Commentary: Randy’s Mountain Range

Randy's Mountain Range

Randy was always fascinated by the mountain range a few miles from his home; especially, the two tallest peaks which seemed from where he stood just a few feet away from each other.  One day he found a map of his land that included the mountain range.  Intrigued, he looked for his home place, after that for the mountain peaks.  With his finger he travelled on the map in the direction he would have looked at the mountain peaks.  To his surprise he found only one.  Puzzled, he decided to take the map outside and trace the peaks down on the map while looking at the real ones.  Again, he found one mountain peak in the map.  How could this be?  He clearly saw two towering the mountain range.  Suddenly, his eyes fell on another place in the map that located a mountain with a similar height as the first one.  It looked as it was hundreds of miles away, but very few degrees to the left.  Could it be that his eyes were tricking him?

Wanting to investigate Randy planned a trip to the mountain range, specifically the first mountain peak to remove all doubt about this matter.  Climbing to the top of the first mountain, he looked for the place where the second mountain peak should be.  There was nothing there.  But, when he lifted his eyes, relatively far in the distance and just a few degrees to the left was a very tall mountain, just as high as the one he was on.  As he studied the peak it looked just like the one he saw home.  Randy realized that just because from the distance all the mountains look close together it did not mean they actually were.  It is not until you get close to the range that you see the real distance between them.

The author of our lesson stated that when Zechariah announced the coming of the Messiah, he did not draw a line of separation between His first and second comings. As was the case with other prophets, he saw the coming kingdom of the Messiah as one glorious future. (Just as Randy saw one glorious mountain range.)  Only in the light of Christ's first coming can we now distinguish between the two comings.  

Being that there was no line of separation, in Zechariah's 7 chapters of foretelling prophetic discourse all the prophecies seemed as if they would be fulfilled at the same time.  But, the closer you got to the fulfillment of some of the prophecies you realize not all would be fulfilled together.  In fact, as the time passed by you realized some might have already been fulfilled, and some are still in the future.  What Zechariah is really foretelling is: events that surround three different periods of time on this earth:  each of Christ advents to this planet. 

The first period happened 2,000 years ago.  The second period will happen during the second advent: when Christ comes back in all His glory to take back His redeemed.  The last period is when the holy City comes to the planet, and the entire planets with all the wicked are destroyed. And, finally, the new earth is created.  Time does not allow us to go through these passages to "tease" them out. 

As we can see they cover the entire human history since Zechariah's day.  And, it reveals to the Jews then and to us today, how God is involved in the plan of redemption.  Specifically, how Christ, The Branch (Zechariah 3: 8; 6: 12), the One who was pierced (Zech. 12:10), the Shepherd who was struck down (Zech. 13:7) is involved in every step of our redemption.  Ellen White expounds on this,

"In the darkest days of her long conflict with evil, the church of God has been given revelations of the eternal purpose of Jehovah. His people have been permitted to look beyond the trials of the present to the triumphs of the future, when, the warfare having been accomplished, the redeemed will enter into possession of the promised land. These visions of future glory, scenes pictured by the hand of God, should be dear to His church today, when the controversy 

--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Commentary: Spiritual Wicks

Spiritual Wicks

For the most part, much of matter exists in three phases: solid, liquid, and gas (vapor).  On which phase does the matter exist depends largely on the property of the material and temperature to which it is exposed. So, for example, in warm to cool weather water is liquid.  In very hot weather water is gas or vapor.  On the other extreme, in very cold weather, water is solid – what we call ice. 

There are terms for the temperature at which matter changes from one phase to another.  For example, there is melting point, the temperature at which a solid become liquid.  These vary depending on the material's property.  So, it is that a material with a low melting point will be liquid where one with a high melting point will be still solid. Other example of these terms is flash points: This is defined as the temperature at which a particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapor to ignite in air when exposed to flame. If you have two different substances with two different flash points, the one with the lower flash point will burn before the one with the highest flash point.  A good example for this is the wick of an oil lamp.  Let us learn more about these lamps to illustrate this point. 

In the past lamps where very simple utensils: it was nothing more than a small reservoir filled with oil and a wick coming out of the reservoir saturated with the oil from the reservoir.  Through capillary action the wick would draw the oil up. If you looked closely, you would notice a charred bit along the top, and sometimes it gets hard and crusty, this is like lacquer from the oils, and should be trimmed up from time to time.  When you light the candle wick, the small burnt bit of wick heats the oil travelling up, and the vapor ignites. The oil vapors have a lower flash point than the cotton, so they ignite before the wick does.  Kerosene, for example, has an auto ignition temperature of about 220 °F with a flash point of 33-36 °F and Cotton needs about 630 °F to flash.   If you look closely on a candle, the wax does the same thing, you will see a space between the flame and the wick, and it is not the wax but rather the vaporized wax that is burning.  To reiterate, this means the vapors – which only need 33 °F heat to ignite with a flame source - burn before the cotton can burn. So you see, as long as there is oil to burn, the cotton just acts as a wick!  The wick will burn when the oil is gone and the flame is still does burning; the cotton becomes the fuel.

