Leviticus 19:35-20:21; Mark 9:1-13; Psalms 43:1-4; Proverbs 14:3-4

NT: “After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transfigured in front of them, and his clothes became dazzling — extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — because he did not know what to say, since they were terrified. A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:2-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to a high mountain, and there at the top of that mountain, He was transfigured. He wasn’t just given white linen clothes to wear, He was metamorphosed into something completely different. He was changed completely into a glorified state. Then Moses (representing the law), and Elijah (representing the prophets) appeared with Him. They spoke with Him and encouraged Him in what He had to do to fulfill all the law and the prophets. The word talks about how we, as faithful followers and disciples of Jesus, get to share in the Lord’s glory.  As Jesus was transformed, so we are transformed when we come to faith in Him. We aren’t just given clean garments to wear, we are transformed into something completely new and completely unsullied… cleaner than we could ever hope to make ourselves. In the midst of all that, Peter didn’t know what to say, so he suggested that they build three tabernacles and just hang out there and bask in… soak in the wonder of the Lord’s glory and wonder. In response to that, God the Father thundered from heaven, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!” Hear His words and do them… don’t sit around here on the mountain… listen to My Son and do what He says. It can be so tempting to want to soak in the glory of the Lord… to forget about the outside world and just enjoy God’s wonderful presence. But God doesn’t display His glory for us to soak in it. God displays His glory and glorifies us that we may radiate His glory to the outside world as we hear the words of His Son and obey them. And as we obey the Son and faithfully follow Him, His glorious presence is in us and with us always.

Psalms: “Send your light and your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise you with the lyre, God, my God.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭43:3-4‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Many scholars believe that Psalm 43 is a part of and a continuation of Psalm 42. So the psalm that starts out with ”as a deer longs for water, so my soul longs for You,” continues with, “Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to your mountain of glorious presence.” The way to the mountain of transfiguration is to desperately desire the Lord and allow His truth to lead us to Him. And following the way of the Lord will lead to the altar… it will lead to the place of sacrifice, where we place our lives on the altar as a living sacrifice. And there at the altar, we will find our greatest joy and be transformed from glory, to glory, to glory.

Leviticus 19:1-34; Mark 8:27-38; Psalms 42:9-11; Proverbs 14:1-2

NT: “Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.” Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? What can anyone give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:31-38‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When Jesus began to reveal that he was to be rejected and killed, especially after they had come to the revelation that He was the Messiah, they were confused and concerned. Peter, speaking for all the disciples, took Jesus aside and sharply expressed his disapproval for what Jesus was saying. Peter’s intentions were not evil, and were probably born out of his love for Jesus, but also concern for his own life as well. Loving Jesus doesn’t mean that you are His disciple. Disciples follow their master wherever they go. If you love Jesus, but disagree with His ways, you are not His disciple, but become a roadblock to Him instead. When you are more concerned with self-preservation and self desires, you put yourself in league with the enemy and opposed to God. Jesus called the crowd that was following Him and explained to the disciples and to the crowd the price that was required to truly follow Him and be His disciple. They had to 1) deny themselves, 2) identify with His suffering and death, and 3) obediently follow Him where ever He leads. Denying self isn’t the same as self-denial. Self-denial is a temporary laying down of something you enjoy in order to receive something you value. Anyone can practice self-denial. Denying self involves giving up your rights to do what you want and surrendering your life to do what Jesus wants. If you follow the path of self-preservation, that is the path that the enemy has for you, and it will ultimately lead to death. If instead, you surrender your life to Christ, daily die to your desires and ambitions, and follow Jesus completely, you will find life here and for eternity. It is a costly price that many are not willing to pay – but it is well worth it.

Leviticus 18:1-30; Mark 8:11-26; Psalms 42:1-8; Proverbs 13:24-25

OT: “The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the Lord your God. Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. You are to practice my ordinances and you are to keep my statutes by following them; I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes and ordinances; a person will live if he does them. I am the Lord.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭18:1-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

