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.

EJ100 #11 Exodus 12:1-30

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Exodus 12:1-30.

Context
This passage recounts the last of the ten plagues God brought upon Egypt, the means by which the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt, thus explaining the origins of the Israelite Passover Festival.

Content

This passage has three parts:

1. 12:1-20 The LORD gives instructions to Moses and Aaron.
2. 12:21-27a Moses passes on the instructions to the elders of Israel.
3. 12:27b-30 The Israelites obey the instructions, and the firstborn of Egypt are killed.

The action scenes in this passage are a small part of the overall whole. Once Moses and Aaron had given the instructions for the first Passover, the Israelites bowed down and worshiped the LORD [12:27b]. Then they obeyed the instructions God gave them through Moses and Aaron, roasting their Passover lambs and preparing their unleavened bread, daubing their door lintels with blood from the slain lamb [12:28]. At midnight the LORD passed through Egypt with "the destroyer" and struck down the first born of every Egyptian family [12:29, see also 12:23]. Pharaoh and all of Egypt mourned [12:30].

The majority of the passage, however, contains the instructions for celebrating Passover initially and into the future, when the people would settle in the land God promised to Abraham. They were to observe the anniversary of the Passover annually, along with the Festival of Unleavened Bread, with their families for generations to come. This was a "lasting ordinance" [12:14,24].

As a "lasting ordinance", it is important to understand how Jesus' death has re-shaped Passover celebrations. Jesus was crucified during the Jewish Passover Festival [John 18:28; 19:14], probably on Friday, 7 April (14 Nisan), AD30*. In 1 Corinthians 5:7b, Paul explains, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." So Christians celebrate the Passover through the lens of Jesus' death: Easter.

Connect

The verses around 1 Corinthians 5:7 explain one application of the truth that Jesus Christ is the ultimate Passover lamb.

"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch - as you really are. For Christ, the Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." [1 Corinthians 5:6-8]

Because Jesus Christ has died in my place, I am to live as one "unleavened" by sin. I keep the Passover Festival with honesty. (This is the same message as Amos gave, from the previous day's reading.)

In my day to day life, sincerity means saying what I mean and doing what I say, particularly to my kids. I can't make spur of the moment promises to my kids that I have no intention of keeping, or am likely to forget. I can't tell my kids I'll do something with them or for them if I am not going to do it. I need to watch my words carefully, and make sure my deeds match my words. That is sincerity.

In my day to day life, truth means teaching my kids the gospel, explaining biblical doctrine to them, taking time to answer their many questions about God. I need to listen when my six year old prays at the dinner table, "God, help me to believe in you because I haven't seen you yet", and patiently and consistently tell him about Jesus, who came to make the invisible God visible. I need to be careful what I type here on my blog, careful to write only truth about Jesus, as I have learnt it from God's word, the Bible. When I lead women's Bible studies, I need to be watch my words closely, so I do not inadvertently teach falsehoods about the LORD God. And I need to remember that Jesus is the ultimate Truth [John 14:6].

> Are you honest, sincere and truthful at all times and in all matters?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

Jesus is my Passover lamb. He died so that God would pass over me and not destroy me for my sins.

Thank you Jesus,

for dying on the cross, shedding your blood

so that God's wrath would pass over me.

Please help me to live a life

characterised by sincerity and truth,

a life not leavened by malice and wickedness.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Exodus 16:1-35.

*  For more information on the date of Jesus' death, read the section on Individual Chronological Dates: The crucifixion of Jesus, from Rainer Reisner's "Pauline Chronology", pp10-11.

EJ100 #10 Amos 5:1-27

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Amos 5:1-27.

Context
This passage comes from the book of Amos. Amos was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jereboam II, a time of peace and prosperity, and he called the people to righteous behaviour in keeping with authentic religion.

