If I have found grace in Your sight, show me Your way

I ask the Lord day by day to give me something for myself and my blog, often from the daily readings to read through the Bible. The verses that stood out to me this morning are Exodus 33:13 (the title verse) and verse 16. It was only afterwards that I realized how relevant they are to my life as I am seeking His guidance on a certain matter that I have found somewhat confusing. I don't know if you ever wonder if you hear from God, but He knows how to make things clear, and He showed me this morning on a completely different matter, that I had heard His promptings very clearly. And the confirmation of this unrelated matter brought tears to my eyes, as I wait for Him to show me His way in the other matter. It is not clear to me from the readings if Moses knew whether he had found grace in the Lord's eyes or not. But I am not in doubt this morning that I have grace in His eyes, for I am a child of God, and grace is my inheritance (James 4:6)!

With respect to guidance, to being shown His way, a combined translation of Proverbs 3:5,6 comes to mind. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths and make them straight.” When the situation is confusing, I don't need to try and figure it out on my own, in my own understanding, and for that I am grateful. For me part of acknowledging Him in all my ways, is putting my will in neutral, choosing in advance to follow which ever way He leads. Directing my paths is about hearing from Him, being shown His way. Since his sheep know His voice (John 10:4), I can trust that when I commit to following Him I will be shown His way, and that He will clear away all obstacles from the path (make them straight).

Verse 15 and 16 (of Exodus 33) talks about His presence going with us, and that this fact  will be known. God's manifest presence is a tangible thing, and for the child of God it is guaranteed. Indeed “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). And it manifests not only to His people, but also to others as we commit to walk in His paths and learn His ways. When we enter a room, His presence enters with us, for we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)!

Father I want to thank You this morning for the encouragement You gave me this morning. You have promised to supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory and You are faithful. I pray this morning Lord for all those needing Your guidance (including me) that You will give us grace to believe and to trust that You will indeed show us Your way, in Jesus Name Amen

The enlightenment of utter failure can set us free

Part of me never ceases to be amazed at how little people know themselves,  including Christians.  But another part understands it well, because there was a time that I was blind to my fallen human nature.  We know there are evil people in the World, the Nazi prison guards, those in the other political party.  Part of our blindness, is that while it is easy to see evil in others, it's not so easy to see it in ourselves.   We have this tendency to divide the world into two,  those who are evil, and those who are on our side. And even some of them! It can be a rude awakening to realize just what each and every one of us is capable of.  I read that some forms of PTSD in war vets are triggered by the realization of the rabid beast they became in the midst of the horrors of war.  Trying to put this together with their own self image of someone who is good, or at the very least someone who is normal, is a great disconnect.

The famous Soviet author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who endured unbelievable brutality in the Soviet prisons during Stalin's reign of power (a minimum of 2.7 million dies), would ruminate on what took place under him as an officer in World War II during the Prussian campaign. After such ruminations,  he would ask himself “Were we any better?”  He writes that there is nothing that so assists the awakening of self knowledge within us as insistent thoughts about one's own transgressions, errors and mistakes.  His own conclusion is that the line that divides good and evil is not between political parties, races, cultures or people groups,  rather “the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

My own encounter with my heart in this regard,  came after the breakup of my first marriage where I was so convinced  she was evil,  and I had murder in my heart.  To this day am not at all sure I would not have carried it out,  if I thought I could have gotten away with it.  But the Bible know all  this very well. “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). The Bible knows what is in our hearts (see also Matthew 15:9).  Even starting to come to terms with it all is difficult and painful,  and it will not likely happen until we have failed.  And when we have utterly failed and stopped laying the blame on others, and have started to become aware of our personal  potential for both good and evil in our hearts, then we start to truly see our need of Jesus.  And this truth will sets us free if we flee to Jesus for refuge from ourselves  (Hebrews 6:18), and receive His Mercy and allow Him to give us a new heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Father, without this self knowledge we tend to compare ourselves with others  and this is not wise (2 Corinthians 10:12). Jesus is the standard,  and with respect to the rest of us,  we all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory (Romans 3:23). Thank You Lord for Your  invitation to flee to You. When we do Lord we are blessed because our sins are covered and You  do not impute iniquity to us (Psalm 32:1,2a). We praise and thank You Lord  in Jesus Name Amen

The blessing of having utterly failed

Please do not get me wrong, I am not recommending utter failure, there is danger in having utterly failed. In particular it can lead you to being permanently stuck in despondency and hopelessness, and it can lead to further destruction. But there is danger in never having failed too. In particular it can lead us to being like the brother of the prodigal son in his jealousy, self righteousness and resentment against the Father (Luke 15:25-32). Neither am I discounting the trail of destruction that accompanies failure and the longterm aftereffects on relationships and ours and others lives. But this post was prompted by something a friend told me the other day. What she said was “I have lost too much, and gained too much to go back!” The Law of the Lord is perfect, for in it there is preparation, protection and provision. And there is a godly sorrow that produces repentance and salvation not to be regretted. Such repentance produces a passion and a love, and a zeal for the Lord, that comes out of being forgiven much (2 Corinthians 7:10, 11).

