Becoming A Bond-Servant Of Jesus

Exodus 21:5-6---And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul, and he shall serve him forever.

The Israelites had a very humane and self-respecting way of dealing with financial difficulty. If you could not make ends meet, you could sell yourself as a slave for a seven-year period. Very clear laws protected the way you were to be treated. During the seven years, you would have food and shelter. At the end of the time, you were set free with money to begin again.If you chose to stay with your master if you found that place to be more suited to you than the outside world, you could give yourself as a lifelong slave to your master. Some slaves found their master to be kind and generous, and life in their service was much more secure and meaningful than struggling to make a way for themselves. When one decided to do this, his master would take him to the door of the home. His right ear would be pierced with an awl to the doorpost. He would then be a lifelong bondservant. Why pierce the right ear? The door represents the entrance and exit to the home. Now his ear is to be attentive to the needs of this home, attending to its needs alone. Several of the writers of the New Testament refer to themselves as a love-servant of Jesus Christ. They had given themselves for life to have their ear attentive to the needs of the heavenly home. They would no longer consider a life outside in their own house but now turn all their attention to the directions given them in their new home.

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Jesus Is Willing To Reach Out And Touch You

Matthew 8:1-3---When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

The Jews lumped all types of skin diseases under one category. God had given Moses specific instruction about quarantining those who had a skin disease. They were to live apart from others. If anyone approached them they had to warn them by shouting, "Unclean!". To touch a person that had a skin disease required the one who touched them to go through a cleansing ritual to see if they had contracted the disease. This man's disease must have been quite obvious. He may have had what we call leprosy. There was no need to tell Jesus what it was that he needed cleansing from. It is hard to imagine not having the touch of another person for a long period of time. The man must have been not only suffering physically but emotionally as well. As he yelled, "Unclean!", the people parted as if an invisible wedge cleared the way to Jesus. "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." The man expressed His faith in the ability of Jesus. He called Him a master. Jesus does not have servants and great wealth. He is a different kind of lord. He is master of His creation. Then Jesus did something that required faith. He touched the man. If the man was not immediately cured, Jesus would have been considered defiled. Jesus would have to go through the cleansing ritual. Jesus responded, "I am willing. Be clean!" His touch and words made the man whole. We cannot defile Jesus. His purity overcomes our defilement. He is willing to touch and cleanse you. Are you suffering? Know that He is willing. He will touch you. His purity is greater than your defilement.

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True Life

Exodus 20:17---Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last five deal with our relationship with mankind. They are very clear outward actions like not murdering, not stealing, and not lying. Every one is an indication of a problem with the heart. This last one, however, deals directly with the desires of the heart. The Law is a schoolteacher that brings us to Christ. When we consider this last one, we realize that something in us must change. It is not an action that we do but our very desires that must change. We can want to change our desires, but new desires only come out of a new heart. A new heart can only be given to us by the indwelling life of the Son of God. He's the only One that can fix our 'wanter'. The old heart is always thinking a little more will satisfy it, but no matter how much more we get, it never does. When Jesus' life indwells us in an unhindered way, we find the problem, we call "keeping up with the Joneses", is gone. In its place is a desire for the heavenly. We are glad for the prosperity of the Jones' family, but we desire things above. "Set your affections on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1) When we sense ourselves breaking this tenth commandment, we are being warned that we are stepping out of the new life of the Lord in us and back into the old self that is motivated by greed, which is idolatry. Then we should yield again to the new life and move back into a walk in the Spirit. Is your 'wanter' fixed?

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Obey God

Exodus 19:4-6---Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Redeemed from the oppression of slavery; now what? Now obey, and you won't go back into slavery. As a people free from the things that enslave the world, they can be priests to the world. That was God's intention. He wasn't just building a little social club. Instead of becoming inwardly focused on themselves, they were placed on the trade routes of the world to be an example of what a nation led by God looked like. God was about to give them the Ten Commandments. First He asked if they wanted to accept the call. Then He instructed them, through the Law, how to be that example the world needed to see. If they could live that way, they would be priests to the world. In the days of Joshua and some of the reign of David, that was true of them. David's conquest of Israel's neighbors brought the influence of the Law to the surrounding nations. You have been redeemed from slavery too. It is not just to hang out in your church social group. It is to affect the world around you. Though you are not under the Law as your guide, you have a more intimate Instructor, the Holy Spirit. If you have dedicated yourself to being the LORD's vessel in every area of life, you will need His constant instruction to be the example the world needs. You become a priest to those your life comes in contact with, directing them to the Word of God and showing them an eternal perspective (1 Peter 2:5). You are an heir of this promise through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

