God bless memes. Sometimes they say so clearly with humor what we struggle to communicate with mere truth. Take for example the meme I saw recently of a Jersey Shore guy where the caption read, "Only God can judge me? That should scare you!" LOL Right? As if our predisposition to be critical is somehow less tolerable than the judgment of the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Rest assured, I'd rather be judged by people however unfairly and harshly that might be than to be judged by God. He's terrifying! Have you read that Book He wrote?
One of my friends told me her son had a natural curiosity about faith and about God so they decided to read the Bible together. For a small child, some of it was a bit R-rated - violence, sexual content, wrath, the whole nine. They decided instead to start with a book of Bible stories on her young son's level. The R-rated content would wait for a more mature minds.
I don't want to paint a bad picture of faith in general or the Bible in particular. I love Scripture! It's beautiful in its depth and its portrayal of exactly who God is. I'm not sure I fully appreciated how much so until I visited Israel. I can tell you that being in Israel will make your Bible seem like a pop-up book. Scenes come alive as you read and as you remember how factual and how real it all is because you've seen the land, and felt its spirit there.
If you know me at all, you've likely heard me say this a thousand times already - the reason we have such sloppy grace and lazy believers in our modern Christian culture is because we spend too much time in the second half of the Book. Unless you read the first testament, you'll never know what God has saved you from and saved you to and saved you for. (I'm looking at you who teach that the "fear of the Lord" just means respect.) There's a reason whenever God showed up in the Bible the immediate reaction was the fall facedown. Sometimes, fear means fear; and if you've read the Bible at all you would agree that God can be terrifying. It's only because of Jesus we don't have to be terrified.
Another reason I love the first half of the Bible, is because it so beautifully tells the story of God's love for Israel, and my story as a Christian is merely a sequel to that. My story of love for and faith in Jesus makes no sense apart from the story of Israel and Judaism. Every good thing I have as a believer came from Israel or was preserved by the Jewish people or fulfilled entirely the story that began with them, and tonight we begin celebrating one of those things - Scripture itself.
At sundown, the Jewish Feast of Shavuot begins. You likely know this celebration by its better known name, the Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks after Passover, we celebrate the fact that God spoke to us through the Torah. In the second half of the Bible, we also celebrate the fact that God sent His Spirit to enable and empower us until we're reunited with Him. Shavuot is a humble acknowledgement that this terrifying God with impossible demands was also gracious enough to tell us how to please Him. Unlike the gods of the ancient near east who were unpredictable and unfair and unruly, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is faithful to His word, He is just and He is sovereign.
Part of Shavuot is to begin the celebration by reading from Ezekiel. That seems odd since the feast is centered on when God gave Moses the Law. Wouldn't we read the Law? Instead, in synagogues all over the world tonight, they'll read these words from Ezekiel 1...
When my Dad passed away a few years ago, I was so delighted to have on my phone a voicemail from him on my previous birthday. In half-voice because he needed oxygen, and in more than one key, he sang "birthing hap-day" one more time with a jaunty "and many more happy returns" tagged on the end. I saved that for months. I listened to it often just to hear the sound of his voice and to remember him. I loved that voicemail. It reminded me of so many things I love about my Dad.
Our heavenly Father left us His message as well. In all of His terror and fury and justice, in full voice and in beautiful tone, He spoke through holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit. And we have it in our hands, on our phones, on our book shelves and prayerfully in our hearts. Oh may we love it always. May we trust it more and lean into its fulness and beauty in the midst of an ugly world. Through it may we find the God who loves and communicated that love through His Son Jesus. May His love and His Word endure forever.
One of my friends told me her son had a natural curiosity about faith and about God so they decided to read the Bible together. For a small child, some of it was a bit R-rated - violence, sexual content, wrath, the whole nine. They decided instead to start with a book of Bible stories on her young son's level. The R-rated content would wait for a more mature minds.
I don't want to paint a bad picture of faith in general or the Bible in particular. I love Scripture! It's beautiful in its depth and its portrayal of exactly who God is. I'm not sure I fully appreciated how much so until I visited Israel. I can tell you that being in Israel will make your Bible seem like a pop-up book. Scenes come alive as you read and as you remember how factual and how real it all is because you've seen the land, and felt its spirit there.
If you know me at all, you've likely heard me say this a thousand times already - the reason we have such sloppy grace and lazy believers in our modern Christian culture is because we spend too much time in the second half of the Book. Unless you read the first testament, you'll never know what God has saved you from and saved you to and saved you for. (I'm looking at you who teach that the "fear of the Lord" just means respect.) There's a reason whenever God showed up in the Bible the immediate reaction was the fall facedown. Sometimes, fear means fear; and if you've read the Bible at all you would agree that God can be terrifying. It's only because of Jesus we don't have to be terrified.
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| The Western Wall of Jerusalem |
At sundown, the Jewish Feast of Shavuot begins. You likely know this celebration by its better known name, the Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks after Passover, we celebrate the fact that God spoke to us through the Torah. In the second half of the Bible, we also celebrate the fact that God sent His Spirit to enable and empower us until we're reunited with Him. Shavuot is a humble acknowledgement that this terrifying God with impossible demands was also gracious enough to tell us how to please Him. Unlike the gods of the ancient near east who were unpredictable and unfair and unruly, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is faithful to His word, He is just and He is sovereign.
Part of Shavuot is to begin the celebration by reading from Ezekiel. That seems odd since the feast is centered on when God gave Moses the Law. Wouldn't we read the Law? Instead, in synagogues all over the world tonight, they'll read these words from Ezekiel 1...
I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. 23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,[b] like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel's vision is strange and the stuff of science fiction, but it's also very real. Most importantly, don't miss the last verse - "this was the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking." This truly awe-inspiring, strange and yes, even terrifying vision landed the prophet facedown before the presence of God. And God spoke.
We seem to be somewhat cavalier about the voice of God. We expect Him to speak by making an impression on our heart or mind. We hope to hear from Him on Sunday a Pastor or teacher (and God help us if you don't feel fed by him). All the while we neglect the Bible on the nightstand hoping the God who put all things in motion and then rested on the seventh day will be understanding of our busy schedules that keep us from reading what He said.
Literally.
What.He.Said.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2Timothy 3:16
When my Dad passed away a few years ago, I was so delighted to have on my phone a voicemail from him on my previous birthday. In half-voice because he needed oxygen, and in more than one key, he sang "birthing hap-day" one more time with a jaunty "and many more happy returns" tagged on the end. I saved that for months. I listened to it often just to hear the sound of his voice and to remember him. I loved that voicemail. It reminded me of so many things I love about my Dad.
Our heavenly Father left us His message as well. In all of His terror and fury and justice, in full voice and in beautiful tone, He spoke through holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit. And we have it in our hands, on our phones, on our book shelves and prayerfully in our hearts. Oh may we love it always. May we trust it more and lean into its fulness and beauty in the midst of an ugly world. Through it may we find the God who loves and communicated that love through His Son Jesus. May His love and His Word endure forever.