God "might" do something? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 33:3,

"Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way."

The Lord told Israel to leave Mt. Sinai and go to the promised land, the land he promised "on oath" to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. he told them he would send an angel ahead of them to drive out the current inhabitants, but he would not accompany them himself. He told them that since they were "a stiff-necked people" he might destroy them on the way were he to accompany them. I note later, in verse 14, that God tells Moses, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

I can't think of a clearer passage of Scripture that points to the reality that far from being some kind of a fixed "moral principle", God is a person - a real person - the ultimate person. While he himself never changes and is at all times consistent and faithful to his word, he responds in real time to the thoughts and actions of others. Here in this passage he tells Moses it is best some "distance" be placed between himself and Israel, given Israel's hardheartedness. Since God actually exists beyond the dimensions of time and space, the distance here must be construed in terms not commonly thought of.

We know that since God exists beyond the dimension of time, he also is aware of all that will happen ahead of time. However, to make exceeding clear to us in the Scriptures of his interaction with us, he tells Israel what "might happen" given the condition of their hearts and the choices they may make. We see God as a "real" person acting in a "real" way in regard to the circumstance of the potential choices of Israel. This is not a picture of God functioning in a fixed, manufactured, and predetermined way as though he were manipulating Israel as marionettes on strings. The operational word which drives my thoughts this morning is how the term "might" is used here, "I might…".

I think at times we develop in the back of our minds some assumptions of God which may not accurately depict who and how he is. Thankfully, the Scriptures can relieve us of our misconceptions of God and this passage does exactly that. In our concept of the sovereignty of God, or God's "sovereign will" passages such as this need be accounted for. I always need to remind myself that when I enter into the sacred pages of Scripture, I always need to leave my preconceived theology at the door.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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God responds! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 32:10,

"Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

Here God tells Moses to back away because he is going to lay waste the Israelites and replace them with Moses' own offspring. How shallow the commitment and faithfulness of Israel! Israel is but a sample of all mankind and so it must be recognized that all mankind is corrupt and unable to remain true to God. Israel is here showing just how weak and unreliable sinful mankind is. Israel just entered into a covenant with God, and Moses' absence for forty days and nights on Mt. Sinai was all that was needed for this pitiful display of a lack of faithfulness. In Moses absence, the Israelites convinced Aaron, Moses' brother, to create a golden idol of a calf to worship.

In an amazing exchange between God and Moses, one that many people's theology today will simply not allow for, Moses reasons with God and God relents!

God can be approached! God can be reasoned with! God can be persuaded! God responds in real time and space! We are told in verse 14, "Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." And, this at Moses' reasoning with God! Here I find one of the greatest of reasons to be faithful in prayer, to bring our cares and concerns before the Lord to seek his help, to seek what we need, to seek what we desire.

What I don't see in this event is that God has everything already pre-scripted and then orchestrates things according to a fixed set of circumstances he has determined ahead of time. The account simply will not support that line of thinking. What I do see is that God interacted with Moses, listened to what he had to say, and our all-powerful and all-knowing God responded to what Moses said. I think this is one of the many possible reasons the account is provided us in this way.

In the Qur'an, Mohammed used this account in his anti-Semitic rants against Israel. And, certainly, if the Bible is a contrived set of writings produced for the purpose of elites to control the "little people", as many atheists "believe", this is one account that would certainly not have been included.

There is much to learn and consider about God and our interaction with him in this passage!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A transfer of holiness - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 30:29,

"You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy."

The Lord provided direction to Moses and the Israelites regarding the recipe for anointing oil and its use. This oil was to be used to anoint and consecrate the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant, the table for the tabernacle and its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and its utensils, and the basin with its stand.

Following this direction, an interesting comment is made by the Lord. He says anything that touches these consecrated items "will be holy." A transfer of holiness! One thing made holy from another!

I'm not certain of the ramifications of this. For instance, I don't know if these newly made-holy things that might touch the consecrated things might be considered "devoted to the Lord" and subsequently destroyed or what.

However, I can't help but think of this transference of holiness. One thing making another holy. Something holy, of course, is something that is acceptable to God, something to be considered good, righteous and sacred, something set apart for God.

I am reminded that people are made holy, with the very attributes I just mentioned. Paul calls the believers in Corinth (as well as at other churches and so all believers) as being sanctified and "called to be his [Jesus Christ's] holy people." 1 Corinthians 1:2. Believers are told they are made holy by God in order to present them to himself as holy, "But now he [God] has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation..." Colossians 1:22.

We are told very specifically how people are made holy, "By that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:10.

Through the consecration of the tabernacle objects, things were made holy if they touched them. Just as these things were made holy, people are made holy through a transference as well. If we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, the sacrifice of his body will make us holy!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God meets with man! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 29:42-43,

"For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory."

After providing directions to Moses about the construction of the tabernacle, the altar, the priestly garments, the consecration of the priests, and the daily burnt offerings, the Lord tells Moses he will meet with him at the entrance to the tent of meeting and speak with him. He will also meet with the Israelites. The place will be consecrated by God's glory.