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The Torn Veil

The Banner Held High

Exodus 17:12-13, 15---But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
The rod of God was in Moses' raised hands. To the Israelites, this was one of the many pictures that symbolized the power of God with them. The rod had been the instrument of destruction for Pharaoh's army. It became like a banner to them, like a flag carried before them into battle. It constantly encouraged them that the LORD was present. We need the same kind of encouragement as we go into battle, especially when it is a hard-fought battle. We find the LORD Himself to be our banner. His promises to be with us encourage us if we keep our eyes on them. But like Moses, there are times when we are physically or emotionally exhausted. It is just plain hard to keep holding the banner high. We need an Aaron and a Hur to come alongside us and help hold our hands up. That is one reason God placed us in a spiritual family. Who do you go to? It is usually those that the LORD has brought beside you at that particular time. It varies through the years so that we do not take our eyes off the banner and place them on one of these helpers. Jehovah Nissi , the LORD is my banner. If your life has been dedicated to Him, then He is your banner as you go into the battles of life. You know He will be with you. When you grow weary, look around, for He has surely brought along some brother or sister to help hold the banner high until that battle is over. Since we are in a covenant relationship with Him, our enemies are His and His enemies are ours. If God is for us, who can be against us?

The All-Sufficient Heavenly Father

Matthew 7:7-8, 12---Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Man has a tendency to act as if heaven was stingy. We go to God and ask as if His resources were limited. Our poverty in asking, seeking and knocking reflects our poverty of understanding the gracious heart of our Father. He speaks, and resources come into existence. Perhaps we have this mistaken attitude because we so often see people who will not go to Him for their needs. We refuse to hear His answer to our need, and so we continue in our impoverished ways. God is more willing to give than we are to receive. Heaven is filled with answers to prayers that are yet to be prayed. When we get a right attitude about God's attitude, we find our own attitude toward giving is changed. If I believe He desires to share His all-sufficiency with me, I have no problem sharing with others in need. Then I can do to others what I would hope that they would do to me. I don't have that greedy attitude that says I must make sure I have what I need first. Instead, I look at my lack, give to those that are in need, and go back to my heavenly Father for the replenishing of my need. With resources like that, I can give to anyone that comes my way. Jesus is giving us insight into why the Law was given. First, it should give us a new perspective of the goodness and graciousness of the love of God for man. That should cause us to love Him in return. Then, it tells us how to live with our fellow man with concern and love. Rebellion (sin) says we are not our brother's keeper. It says we are only to look after self. The spirit of the Law is loving concern for those in need. Are you walking in the Spirit?

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Complaints Against Men Are Often A Complaint Against The LORD

Exodus 16:8---Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD."

After the plagues, parting of the sea, destruction of Pharaoh's army, and provision of water at Marah, you would think the Jews would realize that it was God that delivered them and spoke to them through Moses. What does it take for us, after all, that we have seen and read, to know that it was God who spoke to us in His Son? Do we know He has been our Deliverer? The people were complaining about not having anything to eat. "Can God provide a table for us in the wilderness?" What happened to their herds? That was their wealth, but they were unwilling to see them as God's provision. God will provide quail and manna so that they may be convinced (16:6). How patient God is with us! What will it take to convince us? If we will open our manna, the Word of God, every morning and evening, we will find it is God who gives us our daily spiritual bread. Then our hearts will be convinced that it was indeed the LORD who delivered us. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." (John 6:51) "The word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14) We should collect our daily manna just as the Israelites did. The last part of that verse is an encouragement to pastors. When your pastor is preaching the Word of God and those in the church grumble against him, they are not grumbling against him, but against the LORD. Be careful whom you oppose as you may be opposing the LORD.

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Stay Focused on His Kingdom

Matthew 6:25, 33-34 ---"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In the verse just prior to this, Jesus told His disciples they had to choose between serving God and serving money. Loving one causes a detesting of the other. If you are going to rely on your own ability and what you can earn, your trust in God will fade. If you rely on God and His provision, your trust in self will fade. We all choose where we will place our faith. We may say it is of God, and yet our actions show we are relying on the money we earn. Jesus is asking a question we should consider. What is life about? What is the importance of life? Is it to be dressed nicely and eat the nicest food? Or is it about the kingdom and His righteousness? You will act on what your heart really believes. Do we live for our taste buds? Once put so plainly, we see the absurdity of it. This is the way unbelievers live. If we have come to believe in the God who desires intimate fellowship with us, then we should be living for much greater goals than food and clothes. Surely, as we live in pursuit of His kingdom and righteousness, He will take care of those things for us. How wonderful and worry free the life of the Christian should be! We have a God who provides our needs day by day. We have found life to be more than the physical. We have found that our provision is not from our ability. We may struggle and go through difficulty, but we have purpose and meaning in our life. The great Provider will provide our every need in His perfect time. Rest in Him. Trust Him to be who He declares Himself to be. Focus on the real importance of life, and your temporary lack of a physical need will seem as insignificant as it really is. Before you know it, He will meet the need.