December 13

Morning

up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. — Ezra 7:22 BSB

Salt was used in every offering made by fire to the Lord, and because of its preserving and purifying qualities, it became a beautiful symbol of divine grace in the soul. It’s worth noting that when Artaxerxes gave salt to Ezra the priest, he set no limit on the quantity. And we can be sure that when the King of kings gives grace to His royal priesthood, He doesn’t hold back. Often, we find ourselves limited in what we ask for, but never in what the Lord is willing to give. Whoever wants to gather much manna will find they can have as much as they desire.

There is no famine in the heavenly Jerusalem that would make its citizens eat their bread by weight or drink their water by measure. Some things in God’s economy are measured, such as the vinegar and gall we receive in exact portions—never a drop too much. But there is no such restriction on the salt of grace. “Ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you.” While parents may need to lock up the candy cupboard to keep their children from overindulging, there’s no need to put the saltbox under lock and key—few would consume it greedily. A person can have too much money or too much honor, but they can never have too much grace. When Jeshurun became fat, he kicked against God, but no one needs to fear becoming too full of grace—it’s impossible to have an excess. More wealth brings more worries, but more grace brings more joy. Increased knowledge often leads to more sorrow, but a greater measure of the Spirit is the fullness of joy.

Believer, go to the throne of grace for a large portion of heavenly salt! It will season your afflictions, which are tasteless without it. It will preserve your heart, which would otherwise decay without grace. And it will kill your sins, just as salt kills unwanted pests. You need much—so seek much, and you will receive much!

Evening

I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. — Isa 54:12 BSB

The church is beautifully pictured as a building erected by heavenly power and designed by divine skill. Such a spiritual house must not be dark, for the Israelites had light in their dwellings. Therefore, there must be windows to let in the light and to allow the inhabitants to gaze out. These windows are described as being as precious as agates, representing the ways the church looks upon her Lord, heaven, and spiritual truth, which should be held in the highest esteem.

Agates are not the clearest of gems; they are only semi-transparent. Faith is like one of these precious agate windows, though often cloudy and dim, allowing us to see only faintly and sometimes misinterpret what we do see. Yet even if we cannot look through windows as clear as diamonds and know fully, it is still glorious to behold the altogether lovely One, even through the hazy lens of an agate.

Experience is another of these dim but valuable windows. It provides a softened religious light, through which we see the suffering of the Man of Sorrows reflected in our own trials. Our weak eyes could not bear windows of clear glass to let in the full glory of the Master, but when dimmed by our tears, the beams of the Sun of Righteousness shine through the agate windows with a gentle, comforting glow that soothes our troubled souls.

Sanctification, as it makes us more like our Lord, is yet another agate window. Only as we grow in holiness can we begin to understand heavenly things. The pure in heart see a pure God. Those who are like Jesus see Him as He is. And though our likeness to Him is still so incomplete, we thank God for the little we do have, even while we long for more. When will we see God, Jesus, heaven, and truth face to face?