The Right Thing at the Right Time

Luke 10:38-42

Let’s revisit the lady from yesterday’s devotion: Mary of Bethany. This time, we go into her home to a moment that we mentioned previously, where Martha works in the kitchen while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. There are some powerful truths contained in this scene, and we need a fresh revelation of each one.

To “sit at the feet” was sometimes a literal term, denoting physical position, but most often it meant to learn in a one-on-one setting. Paul uses this term of himself when he gives as a portion of his biography that he was brought up “at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3), meaning that Gamaliel had served as his teacher. Mary is going to the highest school in the world: the feet of Jesus!

While sitting at Jesus’ feet, she also “heard His word” (Luke 10:39). When Jesus spoke, His words were “spirit” and “life” (John 6:63). His words washed clean the disciples (John 15:3), and the soldiers sent by the High Priest to arrest Him were instead arrested by His words, stating “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). You and I, His church, have ourselves sanctified and cleansed by “the washing of water by the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). In other words, when He speaks, you feel clean.

“But Martha was cumbered about much serving” (Luke 10:40). The Greek word for “serving” is often translated “ministry” in the New Testament, meaning that what she was doing in preparing food for the Master was a form of ministry, which is of course honorable. The problem is found in the Greek definition of “cumbered” which is the word ‘perispao’. It means “distracted”. Martha’s “ministry” had her so distracted that she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. The very one whom she is working so hard to impress is sitting in her front room. While there is nothing wrong with cooking the meal, there is something wrong with letting the meal cook you!

Ministry is an awesome lifestyle; I thank God every day that He chose me for this high honor. However, when ministry becomes all about “doing” and not about “being”, then we have become distracted with serving. These feelings lead us to wonder if our Jesus even loves us anymore, when like Martha we ask, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40). What a trick of the devil to cause us to believe that our Lord is anything less than caring and loving. How often has Satan used the workings of ministry to distract the minister from the love of Jesus?

When the Lord wants to get your attention with love and affection, He simply says your name twice, “Martha, Martha” (verse 41). How wonderful to hear our name on the lips of our Savior! All of our cares and troubles just fly out the window when we have Jesus turn His face our way.

“One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part” (verse 42). The most needful thing in the world is for people to sit at the feet of Jesus, casting all of their sorrows and cares onto Him so that He can wash them off with the water of His words. To Martha, this seemed like the wrong time to be relaxing when there was so much work to be done. Jesus is not advocating laziness; on the contrary, He is encouraging us to do the right thing at the right time, even when everyone else is fretting over everything else. This resting at Jesus’ feet leads Mary to anoint Jesus’ body for burial before He even dies (see yesterday’s devotion), for Mary is the only one that believes that His body will not be in the tomb for post-burial anointing. The right thing at the right time leads us to be one step ahead of everyone else in our business, our families, and our finances and in our decisions; and all of that from a little time at the feet of Jesus!

Memorial for a Woman

Mark 14:3-9

Mary of Bethany, who was also sister to Martha and Lazarus, came to visit Jesus in the house of Simon the leper during a stop by the Master in her village. She brought with her an alabaster box of ointment, containing precious spikenard, which was the head of an East Indian plant whose juice was used in the most expensive of ointments. The use of this ointment was traditionally to refresh and exhilarate; much needed things in the close, heated quarters of the Middle East.

Though Mark tells us that “some…had indignation within themselves”, John’s version of the story tells us that there was one spokesman for the indignant: Judas Iscariot (John 12:4). The very one who will soon betray Jesus speaks out so boldly against an obvious act of worship. He is an example of many within the church world today who follows Jesus from a distance; close in proximity to church services but far away in their hearts.

Too many times we view things which speak of His loveliness and His glory as being “wasteful”, while other things that can put on more of a show are applauded. There is never fault to be found with people resting at the feet of Jesus, basking in His love for them.

Jesus reveals the true purpose behind Mary’s worship in verse 8, telling us that she was anointing Him for His burial. There was a tradition in that part of the world of entering into the burial tomb several days after the death to anoint the body with fragrances, prolonging the stench of decay. This is precisely what another Mary was intent upon doing on Resurrection Morning when she noticed that His tomb was empty (John 20:11). Mary of Bethany believes that Jesus will rise again, thus His body will not be in the tomb to be anointed. She wants an opportunity to anoint Him, so she knows that it must be done before His death, for afterwards it will be too late. What revelation she has! Though His own disciples walk and talk with Him every day, they are caught off guard when His tomb is found empty (John 20:9).

