Well, the end of the world is happening on Saturday, or so they say. Are you ready? Are you excited? Are you scared? Do you have enough food and water in your basement to last the next seven years?
(I will leave the discussion of eschatological and theological problems with this latest world judgement prediction to the pros. Read an excellent article by theologian and professor Dr. David Mappes here http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=15913 .)
What would you do if you knew the end of the world was coming in two days? If anyone had "end of the world" feelings, it was Moses. He was faced with several huge crises in his life. I mean, he was the leader of an entire race of people. No pressure there!
Moses was asked to stand up to the most powerful ruler of his time and proclaimed ten devastating end-of-the-world plagues on his country. Finally, when they gained freedom from Egypt, they came to an enormous body of water which would surely seal their doom by their quickly approaching enemy army...Seemingly another end-of-the-world feeling for Moses (not to mention the million people behind him). Fast forward a few years to see Moses coming down from the mountain after talking with God and what does he see? The entire nation having a party over a gold statue, forgetting about the Almighty God who had brought them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea...perhaps another day of confusion and end-of-the-world thoughts for Moses.
But in Exodus 33 we see Moses ask a special question that we've never seen anyone else ask before. In the midst of a life of end-of-the-world thoughts and feelings, Moses asks a huge favor: He wanted to see God's glory. "Please let me see your glorious presence." (Exodus 33:18)
Moses wanted above all else to see God's glory. He desired to see and know God for all that He is. God did allow Him to see all of His goodness, showing His backside, because no human can see the I AM and live. God's goodness alone was undoubtedly overwhelming for Moses; His face glowed for some time after His intimate encounter with the Almighty Elohim. (Exodus 33:19-23; 34:29-30)
Through experiences that maybe felt like the end of the world for Moses, he had a one-track mind. He was excited to see God's glory. He was ready for it, and it was surely an experience that he could find few words to describe.
So, when we are faced with the thought of "the end of the world," what do we do or think first? Freak out? Fear? Confusion? Disappointment? As Christians, there is no reason for these feelings; We have so much more to look forward to, whenever it happens! Do we get excited about seeing God in all His indescribable glory? Does that get us exhilarated? Are we thrilled by the scene we picture in our minds? Are we completely enraptured (pun intended) in the idea of finally seeing God's glorious presence?
While we do not know when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36, 25:13; Acts 1:7), we DO know that Christ's return could happen at any minute. We should be living with such expectancy every single day, regardless of whatever the latest judgement day date setters are saying. Get excited! Moses face glowed with simply seeing God's goodness; Imagine what God's GLORY will be like!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Living in the Red Cord District
Rahab. Now there was someone who was known by her job. She was defined by her occupation, what she did. You usually see her name accompanied by two other words: the prostitute. Rahab the prostitute. (Joshua chapters 2 and 6 tell her story.)
Then one day a couple of guys came to her door. But they were different. They weren't the sleazy, shady-looking kind of guys that usually knocked at her door. They didn't want what she was selling. By this she was intrigued. She let them in, listened to their story, and helped them out.
You know the story. The two guys were from Israel, that nomadic people that lived in tents out there in the desert. They were there checking out the city for Joshua, Israel's leader. But then the King got wind of it and would have none of it. When the king's men came to Rahab's house looking for them, she protected them on her roof. (Her unethical means do not condone sin but show that God can use even our sinful mistakes for His purposes.)
Through her experience with these men, and this encounter with the God of Israel, her heart was turned toward God. I think this is the first door-to-door conversion recorded in history! She was convinced that the Lord was behind all of it: "I've heard about your God. I've heard about the things He has done for you, and how He has destroyed entire nations. No wonder we're all terrified of you! Your God is surely the LORD of all. Please, I beg you, promise me that my family and I will be saved from the Lord's destruction of Jericho!"
So she hung a red cord in her window, like the men told her to. It was probably the same rope that she let the spies down from her house by (2:15). It was kind of a strange, almost random thing to do to be saved from destruction, but because of her faith in the Lord, God of Israel, she did it. She left that red rope in her window, and when Jericho fell, she and her entire household were rescued (6:22-23).
