EJ100 #23 Micah 5:1-5

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Micah 5:1-5.

Context
Micah was one of the minor prophets who prophesied to Judah, writing at a similar time to Isaiah. This passage is often read at public events at Christmas time.

Content
Jerusalem is warned to gather together their troops [5:1a], because a siege is laid against the city. Assyrian troops came close to besieging Jerusalem in the time of Uzziah, but it wasn't until Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians came against Jerusalem that she was besieged for any length of time (and successfully) [2 Kings 24:10-11].

Israel's ruler was warned he would suffer blows [5:1b]. This indeed happened to King Jehoiachin, who was taken prisoner into exile to Babylon [2 Kings 24:12].

The little town of Bethlehem (a.k.a. Bethlehem Ephrathah for long), however, was given good news by Micah. Bethlehem was the birthplace of David, the son of Jesse who had become king of Israel and whose dynasty ruled Judah. Out of this town (and thus from this lineage) would come one who would rule over Israel. But this particular ruler was different to the other kings of David's house. This ruler would be described as one

"whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." [Micah 5:2c]

Ancient origins for a future ruler is not merely another way of referring to the long-established Davidic dynasty. Rather, it is a pointer to the fact that this ruler would be something more than human: he would be everlasting, eternal, immortal.

Jesus Christ applied this verse to himself, when he claimed to be older than Abraham:

" 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' " [John 8:58]

Jesus completely shocked the Jews when he said this. They responded to him as a blasphemer, picking up stones to stone him [John 8:59].

With this statement Jesus was claiming not only to be immortal. He was also specifically claiming to be God himself, because Jesus deliberately and carefully framed his response to include the statement, "I am". Hebrew speakers would have recognised this phrase as the personal name of God first told to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" [Exodus 3:14], which is also rendered YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah, or, in English Bibles, the LORD.

Jesus is the LORD God. They are one and the same.

Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labour bears a son (Mary, bearing Jesus; but also figuratively the Jewish nation bearing the Messiah) [5:3a]. Also, Israel will be abandoned until

"the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites." [5:3b]

How can a person who is an Israelites have brothers who are separated from the Israelites? Such a prophecy may relate to the exile, and indicate a bringing in of the Diaspora Jews. But it also relates to the Gentile Christians who would join Jewish Christians and become united into one Church, because

"... in Christ you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile ... for you are all one in Christ Jesus." [Galatians 3:26-28]

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." [Ephesians 3:6]

It is not unreasonable to interpret Micah's words with this second meaning. Gentiles return to God, joining the Israelites, when they become believers in and followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself let his disciples know that he had come not just for the Jews but also for others who would recognise him. Using the metaphor of a shepherd caring for his sheep (which I explained in yesterday's post), Jesus said:

" 'I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them in also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.' " [John 10:16]

Jesus is the shepherd who will rule over God's people, the true Israel.

Micah described Jesus, saying,

"He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach the ends of the earth." [Micah 5:4]

Jesus stood and shepherded his flock as he preached on a mountain so that his disciples might know how to live [Matthew 5-7]. Jesus stood and shepherded his flock in the strength of the LORD his God when he prayed at Gethsemane 'Yet not as I will, but as you will' [Matthew 26:39] and then went to the cross. Jesus stood and shepherded his flock in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God when he ascended to heaven to the right hand of God the Father to intercede for us [Mark 16:19; Acts 7:55; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 12:2].

Connect
Because Jesus has fulfilled Micah's prophecy, I know that I will live securely in the promises of God, for Jesus' greatness will reach the furthest extents of the earth [Micah 5:4]. This is comforting. This knowledge brings me peace. Jesus "will be [my] peace" [Micah 5:5].

>What do you need reassurance and security for today?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
Jesus is eternal and yet he still cares for ephemeral little me!

LORD Jesus,
You were here before the world began.
Your origins are "of ancient times".
And yet you care for me.
Such a mystery!
Thank you for your grace and love.
Thank you for noticing me and caring for me.
Thank you for shepherding me.
Amen.

Next reading: Zechariah 9:9-17.

EJ100 #22 Jeremiah 23:1-8

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Jeremiah 23:1-8.

Context
Jeremiah is one of the "Major Prophets" because the book with his name is one of the three longest prophetic books. Jeremiah lived, prophesied and wrote before, during and after the final exile of the kingdom of Judah to Babylon.

Content
Shepherds look after sheep. Good shepherds tend to their sheep, shearing them at appropriate times of year, weaning the lambs when they are of a proper age, docking their tails so they don't get fly-struck. A good shepherd will know how to calm his sheep down when they are frantic. A good shepherd will not scatter his sheep; but will send his sheepdog out to round them up, bringing them together as a single flock so they are safe.

However, it is important to understand that Jeremiah wasn't talking about real shepherds when he wrote these verses. He was using the idea of shepherds as a metaphor for someone else. Jeremiah was writing about the political and religious leaders of God's people. When he said they were destroying and scattering the sheep of the LORD's pasture, Jeremiah was talking about what Judah's leaders were doing to the people who were under their care and leadership.

The man in this photo is a "shepherd", or, in more modern parlance, a sheep farmer. But he is also a shepherd in the sense that Jeremiah was writing about. He is an elder in our church, one of the shepherds whom God has placed over his church to tend them [Jeremiah 23:4]. He works hard to ensure that the people in our church are taught God's word faithfully and that they are cared for physically and emotionally as well as spiritually.

God began placing these shepherds over his sheep when Jesus trained his disciples. In particular, we can observe the process of God placing Simon Peter over his sheep as a shepherd in John 21:15-17. Three times Jesus told Peter to look after the people of God's kingdom:

"Feed my lambs." [John 21:15]

"Take care of my sheep." [John 21:16]

"Feed my sheep." [John 21:17]

Jesus was serious about his choice of Peter and his appointing him to the role of shepherd over God's flock, who would one day be known as Christians. Today, we call such shepherds pastors, elders, ministers, bishops, priests ... though whatever we call them, they still have fundamentally the same role: to look after the spiritual welfare of Christians.

