Discover His heart: He is the Constant in our lives
For those who know me, it’s not a secret that I’m a coffee drinker – espresso, lattes, cappuccinos – so much so that I have my own espresso machine with all the little devices that go along with it that promise a good cup of coffee. When I froth the milk, I use an instant-read thermometer because I like my milk at 170°; and just an additional note of information, the lower the milk fat content, the better the froth. I don’t like giving the impression that I’m overly particular about my coffee…but I am. Recently I noticed that my drinks were not as hot as I like them to be although the thermometer read the right temperature. I knew it was time to calibrate my thermometer.
Using a small tool, I adjusted the thermometer to read 32° when inserted in a cup of ice and water because one of the constants in my life is the fact that water freezes at 32°. Two plus two will always be four, 12 inches make up a foot, water at sea level boils at 212° – these are constants I can count on no matter what I’m facing in life.
Even though I would like to make $2 plus $2 equal $1,000, it just isn’t going to happen because we can’t change the constants to fit our desires or to match our lifestyles. We can run as far away from our constants as we possibly can, but whether we have lost sight of them or not, they are still constant, unchanging, and resolute. These truths, however, did not keep Israel from trying to change God, the most irrefutable Constant in their lives.
@ Judges 17
“One day [Micah] said to his mother, ‘I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.’ ‘The Lord bless you for admitting it,’ his mother replied. He returned the money to her, and she said, ‘I now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.’” (2-3) I’m not sure what part of Exodus 20:4 –You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind – this mother did not understand, but she chose to disregard the irrefutable Sovereignty of God and make a more user-friendly version for herself. Eventually, Israel was destroyed because it chose to follow this example by worshiping idols as well. The constant of God’s Word is unchangeable.
@ Judges 19-21
The dismal story of the Levite and his concubine is heart-wrenching, to say the least, and the list of characters in this story that lost sight of their constant is long. From the selfish Levite to the perverted Benjamites and to the Israelite army, all were living for themselves and making judgments based on tribal loyalties rather than the constants of God’s Word. Even after God gave the army victory over the Benjamite warriors, they sought their own means to provide wives for the few remaining men of Benjamin. Obviously, the Israelites needed some recalibrating to the Constant in their lives, but unfortunately, they had lost sight of Him.
The last verse of the Book of Judges sums up the reason for all the sin, rash vows, civil war and bloodshed, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (21:25) The Israelites chose to reject the unchangeable King of all kings and all the constants He provided – constant love, constant guidance, constant provision and so much more – because they did not want to obey the constants of His commandments. They chose poorly.
Moving Forward: I’m thankful today for all the constants of the Lord, including His commandments – “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” His Word keeps me calibrated to my Constant!
Tomorrow @ Psalms 24-26
Phyllis Benigas 