THE WORD 4 ev 1

Good morning. I hope you all had a great weekend. On Friday, I referred everyone to Ezekiel 9. Much mystery surrounds the man clothed in white linen, who goes around “marking the mark” (as the Hebrew text puts it) on the foreheads of the few faithful in the Jerusalem. Of course, the city is under siege and will soon be destroyed by the Babylonian army and the finale exile of the Jews will ensue. But Ezekiel is already in Babylon and he understands that what is taking place in God’s holy city is much more than human war fare.

However, what is most interesting is this mark that is placed upon the foreheads of the faithful. In the ancient world the last letter of the alphabet was often used as the mark for a signature or ownership—much like we use the “X” today. In Hebrew, this was the letter “taw.” In fact, our letter “T” originates from the Hebrew “taw.” Amazingly, this letter’s shape originally looked much more like our modern day “X”, except it was upright—in fact, it looked very much like “+.” It looked like a cross! The faithful in Jerusalem were saved by a cross! For this reason, many theologians have long associated the man in white linen as the pre-incarnate Son of God, similar to the “Angel of the Lord” found elsewhere in the Old Testament.

In light of the tradition of Ash Wednesday, I find this text from Ezekiel fascinating. On Ash Wednesday, we too are marked with the very same mark made from charcoal and ash, which would have been the very same material contained within the “writing kit” used by the man in white linen. By the cross of Jesus Christ, we are marked as those faithful—faithful only because we are under the cross.

I pray you find peace there.

Pastor Aaron

Below is the LHM devotion for today:

Deuteronomy 26:2 & 4 - Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. … The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.

Today’s verse speaks to the toughest part of my personal walk with God—my offerings to the Lord. It’s personal confession time: I am not what you would call a “cheerful” giver. I’m a nervous giver, a reluctant giver, a fearful giver. Why does God need anything from me? I barely get by now.

Putting an offering in the plate has always been very difficult for me, especially giving of what is called the “firstfruits” above. That means giving first to God as opposed to giving to Him from my leftovers—what remains after I satisfy my own wants.
A friend I greatly respected once told me his wife had a much closer “walk with God” than he did and that there were certain things she did more joyfully than him. It hit me that what he said applied to Diane and me, especially when it comes to our giving. Diane is the cheerful giver in our family.

During Lent, we hear the story of Jesus, which ultimately takes Him to an agonizing death on the cross for us. God gave not only His first, but also His only Son as payment for our sins—a firstfruits offering if there ever was one! How very differently I approach giving than God. But then, that’s why God in His mercy forgives me and, it is undoubtedly why God in His grace, blessed me with Diane as my wife.

Who are the people God has placed in your life to aid you in your walk with Him?

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be my Savior, and thank You for the people around me that You provide to hold me up in my daily walk. Amen.