READING FOR DECEMBER 9, 2024: DEUTERONOMY 26, REVELATION 4, PSALM 119:153-160 DEUTERONOMY 26 Recently, we celebrated Thanksgiving, which in some respects reenacted a much earlier feast the Pilgrims held in 1621 once they became somewhat established in Plymouth. Israel’s offering of the first fruits also appears to be a special event to give thanks once they had become established in their new land. They were to bring the first of all the produce they harvested. This would be an act of faith because they would need to trust the Lord to provide food for the rest of the year. It also served to remind them of their history as God’s chosen people. In fact, Moses gave them a liturgical script to read that emphasized Jacob (an Aramean when he served Laban) as a solitary wanderer, their population explosion in Egypt, their time of oppressive slavery, God’s deliverance, and finally their current home in a land of milk and honey. Consider how God has blessed us as individuals, families, and our Yorktown Methodist church over the years. Most importantly, though, He has blessed us with the gift of salvation by His grace through our faith in Jesus. Let reflect on this with thanks.
In year three they devoted an offering “to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan, and to the widow.” Our church supports present-day equivalents to most of these groups. Our church’s Levites are the church staff; we support those not part of our church through REACH, Covenant Partners, and various missionaries; and our “orphans” could be considered the family we support who adopted five special-needs foster kids. There is a New Testament template in 1 Timothy 5:3-16 for supporting widows that our church might consider exploring. After the people fulfilled all their God-given obligations in offerings, then the text states they had the right to ask for God’s blessings. A question to ask is, how has Yorktown Methodist Church done in following precisely all the many directions God has provided to the church in the Bible? Can we say we along with Israel that we “have listened to the voice of the Lord my God; I have acted in accordance with everything that You have commanded me”?
REVELATION 4: Chapter 3 ends with Jesus standing at a closed door, but Revelation 4 begins with an open door that leads to one of the most fantastic scenes in the Bible. It is a scene of worship around the throne of God. (God’s throne is a prominent theme in Revelation that is mentioned over 30 times.) John gets a glimpse of this throne that is far beyond his comprehension. He attempts to describe what he has seen in terms that are familiar to him, so he uses words like: had the appearance of…, resembling…, what looked like…. He is in awe as he sees flashes of lightning coming from the throne and hears peals of thunder. Fire is blazing before the throne as well as a sea of glass said to be as clear as crystal. One thing is certain, one cannot stand before the awesomeness of this throne and not be moved.
READING FOR DECEMBER 9, 2024 CONTINUED: REVELATION 4, PSALM 119:153-160 Around the throne are four beings identified as “four living creatures.” They are not given names, and each has a different appearance. One looks like a lion, another like an ox, another like a man and the last like an eagle. Their constant cry (v8) teaches us at least three things about the one seated on the throne:
- Purity (Holy, Holy , Holy…)
- Power (…Lord God Almighty…you created all things)
- Presence (…who was and is and is to come.)
Surrounding the four living creatures are 24 other thrones upon which 24 elders are seated. Like the four living creatures, they are not named. Most scholars think they represent the apostle and leaders of the church. Their statement reveals (v11) at least two additional things about God.
- Worthy (You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power…)
- Sovereign (..by your will they were created and have their being.)
In light of this picture of the throne of God, consider the powerful truth of this verse:
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
When we bow our heads and cry out to God, we are transported to the very throne of God depicted in these verses. Revelation 8:3 specifically says that the prayers of the saints (which includes all who believe) are before the throne of God. When we pray, we are ushered into the very presence of the Pure and Powerful God who takes great pleasure in meeting our needs.
PSALM 119:153-160 This section is similar to the preceding one. Here the Psalmist asks several times to be rescued according to the promises that he has read from God’s word. This reveals several realities about the Psalmist: He has read God’s word; he remembers God’s word; and he believes it can be relied upon in times of crises. We experience spiritual failure and general life failure when we fall short in any one of these three areas. The fact, that we are studing the Bible is a good start. Now we just need to remember and apply it in every situation of our lives. Jesus puts it this way: “If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Conversely, the Psalmist states this about the wicked: They don’t seek to know God’s word. No matter how respectable and nice someone appears on the outside, if they aren’t seeking God’s word, the Psalmist appears to categorize them as wicked. In verse 159 the treacherous are defined as those who, even though they might know God’s word, don’t obey God’s word. Finally, the Psalmist admonishes us to not pick and choose from God’s word but study its fullest context: The sum of God’s word is truth. Each of His judgments are everlasting; they don’t become culturally irrelevant—as we sometimes wrongly assume.
