Idols

The desire to worship God is a fundamental need of the human spirit as water is to our physical bodies. As children grow and mature they discover a God shaped hole inside of their own human heart. Until people surrender to their basic spiritual need for God they spend most of their life unsuccessfully trying to fill it. People are so desperate to satisfy their need for Devine guidance they  end up worshiping anything in a pseudo attempt to find fulfillment. Even God’s chosen people, the Israelites of the Old Testament, tried to fill their need for the spiritual by adopting the gods of the nations they served.

God had revealed Himself in times past to Father Abraham but it wasn’t until He appeared to Moses while he was tending the flocks of his wife’s father in the hills of Median that we glimpse God’s majesty face to face. Exodus 3:2 says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. Moses was compelled to stare at this sight of a bush that was not being consumed by the fire. Later he would ask God for His name and God replied to him “I AM WHO I AM.”   God had chosen fire to introduce Himself to us as an imageless but forceful, omniscient and omnipotent God.

God had indeed heard the cry of His people and divinely chosen Moses to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. After a series of miracles which came to a crescendo in the Red Sea Crossing, forty years of desert wanderings, Moses finally says goodbye to the nation of Israel as they get ready to cross the Jordan River and step into a land flowing with milk and honey. But before they get their feet wet Moses warns them not to worship other gods; gods made with human hands, gods fashioned from earth and stone. He exhorts them to only worship the One True and Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.   

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the later days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God) He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” Deuteronomy 4:28-31

The Samaritan culture that would develop much later on in history, to the north of Jerusalem, was a product of Jewish culture intermarrying with their Persian captors. As a result of these two very different cultures mixing their Hebrew roots and spiritual beliefs would become obscured. This led to division and bigotry among their Jewish brothers to the south. Now, what’s interesting is that while most Jews went out of their way to avoid travel through Samaria, Jesus went out of His way to walk down its main street every chance He got.

As Jesus travels there He stops at Jacob’s well. Sitting down and thirsty He asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of cool water. This precious encounter records some of the most poignant discussing on true worship in the entire bible. Jesus attempts to enlighten her by explaining that our physical needs will last for only a short time but then after death we will all be faced with our eternity. He explains to her that there exists a well of “Living Water” and that He is the One and only One who can deliver this water to all who come to Him in faith.

Jesus told her “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” John 4:21-24

Just like all of us this Samaritan woman had a need to fill the God shaped hole in her heart. So what are you filling your need for God with? Many try masking their need for God with manmade idols of sex, drugs and good times. King Solomon once said that filling your heart with these idols is like chasing after the wind. Take a chance and try asking Jesus to fill your heart with “Living Water” and you will never thirst again! 

Independence Day

“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” Deuteronomy 4:7-8

As we near the celebration of America’s Independence Day I can’t help but reflect on the fact that our nation was born singing praise to God! From the very first pilgrim’s footprint on the soil where Jamestown was to be built in 1609 to the first annual fireworks displays of July 4^th 1776, America has always looked to the light of God to guide her through history’s dark winding road.

Its utter foolishness to believe that our nation, let alone the world, was not forged, created by the hands of an omnipotent, loving God. All one has to do is glance at the design that naturally exists in nature and the evidence points to an Omniscient Creator.

Many of our founding fathers have pondered this great statement of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. They have no doubt woven these very threads into our nation’s political and social fabric. Politicians and Presidents while campaigning have inserted the strong foundation of the Ten Commandments into one of their speeches as they addressed our fledgling nation. But while many would agree that our present day law system was build on the Ten Commandments, there are  many others who would disagree and are committed to building up walls of separation between our relationship with a holy God and civil government.

Keep in mind as the fourth of July rolls around that our independence was not only fought upon the hollow sod at Concord but is still being fought in courtrooms and ballot boxes across this great country of ours! The first pilgrims left England to build a future where their government would not be able to restrict their worship of God. God’s providence was guiding them to build a “City on set on a Hill” providing light to all who would have the courage to look and then take a step towards freedom.

The next verse that Moses records illustrates his concerns for the nation of Israel as they get ready to cross the Jordan River and enter into their Promised Land. “Only take heed to yourselves, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life” Deuteronomy 4:9.

We must never forget about God and all that He has accomplished for us. We must always put our relationship with Him first. Jesus said it best “I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. It is so important to put God at the center of our daily lives and to consider how He has always provided for us. We are kids of the King, a chosen generation and a kingdom of priests set apart for the Master’s use.

But unfortunately, it’s not in our nature to put God first or to trust in a way that we can not see.  We tend to fall away from God’s refuge rather walking on our own path blazed through the hills and valleys of our own lives that always leads to pain, suffering and destruction.

From our very beginnings in a garden east of Eden we chose to disobey God and follow after the lusts of our own heart. God however made a better way and set into motion His perfect plan to protect all who would chose to believe in Him.  His perfect plan focused on the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus, who took away the curse of sin and death.

Soon many children will be grabbing for juicy slices of watermelon, corn on the cob and hot dogs. Beautiful firework displays will light up the night sky. We will all “ooh” and “awe” as each rocket rises up bursting into a colorful sphere of light. Dogs will cower somewhere in dark recesses of our garages as the rocket’s soundings echo through our neighborhoods.

