James 1 – Enduring love

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12 (ESV)

This past Sunday we were able to go to my grandma's church in Springfield. The service and the message were both wonderful. The pastor preached on James 1:12. As I was reading the passage, the words struck me in a way that they never had before. And since we (those following the M'Cheyne reading plan) just read James 1 several days ago, it is refreshing to reflect on these words again.

There are two ways, in my mind, to understand the man “who remains steadfast under trial.” One way is that this “steadfast” man will be lumped into a group of other people who love God, all of whom will receive a crown of life. This way, however, says nothing about his own love for God.

The other way to understand this passage is to see a similarity between being steadfast under trial and loving God. The issue is, what are we persevering in? We are persevering in our loyalty, our commitment, our faith, our love for God when we stay firm during a trial. Compare this to a marriage: you show your love by being loyal to your spouse. Now the trials could be one of external enticement (like another person is wanting your intimacy), or one of social pressure (like a family member is trying to degrade your spouse or forcing you to side against them), or one of responsibility (like doing what you said you would do around the house), and so on. Love becomes a loyalty under pressure.

This is a helpful way to think about love - especially our love for God. Our response to trials does correspond to our own love for the Lord. So, for the love of God, stand whatever test is coming your way.

Hebrews 1 – The final word

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. - Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV)

Just as we are the recipients of better promises, so too we are hearing from a better messenger – the Son. In the former days, God spoke through prophets: Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah. But God no longer speaks the same way through prophets; He has spoken through Jesus.

A church in my town has a sign, “God is still speaking.” As we think about the Canon of Scripture, God is done speaking in the sense that there are no more words being added. Mormons say that God has continued to speak through modern day prophets, but this would run contrary to the Lord’s plan as it is stated in Hebrews 1. Even our current Protestant/Catholic debates are over books that were written prior to Christ’s coming. There is little debate about the closed nature of the Bible.

More threatening than extra books being tacked on to the Canon are the many modern day “prophets” to whom we give our listening ear. We want to find satisfaction, we want meaning, but instead of hearing from God’s Son, we buy the latest book or we agree with the newest commercial.

In a world of competing voices, the question becomes: who gets my attention? May it be the one who is the heir of all things, the creator of the world.

2 Thessalonians 1 – Us, them, & prayer

God will take care of those who afflict us (vv 5-8)

We who believe will glorify God, marveling at Him. (v 10)

And then the prayer:

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV)

Celebration of Discipline - review

Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster drives the Christian to practicing spiritual disciplines. Foster divides his book into three sections covering twelve spiritual disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

This is a great book. Foster is clear and deals with the ‘real-ness’ of doing these spiritual disciplines. The only shortcomings of the book were that in some chapters he didn’t give much depth as to why we should be doing these things and that he was very ‘optimistic’ about a wide-range of practices. A worthy note: this book was #11 on the top 50 most influential books that have shaped evangelicals (Christianity Today).

Let me highlight a chapter that particularly spoke to me: Simplicity (pp 79-95)

Foster says that simplicity is “an inward reality that results in an outward life-style.” The “lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic” because it loses touch with reality. Our desires are set on “things that we neither need or enjoy.”
“Covetousness we call ambition.
Hoarding we call prudence.
Greed we call industry.”

Jesus declared war on materialism: “no one can serve to masters” (Luke 16:13), “where your treasure is your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21), the rich young ruler is told to shed his wealth for the kingdom (Luke 19), and the rich farmer whose life centered on hoarding was called a fool (Luke 12:16-21). To this, Foster attacks extreme self-denial: “Asceticism makes an unbiblical division between a good material world and an evil material world.”

“The central point for the Discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in its proper order.” He clarifies his point further: “The person who does not seek the kingdom first, does not seek it at all.”

Foster closes the chapter with ten helpful tips for increasing simplicity in our lives:

• Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
• Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
• Develop a habit of giving things away.
• Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
• Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
• Develop a deeper appreciation of the creation.
• Look with a healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes.
• Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.
• Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
• Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.

How to Lose a Battle - review

[So I saw this book at a Barnes and Noble in Rochester. I briefly looked at it, saw that it might be interesting, made a mental note, and then got it a little while later off Amazon. Even though there were bad reviews, I pushed ahead. Listen to others my friends, listen to others.]

How to Lose a Battle by Bill Fawcett (ed.) is a collection of battles throughout history that went awry. History is a subject that I enjoy so this book held a real fascination for me. That is, until I started reading it. Sure the subject matter is interesting, but these are stories that are poorly told.

Strengths and weaknesses
Some of the battles are laid out in an interesting and understandable fashion. There were quite a few battles that were unknown to me. I look forward to investigating these further. (That’s about all I can say – the only thing that kept me turning the pages was the hope that the next chapter would be better than the last.)

This book had quite a few weaknesses. There was some real concern that authors might not have all their facts straight. You have the Romans being defeated at Carrhae (p 29) only to retreat to Carrhae (p 32). There are tremendous gaps in the story like the capture of the French king at the battle of Agincourt (p 55). Sometimes the main events are only breezed over like the thousands of lives that were lost at Okinawa (p 300). None of the authors made any references to any other works and no information was given about any of the other authors.

Even if these accounts are credible, the book still left much to be desired. After every battle, there was some sort of analysis. This analysis was either way too general or it didn’t fit with the details that the author presented. Some authors used exaggeration to the point of being annoying – the Charge of the Light Brigade only lost 139 men but it was “the most notoriously futile and costly cavalry charge in British history.” (p 98) They misspelled the word “could” by spelling it “couild.” With all the spell-checkers we have today?!? I am more sympathetic to “cold” or “cloud” but not couild (p 300).

This sort of nit-picking could go on, but the long and short of it is – don’t buy this book. The best thing to do would be to go to your library and xerox off the table of contents. Take your list of 38 battles and look them up on wikipedia or encyclopedia.ftd.com.

Colossians 3 – My life

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. – Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

What is my life? My vocation, my family, my free time? No, Christ is my life. Moreover, when He appears, I will appear with Him!

How easily I get distracted - how quickly I focus on the minutiae of life. I wonder if my life more closely resembles a humorless Seinfeld episode, than it does being “hidden with Christ in God” (v 3).

Because of the grace of God, my life IS in Christ. This is the most exciting and humbling truth - my life is in Christ! My mind should be on that (v 2), not the trinkets and baubles a shadowy earth offers (v 2:17).

Humility and Absolute Surrender - review

[Note: I recently listened to Absolute Surrender off of Librivox and I didn’t take any notes. So this review will only cover the Humility section of this two volume book. BTW – I really enjoyed Absolute Surrender; it created a greater desire to debase myself before my creator.]

Humility and Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray

Substance
With an incredible amount of eloquence and directness, Andrew Murray (1828-1917) wants Christians “to prove that meekness and lowliness of heart are the chief mark by which they who follow the meek and lowly Lamb of God are to be known.” (p 3) I feel (for his part) that Murray achieves this end.

Quotes [a small sampling]

“…in their very nature, pride and faith are irreconcilably at variance…” (p 42)

“Jesus, in whom we trust, can make us humble. … Our humility is his care and work.” (p 52)

“Our humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men.” (p 26)

“The first and chief of the marks of the dying of the Lord Jesus, of the death-marks that show the true followers of Jesus, is humility.” (p 46)

“[Jesus has spoken] of humility as the only path to the glory of God.” (p 22)

“…nothing is more natural and beautiful and blessed then to be nothing, that God may be all” (p 1)


I liked this book quite a bit. It is not something you read and put back on the shelf – you mull over it and ponder what Murray says. You read the Scriptures he highlighted with the same meaning but with a new depth and richness. And, like a few other books, you pick it up again, read a chapter or two, and withdraw: challenged, humbled, and hopeful.

Why America Doesn’t Work by Chuck Colson & Jack Eckerd (1991)

[Note: We had a booth at a local fair and it was super slow, so I went over and picked up a book from the library book giveaway. I got through about half of this book just sitting at my booth, but then some friends came by and no more reading. It has been a few months since the fair, but there it was on the shelf so I went ahead and finished it. ]

Substance
This book is an easy read by Chuck Colson and Jack Eckerd (of Eckerd drugstore fame). Their major contention is that America has lost her work ethic: the determination, the pride, the character. The book is divided into four parts and one long chapter 12 (6 sections). The breakdown: ‘What isn’t working?,’ ‘Whatever became of the work ethic?,’ ‘The predatory society,’ and ‘Restoring the work ethic.’ Chapter 12 (the last chapter) is in part four, but entitled, ‘Restoring the marketplace.’

Strengths and weaknesses
If you like stories, this book is full of them. The authors give tons of illustrative examples to help bolster their points. Plus the book is well-documented. All of this makes for an easy, comfortable read.

At the outset, the authors try to establish that a loss in the work ethic stems from a departure of the Christian moorings that established work in America. There was a good discussion on some of the foundational causes. While I was concerned for a good part of the book, Colson and Eckerd brought me back to some very foundational principles:

‘Why, then, should we work? Because work gives expression to our creative gifts and thus fulfills our need for meaning and purpose. Because work is intrinsically good when done with the proper attitude and motive. Because we are commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth, participating in the work of Creation in a way that glorifies God. Because we are citizens of this earth and have certain responsibilities to our fellow citizens.’ (p 178)

Even though I agreed with a good part of their assessment, I felt that most of the evidence was anecdotal. The stories were inspiring, but by themselves, didn’t necessarily move me towards agreeing with a particular position. Also, I struggled with the pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality versus a cross-centered view that was mentioned at the outset of the book. While most of the book was examples that illustrated the greater point, many times that point was lost or not developed very well. Finally, I was a bit irked when I noticed that a blurb endorsing the book was by someone who was highlighted as a good example within the book (you’ll have to read it to discover the endorser/example).

Remember this book is over 15 years old. As an assessment of the culture, it is somewhat outdated. In this book, the unresolved struggle is wondering how to develop this sort of God-honoring desire in our work without Christ. But there are lots of good stories and barring a few areas of disagreement, an OK book.

Ephesians 6 – Stamina

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, – Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)

A simple encouragement in the middle of a filled passage – don’t forget to pray for other believers. Paul then gets specific in asking for prayer for himself. There is a connectedness that believers have with one another that should naturally result in this constant prayer.

Prayer is hard though. Seriously, it really is. It can be long; it means remembering others; it means spending energy. That’s why Paul urges us to give all our stamina to this task. And while, yes, it is hard, I am glad others seek the Lord on my behalf. So too, my care and concern for others must extend to the closet, where only God dwells.

The Jesus Creed - review

The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight (who writes an excellent blog by the same name) is a seminal work for this very prolific author. As I have mentioned earlier, the big point on the Jesus Creed is that Jesus took the Shema (Hear!) of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and added Leviticus 19:18 to create Mark 12:29-31 - this is the Jesus Creed: love God and love others. McKnight then takes this creed and, by using the people and events in the Gospels, shows examples of transformation, kingdom values, spiritual formation, and joining Christ.

Strengths and weaknesses

The Jesus Creed is full of stories – McKnight tries to connect with the reader lots of real life examples. Also, McKnight has done his research by including relevant voices that supplement his points. This book is very easy to read; there is a clarity in the writing that is refreshing.

The book doesn’t give as much support for his notion of the Jesus Creed being the transformational key to the church as I would have liked to see. Not that I disagree with the power and depth of loving God and others, but some exposition in other texts would have been helpful to flush out the creed’s influence as a creed. McKnight contends for the daily recitation of this Jesus Creed, but yet only gives Jewish tradition as support. His insights into the lives of the individuals in the Gospels are vivid, but some of the thoughts are simply conjecture to some degree. (Just because you can name the Hebrew label doesn’t necessarily mean that such and such happened in that story. There tends to be some blurring of what the passage actually says and reading between the lines.)

There is some automatic hesitancy from me when I read McKnight. In terms of the Kingdom of God, he seems to be more “already” than “not yet” compared to where I land. He also is not afraid to attack some groups that seem to be close to the mark (but not in his exact camp), while being extraordinarily kind to other groups that tend to be all over the place (to put it kindly). While we disagree on other issues as well, he is a well-respected scholar whom I read quite often for insight. The Jesus Creed has quite a few gems within it; I have several pages dog-eared and many passages underlined. He is very lucid and (while he might balk at such a label) represents a good evangelical understanding of Christ in this book.

(BTW – If you’ve heard the lecture, you have a good overview of the book.)

Desiring God Conference: Supremacy of Christ

Several items

1) The audio to this conference is online and free to download. It is worth your time to listen to the messages. They are here.

2) We had a wonderful time meeting friends from now and times past. We were able to stay with some good friends of ours – Boyd and Ingrid. Their passion for the Lord was very refreshing. We were also blessed by many other old friends from Columbia and Trinity (plus a few people from just two days earilier). It was awesome to just see everyone again.

3) I was very challenged by the messages. I want to pursue the Lord with a deeper passion. The gospel needs to more fully impact my life. As I steadily listen to the messages again, I remember afresh the calling the Lord has placed on all our lives to glorify Him and Him alone. The friends are great as are the books and all the free stuff, but to be refocused on Christ is the greatest thing I took away from the conference.

4) Next year you should go. Maybe we could car pool.

Pastors and Wives Conference: Rest

The theme at Hidden Acres this year was rest (with the last session being a high energy presentation about outreach). Rest is good; rest is vital to connecting to the Lord. We are currently working through rest as a topic in our Men’s Refreshers.

The main thought I gained from this time was that the Lord releases captives. Deuteronomy 5 repeats the 10 commandments, but commandment #4 (keeping the Sabbath) has different rationale:

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. – Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Slaves of men get no Sabbaths. When we are slaves of the Lord, He gives us rest (and to our servants as well.) Taking rest is a way of demonstrating our release from captivity; we are saying that we are beholden to the Lord alone.

(And for many of us, taking rest means that others rest as well.)

Upon the Altar of the Nation - review

Upon the Altar of the Nation
by Harry S. Stout
A moral history of the American Civil War

According to Stout, the type of literature that surrounds the Civil War contains either romanticized and glamorized military conquests, or political histories focused on slavery and emancipation. But was the war right? Was it moral? These questions often remain unasked because the drama of this war was too compelling or the evil of slavery was too great.

One item that Stout drew out was the unchanging military tactics with advanced weaponry. Prior to the Civil War, the large frontal assault was key to removing your opponent from the field, but by the Civil War, the weaponry had advanced so that such assaults led to piles and piles of dead bodies. Even though the death tolls were enormous, it still took some time for the West Point trained generals to change their battle strategies. Remember, over 620,000 men died in the Civil War.

Another point made by Stout is that the religious leaders of the time often reflected the feelings (and moral evaluation) of their people. Stout observes that “in 1865 no less than 1860, [Southerners] believed that abolitionism was the ultimate sin such that, ‘all who love the Lord Jesus Christ must and will oppose this monster heresy unto death.’” (409) Northern pulpits cheered Sherman’s savagery in Georgia and South Carolina and jeered at his gracious offered of peace to the surrendered armies of the South.

In a side note, Stout takes a brief look ahead to the Federal government’s dealings with the Native Americans (1868-1883). The US generals employed the same ‘total war’ tactics that were used in the Civil War – attacks upon personal property and upon non-combatants. Stout then closes the book with this consideration:

“Why is it important to finally write the moral history of the Civil War? It’s important because we are its legates, and if we question nothing from that costly conflict, then we need question nothing in conflicts of the present and future. Issues of discrimination and proportionality recur in every war. The Civil War does not provide an especially encouraging model in this regard, especially if the crimes go largely unnoticed beneath the natural urge to forget and move on. But as with the holocaust, if we forget, we do so at great peril to our own humanity.” (461)

For those interested in politics and following Christ, this book is a great read. It is thick, but Stout does a good job piecing this information together. While this is not a comprehensive overview of the Civil War, the battles, the politics, or the personalities, it does live up to the claim of being a moral history of this dark time.

Galatians 3 - Ending like we started

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? - Galatians 3:3

Some things are just easier, like going back to our old golf grip, or cheating on the fingering of particular guitar chords. But we gave up the old grip for a reason and Paul is reminding us to not turn back on something a bit more serious.

Again, Paul is saying that our salvation is by the grace that is given to us in Christ. Period. But I still want to earn my place with God. I want to be recognized by my merit.

We just came from a Pastors' and Wives' Retreat. Since you are around your peers, you want to have great stories to tell. You want to be given special recognition. You want others to love and adore you for your achievements. Truth be told, you want God to take special notice.

Fortunately at this retreat, we are pointed to our absolute dependence upon the Spirit. It is not our effort we marvel at, but it is the Lord who is the focus of our glory. We are driven back to the cross, back where we had nothing. That's because, except for the grace of God, we still have nothing.

Rochester Conference: Jesus Creed

This past Thursday I went up to Rochester to see Scot McKnight give a lecture on the Jesus Creed. I read his blog daily. While I don't always agree on the positions he takes, he often gives insight into the Scriptures that is thought through and helpful. Plus he keeps everyone up to date on the latest and greatest in Christendom.

The big point on the Jesus Creed is that Jesus took the Shema (Hear!) of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and added Leviticus 19:18 to create Mark 12:29-31. This is the Jesus Creed: love God and love others. McKnight also talked about Joseph and Mary; how their piety would have been tarnished in the eyes of others by the birth of Jesus. It was a good lecture that stimulated my thinking in the areas of spiritual formation and for giving people some helpful hooks in following Christ.

Currently I am reading the Jesus Creed and I hope to give a brief review soon.

Conference time!

The same situation came up last year – several excellent conferences are scheduled all at once. There is quite a bit going on at the church, but these times cannot be missed!

Rochester Conference: Scot McKnight spoke on the Jesus Creed (among other topics).

Pastors' and Wives' Refresher: It is what it says it is: refreshing! It is a good opportunity for me to catch up with by E-Free buddies and just spend time getting challenged and helped by people who are in very similar situations.

Desiring God Conference: Keller, Carson, Piper. A combo of any two of them would probably be enough to drag me up to Minneapolis. Add in Driscoll, Wells, and Baucham (don't know him, but I'm sure if he was invited, there is a good reason), a few old friends, and it should be a great conference!

2 Corinthians 13 - Plea for unity

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. – 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

After three scathing chapters, Paul finally concludes his letter with the exhortations in the preceding paragraph. As we have seen before, unity becomes a huge focus of Paul's letters to the church in Corinth. There is a strong vain in Christendom that doesn't give much thought to unity. Unity is often seen as a value that is opposed to truth, and therefore, will be chucked the moment it gets in the way.

Unity is a value that comes from the Godhead. Unity is displayed perfectly within the Godhead, giving us all kinds of headaches as we try to get a mental grasp on the Triune nature of the One True God.

In light of his pleadings for unity, Paul gives the Corinthian church an excellent picture of how the Triune God operates in their lives:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (v 14)

2 Corinthians 8 - Giving: for better or worse

I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack." - 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

What does it mean to be rich?

The other day I saw Rob Bell's "Rich" (number #13) in the Nooma series. The example of the rich person was a young American with a beat up car. My friend Duke told me several years back that the average US citizen is part of the richest 2% of all people who have ever lived. We were in Poland and, at the time, everyone was trying to live the materialistic dream of getting as much as you can. The hope we were giving (Jesus) was different than the hope they seemingly desired (our wealth).

The finger is being pointed at me; I am the one with abundance. To someone in a capitalistic society (and doing nicely), this passage can sound like communism. Why is it so hard to share?

One problem is in dealing with those in need. We feel we have earned our money and so those in need should earn theirs and leave us alone.

Wealth is an interesting thing. If Duke's stat is correct, then my wealth has a great deal to do with my birth. Regardless of the sociological causes for my prosperity, the ultimate cause is the Lord; He has made me this way. I haven't been sued for a bajillion dollars and I wasn't born in Bangladesh. My wife and I have had and currently have jobs that are at least a living wage (by US standards) and at most quite prosperous. I tend over-value my role in the wealth that I do have.

The second problem is receiving help when we are in need. We see those asking for help as under-valuing hard work, responsibility, and/or self-discipline. This may be the case, but the absence or presence of these virtues is only part of the answer when it comes to money. If you make enough, you maybe don't have to be as responsible or even work as hard as someone else. Sometimes tragedy strikes and there is nothing we can do to protect our nest egg.

Because I over-value my role in being financially solvent, I often shun help when I need it. That means I am more apt to look down upon or simply problem-solve for those who aren't. In reality, the issues can be deeper than basic money management. God's provision in your hard times may very well be from my gift - helping me to realize that my abundance is from the Lord and it is to be used for His purposes. God's provision in my hard times may very well be from your gift - to the detriment of my pride, but for the betterment of my soul.

1 Corinthians 16 - Effective work

But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. - 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (ESV)

Couple of thoughts:
(1) Effective work and many adversaries, they just don't seem to go together. At least, we don't want them to go together. As a follower of Christ, this is our destiny – to suffer for the Gospel. Suffering takes on many forms: outright opposition, threats of violence, denial of certain pleasures, swallowing our pride. To be sure, the blessings to be had in Christ outweigh the afflictions, but there will be felt suffering from people and things opposed to the Gospel. Paul writes in Philippians 1:29-30

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

The point is that the presence of suffering is not a negative factor in determining what effective work might be. We often see adversaries as deterrent; Paul says opposition is a part of following Jesus.

(2) The presence of opposition doesn't mean that you are doing effective work. Many people look at opposition as a confirmation that they are doing the right thing. The effectiveness of the work must be measured against Scripture, not the number of emails we receive. I know several ministries that get quite a bit of opposition and I think that it is often deserved. We are to examine our faithfulness to Christ, not the amount of heat we get.

9/11 – A time of reflection

Where were you when you first heard about the attacks? I remember that I was typing at the computer listening to “Mike and Mike” on ESPN Radio. Mike Greenberg seemed extremely concerned about a report of a plane crashing in NY while Mike Golic (initially) wanted to get on with the broadcast. I turned on the TV and the story had begun.

How we react to certain things is an interesting phenomenon. Having been upset over (my perceived) lack of interest in some previous world disasters, I wasn’t (at least initially) as caught up into the horror of this one. In all honesty, I was more affected by the response of the people around me than to the tragedy itself. Maybe I already had a healthy dose of “this world is a bad place” but I was truly mystified that some people were too paralyzed to travel, to go out of their rooms, to come back to college. In retrospect, I was probably too jaded to sympathize properly and too proud, secretly wanting show my 'greater' concern by telling people “this world has been a bad place for a long time – read your papers.” Today I am ashamed of both of these attitudes.

I had some appointments set up with some college students (I was on campus staff at the time) so we talked, prayed, watched TV, and gave blood. We coordinated group worship services that evening. This event consumed our ministry for a good couple of months.

There is no real interest on my part on seeing a 9/11 documentary or movie. But I do want to reflect, mourn, and move from 9/11 in a way that honors Christ. Whether 9/11 deeply touched you or you are struggling on how to respond, here are a couple of articles that have helped me this morning:

Bill Williams: a pastor at ground zero during the 9/11 rescue (HT: Jim Martin)

Mark D. Roberts – a prayer on the 5th anniversary of 9/11


And one more Timothy George - Theology for an Age of Terror

1 Corinthians 15 – A welcome change

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. – 1 Corinthians 15:53 (ESV)

There are times in our lives where we welcome change: marriage, having a child, getting a job, or moving to a new house. There is usually quite a bit of excitement prior to the change and (in some cases at least), there is quite a bit of excitement after the change.

Having spent time with people that are more advanced in years (and by listening to my wife who works in a nursing home), aging is not an exciting event for our bodies. Parts don’t work like they used to and when they do, it hurts. Even if are still young, our bodies are frail, corruptible, and always wanting to be satisfied.

I look forward to my new body. Paul spends a good part of this chapter on the subject of these resurrected bodies. I wish he’d make it clear if I’ll be able to fly…

At the end of 1 Cor 15, there is an interesting point. Through Christ, we will eventually triumph over death. In light of this victory, we are to hold fast, giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord (v 58). So my broken body is to be used to glorify God with my labor now and my new body will glorify the Lord then.

Now I live in light of what he is going to give me. The victory has been won for us, but, for a time, we still have these perishable robes. May our perishable robes serve our Lord to their fullest strength. (Until we receive something bit more substantial.)

1 Corinthians 13 – The first few words

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (ESV)

It is the dream of every pastor to speak with such eloquence and unction so that the people they speak to are moved. Week after week, I labor to produce sermons that convict and inspire those that hear. Everything becomes a potential illustration; everyone becomes a potential person in the audience. Books and articles are devoured that help refine my exegesis, my theology and especially, my homiletical skill. Here Paul says that a silver tongue doesn't get the job done.

Unfortunately, this verse does not eliminate the need for sermon practice and study.

However, this verse does show the need for something more foundational, something less stately than well-formulated rhetoric – the need for love. There must be love. If I do not truly love the people I speak to, I become a source of irritation and pain. If I quit loving others, there are less damaging things that I could do besides clanging and gonging every Sunday.

The Gospel cures the wounds of the soul. If I am truly transformed by the cross of Christ, I too will have a love for those that hear me as I proclaim it.

Matt Chandler on hurting pastors

On our way home from Missouri, Carrie and I listened to Matt Chandler talk about the hurts that are involved in pastoral ministry. His message, called Gravity, was given at the Reform and Resurgence conference this past May.

This message is really quite powerful.

2 Samuel 1 – Song for an enemy

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. – 2 Samuel 1:17-18 (ESV)

Saul, who sent David into exile and killed those who helped him, has now died. David’s response is to write a lament that would be taught to the entire nation. This lament honors Saul and Jonathan as mighty heroes, those worthy of remembrance.

A desire for personal vengeance often outweighs our desire to what is right, especially if it is honoring someone who has hurt us. We usually aren't that great at honoring anyone but ourselves, even if they didn't do anything to us. I want people to remember me and how great I am, not someone else, not someone who was out to hurt me.

Love for our enemies (and even our friends) should be a type of love that doesn't fade the moment they are out of our sight.

The day has come!

Not "the Day" but the day in which blogger switched my account over to their 'beta' service. This allows me to categorize my posts. The engineer in me is excited. Now I can pour over the minutia of this blog, pine about the 'correct' labels, figure out how to change my header to a big picture like Wince's and Brian's.


Hopefully the changes will come quick and we can get back to business!

Romans 14 - A Pauline favorite

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." - Romans 14:11 (ESV)

This verse, a quote from Isaiah 45:23, is also alluded to in Phillipians 2:10-11. Is this a memory verse in Paul's packet? Maybe so.

What is more important is what the verse says. In the setting of how we deal with people who differ on eating, drinking, and the observation of special days, there is this sober reminder: everyone will be humbled before the Lord. And, if we didn't catch it from verse 11, we have the next verse to clear up any confusion - "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

The account we give to God certainly includes how we and others decide on matters such as certain foods, but more importantly, we will need to show how we responded to others. Usually I think, "Well, you do your thing and I'll do mine - each of us has to account to God." This would be true but incomplete. I also must account for my judgmental attitude towards my sibling in Christ. And, in view of verse 13, this is exactly what Paul has in mind.

"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer"

How I interact with others should have, at it's foundation, a clear view of God and His sovereignty. The cross has leveled me and my fellow sibling in Christ. How can I despise someone who is in the exact same lot I am - a sinner made saint by the grace of God?

Further info on the blog

I have some new ideas for the blog and I was all ready to get going today, but then I read an article that blogger is updating their service to include some of the features I want!

The long and short of it is - the blog will start again, but there will be some other changes as this account gets migrated to their new service.

Still working on the blog

I'm still trying to do a few things with the ol' blog here. I'd like to expand and do more. And I don't want it to be a mess. So I need categories, which Blogger doesn't currently provide. Therefore I have several choices: tough it out until they do, do a work around solution, or get a different host.

