The spiritual death, burial, and resurrection of Saul

The conversion of Saul is spectacular, to be sure.  We all know the story of his being blinded by God on the road to Damascus.  My conversion was nothing like his, it's quite boring in comparison.  I was struck today with how symbolic his conversion is of what happens with all of us when we experience spiritual rebirth.

"Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.  So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus."  Acts 8:8

This is a fulfillment of what God spoke through the prophets and Jesus reiterated.

"Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see!  Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send?  Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?  He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear."  Isaiah 42:18-20

"Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.  Do you not fear me? declares the Lord.  Do you not tremble before me?" Jeremiah 5:21 & 22a

Jesus speaking to His disciples:  "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that, 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'"  Mark 4:12

As a pharisee and zealous persecutor of the church, Saul was one of many who were blind to God.  But God had promised that it would not always be that way.  There would come a day when God in His grace would give sight to the blind.

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;"  Isaiah 35:5

While Saul became physically blinded on the road to Damascus, his eyes were figuratively opened by God to the truth of the gospel.  He "saw Christ" for the first time, but could see nothing else.

What happens next is equally interesting.

"And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank."  Acts 8:9 (emphasis mine)

Jesus was in the grave for 3 days.  Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days.

In fact, Jesus tells the scribes and pharisees that they are evil in seeking signs from Him and that no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah.  "For just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  Mathew 12:40  This shows that Jonah being in the belly of the fish three days, though literal, was also a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Interestingly, when God tells Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to Him on Mount Moriah, it's on the third day that Abraham arrives there and that the Lord provides the ram caught in the thicket. (Genesis 22:4)  It was also on the third day after Joseph put his brothers in custody that he gave his brothers back their lives (Genesis 42:18).

The third day was also significant when God met with His people to give them the law.

 "On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.  Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain."  Exodus 19:16-17

After God commissioned Joshua, it was on the third day that He led them into the Promised Land.  "Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess."  Joshua 1:11

And when Hezekiah lay on his deathbed and prayed to God for healing, it was on the third day that God healed him.  "Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:  I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.  Behold, I will heal you.  On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life.  I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake."  2 Kings 20:5-6

And I love this passage in Hosea.  "Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.  After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him."  Hosea 6:1-2

As a brief recap- Isaac, the son of promise, is granted life on the third day; Joseph gives his brothers, and essentially the future nation of Israel, freedom on the third day; God meets with His people at Mt Moriah on the third day; God delivers His people out of the wilderness and miraculously across the Jordan into the Promised Land on the third day; Jonah is freed from the belly of the great fish on the third day;  Hezekiah is healed and Jerusalem saved from Assyria on the third day; and in Hosea God's people will be raised up on the third day.

So it seems that the third day is a salvation motif used over and over again in the Scriptures.  I believe that in the Old Testament this is to point us to Christ's ultimate act of salvation when He conquered sin and death in His resurrection on the third day.  In the New Testament, like with Saul's conversion, I believe it points back to and serves as a beautiful reminder of the salvation Christ granted for His people on the third day.

While my conversion experience pales in comparison to Saul's, I was blind to Christ until the Father opened my eyes and I was dead in my sins until God made me alive to Him.  By grace through faith via a work of the Spirit, all believers share in the resurrection of Christ (Philippians 3:10).  Saul's conversion is reminiscent of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and at the same time is a picture of the miraculous conversion of every believer.

The Future Cloud

Have you ever read something in the Bible and thought, "What?  Where did that come from?"  Then you start checking other translations thinking, surely I would have noticed this if it really is saying what I think it's saying.  This is my sixth time in two years to read through the Bible and I read something yesterday that I have somehow managed to miss the previous five times.  I know you're just dying to know, so I'll share it with you.

This is in Isaiah chapter 4.  The context is the future glorification of Israel.  I believe that Christians will share in this as per Romans 11.  (Paul must have had Isaiah 4 in mind when he wrote Romans 11 because he uses the same language of branch and remnant to refer to true Israel.)

"Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy.  There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain."  Isaiah 4:5-6

When we were in Kazakhstan about 5 years ago, we heard rumors that the president was planning the construction of a giant dome to cover their climate-challenged capital, Astana (temperatures reach minus 40 in winter).  The newly constructed pleasure dome allows for a climate-controlled 1.5 million cubic yard enclosure.  It cost over $100 million to construct.  Somehow I think there's more to it than this in Isaiah 4.  The "cloud by day and fire by night" immediately bring to mind the visible way in which God manifested Himself to Israel in the wilderness as He guided them from place to place.

The cloud also seems to be associated not just with the presence of God, but with the glory of the Lord.

"As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal."  Ezekiel 1:4

"Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.  And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord."  Ezekiel 10:3-4

"[Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.'  When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified."  Mathew 17:5-6 on the Transfiguration of Jesus.

"And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight."  Acts 1:9 on the Ascension of Jesus.

"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand.... So He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped."  Revelation 14:14, 16 on the future harvest of the earth.
 
I think I get why God revealed Himself to Israel in a cloud.  No one could look on God and live, right?  This makes sense.  His glory had to be shrouded somewhat.  So why will God also reveal Himself to us in the future in a cloud?  Won't we behold Him face to face then?  Maybe it has less to do with His presence, since we know He is present with us even now in Spirit.  Maybe it has to do with the covering aspect of the cloud.

"Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.  I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you."  Isaiah 44:21-22, emphasis mine.

Atonement is the act of covering our sins.  The mercy seat on the ark of the covenant, where God said He would meet with His people, was between the cherubim, just over or "covering" the tablet of the law of God which resided inside the ark.  (The law which His people had broken.)  So, perhaps as His presence on the mercy seat atoned for or "covered" Israel's sins, the cloud of His presence also covered or blotted out their sins.  Maybe this should be the emphasis, not on the form of His presence in the future glorification of His people, but the act of His "covering us" which is what allows for our glorification in the first place.  

Isaiah is a difficult book for me.  There are the chapters on judgment, the prophecies upon prophecies, once in a while a bit of historical narrative I can understand, then more confusing stuff.  But there are some wonderful gems in Isaiah.  Redemption is a theme woven throughout the book.  We all know and love Isaiah 53 which pictures the coming Christ who would suffer on our behalf.  Isaiah 27:19 speaks of the future resurrection.  And many other verses sprinkled throughout proclaim His great and everlasting salvation.  It seems reasonable to me, though I'm no Bible scholar, to interpret the future cloud that will cover Zion in this redemptive way.  Because He will create a cloud to cover us by day (Is. 4:5), and because He has blotted out our transgressions like a cloud (Is. 44:22a), we can return to Him for He has redeemed us (Is. 44:22b).  I'll close with my favorite passage in Isaiah.

"Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you.  I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."  Isaiah 46:3-4

90 day Bible Challenge- Week 5 Resources and Check-in if you're reading.

We've covered much of Israel's history this week.  It's hard not to miss the forest for the trees sometimes when reading through all the kings of Israel and Judah.  I wrote a post a couple of years ago on a woman's influence in the home that I based on observations of the good and bad kings according to whether their mothers were God-fearing or not.  Even the history books of the Bible are applicable to us today!

Then this morning I was reading in 1 Chronicles and was reminded again of the rebellion and redemption of Korah.  At the time I wrote that post, I didn't realize that Psalm 42 is also a Psalm of the sons of Korah.  That is so cool and knowing the backstory definitely helps me appreciate the cry of the Psalmists heart!

What is the Lord showing you as you commit to reading His Word daily?

Don't forget to checkout Ted Cooper's You are Here in the Bible and Amy's daily SOAPs at Momstoolbox.

90 Day Bible Challenge- Week 4 Resources and Check-in if you're reading

Yes, I know it's 2012!

If you started the 90 day Bible challenge on January 1st with me, you should be on day 22 today.  We're now 24.4% of the way through the entire Bible!!

I was reminded this week about how David is a type of Christ (Part I: Humble beginnings, anointing, and obedience and Part II:  From suffering to exaltation ).  I know I sound like a broken record, but it's just so cool to see God's redemptive plan unfold in the pages of the Old Testament.

What is the Lord showing you as you delve into His Word daily?  Check-in below if you're reading.  I need accountability, too!  The only thing more fun than reading the Bible in 90 days is reading it with a friend!

Check out Mom's Toolbox for Ted Cooper's You Are Here in the Bible this week and don't miss Amy's daily SOAPs.

90 day Bible Challenge Week 3- Check-in if you're reading, too!

Just pretend that says 2012! 

If you started the challenge on January 1st, like me, then today was day 16 of the 90 day Bible challenge.  We're officially in our third week now and in case you're keeping track, 17.77% of the way through the entire Bible! 

Yesterday when I read in Deuteronomy 33 how the Levites were entrusted with the Urim and Thummim because they were to teach God's Word to the rest of Israel, I was reminded that the Urim and Thummim was not a magic 8 ball! 

Today I was reminded of the importance of memorial stones in our lives so we can remember God's awesome acts on our behalf and share them with our children, as the Lord instructed the Israelites to do.

What have you been most impressed with in your reading lately?

Check out Mom's Toolbox for great 90 day Bible resources for week 3 including her daily SOAPs and Ted Cooper's (founder of 90 day Bible) You are Here in the Bible overviews. 

Christ our Firstfruits

A couple of days ago I read about the feasts that Israel was to celebrate each year.  I've written previously about how the Jewish holidays point to Christ and are fulfilled in Him, in a post called The Substance is of Christ.   I want to focus this post on the Feast of Firstfruits. 

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted.'" Leviticus 23:9-11a
So the offering of firstfruits was so that God's people would be accepted by Him.

The timing of the Feast of Firstfruits is interesting.  (Actually that's an understatement.)  The Feast of Firstfruits took place 3 days after the celebration of Passover.   (This is a bit of a simplification.  See the charts and figures on this Messianic website for more information.)  Remember, Passover was celebrated on the 14th day at twilight of the first month, Abib or Nisan.  This was to commemorate the first Passover when the Angel of the Lord killed all the firstborn in Egypt, but passed over the houses of His people who had the blood of the sacrificial lamb spread on their doorposts and lintels.  It is no accident that Christ became our Passover lamb on Passover, and rose from the dead three days later, on the day of the celebration of Firstfruits.
Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians 15  when he's defending the resurrection of the dead (Saducees didn't believe in the resurrection and some in the early church must have been influenced by them).

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection from the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order:  Christ, the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ."  1 Corinthians 15:19-23  (emphasis mine)

I used to take this bit about Christ being our firstfruits metaphorically (as in He was the first of the harvest, which in a sense He is), but the 90 day Bible challenge has helped me to make connections between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible that I never saw before.  Christ literally became our firstfruits offering.  When He was raised from the dead by God, on the day of the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits, He made His people accepted by God.

It's not just that Christ did this and that in His lifetime in order to fulfill aspects of the law.  It's that the feasts were always meant to point to Him.  Waving a sheaf of barley never really made God's people right before Him- it didn't take away the guilt of their sins.  Christ was always our Firstfruits, just like He was always our Passover lamb.  The holy days instituted by God were to point His people to their sins and their need for a Savior.  The substance of the holidays were always Christ!  Paul was a Jew of Jews and he knew his Old Testament.  We are at a great disadvantage when we come to his letters without any understanding of the Old Testament.  There is no such thing as New Testament Christianity divorced from the rest of God's law.  The 90 day Bible challenge really helps put this in perspective.  The first 68 days are spent reading the Old Testament and the last 20 days the New Testament.  That's right, 77% of the Bible is Old Testament!  When we neglect it, we're neglecting the majority of God's revelation to us!   Amazing, isn't it?
This realization about the feasts might seem like a small matter, but it's meant so much to me.  I like symmetry and order.  This messy business about sacrifices and this series of holidays that were so important in the Old Testament and then discontinued in the time of the early church always troubled me.  It all makes sense now.  It's not that God had a plan A that didn't work out so then He instituted plan B.  Christ was always the plan for our redemption.  The substance is of Christ, the feasts were like shadows reflecting His substance.  I love that God is a God of symmetry and order.  Christ is everywhere in the Old Testament- it all points to Him and it all finds its consummation in Him.

The feasts and holy days were like a road map that led to Christ.  The early Christians were Jews and they followed that map.  Somewhere along the way, the church abandoned its Hebrew roots and I've so enjoyed rediscovering them.  The books Our Father Abraham:  Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson, A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson, and Listening to the Language of the Bible:  Hearing it through Jesus' Ears by Lois Tverberg and Bruce Okkema are several books that have helped me recover some of these Hebrew roots.

Remember this Easter as you're celebrating in church that Christ in His resurrection became our firstfruits offering so that we could be accepted by God.   To God be the glory!

90 day Bible challenge week 2- Check-in if you're reading, too!

If you started the 90 day Bible challenge on January 1st, then you should be on day 9 Monday.

I love Leviticus!  Some of my favorite Lessons from Leviticus are on the pervasiveness of sin and the forgiveness of sins.

What is the Lord revealing to you as you read the Bible in 90 days?

Check out Mom's Toolbox for other 90 day Bible resources such as her SOAP applications.  Here's Amy's SOAP for day 9.

90 Day Bible- Week 1 Resources and Joseph as a type of Christ

Amy at Mom's Toolbox has updated her Week 1 Resources page for the 90 day Bible Challenge.  The resource page keeps you posted on your week's reading at a glance and Amy also links to a 90 day reading schedule bookmark and her SOAP applications for each day's reading.  Also included on the resource page is a You Are Here link that gives background information on your reading including timelines, maps, cultural stuff, etc.

I will definitely not be posting my observations for each day's reading, but since I'm here I might as well share a thought from today's.

Day 4-  I love the story of Joseph.  Not only is it a great story of forgiveness, but it's a picture of God's redemptive plan with Joseph as a type or shadow of Christ.  Joseph goes from being a favored son to a humble servant to ruler of the most powerful country in the world.  This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

"But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to perserve life."  (Genesis 45:5)

I imagine Christ saying much the same thing to us when we see Him face to face.  We will fall down in worship crying out that we aren't worthy.  He was "smitten by God, and afflicted.  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4b-5)  We sold Christ out by our sins just as surely as Joseph's brothers sold him.

When we repent of our sins, like Joseph's brothers did of theirs, I imagine Christ also saying something very similar to Joseph's reassurance for his brothers.

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."  (Genesis 50:21)

That "good" is our salvation and the glorification of Christ, both of which glorify God.

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  (Philippians 2:9-11)

90 Day Bible Challenge- Day 1- Pre-law law?

Miscellaneous Musings from Day 1-  Genesis 1-16

I love thinking about how Pentacost was Babel in reverse.  I know I've talked about that before, but it's just so cool and I was reminded again today of how God, in His grace, rescues His people from their just punishment.

I had a couple of new thoughts while reading about the incident where Abram lied about Sarai being his sister in Egypt.  Isn't it interesting that the Lord brought "great plagues" against pharoah and his house because of Sarai?  Fast forward 500 + years and you'd think the plagues that God brought against Egypt through Moses would have been a reminder, almost a calling card.  Remember Me?  The God of Abraham?  I'm back and I've come for My people.  I can't recall another instance of God sending plagues against a country in the Bible until Revelation.  What is it with Egypt and plagues?!

I also think it's so interesting that pharoah is angry with Abram when he realizes Sarai is his wife and not just his sister.  It always surprises me that the king of Egypt knew it was wrong to sleep with another man's wife.  Our culture tends to envision ancient man as barbaric, having no morals, and I think even in the church we tend to think of people prior to the Mosaic law as being basically lawless.  But, there must have been some sort of recognized code of conduct, and it must have come from God.  Romans 1 also supports the idea that those who reject the Lord do not do so out of ignorance, but because they suppress the truth about God in their unrighteousness.   This comes after the Mosaic law, but then Noah's generation was pronounced wicked in his day, as were Sodom and Gomorrah, both prior to the Mosaic law, so there must have been some righteous standard.  For that matter, Cain could not have been justly punished by God for murdering his brother if God had not prohibited it in the first place.   

Have you noticed anything new in your reading?  I'm so excited to be blogging through the Bible in 90 days again!  I hope to post at least weekly and would love for you to check in and comment if your reading along.  Happy reading!

It's that time again- 90 day Bible challenge

Amy at Mom's Toolbox is hosting another round of the 90 day Bible challenge.  I'm so glad to be in sync with her schedule again and looking forward to reading with lots of other people.  I'm starting tomorrow, January 1st, but other blogs are hosting the 90 day Bible challenge and starting on different dates this Spring.  If you want to start Jan 1, then please read along with me.  I'll post weekly about the challenge and try to encourage you in your reading.  I'll also be linking to Amy at Mom's Toolbox who is an inspiration and natural born encourager.  If you want to do the 90 day Bible challenge, but are not ready to start tomorrow, please check out the other host blogs listed at Mom's Toolbox to find a start date that better matches your schedule.  I think some are even starting in February.

I've decided to do my readings in the ESV translation again.  I've completed the 90 day challenge with NIV once, NKJ once, NLT twice, and this will be my second time through with the ESV.  I bought a new ESV Bible since last time I read with the ESV I used my ipad.  I wanted a compact Bible that could easily fit in my car console or purse.  What do you think?  (Plus nothing says I'm in it for the long haul like spending $24 on a new Bible!)

I taped my handy-dandy 90 day reading schedule to the front.

For those of you who read the Bible through in a year or read the Bible one book at a time depending on what you're interested in, your pastor is preaching on, or whatever...  you might be wondering what's so great about the 90 day Bible challenge.

Why read the Bible in 90 days?

1.  Context and interconnections between the Old and New Testaments and even individual books of the Bible.  Before reading the Bible in 90 days, I had studied books of the Bible in isolation and sometimes even just verses in isolation.  The Bible takes on a life of its own when you read it in a shorter period of time.  I've had so much fun making connections between Jeremiah and Josiah, the books of Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, and of course Hebrews and Leviticus.  You can't really understand one part of the Bible in isolation from the rest of it.  The books were written by many men over more than one thousand years, but it's all God's Word and His redemptive plan.  Reading the NT in 2 weeks after spending 2 and a half months in the OT makes so much more sense than it ever did before.

2.  It's great accountability to be in God's Word EVERY DAY!  We all know we're supposed to have a daily quiet time, but I've been tempted in the past to give it short shrift.  I am involved in two Bible studies, after all, and both of them recommend stretching their study out five days of the week.  But, I've never done that.  I always sit down in one sitting and do my lesson.  I know, I'm a rebel.  Unfortunately this means that I can be in two Bible studies and only really studying the Bible two days a week.  Yes, I do stuff with my kids and Sunday school, but that's not the same as individual time in the Word.  The 90 day Bible challenge keeps me in God's Word.  Every. Single. Day.  I love it!  It really does make a difference in my spiritual life, too.  God works in us through His Word.  Why short-change that?

Sold, but don't think you have time?  Some hints for completing the 90 day Bible challenge on a tight schedule:

1.  Make the most of every minute.  Often I find myself waiting on kids to get out of swimming, art, etc.  I always have a Bible in my car and read while waiting.  I used to listen to talk radio.  You know what?  Not only do I have more time for reading, but I'm lots happier with fewer worries!  And one of my favorite places to read is in the bathtub- my last sanctuary. 

2.  Even if you have a bad day and think there's no way you can complete your reading, just read for however long you have.  I'm so all or nothing and struggle with this, but you have to get over this mindset to do the 90 day Bible challenge.  There will be days that are unpredictable and leave you exhausted at 11 pm not having read your Bible.  Don't let them defeat you, just read for 10 or 15 minutes and that way at least you won't get a whole day behind.

3.  Invest in an audio Bible for those emergency situations like out of town swim meets.  I'm not a good listener while driving around town, but when I'm on the highway and the kids are plugged in to their movie, I'm pretty good at listening to the Bible.  It's not ideal and my goal is always to read every word myself, but sometimes you just can't get it done and I think it's better to listen for two days then get right back on track with reading than to get two days behind.  I keep my NLT Bible on CD in the car for these emergencies.

4.  If you love to read, don't let yourself read anything else until you've finished with your Bible reading for the day.  This is a powerful incentive for me!  If I leave it until the end of the day, I won't be reading anything else that day.  It's amazing what you can accomplish when you apply this logic.  What if nobody ever watched television, read blogs, or read anything else until after reading their Bible for an hour?  We'd probably all get it done first thing in the morning, huh?  I don't usually finish in the morning, but I like to at least start first thing before the kids are up.  Then by the time I take advantage of 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there throughout the day, I'm usually very close to being finished by evening.

Please comment below if you're up to the challenge.  I'm really looking forward to it again after a month off.

I found a 90 day Bible reading schedule at http://www.haventoday.org.  They fit 3 schedules to a page, so you even have a couple to give to friends. 

 May God get the glory as we make time in our daily lives to put His Word first!

A Tale of Two Geneologies

It's that time of year again.  Advent.  A time to celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  My fifth 90 day Bible challenge has had me reading through the gospels and my husband preached on Christ's incarnation yesterday, so I'm primed for this post.  Remember when I confessed to you that my eyes used to glaze over when reading through geneologies in the Bible?  Can you relate?  Those names are becoming more familiar to me now and instead of letting my mind wander while reading lists of names, I've begun paying attention.   Guess what?  I discovered something that is not new at all, except that it's new to me.  Theologians have been discussing the two geneolgies of Christ for over a thousand years.

Mathew 1 and Luke 3 give two completely different geneologies for Christ.  They both show Him in the tribe of Judah and heir to the throne of David, but other than that there aren't many similarities.  They both say they are the geneologies of Jesus through His earthly father, Joseph.  Mathew lists only 27 generations (actually refers to 28) between David and Christ, whereas Luke lists 42.  That's a big difference!  But it's not only a difference in number of generations.  If you try to slide the missing 15 generations from Mathew's account into Luke's, they still don't fit.  Mathew traces the geneology of Jesus through Solomon.  Luke's geneology goes back to David's son Nathan, instead.  While there have been many explanations proposed, I'll touch on the ones I like that make sense to me.  With a few of my own musings thrown in, just for fun.

The most popular theory on the geneologies of Christ is that Mathew gives Joseph's geneology, whereas Luke gives Mary's.  This theory is not recent and seems to have been supported by Origen, Irenaeous, Tertullian, Athanasius, and Justin Martyr.  It would be strange for the geneology of a woman to be listed in the Bible, unique even, but then Mary is unique in all of history.  She was the one and only mother of the Messiah.  (Interestingly, Luke's gospel also gives the birth narrative from Mary's point of view.)  Then why didn't Luke just come out and say he was giving Mary's geneology?  Maybe he assumed since Mathew's account was already circulating that the church would immediately recognize his own as Mary's.  (It is debated whether Mark or Mathew was the first gospel written, but it's accepted that Luke was written after Mathew.)  It could be that Mary didn't have any brothers, so Joseph, as Mary's betrothed, was her father's heir and therefore considered as his son.  Mary and Joseph may even have lived with her family, further solidfying Joseph's role as Heli's descendant and heir.

And why does Mathew give a skeleton outline of a geneology, while Luke's is exhaustive?  Mathew was writing to the Jews to prove Jesus was indeed the long awaited Jewish Messiah.  He emphasized the kingship of Christ by tracing the kings of Judah from David to the captivity.  He also seems to give the numbers of generations that he gives for a reason (I didn't find anyone who commented on this, but I'm such a numbers person I can't believe it is without meaning.)   

"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."  Mathew 1:17

He's missing one according to my count, I count 14 from Abraham to David, 14 from David to captivity, and 13 from captivity to Christ.  Not sure if this was an oversight on his part or a trascription error later, or what.  But what's interesting to me is that Mathew emphasizes the number of generations that he's giving, even though Luke's geneology leads me to believe that Mathew's is only a skeleton.  I don't really know what Mathew has in mind.  14 x 3= 42  What's the significance of 42?  Maybe nothing.  If you multiply the number of man by the number of God (6x7), you get 42.  I realize that's a stretch.  I mean who thinks about those kinds of things?  It could have simply been a mnemonic device.  Mathew seemed to group things in numbers, especially the numbers 3 and 7.  Or what about symmetry?  Fourteen generations from God's covenant with Abraham, really the beginning of the Jewish nation, until David, God's annointed.  Then fourteen generations of the nation of Israel rebelling against God until judgment (captivity).  Then fourteen generations of captivity (national, yes for Israel never really regained her freedom, but also, or perhaps mainly spiritual captivity), until Israel's Messiah, God's Anointed, finally comes.  Fourteen generations of promise.  Fourteen generations of rebellion.  Fourteen generations of captivity.  And now the fulfillment of the original promise was here.  I think I get it.  I think I get Mathew and why he gave the geneology of Christ the way he gave it.

Now for Luke.  Luke was probably a Gentile (Greek), though that's debated.  At any rate, he doesn't seem to have the same audience in mind that Mathew has.  Luke emphasizes that Jesus is the savior for all of mankind, not just the Jews.  Luke gives explanations of Jewish customs and feasts, that a Jewish audience would have no need of.  Luke is also quite thorough compared to the other gospels.  For example, he includes 18 parables not found in any other gospel.  In Luke 1:3, he gives the purpose of his gospel, to write "an orderly account". 

"Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in oder a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."  Luke 1:1-4

Luke was a physician, a profession requiring careful observation.  Precise details were important to Luke.  He's thorough, consulting multiple eyewitnesses.  His gospel is chronological.  No skipping generations for him.  In fact, Luke takes Christ's geneology all the way back to Adam, emphasizing more the humanity of Jesus, where Mathew emphasized His kingship.  Both were important.  Both were necessary.  Mathew and Luke are both right, but they're emphasizing different aspects of Christ's incarnation.

Immanuel means "God with us", God in flesh.  To redeem His people, God had to become man.  He also had to temporarily lay aside His kingship, only to pick it up again later, forever.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  Philippians 2:5-11

So Christ only laid aside His kingship temporarily.  God had promised David that his kingdom would be established forever, and Jesus was and is the fulfillment of this promise.

"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom... And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever."  2 Samuel 7:12, 16

Mathew was writing to a Jewish audience, so he emphasized the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah, that Jesus was the long-awaited, once and future King of Israel, the son of David who will rule forever.  Luke's gospel presents Jesus as Savior to the Gentiles, so he emphasized the humanity over the Jewishness of Jesus.  He goes back to Genesis 3, showing that Jesus is that promised seed of Adam who would crush the Serpent's head.  They're both right.  Jesus is King of the Jews and He's the Son of Man.  He's the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the World.  Let's remember to thank God this Advent season for including both of Christ's geneologies in His Word.

The Prayers of Jeremiah

The message of Jeremiah is a difficult one.  Reading about judment isn't any more fun for us now than it was for Judah to hear then.  I've written before about the timing of Jeremiah and how I think he was instrumental in the short-lived revival under Josiah.  (I found this interesting because I had always been taught that Jeremiah preached his whole life and never had a convert.  I no longer believe that.)

Anyway, I was just blown away by Jeremiah's prayers this time.  I won't reprint all of them, but just some highlights.  These are from the New Living Translation. 

"I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.  We are not able to plan our own course.  So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.  Do not correct me in anger, for I would die."  Jeremiah 10:23-24 (LOVE this prayer!)

"When I discovered your words, I devoured them.  They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's armies."  Jeremiah 15:16  (Sounds like he's been reading the Psalms, doesn't it?)

