I have been teaching a class on the Hebrew Scriptures. You might call them the Old Testament although they aren’t really old because most of what we read and understand in the New Testament really comes from the Old. The Lord used most of His words and thoughts from what God had given to His people Israel. Paul, the disciple to the Gentile world, based his teachings on what he had learned from the Old Testament…. of course, not binding certain obligations on the Gentiles that were given only to the Jews.
When I read where God ordained the High Priest, once a year, to offer the yearly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement it gave me thoughts of when our Savior was crucified and the cruelty of it all. Unholy men killing the only Holy Man in the whole world! Holy actually means, “set apart” and of course this was why Jesus came into the world. He was “set apart” just for this time. But how does that fit into the Temple services?
Were these unholy men, the High Priest, Caiaphas, and the others involved actually “set apart” for this work? Then I read the scriptures again (Leviticus 16). It was the High Priest, the sons of Aaron, who were ordained to offer the sacrifices. These Sadducees considered themselves the direct decedents of priestly line and therefore had the duty to offer the yearly sacrifice.
It was the duty of the High Priest himself who was ordained to offer up the most holy sacrifice….the atonement by which the nation’s sins were forgiven.
And so it was. The High Priest did offer up the perfect sacrifice. The Messiah himself was offered up by none other than the High Priest. Jesus was the perfect “lamb” given over to the Romans, to be the sacrifice, not only for Israel but for the whole world.
Our world is filled with evil, with the imperfect, and the wrong. But God causes all of these things, to work together for the good of his people The tears, the crises, the heartbreaks, the evil, and all the wrong done by evil men, will in the end, fulfill the sacred purposes and blessings God has ordained for us.
May the Lord bless us through the trials and sufferings we face in our world.
So let us live today, not by what we see, but beyond our seeing, beyond our hearing and beyond our sensing. Live the unseen….by faith.
I am certainly not a Gen Xer.. but this generation has it all wrong.
When in college a group of friends and I wanted lunch in our favorite joint, however, they refused to serve our two black friends. We told the manager, either they stay or we leave and we would tell others not to visit their restaurant. We were served!
All that being said, this was a mild protest on our part. But more is involved here than “civil rights.”
We as Christians are the strongest supporters of social justice. God is the innovator of this idea. However, many young adults have become agnostics because they share the view that God has put restrictions on humans that are unfair or unjust. I am certainly not saying that all young adults are agnostics, but many young believers have been swayed by left wing “theology”. They leave God out of the equation and make their own theology of social justice. “God loves us all, despite our sins.” Indeed He does but He also gave us restrictions on our behavior. Jesus did as well.
So now man’s views on moral behavior replace God’s view. Of course these ideas are based on what humans deem as moral. Does this remind you of our first ancestors? When the Tempter told Eve…..”You will know good from evil and you will become like God” (my paraphrase): the world went downhill from there.
When reading the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets, continually warning them of their attitudes toward others.
Micah. 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?”
God was warning the “establishment” of their corruption and their lack of morality. Yes, He did indeed set standards for human behavior, because He knows that what man desires for himself leaves the higher standards of God out of the picture. Corruption of society follows.
Christians are somehow viewed as narrow minded and bigoted. Perhaps we have given that impression ….but at least we are trying to make the world a better place. We do this by viewing God’s morality and standards above what man has decided are best for society.
So how do these young agnostics believe that they can make the world a better place? They view their own moral standards as unbiased and without judgment toward others. Certainly, they cannot achieve their “cause” by themselves, so perhaps the government should establish the principles by which we are ruled. Karl Marx and Lenin had the same idea. The result is that now the decision making process of shared morality is taken from its citizens and given over to others to set the standards by which they rule. So much for social justice. The state becomes the arbitrator of right and wrong.
A good book on this subject is “A Reason for God” by Timothy Keller. He has a congregation in New York City teeming with “unconventional” members. It’s a good read.
Although these young agnostics are well meaning…….they are misguided in their view of morality.
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Some are calling it the greatest natural catastrophe to ever hit America. It very well may be. Of course I’m writing about the “great” flood, labeled Harvey. He won’t be forgotten for many years. As I watch TV and worry about my kids living in the suburbs of Houston, I can’t help but complain to God. Why does He allow these terrible tragedies? I don’t want to read about the evils of our society, or Houston deserves this, or they are more sinful than the rest of the country. I don’t want to read blogs that tell me…..”if God is good and loves us why does He allow these tragedies? “
In the fourteenth century, during which the plague killed one third of Europeans, they asked the same questions that many are asking today. We have sinned so let’s find out what to do. Many whipped themselves, used special herbs or secluded themselves away from others. However, neither they nor we will ever solve the problems that affect all of mankind.
