David and the Ark

In working my way through the Scriptures this year, I have reached 1 Chronicles, and was reading this week about King David and his desire to honour the God of Israel. You see, during the time of Eli, the Ark of the Covenant was removed from Israel. Israel had taken the Ark into battle, hoping that this visible symbol of the presence of God would guarantee victory for them. Instead, Israel was defeated, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. The Philistine commanders took the Ark to the temple of their god, Dagon, and the Ark was lost to the leaders of Israel.
So David consulted with his leadership, and then with all the people of Israel, and they came to consensus regarding the return of the ark to a place of prominence and availability to the leadership for seeking the Lord's guidance. David and the people of Israel make arrangements to bring the ark from Abinadab's house in Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem. They arrange for a new cart, a procession, and all the other accoutrements of honour. They begin the journey, and as they travel, they are accompanied by musicians playing instruments, dancers dancing, and all Israel is celebrating with all their might before God.
It is a beautiful story of people honouring God, celebrating His goodness, and offering Him their best.
But the story takes a decidedly darker twist as you keep reading. As the procession reaches the threshing floor of Sidon, the oxen trip and stumble. Uzzah, one of the men guiding the cart, reaches out his hand to make sure the ark does not fall off the cart. And God got MAD.  1 Chronicles 13:10 says exactly that; "The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah". God doesn't get mad the way you and I do. He is not angered because His feelings are hurt, or because He feels threatened. He doesn't even feel the need to put other people down so He can feel better about Himself. But God is very protective of His glory, and He doesn't tolerate anything or anyone that threatens that glory. Uzzah's actions in touching the Ark were a violation of the clear commands God had given regarding the handling and management of this visible reminder of His presence among His people. The short, Stephen-version of those commands is, "Don't touch!"
Way back in Israel's history, during the time of the Exodus, God gave Moses the design for the Ark (and the other articles used to demonstrate His presence and to honour Him). He also gave Moses instructions about the handling of these articles. "Put rings on the side of the Ark for poles to be inserted so the ark can be carried on the shoulders of the priests assigned to this task." (a summation, not a quote; Exodus 25:10-22 has the design instructions for the Ark, Exodus 37:1-9 has the making of the Ark, and Numbers 3:27-32 has the record of the priestly families who were to care for the temple furniture, including the Ark) God's instructions regarding the use of and care for His Ark were quite specific. In their excitement at returning the Ark, David and Israel ignored these instructions and violated God's commands.
When God killed Uzzah, David was both angry and afraid. The Bible does not give a reason for David's anger, though several possibilities come to mind. But Chronicles does say that David was "afraid of God that day". I believe there is a difference between 'the fear of the Lord' that is the beginning of wisdom, and David's "afraid of God". The first fear is often explained as reverence or awe. It means taking God and His instructions, requirements, and expectations seriously and grows out of love for Him. The second fear is closer to terror, and comes about as a result of experiencing the effects of disobedience and punishment. David cared for the people of Israel; they were his people. He wanted to do a good thing - bringing back the Ark of the Covenant to prominence in Israel. He even thought he was doing good by providing a new cart and all the celebration. But his ideas were not God's, and his actions, noble though they may have seemed, were a violation of God's instructions.
Though this is the end of this story in Chronicles, it is not the end of the Ark's journey to Jerusalem. Eventually the Ark does make it to the city of God, the place where He chose for His name to dwell. 1 Chronicles 15 tells how the Ark eventually ends up in Jerusalem. It comes accompanied by music, dance, and all the other elements of a great celebration. It comes with sacrifice, as required by Israel's covenant with God. And it comes on the shoulders of God's chosen ministers, carried by the priests, as required by God.
David and Israel learned a valuable lesson because of Uzzah's death. God wants us to honour Him. He delights when we praise Him. He is pleased when we sacrifice for Him or to Him. But the thing He wants most from us? Our obedience. As Samuel said to Saul, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." (1 Sam. 15:22)

We Live What We Believe

I hear so often that the things I do should be a reflection of the things I believe. I heard it today in a different fashion, and while I know that the moment a word leaves my mouth I am no longer in control of its meaning, I trust I can express the difference I heard today in a way that can be understood by those who might read this.

