses and the gathered congregation at the entrance of the Tabernacle itself! This incident at Peor is so horrifying, it becomes a watchword for future generations of Israelites. It will be used as a metaphor in both the Psalms and prophetic literature to describe extreme acts of unfaithfulness on the part of God’s people. 

Sadly, Baal worship is experiencing a revival in our own day and age. Perhaps not in the extreme form represented by Baal-Peor but certainly in the sexual liberties of 21st century American culture. Sex has become a god in our world. Lust has been mainstreamed. Altars to Eros have been erected all over and command millions of worshippers. Sexual restraint is considered unholy. The denial of sexual desire almost criminal. Speaking out against the god of sex blasphemous. Baal has even ensnared millions of Christians as well. Pornograpy. Sexual promiscuity. Adultery. Homosexuality. Serial divorce. You name it, the American church has condoned it. And where has it led us? Broken marriages. Abortion. Abuse. Sexually transmitted disease. Broken families and broken relationships. The consequences are legion. 

Against this rising tide of paganism stands Jesus. He affirms God’s design for holy sexuality within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. He speaks out against the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. He calls for sexual restraint in His Sermon on the Mount. He sets us free from the enslaving power of sexual desire and He offers us the far more fulfilling life of holiness instead. Are you struggling with sexual temptation in your life? Have you experienced sexual brokenness and shame? Do you feel enslaved to your sexual desires? Jesus offers you freedom. Jesus offers forgiveness. Our faith in Jesus gives us the power to live a holy life and experience the joy that comes from submitting our sexual desires to Him.  

Readings for tomorrow: None

Salvation

Readings for today: Numbers 21-24

Today’s passage became a lot more real to me last summer when I was in Jordan. On the final day of our tour, I found myself standing on the summit of Mt. Nebo where Moses looked out over the Jordan River valley before he died. In addition to the beautiful church, a magnificent statue has been erected that combines the cross with the bronze serpent from today’s story and the passage from John 3:14 that refers to Jesus being “lifted up” just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Why is this reference important? John 3:15 states it plainly, “so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

Our God is a God of salvation. Whatever else you may say about God, you must say this. From the beginning of Scripture until the end, God reveals Himself to be a God who saves. A God who delivers. A God who rescues His people. When the people of Israel complained to God - once again - about their conditions, He sent a plague of fiery serpents. The plague raged throughout the camp, killing many Israelites and they cried out for relief. So God directed Moses to craft a bronze serpent and “lift it up” on a pole tall enough for all to see. Those who had been bitten could look to the serpent and find healing, those who did not would find death. Interestingly enough, this same bronze serpent would later become an idol in the national life of Israel and it was destroyed under the reign of King Hezekiah as an act of faithfulness to Yahweh.

So much of the Old Testament foreshadows the eventual fulfillment of salvation history. It’s why the New Testament writers filled their gospels and letters with allusion after allusion to the Old Testament stories. In this way, Jesus refers to Himself as the “bronze snake” who saves. He will be lifted up at the end of His life and that those who look upon Him in faith will live. How is Jesus lifted up? He is clearly speaking of His manner of death. He will be lifted up on a cross and put on display for all to see. Those who look to Him and trust in His atoning death will be healed of their sin for all eternity while those who look away will only find judgment and death.

Friends, the message of the gospel is very simple…Jesus came to earth to die and be raised and all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. I love St. Augustine of Hippo’s commentary on today’s passage, “Just as they who looked on that serpent perished not by the serpent’s bites, so they who look in faith on Christ’s death are healed from the bites of sins.”

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 25-28

Shifting Blame

Readings for today: Numbers 17-20

As a pastor, I do a lot of counseling. One of the most common issues I face is something called “blame shifting.” Basically, a person commits a wrong and when confronted on it, “shifts” the blame to someone else. This can be their spouse. Their children. Their parents. Even their pastor! ;-) I cannot tell you the number of times I have counseled a couple on their marriage only to have them blame me for their eventual separation and divorce. Nevermind the fact they were unwilling to put in the work. Unwilling to do the homework I assigned. Unwilling to change any of their unhealthy behaviors. Unwilling to engage each other at a different level. At the end of the day, because the counseling didn’t “work”, it must be my failure as a pastor. 

We see this same dynamic in play in Moses’ relationship with Israel. How many times do they accuse Moses of failing to lead them well? How many times do they blame him for not providing water, food, or getting them to the Promised Land? Nevermind their own sin. Their own lack of faith. Their own fear. Their worship of false gods. “We wish we’d died when the rest of our brothers died before God. Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike? And why did you take us out of Egypt in the first place, dragging us into this miserable country? No grain, no figs, no grapevines, no pomegranates—and now not even any water!” (Numbers‬ ‭20‬:3‬-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Over and over again, we hear this refrain. Let’s go back to Egypt. Let’s go back to slavery. You brought us out here to die. You brought us out here to suffer. It would be truly baffling if I didn’t see it everyday. 

Jesus addresses “blame-shifting” in the Sermon on the Mount. “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” (Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭3-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬) Essentially, we have to be humble enough to acknowledge our own fears and failures and struggles and sin before we dare to confront someone else on their issues. We have to be willing to look ourselves in the mirror and honestly confront our own faults before we point out to others where they fall short. In my experience, there is plenty of blame to go around in just about every broken relationship. It’s always a two-way street. 

We live in a highly critical world. A quick glance through Twitter or Facebook reveals how quick we are to blame others. We blame the system. We blame the government. We blame the church. We blame liberals. We blame conservatives. We blame Republicans. We blame Democrats. We blame our leaders. We blame teachers. We blame coaches. We blame absentee fathers. It’s like “blame-shifting” has become the national pastime. What you rarely see is anyone taking responsibility for why they find themselves in the position they’re in. You rarely find anyone acknowledging the ways they failed and how that contributed to their pain and suffering and heartache. No, it’s always someone else’s fault which makes us the “victim.” And there is great power in our culture today in casting ourselves as “victims” for it means we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. We set ourselves beyond accountability. No one gets to confront us and we think we are safe. The sad reality is when we avoid confrontation, accountability and responsibility; we never grow. And because we never grow, we tend to experience only more loneliness, pain, and heartache. It’s a vicious cycle. 

So where do you find yourself today? Are you the kind of person who takes responsibility for your failures? Is confessional prayer a regular part of your life? Do you find it easy to apologize and ask for forgiveness? When confronted, do you listen and receive what the other person is saying or do you get defensive? Do you blame shift? In Christ, we are set free from the need to be perfect. In Christ, we are set free from the need to perform. In Christ, we have nothing to fear and no need to blame. In Christ, we can accept the reality that we are sinners in desperate need of grace.  

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 21-24

Intercessory Prayer

Readings for today: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95

Yesterday we read about Moses being the most humble man on the face of the earth. Today we see his humility in action. Over and over again, the people of Israel question his leadership. Question his motives. Question his character. They accuse him of bringing them out of Egypt only to kill them. They accuse him of being power-hungry and authoritarian and a dictator. They resist him at every turn. They refuse to obey the commands of the Lord. They complain bitterly. They walk in fear not faith.

What is God’s response to their rebellion? Righteous anger and judgment. He is fully within His rights to kill them all and start over which is exactly what He threatens to do on multiple occasions. The only thing standing in the way of God and the complete destruction of the people of Israel is Moses. Rather than become defensive or take their attacks personally, Moses remains faithful. He stands between them and God as an intercessor. He pours his heart out in prayer. He calls on God to be faithful to His own character. He cries out to God to stay true to His vision to make His glory known throughout the earth. He asks for forgiveness and mercy for the sins of the people and God responds to Moses’ prayers by issuing a lighter sentence and extending grace.

It’s an amazing interaction that demonstrates the power of intercessory prayer. Listen to it again from the Message version, “All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!” Soon they were all saying it to one another: “Let’s pick a new leader; let’s head back to Egypt.” Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of the entire community, gathered in emergency session…But, up in arms now, the entire community was talking of hurling stones at them. Just then the bright Glory of God appeared at the Tent of Meeting. Every Israelite saw it. God said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long refuse to trust me? And with all these signs I’ve done among them! I’ve had enough—I’m going to hit them with a plague and kill them. But I’ll make you into a nation bigger and stronger than they ever were.” But Moses said to God, “The Egyptians are going to hear about this! You delivered this people from Egypt with a great show of strength, and now this? The Egyptians will tell everyone. They’ve already heard that you are God, that you are on the side of this people, that you are present among them, that they see you with their own eyes in your Cloud that hovers over them, in the Pillar of Cloud that leads them by day and the Pillar of Fire at night. If you kill this entire people in one stroke, all the nations that have heard what has been going on will say, ‘Since God couldn’t get these people into the land which he had promised to give them, he slaughtered them out in the wilderness.’ Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said, “God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; Still, never just whitewashing sin. But extending the fallout of parents’ sins to children into the third, even the fourth generation.” Please forgive the wrongdoing of this people out of the extravagance of your loyal love just as all along, from the time they left Egypt, you have been forgiving this people.” God said, “I forgive them, honoring your words. But as I live and as the Glory of God fills the whole Earth—not a single person of those who saw my Glory, saw the miracle signs I did in Egypt and the wilderness, and who have tested me over and over and over again, turning a deaf ear to me—not one of them will set eyes on the land I so solemnly promised to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with such repeated contempt will see it.” (Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭5‬, ‭10‬-‭23‬)

I can’t imagine the humility it must have taken for Moses to stand in the gap for the very people who rejected him. He and Aaron found themselves in the midst of a mutiny and yet fell to their knees before God to intercede on behalf of those who were seeking to kill them. Furthermore, I cannot imagine the courage it must have taken for Moses to stand in the gap before the righteous anger and judgment of God and ask Him to turn aside. Moses quite literally laid down his life in making this prayer and God honored his sacrifice.