"O Sovereign Lord!  You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm.  Nothing is too hard for you!  You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation's sin upon the next.  You are the great and powerful God, the Lord of Heaven's armies.  You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles.  You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve.  You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt- things still remembered to this day!  And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and around the world.  You have made your name famous to this day."  Jeremiah 32:17-20

Sometimes it's hard for me to keep my focus while reading through the prophets.  I tend to lose the forest for the trees, so to speak.  You know, trying to understand the judgment on the nations- past or future, why some nations will be restored and some won't, end times stuff, etc.  I love these prayers of Jeremiah, extolling God's sovereignty, inviting His discipline,  delighting in His Word.  I'm glad I didn't miss them.  Our nation is probably due for some judgment.  These prayers of Jeremiah are timely for us, too.  We share a common hope and comfort with Jeremiah.  Our hope is in the Lord and even in the midst of hard times, or perhaps especially in the midst of hard times, we can praise Him for His sovereignty and justice, accept His correction, and take joy in His Word.

The rebellion and redemption of Korah

One of the things I love most about reading the Bible in 90 days and doing that multiple times each year, is making connections between different books of the Bible.  I have to confess to you that my first few times through the Bible my eyes glazed over reading the ubiquitous and often long geneology passages.  Not so, now.  I love lingering on the names and thinking about how God redeems individual people, yes, but He also works through families.  For instance, I remember wondering at one time why David put up with Joab, his bloodthirsty general that David admitted to being afraid of.  (For the record, I don't think Joab was all that bad.  He did counsel David against taking the census which so angered God, after all.  And Absalom was a traitor and leading a revolution against David when Joab killed him.  I also wonder if Abner was really sincere in switching his allegiance to David, and Abner had killed Joab's brother.)  David talked on several occasions as if he would have rid himself of Joab if he could have.  When you realize that Joab is David's nephew, son of his sister Zeruiah, it makes more sense.  Blood really is thicker than water!

Anyway, what I've been thinking about for the last few days is Korah.  Numbers 16 details Korah's rebellion, and in fact that's the heading my Bible gives to Number's 16:  Korah's Rebellion.  Interesting, that Korah gets all the blame since Dathan and Abiram were in on it with him.  I'm not going to reprint Numbers 16 here, but just give the highlights.  Korah is a Kohathite so he's a Levite, but not a priest.  Remember the three divisions of Levites are Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarities.  Numbers 4 tells how the labor of the tabernacle was to be divided among the families.  The Kohathites were responsible for the transportation of the most sacred objects like the Ark, the lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar.  But, the only Kohathites allowed into the sanctuary to care for the objects and to cover the sacred objects for transportation, were the sons of Aaron.  Only the priests, the sons of Aaron, could see the holy objects in the sanctuary and only the priests could present offerings to the Lord on behalf of Israel.  Anyone else who even went into the holy place while the objects were uncovered would die.  This was a big responsibility and also a great privilege. 

Dathan and Abiram, both Reubenites and Korah, a Kohathite, but not a son of Aaron, thought this wasn't fair.  They gathered together 250 other leaders of Israel and incited a rebellion against Moses and Aaron.  They argued that the whole community of Israel had been set apart by God and that the sons of Aaron should not have any special privileges.  It just wasn't politically correct!  Moses spoke to Korah (interesting that he addressed Korah and not Dathan and Abiram) and pointed out the privileges God had given him in being a Kohathite and being allowed to minister in the Tabernacle in the first place.  

"Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near Him and serve in the Lord's Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them?  Korah, He has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites.  Are you now demanding the priesthood, as well?"  Numbers 16:9-10 

Moses went on to point out that Korah was actually rebelling against the Lord, not just Aaron.  (And remember, Moses though a special intercessor for Israel with God, was a Kohathite, but not a son of Aaron.  Aaron was appointed by God as high priest, not Moses.  Moses was pleading with Korah, one of his own clan.)

Unfortunately Korah didn't heed Moses' plea.  Numbers 16:19 says that Korah "stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron."  Now this is where it gets interesting.  The glorious presence of the Lord comes down to the entrance of the Tabernacle and threatens to destroy the whole community.  Moses and Aaron fall face down and beg the Lord not to destroy all of Israel.  Then the Lord tells all the people, who were all gathered in a rebellious mob about to storm the Tabernacle, to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  Moses jumps up to do God's bidding, and warns everyone to step back from the tents of the three leaders of the rebellion.  Then the text (verse 27) says that Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives, and children and little ones.  Korah died too, but his sons didn't.  The children of Dathan and Abiram all died.  The sons of Korah didn't.

"But the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers.  This served as a warning to the entire nation of Israel.  However, the sons of Korah did not die that day."  Numbers 26:11

Do you know who some of the sons of Korah were?  The most famous is Samuel.  The geneology in 1 Samuel 1 gives only a partial geneology of Elkanah, so unless you realize it from other Scriptures like 1 Chronicles 6:33-38, you may not realize Elkanah is a Levite, a Kohathite and descended from Korah to be precise.  Heman, chief musician assigned to the Temple by David, was also descended from Korah.  Isn't it amazing that God continued to work through Korah's sons?  He didn't wipe them from the face of the earth.  He was merciful, compassionate, and gracious.  1 Chronicles 9 relates that even after the Babylonian exile, descendants of Korah were responsible for guarding the entrance to the sanctuary, just as their ancestors had guarded the Tabernacle in the camp of the Lord.

Now that you know the backstory, Psalms 84 and 85 written by the descendants of Korah, can be more fully appreciated.

"How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies.  I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord.  With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.  Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God!  What joy for those who can live in Your house, always singing Your praises... A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!  I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.  For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.  He gives us grace and glory."  Psalm 84:1-4, 10-11a

"You forgave the guilt of your people- yes, you covered all their sins.  You held back your fury.  You kept back your blazing anger... Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, so our land will be filled with His glory."  Pslam 85:2, 9

I'm fairly certain the descendants of Korah were aware all their lives that they shouldn't be alive.  They must have realized in a special way that every breath was an act of God's mercy.  And never again do we see them complaining about their God-ordained duties.  Rather, we see thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

Korah died for his sins, but even in his death, God redeemed his name.  God let his sons live on and God used them for His glory.  The name of Korah lived on, but its legacy is not one of rebellion.  Just think of it- Psalms sung by God's people in praise to Him for all eternity.  (Yes, I think we'll be singing Psalms in heaven : ).  God turned Korah's rebellion into praise.  Isn't that what He does with each of us?  Plucks us out of our rebellion and redeems us, breathing new life into our souls?  Let us also leave a legacy of praise to Lord!

The book of Job: It's about more than just suffering. It's about Christ.

My husband was trying to come up with a quick survey through the Old Testament for his men's group and we were discussing which books to include.  I actually suggested they could skip Job since everyone knows the story of Job.  Well, bite my tongue.  I just read Job again yesterday and today and I take it back.  They can't skip Job!  Yes, it's about suffering and the sovereignty of God, but it's more than that, too.  I love seeing Christ in Job.  Some call this the redemptive historical hermeneutic, others call it the scarlet thread of redemption woven throughout the Scriptures.  What this simply means is that God has given us glimpses of Christ in the Old Testament.  The book of Job is one of the oldest in the Bible, written before the institution of the Levitical priesthood and most likely during the time of the patriarchs.  Here are some of my favorite passages:

On our need for a mediator:

"God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.  If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together.  The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of His punishment.  Then I could speak to Him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength."  Job 9:32-35

Compare this with Hebrews:

"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  Hebrews 4:14-16

Cool, huh?  God answered the prayer of Job's heart.  We have just such a mediator in Jesus that Job desired.  I believe that Jesus was Job's mediator, but it was prior to His incarnation so He had not yet suffered as a man.  He could not identify with Job's weaknesses to the same degree that He can ours, since He Himself has now lived and suffered as a man.  The only way we could possibly have the kind of mediator Job describes- One who can bring us together with God- is that our mediator be both God and man.  Incredible!  Right there in one of the oldest books in the Bible we get a glimpse of God's perfect plan to bring us to Himself.

