Savannah has noticed I like to talk about the rain. If it rained yesterday, I like to talk about it. If it’s raining now, I like to mention it! If it hasn’t rained in a week, I also notice that! Though perhaps I talk a bit too much about the weather, it is for good reason. Those who receive our monthly newsletters may recall we have run out of water at our house several times in the past.

You see we have had a rainwater collection system. We have a cistern below the ground that holds about 2,000 gallons of water. Then we have a water container up above that holds more than 500 gallons. All of the water in our house is fed by this water container. When it is running out we pump water from the cistern up to the container. For most of the year I don’t have to worry about having enough water. During the heart of the rainy season (December-February) we’re lucky to string together 2-3 days without rain; therefore, we always have plenty of water at our house. For the rest of the rainy season (October-November & March-June) it rains enough to maintain. However, during the dry season (July-September), it’s not uncommon to go a full 30 days or more with no rain. Then when it does rain it might last 10-15 minutes – not enough to fill up our cistern! Those 2,500 gallons last us 2-3 weeks at most.

In August and September of years past we had to really try our best to use our water sparingly. When doing laundry, we would catch the water from the rinse cycle and feed it back into the washer for the wash cycle of the next load. We would shower as quickly as possible (sometimes even turning the shower off while soaping up). As far as toilets go – we’ll just say we only flushed when it was olfactorily necessary! However, the name of this post is water solutions, not water problems! One big difference between this year and years past is that we now have city water! Praise God, this is a huge “monkey off our back!”

One other water solution concerns the road to the nearest town. About twelve years ago the road was paved and it apparently took only 30 minutes to get to this nearby town. This “pavement” is colloquially referred to as mere “black paint” – asphalt so thin it didn’t last 3 years. As heavy trucks filled with food, gas, or other supplies traversed this road, more and more holes were put into the road. In the rainy season these holes become deep ruts. In the dry season machines go out to fill the holes and ruts, but they never actually fix or patch the holes. Therefore, by the time we got here 3.5 years ago, the road was probably 95% dirt and 5% pavement. During the dry season, this is not a problem. It’s a bit bumpy, but at least we can make it no problem. However, in the rainy season we have had some problems. One time I did get stuck. Praise God my teammate happened to be on the road and passed by only 15 minutes later. He was able to pull me out! The problem is not so much that there is deep “mud,” the ground here is primarily clay. That clay gets slick in a hurry! When I got stuck that time, it wasn’t that I was bogged down in mud – I just found myself fighting an incline on that slick clay.

This past rainy season was especially rainy which means the road was especially nasty. Everyone here commented on how often it rained, how hard it rained, and how late into the year it kept raining. For six months I did not make one trip to the nearby town. I wasn’t alone in this – almost no one made the trip! We have to go to this nearby town from time to time to buy diesel. They also have groceries there that we do not have here. Those were some fairly difficult months for us! They were even more difficult for the many people who work or study in the nearby town. Since nobody could go by road, they were having to go by water – which takes longer and is more expensive. Again, the name of the post is solutions not problems. Praise God, a company has come with tons of rocks and sand, excavators and graders, and workers who have repaved the road! This is a huge blessing for us personally, and even more so for the people who live in this area.

Last Thursday was one of those unique, memorable, and even unpredictable days.

It started with my weekly Thursday morning Bible study. This Bible study is with a man named Pedro. When he was eight years old he went with his family to their farm. While there, one of the local tribes saw him and kidnapped him. They took him to their village where he was raised as one of them. Though he himself will tell you he was much shorter and fatter than the others, he quickly blended in, learning their language and customs. Fast forward in his life, he was able to reunite with his family when he was in his 20s. He is a hard-working man — from what I understand he was always either farming, hunting, fishing, or chopping wood to add on to his house or make a new canoe! Unfortunately, one day while he was hunting, his makeshift blind at the top of the tree broke and he fell down becoming paralyzed from the waist down. Today, he is able to sit up on the ground and with his arms move from room to room, but he obviously cannot leave his house without great help. I am studying the Bible with him, teaching many of the same stories that I put here on our blog last year. He can read and therefore he likes for me to give him 10 chapters per week for him to read to prepare for our lesson the following week. He noticed in Joshua that the people took the ark into the river. He also noticed while reading some of First Samuel, that the people were also taking the ark around the land. He asked me if this ark was Noah’s ark! On another occasion he asked me why there is so much suffering in some parts of the world while other parts seem to have less suffering. He is an intelligent man, and I never know what questions he might ask! Pray that God would work in Pedro’s heart through His Word.

