Contemplative Bible Reading

Galatians 6:1 (New Living Translation)

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

I’ve mentioned this before, as a child one of the most influential works that was read to me was The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (1678).

There were choices to make. Walk on this path or walk on that path. I have since understood the life of a Christian in those terms. Jesus walked on a path. Evil walked on another path. Which path should I walk? It is far more complex than that, but often it is that simple. Sometimes I am on the same path as Jesus, but am lagging far behind. Sometimes I am not so far behind Jesus. It is far more complex than that, but often it is that simple.

Here we have words written by Paul to the churches in Galatia. Paul instructs them in this theology of the path. If someone is overcome by sin, help them back onto the path that Jesus walks. There is no bashing or smashing. Gently and humbly help them back onto the path that Jesus walks.

It is pretty simple. Why do I bash and smash so much? God, please help me in my unbelief.

Leviticus 5:3 (New Living Translation)

3 Or suppose you unknowingly touch something that makes a person unclean. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your guilt.

Look at this part of the law given in Leviticus. The phrase “you must admit your guilt” is repeated often. Later, people are told to confess or repeat the matter or tell others what they did that was wrong. Then comes offering a sacrifice to God in an attempt at penance to show sorrow. The person did something that God declared to be wrong. Let’s not do that. Let’s sacrifice something to help us remember what not to do.

Study these steps and these words. This can be confusing. It is easy to be mistaken in the procedure. Gosh.

When was the last time I brought two turtledoves to someone to be burned on a table? Isn’t that the second day of Christmas from that song by Perry Como? Wait, I’m confused.

Yet, this is how it used to be. This was the old agreement. Thank you God that I live under a new agreement of grace.

Admitting guilt? I find there are occasions when that is still a good idea. Admission usually works better than deception. There is much psychology to this concept of admitting guilt. It is often just a good idea to tell another person, “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. That is what I did. I didn’t intend that, but that happened.”

Luke 19:10 (New Living Translation)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.

Jesus, called the “Son of Man” here, came to earth to seek and save the lost. Consider the first action: Jesus came to seek the lost. Jesus sought the lost. Where ever He was, Jesus searched and searched until He found a lost person.

In Luke 18, Jesus searched until he found a blind person—the lowest of the low in that place. Then Jesus healed or saved the lowest of the low. In Luke 19, Jesus searched until he found a chief tax collector—the lowest of the low in that place. Then Jesus blessed or saved the lowest of the low.

Go to the grocery store. Walk up and down the aisles looking for the lowest of the low. That person? No, they have too much going for them. Over there, that person, that person is the lowest of the low in the grocery store today. Go to that person. Bless that person.

Well, uh, you see, maybe there is something else to this and uh, er, I can’t be expected to … Nope. That is what Jesus did over and over again. Jesus searched for the lost. He sought them. He blessed and saved them.

A wonderful savior is Jesus my Lord, a wonderful savior is he. Words from an old song that are true.

Exodus 34:28 (New Living Translation)

28 Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.

Moses is on Mt Sinai with Jehovah God. Jehovah wrote the terms of the agreement, i.e., the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. This is all miraculous. Stop to consider what we just read.

And then consider this: Moses was there forty days and nights. He ate no bread and drank no water. People can survive forty days without food. Extremely uncomfortable, but live through it.

Forty days without water? No. The general limit is three days without water kills a person. Okay, some could stretch that to five or six days without water. Forty? No. Humanly impossible. Still, with God, all things are possible. This is a miracle. Faith is required. The natural sciences cannot explain this.

This is a miracle. God kept Moses alive, well, and strong. After all, Moses carried stone tablets down the side of a mountain when the forty days were over. That is a strenuous task.

Yet, we miss this miracle in the wake of the miracle of God writing a covenant on stone tablets. It is easy for me to miss the miracles everyday right in front of me. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Ezekiel 34:5-6 (New Living Translation)

5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.

God is talking to the people through Ezekiel. God is talking about the leaders of the people. The leaders are like shepherds and the people are like sheep. God describes the leaders, i.e., producers by describing the people, i.e., the products.

Want to know if a fruit tree is any good? Look at the fruit that comes from it. Want to know if a football coach is any good? Look at the football players. Want to know if a sheep herder is any good? Look at the sheep.

God saw sheep scattered without a shepherd. These scattered sheep were easy prey for wild animals. The people were wandering about and were easy prey for an invading enemy. The people didn’t know right from wrong and were easy prey for some con man coming in and speaking untruth to them.