But exactly how do I deal with the regret? I mean when we finally come to the place where we can admit what we have done, and start to see the destruction we left behind, together with the consequences in the now, and the future, then there is this tendency to beat ourselves up! What we need to realize though, is that these are the very things that lead us to godly repentance. And that we are where we are (having lost so much, and having gained so much) not in spite of what we did, but precisely because of what we did. And the Lord allowed what He allowed, so that the school of hard knocks would have its way with us, and we would return to the shepherd and protector of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). The Lord knows us, and that while it is true that “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47), the converse is also true that to whom much is forgiven the same loves much.

The prodigal son lost his (financial) inheritance, all that the father had was his brothers (Luke 15:31). But what he gained was a relationship with the father that was the envy of his brother. The Lord has promised that He will restore the years the locusts have eaten, and He makes all things beautiful in His time (Joel 2:25; Ecclesiastes 3:11). We just have to trust, and allow Him the time to do this. And we pray for the people we have hurt, and trust that He will use their pain to help them see their need of Him. After all His primary agenda is to unite all things together in Him (Ephesians 1:10), and when we love Him and are called according to His purpose, He works all things together for our good, even the evil we have done.

Father, who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the Your inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy (Micah 7:18). Thank You that You are at work restoring the destructive years the locusts have eaten, and thank You that You brought us back to You our shepherd, and guardian and that You will make all things beautiful in Your time in Jesus Name Amen.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant (Psalm 31:16)

In the midst of his troubles, David is evoking the prayer over himself that God told Moses to pray over the children of Israel. If you don't know how to pray, or even if you do, praying the prayers of the Bible over yourself and others is a good thing. The prayer is known as the Aaronic blessing and is as follows:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

David's prayer is not rote repetition of the Aaronic blessing, rather he prays into its meaning. He tells the Lord “I am repulsive to my acquaintances” (verse 11). People are giving him dark looks, and he longs for the smile of favour and approval from his God. He knows that when the Lord “lifts up His countenance upon him,” it will bring him shalom (peace). The dictionary defines countenance and a calm facial expression with composure, approval, favour, encouragement and moral support.

As indicated, the word translated peace is the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is much more than absence of hostilities, and though it includes that, we can have shalom even in the midst of war. Shalom peace includes the ideas of completeness, safety, soundness, in body, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity and contentment. Paul could say “ I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). The Lord has promised that He will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are fixed steadfastly on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

Father You promised that when we pray the Aaronic blessing over people (including ourselves) You will bless them (us) (Numbers 6:27). You tell us Lord to bless those who curse us and to pray for out enemies. So we pray this prayer, this morning over ourselves and those who trouble us. And we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour ...

... in which the Son of Man is coming (Matthew 25:13). At the end of last day's post I quoted ““The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8,9). It is easy to grow cold about the soon coming of the King of Kings.  His second advent, and this morning and yesterdays readings  have put this back on the map for me. As an aside we cannot be sure we are taking in the whole council of God (Acts 20:27) if we don't read the whole of the Scriptures, and even then! This morning's quote comes at the end of the parable of the ten virgins (which as another aside the Scripture expects the unmarried to be virgins,  to which we need to recommit (even when, or especially when, we have utterly failed – see 1 John 1:9). Part of what stands out to me in the parable, is that all ten virgins looked alike from the outside. Jesus comment to the Pharisees comes to mind “You clean the outside of the cup ....” (Matthew 23:25). What was missing was the oil for their lamps.

 

The oil of course, speaks of Holy Spirit who, Jesus told us would not come unless He want away. He further told us that this was better for us (John 16:7). Part of this is that the Holy Spirit would dwell inside our lamps. When He comes, we become the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 16:9), and we cannot be the light of the World without His indwelling presence. It is not about character, or purity or influence or success, be it inside , or outside the church. If we do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is also the Spirit of Jesus, we are none of His (1 John 5:12). And as the parable clearly shows, if we don't have "oil" on that day when He comes for His saints, He will disown us saying I never knew you (verse 12).

 

In the context of the 2 Peter passage, Peter answers  of those who ask “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” He explains that willingly ignorant (verses 4, 5). Both Peter and Jesus reference the flood “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark" (Matthew 24:38). In other words it all seemed so normal and unchangeable.   But as with the parable, there is coming a time when it will be too late (25:10). And the admonition to us, is to watch (verse 13). And Peter asks seeing as how the heavens and the earth will be burnt up with fervent heat, “What manner of what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (3:10, 11).

