And now for something completely different....

As I drive around the Dallas Metroplex, I'm shocked at the aggressiveness of people's driving. Of course, one would think that as Christians we might project a kinder, gentler face, but such is not the case. I recently had a conversation with another brother who stood out among his peers by the very fact that he was even questioning the purchase of a radar detector. So, is it wrong for us as Christians to own and use them?

From what I can tell from the scriptures, I believe that the Bible makes it pretty clear that we are to follow the laws of the land (which would definitely fall into the category of "doing good"). It does this in James 4:17 (ESV: So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.).

So one might take it to be a moot point that we should be doing something as simple as driving below the posted speed limits or coming to a complete and full stop at stop signs...if for no other reason than it affects our witness for Christ. Does this sound like I'm going off the deep end? Allow me to elaborate if I may.

Let's start at home. If our sons and daughters in the car see that we have little regard for laws which inconvenience us, or see that we "interpret" the laws in our own ways, our ability to take a stand against moral relativism in other areas is impacted. In fact, such behavior clearly communicates to the world (not just our kids in the back seat) that we Christians, like everyone else, have little to no regard for laws unless they seem important to us...the very definition of moral relativism. By not coming to a full stop at a stop sign, even and especially if no one else is in the intersection, we are in effect saying "It's OK to break a law in certain situations". It is a very short ride from there to "It's OK to steal if they won't miss it", or "It's OK to lie as long as no one gets hurt".

I believe that this translates directly from the physical to the spiritual. If we are so rebellious that we can't drive at or below the posted speed (breaking one of man's laws), will we even hesitate in breaking one of God's laws which do not violate man's laws....especially if we feel that we can justify such behavior to ourselves. That isn't really the stretch it may seem. In 1 John 4:20 the apostle tells us that "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.". The concept of out-of-sight, out-of-mind all too often plays into our behavioral model.

Purchasing a radar detector goes one step further though. This act blatantly admits that (a) not only do I have no respect for the law (speed limits), but (b) I fully intend to break the law so often that I'm willing to spend some of the money with which God has blessed me so that I can more easily get away with it. Which teaches our children (and other non-believers) that it is perfectly acceptable to take overt steps to avoid the punishment for breaking a law even while that act is only in our hearts.

And we sit in church and wonder why the unbelieving world feels like we preach one way and live another. These things may be small, but small things are often the very things of which the big things are made.

I love to tell the story

Let me tell you the story that I love to tell...perhaps, if it has not already, it will be received by you in a way you have yet to experience.

Long before the world was created, God in his power and wisdom determined to create mankind that they might find their happiness and joy in him. Yet, he could see that once created in the way he intended to do so, that they would reject him and fall into sin. He could simply have chosen to create us differently, or not to create us at all, but that was not in the mind of God. However, he did decide to make a way for mankind to be made right with himself even after man turned his mind away from God.

Man fell into sin after creation, yet God was faithful, and at the right time in history, sent his only son to earth. Born of a virgin in Bethlehem, Jesus was his name. He lived a life of perfect obedience to his heavenly father, and at the age of 30, began his ministry. During the 3 1/2 years of his ministry, he made the lame walk, made the blind see, healed those with leprosy and other diseases, and even raised a young girl, a young man, and an older gentleman from the dead. Everywhere he went, he preached that we as humans are to turn our backs on sin, and to seek him out.

By placing our full faith and trust in him as our Savior and Lord, he promises to cleanse us from our sin debt, and bring us home to be with him in Heaven one day. For those who will abandon all hope in themselves and their ability to save themselves, and place all their hope and trust in him, he will faithfully keep his promise of saving our soul from the judgment of God against our sinful lives. He was tortured and murdered on a Roman cross, bearing the sins of all who would believe in him, paying the price so that they could live forever with him.

We are then to depend upon God and his word in the Bible, turning away from lives of selfishness and sin, and seeking to follow the path that God has laid out of each of us. This path will not often be easy, wealthy, or free from trouble....many times it will be a hard road. But God promises to be with us through these trials, and bring us closer and closer to him as we spend our time on this earth. Ah, but this is time well spent in the service of the true King of all the Universe, the only true God.

We will stumble and fall back into sin now and then after he saves us, but as his children we will not be happy in lives of sin, and will always seek the forgiveness and fellowship of our heavenly father each time we fall. As life progresses, in many ways it will be easier and easier to live our lives in obedience to him, as his Holy Spirit empowers us to live in harmony with his word. Some things will be a struggle all our lives, used as a constant reminder of our weakness and His strength.

To some this will sound like foolishness, and to others it will sound offensive. But to those who will be saved, these are words of welcome into God's family, and represent the very power of God himself. While surrender to God sounds easy, it can be a difficult thing for us to do as prideful human beings, and placing our trust in God can be a very scary thing. The cost in this life can be much, but the rewards to come make our present sufferings of no comparison.

Is Christ both your Savior and your Lord..? My friend, if you feel that still small voice within you convicting you of your sin, and desiring a real relationship with Christ, today is the day to act on that. If you have questions and would like someone to converse with, please don't hesitate to drop me a line at michaelraymorris@gmail.com.

May God bless and reveal Himself to you all...

It's all about trust...

We’ve heard it so many times that just the thought of hearing it again causes a spontaneous eye-roll for most of us. Yet words more true are hard to find… “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalms 9:9-10). I remember being particularly drawn to the first part of verse 10, “…those who know your name put their trust in you…”. We are to trust God in all things.

These are easy words to say, but for many these words do not truly live in their hearts. For some reason, it is much easier to love God, and even obey him, than it is to simply trust Him. I heard it again in church on Sunday that we are to obey even when we can’t understand why God is doing something. And that made me think again about trust. The words spoken had that familiar ring to them. If you just obey, someday it will all make sense to you, your life will be better because of the pain God brought into your life, and you will be grateful. For me, that just seemed more than a little self-centered.

What if God brings a situation into your life that makes your life worse…and it never gets better?

Till you die.

Isn’t part of trusting in God having the settled heart-belief that God’s purposes are being worked out for His glory (and not our own well-being…for now or even later), and that His purposes are higher than ours?

