Time to "Man-Up" - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 21:33-34,

"If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange."

This certainly sounds like an archaic law that very few in our day would find themselves bearing culpability for. I don't recall the last time I uncovered or dug a pit that might allow the neighbor's ox to fall in.

The purpose of the law God gave Moses is to help us understand the shortcomings we have, our own sinful condition. "... through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:20b.

This law in Exodus 21:33-34 reveals a principle that few today appreciate: personal responsibility. You do hear "It's my fault" from time to time, but more often you hear something else.

Many these days blame their upbringing or their parents for their own shortcomings. Many blame others, "I wouldn't do this if they didn't do that." We blame our spouses, we blame our bosses, we blame our culture and society for the things we say and do.

God clearly wants us to take responsibility for ourselves. "If I offended you I am sorry" is not the same as "I am sorry I hurt your feelings." "It was not my intention" is not the same as "I did it". Too often excuse is made and recognition of culpability seems lost.

This morning I am reminded I need to "man-up" and take responsibility for myself, for the things I say and do. "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 14:12.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Slavery and the Scriptures - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 21:2,

"If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything."

The issue comes up at times as to why the Bible condones slavery. Another way to cast the question is, why does the Bible not condemn slavery?

We live in a society that seems to be driven by a fascination with "social justice". I see this fascination as little more than a faux-moral tool used to advance the cause of socialism and communism in our culture to silence opponents and to oppose true morality. In this hyper-charged atmosphere slavery can hardly be discussed in any context of truthful history.

Given that, the question of slavery in the Scriptures is something that we, as believers, should be equipped to discuss. Articles abound on the subject, but need to be read with a cautious eye. Many want to condemn the Scriptures out of their rejection of God and, I think, likewise, too many believers err in attempting to "protect" the Bible.

Trust me, the Bible does not need to be "protected". It is authored by God using men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), so it stands on its own as God's own authoritative word. Our efforts won't add to that. On the other hand, I do think the field of Christian apologetics is very important and a very useful field and needs to be pursued. Hopefully you can see the difference I am drawing here. But... I digress.

As an example of attempting to "protect" the Bible, in an otherwise good article on slavery in the Bible, the statement is made, "The slavery in the Bible was not based exclusively on race. People were not enslaved because of their nationality or the color of their skin." See https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-slavery.html. While slavery in the Bible may not have been based exclusively on race, look at what we read in 1 Kings 9:20-21, "There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites). Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day." It looks like we do have King Solomon enslaving others based on nationality.

On the other hand, that article makes an important point about some of the slavery we read of in Scripture, and probably that which is addressed in Exodus 21, "In Bible times, slavery was based more on economics; it was a matter of social status. People sold themselves as slaves when they could not pay their debts or provide for their families. In New Testament times, sometimes doctors, lawyers, and even politicians were slaves of someone else. Some people actually chose to be slaves so as to have all their needs provided for by their masters."

This morning I wonder about this issue of slavery relative to another subject Jesus spoke of. When it came to divorce, Pharisees asked why Moses (in the Scriptures) provided for divorce. Jesus' answer was essentially, don't blame God - blame sinful man, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." Matthew 19:3-12.

I suspect the same can be said for slavery. Don't blame God, blame sinful man.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Don't Be Afraid, But Fear - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 20:20,

"Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.'"

As God spoke from Mt. Sinai the Israelites began to tremble. As they witnessed the thunder and lightning and heard a trumpet and saw the mountain smoke they begged Moses to have God just speak to him - and he could tell the people what he said. They couldn't bear to have God speak to them directly.

Moses' response to them appears somewhat contradictory on face value: "Do not be afraid" and "that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." Don't be afraid but be fearful of God?

I take this to mean that there is a difference between being scared of God versus having a reverential fear of him. It appears to me the Israelites were in a panic or a fright due to what they saw and heard. A fright that would not last long with them (they promptly plunged headlong into sin during this whole episode).

On the other hand, holding to a fear of the Lord is something different altogether from simply being frightened or in a panic. The book of Proverbs talks about having a fear of the Lord:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7.
"To fear the Lord is to hate evil..." Proverbs 8:13.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10.

Here is a proverb that is very enlightening, "The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure." Proverbs 14:6. Another one holds great promise, "The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble." Proverbs 19:23. There are a number of other proverbs that touch on the fear of the Lord, but these provide a good sampling.