In the past, this comment (in its numerous iterations) has been a warning to consider the actions of my life in light of the things I am supposed to consider of major import. If I claim to value relationships, my actions need to nurture and encourage relationships, both extant and new. If I claim to value education, I need to live a life of learning. The examples could be endless, but the main point is that the things I do need to be adjusted to match the things I believe. Think about what I believe, and then act accordingly.

When I heard the expression today, I was stuck by the thought that my actions always reflect my beliefs. They may not reflect my theology – what I claim to believe – but they do reflect my actual beliefs. As a former mentor of mine was fond of saying, “We always do what we want.” I would amend that slightly and say that our actions reflect our beliefs, not just our desires.

What do your actions reveal about your beliefs?

This is a re-post of my WordPress Blog from Feb 5, 2016.

Armour of God

This post will be a bit different from previous posts. Instead of looking at a character or story in the Bible, I am looking at a section of teaching (from Paul, of all people; not that I have anything against Paul, I just don't often write or speak about him and his work- not a lot of stories in Paul's writing).

This past week, I had the privilege of speaking to a lovely group of seniors. The pastor was on holiday, is working through the Prison Epistles, and asked if I would take the meeting - lead some worship, give them time to pray, and then teach on Ephesians 6:10-24. I was delighted. I have done this before, they are a great group who love Jesus and are excited to keep growing in their faith and relationship with God and others. I'm not going to re-write everything we looked at, but I would like to share some thoughts about the armour (armor for the Americans who may read this :0) of God.

There are six pieces of armour listed by Paul - belt, breastplate, helmet, shoes, shield, and sword. Of these, five are intended as defensive, while only one- the sword -is offensive. Paul begins the section with an injunction to "stand". Three times - in verses 11, 13, and 14- Paul says, "stand." We are wrestling, so why the command, "stand"? I think it may be because, "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Sam 17:47; 2 Chron 20:15)). The victory is already won, and we just need to "stand still and see" (1 Sam 12:16) the salvation of our God. The armour of God is intended to give us what we need to stand firm and allow God to work victory in our lives.

So what do these pieces of armour give the Christian? Lots has been written on each of these, and I can add little to what has already been exegeted, so let me summarize in this post. The belt of truth reminds us that Christianity is true. It is not true because it works; it works because it is true. As believers in Jesus, the first thing we need to stand against the enemy is the conviction that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are true. They are historically verifiable facts. Paul declared misery on himself and all who follow Christ if the resurrection is not true. All the original disciples except John died horrible deaths for a lie if the resurrection is not true. Christianity is true, and on this we stand.

The breastplate of righteousness is not about what I do; it is about what Christ has done. Jesus died for me. He paid the price for my sin, and because of Him , God sees me as righteous. I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ, regardless of my sin- past, present, or future. This does not give me a license to do whatever I want, but it does free me from guilt when I fall.
Shoes are next. The shoes are not the gospel, they are the sense of preparedness that comes from the gospel of peace. This is not Paul talking about being prepared to evanglize or preach. This is the peace that comes from knowing that God is the God of peace, that He brings peace regardless of circumstances, and that whatever wars and/or conflict may come, God is not behind them. He is the God of peace.

The shield of faith is the only article about which Paul gives direction. Believers in Jesus are to use the shield of faith to defeat those things the enemy sends against us. Doubt is extinguished by faith, as is temptation, discouragement, and other darts. Faith in God is what allows the Christian to rise above petty annoyances. It is also what permits the Christian to stand when victory is won; we remember that we did not win, but God won through us so there is no place for pride or triumphalism. We defeat the enemies attack with faith in Christ.

