Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

B.B. and I were talking in the ‘green room’.  The ‘green room’ is Aunt Pink and Aunt Gwen’s restroom outside the den where the Sunday school class was now held.

B.B. said, “You know, Stinker.  I have a huge decision to make soon.  All of this ‘green room’ schtick started when you were pregnant and you did not seem to have the dexterity to comb the rat’s nest out of your hair.”

I nodded, “That was harsh, but I will accept that.”

B.B. then added, “So my big decision is that if I get to the point that I cannot twist my body around to fix my hair properly, I must choose between three options:  Let it go and have a rat’s nest, do a buzz cut, or shave it off completely.”

I huffed, “What about me?  I could comb your hair out.”

B.B. said, “But that is what I fear, you would comb my hair right out of my head.  And I would be crazy if I let Arabella help.  I have heard about her coming in here with scissors and a blow torch.  No way!”

I started to whimper, “But we are best friends forever, right?  Don’t you trust me?”

B.B. gave me a hug.  “I trust you with my life.  My hair?  That’s something entirely different.”  I sniffled a little.  “Stink?  I’m just kidding.  You don’t have the makeup skills that I developed on the television side of things, but I trust you.  I just wanted to get a reaction from you first.  I don’t even have a baby bump yet.

I had to check to see if anything was messed up from a tear or two before we went into the den.

Joseph led us in prayer.

Emmett’s band was growing.  The lead was sung by Sally Mae, Wilma, Arabella, Menzie and Carla.  At alto, there was Brooke, Mercedes, and Mags Lothrop Kildare.  At tenor, Michael, Mike Lothrop Kildare, and Samuel.  Dr. Ben, Brenton, and Darrell sang baritone.  And then Dr. Kildare sang bass.  The song was He is Exalted.  Mike Kildare kept the beat with the tubulum.  Mags played the cello.  Darrell played the guitar.  And Emmett was at the saxophone.  And Fred played the trombone.

Emmett added, “Did that set the mood, Aunt Jemima?”

I asked, “That was wonderful.  And that descant that Arabella sang was angelic.  Why didn’t Menzie sing that?”

Menzie said, “Oh, no, for notes that high, it is perfect for Belle.  I would have to stretch.  I have range, but that would be near my upper level.  Belle sang it without straining her voice at all.”

Arabella giggled, “And Emmett wrote the descant for me.”

I said, “Wow!  Thanks to all of you.”

Samuel said, “Aunt Jemima, what Attribute of God are we studying today?”

I laughed, “Samuel, we are looking at God – the Exalted.  Arabella, do we need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella asked, “Yes, Aunt Jemima, big time!”

Easy, my husband, a.k.a. Mr. Dictionary, said, “Oxford Language has this definition for exalted, an adjective ‘(of a person or their rank or status) placed at a high or powerful level; held in high regard.’  Merriam-Webster defines exalted as being ‘elevated in rank, power, or character’.  I think rank and power are things we have talked about in this class, but God, in His holiness, faithfulness, and love, is exalted in character.  And we might all put Aunt Jemima on a pedestal, above us all as our teacher.  She would then be exalted.  But who exalted her?  The people in this class did that.  But God, He simply is exalted.  He is the ‘I AM.’  We do not put Him there, He is there.  See the difference?”

Arabella Shrunk her head between her shoulders, “Yes, I like how you explained that.  Can you come to Flintheart to teach freshman English?  I really need Mr. Dictionary in that class.”

I grumbled, “I do not feel worthy of being put on a pedestal.  I will accept the analogy only as an illustration.  Most of the time I am wondering why I am leading this class.”

B.B. said, “Because you taught us so well during our Turtle Team escapades, we wanted to spread that around.”

I said, “Okay, but let’s get started before I have a meltdown.”

