THE LORD SPOKE (March 24)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 31-32

This is Moses’ Swan Song. “The magnificence of the exordium, the grandeur of the theme, the frequent and sudden transitions, the elevated strain of the sentiments and language, entitle this song to be ranked amongst the noblest specimens of poetry to be found in the Scriptures.” (Jamison, Fausset, & Brown).

In these parting words, Moses takes a care to tell a tale, to sing a song, and to pray a prayer. Right to the end he is reminding the children of Israel of their responsibility before the Lord. This is now his last message to them. See if you can preach it.

I. GOD’S JUSTICE AND ISRAEL’S DISLOYALTY (Deut. 32:1-18)
A. God’s Past Blessings
B. Israel’s Constant Disloyalty

II. GOD’S PUNISHMENT OF ISRAEL (Deut. 32:19-30)

III. GOD’S VENGEANCE ON HIS ENEMIES (Deut. 32:31-35)

IV. GOD’S COMPASSION ON ISRAEL (Deut. 32:36-43)

Tucked in the middle, Deuteronomy 32:11 makes reference to an eagle “that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions”. There is an obvious link here with what God did and was doing with Israel but perhaps Moses saw himself in this too. After all, he had worked hard right up to the finish to see Israel now cast out of the nest, learning to fly on her own. It was scary. The watching parent cringes to see the first feeble attempts, but takes great joy in the flight that follows.

Let F.B. Meyer break out the illustration for us:

1) She stirs up her nest. When her fledglings are old enough to fly, but linger around the few bits of stick, dignified as a nest, the mother-bird breaks it up, and scatters them.... So when the Father sees His children clinging to earth's bare rocks, captured and held by the poor sticks they have gathered, and missing the ascension-glory, He breaks up the nest....

2) She flutters over her young. They stand scared and wretched on the edge of the rock, but she careers gently above them, now edging around, now mounting, then dropping far below to rise again. So would she allure them to follow her example. Here again we have an emblem of God's efforts to make us imitators of Himself, to teach us the possibilities that await us in Jesus.

3) She spreads forth her wings and takes them. Incited by the mother's endeavors, the eaglet may venture on the untried air... [but] the unaccustomed wings fail beneath its weight. It falls, but not far, for the mother swoops beneath, and bears it up and away.

This is a good description not only of what God did for Israel, but of what He does for us!


New Testament: John 15

If my life is fruitless, it doesn’t matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me. - John Bunyan

Pruning looks so brutal but its purpose is to produce more and better fruit. Rather than putting energy into producing more or thicker branches, pruning directs the energy into the fruit. Bad branches are cut out completely. Good branches are pruned back (Jn. 15:2) so that they will serve their God-given purpose and produce fruit. They are a channel, nothing more. They exist to transmit the nourishing sap from the vine to the grape.

None of those branches can produce fruit by themselves (Jn. 15:4). They must be attached to the trunk or the life-producing sap won’t flow through them. They become dried up and brittle - fit only for kindling in the stove (Jn. 15:6).

Jesus’ words, “I am the vine, you are the branches”, couldn’t be more clear. But He does clarify it by saying, “you must abide in me in order to produce fruit”. So, how does one abide in Christ? Here’s the answer from John 15:6-17.

1. remain in Him (“remain in me”) - don’t leave, don’t give up, don’t divert your attention, don’t forget your purpose, don’t lose your motivation
2. retain His words (“my words remain in you”) - read Scripture daily, internalize it regularly, apply it consistently, live by it always
3. request of Him what you wish (“ask whatever you wish”) - like a child trust Him, believe in His goodness, ask for His provision
4. reproduce Him in others (“that you bear much fruit”) -till the soil, spread the seed, cultivate the ground, water the plants, reap the harvest
5. reflect Him in your actions (“showing yourselves to be my disciples”) - be a band of brothers, lean on each other, help each other, be a mentor
6. respond to His commands (“obey my commands”) - say “yes”, look for opportunities, go out of your way to serve, get off the fence, fail falling forward
7. rejoice in Him (“so that my joy may be in you”) - talk about it, tell others about it, sing about it, let it show on your face and in your actions
8. run with His children (“love each other”) - run with the right crowd, walk a mile in their moccasins, bear one another’s burdens
9. revel in knowing Him (“everything...I have made known to you”) - think about Him, dwell upon His grace and goodness, relive the past, relish the present, and dream about the future
10. replicate His life in your own (“go and bear fruit”) - what would He do? go and do likewise!

THE LORD SPOKE (February 26)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Numbers 8-10

A call to arms. We all recognize that purpose for a trumpet blast. But this passage (Num. 10:1-10) gives four purposes for the use of the trumpet blast.

By the way, these are not the same kind of trumpets frequently found elsewhere in Scripture. For example, the horns used in the attack on Jericho (Josh. 6), on the occasion of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (II Sam. 6), or for the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23; Num. 29) were made of a ram’s horn (shofar in Hebrew). The trumpets here in Numbers 10 are hatzotzerot and are made of “hammered silver” (Num. 10:2).

The four uses given for these silver trumpets are:

1. for announcement (vs. 1-4) - A single note would summon the leaders to receive instructions from Moses at the Tent of Meeting.
2. for assembly (vs. 5-8) - A series of blasts would indicate the proper order of movement as the tribes were instructed to gather.
3. for attack (vs. 9) - A martial blast would alert the people for war and lead them in battle. It would also call forth God’s protection.
4. for appointment (vs. 10) - The music was a memory aid at God’s special appointments (moedim in Hebrew). The sound was a reminder that accompanied the sacrifices.

We’re not done with trumpets yet. By God’s design, trumpets will still be used to announce future events. Seven angels will blow seven trumpets during the Tribulation (Rev. 8:2). The seventh will be sounded to announce when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:15). But the believer in this age will not go through that experience. Instead, he is awaiting a great trumpet blast that will call forth the resurrection and the rapture of Church saints before the Tribulation (I Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:16).

Are you ready for that? Are you listening for the trumpet?


New Testament: Luke 13

JNN nightly news (that’s 1st century CNN in Jerusalem) could get pretty gory. Terrorist activity depicting human sacrifices (Lk. 13:1), and frightening tragedies, like eighteen people crushed under a building at the national capitol (Lk. 13:4), were regular fare. You didn’t want your kids to be watching when the anchorman got started.

Jesus turned it into a teaching opportunity. Not having read Calvin, He didn’t use all the fancy theological jargon that later religious news analysts might have used. But He laid it out very straight. Even in English translation, His meaning is clear. “You think that maybe those people had it coming? They got what they deserved? They were no worse than you! If you don’t change your ways, the same will happen to you!”

In the very next breath, He told them a parable (Lk. 13:6-8). It had to do with an unfruitful tree that the farmer decided to uproot. The tree was worse than useless because it was sucking up the nutrients but producing no fruit. Of whom do you think He was speaking? His immediate listeners, certainly!

And to whom does it now apply? Who should be listening to this parable and feeling its point? It wasn’t to foreigners or some other group that He was speaking; in Jesus’ day it was people who came to Him with questions. Today the message is for those who read this text and question, “Is it I, Lord?” Don’t look somewhere else to find an application.

Am I productive for the Lord? Does He smile when He sees the lovely fruit I offer Him? Or is He concerned about the wasted effort in getting me to produce? Am I worthwhile to Him or just another drag, sucking up the nutrients?

O, Lord...
Grant that I may put a smile upon Your face.

Allow me to bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
Please direct my efforts into fruitful productivity.

Thank you for being patient and long-suffering.
May I be pleasing to You.