January 20
TO READ: Jeremiah 23:23-32
Dream and Dreamers
aLet these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between chaff and wheat!a Jeremiah 23:28
A young man was preparing to a.s.sist missionaries in Europe. Shortly before he was due to leave for his a.s.signment, he had a dream so vivid that he could describe it in detail. He had seen a beach with a boat drawn up on the sand and a young man sitting in the shade of the boat. The dreamer was so impressed that he felt constrained to change his plans and spend the summer in another country. This he did, and one day that summer he came across a beach that he recognized as the one in his dream. There on the beach was the boat and the young man who was in his dream. They engaged in conversation. The young man by the boat asked questions concerning spiritual matters and that day professed faith in Christ. The last report of him was that he was actively involved in a local fellowship of believers. G.o.d can and does communicate to us in dreams!
But beware! Jeremiah knew only too well that dreamers who profess to have a message from the Lord should not necessarily be accepted at face value. There are some who claim to have a message from G.o.d who, in actuality, have no such thing. Instead, they are seeking to authenticate their own imaginations and investing their own ideas with divine sanction. If we believe the fabrications, it can result in profound spiritual confusion when it is later discovered that they were lies.
The problem is, how do you differentiate between a genuine, revealed message from G.o.d and the product of a wicked or vain imagination? The key is to test what is said against Scripture. Jeremiah was told by the Lord, aLet these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between chaff and wheata (Jer. 23:28).
The more familiar we are with what G.o.d has to say in the Bible, the less likelihood there will be of our being led astray by asmooth-tongued prophetsa (23:31). Once youave tasted wheat, youall quickly recognize chaff. (Once youave tasted corn, youall quickly recognize the cob!) Carefully studying Scripture and deliberately applying its truths to our lives may seem unglamorous and mundane compared to receiving dramatic revelations and making imaginative predictions. But there are enough warnings in Scripture about false prophets, their lies, and their ultimate fate (23:39-40) to put us constantly on guard.
The Scriptures are so powerful and winsome, so life-giving and refreshing that we will relish them as the staple diet for spiritual nourishment. And should the Lord on occasion give a special dreama"thatas dessert!
January 21
TO READ: Malachi 2:1-12
The Call to Faithfulness
aThe priestsa lips should guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction, for the priests are the messengers of the LORD Almighty. But not you! You have left G.o.das paths. Your aguidancea has caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,a says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 2:7-8
The only mutiny in the long, ill.u.s.trious history of Englandas Royal Navy took place in 1933. The seamenas wages had been cut in a desperate political move to head off the effects of the nationwide depression. In retaliation, the seamen attacked their officers. But the men of the Royal Marines defended their officers against the rest of the crew. As a result, to this day the Marines are quartered on board ship between the officers and the crew, to act as the officersa guards and to maintain the security of the ship. In Britainas navy today, this is mainly symbolic, but it symbolizes a reward for faithfulness. It is a source of pride and a great factor in the unusual esprit de corps of the Royal Marines.
When King Davidas son Absalom staged a mutiny against his father, many of the kingas men went over to the side of the young revolutionary. But Zadok the priest remained faithful and protected the king (see 2 Sam. 15:1-37). As a result, he and his descendants were rewarded by being appointed as the priests in Jerusalem right up through the time of the Exile (see Ezek. 44:15ff). No doubt they accepted this position with great pride and, as faithful men, they endeavored to fulfill their roles.
It comes as a great surprise, therefore, to read what Malachi had to say about the priests in his day, after Israel returned from exile. He reminded the priests of their privileged position and their profound responsibilities. They had been called to greatly reverence the Lord, to stand ain awea of him, to pa.s.s on to the people aall the truth they received,a to live agood and righteous livesa before the people, and to turn amany from lives of sin.a They were called ato guard knowledgea and to function as amessengers of the Lord Almightya (Mal. 2:5-7).
But something had gone wrong. They had acorrupted the covenanta (2:8), they had failed to live in obedience, and they had ashown partiality in [their] interpretation of the lawa (2:9). As a result, their aaguidancea [had] caused many to stumble into sina (2:8). This was a monumental disaster for Israel, and G.o.d did not treat it lightly. The faithful men had become unfaithful.
Peter wrote that Christians are now aa kingdom of priestsa (1 Pet. 2:9). That means that we have access to the Father through the Son, that we should offer sacrifices to G.o.d consisting of praise, and that we are called to live in a manner befitting our high standing. This requires faithfulnessa"like Marines standing at their posts.
January 22
TO READ: Psalm 77
A Path Not Known
Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty watersa" a pathway no one knew was there!
Psalm 77:19
Adolf Hitler believed that the European Jews were diabolical, that they were evil incarnate, part of a great conspiracy behind all the troubles of Europe. So he planned their extermination. He called it the aFinal Solution.a At first the Jews were rounded up into labor camps where they were systematically starved and worked to death. The archway over the entrance to the infamous Auschwitz camp bore the words aArbeit Machts Freiaa"aWork makes free.a But in n.a.z.i code amakes freea meant akills.a As the Allied forces were strengthened by the entrance of the United States of America into the War, the n.a.z.is realized that they were facing possible defeat. So they expedited the killings by herding the Jews into gas chambers. It is estimated that 67% of European Jews were exterminated by the n.a.z.is.
