by Eric Holter on September 1, 2009
Psalm 50 is a sobering Psalm. Right off the bat it positions the Lord as judge over all the earth. In the first 15 verses God summons his people and delivers a surprising rebuke. They had been offering sacrifices rightly enough, according to God’s own statues. So his rebuke is not so much for that. Yet in another sense it was–for even when sacrificing properly, they were not honoring God. He reminded them that he owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. Therefore, they couldn’t give to God anything that He did not already own. And in receiving these sacrifices, which were already his, he does not receive them as though he needed them–he wasn’t hungry for meat and blood.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on August 10, 2009
The gospel message about what Christ has done for us on the cross is great not only because of what it tells us about what God did for us in the past. It’s increasingly glorious in what it produces in us now and in its promises for our future. [click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on July 22, 2009
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15
I am often guilty of the evil boasting of arrogance that presumptuously declares where I will go and what I will do as though such things were in my control. I’ve been trying to obey the instruction that James gives about not boasting, but instead saying “if the Lord wills” I will do such and such. But I noticed something in my most recent reading of this passage. James doesn’t just tell us to say “if the Lord wills we will do this or that,” he says “if the Lord wills we will live and do this or that.” [click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on May 30, 2007
“Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’ and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.’” John 11:4
There are, on God’s palette, many colors and shades from which He chooses when painting the canvas upon which His glory is revealed. They are not all bright rainbow colors. Among His supplies are earthy browns, dark umber hues, grays, and blacks that, when painted by the master, fall perfectly into His bright design.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on April 5, 2007
“Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith…” Philippians 1:25
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon bemoans the futility of man’s attempts to “make progress”” during his days under the sun. Whatever “progress” I may attain in my life, for my generation, will eventually be undone. A new discovery or significant contribution will be forgotten over time or replaced by a newer one. That’s not to say that God does not intend for mankind to make progress. Quite the opposite, He has commanded us to progress–to subdue the earth and multiply in it.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on February 5, 2007
Exodus Chapters 32 and 33
I try to maintain twin objectives in my day-to-day spiritual life. They run parallel to each other, like train tracks. If one or the other is lacking, bent, or damaged, my spiritual life tends to derail. One track is the daily mortification of sin, and the other is actively pursuing the glory of God in Christ. Seeing and knowing God is the positive and ultimate goal, but killing sin is the necessary and often more tangible exercise I engage in. Killing sin does not equal seeing God, nor does success in battle automatically result in a view of the glory of God. But, failure to mortify sin is certainly an effective preventor of seeing and delighting in God’s glory.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on January 5, 2007
“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.”
Exodus 29:37
“For we are the temple of the living God…”
2 Corinthians 6:16
Such incredible care was taken in the preparation, ordination and consecration of Aaron, his sons, and the altar for their use in the sacrificial ministry. These processes included washing procedures, proper clothes, the acceptable characteristics of the animals used, and how each of the animal’s inner parts were to be offered. These procedures and processes had to be followed perfectly when ministering in the tent of meeting. Once consecrated, the altar was most holy. Anything used in connection with the altar, whatever touched the altar, was holy and consecrated for use only on the altar. Consecrated holy things must not be used in common ways. They must be handled with reverence and care. The knife used to cut apart the ram must not be used to prepare a meal. The knife of the altar may only be used at the altar. Treating holy things as common or despising the procedures given for the altar were met with swift judgment without mercy–as Aaron’s sons discovered.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on December 5, 2006
“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.”
Exodus 24:9-11
What an amazing sight enjoyed not only by Moses and Aaron but also Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders. These men saw God. They saw a glimpse into the glory of heaven. They saw God standing upon a clear sapphire foundation. They saw Him with their own eyes–and did not die! What a privilege, what a sight. To see God Himself, to see Him in His glory is the ultimate desire of the human soul and the best result of our entire existence–to see Him (and not be struck down dead) is the successful end of our purpose for living. These men saw it–and then they ate and drank.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on November 5, 2006
“But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.”
Luke 24:11
On the first Easter morning the apostles were cognitively non-Christians. When Mary, Joanna and Mary the mother of James reported that angles had told them that Jesus had risen, they considered the words as nonsense. It’s remarkable to me that the apostles would be so dull. After all, these men had been with Jesus, they heard everything He said, they saw every miracle He performed, and they had even been told in advance about His betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. In addition to their direct experiences with Jesus, having heard all His words and seen all His works, they also had three reliable, trustworthy eye witnesses testifying to the gospel they heard from the mouths of angels. All this was still not enough. The first time they heard the gospel message they thought it was nonsense.
[click to continue…]
by Eric Holter on October 5, 2006
“The sons of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”
Exodus 16:3
It seems impossible that Israel would grumble so soon after seeing such a wonder as the parting of the Red Sea and the wholesale destruction of Pharaoh and the army of Egypt. Within three verses in the text (three days in real time for the Israelites) they go from the heights of praise singing and dancing, to grumbling against Moses for water. And then again, they grumbled about food, and then for water again. As an outside observer reading the story it’s easy to criticize Israel, but guess what? I do the same thing almost every day. Such is the blindness of unbelief. It will not be satisfied with the past works of God. It will not trust in the future works of God. At the moment of need it grumbles and complains rather than trusting in God.
[click to continue…]
