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Philippian Bits – 4:4

For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

4:4   Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

A key verse of the letter. While Paul is in prison, addressing what may be considered a silly argument amongst those in his favorite church, he breaks forth with this reiteration of joy.

He says we are to rejoice always!

Come on Paul. I have a hangnail, and it is super irritating, my car had a flat last night and I have no diet coke in the fridge. How can you expect me to experience joy in the midst of these trials?

Oh the trials of the modern believer. Oh the heavy weight of the modern believer. In the midst of a life where we get distracted from our greater purpose by insignificant and inconsequential troubles, we are robbed of a joy that is offered to us.

Yet let us look at Paul’s statement once more.

He does not say “Experience joy” or “You shall enjoy life without condition”. His statement is a command. This is life changing, for as soon as I realized this was not simply a statement of my current condition, but a command to obey, much of the uncertainty of my faith fell away.

We are to rejoice! It is within our scope of obedience, and we are to enter into rejoicing by a decision we make in our lives. Paul gives us the focus of the joy, and that is in the Lord, He is our joy, and when our eyes focus on diet coke or flat tires, we have walked away from this command.

Yes diet coke and flat tires are distractions, some more powerful than others, but as we walk this pilgrimage, we are to focus on the Lord and rejoice.

As Paul said, I also will remind us and again say – Rejoice!

What a privilege to follow after Him, and to follow after Him in the midst of joy, not in a drudgery or complaining mood, which will suffocate your faith.

Rejoice. Decide to look to the Lord, realize who our Great Savior is, and rejoice!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 60.03

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 60:6 God has spoken in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
Psalm 60:7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
Psalm 60:8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

After assuring his reader in the last portion of Psalm 60 that there is a place of refuge to run to; that God is a banner for those who seek Him, David then goes on to state God’s actions.

David was a big picture guy, having his eye on the future of God’s plan and did not let the current set back hold him back. This is a difficult lesson, for as we are pressing forward, we will always have setbacks, disappointments, discouragements, and delays. In our battles, we should not be surprised by difficult times entering our lives, even understanding that the Lord Himself is allowing these difficulties. During those times of difficulties, we must be big picture people, looking to the end game, the purpose for which He has brought us into the game.

The regions David refers to in our verses start in the northern portion of Israel, with each region zigzagging back and forth over the Jordan as the author moves his finger south down the map of Israel.

Each of these regions are described as God’s possessions. This fact that David reminds us of is instructive for it reminds us that we are not the owners, but only stewards, and that as the Owner, God will have his way of working His plan with those people in the regions He speaks of.

It is God’s land. Military setbacks are inevitable, but by remembering the land is the Lord’s and the big picture of God’s victory, David finds solace and relief to continue another day. Please understand – David’s current struggle is not being minimized, but in relation to the goal of God, David has found the perspective He needs.

Are you going through a valley, a difficult time, where it appears you have lost major gains in the Christian walk? Consider the big picture, and understand that God has an end purpose for our lives.

Love God and His Son, be patient, look to the big picture and hang on!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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Names of God – CHOSEN CORNERSTONE – 73

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

73
 
CHOSEN CORNERSTONE
 
1 Peter 2:6-7 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”  So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
Throughout the Word, Jesus is described as the Chosen One, Chosen of God and even a believers Chosen Portion, but for our study this morning, let us consider that Peter refers to the Master as the Chosen Cornerstone.

To be chosen speaks of a decision outside of the intended chosen ones influence. It is to be picked, or to be elected by someone to an office, to a position or to a responsibility. To be chosen also speaks of selection and or an appointment to a situation.

Peter speaks of Jesus as the Chosen Cornerstone. The Cornerstone, upon which all other development, or construction refers to and is based upon. Of course Peter is not referring to the physical buildings we think of when we speak of when we mention “church”. Nothing so crass and insignificant in relation to the truth Peter is getting at. Peter is speaking of the Cornerstone upon which the entire Christian church, of all the ages, and throughout the entire globe is built upon. This Chosen Cornerstone is the lynchpin, the foundation, the Builder and Maker of the church.

Without the cornerstone, there is no building, there is no church, no body, no fellowship, no life, no salvation, no hope, no future.

He is the only reason the church exists in the world today, and as the Chosen Cornerstone, He is to be elevated as the only One to whom we look to.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Conditional Security – 2 Corinthians 13:5-9

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.
7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong–not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.

Who is Paul writing to? Believers or professors? If professors, he is certainly giving them much encouragement in thier status with God by calling them out as saints (1:1), brothers (1:8), having the seal (1:22) and the Spirit (1:22). Yes, for Paul to consider those he addresses as brothers in chapter 1 as professors in chapter 13 causes me a discontinuity that I cannot find justification for.

Given that Paul is addressing his brothers in chapter 13, let us consider what Paul is about to say. Ok, so let us ead it one more time.

Examine yourselves, to see if you go to church enough, tithe enough, read the bible enough, or pray enough.

That is not the message at all. The question is – Are you “in” the faith or “out” of the faith. That is the challenge!

This is one of the rare instances where two words for testing used by the Greeks is used in the same verse. Kinda interesting!

The first word (Examine) is peirazō, πειράζω to test (objectively). As we say at the office – It is what it is! No intentions, emotions or subjective rational during this testing. A fact is a fact!

The second word (Test) is dokimazō,  δοκιμάζω, to test if genuine, also to approve, or deem worthy after testing. This word, when I come across it in the New Testament, always brings to mind the intent that the testing is for the sake of approval, the test is given hoping that the test is passed.

For both of these words to be used, I imagine, is Paul’s way of saying the truth is harsh, relentless, unforgiving (as to the conclusions arrived by seeking it) and possibly shocking. Yet in the midst of exhorting the Corinthians to face the facts, he also has the heart of a pastor, seeking for good results, for success after the time of self testing for the believers.

Yet the topic of this blog is the possibility of these believers having fallen away, left their Savior, walked away. Unless this is a very real possibility, the test seems to be an exercise of futility, and possibly may cause more damage than intended.

Let’s say that after some self examination, I find I am out of the faith, but are still being encouraged by outside forces that “things will be alright”, “there is nothing to worry about”, and reminded that “50 yrs ago you said a prayer”. The test becomes fruitless. There is no reason to repent from your current situation.

Let’s say instead I understand that the security I have is conditional, and that I may have slipped away. This testing could save my life, bringing me back under the Lord and in the church.

These are not light teachings, and we cannot judge Paul’s intent of message based on my simple logic, but let us be careful with blanket encouragement of those who may be undergoing a self examination with bad results.

