Category: Devotional

The Tabernacle Reveals the Goal of the Exodus

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

What’s the main point of Exodus?

Before we dive in, consider this outline. It’s taken from this commentary by Peter Enns.

  1. Departure from Egypt (chs 1–15)
    1. Prelude (chs 1–6)
    2. Plagues (chs 7–12)
    3. Departure (chs 13–15)
  2. Mt. Sinai: Law (chs 16–24)
    1. Journey to Sinai (chs 16–18)
    2. Ten Commandments (chs 19–20)
    3. The Book of the Covenant (chs 21–24)
  3. Mt. Sinai: Tabernacle (chs 25–40)
    1. Instructions for the Tabernacle (chs 25–31)
    2. Rebellion and Forgiveness (chs 32–34)
    3. Building the Tabernacle (chs 35–40)

    The Reason for God’s Deliverance

    We need to make one distinction before discussing the main point of this book. The Passover and the Red Sea deliverance were the central events of the book. Many passages in the Bible reference these episodes.

    But why did God deliver his people?

    Part of the answer is that God is compassionate! God saw his people suffering, heard their cry, and saved them with his strong arm (Ex 2:23–25; Ex 6:6). But God himself gives another reason.

    God delivered his people because he wanted to be with them. Let’s take a look at the evidence.

    • God tells the Israelites, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Ex 6:7). The larger context (Ex 6:1–7) connects God’s saving work in Egypt to his covenant with Abraham. The exodus is a result of God’s covenant love for his people.
    • When Moses sings after coming through the Red Sea, he praises God for guiding the people “by your strength to your holy abode” (Ex 15:13). He also says God will “bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established” (Ex 15:17). Moses knows God has a dwelling with Israel in mind.
    • From Mount Sinai, God tells the people: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:4–6). God didn’t just bring the people out of Egypt, he brought them to himself to be his treasured possession out of all the earth.
    • Finally, consider the tabernacle. When God first gives Moses instructions about taking contributions for and building the tabernacle, he states the purpose of this massive undertaking: “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex 25:8). At great expense of materials, labor, and time, God wants a place where he can dwell with his people.

    Here’s my attempt at the main point of Exodus: God delivered his people, at great cost, that he might dwell with them.

    Here’s another way to say this: the tabernacle shows us the goal of God’s saving work. This explains why so much of the book of Exodus (16 chapters!) is about the tabernacle. While the destination is the promised land, the goal is fellowship with God.

    So Much Repetition

    Before studying Exodus over the past year with my church, I hadn’t realized how central the tabernacle is to the book. Think about it—all the way back at the burning bush (Ex 3:21–22), God promised that the Egyptians would give their gold to Israel. And this same gold was used to build the tabernacle!

    It’s significant enough to notice that, from the outline above, more chapters in Exodus are devoted to the tabernacle than anything else. But the repetition involved trumpets this emphasis through a megaphone.

    The instructions for the tabernacle given in chapters 25–31 are repeated almost verbatim in chapters 35–40. A side-by-side comparison reveals very few differences. It would have been so easy for Moses to write, “And the people built the tabernacle according to all of the instructions that the Lord commanded.” Why do we have so much repetition?

    Moses wanted to emphasize the people’s obedience. Especially in light of the golden calf incident (more on that next week), it was important to say that the Israelites made the tabernacle exactly the way God commanded it, in every last detail.

    But, as happens so frequently in the Bible, this repetition points to importance. Moses is taking us through all the embroidery and curtains and utensils and furniture again so we’ll see just how important the tabernacle is. This is the place where God will dwell! Even before the people have a place of their own, they have a God of their own who loves them and will be with them.

    God’s Everlasting Presence

    Perhaps the implications for us are easy to see. If God delivered his people, at great cost, that he might dwell with them in the exodus, how much more has he done this for us!

    The cost of our redemption was the life and agony of the very Son of God, Jesus. Our destination is heaven—the new heavens and the new earth where we will dwell with God (Rev 21:3) forever. The goal of our redemption is restored fellowship with God. Christ died “that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).