The next time we see Rahab, she is in the genealogy listed in Matthew 1! She was in the line of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Rahab was Boaz's Grandma, and Boaz was David's great-grandpa.
Rahab also shows up in the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11. An unlikely place for a prostitute, one might think. Thanks to that simple red cord and Rahab's tireless faith, she landed herself a spot smack-dab in the middle of Hebrews 11. "It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies" (Hebrews 11:31).
She was saved from physical destruction through a red cord hanging in her window. She was saved from spiritual destruction through a thread of faith strung through her heart. Rahab moved from the Red Light District to the Red Cord District, and as a result ended up in Both Matthew 1 and Hebrews 11. Didn't see that coming!
A simple red cord. Rahab's entire household was saved by a simple red cord and the faith that kept that cord in the window.
How many times are we asked to possess and employ faith that we don't think we have? How often are we asked to do something as simple as hanging a cord from the window of our lives? How often do we obey God when He asks us for simple childlike faith that what God says is true?Sometimes God asks us to do simple things, like Rahab's red cord. Other times we are asked to do strange things, also like that red cord - A seemingly odd way to be saved from destruction.
So, while we may not be living in the Red Light District, we need to pick up and move to the Red Cord District, where simple yet steadfast faith makes a beautiful home.
Then one day a couple of guys came to her door. But they were different. They weren't the sleazy, shady-looking kind of guys that usually knocked at her door. They didn't want what she was selling. By this she was intrigued. She let them in, listened to their story, and helped them out.
You know the story. The two guys were from Israel, that nomadic people that lived in tents out there in the desert. They were there checking out the city for Joshua, Israel's leader. But then the King got wind of it and would have none of it. When the king's men came to Rahab's house looking for them, she protected them on her roof. (Her unethical means do not condone sin but show that God can use even our sinful mistakes for His purposes.)
Through her experience with these men, and this encounter with the God of Israel, her heart was turned toward God. I think this is the first door-to-door conversion recorded in history! She was convinced that the Lord was behind all of it: "I've heard about your God. I've heard about the things He has done for you, and how He has destroyed entire nations. No wonder we're all terrified of you! Your God is surely the LORD of all. Please, I beg you, promise me that my family and I will be saved from the Lord's destruction of Jericho!"
So she hung a red cord in her window, like the men told her to. It was probably the same rope that she let the spies down from her house by (2:15). It was kind of a strange, almost random thing to do to be saved from destruction, but because of her faith in the Lord, God of Israel, she did it. She left that red rope in her window, and when Jericho fell, she and her entire household were rescued (6:22-23).
The next time we see Rahab, she is in the genealogy listed in Matthew 1! She was in the line of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Rahab was Boaz's Grandma, and Boaz was David's great-grandpa.
Rahab also shows up in the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11. An unlikely place for a prostitute, one might think. Thanks to that simple red cord and Rahab's tireless faith, she landed herself a spot smack-dab in the middle of Hebrews 11. "It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies" (Hebrews 11:31).
She was saved from physical destruction through a red cord hanging in her window. She was saved from spiritual destruction through a thread of faith strung through her heart. Rahab moved from the Red Light District to the Red Cord District, and as a result ended up in Both Matthew 1 and Hebrews 11. Didn't see that coming!
A simple red cord. Rahab's entire household was saved by a simple red cord and the faith that kept that cord in the window.
How many times are we asked to possess and employ faith that we don't think we have? How often are we asked to do something as simple as hanging a cord from the window of our lives? How often do we obey God when He asks us for simple childlike faith that what God says is true?Sometimes God asks us to do simple things, like Rahab's red cord. Other times we are asked to do strange things, also like that red cord - A seemingly odd way to be saved from destruction.
So, while we may not be living in the Red Light District, we need to pick up and move to the Red Cord District, where simple yet steadfast faith makes a beautiful home.
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