Encourage them “in the Lord”, and not with empty platitudes or distant prayers. The focus is always the Lord, our relationship with Him.

Do you know Him? As a “Christian”, do you know Him?

Paul would pray for the believers restoration. Is there a restoration for you?

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Life of David – 7.01

Saul’s Jealousy of David

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 18:6-7
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.
7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

Ok, we have three participants in this short story. We have David, who had struck down the Philistines, King Saul who was “with” David, and the women.

Yes – the women.

They meant well, but it did cause a problem. Were the women trying to cause difficulty for David, trying to “stir the pot”? Absolutely not, if I read this properly. They were rejoicing that Israel was victorious and they knew that young shepherd soldier, who was all the rage in Israel, was the reason Israel was so successful. Yes, the women were simply rejoicing, with seemingly good motives, seeking to receive the victorious back to the land!

Yet, for David, this seemingly awesome reception and acknowledgement by the some of the nations women, set up a situation that would lead to attempts on his life, for there was a wee little man, (though head and shoulders above all his subjects), that could not accept the praise being given to David.

But that may not be entirely accurate.

It might not be that the praise given to David was the problem, but that Saul wasn’t receiving top billing, that King Saul was not the most important man in the parade.

It is not that King Saul was jealous, for that emotion is typically associated with possessions, or of a third party in a relationship. I suppose jealousy may apply here, but I think a more accurate word to describe Saul’s emotional constitution would be envy.

Envy and jealousy are sometimes thought of as synonymous, but I would submit to my reader that envy speaks to a resentful awareness of someone else’s superiority. It isn’t so much a possession thing but a character/skill that allows the nasty emotion to rise to the surface!

David was a skilled warrior. King Saul was one who sent men out to battle. Poor Saul wasn’t quite happy with his lot in life.

And the women, in all their innocent exuberance, brought out the envy residing in Saul, with force. It would become all controlling!

There were times when the Lord was praised by someone in the gospels, and He commanded them to be quiet. I never understood that for many years, thinking that everyone should know, that everyone should hear of all His works. That was until I settled down in my mind and thought of situations like we are looking at in this passage.

Good intentions of truthful witness can have dire circumstances. Of course Jesus was aiming for the cross, but it would be on His time schedule, and not someone else’s.

He was in control of every element of His ministry, the good, the bad and the innocent exuberance! Jesus was in control of His revealing at every moment. Jesus understood the heart of man like no other, and orchestrated His own crucifixion through the reactions of men’s dark hearts.

What an amazing Savior!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Absalom 3

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN
 
Absalom
 
Son longing to come home
 
2 Samuel 14:32 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.'”
 
John 20:17 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

Absalom had killed his brother Amnon, based on a convenient moral rage that he hid behind to gain advantage (I believe) to ascend to the throne of Israel. Yes Amnon performed a vile act of rape on his sister, and yes he should suffer the consequences of that wicked decision. But the judgement was not to be performed by his brother Absalom. But as we reviewed in our last post in this series, that is exactly what happened.

David’s third son killed David’s first son, heir apparent to the throne. It appears the children were watching when David took Bathsheba! David’s attitude toward women filtered down into Amnon, and began the dissolution of David’s family.

Yet, when in the darkness, as David must surely have been during these difficult days, a ray of hope is usually grasped without too much discernment. Such is the case here, when the self exiled Absalom calls unto Joab to request a return to the City of David, even to be presented before the King.

How audacious of a man this Absalom must be. Yet his very desire, though the evil intent may be cloaked with the appearance of family loyalty, indicates a normal healthy relationship between son and father. It is normal, yes even worth much for the relationship to be maintained.

For Absalom, he stated he would chance death for the opportunity to return to the King’s palace. Surely he must have been hedging his bets, but on the surface this statement is informative.

For our Lord, His desire was without mixed motives, for He left behind an eternal connection with the Father, a continual, deep, interactive and consistent relationship of holiness, love, peace and joy. At no time was there a point of friction, a discussion of differing opinions, a misunderstanding or a loss of connectedness between the Father and the Son.

Even while walking amongst us, the connection with the Father was never broken, never strained, never diminished. That is until that day when spike were driven into His hands and feet, and a sword was shoved into His chest. There was a time when the Father looked away. When Jesus was alone, all alone.

At that time, the desire to go home must have been heart crushing. Although Absalom spoke of this desire, Jesus experienced this longing like no one else.

May we be a thankful people, for a Savior such as He!

Jesus is such a Savior!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – CHILD FROM THE HOLY GHOST – 72

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

72
 
CHILD FROM THE HOLY GHOST
 
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew speaks of our Lord as a child from the Holy Spirit. We do not have much in the bible record of Jesus as a child but Matthew does supply a few tidbits of information.

After providing Jesus genealogy, Matthew cuts to the chase and informs his readers that this One was not merely a King of the line of David, but from the Holy Spirit. Of course this phrase may simply speak of His origin and not His very nature of God.

Joseph, two verses later, was also informed that this baby was from the Holy Spirit, in order to calm Joseph’s fears and suspicions. Matthew further reminds us that all that was occurring with Joseph and Mary was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken in Isaiah, identifying this unborn baby as a boy, and that He will be “God with us”.

Jesus was from the Holy Spirit, and is God with us. From the womb!

There may be some who may think He attained the status of God through His obedience in His ministry to the Father, or that He received His identity by the baptism He underwent. Matthew would argue against any effort to reduce the person of Christ from being God to becoming God, right from the start of his gospel.

We might be wise to do the same, for He is the Child from the Holy Ghost, the very nature of God!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Philippian Bits – 4:3

For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

4:3   Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

What to do with arguing women? A question for the ages!

As we noticed in the previous verse Paul called out two women who were struggling with unity between themselves. And as we all have come to realize, when there are two who struggle with unity in a church, this typically causes two camps to form behind each opinion.

This is naughty! Not beneficial in any way! Divisive!

Yet what is Paul’s exhortation? Kick ’em out of the church! At least get rid of the one who brings less tithes into the coffers!

Duh – read the passage once more. Paul is requesting a third party to intervene in this strife. To help these women. Not to eject them. To bring about a spirit of cooperation between them, to unite them under one purpose.

Is this third party a known brother to us? Is Paul describing this one as a true yoke fellow, or might he be calling on one in the church named Syzygos. It is interesting to say the least that if there was a worker in the church whose name was Syzygos, Paul calls on him to act as his name describes him, as one who unites under a yoke. Might it be that it is his strength or gift to bring people together under one yoke? Under one Savior?

