Awe of God - Numbers 1-4

 Numbers 4:17-20 (ESV)

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”

Moving companies are supposed to move your things without damaging them.   But, suppose you told them that they were not only to move your items from your home but also they were to not allowed to look at the items from your home?   They would probably refuse the task.   Well, one of the children from the descendants of Levi, the Kohath family tree, was to be the moving company for the Tabernacle.  It was there job, any time the nation moved from one place to another, to pack up the Tabernacle.  They had to carry all the curtains and rods.  They had to pack up all the dishes and serving utensils.   And they had to pack up the Holy of Holies with the actual Ark of the Covenant.   And, when it came to all the items in the Holy of Holies, there were not even to look at them, least they die.   To assure they did not and that their family tree continued to thrive, Aaron and his sons were to give them specific tasks to do and items to carry so that they did not die in the process of moving.   In Numbers 33 we read that the nation of Israel moved almost 30 times during those 40 years.   Plus, once they reached the promise land and began to conquer it, the Tabernacle would be carried and moved.   The Kohathites would take the risk each time to lose a life if they failed to obey God’s command in this area.   

We don’t move Tabernacles or the Ark of the Covenant today.   We are free to worship in awe of God and in the Fear of the Lord, but we don’t fear being struck dead in our churches.  But, we are supposed to realize and worship in holiness.  We are to approach God in the same spirit of holiness that Aaron, his sons and the Kohathites did.   God is holy and must be recognized as such.  Our often “familiarity” with God is refreshing.   But, it is also, at times failing to recognize the awe of God.   He wants us to approach Him, but even in the New Testament we are told that we are to fear Him in holy reverence.

Hebrews 12:28 (ESV)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

Prepare For Christ’s Return - 2 Thessalonians

 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (ESV)

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The letters Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica were probably the first of his writings.  They were probably written around the 50s AD.   This would have been, probably, less than 20 years after Christ’s death.   Probably a main difference between the early church and today’s church is the mindset of Christ’s return.   When Christ said He would return the early church was much more understanding the the word “imminent” much different that we comprehend it.   Christ’s return is imminent.   That is taught throughout Scripture.  One commentator states that one out of every twenty-five verses in the New Testament tells something about either Christ’s return or His establishing His kingdom on earth.   It was a MAIN theme of discussion that Jesus had with His disciples.   

In the above passage Paul is writing to tell the church that the rumors or false teaching they heard about Christ ALREADY coming, was false.   Paul goes on to warn them about what it will look like before Jesus comes.  Chapter 3 of 2 Timothy does the same things.   In the letter to Pastor Timothy Paul stresses the condition of the world around us. In this letter to Thessalonica he stressed the leadership of the sedition against God.   

The point we should take from this is that the church should be understanding, believing and acting with the expectation of Christ’s return.   In this letter Paul is trying to tell them Christ has not already come, but that they should also be actively working for Christ to love the brothers and expand the kingdom, until He does come.   Even though there was a false teaching going around that Christ had already come, there was also a false belief that since He was coming any time they (believers) did not have to do anything but sit around and wait (chapter 3 of this letter).   The fact is, Christ is coming again.  We are to be diligent until He does return and we should watch for and be aware of activities in society that will lead up to that moment.   We are to anticipate Him coming at anytime and be actively preparing the Church for that moment all the time.   

Worship in Spirit - John 3-4

 John 4:20-26 (ESV)

