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Wednesday in the Word

God Brings Us Victory

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godbringsusvictory
Psalm 118:22-24
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; 23 this was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

The whole of Psalm 118 shouts about victory during long suffering, of God’s goodness in times of anguish. These verses specifically tell about the nature of the victory–most likely, according to my NIV translation, the “stone” mentioned in verse 22 references the king of the Israelite nation, who has been ridiculed by other neighboring kings, but is protected by God through his faith. (Other Biblical interpreters through the years have also interpreted the stone to mean Israel itself, a nation that was disdained by other nations in the area.) Whichever reading of “stone” you take, this is a most joyful trio of verses, acknowledging that the king or nation which had been so scorned by man has been lifted up through God’s will, and given grace.

Think of how this applies to our lives. Other humans may look at us and scorn us, but God has a special purpose for each one of us–perhaps we will be the “cornerstone” of our chosen field of work someday, or the “cornerstone” of a loving family or close-knit group of friends. We just have to trust in God to bring us through times of adversity.

Even when we are at our weakest, feeling surrounded and scared, like the Israelites were before this joyful day, God is still there for us, and will bring us the victory we need. He may not bring us the victory we necessarily think we need, or the victory when we want it, but it will be perfectly timed and placed in His plan for us. Indeed, every day we live is a day the Lord has made for each of us, and the highest praise we can give God is to “rejoice and be glad in it.”

Wednesday in the Word

No One is a Foreigner to God

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nooneisaforeigner
Numbers 9:14
An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born. (NIV)

Of course, God is not talking about asking one of the “little green men” to come and share Sunday dinner, but is speaking of any foreigner who wishes to celebrate with the Israelites. God stipulates throughout the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) that foreigners, or aliens, must be treated in the same fashion as the native-born, and here again He emphasizes that inclusiveness. Even in the Old Testament, God was not just a God of one nation or of one race; if someone wanted to worship Him, all they needed to do was follow the rules and they were welcome.

My NIV translation notes that God still requires the foreigners to be circumcised to represent the covenant, but that they are welcome to share in Passover once that is complete. Since Christians do not always follow the circumcision rite, this may seem confusing to Christian readers. However, it is my belief that we can uphold this part of God’s Word by allowing anyone to fellowship with us if they express a genuine desire to learn more about God.

As this post’s title says, no one is a foreigner to God; He knows each and every one of us, even if we have not made the free will decision to be a Christian yet. Throughout the Pentateuch, God makes it clear that He doesn’t want us humans to worry so much about nationality, ethnicity, place of birth, gender, or anything else that separates us from a potential believer. We make so much fuss about “white churches” and “black churches,” “old-people’s churches” and “young-people’s churches,” etc., that sometimes we forget to reach out to people who may be different from us. We must remember that each person we meet is a child of God and deserves to know more about Him if they want to know.

Wednesday in the Word

God Is, Has Always Been, and Always Will Be

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godishasalwaysbeen
Psalm 90:2
“Before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Our minds cannot even comprehend how long God has been around, as this verse describes in poetic terms. To Christians, God is the Creator of the world–He has always existed and will always exist (“from everlasting to everlasting”). In a social landscape that is always tilting back and forth as people struggle for power, on a planet that literally shifts underneath us and erupts above us, in a universe that is slowly but surely spreading apart, God is the constant in our lives, a source of strength, comfort, and wisdom.

This verse occurs within a psalm that not only shows God as eternal Creator, but also quick to act justly when we disobey, much like a parent. When we are small children, we often think of our parents as having always been around, and we fear their punishments and obey their rules. God is a much more expansive example of divine parenthood to us–we are His children, even if we have strayed, and while He punishes us for deliberate disobedience, He is also forgiving, as the best of parents forgive their children for the mistakes they make. God’s forgiveness, compassion, and love are intertwined with His wrath and justice; He guides our lives, as He has always done for humanity, and as He will continue to do.

Wednesday in the Word

What Do We Worship In Place of God?

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whatdoweworship
Judges 17:10-11
10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons.

This Scripture is part of a larger story in the Book of Judges about Micah, who has constructed a shrine to a silver idol in his home–he has asked this Levite man to be his in-home “priest,” trying to make his shrine more “legitimate” somehow. Micah treats the Levite well and seems to be a fine, upstanding man, but the fact is that Micah is not worshipping God–he’s spending time caring for his idols and carven images.

At the end of this story, Micah’s town is invaded by the tribe of Dan, who carries off his precious idols and uses them in their own worship instead. This is characteristic of the stories in Judges, which show how the Israelites worshipped with only the occasional mention of God among idols and pagan ideas. The idols, in the end, could not protect themselves and proved themselves powerless, and yet the Israelites continued to worship them.

