Text: “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people” (Exodus 13:22).
Context, Context, Context: This was the going-out, the exodus, of Israel from Egypt. As part of what? God’s covenant promises to Israel to save a people for Himself, to give them a promised land, to teach them to walk by faith in the covenant-keeping word of the Lord.
And do you see God’s attribute in the verse above? It’s His steadfastness. God is faithful to His word.
Teaching: It is important to note that there are some things that sinners can do that God cannot do. God cannot be two-faced. God cannot lie. God cannot be anything other thann steadfast and true. God cannot change.
Sinners can and do all of the above. Sinners betray, lie, are two-faced, hypocritical, deceptive, etc. But God is steadfast.
He went before Israel via a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night–so that God’s people would look to Him, not to sinners, for their reward.
Encouragement: Trust the Lord, dear ones. Look to Him. All others will fail and disappoint you. God is steadfast and true.
6 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. (Exodus 6:1-9)
The Same Question: Who is to receive glory?
Who does God tell Moses will give Israel the land in verse 4? Who said He remembers the covenant in verse 5? Who will bring Israel out from under the burdens of the Egyptians in verse 6? Who will deliver the people from slavery and redeem via judgment in verse 6? Who has His people in verse 7? Who will bring the people out in verse 8?
Soli de Gloria: Over and over again, God reveals Himself to Moses in order to teach him and those he led one overarching lesson: God alone gets the glory.
It’s not about us. We’re the problem. We’re the recalcitrant ones. We’re the ones in need of redemption.
When we make ourselves the heroes in Scripture, we err grievously.
Encouragement: If you’re a Christian, dear ones, you’re to be humble. We’re not to be doing things for our glory. That’s pride, and stinks in the nostrils of God, and it repels people.
Moses was called the meekest of men. And look at how God used him. Want to be great? Be humble. Want to be used of God? Acknowledge that God is the hero of redemption; it’s not you or me. Give it all to the Lord, work hard, and trust God with the results.
It’s a federal holiday here in America in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite his legacy being that we ought to be a people who judge people by character rather than skin pigmentation, few seem able to learn that fundamental wisdom. Ugly tribalism thrives among mob mentalities. In this postlapsarian world, I don’t think that will ever change for the undiscerning masses.
As a soldier, I, too, have a day off from work today to celebrate King’s legacy. He was by no means a perfect man. Scholarship has revealed that he was a philanderer and plagiarized much of his dissertation. As one who regularly has his words stolen, it is painful to endure. But each man will give an account one day. So, again, in this postlapsarian world, I do not anticipate a cessation of intellectual theft.
But I do not want to focus on King here or on tribalistic thinking or on intellectual theft. Rather, I want to write of waking up late this morning, of coming down the staircase, of hearing my wife practice “In Christ Alone” on the piano, and of what it means to have a God-fearing spouse.
It’s only Monday and she is already planning the piano pieces for next Lord’s Day. If you’re a Christian, and if you have a Christian spouse, there’s a benediction that you discover (if you pay attention). When I came down the stairs, she was printing off sheets of music, arranging parts for herself and other singers at church, and she asked me to record with her the melody and harmony lines in order that folks could hear their parts, based upon their registers.
I had a suspicion a quarter of a century ago when I proposed that marrying a sweet church girl from GA, a girl whose parents loved the Lord and served their church body, that I was making the right decision. Rather, it was that I discerned that God was making the decision for me in His provision of her in my life. That’s the hand of providence, dear ones.
But you have to have eyes to see that sort of thing. You have to be able to step out of tribalism, groupthink, and the mob mentality. You have to be quiet. If you are, you might hear the sounds of piano keys being played by your spouse’s slender fingers, and hear “In Christ Alone” as you awake and descend the stairwell for your morning coffee.
As we arose this morning, and I let the dog out to do her thing, and CJ and Goob showered, I came downstairs to my library to study still more before opening the Scriptures before the saints later this morning, and the power of 1 Peter 1:13-21 struck me again.
Peter, this man who experienced so many highs and lows in Christian ministry, loved the saints. He wrote to them about pressing on, about preparing their minds for action, about looking forward to the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And long before I stand before others, God sees. He sees it all. He knows us through and through. And He has given us His Scriptures so that we do not lose heart.
We look backward and learn from those whose shoulders we stand upon and we look forward to the coming King of kings whose righteousness we proclaim.
This morning I awoke after a good night’s sleep. I rested well. If you, too, are one who struggles to experience quality rest, a good night’s sleep is a blessing.
I was excited when I woke up, too. Excited in a good way. My wife and I met our kids in town for an adjustment by our famiy chiropractor. After three of us had our adjustments, we patronized Cracker Barrel for a wonderful meal. We had a wonderful waitress, too. (Taylor, you were wonderful.)
Our son saw one of his buddies at Cracker Barrel, and they did their cool guy handshakes that I fail to understand.
I rocked my granddaughter in her carrier, while she slept after having been fed by her mom. Lennon has that baby smell I wish would never depart. I cannot help but kiss her. My cup was full.
We came home afterwards for a bit. Three bucks were on the hill opposite the driveway. They watched us as I parked the car and we came in for a bit. I picked up my Dickens novel and CJ responded to texts from friends about church tomorrow.
Ladybug is now settled in beside me while I dive back into A Tale of Two Cities. Goob is down for a nap. And in an hour we leave to go through a maze game with friends down in the city.
As I look out from my home library window, the trees are tall and still. It is about 50 degrees outside–perfect weather, in my view. The deer are browsing on the hills and a male cardinal is at my birdfeeder.
Looking forward to an evening with a group of friends as we figure our way out of the mazes. My wife loves puzzles, so I’m sure we’ll succeed.