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

This passage is the end of a conversation with a woman who Jesus has meet at a a well, looking for water.   She is a Samaritan women who Jesus has just outed was married five times and is currently living with a man, not her husband.    Jesus has confronted her with her sin.   Confront might be a harsh word.    He actually told her about the living water He wanted to offer her and told her to go get her husband.  She stated she has “no husband.”    This was when Jesus told her He knew she had five previous husbands and was now living with a man, who was not her husband.  So, this woman has had a hard life by any societies norms.   She is amazed that He knows this.   But, rather than deal with this truth about her life, she wants to know a question about worship.   It is a question about a where to worship.   It is a question about disputes in worship.  It is a question about how nations are divided about worship.   But, Jesus goes right for the core challenge.  Worship is not a place.  Worship is a spiritual act.   Why?  Because God is “spirit.”  This is the same type of description of God as, “God is love (1 John 4:8)”  Or, “God is light (1 John 1:5).”   This speaks to the fact that God operates in the spiritual realm.   That does not mean that our worship does not take on a physical form.  It is means that to worship God we start on the inner being of the spirit and express our worship through the outer being of our senses and behaviors.  But, it begins on the inside of our spirit.  This is why when Jesus came he said:

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:27-28 (ESV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Anger and lust begin in the spirit.   They manifest in behavior but they begin inward. This is why we worship in the spirit.  Because that is what matters to God.  Because God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.  

Give God Glory IN the Decision Making Process - Daniel 1-6

 Daniel 2:20-23 (ESV)

Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what is in the darkness,

and the light dwells with him.

To you, O God of my fathers,

I give thanks and praise,

for you have given me wisdom and might,

and have now made known to me what we asked of you,

for you have made known to us the king's matter.”

Imagine if this were our prayer before every decision we have to make!   Our recognization of God’s sovereign rule over all matters is a key to our understanding the road we travel.  We tend to want to make our lives about us and our choices.   In the above passage we read a different manner of decision making. 

The context for the above passage is that King Nebuchadnezzar has had a bad dream.  He has requested that all his enchanters, magicians, sages, and wisemen all tell him what it means.  But, he not only wants the meaning of the dream, he wants THEM to tell him the dream and the interpretation.  If they don’t, they all die.   It is probably accurate to state that none of us have every faced such a situation from those who hold power over us.   But, this is what Daniel faced.   So, he immediately turned it over to God in prayer.   He called his three colleagues and asked them to pray with them.   In their prayer they first and foremost acknowledged God’s knowledge of the situation and his sovereignty over the situation.   

This is the formula for walking with God in decision making.   This allows us to worship in decisions and not simply get lost in the variables of the decision.   Our decision making model has many moving parts.  Most people don’t have a systematic method for making decisions.  They rather rely on their intuitive nature.  But, one part that can’t just be an after thought is God’s sovereign rule over each decision we make, no matter how trivial we think it might be.   God gives wisdom and might to make decisions.  They are for the purpose of glorifying Him.    He reveals insights and knowledge for us to make decisions.   If we began with Daniel’s approach to glorify God while making a decision we might find we have more decisions that glorify God.   

Love and Faithfulness Atones for Sin - Proverbs 16

 Proverbs 16:6

By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,

And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.

Proverbs 16:6 (ESV)

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

Have you ever wondered how to overcome and refresh from some sin you committed or have committed against others.   Here is an incredible proverb to tell us just how to overcome iniquity.   The first line, "By lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness) iniquity is atoned for,” tells us we are to lose our personal agendas and our anger and replace them with the practice of truth (faithfulness to truth) and the expression of real love.   Love is a self-sacrificing concept.   Solomon is telling us to seek truth and pursue love, if we really have the desire to "atone" for our past.   This is exactly what Christ did for us, as the Way, the Truth and the Life.  It is Christ’s steadfast love and faithfulness that atones for sin.  But, the second line tells us, "And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil."  The problem Solomon is addressing for us in this line is how do we "atone" for sin when we are but man and we tend to "fear man" (bend toward peer pressure ... Proverbs 29:25)?   He tells us to not fear man and bend to their peer pressure but to fear the Lord and that will keep us from further sin.   As we fear the Lord we will not return to the sin we previously committed.  The reason we are often not trusted after we sin is that those we love and have hurt think we will return to that sin again.  But, if we fear the Lord we will “keep away from evil.”   Note other proverbs that say this:

Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 14:27 (ESV)

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

What a great proverb about how to maneuver through difficult times of sin - whether we committed it or it was committed against us.   Love, truth and faithfulness to the fear of the Lord will atone for sin.   Christ did it and, through Solomon, He gave us the recipe to do it.  We have to practice love, truth and become trustworthy by the fear of the Lord, realizing that it is through Christ’s faithfulness we have atonement.  

