Category: obey God

Strange Fire

*Leviticus 10-11

Psalm 10

Matthew 23


Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There are a number of cautionary tales in the bible.  Whenever I see a few specific characters, I mentally always add “The cautionary tale of….” and that character’s name to remind me that while every single one of us has a purpose, sometimes that purpose is just to be an example to others of what not to do.  The cautionary tale of Queen Vashti is one of my favorites (See the book of Esther), about privilege and responsibility.  Today’s reading is one of those, “The cautionary tale of Nadab and Abihu”, and it’s always intrigued me as well, primarily because I’ve always wondered what “strange fire” was.

            First, a little background.  Aaron and his descendants were designated (by God, see Leviticus 8 for details on their ordaining) to be the priests of Israel, the men who would stand before God and offer propitiation for the sins of the nation.  Aaron had 4 sons by his wife Elisheba (Ex 6:23), and Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest.  Aaron was the “High Priest”, and had some specific duties that only he was supposed to carry out, and his sons were all  priests.  All of his descendants are priests as well, but it should be noted that Nadab and Abihu did not have any children so their younger brothers stepped up to fill their role after the events in today’s reading (Eleazar and Ithamar, as noted in Num 4:4 and later in Lev 10).

            Keep in mind also that these newly appointed priests were just freshly put in the position, back in Lev 8.  We then have to go back a chapter from today’s reading to get the pattern of what a normal ritual should look like, going back and reading from Lev 9:1-23 for the particulars, and culminating in Lev 9:24 when “Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the portions of fat on the altar.  And all the people saw it and shouted out and fell on their faces.” (LSB) .  I think I’d fall on my face too, it’s a pretty amazing scene.  It’s also pretty important to note that Aaron as the high priest was the one who was supposed to offer the sacrifices for the nation, as noted in Lev 9:6-10 and Ex 30:7-8.

            So, seemingly immediately after the miraculous fire coming out from before Yahweh and all of the people falling on their face, enter Nadab and Abihu, who “took their respective firepans and put fire in them.  Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded.” (Lev 10:1, LSB)..  Then, as before, “fire came out from before Yahweh” but instead of burning up the offering, it burned up Nadab and Abihu.

            So what is strange fire?  I’ve honestly always wondered.  Carefully dissecting today’s reading,  there were probably a couple factors in their unfortunate demise.  First off, it was presumptuous of Nadab and Abihu to offer the incense before God, since that was the job of the High Priest.  Secondly, they used their own fire on the incense (Lev 10:1) instead of the “fire which came forth from Yahweh”.  The word that we translate as “strange” fire could also be equally accurately translated as “profane” fire, by the way.  This seems like a pretty cavalier attitude from a couple guys who just spent an entire week (Lev 8) preparing spiritually to enter the priesthood.  Then Moses says to Aaron “It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, by those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Lev 10:3, LSB).

            While this was a bit presumptuous on Nadab and Abihu’s part, read on in Lev 10:8-11: “Yahweh then spoke…saying, “do not drink wine or strong drink…when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die…so as to separate between the holy and the profane…” (LSB).  It doesn’t seem likely that this was a random statement given the circumstances, but more likely a bit of preventative education from God  for future priests.  This seems to indicate that maybe they were impaired with alcohol as well, which might help to explain the (extremely poor) decision to offer “strange fire” on their own.  There was more than one thing going on, it looks like.

            What’s strangest to me in this story is that just prior to these events, both Nadab and Abihu were present with the 70 elders when God appeared to them in Ex 24:3-8.  These are men that should have had an extremely healthy respect for the most high God.  These are men that should have known with every fiber of their being that the Lord God Almighty is Qodesh (Holy, Set Apart, Seperated), and had seen with their own eyes the awesome and fearful power of the living God.  These are men that were likely in line to be High Priests themselves, but because they did not separate in their minds and actions between the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean, they died in a fire.  They should have known better.

            When we approach our God, we need to make sure that we are not offering strange fire.  We should be sober (1 Pet 1:13) and focused.  We need to separate in our mind between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane, before we approach the altar.  We need to purify ourselves.  Consider for a moment a tiny ant, and your relationship with it comparatively.  Our role before our Creator is infinitesmally smaller than that, comparatively.  When we pray, when we seek God, we need to understand that this is the most important and critical moment in our existence, every time, and not a casual conversation: we are approaching the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, the master of all life who sustains us with His breath (Job 34:14-15) and we should tremble.   Approaching the Lord God Most High is not something that is to be taken casually or lightly, but with awe and reverence.

            Since God has sent us his Christ, we no longer need to make ritual sacrifices, the sacrifice has been made once and for all.   The sacrifices that we need to make, the sacrifices that our God desires from us are righteousness (which can also be translated as “equity”), and obedience (1 Sam 15:22). We need to reflect the amazing and awesome character of our God, and love Him with our whole heart, as well as loving the rest of His creation as much as we do ourselves (Mark 12:29-31), just like He has loved us. Jer 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”  (LSB).  If you go seeking inappropriately and offering strange fire, be very aware that instead of finding God, God might find you.  Don’t become a cautionary tale.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Lots of times when we pray, we basically just present God with our “to do” list.  Do you pause for a few moments and consider the level of interaction between a single tiny human and the omnipotent Creator of all things in the universe before you pray?  Every time?
  2. When you open your Bible to read it, do you pause for a few moments to wonder at the amazing grace and love of the Lord God most high who has given you His words as a guide, tiny human?
  3. Do you seek fully to know your God with the attitude of an unworthy servant seeking their hardest to please their master? All the time, or just on church days?
  4. Consider for just a moment, every day, what am amazing God we have.  It should melt your heart.   He sent His own son as a sin offering, to cut a covenant with us.  What are you going to do to show God how much you love Him back, today?

PRAYER

Father God, my Master and my Creator, forgive me, heal me, and teach me.  I am an unworthy servant.  You are wonderful and beautiful, and greater than all.  Help me to be a servant who pleases his master.  I was not worth the price You paid for me, have mercy on me Lord God.  Help me to love as You love.  Grant me your spirit, and teach me wisdom so that I can please you.  Thank you heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Two Sides of the Mountain

Exodus 31-32

Psalm 5

Matthew 19

Devotion by Jennifer Hall (IN)

Exodus 31 and 32 are full of some pretty exciting stuff. There seems to be good reason why Moses is a recurring character in children’s lessons and why illustrations of these stories made the cut for one of the rare colored pictures inserted into the old Children’s Bibles of my day! 

In this story, while the Israelites were busy stripping off their valuable gold to fashion it into a false god, Moses was busy encountering the LORD.  Unfortunately, not only were the Israelites just doing the handicraft work of sculpting calves with gold, we also see in Exodus 32:8, 

“. . .they have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt”

Umm, excuse me, who brought them out of Egypt??  The only God. The one true God. The LORD who was busy inscribing tablets for His people at this same time. God was writing. At a time where writing wasn’t something you did with a stylus on magic screens, when you didn’t highlight or color code or copy and paste. . .writing itself was more rare and precious. And while they were spouting lies and whining, God was inscribing His words in stone for them anyway.

As an occupational therapist, one thing I get to do quite a bit is assess how people write, how I might be able to make it easier, less painful, help children develop writing skills, etc. So, while I read this chapter, I couldn’t help but get intrigued wondering how He was doing it and how it looked. Is God right handed or left? Was He pointing with an index finger? Does He have an index finger? Were there any pink sparkles involved? Basically, I got distracted thinking about things through my filter and what I know. While these chapters don’t share this detail, Deuteronomy and later in Exodus tell us that these tablets were written by “the finger of God”.  That is some handwriting action I would LOVE to observe! But most importantly, given the God who parted the Red Sea for this crew to miraculously flee Egypt, was writing with His finger on stone for His people, one would assume these words were treasures. But. . .

How heartbreaking to see two vastly different things going on at Mount Sinai at the same time. A God who loves His people and knows them best writing a message for them. A people who claims to be His in one breath, yet lifting a golden cow as their god in another, all the while clueless to what the true God is busy doing for them.  Surely we can relate before we throw stones. We live in a world of gold, cows, false gods, lies, distractions, and people telling us other things are gods constantly. We also live in a world created by the one true God with a beautiful plan for renewal in the coming kingdom.  Maybe one day we can see God write, but until then, we have His living word, His spirit, and His love available to us. Let us purge our golden idols and seek to focus our attention on Him even if it means being patient, obedient in tough things, and focused on the promised land.

Reflection Questions:

  1. What can you learn and apply from the characters on the top and bottom of Mount Sinai in today’s story?
  2. What can you do today to treasure God’s word?

Prayer:

Dear God, You are the one true God worthy of all our praise. Thank You for loving us through all our faults. Help us remember to seek You first and cast aside any idols we have. Amen.

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Haven’t You Read?

Exodus 29-30

Psalm 5

Matthew 19

Devotion by Jennifer Hall (IN)

In Matthew 18 we learned that Jesus cares for the lost sheep. In Matthew 19 – we see him calling his disciples to be more like children and making the statement “many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first.”  It seems like throughout his teachings, this chapter included, Jesus defines success and portrays the goal of life to be different than what the world is feeding us. Sometimes what the world is forcing upon us.

Psychology Today released an article in 2024 revealing that over the last decade, more Americans polled wanted to be rich than before, more believed that they would be wealthy in their lifetime, and 6 out of 10 interviewed thought they would like to be a billionaire. Granted, the study was also saying wealth does not increase psychological well-being or happiness, but most people still want to be rich. So, that’s us. Then there is Jesus who tells us in such a vivid metaphor that it will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. So, it will be really really really hard for a rich person to be on the path for eternal life, and that is the only thing that truly  matters if we obtain or not.  With the vast amount of wealth and material possessions our country has, I think Jesus’ words should make us consider things.

In the opening to Matthew 19, I was struck by some other teachings that are in contrast to what the world teaches us. While reminding the Pharisees that the only reason there even were these “permits to divorce” was because of the hardness of human hearts, Jesus also mentions some significant truths.  A man will marry a woman. Period. And “at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female.” (Matthew 19:4). Period.  Immediately following these verses Jesus is laying hands on and praying for the children (no thanks to his disciples!). If I ever need reminded to pray for youth,  five minutes in a library children’s department (don’t even get me started on the adult or teen!), looking at TV programming targeting youth, social media, the news, literally anything involving technology or a screen, and reading any statistical research on professed Christians and trending beliefs along these subject lines. .  . and I am easily reminded to pray.  Children are being targeted with agendas of sexualization from a very young age, and it matters. It matters for our churches, our families, our schools, our society, our mental and physical health, and so much more. Unfortunately, I have worked with teen and young adult patients dealing with side effects of interventions associated with this confusion that modern society has allowed.  I pray that as we all make decisions on use of time, what we read, watch, laugh at, support, ignore, and how we navigate a very broken world while loving those around us the way Jesus loves. . . that we would continue to seek God’s wisdom and His word for our decisions and how we interact with others.

Jesus assumes the Pharisees were familiar with God’s word, and challenged them saying “Haven’t you read. . .”  Today, we live in a world with access to the Bible easier than ever before, but many people simply have not read enough to have conceptualized what God says on topics. Beyond discerning truth, the Bible is so helpful in softening and penetrating our hearts, teaching, encouraging, and enlightening. Before we spout opinions or get riled up by others, before we like, snap, tweet, chat, tick, tock or whatever we do on any of the abundant divisive and confusing subjects in the world. . . let’s make sure we’ve read the words from the author who knows it all and loves us most. 

Reflection Questions:

  1. Have you ever felt like a camel trying to get your hump through the eye of a needle? Consider Jesus’s words about what is harder than that.
  2. Why is it hard to be last now even with the hope of being first later? What can help us through those difficulties?
  3. Have you read?. . .

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for providing easy access to the Bible and the truth written in Your Word. Help us to learn from the teachings of the Bible and practice it daily. Thank you for all you have given us and let us be content with what we have and seek You first above anything else the world offers. Amen.

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House Rules

Exodus 19-20

Psalm 2

Matthew 16

Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

In today’s reading, we find our heroes the Israelites 3 months out from escaping horribly oppressive slavery in Egypt and after being led through the harsh desert miraculously arriving safely at Mt Sinai.  This is the first time in recorded history that anything like this had ever happened: God has redeemed His chosen people en masse and brought them to Him.  This is a direct act of intercession from the hand of a loving God, because He had made promises and covenants with Abraham, and God always keeps His promises.  Always, every time, and forever, God keeps His promises.  If you remember nothing else from this devotion, remember that.

God tells Moses (Ex 19:4-6): “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself...”(LSB).  That is just beautiful.  Pay special attention to 19:5, wherein God clearly states “…for all the earth is mine…” (See also Psalm 24:1).  What beautiful imagery!  You really need to imagine the setting of Ex. 19; there are most likely millions of people waiting expectantly at the base of the mountain, who all answer together “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do!”, after which God gives them very specific instructions to purify themselves, and then much like to Lt. Dan in the movie Forrest Gump, “…right then God showed up.”  Never before had anything like this happened that we are aware of, God speaks to an entire people and gives them the “House Rules”.

This may shock some of you, but I was a rather rebellious child.  I remember that the day I turned 18, I thought I had complete autonomy and authority because now I was an adult, and nobody could tell me what to do.  Keep in mind that at the time, being a ripe 18 years of age, I already knew everything (most of which I have sadly since forgotten), so I was pretty certain I could just do anything I wanted.  I made the mistake of mentioning this to my father at the time to justify a series of extremely poor decisions on my part, in what became a rather fervent discussion.   In retrospect, perhaps I was not as smart as I thought I was.

Keep in mind that all of this took place while I was staying rent free in my parents house, the one they’d paid for, paid the bills for monthly, and stocked up with food for my consumption on a regular basis, without any contributions at all from me (aside from my stunning insights and wisdom about my own autonomy, of course).  My parents at the time were also paying all of my bills, feeding me regularly, buying me clothes, had bought me a car, etc.  So, you know, I was an adult taking care of myself… *ahem* .  During this highly needed and educational discussion, my father made the statement “Well, you can absolutely make your own decisions since you’re technically an adult now, but as long as you’re living in my house, you will abide by my rules.” 

The conversation that God has with the Israelites in Exodus 20 really strongly reminds me of that conversation, without the fervency perhaps, but with more clarity.  Note that God has already defined “My house” in Ex 19:5, so when God is giving us the 10 commandments in Ex. 20 He is basically telling us “when you are living in my house, this is how I expect you to behave,” in advance.  

“But…” some folks will say, “these commands were given to the Israelites, they don’t apply to us today as Christians..”.  Fair enough, let’s look at what Jesus says about them.  Turn over to Matt 19:16-29.  In this passage, Jesus first humbly points out that the man shouldn’t call him good because only God is good (which is a bit confusing if you’ve accepted a confusing post-biblical theory about Jesus’ identity), and then states very clearly “…if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (LSB).  Then he goes on to refer to some of the actual commandments, so we know what he’s referring to: it’s right here in Ex 20.

So are we as Christians responsible to keep the commandments?  Only if we listen to our Christ, I would say.  If you are an adult now, and no one can tell you what to do, and you have full authority and autonomy over your own life, well…you probably, like me at 18, already know everything and you don’t have to listen to anyone, ever (if you didn’t dectect the irony and sarcasm there, read it again slowly).  

If, however, you are a humble Christian, seeking to please both Jesus and his God (yes, Jesus has a God, see John 20:17) then you may want to rethink that.  You are, after all, living in God’s house.  You should probably abide by His rules;  particularly if you want a room in the kingdom, on the new earth that has been promised (and God always keeps His promises).  Trust me when I tell you, you do NOT want to get kicked out of His house.

I love how God clearly identifies himself to his people, this has been grossly altered in most modern bibles, but what God actually says to preface his commandments is; “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...” (Ex 20:2, LSB).  So we know exactly who’s talking.  Then he lists his expectations while we’re living in His house.  The first 4 commandments have to do with us and our interactions towards God.  The next 6 commandments have to do with us and our interactions towards our fellow man(kind).  These are all neatly summed up by our king, the Christ,  in Mark 12:29-34 when Jesus says that the greatest commandment is “Hear O Israel!  The LORD our God is one LORD, and you shall love The LORD your God with all your heart…”, and the second is this, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Please note that this does not REPLACE the original commandments given by God, but summarizes them nicely.  

Praise God that we serve a God of clarity and not confusion, He tells us His expectations right up front, and then lets us make our own decisions about whether or not we will listen and obey.  We serve a wonderful, powerful, and amazing God who has shown that He will intercede on behalf of His people in miraculous and powerful ways throughout the scriptures, which cannot be broken.  The only real question is: are we going to listen and obey and thereby be God’s People?  Choose now for yourself, but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh the living God, who has sent us our Christ in order to bring us to Himself.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Do you keep all of the commandments?  Why, or why not?
  2. Read Gen 2:3.Do you believe the 4th commandment (the Sabbath) is just for the Jews? Why, or why not?  When did it change, if it did?
  3. When Jesus summarized the commandments in Mark 12, did it seem like commandment keeping alone was sufficient to enter the future Kingdom of God, or was there something else we should do?  Summarize in your own words what else we should do, if you feel like there’s something else.

PRAYER:

Father God, you have created us and this place, and all things belong to you.  Thank you for giving us life, and breath, and all things.  You are beautiful.  Every blessing that we have has come directly from your hand to us, an undeserving and rebellious people.  Please forgive us, and teach us, and help us to follow your commandments.  Lead us toward your kingdom, Father, and help us to enter into it.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

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Think Again

Genesis 20-22, Proverbs 11, Matthew 5

Devotion by Marcia Railton (IN)

I always ask my family for gift list ideas because I have learned I don’t always do a very good job of reading their minds and choosing that gift that is indeed just what they wanted. Our son came up with a nice gift list this year, including several books he was interested in reading. One particular title really caught my attention: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant. I have not read the book so I am not recommending it as much as the idea that there is value in “learning to question your opinions”. Sometimes our ideas, thoughts, opinions, and I would add feelings are indeed not based on God’s full truth (which is not mentioned in the book synopsis). We would be wise to be willing to do the hard work of relearning (which in my opinion, not necessarily Mr Grant’s) involves bringing our every opinion, thought, conviction, and feeling more and more into alignment with God’s. This can certainly be a difficult thing to do! I know I often fail at reading the minds of my own human offspring, how much more will I miss the mark in trying to know and imitate the perfect mind and heart of the Almighty Creator and Sustainer?

Knowing that I do miss the mark is perhaps half of the battle. Then I am more willing to humbly accept that I can benefit from looking at it again to see what I missed, what I can learn, what opinion needs to be changed, what feeling softened, what feeling strengthened, what thoughts, opinions and feelings completely thrown out. As it says in our Proverb of the day: “When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2 NASB)

Last year about this time I wrote a devotion titled Family Isn’t Everything on the testing of Abraham from Genesis 22. If I were rewriting it today it would be a little different. I think I did not stress enough the trust that Abraham had in God that made all the difference in his willingness to do the unthinkable that God told him to do. I think Abraham was learning and demonstrating that what he personally thought wasn’t always right but he humbly acted on his trust in God and his belief that he was listening to and obeying the All-knowing, completely wise and loving God of miracles who could show His power and plan in any way He desired. And that, along with his wise desire to put God first, even before his precious, long awaited and much loved son, gave him the ability to rise early in the morning and take the three day journey and travel up the mountain for a sacrifice to God with fire, a knife, wood and no animal, only his son. Don’t you love how re-reading God’s Word leads to seeing new layers and thinking again to grow in our knowledge and understanding of our Great Big God and what pleases Him.

This time around in reading Genesis 20-22 I was also struck by the interchange between God and Abraham when Sarah wants to send away Hagar and Ishmael after Isaac is weaned (one chapter before the almost sacrifice of Isaac). Depending on the version, Abraham is distressed, displeased, upset, worried, troubled, full of sorrow, or grieved at the thought of sending his first son Ishmael away. And most of us would probably say, that makes sense, I would be distressed, too. But I love the part that comes next. God says, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight…” (Genesis 21:12 NKJV). It is almost like God is telling Abraham – Think Again – I have got this. Don’t worry. Don’t be troubled. You concentrate on what I want you to concentrate on (following Me). You do the most important thing and I will take care of the rest. “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight.” Isn’t that freeing that we get to decide – with God’s wisdom and guidance – what is or isn’t going to be displeasing in our sight. It does indeed take a lot of Thinking Again to adjust not only our opinions but also our attitudes and feelings. When we find ourselves distressed, displeased, upset, worried, troubled, full of sorrow, or grieved perhaps it would be wise of us to ask God if this is a feeling we should hang on to, or if it is best to let go of it.

Speaking of Think Again, I think that is what Jesus was saying over and over again in Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “You have heard it said…but I tell you” (5:21, 27, 30, 33, 38, 43). Think Again. You might not know quite as much as you thought you did. Think Again. You do not yet see the whole picture, the full truth, God’s entire plan. Think Again. Your opinion, thoughts and feelings can line up more closely with God’s. Think Again. There is a better way of thinking and doing and feeling than you have done before. Think Again. With humility not pride. Think Again.

Reflection Questions

  1. What percentage of the time do you think you are right? What percentage of the time do you think you are actually right? 🙂 Can you think of a time you “thought again” and became wiser for it?
  2. When do you need to most remember that you do not have the mind of God? How can you remember to be humble?
  3. Why was Jesus saying to not continue doing life/righteousness the old way? Why was it time to think again?
  4. What might God want you to unlearn and relearn? What old thoughts, opinions and even feelings are you holding onto that are not currently helpful and leading you closer and closer to God’s wisdom and heart?

Prayer

Dear God Almighty, We praise you for knowing all things. Help me remember there is so much I do not know, sometimes including what is pleasing to You. May I humble myself, continually seek You and Your way and be willing to do the work of Thinking Again so I come closer and closer to what You want me to be. Direct me in what feelings, what worries, what opinions are good for me to let go of, knowing that You can take care of what I can not, so that I may be focused on doing Your will. Thank you for working with me, one step at a time, and helping me grow.

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The Almighty Ark Architect

Genesis 6-8, Proverbs 5, Matthew 3

Devotion by Marcia Railton (IN)

I have always been fascinated by the account of the man who built the magnificent boat to save the animals and his family from the floodwaters that covered the earth. When it was time to choose a nursery theme for our first born – it didn’t take long to land upon the man with the full white beard surrounded by every animal imaginable as they made their way into the safety of the big gopher wood boat. What a great story to rock any infant to sleep.

Who is the main character in this classic Bible story found in Genesis 6-9? The boat builder extraordinaire, the floating zoo animal wrangler, the father of 3, a “preacher of righteousness” amongst unbelieving, corrupt and violent neighbors (2 Peter 2:5 and Genesis 6:11), the man who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Yes, Noah is the man. “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) So, God chose Noah.

And because of the way Noah responded to God’s choosing and instruction, he earns himself a spot in the Faith Chapter of faithful witnesses. Hebrews 11:7 (ESV) says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” You can find this verse in many English translations here – to see some potentially helpful variations on the wording such as: “motivated by godly fear” (CSB), and “By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.” (ICB)

There is so much we can learn from this man of faith! As a wife and mom I am also very curious about his unnamed wife! What role did she play? What did she think of this all? How did she help, assuming she did? What might their conversations have sounded like as they lay in bed at the end of a hard work day, or on the 150th day of life on the rocking, animal-filled boat, or as they gazed at the very first rainbow in the sky (coming in chapter 9)?

And what about the wives of Noah’s 3 sons? Can you imagine marrying into the ONLY family that will be saved from the floodwaters? I am hoping for a chance to talk to Noah and his wife and their family during the Kingdom of God on the earth after it will be cleansed again – this time not by water but by fire.

As instrumental as Noah was in his role of man of faith and boat building, and as intrigued as I am by his family, there is actually one more character I will suggest as the MAIN character of the account of Noah and the Ark – and that is the One who saw, chose, directed, provided for and remembered Noah. While seeing the corruption, wickedness and violence of the world, God also saw the one faithful.

The Lord Almighty is the ark architect. God gave Noah all the details needed for him to successfully build a boat that would hold all the occupants (perhaps about 96,000 square feet of floor space). The boat would also weather the torrential flood and then the winds that would dry the earth while remaining water tight for over a year. Professional marine engineers today still marvel at the accurate dimensions and plans given so long ago by the ALL-Knowing God that would indeed be necessary to create such a floating vessel. Here’s one article written by one such engineer and architect. Can you imagine what sort of ark Noah might have tried creating if he hadn’t been given God’s accurate details? The joy of being God’s servant is that He provides what is needed to do the job He asks you to do, if you will listen and obey.

Once the ark was built and waterproofed (on the inside and out – what a task!) it was time to add the animals. I am sure God had a large hand in orchestrating or ordering this task as well, in one way or another. Even knowing all of the species to collect, and getting the correct number of each of the two genders, and tending to their needs and the food! No doubt Noah and his family had work to do, but Genesis 6:20 also indicates they would not be acting on their own: “two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive”.

God is also the one who shut the door of the ark, both saving those inside, and keeping the unrighteous out. He sent the rain to cleanse the earth of the corruption and then the wind to dry the land to prepare it once again for Noah, the animals and the generations to follow, including you and I and your favorite furry, scaly, or winged creatures that move along or over the earth.

Our God provides what we need to live righteous lives doing the jobs He has for us to do. Our God sees and saves. He alone is the creator of the master plan of salvation for the human race. In Genesis he saves through the work and faith of righteous Noah. He saves again many times throughout Scripture. As we read through the Bible this year watch for how He saves. In your own life, take note of how He sees and saves and provides over and over again. And, perhaps most importantly, keep watch, for He is saving again, through the promised return of His Son Jesus. Will you be ready? Don’t be one of the unbelievers when that door shuts!

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you admire about the characters of Genesis 6-8? What questions would you like to ask Noah, his family, and the Almighty Ark Architect (amongst His MANY other titles and jobs)?
  2. Reread Hebrews 11:7. What might God want to see you do, motivated by godly fear? Where do you see the world as being wrong? In what ways can you help show that the world is wrong? And how can you help show that there is a God who not only can save, but wants to save all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
  3. Consider the plans of God to save the world. Compare and contrast His plans to save through Noah and His plans to save through His Son Jesus. Thank Him!

Dear Almighty God, we thank You for your plan of salvation and how You save over and over again. Thank you for this account of Noah that shows Your love and provision for those who walk with You, even when surrounded by the wrong world who will face judgment and final death. We praise You for being All-knowing! There is nothing You don’t know – and You graciously let us know what we need to know to do Your will well. We marvel at Your knowledge, wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, love and just judgments. Help us walk with You all our days. Help us see the evil of the world for what it is and not be a part of it. Help us follow Your directions to complete the tasks You have for us. Help us with reverent fear be preachers of righteousness. Prepare us and our families, including those we can invite in, for Your perfect plan of salvation. In the precious name of Your Son Jesus we pray.

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Is Paul Disobedient to God???

Acts 20:4-23:35

The next few days we are going to read the record of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem and then in the end to Rome and imprisonment.  The story is one of great believing but also a cautionary story to us about listening to the voice of God in every situation.  The apostle Paul is most responsible for the revelation of the mystery of the church of the body of Christ being given by God to us.  He proclaims in Galatians:

Galatians 1:11-12(NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

Paul is the person chosen by God and equipped to do the ministry to the Gentiles and the formation of churches all over the known world at that time.  There are no other so central to this ministry and growth of the body of Christ.  Try to read the book of Acts records with this perspective in mind.  Also that most of the Gentile church looks to Paul as their father in the Word.  

Is the apostle Paul really susceptible to disobeying God???

Acts 20:22-24(NKJV)  And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Bold speech Paul.  I go bound in the spirit and don’t count the cost of my decision.  Is this the best that Paul can do in this situation?  I appreciate his desire to go back to Jerusalem and to try to convince his countrymen of the same truth of the Word of God he has preached all over the known world.  But early Christianity in Jerusalem has many persons that have accepted Jesus as Messiah but continue to promote the doing of the whole law of the scribes and Pharisees also.  These persons are not doing the will of God as God has revealed to Paul in his letters.  Read Galatians in concert with Acts for more perspective on both.  Then even revelation is given to other believers to warn Paul of the consequences of going to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:10-13(NKJV) And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”
12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul is not moved by anyone’s advice.  He is determined to do what he has decided to do.  

How are we like Paul in our lives?

Acts 21:27-30(NKJV) Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
  30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.

Acts 23:11(NKJV) But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

God goes with Paul’s decision but then shows him what will happen.  Going to Rome ad imprisonment is not part of Paul’s plan but God will give it help  to make it the best outcome for Paul and also for the church.

Acts 23:31-35(NLT) So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris. 32 They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea. 33 When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix. 34 He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered.
35 “I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters.

Stay tuned for the  next episode of the Adventures of Paul Going to Rome tomorrow.

Love in Christ, Tom Siderius

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Ominous Lines

Acts 7-8

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

“Marley was dead, to begin with.”

These ominous lines commence the first stave of Charles Dicken’s classic novella, A Christmas Carol, which my children and I read together for the first time last year. Such chilling inaugural language sets the tone for the serious nature of the story. The tale delves deep into the meaning of life and Ebeneezer Scrooge’s radical transformation before concluding the final stave with these hopeful words: “And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, everyone!” 

