Tag: bible

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Something that lasts

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Maximus Beaumont on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Deuteronomy 29.

How many things have you owned for forty years? I’ve a sauce pan and some mixing bowls that were part of a set of Revere Ware my parents gave me for my first apartment after college. I bought my trumpet forty-five years ago. I’ve got a hammer, some screwdrivers, and a couple of wrenches I know I’ve had in my tool bag for decades.

I like to point out that sometimes God provides by letting your stuff last a long time. Getting seventeen years out of a hot water heater or 80,000 miles out of a set of tires is the kind of blessing God mentions in Deuteronomy:

“I have led you in the wilderness for forty years; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot” (Deuteronomy 29:5).

I know, they don’t make things like they used to. I’ve gotten used to replacing things every few years, not expecting them to last very long. So when something does last, I take note and give thanks!

Another batch of indestructible dog toys is due in the mail today or tomorrow. My dogs annihilated the last batch and the replacements they sent in a matter of minutes. At least they’ve grown out of chewing up my sandals, so maybe I’ll be able to wear them for a while. (But probably not forty years.)

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Listen to him

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Deuteronomy 18.

Not sure how to fix, open, replace, decorate, or operate something? You and I find someone on YouTube who shows you how. I’ve learned how to disassemble my oven door to clean the glass, patch up holes in the wall, build a raised garden, compost, make sourdough bread, and replace a computer battery.

Apparently, the pagan culture of Canaan turned to divination, soothsayers, interpreters of omens, sorcerers, mediums, spiritists, and those who consulted the dead to figure out life (Deuteronomy 18:10,11). In his pre-conquest pep talk, Moses says, “Don’t do those things. God hates that stuff.” Instead, consult the Lord. How?

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

God spoke to his people through Moses who spent time in the presence of the Lord on Sinai and then passed along God’s instructions. Subsequently, God sent people – prophets – to speak for him. Each pointed to the ultimate prophet, Jesus, who physically embodied God’s word.

Many Christians have questions they intend to ask Jesus when they get to see him face-to-face. That’s a good thing. Lately, though, I’ve shared that Jesus may not answer all your questions. In the bible, Jesus answers questions with other questions or a story. I just want you to be ready for that.

Plus, when you finally do get to heaven, it’s going to be so amazing that you’ll forget all your questions. When Jesus asks, “Do you have any questions,” I’ll probably respond, “Never mind. It wasn’t important.”

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

From temple service to retirement: Lessons from the Levites

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Numbers 8.

“You’re too young to retire!”

Yeah, I’ve heard that a few times since my retirement from full time pastoral ministry two years ago.

  • I heard that from people who took early retirement in their fifties.
  • I heard that from folks who didn’t even know how old I was.
  • I heard that from a few who were still working well into their seventies.
  • I heard that from some who simply didn’t want me to retire.

Sometimes I would reply with the Lord’s instructions to Moses, “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work anymore” (Numbers 8:24,25). I often got a puzzled look from those who didn’t know what a Levite was. Whatever.

I detect a double standard there. It’s fine to retire from other occupations but not from church work. If you’re called to be a pastor, you’re in it for life. But if you’re called to be an engineer, a roofer, a police officer, or a graphic designer, retirement is expected.

A Levite engaged in tabernacle or temple work when he was twenty-five and retired at age fifty. Theirs was not an easy job. The Levites attended to the daily, weekly, monthly, and festival sacrifices of Israel. They cared for the facilities and equipment, the oil, incense, and bread, played music and sang songs, and collected the animals, grain and wine used for worship.

I’ve found retirement to be surprisingly busy. My time is filled with grandparenting, writing, teaching, travel, learning, reading, home improvement, and baking. I’ve added new dogs, new friends, new neighbors, and new grandchildren to the adventure, blessings, and joy of life.

Too young to retire? Too old to keep working? I’m not sure you can put a number to it. It’s better to take it one day at a time.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Ew. That looks like mold.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nancy Hughes on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Leviticus 14.

As soon as the water receded, they moved in. Volunteers from all over the country showed up and started mucking out homes that had been under three feet of hurricane storm surge water. Once the sheetrock gets wet, the mold will begin to grow in a humid Florida climate.

