Category: Through the Bible Devotions

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Let’s go check it out!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Random Institute on Unsplash

After a forty day tour of the promised land, the spies said, “It’s wonderful and abundant. Lot’s of people live there in fortified cities.

Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:30-31).

How often do I hear someone’s good news and immediately temper it with a, “Yeah, but…” or “Well, you know…” or “If it sounds too good to be true…” I for one am an expert at deflating someone’s excitement with skepticism and cynicism. I use those exact phrases.

I’m trying not to. Enthusiasm, excitement, anticipation are good things. Let’s assume the best!

In a similar way, we envy the nice things and experiences others have. You know, it’s okay for others to have fun, adventure, possessions, and family. It’s wonderful for them to be happy and fulfilled. And we can embrace that!

Let’s wish them the best. Let’s go with the positive. Let’s go check it out!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

On fire

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning “(Numbers 9:15).

I love the image of the cloud that covered the tabernacle during Israel’s wilderness wanderings. I never thought of the fire that went along with it.

Imagine someone yelling, “The tabernacle’s on fire!” It could happen. Lamps and incense are constantly burning inside. Priests set fire to offerings and sacrifices day and night. Conditions are ripe for fire.

But this is different. Moses saw a bush on fire that wasn’t consumed. The people camped at the base of a mountain that looked like it was on fire. Now it’s the very expensive and painstakingly constructed tabernacle. God in the midst of his people is like fire. Sometimes it consumes. Sometimes it doesn’t.

The Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego encountered God in a fiery furnace. They were not consumed. Elijah and Elisha saw the Lord’s horses and chariots of fire. Elijah was taken away, not consumed. When two disciples had supper with Jesus after the resurrection, their hearts burned within them, but they were not consumed.

But Nadab and Abihu were consumed when they set unauthorized incense on fire. Fire from heaven consumed Elijah’s sacrifice on Mount Carmel, along with the stones and water surrounding the altar. The heat of the fire consumed the servants who three the three men into the furnace. God’s fire consumed Job’s sheep and servants. “In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed” (Zephaniah 1:18).

Jesus was consumed with zeal for his Father’s house. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). So we don’t mess around with him. Yet his fire fills and purifies us, temples of his Spirit.

Just like the tabernacle.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Good morning, AI

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Steve A Johnson on Unsplash

In Morning Brew this morning: “Bet you can’t go a whole day without hearing about AI.”

I’ll bet they’re right.

How did I encounter AI today?

My washing machine and dryer both have AI settings. Apparently the machines can determine how much laundry you have, how dirty it is, the best temperature, and the length of cycle. Most of the time, the machines make good decisions for me.

Every Google search gives me an AI summary at the beginning. My search yields many other sources, but the upfront summary is useful.

I think many customer service chats are handled by bots. They often do a good job of resolving my issue.

A lot of the commercials on my streaming services are related to product searches I’ve made. Somehow, my phone, TV, and computer are all connected.

The very fact that I can get next day delivery of an item means somebody somewhere knows what I am likely to want, and stocks the closest warehouse before I think about it. That’s got to be all AI driven.

I daily ask Alexa about the weather. She also plays the stream from my favorite radio station.

Google maps routes my trip based on traffic, anticipated delays, and construction along the way.

My robo vacuum cleaner knows my house and cleans the room I send it to.

I’ve used AI to draft a reference letter. A little editing and it was ready to go.

Just like that, AI has infiltrated my life. So far, it’s all good. But that may not always be the case.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The Significance of Incense in Worship

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Anup Ghag on Unsplash

“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense” (Exodus 30:1).

“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. (Exodus 30:7,8)

Why was the altar of incense and the daily burning of incense such an important part of tabernacle, and later, temple life?

My first experience with incense was at my first pastoral conference in Ashaway, Rhode Island. We gathered for evening prayer in a retreat center chapel. The chaplain for the conference leaned towards high church traditions, and had filled the chapel with thick clouds of incense. It was dense, fragrant, stifling, and intense. That night’s worship was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Many years later, I was asked to preach at the anniversary of a colleague’s ordination. He also leaned towards high church traditions, and would walk through his church sanctuary leaving a lingering aroma of incense an hour before Sunday worship.

My only other encounter with incense was at the funeral of a good friend’s mother. She was Roman Catholic, and the priest prepared to walk around the casket with incense. To his dismay, there was nothing to light the incense. I watched with interest and amusement as various people did their best to make it happen.

The best explanation of incense may be from a psalm:

“May my prayer be set before you like incense” (Psalm 141:2).

As the smoke of incense rose upward, worshipers would follow the smoke’s upward ascent. Their attention would be focused upward towards the one who is worthy of all honor and praise.

How much of worship is about us? Or me? Plenty. I could use a good reminder that it’s about him, the one, God. He’s the only one worthy of praise.

How could I forget that? When I’m distracted, self-absorbed, and indulgent, the smoke of incense rising up might remind me that it’s about him.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Let’s eat

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sweetyoga Justine on Unsplash

“From the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil. Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams” (Exodus 29:2-3).

This is an excerpt from the instructions for ordaining Aaron and his sons as priests. Along with a sacrificed bull and rams, the ceremony required a few loaves of bread. Sometimes I glide over these details, but this time I realized that this is about a special meal with God. It’s a fellowship meal, just like one we would have for an ordination or installation of a pastor. A lot of negotiations, workshops, conventions, training sessions, anniversaries, and celebrations all include sitting down to eat. This is just like sitting down to eat with the Lord.

As I thought more about it, I realized that the bible begins and ends with food.

