[Matthew 1:1-17]
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
This is the first of a four part series.
This passage, of course, is a genealogy. Not particularly interesting. Not something we tend to spend time on. But here's the thing, 2 Timothy 3:16 reads: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," Here's the thing, genealogy is trying to convey something. If you took the time to go through the genealogy, it shows some things.
Jesus came to bring outsiders in.
Matthew was tax collector. Consider that for the Jews, ancestry is important. It was very important to know how Jewish Jesus was. The genealogy is framed around David and Abraham. Why is it framed this way? Because Matthew is trying to show that Jesus comes from the house of David and the house of Abraham. Matthew is trying to show that Jesus is Christ, the Messiah. In the midst of all these Jewish references, a King was coming. Not only a king of the Jews, but a King over all nations. All people would be blessed by this king. Gentiles, non-Jews, would be drawn near to God. This was hard for the Jews to see this. Throughout the Old Testament, God called them a special chosen people, His treasure, called to be separate for other people. He told the Jews not to intermarry. Why? So they would not follow foreign gods. God always wanted to drawn outsiders in. How do we see this in the genealogy? Women are listed... usually they were left out of genealogy. Not only this, there were Gentile women. Foreign women were usually frowned upon by Jews. But Matthew listed them to draw attention to God's desire to draw those outside the kingdom of God in.
Unless you are ethnically Jewish, you are a Gentile. An outsider. But through Christ, we are brought into the family of God. So as Christians, we should be sensitive to those who our society rejects and marginalizes. Because that is our story. We should not be centered about Christian culture and other Christians. We should be reaching out to bring people into the family of God.
Jesus came through the worst of sinners to save the worst of sinners.
Matthew includes not only the best of the ancestors, but he also includes people we would want to hide. He does not exclude those who are embarrassing. Judah & Tamar. Tamar pretends to be a prostitute so her father-in-law can sleep with her so she can get pregnant. Rahab was a career prostitute. Not pretending, but a real hooker. David & Bathsheba, wife of Uriah. David took another man's wife and arranges for this same man to die in battle. This lineage is filled with people with dark history, jacked up lives, and messed up people. This is humanity, the sinners who are the "best" of us.
Jesus is not surprised by any sin. Murder, Adultery, prostitution. This is a display of God's powers of redemption and grace. Through this genealogy, God brought salvation to the world. We often get paralyzed by our guilt. We look at our sins and we question if God can really forgive our sins. But I hope for those of us who are there, I hope you will find comfort in Jesus' family line. Christ's blood covers even our most heinous of sins. Jesus does not condemn, but redeems.
Jesus came to save in unseen and unknown ways
Jesus comes while the Jewish people are under the oppression of the Romans. He is born to a poor couple. His mother, Mary, is not married and is pregnant. A scandalous situation. He lives the life of an outsider. He was condemned by the religious leaders and eventually dies naked and shamed on a cross. Who would have expected a Savior like this? No one. Look at the genealogy again and we find all these obscure people listed. How obscure? Some of the people listed only show up in the bible once... in the genealogy. In the years before Jesus, nothing happened. It seemed like God was silent and doing nothing. But God was at work in the background.
We love explanations. We want to know how things work. Wouldn't it be great if God gave us the whole plan? But life doesn't work that way. That's not how God works. There will be many times where God will be working and we have no clue what is going on. God will seem to be quiet and nothing seems to be happening. We don't know why. So what then? Instead of always trying to find the why, we should take refuge in the who. A God who keeps His promises. A God who sent His son to die for us in ways unknown and unseen.
God Moves In A Mysterious Way
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
-- William Cowper
Nov 28, 2010
Nov 21, 2010
Life's Mission
[Matthew 6:9-13]
Pray then like this:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil..."
{Dr. Michael Oh}
I grew up praying the Lord's Prayer. I would pray and then wait for blessing... This prayer is beautiful. But often we ramble on through it without thinking about it.
So what are we missing? Tremendous insight into the essential foundational Christian life. What is your life for? Prayers are about what is within our hearts. So when we look into the Lord's Prayer, we see what is in the heart of God.
