Captain’s Log, December 7, 2014.  I’m not sure if this counts as day one or not.  If it does, only part of the day might be consider a Sabbatical because until 12:30 we were still at First Baptist Church of Wayland and still ministering.  Dawn taught the primary Sunday School class in a frozen classroom and the played the keyboard for our morning service.    Dawn and I sang a duet (People Need the Lord) and I finished my prophecy series with a message on the New Heaven and Earth.  We celebrated communion together, sang “Blest be the Tie that Binds”, said some weepy goodbyes to our flock and then we were ready to hit the road. 

I’ll have to confess that I felt a little nervous about towing our new Mini Cooper behind the RV but for the first 150 miles or so things were going well.  We were heading to Columbus, Ohio to meet with a group of friends from our sending church, Immanuel Baptist, and Dawn was asked to speak to a ladies group that evening.  Plans change, however, including that evening.   While we were traveling  on I-469 around Fort Wayne, Indiana, the dolly started thrashing wildly.  I slowed and stopped as quickly as I could, but I was sure that our Cooper would be badly damaged, if not totaled  by what I seeing in the rear view camera.  It turned out, however, that the car was fine, but the tow dolly had come loose from the hitch when the hitch pin came loose.  I was still trying to assess the damage when a county deputy, Christopher Amstutz, pulled his cruiser in back of our rig.  He was nice enough to take us around to a Flying J, which did not have a hitch pin, and then to Menards, where I bought two of them.  It took a while, but with the pin in place, and the trailer light wires taped, we were on our way.  We didn’t arrive at the campgound (Cross Creek Campground) until about 9:30 P.M. and our plans to be in Columbus earlier were set aside for now.  We were grateful, however, that such a small amount of damage was done, and that a police officer appeared at just the right time and was willing to help us (which is unusual in itself).  Obviously the Lord was answering our prayers for protection.   

The Mystery of the Monarchs

 

Monarch butterflies are not only beautiful, they also demonstrate the wisdom of God by their amazing migration.  It is something impressive when a small bird navigates many miles to arrive at just the right destination.  But the Monarch is even more awe inspiring because its trip involves multiple generations and even the creation of Super Butterflies.   It’s a story that begins when a butterfly lays an egg on a milkweed plant on a Spring day in Texas or Oklahoma.

The mother butterfly always chooses milkweed because the caterpillar that will be born eats only the leaves of milkweed.  It’s a plant that has such a bitter taste that grazing animals will leave it alone and it also means that the caterpillar itself tastes yucky to most potential predators.

After munching on leaves for several weeks and growing rapidly the caterpillar forms a chrysalis and two weeks later a new Monarch will emerge.  As Spring turns into Summer, the flowers that produce nectar for Monarchs will begin to dry up, which means that it’s time to head North.  How does it know which direction is North?  Not sure about that (and neither is anyone else).

The Monarch will only live for a little over a month, which limits the distance it can cover, so it will find another milkweed plant and lay eggs that will produce a second generation.   The process will be repeated until there is a third generation of butterfly that will arrive in places like Ontario, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota.  That’s when the fourth generation will be born, the Super Butterflies.  This generation will be bigger, stronger and will live eight or nine months.

As Summer turns to Fall, the Monarch begins to store fat to prepare for a long trip.  It will fly South and keep flying until it reaches the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve in the mountains of Mexico, a distance of up to 3,000 miles.  These butterflies that were born in a variety of Northern states will always navigate to the same place, a place they have never seen.  The trees are so thick with Monarchs that they look like they have orange, yellow and black leaves.  They will gather to spend the Winter and then in February or March they will head north to begin the cycle one more time.

Yes, I know that there are some who would consider their story and conclude that evolution is so amazing that it provided these lucky insects DNA that somehow gives them a built in compass and somehow directs every fourth generation to be “Super” and somehow points them to the right spot in Mexico at the right time.  The plain truth is that there is no way the theory of evolution plus time plus blind chance can begin to explain the migration of the Monarch.  It’s far more reasonable to say, as the psalmist once did, “He commanded and they were created.”  (Psalm 148:5)

Does the Book of Enoch Belong?

During our last broadcast, Michael wondered about the Book of Enoch.  “Since it was quoted in the Bible”, he asked, “why isn’t this book included in Scripture?”

Enoch, of course, was the Old Testament hero who was the great-grandfather of Noah.  Genesis Chapter 5 tells us that he walked with God and that he did not die, but that God simply “took him.”    

Does the Bible really quote this book?  Michael might have been thinking about Jude 1:14, 15 which says, “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."  Clearly, Jude is quoting Enoch himself.

