February 29, 2008

So I woke up today and went to my online Bible reading page to see what today’s passage was. To my surprise, they didn’t factor in a Feb 29! The only ‘break’ I get in a year from the chronological guide.

Well. This means today’s post will be a random blurt of mine.

I want to say:

18 days till I fly home! Yay!
23 days till Easter! YAY!
Flu! YA-, well maybe not..
God works in mysterious ways! YAY!

So I figured I’m going to write a bit about my flu the last point. I have had it for over a week now and it doesn’t seem to be going away as fast as I would like it to been doing some extra thinking lately and been astounded at the way God weaves together little threads to form a larger and larger fabric that depicts His story. I can barely wrap my head around a basketball offensive play and the multi-directional off-the-ball runs by 2/3 players, or the amazing seemingly telepathic ability of ManUtd at times, and here He is, weaving an almost infinite number of threads from an almost infinite number of places, to fit tightly into one single pattern! Don’t bother with David Blaine specials – just watch God at work!

Take Passion 07. That was AMAZING. Hadn’t heard of it 6 months before. 6 months later I found myself with 23000+ others having my eyes and ears opened like they hadn’t had before! And what were the little threads? Matt McGee. Tim (yes I would have really considered not going if you had not managed to make it, and this story on its own requires a few more threads to justify itself that even I can’t begin to identify myself!), Rodney, Rodney’s friends, plane ticket!, Matt’s church, his family and friends, Christmas holidays, youth camp…that’s all I can think of for now. And the ripples afterwards – can’t begin to describe how deep they resounded. PLUS I just got news the day before yesterday about some stuff from Lydia – amazing how long these ripples can keep going for.

God moves in a mysterious way. Sometimes you wish you could unpack it. But upon reflection, all I need to know is His will is always good, pleasing and perfect. So perhaps it’s better that the mystery remain for greater amazement!

#25: February 27, 2008

It’s almost been a week. Today’s post was drawn from Numbers 10.

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And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.
Numbers 10:9

So the LORD spoke to Moses and told him to make two silver trumpets. He gave a description of how they were to be used. One of which was to sound it during war, so that “you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.”

Remembered? Doesn’t that imply God forgets things? You could almost imagine one of those cartoons where you have the big guy in the sky, with just the feet showing, and suddenly he hears a trumpet and goes, “Oh you’re still around! What is it you want now? Ohhh you’re fighting a war. Ok. Give me a minute while I hatch a plan to save you.”

But God doesn’t forget things. He’s sovereign over everything. Nothing happens that escapes His attention, simply because everything that happens is ordained by Him. So why the word ‘remember’?

It’s because it gives all glory to God. Picture this. Which scenario glorifies God more? The one where you’re fighting and suddenly your enemies turn and flee, and you’re left wondering what they’re doing? Or the one where you’re fighting and you call to God for help and He sends your enemies fleeing? It clearly is the second. It’s not a matter of God remembering us, because He always remembers us, but it is us remembering Him.

It’s a prayer for God to remember us. “Don’t forget us! We need you!” That should be the plea of every one of God’s people. The Israelites back in history, and we who are the people of God through Jesus Christ. It also serves to remind us that we are His people. “Remember us! We are the ones You have chosen to save!” It’s also an answered prayer. God always remembers us. But sometimes we just can’t feel His closeness. So we ask Him to remember us, and the fact is He does!

So when we’re facing trouble, we shouldn’t just face it on our own, and hope for divine intervention. We should call out to God, to remember us, and deliver us. It’s a sure promise. His method of deliverance might not be what we have in mind, but He will remember us and deliver us according to His good purpose.

And finally, if there are any doubts regarding this promise, it’s worth bearing in mind that we who are in Jesus Christ have called on His name, and we have been saved!

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#24: February 21, 2008

Today’s reflection is drawn from Leviticus 16.

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Leviticus 16 is a description of the Day of Atonement. One day a year, the high priest was to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the sins of Israel.