Here we see God establishing what will be required for him to meet with mankind. Sinful, rebellious mankind who has given himself over to a sinful nature that dominates him since his decision to turn from God in the garden of Eden. It really is quite remarkable that God makes provision that he might interact with estranged mankind.

Why would he do such a thing? Why would our transcendent God stoop so low as to communicate with man? Our Creator exists in the pristine environment of his many-splendored perfections, an immense and massive radiance of his glory of brilliance, and yet, he reaches out to lowly mankind. Why would he do such a thing?

As we read on in our Bibles we find that his interest in mankind, his love for mankind, is as vast as it is incomprehensible. He himself will send the Son of his love to come and die a miserable death to pay the penalty for our sins, providing his own justice with what is required that he might welcome us into his family, to give us a place at his table, to provide us a share in the inheritance he as for his Son, Jesus Christ!

Astonishing to think of!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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Light at the tabernacle - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 27:21,

"In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come."

In the planning of construction for the tabernacle, its courtyard, furnishings and so forth, the Lord prescribed the use of lamps to be kept burning from evening till morning. The place of the Lord was to be kept lighted at all times.

This speaks to me of the reality that with the Lord there is no darkness, no shadow. In John 8:12 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This light was foretold in Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."

With the lamps of the Lord burning at the tabernacle all night, it served as a reminder of the presence of the Lord in the place he had chosen for himself among his people Israel. This light spoke of the radiance of his presence as seen on the mount of transfiguration, when Jesus displayed his glory to Peter, James and John, "As he [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning." Luke 9:29.

When Jesus was asked by his disciples about coming things, he told them his day would be marked by light, "For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." Luke 17:24. 

The lamps at the tabernacle speak to me of these things. The radiance of God's glory was to be prefigured in light that was to be continually present in the tabernacle - a place with no darkness, a place with no shadow. It also prefigured the coming of light into the world, "In him [Jesus Christ] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it..." John 1:4-5.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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Here is exactly how to baptize a convert - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 26:1-6,

"Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker. All the curtains are to be the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit."

I'll get to the "how to baptize a convert" part in a few here...

Note the specificity in the first six verses regarding the construction of the tabernacle Moses was to build. These specifications were provided by God himself. The whole twenty-sixth chapter is all about specifications on how to build the tabernacle... exactly how God wanted it done.

Again, note the specificity! Read the entire chapter to get a feel for it! God can be very specific when he desires to do so. Reading our Bibles well helps us understand the nature of God and how he expresses himself. Here is a clear example of just such a thing.

So what? Of what importance is this observation? Very important when we find ourselves involved in some kind of disagreement over the things of God. Baptism comes to mind here. Ever listen to a couple of people argue over "how" someone is to be baptized? What do they argue with? Out come the Bible dictionaries and concordances, the definitions of words in the Greek are pointed to, the etymological hairs are split finely, appeals are made to the big boys in church history as well as contemporary "experts", etc.

Just one problem: where do I turn to in my Bible to see where God tells me exactly how to baptize a new convert? Why is there no passage that specifies exactly how we are to do it with the kind of specificity that is argued about, let alone the kind of specificity provided for something like the tabernacle construction?

Do I expect God to be specific if it is important to him? He certainly seems to communicate that with the construction of the temple. How about the specificity God provided in the consecration of the priest? Note Exodus 29:4-9, "Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons."

Look at the further direction on the consecration of the priest provided in Exodus 29:19-21, "Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.Then splash blood against the sides of the altar. And take some blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments."

I note in Exodus 29 that God can be very specific when he wants things done in a certain way.

When it comes to baptism, and we find no direction anywhere in the Scriptures on how it is to be done with the specificity that is argued over, why do we argue over it? Why have we seen church splits, new denominations formed, people castigated and reviled over "how it is to be done" when God has not seen fit to be specific? Why is it that the faith of some is questioned over these kinds of issues?

I have heard of people arguing over the lack of validity of a someone's baptism because they grabbed the side of the tank, so they were not completely and entirely immersed - the hand was left out! (I know the church where this took place). Is this appropriate? I have witnessed firsthand the anger, hostility and even rage over the failure of someone not endorsing some particular mode or procedure or even the liturgy used in baptism.

Might it be that we find ourselves running off the rails when we attempt to infuse into our doctrine things the Lord never addressed? Might we find ourselves running off the rails when we argue, fight, split, break fellowship over things the Lord never addressed (not baptism itself, but the ways to do it)? I myself firmly believe the best method of baptism is full immersion, but should I castigate others who do it somewhat differently?

The Lord has no problem being specific when he wants things done in a specific way. For us to become so hostile toward one another over things he has not been specific about does not seem so appropriate. How quick we are to charge the other person of not being fully committed to the things of God when the Scriptures are silent! How quick we are to challenge one another with not being sufficiently true to the Scriptures, when it is not the Scriptures that are being argued over.

Other issues in the church come to mind as well. Certainly you will disagree with me on some of these... but here are some things I cannot find God being specific in how we are to specifically do them: communion and frequency of the observation, liturgy used in services, how those services are to be structured, music, what instruments, what music style, type of "church government", its structure, its officers, etc. All these things get argued over and many more as well that I am sure you can add.

