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Hebrews 1:1-2, Luke 9:35

Listen to Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 17, 2019

I remember a seminary professor speaking against the red letter versions of the Bible. The red letter bibles put the words of Jesus in red while the rest is in the normal black. It emphasizes the importance of what Jesus said. The professor argued that the whole Bible is inspired by God and each word and phrase is as important as all the others. Red letters making parts of the Bible more important than the rest is heresy. I’m not completely convinced of that anymore. It seems to me that there are reasons to see Jesus’ words as being more important than others in the Bible for a couple reasons. Maybe “more important” isn’t correct, but I began to think about this when I started my study of the book of Hebrews. I’m thinking that even the author, whoever that might be, agrees that we should pay more attention to Jesus and give priority to him and his teachings. Isn’t that how the book begins?

It says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” The book of Hebrews begins by telling us that Jesus is greater than all the prophets that have come before him. I’m sure that the writer is referring to the prophets of the Old Testament. This first section about Jesus and the prophets ends with verse 4, where it transitions to the second section of the book which explains how Jesus is greater than all the angels. It explains the difference between being the “son” and being a messenger of God to minister to believers. That’s what the angels are. The third section of Hebrews, beginning with chapter 3, explains how Jesus is so much greater than Moses.

The two ways that mankind heard from God after the fall was predominantly through angels and prophets. He would occasionally put these communications in dreams and/or visions. The prophets would have the angelic visitation and then communicate the message to the people. That’s not the way we hear from God anymore! That may sound like heresy to those who insist that there are modern prophets that hear directly from God, but this is what I’m reading from the first verse in the first chapter of a book that’s all about the superiority of Jesus over everything else. I’m not saying the rest of the Bible isn’t important. It is because as Jesus himself said, it’s all about Him. On the road to Emmaus he explained how all the passages from all parts of the Bible, the Law, Prophets, and the writings were all about him. We should seek to find Jesus in the whole Bible. God, Himself, even exhorts us, “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35)

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Genesis 1:1, John 1:1

In the Beginning…

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 7, 2019

When Jesus met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection, he did for them what we need to understand and do for ourselves. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Further, when Jesus was confronting the Pharisees, he pointed out as John 5:39 says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” So, “beginning with Moses” let’s look at the “Scriptures” and find Jesus! Whenever the term “Scriptures” is used in the New Testament it refers to the Old Testament. I know some disagree with that but it doesn’t make sense to me that the writers of the New Testament Gospels and Epistles would refer to their own writings as Scripture as we rightfully refer to them today.

The Bible begins, Genesis 1:1, with the assertion, “In the beginning…” When John begins his Gospel about Jesus, he begins with the same opening phrase. He writes in John 1:1, “In the beginning.” This phrase is significant because in the Law, the first five books of the bible, the name of each book in the Hebrew text is taken from the first word in that book.  The name of the book of Exodus is “These are the names” because that’s the first phrase in the book in the Hebrew text. The names of the family members of Joseph that came down to Egypt are there.  Leviticus begins with the call of God on Moses. The Hebrew name for that book taken from the first word is “God called.” Numbers is “The Lord Spoke.” Deuteronomy is named, “These are the words” followed by the second recitation of the Law given to Moses at Sinai. Getting back to Genesis, the name of that book is “In the Beginning.” I’d argue that John is not just referring to the beginning of the book, but the entire book. I’d also argue that John is not only referring to the whole book of Genesis but he is referring to the whole Bible. He is the one who recorded in his gospel what Jesus said to the Pharisees about the Bible bearing witness to Jesus.

Modern translations have mishandled this verse by making it a “dependent” or “subordinate” clause and translating it something like, “when god began to create…” This is seen in Today’s English Version, The New American Bible, The New English Bible, the New Jewish Version and a few others.  But as the United Bible Society’s Handbook for translators says, “If the traditional interpretation is followed, then the beginning refers to the time when the universe came into existence, rather than the beginning or opening of the story of creation.” Even in the opening phrase in the Bible we learn that God’s love, expressed to us through Christ, began at the very beginning of Creation. Before there was anything at all there was God’s love! This might appear to be stretching it now, but it will become clearer when we continue to compare Genesis with John.

