“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Eccl. 9:7-10)
This is one of the great summary statements of the calling of the Christian life. Your calling as a Christian is to live like heaven. Work hard, love your wife, eat your dinner with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart. Dress sharp, look your best for those around you, and do it all not with some kind of pride or arrogance, but because God is good, because God has already accepted your works, because God looks at you and your family and all the work still to be done and says, you are my new creation in Christ, you are my beloved son and daughter in whom I’m well pleased. And this is why you are invited here week after week so that you will not forget who you are and how you are required to live. You are the beloved sons and daughters of the king, and therefore he invites you to his feast week after week, and he calls you to go out into your homes, work places, and neighborhoods and live like the royalty that you are. You are the nobility of God, and he invites you here to rejoice with bread and wine at this table and sends you out to do the same in all of life. If it’s pizza paper plates, eat it like sons and daughters of the king. If you drive a beater car, drive it with joy in your heart. If your family is pretty rough around the edges, love them, serve them, and speak to them and about them, like they are the best people in all the world. We do all of this not because we’re blind or apathetic, but because we are called to live by faith, imitating the God who calls those things which are not yet existent as though they were. Therefore come and rejoice as though everything was right in the world because it is and it will be.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Living like Royalty
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 39
Opening Prayer: Kind Father, we come before you once again and ask you for your Spirit to be with us now. We know that the Spirit pours out your wisdom and knowledge and understanding. And we confess that we need those things desperately. We live in a day and in a culture that has rejected your wisdom and delights in incoherence and confusions. Open our eyes to see, give us clear thinking minds, and enable us to walk before you faithfully. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!
Introduction
Today we come to the completion of the construction of the tabernacle and the making of the priestly garments. Just as the first creation was concluded with the blessing of God, so too this new creation of Israel concludes with the blessing of God.
Priest as Tabernacle
The priestly garments are the same colors and fabrics as the tabernacle itself. The tabernacle curtains, veil, and screen are made of blue, purple, and scarlet threads (36:8, 35-37). So too are the garments of the priest (39:1), the ephod (39:2), the breastplate (39:8), the pomegranates on the hem (39:24), and the sash (39:29). Like the tabernacle, the priest also has precious metals worked into his uniform: gold threads woven into artistic designs on the ephod (39:3, 5). The word for “beat/hammered” (39:2) is related the word for the firmament (Gen. 1:6), and strikingly, the golden thread is said to be worked “in the midst” of the blue, “in the midst” of the purple, “in the midst” of the scarlet thread just as the firmament is said to be placed “in the midst of the waters” (Gen. 1:6). Like the curtains of the tabernacle, the shoulder straps are “coupled together” (39:4). The High Priest is a walking, miniature tabernacle. Remember that we noted previously that the High Priest’s garments are like armor: e.g. the breastplate, shoulder guards, and the robe which is like a coat of mail (39:23). If the High Priest is a warrior, then the tabernacle is a military fortress. Yahweh is teaching his people how to wage war.
New Creation
The phrase “as the Lord had commanded Moses” is repeated throughout chapters 39-40. It occurs 7 times in chapter 39 and 7 times in chapter. 40. This is surely a double emphasis on the completion of the work, and that this work is the completion of a new creation. The first seven instances of “as the Lord had commanded Moses” refer specifically to elements of the priestly garments, the second set of seven refer to elements of the tabernacle. This reinforces the idea that the priest is a walking tabernacle, and vice versa, we can say that the tabernacle is meant to represent man restored to fellowship with God, humanity walking with God in the garden. The tabernacle is a person filled with the glory-cloud-presence of God, and it pictures what God always intended to do to every individual. This is why Christ can be said to have come and “tabernacled” with us (Jn. 1:14). In Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 1:19). Lastly, the blessing of 39:43 is clearly an allusion to Gen. 1:31-2:3, and it means that the work is finished. And this is why we go out from here with the blessing of God week after week.
Conclusions & Applications
We serve the God who completes what he starts. He has begun a good work in you as individuals, as families, and as a congregation. But notice how God delights to finish the project: he does it by bringing us into the community where the completed project is present. The tabernacle was a picture of the completed project, a picture of people walking with God, drawing near without dying. Christ is the fulfillment of that picture, the true tabernacle of God to which we draw near and in whom we walk with God.
But God calls us to faith in the midst of life that always needs finishing. Maybe you feel the need for completion in your marriage, in your children, in your parents, in your work, in the church, in your friends, wherever. God calls those things which are not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). You serve the God whose word is more important than the way things look. You serve the God whose word always finishes what he starts. The New Covenant means that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it. Just as God created the world in the beginning, calling light out of darkness, Jesus is our sure confidence that God is in the process of remaking this world. And that includes our marriages, our children, our families, our neighborhoods, even the world. Therefore, imitate your God: let your words and actions be done in faith, acting as though God’s Word is sure and true even if the whole world looks the opposite.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Concluding Prayer: Gracious Father, we ask you to give us faith in the midst of the many things that are unfinished. We know that you have been pleased to call us as though we are finished, and we rejoice in this grace and ask for more.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
To the Ends of the Earth
When we celebrate this meal, we do so in imitation of Jesus who having given thanks for the bread/cup gave it to his disciples to eat/drink. This is why it is our custom to have the elders serve one another and then distribute the elements to the rest of the congregation. With the wine, we offer the common cup and we also have the little cups available to those who prefer, but the idea is meant to be the same: we are one loaf and one cup. We are one body in Christ, and his blood flows through us. This is why we serve one another. Just as in a body, the different parts need each other; we confess and display that here. So the elder or deacon or other assistant may hand the bread or the wine to each row, but then maybe your wife hands you the bread or your son or daughter passes the wine to you. Maybe a member of another family passes you the tray of cups. This is as it should be. We are one body, one family made up of many parts held together and empowered to work together and serve one another through the working of the Holy Spirit. But our celebration here also pictures the promise of the gospel. The blessings of the new covenant are pictured in Ezekiel as water pouring out over the threshold of the temple, and as the prophet follows the flowing water it becomes ankle deep and then up to his waist and then it is too deep to wade through and it flows out and purifies the seas. This is what the gospel has been doing for the last two thousand years. And we are a witness of that fact sitting as we are on the other side of the world and two thousand years from that first upper room in Jerusalem. We are that body with the blood of Christ coursing through our veins; we are that river of blessing and forgiveness flowing out from the cross to the ends of the earth. You are God’s forgiven people, you are in the blood, you are his family. Come and rejoice.
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 37-38
Opening Prayer: Almighty and most merciful God, we ask that you would cause your Spirit to be poured out upon us once again. We are here as your new creation, and we ask that you would continue to renew us and remake us. Empower your word now that we might be built up into your house, fitted together as your temple and dwelling. Amen!
Introduction
We considered the tabernacle last week as the embodiment of Israel as the Warrior-bride of Yahweh. Bezalel and Aholiab are the fulfillment of the midwives, leading the wise-hearted women who are building the house of God as the armies of Yahweh (Ex. 38:8).
As the Lord Commanded
We noted lasted week that this is the second time we’ve read all these details. Ex. 25-31 was the record of the initial instructions given by God on the mountain, the seven speeches of the ‘new creation’ of Israel. This explanation of the actual work of Bezalel may seem superfluous, but it both proves that the new covenant is in force and that God’s word does not return void. As in the first creation account, ‘God spoke and it was done’, so too, here God has spoken, and now it is being done “all that the Lord had commanded Moses” (38:22). The new covenant with Israel is not merely ‘another try,’ it is what completes and fulfills all that the first covenant sought to perform. The entire list of what was carried out is given as a summary in 39:33-41 and in the order that it is carried out. Another way of looking at this recapitulation of the details of the tabernacle follows the original creation pattern of Gen. 1-2. Just as Gen. 1 is the creation of the world according to God’s spoken word in six days and Gen. 2 follows the creation of man, his situation in the garden, his naming of the animals and finally the creation of the woman, so too these two accounts of the details of the tabernacle accomplish similar goals. In Gen. 2, we see Adam imitating God and following his commands in naming the animals. In Ex. 36:8-39:31 we see Bezalel (chiefly) carrying out the commands of the Lord. Likewise, if the tabernacle is to be seen in feminine terms, the completion of the tabernacle is the creation of a new Eve from the side of Israel, the new Adam-son of God (cf. Ex. 4:22).