The people were lost, and no one was looking for them. The leaders were no where to be found. Failures.

God, bless leaders everywhere. Help them to lead justly with righteousness. Bless people with good leaders. Bless people with the desire to have good leaders.

Exodus 32:27-28 (New Living Translation)

27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” 28 The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.

This is part of the (hi)story of the people coming out of Egypt. It was a long time that Moses had been up in the mountain with God receiving the law. The people were impatient. The people were afraid. The people went stir crazy and did crazy things. They were out of control Moses gathered men from his tribe, Levi.

Moses spoke to his fellow Levites. This is what Jehovah, the God of Israel says. Go. Kill.

And the Levites did as God told them to do through Moses. They killed 3,000 people in one day. The dead included their brothers, friends, and neighbors.

Try to think about this awful day. Take a long knife, run around, and kill. Kill and kill and kill. It doesn’t matter if the person in front of you is a brother, friend, or neighbor. Kill and kill and kill. That is the command from God.

How awful. Thank you God that I live in a time and place and under grace. God has never asked me to go through my neighborhood and kill brothers, friends, and neighbors.

Romans 8:16-17a (New Living Translation)

16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs.

Simple statement. I struggle to understand it. There seems to be a great promise here.

The Spirit of God affirms that we the believers are God’s children. And children means we are heirs. Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, if the last living parent dies, the living children inherit equal shares from the parent. The living children are heirs.

If God were to die, each child of God, i.e., all believers from all the ages, would inherit an equal share. God, however, doesn’t die. So, what good is it to be an heir of God? An heir of a billionaire $$$ lives knowing that one day, they will be a billionaire. Financially, that is a huge promise that affects how the heir lives.

As an heir to God, maybe one day I inherit the gazzilions of $$$ God has. Or something like that. I told you I struggle to understand this. I also told you there is a great promise here. So, as a believer I can live knowing that I will inherit gazzillions. Well, maybe not that kind of money, but that kind of blessing…

I struggle to understand all this. I know, however, that I am a child of God and a full heir. That is a blessing.

Exodus 32:20 (New Living Translation)

25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.

This is part of the (hi)story of Moses, God, the Ten Commandments and all those things. Moses came down from the mountain where God gave the law. Moses finds that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control.

Okay, so they’re having a party. Well, maybe too much partying. They were completely out of control. Hmm.

A party is okay. “Completely out of control,” well, that is subjective.

One of the troubles was these descendants of Jacob, i.e., the Israelites were not in a safe situation. They were out camping, all million of them. They were not in a place that was easily defended. They were vulnerable. The wild party made them even more vulnerable.

Their party amused their enemies. Oh, enemies. Oh, people who were seeking an opportunity to do them harm. Recall how when the people left Egypt, they took lots of gold and silver with them. There was plenty of treasure for plundering in that huge camp. And the people were partying out of control.

It was a wonder that nothing catastrophic happened. No, it was not a wonder, it was a miracle. Even though the people were out of control, God ensured their safety. A miracle.

I don’t party out of control. Does God protect me? Absolutely YES. All the time. Thanks be to God.

Judges 6:14 (New Living Translation)

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

God is speaking to Gideon who is about to fight against the oppressive Midianites. This is part of the (hi)story where they have only 300 men surround the camp at night and show torches and blow trumpets.

Gideon had been lamenting about how the old folks had always told stories of the miracles God performed in the past to help the people. Where had all the miracles gone? Why were times so bad? What was going on here?

Jehovah God turned to Gideon and said, “I am sending you.”

Enough said. This isn’t some task on a to do list. God is sending Gideon. Let’s repeat with emphasis, GOD IS SENDING Gideon.

This is going to work. This will be a miracle. People will tell this (hi)story for thousands of years.

Me? I’m just sitting here sipping coffee and clumsily typing a few words. Miracles? Sent by God? Yes to both questions.

Exodus 28:1-3 (New Living Translation)

1 Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel so they may minister to me and be my priests. 2 Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. 3 Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.

God is instructing Moses how to clothe Aaron and his sons who are to be the first priests. God wants to set them apart for special service. God wants them to wear different clothing so that they are distinguished, i.e., obviously different and set apart from everyone else. This is all fascinating to historians and those fascinated by style and fashion.

My question: do we distinguish those set apart for service with their clothing too much or not enough?

See a police officer? They wear different clothing. See a soldier? They wear different clothing. See a fire fighter? They wear different clothing.

See a person who is to speak during a gathering of Christians. Do they wear different clothing? Should they wear different clothing?

I’m just asking.