Fly The Flag High

“Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.” (Nu 2:2 AV)

When we see drawings of the Jewish encampment while in the wilderness, there is usually a banner or ensign at the head of the encampment.  It was usually large.  According to the above verse, each head of the family was to fly the standard of their tribe and ensign of their family.  Think of the custom of some European nations that have a family crest.  There is a national flag.  But the family crest has a bit more significance.  This family ensign or crest has a good deal to do with history and estates.  Or in the case of Israel, inheritance.  This inheritance was not merely land.  This inheritance also had to do with each family’s place in the overall nation of Israel.  This ensign gave definition to the overall family and a sense of purpose to a generation yet unable to fulfill a purpose.

The question arises, why fly a flag?  Why not simply fulfill the purpose for which God intended and leave it at that?  Why the public display of God’s purpose?  A simple yet clear way of illustrating this is titles.  The family crests of England also come with titles.  The lady of Windsor.  The prince of wales.  We have our titles as well.  We have Doctor, President, Senator, Judge, Professor, Pastor, or Secretary.  I served in a part of the country that eschewed labels of distinction.  Physicians, Politicians, Clergy, etc were called by their first name.  Although this is not a treatise on the appropriate use of titles, it is a reminder these titles are not a distinction of accomplishment, but rather, purpose.  Having said that, there is an application here to be made for all who are God’s children.  There should be a clear distinction of the purpose for which God created you and that distinction of purpose should be clearly seen.

 The toe does not look like the finger.  The nose is uniquely shaped as not to confuse it with the ear.  The knee, although similar to the elbow, has enough distinction so as to tell it apart from the elbow.  Whatever it is that God has called us to be should be clearly and easily visible.  Not only to those whom we serve among, but also to those who are observing from a distance.  Anyone looking at the nation of Israel could clearly see the distinctions of tribe and family.  They could clearly see who the leaders were.  They could clearly see who the military was.  They could clearly see which families of Levi were assigned to each responsibility of Israel’s spiritual welfare.  What ever it is that God has called you to, own it and wear it.  Specially if you are called into full-time service.  Wear the identification.  Do not hide it.  Let others see clearly that you are what God created you to be.

Near When We Are Naughty

“And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.” (Le 26:44 AV)

What a comfort that when we fall into the deepest state of backlidding, God still does not abandon us!  This verse became a reality when both Assyria and Babylon carried away the twelve tribes of Israel.  There are those who believe that because of Israel’s disobedience, God has abandoned them and has decided to strictly work with the church.  The above verse soundly disputes that assertion.  What we need to see, though, is how we as the church can apply the same principle.

I have had the privilege of seeing some remarkable parents work with problem children.  I have been blessed.  My sons never gave us any problems.  But not all families have been blessed as we.  What is remarkable to witness is the balance that some parents are capable of maintaining while still holding to biblical principles.  They know there has to be consequences for choices made, but they are also aware there needs to be a way back from the depth of their condition.  Like the prodigal, the father did not tear up the road leading back to the house not did he relocate.  These parents who a great amount of love and patience.  There have been times when they have come to their pastor wondering why God would give them such a challenge.  One thing I have noticed is that it takes a special kind of parent to raise a difficult child.  These are truly special people. 

God does the same for us.  He loves His children more than they can comprehend.  This does not mean He foregoes chastisement.  In fact, the mention of the land of the enemies above is the chastening hand of God.  Our Father loves us so much that He is compelled to lovingly correct us.  He will not tolerate our constant disobedience.  He will rebuke and correct.  He may even, like the prodigal’s father, allow us to wonder.  But He will not permanently abandon His children.  Even when they have abandoned Him.  He is still there. 

Parental Prenuptial

“Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.” (Le 21:15 AV)

The context of this verse are the laws governing marriage within the tribe of Levi.  Levi was unique in that they were the tribe privileged to serve as priests before the LORD.  However, that privilege also required standards which the other tribes did not have to observe.  In the case of marriage, the Levite who would serve as priest could only marry a virgin of his own tribe.  A widow or a divorcee could not become a wife of a Levitical priest.  It is suggested that daughters of the tribe of Levi be encouraged to only marry with the tribe of Levi.  Other Jewish women could marry outside their tribe unless they had rights of inheritance.  These restrictions is to what this verse is referring.  The father who is of the tribe of Levi could not allow his sons or daughters to violate these stricter standards.  To do so would mean he profaned his seed and failed to observe the principles of separation.

