40 Days of...dread?

Day 38

OT Reading: Leviticus 1-3

NT Reading: Matthew 24:23-51

I have to admit something. The next 40 days of reading are the ones I'm dreading the most. You see, I've made it this far before. I've read up to this point, going through Genesis and Exodus...but then have come to Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and have gotten bogged down in all the details that I've never made it through this portion. This portion is actually the primary reason that I wanted to do a mixture of Old and New Testament readings each day.

Not that I want you to dread opening your Bible for the next 40 days. I'm just trying to be honest with my own feelings about the whole experience. But even as I began my reading today a particular verse stood out to me. Just a few verses into the book of Leviticus, when giving instructions about sacrifices, we read this:

If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

Leviticus 1:3-4 (NIV), emphasis mine

And that's when I was reminded of something I've said 1,000 times...but still end up forgetting a little too often. It's that the Bible is not ultimately about me. It is, however, about Jesus.

Here, centuries before Jesus is born in Bethlehem, God begins to teach that our sins do not go unnoticed, but instead require a payment. Here God begins to show that payment for sins cannot come directly through a flawed sinner, but must come indirectly through a perfect sacrifice. Here God begins to teach that only through sacrifice of one that is innocent, can the guilty come back into a right relationship with God. It's here, amidst the smattering of details and the seemingly repetitions commands, that we begin to learn about Jesus.

So why are these next 40 days important? What we'll be reading is important because ultimately it points us to Jesus. And that, my friends, is something to get excited about.

Milestones all around

Day 36
OT Reading: Exodus 37-38
NT Reading: Matthew 23:23-39

You may not have realized it, but if you are up to date with your readings, you have now read over 100 chapters of the Bible! Also, once you complete your readings on July 1st, you'll have read over 10% of the Bible.

Regardless of what you've done or how much you may think you have grasped to this point, that is a really cool accomplishment. I hope you're as excited about it as I am.

I'm back home now, and while I loved spending time with friends, it is always great to be home. I did keep up reading each day, even though I slacked on blogging. But hey, what else are vacations for? Regardless, I hope you are sticking with your readings and finding this adventure to be a fruitful one.

About: The Tabernacle

Day 32
OT Reading: Exodus 27-28
NT Reading: Matthew 21:23-46

The past couple days we've been reading through the instructions God gave about the Tabernacle. What you may be wondering is why in the world God had to go to such great lengths, giving every last detail. I mean, wouldn't it be easier to just give general directions and let them use some of their own artistic expression?

Well there actually is some reasoning behind this. What we learn is that the Tabernacle wasn't just a cool new name for the latest church plant. Nor was it just the latest in building technology. Hebrews 8:5 actually gives us some insight. What we learn is that the Tabernacle actually served as a pattern (i.e. a "shadow") of the way that heaven is designed. Which is pretty cool if you think about it. Even thousands of years before you and I ever read this, God used an opportunity to teach His people an even greater lesson.

The Upside Down Kingdom

Day 30
OT Reading: Exodus 22-24
NT Reading: Matthew 20:17-34

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:28 (NIV)

The world says to be number one...but Jesus says the last will be first.

The world says to climb the ladder...but Jesus says to be the servant of all.

The world says to achieve absolute freedom and independence...but Jesus tells us that freedom is only found by naming Him Lord.

The world says only the strong survive...but Jesus says that ultimate strength is found in weakness.

The world tells us that we must try to live forever...but Jesus says we'll never truly live until we die to ourselves.

Jesus' Kingdom is very counterintuitive to the way we think. And that's exactly what He intended.

Feel free to join us at CCJ as over the next several weeks we'll be preaching a series called The Upside Down Kingdom. If you're not nearby, you can listen here.

***FYI. Beginning tomorrow Kara, Ian and I will be heading out on vacation for a week. I still plan to read, and even update the counter on a daily basis (you did notice the counter over to the right...didn't you?). But I cannot guarantee that I'll be posting every day.

The Big 10

Day 29
OT Reading: Exodus 19-21
NT Reading: Matthew 20: 1-16

In Andy Stanley's sermon series "The Sinai Code" he points out something about the ten commandments that I never noticed before. You probably read it today yourself and didn't even realize it. It was in Exodus 20:2 where God says, "I am the Lord your God..." (NIV) That may seem like an easy comment to overlook, but really it's significant for a couple reasons.

One, these people had been in captivity for 430 years. And other than the stories that had been passed down through the generations they really knew nothing about this God. Ask them about the various gods of the Egyptians? Sure, they could tell you about them. But this God? They didn't know his name, how He acted, what He wanted from them, how He likes His
coffee...nothing! They just knew he was the God of their ancestors...and that's about it.

Second, this statement "I am the Lord your God..." is said before anything else. Before any "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots." When God makes this statement, we don't yet have any 'ten commandments.' The people could not yet make sure they were following the rules because...well...they did not have any of His rules!

