THE LORD SPOKE (February 16)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Leviticus 15-16

On the Day of Atonement, Aaron was instructed to take “two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Lev. 16:7). Lots were then cast and the first goat was to be offered to the Lord (Lev. 16:8). The problems start with the second goat. It was supposed to be la’aza’zel (“for azazel”).

Some scholars say that this is the proper name of a desert demon that fed on an animal laden with the sins of the entire nation of Israel. Why then does Leviticus 17:7 forbid making offerings or sacrifices to demons? Is this name connected to other demons named in Scripture such as Lilith (“the night hag” in Isa. 34:14) or the Shedim (“hairy ones” or “goat idols” in II Chron 11:15; Isa. 13:21, etc.)? Later Jewish apocryphal literature (c. 200 BC) like the book of Enoch uses Azazel as a proper name but there’s no evidence that it was used that way in Moses’ day (1400 BC).

The translators of the Septuagint did not regard 'azazel as a proper name. They connected it to the Hebrew verb ‘azal (which doesn’t appear in the Old Testament) meaning “to send away”. Their understanding was that the term came from two words, ‘az (goat) and ‘azal (send away) and this led to the word “scapegoat”. Actually, a better term in English would be “escape goat” (since a “scapegoat” is one who always gets blamed or always gets stuck with doing the dirty work).

Since this God-ordained ceremony is part of a sin offering, there is no sense in which it is an offering to the Devil or his demons. On this most holy of all days, the Day of Atonement, Aaron was first required to offer a sacrifice for his own sins and those of his household. He then proceeded to offer sacrifices for the whole nation. The first goat was to die in order to picture the atonement, for “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” (Heb. 9:22). The second goat provided a picture of the removal of sin. By being released into the wilderness, it symbolized the removal of the forgiven sins on the basis of the slain substitute.

What a perfect picture of how our redemption is accomplished by the Lamb of God who brings both of these pictures together in what He did for us on the Cross. He bore our sins for us and He died for us.

Man of Sorrows! what a name for the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we; spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die; “It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Phillip P. Bliss


New Testament: Luke 3

Why did God let Herod Antipas throw John the Baptist in prison? John was being faithful to his calling. He was doing what God commissioned him to do. He was a trustworthy and obedient servant. So why did God let him go to jail?

We can never know the final answer to such questions this side of glory, but consider for a moment some of these possibilities:

• Maybe jail was the safest place for John at that moment. His preaching was meeting with increasing resistance and it wouldn’t have been long before his death warrant would be signed in any case. So maybe jail was a good thing.
• Maybe John’s disciples needed this imprisonment. Now that the Master had appeared, maybe they were struggling with the idea of their master being eclipsed. John himself clearly understood that “He must increase but I must decrease (John 3:30), but did they? Maybe they needed some enforced downtime.
• Maybe John himself needed some downtime. We know he occasionally struggled with some doubts (e.g. Mat. 11:2). Could it be that he’d been so busy in recent days that he was headed for a blowout and God knew he needed to be removed from circulation at that moment in his life? Maybe jail was a good place for John to slow down and reorient his own spirit.
• Maybe preaching from jail was actually the most effective means at that moment. Like John Bunyan from the Bedford jail or Richard Wurmbrand in his various imprisonments, maybe John the Baptist found a more effective pulpit in his prison cell. His voice was not silenced by being behind bars!
• Maybe the world (and that would include you and me) needed this example to pause and think a little deeper about such things. Could it be that our own comfortable lifestyles are not the most productive or effective means of service for the Lord. Maybe a little persecution would result in our greater strength and courage to serve our Master.

Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own his cause, or blush to speak his name?

Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord.
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by thy Word.

Isaac Watts

THE LORD SPOKE (February 03)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Exodus 29-30

Four times in Exodus 30 we’re told that God clearly gave instructions to Moses. From the time of His conversation with Moses when He promised, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Ex. 4:12) this phrase has been recurring with frequency. The formulaic phrase “then the Lord said to Moses” occurs 48 times throughout the book with many other references to “the Lord replied”, “the Lord spoke”, etc.

“If the Lord spoke to me like that, I’d listen too.” you might say. In fact, He has! And much more. Every page of Scripture contains God’s words to you. Are you listening? Are you doing anything about it?

Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou has sought, so let me seek
Thine erring children lost and lone.

O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

O give Thine own sweet rest to me,
That I may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.

O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
Until my very heart overflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessèd face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

- Frances Ridley Havergal


New Testament: Mark 6

Josephus fills in one historical detail. The beheading of John the Baptist took place at Machaerus. Another of the sumptuous palaces of Herod the Great, it was located near the NE corner of the Dead Sea. Set back a short distance from the sea but situated on a prominent, defensible knoll, it offered a magnificent view and would have been the ideal setting for a birthday bash for all the “high officials and military commanders and leading men of Galilee” (6:21).

But this wasn’t Herod the Great anymore. He’d been gone for over thirty years already. After his death the Romans had divided his kingdom into four parts so no one person would ever have that much power again. One of the “tetrarchs” they established was his son Herod Antipas, giving him the regions of Galilee and Perea. That’s how he happened to convene this banquet at Machaerus. Machaerus is in Perea.

