Year 7, Day 14: Genesis 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I think it is interesting to look at a person’s priorities in life.  We all have them, there’s no use denying it.  We all have things that make us tick.  We all have things for which we strive.  What’s neat about humanity is that these things are all different for each person.

Let’s look at Abraham.  God comes to him and says, “I am going to cause you to prosper.”  Do you notice Abraham’s response?  He immediately asks God what good it will do if he doesn’t have an heir.

Naturally, we need to understand the ancient mindset.  First of all, wealth wasn’t evaluated using bank accounts or even coins.  Wealth was evaluated by the size of your herd, the land you controlled, and the number of servants and slaves for whom you could provide.  Wealth was also determined by how many children for whom you could provide.

I firmly believe that when Abraham asks God about an heir, it isn’t an emotional plea for children.  I don’t honestly think that he is feeling sad because he is not a father.  I think that Abraham is evaluating God’s promise to him and realizing that when it comes to children, everyone will consider him poor because his lack of children demonstrates a possibility that he can’t provide for them.

For the record, I also wonder if this isn’t why God gives Abraham only one child.  God needs to give Abraham an heir, of course.  But could He also be keeping him humble by only giving him one as a check on his prioritization?

In the end, do notice that Abraham believes God’s promise.  God exposes Abraham’s character, potentially even a flaw.  God and Abraham even have a legitimate dialogue about God’s promise.  God accepts Abraham's critique, even!  But Abraham still believes.  Abraham trusts.  This is the important part of the story.  God comes to Abraham and Abraham listens and believes.

<><

Year 7, Day 13: Genesis 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here

You really know who your friends are when your life isn’t going well.  We are all familiar with the people who want to be our friends when we have something to offer.  If you’ve ever won something enviable, you know this feeling.  But that isn’t a true display of friendship.  Genuine friendship are people who are with you regardless of your situation.  They are there in the good times.  They remain there in the bad times.

For example, take a look at Lot.  He gets caught up in a war between the people living in and around Canaan.  He is defeated and taken captive.  His stuff is taken as plunder.  He’s a foreigner living in a foreign land.  He doesn’t have a family clan to defend him.  But he does have Abraham.  Abraham is a true friend.  Abraham comes to his defense, rescuing him from the hands of those who captured him.

However, it is often true that a friend of a friend is also a friend.  Notice that Abraham isn’t alone in coming to Lot’s aid.  Some of Abraham’s allies go with him to rescue Lot.  Lot is the beneficiary of Abraham’s friendships, too.

It is important to have friends.  We all like to have people to celebrate with us when things are good.  But we all also need people to be there for us when we need rescued.  We need people to remind us about joy and peace when life conspires against.

<><

Year 7, Day 12: Genesis 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Trust and generosity go together. They are accompanied rather well by concern for others.  These are the natural traits of those who walk with God.

Take a look at Abraham (Abram) in this passage.  He and Lot leave Egypt, knowing that the drought in Canaan is over.  While being in Egypt, their wealth prospered.  In other words, their flocks grew in size.  By the time that they get back to Canaan, they realize that their wealth is causing strife.  Their shepherds are starting to quibble among themselves as they try to provide water, food, and security for the flocks.

Look at Abraham’s response.  Abraham turns to Lot and says, “You pick.  Whichever you pick, I’ll take the other.”

This is a cool response for two reasons.  First of all, it shows Abraham’s perspective.  Abraham knows that God can prosper him wherever.  Abraham’s faith in God allows him the freedom to be generous with others.  Abraham’s trust that God will keep His word allows him to be gracious to Lot.  Our ability to be gracious and merciful starts with God.

Second, do you realize what Abraham could have said?  He could have said, “I’m older and wiser.  I have more than you.  You’re an orphan.  I’ll pick, and you get the privilege of leftovers.”  He had all the rights to do that, but he didn’t.  He set aside his privilege and allowed Lot the ability to choose.  He thought of Lot before his own rights.

<><

Year 7, Day 11: Genesis 11-12

Theological Commentary: Click Here

As we move past the flood account and draw closer to ancient human history, we get a very real perspective of humanity given to us.  I have always appreciated the Bible’s ability to give us an honest perspective of humanity.  These stories are not over-glorified accounts of magnificent human beings who are superior in every way.  These are human beings, flawed as us all.

