5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)
Thoughts: What would it take for you to listen to someone? If God Himself said to, would you do it? This certainly made an impression on Peter, James, and John. 2 Peter 1:18 speaks of the "voice we heard out of heaven when we were on the mount." John 1:14 says, "We have seen his glory and this glory is the light of all people." Yet, even with this special light and voice; even with Elijah and Moses, Peter denied Him. Even seeing God's glory in the the Passover and the miracles of the deliverance from Egypt- the people went back to following their old gods. Miracles inspire- but keeping that inspiration going is hard. We cannot bottle it (see yesterday's devotion).
The bright cloud was a symbol of the "shekinah" glory that filled the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-3) and was with Moses as he spoke with God on Sinai and occasionally in the Tabernacle. Shekinah comes from the biblical word "shekinot" that means dwelling. It is the glory of God dwelling in a certain spot. We also see this special cloud by day (blocking the heat) and a pillar of fire by night leading the people of Israel and protecting them from their enemies. So these three disciples saw a bit of the radiance of God resting on Jesus.
They also heard the voice of God affirming Jesus and approving of His past work and words. The Father wanted Jesus' disciples to be brave, listening, and obedient but they were not.
Prayer: Lord, give me grace to listen to you even without a visible or audible sign of your presence. Help me to obey you by faith and not by sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment