Thursday, December 1, 2011

Thursday, December 1 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezekiel 40-41; 2 Peter 3.

Well, I have to admit that my eyes glazed over a bit while reading the Ezekiel passage.  Really... 1,000 measurements of various aspects of a temple to exist at some future time?  I did a search on Bible.org to see what information appeared there about the passage, and came across an article discussing covenant theology vs. dispensationalism.  The Relationship of the Church to Israel, if you care to look for yourself.  I have to admit that I didn't read it thoroughly, but I found myself not agreeing completely with either side.  One thing that seemed strange to me, however, was that I'd just finished reading two full chapters of measurements and detailed description (be forewarned, apparently the next seven chapters are more of the same) of a temple that covenant theology says is spiritual, not literal.  If there will never be a literal, physical temple, then why the need to describe it in excruciating detail?  In my view, a detailed physical description of the kind we find here would seem to refer to an actual place yet to be built, much like God gave Moses exact details of how the ark of the covenant and the tents, etc. were all to be constructed way back in Exodus.  Those were literal instructions (blueprints, if you will) for actual physical objects.  This would seem to me to be the same.  

As Matthew Henry says in his commentary, "When we despair to be satisfied as to any difficulty we meet with, let us bless God that our salvation does not depend upon it, but that things necessary are plain enough; and let us wait till God shall reveal even this unto us."

Moving on to Peter, WOW.  He talks in verses 3 and 4 about scoffers saying "Where is this "coming" he promised?"  Remind anyone of the fiasco earlier this year with the (of course) false prediction of the end of the world?  Then he talks about how people think "everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."  Don't we all fall into that trap at times?  I know I've sometimes thought "People have been saying it could be any time now for the last two thousand years.... why would it happen now?"  The truth is, we just don't know.  We will not know until it happens.  Peter says that the Lord is patient and giving everyone the opportunity to come to repentance, but the day of the Lord will come.  We don't know when, and it is easy to become complacent, thinking we have a lifetime, but when the day comes, you can be guaranteed that no one will feel ready.  And yet, Peter urges us to look forward to it and speed its coming!  I don't know whether any of you have experienced this, but I find it easier to look forward to the day of the Lord's coming and to heaven now than before, when my relationship with God was at a standstill.

The last verse is wonderful.  "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen."  Grow!  I pray that all of us have grown and continue to grow as we read and study the Word of God.  Never give up!  Just like they say about smoking... keep trying to quit and sooner or later you will.  Keep trying.  If you miss a few days of Bible reading or spending time with God, that doesn't mean you give up and don't read anymore.  Pick up and carry on and you will grow!

Happy Thursday!

 Tomorrow's passage:  Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1.

2 comments:

Tammy said...

I think it's hilarious that you can use a smoking analogy and pull it off ;)

I agree with you that all those exact measurements make it seem like it would be literal. One option in my Life Application Bible was that this was the version that Zerubbabel should have built in 520-515 BC (Ezra 5, 6), but due to disobedience it wasn't.

Miriam said...

LOL. It was because of a stop smoking commercial or brochure or something that came to mind when I was thinking of "keep trying and don't give up". Sticks in my mind because my husband had to work up to quitting for a long time (and was finally able to quit using Champix. Yay! ). He just smokes cigars sometimes now, but it's a lot better than the 1/2 - full pack a day he smoked before!