And yet before the people could obey Him perfectly, before they knew all the information there was to know about Him...God said, "I am your God." Do you realize how significant that is? Most of the time people make the ten commandments about the rules. But before any rules are listed God's emphasis is on how He wants a relationship with His people.

Perhaps the reason this stands out to me is because of the number of people I meet who believe they either need to know enough or be following enough of the rules before God will accept them. Yet here, even before the most famous list of commands in the world, God expresses his desire to be a personal God.

Mythbusting: the camel and the needle

Day 28

OT Reading: Exodus 16-18

NT Reading: Matthew 19:16-36

I'm starting to realize that some days there are about 14 different points I'd like to write about, then other days I simply think, "Ummm...ok so about these fantastic genealogies...again..." Today was one of those days when there are are several, but we'll just stick with one. And if you don't mind, I think I'll do it Mythbusters style.

Myth:

A few years ago I was presented with an idea about Matthew 19:24 which reads, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter in the kingdom of God." (NIV) To that point in my life I had always taken the statement at face value, understanding that Jesus was using an analogy to make a point. Perhaps that's how you've understood this passage.

With that interpretation in mind I was then told about a gate which was called "the eye of the needle." Because city gates were large and would be closed at night for protection, smaller man-sized gates were built into city walls to allow appropriate entrance and exit while not making the entire city vulnerable. It was explained to me that it was through this smaller gate that a camel could enter, but only after removing all of its belongings and possessions it was carrying, getting to its knees and lowering it's head. Therefore, based on this idea Jesus was showing how it was possible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom, but only after removing from himself the importance of all his earthly possessions, and submitting to the Lordship of Christ.

And that is a beautiful picture...a camel lowering itself, bowing even in submission. It's poetic even. But is it true? Well let's look at a few different perspectives:

History/Archeology

This interpretation was first introduced during the middle ages, over a millennia after Jesus walked this earth. During the Crusades soldiers saw these very sorts of gates in the walls of cities, and witnessed this sort of activity with donkeys, camels, etc. With that in mind, the interpretation was made, and has stuck around ever since. However archeology tells us that these gates were in fact not in existence in Jesus' day. In fact every example of any gate we have from Jesus' day would have been easily large enough for any camel to walk through. So history

Context

If we continue on in the verses that follow we find that the disciples are astonished and ask, "Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:25b, NIV) If the illustration Jesus is using is something from everyday life, why would they be astonished and see salvation as an impossibility? It would be like me saying, "I can turn on my lights with the flip of a switch." If you've seen that happen dozens or even hundreds of times, why would you find it astonishing? We find things extraordinary things, not ordinary things, astonishing.

Theology

Continuing on in even the next verse we're presented with an important piece of theology (not a dirty word by the way). In Matthew 19:26 Jesus says, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (NIV) Throughout Scripture we are taught that man cannot save himself. To say that if a rich man just does all the right things he can thereby enter the Kingdom on his own merit is a contradiction of what we understand all throughout the Bible.

Result

If you've never seen the show, after testing and reviewing all the evidence three options are given for a myth: busted, plausible or confirmed. In this case I hope it's clear to you that this myth is totally busted. Historically, contextually and theologically the idea that Jesus was using a literal illustration just does not stand up.

Maybe I gave a lot more information than anyone really cared to know, and maybe I could have looked for a more "devotional" sort of thought...but this is one of those reoccurring stories I've heard numerous times, and I just wanted to hit this one while we were here. But if you have a question or have heard a theory that you'd like discussed. Send it my way and we'll see if we can set it aside and see how the evidence stacks up.

***Remember, even though I'm a paid professional DO, I repeat DO try this at home. There is little to no danger in researching Biblical answers on your own.

Why do we follow?

Day 27
OT Reading: Exodus 13-15
NT Reading: Matthew 19:1-15

In Exodus 15:25-26 God makes the Israelites a promise. If they obey and follow him, he will not bring upon them the plagues he brought upon the Egyptians. Notice however that God does not say, "I'll make everything easy and you'll never have any hardships."

I'm afraid too many people expect that when they obey God, he'll make sure nothing painful or frustrating ever happens. But that's not the case at all. Jesus tells us that God sends rain (a.k.a. storms of life) on both the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45, NIV)

We don't obey God, follow his commands, read the Bible, pray, etc to get special treatment or protection from any unfortunate circumstances. If that were the case everyone would likely be along just for that. Instead, we follow God...because we love him and desire to serve, honor and glorify him.

I'm not saying I never let selfish motives get in the way...I'd be lying if I said that. But it is good to offer myself a reminder, especially when tough times hit. God's not offering special passes because I'm a Christian, a preacher, have certain verses memorized or am reading through the Bible in a year. And yet I follow and obey simply out of love for Him.