There are so many different applications for the truth of this verse.  The first and most obvious is separation.  If those who are called to serve the LORD fail from their appointed expectations of separation, they may become ineffective in ministry.  Or worse, lose the privilege of service altogether.  Whether we like it or not, if the LORD has called us to full time service, then we are expected to live a standard that others are not.  We cannot go certain places.  We cannot do certain things.  It may not become a problem for others.  But for those who serve the LORD with their lives, it is not permitted.

But there is another principle here that might be more generally applied.  What struck me this morning is the accountability of the parent concerning who their child desires to marry.  In our culture, we often leave this choice completely up to the child.  We listen the fairy tales of Disney and encourage our children to fall in love, never really guiding them into principles that would govern their heart.  Just because our sons or daughters have feelings for another does not mean it is right.  As parents, we have a responsibility to guide those relationships.  Our children may not appreciate it at the time, but over time, they will learn the wisdom of parental guidance and even interference.  When my wife and I decided to get married, we asked blessings of both sets of parents.  Obviously, I had to ask permission from Lisa’s father.  But we also sought my parent’s blessing.  We didn’t have to, but it meant something.  If either would have said no, this marriage may not have every happened.  Parents need to assert their guidance and authority right up to the altar.  We have responsibility.  We are accountable.  It is time to get involved again!

Let It Go

“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.” (Le 19:17 AV)

This is a deliberate hatred of someone who has offended.  The warning is against carrying grudges.  We know this because of the second half if the verse.  The need of rebuke is the key.  Now, note here something even more pungent.  If the grudge holder does not rebuke his neighbor so there is forgiveness and no grudge, the grudge itself becomes sin.  The verse half of the verse indicates this hatred is deliberate.  It is not necessarily caused directly by the injustice.  Rather, it is caused by the conscience choice of the grudge holder to hate rather than to forgive.

It takes no humility to hold a grudge.  It takes no faith and love to hold a grudge.  What is worse is we all do it.  We choose to despise someone in our heart rather than give them to liberty of being forgiven.  However, we erroneously believe that holding a grudge hurts the offender more than it does us.  The truth of the matter is, it does not.  Holding grudges always hurts the grudge holder more than his or her target.  After a while, the offender has come to terms with the inevitable fact that reconciliation is impossible.  They have desired it.  They may have even sought it.   Knowing there is no repair, he decides to go on and get beyond it.  Looking at the verse above, there is a deeper suggestion here.  That suggestion being the offender does not know that he has offended.  Because the one holding the grudge rather than rebuking his neighbor is the foundation of this verse, it suggests the offender is in the dark by what he or she has done.  All they see is someone who bears them a grudge.  The outcome is still the same.  If the offender, who knows not what he or she has done, knows there is no reconciliation possible, they will move on.  The grudge holder may feel as though they have won.  But, in the end what they truly have done is to lose a neighbor.

When one stands behind a pulpit and looks that the condition of the sheep, it does not take a whole lot to discern a grudge.  Where people sit.  How they comport themselves while in close proximity to others.  Whom they greet.  All these things point to grudges.  Some of the grudges are truly outrageous.  Offenses over the silliest and petty of disagreements stifle the maturity of God’s family.  The above verse is not a suggestion.  It is a command. 

House Cleaning

“Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.” (Le 14:44-45 AV)

What the law requires here may, to us, seem a bit drastic.  If the leprosy comes back after seven days of treatment, every stone and timber of the house was to be removed and dumped in the communal dump.  Every last bit.  Every nail.  Every screw.  Every fixture.  Every piece of furniture.  Everything.  When all is said and done, what the owners of the house possessed was the cloths on their backs.  Nothing more.  One might think, “Why not take the entire wall down that was infected and replace it?”  Why not treat it like black mold or asbestos?  Why not remove all areas which are touched by the plague and leave the rest alone?  I have a bit of experience with this.

