Devotion.al

Tag: covenant

  • Saintly Ones

    Saintly Ones

    Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17

    ※ Q: What is a Saint? ※

    You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of depends on the context and even timeframe.

    Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד) means or devout ones (with the implication being toward the ).  Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) means holy ones or people of the holy ones (yes, we could, but perhaps shouldn’t, infer the Trinity there).

    Hagioi (ἅγιος) is first seen in Matthew 27:52 and used to talk about those who rose from the dead upon ‘ death. It is most used by to refer to the (what became) Christians in his letters. It became generally used that way by the other New Testament writers and the . In Revelation, the word becomes expressly tied to those who died as martyrs.

    ※ Q: What does it mean to be a saint? ※

    If you’ve been in the church any length of time, saint can be applied to a person of significant patience. It is also applied to many that have been in the faith for a long time and have gray or white hair (the hair color, of course, is important 😉). However, that is probably a bad way of thinking about it.

    If we were to tie both the Hebrew and the Greek , we would probably get an approximation of people whose is with God through faith in Jesus Christ and for whom this is their primary .

    ※ Q: Are you a saint? ※

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, guide into a relational identity with the Father, through the . Amen.

  • Self of Nothing

    Self of Nothing

    Judges 4:1–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–22; Psalm 18:20–29

    Many have often condemned Barak as a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt (so to speak). What if there is something else at play?

    If you read the Book of Joshua and 1 & 2 Samuel, the Ark of the was part of the army’s formation. It went out into battle with the people. It was a symbol for the people of Israel that God was with them.

    However, in the time of the Book of Judges, a lot was lost (and so very quickly, too). Perhaps, as a matter of morale and tactics, Barak wanted Deborah there as the symbol. Barak could have been doubtful of his military success, so wanted backup (God).

    Regardless, it is Barak’s lack of a response to Deborah’s “penalty” that is our focus. Basically, Deborah told Barak that he would not get the of dealing with Sisera (the ) and that it would be given to a woman (a dig in a patriarchal society).

    Whether it was acceptance or tolerance, Barak’s lack of response shows a greater concern for the success of the battle, rather than the resulting glory. Some call it cowardice. Some call it degrading. Some call it .

    Humility does not just take one form. Whether you believe the Barak was weak, scared, or lacking , how many people hide those exact things behind a façade of bravado? Not hiding it, is often a sign of humility.

    Sometimes humility is what you are willing to do and be in public. David’s dancing in public to display in front of the people must have been something to watch. Was it because of how he was dressed? Was it because he didn’t act refined?

    His goal wasn’t the eyes of humanity, it was the eyes and heart of God. Yet, his first wife either tried to shame him or was ashamed of him.

    David would not accept that. He understood that whatever her issues were, they were nothing in comparison to bringing glory to God.

    It is interesting to realize that David didn’t say, “that wasn’t embarrassing!” He said that his personal honor and pride are not important when compared to the glory of God.

    Two different men, with two different forms of humility. These are not the only forms of humility. It can play out in many ways in our lives. One person’s humility may seem like nothing to another. This is why true humility is between a person and God.

    Humility is something we should all seek. As the person we call Lord and Savior was humble enough to touch the outcast, broken, dirty, and then die for all, humility is a characteristic of a of .

    ※Prayer※

    Spirit, guide our hearts and souls to greater depths of humility, even while knowing that the humility of Jesus is deeper still. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who is the humblest person you know? What makes them humble?

    2) Name the ways Barak and David were humble. What are other means of humility?

    3) Why is humility so important to growing the Kingdom of God?

  • Is Swearing Bad?

    Is Swearing Bad?

    Leviticus 5:4–6; Numbers 30:10–16; Deuteronomy 12:29–32; Judges 11:29–40; Matthew 5:37 (read online ⧉)

    No, we’re not talking about bad language. We are talking about making and “taking” oaths.

    All elected politicians take oaths regarding following the law and upholding the respective (state or US) constitution. Officers, Military service people, doctors all swear oaths when formally taking the position of their training/office.

    Oaths are not small. Oaths are not equal to promises. Oaths tend more toward the covenantal side of things. This means that there should be a depth to them of body, mind, and soul that is far more than just a promise. Some people do take promises to the oath standard, but most people do not.

    Oaths will often also have a penalty that goes with breaking them. Promises generally do not (except for the diminishment of your “good” name). Also, oaths will usually invoke a greater power. In the United States and even in a number of “post”-Christian countries, that greater power is still God.

    God. The “special” ingredient of an oath.

    Oaths (or swearing, the right kind) are not a bad thing. Rash (or emotional or reactive) oaths, however, are. As the first passage indicates, there is a kind of associated with a rash oath, and that is whether it is to do good or to do bad. That, in and of itself, should indicate the weight God holds for oaths.

