Chapter 49: At the Feast of Tabernacles

“The priest had that morning performed the ceremony which commemorated the smiting of the rock in the wilderness. That rock was a symbol of Him who by His death would cause living streams of salvation to flow to all who are athirst. Christ’s words were the water of life. There in the presence of the assembled multitude He set Himself apart to be smitten, that the water of life might flow to the world.” DA483

This chapter is different in that it is less of a narrative with commentary and more descriptive. This paragraph of commentary stood out to me because of its link to the story of Moses and the description of what the symbols mean.

Water from the rock happened twice (or is the same event recorded twice).  The first incident is in the Valley of Sin and God told Moses to strike the rock with his rod. Moses did, so no sin there. The second time, this time in the Valley of Zin, God told Moses to “take the staff… speak to the rock… and you will bring water out from the rock.” (Num. 20:6-8).

It has struck me before that jounalistic linear exactitude isn’t the usual intent for the writers of the Bible. I have many questions about why God’s first instruction was to take the staff if He expected Moses to speak to the rock. I also wonder why God said “you will bring water out from the rock” if He was expecting Moses to credit Him with the miracle. Maybe there is more to the story than is written.

Back to the symbols Ellen White employs. I love them. The rock that was struck represents Jesus and the water represents his life giving words (The Word of life according to John).  Recall, however, that Moses was intended only to speak to the rock rather than strike it twice. What would this have symbolized if it has gone as God had planned? My perspective is that it was not God’s first plan for Christ to die on the cross but on the alter in the temple. This flows from my belief that God intended Israel to be chosen and faithful and to finally receive Jesus as the Messiah when He came to earth. I don’t know how this would have played out. Christ would have still died for our sins, but maybe it was not His original intent to be smitten dead by Satan through his chosen people. Maybe it would have been by the word of God through the high priest on the alter where lambs had been offered for hundreds of years.

I know this is a reach that builds from many of the conditional promises of the prophets that seem to point to a very different end to Israel’s calling as chosen people. It builds from the premise that they were not chosen for the purpose of rejection of Christ, but for acceptance of Him as the Messiah. But they did not accept Christ. Moses did strike the rock. Satan struck down Jesus through His chosen people. And we are blessed today with living water gushing forth in the Word of Christ because of it. Will you bring your thirst to this Rock and this Word?

Chapter 48: Who Is the Greatest?

I’ve been away from blogging for a while. Something about marriage, moving 3000 miles, and settling into a new teaching job. There’s another reason. I’ve read this chapter about 6 times and am having a hard time getting past it. Sometimes I think my emotions are parsed out in a way that finding a spare emotion to support writing is difficult. It’s difficult to stop then start–it’s life after all.

“Lucifer had said, ‘I will be like the Most High’. … Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifestd in unselfish ministry. Lucifer desired God’s power, but not His character.” DA467

Look around your heart for this little catch. We may all have a peice of this same crooked desire somewhere inside; and it is what keeps us from bending to every breeze of God’s Spirit. Satan knows how effective it is for destruction since it caused him to lose heaven.

Basically, in some way we only want part of God. We want Sunday morning’s resurection without Thursday evening’s blood sweat and loneliness. We want to be forgiven and still gossip. We want blessings to match our human wish list. We want to put God first when it’s convenient to put God first and as long as it makes us feel good. Do we really just want to feel good? Maybe I didn’t blog the DA because I just wanted to sit in front of the internet on auto pilot these last months.  We bring emotional addiction into spirituality because every fallen nature (Satan’s and mine) want’s more to feel like God without being like God.

I thank God that a fundamental differece remains between the fallen nature of Lucifer and my own nature on this point. Satan will never accept the gift of God. Jesus gives Himself, His character, to His children through the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t offer part of Himself–His power and the miracles–without humilty, faithfullness, perserverance in suffering, sacrifice, and dependence on the Father. In the righteousness of Christ we recieve all of the life of Christ even though we may feel at times like we are about to sweat blood.