Still, many escaped through the help of a network of incredibly brave, committed individuals who managed to whisk the terrified Jews to safety. They were hidden under the noses of the n.a.z.is and then, under cover of darkness, they were led along highways and byways known only to the rescuers, from one safe house to another, until finally they reached safety.
Psalm 77 was written by Asaph in the depths of despair. He couldnat sleep, and he couldnat pray. He couldnat get a response from G.o.d; he couldnat get answers to his questions. He even came to the conclusion that it was his fate athat the blessings of the most High have changed to hatreda (Ps. 77:10). But then he recalled the great events of Jewish history. And no Jew of his time would think on such matters without contemplating the Exodus from Egypt and the miraculous escape through the Red Sea. Asaph remembered, aYour road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty watersa"a pathway no one knew was there!a (77:19).
It is always good for the Lordas people in all situations to remember that, when the night is dark and all hope is lost, G.o.d knows a path of rescue and mercy that no one else knows is there. Many of G.o.das people have lived in less dramatic circ.u.mstances than those marching through the waters of the Red Sea or the terrors of the Holocaust. They can testify to having been led through the dangers and the despair by the unerring hand of G.o.d. Always, when G.o.d is leading, the path not known leads eventually to the safe house of his loving embrace.
January 23
TO READ: Luke 1:5-25
Once in a Lifetime
But the angel said, aDonat be afraid, Zechariah! For G.o.d has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. . . . He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival.a Luke 1:13, 17b
Most people never get to meet the President or the Queen. Most athletes never make it to the Super Bowl, the World Cup Final, the Wimbledon Championship, or the Olympics. Should they be fortunate enough to receive that kind of opportunity, they savor it, for they know it may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Zechariah the priest had one of those experiences when he was picked to burn incense on the altar in Jerusalemas temple. There were approximately eight thousand priests in Israel at the time. They were divided into adivisionsa that rotated the duties of the Temple, including the burning of incense morning and eveninga"part of a tradition dating back to the days of Aaron, the first high priest (see Exod. 30:7-8). Individual priests were chosen out of the division by casting lots. One day, old Zechariahas name was called for this most sacred of tasks. It was his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No doubt Zechariah entered the holy place with a mix of exhilaration and trepidation. He was part of a venerable tradition, and he was as close to the Holy of Holies as any man other than the High Priest would ever be allowed to go. The awesomeness of G.o.das presence would be well nigh overpowering for him. And then it happened!
The angel Gabriel met him beside the altar and said, aG.o.d has heard your prayera (Luke 1:13). Zechariah could have been forgiven if he had asked aWhich prayer?a but immediately he was told about the impending birth of a son in his old age. Now a once-in-a-lifetime experience had suddenly turned into a once-in-a-hundred-lifetimes experience! This sonas dramatic birth was only the prelude to a dramatic life devoted to a ministry which would amake ready a people prepared for the Lorda (1:17).
Zechariah asked what probably seem to us to be perfectly understandable questions, but the angel interpreted them as evidence of unbelief (1:18-21)! Then he was made mute, presumably so that he could not express his unbelief until it was obvious that G.o.d had done what he had promised to do.
Most people havenat seen angelsa"or at least they havenat recognized them as such. And most have not received as direct a message from the Lord as did Zechariah. But all G.o.das people have been called to a relationship with the Lord and to an avenue of service for him. For some, the experience was dramatic and unforgettable; for others, less so. But for all it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, never to be forgotten, always to be cherished.
January 24
TO READ: Luke 1:26-38
Omnipotence
Nothing is impossible with G.o.d.
Luke 1:37
During World War II, Englandas Royal Navy commissioned three aircraft carriers called the aIll.u.s.triousa (renowned), the aIndefatigablea (tireless), and the aIndomitablea (unconquerable). Difficult as the names were, it is not difficult to catch the spirit behind them. These were the brave words the Royal Navy used to describe her pride and tradition even in the darkest days of the War.
Theologians use a trio of similarly difficult but n.o.ble words to describe G.o.d. They talk about him being omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere present).
In a startling conversation with Abraham, G.o.d claimed to be all-powerful. He announced, aAbout this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will have a sona (Gen. 18:10). We donat know how Abraham reacted, but Sarah simply laughed at the ludicrous idea, because both she and her husband were well past childbearing age. Reading Sarahas unspoken thoughts, G.o.d challenged the old man: aWhy did she say, aCan an old woman like me have a baby?a Is anything too hard for the Lord?a (Gen. 18:13-14). The implied answer: No, nothing is too hard for the Lord. G.o.d was affirming his omnipotence.