Does something have to eventually turn out for our own good in order for our trust in God to be warranted?

Ah, but what about Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”. This verse is slung about many times to tell us who call ourselves Christians that everything will turn out for the best. But does it really say that? Paul here states that we (him and those to whom he wrote the letter…and by extension us as well) know that for those who love God (and those are the people who are called according to his purpose), all things work together for good. Not necessarily for the good of those particular people, but for good. Since we have an all-powerful God who is good, it must follow as the night does the day that all His purposes are good.

So, do we trust God even when his good purposes will bring hardship and tribulation on us?

Even if that hardship is never relieved in this life…?

But does God really work that way? Let’s just pick an example out of the Bible. In the first chapter of Ruth, we learn that Elimelech and Naomi had to leave their homeland due to a famine. Now we know from Isaiah 45:7 (“I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.”), that God brought this famine about. Famine was not a joke in that time, but meant the same thing that famines in poor lands mean today. People, potentially a great many people, would slowly starve to death. Men, women, and children of all ages no doubt died during this famine.

Not everyone in the land of Judah at that time had the means that Elimelech and Naomi had to simply pack up their belongings (along with their two sons) and go to live in a different land (Moab). But that doesn’t mean it turned out for the best for those individuals either. While there, Elimelech dies, leaving Naomi a widow with two sons. These sons each take wives from the Moabite people, but both later die also….childless.

So here is Naomi, a widow in a foreign land and both her sons are dead. It is her, and her two daughters-in-law (Orpah and Ruth), both of whom are now also widows. So far this purpose of God’s has not only been bad for the land of Judah, but Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion (the sons) all died. Naomi now returns to her homeland since she hears that the famine has abated, and although Orpah returns to her people, Ruth refuses to be parted from Naomi. Naomi feels that God’s hand has gone out against her personally, to the extent that upon her return she asks to no longer be called Naomi, but rather Mara (Naomi means “pleasant” / Mara means “bitter”).

In one of the best love stories in the Bible (in my opinion), Ruth catches the eye of a wealthy older man in Bethlehem named Boaz. They fall in love, he eventually marries Ruth. Together they have a son named Obed. Obed in turn marries and has a son named Jesse, who in turn matures, marries and has eight sons, the youngest of whom is David (who would one day be King of Israel). Through David’s lineage, Christ will be born, and pay for the sins of all who will believe in him. God caused tribulation and death for many, in order to bring about his good purpose for mankind during that time.

And He is still doing so today.

The question that remains for his elect is the same though
.
Will we trust in God regardless of our circumstances…even if they never get better…?

Or are we so spoiled that we won’t trust Him unless it turns out good for us?

And if we don’t really trust him in that way, can we really be counted among those who know his name..?

A Lying Spirit

I've got to be honest, I really don't know where to go with this post. It is just something I read the other day, that continues to stick with me. Let me set the stage a bit for you....

Ahab was not a choir boy...not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, 1 Kings 16:30 tells us that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. He served Baal, and had a rather infamous wife named Jezebel (not something most parents think of naming their little girls to this day). At the bidding of Elijah, he gathers 450 prophets of Baal for a showdown, only to have them lose. Elijah kills every one of them (1 Kings 18:40). Ahab then runs and tells his wife, and she threatens to kill Elijah....not exactly a model of bravery on his part. He later makes a deal with a Syrian king which God tells him to kill (allowing him to live) , which brings a death sentence on him from God (1 Kings 20:42).

For three years there is no further war with Syria, but then he tries to convince the king of Judah (Jehoshaphat) to go to war with him against Syria in order to take a town. He inquires of the Lord via 400 prophets, asking if he should go to war with Jehoshaphat against Syria...and every one of them give him the green light. Even the prophet Micaiah, who nearly always gives Ahab bad news, initially tells him to go up. It is only upon further prodding by the King that Micaiah tells him that he will die there should he go. Then he goes further.

He states that he saw the Lord on his throne, with all the host of Heaven in attendance. The Lord asks for someone to volunteer to entice Ahab into going into battle, and thus to his death. In 1 Kings 22:21-23 we learn that one of the spirits volunteers, and the Lord asks him how he intends to do it. He states that he will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. The Lord tells him to go and do it, and that he will succeed. Verse 23 is clear on this point, that it is the Lord himself who puts the lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets by sending this spirit on its mission.

Now this isn't some fallen angel, but a spirit serving the Lord of Heaven himself. And God approves of this method, and sends that spirit on it's way. By means of this, the king goes into battle, and is killed by the random shot of an arrow into the air, thus fulfilling the will of the Lord concerning this wicked king.

While God will not and can not lie, He apparently can and has sent others to lie in order to achieve his purposes. It is not that he could not have achieved his purposes by simply filling Ahab with pride so that he didn't even consult his prophets, or even to consult them but then ignore them. He could have killed him instantly with a heart attack, or slowly with any number of diseases. Instead, he causes (via a sent spirit) 400 prophets to speak falsely to the king's demise.

Having read a few commentators try to "talk around" this text, I simply find it interesting what the text actually says.

Certainly the 400 sycophant prophets surrounding Ahab were just saying what he wanted to hear, and would be more than willing to believe a lie and retell it.

Certainly God doesn't take advice from spirits and go with the best option presented.

And it causes one to pause to think that God would encourage a lie. However, we do find in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that God will one day send "a strong delusion" on people, so that they will believe a lie, so the concept is not without biblical warrant.

Ultimately, our theology must bend to the content of scripture itself, without our "helpful warping" of it. So what does this tell us?

I'd like to tell you I've found the answer. I have not. Clearly, some of God's ways are beyond my understanding at this point...and may always be so.

What do you think...?

Who (or what) is the Wisdom of Proverbs 8

The personification of the substance or essential nature of an individual is called "hypostasis", and this segment of scripture does this very thing. Here, Wisdom is, or appears to be, a powerful personification. But of what? Similar personifications are found in Psalms 85:10–13 and Psalms 89:14, and Israel and Judah are personified in Ezekiel 23. It is true that Proverbs 8 is a considerably more developed, extended personification than found in some of the above texts, but that does not mean that Proverbs 8 is fundamentally different.