Let’s start with the tower of Babel.  Here are a group of people who show simple human instinct.  They get together and want to build something with which they can make a monument of what they are doing.  They’ve created a society and a culture.  They set out to build a great tower to proclaim their greatness.  That seems like such a good, human idea.  But it’s not.  god knows that if these people build this monument, they will stay there and try to preserve what they have.  They won’t progress.  They won’t go forward.  They will try to constantly live in the past, contemplating how great they have become.

Then we move on to the witness of Abram’s father, Terah.  Do you hear that it was actually Terah who planned to go to Canaan?  No doubt God called him to go.  But he only got so far. He got to a place that looked nice and became satisfied.  He didn’t go the whole way to Canaan.  He found a place of contentment and stayed there.  That’s also a very human thing to do.

Finally, we hear about Abraham (Abram).  He hears God’s call and makes it the whole way to Canaan.  In fact, he stays there for a while and then heads off to Egypt because of a famine.  But while he’s there, he seeks his own glory and protection.  He lies about his wife.  He treats her like a sister, allowing her to be with Pharaoh and his household.  Naturally, God doesn’t approve and Pharaoh’s household suffers.  Abraham is caught in the act.  He lies to preserve his life and allow himself to prosper.  Again, that’s a very human thing to do.

Do you see what I mean?  These are very human people with human traits.  They aren’t perfect.  They aren’t superhuman.  They are simple people who love God but occasionally make mistakes. But God still continued to be with them, mistakes and obedience and all.

<><

Year 7, Day 10: Genesis 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Genesis 10 gives us a really neat geography lesson.  Yes, I’m serious.

First, we hear about the people of Japheth.  Japheth’s people go north.  These are the people of Asia Minor, Greece, Thrace, and southern Europe.  By and large, they are nearly irrelevant for the rest of the witness of the Old Testament.  But we’ll come back to this point.

Second, we hear about the descendants of Ham.  Ham’s descendants become the main opponents to God’s plan in the world.  These are the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines (specifically), and most of the other people found in the region of Israel.

Third, we hear about the people of Shem.  It is from his name that we derive the word Semitic.  These are Abraham’s people.  These people are the people who settled in the areas of Iraq and Iran.  The Persians are from Shem.  The Assyrians come from Shem.  The people of Lebanon and Syria come from Shem.

Why is all of this important?  Do you remember the odd little story about Noah’s drunkenness last chapter?  Pay attention, because this goes to show us that human beings don’t change much once we get an identity.

Remember that it was Ham that who could have cared less about Noah’s dignity.  It is Ham’s descendants that will be the primary antagonists to the Hebrew people throughout all time.  Ham starts off caring about himself and his desires and not caring about others.  It isn’t a surprise that these people by and large continue to oppose what God is at work doing in the world.

Also remember that it is Japheth and Shem who come along and preserve Noah’s dignity.  These are people who do care about others and do look to the needs of others before themselves. These are the people that God continues to use all throughout history.  Abraham comes from Shem.  The Assyrians, who God uses to judge his own people, come from Shem.  The Persians, who God uses to return His people from exile, largely come from Shem. 

Furthermore, do you remember the descendants of Japheth that we talked about earlier?  To whom does the Gospel spread after Christ’s death?  Who become the primary preachers and teachers for dozens of generations after Christ?  Naturally, it is the descendants of Japheth.

I think that it is really neat how these generations play out in connection to the story about Noah’s drunkenness.  It does truly go back to identity as a people.  I’m not trying to say that people can’t change their identity.  Through Christ, all things are possible, including changing identity!  But it is really a neat connection between identity and action.  It is also a really neat place that we can stop, sit back, and reflect on from where our identity come.

<><

Year 7, Day 9: Genesis 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

At the end of Genesis 9 we have an odd little story that doesn’t get much press.  It starts off by telling us that Noah liked to work the ground.  I can imagine why someone who spent so much time on a boat surviving the flood found a passion for tilling the soil.