A similar message was delivered loud and clear to a young woman called Mary in the city of Nazareth centuries later. She, too, was startled to hear the news. But there was a difference. Sarah reacted because of her antiquity, Mary because of her virginity! Maryas questions were answered by the firm a.s.suring statement, aNothing is impossible with G.o.da (Luke 1:37).
The doctrine of divine omnipotence is not without its perplexities. Some people say, aIf G.o.d was omnipotent he could destroy all evil. He doesnat, so he must be either impotent or immoral.a And others wonder if the Bible is not contradicting itself when it says, on the one hand, anothing is impossible with G.o.d,a but on the other hand, that it is impossible for him to lie (Heb. 6:18).
The statements to Sarah and Mary about divine omnipotence need to be seen in the context of the divine will. G.o.d was stating that nothing would hinder him from doing what he willed to do. And they needed to believe it!
There is a great challenge and wonderful comfort in these words. The challenge lies in the fact that resistance to G.o.d is little short of suicidal. The comfort inherent in G.o.das omnipotence means that he will come through in the end. Like a majestic ship sailing through storm, tempest, and battle, G.o.d is Ill.u.s.trious, Indefatigable, Indomitablea"and Omnipotent!
January 25
TO READ: Luke 1:38-45
Believing and Blessed
aYou are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.a Luke 1:45
The emperor Constantine chose as a tutor for his son a learned man named Lactantius. Lactantius said this about the idea that the earth is not flat: Is there any one so senseless as to believe that there are men whose footsteps are higher than their heads? or that the things which with us are in a rec.u.mbent position, with them hang in an inverted direction? that the crops and trees grow downwards? that the rains, and snow, and hail fall upwards to the earth? And does any one wonder that hanging gardens are mentioned among the seven wonders of the world, when philosophers make hanging fields, and seas, and cities, and mountains? The origin of this error must also be set forth by us.5 Clearly, geography was Lactantiusas weakest subject! That the earth was flat was an article of faith in those days, and it was a long time before some intrepid men believed otherwise. Those who did believe set sail, and they discovered the bounty of an undiscovered world. They believed and were blessed.
Zechariah had difficulty believing his aged wife would conceive, and he was struck with silence until the promised child was born. But when Mary was told that she, even though a virgin, would bear a son, her response was, aI am the Lordas servant and I am willing to accept whatever he wantsa (Luke 1:38). Maryas faith was no doubt strengthened by the knowledge of Elizabethas pregnancy, and she went to visit her friend. In some remarkable way, Elizabethas baby in utero leaped for joy when he recognized the arrival of Mary and the significance of the baby she carried. Elizabeth said to Mary, aYou are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he saida (1:45). Mary, like the explorers of the new world, believed and was blessed.
Of course, there is a major difference between believing in a hunch and believing in G.o.das Word. And there is little similarity between believing a scientifically proven hypothesis and trusting a G.o.d-given promise. Yet that is what G.o.d calls his people to do. To the extent that we believe G.o.d, we experience the blessings of his promises.
The belief of the global circ.u.mnavigators required purchasing ships, fitting them out, recruiting a crew, and setting sail in a westerly direction with a view to arriving in the east! It was nothing short of lunacy to many of their friends and foes! But they were right. And they were blessed!
Men who wish to know the blessing of G.o.d need to believe what they profess to believe, trim their sails, and set out on a voyage of discovery. Should they feel a failure of nerve, the young woman of Nazareth may offer a role model!
January 26
TO READ: Luke 1:46-56
The Holy and the Lowly
How I rejoice in G.o.d my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl. . . . For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me.
Luke 1:47-49
Modern society rewards its celebrities handsomely. They are welcome in the best hotels, and they are forgiven the worst behavior. The longest limousines await them, the shortest waiting lines confront them, and the fattest bank accounts provide for them. Their fans press to intercept them, and the media ma.s.s to interview them. Young people imitate them, while older people tolerate them. Fame and fortune are lavished upon them, but maturity and responsibility are not expected of them. They live charmed livesa"if not always charming, they become accustomed to enjoying lifeas luxuries and unaccustomed to dealing with lifeas necessities. For many of their admirers, their status is something to be aspired to, and their exalted position something to be longed for.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is known the world over. She has been the model for a million works of art, the topic of theological debates, the subject of encyclicals, the object of veneration. Dogmas have been attached to her, superst.i.tions and mystical beliefs have cl.u.s.tered around her. But how did she view herself?
Her song of praise was directed away from herself. The topic of her heart was aOh how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in G.o.d my Savior!a (Luke 1:46-47). The reason for her adoration was this: aFor he took notice of his lowly servant girla (v. 48). She had no illusions about herself and no confusion about the Lord: aHe, the Mighty One, is holy,a she affirmed (1:49). The Holy One had taken note of the lowly one. She interpreted the agreat thingsa he had done for her in the context of something far greater and grander than her own interests. She knew it had to do with his mercy extended afrom generation to generationa (1:50)a"what he had done for her he had done for ahis servant Israel,a in accord with what he had promised (1:54).