… when you have crossed over the Jordan, …set up these stones, …and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar …of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them. You shall build with whole stones the altar of the Lord your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 27:4-6
I am thankful that God wants to use whole stones to build His altar. The children of Israel had been building things in Egypt for generations out of cut stone and bricks. These building materials represent man’s ingenuity and control over His environment. They built great things in Egypt. God is letting them and us know that He doesn’t need our provision to build His Kingdom. God isn’t interested with what we can come up with; He is interested in our obedient stewardship of His provision.
Later, Peter (1 Peter 2) reveals God’s full plan for us as stones. Jesus was the living stone uncut by hands that fell to earth and destroyed the kingdoms of this world and we are like Him, living and uncut stones that are being built together into a temple of Priests/Kings that are able to offer up sacrifices that He will accept. Jesus wants us cleaned up (whitewashed) but He wants us uncut (not forced into some man-made shape). In the passage above the Law was to be clearly written on the whitewashed stones.
We are built together by aligning ourselves with Christ, who is set as the Chief Cornerstone. This is the key to effective ministry. When we align with Christ, working together we are able to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God. Ordering our lives like His is what allows our office as a Priests/Kings to function at their peak. Jesus wants us to be clean so that others can clearly see what He is all about but He is using our individual shape to glorify His artistic ability to take rough materials and line them up with Himself to build a beautiful monument for the world to see so He can communicate His love for the whole of humanity.
Uncut, Getting Clean, and Lining Up
Pastor Jason
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