The last piece of mainly-defensive equipment is the helmet of salvation. I do not believe that the location of the armour was significant for Paul. The belt of truth could just as easily have been the helmet of truth, or the shoes of truth upon which we stand. However, in my life, the truth of my salvation became very clear as an older teen. I had been 'saved' many times, but always felt guilty when an evangelist would come and preach a salvation message. Finally, someone showed me 1 John 5:13 "I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life, if you believe on the name of the Son of God." At that moment, I knew that I was saved, and that my salvation did not depend on my ability to live without sinning. Instead, salvation rests on Christ, and on His work completed at Calvary. The helmet of salvation reminds us that we are saved, and nothing can change that fact.

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. For Paul and the early church, this term referenced the Old Testament Scriptures. As Paul is writing Ephesians, perhaps some NT writings would begin to be included in this designation, but perhaps not. In offensive use, the word of God is used to defeat lies Satan sends our way. Just as Jesus used Deuteronomy to counteract the temptations He faced when hungry, so the Christian is to use the words of God to counter the tests Satan sends. 

I would like to make one further point in this discussion: the culture of Paul was much more collectivist than the North American culture of today. Today, the individual is everything. "I demand my rights." We do not think about what is best for the group as much as we are concerned with what is best for the individual. We applaud the rugged individualist, who does whatever will make them happy. The lone cowboy riding the range is a hero, as is the rock-and-roll god or Youtube personality. Twitter and Facebook allow me to share my thoughts with the world, while Instagram allows me to share whatever comes to mind as it comes to mind.

For Paul, and for the Rome of Paul's day, society was important. "What is best for the group?" "How will this benefit society?" The gifts of the Spirit today seem often used to exalt the individual. For Paul, they were to build up the body of Christ, the group of believers. Thus, for Paul, it is likely that the sword of the Spirit was not a weapon for the individual to wield in defeating the enemy, but part of the equipment each individual used to make them effective as a group, as part of a team. Many barbarians may have been superior warriors to individual Roman soldiers, but the soldiers Paul envisioned as he described the armour of God were victorious over these warriors because they worked as a unit, as a team, as a group.

As followers of Christ, robed in the armour of God, we are called to function as part of the 'team' that is the body of Christ, the church of the living God, the fellowship of the faithful. We are not individual warriors in the cause of Christ, but part of the cohort of the redeemed. As individuals, may we dress in the armour of God, so we can be most effective together with our brothers and sisters in the church, standing firm in the place to which God has called us, seeing His salvation day by day, living as He calls us, part of the body of Christ, salt in the midst of decay, light shining in the darkness, the people of God.

"By their works?"

I am on a quest to read through the Bible in 6 months. Usually, I read from Genesis to Revelation, in book order. This time, I am reading a selection from the First Testament (minus Psalms and Proverbs) a selection from the New Testament, a Psalm and and a few verses from Proverbs every day. The juxtaposition of thoughts is sometimes startling, either because they seem so different, or, as today, because the readings, especially the First and New Testament readings, seem so closely in harmony.
In Deuteronomy 13, Moses tells the Children of Israel to be careful about people who come as prophets. Verses 1 and 2 give the "fruit" test for a prophet - they predict the future, and their prediction is accurate, or they perform some sign or wonder. In other words, the prophets seem to be acting by the power of God, because they are correct in their foreseeing or demonstration of power. Verse 3 gives the warning - unless their teaching is in line with that of Moses, their demonstrations of power are to be ignored.
In Matthew 7 (parallel to Luke where I was reading in the NT), Jesus warns about "servants" who have done miraculous things. "Lord, Lord, in your name we did these amazing things... even raising the dead..." (my paraphrase of Matt 7:22) But just before this section, which is a lot like Moses in Deuteronomy, Jesus tells us that we can know people by their "fruit" - the things they do.
Jesus and Moses both seem to be saying that demonstrations of power are not the justification of a person's life. Just because someone can do amazing things is not proof that they are living a righteous or godly life. Demonstrations of power are also not sufficient to prove that what someone says is correct, or godly, or proper. For the people of Israel, they were to follow God even if a powerful person tried to convince them otherwise. For followers of Jesus, acts of power are not sufficient to guarantee eternal life.
For believers today, the fact that God is using someone to bring about His purpose does not mean that the person is blessed by God. In all cases, we must weigh our own actions by the commands of God; we must carefully consider the teachings of others, and ensure they are aligned with the Word of God. I am not responsible for you, though I have a responsibility to you. I am responsible for my own actions, attitudes, and behaviours before God,just as you are responsible for yours. Though we walk this Christian life together, we stand or fall alone before the holy God.