Blue, Purple, Scarlet and Engraving
Because the construction of the tabernacle includes a number of allusions to the original creation account, we should not shy away from looking for more. We have noticed by now that the colors blue, purple, and scarlet show up all throughout the tabernacle descriptions. The colors blue and purple are clearly royal and are associated with kings and nobility, and the color scarlet is literally the word for “worm” (cf. Ex. 16:20, Dt. 28:39, Ps. 22:7, Jon. 4:7). This is because a particular sort of worm was used to create a red/crimson dye in the ancient world. But all these colors are the same as the sky, and the fact that there is a sea-basin at the entrance of the tabernacle reminds us of the “waters above” (Gen. 1:6-7). The firmament is what joins heaven and earth, and this is what the tabernacle is designed to do. The tabernacle is the sky come down into the middle of their camp. The fashioning of the tabernacle is described as “engraving,” “designing,” and “weaving” (38:23). “Engraving” is a word that is associated with plowing, but it can also refer to remaining silent. The first use of this word was in Gen. 4:22 where the cultural achievements of the descendents of Cain are recorded. The building of the tabernacle is a reversal of that curse. The same word is used to describe how the names of Israel were to be engraved on the shoulder stones of the priest’s garment (Ex. 28:11). But it is also used a number of times to refer to remaining silent in times of crisis or tension as a strategy for deliverance as in Ex. 14:14 where the Lord promises to fight for Israel (cf. Gen. 34:5, Josh. 2:1, Jdg. 16:2, 1 Sam. 23:9). This is the deceptive warfare that the people of God are called to. Israel is this sort of warrior-bride. The word for “weaving” really only shows up one more time in the OT in Ps. 139:15 where David describes how God “knit” him together. This word may also be related to the word for “expanse/firmament” and would tie back to the idea of the tabernacle as the sky, the expanse/firmament which is symbolically what joins heaven and earth.
Conclusions and Applications
The charge last week was from 1 Corinthians 3 where Paul ties together the building of the temple of God with the wisdom of God. Paul says that God’s wisdom is foolishness to the world, and the world’s wisdom is foolishness with God. There Paul warns the Corinthians not to defile the temple of God through worldly wisdom. Every generation is tempted to live and build God’s house with worldly wisdom. We do this by thinking that real power is found in swords and guns and politics. We do this when we think that different traditions, teachers, denominations are a threat to God’s kingdom. We do this when we put our confidence in men (think numbers, money, buildings) rather than Christ.
God is building his kingdom in this world, and he is building it with us. This kingdom began as a stone that will grow up into a mountain that will fill the whole world (Dan. 2:44-45). The fact that God is using us is already a sign that God’s wisdom is folly with the world. He’s using us with all our failings, all our weaknesses, and all our problems. But furthermore, God’s wisdom has determined that water and preaching and singing and eating and drinking is the means by which he will overrun the world with his grace. We are the armies of God. Israel carried out her warfare through building the tabernacle, and carrying out the work of the tabernacle (Ex. 38:8). Likewise, we are the victorious warrior-bride of God. Therefore believe this and live this.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Almighty God, we ask that you would continue to build us up into your house and temple. We pray for our community and the people of Greer and Greenville, SC in particular that you would establish your kingdom here through the prayers, praises, and feasting of your people.
Right Away, All the Way, and Cheerfully
The fifth commandment requires that children honor their parents, and this command is reiterated by Paul in Ephesians when he says that children are to obey their parents in the Lord. This command must be understood in two directions: First, parents must love their children such that they are led to obey. Secondly, children must honor their parents such that they actually obey. And lest there be any confusion on what it means to obey, we must insist that obedience is immediate carrying out of instructions with joy. Children must obey their parents just as God requires all of his children to obey him. We are required to obey God right away, all the way, and cheerfully. Therefore, we ought not expect anything less of our children. Rolling eyes and then obeying is not obeying. Stomping feet while carrying out instructions is not obey. Doing half the job is not obeying. Parents must love their children enough to insist upon obedience. Proverbs says that a father who refuses to teach and discipline his son actually hates him. This is because he is allowing his children to grow up believing that obedience is optional. And this means that this child will grow up under the curse of God and the end of that road is death. A father who does not teach his child to stay out of the road hates his child. A father who lets his child put his fingers in electrical sockets hates his child. Likewise, a father who refuses to teach his child to obey hates his child. And this requirement of obedience does not end at some magic age. Whether you are fourteen or nineteen or twenty-six or fifty, the command is still in place to honor and obey your parents. Of course wise parents will not act like tyrants, but the command is still there. Children, obey. This means obeying right away, all the way, and cheerfully. Parents, love your children enough to require this; children, honor your father and mother enough to follow this. And we do this believing the promise that comes with this command: that we may have long lives and that it may go well with us in the land.
Smiling at our Enemies
In the New Testament when the apostles try to develop a baptismal theology or explain what baptism means they repeatedly refer to the great events of redemptive history. Paul refers to the Exodus, crossing the Red Sea and the cloud that followed Israel into the wilderness as a picture of baptism in 1 Corinthians 10. Peter refers to the flood and Noah’s ark to describe baptism. But of course those monumental events are merely previews for the greatest redemptive event which we see in the death and resurrection of Jesus; so it’s not too surprising to see Paul referring to that in Romans 6 where he insists that everyone who has been baptized has been joined to that historic event, united to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now while it is certainly true that some people have turned this sacrament into a superstitious magic trick, the problem does not seem to be putting too much emphasis on this sacrament. The problem is not making a big deal about baptism per se, the problem is with making a big deal about the wrong things in baptism. The thing that the apostles point to over and over again is the power of God to deliver his people from all bondage and his sure covenant promises to his people in the face of all their enemies. The apostles say baptism is like being delivered from all the armies of Egypt charging you with hundreds of chariots in full battle array. They say baptism is like being brought safe and sound into an enormous boat while a storm rages outside drowning the wicked and destroying the world. Baptism, Paul says, is like being killed and stuffed into a grave and somehow – wonder of all wonders, even that can’t stop God. Baptism is all about the power and possibilities of God. It means that we serve the God who keeps his promises. We serve the God who is faithful to his covenant, and we serve the Triune God who delivers us and our children from all our enemies. The reason we make a big deal about baptism is because God has promised us big things. We don’t think there’s some magic in the water, and I certainly haven’t been given any superpowers. But God’s Word is sure and powerful, and his promises cannot be broken. Therefore, Kirk and Jennifer, as you bring your son, Jackson, for baptism, I charge you to do so with faith. Do it believing the promises of God. Do it believing that the same God who acted to save Noah and his family, the same God who acted to deliver Israel out Egypt, the same God who delivered our Lord Jesus from the grave, promises to save and deliver your son, Jackson from all his enemies and even death itself at the last day. Your response to these promises must be faith. Believe the Word of God and joyfully raise your son to believe the Word of God. Raise your son to be a fearless disciple of Jesus; raise him to look at floods and laugh. Raise him to see enemies surrounding him and smile. Raise him to face even death itself with full assurance of resurrection. God has spoken; therefore it is so.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 35-36
Opening Prayer: Almighty and gracious God, we come before you as your bride, and we ask that you would wash us with the water of your word. Wash us that we might be made spotless and equipped to serve in your house. Through Jesus Christ, Amen!
Introduction
Here, the instructions for building the tabernacle are beginning to be carried out. Notice that Moses begins the new covenant of Sinai with a reminder of the Sabbath (35:1-3). This is a reversal of the “old” covenant sequence of the instructions for building the tabernacle which ended with the Sabbath command (31:12-17). Contrast this Lord and his building project with Pharaoh and his.
Nobility and Generosity
Moses commands the people in the name of Yahweh for all those with a “willing heart” to give an offering to the Lord of gold, silver, and bronze. A “willing heart” is literally a princely or noble heart (cf. Num. 21:18, 1 Sam. 2:8, Ps. 47:10, etc). What is striking is that this offering is considered an act of nobility; the ability to give is an act of a noble. This is why God requires his people to give tithes and offerings; you are his nobles, his royal people and therefore you must give like it. There is clearly a number of people involved in the actual construction of the tabernacle. As we have noted previously, “gifted artisan” is literally “wise of heart” (35:10). Wisdom has everything to do with what it creates. Wisdom is always justified by her children (Mt. 11:19). The congregation departs from Moses and everyone whose “heart was lifted” and whose spirit was “enlisted” brought the Lord’s offering (35:21). The word for “willing” (35:21-22) is the verb form of the word for “noble” and is often used for soldiers and officers volunteering/enlisting for battle (Jdg. 5:2, 9, 2 Chr. 17:16), but the same form is used in a parallel context in the building of the temple (1 Chr. 29:5). This giving is not merely noble, it is princely and martial. This offering is a reaffirmation that Israel is the army of Yahweh (cf. Ex. 6:26, etc.).
