God Warns for Good

I remember an incident that happened a long time ago when I was in high school.  While at a Cross-country team dinner, a younger teammate decided to pester me.  I warned him if he continued to shove and touch me, I was going to drop him.  When it was evident my warning went unheeded, I did a judo throw that ended up knocking the wind out of him.  In that moment I had a mix of feelings:  I felt justified in warning him and the consequences doled out but at the same time had a twinge guilt.  I was older than him and should have demonstrated wisdom by walking away.  It was all good between us after the incident (I apologised profusely) and I was not surprised when he took up wrestling for the school the following season.

From my view at the time, my teammate got exactly what he deserved because he was warned about the consequences of his actions and did not listen.  But at the same time I can say my actions were unjust and not from a heart of love.  My grovelling apology was not because I pitied him but to avoid future trouble with him or our coach.  I am most grateful God is not biased and selfish like humans are, for the consequences He sets forth are just, righteous and from a heart of love.  God warns people, not to manipulate or trick us, but for our ultimate good.  His correction is perfectly weighted according to the offence and exerts the minimum pressure required to move us in right direction--if we will heed and submit ourselves to Him.  On our own we are all headed for destruction due to sin, so He is gracious to intervene.

Did you know God told Pharaoh the high stakes of refusing to let God's people go right from the beginning?  Every plague was prefaced by a warning of what God would do, and the final plague was the first God warned Pharaoh about.  Before a single plague was poured out on the nation, God told Moses in Exodus 4:22-23:  "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³ So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."  God warned Pharaoh that his refusal to let His people go would ultimately cost the life of his firstborn son, for Pharaoh had enslaved and oppressed the children of Israel whom God called His firstborn:  a life for a life.  Pharaoh hardened his heart several times and refused to heed God's voice even when severe plagues came upon Egypt, and then God hardened Pharaoh's heart too.

Though Pharaoh's heart was hardened against God, the LORD graciously provided a way for all the firstborn in Egypt to be delivered from death.  The blood of the Passover lamb was to be struck upon the doorposts and lintel, and God later spared them as promised in Exodus 12:12-13:  "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. ¹³ Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."  God warned Pharaoh what would happen if he refused to let Israel go, gave Pharaoh opportunity to relent 10 times, graciously made a way of escape for everyone else, and then did justly exactly as He said.

God is longsuffering and would rather no one perish.  By providing Jesus as the Lamb of God, we are offered salvation we do not deserve through the Gospel.  How great is the LORD to execute judgment as well as extending gracious pardon to all those who trust in Him!

The One God Forever

Names and words are very important.  This is observed in fairy tales where incantations are used to wield magical power, and the invocations are used in pagan and religious rites.  In the animated film Prince of Egypt, the magicians invoked the power of Ra to do their bidding, similar to cartoon He-Man shouting, "By the power of Greyskull I have the power!"  From a Christian biblical perspective, no name can compare with the name of Jesus Christ, for God has put His name above all others forever (Phil. 2:9-11).  All other names and powers are subject to Him--even those who say His name.

Some people imagine that knowing or saying a name gives them power over the one they refer to when the opposite is more accurate:  to call on a name of a deity with an invocation is a claim the deity wields power we willingly submit to.  God revealed Himself to Moses from a burning bush, and when Moses asked by what name God should be identified to His people Exodus 3:14-15 reads, "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " ¹⁵ Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'"  God identified Himself as "I AM," the self-existent, eternal God who always was, is and will ever be.  But this is not the only name by which the God of Israel--Who is sovereign over all principalities and powers--is identified.

Later God revealed in Exodus 6:2-3, "And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them."  The patriarchs knew the one true God as "God Almighty," but they did not know Him by what is translated LORD, which is transliterated YHWH or YHVH, the name of God to the ancient Hebrews  This four-letter divine name of God has been termed by scholars the Tetragrammton, and while there is no consensus concerning the etymology of the word, Yahweh is the most accepted transliteration while Jehovah is still used by some.  Moses had a greater revelation of the same God Abraham personally knew, believed and obeyed, the almighty God who knew Abraham as friend (James 2:23).  The God known by Moses and Abraham was the same God, for He never changes.

The Christian view is Jesus fulfilled the word spoken by the LORD through the prophet in Isaiah 9:6:  "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  When Jesus referred to father Abraham as a contemporary, the people scorned the thought.  John 8:57-58 reads, "Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  This enraged unbelieving hearers of Jesus, for He identified Himself with being the one and only God worshipped by Abraham--now in human form standing and speaking in their midst.  Jesus Christ is a revelation of God Abraham and Moses did not know but we can know personally by faith in Him.

The almighty God has revealed Himself to the world in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.  God identified Himself by "I AM" to His people in the days of Moses, and Jesus revealed Himself as the same God while in Jerusalem.  Jesus showed himself greater than Solomon when, after the temple of His body was destroyed, rose from the dead and ascended to the Father from whence He came.  In rising to the Father He demonstrated He always was, is and will ever be, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Jesus and the Holy Spirit have given us a greater revelation of God through the Bible than the Hebrew patriarchs had, for Jesus Christ has come--the same God forever to all generations.  We pray in the name of Jesus, not because our words make Him do anything, but because God our LORD and Saviour does everything (Job 42:2).