After I left Pedro’s, I was on my way to our local church to study. On my way I heard someone calling me from his front porch. I immediately recognized him as a young man that I have seen around town who likes to practice his English with me. I walked onto his porch and saw tears in his eyes. In front of him was a bucket of ice with a bottle of rum and two bottles of flavored vodka. I asked him what was going on. He lost his job at the beginning of January. Then, the day before he saw me, his wife left him along with their only son. He sat there trying to drink away his hopelessness. He mentioned to me that he had thoughts of suicide. I told him the story of joy and hope and peace and reconciliation and forgiveness and salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. Be praying for him as well.

That afternoon was my language class. I have recently begun classes to learn the Naka language, one of the local languages. My normal language helper was busy so he put his nephew in his place. His nephew does not speak as much Portuguese which can be an advantage in the sense that I get more of the “raw” Naka language. However it can also be a disadvantage as there can be miscommunication regarding the intended vocabulary. This is exactly what happened! This day I had chosen to learn about spatial opposites, such as up & down, left & right, in & out, etc. Some of these he was able to understand without problem as I held a bowl (representing a basket) and a small ball (representing a fish) and tried to show him the fish on top of the basket or the fish under the basket, etc. However some of them I could tell he was having trouble understanding. We pressed on and he gave me what he thought were the best translations. When my actual language helper came back I decided to run some of the translations past him. Apparently the ball and bowl was not as clear as I had hoped! For instance when I tried to say “the fish is to the left of the basket” he gave me the translation “the fish is at the riverbank!” (Perhaps the left side of the riverbank?) When I tried to signal “the fish is in the basket,” he gave me the translation of “the man put the fish in the basket” (this one is a little bit closer to the actual intended meaning!). The funniest one was when I asked him to translate “the fish is out of the basket.” The translation he gave me was “the man ate the fish!” Needless to say when I got home Savannah and I had a good laugh about this. Learning a language for which there is no textbook can be difficult! I try to show a lot of pictures and do a lot of charades to learn new vocabulary. Obviously some things can be lost in translation! Please be praying for my language classes.

The second coming of Jesus will be like ten young ladies who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish and did not bring oil with them, but five were wise and took oil with them. When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come meet him.’

The ten young ladies got up. The five foolish ones said to the five wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

The wise ones answered, ‘No, there is not enough. Go buy some for yourselves.’

When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and the five wise ladies went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the five foolish ones also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’

Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.

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Meaning: Jesus, our Messiah and our Savior, will come back again. In the meantime we are commanded to make disciples of all nations. The thrust of this story is preparedness for his eventual return. Five of the young ladies were prepared for the groom’s arrival and five were not. The main question after hearing this story is, “Am I prepared for Jesus’s return – am I alert?” The text does not indicate what exactly it means to be prepared but surely it must include repentance, faith, and obedience. Therefore, have we repented of our sins? Do we believe that Jesus is the Divine-Messiah-Savior? And are we obediently and faithfully submitting to him as king? We must be prepared, ready for the return of our Messiah.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught people to repent and believe. Many people accepted him; however, most of the religious leaders rejected him. These religious leaders wanted to kill him.

One day, one of Jesus’s disciples betrayed him and handed him over to the religious leaders. They asked, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?” Jesus answered, “I am.” They condemned him as deserving death. The prefect of the area found Jesus innocent, but he had Jesus crucified in order to satisfy the crowd. After he had died, some of Jesus’s followers wrapped his body in linen and laid him in a tomb.

Two days later, some women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’s body. When they arrived at the tomb Jesus’s body was not there. Instead, a young man dressed in a white robe was there saying, “He has risen!”

After raising from the dead, Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority has been given to me. Go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always.”

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Meaning: This is exactly what the prophets promised would happen – the new and forever Davidic king would die a sacrificial death in the place of his people in order that his people might be truly forgiven of their sins. This is the means by which God saves his people. Also, as the prophets foretold, Jesus initiated a new covenant in which sins are truly forgiven, not just covered over. In this new covenant, there are truly transformed hearts that can worship and obey God.