Women and Artists
It’s striking that the text puts so much emphasis on who is bringing the offerings. The “men and women” bring jewelry offerings (35:22), “every man” brought offerings of thread and linen (35:23), “all the women” spun yarn and all the wise women spun yarn of goats’ hair (35:25-26), “rulers” brought precious stones (35:27), and the conclusion summary is that the “children (‘sons’ lit.) of Israel” brought a freewill/enlistment offering (35:29). Bezalel and Aholiab are clearly set up as the foremen of the building project (35:30-35). But they are working with “every gifted artisan” in whom God has put wisdom and understanding. Given the passage, it is the women in particular who are noted for being “gifted artisans” and for their “wisdom” (35:25-26). The fact that women are singled out and recognized for their part in the building of the tabernacle is significant: the tabernacle itself is already pictured as feminine (26:3, 5, 6, 17) and perhaps there is some connection to the ‘fire offerings’ as well which is spelled with the same letters as the word for “woman” (cf. 29:18, 25, 41). Since the Church is the “bride of Christ” and the “mother” of all those who believe, it is not surprising that the tabernacle and temple should be considered feminine as well (cf. Song of Songs). But this is also related to Israel’s calling, the sort of army Israel is supposed to be: remember it was the courageous midwives who defied the Pharaoh’s orders (Ex. 1), mothers who hid their sons and daughters who helped them (Ex. 2), and later it was the Hebrew women who took the lead in plundering the Egyptians (Ex. 3:22).
The Offering and the Building
The people continued to bring the “Enlistment Offerings” until the craftsmen notified Moses that they had more than enough supplies for the project (36:2-7). Literally, the craftsmen are “wise men” which contrasts with the “wise men” of Pharaoh who with the magicians mimicked Yahweh’s power (Ex. 7:11). Interestingly, the description of sewing the curtains together uses a different words than previously: instead of joining “a woman to her sister” (cf. 26:3ff), it says joining “one to one.” This joining of one to one is to be done such that there might be “one tabernacle” (36:13, 18, cf. 26:6, 11). It should also be noted that much of the language of the tabernacle is anatomical: the sides of the tabernacle are described as “ribs” (36:25, 31, 32), they are covering the tent with “skins” (35:7, 23, 36:19), and the tabernacle has “lips” (36:11, 17) and a “head” (36:29, 38, cf. 26:24). If the tabernacle is a woman or at least represents Israel as the bride of Yahweh, then this is the construction of the new Eve. In this covenant marriage between God and his people, he is creating a new bride with whom he can become one with.
Conclusions and Applications
You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the bride of the Lord Jesus. You are called upon to imitate “Lady Wisdom.” You have been given the Spirit of wisdom so that you might be “gifted craftsmen.” But our construction project is first and foremost bound up with people. As Spirit-filled craftsmen you are called upon to raise up faithful and godly children. As Spirit-filled craftsmen you are called upon to beautify and glorify your wives and husbands. As Spirit-filled craftsmen you are called upon to build the house of God through ministry to the saints and the strangers and orphans and widows.
Lastly, this call to ministry is a call to battle and warfare. But our warfare is the warfare of seduction, the warfare of a woman. We are called upon to embody the gospel such that the world is drawn to it. We do not compete with the world, we offer the reality to which there are so many false substitutes. You are called upon to be Hebrew midwives and Master Craftsmen. You are Bazalels and Shiphrahs.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Gracious Father, we ask that you would give us your Spirit more and more. Empower us to fight sin and wickedness so that we might create beautiful pictures of your gospel in our families, in our homes, in all that we do.
When Worship Becomes Liturgical Clap Trap
In nearly every letter of the New Testament, the apostles insist that Christians must live out the gospel in their families. As we seek to build this church, this must be one of the central results of our gathering here. Husbands who worship here must be characterized by loving their wives, cherishing their wives, and teaching and leading their wives just as Christ loves, cherishes, teaches, and leads us. Wives who worship here must be characterized by love and submission to their husbands, rejoicing in their callings just as we submit ourselves as the Church to the leading and teaching of our head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, children who worship here (whether they are three or eighteen) must be characterized by love and obedience to their parents just as we love and obey the Word of God declared here. If we are not being characterized by these things, we are not getting it. If our families are not living out this gospel then our worship here is useless at best and at worst a high handed blasphemy against God. When the families of Israel were characterized by harsh words, injustice, disunity, and disobedience, God said to them through the prophet Isaiah: get your Call to Worship out of here. Who has required this Confession of Sin? I have had enough of your readings of Scripture. Why do you come here and trample my courts? Stop your empty Passing of the Peace. I cannot stand your celebrating the Lord’s Day. I do not delight in your Lord’s Supper. I have had enough of your Psalm Singing and all the rest of your other liturgical clap trap. When you lift up your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear you. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evil from your doings: Husbands love your wives, wives submit yourselves to your husbands in joy, children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Wise Men and Magic
Continuing my binge of posts:
"Wise men" only show up in Ex. 7:11 and 36:4. In 7:11 they're Egyptians who are helping the magicians to do enchantments to make their staffs turn into serpents like Aaron's. In 36:4 they're Israelites who are apparently helping Bezalel and Aholiab and the other "wise hearted" artisans to turn the offerings of Israel into a house.
This is in contrast to the golden calf. In 32:4 the golden calf was made with an "engraving tool" which is the same root for the word "magician." So not only was the Israelite sin some sort of imitation of Egyptian sorcery, the building of the tabernacle is true magic, the work of wise men in obedience to the Lord.
One other thought is how the "wise men" who came to see Jesus might have some correspondence to what's going on in Exodus. The Magi bring offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Mt. 2:1-12). Gold is metal that covers everything in the Most Holy Place and the altar of incense. Frankincense is one of the key ingredients in the incense that was to be offered on the altar of incense, and the myrrh is one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil. Not only was that oil for anointing the priests, but it was also put on all the furniture and utensils in the tabernacle. These wise men bring offerings for the building of the new tabernacle. And in particular, their offerings seem to be associated mostly with the supplies needed to construct the Most Holy Place. Jesus is the new tabernacle, the new Holy of Holies, and the new builder of the new house of God in himself.
Last thought while I'm on the magi: The wise men who come to worship Jesus are warned in dreams not to return to the wicked king Herod. These magi understand dreams and interpret them correctly. These are true Magi/true wise men. In the Old Testament that's always the problem with wise men. Pharaoh has dreams that need interpreting and the wise men can't do it. Only Joseph can. Nebuchadnezzar has dreams, but his wise men can't help him. Only Daniel can.
Tovia Ann: Real Baby
I've been meaning to mention that last week we heard Tovia give us a real good cry for the first time.
I should say that Tovia is the sort of baby that does a lot of grunting and squeaking and twisting and turning and frowning when things aren't quite like she would prefer. She's fairly subtle like that. Her usual pattern is to do this grunting-squeaking-twisting-frowning for a while and finally, when she is all fed up with our neglegence, she lays down the law with one, short-lived cry. It lasts for all of two seconds and then she goes back to the squeaking and grunting thing. Her "cry" is like the bell sound at the end of a boxing round; it's the last straw, the final call.
Ok, but what I was leading up to say is that Tovia had her first shots last week, and that was a bit painful and she came home and had her first real good cry. This lasted for all of two minute (maybe). Of course her mom and I were trying our best to make her comfortable and soothe her, but her older brother and sister (our resident natives) came rushing into the room and burst out laughing.
They had never heard Tovia really cry before, and all of a sudden they realized she was a real baby and she was crying and this was apparently quite hilarious.
Ever since, whenever Tovia lets out one of her little cries, both brother and sister giggle and chuckle. Tovia is a real baby. She cries.
Sumpter Plans
Most folks have probably heard by now or have at least heard rumors that we are moving. 'Tis true. I have accepted a call to serve as pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho, and we will be moving at the beginning of July.
I'm very thankful that Holy Trinity here in Greenville has called Craig Beaton to take my place, and he will be able to take over immediately after I leave town. He's an old friend of many in the congregation, a gifted man, and we're grateful to have him stepping in.
So the boxes are beginning to accumulate (again), and plans are beginning to formulate for making the continental trek once more.
I'm grateful to report that our daughter Tovia continues to grow and act like a little new born. She seems to be a fairly mellow and easy-going baby so far, and Jenny is quite pleased that she seems to being going with a deep shade of blue for her eye color. She's plumping up rather nicely, and it's almost hard to believe that she is the same sickly, little girl that was born nine weeks premature on Easter Sunday.