Don’t blame God. At Creation, the world was perfect but we all know what happened then. So why do we have to bear the punishment of Adam and Eve? Makes no sense! The good and evil suffer together. God created the elements of nature which obey certain natural laws. He allows these laws to exist. Without them, we could not live on this earth. Sometimes these laws are negative. Fires, famine, earthquakes, floods. But because we know that God’s love is always there, we can say with Paul, “All things work together for good for those who love Him,” (Romans 8:28). Easy to say, because my home isn’t flooded nor have I lost a loved one.
This is one thing we know and it brings us to making a decision in life. Again we ask this question……”Why does God allow evil and suffering to continue?” and even looking at the cross of Jesus we still don’t know the answer. But we do know that He was willing to take our sufferings upon himself at the Cross, and it is in this that we have deep consolation and strength to face the brutal realities of life.
As the prophet Habakkuk said…(3:17,18)
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet, I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Immanuel…..God with us………..even in our worst sufferings.
The news is horrible. People are filled with hate and violence. Killing each other for what they believe is a worthy cause. It isn’t just happening now. Violence has been part of the human condition since Cain killed Abel. Now we come face to face with the hate and murders while watching any news report. We have almost become desensitized to the beatings and the stone throwing.
I think of the Roman coliseums where the gladiators fought to the death and Christians were tortured. This was part of the culture of the day. Are we too facing violence and hatred with indifference?
We are living in perilous times. “Pay more attention to what we have heard (from God) so that we do not drift away.”(Hebrews 2:1) The Bible warns us about this very thing. Then as now we forget where we are “anchored.” Drifting away can occur slowly. Perhaps some disappointment or tragedy in our life has “cut the anchor” of our faith.
C.S. Lewis once wrote. “The safest road to hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot without sudden turning, without milestones, without signpost. “ I might add that our indifference to violence leads us down the same path.
Spiritual danger is just as real as physical danger. It just isn’t as easily seen. The danger today is “go with the flow,” to become numb, to drift away and to die inside to the tragedies surrounding us.. We need to awaken to the truth of reality. God is still in control. He will call for the judgment of all mankind. He will be returning again. There will be a day of reckoning. There are blessings and curses throughout the scriptures.
Each day we must reaffirm our commitment. When Jesus asked the lawyer “What is the greatest commandment?” the lawyer answered him….. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”And he(Jesus) said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:27-28}
Loving one’s neighbor is not just an afterthought…but a commandment. Difficult? Yes! Impossible? No! Jesus never asked for the impossible from his disciples, and no more from us.
“And may the love of the Lord be upon you, even as you put your hope in Him. (Ps. 33:22)
People today use the expression “having a good eye “ as being smart at picking out something…..whether it be clothes, matching colors or perhaps something small and insignificant that had escaped the notice of others. I consider myself having a good eye for bargains……I go shopping and compare prices. I haven’t always been successful however. Sometimes my “bargain” turned out to be a bummer!
Yeshua said that “the eye is the lamp of the body” (Matthew 6:22) He explained, “If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” I don’t believe he was using this expression in the same way that we think of having a “good eye”. Well, what did he mean? Can you tell if a person is spiritually healthy by the light in their eyes? Not quite.
Not being familiar with many ancient Hebrew expressions we probably would come to the conclusion that Yeshua was speaking only about the spiritual aspects of an eye that is “good” (spiritually) or an eye that is “bad” (sinful). But there is more to this expression than we imagine.
Although at times the expression could be physical or spiritual. In this case, Jeshua was invoking an old Hebrew idiom for stinginess and greed. The Bible and rabbinic literature describe a miserly person as man with a “bad eye”. In other words the term “bad eye” meant selfishness or greed, while the “good eye” meant being generous and giving.
“Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire his dainty meats. (Proverbs 23:6)
“He that wants to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” Proverbs 28:22)
The sages described a charitable person as a man with a good eye. Yeshua also used the good-eye/bad-eye terminology metaphorically to speak about spiritual blindness. If a person is generous and charitable, he has a good eye. If the “lamp” of his body functions well, filling his body with light, then he has spiritual insight. If the person has a bad eye, meaning he is greedy and selfish, the lamp of his body is not functioning well, and his whole body is filled with darkness—which is to say he is spiritually blind.
So what about our eyes? Do you have that “good” eye?
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
I certainly can sympathize with those who feel stress in their lives. When I encountered the first major move in my life, I went to the Dr for some “helper” pills. He told me there are three major changes in one’s life that causes extreme stress: the death of a loved one; an unhappy marriage which leads to divorce; and a major move of location…. especially for older people. I fit into the last category.
