Brown's Daily Word 10-20-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. I trust you had a blessed weekend of rest and renewal through worship, witness and fellowship. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Exodus 33, where the LORD said to Moses, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." To understand what this means, we need to look at the phrase "My Presence" and at the word "rest". "My Presence": The actual word in the Hebrew language is "face." So the LORD's promise to Moses is, "My Face will go with you." In the Bible it is the face that identifies a person. Furthermore, a face reveals a person's emotions, moods, and dispositions. A "hard" face, for instance, indicates hatred, defiance, ruthlessness. A "shining" face is evidence of joy. A "shamed" face points to defeat, frustration, humiliation. "A "flaming" face is one convulsed by terror. An "evil" face is a face marked by distress and anxiety. A "fallen" face stems from very strong anger or displeasure. To make a person's face "sweet" is to seek his favor. The phrase "to hide one's face" means to show disgust or displeasure. And, "to turn away the face" is to reject. Conversely, "to raise the face" of another is to show favor, respect, and acceptance. When it comes to God, His Face stands for His whole being, character, and attributes. All that God is – eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty, wise, just, good, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness and rebellion and sin (Ex 34:6,7) – is represented by His Face. Also, all that God does – creation, providence, redemption – is represented by His Face. The Face of God stands for all the fullness of His being and ways. The Face of God shows that He loves us in Christ. "My Face will go with you." Moses, of all people, realized the awesomeness of this. Among the children of Israel the presence of God was represented by a "pillar of cloud" or "pillar of fire" (33:9; 13:21). It was that presence which led Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, and it was that same presence which drowned Pharaoh and his army. It was the glory of that presence which made the face of Moses so radiant that all the people were afraid to come near him (34:30). It was a presence both awesome and terrifying at the same time. Don't forget what God said: "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (vs 20). "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." The Face of God means rest. The Biblical word "rest" does not mean an afternoon nap. It does not mean an arm chair at the end of a long day. It does not mean a lawn chair on a sunny Summer afternoon. It does not mean a hot-tub or Jacuzzi after an hour of vigorous exercise. Rest means shalom, peace from enemies, security, a state of well-being, When it comes right down to it, "rest" points to victory and salvation in Christ, for only then can the people of God have shalom, well-being, comfort, security. In saying, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest", God was showing Himself to be compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (34:6,7). The Face of God in the midst of His people is a sign of His grace, favor, good-will. The absence of God's face instead, means His curse, displeasure, and anger. "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." During this week, will the Face of God be with us? During this week, will we strive for a closer walk with God? During this week may we all experience shalom, well-being, comfort, security.

In Christ,
Brown

Lawns & God
GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.
ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn theyfall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about ...
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.