Rather than a state of panic or abject fright, the fear of the Lord speaks of, as Merriam-Webster puts "reverence": "profound adoring awed respect", "honor or respect felt or shown" and "devoted deferential honor to : regard as worthy of great honor." Under the term "fear" the dictionary also provides, "profound reverence and awe especially toward God". I think they have it just about right.

In case we somehow adopt the thought that we no longer need to harbor a fear of the Lord in our hearts in this church age, here is something Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Philippians 2:12-13.

Peter reminds us, "Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:7.

In the book of Revelation, in a passage that speaks of something yet to come, an angel says to all who live on the earth, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." Revelation 14:7.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Forgotten Command - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 20:17,

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Exodus 20 is the chapter that contains the "big 10". The ten commandments. These commands do not compromise all of the law the Israelites were to keep in order to fulfill their part of the bargain in being God's chosen and covenanted people. As we continue to read through these first five books of our Bibles, written by Moses we find a lot of laws. These, however, are "showcased" by God in that they will be inscribed on stone tablets and placed into the "Ark of the Covenant" that Israel was to maintain in the "Holy of Holies" within the tabernacle.

I count 8 prohibitions and 2 "must dos" in the list of the ten (keeping the Sabbath and honoring our parents are the "dos". The command in verse 17 is a prohibition against coveting a neighbor's things: his house, wife, servants, domesticated animals, anything he has.

What is interesting to me is the prohibition of coveting is a law of the heart, a law of the "feelings" or attitudes within our hearts: potentially envy, resentfulness, jealousy, avariciousness, etc. The violation of this law can certainly lead to sinful outward activity and probably the intent of the prohibition, but to have the urging of coveting is a sin within itself without any outward action needed. I would think the honoring of our parents, likewise, is a law regarding the heart. Others, like worshipping idols, stealing, adultery, murder, etc. - those are all outward and objective actions.

I'm reminded of Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount. Do not commit adultery becomes a crime within - no need for any outward action, "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.

I suspect that "Do not covet" is not given the standing of importance of these others in our day. However, Paul used this commandment as example of what he meant when speaking of the law, Romans 7:7 and 13:9. James uses the breaking of this command as the cause of fights and quarrels among those he calls "adulterous people" who live at enmity against God, James 4:4.

The law God gave Moses is important as it points to our need of being saved from ourselves and our sin. Keeping the law won't get us to heaven, because we can't keep it. However, without the law, we just might wonder why we need to be saved in the first place! "... through the law we become conscious of our sin" Romans 3:20. Certainly these "inward laws" provide us that.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Who Are These Priests? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 19:24,

"Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them."

Here the Lord gave Moses directions on meeting with him. In them the Lord told Moses that none of the priests and none of the people were to "force" their way to see him.

We see the Aaronic priesthood established by the Lord in Exodus 28. In addition to the line of Aaron, the entire tribe of Levi, (the patriarch from whom both Moses and Aaron were descended) were to serve in the "Levitical Priesthood". These were to support Aaron and his descendants in their activities and functions as priests.

Since we don't see the inauguration of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood until later, who were the priests among the Israelites that were not to touch Mt. Sinai when Moses met with God in Exodus 19? It is thought by some that the firstborn or the heads of families may have performed priestly duties at that time.

Aside from the Egyptian priests we read of in Genesis that served their idols, there are other priests we find out about prior to Moses' meeting with God on Mt. Sinai. The first of which was the famous Melchizedek who was king of Salem (Jerusalem) that Abraham encountered, Genesis 14:18. In Hebrews 5 and 6 Melchizedek is mentioned as a type of Jesus Christ - that Jesus was designated by God to be a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5:10.

Next we read that Jethro (not an Israelite), Moses' father-in-law, was a priest in Midian, Exodus 2:16. Moses had married his daughter, Zipporah. He is an interesting figure because he had given Moses advice on how to conduct court for Israel following the Exodus from Egypt, advice which Moses followed, Exodus 18:13-26.

Additionally, we see Job performing the function of a priest on behalf of his family, Job 1:5. Job is thought to be someone who lived during the patriarchal age, possibly near the time of Abraham or even earlier.

