Snapshots: Day 72

The Snapshot: “Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain” (Ex 19:3) Encounter, in fact a close encounter of the God kind. James said, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” So often people say, “God seems so far away,” but is that because we don't go looking for Him? How do you do that? Spend some time on your own in silence, first asking Him to draw near, and then waiting, then daring to believe what you are ‘hearing' in your mind. The Sinai encounter is a proof that God wants to communicate with His people. Read His word, ask Him to speak to you through it. Take time, read, be still, listen and look at the words you have just read, listen again and dare to believe what you are ‘seeing' and ‘hearing'.

Further Consideration: Why do we fail to go seeking God, spending time alone waiting on him, listening for Him to speak? I recently was studying Isa 55 which starts, “ Come, all you who are thirsty.” It all starts with our heart and sometimes it is the recognition that I am thirsty. Jesus taught, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” (Jn 7:37) In Isa 55 after that initial call there is no more talk of drinking but it becomes clear that drinking is a response to “listen to me.” (Isa 55:2) When we come to Jesus, conscious of our need, conscious that he is the one who can satisfy that need, we will wait on him, we will ‘go up the mountain' to meet him.

Going up the mountain speaks of making the effort to go looking for God, taking time and making the effort to seek Him. The strange thing is that it takes no effort to sit still and listen, except the effort to overcome the instinctive desire to get up and do something. So many things call to us for our attention, things we need to do, things we ‘ought' to do. Martha is the classic illustration of this (Lk 10:38-42) and she nearly missed the opportunity of sitting with Jesus, like Mary her sister was doing, because she allowed her mind to be filled with all the ‘necessary' things around the home that were calling to her.

Snapshots: Day 73

The Snapshot: “out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” (Ex 19:5) Chosen. A mixed blessing. On the one hand the amazing blessing of having encounter after encounter with the living God, but the other side of the coin is all about obedience: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” We cannot fully enter into the experience of being a ‘treasured possession' without obedience because the blessings flow when we do the stuff He has said. There is a difference between being it and experiencing it. I am a father but unless I relate to my children it is a meaningless title. Just calling yourself a Christian or genuinely entering into the fulness of the experience? Title or reality?

Further Consideration: I suspect we take for granted much of what has happened to us to make us Christians. Perhaps our conversion experience was many years ago and we forget the process that we went through – or maybe we weren't even fully aware of the life-crisis we went through that brought us to the end of ourselves so we surrendered to God through Christ. However it happened, it was ultimately a time of surrender; we gave up our old lives, we died to them as Paul says in Romans, and we surrendered to allow Jesus be our Saviour and then go on and be lord of our lives, to lead us and guide us and teach us and change us.

In the apostle Peter's words we are, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession.” (1 Pet 2:9) That is our equivalent to God's words to Israel on Mount Sinai. That was the starting point. Perhaps we started reading our Bible, and the New Testament in particular and suddenly we became aware that there were lots of do's and don'ts in the writings of the apostles and we came to realise that obeying these were part of the package of Jesus being Lord. I remember first really studying Hebrews. Chapter 1, all about Jesus was wonderful. Then came chapter 2: “ We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Heb 2:1) Wow! It is possible to drift away? I must pay attention to all I am reading and hearing on a Sunday morning!

Lot's more explanations and then, “let us hold firmly to the faith we profess,” (Heb 4:14) but then, “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence.” (v.16) Not only exhortations to hold on to what I am receiving against the enemy attacks but exhortation to come to God and come confidently. That is reassuring. This new life, I learned, was going to be a combination of a battle against the lies of the enemy, and receiving the good things God had for me, and entering into them through the powerful word – obedience. Back then, and still now.

Snapshots: Day 74

The Snapshot: “I am the Lord your God.” (Ex 20:2) God introduces the Ten Commandments with this description of Himself. He continues, “ who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” As we said previously, not just a title but the experiential reality. Yes, the title is right. Even if He had done nothing else, He was still their Lord, but He had actually demonstrated it. When He says to the Christian, “I am the Lord your God,” it is a statement of reality but He can also add, “because I have delivered you out of that old sin-driven, guilt-laden, self-destructive life of a slave to the enemy.” Because of that He now has the right to declare the way we are made or designed to live. Let's heed His directions.

Further Consideration: In the previous study I recounted how, in my early days as a Christian, I began to learn that my New Testament was full of exhortations on how to live under the Lordship of Christ, ways to live the new life and receive all the goodness God had for me – and that came as I followed or obeyed those exhortations that I found there in His word.

As I look back now to these words from Exodus 20 I realise the same process is operating today in me as operated back then. Back then the Lord established His credibility with the people of Israel by reminding them what He had done for them by delivering them out of slavery in Egypt. He had, if you like, proved Himself. They could trust Him and rely upon Him because He had clearly shown that He was for them in the way He had delivered them out of Pharaoh's hands and started them on the journey to the Promised Land. It was still early days but there was plenty to remember about what God had done.

