What You Ought to Say

 

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:12

In Exodus 3:13, Moses asks God to tell him what he should say to the children of Israel upon his return to Egypt. In essence, Moses was asking God to tell him what he should do. God responds by telling Moses exactly what to say (Exodus 3:14-17). I suspect that Moses may have been afraid that the leaders of Israel would not believe him and he needed to know what to say and what to do to convince both them and the leaders of Egypt. God responded by teaching Moses what he should say.

This reminds me of what Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 12:8-12, as He prepared them to face leaders who would not quickly buy into His message of salvation. Jesus understood that anyone who was bold enough to preach His Gospel would be opening themselves up to the possibility of being attacked for their beliefs. These attacks would come from regular everyday people, and from religious leaders and government authorities. When (not if) this happened, Jesus wanted to reassure His followers that the Holy Spirit would teach them exactly what they should say, exactly when they needed to say it. This was His promise to stand with His followers in these situations.

We live in a fallen world in which people are persecuted for being followers of Christ. Here in the United States, we do not see this as much as people in other countries but eventually that kind of persecution will come to our shores, or should I say, it shall increase in occurrence. When we face questions or even persecution, be it from our neighbors or from the government, God will respond just as He did with Moses. Trust that the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you should say. Then, in full obedience, speak and let God’s words change hearts around you.

God, Please Tell Me What to Do

 

Do you ask God for instructions, or do you tell Him what you want to do?

Of all the questions Moses asked during His encounter with God at the burning bush, the one he asked in verse 13 may be the most important:

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

Exodus 3:13 (NKJV)

God had revealed what He was calling Moses to do and then the Lord reassured Moses that He would be with him. In response, Moses is basically asking what he should do when he gets there. He knew that there would be questions if he just showed up, claiming to speak for God. The people of Israel were used to the polytheistic religion of the Egyptians, and I suspect there were a lot of people claiming to speak for various deities, including Pharaoh. Moses would have to identify the God whom he claimed to represent and so it made sense to ask God to give him the words he should say.

As followers of Christ, we are called to serve and sometimes that means saying the right thing. In those moments it is important that we recognize that we speak on behalf of our King and our words must be His. Like Moses, we need to ask God to give us the words He wants us to say. This should be a regular part of our prayer life and as we ask, we must trust that He, through His Holy Spirit, will speak through us if we surrender.

There are certain things that we should often ask of our God. Near the top of the list should be, “What should I say?” or “What should I do?” We have plenty of opportunities to serve our Heavenly Father and if we are to do it right, we must be willing to humble ourselves and ask Him to tell us what to do.

The Greatest Bible Teacher

Admit it. Sometimes the Bible is hard to understand and it’s sometimes difficult to trust in God’s viewpoint. The same was true about the parables that Jesus taught. Back then, those who were around Him had to ask about the parables and those whom He described as outside the Kingdom were lost, both literally and figuratively. But while Jesus knew that the lost would struggle with the mysteries of His teaching, He wanted His disciples, and I suspect anyone who sought His wisdom, to know the meaning of His parables. As such He sat and taught them, opening their understanding so that they might be encouraged to live out their lives as God’s children.

Mark 4:33-34 paints a beautiful picture of Jesus taking the time to teach His followers. Today His followers can have a similar experience with the Spirit of God taking the time to teach us. But are we willing to ask and to seek and to admit that we don’t always understand just as His followers asked back then? If we are, then we have the Comforter and He is tasked with teaching us all things.

When you find yourself struggling to understand, and even when you think that you fully understand, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. We are blessed to have the world’s greatest Bible Teacher, the One who inspired all scripture, always with us and ready to help us understand. Are you ready to learn?

God, You Got the Wrong Person!!

 

Have you ever said, “Not me!” to God? Or have you ever heard what you thought was God’s instructions, but dismissed it because it didn’t make sense to you? Guess what? You’re not the only one to say this to God. He has heard it millions, perhaps billions of times including when Moses said:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh,…?”