Yes, there is a very similar passage in the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 60:8), but that does not mean that Jude received the prophecy from that book.  There are portions of the book of Enoch that may be dated as early as 300 B.C., but that particular prophecy comes from the latest part of the book (The Book of Parables) that dates to after the Epistle of Jude was written.  In fact it seems more likely to me that this part of the book was taken from Jude than vice versa. 

What about Mike’s question concerning Scripture?  The Book of Enoch has never been included in the canon, but have we missed something?  I don’t think so.

 Psalm 119:160 tells us, “The entirety of Your word is truth,”  One of the characteristics of Scripture is that it is always consistent with the rest of the Bible.  That is not true of the book of Enoch.  It teaches, for example, that fallen angels fathered a race of giants, called the Nephilim (Genesis 6:4).  This is a clear conflict with the teaching of Jesus that angels don’t procreate (Matthew 22:30).  It also creates a conflict when we read Numbers 13:33 and find that long after the Flood, the Nephilim were there in the land of Canaan.  That tells me that the term doesn’t refer to a race of people, but is most likely a type of people (violent criminals).   The Book of Enoch also teaches that it was angels who built the ark, not Noah.  It might have been easier for Noah to simply pick up the keys to the boat after angels finished it, but that’s not the way the Bible teaches the story.  (See Genesis 6:14, where Noah is told, “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood.”)

There are other examples of error, but we need only one to conclude that this book does not belong in our Bibles.

In the Sanctuary

Have you read through the seventh chapter of Numbers recently? It’s a chapter filled with detail about the offering each tribe brought to the tabernacle. One by one, tribe after tribe, they brought their silver platters and gold bowls and sacrifices. It’s a long passage! But then at the end of the chapter we see something that doesn’t seem to fit. We read, without context or explanation, “when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat.”

The activity of Moses in the sanctuary had nothing to do with the offerings of Chapter 7 or the Levites of Chapter 8. And there is also the question of why Moses was there at all, because only the priests were to have access to the Holy Place.

We can say that Moses was allowed unique access to the Sanctuary as a special case since he was a prophet and type of Christ. But it seems to me that this verse is given a place of prominence in the midst of this account of gifts brought to the tabernacle, furnishings of the tabernacle and activity in the tabernacle, perhaps as a reminder of the true purpose of the tabernacle; bringing a holy God and sinful people together in fellowship. That unique place became a place of communion between the Lord and His prophet.

There are two things Moses did during his visits to the sanctuary. First, he was there to pray. Yes, Moses could have prayed just as well in his own tent, or anywhere else, but there was some special symbolism in that place. As he stood facing the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, he would be in front of the altar of incense. The fragrant smoke that arose from that altar was meant to illustrate the prayers of God’s people that ascended to Him from everywhere in the camp. The coals that burned the incense were taken from the altar of sacrifice, which pictured the judgment of God poured out on His Son on the cross. Do you know why only those coals could be used on that altar? It was because the only basis any of us have for any of our prayers is the blood of Christ that gives us a hearing before a holy God.

Second, Moses was there to listen. He would pray and God would respond with a voice he could hear coming from the Holy of Holies, over the Mercy Seat. It’s not just that the glory was there. The fact that God would speak with a human at all is evidence of mercy. It was the same voice he heard in the burning bush. It was the same voice that he heard on the mountain. It was the same voice John heard in Revelation. The same Hebrew word is used both times: Moses spoke to God, God spoke to him.

The Mercy Seat was a gold cover that sat on the Ark of the Covenant and it was there for an important reason. There were only three articles in the Ark, and each of them was a reminder of God’s provision. The Ten Commandments were there as evidence of God’s law. The pot of manna was there as a reminder of their daily bread. The rod of Aaron was there as an illustration of God’s mediator. But the same three articles were also there in the presence of God as grim reminders of the failure of the people. They had broken God’s law before Moses even came down from Mount Sinai. They lacked faith in God’s provision. They had rebelled against His leading in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Their only hope was mercy, and that’s why the Ark was covered with a symbol of God’s mercy, the Mercy Seat that formed a lid with two angels facing each other on top. That’s why, even though God is everywhere and His voice could have come from any other place of His choosing, that voice was heard in that one place.

We aren’t told how often Moses went there, but I would expect that every day, perhaps at the beginning of the day, he would make his way to the tabernacle for this private time of fellowship with Jehovah in the sanctuary.

The literal meaning of the word sanctuary is “holy place”. It’s a place that is dedicated for God’s use alone for worship and communion with the One we were made to know and love. Yes, God is not limited and He could have fellowship with His people anywhere, but he chose that place, designed after the pattern of the sanctuary, “not made with hands,” that exists in heaven.

