The Field is the World (Matt. 13:38)

Wednesday SOAP: Just a reflection on the awesome appreciation of Christ's desire for His Church the Song of Solomon always reawakens in me. I can't spend all my time pining for heaven, but I should probably spend more of my time dwelling on it, reminding myself of His great promises and seeing the things that await fulfillment from that perspective. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. (Song of Solomon 7:10). O: A simple thought today as I read Solomon's Song for a new appreciation of God's love for me, that just as this book paints a glorious picture of freshly awakened love, in all its unwearied passion, Jesus' love and desire for me to be with Him where He is (John 14:3, 17:24) never fades. My entire life, from birth to death, with all the thoughts and actions and experiences that pleased Him as well as those that displeased Him, were in His view when He caused me to awaken and hear His...

Tuesday SOAP: God commands Israel to remember what freed them, to remember what it means, to declare it to others as God's strong hand, His work in bringing out, His salvation they were helpless to accomplish. The details may be different, but that's very close to the message we still carry forth. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it sha...

Monday SOAP: God has always given us drama, song, symbol, memorials, to inspire our worship, to remind us of the work He has done, and to build our faith. What are some memorials in your own life? I wish I had a page from a certain songbook, a mylar balloon and recordings of a couple of answering machine messages. Look for Jesus in the narratives of the Old Testament. Remember His work in your own life. Let song take root in your mind so that you may celebrate Him all week. (Ephesians 5:19) ----------------------------------------------------------- S: Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. (Ex 15:1). And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Eg...

Friday SOAP: Furious yet impotent, Pharaoh seals his own fate in his (he thinks) final dismissal of Moses. The Lord's hooks were in his jaws - he was helpless to do Israel any harm, and even to turn from his determined course. In all his self-importance, he still served the purposes of God in showing Israel that Egypt's gods were empty, the true God was all-powerful and Moses was His chosen leader. Though they foolishly looked back with fondness on the foods of their captivity, (16:3, Numbers 11:5), and though they remained idolatrous (Exodus 32:4), they never flirted with the gods of Egypt. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more. (Ex 10:28-29). …And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger." (11:8b) O: Even in his rage and his hardening by...

Thursday SOAP: The powers of Pharoah's magicians had limits. They themselves recognized those limits, and they also recognized what the limitless power Moses represented meant. Moses was not God; of that there was no question. In the works they saw the "finger of God," Jesus' idiom for the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:20. Is the prevailing secular worldview ready for the supernatural events the Bible says are coming? More to the point, are "Christians" ready for them? ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:18-19). O: At each prior step, Pharoah's magicians were able to duplicate Moses' feats. (Ex. 7:11, 22, 8:7, 2 Timothy 3:8) Was it tr...

Wednesday SOAP: God takes a suffering, disenfranchised, oppressed and underpivileged people for Himself, redeeming them from a privileged, oppressing, imperious tyrant. Neither the overlord nor the underdog will listen to the Word of the Lord. Why not? Aren't the oppressed virtuous by definition? Aren't God's chosen people fundamentally different from Egypt? No; the difference starts with God Himself; and being freed by Him means far more than freedom for freedom's sake. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguis...

Tuesday SOAP: Moses drifts from helpless questions betraying his own insecurities to actively questioning God's will. Did it result in a humbler role for him? Does it teach us a great deal about God's nature and His call to service? How can I openly express my self-doubt to God while maintaining proper faith and reverence for His revealed will? ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and th...

Monday SOAP: Moses, "drawn out," is drawn out again, this time out of humanity, to be enflamed, but not consumed away, by God's mission, to receive His direction and power, to be purified of the dross of his life, and to bring his own people to experience God's awesome power and glory. What intrigues us about the frankly, terrifying experience of God's burning holiness? ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2). O: A simple thought today on the way God chose to reveal Himself to Moses: what is more frightening than fire? Fire represents God's wrath, excruciating pain and complete destruction. It was the means of offering a sacrifice to God, and even the sign of His acceptance of the sacrifice in 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Chronicles 7:1 and 1 Kings 18:38 (po...

Friday SOAP: Jesus endured the loss of all things before His crucifixion: He was betrayed by one friend, denied by another, abandoned by the rest, treacherously (and illegally) persecuted by religious leaders, slandered by false witnesses, insulted and brutalized by ignorant officers of the guard, and saw the love and loyalty of all His friends fail. And the worst was yet to come. (Matthew 27:46) No wonder He was under such stress and felt such sorrow. No wonder His sweat was as drops of blood (" hematohidrosis ," Luke 22:44) and they had to compel Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him. (Matt. 27:32) It was in anticipation of all this that Jesus expressed the turmoil He felt to His very closest friends. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possi...

Thursday SOAP: Jesus identifies with His people so much that caring for us IS caring for Him. Neglecting us IS neglecting Him. Persecuting us IS persecuting Him. For the very least believer, the great honor is to have this guarantee by the very King of Creation. For the unbeliever, the warning is the personal way He takes mistreatment of His beloved children. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:40). O: Here's another of Jesus' prophetic pronouncements which may technically have a specific application, said to be the judgment of nations according to how they have treated Israel. But I believe in principle, it applies to all followers of Christ (Luke 8:21), as shown in Acts 9:4. The Lord so identifies with His people that He regards feeding, clothing and visiting brothers and sis...

