Clean and Unclean: A Reflection on Infection

I have been dealing with a severe skin condition for nearly three weeks.  It started out as a round spot on my calf about the size of a quarter.  I noticed another similar spot on my other leg, then on my ankle, then another spot appeared on my upper arm.  I had been trying to treat it with anti-fungal creams, thinking that it was ringworm.  I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with impetigo.  I was prescribed a round of antibiotics, which should have gotten rid of it.  Instead, the spots kept multiplying and began to turn into terrible, large angry-looking rashes.  I began to itch and break out on my arms as well.  A return visit brought me a second round of a different antibiotic and a referral to a dermatologist.  I learned that this was contagious and could be spread either by direct contact or indirectly through reusing towels or even clothing.  I was very careful not to spread it and began washing with antibacterial soap.   When I went to see the dermatologist, he said that it looked like I was having some sort of allergic reaction to something and prescribed a couple of steroidal creams.  These finally began to get the itching and pain under control as the rashes slowly subsided.   It appears I had two different problems hitting me at the same time!  

This experience reminded me of our recent daily Bible readings from Leviticus.  In the book of Leviticus, there is a lot of instruction concerning being clean and unclean.  Touching certain things rendered one unclean, which prohibited certain activities and places.  With all of the instruction about being clean and unclean, I became curious how many times the word, “unclean” shows up in the Bible.  A quick search showed that “unclean” shows up 93 times in Leviticus, 15 times in Numbers, and less than a handful in the rest of the books of the Bible.  Purity is a major theme in the Old Testament Levitical law.

I have tried to make sense of the rules for uncleanliness in the Old Testament.  Some of them appear to be hygienic.  Touching a dead carcass would render a person unclean, which fits in with what we know about germs and biology.  Having a skin condition would also render a person unclean.  They had to be quarantined until the skin condition cleared up and they were declared clean again after the prescribed ritual for cleansing. 

However, there are some things that seem to have little to do with hygiene.  There were certain animals that were declared to be unclean and could therefore not be eaten.  For instance, things such as catfish, pigs, and rabbit are all considered unclean.  There does not appear to be any biological reason for this.  Furthermore, under the New Testament, the Bible says, “Do not call unclean what God has made clean” (Acts 10:15).  Things that were considered unclean under the old law are no longer considered unclean under the new law.  Did the biology of the unclean animals suddenly change in the New Testament?  Obviously not.  Therefore, it is apparent that these purity laws were not primarily about physical health and hygiene, although some of them obviously had health benefits.  So, what were they about?  What ties them all together?

According to the Old Testament, the priest was to “to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses” (Lev 10:10-11).   The Israelites were to be instructed to “distinguish between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground—creatures I have distinguished for you as unclean. You must be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine” (Lev 20:25-26).

This demonstrates that holiness is what ties all of the purity laws together in the Old Testament.  God is holy, and therefore his people need to be holy.  As a result, there was a holiness matrix that applied to every facet of life.  The people needed to approach every part of life with this matrix.  Although some of the purity laws appeared to have a biological component, the primary emphasis is on training for holiness.  Some things were declared clean or unclean for no other reason other than God declared them so.  The overall message is that the people needed to approach all of life in terms of what is holy and clean vs. what is not holy and unclean.

What do we do with this as Christians who look at the world from a New Testament perspective?  After all, what was considered unclean has now been made clean.  In fact, the New Testament explicitly says that “8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do” (1 Cor 8:8).  So what should we do concerning these purity laws?  Do we simply cast them aside, or is there something for us as Christians?

Consider what the New Testament says about the Old Testament:

“They [Old Testament rituals] serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb 8:5).

“… the law has but a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:1)

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Heb 3:24-25).

Passages such as things tell us that the law of the Old Testament was intended to be temporary shadows of what was to come.  It serves as a tutor to teach us about some eternal truths.  What timeless truths do the Old Testament laws concerning what is clean and unclean teach us?  

Purity is still a major concern in the New Testament.  As the Israelites were to be careful not to become unclean by touching or consuming what is unclean, we need to also be careful in a similar way.  For Christians, this is not primarily about a biological or physical contaminant, but a mental, social and spiritual one.  This has to do with the influences in our lives and our behavior.

