The Glorious Temple - Destroyed

The fall of Jerusalem is recorded four times in the Old Testament:  Jeremiah 39, Jeremiah 52, 2 Kings 25, and 2 Chronicles 36.  God wanted to make the event clear in the minds of the readers of His Word.

If you are at all familiar with the Old Testament, you know that God chose a people, the children of Israel, to be His own people.  He led them into Egypt and 400 years later He rescued them from the bondage of slavery.  He led them to the Promised Land, but they were prevented from entering because of the sin of unbelief, then were made to wander in the desert for forty years until that unbelieving generation passed away.  While wandering in the wilderness, God gave Moses clear instructions for building a tabernacle - a tent of meeting - a place where He would meet with His people.

The tabernacle was a foreshadowing of a greater place to worship - the temple.  After they'd settled in the land the people demanded a king so they could be like the nations around them.  The first king, Saul, was tall and good-looking, but his heart was far from God.  The second king, David, was a man after God's own heart, but he was a man of war.  God refused to give David permission to build the temple.  Instead, he promised David that his son Solomon would have that privilege.

The temple of Solomon was a grand and glorious building. 1 Kings 5 tells us about the preparations, and 1 Kings 6 describes the building of the temple, which took seven years.  Much of it was overlaid in gold; the articles of the temple were made of gold or bronze.  It was absolutely stunning!

It's hard to fathom that this glorious, beautiful building was completely destroyed.

The Temple Burned

 12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.

It's so sad to think about it.  The temple was burned and destroyed, and the articles of the temple were carried off.  When you take the time to read about the care and skill that went into building and decorating the temple and making all of the utensils and objects to be used in worship, it's a marvel.  Yet God allowed it to be obliterated.

So, what can we learn from this?

God does not live in a temple made with hands. God reminded Solomon with these words:

1 Kings 6:11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”

God was looking for a people to walk with Him, to delight in Him, to obey Him and love Him.  The temple was a tool to point them to His glory, but it was a mere speck compared to God.  God still want to dwell with His people - in fact, in this New Covenant He INDWELLS us.  You can't get closer than that.  You don't need a temple to know the presence of God.  The Holy Spirit has been given as a down payment, a guarantee of future glory and dwelling with God.


This world is full of beauty, reflecting the glory of God on a daily basis.  We see it in the sky, in the clouds, in the lightning, in the setting sun.  We see it in the variety of flora and fauna that surrounds us.  Yet even though it is brilliant, and glorious, one day this earth will be burned up.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then a the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies  will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

This should not make us sad, any more than the destroyed temple should make us sad.

The important thing to remember is that we dwell with the Living God.  The world He created reflects His glory, but it is a mere reflection.  The person we desire to be with, to live with, to walk with is God Almighty, and He is the One we long for.

Let this truth be a comfort to you.  If something you enjoy breaks down, so what?  It's going to be burned up some day.  If you lose a precious item, so what?  It's going to melt with fervent heat.  None of it matters much.  The only thing that really matters is our relationship with the Living God.

That will never end.

John Piper on Memorizing Scripture

I am studying "Spiritual Disciplines" with my church family, and one of the Spiritual Disciplines we are working on is Memorization.  I shared yesterday that when I was younger, it was VERY easy to memorize.  I read a passage over a couple of times, then worked on it a bit, and before I knew it, I had it memorized.  Teaching verses to children was a great way for me to embed the Word of God in my head.

As I have gotten older, I have found that it is much more difficult to retain large portions of Scripture.  I prefer to memorize a number of verses - at least enough to get the gist of the passage and keep it in context - and sometimes whole chapters. 

That's really hard to do.  Maybe it's the brain damage from the accident I was involved in nearly four years ago.  Maybe it's just the process of aging.  I'm finding it a chore to memorize.

BUT don't think I'm going to stop doing it.  I know the importance of hiding God's word in my heart, and I am NEVER going to quit doing it.

John Piper tells us why it's so important.  He says it so much better than I do.



I have experienced how sweet it is to commune with my God, using His perfect and beautiful and gracious and life-giving, life-transforming words.

Have you?

Isolation

Once in a while I fall into the "depths of despair", as Anne of Green Gables would say.  Life with all of its disappointments just seems to overwhelm me, and I want to run away.

I had a week like that last week.

This week, I read the following Proverb from Chapter 18, verse 1.

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;  he breaks out against all sound judgment.

My pattern is this:  I get angry.  I look around and see that things are not as they should be.  The kids don't measure up.  My house is a wreck.  My husband doesn't spend time with me.  My church is too far away.  Finances are tight.  I am a failure...

