STRANGE FIRE

Fire  “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on the fire and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.” Lev. 10:1. Strange Fire, that phrase caught my attention in the book of Leviticus, and again in Numbers.  Quite honestly, I think it would make a great movie or book title, don’t you? In the frightening solitude of a forest, a lost man scrabbled about in the murky darkness searching for signs of life.  In the distance a strange fire glowed.  He approached it.  Sorry, I got carried away in the scene. Now, back to Nadad and Abihu. As I’ve mentioned before, Leviticus set out in detail, unquestionable detail, rules for the people to follow.  These included everything from hygiene, to finances, relationships and the daily rituals of sacrifice and use of the tabernacle.  Did I mention they were uber-specific?  Well, they were! There was no room for self-expression. These two men were from the tribe of Levi, and they, along with all the men of the clan, were the only ones to serve God as priests. Their father Aaron, Moses’ brother was the high priest.  Being expressly ordained by God as priests, their sole obligation was to perform the ritual to God’s exacting specifications.  That doesn’t sound so difficult, does it?  All they had to do was follow the directions.  What went wrong that day?  What transformed the holy flame to strange fire? We aren’t told the details, and I’m OK with that.  What I believe God wants us to take away from this story is that there is God’s way, and there’s our way.  When we venture away from what brings honor to our Creator, no matter how small a detour we think it is, it’s going to slowly erode our relationship with him.  Back in those days, the people lived under the old covenant that God made with Moses and the nation of Israel.  Blood sacrifice was at the center of all worship, and the altar fires burned night and day.  Everything had to be perfect, and the animal had to be unblemished.  Only the shed blood of this flawless creature could atone for sin, but not forever.  Sacrifices went on and on, with no end in sight.  I find it fascinating that this system casts a light on the new covenant that we live under. The consummate sacrifice, the blood of the perfect lamb, Jesus. Nothing less is able to quench the sin debt we incurred.  No amount of good works, not church attendance, nor anything godly appearing, but man-made doctrines will satisfy our outstanding debt. Now, back to Nadab and his brother.  Maybe they came in to work a bit hungover that day. Maybe they decided to vary from the format a scooch, add their own flare, so to speak. Bad idea.  “But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.” Numbers 3:4. It was a hard lesson to learn, for those two, and for the nation. God demanded perfection, and had set it out precisely.  Anything less wouldn’t get the job done, so they were fired, pardon the pun, as they were cremated where they stood, in front of the strange fire.  My take away from this tale is this; I’m joyful to live under the new covenant! Seriously, the point is when we repent of our sins, and humbly allow Christ to guide our lives, we are forgiven by grace and his perfect, shed blood was the ultimate deal-sealer.  However, we have to be ever vigilant that we don’t get drawn into the warmth of Strange Fires, things that sound Godly, but aren’t.  Those fires can be oh so appealing, but when they add or take away from God’s word stay back, or you will get burned. Don’t forget that St. Peter was warming his hands in one, and there denied Jesus. Instead, be the flame that draws the lost to the God’s light. God will supply always the fuel, when we ask!! “I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Luke 12:49. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6

 

                                                                       

 

 

Bumping Into Jesus

How often have you come home from a trip to WalMart and told someone, “Guess who I bumped into today?”  The game begins with the obvious choices, and usually ends in a name from the past.  It’s always fun to chat with someone you haven’t seen in a while, but for the most part, that’s all it is. The most we take away from the experience is gossip. However, a chance encounter can, on occasion, be life-changing.  Let’s go back to a time BC (before Corona) when people actually got together in large groups.  We can all relate to the days when crowds would gather at festive parties, sporting events, concerts, restaurants and even church.  Often, the proximity of bodies in a confined area meant that we would physically bump into each other.  No biggie, we’d apologize and that was that.  Most times it wouldn’t even amount to that.  In a big crowd, who knows who bumped you.  One of my favorite Bible stories is the Woman with the issue of blood, but let’s more aptly retitle it to, “I bumped into Jesus today”. “As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. 43A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding,g and she could find no cure. 44Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.45“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”46But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. 48“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”” Luke 8:43-48.  At this point in his ministry, Jesus had quite a following.  The word on the cobbled streets was, that miraculous healings were taking place. Not just colds and headaches, but people with serious diseases and afflictions.  Long before social media, his works had gone viral among the masses. Let’s freeze this frame for a moment.  A desperate woman, a crowded city street, and the dusty fringe on a man’s robe. Let me interject that the physical desperation this unnamed woman experienced also affected her financially, and socially.  Her savings had been spent on quack doctors, to no avail, and because she was in a constant state of being “unclean”, according to Levitical law, she couldn’t interact with anyone, let alone touch them.  As the old saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. She must have learned from someone that Jesus was coming through town, so she mustered all the strength she had, and entered the throng.  She was well aware of the violation, but it was her last chance for wholeness.  Finding a niche in the plastered alleyway, she waited for her opportunity.  Heart racing, palms sweating she knew her action would make Jesus unclean, so she decided to touch only the hem of his garment. As he approached, her trembling hand extended towards the precious target.  The pushing and shoving almost made her pull back, but hope sustained her until she felt the tassels on her skin. At once she knew she was healed. After suffering for so long, her spirit rejoiced. Now I can hug my grandchildren, she must have thought. No one even knows what I did, that is until Jesus stopped and asked who had touched him.  There was no where to hide, she had been found out, so she might as well fess up.  Instead of an angry rebuke, which she expected, Jesus lovingly confirmed her self-diagnosis.  I can even envision him embracing her as he helped her to her feet.  Talk about a good day!  Can you feel her joy, too?  We don’t hear about this woman again in scripture, but her testimony was bound to have made believers every where she went.  If I were that woman, I’d never tire of telling the story!  Oh wait, I am that woman, in a sense, so are we, every one of us who has bumped into the savior with a purpose, to receive His healing of our sin-sick lives. It will be a happy day when we can bump into people again in public, but the happiest is the day we bump into Jesus.

