This promise is kept

Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

When I began writing here at The Racket News™, I made a promise to my wife that I would use my writing to glorify God. It’s not always easy to keep that promise, for much of what I write here is politics, and writing about politics is the equivalent of rolling in the sewer. Really, for every hour I spend writing about it, I should spend six hours praying and reading the Bible. It’s easy to see how many Christians have the opposite ratio, but I won’t go into that today.

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

Moses went up Mount Sinai (Horeb), in Exodus chapter 19. There was thunder, and fire, and violent shaking of the earth. Then God spoke the Ten Commandments. The Israelites could hear God’s voice, but could not see God through the smoke. Moses stayed up on the mountain, receiving God’s law on all manner of things, while the people sinned and made a golden calf below. Moses came down to the people and God entreated him to “leave me alone so that I may destroy them.” Moses defended the people to God and reminded God of his promises.

Moses offered himself in place of God destroying the Israelites. He asked God to forgive them, or to “blot me out of the book you have written.” God replied that He would blot out the sinners.

Then in Exodus chapter 33, God told Moses: “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” Again, Moses argued with God, saying “How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

God agreed to go with the people. Then Moses asked something astonishing. “Now show me your glory.” After all the time Moses had spent meeting with God, on the mountaintop, in the tent of meeting, in the cloud, he had heard God’s voice, seen his finger, but never his glory.

God said: “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But, he said, “ you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

God placed Moses in “a cleft in the rock” and covered him with God’s hand “until I have passed by.” God said, “Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Moses, following God’s instructions, made new stone tablets, as he had thrown down the first set God carved with His finger. Then Moses once again asked God to “go with us” and “forgive our wickedness and our sin.” The Lord replied.

Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

God’s name is Jealous. He will not suffer His people worshiping other gods. And He is jealous for His people.

In John chapter 14, Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Then Jesus said if you don’t believe that he is in the Father and the Father is in him (meaning Jesus is God), then “at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” Jesus goes on to say that whoever believes in Him does the works of God, and even “greater things than these,” because Jesus goes to the Father.

Jesus said the Father will send “the Spirit of truth.”

The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit lives in those who believe in Christ. But the Spirit merely leads, He does not compel. It is up to we who believe to keep our promise. Paul ends his epistle to the Philippians with this:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Jesus said in Matthew 16, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

I see a lot of Christians arguing over doctrine: whether women should teach or be called “pastor,” whether certain cultural or political views should sway our faith and compassion on each other. I see Christians actively mocking and denigrating other human beings, who are made in the image of God. I see those who are outside the faith mocking what is sin in the eyes of a Jealous God, and those who claim that God worshiping their own god, while calling down the wrath of the Lord.

To these things, I say: keep your promise. Take up your cross. Keep your promise.