As we ended the last post, we see that Paul continues with the theme of unity, of peacemaking. He is seeking to bring together those who have the same Master, to have believers be peacemakers. Again we see relationship within the body as being a paramount concern in the apostles heart.

Book of Life

Having said that, let us consider the topic of the book of life. Paul brings up this term seemingly out of nowhere. There are a number of possible links in the Old Testament that Paul may be referencing, and bringing into the New Covenant thought.

Our first passage in Isaiah designates a characteristic of those whose name is recorded for life. Holiness. A chief characteristic of the saint, of the follower of God is the desire of holiness, of being set apart for God. Isaiah speaks of a time when Zion will be cleansed of filth, with those left behind being the very same as those who are in the book of life, recorded for life.

Isaiah 4:3 ESV – And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,

Our next verse is in Daniel. Notice that Daniel links citizenship in the nation of Israel with the names written in the book. When referring to “your people” Daniel is speaking of those who would be delivered from a time of trouble. Those whose name was found in the book would be protected.

Daniel 12:1 ESV – “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

Ezekiel brings to our attention the idea on non inclusion, that is that the names should not be in the register of the nation. Those false prophets were not to be enrolled in the national register, the record of citizenship for the nation. Ezekiel speaks of keeping the register clean by not allowing any false prophets to be considered of the nation of Israel.

Ezekiel 13:9 ESV – My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

One time in the Old Covenant, the idea of being blotted out of the book of the living is considered. David speaks of his foes, and by referring to them as being blotted out, links them with the nation of Israel. These foes were to be stricken from the rolls of citizenship!

Psalm 69:28 ESV – Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

You know, when Paul brings up the topic of the book of life, right after his reference to our citizenship in heaven, it may not be as out of the blue as I first thought. May Paul be bringing this common thread of Old Testament record keeping of citizenship into Christian thinking? What thinkest thou?

Of course Paul is not the only apostle who speaks of the book of life. But the phrase is not used in the New Testament again until the apostle John refers to it in the book of Revelation six more times.

And that is for another time!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 60.02

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 60:4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah
Psalm 60:5 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

David is recounting the goodness of God and it is instructive to recognize, that he was experiencing setbacks militarily. Not only military setbacks, but he calls out God in the earlier passage, stating God had been very harsh, making the land quake, tearing it open, making the nation stagger with what they had experienced. Let’s read the previous verses once more and consider what David was going through. Remember – he was claiming God was the One who brought about the following difficulties.

Psalm 60:2-3 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

David was definitely in a low point, a struggle that was not merely a military issue, but a God issue.

A difficult passage to understand, yet as David ponders the goodness of God, I sense he is speaking of a remnant that will look to God, that a banner has been set up for, for those who fear God and will flee to. Yes the nation (physical) has experienced great trial here, but in the midst of this trial, those who fear God recognize the banner set out in front of them, that they can appeal to, that they can flee to, and hide under the Shadow of the Almighty.

Will all seek out the banner of God? David does not answer this, yet in the midst of difficult time, even times brought about by the Father, He is still our cover, our refuge, our banner to gather about.

Let us remember that in no difficulty or trial, God is not there for us.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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Names of God – CHIEF SHEPHERD – 71

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

71
 
CHIEF SHEPHERD
 
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Peter is addressing the elders of the church. For brevities sake, I shall not enter into a discussion on my understanding of leadership in the New Testament church, suffice it to say that it comprises of two types of men. One of these type of men are called elders, and we can safely state that an elder is one of many primary spiritual leaders in the local body.

Peter provides one command for these men.

Shepherd the flock they know. There are defining phrases that describe this command that follows, but this is the principle truth Peter wants to communicate to the elders. Shepherd the flock of God that they know.

How to do this?

Exercise oversight. Watch your flock. I understand this to include some discretion in the watching, for I sense Peter is not looking for an elder to be involved in every member’s decision making process, or to directly and constantly seek to influence each member to their way of thinking.

In this oversight, the desire of the elder is positive. It is not to be a drudgery attending to the members business, but a joy to assist the member as required, to have the patience to stand still for the member to reach out.

In this oversight, money is not to be a motivator. Peter has spoken of the elders willingness previously, and here he speaks of an eagerness.

Now you may think I am describing an elder to be stand offish, out of touch, or without the ability to create and maintain relationships with their flock. Please do not read me that way. Yet the next phrase in Peters description of the proper elder is that they are not to be domineering.

This is the kick in the gut, for how many have been in a body where the “accepted elder” is the one with the most education, the highest paycheck, the most demanding of his people and yet rarely allows those of his flock to see him with his family, with the struggles he experiences. He feels he has to be the perfect one as an example, and yet I would suggest this is an act of pride and domination.

The shepherd is to be one who is visibly in need of God’s grace, humbled by his failures and faithful in allowing his flock to experience his life, warts and all.

A shepherd is to be fully human, dependent upon the Lord, in humility providing a hand to those who feel comfortable to approach him.

I may have been off topic a bit, but this is the one who is the true leader, the one who understands his weakness, allows others to see their weakness and their need for God, and that is approachable, a servant to those who need to see Jesus.

For was it not characteristic of the Chief Shepherd to self humble, to come down, to be a friend of sinners and prostitutes, to be approachable (unless you were a bit too religious!). This is the character of Christ, and per the self humbling, He has become the highest of all, and the Chief Shepherd.

Our Chief Shepherd!

And when Jesus appears, these men of service and humility will gain a crown of glory, due to their not seeking it while on earth.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Paradoxical Passages – Titus 1:12

Titus 1:12 ESV – One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

Ok Paul. If Cretans are always liars, why should we trust the saying of a Cretan?

It just didn’t make sense for me, and, as a paradox is wont to do, it took me outside of my usual way of thinking.

Paul refers to this Cretan prophet twice in the New Testament, with this passage being the second occurence.

The first occurrence was when Paul preached to the men of Athens in Acts 17:28, when Paul stated

In him we live and move and have our being.

The Cretan prophet that Paul quotes in both of these passages is a greek philosopher by the name of Epimenides of Crete.

It is instructive to note that Paul’s method of connecting with the men of Athens was to bring a part of their experience into his preaching, finding a point where the men could identify somewhat with Paul’s message. Of course that is slim pickings, since the greek philosopher had little in common with Christian thought, but the effort was there!

In the Titus passage, we see Paul again quoting Epimenides, but in this verse he makes what seems to be a absolute claim – that is that all Cretans – every single last Cretan that has ever sucked breath, every one of them is a liar.