Content
Amos condemned the people of Israel for three main social sins. Speaking God's words to Israel, Amos condemned the people because:

1. 5:7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
2. 5:10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.
3. 5:12 There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

In this chapter Amos showed the people God was judging them for how they were treating each other. Righteousness is not only about how one relates to God, but about how one relates to neighbours.

Amos also gave three pieces of advice in this passage:

1. 5:4,6 Seek the LORD and live.
2. 5:14,15 Seek good, not evil ... hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
3. 5:24 Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

The people needed to seek God. They were warned against seeking him in the places where the Israelites had set up their alternative altars (Bethel, Gilgal, Beersheba). But righteous behaviour is not solely religious behaviour. If the people were to seek God, they needed to act with justice and righteousness towards their fellow Israelites.

Amos offered scant comfort in this passage. He suggested if the people seek good rather than evil, "perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph" (5:15). This was only a possibility, and it was only offered to a remnant, not the whole of Israel. (In this verse, Joseph was mentioned because the half-tribes descended from his sons Ephraim and Manasseh became the most prominent tribes of the northern kingdom.)

One thing was certain: because of Israel's sin against their neighbours, the LORD declared "I will send you into exile beyond Damascus" (5:27).

Connect
A paraphrase of 5:4-5:

This is what the LORD says to me:
"Seek Me and live.
Do not seek idols.
Do not go to places of idolatrous worship.
Do not travel to apostate churches, or put up with heretical preachers.
For the idolaters who teach lies will surely be exiled from Me,
and their apostate churches will be reduced to nothing."

Idols are not simply the statues of Buddha at fish and chip shops on the corner. Idols are anything we put our trust in to save us other than God, anything we worship other than God, anything that receives the love and devotion we should be giving to God.

Even an incorrect view of God, whether derived from naively confused or from blatantly heretical teaching, is an idol. We know this because in this passage, God tells the people not to worship him at the places set up as alternative sites of worship, with alternate idols which were partially designed to emulate God.

This means that Muslims and Latter-day Saints (for example), although they claim to worship in a manner descended from Abraham's faith, are idolaters, because their teaching about God is not entirely true (in concordance with the teaching of the whole Bible). Some of their beliefs about God are heretical. While they may believe they are worshiping the One True God, they are in fact worshiping a distorted idol with some of the LORD's characteristics, but not all.

Either a person believes the truth about God, or they believe a lie. The lie might be subtle, merely rendering a small change from the truth [remember the lies the serpent told Eve in Genesis 3?] but it is a lie none the less.

But none of what I have just said justifies unrighteous behaviour on the part of Christians. Idolatry and heresy is reason to lovingly direct a person to the truth and warn them of the danger of judgement they face. It is never a justification for injustice or oppression.

> Are you guilty of idolatry because your view of God is misinformed or flawed?

> What can you do to improve your knowledge of who God really is?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
I love Jesus because he came to judge as well as save. My Lord punishes evil and I am grateful.

Thanks be to God
that judgement is in the hands of one who sees the hearts of mankind
and is not swayed by the inside.
I worship you because you make no mistakes in your judgement.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Exodus 12:1-30.

EJ100 #9 Isaiah 59:1-21

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Isaiah 59:1-21.

Context
This passage is in the book of Isaiah, first and longest of the works of the major prophets; it comes well into the second half of the book, the later part of Isaiah's ministry, just before Isaiah's prophecy of the glory of judgement and salvation to come to Zion, which completes the book.

Content
This is a hard passage to read, to hear. In the first two verses Isaiah tells his readers that it is not God's fault they have not been saved, not any lack in God that their prayers are not answered. Rather, it is because of their iniquities (evil, sin) that have created a barrier between themselves and God so that even though God can hear, he will not.

Isaiah describes the sins of the people: both "your" sins (59:3), and "their" sins (59:4-8). Then he describes the plight they are in as a result of their evil actions.