Abiding in Peace

"Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen Your salvation ³¹ which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, ³² a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

Luke 2:29-32

These are the words spoken by Simeon as he held Jesus in his arms in the temple in Jerusalem.  The LORD God revealed to Simeon, described as being just and devout, that he would not see death until he saw the Christ.  He was led by the Holy Spirit to enter the temple right before Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to present Him before the LORD according to the Law of Moses.  Many assume Simeon was an old man, but the Bible does not say this.  Simeon might have been an old fellow, but his words are even more poignant if Simeon was not advanced in years, a man grimly clinging to life, a life that from God that seemed more burdensome than a blessing.

In seeing the LORD Jesus Christ, Simeon wisely realised his life was complete:  there was nothing greater in life possible than seeing God's long awaited salvation and consolation prepared for all people.  The Light of the World finally shone forth, and the way of salvation and the glory of Israel had been revealed according to God's word.  Because we live in a day long after the arrival and revelation of Jesus in the flesh, we can miss the enormity of Christ's arrival.  Unfortunately because we are human beings made of flesh prone to boredom and dissatisfaction, what is new and earth-shaking can become old news.  We can be more excited over opening a wrapped present or eating dessert than Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Nothing can take the glorious shine off Jesus, but our moments of clarity like Simeon had in the temple may be few and far between.

I remember a time in my youth when I was not ready to depart this world because of all I had yet to do:  I had not yet graduated from high school, had not moved out from the family home, been married or had children.  I knew Jesus Christ as my Saviour but I counted aspects of life common to people that I had not yet personally experienced of greater value than departing in peace and going to God.  Simeon is a man I admire because he too had many things yet to experience on earth and things to look forward to, yet he valued Jesus to such a degree his life was complete in Him.  Paul made it clear this is the reality for believers in Christ in Colossians 2:10 that says, "...and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" and Colossians 3:4:  "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Blessed is the one who discovers and experiences the consolation and salvation found in Jesus Christ alone in Whom we are complete, in God Who is our life.  Glory to God in the highest, for by sending Jesus to the world we receive by faith, we discover life worth living today and forever by His grace.  Whether we will shortly depart this world or God chooses to allow us remain for many years, let us rejoice to behold and proclaim His glory as we abide in Christ our peace.

The Wonder of the Incarnation

There are times when I wonder over the wisdom of God and think to myself, "Wow, God thought of everything."  Of course this is no surprise to the believer, yet it is good to be brought to a place of adoration of our God who is over and above all things, the holy God unapproachable in glory who came down from heaven in the person of Jesus.  Just because we know these are the facts held forth by scripture and affirmed by many eye witnesses, it doesn't mean we have appreciated them as fully as we could or should.

The resurrection of Jesus and empty tomb provides quite a conundrum for secular historians because of the incredibly strong physical and textual evidence that supports it.  The evidence Jesus died, was buried and rose again is on par with the evidence Jesus existed at all.  The great lengths taken by the Pharisees to demand the Romans crucify Jesus, seal and guard the tomb supports the fact He was indeed dead and miraculously rose from the grave.  The virgin birth is another instance where God plainly did a miracle because of the devout Jewish families God chose who feared Him and kept His law.

In preparation for a Christmas-themed sermon, I was intrigued to learn more about ancient Jewish customs of engagement, betrothal and the wedding feast.  It was common for families to determine a match for their children while very young, and once betrothed (usually in their teens) it required a legal divorce to break the contract.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she was informed by the angel Gabriel she would conceive by the Holy Spirit.  After Mary consented and said, "Let it be to me according to your word!" she was found with child before she and Joseph physically came together.  During the betrothal period Mary and Joseph never would have been alone with each other and would have had escorts watching them carefully to uphold the honour of the family.  It was customary during the wedding feast for the marriage to be consummated, and the cloth that provided evidence of the wife's virginity would have been given to the wife's parents to protect her from any accusations she was "humbled" previous to marriage.

To this day it is still customary at some Jewish weddings for the newly married couple to be in a room alone for at least 8 minutes, and this would be the first time they would have been alone together.  With the great care taken to protect the virginity of husband and wife in a culture where a woman was never left alone with another man (future spouse or otherwise), the physical support of the virgin birth is very strong.  Both Mary and Joseph's families no doubt wrestled with the implications of Mary's pregnancy, and Joseph was not inclined to believe her despite her piety.  Matthew 1:19-21 shows how God intervened to affirm her claim:  "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

Joseph was a just man, and Mary was a God-fearing woman.  Through them God would perform the sign He promised long before in Isaiah 7:14:  "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  To people not expecting a sign God was faithful to give them a miraculous sign in coming to earth as baby Jesus.  "Immanuel" means, "God with us."  To Mary who was preparing to be wed and physically united with her husband God saw fit to conceive the Son of God within her Who would save His people from their sins.  May we marvel over the incarnation this Christmas, that God has kept His word and confirmed it with strong, historical evidence.  Great is the LORD and worthy to be praised, for through faith in Jesus we can become children of God--born again by the Holy Spirit Who indwells us.