But now, the same is true for us. When we read through the Gospels and we see what Jesus went through in dying for us, we start to catch something of the wonder of God's love that could go through all of that – Jesus leaving the wonder and security of heaven to come and live as a human being down here, going through the rejection he experienced from the religious world, being betrayed, falsely tried, condemned and crucified and for a moment appearing to be utterly cut off from the experience of the love of his Father that he had known throughout eternity. This is love!

Snapshots: Day 75

The Snapshot: “These are the laws you are to set before them.” (Ex 21:1) Many people don't like ‘laws' but the Laws of Moses are a sign of God's love. They were clues to how He had designed us to live, how a community can live at peace, how things can be put right when we mess up, how to live differently and distinctly from the pagan nations surrounding them, how to live healthily dealing with various health problems that crop up in this fallen world and, of course, how to relate to Him. They were specifically for Israel (and not us – many people don't realise this), an agrarian society that was uniquely called to be God's people. As Christians we have different ‘laws' in the New Testament, all enhancing the wonder of our relationship with God through Jesus.

Further Consideration: We have been considering the ‘rules' we find in the New Testament that guide us in our walk with Christ, rules which, I would suggest, reflect the laws of Moses in their purposes. They tell us how He has designed us to live in Christ, (e.g. Eph 2:1-10) forgiven and cleansed by his work on the Cross, now empowered by His Spirit. They show us how to be put right with God when we mess up (1 Jn 1:9, 2:1,2), how we can live differently from our neighbours (Rom 12:2), how to deal with health issues (Jas 5:14-16) and how to relate to Him (e.g. Phil 4:6,7). As you read through your New Testament watch out for these things and you will see many more instances of each of them. But there are two important things to be said.

First, keeping these laws or rules are not what enables us to be a Christian. We do not earn our salvation by rule-keeping; we receive it by believing in Jesus, that he is the Son of God who has died and risen again and is seated at the Father's right hand, ruling in the midst of his enemies. The ‘rules' are just ways we live out this new relationship with God that Jesus Has earned for us.

Snapshots: Day 76

The Snapshot: “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.” (Ex 23:14) Life, even five hundred years ago, was much harder than it is today. The struggle was to survive (ours is how to make the most of life and get meaning out if it), but the clue to success then as now, was how to maintain a relationship with the Lord and follow His leadings (laws, prophets etc. Today for us, His word and His Spirit). But that ‘remembering' God was not a hard, legal thing, it involved feasts, major times of feasting and celebrating. Imagine Independence Day and a coronation celebration all rolled into one and lasting a week. These were reminders of God, of His goodness in the past and in the present. We are a people of remembrance and celebration and feasting. Let's do it!

Further Consideration: The apostle James wrote, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” (Jas 1:17) In that he was presenting in shorthand the truth that all good things we have come from God. Israel – and all humanity for that matter – could not believe that. When God delivered them from Egypt, they grumbled at every turn. They could not believe that the One who had done such amazing things in dealing with Pharaoh and releasing them from slavery in Egypt, could now provide for them all the way through the desert and then into the Promised Land. All they had to do when things ran short, was ask! Instead they grumbled; they had not realised that the God of deliverance is also the God of loving provision.

He promised them His presence, He promised them His provision, and He promised them His protection, and yet they failed again and again to believe that. Now whenever I say this, I have to add the rider, this was not because they were uniquely bad, it simply meant that they revealed what we are ALL like. Now we are Christians we may have forgotten that (to our peril!) but the thing about sin is that it blinds us to the truth.

Snapshots: Day 77

The Snapshot: “I will wipe them out” (Ex 23:23) How we fail so often to read our Bible completely. We grab a few words and complain without understanding. Here we have the source of so many complaints – but read it in its entirety, read on to verse 30. See: the word ‘drive' that follows. God will drive the enemy out – but not completely. “wipe out” = totally remove current existence. How? By driving them out. It will be their choice. Leave and survive. Stay and fight Israel and risk death. You will find the idea of ‘driving them out' well over thirty times in the records. This is not genocide as so many foolish people say. This is God who says, “This is my land for my people, take your terrible and horrible pagan practices away – and stop them!” Be understanding.

Further Consideration: How often we find the critics rolling out this complaint about a God who commands genocide. How such critics reveal both their own poverty of spirit and poverty of knowledge! Check the facts and then speak. Note the options again.

Option 1: Leave and survive. This actually was the most sensible choice and perhaps a few took it. The records show that the fear of the Lord went ahead of Israel, the reputation of Israel's early conquests in the south as they approached the land from the south and the east. These were a victorious people. It's time to leave! Clearly the word went out ahead of them, followed by fear. Most people forget this.

