Pointing To Jesus

Solomon has been dubbed the wisest person to have ever lived.  He was able to demonstrate this wisdom to foreign diplomats like the Queen of Sheba, to his own subjects through wise judgments, and to all those around through the great prosperity that the nation of Israel experienced during his reign as King of Israel.  God has promised a dynasty for David,

2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

And this was coming true in the person of Solomon.

1 Kings 8:15
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David.

But Solomon had his weaknesses, as well.  He loved foreign women and was enticed by their gods and pagan rituals.  Soon Israel was struggling, again.

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God had a plan.  He had a plan from the very beginning.  2 Samuel 7:16 is one of the four great promises of the Old Testament.  God made many covenants or promises with his people throughout the centuries, but four of them stand high above the rest, similar to four great mountain peaks reaching high above the multitude:

• Genesis 3:15 Eve's offspring would crush Satan's head
• Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham was called to be a blessing to all people of the earth
• 2 Samuel 7:16 David's throne would last forever
• Jeremiah 31:31-34 The days are coming when God will make a new covenant with Israel

God's plan was not Solomon or any other hero of the faith - everything points to Jesus.  The offspring that would crush Satan's head was Jesus.  Jesus' atoning sacrifice through the lineage of Abraham would be a blessing to all people of the earth.  David's descendant, Jesus, would reign on the eternal throne.  That new covenant, which was whispered since the days of Adam and Eve, would be through Jesus.  Jesus was the answer to all four of the great promises, for the whole Bible points to him.

When we are able to step back and see how the Bible continually points to the person of Jesus, it reminds us that our lives should reflect the same reality.  Like a fleet of ships sailing across the ocean, we are able to avoid the problem of running into each other when we are all pointed toward the same destination, when are lives are all pointed toward Jesus.

Great things point to Jesus.  It stands to reason that we should be oriented toward him, as well.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

How should a Christian respond when they are in a 'helpless' situation?  If a soccer team was loosing the game while the other team cheating and the referees do not seem to care, how should a Christian act? If you are supposed to have more experience before you get a job, but you can't have more experience without doing the job, how can a Christian respond?

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We do not know much about Abigail's life before she encountered David, but chances are it was pretty hard.  Her husband was both "a fool" and one of the most powerful people in the area. He was selfish and self-absorbed. Most people in her position would feel very trapped; the consequences of having Nabal for a husband might be as awful as the consequences of having no husband at all. Without someone to provide for her, she would not have basic necessities.  Having a provider like Nabal was a daily challenge. How did Abigail handle her strenuous home life?

We may not know what her life was like, but we do know how she responded in a crisis - with humility and wisdom.  David was ready to destroy Abigail and her household for her husband  being cruel - it was an extreme response, but it's never a good idea to upset warriors.  Abigail's response sounded something like these Psalms:

Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
    may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

Psalm 30:11

You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

Abigail did not act out of anger or with intent to harm anyone, but humbly pleaded for David to spare her husband and household.  Anything else might have been disastrous.

We do not always have the ability to control our situations, but we can always control our responses. Sometimes fairness and justice seem to be lost in the process, but like the Psalmist we should be looking to our higher source for our vindication, not to the popularity found in the people around us.

Maybe being between a rock and a hard place is not so bad if you remember that the Lord is your Rock!  May God reassure you with his peace when it is lacking in your life.

Where to Put Your Trust

During the time of the judges (roughly the time between Moses and David), Israel was given a number of unlikely leaders including one by the name of Deborah.  These days Deborah is used as the name for a female - and it was used in the same way during Bible times.  Surprisingly, the nation of Israel was lead by a woman, one who made wise decisions in peaceful ways (Judges 4-5).  Deborah was given a message from God that the male military leader would win a battle against an enemy that was equipped much better than God's people; the Canaanites had the latest battle technology - chariots.  Israel would be on foot while their oppressors were riding in the "tanks" of their time.  Israel's leader said he would not go into battle without Deborah - he wanted Deborah there to make sure she was really getting this message from God; he was not putting his trust in God.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 

Deborah said that she would go into battle with him, but the honor of the victory will not go to him.  Instead, the honor would be given to a woman (even though that woman was not Deborah!).  Two wise women lead Israel in surprising ways.  Female leaders are much more common these days, but it was a rare occurrence in ancient times.

The central question of the story of Deborah is, "Whom do you trust?"  It is the same question before us nearly three thousand years later.

Isaiah 50:10

Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God. 

The greatest power does not belong to the one who has the most confidence.  Many leaders fall into the trap of thinking they are the answers to the problems of their community and world.  The power is beyond us, yet for those who believe, it is also within us - the one who moved into our neighborhood and lived with humans: Jesus (John 1:14).

Isaiah 50 is known as one of the Servant Songs where the servant of God is described as someone who obeys God and suffers for it.  Isaiah 53 is probably the most well known Servant Song where it describes the servant as being "bruised for our transgression... crushed for our iniquity... and by his wounds we are healed."  He is the one who deserves our admiration and honor.  Jesus is the one who deserves our trust.

There was a very real and a very frightening power the Israelites were up against during the time of Deborah.  You may also be facing something that appears to be beyond you - therefore, trust in the One who is also beyond you, yet within you.

Not Inadequate

The book of Judges is a frustratingly insane part of the Bible (if insane is defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting to get new results).  The Israelites were in their new land and had defeated most of their enemies (part of their problems came from marrying many of these pagan people and being drawn to their gods) after Joshua, and their question became whether to listen to God and obey Him or listen to their own sinful desires.  This created a cycle of being oppressed by a foreign people, crying out to God for help, God sending a judge (leader to deliver the people), enjoying a time of peace and prosperity, and falling back into sinful behaviors.