    While Numbers makes a wife’s or daughter’s oath the responsibility of the husband/, it is still an oath. Part of it is a cultural assumption that the man would indeed ultimately bear the responsibility of the oath anyway. The wife and daughter are of his household, and thus his responsibility.

    Even how the man is supposed to deal with their oaths is important. He has to be quick and discerning about voiding them or owning them. He is responsible. He would also likely make the oathmaker bear some responsibility, too. The point is that oaths are not to be taken lightly.

    Jephthah provides the stunning example of why rash oaths are a really bad idea. The prologue to Jephthah’s story is the passage in Deuteronomy about sacrificing children, and that God really hates it. Think about those who would run out of the city to greet the victorious Jephthah…it would probably be someone from his .

    Jephthah made an oath. His daughter paid the price for his oath. This was not a God-honoring oath, nor a God-honoring . That Jephthah was a judge for Israel makes this tale even that much more tragic, and even less God-honoring.

    When says to say yes or no, he is referring to a practice whereby oaths were binding based upon what they were sworn on. won. Forget the sacrificial offering. Forget the altar (that made the money sacred). It was the money.

    It’s not that Jesus says there is no space for oaths, it’s that the space for oaths is much smaller than it used to be. Invoking God really should be between you and God, and not a third party.

    There is also another small lesson, and it is good to keep when we are all in a state (pandemic and stay-at-home) where emotional responses are likely to result in rash oaths. This is a time when many people will turn deeply to God (and we celebrate it). In so doing, however, they often become (positively) overwhelmed and make rash oaths.

    Many of these rash oaths are made to God. God wants – and -filled oaths. Rash oaths might be faith- and trust-filled at the moment. It is over time that the extent of faith and trust is tested. These are the oaths that God values.

    ※ Prayer ※
    Gracious God, may the words of our mouths and hearts bring honor and glory to you. May these poor words of ours warm your heart as we follow the path you guide us. Amen.

    ※ ※
    1) Have you ever sworn an oath? Why? What was it’s result/consequence?
    2) How would you define the difference between promise, oath, and covenant?
    3) What is the most rash decision you have made? What was the result?

  • Maundy Thursday

    Note: If you are reading this as group, have different people read each passage. Even more difficult, do so around a small , like a candle.

    Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:12-19; John 13:1-20; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:21-35 (read online ⧉)

    Passover is a key, if not the key festival of Jewish . It is expected that all observant Jews participate. Jesus was no exception. Some scholars have concluded that as a Rabbi, it was expected that Jesus would host a Passover for his disciples. By no means should we that this was the only Passover they celebrated , but it certainly was the most important for us.

    Jesus humiliated himself (by the world’s standards) by washing his disciples’ feet. The sacrament of Communion was established. The words Jesus used effectively wiping away the old . The last piece of journey to the cross is completed by Judas Iscariot. Lastly, a new commandment is given.

    By tradition, the “Maundy” of Maundy Thursday is derived from mandatum, Latin for command.

    “…love one another. Just as I have you, you also should love one another.”
    John 13:34

    All of this done for love: God’s love for Israel, God’s love for the , God’s love for , God’s love for you.

    1. Imagine that you know a meal is your last with your loved ones, but they don’t know it. How do you think you would feel? What would you want them to know?

    2. Why do you feel Jesus called the bread his body, and the wine his blood?

    3. Have you ever had your feet washed, or washed the feet of as we read? If so, what was your perspective of that experience? If not, how do you think you would ?

  • Holy Monday

    Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:3-9 (read online ⧉)

    was given as a to us (Isaiah 42:6b; Hebrews 9:14-15). Can any of us truly understand just what that means? We get glimpses of it in our lives, but to truly understand it, we will have to have been resurrected. The width, length, height, and depth of it truly is beyond our comprehension.

    That Jesus stoutheartedly continued on this path, knowing the coming afflictions, should amaze us all. Some are quick to dismiss it, as Jesus is God, but the of being fully must not be ignored. His full humanity was going to an inglorious and painful . Knowing that part of the human condition is trying to find “the silver lining”, one can imagine Jesus’ when the perfume was poured upon him.
    She probably didn’t understand Jesus’ heart, but that simple (and costly) seemed to have touched Jesus. Jesus was quite correct. Her story has been told, along with his, since the . A simple act of , a simple act of doing something in empathy, lives forever.

    Anointing the anointed. People are set apart for certain tasks. There is a need for the and individuals to recognize those set apart, by anointing those who have been anointed by God.

    1. Do you know of someone who has been set apart? Have you anointed them?

    2. Anointing isn’t always oils or perfumes. What other forms do you think it could be?

    3. It can be hard to embrace the dual natures of Jesus—God and Man. Do you ever struggle reconciling that in your heart and/or mind?

