My Ebenezer Stone - 2

Forsaking God and His commandments, Israel experienced a time of trouble and defeat at the hands of her enemies.

When the new priest and judge, Samuel, appeared and declared God's love and faithfulness, the people repented and re-committed their hearts to their LORD.

             If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts,
             then rid yourselves of the foreign gods...and commit
             yourselves to the LORD and serve Him only, and He
             will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.....

             Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and
             I will intercede with the LORD for you."
                                 
             On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We
             have sinned against the LORD."

The Israelites then defeated the Philistines.

             Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
             Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer [which means
             stone of help], saying "Thus far has the LORD helped
             us."

             So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade
             Israel territory again.
                         -- 1 Samuel, chapter 7.



1. Samuel placed the stone at the time the restoration began. They repented and he memorialized it then.  "He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him" (1 Samuel 7:9).

2. The stone was a visible reminder of what the people had done. As they returned to their lives and
daily work, it stood there reminding them of their
commitment to follow the LORD.

3. The stone represented a new beginning, a new page, a clean slate. What we all yearn for!


Is it time for us to erect our own Ebenezer Stones?

It could be a physical stone, a special bracelet, a prominent sticky note somewhere, or a note in our Bible or prayer Journal, or any visible sign to remind us that we are new people. We belong to the God of the Universe!

This is the day I changed course  - I am returning to the God I love!

My friends in AA tell me how long they have been sober. They do not go back to the earlier days and relate their experiences with alcoholism - only of the last drink they took - and then forward - and they move further up the road of sobriety. They do not mention the number of days they spent drinking - they count the days they have been walking in the new direction.

You and I must do the same - don't rehearse the past days of sinful actions, or mistakes and bad judgments -

because the Ebenezer Stone is also a reminder of forgiveness.

We should write 1J19 on our stone - 1 John 1:9 -

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us  
   our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.




Forgive and purify....All unrighteousness...not some of it....

My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the Cross and I bear it more!

Praise the Lord - Praise the Lord - O my soul!

  -- from It Is Well with My Soul,

by Horatio Spafford

Trust God. He has forgiven us and removed our sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).

My Ebenezer Stone reminds me that I serve a living, loving and faithful God, whose covenant with His people is everlasting.

He welcomes me back with open arms.

The old pioneer song, "I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms" says it all......


      
            

The Ebenezer Stone - 1

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.

The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.
           -- 1 Samuel 4:1-2

The Israelites were soundly defeated.

As the narrative continues, the elders of Israel asked
each other, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go well with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."

So men went to Shiloh and brought back with them the sacred ark.

When the ark of the LORD'S covenant came into camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?"

When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid.   

"A god has come into camp," they said. "Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues....Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!" 
        -- 1 Samuel 4:5-9

The Philistines fought hard, and the Israelites were defeated again. They fled back to their tents and "the slaughter was very great" -- Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

Not only that -- their sacred ark of God was captured
and taken by the Philistines from Ebenezer to Ashdad and placed in the temple of their pagan god, Dagon, and set beside the idol.

The Philistines were in for a surprise, because the next morning Dagon has fallen prostrate on the ground before the ark of the LORD.


They stood the idol back in its place, but the next morning when they came into the temple, there was Dagon fallen again on its face before the blessed ark, with its head and hands broken off.

The ark of the LORD caused destruction and panic in the land of the Philistines and they begged Israel to
retrieve it and stop God's judgment on them.

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
          -- 1 Samuel 7:1

So the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim and the Philistines continued to plague Israel.


Finally, "The people mourned and sought after the LORD," we read in 1 Samuel 7:2.

The prophet Samuel told them:

If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods...and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.  So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only.

Then Samuel assembled all Israel at Mizpah and they prayed to God, fasted and confessed their sin.

The Philistines heard the Israelites were gathered at Mizpah, and advanced.

The Israelites were frightened, telling Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."

The Philistines drew near to engage in battle.

But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men  of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued them along the way to a point below Beth Car.

So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.
He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

(Read all of this important saga in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel, chapters 4-7.)

Ebenezer means "stone of help."

Samuel was marking the occasion and site of God's help in defeating the enemies of Israel.


It wasn't the ark that saved them: they had the ark with them when the Philistines defeated them
in battle.

What saved Israel was their repentance and re-commitment to serve their God.

Samuel placed the large commemorative stone at the place where their restoration began.

And that stone stood there, visible for all to see, to remind them, not just of God's judgment, but also of His mercy and grace "to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

An "Ebenezer Stone" represents a fresh beginning, a reversal of our course. It also reminds us that His mercies are everlasting and His covenant is forever.

As I look back on my life I see some "Ebenezer stones" I have placed at critical times in my journey with Christ.