Here's another one:

"Even now my witness is in heaven.  My advocate is there on high.  My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God.  I  need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends."  Job 16:19-21

On our redemption and the bodily resurrection:

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last.  And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!  I will see Him for myself.  Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes, I am overwhelmed at the thought."  Job 19:25-27

Me, too.  Overwhelmed at the thought of seeing Christ, that is.  I've never heard a sermon preached on this, and I've heard a lot of sermons.  Isn't it exciting that resurrection didn't just pop up in the gospels?  God always planned, from the beginning, to bring back to life our decayed bodies.  We won't be disembodied spirits sitting around on clouds strumming harps for all eternity, thank goodness!  We will have real bodies and we'll see Christ!  And Job knew this!

And another good one:

"But if an angel (messenger) from heaven appears- a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright- he will be gracious and say, 'Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.'  Then his body will become as healthy as a child's, firm and youthful again.  When he prays to God, he will be accepted.  And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing.  He will declare to his friends, 'I sinned and twisted the truth, but He did not punish me as I deserve (Septuagent).  God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light."  Job 33:23-28

That passage has it all.  The gospel in the book of Job!

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He does not change.  His plans do not change.  The whole Bible is His perfect, holy Word and therefore relevant to us today.  Every book of the Bible is about Christ.  And none of them can be skipped, except maybe Song of Solomon : ).  Anyone want to explain that one to me?!

He holds the heart of the king in His hands.

Sometimes reading between the lines gets me into trouble, but sometimes I just can't help it.  Reading through the book of Ezra tonight, I was amazed at how God really does hold the heart of he king in His hands.

"The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases."  Proverbs 21:1

First, He moves on King Cyrus of Persia and "stirs his heart" so that Cyrus not only allows, but encourages all willing Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord.  And he sends all the Temple articles stolen by Nebuchadnezzar with them.  And as if that weren't amazing enough, Cyrus further tells His subjects to provide the returning Jews with livestock, supplies, gold and silver, and voluntary offerings for the Temple.  Sort of leaves you scratching your head.  (I mean if Judah had had more kings like Cyrus, they wouldn't have been in this predicament.)  What's even more cool is He prophesied through Isaiah and Jeremiah that He was going to use Cyrus to rebuild His Temple.

"When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say.  He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem'; he will say, 'Restore the Temple.'"  Isaiah 44:28

"This is what the Lord says to Cyrus His anointed one, whose right hand He will empower.  Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.  Their fortress gates will be opened never to shut again.  This is what the Lord says:  'I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains.... And why have I called you for this world?  Why did I call you by name when you did not know Me?  It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one."  Isaiah 45:1-2a,4

This is awesome, but it isn't the part I found interesting.  What got me reading between the lines is the change in Darius,  who ruled after Cyrus.  When Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates river and some of his colleagues tried to stop the rebuilding of the Temple, Darius is initially indecisive.  He wants to consult the historical records and see if Cyrus did indeed send the Jews back to rebuild Jerusalem with his blessing.  A scroll is found which verifies the Jews' story and Darius not only supports the right of the jews to rebuild the Temple, but requires all taxes collected west of the Euphrates go to pay the expenses for rebuilding the Temple and for voluntary offerings.  He also makes it against the law (punishable by death) to interfere with the rebuilding of the Temple.  Incredible, isn't it?  And I just can't help reading between the lines about the timing of all this and Daniel.

It seems from Daniel 6 that the Daniel in the lion's den incident happened fairly early in the reign of Darius.  It was because Darius had chosen Daniel as one of his three chief administrators to govern his newly apportioned land, and because the Lord blessed Daniel, that the other two governors became jealous and urged Darius to outlaw prayers to anyone but the king.  The Bible doesn't say when Tattenai wrote his letter to Darius or when Darius responded, but we do know the Temple was completed  during the 6th year of King Darius's reign.  So in my reading between the lines, I'm thinking that the Daniel in the lion's den incident happened after Darius received Tattenai's letter, but before he responded.  Why?  Because after the Lord miraculously preserved Daniel in the lion's den, King Darius issued this proclamation:

"Peace and prosperity to you!  I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.  For He is the living God, and He will endure forever.  His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His rule will never end.  He rescues and saves His people; He performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.  He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."  Daniel 6:25b-27

Surely if Darius had already issued this decree when he received Tattenai's letter, he wouldn't have needed to consult the history books before making his response.  So, my reading between the lines means that God directed Darius's heart and that He used Daniel to do it! 

And one last reading between the lines from the books of Ezra and Esther.  King Artaxerxes reigned in Persia after Darius (and after his father, Xerxes or Ahaseurus).  He was also extrememly generous in his provisions for offerings and beautification of the Temple.  Ezra was so moved by the generosity of Artazerxes, that he said:

"Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem!  And praise Him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles!  I felt encouraged becasue the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me.  And I gathered some of the leaders to return with me to Jerusalem."  Ezra 7:27-28

And remember, Artaxerxes is the king for whom Nehemiah was cupbearer.  He also generously gave Nehemiah leave to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.  So we see that once again God has moved on the heart of a Gentile king!  And this time my reading between the lines says He used Esther and Mordecai to do it!  It doesn't get much more exciting than the book of Esther and you'll just have to read it for yourself, but the main point I want to get at is Esther marries King Xerxes I of Persia and becomes the queen of Persia.  Artaxerxes was at least Esther's stepson, if not her son.  Esther, as mother or stepmother, influenced Artaxerxes.  She must have told him about the Lord, the history of His people, her people, and His law.  And Mordecai, as prime minister, certainly influenced Artaxerxes, as well.

I love finding connections between different books of the Bible.  God's Word is true and these were real people, not just names.  He used Daniel and Esther and Mordecai to influence kings for His glory and he can use ordinary people like you and me, too. 

I've been thinking on the following verse for a couple of days.  I think it's really cool.

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."  2 Chronicles 16:9

Urim and Thummim, NOT a magic 8 ball.

I've had some matters on my mind that are weightier than sewing, this is one of them. 

Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes into the Lord's presence.  In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord's will for His people whenever he goes in before the Lord.  Exodus 28:30

The Urim and Thummim allusions in the Bible have always bothered me.  Why?  Because God takes the initiative in communicating with us- He always tells us what we need to know, maybe not everything we want to know, but what we need to know.   God hasn't always chosen to communicate to us in the same way, but He has always been the initiator.  He has used prophets, angels, dreams, and of course, His Word, the Bible.  Another reason the Urim and Thummim have bothered me is because divination is prohibited in the Scriptures and the Urim and Thummim have always seemed like divination to me.   So there, that's my honest confession.  But, as I've been reading the Bible through in 90 days, this is my fifth time in less than 2 years at that rate, I've come to see so many connections between the Old and New Testaments.  I love typology, just check out my Advent label and you'll see how I love to see Christ in the Old Testament.  Someone famous, I don't remember who, once said that the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed and the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.  In other words, their message is the same.  They both reveal God's redemptive plan which culminates in the person and work of Christ.  I've practically given it away already, but guess what I saw in the Urim and Thummim this time?   You'll have to read on to find out.

