Milo

April 9
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS
Words and Music by George Bennard, 1873–1958
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
The author and composer of this beloved hymn, George Bennard, began his Christian ministry in the ranks of the Salvation Army. Eight years later he was ordained by the Methodist Episcopal church, where his devoted ministry as an evangelist was highly esteemed for many years.
One time, after returning to his home in Albion, Michigan, Bennard passed through a particularly trying experience, one that caused him to reflect seriously about the significance of the cross and what the apostle Paul meant when he spoke of entering into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10). George Bennard began to spend long hours in study, prayer, and meditation until one day he could say:
I saw the Christ of the cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form and act out the meaning of redemption. The more I contemplated these truths the more convinced I became that the cross was far more than just a religious symbol but rather the very heart of the gospel.
During these days of spiritual struggle, the theme for “The Old Rugged Cross” began to formulate itself in Bennard’s mind. But an inner voice seemed to keep telling him to “wait.” Finally, however, after returning to Michigan, he began to concentrate anew on his project. This time the words and melody began to flow easily from his heart. Shortly thereafter, Bennard sent a manuscript copy to Charles Gabriel, one of the leading gospel hymn writers of that time. Gabriel’s prophetic words, “You will certainly hear from this song, Mr. Bennard,” were soon realized as the hymn became one of the most widely published songs, either sacred or secular, throughout America.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suff’ring and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share.
Chorus: So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.

For Today: Isaiah 53:3–12; John 19:17–25; Romans 5:6–11; Hebrews 9:27, 28

Ponder the significance of Christ’s cross in your salvation. Sing this musical testimony—

April 8
AT CALVARY
William R. Newell, 1868–1956
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:7, 8)
Calvary, meaning “the place of the skull,” is a place that everyone has heard about and that thousands of Holy Land tourists visit every year. But the significance of the events that took place on this hill nearly two thousand years ago are often not truly realized by many of those who merely view its location. “At Calvary” focuses our attention on the wondrous mercy and grace that Christ demonstrated through His death on the cross. The hymn exalts our Lord for conquering sin and death and bringing salvation to all who will accept Him as Redeemer and Lord. The “mighty gulf” between God and man was bridged with Christ’s sacrificial atonement at Calvary.
William R. Newell was a noted evangelist, Bible teacher, and later assistant superintendent at the Moody Bible Institute. One day on his way to teach a class, he was meditating about Christ’s suffering at Calvary and all that it meant to him as a lost sinner. These thoughts so impressed themselves on his mind that he stepped into an empty classroom and quickly scribbled down the lines of this hymn on the back of an envelope. A few minutes later he met his friend and colleague, Daniel B. Towner, music director at the institute, and showed him the text he had just written, suggesting that Towner try composing music for it. An hour later as Newell returned from class, Dr. Towner presented him with the melody and they sang their completed hymn together.
Following its publication in 1895, Christians everywhere have used this hymn enthusiastically to rejoice in the “riches of God’s grace” made available “At Calvary.”
Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified, knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.
By God’s Word at last my sin I learned—then I trembled at the law I’d spurned, till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.
Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus ev’rything; now I gladly own Him as my King; now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary.
O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that bro’t it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!
Chorus: Mercy there was great, and grace was free; pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty—at Calvary.

For Today: Romans 5:6–11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Colossians 1:19–23

Give joyful praise from a grateful heart for what the cross means—an instrument of human indignity became the means of our salvation.