I simply think it is prudent to note that God can be very specific when he wants things done in a certain way. It may behoove us to note when God is not so specific, maybe we should not be so insistent on how we do those things. Perhaps if we were more focused on participating with God in the building his kingdom we would not find ourselves embroiled in such things.

In the words of Paul, we are to accept one another, "...without quarreling over disputable matters." Romans 14:1.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God's intent with Moses and Israel on Mt. Sinai. - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 24:3,

"When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, 'Everything the Lord has said we will do.'"

Famous last words! The Lord brought Israel to the foot of Mt. Sinai, gave them laws to live by and promised them a land of their own, "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you." Exodus 23:31. Israel considered the offer and wholeheartedly entered into a covenant, or agreement with God. In verse 24:7 we read, "Then he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.'"

The Lord offered to enter into an agreement with Israel. Here is a question, did the Lord need to make an agreement with the Israelites to find out if they would keep it?

Some fail to understand that our Creator exists outside the dimension of time. Of course God knew they would not keep their part of the bargain. The fact that God knew ahead of time has nothing to do with him causing them to fail to keep their word. From his existence outside the boundaries of time and space, he knows all things. He does not have to cause things to happen to know the future, he simply looks. A big problem for some who simply cannot grasp the reality of God not being bound within the dimensions of time and space.

Yes, God knew ahead of time Israel would not keep their end of the covenant. And, his knowing ahead of time does not exonerate the Israelites. Subject to the whims of their collective sinful nature, Israel turned their back on God in rebellion to chase whatever fancies their sinful nature dictated. God didn't cause the Israelites to disobey, they chose to do so with a volition their Creator himself gave them.

So, why does God place before man (it is not just Israel, it is all mankind) laws that he knows ahead of time they will not keep? Is it to keep them from doing wrong, is it to make them behave? Hardly. Mankind, in his sinful rebellion inherited from the fall in the garden of Eden, will never be able to live their lives pleasing to God on their own. It is just this very perplexing state of things that drives mankind to the feet of God's mercy. It is this very state of things that drives mankind to recognize their need of a savior. It is this very state of things that prompts mankind to call out to God and reach out to him. Paul, using himself as an example, portrays this very thing in Romans 7:14-25. Before encountering Jesus Christ, in his very best efforts of attempting to keep the law God has given, he is driven in desperation to cry out, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?"

It is only when those who desire God recognize the need we have for his mercy that we will reach out to be saved.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Social justice versus God's justice - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 23:2-3,

"When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit."

In the language of the day and consistent with the "cultural rot" that is eroding our society, the concept of "social justice"  is predicated upon the previously "disadvantaged" getting their "fair share": what they perceive is due them due to their relative deprivation compared with others. Since others have gotten wealth to some extent and they have not, since others have gained some advantage or "privilege" they have not, they are now due some form of reparation, some form of compensation, some form of upper-hand, "social justice." It is derived from the political stream of communism.

Never mind the hard work of others. Never mind the self-denial and investment others may have made to get ahead, to get what they have gotten - simply based on the outcomes, some feel they are due. They may have spent a lifetime of alcohol or drugs, they may have spent a lifetime of demanding their pleasures be fulfilled everyday, they may have spent a lifetime of listless laziness, they may have spent a lifetime of living their lives in contrast to the wise choices presented us in Scripture, but nonetheless, they feel they are due and commensurate with "social justice", society (you and me), are to pay what is due them.

While there certainly are folks who are poor, who are disadvantaged through no legitimate fault of their own, these should be cared for by the rest of us. I have never met anyone who felt otherwise and I'll be you haven't either. Certainly the church has been given direction to do so as its expression of love in a world that pushes others aside.

However, today we have many half-wits in the church who appear to be unable to distinguish wisely what the Scriptures have to say in regard to caring for the poor and disadvantaged. Adopting both the language and the viewpoint of the world in opposition to God, they have bought into the concept of "social justice" hook, line and sinker.

Here in this passage, God provides Israel a guideline regarding the perversion of true justice in favor of an expression of what will become today's notion of "social justice." Today's "social justice" is not justice at all. Real justice requires the expectations of God be implemented in the courtroom and the public square. It requires the equal treatment of all. Affirmative action programs, the confiscation of the wealth through taxation (or any other means) of some to transfer it to others, the unequal treatment of one group over another for any reason are all issues impacted here.

Here are a couple of other references that speak to the issue from God's perspective: 

"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives." 1 Timothy 5:3-6. Here, the church is instructed to only care for helpless widows based on certain conditions and not simply because she is going without (as "social justice" would require.)

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.' We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good." Social justice demands we not "judge" others for why they may be "going without". Simply "going without" is grounds enough for compensation from others who have worked hard and "played by the rules".

I have not found much of anything fomenting in our pop culture today that Scripture does not speak to, or at least provide direction on. Most of what comes to the fore in the public square today is regressive anyway. A reality found by those willing to spend time in the Scriptures. Most all of it is "been there, done that" and addressed in the pages of our Bibles.

To be on cutting edge of what takes place in our society, all anyone needs do is to pick up their Bible and avail themselves of what it is the Lord has provided us. The notion our Bibles are archaic, out-dated and out of touch with the things of the day is a thought only someone ignorant of its contents can adhere to.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Why care what God told Moses? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 21:35-36,

"If anyone's bull injures someone else's bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange."

When the Lord met with Moses and gave him the law Israel was to live by, we find very practical matters addressed. Here, in the instance of an owner's bull causing damage, the resolution for justice is outlined. These practical laws were designed to provide for the community to live and function together. It provided a means for peaceful coexistence among God's people and we see very practical and real-life issues addressed. One wonders if many of the things addressed by the Lord on the mountain were issues brought to Moses for adjudication as he performed his judicial activities for the Israelites as depicted in chapter 18.

The law actually brought two different needed outcomes. The first we see in this chapter, a groundwork that allowed for the community of Israel to live and function within well-ordered and well-defined guidelines that could provide for a healthy functioning society. Another, and wholly different needed outcome, was to demonstrate to the Israelites, and through them to the world, our need of the Savior.

Much of the morally oriented aspects of the law were designed with that specific purpose in mind. As an example Jesus used the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14. He said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28. This proper understanding of the law and its intent renders all mankind culpable before our Creator as guilty and rightfully due his justice at the end of the age.

The point of the conviction the law provides was and is to demonstrate we have an eternally life-threatening need to cast ourselves at the mercy of God's provision today for those wanting to find forgiveness of their sins. All who die in their sins, who have rejected God's offer of mercy through the sacrifice Jesus made of himself on that cross will suffer eternal death. Those who embrace the Lord in faith and respond to his offer of mercy will inherit eternal life, eternal pleasures at the right hand of God, Psalm 16:11.

Paul speaks of this purpose of the law in several places. In recounting his own spiritual journey, Paul said, "I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law." In Romans 3:20 we read, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."

It is only when we recognize our sin do we recognize our need for the Savior. How wonderful God has made things so clear for all who take interest in their eternal destiny!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Trembling before the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 20:18-19,

"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.'"

We all have our own perspectives of what God is like, how we might find him to be if and when we come into his presence. Of course, following this life, we know we shall all appear before him. In Romans 14:10-11 we read, "We will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: '"As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God."'"

There have been those, however, who have had contact with God in this life. Moses was one of those. All Israel, save Moses, stayed at the foot of Mt. Sinai when Moses when up the mountain to meet with the Lord when he received the law from him. Although they kept their distance from God, they nevertheless "trembled with fear" as the Lord made his presence within their vicinity.

Something about the Lord's presence is frightening, terrifying. Surely a part of that response is due to a certain felt "difference" an "otherliness" when sinful man has an encounter of any proximity with the pristine moral purity, clarity and perfection of God's nature. Isaiah felt that very thing when he was commissioned by the Lord to be his prophet. As a reaction to his vision of the Lord, Isaiah exclaimed, "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'" Isaiah 6:5.

I am quite certain I would find myself terrified were I to come into the Lord's presence in one fashion or another in this life. However, because of Jesus Christ, and what he has done for us, I have a confidence I could not know any other way. In a wonderful passage from the writer of Hebrews, we have great encouragement in this regard, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, 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 empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's 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.

Following this life, as referenced above in Romans 14:10-11, when we stand before God, there will be great cause for celebration. In Jude 24-25 we read, "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!"

Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith will stand before the Judge in great joy! In confidence of the credentials we hold, the standing of God's own Son with the Father that is ours, it can only lead to this great joy! No trembling in fear - only a loving embrace from our Creator who has given us the greatest riches anyone can have: the righteousness of Jesus Christ himself!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God's chosen people: the Israelites - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 19:5-6,

"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

This is what the Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites as they made camp at Mt. Sinai. What an opportunity for the nation of Israel! However... it was an opportunity squandered by them. Although offered to Israel, and despite her embrace of the offer, verse 8, Israel did not wait long to both break their commitment they made to God as well as turn their backs on him. The sad sight of the golden calf they turned to worship is coming shortly.

Although Israel was offered a very special place in God's world, they failed at their commitment to fulfill it. If anyone has a desire to point the finger at Israel's failure, they only need to look within themselves to discover both why Israel failed and that they would as well: that indwelling sinful nature we all harbor.

Nonetheless, despite Israel's failure to fulfill the role offered them by the Lord, they remained God's chosen people as God used Israel to accomplish many of the things he did. Why Israel? Abraham's faith. Abraham believed in the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness, Genesis 15:6. As a result, God blessed Abraham with not only a standing of righteousness with him, he also promised some earthy blessings to both Abraham as well as his offspring. These would find their fulfillment in Israel's use by God as he unfolded his plan of redemption for all mankind over the centuries.

Paul points to some of the ways the Lord utilized Israel, "Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:4-5.

In that same letter we learn that God is not done with Israel yet. In Romans 11:11-12 we read, "Again I ask: Did they [the Israelites] stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!" And, in a few verses later, Paul tells us what the eventual outcome will be in a mystery he reveals, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved." Romans 11:25-26.

It is this very choice of God of Israel, as his chosen nation, that has energized and emboldened the antagonism and incomprehensible anti-Semitic hatred of Israel by so many, over the years to today. It is seen in the conflicts in the Mideast today, it is seen at the United Nations, it is seen throughout Europe, it was seen in the Holocaust, it is seen in what animates communists, Progressives, the "global-community", the anti-colonial movement, etc. It is seen in a cursory reading of the Qur'an and so many other places.

Why this incomprehensible hatred of Jews, of Israel? It is the very same cause as the hatred the church bears in the world today. It finds its origin in the conflict that takes place in the spiritual realm. The bottom line is that all the malevolent forces of darkness in the spiritual realm, as well as their counterparts in the world today, seek to destroy what God does in the world. God is building his kingdom and as soon as that effort is complete, we read in Revelation that Satan and those who are his will finally receive their due at the hand of God's justice. Any opposition to God building his kingdom will prolong that eventuality.

If I were facing what Satan and those who are his face, I'd attempt to prolong my time before the punishment coming my way… wouldn't you? The best way for the forces of darkness to carry that out is to oppose God's purposes for this life, the building of his kingdom. Hence, opposition to Israel, opposition to the church, opposition to the gospel message, opposition to all the things of God, even minor things like a public Christmas display, or the commencement speech of a Christian at a college, the mindless "scrubbing" of everything Christian from the public square, etc.

A lot of speculation here, but nonetheless, we find in the Scriptures that Israel was chosen of God, and although they did not fulfill all that might have been theirs, they have been used by God for his purposes in building his kingdom. And... God is not done with them yet!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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The account of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law. - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 18:5,

"Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God."

This chapter about Jethro appears as something of an interlude in the account of Israel's deliverance from slavery in Egypt just prior to Moses' meeting with the Lord on Mt. Sinai. It is something of a fascinating account to me by virtue of its turn to things of a very practical nature for Moses. Moses had already sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, back to Zipporah's father, Jethro. Jethro now returns with Zipporah and the two boys and we are provided the account of Moses telling Jethro the story of things that have happened since seeing him last, "Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them." Verse 8.

The inclusion of Jethro's response, his praise of the Lord, verse 10, and the subsequent offering by Jethro, the feast, and Jethro's practical advice on distributing the responsibilities of judging among the people all seem to be a bit of a departure from the overall account Exodus has provided so far. It is something of a refreshing account that adds the element of human historical reality to the material in Exodus.

As I think of how Peter tells us Scripture was produced, that the prophets, the writers of it, spoke, wrote as they were "carried along by the Holy Spirit", 2 Peter 1:21, I recognize it is material the Lord determined we have. Obviously, the Scriptures  provide us with only certain details in its accounts of things, while leaving others out. (For instance, we have no idea what was happening with Zipporah and the boys during her father's visit with Moses.) But, we have what has been provided, and since it is the Holy Spirit who has decided what is included within the Scriptural accounts, this is here intentionally by him.

I suppose what strikes me this morning about this passage is the reality that the Holy Spirit has selected this very practical, and in a sense, somewhat personal, material for a reason. The impact it has on me is that it provides the historical account of the book of Exodus with material that reminds me the things I am reading about took place in real time and space and was attended to by all of the things we might expect of a true account in a human setting. It has the effect of authenticating (not that it needs it) the reliability of the other accounts I read of.

Just musing here. How does this chapter strike you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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Water, military victory and faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 17:1-2a,

"The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, 'Give us water to drink.'"

I'm a slow learner. Often I have to be told things, shown things, more than once before I get a clue. It appears the Israelites had a similar handicap. Just as with the manna and quail, the Israelites grew unhappy with Moses and the Lord for not providing water. In fact, they were ready to stone poor old Moses, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." Verse 4.

Also, just as with the manna and quail, the Lord knew they needed water, just as they did the food. It wasn't, however, until after they worked themselves into a lynch mob that they approached Moses and asked (had Moses ask) the Lord. Apparently the Israelites assumed everything would be provided them without any outward expression of their need of and reliance upon the Lord.

Anyone who embraces the Lord in faith must manifest in some way their need of and reliance upon the Lord. Once the Israelites did, the Lord provided the water. Later in the chapter, when the Amalekites attacked Israel at the same place, Rephidim, as long as Moses held up his hands, the Lord provided them the upper hand in the fight. When Moses dropped his hands the Israelites started losing to the Amalekites. Israel was entirely dependent upon the Lord. As long as they expressed this, and in doing so, expressing their faith, the Lord provided.

Now that the Israelites were freed from their enslavement in Egypt, they became enrolled into God's practical seminar on faith. A seminar we all are enrolled in when the Lord frees us from our own enslavement to sin. He wants us all strong in faith.

How far have you gotten in God's seminar on faith?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Manna and faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 16:2-3,

"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand
in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we
wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this
entire assembly to death."

This thirteenth chapter of Exodus, which includes the account of the
quail and manna, is all about faith. The faith of the Israelites. Here
we see them complaining of their hunger. Maybe it would have been
better to be kept enslaved and enjoy the food they had in Egypt?