See the heart of Father God in this passage. He had rescued the fledgling nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and was in the process of leading them into the land that He had set aside for them. He didn’t want them to identify with their past, nor did He want them to identify with the Godless people in the land where they were going. He wanted them to have their own identity as people of God. He wanted them to be set apart and holy, just as God is holy. He wanted them to be His representatives in the earth – His people – His family. He wanted them to be blessed with His life, so that they could be a blessing to the rest of the world and lead the rest of the world away from the grips of evil into His loving hands. In order for them to be holy, they must abstain from the unholy practices of the Egypt where they were rescued from and the Canaan where they were going. To be clear, God then listed out the specific practices that He was talking about. In that list is incest, inter-familial sex, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality. Those weren’t uncommon practices. If anything, they were very common. There were probably Israelites involved in those practices – but they were not practices that were birthed from the heart of God. They were practices that came from mankind’s drive to satiate their desires, and the evil one’s desire to distance man from God. One thing to note is this: God didn’t require the Israelites to jettison those practices first as a condition of rescue. No – He rescued them and made them His people first. Then, after they were His, He let them know what continued life in His family would require. Lists like this tend to make people angry, especially if the lists name something they enjoy or are driven to. But lists like this aren’t there to condemn as much as they are there to lead people to life.

NT: “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side. The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:11-15‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Leaven is often symbolic of evil or false teaching. Jesus strictly warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. The Pharisees were hypocritical. They were all about saying and not doing. They judged others and gave themselves a pass. They belittled and oppressed people in order to maintain their lofty status. Herod was all about embracing carnality and accepting Rome’s way of life and culture. It was the “when in Rome do as the Romans do” philosophy. Neither of those ways of life were from the heart of the Father and could not be allowed to infest those who followed Jesus. They are attitude that we must guard against everyday. They are attitudes that the Holy Spirit will point out in us, just as Jesus pointed them out to His disciples, in order to clean us and keep us Holy. We just have to remain humble and submitted to the Holy Spirit and not get angry, offended, or defensive when He brings them to light.

Psalms: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night — a prayer to the God of my life.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:1-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah. Korah is known infamously for leading a rebellion against Moses and being swallowed up by the earth to his death. These sons (or descendants) of Korah don’t identify with their father, but instead identify with the redemption they received from God. Korahites became doorkeepers to the temple, and some even became talented musicians that led Israel in worship. This psalm is written as one or some of the sons of Korah were feeling distant from God. These talented worship leaders who had led processions to the temple were now feeling distant from the God they loved. Instead of denying their feelings and outwardly faking it, they were honest with their feelings before God. Feelings are real and are signals of something that is going on. They shouldn’t be denied. But feelings don’t always tell the truth. Instead of trusting our feelings, we honestly bring our feelings to God and ask God, “why am I having these feelings? What do You say in response to these feelings?” Then God, by His Holy Spirit can give us His right perspective and can lead us from our feelings into life. The same goes for fleshy desires or penchants toward sinful practices – instead of ignoring them and trying to suppress them in our own strength and sweep them under the rug, we honestly bring them before God and ask Him about them. And He, as he hears the deep longings of our heart, will answer from the immeasurable depths of His love and mercy, and wash over us with wave after wave of grace. That is how we, as children of God walk in the newness of God’s life and remain holy as He is holy.

Leviticus 16:29-17:16; Mark 7:24-8:10; Psalms 41:4-13; Proverbs 13:20-23

NT: “Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!” ). Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it. They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:31-37‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In this section of this Gospel account, Mark records three miracles that Jesus performed for the gentiles in a gentile region of Palestine: Casting a demon out of a Sidonian woman’s daughter, healing a deaf and mute man in Decapolis, and feeding 4,000 just outside of Decapolis. This is the account of the deaf man and is only recorded in Mark’s gospel. An interesting thing to  consider with this story is that the deaf man would not have heard Jesus’ sigh and command of “Ephphatha!” Jesus’ command wasn’t for the deaf man’s sake but a command to the man’s body and any spiritual thing that was causing the man’s deafness. Just as Jesus can speak to the wind and waves to be silent, He can also speak directly to the bodily organs involved in healing and tell them to be opened. After that miracle, Jesus’ reputation in the gentile community grew, and it was said of Him in the gentile community that He did everything well. The Greek word for ‘well’ is a pretty loaded word. It means beautifully, excellently, rightly, honorably, and commendably. The Jewish community didn’t think that highly of Jesus. That begs the question, what do people that don’t hold the same beliefs as us say about us? What do atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and the like say about us? Do they say that in all things we do things rightly, respectfully, honorably, with excellence? People will always disagree with us… and at some times vehemently – but they should never be able to say that we are not respectful and excellent in all that we do. God can grace us with the grace that Jesus had to walk life in that way and glorify God even to people who don’t hold our beliefs.