Exodus 3:11 (NKJV)

To be honest, on his own Moses was right. By himself he would be no match for Pharaoh and likely would have wound up in prison, if not worse. But he did not have to go it alone on this one, as God had already planned to go with him:

So He (God) said, “I will certainly be with you.”

Exodus 3:12 (NKJV)

That sounds like another conversation, where Jesus promised to be with His followers as we carry out the Great Commission:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20 (NKJV)

As I wrote in the previous post, prayer is a two-way conversation: one where God does not mind when we acknowledge our own shortcomings. It’s there, in prayer, that God reminds us that He is with us and will work to bring about His will. And that might be the greatest aspect of prayer as it is an opportunity for God to make us more aware of His presence in our lives.

No God does not have the wrong person. He has called the very person that He wants to work with and through. How will you respond?

The Servant-God

{The following is an entry from my personal journal dated January 9, 2020, and is sort of a free flow of thought that came to me after reading Matthew 20:28.}

Matthew 20:28

Jesus was all powerful before the incarnation. Even in the flesh He was powerful. He could have used His power for His own gain. He could have demonstrated His power in order to make people bow before Him. Instead, He used His power to serve, coming as a servant by His own declaration. This has implications for how I understand fear as it is used in verses like Psalm 145:19. It has implications for how I should see my relationship with Him. It also has implications for how I see my own relationship with others.

Is the fear spoken of in Psalm 145:19 really the trembling kind? I think of the pillar that led Israel through the wilderness. To the Egyptians it was something to be feared to the point where they stopped in God’s presence and did not advance upon the people. To Israel it was something that brought comfort and leadership, though they feared it when they rebelled. Salvation makes a big difference in how I stand before God. I can stand in reverence and need not shake from fear. This seems like what the servant Jesus wanted.

I revere God but do I see that He wants to use His power for my good? This is where things get tough. A servant-God sounds like an oxymoron. Yet, that is the picture painted of Christ by His words and deeds. He could call down a legion of angels to destroy all mankind, yet He came to serve mankind. I only exist at His pleasure, yet He wants to work all things for my good. I understand Peter’s hesitation when Jesus wanted to wash his feet. God is awesome and wonderful and powerful, and it would freak me out to no end if He suddenly wanted to wash my feet. This is the best description of my daily faith struggle. God could crush me in a blink of an eye. He deserves my praise and worship. He wants that but He also wants to serve me.

Because God wants to serve, I likewise should want to serve others. Any power God gives me is intended for this very cause. Any gift He gives me is so that I can serve those around me. Even His love is intended for service in the lives of others. I need to follow my Lord and serve those whom He brings into my life.

I pray the Holy Spirit helps me come to terms with the oxymoron: the servant-God. I pray the Holy Spirit helps me follow in His shoes.

When God Uses Prayer to Reveal Your Calling

Exodus 3:9-10

In earlier posts I described how prayer is so much more than us just telling God what we want. Prayer should be a conversation with God, and as such we should give Him time to speak. But when you let God speak, you should be prepared as He might ask you to do something. That’s when prayer becomes a chance for God to reveal a very important aspect of your relationship with Him. That’s when prayer becomes a chance for God to reveal your calling.

In Moses’ case the calling is described in verse 10 where God tells him that he is being sent to Pharoah. Once back in Egypt, Moses’ job was to bring the people of Israel out. In other words, Moses was being sent to serve as God’s answer to the people crying out to God (praying) as He described in verse 9. This was God’s calling upon Moses’ life and it became the legacy by which we know Moses today. All of it started first with the prayer of the people of Israel crying out to God and then with the conversation (the prayer) between Moses and God.

Up to this point Moses has only said one thing, “Here I am.” The rest of the conversation is God revealing His plans. The dictionary definition of prayer does not seem to leave room for this sort of interaction. Does your prayer life leave room? Do you hold two-way conversations with God that allow for your prayers to become a chance for God to reveal your calling?

Which One Do You Follow?

The Bible says one thing. Your heart says something completely different. The people around you give yet another suggestion. Which one do you believe? Two of the suggestions are misguided and one involves believing the truth but at times making the right choice is difficult. That’s when our real beliefs are exposed and we either pass or fail the test of our faith. This is a test that comes with one major question: A question that is both simple and at the same time very difficult. What is this pass or fail question? When confronted with a choice between the words of the Bible, the voice in your own head and the voices of those around us, which one do you follow?

In chapter 27 Matthew describes Jesus’ crucifixion. While He was on the cross, the people around him taunted Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross. In their eyes Jesus was a fraud, someone to be ridiculed for finding Himself in the position He was in. I suspect that in their taunts we see their belief of what should have happened if Jesus were really the Son of God. In their minds, the Son would be able to come down or would be saved from the cross by His Father. This was their view of God and anything other than what they chose to believe had to be fake.

Human wisdom says that God would never let His Son die on a cross and that anyone with the power of Christ would come off the cross. The world around Jesus believed that anyone with the power of the Savior would fight before suffering, hence why one of His disciples initially chose the sword over standing by while Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26:51). In the eyes of those around Jesus, the cross could never be the will of the Father and using Christ’s power to work a miracle escape sounded like a good idea.

Christ heard their taunts, and I wonder if they sounded like a good idea. In a way the suggestions/taunts must have sounded a lot like Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39). While praying, Jesus revealed a desire that He knew conflicted with the will of His Father. He asked if there was a way that this cup, this plan for His death, could pass from Him. Like us, Jesus would have chosen an easier path, even mentioning this to His Father. But He was more interested in doing His Father’s will than He was in giving into temptation.

As I read Matthew 26 and 27, I find myself wondering what it was like to be bombarded with so many ideas that, for a normal human, would have seemed more palatable than the path ahead. How many times have I called out to God asking Him to do something different: asking Him to help me avoid the trial that He wants me to go through. How many times have I (though I hate to admit it) entertained suggestions that if God were loving He would help me avoid the trials or He would keep those around me from suffering. It’s easy to believe that the easy road is the best choice and that I know better than God. It’s also foolish to believe that and Jesus understood this as He obeyed His Father’s will over the other choices (be they serious or choices delivered as a part of taunting).

When confronted with multiple choices on what we should do, there is a right answer: Follow God’s will. Doing so comes because of our faith in God. Any other choice is us saying we know better than God and that is a form of idolatry. So, in difficult times, where do you put your trust? Which path do you follow?

What Did Moses Hear Part 3: His Name, The LORD

What Did Moses Hear Part 3: His Name, The LORD

Exodus 34 tells us that at God’s command, Moses cut two new stones, replacing the two that he broke over the golden calf, and took an early morning hike up Mount Sinai. There, in the midst of the cloud, the LORD descended and stood with Moses. As described in What Did Moses See, we know that something special happened at that moment and yet we are not sure exactly what Moses saw. The passage does tell us exactly what Moses heard as the LORD kept His promise from chapter 33:

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.”

Exodus 33:19 (NKJV)

Exodus 34:5-7

As the LORD’s goodness passes before Moses, the Bible says He proclaimed His name but what He says beginning in Exodus 34:6 seems more like a proclamation of a title as opposed to a “name” as we would think of today. This title gives us a description of God’s nature which was often true in the Old Testament where names reveal a person’s character. And because this is coming from the LORD, I believe this is an important passage to understand.

The first thing He says is, “The LORD.” I looked at a handful of sources and it seems that the word used here is, “Yahweh,” which is the covenant name used by God in the Old Testament. According to biblestudytools.com, “The English language doesn’t have an exact translation of the word “Yahweh,” and this is why we see it written as “LORD”. The website goes on to point out that in Exodus 3:14 (in the passage where we first see the name used in the Bible), “...God uses ‘I AM’ and ‘Yahweh’ interchangeably.” 