If anyone is still reading at this point, (Hi Mom), I'm going to write the remainder of this post differently than I normally would.  I'm going to go ahead and give my conclusion first and then I'm going to tell you why I think this is right.  

I think the Urim and Thummim are a foreshadowing or type of how God is going to communicate with His people in the future.  I think they typologically depict how God illuminates His Word for His people. 

Here's why:

1.  The terms Urim and Thummim have been translated as light and truth (Lux et Veritas which appears on Yale University's seal was translated in this way from Urim and Thummim), or revelation/teaching and truth.  God's Word is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet (Ps 119:105).  And His Word is truth (John 17:17).  If I were only considering the meaning of the words Urim and Thummim, I would say I think it foreshadows the complete revelation of God, His Word which He was just beginning the process of revealing to His people at the time He gave Moses the ceremonial law.  But, I think there's more to it than that.

2.  The Urim and Thummim were thought, by Jewish tradition, to communicate an answer by lighting up or illuminating certain gemstones.  (Remember there were 12 gemstones, one for each tribe of Israel, on the priest's chestpiece of decision and the Urim and Thummim were placed above these.)  So not only do the terms Urim and Thummim speak of illuminating truth, but that is how they worked.  Now, tell me you don't think Urim and Thummim when you read these verses where Jesus is telling His disciples about the coming work of the Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on His own, but will tell you what He has heard.  He will tell you about the future.  He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me.  All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, "The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me."  John 16:13-14

Furthermore, there's a connection in timing.  Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the law from God, including these instructions, two lunar months (7 weeks, or 50 days) after the Exodus.  This would be celebrated by Israel as the Feast of Weeks, also called Pentecost.  The Urim and Thummim were a part of the law given to Moses on the first Pentecost and the Holy Spirit was given to indwell and guide believers at the first Pentecost after Christ our Passover Lamb was crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven to rule at the right hand of God the Father.  I think the Urim and Thummim foreshadowed the outpouring of the Spirit of truth that would come many Pentecosts in the future. 

3.  The Word of God is also in a mysterious way, the second member of the Trinity.  When God spoke the creation into existence, it was through the Son.  Jesus is God's Word incarnate.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...  And the Word became flesh and dwellt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1, 14)

Why do I make this point?  Because all of the priestly garments, in fact, all of the ceremonial law foreshadowed Christ our Messiah.  Jesus fulfilled every type and shadow in  the Levitical system, including the priestly garments.  So it makes sense to also see the Urim and Thummim in this light.

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Ephod- The ephod contained two onyx stones with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel engraved upon them so that the priest would carry them on his shoulders as a constant reminder whever going before the Lord (Exodus 28:12).  In other words, the priest represented the people to God, he acted as their mediator.  We know Christ fulfilled this role.  He is our great High Priest and He intercedes for us with God (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Robe-  The blue robe of the priest had to be worn when entering the presence of God or he would die.  (Exodus 28:35)  Likewise, none of us can stand before God without the imputed righteousness of Christ.  

Tunic- The white linen of the tunic, and other priestly garments, gives us a picture of purity. This is why it was so important for the priest to undergo cleansing prior to putting on the garments. 

Turban- The turban of the high priest, according to Jewish tradition, was also flat on top representing spiritual perfection, as in having reached the top.  Of course, no high priest was perfect until Jesus.  So this, too was ultimately fulfilled in Christ.  The medallion attached to the turban was to read "Holy to the Lord."  The priest would symbolically bear the guilt of the people before God and must wear his turban with the medallion on his forehead so the Lord would accept the people (Exodus 28:38).  Again, we have a picture of redemption- Christ bearing our guilt and sin, while God imputes Christ's righteousness to us when we believe.

Sash-  The high priest's sash was blue, purple, and red, the same colors as the curtains of the Tabernacle.  Blue is for righteousness, purple for royalty, and red for atonement.  These colors and the way the sash held everything else together also speaks of Christ.

It would be inconsistent to interpret the high priest's other garments in light of Christ, but the Urim and Thummim in light of ancient Babylonian or Egyptian sorcery.  God's revelation was progressive.  The protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15 gives a sneak peak into His redemptive plan, but not the whole story.  Likewise, when God gave Moses and the people of Israel the Levitical law, He gave them a picture of redemption.  When God promised David that his son would reign on the throne of Judah for all time, He was giving more information.  So, bit by bit, in the pages of the Old Testament we see Christ, the ultimate and original plan for our redemption.  Aren't you thankful that we're able to look back and see God's perfect, complete plan from the beginning of His revelation.  The Urim and Thummim were a picture of how God communicates with us now.  He doesn't use a magic 8 ball.  His Spirit of truth indwells believers and illuminates His Word for us.  Discernment comes from His revealed truth, (Urim and Thummim), His Word.   

The Purpose of the Wilderness is the Purpose of Life

We went to the funeral last week of an incredible young man. This always begs the question of why. Not just why did he die, but why do any of us live? I mean, why to everything? Why planet earth?


Although I believe every word of the Bible is absolutely true and historically accurate, I also see many types and shadows in the Old Testament that find greater meaning and fulfillment in the New Testament. For instance, take the story of the Exodus. Moses, the deliverer of Israel, is a type of Christ, our ultimate Deliverer. The Promised Land, while also a literal place, foreshadows heaven, our true home and final resting place. (Hebrews 11:14-16) And the wilderness experience corresponds to our time as pilgrims and wanderers on the earth (Hebrews 11:13). Deuteronomy 8 reveals the purpose of the Israelites' wilderness experience, and by extension sheds light on the purpose of our time on earth.

And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land...   Deuteronomy 8:2-7


So according to this passage, the answer to my question about the purpose of life is... learn to rely on God, let His Word sustain us, keep His commands, and fear Him. The reason He tests and humbles us is so we'll know we can't make it on our own. We're totally at His mercy. The reason He provides for our needs and disciplines us is so we'll know He loves us.

Would we be able to grasp His love apart from our need? His mercy apart from our testing? His deliverance apart from our bondage?

If life's a breeze all the time, it isn't fulfilling its purpose.  Life on earth is supposed to be tough, challenging, painful.  Life is supposed to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we turn to God and rely completely and utterly on Him.  Then that "good land" He's bringing us into becomes the hope that strengthens our faith. 

Firstborn sons and a bloody covenant- Exodus 4

My husband preached a wonderful sermon the week before Easter on Christ, our Passover Lamb.  Probably because this sermon was still fresh in my mind, I really picked up on the firstborn son allusions in my reading yesterday.  I love thinking about this!