The truth is that my depression comes from anger which comes from lack of contentment.  I am not contented with what the Lord has ordained for me.  I want a perfect house, obedient children, a marriage-made-in-heaven!  I want to pay all of the bills on time.  I want to dispense words of wisdom to those who ask for advice.  I want to be a great example to family and friends - a true woman of virtue.

The reality is that I struggle daily with sinful patterns, and I don't like them one little bit.

So, I get angry.  Then I get depressed.  And I want to run away.  I think about places I can run to.  I hide in my bedroom or sit on the computer.  I grunt when spoken to, or dissolve into tears.  All I can think about is how rotten my life is and how much better other people's lives are.

Hogwash.

The Proverb says, whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire.  He becomes self-centered, and all he can think about is self-gratification.  He breaks out against all sound judgment - even his own knowledge and wisdom.  He seeks advice from no one.

I did that.  I didn't want to go to church.  I didn't want to be encouraged.  I didn't want to read any spiritual blogs or listen to any good sermons.  I wanted to wallow for a bit in my own misery... I even didn't want my own sound judgment.

I am not saying that all depression follows this pattern.  But I'd wager that a lot of depression comes from anger that has its beginning in looking at one's circumstances instead of keeping one's eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.

Proverbs 18:14 A man's spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

My spirit was crushed last week.  I believe the Enemy of our souls was working to destroy my influence - in my home and in our church.

The answer to any attack is to put on the armour of God.


The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.


Put on your armour the second you see that you're getting your eyes off of Jesus.  Put on your armour as soon as you start looking around at the mountain of laundry, the ton of weeds, or the never-ending tasks of daily life.  Tell yourself the truth - that Jesus knows your every need and promised to meet them... that He loves you enough to die for you and pay the price for all of your sin... that He understands your weaknesses and supplies His strength as soon as you abide in Him by faith... that He has invited you into His own family and will never forsake you, not even for a second.

You are never alone.  No use pretending.  No use trying to isolate yourself or play the fool.  Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, and keep looking at Him.  Know that He has given you everything you need for life and godliness.

And start living!

That's What the Promise is For

It's been nearly 37 years since I stood, as an 18 year old bride, at the altar of the massive Anglican church in Stratford, and made a promise that was reciprocated by my 22 year old groom.  Thirty-seven years of dancing in the minefields, reflecting the Son of God to each other.

I am thankful that God has held us together, and that Rick has reminded me time and again that he loves me.  He doesn't so much remind me with words, but by being there, day after day, week after week, month after month.  He gets up in the dark and heads out to a cold truck to bring home the bacon.  He says to the kids, "Where's your mother?" and I know he wants me to just come and sit with him at the end of a long day.  Companionship is more important to him than communication - which is more important to me. 

But we keep dancing.

In the minefields of life.

A Sadness Observed

I have been struggling lately.  It seems like forever, but it's only been a matter of weeks, or months.  Certainly not years, I don't think.

It's certainly not the first time I have wallowed in depression, overwhelmed by the trials of life, at the end of my rope, so to speak.

It likely won't be the last.

This morning I read "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis.  The reading did not lift the weight off of my shoulders, but it gave me some small comfort knowing that I am not alone in my struggle to understand, and even cope with, this world as it really is.

It's a messy place, this world.  Nasty and confusing.  An honest assessment brings the conclusion that nothing is right with the place.  There are too many sorrows, too many pains, too many tsunamis and earthquakes and floods.  All is not right with the world.

It begs the question, "Is God in control?"  I firmly believe He is.  Not going to debate or discuss that here.

Then, if He is in control, "Is He good?"

C.S. Lewis agonized over that question when considering the death of his one true love.  People told him, "She is at rest" and "She is in God's hands".

He wrote, 

"Because she is in God's hands."  But if so, she was in God's hands all the time, and I have seen what they did to her here.  Do they suddenly become gentler to us the moment we are out of the body?  And if so, why?  If God's goodness is inconsistent with hurting us, then either God is not good or there is no God:  for in the only life we know He hurts us beyond our worst fears and beyond all we can  imagine.  If it is consistent with hurting us, then He may hurt us after death as unendurably as before it."

What reason do we have to believe God is good?  Doesn't all of the evidence speak the opposite?  It does, until you consider Christ.  He took upon Himself the sin of the whole world, and paid its terrible price.  We partake in His sufferings in a very minute manner, and in the end, in eternity, it will all make sense.

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self  is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

So we do not lose heart.  Sigh.

C.S. Lewis wrestled with the thought that he might never see his beloved Joy again.

