Digging up ‘Lord’ from the Archives.

Yesterday as I was reading the book of Exodus I got a revelation that I’ve had before, albeit under different circumstances – There’s just a way God can say the same thing in different ways.

So….

As earlier stated, I’m currently reading the book of Exodus, a group of us have this BRS (Bible Reading Schedule) where we read through the Bible in a year, once through the Old Testament, and twice through the New Testament. I joined them in 2015, though to be honest I’ve never been able to get through the whole Bible. Regardless, my testimony is that every year I’ve done better than the last, with last year’s journey ending at Psalms, but I suppose I was able to cover most of the New Testament Scriptures. This year I feel a special grace to do the Bible Reading Schedule, and it all started with me telling God I didn’t want to do it because I never complete it, and Him insisting I had to do it. Providence where He leads is definitely what is happening.

Okay, refocusing…

So reading through the last chapters, specifically 39 and 40, one thing that jumps out at you is the precision with which Bezalel and the Israelites followed the LORD’S instructions in building the tabernacle, and their complete and unwavering obedience.

Now I know LORD is used to denote God’s personal name in the Hebrew Scriptures, i.e. Yahweh, but I’ve capitalized it for a different reason.

This generation has lost quite a bit where understanding of certain concepts of old is concerned because we live in an entirely different context, and this has significantly, yet sadly impacted our understanding of Scripture…such as the meaning of the word lord.

The word lord by definition is:

One having power and authority over others: a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence TO WHOM SERVICE AND OBEDIENCE ARE DUE.

The fact that we no longer have lords as was common in old english times, means that the closest thing I can compare a lord to now is a commander in the army.

I don’t know if you have watched depictions of what happens in the army, where a commander has complete authority over his men, and there is no room for negotiations?

Yeah!

Well that’s exactly who a lord was, then.

Everything he said, you had to obey immediately and wholly.

And the sad thing about this generation is that the highest authority we have are our parents and our bosses, and we obey them based on how we feel, which we have transferred to how we view God.

We therefore want Jesus Christ as our Saviour, but not as our Lord.

We want to be rescued from the disaster that strikes at midday, and the disease that lays waste by night, but we don’t want to be told how to live by Christ.

We want to be assured of salvation from the fiery flames of hell, but we also want to continue indulging in our sinful desires and fleshly pleasures.

Brethren, you cannot have one characteristic of Jesus without having the other.

He is both Lamb and Lion, both Saviour and Lord.

He demands total obedience, without which, as detailed in Matthew 7, He shall say to you, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.”

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Matthew 7:21‭-‬23 NLT

Beloved, consider your ways before time runs out. {Selah}