    But this fellowship with God begins at regeneration, not glorification! We enjoy God’s presence right now, as God the Holy Spirit dwells with us. If your mind reels at the thought of so great a truth, join the club. It’s staggering.

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    Four Precious Promises from God for Everyday Growth

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    God’s promises are essential to our faith and fundamental to our hope. And these promises are so much better than we think.

    In my previous article, I wrote about the characteristics of the promises of God. His promises help us grow in godliness and escape the corruption in the world. In this article I will spotlight four promises that aid in our spiritual growth.

    You Will Be Saved

    Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This bedrock promise can be found in the book of Romans.

    For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11–13)

    Christians often cite this passage in the context of coming to faith. However, Paul may have had our future salvation in mind, as he distinguishes between justification and salvation in Romans 10:10.

    The righteousness we need is not based on the law, but based on faith (Romans 10:6). And for this righteousness, we look to Christ (Romans 10:4).

    We will be spared the wrath of God in the judgment if we call on Christ in this way.

    The Lord Hears Our Cries

    Part of growing in grace is learning to converse with God—to bring all of our happiness, sadness, confusion, and grief to him. Does he hear us? Might he be busy with other items on his agenda?

    No, we have promises from God that assure us of his attention.

    The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
        and his ears toward their cry.
    The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
        to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
    When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
        and delivers them out of all their troubles.
    The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
        and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:15–18)

    God hears the righteous when they cry. (Don’t read “righteous” as “perfect” but rather as “in Christ.”) The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

    There Are Ways to Resist Temptation

    As we mature in our faith, our desires and behavior change. How comforting it is to know that we now have power to say no to temptation!

    No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

    God takes our “ability” into account when allowing our temptations, meaning that he makes us “able” to endure temptation—that is, to escape it. This doesn’t make resisting temptation easy in the moment! It does mean that sin is not inevitable.

    James states this promise another way.

    But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:6–8)

    Practically speaking, resisting the devil and finding a “way of escape” are probably one and the same. In context, resisting the devil also involves submitting humbly to God. When we do this, God promises that the evil one will depart. A marvelous example of his grace!

    God’s Word Brings Blessing and Growth

    Christian growth is often slow. And yet God tells us some of the ways to move forward. One of these ways is through the Bible.

    So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1–3)

    We grow up into our salvation, God promises, through the pure spiritual milk. In context (see 1 Peter 1:23–25), this refers to the Scriptures.

    On a broader scale, we are promised that God’s word brings blessing.

    Blessed is the man
        who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
    nor stands in the way of sinners,
        nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
    but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
        and on his law he meditates day and night.
    He is like a tree
        planted by streams of water
    that yields its fruit in its season,
        and its leaf does not wither.
    In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1–3)

    This passage is not only about God’s law, but delighting in and meditating on God’s law is the key contrast to those behaviors that should be avoided. A Christian who delights in and gladly drinks of God’s word will be fruitful and blessed.

    God’s Promises for Life

    The promises I’ve highlighted are mostly related to our growth as Christians. But God intends our entire Christian life to be fueled by his “precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4).

    Trusting in God’s promises is at the core of our faith, and gladly expecting God to keep his promises is the essence of our hope. I plan to discuss the faith and hope and their relation to God’s promises in a future article.

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    The Sabbath Proclaims the Gospel

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    When most people think of Sabbath-keeping, their minds run to rules. They picture a list of activities to avoid.

    This hardly does the Sabbath justice. The Sabbath was a key ingredient in God’s covenant, and keeping the Sabbath proclaimed wonderful news about God’s grace to his people.

    The Sabbath as a Sign

    God’s Sabbath command is rooted in creation and made plain on Mount Sinai, but the first extended discussion of the Sabbath is in Exodus 31.

    After God gives his blueprints for the tabernacle, he tells Moses what to command Israel about the Sabbath (Ex. 31:12–17). God doesn’t owe his people a reason for his laws, but that’s what we find here.

    We learn that the Sabbath is a sign. Exodus 31 says the Sabbath is a sign in two ways, both of which are profound statements about the Lord.