One representative passage that deals with this in the New Testament is from 2 Corinthians:

“14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor 6:14-7:1)

You can see the use of the purity language from the Old Testament in this New Testament teaching.  We are to “be separate” and “touch no unclean thing.”  This passage urges Christians to remember to be clean, undefiled, and holy.  This means being careful about not being yoked together with those who have not accepted Christ as Lord.  This prolonged contact can cause a spiritual impurity that is more devastating that impetigo or any other physical disease.  It can slowly destroy faith in a way that is so slow and gradual that it is virtually undetectable until it is too late.  If this happens, the Bible says that a person is worse off than those who had never become a Christian in the first place.  Consider this passage:

“20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:20-21).

Notice the purity language in this passage.  One who had escaped defilement, only to be “re-defiled” is far worse off than those who had never been purified to begin with.  Staying holy and pure is of the utmost importance.  This is why it is so important to remember God’s purity and holiness principles when it comes to dating, marriage, friendships, partnerships, government, etc..  

Of course, this must be balanced with our call to engage the world in Christian service along with the message of Christ.  We must remember that we are called to be the “salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13).  As we engage the world, we must not lose our “saltiness.”  This means that we need to always influence the world with our actions and message and not the other way around. 

Outside influences are not the only thing that threatens our holiness and purity.  Impurity can also come from withing.  Another passage dealing with purity and defilement comes from the book of Matthew.

16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Mt 15:16-20).

It may seem strange that something that comes from within you can defile you.  This reminds me of what the doctor told me about my impetigo.  She said it came from the bacteria that already existed on my body.  When I get a scratch, abrasion, or some other skin break, the bacteria then goes through the opening and causes the infection.  A similar thing happens when we allow thoughts of murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander to come out of the opening of our mouth.  Jesus said that this defiles us.  It is important for us to cleanse ourselves of evil thoughts through prayer and reflection so that they do not go any further and wind up making us unclean with a spiritual infection.  

I am reminded of the saying, “cleanliness is next to godliness.”  Spiritual and purity are of God.  The first step to purity is acceptance of Jesus as Lord.  The New Testament says that only the blood of Christ can purify our conscience (Heb 9:14).  Jesus is the only one that gives us a new heart and a new spirit through his atoning work on the cross.  Only Jesus can save us from the corruption of sin that brings death.  This salvation takes place when we accept him as Lord and accept him in baptism.  The New Testament says that “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:21).  The water does not cleanse our impure conscience, which is why we must appeal to our Lord for a clean conscience.  Our Lord begins his transforming and purifying work he moment we accept him as our Lord in baptism.

One we have been purified by the blood of Christ, we must stay and grow in that holiness.  Philippians 4:8 says that our minds must dwell on what is pure.  James 4:8 says we must reject being double-minded and purify our hearts.  2 Corinthians 7:1 says that we must cleanse ourselves from every defilement and bring holiness to completion in the fear of God.  2 Timothy 2:21 says that when we have been cleansed from what is dishonorable, then we become a vessel for honor that is useful to our Lord.  With this purity comes a blessing.  Jesus declared, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).

God had not given us the same kind of holiness matrix that he gave to Israel.  We are not made unclean by physical items or food.  However, we do have a spiritual holiness matrix.  We are called as Christians to distinguish between the holy and the unclean.  We are instructed to be aware of where and how we find sources of impurity.  They can come from around us or even within us.  We are directed to take necessary steps to be purified and to stay pure.  We must cling to what is good and let go of what corrupts us.  As Christians who have been purified by the blood of Christ, we need to engage in ongoing purifying activities that include things such as reflection, repentance, confession, and prayer.

Who the Team Captain Chooses

I remember how much I hated when the team captains took turns choosing who would be on their team.  The P.E. teacher would have the team captains stand in two different places as they took turns choosing who would be on their team.  It was always the same.  The biggest, fastest, and strongest were chosen first.  Personal friends and the popular kids were also chosen first.  After the desirables were chosen came the leftovers, which included the awkward misfits and those who were not physically coordinated.

This is a pattern that is not limited to kids on the field.  In the adult world, those who are most able, devoted, and popular are usually chosen first.   In contrast, the Bible tells us that this is not how God operates.

After the defeat of Pharaoh, the crossing of the sea, and the trip in the wilderness, the people got tired of the leadership of those whom God had chosen, namely Moses and Aaron.  

“Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron” (Num 16:1-3).

They then accused Moses and Aaron of taking them away from Egypt (seemingly forgetting that they were abused slaves there) and of appointing themselves as prince over the people.    Humble Moses’ first response to their rebellion was to fall flat on his face.  Moses was acutely aware of the presence of Yahweh and knew the danger they were in due to their rebellion.

