“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ‘for our God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29; Deuteronomy 4:24).

There are several worship songs that include reference to God being a consuming fire. Have you stopped to think about what this means? We have studied the attributes of God: He is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, never changing, loving, just, merciful, to name a few. But what I have not read in the Bible is that God is our friend. I cannot find it. What I do find repeatedly is that God is holy. In fact, the angels sing that he is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. FYI, repetition for emphasis. His holiness means that he is perfect and cannot tolerate sin.

Everyone who has ever lived will stand before God in judgment. We speak of longing to see God, to meet him face to face. But are we ready for that?

• When God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, God told him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. When Moses sought his presence again, God agreed but assured him that Moses would not be able to stand seeing His Glory. God allowed Moses to see his back as Moses waited in the cleft of the rock covered with God’s hand, and even then, Moses was so filled with God’ s glory that he glowed. (Exodus 33:18-23, 34:29-30).
• I cannot even begin to imagine Job as God spoke to him out of the whirlwind (Job 38:41). Just imagine the power of God’s voice as he speaks these words, as some say the most intense in the Bible. Think about that for a minute! Or a lifetime!! (Recommendation: Listen to this passage on the YouVersion Bible app).

God is a consuming fire because he is holy, pure, and cannot tolerate sin. His consuming fire burns up anything unholy. As our deliverer, He allows us to witness his power as He subdues our enemies.

• Moses to the Israelites as they are about to enter the Promised Land: “But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you” (Deuteronomy 9:3).
• Elijah at the showdown at Mt. Carmel, destroying the altar of Baal: “’Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they feel prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:37-39).
• Isaiah: “See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire…. The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice    and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm, and hail.” (Isaiah 30:27, 30).

The more I think about it, the more I tremble. Where is my hope?

It did not start out that way. God walked with Adam and Eve, until they sinned. Then he banished them from the Garden, yes as punishment, but also as mercy. He had to separate himself from them so that they would not be consumed; through their sin they also brought death to mankind.

• “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6).
• “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27).
• “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Enter Jesus.

• “…so, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28).
• “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Everyone who has ever lived will stand before God in judgment. I tremble at the thought. I am so thankful for my Lord and Savior. God, in His mercy, sent a way for us to be reconciled to him.

Praise God we know where our Hope is. God may not be our friend, but he is our Father. God may not be our friend, but he sent His Son to be our friend. Out of His perfect love for us, in keeping with his Just nature, he extended Mercy to us by giving—in the sacrificial sense—His son to take the punishment for our sins that we rightfully deserve. Not only that, he raised His Righteous Son from death to lead the way for all of us to also experience the Resurrection, eternal life in Him.

This gift is free. We do nothing to deserve it. In fact, it is because we do not deserve it that it is a gift, a gift of mercy. However, we must receive it. If I offer you a free ride to work and you tell me you do not need it, you might find another way to get where you want to go. But not in this case. If you do not accept God’s offer of Jesus’ life in payment for your sins, then you will only get as far as Judgment, then your destination will be eternal separation from God.

As wonderful as eternity with God is the fact that once we accept Jesus as our Savior, he covers us with his righteousness. That means that immediately, when God looks at us, he does not see our sin. He sees the righteousness of his Son. He can look at us, and we can more fully experience his majesty. God wants this for you. I want this for you. Your brothers and sisters in Christ want this for you. I hope that we all want this so much for all our friends and family that we will look for opportunities to share this truth.

In Christ,

Judy

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

Would you believe that when I wrote the first Chaplain’s corner in this series that I did not plan on it being a series? I thought it would be stand-alone. Then, because of some Bible studies I am currently participating in, I felt led to write the second one published last week, thinking that would be the final one. And then, because of these continuing Bible studies and my pastor’s sermon this past Sunday, all of which are based on the same scriptures, this devotion just presented itself to me as a natural next in the series. God’s Word is like no other, and the continuity of the message and what we can learn about God through His Word continue to amaze, delight me, and transform me, as I hope it will you.

In the first of the series, we learned about God’s provision for Elijah during a famine that was prophesied by God through Moses all the way back in Deuteronomy 11. In the second of the series, we learned how Elijah, like Moses before him, met God on Mt. Sinai, and how God graciously revealed himself to him. Both Moses and Elijah had been frustrated because of the idolatry of the Israelites. This message is a fitting example of the beautiful and meaningful threads that God weaves through the Scriptures, helping us to learn more about God and the big story of the Bible – Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.

Now we fast forward to when Elijah is nearing the end of his ministry and will be passing the baton to Elisha, who has been his servant/prophet-in-training for about eighteen years. Elijah and Elisha are coming from Jericho, preparing to cross the Jordan River. “Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground” (2 Kings 2:8). Elijah was taken, and Elisha succeeded Elijah and the lead prophet. Does that sound familiar? Maybe similar to when, upon reaching the banks of the Jordan River, Moses died, and Joshua who had been his second-in-command took over as God parted the water (Joshua 3:14-17).