"Our Father"
This is a shockingly personal & direct reference to God. Jesus includes us in this reference. We are directly and personally connected to God.
"in heaven"
God is otherworldly. He is mighty and powerful. He is so much more than us.
"hallowed be your name" - worship
Worship is what we are called to do. May God's name be treated as holy. God is to be treated as nothing else in our lives. The worship of God is to be in stark contrast to all the other affections and things in our lives.
"your kingdom come" - kingdom
God's purpose is global. It is not enough that God is to be worshiped in our lives. But we should have a holy dissatisfaction with the lack of worship of God in other people's lives. This is not a statement, but a request. We should be asking God to expand His kingdom.
"your will be done" - obedience
The end of this prayer should be our obedience to God's will.
What is the purpose of life? It is the praying for and pursuing of the global and eternal worship of God.
The second half of the Lord's prayer is for provision for the purposes of the first half.
"give us today this daily bread"
This is for our daily provision. This request is not needed for American Christians. So why does God have us pray this? Perhaps to consider how many days of bread we have...
"forgive us our debts"
It is to remind us that we are sinners. We need the grace of God through Jesus.
"lead us not into temptation"
What is this? It is the desire to hallow the provisions of God. Like Israel's keeping of manna beyond the day... sitting and rotting. Or the idolizing of God's love and comfort. How we are glad to NOT be THEM.... But it is by the grace of God that we were born into our own situations. It could have been that we would've been born a child in the slums, or the child of a Shinto priest. To become our own God... to let our own will be done. The provisions of God are not for our own. The provisions are for the first section. They are provisions of war. They are provided for the spiritual war described in the first section.
So what then?
Repent of our sinful desires, lifestyles, and missing the purposes of God.
Pray the prayer of God. Pray the Lord's prayer. Pray for God's kingdom.
Everything that you enjoy should be enjoyed for God.
Pray then like this:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil..."
{Dr. Michael Oh}
I grew up praying the Lord's Prayer. I would pray and then wait for blessing... This prayer is beautiful. But often we ramble on through it without thinking about it.
So what are we missing? Tremendous insight into the essential foundational Christian life. What is your life for? Prayers are about what is within our hearts. So when we look into the Lord's Prayer, we see what is in the heart of God.
"Our Father"
This is a shockingly personal & direct reference to God. Jesus includes us in this reference. We are directly and personally connected to God.
"in heaven"
God is otherworldly. He is mighty and powerful. He is so much more than us.
"hallowed be your name" - worship
Worship is what we are called to do. May God's name be treated as holy. God is to be treated as nothing else in our lives. The worship of God is to be in stark contrast to all the other affections and things in our lives.
"your kingdom come" - kingdom
God's purpose is global. It is not enough that God is to be worshiped in our lives. But we should have a holy dissatisfaction with the lack of worship of God in other people's lives. This is not a statement, but a request. We should be asking God to expand His kingdom.
"your will be done" - obedience
The end of this prayer should be our obedience to God's will.
What is the purpose of life? It is the praying for and pursuing of the global and eternal worship of God.
The second half of the Lord's prayer is for provision for the purposes of the first half.
"give us today this daily bread"
This is for our daily provision. This request is not needed for American Christians. So why does God have us pray this? Perhaps to consider how many days of bread we have...
"forgive us our debts"
It is to remind us that we are sinners. We need the grace of God through Jesus.
"lead us not into temptation"
What is this? It is the desire to hallow the provisions of God. Like Israel's keeping of manna beyond the day... sitting and rotting. Or the idolizing of God's love and comfort. How we are glad to NOT be THEM.... But it is by the grace of God that we were born into our own situations. It could have been that we would've been born a child in the slums, or the child of a Shinto priest. To become our own God... to let our own will be done. The provisions of God are not for our own. The provisions are for the first section. They are provisions of war. They are provided for the spiritual war described in the first section.
So what then?
Repent of our sinful desires, lifestyles, and missing the purposes of God.
Pray the prayer of God. Pray the Lord's prayer. Pray for God's kingdom.
Everything that you enjoy should be enjoyed for God.