"Justice is far from us,
and tighteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows." [59:9]

Many times in Israel's history his people did not repent when they cried out to the LORD for relief from their suffering (just read the book of Judges). But this time, Isaiah recounts the people's repentance (59:12): "we acknowledge our iniquities." Isaiah lists the sins that the people acknowledged, and it is significant that this list focuses on the sins the people have committed against God as "rebellion and treachery against the LORD" (59:13), rather than against each other. The people recognise that sin is first and foremost against God. Finally, they acknowledge their role in relegating justice and righteousness to a distance, and preventing truth and honesty from coming near.

Isaiah also recounts God's solution. He finds no one to intervene, so he himself intervenes. "His own arm achieved salvation for him" (59:16). The LORD's arm is common metaphor in Isaiah's prophecies representing the mightiness of God, active in judgement and salvation [Isaiah 30:30,32; 40:10; 48:14; 51:5,9; 52:10; 53:1; 62:8; 63:5,12]. Verse 16 thus answers the otherwise rhetorical question from verse 1:

"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save...
so his own arm achieved salvation for him."

The arm of the LORD may also be read as a prophetic description of Jesus. Isaiah 53:1 asks, "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" The chapter, the most famous of Isaiah's Servant Songs, goes on to describe Jesus, the "man of sorrows" who "was pierced for our transgressions ... crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (53:5).

God prepared himself for vengeance, zeal, wrath and retribution (59:17-18). He is feared, yet he is also revered in his glory (59:19) [remember Philippians 2:9-11?]. He came not only to punish but also to redeem any one of his own who repented of their sins (59:20), and he granted his Spirit to them so that his words might always be on their lips (59:21) [see also John 14:25-26; 15:26-27].

God is both awesomely terrible and awesomely generous.

Connect
Repentance is key in this passage. It is your/my sins that have separated you/me from our God (59:2). "We acknowledge our iniquities" (59:12). The Redeemer will come to those among God's people who repent of their sins (59:20).

Before the people could acknowledge their iniquities and repent of their sins, first they had to observe them. Isaiah, helpfully, pointed them out. Only then did the people admit, "Our offences are ever with us" (59:13).

As a Christian, it is helpful to have someone in my life who keeps me accountable in my Christian life. This person holds me accountable and points out my sin to me (privately) so that I may repent of it. Most of the time, because I am married, this person is my husband. Over 12 years of marriage, he has become better at exposing my sin to me, and I have become better at receiving his criticisms as what they are, rather than assuming they are signs that he does not love me. Far from it! When my husband exposes my sin to me - sin that I had been unaware of, or, more commonly, deliberately ignoring - he makes sure my offence is with me, so that I may acknowledge it and repent of it. This is truly an act of love.

Some other people who keep me accountable in various ways are my three best friends. God has brought each of these women into my life in different ways. One was a member of a small group Bible study I was in with my husband for three years. One was a member of the last church my husband pastored. One lives half a world away and communicates with me mostly via email and the occasional Skype conversation - we met through blogging. Of these women, two are in the same demographic as I am, being stay-at-home mothers raising 4 or 5 children of similar ages to mine. The other is a generation older than me, a widow with four adult children. Two struggle with major health issues. The only thing all three have in common is a strong faith in God that has been tried and tested numerous times since we met.

Since the nearest of these women lives 350km (220mi) away, it would be easy for me to pretend to them that I am someone I am not, to hide my sin and failures. But, although I do tend to major on the positives and minor on the negatives in my conversations with them, I try very hard to be honest. If there is no honesty in such friendships, they are worthless.

Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Because I am honest, my friends can sharpen me. Their challenges and encouragement makes my blade/life, which may have become dull and marred by sin, once more bright and sharp-edged and useful to God.

> What relationships do you have where honesty is paramount and you are able to receive prophetic criticism which exposes your sin so you may repent?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
Because I need him! Jesus is the arm of the LORD, extended to me for my salvation.