Option 2: Stay and fight. It says something about what holds you when a Tsunami bears down on you. You have to be pretty stupid to stay – but then that is the effect of the occult which bound this land, occult fueled by godless, merciless sacrifices of children and many other occult practices. The demonic always seeks to extend Satan's desire to destroy mankind.

Option 3: Join Israel. Again most people forget that Rahab and the Gibeonites were examples of those who responded wisely to the fear of God and aligned themselves with Israel and became part of them, part of the people of God.

So, ‘wipe them out' actually means remove entirely this old life dominated by the world, by Satan and by Sin. It will be achieved initially by seeking to ‘drive out' these things but where they refuse to capitulate, they will be put to death. Failure to put them to death will mean they will remain as pockets of resistance that will cause ongoing problems, things which God will in fact make use of to discipline us. There is so much here, so many truths to be understood, so much that unfortunately we so often allow the enemy to cover with a smokescreen of self-righteous indignation built on our poverty of spirit and poverty of knowledge. Let's resist, learn and be changed.  

Snapshots: Day 78

The Snapshot: “the Book of the Covenant …. we will obey.”(Ex 24:7) Moses writes down the laws given to him by God and then reads them to the people and they respond, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” Good intent but not followed through. The history of Israel sadly reveals idolatry, disobedience and rebellion against God but in that they are under a microscope that shows the world what we are all like. We think keeping rules (God's, ours, other people's, the church's) will be enough but it isn't. Rules raise up resistance, followed by failure and guilt, causing consequences, producing pain. The intent may be good but rules are not enough, only a living, loving relationship with God Himself through Jesus, will work.

Further Consideration: The question of calling people to a point of decision at the end of a sermon, message, call it what you will, is tricky. On the one hand leaving people with information but no challenge to apply it simply leaves an uncommitted intellectual congregation. On the other hand, calling people to make a decision in respect of the teaching just given helps many people to make a step forward – but not always. Israel said, “we will obey,” and at that moment their intentions were good.

A few weeks later, and a change of circumstances, that resolve went out the door for some at least. And there is the danger: it is easy to make a commitment in the heat of the emotional moment (which may be right and good) but as the days go by and circumstances change, it is easy for that emotional commitment to get blurred by the passing of time and be easily forgotten.

The thing about responding to the call of the rules or whatever else it was, is that, for some at least, for obedience to the call, obedience to the rules, obedience to the prompting of the Spirit, to be meaningful, is that it needs to be continual.

Snapshots: Day 79

The Snapshot: “ have them make a sanctuary for me.” (Ex 25:8) The tabernacle used to be something my Brethren friends used to get excited about years ago and yet even back then, I think we missed the main point – God wanted Israel to create a building that would be the focus point for their meeting with Him. That sounds so simple but is astounding, that Almighty, Holy God, Creator of the world, wants to interact with us, yes us who so often put ourselves down and allow the enemy to call us rubbish – and yet God wants us to come to Him, to chat with Him, unburden ourselves before Him, get ourselves put right again before Him, all this sort of stuff, God wants to do that! Amazing!

Further Consideration: Temples crop up a number of times in the Bible. There was the first one that Solomon built but which was eventually destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar prior to the Exile, then there was the smaller one built by the returning remnant after the Exile and this one was built up and extended by Herod prior to the coming of Jesus. It was then utterly destroyed by the Romans in AD70 in response to the Jewish revolt. To add insult to injury, Islam built the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the site of the old temple and remains there to this day. The meeting place with God for Judaism was removed and has not been rebuilt. End of story.

Not quite! On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers and a new ‘temple' came into being. The apostle Paul wrote, “ Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? …. you together are that temple.” (1 Cor 3:16,17) But more than that, he referred to us individually as God's temple: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor 6:19) Of course Jesus had already previously spoken of his own body as a temple (Jn 2:20,21)

And this is where you and I struggle – God lives in me? I am a temple of His Holy Spirit? Again, as the apostle Paul wrote, “ For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Cor 6:16) It's all about intimate communion.

Snapshots: Day 80

The Snapshot: “I have filled him …. to make artistic designs.” (Ex 313,4) Where people start getting overly super-spiritual I love the thought that the first reference to being filled with the Spirit in the Bible is to enable a guy to be a great artist or craftsman! If only we could get less defensive about being filled with the Spirit (which happens because we realise we can't make it happen – we can only get thirsty and He does the rest) we could see Him as the resource that enables us to be great at whatever He gives us to do, and expect Him to bless our enabling to do it well: making pots, making tapestry, knitting, crocheting, making music, using wood, writing, composing, designing, and so much more, and when we do, like the Tabernacle, it will reveal something of the glory of God with us.