As I read Acts 8, I was struck by the similarity between the forbidding opening phrases of A Christmas Carol and this sinister introduction to Saul: 

“And Saul gave approval to his murder” (8:1). 

Saul, a devout pharisee who kept every letter of the law and then some, was complicit in the death of the first martyr. But he didn’t stop there: Saul made it his mission to destroy the church by going house to house, imprisoning people who followed the ways of this Jesus guy. Saul thought he was working passionately for God by persecuting the followers of this heretic Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah. 

I always wonder how such heinous acts can be justified in the name of God. Did pride take over his heart? Was Saul so wallowing in his prideful Pharisee ways that he could not understand the grace and love that Jesus had shown and that his people were demonstrating? Was he blind to the prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus? (Spoiler: In Acts 26, Saul gives some insight into his thoughts during that time, but ultimately he realizes that he was for sure NOT doing the work of God by persecuting his church.)

This is a good reminder that just because we claim to follow God doesn’t mean that everything we feel so strongly about is correct or God’s way. We can be sincere and still be sincerely wrong. Since it can be difficult to distinguish God’s voice from the myriad of opinions we hear constantly, it is important to be regularly grounded in the Word and prayer, truly seeking God’s desires more than our own preconceived notions or cultural norms. 

Just like with Scrooge’s interactions with the three spirits, all it took was one encounter with Jesus to turn everything on its head, transforming Saul’s heart and ultimately leaving us with many hopeful words in the New Testament. But you’ll just have to come back here tomorrow to read more of that story!

Reflections: 

Think about your life before vs. after you decided to fully live for God. What would be the opening line to your “before” chapter? 

What do you want the closing line of your chapter of life to be (like your epitaph)? Write it out as a guide and inspiration to keep you focused on what truly matters. 

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Ordinary People – Who Have Been with Jesus

Acts 4-6

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

Abraham Lincoln (president), Charles Dickens (author), Steve Jobs (Apple creator), Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s), and Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA originator) seem like an unlikely bunch to be grouped into a similar category, but they all have this in common: each one either had little formal training or dropped out of school early, and yet became very successful. Our protagonists in Acts 4, Peter and John, also fit among this list. 

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13, ESV) Though Peter and John lacked formal training, their time of hands-on learning with Jesus probably equated to an advanced doctorate degree! Their accusers probably recognized that they had been taught by Jesus because their teaching styles and tones so closely matched that of their Rabbi. 

We, too, are disciples! We are called to share the gospel to a hurting world, following closely to the way of our Rabbi, Jesus. So remember your mission! Here are some tips from this text to help us be more like the early church. 

Share Jesus Boldly and Without Shame

Word about Jesus’ resurrection power spread, people were healed in Jesus’ name, and the number of followers was growing exponentially. The jealous religious leaders, however, did not appreciate this threat to their authority. So the council – likely the same one that condemned Jesus to death – tried to silence the ragtag bunch and ordered them to keep quiet. The disciples’ bold response? “We can’t keep quiet about what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20). Their lives had been totally changed, and they just had to spread the word! 

Humans haven’t changed much – we still can’t keep quiet about the good stuff! If you compliment a woman’s new dress, she will tell you three things about it: where she purchased it, how inexpensive it was, and that it has pockets! She is just so excited that she can’t keep it to herself! Likewise, if you visit a fantastic new restaurant and they’re offering a ton of great deals, you’ll probably tell all your friends so that they can get in on it, too. We love to spread good news to other people, so why do we shy away from sharing Jesus with the same zeal? (I’m preaching to myself here. I long to have that kind of boldness that I just can’t keep quiet about all things Jesus, don’t you?) Pray for boldness to share with others how Jesus has changed your life. 

Obey Only God 

When the religious leaders tried to shut them up again, the disciples replied, “We must obey God, not men.” (Acts 5:29) It’s always been so easy for us to slowly assimilate to the culture around us and begin to obey the gods of this world or match the expectations of the people around us. The Israelites did this chapter after chapter in the Old Testament, and we still stray today. Romans 12:2 warns us about getting too conformed with the world. Though it would eventually cost many of them their very lives, the disciples in Acts were compelled to continue sharing the hope of Jesus with everyone. Jesus had cautioned: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Pray that we – the global Church – would stay faithful until the end. 

Maybe you’re like me – never been to Bible college, don’t know an ounce of Greek or Hebrew, just living an uneventful, mundane life. God can use us still! Even without special training, we can be bold lights in a dark world. God can, and will, use you right where you are to make a difference for Him! 

Reflections: 

Your prayer prompts are within the text. Take a moment to pray over those.

  1. How do you spend time with Jesus? Can others tell that you do? What can you do to spend more quality time with Jesus?
  2. How can you lovingly, humbly, courageously show the world (including, but not limited to your family, your church, your neighbors, your “enemies”, the disadvantaged, the other side of the world, etc…) what you have seen and heard and learned from Jesus?
  3. When/how have you fallen into the trap of obeying men rather than God? What can that look like? What can you do to strengthen your resolve to Obey Only God?
  4. What courageous task will you do today to obey God?

