I love to to play with fire and watch things burn. Whether it is keeping a stick in a camp-fire to pick up and wave around in the dark, or sitting on the hearth and throwing kindling or paper in the fireplace to see it burst into flame, fire is cool to watch. Today’s passage features a king with a similar bent. The problem is, he is using God’s Word spoken through Jeremiah as the kindling. As the words of judgment are being read to the king, he is tearing the scroll and tossing it in the fire in defiance. Offset in stark contrast in the way people receive the word of the Lord, is the Rechabites, who refuse to disobey their father’s instruction, even at the invitation of Jeremiah at the Temple. God’s asks, “Why doesn’t everyone obey like that, with resolve and conviction?” And the question stands for us as well. Are we so circumstantial as to defy our own beliefs because they lack conviction? Will we regard the Word of God so lightly, tossing those commands we don’t like? The New Testament passage today is a reminder to us that temptations will arise, and sin will seem justifiable, and postponing our “convictions” will makes sense so as to not offend. But we must stand up under those temptations.
Look for opportunities to demonstrate your convictions to the non-believing world around you by lovingly and graciously abstaining from self-centered, or godless behavior. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

One of the most important passages of the book of Deuteronomy is in chapter 18:15-22. It creates for the nation an office that will carry forth the Word given to Moses. While the Levites and Priests were charged with carrying out the law…there is also to be an expectation that God will continue to speak to his people. What is weird about the passage is that it is one the one hand SINGULAR, “A prophet” and PLURAL in it’s testing procedure of “a prophet.”  This dual nature of the text leads to an expectation by the new testament that there will be a singular prophet like Moses.

A couple of things from the text first: Note the reason God is not going to speak to the Israelites one on one…they asked for a mediator because they were afraid.  God seems to commend them for their reverence, and he sets forth a few statutes about the prophet. He is to be heeded, and he is to be tested. This is why many prophets have short term prophecies embedded in long-term prophecies, so that one may test the authenticity of the word.

Note also that it says, “a prophet LIKE MOSES” and yet, when someone tacks an ending onto Deuteronomy later saying, “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, “ it made the people long for one LIKE MOSES, who speaks with authority, who gives bread from heaven, who leads with humility, who radiates the presence of YAHWEH.  Hello Jesus!

Acts 3:22–26 (NIV) — 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

The greatness of a nation is demonstrated in several ways, the God they serve, and the laws they create. Moses tells the people that others will call them great if they keep the law of the Lord. Why, because they will be wise and understanding. That tells me that we are to examine the laws and statutes given to the people of Israel, so that we may be wise and understanding. Every law we come across in our reading should make us stop and ask, “Why is this wise?” and “What does this reveal about humans?” and “What does this reveal about God?” For there are three things we really need to know about…nature, humanity and our Creator God.

In the Acts 6 passage, one verse sticks out to me in conjunction with this:

7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Why? Because, when the people of God are obedient to His call and desire for their lives, others will be attracted to us.  Sure, there will be persecution from some…but I think others will be drawn to check Jesus out. The attractiveness of Jesus during his ministry…drawing crowds of thousands…was because he was one with wisdom and understanding. We, as his “body,” have that same responsibility.

When I have done some not so wise things, when I have failed to understand the best way to act in a situation, I know that it has not reflected well on the Church of Jesus Christ. Today’s reading reminds me to speak and live with “the wisdom and the Spirit” (acts 6:10)

Jesus is so awesome. Every time I read the passage about Jesus on the beach having breakfast ready for the disciples, I have to stop and think about how cool that would have been. After working in the early hours of the morning, catching nothing, Jesus shows up and reveals his divine ability to them. Why they returned to fishing, and whether it was a one time thing or back to business as usual, we don’t know. But Peter couldn’t shake the feeling that he had let Jesus down…and that he was a failure of a disciple. Jesus’ restoration of Peter comes in the form of the same (basicly) question asked three times.  This must have reminded Peter of the three-fold denial.