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Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:2-3, Romans 3:23, Psalms 53:2-3, Isaiah 53:6, Hebrews 4:9-10

Jesus is the Sabbath

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 6, 2019

The final verse dealing with the fourth commandment to remember to keep the Sabbath day holy concludes, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This was very familiar to the Jews, as it should be familiar to us, because it’s a recasting of the conclusion of the Genesis creation account. Genesis 2:2-3 records, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” The word for Sabbath has taken on two distinct meanings, both of which are seen in these passages. First it simply means “seven.” And secondly, it means “rest.” Rest is actually the primary use of the word “Shabbat” in Israel today. The standard greeting in Israel on the Sabbath day is “Shabbat shalom.” Rest and peace to you!

My mother used to say when I got in trouble, “there is no rest for the wicked.” That didn’t scare me too much but as I matured it began to make sense. The guilty have no peace of mind, no rest. And for sinners there is no rest or peace to be found in the Law! All have broken it! The Bible is extremely clear on this as was Jesus’ ministry to the religious leaders who thought they were keeping the law. Romans 3:23 is clear on this issue, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But Paul just takes truths from the Old Testament when he says this. Psalm 53:2-3 says, “God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Yet Jesus calls to us sinners saying, “come to me all who are burdened down with falls and failures, wounds and worries, griefs and regrets and I’ll give you true rest for your souls” (See Matthew 11:28). Hundreds of years before Jesus made this call, Isaiah the Prophet explained it to us. He writes in 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” When the author of Hebrews talks about entering “His” rest, he is referring to Jesus’ rest into which He calls us. But notice that he compares it to the Sabbath rest of Exodus 20:8-11. In Hebrews 4:9-10 he writes, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” The only real “rest” from our works (self-efforts) is to be found in Jesus. He is our Sabbath.

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Exodus 20:11, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Philippians 2:10, Galatians 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17

God Did All the Work!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 5, 2019

Why does God call for “No Work” on the Sabbath? Because He did all the work! That explanation is seen in Exodus 20:11. It reads, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” It could be rendered “sky, earth, seas.” That was the ancient way of saying “everything.” Just as the Hebrews used the three word phrase, “Law, Prophets, and Writings” to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament, so too is the phrase “sky (heavens), earth, seas” used to refer to everything above the earth, on the earth, and under the earth! But it wasn’t enough for God to express the three major categories in the world; sky, earth, seas. He also mentioned that part of His work was creating all the life in all three categories. He made the birds of the sky, the animals on the earth, and the fish in the seas! That’s the work that matters and that’s the work that must be “remembered” on the Sabbath.

Let’s think about this from our Christian perspective. Who made everything? Who did the work that should be “remembered” and kept holy? John made it clear to us that it was Jesus.  John begins his gospel with “in the beginning” referring to the Genesis creation account and He writes, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). Paul clearly agrees with John and focuses more attention on the creative work of Jesus in Colossians 1:16. He says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities…” It’s pretty clear who the New Testament credits with the work on the six days of creation. It was Jesus! And it’s that reason that, as Paul writes in Philippians 2:10, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Please notice the thoroughness of the three categories: heaven, earth, and under the earth!

Paul says that once we come to faith in Christ we are “new creations.” He says this twice: Galatians 6:15 says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Then He says it again in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” The Galatians passage directly refutes those trying to enforce the elements of the Law on Christians, especially regarding circumcision. Paul is making it clear that it’s not religious legalism, or strict adherence to laws, regulations, or rituals that matters. It’s the work that Jesus accomplished for us. The work of creation “in the beginning” was His. The work of our salvation in each of our lives is His! Remember to keep the Sabbath holy by focusing on the work He accomplished on our behalf and not the work we do in the flesh.