He wrote, "When I lay these questions before God I get no answer.  But a rather special sort of "No answer." It is not the locked door.  It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze.  As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question.  Like, "Peace, child, you don't understand."

Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable?  Quite easily, I should think.  All nonsense questions are unanswerable.  How many hours are there in a mile?  Is yellow square or round?  Probably half the questions we ask - half our great theological and metaphysical problems - are like that."

Is God good?  That's a nonsense question.  He's very good.

But not at all tame.

As Mr Beaver says to Lucy in C S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia ”He’s not a tame lion!” Nor is He “safe.”

In that same passage from the book, Lucy asks Mr Beaver if Aslan, the Lion representing Christ, is “safe”. To which he responds, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

God is good.


He's the King, I tell you. 

Little Faith

Matthew 6:30
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 8:26
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 14:31 
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 16:8 
But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

Matthew 17:20 
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Do you have "little faith"?  Is your faith deficient, defective, or just plain ineffective?  Do you worry about what you will wear or how you will pay the bills?  Do you panic at the coming storm - no matter what form the storm takes - whether it's a health issue, or a relationship issue, or a parenting issue, or a financial issue?  The storms of life pour down on us.  Do you face them with "little faith"?

Do you trust Jesus to give you what you need?  Or is your faith weak?  

If it is, you are not alone.  Peter was a man of "little faith", yet God blessed him and used him mightily to build the church.  The disciples were men of "little faith", and God took the ragged bunch and transformed them to be strong and courageous proclaimers of the truth of God's word.

Thank God that you have "little faith", for it's better than no faith at all.  

Gaze on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  Suddenly you'll realize that your faith has grown.  Suddenly you'll be a man (or woman) of faith.  

“The essence of faith is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus”. John Piper

Sometimes I wish I had a mother...

I wish I could just sit down and talk to her.  I wish I could ask her how she felt when she was pushing 56.  I never thought to ask her about it THEN, when I was only in my 30's.  It didn't seem all that important.

I wonder if she felt like a failure.  Did she worry about how her kids were doing, or whether or not they'd turn out okay.  They were all grown up by the time she was in her 50's, so the issues weren't quite the same as those I am facing.  But, I wonder.

I think, wouldn't it be nice to sit and sip a cup of tea and ask her bunches of questions.

I miss having a mother.

And then my mind wanders to myself.  I AM a mother.  My kids have me to ask questions of.  They have me now, to share ideas with.  But, do they?

Sometimes.

But not always.

I don't blame them a bit, for I am not the perfect mother.

I lose my temper and write nasty notes to straighten them up and make them fly right, so to speak.

I lose my composure and cry, sobbing great big tears and letting them run down my cheeks and hit my lap (if they reach that far before I wipe them and the snot away, wondering how I can produce so much liquid from such a dry old grannymom.).  I know my tears make them uncomfortable.  I am sorry.

When I think of myself I realize that I will never be the kind of mother I wish I could be, I wish my kids had.  I want to show grace to them always.  I want to be wise, and good.  I want to demonstrate love to these great works we have been blessed with over the past 37 years.  I do it sometimes, not very well, and not often enough.  Too often I demonstrate the opposite - impatience, foolishness, worry, crankiness, selfishness.  Just those qualities I hate.  Just those qualities I want them NOT to have.

Sigh.

When I'm weak, YOU are strong, and I'm carried along by the power of Christ in me.


Lord, show my family love through Your power working in me.  Demonstrate grace to them, and kindness, and wisdom, and strength.  I am oh so weak, but You are NOT.  I pray that You will so work in my life that they will see the glory of You in the middle of all of my weakness.


I no longer have a mother.


But I do have a Father - an all-wise, all-knowing, gracious and good Father, who loves me.  


Boggles the mind.

In The Hours of Pain and Sorrow

Psalm 107 is a Psalm of praise, exhorting the Redeemed of the Lord to say so... to proclaim the steadfast love of the Lord in saving and preserving them.  He gathers His people from far away and leads them on a straight path, satisfying the longing of their soul.  Sometimes, He leaves them in prison and bows them down with hard labour, or turns their rivers into a desert. 

Psalm 107:33

He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.

Why?  Because He loves them and He is working all things together for good for those who love Him.  As Matthew Henry says, "If Christ be ours, all things, one way or another, shall be for our eternal good."

So how are we to react to the hours of pain and sorrow?   By knowing that the same God who turns rivers into a desert can and will turn a desert into pools of water.

35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.

God alone knows what is best.  He alone is able to teach us to trust Him fully.  He is our shield in times of temptation, our shelter in a weary land.  He knows what it is to be despised and forsaken, to suffer want, to be mocked and smitten and reviled.  He also knows that we are blessed when we partake of His sufferings in some small way.