Further Consideration: Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. William Barclay once used this to describe how a person can have no music in their soul. He cited a man who took a friend to a great orchestral work and the man was very casual about it afterwards; the man had no music in his soul. He paralleled it with the person who can read the Gospels and be unmoved by the person of Jesus.

But I think this goes much further. How many, I wonder, gaze upon God's creation with little appreciation? How many look at a piece of turned and polished wood with no emotion? Or look at a piece of art, whether it be a painting, a sculpture, a tapestry and so on? Yes music, and art for that matter, can convey the emotion of the composer or artist and sometimes there is a sense of angst conveyed, but what about the wonderful works created by those people not weighed down by life, people who simply expressed the wonder of what they feel about their materials?

You don't have to be an artist to appreciate a painting. And all these are gifts given by the God who is a Creator.

I find something strange about this verse today because it is God gifting a man so that he can make something beautiful. Now the Tabernacle could have been just a tent, but it wasn't, it was a beautiful structure brought about by those who had been filled with the Spirit to do that.

Now I think there is a danger in worshipping in a beautiful building (I worship in a modern beautiful building) and it is that you can get caught up with the building and not the presence of the Holy Spirit. But that is a danger that God is obviously not bothered about when it comes to creating the Tabernacle. It is to be a building that stands out. I am not sure about buildings that cost millions of pounds when there are poor people all around us, but I guess there is a happy medium, something midway that is beautiful but does not mean purses are left empty, unable to care for the needy.

Snapshots: Day 81

The Snapshot: “ make us gods who will go before us.” (Ex 32:1) These words open what must be one of the most bizarre moments of Old Testament history. Israel have encountered God on Mount Sinai (74 of them had shared a vision of him (Ex 24:9,10) even. They have received the Law and committed themselves to be ‘God's People' and then Moses goes off again and within a few weeks they turn on Aaron and ask for gods that they can see. Incredible! Terrible! Stupid! Yet they simply exhibited what mankind exhibits again and again – I want to see my God and if I can't, let's make other gods. The world does it all the time but it is pure deception, sham, pretense, make-believe. Remember we are called to live by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)

Further Consideration: Avoiding idolatry became almost the biggest issue that Moses kept warning Israel about on the Plains of Moab before they entered the Promised Land, that are recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. Despite that, as you read your way through the Old Testament, following the centuries of the life of Israel, the reality is that again and again and again and again, Israel have idols that they go and worship on hillsides or in wooded groves.

When the nation split after Solomon, it became the curse of the northern kingdom, Israel, as their first foolish king erected idols to be worshiped at the southern and northern boundaries so his people would not be tempted to join Judah and worship at the temple in Jerusalem. What made it worse was that no subsequent king of the northern kingdom removed them!

We think idolatry sounds so distant in history but that doesn't stop millions of people around the world today having their own little idols at home, and from going and worshipping the massive idols at their temples. We like to see the object of our worship.

But this has very practical spin-offs in modern church life because I know every time I speak or write about the presence of the Holy Spirit, inspiring and guiding us as the people of God, my words are bouncing off the ears of millions of modern day Christians who feel very insecure if we talk about the Spirit leading. How much more comfortable it is to have a neat programme laid out of what will happen in the next hour or so. We like to be able to see it, know what is there, what is coming. The thought of not being able to ‘see' God is scary when it comes to our corporate gatherings. It's the same thing as that which is behind the desire to have an idol we can see.

Snapshots: Day 82

The Snapshot: “ teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you.” (Ex 33:13) What wisdom! God, tell me, show me how you work. I want to know you, I want to please you, I want to go with you and I want you to bless us! Once you accept all the evidence that there IS a God as described in the Bible, the sensible path through life must involve finding out about Him. Suppose we reach the end of life, meet Him face to face and look back and see ‘what could have been' if only we'd taken the trouble to ask Him, “Teach me your ways”. How pig-sick we might be that we'd had the opportunity and blown it. Yes, we're there in heaven but what we missed on the way. How tragic that would be.

Further Consideration: I wonder how many of us dare pray this most simple of prayers? Why do I ask that? Well it crosses my mind that many of us may be sufficiently insecure in God's love that we aren't too sure what sort of answer we might get and, not only that, once we know there is a certain implication that I ought then to be living in accordance with His ways once I find what they are.

However, may I dare to suggest that there is a great deal of difference between Moses and us. No, not that he was called to shepherd Israel and we aren't, but simply at this stage of his life it is probable that you and I have fifty times more revelation about God than he had

You and I have the whole of the Old Testament (he was still yet to write the first five books probably) not to mention the wonder of the whole of the New Testament so, again, dare I suggest some of the things that are now obvious to us today about God.

First He is the Creator of all things who knew the end from the beginning and knew the Godhead had to plan for Jesus coming if there was to be any hope of saving us.

Second, He is committed to your and my salvation, which is why His Son came.