    First, the Sabbath points to God’s sanctifying work.

    You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, `Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. (Ex. 31:13)

    When the people keep the Sabbath, they are to remember God’s work to sanctify them. God alone is the one who sets apart, who makes holy, who calls the people his own.

    The Sabbath also points to God’s work and rest during that first creation week.

    It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. (Ex. 31:17)

    We’ve read before that God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2) and this reasoning also appears in the ten commandments (Ex. 20:11). But here we are also told that God was refreshed.

    In what way was God refreshed on the seventh day? Was he tired? Was he feeling spent and overworked?

    Of course not. God’s refreshment came from completion. He finished his work, rested, and was refreshed. (See Gen. 2:2.) There’s a special refreshment that comes after completing a project.

    The Sabbath is Holy

    The discussion in Exodus 31 makes one thing clear: the Sabbath speaks about God. The command is deadly serious because it involves the way the people understand and remember what God has done.

    In particular, Israel must keep the Sabbath because it is holy. They do not make it holy by their observance; rather, they observe because the day is holy. God has make the day holy.

    The Sabbath is a sign pointing to God’s work, not what the people need to do. In the same way, the Lord’s Day points to the finished work of God.

    From the cross Jesus announced that his work was finished (John 19:30). His body rested in the grave on the Sabbath but burst forth on Sunday morning. Jesus’s resurrection was a verification, a jubilant trumpet call announcing the finished work of God to set apart people for himself.

    The Refreshment of the Lord’s Day

    Without getting into the thornier issues of modern Sabbath observance, there are a few things we can say with confidence.

    The Lord’s Day points to God. While the fourth commandment certainly has implications for our behavior, the ground of the command is God’s work. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his atoning work for us by worshipping on the first day of the week. This very act of corporate worship points to God’s sanctifying work—setting aside his people and making us holy.

    The work is finished. We rest because God rested. The day is holy because God made it holy. We rejoice because of the resurrection.

    The command is not a burden. The command was obeyed and fulfilled perfectly by Jesus. As God’s children, we now have power to obey from the Spirit. The command to observe the Sabbath is not a burden, it is for our refreshment.

    So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (Heb. 4:9–10)

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    A Christian Alternative to Optimism and Pessimism

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Optimism and pessimism are sometimes portrayed as two ends of a one-dimensional spectrum, with “realism” as the rational, sensible midpoint. A good Christian alternative to optimism and pessimism is to ditch the spectrum entirely and focus on hope.

    We all have tendencies toward and moments of optimism and pessimism, and I suspect this is due to our personalities and experiences. What I’m critiquing below is the extreme versions of optimists and pessimists.

    The Optimist

    An optimist will always “expect the most favorable outcome.” They see good things around every corner and are quick to point out the silver lining to the storm cloud.

    When combined with Christianity, this sort of optimist can be hard to talk to. They know God has a purpose behind every difficult turn of events; they urge others to think about the ultimate good God has in store, even when the suffering is great.

    While well-intentioned, this optimistic approach leaves little room for lament and grief in the face of sadness and suffering. An optimist is so uncomfortable with pain that they rush themselves and their friends through it. But God may have holy intentions in that pain.

    Taken to its extreme, optimism blunts the effects of sin and the curse, and this leaves little need for Jesus. If everything is going to turn out well, why did the Son of God become a man? Why did he suffer and die?

    Counsel for the optimist

    Christians can affirm some of the optimist’s instincts: for those who trust in the Lord, there certainly is good ahead! However, God has not promised good at every turn. Because sin really exists and the world is not yet made new, there may be prolonged seasons of sadness, frustration, confusion, and failure. When a Christian experiences these seasons, it does not mean they are far from God; God often uses these dark times to remind his children who he is and what he has promised.

    The Pessimist

    In stark contrast, the pessimist will expect the least favorable outcome in any situation. They are always braced for catastrophe and see a cloud behind every silver lining.

    A pessimist sees an inevitability to disaster and distress, and when it comes, they wear I-knew-it like a badge of honor.

    Within the church, a pessimist can be difficult to befriend. As they focus on the bad and dismiss the good, it is hard to enjoy the gifts of God with them.