In the beginning of this chapter, Wisdom is personified as a woman, but what does she personify? Does she represent an attribute of God, as is sometimes argued? To this the answer must be an emphatic no. While wisdom is certainly an attribute of God, this text does not deal with it in that sense. To the contrary, since Proverbs 8 is an invitation to the reader to partake of wisdom, it cannot mean that access to a divine attribute is open to humans when they desire to acquire it, but rather it is a gift given by God (James 1:5).

In the same way, Wisdom is not the Second Person of the Trinity (Jesus). Perhaps the strongest argument for taking Proverbs 8 to be an Old Testament portrait of Christ is 1 Corinthians 1:24, where Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God.”. Closer examination of the text, however, reveals that Paul’s description of Christ is not an allusion to Proverbs 8 and that it provides no basis for interpreting Proverbs in this way.

First, Paul’s purpose in 1 Corinthians 1:24 is not to point to Old Testament texts that relate to Christ but to address the scandal of the cross. In particular he faces the issue of the offense created when he proclaims that the crucified Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world. To the Greeks this is sheer folly. When he says that Christ is the wisdom of God, he means it functionally, in the sense that the crucified Christ is God’s profound way of salvation despite whatever human reason may think of the idea. He also calls Christ the power of God in the same verse in response to Jews who expect the Messiah to come in overwhelming power.

It is also worth noting from a Greek grammar perspective, that the conjunction of δύναμις, (dunamis) ‘power,’ and σοφία, (sophia) ‘wisdom,’ shows that here ‘wisdom’ is not a hypostasis but rather a conceptual term.

Second, it is not appropriate to take Paul’s comment and make it the interpretive grid for an Old Testament text to which Paul made no allusion whatsoever. Similarly, one should not take a text that describes the power of God (e.g., Psalms 78:4) and claim that it is really a description of Christ on the basis of 1 Corinthians 1:24. It would be as if one were to take 1 John 4:8 (“God is love”) and on that basis claim that 1 Corinthians 13 is really intended to be read as a description of God.

Finally, the Wisdom of Proverbs 8 does not personify an attribute of God but rather personifies an attribute of creation. Here, Wisdom is the personification of the structure, plan, or rationality that God built into the world. She is created by God and fundamentally an attribute of God’s universe.

Perhaps the most compelling reason in my estimation that Proverbs 8 (specifically verses 12-34) is not a reference to Christ, even though it may seem on the surface to be so, and many (but not all) commentators tend to tie this to Christ, is the fact that within this segment of scripture Wisdom is seen as existent with God, but passive in the creation of the heavens and the earth. We know both from Hebrews 1:2 and more specifically Colossians 1:15-16, that Christ was anything but passive during the creative act.

As we read through the scriptures, we must be careful to rightly divide the word of truth, and to ensure that we do not read more into the scriptures than are present. By misinterpreting scriptures such as Proverbs 8, one can then be lead down many paths of error, so care must be taken.

May we all read God's word with humility and a teachable heart, and may His Holy Spirit direct our understanding.

Some thoughts on the crucifixion

As I was sitting in Bible Fellowship the other day (that's Sunday School for anyone older than 30), I was impressed with a couple of passages of scripture which just seemed to speak to me. Both Mark and Matthew make mention of something offered to Christ immediately prior to being nailed to the cross, while on the hill called Golgotha. Mark 15:23 reads "and they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.", and Matthew 27:34 reads "they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it."....and I wondered why.

After a bit of research, I learned that this mixture was used a sort of pain relief or sedative. The concept being that this at least for a short time eased the pain of the one who was to be crucified, and probably made it a bit easier for the soldiers to nail the person to the cross since they would be drugged. So Christ turned down this (albeit temporary) pain relief, which could have made the sacrifice a bit easier. So why?

There may well be several reasons, but I tend to believe that he had set his face towards the sacrifice to be made, and the fulfillment of the scriptures. Taking the pain relief would have meant more time on the cross so that the full cup of God's wrath against those for whom Christ died could be consumed by Christ. This would have had Christ on the cross and alive much closer to sundown, which would have increased the likelihood that they would have broken his legs (which would have violated the prophecy against none of his bones being broken (Psalms 34:20)).

Another facet of this was that he did not go to the cross to be saved from pain and suffering for our sins, but rather to pay for those sins through his suffering. He boldly faced each and every searing, throbbing pain for us. During one of those moments of pain, one of those agonies (if not more), was for my sins....the sins of Michael Morris. If the concept of substitutionary atonement were to be carried to its logical conclusion, the totality of the sins that I have and will commit throughout my life established the price he paid for me personally...as it did for every person who has or will believe on him.

Since all four gospels say that Christ died at the moment of his choosing by simply breathing his last and dying (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30) in support of John 10:18, and even Pilate is surprised that he is dead already(Mark 15:44) (which no doubt means that most victims treated in this manner lasted longer in his experience), we know that Christ suffered only as long as was necessary to pay the substitutionary price for the sins of all those who had and would believe on him.

His willingness to suffer and die without relief so that I could be free to spend eternity with God is a debt I will forever owe to my Lord and Savior, a debt of love that no service of mine however great will ever repay. I am continually humbled and amazed at his sacrifice for his sheep, of which I am one. Thank you Jesus....I love you so much...

Is ALL always everyone single one..?

Certainly, entire books have been written on the wider topic from a biblical perspective, especially those books that choose to take on the task of reminding us of God’s sovereignty in salvation…but this isn’t about to be another one. This is simply one of those times where I ran across something that I simply never questioned before, yet the Holy Spirit brought it to my attention. Many times we read things at a surface level without a great deal of thought, especially as it relates to stories that we know so very well.

Take the plagues visited upon Egypt during the Exodus for example. In the fifth plague we read the following (in part) “For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.” (Exodus 9:2-6 ESV). Note that it says that all the livestock of the Egyptians died.