Psalms: “My enemies speak maliciously about me: “When will he die and be forgotten?” …All who hate me whisper together about me; they plan to harm me… Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me. But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them. By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. You supported me because of my integrity and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭41:5, 7, 9-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

King David was betrayed more that once. Based on his honest writings in the Psalms, we can see that despite what people did to him, he wanted to make sure he was right with God… that he behaved well, despite what was being done to him. He knew that if he maintained his integrity, God would support him, even if everyone else around him didn’t. He placed justice in God’s hands and trusted that in the end, his Lord would make everything right.

Leviticus 16:1-28; Mark 7:9-23; Psalms 41:1-3; Proverbs 13:17-19

OT: “The Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place behind the curtain in front of the mercy seat on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. “Aaron is to enter the most holy place in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to wear a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body. He is to tie a linen sash around him and wrap his head with a linen turban. These are holy garments; he must bathe his body with water before he wears them. He is to take from the Israelite community two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭16:2-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Aaron the High Priest (and any High Priest that followed after) could not go into the presence of the Lord beyond the veil whenever he wanted. The room on the other side of the veil, where the mercy seat resided, was called the Holy of Holies. It was a holy place free from sin. Anyone defiled who entered would not be able to survive. Once a year, the High Priest would have to fully cleanse himself externally, and then sacrifice a bull to make atonement for (cover) his own sins before he could enter and make atonement for the sins of Israel. Part of the practice involved confessing the sins that were within and placing them on a scapegoat that was then banished to the wilderness. This was not a cure for sin. It was a temporary fix that had to be repeated year, after year, after year, after year.

NT: “Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean ). And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:14-23‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus taught the crowd (and His disciples in more detail) that sin isn’t something you ingest. Sin is resident inside our hearts. It is not something we catch, it is something we are born with. No amount of external washing, avoidance, or behavior modification can deal with what is in our hearts. The list of defilements that Jesus gave are resident in every human heart. No amount of good works and righteous behavior can wash that stain. Just like Aaron’s holy garments were only a temporary covering, our attempts at modifying our behavior to appear clean is only a temporary ruse. The only way that we be rid of the sin that defiles from within is to receive a new heart… to die to sin and be born again as new creations through faith in Christ – and instead of putting on linen garments, we put on Christ as we abide in Him. Then, unlike Aaron of old, we are made holy in Christ and can boldly approach the presence of God whenever we need to find whatever we need.

Leviticus 15:1-33; Mark 7:1-8; Psalms 40:14-17; Proverbs 13:15-16

NT: “The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him. They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean — that is, unwashed — hands. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean hands?” He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands. Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:1-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Pharisees had a tradition of ceremoniously washing their hands before eating bread, and ceremoniously washing  what they ate with and ate on. We all know that washing hands and utensils isn’t wrong, and is actually encouraged. That was not the issue. What began as a well-intentioned practice morphed over the years into a burdensome requirement that eclipsed the actual law. The Pharisees were no longer judging righteously by the law, but were judging people’s righteousness or unrighteousness by whether they washed their hands or not. This wasn’t just a conversation about washing hands. This was a conversation about what true defilement was. The tradition of washing hands become a means of denigrating non-Jews, of ostracizing those who weren’t “clean.” The Pharisees were all about keeping appearances and believed as long as they kept themselves outwardly clean, they were free from defilement. Jesus, in response to their accusations, quoted Isaiah 29:13 and taught that true defilement comes from within, not by touching something that is dirty. True defilement comes when your heart is far away from the Lord. No matter how righteous you look or how righteous your words are, if your heart is far from the Lord, you are defiled. The Pharisees had allowed their tradition to prevent them from fully obeying the word, will, and ways of the Lord; and drive a wedge between their heart and the heart of God. Are there traditions or practices that I do that prevent me from representing Christ to those around me… that prevent me from fully sharing the Gospel with those who need to hear it… that keep me “clean” and removed from the outside world? Were those practices and boundaries given by God, or did I impose them on myself? Do I think people are unclean if they don’t follow my practices and traditions?

Leviticus 14:33-57; Mark 6:45-56; Psalms 40:11-13; Proverbs 13:12-14

NT: “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:45-52‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The disciples had just gone through a few days of powerful and incredible ministry. Jesus had sent them out in His power and authority; and in His name, they had healed the sick and cast out demons. Then they got to take part in Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand. They were definitely on a “ministry high.” So Jesus sent them on ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The first time He wanted them to go to the other side, He was with them in the boat as they encountered a dangerous storm. This time, He stayed behind to pray – and they were alone when they encountered strong winds that were against them. All night long they struggled against the winds to no affect. They got nowhere. Early the next morning, as they were still struggling to make progress, Jesus came casually walking on the water and would have passed them by, had they not cried out. As soon as Jesus got into the boat with them, the winds stopped and they immediately reached their destination. What a difference Jesus makes! I wonder, if at any time as they were struggling against the wind, if the disciples ever cried out to the Lord for help – or were they determined to get through the resistance in their own strength. It is inevitable – resistance always comes after impactful ministry. The enemy always tries to erase any forward momentum you gained in serving the Lord. What do we do in those times? I think the disciples learned that it is pointless to try and push through the resistance on your own. You need Jesus. When they needed Him, He was there. He is always present for us. We just need to remember to cry out to Him instead of muscling through adversity and getting nowhere.

