Transformer - 09/21/2014
Showing Reverence for the Lord
Those Israelites who had returned from Babylonian captivity had been back in Jerusalem for approximately 15 years. They had built their own houses and had planted their own crops. Economically they were struggling to make ends meet. They had started to rebuild the temple but had halted their efforts.
In approximately 520 BC, “in the second year of the reign of Darius the king” (Haggai 1:1), God has the post-Exilic prophet Haggai speak to the people. In the Old Testament book bearing his name, Haggai delivers four proclamations to the Israelites concerning their status with God. He is not pleased with them.
When asked why they are not building the temple, the people respond by saying, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt” (Haggai 1:2). Haggai, based upon what the word of the Lord said to him, responded with several arguments.
His first is that they have built their own houses but left God’s house “desolate” (1:4, 9). His second is that their material life has not prospered because God has been working against them.
After hearing this message, Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, along with Joshua, the high priest and “all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet” (1:12). All of these actions are summarized in the commentary statement of the author of the book of Haggai when he says, “the people showed reverence for the Lord” (1:12).
The word reverence has the idea of showing “a feeling or attitude of profound respect” (dictionary.com). The reverence the Israelites had for the Lord is shown in their obedience to the things which the Lord told Haggai to tell them.
This reverence for God is also shown in how they went about rebuilding the temple. This house of God did not look anything like the previous one did seventy years ago, but God, through Haggai, encourages them to work at rebuilding the temple and He will be with them (2:4). It seems that this task of rebuilding the temple was very overwhelming to the Israelites.
It seems that the problem the Israelites had was that they were more concerned with their own lives and homes than they were with the home of the Lord. They were putting their mission before the Lord’s mission, which is very common with us today. We often want to get our “house” in order before we begin to take care of the Lord’s “house.”
Jesus, in His sermon on the mount, told His audience, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is delivering the same message as Haggai. Take care of God’s business and He will take care of you. Be concerned with living the way that God wants you to live and He will help you live in this world.
It is very hard for us to buy into this concept of living for God first and ourselves second. However, when we do, we are showing great reverence for the Lord. We are expressing our feeling of deep awe for who He is and the mission that He wants to accomplish. Our actions, our obedience to His commands, indicates how much we respect the Lord.
May we learn from the Israelites and the prophet Haggai as to how we can show reverence for the Lord. - cgm
Thinking on the Word...
Come to the Father through Jesus - (John 14:6)
During the last meeting Jesus had with the apostles before He was crucified, He tells them that He is going away. He tells them that they “know the way where [He] is going” (John 14:4). Thomas says, “Lord we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way” (v. 5)? Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (v. 6).
As we think about these words of Jesus, what does it mean “no one comes to the Father, but through Me”? Let’s think about it.
Based upon the question by Thomas we must first “know the way.” We must first learn about how to “come to the Father.” If we do not “know the way” then we are not going to get there for sure.
Jesus makes a very bold statement, “I am the way.” Jesus is telling the apostles (and indirectly us) that He is the way to get to the Father. Another bold statement by Jesus is “but through Me.” If this is true, then trying to get to the Father through someone else is incorrect and will not get us there.
Jesus had come to show people how they could get to the Father. Jesus had showed people the way they were to live. Jesus had shown them the truth about God. Jesus even says, “I am the life” which I think means that the ways He taught will lead one to have not only a good life on this earth but a good life eternally.
When Jesus speaks about “no one” He is including everyone. He means that if someone, anyone, is going to see the Father, then they must go through Him. This seems to indicate that what Jesus taught the people would lead them to God the Father. In this same conversation Jesus tells them that because they have seen Him, they have seen the Father.
In our society, we do not like to think in terms of only one option. We at least want “chocolate and vanilla.” If we can have “strawberry” as a choice then things are even better. However, coming to the Father has only one option, Jesus. No one else will work. May we all work through Jesus thereby seeing the Father! - cgm
Words of Wisdom
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.” - Proverbs 12:22
Two opposite reactions of the Lord are expressed by Solomon in this proverb; one is “an abomination” and the other is “His delight.” One is caused by “lying lips” while the other is cause by dealing “faithfully.”
An “abomination” is an emotion that is displayed when we see someone totally disgusted with something. One definition of abomination is “to make sick to one’s stomach.” We might say it is the ultimate in disapproval.
If our actions “delight” the Lord, then we are pleasing in His sight. We bring pleasure to Him. We have His approval.
Maybe one of the reasons why “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” is because it is so different from His character. The Lord cannot lie, He must always tell the truth. So, for humans to be lying then we can never have the character of God. We can never be like Him when we are using our lips to lie.
We often think that it would not be so bad if we told “a little white lie,” but what we forget is that it is still “a lie.” The fact that we want to “soften” the action by calling it “a little white lie” makes no difference to God, it is still a lie.
Another reason why “lying lips” may be “an abomination to the Lord” is because relationships can never be built on lies. We cannot truly have a relationship with anyone if we are not going to tell them the truth, always! If we have the reputation of “lying” then how does the one with whom we want to have a relationship exist if they cannot trust what we say.
In dealing with God, how do we want him to “look at us”? Surely, we all want Him to be pleased with us. Let us deal faithfully in our speech! - cgm