Yesterday, I received a call from a dear friend. Her son is in critical condition in the hospital. He has struggled so much over the course of his life and, though he knows the truth of the gospel, he has yet to fully surrender to it. She wept as she shared his broken condition with me and her heart to see him healed and restored not just physically but spiritually as well. I told her I believed with all my heart that God is already at work answering her prayers. How can I say something like that with confidence? Because our God truly is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. I know He looks down and sees this mother’s tears. He has heard every single prayer she’s offered for years on behalf of her son. And I cannot believe a child who has been so fervently prayed for will perish. God will heal and restore him in this life or the next. This is the power of intercessory prayer.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 17-20

Seeing God

Readings for today: Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90

Jesus once said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” He might have been talking about Moses. Moses was a humble man. In fact, he was more humble than anyone living on earth at the time. His humility was demonstrated over and over again throughout the course of his life. His leadership was a model of humility as he collaborated with others. One never gets the sense that Moses had any ambitions of his own. He simply lived to serve God and His people.

In our reading today, Moses’ humility is put to the test by his own family. Those closest to him. Those he loved and trusted the most. They had become bitter and resentful towards Moses. They aspired to the same position and authority as Moses among the people. More than anything, they were jealous of the unique relationship Moses had with God. “Is it only through Moses that God speaks? Doesn’t He also speak through us?” The obvious answer is “no.” God clearly wasn’t speaking through Aaron and Miriam like He was through Moses and He even goes on to tell us why. Moses is no ordinary prophet. He is God’s special servant with whom God speaks face to face.

If we’re honest, this grates a bit. We probably sympathize more with Aaron and Miriam. Believing rightly that all are equal in the eyes of God, we often make the false assumption that all are called to the same roles in God’s Kingdom. I see and hear it all the time. Men and women who look to those in authority above them in an organization and believe they can do as good a job or better. Those who are just getting started in their professional careers who believe they can do just as good a job as those who have years of experience. Even among pastors this dynamic often comes into play as assistant or associate pastors become jealous of the influence or the position or the authority of a senior pastor. In fact, this is so common most churches have special rules in place to make it harder for associate and/or assistant pastors to ascend to the senior pastor role! So we are all more like Aaron and Miriam than we want to admit and this is a major reason why we don’t see God.

To see God, we must be pure in heart. We must have the purest of intentions. We cannot allow selfish ambition or vain conceit to get in the way. We cannot let our aspirations or dreams to become more important than God’s dream for our lives. We must learn to humbly accept the role God has called us to play in His Kingdom. We should not look to others and play the comparison game. We should not allow envy or jealousy to get in the way. We should fix our eyes on Jesus who humbled Himself and became our servant. We should follow the example of Moses who humbled himself and became a servant. After all, the greatest in the Kingdom are the servants which is why they shall see God.

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95

Waiting on God

Readings for today: Numbers 6-9

One of the hardest things to learn as a follower of Christ is how to wait. We are always in such a hurry. We rush around in the morning to get off to work and school. We rush around all day trying to get things done. We rush around in the evenings to different activities and events. Then we wake up the next day to do it all over again. Furthermore, we live in a world of instant gratification. We get what we want when we want it and woe to anyone who cannot deliver on our timeline! Patience is no longer a virtue in our world. Waiting is considered a waste of time. 

The Bible is clear that “waiting” is a key skill for any disciple. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Long-suffering is something God’s people know intimately. Consider what we read from Numbers today. “The day The Dwelling was set up, the Cloud covered The Dwelling of the Tent of Testimony. From sunset until daybreak it was over The Dwelling. It looked like fire. It was like that all the time, the Cloud over The Dwelling and at night looking like fire. When the Cloud lifted above the Tent, the People of Israel marched out; and when the Cloud descended the people camped. The People of Israel marched at God’s command and they camped at his command. As long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, they camped. Even when the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for many days, they honored God’s command and wouldn’t march. They stayed in camp, obedient to God’s command, as long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, but the moment God issued orders they marched. If the Cloud stayed only from sunset to daybreak and then lifted at daybreak, they marched. Night or day, it made no difference—when the Cloud lifted, they marched. It made no difference whether the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for two days or a month or a year, as long as the Cloud was there, they were there. And when the Cloud went up, they got up and marched.” (Numbers‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭22 ‭MSG‬‬) The passage tells us that sometimes they camped for days in one location. Sometimes for hours. The point is Israel didn’t move until God moved. Israel didn’t break camp until God broke camp. Israel was learning how to wait on God. 

I’ve been in ministry now for over twenty years. In that time, I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in my office counseling people through all sorts of different seasons in their lives. One of the most common issues I have to address is impatience. It makes total sense. People in crisis want out of crisis as soon as possible so I get it. However, in their rush to get out of crisis they often jump from the frying pan into the fire. Refusing to wait on God, they prematurely end their marriage. Prematurely cut off a relationship. Prematurely make a professional decision. Prematurely rush into what they think is a solution only to find their supposed “cure” worse than their disease.  

God wants us to wait on Him. His time is not our time. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. So often when we wait on God, we don’t understand. I am sure there were moments when Israel looked around and said, “Really God? This is where you want us to camp? This is where you want us to settle down for a few days?” I’m sure there were other times when they found wonderful pasture and plentiful water only to have the pillar of cloud rise the next morning, taking them onward. They had never seen the Promised Land. They had no idea where they were headed or what it would look like when they got there. They simply had to wait on God.