Now of course this verse includes what is famously referred to a the liars paradox. If Epimenides is telling the truth, then the statement is a lie, for he is a Cretan. If Epimenides is lying, then the statement is true, which debunks the statement. This is an unwinnable unsolvable paradox IF we are woodenly literal and apply it without any common sense.

When Epimenides makes this statement, it is assumed that his claim is based on truth. We cannot take the “always” with a literal constant and permanent application to the statement for it becomes incoherent.

Let us read the Word with a sense of wonder and not apply a constriction that only serves to frustrate the message. Let us be reasonable in our understanding of the Word, and seek out the intentions of the message, the application of the message and the motivations of the message that has been provided and safe guarded for His people for millennium.

He is True, and not a liar!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Life of David – 6.01

David and Jonathan’s Friendship

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses. .

1 Samuel 18:1-5
1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

David has just vanquished the giant, having come out of nowhere to fight Israel’s battle.

A king, who was a literally a giant of a man amongst his people wasn’t taking the challenge. He didn’t seem to be affected by the slurs against the nation of Israel’s God. Politically, he sought someone to rescue him from this national embarrassment through the provision of gifts, his daughter and tax relief.

So a young shepherd shows up, simply being obedient to his father’s wishes, bringing sustenance to his brothers. After hearing the circumstances of the battle the Israelites were in the midst of, David takes action. Having conquered the enemy, the King asks again about David, but specifically about whose son this young man is.

As an aside, it is interesting to note that Saul was sending out a boy to battle, not concerned about his family, or who he was. This is the nature of a ruling class. Subjects are to be used for the needs of those in charge. After the victory, when Saul asks whose son this warrior is, was it to fulfill his commitment to grant tax free status to the family, or to find a resource he could take advantage of for future battles? I will leave it to my reader to decide.

Nevertheless, David was summoned and presented before the king. And a new character in David’s life appears. An Israeli prince by the name of Jonathon.

Let’s consider Jonathon for a moment. He has already established himself as a victorious, faithful soldier of the nation, a man who is a leader, as seen in his conquest of the philistine garrison is 1 Samuel 14. Not only did he take on a challenge due to opportunity and not by command – for you see Jonathon wasn’t commanded by the king to take on the garrison, but he saw opportunity and trusted God for a victory. As a matter of fact, Jonathon didn’t let his father know of his escapade.

1 Samuel 14:1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

Also, take note of Jonathon’s attitude as he spoke to his armor bearer in 1 Samuel 14:6

…It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

It must seem obvious that when these two men met for the first time, a bond of fellowship was recognized between them. They were of kindred spirits, both men who sought ways to see God at work, who had faith in the Living God, and who risked their lives to exhibit this faith.

Surely Jonathon had heard of David, for David had been in the royal court for short periods of time prior to this, trying to satisfy both the king and his father with his presence. This was about to end, for the king was looking to take this young man from his family for his own service. David was to be in the kings court permanently.

Verses 3 & 4 speak of Jonathon and David’s connection, of Jonathon’s commitment to David, of his being bound together with David. The soul’s of these two men were “tied together” at this time, and we do not need to make any crazy assumptions beyond a friendship based on a “knitting together” of their souls.

Jonathon’s gift of supplying the robe to David was an act of the highest honor for a prince to perform. Not only did Jonathon provide this honor of supplying his robe, he went so far as to give David his armor his sword his bow and his belt.

The robe, it seems represents the royal status of the prince, and the remaining items the equipment of the soldier being sent out for the nation. Jonathon provided David the equipment he needed. For the king was keeping David near, to send him out representing the nation in battle. And as can be expected, David was successful where ever he went for the king.

And the people loved him.

The servants of Saul loved him.

Jonathon loved him.

But as we will find out, a small man like Saul began to hate him.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Absalom 2

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN
 
Absalom
 
Judge
 
2 Samuel 13:32
But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar.
 
Acts 10:42
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead..

Absalom commanded judgement upon his brother Amnon for a dastardly deed he performed years earlier. Amnon had deceived his sister Tamar into providing a meal in his room, forcing her sexually and then rejecting her after having raped her.

Absalom had no right to exercise this execution but for the sake of his seeming sense of justice, or his love for his sister, or for his desire for the kingdom, – for whatever motivation that drove Absalom – he planned, prepared and with premeditation, had his brother murdered at his command.

Absalom judged his brother. Absalom, at this point in his life appeared to be taking vengeance on Amnon for his sister Tamar. What follows in the story of Absalom is a tale of deceit and rebellion that may provide the motivation of Absalom in the murder, for Amnon was next in line for the kingdom, and though what Amnon did to Tamar was vile and wicked, I see Absalom as an opportunist. This evil of Amnon provided Absalom an opportunity to rid the family of a contender for the throne! All under the guise of justice!

Absalom took the position of judge in this early part of the story, looking all pious and righteous in defending his sister, yet the true Absalom shone through later on.

With Jesus, there is a complete contrast, for are not his intentions purer than Absalom’s, in that His motivations were of love, and the hurt was self inflicted. Yes – Jesus is the Judge of all living and the dead, and we can be confident his judgement will be true, right and proper.

And remember – with Jesus we can be confident that His motivations are pure, true, right and proper.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – CARPENTER’S SON – 70

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

70
 
CARPENTER’S SON
 
Matthew 13:55
Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
Jesus was a carpenter. Jesus was the son of a carpenter. He followed in the footsteps of his earthly father, choosing the very occupation his father worked in.

Jesus was also recognizable as the carpenter’s son. Even his enemies referred to Him as the carpenter’s son. He learned His trade from His father, and pursued gainful employment as a carpenter.

The local townsfolk knew Joseph and recognized Jesus as Joseph’s son. He was influenced by Joseph greatly as He grew up, learned a trade, watched His father, and increased in skill and ability with physical tools and materials.

It is sad that the same people who recognized Jesus as Joseph’s son did not know the Father in Heaven, for if they did, they would have recognized Jesus as His Father’s Son. Though His earthly father provided physical skills and abilities, the Son gained spiritual skills and abilities through His watching His Father in Heaven.

John 14:10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

The Father worked and the Son worked. Jesus was dependent on the Father for the works that He did, and in watching His Father, He performed works that reflected His Father.

Jesus earthly father trained Jesus in the physical.
Jesus Heavenly Father trained Jesus in the spiritual.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Philippian Bits – 4:2

For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

With this passage we begin a portion of exhortation, encouragement and prayer.

