Category: Christian Spirituality Blog

You Have Inherent Worth (Genesis 2:4b-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Elohim Creating Adam, by William Blake, 1795

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no vegetation of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (New Revised Standard Version)

The word “Genesis” comes from the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and means “origin.” The first book of the Bible does indeed have to do with origins. And in the early chapters, Genesis addresses the origins of the earth and all it’s life and systems, including humans.

Genesis 1 is a poetic account of those origins. Genesis 2-3 provide a complementary narrative account of creation and the beginning of the world. These three chapters together affirm the inherent goodness of all creation, as well as how complex it all truly is.

God is the Creator of the earth and humanity. The original man, Adam, is a name transliterated from the Hebrew adamah, which means ‘ground’ or ‘dirt/dust.’ This relationship between Adam and the literal dirt of the planet is the basis for humanity’s special relationship with the land and taking good care of it as a proper steward of the earth. In the beginning, working the actual ground was set up as a blessing.

We are living creatures, having been given breath (Hebrew nephesh). Along with all the living breathing animals on this earth, we share a basic creaturehood and are thus connected with each other. In addition, only people are formed in God’s likeness and enjoy a special relationship with the Lord in being God’s image-bearers. (Genesis 1:27)

God created you and me as good. The Lord has made provision for us to glorify God, and to be successful in doing the Lord’s will. People who are ineffective in living out their spiritual lives are persons who do not know the truth about themselves. 

Both truth and error are powerful. If people are misguided about who they are, then they become like empty wells with no water to draw from. Many of our problems, failures, and shortcomings are largely due to a misunderstanding of our basic personhood. 

A profound result of this misunderstanding is a lack of self-worth. Whenever we are in error about who we really are, we have automatically limited ourselves to what we can do in our lives. Comparing ourselves to others is not helpful; nor is trying to simply gin-up good feelings about ourselves. 

God Creates Adam and Eve, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872)

Only by accepting who we truly and really are, can we actually be helped, and discover human fulfillment in this life. Let us consider that it is vitally important what the Holy Scriptures say about us; and also equally significant to respond in faith to the recognition of our great worth on this earth.

An important bedrock truth we must understand is that people been created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:16-17). We can only begin to understand ourselves if we begin with creation. Since God is a Person of infinite perfection and goodness, to be created in God’s image means we are persons of great potential and value.

To be a person means that we are self-conscious and can make decisions. We also have inherent rights to know, to be heard, to feel, to have an opinion, to be honored, to develop potential, to assume responsibility, and to enjoy life and all creation. In other words, God treats us as persons; therefore, we may not treat ourselves any less than that.

People were created to know God, to understand spiritual truth, and to perform spiritual functions. 

Because we are created by God, we are sacred individuals. We commit a profound shortcoming when we do not develop our potential and live as though life and fulfillment were graciously given by God for our good. 

Accepting erroneous thoughts about ourselves (and we all have) leads us to misinterpret our circumstances, relationships and opportunities. Without even realizing it, we bring confusion and failure into many, if not all, areas of our life.

One of the clearest evidences that we may not know, accept, and practice the biblical truth of our self-worth, is seen in our response to Holy Scripture. Too often we observe altruistic people and say, “I can’t be like that!” Or we read scriptural promises and commands and say, “I can’t do that!” Living with that kind of unbelief and error in our lives results in discouragement and/or criticism of others who seem to be successful in their spiritual lives.

Here is the truth about you:

You are loved by God (John 15:9; 17:23). This means that God recognizes us as persons, gives us our rightful place in the divine life, and will do right by us. God has our back. Therefore, let us accept this truth.

You are called to live in fellowship with God (1 Corinthians 1:9). No greater honor could be bestowed on us than the invitation to interact with the Living God. As we do, the door is open, so that God can minister to us and lead us into the knowledge and practice of the divine will.

You have been given divine revelation (Hebrews 1:1-3). Having the Bible available to us (in our own language!) is one of the greatest possessions we could ever receive. There is nothing more powerful than the truth about God and divine desires for our daily life. Therefore, let us pay attention to divine revelation and obey it, since God has so graciously given it to us.

You are the object of divine redemption (Romans 5:8-9). The great evidence of our human worth is the reality that Jesus Christ has secured our redemption from guilt, shame to himself. Jesus, the Son of God, loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20)

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The actual physical temple of the Old Testament was filled with the glory of God. Today, through Christ’s redeeming love on the cross, every believer in Jesus is God’s temple. Therefore, God wants to work in us and through us for the Lord’s glory and honor.

The conclusion to the matter is that the way to know our true self-worth is to accept what Holy Scripture says about us; and then respond by faith and love to its loving and redeeming message. 