Please be patient and hopefully soon I will be back up and blogging. Keep your nose in the Book!

Grace and peace,

Time to rethink...

I am currently evaluating my blogging situation, especially as it regards direction and medium. Therefore, there may be a continued hiatus from the blogging world as I try to rethink some of these issues. Please check back every so often for updates.


Grace and peace,

Joshua 1 – Courage, part 2

Again the phrase – only be strong and very courageous (v 7). The commission given in Deuteronomy 31 is repeated in Joshua 1. I won’t repeat the comments made a couple of days ago; instead, I was reminded of when this passage became very personal to me.

It was about this time 10 years ago. I was just starting to raise support and the support-raising was not going well. There were some bad experiences calling people so I began to fear the phone. I became paralyzed right after dinner around 6:30 to 7 pm. You see, this is the time that people are home and generally available. This will last until around 9 pm. That is the time when you are supposed to call people to set up appointments. And I was becoming afraid.

I knew that I needed to have the Lord’s perspective; I needed Him to press me on if I was to finish this. And then I came across this passage.

Now you might think that things went better, but they didn’t. Actually the support-raising got worse. But I still had the promise of God’s presence and the admonishment to be strong and courageous.

Eventually the support team was developed. The process was long and difficult; the phone only became marginally easier. I wonder if Joshua ever felt like melting before the armies of other nations, but pressed on anyway. I wonder if it was difficult for him to muster the troops to engage in a seemingly hopeless battle.

There is a saying: courage isn’t action in the absence of fear, but action in spite of fear. Was I fearless in support-raising? No. But I knew the Lord was with me. So I punched the numbers into the receiver. And acted on what I knew to be true.

Deuteronomy 31 – Strength and courage

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you."

Deuteronomy 31:6, 7-8, 23 (ESV)

There are certain situations where we feel strong and courageous. There are others where we feel weak, inadequate, and timid. Most of these feelings are based on levels of proficiency and experience – “I will make bold moves in business, because I have savvy and experience in this area.”

Here Joshua is called to be strong and courageous as he leads Israel. While one can be groomed for this situation, it is a monumental task, both in size and importance. Three times in this chapter he is told to be strong and courageous. This begs the question, “Why would he be strong and courageous?”

Common wisdom would say that his training, prior experience, and public appointment should provide the basis for this confidence. Even if he didn’t have that, we are told to “dig deep” or “believe in yourself” for this confidence. Being a person with many faults and weaknesses, I am nervous when I am told to “trust in myself.” I know myself and there are many times when I have good reason to be afraid. Our text today, however, provides a better foundation for strength and confidence.

God calls us to be bold in many areas, but He also tells us that He will be with us. In Jesus’ last statement in the book of Matthew, He tells the disciples to make more disciples. His concluding statement is that He will always be with them. In Hebrews 13:5-6, there is a similar assurance regarding the Lord’s presence. In all of Joshua’s exhortations, there is a promise, a promise of God’s presence.

Our confidence is not in ourselves, our abilities, or our experiences. Our confidence is solely on the promise that the Lord is with us. Our God is near to us. Our Lord is with us. The Spirit indwells us.

For me, the question then turns on what I’m doing. Surely this confidence must be associated with what God is doing in my life. Having God is with me, does not mean that He will let me win the lottery or get first place at the US Open. I can be strong and courageous in all that God has called me to do, not everything my tainted desires want to do. Joshua was being asked to conquer fortified cites and slay giants. We are being called to glorify God – to love and follow Christ and to make disciples of people everywhere. These are all tasks that are impossible without the power and presence of God.

This passage is comforting and refining. The comfort comes from the promise of His presence – “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb 13:6). The refinement comes from His will. I am not supposed to spend my life pursuing the trinkets and baubles of this world. I am to follow the Prince of Peace and He is with me to the very end.

Deuteronomy 25 – Justice

While Deuteronomy seems to have disjointed laws, there are themes that help us connect seemingly unrelated edicts. Moreover, many of these themes point to the very character of God.

Ensuring a future

• The use of physical punishment should be tempered so that the guilty man is not degraded, for he is a brother (v 3). It seems that the Lord is interested in his integration back into the community.
• The widowed woman is also granted a future. If she has a brother-in-law who is unwilling to provide for her and preserve his brother’s name, he is publicly humiliated for his refusal to do what is right. Thus, his house is ruined as well (vv 5-10). Such a penalty would hinder a relative from forgoing his duty.
• If a man’s future is tied to his ability to have children and to participate with the assembly (v 23:1), then he is protected from loss because of a fight (vv 25:11-12). Like all of these, God is not only interested in short term justice, but He also sees the long term implications.

Fairness

• The ox works hard and should benefit from the work (v 4). This principle is also applied to the church (1 Tim 5:17-18).
• People work hard and should be offered what is agreed upon for their wares. If you deal dishonestly with one another, you will destroy your own community (vv 13-16). Honesty is a quality that reflects God’s character (Col 3:9-12).

Avenging the weak

• You cannot force a marriage, but the widowed woman is granted justice if her brother-in-law refuses to uphold her dead husband’s name (vv 5-10).
• By attacking weak and fail of Israel, the Amalekite nation has gone too far. Since they destroyed those who could not defend themselves, they too will be destroyed (vv 17-19).

The Lord is very concerned about the weak and the powerless. Even in the previous chapter, we see a list of laws that give rights by preventing exploitation and uplifting the lowly. This is the type of Lord we need – one helps those who cannot help themselves.

Numbers 26 – The new generation

A generation has died off in a little less than forty years. Now we are back at the point we were at in chapter 1. As I read this, I wonder what it would have been like to have been a child growing up during that time. What would I have thought of my parents? What would they have told me? How would my view of God been formed by this experience? The wilderness would have been a difficult time.

The Lord’s plans move forward. He is determined to have Israel be a blessing for all the nations of the earth (Gen 12:1-3) and to bring justice to the land (Gen 15:16). But He chooses to use those whose hearts are His. Like the story of Balaam, it is not about being used by the Lord that matters, it is about walking with Him. If this people did not follow their God, I imagine that they’d be in the desert for a few more decades.

This chapter doesn’t just remind us of past failures, but it gives hope. God doesn’t leave his people. He is patient and faithful to carry out His plans.

NB – A friend of mine (whose name is also Todd) said that when he comes across a chapter that is either a genealogy or has a paragraph that is repeated several times, he reads the chapter out loud. This is a great idea.

Numbers 22-25 – Balaam, a man of mystery

What do you do with someone like Balaam? He is a hard guy to figure out.

Balaam, son of Beor at Pethor, is a seer and a prophet that is summoned by Barak, king of Moab, to curse Israel (22:4-5). On the way to meet Barak, Balaam has an interesting encounter with his donkey and an angel who stood to oppose him. It seems that he is only allowed to pass because of his humble attitude (22:34) and because of the Lord’s plan and mercy. From our vantage point, Balaam’s error in this matter is difficult to see (except that he is being summoned to curse Israel).

Although he comes to Barak, he repeats this mantra: "I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more (22:18)" – or sayings to this effect (22:38; 23:12, 26; 24:13). Balaam uses the covenant name of the Lord, YHWH, quite frequently in his oracles and his reasoning with Barak on why he will and won't do certain tasks. This knowledge of the Lord could have come through the Lord speaking to him or through the renown of the invading Israelite army and their God.

While Balaam tries to comply with Barak's wishes, each time he is about to curse Israel, he blesses them instead. Barak tries to work around Balaam's inability to curse Israel by moving him from place to place. After three oracles, Barak tells Balaam to flee; “the Lord has held you back from honor” (24:11). Rather than fleeing immediately, Balaam gives Barak some insight as to what the Israelites are going to do to the inhabitants of Canaan.

Balaam's end comes in Numbers 31:8; he is killed with some of the people of Midian. Since the staging point was in the Plains of Moab, we can figure that either Balaam did not go very far, he came back later, or that he never fled from Barak (Pethor, is in Mesopotamia, cf. Deut 23:5). Revelation 2:14 indicates that Balaam taught Barak how to cripple Israel: foreign women and foreign gods. This is the problem in Numbers 25; the people of Israel are captivated by the local culture.

One lesson from the life of Balaam is this: it is not enough to merely be used by the Lord; we must be on His side. Clearly Balaam spoke truth about YHWH and had some knowledge of who He is, but he was still against the people of God and, therefore, God Himself. The Lord is not a machine that is coerced into doing what we want, neither is He someone who tolerates partial obedience and capriciously overlooks hostile alliances. Balaam, for all his oracles and declarations, tried to de-god the Lord.

Numbers 20 – Et tu Moses?

“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”… Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." – Numbers 20:8, 10-12 (ESV) emphasis mine

Now Moses fails. It seems to me that he fails in two ways. First, he didn’t do what he was told. Moses struck the rock (twice) instead of speaking to it. Striking the rock is how water came out earlier and in a similar situation, so Moses does it again (Ex 17:1-7; note: both here and there, they called the place Meribah, meaning quarreling).

Secondly, Moses takes credit for the water coming forth. He is not with the ‘rebels,’ he is with the group that is bringing the complainers their water. He de-gods God by setting himself as the co-provider of the people.

Disobedience and pride – both stem from a lack of faith. We don’t obey because we don’t think God can handle it. We want the credit and status so we see our role as primary, God’s as secondary. Without a clear view of the Lord, we become the one in the driver’s seat. Faith keeps the Lord on the throne and His glory as the motivation for our work. Faith focuses our vision by clarifying the truth: the Lord is our provider.

Numbers 19 – The red heifer

This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come. – Numbers 19:2 (ESV)

Now that I am in Iowa, there is no need to describe what a heifer is. But the placement of this command forces us to ask the question – what is the purpose of this command and why are we being told about it now?

The purpose of this command is to reestablish ritual cleanliness to a person who has killed or touched a corpse. Now priests and Nazirites have their own way of dealing with touching a corpse. For the rest of the people, this ash/water mix is kept outside of the camp, providing easy access and keeping the uncleanliness from spreading.

We are told about the generational turnover that will happen because of the unwillingness of the people to take the land (Numbers 13-14). Now millions of people are going to die (Num 14:26-35). Not only that, but they will be attacked along the way and they will attack those that inhabit the land. Since our Lord is a God of life, death causes a person to be unclean. With all the death that is about to happen (and has happened), the Lord provides a way for the living to be restored to fellowship in the tabernacle. If someone fails to participate in the red heifer cleansing, they are cut off from everyone (Num 19:13, 20).

This is a familiar story – the Lord provides a way for people to be restored. Without the Lord there is no restoration: either to Himself or to the rest of his people.

Numbers 17 – Coming to our defense

The problem: there were divisions forming among the people and all the people were starting to complain.

The solution: the leaders of the tribes give Moses a staff with their name on it. God shows His choice for the tribe of Levi by causing Aaron’s staff to bud with almonds. This staff is kept in the ark as a reminder of what the Lord confirmed. National unity is (somewhat) preserved.

The point: it is hard not to defend yourself and it is hard to see people tear themselves up over rivalries. But it is always better when the Lord is our advocate and not our impulses or our fears. (And it is always better when God sorts out people problems without our help.)

