Monday Morning Clarity - 1 Chronicles 6

The tribe of Levi was very important to the Chronicler because of their central role in temple life and in the system of Old Testament worship established by God. At the center of the tribes were the priests who were descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. They alone could draw near to God in certain very important liturgical rites necessary for the safety of the entire nation. They brought offerings and intercession from the people up to God, and sent down God's announcement of blessing down to His people.

The Levites were guardians of the ceremonial and ethical holiness of the entire covenant community. They were scattered throughout Israel as teachers and judges, and were given cities of refuge where they were to seek the truth in difficult judicial cases involving the loss of life. They were not only to be studious jurists, but enforcers of God's wrath against those who threatened the safety of Old Testament life through their high-handed disregard for the Law of God.

One major change that took place in the function of the tribe came in the change from movable tabernacle to stationary temple during the days of David and Solomon. David established a new element of musical worship where the Levites were music leaders, psalm writers, singers, and instrumental musicians. The Levitical life came to a crashing end in the exile of Judah to Babylon. The Chronicler sought to reestablish the practices of the temple liturgy in the return to the Promised Land. The Levites were of central importance in this vision for the future.

The biggest change for the tribe, and for all of the Jews, came in the arrival of the Messiah who would open up for the world a new way of access to God. Through Jesus, all who believe in Him are called "priests to His God and Father." Now Levites, as well as people from every tribe throughout the world, could find rich communion with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. While we have elders and deacons who help to lead us in worship and service, it is the privilege of every child of God to be a living letter of Jesus throughout the earth (2 Corinthians 3:3). We speak as those who have the oracles of God, and we serve as those empowered by the Spirit of the Lord (1 Peter 4:11). The overwhelming fact of Jesus as our atoning sacrifice and our hope for eternity can be our joy today. He helps us to reject the tyranny of living according to shifting circumstances or the disapproval of those around us who may reject what we hold to be most weighty and glorious.

Hosea 6

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“Come, let us return to the Lord.” Hosea's message is a good one for every time and place. In the days of ancient Israel, those who had faced divinely ordained trials could take heart that the God who had “torn us” and “struck us down” might soon “heal us” and “revive us.” His purpose was not to destroy Israel forever, but to remake her for a more healthy future. “On the third day He will raise us up.”

This were Hosea's words to His contemporaries, but then the Lord adds this jarring question addressed to the people who claimed to be ready to submit to Him: “What shall I do with you?” The nation did not yet have a solid heart of surrender to the Lord, but were fickle in their affections. “Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.” They may have imagined that the Lord's discipline would be lighter or more trivial than decades of difficult exile.

Yahweh was not seeking more and more sacrificial animals in a system of perpetual sin management, nor would He be content with scrupulous attention to external obedience combined with only passing concern for the meekness of true repentance and the heavenly joy of faith in a future Messiah. “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (See also Matthew 9:13 and 12:7.)

Like Adam so long ago, Israel and Judah had forgotten the depth of what it would mean to live in true relationship with the Lord. They had “transgressed the covenant.” Their spiritual leaders were more than disappointing, they were “robbers” who would “band together” in order to “murder.” They would not embrace the Lord God if He came in person, and they would try to prevent others from finding the way to eternal life.

God's chosen people needed a righteous substitute to stand in the gap for them. They needed a Man who would fully obey His Father and would then “restore the fortunes” of the lost through His own blood. Those who think of sin lightly in any era need to take another look at the theology of the cross of Christ which stands at the center of Christian doctrine. Any view of our moral failure that minimizes the problem of sin can never make sense of what God has done to accomplish our eternal reconciliation with Him.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father, teach us the difference between mere words and true repentance. We want to return to You and know You. Meet us now with the Bread from heaven, our sure and holy Redeemer. Our devotion to You has been temporary and conditional, and so we have transgressed Your commandments. Teach us the way of steadfast love and patient endurance, turning us away from all sin. Restore the fortunes of Your people forever.

Hosea 5

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The destiny of the elect is to abide with the Almighty, yet concerning the northern tribes of Israel, the Lord's gave this indictment through Hosea: “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within, and they know not the Lord.” Even if they brought animals to sacrifice to God, “they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them.”