Standing Tall in a Slouching World - Psalms 93-95

 Psalms 94:16 (ESV)

Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

Psalm 94 is a liturgical song, probably used in corporate worship.   The entire song is about God’s justice against the wicked and His refuge for the believer.   In the above lines we read that God, in His vengeance upon those who forsake Him, is looking for someone to stand up for Him and to stand against those who are wicked.  This is not a passive stance, however.   This is an implied position one takes “against” the wicked and evildoers.   God is calling for someone to stand in the gap.  He has done this before.  Through the prophet Ezekiel God called out:

Ezekiel 22:29-31 (ESV)

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

The same was true for Isaiah.  When God needed someone to go and stand for Him, Isaiah stated:

Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

Isaiah's Commission from the Lord

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

And, in case you want to dismiss these calls because they are Old Testament oriented, note what Jesus told the disciples to pray for regarding the need for people to go fourth to declare His message:

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV)

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

God looked for someone to stand against the wicked in the Old and wants someone to stand with Him in the New.   If you live your live for God in today’s society to live for Christ you will be standing against the world’s philosophy.   When we stand for something we always are standing against something else.  

Genealogy Matters to God - 1 Chronicles 1-4

1 Chronicles 1:1-4 (NASBStr)

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Why does God include all the genealogies in the Bible?  What is the purpose of this book starting out with four chapters of names of people, we probably don't care to know?   There are probably countless reasons, but let’s look at two:

1. It is important to understand the purpose of 1 and 2 Chronicles prior to reading all these names.   Even though God's Word says that ALL of it is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16,17), we don't always see it.   When the book was written the nation of Israel was being allowed to return to the promise land after years of captivity under three different leaders/countries.   As they made their trek back to Israel in general and Jerusalem specifically, they found themselves without the structure and leadership of the past.   They had NO king.   They were under the rule of the King of Persia and had no political or distinctive Jewish structure.  The temple was destroyed, the city in ruin and the leadership gone.  Were they still significant as a nation?   Did they still matter to God?   Were the covenants with God still in effect and viable to trust?   These are all questions those returning were asking.   The chronicler wanted to remind them of where they came from and how special they were to God. He wanted to show them how they got where they were (including the disobedience).  He wanted to trace their steps back to the past so they could fully grasps the future. 

Most people don't like family reunions.   Especially the younger generation.   This book is a paper trail family reunion.   It is written to show them they are connected with the past and still significant for the future.  For the church today and the believer it is important to remember the connection God's plan has with the past.  Nothing will derail what God has planned. His interaction in history has a purpose and it is all connected.  Each name we read is important to God and a small piece of His plan.  Just as our day-to-day walk with Him matters to us, but it matters more to Him.  Our each step is ordained by God to accomplish His complete plan.  We are tied to the past; the past is significant for the future.   Don't simply forget it.   It matters to God.  It should matter to us.   These names matter to God.  But, more important to the reason the book was written, God wanted the people to know that He knew them and that He was in this with them.   When putting a culture back together you have to give them a sense of their past (the Lover archetype) and a place in history.   To start something (in this case a new Israel ... in their own land),  you have to know you belong to something greater than yourself.  

2.  On top of knowing these connections and this history and this significance, these genealogies also trace the names from Adam to Abraham to Jacob to King David; what would be the line of Jesus, our Savior.   If you read the genealogies in Matthew you see that Jesus is traced back to David.  If you read the genealogies in Luke you see that Jesus is traced by to Adam.  These genealogies give us the evidence we need to see that Jesus was able to represent us and was the chosen Messiah, becoming the Son of God and son of man.   

These records show the integrity and veracity of God’s plan, God’s Word and God’s sovereign direction over the affairs of man.