Meditation

Meditation for 07/16/2019

“Whenever Aaron enters the holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastplate of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the Urim and the Thummin in the breastplate, so they may be over Aaron’s hear whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.” (Exodus28:29-30)

Priests functioned in making God’s will known. It cannot be determined with certainty what the Urim and Thummin really were. They enabled the priest to obtain yes or no answers or select between two choices. When the priest entered the holy place with the Urim and Thummin in his breastplate, he appeared before God as the people’s advocate seeking the illumination necessary to protect and uphold the people’s rights.

The Urim and Thummin were God’s certain medium fore receiving diving direction necessary to guide the actions of Israel in carrying out God’s will. For many centuries no other class possessed such great influence as the priests. No medium such as the Urim and Thummin is needed today. We have the Holy Spirit as our guide and the Bible as our guidebook.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Abba, for many years, the priests wore the Urim and Thummin to determine Your direction for Your people and they would then go to the people and express Your will to them. Then the priests would enter the Holy of Holies once a year to determine what it was that Your will was for Your people. All the while, the people were told that the Messiah was to come and that He would tell Your people directly. Jesus came and taught Your people about You and that we were to love that You had for them. Jesus went to the cross, to prove that love to us all and upon His death and ultimate resurrection back to life, He promised us a “helper” which was the Holy Spirit to give us individually of Your will. Beloved, God has been speaking to us in various forms for thousands of years, and now it is time we finally listened to Him. This is our prayer this day, that all would come before His throne of grace and listen to His will for us all. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“God doesn’t have a Plan B!”

KNOWING GOD:

“Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, wee buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.” (Joshua24:31-33)

Leaders who have experienced God’s saving work direct a people to obey God. Without such leadership, a people strays from God (Judges 2:10). Leaders help a people remember what God has done for His people and teach them how to respond obediently.

I AM:

Discipleship, Spiritual Leaders: (2^nd Samuel 6:12–18)

The normal function of the Hebrew king was in the secular realm, but occasionally he was identified with priestly costumes and customs. The Book of Kings is full of accusations of prophets against rulers. The dominant accusations of prophets against rulers. The dominant accusation was that the kings were not faithful to God. Prophets viewed the king as just another person subject to the moral law of God. Leaders of God’s people must be spiritual, and must never set themselves above the critique of God’s Word.

Second Thought of the Day:

“Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of he Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-26)

As disciples of Jesus, we do not know everything we need to know to follow Christ. God knows. He gives us the knowledge we need, when we need it through the Holy Spirit.

After the Last Supper, a dispute arose among the apostles over who was considered greatest. Jesus took the opportunity to teach them a new definition of leadership. Gentile political rulers exercised authority over other people and called themselves Benefactors, a title of honor supposedly bestowed for service to the people. Not even the apostles of Jesus were to lord it over others to gain power, prestige, or wealth. Nor should clergy (pastors, ministers, etc.,) nor even spiritual leaders of today.

Care must be exercised not to confuse leadership with authority. Jesus defined leadership as becoming the least prestigious person and serving tables for the fellowship. Leadership supplies the needs of the community, not the needs of the leader’s ego. Leadership imitates the humility of Christ, not the pride of political rulers. I pray that you all understand this teaching, as we are to hold all others in or hearts and understand it truly is better to serve, than to be served.