April 7
BLESSED REDEEMER
Avis B. Christiansen, 1895–1985
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him, along with the criminals—one on His right, the other on His left. (Luke 23:33)
A Hill with Three Crosses—
One cross where a thief died IN SIN
One cross where a thief died TO SIN
A center cross where a Redeemer died FOR SIN
—Unknown
It is thought that the day we call “Good Friday” originated from the term “God’s Friday”—the day that Christ was led to the hill of Golgotha and crucified, assuring an eternal reconciliation for lost man. The Roman cross, intended to be an instrument of cruel death, instead became an instrument of new life and hope for the human race. God loved and valued each of us so highly that He was willing to pay the greatest price imaginable for our salvation.
The composer of this hymn, Harry Dixon Loes, was a popular music teacher at the Moody Bible Institute from 1939 until his death in 1965. One day while listening to a sermon on the subject of Christ’s atonement entitled “Blessed Redeemer,” Mr. Loes was inspired to compose this tune. He then sent the melody with the suggested title to Mrs. Christiansen, a friend for many years, asking her to write the text. The completed hymn first appeared in the hymnal Songs of Redemption in 1920.
Mrs. Avis Christiansen is to be ranked as one of the important gospel hymn writers of the 20th century. She has written hundreds of gospel hymn texts as well as several volumes of published poems. Throughout her long lifetime of 90 years, Mrs. Christiansen collaborated with many well-known gospel musicians to contribute several other choice hymns to our hymnals, including “Blessed Calvary” and “I Know I’ll See Jesus Some Day.”
Up Calv’ry’s mountain, one dreadful morn, walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn; facing for sinners death on the cross, that He might save them from endless loss.
“Father, forgive them!” thus did He pray, e’en while His life-blood flowed fast away; praying for sinners while in such woe—no one but Jesus ever loved so.
O how I love Him, Savior and Friend! How can my praises ever find end! Thru years unnumbered on heaven’s shore, my tongue shall praise Him forevermore.
Chorus: Blessed Redeemer, precious Redeemer! Seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree, wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading—blind and unheeding—dying for me!

For Today: Matthew 27:39–43; John 19:17, 18, 33, 34; Colossians 2:13–20

Since Christ has paid the price of our redemption in full, all we have to do is believe, receive, rejoice and represent Him. Reflect on this musical truth—

JUNE 7

Reading 158

AGAINST ALIEN NATIONS Jeremiah 46–52

“That day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—a day of vengeance, for vengeance on His foes” (Jer. 46:10).If judgment truly begins at the house of God, as Hebrews suggests, how will God’s enemies escape? In these chapters Jeremiah directed his message of impending judgment to the nations that had mistreated God’s covenant people.

Overview

A collection of oracles condemning foreign enemies concludes the book. Jeremiah described judgment about to fall on Egypt (46:1–28), Philistia (47:1–7), Moab (48:1–47), Ammon (49:1–6), Edom (vv. 7–22), Damascus [Syria] and others (vv. 23–39), but especially on Babylon (50:1–51:64). The book concludes by recapping Jerusalem’s fall (52:1–34).

Understanding the Text

“Concerning Egypt” Jer. 46:1–28.