Be a Bezalel 

Bezalel ”The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,  to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.” Exodus 31:1-5. 

Here’s a trivia question for you.  Approximately how many people were in the group of Jewish exiles who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years? While there is no exact figure, we can get a pretty good idea.  Moses was asked to take a census of the male population over the age of 20, who were able to go to war, and it amounted to 603,500.  Now let’s take into consideration all the older men, the whole tribe of Levi, younger men and boys, women and children, and you have a number reaching 3 million, give or take. Consider, if you will, that the population of Chicago is roughly 2.7 million, and you get a mental snapshot of the enormity of this group of sojourners. What did they do with their time besides fashioning golden calves and complaining about the food?  It appears that those activities did consume a goodly portion of the early days, but after being set straight, and having the rules written out for them in stone, twice, God set them with a big task.  Build the tabernacle!  No, not bake a pumpernickel or lance a carbuncle, although the people were kind of a festering boil sometimes, but fashion the moveable version of the Temple, where God met with his flock.  This was not merely pitching a tent in the sand, oh no!  In my reading and now rereading of the book of Exodus, I happened upon the name of Bezalel.  Normally I’d file him along with those other unpronounceable Old Testament names, and move on, I had the first time I read it. This time, however, God had me linger over this passage.  God was embarking on a gargantuan undertaking and he needed a specific person to help him accomplish it.  No, he didn’t post a want ad, or ask for sealed bids, instead he looked over all those 603,500, and Bezalel got the call.  Not only was he called, but God filled him with his Holy Spirit, with intelligence, ability and knowledge. Talk about on the job training!! We don’t know what qualifications Bezalel had in Egypt, but that doesn’t matter because God qualified him.  Here was a regular guy, sitting around bored and whittling on a dry bone, when Moses tapped him on the shoulder. I won’t bore you with the details of the construction, you can read about it in Exodus, suffice it to say it was quite an undertaking.  What I do want to emphasize is that God needed a man who could build it exactly the way He wanted it done.  Bezalel might have done it on his own, before God filled him, or he could have looked up similar projects on Pinterest, but that was not God’s way.  Moses received the blueprints, directly from God the architect, verbally explained them to Bezalel, and viola, he understood perfectly and got right to work.  The rest of the population chipped in gold, cloth, silver, gems, oil and everything that was necessary for the completion of the work.  In fact, so much stuff was donated that Bezalel had to tell them to quit bringing any more.  The Ark of the Covenant was chief among the projects, but certainly not all. Altars, lavers, drapes, priestly robes and utensils to name but a few. As I mentioned, read it for yourself, or Google images of the tabernacle. Amazing! So, what, you might ask.  That’s ancient history, doesn’t apply to us now.  Au contraire, my friends, it applies more than ever.  I think a lot of us are sitting around whittling like old Bezzie, waiting for something to happen.  He had a talent, maybe he didn’t even know it, but God saw it, called him, pumped it up and the rest is history.  What talent do you have?  You know you have one, but even if you aren’t sure, ask God. I didn’t know I could write, but He did, with His Holy Spirit’s help. Don’t just watch others on HGTV or some other creative show, apply for the job.  God is waiting to fill you with His Spirit, ability, talent and knowledge.  Oh, what we can construct for his kingdom when we work in conjunction with Him.  Let’s roll up our sleeves, and get started! Oh, by the way, there is a University in Jerusalem named after this obedient servant

                                                                   