Nov 14, 2010
The Gospel According to Moses: He Made His Dwelling Among Us
[Exodus 40]
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
"Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."
This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did. In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, and arranged the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
This will be the wrap-up for this series.
After reading the passage, some things could come to mind. It's strange, it's archaic. Maybe we are uninterested and we skip over these sections. How do these passages apply to our lives? Another thought, how about how the end is so anti-climatic. Exodus is so action packed and so many dramatic things are happening. And then it ends with the building of the tabernacle. Actually, one third of the book of Exodus is dedicated to the specification of the tabernacle. My hope is that we will see how this is a good ending to the book.
What is the tabernacle?
It was basically a portable rectangular tent thing.
What does the tabernacle shows us?
It shows us the heart of God. The God of the universe tells them that He will put His presence in this tent-like thing. It's shocking. The closest thing would be for the President to leave the White House and move into a freshmen dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania. It's absurd. To trade a in-house chef for a box of Ramen noodles. It's all that and more.
This is the heart of God. He says that He wants to be with us and among us. He could have just commanded the people of Israel through Moses. But no, God wants to move in right next to us. He wants to be in our midst. He wants an intimate relationship with His people.
The tension of the tabernacle.
But notice that even though God wanted to be close to His people, God's presence was so gigantic that even Moses could not enter the tabernacle. Notice that the people had to use the most expensive of materials. And there were so many rules & regulations. And God could not be among His people. He was in the holy of holies... and only the high priest could go there and only once a year at that.
So there's a tension between a loving God who wants an intimate relationship with His people AND God's perfect holiness. God is not only loving, but He is also a just judge. He cannot simply overlook the people's sins.
The resolution of the tabernacle.
Luckily, there is a sacrificial system. Animals would be sacrificed for the sins of the people. But isn't this strange? Can an animal really take our spiritual guilt away?
"For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." - Hebrews 10:4
God did not command animal sacrifices to take away the guilt. He did this to foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to resolve this tension. He is the one who brings back Eden. The place where God & man can walk together again.
Our Response.
Since God has so pursued us,
so we could be in an intimate relationship...
Make the most of the intimate relationship with God.
Don't believe the lies of the garden of Eden: "God is holding back."
Find our joy and fulfillment in God.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
"Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."
This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did. In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, and arranged the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
This will be the wrap-up for this series.
After reading the passage, some things could come to mind. It's strange, it's archaic. Maybe we are uninterested and we skip over these sections. How do these passages apply to our lives? Another thought, how about how the end is so anti-climatic. Exodus is so action packed and so many dramatic things are happening. And then it ends with the building of the tabernacle. Actually, one third of the book of Exodus is dedicated to the specification of the tabernacle. My hope is that we will see how this is a good ending to the book.
What is the tabernacle?
It was basically a portable rectangular tent thing.
What does the tabernacle shows us?
It shows us the heart of God. The God of the universe tells them that He will put His presence in this tent-like thing. It's shocking. The closest thing would be for the President to leave the White House and move into a freshmen dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania. It's absurd. To trade a in-house chef for a box of Ramen noodles. It's all that and more.
This is the heart of God. He says that He wants to be with us and among us. He could have just commanded the people of Israel through Moses. But no, God wants to move in right next to us. He wants to be in our midst. He wants an intimate relationship with His people.
The tension of the tabernacle.
But notice that even though God wanted to be close to His people, God's presence was so gigantic that even Moses could not enter the tabernacle. Notice that the people had to use the most expensive of materials. And there were so many rules & regulations. And God could not be among His people. He was in the holy of holies... and only the high priest could go there and only once a year at that.
So there's a tension between a loving God who wants an intimate relationship with His people AND God's perfect holiness. God is not only loving, but He is also a just judge. He cannot simply overlook the people's sins.
The resolution of the tabernacle.
Luckily, there is a sacrificial system. Animals would be sacrificed for the sins of the people. But isn't this strange? Can an animal really take our spiritual guilt away?
"For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." - Hebrews 10:4
God did not command animal sacrifices to take away the guilt. He did this to foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to resolve this tension. He is the one who brings back Eden. The place where God & man can walk together again.