Thank you Jesus,
for the gift of my friends Amy, Shelley and Chris, who sharpen me;
for the gift of my husband, who criticises me when I need it;
for the love of all four of these people
and the fruit of repentance and obedience
they have yielded in my life.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Amos 5:1-27.

EJ100 #8 Psalm 14:1-7

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Psalm 14:1-7.

Context
This psalm, "of David", is found in the first book of psalms, and is repeated in the second book of psalms, as Psalm 53.

Content
Psalm 14 is a wisdom psalm in four parts:

1. 14:1 expresses condemnation of the foolish, corrupt evildoers who deny God.
2. 14:2-3 describes God's judgement of mankind, finding "there is no one who does good".
3. 14:4 again describes the evildoers; they devour David's people and never call on the LORD.
4. 14:5-7 despite the work of the evildoer, these verses express confidence in God's presence, his refuge and his salvation and restoration.

This psalm was quoted by Paul in his letter to the Romans [3:10-12]. Paul used it to justify his claim that "Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin." God's law has power only to reveal and expose our foolish, evil, corruption. The law has no power to save sinners such as are described in this psalm.

However, Christians have something that David only looked forward to in this psalm. Salvation has come for Israel (the people of God, aka the church). Salvation did come to us from Zion, when salvation was granted to us by the work of Jesus Christ. The LORD has restored his people, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Connect
It is easy, sometimes, when reading Scripture, to say to yourself, "I'm not like that person" or "I would never have done that." On first reading this psalm, it is very easy to think, "I'm glad I'm not a fool/evildoer/corrupt person." But that's not entirely true.

Now, I'm certainly not an atheist, but this psalm is challenging me to determine whether there are any area(s) of my life from which I exclude God, and live as if there was no God.

• Are my eating and exercise under his dominion or controlled by my whims and fleshly appetites?
• Are my reading and watching selections worthy of a pure child of God or are they opening the door to temper (that's crime) and temptation (that's romance)?
• Does the way I use my time match with God's priorities for my life (where my relationship with him comes first and foremost) or am I suffering from God-avoidance and spiritual laziness?
• Do the mothering choices I make reflect my desire for my children to know and love and serve God, or are they driven by expediency, by my personality quirks, or by my emotions?

> Over what part of your life do you say, "There is no God here in this area of my life so I will live according to my own desires" ?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
Even though I am a fool at times, Jesus Christ is present with me by his Spirit; he provides refuge to me from my enemies (even when the enemy is myself); he grants me salvation; and has restored me unto fellowship with himself.

LORD God Almighty,
No matter how many times my own actions
frustrate my plans and hopes,
you are my refuge, my strength,
my deliverer, in whom I can trust.
Help me, LORD, to live each day
restored to fullness of life in you,
rather than living a half-life
ignoring you and your Life-giving son.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Isaiah 59:1-21.

EJ100 #7 Genesis 32:1-33:6

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Genesis 32:1-33:6.

Context
Shortly after the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, they arrived at Mt Sinai (aka Mt Horeb), where Moses met with God to learn how his people should live.

Content
When the people grew concerned at Moses' long absence, his brother Aaron was convinced to build a golden idol, in the shape of a calf (probably an idol design familiar from their time in Egypt). Aaron built an altar to the golden calf and told the people the calf was the god who brought them out of Egypt.

This action was one of blatant disobedience to the second of the ten commandments, which God had spoken from the mountain in the hearing of all the people [Exodus 20:18] about a month and a half earlier [Exodus 24:15-18]:

"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall no bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God." [Exodus 20:4-5a]

When God told Moses to go down the mountain because his people had become corrupt, "Moses sought the favour of the LORD his God" (32:11). He went down to the people, and made them drink a bitter cup: water sprinkled with gold dust from their idol. Moses then punished them more severely, resulting in the deaths of several thousand. But then once more Moses offered to intercede for his people with the LORD, telling them, "perhaps I can make atonement for your sin" (32:30).

