THE LORD SPOKE (February 09)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Leviticus 1-3

Liberal scholars have long claimed that Moses did not write, or at least, did not write much of the Pentateuch. For over 100 years they have trotted out an explanation known as the JEDP Theory. Without one single shred of manuscript evidence to back up their theory, they claim that multiple authors composed various strands of manuscripts which were eventually woven together by anonymous priests during or after the Exile in Babylon.

Let them answer these questions:

1) Where is your objective evidence? We have thousands of pieces of manuscript evidence - some fragments, some partial, some whole. Show me even one Yahwehist or Elohist manuscript, one document that shows the deuteronomist’s editing hand, or one book that indisputably betrays the priestly cutting and pasting. This is science? This is honest?

2) How do you deal with the claims of the books themselves? Give me a good answer to explain away the internal evidence. In Leviticus alone there are more than fifty places where it says the Lord spoke to Moses. What good is a book that lies on such a fundamental level as that? We’re all wasting our time studying it, if what you say is true.

3) Are you saying that the whole of Jewish tradition regarding Mosaic authorship is false? The Jewish people, who preserved these writings in the first place, just made it up? The whole thing is a grand hoax? What basis do you have for making up such a miserable lie?

4) Did Jesus and Paul lie too? Or were they just deluded to believe the common, mistaken notions of their day? Jesus said, “Moses...wrote of me” (Jn. 5:46). Paul said, “Moses describes in this way [followed by a quote from Lev. 18:5]” (Rom. 10:5).

If you’re going to call it a scientific theory you’re going to have to come up with something better than that. In the meantime, I’m going to stake my life on God’s Word.

The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
'Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.

The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.

The Bible stands like a mountain towering
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.

Haldor Lillenas


New Testament: Mark 12

They were coming at Him from every side. Large crowds “listened to Him with delight” (vs. 37). Ever since the tumult in the Temple, the chief priests and the teachers of the law had been looking for a way to put Him away (vs. 12). Each group “tried to catch him in his words” (vs. 13) but it got to the point where “no one dared ask him any more questions” (vs. 34). Besides the priests and Levites, there were the Pharisees and Herodians (vs. 13), followed by the Sadducees (vs. 28). They all left licking their wounds.

So the teachers of the law thought they saw a good opportunity to jump in again. This was like the toughest question they could think of. They often debated it among themselves. Others couldn’t trap Him in sticky issues like politics (vs. 14-17) or divorce (vs. 18-27) so let’s get Him on His own turf. He just said all the answers are found in the Scriptures (vs. 24) so why don’t you tell us, “which part of the Bible is the most important of all?” (vs 28).

For them, saying any one part was “most important was a put-down on the rest. They themselves identified “heavy” and “light” (Heb. qal v’homer) commandments but the question of what was the most important was an on-going debate among them. Jesus’ answer cut straight to the heart of the issue and straight to the heart of the one asking the question. As spokesman for the group, he was the best legal expert they had. He was probably their best debater but he was reduced to saying, “Well said, teacher” (vs. 32).

But Jesus didn’t stop there. He went over to the attack and moved from a defensive to an offensive position. In front of the crowd (vs. 35), He quizzes the teachers of the law on what the Scriptures say about the Messiah and then, turning back to the crowd (vs. 37), He warns them about teachers who don’t shoot straight. If you use crooked bullets and shoot from behind crooked barricades, the results are inevitable - more crookedness!

But still it doesn’t stop. There’s one more paragraph in the chapter. Before the day ends, the Lord points out a godly example of genuine devotion. A dirt-poor widow slips up to the offering box and slips in her humble contribution and then slips out past the ostentatious donors who have been tooting their tin horns before her. No doubt she was embarrassed by the whole scene. Actually, there’s nothing in the text to indicate that she was even aware of Jesus using her as an example. She was quite content to come and go unnoticed.

Now tell me something. If you were in that spot, what would be your first thought? “My offering is so insignificant. Why even give it? These rich people can easily cover all the Temple budget. My two bits won’t even make a difference.”

And you’d be just like the teachers of the law. They too thought the Scriptures applied to someone else.

THE LORD SPOKE (November 29)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Daniel 2

Lessons Learned in Daniel 2

Nebuchadnezzar - You think you’re in control of things? Your money and your power is meaningless. You better find a more solid foundation to build your life on than that. And, you need to pick better friends. Stop listening to all the “yes” men you’ve gathered around you - in fact, get rid of them entirely. Look for a genuine person who walks with God and can give you the kind of advice you need. The test will be that he is willing to confront you and tell you the bad news, so don’t chew his head off when he does.

Arioch, commander of the king’s guard - When you find a person who really hears the voice of God, you’d do well to listen to him. Daniel has led you to truth twice now. Stick with him! Don’t you want to know more about His God? He obviously knows how to discern between right and wrong and he’s demonstrated great courage. You’ve never let anyone get away with such things before but it’s because you’ve never met anyone like Daniel before. This one is for real. Find out some more from him.

“Wise Men” of Babylon - You don’t get it, do you? You can’t fake it forever. Someday your deception will catch up with you and you better know where to go for a reality check. Try Daniel! Instead of hounding him, you need to listen to him and learn from his example. What makes you think you can use spiritual things for personal gain? Have you no fear of God? Do you really think He’s going to let you get away with it? Maybe you can keep Nebuchadnezzar fooled (though even that’s doubtful), but you can’t fool God. You’re lucky to have a second chance. Wise up!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - Good choice! That friend of yours is one-of-a-kind. Stand by him. Encourage him. Follow his example yourselves. God has been good to give you each other and such a friend as Daniel in your exile. Times are bad and it looks like they will probably get worse before they get better so learn from this experience and remember it in the future. There are a lot of things worse than dying and not following the Lord is one of them. Be strong and keep your eyes on Him. While you’re at it, don’t let Daniel out of your sight either. He’s a friend worth following.