4:2   I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Dang if Paul wasn’t breaching the topic of unity in the previous passage, and lo and behold, we have an example of division within the Philippian church.

It seems Euodia and Syntyche, two women in the church were having a disagreement. Do we know the extent of the disagreement, the theological division these women were struggling with, or was it simply the color of the pew cushions for the new worship center?

We don’t know what the topic was, but if it had been a theological topic, I am fairly certain Paul would have provided the corrective teaching, as he does in all the other epistles he wrote. No, I think the disagreement may have been of personal preferences, possibly not unlike that of a minor decision, such as the color of pew cushions or the order of service. I speak as a fool, for I do not see either of those topics as being applicable in the first century. But I think you may get my point, right?

Story time

A few years back, I was in a church where two women were in disagreement over a similar level of concern, and I suggested the leadership call them out in order to resolve the friction. To get it out in the open. To seek to open discussion instead of simply bear the damage being caused.

In requesting this action, you would have thought I was the divisive person. How can we call them out. This would be a humbling exercise for these women, and the fall out might be damaging to the church. Yet Paul called them out, by name, in a book that has survived for two thousand years! I think Paul esteemed peace and unity in the church far greater than we do. I also think Paul had greater faith in his converts than we sometimes do, since he called these ladies out as he did, initiating a resolution process.

These women are introduced to us a portion of this book that holds such great truths, and these truths come from a possible personality conflict. There is potential growth in conflict. Potential, but it sometimes has to go through a humbling, painful process, and I think this is by design! Remember that Jesus chose a tax collector to walk with a zealot. Two opposites if there ever was!

My friends, if you have conflict with one in the body of Christ, remember the words of the Lord, when He taught us.

Matthew 5:23-25

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.

We are to be peacemakers, and not simply peacekeepers. There will be strife in the church, but it is up to each of us what we do with that strife!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 60.01

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 60:1 To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us.
Psalm 60:2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.
Psalm 60:3 You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

Many place this psalm in the early years of King David’s reign.  2 Samuel 8:1-8, 2 Samuel 10:1-19 and 1 Chronicles 18:11-13 describe many of the battles referred to in the first verse, and how David and his army conquered vast areas of geography and multiple kingdoms in the area.

And yet, this psalm speaks of rejection, of God’s anger with His people, of the lands quaking and the people seeing hard things. How can this be? Was not King David’s battles against the neighboring nations successful during his early days? Militarily, he dominated the region, expanding the kingdom to the boundaries never experienced by the nation before.

And yet we have this psalm, where it appears God is angry with the nation, that there are setbacks to the victory march. The first verse speaks of their defenses being broken. Defenses? David was on the march, acting offensively in battles. For his defenses to be broken, speaks of loss in battle, of a set back.

The people of God have been made to see hard things, they are staggering about, as if a drunken stupor. And in all this description, David is assigning blame to none else but God. Over and over again in this first three verses, David assigns the actions his military are experiencing to God.

For God is angry. The reason for His anger is not clear but David is in trouble and is begging for restoration.

We sometimes succumb to the thought that the fight of faith is a walk in the park. That we go from victory to victory, with nary a scratch being suffered.

This Psalm reminds us that though the arc of the believers life is of victory, and we may be assured that the church wins in the end, during our pilgrimage, we must be prepared for setbacks, disappointments and losses. There will be times of intense battles, where we not only do not gain ground, but actually are set back on our heels, losing ground, becoming disillusioned, disappointed, and discouraged.

These are times of vulnerability, where we need to be prepared, steeled against the emotional blast of failure. Fellowship with faithful brothers is a strength that we have been provided and we need to take advantage of, not only for ourselves, but to provide to those we know and love.

Yet, there are times when we are alone with God, when it is a battle with Him, seeking to find His will, His desire and to bend the knee to His direction. This time of isolated struggle with God, even as pictured by Jacob in his wrestling with God, brings us out of it, possibly crippled but stronger.

Are you experiencing a wrestling match with God? A time of apparent defeat in your relation with the Master? Does it seem God is angry and you are confused with the reaction of God to your decisions and life choices?

The only thing I can suggest is that you do not let go. Do not walk away from the One who is challenging you, pruning you, wrestling with you. He is expanding your relationship with Him, extending your impact and preparing you for bigger battles. Ensure your approach to Him is without any known sin in your life (You know if there is sin going on!) and keep chasing in the midst of confusion

He truly is good, and if there is some doubt, hang on, until the clouds disperse!

For He is always there, and He is always good!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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Names of God – CARPENTER – 69

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

69
 
CARPENTER
 
Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
The Carpenter. A lowly position in the social strata.

This name is assigned to the Lord by those who would smear His name, by those who would desire to see His influence diminish. The very ones who reminded the audience of the Lord’s skill set for bringing in funds for His family, are revealing the very problem that will cause their stumbling.

These men who sought to defame the Master do so out of “offence”. The very idea that a prophet of God could be a mere carpenter was beyond their comprehension. (How soon they forget their history of God’s call on the “regular” man for greater service?) Surely they thought they were deserving of a Savior with greater status in this world, with greater “name recognition”?

But alas, with this very assumption, or expectation, they missed the boat. They were in the presence of the builder of all things and assigned the very name of carpenter to Him, revealing their proud heart, yet assigning an appropriate name for Him nonetheless.

You see, to be called “the carpenter” is so appropriate, for He is the builder of all things, and while on earth, though He knew how to join beams with columns, and columns with rafters, He had greater things in mind. He was building, that is for sure, but He was not building a physical enclosure that would remain for a short period of time, but a spiritual house, with living souls as the material to build the house, to remain for ever.

1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Yes those who first called Him a carpenter were taking offence at His position in life, but now that we see He truly is a carpenter, a builder, we can stand back and praise Him for His skill at bringing together a people who are not worthy, who had enmity with God and with each other, who were of no account until He found us.

Praise the name of the Carpenter, for He is truly worthy!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Conditional Security – 1 Timothy 6:12

1 Timothy 6:12

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Paul speaks of the faith as including a good fight. He commands Timothy to fight the good fight. As we may extrapolate from Paul’s use of this description of the Christian life, to be in a fight implies two outcomes. A winner and a non-winner, what was called a loser in years past! Is this a message that Paul crouches in this metaphor? I will leave that to my gentle reader to consider.

