We Have The Mind Of Messiah!

1 Corinthians 2

Yet there is a wisdom that we are speaking to those who are mature enough for it. But it is not the wisdom of this world or of this world’s leaders, who are in the process of passing away. On the contrary, we are communicating a secret wisdom from God which has been hidden until now but which, before history began, God had decreed would bring us glory.  Not one of this world’s leaders has understood it; because if they had, they would not have executed the Lord from whom this glory flows. But, as the Tanakh says,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard
and no one’s heart has imagined
all the things that God has prepared
for those who love him.”

It is to us, however, that God has revealed these things. How? Through the Spirit. For the Spirit probes all things, even the profoundest depths of God. For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit. Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit. Now the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God — to him they are nonsense! Moreover, he is unable to grasp them, because they are evaluated through the Spirit. But the person who has the Spirit can evaluate everything, while no one is in a position to evaluate him.

For who has known the mind of Adonai?
Who will counsel him?

But we have the mind of the Messiah!
1 Corinthians 2:6-16

The past 10 days I have been doing some devotional readings that were focused on the 10 Days of Awe (the days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur) and now we are in the 5 days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. I’ve struggled the past couple of weeks with my attitude and my heart. Situations with my children have threatened my heart idols of control and comfort. Instead of running to Christ to be the solid Rock on which my hope is built, I have grasped for temporal comforts that do not satisfy or bring life. But the process was one I needed to walk through. In these last 10 days, days that are traditionally a time of reflection and repentance, I have had ample opportunity to repent, to confess my sins, and to seek forgiveness from the LORD and my family. While repentance should always mark the life of a believer, I love this season of the Fall Feasts, these beautiful rhythms of God that cause us to be intentionally drawn into His presence.

Yesterday I read a post from ONE for Israel about Yom Kippur which said, “First of all, it is important to note that this special day, in which God would unilaterally wipe the slate clean for the whole people of Israel, was God’s idea. It was his initiative. It was not humans coming to him, saying, “I feel bad for all the sin we’re doing, and I’m concerned that there are also things I’m not aware of that might be separating us, so please can we arrange some sort of amnesty day each year and get a fresh start?” No. This was God’s idea. It was God who was more upset about the distance between us than human beings have ever been. He loves us more than we love him. Always has, always will. Yom Kippur is God’s own device to restore the relationship between his holy self and his sinful people.In the same way, it was God who took the initiative to send his Son to die for us while we were still sinners. God instituted a day when he could be reconciled with his people: the day of Yom Kippur, which ultimately points to the day of the cross.“

These holy days, these appointed times of the LORD, have become so precious, so enriching in my walk with Christ. And Jesus our Messiah valued them too. We see multiple times in the Gospels where He is in Jerusalem to observe several of the Feasts of the LORD. And so today, because of the season we are in, these verses in 1 Corinthians just took on a slightly different perspective for me as I think about the Feasts of the LORD. I really liked the VOICE translation of verses 14-15: “But a person who denies spiritual realities will not accept the things that come through the Spirit of God; they all sound like foolishness to him. He is incapable of grasping them because they are disseminated, discerned, and valued by the Spirit. A person who walks by the Spirit examines everything, sizing it up and seeking out truth.” The fact that the feasts, the priesthood, the sacrificial system, the layout of the Tabernacle, all point to greater, spiritual realities that are fulfilled and revealed in Christ, makes me want to value and discern them, to hold them as precious and important because they are important to God and, therefore, to Christ.

I know that Paul is not specifically speaking of these feasts in the context of what he is writing about in this passage. But Paul speaks multiple times about “the mystery of God that has now been revealed” throughout many of his letters. The feasts foreshadowed the coming of Christ, the secret plan of God, to rescue and redeem humanity from the curse of sin. So I believe there is blessing in gaining wisdom about these things, and by allowing God’s Spirit in us to help us to discern their significance and how we as believers in Jesus might observe them in ways that glorify God and draw us closer to Him. Because that has always been the heart of God; to be in fellowship with the people He created. AMEN!