We lived in a house which had a black mold problem.  It was a constant battle to keep it under control.  There was one basement room that was troublesome.  It was the sump pump room.  I bought the chemicals to fight the plague but no matter how often I sprayed, how dry I kept the basement, or how much I tried to contain the problem, it always came back.  It would show up in other areas of the house as well.  The mold spores, carried about by the HVAC system, would find harbor in any and all environments in which it could grow.  A constant struggle to keep my house livable and healthy for those inside.  Sin is the same way.  It gets everywhere.  No matter how much we try to battle it, it creeps up elsewhere.  We may cleanse it from one area of our lives or homes, only to have it show up somewhere else.  But the question to be asked this morning is:  To what extent or how drastic are we willing to get to rid ourselves of persistent sin?  Are we willing to start completely over?  Are we willing to tear the whole house down (figuratively speaking) to make sure the plague is defeated?

There used to be a day when the preacher would preach on some vice that was infecting the body of believers and they would go through a dramatic cleansing.  A radical and physical cleansing of those things which hinder the work of the Holy Spirit would be abandoned, burned, or discarded.  The filth that we have tolerated in our lives has got to go.  Even if the world would call us radical fundamentalists, so be it.  It is God whom we must please first.  So, how much of the house has to go?  Does it all have to go?  Each and every nail and screw?  Maybe.  Perhaps the LORD is asking of our willingness.  Are we willing to welcome a restart?  Are we willing to ask the LORD to do some radical house-cleaning in our lives that we might be free from the plague of sin?  What are will willing to suffer for the righteousness of Christ to shine through?

Oh To Be Like Him

“For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Le 11:45 AV)

When we speak of our relationship to the LORD, it is often on spiritual or emotional terms.  Rarely do we consider our relationship with God on the terms of character.  We sing our hymns and read our bibles for spiritual or emotional affirmation, but how often do we read the word of God as a matter of conformity to the character of God?  The LORD did not rescue Israel from the slime pits of Egypt so they could remain as they were.  He brought them out that He might change them into what He created them to be. 

I like watching those nature shows produced by the BBC.  I whole-heartily disagree and will vehemently oppose their stance on evolution.  Every time they mention millions of years, I get a chuckle and say something like, “If they only knew.”  However, there are several things that I take away from a program like this.  In their presentation, I see the complexity and wonder of the Creator.  To create all that He has in such unique and miraculous balance is a wonder beyond words.  To see the practices of each species that is unique to itself as the means of survival, protection, or procreation is remarkable to say the least.  But there is another lesson to be learned here.  Without exception, adults of a species raise their young to be duplicates of themselves.  Even to the specific behaviors of the species.  One such example was the sea horse.  When the young hatched, they were hatched in a protected area and they emulated the feeding habits of their adult father.  Then there was the arctic seal who pushed her cub into the water so it could learn to swim and hunt just like mother did.  Each species trained their young to duplicate the exact behavior of their species.  The ape did not leave it to her young to live like a sloth no more than the lion allowed her young to graze like a gazelle.  Since creation, these species have been raised the same way.  If they are a polar bear, the will do as polar bears have done for centuries.  If they are reindeer, they will migrate just as their species have done for thousands of years.  Because that is what they are.

Today, our Christian experience is so shallow compared to what the LORD designed it to be.  He designed our salvation to be a conversion.  A conversion from wickedness to holiness.  A conversion from the worldly to the godly.  A conversion from the corruptness of humanity to the character of a holy God.  As we claim to be born again, this also implies maturing into the image and character of the One who gave us life.  It is not enough to sing our praise and worship.  It is not enough to embrace a Christian culture and rehearse well known bible stories.  The pursuit of separation and holiness is our calling.  To simply advertise a catchy saying like WWJD does a great disservice to conversion.  How much more like God are we today than we were yesterday, last month, last year, or from the day we were saved?

Throw Some Wood On It

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” (Le 6:13 AV)

There are several ways in which we can look at this.  The altar of sacrifice was to have a fire that is never extinguished.  This altar was the altar used for the offering of sin.  A dead animal or a meat offering was placed upon the flames and offered as a means for atonement for sin or praise for that which the LORD provided.  Fire is almost always a symbol of God’s wrath.  But it is also a symbol of cleansing.  A burning away of that which is less desirable.  Like the judgment seat of Christ that will try every saint’s service to the LORD, fire will cleanse our service of all self-interest.  It will purify that which we have done for the LORD Jesus Christ of every human infirmity that might taint the service.  This flame of purification is never extinguished.  It can never go out lest the sinner or saint loses the means by which he can be purified by the grace and law of God.