So, this morning I am curious about the priests we hear about in this chapter of Exodus. When Moses approached Pharaoh to let the Israelites go worship God with offerings and sacrifices, it certainly indicates priestly activity was known among the Israelites by then. I am reminded there is a lot of history behind what we read of in the pages of Scripture, some we know of and some we don't.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Way to God's Presence - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 19:12,

"Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death...'"

When Israel got to the Desert of Sinai after leaving Egypt, the Lord gave Moses instructions on meeting with him to establish the nation as his "treasured possession". Moses led the people out of the camp on the third day to meet with God. However, only Moses himself was to go up on Mt. Sinai where the Lord would meet with him. No one else was to even touch the foot of the mountain while God was there with Moses.

This speaks to me of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of mankind. God had consecrated Moses to meet with him but the rest of the nation was to keep its distance from him.

This is the very circumstance of sinful mankind. We are not able to know God or come into his presence. However, God has made a way for us. Jesus Christ is the way and for all who embrace him in faith, we are free to enter into the presence of God.

Paul made an observation about God to Timothy, "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." 1 Timothy 6:15-16. Nonetheless, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we, as believers, can approach the throne of God, "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 4:16. Jesus Christ has made a way for us!

Jesus told Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Where to Go to Know God - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 18:15,

"Because the people come to me [Moses] to seek God's will."

This was Moses' short answer to his father-in-law as to why he sat as judge over the nation of Israel. The entire chapter is devoted to just this issue. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, observed the strain it put on Moses and gave him a better approach to the work.

The phrase, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will." reminds me of the bigger contribution Moses made both to Israel and all mankind. Moses became the very first prophet to write Scripture. He is credited as having written the first five books of our Bibles. Because of this, people yet today "come" to Moses (and what God started through him - the writing of Scripture) to seek God's will.

We read in Luke 16:19-31 a fascinating account by Jesus of a rich man who had died and had a conversation with Abraham (who predated Moses by centuries) in Hades. In the account Abraham told the rich man who had concern about the prospects of his family still living, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." Luke 16:29.

The Scriptures are the source for knowing all we need to of God. God reveals himself in its pages as provided by the prophets of old. I am reminded of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

If you want to know about God, here is the place to go!

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Want To Be Wise? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 18:24,

"Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said."

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought out his wife and sons to him in the wilderness from Midian. While visiting, Jethro observed how Moses would sit as judge for the people from dawn to dusk. In his concern for Moses, Jethro advised Moses to delegate much of that responsibility to others and only sit for the more difficult cases.

Moses by this time was the leader of a nation of some three-million people. He had visits from God himself, was commissioned by the Lord to confront one of the world's greatest leaders of the day. He performed miracles and directed his people with divine authority. In spite of these credentials, we read in Numbers 12:3, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."

As we see in Moses' response to Jethro, he took his advice. A less humble man may not have taken anyone's advice, but not Moses. In his humility he saw the wisdom of Jethro's words.

Perhaps this is why Moses was such a wise leader. In Proverbs 11:2 we read, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

A word to the wise...

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Stretched by God - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 17:8-11,

"The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.' So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."

There are two faith-building exercises the Lord took Israel through in this chapter. In the first, the Lord brought the Israelites to a place where there was no water. They would have to look to the Lord to find relief. The second one, in the passage above, we see in this same place, Rephidim, where the Lord led them, it would provide another faith-building exercise. The Amalekites came there to destroy the Israelites.

The Amalekites were too strong for the Israelites on their own, but as long as Moses held his hands up to God, the Israelites beat back the Amalekites. With help from Aaron and Hur, Moses held his hands up all day and so by the end of it Joshua and the Israelites overcame the Amalekites.

God chose Israel as a people he would use for his purposes of reaching out and redeeming mankind. He would use this people to communicate his redemption to mankind as well as to bring his Son into the world to purchase that redemption. Because the human heart is so dull spiritually, he had to work with this nation to make them what he needed for his purposes. This he accomplished over many generations until Jesus Christ came into the world through them. Over the centuries they faced many difficulties, some horrific, in order to shape and mold them into what he needed.

On a smaller scale the Lord does the same with us. He works in our lives in the same kind of way. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "... God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:10-11. As he did with the nation of Israel, the Lord brings difficulties into our lives to shape us into useful tools for him to use.

The "Health and Wealth" crowd would have us all believe that when we come to Jesus Christ and join their church, the Lord will bless us with healing and wealth and relief from all trouble. No more worries, no more hardship. They do it to build their ranks and to build their bank accounts. Some day they will have to face the Lord for such deception.