Moses' mediation with the LORD on behalf of the Israelites on this and other occasions marks him as a type of Messiah, a forerunner to Jesus Christ, who mediated the forgiveness of all people through his death on the cross.

The LORD himself punished the people with a plague. But his final punishment was the worst of the four punishments recorded in this passage. God told Moses he would not go up to the promised land with the Israelites, for he might destroy them on the way. Once again, sin had become a barrier to fellowship with God.

Connect
God warned Moses, "I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way" (Exodus 33:3). Some days, I feel deserted by God; often I can identify a particular stiff-necked decision that has led to this separation. But God has promised to dwell by his Holy Spirit in the heart of every Christian, so - intellectually - I know he hasn't really left me.

Today has been hot and quiet. The kids have spent most of the day doing self-designed craft all over the dinner table, playing with their toys, watching TV, playing on the Wii and swimming in the neighbour's pool. I have likewise had a rather lazy day, spent reading book excerpts via the internet on my phone in the air conditioned lounge room. Despite the children's good behaviour and general self-sufficiency, I've felt mildly annoyed all day.

I wanted to get my Bible study done early, but I let a problem with internet connectivity on my laptop delay me, and it's only now, after the kids are all in bed asleep, that I am meditating on God's word. I'm feeling relaxed and completely calm for the first time today, because I'm finally getting to spend time communicating with my Maker.

As I said, some days, I feel like God has left me. But often, that feeling of unsettled irritation comes because I haven't sought God out in the first place.

> What sin are you stiff-necked about? What sin in your life is a barrier to your fellowship with God?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
I love Jesus because he promised, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back to take you to be with me that you may also be where I am" [John 14:3]. I'm looking forward to being with Jesus 24/7.

Lord Jesus,
I apologise for putting other things first in my life.
Please forgive me.
Help me to remember you are with me always.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Psalm 14:1-7.

EJ100 #6 Genesis 3:1-24

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Genesis 3.

Context
After a "very good" beginning (Gen 1), and the description of the creation of Adam, who was tasked with working and taking care of the garden of Eden, and that of Eve, who was made as a suitable helper for Adam (Gen 2), events take a sudden turn for the worse.

Content
The basic story of Genesis 3 is that, confused and lied to by "the serpent",  Eve and Adam chose to disobey God, by eating the fruit of the one tree which God had told Adam not to eat. Thus sin entered the human realm.

The serpent is commonly identified with Satan, taking into account verses such as Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, which mention "The great dragon ... that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray." It is interesting to consider the possibility that the serpent in the garden may have been a dragon-serpent, perhaps similar to those of Chinese mythology, rather than a snake as often depicted in children's storybook Bibles ... but discussions of such nature miss the point.

One of the key features of this primeval story is that even before Eve and Adam sinned, at least one entity - the serpent - was in rebellion against God. CS Lewis presents this situation as a science fiction drama in Perelandra, the second book of his Cosmic Trilogy. Much of the novel is spent observing the devilish Dr Weston trying to convince the Queen of Venus to disobey her King, while Dr Ransom encourages her to stand firm.

In the biblical story of the Fall, the serpent used three main arguments to convince Eve to disobey God:

1. 3:1 "Did God really say..." The serpent questioned Eve's knowledge and memory of God's actual words. In 3:2, Eve proved that she did not know or remember God's instructions accurately (compare 3:2 with 2:16-17). This may have been due to Adam's inaccurate teaching (or lack of any teaching), or simply the fault of Chinese Whispers style error. What is certain is that, although Adam was present "with her" (3:6), he did not correct Eve's error before the serpent took advantage of it with his next claim.
2. 3:4 "You will not certainly die." The serpent claimed that God has lied to Adam (and by extension, to Eve). Eve was confused about the consequences of even touching the fruit, let alone eating it (3:3). Her lack of clear information about the choices and consequences God had given to Adam and Eve left her vulnerable to the serpent's lies.
3. 3:5 "For God knows that when you eat ... you will be like God..." The serpent alleged that Eve could become like God. I mentioned the conundrum of the desire to be like God in my discussion of Philippians 2:1-11.

