Scripture to Go

Episode 9 - The "Begats"

Okay. Show of hands. How many of you derive a secret pleasure from skipping over the “begats” in the Bible? You open your read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan and today’s assignment is five long chapters. As soon as you discover the first four contain nothing but genealogy, flip, flip, flip go the pages. Bingo! Presto! Your usual thirty minutes of reading only takes you ten. I’ll confess, I do that most of the time as well. There are days, however, when I push myself to read every last biblical name in hopes of discovering a hidden treasure. After all, it was a tiny clip of Scripture buried under stacks of names that brought us that little gem called The Prayer of Jabez–a book that went viral before anyone knew what “viral” meant. Tracking the “Begats” Why did God make sure these genealogies survived in Scripture until now? I mean, why should we care anymore? Maybe this inventory of names, so carefully preserved down through the ages, affixes something of a tracking number to God’s promise to the list’s originators. The promise’s fulfillment can be traced by following the names throughout history. As soon as sin marred the Garden of Eden, God promised Adam and Eve a Seed who would come through them to redeem all the evil they had introduced to the world. A Son of theirs would deliver not only the two of them from death but everyone who proceeded from them. (Genesis 3:15) Well, that got all the begetting started. Adam begat Cain and Abel. Then, after Cain killed Abel another son, Seth, appeared. Cain begat some “seeds,” but Seth produced the line that carried THE “Seed.” Soon Seth begat Enosh who begat Canaan who begat some more until Noah showed up. He begat three seeds (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), but Shem carried the promised Seed forward to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob (who was known as Israel). From Israel to Judah to Jesse to David, the names drew a straight line from the “promisees” (Adam and Eve) to the Promised One–Jesus. Then, all the begetting stops. Or does it? The “Begats” Change Direction Jesus gave birth to no children in the natural. Yet Paul called him “the firstborn of many children.” (Romans 8:28) If his line was going to continue, the manner of begetting was going to have to change. Instead of giving birth to seeds through a natural womb, Jesus delivers children for his Father through a spiritual portal. He reaches out his hand to us from his place in the heavenlies and invites us to join him. As our hearts touch him, he draws us out of our old life into a new one, begetting us into his bloodline and making us part of his genealogy. Our names may not appear in Scripture, but they’re recorded, nonetheless–in God’s Book of Life (Philippians 4:3). Merging Bloodlines It may feel odd to think of merging our bloodlines with his, blotted as ours are with ugly episodes of sin. But Jesus isn’t afraid of our foibles or the bobbles of morality filling our family history. He understands. His own human bloodline was filled with ancestors bent on murder, rape, incest, deceit, jealousy, rage, apostasy, and more. He knows both the beautiful and the ugly in our genealogy. Still, he stands at the end of all our “begats” holding out his hand saying, “Come up higher. Be born into something new and wonderful. Let me take the seed that is you and combine it with the Seed that I am.” Read the rest on my website... [https://tmurphywrites.com/the-begats/] Check out my blog at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/]or follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/T.MurphyWrites]or Twitter [https://tgmurphy/]. Want to learn more about the tabernacle? Check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God's Tent [https://tmurphywrites.com/book-table/] Thanks to Dreamr Productions [https://www.dreamrproductions.com/] for my theme music. #TerryMurphy, #TMurphyWrites, #Begats, #Biblegenealogy

Episode 8 - The Power of a Mentor

Today we’re going to look at a story in 2 Chronicles 22-24 [https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/2%20Chron%2022-24] that I think vividly demonstrates the power of a mentor. It proves we don’t have to have fancy credentials or be high in some government pecking order to make a significant difference in the world. The books of Chronicles are all about King David and the sons who reigned after him. David’s kingdom eventually split in two, becoming Israel in the north and Judah in the south. After that, the books of Chronicles dissolve into a series of good king/bad king stories. Israel was notorious for producing nastier kings than Judah for the most part. One of the worst was the great King Ahab (husband of Jezebel). His bad influence drifted south with his sister Athaliah when she married a king in Judah named Jehoram. The Power of a Mentor for Evil The son of this marriage was Ahaziah who ruled in Judah briefly after his father died. He had apparently taken naughty lessons from his mother because he proved to be particularly bad. Mercifully for the kingdom of Judah, he was assassinated in short order. Not so mercifully, his momma, Athaliah, used the opportunity to make her own power grab. She swept through the family killing any remaining heirs to the throne she could find. Things looked bad for Judah, but God had a couple aces up His sleeve. Dead King Ahaziah had a sister. She had no claim to the throne, but she and her husband (a priest by the name of Jehoiada) rescued one of Ahaziah’s babies from Grandma’s purge. They took little Joash into hiding and raised him in secret. The Power of a Mentor for Good When Joash turned seven, Uncle Jehoiada organized a conspiracy, set the boy on the throne, and got rid of his crazy grandma. Jehoiada spent the rest of his life standing at King Joash’s side. The one great legacy of Joash’s reign was restoring Solomon’s temple (previously desecrated by earlier bad kings) and putting it back in service. The only reason he accomplished this was because of his faithful Uncle Jehoiada’s influence. As long as the priest lived – and he lived 130 years – King Joash did what was pleasing to the Lord and the whole nation reaped the benefits. Sadly, as soon as his uncle died, King Joash went bad, but I think that proves my point. The real hero of the story in 2 Chronicles 22-24 [https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/2%20Chron%2022-24] wasn’t the king, but his mentor. The strongest power for good in the land for all those years wasn’t the king who got the credit, but the mentor who took him under his wing. A Testimony for the Power of Mentorship Jehoiada’s example should be an encouragement for each of us. It’s probably more important than we realize to faithfully execute our duty as mentors–whether by counsel, advice, support, or example. Who knows what good our influence might do? As with the story of Jehoiada and Joash, there may be a whole world of people who will be grateful for the mentorship we provided. Who do you influence? Is there a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor who looks to you for guidance and encouragement? How can you better administrate the gift of mentorship God has placed in your hand? Check out my blog at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/] or follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/T.MurphyWrites] or Twitter [https://tgmurphy/]. Want to learn more about the tabernacle? Check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God's Tent [https://tmurphywrites.com/book-table/] Thanks to Dreamr Productions [https://www.dreamrproductions.com/] for my theme music. #Mentor, #Mentorship, #Influence