There are several things that are compared to fire which the Saint is told to welcome.  When the Holy Spirit descended upon the first generation of believers, He appeared as a cloven tongue of fire.  One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer is to bring to remembrance the word of God coupled with conviction of heart to overcome sin.  Then there is are the preachers of Heb 1:7 who declare the word of God.  They are referred to as ministers of fire.  They declare the word of God without compromise, challenging God’s people to repent of their sin and walk with God.  Peter tells us that the trial of our faith is also a fire.  Events or situations that come into our lives to reveal to us just how strong or weak our faith truly is.  These tests are determined that we might grow in our faith of who and what God is.  The Holy Spirit, the Men of God, and the trials of faith are all determined to purify the believer more and more into Christlikeness.  These fires cannot go out!  They must always be there.  They must always be active.

One of the skills we were taught in the Boy Scouts was to gather wood, start a fire, and see to it the fire is always burning.  This takes discipline.  This takes effort.  If one falls asleep for too long, the fire can go out.  The reason being, if the fire is extinguished, it may never start again.  I fear revival, although possible, is becoming al the more improbable.  We have let the fire of God’s word go out in the pulpits for a more motivational self-serving message.  The Holy Spirit and His ministry of conviction and conversion is quenched for the more appealing ministry of encouragement.  Trials of faith are to be avoided at all costs.  Predictability and self-reliance is the mantra of today.  The fire is going out on the altar.  Someone better start throwing some wood on it before it dies altogether.

The Standard is Still the Same

“When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:” (Le 4:22-23 AV)

A bit later, the same standard is set for the common person and the priest.  No matter who you were or what you’ve done, the standard is always the same.  A kid of the goats was offered for one’s sin.  There is no private interpretation.  No room for debate.  There is no exclusion because something different was offered in deep sincerity.  There was no exception to the rule base on stature of means.  If anyone and all needed redemption from sin, it was one kid of the goats.  In fact, the entire Old Testament law was written the same.  Except for additional requirements of the priests, all citizens were to obey the law regardless of situation of personal preference.  It mattered not how one felt about anything.  The law was final and absolute.  A standard that cannot be broken.

So, too, is the law of righteousness and salvation today.  There are so many differences in what professing Christians believe that it is hard to keep track anymore.  In a Sunday school class I taught many years ago, a point to this fact was made on a regular bases.  For different reasons it was pointed out that interpretation or application of the word of God varied greatly among those professing Christ.  Sometimes it was with the context of the impossibility of convincing others of truth.  Other times, it was a convenient excuse to believe what one chooses to believe.  Just because there are countless denominational leanings does not validate those leanings.  There is a right way and a wrong way.  Period.

This is particularly true of salvation.  There is only one way.  It is the same for everyone.  Repentance of sin and faith in the blood of Christ is the only means to salvation.  One must acknowledge what he is and what he deserved, motivating him to call out to Jesus, and only Jesus, for salvation.  It doesn’t matter how rich or poor, how educated or simple, how old or young.  There are no exceptions.  Salvation is much like the offering of the Old Testament.  A kid of the goats.  For everyone.  No end around.  Sincerity in falsehood is still falsehood.  It is not how one feels about it.  It is not what one is determined to believe.  Salvation is the same for all.  The rules do not change because we want them to.  God standard is absolute and is eternal.  My advice is to repent and believe.  It is the only way.

Take A Bath

“When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Ex 40:32 AV)

I have sat on many a visit of people who have left the church because there was too much preaching on sin.  Sanctification and holiness is not seen as a goal of life.  Righteousness and godliness are seen as subjective things.  Purity and Christlikeness are seen more as an emotional state than a way of life.  Pleasing men to the detriment of pleasing God is seen as admirable.  If one does pursue personal holiness, he is often seen as self-righteous.  When it comes to what the LORD expects, He says, “Be ye holy as I am holy; this saith the LORD.”

God takes holiness so seriously, in the O.T., if someone knowing attempted to approach God in an unholy state, he would jeopardize his life in doing so.  If the blood of a sacrifice did not cover the sins of the high priest before he entered the holy of holies, he was a dead man.  In our passage, Moses and Aaron made the extra effort to come to the door of the congregation (the tabernacle) only after they had physically and ceremonially cleansed themselves.