    4. How would you, or could you, explain it to someone who does not know Jesus?

  • New, not Renewed

    Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 51:1–12; John 12:20–33 (read online ⧉)

    The of a new covenant was ! A people who were lost and broken, many of whom knew that they had fallen away from God received the positive and hopeful news that there would be a new covenant. The problem was when and how would this happen? The people of Jeremiah’s time would be looking for it now.

    The people of ‘ time were also expectantly waiting, but it would seem far too many were more concerned with the how rather than the when. By Jesus’ time, some insisted that everyone would know the law as revealed by Moses would be in everyone’s . The law, as revealed by Moses, would be perfectly understood and lived out by every Jew.

    By Jesus’ day, the “new” covenant became more of a renewed covenant of old. The of a new covenant was being dashed against the rocks of the old one. With Jesus’ ongoing shake-up of , he continued to draw attention. Previously, Jesus had told his disciples to not go to the or Samaritans, though he did have personal interactions with them.

    Now, however, Greeks wanted to Jesus. Being called Greeks, it is quite likely that they weren’t from nearby, but had come to the to (probably being converts to Judaism). In other words, Jesus was no longer just locally known. From a strictly logical standpoint, we know that the religious leaders were trying to get rid of Jesus, how much more so when the “tourists” start asking for Jesus.

    1. What do we do when “the tourists” start asking us about Jesus?
    2. Do we celebrate a new member of the new covenant?
    3. Do we start asking them about how they are following the law?
    4. Are we honest about how we are not following the law ourselves?

  • Salvation Praise

    Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Genesis 9:8–17; Ephesians 1:3–6 (read online ⧉)

    Destined to be a child of God. This is such a comforting phrase. As in all comfortable things, there is a danger. This comforting phrase is often, and understandably, taken as being directed toward individuals. Yet, if we use both Old Testament and New Testament phrasing, it is better (and more safely) understood as a corporate destiny.

    As part of Noah’s , we are corporately covered insofar as God will never flood the entirety of the earth again. Just as the 12 Tribes of Israel were the of God, corporately, so too is the Church. How an individual behaved and responded toward God was, and remains, from the corporate selection.

    We are all part of the corporate destiny, and we have our place in it (accepting the gift of redemption and ). To be clear, accepting the gift does not mean that the act required (Christ’s death on the cross) for salvation was anything but God’s.

    There is a tension here. Salvation is also quite personal and individual. Salvation is best expressed and the saved best lived within the community of believers. There is a balance, and we don’t want to be overly weighted to individual or corporate salvation.

    We testify and thanks through our worship and praise of God. As part of both our corporate and personal activity (our “liturgy”) is to praise “… his glorious that he freely on us….”

    The psalmist declared…

    1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
     for his steadfast  endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
     those he redeemed from trouble
21Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
     for his wonderful works to humankind.
22And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
     and tell of his deeds with songs of

    1) When thinking of your salvation do you tend to think of yourself as an individual?

    2) Have you ever thought of your salvation as being part of the Body of Christ (the Church)?

    3) Why do you think there is a difference? What difference does it make to you?

  • Glorious Cleanliness

    Exodus 19:1-9; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 19 (read online ⧉)

    Have you ever had a period of that seemed completely crazy and unbelievable? The Israelites were it! It was a hard life in Egypt, but it was still home for generations. They left. This big sea to cross to , and a powerful nation’s army coming after them. The sea splits open and they cross on dry ground. And a powerful nation’s army disappears forever. They have their first military battle and unbelievably win! They have a weird food that just appears with the morning dew, then disappears.

    Then they take a breath.

    Moses meets with God, and God explains. God is calling these people to be his priestly kingdom. They are his treasured possession, above the of the earth, which is God’s, too.

    God’s requirements are simple, obey God’s and keep the covenant. This is foundational to between God and the Israelites. Their lives are to be aligned to the covenant, and the relationship it represents. In the same way, Peter calls believers in to have Jesus as their cornerstone, so that they (we) become the spiritual home of the Holy , and become a holy priesthood.

    Just like the Israelites, followers of Jesus have a task. Theirs (ours) is to proclaim the acts of God who called them (us) out of the we were in.

    As the psalmist writes, all of pronounces the glory of God. We, too, have our part in declaring and showing the glory of God and being the light (reflectors of God) in the world.

    1) What has kept you from believing you are called to and capable of declaring God’s glory?

    2) The covenant represents a type of cleanliness. You house the Holy Spirit. How do you keep the Holy Spirit’s home in you clean?

    3) What more can you do to keep it clean, or get it cleaner?

    4) How does this cleanliness help to declare God’s glory?