Hopefully we as believers will find ourselves available to God and willing to be spiritually stretched to be useful to him while here in this life.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Led by God Into Difficulty - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 17:1-2,

"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.'"

In this passage we see the Lord is directing Israel through the desert. These verses tell us the Lord commanded them where to travel, from "place to place." Here in Rephidim, where the Lord sent them, there was no water. In verse 3 we are told the people were thirsty and began their grumbling again.

Since the Lord was leading them, why did they wind up in a place where there was no water, where they would find themselves thirsty? The obvious answer to that is the Lord was teaching them to rely on him, to grow their faith.

I don't know how many times I have heard someone say that when you are being "led by the Lord" he will "bless you." What they mean by being blessed is that the Lord would insure there would be no difficulties encountered - no bad, only the good.

I'm not reading here that that is how the Lord works. As a matter of fact, the Israelites found themselves in a real pickle! Thirsty and no water! They would have to look to the Lord.

From our view we see exactly why the Lord led the Israelites there. He had a lesson in faith for them. Why is it so difficult for us to see what the Lord is doing in our lives when we encounter difficulty?

Might the Lord not be taking us through a similar lesson in learning to lean on his strength? His provision?

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Grumbling and Miracles - 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 today 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.'"

As Moses pointed out in verse 8, "Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."

This grumbling came from a people who had no idea who the Lord is or what he is like. They had no idea about his purposes and intentions for them, they had no idea about his power, his his love for them, his desire to provide for them and the reality he is not to be trifled with.

Just like most people we live among today - some of them can even be found within the church walls.

What is fascinating is that the Lord answered their grumbling by performing miracles on their behalf. The Lord had his intentions for this people.The Lord did love this people. The Lord provided for their needs - in miraculous ways. Something they did not deserve.

It reminds me of the tremendous love the Lord has for all mankind. Lost sinners grumble and gripe about their lot in life, and often whether knowingly or unknowingly, direct it toward the Lord. We read in Proverbs 19:3, "A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord." 

In the unfathomable love of the Lord he reaches out to us, and in a miraculous way provides us a way to join his family, to enjoy eternal life, his "river of delights", Psalm 36:8. Something we don't deserve.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

How to Show Daily Trust in 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 16:4-5,

"I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

Following their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites began to grumble about being hungry in the desert. The Lord spoke to Moses and told him he would rain down manna for them to eat in the mornings, as well as quail in the evening. The Lord told Moses that the Israelites were only to gather enough manna for the day (except the 6th day when they were to gather enough for both the sixth and seventh day of the week to observe the Sabbath.)

They were told not to gather more than they could eat for the day. When some kept it to the next day (except the seventh day) it became maggot infested and stinky. Why did the Lord not allow the Israelites to gather more than they could eat for just that day? Why not let them store up extra?

My thought is that to leave on the ground whatever they could not eat that day, but wait for the provision from the Lord for the next day, it would demonstrate their need to trust in him to provide for their daily needs every day. I am reminded of Jesus' words in his sermon on the mount, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6:25-27.

Jesus went on to say, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Verses 31-34

Anxiety demonstrates a lack of faith and trust in the Lord, that somehow he is incapable or unwilling to meet our basic needs. Trusting in the Lord's provision communicates to him and others our steadfast confidence and trust him.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Lord is a Warrior - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 15:3,

"The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name."

Following their exodus from Egypt and the annihilation of Pharaoh's army, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to the Lord, recognizing him as the warrior who defeated the Egyptians. "The Lord is a warrior".

Here is something that I'm fully aware of and yet, to be honest, I don't think of all that much - yet I should since he reveals himself to be a warrior. Perhaps that is due to other things I know about him. For instance, that nothing opposed to the Lord or aligns itself against him has any hope of successfully contending with him. We are told in Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."

Merriam-Webster defines warrior in its broad sense as "a person engaged in some struggle or conflict".

Throughout the Scriptures we see the Lord in his role as warrior. No place, perhaps, more prominently than Revelation 19:11-16 were we see Jesus Christ presented as the "Heavenly Warrior", "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider 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. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords."

As expected, those who arrayed themselves against our "Heavenly Warrior" did not fare well, "Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf...  The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." Verses 19-21.