Psalms: “Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me. Your constant love and truth will always guard me. For troubles without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me; I am unable to see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my courage leaves me. Lord, be pleased to rescue me; hurry to help me, Lord.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:11-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

King David was never without resistance and adversity. He learned where his help came from. His help came from the Lord. He knew that in his own strength, he would be completely overwhelmed, but with the Lord’s help, he would be rescued.

Proverbs: “Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:12-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Hope delayed does make the heart sick. It can become discouraging the longer we wait for a promise to arrive. Yet, we also have faith in God’s word that fuels our hope. If we honor the Lord’s commands, we will be rewarded… promise will be fulfilled. As hope is delayed and the winds of resistance start picking up, we who are in Christ, have the Holy Spirit within us. The same Holy Spirit that was in Christ encourages us, comforts us, strengthens us, reminds us, teaches us, and helps us. Through the present Holy Spirit, we are able to remain faithful to God’s commands and not be blown into contempt for His words. Through the present Holy Spirit, we are able to withstand the winds of resistance and arrive at the other side and see promise fulfilled.

Leviticus 14:1-32; Mark 6:30-44; Psalms 40:4-10; Proverbs 13:11

NT: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:30-34‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The 12 disciples/apostles had just returned from being sent out by Jesus to minister. They had given of themselves and needed to rest and recover. When we follow Jesus, He will ask great things of us, but He will not run us ragged or burn us out. If we get burned out in ministry, it is most likely because we have not followed Him into rest. There have been numerous times when I had a full and demanding schedule ahead of me, and Jesus cleared out my schedule and gave me time to rest. But it is on me to take the rest, and not fill up my time with other things (which is often my temptation). Unfortunately, the crowds were not considerate of Jesus and His disciples. They gave no margin, and even rushed ahead to Jesus’ place of respite to hopefully have an encounter with Him when He came ashore. Instead of getting frustrated and impatient (which is what I would do in that situation), Jesus saw them and had compassion on them. Why? Because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Sheep are not the brightest animals in the world.  They are prone to wander and are almost completely defenseless. There have even been accounts of entire flocks of sheep following themselves over a cliff to their death. Left without a shepherd, sheep can not and will not last very long. They are lost and without hope. That is how Jesus saw the large crowd of people: lost, hopeless, blindly wandering around with no sense of direction, easy prey for the enemy. So, for the moment, He sacrificially set aside His time of rest to serve and teach the crowd. What ensued afterward was the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. Firstly, I am thankful that my Lord is a compassionate Lord and He does not allow Himself to feel impatient or inconvenienced when I need Him. Secondly, I am thankful that I am not without a shepherd. I don’t have to blindly find my way through this world, for I have a Good Shepherd that leads me.

Psalms: “How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies! Lord my God, you have done many things — your wondrous works and your plans for us; none can compare with you. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; you open my ears to listen. You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering. Then I said, “See, I have come; in the scroll it is written about me. I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me.”” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:4-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

How happy! How blessed! That is the state of the person that places His trust in the Lord and follows Him, instead of following blind “leaders” that could easily lead them off a cliff. When we follow our Good Shepherd, He leads us in His wonderful plans for our lives and endlessly does wonderful things to protect and provide for us. Our Lord and Shepherd isn’t ultimately looking for us to bring sacrifices to the altar. He is ultimately looking for us to follow His instructions and chaphets (desire, delight in, pursue) His will. If we do that, how happy we will be.

