Weeks 13 & 14 (11) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

With Easter coming, one remembers the Passover Lamb Jesus and the Feast of Passover that the Jews still celebrate each Jewish New year.

History tells us that our Chinese ancestors worship the God of Heaven who created all things. It could not be further from the truth to claim that Buddhism is the national religion of the Chinese. All one needs to look at are the similarities between ancient Chinese worship and the Old Testament practices in the Bible.

1) Chinese New Year / Jewish New Year (Passover)

The Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites how to celebrate the New year (Passover).

[Ex 12:1-6 NIV]

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…….The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect…….Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

In the New Year, the Chinese offer suckling pig (instead of suckling lamb) to their idol of worship and put new writings of blessings on red papers (blood coloured) on the door frame to protect the household and to warn off evil spirits.

[Ex 12:7-8 NIV]

8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.

In the New Year, the Chinese eat steamed cakes without yeast.

[Ex 12:19 NIV]

19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses…….

The Chinese have New Year housing cleaning to remove all the molds (yeast) in hidden places.

2) The Most Holy Place

The Most Holy Place, where God dwells, is separated from the Holy Place by a curtain. Only the High Priest is allowed to enter it once a year, to seek God’s forgiveness and blessings for His people.

[Ex 26:33 NIV]

Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

The Chinese also have a curtain in front of the god figure or idol of worship.

3) Blood

Old Testament – animal sacrifice

[Lev 1:5 NIV]

He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

New Testament – Jesus the perfect sacrifice

[Heb 9:12 NIV]

He (Jesus) did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

Red (colour of blood) is the main colour theme in the Chinese altars and places of worship.

4) Incense burning

Incense burning as an offering to God is found in Chinese worship, not found in other religions. It is similar to the Altar of incense found in the Old Testament which God instructed Moses to build. It has 4 horns at the 4 corners, which one can find in Chinese altars or places of worship.

[Ex 30:1-4 NIV]

"Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high — its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.

5) Idol worship

God commanded the Israelites to worship Him alone, the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt.

[Ex 20:23 NIV]

Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

Sadly today, a lot of Chinese worship all kinds of wooden or stone idols made by human hands, exactly the sort of thing God commanded the Israelites not to do.

6) Chinese writing

There are many Chinese words that have meanings connected to stories in the Bible. One outstanding example is the word “righteousness”. It consists of the word “lamb” and “I”, i.e. I am righteous through the Lamb Jesus in me.

I can believe that our Chinese ancestors worshipped the God of Heaven.

I pray and hope that the day will come when many Chinese will find their root and return to worshipping the true God!

Christians have a continuous relationship and dependence on God through prayers. We cry out to God in times of need and trouble; we cry out to God for mercy & grace. Prayer and worship are active demonstration of our faith and trust in God. “To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place……Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. [Ps 28:1-7 NIV]

It is most insightful to see how God deal with a rebellious people, His chosen people. They will be punished by God when they disobey, yet God will save them at the end when they repent. “The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past," declares the LORD. "Do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you," declares the LORD. "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished." [Jer 46:25-28 NIV] We should understand this principle as God’s people. God disciplines us because He loves us!

As we walk with God, we will understand God’s way more. If we persevere with God even in tough times, we will grow in faith and gain God’s wisdom and power. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power…….as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" [1 Cor 2:1-9 NIV]

Our Lord God is in control of everything that goes on in the world. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice……..There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. [Prov 21:1-3,30,31 NIV]

Amen and amen!