Now the entire time period between Moses and Aaron first speaking with Pharaoh and the culmination of the tenth plague is less than a year, so these plagues all occurred within that time period…many scholars believe it happened over an eight to nine month period. We know this because the Bible tells us that Moses was 80 when he first spoke with Pharaoh (Exodus 7:7), and that he died after spending 40 years in the wilderness at the age of 120 (Deuteronomy 34:7).

In the same chapter of Exodus, the seventh plague is a horrific hail. One particular verse in this section reads: “Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” (Exodus 9:19 ESV). The land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was not affected by this hail.

This caught my attention. Why did Moses tell Pharaoh that he would need to get his livestock out of the fields into safe shelter…? Furthermore, we learn in verse 21 that there were some of the Egyptians that still didn’t fear the Lord, and left their livestock outside (and they were then killed by the hail). If every single one of the livestock the Egyptians had was killed by the fifth plague, there wouldn’t be any livestock for the hail to hit.

Now it is possible but unlikely that they simply took the livestock of the Israelites, since we later learn that they left with their livestock on the Exodus journey (Exodus 12:38). It could it be that the Egyptians had replenished (at least to an extent) their livestock from outside sources, but I think it more likely that this is a case in which the word “all” is much more likely to mean “all kinds” or “all types” of livestock, and not every single one of them.

One actually sees the same concept spelled out more directly in the sixth plague, which was boils. In Exodus 9:9 it states “It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”, yet we learn in verse 11 that “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.”. In other words, the boils didn’t break out on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt without exception…it only affected the Egyptians themselves. Israelites in the same city were not affected apparently.

So why bring this up at all? Perhaps, just as a reminder that we must be careful when interpreting the scriptures, and not read our own ideas into the text.

Sometimes, all means every single one without exception.

Sometimes, all means some of each kind.

If we can identify exceptions that are either explicit or highly likely, we must lean in the directions scripture points, not depending too heavily upon our own traditions.

And sometimes, we can only determine the greater meaning of this simple word through much study and prayer.

Solo Gloria Deo

On your marks, ready, set, .........

Ah, the beginning of a race. The excitement and anticipation that comes with setting out to reach a desired goal. While not all of us have had this experience, I would think that the vast majority of us have. Imagine if you will a person who has been invited to the race, and has accepted that invitation. He lines up, prepares himself, and is ready for the beginning of the race. Then, when he hears the word "GO" shouted at him, he sits down and waits to see if that "GO" was really for him, which direction he should run, and how far. He might even decide that it would be just as valuable if he funded another runner and just watched. Ludicrous...right?

Actually, that depends upon the race. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that we are to set aside any encumbrances we have, and "run with endurance the race that is set before us". Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 encourages us to to run this race as well, and not aimlessly. Our very lives after our conversion are to be lived as a race, seeking that finish which will not leave us ashamed (2 Timothy 4:7).

"On your marks" - Having made confession with our mouths that Christ is our Lord and Savior (not JUST our Savior...the King of our lives as well), and believed in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we are in the proper alignment for our race (Romans 10:9).

"Ready" - Knowing and understand the gospel of peace, we gird ourselves with readiness for our task (Ephesians 6:15).

"Set" - Having set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5), and set our hope on him who will deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:10), we are as prepared as we need to be.

"GO" - Now we RUN !!! We start from wherever we are, and begin to make disciples, immersing all within our spheres of influence in the Triune reality of God, teaching them to observe everything we have been taught (and are learning) (Matthew 28:19-20).

It is now we meet that person we spoke about in the beginning....in fact I heard it just the other day. A person who knew what to do, but instead of just starting, was going to "continue to pray about it", and asked others to pray for him as he did so.

Don't think you're ready...? Neither did Paul really, when he spoke of himself in this way... "And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom..." (1 Corinthians 2:1-4a).

Don't know who to disciple? Why not start in your own neighborhood...like the next door neighbor? Then the person on either side of him or her? We don't usually need to go very far before we start shrinking back. After all, we don't want to be labeled as a "Jesus Freak". Of course, we'll happily discuss with them the weather, or our favorite sports teams and colleges though (NOTE: When talking about things of this world it is often call sharing or a conversation...of course when talking about Christ it is "ramming it down their throats").

Maybe you just aren't that outgoing. Ever thought about simply writing out your personal testimony and mailing it to your neighbors, with a way for them to contact you? That is pretty low-key, and non-threatening.

Christians...you can do this. Just start somewhere, anywhere, and GO. You don't need to pray about it, and you don't need anyone to pray for you as you pray about it. You just need to do it. Sure, it will seem awkward at first. Do it anyway. It wasn't something that our Lord simply suggested...it was his directive for each of us.

So GO. Do it as if it really mattered...because it does. Don't wait for revelation. Start down a path (any path). If God doesn't want you to go down that path, then let Him redirect you....at least you will be moving.

What is the deal with "Sensuality"

I have to admit, I have often read in the scriptures about "sensuality" in a negative sense, and have just as often wondered what was so wrong with sensuality. Oxford's English Dictionary defines sensuality as "gratification of the senses, self-indulgence", and although our western mindset may tend to place a sexual spin on this, the gratification of our senses can be done in any number of ways. From eating a candy bar, to sitting on a beach feeling the breeze, to sleeping late, to taking a hot bath, to even drinking our favorite soft drink...all of these things are done as a self-indulgence and are not strictly necessary for our health.

There are no less than 10 separate scriptures which speak of sensuality in a negative light (Mark 7:22, Romans 13:13, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 4:19, 1 Peter 4:3, 2 Peter 2:2, 2:7, and 2:18, and finally Jude 4). Let's take one for example: Galatians 5:19 lists sensuality as one of the 15 "works of the flesh", later juxtaposing them against the fruits of the Spirit. Further, we are earlier in Galatians 5 told that the desires of the flesh (of which this is one) are against the desires of the Spirit. Sounds like some pretty serious stuff.

So what is the deal? Why is something as seemingly innocuous as drinking a soft drink or taking a hot bath in the same ballpark as idolatry, sexual immorality (which is listed separately in the Galatians passage), sorcery, and fits of anger?

