Devotion.al

Tag: temple

  • Rest and Recharge

    Exodus 35:2–3, Leviticus 25:2–5, Matthew 12:1–9

    What recharges you? An extrovert will be charged up by being with people. An introvert charges by being alone. Both, in many respects, are forms of . Part of the problem with , as it is practiced, and as the rules seem to state, there can be no work on the Sabbath.

    Let’s also deal with when is the Sabbath…it’s the day of rest, not a day of a week. There are those that insist only Saturday or Sunday are the day of the Sabbath. There is kind of a round-robin on this. God rested on the 7th day, whichever day that was. If you look and a US calendar, technically the Sabbath should be a Saturday (the last day of the week). If you look at Western European calendars, the Sabbath is Sunday (the last day of their week). Just comparing calendars should put some on this.

    In the days of the of Jerusalem, the priests, the gatekeepers, the guards, the merchants (who sold “sacred” goods on the Temple grounds), the workers were all very busy…working on the Sabbath. Were they an exception? Yes. However, as we are all now part of the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9), do we all work on Sundays? No, but we always want and need more volunteers! (Had to be said)

    Rest is at the core. Not just rest, though. It is to be sacred rest. What is that? That probably is a discussion between you and God. Some people find gardening to be restful (despite being “work”). If it is not what you do for a (which is really where the “no work” concept comes from), then it very well could be rest, while it is not rest to someone else (for example, someone who doesn’t like gardening).

    Some find their rest watching sports. Some find their rest reading. Some find their rest cooking. Who are we to judge someone else’s rest? However, there is that “sacred rest” part. How does one get there?

    1) How do you deliberately focus on God in your Sabbath day activities?

    2) What activities do you find restful? What activities of do you think are not restful? Why?

    3) Do you feel that Sabbath rest should be “productive” or “non-productive”? What does that mean to you?

  • Worship Together

    Genesis 28:10–17, Exodus 3:1–6, Luke 23:44–46

    Have you ever been confronted by a person who states that they can God better in nature than in a ? They might be right. Jacob put a stone under his head, and upon waking declared that the wilderness was the house of God.

    Moses is wandering in the wilderness minding . He walks to a burning bush that is declared by God to be a place. This is no church.

    During the last moments of ‘ crucifixion, the temple curtain (dividing the “” temple from the Holy of Holies) was torn in two. The division between earthly and Heavenly is gone.

    So, what about our challenger? They might be right. Perhaps they can worship better in God’s Creation. It’s not out of the question as we look at Jacob and Moses. If we are only called to worship God, then the challenger is right. So, where does that leave us? Moving beyond worship.

    The is far more than mere worship (not that it isn’t good and necessary). However, the way of Christ means being transformed into Christ-likeness. As good as worship is, it is only meant to be a piece and not the centerpiece of life of a Christian. When we worship together, in comparison to alone in creation, we also become more of one . This allows—over time—us to temper and form one another.

    1) Have you ever been tempted to just go it alone in worship? Why? What restored you?

    2) If you’ve had a with such a challenger, what was your response?

    3) For you, what is the connection between worship and community?

  • The Truth of Lies

    Proverbs 29:22–25, Philippians 2:5–11, Galatians 6:1–5

    Tell the . That is a maxim for . However, often we succumb to the temptation to lie. We can be surprised when it pops out, or we could plan for it. There are times where lying is appropriate (as many Germans, for example, lied to the Nazis to protect Jews). Most lying, however, is not such.

    Lying can come from anger. It can come from pride. It can come from . An angry person may lie to inflict upon the person they feel is hurting them. A person of pride may make their story bigger to make themselves feel superior. They might also lie to preserve their way of life or gain. Fearing mankind, however, is probably the biggest root cause of lying. The wisdom of Proverbs is that fear men before fearing God is not a good prioritization of things.

    Paul’s train of thought regarding submitting himself to all (really, by he did), Jesus provides the example of selflessness. We are often taught a selflessness that is mindless and without self. Yet, that is not Jesus’ example. Did Jesus at any point forget who he was? Did Jesus stop being who he was? Of course not!

    The humble and aware obedience that Jesus displayed is the example. Jesus was angry at times (think the temple). He did not lie or seek to hurt others. He sought to correct others in a way that some (not all) would understand. Jesus could have made himself out to be the King of Kings.

    Instead, he would escape the crown of an Earthly . Jesus consistently shared the Truth in the face of people who not only didn’t want the Truth, they also wanted him dead.

    The biggest temptation when it comes to lying is catching the other person in it. We feel so much better about ourselves. “…if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing…restore…with a gentle .” The gentle spirit is why Christ’s is so essential. We’ve all been there.

    What makes that lie we told better than theirs? Nothing. We need to submit ourselves to our fellow Christians, not just because we are called to, but because when humbly submit ourselves, we are able to correct in .