Ps. 119:65 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

71  It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

God has a good purpose in the hours of pain and sorrow.  Trust Him. 

No matter what you are facing, remember that God is able to deliver you, 

and He will deliver you , in His good time.

The last verse of Psalm 107 is a good reminder.

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;

let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord

In The Hours

1. In the hours of pain and sorrow,
When the world brings no relief
When the eye is dim and heavy,
And the heart oppressed with grief
While blessings flee, Savior Lord we trust in Thee!
While blessings flee, Savior Lord we trust in Thee!

2. When the snares of death surround us,
Pride, ambition, love of ease
Mammon with her false allurements,
Words that flatter, smiles that please
Then ere we yield, Savior Lord be Thou our shield
Then ere we yield, Savior Lord be Thou our shield

3. When forsaken in distress,
Poor despised and tempest-tossed
With no anchor here to stay us,
Drifting, sail and rudder lost
Then save us Thou, who trod this earth with weary brow
Then save us Thou, who trod this earth with weary brow

4. Thou the hated and forsaken,
Thou the bearer of the cross
Crowned of thorns and mocked and smitten,
Counting earthly gain but loss
When scorned are we, We joy to be the more like Thee
When scorned are we, We joy to be the more like Thee

5. Thou the Father's best beloved,
Thou the throned and sceptered King
Who but Thee should we adoring,
All our prayers and praises bring?
So blessed are we, Savior Lord in loving Thee
So blessed are we, Savior Lord in loving Thee

© 2007 Kevin Twit Music (ASCAP).
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

My weird man

My hubby had his birthday today.  He is now officially one year away from being old.  At 59, he has gone through a variety of ailments, such as a sebaceous cyst the size of a golf ball, bladder cancer, and just recently, a torn or damaged Achilles tendon.  Sigh.

He's a bit strange.  Let me list a few things that back up my opinion.

He has a lot of trouble changing seasons.  He wears shorts and sandals well into the fall, putting on a sweater when necessary, but denying the dropping temperature.  In the spring, he has trouble giving up his warm sweaters and hats and gloves.

He insisted on installing central air conditioning, yet makes sure there's a fan running in the bedroom.  At the same time, he likes to have a comforter on the bed year round, no matter how warm he is.

He thinks Black Forest Cake is health food.

He must have ice cream on a fairly regular basis, even though he has trouble with dairy.

He needs crackers.  With salt.  It doesn't matter that there is zero nutrition associated with soda crackers.

He likes his toys, and expects his family to like them as much as he does.  He has boats and tanks and a helicopter.  He has a Jack Bauer figure, and an old pink Teddy Bear from his childhood.  He's got a Smurf and some pez figures, a Gandalf and a Toy Story Dinosaur.  Some day, he'll leave them all to his grandchildren.

He's a bit weird - but he has some great qualities, too.  He's the most loyal guy I know.  He is steadfast and immovable when it comes to friends and family, and you've got to really treat him badly before he'll write you off.  He considers his friends from 40 years ago to still be his friends, even though he hasn't seen them in four decades.  He's always been here... he'll always be here.  He's a rock.

He is a builder.  He gets an idea in his head, and follows it through, no matter what.  Even if his family doesn't catch the vision, he can see what he wants to accomplish, and he plows on through.  I look around this old house and  I have evidences in every corner that he's a builder - the Great Room, the garage, the barn, the shed, the deck... he gets an idea, and he does it.  His family benefits.  His children have learned to wield a hammer, to design and plan projects, to use tools.  We all have enjoyed the fruits of his labour.

He is a dreamer.  He's always wanted a boat.  He wants to take his kids and grandkids out on a huge boat, so that they can enjoy the water as he did when he went out with his dad, many years ago.  Maybe some day he'll get his boat.  For now, the kids and grandkids will have to enjoy the pool instead.  Enjoy it, they do!

Today is his birthday - he's 59.  I close my eyes and see him as a shy 17 year old.  I remember the look of love when he first told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.  The years have flown by.

Today also marks the 21st anniversary of our possession of this old house.  It's been 21 years since we moved in and celebrated Daddy's birthday on the kitchen floor, because we still didn't have our furniture out of storage.  Twenty-one years; many joys; many tears.

Twenty-one years before our move, I met this man who was destined to be my life's partner.  I've known him 42 years now, and shared everything with him - the birth of 12 children; the loss of one... the sorrows of rebellious teens, the joys of grandparenting.

I wonder what the next 21 years will bring.

Happy Birthday, Rick.  I love you.

D.A. Carson - How do I know God exists?