Our Response.
Since God has so pursued us,
so we could be in an intimate relationship...
Make the most of the intimate relationship with God.
Don't believe the lies of the garden of Eden: "God is holding back."
Find our joy and fulfillment in God.
Nov 7, 2010
The Gospel According to Moses: Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement
[Exodus 32:1-14;Exodus 34:24-32]
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you."
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
...
Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
{Rev. Charles Han}
This is one of the most infamous periods in the nation of Israel. They make a golden calf and worship it.
We will examine three things: Rebellion & God's wrath, Mediator & God's mercy, and
The pursuit of God's presence.
If you recall previously, the people promised to do as God commanded. Moses is on the mountain for 40 days and nights. The people get nervous. They don't know what is happening. So they pressure Aaron. And what happens? They make this statue, this idol. They worship it and make up festivals.
Rebellion & God's wrath
This is rebellion of the highest order. They had seen God's power, experienced God's miraculous salvation, felt the holiness of God. This is like a spouse cheating in the first month of marriage. The people of Israel had promised to follow God and now, they are building this image and worshiping it. The people probably felt lost. They knew God was with them through Moses. But Moses was gone, they didn't know if God was with them anymore. But we cannot judge Israel too harshly. We must note that we are also like this. We stray from God. We stray from the One who loves us. Not only that, but we worship idols. We sacrifice and celebrate other things. We sacrifice our health for work.
How does God react? God is livid. His anger burns. He tells Moses that He wishes to wipe out the nation of Israel. God says He wants to start over. God wants to start anew. God is saying that they will start with a new people from Moses.
Mediator & God's mercy
Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel. He pleads with God. He asks to see God's glory and God lets him see His backside. Moses was IN with God. Moses could ask anything of God. A lot of sermons tell us to pursue God the way Moses did. But who of us can be like Moses? Who of us is that close to God? None of us. Instead, we should see our need for a mediator. Moses is the only one who can stand on behalf of Israel.
We have a greater mediator. Jesus stands before God on our behalf. He pleads our case for us. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." - 1 John 2:1-2 (ESV) When we sin, Jesus pleads our case. Jesus tells the Father that He has already paid the price. We have access to God through Jesus Christ.
The pursuit of God's presence
When you have seen Jesus' purchase of us at such a costly price for access to God, what does that do to us? It should drive us toward God. We should exchange our idols for the greater glory of God.
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you."
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
...
Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
{Rev. Charles Han}
This is one of the most infamous periods in the nation of Israel. They make a golden calf and worship it.
We will examine three things: Rebellion & God's wrath, Mediator & God's mercy, and
The pursuit of God's presence.
If you recall previously, the people promised to do as God commanded. Moses is on the mountain for 40 days and nights. The people get nervous. They don't know what is happening. So they pressure Aaron. And what happens? They make this statue, this idol. They worship it and make up festivals.
Rebellion & God's wrath
This is rebellion of the highest order. They had seen God's power, experienced God's miraculous salvation, felt the holiness of God. This is like a spouse cheating in the first month of marriage. The people of Israel had promised to follow God and now, they are building this image and worshiping it. The people probably felt lost. They knew God was with them through Moses. But Moses was gone, they didn't know if God was with them anymore. But we cannot judge Israel too harshly. We must note that we are also like this. We stray from God. We stray from the One who loves us. Not only that, but we worship idols. We sacrifice and celebrate other things. We sacrifice our health for work.
How does God react? God is livid. His anger burns. He tells Moses that He wishes to wipe out the nation of Israel. God says He wants to start over. God wants to start anew. God is saying that they will start with a new people from Moses.
Mediator & God's mercy
Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel. He pleads with God. He asks to see God's glory and God lets him see His backside. Moses was IN with God. Moses could ask anything of God. A lot of sermons tell us to pursue God the way Moses did. But who of us can be like Moses? Who of us is that close to God? None of us. Instead, we should see our need for a mediator. Moses is the only one who can stand on behalf of Israel.
