Choose Your Words Wisely

 

President Calvin Coolidge was known for being a man of few words. His preference for not speaking earned him the nickname “Silent Cal.” His wife Grace told a story about a White House dinner party in which a young lady was seated beside the President. She told Coolidge that she made a bet with her friend that she could get him to say at least three words during dinner. 

 

“You lose,” Coolidge said, without even looking up from his plate, and he didn’t speak another word during the course of the meal. Talk about choosing your words wisely! Coolidge didn’t say much, but when he did, he tried to make his words count. 

 

Some speak more than others, but on average people say about 7,000 words a day. Whether you are on the top end of that number, or whether you are closer to Silent Cal, you should still choose your words wisely. That is what David wanted to do. He once wrote, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).” 

 

A great question to ask is, “Are my words acceptable in God’s sight?” Sometimes we deem things as unacceptable. A parent tells their child their behavior is unacceptable, or a teacher tells a student the assignment they turned in is unacceptable. I would hate to know that God found my words to be unacceptable. That assessment is probably true of all of us from time to time, but for some their overall speech patterns are unacceptable. 

 

Crude words are unacceptable, and Paul said, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification…(Ephesians 4:29).” Dishonest words are unacceptable, and Solomon said, “These six things the Lord hates…a proud look, a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:16-17).” Blasphemous words are unacceptable, and Moses wrote, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7).” 

 

Some might wonder what the big deal is. How can words uttered into the air really be a problem? For starters, our words reveal a heart issue; if we are losing our temper and saying angry things, those words are just symptoms of a worse problem. But another reason to choose our words carefully is that they are a reflection of the God we serve. If we are liars, the world will not trust us when we tell them they need Jesus. When we are crude, they will not think they need Jesus if Jesus hasn’t cleaned us up. When we blaspheme, they won’t think Jesus is special to us. 

 

The words we say matter to God because they can turn people off to Him. You don’t have to be Silent Cal, but please choose your words wisely. 

 

DNA is God’s Signature

 

During the OJ Simpson trial in 1994 many of us learned about a three-letter sequence that would eventually change forensic science-DNA. Although the State of California did a poor job in explaining this relatively new science to the public, we have since come to understand it in a much better way. A person’s DNA is their own unique code, the blueprint that maps out a person’s physical appearance. Any DNA left at a crime scene today will almost certainly lead to that person’s conviction. Even still, many of us might not know some of the finer details of what DNA actually is. 

 

Deoxyribonucleic acid is basically a molecule that is composed of two polynucleotide chains that wrap around each other to form a double helix. Does that help? Under a microscope we can see that, in layman’s terms, DNA looks like a spring, or two strings coiled up with bridges in between them. Dr. Yeshayahu Rubinstein studied DNA and found a pattern in the bridges that run between the chains. He noted that there are ten acids and then a bridge; then five acids and a bridge; then six acids and a bridge; then five acids and a bridge. This pattern repeats indefinitely in all DNA. 

 

Dr. Rubinstein, who is Jewish, knew that every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value, so he transposed the numbers ten, five, six, and five into Hebrew. This produced yod, he, waw, he, or YHWH. That is the Hebrew name for the God of heaven, what we commonly pronounce as Yahweh. It was by this name that God first introduced Himself to Moses at the burning bush as His way of distinguishing Himself from the generic word god: Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, ‘YHWH…(Exodus 3:13-14)’

 

This is remarkable. The Creator of the universe has slipped His holy name into every strand of DNA, the blueprints for life. All good artists place their signature into their work, and now we have found God’s signature in His piece de resistance. 

 

What is also remarkable about DNA is that it is present at the second of conception. A fertilized egg, called a zygote, is genetically complete, meaning the baby’s DNA is already locked in place. Some use terms to de-humanize the unborn, calling them a fetus (which just means “little one” in Latin) or a product of conception, as if they are a dime a dozen. But God has given each not-yet-born baby her own unique DNA the second He formed her in the womb.

 

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:14).”

 

The Importance of Pitch

Pitch is very important. No, I’m not talking about hitting the right note with your voice or instrument. And no, I’m not talking about the person on the mound trying to get a fastball past a batter. I’m talking about the asphalt-like substance found in the Bible. 