As God is sending Moses off to Egypt to deliver His people, He gives Moses these parting words:

"When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharoah which I have put in your hand.  But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.  Then you shall say to pharoah, 'Thus says the Lord: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.  So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me.  But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"  Exodus 4:22-23

God refers to His people by many names.  Sometimes we're His sheep, sometimes His children, sometimes as His bride or the bride of Christ, and even as the body of Christ.  I have never really pondered the passage above in relation to Passover, and ultimately Christ's sacrificial death.  God wanted Pharoah to know from the outset that if he didn't let Israel go, it would cost him his firstborn son.  And as it turned out, it cost all of Egypt its firstborn sons, right down to the livestock.  But, as for God's firstborn son, Israel, he would be spared by the blood of the lamb. (Exodus 11-12)  We know from Romans 9 and other passages in the New Testament that believing Gentiles have been grafted into Israel- true Israel- spiritual Israel.  While we weren't present at the first Passover, God in His righteous anger is able to pass over judging us according to our sins because we are God's firstborn son, delivered by the blood of the Lamb, that is Christ. 

And pondering this firstborn son imagery along with the blood of the lamb has helped me to see the next section in a little different light.  I've always been so puzzled by this brief interlude that takes up where we left off in Exodus 4 above:

"And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, 'Surely you are a husband of blood to me!'  So He let him go.  Then she said, 'You are a husband of blood!'- because of the circumcision."  Exodus 4:24-26

You have to admit that this scene seems a little strange as well as a bit on the macabre side.  But considering the message God had just told Moses to deliver to Pharoah, I think it begins to make sense.  I don't know why Moses had never had his firstborn son, Gershom, circumcised.  Maybe because they were living in Midian and it wasn't practiced there.  Anyway, it was obviously an oversight and not an acceptable one in the eyes of God.  I think maybe what Moses was supposed to grasp was this:  How can God spare Gershom when the firstborn son of Pharoah would be killed?  What's the difference?  Both are sinners, right?  The difference is that Gershom would be spared by the blood of the lamb (Passover).  Even though that hadn't happened yet, both Passover and circumcision point to something even more significant- the covenant that God has made with His chosen people.  This covenant is a bloody covenant.  Zipporah wasn't far off.  It's not that Moses was a husband of blood, but that God's covenant that He made with His people is a covenant of blood.  The blood of Christ is what seals this covenant for all eternity.  And circumcision was a sign of entering into that covenant.   

"For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.  For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.  Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying,'This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.'  Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.  And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."  Hebrews 9:16-22 

The writer of Hebrews further clarifies that Christ, "by one offering has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."  Hebrews 10:14

The Passover recorded in Exodus is a shadow of the ultimate Passing over of God's wrath upon sinners.  We are spared only by the blood of Christ.  And it is Christ's blood that pays for our adoption allowing us to become children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.  God's firstborn son is saved by the blood of His only true Son.  And circumcision was the bloody sign of this bloody covenant.   

90 day Bible- I never noticed that before!

Do you ever experience I-never-noticed-that-before moments when simply reading through the Bible?  I must only have half of my brain engaged the majority of the time because I sure do miss a lot!  Here are some details I noticed anew this time through the first half of Genesis:

-Cain's punishment from God was that he should be a fugitive and wander the earth.  I never noticed until this reading of Genesis that Cain didn't accept his punishment.  "Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch.  When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch."  (Genesis 4:17)  Instead of living the life of a nomad, utterly dependent on God, Cain went right out and built a city!  It appears that this was the first city.  This is what the Reformation study Bible footnote says:  "In seeking the security of a city, it appears that sinful Cain both defied the divine judgment that he should be a vagabond (v.12) and showed his lack of faith in the protection provided by God's mark (v.15).  The earthly city provides both civilization and protection, but culminates in the building of a city that challenges God's supremecy (11:4).  The faithful by contrast look for a heavenly city (Phil 3:20, Col 3:1-4, Heb 11:10, 16, 12:22, 13:14)."  Interesting.

-Noah was 500 when he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  (Genesis 5:32) And I thought I got a late start having kids!

-Noah gathered every kind of food into the ark!  I always thought in terms of gathering the food for the purpose of feeding the animals and his own family, but hadn't realized that they had to go out and gather EVERY sort of food that is eaten (Genesis 6:21).  No wonder it took so long!

-Ishmael was there at Abraham's funeral- he buried his dad along with Isaac.  For some reason that little detail has escaped me until now.  I thought he just disappeared out of Isaac's life at the end of chapter 21 when the Lord tells Hagar that Ishmael will become a great nation, too and they resettle in the wilderness of Paran.  But check this out:  "Abraham breathed his last and died in good old age, and old man full of years, and was gathered to his people, Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre."  Genesis 25:8-9  I like to think they made up.  That makes sense because Esau went to Ishmael for a wife when he realized Isaac and Rebekah disapproved of his Canaanite wives.  I guess he wouldn't have done that if Isaac was still at odds with his brother.

-And a few miscellaneous little observations: 

Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah and prayed that the Lord would open her womb.  He was 60 when she had Jacob and Esau.  They had to wait 20 years for children! 

God tells the animals to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth before telling man both immediately after creation and post-flood.

After Abimelech discovers that Sarah is Abraham's wife, he still refers to Abraham as "your brother."  I wonder why he doesn't say "your husband".

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I hope you don't think I'm a complete dingbat right now.  What have you recently noticed in the Bible that you never noticed before?  Please tell me I'm not the only one that misses a lot.

90 Day Bible Challenge- Why I'm doing it yet again.

If it's true that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, why keep reading the Bible?  It's an honest question, especially considering the culture's been there, done that mentality.  I felt that way for a long time.  Sure I love God's Word, that's why I'm so into Bible study and I even read the whole thing cover to cover- back in 1986!  I had bought the t-shirt so to speak and wore it proudly.  I see several problems with that line of thinking.

1.  God's Word is never-changing, yet it's work is never done.  As long as I'm a sinner in need of sanctification, I need a steady diet of Bible. 

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:16


"I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."  (Psalm 119:11)

2.  God's Word is alive which makes it different from every other piece of literature.  You may appreciate Shakespeare or Dickens, but once you know A Tale of Two Cities, you know it.  It's not like that with the Bible.  It's not just a matter of assimilating facts.  God uses His Word and His Spirit to work together in us.  

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12

3.  We find blessing and joy in God's Word. 

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."  Psalm 19:7-8

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And besides all that, my mother once told me "good things bear repeating".  Or maybe she told me that more than once : ).  Anyway, I'm back at it and would love for anyone to join me.  I'm reading May through July, which is actually 92 days, but close enough in my book.

I'm doing a few things differently this time around.  I'm reading the Holman Christian Standard version this time (I like reading a different version each time) and I'm using my two year old's my ipad.

A friend at church told me about this youversion app for my ipad.  Youversion has 41 Bible translations in 22 languages and over 50 reading plans.  And it's all free!  I can track my progress on my ipad or online at http://www.youversion.com/.  Cool, huh?

I realize the 90 day Bible challenge isn't the only way to read your Bible, but it works for me.  Happy Bible reading, whatever plan you use!