From one perspective, it is quite astonishing. This very same people
watched the Lord miraculously annihilate one of the greatest military
machines on the planet: the Egyptian army on their behalf and now they
are griping that the Lord brought them out to the desert just to see
them die of starvation.

Could not he who parted the Red Sea, led his people through it as if
on dry ground, and then entirely destroyed the advancing enemy that
threatened them, the Egyptian army, provide some meals-on-wheels for
them? Clearly, this is a faith building exercise.

I note that it was not until they asked God for food that the Lord
sent it. Surely God knew they would need food and water while in the
desert, but apparently decided to wait for them to ask for it. Sending
it when they complained would make it clear where it came from.

The Israelite's complaint of having no food manifests the lack of
faith of this community. There would be many opportunities for
faith-building exercises for the nation while on pilgrimage through
the desert, and this is surely one of those events.

Of course, I ask myself, what difficulty, what trial is the Lord
utilizing in my life today to build the faith he desires to see in me?
What difficult circumstances am I finding myself in that I might
naturally attribute to some nefarious origin, really be from God to
build my faith? I recall what Paul said, "We know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

What I count as something bad or destructive in my life just may be
the very thing God is using to build and shape me into what he desires
for me.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Moses victory song: what it tells me about the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 15:11,

"Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"

These rhetorical questions in Moses' victory song are expressions of the wonder and awe Moses held the Lord in. Obviously, there are no other "gods" (other than the lifeless idols invented by the godless) so there is simply no one, nothing to compare the Lord with. The second question points to both God's character and nature, as well as his works of wonder. Nothing can approach the holiness of the Lord, nothing approaches his awesome glory, nothing - no one - works the wonderful works of the Lord. He stands alone.

There are a number of wonderful observations Moses makes of the Lord in his song:

The Lord is "highly exalted", verse 1.

The Lord is Moses' strength and his defense, verse 2.

The Lord was Moses' salvation, and his God, verse 2.

The Lord "is a warrior", verse 3.

The Lord's right hand was "majestic in power" as manifested when he destroyed Pharaoh's army in the sea, verses 4-6.

It was through the greatness of the Lord's majesty that the he destroyed the advancing Egyptian army, verse 7.

The Lord harbors a consuming "burning anger" that he unleashes against his opponents, verse 7.

The Lord manifests an "unfailing love" for his people as he redeems them and guides them, verse 13, to his "holy dwelling."

The power of the Lord leaves the enemies of his people lifeless, verse 16.

The Lord reigns for ever and ever, verse 18.

Our understanding of who God is and the kinds of things he does should always reflect these kinds of things that are revealed to us of him. Moses knew the Lord well and these are his reflections of him. We can know the Lord as well, and the better we do so, the more we will find these very same qualities Moses observed of the Lord in his song.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Maximum Impact! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 14:30-31,

"That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant."

I see a couple of things "under the covers" here. This deliverance of Israel from their enslavement in Egypt was dramatic. Very dramatic. I consider it one of the most dramatic events in all of human experience to date. It had what we might call "maximum impact" on the Israelites, as well as others. It is not difficult to see this impact expressed in their experience of witnessing "the mighty hand of the Lord." 

I don't read that the Israelites simply noticed the Lord had done something, but that they had just experienced a breath-taking view of the "mighty hand of the Lord." What I mean is, if, lets say, the Lord brought some illness to the Egyptians and they died from some epidemic, I'm certain the Israelite's reaction might have been much less dramatic as they walked out of Egypt - not a breath-taking event and a much more subdued one. But not this event. Not how the Lord orchestrated the way things unfolded here.

The Lord staged the events surrounding his rescue of Israel from Egypt in such a way as to provide maximum impact. He brought the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea and he hardened Pharaoh and his court such that, following their earlier decision to allow the Israelites to go, they decided to saddle up and run down the Israelites. This left Israel with what might be best described as finding themselves between "a rock and a hard place" as they looked to the sea in front of them and the advancing Egyptians, in full war array, behind them. All this at the design and working of the Lord.

The outcome, short-lived as it was (much like America's reaction to 9/11) was such that the Israelite's "feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." I think it instructive to note that it was only through the dramatic set of circumstances, the crisis created as much as the deliverance from it, that brought this reaction. As I have noted elsewhere, the dramatic nature of this deliverance of Israel was not just for their consumption (resulting in the reaction they had) but also to provide "legs" (both geographically and historically) to the telling of it, for the current inhabitants of the promised land the Israelites would eventually have to displace and the enemies they would encounter on their way there. All would know God was with Israel (note Rahab's comments forty years later in Joshua 2:8-11).

In any event, I see the Lord here staging things in a specific way to achieve his desired outcome. I fully believe that as the events surrounding the close of the age we live in unfold, the Lord will arrange things in certain ways to achieve the same. This may require great patience on the part of God's people, tied to an anticipation of what may take place that transcends our own expectations.

On a much smaller scale, I wonder what those things might be that the Lord engineers in our lives to bring about the outcomes he desires to see in our lives today. Something to think about. What we might consider to be difficult challenges and challenging discouragements may be the Lord preparing us for some exciting things in our own lives and possibly the lives of loved ones around us.