Why We Call On God: Lessons from Pharaoh

I was reading this morning in Exodus 5, and was first distracted by thinking about the plagues on Egypt, what they mean, and how they "mock" the gods of Egypt. But along the way, my thoughts were arrested by the actions of Pharaoh. At the beginning, he probably felt that this upstart, Moses, (who may have been his adopted brother, or uncle), was attacking Pharaoh's authority by demanding the release of the Hebrew slaves. As his own religious people were able to duplicate the actions of God (water to blood, frogs appearing), he was likely not terribly impressed. In Exodus 5:5, he instructs Moses to pray to Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, for respite from the frogs. When the respite comes, Pharaoh refuses to release the slaves, even though this was part of his offering to Moses in return for Moses' prayers. The focus of the text is not on the prayers or Moses, or the negotiations of Pharaoh. Rather the focus of the text is on the power of God, and his actions in arranging the exodus of His chosen people from Egypt.

I notice in reading this account of the plagues of Egypt, that Pharaoh makes bargains with God through Moses to achieve Pharaoh's desires, but that as soon as those desires are met, the bargain is forgotten. Two thoughts occur to me in this regard, and I must confess that both of them caused me to seriously examine my own life and practise. The first of these thoughts is that, when people come to God, they typically either come as negotiators in a business transaction or as supplicants bargaining/pleading for a desired outcome. Pharaoh is both, at different times. "I will do this for you, if you will do this for me." When we come to God in this fashion, it behoves us to make sure we follow through on our part when God does His. He takes His word seriously, and expects the same of us. In fact, in Matthew 5:33-37, we are told not even to swear to the truth, but to simply let our "Yes" or "No" be sufficient.

The second manner in which many people come to God is as a supplicant. In this approach, we recognise that we cannot accomplish what is needed, so we come to God and ask Him to do it. "God, heal my child." There is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, either, unless it is performed with endless repetition, pleading, and begging.This endless repetition may indicate a false belief of one form or another. Does God only hear you because you are the loudest? Does God only act because you have convinced Him that your seriousness deserves it?

As I see it, neither of these approaches is necessarily wrong, but either may indicate a problem with our perception of God, and if that is the case, they they are definitely the wrong approach. When I come to God as a negotiator, I come as His equal, and I am not. Nothing I have to offer is anything less than He is already owed. If I am in relationship with Him, it is on the basis of salvation, which means, as Paul says, that I am "not my own, I am bought with a price". Whatever good I do is simply what is owed to Him already. So what can I bring as my part of any bargain? Even if I am not in relationship with God, He created me, sustains me, provides the air that I breathe, and the food that I eat. First of all, what am I giving Him in exchange? Secondly, if all I have comes from Him already, with what can I bargain?

If, on the other hand, I come as supplicant, with endless pleading, begging, and repetition, it may indicate that I think I have to convince God that I deserve this intervention. It may also indicate any one of a number of false beliefs- God does not really want to do this good thing; or God does not love me but if I grovel enough He will act anyway. The issue is not with the manner of my prayer, but with the belief at the base of my actions. For one person, the endless repetition is simply an indication of the depth of their desire, and not a reflection of their underlying beliefs. They know God heard them the first time, they know He is both willing and able to act in any and all situations, their prayers are a mechanism of reminder for themselves. "I am praying this because God is the only one who can act effectively, and this prayer reminds me to trust Him for the best answer."