Lord Jesus, Your admonition to watch, is not to watch passively, but to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation, and to work while it is still day. Indeed the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, and we do not know the hour of Your appearing (Mark 13:33; 14::John 9:4). Since these things are so, help us Lord not to loose our passion and our zeal for You. We ask these things, in Your precious Name Amen

This generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place

The disciples had been admiring the beauty of the temple and Jesus had prophesied to them of its destruction (Matthew 24:1, 2). The disciples then asked Him “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming” (verse 3)? This chapter and the next, are often called the “little apocalypse.” Apocalyptic literature is a term referring to the end times, and is featured prominently throughout the Bible. This morning's title verse (34) is ceased upon by unbelievers as one of “many” contradictions of the Bible because clearly the end of the World did not happen in that generation. I have to confess that this puzzled me for may years, and was unhappy with the supposed explanations that were given. But if you start by believing it is a contradiction, you will not look for a solution. In fact, the disciples had asked two questions that more than likely were identified together in their minds. The first question was about the destruction of the temple, the second about the second coming of Christ.

To further confuse the issue, apocalyptic literature throughout the Bible has both a here and now aspect to it, as well as an end times aspect. These two aspects are often telescoped together, and it is only looking back can untangle the separate pieces. It is rather like looking at a mountain range from the distance and seeing two peeks together as a single peek, and only as you get closer are the two seen to be separate. A prime example is Jesus' quoting Isaiah 61:1-2a in Luke 4:18. Jesus stops as a comma in the Isaiah passage! He came, He says, to heal broken hearts etc., and He leaves out “And the day of vengeance of our God” in verse 2b. A similar thing happens with Peter quoting Joel 2:28-31 in Acts 2:17-21. The early disciples were in the last days, and so are we. And our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11). 

Since “on that day” of verse 34 is clearly identified as the second coming in verse 44, you will, if you are looking for a contradiction identify “that day” of verse 36 with the timing of the destruction of the Temple in verse 34. This would indeed be a contradiction, since the second coming did not happen in that generation. Indeed seemingly to confirm the contradiction,  the phrase “that day” also refers over and over to the end of the age, especially in the apocalyptic literature (i.e Ezekiel 38:14; Zechariah 14:4, 20 etc.). However if we understand “But of that day and hour...” of verse 36 to be Jesus now addressing the disciples' second question, rather than the first, then the supposed contradiction simply disappears, and the potential problem is solved by exegesis!

Again the skeptic is likely to ask “How long are you prepared to wait until it becomes obvious that it's not going to happen. It's been two thousand years!” My answer is a long as it takes, after all a day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day (Psalm 90:4). Quoting this Peter tells us “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8,9). Indeed I have loved ones I want to be there on that day! However

Even so come Lord Jesus Amen (Revelation 22:20)

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand

This quote from Exodus 21:24 is part of the legal code that was given to Moses. The legal code forms the basis of much of our justice system in the West. I am not saying our justice systems follow the Biblical codes exactly, but rather it gave a starting point to discuss civil law. Take this morning's verse for example, and it's relationship to the debate over capital punishment, a topic still hotly discussed. Without taking sides, it is noteworthy that within the code is the injunction to distinguish between what we call premeditated murder and manslaughter (21:14). In fact the code as way ahead of its time! Coming to the specifics of the subject at hand, some have called this barbaric. But as with all interpretations of document thousands of years old, we need to understand the context of the times. In particular, what was happening widely at the time (and even today) is escalation. In other words it was two eyes for one eye, and two teeth for one tooth!

I was saying last day, that the children of Israel had chosen rules over relationship, and if you are going to go with rules what is needed,  is justice. We may not like it, but eye for an eye is just. There are many things in the Old Testament that I do not like, neither do I understand. But I understand this, that God is a God of justice (Isaiah 30:18c), and I am not likely to fully understand until I see Him face to face. The children of Israel choose rules, but the Old Testament is full of invitations to come our of Law into relationship. The full text of the Isaiah reference reads “Yet the LORD longingly waits to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Among other things, the cross shows two things, firstly that God is indeed a God of justice. Justice decrees that wrong doing and sin must be punished. The second thing  is that the cross show is mercy, for “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6c). The Lord knew that there was little point in telling feuding cultures to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). He had to tell us first that vengeance belongs to Him (Psalm 94:1), in order to get us to disengage. It was only after He had established the principle of Justice, and we had at some level grown up (see Galatians 3:23, 24), that He could reveal the above higher law to those to whom He is showing  mercy. He needed to wait so He could be gracious to us. He also waits today to be gracious. And we get to choose mercy or justice, rules or relationship. What have you, what will you, choose? 

Father justice is getting what we deserve, mercy is not getting what I deserve, and I choose mercy again this morning. Thank You Lord that You waited to be gracious to me.  Thank You that while I was still a sinner Christ died for me, the just for the unjust that I might be brought to God (Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18). Thank You Lord that You are both just and merciful. I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen