Where Earth and Heaven Met, deuxieme partie

Well, I have to keep my high school French sharp, you know.... :) "Deuxieme partie" is French for "part two", which begs the question of why there is a big, golden 7 up there.  But, hang on....

You know how folks will ask, "If you were going to be marooned on a desert island all alone for the rest of your life, and you could take 3 things with you, what would they be?"

I think about that question as I contemplate what God Almighty chose to include in the "furnishings" of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple's) "holy place".  There were only three items.  Are there any indications in Scripture to teach us why He chose those items?  Let's investigate!

First of all, all three furnishings were made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, and the accompanying items (such as tableware and coal pans) were made of pure gold.

1.  The Table of Shewbread (aka Table of the Presence)1
"Shewbread" literally means "bread of the face" or bread set out before the face of God.
As one entered The Holy Place, this table was on the right hand side.  (This is the first mention of the word "table" in the Bible. Table is a symbol of communion and fellowship.  More about that in a moment.) On the table were placed every Sabbath 12 loaves of bread, made from the finest flour and unleavened.  They were arranged in two rows of six, on the table.  Each loaf represented one of the tribes of Israel. How beautiful that, even though only Levitical priests were allowed in the Holy Place, all the people of the 12 tribes were represented there before the Lord, by the 12 loaves... Sprinkled over the loaves was the oil of frankincense, which consecrated the bread unto the Lord, essentially making it a grain offering.  At the end of the week, the "old" bread was consumed by the priests and new bread took its place on the table.  Tradition holds that 8 priests would hold hands standing around the table before consuming the old loaves.  Such a sacred communion.
The Table of Shewbread represents our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is through Him, and only through Him, we have communion with our Triune God.  Frankincense was given to Him by the 3 Wise Men, you will recall, as a birthday gift.  No accident, that.  He called Himself the Bread of Life in John 6:35, 51-58.  This table was part of God's "old covenant".  The covenant meal Jesus established with His disciples shortly before His death represents His New Covenant.  That meal represents the believer's eating the "body" (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ on a regular basis to remind us of His sacrifice's all-sustaining and eternal nature.
Bible references to explore:  Exodus 25:23-30; Leviticus 24:5-9.

2.  The Golden Lampstand2
There were no dimensions given for this item.  (Who, after all, can measure the light of God?)
The instructions for making it are found in Exodus 25:31-40.  It was to be made entirely of gold (which caused it to weigh 75-100 pounds) and fashioned by the best artisans.  A strong motif in the design was the flower of the almond tree.  In that part of the world, the almond tree was the first to awake from the darkness of Winter, the first tree to respond to the increased light of Spring.  The lampstand had a vertical shaft, at the end of which was a bowl for the oil.  In addition, there were three curved branches, curving upward, to form 6 more bowls.  All seven were in the shape of the almond blossom.
The seven, tiny bowls, were to be kept burning at all times.  The High Priest was responsible for the care of the lampstand, to ensure its wicks of flax were adequate and that the finest olive oil was abundant, so that the eternal flame burned in the Holy Place (Leviticus 24:3).  There were no windows in the Holy Place.  None were needed.

The lampstand represents the Godhead, and points forward to Jesus.  Zechariah 4:1-4 tells us that this oil represents the Holy Spirit of God.  When the Holy Spirit fell on the believers at Pentecost, He represented Himself as "tongues of fire" over the head of each believer there assembled (Acts 2:3-4).  Jesus referred to Him as fire in Matthew 3:11-12.  And, Paul exhorts us to "not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19).  Jesus often called Himself the Light of the World (John 9:5; 8:12).  And, in Psalm 27:1, God the Father reminds us that He is our Light and our Salvation.  In the Bible 7 is the number which represents completion and perfection.3  Our perfect God, the Three-In-One.

3.   The Altar of Incense4
(Exodus 30:34-38)
It was commanded that this wooden altar, overlaid with gold, be the tallest structure in the room.  It stood about 3 feet tall.  Some of the characteristics of this altar, such as the four horns on the four corners, mimicked the bronze altar just outside the Holy Place. There were coals kept burning on this altar, and they were brought there from the Bronze Altar in a golden coal pan.   As noted in its name, an incense, made of the finest spices and frankincense oil, was burned on this inner altar twice a day. The exact combination of incense is lost to us today.  But, this combo was to be used by no other Israelite for any other purpose.  It was a holy combination, used only for the worship of God on the Altar of Incense.  The High Priest, after he had tended the Golden Lampstand morning and evening, would offer an incense offering on the altar.  In this way, a perpetual sweet smell would pervade the Holy Place. (This fragrance of love and worship expressed the delight of one whose sins had been forgiven!) Additionally, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, after the annual sin offering (Passover Lamb) had been offered, some of its blood would be rubbed on the horns of this incense altar, as the High Priest was proceeding into the Most Holy Place (which we will examine in an upcoming blog).
The golden altar of incense has at its essence worship and praise.  It reminds us of Jesus' current ministry in Heaven, to perpetually intercede on our behalf before God the Father.

Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2 

In the next post, ... the Most Holy Place!

Sources:

1   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Table_of_Shewbread.htm
2   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Golden_Lampstand.htm
3   https://www.gotquestions.org/number-7-seven.html
4   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Golden_Altar_of_Incense.htm
5   Wiersbe, Warren W., and Warren W. Wiersbe. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament in One Volume. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007. Print.

7 and 7

We are nearing the end of Ephesians 4 (verses 25-32), where Paul lists 7 things that are central to living a Spirit-filled life ("the new self"), which he referenced in verses 20-24.

I'm going to use the New English Translation to present Ephesians 4:25-32, as well as Proverbs 6:16-19.  We are going to contrast these two passages today.  Let's start by looking at both of them.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”^d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
even seven things that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that are swift to run to evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
and a person who spreads discord among family members.

In the Proverbs passage, we see 7 things that the LORD considers an "abomination".

By contrast....

In the Ephesians passage, the opposite of some of those 7 are presented by Paul as being attributes of a Christ-filled life. 

Let's look at them in lists, side by side.

           Proverbs                                                                  Ephesians

Lying (Prov. 6:17,19)                                           Speak Truth (Eph. 4:25)

False Witness (Prov. 6:19)                                   Get Rid of Slander (Eph. 4:31)

Murdering (6:17)                                                 Handle Anger Righteously (4:26-27)

Haughtiness (6:17)                                             Work Hard; Don't Steal; Be Generous (4:28)

Scheming and Craving Wickedness (6:18)         Speak Wholesome Words that Heal (4:29)

Spreading Disunity/Discord (6:19)                     Practice Kindness, Compassion, Forgiveness  (4:32) 

                                                                             Avoid grieving the Holy Spirit (4:30)

So, when you compare these two lists, what jumps out at you?  Here are some things that are obvious to me.

1.  Lying is a "biggie" with God.  You may recall that Jesus called Satan "the Father of Lies" (John 8:44).  Lying (or slander, which is "lying to destroy someone's reputation") is mentioned TWICE in the "God hates" list!  Because he is a deceiver, Satan wants to make us believe that "little, white lies" do not matter.  Oh....but they do!  By contrast, Christians are commanded to control our words and to speak only words that are wholesome, that benefit others and that heal wounds.

2.  Anger and Murder are merely matters of differing degree.  Murder is anger, taken to an extreme.  Anger always precedes murder.  Christians are told to keep their anger short-lived and to not let Satan get his "toe in the door" of our lives, through our anger.

3.  Haughtiness has to do with thinking you are superior to someone else, that you deserve more, that you are a better person because of your circumstances.  Haughty people have a disdain for those who have more than they do; so, they think it's okay to steal what others have.  Haughty people are hard-hearted, selfish people, who would not stoop to help someone less fortunate.

4.  Instead of fostering disunity and spreading discord, we are to exhibit kindness and compassion, forgiving others for the ways they have hurt us.   Almost always, disunity and discord get whipped up because someone has had their feelings hurt.

5.  When we plot evil towards others and/or go lusting after wickedness or sin, this most assuredly grieves the Holy Spirit.  It is one thing to sin unintentionally.  But, when Christians embrace favorite sins or go running after evil, the Holy Spirit is "grieved". (In a related verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, the word is "quenched".)  The Holy Spirit is a Person, one of the three Persons in the Godhead, the Holy Trinity.  Only a person can be made sorrowful or can be grieved.  The Holy Spirit is often represented by a dove, (at Jesus' baptism) or as a flame of fire, (at Pentecost), which is most likely why Paul used the "quenched" reference in 1 Thessalonians.  Regardless, we refuse to follow His leading when we "act out" in a sinful manner.  All those heinous sins mentioned in Proverbs 6, and, in deed all sin, grieve the Holy Spirit who lives in the heart of every Christ-follower.

As you review today's content, does anything on the lists above prick your heart?  Is the Holy Spirit nudging you about one of these?  If so, go to Him in prayer today, in order to confess, repent and "make it right".