He Who Called You Into Fellowship With His Son

1 Corinthians 1

From: Sha’ul, called by God’s will to be an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua; and from brother Sosthenes

To: God’s Messianic community in Corinth, consisting of those who have been set apart by Yeshua the Messiah and called to be God’s holy people — along with everyone everywhere who calls on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, their Lord as well as ours:

Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

I thank my God always for you because of God’s love and kindness given to you through the Messiah Yeshua, in that you have been enriched by him in so many ways, particularly in power of speech and depth of knowledge. Indeed, the testimony about the Messiah has become firmly established in you; so that you are not lacking any spiritual gift and are eagerly awaiting the revealing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He will enable you to hold out until the end and thus be blameless on the Day of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah — God is trustworthy: it was he who called you into fellowship with his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.
…
For the Messiah did not send me to immerse but to proclaim the Good News — and to do it without relying on “wisdom” that consists of mere rhetoric, so as not to rob the Messiah’s execution-stake of its power. For the message about the execution-stake is nonsense to those in the process of being destroyed, but to us in the process of being saved it is the power of God. Indeed, the Tanakh says,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent.”

Where does that leave the philosopher, the Torah-teacher, or any of today’s thinkers? Hasn’t God made this world’s wisdom look pretty foolish? For God’s wisdom ordained that the world, using its own wisdom, would not come to know him. Therefore God decided to use the “nonsense” of what we proclaim as his means of saving those who come to trust in it. Precisely because Jews ask for signs and Greeks try to find wisdom, we go on proclaiming a Messiah executed on a stake as a criminal! To Jews this is an obstacle, and to Greeks it is nonsense; but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, this same Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom! For God’s “nonsense” is wiser than humanity’s “wisdom.”

And God’s “weakness” is stronger than humanity’s “strength.” Just look at yourselves, brothers — look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the world’s standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong; and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; so that no one should boast before God. It is his doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! Therefore — as the Tanakh says — “Let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai.”
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 & 17-31

I figured after months in Isaiah I could use a little NT encouragement. So I jumped into 1 Corinthians this week. I loved this first chapter, about being called into fellowship with Christ, being united with Him, and having His righteousness and holiness and redemption upon us. Truly we have nothing to boast about – no work, no status, no ethnicity, nothing. I love that God’s way of doing things often flips the world’s way completely. He uses that which the world considers nonsense to shame the wise; He uses what the world considers weak to shame the strong; and my favorite: He uses what the world looks down on or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important. So often we are tempted to chase after what the world deems important; yet I think when we do that we are in danger of pursuing the opposite of what God regards as important. If the world is 100% behind us, we might need to reevaluate our cause, because Jesus Himself warned us that the world will hate us because of Him. May our sights be set on pleasing God, not man! AMEN!

I want to go back to the verse about being brought into fellowship with Jesus. The TPT notes say: Or “a life of communion with his Son.” That is, a co-participation (communion, fellowship) of the Son. The Aramaic can be translated “You have been called to the (wedding) feast of his Son.” We see a clear picture here that believers are called to share in the sonship of Jesus. By God’s grace, we will share in the Son’s standing and position before the Father. We are not only blameless but made holy by the co-sharing of the life of God’s Son.

This reminded me of a post from back in January about Joseph. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote:

“After the joyous reunion and after Jacob and the rest of his family move and settle in the land of Goshen, Joseph brings his two sons, Manasseh and Efrayim, before his father as he is nearing the end. Jacob says to Joseph, “Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Efrayim and M’nasheh will be as much mine as Re’uven and Shim‘on are. The children born to you after them will be yours, but for purposes of inheritance they are to be counted with their older brothers.” Because these two sons were born to a Gentile mother they are considered Gentiles. But here we see Jacob (Israel) adopting them as his own sons, grafting them into his family, and claiming that they are no different than Rueben and Simeon. What an amazing picture of how we as Gentiles have been adopted into God’s family! We too are sons and daughters! Because of Efrayim and Manasseh’s relationship with the son (Joseph), the father (Jacob) values them as much as his eldest children…Just as we, through our relationship with the Son, have been adopted by the Father. We are HIS!”

