Month: August 2019

“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. . . It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually.” Exodus 28:36, 38

            This portion of the High Priest’s attire has always interested me. What must it have been like for the High Priest to have something on his forehead that proclaimed to everyone that he was Holy to the LORD? Do you suppose that changed his behavior? Do you think he thought twice before yelling at the guy who cut him off with his camel? Or before showing his frustration with the line at the market stall? If everyone and their brother could see that this man was supposed to be holy to the Lord, do you think that put pressure on him to behave a certain way? It reminds me of a time many years ago when I got upset with another driver and made a rude gesture. I had a cross hanging from my rearview mirror and to see that gesture next to the cross was rather jolting for me. That cured me of that obnoxious behavior!

            I would have two problems with the way Aaron was to wear this seal. One is that when wearing it, he couldn’t see it. I wonder if it ever became like the old adage: out of sight, out of mind. A coworker of mine has “Holy to the Lord” tattooed on his forearm where he’s able to see it all the time. That would certainly help, but it doesn’t change the second problem, which is that it was work continually. I would get so accustomed to having it there that I am afraid I would forget what it was supposed to mean.

            The meaning of the fact that it was “as on a seal” may be lost to us. A seal was like a signet ring. Possessing the seal was either confirmation that you were the individual who owned the seal, or that you had been given permission by the owner to conduct business on his behalf. It was a little like a birthdate would be today. When we call a doctor’s office, they confirm our identity by asking our birthdate. So when I pick up medication for someone else, I need to be able to give that person’s birthdate. In the same way, the High Priest was conducting business on behalf of God. More specifically, it was the High Priest’s responsibility to assume the guilt for the nation of Israel and offer the required sacrifices on their behalf. That’s a pretty heavy burden to bear! But that’s the only way he was able to offer the forgiveness that can only come from God.

            Here’s the scary part: we are God’s priests today. The Church, the body of Christ, is the royal priesthood. That means that each of us should be wearing something that says “Holy to the LORD.” I don’t mean that we literally have to have a gold plate or seal, or even have a tattoo. But we can each ask ourselves if we’re wearing something on our countenance that declares that for us. Or maybe there’s something in our actions, in our responses to what is thrown our way in this life, some difference in our demeanor that announced more clearly than any gold plate that we are set apart for God. We may not have it engraved in gold, but is it engraved on our hearts? There is much discussion about why this plate was to be worn on the forehead. I think it just may symbolize that our thoughts are to be holy. We are to think differently. Our thoughts are to be glorifying to God. If they are, we won’t have to worry about our actions, our emotions, our responses. All of those flow from our thoughts. Each one of us is holy, or set apart, for service to God. Each of us has a gold plate engraved just for us to wear. Is yours hidden? Is mine? Or is God’s holiness visible in us for the world to see?

“May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.” Psalm 20:2, 3

            I recently heard this psalm read and verse 3 jumped out to me, which got me thinking about sacrifice. What is the sacrifice that is being mentioned here? Of course, in Old Testament times when this was written, every good Jew made a habit of taking sacrifices to the Temple to offer to God. Those sacrifices were made up of grain, oil and animals. From a financial standpoint, they were more of a sacrifice for some than for others. In fact, God made allowances for that. If people couldn’t afford the expensive animals, God allowed them to sacrifice less valuable animals. We know that God looks at more than just the monetary value of the gifts we give. He also looks at the heart. Are we giving grudgingly or cheerfully? Do we give because we’re expected to give, or do we give out of love and thanksgiving to God, our Creator and Redeemer?

            In a modern sense, sacrifice doesn’t consist of grains and animals being sacrificed on an altar. In fact, if we tried to sacrifice animals, we’d have animal rights activists all over that! Today, our sacrifices may be monetary gifts given to our local church body or to other Christian organizations, or it may be gifts of our time and our talents given to those same places. Or maybe – and this is what God has been talking to me about lately – maybe our sacrifice is given in our personal lives doing what needs to be done for those closest to us. I currently find myself in the situation of caring for a family member which allows me very little time for anything else. God is helping me to see that while I am doing the caregiving out of love for the person, I’m also doing it out of love for God. That’s what makes it a sacrifice to Him.