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Exodus 20:9-10, Ephesians 8-9

Defiling the Lord’s Day

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 4, 2019

The middle verses explaining the 4th commandment, Exodus 20:9-10, say, “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.” Just as an interesting observation here, the Hebrew word “Sabbath” is also the world for “seven.” That comes from the creation account that the day God rested was the seventh day. There might be something to the fact that Moses lists exactly seven things or people that should not work: 1) you, 2) your son, 3) your daughter, 4) your male servant, 5) your female servant, 6) your livestock, and 7) sojourners. This was a common literary device used to aid in memorization. No one had their own copies back in those days and this served their memories. This was probably even more important here because the commandment in verse 8 begins with “remember the Sabbath.” Matthew uses a similar device recording Jesus’ genealogy (a discussion for another time).

It seems to me that God desires all the hustle and bustle in and around us to just stop for the day! You have six days to live in the world of sowing and reaping, meeting deadlines and expectations of employers, teachers, parents and everyone else in the world. Let that be enough and step off the treadmill for a day and focus your attention on the work that God has done for you.  Don’t ask anyone around you to do work either! We don’t make the Sabbath Holy by not doing any work, though. The Sabbath is already Holy because God “ceased” all His work on that day in the creation account. It’s already Holy! We can “keep it holy” by resting in the finished work of God.

We can’t make the Sabbath Holy, but we can defile it. We do that by doing those things that we should do on the other six days. “Six days you shall Labor and do all your work.” That too is a command. Do your work on those six days and then take the Sabbath rest to reflect on the greatness, fullness, and completeness of God’s work. When our “works” become the focus on our Sabbath day, we defile the Sabbath day. It’s no longer “Holy” for us if our attention is upon trying harder in life to be a better person, or doing more good deeds, or giving more for good causes, or on anything that we “do” as opposed to what God has done for us. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, it’s not of works lest any man should boast. It is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

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Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 6:1-2, Mark 2:27

Do No Work!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 4, 2019

During our various trips to Israel, we had the opportunity to observe the Jewish people observing the Sabbath day. As in the days of Jesus, the religious leaders today have set some clear standards on what could and what could not be done on that day. The elevators at our hotels were set to stop at each floor on the Sabbath because pushing buttons in an elevator was considered work. The Rabbis would run string along the telephone poles to show the limits that citizens could walk on the Sabbath. Guzik observes in his commentary, “In observant Jewish homes today, one cannot turn on a light, a stove, or a switch on the Sabbath. It is forbidden to drive a certain distance or to make a telephone call—all carefully regulated by traditions seeking to spell out the law exactly.”

It was worse in Jesus day. From what I read, ancient Rabbis taught that on the Sabbath, a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder. But he could carry something with the back of his hand, his foot, his elbow, or in his ear, his hair, or in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. Or on the Sabbath, Israelites were forbidden to tie a knot—except, a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, an Israelite could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and pull it up from the well. In Luke 6:1-2, Jesus disciples’ were accused of breaking the Sabbath because they were picking and eating corn out of a field. They broke four different rules: they reaped, threshed, winnowed, and prepared food! Can’t do that!

All of these specifications made man a slave to the Sabbath. Jesus intentionally went against these traditions in order to set man free. In Mark 2:27, amidst one of his disputes with the religious leaders, Jesus explained “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” He continues in that verse and says, “The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” During the course of his life on earth, Jesus broke the Sabbath rules numerous times. He clearly wanted us to understand that it’s not about rules and regulations. It’s about realizing that God is sovereign over the works of man’s hands. The commandment goes on to say we shouldn’t work on the Sabbath to commemorate the fact that God’s work is what really matters. This is true for Christians today more than ever. Jesus did the work of our salvation. There’s nothing our hands can contribute to that. Stop all the business of life in this world of sowing and reaping and “rest” (that’s the meaning of the word “Shabbat”) in the work that God has done for you.