I love this so much, because it is again something where God’s way is so different that the world’s way. We don’t have to earn our way into God’s family, He is the One Who brings us into fellowship with Him, through our relationship with His Son Jesus. All the promises, all the inheritance, all the blessings are ours, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us.

Tomorrow at sunset is the beginning of Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Trumpets. I get so excited about these feasts of the LORD and each year we try to dig a little deeper and celebrate a little more intentionally. Because we are a part of God’s family, adopted as sons and daughters. It makes me think of a verse in Deuteronomy 29 that came up in bible study last night: “Things which are hidden belong to Adonai our God. But the things that have been revealed belong to us and our children forever, so that we can observe all the words of this Torah.” There is so much richness and blessing in the Torah of God, the precious instruction that God gave to His chosen, called out, holy people. We are His people, and we can share in the blessing of celebrating the things that perhaps the world sees as insignificant, because God has given them to us, to His people, to point to something greater – primarily His Son! AMEN!

Way Maker

Isaiah 66

This is what Yahweh says:

    “The heavens are my throne
    and the earth is my footstool.
    Where is the house you will build for me?
    Where is the place where I will rest?
My hand made these things so they all belong to me,” declares Yahweh.
   
“But there is one my eyes are drawn to:
    the humble one, the tender one, the trembling one
    who lives in awe of all I say.
But the one who offers a bull with no humility
    is like one who kills a man.
    The one who offers a lamb without contrition
    is like one who breaks a dog’s neck.
    The one who brings grain offerings with no heart-purity
    is like one who offers pig’s blood!
    The one who offers incense with no sincerity
    is like one who kisses an idol!
    They have all chosen their own way, not mine,
    and they take delight in these disgusting things!
So I chose to punish them
    and to bring on them what they fear the most
    because I called out to them and they ignored me.
    I spoke and they did not listen
    but did what is evil in my sight
    and chose what I despise.”
…
Zion gave birth suddenly, even before going into labor.
    She delivered a son without any painful contractions.
Who has ever seen or heard of such a wonder?
    Could a country be born in a day?
    Can a nation be birthed so suddenly?
    Yet no sooner does Zion go into labor
    than she gives birth to sons!
Yahweh, your God, says,
    “Do I allow you to conceive and not to give birth?
    Do I shut the womb when I’m the one who delivers?”
So rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her!
    All who love her, join in with her great joy,
    especially those who remember her grief!
You, her children, will drink the milk of her prosperity
    and nurse with delight from her glorious abundance!
For Yahweh says:
    “I will extend to her prosperity like a river
    and the wealth of gentiles like a flooding river.
    You will nurse from her breast, be cradled in her arms,
    and delightfully bounced on her knees.
As a mother tenderly comforts her child,
    so will I tenderly comfort you,
    and you will find comfort in Jerusalem.”

When you feast your eyes on this,
    your heart will leap for joy and be revived;
    your body will flourish and sprout like grass.
    The mighty power of Yahweh will be revealed,
    resting on his servants,
    but his fury will be shown to his enemies!
Look! Yahweh is coming as a raging fire
    and his chariots like a whirlwind
    to unleash his anger with fiery fury
    and with the fiery lightning of his rebuke!
For with fire and with his sword
    Yahweh will judge humanity—
    many will be the slain of Yahweh!
…
“The time is coming for me to gather people together from all over the world, and they will come and gaze on my radiance. I will set an amazing sign among them. I will send some of the remnant to other nations—to Tarshish, Put, Lud (known for its archers), Tubal, Javan, and distant islands that have never heard of my fame nor gazed on my glory. They will declare my glory among the gentiles! And they will bring back from the nations your own people as an offering to me,” says Yahweh.

“They will come on horseback, in chariots, in wagons, on mules and camels to my holy mountain, Jerusalem,” says Yahweh. “In the same way my people bring a grain offering in a sacred vessel to the temple, they will be brought as grain offerings to my holy mountain, Jerusalem, as a holy offering to me. And some of them I will appoint as Levitical priests,” says Yahweh.

