Exodus 26:1-27:21, Matthew 25:1-30, Psalm 31:1-8, Proverbs 8:1-11
Today is the seventh day of February, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you today, as we do what we do in take the next step forward together in life and in the Scriptures and that will lead us back out into the book of Exodus. And so, we are with the children of Israel who have left slavery and are now encamped around the mountain called Mount Sinai. Moses is up on the mountain God, is beginning to reveal to Moses what the law will be what will shape and govern this brand-new culture being formed in the wilderness so the children of Israel are below the base of the mountain was this is at the top, God is speaking to Moses and we are listening, Exodus chapters 26 and 27 today.
Commentary:
Okay, a couple of things for us to consider today, first in the book of Matthew, Jesus is telling stories about the kingdom of heaven, but prior to Him giving these illustrations He had been talking about the like the end like, the end of all things and He described that and He ended up saying when you see things around you that look like the end understand that that’s the beginning of the end, it’s birthing pains. The idea that all things will be made new is like a birth. So, anyone who has had a child or attended, been there for a birth you know that things get, they get pretty amped up right there before the new life comes and there’s travail and pain and pushing and all of this and then new life comes and everything that it took to bring that new life into the world then begins to recede, new life has come. Jesus instructs, this is a way to look at the future, this is a way to look at what’s happening and then He gives some examples that reveal the posture that we should have in the process and so, He gives the example of a master who left and entrusted some of his resources to three of his servants in different increments. And we saw the first person, when he gives an account to the master had taken the resource and doubled the resource and gave it back to the master. The second person had less but he did the same thing, he doubled what the master had gave him and returned it to the master whereas, the third person hid what he was given, he hid it in the ground, he was afraid and the master was displeased. The second story Jesus told was about the girls waiting for the groom to come for the wedding and some of them had enough oil in their lamps and some of them didn’t and so, when the groom came, he came late and those that didn’t have enough oil they had to go in search of oil but by the time they got back the doors had been shut. So, if we look at these stories, what do we see as characteristics, we see vigilance, we see commitment, we see a preparedness, awareness, readiness, which brings home Jesus point, you don’t know when these things are going to happen, be ready all the time, be diligent all of the time, don’t hide what you’ve been given waiting for more so that you can do the thing that you think you’re supposed to do, use what you have, be diligent and vigilant now, this is the posture of a person who is awake and aware of what’s happening, a person who’s paying attention and this really is the posture of the faith journey. We have every conceivable distraction to keep us from paying attention to the fact that we are being transformed. When we are paying attention, when we are vigilant, when we are diligent, when we are awake and aware, our lives have a completely different trajectory than when we are distracted and unaware and it’s even worse when we are distracted and unaware and pretend that we’re being diligent and vigilant and have all kinds of things to say as an expert but this is the famous passage where Jesus describes the father saying, well done, thou good and faithful servant and the person who got to hear those words was the person who did not hide the treasure they were given. Which once again, gives us clarity that we need wisdom, we need to be seeking wisdom and awareness more than any other ambition that we have which brings us to the voice of wisdom today and she describes herself standing at every crossroads. In fact, let me just reread from the Bible “with great understanding wisdom is calling out as she stands at the crossroads and on every hill.” Unpacking that means that as we navigate the crossroads of our lives and the decisions because that really is the crossroad right, the choices that were going to make, wisdom is there in the moment are we aware, are we vigilant, are we diligent, are we awake, are we paying attention? She’s at every crossroads and on every hill, I continue “she stands by the city gate, where everyone enters the city and she shouts, I am calling out to each one of you, good sense and sound judgment can be yours, listen because what I say is worthwhile and right, I always speak the truth and refuse to tell a lie, every word I speak is honest, not one is misleading or deceptive. If you have understanding, you will see that my words are just what you need. Let instruction and knowledge mean more to you than silver or the finest gold. Wisdom is worth much more than precious jewels or anything else you desire.”
Prayer:
And so, Father as we consider, diligence, and vigilance and awareness and preparedness we confess that we’ve been all over the map. We have been pulled in every imaginable direction and offered every conceivable distraction, help us, help us, come Holy Spirit, help us to slow down at these crossroads and seek wisdom above all things as we navigate this beautiful gift of life that You have bestowed upon us. Come, Holy Spirit wake us up we pray, in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Will be posted later today.