Over the years I have read my share of doctrinal statements that reflect the teachings of churches, denominations, seminaries and other ecclesiastical groups. In none have I read that they view the Lord as a warrior (except maybe in some indirect way.) I'm certain most all would subscribe to it, but that aspect of our Lord is never given any billing. 

Perhaps it should. After all, the Lord is a warrior!

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Celebration of Redemption - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 15:13,

"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."

The Lord's act of redeeming Israel from slavery in Egypt, in effecting their exodus from Egypt, and providing a way to the land promised them is pregnant with allusions to another, even greater work of God- the redemption of mankind from his judgment of them for their sins, freeing them from their enslavement to sin, and making a way to eternal life.

In this psalm of Moses, celebrating the Israelites emancipation from Egypt and the destruction of their enemies, these words can just as easily celebrate our emancipation from the bondage of sin-- our deliverance!

Together with Moses, we can sing with him, "Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory, working wonders? 

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Miracles?? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 14:21-22,

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."

Did this really happen? Did the Red Sea actually part with a wall of water on the right and left of the Israelites as they crossed over on dry ground, escaping Pharaoh?

Miracles are those events that intentionally violate the physical laws of the universe. Moses stretched out his hand and the sea parted. That is a miracle. It violates what we know about the world we live in. Many of us tend to disbelieve the miracles we hear about because they disrupt our understanding of the laws of physics, etc. that we have become comfortable with.

The Bible records a number of miracles. And, yes, each and every miracle we read of in the pages of Scripture actually happened, in time and space, exactly as documented for us. The miracles we find in Scripture took place for a number of reasons, a chief one being the authentication of something God desired. For instance, when Jesus healed the paralytic, he did it to demonstrate he had authority to forgive sins, Luke 5:17-26. He often performed miracles to prove he was who he said he was.

In this instance, at the parting of the Red Sea, the Lord told Moses why he would perform this miracle, "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." Verses 16-18.

It is not hard to accept and embrace the miracles we read of in the Scriptures when we reflect on the reality that the Son of God (see John 1:1-3) created the cosmos, and therefore he also created the physical laws that govern it. Things like specific gravity, friction, the laws of thermodynamics and so forth.

He who creates it can do whatever he pleases with it! 

Yes, I have absolutely no doubt that the miracles we read of in Scripture took place exactly as recorded for us, including the parting of the Red Sea.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Lord is Engaged! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 14:1-4,

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, "The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert." And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.' So the Israelites did this."

This is such a stunning passage to me! Just look at how the Lord is busy at work here, implementing military strategy, directing the Israelites in such a way as to insure Pharaoh's defeat. The Lord is employing cunning tactics here to pursue the exact outcome he desires.

I suspect all too often the Lord is mistakenly relegated to the precincts found within church walls. Yes, the Lord may be found there (depending on the kinds and types of doctrine passed around these days)... but no, I am quite certain the bulk of most all activity the Lord is involved in is found outside the church walls.

What might the Lord be doing outside the church walls? It should be remembered that a church is just a building with people in it sometimes. The building is not the church at all. The people who worship there are the church. You would be amazed how many are confused about that.

I am entirely convinced the Lord is engaged in all sorts of things we probably never think about or appreciate. If you are not thinking the Lord is hip-deep in this COVID-19 disaster, you need to spend more time in Scripture to see what kinds of things the Lord involves himself in. I constantly have to seek help there as those kinds of things do not come to me by some kind of native insight - I have none of that.

If you are frightened at the specter of a pandemic, of the devastation to our economy, of those who are using this to seize control over our lives, or even of the sickness and potential death you may face by it, remember, the Lord is right here, right now and involved in this more than most suspect. He is afoot, he is doing things, he has his purposes.

And, what I love about the Lord so much is the nature of those purposes. God is building his kingdom! God is inviting us to his family! God is in control over all the events that take place on the planet. Whether we deem some things good and some things bad, God is moving in such a way as to usher in a new age.

Just as the Israelites experienced frightening things when the Lord was busily engaged in military strategies to usher in a new age for them, so he too is engaged in events today for all mankind! 

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

God's Firstborn - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 13:1-2,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.'"

When the Lord put to death all the firstborn males in Egypt, whether human or animal, he spared all the firstborn Jews in Egypt by passing over them when they applied blood to their doors. Now that the Israelites were leaving Egypt following their deliverance from bondage there, the Lord tells Moses that all the firstborn males among the Jews need to be consecrated to him.