This is what Yahweh declares: “The new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain and endure before me in the same way your offspring and your name will endure. From one Sabbath to the next, one month to the next, one year to the next, all humanity will come to worship me!
Isaiah 66:1-4, 7-16, &19-23

I finally finished Isaiah today. I started back in March, right around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in America. I can’t describe how much I have loved being in the book over the last several months. I can’t imagine having felt the nearness of God in any other book during this time, but that’s the thing with scripture – it is God’s living Word. God would have spoken to me regardless of where I was in the bible, yet Isaiah felt especially relevant and appropriate for what life has been like since March. There were so many weeks and days where I felt like the passage I was studying was exactly what I needed to be reminded of in that moment. I’ve never gone through a book of the bible so slowly, and I loved doing deep dives into so many different Hebrew words that seemed to be themes throughout this book. Words like wait, glory, rest, and peace.

In all Isaiah reassured me of the LORD’s sovereignty over the earth – over pandemics, over justice, over rulers and nations, over sin and death. God’s heart for His people Israel, but also for all people, is revealed throughout the book of Isaiah. He desires that all humanity would seek Him, turn to Him, and experience His salvation. He sent His Servant, Jesus, in order to make a way, to clear the path and all that is blocking us from living reconciled to God. He did so, in accordance with His plan and pleasure, by allowing Jesus to die in our place for our sin so that we might be clothed in the robe of His righteousness. He longs to restore the earth to His perfect design where we will dwell with Him in perfect peace free from the curse of sin.

A popular worship song right now is Way Maker, and as I sung the lyrics in church the other day, I couldn’t help but think of the book of Isaiah.

Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
Oh it’s who You are, Jesus, yeah
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are

He is the Way Maker, the One Who performs miracles like saving people from the pit of their despair and the penalty of their sin, the One Who is faithful to His promises, and Who is a light, the only light, in this very dark world.

There’s a bridge in the song that goes:

Even when I don’t see it You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it You’re working
You never stop, never stop working,
You never stop, never stop working

It was true thousands of years ago when Isaiah prophesied to Israel and it is true today – He is always at work. The next several months feel as though they will be filled with more uncertainty, more fear, more chaos and turmoil, but there is peace in the reminder that God is in control. AMEN!

As You Wait…

Isaiah 63-65

“I revealed myself to those
who didn’t even ask to know me.
    Those who did not seek me found me.
    I said to a nation that did not call on my name,
    ‘Here I am! Here I am! I will help you!’
Day after day I have graciously outstretched my hands
    to a people who turned their backs to me,
    whose way of life is corrupt,
    who insist on going their own way.
They are a people who continually insult me to my face.
    They openly and defiantly offer sacrifices to their gods
    in their sacred groves
    and burn incense on pagan altars.
…
Here is what Yahweh says:
    “As new wine is found in the cluster,
    and someone says,
    ‘Don’t destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’
    that’s what I will do for my servants’ sake.
    I will not destroy them all.
I will raise up offspring from Jacob
    and from my chosen ones of Judah
    to possess my mountains,
    and my servants will settle there.
For my people who seek me,
    I will make the Plain of Sharon
    a pasture for flocks in the east,
    and in the west, the Valley of Trouble
    will be a resting place for cattle,
    for my people who seek me and no other god.

“But you who forsake Yahweh
    and ignore my holy mountain,
    who celebrate a feast for the goddess called Lady Luck
    and fill cups of wine to toast the god Destiny,
    know this: your luck has run out.
For I will destine you for the sword!
    You will all kneel down to be slaughtered like sheep
    because when I called, you did not answer,
    and when I spoke, you did not listen!
    You did evil before me and chose what I despise.”
Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
    “My servants will eat,
    but you will go hungry.
    My servants will drink,
    but you will go thirsty.
    My servants will rejoice,
    but you will be put to shame.
My servants will sing joyfully with hearts of gladness,
    but you will cry out from the pain deep inside,
    and wail from a broken heart.
…
“Look! I am creating
    entirely new heavens and a new earth!
    They will be so wonderful
    that no one will even think about the old ones anymore!
As you wait for the reality of what I am creating,
    be filled with joy and unending gladness!
    Look! I am ready to create Jerusalem
    as a source of sheer joy,
    and her people, an absolute delight!
I will rejoice in this new Jerusalem
    and find great delight in my people.
    You will no longer hear
    the sound of weeping or cries of distress.
No baby will die in infancy there,
    and everyone will live out their full lifespan.
    For when centenarians die,
    they will be considered youngsters,
    and anyone who dies earlier
    will be considered of no account.
People will build their own houses to live in,
    and they will not be taken over by someone else.
    They will plant their own vineyards to enjoy,
    and they will not be confiscated by someone else.
    They will live long lives, like age-old trees,
    and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest
    the work of their hands throughout their lives.
They will neither work in vain for someone else,
    nor will their children face disaster
    for they will be children and grandchildren
    who are blessed by Yahweh.
Before they even call out to me,
    I will answer them;
    before they’ve finished telling me what they need,
    I’ll have already heard.
The wolf and the lamb will graze side by side
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and the serpent’s food will be dust.
    There will be neither violence nor murder
    on my entire holy mountain of Zion,” says Yahweh.
Isaiah 65:1-3, 8-14, & 17-25