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Ask Not for Justice, but for Forgiveness

Nehemiah 13 and Malachi 1-4

Devotion by Telva Elwell (SC)

Oh, how Nehemiah must have wished for a happy ending.  Jerusalem seemed to have been on the right track. The people were singing songs of praise and worship as they marched on the newly rebuilt wall of Jerusalem.  Joy filled the streets of Jerusalem and the hearts and souls of the people.  Fast forward to the future by about 11 or 12 years, and during that time the people had jumped off the wall and were up to their eyeballs in the filth of sin and rebellion to God and His laws.  Nehemiah had gone back to Shushan to his previous position, but when he heard the news of the sad state of affairs in Jerusalem, he returned to Jerusalem once again.  How could things have gone so terribly wrong?

If Nehemiah had prepared a list of things the people were doing wrong, it would have looked something like this.

Things you are doing wrong:
Nehemiah 13
  1.  You are mixing it up with outsiders like the Ammonites, and Moabites, who are enemies.
  2. You are allowing Tobiah to live in a large room in the temple.  Eliashib, a high priest, has given him a room because one of his relatives was married to Sanballat’s daughter, and Sanballat and Tobiah were friends.  (I know, it’s a bit confusing.  But we all know who Sanballat and Tobiah are, and this just can’t be good.)
  3. Tobiah is literally living in a room of the temple dedicated to the storing of the offerings used by the Levites.  (Umm, not good.  Where are the offerings kept now?)
  4. Where ARE the offerings?
  5. You are allowing your daughters and sons to marry people from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab, which you promised NOT to do.  Many of their children even speak foreign languages.
  6. You have stopped paying taxes!  You have stopped giving tithes and offerings to the priests and can’t even provide wood for the altar. (13:32-39). (Guess that is why “room” previously used for storage and offerings had opened up for Tobiah in the temple.)
  7. You are working and selling on the Sabbath, which you promised not to do! (10:31).
  8. Need I continue?
Signed:  Nehemiah

Sounds like Nehemiah had his work cut out for him.  Apparently so did Malachi, the prophet.  Malachi’s words against the people of Israel sounded hauntingly similar to Nehemiah’s words when describing the sins of the people of Israel.

Things you are doing wrong:
  1. You doubt the love of God (Mal 1:1-5) (see also Deut. 6:4,5).
  2. The priests are cheaters who offer polluted, lame, sick and blemished offerings to God (1:6-14).
  3. You divorce your wives then marry pagans (2:1-16).
  4. “You have wearied God with your words saying, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them” (2:17-3:6).
  5. You are thieves.  You are keeping your tithes and offerings (3:1-8).
  6. “You have spoken against God by saying that it is vain to serve Him, and what is the profit of keeping His commandments? You call the arrogant blessed” and say that “evildoers prosper”. (3:13-15)
  7. You ask, “Where is the God of justice?” (2:17)
        Signed:  Malachi, the Prophet

What Israel did not realize was that they did not need justice as much as they needed forgiveness.

Whereas Nehemiah took a more hands on approach to the problems, even to the point of throwing furniture, hitting and cursing certain men, and pulling hair from their heads (Neh 13:25), Malachi would debate them, beginning with an accusation, then Israel would dispute that accusation, but in the end, God would have the final word. 

Israel demanded to know “Where is the God of justice?”  What they wanted was justice for their wicked enemies and they wanted it now. They claimed that “everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He is pleased with them” (2:17). How can a just God do such things?

And so, God Almighty responded! “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come. (3:1) He then asked a question: “Who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?” (3:2) For “He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver” (3:2,3) “So I will come to put YOU on trial…says the Lord Almighty.” (3:5).

This is not where Israel expected the debate to go. They wanted God to deal with their enemies now. Instead, Malachi is telling them that they need to be cleansed and purified now.

 “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” (3:7) Will they accept that cleansing?   Will they return to Him?  Will they accept His forgiveness? Oh, how Nehemiah and Malachi must have longed for the people to return to God, and “to assemble with fasting, and with sackcloth and earth upon them.  And for the seed of Israel to separate themselves from all strangers, and stand and confess their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers”, as they did when the wall was rebuilt. (9:1-2).

Hope and a Promise

God, the God of Justice, assured them that He will take care of the evil ones.  “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.  But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.  And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.  Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,”’ says the Lord Almighty. (4:1-3) But for Israel it depended upon them deciding now which group they belonged to—the arrogant and evildoers, or those who revere His name.

 “Return to Me”, He pleads.

 He then ends with this promise: “I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  And he will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents” (4:5).

 As for us, just like Israel, it all depends upon taking accountability and confessing our sins because He is faithful and just and will forgive. (1John 1:9)

Reflection Questions

  1. Did jealousy play a role in the sins of Israel?  If so, does it still play a role in our lives and sin today?
  2. Why do you think it was so easy for Israel to fall back into sin repeatedly?  Were they sincere when they walked the wall of Jerusalem singing praise and thanksgiving?
  3. Do you find it difficult to stay away from sin?  Why?  Can you relate to Paul’s struggles in Romans 7:7-25? In what ways?
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