Something to consider...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Remembering the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 13:9-10,

'This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year."

The establishment of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Passover, as an observance from year to year was to be a reminder for the Israelites: the Lord rescued, freed, delivered Israel from her enslavement in Egypt.

From one perspective, I find it surprising that a people would have to be reminded of their deliverance. What is it that folks need some kind of reminder? Do they really care so little for what the Lord had done for them that they needed reminding of it? Astonishing!

And, yet, as I read of the last supper Jesus had with his disciples, as Paul reflected on it he quoted Jesus, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood;do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'"

In remembrance of me? How astonishing the Lord would need to provide his people with something to remember him by! Paul gave Timothy direction that just baffles me, "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David." 2 Timothy 2:8.

How corrupt we are, even as redeemed believers, that we need to remember, to make an effort to recall him who gave his life for us! He who suffered an agonizing death to pay the penalty for my sins that I might share in the lavish and glorious inheritance, the riches of his grace that God is holding for those who are his! How is it that we need reminding of our deliverance from enslavement?

Yet, that is how we are. We often forget those who have done so much for us, particularly him who loved us so much that he sent his Son to die in our place!

The Jews were to observe Passover as a remembrance. The church is to observe the Lord's supper as a remembrance. Possibly there are other ways we can remember the Lord as well. If you had a notion to demonstrate your mindfulness of the Lord to him, how might you do that today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Applying the blood - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 12:2,

"Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs."

Here in the midst of the tenth plague, a plague of death, the Lord told Moses to have the Israelites slaughter a lamb in a new festival, the Passover. The lamb that was to be eaten was to have its blood put on the sides and tops of their doorways for the Israelites to be spared of the death that was to come to so many that night.

Death came that night, but the Lord passed over every home where the blood was applied. This is a type, a pointer to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the need we have to apply the blood of Jesus Christ to our own lives in order to escape that second death, eternal death that follows judgment day.

Jesus Christ is called our passover lamb. "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." 1 Corinthians 5:7b. John the baptist recognized Jesus as this Passover lamb, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" John 1:29. And, "When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'' John 1:36. The book of Revelation refers to Jesus Christ on a number of occasions as our sacrificial lamb, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders." Revelation 5:6. See also Revelation 5:12, "In a loud voice they were saying: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'"

Just as all the Israelites who applied the blood of the sacrificial lamb at Passover were spared of their lives, so all of us who apply the blood of Jesus Christ in our account with God by embracing him in faith will be spared for eternal life.

Where would I be without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made of himself for my sins? What if God had not reached out to us in an incomprehensible love, providing his Son to make a way? Thanks be to God! This is exactly what he has done!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Whose choice is it? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 11:7,

"Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel."

The Lord spoke these words through Moses to Pharaoh when Moses announced the plague of death of the firstborn Egyptians to Pharaoh. It is unmistakable that what is announced by the Lord to Pharaoh, and by extension, to the entire world, is that the Lord picks his own: "the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel."

The Lord had chosen the people of Israel as his own because of the faith their progenitor, Abraham. "Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6. Abraham modeled the faith the Lord looks for from each of us as his determination for those who will join him for all  eternity. God chose all who would/will embrace him in faith as Abraham did, for himself, for his kingdom, his family. This is God's choice, his election. This is why we say that Israel is God's chosen people.

In discussing the Lord's choice of faith in the individual as the defining quality for all who will enter into his family, and the only quality, he distanced himself from many members of mankind who feel they ought to have a right to "earn their way" into heaven by being "good enough."

Does God have a right to decide this? Does he have the right to make his own choice for who will join him in heaven following this life? Does God have the right to chose whom he will select as his own "chosen people?" Does he have the right to choose Israel over Egypt?

Paul certainly thought so. I am reminded of his argument against those who feel people should decide in Romans 9:6-29. There Paul says, "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy... Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?"

Certainly something to consider. God makes his choices and he doesn't check in with us first. He does not need and he does not ask for our approval of what he decides to do. When God chooses Israel and not Egypt, when God chooses people of faith and not people because of their performance at being "good", when God chose Jacob and not Esau, when he chose Abel's offering and not Cain's, he is exercising his sovereign authority over all he has made. It is his to do so, and it is our's to accept.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A "darkness that can be felt" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 10:21-23,

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived."

This ninth plague was one of darkness. An unusual darkness, "that can be felt", fell on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Just as Jonah did not embrace what the Lord told him to do until he spent three days in the belly of a fish, just as the world was plunged into a "darkness" for three days when Jesus Christ was buried until he rose again on that Easter morning (not the physical darkness that attended Jesus' crucifixion, but what might be considered an unusual spiritual darkness for all of creation), so Pharaoh and all of Egypt was plunged into a darkness as Pharaoh refused to allow God's people to leave.

Pharaoh did not like the darkness and summoned Moses to tell him to take his leave, sans the livestock. When Moses refused to leave the livestock behind, Pharaoh again refused to let the Israelites go and banished Moses from his presence - bringing another form of "darkness" to his palace.

