When God draws near, things change. Natural laws of science bow. The earth quakes. People prostrate themselves. Yet, in the record of human history God is also compassionate and desiring of intimacy with us who He created. In mercy He develops relationship and causes His great name to be known. The following is a guide for meditation, the first of two for Easter. Not all of the details are given, but each Scripture is meant to cause your mind to remember its context and God's place in the moment. Take time to think, to remember, to mull over who He is and what He has done.
Then the LORD God...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence...(Gen 3:8)
Noah was a blameless man, righteous in his time. Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:9)
And He took [Abraham] outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars if you are able to count them...So shall your descendants be." (Gen 16:5)
"Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel..." (Gen 32:28)
"God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by great deliverance." (Gen 45:7)
"...remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
"...when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Ex 12:13)
Now Mt. Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire...and the whole mountain quaked violently. (Ex 19:18)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses..."you shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." (Leviticus 19:1-2)
But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon [a stone idol] had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. (1 Samuel 5:4)
Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you." (1 Chronicles 17:2)
One thing I have asked from the LORD...
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life (Psalm 27:4)
Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
But to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of your truth. (Psalm 115:1)
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple... "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips..." (Isaiah 6:1,5)
"Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations! For you have played the harlot, forsaking your God." (Hosea 9:1)
"Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" (Daniel 3:25)
When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter... (Esther 5:2)
Then you will know that I am the LORD when I have dealt with you for My name's sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds..." (Ezekiel 40:44)
"But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall." (Malachi 4:2)
For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the LORD of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5)
Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted...
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many
And interceded for the transgressors. (Isaiah 52:13; 53:12)
...as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel,
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity. (Micah 5:2)
"Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." (Luke 1:30-31)
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:20)
"...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)
...magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2: 1-2)
The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40)
He had no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. (Isaiah 53:2)
And the devil said to Him, "I will give you all this domain and its glory...if you worship before me it shall all be Yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." (Luke 4:6-8)
He opened His mouth and began to teach them... (Matt 5:2)
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men." (Luke 5:10)
"I have come in my Father's name..." (John 5:43)
And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." (Luke 5:13)
"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal...This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:27-29)
And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion;" for many demons had entered the man. (Luke 8:30)
And Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things." (Mark 11:29)
"Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)
"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:14)
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him do death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the thrid day He will be raised up." (Matthew 20:18-19)
Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:5)
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)
...And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood... (Luke 22:44)
"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will but as You will." (Matthew 26:39)
...The one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceeding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. (Luke 22:47)
They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him... (John 19:17-18)
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised,and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him.
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall upon Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:3-7)
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon the land, until the ninth hour. (Matthew 27:45)
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. (v. 50)
And behold the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (v. 51)
Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:43)
No comments:
Post a Comment