    Pessimists may have hope in heaven, but they are convinced there will be little to smile about until then. They are frequently bitter and cynical in their approach to life, and they may begin to question God’s goodness and his love.

    Counsel for the pessimist

    I would affirm this part of the pessimist’s beliefs: there really are terrible things that happen in life. However, we should not expect everything to be bad! The Lord God is sovereign; he has given us good to look forward to but he also brings good into our lives now.

    Hope is a Christian Alternative

    Both optimism and pessimism describe ways of looking at the future, and both are unhealthy in some respects. I’ll offer the lens of Biblical hope as a robust alternative.

    Hope is the eager expectation that God will keep his promises. This means that if we are to be hope-filled people, we need to know what God has promised, not just what we think or wish he had promised. This is one of many reasons Christians are to be people of the Bible—the Scriptures are where we learn about God’s promises.

    Growing in Hope

    While hope should characterize Christians (Romans 15:12-13), this is something God grows within us. We are not born again brimming with a tank full of hope.

    As we get to know God by his Spirit and through his word, we see how trustworthy he is. Faithfulness is an essential part of his character. And when we repeatedly read the promises he has made to us, we learn to trust him. We begin to see with eyes of faith just how good it will be when those promises are realized.

    This doesn’t settle every question or make every outcome sure, but when we trust in the God who governs all things and when we know he is undeniably in our corner, we can face the future with great hope.

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    Ordinary Ingredients of Christian Growth

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Fad diets exist because healthy diets are boring. We don’t like to hear about vegetables and exercise; we’d rather lose ten pounds in a week by taking some radical step.

    But fad diets don’t work. The most reliable path to a healthier body is the one doctors have been recommending for decades.

    Ordinary Means

    So it is with our spiritual lives. We think mountaintop experiences will provide the jolt we need to grow closer to God.

    But the truth is both more mundane and more wonderful. We don’t need to climb the mountain; God has come down! By his Son and by his Spirit, he dwells with his people. As a consequence, God uses ordinary means to make us grow.

    Four Ingredients

    My recent Bible reading has shown me four ingredients of Christian growth. (This list isn’t comprehensive.)

    The Word

    God’s word gives us growth.

    Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:1–3, NASB)

    We need the Bible like newborn babies need milk: desperately!! Surely you’ve seen a hungry baby. We should long for God’s word with the same urgency. Without the Bible, we simply won’t grow.

    Community

    God has created a healthy interdependence within the church.

    • God gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11–12). God gives people to equip the saints, and the purpose is the body’s growth.
    • The goal of this building up is “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” Paul wants us to aim for “mature manhood” and “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). In the growth of the body, we will find maturity, fullness, and unity. Notice that Paul mentions “knowledge” specifically, so community is not just about emotional support. We are to help each other grow in understanding as well.
    • We are to grow past the adolescent stage, where we are “tossed to and fro by the waves.” Instead, “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph 4:14–15). Much has been written about the phrase speaking the truth in love, but in context it must involve steadying, correcting help that leads to growth. By definition, this cannot be done in isolation.
    • The “whole body” is “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped.” Every single part of the body is necessary to join and hold it together, and “when each part is working properly,” the body grows and “builds itself up in love” (Eph 4:16). Every part of the body is necessary for the body’s growth, and no part grows without the body.

    Repentance

    Christians are not to walk as the Gentiles walk. Instead, they have been taught

    to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)

    This is the process of repentance. Note the three distinct parts: put off, be renewed, put on. We identify and turn away from our sin, we remember our new God-given identity, and we adopt the godly behavior or thought that replaces sin. To help us, Paul lists five examples of this repentance in Eph 4:25–32.

    Beholding the Lord

    There is a glory present in the new covenant that was veiled in the old. The veil keeping people from God is removed for those who turn to Christ.

    Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17–18)

    As we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed from glory to glory. Though “beholding” sounds mysterious, it must include a few actions.