God’s response was to open the ground up to swallow up the rebels along with all they had.  God then reaffirmed his choice of Aaron as high priest by having his staff miraculously grow ripe almonds overnight.  As a reminder to future generations, God instructed them to put Aaron’s rod in the Tabernacle.  

What a contrast between the rebels who were “chosen” by the people and Moses and Aaron, who were chosen by God.  The text says that the people’s choice were “well-known men.”  I can imagine that they were popular, dynamic, perhaps good-looking, and had all of the desirable human characteristics.  The single biggest problem is that they were not God’s choice.

God does not choose on the basis of skill, ability, age, looks, or any of thing things we would place as of first importance.  God chose the younger brother Jacob instead of Esau.  God chose young Joseph to save his brothers in Egypt.  God chose the aged Moses to lead his people.  God chose the young shepherd boy, David to be King over all his older brothers.  God chose Jeremiah who was a youth and did not know how to speak well.  God chose Israel, the least of the nations, because of the oath he swore to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Dt 7:6-8).  

God often chooses the least of these.  God did not choose a prominent family in Jerusalem to be the parents of the Messiah, but chose Joseph and Mary in far away Nazareth.  Jesus did not choose students from the most the rich or prominent students from the leading rabbinical schools.  Instead, he chose twelve ordinary men to be his envoys.  This is what the church continued to look like.  Paul points this out in 1 Corinthians:

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1:26-29).

The church’s values reflects this.  All people are valued equally in the church:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:21-26).

The team captains of the world often value people for their utility.  Not so with our Lord Jesus, the ultimate team captain.  We are all valued because of God’s promise he made to our spiritual ancestor, Abraham (Gal 3:6-9).  God promised to bless all nations through Abraham’s descendant (Gen 22:18), which is Christ (Gal 3:16).   God does not choose us based on our ability, utility, popularity, or any other “ility.”  God values us because he chose to value us in Christ.

This does not make sense to outsiders.  In fact, this was a source of scathing criticism by outsiders.  Roman leaders and philosophers used to mock the church, claiming that they are eager to accept women, slaves, and children, which were people that had no social status in the ancient world.  They didn’t understand that a person’s worth in the eyes of God had nothing to do with status or ability.  What mattered was not a person’s ability, but the ability of our God.  This is why this group of nobodies laid down their lives not in some glorious battle, but daily through serving the sick, dying, hungry, and outcasts.  Some were baffled how these nobodies, who often ministered to other nobodies, could have a message that captivated and converted kings and servants alike.  

The Most Important Thing: A Powerful Example in Luke/Acts

“Identify the most important thing and start with this.”  I remember the presenter saying something like this in a time management seminar.  It is easy to get caught up in things that feel urgent but are not really that important.  Whether it is living healthily, studying regularly, or prayer, it is not unusual for the most important things to feel the least urgent.  In Luke and Acts, prayer is a major theme.  Prayer is not just tacked on as an obligatory act but is central to Christian living and service.  It is the most important thing.

Jesus begins his ministry not with just baptism, but with baptism and prayer.  The text says that while Jesus was praying, the Spirit came down on him and a voice came from Heaven declaring Jesus as God’s beloved son (Lk 5:16).  It is interesting that the one other time God declared Jesus as his son was while Jesus was praying on the Mount of Transfiguration (Lk 8:28).

Even though great crowds of people were coming to hear him and be healed, Jesus would go to a lonely place to pray (Lk 5:16).  Conventional wisdom dictates that staying busy doing the work should take priority.  However the wisdom of our Lord demonstrates that prayer takes priority.  A ministry that is weak in prayer will likely be a ministry that is weak in power.  It will be prone to aimlessness, discouragement, and fear.  But Jesus prioritizes prayer so that he spent the entire night in prayer before choosing twelve apostles (Lk 6:12f).  I sometimes wonder what being in prayer all night would be like.  What happens when you run out of things to say?  Should you try to spend all your time talking, or should you spend some of the time in meditative silence, listening for the leading of the Spirit?  Jesus didn’t always pray alone.  When his arrest and crucifixion loomed ahead of him, he took three of his closest disciples to the Mount of Olives to pray.  He prayed so hard that sweat began to drip off his body like big drops of blood! (Lk 22:39f).  Jesus’s habit of prayer prompted his disciples to ask him to teach them to pray as well (Lk 11:1ff).