According to the book of Genesis, you are no accident. You are a person of infinite worth to God. So live into this wonderful truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

A Prayer of Confession (Ezra 9:5-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Ezra In Prayer, by Gustave Doré, 1866

Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my Godand prayed:

“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

“But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’

“What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.” (New International Version)

God had made a covenant with the Israelites. The Lord graciously gave them laws and stipulations to live by before entering the Promised Land.

Yet, much of Jewish history during the times of the kings was characterized by a breakdown in morality. Cheating on workers and preying upon the weak became commonplace. The poor were fleeced for what little they had, and reduced to servitude.

Failing to obey God completely, the people intermarried with the surrounding nations. The worship of Yahweh was, at times, in severe neglect, due to worshiping the gods of other places. As a result, divine judgment brought a Babylonian captivity and an exile of the people to a foreign land.

But God, who is rich in mercy, brought many of the people back to Palestine and Jerusalem. The Babylonians were conquered by the Persians, who had a different philosophy about how to handle the nations within their empire. And they were open to Jerusalem being rebuilt and the temple restored.

Ezra was a scribe (a copier of Scripture) and one of the returning exiles. Ezra left Babylon in 458 B.C.E. with a considerable group of people. Because of Ezra’s position as a Jewish scribe, and as a descendant of Levi, the Persian king authorized him to reinforce the Torah (the Law) by reading it and setting up the necessary administrative systems to ensure it would be followed.

Under Persian rule, each subject people was allowed to live by its ancestral laws, which were enforced by the imperial government. Violations of the laws of the group to which one belonged constituted an offense against the state precisely because they led to instability.

Soon after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he learned of the spiritual state of the Jews there. They had intermarried freely with the non-Jewish women of the land, and had ceased to keep the Jewish holidays and other commandments.

This situation devastated Ezra. He tore his clothes and sat in mourning the entire day until evening. After the evening sacrifice was brought, he got up and began praying loudly to God, weeping for forgiveness for the sins of his people.

Ezra read the Torah publicly to the entire people. Indeed, this was a covenant‑renewal ceremony in the strict sense. To make the Torah understandable to them, he had it explained, because Hebrew was no longer in most people’s vernacular. (Nehemiah 8:1-18)

In today’s Old Testament lesson, we have Ezra’s prayer, his great confession of sin, and concern that the people not get into the same situation which brought God’s judgment and exile upon them to begin with.

It is a prayer laced with love for the covenant code, the Jewish people, and most of all, for God. A very complicated situation prompted Ezra’s prayer, and would take much courage and wisdom to confront and deal with.

Whenever things are awry, circumstances are less than desirable, and situations seem overwhelming, the place to begin is to pray. Admittedly, prayer is not everything; but it is certainly something – and something powerful – for which we have both the duty and the delight to engage in.

And in praying, there is perhaps no better way to begin, than with a heartfelt prayer of confession:

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment.

Set us free from a past we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Set Apart for the Lord (Numbers 8:5-22)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Consecration of the Levites, by Dutch artist Jan Luyken (1649-1712)

The Lord said to Moses: “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.

“Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

“Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

“After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 

“From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”

Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. (New International Version)

Levite priests, by Sefira Lightstone

Holiness is very important to God; therefore, people are to be properly set apart for special divine work.

Perhaps we might think about this in the context of a professional vocation – which requires a good deal of training and development. The process, as well as the participants, need to be certified by a certification body. Without a specialized training, their work may hurt others, and even harm themselves.

Setting apart the Levites for the special work of caring for all the aspects of worship required a particular sort of calling, initiation, and ritual in order to have them ready – without harming themselves, or others. Because God is holy, things must be done in a way that helps, not harms.

The ritual for preparation essentially involved de-sinning the Levites, and purifying them from any ceremonial uncleanness. The community was to lay their hands on them, setting them apart for service as representatives of the people.

The Levites served before the Lord in a vicarious position, that is, all Israel came to God through them. They performed the needed sacrifices, handled the worship symbols and implements, and protected the sacred objects in the tent of God’s presence, the tabernacle.

With the Levites in their sacred role, they were near to the people, but distinct from them. They acted as a conduit between God and the people. Levites were something like the sunglasses protecting the people from the bright sun of the Lord’s presence; and like the workers laboring to make people thrive and flourish before God.

In the holiness of worship, the Levites were living sacrifices, offered to God for sacred purposes. So, as such, they understood their need to be continually pure of heart and free from anything that would defile them.

Sacrificial service was literally the job description of the Levites. They absolved themselves of any self-assertive ambitions, and pursued God’s will for the lives without question. This is, of course, the expected ideal, which would soon become deflated in the lives of the two older sons of Aaron the high priest.