You see, God hates competition, and this world is full of noise that drowns out His still, small voice. There is activity around us that draws us away from the task of adoration. There are sights that demand our attention and diminish our fellowship. That’s why it’s important to have a place where the things of this world are not welcome, a place where you can speak with your Creator and wait quietly for His response.

That’s one reason why I like the concept of sanctuary in the design of church buildings. I realize that the trend in church architecture today is toward multi-purpose rooms that can be used for Awana games on Tuesday, the kid’s pizza party on Friday, basketball on Saturday and worship on Sunday. Of course it’s more cost efficient. And, of course, the Lord was aware of that when He designed a place of worship that would not be used for any other purpose. He was willing to be extravagant with resources that were used for worship and so am I.

More to the point, however, I also like the concept of sanctuary in my own communion with God. I’m talking about a time and place that is to be used, like Moses did, for times of fellowship with God. All right, reality check here - maybe like Moses on a much more limited scale. Did you even notice how Jesus often sought out a time and place away from the crowds, activity and noise, where He could be alone with the Father?

My friend, have you found your own sanctuary, a place that is dedicated for prayer alone? Can I encourage you to find one? Prayer is more than just going to God with a shopping list. It’s also time devoted to listening to Him speak. If you simply go to God with your own thoughts and desires and then go on your way, you’ll miss an important part of prayer - waiting on the Lord in your own sanctuary.

Jazmyn's Grief

Eight year old Jazmyn rides the bus to our Sunday School and usually arrives eager to sing and learn but it was a saddened Jazmyn who came through our doors one Sunday not too long ago. Her father had been killed in an accident and she was still dealing with the news. Of course we rallied around her in support and she was surprised when I prayed for her in our worship service that morning. Dads are important and the loss of one makes a difference to all of us.

In fact, a godly dad can make a difference to the world. Abraham was one example. Even his name means “father of many”, which was a bit ironic considering that he was unable to have children until his old age. God chose Abraham to become the father of a great nation and the father of faith to all believers because he was a dad who would command his children to “keep the way of the Lord” and to do righteousness and justice. (See Genesis 18:19.) The Bible mentions him by name 232 times and his reputation is such that Jews and Muslims around the world claim his heritage and Christians everywhere seek to emulate his great faith.

There are also fathers today who will never be famous but are making this world a better place by leading their families to keep the way of the Lord. It’s not easy and the sacrifice required runs counter to a pleasure seeking culture. It’s difficult but worth it. The man who leaves behind the heritage of godly children will have left his world in a little better shape than he found it. Unfortunately, those dads are becoming increasingly rare in our world.

You should know that when little Jazmyn was sad, it was not only because she had lost her father. It was because she had never known her father. She was grieving because she felt little over losing a dad she had never met and even to an eight year old that doesn’t seem right.

Unfortunately her story is not unusual because we live in a culture in which men bring children into the world and then casually walk away. The unfortunate result is that the number of single mothers in our country has increased from 3 million in 1970 10 million in 2003. That number is still increasing and children are suffering the consequences. Ann Coulter wrote a helpful column on the subject that you can find in her book, Guilty; Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America. This is her insight.

“Controlling for socioeconomic status, race, and place of residence, the strongest predictor of whether a person will end up in prison is that he was raised by a single parent. By 1996, 70 percent of inmates in state juvenile detention centers serving long-term sentences were raised by single mothers. Seventy-two percent of juvenile murderers and 60 percent of rapists come from single-mother homes. Seventy percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents, and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers. Girls raised without fathers are more sexually promiscuous and more likely to end up divorced. A 1990 study by the Progressive Policy Institute showed that after controlling for single motherhood, the difference between black and white crime rates disappeared.”

Jazmyn’s grief is one shared by all too many of our children today – and not nearly enough of our adults.

The Image of God

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:26, 27

Recently, a caller asked about the image of God. He wanted to know what exactly the Bible means when it says that people are created in His image. Does it mean that God looks something like human beings?

I appreciated his willingness to ask the question, because this is an important concept that forms an important basis for our understanding about God.

To start with, since God is a spirit we can eliminate the possibility that God’s image has anything to do with the physical appearance of Adam or anyone else. So what then does it mean?

First, it means that God’s nature is reflected in human beings.

The Hebrew word translated image refers to something that has been carved or cut off like a statue. It is used 16 times in the Bible, and 5 of those refer to the creation of man in God’s image. The text goes on to say that man was made in the likeness of God.

Man bears both the image and likeness of God. This is a word that describes the similarities between two things in the same way that an artist will recreate the image of a living person in another completely different medium like marble or brass. The medium that God used to reflect Himself is the human spirit. We are an accurate representation of what God is like.

