THE LORD SPOKE (August 31)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalms 132-138

In what way is fellowship like olive oil and dew? Psalm 133 is about fellowship; the first verse speaks of brothers living together in unity. That really is a beautiful thing - both to behold and to experience. But when David compares it to olive oil and dew he loses most of us. Probably not many people think of oil dripping in beards as a beautiful thing. So, what is the application of these two similes - olive oil and dew?

Oil = consecration and service

• a holy thing - The oil of Aaron’s anointing was a sacred substance, something set apart for and that set one apart for the Lord’s service. Genuine spiritual fellowship is also a holy thing, something that is offered to but that also comes from the Lord.
• a consecration for service - Fellowship spurs us on to service because we see and hear what God is doing elsewhere. It encourages us to do a better job ourselves.
• a preparation for worship - The oil was applied before worship took place. Likewise, fellowship prepares one for praise; when we hear others’ praise we’re made aware of reasons for our own praise.

Dew = sustenance and restoration

• sustains life - Dew produces health and growth. So also does fellowship with others result in our spiritual growth and healthy believers.
• creates beauty - Mount Hermon’s dew produces everything from alpine flowers, lichens, and moss to mighty oak trees. In a similar way fellowship produce a beauty that others will see and desire. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• results in fruit - The berries and fruit found on Mount Hermon’s slopes attract the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. They flock to its pleasures and, in turn, their young populate the mountain. Likewise, fellowship brings rich increase. It attracts others and spawns more of the same.

David had it right. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.”


New Testament: Revelation 6

Revelation 6-19 is the portion of the book that gives details of the Tribulation. Beginning with a description of the risen Lord (ch. 1) and the letters to the seven churches (ch. 2-3), John has first described the things he had seen and “what is now” (from the outline in Rev. 1:19). Chapters 4-5 are a brief parenthesis which describe the throne room of heaven. Now he passes on to “what will take place later”.

That outline is significant! The term “church” appears 19 times in the first three chapters and then not once in chapters 6-19 which describe the terrible judgments that will fall upon the earth and its inhabitants. The best explanation is that the Church has been raptured from the earth and is in heaven (thus the parenthesis in chapters 4-5!) during this time. It is certainly very odd that the Church is not mentioned once in the 13 chapters which deal with the Tribulation if, in fact, the Church is to go through the Tribulation. This is the primary part of all Scripture which gives us details of that seven-year period of God’s wrath. It’s more than odd that the Church is not even mentioned. In fact, it demands an explanation. The Church reappears at the end of the book (Rev. 22:16) after all the events of the Tribulation are past.

But, for now, back to chapter six. As John watched, the Lamb began to break the seven seals of the scroll in heaven. Each one brought some new and increasing destruction. The first four release the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and invoke the imagery of Zechariah’s prophecy. Initially, the judgments are in the form of political, economic, or natural phenomena (famine, plague, earthquake). But, increasingly, they are recognized as “the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16) and people are desperate to find refuge.

By the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11), John takes notice of a growing number of martyrs in white robes gathering under the altar. In the next chapter they will become an innumerable multitude (Rev. 7:9) and will be clearly identified as “they who have come out of the great tribulation”. The heavenly scene is crowded but all attention is on the Lamb as, one by one, He breaks the first six seals. After a period of silence, the seventh seal will unleash a fury even greater (Rev. 8). Meanwhile, John has his eyes fixed on the Lamb.

Do you?