This act of worship by Mary has entered the pages of human history, and Jesus promised that it would do so as a memorial to her (Mark 14:9). Every time that we read this story, we are struck by the faith of a woman who would have been considered on the fringe of the life of Jesus. She listened intently at His feet while her sister labored in the kitchen; but Jesus said what she did was “needful” (Luke 10:42). She was at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, and heard Jesus say to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Her faith had grown as she listened to His words; oh that our faith would do the same!

You and I may not be able to sit at the physical feet of Jesus and we may not have the means to purchase the most expensive of gifts; but neither of these things provide security anyhow (Judas sat close, and look at him!). We have something better; we have Christ in us as the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We are a sweet smelling savor to God, and as His children, we are the most expensive ointment in the universe. Take a moment today and give Him glory, and may it be a memorial to who you are in Jesus for all of time.

The Four Types of Ground

Matthew 13:3-9

The parable of the sower is found in 3 of the 4 gospels (John being the lone exception), and it speaks volumes of the evangelistic approach of Christ’s finished work. In miniature, the story of the sower shows us the various responses that people might have towards Jesus, and it gives us deep insight into some of the finer points of the gospel message.

Let’s look at each of the four types of ground (4 being God’s number of creation), and how the seed either makes it to fruition or dies. Remember that the “sower went forth to sow”, meaning that Christ has gone out into the world to recruit. The types of ground are the hearts of the hearers.

1. Wayside (verse 4) – The wayside is the place where seed would fall under foot and wheel, having no chance to take root, much less to grow. Jesus said that this person does not understand the gospel (verse 19). No matter how simple that we make Jesus, some people are still not going to have their hearts tuned towards knowing of His love and favor. The wicked one (Satan) comes in and takes the seed away with Mark using the word “immediately” (Mark 4:15). He uses the fowls to eat the seed, with the fowls representing lost humanity (Luke 13:19), meaning that oftentimes the gospel seed is destroyed in people’s lives by their friends and family members who actually talk them out of meeting Christ.

2. Stony Places (verse 5, 6) – The stony places, “had not much earth” meaning that there is very little faith in the heart of the hearer. Mark uses the word “immediately” again (Mark 4:16), this time to show how quickly the person receives the Word, and “gladness” to show their attitude. This individual is excited about what they hear but they have little “depth of earth”. When the sun comes up they are “scorched” and they wither away. Mark goes into more depth saying that “when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended” (Mark 4:17). This person has received the good news of Jesus but they have not kept their eyes on His loveliness. When they meet troubles and afflictions, they do not know how to cope with these situations for they have already taken their eyes off of His loveliness.

3. Thorns (verse 7) – Thorns are never good, and Matthew gives us very little description, telling us that they “sprung up, and choked them”. There is some depth in the word “them” however, as we have been talking about seed. Obviously, the seed has taken root and they are now a believer, as the text does not say the thorns choked “it” (the seed), but rather “them” (the believer). Mark describes the thorns as the “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things” (Mark 4:19). This describes a believer who has been overwhelmed by the cares of this life and has allowed the things of the world to choke out the wonderful grace and favor of our Lord’s finished work. Remember, Jesus bore the crown of thorns (cares of this life) in His head, so that the cares of this life would never have to press against your mind.

4. Good ground (verse 8) – Those in good ground (strong faith) will “hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit” (Mark 4:20). This is the believer who has accepted Christ and has a favorable opinion of who God is. They bring forth all of the fruit that a believer should bring forth with quantities varying from believer to believer, “some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold”.

Don’t be discouraged if all of the seed that you toss does not land on “good ground”. Some will be swallowed up by the enemy, while others will find open hearts that need a growth of faith. Still others will be consumed by people that desperately want Jesus, but the cares of this life press them until they run away from the very one that they should run to. Let’s lift Jesus higher so that the stony ground and thorny ground believers around us start producing the fruit that they were saved to produce.

Filthy Rags

Isaiah 64:6

The believer has been made clean through the blood of Jesus Christ and His Word spoken into us and over us (John 15:3), but if you want to see what we look like without His finished work in our lives, then read this verse from Isaiah:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). This does not paint us in a very good light, comparing us to a “thing”, which is nameless and without identity but most certainly “unclean”. All of our attempts at goodness and holiness are as “filthy rags”, meaning that there is nothing that we can do that is considered “godly” or “good”.

Note the author’s use of “righteousnesses” in the plural, as opposed to the singular form of the word “righteousness”. This denotes more than one deed, and in fact, encompasses all of our efforts at goodness. Every individual act of righteousness that we perform is seen as a filthy rag. Why is this?