Where is God calling you to trust Him in your life today? Is it with a professional decision? Is it with your children’s future? Your marriage? Is it with you finances? Perhaps your aging parent’s health? Maybe it’s your college choice? A career decision after you graduate? What does it look like for you and how are you learning to wait on God to reveal His will? 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90

Strange Rituals

Readings for today: Numbers 3-5

The Bible is full of rituals that seem strange to us. This is part of the cultural distance we must keep in mind as we read. What may have been normative for an ancient near east Israelite is certainly not normative for a 21st century American and vice versa. Of all the strange rituals recorded in the Bible, the one detailed in Numbers 5 has to be among the strangest. A woman suspected of adultery is put to a test whereby she has to drink bitter water to determine if she is guilty of committing adultery.

First and foremost, we need to remember the context. Women and men were not considered equals in the ancient near east. In fact, women were more property than they were people so we shouldn’t be surprised at the patriarchal tone of the text. It doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t mean God is in favor of patriarchy. It simply means God is speaking to His people through the cultural norms of the day and revealing His sovereign will just as He does to this day.

Second, we need to remember the seriousness of adultery. Adultery was one of the “big three” crimes in ancient Israel. It was punishable by death along with idolatry and murder. The reason God lays out such harsh penalties is to protect the family. The family unit is the fundamental building block for God’s chosen people. It is through the family unit that faith is passed from one generation to the next and the story of God’s history with His people kept alive. God wants to protect the family at all costs and adultery puts the family at significant risk.

Third, God is a God of justice. Unlike the pagan cultures that surrounded Israel, God wanted to make sure that women were not cast aside on the jealous whims of their husbands. He wanted to protect women by providing a way for them to prove their innocence. He uses the cultic practices of the ancient world to place a hedge of protection around women to prevent them from being slanderously accused.

Finally, God is a God of honor. The honor of the wife and the honor of the husband and the honor of the family are of paramount importance to Him. Jealously threatens the honor of the family as does suspicion, gossip, and whisper campaigns that human beings seem to take so much delight in. By subjecting the woman to a public sacred ritual, all potential dishonor is put to rest. Furthermore, the public nature of the ritual would also act as a deterrent to husbands who might be tempted to bring frivolous charges against their wives.

So what do we take away from our reading today? Well, it’s worth pondering our own attitudes towards sexual fidelity in marriage. Do we guard our hearts and take adultery as seriously as God? Second, how can we protect the honor of our families in the way we think, speak, or act? How can we protect those we love from frivolous and slanderous accusations? Finally, we look to Christ who drank the bitter cup and took on the curse for us and we give thanks for His willingness to take our place.

Readings for tomorrow: None

The Beauty of God’s Law

Readings for today: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

Wow. You’ve just finished Leviticus! Well done! Your reward? You now get to read Numbers! ;-) In all seriousness, this is one of the harder stretches of the Bible for sure. But if we persevere, we reap the rewards of our reading. Take our passage for today which describes the purpose of the Law.

Theologically speaking, God’s law serves three distinct purposes. The first is to act like a mirror. It mirrors the perfect righteousness of God as well as our imperfect unrighteousness and reveals our desperate need for Christ. Second, the law restrains evil. While the law itself cannot change human hearts, it can protect the vulnerable from oppression. The righteous from the unjust. The third purpose of the law is to train us on how to live for God’s glory alone. To show us what it means to bring Him honor in all we say and do. As we finish Leviticus today, we see all three of these “purposes” on display.

In verses 1-13, God lays out the blessings of obedience. “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit…I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them…I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order…I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) It’s a beautiful picture of what happens when we commit our way to God and something Jesus Himself reinforces when He commands His disciples to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the rest will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

The script flips in verses 14-39 where God invokes the second purpose of the law. “But if you refuse to obey me and won’t observe my commandments, despising my decrees and holding my laws in contempt by your disobedience, making a shambles of my covenant, I’ll step in and pour on the trouble: debilitating disease, high fevers, blindness, your life leaking out bit by bit…I’ll discipline you seven times over for your sins. I’ll break your strong pride: I’ll make the skies above you like a sheet of tin and the ground under you like cast iron. No matter how hard you work, nothing will come of it…If you defy me and refuse to listen, your punishment will be seven times more than your sins…And if even this doesn’t work and you refuse my discipline and continue your defiance, then it will be my turn to defy you. I, yes I, will punish you for your sins seven times over: I’ll let war loose on you, avenging your breaking of the covenant; when you huddle in your cities for protection, I’ll send a deadly epidemic on you and you’ll be helpless before your enemies…And if this—even this!—doesn’t work and you still won’t listen, still defy me, I’ll have had enough and in hot anger will defy you, punishing you for your sins seven times over…I’ll abhor you; I’ll turn your cities into rubble; I’ll clean out your sanctuaries; I’ll hold my nose at the “pleasing aroma” of your sacrifices. I’ll turn your land into a lifeless moonscape…I’ll scatter you all over the world and keep after you with the point of my sword in your backs…You’ll perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will eat you up. Any who are left will slowly rot away in the enemy lands. Rot. And all because of their sins, their sins compounded by their ancestors’ sins.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭14‬-‭39‬ ‭MSG‬‬) If we reject God’s law, He becomes our adversary. He disciplines. He punishes. He gives us over to the consequences of our sin and removes His protective hand.

