David Bahn – Reflections

I took a speech class in college and recall one of my classmates telling a joke as part of an assignment to deliver an entertaining speech:

Moses was walking through the desert when he saw a bush on fire but not burning up. As he stepped closer, a voice boomed, “Take off your sandals, for the ground is holy!”
Moses bent down, untied his sandals, and approached the burning bush, but the hot sand scorched his feet. He jumped and yelped, and the voice chuckled: “Ha! Third one I got today!”

I tell it only because it illustrates that the sense of holiness is very much caricatured by the world. There is no fear of God in the world. Holy ground is too easily dismissed or ridiculed. The closest we get is the ground at a cemetary, at the 9/11 memorial (I am writing this on 9/11), or in a place of great tragedy, like Utah Valley University where Charlie Kirk was recently shot.

But Holy Ground is the place of God’s presence and sacred work. It is where God touches hearts deeply with profound and significant impact. Certainly that would be true of Moses’ encounter with God as Stephen recounts in Acts 7.

This reminds me that God is truly holy, majestic, and glorious beyond compare. Outward acts of worship, humility before him, and reverent fear is beyond proper. In fact, it is unavoidable. When we encounter God in the fullest sense, we will discover this for ourselves.

But there is more to this encounter with God – and the experience of holy ground – than fear, reverence, and humility. Consider what God is doing here. He is setting things up for his grand Old Testament deliverance event. He will send Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” There will be many words, experiences, and plagues along the way to this deliverance. And this encounter between Moses and God in the burning bush is the beginning of all this.

Have you encountered the depth of God’s grace and truth? Have you experienced the reality of your desperate need for forgiveness? Have you seen someone brought back from the brink of death – spiritual or physical? Have you heard God’s voice calling you to a deeper fellowship? Have you experienced the touch of God’s grace at the altar rail? Have you seen it at the baptismal font?

Those are holy ground moments. And although it is quite proper to respond to holy ground moments with shoes off and eyes shaded, it is important to realize that God’s desire is to bring us beyond mere fear, to love and trust in him.

I can remember lines from my favorite movies – although not as well as some. I can remember many many Bible verses – again, not as many as some. I can remember the dates of our anniversary and Diane’s birthday. But I can’t remember whether I’ve seen some movies or read some books. I’ve even been listening to an audio book, and eventually thought, I think I’ve listened to this one before. And don’t get me started on how many celebrities I can identify, much less remember their names (somewhere between 14-24 perhaps).

Our version of remembering is like finding a bit of data on a computer disk. Eventually we’ll find the fact and remember it. It’s stored there somewhere, if I can just find it!

God calls his people to remember. “Remember that you were foreigners,” God says in Exodus 22. “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deuteronomy 8:2). “And [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19).

But the biblical concept of remembering is not simply a matter of rummaging through our brains to retrieve bits of data. It is more than pulling past events into the present as information. Biblically, to remember is to place yourself back into a specific situation, time, or event so that it shapes how you live now. When Stephen recounts the events surrounding Moses’ ministry in Acts 7, he is doing more than giving a history lesson. He is calling his listeners to stand again in that moment, to see God’s hand at work, and to let that remembrance guide their faith and obedience in the present.

So while our human memory may fail us in small and sometimes frustrating ways, God graciously calls us to a deeper kind of remembering – one that roots us in his mighty acts and renews our trust in him today. Each time we remember Jesus – his cross, his resurrection, his presence with us – we are not just recalling facts but stepping again into the story of God’s redeeming love. And that kind of remembering strengthens faith, fills us with hope, and leads us to live in joyful obedience until the day we see him face to face.

We are a time-bound lot. We measure life in hours, days, and months. Holding on to the long view is hard. As the years pass and birthdays seem to come closer together, we can grow impatient. Proof? How often do you hunt for the shortest line at the grocery store? Or switch lanes in a traffic jam—only to watch the lane you left move faster?

Joseph’s story comes to mind. He was faithful when tempted by his master’s wife, and honorable even when unjustly thrown into prison. God’s hand was on him so that whatever he did, he succeeded. Yet a charmed life in prison is still prison. Others might have grown bitter or abandoned their morals, but Joseph did not.

The saga of Joseph stretches over 14 chapters in Genesis (37–50). Stephen sums it up in just seven verses in Acts 7. Likewise, Eugene Peterson’s book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society reminds us that following Jesus is not about shortcuts or instant results, but about steady, faithful discipleship over a lifetime.