Most believers would have no problem accepting that each of their sins were as filthy rags, but to see their righteous acts as filthy would offend their sensibilities. The filthy rag of Isaiah 64 has a much deeper meaning in Hebrew as it represents the used menstrual cloth of a woman. This cloth is good for nothing and should be discarded and destroyed. What a striking example of man’s attempts at goodness!

When the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus, she had already tried everything the world had to offer and “was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:26). Her constant bleeding meant that she had produced many “filthy rags” which sets her as a type of the believer living in self-righteousness. One touch of the Master and her bleeding stopped, freeing her from her works. One encounter with God’s grace (Jesus Christ) will make all attempts at self-righteousness seem silly and wasteful.

Another example of our righteousness is brought out in Isaiah 64:6, where we see that “we all do fade as a leaf”. Again, the Bible has already set the precedent for the leaf earlier in Genesis, when Adam clothed himself in an apron of fig leaves after he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:7). This usage of fig leaves to cover nakedness makes the mention of leaves throughout the word represent man’s efforts at clothing over his sinful state. Any act of righteousness on our part that we do to get God’s approval, anointing, blessing, etc, is an “apron of fig leaves”.

The fig leaf is huge when it is on the tree, which is probably why Adam chose that particular leaf, but once it is disconnected from the branch it begins to lose moisture, eventually shrinking in the hot sun. As the day progressed, that which Adam had put on to cover his sin began to shrink in the light of the Sun of Righteousness; just as all of our righteousnesses will always do.

Remove the works of righteousness that you have added to your life to try and get God’s attention. He is already paying attention to you through the finished work of Jesus. His righteousness is in you, producing out of you, righteous acts. He took your sin so you can take His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21); don’t mess it up by offering Him your righteousness instead of your sin.

Dressed In Our Best

Isaiah 61:10

Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. She fantasizes about her wedding party, her bridesmaids, the church, and the guests and of course, that perfect groom. Of all of her intricate details that she works out in her head, probably none are as important to her as finding and wearing that perfect wedding dress. The dress represents the culmination of the entire day; beautiful, pure and perfect.

When God clothes His saints, He does so with the very best garments, not unlike our wedding day attire. In Isaiah 61:10, we find what we are covered over with and the comparisons to brides and grooms are fitting due to the fact that all of us dress our very best on our wedding day. As God looks at us, He sees us in the best garments which are given to us by the righteousness that is in Jesus Christ. Let’s look closer at these garments as Isaiah lists them:

“Clothed me with garments of salvation” – It’s Hebrew meaning is closer to “He has covered me over with deliverance and victory”. The believer is literally dressed up in the delivering power of the cross.

“Covered me with the robe of righteousness” – Singular “righteousness”, not plural “righteousness’s” as in Isaiah 64:6. It is not indicating that we are covered over when we DO righteousness, but rather that we are always covered over by a robe of HIS righteousness. This is the same garment that the Father has placed upon the prodigal son when he returns home (Luke 15:22), identifying him as his Father’s son.

“As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments” – The Hebrew word for “decks” is the same word used to describe the ministry of a priest. This illustration shows us the seriousness that is in this attire. The “ornaments” are better translated “beauty”, as it is the same word used earlier in the chapter to show what Jesus came to do: “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes…” (Isaiah 61:3).

“As a bride adorns herself with her jewels” – Did you know that there is no Hebrew word for “wife”? This is due to the fact that God always views the woman as a “bride”, for this is when she is at her loveliest. You are the “bride of Christ”, not the “wife of Christ”, for Jesus sees you in your best every moment of every day. Even when you know that you are not at your best, no worries, He still sees you as a bride on her wedding day. Hallelujah!

Believer, be blessed today with the knowledge that your Heavenly Father has clothed you over with deliverance and victory and that when He sees you, He sees the very best thing about you: Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

The Standard Lifted Up

Isaiah 59:19

I recall hearing several sermons on the lifting up of the standard when I was growing up in the church. It was often a rallying cry in a revival to bring holiness and sanctification back to the church that was drifting into worldliness and apathy. “Lift up the standard” came to be known as changing the shows that you watched; the way that you dressed; the words that you used and the people that you were associated with. “Our standards are too low” meant that we had lowered our convictions and sin was in the camp.

Having grown older both in years and in the wisdom of the Word, I have found that some of those commonly preached ideas were based on Bible verses, but the context was missing that would have given clarity to the scripture. The “standard” that Isaiah 59:19 tells us will be lifted up has nothing whatsoever to do with our works of righteousness, for the verse clearly states “the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to lift this “standard”; not mine! That is good news, but what is the “standard”?