We have touched base with the saints for tomorrow. We will gather, pray, fellowship, eat, sing, and we’ll open the Word to 1 Peter to see what God has provided there for us.
In a word, grateful. I’m grateful to the Lord for what His providential, kind, sovereign hand is building. I am, again, grateful.
Introduction: This Sunday as my family and I gather with the saints, I am teaching from 1 Peter 1. “Looking Back, Looking Forward” is the title.
We are to look back in order to learn from the past. But we are also to look forward–in the sure and certain knowledge that all of history is known to God, and if we are God’s people and are in Christ, we are to be a people of hope.
Text:
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Teaching: Peter writes that the prophets of before were “serving not themselves but you” (1 Pt 1:12). That is crucial for us to understand. Peter is saying that those who labored in the faith were not in that labor for their fame, fortune, or aggrandizement. They served the Lord by serving the people.
In other words, we owe a lot to those who labor well. We stand upon their shoulders. They sacrificed on our behalf, even though they may not have known us personally. But because they loved the Lord and the truth, they served faithfully.
Encouragement: Folks, we need to honor those to whom honor is due. Let us look around and see who’s got theological blisters due to hard work. Let us look to those who serve others rather than self. Let us encourage one another in the Lord and in the truth. Because God sees. And we will give an account.
Bottom line up front: Job was a master of biblical theology because he had a God-centered worldview.
Why do I say that? Just listen to these words from the man whom God first crushed, only to exalt him later:
10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. 13But he is unchangeable,and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. 14 For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. 15Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. 16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; 17yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face. (Job 23:10-17)
Teaching: Job endured staggering amounts of suffering–the loss of his own health, his friends, his children, his wealth, his reputation, and more. But what Job did not lose was God. God was there–through it all. And God was going to–and indeed did–reward Job and also rebuke those who turned against Job.
In the verses from Job 23 quoted above, will you notice the following:
Job repeatedly confessed the omniscience of God.
Job, though a sinner, labored to be a faithful man of God.
Job repeatedly confessed the sovereignty of God.
Job embodied a biblical, reverent posture towards God.
Encouragement: God sees, dear ones. He truly does. He sees EVERYTHING. Nothing escapes God’s sight. For those in Christ, that should encourage us. For those still under God’s wrath, that should lead them to repentance over their sin and a change of heart/mind such that they flee to the gospel of Christ. Let us learn from Job. Don’t be put off by his story. It is written, like all Scripture, for our instruction.
Types: One can divide the world into at least two categories of people: 1) those characterized by wisdom and 2) those characterized by folly.
When I was a boy, I was very close to my grandparents. I have always gravitated to people of depth. And they were certainly that–people of depth. They may not have had lots of letters after their names but, believe me, they were wise. The aphorisms that issued from their lips were among the most shaping influences upon my life. Now that I’m a grandpa, I aim to pass that wisdom on to my own grandchildren. Our kids are grown now, so they are making their own ways in life, but my bride and I hope and trust that the Lord will grip them in His sovereignty and that they, too, will lead lives of inculcated wisdom.
Connection: In the wisdom literature of Scripture, Solomon penned these four masterpiece lines:
A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. (Pr 14:5-8)
Teaching: I know that some folks struggle with poetry. So here is the prosaic expression of Solomon’s wisdom:
Faithfulness is wed inextricably to honesty
Mockers do not want wisdom; they ‘scoff’ at it
The wise person will flee that folly
Discernment is a characteristic of the wise man/woman
Encouragement: If I could have any people who have died returned to my life for their wisdom and love, it would be my grandparents and my father-in-law. Why? Because they were wise, discerning people. They did not suffer fools. May we be blessed by surrounding ourselves with wise, discerning, godly influences.
Context: Job, called a blameless and upright man in Scripture, had three friends. Sometimes they were wise friends. Sometimes they were lousy, foolish friends. But even when they were lousy friends, or at least lousy theologians, they at times spoke wisdom.
Here’s one example of wisdom from one of Job’s friends:
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. (Job 15:31)
That’s a zinger!
What Eliphaz, Job’s friend, is telling Job is that the wise person is not to trust in his own wisdom and righteousness/self-righteousness. The wise person is to look to God for wisdom and righteousness.
Questions: Were Job’s friends often rotten counselors? Yes and amen. Were they sometimes loquacious when they should have remained silent? Yes and amen. Were they oftentimes too big for their britches, as my beloved departed grandmother was wont to say? Yes and amen.
But on occasion, they were spot on, bull’s-eye. That’s what that line from Eliphaz is. It is bull’s-eye, 100% wisdom:
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. (Job 15:31)
Encouragement: We’re to seek the face of the Lord in the Scriptures for wisdom and righteousness. It’s God’s righteousness and wisdom we need. And those are two of the treasures found only in the gospel.
Over recent days, we have received several winds in our sails.
One was a sweet time with our daughter and granddaughter. Mommyhood is new to our daughter, and she’s navigating it like a champ. And our granddaughter–in my completely unbiased and objective opinion, of course, is perfect, a little slice of heaven. I was able to cuddle her some more yesterday afternoon and have her fall asleep in my arms. I’ve heard for a long time now that grandparenthood is a unique blessing, and I could not agree more. Hopefully, many more sweet times are on tap.
Another series of events is unfolding, too, concerning our church family. Things are falling into place, and the Lord is moving, and people are tender, teachable, and ready to come alongside one another in service to Christ and His church. Stay tuned for details …
Lastly, this morning on the track, I was again at it during my favorite time of each day. That’s those moments just before the sun displays its majesty, during the dawn, and the moments afterwards. I never tire of that time of the day, regardless of my location.
Below are a few pictures from some of these sweet days.
MIND & MATTERS 