His resurrection is simultaneously the proof that his death on the cross is enough for salvation and the beginning of the new creation. Because he was raised from the dead, we have certainty that we also will be raised from the dead and inherit the land promised to us, the new heavens and new earth in the presence of God. Now, Jesus has commissioned his followers – the church – to disciple all the ‘nations’ of the world. This good news was not just for Israel, nor is it now just for America – as the prophets foretold this is good news for all people and they must have an opportunity to hear about it.

Now while Jesus traveled around the region where he lived, he healed every sickness and said, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

One evening, Jesus was with his disciples in a boat crossing the sea. A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was sinking. Jesus was sleeping, but his disciples woke him up saying, “Teacher, we are dying!” Jesus got up and said to the sea, “Silence! Be Still!” And there was a great calm. Jesus’s disciples asked each other, “Who is this that wind and sea obey him?”

Later, some people brought to him a paralytic. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, said, “So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were awestruck, and they glorified God who had given such authority to men.

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Meaning: Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament hopes and expectations:

• First, Jesus is announcing and initiating God’s Kingdom – this is in direct fulfillment of the promise to David. Jesus is the conquering-king who is restoring the kingdom; however, it is a spiritual kingdom made up of all who believe in and submit to Jesus as King, not a physical kingdom with geographical boundaries.
• Second, Jesus is restoring the original perfection of creation, or, put another way, he is initiating the new creation. This is in direct fulfillment of the promise to Adam and Eve. Jesus is undoing the curses. He shows us what life in God’s presence is like, where there is no pain or death, mourning or crying!
• Finally, Jesus, as the conquering-king, is conquering the true enemy – sin. From Adam to Noah to David to Solomon to Israel, God’s plan in the Old Testament was constantly thwarted by Israel’s inability to faithfully obey. Jesus has come as the faithful and obedient one, who also announces the beginning of something new that starts with the forgiveness of sin and the freedom from sin.

One day an angel visited a virgin named Mary. Mary was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. The angel said to her, “Mary, the Spirit shall come upon you and you will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus – for he will save his people from their sins. He will be called Immanuel which means “God with us.” The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign forever.”

Because of a population registration, Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, the city of David. While they were there, she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available.

In that region there were shepherds keeping watch over their flock. An angel appeared to them saying, “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people – today in the city of David a Savior was born, the Messiah, the Lord.” The shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.

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Meaning: The entire Old Testament awaited the birth of the Savior promised in Genesis 3:15. Finally he has been born! Jesus is the promised Messiah. He saves people from their sins – thus fulfilling the promise to Adam and Eve of one who would defeat Satan. His birth is good news of salvation for all people – thus fulfilling the promise to Abraham of worldwide blessing. Finally, he shall be a king forever – thus fulfilling the promise to David of a descendant on the throne eternally.

While they were in this foreign land, God sent prophets to speak God’s words to the people concerning the things to come. Through them God promised he would rescue his people. God would give them a new king – the promised son of David – to shepherd his people. God would initiate a new covenant with his people in which he would transform their hearts, causing them to be obedient to him. God would forgive all their sins by having the king die as a perfect substitute, a sacrifice. All people who submitted to this king would be brought to a new land – a perfect land – like the original garden. These promises were not only for the Israelites, they were for all people everywhere.

After 70 years living in this other land under foreign kings, God saved his people and brought them back to the Promised Land. However, it was not nearly as the prophets had foretold. They were back in the land, but they still were incapable of keeping God’s instructions. Therefore, Israel kept waiting for their Messiah – the savior-king who would save the whole world from their sins.

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Meaning: And this is how the Old Testament ends – Israel waiting for the promised one of God, waiting for the one who would bring us back to the garden of Eden, bless the whole world by providing forgiveness of sin and salvation, and who would reign forever with justice and mercy. The Old Testament ends on a note of sadness in the sense that the people were never truly able to follow and obey God. They were never able to be that light of the world or that example unto the nations who would bring the nations to God.

However, it also ends on a note of hope – hope that the Messiah would fix this central problem by dying in our place. In this manner he would set us free from sin and forgive us of sin. He would also initiate a new and better covenant with new and better promises. Under this new covenant, the people of the Messiah would finally be able to be the light of the world.

