The Tabernacle – Lesson Two

Through the tabernacle and its practices, the wandering Israelite tribes would:
1)  Gain a cohesive national identity
2)  Exemplify health, well-being and moral integrity to every nation they encounter
3)  Establish themselves as an unstoppable military force
4)  Bear witness to the reality and supremacy of “Ha·shem” (the Name).

Points to remember about the tabernacle’s construction:
•  Contributions were voluntary
•  Materials came from what they already had
•  The required architectural skills – metalworking, gemcraft, tent-making and embroidery skills –  were already known and practised

Even much of the symbolism would’ve been familiar to them, having spent their entire lives steeped in Egyptian culture: gold was the metal of kings and gods, as were the finest colored threads. But unfamiliar, radical concepts were introduced as well, in order to transform 2 million bedouins into YISRAEL (which means “The Prevailing Strength of God”).

The Lord began His transformative work by directing a grand design for the layout of the overall encampment:

Through this unique pattern, the Hebrew people would further mature their understanding of how Yahweh was the root from which all tribes received their sustenance and – by extension – the finest yield of fruit.

The first radical, transformational concept God introduced to the tribes was the theme of REPRESENTATION. We see this powerfully in the appearance and office of the High Priest.

To be consecrated is to be made separate by way of a specific, divine anointing. Such a positional blessing is an undeserved mantle of “dignity and honor”, but it does not come without a sobering responsibility, which you’ll see in the scriptural instructions for the design of Aaron’s priestly garments HERE.

•  What concepts/teachings was the Lord communicating?
•  What emotions do you suppose Aaron’s mind entertained once he received his instructions?

Representation. A single man representing millions. One man bearing – both symbolically and literally – the weight of his ancestors’ honor and commitment. Their engraved names cover him like a cloak of hopes and expectations. The promise of Israel’s salvation which Abraham saw from a far distance is now hovering over Aaron’s watch. His must’ve been a tremendous test of faith.

“This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. … Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it in the LORD’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. … It is a sin offering.”     – Exodus 29:1, 10-12, 14b

The preceding passage highlights the second radical concept God introduced to the tribes: LIFE FOR LIFE. Through a detailed system of animal sacrifice, God would reveal to His children that He is an equally HOLY, JUST and LOVING GOD.

GOD IS HOLY  -  He is Light; in Him, no darkness whatsoever abides. Sin is an indication of darkness, therefore, no one having sin may meet with God.
GOD IS JUST  -  Man’s disobedience is nothing less than a mocking of God and His free gift of life. God, as creator and sustainer of life, is completely within His authority to end the life of anyone who tramples on this gift through willful disobedience. So God judges all sin with death, as only a holy God should.
GOD IS LOVING  -  Through the practices of Tabernacle, God allowed the introduction of an animal substitute through which a person could symbolically transfer the guilt of their disobedience, thereby escaping judgement, retaining their life and being declared ceremonially cleansed and blameless.

Take a closer look at the consecration ceremony:
•  Why use an animal “without defect”? The lesson is this: Physical Perfection = Spiritual Holiness. The priests and elders misinterpreted this from the get-go, resulting in Jesus’ disciples encountering the blind man in John 9 and seriously inquiring, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” God’s requirement of a flawless sacrifice was indicative only of the ceremonial fact that the animal was going into the immediate Presence of Yahweh, the Just & Holy, and as such, deserved to be the choicest of offerings. The Lord was also teaching that a humble, obedient heart should separate itself even from things of great value, if God asks it, faithfully confident of His sovereign purposes.

• Why lay hands on its head?  The offering-giver is to understand that a transferrence must occur that renders him guiltless and worthy to draw near to God. The offense of his sin nature is symbolically passed to the animal, who undeservedly becomes the man’s sin-bearer. But it wasn’t enough for the man to ceremonially rid himself of sin. God’s Holiness would be respected, but His Justice would not be upheld. And so the next question must follow:

• Why slaughter the animal? God judges sin finally. The separating influence of sin is to be utterly cast from creation, even to the extent that God Himself remembers it no more. Through the substitutionary sacrifice of the animal, the man’s blood (life) is cleansed and the animal’s blood (life) returns to (is poured out before) God whose Light wholly consumes it, much like a thimble-full of fresh water being poured into an ocean. The offering-giver lives before God because the sacrifice dies before God.

One last teaching I want to convey in this lesson:  

   I believe that the 3 animals sacrificed in Aaron’s consecration offering represented the following:
-  the bull was a sin offering for his atonement (removing God’s righteous judgement against his sin)
-  the first ram was a burnt offering of devotion (hence, the “pleasing aroma”)
-  the second ram was a special consecration offering of sacred pledge toward honoring the office of High Priest

• But why place blood on Aaron’s ear lobe, thumb, toe and clothing? Up to this point, the lifeblood of the sacrifice had only been placed on the tabernacle’s inanimate assemblages, signifying their unique, holy function. By applying the poured-out “life” to a human being, Aaron was himself ceremonially transformed into a holy sacrament; a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) bearing the crimson stain of your substitute’s death, yet alive by the grace of God to serve Him in the splendor of His Presence.

For a person to enjoy intimate fellowship with God, he/she must release all of their life to Him, because HE IS HOLY. But to do so mandates death, because HE IS JUST. How, then, can anyone draw near to the Father in this life? By His gracious allowance of a substitutionary Sacrifice whose blood would truly accomplish what the blood of animals only symbolically accomplished. And this God did through Jesus’ death on the cross, because HE IS LOVING.

 

 

 

The Tabernacle – Lesson One

Let’s prepare our minds with the following scriptural perspectives:
           

Ever since man became aware of his unique relationship with God, man has sought to exploit that distinction to his benefit. From scripture, we learn that the Lord God adopted humanity as His children, valued above every other created thing. Yet the following exchange seemed to result: 

GOD:  “I am your Father, your Master and your Savior. Draw near to Me, and your shall perfect yourselves in joy, righteousness and love.”
MAN:  “Thank you. So, could I interest you in a permanent residence on my property?” 

All the needlessly extravagant building programs. All the indebtedness; the years spent chained to interest-accruing loans, sucking away funding from so many charitable efforts. All the egos that needed material representation. The Lord did not want David to build a House for Him, not did He want Solomon to do it (although He gave His blessing out of His great lovingkindness). God wanted no House in Jerusalem, no House in Rome or anywhere else – as long as it would be called The Official House Where God Rests & Resides. For that structure, there has only been one instance – one blueprint – and it was given to Moses, and it was called the Tabernacle. 

The Tabernacle was not a place for corporate worship; indeed, only one tribe out of Israel’s twelve could even serve in it, and then only under exactingly-regulated conditions. It wasn’t a church or a temple. It was a simple, portable assemblage wherein the Eternal, Divine Yahweh would enter the time-bound, material plane of existence and dwell among a singular race of people. 

In the days following the great exodus from Egypt, the wandering throng (perhaps 1-2 million, with vast herds) had witnessed several revelations (revealings) of God’s reality and power:
1.  The parting of the Red Sea
2.  The towering pillars of cloud and fire which guided them
3.  The mysterious “angel of God” that acted as the forward or rear guard
4.  The miracle of water gushing from solid rock
5.  The regular appearance of manna for sustenance
6.  The awesome, terrible display of smoke, fire and trumpet blast at the base of Sinai 

 74 men witnessed the immediate Presence of God Almighty. Moses and Joshua then advanced further, but Moses alone entered the cloud and remained “40 days and nights” (a Hebrew phrase signifying an extended period of time).

 

 From these brief instructions, Moses finds that God desires him to create a lamp/light, some special oil and incense, an ephod (a vest-like garment), a breastpiece and a sanctuary (tabernacle). And the first item to be described in detail was that which gives purpose to everything else:  the ark with its atonement cover. 

 

 The dwelling place for the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of Mankind . . … was an empty space about the size of a casserole dish. Just meditate on that for a second. That’s all He needed. And everything else – every other detail of the tabernacle – was a clue; a digestible morsel of knowledge for the purpose of answering 2 questions:

1.  Who do you think you are?
2.  Who do you think I am? 

 David wrote in Psalm 100: “Know that the Lord is God … we are the sheep of His pasture.” And His son Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 5: “God is in heaven and you are on earth … therefore stand in awe of God.” Through the revelation of His Tabernacle, Yahweh was introducing His people to 3 fundamental superlatives:

1.  GOD IS HOLY          2.  GOD IS JUST          3.  GOD IS LOVING

 • Which one of these traits is the dominant one in your theology? Which have you been taught the most, and why do you think that was the case? Which do you feel is emphasized in the Christian church today? 

Let’s focus on this unique “ark”:
• What is the chest and poles made of? What 3 metals were the people told to collect? And which would’ve been considered the most precious?
• Why do you think the poles were never to be removed?
• What was the atonement cover made of? The cherubs? Why would their substance be different?
• What does “atonement” mean? Is “atonement cover” translated differently in other Bibles?
• How would Moses have known what  “cherubim” look like? Could they have been a part of Hebrew oral tradidion? Does the word “cherubim” occur anywhere in scripture before the time of Moses? What would their depiction atop the atonement cover teach? 

Recalling the ark’s characteristics (below), which fundamental superlative of God is being revealed:
1.  Solid gold cover
2.  The poles remain in place
3.  The “testimony”
4.  The concept of atonement
5.  The over-shadowing Cherubim
6.  “I will meet with you” 

•  Did God ask His people to contribute anything they didn’t already have? Did He ask them to construct anything too magnificent or foreign for them to understand? Why not?  

God could’ve easily tutored Moses in fabricating sheet metal, aluminum or glass. He could’ve led Moses to an immense, underground vein of diamonds or, for that matter, fashioned for him something utterly alien and spectacular. But the lessons to be learned from the tabernacle, its furniture and practices called for a sensitive marriage of familiarity and holiness. For the One God had “come down” to enter the realm of humanity, to call them together for the purpose of revealing Himself and – in accepting and incorporating such truths – to prepare them for the ultimate expression of His love:  Jesus, the Christ. 

 

The Collision at the Cross

“See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
sorrow and love love flow mingled down.
Did e’re such love and sorrow meet…?”
- Issac Watts, from “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

In accepting His role as Propitiator (One who satisfies man’s obligation to God), Jesus brought about the collision of two great forces: God’s love for mankind and mankind’s enmity toward God. The fruit of the forbidden tree endowed man with the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:4-5), yet the absence of Wisdom – which was still within God - caused man to effect his knowledge without divine guidance. As a result, man exalted his pride above all other authorities. Thinking he possessed great wisdom, man was in fact becoming more and more foolish, the most tragic and shameful of all God’s Creation.

“…their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man…”  – Romans 1:21-23

When God created in His own image, Man and Woman were the result. When man creates in his own image, Pride and Pretension are the results. Why? Because to imagine the concept of “God” without the Wisdom of knowing God and man are separate is to conclude the thinker and the thought are one and the same. Caesar becomes God. Caiaphas becomes God. Judas becomes God. Saul becomes God until Wisdom elucidates him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6).

Through his capacity to murder, man proves that he is god. The Spirit of Murder is the prince of this world (“He was a murderer from the beginning…”  – John 8:44).

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”  – Matthew 23:37
Extending Jesus’ simile, baby chicks are not born with the wisdom to hide under their mother’s wings when a fox is near. But they respond to the hen’s warning call, and find shelter and safety. Can you imagine a tiny, frail chick ignoring it’s mother’s repeated cries because it wants to take a closer look at the fox? What are the odds of that little chick actually walking right up and asking that fox if he wants to play? “Even dumb animals have more sense than that,” you may reply, even as it dawns on you that that is exactly the condition we find ourselves in, along with everyone we know and work with and read about.

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Into this enslaved mob, God sent a Redeemer. Into this violent stench of willful rebellion, God sent His Prince of Peace. How broken Christ’s heart must’ve been to walk among such lost sheep. How He wept with the mourners at Lazarus’ graveside (John 11:35), not because a good friend had died, but because the scores of others were living in the absolute blindness of unbelief. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering”  (Isaiah 53:3).

Or Savior continues to suffer our rejection, for each time we exalt the desires of our prideful emotions, we re-establish enmity toward Him. Yet, thankfully, the “sorrow and love” which flowed down that distant cross effected a new and lasting covenant of Life, both in this world and in the next, to all who return to Him in faith and devotion. We often loose perspective in the myopic pattern of this world, thinking we can play with foxes and control our destinies. We convince ourselves that Jesus will always rescue us, even though we trample over His sacrifice daily. Once we replace the power of God in our religion with man-made systems of control, then religion becomes nothing more than a form; an outline, a shadow.

“In this world, you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  – John 16:33

 

 

Weary of Doing Good

“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fatted calf for him!”  – Luke 15:29-30

You’ve heard stories of how God intervened to rescue people in desperate need. Stories of how God revealed Himself to someone mired in sin and wickedness, escorting them out of darkness. And you’ve certainly heard of those faithful saints whom the Lord blesses with extravagant grace and power.

But what about plain, average Christian you? Your life is neither presenting God with sacrilegious abominations nor transcendant acts of faith and adoration. You’re just trying to get by, as best as you can, with the hand life dealt you. And life is very busy; there are many tasks, deadlines and errands within your responsibility. In the evenings, after the supper dishes are put away, your mind is often too tired to even read. And deep in the rear chambers of your mind is this persistent question, like a subterranean undercurrent beneath a cave floor: “God, do you even know who I am?”

“Let us not become weary in doing good…”- Galatians 6:9-10
Paul writes this verse within the context of attempting to unify dissenting factions within the Galatian church, but the statement also illuminates a strangely common malady among Christians:  feeling neglected by the One they serve. Like the older brother in the Prodigal Son parable, we long for a special blessing or revelation from our Father that would prove He is willing to address even the needs of our own, mundane lives.

“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  – Luke 18:18
The question is posed by a man who had become weary of doing good. He’d kept his nose out of trouble, made a name for himself and was diligent to keep God’s commandments. All he lacked was his own, private Miracle. But this was critical; indeed, it was the linchpin to the integrity of his entire faith. And now this young ruler was depending on Jesus to grant him the reward God owed him for all his years of service. He would finally and unequivocally know that God is aware of who he is and what he needs.

But Christ’s response was as difficult to swallow as that of the Prodigal’s father to his eldest son. Both seekers went away unsatisfied, confused and bitter. And God remained God.

“Then [Jesus] said to [Peter], ‘Follow me’. Peter turned and saw that [John] was following them … he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘…what is that to you? You must follow me.’”  – John 21:19-22
When Moses asked God what name should Pharoah know Him as, God responded, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14), which may well have been another way of saying, “What is that to you? Follow me.” It seems that there are two axioms that every Christian should adopt into their belief system:
     1)  God is Love, in both action and inaction.
     2)  To love God is to serve God.

Doubt is the faith-killer; the mother of every sin. Doubt gives birth to unbelief, and unbelief is the stench of separation from God. Doubt was the adversary of every prophet and priest; the destroyer of unity, purity and maturity in the Early Church. Doubt was what cluttered and distorted the road that John the Baptist was called to make smooth for the Only Begotten’s arrival. It was the the disease that Christ’s every word and miracle sought to heal within the wounded Body of humanity.

The Prodigal’s older brother doubted the impartiality of his father’s love. The rich, young ruler doubted the credibility of Jesus’ invitation. You may doubt that God knows who you are, or is concerned enough to actually reveal Himself to you. I’ve had the same doubts, as has every Christian. But your Father knows this and, through His Spirit within you, continues to influence you away from doubt and into the security and confidence of Truth. And the Truth is that the Lord God is YOUR Father, and you are His beloved child!

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”  – Romans 8:32

 

 

The Myth of the Final Stone

“A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles…” 

Would it surprise you to learn that this passage is not from the New Testament account of Jesus’ burial? It’s found in the Old Testament account of Daniel’s “burial”. The sixth chapter of Daniel recounts his phenomenal political ascendency in the Babylonian/Persian empire, having been appointed one of three administrators overseeing the 120 satraps (governors) of the kingdom. Such enormous influence and popularity brought forth seething  jealousy and malice among the corrupt ruling class (with the notable exception of the king), and they conspired to decieve the king into publishing a decree that would condemn Daniel to death. It was the rule of law that forced the king’s hand, and Daniel was lowered into his “tomb”, to be eaten alive by lions.