Our preaching has changed.  Today, it is more about personal affirmation than it is holiness.  In doing so, we are undermining the very thing the sinner is seeking.  He is seeking affirmation from God in spite of what he is.  The only way he can is to walk in holiness supplied by the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.  We come to church to learn of our faults that we might confess them before God.  We confess them before God because we desire to be forgiven.  Once forgiven, we seek the ministry of the Holy Spirit to forsake that sin; first for the victory over guilt.  But more deeply, because we know that walking in Christlikeness pleases God, we seek to walk in the statutes and laws of God.

This new way of thinking is not helping.  Feeding the narcissistic generation with the idea they are the most important person in the universe only makes things worse.  Worship means we admit we are failures before God and in desperate need of His grace.  It means to come to the congregation in the best possible condition of cleanliness we can, and seek more of the cleanliness once we get there.  Walking with God means pursuing godliness.  If that makes us uncomfortable or forces us to confront guilt which we do not wish to see, the question arises:  What is our faith really all about, anyway?

Our True Need of God

“And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.” (Ex 34:9 AV)

This is a great and honest request.  Moses is not asking God to be their God because they have proved to be an obedient and faithful people.  He is asking for just the opposite reason.  He is asking the LORD to be among them not because they have followed with their whole heart.  He is asking for the LORD to be among them because they are stiffnecked and wicked.  One might see this as odd.  I certainly did.  At least at first.  In reflection though, there is a great amount of humility and wisdom here.  Wisdom and humility which the child of God would be wise to emulate.

It takes a lion’s share of humility to admit that one needs help and correction because we are otherwise helpless.  Several years back, I had shoulder surgery.  Part of the recovery process meant I had to go through therapy.  Some of it felt really good.  Those parts that required stretching.  In particular, I enjoyed the cords on a pulley.  Simply using the opposite arm as a counter-weight, rising and lowering each side respectively, felt really good.  But there was another exercise which I absolutely despised.  Placing a large ball against a wall, I had to trace the letters of the alphabet using the bad shoulder.  The turning and rotating of the rotator cuff was excruciating.  My therapist was relentless.  She would not allow me to quit.  She would not allow me to whine about it.  She pushed me because she knew her discipline would cure my infirmity.  To admit that I needed this took honesty, submission, and gratitude.

We do not need God because we are right.  We need God because we are not right.  We do not desire God because we are perfect.  We desire God because we are not perfect.  Moses’ request here for God’s presence is profound.  He is asking for God’s mercy in forgiveness, but he is also asking for God’s presence that the nation of Israel may conquer the rebellion seeped deep in their heart by a miraculous work of God’s hand.  I don’t need God because I have attained.  I need God because of my own faults and sin.  I do not ask for God’s presence because I have been successful in obedience.  I ask for God’s presence and work in my life because I have fallen woefully short of His glory!  We need God because of our wickedness.  We do not need God because we have earned Him.

Passion From Presence

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.” (Ex 32:19 AV)

Moses had just spent forty days and nights on the Mount Sinai with the God of creation, receiving the law and instruction in it.  He spent forty days at the feet of a holy God learning of the purity of the law of God.  He spent forty days without food or water because the beauty of the holiness of God’s law removed all pain from lack of the necessities of life.  He was completely and totally engrossed in the perfection that is the law of God.  No wonder Moses had the reaction described above when he saw the sin of God’s people.  No wonder he acted in passion at the utter wickedness of the half-naked dancing and idolatry.  Some may excuse his behavior as an expression of his anger issues.  But I think not.  I think the purity of God’s law overcame Moses and when confronted with the evil of God’s people, he was moved with passion at what he saw!

There is a reason God’s people are cold towards sin.  Today, if we were to see something similar, it probably wouldn’t bother us nearly as much as it did Moses.  This past weekend, there were two games on T.V. which had just such an activity.  People who were half-dressed, drunken, and worshiping the gods of athleticism openly and unashamedly violating the standards of holiness and righteousness in front of an entire nation.  We would look at that today and it wouldn’t even bother us.  Companies are falling all over themselves trying to accommodate the sodomites.  There was a commercial that recently aired which showed two males trying to find a babysitter for “their” daughter.  One has to wonder how much it bothered the saints of God to see such a thing.

