THE LORD SPOKE (February 08)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Exodus 39-40

“So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed.” (Ex. 39:32). It sounds very much like the conclusion of Creation (Gen. 2:1-3) and, indeed, it was a new beginning for Israel. With the entrance of the glory of the Lord into the tabernacle, a new phase was begun. “From now on, the Israelites would march through the desert, and through history, with the Lord tenting among them and leading them to the land of fulfilled promises.” (NIV Study Bible, p. 144).

Through the whole process of constructing and setting up the tabernacle, great emphasis is placed on doing it “according to pattern”, especially on Moses’ faithfulness to the instructions he received. Six times in chapter 40 the phrase “as the Lord commanded him” is repeated (vs. 19,21,23,25,27,29). Is it any wonder that when it came to the work of Aaron and his sons, they did it “as the Lord commanded Moses” (40:32)? They had a good example to follow.

There must have been great excitement as each part was assembled and the furniture was placed in its proper position. Explanations similar to those found in the book of Hebrews must have been given to the curious onlookers. No doubt the descriptions of Bezalel’s magnificent artwork were only eclipsed by the priest’s explanations of the function and significance of each piece and the symbolism behind each metal, each color, each quantity.

But the greatest moment was when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Not even Moses could enter at that moment, and he’d been in the midst of that cloud for the better part of the last several weeks. The focal point of God’s omnipresence (that’s not an oxymoron) was represented in that moment. Though He is everywhere or, better yet, there is nothing that is outside of His presence, there are certain times and certain places where His presence is specially focused. This visible expression of His presence among His people, physically guiding them through every vicissitude of the desert, was an apt illustration of His loving care and guidance through any and all of the trials of life.

It was for them and it still is for us. God is no less involved in our lives today. By His Spirit, He guides us in the paths we should take. He is concerned that we too should follow Him, according to the Pattern He gave us. Every article, every action, every moment of our lives matters to Him.


New Testament: Mark 11

“Nothing but leaves.” Leaves are good, but not if you’re a fruit tree and expected to have some nice big fruit hanging from your branches. Then “nothing but leaves” is a disappointment. Worse, you’ve failed in your mission if all you produce is some pretty leaves. If fruit is expected of you but all your energy is expended in pretty foliage, you’ve failed Someone who expects more of you.

Guess what Jesus was thinking about all night after His triumphal entry? You wouldn’t expect Him to have prideful thoughts, thinking about the crowds of people that thronged the way as He entered Jerusalem. But what did He think about? Mark tells us that once in Jerusalem, He went up to the Temple Mount. The hour was late (Mk. 11:11) so He only had time to look around at everything. What did He see? It was the troubling sight of money-changers and merchandise in what was designed to be a house of prayer. It looked more like a den of thieves (Mk. 11:17) and it troubled Him.

It troubled Him all night long. The next morning as He returned the short 45-minute walk from Bethany, He saw an opportunity to teach His disciples about what He was planning to do at the Temple that day. Enter the fig tree.

Moments later He entered the Temple Mount and began driving out the hucksters and knocking over all the tables at the hippy fair. What a scene that must have been and in the midst of all the tumult, He stopped to teach! He had their attention and “the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching” (Mk. 11:18)

Some didn’t like it. They got the point because it was intended primarily as a jab at them. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were the very ones responsible for the state of affairs on the Temple Mount and they knew better. It was they that should have been teaching the people about proper conduct in the House of the Lord. Instead, they’d found a way to line their own pockets. It was more convenient to stay quiet and look the other way.

In other words, they thought some pretty leaves might hide the fact that there was no fruit on the branches. That is... until Jesus goes fruit picking.

THE LORD SPOKE (November 6)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Ezekiel 5-7

Ezekiel 5:5 - “Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations”

Ezekiel goes on to speak of the horrible punishment that will fall upon Jerusalem (5:8-12) including God’s frightening words, “I will withdraw my favor” from her (vs. 11). But take careful note, He does not withdraw His presence and He does not withdraw His favor forever.

Many old maps (see the illustration of a map from 1580) showed Israel as the “center” of the nations. In the center of Israel is Jerusalem. The Old City is the center of Jerusalem today. In the center of the Old City lies the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The center of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is occupied by a large chapel known as the Catholicon and in the center of this chapel is a golden urn called the Omphalos - the “belly button” of the earth!

Okay, okay - so that stretches belief for most people. But, even if you’re not Roman Catholic, you must recognize from many Bible passages the centrality of Jerusalem:

• Psalm 137:5-6 - “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.”
• Isaiah 62:1 - “for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet till her righteousness shines out”
• Psalm 102:14 - “her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them”
• Psalm 68:16 - “the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever”
• Psalm 122:6 - “pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you be secure”
• Zechariah 2:5-9 - “I myself will be a wall of fire around [Jerusalem]...declares the Lord”
• Psalm 76:2 - “his dwelling place in Zion”

What is most striking here are the references like Psalm 68:16 which tell us that God Himself will dwell in Jerusalem forever (see also Ps. 132:13-14). Though He is omnipresent, His presence is focalized in a few significant locations - between the cherubim in the Holy of Holies in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple, on the Throne in heaven, and in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is (not just was) near and dear to His heart. It is near and dear to our hearts because of all of salvation history which played out on her streets. Every step you take in Jerusalem, you’re walking on 5000 years of history - much of it biblical.

It’s not wrong to let your thoughts dwell on Jerusalem. Near the close of his book, the prophet Jeremiah said, “Remember the Lord in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.” (Jer. 51:50).