Pitch is found in connection to Noah’s ark. In Genesis 6:14 God instructed Noah this way: “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” The word pitch in Hebrew literally means to cover, specifically with bitumen. Bitumen was an ancient asphalt used by many different people groups in the Middle East similar to our cement and mortar. Since the word meant to cover, it was used figuratively for covering a debt, as in forgiveness or appeasement. 

The same Hebrew word translated as pitch in Genesis 6:14 is translated as atone or atonement throughout the Old Testament. This is incredible. The reason the ark was covered in pitch was to ensure that water did not come in the cracks and spoil the vessel. Remember, the floodwaters were part of God’s judgment on man’s sin, so the pitch, or atonement, kept Noah and his seven relatives safe from God’s judgment. In a similar way, Moses’ mother used pitch to cover the basket that she placed her young son in (Exodus 2:3). 

That bitumen used as pitch covered Noah and his family from God’s wrath, and animal sacrifices were later made for the same reason. Leviticus 17:11 says blood makes atonement for the soul. In the Old Testament atonement was made to cover sins, but sin could not be forgiven because the blood of goats and bulls is not sufficient for that task. In this regard God’s wrath was appeased, but a better covering was needed. 

In the New Testament atonement carries the idea of man being reconciled to God, but that is only possible because of the death of Jesus. Pitch—whether covering a boat, a basket, or a believer—was only a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do once and for all at Calvary. Moses and Noah were covered; so were all who trusted in God’s sacrificial system. The only question now is, have you been covered by the blood of Jesus?   

Da Vinci’s Models

I recently read about the process Leonardo da Vinci undertook when he was painting The Last Supper. It was a twenty-five year project that involved the artist bringing in models one at a time while they were painted. Da Vinci spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect models to sit for the characters in the painting, but he spent the most time trying to find the ones to portray Jesus and Judas Iscariot. He began with Jesus, and a quarter century later, he found the man to sit for the betrayer. 

The man da Vinci found captured what he imagined in his mind’s eye. His shoulders were slumped, he looked like he had a cold heart, and he had evil in his face. He agreed to sit while he was painted, and upon entering the room he remarked to da Vinci, “I was here twenty-five years ago. I sat for Jesus.” 

How had this same man once had the look of Jesus? What happened to him over those years to change him into the villain? How did he go from protagonist to antagonist? We do not know, and if da Vinci asked, it isn’t recorded. That sad transformation reminds me of the one Israel undertook over a longer period of time. At Sinai they willingly entered into a covenant with God, stating, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do (Exodus 19:8).” By the time of the prophetic letters, Israel was a million miles from that promise. 

They agreed to have no other gods besides Yahweh, and yet they were worshipping the Baals and Asherah, and engaged in all the fornication that went with it. They agreed to observe sabbatical years and years of Jubilee, but they were oppressing the poor so that the rich could richer. They were supposed to look like Jesus, but instead they looked like Judas. They looked like Judas because they lived like Judas. 

The way we live has a similar impact on us. When we live the way we are supposed to —in accordance with God’s Word—we have joy in our face that the world sees. If da Vinci saw us, he might ask us to sit for Jesus. When we choose to live opposed to God’s Word, we forfeit our our joy and end up looking like Judas. When we live God’s way we have an extra bounce in our step, but when we live like the world we find ourselves with slumped shoulders, a cold heart, and evil on our face. 

Do you look more like Jesus, or more like Judas?  

Don't Make Me Come Back There!

In honor of Father’s Day, I have been thinking about some of those classic lines our fathers said to us over the years. When riding in the car, how many of us heard our fathers ask, “Do I need to pull this car over?” Maybe you and your siblings were arguing, and he would threaten, “Don’t make me come back there!” Dads don’t have to say what they are going to do when they pull the car over or when they come back there; it is understood. If he pulls over, punishment will soon follow. 

God, the Righteous Father, gave similar threats to His people. Most notably through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings 23:2, KJV).” Through Moses God promised to “visit the iniquity” of those who hated Him (Exodus 34:6-7, Numbers 14:18, Deuteronomy 5:8-10).  When God promises to come for a visit, He isn’t coming for dessert and coffee. He doesn’t need to describe exactly what will happen when He comes; it is understood. When God comes to visit people because of their iniquity, punishment will soon follow. 