Third, He does still judge ungodliness and unrighteousness but has made a way for us to avoid that judgment by accepting Jesus as our Saviour.

Fourth, once we have accepted the salvation He holds out to us, He has given us His Holy Spirit who is the source of all grace, wisdom, guidance etc. that we need for daily living.

Snapshots: Day 83

The Snapshot: “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones.” (Ex 34:1) What amazing grace. God meets with Moses and Israel at Sinai and gives them the Law, part of which were on two slate (probably) slabs. Israel blow it, Moses loses his cool and smashes the two tablets. End of the story of Moses and Israel. Well, no, not actually. Here's the puzzle: why didn't God slap Moses, why didn't He abandon them, give up on them? I suppose it's the same reason He doesn't give up on us. He knows what we're like, He knows we're prone to getting it wrong, needing to be constantly encouraged, needing to be given a second chance – and third and fourth, and who knows how many chances. Amazingly love means He's committed to helping us succeed. Yes, amazing!

Further Consideration: There is an infamous crusading atheist, who I shall not name, who became notorious by concocting a paragraph of total abuse describing God. The only problem was that it was complete rubbish based upon his ignorance of the Bible – and yet it was heralded and applauded by his devoted followers, which only goes to show there are a lot of people who are ignorant of what the Bible actually says.

I believe those of us who are believers may not be quite as bad, but often we skim over scriptures and fail to take in the wonder of what it is we are reading. I have sought in the snapshot above to counter that tendency by slowing us up and getting us to realise the grace of God that was being displayed when He instructed Moses to chisel out a second set of stone tablets on which He would rewrite the Ten Commandments.

I imagine a loving father with their young child and the child has just smashed up a model that the father had made for them. Resignedly, for he is a human father, he sighs and smiles and says, “OK, let's have another go,” and commences to rebuild the broken model.

Again we take for granted, I believe, some of the New Testament teaching. For example, “ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ.” (1 Jn 2:1) There is this same thing – the God of second chances. He doesn't want us to sin, He doesn't want us to have temper tantrums and smash that which is precious, but when we do He is there, saddened I believe by our immaturity, but ready to forgive when we come to our senses and ask forgiveness, ready to get us up on our feet again and, pointed in the right direction again, is there helping us with fresh resolve to get it right this time.

Yes, this is the God of second chances, the God of grace and mercy who is there for us. Never say otherwise. Worship and be thankful.

Snapshots: Day 84

The Snapshot: “Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” (Ex 39:43) Interesting! They build the tabernacle as instructed and Moses checks the finished work. I wonder how many leaders check to see that the modern-day tabernacle, the church, is being ‘built' according to God's instructions or do we just assume that what we are and what we do is as it should be? Do we conform to the New Testament pattern comprising born again ‘bricks' being built (Eph 2:19-22) together in love (Eph 4:16), gifted parts of ‘the body' (1 Cor 12:27) all harmonizing together under the anointing of the Spirit, producing the righteous acts of the bride (Rev 19:8)? Wow!

Further Consideration: In a day when the thinking of the world is individualistic – leave me alone to be myself, work out my own salvation without you imposing your moralistic laws on me – the reality so often is, I believe, similarly true in the life of the church. One modern writer has written about a leader who is, “a highly anxious risk-avoider, someone who is more concerned with good feelings than with progress, someone whose life revolves around the axis of consensus.” That was definitely not Moses!

Moses put God first (except on that one tragic notable occasion at the rock when he lost his cool) and so was more concerned with what God wanted and that was translated into being a Shepherd of Israel, ensuring his people did what the Lord had said.

The modern day spiritual shepherd (the name of the ‘Pastor', overseer, elder of the New Testament) is concerned not just to make his people feel good, but to become mature. That means he has an understanding of God's goals for His people, and he is not fearful in portraying a vision of the Lord's desires and intent for His church. Yet he seeks to do it with wisdom and grace and humility that carries his people with him, so when he lays out the scriptural blueprint of the New Testament, they catch the vision and rise in faith to receive it. Yes, this shepherd leads by grace not by rules and concerned more with life than with ritual, more with the presence of God than with plans and programmes (although he may have both).

The Moses model shows a leader who spends much time in God's presence, who catches God's heart, who learns His ways, and who is then able to graciously guide his flock to higher ground.

Snapshots: Day 85

The Snapshot: “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Ex 40:34) When the ‘house of the Lord' is built according to His instructions (see the previous ‘Snapshot') surely we should expect the glory of the Lord to fill it – us individually and corporately. IF that actually happened – in whichever local expression of the church that you can think of – what do you think would be seen? How would God's glory be seen? Can any of us (maybe a few) in churches in the West at least, honestly say this is what we experience? In the days, weeks and months ahead, dare we make this prayer: “Show us Lord, what we need to change that will make this dwelling available for you”?