After Solomon, most of the kings led God’s people to do some very sinful things instead of obeying God’s instructions.

For example, one king, Jeroboam, taught Israel to worship other gods. He made two golden calves and said to the people, “These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” Instead of teaching the people to worship God alone, Jeroboam taught them to worship false gods.

Another king, Manasseh, also did terrible things. He tried to control events through magic and sorcery and he tried to obtain secret knowledge by seeking spirits. He also tried speaking with the spirits of dead people in order to understand the future. God had strictly forbidden his people from doing these things.

Eventually, because of their disobedience, God kicked Israel out of the Promised Land. Just as Adam and Eve had to leave the garden after their disobedience to God’s instruction, so also Israel left their land because they failed to keep God’s instructions. They were forced to live as captives in a land not their own under a king who did not know and worship God.

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Meaning: God gave Israel his instructions so that they might model for the nations what it looks like to worship and obey God. Not only this, the instructions were also to be the means by which Israel would be a light and a blessing to the nations – this is how the snake would be crushed and all the nations of the earth would be blessed! The kings were supposed to help Israel remember and keep the law.

Unfortunately these kings acted wickedly and led the nation into further sin. Instead of being an example for the other nations, Israel acted just like the other nations. For this reason God expelled them from the land of promise. But what about the promises to Adam & Eve, Abraham, and David? The king who would defeat evil and bless all the nations would come, but not as soon as Israel might hope.

As King David was about to die, he charged his son, Solomon, to keep God’s instructions. After David died, Solomon became king. In a dream God offered Solomon anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. God gave Solomon wisdom, and Solomon was wiser than anyone else in the world.

Other nations heard about his wisdom and sent ambassadors to learn from him. The queen of Sheba, heard of Solomon’s wisdom and wanted to hear it for herself. She came and asked him many difficult questions. He was even wiser than she thought possible. She was so impressed with his wisdom that she told him of how blessed everyone who knew and served him were. Because of this she gave him many expensive gifts and then returned to her land.

In God’s instructions that he had given Moses, he said that the king was not to have many horses from Egypt, the king must not accumulate too much gold or silver, and the king must not marry many wives. Unfortunately, Solomon broke all these rules. Because of Solomon’s disobedience, God promised that the kingdom would split and the majority of it would be given to his servant.

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Meaning: At one point it looked like Solomon was fulfilling the third and final promise to Abraham by blessing other nations with his wisdom. The Queen of Sheba episode (in my opinion) is the pinnacle of the Old Testament storyline – the point of highest hope and expectation that finally the Savior/King/Son-of-David had come who would bless the nations by drawing them in and pointing them to God.

However, like Adam and Noah and so many others, he started well but finished poorly. Though Solomon was a son of David who reigned well for a little while, Israel continued waiting for the true and righteous Son of David who would reign forever. All hope of Solomon being the snake-crusher and world-blessing-bringer came to an end. And with that, all hope that the savior would come soon was diminishing.

One day God’s people were fighting their enemies, the Philistines. One of them, a giant warrior named Goliath, challenged any man of Israel to a duel. The two men would fight and for whoever won it would be as though their nation had won. All Israel was afraid of Goliath. However, a young boy named David volunteered to fight him. He fought confident that God would give him the victory. Goliath mocked both David and the God of Israel. David did not fight with a sword but picked up stones and a sling instead. With one shot of his sling he hit Goliath in the forehead, causing him to fall forward. Then David killed Goliath with Goliath’s own sword. David got the victory because God was with him.

Eventually, God chose David to be king over his people. David was a good king, doing what was right in God’s eyes for the people. Though David was a man after God’s own heart and helped God’s people, he was not perfect. God promised that one of his sons would be a perfect king over all the earth forever.

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Meaning: We already know that the Promised One will conquer evil and bless the world. The promises to Adam and Abraham are passed along to a descendant of David. Now we are told he will also be a good and righteous king forever. This promised king will be a descendant of Eve, a descendant of Abraham, and now a descendant of David.

David was not the promised one. Could it be that his son (Solomon) will be the Promised One who will finally conquer evil and cause the people to obey God’s instructions thereby bringing about the worldwide blessing through Israel? Will David’s son bring us back to the garden?