Noah grows plants.  In fact, Noah likes grapes – wine in particular.  He liked wine so much that one day he becomes dunk.  Noah struggles with impulsive behavior.  Mind you, there weren’t too many other people around at the time, so it’s not like this act had too many potential consequences.

Noah’s sons become aware of his state.  Ham, the father of Canaan, sees Noah and points it out to his brothers.  In other words, Ham demeans Noah.  Ham mocks his father.  Ham is willing to let his father’s reputation be tarnished in the eyes of others.  Ham demonstrates his humanity.  Ham is looking out for himself, not for others.

Noah’s other sons demonstrate their compassion for Noah.  Shem and Japheth go in and cover Noah in his drunken state.  They do what they can to help their father.  Noah had done something unwise, but Shem and Japheth showed that they cared more about Noah than their own enjoyment.  They cared more about saving Noah’s honor than trying to make themselves seem better by tearing Noah down.

This is a great concept to end this day upon.  When we have the opportunity to watch someone else fall, do we get others to look or do we reach out a hand and try to prevent as much of the fall as possible?  Are we looking out for ourselves or for others first?

<><

Year 7, Day 8: Genesis 8

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The rains come.  The rains keep coming.  It rains longer and harder than it had ever rained before.  Noah and his family are safely conveyed through the storm by the ark.  In fact, they live on that ark for a year waiting for the waters to subside.  Talk about cabin fever!

This leads me to the end of the chapter.  The first thing that Noah does when He gets off the ark is to offer up a sacrifice to God.  I find that notable.  After being closed up for so long, I would image that Noah would be itching to get out, stretch his legs, explore the land, even figure out some permanent shelter.  But no.  The first thing that Noah does is to offer up a sacrifice to God.  That’s remarkable.

On the other hand, think about what Noah’s been through.  He’s just seen rain wipe out all of humanity.  He knows it could’ve been him, too.  From this perspective, it’s easy to see why he does a sacrifice first.  He’s got every living reminder of God’s grace within a hundred yards of his current location.

What I find in this is truth that we should carry with us.  As we go through life, it is easy to get in ruts and forget to give glory to God.  It’s easy for us to look at Noah in our everyday life and be amazed at his willingness to put God first.  That’s a good thing.  But we shouldn’t get down on ourselves, either.  Those of us who are in a meaningful relationship with God will remember to give God glory, especially when we find ourselves in circumstances where we are reminded of how easily we might have missed out on salvation.

<><

Year 7, Day 7: Genesis 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I Genesis 7 we have the beginning of the flood narrative proper.  Noah is saved, he and his whole family.  It’s a very neat story, although I will point you to the theological commentary that I wrote 6 years ago if you want a perspective that suggests we might not want to think of Noah as the perfect servant.

Today, though, I want to focus on God’s consistency.  God delivers.  He is a God who delivers people.  In fact, He is a God who delivers people through others.  He is a God that works through some so that others can experience His love.  Not just Noah is saved.  Noah’s whole family is saved through Noah’s obedience.

Don’t get me wrong.  I know most of the people on the earth die.  I’m talking about this passage symbolically, now, not literally.

The pattern that God is setting up for us in this story is that He is a God who uses obedient leadership to save others.  He’ll do it again in Moses.  He’ll do it again with Joshua.  He’ll do it again with Samuel.  He’ll do it again with David.  He’ll do it again with Hezekiah.  He’ll do it again with Josiah.  He’ll do it again with Daniel.  He’ll do it again with Ester.  Of course, all of these examples are going to lead us to the fulfillment of His plan.  He’ll do it once and for all on a spiritual level with Jesus.

We are saved not through our own work but through God’s.  We have salvation through Jesus, not because we earned it ourselves.  That’s the boat, figuratively and literally, that Noah’s family find themselves in, too.

<><

Year 7, Day 6: Genesis 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Gen 6 gives us more of the same as Genesis 5.  We open with a lament from God.  He regrets putting mankind on earth.  God knows that mankind is sinful.  In fact, notice the verbiage that the Bible actually uses.  God knows that human hearts have evil desires continuously.  It isn’t that we occasionally make the wrong choice.  Our problem is that we are continuously making the wrong choice.  Our hearts are always after evil.  Therefore, God regrets that He created human beings within His creation.

