All Things New

The LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, (Judges 2:16) This chapter is a dark turning point in Israel’s story. After all they’d been through since Egypt, they’d already begun to forget what God had done for them. It didn’t happen all at once and was  more than an intellectual forgetting; they lost a deep covenant sense of knowing who God is, in trusting Him, and...

May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering (Psalm 141:2) Psalm 141 brings us the beautiful language of worship. As a covenant people of God, He is forming us into a people whose lives bear witness to His holiness and goodness. This passage turns our priestly calling into worship and prayer. In the verses, David asks for his prayer to be accepted lik...

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) One of the things Jesus was good at, as if He wasn’t good at everything, was modeling. He took the instructions of the Law and showed His people how to live out their principles in everyday life. When He was asked which command was the greatest, He didn't treat the answer as if ...

I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me. (Psalm 40:8) From Sinai to Jesus, God has declared His people a Kingdom of priests, spiritual ambassadors in a dark and broken world. Today, in Psalm 40, this truth finds its way into the heart, the inner being of those who Love God.This passage opens with a familiar theme: The Lord hears, lifts, steadies and gives a new so...

“and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:6) By the time the Israelites arrive at Mount Sinai, they’ve seen alot. With Egypt in the rear view mirror, they’ve seen God break Pharoah’s grip, open the sea, feed them with food from heaven, and lead them with an incredible manifestation of His presence. They aren’t...

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) One of my favorite things to do in scripture is tie the story from the Old Testament into the New. Yesterday, God called Israel a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Today, Peter picks up tha...

“Judah became his sanctuary, Israel, his dominion.” (Psalm 114:2) Psalm 114 is a song full of wonder and awe. It paints a picture as Israel comes out of Egypt, the sea flees, the Jordan turns around, mountains skip, and the earth trembles from the very presence of the Lord. It may be short, but the Psalmist’s astonishment is evident. The rescue of God’s people is more than a historical event. Crea...

“They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31) I love the story of the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. It’s full of imagery, truth, and blessing for those who were there and for us. On this mountain we see Moses appear one more time. That alone should make us pause and start to ask some questions. Moses, the one t...

 “their hearts were insincere toward him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant.” (Psalm 78:37) Psalm 78 tells a very familiar story; God does might works then His people forget and rebel. We see that all around us every day. Over and over again the Lord rescued His people, provided, guided, and showed amazing mercy. Yet, again and again His people resisted. This Psalm takes a very familiar his...

“Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the sea-bed into a road for the redeemed to pass over?” (Isaiah 51:10) Isaiah 51 speaks in a powerful way to a people who need their vision restored. They know what oppression feels like. They know what exile feels like. They know what it is to look at the power of nations and wonder if the story has somehow slipped out o...

 “He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”” (Exodus 3:12) For generations, Israel had lived under the shadow and oppression of Egypt. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were no longer just a growing family, they were a people crushed bene...

These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13) In Genesis 15 we saw that Abraham believed God in the tension between a promise given and a promise fulfilled. Today's reading looks at the same story from a different an...

Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” (Matthew 9:29) In Matthew 9, we find two blind men following Jesus crying out "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" But why did they call Him Son of David? To the ancient Jewish mind, the Son of David was the name of the coming Messiah, the promised King. These men were really suffering. Their condition wasn't imagin...

Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain? (Psalm 15:1) We've spent considerable time discussing that righteousness comes through trusting God and not ourselves. Then, today, we take what seems like an abrupt shift as David asks "who may dwell with the Lord?" and begins to describe a life of integrity, truthfulness, and neighborly love. If we aren't paying attention, it ...

He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to do. (Romans 4:20–21) One of the perks of living in the country is the ability to see so many starts. I'm always in awe of just how any there are, how vast the cosmos is. I'm sure Abram was no different as the Lord promi...