    We don’t like this submit, humbleness, nor truth. It makes us uncomfortable when we make it a way of life. We don’t mind doing it when it costs us nothing. If it costs nothing, of what value is it?

  • Living in the Gray

    Nehemiah 13:4–22, Matthew 12:1–8

    Nehemiah was “just” a layperson. He probably had no formal religious or other education. He wasn’t a “” of the people. He did, however, have an important position of with King Artaxerxes. To be the cupbearer meant that you were trusted with the king’s and even the life of his royal guests. Nehemiah had an important place of trust and service. Since it was such a trust-based position, it is telling that King Artaxerxes valued Nehemiah enough to be willing to have another take the place of the cupbearer while Nehemiah was away.

    Nehemiah had a hard task of restoring the city of Jerusalem while politicians in the surrounding area jockeyed for position and control of Jerusalem. No doubt it was hard and trying. However, the harder task was fixing what started the mess…the hearts of the People of God. The became the place to stay. The was a day like any other. The Levites were landless and in dire straits. The remnants of Israel had lost their center. They had lost their God. Nehemiah threw out the “guest” in the temple, so the Levites would have their (appropriate) space. Nehemiah restored the tithe so that the Levites could do their job. Then Nehemiah added to their tasks, making them the preservers of the Sabbath (by force of arms if needed).

    By the time of , the Sabbath was being followed religiously. The Levites were receiving their tithe. The Levites had a place to stay. If just looking at these things in the time of Jesus, one could be convinced that Nehemiah was very successful. Outward appearances can be deceiving. The rituals were all in place. The rules were all in place. Even more, were added, just to make sure. The rules, however, became oppressive. You might be aware of a phrase, “they Jesus, but not the .” That’s where many people were. They God, but they wanted nothing to do with the religious leaders.

    Between Nehemiah (rules needed) and Jesus (rules are too much), there has to be a middle-ground. The problem with the middle-ground is that it is hard and often undefined. We like our nice and neat categories. We want black and white; no gray. That is not life.

    1) Where do you see more rules being needed?

    2) Where do you see fewer rules being needed?

    3) Where do you see a balance being needed?

  • Waiting to See

    Daniel 7:13-14, Luke 24:44-53, Ephesians 4:1-16

    The Book of Daniel contains many writings. Often the prophet themselves may not know what exactly the words mean. Christians, by-and-large, don’t disagree much on these verses in Daniel have to do with . It seems pretty obvious, but we can often deceive ourselves when it comes to (think the Book of Revelation). However, with our understanding (and belief) about Jesus, this passage in Daniel seems to us only applicable to Jesus. Just think about that. Daniel was given a vision of the that in no way matched his understanding of God, yet here it was.

    Even living with Jesus, experiencing his , death, and resurrection, the disciples had to have Jesus open their minds so that they could understand Scripture, including the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. It wasn’t easy. God had to open their minds. The disciples lived with God during his time on Earth, and their minds still had to be open. What does that tell us about ourselves?

    Jesus commands them to stay in Jerusalem until they are “empowered.” Yes, we know what that means, but did they? Jesus then blesses them and ascends to Heaven. And off they go to the Temple? How many people would go to someplace different, rather than stay at their “great” experience? They had someplace to go, for they had something to declare.

    The experience, the declaration, the way of life. Through the of Christ, it is to that we are called to live.

    1) Do you ever what people in the Bible thought about the events that they were living? Do you them more credit (or less) than they are due?

    2) The had not yet come, yet the disciples’ minds were opened to an understanding of Scripture. What does that tell us and our understanding of Scripture?

    3) More waiting. The worship at the Temple may have just been the outlet for the waiting. What do you do as an outlet when waiting for God?

  • Journey and Direction

    1 Kings 8:41–53, Ruth 1:7–17, Luke 9:57–10:16

    Where are you going?

    It’s a pretty basic question until we apply it to our lives. It wasn’t long ago, the question was followed with, “…to Heaven or Hell.” However, where are you going isn’t just about the destination, it is also about the journey. In fact, who we and how we live on the journey are what makes (or breaks) the Very Good Life.

    Solomon’s Temple Inaugural talks about the Very Good Live in general terms and one specific one. The general terms are those that are to everyday people. The specific term is focusing on God. The prayer basically revolves around people turning from God (and/or sinning), and people turning to God. Regardless of direction, God is the center.

    When Ruth makes this massive commitment to Naomi, we miss all that she gives up in her attempt to be faithful to her (which now only consists of her mother-in-law). She also willingly surrenders her entire belief structure (and blood family and culture) to God. She turned toward God.

