The House of the LORD

The following are thoughts inspired by an act of God today, and represent my personal understanding of scripture.

One of our favorite Psalms, Psalm 23, is one in which David understood the blessing of relationship with God -  that it was not a thing solely about being happy and having material rewards. He believed with all his heart that being in relationship with the God of Creation, with Yahweh Elohim was the true and utmost blessing of his life. (Psalm 18:1-3; Psalm 136, 139)

David also understood - as we must today - that the House of the LORD was an expression and gift of God to His people as a place of worship and praise to God, a beneficial, encouraging exhortation of how to show God's love to one another. It was a place of learning, and the center of schooling corporately in the way of God and the importance of learning to trust God. It was a place where they would spiritually meet with God uniquely and see His glory.

David's love for God's House was not a matter of a particular room or space per se - he saw the entire house as God's dwelling! (Psalm 26:8; 93:5; 134:1-2; 135:1-3)

My recent experiences in the role of caring for God's House has been enlightening. Just a few minutes ago, God opened my mind to the broader understanding of what it means to be in the House of the LORD, to be a caretaker - a steward - of His House. I dropped everything else I was doing (my stomach is demanding food, but that can wait!), and hurried to write these things down before the concerns of the day overwhelmed.

There are 'perspectives' within our house of worship held by a number of persons as to what is "important" in God's House. One group honors as 'sacred only' their meeting space, where they pray and praise, to the extent that anything that is not considered holy or used in worship must be considered profane and removed from the space and put into another part of the building that the group considers less than holy, but where others need to meet to commune with God and to worship Him. There are some who consider the single, most holy part of the building is the place where the altar sits under or next to the cross, with the second place being the sacristy (a room that holds sacred implements of worship). Everything else is, for them, regarded as less holy or perhaps not even considered to be in the camp of holy. 

But God said that His House was holy - not just some of the square footage, but all of it! (compare Psalm 122; Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Kings 8:6-11; 1 Chronicles 26:27; Psalm 26:8; Psalm 116:18-19) David knew that truth. David also knew that it was God's House - not ours; God owns it and God provided it. For whatever reason, we have allowed our personal biased viewpoints to lead us into actions, attitudes, activities - or lack thereof, that dishonor God's House, and we may not even be aware we are doing it. Yes, the sanctuary altar is where we offer sacrifices to God, praise Him, bless Him, seek His face during solemn worship. In ancient Israel's Tabernacle and later the Temple in the Most Holy room, God's presence would be evidenced by a cloud of smoke above and/or within those holiest rooms. The Most Holy is referred to as the Holiest of Holies, conveying that all of the House itself was a holy place, with spaces assigned for varying acts of worship and service. During the exile of the Jews by Babylon, profiteers (the main ones mentioned by Nehemiah are Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem [2:19]) came into Jerusalem and set up camp. When the priests and others were released from captivity and ensued upon the project to build a temple that would replace the one Solomon built, which had been destroyed completely, the completed project yielded the fleshing out of the plans that God had given Ezekiel (chapters 40-44) to give to those upon whom the assignment to rebuild rested. The profiteers tried to halt the work through "shenanigans" which failed; yet, would at an opportune time seize on the chance to use God's House for their selfish gains: taking rooms appointed for the priestly activities and turning them into boarding rooms for profit and gain, with the assistance of a dishonest priest. Misusing and desecrating selected spaces within the building defiled God's entire House. (Nehemiah 13:1-14)

Again, the entire building is God's House; He does not lay claim to only a portion of it - all of it is His. He is the one who deems it holy before Himself. He is the gifter/provider; we are to be the stewards of the whole House. No ifs, ands, or buts. To do otherwise, is either a passive or deliberate offense and defilement of God's House. (compare Nehemiah 13:11) Sure, we are not perfect and we may forget or get busy with other things, but if we, regardless of what church we may belong to, are being reminded frequently that we are needed to be hands and feet for Christ, and continue to shrug it off, it should make us take stock of where priorities lie. God may be calling us to steward even a small fragment of what needs to take place, but if we shut up our ears and dull ourselves to that call, we will never know the special blessing that comes with that request. (compare Matthew 25:14-30) So whether it is in a sanctuary or place of corporate prayer, in a classroom, in a storage space, in a remote part of the building used by stewards of the plate offerings, in the restrooms, in a meeting room, in an office space, in the hallways, the courtyard, the parking lot - it is ALL part of God's House. To neglect any part, to cheapen its intent, is an offense - intentional or otherwise. To 'trash' or disrespect any space by leaving the space neglected or unclean, or to leave it in a run-down condition is an offense. To willfully deface any part of the building is an offense. To dismiss the maintenance and stewardship of any of the spaces is an offense. An offense to God!

So, this awareness should give anyone whom God has blessed with a dedicated building for worship and fellowship in praise and thanksgiving cause to pause: whether the building is by lease or ownership, and regardless of what denomination, but one that claims Christ, and where God has provided His people with a building as a launching pad for greater witness and service within the surrounding community - how are we responding to this gift? Do we see it as a reminder of Whose we are and all of what He has made us stewards of? Does it expand in our hearts and minds deep gratitude, the comprehension of what it means to glorify God in His House and in our lives? 

Consider that the physical building is to reflect the building up of God's spiritual house stone by living stone, and vice versa. We who are called by God to serve and be adopted as children are individually living stones, but when placed one beside the other we become built into the Spiritual House of God. No stone is lesser than the other!! (1 Peter 2:4-10; Ephesians 1:3-14,17-23)

IT IS HIS HOUSE - ALL OF IT!  We cannot love one space and disregard or hold profane another.  We must ask ourselves: what does this mean to me, for me, and about me? Am I thinking like David and seeking to dwell in the House of the LORD, where His Name dwells, to worship, honor and praise Him for the gift of relationship and of a special building made available by Him no matter how old or new, that He has set aside for us to revere Him in? Or, am I thinking like Sanballat and crew and dismiss, even desecrate, the holiness of God represented in the building and misuse it, rejecting the stewardship of it?

Let this be our prayer: I love you LORD with my whole heart, my whole mind, my whole soul! Thank you for the gift of your House to us where we can come together in assembly and serve and worshp you, because you deserve all praise and honor and glory! No act of worship is too small to you, Almighty God and Father, no service in your House and among your people too little when it is from the heart. Father, your mercy and goodness in my life are like the grains of sand at the seashore -- who can count all the moments of grace and favor you bestow? In your House, we will raise holy hands; we shall use those hands of praise to be stewards of all that you have gifted us with - both physical and spiritual to your glory and by your grace. Lord, may I never fail to praise you; let me dwell in your house, the house of the Lord forever, may I never turn away from your presence. Amen.

"My people perish..." - Passage Citation and the Relevance of the Camp Lejeune Story

 

“My people perish…”

    If you are just now ‘tuning in’, please find a copy of the email I sent to the worship community at my blog link: https://mycuprunnethover14.blogspot.com/2023/06/my-people-perish-can-you-complete-bible.html  

Hosea 4:6 is the passage that was partially quoted:  “My people are perishing/destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  A simple Google search of what scripture passage tells us that God said His people will perish could have helped an interested person find the answer quickly. Ancient words, yes, but eternally true! Don’t make the same mistake that God’s people made in the past, but, rather, allow those ancient words from God’s eternal Word to change you, your children and your children's children. You see, God is serious about, protective of us, and has radical love for those who are called by His name to know Him and His ways and Word. This past Sunday, the Pastor preached on that relationship factor in our lives.

 

In the true story about Camp Lejeune, the people died from lack of knowledge. They did not know that their water supply was poisoned by toxic chemicals that activated dormant cancer cells or caused new cancers within individuals.  Back then, as now, even the best water filters cannot filter out all toxic substances. They did not know the real reason why they were getting sick and dying. Back then, the fight against cancer was ongoing like it is now; new cancers and their causes took longer to identify and to source. In some cases, that is still very true. The people who lived at, worked at, visited regularly, or otherwise had constant contact with the base at Camp Lejeune and drank its coffee, tea, used ice cubes, or ate food from there that was cooked with the contaminated water had no idea what they were consuming. They lacked the knowledge about why they were becoming ill and dying. They did not know. And, sadly, it is suspected that the knowledge of how the water was being contaminated was not told to the people and the public immediately. Those who had the knowledge or were given the information did not respond to the urgency of what that knowledge and information implied. Thus, thousands of lives were ruined, people died because of the lack of knowledge. The excruciating suffering of thousands and their deaths were the horrific consequences of the lack of knowledge. 