In our lives, there are things we worry about and nearly worship just as much as Micah cared for his helpless idols. For some of us, it may be an object like a car, a computer, a phone, or a house; for others, it may be concepts like prestige, reputation, honor, or social standing. Anything that gets in the way of our worship of God, as I’ve mentioned in earlier Biblical interpretation, can be considered an “idol.” I myself get overprotective about my items of technology (like my laptop and phone), because they are worth a lot of money and I use them on a daily basis. Yet I know that if something were to happen to any of these items, God would provide for me.

In order to get our worship back on track, we have to remember that God is in control of everything; we should not worry about the helpless idols in our lives who can’t even defend themselves, just like Micah’s idols could not defend themselves against being carried away. Instead, we should place trust in God that He will provide us with everything we need, and not worry about those objects or concepts–God will take care of them, too.

Wednesday in the Word

What Do We Allow to Drag Us Away from God?

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whatdoweallow
1 Kings 11:4
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. (NIV)

In this part of 1 Kings, Solomon, who has been a quite successful King of Israel so far, following in the footsteps of his father David, now finds himself drifting away from God. He has married many different wives (700 wives in total, all with royal titles), as well as having 300 concubines; however, it’s not the number of wives, but the religions of the wives that makes the tragic difference in Solomon’s life. His wives follow many different gods, according to the beliefs of their homelands (Moab, Ammon, Edom, etc.), and Solomon begins to worship with them instead of continuing to worship God. This begins Solomon’s downhill slide–after this point, many enemies rise up against him, including one of his own officials.

Like Solomon, we too can turn away from God for various reasons. We may not have 700 significant others to lead us astray, but we can certainly end up copying our friends’ bad behavior, for instance. Sometimes, even being alone without friends or family can lead us into doing things we know shouldn’t be part of our lives, just to break up the boredom and loneliness. The more obvious bad choices, like drinking and partying, not showing up to work on time, etc., aren’t the only ways we can drift from God. Sometimes, our drifting is so gradual we don’t even see it–we start using the bad language we hear our family members using, or we start shirking responsibilities one at a time until we can’t be counted on for anything.

We Must Be Honest with Ourselves!

If we truly want to worship God and have a closer relationship with Him, we have to make sure all facets of our lives match up with that goal–living for God doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, but on Saturday night, Monday morning, and all the rest of the week. This is a very difficult process; certainly I’m still in the process of weeding out the things in my life that aren’t really in tune with God’s Word. But we must be willing to take a hard look at our lives and see the things that might be pulling us away from God rather than towards Him.

Wednesday in the Word

The Law Hasn’t Changed–It Has Been Fulfilled

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thelawhasntchanged
Matthew 5:17-18
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill; 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

In these two verses, Jesus reminds his disciples and the crowds gathered around that He is not preaching against the Old Testament (the first five books–“The Law”–and all the prophets’ books). Rather, He is showing them what the Old Testament foretold, and illustrating exactly how to live it. He is the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah, and He is also a great teacher and leader; He is helping His disciples and listeners to better apply the Law to their lives rather than just mouth the words and keep breaking the Commandments.

Verse 18 assures us that until the end of times, nothing in the Law will be changed; God’s Law is what it has been and will be what it is. We need not even embellish the Law with a “jot” or a “tittle,” because God has it all covered. If we try to twist God’s words with some clever interpretations, we will only deceive ourselves. Jesus does not represent a shift away from the Law, but the final installment. He shows us that we cannot save ourselves with righteousness gained from the Law, but the Law is still God’s guideline for living a holy life.

(A side note: Much of Matthew 5 concerns the Pharisees and their rigid adherence to the Law, which actually didn’t respect the spirit in which the Law was written. Jesus takes issue with that. In the selected verses, He emphasizes that He isn’t trying to change the Law, but to uphold its spirit–which showed God’s caring for His people’s safety.)

Wednesday in the Word

Don’t Fear to Talk about God

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dontfeartotalk
Romans 1:16
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Here we see Paul discussing his approach to the gospel, which he says is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone…for the Jew, then for the Gentile”–meaning people who’ve studied a whole lot about the Law, people who don’t know anything about it, and everyone in between. He boldly proclaims he’s not afraid of talking about the gospel, because he believes it’s important for everyone to hear.

Unfortunately, these days it’s pretty hard to talk about religion/faith in public with this much boldness. Religion, like politics, is a hot-button topic which seems best saved for single-family dinner tables and not public gatherings; no matter what you believe, somebody’s going to get offended by it, it seems.  Everyone gets a little antsy when religious beliefs come up in conversation, especially when there are opposing views present, or if one person starts to accuse another of not believing as strongly as they should.  Disagreements about beliefs can start fights and even break up friendships.

Personally, I often just keep my mouth shut just for safety’s sake when it comes to discussions of faith. It’s not that my faith is weak–I just don’t want to offend anyone, and I don’t want to be lumped in with the belligerent “Bible-thumpers” who never listen to anyone but themselves. Sometimes, I find myself about to share my experience of God with someone, and it sticks to my tongue instead.