“It was not enough for the disciples of Jesus to be instructed as to the nature of His kingdom. What they needed was a change of heart that would bring them into harmony with it’s principles.” DA468

Chapter 47: Ministry

“It is faith that connects us with heaven, and brings us strength for coping with the power of darkness. In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong. But many feel that they lack faith, and therefore they remain away from Christ. Let those souls, in their helpless unworthiness, cast themselves upon the mercy of their compassionate Saviour. Look not to self, but to Christ. He who healed the sick and cast out demons when He walked among men is the same mighty Redeemer today. Faith comes by the word of God. Then grasp His promise, ‘The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.’ John 6:37. Cast yourself at His feet with the cry, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ You can never perish while you do this–never.” DA458

I am hesitant to try and comment because this passage is so complete and beautiful already, so instead of trying to add to it I’ll make 3 belief statements in response.

1. I believe that God’s plan of redemption includes saving us from sinful traits in our life now. In other words, Jesus did not die on the cross so that we should have to continue living in sin. Ellen White affirms that this can only be a reality in Christ through faith. Again, being saved from sin now is a function of being in Christ and is through faith, not grit. This understanding must come first and never be replaced to make any real headway towards living in a righteousness that is not our own. I believe that many Christians try very hard to live correctly, but are trapped by sinful character traits that only conversion can handle. Such efforts may keep one from seeing the kingdom of heaven and delay their rebirth. I pray for continued conversion in my own life that I may function in Christ through faith.

2. I believe that faith is biblically wedded to the Word of God, a connection that is described clearly page by page in scripture. It is why John starts out his Gospel with a major teaching on the Word that was with God and has become flesh. The same teaching begins Genesis, I John, Hebrews, and Revelation. The concept surfaces repetitively in the Psalms and the books of the prophets. Understanding the Word-faith connection has been pivotal to my spiritual growth and the growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church starting in 1888. This truth leads to a powerful understanding of righteousness which is key to the plan of redemption both for the individual and for the bride of Christ. I believe that this is the message that will spread to the world in preparation of the second coming of Christ.

3. I believe that there is a poorness of spirit, a brokenness, that is perfectly matched to the saving power of Christ. It is  a weakness unlike others because it draws our focus beyond ourselves to God’s strength, and to this poor spirit His Spirit speaks. It is the lesson of every trial. We truly are blessed to be poor in spirit and by be promised the kingdom of heaven. This is the spirit which Ellen White is so sure will never perish. What a glorious reality.

Chapter 46: He Was Transfigured

I usually try to stick with the main event, but a quote early in the chapter was curious. They are on their way up to the mountain after a long and discouraging day.

The disciples do not venture to ask Christ whither He is going, or for what purpose.” DA449

Ellen White expresses the same observation early in chapter 47.

How slow of comprehension even the three favored disciples were, is seen in the fact that notwithstanding all that Christ had said of what was before Him, they queried among themselves what the rising from the dead should mean. Yet they asked no explanation from Jesus.” DA455

Questions bubble to the surface. Should we venture to ask Christ where he is leading or his purpose? Might this betray simply faith? It’s easy to assume a false entitlement that we should know God’s plans because we are trying to do His work. At times our spiritual pride is the the only thing between us and the answers we seek, but maybe all we need to concentrate on is the work of believing in Jesus, not the details of where he is going. Jesus hints that we do not have because we do not ask, and he command us many times to ask even as much as “anything” in His name and He will do it. Blandly my own prayers have been so general at times that God could be exempt from any action on His part other than existing in time and space. We must ask because “please be with all the missionaries” prayers do not lead to the mountain top and conversations with Moses and Elijah.

I have often said that it’s not His custom to tell us His plans ahead of time. But then I remember He did tell Abram about Sodom, and the disciples were told quite bluntly of the mission leading to the cross. Prophecy is sprinkled through out scripture in such a way to reveal His plans to those who are really looking and asking. He may not detail his route into the future in the way we expect, but by not asking we reveal our “discipleness”–the same slowness to comprehend that seems to run naturally in human veins.

Chapter 45: The Foreshadowing of the Cross

“From time to time precious rays of light from Jesus shone upon them, yet often they were like men groping among shadows.” DA439

This reminds me of Keith Green’s Song, “Asleep in the Light.” He says, The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can’t fight, ’cause it’s asleep in the light.” 