Ultimately, Eve and Adam chose to usurp the position of God; to choose for themselves what was right and what was wrong. That's why the tree bore its name: it was in eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that Eve and Adam endeavoured to prove that they, not God, knew the difference between good and evil. In this endeavour, they failed miserably.

Suffice it to say that, unlike the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) would have you believe, it wasn't a benevolent act that the serpent performed when he convinced Eve to take up and eat the forbidden fruit of Eden. There were far reaching and overwhelmingly negative consequences from the Fall.

The only thing good to come out of the Fall is that God is glorified through Jesus' salvation of fallen, sinful mankind: the moment when the woman's seed-offspring finally crushed the head of the serpent (3:15).

Connect
My young children seemed to have grasped this problem of the serpent's existence and evil actions intuitively. They don't stop at asking, "Why did Adam and Eve sin?" Just tonight, 6-year-old Samuel asked me, not for the first time, "Why did God invent Satan?" Hard question, that one.

I guess it comes back to free will. God gave free will to the serpent, just as he gave it to Adam and Eve, and gives free will also to us. It is up to us to use it wisely.

> Are you wise in the choices you make, mindful of the consequences that God has warned you of in his word?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
It's simple: I love Jesus because he undid the Fall.

Thank you Jesus for undoing the tragic consequences of the Fall.
I give you glory, because you have made an end to all my sin.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Exodus 32:1-33:6.

EJ100 #5 1 Peter 2:4-10

Today's Essential Jesus reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10.

Context
Written by Simon Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, this passage is part of a letter addressed to the scattered churches of the first century AD.

Content
This passage has three sections:

1. 2:4-7a Peter's readers, Christian believers, come to the precious living Stone to be built into a spiritual house (a temple of the Holy Spirit).
2. 2:7-8 Those who reject this Stone and disobey the (gospel) message stumble and fall. 
3. 2:9-10 Peter's readers are chosen by God, royal servants of God, set apart as a nation for God, belonging to God alone, made into a united people by God, the recipients of God's mercy.

This "Stone" is Jesus. He is:

• living;
• rejected by humans [remember John 1:10-11?];
• chosen by God;
• precious to God;
• enabling believers to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God [Romans 12:1];
• Jesus Christ;
• a Stone in Zion (the nickname for Jerusalem, in its identity as the location of the spiritual home of God's people living in God's presence under God's rule);
• a chosen and precious cornerstone;
• precious to those who believe;
• rejected by those who do not believe;
• still the cornerstone!;
• a Stone who causes people who reject him to stumble;
• a Rock (an allusion to the LORD [eg 2 Sam 22:32; Psalm 18:31 and many other psalms]) who makes those who disobey the gospel message fall;
• called us out of darkness into his wonderful light [remember John 1:4-5,9?].

A cornerstone is the most important stone in a building, against which the other stones are aligned and fitted to lie correctly in their proper position. Jesus is a cornerstone for a building not of bricks or stones, but of people, who are living stones.

Connect
Whether people believe in Jesus or reject him, he is still the cornerstone of the lives of all people. For those who believe, Jesus is the cornerstone which we deliberately and carefully align our lives against, as God builds us into his holy dwelling, like living stones (2:5). For those who do not believe, Jesus is the cornerstone against which the lives of those who reject him will be measured, when he comes to judge the living and the dead [1 Peter 4:5; see also Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:1].

> In what ways are you deliberately and carefully aligning your life against the life and work of Jesus Christ?