Numbers 14 – The pivotal moment

The reports were made. The land looked very good, but the people were huge and well-fortified. Israel selected fear instead of faith. Jesus closes a parable about praying without losing heart with the following words:

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? – Luke 18:7-8 (ESV)

Pick faith. And let God take care of the enemies.

Numbers 10 – Remembering

The trumpets serve as a reminder. The trumpets are blown so that Israel may be remembered before the Lord in their time of need (v. 10:9). Likewise, on a day of gladness, the trumpets are used in the same way (v. 10:10). Now, God knows all and sees all, He doesn’t need a ‘reminder’ in the conventional sense. But by blowing the trumpets, they show their need for God.

Whether in days of adversity or in days of gladness, we are to keep the Lord before us. He is not a God that simply ‘rescues’ us and He is not a God that only comes in times of joy. He is involved in all aspects of our daily living. While we are not usually tempted to worship another god in one circumstance and the Lord in another, functionally we do this by seeking the Lord only in particular situations (often bad ones). In the others, we often become the god. Requests for healing – Jesus; vacations and birthdays – us.

May we seek the Lord’s remembrance of us in all arenas of life.

Numbers 9 – Scheduling conflict

The Passover: a requirement for Hebrews and an option for the foreigner that lives with them. But what happens if you are not ritually clean by the time Passover comes around? What if you touched a dead body (a big problem that will come up in just a few chapters) or were traveling? Moses puts this question to the Lord and the Lord tells Him to do it again: same time only a month later.

The focus here is inclusion; everyone should participate. Everyone that observes the Passover is affected by what the Lord did in Egypt that night. Everyone should remember. For us, we not only reflect upon the Egyptian Passover, but we reflect on God's ultimate saving act: the cross. That is the crucial element for having the Lord's Supper – we remember together what the Lord has done for us.

Numbers 8 – A gift from the Lord

For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary. – Numbers 8:17-19 (ESV)

The Lord is not taking what is His, namely, He is taking a tribe (1/13^th of all the people) instead of the firstborn of every Israelite. Then the Lord gives the Levites for sanctuary service so that the people of Israel can be close to Him. A needy people, a gracious and generous God.

Numbers 7 – Where’s the editor?

And his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense; one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. – Numbers 7:13-17 (ESV)

Numbers 7 repeats this passage twelve times – one for each of the twelve non-Levitical tribes of Israel. Every leader gives the exact same offering and each is recorded, one after another. Why?

This repetition certainly highlights the equal share the leaders of the tribes had in their contributions to the tabernacle. By the time Israel is in the time of the Judges, rivalries between the tribes are evident – rivalries that never really get healed before the exile. There is no one-upmanship here; this offering is about the service of the Lord, not bragging rights of the giver.

Numbers 5 – The bitter water test

As I read Numbers 5, a number of questions came to mind: Why such a weird test to determine guilt? Why are they being so harsh and one-sided to the women? What about the man? Victor Matthews has some insights into this seemingly difficult passage that I thought I would pass along. His thoughts (with some additions of my own) have been squeezed into the following three points:

(1) Adultery was a serious crime that affected the whole family. Promiscuity did not simply affect marital intimacy, but had consequences both towards the land and the children. The honor and integrity of the women was something that was to be protected and upheld by husbands and fathers. The 'spirit of jealousy' is probably not simply a ploy to get rid of a wife, but accusations and rumors that needed to be settled. A hint of infidelity, whether true or not, could have devastating consequences.

(2) Without eyewitnesses, the normal methods of justice were lost. Using forensic evidence is a rather new phenomenon, so CSI doesn't help us around 1500 B.C. Mob violence and/or a husband having judicial authority (especially with a jealous spirit) are also not options. The village needed to have harmony and resolution in this situation. ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is a concept we desire to embrace, but in reality, if someone were to plead the 5^th, we’d probably assume their guilt. This procedure has the positive function of clearing the innocent.

(3) The community would be constrained since any punishment for the woman would come from God. This too promotes integrity in relationships since the Lord sees all, and engagement in illicit sex cannot be hidden from God.

This is not the only law on marital infidelity. There are consequences for both men and women who had sex outside the bounds of marriage. Why this one and why here? There is a common theme of “breaking faith” with the Lord (vv. 6) and a woman with her husband (vv. 12 & 27). The goal of both laws is to promote faithfulness. This law gives a frame of reference to “breaking faith” with the Lord – it is as serious as an unfaithful wife.

Victor Matthews, Dictionary of Old Testament: Pentateuch, "Family Relationships," IVP, 2003.

Numbers 4 – The tightening spiral

As the Lord describes the duties for camp detail, the circle gets smaller. We have gone from counting the fighting men in the other tribes (Num 1) to detailing their movements about the tabernacle (Num 2) to describing the Levitical duties concerning tabernacle property (Num 3). Now the attention to the Lord’s tabernacle is even more refined, even listing the duties of Eleazar, son of Aaron (BTW, he gets to be in charge of the oils).

While we have been talking about war and safe travel preparations throughout Numbers 1-3, the first real concern about people dying is now found in v. 15 –

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die.(ESV)

The enemies they are about to face haven't been mentioned, nor the hardships of their travels. The first item of 'worry' should be that God is with them, and they must respond appropriately.

Likewise, our concern is not to be solely pointed towards others, but instead it is to be about the Lord. This is something that Scripture reminds of again and again, as we are urged to not fear people, but to fear the Lord alone.

Finally, we must remember the greatness of what Christ has done for us. Praise Jesus, for His mercy to us and for being the perfect High Priest so that we, as God's people, can now go boldly before the throne of the Lord.