    We cannot behold the Lord without delighting in the Bible, the unique place where we hear of Christ’s glorious work. We meditate on God’s glory—thinking about his character and work, thanking him for his love and grace, anticipating the excellencies of his presence. The word leads to our meditation which leads to prayer.

    Powerful Means of Growth

    It may not be flashy, but God faithfully causes growth from the most ordinary of means: regular Bible intake, membership in a local church, repentance of sin, and beholding the glory of the Lord in meditation and prayer.

    God takes weak and ordinary people and uses them in extraordinary ways. He does the same with the ordinary ingredients of Christian growth. They may not be radical, but they are powerful.

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    Immanuel: God with Us

    Posted onAuthorCharissa Rychcik

    I recently read the book Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel. The book is helpful in outlining a strategy to journal intimately with God. Although I enjoyed reading about the strategy and have practiced it a few times, the bigger take away from the book for me was a deep dive into Exodus 3:7-8a (emphasis mine).

    Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

    God not only saw and heard his people. He cared for them and ensured he was with them. He also showed compassion towards them by doing something for them.

    God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Therefore, this same God sees us, hears us, knows us, is with us, and will do something for us in our times of struggle!

    God sees

    God sees us without judgment. He sees our smiles and our tears. He sees our stomachs in knots, our pacing, our nail biting, and kind gestures towards others. As Genesis 16:13 reminds us, God sees all of us. “So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

    God hears

    God not only hears our verbal utterances, but he hears our thoughts and words unspoken. He hears our sighs and grumbles, and he hears our thanks and praises. While listening, he does not condemn us and continues to love us. Isaiah 6:24 reiterates the promise that God hears us. “Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

    God knows and understands

    God understands how big and hard our challenges are. He does not minimize our struggles and continues to care for us. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

    God is with us

    One of God’s names is Immanuel, which means God with us. He met the Israelites in their time of struggle, and he does the same for us. He is glad to be with us and treats our weaknesses tenderly. Psalm 139:1 gives us reason to rejoice in this promise. “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!”

    God cares for us tangibly

    God moved the people out of Egypt; he tangibly met their needs. We can lean on the many Scriptural promises that God cares for us and will meet our needs. Romans 8:31 is one example of many promises. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

    Immanuel

    I’m grateful to serve a God who takes the time to intimately know me. He could be a God who only rules perfectly from heaven, and yet he makes himself known to me through Christ and the Holy Spirit by knowing the number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:31), knowing me before I was created in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and being a God who is true to his Scripture promise in Exodus 3. He is a God who sees me, hears me, knows and understands me, is with me, and cares for me. Alleluia!

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    Six Ways to Respond to God’s Steadfast Love

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike can be rough, especially when you’re tired. The hills and farms all look the same, and it’s easy to get lulled to sleep by the endless pattern of signs: speed limit, exit, service plaza; speed limit, exit, service plaza.

    Many of us read Psalm 136 this way. Every verse contains the refrain “for his steadfast love endures forever.” Though you may exult in this truth in verse one, you weary of it by verse 13. Your eyes skip along to the “interesting parts,” neglecting the other half.

    But there’s gold in the repetition.

    Behold the Promise of God’s Love

    This psalm is a masterpiece, painting God’s work through history with the brushstrokes of his love.

    The psalmist begins by highlighting God’s goodness and his supreme position above other gods (Ps 136:1–3). The next six verses describe God’s work as creator; he made the heavens, spread out the earth, and created the sun, moon, and stars (Ps 136:4–9).

    Beginning in verse 10, the psalmist writes of the pivotal deliverance from Egypt. The psalm slows down, crediting God with each step along the way—the Passover, the Red Sea, and the defeat of Pharaoh (Ps 136:10–16).

    In their journey through the wilderness, God gave his people victory over nations who opposed them. In verses 17–22, the psalmist rehearses God’s military might and his provision of land. This stanza connects God’s promise-keeping love (see God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:7 and 17:8) to his commitment to fight for his people.

    The psalm closes with a summary: God remembered, rescued, and provides for his people (Ps 136:23–25), so we should thank him.