There is only one reason these things no longer bother us.  We spend far too much time in the wickedness of the world compared to the holiness of God’s presence and study of His word.  Yes, some of this interaction is mandatory.  We have to go off to work.  We have to go shopping for life’s needs.  But that doesn’t mean we have to participate in voluntary activities that are flooded with wicked influences.  The shock factor has long worn off because we spend more time around those who are half-naked and dancing than in the word of God and on our knees.  No wonder Lot is the type of later day church.  He vexed his righteous soul by the influence of a wicked city. The saints of God are doing the same thing.

Beaten Bulb

“And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.” (Ex 27:20 AV)

There is a lot of symbolism in the design and function of the tabernacle.  Of course, the lamp that gives light is the evidence of the life that is in the olive.  The olive and olive tree are often used as symbols of Israel.  The fact this oil was from the beaten olive is even more symbolic.  The emblem of the lamp that is lit by the oil that is beaten from the olive beautifully pictures the process by which the light of Christ is shown by the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Olive oil is garnered by a two-tiered process.  The first produces the purest of oils. After harvesting, the olive is placed in a mortar.  It is gently pressed so as not to break down the pulp of the fruit.  Gentle and even pressure is the force by which the oil is extracted.  The first process involved little or no heat.  This oil is then strained through a cloth to remove even the slighted of impurities.  The second level of extraction is to them take the bruised or pressed olive and apply greater pressure with heat.  This breaks down the pulp and extracts every last drop of oil from the olive.  However, because the pulp of the fruit is broken down, it often finds its way into the oil.  This sediment is what makes the second extraction of oil much less pure in its quality.

What is also important to note is the lamps in the tabernacle required the purest of olive oil lest the less pure oil extinguish the flame.  The sediment of the less pure oil would hinder sufficient oil to climb the wick and remain burning.  This we learn a great lesson in the light of God’s glory in the life of the believer.  If the glorious light of the gospel of Christ shine abroad, it will only come by the trials of God’s pressure on our lives.  This is what creates the purity of character and testimony that becomes the foundation of the light of God’s gospel.  It is a difficult thing to admit that when our oil becomes less pure, so does our fervency to reach others with the gospel of Christ.  I know this as a life’s experience.  It seems the times that I have the deepest love and concern for the souls of others is when I am the most right with the Father.  When I harbor sin in the heart, then my love and concern for the souls of others wanes.  This flame will only come from gently applied pressure.  Life is all about transformation and purity.  It is all about conversion and transformation.  This often takes applied pressure.  But in the end, the light will not go out.  So, the question is simple.  Will we welcome God’s applied pressure that the light of the gospel and glory of God not go out?

Our Personal Angle

“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.” (Ex 23:20-21 AV)

These two verses are obviously prophetical in the sense they point to the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one warns against provoking the LORD.  This is the same Christ whom the contemporary crowd only wishes to see as the Christ of the gospels and unforgiving towards those who provoke him.  This is the case!  Christ will not tolerate those who provoke Him.  He offered Himself freely on the cross of Calvary that we might all be forgiven and enjoy eternal life.  Those who refuse, doing disrespect unto the free gift of salvation provide by His grace and sacrifice, will not be forgiven.  He will not be provoked!

Having said that, we really want to meditate on verse twenty.  The promise that God will be with those who trust in Him to both keep them and guide them well into eternity is a precious one.  A promise we are quick to forget when things are tough.  There are so many companion verses that go with verse twenty that it is difficult to pick just a few.  The later part of the verse reminds me of our LORD’s words in John chapter 14.  He goes to prepare a place for us.  These words are words we need to memorize and live in every moment of every hour.

The maturing process is interesting.  In our younger years, when crisis enters, we lack the patience and faith to respond biblically.  We panic.  We are filled with anxiety.  God intervenes and we can relax.  After years of this exposure to trouble and God’s hand, we learn to temper the reaction with faith and hope.  There is still anxiety, but there is faith which makes it much easier to bear.  But, as one gets into their elder years, faith is so firm there is no anxiety.  We learn to take life as it comes and that no matter what may come, God is there and will see us through it.  We don’t look for trouble.  When it comes, it is seen as normal.  We thank God for His presence and the patience and faith to see the end from the beginning.  Decisions come easier.  Learning to leave in the hand of God what we cannot control becomes almost instinctive.  This helps us to live life in the blessings of the moment.  The Angle came at Calvary.  For me, He came almost 37 years ago.  He has always been there.  He will never leave nor forsake.  He will guide me to the place which He has promised is prepared for me!  Bless God.