They point to a time when I changed course - when I reconsidered my life and decisions - when I reversed my direction and came back to God's purpose for me.

But even more, these "Ebenezer stones" remind me that I am forgiven, that I chose a new direction, and that God has a permanent covenant with all who put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Samuel was a wise Servant of God. He understood the importance of "markers" and he understood that we are all forgetful and need reminders of God's calling.

Israelites could stand beside that Ebenezer Stone and remind themselves that they served a living, loving and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting.

                                                *******

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to in heaven.
             --Philippians 3:13-14, written by the Apostle Paul to  
                            the Christians at Philippi, in the New Testament


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
            --Psalm 136:1, recorded in the Old Testament.

The God Who Keeps His Promises - Andrew Murray

Men know the advantages of making covenants.

A covenant has often been of unspeakable value as an end to hatred or uncertainty, as an agreement of services rendered, as an assurance of good quality and honesty, and as a basis for confidence and friendship.

In His infinite descent to our human weakness and need, God's pledge of faithfulness goes beyond the ways of men.

He gives us perfect confidence in Him and the full assurance of all that He, in His infinite riches and power, has promised to do.

He has consented to bind Himself by Covenant, as if He could not be trusted.

Blessed is the man who truly knows God and his covenant God and knows what the Covenant promises him. What unwavering confidence of expectation it secures!

All its terms will be fulfilled. What a claim and hold it gives him on the covenant-keeping God Himself.

To the many who have not thought much about the Covenant, it would mean the transformation of their whole lives to have a true, living faith.

The full knowledge of what God wants to do, the assurance that it will be done, and the being drawn to God Himself in personal surrender makes the Covenant the very gate of heaven.

May the Holy Spirit give us some vision of its glory.

---From Covenants and Blessings, by Andrew Murray

For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not

abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. 

 (Deuteronomy 4:31).

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God,  keeping covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments.

(Deuteronomy 7:9)

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,

he confirmed it with an oath.

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered us may be greatly encouraged. 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

 (Hebrews 6:17-19).

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

for he who promised is faithful.

(Hebrews 10:23)

He is the ever-faithful One!

"Though the  mountains be shaken, and the

hills be removed,

Yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

Nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

(Isaiah 54:10)

His covenant guarantees that he will never depart from us - his kindness will never cease - he will secure us in his love forever.

Though we are faithless --

HE IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!

The (Almost) Forgotten Hero of the Mayflower Pilgrims

                

                     The (Almost) Forgotten Hero of the Mayflower Pilgrims

We rarely hear about him anymore. I don't know why that is.

His name was Squanto. He was about 12 years old in 1608 when he and some of his friends, all from the Patuxet Indian tribe in Massachusetts, were fishing and exploring along the coast.

Suddenly their view was obstructed by a huge ship that sailed in. The boys thought it might be traders, who had come to that area occasionally. They were excited and raced down to see what the  traders had brought. 

At first the strangers were friendly, but then they suddenly attacked the boys, tying them and dragging them to their giant ship and then throwing them into the dark hold beneath the deck, where they stayed for several weeks as the ship headed back to Spain.

The men were slave traders, who kidnapped and transported young Indians boys  back to Spain to be sold into slavery.  It was a cruel and terrifying life, and Squanto watched as his friends were auctioned off to the jeering crowd.

But God had a different plan for Squanto. On the dock where the boys were being auctioned off there was a group of men standing apart. They were monks, who served God.

When Squanto was pushed forward to be sold, one of the monks held up a small bag of heavy coins and signaled for the lad to be brought to him. The monks took him with them, fed him and treated him kindly, and taught him that he could trust God. "God will take care of you," they told him. 

The monks knew Squanto missed his family and agreed to find him a way to get back to  his home. But they needed to get him to England, where trading sips sometimes sailed to that area. They secured him passage to London, England.

So about 5 years after Squanto arrived in Spain he embraced the monks, said goodbye,  and set sail for London.

The monks had sent Squanto to the home of a godly merchant, who welcomed him into his home, taught him English and promised to find him transportation back to his family in North America. But it would take a while to arrange this, he told Squanto.

And it did take a whole - in fact it was 5 more years before it could be arranged, but finally in about 1618, Squanto, now about 22 years old, set sail to go back to his home!

The journey took many days, but finally, he heard the call, "Land ho!" and Squanto went ashore. He knew exactly where he was and headed home! How surprised his family would be to see him!

But was he neared his village, he knew something was wrong. No one was around. The fields were bare and no one came out to greet him.

He walked to a neighboring tribe some miles away and learned the terrible news. While he was gone, an illness had struck his village and all became sick. No one survived!

