Enough! Day 330 Through the Bible

”Andrew” by Kenneth Wyatt of Tulia, Texas - 1 of a series of paintings of the apostles.  Wyatt used people he knew as models (and if I remember correctly) whose personalities resembled that of the particular apostle being painted. Wyatt is a Methodist minister and a gifted Western and Christian artist.
 (“Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, immediately recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and brought his brother, Peter, to Christ.”)

My Meditations on Today’s Readings

(Ellipses are mine and are used for contemplation.)

Key Words/Phrases: Enough! Remove violence and plundering; Stop dispossessing My people; execute justice and righteousness, have honest scales; Praise the LORD, your conduct, a quiet and gentle spirit, that your prayers may not be hindered; suffering for doing good

The Mystical Temple – Ezekiel 45 and 46 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) The Millennial Temple: The measuring and description of the mystical temple – thought to be the prophesied Millennial temple – continues.  The land is now apportioned and set apart for each of the 12 tribes, the prince, the workers, and the priests.  The Warning: The sternest admonition goes to the prince.  (When the people first insulted God by asking for a human king, they were warned that a king would take their property, their sons, their very lives. 1 Samuel 8:10-18).  This warning ends the tyranny of the usurping princes/kings of Israel at the ushering in of the Millennial Kingdom:  “No more shall My princes oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.  Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Enough, O princes of Israel!  Remove violence…and plundering…execute justice…and righteousness…and stop dispossessing My People.’  You shall have honest scales.” God then delineates the offerings of sacrifices, observance of the feasts and holy days, and the specific allotment of the land between the tribes.  Principle:  God’s promises and warnings to His people are fulfilled, both for blessings and for curses.

Blessing God in the Temple – Psalm 135:1-7 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) The Sacrifice of Praise:  “Praise the LORD! Praise…His name…O you servants of the LORD…who stand in the house of the LORD…in the courts of the house of our GOD…for…He is good…for…He has chosen Jacob for Himself…Israel for His special treasure…whatever the LORD pleases He does in heaven and in earth.  Sing praises…to His name…for it is pleasant.  Principle: This is the sacrifice that pleases the LORD.  “Therefore...by Him...let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15.  It is also the greatest blessing to us because praise brings God near to us:  “O, Thou, that inhabiteth the praises of Israel.”  (This is both the spiritual and physical Israel) Psalm 22:3

We as the Temple – 1 Peter 3 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) Believers as the Temple of God: As the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:19-20), Peter is admonishing us to behave as such – for our own peace and well-being, as a witness to others, and for the honor and glory of God:  How Then We Should Live: 1) Wives are to be submissive to their own husbands…even those that do not obey the word…so that…by the conduct of the wives…when they (the husbands) observe…their chaste conduct accompanied by fear…they may be won.  2) Our adornment must not be outward only, but inward…the hidden person of the heart…with the incorruptible beauty…of a gentle and sweet spirit…which is very precious in the sight of God.  3) Husbands are to dwell with their wives…with understanding…giving honor to the wife…as being the weaker vessel…and…of the grace of life…THAT…their (the husband's) prayers may not be hindered. 4) Refrain your tongue from evil…from speaking deceit.  5) Turn from evil and do good.  6) Seek peace and pursue it.  FOR…the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous…and His ears are open to their prayers.  But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil. 7) Be willing to suffer…for righteousness’ sake, if God so wills, and you will be blessed.  8) Sanctify…the Lord God in your hearts, 9) Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…with meekness and fear…having a good conscience…that…when they defame you as evildoer…those who revile your good conduct in Christ…may be ashamed. (10) For Christ…also suffered once for sins…the just for the unjust…that…He might bring…us… to God…being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. Principle:  This is the outward working of the inward reality…the difficult path of discipleship…that may include unjust suffering…for the sake of righteousness…to honor God and bring others to Him.

My Lessons and Applications:  God’s warning of “Enough!...violence…plundering…dispossessing My people…unfair weights and scales” mirrors our own cries in this corrupt world.  And these are God’s chosen princes doing this to His and their own people!  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  There WILL come a time when this will end…that the corruption will be exposed and brought down by God.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not pray for this time to be now.  Note the very careful ordering of the physical temple.  For 7 chapters, God has been delineating every detail of how His holiness is reflected within His temple.  Note the equally resounding call to the careful ordering of the spiritual temple within us - to fairness, justice, equality among the tribes and between them and the princes of the land, of a life that draws others to Christ and sanctifies God.  Note that same clarion call to the spiritual  temple within us as Peter delineates how we should be holy…Christ-like…heirs together…of the grace of life. Am I answering this call to His glory?  Is my spiritual house - His temple - in order?

For Contemplation

“What would happen in our spiritual lives if we spent as much time working on our souls as do on our bodies?  Our bodies are not unimportant, but they will die; our spirits, however, will live forever.”

Charles Stanley commentary on today’s NT reading: Life Principles Daily Bible, pg. 1438

“It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing.  Alas, it is worse that that.  When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.”

Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), British author, journalist, satirist, spy, soldier quoted by Charles Stanley in “Answers to Life’s Questions: Does It Matter What You Believe?” – pg. 1439 Life Principles Daily Bible