Yes, God is a God who is rich in mercy and slow to wrath, but there is a time for everything, and that includes discipline and judgment. Just like a good Father, God first warns His children of the consequences of their rebellion, so they cannot be caught off guard when God “comes back there.” We have been warned, so the ball is in our court. If we do not want God to come to us in discipline, then we simply need to live in accordance with His instructions for us. 

The good news is that God’s corrective action is to make us better people, not to simply inflict pain or suffering. The hardships He may bring into our lives are meant to get our attention, to steer us back into right living. When we repent, God relents. When we stop doing whatever caused Him to visit us in discipline, the discipline subsides. 

Not every visit from God is for judgment. In Revelation 3:20 God says He stands at the door and knocks, and if anyone lets Him in He will come in and dine with them. This kind of visit is a warm one between friends. Jesus wants to have a relationship with us, so if we let Him in now, He won’t have to come in judgment later. 

Moses and Jesus

Last week I wrote about Moses and the snake he grabbed at the burning bush, and now I want to think about the rock that Moses used to get water for Israel in the wilderness. In Exodus 17 God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff (the same staff that was turned into a snake in chapter 4), and when Moses obeyed, water gushed out of the rock. There were an estimated two million people, not to mention animals, in this wilderness caravan, so a substantial amount of water would be needed to satisfy the group. About forty years later God instructed Moses to speak to a rock in order to get more water (Numbers 20), but instead of speaking to it, Moses hit the rock with his staff, but this time he struck it twice. For this act of disobedience Moses was told he would not be able to enter the Promised Land with the rest of Israel, and that Joshua would be his successor.

This seemingly harsh punishment for Moses makes a little more sense when we factor in Paul’s words in I Corinthians 10:4; speaking of those years in the wilderness, the apostle said they “all drank from that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” We need to think about that rock Moses struck as a picture of Christ. As the Suffering Servant, Jesus needed to be struck, or crucified, only once (Hebrew 9:28); because of that we can speak directly to Him (Hebrews 4:16). Moses misrepresented the Messiah by his actions.

It is actually fitting that Moses was not able to lead Israel into the Promised Land. In that same passage from 1 Corinthians Paul said Israel was “baptized into Moses (v.2),” who was the mediator of the Old Covenant law and its system of works. Jesus became the mediator of a New Covenant (Hebrews 12:4) by His shed blood. Moses is the face of a system of works that cannot save, so he could not have led the nation into the land that is a picture of eternal life with God. His successor, Joshua, was the perfect man for the job; Joshua, after all, means “Jehovah saves,” so he serves as a picture of Jesus, the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Jesus’ Greek name was actually the equivalent of Joshua.

If you are relying on your own goodness to earn you a spot in heaven, you need to instead focus on Jesus, the only one able of taking you to the Promised Land.   

Moses' Snake

The story of Moses at the burning bush is one that is probably familiar to most of us, but there is one detail that may get overlooked. In Exodus 4:2 the Lord asks Moses to throw his rod on the ground, and when he does the rod becomes a snake. The Lord next asks Moses to pick up the snake, and again Moses obeys. When he grabbed the serpent it was immediately transformed back into Moses’ walking stick. The point of this exercise was to demonstrate God’s sovereignty to Moses, proving to him that this call was real and that God would empower Moses to stand before the most powerful man on earth.

But here is the detail that may often get overlooked: “So he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it (v.3).” Moses was scared of the snake; scared enough to actually run away from it. Yes, Moses grabbed the snake when God told him to, but we must not think Moses was a snake person. He was not the kind of guy to keep a pet python in a terrarium in his bedroom. Moses is a man after my own heart—I once dialed 911 when I found a snake in our bathroom. If God told me to pick up a snake I’d like to think I would obey, but until then, I’ll keep a safe distance.

Moses not only obeyed God’s instruction to pick up the snake, but he even did in it the specific way God told him to: by the tail. Snakes are not normally grabbed by the tail, unless you just want it to turn around and bite you. But that is what God told him to do, and his obedience caused the snake to turn back into a harmless rod. This was God’s way of getting Moses to trust Him. After all, if he could not confront a snake, he would never be able to confront Pharaoh. No one promised that obeying God would always be easy, but when we trust Him, good things happen. Even if we do not understand what God is doing in the present, it could be that He is equipping us to do something in the future. When you are tempted to run from your problems, stand in God’s strength and face them. What looked like a deadly snake may just turn out to be a harmless walking stick.