Thanks to those of you who have faithfully upheld our family in prayer over the last number of months. Your prayers have been answered bountifully, and in God's goodness we will be moving home in a few weeks and rolling up our sleeves for the next chapter of this adventure.
Cheers!
Double Creation Narratives
Exodus 25-31 form a single unit of seven speeches: "And God spoke to Moses saying..." The fact that there are seven speeches already suggests a parallel to Genesis 1, but the order of the speeches seems to confirm this pattern as well (e.g. the last speech is a restatement of the Sabbath command). After this "new creation" of Israel, Israel sins and breaks covenant with the Lord, just like Adam. Exodus 32 and the golden calf incident have a number of parallels with Adam's fall (e.g. Aaron shifts blame like Adam, Moses and the sons of Levi gather at the entrance of the tabernacle with swords just like the cherubim that are stationed at the entrance of the garden after the Fall).
That first creation and fall are followed by a covenant renewal sequence (chs. 33-35) before the actual building of the tabernacle begins (36:8). The narrative describes in detail the obedience of Israel and the artisans in following the word of God in building what was described in the original seven speeches. This narrative closes with several statements like "all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished" and "Moses looked over all the work and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them." These sound remarkably like the end of the original creation week: "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good... Thus the heavens and the earth and all the hose of them were finished. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had done... Then God blessed the seventh day..."
The implication seems to be that the actual building of the tabernacle is also an act of creation that fulfills and completes the creation "week" that God had spoken in Ex. 25-31. Perhaps this is in some way following the Genesis narrative. In Gen. 1-2 there are two creation narratives, the first is the original creation week structured by the speeches of God whereas the second is creation narrative focused more directly on the man, the garden, the animals, and finally the creation of the woman. Perhaps there is at least some correspondence to that double creation narrative in Exodus. Ex. 25-31 is Genesis 1-2:4 and Ex. 36:8-39:43 is Gen. 2:5-25.
This would also fit with the tabernacle as a woman motif. When the tabernacle is finally built, a new Eve has finally emerged from the side of Israel, the new son of God, the new Adam.
Bezalel and Aholiab and the Midwives
Given the parallels between the wise women of the early chapters of Exodus and the wise women who are building the tabernacle toward the end of Exodus, it seems clear that Bezalel and Aholiab, the chief artisans of the tabernacle, are in some sense parallel to Shiphrah and Puah, the faithful Hebrew midwives. As Shiphrah and Puah led the Hebrew mothers in giving birth to sons as an act of wisdom in the "fear of God" (1:17), so too Bezalel and Aholiab are leading the wise women artisans in bringing to birth the nation of Israel as the son of God (cf. 4:22).
This also fits with the statement that concludes the midwife narrative which says that because the midwives feared God, He blessed them and gave them "houses" (1:21). Faithful midwives build houses and are given houses; Bezalel and Aholiab are the new faithful midwives who fear the Lord and are building the house of Yahweh.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Wisdom is a Woman
Given that "wisdom" is central to Yahweh's building project, it is hardly surprising that women are the ones singled out for their contributions to the building of the tabernacle (35:22, 35, 36, 38:8). There were clearly men leading the building project, but it is women who are identified most directly with being "gifted artisan" or having "wise hearts."
Wisdom, as Proverbs insists, is a woman.
What's also interesting is that in the instructions for building the tabernacle, the tabernacle itself is identified as a woman or as womanly. In chapter 26, the curtains and boards are said repeatedly to be "coupled to one another" (26:3, 5, 6, 17), but literally the hebrew says "a woman to her sister." The curtains are joined together like "a woman to her sister." Literally the curtains and boards of the tabernacle are sisters; they are feminine. It is the wise women who are weaving the fabrics and spinning the yarn for the curtains who are themselves women.
Wisdom, as the book of Exodus insists, is a woman.
Wisdom Builds a House
At the beginning of Exodus it is Pharaoh who decides to deal "shrewdly" with the Hebrews and forces them to build his storage cities. The word in Hebrew is literally "wisely" (1:10). Later, it is Pharaoh who summons his "wise men" to perform enchantments to counter Moses and Aaron (7:11). Of course Yahweh confounds the wisdom of Pharaoh and all of his wise men and delivers Israel out of bondage. Numerous people have pointed out that Israel is changing masters/lords: they go from serving Pharaoh to serving Yahweh, they go from building Pharaoh's cities to building Yahweh's house. One of the other striking contrasts is between the wisdom of Pharaoh and the wisdom of Yahweh. Throughout the tabernacle building narratives (31:1-6, and chapters 35-38), God gives "wisdom" to the craftsmen and builders of the tabernacle. In the NKJV, the word "gifted artisan/s" is literally "wise hearted." The wisdom of Pharaoh sends Hebrew slaves to build his cities as a not-so-cleverly disguised population control measure, whereas Yahweh's wisdom is the Spirit of freedom given that they might build Yahweh's house and have life.
Monday, June 02, 2008
New Covenants
We have noted this morning that when we refer to the "Sinai Covenant" we are really referring to two covenants. The covenant is originally established with the nation of Israel, the law is given and explained, and the whole deal is sealed with a feast. But this covenant is broken in the golden calf incident, and it is only through Moses' intervention and mediation, that the covenant is renewed. In Moses, God makes a new covenant with the people of Israel. But this is not the first time this pattern has occurred. In the Garden of Eden, God made a covenant with Adam. Adam broke that covenant, but God renewed the covenant with Adam through the promised seed. God made a new covenant with Adam on the basis of the Seed who would come to crush the head of the serpent. In the Seed, God makes the new covenant with Adam and his posterity. Finally, we see this same pattern at work in the New Covenant. There is ambiguity in the prophets at points whether the New Covenant was established in the return from exile or at the coming of the Messiah. But this ambiguity is for the same reasons we have noted the previous pattern. God did in fact make covenant with the returned exiles, but they like their Adamic ancestors before them, broke this covenant, and by the time of the first century, the covenant breaking had become a way of life. Only through the mediation of Christ, could Israel be saved from God's wrath. Thus in Jesus, God made a new covenant with Israel. And this meal is the celebration of that new covenant. This is the new covenant in Christ's blood. But one of the points that this reoccurring pattern makes is that new covenants are always for covenant breakers. New Covenants are provisions for people who are under the wrath and judgment of God. You are not invited here because you are good or holy or because somehow you really will keep covenant this time. No, you come to this table to be united to the one mediator who has pleased God. In Christ, your sins are forgiven, and you are accepted and forgiven. This meal is for the forgiveness of sins. This is the new covenant in his blood. So come and rejoice.
Third Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 33-34
Note: A number of the following ideas were inspired by several talks in James B. Jordan's audio lecture series "Studies in Exodus."
Opening Prayer: Gracious and long-suffering God, we come before you now and ask that your Word would transform us and glorify us. Fill us with your Spirit that we might be your faithful servants. Through Jesus our Son and our Lord, Amen!
Introduction
The Image of God is related to the Word of God: Adam imaged God as he obeyed his Word. When the Word was broken so was the Image. Like Adam, Israel needs a Word-keeping Image to lead them. Moses is that Christ-like mediator.
God Becomes the Curse
God initially proposes to send Israel to the land of promise with his Angel ahead of them; he says that he will not go in their midst because he would end up “consuming” them (33:1-3). This is the same word he used back in 32:10 and 12 which means to “finish/complete.” He would bring them to an end if he was in their midst. Remember the promise of the Angel of Yahweh was the promise of God’s presence/nearness (23:21, 23, 25). God had originally intended to dwell with the people of Israel (Ex. 25:8, 29:45-46). The ornaments (Egyptian spoils) are significant because they were what the golden calf had been made out of (33:4-6, cf. 32:2-4). Moses’ response is to move his tent “outside the camp” for the safety of Israel (33:7). But being “outside the camp” is itself a kind of curse: it is where the sin offerings are deposited (Ex. 29:14, Heb. 13:11), it is where lepers live (Lev. 13:46), it is where the condemned are taken for execution (Lev. 24:14, Num. 15:35). Being outside the camp is a sign of a curse (cf. Heb. 13:13). Moses and the Presence of God go outside the camp bearing the curse of Israel, so that Israel can still worship in their doorways without being consumed (33:8-10).
