“And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.” A person that knows the story of Israel may read a verse such as this one and laugh out loud! The record of God’s people is one of often disobedience and a regular pattern of rebellion, restoration, and more rebellion. The Hebrew people were eye-witness to the power and miraculous glory of God. They were also the first to receive His written word. Yet, God often described them as a stubborn and sinful people. I don’t believe, even after this commitment, that God expected perfection. He had provided a host of means within the law to cover failure and defeat. His concern then and now is that His people confess sin, forsake it, and look to Him for strength to proceed on a better path. Christians ought to make a similar verbal commitment to their Savior today. In fact, we have already made it in a non-verbal way if we have chosen to place our faith in Christ for salvation. A component of our calling out for redemption is always a commitment to follow. We should not fear declarative statements of intention to serve. They are not fool-hearty if we will only mean them from our hearts and rely on the Lord to help us fulfill them.
“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” A few sheep, goats or even pieces of silver make insignificant restitution for the purity of a young woman. While modern feminism would chastise us for saying it; girls are often silly, immature, and quick to give their affection for romantic words. The man who would offer this deceitful enticement is a rogue, certainly unworthy of the one he woos. Still, if he has one ounce of shame, one shred of honor, and the permission of her father, he may lawfully make amends. Both participants in this act display faults that are common to man. Every observer of their sin should identify, but never make excuse. Young or old, men must not be slave to every whim of fleshly desire. Today the world makes every justification, even boldly declaring these passions “cannot be tamed”. Of course, this is a ridiculous and shameful lie that succeeds only in reminding us how far we have fallen as a culture. The principle of this law is more than applicable today. Followers of Christ found sinning in this way would do well to examine God’s law for Israel, finding in it righteous advice to restore themselves to Him.
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Outside the Genesis account itself, this is perhaps the most well-known Old Testament passage affirming a six day creation. This is important to note simply because so many choose to call God a liar, accepting instead the faulty and sometimes downright preposterous theories of men. Our week, just as the Biblical creation week, consists of seven twenty four hour days. It’s a good thing too, because the sabbath principle is modeled after God’s creative process. Six million years would be a long time to wait for rest! Doctrines that attempt to meld worldly hypotheses with Christian teaching are shameful, dealing dishonestly with clear scriptural text. Gap theorists, theistic evolutionists and others naysayers within Christianity are gravely, profoundly and verifiably wrong. They consider the evidence of sinful men, doubting the word of God, and fearing a flaw has been discovered in the foundation of their faith. This sinful thought process sometimes leads to scriptural acrobatics that pervert Biblical understanding. Our Bible makes the truth of creation very clear. Don’t panic and believe a lie.
In an effort to share photos in a more timely and efficient manner with friends and family, we set up a Harper photo blog back in August. For a while we were publishing a new image every day; that is until we moved, experienced a phone company mix-up and were without an internet connection for almost a month. Now we are back in regular-posting mode, although with three small children and a busy church and work life we can’t promise anything.
In the same tradition as our daily devotions, the photos will come at as steady a pace as we can manage. Simply click the next or previous buttons at the bottom right to peruse the entire collection. Posts are also tagged rather clearly, so you can visit entries featuring specific subjects or members of the family. If you’d rather have each new photo sent via e-mail, just type your address in this form and click the confirm link that shows up in your inbox.
By the way, even when we are not posting new photos or blog articles on a regular basis, we are always active on FriendFeed. Click to Latest tab at the top right of this site to see what’s happening on an almost hour by hour basis.
“If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” Jethro had just provided Moses with a sound piece of advice regarding ministry methodology. Taking Moses’ own personal health into consideration, Jethro advised that he divide his responsibilities with other Godly and capable men. Up until this point in the story, it is difficult to determine whether or not this advice is right for Moses. God had indeed placed the responsibility for leadership on his shoulders. Should he not then bear the burden on his own? This verse is pivotal in finding the answer. It causes us to believe that Jethro is concerned that Moses not simply do what seems good, but rather that which is acceptable to the Lord. A combination of factors lead us to this conclusion, including Jethro’s genuine concern for Moses, his care in recommending only men that fear God, and his stipulation here: “if God commands”. All spiritual advice will have similar ingredients, pointing us toward God’s best. While pragmatic consideration of facts has its place, our desire should be to please the Savior.
“And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.” While catching up with family and friends, rehearsing all that has happened in the time of our separation, let us not fail to give glory to God for His guidance and blessing. Moses’ conversation with his father in law begins and ends with the Lord. Certainly it’s easy to look at the experience of Israel believing our victories are minor by comparison, but God is at work in all of His own, desiring and deserving honor. Our flesh would tempt us to take credit for ourselves, but we must resist and point consistently to the Savior. Without His saving power we would remain slaves to sin; without His daily leadership we would choose wrong paths; and without His intervention in times of difficulty we would experience only defeat. Moses expressed with words all the Lord had done, choosing not to take credit for himself in victories that were (indeed) not his own. The result is glory for the wonderful Lord of Israel, and great respect for a man of God who recognized he was only a tool in the hand of The Almighty.
Devotions | Chris | 
November 15, 2008 8:00 am | 
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