Morning, November 27 Go To Evening Reading
“Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord.”
—Zechariah 3:1
In Joshua the high priest, we see a picture of every child of God who has been made nigh by the blood of Christ, has been taught to minister in holy things, and enter into that which is within the veil. Jesus has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth, we exercise the priesthood of consecrated living and hallowed service. But this high priest is said to be “standing before the angel of the Lord,” that is, standing to minister. This should be the perpetual position of every true believer. Every place is now God’s temple, and his people can as truly serve him in their daily employments as in his house. They are to be constantly “ministering,” offering the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise, and presenting themselves as a “living sacrifice.” But notice where Joshua stands to minister; it is before the angel of Jehovah. It is only through a mediator that we poor, defiled ones can ever become priests unto God. I present what I have before the messenger, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus, and through him, my prayers find acceptance wrapped up in his prayers; my praises become sweet as they are bound up with bundles of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia from Christ’s own garden. If I can bring him nothing but my tears, he will put them with his own tears in his own bottle, for he once wept; if I can get him nothing but my groans and sighs, he will accept these as an acceptable sacrifice, for he once was broken in heart, and sighed heavily in spirit. Standing in him, I am born in the Beloved, and all my polluted works, though only objects of divine abhorrence, are so received that God smelleth a sweet savor. He is content, and I am blessed. See, then, the position of the Christian—“a priest—standing—before the angel of the Lord.”
Go To Morning Reading Evening, November 27
“The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
—Ephesians 1:7
Could there be a sweeter word in any language than “forgiveness” when it sounds in a guilty sinner’s ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, forever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and forever? Hell is my portion as a sinner—there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me—can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison house ever be loosed from their mortices or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be apparent. Forever blessed be the revelation of atoning love, which tells me that pardon is possible and that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even though Jesus was crucified, and therefore, my sins are now forgiven forever by his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who, of his unpurchased love, became my surety and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive forever! Here is a constellation of wonders, and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.
Spurgeon, C. H. Morning and Evening: Daily Readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896. Print.
November 27: When Hezekiah Gave Away the Farm
2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Ephesians 2:1–3:21; Proverbs 8:19–26
After the announcement that Hezekiah “did right in the eyes of Yahweh,” the next description comes as a surprise: “At that time, Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Yahweh and the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave them to the king of Assyria” (2 Kgs 18:3, 16).
For a moment, Hezekiah was a strong king over Israel—he abolished idolatry and refused to obey the king of Assyria (2 Kgs 18:4, 7). As 2 Kings 18:6 describes, “He held on to Yahweh; he did not depart from following him, and he kept his commands that Yahweh had commanded Moses.” But Hezekiah did not possess fortitude (see 2 Kgs 18:13–18). To gain peace, he gave away treasures and pieces of Yahweh’s temple itself (2 Kgs 18:15–16).
We’ve all been in situations where it’s tempting to do anything for peace. Perhaps we’ve even compromised our ethics or values in these moments. But no matter the situation, giving away the farm like Hezekiah did is never the answer. Politicians often talk about “peace at all costs,” but our world is a whole of dilemmas that don’t allow that option.
When desperate situations arise, we must have fortitude. We must seek solace in God and His will instead of giving in. If we decide based on the circumstances, it will be wrong. If we choose based on prayer, we will make the correct moves.
Hezekiah could have relied on God when Sennacherib came knocking on his door and knocking down the cities of Judah, but he didn’t. He paid a high price for his decision; the cost was his relationship with Yahweh. Even death is preferable to that.
Sometimes, our decisions are more important than we realize because they may involve our relationship with God. We must let that relationship drive our decision-making. Rather than being distracted by fear, anxiety, pressure, or even concern for anyone else, we must focus on God and His will; He alone will look out for us and others. We must allow Him to act.
What decisions do you need God’s intercession for?
John D. Barry
Barry, John D., and Rebecca Kruyswijk. Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Print.
November 27th
The consecration of spiritual energy
By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Gal. 6:14.
If I brood on the Cross of Christ, I do not become a subjective pietist interested in my own whiteness; I become dominantly concentrated on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor an ascetic; He did not cut Himself off from society but inwardly disconnected. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. He was so much in the ordinary world that the religious people of His day called Him a glutton and a wine-bibber. Our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual energy.
The counterfeit of consecration is the conscious cutting off of things with the idea of storing spiritual power for later use, but that is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has spoiled the sin of a great many, yet there is no emancipation, no fullness in their lives. The kind of religious life we see abroad today is entirely different from the robust holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” We are to be in the world but not of it; to be disconnected fundamentally, not externally.
We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual energy. Consecration is our part, sanctification is God’s part, and we have deliberately determined to be interested in only what God is interested in. The way to solve perplexing problems is to ask—‘Is this the kind of thing which Jesus Christ is interested in, or the kind of thing the spirit that is the antipodes of Jesus is interested in?’
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering, 1986. Print.
November 27
These have turned the world upside down.… None of these things move me
Acts 17:6; Acts 20:24
The men that move the world are the ones who do not let the world drag them.
Selected
Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.
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