I think it is a beautiful way to demonstrate restoration, by affirming Peter’s ability as a shepherd of the flock. Today, look for ways to affirm and encourage others, seek restoration…or better yet…initiate restoration with someone you’ve been estranged from.

Psalm 77 tells us why we labor through parts of Numbers, Leviticus, and why we read through the Gospels, even though it is familiar ground. Psalm 77 is a desert psalm. The psalmist is in pain…sleepless, fearful, and wresting with an absent God. Wow. We read there so that in the desert we will remember (verse 11).

Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.

There will be many times that God leads, and God provides, and God protects…and we will not see his footprints.

If you are struggling today…read psalm 77, and then read Deuteronomy 8 which we will be looking at on Palm Sunday.

In John’s account of Peter’s denial of Jesus, John makes it clear that Peter is struggling with the fear of identifying with Jesus. I think that this is a very real concern in our day, as Christians are portrayed so disparagingly in the media. Though sometimes deserving of criticism for being less loving and honest than Christ instructs us to be, the present attack on being a follower of Jesus will put us all into situations in which a denial of Jesus will be the easy way out. From Peter’s internal wiring, we can figure out a few potential mindset’s that will increase our likelihood of denial. 1) The ‘”not me” deception- The fact that Peter could think that he was invincible as a follower of Jesus was a mistake. All of us will fail him, and give in to temptation, and the idea that what happens to everyone else can’t happen to me is a huge lie. Honest confession of our own weakness will keep us focused on needing strength for today.

2)Reacting instead of Acting-Peter was always leading with his gut reaction and even in Galatians, after years of awesome, victorious, powerful ministry in growing the church, he was still susceptible to reacting to the situation rather than leading through planned action. The solution here is making sure that our gut reactions are trained by the Holy Spirit, and that we are vigilant in asking for God’s strength when the time comes to stand for Christ. That leads me to…

3)Planning for discomfort for the sake of holding to your values. Peter, in self-preservation mode, is willing to compromise his faith rather than accept the consequences. We make it easier to stand firm when we have an expectation of persecution. That said, make sure that when you suffer, you are persecuted for your faith, and not for being a jerk.  when we look at the issues of compromise and persecution, remember that there are good compromises and bad ones: Good compromise is the relinquishing of comfort for the sake of one’s values. Bad compromise is the relinquishing of values for the sake of comfort.

From Keith Green’s No Compromise Album:

Make my life a prayer to You
I wanna do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers no compromise
I wanna shine the light You gave
Thru Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You’re really there
Chorus
Well I wann thank you know
For being patient with me
Oh it’s so hard to see
When my eyes are on me
I guess I’ll have to trus
And just believe what You say
Oh you’re coming again
Coming to take me away
I wanna die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me
The love that set me free
I wanna tell the world out there
You’re not some fable or fairy tale
That I’ve made up inside my head
You’re God the Son and You’ve risen from the dead
Chorus
I wanna die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me
The love that set me free

I read a book a little while back called, “why Smart People do Dumb things” by Mortimer Feinberg. The basic premise is that many very intelligent people, who are gifted with business sense, or political acumen, also possess a fatal flaw to which they are blind. Their wold comes crashing down when they do something incredibly stupid.  Feinberg traces these life-changing blunders to four reasons:

• Hubris. Pride to the point that you no longer feel shame, no longer believe that you are subject to public opinion, and no longer need to fear “the gods.” Examples: Gary Hart’s involvement with Donna Rice that ended his run for the presidency and the Dennis Kozlowski’s (Tyco) $2 million toga party.

• Arrogance. From the Latin word arrogare: “to claim for oneself.” Arrogant people believe they have claim to anything and everything they want–they are “entitled” to it. King David, for example, felt entitled to the wife (Bathsheba) of one of his soldiers. Modern day King Davids feel entitled to corporate jets and an entourage to tell them that their keynote speech rocked.

• Narcissism. Self absorption to the point that you are blind to reality. The world only exists to provide you gratification. Examples: Richard Nixon and Watergate; the Clintons and Whitewater—really just about every politician and CEO who falls from grace.