A New Passover
Being in the doorway reminds us of the Passover (Ex. 12:7, 22-23). The doorway is also where the continual offering was supposed to be, where God would meet with Israel and dwell in their midst (29:42). Now only Moses meets with God at the door and Israel worships in their doorways from a distance (33:8-10). Instead of the pillar of smoke ascending from the altar at the doorway, God’s own cloud presence is the pillar ascending. Instead of Israelites offering the worship directly and “standing” in the doorway of God’s house, they are “standing” in their own doorways and worshipping from a distance. The word for pillar is the same for “standing” and literally means “stood up” (33:9-10). Thus, every time Moses enters the tent, and God does not consume Israel, the Angel is “passing over” the camp and descending upon the doorway of Moses, but Moses is not consumed because he has found “grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
Moses is a New Noah
Moses is like a new Noah in this story in that he has “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Ex. 33:12-13, 16-17, cf. Gen. 6:8). God promises to send his presence with Moses and give him “rest,” a verb related to the name of Noah (33:14). While God decisively distinguished between Noah and his family and all the rest of the people “upon the face of the earth,” Moses asks that God be just as faithful with him and all Israel (33:16, cf. Gen. 6:7, 7:4). Wound through this exchange is Moses’ request for God not only to go with him but also to go with the people (33:13). God initially says he will go with Moses (33:14), but Moses insists that his presence go with “us” (33:15-16). And Yahweh agrees to do this thing (33:17). This new covenant appears to be made with Moses as opposed to the whole nation. God makes the covenant with Moses and all who are “in him” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:2). The other request of Moses was to know God’s way and to see his glory (33:13, 18), and God also grants this request through proclaiming his name to Moses (33:19). God places Moses in the cleft of the rock and allows him to see God’s “back” as he declares his Name (33:20-23, 34:5-8). His Name is His Glory. Like Noah, God makes a new covenant with Moses; Exodus 34:10-28 is a recapitulation of Ex. 21-23 the book of the covenant. Compare 34:10-17 to 23:23-24:8 and 34:18-26 to 22:29-23:19. Again, Moses tells them the “Ten Words” of Yahweh (34:28), and he explains the covenant to Aaron, the rulers, and all the people (34:31-32). Exodus 34 basically retells the story of Ex. 19-24 only with a single character (Moses) instead of the entire nation: proclamation, specific laws, forty days and nights on the mountain, and a descent with the Ten Words.
The Shining Face
Jim Jordan points out that this story begins with a golden (shining) idol which is meant to replace the leadership of Moses and the glory cloud of God (32:1ff). This story ends with Moses shining with the glory of God (34:29). Part of this is an explanation of the second commandment that Israel has broken: people are the image of God as they are conformed to his Word (34:1-2, 7, 14, 17, cf. Ex. 20:4-6). In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul explains that Moses’ veil is a parable for the people to show them their own hardness of heart. Paul says that Moses wore the veil to show the people that the glory was “rendered ineffective” (2 Cor. 3:7, 11, 13). Moses takes the veil off when he speaks to the elders, the people, and to God (Ex. 34:31-35). But Paul says that it was “rendered ineffective,” and this happens when minds are blinded but for those who “turn to the Lord” the veil is taken away (2 Cor. 3:16), and with unveiled faces we behold the glory of the Lord and are transformed into the same image, the image of Christ as the gospel is proclaimed (2 Cor. 3:17-18, 4:3-6). Paul ties all of this to creation: just as the Word commands light to come out of darkness, so too the Word precedes and produces the Image (2 Cor. 4:6).
Conclusions and Applications
Christians gather “outside the camp” for worship, to the Lord Jesus who has borne our curse, to bear his reproach with him (Heb. 13:13). He has borne our curse. We are called out of the camp to our new Moses to share in his glory, to a Moses-like ministry on behalf of the world. We like Moses must have the same kind of love that intercedes for the world (Jn. 3:16). God wants us to wrestle with him for the world. Remember, Jacob wrestles with God before entering the land. It’s in the wrestling that Jacob sees God and is blessed (32:24-32). God gives us his Name/Word for wrestling with him (34:6-9), and this is for our glory and blessing. This is a wonderful promise, but this is also a sobering threat. If the Word of God is not received in faith, it can be “rendered ineffective.”
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Almighty God, since you abound in truth and goodness, we ask that you cause your Word to penetrate into us deeply. Teach us to love your Word that we might wrestle with you and be blessed so that you might go with us as take this land.
Doing Marital Laundry
One of the ways that we love one another is through manners. Etiquette, someone has said, is just love in the little things. Everyone has laundry to do, but it’s common courtesy to do it before or after the dinner guests arrive. Now in every marriage there are discussions to be had; husbands and wives need to have open, honest conversations and sometimes issues need to be worked through before there is agreement or consensus. That in itself is not a problem so long as it is taking place in a Christian manner. But it is simply bad manners to allow those discussions and conversations to be broadcast to friends and other family members. Everyone knows that Mr. Smith has underwear, but Mrs. Smith ought not leave them lying around the living room for the dinner guests to wade through. This is all to say that wives and husbands need to guard their conversations with others such that their words do not bring out their dirty laundry for the world to see. And we need to guard this because James says that the tongue is fire that is able to set the whole body ablaze. Paul says that a wife is the glory of her husband, and it is the husband’s calling to give glory to her. And this is why Paul says that a man who loves his wife actually loves himself. To be glory and to bestow glory is to make the other look good. If you are the glory of your husband then your words ought to make him look good, your words ought to make him sound like the faithful husband that he is. If your wife is your glory, then your words ought to bestow glory upon her, by praising her (to her face and to others) and by making her look good. That’s what glory does. These are little things, but they are like the rudder that is able to turn a ship in completely different directions. Of course there is a time when husbands and wives can and should seek help and advice from appropriate friends and elders, but even this must be done in a spirit of love and respect. The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself; this means that you ought to speak about your closest neighbor (your spouse) in the way that you would want to be spoken about. You are your spouse’s glory; therefore let your words reflect this.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Armies of Yahweh
I have mentioned briefly in a couple of my recent sermons that it is striking that in the book of Exodus only Yahweh has armies. We usually think of the story of the Exodus and think of the Egyptian armies chasing down the rag-tag nation of Hebrews scrambling out of Egypt. But this is not at all how God tells the story. There are "armies" in the book of Exodus, but Pharaoh does not have any. Pharaoh has "strength" and "might" and "chariots" and "fortresses," but strictly speaking, he has no "armies." Pharaoh has no "hosts." Only the Lord God has hosts. Israel is the army of Yahweh (Ex. 6:26, 7:4, 12:17, 12:41, 12:51). And these armies of Yahweh are not at all pictured as retreating or scrambling in any sense. In fact, they are the conquering army of God; they plunder the Egyptians as they leave the land. Israel is the victorious army of Yahweh fresh out of battle, marching home with the spoils of their enemies. The Israelites themselves do not realize this as they see Pharaoh's men riding after them, but the story remembers them this way.
This becomes important later in Ex. 30 where God strongly discourages the act of taking a census of all the fighting men. He discourages it with a tax on every eligible fighting male counted in a census. If this tax is not paid as a ransom-price for the census, a plague will fall on the people. Of course this is exactly what happens in 2 Samuel 24 with David's sinful census of the armies of Israel.
The word for army/armies is TZAVA/TZAVAOT, and it only shows up one more time in the book of Exodus in chapter 38. There the verse is translated in the New King James: "He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting" (38:8). The "serving women" are actually "hosts" who "wage war" at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. This is a wonderful conclusion to the story of the Exodus. The Bride-People of God are the armies of Yahweh while living in Goshen, heeding the voice of Moses, keeping the Passover, and so forth. These armies march out of the decimated lands of Egypt as conquering armies. While the Passover makes the point most clearly, we know from the beginning of the story that it is the prayers/cries of Israel that have come up to Yahweh and cause him to destroy the enemies of Israel and deliver them from bondage. Finally, the Passover is a feast, an act of worship and devotion to Yahweh God which brings about the final blow to the land of Egypt and Pharaoh as the Angel of Death passes through the land. Thus, it is worship which is the warfare of the Bride-Hosts of Yahweh in the beginning, and it is through worship at the tabernacle of meeting that the Women-Hosts "wage war" at the end of the story.
We cannot state this too strongly in the modern context: As far as God is concerned, only the Christian Church has armies. The U.S. may have fortresses, North Korea may have nukes, and the Afghans may have suicide bombers, but we are the armies of Yahweh. We are the hosts of God. There are no other armies on the field of battle.
In Order of Cuteness
Tovia continues to eat, sleep, and grow like a normal newborn baby. We're so thankful for the first signs of what my dad calls "hockey thighs." We have every expectation that she will soon be a certified pudge thanks to mom's good milk and her hearty appetite. 
This was nap time. And I assure you it only lasted for a few minutes like this. 
Felicity continues to take her big sister duties very seriously. 
Somehow, a week or so ago, I managed to graduate from seminary, and my son was fairly pleased with my uniform for the occasion. 