In the book of Acts, we see that the early church, following the example of Jesus the Lord, also made prayer a priority.  Several times the text says they were “devoted” to prayer (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4).  Sometimes they weaved the words of scripture into their prayers (Acts 3:24-26).  With discernment, they didn’t pray for comfort or ease, but for boldness to carry on the mission of Christ in the face of persecution (Acts 3:27-31).  As Jesus prayed before appointing people to ministry, the church in Acts did the same (Acts 6:6; 13:2; 14:23).  These and many other examples of prayer in the book of Acts demonstrates that the early church in the first century was a praying church who followed the example of Jesus who was a praying Lord and savior.  If their Lord Jesus needed to have a practice of prayer, then why would his followers not need to have a practice of prayer as well?

I am convinced that discernment, wisdom, spiritual strength, and godly ministry could hardly be possible without the discipline of prayer.  We usually attribute the qualities of the church in Acts to their faith.  However, this faith could not have been sustained without the regular practice of prayer.  At times, they seemed to have set aside a time to meet for no other purpose than for prayer.  It appears that they at times spent hours in prayer (Acts 12:5,12).  

The church today has meeting times set apart for Bible study, eating, worship, fellowship, planning meetings and other such things.  What would it look like for the church today to set aside a meeting time just for the purpose of prayer?  Perhaps, before any energy goes into planning or activity, energy ought to be put into praying together.  This is a collective demonstration of humility, dependence and openness to where the Spirit of God may be leading us.  Here is a question I am meditating on and invite you to also meditate on:  What would it take to be a more prayerful church?

!!! --- DANGER --- !!!

The daily Bible reading brought back memories of technical training when I was in the Air Force.  I still remember the uneasy feeling the first time we opened the lid to power supply for one of the radar amplifiers for the planes.  It was not unusual to see a warning label with something like, “Warning, High Voltage, contact may cause injury or death.”  However, this piece of equipment had a different kind of label.  In very big and bold red letters it said, “Danger!  20,000 Volts.  Contact will cause death.”  Even though we were normally very careful to observe all safety protocols, it was on our mind in a special way that day.  The fear and respect we had for electricity prevented us from having a lax attitude toward it.  Several of our technical instructors had already put a healthy fear of electricity in us with the truth stories of those who ignored safety rules and died because of it.  We were very careful to comply with all limitations, instructions, and safety rules.  This included things like not wearing metal jewelry or even metal framed glasses.

I imagine that what Israel faced was similar when they were in the presence of God at Mount Sinai or at the Tabernacle with his presence burning in a pillar of smoking fire over the sanctuary.  What they had come near to was not a high voltage, but high holiness in the presence of God.  Leviticus 16 gave specific and detailed instructions on how Israel was to approach the presence of God in his most holy place in the sanctuary.  

“The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: …” (Lev 16:1-3).

What follows are very detailed instructions on the protocol for entering into the Holy place.  There were very specific kinds of offerings for specific purposes that had to be made in preparation to enter.  It was only to be on the designated day once a year.  Even though Aaron’s two sons were priests, they were previously struck down by fire because they did not honor God by following the detailed instruction he had given on approaching him in his Holy Place (Lev 10:1-11).  The holiness of God that filled the Holy Place was much more than 20,000 volts.  It wasn’t metal jewelry that was the issue for Aaron’s sons who had been struck down, but the “strange/unauthorized fire” that they offered which the Lord had not commanded.

Due to our sin and impurity, it is a dangerous thing to approach divine holiness.  But God wanted his people to come near to him.  He wanted to come down from his holy mountain to live in a tabernacle in the midst of his people.  He wanted them to worship and love him with all their heart, soul, and mind.  Because sin and impurity made it a precarious thing, God provided a holiness protocol by which the priest could purify himself and the people to be near God as his people.

This should help us Christians to appreciate the privilege of being near to God with thankful humility.  Since God is too holy and we were too impure, Jesus came as our High Priest and gave himself as an offering to purify us and make us holy.  Unlike Israel, which was limited to only the High Priest being able to enter the Holy Place once a year, Jesus paved a way for ALL of us to enter into the presence of God through him (Heb 6:19ff).  This is why the final picture of hope we are giving in the Bible is seeing God face-to-face (Rev 22:4), which was not possible before Jesus performed his atoning work on the cross and at the empty tomb.