• Unconscious need to fail. If you think failing is hard, try winning. The questions that go through people’s minds when they they are on the doorstep of success are: Do I really deserve to win? Do I want the pressure of constantly having to win in the future? Can I really handle success? Perhaps this explains why professional athletes still take performance enhancement drugs even after watching their colleagues get busted.

Read more about the book at: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/09/why_smart_peopl.html#ixzz0iWi9hOLZ

So today’s reading is a powerful reminder that those the Lord places in leadership are to rid themselves of these qualities. The Numbers passage makes this provision: the Aaronic priesthood gets the best of what was offered. The best is to demonstrate the value of their position and ministry before the Lord, and that it was offered by the people removes them from a position of arrogance. They are dependent on the gifts of the people. Pretty cool to mix encouragement and privilege with humble dependence.

The Psalm today shows us that God will sometimes use external sources to keep us humble.  better that that Lord balance us than we tuble because of our own sin.

The John reading is the most obvious as Jesus tells his disciples to lead through service. That the posture of a good leader is stooping to serve.  I’m going to spend the day on that one.

If there were ever words of prophetic irony, those spoken by Caiaphas are the definitive ones.

47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

As the religious leadership of Israel is deeply concerned about the growing support for Jesus, they meet together to discuss what to do.  From our perspective we might say, “Why not just believe him?…look at what he is doing.” They obviously know what he is doing…that’s pretty clear in verse 47. But their concern is apparently that the Romans would not like this new religious group and the possible conflict of another religious sect in Judea.  When you look at Israel’s history from the Maccabean period onward, there is little to be excited about. A simple article to note is this one from aish.com about conflicts within Judaism and how they ultimately INVITED Rome to mediate their dispute. From aish.com:

During Herod’s reign…The general Roman attitude was one of tolerance, meaning Jews were granted exemptions from the official Roman state religion. A very interesting point to remember is that religion and state went together in all empires in the ancient world, and more so in Rome than almost anywhere because Rome also practiced emperor worship — that is, the Romans deified their emperors posthumously.

Linking state and religion gave the rulers added legitimacy, obviously. The connection between temporal power and spiritual power gave them complete control over the physical existence and spiritual existence of their subjects.

But this low key approach only worked as long as the factions within Judaism could get along enough for  internal stability (and collecting taxes!) So this was the internal conflict at the time of Jesus:

The Jewish reaction to the presence of the Romans – who were dominating the Holy Land and worshipping idols – had many faces.

• Hellenized and assimilated Jews. They welcomed the Roman presence and profited by it. They were angry with other Jews who resisted Roman domination.
• The Sadducees. For the most part, these were wealthy Jews who denied the Divine origin of the Oral Law. They dominated (and corrupted) the Temple hierarchy, and were willing to cooperate with the Romans to keep their power base. They saw other Jewish factions as troublemakers.
• The Pharisees. These were mainstream Jews who wanted nothing to do with the Romans, but they were pragmatic. They wanted Judaism to survive and short of giving up their religious principles were willing to make the best of the Roman domination. They disapproved of the other Jewish factions – those that tried to curry favor with the Romans and those that advocated open rebellion.
• The Zealots. They were comprised of several different groups of nationalistic extremists. Amongst the zealots was a group called the Sicarii (meaning "dagger") who derived their name from the concealed daggers they carried that were used to murder their political opponents. They were incensed at the Roman presence and were angry with other Jews whom they saw as actively or tacitly cooperating with the Romans.
• The Biryonim. This was the criminal element often masquerading under the guise of nationalism. They sided with the Zealots.
• Splinter sects. These religious groups (such as the Essenes) held extreme views and opposed both the Sadducees and the Pharisees. For example, the Dead Sea Sect (famed for the Dead Sea Scrolls) expected the world to end shortly and went off to live in the desert to escape the depravity and corruption of city life and to prepare for the End of Days.

Jewish sources list 24 separate factions. Their conflicting views were a symptom of a disease afflicting the Jewish people at this time. The rabbis call this disease sinat chinam — "senseless hatred" of one Jew for another Jew.