Get Out Of The Camp

“And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.” (Ex 19:17 AV)

There is a movement to abolish public worship.  Mark my words, if the LORD tarries, it will be hard to find a church that meets anywhere every Sunday and Wednesday for corporate worship.  This whole idea of home-churching, focus groups, or home bible studies in lieu of corporate worship services is neither biblical nor prudent.  It might be trendy and they may be misusing passages in the book of Acts to justify it, but put it down; one generation after a church institutes home-based worship as an alternative to corporate worship, the church itself will cease to exist.  Another prediction you have heard right here:  Those who institute home-based worship that replaces corporate worship in a single, physical location will be the generation that begins the transfer from real worship to virtual worship.  That it, church building will close and the “church” will meet around a PC terminal in their PJ’s, fellowshipping in chat rooms around a bag of popcorn rather than in a church hall with a pot luck!

God will not meet with the people as a whole while they are in the camp.  There must be a distinction between private worship and corporate worship.  The people must come out of the camp for God to meet with them as a group.  There is no other way around it.  Too bad.  The book of Acts tells us that Israel was referred to as a called out as a church.  A called-out assembly.  The church is first, called-out.  What does that mean?  Does it mean we sit at home eating bon-bons watching a ‘church’ service on our devices?  Does that mean a few meet in one home while another few meet at another home all the while calling ourselves called-out? Called out from where?  Called-out to where?  The second part of the definition is an assembly.  In order for a group to be called and assembly, (I know, this is going to be really deep) they must assemble.

This isn’t my normal entry.  This may seem a bit more blunt than most.  But the truth of the matter is, our churches are dying, in part, due to an ‘enlightened’ group of academics attempting to re-invent something that doesn’t need to be because they are bored with what they have.  Israel was given the tabernacle and then the temple as a place to assemble.  These places were unique, distinct, and reverential.  These places were treated differently than a living room or dining room table.  Yes, the Bible does say where two or more are gathered, there Christ is in the midst also.  But let us be careful that we do not assume a ‘church’ exists just because two believers happen to be in the same proximity.  Does that mean a ‘church’ exists in a crowded bus or subway?  At a football game?  At a Christian concert?  Of course not.  No one would concede this.  Then why do we accept private meetings as a church service?  God told Moses to bring them out and away from their dwellings and He would meet with them.  It is time to stay committed to public worship in the church houses of God!

Every Saint's Life Verse

“Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” (Ex 15:13 AV)

This should be the life verse of every believer!  There really is nothing more that can be said.  We can murmur and complain all we want, but the truth of the matter is, God is a merciful God.  The truth of the matter is, God has provided for His faithful their entire lives.  The truth of the matter is, God has and never will forsake His people.  He will guide them as long as they follow.  If there have been adverse circumstances of life wherein it seemed as those God was not with us, it was more than likely due to the fact we were not following at the time.  God is faithful.  Period.  The older I get, the more I realize the truth of the verse above.

The context here is the crossing of the Red Sea.  The Holy habitation was Canaan.  The guiding was the was the ten plagues and destruction of the Egyptian army.  They still had a wilderness wander ahead.  But they were free from the bondage of a cruel task master.  God was not their guide and protector.  God was now their provider.  They compromised 430 years prior and it resulted in the enslavement of ten generations.  But the LORD was still with them.  They survived.  Now, it was God who would provide for them food in the wilderness and an eventual home wherein they could labor for their own sustenance.

As mentioned before, the older I get, the more I realize the depth of the truth stated in our verse.  We may have had some difficult years.  Last year was probably one of the most challenging.  Beginning with the passing of my dear mother, the year also included the possibility of my wife being diagnosed with cancer, the departing of my son and his family to Brazil, the resignation from a church family which I had grown to immensely love, and moving to an entirely new culture to name a few. Add on top of that a adversary who was threatening me with serious trouble, and I had just about all I could take.   One might suggest that if God is a good God, then why all that trouble?  This is life.  This is what happens in life.  The trouble is not an indication of the lack of God’s mercy.  Getting through it is.  God had just rescued Israel from Egypt.  God would teach them again the same lesson at the waters of Marah.  God is merciful.  He will take care of and guide those who trust and will follow.  All the way to heaven!