Today’s take away was very simple, yet very encouraging in light of the world we live in: one Day, God is going to redeem and restore this earth entirely. He is going to create a new heavens and a new earth so wonderful that the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. The VOICE translation says, “The weary and painful past will be as if it never happened.” Weary and painful could describe a lot of days over the past several months. Since March we’ve lived through a global pandemic, financial crisis, racial division leading to riots and violence, the revelation of deep systems of child sex trafficking and pedophilia rings, political division and hatred toward the “other side”, and storms, floods, and fires that have destroyed peoples homes. You can’t turn on the news without hearing messages of doom and gloom, hatred and division, violence and destruction. The sinfulness of man is on full display some days.

Weary and painful seem like understatements.

Yet God promises us that it will not always be this way. He is creating something new.

In fact this chapter gives us a glimpse as to why things are the way they are now: people have turned their backs on God and have insistently gone their own way. They reject God and insult Him. They ignore His outstretched arms and calls beckoning them to His grace and forgiveness and instead do evil and choose what He despises.

God promises that His people will eat, and drink, and rejoice, and sing joyfully with hearts full of gladness; while those who reject God will hunger, thirst, be filled with shame, and will cry out from the deep pain in their hearts – pain that sadly could have been healed had they just turned to the LORD.

As we wait for God to make good on His promises of restoration and redemption, we are called to do so joyfully. How we wait is just as important as what we are waiting for. Not to mope around like the rest of the world, not to give in to the weariness and pain, but to joyfully and expectantly wait and hope in God’s faithful promises. In doing so, we can be a light to those who are hungry, thirsty, filled with shame, and crying out from the deep pain in their heart that they too might be reconciled to God!

It’s funny, because back in January, I wrote that my “word of the year” was JOY. No one knew back then the world we would be living in today…but God did. And it is just as important for me to choose joy today as it was back in January when I thought the biggest struggle of this year was going to be adjusting to a newborn.

LORD, help me to joyfully and expectantly wait for You to fulfill Your promises! As I do, may others see the hope I have and seek to know You more! As this world becomes strangely dim, may I live in the light of You glory and grace each and every day! AMEN!

Sought Out

Isaiah 62

For Zion’s sake, how can I keep silent?
For Jerusalem’s sake, how can I remain quiet?
I will keep interceding until her righteousness
    breaks forth like the blazing light of dawn
    and her salvation like a burning torch!
Nations will see your victory-vindication,
and every king will witness your blinding radiance!
You will be called by a brand-new name,
given to you from the mouth of Yahweh himself.
You will be a beautiful crown held high in the hand of Yahweh,
a royal crown of splendor
held in the open palm of your God!
You will never again be called the Abandoned One,
nor will your land be called Deserted.
But you will be called My Delight Is in You,
    and your land My Beloved Wife,
    for Yahweh finds his delight in you
and he married your land.
As a young man marries the young woman he loves,
so your builder-sons will marry you.
As the bridegroom finds joy in his union with his bride,
    so will your God take joy in his union with you!
…
Go through, go through the gates.
Clear the way for the people!
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Lift up a banner over the peoples.
Behold, Adonai has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to the Daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes!
See, His reward is with Him,
    and His recompense before Him.”
Then they will call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of Adonai,
and you will be called, Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
Isaiah 62:1-5 (TPT) 10-12 (TLV)