But those who don’t know anything about God have got to hear about Him from somebody.  Paul’s words in this verse also remind us that there is a way to share the gospel without being overbearing about it. Simply sharing our own personal experiences with God’s grace and power, and not necessarily preaching about what is “right” and “wrong” in God’s eyes, can be more moving and touching to another person who has never known that peace that passes all understanding. We can best show God’s unconditional love by offering it to others, telling them of His forgiveness and grace, as Paul advises.  If anyone is a mender of broken souls and a healer of spiritual hurts, it is God, and people need to know that. We serve God best when we share from our own hearts, courageously and compassionately.

Wednesday in the Word

Believe in God’s Power

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believeingodspower
Isaiah 26:4-5
4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. 5 He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.

This verse exhorts us to trust in God, for He is powerful (the “Rock eternal,” meaning security and strength), and He alone has the power to humble us and take apart the godless things we build up for ourselves. (The “lofty city” referred to in verse 5 can reference Babylon, Jerusalem, Tyre, or even Rome, but the meaning is the same, regardless: those things we build up to be so “impenetrable” and “strong” can still be taken down at a word from God.) Whatever we worship in place of God, like money, power, technology, or knowledge, will always be leveled to dust, to show us that they are not what we should be focusing on.

But the enemies that rise up against us and the trials we endure can also be defeated at a word from God. He is trustworthy because He never deserts us, as the rest of chapter 26 of Isaiah, a song of praise, attests. When we are faithful to His Word, He is faithful to His promises for us; when we are unfaithful to His Word, He disciplines us, but still never leaves us utterly alone. God is the truest friend we will ever have, but He is not like an earthly “buddy”–He is God, almighty and sovereign.

Wednesday in the Word

When and How Do We Cry to the Lord?

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whenandhow
Psalm 31:1-2
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

31:1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!

In this psalm, likely written during or just after a time of desperation in David’s life, David is crying out to the Lord as his security. He acknowledges God as his unfailing deliverer (the poetic meanings of “rock”), Who is righteous and just. This psalm is one in which David places complete trust in the Lord, and acknowledges his own dependence on God for safety and strength.

His fervent words can echo our own prayers during times of great strain. But when do we ourselves cry to the Lord? And how do we tell God we need His help? Many times as a younger believer, I wondered if my prayer was important enough for God to hear, or if I was using the right kind of words, and I’m not the only believer to wonder this. But if we only pray when times are “really bad,” and if we only pray using special “churchy” language, we may never truly rely on prayer the way that believers can and should be able to.

Prayer is not reserved for special occasions or privileged believers; it is the way all believers can talk to God, and without it, our faith can be easily shaken. It is a lifeline, and in Psalm 31 we see David depending on that lifeline. Thankfully, we don’t have to cry out in beautiful language, and we don’t have to pray just about “important” things; all God needs to hear is, “I know only You can help me, God. Please help.”

Wednesday in the Word

Sometimes, We DO Have Other Gods

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sometimesothergods
Ezekiel 14:7
When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me, and sets up idols in his heart and put a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer him myself.

In this part of the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet records what God speaks to him upon meeting with the elders of Israel–in short, that they are idolaters rather than God-fearing worshippers. This verse, in particular, is the warning that God directs Ezekiel to tell them, warning all Israel that God did not appreciate idols and hypocritical worship (the whole “having idols but going to ask a prophet about God” thing).

In Ezekiel’s day, the idols were likely carven, and were more often of Baal, the main competitor for Israel’s spirituality in the Old Testament. In modern times, however, our idols and stumbling blocks are subtler and harder to detect. Some of us more obviously worship the gods of money and power, as did some in Ezekiel’s day; some of us, however, worship the god of Internet, or the god of politics, or the god of knowledge. Idolatry definitely still exists today–and anything that gets in the way of worshipping God isn’t healthy in the long term for your faith.

Overcoming Modern Idolatry: Being Vigilant about Priorities

This is an especially convicting passage to read, and it demands us to engage in self-examination. What are the “gods” that we worship before God? In my life, I can see how often other things take the place of studying God’s Word–namely my activities on social media. Sometimes even this blog can get in the way of devotional time, as odd as that sounds. This verse reminds us all that anything we prioritize ahead of God can become a “god” to us, and it can happen without us realizing. Once we’ve pushed God down to second place in our lives, then it becomes even easier to push Him to third, and then fourth, and on down till He’s in last place, where we only contact Him when we want something. Constantly examining ourselves and our priorities is the only way to combat this.

(A final note: God can seem overly harsh and punitive in this verse and other places in the Old Testament, but considering that Israel went through approximately 20-year periods of worshipping Him, then falling away to Baal, and back again, it seemed a little more dramatic move was needed to remind Israel of what they ought to be doing.)