Further Consideration: Recently I found myself writing the following: “I come to the end of most Sundays and wish I had a buzz about the wonderful things that happened in the morning, the wonderful words of revelation that were brought, the wonderful testimonies of change brought, the lives that were clearly touched and changed, the obvious power of the Holy Spirit's presence seen, the wonderful encouragements brought, the wonderful faith stirred, the wonderful challenges brought, maybe even the tears of conviction brought, and a sense of having been fed by God's word so that I walk out with head held high, stronger in conviction, more sure of my walk and certain of my future. I wish it was like that. I must pray more.”

That came out of constantly being confronted with thoughts and writings about ‘Holy Dissatisfaction', a healthy prompting by the Spirit to get us to pray. The above is, I believe, an honest appraisal of how so much modern church life is (there are exceptions) and how many hungry Christians come away at the end of Sunday morning.

However, it is possible not to come away like that if we have no expectation of the presence of God, if we have settled to the neatly planned and orthodox service where, to be quite honest, you would not know if the presence of God was absent or not.

Snapshots: Day 86

The Snapshot: “it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.” (Lev 1:4) How can killing a cow or a sheep make atonement, and what does atonement mean and do I need it? Some have suggested at-one-ment i.e. being made one with God again after a division caused by my sin. Synonyms are ‘compensation, amends, punishment'. This animal will be accepted by God to make up for my sins? However I see it, it is God saying by doing this one thing, I can take it that He accepts me back. But I feel bad about this animal dying for me? Accept it, it's just a picture of what my Son will do for you one day. Your action will indicate your repentance and your obedience; that is enough, that is what this is all about.

Further Consideration: As we continue our slow progress through the Bible, the great temptation is to omit Leviticus because it seems at first sight to be so obscure in the light of today's world – and messy. Yet we need to remember this was part of the Law given to Moses by God for Israel at that time and acted as part of the foundation of their lives as a godly community. Some of the Law was about the priesthood but that was partly to support the expressions of activity laid out in the early chapters of Leviticus that we may summarise as ways of getting right with God after personal failure.

Living in a world as we do, where personal failure is simply something we quickly cover up but fail to deal with properly (so guilt remains and a vulnerability to repetition), it is difficult to grasp the simplicity of purpose found in the early chapters of Leviticus.

Our tendency is to avoid talking about our failures and pretending they didn't happen, or to make excuses for them. God's method is to openly confront them, not to leave us feeling guilty failures but to be left with a sense of resolution, that the failure (sin) has been properly dealt with before Him and so we will not have a constant feeling that He may yet be coming after us for it. The Bible is the best counsellor on the planet. Instead of months of costly therapy, God declares the way to deal with guilt. For the embryonic nation of Israel it was to bring an offering, a sacrifice to the Tabernacle and to kill it before the priest. The shock of taking a life would impact the person offering it and convey a sense of the awfulness of sin but would leave them with the memory of an experience they had been through that left them clean and their sin dealt with before God so there would be no further likelihood of repercussions because of it.

Snapshots: Day 87

The Snapshot: “a grain offering… an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” (Lev 2:1,2) God is concerned with the smell of an offering I bring to Him? My child, it is a picture of the response that I have to your obedience. The point is that you burn this grain as a picture of a gift to me, and that pleases me. All of these offerings are simply pictures of a bigger reality, the reality of your sin and how it separates you from me, the reality of your desire to get right with me, the reality of your desire to fellowship with me. Instead of you struggling with these things, I simply give you this straightforward way of you being able to do something outwardly that signifies what is going on inside you – and so that action pleases and satisfies me. The reality will be what my Son will do one day.

Further Consideration: Because so many write off Leviticus as difficult and complex (it isn't!) they also fail to give much thought to the purpose behind the various sacrifices. Perhaps an aside here: God doesn't come up with things in the law because they were magical, fanciful or mysterious; the things in the Law are very practical, they have purpose, they are there to help the people live in community as the people of God.

Now that last phrase is all important: the ‘people of God', not just in name but supposedly in experience. From the outset of the Exodus, God sought to reassure Israel that He was with them. If the miraculous plagues in Egypt hadn't convinced them of this, a bright pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night accompanied them all the time. Now they will know (you would think!)

The grain offering is not about sin, it is about obedience and fellowship. This act ‘pleases God' and is not about giving up a life, it is about grain and oil, fruits of the earth, reminders of God's provision. Num 28:12 links burnt offering and grain offering, duty and fellowship. There is not enough space here to see this as a type of Christ, suffice it to say he made it possible for our sins to be dealt with AND for us to be drawn into fellowship with God, our provider.