Bible translations other than the ESV list this as debauchery, licentiousness, or lasciviousness. The actual Greek word used here (and in all of the other 9 instances in the New Testatment) is ἀσέλγεια (ah-thel-gay-ah). This word's actual meaning makes it much more clear as to which behavior the scriptures are referring. One of the best definitions for this word I have found lists it as "an absence of restraint and/or an insatiable desire for pleasure, carried to the extreme of complete disregard for the integrity or dignity of oneself or others.".

This is one of those cases in which a word in our time (sensuality) just doesn't carry the meaning very well (and the overwhelming majority of us simply don't use words like licentious or lasciviousness in sentences these days...or even well know what they really mean). Clearly someone who is so completely ruled by their senses is not ruled by the Spirit, and we know that man cannot serve two masters, whether those masters be money or earthly pleasures.

Clearly as God's children we are free to enjoy life's physical pleasures within the confines of God's directions for our lives, so these things are not sinful, and neither is the frequent enjoyment of such things.

But when these become (or remain to be) more important to us than God and his will, it is there that we must test ourselves to see if we are really in the faith. Those reborn by the mercy of God will have a changed heart (and over time, a changed mind as well), and their desires for such things will not rule over them, but these desires will be ruled by them.

Giving an Account

I perhaps "ponder" too much on things, but at times this issue still causes me to pause and wonder. Some might call it a contradiction in the Bible, but I don't personally believe that to be the case...only an apparent hole in my understanding.

In the following verses (all from the ESV), you can see that the Bible indicates that we will all (lost and saved alike) give an account of our lives to God one day….

Matthew 12:36-37 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Romans 14:10-12 "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

…and this is no doubt a sobering thought for all us.

Yet, we (the saved) are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and admitted into God's family based solely upon that...his righteousness and not ours in any measure. As such, the "verdict" (if you will) will all be the same for the saved....You are accounted as if you were innocent based upon the shed blood of Christ, and his perfect life.

However, the following verses seem to say that there will either be no judgment for us…

John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

…or that God will not remember our sins…

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

Hebrews 10:17 "then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

(NOTE: Both of these are quotations from Jeremiah 31:34)

…and even that there is already (now) no condemnation for those who are in Christ

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

…and Paul tells the Christians at Colossae that ALL our trespasses have been forgiven…

Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

…and…

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

…and…

Psalms 103:12 "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."

…so rehashing each and every poor decision and outright rebellion on our part during this life would not seem to be required...or even provide any real value.

Some have suggested that this "rehashing" of our lives will serve to underscore God's mercy in saving us (first look at all the bad things we've done "in front of God and everybody", then praise Him for his mercy), and that is good as far as it goes. However, since the Bible doesn't state this anywhere, that is simply conjecture.

Personally, I've always considered true forgiveness to be of the "forgive and forget" kind (no doubt, the saying was at least in part taken from some of the scriptures above), yet there seems to be a dichotomy here.

While we all like to be forgiven for things, what we REALLY like is to be forgiven for something, and to know that the person offering that forgiveness won't place the forgiven act in a vault of remembrance to be paraded in front of us later.

Anybody care to cast an opinion on this one…?

Resurrection Morning

I was reading along this morning in Mark and came across something that I hadn’t thought a lot about before. I’m sure many have harmonized these passages before, but as an exercise I’m going to see where it leads. All this is from my examination of the Gospels in the English Standard Version (ESV).

Clearly it was on the first day of the week, and after the Sabbath (which would be a Sunday morning). Although each of the gospels tell it differently, it appears that it was some of the women who had come with him from Galilee that initially went to the tomb.

So who was there?

Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (which is probably a reference to Mary the mother of James).

Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome.

Luke mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and “the other women with them”.

John only mentioned Mary Magdalene.

Now when was it more precisely?

Matthew states it was “toward the dawn”, which would indicate that it was still dark, the sun not yet risen.

Mark states that it was “when the sun had risen”.

Luke states that it was “at early dawn”

John states that “it was still dark”

So what happens now?

Matthew says there is a great earthquake, and an angel rolls the stone back and sits on it.

Mark states that by the time they got there, the stone had been rolled back.

Luke also states that “they found the stone rolled away from the tomb”

John also states that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So who is the first to speak to them, to whom does he speak, and what does he direct them to do?

Matthew states that the angel talks to the assembled women, and tells them to go and tell the disciples, and they will see him in Galilee.

Mark states that “a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a robe” tells the three mentioned to tell the disciples (and Peter) that he is going before them to Galilee.

Luke states two men were standing by them in dazzling apparel, and they simply encourage the women to remember Christ’s words about how he would arise. (although in the disputed verses of Mark 16 (9-20) it mentions that Christ appears first to Mary Magdalene).

John states that there was no one initially there, but later Mary Magdalene is spoken to by two angels, then, mistaking him for a gardener, actually speaks with the risen Lord, who instructs her to tell the disciples.

So did the women do as they were instructed?

Matthew says that they ran to tell his disciples.

Mark says they fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone (although in verses 9 & 10 of the disputed verses of Mark 16 (9-20) it mentions that Mary Magdalene went and told “those who had been with him”.

Luke says they told everything they heard to the eleven and to all the rest.

John says that Mary Magdalene told all to the disciples.

Since we know that all scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and that scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), then what we have here is a prismatic view of that event as revealed by the Holy Spirit to us through these writers. After all, none of the human writers of the gospels were present at the tomb initially, so they have no idea themselves. At best, it would be what each of them heard from the women present, but it is more likely that this event was reveal in different ways to provide us with a mosaic of the event.

Certainly we know that Mary Magdalene played a prominent role in this event, and that Christ appeared to her and talked with her first….a women who was previously demon possessed, but had been healed. It was early morning around dawn, and probably dark initially. When Mary first saw Christ, the low light probably was part of the reason she failed to recognize Christ, mistaking him for the gardener.

The shaking of the ground as the stone was removed could well have happened just prior to their arrival at the tomb, since Matthew doesn’t actually say the women witnesses the moving of the stone…only that it had been move and there was an earthquake (probably not what we would consider an earthquake (severe and widespread), but ground movement just the same).