For over a thousand years Egypt had tried to extend its sphere of influence to include Canaan—and had often succeeded. Godly King Josiah fell in 605 G.p. fighting Pharaoh Neco, and Judah’s last kings had been encouraged to rebel against Babylon by empty promises of Egyptian aid. Egypt had proven herself a brutal overlord and a deceptive ally. Thus Jeremiah portrayed Egypt as a warlike nation intent on conquest (vv. 1–9). But the day of battle belongs to the Lord. Pharaoh was only a “loudmouth” (v. 17): the sword will “devour till it is satisfied” (v. 10). There is irony in verses 11 and 12. From the third millennium G.p. Egypt was renowned for her physicians, medicines, and books on healing. But now for Egypt herself “there is no healing.” While verse 28 makes it clear that Jeremiah is speaking of a contemporary defeat of Egypt by the Babylonians, the Lord intends events to convey a timeless message. God is in charge of history. The defeat of Egypt is evidence that the Lord can—and one day will-deliver His people and return them to their land (vv. 27–28). History still witnesses to the moral nature of our universe and conveys a message of hope. Nations built on evil, as was Nazi Germany, carry the seeds of their own destruction. God values righteousness and peace, and one day will give His people both. “Concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza” Jer. 47:1–7. The chronological note is obscure but suggests that Jeremiah focused on current events. The Egyptians were about to crush the remnants of Judah’s ancient enemies, so terrifying them that fathers would not even turn back to help their own children (v. 3). Note that God used the agency of one of His people’s enemies to bring ruin to another. You and I don’t need to take revenge on those who mistreat or harm us. Such people have plenty of other enemies God can and will use to repay them! “Concerning Moab” Jer. 48:1–47. The Moabites originally occupied the high plains east of the Jordan River. Moab had tried to seduce the Israelites into immorality and idolatry on their journey from Egypt (Num. 25:1–3), and the two peoples were generally hostile to each other after that time. The prophecies in this chapter seem to summarize the oracles other Old Testament prophets directed against this people (cf. Isa. 15–16; Ezek. 25:8–11; Amos 2:1–3; Zeph. 2:8–11). The destruction described here is merited, for in her complacency (Jer. 48:11–15) and conceit (vv. 26–34) Moab “defied the Lord” (v. 42). Despite this the Lord lamented over Moab (v. 36), and in the future will “restore [her] fortunes” (v. 47). One of the most significant features of biblical prophecies of judgment is that they typically conclude just like the oracle against Moab. Sins are exposed, judgment is decreed, and yet, always, God expresses His love and promises that after necessary discipline His people will be restored. Even foreign nations, with no claim to a covenant relationship with the Lord, are to be justly punished for their sins but, in the end, their fortunes too will be restored. We can understand such promises made to Israel and Judah. After all, God by a formal, legal covenant committed Himself to bless Abraham’s children. But He has no such obligation to foreign nations that not only fail to know Him, but are even enemies of His chosen people. Yet again and again we see that God intends to bless all peoples—not because He has to, but simply because He cares. Theologians speak of a doctrine called “common grace.” Somehow God has chosen to bless all human beings in many ways, whether they know and trust Him or not. Reading the oracle against Moab we sense, despite its theme of judgment, a strong current of very uncommon grace! God’s love will leap over every obstacle. He will find a way to redeem His enemies as well as His own. “Concerning” others Jer. 49:1–39. Several hostile peoples are dealt with in this chapter. Again the focus is on the contemporary historical setting rather than the “last days.” Babylon, the agent God will use to discipline His people, will also strike the Jews’ enemies. In one act God will both discipline His own people, and punish those historically hostile to them. The message of these chapters must have been encouraging to the exiles once they were in Babylon. When they struggled to understand why, as we all do when tragedy strikes, the revelation of God’s purpose to punish the nations as well as Judah would help His people sense the consistency and fairness of the Lord. God is a moral judge, who will punish all sin. Yes, He disciplines us. But He is evenhanded in His acts. He disciplines us. And He punishes those who are not His own. And, most wonderful of all, He offers pardon to all. “Concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians” Jer. 50:1–51:64. Jeremiah’s major oracle against foreign nations was reserved for Babylon. The spectacular rise of this Chaldean power would be matched by a sudden fall (50:1–20). God would call other nations against her, for “the Lord has opened His arsenal and brought out the weapons of His wrath” (vv. 21–27). The exiles of Judah would return triumphantly to their homeland (vv. 28–40) after God called up an army from the north to crush Judah’s conqueror (vv. 41–46). Amid further descriptions of Babylon’s doom (51:1–5, 11–19), the prophet added a warning to the people of Judah. Babylon was beyond healing. When the time came to return home, the people of Judah should “flee from Babylon.” This lengthy prophecy carries a postscript. Seraiah, an official who accompanied Zedekiah to Babylon in 594/3 G.p. (cf. v. 59), was to read these prophecies against Babylon to the captives already there, and then sink his copy in the river, to symbolize the impossibility of Babylon arising again. “All this happened to Jerusalem and Judah” Jer. 52:1–34. Jeremiah had written in most passionate language about Judah’s sins, and about impending judgment. But now, in a brief appendix, there is only a blunt, straightforward account of Jerusalem’s fall. It is almost as if all emotion has been exhausted, all passion drained. There is hardly even a capacity to feel horror, for the terrible has become commonplace. Zedekiah rebelled. The Babylonians finally took the city from starving defenders. The king’s children were executed and he was blinded. The temple was burned and its holy vessels cut up for transportation to Babylon. Key spiritual and military leaders left alive were executed. The few thousand survivors were then transported to Babylon. It’s left for us to read between the lines, if we wish. To feel the hunger and fear; the anguish of watching loved ones die. To sense the anger and hatred that surged—often against Jeremiah—as the futility of resistance became more and more clear. But all that was past now. It was over. And, in Babylon, the remnant of the people of Judah would be given a fresh start. Judgment never is pleasant. But the historical accounts of Scripture remind us that judgment is sure.