Only part of the grain was burnt (to create the smell), the rest was given to the priests to enjoy (Lev 2:2,3) as if God was saying I want to share this pleasure with you. “ I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. ” (Rev 3:20) “ You prepare a table before me.” (Psa 23:5) What amazing pictures, God who wants to fellowship with you and me. Imagine sitting round a table eating (not in front of the TV). What happens? Talk, sharing, fellowship. That is the picture conveyed here. Wonderful? Tell me!

Snapshots: Day 88

The Snapshot: “So he consecrated Aaron … and his sons.” (Lev 8:30) Why priests? Why all these intricate instructions about what they wear and what they do? Perhaps it was to build a bridge between Israel and God, a communication bridge that said, ‘God is holy, and you are not; stay at a distance otherwise you might die. Do not be casual about your relationship with God'. Perhaps it was that there would be those whose lives were to act as constant reminders of this holy God. Perhaps they were to be temporary stand-ins until Jesus came as God's real priest who drew each of us into his priesthood (joining him in showing that God is holy, acting as reminders of God's presence in His world, and showing the way to Him. A holy priesthood? (1 Pet 2:9) That is you and me.

Further Consideration: I have, in the snapshot above, suggested that the priesthood acted as a division between God and the people, and I believe that is true, but there is another side to this particular coin: their role was also to bring the people to God. Admittedly the people could not come close, for only the priests could minister in the Holy Place, and the high priest only once a year in the Holiest Place (or Holy of Holies), the innermost room where the presence of God was said to dwell. Nevertheless the role of the priesthood was to teach the Law and be there to oversee the sacrifices, encouraging the people to come to God in the ways stated in the Law.

I have asked the question, why all the intricate instructions about what to wear and what to do? The first simple thought is that having established such paraphernalia, it would be unlikely that anyone else would seek to invade and become part of the priesthood, who were outside the priestly family of Levi. Anyone wearing less than these clothes would never be accepted by the people. Thus the clothes marked them out as special. Similarly all the rules relating to their activities separated them from the ordinary.

Summarizing this, these things reinforced or emphasized this barrier / bridge that we have spoken about and made it a very obvious part of the Jewish life and community. It was only in later centuries in the life of Israel was all this diluted so that the priests became worldly in outlook and in Jesus' time the Sadducees with their limited and liberal theological views held control of the priesthood with a Sadducee eventually judging Jesus.

Snapshots: Day 89

The Snapshot: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community.” (Num 1:2) Why long lists of people who mean nothing to you and me today? They say they are important to God. These are people who played their parts in history. It doesn't matter if they achieved great things, or lesser things that weren't even recorded. They are part of history. They are people who related to God – or not. They are people who at The End will stand before God and answer to Him for the part they played. They interacted with other people and helped make them what they were. Their footprints are all over history. We are not just numbers or names to be forgotten; God never forgets us, and as His children we are integral significant players in His plans. See and understand your significance.

Further Consideration: I think we often take our part in history for granted – if we ever even think about it! Who am I, we think? I'm of no significance? Well, actually it's my wife who has thought this one through: “Have you ever thought,” she says, “that if we'd never met, fallen in love and got married, none of our three children would exist and none of our eight grandchildren would exist?” “Yes,” I reply, but there might have been other children from different partners,” I respond. “Yes, but there aren't,” she says shutting the topic down!

But it may not be family, marriage, children, it may be the different people you met along the way and their lives are different because they met you. Have you ever seen those sci-fi time-travel films where the big point is made, whatever you do, if you go back, be careful what you do and don't change history, otherwise we may not exist here now! There's a conundrum!

Yes, there's no point in saying, “But supposing we hadn't met… supposing we hadn't had children … supposing you didn't give that bit of advice,” because we did, we had, we did, and history has rolled on.

For some of us this may be a touchy subject as we think, “Suppose I hadn't met her, suppose I hadn't sinned and got caught,” and a flood of negative emotions sweep over us.

But yes, that is the truth, life on this fallen world is a total mix of good things (and I can look back and see a whole stream of good things that came about from odd little incidents) and bad (and I can look back on a variety of hurts I've suffered and failures I've been involved with), but here is the great wonder that I have learnt, that whatever it is in my life, because I love Him He is able to work in, through and around me to use me or redeem my messes, for as the Message version puts it, “ we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good .” (Rom 8:28) Isn't that amazing! There's something to stop and be thankful for!

Snapshots: Day 90

The Snapshot: “ the Israelites… travelled from place to place until the cloud came to rest.” (Num 10:12) What an amazing experience. A whole nation travelling through the desert following a cloud, a cloud that turned to fire at night, a fire that indicated the presence of God with them. When He stopped, they stopped; when He started out, they started out. And so it continued. What is the modern equivalent? It has to be His Holy Spirit. Ah, this is where it gets uncomfortable. Do we sense Him moving us on, do we sense Him saying stand still? Is such a thing possible? Jesus did it (Jn 5:17,19) and didn't he say we would do whatever he had done (Jn 14:12)? Suppose we literally did as Church, only what he specifically said now? Scary? Revolutionary? Possible?