So what we have is the word “LORD” which is very different from the word “Lord”. “Lord” is a title for someone who is in control: someone who is the master over someone else or over some domain. Most certainly God is Lord but “LORD” is different. LORD or “Yahweh” is about God being self-existent and eternal, as again pointed out by biblestudytools.com. God has always existed, does not need anyone in order to exist and will always exist. And so in declaring Himself as “The LORD”, God is telling Moses and us about His eternal nature.

As His covenant name, “Yahweh” is also God’s declaration that He will keep His end of the covenant even though the people had broken it when they worshipped the golden calf. Going once again to biblestudytools.com we see that this is a name that says that He is a relational God. He wants to have a very close personal relationship with us, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This is still very important today as it means He will not break His covenant with us, a covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus our Lord.

Exodus 3:15 tells us that this is His name forever and is how He should be known to all generations. I believe that means that this is how we should know Him today: Eternal and relational. He is the everlasting God and He wants to share in a close relationship with you. Will you open your arms to “The LORD”?

See also:

What Did Moses See?

Biblestudytools.com

Another Look at Moses’ Prayer Life

Back in 2016 I took a look at the conversation that Moses had with God at the scene of the burning bush. At the time I intended to take a quick walk through the book of Exodus, looking at the times when Moses was able to talk with God. Why? Well, anyone with whom God speaks as one would speak to a friend, must have had a great prayer life, one that might help us in our prayers today.

So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

Exodus 33:11a (NKJV)

I never got to finish looking at Moses’ prayer life because…well…I’m not going to waste your time with any excuses. But today seems as good a time to take a look as any. Before we go into any new posts, I invite you to go back to “Should Moses Experience at the Burning Bush be Called Prayer?” Part I first posted on December 7, 2016: http://denniswcolemanjr.blogspot.com/2016/12/should-moses-experience-at-burning-bush.html

Part 2 posted on January 4, 2017: http://denniswcolemanjr.blogspot.com/2017/01/should-moses-experience-at-burning-bush.html

And Part 3 posted on January 11, 2017

http://denniswcolemanjr.blogspot.com/2017/01/should-moses-experience-at-burning-bush_11.html

What Did Moses Hear Part 2: What Did Moses See?

After breaking the original stone tablets, Moses ascended the mountain at God’s invitation carrying two new tablets on which God would write the Law. While Moses was up there, The LORD descended in the cloud and stood by Him (Exodus 34:5) . As I wrote in earlier posts, this had to have been an amazing mountain top experience and I think there is a lot to learn about God in what He says to Moses. (See also What Did Moses Hear?) Exodus 34 tells us that the LORD proclaimed His name and I want to take time to examine what He said. But before we do, let’s think about what Moses saw.

Moses cut two new stones and took an early morning hike up Mount Sinai as commanded by the LORD (Exodus 34:4). As he reached his destination, Moses was joined by the LORD who, according to verse 5, “...descended in the cloud and stood with him there…” My understanding is that the cloud represented the presence of God on the mountain. So at that moment Moses could already see the presence of the Lord on the mountain top. But then the Bible says the Lord went a step further by standing there in the cloud with Moses. It’s as if, according to Moses’ testimony, the LORD took some sort of physical form right there in the cloud. How awesome must that have been?

What did Moses see standing next to Him? Both Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers and the Pulpit Commentary point to God’s promise recorded in the previous chapter that His “goodness” would pass before Moses. Both also point to the pillar of cloud that led Israel out of Egypt. We are limited because the Bible does not tell us exactly what Moses saw or how he was able to see, or otherwise become aware of, the LORD standing with him. But somehow, someway the LORD was there and Moses got to see and hear God in some way, shape or form.

Are you aware of what the Lord is doing in your life? If you are a Christian, are you aware of God’s Spirit living in your heart? Even more important, have you surrendered your will to the One who is always with you? Today we likely will never have the experience that Moses had on Mount Sinai, at least not while we are here on earth, but the Lord is with us and will find ways to make His presence known. Ask God to help you be aware of His presence in your life. Seek Him with all of your heart and He will reveal Himself to you.