Moving on, Paul speaks of taking hold of eternal life. At the risk of sounding sarcastic, why would any believer need to take hold of something he already possesses, and that he has contractual agreements signed and sealed at his disposal? You see, while I was in the OSAS camp, I was under the impression that when I repented, and trusted in Christ, I entered into a binding covenant with God that could not be nullified. Now before someone blows up and starts claiming I am a heretic, God’s faithfulness in never-ending, keeping His covenant with a believer perfectly, protecting, guiding and providing for His child as the perfect Father. He is beyond our frail attempt to describe in terms of faithfulness to His child.

Paul’s topic is not God in this verse but the believer, and the believer’s faithfulness to God. Paul is telling the believer to take hold, to firmly grip, to grasp tightly or to seize upon eternal life.

Timothy had been called by God. Timothy had openly confessed a faith in front of witnesses. Now Timothy – wrestle with it, fight to understand and obey the message. Grab on and don’t let go for anything. Seize the message, hang on to the feet of Jesus and when the going get’s tough, is unbearable and you loose heart, remember two things.

  • We are a faithless bunch, weak and willing to walk. We cannot consider ourselves to be up for the challenge, outside of the grace of God.
  • He is faithful, and willing to strengthen, direct, teach, encourage and discipline us, for our good, in order that we may mature and become the people of God.

Look to Him. Fight to focus on the goodness of God and not the evil of man. Struggle with the truths of the Scripture, to understand the message He has provided and to not simply accept a teaching. Prove yourself to be a believer in your thoughts, attitudes and actions.

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Life of David – 5.14

David and Goliath

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.

55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.”
57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite

Coming off the victory over Goliath, David was getting his gear together, that is his sling and stones, and here comes Abner, the commander of the Israeli army.

It appears the previous discussion Saul had with David concerning taking the giant out was dismissed by the king, or at the very least, the victory required the king to find out more about David. After all, the subjugation of Goliath brought with it certain rewards from the king.

1 Samuel 17:25 …the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

Before I get into this list of rewards, lets consider the general tenor of the king’s motivation. He did not call upon the nation to rise up for God, for the honor of the true King, but appealed to the basest desires of the nation. Money, status and financial freedom from taxation. He was looking for mercenaries amongst his people. The more I ruminate on this method, the less surprised I am of how the “army of Israel” acted after David did his thing. They half heartedly chased the Philistines for a short time, and then came back to the battle site to get things, to plunder the Philistines camp, now that there was no opposition.

Great riches

Great riches would be provided to the man who gained victory over the enemy of Israel. The king would take of the national treasures, (that which was gained by taxation of the people) and give it to the one who would do the armies job. Yes I know I am being harsh, for the army of Israel was likely a volunteer unit at this time is the history of Israel, but the provision of great riches most likely was on no material impact on Saul

Kings daughter

Speaking of material impact on Saul, this reward brought with it the status of belonging to a royal family. It is a kind of fading glory, especially when considered what David knew of his future.

Nevertheless, as we know of the eastern culture in those days, the eldest daughter would be presented first, and per 1 Samuel 14:49, Merab would be first in line for marriage.

It turns out that Saul began the process of providing Merab to David, but hesitated, even reneging on the promise.

1 Samuel 18:19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

During this potential offering of Merab, Saul began to attach conditions to the offer of his daughter. Had he forgotten so soon that the conditions for marrying his daughter had already been performed?

Saul is not looking good in this instance, for he is needing more concessions from David to receive his bride, and then changes the promise of Merab as a bride for David, giving her to Adriel the Meholathite.

Eventually, Michal would become David’s wife, after more conditions were laid on David by Saul. Go kill a hundred Philistines, and bring back proof, their foreskins, and then I will fulfill the promise I made to you when you killed Goliath, with my second daughter.

Wow – this reward was becoming quite the privilige!

Fathers house free in Israel

This last reward may have been realized by Jesse, but I can find no evidence in the Word that Saul kept this promise. Nevertheless, this reward is similar to the first promise of great riches, in the fact that it cost the king nothing of his personal wealth, but simply made the nation with less resources. Now of course I am assuming the king separated his wealth from that of the nations coffers, but of this I do not know.

Nevertheless, with the previous faithfulness Saul exercised in the previous rewards, I have a sense that Jesse may not have realized this benefit, until a new king came on the scene!

It is a good thing that David had kept his eyes on the prize on not the rewards, for Saul’s rewards were fading, or not even realized.

No – David kept his eyes on the prize!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Absalom 1

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN
 
Absalom
 
Redeemer
 
2 Samuel 13:20, 22 20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. … 22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
 
Galatians 3:13 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”–
Galatians 4:5 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

A little background for this passage may help.

This story is set at a time when David’s family, his sons in particular, began to cause trouble within the family. Of course, this trial of David’s was prophesied by Nathan years back when David got with Bathsheba and had her husband killed.

The outworking of this trial included David’s son Amnon. You see, Amnon had been given no boundaries, and he had a father who enjoyed the ladies. Given these two characteristics in his life, he saw no trouble in deceiving his sister Tamar into his bedroom and raping her. Yes – he raped her and then rejected her. Amnon, her brother, violently used her and then threw her away.

Tamar’s life was over. She was defiled and would be subject to national shame and a life of desolation. A life of rejection based on circumstances outside of her control.

Now as we venture through this series of “Jesus in the Old Testament” we are going to see glimpses of Jesus in characters that are somewhat unsavory. Dang – everyone we consider in the Old Testament has a dark side, and Absalom is no different. We will see him enter into rebellion against his own father later on, but at this point in his life, he is acting as a redeemer for his sister.

Granted, Absalom’s motives may not have been altruistic, but his action’s were that of a redeemer, one who came to the rescue of someone in need.

Tamar, through the sin of her brother, was under a curse. This curse would follow her through her life, condemning her to the shame of rape in the nation of Israel. David provides no rebuke of Amnon, and amazingly does nothing for Tamar, his own daughter. To think that her father, the King of Israel does not act in judging her violator or in consoling and comforting his daughter is shocking. Unless this scene is just a bit to close to the King, reminiscent of a time not long before, when he also shamed another man’s wife, but that is for another time.

Absalom came to Tamar’s rescue, bringing her into his house and gives her a place to recover, to heal if that was possible.

Though we will see Absalom became a much larger character in the destruction of David’s family, his actions at this time toward his violated sister reflect a quality of mercy and of redemption.

Jesus though, has redeemed us perfectly and with the highest motives, pulling us out of shameful conditions and providing us a place of escape, in order to experience healing.