Squanto stayed  with this neighboring tribe for a time, and then went to live in the woods by himself. Then  one day a tribesman, named Samoset,  from another village, came to visit him, and told him an amazing story: The year before, a shipload of families had come and settled in Patuxet village - in the very place where Squanto had lived as a boy. They were from across the great ocean and were strangers. Samoset urged Squanto go meet them, and he agreed.

When Squanto arrived, imagine his shock  - they were English people! They spoke and dressed just like those who had been so kind to him in London. And they were just as shocked to see the young Indian coming toward them and greeting them in English!

He told his new friends all about his life, how the monks had saved him from slavery, how the English had helped him get back home. And the new settlers explained that they  too, were looking for a home! And they described how hard the last year had been for them - poor shelters, little food and disease...and that about one half of their group had died!

William Bradford, the governor, spoke, saying, "It is like the story of Joseph from our sacred Scriptures.

Like you, Joseph was also taken from his home and sold as a slave. But God had a plan for him. Through Joseph, God was able o save many people from starving. What man had intended for evil, God worked out for good. Perhaps God has sent you to be our Joseph," he finished.

And that's what happened. In the weeks that followed, Squanto rejoiced to see his abandoned village filled with people again.

The Pilgrims worked hard to learn ways to live in their new home. Squanto showed them how to plant corn by burying three kernels along with a fish for fertilizer. He taught them how to find and catch eels in the muddy streams. and he showed them the best places to look for lobsters among the sea rocks.

When fall came, the Pilgrims decided to set aside a time to thank God for His merciful blessings. They invited Squanto and the other braves from Samoset's tribe to join them.

When the great day came, ninety warriors appeared from the forest, carrying deer, wild turkeys, and lots of fresh vegetables. This would be a great feast!

Governor Bradford prayed, "Thank you, Lord, for sending Squanto to us. We know Your hand has been on him through all his trials and that You prepared him to be our guide and friend in our time of need. Squanto is Your living answer to our tears and prayers."

And in his heart, Squanto thanked God for the pilgrims, for they had shown him that God had used him in His great plan, just as the Spanish monks had said so many years ago.

And that is the story of our first Thanksgiving!

[This material is part of Eric Metaxas' book, Squanto and the Miracle of  Thanksgiving. Be sure to get a copy for your family.]

Here is Eric Metaxas' last paragraph:

   Hallelujah! Who but the glorious God of heaven could so miraculously weave together the wandering lives of a lonely Patuxet brave and a struggling band of English Pilgrims in such a way that would bless the world world for centuries to come?

                            Yes, who but our God could (or would) do that!!!!!

Man-made or heavenly - Hebrews 9

For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.

Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.

Then He would have to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people;
and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
                             -- Hebrews 9:24-28


Before Christ came, the Jews had to depend on a human high priest who annually visited the Holy of Holies in a man-made sanctuary.

He would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed animal on the Mercy Seat cover of the Ark.

This critical rite was designed and ordained by God to cover the sins of His people.

But now we depend on our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Himself, who has entered once and for all into the heavenly sanctuary, with His own blood, to take away our sin.

There He represents us before God, and He always will.

We must not rely on anything in our spiritual life that is "made with hands." It cannot do the eternal work God wants to do in our lives.

The early Jews had a tabernacle, a tent, that temporarily housed the Ark of the Covenant and in  which the people worshipped and the priests offered sacrifices.

This tabernacle accompanied them in their wilderness journey and was their center of worship in the early days in Israel.

It was then replaced by Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians.

When the Jews returned from their Babylonian exile, they rebuilt the temple, though on a humble scale. 

Later Herod rebuilt and embellished the Temple (Temple #2) and it stood in architectural splendor in Jerusalem to bring awe and majesty to the Name of God.

But the Romans destroyed that temple about 40 years after Christ was crucified and it has never been rebuilt.



Things that are "made with hands," the author of Hebrews is telling us, are perishable, but the things "not made with hands" are eternal.

We must not entrust our salvation and our obedience to God to temporary, "made with hands" symbols, philosophies, and institutions around us.

Our salvation is based on the atoning work of Jesus Christ, who has entered the heavenly, eternal realm and appears right now and forever before God as our Advocate.

And we await His return as rightful King of His Creation!

And Temple #3 will honor Him!

Everything New Under the Sun

                                              

                                                Everything New Under the Sun

While studying early 1900s history this week I ran across some interesting trivia -- about early automobiles.

The most popular autos were powered by electricity -- they were called EVs (electrical vehicles).

About 40% of all automobiles on the roads between 1900-1915 were electric! About 30-35% were gasoline powered and the rest were powered by steam.

EVs were easier to start and cleaner to operate. Even Henry Ford's wife drove an EV.

