Tuesday June 12th His Name is John
Psalm 74:10-17
10 How long will the enemy mock you, God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12 But God is my King from long ago;
he brings salvation on the earth.
13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.
Reflections: The psalmist reflects on why God has waited to destroy his enemy, especially when his enemy is mocking God. He acknowledges that everything has come from God’s hand so he certainly has the power to do so. God has ruled over the chaos of the sea, governs the day and night by the sun and the moon, and order the seasons. So it is certainly not a matter of power or ability.
Sometimes when we see the events in the daily news we wonder is God still in charge. We see evil prevalent in the world and we see innocent people hurt by senseless violence. We see Christians persecuted and sometimes even put to death for their faith, especially in countries ruled by dictators (which are declining). We like the psalmist must trust in God’s sovereign will that he permits such things, but is still patient not wanting any to perish but all to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Numbers 29:7-40
The Day of Atonement
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. 8 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 9 With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 10 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 11 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
Reflections: Today we see more of the appointed sacred assemblies the Israelites were commanded to remember and participate in. The Day of Atonement was held once a year where the most high Priest would go into the holy of holies to offer sacrifices for the sin of the people. After this we see the feast of tabernacles another appointed feast where the Israelites were to different offerings each day for eight days. This was a reminder of all that God had provided and a remembrance that all came from His gracious Hand.
In the New Testament we see the end of the sacrificial system of offering bulls and lamb and grain and they were all looking forward to the once for all sacrifice of Jesus, the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. Each Sunday at the center of our worship is our remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. The Gospel is preached as a verbal reminder and the Bread and Wine are handed out as a tangible visible reminder of our Lord’s Sacrifice. Each week we are called to come back to the heart of worship which is being thankful for what God has done for us, confessing our sins and trust in Jesus, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world.
Luke 1:57-66
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?”
Reflections: As Elizabeth and Zechariah celebrate the miraculous birth of their son, there comes the all-important task of naming him. Since Zechariah could not speak, Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John!” The neighbors were surprised and turned to Zechariah, who had probably spelled this out to Mary already; and now he announces, “His name is John!”
With his obedience to the command of the angel, as promised his mouth is opened and he begins to speak praising God! The people new that something special had happened that John would be used by God for something great! Soon they would realize that he would be a prophet like no other who would announce the Coming King of Israel!
The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid." Genesis 3:9,10
Jesus said, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Mark 2:17
10 How long will the enemy mock you, God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12 But God is my King from long ago;
he brings salvation on the earth.
13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.
Reflections: The psalmist reflects on why God has waited to destroy his enemy, especially when his enemy is mocking God. He acknowledges that everything has come from God’s hand so he certainly has the power to do so. God has ruled over the chaos of the sea, governs the day and night by the sun and the moon, and order the seasons. So it is certainly not a matter of power or ability.
Sometimes when we see the events in the daily news we wonder is God still in charge. We see evil prevalent in the world and we see innocent people hurt by senseless violence. We see Christians persecuted and sometimes even put to death for their faith, especially in countries ruled by dictators (which are declining). We like the psalmist must trust in God’s sovereign will that he permits such things, but is still patient not wanting any to perish but all to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Numbers 29:7-40
The Day of Atonement
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. 8 Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 9 With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 10 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 11 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
Reflections: Today we see more of the appointed sacred assemblies the Israelites were commanded to remember and participate in. The Day of Atonement was held once a year where the most high Priest would go into the holy of holies to offer sacrifices for the sin of the people. After this we see the feast of tabernacles another appointed feast where the Israelites were to different offerings each day for eight days. This was a reminder of all that God had provided and a remembrance that all came from His gracious Hand.
In the New Testament we see the end of the sacrificial system of offering bulls and lamb and grain and they were all looking forward to the once for all sacrifice of Jesus, the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. Each Sunday at the center of our worship is our remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. The Gospel is preached as a verbal reminder and the Bread and Wine are handed out as a tangible visible reminder of our Lord’s Sacrifice. Each week we are called to come back to the heart of worship which is being thankful for what God has done for us, confessing our sins and trust in Jesus, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world.
Luke 1:57-66
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?”
Reflections: As Elizabeth and Zechariah celebrate the miraculous birth of their son, there comes the all-important task of naming him. Since Zechariah could not speak, Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John!” The neighbors were surprised and turned to Zechariah, who had probably spelled this out to Mary already; and now he announces, “His name is John!”
With his obedience to the command of the angel, as promised his mouth is opened and he begins to speak praising God! The people new that something special had happened that John would be used by God for something great! Soon they would realize that he would be a prophet like no other who would announce the Coming King of Israel!
The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid." Genesis 3:9,10
Jesus said, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Mark 2:17
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