Though Mark calls him “king” (6:14), he didn’t officially receive the same title as his father. All four successors had been demoted to “tetrarch” but the Galileans commonly referred to Antipas as their king because he was so much like his father and ruled for such a long time - from 4 BC to AD 39. Rome let it go by as long as it was to her benefit and Antipas knew where his bread was buttered.

Salome’s dance probably wasn’t a waltz. We learn her name from Josephus, along with a few other sordid details. Later on she married her granduncle Philip (son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra) who ruled in the northern territories and built up Caesarea Philippi. She was just following her mother’s example. Herodias, a granddaughter of Herod the Great, had been married to her uncle Philip (son of Herod the Great and Mariamne) who lived in Rome. During a visit to her home, Antipas (son of Herod the Great and Malthace) had seduced her and taken her off to his kingdom.

Confused? Any wonder that God says He hated divorce? Any wonder that Jesus called Antipas “that fox” (Lk. 13:32). Any wonder that John the Baptist spoke out against Herodias’ ugly sin? It’s also no wonder that Herodias “nursed a grudge” (6:19) but it is a wonder that Antipas caved in so easily if he really knew John “to be a righteous and holy man” and “liked to listen to him” (6:20).

Application? This is going to sound way off the wall but here it is: stop watching all that TV junk. Most of what you see there is just some variation on the house of Herod. The scriptwriters must have Josephus’ books permanently checked out. It’s mostly wickedness (TV is) and has no place in the heart of a believer. Even the good stuff (and there is some) is usually pretty inane. You may not end up beheading someone but you may do even worse. TV will make you lose your first love for the Lord.

THE LORD SPOKE (January 03)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Genesis 6-8

Hen and hesed. Two different Hebrew words are both sometimes translated as “grace”. In neither case does our English word fully express the meaning adequately. There is some synonymous overlap between the two, but there are also some differences.

hen = favor, grace, charm. This word occurs 69 times in the OT and is most often translated “to find favor/grace in the eyes of”, usually related to charm, beauty, or pleasing actions. The majority of the occurrences are not theological but some appear to be (e.g. Gen. 6:8; Ex. 3312; Zech. 12:10).

hesed - kindness, loving-kindness, mercy, steadfast love, loyalty, love, unfailing love. The semantic range is much broader. When the Scriptures speak of the hesed of God, it is often related to his covenant and is frequently paired with emet (“truth”), rahum (“mercy”), or hannun (“grace”).

The word used in Genesis 6:8 for Noah is hen: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah’s life was distinctly different from his contemporaries. The description of man’s depravity was given a few verses earlier in unequivocal terms: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen. 6:5, emphasis supplied).

In stark contrast, Noah is described as “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God” (Gen. 6:9). None of this implies sinless perfection but it certainly sets Noah in a class apart. Earlier (5:22), Enoch had also been described as one who “walked with God”.

Noah’s daily life was characterized by a faith and communion with the Lord that made a difference in the way he lived in a wicked world. He was “found righteous” in his generation (Gen. 7:1) which the author of Hebrews attributes to his faith. That’s the key! Righteous living is the result of genuine belief in God. Righteousness is not the result of some innate goodness on our part. It is itself a gift from God (Eph. 2:8). It’s all of grace!

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Heb. 11:7)

New Testament: Matthew 3

The forerunner’s job was (1) to clear the way, (2) to prepare the way, and (3) to get out of the way. John the Baptist cleared the way for the Messiah by preaching that the kingdom of God had come. He emphasized the need to repent and believe. The kingdom of God (Matthew prefers to speak of “the kingdom of heaven” because of his Jewish audience) was a present reality and a future hope. That’s the “already...not yet” aspect with which we still grapple. Many received John’s testimony and believed. Great crowds followed him and even the highest leadership, both religious and political, took notice.

John’s preaching of the kingdom also prepared the way for Jesus’ own preaching. Matthew alone mentions this theme 50 times and the other Gospel writers make their contributions. John also prepared the way by publicly recognizing Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29; c.f. vs. 36). After the Lord’s baptism John affirms, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God” (Jn.1:34). Mighty strong words for any Jewish person to proclaim! How could he? He heard with his own ears the very words spoken from heaven (Mat. 3:17) when God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Finally, John got out of the way so that the Messiah’s work could be accomplished. Repeatedly he had to tell folks, “I am not the one” (Mat. 3:11; see Jn. 1:19-27). He directed all attention to the Christ and was faithful in making Him known. As Isaiah prophesied, his was “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Mat. 3:3, from Isaiah 40:3). We’re all prone to toot our own horn but John gave a great example that applies well to our own job of evangelism (= make Christ known):

1. clear the way - We need to clear obstacles from the path - both those that our hearers raise and some that we tend to create ourselves.
2. prepare the way - Lay down the groundwork. Build a solid scriptural foundation. Someone else may come along and build upon it after you.
3. get out of the way - Make sure you’re not the central figure or the main topic of discussion. It’s not about you. Keep self out of sight so eyes can be fixed upon the Savior.

John did a good job. You can too.