Finally, as chapter 26 comes to a close, we see the first purpose of the law on full display. “On the other hand, if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, their treacherous betrayal, the defiance that set off my defiance that sent them off into enemy lands; if by some chance they soften their hard hearts and make amends for their sin, I’ll remember my covenant with Jacob, I’ll remember my covenant with Isaac, and, yes, I’ll remember my covenant with Abraham. And I’ll remember the land…in spite of their behavior, while they are among their enemies I won’t reject or abhor or destroy them completely. I won’t break my covenant with them: I am God, their God. For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I, with all the nations watching, brought out of Egypt in order to be their God. I am God.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭40‬-‭45‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The reality is God’s people will not be able to fulfill God’s law and this is by design. God is teaching us that righteousness and holiness are beyond us. He brings us to our knees in what I call “holy despair.” He drives us to the end of ourselves. The end of our strength. The end of our ability. The end of our self-sufficiency. All so we get to a point where we cry out to Him for mercy and grace and turn to Christ. This is the beauty of the law.

So here’s the most important question as you finish Leviticus...do you find yourself resenting the Law of God? Dismissing the Law of God? Or do you find yourself overwhelmed by a deep sense of inadequacy before the Lord? If it’s the former, I would encourage you to go to prayer and ask God to soften your heart towards Him. If it’s the latter, be encouraged that you are drawing ever closer to Christ and He stands ready to take your place! 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 3-5

Holy and Healthy Rhythms

Readings for today: Leviticus 23-25

We had some neighbors over for dinner a few years back. A young couple with two young children. We had a delightful time getting to know them. We laughed. We shared. We ate good food. Our kids played well together. But in the course of our conversation they let us know they had NEVER been over to another person’s house for dinner. Crazy, right? So we started asking them about their lives. The husband travelled almost 300 days a year for work. The wife woke up early every morning to take her daughter to softball training. Dropped her son off at before care at his school. Went back to get her daughter to take her to school. Went to her job. Had her parents pick up both kids after school. Dropped by her parent’s house to get the kids on her way home from work around 6 pm. Took them to their softball and baseball practices respectively. Tried to grab a quick bite to eat and some quick snatches of conversation along the way with her kids. Finally got home around 9 pm every night. This was their life in some form seven days a week. 52 weeks a year. Occasionally, they would get a vacation here and there but always in and around their kids’ sports schedules. It was brutal. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t make it. They got divorced about a year later.

Sadly, this is normal life for a lot of people. They work hard. They play hard. They drive their kids hard. They barely get enough sleep. Barely get enough to eat. Barely get enough time together. Their relationships fracture. Their friendships are non-existent. They suffer from anxiety and depression. But rather than slow down. Rather than pump the brakes on life. They medicate. They act out sexually. They crash and burn. It’s heartbreaking.

Contrast this way of life with God’s ways in Leviticus 23. Sabbath. One day out of every seven where we refrain from work. One day out of every seven where we slow down. Focus on worship. Focus on each other. Focus on the relationships that are most important. Passover. An annual celebration intentionally focused on the salvation of God. Firstfruits. An annual celebration intentionally focused on God’s abundant provision. Weeks. An annual celebration of God’s revelation of Himself to His people though His Word. Trumpets. Another celebration of God’s provision at harvest time. Day of Atonement. One day set aside each year for national and individual confession and repentance of sin. Booths. An annual celebration designed to remind God’s people of their utter dependence on God as they wandered in the wilderness. Taken together, these weekly and annual feasts serve to slow God’s people down. They act as spiritual speed bumps in life. They remind us life is more than what we produce. Life is more than what we achieve. Life does not depend on us and our strength and our willpower. Life is God’s. He gives. He takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Friends, we must face reality. The American way of life is killing us. Literally. It is bad for our mental, physical, and emotional health. We were not built for the pace we’re trying to keep. We were not designed for the race we’re trying to run. We were not created for the life we’re trying to live. We were made for a different world. A different life. An eternal existence. Something so deep and meaningful and purposeful, the garlands of this world come off withered by comparison. In the face of all God has planned for us, the trophies of this world lose their shine. As the old hymn says so well, “the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

A Life of Blessing

Readings for today: Leviticus 19-22

Here’s a potential new thought for you…a holy life equals a blessed life. Following God’s way leads to the flourishing of human life. The deepest intimacy in human relationships. The redemptive lift of all human society. For far too long, holiness has been perceived as a net negative. We tend to look at God’s laws as restrictive, confining, even limiting. They cut against the grain of our natural desires so we tend to reject them.

But what kind of life have we created for ourselves? What kind of life have we gained by indulging our desires? What kind of life have we found by going our own way? Not a great life. Not on balance. Humanity’s inhumanity is on display every single hour of every single day. Despite the fact that there is plenty of food to go around, millions are starving. Despite the fact that we have the ability to deliver clean water to every person on the planet, millions go without access. Despite all our medical advances and technology, millions go without access to basic healthcare. Despite our aversion to suffering and death, millions suffer violence and abuse every single day. If we focus our attention closer to home, things don’t look much better. Our selfishness tears apart relationships. Our greed widens the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.” Our laziness makes hard work seem like a necessary evil. Our lack of resiliency makes us vulnerable to anxiety, despair, self-harm, and suicide. It’s tragic and heartbreaking on so many levels.