(The first Porsche built in 1898 was electric.)

 And during that time in New York City all taxis and most trucks were EVs.

This reminds me of Solomon's observations recorded in Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing new under the sun," he wrote in chapter 1, verse 9.

That does seem to be true these days, too. "Been there - done that" we say. "Hold on to that dress -- it's come back  into style again." And "The more things change the more they remain the same." Etc...

Solomon continues his observations on the futility and emptiness of life until the end of the book where he summarized his last consideration with the greatest life-lesson of all: 'Know God and His commandments. That has lasting importance.You will be accountable..' 

And that's also still true. All that matters is our relationship with God. All else is trivial and futile and provides only emptiness of spirit. Be God-centered, not man- and self-centered.

And then flip over the the last book in the BIble, to the closing chapters of Revelation. Hear God's words, "Behold I make all things new"...and then there will  be lots of things "New under the sun"!

Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

(I guess we will have spirit-powered transportation when we get there! I'm counting it! Just 'Beam me up"!)

The Greatest Saint in the World - William Law

From A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, by William Law.

Who is the greatest saint in the world?

Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who gives the most alms, or is most noteworthy for temperance, chastity or justice.

It is he who is always thankful to God, wills everything that God wills, receives everything as an instance of God's goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.

All prayer and devotion, fasting and repentance, meditation, sacraments and ordinances are only ways to make the soul fit and conformable to the will of God--and to fill it with thankfulness and praise for everything that comes from God.
This is the perfection of all virtues....

You need not wonder, therefore, that I lay so much stress upon singing a psalm at all your devotions, since you see its purpose is to bring your spirit to a constant state of joy and thankfulness to God, which is the highest perfection of a holy life.

If anyone would tell you the shortest and surest way to all happiness and perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever apparent calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing.

If you could work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it heals without speaking a word, and turns all that it touches into happiness.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

C S Lewis - A Pleasant Inn - But Not Home

The Christian doctrine of suffering explains, I believe, a very curious fact about the world we live in.

The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure and merriment He has scattered broadcast.

We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy.

It is not hard to see why.


The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and pose an obstacle to our return to God. A few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with our friends, or a football match, have no such tendency.

Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.

   - From The Problem of Pain

Who Is A God Like Our God?

                               

                                     Who is a God Like Our God?

"Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.

You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob and show love to Abraham, as You pledged to our ancestors in days long ago." (Micah 7:18-20).

Micah spoke these encouraging words to remind his people that God would redeem and restore them after their time of captivity.

Notice that his audience is God Himself. The Hebrews would be listening in on his  conversation with God and marveling at his ability to enter into God's Presence and speak openly with the Sovereign Creator of everything!

Micah's name actually means "Who is like our God?" So this understanding about Jehovah had been part of Micah's world-view for many years!

I especially love the reminder that our God "delights to show mercy."

And I love the picture of Him 'hurling' our sins away into the depths of the sea. 'Hurling,' not dropping or letting fall, but powerfully casting them as a discus thrower propels his burden as far away as possible, eager to win the gold medal!

As far as we know, the deepest place on earth is the Marianas Trench in the south Pacific. It is about 6 miles deep, except for a section called the "Challenger Deep", that is over 7 miles deep. We base that on specially designed deep-sea diving units we send down -- no human can survive those depths.

Try to imagine 7 miles deep! That's how far God hurls away our sins. Another place tells us He removes from us  our sins  'as far as the east is from the west' - so far a distance it can't be measured!

 Christ did all that for us! Yes, who is  a God like our God? And we could add from those last lines - who is a God like our God who always keeps His promises? How blessed we are to have a God like this!

Drifters

     We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away....Hebrews 2:1


"that we do not drift away"

The writer, who is addressing Christians, does not warn against rejecting or denying salvation, but he warns against drifting away.

As I run across people who were at one time deeply involved in God's Kingdom and who are not now, I notice that their story involves drifting.

Rarely do I hear someone state that they awoke one morning and decided to reject all they had accepted - that they decided to become atheists, or deists, or agnostics.

Their story always involves drifting away....they let go of their anchor. They let the waves in the harbor carry them away from their safe mooring.

I notice often a sort of longing in their voices and a
glimpse of remembrance of safer days in their eyes,
but not always.

Always, though, they recognize that God did not let go of them -- that He did not cut the lines of their anchor -- they just let themselves loose and drifted away with the current.

I recall a hymn we often sang when I was growing up and still hear now occasionally. In fact, it was sung in one of the worship scenes in the movie Heaven is Real.

The hymn is Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,
and the words of the third verse are:

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above.

The author of these words of spiritual honesty is Robert Robinson (1735-1790).