Wednesday SOAP: What Jesus wants me to be caught doing when He returns. Serving His servants. Feeding His sheep. Doing good at every opportunity. Perfecting the saints, doing the work of service, building up the Body of Christ. Rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. Esteeming others better than myself. Awake and aware that my salvation is nearer than when I first believed. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? (Mt 24:45). O: I look at this passage as part of my instructions for today, what I should be doing now. Technically, it may be intended for Tribulation saints. But the principle applies, no matter which set of servants Jesus specifically refers to. The definition of a trustworthy / believing servant who is wise, prudent, mindful of his own interests, is that he is in charge of the service (therapeia - espec...

Tuesday SOAP: Jesus' view of the religious leaders' offenses and rationalizations. Hard work, the appearance of virtue and self-denial, even the celebration of righteousness: they don't serve to absolve secret guilt. Standing between the people and God robs both the religious leader and the people of a real relationship with God. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I h...

Monday SOAP: Left to our own devices, we presume wisdom and experience we don't possess. It led the Sadducees and Pharisees to believe they could even manuver the Lord Jesus into confusion or a doctrinal mistake. They knew religious men well - how they thought and operated. What they did not know were the Scriptures or the person of Christ. They needed more trust in the power of God than their own skill. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be o...

Friday SOAP: On the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples saw the veil between this world and Christ's Kingdom dropped for a moment. Somehow they could recognize Moses and Elijah, having never met them. And this reminded them of a key prophecy of the Old Testament which we don't stress as much as their own culture did. Maybe my own confusion about it reflects the reason we don't stress it as much. Things are usually much clearer in the light of New Testament fulfillment. This one seems almost... cloudier...? ----------------------------------------------------------- S: And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of ...

Thursday SOAP: Discerning the signs all around us - hypocrisy thoroughly leavens our perception of God's revelation, to the point that we can't see it or perceive its very purpose. How had those old rotten Pharisees missed that the Scriptures testify of Jesus? (John 5:39) What might I be missing, for the same reasons? ----------------------------------------------------------- S: The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. And when his disciples were come to the o...

Wednesday SOAP: Jesus finishes seven parables which characterize the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and the disciples claim to have understood all these things. It has been given to them to understand these mysteries, and they'll need to do so in the fulfillment of their ministry after Christ's departure. ----------------------------------------------------------- S: Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Mt 13:51-52). O: The disciples asked Jesus to explain the sower parable and the parable of the wheat and tares. But they claim to have understood the parable of leaven, mustard seed, hidden treasure, pearl of great price and dragnet. A: It's probably safe to say that they didn't fully understand these other par...

Tuesday SOAP: The Parable of the Sower is the key to the other Kingdom parables. (Mark 4:13) It's important to know what Jesus meant about good soil, about fruitfulness, about persistent belief in the face of trouble, temptation and persecution. We all want to be fruitful, and the Bible tells us how we can be, fruitful. It's not easy - involves hard work, self control, virtue, kindness and love. (2 Peter 1:1-10) ----------------------------------------------------------- S: But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Mt 13:23). O: In yesterday's SOAP, I used the image of clay and wax - how the same sun that hardens the clay melts the wax. That's not that satisfying when it comes to human nature, I said, because we're ALL "clay" - we're all essentially children of wrath. This parable seems to go the exact opp...

Monday SOAP: All the ways of God are judgment. (Deuteronomy 32:4) Jesus came right out and said the towns which witnessed the majority of His ministry were subject to the greatest judgment. What does that imply? Revelation - whether general, special, or miraculous implies judgment. How do we deal with the responsibility of specific men to those ways bringing them judgment which become the instrument of grace to all men? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S: Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the migh...

Friday SOAP: How Jesus' sayings provide a sure foundation for a life that will encounter trouble: Jesus said, "In the world, you shall have trouble. But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." My only hope, then, is knowing and loving the One Who has overcame the world for me. If I embrace the constant challenge and criticism those words have for my carnal nature, it does not give me ease. But it does put my heart - and my foundation - in the right place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, ...

Thursday SOAP: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus carefully describes the kind of life that substantiates the claim of the new birth. If we could live this way all the time, it would ensure that persecution and slander would always be unjustified and that no one could deny that Jesus changes lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Why "SOAP?" See http://www.enewhope.org/firststeps/journaling ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) O: Simple thought today: because of the way Jesus concludes this paragraph, speaking about good works, when He has just described the...

Wednesday SOAP: Jesus began preaching with the word, "Repent." Sometimes that's defined as simply a 'turn' or "a change of heart that leads to a change of action." But what is it, really? He also said, "unless you repent, you too will all perish." Jesus gave a 3-point sermon about it in His responses to satan's temptation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Why "SOAP?" See http://www.enewhope.org/firststeps/journaling ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Mt 4:4 ,7, 10). O: So often, (for some reason), I...