We resembled God’s image structurally, the way in which he was put together – body and spirit, glory, and His likeness in qualities that make us what we are in personality.

Secondly, God’s image is reflected in man’s dominion over nature.

Man was given complete control over the earth itself and everything living in it. The extent of man’s dominion included fish, birds, cattle and wild animals.

“Over all the earth” means more than just that man had control over things in other parts of the world, but that he had control over all the different parts of creation that include things like laws of nature, electromagnetism, chemistry.

This is God’s explanation of what it means to be created in His image – dominion. Adam was not a Neanderthal, but was a man with amazing intelligence and abilities.

That’s why we have the ability to manipulate and control nature. And it’s also why we have a responsibility to care for the environment as good stewards over God’s creation.

Thirdly, God’s image is reflected in man’s creativity.

The Hebrew word ‘created’ refers to making something out of nothing. The emphasis is always on starting a new thing, and you’ll notice that Genesis mentions it three times in this text. Why a triple account? To emphasize the significance of this truth. Our God is a creative God.

Just as verse 26 related the image of God to man’s dominion, verse 27 related God’s image to man’s creativity

We should not be afraid of creativity. In our jobs, art, music, worship evangelism, in all areas of life, creativity is one of the ways in which we are like God. We should use and develop our creativity to the glory of God.

I understand that you may not be convinced at this point that the Bible is truly the word of God, but your thinking about God can start with what you know best – yourself. There is something about you that doesn’t quite fit with everything else. Yes, it’s true that human beings are composed of a collection of fairly common chemical compounds. And yet there is something different about you. You have the capacity for self-consciousness and self-determination. You have a capacity for love and self sacrifice. These are all qualities that we can’t observe anywhere else. They can’t be produced with any combination of chemicals, and yet they clearly are there and are an important part of what it means to be human.

It’s only the Bible gives us a cogent explanation for those qualities when it affirms that we have been created in the image of God.

How Four Turkeys Survived Thanksgiving

It was corn dogs almost every day. We were living on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) where food was not as easy to come by as it is on larger, more accessible bases and corn dogs were available. I suppose some nameless supply sergeant was able to obtain a great deal on them, so that’s what we ate, day after day. There was the hope, however, that we’d have a special Thanksgiving meal because someone found four live turkeys which became residents of our FOB. We fed them canned corn to fatten them up and looked forward to having an actual turkey dinner when the day came. The birds weren’t in cages and were free to roam anywhere around our camp, but never seemed to show any interest in running (or flying) away. Every day when I left my tent to greet the day and get ready for an early morning Bible study, there were our turkeys usually perched on a trailer or sometimes just strolling around and enjoying their new home, always together in a group of four.

Finally, the day before Thanksgiving arrived and it was time to do what needed to be done to have our turkey dinner. It was time to sharpen the old ax. But that’s not what happened. Understand that we were an infantry unit and when it was time to fight, these were the men you would want on your side, but not one of us had the heart to turn our new friends into dinner, so a decision was made that we’d keep feeding them a little longer and use them for a special Christmas dinner. Yes, that would be the new plan.

For another month we shared our FOB with turkeys, growing fatter every day as they walked the grounds or perched on our vehicles. As Christmas approached, however, it was clear that our dinner date was just not going to work out. So we donated them to some people from a nearby village who I’m sure made the most of our gift.

Do you wonder why a group of hungry soldiers would have compassion on the guests of honor at their holiday meal? Is this a conditioned response where we are consistently rewarded for compassion and punished for a lack of it? That doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact compassion not only deprived us of the reward of tasty turkey, it also meant that we had given ourselves the burden of feeding and caring for four large birds.

Is this a quality that evolved over millions and millions of years? I can’t image how. There is certainly no compassion in nature where the fast eat the slow, the big consume the small, the strong devour the weak. In fact compassion seems to be a quality that we can’t observe anywhere else in the natural world – other than in other human beings.

Often, when we say, “I’m only human,” we are excusing the worst of our behavior, but the reality is the opposite. It’s not carnal appetites, self-centered behavior or violence that distinguishes us as human beings. Qualities like compassion are what make us unique in this world because only people, even hard charging soldiers, are made in the image of God.

Wherever you find it, compassion exists in this world because God is compassionate. As the Bible tells us, “You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15) Since our Creator is compassionate, we should expect to see that quality somewhere in the world He made, and we do.

In my next blog I’ll have more to say about the image of God, in answer to a caller’s question, but today I want to encourage you to be thankful for the compassion God has shown to you this year.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!