Day Six

Psalm 87, Exodus 33, Nehemiah 13, 1 Corinthians 5

Psalm 87

Ps. 87:1-2 – On the holy mount stands the city he founded; 2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. – The Lord loved the city of Zion. Called the City of God, Zion was the place where the temple stood, and where the glory of God was present. So, how does God feel about us? If our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then we are the place God dwells. What an awesome thought!

Exodus 33

Ex. 33:3b – but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.- What a sad penalty for their sins! God, who would have been amongst the people on their journey to the Promised Land, now tells them that He will not be with them. In His grace He would not consume them, but make no mistake, God was angry. Sin angers God; plain and simple.

Ex. 33:7-11 – 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.- The Children of Israel must have been blown away by the daily display of Moses talking with God. As Moses met with God, signaled by the pillar of cloud descending upon the tent of meeting, God met with His friend. That’s right, like King David, centuries later, Moses was a friend of God. May we also be a friend of God. We have access to God through prayer. Take it. Spend time with God. He desires friendship with you.

Ex. 33:15-23 – Moses urged the Lord not to allow the Children of Israel to travel without the presence of God at their side. He appealed to God, using God’s own promises of being a favored people. The Lord relented and told Moses that He would go with them, and that He would show favor to the people. Then Moses asks God to show him His glory. God told Moses that He would not show him His face, for no man can see the face of God and live. He instructed Moses to hide in the cleft of a rock and to cover his face. Moses would be allowed to see God’s back.

I believe that God wanted His glory to be displayed to the nation, not just one individual. The nations would be amazed at the promises, power and provision of God.

Nehemiah 13

Neh. 13 – I’m struck by Nehemiah’s absolute commitment to making sure that the people didn’t make the mistakes or fall into the same sins as they had in the past. He quickly confronts sin in this passage. He exhorts the people to live holy, set apart lives. They are not to follow in the ways of their pagan neighbors. They are not to marry their pagan neighbors. They are not to desecrate the temple by working on the Sabbath or selling their wares outside of it. He is quick to point out the sin of the nation and make definitive steps to correct the sinful actions of the people. He ends this chapter, and the book of Nehemiah with this prayer: Remember me, O my God, for good. Now, that’s how I want to be remembered by God!

1 Corinthians 5

1 Cor. 5 – Sexual immorality has not place in the body of Christ. Paul has heard about a specific case that was being tolerated in the Corinthian church. The man who was involved in immorality with his stepmother was actually boasting about his conquest, and apparently, the Corinthian church had done nothing to stop the behavior. Paul warns them that tolerating such behavior could destroy the entire church. It was important that this man be disciplined and asked to leave the local body of believers. Paul gives one of the strongest arguments in all of Scripture for church discipline in verses 9-13, which say, “9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”

Day Five

Psalm 86, Exodus 32, Nehemiah 12:27-47, 1 Corinthians 4

Psalm 86

Ps. 86:1-2 – David asks God to incline His ear towards Him for he was poor and needy. How fascinating that the King of Israel would choose the words poor and needy to describe his state in life. He was the king! What could he possibly need?

But, David was wise, and he knew that in comparison to God, he was as poor as a pauper. He needed God’s intervention in his life. He needed God’s grace. Even though he was the King of Israel, and perhaps the most powerful ruler in the world during his time, David was nothing when compared to the King of Kings. If you are a leader, may this be how you view God. May you be a person who recognizes the authority of God. David, in verse two asks God to preserve his life, for he is godly. He also calls himself God’s servant. David’s wisdom didn’t come from his position as king, but by his position as a servant of the Most High King.

Ps. 86:5-12 – David praises God for the fact that He is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon Him. There are a lot of people who call upon God. This verse is one more evidence of the fact that God loves all people. Not all people will spend eternity in heaven with Him, because He forces no one to follow Him. But, He stands ready to forgive the vilest of sinners who call upon Him.

I heard an interview with a serial killer this week who accepted Christ’s forgiveness in the final years of his life. He was won to Christ by a Prison Fellowship volunteer who had dedicated his life to sharing Christ with prisoners. The prisoner was sure that God couldn’t forgive one like he, who had killed so many. Finally, after months of faithful witness, the killer confessed his sins and acknowledged his need of Jesus and trusted Christ with his life. We have an amazing God who loves even the “vilest offender who truly believes.”

It’s after hearing stories like that, that the truth of verse 8 rings out loud. There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.

Exodus 32

Ex. 32:1-6 – When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” – I’m struck by just how important godly leaders are. In the absence of Moses, the people reverted to the pagan rituals of their Egyptian captors. And, Aaron, who should have known better, went along with it. How many times have wrong decisions been made to appease the masses? Sometimes the voice of the leader cannot be heard above the raucous cries of the masses. That’s when a leader must lead by not only his or her voice, but by his or her life. With godly conviction he or she will stand in the gap between God’s truth and the people’s will. Aaron cowered under pressure. He made a decision without consulting God that would have devastating results on the people. The actions of leaders always effect more people than themselves. To lead is a high calling. May we do it in God’s strength.

Ex. 32:19– It blows me away how Moses reacted when seeing the sin of his people. Before descending the mountain, Moses had pleaded with God to have mercy on the people. God threatened to wipe the stiff-necked Children of Israel off the map, and start brand new with Moses. God relented after Moses’ pleading. But, now, in verse 19, after seeing for himself the sin of the Israelites, Moses’ anger burns, and he destroys the tablets of stone upon which the Ten Commandments had been written, by the very finger of God. The prior verses go into great detail about the precious stones. And, Moses’ in his anger breaks them. He had a glimpse into the heart of God as he saw the people in their sin.

Ex. 32:26 – then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. – There they are, the Sons of Levi! Throughout the Old Testament you see this godly line standing up for truth. (See Nehemiah 8).

Nehemiah 12:27-47

Neh. 12:43 – And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. – The wall of Jerusalem was complete. What a day of rejoicing it was. The people had seen God do something incredible. Their prayers were answered. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. That was an awesome testimony to all who heard. May people hear our rejoicing when God has worked in our lives! May they know what God has done!

1 Corinthians 4

1 Cor. 4:5 – Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.- There were those in Corinth who were seeking to discredit Paul’s ministry. He made sure that they knew in no uncertain terms that it was God who was the judge, not man. And, God would bring into the light the things that the Corinthians did in the darkness. He would bring impure motives to light.

1 Cor. 4:16 – I urge you, then, be imitators of me. – Have you ever had a spiritual mentor? I hope you have one in your life right now. If not, it’s a relationship worth pursuing. The Apostle Paul was so striving to live as Christ had called him to live that he could write the words of this verse. He wanted to be a model for the Corinthian church. Just like we all need to have spiritual mentors, we who are believers should also seek to be a mentor in some other person’s life. Could you say what Paul said to those you mentor? It’s a goal worth pursuing.