In this particular verse, the standard is translated as “being taken away by flight”, meaning that the Spirit of the Lord takes us to safety. Other Hebrew translations of the standard have it as a large military banner which was held at the front of a column of troops or dwellings. In Israel, the tribes encamped 3 tribes deep on each of the four sides of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, using the standard as their plumb line so to speak. The standard would be on a long pole so that it could be hoisted high above the crowds.

Hebrew Rabbinical tradition says that the four large standards that were held up to mark the four segments of tents had different pictures on each standard. One had a picture of an eagle; one an ox; one a man and one a lion. This makes sense as these four pictures make up the four faces of the creature in heaven that Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezekiel 1:10), and the one that John saw on Patmos (Revelation 4:7). In truth, these were not four distinct beasts, but they were the embodiment of Jesus Christ, whose character is each of these four representations.

When the enemy comes at you like a flood, the Holy Spirit, who is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12) will lift up the standard against him. The standard shows forth the nature and character of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit knows nothing but to glorify Christ (John 16:14). As the face of Jesus is raised in front of the enemy, he must back away due to the finished work of the cross.

The standard that is raised will always warm and comfort you; not condemn and vilify you. If the message of “lift the standard” that you are hearing involves your works, and it condemns you and makes you feel inferior, then it is most assuredly not the workings of the Holy Spirit. The first mention of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s great letter to the church at Rome finds Him spreading the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5). If He spreads love and He lifts up the standard of Jesus in the face of the enemy, it stands to reason that this standard must be one of great love, right?

Let’s let the Bible answer the question for us. The Hebrew word for “standard” is ‘degel’ and it is found 14 times in the Old Testament. Thirteen times it is translated “standard”, but there is one time where it is uniquely translated as “banner”. Notice how the Holy Spirit glorifies the standard of Jesus and protects you with love both at the same time:

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Our Rear Guard

Isaiah 58:8

When Israel encamped in the wilderness, they were to position their tents facing the tabernacle. Four straight lines pointed out from each direction on the compass from the tabernacle, with 3 tribes lined up single file on each side, all twelve in total. Considering the largeness of the tribe of Judah, one side of the tabernacle tended to run longer than the other three sides, giving the encampment of Israel the appearance of a massive cross sprawled across the valley.

Each tent flap opened facing the back of the tent in front of it with all of them pointing toward the centerpiece which was the Tabernacle of Moses. Ascending from the back of the tabernacle would be a cloud by day and a fire by night, marking the position of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place at the rear of the tabernacle. The cloud and the fire were types and shadows of God the Father and God the Son, providing shelter and direction for the Children of Israel.

The tabernacle itself was also an Old Testament type of our Lord Jesus Christ. His outer appearance was nothing special, just as the skins of badgers and goats held no appeal. But on the inside was shining gold and the light of heaven. The blood on the altar typified Christ’s death at the cross, while the showbread was His body; the candlestick is His light and the incense is Christ as a sweet smelling savor before the Lord. All things speak of Jesus, thus all eyes were to face Jesus. As Israel looked to the center, they were “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Strangely enough, there was never a record of Israel being attacked by an enemy while they were encamped around the Tabernacle. It would have made perfect military sense to combat them while they were encamped, for their backs were facing their enemies and they never put sentries or guards to warn them of coming danger. Only a foolish army would camp facing away from their enemy and have no way of knowing when or if that enemy was marching against them. Rest assured Israel was no foolish army!

As Israel faced inward towards the Tabernacle, God worked a mighty miracle behind them. Isaiah 52:12 promised that the Lord would both go before Israel and be their “rereward”. That old English word is better translated “rear-guard”, and it shows us how God provided for Israel’s safety from every direction. As the Lord is out in front of us, drawing our eyes towards His beauty and loveliness, He is acting as our rear-guard, ensuring us safety from the attacks that we do not even see coming.

A wonderful promise of the New Covenant, following the death of Christ on Calvary is that our “health shall spring forth speedily” and that our “righteousness” will go out before us (Isaiah 58:8). As the New Covenant believer sees the beauty of Jesus, His health and righteousness spring out of us and go before us. We begin to be defined by the very righteousness that Jesus carried while on this earth due to the fact that at the cross He traded that righteousness to us for all of our sins.

See your Savior in this manner and you are promised that “the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). The more that you see Jesus as your provision, the more that the Lord protects you from the attack that you didn’t even know was there. Thank Him today for all of the things that He has held back; things that you never even saw coming.