God's Choice of Judah vs. Joseph

Sometimes the most memorable thing a person will say are his last words.  I can imagine that the final blessing of Jacob to his sons were etched into their minds.  One of the surprising things about his final blessing is some were short, and most were not the most positive of words.   

 

Of his oldest son, Reuben, he said: 

"Reuben, you are my firstborn,
    my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
    preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
    because you went up to your father's bed;
    then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!" (Gen 49:3-4).

Of Simeon and Levi he said:

"Simeon and Levi are brothers;
    weapons of violence are their swords.
Let my soul come not into their council;
    O my glory, be not joined to their company.
For in their anger they killed men,
    and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
    and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
    and scatter them in Israel" (Gen 49:5-7).

Of his youngest son, Benjamin, he said:

"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
    in the morning devouring the prey
    and at evening dividing the spoil"  (Gen 49:27).

Due to the dysfunctional activities in the family over the years, most of Jacob’s final words are either short or negative, or both.

However, this is not true of Joseph’s blessing.  Joseph seemed to be a shining star out of all the sons of Jacob.  He exemplified so many of the characteristics a godly man should have.  Even in the face of extreme difficulties, he lived well and died well in the end.  Here are the final words Jacob passed on for Joseph.

 “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
    a fruitful bough by a spring;
    his branches run over the wall.
 The archers bitterly attacked him,
    shot at him, and harassed him severely,
yet his bow remained unmoved;
    his arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
    (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
by the God of your father who will help you,
    by the Almighty who will bless you
    with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,
    blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father
    are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents,
    up to the bounties of the everlasting hills.
May they be on the head of Joseph,
    and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers” (Gen 49:22-26).

Based on this, one would think that God’s seed promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be fulfilled through Joseph.  However, this is not the case.  The seed promise would be fulfilled through the tribe of Judah, which later produced Jesus, the Messiah.

This is rather interesting.  Not only does Judah not occupy a lot of space in the stories of Genesis, but his portrayal is less than flattering.  In Genesis 37:26-27, it was Judah that concocted the plan to sell Joseph into slavery to get rid of him.  In Genesis 38, Judah’s first two sons were evil enough that God took both of their lives.  This left him with a daughter-in-law that was a widow.  To take care of her, he promised his third son as a husband when he was old enough to marry.  However, he told her to go back home to her father until he grew up!  It became evident that Judah had no intention of keeping his promise to Tamar.  Later, it was Judah that went to what he thought was a prostitute.  It was Judah that had to be backed into a corner by Tamar to keep his word.  Judah was indeed a very different man than his brother, Joseph. 

However, Judah appears to have become a changed man later in his life.  In Genesis 43:8-10, Judah offered himself up personally as a guarantee for Jacob’s favorite son, Benjamin.  In Genesis 44:14-34, Judah had every intention of keeping his word.  When Benjamin was going to be held captive in Egypt, Judah offered to stay in Benjamin’s place.  That Judah did this for his father’s favorite son shows Judah to be a changed man.  He acted in a completely different way concerning Benjamin, Jacob’s favorite son at that time.

Perhaps this is why the only other long and positive blessing Jacob gives is to Judah.  Of Judah, Jacob offered this blessing:

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
    your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
    your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's cub;
    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine
    and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
    and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
    and his teeth whiter than milk” (Gen 49:8-12).  

In this blessing, Jacob referred to Judah as a brave lion’s whelp.  He also declared that the ruler’s staff would not depart from Judah, indicating that a ruler would come from him.  This ruler would be none other than Jesus, the Messiah (Mt 1:3,16), the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5).

God’s choice of Judah did not exclude the others from receiving the blessing.  However, only one could have the honor of being the vehicle for fulfilling the seed promise.  Why Judah?  Despite the change in his life, he does not stand out in exemplary character the way Joseph did.  This appears to have changed in Judah’s later life, which is a reminder that a man can choose what kind of man he is going to be.

However, God’s choice is not based on our actions, but his grace and favor.  Romans chapter 9 discusses how God’s choice is based on his grace and mercy, not on how much someone has done right or wrong.  It clearly states, “… it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom 9:16).  Whether it is choosing the younger, choosing the least, or even choosing the one who has less than exemplary characteristics, it is always according to God’s grace. 

We are God’s chosen because of his mercy.  Spending time in meditation on this will help to displace the pride that God is so opposed to.  Prayerful reflection on this should cause our pride to deflate and our humble thanksgiving to inflate.  This should increase our patience, compassion, grace and mercy for others. 

