A few days ago I wrote about Israel's position of waiting on the Lord and living from day to day. As I've continued to mull this over and study that period of history, I have been struck by another facet of life as an Israelite at that time.
It's true that they were to wait every day for the Lord to show them what to do. They couldn't plan ahead and make a projected schedule of events. But, at the same time, the whole purpose of all of the years described in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy was to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. So while they were waiting each day for the Lord to show them His purpose for them in that day, they were also holding the promise in mind. They took life one day at a time, but each day was only important in how it prepared them for the Promised Land. They were learning to listen, obey, live in fellowship, worship, and relate rightly to God.
Sound familiar? There are things I am waiting and hoping for in this life and beyond it. I hope to one day marry and have a family. Nothing compares to the promise of freedom from sickness, sin, and suffering and the hope of being united with Christ when my time on the earth is through. But right now, God has not given it to me either to be married and have a family or to be with Him. I can dream of those things and hold onto the hope He has given me, but I am called to be where I am, fully present in each day to learn what He has for me. In this, as in so many other things, it all comes down to finding the balance.
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
On the move
"Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out."
Numbers 9:22-23
The Israelites didn't get to plan. They didn't get to look a month or six months or year or ten years down the line. There was no five-year plan on which they could base their days. They had promises from the Lord, they had commands from the Lord, and they had the Lord's presence, and that was to be enough. They were to honor Him daily, observe the statutes He had put in place, and watch for His presence to move. They were to be ready at all times to follow Him wherever He led, and ready at all times to stay however long He asked. The emphasis, in their daily lives, was not on God's big plan for the Israelites. The emphasis was on honoring Him and obeying His commandments every day, trusting that He had a plan and would give them the information they needed.
"If You say go, we will go;
If You say wait, we will wait.
If You say step out on the water
and they say it can't be done,
we'll fix our eyes on You and we will come."
Numbers 9:22-23
The Israelites didn't get to plan. They didn't get to look a month or six months or year or ten years down the line. There was no five-year plan on which they could base their days. They had promises from the Lord, they had commands from the Lord, and they had the Lord's presence, and that was to be enough. They were to honor Him daily, observe the statutes He had put in place, and watch for His presence to move. They were to be ready at all times to follow Him wherever He led, and ready at all times to stay however long He asked. The emphasis, in their daily lives, was not on God's big plan for the Israelites. The emphasis was on honoring Him and obeying His commandments every day, trusting that He had a plan and would give them the information they needed.
"If You say go, we will go;
If You say wait, we will wait.
If You say step out on the water
and they say it can't be done,
we'll fix our eyes on You and we will come."
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Holiness and mercy
I have been studying the Old Testament since around the start of the year, trying to get a better grasp of the history of God's people Israel leading up to the birth of Christ. I'm hanging out in Leviticus and Numbers at the moment, reading them along with Matthew Henry's commentary and building a working understanding of the laws and sacrifices and ceremonies and procedures ordained by God at that time.
What continues to stand out is the combination of holiness and mercy. God is holy, perfect, set apart. No wicked thing can enter his presence, and He can tolerate no sin. He calls His people Israel to be holy as well, set apart from other nations because of His purpose for them. The consequences for sin are harsh. But He makes merciful allowances. Where He could have condemned, He offers atonement and second chances. He allows for poverty, asking only what the people are able to offer, not willing that any should perish. And, thousands of years down the line, along comes the Son of Man. The lepers who have for years shouted, "Unclean, unclean!" are healed by a touch of His hand. The woman who has bled and wept and wondered for over a decade is returned to community and fellowship again.
His holiness requires our holiness and can accept nothing less, but His mercy enables us to walk in holiness and provides a way for reconciliation.
What continues to stand out is the combination of holiness and mercy. God is holy, perfect, set apart. No wicked thing can enter his presence, and He can tolerate no sin. He calls His people Israel to be holy as well, set apart from other nations because of His purpose for them. The consequences for sin are harsh. But He makes merciful allowances. Where He could have condemned, He offers atonement and second chances. He allows for poverty, asking only what the people are able to offer, not willing that any should perish. And, thousands of years down the line, along comes the Son of Man. The lepers who have for years shouted, "Unclean, unclean!" are healed by a touch of His hand. The woman who has bled and wept and wondered for over a decade is returned to community and fellowship again.
His holiness requires our holiness and can accept nothing less, but His mercy enables us to walk in holiness and provides a way for reconciliation.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The purpose of Israel
I've struggled from time to time with the purpose of the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament. It has always seemed a little arbitrary to me-- was there something so great about Abraham that led the Lord to choose him as a father for the chosen people? Was there some redeeming characteristic about the people of Israel that caused the Lord to rescue and redeem them time after time? The various times I have read through the story of God's relationship with the people of Israel, what has stood out to me is not any great quality about Israel, but rather their persistent unfaithfulness. Then why? Why choose these people? Why stick with it for so long?
Abraham was a righteous man. There are instances throughout Genesis where God tells him that because of his faithfulness in various situations, he will make him a great nation. But I think that's only part of it. As I have been reading through the Old Testament again for the past few weeks, I have been struck by the way it all points to Jesus. From the very entrance of sin into the world, God is working out a plan for the redemption of the human race. He makes a promise, He chooses a people, He does everything to keep that people holy to Him, and all of it is to make the path straight for Jesus to enter the world and save it by His ultimate sacrifice.
The Old Testament stories are powerful on their own, and there is plenty to be gleaned from each of them, but most powerful to me this time around has been the centrality of Jesus to it all. From the very beginning ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," "Through Him all things were created...") Jesus is everything. After the fall of man, through the whole story of God sanctifying mankind back to Himself, Jesus is everything. In the gospels, Jesus is everything. In the accounts of the early church and the letters written within it, Jesus is everything. At the end, when all things are summed up, the answer is still the same. Jesus is everything.
Abraham was a righteous man. There are instances throughout Genesis where God tells him that because of his faithfulness in various situations, he will make him a great nation. But I think that's only part of it. As I have been reading through the Old Testament again for the past few weeks, I have been struck by the way it all points to Jesus. From the very entrance of sin into the world, God is working out a plan for the redemption of the human race. He makes a promise, He chooses a people, He does everything to keep that people holy to Him, and all of it is to make the path straight for Jesus to enter the world and save it by His ultimate sacrifice.
The Old Testament stories are powerful on their own, and there is plenty to be gleaned from each of them, but most powerful to me this time around has been the centrality of Jesus to it all. From the very beginning ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," "Through Him all things were created...") Jesus is everything. After the fall of man, through the whole story of God sanctifying mankind back to Himself, Jesus is everything. In the gospels, Jesus is everything. In the accounts of the early church and the letters written within it, Jesus is everything. At the end, when all things are summed up, the answer is still the same. Jesus is everything.
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