We know from the larger biblical record that angels are not always seen by all, at all, or at all times (i.e. Numbers 22:22 The donkey saw the angel at first, and only later in verse 31 does the Lord open Balaam’s eyes to see the angel.), so the number of angels that were visible to the women may have varied.

It is clear that the women (especially Mary Magdalene) went and told the disciples all they had seen. The statement in Mark that they “said nothing to anyone” is probably more of a reference to anyone other than the disciples…at least that is my interpretation of the text.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful pictures of this event in my opinion occurs in John’s gospel though. In fact, if you want to be truly blessed, I would suggest that you navigate to the following link Beth Moore Videos and view the Beth Moore videos (there are three of them) in the Mercy Seat series. Her telling of the story is priceless, and will give you food for thought you might not have considered.

The beauty and power of this one event, provides for everyone who believes in Christ that hope that sets us apart from the rest of mankind. We have our sin debt paid, his righteousness transferred to our account. Our Lord has defeated death and Hell, to reign forever in Heaven and is coming again in power to gather his own to himself, that where he is, there we will be also.

Amen and Amen !!!

God's Soverenity over all...today's reminder

Reading along in both Isaiah and Jeremiah this morning, I see the biblical record stating that God is not simply in control, but has his hand firmly on the wheel of destiny. There are many today who will grant that God is in control, but only insofar as he is able to correct history at critical points or change the bad outcomes into good ones for his chosen ones. But few give God the credit he deserves. The testimony of scripture doesn’t paint the picture of a God who is in a constant reaction mode, fixing up the things we mess with and waiting to see what we are going to do next. No, God is not surprised at our actions, but we are all (both regenerate and unregenerate) a part of the over-arching plan for his creation.

For example, in Isaiah 37 we read of Sennacherib, an Assyrian king with quite an attitude. It seems that in the preceding years and months, he and his army had enjoyed great success against all their conquests, without a single failure. In each and every instance, they had overcome their adversaries with little trouble. Stating this fact to King Hezekiah, they matter-of-factly mention that if Israel simply surrenders, it will work out much better for them…but the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Now Sennacherib is a pagan ruler, about as far from being one of God’s chosen children as one could possibly imagine. Yet God speaks through Isaiah to Sennacherib in verses 21 – 29 by asking him why he has mocked the LORD and why he is so haughty. Referring to Sennacherib’s success thus far, the LORD says in verse 26: “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass…”.

It seems that although Sennacherib may have thought all this conquest was his idea, that the LORD was directing his steps all along. Even though this pagan king will still be responsible for every evil act he carried out (or had carried out), God was still directing each of his steps…and it was all to bring ultimate glory to God. Apparently what Paul states in Ephesians 1 (that God works ALL things according to the counsel of his will), actually means ALL things. As I moved in my reading to Jeremiah 10, I found it fascinating that God chose to drive home this truth with verse 23, which reads “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.”

To be certain, the twin truths that God is sovereign and in complete control, yet we are still responsible moral agents are difficult for us to get our brain around…perhaps even impossible. Many have decided that God is only sovereign to a point, but our free will still controls destiny. But that is a man-centered theology at best, and the scriptures certainly don’t bear this out.

There is some comfort though that the wrestling match between these truths is not new. In answer to the a question one might ask when faced with this truth, which is stated in Romans 9:19 as...“Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” Paul answers by simply stating a fact we all too often overlook. In the next verse (20) he states “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”.

In essence, Paul reminds us that this is God’s creation (not ours), and we are part of it…therefore, God gets to decide how it works…and not us.

God IS Sovereign over all, and works all things according to the counsel of his will.

We ARE responsible for our actions.

Everything accomplished will bring glory to God one way or the other….either as a vehicle through which he will display the wrath of his judgments against sin, or as a vehicle through which he will display the immeasurable riches of his grace.

To God be the glory !!!

Hall of Faith

I think all too many of us tend to think of ourselves as average, or perhaps below average, when we compare ourselves and our faith to that of the individuals mentioned in the Bible. In particular, there is a chapter in Hebrews (11) which is referred to often as the Hall of Faith. This chapter calls out many of the faithful and how they responded to God’s call into their lives, and is mentioned to serve as examples for the people to whom the book of Hebrews was written. Few of us would consider ourselves to be Hall of Faith worthy.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”, and many of our struggles with faith come about simply because we don’t see any unmistakable signs that God is directing our lives in a given direction. While this chapter mentions people of all kinds (Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Joseph, and Moses to name a few), it also mentions someone I read about just the other day…Gideon.

In Judges 6, we read of God’s call on Gideon’s life, and far from just accepting everything he was told on faith, Gideon had more than a little “help” in this area. The call begins with a visitation from an angel, and during this encounter the angel takes his staff and touches it to some meat and bread. At that moment, fire springs up from the rock they were sitting on, and consumes them both.

Ah, but that wasn’t good enough for Gideon. He tells God that he will believe if God will cause the morning dew to soak a fleece set upon the ground, but make all the ground around it dry.

God does it.

Just to be sure, he then asks God to do the opposite (soak the ground around the fleece, but leave the fleece dry).

The next morning, God does this as well.

The story goes on with Gideon gathering 32,000 men of war to attack the Midianites, which would still have had the Israelites outnumbered. It is only at this point in the story that Gideon begins to show true faith and trust in the Lord. God tells him he has too many men, and to tell everyone who is afraid to go back home. I don’t know about you, but if more than 2 out of every 3 of my men then packed their things and left, that would discourage me.

With only 10,000 men left, God tells him he still has too many men. Taking the remaining force to a river, he tells everyone to drink from the river. Only those who lap the water like a dog are retained. Now the faith must really kick in, since only 3% of the men drink in this way (300 of them).

Now very few of us are called into physical battles with Midianite hordes, but we are called to walk in the light as Christ walked in the light, to care for the hurting and poor, and to share our testimonies and the gospel with those around us…both those we know and those we do not.

Yet no one is causing fire to leap from rocks, or giving us signs in the dew. Instead, we are in many ways called to a higher standard. In John 20:29, Jesus tells Thomas (another follower who had to see evidence or a sign first) that those who believe without seeing are blessed, and 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us we are to walk by faith and not by sight.