Knowing the Name of the LORD

I asked my mother why I was named, “John.” She told me that when she got married and came to this country, the president at the time was Johnson. She wanted to name me Johnson. But my Dad said that is not really a first name, but they could shorten to John. That is how I got my name. This story suggests that my parents had hopes and dreams for their first born son. The name was not chosen haphazardly. There was a story and meaning behind it.

One of the major themes in the Bible is the “name” of the LORD, which also has a story and meaning behind it. His name, “Yahweh” is translated by the word, LORD, with all uppercase letters. When God first revealed his name to Moses, he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM (EHYEH) has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD (YAHWEH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Ex 3:14-15). 

Yahweh means, “He is,” which is another form of the words, “I am.” This raises the question, “He is what?”

When Moses told Pharaoh that Yahweh said to let his people go, Pharaoh replied, “Who is Yahweh that I should obey his voice? I don’t know Yahweh, and moreover, I will not let Israel go” (Ex 5:2). Even though Pharoah audibly heard the name, he did not know Yahweh. In a sense, Israel did not know yet either. The question, “He is what?” hung in the air. 

When God spoke, he gave this recurring refrain “…and you shall know that I am Yahweh…” (Ex 6:7; 7:5,17; 8:10,22; 9:16; 10:2; 14:4,18; 16:12; 29:46; 31:13). Very soon, the question “He is what?” would be answered not through a set of theological propositions, but through God’s actions. God will demonstrate that he is a God that does not forget his covenant with their ancestor, Abraham, and will therefore deliver his people from bondage by striking mighty Pharaoh and all of Egypt.

The answer to the question, “He is what?” is answered through God’s redemptive actions which leads them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai, God bound himself by a covenant to Israel. This reminds us that a person only gives his name to another because they will be enacting some sort of relationship. This is exactly what God does at the base of Mount Sinai. This is why he begins his covenant not with the Ten Commandments, but with the words, “I am Yahweh…” (Ex 20:2).

In the wilderness, God goes on to demonstrate who he is not through passing down theological formulas, but through his actions. This is simply the way it is in a relationship. We know our children and our spouse not simply because we know their names or a list of propositions about them. We know them through their actions. It is the same with God. His name is attached to the accounts of his redemptive actions on behalf of his people. 

His name, “He is,” is not a stand-alone thought. His name is attached to his actions. The accounts and stories of the Bible are what answer the question, “He is what?” He is the living God. He is the God who provides. He is the God who sees. He is the God who hears. He is our redeemer. There are biblical stories and accounts for each of these statements. This is why it is important to remember and reflect on the stories of God in the whole Bible

The After-Effects of your Actions

One of the things I have been struck by in reading through the Bible again this year is the focus on genealogies, especially in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.  In the past, I would breeze through them because this was not my family tree.  I knew nothing about these people other than their names and how long they lived.  However, it dawned on me that if I, along with every other Christian, am a child of Abraham due to faith (Gal 3:7), then this is also my family tree.  This gives me lessons from my heritage.  Perhaps I need to pay a little closer attention to what even a name may teach me.

One of the themes that stands out in the genealogies is the effects of a persons actions.  Genesis 5 has a genealogy that runs from Adam to Noah.  These people had incredibly long life spans, which means many of them were still alive when God flooded the earth.  They were part of the enormously wicked and violent people in the world.  This demonstrates how the effects of Adam’s sin did not stop with him.  It spread to his sons, one of which was murdered by the other (Gen 4:6-8), and to his children’s children, who increased in pride and vengeance (Gen 4:17-24).  Eventually every thought and inclination of man was continually on evil (Gen 6:5).  The only two exceptions appears to be Enoch and Noah (Gen 5:22,29).  

After the flood, sin continued.  There was the incident with a drunken Noah and his son, Ham (Gen 9:20-25).  Sin didn’t stop there, but can be seen in the name of the following genealogy in chapter 10.  There is Babel, which is the origin of Babylon, and Nineveh, he origin of Assyria.  There is Canaan, the father of the Canaanite tribes, including the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, the Hivites, and so forth.  These are the Canaanite nations which God drove out and destroyed due to centuries of sin, which would have included violence, idolatry, immorality, human sacrifice, and a host of other sins which caused the land to “vomit them out” (Lev 18:24-25; Dt 20:16-18).