If you’re not familiar, “mucking” means ripping out any and all the walls that have been underwater. If you don’t do that, the mold will grow. It will grow behind the walls. It will grow quickly. It will contaminate the air in your home. Before you know it, you’re sneezing, coughing, and sniffing from the black mold growing in your home.

In the bible, it’s the priest’s job to deal with the mold in your home.

“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I put a spot of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘Something like a spot of leprosy has become visible to me in the house.’ The priest shall then command that they empty the house before the priest goes in to look at the spot, so that everything in the house need not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to look at the house” (Leviticus 14:34-36).

I’ve sat in homes that made me sneeze, sniffle, and cough. Maybe it was the cat. Maybe it was the garbage. It could have been the dirty carpet. Mold? Maybe. Maybe it was something else. All I know is that it wasn’t healthy.

God cares about your physical and spiritual health. And sometimes that means you need to clean up whatever is making you sneeze, sniffle, or cough.

Our church had to deal with some roof leaks. A member stopped attending worship, claiming that some of the carpet had gotten wet and moldy. We analyzed the air, replaced the carpet, and fixed the roof. That member never came back to church. Even though the pastor (the priest) said it was all good. Go figure.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Are you going to eat that?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Leviticus 11.

At least once a month, lunch at the fraternity featured, “BLT – down all the way!” as Randy would mimic his favorite New York deli. I have to admit that we Gentiles made sure our Jewish brothers witnessed how much we enjoyed bacon as they settled for other leftovers.

I’m not saying they were devout. I only ever saw them go to synagogue on Yom Kippur. They didn’t eat pizza for the first three days of Passover week before they caved. None of my Jewish friends could explain the story of Hanukkah in December. But they drew the line at bacon and rare roast beef. I know, that’s not blood in rare roast beef, but that’s what they claimed they were avoiding. I would imagine they grew up in homes where those foods were avoided. (We Christians weren’t especially devout at college, either.)

Leviticus 11 is filled with dietary laws. Pork was unclean and off-limits for Israel. Swimming fish were fine, but shellfish was prohibited. It was OK to east locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. What about lizards? Nope. No roadkill, either.

I find it interesting that holiness, at least in this context, was determined by your choice of food and contact with a dead animal. In hindsight, we know that may of these rules were for health reasons. They distanced God’s people from the pagan culture around them, who didn’t have as many regulations.

I read with interest those restaurants shut down by the health department. Sometimes, I’ll think, “Didn’t we eat there just last week?” I try not to think about that.

As New Testament believers, no foods are off limits (Acts 10). But I still try to distance myself from artificial sweeteners, chemicals, and processed food, along with too much fast food. I feel better, and feel better taking care of a body the bible calls a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Something smells good

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Oskar Kadaksoo on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Leviticus 1.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Leviticus. Supportive friends have thanked me for these “through the bible” devotions. Back in Genesis, I told them, “We’ll see how it goes when we get to Leviticus.” Many “I’m going to read the bible” endeavors get out of the blocks fast in Genesis, plod through Exodus, and stall out in Leviticus.

However, the last few times through the bible, I’ve found the guidelines for sacrifices, ordination of priests, foods, festivals, and holiness to be fascinating. So I’m going to share my thoughts with you. I dare you to hang in there with me.

So much changed when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020. There was so much we didn’t know. There was a lot of misinformation, too. I never knew there were so many epidemiologists in my congregation! Everyone had expert opinions on communicable diseases, masks, and immunizations.

To the relief of some, the dismay of others, and the anger of a few, we shut the doors of the church and learned how to stream worship into our homes. As I preached to an iPhone camera on a tripod in an empty sanctuary, I wondered if anyone was watching or listening.

Suddenly, we didn’t have to get up, shower, dress, and drive to church on Sunday morning. We could worship virtually via a streaming device in pajamas as we ate breakfast at the dining room table.

It was convenient. But it wasn’t the same. We didn’t have the chance to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen for a week. For better or worse, our singing voices stood out rather than blending in with others. We missed the flock!

God lays out instructions for worship in Leviticus. “When anyone of you brings an offering to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:2), it was to be done in a certain place (not your tent or home) and a specific way. With humility and obedience, worshipers focused on God without creativity or personal preference. In other words, it wasn’t about you, but about about the Lord. The whole community did this together.