Leviticus 13:24-59; Mark 6:16-29; Psalms 40:1-3; Proverbs 13:9-10

Psalms: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:1-3‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Waiting patiently can be a hard thing to do. I’ve written this before – but waiting is not passively sitting around doing nothing. Waiting, in the Biblical sense, has hope and expectation attached to it. It is being in a state of readiness. You have all your stuff together and you are ready to go as soon as the master says, “It’s time.” My dog has waiting down. When it is time for her breakfast, she waits for me. She knows that I am going to feed her. If I’m in my office working, she will make her presence known and then lay down and wait. Even though she is laying down, she is ready… and as soon as she senses that I am done with what I am doing, she leaps to her feet, ready to go. David was in a deep, dark, mucky place and he cried out to the Lord… and then he waited. He didn’t try and make things happen for himself – he waited… knowing that the Lord would help him… knowing that at any time, the Lord would come to his aid. He was ready, full of hope, and full of expectation. Do we know how to wait like that? Confident that the Lord will respond, no matter how long it takes… Confident in the Lord to the point that we don’t start trying to rescue ourselves and end up getting into a deeper funk. As David expected, the Lord did respond. The Lord lifted him out of the muck and mess, and set him up high on a solid rocky pedestal – far away from the mess, and exalted for all to see. Then the Lord put a new song of praise for God in his mouth. God’s deliverance was so amazing, so good, so thorough that David couldn’t help but sing… not an old song written of God’s faithfulness in the past, but inspired by what had just happened in the present, by I AM, the ever-present, always working, ever-faithful, ever-living God. David said that many will see what God did for him, many will hear his song, and many will put their trust in the Lord in the same way he did. Is our faith story about things in the past when we once trusted in the Lord, or is our faith story alive and living with examples of God working in our lives now, as we place our trust and expectation in Him and wait patiently? Lord, may my life ever be a new song of praise continuously written as You continuously make Yourself known in me and through me as I wait patiently on you.

Proverbs: “The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is put out. Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:9-10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The light of the righteous is the light of life that bursts forth from them, evidencing the work of blessing that God is doing in them. A lamp is often times symbolic of succession or descendants. The wicked, because they have no life from God, will have nothing of value to pass down to their descendants. They may have things, but they won’t have life and blessing to give. Wisdom is gained by humbling yourself and asking advice of the Lord and of those who hear the Lord in their own lives. It doesn’t matter how much you know, you will never know everything. And wisdom, which is the skill to properly apply your knowledge, comes from taking advice – not arrogantly going on your own.

Leviticus 13:1-23; Mark 6:1-15; Psalms 39:6-13; Proverbs 13:7-8

NT: “He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:1-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

There is an old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” That is what happened to Jesus. Those whom He had grown up around, those who knew Him in His formative years where He had not yet come of age and was subject to His parents, could not see beyond the boy they knew Him as to see Him for who He truly was. There was so little faith in Him there, that His ability to minister was severely hindered. That can still be a challenge for many today. I would be considered someone who “grew up born again.” Since I was a new-born infant, my life has been spent around the church and hearing about Jesus. My father was a pastor, so as early as I can remember, I have seen the good and the bad of church life. I have seen God do wonderful and miraculous things, but I have also seen the ugly, petty, and downright evil things that “believers” can do when they are walking in the flesh, or may not even be saved at all. It would be very easy for my familiarity with the church and with people claiming to be believers, that I would have a contempt for all things Christian. Thankfully, the Lord has given me the grace to see beyond the carnal and see Jesus and His church for who they truly are. We can also allow familiarity to hinder us in trusting other people and seeing them released in their God-given calling. It would be very easy to hinder a young man or young woman from reaching their potential in the Lord because all we see them as is the immature child that used to get in trouble all the time. I have been in the same church family for 26 years now. Kids that I took care of in the church nursery are now leading impactful ministries in the church and around our city. Do I allow my familiarity with them keep me from honoring and respecting what God is doing in them now? Or do I see them as the gifted and anointed men and women of God that they truly are? Don’t let familiarity breed lack of faith. Don’t limit yourself to knowing someone merely in the flesh. Allow the Lord to open your eyes to see people, beyond just flesh and bone, for who they really are – for who His church really is – and for who He really is.

Proverbs: “One person pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth. Riches are a ransom for a person’s life, but a poor person hears no threat.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:7-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The word “pretends” here can also be translated as “becomes” or “makes oneself.” Someone can focus on becoming wealthy, but in the end have nothing of value. Another person can choose to not make themselves wealthy and will end up with an abundance of things that truly matter. Someone who has made the accumulation of wealth the sum total of their lives will always live under the threat of losing what they have earned – they will always be subject to their things and can easily be manipulated by their fear of loss. On the other hand, those who count all things as loss for the riches of knowing Christ – those people will not be in bondage to their things and are free to follow Jesus wherever He would lead. Having material wealth is not wrong. Allowing materials to have you places you in bondage and hinders you from walking fully with the Lord.