But we need to take this prophecy of Jeremiah one step further and see that Jeremiah was not just talking about "shepherds" in the plural. He was talking about one Shepherd, the "righteous Branch" in accordance with God's promise to David [23:5a], the King who reigns with wisdom, justice and righteousness [23:5b], who saved Israel (the True Israel, God's people, now the Church) [23:6a]. This Shepherd is called "the LORD" (Yahweh) [23:6b]. This Shepherd is "Our Righteous Saviour" [23:6b].

This Shepherd is Jesus Christ [John 10:11, 14].

Connect
God has given my husband Jeffrey the honour of serving him by serving God's people as a pastor in a small country church. Jeff is one of the "shepherds" whom God has placed over his "sheep".

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
Jesus is the One Righteous Saviour, Yahweh, my good Shepherd, who loves me and cares for me and laid down his life for me.

LORD,
Please help Jeffrey
as he pastors the flock
you have placed in his care.
Please help him to understand
the issues these people face,
to teach them well
through his sermons,
to disciple them carefully
one-to-one and in groups and families,
to comprehend their needs,
whether physical, emotional or spiritual,
and to feed them
with the sustenance provided in your Word.
Please help me
to help and support Jeffrey
in all these matters
with a cheerful heart
and a respectful countenance.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Micah 5:1-5.

EJ100 #21 Genesis 12:1-9

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Genesis 12:1-9.

Context
This is a pivotal passage in the Old Testament, where God calls the first of his people (Abram, later a.k.a. Abraham) and makes direct promises to him and his offspring about blessing that will come to and through them.

Content
This passage is short and sweet, and for many Bible readers, especially those who have done any sort of Bible Overview study or course, very familiar. Genesis chapter 12 opens with what is known as the Abrahamic Covenant, the first of the great promises in the Bible that point to Jesus, who was the final, fullest means of the blessing Abraham was promised:

"The LORD had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.' " [Genesis 12:1-3]

Note that "the LORD had said to Abram ...": this is a flashback passage, describing events that may have occurred before Abram left Ur with his father Terah and temporarily settled in Harran, before moving on to Canaan [Genesis 11:31; 12:4]. It may have been while Abram was in Harran that the LORD showed Abram the land as he promised in 12:1, but at the time of the initial promise, Abram had to trust God to show him what land he would be taken to by the LORD.

The Abrahamic Covenant was repeated with slight amplifications in Genesis 15, when Abraham was told he would have a son from his own flesh and blood and offspring (descendants) as numerous as the stars. He was also warned that, though his descendants would be slaves in a country not their own for 400 years, after that time they would be given the land between the Egyptian delta and the Euphrates river, after the sin of the present inhabitants of the land had reached its full measure.

The Abrahamic promise was again repeated and expanded in Genesis 17, when Abram, whose name meant "exalted father", was given the new name Abraham ("father of many"). Abraham would be the father of many nations, a promise that was fulfilled through his sons Ishmael and Isaac and his sons through his second wife Keturah. But the son of the promise would come through Abraham's wife Sarai, now renamed Sarah, and kings would be among her descendants (Saul, David, Solomon ...). Directions for circumcision as a seal of the covenant were given.

But if we turn back to Genesis 12, we see that the very next verse after the promise is described tells us Abram's response: "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him" [12:4]. Abram was obedient to God's instruction, even before the later clarifications were revealed to him. Abram, Sarai, Abram's nephew Lot and all their household "set out for the land of Canaan" [12:5b]. This time, they didn't just set out as they had with Terah leading the family, "they arrived there" [12:5c]. Hooray!

Once Abram was actually in the land that God wanted to give to his descendants, he again heard from God. At the great tree of Moreh, at Shechem, Abram built an altar to God in memory of this event. It was there that God told Abram, "To your offspring I will give this land" [12:7]. The next few verses describe Abram's explorations of the land God had promised him, as he travels past Bethel, east toward Ai [12:8], and then south to the Negev [12:9]. At last the specific site to which God was drawing Abram had been reached and recognised.

Connect
As I read my Bible each day I am challenged over and over again with God's voice instructing me in the way he wants me to go. This passage is a reminder that it is important not just to hear God's voice, not just to begin to obey God, but also to carry through my obedience to the end. It is vital to press on toward the goal of total obedience to God until I have won the prize for which God calls me heavenward in Christ Jesus [Philippians 3:14].

> In what area of your obedience to Christ have you been slipping in recent days? Of what do you need to repent? How will you press onward?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
I love and worship Jesus because he is the cause of all and every blessing in my life.

Thank you Jesus,
for the many blessings you have given me by your Holy Spirit:
I have faith in your sacrifice on the cross;
I have a husband who loves you and strives to serve you by pastoring your flock;
I have four delightful and yet also frustrating children with whom to share and demonstrate the gospel of your love;
I have a joyous task of teaching other women from your word in the Bible study groups that will start up again soon.
Thank you for these blessings and opportunities.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Jeremiah 23:1-8.

EJ100 #20 Psalm 118:1-29

Today's reading: Psalm 118:1-29.

Context
Another psalm from the fifth book of psalms, this is a psalm of public praise and personal confidence in the LORD's salvation.

Content

One factoid I have read about Psalm 118 is that it is the middle chapter of the entire Bible; the chapter before it is the shortest psalm and the chapter after it is the longest psalm. I only found that out in one of those bulk email pps files, so don't sue me if I'm wrong, but it gives me a good reason to delve a little deeper into understanding the literary centre of the Bible.

Let Israel (all God's people) say: "His love endures forever." [118:2]

Let the house of Aaron (all God's pastors, bishops, elders, deacons) say: "His love endures forever." [118:3]

Let those who fear the LORD (all Christians) say: "His love endures forever." [118:4]

The following list [Psalm 118:5-14] gives us confidence to acknowledge with the psalmist, "The LORD's love endures forever.":

• When I felt shut in, I cried out to the LORD and he brought me to open spaces.
• The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid of mere mortals.
• The LORD is with me; he is my helper and grants me triumph over my enemies.
• It is better to look for safety with the LORD than to trust in people to save you.
• It is better to look for safety with the LORD than to trust in princes to save you.
• People from all nations approached me, but in the LORD's name I defeated them.
• They swarmed around me, but they were consumed in the name of the LORD.
• I was pushed back and nearly fell but the LORD helped me.
• The LORD is my strength, my defense, my salvation.

Psalm 118:22 says,

"The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone."

Jesus and Peter both quoted this verse, describing Jesus as the stone the builders rejected [Jesus: Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Peter, in speech and in writing: Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7]. The "builders" who rejected Jesus were those, such as many of the Pharisees, who thought they were building God's people (at that time, the Jews), but who were rejecting God's right hand working salvation, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 118:26 is familiar from the New Testament quotations also. It reads:

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD."

These words were what the people cried aloud as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a day Christians now celebrate as Palm Sunday, an event recorded in all four gospels [Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13]. This fits with the following verses of Psalm 118, which mention people coming to "join in the festal procession" "with boughs in hand" [118:27].

On a less cheerful note, this verse was also quoted by Jesus to condemn the Pharisees and teachers of the law and the people of Jerusalem who rejected him [Matthew 23:39; Luke 13:35]. As Luke recorded Jesus' words:

"Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' "

One of the less obvious connections between this psalm and the gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the words of 118:19-20:

"Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter."

Jesus taught his disciples that it was very difficult for "the rich" to enter the kingdom of God. Impossible, actually! As absurd as a ponderous camel fitting through the tiny hole for thread on a needle. His disciples wondered therefore who it was who could possibly be saved.

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible," Jesus reminded his disciples [Matthew 19:26; see also Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27]. It is God who opens the gates of the kingdom of God to those who are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. No merit of our own may win us entrance, but with God's blessing, it is possible to enter God's kingdom.

Connect

The opening and closing lines of this psalm bring to mind the song "Forever" by Chris Tomlin. This is why I shall "sing praise", as Tomlin puts it [118:5-14]:

• When I felt shut in in the city, I cried out to the LORD and he brought me to the open space of Cranbrook.
• The LORD is with Samuel and through prayer he is learning not to be afraid of the dark.
• The LORD is with us, helping us to triumph over the wiles of the devil who would rather stifle our ministry.
• The LORD has given me refuge; it is better to trust in Jesus than to trust in gurus or life coaches.
• The LORD has given me safety; it is better to trust in Jesus than to trust in celebrities or politicians.
• People from all directions pester and provoke me, but in the LORD's name I contend with their false accusations.
• They ridiculed and mocked me, but they will face God's judgement, not mine.
• I felt overcome like I had no strength left to stand against their persecution, but the LORD helped me stand firm in my faith.
• The LORD gives me strength, he defends me, he saves me.

Lots of reasons to praise God today!

> Which of the verses of Psalm 118 illuminate how God is working in your life?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Jesus has opened the gate of the righteous to me so that I may enter into his kingdom.

Thank you Jesus

for all you have done for me

especially all the precious blessings you have granted to me

in the last week when I have felt so troubled.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 12:1-9.

EJ100 #19 Psalm 110:1-7

Today's reading: Psalm 110:1-7.

Context
This psalm is found in the fifth and last book of the psalms; it takes a positive prophetic tone.

Content

The first verse of this psalm is quoted directly three times in the New Testament, and alluded to very obviously in another place. Jesus, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews draw out several implications from this verse:

[Luke 20:41-44] Jesus quotes 110:1 to show the people that the Christ cannot be David's direct son (ie, cannot be Solomon); by inference, the Christ is David's Son by being of his bloodline, yet also being greater than David.

[Acts 2:34-36] Peter says David's Lord ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, unlike David, who did not ascend to heaven; therefore the people present are to understand that "God has made this Jesus ... both Lord and Christ."

[Hebrews 1:13] God did not say he would raise up an angel to sit at his right hand and have his enemies prostrated below an angel; rather, it was Jesus the Christ who God so raised up.

[Hebrews 10:12-14] Describes the actions of the one priest who waits for the fulfillment of the second half of this verse, having already taken part in the first:

"But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." [Hebrews 10:12-14] 

Jesus is the Christ who was foreshadowed in this psalm.

The author of Hebrews was obviously familiar with psalm 110, because he directly quotes it again (twice!) later in his letter [Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6 and 7:17]. This verse refers to Melchizedek, king of Salem in the time of Abraham.

Who was Melchizedek? I'll let the author of Hebrews provide that information as well, although he was originally written about in the book of Genesis [Genesis 14:18].

"This Melchizedek was king of Salem [later Jerusalem] and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means 'king of righteousness'; then also, 'king of Salem' means 'king of peace.' Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life [according to what we know from the Genesis record], like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." [Hebrews 7:1-3]

The writer goes on to say that Melchizedek was certainly greater than Abraham and Levi. He gives three evidences: Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of his plunder just as the Israelites tithe to the Levitical priests, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Levi had yet to be born.

Perfection could not be obtained through the religious acts of the Levitical priesthood. Otherwise there would have been no need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek rather than that of Aaron.

The letter to the Hebrews informs us:

• Jesus was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek [Hebrews 5:10].
• Jesus has entered the inner (temple) sanctuary on our behalf; he has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek [Hebrews 6:20].
• Jesus has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation regarding his ancestry, but "on the basis of the power of an indestructible life" [Hebrews 7:16].

Jesus is the high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek (rather than the Aaronic priesthood) who was foreshadowed in this psalm.

Connect

Psalm 110:3 says, "Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendour, your young men will come to you..." That's a big challenge to me. Am I willing to go into battle under the standard of Jesus Christ?

Paul writes about fighting a spiritual war against forces which are not human but spiritual in nature - including the devil himself [Ephesians 6:10-12]. Am I ready for this battle, arrayed in the holy splendour of the battle armour Paul describes in Ephesians 6:13-18?

> Are you ready for this battle? How will you prepare?

Paul wrote to the Corinthians describing the weapons with which I fight this spiritual battle against the devil's schemes:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]

The last verse from the above passage has been my favourite verse for a long time, one which I return to again and again. I remind myself that I am called to a life that serves the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Jesus has given me the power, through his Holy Spirit who dwells within me, to demolish strongholds and arguments and pretensions that are antagonistic to that truth. Bring on the power, Jesus!

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Jesus is not a short-term solution. He is my high priest forever, who has completed his sacrificial act and now sits (rests) at the right hand (the position of 2IC authority), awaiting the completion of the Father's plan to submit everything to him.

Lord Jesus,

I submit myself to you.

I ask that you use me,

through your divine power,

to break down

strongly held wrong beliefs about you,

to debate and render defunct

the arguments of those who defy you,

to expose and destroy

any pretensions of truth that undermine the Truth,

as ever you give me opportunity.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Psalm 118:1-29.

EJ100 #18 Psalm 69:1-36

Sorry for the gap of a week since the last Essential Jesus post. Hectic holidays have interrupted, to my own detriment.

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Psalm 69:1-36.

Context
This psalm of petition, imprecation and praise is at the end of Book II of the psalms, which focuses on God's solution for his people, God's king.

Content

This psalm moves through five main arguments:

1. 69:1-4 The psalmist prays for God to save him from his depression, which is described.
2. 69:5-12 The psalmist admits his guilt and describes the situation which led to his depression.
3. 69:13-18 The psalmist petitions God to rescue him, relying upon God's good and great love.
4. 69:19-28 The psalmist again describes the disgrace he is subject to and calls down God's wrath upon those who have persecuted him.
5. 69:29-36 The psalmist determines to praise and glorify God and trust in his salvation.

Jesus fulfilled three prophetic passages from this psalm, as well as the psalm's description of persecution as a whole.

1. In verse 8, the psalmist describes David's problems with his sons and their fights for the succession:

"I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother's children." [69:8]

This verse also prefigures Jesus' separation from his family for the sake of his ministry. Jesus said, " 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' " [Matthew 12:48; see also Mark 3:33], when he was asked to interrupt teaching his disciples to respond to Mary, James and Jude.

2. Verse 9 probably originally related to David's obsessive collection of materials ready for his son Solomon to build the temple, and his stymied desire to build it himself:

"for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me." [69:9]

However, John applies this verse as an explanation for Jesus' action in driving out the sheep, cattle, money changers and dove-sellers from the temple early in his ministry.

"His disciples remembered that it is written: 'Zeal for your house will consume me.'" [John 2:17]

Jesus was consumed with zeal that the LORD's temple should not be profaned by the presence of milling animals gathered to be sold for sacrifices. (It is likely that this was a separate event to Jesus' clearing of the temple near the end of his ministry, recorded quite differently in the Synoptic gospels [Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11L15-17; and Luke 19:45-46].)

3. All four of the gospels recount Jesus being given vinegar for his thirst while he was on the cross [Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; and John 19:29]. This event was prophesied in the psalmist's words:

"They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst." [69:21]

Connect

This psalm uses the metaphor of drowning to describe a depressive state which results from scorn and shame.

"Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold." [69:1-2a]

It is ironic, really, that I have spent the past three weeks training for my Bronze Medallion lifesaving certificate, yet I can empathise totally with the idea of feeling like life's events are overwhelming. This past week I have napped almost every afternoon because I was exhausted. Yet I have woken in the middle of each night and found myself running through a To Do list of urgent tasks that need to be completed. I have had to ask God's help with each of these tasks, repeatedly, until it felt like I was worn out calling for help [69:3]. God has given me the help I have needed, but until the tasks have been done I have definitely felt weighed down.

I can also relate to the psalmist's words in verse 29:

"Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none." [69:29]

Sometimes, being a "pastor's wife" and mother to the "pastor's kids" is a very hard job. When my kids misbehave on a grocery shopping trip, or play a bit rough at the local pool, I feel shamed in people's judgement of me as their mother. I feel judged - and found wanting - every time my children won't sit still in the church service or are sent back from Sunday school because they are a distraction to the other kids. I hate the fact that zeal for the LORD's temple (passion for service of God in pastoral ministry) means that Jeff and I are not always sitting together with our kids in the pews (because we are preaching/leading singing/teaching Sunday school), and our kids have lacked the parental involvement that might have helped them to learn to sit still and quiet in church at a younger age (or not!!).

I remember something I read once, about how even God's first children disobeyed him (that's Adam and Eve), and I wonder how people expect me to do any better. But of course, that's not what people "scorn" me for. They look upon me with scorn because I am not a better mother than every other mother they have ever known, and remember those other mothers and children with rose-tinted glasses, refusing to recall the numerous incidents when other children misbehaved. Or at least, that is how it can feel to me when I fall into the "miry depths" of worrying about other people's judgement.

It helps to know that I'm in good company with the psalmist - and Jesus - here.

One of the biggest struggles of being part of a pastor's family is feeling like everyone is watching me, waiting for me to fail, criticising me - and judging Jesus guilty of the failures they see in me. That's why I need to pray verses 5-6 of this psalm:

"You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me." [69:5-6]

> Can you relate to the psalmist's words? How can you paraphrase them to pray them yourself?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Because he knows how I feel when I tell him "I feel like I'm treading deep water here and I can't keep my head up much longer."

You, God, know my foolishness and failures,
you see my guilt even when I won't admit it to myself or others.
Lord, you are the LORD Almighty,
may every Christian
not be disgraced because of my failures;
God of Israel,
may those who are looking to find Jesus
not be embarrassed because of my faults.
Amen.

Monday's reading: Psalm 110:1-7.

EJ100 #17 Psalm 22:1-31

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Psalm 22:1-31.

Context
This psalm of David, from Book 1 of the psalms, is a personal psalm of petition or lament; it is also a prophetic psalm which in many places is directly quoted or deliberately repeated in the gospel accounts of Jesus' crucifixion.

Content
This psalm is broken into stanzas of 1, 2 or 3 verses. Each stanza takes up a slightly different response to the same situation, where David is in perilous danger.

• 22:1-2 David cries out, "My God, why have you forsaken me?"
• 22:3-5 David recognises God has ruled Israel, who trusted him, and he saved them.
• 22:6-8 David describes the scorn of others towards him, who say, "Let the LORD rescue him."
• 22:9-10 David remembers God has been his God, caring for him since his birth.
• 22:11 David asks God not to be far, for trouble is near.
• 22:12-18 David describes his situation and his fear.
• 22:19-21 David cries out to the LORD: "Come quickly! Deliver me, rescue me, save me!"
• 22:22-24 David instructs others to praise, honour and revere the LORD for he has listened to David's cry.
• 22:25-26 David commits to social justice and praise to the LORD.
• 22:27-28 David submits all people everywhere to the LORD's sovereign dominion.
• 22:29 David says the rich and the dead will both worship the LORD.
• 22:30-31 David prophesies that future generations will proclaim the LROD's righteousness and praise him for his deeds.

At his crucifixion, Jesus cried out the first words of this psalm because they applied to his situation and because they were prophetic for his situation. Compare:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Psalm 22:1]

with:

"And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')" [Matthew 26:46; Mark 15:34]

Some people misinterpreted Jesus' words [Mark 15:35], but when we consider the rest of Psalm 22 and its parallels with the events of Jesus' crucifixion, it is clear that David wrote a psalm that prophetically adumbrated Jesus' death, as well as poetically describing David's own situation at the time he wrote it.

Another parallel:

" 'He trusts in the LORD,' they say,
'let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.' " [Psalm 22:8]

" 'He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him for he said, "I am the Son of God." ' " [Matthew 27:43]

And another:

"My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death." [Psalm 22:15]

"Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' " [John 19:28]

And:

"Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet." [Psalm 22:16b]

"When they had crucified him, ... sitting down, they kept watch over him there." Matthew 27:35-36]

"And they crucified him. ... It was nine in the morning when they crucified him." [Mark 15:24a, 25]

 "When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left." [Luke 23:33]

"There they crucified him, and with him two others - one on each side and Jesus in the middle." [John 19:18] 

(The basic process of crucifixion is to nail the hands and feet to a
t-shaped cross, and then raise the cross upright until the victim expires of asphyxiation. Later, Jesus' disciple Thomas acknowledged Jesus as "my Lord and my God!" when he saw the pierced holes in his hands and feet [John 20:24-29].)

Also:

"All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment." [Psalm 22:17-18]

"When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots." [Matthew 27:35]

"Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get." [Mark 15:24b] 

"And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." [Luke 23:34b] 

" 'Let's not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let's decide by lot who will get it.'
This happened so that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
'They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.'
So this is what the soldiers did." [John 19:24]

Why did God forsake Jesus? He didn't. Jesus' death was always part of God's plan for salvation - and Jesus knew that when he repeated David's words from Psalm 22:1 while he hung on the cross. Don Carson, in his book Scandalous: The Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus (p. 33), writes that Psalm 22 "is rich in expressions of confidence and trust in God. If David can utter such an anguished cry while demonstrating his own steadfast trust in God, why should it be thought so unthinkable that David's greater Son should not utter the same cry while exercising the same trust?"

Connect
Making all these connections is great, and lots of fun for a person like me who obsesses over how texts intersect. But none of this makes any difference unless I focus on the main point: Jesus died for me so that I shall never need to be forsaken by God, as David felt he was when he wrote this psalm.

Don Carson (p. 35) quotes Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

"Yea, once Immanuel's orphaned cry this universe has shaken.
It went up single, echoless, 'My God! I am forsaken!'
It went up from the Holy's lips amidst his lost creation,
That of the lost, no son should use these words of desolation."

Including me.

> Do you understand with your whole, deepest being that Jesus died for you? What are you going to do in response?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
Jesus was crucified for me, according to the Father's plan, which David prefigured in Psalm 22.

Thank you Father for your plan of salvation.
Thank you Jesus for winning the Father's salvation for me.
Thank you Holy Spirit for opening my eyes to see the Father's salvation.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Psalm 69:1-36.

EJ100 #16 Psalm 2:1-12

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Psalm 2:1-12.

Context
This is a "royal psalm", a psalm which relates to God's promises regarding the kings and the One True King of his chosen people
(B.C.: Israel / Last Days A.D.: the Church).

Content

Each verse considers God's king from a different perspective:

1. 2:1-3 The nations and people, kings and rulers, rebel against the LORD's anointed.
2. 2:4-6 The LORD scoffs at their rebellion because he has installed his chosen king.
3. 2:7-9 The LORD is father to his chosen king and he will give him power over the nations.
4. 2:10-12 Kings and rulers are warned to serve the LORD by obeisance to his son who rules.

God describes his king thus:

• God's Anointed;
• the Lord's king;
• Installed on Zion, God's holy mountain;
• Claimed by God as his son;
• God became his father;
• God is willing to give the nations to him as an inheritance;
• God is willing to give the ends of the earth to him to possess;
• He will break the nations and dash them to pieces; and
• The LORD rules through him.

This anointed of the LORD is Jesus Christ. That's what "Christ" means, by the way. It's an anglicisation of the Greek word "Christos" used to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah".

Christ = Christos = Messiah = "the LORD's anointed" = KING

When the disciples and other early Christians began referring to Jesus and writing about him as "Jesus Christ" and "Christ Jesus" and "Jesus Christ our Lord", they were consciously identifying Jesus with the anointed king, the son of God, whom this psalm describes.

Connect

The response recommended by this psalm is,

"Therefore ... be wise;
be warned ...
serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son...
Blessed are all who take refuge in him." [Psalm 2:10-12]

I want to be wise. I want to heed God's warnings. I desire to serve the LORD. So: I "kiss the son." I do that by celebrating his rule over me with trembling/awestruck obedience.

But that's all hoity-toity churchified language. In practice, this works out when

I choose to respect and not complain about my husband, even when he has yet another meeting that makes him several hours late home.

"The wife must respect her husband" [Ephesians 5:33].

I choose to be patient and kind with my kids, even when I'd rather they go away and bug someone else.

"The fruit of the Spirit is ... patience, kindness" [Galatians 5:22-23].

Being patient to show my 6yo how to use the juicer.

I take time to spend joyful moments with my kids, moments that show them I love them and want to be in their presence, showing interest in whatever interests them.

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another" [1 John 3:11].

Sharing the joy of a good book that's fun to read.

Sharing the joy of my 9yo's fascination with chickens.

I choose to use calm words and count my children's bad behaviour choices, giving them an opportunity to calm down, listen to the Holy Spirit's voice, and choose well; and I suppress my first fleshly response, even when I want to shout at them.

"Do not exasperate your children" [Ephesians 6:4].

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" [Colossians 3:15].

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs" [Ephesians 4:29].

Calm words lead to calmed down kids.

I choose to complete several tasks I have committed myself to previously, even when I'd rather do something new.

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No' be 'No'" [Matthew 5:37].

I work hard, without grumbling, when I'm completing these tasks.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" [Colossians 3:23].

I choose to exercise daily, even when I have visitors or I am tired or I am in a rush or ... any other possible excuse.

"Honour God with your body" [1 Corinthians 6:20].

I choose to eat healthily, even when I have visitors or I am hungry or I am not at home or I just really want chocolate or ... in any other circumstance.

"'Everything is permissible for me' - but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible for me' - but I will not be mastered by anything" [1 Corinthians 6:12].

Choosing beneficial over permissible.

I choose to read and study and meditate upon the Bible.

"Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" [Matthew 4:4].

I am able to do these things because I take refuge in the LORD [Psalm 2:12]: I admit my failings to God. I ask for God's help. I trust him to provide me with the strength and diligence and consistency I lack. I thank him for getting me through.

"He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" [2 Corinthians 12:9].

These are just a few examples.

> How do you "kiss the son"?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

It is wise to love Jesus, because Jesus is God's anointed Christ-king.

Christ Jesus,
I want to be wise.
Please use my weaknesses as an opportunity
to show your power and glory in my life
by enabling my obedience
to your commands.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Psalm 22:1-31.

EJ100 #15 Jonah 1-4

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Jonah 1-4.

Context
Jonah, son of Amittai, was a reluctant prophet who lived in the time of Jereboam II of Israel [2 Kings 14:25]; he preached only one sentence to his appointed audience. Jonah's book, a literary account of events of Jonah's ministry to Nineveh, may have been written as a historical account or composed as a parable, but either way its message is the same.

Content

If you have heard the story of Jonah before, then you've probably heard only the first three chapters, and most of the detail was taken from chapters 1 and 3. But the even chapters of the Book of Jonah are important as well. There are two things I note about the story of Jonah:

1. Although Jonah was reluctant to act as God's prophet to pagan, vicious Nineveh, God was not reluctant to extend his grace to Jonah's sailors, Jonah himself, and ultimately to Nineveh. Jonah wanted to keep God to himself and his people, but he found himself inadvertently evangelising his sailors as well as the Ninevites.
2. Meanwhile God showed he was not limited to acting through an intermediary prophet; he used a storm, a great sea-monster, a vine and a worm to demonstrate his sovereignty over Jonah, the sailors, the Ninevites and, almost in passing, over all of creation.

Something I found interesting while reading about the argument for the historicity of Jonah*:

"Ambrose John Wilson in the Princeton Theological Review of 1927 mentions a case analogous. to that of Jonah. A member of the crew of a whaling ship in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands was swallowed by a large sperm whale which had been harpooned, his boat being upset by a lash of its tail. The whale was killed and dissected and on the third day the missing sailor was found inside the stomach of the animal, doubled up and unconscious. A bath of sea water soon revived him, but the skin of his face, neck and hands, exposed as it had been to the action of the gastric juice, was bleached to a deadly whiteness and never recovered its natural appearance; otherwise his health was not affected by this terrible ordeal.1

In another American periodical, Bibliotheca Sacra, G. Macloskie, of Princeton University, has taken the trouble to demonstrate how even the true whale may be able to rescue a man from drowning. He points out that, as the whale is an air-breathing animal, it has to expel from its mouth cavity all superfluous water immediately after having received its food. Now if any other air-breathing creature should get mixed with its food and be carried by the influx of water between the monster’s jaws, the intruder would be transferred from the water in which it was drowning into the air supply of the whale itself. It could not enter the whale’s stomach because of the narrow inlet, but it might reach the great laryngeal pouch, which starts from below and in front of the larynx and runs down the front of the neck on to the chest. It has thick, elastic walls, and a cavity quite large enough to receive a human body, and to supply it with air for breathing.2"

Jesus referred to the story of Jonah several times in his ministry. There are three records in two gospels of Jesus warning unbelieving people that no miraculous sign would be given to them except the sign of Jonah [Matthew 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-30,32]. The three days from Jesus' death on the cross to his resurrection were prefigured in Jonah's three days in the belly of the great sea-monster.

"One greater than Jonah is here," Jesus declared of himself [Luke 11:32]. Unlike Jonah, Jesus was not a reluctant prophet. He preached his message of the coming kingdom of God widely and well for three years before his death [Matthew 4:17] ... and then Jesus rose again to verify and again proclaim his message [Acts 1:3].

Connect

Jesus' resurrection after three days was a miracle, just as the survival of Jonah for three days and three nights. These miracles reveal to us the glory of God, who is sovereign over the universe.

Not everyone believes the story of Jesus' resurrection. Sometimes I shrug and think, "that person was never going to change their mind about God". But the truth of the matter is, neither would I have changed my mind about God if it were up to me. If not for God's intervention, I would still be an unrepentant pagan. So I thank the LORD that he taught me to believe through the sign of Jonah, as it was brought to fulfilment in Jesus' resurrection.

> Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead? What impact does this have on your faith in Jesus?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Jesus rose to life again so that I might believe in him and in the saving grace of God, purchased by Jesus' death.

Dear LORD Jesus,
I thank you for the cross.
But I thank you even more  for your resurrection.
Thank you for granting me belief in you.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Psalm 2:1-12.

* From  Aalders, G. Ch.,  'The Problem of the Book of Jonah' (London: Tyndale, 1948) p. 5-6.

1. A. J. Wilson, ‘The Sign of the Prophet Jonah,’ Princeton Theological Review, vol. xxv. p. 636.
2. G. Macloskie, ‘How to Test the Story of Jonah.’ Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. lxxii, pp. 336f.

EJ100 #14 1 Kings 8:1-21

Today's Essential Jesus reading: 1 Kings 8:1-21.

Context
King David brought the ark of the covenant law to Jerusalem (a.k.a. Zion), but God wouldn't allow him to build an immoveable temple to house it; that task fell to his son, King Solomon, and this passage records the events of the ceremonial Opening Day.

Content

The basic events of the passage are as follows:

• King Solomon summons all the important people to his presence.
• The priests carry the ark from its previous temporary, mobile home, the tabernacle (a.k.a. tent of meeting), sacrificing to God along the way. They bring the ark, the tabernacle and all the rest of the tabernacle's contents to the inner sanctuary of the newly built temple.
• The priests withdraw from the Holy Place and a cloud fills the temple, just as a cloud had filled the tabernacle when it was first established [Exodus 40:34], symbolising God's presence filling the holy building.
• Just as when the cloud filled the tabernacle Moses was prevented from entering [Exodus 40:35], the priests are prevented from entering the temple, and cannot perform their service.
• King Solomon recognises the sign of God's presence in the temple (possibly referencing Exodus 19:9), and declares that he has built the temple for God to dwell in forever, as God promised his father David.

Some observations:

The poles on the ark are so long that they extend out from the curtains around the inner sanctuary (a.k.a. the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies). The poles are not visible to the common people in the inner and outer courts, but may be seen by the priests performing their regular duties in the Holy Place. It seems to me that although the ark was hidden from sight because it was the holiest of all the temple accoutrements, the priests were always to be reminded of its presence. Remembering the presence of the ark of God, thought of as the footstool of God's throne, the priests would constantly also be remembering the presence of God among them.

Solomon lets the people know that God has kept his promise [8:15, 20]. But he is also keen to let the people know that it is Solomon who has been the vehicle through whom God has kept those promises. In 8:20-21, Solomon admits "The LORD has kept the promise he made" but then goes on to make not one but four I statements about what he has done:

1. "I have succeeded David";
2. "I sit on the throne";
3. "I have built the temple"; and
4. "I have provided a place for the ark."

Solomon is all about his own glory, rather than God's, despite having built a temple whose magnificence shone forth the glory of the LORD to all who see it. This echoes the Bible's record of Solomon's temple building activities [1 Kings 6:1-38 and 7:13-51], which record is interrupted with a pointed "however", to mention that Solomon also built his own palace [1 Kings 7:1-12] and took almost twice as long doing so [compare 1 Kings 6:38 and 7:1]. Solomon's palace was virtually a temple to display his own glory, and he wanted God's temple to increase Solomon's own renown as well. King Solomon got his wish: the temple he built has historically been referred to as "Solomon's temple". But we all know Solomon's temple came tumbling down!

Despite King Solomon's attempts to usurp God's glory, it is clear that the LORD has indeed kept his promises. God has brought King David's son Solomon to the throne, just as he promised David [2 Samuel 7:12]. God has allowed Solomon to build the temple, just as he promised David [2 Samuel 7:13]. God has enabled Solomon to provide a place for the ark, the house of cedar David wanted to build, just as he promised David [2 Samuel 7:2, 13]. God always keeps his promises.

Solomon's temple was the place in space where God was officially present. He made his dwelling there, among men. Yet, Paul later confessed [Acts 17:24], "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands." Rather, Jesus is the living presence of God, dwelling among people as his nickname, Immanuel (God with us / the immanent God), attests.

In Jesus, God truly fulfilled his promise to David. God raised up David's offspring [2 Samuel 7:12], because Jesus was, through Mary and his foster father Joseph, a descendant of David [Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-37]. God built a permanent house for the LORD's name [2 Samuel 7:13], because Jesus is God, having the exact same nature and character [remember John 1:1-18, Colossians 1:15-23 and Hebrews 1:1-4?]. God raised up a king whose kingdom will endure forever [2 Samuel 7:16], which kingdom Jesus is presently bringing into being [Mark 1:15]. God keeps all his promises in and through Jesus.

Connect

Since Pentecost, Christians have not looked to a temple to be reminded of God's presence among us. After Jesus ascended to heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers. This means that it is we Christians who are the temple of God, being built up by Jesus [1 Peter 2:4-7]. Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth [1 Corinthians 6:19], "Do you not know that your body are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?"

Paul wrote that, because God's Holy Spirit indwells Christians, we are to honour God with our bodies [1 Corinthians 6:20]. I honour my body not by glorifying myself (as Solomon tried to do) but by looking after my body, my mind and my soul as best I can. I have begun to eat healthily and exercise daily. I keep my mind alert with various intellectual pursuits. I spend time with God's word and in prayer daily. In all these things, not merely the last, which appears to be the most spiritual, I honour God with my body.

> What do you do to honour God with your body, since your body is a temple to the Holy Spirit?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Jesus is God fulfilling his promises to me for my salvation.
Jesus is "Immanuel", God dwelling with us; not in a temple made of cedar or stone, but in my heart, by his Holy Spirit.

O LORD God Almighty,
I want to honour you with my body,
since you dwell in me and have made me your temple.
I want to be able to say honestly that I am taking care
of my temple of your Holy Spirit.
I haven't been doing that health-wise for many years,
and I am sorry.
Please forgive me for treating your temple disrespectfully
and overeating until I became obese.
Please help me to eat healthily, exercise daily,
lose weight and gain health,
so that I may honour you with my physical body.
Amen.

Now I'm off to do my exercise and drink my breakfast juice!

Tomorrow's reading: Jonah 1-4.

EJ100 #13 Numbers 21:4-9

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Numbers 21:4-9.