Gideon was one of the judges.  He was not the big, strong Samson who overpowered the Philistines.  Instead, he was quite the opposite, being a member of the weakest family in the weakest clan in one of the weakest tribes of Israel (Manassah was only a half tribe, not even a full tribe!)

Judges 6:1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years God gave them into the hands of the Midianites.

This the the recurring theme, and once again we find the children of Israel wandering away from the God who had saved them before. God's power is made perfect in a person's weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), for God wanted everyone to know it was He doing the work, not Gideon.  Gideon did not even trust that God was going to help him, at first, and required two different miracles with a sheep skin to prove to himself that God was really going to do this.

We have 20/20 hindsight of the book of Judges, seeing that if they just would have listened to God they could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering.  God did promise grace, that even when things were bad and the Israelites looked like they were out of luck, God would come through and work in their lives again.

Deuteronomy 30:2-3 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 

God does not use guilt, but the devil will.  God does not want you to be bogged down by your past sins - Jesus already paid full price for you!  Spend some time with God listening to to His voice and what He wants to say to you, for God wants to use you, despite any weaknesses or inadequacies you feel about yourself.

If You Can't Control Your Situation, Control Your Reaction

"It's critical that when you are heading the soccer ball, you strike the ball; don't let the ball hit you."  This is what my high school soccer coach told us.  Most of soccer is played with the feet, but when the opportunity arises and a header is called for, hit it the right way.

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The Biblical character, Esther, was in a tough position.  She was not supposed to approach the king without being summoned, but if she did not approach the king many of her Jewish countrymen would be murdered.  Her uncle knew that God was bigger than one person and the fate of the world does not rest on her, but why not let God use her in this unique situation?

Esther 4:14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

It is similar to striking the soccer ball - that she would be much more effective if she attacked the situation with God working through her rather than just letting the situation come upon her.  She could not change what others wanted to do, but she could control her reaction.

The writer of the book of Hebrews picks up this idea by encouraging his readers and listeners to attack their situations and live on purpose.  The world does not need more people who just react to what is given to them - God wants to use people who will run the race marked out for them.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

These words follow Hebrews 11 which is known as the great faith chapter - the definition and word are used in powerful ways to show how God has worked through his people and how he continues to work through them, people who see that God is active in their lives.  They lived by faith, therefore fix your eyes on Jesus, get rid of sin, and run.

You are not in your present situation by accident.  Wherever you are, God is working through your circumstances.  You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so live for Jesus.  God can work through other people, too, but maybe you are where you are for such a time as this.

Restoring the Image

Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, 
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. 

The creation story tells us that people were created in God's image, but it does not explain exactly what that means.  Some would say that it is related to how we look; it is true that Jesus took on human form so there might be some connection.  Others see a quality of God as the image; God is holy, loving, good, righteous, etc.  Another interesting idea is that people are the only ones in creation which are creative.  One great response from class this past week was that God did this so that we would have a better relationship with him - we tend to have better relationships with people we have more in common with!

The unfortunate reality is that we did not stay in God's image, for now we are only a poor reflection of who God is.  Sin caused a separation from what God intended.  The first action of Adam and Eve after falling from perfection was to hide their nakedness and hide themselves.  They were not successful. God found them rather easily, and making clothes out of leaves is not a long term solution.

God cursed the snake, the woman, the man, and the entire earth.  God's perfect creation was no longer perfect, so it could no longer be the eternal paradise that it was created to be.  Instead, God had a plan to redeem the world, and it started with finding new clothes.

At the end of the fall in Genesis 3, we find out that God covered the man and woman with animal skins; God covered their nakedness, their shame, and their sin.  This was the first sacrifice, since it required the life of the animal.  We don't know what animal was sacrificed, but some believe it was a lamb.

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Adam and Eve were covered in the lamb and given new hope.  We also have new hope as ones who have been covered in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).  From the very beginning, God was pointing his people to Jesus - to his own Son who would cover sin once and for all.  Our life came at the price of another, as Paul describes:

Romans 5:20-21
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Separation and Filling

It is easy to read a Bible passage and find something you missed before.  The creation account in Genesis chapter 1 is one of those stories that you know, yet are amazed when you find even more.

Creation happened in six days.  In the Bible, the number six tends to represent something that is incomplete (that is why there was one day of rest, making it a complete week).  The number three tends to represent God and the things of heaven, and it also finds its way into the creation story.

Day 1 - God separated darkness and light

Day 2 - God separated the skies and the seas

Day 3 - God separated the land and the water

There were three separations on the first three days.  You may be more familiar with the "Let there be..." phrase found in the creation story, but the separations are also a key.  His work is not just to separate, though; God hints and what the next three days will be like at the end of day three - he fills the land with vegetation and life.

Day 4 - God filled creation with lights

Day 5 - God filled the sky with birds and the sea with fish

Day 6 - God filled the land with animals

Now God moves into the work of filling.  Day one was about light, and now day four was about filling in the lights to carry out that work.  Day two was about the skies and seas, and now day five was about filling them with birds and fish.  Day four was about land, and now day six was about filling the land with wild and domesticated animals.  Yet again, God hints that there is something more than just animals he is creating.  Special emphasis is put on his creation of man and woman, signaling what is to come.

Separation and filling.  That is how fields are planted - separating the dirt and filling it with seed that grows.  That is how new muscle is formed - tearing muscle tissue and then letting the muscles rebuild in a stronger way.  That is how we can live a new life - separation from the sin that entangles us and filling with God's Holy Spirit.