Jesus is the perfect Redeemer!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – BURDEN OF THE LORD – 68

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

68
 
BURDEN OF THE LORD
 
Jeremiah 23:36 But ‘the burden of the LORD’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man’s own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.
When those of the nation were hearing the prophet pronounce the Word of God to them, the message was one of captivity and despair. The oracle of God was providing a warning to the nation, that if listened to would provide them life and survival.
When Jeremiah refers to the burden of the Lord, he is using a word that describes the message of God to the nation.

The nation would have none of it, and as is common with those who reject the message of God, it becomes a weight around their neck, a burden on their back, a ball and chain to be dragged through an existence on this earth.

The oracle is available for those who hear it, and for those who reject it, the burden actually is the rejection itself of the oracle.

The very words (or message) from the one rejecting God’s message becomes the burden to carry. This is never a condition we are committed to, and I would refer all who are under a self imposed burden to read Jesus’ offer.

Matthew 11:29,30
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The burden of the Lord is Jesus, for He has taken the burden, and provided us not only the example of life we are to live, but the opportunity to experience rest, under a “light” burden.

How is it that the message of such good news becomes so garbled and confusing?

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Philippian Bits – 4:1

For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

4:1   Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

This is an unfortunate chapter break in the book, as it begins with a “therefore”, which signals the question – What is the “therefore” there for?. The term therefore is a concluding statement to an argument established previously, that is in chapter 3. So a little refresher may be in order.

What was Paul teaching in chapter 3? Paul spoke of his straining to a goal, to the goal of Christlikeness, to the upward call of God. He spoke of his not attaining this goal, but that wasn’t stopping him. He also had a theme of unity thread through the passage, and had the nerve to challenge the brethren (and the sistren) to imitate him is his chasing after God. He provided a warning, speaking of those whose minds are set on earthly things, and ended the exhortation with the final transformation of our bodies by the One who is on the throne.

He mentions our citizenship being in heaven. This, in my mind is the core issue he is referring back to in 4:1.

Citizenship implies much. Citizenship implies a specific country, a specific King (or ruler) a specific set of laws (or principles), specific responsibilities and specific rights.

Therefore, since you have established your citizenship in heaven, act as the citizen you claim to be. Stand firm in the truth of your new citizenship, with all the implications.

One other item that needs to be considered. To be a citizen of heaven implies the renunciation of any previous obligations of citizenship of a previous country. As many of my readers may know, I was born Canadian, but have gained citizenship of the United States of America. As an example, I no longer have to comply to the speed limits of the Canadian transportation system, but am enjoying the benefits of the American / Texas traffic laws, (which by the way, provides greater opportunities to traverse greater distances in less time!!!). This may be a silly item to bring up, but for a fella that loves to drive, it seemed appropriate to consider.

For the believer, we are under a set of principles that allows us to love our enemy, allows us to engender unity amongst those who may disagree, and allows us to spread joy to those who are under difficult circumstances.

We have principles we are responsible to, in standing firm in the Lord. And in our straining to stand firm, we are to look to the One who provided us the example, provides us the strength and is providing us the motivation.

He is all of it, and we surely do not deserve the salvation He has granted us!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 59.06

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 59

14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

As we come to a close on this amazing psalm of David, of how this shepherd boy turned fugitive turned to the living God for deliverance, protection and redemption in the face of a murderous, bloodthirsty king, one truth rings out in my mind.

David returns to recounting the activities of those who are hunting him down, describing them as dogs, howling and prowling, growling to get their fill of violence. The continual return of these assassins every night proves of their determination. Of their hunger to kill.

They are growling, making the noise of a starving, ravenous dog, controlled by their base appetites.

David sings. The one in persecution sings. The one who is on the brink of torture or to be laid in a grave, he sings. Even as he is in the midst of this persecution, notice that David speaks of the Lord as having been a fortress for him, is a present day refuge for him. He speaks of the Lords steadfast love being shown to him.

Remember the state of affairs he is in. The assassins are still out there howling and growling – David is presently experiencing the steadfast love of God.

Praise God from whom all mercies flow! He is good and He is good all the time!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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Names of God – BUILDER OF THE TEMPLE – 67

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

67
 
BUILDER OF THE TEMPLE
 
Zechariah 6:12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.
This is our last description of God as a Builder and it is fitting that we end with Him described as the Builder of the Temple.

It appears the Lord is directing Zechariah to fashion a crown of gold to place on the head of Joshua, the High Priest during the reconstruction efforts of the exiles. This passage quickly becomes prophetic, since the crown being placed on the head of the priest, associates royal rule and priestly duties. This was not practiced in the Old Testament for the guidelines for priestly succession was restricted to the line of Levi, and no king came from this tribe. At least not before Jesus.

Beyond the description of this King/Priest being unexpected, the person described in this verse is also called the Branch. This verse points to the Son of God, and His work as the King/Priest reaching beyond (branching out) of His place. He reached beyond the boundaries of Israel, and sought out the Gentiles, eventually reaching out to us. His Temple is worldwide and provides

He is the Builder of the Temple, and every day it increases in size!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Conditional Security – 1 Timothy 6:9-11

1 Timothy 6:9-11

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

This passage contains one of the most wrongly quoted verses in the Word of God. How often have you heard someone tell you that money is the root of all evil?

This is ludicrous. Money is an inanimate object, a tool for an exchange of services, a method of allowing equitable exchange of talents for goods. Money, as a subject of discussion is not a moral agent. It does not make choices of good or evil, but is simply a tool for moral agents to use in pursuing good or evil. So many in our culture want to assign personal responsibility to inanimate objects. How far have we drifted from common sense!

No, Paul is teaching us that the problem is the constant craving. Even the craving, this desire within us is not necessarily evil, for the term is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe a craving for a noble office

1 Timothy 3:1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

Elsewhere, an apostle speaks of pilgrims leaving behind the temporal cities of this earth, craving a better country.

Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

So money doesn’t contain a bucket of evil within it, staining every person who touches it. Even the craving for something doesn’t necessarily carry with it a sense of wickedness.

It is the marrying of these two topics that causes concern. And before I forget, this isn’t a rich man’s disease, for the poor man is as susceptible to this trap as the rich man. Paul does not say that the love of lots of money is the root of all evil. No no no.

Love a dime? You got a potential problem! What will you allow in your life in order to gain a nickel? What type of evil will accompany your that craving you succumb to for that nickel?

But back to our topic at hand for the believer. Paul is writing to a young pastor, seeking to guide him into fruitful service for the Master, providing him examples of believers who have caused damage to their faith. For Paul, he describes the outcome of a believer’s love of money as two fold.