God isn’t looking at how many Midianites we kill.…no, he is looking at our hearts. Even in the small things, we are to walk by faith. We are to continue to obey, even when there is no evidence that we are on the right track except that we are following God’s word. Instead of making exceptions for ourselves when our planned actions are contrary to God’s direction for our lives, we simply obey. We share our material things with those in need around us, our time and effort with those who need us, and our faith with others, even if no one ever responds positively in our presence.

When the roll is called up there one day, we may be quite surprised to hear the tales of the people who are in God’s Hall of Faith. I believe that ranked above those who needed a sign and fought might battles, will be the quiet man who simply shares the good news with others, the housewife who cares for the sick, the child of God who shares the good news with others, and the person who gives of himself to provide food for those who have none, gives to a homeless shelter, or helps to provide relief to the hurting in the world.

Where will you be in the Hall of Faith…?

Just some interesting tidbits

As I continue on with my Bible reading plan (which is a bit "different" to say the least), I find some rather interesting things I just didn't think about before. In Genesis 20:12, when Abraham is trying to explain himself to Abimelech as to why he said that Sarah was his sister, I learned that part of the reason (aside from fearing he would be killed because men would want her (she must have been quite special, since by the time of Genesis 20 she was 90 years old...and he was still afraid they would kill him to possess her), was that she WAS actually his sister...the daughter of his father.

Aside from the "really...?" factor of all this, it is interesting to note that 400+ years later God would relay through Moses to the people of Israel that sleeping with the daughter of one's father (much less marrying her) is an abomination that would cause the two of them to be cutoff from the sight of the children of their people (or banished from the congregation) (Leviticus 18:9, 20:17, and Deuteronomy 27:22).

So why was this not condemned in the Bible? There are some things we simply aren't told, and must simply believe that God works through the sinfulness of man sometimes to bring about his purposes. We do know that things were somewhat "colorful" in those times, and that God uses it all for his purposes. Nahor (Abraham's brother), has sex with his other brother's daughter and has a son called Bethuel, who fathers Laban (the father of Leah and Rachel whom Jacob (Issac's son) marries to setup the patriarchs of the twelve tribes).

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Another one that had me scratching my head for a while was when Jesus touches the leper in Matthew 8:2 in order to cleanse him. Just a day or two earlier I had read in Leviticus 5:3-6 that touching someone who was unclean (and lepers "qualify" for this (Leviticus 13:3 among other references)) was in itself a sin....at least according to the Law given by God to Moses, to in turn give to the children of Israel.

Scratching my head, because we are told in at least three places in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, and 1 Peter 2:22) that Christ did not sin while on earth.

In Haggai 2:12-13 we learn that if one touches something unclean with something holy, the holy thing doesn't make the unclean thing clean....the holy thing is defiled.

No, the only way you can touch someone or something unclean and not become unclean yourself is if you make the other person or thing clean in the process. There is only one person who can transfer cleanness, and that is God. When Jesus touched the leper, He was essentially making another claim to deity.

Jesus certainly didn't have to touch him to heal him (he performed a few long-distance healings), but he DID touch him.

Jesus, who is totally pure and holy, knowing nothing of sin himself, left the glory of heaven to become one of us, touching the foulness of humanity, but not defiling himself in the process. Instead, the uncleanness he touches, becomes clean by his power.

In whom do you trust?

In my reading yesterday, I came across a familiar couple of verses in Psalms:

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalms 9:9-10 (ESV)

Verse 10 always seems to challenge me. Those who know God's name, who have come to have an experiential knowledge of God's character in their own lives, put their trust in him. But what does it mean to really place our trust in God?

If we were to depend upon the dictionary definition of trust, it would mean that we would rely on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of God, confident that he would care for us. Of course, the ultimate measure of our trust in God is our core belief that he can be depended upon to protect and keep us. Ah, but this can be hard in hard times.

Picture a child on the edge the community swimming pool, uncertainty and a healthy dose of apprehension painted on his little face. His father, three feet away and in the pool chest deep, encourages the boy to jump, telling him that he will catch him and not let him go under. To a great extent, the level of established trust between the boy and his father will determine the child's actions.

Has his father ever told him he would catch him in a pool, then failed?

Has his father ever told him he would do something for certain, then failed to do so?

The final decision will be based in large part on the father's trustworthiness in the opinion of his son. If the son feels that Dad has let him down before, even if it was to teach him a valuable skill or lesson, the child will very likely remain where he is.

Our perceptions of times that God has let us down colors our own willingness to trust him in times of need. While we know he loves us, and has saved us from calamity and trials previously, there is this nagging thought that if he really loved us, we wouldn't be in our current situation. So often, we tend to view God's trustworthiness against the backdrop of our perception of a pleasant, happy, and abundant life....even though the Bible clearly tells us that it is through many tribulations that we will enter his Kingdom.

As such, our trust must be based upon something deeper. We must trust that God's direction for our lives, both in feast and in famine, in good times and in trials, is the best course of action not only for ourselves personally, but for our brothers and sisters in Christ, for the lost and dying around us, and as the means God uses to bring about his purposes in the world. How we choose to face these challenges can not only help us grow as children of God, but can be a powerful witness to others. The testimony of our trusting reaction to hardship can even be the very purpose God has led us into that place.

Trusting that each situation in which we find ourselves is a part of God's over-arching purpose, we can both rest in the knowledge that God is most definitely in control, and be energized even in the most difficult of times. God has placed us wherever we are today for a purpose. If that purpose is not clear to us, it is not that our current situation is meaningless...it is a wake-up call to us to look for the reason and serve God in this place, whether it be a green pasture, or a dark valley.

Those who know, truly know, God's name...that is who he really is, place their trust in him.

Through the study of his word, prayer, and fellowship with like-minded believers, we can begin to know God's name. We can live and walk in his light...and we can be assured that even though we may walk in the valley of shadows, he is leading us in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

In whom do you trust?