He was converted to faith in Christ under the preaching of George Whitefield, became a pastor, and had a wide-spread ministry.

But later, he drifted.   As he recalled the experience, he reported that he had neglected spiritual things.

He did not pay close attention to his spiritual life - to praying and reading God's Word, to reminding Himself of the gospel each day, to thankfully praise God for his salvation, to join often with others of 'like precious faith.' 

He just slipped away from harbor and drifted.

In an attempt to find peace, he began to travel.

One day, during one of his journeys, he met a young woman who was spiritually minded, one who had her anchor secure.

She was reading a small book, a popular hymn book.

To his astonishment, she was reading his hymn!

(Hymnals in those days were small books, with words only- no music)

"What do you think of this hymn I have been reading?" she asked Robinson, handing him the book.

At first he tried to avoid her question, but she persisted and he eventually broke down and confessed who he was and how he had been living: adrift and out of communication with the Lord.

"But these 'streams of mercy' are still flowing," the woman assured him; and through her encouragement he returned to fellowship with the Lord and to his ministry.

It is easy to drift with the current. I know. I have done it myself.

And it is hard to return against the stream.

But He is there to help us come back to His loving arms.

He never gives up on us.

Our salvation was purchased at a great price. It give us great promises and blessings, and leads to a great inheritance.

How can we neglect it?

Oh, by the way, in case you've forgotten, here are the words to the first verse of Robinson's hymn:

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise!

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the Mount, I'm fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love!

(When I was a child I remember singing this hymn often in church and when we came to the fourth line, the children shouted the words as loudly as we could! The adults in the audience - some of them thought it was funny - some of them probably rolled their eyes - but you know, now, as an adult, whenever I come to the fourth line, I still want to yell it out as loudly as I can - those streams of mercy, never ceasing, do call for us to sing as LOUD AS WE CAN!)

Refill, please?

[Note: A short time after I wrote this article, I had the opportunity of dining at a local restaurant with my sister and two of her grandchildren. I noticed that about mid-way through the meal, a waiter approached our table to ask if we needed anything. My 12- year-old great nephew held up his glass and politely asked, "Sir, may I have another Sprite, please?"

I was impressed, first of all with his politeness, and secondly, because of his confident expectant attitude as he held up his glass, and thirdly, because he knew precisely who to ask.... It was an example to me for the way we look to God - with respect and reverence, with expectancy and confidence, knowing He is the only one who can give us what we need and want.]





The Bible talks a lot about cups...the cup of God's wrath mostly, throughout the Old Testament and several times in John's Revelation;  and then in Jeremiah, the cup of consolation which will not be offered to the disobedient.

But in another passage I ran across different cup - in Psalm 116:

How can I repay the LORD

for all His goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

  --Psalm 116:12-13

I can't turn away from this....it is written on my mind like an important sticky note...

Does this mean we repay the LORD for His goodness by lifting our cup and asking for more? Can that be? (That's why we usually lift our cups...for refills....)

We give thanks to Him by asking Him to give us more?

More of his bounty? More of His presence? More of His abundant goodness? More of the water of life? Of His manna from heaven?

I guess it shows our grateful hearts. And it shows our parched throats begging for His water of life.

 It shows we are needy! And desperate!

 And where else can we go? For He has the eternal, never-ending supply of everything!

I think the key to this scripture is just that: we repay God by expressing our gratefulness to Him and by asking Him to give us more!

A man dying of thirst on the desert, when rescued, is told to drink small sips at first, and then he gulps down every drop and drains the cup and holds it up for more.

And who, with water available, would deny him?

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

This is my plan for today - I will drain that cup of blessing - I will drain it dry - to the dregs -- and then raise it up  again and ask for more!

I think we drain it by thanking Him. We have ears, eyes, fingers. We see His gifts, acknowledge them, and thank Him with a full-to-overflowing heart.....

What a great way to live! It's got to be the best deal in the universe -- He gives me His presence and His presents....I just say thanks and ask for more......how could anyone turn this down?

(I almost feel like I am cheating!)

Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up Lord

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul

Bread of heaven, feed me til I want no more

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

The Heidelberg Catechism

Reviewing the old Heidelberg Catechism.  (I know, I'm obsessed with old writing! But this is really special.)

It was written in 1563 - the year before Shakespeare was born.

Catechism means "question and answer teaching." 

The Heidelberg Catechism was used to teach the important beliefs of the church to children and adults. It is still used today, in dozens of languages.

It is divided into 52 lessons - one for each Lord's Day. And each lesson had accompanying Bible verses to be learned.

Here is the first part -

                                 LORD'S DAY #1

Question: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer: That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. 