We may be able to summarize Joseph’s story, Israel’s history, or even Jesus’ ministry. But we don’t live in summaries – we live one day at a time. And though we may grow weary, stumble, or fall to temptation, we have a Savior who strengthens us, restores us, and forgives us. Joseph points us to Jesus, who carries us forward in faith, obedience, and hope. Following him is not about quick fixes but about a long obedience in the same direction. It is the path he traveled perfectly for us. He calls us to the long path of daily repentance and faith, and he promises to be with us every step of the way.

I’ve not been to war. But this much I understand: If your commander tells you to take a certain route and go to a specific place, you better do as he says. This is not just because you’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as he says. It’s because he has laid out protection for you along the route he has suggested and provision at the place to which he tells you to go.

So as God calls Abram (later to have his name changed to Abraham), he directs him to go to a certain place and promises to bless him and make his name great. God will show him this place. And not only will Abram be blessed, he will be a blessing to others.

Abram’s obedience puts him on the pathway of blessing. The initiative is God’s. The provision is God’s. The blessing is God’s. Abram will experience the fullness of those blessings as he follows the pathway of blessing.

These blessings, however, will not often be instant. And in Abram’s case it was anything but instant. Abram will be 100 years old when the son of the promise is born. Sarah will be 90. It will be 25 years before Abraham sees even the birth of Isaac. Much later do we see Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau born, and then years later when the 12 sons of Israel (Jacob) are born (Genesis 29; 30).

But the pathway of blessing isn’t neat and tidy. It is messy. Leah and Rachel will compete for Jacob’s attention and the opportunity to bear his children. They will even give their maidservants to him in order to have more children to claim. It becomes on big mess. They stumbled from the path many times – to one side and the other.

But God can deal with messy. He did that completely through his Son who walked the pathway without stumbling. He earned the full blessing of God and calls us to follow him on the pathway of faithful obedience – however messy it may become. For the pathway of faithful obedience is also the pathway of grace and forgiveness. That is the greatest blessing of all.

Nehemiah 13 today struck me strongly today. It is all about purity of the Sabbath, the Lord’s Temple, the Priests, and the nation itself. There is no place afforded foreigners. This particularly caught my eye and touched my heart: “no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God.” That seems particularly harsh. 

This has much to do with the desecrating of the Temple, the laxity of true worship, profaning the Sabbath, and abusing the priesthood. The situation was horrible. The room in the temple reserved for tithes had been turned into a sleeping quarters for Tobiah. Tobiah was a known enemy of the community. It was a bad situation that had to be dealt with. The whole of the Jewish faith had been abandoned, abused, and desecrated. So Nehemiah took action.

When Jesus came to earth he discovered a different kind of abandonment and desecration. The Jewish leaders of his day had made the Sabbath into a mere outward performance. Rules about the Sabbath put Jesus under scrutiny for healing someone on that day. The Temple was guarded and the offerings were scrutinized so much that people had to use special temple currency to purchase certified animals for the sacrifices there. The priests were well taken care of while the people were oppressed. The whole of the Jewish faith had been abandoned. So Jesus took action.

Jesus action – specifically in relation to the temple – was to overturn the tables of the money changers in the Temple court. But his ultimate action was not to drive out the foreigners, but to offer himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. In him, every people, tribe, nation and tongue are welcome into his eternal kingdom.

As I thought about the prohibition of the Ammonites and Moabites, I also thought of Ruth. She was a Moabite woman. Yet she is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. In the end people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will have a place at the great feast of victory. We’ll never be pure enough on our own – nor will even our religion be untainted by sin. Thank God Jesus is the pure and spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

That includes foreigners – like you and me.

I had recently had hip replacement surgery and was unable to preach or lead worship. But we were able to attend worship. It was a great opportunity to sit in the pew on a Sunday. Our guest preacher was given the task of preaching about whether Jesus is the only way to heaven. He asked the question, in his introduction, “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?” His answer was an unequivocal, “Yes.”

You might wonder why I would recall that. I certainly do believe that. But partially due to my style of preaching and teaching, I would have certainly ended up there, although I might not have started there. He went on to preach a clear message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone. No other way. No other name. Well done. I was very thankful for his clarity: grace and truth so well expressed.

I have been cornered by this question by people outside the church. They wonder why a good person would be sent to hell, and not be allowed into heaven. Humanly speaking that is understandable.

Significant to me are these compelling reasons this must be true.

Jesus himself said it, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

Peter’s testimony is clear: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I think also about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” If there is another way, why did the Father not remove the cup of bitter suffering and death which Jesus ultimately drank?

Only Jesus died for the Sin of the world. Only Jesus has the name that is above every name. Only Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Only Jesus gives me true hope. I cannot imagine investing faith in anyone else. His is the only name worthy of our praise and faith.