It’s was a very long and drawn out process, but for good reason. The high priest had to be clean before God to enter before the mercy seat on the ark where God was said to dwell. Tradition has it that the high priest would wear a rope around his foot. If he was not clean before God, he would be struck down. And the other priests would have to pull him out, as they would not be able to physically enter the place and carry him out.

It was an extremely serious affair. And it’s such a contrast with the position we are in today. In the New Testament letters, there is much on our freedom to approach God with confidence. We are, by nature, just as sinful as the high priests during the time of Israel. The only difference is that we now have a high priest who has atoned for our sins once and for all. His name is Jesus. Hebrews 7 states that “unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

It is through Jesus that we are righteous – without sin. It is by the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus that we have the confidence to freely approach the throne of God. And how significant that is!

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

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#23: February 20, 2008

I’m breaking from tradition to select certain verses from within the book of Leviticus. Today’s was from Leviticus 11.

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For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Leviticus 11:45

Leviticus is a book of Law. Here God tells the Israelites what is permissible and what is not permissible. He distinguishes between the clean and the unclean. He sets forth a pattern of offerings. He ordains a series of festivals.

But then you get bits like the above, which cuts through the letter of the law towards the spirit of the law.

Why was God being so particular with His laws? The verse above is a perfect answer.

God had specifically chosen the Israelites to be His people, redeeming them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Because He had rescued them to be their God, it was only fitting that they should be holy, as a reflection of the holiness of God.

This line of reasoning may not seem to make much sense. I wrestled with it for a while. But I believe the key bit is to understand what it means to have someone or something as our ‘God’. When we have a God, we want to follow it, become like it, because we idolise it. We see it and utter, “Wow! I want to be just like that!” If something or someone is the god of our lives, we unconsciously express it.

And here the people were in awe of God. After all, just moments before, they had all fallen facedown in worship before the presence of God. And so God ordains that if they are going to worship Him as their God, then it is necessary for them to express Him properly. And God is holy. So His people must be holy. If they were not holy, they could not be His people. For God cannot tolerate sin. How then can He call a people His own if they are sinful?

There’s one more thing though that caught my attention. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God.” God doesn’t appeal to His awesome power. God appeals to His awesome redemption. Because of His powerful redemption, the Israelites ought to be holy.

The Israelites should be responding out of gratefulness! That God has freed them from bondage. But that, as the course of history progresses, is far from what really happens. The Israelites are an ungrateful people. But then so are we. Mankind is rebellious by nature. We have hearts of stone that cannot appreciate the freedom God offers.

It’s in this context that what Jesus has done for us contrasts so vividly! Read 1 Peter 1. And see the difference. The call is there at the end, to be holy just as the One who called us is holy. And the reasons are the same, that we are a redeemed people. But there’s one crucial difference. The new birth that comes from God. We no longer have hearts of stone. Peter says that we should rejoice in what this new birth has brought us. And so we should! How then do we respond?

Be holy, because the One who has called us is holy.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14-16

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#22: February 19, 2008

Well. It’s been a long 12 days. In that period, the reading guide has moved on and is now midway between Leviticus. Leviticus is somewhat repetitive, but there are pretty eye opening bits in there. Today’s is one such bit, and can be found in Leviticus 9.

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When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Leviticus 9:23-24

I just want to draw attention to a particular bit. Namely when all the people saw the glory of God, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Not facedown in fear. But facedown in joy.

There’s a need to visualise this scene somewhat. There’s a need to comprehend the very nature of God’s glory. The nature of it that brings joy. And the nature of it that causes us to fall facedown.

It’s not hard to do that, being in the UK. There are times when it’s freezing. Like yesterday morning. I think the temperature was -5 or something. It’s actually been a very warm February, apparently the warmest ever, but yesterday was a bit freakish. And so everything was frosted. Including me. And when you’re cold, it’s horrible. If I had to decide between being cold, or being hot in Malaysia, I’ll pick the latter any day.