We have a greater mediator. Jesus stands before God on our behalf. He pleads our case for us. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." - 1 John 2:1-2 (ESV) When we sin, Jesus pleads our case. Jesus tells the Father that He has already paid the price. We have access to God through Jesus Christ.
The pursuit of God's presence
When you have seen Jesus' purchase of us at such a costly price for access to God, what does that do to us? It should drive us toward God. We should exchange our idols for the greater glory of God.
Oct 31, 2010
The Gospel According to Moses: Laws of Love and Life
[Exodus 19:1-6]
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.
[Exodus 20:1-17]
And God spoke all these words, saying,
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
We are going to a broad gospel perspective on the ten commandments. While we could go in depth, we don't have the time today to do that. So instead we are going to take an aerial survey of God's law.
So for background, on the third new moon since Israel left Egypt, they were near Mount Sinai. God told his people to recall what God did to the Egyptians and brought Israel to Himself. God is reminding them how He saved them. Note that this in the past tense. Why is this important? God saved them first. Then He gave them the law. They are not saved by the law, but they were saved by God's gracious promise. "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." - Exodus 2:24 (ESV)
Why Obedience to God's Law Matters
Obedience to the law enables us to enjoy Christ's love and life
"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;" - Exodus 19:5
But wait a second, didn't you just say that we are saved by what God did? Yes, I did say that. However, our enjoyment & experience of our standing in God can change. The standing does not change. But whether we enjoy it or not and how we experience it can and does change. How does this look? Consider my son. He carries half my DNA, my wife bore him. He is my son. But if he continues to rebel and not listen to me and devalue me... it will change the relationship. He's still my son, but it would turn into a strained relationship.
Here's another perspective. The laws of God shows the heart of God. Obeying his law brings us closer to God. By following His law, we get closer to God. It draws us closer to Him. And we are drawn into the joy that God has.
"Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:1
Obedience to the law shapes us to be a community that shares God love and life
Back in those days, communities had idols that they prayed to. God was calling them to be different from them. To follow God alone and not to take on these other idols. I know that these commandments seem pretty normal. Don't murder. Well, yeah, everyone is like that. Murder isn't normal. But if we study a little deeper, we'll see how God calls us to be different. Consider Jesus' words on murder, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire." Being angry with your brother is considered the same as murder. That is counter-cultural.
I know that we generally have a individualistic view on faith. But God calls us as a corporate group (nation, kingdom, race..). We are not all called to become evangelists. Not 300 people all doing their own thing. But rather we are called to work together to witness together.
Obedience Leads us to Treasure Christ
All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." - Exodus 19:8 (ESV) This is the right & proper response to God's salvation. God laid down everything for us, anyone who knows & accepts this should have the desire to lay down their lives for Him.
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.
[Exodus 20:1-17]
And God spoke all these words, saying,
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
We are going to a broad gospel perspective on the ten commandments. While we could go in depth, we don't have the time today to do that. So instead we are going to take an aerial survey of God's law.
So for background, on the third new moon since Israel left Egypt, they were near Mount Sinai. God told his people to recall what God did to the Egyptians and brought Israel to Himself. God is reminding them how He saved them. Note that this in the past tense. Why is this important? God saved them first. Then He gave them the law. They are not saved by the law, but they were saved by God's gracious promise. "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." - Exodus 2:24 (ESV)
Why Obedience to God's Law Matters
Obedience to the law enables us to enjoy Christ's love and life
"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;" - Exodus 19:5
But wait a second, didn't you just say that we are saved by what God did? Yes, I did say that. However, our enjoyment & experience of our standing in God can change. The standing does not change. But whether we enjoy it or not and how we experience it can and does change. How does this look? Consider my son. He carries half my DNA, my wife bore him. He is my son. But if he continues to rebel and not listen to me and devalue me... it will change the relationship. He's still my son, but it would turn into a strained relationship.
Here's another perspective. The laws of God shows the heart of God. Obeying his law brings us closer to God. By following His law, we get closer to God. It draws us closer to Him. And we are drawn into the joy that God has.
"Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:1
Obedience to the law shapes us to be a community that shares God love and life
Back in those days, communities had idols that they prayed to. God was calling them to be different from them. To follow God alone and not to take on these other idols. I know that these commandments seem pretty normal. Don't murder. Well, yeah, everyone is like that. Murder isn't normal. But if we study a little deeper, we'll see how God calls us to be different. Consider Jesus' words on murder, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire." Being angry with your brother is considered the same as murder. That is counter-cultural.
I know that we generally have a individualistic view on faith. But God calls us as a corporate group (nation, kingdom, race..). We are not all called to become evangelists. Not 300 people all doing their own thing. But rather we are called to work together to witness together.
Obedience Leads us to Treasure Christ
All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." - Exodus 19:8 (ESV) This is the right & proper response to God's salvation. God laid down everything for us, anyone who knows & accepts this should have the desire to lay down their lives for Him.
Oct 24, 2010
Building a Discipleship Community
[Mark 3:13-14]
And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach
{Rev. David Skinner}
If you are interested in the Men's trip to Haiti, please send me an email.
My dad had pastored alot of churches. And he said his most successful church was the last one. He told me he didn't do much different, but he made a commitment to invest in eight men. He invested his life into these men.
Jesus invested in 12 men. That was how he started a world-changing movement. Jesus, God incarnate, Emannuel, lived with these 12 men. God could have changed the world any way he wanted, but the way He chose was incarnational discipleship. They followed Him and watched Him and became like Him. The end goal of discipleship is trying to change the world. But it is not the flood-the-market, event-driven, attempt to change the world. It is the slow, steady, & regular investment of people into other lives.
1) Building a discipleship community begins with a calling.
Jesus comes to Levi and he says, "Follow me." After Jesus dies and comes back, He comes to Peter and restores him with these words, "Follow me." Jesus is saying follow me and I will show you how to live in my Father's kingdom. Jesus comes to save and show His disciples how to live.
If you call yourself a Christian, then you have accepted this call. Being a Christian doesn't mean just a relationship with Jesus, but also a relationship with the church. We aren't supposed to imitate everything of our fellow christian, but when we see Christ, we should imitate those things. Not everything, but the Christ-likeness we see in others.
Discipleship is like interference. It means letting people nose around in our lives. To speak into our lives.
2) Building a discipleship is a journey.
Verse 14 says, "so that they might be with him." What does this mean? It means Jesus was going to teach them. He was going to invite them to live with Him. They would see how He ministers, see how He lives, see His life. Jesus would also ask them to do things. To get a donkey, to get a room for Passover, to make disciples, to cast our demons...
you know, that trip to Haiti... I don't know any Haitians. I want to reach out to them and minister to them. But one of the reasons I want to go on this trip with men, is that 12 men from Devon campus have signed up to go. I get several days to spend time with these guys. We need discipleship. When you come to church on Sunday, we are getting re-calibrated. It's a great thing. But there is no back and forth, no interaction.
a) Word-centered
But where are we supposed to find Jesus' commands? It is in the bible. The bible records all the things Jesus has done and commanded. The Word is powerful. We need to pray the Spirit will reveal the meaning of the Word. We need to pray for God to change our lives to be more like Christ. All discipleship needs to be word-centered.
a) Gospel-centered
Discipleship shows us how to apply the gospel to our lives. It shows us places where we are not applying or are misapplying the gospel in our lives. How we are not living out the gospel in our lives.
c) Mission-centered
"I will make you fishers of men." The catalyst is not that Jesus would do this. But that God has come incarnate and walked with them. He fished for their heart. By doing this, He was showing them how to fish. He showed them how He cared for them. After He had done this, He told them, ok... you go do some fishing yourself. So this fishing for souls can manifest itself in many ways. But this fishing is one of the goals of discipling. He taught people to fish; to prepare them to fish. We are to do this until there is fullness...
Summary
To those who are called to discipleship, they are called to die. It is not self-centered. We are not saved just for ourselves. We are called to die. We are not called to suffer without purpose. We are to deny ourselves and follow Christ. This self-denial kills our plans, drives a stake through our ego, our desires to control everything & everybody. But isn't it our plans, our goals, our desires that drive us crazy? Jesus tells us to hand all these over to Him... Die, and He will give us life.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach
{Rev. David Skinner}
If you are interested in the Men's trip to Haiti, please send me an email.