It was the hope of Caiaphas, that the death of Jesus would be a rallying point for the nation…something upon which the Sadducees, Pharisees and Herodians could agree. What they did not realize is that the Lord had a plan in the death of Jesus that would literally save Israel in ways they could not imagine. In Christ, there was a recentering of the worship of the Lord from an ethnic heritage emphasis to a Christ-centered worship. (Not that the Jews liked that, but the worship of YAHWEH escalated exponetially.) In Christ, people were set free from sin, instead of the Romans. In Christ, people received eternal life. So Jesus died for the nation so that the nation would not perish, but have eternal life. Sadly in history, the physical nation lasted only 40 more years, and when the Jews sought independance in AD 66 , the Romans responded by leveling Jerusalem.

What do we grab out of this? That God has a plan…and can even use the actions of the ungodly and rebellious to accomplish it. Not that we are to oppose the Lord…rather we are inspired to follow Him all the more, seeing his sovereign control and abiding love for his people, sinful though they be.

Well Numbers 7 is pretty dry reading. It also repetitiously repeats the same phrases over and over again repeatedly. And you either come away with “that’s boring” or “that’s a lot of sacrifices.” But consider psalm 66 to be a window into the heart of the worshipper at the tabernacle on each of those days. What is going thru Nashon’s mind, or each of the chiefs of the tribes of Israel as they come before the Lord:

v5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will perform my vows to you,

This psalm is a reminder to us that there was more going on at the tabernacle than ritual. There was gladness of heart for the provision of the Lord. Let us make sure that our actions reflect a heart attitude of joy today.

Purpose
The author explicitly states his purpose near the end of his book (20:30–31). He wrote his Gospel to provide an account of Jesus’ life and the signs he performed so that people will believe in him and experience eternal life. Because the verb “believe” may be translated “continue to believe,” his purpose no doubt included building up Jesus’ followers as well as converting unbelievers.
Christian Worldview Elements
John deals particularly with the world-view categories of covenant and redemption, discipleship, and time and eternity. Jesus’ death as an “appointment with destiny” is especially emphasized. The importance of believing in Jesus in order to be his disciple and to receive eternal life are pronounced.
Teachings about God
John emphasized the sovereignty and the love of God in sending Jesus. Jesus perfectly reveals God (1:18). In particular Jesus’ astounding proclamations that begin with “I am” are remarkable claims about both his person and work. Jesus’ teaching on the Spirit (“the Comforter”) is more extensive than in any other Gospel (chaps. 14–16). This Gospel especially reveals the glory and the name of the Father and the Son.
Teachings about Humanity
Humans are sinners in need of a Savior. They are unable to do anything toward their salvation but are wholly dependent on God’s initiative through Jesus. Many individuals demonstrate this: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the man born blind.
Teachings about Salvation
This Gospel, more than the others, emphasizes strongly a personal relationship with Jesus that’s built on faith in him and his sacrificial death. Faith in Jesus is salvation and eternal life. One such text is 10:27–28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life.” John balances between God’s sovereign election of some for eternal life (6:44) and the invitation to “whosoever” (3:16).
CHRIST IN JOHN
In John, Jesus is the Logos, the Word of God who was with God and was God. Jesus is God in flesh. Jesus’ deity is further amplified in his seven “I am” sayings (I am the bread of life; the light of the world; the door of the sheep; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way, the truth, and the life; the true vine).

John’s emphases on Jesus’ lordship and deity have already been noted. Yet this Gospel related far fewer of Jesus’ miracles than did the others. John selected a limited number because of their sign value in pointing to Jesus’ true identity. The “I am” teachings also point to Jesus’ identity, in particular because of their connection with the earlier revelation of God as “I Am” (Exod. 3:14). In this Gospel, Jesus calls his appointment with death his “hour” (contrast 2:4; 7:30 with 13:1; 17:1).
Summary taken from: Kendell H. Easley, Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding the Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2002). 262–263.