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV)

What’s Better Than A Mountain Top Experience?

In both Exodus 24:9-18 and 34, God invites Moses to come up on Mt. Sinai to meet with Him which must have been one of the most awesome experiences anyone could have. I used to get really jealous when I read these passages. I mean, this would be a dream come true to hear the voice of God and to be able to stand in His cloud as He reveals His glory. Such an experience would truly be life altering as it was for Moses and it would be one of the greatest opportunities on earth. Imagine getting the chance to have a one on one with the Creator of the universe. I used to cry out for a mountain top experience like this one…that is until God showed me what I have every day and right at this moment.

Jesus ended the Great Commission with:

“...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

Hebrews 13:5 says:

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are a Christian then God is with you! In fact, He lives in us through His Spirit:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

God is with us and He lives in us. This is the blessing that comes with receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. And because He is with me, mountain top experiences come more often than I could have ever imagined.

What Motivates You on Your Christian Walk?

It’s a complaint that I hear all too often, where someone talks about how they struggle to find reasons to do “Christian things.” I heard it again recently while listening to a podcast where the person being interviewed spoke about how they used to live as if they were going down a checklist of what a good Christian should do. Usually this kind of conversation ends in one of two ways. Either the person completely leaves the faith or they continue to call themselves a believer but one who has discovered some “new” free way to live out their faith. Often this new way leaves the door open for doing things the way they want without checking to see if it is okay with God. Whenever I hear about these checklist Christians it reminds me of my past, back when the motivation for my Christian walk was more dogmatic than it was a loving relationship. That “checklist” part of my life was dry, empty and, to be honest, no different than the codependency I lived in as a teen.

Yes, I was once one of those kinds of people, living as a “perfect” example of a Christian. I read the Bible twice per day, protecting my devotional times with a passion that must have impressed even the biggest zealot. I was determined to get it right, making sure I worked my way through my checklist each and every day. And each and every day I would battle with that voice that said, “Is this all there is?” In those moments when I was honest with myself I knew that I didn’t feel any different than before I was a Christian, which was okay because I had been taught that it was about faith, not feelings. And by the end of each day I would find myself feeling just as sad and just as lost as ever, questioning whether or not this Christian thing really worked.

I believe that I was a saved Christian back in those days, having accepted Christ by faith, but I was not living in the abundance promised by Jesus. The Christian life is not a life of doing what one is supposed to do, which is where many of us begin and continue. As we grow and mature, our actions should more and more come from a response to God’s presence and from a growing love for our Savior. Our day to day activities result from being free to choose what is right and not from the bondage of religious dos and don’ts. From an activity stand point it might not look any different from someone who is checking things off of their Christian list but on the inside it is significantly different. How different is it? It is the difference between feeling like there is a dry river bed inside and the feeling of having a fountain of water springing up inside (John 4:14).

Yes, Jesus came to show and teach us how we should live and we should obey His words. But what motivates you on your Christian walk? Does your motivation allow you to experience the fullness available to everyone, not by works, but by faith in Christ Jesus?

See also:

Serving Without Knowing God 

What Drives Your Christian Testimony?

A Religious Exercise or An Act of Love? 

Why Bethlehem?

Matthew 2:1a

It has become an important part of the Christmas story: That Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, in the southern part of Israel which was called Judea. We learn about it in Christmas church plays and quite often during one of the Advent sermons during the season. We are told about how Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary had to travel from their home in Galilee because Caesar Augustus ordered a census of all the world, forcing everyone to go to the city of their family lineage. (Luke 2:1-5) But why Bethlehem, a city of little significance? What made this area so special that it was chosen by God to be the scene for the birth of His only begotten Son?

We know that God chose Bethlehem based on the words of the prophet Micah spoken around 700 years before Jesus’ birth:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting.”