We will see that there is a spiritual application to this when we study the vision in Zechariah 4. This vision is full of imagery, symbols and meaning.  Let us read it,

Zecheriah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

Zechariah 4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

Zechariah 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Zechariah 4:4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Zechariah 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

Zechariah 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth

 

This vision is an obvious reference to the lamps in the sanctuary.  According to Leviticus 24:2, the Lord said to Moses to "Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually."  We read from Ellen White writings that by the lamps is represented the word of God. The psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto may path." Psalm 119:105. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  [We see this as we read the narration as how the Spirit is represented in the prophecy of Zechariah.]  (PK 594.1;COL 408.1) 

In this vision the two olive trees which stand before God are represented as emptying the golden oil out of themselves through golden tubes into the bowl of the candlestick.  From this the lamps of the sanctuary are fed, that they may give a bright, continuous light. So, from the holy ones that stand in God's presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service.  (PK 594.1: COL 408.1)  Then the heavenly fire, when applied, makes them burning and shining lights. Our hearts cannot reflect light until there is a vital connection with heaven; this connection is established when the Holy Spirit dwells in us. This alone can make them burn steadily with holy, unselfish love for Jesus, and for all who are the purchase of His blood. And, unless we are constantly replenished with the golden oil, the flame will die out.  (TDG 98.3)  If the fire of the Spirit is not burning, we then become spiritual fuel.  Ellen White explains why,

The prophet Isaiah had declared that the Lord would cleanse His people from their iniquities "by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." The word of the Lord to Israel was, "I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin." Isaiah 4:4; 1:25. To sin, wherever found, "our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29.  In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them.  (DA 107)

As we can see we are the wicks and without the Holy Spirit oil we burn out.  The Holy Spirit is thus a preserving agent.  It is He that burns, and as long as He is present He will burn but not us.  So, spiritually we are to be "human torches" "… letting our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  

--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Spiritual Wicks

Spiritual Wicks

For the most part, much of matter exists in three phases: solid, liquid, and gas (vapor).  On which phase does the matter exist depends largely on the property of the material and temperature to which it is exposed. So, for example, in warm to cool weather water is liquid.  In very hot weather water is gas or vapor.  On the other extreme, in very cold weather, water is solid – what we call ice. 

There are terms for the temperature at which matter changes from one phase to another.  For example, there is melting point, the temperature at which a solid become liquid.  These vary depending on the material’s property.  So, it is that a material with a low melting point will be liquid where one with a high melting point will be still solid. Other example of these terms is flash points: This is defined as the temperature at which a particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapor to ignite in air when exposed to flame. If you have two different substances with two different flash points, the one with the lower flash point will burn before the one with the highest flash point.  A good example for this is the wick of an oil lamp.  Let us learn more about these lamps to illustrate this point. 

In the past lamps where very simple utensils: it was nothing more than a small reservoir filled with oil and a wick coming out of the reservoir saturated with the oil from the reservoir.  Through capillary action the wick would draw the oil up. If you looked closely, you would notice a charred bit along the top, and sometimes it gets hard and crusty, this is like lacquer from the oils, and should be trimmed up from time to time.  When you light the candle wick, the small burnt bit of wick heats the oil travelling up, and the vapor ignites. The oil vapors have a lower flash point than the cotton, so they ignite before the wick does.  Kerosene, for example, has an auto ignition temperature of about 220 °F with a flash point of 33-36 °F and Cotton needs about 630 °F to flash.   If you look closely on a candle, the wax does the same thing, you will see a space between the flame and the wick, and it is not the wax but rather the vaporized wax that is burning.  To reiterate, this means the vapors – which only need 33 °F heat to ignite with a flame source - burn before the cotton can burn. So you see, as long as there is oil to burn, the cotton just acts as a wick!  The wick will burn when the oil is gone and the flame is still does burning; the cotton becomes the fuel.