The term "consecrate" means to dedicate something to a sacred purpose, to make or declare something sacred, to devote to a purpose. The purpose here, of course, is to be dedicated to God. God spared the Israelite's firstborn and now they belong to him.

The greatest "firstborn" in Scripture is the "firstborn" of God himself: Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 Paul says, "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." Here Jesus is the firstborn in God's family that all believers belong to. In Colossians 1:15 Paul says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." And in verse 18 he says, "And he [Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."

The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus God's firstborn as he quotes a version of Deuteronomy 32:43, "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" He also calls the church "the church of the firstborn" in Hebrews 12:23.

In John's salutation to the seven churches in the province of Asia, he calls Jesus Christ the firstborn from the dead, "Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Revelation 1:4-5.

Jesus Christ is God's own firstborn!

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Celebrating Our Emancipation! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 13:8-10,

"On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 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."

As the Lord told Moses, and in turn Moses told the Israelites, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to be observed year after year at the appointed time in their calendar. The purpose of the feast was to be a reminder to them and the generations to come of how the Lord freed Israel from their bondage in Egypt to take possession of the land the Lord had promised the patriarchs. A special land, a land of their own to be a blessing from God and enable the nation to secure all God had for them.

This observation could not be more rich with symbolism for a much greater emancipation God would bring about in his unfathomable love of mankind. The day would come when God would make possible an exodus from mankind's bondage and slavery to sin through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. All those who embrace him in faith are led from this bondage into the freedom of the children of God to embrace all the blessings God has for those who are his!

In Psalm 16:11 we read of the eternal pleasures that will be ours at the hand of God when we are delivered from this "bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God" that Paul talks of in Romans 8:21.

I love the way Paul puts it when he speaks of the enslavement to sin of mankind and the emancipation that is ours, just as the Israelites emancipation was from slavery in Egypt, "Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:19-23.

Here is something to really celebrate!

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Yeast - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 12:39,

"With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves."

The Lord had commanded the Israelites to not eat any bread baked with yeast during a new festival he commanded them to observe, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread", a seven day observance. The "Passover" meal was to be celebrated at this time with unleavened bread and the purpose of the whole observance was to be a reminder or memorial, "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." Verse 17.

It is often asked why the Lord commanded the Israelites to not eat bread leavened with yeast during this week on their national calendar.

Articles abound with an explanation that yeast often represents sin in the Scriptures. Paul uses this theme as he discusses the sinful situation where a church member in Corinth was sleeping with his father's wife. "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

Jesus used yeast as a metaphor for bad doctrine, "'Be careful,' Jesus said to them. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'" Matthew 16:6. It is interesting that he also used yeast to describe how the gospel would permeate and grow in all the world, "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough." Matthew 13:33.

Here in Exodus 12:39 we are told the unleavened bread was eaten because they did not have the time to allow their bread to rise. They had to leave quickly. In my mind, the picture here is that just as the Israelites had to leave immediately without time for food preparation, etc. in gaining their freedom from Egypt, so too, we should take no time in fleeing to the Savior to gain freedom from God's judgment for our sins. Don't dally!

Just at thought.

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Lord: Lightning Fast and Deadly Effective - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 12:31-32,

"During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.'"

Well, here is mister "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die." (Exodus 10:28-29) summoning Moses and Aaron! And that, in the middle of the night. Pharaoh is now all on board with letting the Israelites leave following the deaths of all the first-born in Egypt.

It is just amazing how the Lord can make things happen just the way he says he will. Not only is Pharaoh now begging Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt, all Egypt pleaded with the Israelites to leave forthwith, "The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country." Verse 33.

Additionally, the Egyptians willingly allowed themselves to be plundered by the Israelites as they left. "The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians." Verses 35-36.

I can't help but think that throughout the ordeal of the plagues all of Egypt and all of Israel must have been wondering how this was going to play out. When the Lord pulled the switch unbelievable things happened at lightening speed. This is such a dramatic event that took place!

Will the world see anything like it yet in the future? I'm a firm believer in the book of Revelation, and the end-of this-age events we are told of throughout the Scriptures. Reading about how God has done things in the past can certainly provide a clue as to how quickly and effectively he just may do things in the future: lightning fast and deadly effective!

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 reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/