Micah 5:2 (NKJV)

As a prophet, Micah was delivering a message that came directly from God, with the early chapters of the Book of Micah speaking of God’s judgment on Israel and Judah. By chapter 5, Micah describes the coming restoration of the people which includes the birth of, “The One to be Ruler in Israel,...”: One ordained to be the savior of us all. As a representative of God, Micah is letting us know that God chose Bethlehem long before Jesus’ birth, shining a spotlight of importance on the City of David.

Before moving on, let me acknowledge that in the Old Testament the City of David was Jerusalem, whereas in the New Testament it is Bethlehem. Jerusalem became the City of David after King David conquered it, taking it from the Jebusites as described in 2 Samuel 5:6-9. According to verse 5 of the same chapter, King David ruled over Israel and Judah with Jerusalem as his capital city for 33 of his 40 years as king. Bethlehem, located just south of Jerusalem (according to Britannica.com), was near the area where David was born and grew up. It was also near where David was anointed king (1 Samuel 16). As the city of his birth it is easy to see why Bethlehem might be called the City of David just like its cousin to the north.

According to a number of sources the word Bethlehem comes from Bet Lehem in the Hebrew language, which means “House of Bread.” The writers at Biblestudytools.com believe this is due to the climate of the area which helped it constantly have bountiful harvests. For Christians the name is an instant reminder of Jesus describing Himself as the bread of life in John 6:35. The “House of Bread” was also an area where the sacrificial lambs were raised for use in the temple in Jerusalem according to a number of sources. And here we are reminded that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29), set apart to be sacrificed for all of our sins. So there was quite a bit of significance to Bethlehem being the city of Jesus’ birth.

Why Bethlehem? By God’s divine authority and perfect will, the insignificant farming community became one of the most significant towns on earth. Its name and history would foreshadow the One who  came to save us all from our sins. Bethlehem: the City of David, the House of Bread and most important, the birthplace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that is why we talk about Bethlehem every year at Christmas.

What Did Matthew Believe About Baby Jesus?

Matthew 1:22-25

After describing what the angel said about baby Jesus, Matthew explains how he believed that the birth of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the promise given in Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (NKJV)

Matthew also believed Joseph’s reasons for not putting his wife away and how Joseph obeyed the command that was given to him by the angel. Both Joseph and Matthew knew that this was an angel (a messenger) of the Lord and I suspect they both saw the angel’s words as having the same effect as if God had said them directly Himself. I suspect Mary had the same understanding.

Because Matthew believed this to be the fulfillment of the promise, he also believed that the child born to Mary and Joseph was Immanuel (God with us) whom Matthew would meet in person almost thirty years later. Matthew believed that Jesus was God and that He is our Savior. His description of the early relationship between Mary and Joseph along with the words of the angel serve to reveal these aspects of Jesus’ true nature. Here in a few short verses we have the angel’s point of view, Joseph’s point of view and Matthew’s, with all of them pointing to one conclusion. Jesus is God and He is our savior.

Saved By One

It’s a well known Old Testament story. In Genesis 19 two angels show up at the gate of Sodom where they find Lot sitting there doing…well…the Bible doesn’t tell us but he is there. He immediately stands up and invites these angels to spend the night at his house. Eventually the angels agree to do so but their evening is interrupted when the men of Sodom surround the house looking for trouble. In the end, the Angels escape, dragging Lot and his family behind them, and God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Before this all happened, these same angels visited Abraham (Genesis 18). This time the LORD was with them and Abraham saw three men approaching. During their visit with Abraham, God tells him what He has in store for Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham intercedes on behalf of the cities, with God eventually promising that if He finds ten righteous people in Sodom He will spare the city. Imagine, had there been ten people who feared God, God would have spared the city. But there were not ten and Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

The Gospel tells us that salvation is available to all because of ONE righteous man. The Bible tells us that as God surveys the earth, He finds zero righteous people. In fact, all of our good deeds and good living are but filthy rags before the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). All have sinned (Romans 3:23) and none of us can pay the price needed to avoid the punishment we deserve because of our sin. Like the men of Sodom we all should face destruction and there are not ten righteous for whom God would spare us. But there is one: Jesus Christ whose death on the cross paid for all of our sins.