    Sing the Refrain of God’s Love

    Through all 26 verses, the refrain is the same: “for his steadfast love endures forever.” Behind God’s creative work, his saving work, his fighting work, his providing work—through all the high drama, God’s love is the explanation.

    And God’s love is not reserved for the mountain tops. His steadfast love is revealed in the valley of the wilderness years (Ps 136:16) and the mundanity of mealtimes (Ps 136:25).

    God’s steadfast love is behind and underneath everything he does. None of his characteristics or actions can be separated from his love. We can easily affirm this integration when considering the exodus or promised land, but it applies equally to God’s justice and wrath (see Ps 136:15, 17–20). From top to bottom, God is love.

    Grasp the Steadfastness of God’s Love

    If the biblical authors highlight and underline their writing by repetition, we should pay careful attention to this refrain. It appears in each and every verse—26 times in all.

    For his steadfast love endures forever.

    Notice the whopping three references to time in this refrain. God’s love is steadfast. His love endures. His love endures forever.

    It’s hard for finite humans to digest that word, forever. Everything we see, do, or know comes to an end. What is true for food and clothing we also witness in our emotions. We’d like to claim that our love (for a spouse, for a parent, for a child) is steadfast, but we know better. In anger or impatience, apathy or bitterness, we withhold our love from those most dear to us.

    How different God’s love is from ours! His love is steadfast, never diminishing in volume, never weakening in strength, never retreating, never tainted. Though we may feel alone or unloved, reality is different—his love endures forever.

    We struggle to digest this truth; we’re prone to dismiss or forget God’s love. In times of suffering, loss, or deep sadness, we often resist with our heart what we know with our mind. Like the psalmist, we need to repeat this truth as often as possible: God’s steadfast love endures forever.

    Personalize the Beauty of God’s Love

    Here are two ways to internalize God’s love.

    Put the psalm on repeat. Read Psalm 136 every morning and evening for a month. (Read every word, careful not to skip the repeated line!) Listen to it on your phone or tablet. Like the woodpecker, a persistent tapping in the same spot sometimes yields a breakthrough.

    Write your own version of this psalm. Take up a journal, recount God’s work in your life, and end each line or paragraph the same way: “For his steadfast love endures forever.”

    Consider the Cost of God’s Steadfast Love

    God’s love for his people reached a crescendo in the incarnation. He aimed to redeem his people, and he had to deal with their sin, once and for all. In his steadfast love, God sent his Son. For his love is a pursuing, costly love.

    God demonstrated his abiding, enduring love in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. When Jesus was “made sin for us” on the cross, the Father withdrew his protective love for a time. The Father’s love for his people was manifest in wrath toward sin, and the Son was crushed for our iniquities. Jesus knew the Father’s full fury; he experienced the absence of God’s love so we would know it forever.

    Give Thanks for God’s Steadfast Love

    Why does the steadfast love of God matter? How does it change us?

    One clear application comes out of this psalm: Give thanks. This is the only exhortation in the entire psalm, and it appears four times (Ps 136:1, 2, 3, 26). In fact, all of the descriptions of God, including the refrain about his love, are given as fuel for thanksgiving.

    So give thanks to God for who he is. He is the Creator, Savior, Conqueror, and Provider that Israel needed then and that we need now. Thank God for all the ways his steadfast love has rung out in history and in your life. Don’t hesitate to include the routine aspects of your day; from the miraculous Red Sea crossing to God’s provision of food, everything flows from his love.

    And as you give thanks to God, remind yourself and everyone around you about his love. It is steadfast, and it endures forever.

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    Now, We Laugh

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    The victory seemed sure. Against the odds death lashed this man to the wood, this wonder who spoke so much of life. Jesus had assaulted death’s kingdom at every turn, and now, with a final cry, he ran out of breath.

    His body found a tomb, and fear stationed a rock and guards. These bouncers would let no one in.

    They faced the wrong direction. They missed the show.

    ∞∞∞

    Who knows what sounds or sights burst inside. Perhaps it was ear-splitting, a blinding flash. Maybe it was quiet and small, a hiccup of life stirring the body.

    Jesus flung death aside and the boulder with it. The grave clothes lay discarded on the ground. The mighty guards passed out from fear, replaced by heavenly officers.