It’s too easy to wag my finger in condescending disappointment at how others are so dim to the light shining from Jesus. But there is enough of that going on already. I’m going to propose another view–this experience of receiving precious rays of light while acting like men groping in the shadows is normal. There are specific reasons why they are groping–but these only point to a dysfunction of nature that we can’t do anything about. It’s a nature that is cursed,  and I don’t wish anyone to remain in darkness, but it’s normal that many Christians are in darkness. Does it make them lost? Were the disciples lost? They gave up all to follow Jesus. These first Christians were often as men groping in the darkness, why should the system be different for us? Certainly understanding the 2300 day prophecy, the seventh-day Sabbath, and that the dead sleep until Jesus comes doesn’t change our faulty nature.

“Never can humanity of itself attain to a knowledge of the divine. … Only the spirit of adoption can reveal to us the deep things of God.” DA439

Carefully consider these thoughts. Never… Only… these superlatives show there is only one way out of normal human spiritual darkness. Do you believe in miracles? A change in nature is the only way out. Thanks to Jesus who revealed to Nicodemus that we can’t even see the kingdom of heaven unless we are born again. Born from the darkness of a preoccupation with self. Born to be a spiritual man, not our own; raised from the dead in Christ.

“Love for souls for whom Christ died means crucifixion of self. … Selfishness is death.” DA445

That last statement keep coming home to my mind. How often my prayers focus only on myself! How often my time and money is spent to satisfy myself! I know this is normal, but God didn’t call us out of our normal human darkness to bumble around in the light. The disciples found it eventually, not of their own knowledge, but by the power of adoption, miraculous change, and a completely different focus that only God can create. I will pray for this continued change.

Chapter 44: The True Sign

“What they (the pharisees) needed was not intellectual enlightenment, but spiritual renovation.” DA430

How focused have we been on intellectual knowledge to get us somewhere spiritually? Some may call this knowledge “present truth.” While clearly no amount of knowledge can guarantee conversion, it seems that knowledge can tip the scales toward or away from conversion. Not all knowledge is equally valuable, and there are many very religious people promoting their superior variety of intellectual enlightenment. Just recently I encountered a man who was very excited about the 144,000 whom God needs to reach perfection in order to vindicate His saving work.  This teaching presumes that conversion hinges on attainment of a few to guarantee that perfection may be had by all who believe come resurrection day. I assert that conversion hinges on the attainment of One. This idea of the righteousness by faith is knowledge also, and it started an avalanche of conversion in my life. Maybe the greatest of all miracles–a converted life–come in stages. I’ve felt a tremor of the change God has in mind and it shakes me still today.

“The highest evidence that He (Jesus) came from God is that His life revealed the character of God. Such a life is the greatest of all miracles.” DA431

Regardless of the details of how conversion works and the role knowledge plays, I can say with surity that miraculous conversion is possible and available now through Christ. I am against all knowledge (religious teaching) leading away from such a miracle as a changed person.

Chapter 43: Barriers Broken Down

“Beneath the apparent refusal of Jesus, she saw a compassion that He could not hide.” DA423

This quote tells of the Canaanite woman who begged for crumbs of mercy. I feel apparent refusals from God at times when I pray earnestly for solutions to runaway problems. I may not even know in what direction to search for answers, but I finally look up. Can I see compassion even after apparent refusals from God? The problem which made me feel powerless continues to defy human reason and energy and our only qualification to continued the request is our need against the backdrop of His mercy. Do we then see compassion?

Jesus told Nicodemus “Unless you are born again, you can’t even see the kingdom of heaven.” What this woman saw was a character trait of Jesus that even the disciples missed. Was it because Jesus was saying what they wanted him to say, and because they were feeling like rebuking her too, that his compassion was hidden from them? They would see his compassion later. After being reborn, they too remembered this apparent rebuke and saw the kingdom of heaven unveiled.

I’ll try to remember this for next time problems overwhelm me. It seems as though the greater then need is realized, the better I may see compassion.

Chapter 42: Tradition

Well, it’s been a while. Like most things I do, this too is less scheduled then I had planned. That’s what life is like inside myself I suppose, but I my heart gets back around even if my attention flags. I’ve read quite far ahead and have to catch up. Thanks for reading anyhow.

This chapter title makes me think of Fiddler on the Roof–only this one is real. What strikes me is the tendency to exult our own ideas. I was doing just that in my head today in Sabbath School–wishing I could say just the right words so that everyone could see things as clearly as I do. Modern day pharisee in me?