The family in front of the Due West ARP Church's cemetary. The cemetary has a number of Confederate Army soldiers and veterans buried there. 
From the Left: Luke Brodine, Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old, me, and (now) Dr. Terry Johnson. 
Me and the kids.
Eucharist for the World
You may know that there is an old custom in the Roman Catholic Church of saying Masses for the dead. It is believed and taught that because the Mass is a re-offering of the sacrifice of Jesus that it is in effect like the sacrifices of the OT that had to be offered over and over again for the forgiveness of sins. And since the Roman theology allows that people may be continue to be cleansed and forgiven even after death, they have taught that this meal (what they call the Mass) may be offered as a sacrifice for certain people who are not yet cleansed of all their sins. But this gets the Eucharist all wrong. This Lord’s Supper is a victory feast which shows forth the Lord’s death until he comes. This feast proclaims the death of death, it proclaims the forgiveness of sins in Christ’s body and blood, and it declares that this was accomplished some 2000 years ago. At the same time, as is the case with much distorted theology, there is an element of truth in what the Roman Church teaches. We do worship here on behalf of the world. What we do here is for the life of the world. In Revelation, John sees the worship of the saints and the angels accomplishing the judgments of God in the world. And therefore, when we worship here at this table, as we eat and drink and rejoice before the Lord, we do so for the cocaine addicts, for the prostitutes, for the homosexuals, for the abortion doctors, for the Muslim terrorists, and for all those who are lost, hopeless, and without the grace of God in their lives. We celebrate this meal as the great memorial of the only Atonement that does avail with God. And just as Moses saw the great sin of Israel and ascended to make atonement for the sins of Israel, so too we come out of the world each week, ascend into the presence of God and offer here the memorial of that Great Atoning work of Jesus for the sins of the world. We proclaim here the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness not only of our sins but for the sins of the world. We plead with God here to remember Jesus and save the world.
Second Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 32
Introduction
Moses was up on the mountain for forty days and nights (24:18), and apparently the people got a little restless. This fall comes at the close of the “creation week” (ch. 25-31), and therefore we see that Israel, the son of Yahweh, the new Adam, is still much like his first father.
Literally, the people see that Moses “delayed with shame.” This seems to indicate that they were beginning to be embarrassed with how long it was taking him up there. They’re feeling insecure. Think about Saul and the sacrifice (1 Sam. 13:8ff). Israel puts distance between itself and Moses by referring to him as “this man,” and they say that they don’t know what happened to him (32:1).
This great apostasy that Israel commits is much like Adam’s in that it expressly breaks the covenant that God has made with Israel. The most obvious points of the breach are the first and second commandments against having any other gods before Yahweh and making carved images to bow down to and serve (cf. 20:2-4ff). We know that Aaron is a major player in this incident, but there are others involved as well: “They say, ‘This is your god, O Israel…” (32:4). Here the first commandment is breached, the carved image has an altar in front of it for worship and service (32:5), but this is clearly also a great sin against the name of Yahweh (third commandment) which God has repeatedly emphasized as being significant to the action of the Exodus (Ex. 6:3-6, 7:5, 10:1-2ff, 12:12, 15:3ff). Remember, it was Pharaoh who originally said that he did not know this “Yahweh God,” but the entire narrative is set up to show us who this God is and what his name means. Finally, the fact that a feast is declared is a breach of the fourth commandment. The Sabbath is the weekly feast to Yahweh who gives his people rest and joy. This pseudo-Sabbath is a feast to the gold calf and the gods he represents. Yahweh does not miss any of this (32:7-9). Literally, he says, “now let me have rest, that my wrath may burn hot against them…” (32:10). He wants to take a Sabbath and make an end them (32:10) which is sort of what he did when he finished creating (Gen. 2:1, Ex. 20:11). Yahweh has just finished speaking the instructions for the creation of a new world (ch. 25-31), but now because of Israel’s sin, he wants to make an end of it in a different way.
Moses “pleads” with Yahweh (32:11), but the word here is often used for being “weak or ill” (e.g. Gen. 48:1, Jdg. 16:7). It also has the same consonants as the word for the “cakes” of bread offered with many of the sacrifices (e.g. Ex. 29:2, 29, Lev. 2:4, 7:13). Moses’ prayer is “sacrificial” in so far as it is mediation of God’s fierce fiery-wrath. Moses’ prayer is almost entirely an appeal to Yahweh’s reputation (32:12-13). Moses appeals to what he has done, what the Egyptians will think, and his promises to the patriarchs. The fact that the camp is full of the noise of “singing” is striking since this is something that has not been explicitly mentioned since the Exodus. The word literally means “answer/respond,” but it is the same verb used here as describes Miriam singing their song of victory (15:21). Remember that Israel is picture throughout the Exodus narrative as the “armies” of Yahweh, and thus instead of fighting the battles of Yahweh, they have turned away and are singing the praises of this new god who brought Israel out of Egypt. Notice that Moses is able to plead with God on behalf of Israel and still burn with anger against them (32:10-11, 19).
Moses recognizes that Aaron is largely responsible for this great fall, and yet Aaron (like Adam) blames the bride (32:22-24). Aaron did not guard and restrain the people just as Adam failed to guard and restrain his wife in the garden (32:25). As Yahweh placed cherubim at the entrance of the garden with a flaming sword so too, Moses calls the faithful Levites to himself at the entrance of the camp with their swords, and they cut down about 3,000 of the people (32:26-28). The Levites are the new angelic guards of the sanctuary.
Moses calls the people to consecrate themselves because there has been a great battle between fathers, sons, and brothers (32:29). The judgment of the Levites is surely part of this, but the implication seems to be that the “great sin” of Israel is not merely against God but against their neighbors and families. There is also more going on because Moses calls upon them to literally “fill their hands” to the Lord (32:29). Remember that “filling the hands” was an integral part of the ordination rite of the priests (29:24), but literally the command to “ordain/consecrate” Aaron and his sons is to “fill their hands” (28:41, 29:9, 29, 33, 35). The ESV makes the connection most explicit by saying “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord…” This draws attention to the rest of the “hands” in this passage: the gold in the hands of Israel (32:4), the mighty hand of Yahweh (32:11), and the stone tablets cast out of the hands of Moses (32:19).
The next day, Moses declares that Israel has committed a great sin, but he will go up to Yahweh and seek to make atonement for them (32:30). He returns to the Lord and confesses their sins and offers to take their punishment for their sin (32:31-32). The Lord seems to reject this offer, relenting slightly, but nevertheless promising punishment for their sin (32:33-34). The final statement may be a summary of the judgment of the Levites or God may have actually struck them with a plague (32:35).
Conclusions and Applications
This is an enormous apostasy on the part of Israel. They have blatantly and flagrantly broken the covenant, but notice Moses’ response. He pleads for mercy and offers to take their place. This is the greatest kind of love, Jesus says, when a man lays his life down for his friends (Jn. 15:13). God has bestowed this kind of love upon us in the face of our blatant and flagrant sins, and we are called upon to offer the same sacrificial love.
Confessing sins is an ongoing duty for all of us when we blow it big and in the little things. Men, you are called upon to name your sins and confess them. And as covenant heads, learn to confess the sins of your households (e.g. Job 1:5), but as the priests and kings of our communities, we confess the sins of our people as well.
Lastly, the call to repentance is always a call to “ordination.” Your ordination was accomplished in your baptism, and we renew that ordination in worship. Here, we renew our cleansing with confession, we renew our faith and commitment in the Word, and we renew our communion in the Eucharist, and hands are placed upon us in the benediction.
What is in your hands? What are you filling your hands with?
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Almighty and Gracious Lord, we give you thanks and praise that you have given us your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, to consecrate our lives to you, and to empower us to serve in your kingdom. We ask that you would make us like the sons of Levi, that we would follow Jesus in his warfare against all sin and wickedness and at the same time, teach us to intercede for the wicked, for the erring, and for the lost. We ask that you would make us living sacrifices.