He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Romans 14:7-9

I Peter 1:18-19

1 John 1:7-9, 2:2

John 8:34-36; Hebrews 2:14-15

2 Thessalonians 3:3

1 Peter 1:5

Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18

Romans 8:15-17, 28

2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 5:5

Ephesians 1:13-14

So you want to be King?

It surprises me how easily some people are distracted from regularly reading God's Word -- His eternal and up-to-date Message to us, His children.

Instead of reading the Bible as a part of their daily walk with the Lord, they stumble through the day without that divine comfort and source of wisdom.

Not just many of us "regular" people, but also the "shakers and movers" of our world. 

What wise counsel they are missing!

In Deuteronomy 17:18-19 God cautions the future kings of Israel:

When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.

Notice the precise nature of these commands:

1. The King was to personally copy the Scriptures by hand. He was to personally copy and study the Word, not depend on advisers, no matter how experienced, to decide issues.

"Your statues are my delight; they are my counselors," we read in Psalm 119:24.

When you copy a text by hand, you are learning it. Making note of every word and the components of every phrase.

He was not to instruct a scribe to make his copy!

2. He was to keep a copy with him. Close at hand. So that he could refer to it throughout the day as he faced important decisions.

3. He was to read it daily. Not often. Not when he remembered to, but "all the days of his life." That means every day. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who "examined the Scriptures every day," we need God's Word constantly, just like rest, and food and water. It gives us strength and guidance for victory.

4. Studying his Bible would teach him to revere (honor) the LORD. This is life-changing information -- we learn to revere and honor God through reading His Word - which of us does not yearn to honor Him more? Well, that's how we learn to do it!

James tells us "do not merely listen to the word...do what it says.." and that is "how we achieve the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:22, 19).

So to achieve the righteous life that God desires -- we read (and obey) His Word! So profoundly simple!


"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word" a famous King once explained (Psalm 119:15-16)

Meditating on God's holy standards - considering (pondering) His ways - not neglecting His Word - that's revering and honoring God!

5. He was to follow carefully the words of the law. That law he copied, and kept close and read daily -- he was also to obey it.

"I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me." Psalm 119:102

"If you love Me, you will obey Me," Jesus said to His disciples often (cf. John 14:15, etc.)


All these commands to earthly kings also apply to us.

The King was to obey God in every matter. The same applies to us. We are even more special than kings. We are called "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9).

Aren't we right now in preparation to be rulers? The Scriptures tell us that someday we will reign with Him in His Kingdom.

Shouldn't we, right now, begin doing what God commands His kings to do?

Feeding The World

                                        How To Feed the World   

          Luke 9  --  Great crowds were following Jesus. Late one afternoon the disciples came to Him and said He should send the crowd away so they could go somewhere and find food.

           He replied, "You give them something to eat."

           What a command! He wanted them to feed the crowd!

            As I look around today I see a hungry crowd everywhere I look. I think He's telling us to feed them!

           Gloria Gaither wrote a beautiful song about that. She titled it "I Then Shall Live" and sings it to Sibelius' composition "Finlandia." These are my favorite passages when I think about that event recorded in Luke 9:

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven

I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid

I know my name is clear before my Father

I am His child and I am not afraid.

So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive my brother

The law of love I gladly will obey.

Your Kingdom come around and through and in me

Your Power and Glory, let them shine through me.

Your hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor

And may Your living Kingdom come in me.

The bread of life, O may I share with honor, 

And may You feed a hungry world through me."

Let's go out and feed our hungry world today!

    

       

How Does A Miracle Start?

I'm reading again in The Chumash (Stone Edition) -- The Jewish commentary on the Pentateuch of the Old Testament -- and found this great idea:

You shall make a Menorah of pure gold, hammered out shall the Menorah be made, its base, its shafts, its cups, its buds and its blossoms shall be hammered from it. Six branches shall emerge from its sides, three branches of the Menorah from its one side and three branches from its second side, three cups engraved like almonds on the one branch...the buds and branches shall be on one piece...(Exodus 25)
~~~~~~~


I am intrigued with the idea of how a miracle begins, at least as it is explained in The Chumash (Jewish commentary on the Pentateuch). The article begins with the construction of the Menorah for the tabernacle.
The text says that God's instructions for making the Menorah included that all its shapes and forms had to be made from one gold ingot: nothing could be made separately and then attached. It all had to be made of one piece. How could this be done? Hebrew tradition says that Moses could not visualize this and so God showed him a Menorah of fire. But Moses still despaired of being able to make it properly, and so God instructed him to "throw an ingot into a fire -- and then the completed Menorah emerged."

They base this on the idea that the Hebrew wording starts you shall make, and then the wording changes to shall be made.

So, the commentary reasons, Moses, once God showed him how to make the Menorah, actually began the process of crafting it, but then God assisted him. So when the ingot was cast into the fire as part of the normal work of crafting it, the work was completed miraculously by God.

This is so interesting. But the really great part is the rest of the paragraph:

This is how God typically performs miracles. First Man must do what he can, and then God comes to his aid. Similarly, at the time of the Splitting of the Sea, God commanded Moses to split the waters by raising his staff and it was only after Moses had done so that God performed the awesome miracle. In Egypt and throughout the years in the Wilderness, Moses performed acts that resulted in miracles; clearly only God makes miracles, but He wants man to initiate them


I am thinking about this now. It is such a simple idea: God wants us to initiate His miracles.....Jesus told the family and friends of Lazarus, "Take away the stone," and then he told Lazarus to emerge, alive, from his burial tomb.

Some men brought the paralyzed man to Jesus, and Jesus healed him.

The woman touched the hem of His garment.

"We only have five loaves of bread and two fish," the disciples said to Jesus. "Bring them here to Me," He said.

"Strike the rock," God told Moses.

"Choose some men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands" Moses told Joshua. And "Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, on the other--so that his hands remained steady until sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekites with the sword."

It's a simple concept -- God wants us to initiate the action and then He finishes, or completes it, in a way that is miraculous to us.


Of course nothing God does is miraculous to Him.

Another thought -- it must have something to do with obedience, too. We must eagerly obey God's command to get the benefit of the miracle.

Just more amazing thoughts to ponder on our Journey.....from the ancient rabbis! 

.

The Right Time is Now!

 
                                                           

                                                                 Now is the Time!

God tells us to seek Him....Now!

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6)

What are we to do?

Seek Him! When? Now! Why now? Because He is near!

Then in Jeremiah we read: 'You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart..seek Me...I will be found by you' (Jeremiah 29:13). What a promise!

Then Jesus says in Matthew 7: "seek and you will find."

Pretty obviously an urgent theme here!

And pretty obviously our amazing God WANTS TO BE FOUND!!!

He is not a God who hides Himself - Adam and Eve hid -- God did not.

He came to them so He would be found by them.

And our God never changes.

He wants to be found by us!

Are you speechless?

I am, and that doesn't happen often!

I'm Engraved! - Part 2

 

God's chosen people are, because of their sinful disobedience, living in  exile in Babylon. Their homeland is in ruins. They grieve and yearn to go back home! They cry: "The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me."

  And God responds, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." (Recorded in Isaiah 49).

Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon:

"How can I have forgotten you, when I have engraved you on the palms of My hands? How can you forget My constant remembrance when the memorial is carved into My flesh? We do not know what to wonder at most -- the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people? He has kept His promises a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him.

  He never fails. He is never a dry well. He is never a setting sun, a passing meteor, or fading vapor. And yet we are continually troubled with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears as if our God were the mirage of the desert.

  "I have engraved you." It does not say "your name."

The name is there, but that is not all. "I have engraved you."

  Consider the depth of this. "I have engraved your person, your image, your circumstances, your temptations, your weaknesses, your works -- YOU -- everything about you. I have put it all here."

Will you ever say again that your God has forsaken you when He has engraved you on His own palms?"

Those nail-scarred hands?

We can say, "No one who trusts in You will ever be disappointed." 

   -- Psalm 25:3

I'm Engraved! - Part 1

 What the Hebrews, exiled fugitives living in Babylon, felt about their Lord God:

"But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me.'"

Then hear God's reply, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget,  I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; and your walls are ever before Me."

These comforting words are recorded for us in Isaiah 49. Read the whole chapter and praise God for His faithfulness -- not only does He promise to bring them back home, all mankind will witness it and know their God is their Savior and Redeemer! "Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed," He promises.

What a powerful image He gives them -- they are always in His sight! They are not forgotten -- they are engraved -- inscribed permanently on the palms of His hand! His eye is always on them.

Even when they feel abandoned and forgotten, they are always on His mind and never out of His sight!