“Why are you so anxious? Take a lesson from the wildflowers. They neither toil nor spin, yet even Solomon in all his royal glory was not arrayed like one of these. If your Heavenly Father gives such attention to the flowers, surely He will attend to you also.” (Matt. 6:28-30)
When I dwell on these words I realize that Jesus was speaking to those who also had stress in their lives. It is part of the human condition. Sickness, death, anxiety, depression, crushed hopes and ideals……they are with us still. Anyone who says they don’t experience these are either lying to themselves or they have set themselves apart from the real world in which we live.
Jesus never told us that we would be without fear and trembling in our lives but at the same time He gave us hope. For God is eternal and powerful. He is here now….in this world and also in the world to come.
“He is our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1) Do you believe that? If so, then you and I need to hold those words close to our hearts.
The bloom of every flower (that’s us) has a purpose. We are here to be of service to others. We are called to discipleship. That being said, perhaps our anxiety and stress might lead us to helping others who face similar challenges in life. Perhaps we should view these as gifts rather than problems!
I simply hate my anxiety or even my small panic attacks, as anything other than a burden in my life. A psychiatrist listens to your story and then prescribes the appropriate pills, but it takes someone like me and you who offer understanding and comfort.
That what God does for us.
His eye is on the sparrow and every flower in the field. We can say “yes” to the life He has given to us. We take our anxieties and depression to Him. Here might be the greater meaning of our “baptism” as we become “immersed” in God’s care for our lives.
So take a deep breath. God’s love is with you always.
It is all over the news media. Rioting in the universities and colleges. Designated speakers shouted down or booed when trying to address classes in the schools. Kids taking days off to make a protest. Smashing windows or blocking entrances to buildings. Just making noises about anything that is not to their liking or way of thinking or perhaps just being malcontents in general. So is this just happening now? Well think again.
The Israelites complained the whole trip through the desert even with God’s provision for them.
The Bible says, “Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord.” (Numbers 11:1).
God is slow to anger……….usually, however, complaining can incite His swift wrath. The book of Numbers contains several stories of the people’s discontent in the wilderness. In each story as they complain about something, God punishes them.
Humans are prone to complaining. We don’t seem to be happy unless complaining about something or other or when things don’t meet with our approval. We are all malcontents.
Everyday our lives are full of both the good things and the things we don’t particularly like or enjoy. We are critical of other people or what is happening in our lives. I complain to God just like everyone else.
You and I are not alone. David in his psalms complained to God. “Why is this happening to me?” Most of the prophets complained also. However, they knew God was in control and they were committed to doing His will, whatever and however, He would work it out…. in His own good time and in His own good way.
So what’s the antidote to this mindset of complaining? It’s the Big G!
We must find gratitude in life. If we focus on the good and positive things that God has given us and to thank God for His blessings that come our way, then our lives somehow will be transformed.
Do we thank him only for the good things? Paul says to be thankful for all things, “for this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Yeshua.” (1 Thess. 5:18)
How is that possible? We live in an evil and fallen world. But there is hope………!!!
Jesus said, “I havetold you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.” (John 3:16)
I am not a scientist. I love looking at the stars and I can even name a few of the galaxies. However, when I visit observatories and the curator talks about light years in scientific jargon, I’m lost. However, I can look through the telescope and view the wonders of the night sky. Not in terms of science but focusing on the beauty of God’s creation.
Poor Galileo Galilei …better known as simply Galileo. He faced hostile inquisitors who opposed his astronomical discoveries. He was indeed a scientist ahead of his peers and an anathema to the thinking of the church. He claimed that the earth moves around the sun while the sun stays stationary. This disagreement came about by a misreading of Psalm 93:1.
“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty’ the Lord is clothed. He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.”
This verse allegedly clashed with Galileo’s analysis of our solar system. His telescope measurements of the movements in the heavens proved that earth orbited the “stationary” sun not vice versa. However, the Church at that time disagreed with his astronomical analysis……..claiming the opposite was true, based on the their reading of the Psalm.
All of this came about because of not knowing the real meaning of the words, ”cannot be moved.” In the original Hebrew the real meaning was that the Earth cannot be yanked away or pulled off course from its divinely established program of movement. This Psalm states that the earth is established forever and cannot be moved. Quite a difference in interpretation, right?
So what does this tell us now?
First….Don’t trust that your Bible has the correct translation of the Hebrew words. The modern versions are often times far removed from the original intent of scripture. If possible compare versions.
Second….. Beware of all science that doesn’t include a Divine Creator at the center of real science. Many so-called scientists today, although claiming to include God in creation, prefer science over Scripture. Making the assumption that the Bible is not to be trusted in matters of science will always lead to error.
Pity poor Galileo. If only he knew about the work of Isaac Newton, and had a good translation of the Bible he could have seen the descriptions of God’s choreographed heavens are confirmed and not opposed……by true science.