The immediate prospects for the inhabitants of the Promised Land were decidedly bleak. The north would “become a desolation,” and God would also pour out His “wrath like water” upon the “princes of Judah.” Though many people would be torn away by the brutal Assyrian empire, the displeasure of the Almighty should have been of far greater concern to God's children than their military adversaries. “I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.”

While we are not surprised to hear the Lord represented as a majestic animal of the forest, He says something about Himself in Hosea 5 that is perplexing. “I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.” An unflattering picture, yet this assessment was true in at least two ways. First, the covenant community imagined that the Lord was only a minor issue until it was too late. Second, though God's judgment might become visible slowly, His anger would turn their glorious garments into rags and would bring down the whole house of Israel and Judah.

The ancient worshipers of God were unwilling to see the consequences of their rebellion. Is the New Testament church throughout the centuries any better?

Unrepentant behavior is always serious. Many in our day are shocked by the suggestion that God might be confronting them. They may think that the Lord could never do anything to them that might bring discomfort, but God's steadfast plan is complex. His dealings with the Old Testament saints should take away any doubt concerning the Lord's determination to correct His beloved children.

How can the church bear up under the biblical teaching that God disciplines those He loves? Through every providence, we remember the gift of Jesus, our atoning sacrifice. We are reassured as we seek the Lord on His terms that He who gave up His Son for our salvation will never abandon us. He will carry us through every trial that He ordains for our good.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Glorious God, there is a day of wrath coming and a day of division in the church. There will be a separation of the sheep and the goats. Our pride will do us no good when we face Your judgment. In that day we may seem to seek You, but many will not be acknowledged by You as Your children. Are we all lost? How can we stand Your holy indignation against sin? Our trust is not in the power of men and governments. Our hope is in You, and our deliverance is secured through Christ alone.

Hosea 4

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The Lord brought a covenant lawsuit against the citizens of Israel through the prophet Hosea. They had willfully forgotten the “knowledge of God” and had filled their lives with a variety of violations of His commandments. This was true not only of the people generally, but also of those who called themselves prophets and priests.

Who did the Lord's children turn to instead of the Almighty? “My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles.” They also loved impressive trees and hills rather than the One who created the heavens and the earth. Both men and women performed religious rituals that included sexual immorality. Cities once known for their godly heritage had become dangerous snares that needed to be avoided by those who truly desired to follow Jehovah.

What was to be done with God's wayward loved ones? The Lord declared that Israel was “joined to idols.” As with a son who refuses to listen to reason, the best plan for the nation was for them to feel the consequences of their sad rebellion. Perhaps they might eventually “be ashamed because of their sacrifices” that they offered up to lifeless objects.

God still cared about the tribes in the northern part of the Promised Land, but what could be done for them when they would not listen to His warnings? Only the Lord could save those who chose to wander away from His directives, and He had determined to let them be, at least for a time.

We are right to cry out to the great I-AM for the lives of those who will not remember their Creator. He made them, provided for them every day of their lives, and even sent His Son to suffer and die for their sins. We eagerly long for that moment when He will bring all His children safely home. Until that final trumpet sounds we continue to worship and serve the Lord, trusting that He has not forgotten any of His chosen people.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord Almighty, what will You do with Your church when we go the way of the murderous and faithless? You will not allow us to stand in Your presence when we give ourselves to continual foolishness and transgression. We were to be a glorious and royal priesthood. How can we be loved by You when we treat a piece of wood as an object of worship? Can we live in Your house if we are full of immorality? Oh the burden of our sin! Surely there is a better end for us. We will not be stubborn forever. Make us Your holy remnant as we confess our faults to You. Grant us mercy according to Your steadfast love.

Monday Morning Clarity - 1 Chronicles 5

The tribes that settled to the east of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad, East Manasseh) were all once very sure that they wanted Yahweh, and that their quest for good pasture lands would not keep them from holy devotion to Him. But over the centuries they lost sight of the God of Israel and His divine mission for them, and they fell into the dark pit of idolatry. They were the first tribes to be sent into exile by the Assyrians.

What was the mission God had for them?
1. Worship.
2. Continue in the conquest of the Promised Land, and don't go all pagan in creation worship.

What is the mission that God has for us?
1. Worship (Exodus 20:1-11, Hebrews 10:19-25)
2. Continue in the new "conquest" of the world (Romans 12), and don't go all pagan in creation worship.