Assuming you pray, how do you pray? What are the beliefs about God that underlie the prayers you pray? Is God good? Does He love you without conditions? Does He want the best for you? Are you praying this because you are a "worker together with God", or because you don't think God wants it for you and you are hoping to change His mind? If your beliefs are correct, then pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all manner of prayers. Pray the prayer of faith. However, if your beliefs are not correct, cease. Confess to God, learn to hold correct beliefs, and then bring your requests to God. Then, "the peace of God that goes beyond our comprehension will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."

I am not trying, in this post, to say that you must be perfect in your faith and belief before you can pray. I am, however, trying to encourage you to think about how and why you pray, to examine your beliefs about God, yourself, and prayer, and to make any changes that may be required.

Zipporah Saves Moses

When thinking of the deliverance of the Israelites from the oppression of Egypt the first time, whose name comes to mind? Moses, right? Did you know that God was almost forced to choose someone else? And not because Moses didn't want the job (although he clearly did not want it). No, God almost had to choose someone else because God sought to kill Moses.

It's true. You can find the story in Exodus 4:24 "At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.” (NIV) Now, I have a bunch of questions that rise from this incident. The story of Moses' life from birth to deliverer does not take much space; it begins in Exodus 1, and ends at the end of the incident with Zipporah. After this, Moses is the prophet of God, the deliverer of Israel, and the law-giver. After this, Moses is not perfect (none of God's leaders and heroes are) but he is fully committed to the plans and purposes of God. He faces down the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth at the time. He rises above the whining of the people he is leading and stands between them and God when God wants to destroy the nation and begin again with Moses in the place of Abraham.

But as I said earlier, the story of Zipporah circumcising either Gershom or Eliezer (the two sons of Moses) raises lots of questions. The two main difficulties with the passage involve the identity of the person referenced by "him" in Gen 4:24, and the meaning of "bridegroom of blood". There is little question that the author includes this anecdote for a reason; there is a lot of discussion in interpretive circles as to exactly what that reason might be. For me, the questions have less to do with these scholarly questions and more to do with Moses and his household. Why were Gershom and Eliezer not already circumcised? Why was Moses so clueless that he did not realise that God was coming to kill one of them? What was there in Zipporah that made her not only aware of God's intent and reason for His anger, but also aware of the required actions to turn that wrath away?

On the face of things, Moses should have been more aware of God's commands. Moses, not Zipporah, was the one who had encountered God face to face at the "Burning Bush". Moses was the direct descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses was the one raised by Jewish nannies while in the court of Pharaoh. Zipporah was the daughter of a priest of the gods of Midian. Zipporah was raised without knowledge of the God of Israel, and certainly without knowledge of the importance of the rite of circumcision in the relationship between God and Israel's descendants.

The Bible does not give sufficient data to form a clear picture of Zipporah.  We do not have much information about her relationship with Moses, or the nature and content of any religious discussions they had. I don't believe we can doubt that these discussions occurred. In ancient times, religion occupied a central place in the lives of everyone. Planting, harvesting, childbirth, diet, and all other aspects of life were governed by the rules of each religion. Zipporah, daughter of a priest of Midian, and Moses, a prophet of Israel, would have faced difficulties in every area of life without these discussions. We can assume that Moses did not 'win' the discussion about circumcision (which was mandated on the eighth day for every male child of Israel).

While we do not know much, we do know that Zipporah's actions saved Moses' life. Can we draw from this that God honours any actions taken in obedience to His commands? Or are we to learn that, even if our attitude is bad, God wants us to do what He commands? As usual in these blog posts, I'm not sure that I can draw any conclusions. What I do hope is that, if you are reading this, that you will re-read the story of Zipporah in Exodus 4:24-26 and see if God has something to say to you. He does promise that His word always accomplishes His purposes.