DEVOTIONAL

Babylon Must Fall(Jer. 50–51)

The awesome specter of Babylon dominates many chapters of the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament. The impression made on God’s people by this ancient kingdom is so great that the name has been transformed into a symbol. The symbol is seen most clearly in Revelation 17 and 18, where Babylon stands first for humanistic religion, and then for materialistic human society. All man’s achievements, all that human beings strive and hope for in this world, is summed up in that one word, Babylon. I’m not an exponent of allegorical interpretation of Scripture. Or of spiritualizing the Old Testament. Yet in these chapters describing the coming destruction of historic Babylon, something more than history is at stake. The prophet says, “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon” (Jer. 51:49). And somehow, in those words, I hear a message for me today. Babylon, with its worldly hopes and worldly ways, with its focus on wealth and power, with its pride in human achievement, is responsible for so much spiritual deadness. The excitement of hitching a ride to Babylon, of making it big in the Big City, has made God’s priorities and His ways seem dull and even foolish to many. Yes, Babylon must fall, because so many are slain by her superficial attractiveness. And the very first place Babylon must fall is from my heart.

Personal Application

Only a heart fixed on God will have no room for love of the world.

Quotable

“Worldliness is a spirit, a temperament, an attitude of the soul. It is a life without high callings, life devoid of lofty ideals. It is a gaze always horizontal and never vertical.”—J. Henry Jowett

JUNE 6

Reading 157

FLIGHT TO EGYPT Jeremiah 40–45

“You made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ’Pray to the Lord our God’ “ (Jer. 42:19–20).Knowing the will of God obligates us to do it. Better not to ask God’s will unless you intend to do it!

Overview

Brisk narrative chapters tell of the assassination of the Babylonian-appointed governor, Gedaliah (40:1–41:15), and the Jewish remnant’s hasty flight to Egypt despite Jeremiah’s warnings (v. 16–43:13). Now destruction faced the fleeing population, which persisted in idolatry (44:1–30). A footnote contains God’s promise to, and rebuke of, Baruch (45:1–5).

Understanding the Text

“You people sinned against the Lord” Jer. 40:1–6.