Dr. Kildare (Isaiah 6:1) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”

Dr. Kildare said, “Some people might focus on the word ‘train.’  A train on a wedding dress is significant of social status and wealth.  The bride may not be that wealthy.  The bride only has special social status due to that moment.  When the bride appears, all eyes turn to her and focus on her.  But this is not something relating to a gender crossover.  A train can be placed on a robe, coat, cloak, whatever.  If you are rich enough or powerful enough, you can have servants whose only job is to carry the train behind you.  So, trains are not gender driven.  But whether this was a train or not, Isaiah said that the train filled the entire temple.  Isaiah saying that God had a train that filled the entire temple is telling us that God is everywhere.  Omnipresent.  But here, God is physically sitting on the throne in Isaiah’s vision.  Isaiah calls Him Lord, Adonai, which was the title of the song last week.  Lord means absolute sovereignty, ownership, and authority.  You cannot get more exalted than that.”

Arabella slapped her Bible shut dramatically, “Well, that was a great lesson.  I’ll see everybody next week.”

I cleared my throat, “Belle, we just got started with the class.  But Dr. Kildare, that was a wonderful lesson in just that one verse.  Belle, in her silliness, was giving you a compliment.”

Dr. Kildare laughed a hearty laugh.  “I was just thinking.  I know Belle is one of our youngsters on storm chases already, but when she comes to the university in four years, we might get a steady dose of that wit.  Mary’s reality show will either drive Mary crazy or it will be a hit.”

B.B. groaned, “It might be both.”

Mary Jo (Exodus 15:1) “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”

Mary Jo said, “This is right after they crossed the Red Sea.  Moses and Miriam sing this song.  Miriam repeats the line in the 21^st verse, that is the 21^st verse in the chapter of Exodus, not the 21^st verse in the song.  So, God performed all the miracles in the plagues of Egypt.  Then, He parted the Red Sea.  Then, He let the waters go back together at just that point when the Egyptian army was chasing the Israelites.  In prophecies and psalms after this song, God keeps reminding the people about why they are no longer slaves in Egypt.  And Mamma Jochebed has taught me a lot in the nursery.  She’ll take the toothbrush away from me and tell me that the baseboards are clean enough.  She reminds me that I am not the slave of my old boyfriend in Florida who abandoned me when I refused to rid myself of Frank.  When you put the name with it, you see how ugly abortion is.  My boyfriend demanded that I abort my baby.  But now my boyfriend is gone, and I have my lovely little Frank Lynn.”

I smiled, “Dr. Ellie and B.B. delivered Frank.  I just took pictures.  But I never thought of the elements of that storm chase being similar to God’s providence at the Red Sea.  But that one big gust of wind wrecked your boyfriend’s RV.  God’s providence uses all the attributes that we have studied for our good and His glory.  That was very good, Mary Jo.”

Darrell (Psalms 57:5) “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Darrell smiled, “This sounds like David is telling God to be exalted, but Easy already told us that God is already there.  So, I’m a’thinking that David is telling everybody that hears or sings this psalm that they need to put God there in their minds.  Is that it, Pastor Joseph?”

Joseph said, “In a way, that is what all the psalms are.  They establish the voice of the worship, but we set our hearts to that voice when we worship.”

Sally Mae (Psalm 108:5) “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Sally Mae said, “The same as Darrell’s verse, but this says that David wants God’s glory over all the earth.  That might touch on what Dr. Kildare said about God being everywhere.  So, everywhere we go, we see God’s glory.”

I replied, “Thanks, that was good, Sally Mae.”

Professor Angus (Psalm 50:14-15) “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

Angus said, “This is part of Peter’s sermon when the Holy Spirit came down and filled them.  The one who is exalted in this case is Jesus.  Jesus had risen from the dead, but then He ascended into heaven.  That was the physical act of exalting.  But in a spiritual sense, He is at the right hand of the Father.  The Father is the Exalted One.  He is a spirit, so it is kind of hard being at His right hand, so this is from a spiritual sense, due to the earthly concept that the one you trust is the one at your right hand.”

I smiled, “Yeah, but then God turned His back to Moses because seeing His front would kill Moses.  So, whether there is a body to that spirit, God can lend an ear, the one on the right, to His Son.”