The stone separated the realm of the living from the realm of death. Both the rule of law and the decree of the king held it in place.

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away…”  – Luke 24:1-2

The stone displaced. The seal broken. The body gone. Legally, this was a crime scene. The rule of law had been violated, and the edict of Caesar (via Pilate’s seal on the tombstone) had been dishonored.

“We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”  – 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  – Colossians 2:15

Jesus’ purpose on earth was to restore universal balance by restoring universal authority. Mankind was not the only facet of creation that suffered under delusions of kingship and mortal authority. The living earth itself was constricted by the murderous appetites of godless government (Romans 8:19-21). Flesh seeks to destroy Spirit; Spirit seeks to destroy Flesh. The difference lies in their weaponry: Flesh employs violence, while Spirit wields Truth. Daniel was sealed in the earth to meet a violent end. But God made a public spectacle of the supposed “authority” of both kings and beasts. Jesus was sealed in the earth after having endured a violent end. But the rulers had no idea that the object of their malice was the Secret Wisdom of God, predestined in power and might from a time before time.

Let us consider the ways we deign ourselves above the rank of submitting to any other authority. Let us seek an attitude of humility before our Heavenly King, acknowledging any jealousy and malice toward others, or even toward Christ. And may the peace of Christ anoint us with the grace to wield Truth to those around us instead of violence.

Stop Telling Me Jesus and God are the Same Person!

“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”  – Matthew 26:39

Calvary was not a suicide.
God did not die on a Roman cross. There has never been a moment in all of eternity whereby Almighty God has not been fully alive and well. No man can even look upon God and live; the mortal mind would fatally convulse in a kind of neuronal seizure before the majesty of His Glory. God is Spirit, and Spirit cannot be manipulated by flesh. Jesus, however, died that terrible day, after suffering for about six hours on His cruel cross. His body was taken down, wrapped in linen and placed in a tomb, all beneath the watchful eye of His Father in heaven. And by the power of that same Father, Jesus’ corpse was transmuted into a glorified body clothed in the fleshly appearance of His earthly self, for a brief time before ascending into the skies and passing into God’s eternal realm.

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Messiah the Lord.”  – Luke 2:10-11

Yeshua (Hebrew for “God Saves”) was the name given to identify the first child born of Mary. He had no extra bones or enhanced organs or magical blood. What separates Yeshua [Jesus] from every other human being is that He was prepared. The angel’s proclamation revealed that this particular birth was planned and carried out for the benefit of all people. His identity, His purpose, His residence and His authority were all decided before conception … by God.

Jesus was unique from other men in only one respect, but one whose effect fundamentally altered His entire being:
“In Christ the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”  – Colossians 2:9
In his letter to the church at Colosse, Paul brilliantly explains how the man Jesus was able to speak and behave in a god-like manner. It was because God gave Jesus’ body the capacity to be indwelt with the aspect of God’s Word; the Power of Creation and Life.

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”  – Psalm 33:6
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light … And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of sky’ … And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds’ … And God said, ‘Let us make man”"  – Genesis 1:3, 20, 24, 26
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”  – John 1:1, 14

Jesus’ ability to heal all manner of disease and affliction, walk on water, change water to wine and raise the dead was due to the unhindered authority of the very Word of God within Him. Every part of Creation recognized Jesus as its supreme authority – plants, animals, mountains, seas, stars, angels, demons – with the sole exception of human beings (“Though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him”  – John 1:10-11). Only people can sin, because only people can comprehend sin. We pursue it like a smoker pursues nicotine; knowing it destroys us, but valuing its sensation above that knowledge. It is our sin nature that keeps us from living forever, performing miracles, defying natural law and looking into the the face of God. And it was the absence of sin that allowed Jesus to do just those things. Christ’s sinlessness was a natural byproduct of being indwelt with God’s fullness. His intimate connection with the Father provoked such adoration that sin was no more desirable to Him than sawing off his arm. Every temptation common to man surely came his way over the course of His life. God even allowed the Enemy to speak his most contagious whisperings into Jesus’ ear. But our Savior proved time and again how clearly He grasped “how wide and long and high and deep” God’s love is; so great that it “surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Yeshua was not an independent entity, though. God did not equip Him to be self-sustaining. Jesus needed regular “visitations” with God; indeed, it was vital to His health and purpose.
“His disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat something’. But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about … My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’”  – John 4:31-32, 34
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  – Mark 1:35
“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”  – Matthew 14:23