That’s a really bold thing to say.  Ponder that for a while.  God regrets putting humanity on the earth.

However, as we learned yesterday, we see that God sticks it out with us.  While He does have regret, that’s not His strongest emotion.  God plans to blot out all life on the earth, but He hangs out with the loyal ones.  He seeks the righteous, even in His moments of regret!  God could have easily eliminated humanity and been righteous.  But He doesn’t do that.  He finds a righteous remnant and starts over with Noah.  He gives second chances.  He would rather reach out in hope and give another chance than to fully condemn and walk away.

Ponder that for a while.  God may have His regrets about humanity.  But He loves us and desires relationship with us even more.

<><

Year 7, Day 5: Genesis 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Today we arrive at the first of the genealogy passages.  On the surface, these passages don’t seem to contain much.  In truth, some contain more than others.  In this particular genealogy, I don’t find that there is too much depth.  We’re honestly not told much about any of the characters other than their age and the son that we are meant to remember.  In summary, the author is simply trying to move us from Adam to Noah.  That’s the point of this passage.

That being said, there is something that we can take away from this.  We have had four chapters in Genesis.  The first two chapters were all about God’s creative work.  The last two chapters were about mankind’s sinfulness and our destructive influence over His creation.  Then we hit this genealogy.

What can we say about this?  God is there through it all.  Mankind may rebel.  Mankind may sin.  Mankind may selfishly act in the conceptions of our own desires.  But God does not abandon us.  He raises up faithful people around us.  He continues to walk with those who desire to walk with Him regardless of what the sinfulness of mankind does in the world around us.

There may not be a grand story in this chapter from which we can pull a moral out of the story.  But there is a message.  God is with us.  He does not abandon us.  Our sinfulness may rage and shape the world around us, but He is still there waiting for relationship with us.

<><

Year 7, Day 4: Genesis 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I love talking about Genesis 4. Truth be told, I love talking about the book of Genesis as a whole.  There are so many good stories with lessons we can learn about humanity in general within the book of Genesis.  For example, take Cain and Abel.

I can’t read this passage without remembering a long struggle I had with this chapter.  Why does it seem like God cares for the sacrifice where an animal had to die and doesn’t care for a sacrifice of grain?  Is God a carnivore?  (Of course not.  In fact, the book of Leviticus describes pleasing sacrifices to God that involve grain and animal.)  Does God play favorites?  (No, but he does honor those who choose Him, naturally).  What is going on here has more to do with the motivation of the sacrifice.  Cain gives a sacrifice.  Abel gives a sacrifice of his firstborn in the flock.  Cain is giving any old sacrifice; Abel is giving an honored gift.  The difference is less in what is given and more in how it is given.

Or, take a look and God’s response.  He comes and talk to Cain after he has killed his brother.  God asks Cain a question.  God gives Cain an opportunity to repent and confess.  God knows the answer to the question He asks!  Unfortunately, look at what Cain does.  Cain dances around the question.  He skirts the issue.  Rather than acknowledge his sin, he is trying to get away with it!  Human beings don’t like getting caught.  We don’t like being wrong.  We can’t hide anything from God, but oh do we try.

Third, look at God’s response to Cain’s lack of repentance.  There is judgment.  There are consequences.  But do you see God’s grace?  Cain still goes out and has an opportunity for life.  He has an opportunity to have family and children.  There are consequences, but God doesn’t jump straight to absolute condemnation without giving us multiple chances at life.  He is righteous in His judgment, but He is also gracious.

<><

Year 7, Day 3: Genesis 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Genesis 3 is a very intriguing chapter on many levels.  For example, take the actions of the serpent.  Clearly he is an antagonistic deceiver.  He directly contradicts God’s command, doing it in a way that seems pleasing to the woman.  He tempts.  He makes rebellion sound like fun.  He makes rebellion sound like personal gain.  He seeks to ruin our relationship with God while covering his motivation with the ability to focus us on ourselves and our desires.  Such is the role of sin and temptation in our life.  Take any moment of sin in our life and I’m willing to bet that the commentary above applies to it quite well.