Nevertheless, the descendants of Levi were a permanent visual aid and a daily reminder for God’s people of their unique status before Yahweh, as well as the redemption secured for them from Egyptian slavery. Whenever the people saw a Levite – consecrated to God – they knew that the Lord was with them.

God had said that the Levites belonged to him, were completely given over to the Lord, and set apart for dedicated holy and divine work. Moving into the New Testament, every Christian belongs to God, and those who labor for Christ and maintain holiness of life, demonstrate God’s ownership and special relationship to them.

Self-surrender and commitment to the common good of everyone in the community is supposed to be a hallmark of every Christian person. Whereas others may give themselves to self-discovery and self-fulfillment, followers of Jesus are to wholly dedicate themselves to self-sacrifice.

All believers, much like the ancient Levites, are called to a different life, with Christ as their constant mentor and model.

Loving God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, may the holy sacrifice of your Son cleanse my soul, strengthen my heart, pardon my past, and restore me in your peace. May I always adore you through my sacrificial service, fueled by your divine love. May I learn to sacrifice my own comfort, plans, and dreams, if it is not for your glory and the good of others. Amen.

It’s In the Details (Exodus 28:29-38)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Aaron the High Priest

“Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast-piece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breast-piece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord. (New International Version)

This area of Holy Scripture is likely not one of the more popular places to read. Frankly, it’s boring and pedantic. Yet, contained within the Bible it is, for us to examine.

After giving Moses the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, the next several chapters, from Exodus 20-31 contain detailed instructions from God concerning the covenant code stipulations with the Israelites. Plans for liturgical and sacrificial worship are covered with a fine tooth comb. Instructions for building implements for worship are precise.

And the special garments of the priests’ clothing are described in detail, both as to their design and the material to be used. It’s as if we’re all sitting in a virtual meeting just trying to stay awake, let alone pay attention. Yet, the fact of the details lets us know that the plan is important.

Aaron the High Priest, by Jan Luyken (1669-1712)

Today’s Old Testament lesson deals specifically with the vestments of Aaron, the first high priest of the covenant. An ephod was made – which is a richly embroidered, apron-like vestment having two shoulder straps and ornamental attachments for securing the breastplate, worn with a waistband. (Exodus 28:1-30)

The garment which Aaron was to wear, when he entered the sacred space, symbolically kept the nation of Israel in front of Yahweh, and also over the high priest’s heart.

There was a robe which covered the ephod, equipped with bells. As Aaron moved, the bells rang, signaling that he was coming into and out of the presence of God. Only the high priest was consecrated to enter the most holy place; and the high priest alone wore the special clothing for the unique service which was done.

The entire ritual of the high priest’s service was a visual display of God’s glory and of the reality that no one may enter God’s presence flippantly or carelessly. God is gracious and merciful; and God also has no tolerance for impurity, unrighteousness, and pride.

God expects divine laws, stipulations, and commands to be obeyed without prejudice. The Israelites could not pick and choose what directives from God they would do, or not do. And that is the core of what holiness before the Lord really is.

An interesting observation about this text of Scripture is that Aaron the high priest is given no instructions or commands about what to say when he entered and then left God’s presence. No mantras. No incantations or formulaic words. The inference is that Aaron was silent.

Instead, the garments spoke. “Holy to the Lord” on the plate affixed to the turban said a lot – along with the ephod and the robe, affirming that holiness is needed in order to make any sort of decisions before God.

We never get an explanation in Scripture about what the Urim and Thummim are – which is why, when translating the words from Hebrew, we merely have English transliterations of them. We only know that they were used when making decisions. Evidently, the high priest was an earthly source of God’s wisdom and direction.

Whatever we think about these verses in the book of Exodus, it seems that we are meant to understand that details matter; and how we go about our obedience, down to the last jot and tittle, matters.

Orthodox icon of Jesus Christ, the High Priest of a New Covenant

In the ministry of Christ, there were people wondering if all of his talk was upending or replacing those detailed imperatives of God. Jesus responded:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18, NIV)

Jesus furthermore upheld God’s expectation that divine commands be obeyed:

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19, NIV)

At issue was the nature of righteousness – right relations with both God and others. Justice is imperative. Being humble, pure, merciful, and a peacemaker matters. The laws and directives of God are never to be used for walking around like a peacock to display what a wonderfully important and religious person you are.

In other words, the ornate garments of the high priest are not the person; they are special clothing used for a special purpose. Clothes may be important, yet it’s the heart that truly matters. And a heart devoted to God will seek to humbly obey God’s words down to the most minute detail.

O God, by whom the humble are guided, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties about obedience, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.