On the other hand, the genealogies also suggest that a man’s faithful obedience also has an effect on many in future generations.  There are far fewer examples of this, but they are just as significant.  Noah’s faithfulness found favor with God, which is why he and his family was spared from the flood, which preserved humanity from total destruction.  Abraham’s faith became a source of blessing not just for himself, but for all the nations of the earth (Gen 22:18). 

In spite of their faithfulness, they could not turn the overall tide of sin around in the world.  Ultimately, it was one man’s faithful obedience that gave the power to completely undo the devastating effects of sin for all people.  The book of Romans contrasts the disobedience of Adam with its after-effects and the faithful obedience of Christ with its results.  “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19).  Only Jesus, who was without sin (Heb 4:15), could destroy the power of sin through his atoning work on the cross (1 Cor 15:3), and his renewing work through the Holy Spirit (Tit 2:15).  Through him, we can become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).

This is a sobering reminder that the effects of my actions, both good and bad, are not limited to me.  They affect people closest to me and even those who are generations away.  As I spend time reflecting on those times when selfish desires creep into my heart, it helps to try and see the big picture of their effects.  At the same time, I need to reflect on how my faithfulness to God can be an example that can also reach those who are generations away.  

Enoch and Noah’s Genealogical Lesson

I remember when I first became interested in family genealogies many years ago.  Much of what I learned were names and dates.  The real treasure was when I was able to dig up additional information, especially stories about the people the names represented.

I was thinking about this in our daily Bible readings.  Enoch and Noah stand out in the genealogy of Genesis 5 because they have more than just names and years.

“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Gen 5:24).

“…and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (Gen 5:29). 

Do Enoch and Noah have anything in common other than getting a little extra information in a genealogical list?  

The first thing to notice is they both were favored by God.  Enoch walked with God (Gen 5:24), and Noah found favor with God (Gen 6:8). Both are included as exemplary models of faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews (Heb 11:5,7).  

A second thing to notice is they were both saved by God.  Noah was saved “through water” according to 1 Peter 3:20.  In other words, Noah was saved from the wicked and violent world by the flood.  Enoch was saved the opposite way.  Instead of taking the world by flood, God took Enoch instead.  Enoch’s son, Methusaleh, was still alive when the flood came, which indicates that he did not find favor with God as Noah did.  God saved Enoch from having to experience the wickedness in his children and children’s children that led to the flood.

This is not the only time God would do something like this.  I am reminded of king Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and enacted a sweeping reform back to Yahweh.  He repaired and rededicated the temple for worship of Yahweh.  He destroyed all of the pagan shrines in the land.  He even went so far as to defile a popular place of pagan worship and sacrifice in the valley of Hinnom so that it could never be used for such purposes again.  The text says there was no king like him who turned with all his heart to Yahweh (2 Kg 23:25).   In spite of this, Pharaoh Neco shockingly defeated and killed him in battle at Megiddo (2 Kg 23:29).  The explanation is in 2 Chronicles 34:24-28, where God had affirmed that he would bring disaster on Jerusalem due to their ongoing pattern of wickedness.  However, God said that he would cause Josiah to die before this happened, sparing him the experience of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. 

The people of Enoch’s day may not have known why Enoch was taken from this earth even though he walked with God.  The people of Josiah’s day were likely devastated at his defeat and premature death even though he had been faithful to God.  They probably could not have imagined that their departure from this life was due to God’s favor.  However, we the readers of the story have the privilege of seeing the larger picture.  It demonstrates that God does indeed work all things together for good to those that love him (Rom 8:28).

For the present, we do not know all the details of why certain faithful people die “before their time.”  But this story helps to put some perspective on things that may not make sense to us on this side of Heaven.  Enoch and Noah remind us that God will save us one way or another.

The Pursuit of Wisdom

I remember the experiments in the lab with the oscilloscope, schematics, and the circuits on the bench.  Unlike my liberal arts education from college, this was technical training at a technical school.  I never thought of it as the pursuit of wisdom.  In my mind, learning and growing in wisdom was something that came at the feet of a sage or guru.

Eventually, I discovered the biblical view of wisdom was much more expansive than this.  People who were called “wise” or “wise men” included those skilled at making clothes (Ex 28:2), builders and craftsmen (Ex 31:3), and those who were educated to serve in the court of the king (Ex 7:11; Dan 2:12). “Wise men” was a technical term to refer to those who had been educated with knowledge and skill, whether it be technical or philosophical.