Our "conquest" includes:
1. The Creation Mandate Conquest (Genesis 1:28 and 1 Corinthians 10:31)
2. The Great Commission and Sanctification Conquest (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3a)

Jesus puts these all together not only for our justification, but also as the perfect model for our lives. Hebrews 13:7-16 presents us with an inspiring pattern for the New Testament church in every place and time. "Jesus also suffered outside the camp." He went, as it were, to the wrong side of the river when He died on the cross outside the city wall of Jerusalem. We go to Him when we live out our divine mission "outside the camp and bear the reproach that He endured." Why not just flee to some Jerusalem and stay there? We can do that, but there is no safe space for us like that under the sun. "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." The only real security for us is to have the true Jerusalem living within us as we serve Him in this present Babylon.

Hosea 3

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“Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man.” Hosea was living out a painful parable. He was to be a husband to unfaithful Gomer, “even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.” Gomer found herself enslaved, so Hosea needed to buy her back “for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.”

If Hosea were to have a true relationship with Gomer, she could not continue to seek out other men. The “children of Israel” would also have to learn to be committed to Yahweh. They would “dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.”

Some of the losses mentioned by the Lord were once part of His appointed system of Old Testament government and worship. Others were connected to false rituals that had never been approved by the Almighty. Either way, Israel needed to find the true Jehovah and not place their hopes in mere religious ritual.

The era eventually came when the old ways of devotion were gone. This happened when the Messiah inaugurated the New Testament pattern of Word, sacrament, and prayer. Hosea had prophesied that Israel would “return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king.” At just the right time “in the latter days” the Jews will “come in fear to the Lord and to His goodness.”

While the world has already seen an amazing fulfillment of these words, we look for more of “Israel” to believe that they have been bought back from bondage, not by money or food, but through the blood of a husband who will abide with them forever. The former ways of approaching God through bulls and goats have been gone for many centuries. A better offering has been presented in the heavenly sanctuary for the full atonement of the elect.

Christ now calls all of God's children to Spirit-empowered holiness that can only come from above. It is our privilege to have true communion with our eternal Father. By God's kind grace we are being made to follow the great I-AM in faith and obedience.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Our Father, You have given us new hope in Christ. Your faithfulness is perfect. You found us on the rubbish heap of rebellion, and You redeemed us with an extravagant love. We must never turn away from You. We will seek the glory of Your Son forever.

Hosea 2

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God told Israel's prophet to announce the good news to His suffering nation. “You are My people,” and “You have received mercy.” The pathway to that desired blessedness, however, would also necessitate receiving His Word of correction. The Lord used Hosea to tell the truth about Israel's spiritual adultery. He even brought discouragement upon His beloved bride for a time with the intention of making it more difficult for her to chase after false gods.

Through all the years of waywardness, God was still providing for Israel. “It was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.” There would certainly be consequences for their sin, yet throughout the centuries the Lord's intentions were always working towards the very best result.

God would bring Israel a new beginning. He would “bring her into the wilderness” again and “speak tenderly to her.” He would provide bountifully for her and “make the Valley of Achor,” which was once the place of a national disgrace, into “a door of hope.” Yes, there would be divine discipline, but it would all lead to a much better future.

The Lord would sanctify His elect, removing idolatrous worship from their lives. He would renew a holy relationship with His chosen ones. “I will betroth you to me forever.”

How can we have confidence that even God could produce such a glorious outcome? What if every fresh start for Israel and for the New Testament church eventually devolved into another failure because of our wayward hearts? The destiny of God's family is secured by His own works of salvation rather than our religious accomplishments. Because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we will not only hear Jehovah's encouraging words of assurance to us, but we will also testify faithfully and truthfully of our love for Him. He shall say, “You are My people.” And we will reply to Him, “You are my God.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, there is hope now for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should put away our waywardness, for we have been redeemed by Your Son. When we look back upon our lives, we hate our rebellion against You. You continued to provide for us day by day, and yet we used Your good gifts for increased disobedience. Our idolatrous affections were no good for us at all. Turn us back home again, and keep us far away from the love of sinning. Open up our hearts to the new life that is ours in Christ. We receive Your covenant faithfulness toward us with sincere amazement. Our glorious God, Your grace is great, and Your mercy is very powerful.