    There were many people who followed Jesus. Many of them were unwilling to make a full commitment. Jesus’ rebuke to 3 of them sounds harsh (it is). However, each of us has that same daily decision to make…Jesus, or not. Jesus sent 72 committed disciples out. He did not send them alone. He sent them in pairs. An example of taking the journey with , for we can never truly walk this journey alone. We aren’t meant to.
    The disciples weren’t directed to make converts, they were sent to build . Staying as a guest in someone’s house for the duration of their time in a village meant they had to get along with their hosts. It also meant they could build relationships—build the —at a more natural pace, and not the “gospel” that was presented (e.g., “Heaven or Hell”) years ago. If the towns were hospitable, stay. Otherwise, leave. Do your best to be at with others, insofar as it depends on you.

    1) Where has your journey taken you? Have you been so focused on the destination that you didn’t experience the journey?

    2) How do you know where you are going, and how do you know when to direction?

    3) How does Solomon’s prayer tie into the task that the disciples were given?

  • Being Someone for Someone

    Daniel 5:1–31, Isaiah 6:1–10

    Belshazzar didn’t from the stories of Nebuchadnezzer.

    Yesterday, we read about how Nebuchadnezzer didn’t really seem to learn the lessons that were in front of his face. On the other hand, there seem to have been a few things that he respected, one of them being the things from God’s . It is very interesting to recognize that. As the story of the unfolds, we learn that Nebuchadnezzer had an itemized inventory of the items from the temple. In his own (wrong) way he honored the God of the people he had captured.

    Belshazzar learned nothing, and understood nothing. Nor, does it seem, that he cared. Some scholars have declared the story of Belshazzar to be a fictional tale due to a couple of issues. The first is being King. He wasn’t. His was by sitting in the royal seat, but his father was not a descendant of Nebuchadnezzer. Except, melek [meh·lek] is also used as royal. Belshazzar was also the guy-in-charge when dad left. So, “King” perhaps not, but Belshazzar’s behavior does remind me of an unruly spoiled child who threw a party when the parents were out. Another poke at the story, is that Nebuchadnezzer was called Belshazzar’s father. Yet, if you read other parts of the Old Testament, this isn’t necessarily a genetic parent statement, but a statement of a lineage of . Regardless, though, Belshazzar messed up, and a big disembodied hand came and wrote on the wall.

    Belshazzar is not unique to the world, or to scripture. Far too many people dismiss God, because they cannot perceive God, they think. Instead, like Belshazzar and his courtiers, they gods of metals, whether it be homes, cars, gold, phones, computers, etc.
    Isaiah provides the counterpoint to such. While he had a mystical experience, his was already pre-oriented to God. Visions such as he had could be understood because of that. On the other hand, people who turn away from God have an experience and no transformation.

    1) There are plenty of people like Belshazzar in the world. Will you be a Daniel to them?

    2) There are plenty of people like Belshazzar in the world. Will you be Isaiah for them?

    3) There are plenty of people like Belshazzar in the world. Will you be to them?

  • What Doesn’t Change

    Psalm 146, Isaiah 43:8–13, 1 Peter 2:2–10, John 14:1–7

    While we are still in the season (the church year span between Easter and Pentecost), it is always good to recall all which testified to being the Messiah. This passage in Isaiah is a good reminder. Through the Messiah (Jesus) nations have been brought . We often look at the divisions, especially when it comes to the powerful using to justify their actions. Which is makes things all the more peculiar (and often a against the powerful), for God says that God is the Savior. No one else can do it. Only God. Still, we are told one political perspective (let alone political party) is going to solve it all. They can’t. There is an important piece that often isn’t included in the fact that only God can save, that means insofar as our depends on God, it doesn’t change.

    God’s salvation doesn’t change. However, our understanding and/or acceptance of it may change drastically over our lives. It is not a minor theological point that Peter makes regarding growing into salvation. It is a huge thing. Think of a plant/tree/bush. If they are not growing, they are dead. Many people think they have arrived when they come to a salvation point with Jesus (in fact, many churches have taught that over the years). Peter’s point is that it is an ongoing process. Not only does he use “plant-growing” language, he then builds (no pun intended) on that by saying we are being built into a spiritual . We are part of God’s saving work in us. Now, that is not to say that our salvation is based on our work, but that it becomes deeper and more – when we participate in it.

    Life-giving should be the Very Good Life…the saving life that Jesus Christ invites us to participate in. When Jesus speaks on being, “…the way, the , and the life…,” it (again) is not a destination. Those that were part of the early church were often called the Followers of the Way. They lived life together around the truth. This particular passage is often used by (well-meaning) people as a dividing line between unbelievers and “true” Christians. Yet, it is more about Christians than it is about anyone else. We are to look to Jesus as our Savior. We are to follow his ways the best we can. As we follow him, we are better able to draw people to life with him.

    1) Through Isaiah, God says to the Israelites (and to us), “…you are my witnesses….” Read the verses before and after, then ask yourself, witnesses to what?

    2) Why is it crucial to think of the Christian life as a “growing” life?

    3) What are your thoughts regarding, “…the way, the truth, and the life…?” What does it mean to a Christian? What does it mean to one who doesn’t follow Jesus?