The Amazing Road Trip Through the Word 

Back in the year 2019 BC (before corona) I picked up a Bible reading guide. My goal was to read through it in a year.  It was set up with daily scriptures from both the Old and New testaments, and it allowed me to check off little boxes for each one completed.  While the idea of reading the whole Bible was dauting, and I’d never done it before, I figured age 70 was a good time to start, and the check-offs would visually show my progress. That appealed to me. That said, I put the guide aside, and almost forgot about it until January 2020 rolled around.  Maybe I was using it as a bookmark in my Jack Reacher novel, but whatever, I came across it.  The pandemic hadn’t struck yet, and the world seemed as normal as our world can seem, and having nothing better to do, I thought I’d start in. Knowing my track record, on keeping up with projects, I doubted my own commitment on January 1^st.  I’m not telling you this to get pats on the back, but feel free if you want to, but to let you know how astonishing a journey this was to be for me.  At the get go I was more into checking off boxes than absorbing the words. But that changed as each day I actually began looking forward to picking up where I left off.  Genesis came to life for me, from Creation through the Passover, the stories and characters took on flesh, and called me back for more.  Okay, maybe not Leviticus with all its laws and animal sacrifice, or Numbers that abounded with strange names, but God always showed me something to dig into. I’m happy to report to you that I finished right on schedule, and have the little checked-off guide as my witness.  I took the year 2021 off, and felt something was missing, I found it hard to pick up the Bible and just read. Oh, I’d read devotions and such, and while they were beneficial, I began to long for the habit of meeting with God.  The Bible is after all his love letter to us, and even though it can be tough to comprehend at times, it encouraged me and strengthened my walk with him.  I picked up a new check-off guide last fall, and have started the journey again.  What a joy it was to meet up with my old pals the Patriarchs, the Apostles and to discover new characters, that in my haste to box-check, I skimmed over.  Now I keep a journal by my side, and jot down names, phrases and anything that I want to learn more about.  It’s been years since I’ve written, but I want to share with you some of my new friends, and the lessons I’m learning.  I encourage you to latch on to a Bible-reading guide, or I can get one for you, you will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life.  “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” Psalm 12:6  Enjoy the amazing road ahead!!

Put on Your Freedom Clothes 

One of my favorite TV programs is, “Finding Your Roots”.  As the title implies, it leads people on a journey back through their ancestral past. In one particular episode the guest journeyer was Dr. Phil McGraw. As he learned, one of his great great great grandfathers had been an indentured slave/servant. I pause here because the definition of indentured is critical at this point. Webster’s dictionary explains an indentured slave as a person who signs, and is bound by indentures to work for another for a specified time especially in return for payment of travel expenses and maintenance. Simply put, the person willingly, and legally places themselves into slavery, until a debt can be paid.  The debt may be either monetary or criminal.  Many convicts from Europe chose this option rather than death or life in prison. That could be a precarious position to place yourself.  Unless it is specifically noted, one could labor for years never fulfilling the debt.  The good news for Grand Pappy McGraw came the day his debt was paid. Upon his release he also received his “Freedom Clothes”. That term, one I’d never heard before, nor had Dr. Phil, burrowed deep into my soul. Simply put, it was the suit of new, clean clothing that the ex-slave donned as he began his new life.  Modern-day prisoners receive similar outfits upon their release.  Before we came into relationship with Christ, we too were held tight by the chains of slavery, and a debt that could never be repaid by our own efforts. You may not remember having signed such a document, but old Grandpa Adam enrolled us way back in the garden of Eden. From that point on we were on Satan’s time clock.  Sin was our master, whether we realized it or not.  The Apostle Paul preached it this way, “Don't you 

know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—" Rom. 6:16. Yes, we were all obedient slaves, and many still are. Do you remember that the very first time Jesus spoke publicly, this is what he read? “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Luke 4:18. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, he promised to rip up that indenture agreement, and pay our long outstanding debt with his own blood.  Of all the scriptures he could have referred to, this is the one God wanted us to be aware of first. Interesting, isn’t it?  It sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?  The catch, if you can call it that, is having faith in the unbelievable. That is a huge task for us earth-tethered humans. But when we, in humble repentance, draw near to our Savior, still clothed in filthy rags, broke as the Ten Commandments, and shackled by our sins to Satan, he draws near to us with the key. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8. Timidly we hold out the cruel irons, he inserts the ancient key and the fetters fall with a heavy clunk.  The weight of sin removed; he helps us put on our freedom clothes.   “… clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”  Rom. 13:14. Just as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, so he reminds us not to return to the bondage of Sin.  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ...”  Gal. 5:1. ”  My prayer today is that we all are willing to share our emancipation stories with the captives of this world. And, if that isn’t good news enough, tell them that their Freedom Clothes are provided in just the perfect size!

Pandemic Ponderings- My daily thoughts on this time in history.

