Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 25:22

22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

One of the possible reasons I gave yesterday for why the lid on top of the ark might be called the mercy seat was that perhaps it formed a throne from which God would commune with His High Priests. Today’s verse supports that notion, as God says He will speak “from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony.”

The space above the ark was going to be a highly sanctified place, one that could bear the presence of the Lord. So far, Moses had been required to ascend to the top of the mountain to commune with the Lord, but now the area inside of the tabernacle and above the ark would be an adequate domain for the Lord also.

There is a lesson here for all of us to find holy places, areas where the noise and voices and influence of the world cease, where there is enough purity and sincerity that His voice can “commune with thee from above” and “from between.” Obviously the Lord can force His presence suddenly and powerfully, such as when He dramatically appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, but we aren’t meant to rely on such rare occurrences. We’re meant to foster an atmosphere of constant spiritual immersion, like the Israelites were going to create in the heart of the tabernacle, in the space above the mercy seat.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Doing Muscle- 1 Corinthians 6:19, Matthew 21:13

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

COMMENTARY

Know ye not that your body is the temple, which ye have of God?
My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
When I have sought to improve my well-being the thought has often occurred to me that I ought to consider the temples in my life, and whether they are places of sanctity. Is my house a shrine to God, or a place where His spirit would be offended to dwell? Is my room a place of focus, or a place of distraction? Is my body well cared for and nourished, or is it deprived of its basic needs?
Sometimes having the strength for self-improvement requires looking inward and outward. Maybe we’re making things harder on ourselves by not cultivating an environment where the spirit can thrive. The Holy Ghost is meant to bring to us the mind and will of God, meaning that when it is present our thoughts and desires are more easily aligned to the virtues we are trying to emulate. In other words, having a sacred space invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and having the companionship of the Holy Ghost just makes doing the good things easier.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Seeking Spiritual Witnesses- Psalm 27:14, Habakkuk 2:3, Acts 2:1-2

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

COMMENTARY

Wait, I say, on the Lord
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, wait for it; because it will surely come
God wants us to ask Him for the portions of the Spirit that we need in our lives. We should feel emboldened to request witnesses, a change of heart, and the blessings that we feel He wants to give us. We are assured that if we ask, we shall receive…but never are we told exactly when.
I know from personal experience that God will answer my prayers, but now I am a father, and I am anxious for my son to learn this truth as well. I find myself anxiously wishing that I could force a spiritual experience around him so that I could point to it and say “see, son, this is it. This is what it’s all about.”
But I can’t force these things to happen, because the timing of them just isn’t up to me.

They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, and it filled all the house.
This does not mean that I am powerless, though. What I can do is foster a spiritual atmosphere, a climate where God’s touch can come when it is ready to. The early saints gathered themselves to worship in one place, and that communion invited heaven to join them.
I can bring my son to gatherings of other disciples, I can read the scriptures with him, and I can pray with him. I can leave the door open for the Spirit to come to us, and wait for it to arrive. Perhaps tonight, when our family has our spiritual devotional, God’s Spirit will come into our home very strongly. And if not tonight, then it is alright, perhaps it will come tomorrow.