"To you who believe, this Stone is precious" (2:7a). One way I declare that Jesus is precious to me is by gathering with his body, the church, each Sunday morning. This is perhaps the most publicly visible of all Christian confessions that Jesus is precious to us: we spend time with church that could otherwise be spent sleeping in, gardening, catching up with household chores, playing with our kids, or driving trucks (like the several that thundered past our church this morning on their way to deliver grain to the local bulk handling depot).

Jesus is precious to me, and I want my kids to feel the same way about him. So it is important to me that they have the opportunity to attend a Sunday School program that they can enjoy and learn from, rather than struggling to sit still and quiet in a hot church building (it reached 39C / 102F today). During term time, Mrs B teaches the Sunday School at our church. During the holidays, however, she has a well-earned and hopefully refreshing break.

So this morning, my family attended two church services, as we are doing each Sunday of the summer holidays. Jeff regularly preaches to two congregations each Sunday, and during the holidays we are going to both with him so that I can hear his sermon to the first congregation (while the kids play in the park across the road, if it's not impossibly hot). Then I supervise holiday Sunday School during his sermon to the second congregation. This means I have to get the kids and myself ready to leave the house at 7:30am so we can drive 50km to the first service at 8:30am, then 50km back to the second service at 10:30am, which finishes at noon. And it's worth it, because Jesus is precious to me!

> Is Jesus precious to you? What do you do to express this preciousness?

The purpose of all the blessings described in verses 5 and 9-10, of believers being built like living stones into a temple (the Church of God), is given at the end of 2:9. These blessings are granted so "that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

> To whom shall you declare God's praises today?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
 I love Jesus because he is a perfect cornerstone upon which I may direct and build my life. His perfection provides guidance for my efforts to become holy and perfect, as he is holy and perfect [1 Peter 1:15-16].

LORD God,
Thank you for sharing your precious Son with me.
Thank you for making him precious in my sight also.
Please help me to align my life to his,
to be holy as Jesus, my cornerstone, is holy.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 3:1-24.

EJ100 #4 Hebrews 1:1-4

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

Context

The letter to the Hebrews begins with a majestic description of the supreme revelation of God in Christ.

Content

The author of Hebrews describes Jesus:

• Jesus is God's Son;
• through him, God has spoken to mankind [see also 2 Peter 1:16];
• Jesus was appointed by God as heir of all things;
• through Jesus, God made the universe [John 1:2; Colossians 1:16];
• Jesus is the radiance (expression) of God's glory;
• Jesus is the exact representation of God's being (nature);
• Jesus sustains all things by his powerful word [remember Colossians 1:17?];
• Jesus has provided purification for sins (described in detail in the rest of the letter to the Hebrews, especially chapters 8-10);
• then Jesus sat down at the right hand of God in heaven;
• as a result, Jesus became superior to the angels to the same degree as his name, which he inherited (from God, see the third dot point above) is superior to the name of angels.

Connect

"After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (1:3). Sitting down indicates resting from a particular work, in much the same way as God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day [Gen 2:2]: the work is entirely complete, so the worker sits and rests from his work.

The work of Jesus in purifying me from my sins is completed. There is nothing left for either Jesus or myself to do. I know this because he has sat down in the presence of the LORD God Almighty, the King of heaven. What a marvellous blessing to reflect upon!

There is nothing I need to do to make myself cleaner in God's eyes. I am already purified from my sins; "without blemish", as Colossians 1:22 says. This means that:

no matter how frustrated I feel about my own corrupt conduct,

no matter how depressed I become about my own degenerate deeds,

no matter how disturbed I am by my own wicked words,

no matter how apalled I am by my own pervasive sinfulness,

in God's sight, I am cleansed.

Thanks be to God!

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

I love Jesus because he has purified me from my sin, and I am cleansed in the sight of God my Father.

Thank you Jesus for cleansing me,

washing away the crimson tide of my sin,

making me whiter than snow in your sight.

Thank you that you have completed this task.

I don't need another wash,

not even a quick going over.

I am pure, because of what you have done.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10.