Psalms 101-102

Is God a Zionist? - part 2

One of the fundamental elements of Zionism is the rebuilding of Zion, which is something we’re told the Lord Himself will do in Psalm 102:16. It was a hope written down for “a future generation” (Ps. 102:18) but the promise was of a time when Jerusalem would be shown favor. Her appointed time would come. As Isaiah put it, “her hard service has been completed...her sin has been paid for...she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Is. 40:2-3). So Isaiah says, “Comfort, comfort my people...speak tenderly to Jerusalem.”

Are we there yet? Probably not, but the handwriting is on the wall. This is not something that will happen multiple times. Isaiah tells us that God will “reclaim the remnant” a second time (Is. 11:11), not a fifth, tenth, or more. Though the timetable could still be very protracted, what has happened in Israel in our generation is the beginnings, at least, of the fulfillment of prophecies regarding Zion.

There are three elements that must be in place in the end times and we’re close but not quite there yet on all three:

1. The Jewish people must be back in the Land. Today approximately one third of the world’s Jewish population is living in Israel. That’s not yet even a majority, but it is a significant beginning and cannot be undone if God’s promises are literal and meant to be believed. God will only do this a second time, the first having been in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when He brought them out of the Babylonian captivity.
2. Jerusalem must be the capitol. The Jewish people have always maintained this and the government of modern Israel declared it from the very start in 1948 by locating the Knesset there. After the Six-Day War in 1967, it was repeated and given even higher priority and visibility. Nevertheless, not one nation recognized it unequivocally today. No foreign embassy is located in Jerusalem (they’re all in Tel Aviv). Jerusalem is indeed still “trodden on by the Gentiles” (Lk. 21:24).
3. The Temple must be rebuilt. Visibly - on the ground - this is yet only a distant hope. There are numerous plans and ideas of how and when it might be done. But that’s part of the problem. There is, as yet, no single, unifying, agreed upon plan. A large majority of the Jewish people don’t even think about it or have any desire to proceed. And that’s quite understandable, given all the other more immediate problems they are facing.

God, who loves Zion and has promised to rebuild it, has His own timetable. We cannot know the day nor the hour when these things will come to pass but one thing is sure, we’re closer now than we’ve ever been before.

THE LORD SPOKE (August 16)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalm 66-69

Psalm 68:18 - “Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever?”

Does God “dwell” in any one place? There are numerous verses that speak of God dwelling in Jerusalem, specifically on Mt. Zion, and they frequently say He does so forever. Those must be taken quite literally even though we may have some difficulties in understanding them.

But isn’t God omnipresent? Isn’t God everywhere? Indeed, but omnipresence does not mean God is equally present everywhere. Theologians talk about the “immediacy” of His presence. There are many verses that indicate that His Presence is focused in certain specific locations or at certain specific times:

• references to the Voice - in the Garden of Eden, at Jesus’ baptism and at His transfiguration, the book of Revelation
• many descriptions of the Ark of the Covenant or the Tabernacle and Temple - “between the cherubim”, at the front of the children of Israel as they marched, filling the Holy of Holies
• in relation to individuals in Bible times - at the burning bush, on Mt. Sinai, in the cleft in the rock as a still small voice
• references to heaven as the Father’s House - “in” or “from” Heaven, “on” the throne

One word of caution: It’s not perfectly accurate to explain omnipresence by saying, “He is everywhere”. That can lead to pantheism or pan-entheism (God is in everything). It’s better to say that there is no “where” that is outside His presence. If you say, “He is everywhere”, that makes every “where” a boundary of sorts and it’s as if God fills it up. Omnipresence does not mean that God is diffused throughout the universe as if part of Him is here and part of Him is there. He has no boundaries or spatial limitations. Rather, it is more accurate to say “there is no place anywhere that is outside of His presence”. He is bigger than any “where”.

That is exactly what David says in Psalm 139:7-12. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” If you’re looking for a place to hide, that can be a fearsome thought. But, if you’re delighting in God’s presence in your life, you can take great comfort in the truth that He will never leave you or forsake you.


New Testament: II Peter 1

What if you had heard the very voice of God? Not only heard Him speaking through Scripture but you heard an actual voice. Peter recognized the great privilege and awesome responsibility of being an eyewitness, or, in this case, an ear-witness of Majesty (II Pet. 1:16). That voice was forever sealed in his memory - when he heard those words spoken by God the Father: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (II Pet. 1:17; from Mat. 17:5; Mk. 9:7; and Lk. 9:35).

Very similar words were spoken on another earlier occasion - at Jesus’ baptism (Mat. 3:17). And there was also a third time when that Voice from heaven spoke audibly, confirming the Son’s position. Shortly after His triumphal entry when Jesus prayed and predicted His own death, the Father confirmed His glory (Jn. 12:28-29). It’s likely that Peter was there that day too. “The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.” In any case, Peter was profoundly and permanently moved by what he heard. His concern here is that we would “always be able to remember these things” (II Pet. 1:15), so he took pains to write them down.

Peter knew the human proclivity to “follow cleverly invented stories” (II Pet. 1:16) and the tendency to ignore or misinterpret prophecy (II Pet. 1:19). Besides taking care, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to write it down for us, he also delivers here one of the most important texts in the entire Bible to explain how inspiration works: “...men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (II Pet. 1:21).

The prophets did the speaking (or the writing) but they were not the source. They were not mere recorders but God so superintended and controlled the process that what was produced was His word. The product, not the people, was inspired. Paul’s word for this was theopneustos, “God-breathed” in II Timothy 3:16. The end result was a perfect record of what God wanted us to know because these men were “carried along by the Holy Spirit”.