Second Sunday After Christmas. Series

Psalm 93:1-5, Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Corinthians 8:9, John 1:14-18.

A). THE LORD UPON HIS THRONE.

Psalm 93:1-5.

This Psalm is about, first and foremost, the Creator God upon His throne. He is “robed with majesty” (Psalm 93:1). He has also, incidentally, “established” the created order.

However, we are not to worship the creation (I interject), as it is only the Creator who is “from all eternity” (Psalm 93:2). There may be aspects of creation which man considers ‘awesome’ - such as the “floods” / seas / literally “rivers” (Psalm 93:3) - but the Creator is without a doubt greater than His creation (Psalm 93:4). Israel was aware of this, having seen His mastery of both the Red Sea, and the River Jordan.

The permanence of the LORD guarantees the permanence of His order. We see this elsewhere in the Bible: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1); ‘The law of the LORD is perfect’ (Psalm 19:7); ‘The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring for ever’ (Psalm 19:9). Result: “holiness adorns your house for ever” (Psalm 93:5).

Jesus spoke of ‘a certain nobleman’ who ‘went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return’ (Luke 19:12). Some of the subjects of this nobleman sent a message after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us’ (Luke 19:14). Some of Jesus’ hearers may have thought that the ‘nobleman’ represented Herod: but in fact, he represented Jesus.

Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus was taken up in a cloud, and received out of the sight of His disciples (Acts 1:9). This is an earth’s-eye view of the ascension. The disciples were reassured of Jesus’ return (Acts 1:11; cf. Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7).

Meanwhile, Jesus was received into heaven to take His seat at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1). The prophet Daniel was allowed a glimpse of this awesome moment from the perspective of heaven (Daniel 7:13-14).

When the work of new creation (which began with Jesus’ resurrection) is completed, there is another enthronement to come (Revelation 11:15). As we sing, ‘Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord’ (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). However, be warned: those servants in Jesus’ parable who refused to have their lord to reign over them were dealt with accordingly (Luke 19:27).

In the meantime, the Lord is upon His throne (Psalm 93:1), and reigns for ever (Psalm 93:5).

B). A BEATIFIC EPIPHANY OF GOD.

Exodus 24:12-18.

Seventy-four people were called by the LORD to ‘come up’ and ‘worship afar off’ (Exodus 24:1). Each one had a part to play, but not all the same part (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 12:28). The seventy elders, for example, were permitted a limited view of the LORD - and there (so that we know that this was not an ‘out-of-body’ experience) they ate and drank (Exodus 24:10-11).

Now Moses was called to proceed - alone - to receive the tables of stone, with the law and the ten commandments to teach the people. Moses arose, with Joshua his servant, and left specific instructions for Aaron and the elders as to how to conduct the affairs of the people during his absence (Exodus 24:12-14).

As Moses and Joshua made their way out of sight, perhaps the priests and elders were reminded of an earlier incident, when Abraham left his servants and took his son Isaac into a mountain apart to worship (Genesis 22:5).

There are some things in life which we must do alone. Whereas Joshua accompanied Moses at the start of his onward journey, only Moses entered the near presence of the LORD (Exodus 24:13).

You see, at the time when Moses turned to go down from the mountain (cf. Exodus 32:15), Joshua appears to have met Moses on the mountainside. Joshua had been on a lower level than Moses had been, but on a higher level than where they had left the elders: and certainly, well above the camp (cf. Exodus 32:17).

Christian personnel must each function at their own appropriate level, and each in accordance with their own gifts and calling. The pattern was later set that the LORD would speak to Moses ‘face to face’, but Joshua would remain in the tabernacle (cf. Exodus 33:11).

At the time of the transfiguration of Jesus, the main body of the disciples were left with the crowd, to minister to their needs (cf. Luke 9:38-40). Peter, James and John were the only witnesses to Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah (cf. Luke 9:30-31).

Peter, James and John were also brought into proximity with Jesus’ open-air prayer-closet in Gethsemane (cf. Matthew 26:36-37), but could not stay awake long enough to enter fully into His private anguish there (cf. Matthew 26:40). That belonged to Jesus alone.