But then the sun came out. And when you’re standing in the sun, it’s suddenly a lot warmer. The air around you might be rather cold, but you can feel the warmth of the sun. And it’s a pretty joyful moment. The feeling of warmth.

That’s an imperfect metaphor of God’s glory. It’s like the sun shining on you in the cold. Or in an equatorial sense, you could probably compare it to freezing in an air-conditioned room, before walking out into the hot outdoors. There’s an inherent joyfulness to be found in it. In this biblical context, I believe it’s a display of God’s power that’s the source of joy. It is also a display of God’s approval for the sacrifice that is a source of joy.

Before I draw some parallels with today, there’s one more aspect to look at. Why fall facedown? Matt Redman has a good phrase to encapture this: “When you face up to God’s glory, you find yourself facedown in worship.” It’s a natural response. We become so captivated with the Almighty that to fall before him in total surrender seems the only appropriate response. And the Israelites saw the power of God and could only respond in facedown worship. It’s like a sun so bright, you can’t look at it, yet it doesn’t matter, because you can feel it.

It’s a powerful image, this display of joyful facedown worship. It means three things for us. First, God is so great that to face up to His glory causes us to fall facedown before Him. Second, experiencing the glory of God brings us joy. Third, if God is so great, then surely the joy we find in Him must be the greatest of all joys.

And if this is the greatest of all joys, then why do we not seek it wholeheartedly? There are many reasons for this, but they mainly result from the fact that we are never fully convinced of this reality. But I believe that while we can never remain fully convince of this reality in this life, being in Jesus, we are in a position today to experience such joy, in increasing measure.

Where do we start? Just as God revealed Himself through the sacrifices of the Israelites, we can do likewise today. Not slaughter a ram or goat, but as Paul advises us in Romans, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – because this is our spiritual act of worship.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2

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What has happened?

Yes. There clearly seems to be a failure going on here.

Instead of progressing, it’s regressing. So here’s what I have been up to this week:

Work.

House. Best TV series in the world. Well, in my world at least.

A movie or two.

Shocking really. And for some reason I’ve been extremely tired the whole week. Meaning I haven’t been able to get myself out of bed until half an hour before lectures. Not sure whether there’s a correlation to the work.

Anyways, this column will resume normal service very soon. I’m thinking Tuesday. Or possibly Monday. But Tuesday sounds like a more reasonable target.

Hiatus

I will be gone for the weekend, without my laptop. And I had no time to post today after a late night of work. So this will resume Monday. Or Sunday. Depending on how my schedule works out.

#21: February 7, 2008

It’s getting rather tough. I’m now approaching the section of the Bible with all the descriptive imagery of building the tabernacle and its furnishings. And yes I almost thought, this looks so dull and uninspiring in terms of insight, until… Anyways today’s reading was taken from Exodus 25-27.

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You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
Exodus 27:20-21

First, I must marvel at the precision with which God gave instructions. It really does show that our God is a God of order, that our science and technology today are reflections of this particular nature of God. But this pattern does repeat itself constantly across the next few chapters. And as much as I enjoy seeing God as a God of order and creative design, I would love to be able to write something different in this space every day.

Then I came across this verse above. Why keep a lamp burning?

I believe it’s a symbolic reminder of the presence of God in the lives of the Israelites.

Similarly today, we have our own lamp. And I believe we are commanded to keep it burning. Not with olive oil, but with the Word of God and with prayer. And we are to let it burn bright through our good deeds. Jesus called us to be the light of the world, to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

And it’s particularly important that it continues burning. Because it is a reminder of what Jesus has done for us, redeeming us for good works. In Revelation, Jesus warns the church at Ephesus with this sort of symbolism, to repent and return to their first love, or have their lampstand remove from its place. That is indeed a serious situation to be in. If our lampstand is removed, we are no longer light, but are in the darkness. And those in the darkness will perish.