Jesus is my Rock

I often hear people use the expression that “Jesus is my rock.” Please allow me to point out a few ways from Scripture where we see Jesus as our rock.

First, we are safe behind the rock. In Psalm 18 David says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust (v.2).” In verse 31 he asks, “Who is a rock, but God?” And in verse 46 he says, “The Lord lives! Blessed be the rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted!”

David wrote these poetic words after God delivered the future king from the current king who was trying to kill him. With Saul hot on his trail, David hid in a cave, which was an opening in the side of a mountain. That was the image David had in mind when he called the Lord his rock, his fortress, and his strength. David was safe behind the rock, and we can find refuge from God in times of trouble.

Second, we are satisfied by the rock. In 1 Corinthians 10:4 Paul wrote of the Israelites in the wilderness that they “all drank from that spiritual rock, and that rock was Christ.” Paul was referring to the rock Moses struck in order to provide water when there was nothing to drink. Paul saw that rock as a picture of Jesus who satisfies us when the things of this world leave us unfulfilled. The concept of drinking from Christ also reminds us of the words spoken by Jesus in the Upper Room: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink of it, do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:25).” There is nothing we can do to satisfy the wrath of God apart from drinking from Jesus, the rock.  

Finally, we stand on top of the rock. In a familiar passage, Jesus said to the disciples, “Upon this rock I will build my church (Matthew 16:18).” Some say the rock to which He referred was Peter, but the original Greek language does not allow for that. Jesus was either pointing to Himself or was referencing Peter’s statement that Jesus was the Christ sent from God. Either way, Jesus said the church is built upon the rock of His Messiahship.

Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount by speaking of the wise and foolish builders; the wise man builds his house on the rock, which gives it a firm foundation. When we base our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ we build lives that can withstand any storm. If your life is not what it should be, try building it upon the Rock of Jesus.

Deuteronomy as Covenant

Some may wonder about the book of Deuteronomy’s placement in the canon of Scripture, as the bulk of the material is a recap of things that occurred in Exodus-Numbers. But research is continuing to shed more light on the purpose of this fifth book of the Pentateuch. I believe there are two very important ways to understand the importance of this book. First, Deuteronomy was written to the younger generation of Israel that was allowed to enter the Promised Land; Moses’ words are what they needed to remember before they crossed the Jordan. Second, Deuteronomy is covenant literature.

We have to understand the Ancient Near Eastern concept of the suzerain (“upper-sovereign”), or the person who had authority over another people group (called vassals). The suzerain would enter into a covenant with the vassal state by having a representative agree to the terms of the covenant, and then explain those terms to the people. Yahweh was establishing Himself as the suzerain, and Moses was the vassal representative, receiving the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, and relaying the information to the people. Israel, the vassal state, agreed to enter into the covenant by responding, “All that Yahweh says, we will do (Exodus 24:3)!”

As several ancient Hittite treaties have been unearthed, Bible scholars have noticed that Deuteronomy exactly matches much of the language as well the outline of these treaties. They would begin with a preamble, or an introduction to the main text; Deuteronomy 1:1-5 certainly does that. Next is the historical prologue, which recounts the past relationship between the parties; Deuteronomy 1:6-4:49 recounts God’s dealings with Israel from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land. The third element of the treaty is the general and specific stipulations, which Deuteronomy contains in 5:1-11:32 and 12:1-26:19. Next are the blessings and curses for obedience or lack thereof, which are found in 27:1-28:68; finally, there are the witnesses who hear and agree to the terms, which Israel does in chapters 30-32.

Deuteronomy, which means “second law,” is not a new set of laws, but a reiteration of the Mosaic Covenant. Before the new generation of Hebrews could enter the Promised Land and posses it, God required them to agree to His terms, just as their parents had done forty years earlier. Every new generation must choose to follow God, for we cannot trust in the relationship between God and our parents; it must be something to which we agree. Let us understand that Jesus is Lord, our suzerain, who we should trust and live our lives for. With Israel at Mt. Sinai let us say, “All that Yahweh says, we will do!”