And then there is Adam and Eve.  They want to believe the temptation.  They want to exceed what God has set before them.  They think they know what better is.  They think they know the blessing that will come from being able to be like God and distinguish between good and evil.  Don’t get me wrong – it is a good thing to be able to distinguish between good and evil.  But look at what they give up.  They give up eternal life.  They give up a personal face to face relationship with God.  In desiring to be able to distinguish between good and evil on their own, they distance themselves from the being who is the best judge of good and evil!  So often we think we want something good without truly knowing the consequences.  We believe the lie because we want to believe the lie.

And there is the notorious blame game.  When they get caught, nobody accepts their responsibility.  It’s always someone else’s fault.  In our own eyes, we are the victim of circumstance, not the one who choses evil.

Genesis three gives us humanity to its core.  This is who we are.  This is our good side and it is our bad side.  Our curiosity is our great strength.  But it is also our terrific downfall.  The more we are aware of our faults, though, the more we can watch out, repent, and correct ourselves when we make the wrong choice.

<><

Year 7, Day 2: Genesis 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Most of Genesis 2 is dedicated to the story regarding the creation of mankind.  God forms man, calling Him Adam.  Adam names all of the creatures, however, a true companion for Adam isn’t found among the other created animals.  Therefore, God creates Eve in order to be a true companion for Adam.  Do you hear what Adam says?  Adam calls her a true companion.  She is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone.

As I read through these words, I’m left once more with a general impression of God’s generosity and compassion.  God was concerned with Adam’s place in the world and his potential loneliness.  God desires us to feel satisfaction in our sense of community.  He wants us to feel love.  He wants us to belong.  God doesn’t want us to be alone and feel as though there are none like us.  He wants us to feel loved, belonging, and purposeful.

Second, Adam reflects this sense of God’s love.  Adam embraces Eve and her presence in his life.  There is no competition.  There is no need to show dominance or dominion.  Adam accepts Eve.

I wonder how well humanity reflects God’s love today.  Do we embrace the presence of one another?  Do we look upon each other in community, celebrating what we bring to this life?  Or are we focused on ourselves, irritated when other people infringe upon our life, our goals and our agendas?

In Genesis 2, we are filled with a sense of God’s love and His desire for genuine community.  That’s an idea worth emulating.

<><

Year 7, Day 1: Genesis 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here

When I read Genesis 1, I am always filled with an overwhelming sense of goodness.  Yes, part of it is because everything that God creates is good.  But the sense of goodness is for a deeper reason than that.

This is really a chapter about God’s provision for us.  God starts with the things far away and establishes them in the world.  We’re talking about the laws of physics, the stars, the planets, everything.  God does it all with us in mind.

Then, God creates the things closer to home.  He creates our planet.  He gives our planet water, which is crucial to our life.  Naturally, this has us in mind as well.

Then, God creates the plants oxygen producing green plants, of course.  He gives the water life within it.  He then places animals on the dry land, too.  He fills the world with things that we need, things that will bring us happiness, things that will need a caretaker.

Then, God creates us.  He creates us in His own image, even.  But He places us in an environment where we can succeed, flourish even!  God’s provision is good indeed.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not trying to say that God created the world solely for our sake.  God created the world for His sake and His pleasure.  It pleased God to create the world.  But in doing so, He created an environment wonderfully equipped to sustain us.  That is why this chapter is full of goodness for me.

<><

Year 6, Day 365: Revelation 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Somehow it just feels fitting to close the book of Revelation on December 31.  I know that it really isn’t an end, because I’m going to open up Genesis again tomorrow morning.  But the completion of a year ends well by reading this chapter.  Take a strong look at what they chapter has to offer we see so many great concepts here.

We start with the river of life.  It gives life to everything.  It comes from the throne of God.  In other words, Life comes from God.  We know that; it’s neat to remember that as the year closes.

We also hear about the tree of life, with its many fruit.  There’s a fruit for all seasons.  God can speak to every situation.  Furthermore, the leaves are for the healing of all nations.  Humanity has had millennia to tear each other apart; God will have an eternity to make sure those wounds are permanently healed.

Then we hear that Jesus is coming soon.  Mind you, soon is a godly word and when compared with words like eternal, soon is completely relative.  But Jesus is coming.