It‘s easy for us to think that we no longer offer burnt offerings, but I disagree. Too often, the burnt offering is ourselves. We allow ourselves to become completely burnt out from doing those very things God has called us to do. That’s where verse 2 comes in. Burnout is not something God wants for His children. He never asks us to offer ourselves as burnt offerings! That’s why He sends His help and support. The original Hebrew word translated “send” has a sense of being released. I’m picturing a floodgate opening up and God’s help pouring over us as if we’re standing under a waterfall. The problem is, I so often step out from under that waterfall and try to do it on my own strength. I try to make it about me. When we stop to think about it we realize that because of what God has done for us, we offer Him a sacrifice, and He pours out whatever help we need to offer that sacrifice, which means we want to thank Him and praise Him even more. And the cycle continues. So instead of me being all generous and amazing by offering sacrifices, it’s really about His Spirit filling me with an unending supply of love, joy, and peace even in the midst of difficult situations. We just can’t out-sacrifice God!

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

            I love this time of year! Everything in God’s creation is so beautiful! What’s difficult about that statement is to know what time of year I’m talking about because I can say that about every season. There are, of course, things I don’t like about each season: ice on the roads in winter, rain in spring, heat in summer, the dead and dying plants in autumn. But I prefer to think about the beauty of each season. And there is always beauty to be found. I know that, because God’s word says so. That’s not just true about the seasons in creation. It’s also true about the seasons of our lives. Each season, even the most difficult ones, have beauty if we just have the eyes to see it. That can be pretty difficult sometimes. And maybe we won’t see the beauty until we can view that season in the rearview mirror. But God always makes beauty, even out of ugliness.

            Have you ever realized that our entire life is simply a season? Maybe it’s just me, but when I think of the seasons of my life, I think of certain eras of my life on this earth. But this verse helps me see that our entire life is also a season. Recently, someone was encouraging me by saying that a difficulty I’m experiencing is just a season, and that’s right. But what if we start thinking of our whole life as just a season? This verse tells us that God created us to long for much more than this world has to offer. What we truly long for is something we can’t even fathom. Our hearts were created to desire something beyond mortality, making our entire life one, long season of wandering through an arid desert. I don’t mean to sound discouraging about life. Remember, God always gives us beauty, even in our difficulties. But does it sometimes feel like this life is just one difficulty or hurdle after another? If so, rejoice! That means that you’re not settling for what the world has to offer. Instead, you’re longing after the glorious eternity God has for you and for me.

            So what is included in this verse? Well, everything. It starts out by saying “everything” is made beautiful. That doesn’t leave much out, does it? Every thing, every experience, every time. God makes beauty out of all of it. And when does He work? Always. From the beginning, the very start of – no that’s not right. From before the start of everything. And He will continue to work until the very end, the conclusion of all things. And what is it He’s done? I can’t tell you. There aren’t words to describe it, mainly because we can’t understand it. But prepare to be amazed because someday, when this season called life is over, we will join Him in eternity and will see and know the unfathomable beauty He’s preparing for each of us.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1, 2

            This is one of those proverbs that I love to quote, unless I’m the one that needs to hear it. Usually that means that I’m in the midst of an angry pout and, of course, there’s always a good reason for my anger. We all think that way at the time. But when I really take a look at this verse, the first thing that strikes me is the difference between the first half and the second. The first half is a response. Someone else is angry and we’re responding to their anger. We didn’t start this, it was something that came at us. It may have even been completely unprovoked. We were just the unlucky one to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps we did do something that the other person is angry about. Either way, when we respond with a tender, gentle answer, it will help to diffuse the other person’s anger. In fact, in the original Hebrew, there is a sense of not just turning away anger, but also of restoring relationship.

            Compare this with the second half of the verse. Instead of responding to anger, we’re stirring up the anger. Why? Because we choose to speak harshly. I want to camp on the words “stir up” for a minute. The actual translation would be to ascend or rise up. So harsh words can cause anger to rise up in the hearer. I’m picturing a volcano slowly heating up with the lava coming closer and closer to the surface before finally erupting. The interesting thing is that those words can cause anger in the hearer, but also make anger rise up in us. Oh, there was probably some anger there before, but just voicing the harsh words can cause that anger to grow and ascend within us.

What is a harsh word? Maybe it’s saying something condescending, or just plain mean. Perhaps it’s the tone of voice we use. We’ve all heard someone say something nice but use a tone of voice that tells us their intent was not to please. For example, we say “Way to go” to congratulate someone on an accomplishment, or when they trip and drop a tray of food. Same words, but a different tone of voice gives them a very different meaning. So whether it’s saying something mean or saying it in a mean way, or words can be harsh and abrasive. The question I have to ask myself is if I want my words to diffuse anger, or make anger rise. Do I want my words to be sandpaper or velvet? I’m asking God to make me aware of when my words are sandpaper. In fact, I’m asking Him to turn that sandpaper around so it scratches me. Then He can help me so that only velvet words come out of my mouth.