Episode 7 Fragrance in the Inner Rooms

Welcome to Scripture to Go. I hope you'll take a moment to pause with me just long enough to taste and see how good the Lord is. Hi, I'm Terry Murphy. Today we're going to start in Exodus 30 where we find two recipes that produced fragrance in the inner rooms of the Tabernacle. One was for the holy incense burning on the golden altar. The other drifted into the holy place with the anointing oil that permeated the clothing of the high priest and his sons. So let's start with the four spices on the incense altar. These were stacte (stack-tee), onycha (on-ee-ka), galbanum (gal-bah-num), and pure frankincense. Now, for some of you, these are household words. Your old factory memory is already producing its effect. The rest of us are going to have to work a bit to imagine what they might have smelled like. So let's start with stacte. This spice probably came from a styrax plant--what some of us might recognize as a snowball or snowball bush. Its white spring flowers smell something like orange blossoms. Scholars differ on the true source of the second spice, but most agree onycha came from the resin of a rock rose. This tough evergreen ground cover has aromatic leaves that add a musky, almost medicinal smell to the incense. The third ingredient, galbanum, comes from the same plant family as parsley, fennel, or carrots. It exudes a strong green aroma (think crushed pine needles or snapped green peas). Finally comes frankincense, collected as tears dripping from the slashed bark of the Boswellia tree, it offers an earthy balsamic aroma that is at once soft, sweet, and citrusy. These were burned together in only one place--atop the golden altar of incense directly in front of the Holy of Holies. Though the smoke of the incense is often associated with prayer, you might say it also represents the presence of God in fragrance form. Rich, sweet, healing, homey, comforting, calm. It was an aroma found only where God and man had sweet communion. Once upon a time, only Levitical priests could enjoy the pleasing scent. Today, Jesus has taken Aaron's place as the great high priest and we have become sons and daughters in the same order of Melchizidek in which he serves, and we too have access to the fragrance of his presence whenever we serve at his incense altar. Think of this, whenever you go to him in prayer. A heady fragrance awaits you there, whether you can physically smell it or not. His balm is there, his sweetness, the welcoming scent of home, the promise of comfort and healing are in the air. Knowing he prepares this sweet place of welcome to us. Why wouldn't we then come boldly to his throne of grace. Mercy and grace? They await us in the smoke. Thanks for joining me on scripture to Go. I hope today's snack helped you taste and see that the Lord is good. Be sure to click on the follow button so you know when next week's table is spread with more to Nilan. If you get hungry in the meantime, slip on over to my website@tmurphywrights.com to read my latest post and subscribe to my blog. Bye for now. Check out my blog at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/] or follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/T.MurphyWrites] or Twitter [https://tgmurphy/]. Want to learn more about the tabernacle? Check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God's Tent [https://tmurphywrites.com/book-table/] Thanks to Dreamr Productions [https://www.dreamrproductions.com/] for my theme music.