The presence of ten righteous people would have protected Sodom. Today, there is one righteous man through whom salvation is available. In Christ Jesus we are saved by One.

What Is Your Golden Calf?

 “...And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

Exodus 32:24

It would have been amazing had it happened as Aaron described. He cast the gold into the fire, “..and this calf came out.” Did it climb out on its own or did it just float to the top. More importantly did Aaron truly believe his own lie or was he simply unable to make up anything better on the spot? In fact, he wasn’t the only one buying into explanations that defied what the people experienced and saw with their own eyes. And yet they were comfortable believing in a golden calf, choosing it over God even while seeing and hearing the storm that resulted from His presence on top of the mountain.

In fact they had witnessed a number of different events and things that should have told them to trust in the God of Jacob over some man made statue. Back in Egypt they had front row seats for the battle between the God of Israel and the gods of the Egyptians. With every plague God proved Himself superior to the beliefs of the Egyptians and over their idols. With one parting shot He then proved Himself superior to Pharoah, who was supposed to be the closest to the gods or perhaps even a god himself.

The people of Israel were led out of Egypt, following a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21) which represented the LORD going before them on their journey. They saw the Red Sea parted so that they could cross it on dry land (Exodus 14:15-22) and as the Egyptians tried to follow their army was drowned (Exodus 14:23-31). When they needed it, God provided water (Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7). He provided bread from heaven and meat for them to eat (Exodus 16). He gave them victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16). Afterwards, He brought them safely to Mount Sinai where they saw the lightning and they heard thundering along with the sound of trumpets, and they trembled as they witnessed the smoke that covered the top of the mountain. Yet, even in the face of all this evidence of the presence of God with them, they chose to worship a golden calf just because they had to wait a few days for Moses to come down from off the mountain.

Not only do they worship and have a feast in the calf’s honor but they also gave this…thing…credit for the deliverance they had received from their LORD (Exodus 32:4). What a slap in the face. And yet while it’s easy for us, as we read the narrative, to become critical of the people of Israel, there is a question each of us has to ask in order to see what is in our own hearts. Do you and I remain loyal to our God or do we have a golden calf to which we turn in order to cope with the difficulties of life?

What is your golden calf? What are you turning to (or giving credit to) in place of God? Is it your money or your ability to find answers on your own? Is it your job? Is it your control over circumstances? Is it the government or a political party or certain politicians? True, you might not have an object that magically appeared but are there things or people whom you believe in more than you believe in God? When times are difficult or when the answers seem too far off, are you any different than Aaron and the people of Israel?

Another Helper

In Exodus 23:20-24, God promises that an Angel would help the people of Israel. By this time God had already moved the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They were now at the foot of Mount Sinai, receiving instructions from God through Moses in preparation for advancing towards the Promised Land. These instructions gave insight on how they were supposed to live once they reached the Promised Land. In Exodus 23:20-24 God speaks of an Angel who would go before Israel, clearing the path for them to move into the Promised Land. Who is this Angel and does this promise foreshadow a similar one in the New Testament? Let’s find out.

In order to get a better understanding of this passage I think we must look at the definition of an angel. Simply put, an angel is a messenger from God. Quoting the Bible Project:

The word “angel” in the Bible is translated from the Hebrew word malach and the Greek word angelos, both meaning “messenger.” God sends angels to warn, comfort, and guide people by communicating his messages to them.

I checked a number of different sources and all agree that an angel is a messenger sent by God. Some sources seem to limit the use of angel to what we usually think of: a powerful creature that looks like a man with wings. But there are also a number of sources that apply the use of “angel” to any messenger, including people, like pastors. The Angel in Exodus 23 is clearly a powerful being, sent to “cut off” the nations that the people of Israel would find already dwelling in the Promised Land, meaning He most likely is not human. (By the way, the people of Israel seemed to have forgotten about this promise when they heard about the “giants” that lived in the Promised Land.)

