Whole Obedience

Obedience to the Lord is a common theme throughout the Bible, but I have noticed some convicting theology on obedience in reading through the Israelites' wilderness experience as well as their conquering of the Promised Land.

First of all, obedience needs to be full. My ESV study Bible talks quite a bit about the Israelites' failure to be WHOLLY obedient. They often do about half of what they are called to do by the Lord. This is why poor Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. This part of the Bible has always confused me. I could never understand why Moses, called "Servant of the Lord" (Joshua 1:1) and the meekest man "on the face of the Earth" (Numbers 12:3), was not able to enter the Promised Land after leading the whiny, rebellious Israelites for over forty years. I just could not figure it out. He struck the rock out of anger when the Israelites were complaining (yet again) about their lack of water - even after the Lord's obvious ability to meet all their needs. I have been known to strike, throw, slam a thing or two in my day... However, I learned this time while reading through the account at Meribah in Numbers 20, that Moses' ultimate failure was a failure to be WHOLLY obedient to the Lord. Unlike the first time Moses made water come out of rock by striking it in Exodus, this time Moses was commanded to "tell" the rock to produce water. Because of his anger, he didn't follow the Lord's instructions. In his position of leadership, Moses had to uphold exemplary obedience at all times, and he failed to obey the command of the Lord at Meribah.

Also, the book of Joshua shows an obvious call to be obedient through action. We are called to act in obedience to the promises of the Lord. When the Israelites are finally able to enter into Canaan under the new leadership of Joshua, they are told to absolutely conquer the land and destroy all the native tribes, because the Lord has promised that "every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:3). The Lord made a promise to His people, and the Israelites are called to act in faithful obedience to take God at His word. They aren't suppposed to hang around the banks of the Jordan until it seems safe to cross over. They are suppossed to go forward in confidence of the Lord's promise to be with them at all times (Joshua 1:9). Even after many victorious battles, the Israelites fail to "devote (the Cannanites) to complete destruction" (Deut. 7:2), as they are commanded by Moses before they enter into the land. After a few years of successful conquests, the Israelites still live in fear, despite God's faithfulness, and fail to act in obedience to what He has promised. It is not long before the Israelites are making alliances with Cannanite tribes (Joshua 9), failing to drive out all the natives in their territory (Joshua 13), and living in fear of the Canaanites "chariots of iron" (Joshua 17). These are the same people who watched the walls of Jericho fall down at the blow of a trumpet due to God's power!

But how often do I fail to be obedient to God's promises? God's promises are a call to action, not a reason for comfortable complacency. God has promised to fill my mouth with words when I am sharing the Gospel (Mark 13:11), so why do I so often remain silent? God has promised to soften the hearts of those whom He has called (John 6:37; Ephesians 1), so why do I fret and worry about who is responding the Gospel and who is not or who is likely to respond to the Gospel or who I should invite to church or who probably wouldn't accept the invitation? God has promised to care for me both on Earth and eternally (Luke 12), so why do I waste my days in anxiety? My disobedience is my failure to both trust IN and act ON God's promises. I should be sharing the Gospel boldly because of  God's promise to give me His word. I should be sharing the Gospel with all who will listen, because God is the one to harden and soften hearts. I should be living a life of joy and faith today, because God has promised that tomorrow will take care of itself. Lord, help me to live in obedience to Your promises today and always.

Reflection #1

My sweet roommate Bekah asked me the other night what I have been learning from my time studying the Bible this year. It was really the first time I have stopped to think about what the experience is teaching me overall, instead of just focusing on what I am learning chapter by chapter. I am into the book of Joshua now (Goodbye Moses... I still think it's a little sad that you didn't get to enter into the Promised Land, but I understand the reason why now thanks to ESV footnotes!), but I will blog about crazy war stories and the conquering of Canaan later.

My Bible Study is currently reading Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline together. Each week we read a chapter on a specific discipline and try to practice it together or share with each other our personal attempts to become more disciplined followers of Christ. The chapter on the discipline of study was particulary convicting, as I usually just read the Bible to read it, and don't spend a lot of time and effort STUDYING it. My journey through the ESV Study Bible is my humble attempt to add the discipline of study to my life. It is laughable to me now that I thought I would be reading through the Bible twice this year (ESV version in the morning with footnotes and re-reading the New Living Translation at night for a time of reflection). I honestly struggle to get my reading done once a day. By the grace of God, I have mangaged to stay on the timeline for the most part, but I often find that I have to split the reading into two halves and read a chapter or two at school or in the evening in addition to my morning reading time. Maybe someday I will attempt the twice in a year reading goal, but I will need a whole lotta Holy Spirit power to manage it. For now I simply feel challenged by the extra reading time going through the notes. So, for one, it's been awesome to study in addition to simply reading the Word, especially when I've had a few things I've learned come up in conversation recently and I've been able to discuss and share God's Word more accurately and deeply.

However, the best thing about the experience so far has been the blogging part. Again, this has been another dose of humility as my goal is to blog once a week, and I am struggling to write even every other week at this point. The point of the blog is simply to hold me accountable for reflecting and applying what I am learning from God's Word. How often do I take the gift of God's precious Word for granted, both by my unwillingness to spend the time studying it, and also by failing to soak in it, to reflect on it, and apply it to my life? This blog is my public way of holding myself accountable for reflecting and applying what I read. I explained to Bekah that the coolest part is that this blog is so different from my own personal journaling where I rant and rave all about me, me, me - my concerns, my problems, and, albeit too rarely, my praises. On a good day, I apply a verse to my problems or reflect on God's promises as I pray. Going through the Bible and knowing that I have to blog about it has forced me to change my thinking. I am reading, learning, and writing about God and His Word, and I have the privilege of seeing how it applies to my life... how it convicts me... how it should change me to be more like Christ. So instead of focusing on myself and then applying the tiniest fraction of God's Word to my circumstances, I get to dwell on God's truth, His character, and His Promises and see how they play out in my life and my heart in so many ways, because God has given me the gift of His living, active Word (Hebrews 4:12). Thanks for asking Bekah... you made me stop and think, which is one of the main reasons I am on this adventure in the first place!

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

I am wrapping up my time in the Pentateuch - getting into Deuteronomy now - and I want to reflect back on  my journey through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. I admitted last time that I found myself growing bored with reading about the different sacrficial requirements over and over again - but I also found myself dwelling on one important idea - hospitality...

What was the point of the sacrificial offerings? I understand the killing of the ram, goat, lamb, etc. as the blood was needed to atone for sin ("for the wages of sin is death" - Romans 6:23), but why bring all this grain and oil to God along with the animal, when he doesn't need any of it? He is God. He doesn't have the human need for food. Some of the reasons for these food offerings are obvious. First, a portion of most offerings (both money and food offerings - except the burnt offering) was given to the priests. This was their livlihood and their payment for serving God in the tabernacle instead of working the land, tending the animals, and going to war, as with the other tribes. Second, the giving away of the firstfruits to the Lord shows humble, thankful recognition that he was the one providing everything necessary to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness. By giving back a portion of the harvest, the giver acknowledges God as the ultimate creator, gift-giver, and provider of every good thing (James 1:17). This is the same idea behind tithing in God's church - we thankfully and humbly give back to him what is already his in the firstplace, and acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from Him.

Thanks to the good ol' ESV Study Bible footnotes, I realized, while reading through this portion of Scripture again, another reason for the offerings of grain and oil . Even though the Lord didn't actually eat the food presented, the offering of it symbolized meeting with the Lord for a meal. Just as we invite friends over for dinner, and host them by offering food and drink, sharing our shelter with them, and giving them our time and devotion, in an effort to love and serve them, so did the offerings represent hosting the Lord for a meal. The Israelites gave their food, and the priests prepared a meal for the Lord as if to say, "Lord, you are an honored guest. We give you our food, our time; meet us for a meal, so we may serve and love you."

Clearly, the idea of sharing a meal with the Lord has implications that relate to my own life. I no longer have to offer grain and oil to be near to the presence of God (thanks to Jesus, my forever intercessor! My grain offering would probably have to be Kashi cereal or something anyway...), but I have to ask myself, "Is God an honored guest in my life?" Do I invite him into every area of my life, to dwell with me, to live in community with me? Is he honored as I would treat a guest in my home? Do I make time for him, prepare a good meal for him? That's not to say that my faith is about what I do. I don't have to spend all my time DOING specific little tasks for God to draw near to me - but is my heart at a place where God is honored in my life? Do I give him the time, attention, love, and service of which he is more than worthy?  I want to welcome Him in. Love him. Serve him.