Which leads me to my favorite part of this chapter.  What are the responses we hear to Jesus’ coming?  Every response we hear is, “Come.”  There is anticipation.  There is excitement.  There is a desire to know Christ in the eternal, forever, healed, and satisfied.

That is also a word of invitation.  We hear the spirit and the bride inviting others when they say “Come.”  As we anticipate Christ, we should desire others to anticipate Christ, too.

Do you notice what you don’t hear?  You don’t hear the response, “Come, now.”  You don’t hear people ordering Jesus around.  You hear a patient response that is willing to working in God’s agenda and giving free will to others.  There’s no pressure.  There’s no stress.  There’s no push.  There is open invitation and a willingness to work with the timeline that God sets forth.  That’s a great way to end the year.  The book of Revelation ends not with human beings being pushy about what they want to happen but with human beings finally understanding that life is best lived humbled to God’s will.

<><

Year 6, Day 364: Revelation 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I really enjoy reading the last two chapters of the book of revelation.  In Revelation 21, we get to see a picture of what eternal life will look like.  Mind you, it is a very incomplete picture.  It is also a very symbolic picture.  Truthfully, it is probably the most accurate that human language could paint.  But it is a picture nonetheless.  For a pretty thorough look at the symbols presented in this chapter, click the theological commentary link above.

What I love about this chapter is God’s proclamation as it all begins.  “Behold, I am making all things new.”  I love this confession because of the truth that it contains.  God does create a new heaven and a new earth.  He does create a new Jerusalem in which His people will dwell.  God created the world into existence, now He does something new.

There is a still deeper reason for loving this quote.  The whole plan of salvation is about making all things new.  The reason that Jesus died on the cross is because we could not save ourselves.  We need something to atone for our sin so that we can experience life eternal and avoid the second death.  This statement of God is a statement that doesn’t just apply to God’s work after judgment, it is a statement that truthfully applies to everything that happens in human history post-Eden.

That’s what I really love about the words that follow God’s statement.  “It is finished.”  These are the words Christ uttered on the cross.  These are words that are repeated here to remind us that this is the fulfillment of a plan that God has spent quite a long time fulfilling.  This quote speaks not just to God’s power but also to God’s patience.

<><

Year 6, Day 363: Revelation 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here

As we come towards the end of the book of Revelation, we see the final chapter of judgment.  There is something very clear about this chapter.  There absolutely is a division among the people.  There are those whose name is written in the book of life and there are those whose name is not written in the book of life.

Those who are written in the book of life receive a special benefit.  The second death will not have any power over them.  The first death – a consequence of sin – will affect them.  We all sin, we all die.  But the second death, eternal separation from God and being thrown into the lake of fire, will not be a part of the experience of the people whose names are written in the book of life.  These people will be raised and enjoy life with Christ for a thousand years – however long that is – before the final judgment comes.

Then there are those whose names are not written in the book of life.  These are people who will not rise until after the thousand-year reign with Christ comes to an end.  These people will know the second death.  They will be thrown into the lake of fire and judged according to their works.  Because they do not know God and His grace, they have nothing left to be judged by except their works!

I’m not surprised by anything that I read here.  It is all pretty much standard Christian teaching.  But I still cannot help but reflect upon the meaning of these words.  There are many days that I go through life feeling persecuted or misunderstood because the reality is that I’m just not like the rest of the world.  I don’t find satisfaction in material things.  I don’t chase the fleeting joy that comes through earthly treasure.  While that can be hard at times, it is absolutely worth it when it comes to an eternal perspective.  I’d rather be misunderstood now and know eternity with Christ than have any other kind of existence.

<><

Year 6, Day 362: Revelation 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Revelation 19 gives us a great comparison to Revelation 18.  In the last chapter, we saw Babylon judged and fallen.  We saw humanity step back, step away, and avoid judgment.  In this chapter we see the other side of humanity gathered for a wedding feast with God.  In this chapter we see people who have received and welcomed their invitation into relationship with God.