It is particularly serious that we let our light shine before men. There’s no such thing as a decorative lampstand. But here’s the upside. We would be foolish not to do so. Jesus promises, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
Matthew 5:14-16

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#20: February 6, 2008

Today’s reading was from Exodus 22-24.I must admit that I have a penchant for picking bizarre looking verses. But in part they’re the bits that catch my attention, and they are in the Bible for a reason. Today’s post is probably the longest yet, but I got carried away

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And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Exodus 24:8

This sounds extremely, well, bloody. It does comes across as rather unpleasant, the sprinkling of blood on people.

Just to put the verse into context, the people are at Mt. Sinai. God had given His people some laws to follow, and the people had agreed to follow them: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Then Moses writes down all the words of the LORD, I’m assuming into what is then referred to as the Book of the Covenant. There are sacrifices of oxen, half the blood is taken and placed in basins, and the other half Moses throws against the altar. He reads from the Book of the Covenant, and the people reply, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses takes the blood and throws it on the people, thus the verse above.

So note here. We have half the blood thrown against the altar. The Book of the Covenant is read. The people commit to following it. And the other half of the blood is thrown on them.

It’s a very important order to keep straight in our heads. A covenant was being made here. And the covenant was sealed by blood. A half was thrown on the altar to represent God’s commitment, and the other half was thrown on the people to represent the people’s commitment.

But blood…why blood? There was something symbolically important about blood. Blood was said to contain the life force of the person. The word bloodshed, doesn’t mean a cut and a bit of bleeding; it means a killing has taken place. A blood covenant was a covenant of the very highest order. If it was broken, then the fate of the guilty party would be the same as the animal offering – bloodshed.

What a predicament the Israelites found themselves in! They broke the covenant countless times and yet they were spared that horrible fate. And how foolish the Pharisees were in Jesus’ time. His coming had been foretold from this moment on. That God’s people had survived despite their unfaithfulness was owing to God’s amazing plan to be carried out through Jesus. Instead the Pharisees took their ‘righteousness’ for granted, not realising they had a blood penalty to be paid.

How blessed we are today! That blood penalty has been paid, for those God has chosen to redeem. During the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” In Matthew, He says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” But can you imagine how terrible it was at the very moment of Jesus’ death? Can you imagine the size of the penalty that had to be paid?

We can easily let Jesus’ crucifixion slip into the back of our minds, but something immense was happening at that very moment. And it’s something we should never forget. Blood was spilled. And a covenant was made.

And no the story doesn’t end there. It can’t. Jesus had to rise from the dead for the covenant to be everlasting. And so He did.

The gospel’s amazing, isn’t it?

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18

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#19: February 5, 2008

Today’s reading was from Exodus 19-21. Yep. The section with the Ten Commandments in it.

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“I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

How is God jealous?

Being described as jealous doesn’t really sound like a compliment. Just checking an online dictionary confirms this intuition – God is described as “intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity”. This is somewhat true given God’s intolerance of sin. But I believe there’s a more complete definition – “vigilant in guarding something”.

God explains Himself here. “…am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” By definition, this is what God’s jealousy does – He visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children and He shows steadfast love to those who love Him.

God is guarding His possession. He’s going to punish those who fall out of line. That’s how serious He is about guarding His possession. But He’s also going to reward those who remain His possession. That’s how much He loves His possession. He’s not willing that they make gods of other things, because He knows How much more precious He is. God is not only guarding His possession, He’s first and foremost guarding His name and the glory of it.

He’s showing the Israelites how infinitely valuable He is – “I am jealous, I do not want you worshipping other gods. Because I KNOW that I’m the only one worthy of your worship. I am the Creator, not the created.” (not quoted from the Bible)

If we could begin to wrap our minds around the notion of God’s glory, grasp the value of His name, and realise how valuable we are in His sight, created in the image of God, we would be proud to have a jealous God. We would be thankful that He constantly upholds the value of His name. Not that it will become any less valuable if He did not do so, but that in doing so He places prime value on His name above everything else. We would be thankful that He constantly guards His possession, we who are redeemed, not willing to let anyone fall, helping us persevere till the day of our death.

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