Further Consideration: The guidance of God is a mega-subject and many books have been written about it, but here is the amazing thing that I think we take for granted – it happens! Yes, God does interact with this earth to guide us, and show us the way to go. Now here's the second thing we take for granted and probably don't think about much – He is taking us somewhere that He has in His mind, He knows where He wants to take us.

Paul wrote, “ The fact is that what we are we owe to the hand of God upon us. We are born afresh in Christ and born to do those good deeds which God planned for us to do.” (Eph 2:10 JBP) I like that – “the hand of God upon us”, on all of us! Of course the vast majority of the time we're not aware of it, but I believe it is true nevertheless. Before we came to Christ we were doing our own thing but now, now that ‘we've come to Christ, we have his indwelling Holy Spirit and He is there within us and He nudges us. My wife and I often share these silly and simple things but I guess most of us are too sophisticated to believe these simple things.

Snapshots: Day 91

The Snapshot: “Send some men to explore the land … all of them were leaders.” (Num 13:1,3) They do say leaders are those who go ahead. These men certainly did, but we know the story of how they came back and only two were full of faith to take the Land while ten only saw problems, and the ten caused Israel to end up for forty years in the wilderness. What a responsibility. There's a challenge for any of us who have been, are, or will be leaders in whatever capacity in ‘the church'. We have the capability of encouraging and leading God's people on in acts of faith, or we can just see problems and difficulties and hinder the progress of God's plans. Such a responsibility is scary, but such a responsibility is only on those called and equipped. Who? Those with hearts open to be used by God.

Further Consideration: Responsibility in leadership is a tricky thing and it is something that has the potential to weigh one down with ‘all that responsibility'. Well let's see if we can lift the load off while avoiding becoming negative reporters like Moses' leaders.

I did a study recently on church leaders. There are those in the New Testament who appear to have been spirit-filled guys who looked after the material wellbeing of the flock. They were the deacons. The ones with spiritual responsibility were called elders, overseers or shepherds (pastors). As the interchangeable names imply they were the mature and wise in the congregation of God's people, those who guarded and protected the flock, and those who provided for the flock, whether it was food, security or healing.

Now here's the thing, there seems little reference to them being ‘called' whereas some denominational leaders make a big thing about ‘calling'. Actually in scripture it seems more of a natural gifting thing, an aspirational thing (1 Tim 3:1) and a character thing (3:2-7), something recognised by apostles (where there are apostles) or by the flock, and so if you are there, it is probably because God has gifted you accordingly and touched your heart – and will equip you with His grace to enable you to be a blessing to the flock. Calling? Maybe.

That's it; if we are leaders we are called to be a blessing to the flock, serving them, looking out for them, not dominating them, but loving them and looking for all God's goodness to them. So if you have God's grace, what's so difficult about that? People and Satan! Right, but His grace doesn't change and will be sufficient to cope.

And one final thing in a short reflection like this: remember you're imperfect and will not get it perfectly right all the time, but as long as we're steering away from major sin, that doesn't disqualify you. Enjoy it, be a blessing and be blessed.

Snapshots: Day 92

The Snapshot: “Not one of you will enter the Land.” (Num 14:30) God's plans on hold. Israel in the desert for forty years because of their lack of faith. “I will do to you the very thing I heard you say.” (14:28) I once heard someone say God gave Adam and Eve what they wanted, freedom to do their own thing, freedom to disregard Him. (It was called the Fall). It's what every one of us wanted until, with the help of the Spirit, we came to our senses and repented and sought salvation through Christ. In Rom 1:24,26,28, the words, “God gave them over to,” means He left them to their own self-destructive devices (until they repented), He let them get on doing their own self-destructive things. It is what we see all around us in Western society. It's the disciplinary judgment of God, designed to bring change.

Further Consideration: I, and I suspect quite a number of others, have felt for a number of years that the countries of the West are under the sort of disciplinary judgment we refer to above as we consider the Romans 1 words. As we watch what has been going on, we see exactly what Paul was describing, the absence of restraint that has been taking place for at least the sixty years. In the 60's we called it permissiveness as sexual barriers and restraints were taken down in every direction. Thinking, standards, morals and ethics changed from then on (the change had started at least sixty to two hundred years before then) but absolutes were thrown out together with belief in God.  The way was open for ‘anything goes' and anyone who spoke against it was branded a killjoy.

But the purpose of such judgement is to allow mankind to have a freedom which, in the absence of the restraining hand of God, produces a downwards spiral of sin. With it comes a series of consequences that vary from a sense of meaninglessness and lack to purpose in life, to actual harm, mental and physical. It is when these things increase to a level no longer tolerable, that people start crying out for help, as is seen again and again in the book of Judges.