The term “sought out” comes from the Hebrew word, darash (דָּרַשׁ). It means “to seek, to search carefully, to require, or to demand.” As I was studying this chapter, I came across Spurgeon’s sermon on Isaiah 62:12. The whole sermon was amazing, but these were some of my favorite parts:

The tremendous fact of man’s utter ruin is the underlying cause of the necessity for grace to seek out its object. If the fall had not been so complete in its ruin, there had been no need to seek us, for we should have sought the Lord. This, however, is the gloomy truth, that we are altogether become abominable, and all flesh hath perverted its way. Of this fact there can be no doubt, for you and I, who have been saved by grace, know right well that we were lost; hopelessly and for ever lost, had not Jesus sought us out.
…
Strange and marvelous are the ways which God has used to find his own. He would shake a whole nation with his strong right hand to find his own elect. He would shake all nations, and bring the whole world to unparalleled confusion before he would suffer one of the blood-bought pearls of his crown to be lost among the ruins of the fall. He must and will seek them out, as the shepherd seeketh out his sheep in the cloudy and dark day, bringing some of them down from the steep summit, others from the caverns among the crags; some from the river’s brink, others from the flood itself—all must be brought into one place, where they shall form one fold, under one Shepherd. 
…
Who was it sought thee out? None other than himself. The Great Shepherd could not trust his under-shepherds; he must himself come, and oh! if it had not been for those eyes of omniscience, he never would have seen thee; he never would have read thy history and known thy case: if it had not been for those arms of omnipotence, he never could have grasped thee; he never could have thrown thee on his shoulders and brought thee home rejoicing. Thou wast divinely sought.

I was divinely sought.

Those words just truly resonated with me. Because I think we all can come to think of ourselves as having sought the LORD. In fact there are so many verses that tell us to do just that. Yet we fail to recognize that it was He who first sought us.

In Ezekiel 34, God says, “Here I am! I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will seek out My sheep. I will rescue them out of all the places where they have been scattered, on a day of cloud and thick darkness.” In Luke 19, Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”

I think of Abram. He was just out living his life in the land of Ur when the LORD came to him, sought him out, and chose him to be the father of many nations. I think of Rebecca, who was sought out by Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, who returned to Abraham’s home land to seek out a wife for Isaac, and who prayed that the LORD would reveal her to him. Jacob was sought by God when an angel came and wrestled with him in the night. Moses was sought out by God in the wilderness when He appeared to him in a burning bush. Samuel was sought by God in the middle of the night when he heard His voice calling out to him. David was sought our by God through Samuel when he was just a lowly shepherd boy who would become King. Young Mary, awaiting her wedding day, was sought by God and chosen to bear the King of the World. Jesus sought out the 12, and later sought out Paul on the road to Damascus. None of these did anything to initiate God’s seeking of them, it was God Who sought them first.

And the same is true of us. Whether it was through the loving arms of a parent who read us the scriptures and prayed over us at an early age, or through life circumstances that brought us to the end of ourselves with nowhere else to turn but God, He sought us first.

And while I’d like to be tempted to believe that there was something good in me, some righteousness that enabled me to have a greater proclivity toward seeking God, the truth is that I am bent toward self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness. I can do it myself. I don’t need help. My way is the right way. In fact, just this morning I found myself trapped in my thoughts over something silly that didn’t go the way I had planned; yet had I just reached out and sought help things would have been way easier instead of trying to bear the whole load myself. And that was me for so many years when I called myself a Christian…having a form of godliness but denying its power, claiming to know God but denying Him by my actions (2 Timothy 3:5/Titus 1:16). Despite knowing the Gospel I convinced myself that I was “good enough” to be saved. It was Christ plus my works. I was not seeking God…I was seeking the praise of men. However, throughout my early to mid twenties God pursued me and sought me out by allowing me to see first hand just how NOT “good enough” I was. Around 25years old I finally came to a point where I fully recognized my own personal and desperate need for a Savior because of the guilt of my sin. And God in HIs grace has continued to remind me of my desperate need for Him since then, through marriage, motherhood, and relationships with other broken sinful people. No, it was not me that sought God out, it was Him seeking me. Directing my paths, weaving together my circumstances, to bring me to a place where I would be found. He is the God who recklessly, shamelessly, pursues us in our sin when we are running in the opposite direction, hell-bent on finding life without Him, not recognizing that in that found-ness is where life truly is.