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis 2:16).

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9)

There are so many significant meals in the bible.

  • Abram hosts the Lord and two angels in Genesis 18.
  • Joseph ate a meal with his brothers once they were reunited in Egypt.
  • The Lord fed his people with manna and quail in the wilderness.
  • Jesus fed the 5,000 after his teaching, hosted the Passover meal, ate with two disciples on the road to Emmaus and grilled fish on the beach with the disciples after his resurrection.
  • The father hosted a lavish banquet when his prodigal son returned home.

I can’t prove it, but I’ll bet whenever something significant happens in the bible, there’s food involved in some way.

Now that’s good news. I like to cook, bake, and eat. I guess I’m just a kingdom kind of guy!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

On eagles’ wings

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

This time through the bible I paused at Exodus 19:4.

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

I wondered, “Where did the metaphor of ‘eagles’ wings’ come from?” What did that mean to the nation of Israel? And what does it mean for us?

Another “eagle wing” reference is found in Isaiah 40:31.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The imagery is also expressed in Deuteronomy 32:10-11.

In a desert land he found him,
    in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.

From what I’ve read, the idea of eagles’ wings is an image of secure transport, lifting someone above obstacles and dangers. God displayed his power in various plagues to secure Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. As eagles seem to effortlessly ride updrafts, barely moving their wings, so God carries us through life’s challenges and difficulties. He’s our safety net, as an eagle might catch its young learning to fly.

A few weeks ago, I saw an eagle flying overhead with a fish in its talons. What a great image and reminder that we have a God who picks us up and carries us far above everything that saps our joy to abundant life!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The Lord is my strength

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

After safely crossing the Red Sea and watching God decimate the Egyptian chariots and troops, Moses and the Israelites sang, “The Lord is my strength” (Exodus 15:2).

Even before the fall into sin, people were not all-powerful. Only God is omnipotent. We were designed to be connected to his strength. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29).

Having said that, most of us work on being strong, capable, and independent. I’ve done this my whole life. So have you. With great pride we learn to feed and get dressed by ourselves. We walk, run, and drive anywhere we want to go. If we work at it, we can become stronger and smarter.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that. And there’s nothing wrong with asking God for strength.

But that’s not just what God does. It’s who he is. He is our strength. The strength he gives is meant to bring us closer to him, not enable us to live apart from him.

When Moses asked God, “What’s your name?” God replied, “I am.” He is God. There is no other. Yes, God loves. But he’s more than that. He is love. It’s a dangerous world. But he is a refuge. He is creator, father, provider, light, and life. Along with a whole lot of other things.

Much of daily renewing my mind is remembering who God is. With that in place, I remember who I am. I’m his child, I’m loved, I’m alive, and I’m strong.

Because he is my strength.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Will this be on the test?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” (Exodus 16:4-5)

A teacher can’t test on everything that’s in the book. No test will cover everything in the lecture. With that truth in mind, students ask, “Will this be on the test?”

I’ve watched classmates attempt to write down everything spoken in a lecture. I’ve seen highlighter stain every line of a textbook page. How is that helpful? Is everything important? Will everything be on the test?

God tests his people. Will they trust him? Will they follow his instructions? God’s faithful provision is on the test. Did you write that blessing down? Did you highlight that abundance?

Will that moment be on the test?

Whenever you feel like grumbling, it’s a test. Whenever you want to have a heart-to-heart with God, it’s a test. When you desire a come-to-Jesus moment with Jesus, it’s a test.

Is he faithful? Do you trust him? Can you lean on him? Is he dependable?

Those are the test questions. It’s not about what you know about God. It’s not about your performance. It’s not about your potential.

It’s just one question.

Do you trust him?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

God is good

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

“God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”

I don’t hear it as much as I used to, but it’s still pops up here and there.

It’s a truth right from the pages of scripture:

  • “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.” (Ps. 100:5)
  • “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Ps. 34:8)
  • “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

There’s plenty more where that came from.

But here’s my question. What does it mean that God is good? Ever ponder that? Ever doubt that statement? What’s so good about God. And if God is good, what difference does that make? How does that statement affect the way I view the world and people around me?

If something or someone is good, that means it’s not bad, right? That’s not much of a definition. Dictionaries offer up “of a favorable character or tendency.”

But that makes goodness subjective. Food tastes good. A tennis serve that is inside the line is good. A dog who sits on command is good. Someone who stays fit is in good shape. Someone who is happy is in a good mood. In stores you still see products rated good, better, and best, depending on how much money you want to spend. In that case, good isn’t all that great.

God’s goodness isn’t based on his performance or my opinion of him. It’s one of his attributes, just like all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal, and merciful.

God’s goodness doesn’t vary. He is still good whether you’ve had a good day or a bad day. It’s doesn’t matter if you feel good or not, he’s still good. If bad things happen, he’s still good. If you really mess up, nothing has changed. He’s still good.

In what ways do I experience the goodness of God? When do I catch a glimpse of his goodness?

A good place to start might be John 10. While there are those people and things that kill, steal, and destroy life, the good shepherd comes to give life (John 10:9,10). If sin, which we know is bad, takes life away, whatever gives life, brings us to life, and preserves life must be from God. It’s not a perfect explanation, but it’s a good place to start.

Being disciplined, learning hard lessons, and having to confess that we’re wrong never feels good. But they’re all expressions of our Father’s love for us. That’s good. Blessings that go beyond what we ask or imagine are good too. A day when nothing eventful happens might be good when the previous nine days were stressful.

How did God reveal his goodness today?