    Here is a brief background to the quotation from Hosea 4, verse 6: God’s prophet Hosea had one of the most challenging assignments as a prophet. Because the majority of God’s people in the nations of Israel and Judah had turned to idol worship, had rejected God’s law for generations, God called Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife to illustrate the unfaithfulness of His people. God’s people had lost interest in things of God; they had turned His festivals into drunken celebrations and mixed in with it worship of foreign gods. The foreign gods from the countries around them fascinated God’s people because of the carnal natures they

represented and promoted. Some of God's people even offered their children to the god Molech as burnt offerings, in order to appease the deity. God had warned His people from “Day 1” (Deuteronomy 27-29) of the consequences of worshiping other gods. Yet, they did not heed God’s warnings, no doubt some of them counting on the game of "sketchy repentance for a while to get blessings from Yahweh," a game that they played way too often and actually thought God was stupid enough to believe! As a result, the majority of the people perished or were destroyed because they rejected both God and the knowledge and counsel of God: Who He is, what He says, and what He requires. In 721 B.C., the northern nation of Israel was destroyed and those who survived the siege were hauled away like cattle. Outlying parts of Judah were also terrorized; a number of Judah’s kings chose to ally themselves with foreign countries and pay tribute to their gods for help, and eventually setting up idols in God’s temple for the people to worship. Thus, a little over one hundred years later, the Babylonian empire destroyed Judah, demolishing the temple and carrying off what was left of its treasures that the Judean kings had not offered to foreign gods and governments.

[It is interesting and compelling to me personally, even knowing why, that God would create a people, a nation upon whom He desired to pour out unheard of blessings and favors, yet knowing that a large number of those in the nation would reject God and His Word. And, that He would permanently record those experiences so that generations to come would have all the warning and information needed for a reasonable person to consider. ]

    Here we are in the 21^st century, surrounded by idols and culture very much like God’s people in Hosea’s day. Inside of God’s Church today, as it was with the called out people of God in Hosea's day, idolatry still takes place. Idols do not have to be statues or pictures of ‘gods’. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our life. What might some idols be? Some have made their careers an idol – they have placed their careers in a position where their lives are consumed by it – they eat, drink and sleep – as the saying goes – their jobs. Everything else becomes second. Perhaps sports and similar activities have become an idol – how many hours a day are spent doing or watching sports, working out, etc.? A number have made devices their idols – so that they have become addicted to their phones and other communication or gaming devices; there are some youths that have had murder in their hearts when parents or persons in authority have taken away their devices. Pride and self-interest, and social media have become idols – several hours are spent on self-absorbed activity and/or on social media sites; many surf and scroll through their media sites/text messages, or gaming during times of worship. Pride exalts oneself as the supreme authority – ignoring, rejecting, and sometimes berating God and His Word as outdated or not modern enough, and persons who are prideful are easily offended. Family, certain cultural traditions that do not align with the Word of God; entertainments; money, cigarettes – tobacco and marijuana, vaping; cocaine and other drugs that produce psychotropic effects; sex and all versions of carnality including promoting sexuality through appearance, through speech, etc.; gossip. These and other behaviors and actions are the toxic things that persons professing Christ have allowed into their own lives that have supplanted or caused over a course of time and repetition, a rejection of God and His Word. The Jewish nations were engaging in the 8^th, 7^th, and 6^th century B.C. versions of the 21st century noted above. To use an old saying – same dance, different instrument. God has told the Church and members of it that there is no excuse for not knowing Him, and that those who falsely claim to know Him will be unknown by Him.  

  In the catechism contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith, we are told that “The purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” We who have been saved and who are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit continually are a new creation of God - a people created by God and for God. Thus, we are obliged, very privileged to commune with God daily – through His Word, through prayer and praise, and service. What if all of God’s people did this? What would the Church look like? What would be the same? What would be different? God has called each member of His Church to be a priest – that is, one who offers worship to God, glorifies Him, serves Him, serves others. In 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 1-12 we read about our identity in Christ. Did anyone who is reading this and who is a part of God’s Church know that the calling of God on all of His people was to be a priest? This is not to be confused with the terms used by denominations to describe clergy or ministerial leaders. The priesthood that God has called all His people to is one based on the knowledge and authority of God and His Word, and the purposes and commandments of
how to live out our faith in that role as described in Peter's letter. 

    Just as in the days of Hosea, the devil, satan, knows scripture better than many churchgoers or persons professing Christianity. Some people shirk off reading and studying scripture because what God says in it is the opposite of what they want to do, and/or they think that God’s Word is so old-fashioned, that it has little to do with our lives today. And that is just the position that the devil wants us in. That is why so many churchgoers are filled with false knowledge, why so many barely resemble Christ in their thoughts, actions, and character. They do not know or they choose to reject knowledge of God and His Word, and instead seek to glorify self, satisfy self by whatever means at hand, and even do so in a way that they think they are giving God praise and worship!

