ark of the covenant

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He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44

As I’ve progressed in the study of the Bible, I’ve learned that the entire Bible teaches us about one subject – Jesus. From beginning to end Jesus appears. He is part of the creation team, the angel of the Lord speaking to Hagar, the prophecy of Isaiah, and so much more. So, when Jesus, after His resurrection, reminds the disciples that His death fulfilled all that the Old Testament taught us we should be spurred to investigate further.

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:46-47

You can buy a Bible that only includes the New Testament. But that would be like getting dropped into the middle of a battle not knowing why it started and which side you should be on! And while there are so many great lessons and the message of salvation in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the full weight of those gifts lies in the cornerstones set in Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah and more.

It’s believed the first book of the Bible written was Job, around 2000 BC. After that the 10 Commandments and then the Book of the Law were placed in the Ark of the Covenant around 1000 BC. The New Testament books were written about 50 AD. Emperor Constantine commissioned the Codex Vaticanus, considered the original entire Bible, in 312 AD. And in 1381, John Wycliffe defied church authority and began translating the Bible into English and distributing handwritten books to laypeople. With the advent of the printing press in 1455, the Bible began its journey to being one of the most popular books ever printed.

I’m so thankful God took His Word and through man put it in this book we call the Bible. With it we can learn about His character, His promises and fulfillment of them, His expectations, His plans for us. My Bible sat for years gathering dust, not respecting its long history and those who died to make it accessible to all. It seemed unwieldy and confusing. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, teachers and the fellowship of Christians I’ve come to see the beautiful story, the amazing truth of Jesus, Son of God. The Bible is a living document, one which grows with us as we dig deeper into our faith.

Today on this great day of Thanksgiving in the United States I want to spur you to open your Bible. To read the history of our broken world. To read the entire, true story of a God who loves us. Of a God who never leaves us. Of a God who promises to deliver us from our sins. Of a God who sent His son to be sacrificed so that we will be brought home, cleaned and forgiven.

"Tell the priests who carry 
the ark of the covenant: "When 
you reach the edge of the Jordan's 
waters, go and stand in it." 
Joshua 3:8

I was once asked by God to take on a year-long project. It wasn’t my idea. I hadn’t even been thinking about it. I recognized His request immediately as a test of my growth of faithfulness. What I have found is so many of us worry that we will look/sound silly, weird, or even crazy if we obey God’s directives.

Think about Joshua leading millions of Israelites into the promised land. He gets told by God to stand in the Jordan river with the ark of the covenant — which at that time of the year was at flood stage. The ark was their most valuable commodity and here was this “lunatic” telling the priests to go stand in the water with it.

What I have also found is that when, not only myself, but others obey God and set aside our pride, we don’t look foolish. We look victorious. We are victorious.

When I finally set aside my pride when it came to my relationship with my younger daughter, God smiled on us and created something I could have only imagined. We were victorious.

"But on Mount Zion will be 
deliverance; it will be holy, 
and Jacob will possess his 
inheritance." 
Obadiah 1:17

I want that victory for you. God wants to share in victory WITH you. So listen to His Word, hear His voice and step forward ready to win your battles.

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The Bible

A Tiny Message #7