This came to mind as I was reading in Genesis 3:6 for my daily Bible reading.  Part of the motivation for eating the fruit of the tree that God had prohibited was that it was “desirable to make one wise.”  Is there some inherent problem with the pursuit of wisdom?  What does the Bible say?  According to Proverbs 4:7, “The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom.”  This tells us a very important fact about wisdom.  Wisdom does not fall into one’s lap.  Wisdom does not come automatically with age.  Many people know an aged fool and a wise youth.  This demonstrates that in order to find wisdom, one must “cry out” for it, and search for it diligently as one searches for hidden treasure   Proverbs 2 says that to gain wisdom, one must cry out for insight (Prov 2:3), seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure (Prov 2:4).

Eve wanted to be wise, smart, insightful, and knowledgeable, which is something the Bible encourages.  However, the Bible also teaches in Proverbs 1:7 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.  True wisdom cannot be found without God.  Passages such as Proverbs 1:3, 2:9, and 9:9 makes clear that wisdom and righteousness go hand in hand. Eve engaged in unrighteousness by trying to gain wisdom apart from God. In Genesis 4:17-24, mankind began to gain wisdom in various branches of wisdom such as city building, farming, music, and metal work.  However, along with an increase in skill, knowledge, and learning came an increase in wickedness, violence, and runaway vengeance.  In Genesis 6:5 it says that their thoughts and inclinations were on evil continually.  The world became filled with wickedness and violence. 

This reminds me of a quotation from C.S. Lewis: “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.”  Genesis 3:1-6:5 demonstrated this clearly and it is still happening today.  Nuclear power is useful, but humans have also used it to build bombs that can wipe out humanity.  Medical research is useful, but it can also be used to create killer viruses and wage germ warfare.  Things such as these demonstrate the “secular” pursuit of wisdom that makes man hideously crafty and smart.  Instead of leading to a utopia, it leads to social chaos, violence, and ultimately death and both the physical and spiritual level.  We see this demonstrated in Adam and Eve and in the generations that came after them all the way up to the flood.

This should be a sobering reminder that for Christians there should be no such thing as a “secular” pursuit of knowledge, skill, or wisdom.  All of it must be in honor, service, and faithfulness to God the creator, sustainer and redeemer.

The Calendar

I remember how we used to have a “Master Calendar” on the hallway wall while our boys were growing up.  Back before the days of electronic devices that had the ability to sync everyone’s calendars, we needed a way to make sure everyone in the family communicated our events, appointments, conferences, games, concerts, Youth Rallies, and especially church events.

During my growing years, I never gave a whole lot of thought to where calendars came from.  There were a few times I pondered it, such as the time when I was eight.  My mother showed some of the Korean coins she brought with her from Korea when she came to America. Instead of 1973, or something close to that, the year on the coins were 4294.  I did not realize that other countries counted years differently than we did.  I also did not realize through the centuries and millennia that there were other types of calendars with differing numbers of days and months on them. 

It is interesting how God created the material from which we can use to order our time.  When God created the Sun, Moon, and the Stars, he placed them in the vault/expanse/firmament, and declared what their function would be.  In addition to governing the earth by providing light, God said, “…let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…” (Gen 1:14).  As a result, some people mark time by creating a calendar using the moon.  Others mark time by creating a calendar using the sun.  Either way, God is the one who provided the material for our “seasons, days, and years.”

The word that is translated “seasons” is an interesting word.  In Hebrew, it is “mo’ed,” which is usually translated “appointed time, appointed place, sacred time, or festival.”  Some examples of its use include Exodus 27:21, where it is the Tent of “meeting/appointed time,” Exodus 13:10 where it refers to the “appointed time” for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:2 where it refers to the appointed feasts God had set aside for Israel to observe, and many other examples exactly like these in the Old Testament.  This word does not refer to time or seasons in general but more specifically to appointed and sacred times for worship, honor, or commemoration of God.

This means that God gave us the material to create calendars not merely for the purpose of planning our activities, but for setting aside times to thank, worship and serve him.  This is why James 4:13-15 says, “¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  

God’s will should be the organizing principle behind our calendars, day timers, and planners. The Psalmist prays, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  Some questions to ask should include: “How would God have me number each day on the calendar?  How does godly wisdom guide me in doing so?  What should be the priorities in filling out the calendar this week?  This month?  This year?