(Remember 'Etch-a-Sketch'? A popular game introduced in 1960, selling for $2.99. It was a screen with some knobs we could turn and create a picture, then when we tired of it we could just shake it and the entire image would disappear and we could start over, making a new picture! Well, God does not view us as a temporary Etch-a-Sketch. God does not play games! We are part of His permanent program! He plans on being with us forever -- we will never be out of His sight! He can always see us right on His hands - His nail-scarred hands! We are not sketched, we are engraved!)

He also reminds them, "Your walls are always before Me," Yes, He also remembers that the walls of their beloved city, Jerusalem, are in ruins, and evil men have destroyed His temple. Their beloved homeland has been destroyed! He sees that, too! He understands their pain and suffering! (This is a perfect time to stop for a moment and read Psalm 137 and witness how God's people, exiled in Babylon, yearn to be home in Jerusalem, and not strangers in an alien land. God was mindful of their suffering. As you read the psalm, remember we are sort of like them...we, too, sometimes feel like we live in an alien land!)

Tomorrow - Part 2 - Words about being 'Engraved on His Hands' from Charles Spurgeon

David's Audience of One

 

                                                       David's Audience of One

When David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem -- what a celebration!

"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouts and the sounds of trumpets...Michal, daughter of Saul, watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. She came out to meet him and said, 'How the King of Israel has distinguished himself today disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!'

And David said to Michal, 'It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father when He appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel - I will celebrate before the LORD.'"

David remembered who he was celebrating and who was his real audience  -- 

              The Audience of One! The only Audience that really matters!

We need to remember every day that our only important Audience is our Audience of One!  He's the One that matters!

How can I be Transformed?

Paul tells the Roman Christians (and us) in his letter to them (Romans 12:2):
              'be transformed by the renewing of your mind...'

Frankly, sometimes that seems as difficult to me now as it did when I first read the words as a child.

Paul insists that our mind is the battlefield in our fight to resist being shaped by society around us and so God demands the 'renewal' of our mind. (One version writes these words as "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold"!)

Michael Frost of The Navigators says this:

'When the Spirit renews our minds, all of life becomes an act of worship. That's because the Spirit not only opens our eyes to see who Christ really is, but also breaks our hearts to see who we really are...and when that happens, we find within ourselves that there's this growing and nurturing sense of the greatness of God and the beauty of God's love...all of life becomes charged with the presence of God, and we find ourselves wanting to offer more and more of our lives to God as act of sacrificial worship....as we steadfastly focus on Jesus, devoting ourselves as His students and disciples, the Spirit renews our thinking and our behavior, and we become more like Him. He actually transforms us into the image of  Son of God.'

I love these words. They help me understand the process. I love the idea that "all of life" can become "an act of worship." And our lives can be "charged with the presence of God" and we will want to give  more and more of ourselves to Him.  

That's what I want to happen to me.

Father, please transform me into the image of Your Son. Help me focus on Him and allow Your Spirit to renew my thinking and behavior. I love You and want so much to please You. Amen.

The Promise and the Oath - part 2

The LORD promised Abraham (Genesis 15):

"I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

But Abram said, "O LORD God, how am I to know that I am to possess it?"


How can I know for sure?


Abraham, in spite of what God had already done for him, still harbored some degree of un-faith.

In the verses before this, when God promised him numerous, countless descendants, Abraham, the text says, "believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

But now when it comes to the promise of the land, Abraham does not speak with such faith.

"How can I know for sure?" he asks.

This is even more telling when we notice that Abraham addresses God with His Yahweh/Covenant personal title - LORD. The Name above all Names that was synonymous with Faithfulness.

"Even though I know You are faithful and true to Your Covenant, I still need more proof," he seems to be saying.

This display of lack of faith might have made an earthly parent angry.

But God patiently and lovingly gives him a further act to assure him.

"So the LORD said to him, 'Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.'

"Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half....

"As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him....

"When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land ...'"


The Oath

God told Abraham to prepare a sacrifice.

When men made a legal contract in Abraham's day,
this is the ceremony they held.

Today we write out the contract, take it to a notary
and get the signatures verified. Or take it to the court house to be filed. Or to an attorney for processing.

In those days they held this ceremony described here in Genesis (and referred to later in Jeremiah 34).

The sacrificial animals would be divided and the two pieces placed opposite each other on the ground.
(The small birds were not divided, but placed whole on opposite sides.)

Suppose one man was buying property, or live stock, from another man.

The one initiating the contract would quote the terms, the men  would join hands, and walk between the sacrificial pieces.

When they were finished the deal was done.

Both men participated in the ceremony. Both brought
something to the table - property to sell or funds to buy it.


But this ceremony was different.

Jehovah's contract with Abraham was unconditional.
He was chosen by God for His mission and blessing.

Abraham had nothing to bring to the table.

God was promising, making an oath, to Abraham.
Abraham's role was simply to believe.

So God performed the ceremony with Himself, and Abraham slept in darkness.

Hundreds of years later, there was another ceremony
at Calvary.

God gave us His unconditional oath to save us and bring us into His family, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

There is nothing we can do to fulfill that oath. It's all in God's hands.

Abraham slept in a "thick and dreadful darkness" as God performed the ceremonial oath.

At the cross as Jesus, the Perfect Passover Sacrifice,
died, "there was darkness over the whole land...while the sun's light failed" (Luke 23:44-45).


Like Abraham, we have nothing to bring to the table.