Missy (Isaiah 12:4-6) “In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’ ”

Missy gasped and clutched her chest, “Oxygen, oxygen!  Aunt Jemima gave me the long one instead of giving it to Blaise.  I never knew you could get so winded reading three Bible verses.”

Otto shouted, “Oscar!  Give her an Oscar!”

Missy smiled, “Thank you, Otto, but I don’t have room on my trophy shelf for another one.  But in these three verses, we are to glorify God.  We are to call out to God and exalt Him.  And when we do all that, we will be joyful.  It’s kind of hard to sing praises to God and not be joyful.  And God will be among us.  I think that was a promise to the people at that time and to us that God is with us, and when we praise Him as we should, He is dancing along with us.  But during the millennial reign of Christ, Jesus will be physically dwelling among us.  But then, He did dwell among us for about 33 years.”

I said, “Thanks, Mamma Missy for your comments, and I have to give a long one to someone other than Blaise just to throw him off.”

Goober (1 Chronicles 29:11) “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.”

Goober sighed, “Ummm.  I hate to admit this in class here, but Kanok seems to have gotten her way.  The radio announcer has influenced the stadium announcer.  The radio announcer has been saying that when I hit someone it’s a ‘snot booger’ tackle.   So since yesterday was our first home game, the stadium announcer said, ‘Tackle by Booger.’  Then one side of the stadium yelled, ‘snot’ and the other side yelled ‘booger’.  I cannot win. Kanokized language has far reaching effects.”

I smiled, “Think of it this way.  You are developing a reputation of a good player as a freshman.  Any sacks?”

Goober smiled and nodded, “But just Bible verse is David’s last song, his prayer for Israel.  I think David is throwing in that conditional covenant that God made with him.  Jesus would come from David’s line, but the physical kingdom would be lost if they did not make God exalted over them.  But if you just read it at face value, we should praise God because He is exalted in greatness, power, majesty, and splendor.  Too bad we rely on snot booger tackles.  That takes our eyes off Jesus.”

I said, “I think we have room for one more.”

Brooke (Micah 4:1) “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.”

Brooke looked confused. “This is not talking about God.  It is talking about the hill where the temple is, was, or will be.  Help!”

Joseph smiled, “Brooke, where did God reside in the people’s minds in the days of the tabernacle?”

Brooke replied, “It says that he sat between the cherubim on the Arc of the Covenant, right?”

Joseph brightened, “Very good!  You have been studying.  So, if we consider that the temple is where God is, then God being exalted means that the highest hill must be where God is.”

Then Easy said, “And you still are looking confused.  But first, the temple will be rebuilt before the End Times.  I think they are making plans to do that, but maybe not soon.  But then, there are so many earthquakes and other disasters during the tribulation that maybe Jerusalem is the only place standing on a mountain.  Isaiah 42:16 talks about making rough places smooth.  That could literally mean the major mountain ranges all over the earth.”

Brooke smiled, “Thanks, Easy and Pastor Joseph.”

I smiled, “Is Grannie Fannie behind me?”

Grannie Fannie snickered, “You know I am right behind you, Jemima”

I asked, “Grannie Fannie, can you lead us in our new benediction?”

Grannie Fannie (Romans 15:13) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Lauren ran up to Menzie and Samuel, “Mommie!  Daddy!  The buses!  The bus driver is here.  And Liam, Lympie, and Ellie Rain are with her.”  Then, she ran to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.

Arabella asked, as everybody got up to leave, “What?!  No pizza!”

Easy said, “Don’t push it, Fireball!”

Brooke came over and got Stormie’s carrier.  “Hi, Stormie.  I was at a football game last week.  Did you miss me?”

Stormie smiled and cooed.

Credits

The nature of the blog from Sweet to the Soul Ministries gives only one verse.  I used various searches and cross references for the other verses.  I used several sources, but there were a lot more verses to choose from just doing a search on the word “exalted”.

This is the second week that Grannie Fannie has brought Lance Allott’s grandchildren with her to church.  The middle child is Olympia.  Maybe the nickname of Lympie won’t stick.

Here is Maranatha Music singing He is Exalted.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.