We will see that there is a spiritual application to this when we study the vision in Zechariah 4. This vision is full of imagery, symbols and meaning.  Let us read it,

Zecheriah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

Zechariah 4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

Zechariah 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Zechariah 4:4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Zechariah 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

Zechariah 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth

This vision is an obvious reference to the lamps in the sanctuary.  According to Leviticus 24:2, the Lord said to Moses to “Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.”  We read from Ellen White writings that by the lamps is represented the word of God. The psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto may path." Psalm 119:105. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  [We see this as we read the narration as how the Spirit is represented in the prophecy of Zechariah.]  (PK 594.1;COL 408.1) 

In this vision the two olive trees which stand before God are represented as emptying the golden oil out of themselves through golden tubes into the bowl of the candlestick.  From this the lamps of the sanctuary are fed, that they may give a bright, continuous light. So, from the holy ones that stand in God's presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service.  (PK 594.1: COL 408.1)  Then the heavenly fire, when applied, makes them burning and shining lights. Our hearts cannot reflect light until there is a vital connection with heaven; this connection is established when the Holy Spirit dwells in us. This alone can make them burn steadily with holy, unselfish love for Jesus, and for all who are the purchase of His blood. And, unless we are constantly replenished with the golden oil, the flame will die out.  (TDG 98.3)  If the fire of the Spirit is not burning, we then become spiritual fuel.  Ellen White explains why,

The prophet Isaiah had declared that the Lord would cleanse His people from their iniquities "by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." The word of the Lord to Israel was, "I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin." Isaiah 4:4; 1:25. To sin, wherever found, "our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29.  In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them.  (DA 107)

As we can see we are the wicks and without the Holy Spirit oil we burn out.  The Holy Spirit is thus a preserving agent.  It is He that burns, and as long as He is present He will burn but not us.  So, spiritually we are to be “human torches” “… letting our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  

Commentary: Putting First Things First

Putting First Things First

The title of our lesson reminds me of the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  The expression "first things first" is the name of one the habits; the third to be specific.   On the surface the expression seems simple enough: prioritize.  However, there is a clever illustration to demonstrate how you do this, which reveals there is more to it.  The following story shows us the illustration:

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"  One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"  "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

Many who read the story interpret the story as the eager student did.  So, they miss the point entirely.  They believe that if they put first things first they will be able to do everything.  But that is not the point. The point is that if you do not do first what matters, you will never do it. 

So, how do you find out what your first things are?  The second habit of highly effective people is start with the end in mind.  The easiest way to explain this is to imagine you are building or assembling something, typically you will know what your building or assembling should look like before you start.  That way you can better prepare yourself to build it.  What about life?  Covey says the best way to do it is to imagine people reading your obituary or eulogy; what would you want it to say?  Imagine people speaking at your funeral; what would you want them to say?  After you do this you ask yourself, what must I do to ensure that those things are said about me?  Whatever answers that question, those are your big rocks, your priority, your first things.  By the way, no one in their death bed regrets not working more or making more money.

The Jews were not putting first things first. The purpose these Jews had returned to Jerusalem was to rebuild the city, but more specifically the temple.  And they were not doing this.  God was not pleased.  The prophet Haggai was sent to reprove them and encourage them to build the Temple.  (quote verse).  Their lax in finishing the temple revealed their lack of faith.  Building the Temple would reveal their renewed faith.  It was the only way to please God (Hebrews 11: 6).  Building their own homes while neglecting the Temple was not an act of faith; therefore it was Sin (Romans 14:23).  Faith comes though the hearing of the Word (Romans 10:17).  By hearing, believing, and hearkening to the Words of God's through the prophet they revealed faith.  A wise author said that the "Lord used Haggai to stir the people's hearts toward God's concerns."  They put first things first. 

In the New Testament Christ told some parables where the characters were praised for pleasing their master.  The characters in these parables put first things first.  They started with the end in mind.  What was the end? To hear the words "…, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: …: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" Matthew 25:21."  Although those were not the exact words used for the sheep on God's right hand side, the sentiment is there.  And the Lord tells them why He feels the way He does.  Let us read it from Matthew 25: 34 – 16,

 

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 

The Lord is pleased with them because in time of suffering and need these supplied Christ's need and relieved Him of His suffering.  It was faith demonstrated by self-sacrificing love.  Paul said to the Galatians that "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6).  These sheep loved not themselves unto the death (Revelation 12:11).  Another version renders the verse as such, "they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Revelation 12:11)

 

So, the end to the sheep is to please Christ by supplying His needs and relieving Him of His suffering.  And, they do so by supplying others needs and relieving them of their suffering.  Only those who live by faith can do this.  So the big rocks or the first thing is to hear, believe, and hearken God's word.  This is what it means to seek 1^st the kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matthew 6: 33).  What are you seeking for first?  What is the first thing in your life?   

--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com