Hosea 1

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God used the prophet Hosea in a very challenging and personal way to speak to Israel regarding His own faithfulness and the sins of His covenant people. Hosea needed to model the Lord's steadfast love by marrying Gomer, “a wife of whoredom.” By his relationship with an unworthy woman, the prophet would communicate a serious message via a lived-out parable to those who would hear the Lord's oracles.

Jehovah mentioned three children who would also play a symbolic role in this great drama. The first was named after a place, Jezreel, where a wicked king of Israel and his wife stole property from an innocent man and had the victim put to death based on false witnesses. God would use the name of that place as a sign of His judgment against “the house of Israel” because their idolatry would lead to much suffering.

The second and third children would have the sad names of the Lord's rejection: “No Mercy” and “Not My People.” God would send off His covenant nation into exile, but He would never abandon the eternal election of His chosen ones. Instead, His ancient commitment to Abraham would still be fulfilled. “The number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered.”

The Old Testament tribes that descended from Jacob would suffer the Lord's discipline, yet their trials would ultimately fit into a far greater promise of divine grace. Great multitudes who had never known the mercy of the Almighty would eventually be called the “children of the living God.”

According to Hosea 1:11, the divided clans of Israel and Judah would find unity again in a singular great leader and would fulfill a mission beyond the old borders of Canaan. “They shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.” It is delightful to read in this concluding verse of Hosea 1 that the “Jezreel” that had previously been a place of injustice and violence would now be rightly associated with the chosen Messiah, the “One Head” of a massive resurrection family. Billions would find forgiveness and sanctification by the blood of the Lamb of God.

Many centuries after Hosea lived and died, the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:24-26 would reflect upon the Hebrew prophet's ancient words. Even Gentiles, who had once been so far from the Lord's salvation, would now be part of a united household of faith. Through Jesus, the King of the church, there would be hope for all who would repent and believe.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, Your Son is greater than all other husbands. You have had such mercy upon us, even though we sinned against You with our horrible immorality and idolatry. What hope would there be for us if You determined to grant no more mercy to your elect? Thank You for taking us as Your people. We were once far off, but now we are called the children of the living God in our association with Christ our King.

Monday Morning Clarity - 1 Chronicles 4:24-43

The ancient tribe of Simeon began in sorrow and went forth with violence. They were left with little hope at the death of Jacob, and were largely overshadowed by the preeminence of Judah. Yet God remembered them, and they have a place in the final kingdom visions of the Old and New Testaments. (See Ezekiel 48:24, 33 and Revelation 7:7, 21:12.) 

Though particular individuals, families, and clans within God's covenant community may esteem themselves as losers who are forgotten and hopeless, Jesus was wounded for all His people. Those who repent of their sins and follow Him are joint-heirs with the High King of Heaven. Christianity uniquely provides hope for the lowly because of the doctrine of substitution. The Lord is our new worth.

Daniel 12

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Daniel 11 concluded with the story of an antichrist figure who reigned in the second century before the birth of Jesus. This heathen ruler was one in a series of similar despots beginning before Antiochus IV Epiphanes was born and continuing long after he died. (See Matthew 24:15 and the reference to the book of Daniel.) Daniel 12 clearly brings the reader forward more than a thousand years to the flowering of Greek and Roman civilization and to the glorious kingdom that Christ will establish when He returns. We know this because Daniel writes very plainly about the final resurrection from the dead when “the great Prince” shall be King.

“At that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” This ultimate salvation from the Messiah will not be some small event. Human beings who “sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel's focus is on the first of these two groups who “shall shine like the brightness of the sky above.”

Later in the chapter we are told more about this ultimate epoch of history in our fallen world. These “last days” (Hebrews 1:2) will begin around the year when “the regular burnt offering is taken away” which happened in 70 AD with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It will end with the coming of the Son of Man in glory. In between these two dates is a period of undefined length. Throughout that entire era, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

The nations of the West have enjoyed astounding technological advances since the ascension of Jesus. The church in these lands has also been used by God to preach the message of Christ to all the ends of the earth. We are assured in Daniel 12 that “those who are wise” and who live today “shall understand” certain truths that the wicked will not comprehend. While there are many hidden facts that God does not reveal to us, we should be able to embrace at least three doctrines as those who have carefully considered the teaching contained in the Scriptures. First, the entire New Testament era will be an age of unparalleled achievement, but also of significant trial. God's “holy people” will not be in charge, and civil authorities will regularly oversee the “shattering” of the “power” of Israel and the church. Second, the Christian hope will include both the eternal judgment of God against the wicked and the resurrection of the righteous to the fullness of joy for which they were created. Finally, the fulfillment of God's plans for His children center around a pivotal figure who will be the “Prince of Peace” mentioned in Isaiah 9:6. The church today has the privilege of proclaiming the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ” all over the world. See Acts 10:31 and Ephesians 2:14-27.