My dad had pastored alot of churches. And he said his most successful church was the last one. He told me he didn't do much different, but he made a commitment to invest in eight men. He invested his life into these men.
Jesus invested in 12 men. That was how he started a world-changing movement. Jesus, God incarnate, Emannuel, lived with these 12 men. God could have changed the world any way he wanted, but the way He chose was incarnational discipleship. They followed Him and watched Him and became like Him. The end goal of discipleship is trying to change the world. But it is not the flood-the-market, event-driven, attempt to change the world. It is the slow, steady, & regular investment of people into other lives.
1) Building a discipleship community begins with a calling.
Jesus comes to Levi and he says, "Follow me." After Jesus dies and comes back, He comes to Peter and restores him with these words, "Follow me." Jesus is saying follow me and I will show you how to live in my Father's kingdom. Jesus comes to save and show His disciples how to live.
If you call yourself a Christian, then you have accepted this call. Being a Christian doesn't mean just a relationship with Jesus, but also a relationship with the church. We aren't supposed to imitate everything of our fellow christian, but when we see Christ, we should imitate those things. Not everything, but the Christ-likeness we see in others.
Discipleship is like interference. It means letting people nose around in our lives. To speak into our lives.
2) Building a discipleship is a journey.
Verse 14 says, "so that they might be with him." What does this mean? It means Jesus was going to teach them. He was going to invite them to live with Him. They would see how He ministers, see how He lives, see His life. Jesus would also ask them to do things. To get a donkey, to get a room for Passover, to make disciples, to cast our demons...
you know, that trip to Haiti... I don't know any Haitians. I want to reach out to them and minister to them. But one of the reasons I want to go on this trip with men, is that 12 men from Devon campus have signed up to go. I get several days to spend time with these guys. We need discipleship. When you come to church on Sunday, we are getting re-calibrated. It's a great thing. But there is no back and forth, no interaction.
a) Word-centered
But where are we supposed to find Jesus' commands? It is in the bible. The bible records all the things Jesus has done and commanded. The Word is powerful. We need to pray the Spirit will reveal the meaning of the Word. We need to pray for God to change our lives to be more like Christ. All discipleship needs to be word-centered.
a) Gospel-centered
Discipleship shows us how to apply the gospel to our lives. It shows us places where we are not applying or are misapplying the gospel in our lives. How we are not living out the gospel in our lives.
c) Mission-centered
"I will make you fishers of men." The catalyst is not that Jesus would do this. But that God has come incarnate and walked with them. He fished for their heart. By doing this, He was showing them how to fish. He showed them how He cared for them. After He had done this, He told them, ok... you go do some fishing yourself. So this fishing for souls can manifest itself in many ways. But this fishing is one of the goals of discipling. He taught people to fish; to prepare them to fish. We are to do this until there is fullness...
Summary
To those who are called to discipleship, they are called to die. It is not self-centered. We are not saved just for ourselves. We are called to die. We are not called to suffer without purpose. We are to deny ourselves and follow Christ. This self-denial kills our plans, drives a stake through our ego, our desires to control everything & everybody. But isn't it our plans, our goals, our desires that drive us crazy? Jesus tells us to hand all these over to Him... Die, and He will give us life.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
Oct 17, 2010
The Gospel According to Moses: Wilderness Lessons
[Exodus 16]
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily." So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?" And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him— what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'" And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'" And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over till the morning." But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none."
On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day.
Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations." As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
I will be focusing on chapter 16, but chapters 15, 16, & 17 have the same feel.
After four hundred years of slavery, God brings them to a wilderness. Doesn't this seem overly much? Can't God just give them a break? But God has a reason for doing this. In chapter 15, they are in a place with no water. They are in the middle of nowhere. The reason for this is outlined in Deuteronomy 8:2 - "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." God is testing us.