Friends, God’s ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He knows exactly what we need to grow and flourish and thrive. The rules He sets out are for our good. Yes, some of those rules change over time because our Heavenly Father knows our needs change over time. What human beings needed in the ancient near east or in 1st century Greco-Roman culture is different to some extent than what we may need in 21st century America. For example, the civil laws governing ancient Israel no longer apply in our context nor do the ceremonial laws governing ancient Israelite worship and purity. At the same time, some of the rules God lays out are eternal. Moral laws restricting violence, deceit, stealing, and sexual immorality appear throughout the Scriptures, are affirmed by Jesus and His apostles, and therefore remain in force in our day as well.

Do you want to live a life of blessing? Listen to what the Lord says, “Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy.” (Leviticus‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Holiness equals blessing. Holiness leads to human flourishing. Holiness is what sets us apart as followers of Christ and makes us His light in this dark world.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 23-25

Sexual Ethics

Readings for today: Leviticus 15-18

One of the hallmarks of the Judeo-Christian faith is its sexual ethic. From the opening pages of Genesis, God makes clear His design for sexuality. It is to be enjoyed within the boundaries of covenant marriage between one man and one woman. The physical act of sex is one sign among many of the “oneness” God created us to reflect as His image-bearers. Though it is often claimed otherwise, Jesus Christ affirms God’s design in Matthew 19:4-6 as does the Apostle Paul throughout his letters. This ethic is consistently portrayed throughout Scripture as the norm. The pattern. The paradigm for godly human relationships. Are there examples where God’s design is not followed? Absolutely. Polygamy, adultery, incest, rape, etc. all make their appearance in the Scriptures, many of them being committed by God’s people. However, at no time does God affirm them as acceptable alternatives to His design. 

The sexual drive of human beings is a powerful force. Almost impossible to resist. God knows this because He created it in the first place. Corrupted by the Fall, it leads to all kinds of self-destructive behaviors. Just look at the Canaanites as an example. Their culture was rife with sexual immorality. The fertility rites of their religion were essentially largescale sexual orgies in which the priests and priestesses had sex with multiple men and women. They also might re-enact Baal’s copulation with cows or offer their children as sacrifices. They communed with the dead by having sex with their closest living relative. All this in an effort to ensure the harvest for the coming year. Archaeological evidence suggests most Canaanites lived in fear of their priests. Marriages and families were torn apart and the unwanted children of these annual unions were often slaughtered on altars to Baal or Dagon. Sexually transmitted disease was likely epidemic; rape was perhaps as common as it is in the worst of today's war-ravaged nations. It is against this horrific backdrop that God issues the laws concerning sexual behavior in Leviticus 18. 

Sadly, humanity refuses to listen. Sexual restraint is considered antiquated at best, bigoted at worst. Even the suggestion that sexuality be reserved for covenant marriage between a man and a woman is considered hate speech in some circles. Human beings desire sexual freedom above everything else but what have we gained? Shattered relationships. Rampant sexual abuse. A rise in sexually transmitted disease. Thousands of unwanted pregnancies. Does any of this give us pause? Cause us to stop and reflect that maybe our way is not the best way? No. Instead, we seek ways to make sex “safer.” We ignore the emotional toll it takes in a person’s life. We kill our babies in the name of “choice” because we don’t want to face the very real consequences of our actions. Far from making progress, we have simply reverted to type. We are no different, and certainly no better, than the ancient Canaanites! 

There is only one way to experience true sexual freedom and that is to live within the restraints God has set up. They are for our good. For our protection. They are designed to help us flourish as human beings and experience the depths of intimacy. There is nothing like giving one’s whole self - body, mind, and soul - to a member of the opposite sex within the sacred covenant of marriage. It is designed to be a reflection of the unity God desires to have with His people. Some will argue this isn’t fair because not everyone can get married. Not everyone experiences heterosexual desire. Not everyone is able to find their soulmate. I understand and I grieve. It is a tender subject for me personally as I walk alongside those I love. Our world is truly broken. Our sexual desires are disordered, misdirected, and all jumbled up. All of us look forward to the Day when God makes all things new and sets all things right. On that Day, marriage will cease to exist according to Jesus because we will enjoy perfect intimacy with Him and with one another. No one will be left out. But until that Day comes, we must submit our sexuality to God. We must embrace God’s design. Sexual faithfulness within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman or sexual faithfulness in celibacy as a single person. 

I know that last statement sounds scary and again, unfair. It feels like God is robbing many of us of something very special. Unrequited sexual desire can lead to a sense of existential loneliness which is painful and all to real to so many in our world today. Depression, despair, and suicide haunt our loved ones who are struggling. This is where we must cling to the sufficiency of Christ. He is more than enough to meet all of our needs. He is faithful to comfort us in the midst of our grief. He gives us the strength to follow His commands. He recognizes we will suffer in this life and He promises He will make it up to us in the world to come. Furthermore, Christ does not leave us alone or adrift. He gives us the gift of His church. A family. A community of believers to fill the empty void in our hearts. Now I get the church is all kinds of messed up. The sexual abuse propagated by Roman Catholics and Protestants alike is terrifying and traumatic. But that’s not every church. In fact, it’s not even most churches. Most churches are like families where people from all walks of life can connect and find community.

