Requests and Requirements (3/5/20)

Please read the chapters of scripture (highlighted in bold) before you read my notes, thank you.

Also, this is the Bible reading plan I’m using for this daily devotional format, if you’re interesting in reading ahead, but I’m not following it exactly, so it’s really more of a guideline.

Exodus 19;

Israel is God’s chosen people. They never stopped being God’s chosen people, and they always will be. He chose them out of the world to be His servants; His favored priests. But for them to actually be these priests, these favored of God, a sign to the world of the Lord and His power, there was a condition. The condition was,

“‘Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.'” Exodus 19:5a

The Israelites had to keep the Lord’s commands in order to remain in His favor. His favor being this; they would prosper in all ways, if they honored His commands and His law, and worshiped Him. And the only way to do this would be to humble themselves and put aside their selfishness.

Now, if you have read any of the Old Testament, you will know that Israel did not, in fact, often humble themselves, they were a nation of complainers (as, I might add, we all are without Christ’s work in our hearts and our humility in going to Him). They proceeded to disobey the Lord many times, and abandon His ways. And they suffered for it. They were disciplined greatly for their deviance.

But, there is one important thing to note; they were still God’s chosen people. Regardless of obedience. The condition of obedience applied to His favor, not His choice. Immediately after stating the conditional promise His favor, the Lord says this:

“‘Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'” Exodus 19:5b-6a

This is not a conditional promise. It is in a separate sentence from the conditional promise of the Lord’s favor, and this is a statement. Israel is God’s chosen people and they will become a holy nation and kingdom of priests. (Dueteronomy 30:1-5, Jeremiah 31:1-5)

How does this apply to us? This is Israel we’re talking about here. We are not (unless you’re Jewish) included in this promise or covenant. how does this mean anything to us, except historical fact?

Well, it shows us a very important aspect of God, which was very well summarized in a verse Paul wrote one and a half thousand years later;

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

What this does not mean, is that we can go through life, living however we want, unrepentant, and then die, and God say, “Well, I guess I’ll let you in, because you’re faithless, but I’m faithful.”

It means that God will keep His Word, His promises, even if we doubt it at times, and yet still when we don’t believe at all. He’s made a conditional promise to us as well, though not involving prosperity in a promised land, not in this life, anyway.

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if* you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the Gospel.” Colossians 1:21-23a

*underline added for emphasis

He has offered us salvation, if we follow Him. It is a conditional promise, but if you hold to the faith, you can be sure of salvation, for He keeps His word. And we must come to Him in humility, crushing our own desires.

And how is He faithful when we are faithless? He is faithful to receive us when we come running to Him. (John 6:37) And He is faithful to punish those who deny Him. (Matthew 10:33) Faithfully merciful and faithfully just. He never changes.

Luke 20;

The “godly men” of ancient Israel were trying to trap Jesus with His own words, and were unable. Instead, they themselves were called out for their hypocrisy, and shamed for their shallow faith. And yet, in this chapter of veiled accusations and loaded questions, Jesus taught us much about Himself, and how we ourselves should be.

The first thing to notice is this; we have no right to question God on any subject. Because of who He is, and who we are, we have no right to ask Him for understanding on any subject, whether we are asking with good motives or not. It is only by His grace that we can speak to Him at all. And this is demonstrated by Jesus’s response to the chief priests and and teachers of the law when they could not give a reply to His question about John’s baptism. They came to Him with pride and evil motives, and received nothing like what they were seeking.

But, as we seek Him ,since He has graciously given us the privilege of doing so, we must seek Him in humility. (James 4)

Now, we reach the parable of the tenants. Jesus rebuking the teachers of the law and chief priests. This is yet another example of God’s faithfulness to Israel. They killed His prophets (the servants in the parable), yet He sent more, trying to reach them, trying to get to His vineyard of Israel, yet they killed more, and finally His very son was killed, as Jesus would be, by greedy tenants.

The “godly men” were supposed to lead God’s people, His vineyard, Israel in a way honoring to Him, but instead the tenants to whom he gave His vineyard tried to keep it for themselves, get the glory, the praise for themselves.

But God does not tolerate those who try to steal His people from Him, and He continues reaching out faithfully, trying to get them to return to Him.

In fact, He trying to get all people to return to Him, as, though subtly, is shown through the answer Jesus gave to those who asked about paying taxes to Caesar.

“‘Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?’

‘Caesar’s’, they replied.

He said to them,’Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s'”

Luke 20:24-25

Jesus emphasized that ownership goes with the image inscribed on the Roman coin. In the same way, as we, and all humans, bear the image of God, we belong to Him. We are to give ourselves back to the Lord, and stop living as though we own ourselves, as thieves from God. It’s not an option, it’s a law. If we do not give ourselves up to Him, we will suffer, just as those who did not give Caesar his rightly dues would suffer.

Simply put, in Heaven, we will be in the full formation of the Bride of Christ, wed to Him, so there will be no other marriage outside of that.

And Jesus is the greatest leader we could ever want; the Son of God. Follow Him and no one else, certainly not the self-righteous.

Job 35;

God does not answer empty prayers. He resists the prideful.

Do not cry out expecting God to change our heart towards Him in order to seek Him in the first place.

Seek Him humbly. We have no right to seek Him at all, but a privilege. And the requirement? Humility. If you Go to God without admitting you have a need, then you will not receive help.

Seek God earnestly, and in no other fashion. If you are dishonest, and disbelieving, and disillusioned about yourself, your wicked, sinning self, then you cannot seek God with a humble heart. And if you don’t have a humble heart, how can you repent at all?

We deserve nothing from Him.

And yet He offers us everything. Through His son.

2 Corinthians 5;

Now we who are believers have, to some degree at least, humbled ourselves before the Lord, because we have repented in the first place, and you cannot truly repent while thinking you are righteous.

So now we wait! We wait upon the Lord, whether He returns or ends our time here , so that we may be fully renewed, in body and in mind. And we must hold fast to our faith and the truth.

So what must we do while we wait? While we suffer these corrupted tents we live in now?

We must preach the Gospel.

It is simple, though not easy.

What is our motive? well, it is of course the thing that gives us the privilege to serve Him, to speak to Him, to live for Him, to love Him, to love others, to be renewed. To become the new creation

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

We should be motivated by His sacrifice. By His love. And we should humble ourselves and give up our desires, so we may serve Him fully.

We are undeserving sinners, not worthy to speak to Him, not worthy of His faithfulness, and unable to live without Him.

And yet,

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him e may become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21