God says that His name will be in this Angel and this Angel will have the power to choose not to pardon their transgressions. I find that aspect of this Angel to be very interesting as, according to Jewish tradition, only God has the power to forgive or to not forgive sins (see Luke 5:17-26, specifically verse 21). This makes me wonder if this Angel is actually The Son of God, going before the people in order to deliver them into the land. Looking at a handful of Bible Commentaries reveals an agreement that this is likely the Angel of the Covenant with many of them also seeing this as being the second Person of the Trinity.

So we have here God’s promise that He will send an Angel (possibly His Son) to guide the people. This Angel was sent to help them reach and take the Promised Land if they trusted in God and followed His teachings. He was to be their helper as they followed God’s calling, doing whatever was needed to help them succeed. As such this promise sounds a lot like the promise Jesus makes to us in John 14:15-17 where He promises to send another comforter.

Jesus was/is the first comforter, sent to deliver us from sin and death and into the promised rest given by God. He promised to send another comforter, the Spirit of Truth (The Holy Spirit) who lives with and in those who follow Jesus. I think that the similarities between these two promises shows that God never intended for us to live this life without His help but if we do not accept His help then that is on us.

God wants to help us follow His will. He wants to walk with us and work in us in order to help us receive His ultimate promise: the Kingdom of God which is our true home. Remember that if you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior, He has sent another Helper to you. Believe in God and let Him lead you forward.

“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,”

2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)

Which is More Important? God’s Love or God’s Glory?

I wrote the following in my personal journal about six years ago. Let me know what you think? Do you agree? Contact me on Twitter  (@denniswcoleman) or via email (dcwriter1@hotmail.com) and yes I know it’s no longer called Twitter.

Which is More Important? God’s Love or God’s Glory?

God spoke to my heart this morning, correcting an error I have long carried. I have always seen Him as about His glory first, me second. God challenged me to reconcile this with Christ. Christ gave up what He had in Heaven, taking on human flesh which clothed His glory. The creator made himself like the created. He endured humiliation and pain even though He could call an army of angels to His side for battle. He died on the cross that I might live. These are not the actions of someone Who puts His own glory first. My erroneous view cannot be reconciled with Christ.

God is love. This is what was demonstrated in Christ, especially at the cross. This is the truth. This is God, who loves me. Yes He is to be glorified but somehow He can do so while putting His children (including me) first. He loved me first, making it easy to set aside His glory for the cross. That love is still strong. I must learn to live as if God loves me, not as if He puts His glory first.

What Do Your Actions Reveal About Your Faith?

There they were, enjoying the view from their campsite along the shores of the Red Sea. But then something drew their attention to the opposite direction where Pharoah and the armies of Egypt were in hot pursuit. The people of Israel were understandably frightened and initially they cried out to the LORD (Exodus 14:10). Unfortunately what they did next was completely wrong and their actions revealed what they really believed about their God.

Instead of waiting for an answer from God, the people turned on Moses, their leader, accusing him of leading them to their deaths. They reminded Moses of how they had asked him to leave them alone in their bondage. At this point they were afraid and all they could see was the large and powerful army bearing down on their camp. Out of fear they forgot that their God was on their side and that He is able to deliver His people out of any negative situation.

Their actions revealed that they did not fully trust God. Faith in the LORD would have looked something like Moses’ response in verses 13 and 14 where he speaks of deliverance and of the LORD fighting on their behalf. He believed that God had a way out. They simply needed to wait and trust in Him. Moses’ response of faith was in direct contrast to the lack of faith demonstrated by the people.

How would you have responded? How do you respond today when life’s troubles pursue and threaten to overtake you? As Christians we know that we should call upon the Lord but how do you respond after you say the word amen? What do your actions reveal about your faith in our Heavenly Father?