Worship cost you something. Worship cost you a bull, a sheep or a goat, or if you were poor, a couple of birds. As you laid your hands on the offering, you identified with that gift, giving yourself to the Lord. After all, God doesn’t want some thing from you. He wants you. He desires a relationship with you. He loves you.

Worship in the Old Testament points to Christ, who will be the ultimate sacrifice. The blood of beasts foreshadowed the blood of Christ shed on the cross which truly covers all our sin. “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:2).

It smells amazing when I’m walking around the block and catch a whiff of someone grilling meat on the back porch. In the same way, these burnt offerings were a “soothing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9,13,17). Something smells good because Jesus gave his life for us!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Roadtrip

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Carolina Rincon on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 40.

Where do you feel closest to God? It could be a church building. But would that be an empty sanctuary, or one filled with people?

I’ve experienced both. Sometimes it was an early Sunday morning before anyone else arrived for worship. Just me and God. Other times, God was there in a room full of people gathered for worship.

Some feel close to God on a clear, starry night. Or on a path through the woods where there’s little to hear other than their own footsteps.

I’ve felt close to the Creator holding a newborn in my arms. Or sitting next to someone taking their last few breaths on earth.

When Moses set up the tabernacle, “the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). God was as close as he could get, day and night, living in a tent set up in the center of all the other tents of the nation of Israel.

Can you imagine God living in an RV? He’d be hooked up for the night just like everyone else. All those sacrifices being burnt on the altar? It’s the aroma of meat on his grill wafting through the campground. The lampstands are his camping string lights. You might run into him at the camp store or in the laundry room.

I love picturing God on the road with his people.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Good job!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

A “through the bible devotion” from Exodus 36-39.

“I bought a table (chair, shelf, credenza, or other piece of furniture). It’s arriving tomorrow.”

I know what that means. It means a box full of furniture parts packed in cardboard and styrofoam that I will be putting together.

I make these moments into a game. I know how most of the boards and hardware fit together. But how quickly can I complete the project?

Bezalel and Oholiab and a team of craftsmen have projects to assemble in Exodus 36-39. Reading these chapters is like watching them assemble tables and altars, curtains and garments, poles and bases, and incense and oil.

When they were finished, we read, “According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work” (Exodus 39:42).

What? They followed God’s instructions? They were obedient? That doesn’t happen very often. Moses even says, “Good job!” (He blessed them for it in verse 43.) I’ll bet he was relieved after the whole golden calf thing a few chapters before.

Do you think you’ll ever get a “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Only by the grace of God.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What’s your backup plan?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Changbok Ko on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 32.

The room was filled with random conversations as students continued to shuffle into the lecture hall and find a seat. Most were looking at their phones, a few unfolded laptops, and others pulled lunch sandwiches from takeout boxes. Some were laughing. One had his hood-covered head down on the desk, eyes closed. Many scrolled through emails and social media.

After about ten minutes, when no professor or teaching assistant had arrived, each student packed up their stuff and left. No one was upset or concerned as they wandered off to do something else.

Not long into the exodus from Egypt, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Where’s Moses?” He went up the mountain to talk to God in the cloud, but “we don’t know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1). The people quickly assume, “I guess we’re going to need some new gods.” Everyone pitches in some jewelry, Aaron makes a calf of gold, similar to a Canaanite god, and they create their own religious ritual and festivities.

It’s hard to believe the nation of Israel so quickly goes off the rails. But not if you ask yourself, “What’s my backup plan” when God takes too long to answer prayer? Or when I lose confidence in his presence, provision, or protection? What cultural gods take his place?

Everyone’s got a golden calf of some kind. We all hedge our bets. Work harder. Get a second opinion. Eat comfort food. Go shopping. Ask for a prescription. Quit.

And that’s after about forty minutes. Moses was up on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

None of those things are necessarily bad. But why not, as Air1 Radio puts it, “Worship through it?”

After Aaron makes the golden calf, the people “got up early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings;” and the people “sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to engage in lewd behavior” (Exodus 32:6).

Why not enter his gates with thanksgiving, offer up a sacrifice of praise, and wait to see what God’s going to do next? Why not approach his throne of grace, where we find grace? Why not keep our eyes on Jesus?

Having a rough day? Bored? Stressed? Restless? Sounds like an opportunity for worship.