Episode 6: Light in the Tabernacle

Welcome to Scripture to Go. I hope you'll take a moment to pause with me just long enough to taste and see how good the Lord is. Hi, I'm Terry Murphy. This month, we've been contemplating the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. In episode four [https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/cAs9bFqODwb], we looked behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. In episode five [https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/sdL25MtODwb], we checked out the innermost lining of the tent with its embroidered angels flying overhead. Today we're looking for light in the tabernacle, because linen wasn't the only fabric making up the tent. Dark goat hair curtains covered the linen and great slabs of red leather lay over the goat hair. All these layers muffled the noise of everyday life and made the rooms private and quiet, but they also made it dark. If God and man were going to have a conversation in here, it would be nice if both parties could see each other. Now, God wasn't going to have any trouble spotting the human in the room. Darkness and light are the same to him as it says in Psalm 139:12. The other member of this tête-à-tête, on the other hand, was going to need a little bit of help. No amount of sunlight was going to penetrate all the leather camel hair, and linen. So God appointed a lampstand to keep his conversation mate from groping about in the dark. He had the light made of a single piece of pure gold hammered into the shape of an almond tree, complete with buds and flowers and nuts. The central trunk held up three branches on its left and three more on its right. The tip of each branch was equipped with a small clay lamp filled with oil and supplied with a linen wick. This was the Menorah. Menorah. Can you feel your breath flow out as you say it? Breath of God. Light of God. This lamp was so special, no ordinary fire would light it. It required a flame from a supernatural source. The priests would step outside the tent to retrieve a burning ember from the fire on the brazen altar. Only flames from the holy sacrifice would bring the lamp stand to life. You know, our hearts can be so like the dark tent without the menorah. No amount of natural light or understanding can penetrate our soul to reveal who we are, where we are, why we are. So, Jesus died as the holiest of sacrifices and sent the light of his Holy Spirit to breathe on our hearts and drive the darkness away. As this new year gets rolling, let's ask the Holy Spirit to blow his supernatural light into our innermost being. Only then will we see the path for our feet, the purpose for our lives, and the way we should go. I hope today's snack helped you taste and see that the Lord is. Be sure to click on the follow button so you know when next week's table is spread with more to nibble on. Meanwhile, if you're in need of a heartier meal, slip on over to my website at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/] to read my latest post and subscribe to my blog. Bye for now. Want to learn more about the tabernacle? Check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God's Tent [https://tmurphywrites.com/book-table/]. Check out my blog at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/] or follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/T.MurphyWrites] or Twitter [https://tgmurphy/]. Thanks to Dreamr Productions [https://www.dreamrproductions.com/] for my theme music. #tabernacleinthewilderness, #tabernacle, #menorah, #lightofgod, #breathofgod

Episode 5: Under His Wings

Like the curtains of the tabernacle, we can know he’s there even when we don’t see him. Under his wings, we are safe. Welcome to "Scripture to Go." I hope you'll take a moment to pause with me just long enough to taste and see how good the Lord is. Hi, I'm Terry Murphy. Let's go back in time today and take a peek at the Tabernacle Moses. Picture, if you will, a giant rectangular courtyard surrounded by a linen fence. In the last episode [https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rIfk0N6qswb], we went inside the courtyard to the tabernacle in the wilderness and took a quick peek inside the tent. Today, let’s take a moment to discover what the tent itself looked like. God had Moses create a framework of wood laminated in gold to support all the fabric he was going to lay over them. The first of these layers was one of linen embroidered with colorful angelic creatures. These are described in Exodus 36:8–10 in meticulous cubit-filled detail. The numbers make reading the passage a bit dry, but if we take the time to lay everything out and compare curtain sizes with the walls, we find this decorative linen completely envelops the tent framework—over the top, across the back, and side to side—making the angels appear to be flying all across the tabernacle. He Shall Cover You Imagining this makes me think of Psalm 91:4. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” Still, if we step inside the tent, the only angels in sight would be those flying directly overhead—only about a fourth of them. The rest are still there. They’re just scattered across the fabric draped outside the gold framework. And isn’t that like life? We only see in part. We’re aware of some ways God shields us, but it’s nothing compared to the whole of his protection. If God took this kind of care to cover his fabric dwelling place, how much more will he take pains to completely enclose the tabernacle which is our heart? Here’s how the writer of Psalm 125:2 put it. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” Like the curtains of the tabernacle, we can know he’s there even when we don’t see him. My friends, when we dwell with God, this is where we live. Inside the folds of his tent, we don’t need to fear any tumult raging on the outside. Whether we see them or not, his everlasting arms completely surround us and we are truly safe. Thanks for joining me on "Scripture to Go." I hope today's snack helped you taste and see that the Lord is good. Be sure to click on the follow button so you know when next week's table is spread, with more to nibble on, and if you get hungry in the meantime, slip on over to my website at tmurphywrites.com [https://tmurphywrites.com/] to read my latest post and subscribe to my blog. Bye for now. Want to learn more about the tabernacle? Check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God's Tent [https://tmurphywrites.com/book-table/]. Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/T.MurphyWrites] or Twitter [https://tgmurphy/]. Thanks to Dreamr Productions [https://www.dreamrproductions.com/] for my theme music. #tabernacle, #tabernacle in the wilderness, #holy place, #Psalm 91:4, #Psalm 125:2