Both Divine and Human

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:” (Ex 12:5 AV)

What does this mean?  Does this mean a first-year sheep was in the midst of goats?  Or, does it mean they could choose a first-year goat to eat instead of a sheep of the first year?  If the later, why?  More importantly, what is this supposed to symbolize?  Some propose the option of choices represented the duel nature of our eternal Sacrifice.  Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world had another nature.  That other nature was the human nature.  Although sinless, He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world.  The goat, write some, represented the human nature which identified with the sins of the world while the sheep identified with the purity of deity.

When one compares another truth the picture becomes clearer.  The blood of the sheep was the blood that was struck on the lintel and door posts.  The blood of the goat was not.  This give us a further picture of the nature of the sacrifice offered by Christ.  It was the blood of a sinless divine that bought our salvation.  Not the blood of a limited human being.  However, the God did, in fact, identify with the object of His grace.  He took upon Himself the form of a man, not thinking it robbery to be equal with God, and made Himself of no reputation.  He did this for the obedience of the Cross.  When the Hebrew celebrant partook of the kid of the goats, he was symbolizing how the Messiah would come as a human being and identify Himself with our sinful nature.

What furthers this idea is the comparison between the two meats.  Based on culture, the palatability of the meat varies.  Some cultures enjoy goat meat more so than lamb.  Others, the opposite.  If we are seeing this through the eyes of the Hebrew, he would clearly prefer the meat of the lamb far more than the meat of the kid.  The meat of the lamb being more consistent and less stringy than the goat.  The lamb also has a higher fat content and thus, more meat flavor then the more lean and stringy meat of the goat.  In short, the meat of the lamb would be seen as of a higher quality and more desired than that of the goat.  Such is the divine over the human.  But again, this pictures the duel nature of our Redeemer.  Both divine and human.  To fully appreciate what Christ has done for us, perhaps we should, on occasion, partake of both.  Meditation on the true nature of our LORD would grow an appreciate for exactly what was done for us.

You Lose Some, then You Win Some

“And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?” (Ex 5:22 AV)

Been there, done that.  The man of God is susceptible to the sin of immediate positive results.  If something adverse happens, then there must be something wrong.  The result of Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh was to make the situation with Israel worse than it was.  Moses’ natural response was why.  Why did God send him to Pharaoh if the demand upon his nation would only increase?  Is God sure that Moses was the man?  Is God sure this is the plan?  If so, why on earth did things go south? Why aren’t things going swimmingly well?

Currently, I am in my second full-time senior pastorate for which I did not grow into the position.  Technically, the first senior pastorate I served in, it started out as an associate pastorate.  I was warned by seasoned men that when one takes a pastorate, expect to lose a few people before you gain some people.  The figure of twenty percent is often thrown around.  I don’t know how accurate that percentage is, but is it typically the case that a new pastor will lose some people before he gains new sheep.  The reasons why are as various as the people who leave.  The first pastorate, I took this more personally than I should have.  If God had sent me to a church, then why are we loosing ground?  Shouldn’t we be gaining?  After almost a decade of service, that church had completely changed its personality by the newer people that arrived.  Don’t get me wrong, it hurts pretty deeply when people leave.  It truly does.  Often, they do not believe the pastor is hurt, but he is.  He feels that somehow, he has failed them.  He feels responsible.  But, the man of God must be resigned to lose some ground before he gains some ground.

The sin of immediate results plagues our churches.  We are pragmatists.  We do not serve from the foundation of truth and principle.  We serve from the foundation of results.  This is not what the prophet or the church has been called to do.  Our job is to be ambassadors for the LORD Jesus Christ and declare His truth regardless of the results.  Just because Israel’s circumstances temporarily got worse does not mean that Moses was a failure.  Just the opposite.  Just because the pastor may temporarily lose some ground does not mean he is a failure.  It could be all part of God’s wonderful plan to revive a work and bring a new a refreshing direction.