Keeping Covenant and the Nature of God

Day 71: 2 Kings 9-14

Second Kings lists king after king after king in both Israel and Judah. Some kings were good and most were bad. Most worshiped Baal, fertility gods, and other gods; few worshiped the one true GOD. In spite of Israel's turn away from the Lord, Second Kings 14: 26-27a says, "God was fully aware of the trouble in Israel, its bitterly hard times. No one was exempt, whether slave or citizen, and no hope of help anywhere was in sight. But God wasn't yet ready to blot out the name of Israel from history..."

God isn't willing to give up on Israel yet. They have broken his covenant over and over and over again, but the Lord has not broken the covenant he made with them. It's the same way today. Daily, we break the covenant we have made with the Lord, yet he remains in covenant with us. Although most of First and Second Kings focus on the kings in Israel and Judah, I think these books say more about the nature of God then it does about the nature of humanity.

Thank God for covenant, and thank God that He keeps it when those with whom He established his covenant do not.

God's Covenant Can Heal a Grieving Heart

Day 60: 2 Samuel 5-8

David becomes king over Judah and Israel when he was thirty years old, and he reigned for forty years. Chapter 8 says that he did what was just and right for all his people, and the Lord was with him. God is establishing his covenant with David and promises to bless David and all of Israel.

I don't have too much to say about the reading for today, but I do want to remind us about the covenant God established with us, especially in light of the terrible events that happened at Fort Hood yesterday. Once again we are confronted with a horrific, evil act and question how we can make sense of it. Understanding what happened may never occur for us, but we can realize that God has established his covenant with humans, and no matter what happens in this lifetime, he has prepared a better place for us. For those who are left behind, my prayers are with you and your families. I pray that you will feel loved and comforted by remembering God and the covenant he made with you. May this act of remembering help you work through your grief.

Identity, Covenant, and God's Numbering of the Israelites

Day 26: Numbers 1-4

Well, I made it through Leviticus (yay!), and now I'm on to Numbers, which is more of a narrative with stories than it is about how humans are to behave as children of God.

The book of Numbers opens with God speaking to Moses in the Desert of Sinai. The Israelites have been gone from Egypt for 13 months and now God wants Moses to take a census of the people (to "number" the people). So, Moses asks men from each tribe to help count, and they count the people by the 12 tribes, except for Levi's tribe, which wasn't counted in the census because they were in charge of the tabernacle. God also sets the Levites apart as his people. God then explains how they are to be arranged as they camp in the wilderness--from who will pitch there tent where to which tribe will be first in line as they wander.

The numbering of the Israelites goes on for the first four chapters. The whole reading is strategic and technical. But I think God is doing something here. In the book of Leviticus, God establishes a covenant with His people. He gives them laws, and they agree to abide by them. In Numbers, he now counts the people--His people--and gives them an identity. Not only does he give them identities within their own individual tribes and within the whole nation as Israelites, but he also passes on to them another identity--one as a member of the family of God.

The notion of identity is an important one. As I was growing up, I was the second-born daughter, younger than my sister by eleven months. I was #2 out of 4. I was the daughter of a judge and a teacher. I was good at sports. I was a part of a church. I was a member of swim team, soccer clubs, and team sports. I went to a public elementary school and a private middle school and high school. I was a member of the Poe family. I am part German, part Scottish. I am an American. And on and on and on.

All these characteristics make up who I am. Of course these things don't make up my entire identity (in fact, I didn't even go past high school in that list), but they formed me. They shaped how I saw myself and how I viewed the world. They showed me how I fit in. How I belonged. Where I belonged. To whom I belonged.

And that's what God was doing with the Israelites. He was saying, "You're mine." "You belong to me." "You fit in here." "You can identify with me." "Find your identity in me."

The Israelites can find their identity in God. They can view themselves as God's chosen people. They can remember how God saved them from slavery and redeemed them. How He established a covenant through them. Israel can become "God's covenant people." What an amazing identity to have. The identity comes with responsibility, yes, but God also promises them that they can always look to him when their identity is shaken, challenged, or unclear. God has given them an identity.

He's also given all humans today this same identity. He has invited us into this same covenant relationship with him. He has given us an identity. It comes with responsibility, but it should also provide a wonderful foundation--even when our lives are shaken from what life throws at us. We have an identity in God. We can find our identity in Jesus. We can see how the Holy Spirit has named us and called us. What an amazing identity to have.

Praise God! Jubilee has arrived

Day 25: Leviticus 23-27

The first time I ever remember hearing about the Day of Jubilee is in the song called, "Days of Elijah."

Here are the lyrics to the song, "Days of Elijah":
These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord:
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
And though these are days of great trial,
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!' 

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding a temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in Your world,
And we are the labourers in Your vineyard,
Declaring the word of the Lord! 

There's no God like Jehovah.
There's no God like Jehovah!

That song gives me the chills, especially the chorus when you loudly sing about the year of jubilee and salvation coming. Here's an online version if you're interested in hearing it.