We may still have unanswered questions about “how long” we must wait for the return of Jesus or “what shall be the outcome of these things,” yet we can rest in the Lord's covenant promises. The Almighty will bring us through any present distress into a glorious creation where God's righteousness will fill our hearts forever.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God Almighty, carry Your people through the great tribulation that has come upon the earth. Help us in the day of rebellion and apostasy. Guard us from the wrath of our most powerful adversaries. We do not know the day or the hour of Your Son's return. We do know You, thankfully, and so we know that our Savior will surely have a great victory when He appears. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Your Holy Name.

Daniel 11

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The final messages in the book of Daniel cover many centuries of time from Judah's exile in the sixth century before Christ all the way to the glorious return of our Savior. Daniel 11 contains specific prophecies regarding several generations of Persian and Greek leaders. Daniel was particularly told about Alexander the Great, the Seleucid Empire to the north and east, and the Ptolemaic Empire to the south and west of the Promised Land. Military details that would be part of the distant future were spoken forth from God as facts that were well-known to the Almighty.

Humanity cannot fathom the God's governance over the nations of the earth. People imagine a world in which their own choices prevail until personal tragedy makes it obvious that this absurd view is so contrary to reality. It is also common to speak of luck and chance, although in a random universe we could never explain how one Hebrew prophet could accurately communicate so many facts about days yet to come. Even a belief in some impersonal fate cannot be intellectually satisfying for those who take Daniel 11 seriously. Forces that lack true personality, like the supposed “mother nature,” cannot reveal the hidden secrets of the ages to anyone. Only the doctrine of a personal God who is fully in charge of all things can explain the amazing revelations contained in the pages of the Old and New Testaments.

One of the most striking facts about God's final oracle in the book of Daniel is the description of the evil monarch, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who reigned from 175-164 BC. This prototypical antichrist figure prepared us for later rulers who would share his vicious hatred for God's covenant people. He would “seduce with flattery” those who should have remained faithful to the Lord. In his overreaching wickedness he would seek to “exalt himself and magnify himself above every god.” His outrageous and blasphemous disrespect of the great I-AM would be an “abomination that makes desolate.”

Despite the seemingly invincible power of proud tyrants, despots are only allowed to go so far. Each one “shall come to his end, with none to help him.” One day a final enemy will do his demonic best to seduce the Lord's church. At that time the true King of the Jews will come in matchless glory. By God's perfect providence, all of the proud enemies of Jehovah will be defeated by Jesus.

Until that great day appears, ministers who have been entrusted with the oracles of God should read and preach the Word. They should be faithful in their teaching and obedient with their lives. May the Lord's servants continue to feed the faithful with truth of Christian hope until the Messiah comes again as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Sovereign God, You are the Lord of men and angels. You rule over our families and churches. You send us help from on high to confirm and strengthen us. You also correct us when we wander from Your way. Nations rise and fall according to Your plan, but Your church shall move forward in the strength of our Messiah King. You will have a great victory against all false gods and hypocrisy, bringing low the pride of men. You will use all of creation in order to accomplish Your purposes. No armies among men can stand against You. You have sent forth Your gospel to every land near and far, and Your Word is winning a great victory as Your Spirit works powerfully over the centuries. Throughout this age there is much suffering alongside the great victories of faith. Men make their plans for grandeur, but they shall not stand. Armies are swept away, and even the strongest men face the end of their days. For centuries men and nations have set themselves against Your covenant people. They would insult Your Name, and destroy Your people, but You give help to Your beloved children. Though we stumble, You have a plan for the coming age that will certainly be accomplished. You will magnify Your own Name, and You will easily defeat the proudest foes. No enemy that expects to destroy You, Your gospel, or Your people will be able to see the fullness of their evil desires accomplished. They shall all come to their end, and there will be none to help them. You are the everlasting God, and You will be praised forever and ever.