Context
On their way to the promised land, the Israelites had to travel around the Edom, because they had been denied passage through that land... once again, they became impatient and grumbled.

Content

When the people grumbled just as they had so many times before, the LORD sent venomous snakes to bite them. They'd learned their lesson from previous punishments, though, because they quickly came to Moses to admit their sin and ask Moses to intercede with God on their behalf.

God's solution was to tell Moses to build a bronze snake, and raise it up on a pole so that people who were bitten could see the snake if they just raised their eyes above their own circumstances. Once they saw the snake, they would be cured of the effects of the venom and live.

Interestingly, God did not answer the people's prayer request as delivered through Moses. The people wanted God to take away the snakes, which were their punishment [21:7]. God decided instead to provide a means of bearing up under the punishment and surviving his wrath.

Jesus told Nicodemus [John 3:14-15], "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." In Moses' time, the people needed to look to the raised bronze snake to live. Nowadays, we must look to the crucified Jesus in order to have eternal life, and to survive the wrath of God against our present day sins.

Picture by Chrissie D.

Belief is required because no-one seeks help from that which they do not believe in. No-one suffering from a snake bite would look for Moses' bronze snake totem pole unless they believed that seeing it would help their condition. Believing that Jesus can help our situation is the motivation we need to look to him.

Connect

Sometimes when I have a problem, I bring God my plan for a solution in prayer. But often, his solution isn't the same as mine. I want the problem to go away, but God wants me to learn to trust him and go with his plan, rather than my own.

At the moment the problem that I am struggling with is my weight. I don't pray to wake up one day 30kg lighter, I know better than that. But I do pray that God will agree with my plan to lose weight at a certain rate by following a certain health formula. And I certainly pray my thanks to God every time I get to the end of my workout DVD.

But God's plan for my body is different altogether. God's plan is for me to be a new creation. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!" [2 Corinthians 5:17]. God has a whole bigger perspective than my healthy eating and exercising choices.

So I struggle to make the state of my body match that of my soul, and I continue to long for that which is mortal in me to be swallowed up by life:

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." [2 Corinthians 5:1-5]

> What problem do you need to have put into its correct perspective by considering God's radical plan for you?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

I worship Jesus because he knows better than I do.

Thank you Jesus for showing me your perspective,
as well as the strength to get through my workouts!
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 Kings 8:1-21.

EJ100 #12 Exodus 16:1-35

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Exodus 16:1-35.

Context
Shortly after the Israelites were redeemed from slavery in Egypt by God, they began to grumble; first it was bitter water, then it was lack of food.

Content

"At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God" [16:12]. God heard the people's complaints that there was not enough food and he provided them with meat, in the form of quail; and bread, in the form of thin white flakes which tasted like honey wafers, that the people called "manna".

In this instance, there was not too much nor too little. The LORD provided for their needs exactly: when each person had gathered what they were told, they found that "Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed" [16:18b].

The bread was provided by the grace of God, but the people still had to make a choice to collect it. In this way, the Israelites had to work for their bread, early in the morning before the sun grew hot [16:21].

God provided for the people's needs day by day. Each work-day, they collected enough for that day and consumed their daily bread. On the Sabbath day of rest, they ate the additional portion which they had collected the previous day [16:22-26].

God provided for the people's needs as long as the need remained. The LORD continued to provide manna day by day until the people reached the border of the promised land (the second time) forty years later [16:35].

Connect

John 6:32-33,35 records Jesus' words when the people sought him after he fed the 5000 with bread and fish:

"Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' ... Then Jesus declared, 'I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'"

In the same way that the manna was provided to the people by the grace of God, Jesus is provided to us by the grace (free gift) of God. Likewise also, just as the people needed to take action to appropriate the gift of God, I have to make a choice to come to Jesus and believe in Jesus in order to receive the blessings of the grace of God to me in Jesus Christ.

> Have you made a definite choice to accept the grace of God to you in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life?

I'm trying very hard to make healthy choices with my eating at the moment, so this passage resonates with me. Particularly when I consider God's provision for my needs so that I may not be hungry nor thirsty.

I live in a developed country, so I never really go hungry, and I'm never thirsty for long. But I often crave food and drink: a Cherry Ripe bar, a Snickers, a brownie, a mocha... These cravings are a product of my overindulgence in the past. But they're certainly not healthy cravings, physically or spiritually.

I need to turn my desires around and train myself to crave God, rather than food. And the best way to develop this God craving is the same way I developed my food cravings: overindulgence! The more I indulge in time spent with God, the more I rely on him to provide all I need day by day, the more I will crave God.

As my God craving grows, so too will the satisfaction I find in Jesus. Jesus provides what I need, in the amount I need, when I need it, for as long as I need it. Jesus provides for my physical needs, my mental needs, my emotional needs, and also my deeper spiritual needs. That's what Jesus meant when he said he is the Bread of Life.

In her Made to Crave devotional, Lysa TerKeurst writes,

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the next forty years of my life learning this lesson. I want to stop grumbling about my weight and embrace this valuable lesson to walk in the freedom of God’s provision. As we apply this same process to our struggles, we can find that God is the perfect portion for everything we need, every longing we have, every desperate desire of our soul.
God is there when my husband and I have a big argument, my kids are unruly, a business deal doesn’t go as planned, or the bills start piling up. Instead of grabbing a tub of ice cream or ordering pizza, I ask God to be my daily portion in these tough times. ...
Whatever your situation, ask God to be your daily portion of companionship, provision, and patience — over and over. Soon, you’ll find yourself walking in victory over those things instead of looking back over tears and a pile of cake crumbs.

> In what situations should you be turning to Jesus and relying upon him to be your Bread of Life?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

I love Jesus because he satisfies my craving for truth, meaning and purpose in life. He is everything I need to live the life God wants me to live.

LORD Jesus,
Thank you for satisfying me today with this encouragement.
Please help me to keep turning to you to satisfy me.
Please use every thought and craving I have
to remind me to rely upon you
for satisfaction and joy
in every situation, for every thing.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Numbers 21:4-9.