Truthfully, I think that is the big takeaway from this chapter.  It is God who invites us into relationship with Him.  It is God, through Jesus, that makes such relationship possible.  It is God who prepares the feast.  God does the action.  Human receive God’s action and respond to His action.

If we look at the picture of the war at the end of this chapter, notice that this theme continues even into the war.  Jesus comes atop a white horse – white for victory.  He comes with a sharp sword meant to slay the nations that rise up against Him.  He even comes with a huge host of people!  But do you notice who does all the work?  Jesus fights the battle.  He is the victorious fighter.  He does not give orders to us and then step back.  God is out there, doing work all the work!  He merely invites us to His party, allowing us to participate in His greatness.

That’s why this chapter starts with His praise.  He truly is the one who is deserving of our praise.  He is God.  We are His people.

<><

Year 6, Day 361: Revelation 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Revelation 18 always makes me sad because of its stark look at humanity.  In this chapter we get three different perspectives: kings, merchants, and seafarers.  They give us a very poignant perspective on human interest.  Each of these people stand far off; each of these mourn.  The real question is why.

There are a number of questions that we should ask.  The first is, why are they standing far off?  They don’t want to get caught up in Babylon’s judgment!  They don’t want to be associated with Babylon in her dark moment.  That’s really the first thing that we can learn about human beings. We don’t mind being associated with people when they are being blessed.  When they are being cursed, we want to put some distance between them and us.

The second thing that we can learn is why they mourn.  They aren’t mourning because they actually cared about Babylon.  They are mourning because as Babylon falls they are losing access to a lifestyle to which they have gotten accustomed.  The kings are losing power.  The merchants are losing access to money and material goods.  The seafarers are losing access to prosperity.  What can we learn about humanity?  Human beings typically look at the world through a “How can this benefit me” perspective.

The third thing that we can learn about humanity is that they don’t do anything to help Babylon.  I’m torn as to what this actually teaches us.  It could be that we learn about the selfishness of a humanity that looks to save its own skin.  But what I really think is more significant is that in the end, humanity realizes that it cannot intervene against God.  We might like to think we can.  We might live like we can.  But when push comes to shove and judgment is upon we, we do actually know our place.

<><

Year 6, Day 360: Revelation 17

Theological Commentary: Click Here

As we look at Revelation 17, we get an opportunity to study the fall of Babylon.  As I spoke of yesterday, I find the juxtaposition of this chapter overtop of the Christmas holiday a bit on the jarring side.  In a season where the focus is celebrating God’s plan of salvation, we read portions of scripture about the judgment of those who do not believe.

What we see when we study the prostitute is interesting.  Yes, she is being judged for her sinfulness.  Yes, she sits upon the waters, which is a symbol of all the people in the world who do not believe. But take a closer look at what the scripture says.

First, we find out that she has committed fornication with the leaders of the world.  In other words, this woman called Babylon has seduced the leaders of this world.  What is it that the leaders of the world desire?  Many things, honestly.  There are far too many to list.  But we can summarize them in a pretty quick list: fame, power, financial security, health.  Babylon, the woman who sits in judgment, tempts people by offering fame, power, prestige, financial security, health, etc.  She tempts us with things that our flesh desires but does not give lasting satisfaction.  This is reinforced by the fact that she is clad in wealth garments and jewels.

As we look more deeply at her, we see that she holds a cup.  That cup is full.  That cup is full of abominations.  Those abominations are called sexual immorality.  Remember what was said before about the fornication with the leaders of the world?  Remember that from a Biblical perspective sexual immorality is a symbol of sin against God.  When we sin, we are lusting after the desires of our hearts.

Therefore, we can look at Babylon and see that she is guilty of helping us sin.  As we said earlier, her lure is in her temptation.  Sin seems so pleasing.  It seems so attractive.  At times, it seems so innocent.  But we don’t see the harm of sin until it has its claws in us.  We don’t see how sin can destroy relationships until the relationships are being damaged.  That’s what this chapter is fundamentally about.  Our lust for sinfulness is what causes us to be guilty of condemnation and deserving judgment.

In that sense, perhaps the Christmas season is the best time to talk about this chapter.  Without Christ, we would all be judged and found wanting.  He is the difference.  He is the only reason that we can know life instead of judgment.

<><