Week 11 of the Grand Story... the plot thickens!

“They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deut. 32:21)

One of the very last instructions God gave Moses was to write a song and teach it to the people of Israel. This song was to be a witness against them when – not if, but when – they abandoned Him and went after the false gods of the pagan nations around them. Tucked away in this song is a lyrical couplet that contains an important prophecy, a sneak peek into His future plans to redeem all of humanity out from under the curse of sin and restore them to Himself.

God says, “I am going to stir up in you a desire for me by extending My grace to Gentiles. You will see the beauty of my love and mercy toward them and it will actually make you jealous for that kind of relationship with Me.”

He further unfolds this plan through the prophet Hosea: “And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’” (Hos. 2:23, NASB) He speaks through Isaiah, “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.” (Isa. 65:1) In Romans 11:11, Paul confirms that “salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” God’s plan all along has been to redeem all of humanity, not just Israel. He chose them to be the people He would reveal Himself to and through so that “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 22:18)

Even now, God is always only ever about one thing: His Kingdom, the comprehensive rule of God over everything and everyone in all places at all times. That is Plan A and there is no Plan B. That is where history is headed and nothing can stop it. Right now God continues to draw men, women, boys, and girls from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people to Himself through Jesus Christ. And the primary way He chooses to extend that invitation is through the changed lives of ordinary, messed-up, broken people like you and me. Bit-by-bit, day-by-day, we are being transformed by His love into the image of His Son that we were originally created to bear.

Scripture records another song, one that we will sing someday – Jews and Gentiles together – when Christ returns: “Worthy are You… for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5: 9-10)

Come quickly, Jesus!

Leviticus Wordled

Our church is reading through the entire Bible in chronological order this year in an effort to gain fresh perspective on the entire redemptive plan of God as it unfolds in scripture. As we finish up Leviticus I find myself surprised at the portrait of God I find there.

I had always been told that the Old Testament God of the Law was harsh, cold, wrathful, demanding, and not much fun at all. That is not the picture I get from Leviticus at all. I find there a God not much different than the One of the New Testament -- full of grace, ready to show mercy and compassion on anyone who truly wants to know Him. He is compassionate, generous, genuinely concerned for the health and well-being of His people. He is caring and compassionate towards the poor, the widow, the helpless, the stranger.

I find a God who loves celebration, encourages rest and restoration, and has a plan to bring about renewal. I find a God interested in freeing slaves, redeeming and rescuing those in bondage, and revealing Himself to any who will sincerely and humbly seek Him. I guess what I really find in Leviticus is... Jesus.

For grin and giggles I decided to Wordle the entire book of Leviticus. I had a hunch what the main key words would be but I wanted to see it for myself. I wasn't disappointed.

The biggest word in Leviticus is LORD, which is the translation of the Hebrew YHWH, the personal covenant Name of God. I AM. The God Who Is, Who Was, and Who Always Will Be. Eternal. Unchanging. Ever present.

Next is Offering. This is both a verb and a noun. It suggests that we acknowledge God as the source of everything we have and that we worship Him by giving it back into His hands to use for His glory. It speaks of sacrifice. We declare His worth to us by what we are willing to give up in order to gain Him.

Third is priest, one who represents God to the people and the people to God. The mediator. The go-between. It implies that there is tension and conflict on the relationship with God but that He is willing to do whatever it takes to restore that relationship.

There are others: holy, unclean, people, blood, sin, altar. These are all words you would expect to find in the Gospel. We just don't expect to find the gospel in Leviticus. It never ceases to amaze me that Jesus is everywhere in scripture if we take the time to look for Him.

"You want me to do WHAT, God?!"

Continuing through Genesis the past few mornings... came across this yesterday:
"And God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations... You shall be circumcised... it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.' " (Gen. 17:9, 11)

Because of the differences in cultures, customs, and worldview, we don't get the whole circumcision thing. Paul gives us a lot of insight on what was really going on there in Romans 2 & 4: "Circumcision is a matter of the heart, not outward and physical." (2:28-29), and it was given as a sign and a seal that God had already counted Abraham's faith as righteousness and set him apart as holy (4:10-12)

A few words help me understand this seemingly strange requirement of God to Abraham:

• Permanent - There's no undoing circumcision. No going back. You are all in. And it would remain a constant reminder of the unique covenant relationship God's people enjoyed.
• Personal - It was a 1:1 ratio. Every man had to bear his own part in the ongoing, unfolding redemptive narrative of God's plan. You couldn't be circumcised for someone else! "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:12)
• Painful - Remember, Abraham and his men were adults at this time. Like Henry Blackaby says in Experiencing God, "Obedience is costly." The question is "Is it worth the cost?" That's why we call it worship; we are declaring what something is worth by what we are willing to sacrifice (see Gen. 22:12)
• Possession - God wants to set His people apart as His unique and holy treasure. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) Shepherds mark their flocks by cutting a notch or making a unique mark on their sheep so they will be easily identifiable as belonging to their master, even from a distance.

What sets me apart? Can anyone tell a difference? Do they see that I belong to Christ, or do I blend in with the surroundings as indistinguishable? A matter of the heart indeed!