And what about my heart toward others? Do I honor the people around me? Do I love them? Serve them? Open my home to them? Feed them? How can I cultivate hospitality in my own heart (by the grace of God's Spirit) that I may honor and serve others, as well as God? Lord, increase in me the spirit of hospitality. Help me to honor you in my life as I would a guest in my home. Help me to love others with the love You have showered upon me. After all, it is You who has promised to invite us, Your children, to feast with You at Your banqueting table for all of eternity (Revelation 19:9). May my lifestyle on Earth foreshadow that eternal feast!

Tent of Talent

I am going to jump out of sequence a bit and back up to Exodus. This is very unlike my orderly, firstborn personality, but this blog is supposed to be about reflecting not just being disciplined, so I should probably reflect on what is on my heart and mind. Also, I am listening to the Bible on CD as well as reading it, and I have been a little behind on my audio version, so I actually just listened to Exodus in the past couple of weeks and it reminded me of something I had intended to blog about earlier.

So there are these two guys at the end of Exodus, Bezalel and Oholiab. You probably don't recognize their names - but they basically oversaw the construction of the entire Tabernacle...the design for it, the construction, even the creation of the linens and decorative pieces. That's kind of a big deal. But the thing is, God called them to it. God says he filled them "with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge and with all craftsmanship" (Exodus 35:31) to execute the creation of God's dwelling place with the Israelites. Reading about Bez and Oho reminded me that God gives us talents and expects us to use them for His glory. These are not spiritual gifts. I think often, as Christians, we dwell on trying to figure out what our Spiritual gifts are, and if we are using them, or how we can be using them. This is not bad, but what about the practical? What about the skills, knowledge and talents God has given you? They may not seem spiritual or even very worthy, but can they be used? Can your skill as a plumber or an electrician or your general aptitude as a handyman or  your ability to cook or draw or entertain young children or knit or speak a second language be used for the glory of God? We are each endowed with a Spiritual Gift when we are in Christ, but are there other skills we have, bestowed on us by our glorious Creator, that we are not using?

I personally don't think I excel at many skills. I honestly consider myelf average in a lot of areas. My spiritual gifts are probably teaching and/or administration and I see how those gifts even carry over into my interests and into my job, but as far as talents and skills, I don't feel like my cup is overflowing. I have always been a mediocre athelete; I can't sing or play an instrument; I am decent at drama/acting but never developed my skill in it; I have tolerable cooking and cleaning skills; I can't sew; I'm not strong; I don't do manual labor such as hauling or lifting well (ask my sister...); I am helpless with handyman type things such as putting together furniture, and my five years of French amount to "Au Revior" in my mind. I have a strong aversion to all things mathematical; I don't even do my own taxes. My dad does them for me.

However, if there is one place I have ever felt above average, it's at school. And  if there is one skill that ever helped me excel in school (clearly, not my affinity for math), it has been writing. From a young age, God has given me the skill of knowing how to manipulate and use language for all sorts of purposes. Please don't let this blog be the sole indicator of that skill, as I try to write quickly from the heart without too much editing or agonzing over word choice and sentence structure. However, when it comes to writing, I know that my words have the power to manipulate, persuade, convict, inform and encourage. Clearly, not really a spiritual gift, just a skill given to me by the Lord. And over the years, I have been convicted time and time again to search and seek for ways to use this skill for God's glory. I guess the biggest conviction is to use the written word to encourage other people - I have honestly considered what it would look like to spend five minutes a day writing a note of encouragement to someone - anyone in my life who seems to need paryer or encouragment. I have also considered other things like writing or editing for church publications - any mundane task  that would allow my one simple skill to serve the church in a practical way. And, to be honest, I still fail at this. I write notes of encouragement sporadically at best, and have only made weak attempts to put my writing and editing skills to use within the church. But I am convicted once again by Bezalel and Oholiab, who together constructed God's dwelling place among men with their humble skills as architects, construction managers, weavers and metalworkers. And because of their willingness to serve the Lord in this practical way, "the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34) and the Israelites were able to live with God in their very midst. How might you and I bring God's glory into our midst with our pens, hammers, spoons, and calculators?