    Sadly, Hosea’s warnings are going unread and unheard - even in His Church. God's Word is being 'reinterpreted', being changed, out of the mouths of those who have chosen to rebel against God. Those who solely self-identify as people of God in their own eyes are perishing, because they are ignorantly rejecting God and snubbing His Word for reasons such as told to me: "I already went to Sunday School when I was a kid", "I don't want to be embarrassed because I don't know as much as other people", "I don't have time; I'm a mother and stay busy", among other seemingly 'good reasons'. The rejection continues despite how many times they have heard it and have even been in the company of those who are anointed by God's Holy Spirit; the sad  consequences of which are always eternal if repentance does not occur. Those victims in Camp Lejeune did not know and were not told that the water was contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. They did not know why they kept getting sick. It would be decades before the truth came to light, and persons were made knowledgeable about their situation. Unlike humans, God has not withheld the truth from anyone. It has been spoken and recorded in His Word for thousands of years. Anything we face and encounter today has been illustrated, spoken to, and has had principles established for it within the pages of scripture; the Bible doesn't have to be made relevant - it has always been relevant to any and every generation. We who disbelieve or who want something more palatable are the ones that are irrelevant before God! That should make us shake in our boots. 

Today, as you read God’s Word, heed the warning God has given through Hosea. Repent of the choice to reject God and His Word, and seek forgiveness and mercy from God. Ask Him to show you His cleansing truth and allow you to experience it, to address your needs and situation, to answer your questions, to draw closer to Him.  

 "O that today you would hear His voice and not harden your hearts!" (paraphrased from Hebrews 4:7)  

 

  

"My People Perish ..." can you complete the Bible verse?

[This was sent to a youth group at my church for them to contemplate.]

Following is a true story.

If you have done any serious TV watching over the past year, you will have seen a commercial about a place called Camp Lejeune. It is a sad story. (Information below derived from several postings by local governments, veterans' groups, the Bladder Cancer Society, et. al.)

From the 1950s through the 1980s, people – Marines, their families, contract employees, visiting military, etc. living or working/regularly visiting the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to and/or poisoned by contaminated drinking water. The water contaminants were toxic: industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. Benzene is a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar and petroleum, and used in chemical synthesis, i.e., causing or producing a chemical reaction. An example of that is the combination of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) to produce sodium chloride (NaCl). Its use as a solvent has been reduced because it was discovered later to contain carcinogenic or cancer-causing properties that could prove mortally compromising if breathed in, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. However, in the 1950s through the 1980s in Lejeune, North Carolina, persons were ignorant of this and other toxins that had entered into the eating and drinking environment and sources: the water used for making urns and urns of coffee, making pots and pots of tea, making pitchers full of lemonade or iced tea; of boiling vegetables and meat in, of making baby formulas with. Over a period of 30-plus years. There is a saying that you may have heard before – “ignorance is bliss”, but for the hundreds, if not thousands of persons ingesting or otherwise exposed to the Camp’s water, bliss was not in their future.

The impact of the toxins was not immediate; but over the course of time, large numbers of persons connected to the military were presenting with differing cancers and conditions: bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, different blood cancers – including leukemia and aplastic anemia, lung cancers, liver cancer, lymphoma, female infertility, Parkinson’s disease, and more. It has not been officially confirmed when the military ‘discovered’ this disastrous situation (it has been reported that it only became aware of the issue in 1985), but when research into the commonalities of the patients over the course of decades came to light, people who were still alive or who had relatives and friends who had succumbed to the cancers they had contracted as a result of the poisoned waters, were stunned. How many survived is unknown, but the number of deaths and the amount of suffering caused by the poisoning were monumental.

Can you imagine – all of those people were walking around with ‘time bombs’ in their bodies because they did not know. Friends and families consoling each other through years of pain and suffering - theirs and others who spent time at the base. They did not know that the water was poisoned. They did not know that the cause of their cancers and other fatal health issues was caused by drinking the same water that they took their medicines with that were supposed to combat the cancers growing in their bodies. They suffered and died because they did not know. The dead people will not be able to be compensated – no money will bring them back. No successful court battle will take away the years of pain and suffering. They died not knowing why.

As I said, this is a true story, and so very sad. Its ramifications are still being felt. Families who had members who lived and died during the 1960s through present will never be able to reconcile the inconceivable idea that their beloved were poisoned in the course of their work. So, one may say, “that is sad – but I didn’t have any relatives or know anybody who had that experience.”

That is quite true – you may not have had anyone with whom you share DNA or was a family friend who suffered as a result of the poisoned water. But that is not the point of this story.

Can you figure out what is the point, and what it has to do with the partial quote in the subject line? Will anyone be able to figure it out?

Results will be posted in a few days.