Jacob: Bargaining with God

The story of Jacob is told in Genesis from chapters 25 to 35. As with all stories, there are other characters, but the focus of these chapters in Genesis is very much Jacob. I was not going to deal with these major characters, not because I do not think that they have anything to say, but mainly because they have been dealt with so well, so often, by so many others. I could not resist the story of Jacob and his relationship with Isaac's God. So, join me in looking at this father of the tribes, the man who becomes Israel, who gives his name to the covenant people of God.
Jacob was the second son of Isaac, but only by a short amount of time; his twin was born first. Esau, Isaac's twin brother, was his father's favourite; Jacob was his mother's favourite.  Jacob was a homebody; Esau was a traveller. Jacob kept his eye on the main thing, always wanting more for less. In fact, his name came to mean 'deceiver, supplanter, trickster'. When Jesus met Nathanael (John 1:45-51), he commends him by saying, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob." (Jn 1:47)
Jacob is not a nice person. On one occasion, his brother returns hungry from his hunting, and asks Jacob for some stew already prepared. Common courtesy, and the custom of the day, required Jacob to feed his hungry brother, but Jacob would not until Esau "gave" him his birthright (a double portion of the inheritance). When their father is old and wishes to pass on blessing to his son, Esau, Jacob tricks Isaac and steals the blessing for himself.
This is not what I want to focus on. I mention these things about Jacob simply to notice the person about whom we are thinking, to paint, in broad strokes, a caricature of this patriarch. What I would like to focus on in this post is the relationship between Jacob and Yahweh. Jacob's birth is a direct answer to prayer. Like his grandmother, Sarai, Isaac's mother was barren. (I'm not sure what it was about the Patriarchs, but they each married women incapable of conception.) Like his father Isaac, Jacob was either the direct answer to prayer or the result of the promise of God. Isaac was born in a home and family accustomed to the blessing of God. As discussed in a previous post, Isaac passed on the heritage he had from his father Abraham, to his descendants. But, like all of us, Isaac needed his own encounter with God.
As a result of the theft of his brother's blessing, Jacob is on the run. Esau has vowed to kill him as soon as their father Isaac dies and the mourning period is over. Rebekah, Isaac's wife, has convinced Isaac to send Jacob to her relatives to get a wife, and Jacob is on his way. On the road one night, as he lay sleeping, he has a dream. He sees a ladder or staircase, set between heaven and earth, that angels are using to go back and forth. In the course of the dream, he sees Yahweh standing beside him, and Yahweh promises blessing to Jacob. When Jacob wakes up, he realises two things. First, he has been in the dwelling of God. Second, he should worship. So he makes an altar, or a stone of remembrance, out of the stone he was using as a pillow by pouring oil on it. Then he makes a vow. It is a most interesting vow, because it is such a quibbling speech. "If God will do this and this and that and that, THEN he will be my God."
If one compares the speech of God in the dream, and the vow Jacob makes, they are almost inverted. God says he will do A, B, and C, and Jacob says, "If you do A, B, and C, then you can be my God and I will worship you." Please keep in mind that Jacob is making this bargain with the creator of the universe. He is, in fact, withholding the worship God deserves simply because He is God, offering it only if (and after) God will also be Jacob's protector, deliverer, guide, and provider. We know God is all these things. But one should not refuse to worship God until God has done these things for us. Look at the story of Job, as a comparison. Job worships God even when terrible things have happened to him.
Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is the part where God continues to bless Jacob, continues to lead and guide him, and continues to protect him, even with Jacob's lousy attitude and lack of respect. These things end up costing Jacob, but God meets Jacob's terms.
God loves us more than we can ever imagine. He desires relationship with us, not because He needs to be worshipped and adored, and certainly not because He has a big ego. God desires relationship with us because He loves us. He wants our worship, not for His sake, but because we need to worship, and He is the only one worthy of that worship. If you are considering a bargain with God, be warned. He does not promise to give us everything we want, but He does promise to give us what we need. And if what we need is a period of trial, that is what He will supply. The rest of Jacob's story is certainly an example of this.