Just a roll of the dice

There are some who believe that God is just waiting up in Heaven to see what we'll do next. If we, through our free will decisions, take history too far off course, then God does a "course correction" and sets everything right again. Personally, I'm not one of them. I believe that the testimony of scripture portrays a God who is not simply in authority over his creation, but actually is in control of everything, from the flight of the sparrow to every roll of the dice.

Proverbs 16:33 tells us "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.". As we are reading along in our Bibles, that simple verse often flies right by us. However, what it is saying is profound. In Biblical times, (especially the Old Testament but also the New Testament), the casting of lots (the roll of dice essentially) was used to determine decisions by many peoples.

The Urim and Thummim mentioned in Leviticus 8:8 and Exodus 28:30 were used to determine the Lord's judgments by the children of Israel (also referenced in 1 Samuel 14:41, Ezra 2:6, and Nehemiah 7:65 to name a few). Other people throughout the Bible used this method as well, such as the sailors on the boat with Jonah (Jonah 1:7), as well as a rather nefarious gentlemen I was just reading about in Esther, named Haman.

Haman had been elevated to a position of authority, yet Mordecai would not bow down to him. Infuriated at Mordecai's insolence, and plotting revenge on him, Haman sought to not only kill Mordecai (who he plans to publicly hang), but also to scheme to wipe out all the Jews from King Ahasuerus kingdom as well (all 127 provinces).

In the first month of the Jewish year (Nisan), he attempts to determine the ideal month and day (according to "the gods") for the kingdom-wide genocide by casting lots. The month chosen by this method is Adar, which is the twelfth month, and the day was the thirteenth day.

Through God's providential control of every roll of the dice, the Jewish people were given 11 months to prepare. During this time, God not only caused Mordecai to be honored by Haman himself against his wishes, but finally to have Mordecai be raised to prominence in the kingdom, Haman hanged on the very gallows meant for Mordecai (on the very day Haman had planned to have it carried out), and an edict written that the Jews were allowed to put up an armed defense against anyone coming against them. On that fateful day, over 75,000 enemies of the Jews were slain.

This short book is simply filled with God's sovereign hand active not in miraculous ways, but in the most minute details of life.

He causes Queen Vashti to refuse to answer the King's summons on one of his feast days. Which leads to Esther being rounded up into custody to be paraded in front of the king because of her beauty.

He causes the two eunuchs who were plotting against the king to speak of this in front of Mordecai while he was at the king's gate hoping to speak briefly with Esther, at which time he told her of the plot, and she told the king in Mordecai's name.

He later causes the king to have a sleepless night, so that he reads the book of memorable deeds and notices that Mordecai was not rewarded for revealing a plot against him previously.

He causes Haman to agree with his wife and friends to construct a gallows 75 feet high, upon which he himself will later be hanged.

And he causes Haman to choose the timing of his planned, evil deed by the roll of dice.....the outcome of which he controls.

I am so very thankful that we have a God who works ALL things according to the counsel of his will. It should be a great comfort to every child of God that he is in complete control, and that nothing happens without his enabling or restraining hand being firmly on the wheel.

Circumcision overlooked?

Once again, my Bible reading caused something to jump out at me again. As I was reading in Joshua 5 the other day, I noticed in verse 7 that the children who were born during the wilderness wandering were not circumcised, so this was required before they proceeded with their promised land conquest. This struck me as odd during this reading, where I've probably just glazed over this before.

Back in Genesis 17, circumcision was established as the covenant sign of God's people with Abraham, and God even goes so far as to say that if anyone fails to have the sign (circumcision) they are to be cut off (or banished) from his people (verse 14). This is to occur on the eight day for newborn males.

Later, in Leviticus 12, God tells Moses the same thing, namely that all male children are to be circumcised on the eighth day of their lives, and this teaching occurred between the receipt of the 10 commandments and the end of Moses life which was prior to the ascension of Joshua into a position of leadership.

In Exodus 12 we learn that in order for someone to partake of the Passover, they must be circumcised as well. Later in Leviticus 23 we see the institution of the Passover, which is to be a yearly event. In fact, they started this yearly celebration of the Passover as early as the first month of their second year after the exodus from Egypt (Numbers 9). Later in that same chapter it states that if someone fails to observe the Passover they are to be cut off (or banished) from God's people (verse 13).

This tends to shed a different light on the wandering years in the wilderness than I had imagined previously. During this time, apparently a rather significant number of the male children born were not circumcised according to the law, yet were not banished from their people. In addition, these young men either did not participate in the Passover, or participated in violation of the law. In either case, they were not banished for this either.

I already knew that God wasn't pleased with the children of Israel since they were wandering for 40 years, but this sheds some new light (at least for me) on another facet of their disobedience during their wilderness walk.

For some reason, I had always entertained a somewhat sanitized view that for the most part they followed the law during their wilderness wanderings, but such is apparently not the case.

Yet our loving God looks at the failings of His chosen people now as He did then, failings both unintentional and otherwise, and is willing to renew relationships again if his people will humble themselves, repent, and turn to their rock, their shield, their mighty fortress....their God.

The walls of Jericho

My Bible reading today took me into Joshua 6 where the walls of Jericho fell down. You know, for some reason I had either always been taught (or just thought) that the entire wall all around the city just came down that day...but I found that most likely wasn't the case.

Rahab's place of residence was actually a part of the city walls (Joshua 2:15), and she was told to stay in her house with all her relatives on the day the children of Israel attacked (Joshua 2:18). If all the walls fell down, everyone that was in her household would have died that day if all the walls fell, yet we know that not only did that not happen (Joshua 6:23), but that she went on to become the Great, Great Grandmother of King David !

Joshua 6 tells us that each of the children of Israel outside of the city of Jericho (when the walls fell), went into the city straight before him. The bible doesn't really tell us if they attacked from all sides at once or not, but if they did, a very different picture than what I had thought was probably true. They would have formed a circle on all sides of the city....except for a gap in this circle just big enough to allow the portion of the wall where Rahab's house stood to remain standing.

As amazing as the walls just falling down is, the fact that a portion stayed up to protect one of the members of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 is more amazing still.

It seems that God shows me new things every time I read his word.