Jeremiah was found chained with other captives due to be sent to Babylon. We do not know whether or not the Babylonian commander truly believed what he said to Jeremiah when he set the prophet free (vv. 1–3). But his words show that the enemy was well acquainted with the prophet’s message. We never know how far our words carry when we witness to our faith in God or share His message with others. “Gedaliah . . . took an oath to reassure them” Jer. 40:7–41:15. Gedaliah is one of Scripture’s least-known but most attractive figures. When he was appointed to govern Judah, he took pains to reassure the remaining population. He promised to represent their interests to the Babylonians, and settled them on productive land where they would have food and ultimately prosper. At first all went well. Reassured by Gedaliah’s appointment, Jews who had fled to neighboring countries returned, and the initial harvest was abundant. When warned of a plot to assassinate him, Gedaliah brushed it aside, refusing to believe the worst of a person he thought of as honorable and a friend. In all this Gedaliah showed himself to be a truly good man. But Gedaliah was an exception, and good men do not prosper in the land of the wicked. He was murdered, along with the small garrison of Babylonian soldiers left in Judah. Perhaps only the words of Isaiah provide insight when a person like Gedaliah dies before his time, and the wicked seem to prosper. “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death” (Isa. 57:1–2). “Please hear our petition” Jer. 41:16–42:3. The murders terrified the Jewish population. Surely the Babylonians would avenge this terrorist act! All the remaining Jews, under discharged army officers led by Johanan son of Kareah, assembled and begged Jeremiah to ask God what they should do. On the surface this step seems a pious and wise one. But, as noted earlier, it is dangerous to ask God for guidance unless we fully intend to do as He directs. “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything [you] tell us” Jer. 42:4–22. After a 10-day delay, Jeremiah brought the anxious remnant God’s answer. The message was unequivocable and clear. The Jews were to remain in the land; God would see to it that Nebuchadnezzar dealt kindly with them. They were definitely not to go to Egypt. If the people did try to flee to Egypt, “not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.” As the men of Jeremiah’s day were about to discover, it’s not what we don’t know of God’s will that may be our problem. Knowing God’s will carries the obligation to do God’s will. Failure to do what we know is right is far more serious than not understanding what the Lord requires. One of the most exciting finds by archeologists in Jerusalem is the bullae (seal) used by Baruch, the scribe to whom Jeremiah dictated this Old Testament book. The seal, illustrated here, was used as an authenticating stamp and reads “to/from Baruch // son of Neriah // the scribe.” “They entered Egypt in disobedience” Jer. 43:1–13. The people of Jeremiah’s time had decided beforehand what they wanted God to say. When Jeremiah’s message disagreed with their expectations, they accused Jeremiah of lying! It seems like such an easy way out. You don’t like what the Bible says? Well then, just decide not to believe it! You feel uncomfortable about this or that passage? Then just ignore it, or revise it to suit. A contemporary paraphrase by Shirley Maclaine, the New Age Version, renders Romans 3:23 as: “For all have experienced momentary lapses and have come up a tad shy of the Divine Entity’s absolute idea, but hey, nobody’s perfect. So don’t worry. Be happy!” Nice try, Shirley. But this admittedly more cheery phrasing does not change the truth affirmed in the original. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And it has no impact on the fact that “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). One can choose to deny, ignore, or reinterpret the Word of God. But nothing a person does can change the fact that what God says is true and binding. “To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence” Jer. 44:1–30. Rebelliously the leaders and remaining people of Judah announced that they were going to Egypt anyway. What’s more, “We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers . . . did in . . . the streets of Jerusalem.” This defiance of God and His Word was the final demonstration of the attitude which cost the people of Judah their kingdom. Now the remaining few trudged into Egypt, terrified of the Babylonians behind them, but blind to the destruction that God assured them lay ahead. And so the remnant disappeared into the desert, as the focus of God’s plans for His people shifted to highlight the captives in Babylon.

DEVOTIONAL

Seeking Great Things (Jer. 45)

Baruch was a frustrated man. His confrontation with Jehoiakim over the words Jeremiah dictated to him had ruined his prospects! He saw a bright career going down the drain. We know from the text of Jeremiah that Baruch was a member of a respected Jerusalemite family (36:4), and that his brother was an official in the royal court (51:59). He was trained as a scribe, very likely in order to serve in government. Everything about Baruch—background, education, connections—suggests that he could normally expect to gain a high-status, high-paying position in the local aristocracy. And then somehow Baruch got mixed up with Jeremiah, was linked with that unpopular prophet in the mind of King Jehoiakim—and that was it! No high pay. No fancy chariot. No job with the king. Kaput! And so Baruch pouted, and complained, “Woe to me.” I suppose we can identify with Baruch to some extent. He had great plans for himself, and a real prospect of making it big. When his plans crashed down around him, he became despondent, “worn out with groaning” and finding “no rest.” Life didn’t seem worth living to Baruch unless he achieved his goals, and made it in the big city. It was then God spoke to Baruch, and rebuked him. God was about to bring the whole society crashing down! “Should you then seek great things for yourself?” Bluntly God told Baruch, “Seek them not.” And then God made a promise. In the coming disaster the Lord would give Baruch something more precious than position—God would let Baruch “escape with your life.” Sometimes we need to be reminded, as Baruch was. We may not see the realization of our dreams. We may not reach the potential we think we have. We may never take our place among the rich and famous of this world. But compared to the gift that God has given us, the gift of life, these things mean little. “Seek them not,” is still some of the best advice Scripture has for the godly. Instead of wanting what we do not have, let’s be grateful for God’s gift of life. And use our lives to serve Him.

Personal Application

Satisfaction is not found in getting what you want, but in wanting what you get.

Quotable

“Greatness after all, in spite of its name, appears to be not so much a certain size as a certain quality in human lives. It may be present in lives whose range is very small.”—Phillips Brooks