Father, you know which of these on the list are trouble-spots for me.  I'm so sorry for how I have grieved the Holy Spirit in these areas, and pray for strength to allow His full leading in my life today.  In Jesus' name, amen.

  

Running for Rewards

Good morning,

I am not a "runner".  There is a reason that I don't talk about "the resplendent run" and talk instead about "the resplendent walk".  I do love to walk briskly, though, for exercise.  Running is fine for some; I just prefer to keep my knees intact, thank you very much!  It is interesting to me that Paul, though, compares the Christian life to running a race, not to a leisurely, meandering walk.  We must not be "tiptoe through the tulips" Christians. Our text for this morning is 1 Cor. 9: 24-27 (NKJV)

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Since this is a short passage, here it is in The Message version:

24-25 You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

It is common knowledge that the Greeks were a very athletic people.  They are the originators of the Olympic Games, after all.  Perhaps this is why Paul uses a "running" or "competing" analogy in these verses.  He had just finished urging the Corinthians to set aside their personal preferences for the purpose of winning supporting a weaker brother.  Here, he is going on to exhort them to live the Christian life as if they were running a race in which there is only one winner.

The thing is that, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have already won salvation, eternal life.  The prize Paul refers to here is a crown of reward.  Elsewhere in scripture, we are told that Christ's followers who live faithfully, doing good works ("love backs") for Him, will receive commendations at that time when Jesus Christ gives them out to His own.

I'll go into this, the BEMA seat of Christ, in more detail in tomorrow's blog post.

For now, what does Paul say here about finishing the race successfully?

1.    The first thing is to "keep our eyes on the prize".  When men have used horses for various tasks, they have sometimes put "blinders" on the animal.  These are devices that limit the horse's visual perspective.  They help the horse to remain focused on a specific task or to walk a specific path, and not to become distracted by all manner of things to the right or to the left.  That is what we must do in our following Christ, to "keep our eyes on Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith", as it says in Hebrews 12:2.  Keeping our eyes on Him is our purpose.  He IS "the ultimate prize", crowns of reward notwithstanding.

2.  Paul's second key for success is to "be temperate in all things".  The way The Message says it is "no sloppy living"!  Temperance is the opposite of overindulgence, and it is not a popular word at the moment.  Temperance goes against the natural inclinations of our flesh, which are to gratify it by doing whatever feels good at the moment, whether such actions are actually beneficial for the body, soul and spirit or not.  Some of us have such a challenge being temperate in some areas that we just have to avoid them altogether.  Drinking alcohol is one of those areas.  My husband has never touched alcohol.  His father found it impossible to be temperate with alcohol, and it made my husband's childhood pretty miserable at times.  So, my husband chose to avoid that particular trap altogether.  So, what Paul is saying here is that we should not let anything of this world control us. We are to be directed and controlled by the Holy Spirit and nothing else. Galatians 5:16 says "Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Likewise, verse 27 in today's passage refers to disciplining our bodies, bringing them under the subjection of the Holy Spirit.  If we are allowing ourselves to be hindered in our ministries by something else, which exerts undue control over us, we need to do whatever it takes to get released from that, so that we can fulfill our calling and win Christ's commendation at the BEMA seat.

What does it mean to "become disqualified" from the race (vs. 27)?  There are times when our choices take us out of the race temporarily.  God allows us free will.  That includes ignoring the Holy Spirit's urgings and indulging our fleshly desires on occasion.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul refers to this as "quenching the Holy Spirit".  These types of worldly decisions are not pleasing to God, nor do they advance His kingdom.  By choosing temporary pleasure over eternal gain, we set ourselves on the sidelines.  Unfortunately, the prevalence of this behavior has kept the Gospel from being preached around the world, which is heartbreaking, really... except to Satan.  He is laughing.

So, salvation through Jesus Christ is free, but the "love backs" we give to Him will cost us.  They will require us to deny ourselves and our flesh's desires, in order to run.  They will ask us to (in the words of Jesus) "take up your cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23).

Lord Jesus, I love You.  I really do.  But, I find it so hard to "take up my cross daily".  The thing is: in order to pick up that cross, I have to lay down my pride and my selfishness and my fleshiness.  I can't carry the cross while holding on to all those other things.  I confess that I often quench Your Spirit, whose loving voice is telling me how to follow You.  I choose "lesser things".  For this, I apologize and (again) repent.  It is just a constant, cosmic battle.  However, Lord, You are matchless.  I would not want to follow anyone else, other than You. Why? Because You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11).  In Jesus' name, amen.