It’s almost tax time! What a dreaded chore this has become. In the New Testament, sinners and tax collectors were grouped together. As much as we dislike paying taxes, we don’t call the IRS workers, sinners, do we? After all, it’s their job. However, in the days of the Roman Empire, taxes were part of Pax Romana, “keeping peace” Roman style, and they needed a large army to do it!
The Romans used men from their conquered territories to do the collecting for them and if these collectors could get a little more than was required, then they could keep it for themselves. This was not a good way to make friends! We know that Matthew was a tax collector and was willing to leave that life in order to become a disciple of Jesus. Little Zacheus who climbed the tree to see Jesus, was also a tax collector. However, he claimed that he never defrauded anyone and gave alms to the poor. Still these men were considered to be sinners by the “Establishment.” Collecting money for these pagan conquerors just didn’t set well with those who considered themselves faithful to the commandments of God. They would not associate themselves with any Jew who was at all “questionable” in his occupation or association with others.
When the Torah scholars and Pharisees saw Jesus (Jeshua) with the “tax collectors and sinners” He was guilty by association.. His behavior puzzled them. He claimed to be a prophet sent by God but rather than rebuking these sinners, He rebuked them!
Yeshua always seemed to aim sharp criticism at the religious and the faithful while at the same time generously offering warmth, acceptance, and gentle teaching to the irreligious and lawless of society. He seemed to take delight in denouncing those who wanted to live their lives according to God’s commandments while sympathizing with those who lived in rebellion to God. He was a friend to these tax collectors, fallen women and sinners…that is to say the secular Jews of his day.
The Master explained that He had business with these undesirable people in the same way that a doctor has business with sick people. He told them “it is not those who are well who need a physician but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance.”(Luke 5: 31-32)
So what is the Lord telling them? He is simply saying that because they know the Torah of God and the righteousness of the commandments that He holds them to a much higher standard than those who are secular. He was quick to point out hypocrisy and pretense. He did not level his criticism as a rejection of the “religious”, rather, He sought to bring correction in their thinking.
He did little to rebuke those among His listeners who were not religious. They stood outside of the commandments and had never been interested in the Torah or the idea of what a sinner really was. He wanted to bring them into the kingdom before holding them up to the standards set by God. The Pharisees and scribes interpreted this behavior as hostility toward themselves for wanting to keep the commandments perfectly. “He (Jesus)hangs out with bad company”
To better explain the two different approaches, the Master told a series of three thematically linked parables…..the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son. These three parables describe His goals, and illustrate the reason for His friendship with sinners. His focus on the sinner and the secular did not imply an endorsement of sin or secularism, nor did His strict manner with the scribes imply a rejection of piety. The three parables communicate the heart of his mission…..calling the lost sheep to repentance!
As His disciples, we too must live by the principles that the Lord sets before us.
All this week our Jewish friends will be celebrating the festival of Purim. In my last blog I wrote about Queen Esther saving her people from destruction. All was going well for the Jews living in Persia until Haman, the truly wicked villain in the story, wants to destroy God’s people who lived in that part of the world.
I also wrote that Haman was an Amalekite. He was called “Haman the Agagite”. ( Esther 3:1, 10, 8:3 5, 9:24). This was one bad dude. We need to do a little research to understand why I believe that this evil character and his ancestors in Esther are forerunners of Isis that we know today.
Going back to 1 Sam 15, we read that Saul was given the assignment to wipe out all of the Amalekites. Agag, was their king and instead of killing him Saul brought him home as a trophy! Samuel later had to do the job. However, not all of these wicked people were destroyed. Haman was related to this king Agag…….hence his name.
In Deuteronomy 25:19 there is a command to “blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” It turns out these people were descendents of Esau’s son’s concubine. (Gen 36:12). So what did the Amalekites do that was so bad that they deserved to completely wiped out?
And Moses built an altar…..”the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Ex 17:15-16) These were the same people that Joshua and the Israelites defeated in battle……by holding up Moses hand.
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt…your shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Deut. 25:17-19)
These Amalekites first attacked Israel not on the battlefield but ambushed them as they were traveling. Additionally they struck down not the warriors and soldiers but these who were weak, sick and elderly who were traveling at the back of the pack. These were not the tactics of an army that sought to win a battle or a war but the merciless strategy of an enemy that desired to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth. Amalek put themselves in direct opposition to the Jewish people and cursed the God of Israel. Therefore the name of Haman is an anathema to the Jewish people and his living ancestors to this day who also desire to wipe out God’s chosen people as well as the God of Israel.
Therefore the correlation between Isis and the Amalakites is very clear. However, God in his own time will indeed destroy those who want to destroy both Israel and her allies.
Now we eagerly await the return of the Lord who will bring all things under His feet and defeat the enemies of His people.
AbideLines 