Daniel 10

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In the final chapters of Daniel the Lord revealed to His prophet amazing events that involved details regarding many future centuries. God's servant in exile had been “mourning for three weeks” when a heavenly emissary appeared to him in an overwhelming vision. What was the greeting from God's ambassador? “Fear not, Daniel!” The Lord used this mighty being from on high to explain His love for Daniel and to help him understand the future unfolding of the providence of the Almighty in heavenly realms that would have an impact on what would one day take place upon the earth.

Later in Daniel 10 encouragement and strengthening came when “another one having the appearance of a man touched me.” The words that Daniel then heard were similar to Moses' message to Joshua during the transition from one generation to the next so many years before. “Be strong and of good courage.”

The power that Daniel needed for his life as a man of faith would not come from having the support of earthly rulers. Only the greatest heavenly Authority and the sure Word of His decrees would bring about the victory of God at just the right time.

The story of this concluding vision continues for two more chapters, but already three observations should be noted. First, the God of heaven was able to send a reliable guide to His people during this time of profound darkness and sorrow. Second, earthly events that may have seemed random to many were clearly connected to struggles in spiritual realms that they could not see. Finally, as New Testament believers we now know that a decisive victory has already been won by Jesus, who came from heaven to save us.

The triumph of Christ through the cross and the resurrection does not mean that all of our troubles are over. Like the hymn writer, we must wait until “the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend.” What do we do as we look for the culmination of the Lord's perfect plan? Because of our faith in the Son of God and the revelation that is ours in the Scriptures, we can sing, “Even so, it is well with my soul.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, there are troubling things all around us that we do not understand. Our comfort is that You have planned everything. We are able to stand only because You are in charge. The earthly days of the Old Testament prophets are long gone. They now live above where Your Son is at Your right hand. They once longed to understand the visions and messages that came to them, but now they see Your face and live with Your people who have been perfected in holiness. We thank You for the coming of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. We have been granted increased clarity about Your eternal plan through these great events, yet there is so much that we do not know, and so much that we do not comprehend. Your prophets of old trusted You when they spoke of great things little by little and in various ways. Help us to keep our eyes focused upon Your Son who has spoken so wonderfully to us in His life, death, and resurrection. Teach us to trust You with our lives.

Daniel 9

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In the first year of the reign of Darius, Daniel considered the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah and came to the correct conclusion that the time had come for the Lord's people to return to the Promised Land. “Then I turned my face to the Lord.”

Daniel “made confession” to God concerning the sin of Israel. God's people had not listened to the Lord's appointed messengers. He testified that the troubles that had come to Israel were not the fault of the Almighty. “To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame.” The prophet acknowledged God's abundant “mercy and forgiveness.” He asked for God's kindness to His people “for Your own sake.”

While Daniel was still “speaking and praying,” an angel “came to me in swift flight.” The Lord reassured Daniel of His divine affection for this man of God. “I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.” What followed was a symbolic “vision” of “seventy weeks” concerning the sovereign purposes of God.

Certain parts of the Lord's revelation that follow have been difficult for the church to interpret over many centuries. We would do well to focus on three points that are clear from Daniel 9.

First, God heard and answered the prayers of Daniel. How much more will the Father hear the continual intercession that Jesus offers up for us? As with Daniel, the Lord's provision for us will be firmly based on God's established decrees revealed to us in the Scriptures.

Second, there would surely come a definitive “Anointed One” who would Himself face the suffering of being “cut off.” The trials of Christ would not come as a shock to the Omniscient God, but would be consistent with His own plan already revealed in His Word.

Third, regarding the future, the Lord would most certainly accomplish all His gracious and just purposes. Yes, there would be much suffering. Predictions of a lengthy “troubled time” and the coming of “one who makes desolate” could not be fulfilled without pain. The Lord knew all of this far in advance of the incarnation of His Son. The cross of Christ was not a surprise to the Father. It was the cornerstone of His design of redemption.

