DRAWING NEAR
March 17
Displaying God's Holiness
"Hallowed be Thy name" (Matt. 6:9).
Sound theology that results in holy living hallows God's name.
We have learned that hallowing God's name requires setting it apart
from everything common, and giving Him first place in our lives. That
starts with believing He exists. Hebrews 11:6 says, "He who comes to
God must believe that He is."
Beyond mere belief, you must also know the kind of God He is. Many
people who claim to believe in God aren't hallowing His name because
they have erroneous concepts of who He is. The Israelites thought
they were worshiping the true God when they bowed down to the golden
calf (Ex. 32:4). The Jewish leaders of Jesus' day thought they
worshiped the true God, but Jesus called them children of the devil
because they rejected God's Word (John 8:44, 47). Sound biblical
doctrine about God is essential to revering God properly.
Hallowing God's name also involves constantly being aware of His
presence. That helps you focus on His priorities and see every aspect
of your life from His perspective. That's what David meant when he
said, "I have set the Lord continually before me" (Ps. 16:8).
Obedience is another way to hallow God's name. Your theology might be
flawless and you may be constantly aware of His presence, but if you
disobey Him, you dishonor Him. Jesus said, "Let your light shine
before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
You are an instrument through whom God displays His holiness in the
world. If His name is to be hallowed on earth as it is in heaven, it
must first be hallowed in your life. That occurs when you believe in
Him, understand who He really is, maintain an awareness of His
presence, and obey His Word.
That high calling sets you apart from every unbeliever (1 Pet.
2:9-10). Live today in light of that glorious calling!
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask God to help you be aware of His presence in every circumstance
you face today. Pray that your life will manifest His holiness.
For Further Study:
Read Exodus 32.
Why did the Israelites build the golden calf? What was Moses'
response when God threatened to destroy His people?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Exodus 32:4 (NKJV)
And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an
engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your
god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"
John 8:44-47
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father
you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks
a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the
father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do
you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear,
because you are not of God.
Psalm 16:8
I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand
I shall not be moved.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of
Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had
not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Exodus 32
1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the
mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him,
"Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses,
the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know
what has become of him."
2 And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are
in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring
them to me."
3 "So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in
their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with
an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is
your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made
a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD."
6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and
brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink,
and rose up to play.
7 And the LORD said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom
you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
8 "They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded
them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and
sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought
you out of the land of Egypt!'"
9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed
it is a stiff-necked people!
10 "Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against
them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."
11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why
does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought
out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to
harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from
the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from
this harm to Your people.
13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You
swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your
descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have
spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it
forever.'"
14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to
His people.
15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two
tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written
on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the
writing of God engraved on the tablets.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he
said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."
18 But he said: "It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor
the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear."
19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf
and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets
out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire,
and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made
the children of Israel drink it.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you
have brought so great a sin upon them?"
22 So Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You
know the people, that they are set on evil.
23 "For they said to me, 'Make us gods that shall go before us; as
for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we
do not know what has become of him.'
24 "And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them break it
off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this
calf came out."
25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron
had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),
26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever
is on the Lord's side; come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered
themselves together to him.
27 And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let
every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance
to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother,
every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'"
28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about
three thousand men of the people fell that day.
29 Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that
He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed
his son and his brother."
30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the
people, "You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the
LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have
committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
32 "Yet now, if You will forgive their sin; but if not, I pray, blot
me out of Your book which You have written."
33 And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I
will blot him out of My book.
34 "Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have
spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in
the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon
them for their sin."
35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the
calf which Aaron made.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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