Allegiance in the Wallet
This year our federal government is issuing checks to most of the citizens of this country as an effort to stimulate the economy. Quite apart from questions of whether this is wise, or a real solution to any supposed challenges the economy may have, as Christians, we need to think about this in a Christian way. And in doing so, we must assert at least three things: First and foremost, we must insist that our full and complete allegiance is to King Jesus. We look to the Lord Jesus for our ultimate strength, for our ultimate stability, for our ultimate security, and for our ultimate prosperity. All attempts of the President, Congress, and the United States Federal Reserve to fill that calling are utterly idolatrous, and we repudiate such arrogance. Secondly, it must not escape our attention that there are repeated warnings regarding money and riches throughout Scripture. Money is the root of all kinds of evil. Modern American Evangelicals are in the stranglehold of greed and mammon. We must guard against any and all monetary idolatry, particularly when we are beset on all sides by bills and financial demands that seem overwhelming and sometimes impossible. The Triune God is our Savior, and we will not be cowed into groveling before the shrine of Mammon in any way. Money is never a real solution to real problems; in the hands of a wise man it is a tool and a means of blessing, but in the clutches of fools, it is a hangman’s noose and an aggressive cancer. But this leads to the last point: we are not Gnostics and there is nothing evil about money in itself. We are called to submit to our ruling authorities, and we are to do so with all thankfulness and gratitude. And this means that as the checks come in, we can and ought to say thank you, but we ought to do so with wisdom and discernment and as the citizens of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus. You cannot serve two masters; you cannot serve God and mammon. Jesus is the Lord of your bank account and your checkbook and your debit cards; therefore, show your allegiance to him there.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Lord who makes Lords
This meal is called the “Lord’s Supper” in 1 Corinthians 11, and that word “Lord’s” is only used one other time in the New Testament, and that’s in the phrase “Lord’s Day” when John was in the Spirit and saw the visions of Revelation. The word for “Lord’s” is just a possessive adjective like “your, my, his, her,” but in these cases it’s fairly unique. The Lord’s Supper, most literally, was the Last Supper. That was his meal that he gave to his disciples to celebrate. Likewise, the Lord’s Day, most literally, is the day of Resurrection, the day on which the new world erupted in time, the time in which a new day began. When Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper and gather for worship on the Lord’s Day, we are being invited to join into those original acts: the Last Supper as a new Passover Feast, a victory celebration of the Exodus, and a new first day of Creation, a new separation of light and darkness, a new Light to be Called Day, since Jesus came back from the nothingness of the grave alive. We enter into the victory feast on the victory day, and yet these are events and accomplishments that belong to the Lord. They are his. The victory belongs to the Lord. But this is the glory of being invited here. When the Lord invites us to his feast and to celebrate his day, he calls upon us to join him in them. In other words, Jesus invites us to be lords with him. This table is the Lord’s Supper and therefore it is for lords. This day is the Lord’s Day and therefore it is a day for lords. To be invited to share in the victory of the Lord is to be invited to be a lord with the Lord. This is the Lord’s feast on the Lord’s victory day, and it is spread for all the lords of the land. So come: eat, drink, and rejoice.
Trinity Sunday: Exodus 30-31
Opening Prayer: Gracious Father, we thank you for creating us in your image to be the lords of this world. Almighty God, we thank you for Jesus who has come that we might have your image renewed and transfigured in us. Grant that through us, you might remake the world around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Introduction
Today we finish the section of instructions for creating the new world of God in the tabernacle (Ex. 25-31). This section finishes the “creation week,” and it reminds us that worship is all about remaking the world.
Golden Altar of Incense (finishing Day 1)
The altar of incense is golden which means that it is associated with the Most Holy Place (30:3). It is place in the Holy Place directly in front of the veil of the Most Holy Place (30:6). And it is Most Holy just like the bronze altar (30:10 cf. 29:37). Nothing else goes on this altar except for “sweet incense” every morning (30:7) and once a year on the day of Atonement blood is smeared on its horns “to make atonement for it” (30:10). Chapters 25-30:10 are “day one” of this new creation. The tabernacle is the light of the new world; the tabernacle is what separates the Day of Israel from the Night of the nations.
Census and Atonement (Day 2)
“Day two” is the provision for the people to protect them from the plague when a census is taken (30:12). The obvious implication is that if they took a census without this “atonement offering” they would be struck by a plague. This word means “plague,” but it is the noun form a word that generally means “strike.” It is used to describe the plague of frogs and the plague of the firstborn, and later generally to the whole Exodus story. Remember that the story of the Exodus as a great battle between the “hosts” of Israel (Ex. 6:26, 7:4, 12:17, 41, 51) and the fortress-strength of Pharaoh (14:4, 9, 17, 24, 28). There, at the Passover, blood covered the armies of Israel. This ransom payment is the same for all males over 20, and therefore it is a matter of life. But this whole provision seems to have something to do with trusting the God of armies and not one’s armies. Remember David’s sinful census of the armies of Israel (2 Sam. 24). Remember that the second day of creation concerned the firmament that separated the waters above from the waters below, it has to do with how heaven and earth are joined and relate (cf. 2 Kgs. 6:8-17ff).
Laver of Cleansing (Day 3)
“Day three” of the original creation week was the gathering the waters together into one place to create dry ground and the seas. Here in the new world of the tabernacle we have the waters gathered into a miniature sea that stands between the altar and the tent (30:18). In the temple it is actually called the “sea” (e.g. 1 Kgs. 7:23). The priests are required to wash their hands and feet before going into the tent and before offering the sacrifices on the altar (30:20). This washing is required on pain of death (30:20-21). Perhaps this gives new significance to Jesus’ foot washing at the last supper. Jesus is preparing his disciples for sanctuary-service, and he commands them to go and do likewise (Jn. 13:3-17).
Oil of Anointing (Day 4)
On “day four” God made the great lights and placed them in the firmament. These great lights are rulers, and they are meant to symbolize God’s own glory and rule. Likewise, oil is associated with rule, and oil makes a man’s face bright and shine like the lights of heaven. This oil is used to anoint the tabernacle and all of its utensils and furniture (30:25-28). This is also the oil used to anoint Aaron and his sons (30:30). This oil is considered holy and may not be used for common purposes in Israel, and if anyone does so, he shall be “cut off from his people” (30:33).
Incense (Day 5)
“Day five” describes the incense that God requires the priests to offer before him. It is “most holy,” and this is related to the fact that it is offered “before the Testimony” (30:36). Like the oil, it is holy and may not be used for ordinary purposes in Israel. He who treats Yahweh’s incense as common will be “cut off from his people” (30:38). Throughout Scripture, incense is associated with prayer (e.g. Ps. 141:2); prayer ought to fill and permeate our lives. It ought to stick to us and in our clothes like a scent that is hard to shake. Throughout Scripture we see the presence of God surrounded by smoke and incense, and John sees incense rising to the throne of God with the prayers of the saints (e.g. Rev. 5:8, Rev. 8:3-4). This is why it has been common in the historic Christian church to use incense in worship both to beautify and to remind.
The Spirit and the Artisans (Day 6)
Just as God breathed the breath of life into man on the sixth day of creation (Gen. 2:7), so too, the Spirit is given to Bezalel and Aholiab (31:4). This is the same Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation (Gen. 1:1). The image of God in man includes the power and drive to create by the inspiration of the Spirit. This Spirit of creation is wisdom in their hearts (31:6).And this Spirit and the wisdom given to these artisans is for following the commands of Yahweh (31:6, 11, cf. Gal. 5:16ff). This is what true creativity is: it takes the pattern-commands of God and implements them in beautiful ways in the world.
Sabbath Reminder (Day 7)
As the first creation week ended with Sabbath, so too, God reminds Moses/Israel that this new world must include the original creation pattern. The Sabbath is a sign to Israel that they might know that it is Yahweh who sanctifies them (31:13). Israel is to guard this time just like they guard the other holy things of God, and the one who treats it commonly will be put to death and “cut off from his people” (31:14). The Sabbath observance is the covenant between God and his people (31:16). We rest as the Creator rests (31:17). The Sabbath is a call to live like God does. Create like God does but rest and rejoice in our labors like God does. God was “refreshed” when he rested, and he calls us to the same (31:17). To be refreshed is to be given the breath of life (cf. Gen. 2:7).
Conclusions & Applications
We labor in the world for the kingdom of God. We sell merchandise for the King. We raise and teach children for the King. We run businesses, wash dishes, take out garbage, and crunch numbers for the King. We need to think intentionally and strategically about this. And there are at least two possible errors to avoid: Because God is renewing and refashioning this world, it takes wisdom to understand which things stay and which things go. This is like cleaning out the basement: depending on your personality, you are probably tempted to throw everything out or save everything. But neither one will do.
Cultivate Sabbath living. An important part of making/re-making the world is through rest. Give the “breath of life” to your family on the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day should not be weighed down with too many activities, too many rules, and don’t treat it like it’s just another government holiday. The Sabbath is like your first day in a brand new world. What would you do?