Friends, if you are struggling to submit your sexuality - in whatever form - to Jesus, I want you to know you are not alone. I am here for you. Our church family - PEPC - is here for you. If you live out of state or out of the country, look for a local church who will come alongside you in the journey and a local pastor who will pray with and for you.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 19-22

Community Above Self

Readings for today: Leviticus 11-14

God’s stated goal for His people is for them to be holy as He is holy. “Make yourselves holy for I am holy. Don’t make yourselves ritually unclean by any creature that crawls on the ground. I am God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Be holy because I am holy.” (Leviticus‬ ‭11‬:‭44‬-‭45‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Yes, in Christ the ceremonial laws of Leviticus have been fulfilled. We no longer need to worry about clean and unclean animals. (See Peter’s vision in Acts 10.) We no longer need to fear being made unclean by touching lepers or coming into contact with the dead. Through His shed blood, Christ has not only washed us clean (in the Levitical sense) but also sanctified us permanently! This is incredible to think about as we read about the rituals the Israelites had to perform.

It’s so tempting to read the Bible through western eyes. We read these chapters and immediately our hearts go out to those individuals who are hurting like those who contract leprosy. Leprosy was considered a highly contagious disease in ancient Israel. One they took very seriously. Those with leprosy were removed from community. They were isolated. Quarantined. Often grouped together in colonies where they struggled to survive. They were not allowed to mix with healthy people. They were barred from corporate worship. The local priests - who also served as frontline healthcare workers in their communities - monitored their care closely with the goal of restoring them to fellowship as soon as possible. But most westerners reading these texts react to their pain on a visceral level. We can’t get our heads around why they would be cast our of their homes and separated from their families. We fundamentally believe such measures are unjust and unrighteous. But there is another angle here as well. Reading these chapters through Middle Eastern eyes brings us to a much different conclusion. While we acknowledge the pain and suffering of the individual, we also acknowledge the need to protect the community. When an individual becomes “unclean” by contracting a disease, they are often isolated in order to stop the spread. The same might be true in cases of habitual or addictive sin as well. For example, a Christian recovering from alcohol addiction would need to isolate themselves from situations where temptation might rise that would cause them to drink. Practically speaking, these chapters from Leviticus show us what it means to put the needs of others before our own. To put the needs of the wider community above our own. To sacrifice for the greater good of those around us.

As an aside, it’s fascinating to read these passages in the wake of a global pandemic. These are good words to prayerfully consider as we reflect on our experiences over the past few years. How do we balance the needs of the most vulnerable and less vulnerable in our community? How does the needs of others factor into our decision-making? When is the right time to put the good of the community above our own? When have we gone too far? These are very complex questions and there are no easy answers. Global pandemics impact every sector of society and the public health issues are multivalent. One response here has unintended consequences over there. We need to be praying for our leaders to seek God’s wisdom for the good of our communities and the welfare of our cities.

Holiness, for the Israelites, was a way of life. It impacted their diet, their homes, childbirth, the way they treated disease, and their interactions with others. Why did they follow these laws? What motivated them to break dishes when something unclean fell into them? Or make the sacrifice to remain outside the camp for long periods of time? They fundamentally believed holiness led to human flourishing. They believed God’s ways were better than their ways and would result in greater blessing. Do we believe the same? Do we believe the way of Jesus is better than our way? Do we believe the life Jesus offers us is truly abundant? Do we believe following His commands will lead to blessing? This is the challenge set before us by Old Testament books like Leviticus.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 15-18

Holy and Common

Readings for today: Leviticus 8-10

“This is a fixed rule down through the generations. Distinguish between the holy and the common, between the ritually clean and unclean.” (Lev. 10:10)

Today’s reading challenges us. Two young men make a mistake as they go about their fairly new, priestly duties and die as a result. They offer “unauthorized” or “strange” or “profane” fire before the Lord and, as a result, fire breaks out from the Shekinah glory of God and consumes them. It’s a sobering reminder of what happens when the unholy comes into contact with the holy. Reminds me of the experiments we used to conduct in science class in middle and high school where certain elements would immediately burn when coming into contact with water. This is what I imagine happening as I read this passage. The two men come into God’s presence with fire that has not been consecrated and the reaction is deadly. Moses’ explanation says as much, “To the one who comes near me, I will show myself holy; before all the people I will show my glory.” (Lev. 10:3)

The holiness and glory of God is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it inspires awe and wonder. Reverence and fear. It brings us to our knees in humility. On the other hand, it puts us in danger for we are, by nature, unclean. We are, by nature, unholy. We are, by nature, impure. Entering into God’s presence requires a ritual of consecration so that we can stay safe and not be consumed. It requires great intentionality and attention to detail lest we pay the price for being careless or flippant about our worship. As many of the prophets will later say, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.” God is, by nature, pure. He is, by nature, clean. He is, by nature, holy and though we were originally made to stand without fear in His presence, our sin corrupts us and separates us thus our need for a Savior.