How amazing that we serve a God Who seeks us first! I think of the parable of the wedding feast in Luke 14. The master throws a huge wedding banquet, yet those who were first invited reject the invitation. So then the master sends out his servant and says, “Go at once throughout the city and invite anyone you find—the poor, the blind, the disabled, the hurting, and the lonely—and invite them to my banquet.” The servant returns having done what he was asked but reports to his master that there is still more room. So the master told him, “All right. Go out again, and this time bring them all back with you. Persuade the beggars on the streets, the outcasts, even the homeless. Urgently insist that they come in and enjoy the feast so that my house will be full.”

All this reminds me of one of my favorite songs, Come to the Table, by Sidewalk Prophets:

We all start on the outside
The outside looking in
This is where grace begins
We were hungry, we were thirsty
With nothing left to give
Oh the shape that we were in

Just when all hope seemed lost
Love opened the door for us
He said come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior now
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table

Come meet this motley crew of misfits
These liars and these thiefs
There’s no one unwelcome here, no
So that sin and shame that you brought with you
You can leave it at the door
And let mercy draw you near

Just come to the table
Come join the sinners, you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior now
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Just come to the table

To the thief, to the doubter
To the hero and the coward
To the prisoner and the soldier
To the young, to the older
All who hunger, all who thirst
All the last, all the first
All the paupers and the princes
All who fail you’ve been forgiven
All who dream, all who suffer
All who loved and lost another
All the chained, all the free
All who follow, all who lead
Anyone who’s been let down
All the lost you have been found
All who’ve been labeled right or wrong
Everyone who hears this song

Just
Come, come to the table
Oh eh, come join the sinners you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Just sit down and be set free
Oh come on
Just sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come on now
Come to the table
You’re welcome here

We ALL start on the outside, lost and without hope; but God’s grace has been extended to us all! I’ll end with lyrics from one more song that I love by Eric Neider called, When Grace Called My Name:

I once was lost in sea
Unknown waves surrounding me
But then You broke that day
When Grace called my name

Tears they fill my eyes
As my soul is wore inside
But then I saw Your Face
When Grace called my name
When Grace called my name

As tears filled Mary’s eyes
For the Lamb was crucified
And the scars that took my place
Oh when Grace called my name

You opened my eyes
To the sinner was I
In the Saviour that took my place
You rescued my life
From the darkest of nights
When Grace calls my name
Oh when Grace calls my name

Oh-oh-oh…
Oh-oh-oh…

There’s a song inside my soul
Of distant shores with streets of gold
Then at last I’ll see those gates
Oh when Grace calls my name

And I’ll open my eyes
To the Glorious sight
At the Saviour who took my place
And You rescued my life
From the darkest of nights
When Grace calls my name
Oh when Grace calls my name

Oh-oh-oh…
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…)
Oh-oh-oh…
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…)
Oh-oh-oh…
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…)
Oh-oh-oh…
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…)

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch… like me
I once was lost
But now, am found
Was blind… but now, I see

The Robe Of His Righteousness

Isaiah 61

The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me
    because Yahweh has anointed me,
    as a messenger to preach good news to the poor.
    He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted,
    to tell captives, “You are free,”
    and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.”
I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace
    and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies,
    to comfort all who are in sorrow,
to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes,
    the oil of bliss instead of tears,
    and the mantle of joyous praise
    instead of the spirit of heaviness.
    Because of this, they will be known as
    Mighty Oaks of Righteousness,
    planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory.
They will restore ruins from long ago
    and rebuild what was long devastated.
    They will renew ruined cities
    and desolations of past generations.
Foreigners will be appointed to shepherd your many flocks;
    strangers will cultivate your fields and tend your vines.