But, although I've sung the "Days of Elijah" song often, I'm still not too clear what the year of jubilee is. The concept comes out of Leviticus 25. Basically, it's a year of rest that was observed every 50th year by the Israelites. The year was to be a holy year, a year of freedom for the Israelites. During this year, slaves were set free, the lands were left fallow, property was restored to former owners, and all work on the land was suspended. The year of jubilee was established by God for the Israelites.

I wonder what the Israelites thought about this year. Did they think God was crazy for not allowing them to till and work their land? Did they appreciate the fact that they could rest for a year and dedicate their lives to holiness? I don't know, of course, but I think asking these types of questions is fun and interesting.

I do find the ending organization of the book of Leviticus somewhat curious. Most of the book focuses on teaching the Israelites how to be holy--how to live live a holy life during these appointed times. Then, Leviticus 25 talks about the Year of Jubilee in which the order of things turns upside down so that slaves are freed and people rest. God saves his people during this year and brings them blessings--without their help. Finally, the last two chapters of the book address what will happen to the Israelites if they don't obey God's commandments--if they don't live holy lives--and what will happen if they do.

Leviticus 26:12 says, "I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people." God is going to dwell with Israel. He will be their God, and they will be His people. Today, Christians have entered into this covenant promise that God made with the Israelites. We, too, have been saved. However, instead of one year of jubilee, we have a life filled with days and moments of jubilee. We have Jesus. God sent his son Jesus to turn things upside down. Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins, and Jesus gives us rest. Praise God for Jubilee!

Imagine

Day 20: 31-40

Moses. I respect Moses. Here is a man who obeys God’s commands. Always. He does everything the Lord commands of him and as a result, as 33:11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Wow. That is so cool. Moses got to speak with God in a way that I’ve wanted to my entire life.

Moses even got to see the glory of God while God was shielding him in a cleft of the rock.

God is so creative!! His imagination is like none other. He is poetic, beautiful, and artistic.

Imagine being able to speak to God face to face. Can you do it?

What is amazing is that God has passed these traits on to His people. He blesses His people with this same creativity. For instance, the writer of Exodus emphasizes the craftsmanship and artistry of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the priestly garments, and other things as well. God fills people with his Spirit and they do amazing things for Him. In this case, Bezalel and Oholiab and a whole host of others were put in charge of the artistic designs for all the items God wanted built. The Lord gave them skill and they used it for His glory.

Imagination.

Shane has been preaching on imagination the last two Sundays, and the sermons have really got me thinking about this word. I don’t think I use my imagination enough where God is concerned. I tend to see reality. I’m a realist, you could say. But I don’t dream often enough about how life could be. I don’t imagine life being very different than it is now.

But it could be.

God has an imagination, and He’s given me one, too. He’s given you one. Maybe we should begin dreaming about the possibilities when we imagine.

A world without poverty.
A world without racism.

A world without injustice.
A world without murder, rape, pornography, hatred, divorce, sexual immorality.
A world without sin.

A world full of love and full of people who love God.

Can we imagine it? If we imagine it, it just might happen. But if we don't imagine it, it will never happen.

Imagine.

God's covenant with Israel

Day 19: Day 22 to 30

Laws and laws.

Rules and rules.

Do this. Don’t do this.

The reading for today seems like a bunch of “dos” and “don’ts,” and it’s easy to get bogged down in all the details; trying to do learn all the commands that God gives to Moses on the mountain, commands that Moses then takes to the Israelites. There are a lot of them, and they are very detailed and specific.

But it’s not just about that, I don’t think. First, these laws seem a bit outdated to me. We don’t have tabernacles; nor do we need to know how to make them.

The denomination of which I’m a part doesn’t even have priests, so the talk about the vestments and such isn’t really relevant either.

But what is relevant is the covenant.

God makes a covenant with Israel, and Israel makes a covenant with God. It’s almost like they are making vows with each other. God promises to do things for God, and the Israelites covenant to do things for Him.

Covenant. A promise.

A promise to be holy. A promise to provide.

What promises have I made in my life? Have I kept them? Have I held my word?

I can think of two main vows I have made. One was to God on the day I dedicated my life to being a Christian and was baptized, dying to myself and vowing to live for God. I still live by this vow to God. It’s a covenant I keep. But I also know that I sin—daily.

The other vows were to my husband on the day I married him. Those vows were and still are extremely important to me, but I don’t think I read them enough to remember what I promised to him. He sure puts up with a lot. Although I have kept my vows in the grand sense, I know there are days when I haven’t kept them at the more local level. Just like I’ve messed up with God, I’ve messed up with Shane.

So if I’ve messed up, does it mean that I’ve broken the covenant? Yes it does.

But that’s where God’s grace comes in. That’s where the blood of Jesus comes in to save me. Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross allows me to keep my covenants even though I break them. It allows me to renew my covenant with God and my husband and my children and others. This part of the Bible, though, is important in showing me what covenant is about.