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Exodus 20:8

Keep the Sabbath Holy

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 3, 2019

Exodus 20:8 says “Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy.” What does it mean to be “Holy?” It means to consecrate it, or to set it apart as special. So it may be expressed as “dedicated to God” or “belonging to God.” If you ask “what does it mean to be Holy” in Google, you’ll find this list of synonyms: sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated.” But the key biblical idea of “Holy” is that it’s set apart. It’s different than anything else.

There was one special thing to the Jews that was exceptionally holy. It was holy, or different, from anything else in their life. That was the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When you read the description of the tabernacle in Exodus, you find that it’s built from the most luxurious and beautiful materials imaginable. Only precious metals: gold, silver, copper, brass. It had glorious colors: red, scarlet, purple, blues and yellows. It had incredibly creative images. There were angels sown into the curtains. There were bronze and gold and silver candle sticks and lavers and chalices. There were jewels and gems embedded throughout the ornate objects. And there was one other thing that truly made a difference in the Tabernacle. There was a smell. Yes, only the tabernacle could burn this special incense. Everything about the place where God was, was holy or different from everything else in life. In the drab world of the desert this was a place that looked different, felt different, and smelled different. It was holy! I really like what Ashby said in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “Someone has called the Sabbath a ‘holy space, a sanctuary in time.’ It was as holy as the Temple, which was a sanctuary in space. Just as a holy place provides a space for celebrating God and praising him, so does a holy time.”

In the Old Testament economy, there was one day in seven that was to be dedicated to the Lord. It was a day when they were to remind themselves that they were not self-originating, self-sustaining, or self-authenticating. The idea of setting aside time to remind ourselves that God has done everything for us is crucial to a happy, wholesome, and healthy life. In our economy, that should be the Lord’s day, Sunday. We have six days to live in a world of sowing and reaping. We have six days to bear the burdens of life. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. It’s not about what we’ve done, are doing, or will do! It’s all about what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do!

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Luke 24, John 5, Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 22:19

Remember the Sabbath: Think about it!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 3, 2019

Jesus revealed to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Law and the Prophets were all about Him (See Luke 24). Jesus told the religious leaders that they search the scriptures because they think they find in them eternal life, but it is the scriptures that teach them about him (see John 5).  Let’s look at the Law.

In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the ten commandments. You know them or you know of them. The fourth commandment is the most thoroughly discussed. Whereas adultery, murder, stealing, and lying are some of the shortest single verses in the Bible, the 4th commandment covers 4 long verses; Exodus 20:8-11. It goes like this: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The first word in this commandment is “remember.” I forget a lot of things! It is getting worse the older I get. Kathy will often remind me of the things I need to do. I’ve taken over some of the cooking during the week and have really enjoyed doing that but I have to remember to take frozen foods I intend to cook out of the freezer early in the day. Just this morning Kathy said, “take out the chicken.”  I said, “I will.” She said, “do it now because if you don’t, you’ll forget it.” As much as I hate it when she’s right, she is right. I will get busy doing any number of other things and the next thing you know it’s 5:30 and the chicken is still in the freezer! So, I did it right away. You only tell people to remember something when there is a tendency to forget.

The passage goes on to tell us that we have six days to do all of our work. The “Sabbath” is one day in seven! It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day life of making a living, meeting expectations of others, taking care of ourselves and others, and a plethora of other things, that when we come to the Sabbath, it’s really easy to forget what it’s all about! It’s not about all that I do! It’s about what God has done. Step aside from your focus on doing for yourselves and focus on what has been done for you. Just as God did all the work of giving us the world and everything in it, Jesus did all the work required to save our souls for all eternity. Isn’t this why Jesus took the bread and the cup and said “do this in remembrance of me” (See Luke 22:19). Think about it.

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