But you will be known as Priests of Yahweh,
    and called Servants of our God.
    You will feast on the wealth of nations
    and revel in their riches!
Because you received a double dose
    of shame and dishonor,
    you will inherit a double portion
    of endless joy and everlasting bliss!
“For I, Yahweh, love fairness and justice,
    and I hate stealing and sin.
    I will rightly repay them because of my faithfulness
    and enter into an everlasting covenant with them.
Their seed will be famous among the nations,
    and their descendants the center of attention of the people.
    All who see them will recognize
    that they are the seed that Yahweh has blessed with favor!”

I will sing and greatly rejoice in Yahweh!
    My whole being vibrates
    with shouts of joy in my God!
    For he has dressed me with salvation
    and wrapped me in the robe of his righteousness!
    I appear like a bridegroom on his wedding day,
    decked out with a beautiful sash,
    or like a radiant bride adorned with sparkling jewels.
In the same way the earth produces its crops
and seeds spring up in a garden,
so will the Lord Yahweh cause righteousness and praise
to blossom before all the nations!
Isaiah 61:1-11 (TPT)

Sometimes I just come across a passage that just gives me butterflies and all the feels. But before I get to the specific verse, I have just been loving the last few chapters of Isaiah! Seeing these glimpses of the Bride, the Church of Christ, in the midst of these prophetic words to Israel has been so beautiful. A verse that inspired one of my favorite Shane and Shane songs, Beauty for Ashes, is one that I always love coming to. The song is simple yet beautiful:

Beauty for ashes
A garment of praise for my heaviness
Beauty for ashes
Take this heart of stone and make it Yours

I delight myself in the Riches of Fare
Trading all that I’ve had for all that is better
A garment of praise for my heaviness
You are the greatest taste
You’re the Richest of Fare

The TPT states, “There is an interesting wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word for ‘beauty’ is phe’er, and the word for ‘ashes’ is epher—simply the moving of one letter. God has the power to change and move things around in our lives to make them into something beautiful.” Paul calls back to this idea in Romans 8:28, “Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose.”

But the part that just really struck me today came from verse 10, where it says that “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” I decided to look up the Hebrew word for robe, which is meil (מְעִיל). As I’ve said before, Hebrew scholars often derive further or deeper understanding of a word based on the root of the word. In this case the root of meil, is maal (מָעַל) which means “to act treacherously or unfaithfully”. This just absolutely blew my mind! Because we, who have been covered in the robe of Christ’s righteousness, are completely treacherous in our sin, fully faithless and unfaithful to God. We rebel, we go our own way, we reject God, and believe that we don’t need Him. And yet He covers our treachery and unfaithfulness with His robe of righteousness, clothes us in salvation, when we turn to Him in repentance and faith.

I can’t help but think of the parable of the Prodigal Son, who acted treacherously and unfaithfully toward his father. Yet when we came to his senses he returned home, hoping to simply be considered a servant in his father’s household. Then come these simply beautiful verses:

“From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. So the father raced out to meet him. He swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love.

“Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’

“The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’

“Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For this beloved son of mine was once dead, but now he’s alive again. Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy.” (Luke 15:20-24 TPT)

I also think of Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel 18, “Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself. Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.” Pastor Jack Hyles said, “The first thing that Jonathan gave to David was his robe. The robe symbolized his stature, his importance, his rank, if you please. For you see, Jonathan was the heir apparent to the throne. Jonathan was the one, logically, to step on the throne of Israel after the death of his father, Saul. And so Jonathan, in reaching out and taking his robe off his body and giving it to David, was saying, ‘I give up my throne for you. I give up my rank for you. I give up my fame for you. I give up my standing for you. I give up my stature for you.””  And isn’t that what Christ did for us? He gave up His throne to die in our place so that we could become sons and daughters, heirs of His throne? And it has nothing to do with anything we did, and everything to do with His love for us!

The relationship between these two Hebrew words is just so amazing to me, and I love finding this deeper meaning and insight in God’s word!

LORD, thank You that You have covered my iniquity with garments of salvation, that You have clothed me in a robe of righteousness, despite my treachery and unfaithfulness toward You. And thank You that Your Son gave it all up for a sinner like me so that I could be restored to a relationship with You. AMEN!