Monday March 23: I already mentioned that bread, along with toilet paper is in scarce supply. So, I decide to make some. Anticipating this shortage, there have been numerous easy recipes on line. I pick one, and throw myself into it up to my elbows, literally. As I’m kneading, the harmonies of the Beach Boys drift up the stairs. Joe is down in the basement doing his exercises, while listening to old vinyl records on the turntable I bought him for Christmas. I’m singing along to Surfer Girl, still pounding on the developing glutenous blob, when the track changes. The song is In My Room. Not the fun in the sun, grab your surfboard tune you associate with these guys, it’s sweetly moody. In this new normal, the words strike a chord within me, if you’ll excuse the pun. Here they are:
There’s a world where I can go
And tell my troubles to
In my room, in my room
In this world I lock out
All my worries and my fears
In my room, in my room
Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday
Now it’s dark and I’m alone
But I won’t be afraid.
In my room, in my room
Since I’m in the in the house so much, and for who knows how much longer, I spend precious time in my room. Reading/studying my Bible, praying, resting, cleaning closets, reading some more, and meditating on the situation we find ourselves in. Even during the night, I find myself waking up for no reason, so I put the time to use by praying some more. The song brought to mind this verse from Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Corporate prayer is hard to accomplish right now, but God loves it when we come to him one-on-one. After all he is our Father, and what parent doesn’t treasure that precious time.

I doubt that Brian Wilson was inspired by this verse, but it sure got me thinking. During this unprecedented event in world history, what are we doing with our time? Sleeping in, babysitting, binge watching Netflix, answering questions about yourself on Facebook, making mountains of food? Okay, I’m guilty as charged on that last one. None of these things is bad, but a steady diet of them will leave us bloated and lethargic, spiritually. Just what the enemy wants. If Satan can get our minds away from God, he is delighted. Getting away from the news, kitchen and social media, and going to our “rooms” for a while takes strength. Please discipline yourself to spend some quality time, alone, in your room with your Father. “The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” James 5:16

Even the Beach Boys knew that great things can happen when we’re alone. We as Christians need to realize that fact more than ever. When we seclude ourselves with God, our prayers are effective, they are working to change the natural state into the super-natural. Go ahead and make some cookies, or watch a movie or 3, but don’t get so busy that you forget to pray. Now, all of you go to your rooms, and let's kick covid19 to the curb! We can do it together!!

It is Finished

                                                                    







                                                                        It Is Finished 

“Take (the animal) all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. But burn the flesh of the bull, its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering.” Ex. 29:14. Sacrifice, as prescribed in the old testament, was the only method in which human sin could be removed. The animal, or victim as it was referred to, was slaughtered in an exacting procedure that God himself had instituted. The rite did not vary, and the victim was checked for imperfections, because only spotless, blemish-free animals were worthy. Please note that the choice parts of the animal were burn inside on the altar, but the lesser cuts, were hauled outside of town and burned. It was believed that the sin was contained in these pieces, and must be taken out to a remote area. Hence, the chance of the sin returning were lessened. For countless generations, faithful Jews would bring their sacrificial animals to the priest. He would perform the ancient ritual, day after day, year after year, in hopes of attaining a personal cleansing. The problem was, sin always returned. The blood of animals, no matter how perfect, could never completely remove the offences. It was never finished. Job security for the priest, you might say, but tedious for everyone else. But, with no other option, the massacres continued. “Oh, if only there was an uber-perfect victim, one whom God would accept, then we could put an end to this bloodshed.” This must have been the constant lament of the nation. 


You may not see the connection between this gory scene and Calvary, so let me explain. 
Keep reminding yourself that Jesus was born and died a Jewish man, that’s important. Fast forward to the year 33 AD. The Passover is in full swing in the city of Jerusalem. Observant Jews from all over the world have congregated to celebrate. Historians believe that as many as 2.5 million people would converge to participate and to sacrifice. Up to 250,000 animals were offered up during this week-long period, I’m sure Jesus took an animal up as well. But still no end in sight. We are all too familiar with the events leading up to what we now refer to as Good Friday. The arrest, the mockery of a trial, the road to the barren hill outside of town, and finally, the crucifixion. For three hours he endured unimaginable pain, the jeers of the crowd and weight of man’s sins. “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:28-30. The prophetic pieces had all fallen into place. Jesus, the unblemished victim, carrying the sin of the world upon him, was taken outside of town, just like the sinful parts of those animal sacrifices. However, this time God accepted the perfect victim, on behalf of all mankind. Jesus knew his work was done, and his last words summed it up…IT IS FINISHED. No more ram, bull or dove barbecues. No more shed blood, ever again. That folks, is our hope, our good news, and there is nothing we can add, it’s complete. Hallelujah!