The three days of darkness that we call the ninth plague is something of a metaphor for me. As the Lord plunged Egypt into the three day darkness, it speaks to, represents, another form of darkness to me that Pharaoh and the Egyptians dwelt in: a spiritual darkness in rejecting God. Pharaoh's heart was being hardened by God to ensure Pharaoh would not capitulate to Moses' demands, til such a striking series of events would take place that the account would have legs, both geographically and historically (it was an account that Paul quotes God as saying in Romans 9:17, "For Scripture says to Pharaoh: 'I [God] raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'" This was the Lord's purpose for the plagues and for that purpose, the Lord insured Pharaoh would not give in to Moses. It wasn't that the Lord manipulated Pharaoh's heart so he wouldn't embrace him in faith, but that the Lord manipulated Pharaoh's heart, the heart of a man who had already rejected the Lord, to continue to refuse Moses' demands despite the dramatic and spectacular events that unfolded.

The whole of it speaks to me of the darkness that Pharaoh and the Egyptians dwelt in, a spiritual darkness. This darkness is that which now darkens the hearts and minds of people everywhere today who have not embraced Jesus Christ in faith. In foretelling the first coming of Jesus Christ, we read in Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." It is not just Pharaoh, but it is the whole world.

May we all find ourselves in what Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of, "Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." John 3:21. Woe to the man who remains in the darkness. Blessed is the man who steps into the light and embraces Jesus Christ in faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

How do you know what God is like, what he might do? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 9:23-26,

"When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were."

We live in a day where it is often thought that God only brings what we might consider to be "the good." Whenever something we may consider is "bad" arrives, it wouldn't be from God - he only brings "the good." I'm sure you recognize the assumption, and, may have thought the same yourself, (and, may still!) However, if you were to ask some Egyptian farmer what he thought about the frightful event described for us in Exodus 9, he would certainly consider it a bad thing, one of the worst in the nation's history. From the Israelite's perspective: good. From the Egyptians perspective: bad.

Regardless of whose perspective is in view, when the plague of hail hit Egypt, we see the Lord sending thunder, hail, lightning - the most horrific storm in the land of Egypt "since it had become a nation." The storm killed all the people and livestock out in the fields, stripped all the trees bare and destroyed all the crops of the Egyptians when it hit.

To help us have a clear perspective on what God is like, what he may do or not, he has provided us much in the way of informing us. One such passage is Jeremiah 9:24, where he says, "Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." In another passage we are told God is love, John 4:8, 16.

In another, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider [Jesus Christ] is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." Revelation 19:11-15.

Accounts, such as Exodus 9, where we read of the plague of hail, help us understand who the Lord is, what he is like and just what it is he can or may do. This morning I am reminded that I need to insure my concepts of what God is like, what he might do, how he views things, and so forth, are informed by what he tells me of himself in the pages of Scripture. Otherwise, I just may drift to assumptions I have come up with in my own mind... and that certainly wouldn't do!!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God's use of court magicians - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 8:6-7,

"So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt."

Some of the signs the Lord used through Moses to compel Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to leave were duplicated by Pharaoh's court magicians. Aaron brought frogs by stretching out his hand over "the waters of Egypt" (actually the Lord did when Aaron did what the Lord told him to do.) In 7:22 we read that Pharaoh's magicians duplicated the plague of blood, and in 7:11-12 these magicians also duplicated what Aaron had done when he threw his staff down and it turned into a snake.

What is going on here? Does magic really work? Can people duplicate the miracles of God through "magic arts"? We are told these magicians performed their miracles "by their secret arts." 7:11; 7:22; 8:7. However, when they could not duplicate the plague of gnats, they claimed, "This is the finger of God", 8:19. Finally we read, "The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians." Exodus 9:11.

Recall the Lord told Moses that he would harden Pharaoh's heart for his own purposes when he sent Moses to Pharaoh to request the Israelites be let go. It is my belief that the "secret arts" of these magicians had nothing to do with their ability to perform the miracles Moses and Aaron performed by the power of God. Rather, the Lord enabled these magicians to perform these miracles as they sought to perform them through their secret arts. It was to help accomplish what the Lord intended: harden Pharaoh's heart against the Israelites. If Pharaoh, through is magicians, could duplicate the miraculous performed by God's people, then why should he be intimidated by them?

I notice that when time came for the plague of gnats, Pharaoh no longer needed the support of his court magicians for his heart to remain hard. It was now fully fixed and so these magicians were no longer able to do what they had been doing in the prior plagues. The Lord no longer needed to use these magicians to insure Pharaoh's heart to be hardened and so no longer enabled these magicians.

It is an example of the Lord using wicked people to bring about the outcomes he desires. Just as the Lord brought about the occupation of Israel by idolatrous nations in the book of Judges, just as he destroyed the northern ten tribes of Israel through Assyria, just as he had his Son betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the Lord uses wicked people to his own ends. Amazing to think about.

I could certainly be wrong here. This is just my perspective (and I'm not going to fall on my sword to defend it). Regardless, the account of Moses and Aaron's confrontation with Pharaoh is an astonishing, exciting, and breath-taking event that took place almost three and a half millenia ago.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com