Our conclusion can only be that which the beloved John comes to at the end of the book of Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Bring in “everlasting righteousness,” and “anoint” us as Your “most holy place.” Until that great moment of glory arrives, may “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” (Revelation 22:20-21 and Daniel 9:24)

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, hear us when we cry out to You. You are perfectly righteous, but we have committed treachery against You. You have mercy and forgiveness which we need so desperately, for we have sinned against both Your Law and Your grace. Please incline Your ear to us again. Do this for Your own glory, for we are Your people for whom Your Son shed His precious blood. We know that we are greatly loved by You. We have been given a holy union with Your Son, who is the King and Head of Your church. Please grant to us Your salvation and sanctify Your children.

Our Relative Independence and Our Absolute Dependence

Do We Still Believe in the Declaration of Independence?

By Stephen C. Magee

Pastor, Exeter Prebyterian Church, Exeter, NH

Every four years spiritual issues figure prominently in our political discourse. Candidates for president court the more religious voters of Iowa and then quickly face the first actual primary in “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire. Much of the national conversation centers around the hot-button issues championed by values voters. Very little consideration is given to larger religious principles. The Constitution says that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” but are there faith propositions that must rightly be regarded as fundamental to American government?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident.”

At the very beginning of our existence together as the “United States of America,” the representatives of the people published the reasons for their resistance against tyranny in the Declaration of Independence. In this historic document we read about the Almighty and about tyrants who would put themselves in the place of God.

“... all men are ... endowed by their Creator with certain … rights ...”

“... to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men ...”

“... when a long train of abuses ... evinces a design to reduce [people] under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government ...”

“... a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

“... We, therefore, … appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states … And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

These statements, which are far from godless, have a central place in the heritage of our nation. We should ask those who desire to be our leaders if they still believe in the Declaration of Independence. But more important is this question that we should each ask ourselves: Do I believe what the Declaration of Independence asserts as self-evident concerning God and humanity?

Simply stated:

There is a law-ordaining God who is above all human beings.
God is the ultimate source of human rights.
A tyrant who tries to take the place of God ought to be resisted.

Let's explore:

1. There is a law-ordaining God who is above all human beings.

Belief in the freedom of individual choices that some associate with modern America has an important boundary that makes that freedom safe. God is above our choices. All of our thoughts and actions must be judged according to His standards. Belief in a final Judgment Day rightly tempers free expression. The exaltation of unbounded individual choice is dangerous and makes life within communities unsustainable.

The Biblical account of creation from Genesis 1 associates humanity with the number six. Man was created male and female on the sixth day. Six is a great number, but it is not the finale. God's number is the number of completeness and perfection. He rested on the seventh day, taking His place as the Ruler and Judge over all that He made.

It is not rational to kick God out of the story of creation. Logically, there needs to be a Source who can bring forth something from nothing. Nothingness cannot yield anything all by itself. We all know that. Yet Romans 1 tells us that we suppress that knowledge and refuse to worship God or give Him thanks. The result of that irrational godlessness is cloudy thinking that leads to the worship of creation and the exaltation of immorality. The creatures of the sixth day can only prosper again by bowing before the Creator—the God of the seventh day—and surrendering to Him as the absolute Ruler over all.

2. God is the ultimate source of human rights.

Our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and any other rights that we may possess, are not bestowed upon us by the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. They are gifts from the God of the seventh day to be used responsibly by all human beings.

Rebellion against the Almighty has marred our freedom. The Bible teaches us that we have become slaves to sin. But God became man to free us by His blood. John 1 tells us that those who receive the Son of God, who believe in His Name, have been granted a new right—the right to become children of God. They have a new hope that extends beyond this life, and even now they have peace with God through Jesus Christ.

3. A tyrant who tries to take the place of God ought to be resisted.

God has given all power and authority in heaven and on earth to His Son. Any other system of authority has limits. The assertion of unlimited authority by an individual human being or a societal movement stands against the Son of God. Those insisting that the choices of creatures must be supreme are acting against Christ. The Bible insists that there are many such antichrists and false saviors.

When first century rulers in Jerusalem thought that they had the right to prohibit Christian preaching, they had to be resisted. Peter knew that it could not be right to obey human authorities if that meant disobeying God.

One need not be a celebrity or a politician to drink deeply of the antichrist spirit. Anyone who insists on individual choices as supreme, denying God, is throwing off all restraint. The true King is coming again, not only to judge, but to save those who long for His appearing. Those who signed the Declaration of Independence did not scoff at the idea of a coming Day of Judgment. Neither should we. Now is a very good time to worship and obey God, whatever the cost. His kingdom is worth our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.