Tag: God’s character

Morning Musing: Matthew 14:1-2

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“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus. ‘This is John the Baptist,’ he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever read something in the Scriptures and wondered how on earth the author could have come to know that particular detail? We don’t encounter this much in the Old Testament, but the Gospel authors all have places where there are details reported they were present to have observed or experienced for themselves. Sometimes they report the conversations that happened in gatherings of priests that included none of Jesus’s followers when they happened. Matthew reports a private conversation between Pilate and his wife. Here he reports what was apparently a private conversation between Herod and his servants. How did they come by this knowledge? Let’s explore that briefly this morning through the lens of an interesting little connection that’s easy to miss.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 32:33-35

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“The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.’ And the Lord inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the most incredible aspects of God’s character is that He is a perfect combination of justice and mercy. This mixture is not 50-50 like one we might make. Instead, it’s 100-100. He’s 100% just and 100% merciful. He’s all of both at exactly the same time. We can trust that He will always do the right thing, but He will always do the right thing in the most merciful way possible. We trust that in part because of passages like this one. Let’s talk about what’s going on here.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 32:25-29

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“Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies. And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites gathered around him. He told them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, “Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.”‘ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. Afterward Moses said, ‘Today you have been dedicated to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When we were growing up we had a dog named Ginger. She was the reddest golden retriever I’ve ever seen, and she was the best dog in the world. When she was a puppy, she would get so excited when my dad got home from work that she would pee on the floor. If a person did something like that, we’d say they got out of control. When people get out of control, sometimes it takes extreme measures to get their attention again. The people of Israel who joined in the worship of the golden calf got out of control and had to be stopped. This next part of the story is hard. Really hard. Let’s talk about what’s going on here.

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A Slice of Pie

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Getting through conflict is always tricky, especially family conflict. One of the best navigational tools to help us in this effort is something we see put on display in the life of Jacob just before his reunion with his estranged brother, Esau in their story in Genesis. While Jacob’s approach is rooted in having a correct understanding of who God is and who we are, we often talk about it in terms of dessert. Let’s talk about resolving conflict, pie, and how to get relationships right.

A Slice of Pie

I grew up in Independence, MO. My hometown has several claims to fame, but the most recent and well-known is that it was the hometown of President Truman. Truman still looms large over the medium-sized city that still feels like a small town in many ways. The First Baptist Church I grew up attending has an address on Truman Road. It is just a couple of blocks up from the Truman Home where he lived before becoming President and afterwards until his death in 1972. If you look down another street that goes out from the church you can see the Truman Library about a mile up the road. My high school and undergraduate institutions were both named for him. Reading about half of his classic biography by David McCullough was required in my college history class. It was pretty much all Truman all the time for me. 

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 32:11-14

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“But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God: ‘Lord, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel – you swore to them by yourself and declared, “I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.”‘ So the Lord relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever prayed for someone else? I suspect you have. Nearly everyone has. That motion of spiritually looking up is hardwired into our programming. It takes real effort over time to turn it off. So, let me phrase that slightly differently. Have you ever interceded for someone else in prayer? This goes a little ways beyond merely praying for them. It’s easy to say a quick prayer for someone who is hurting and then go on about the rest of your day. Interceding is when we stand in the gap between them and God and make ourselves a passionate advocate for their interests. When God was ready to bring apocalyptic judgment against Israel because of their sin, Moses interceded for them. Let’s talk about what we see unfolding here.

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