Not only that, but we also read in the New Testament that John the Baptist, as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah, began his ministry of baptism for repentance, proclaiming Jesus. Jesus then came to him at that same Jordan River to be baptized and to begin his ministry, to which John explained “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:28b-30).

• God called Moses to lead his people. He died and no one even knows where he was buried (Deuteronomy 34:5-8). Joshua assumed the responsibility of leading the people of Israel. “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So, the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:9).
• God called Elijah to speak out against idolatry. He was taken to heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Elisha then assumed the cloak of Elijah and continued his ministry. “Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.” (2 Kings 2:13-14).
• God called John the Baptist to prophesy about the coming Messiah. “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:1-4). While we know where John the Baptist is said to be buried, Jesus rose from his tomb and at the appointed time, “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51).

God created us to be in relationship with Him. But then, beginning with Adam and Eve sinning in the Garden, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). And it is not just Adam and Eve. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So, God in His justice must punish our sin. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27a). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a).

But praise God that is not the end of the verse! “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). God in love and mercy wants to pursue and reconcile us back to him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

Adam and Eve sinned. God pursued their idolatrous descendants in the wilderness through Moses; he pursued their idolatrous descendants amid pagan worship through Elijah; and he pursues us today through Jesus Christ, our Savior. All we must do is believe.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

In Christ,

Judy

“Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken” (Psalm 62:6).

Last week we learned about God’s provision for Elijah, a famous Old Testament prophet. Elijah lived through an especially difficult time–during the reign of Ahab, the most wicked king of Israel. We do not know anything about Elijah except that he was from Tishbe (I know, I have never heard of it either). And we know that God called him to be his mouthpiece to Ahab. His first assignment was to tell Ahab that there would be no dew nor rain for the next few years. That was not a good assignment. Then God sent him into hiding as we read about last week (1 Kings 17).

While in hiding, God miraculously provided for him, first by being fed by ravens (yuck) and then by a pagan widow woman who herself would have starved had not God used her to sustain Elijah through the miraculous jar of flour and jug of oil that did not run dry for about three years. During that time, the woman’s son died, and Elijah brought him back to life, the first instance in the Bible of someone brought back to life. There was no precedence for this; there was no way that Elijah could fail to see God’s miraculous power.

Then, God told Elijah to go to Ahab to tell him that rain was coming; so, Elijah went, only to be greeted by Ahab as “the troubler of Israel” (this being Elijah, not Ahab). 1 Kings 18 is where we find the fantastic showdown on Mt. Carmel where Elijah, prophet of God, challenges the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to see who had the power to bring fire to consume their sacrifice. Elijah even sabotaged his own altar by flooding it with water before calling down fire from God. The pagan prophets did everything including cutting themselves, to no avail. However, when Elijah called upon his God, “the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (v. 38). And guess what: rain came!!! Elijah was so excited that he ran all the way to Jezreel (about 31 miles) to tell Queen Jezebel (Ahab had been at the showdown and had seen it for himself). Elijah told Jezebel what had happened, and she threated him with his life. Unbelievable!

Elijah then told wicked Queen Jezebel exactly what he thought of her death threat. NOT. No, Elijah, who had been encouraged by God to confront the most wicked King Ahab, who had experienced multiple life-giving miracles, and who had been empowered to show up 950 pagan prophets at Mt. Carmel, “was afraid and ran for his life.” He ran all the way to Beersheba (more than 100 miles) and sat under a broom tree praying to God to take his life (1 Kings 19:3-4). And what did God do? God again met him in his need. God sent him food and water, allowed him to sleep, then brought him to Mt. Horeb. And there, Elijah went into a cave and spent the night (v.9).

Here is where we see beautiful threads that weave throughout the Bible, showing God at work with his people. Mt. Horeb is another name for Mt. Sinai, where God brought Moses after he led the Israelites out of Egypt heading toward the Promised Land. Moses had already been to the top and had received the Law, only to go down and find that the people had given up and were worshipping a golden calf. Moses was extremely frustrated and told God that they could not journey on without the LORD’s presence.

God called Moses and Elijah to meet him on the top of the mountain to reveal to them his glory.

Here is the passage from Exodus 33:19-23; 34:5-9 – ^“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. ^‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.’ Then the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’”

Here is the passage from 1 Kings 18:11-13 – “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

Moses was hidden in the cleft of the Rock. Elijah was hidden in the cave, hewn out of Rock. Is it any wonder then, that Jesus, the Rock of our salvation, at his Transfiguration, “…took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-3).

Moses and Elijah were great men, but they were only men, with fears and frustrations just like you and me. Mountaintop experiences followed by the gutter. But, just like Moses and Elijah, when we seek His face, when we call on His name, He will be found by us, He is faithful to provide for us and sustain us and is gracious to show us His glory and allow us to join with Him in His work.

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” Deuteronomy 4:29).

In Christ,

Judy