You are lords of this world made new in Christ. In the OC God gave numerous explicit instructions for ruling the earth, but in the NC, you have been granted authority in Christ. This means that God gives you this world and cares what you think. How do you think it should go? What should Greenville look like in 20 years? 40 years? 500 years? You are the priests and kings of this city therefore live, pray, and rejoice in this fact.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you that the blood of Jesus was poured out to purchase all the nations of the earth. We thank you that this includes Greer and Greenville, South Carolina. We ask that you would teach us diligence and wisdom as we seek to rule wisely in this land that you are giving to your Son, King Jesus. Give us true Trinitarian wisdom.
Trinitarian Words
Bound up in the being of the Triune God is a God who speaks. John says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And it was through this Word that the worlds sprang into existence. Because we are made in the image and likeness of the Trinity we cannot help but imitate this. We speak words, and our words either create worlds of beauty, joy, and order, or else they are words the create worlds of heartache, confusion, and shame. Of course this is true of everyone to a degree, but in the Christian family, the Father sits in a unique place to create the world of his home. The words of a Father make and unmake the world of his family.
Often there are two extremes the men fall into and both are essentially Unitarian heresies; both deny the Trinity. There are the Deist Unitarians. Because God has not spoken, because there is no Word, no Trinity, their adherents cannot speak. These Unitarians find themselves distantly related to a world but refuse to speak, refuse to undertake the challenging work of creating a world of life and light and joy in their homes. They know it’s going to be hard, they might face opposition, and maybe they’ve been burned in the past. But not speaking, refusing to create is selfish, cowardly, and unfaithful to God’s commands.
Then there are the Muslim Unitarians. This Unitarian god has no Word, has no Trinity, and is mad about the whole deal. Husbands who act like Allah cannot incarnate their word, they cannot love with their words, they can only bark commands, make demands, and insist that their wills be carried out to perfection. But this is no less selfish, no less cowardly; this god refuses to love, this god cannot love. He refuses to risk his very life for the world. But we serve the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Fathers/Husbands, you are called upon to imitate this glorious community. Incarnate your words, live them, and let your words be words of love. Send your words into the world of your family and send them so that they can die for the life of your family. Send your words into the world so that they can save, heal, and resurrect. Because Jesus is the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, and God sent his Word into the World that we might have life in the Spirit.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Court Burst Open
“Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy.” (Ex. 29:32-33)
One of the common phrases used in the history of the church to refer to this sacrament is “Holy food for holy people.” And this can be a helpful phrase in several respects. First, it reinforces the idea of vocation. You are called here to eat this meal for a particular purpose, toward a particular end. To be holy is to be separated, distinguished, called out for a particular task. To have a vocation is to have a calling. Some of you have been called to be students right now, some of you have been called to be teachers, some of you are called to be accountants, some of you are mothers and fathers, some of you are children, some of you run businesses, and others of you work skillfully with your hands. These are not just things you do to make money. These are not menial tasks in the sight of God. In fact, when you were baptized, and every time you come to this table, you are set apart and sanctified and called again to those tasks. You have been anointed and ordained to be a father, to be a mother, to be a brick layer, to be a barista, to be a carpenter, to be a supervisor, to be a student, to be a teacher. These are holy callings, and this meal is part of your calling. The court of the tabernacle has been burst open; wherever you work and whatever God has called you to do, it is done in the court of the house of God. Here you eat at the house of God or better as the house of God, as the tabernacle of God. But you are all priests in this house. You are all servants and members of the holy family of the new priesthood. You and your sons, you and your daughters are all the royal priesthood of the Lord Jesus. You have an anointing from the Holy One of God; you have been given the Holy Spirit who calls you to your tasks, to your labors as holy tasks, holy callings, holy vocations in the court of the King. Therefore eat, drink, and rejoice, for He who calls you to these holy tasks gives you the strength to perform them in holiness in order to display the glory of the Lord.
Eighth Sunday in Easter: Pentecost: Exodus 29
Opening Prayer: Almighty and Gracious God, we are your holy people, gathered in your holy name, to feast upon your holy word and gifts. Pour out your life giving and illuminating Spirit upon us now as we consider your holy word. Grant this for Jesus’ sake, Amen!
Introduction
Today is Pentecost, the high feast of the Christian year when we celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit by the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we worship the Holy Spirit together with the Father and the Son as the one who has anointed us, filled us, and empowers us for service.
Ordination
After the priests were washed (29:4), Aaron was vested in his garments (29:5-6) and anointed to sanctify him (29:7), his sons are vested (29:8-9), and then a series of sacrifices and rituals commenced. There were three animals to be offered: a bull and two rams (29:1). Aaron and his sons lean their hands on each of the animals before they are slaughtered (29:10, 15, 19). As with the individual worshipper, the animal represents those who lay their hands upon it (cf. Lev. 1:4). It is not an accident that this same ritual of ordination is still a central part of ordination in the new covenant (cf. Acts 6:6, 1 Tim. 4:14). Ordination is a call to substitutionary death through sacrificial ministry.
The Sacrifices
The sacrifices are a sin offering (29:14), an ascension offering (29:18), and a peace offering (29:28, 32). Since these represent the priests, they suggest different aspects of priestly service: they are to be a ministry of atonement/forgiveness (sin offering), they are a ministry of reconciliation and reunion (ascension offering), and they are a ministry of peace and rejuvenation (peace offering). This is the same order that the cleansing ritual of the Nazirite follows (Num. 6:16-17). This suggests both that the Nazirite was a kind of temporary priest, but also that priests are Nazirite-like warriors of Yahweh. The blood of the ram of consecration is put on the extremities of the Aaron and his sons (29:20), and blood and oil together is sprinkled upon them (29:21). A very similar action is also prescribed for the cleansing of lepers (Lev. 14:14-18). Notice the priest gets at the beginning what both Nazirites and lepers get at the end. For Nazirites and lepers, their separation was temporary and unusual, for priests, they are separated permanently and vocationally. It is their calling to be separated as holy to the Lord.
Walking Altars
The action of “filling the hands of Aaron” is integral to the ordination ceremony (29:24, Lev. 8:27, cf. Num. 6:19). The meat of the peace offering and the bread of the wave offering are to be eaten in the holy place: it is holy food for holy people (29:33-34). The priestly ordination in some way appears to make Aaron and his sons the equivalent of the altar: just as the priest is cleansed and anointed to consecrate him (29:1, 7-9, and his garments 29:21, 29), so too must the altar be cleansed and anointed to consecrate it (29:36). As blood is put on the extremities of the altar (29:12), so too, blood is put on the extremities of Aaron and his sons (29:20). The conclusion is that the altar is “most holy” (like the Most Holy Place), and therefore whoever touches it must be “holy” (29:37). Presumably, the altar is considered “most holy” because it carries the sacrifices directly into the presence of God; likewise priests are walking altars in so far as they carry the blood of the sacrifices directly into the presence of God in the tabernacle. Just as the sacrifices are placed upon the altar, they are placed upon the palms of Aaron and his sons. Priests are walking altars.
Worship for Glory for Evangelism
The final verses of this chapter outline the daily worship that the priests are to offer in order that God’s glory might sanctify the children of Israel (29:43-46). The glory of God dwells with Israel in order that they may know and remember the Exodus-gospel. The glory of God appears in order that God might be known. It is this reality that actually occurs in the closing verses of Exodus (40:34-38). When the glory of the Lord comes down into the tabernacle, Moses is not able to enter the presence of the Lord (40:35), and the glory of the Lord appears as a great cloud and fire “in the sight of all the house of Israel” (40:38). The tabernacle is the house of God, and with one great fire over top of it, it is a portable altar: when it moves, Israel follows (40:36-38).
Pentecost and Today
What we see in Exodus 40 is precisely what occurred in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit was poured out. There, a rushing, mighty wind came and “filled the whole house where they were sitting,” but instead of one, centralized fire over the house, “there appeared divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:3-4). The new house of God is the Church which is made up of all the people who have been anointed and sanctified by this Spirit-presence of God.
If the priests of the old covenant were called to minister as sacrificial substitutes for the rest of Israel, and if they were called upon to be ‘walking altars’ for the nation of Israel, it cannot be more plain that this is what all Christians are called to in the new covenant. The reason that fire comes down upon each of the believers at Pentecost is because they have all been turned into altars. They have all been consecrated, made holy, anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore you are called to that sacrificial ministry of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. The worship that you enact here is meant to bring the glory of God to the world in order that they might know God. Live out your liturgy in the power of the Spirit.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Closing Prayer: Gracious Father, we ask you for a double portion of your Spirit now. Even as Elisha was granted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, we ask for the Holy Spirit of your servant Jesus to be poured out upon us with greater power. We ask this that we might be your faithful ministers in our families, in our communities, in our work place, and in here in your Church, that we might be means of grace and peace.
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