    As he walked out of the tomb, Jesus laughed at death. The righteous Son of God had finished his work. Now he pulsed and thrummed with life.

    ∞∞∞

    We follow our Savior between the times. We see the hatred and the grabbing of the old way, kicking and jerking toward and within us. We mourn and cry and resist.

    But we are not all mourning. We know the new way. We laugh at the good news—not because it’s funny, but because it’s so good. We are amazed and overcome and grateful, and we laugh the laugh of those who are free.

    We laugh that the good news would be spoken to us. We laugh that we would be loved and adopted. We laugh that we would be promised such a future.

    ∞∞∞

    Death will make its final, futile attempts. It will throw us in the ground, a stone on top.

    Who knows what sounds or sights will come. Jesus will fling death aside and the stone with it. The heavenly officers will take us further up and further in to the city coming down.

    As we join the throng, we will laugh at death. Where is your sting? Where is your victory?

    ∞∞∞

    Without the curse, without frustration and thorns, we will rejoice forever. In the presence of our Father, we will know as we have been fully known. In our joy, we will laugh.

    That joy is not just for Then. It is not just for Easter morning. It is for now and now and now, because the bond Jesus secured cannot be broken. We are grabbed and held by everlasting, full-to-the-brim love.

    We will laugh forever because we will be with God, safe. And we laugh now, because we need the practice.

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    Does God Just Tolerate Me?

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    I have some close friends at church who are grandparents. For them, the cliché is true—they are over the moon about their grandchildren!

    My friends would move mountains to spend time with their grandchildren. They soak up every moment of each visit and anticipate the next. They delight in their grandchildren.

    Something that delights us does more than make us momentarily happy. It stirs our hearts, and the ripples wash lightness through our bodies. You might delight in a favorite place, a dear friend, or a treasured book or movie.

    Have you ever pondered what delights God? The Bible provides a surprising answer.

    The Anointed One

    Our answer comes from the book of Isaiah. Aside from the Lord himself, the major characters in Isaiah are the Coming King, the Coming Servant, and the Coming Anointed One (the Messiah). We see pieces of Jesus’ mission in each of these prophetic figures.

    At the end of Isaiah 61, the Anointed One rejoices in the task set before him (Is 61:10). He is dressed in “garments of salvation” in the same way that a couple prepares themselves for their wedding. These clothes mark the Messiah for his momentous work.

    It’s no secret—the task of the Anointed One is salvation for God’s people (Is 61:1) and the glory of God’s name (Is 61:3). As surely as the earth brings forth plants, God guarantees that the Messiah’s mission will succeed (Is 61:11).

    Despite God’s promise, the Anointed One is not passive. He is determined, zealous, and vocal that the righteousness and glory of God’s people be displayed before all nations and kings (Is 62:1–2).

    God’s Delight

    The results of the work of the Anointed One are astonishing and life-changing:

    The nations shall see your righteousness,
    and all the kings your glory,
    and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
    You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
    You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
    but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
    and your land Married;
    for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
    For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your sons marry you,
    and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 61:2–5)

    God’s people will be a “crown of beauty” in his hand (Is 61:3). A king’s crown is the physical sign of his royal position and glory. Amazingly, God’s people are a sign of his kingship and evidence that he is glorious. It’s hard to believe when looking around (or in the mirror), but God says it will be so.

    Perhaps even more dramatic is the renaming in verses 2 and 4. The people shall go from “Forsaken” to “My Delight Is in Her,” and the land will go from “Desolate” to “Married.” Why the change? Is it because of all the good the people have done, all the yield the land has produced? Not hardly.

    God changes the people’s name for a simple, profound reason: love. “For the Lord delights in you” (Is 61:4). To highlight this in the brightest colors, Isaiah writes that God will rejoice over his people as a groom rejoices over his bride (Is 61:5).

    What was predicted long ago is our reality now. What a reality!

    I rarely imagine God rejoicing over me. I think he occasionally disapproves of me and that he mostly tolerates me. I can be persuaded that he loves me at times. But to delight in me? That seems too outlandish, too fantastic to believe. But it’s true!