“As before, the ground of complaint was His disregard of the traditional precepts that encumbered the law of God. These were professedly designed to guard the observance of the law, but they were regarded as more sacred then the law itself. When they came in collision with the commandments given from Sinai, preference was given to the rabbinical precepts.” DA415

First of all, it can’t be done. No behavioral hedge is thick enough to guard any person who’s natural design is to break the law.

“Jesus explained that defilement comes not from without, but from within. Purity and impurity pertain to the soul. It is the evil deed, the evil word, the evil thought, the transgression of the law of God, not he neglect of external, man-made ceremonies, that defile a man.” DA418

The solution is extreme–the natural design must be destroyed in man through death. It’s the only way, and the direction I must follow. It’s a scary plan, one that we didn’t learn well in Sabbath School and boarding academy. But it’s easier to put in place man’s systems of control.

What can we do until we get it? I wouldn’t be comfortable giving up my attempt to lawful outward behavior on days my natural self insists on living, and I haven’t yet been converted to the point that self never kicks and screams (like today in Sabbath School), but I won’t give up the search for further change. This inner reality is out there. Have you found it? It is not something tradition can work for you.

Chapter 41: The Crisis in Galilee

If we hear about a thing, me might understand it. If we see that others have realized a thing, we might see it more vividly. If we experience a thing in passing we may be a witness to it. If we live through crisis within this thing called spirituality, it might become as real as flesh.

Spirituality is a mystery. How does a Word become flesh? How does blood cleanse from sin and the body give life? This mystery had soured many. What have we to do to understand spirituality, not as knowledge, but as experience?

“Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave,–not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life.It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of eternal life.” DA406

The significance here seems to be in the physical reality of being one in spirit with Jesus. It is so tempting to think of this as a nice thought, a good and inspired idea. But if this idea is action enough in a person that even the whole physical body is jolted out of death by it, I sense that it is more than just an intangible idea. It’s a spiritual reality that goes so far as to preserve in every way a physical future beyond death.

How real is this joint spirit with Christ? You have a spirit. Is it yours? Is it His? Is it both?

So faith is the actuator in this combined future with Christ. Faith, also a nice idea. But by God’s Word all things were spoken into existence, and by this same Word are all things sustained (Heb. 1:1-3). Perhaps, faith also is more than just a nice idea–a spiritually intangible one. Could it be that faith also is more solid an experience, then we first thought. Is it as real as flesh and blood? What does Jesus say? “Your faith has healed you?” Is there no connection between the spirit and body?

Chapter 40: A Night on the Lake

“Never before had a command from Christ seemed so impossible of fulfillment.” DA394

That must have been quite the command! What instructions did Jesus give that were so impossible to carry out? Was it when he told the disciples to get bread for the 5000? Was it when He instructed them to let down their nets on the wrong side of the boat?

Truly the battle is on the inside, because this comment come just after Jesus commands the disciples to get into the boat and cross over to the other side. For fisherman, nothing could have been more natural, but it seemed impossible because they were about to claim the kingdom for Jesus. Ellen White continues:

“The disciples had long hoped for a popular movement to place Jesus on the throne; they could not endure the thought that all this enthusiasm should come to nothing.” DA394

They were about to seize Him and claim Him King. This week, my friend Dave ranted at work about how much he loathed Christian witnessing. He was responding to a comment on his blog, and was vehement, that witnessing is the most selfish, and hateful thing a person can possibly do. Is this attitude the result of well meaning followers trying to seize the Kingdom for Christ? Amazingly, the disciples continued to grumble themselves into questioning if Jesus might himself be an impostor! After such a day as this!

This next quote about Peter’s walk on water irks me because it is so blazingly true of my life. I’m a stupid human; how quickly I forget!

“When trouble comes upon us, how often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Saviour. … Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. [but] We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved. We may say with confidence, I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake my faith in God and in His word.” DA398

God is simply not interested in making “super Christians.” We do not become stronger, we become more dependent on One who is strong. This is a key learning for me, and I repeat it often. I pray that this week you will learn to depend on God in work, relationships, the future, money, physical strength, peace, and emotional health. And if you must witness, don’t try to claim the earth for Christ, but allow Him to continue to attract seekers.