Too often we tie our ability to bless others to our own resources. We’re not rich enough to give money to help end poverty. We don’t have enough time to volunteer to work with the youth of the church. We don’t know enough to lead a Bible study. Our time, talent, and treasure never go far enough.

Peter had no silver or gold, but that did not stop him from blessing the beggar at the Temple. He gave what he did have – that which had been entrusted to him. He had the ability to heal, a gift from Jesus, and he used it to heal the crippled beggar.

Isaac didn’t have the direct promise of God as Abraham had received – until this time in his life (Genesis 26). But then come those same words as were spoken to his father Abraham (“Abram” at the time). “In your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” God says.

Today we are abundantly and richly blessed in so many ways. We have more leisure time than ever before in history. We have physical and financial blessings we may only have dreamed of decades ago. Our physical health for many of us brings us into our 80s and 90s. We are richly blessed.

God never intended that those blessings die with us. We are blessed to be a blessing. The moral impetus for that lies in the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation brought to us through Jesus’ redeeming work. As Ephesians 1:3 says, we are “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”  because we are in Christ.

Some Christians love to give subtle witness to God’s goodness and grace by answering, “I’m blessed,” when asked how they are doing. I like to say I’m grateful, which implies that I’ve been blessed, but goes on to acknowledge that God deserves the praise for his goodness and grace to me. Add to that a sincere desire to bless others, and the blessings of God come full circle. We have been blessed to be a blessing. Let’s live that out as best we can every day.

When I first learned of the work of the Holy Spirit, calling us to faith in Jesus, I realized how complete is the grace of God. It would have been enough on God’s part to send Jesus to redeem and save us. But it was not enough on our part. For the very ones for whom Jesus came rejected him totally and put him to death on the cross. Thank God that he sent also the Holy Spirit to bring us to contrition over our sin and faith in Jesus.

The readings today include not only Joel 2 and Psalm 16, but also 1 Kings 2. God had promised to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. This occurs on Pentecost. He also foretold of Jesus resurrection in Psalm 16. But as I listened to 1 Kings 2, I was struck by the means by which Solomon established his kingdom. He killed many people, even one who had sought refuge at the altar of God. He expelled Abiathar the priest. Brutality and bloodshed established his kingdom.

The kingdom of God was established in a similar but dramatically different manner. Similar in that it was established by brutal bloodshed. Dramatically different, because the King himself died but was raised to life. That is the fulfillment of Psalm 16:9-10. This stunning fact rocked the world of the people in Jerusalem for the Pentecost celebration. When they heard that, ” God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified,” they were cut to the heart and they repented. Then they discovered how true was Joel’s prophetic invitation: “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

I’ve looked over the chasm of despair, hopelessness, death, and doom that is my sin. I’ve determined that were it not for God’s grace I would be eternally lost, condemned, hopeless, and damned. It was an existential moment for me. But there is grace. The Holy Spirit has brought me to faith in Jesus. I have been saved. God’s abounding and steadfast love has secured me to him and I praise him for the fullness of his glorious grace!

We have been using Zach Zehnder’s Questions Jesus Asked blog post which listed 305 questions Jesus asked. They range from challenging to inviting. And they all offer opportunity for repentance and faith. God has been asking questions from the dawn of time. From, “Adam, where are you?” in Genesis 3, to “Have you considered my servant Job?” in Job 1, God asks probing questions. But they are never asked because God doesn’t know the answer. God asks questions for our sake; to cause us to reflect and come to grips with our need for him.

Then comes this question by the angels just after Jesus’ ascension. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” I love this question! The reason? Because I could so easily answer: Because I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life!”

To be sure, the apostles had seen water changed into wine. They had been aboard the boat when Jesus stilled the storm by his command. They saw Jesus cast out demons. They had seen plenty, including Jesus’ death on the cross and his scarred body after his resurrection. But this seems to me a very different sight. A man taken up into heaven before their very eyes. This is different.

But this is not unexpected to the angels. Their moments of amazement were the 33 years during which the eternal Son of God laid aside his glory(!) to live in a fallen world with fallen people. That had to be completely amazing to them. Why would he do that? But when he ascended back into heaven they surely thought, Now it’s back the way it should be! Jesus is back on his throne. He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit! 

We do not understand all the ways of God. We have questions. People will say, “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask…” The angels’ question alerts us to the ways of God which we may not understand, but are the ways of life, salvation, and hope. It also reminds us that there will come a time when Jesus returns to receive his people and usher them into the fullness of his reign and rule. What an amazing day that will be! There is no question about that.