May I suggest that during this time of celebration let us not only be thankful for our nation’s great day of independence from a tyrannical government but let us also never forget our great God who only desires our fellowship, our friendship and our love.  Our bodies, this physical life are really just a momentary blip on a radar screen. God however, in His infinite wisdom, has provided us with eternal life for all those who have the courage to call upon His name.  Jesus said “I am the Way, the truth and the life” and  those who the Son sets free… are free indeed! 

Refuge

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,” Psalm 46:1

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until calamites have passed by.” Psalm 57:1

“In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.” Psalm 62:7

“Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:3

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1

“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” Hebrews 6:18

In the book of Numbers, God speaks to Moses and gives him a picture, a glimpse of His plan for our future salvation in Jesus Christ. “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.” Numbers 35:10

God instructed the Levitical priesthood to set up and maintain six cities of refuge. These cities were to be used by anyone who accidentally killed another person. The law at the time was set up so that the closest male relative to the deceased could avenge the death of his relative. It was permissible to demand blood (the life is in the blood) from the person responsible for the death even if it was accidental.

If someone committed manslaughter they would flee to the nearest city of Refuge where the avenger of blood would be restrained until they held a hearing to look at the circumstances. The Levites were to  maintain the roads leading to these six cities. In addition, they had to make sure that the correct signage directed the person to the most direct route of refuge before the avenger of blood could kill him.

If the person was caught outside the city limits then all bets were off and the relative could take revenge. The guilty person had to remain within the city limits or face the possibility of death. It’s interesting to me that God was setting up this system to model for us His mercy and that as long as someone looked to Him for refuge then and only then were they completely safe.

In the book of Romans we find in 3:10 a declaration that “There is none righteous, no not one” which is a reference to Psalm 14. Paul goes on to make it even clearer for us “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. The word picture here is of an archer aiming at the bull’s-eye of a target, pulling back  the bow string and letting the arrow fly only to have it miss the target entirely.

What God is telling us is that we have all gone astray, sinned in one way or another and are running around in the world lost with no hope of salvation. However, God has also provided us with a city of refuge that we can run to. By faith we can choose to enter this city of refuge safely through its gate leaving behind all possibilities that the avenger of blood can lay hands on us!

Paul wrote in the book of Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Jesus told us He was the only way to God, our city of refuge, our rock and our salvation. There is no other road on which we must run, no other gate in which to enter as the Son of God became sin for us, paid for our redemption and gave us life through His resurrection. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

So now you have a choice to make, will you turn and run to Jesus Christ? May we all set our eyes upon God’s only provision for life and run not looking back to our old life where we were already condemned to death.

Logos

Who is Jesus, was He man, God or both? That is the question that many religious leaders, peasants, kings and political figures have entertained for the past 2000 years. Jesus was born from an earthly woman who became pregnant through the over shadowing of the Holy Spirit. God the Father declared Jesus to be His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. Many people believe Jesus to be only an angel, an enlightened soul,  a good teacher or a prophet sent by God. Jesus Himself claimed to be the only way to get to the Father John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

The gospel of John refers to Him as the “Logos” or “Word” and that He created everything in this universe. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” 

So from just a couple of sections of scripture-text we can discern that Jesus was God’s only Son, He was God-with-us here on earth and claimed to be the only way to the Father. In Hebrews 1:2,3 we learn that God spoke to us through His Son who made the worlds, was the brightness of His glory  and was the expressed image of the Father. The Greek word for “Expressed image” is the idea of putting a signet ring into hot wax where the exact form of the ring is duplicated in the wax producing a seal authenticating the sender. 

The Hebrew text goes on to say that Jesus became so much better than the angels. If these verses are trustworthy concerning Jesus than we should be able to see Him make appearances in the Old Testament. In Numbers 21 we get a glimpse at one of those appearances or what scholars call a “Christophany” where the pre-existent Christ appears and spiritually intervenes. 

The story of Balaam, the donkey and the Angel of the Lord is very interesting on many levels. Balaam disobeys God and decides to take the job Balak is offering him which is to curse the Israelites who are camped on the east side of the Jordan River. As Balaam is riding his donkey The Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ) stands in his way with sword drawn. Just like us, Balaam couldn’t see the spiritual battle that was raging on all around him but the donkey could and stopped in his tracks. We know that from Numbers 21:31 that when Balaam’s eyes were opened He saw the Angel of the Lord and the text says that he bowed his head, fell flat on his face and worshipped.  

In Revelation 5:1-14 we get a glimpse of this same person, the Angel of the Lord, as He is worshipped by the Elders and all who were around His throne. Back in the story of Balaam and the donkey we watch as Balaam himself falls flat on his face and worships the Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ).  Every time regular angels encounter men, the men usually end up bowing down before them and worshipping them. But In every case the angels instruct them not to do that. They instruct them that they are only messengers and to worship the One who sent them.  

Have you ever wondered, while reading in the Christmas story, how the wise men knew to travel to Jerusalem in search of the King of Glory? Remember they followed His star and it stood still over the Mary’s son Jesus. Balaam’s fourth prophecy found in Numbers 24:17 is profound “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,”  

Balaam while not being our first choice as prophet is used by God to add yet another piece to the Messianic puzzle. It’s clear that these wise men from the East were well aware a great king was coming and were actively looking for this prophecy of Balaam’s. They actively searched night after night for the star in the night sky that would one day lead us all to the King of all kings. 

When the star appeared the wise men began a long and tedious journey that led them to Jesus. While out in the fields shepherds listened as angels heralded in the birth of the Christ child.  It is clear from Hebrews 1:2-4 that Jesus is unique in the universe “when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”