This is not God praying to Himself, as if part of God needed to ask another part for advice. This was an incomplete Being communing with an Absolutely Complete Being. In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God, but during Jesus’ 33 years on earth, the Word dwelt in the separate, human, fleshly, corruptible, aging body of a man. And the “corruptible flesh” of Jesus needed daily sustenance from the incorruptible Spirit of God. And if Jesus needed it, how much more do we!?

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does … For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge…” – John 5:19-20, 26-27

It’s not that Jesus had no free will to do as He pleased. It’s that He free-willed Himself to completely cooperate with the Word in Him. And if Jesus’ ministry shows us anything, it’s the extent with which obedience brings divine power to earth. By Christ’s example, all who call Him Lord are eligible to act as God’s miraculous agents. To speak His words, to perform His deeds, to be His witness among this corrupt, dying generation!

“Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”  – John 14:12-13

It is the Christian’s calling to discover and access the meaning of “in my name”. It’s not what most preachers tell you it is; it’s not a recipe for material gain. It’s a call to explore the discipline of Faith. Jesus was not the same person as His Father, but because of His perfect faith, God was pleased to say of Him, “He is the image of the invisible God ” (Colossians 1:15).

 

The Weight of Waiting

“It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for the man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him … For men are not cast off by the Lord forever…”  – Lamentations 3:26-28, 31

A fishing net takes time to weave and knot together. It must be folded and stowed just so. For the brothers (and future discliples) Simon and Andrew, their nets were their livelihood. But a net is a worthless jumble of cords unless it is cast out into the deep. Only when it is cast out can it accomplish its purpose.

There are times when God wills to cast us out. Into the deep. Into a realm too dark to see or hear Him. This is not in the context of a preternatural wager, as the legend of Job detailed. The Lord’s superlative fathering modus is often a daunting experience for His child (“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  – Hebrews 10:31). To our Father, it is a lesson. To us, it is a “yoke”; a burden upon the limits of our imagination and self-perception (“How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out!”  – Romans 11:33). And the farther we’ve alienated our spirits from His, the more perplexed we are by His manner.

“You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight…’”  – Jonah 2:3-4

The Old Testament is replete with accounts of people enveloped in a dreadful unknowing, desperately fighting the inner battle between the call to faith and the instinct of survival:

• Abram & Sarai doubt the promise of God          (Genesis 16:1-4)
• Moses doubts God’s enabling          (Exodus 4:10-13)
• Gideon feels abandoned by God          (Judges 6:12-15)
• Elijah asks God to end his life          (1 Kings 19:1-5)
• David doesn’t understand God’s silence          (Psalm 22:1-2)
• Jonah doubts God’s sovereign wisdom          (Jonah 3:10-4:9)

How can you sustain faith when the Object of your faith has cast you off? When you’ve been under the same yoke far too long, without any sensate absolution? When you begin thinking that the unremitting trial of living does not merit allowing life to conclude in its own time? These are timeless questions, equally relevant across the span of God’s interaction with humanity.

Take the following quotes into consideration:

The Nihilist Confession:
“The purpose of life … is to end.”  – Agent Smith, from “The Matrix: Revolutions”

The Divine Enigma:
“Then he [Aslan] isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about being safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.”  – from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

When our Father “casts us off” beneath the yoke of a teaching, take advantage of the silence; there’s purpose in it. No child of His is cast off forever. And, likewise, no perfect Father would implement a lesson that cannot be learned. Our human wills can be exceedingly stubborn. We find ourselves asking, “How long are you gonna keep me in this wilderness?!” even as our Spirits intone, “Until you can tell the difference between youself and God.”

You have been knit together by One who is neither safe nor dependable. But He is good. He is Love. He is the Holder of your life.
“Of whom shall I be afraid?”  (Psalm 27:1)