Daniel - May your tribe increase! You took a huge risk but you did the right thing. Thank you for your courage and example to all of us. It was going to happen to Nebuchadnezzar anyway - he only got what he deserved - but your holy temerity showed us how to handle a situation like this. Thank you for trusting the Lord and not being afraid to speak up even though it could have cost you your life. We need more like you. By the way, thanks for what you’re doing with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego too. They’ve been watching you and may be called upon to take a similar stand some day so your example has been a strength to them. Oh, and don’t worry about those other wise guys. They’re bad but God will take care of them. Just keep doing what’s right and He’ll protect you. It will be worth it all when you get to Glory. Have you every thought about writing down your experiences so others can benefit from them?


Psalms 147-148

“Would you mind choosing someone else for awhile?” said Tevya the milkman. God’s choice of Israel as His special people did bring special privilege but it brought even greater responsibility. The bar was raised for them.

One of the privileges, mentioned here in Psalm 147, was the revelation of the Scriptures to and through them.

He revealed his word to Jacob,
His laws and decrees to Israel.
He has done this for no other nation.... (vs. 19-20)

You have the Bible in your hands right now because of the Jewish people. Every single human author of Scripture was Jewish, and that included both the Old and New Testaments. (The only possible exception was Luke, who was a proselyte and therefore considered Jewish also.) They were careful to preserve it, contrary to the JEDP theorists and the deuteronomistic “historians”. All the evidence is that they faithfully collected and kept it intact. Their over-zealous rabbis led them to add grievously to it but never to change it. It’s still possible to obtain the pure Word of God because He preserved it for us through the Jewish people. “He has done this for no other nation.”

The beginning of the psalm mentions another work of God in relation to the Jewish people:

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds. (vs. 2-3)

He “builds up Jerusalem”. Teddy Kollek did that. He “gathers the exiles of Israel”. Theodor Herzl did that. But He also “heals the brokenhearted”. Who does that? Who else understands our frame and knows that we are dust? Because we’ve been grafted in, we too delight to do what the psalmist commands, “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God...” (vs. 7).

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,
By His presence all divine?
True and tender, pure and precious,
O how blest to call Him mine!

All that thrills my soul is Jesus,
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of ten thousand
In my blessed Lord I see.

Every need His hand supplying,
Every good in Him I see;
On His strength divine relying,
He is all in all to me.
Thoro Harris

THE LORD SPOKE (October 20)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Jeremiah 23-24

Jeremiah 23:28-29 - Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain? declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

The truth of God’s Word is illustrated in this passage by three metaphors:

Grain - God’s Word is whole, integral, and weighty, as compared to chaff which is easily driven away by any little wisp of wind. How dare man mingle the chaff of his own dreams with the pure wheat of the Word of God. How many voices today tell us they have “a word from the Lord” when it’s nothing more than some frothy, charismatic “revelation”. In contrast, Scripture is food for the soul; the very bread of life.

Fire - God’s Word consumes evil. Just as fire can harden clay but soften wax, so the Word of God will work differently with different people. The same fire can consume dross but purify gold. The messenger of God’s Word may be to some “a savour of life unto life, to others of death unto death” (II Cor. 2:16).

Hammer - God’s Word breaks in pieces all false doctrine; it crushes and brings to repentance the man who resists its pressure. The unhumbled heart of man is like a rock; if it will not be melted by the Word of God as a fire, it will be broken to pieces by it, as with a hammer. Whatever opposition is given to the Word will be beaten down and broken to pieces.

The Anvil of God’s Word
John Clifford

I paused last eve beside the blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring...the vesper’s chime.
And looking in I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” he answered. Then with twinkling eye:
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptics’ blows have beat upon.
But though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unchanged - the hammers gone.

Psalms 67-68

If God were not gracious to us, where would we be? Psalm 67 begins with this most comforting thought:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us.
Psalm 67:1

Those words recall the “Priestly Benediction”:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

In 1979 two small silver amulets containing those words were found in a tomb in Jerusalem. They were something like good luck charms worn about the neck on a leather thong and had been buried with their owner after death. The amulets dated back to the mid-seventh century BC but the words were much older. Liberal scholarship, which follows the “JEDP Theory” on the composition of the Pentateuch, had arbitrarily assigned the passage to a so-called “P-document” or to the priestly traditions and dated it variously in the fifth, fourth, or even as late as the third century BC. The find in Jerusalem made such a theory patently false! Here was a key “priestly” passage used by common people as jewelry as early as the seventh century BC. This text was written into Scripture by Moses around 1400 BC and appears here in the psalter in a section probably compiled by David around 1000 BC.

It’s quite possible that this liturgical prayer (Ps. 67) was repeated by the people at the conclusion of worship, either just prior to or immediately after the Priestly Benediction (Num. 6). Using the name “Elohim” once, rather than “Yahweh” three times, it invokes God’s blessing and describes the results. The three stanzas (vs. 1-2, 4, and 5-6) are separated by a repeated refrain (vs. 3,5).

But, don’t let the historical and literary analysis get in the way of the message of the psalm. Let this be your prayer today:

O God, be gracious to me, bless me
and make Your face to shine upon me.