“You’re Not the Boss of Me!”

February 2, 2024

February 2, 2024

Read Exodus 5-7, Psalm 33

Have you ever heard a child make this exclamation before? “You’re not the boss of me!” They may have referred it to another adult, a teacher, or a person of authority over them. In Exodus 5-7 we have a similar attitude coming from Pharaoh. God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh. You know… “Let my people go….” Naturally, Pharaoh responds “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” v. 2. Pharaoh may not have heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so he consequentially had no desire to listen or obey him either. We can find the same mentality today among people. They neither know or fear the Lord and their behaviors and speech reflect this attitude. Honestly, who would blame them? When my kids were growing up, sometimes they would come home from school and talk about something that someone did to them or their friend. I would try to remind them that most likely they were not Christians or faithfully living out God’s design for their life. The phrase, “non-Christians will do what they do or just comes natural to themselves” was often repeated. We might not live in a polytheistic culture today in America but that doesn’t mean that people don’t have their gods. The gods just change from Ra, Chemosh, and Molech to the gods of self, materialism, and other things we worship and deem important. The ultimate issue of a god is who has the authority over my life and determines how I live my life. Some might have one god they worship; others might have a pantheon of gods they have amassed for themselves. Christians often use the phrase “Savior and Lord” when referring to Jesus. We have Jesus as our Savior, but is he also our Lord? Does Jesus have authority, lordship, or is he our “boss?” Not just in one or two areas of our lives, Jesus commands us to love God with our “whole heart” (Mark 12:30-31). What areas of your life do you struggle to relinquish control to the Lord?

Psalm 33 is a beautiful psalm that has many familiar phrases in it. It praises the Lord for his creation, his righteousness and just actions. Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” The psalmist recognizes the “blessing” that comes from allowing God to lead and be our boss. When many people see the word “blessing” they might be tempted to jump to an idea of finances or material goods. That might be one way to look at it, but “blessing” is really about an attitude of happiness or joy. Some translations of the Bible capture this by says “Happy is…” rather than blessed. When we recognize God as the ultimate authority in our lives, he will bring us blessings.

What other words, themes, or phrases stand out to you as you read these chapters? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

Sabbath, Work, and Some Weddings

January 2, 2024

January 2, 2024

Read Genesis 2, Psalm 2, John 2

Life is a mix of work and play. We see both of these elements in Genesis 2. Some people are work-a-holics, while others are just plain lazy. We must find a proper balance. The Sabbath was a day of rest. God does not need the rest, but it was an example set by God for humanity to follow. We are living in the New Testament times and not under the Mosaic Law. We do not have a legal obligation to follow the Sabbath today, but we would be wise to observe a Sabbath in our lives on a weekly basis. On the other side of the coin, God created man and placed him the garden “to work it and take care of it” v. 15. You likely had New Years Day off and today you are back to work. Work is good for the human soul. It was a part of God’s plan before the fall, before sin (although sin made it more laborious). Work gives us a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and a healthy pride in what we have done. Work accomplishes good things for us and others. The Evangelist Jonathan Edwards who worked tirelessly to preach the gospel across America still made time for a Sabbath. While traveling on the Connecticut River he recorded,

“At Saybrook we went ashore to lodge on Saturday, and there kept the Sabbath;
where I had a sweet and refreshing season, walking alone in the fields.”[JW1] 

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

Some skeptics object to Genesis 2 as a contradictory second creation account. Rather it is continuation of the creation account but zoomed in from a 30,000-foot up view down to the garden view. Genesis 1 looks at the creation of the universe and Genesis 2 homes in on the creation of humanity. It ends relating marriage to the creation account with the often quoted “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” v.24.

Contemporaries push back on this narrative. Is Adam superior to Eve because he was created first? Isn’t the creation story a patriarchal story of oppression? Does Adam name his own wife as an exercise of power, after all, Eve is called a “helper” v. 20? The answer, “no” to all these accusations. Sixteen times God is called Israel’s helper (Ex. 18:4, Deut. 33:7, etc.) and He is not the lessor in that relationship. Both men and women are equal in value but differ in their roles in the family and the church which follows the creation narrative.

Psalm 2 opens with a question, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” The question of who would dare challenge the authority of God and his power. God dares any nation who would come against his “Anointed One” v. 2, The psalm is full of language that points not only to an earthly king in Israel but also to Jesus. The New Testament connects Psalm 2 in Acts 4:25-26, Acts 13:33, and Hebrews 1:5.

The themes of weddings and authority continue in John 2. Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. He turned water into wine. Not just any water, it was “the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing” v. 6. Think of that as water unfit to drink, meant for washing hands and other ceremonial items. Jesus took something impure and made it into “choice wine” v. 10 that people would brag about and enjoy. This first miracle was a statement about Jesus’ mission and ministry. Second, Jesus purifies the temple and rids it the money-changers by creating a whip and driving out those who had made the temple into “a market.” What has the contemporary church made the church into? Are we guilty of turning it into anything that would displease Christ? When Jesus is questioned about his actions the subject of authority is raised upon Jesus. “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” v. 18. Jesus looks ahead symbolically to the cross where his physical body would be destroyed but God would “raise it in three days” v. 20.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words and phrases catch your attention as you read?  How does the theme of authority flow through each of these chapters individually? What questions do you have from these chapters? Add your thoughts below.

 [JW1]Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1991. pg, 197.

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Posted by John Weldon