    For Isaiah, the good news has never been just for Israel. God is eager for others to join his family; Israel must “prepare the way” and “build up the highway” (Is 61:10). The references to “the people” and “the peoples” (Is 61:10) show how God welcomes both Israelites and Gentiles to his holy city. They will all be called “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord” (Is 61:12).

    At the end of this chapter, God wraps all his people together, giving them the same name. In a nod back to verse 4, they will be called “A City Not Forsaken” (Is 61:12). The Lord delights in his people, and their new name reflects his abiding, promise-backed love.

    The Forsaken One

    It’s hard to read this passage without wondering about this dramatic change. Why will the people no longer be forsaken?

    Over many years and in many ways, Israel sinned against God. Though God turned away from them for a time, his covenant promise pulsed in the background of history. Through his Anointed One, God would fulfill this promise at the pinnacle of his justice and mercy.

    God delighted in his Son, but in his hour of greatest need, the Father turned away. Jesus felt this abandonment like a hot knife tearing into his soul. On the cross, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

    We deserve to be forsaken. But our name is “Forsaken” no longer because Jesus was forsaken for us. God delights in us because his Son—the one in whom he delighted the most—became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

    The Loved Ones

    What difference would it make if we absorbed these truths into our bones? How would our lives change if we were sure of God’s delight in us?

    Two applications come to mind.

    First, we’d be more willing to take gospel-driven risks. If the delight of our heavenly Father is secure, then the potential harm to our reputations or social networks won’t be scary. If God smiles, we can shrug off others’ frowns.

    We would also be more likely to trust God in uncertain times. God is not only sovereign and wise, he is good and loving. Even if we cannot connect the dots between our circumstances and God’s intentions, we can be sure there is a straight line from his heart to his providence in our lives.

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    What My Children Taught Me About Grace

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Daddy!

    As I take my keys out of my pocket, the piano stops and the stampede begins. My children rush to the back door and fling it wide before I can unlock it. I am enveloped in hugs, and my day is made.

    This is the scene at my house many times when I get home from work. It doesn’t always happen, and I don’t presume it will continue on indefinitely. (And it doesn’t happen only for me!) But, what a blessing it is! God has given my kids a love for me that I don’t deserve, and the occasional exuberance is wonderful.

    This end-of-day greeting isn’t just a blessing of fatherhood. It’s a picture of God’s grace.

    A Picture of Grace

    I’m far from a perfect father. I’m frequently impatient, too quick to anger, and sometimes just mean or clumsy with my children’s feelings. In an honest accounting, I don’t deserve the extravagant love my children show me.

    But my children give me what I don’t deserve. Instead of a cold shoulder, they embrace me. Instead of hesitating, they run. They let me know, unmistakably, that they are glad to see me.

    I feel immediate acceptance when I peer through our back window and see those small, smiling faces. I don’t need to bring anything, say anything, or do anything. In that moment, their love does not depend on what I have done for them or what I might do for them. The greeting I receive has no relation to my recent behavior toward them at all—on most days I haven’t seen them for almost eight hours.

    This sounds familiar, right? My children’s love is a small, imperfect pointer toward the grace of God. His constant, lavish, maximum love toward those who don’t deserve it—this is his grace and the heartbeat of the Christian life.

    A Biblical Truth

    Don’t just take my word for it. And don’t let a sentimental fact about my family convince you God is like this. This picture resonates with me because it is the description of divine love we see in the Bible.

    The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
    He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
    He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
    For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
    as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8–12, ESV)

    And God’s grace is fully and finally realized in the giving of his son for sinners.

    For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3–7, ESV)

    Embracing Grace

    Grace like this demands a response. Overflowing love, once offered, changes us in one way or another.

    Do you know the grace of God? You have never been loved like this, so it might seem unreal. And yet, it is certain. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can enter God’s house. We don’t need to sneak in a window, we don’t knock ashamed—God opens the door himself.

    He is glad to see you. He invites you to sit down with him and rest. And the music starts to play once again.

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