Thankfully, we no longer need to be afraid. God has done what we could not. He has sent His Son to be the pure and spotless sacrifice that makes us clean once and for all. On the cross, Jesus takes all our uncleanliness, all our impurities, all our unholiness on Himself and, in return, gives us His cleanliness, His purity, and His holiness. Now when we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. Now we can come into God’s presence without fear. Now we can bask in the glory of God for we have “put on” Christ and are “covered” by Him. Furthermore, we are made a holy priesthood called to intercede for the world just as Aaron and his sons did for the people of Israel. As we come to worship each and every week, may we fix our eyes on Christ and ask the Spirit to continue to do His sanctifying, purifying work in us!

Readings for tomorrow: None

Restitution

Readings for today: Leviticus 5-7

Why so many sacrifices? It’s a great question to ask as we read through Leviticus and some of the other books of the Old Testament. Why so much blood? Why so many animals? What is the point of it all? The sacrificial system of ancient Israel was a massive operation. Fires were kept burning continually as priests performed their duties. Rivers of blood would have flowed from the mercy seat. The carcasses of the dead animals piling high as each family came forward to atone for their sin.

At the heart of this system is the need for restitution. Forgiveness is not free. It is not cheap. It is not easy. It is far more than feeling sorry. It is far more than feeling guilty for getting caught. Sin creates offense which must be addressed. Sin creates brokenness which must be made whole. Sin damages our relationship with God and therefore requires reparation. This is why God requires sacrifice because the price that must be paid in order to make things right with God is death. Death was the penalty for original sin - “on the day you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17) - and thankfully, in His mercy, God allowed His people to offer animals in their place.

“For the wages of sin is death…” The Apostle Paul clearly understood the seriousness of sin. He understood the righteous penalty God demands from those who rebel against His glory. Thankfully, the Apostle Paul also understood what God did to remove the penalty of sin in the sending of His only begotten Son to take our place. To die in our place. To become the “once for all” sacrifice that fulfilled the requirements of Levitical law. It’s why he goes on to say that though the wages of sin is death, “the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Why did Jesus have to die? He died as the perfect sacrifice, the spotless Lamb of God who was slain before the foundations of the world. (Revelation 13:8) In so doing, Jesus offers Himself up as restitution for sin. To make right what went so wrong. To repair that which was broken. To restore that which had become marred and defaced. To redeem that which was lost. This, friends, is the heart of the gospel and what we read here in Leviticus foreshadows the cross. It is designed to point us forward to Good Friday where God Himself took on the sins of the world and paid the price so that we might receive forgiveness and grace.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 8-10

Reading Leviticus

Readings for today: Leviticus 1-4

Leviticus. The book where well-intentioned Bible reading plans go to die. The laws seem archaic at best. They deal with issues that seemingly have little relevance to 21st century postmodern Christians living in the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen. The cultural distance is extreme and difficult to overcome. The minutiae wears down even the most faithful reader. And yet, Leviticus is God’s Word as much as the Gospels. The laws contained in this book are as divinely inspired as the “red sections” of the gospels. Reading them devotionally helps shape our hearts as much as the language of the Psalms. So how can we read in such a way that we profit from spending devotional time in this book? 

Two keys principles...

First, keep in mind there are three different kinds of laws listed here. There are the ceremonial laws that govern worship. Sacrifices. Personal hygiene. Disease. Particularly focused on ritual purity, these laws were designed to create the conditions where holiness could flourish so the people could come before their God without fear. Second, there are the civil laws that govern the nation of Israel. Tithing. Inheritance. Sentencing guidelines. These laws were necessary to maintain order in society, create revenue for the national government, and promote social welfare. Third, there is the moral law governing behavior. Exemplified by the Ten Commandments, these laws were designed to teach us righteousness. Many of the laws governing violence, sexuality, lying, honoring parents, and how to observe the Sabbath were created to embed this moral law in the day to day and shape a covenantal understanding of life.

The second principle to remember is that Levitical law served three overarching purposes. First, as I just mentioned above, it was given to us by God to teach us righteousness. Righteousness is not a relative category. It is not something we create for ourselves. God sets a standard for righteousness that we, as His creation, are bound to follow. The Law is His standard. Second, the Law was given to restrain evil. Because we live in a society based on the principles of proportional justice, we fail to see how radical “an eye for an eye” truly was in ancient near east culture. Setting limits or restraints on vengeance was a massive leap forward for human society and while not necessarily unique to Israel, it did set them apart. The punishment must fit the crime and be serious enough to act as a deterrent to potential future crimes. Third, and most importantly, the Law was given to teach us our need for a Savior. We cannot keep the Law. We cannot achieve righteousness on our own. Our sinful nature rebels against God’s commands and, if we’re totally honest, we find ourselves violating them on a daily basis. The Law acts as a mirror of sorts to show us the true condition of our souls. Not to make us despair but to bring us to a point where we’ll cry out to God! The Law ultimately humbles us. Brings us to our knees. Breaks our stubborn pride. It paves the way for Jesus. 

As you read through Leviticus over the next several days, keep these things in mind lest you get lost the weeds of this important book. Put yourself in the place of an ancient Israelite living in abject poverty in a subsistence agragrian economy where the most important daily task is to secure enough food for you and your family. Imagine yourself living in a village with one to two hundred of your relatives. Raising kids together. Doing life together. Learning to survive together. Imagine going up to Jerusalem a few times a year to worship and the preparations you have to make for that particular journey. Then think about your own life. Do you live with the same intentionality? What would it look like if you did?

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 5-7