Dear Bro. John:
The Lord woke me this morning with just a few words: “the wells of Beer-sheba”. I remembered a Broadcaster you had written on The Manner of Beer-sheba (February 1994) and was led to pull from my collection and read it. It really blessed me. Nothing has changed – – men are still worshiping in places that God Himself has killed and moved out of.
The following excerpt from the original Broadcaster is so good to me, I wanted to share it. It is worded so simply, and is simple to us now, but it is only because God’s love and mercy has shown this truth to us.
God was in the high places once, but when He moved into the symbolic ceremonies of the temple worship in Jerusalem, it became idolatrous to worship in the high places. And now, worship in symbolic ceremonies is idolatrous, because Jesus suffered and died to provide for us “a new and living way” to serve God. He called it, “in spirit and in truth”. This change from old covenant symbols to real spiritual life is implicitly denied every time that one of Christianity’s symbolic ceremonies is carried out. Every time a symbolic communion service is observed, men are proclaiming again that a manner of worship which God has abandoned still lives; only this time the cry is not “Beer-sheba”, but “the manner of symbols liveth”. I know that Jesus was circumcised, baptized with water, and observed the holy days and ceremonies of the Law. But he did all that so that we would not have to do them! He not only died for us, he also lived for us. He was circumcised for us, baptized in water for us, kept all the ordinances for us. Now he is our passover, our High Priest, and our Baptizer. Jesus is Lord of all. Trusting Jesus means acknowledging that God has abandoned the use of religious symbols. To worship God as He demands now, rather than as He told others in another covenant to worship Him, is really what trusting Jesus means.” (The Broadcaster, Feb. 1994)
To know such riches as is written above is one thing, but to move when God says “move” is to believe them. The whole world is still crying: “the manner of symbols liveth.” But how sweet are the living words of Jesus: “Symbolism is not me!”
I thank Jesus for reminding me this morning ” . . . . that Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
And so am I!
Sandy 🙂