But this is not testing like a pop quiz or an IRS audit. God is not testing like a professor, out to grade you. Israel is His people. They are NOT being tested for worthiness. They are not proving that they are worthy of His attention. It is the same for Christianity. We are not doing things to prove that we are worthy of Him. So if testing is not about our worthiness, what is it about? "Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.'" - Exodus 20:20 Testing is to keep us from sin. It is to show us how to live in the family of God. It is a time of teaching & training. This is what God means by testing.
Three Lessons from the Wilderness
1) Trust His promise rather than our own Perception
God had promised His people the promised land. But God took them to the wilderness. He promised them a land overflowing with milk & honey. All they see around them is dry, hot sands. A place of barrenness. God provides manna. He preserves them.
2) To live in Perpetual Dependence
God provides quail & manna. But the manna had to be gathered each day. Manna went bad after one day, except for the sabbath. God wanted to make sure they kept the sabbath. God wanted His people to depend on Him day by day. Israel was agrian. They were used to working for their food. But instead, God provided just enough for each day.
"Man, despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication and many accomplishments, owes the fact of his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." - Anonymous
We are dependent upon God whether we recognize it or not. Regardless of how accomplished we are. Regardless of our own choice making. God has given that to us. This is what it means to be dependent upon God. But the difference is this, God wants the children of God to know it. To live like our life is dependent upon God moment by moment.
3) He is our most Basic Need
Even through all the complaining & groaning, God still sustained them for forty years. It is not that Israel should have said manna was awesome. It was that they should have looked to their Provider as what they needed the most. We are not living in a culture where food & water is scarce. But we are living with different things we deem a NEED. We NEED that job. We NEED to get married. We NEED ____. But God is telling us no. We NEED Him.
"Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." - John 6:31-35
This is why God sometimes withholds things we desire. Even good things. God wants us to learn that we NEED Him above that.
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily." So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?" And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him— what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'" And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'" And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over till the morning." But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none."
On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day.
Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations." As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
I will be focusing on chapter 16, but chapters 15, 16, & 17 have the same feel.
After four hundred years of slavery, God brings them to a wilderness. Doesn't this seem overly much? Can't God just give them a break? But God has a reason for doing this. In chapter 15, they are in a place with no water. They are in the middle of nowhere. The reason for this is outlined in Deuteronomy 8:2 - "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." God is testing us.
But this is not testing like a pop quiz or an IRS audit. God is not testing like a professor, out to grade you. Israel is His people. They are NOT being tested for worthiness. They are not proving that they are worthy of His attention. It is the same for Christianity. We are not doing things to prove that we are worthy of Him. So if testing is not about our worthiness, what is it about? "Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.'" - Exodus 20:20 Testing is to keep us from sin. It is to show us how to live in the family of God. It is a time of teaching & training. This is what God means by testing.
Three Lessons from the Wilderness
1) Trust His promise rather than our own Perception
God had promised His people the promised land. But God took them to the wilderness. He promised them a land overflowing with milk & honey. All they see around them is dry, hot sands. A place of barrenness. God provides manna. He preserves them.
2) To live in Perpetual Dependence
God provides quail & manna. But the manna had to be gathered each day. Manna went bad after one day, except for the sabbath. God wanted to make sure they kept the sabbath. God wanted His people to depend on Him day by day. Israel was agrian. They were used to working for their food. But instead, God provided just enough for each day.
"Man, despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication and many accomplishments, owes the fact of his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." - Anonymous
We are dependent upon God whether we recognize it or not. Regardless of how accomplished we are. Regardless of our own choice making. God has given that to us. This is what it means to be dependent upon God. But the difference is this, God wants the children of God to know it. To live like our life is dependent upon God moment by moment.
3) He is our most Basic Need
Even through all the complaining & groaning, God still sustained them for forty years. It is not that Israel should have said manna was awesome. It was that they should have looked to their Provider as what they needed the most. We are not living in a culture where food & water is scarce. But we are living with different things we deem a NEED. We NEED that job. We NEED to get married. We NEED ____. But God is telling us no. We NEED Him.
"Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." - John 6:31-35
This is why God sometimes withholds things we desire. Even good things. God wants us to learn that we NEED Him above that.
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