  • Wandered away from the faith.

Notice the definite article, directing Timothy to the truth provided by the Scriptures. The believer who wanders off based on a craving for money, leaves behind the truth of the Scriptures. May I ask my reader if a believer is a believer if he doesn’t believe the message of his belief?

Leaving behind the message of the Scriptures in an effort to satisfy a craving, in this case Paul speaks of money, puts the believer in a dangerous situation!

  • Pierced themselves with many pangs

When Paul speaks of piercing, he uses a word that means to pierced thoroughly, completely. To fully pierce. The term is only used once in the NT and it is describing the result of following after the craving of loving money, loving an inanimate article that is a tool for good or bad. (Are we not to love the good, not the tool?)

Suffice it to say, the piercing is thorough, and the result is to experience pangs, or as other translators understand, griefs. This term does not necessarily refer to suffering physical torments, but of distress, and I can imagine this may be the result of one who uses people to make money, as opposed to one who uses money to make people. We so often get it all backwards!

It is interesting that Paul prescribes a number of Christian characteristics after this death trap of loving money. One of these characteristics is tithing, giving money away, placing offerings in a plate.

Did you read the passage? It said nothing of the sort. Paul speaks to Timothy, telling him to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Why does he not tell him to give all his money away? Again, let us remember it is a heart issue. A destitute man can still have an insatiable craving for cash, a longing that will allow for many “allowances” in his Christian life.

Whatever funds, possessions, stocks, bonds, real estate, coins, investments, vehicles, or such that you own, it is your decision to be ready to loose it all for Him. Holding onto the penny, or chasing the nickel will produce pangs of grief eventually, and in the end, it will prove to be temporal. A temporary tool.

Use the possessions you have to make people, to minister to those who need encouragement, to feed those who are in need (in deed) and to provide assistance for those less fortunate. As Paul mentions above, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Seek after these qualities, and when the topic of money comes up, let these qualities direct your goals!

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Life of David – 5.13

David and Goliath

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

David killed Goliath unconventionally. David spoke of his God unconventionally. David served his enemies unconventionally. Heck – even the name David is unconventional in the Word. There is only one David, and there is only One Jesus. But suffice it to say, I will leave the parallels for my other series called Jesus in the Old Testament.

Everyone used a sword. David used a sling. As soon as that stone hit the mark on Goliath’s head, David took the opportunity and used the giants very own weapon against him. Yes – David knew he didn’t need a sword since he would eventually use Goliath’s. Yes – Goliaths sword was used to cut off Goliath’s head.

He who lived by the sword literally died by his own sword in this instance!

Now as soon as the mighty army of Israel knew it was safe to come out and play, they pursued the frightened Philistine army to Gath and Ekron. This distance is between 6 and 10 miles (as the crow files) and the text speaks of pursuing or chasing. Is it that the mighty army of Israel did no fighting, just chasing? I am no military commander, but when you have an army fleeing, would not this be the time to strike, to decimate the enemy, to take advantage of their fear. Was the army of Israel too tired, too wore out, too emotionally drained to actually fight? I am too sarcastic at times!

It seems the army simply chased them away, only to come back to get things! To plunder an empty camp, to get things. Wow.

As I read the passage one more time, I must correct myself. I assumed it was the army of Israel who chased the Philistine army, but the army of Israel isn’t referred to in this passage. It is the “men of Israel and Judah (v52) and the “people of Israel” (v53) that were active after David killed the giant and sent the Philistine army running. The last time the term “army” was use din the chapter was back in verse 21!

Yes the people came back from chasing the Philistines, only to get stuff, things, possessions. What a tremendous victory for the nation, a stunning revealing of a young warrior, and the people return after a bit of a chase to get things.

David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem. He had mastered the enemy and did not take it to his home, so that he could gloat over his victory, but to the capital city of Jerusalem, where the nation turned to for leadership and strength.

In a very real sense, David gave the nation the victory, not only in reality but also in symbology. Goliaths head was a symbol of the strength the victor had over the enemy, and David took it to Jerusalem.

He served the nation and not himself, in that the head of Goliath would represent the victory for the nation of Israel.

I suppose he figgered the “people of Israel” would bring him some of the plunder! (Again with the sarcasm!)

What a comparison between a lowly shepherd boy and the mighty warriors of Israel!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Aaron 12

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN
 
Aaron
 
Duration
 
Numbers 35:25
And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
 
Hebrews 5:6
as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

This particular passage in Numbers has much to say about Jesus and His saving love, of how He is the City of Refuge for those who realize their guilt before God. During our time in this topic, we will come to see Jesus in geographical places, in types of animals, in historic happenings and in special circumstances within the lives of saint and sinner.

But for now, we want to consider Aaron, the High Priest and how his life (or death) might provide a picture of the Savior we have come to know.

Even as I say we are looking at Aaron, he is simply a representative of the Aaronic priesthood, which by the nature of the participants, was a terminal priesthood. Each high priest that has ever lived in that order has died. Each death of the high priest typified the death of the priestly order. It’s duration, for the priest and the order, was doomed to the grave.

Death. The grave. Terminal.

Each new high priest would die. Good ones. Bad ones. It didn’t matter. Death haunted them and each succumbed to their inevitable end.

So when Jesus appeared, we can be thankful He was not of the priestly order of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. Such a mysterious figure in the pages of Genesis. So little is said, yet the author of Hebrews makes much of what was given to us. For our time this morning, consider the duration of the Lord’s Melchizedekian priesthood.

No (permanent) death. No (permanent) grave. A non-terminal order of priest, that through death, through the grave has been raised to never face death again.

And due to this characteristic of the Melchizedekian priesthood, only One priest will fill that office.

His name is Jesus. And as our High Priest, He is facing God, pleading for our well being, our growth, our sanctification, our salvation, our pilgrimage and our future life with Him.

He is not a terminal high priest, like Aaron and every high priest of the order of Aaron! For that we can and will be eternally grateful.

Thankyou Jesus for being who you are and loving us.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – BUILDER OF ALL THINGS – 66

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

66
 
BUILDER OF ALL THINGS
 
Hebrews 3:4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)
In our last post we considered Jesus as the builder of a house, and compared Him with Moses, who had responsibilities within the house being built.

The apostle writes in this verse an overarching general truth, based on the pervious verse comparing Jesus with Moses. This general truth of the creative work of God is debated nowadays with theory’s and excuses that some feel provides them the freedom to reject God’s authority over them.

But, as the apostle argues so succinctly, it is obvious that every house is build by someone. Some “person” is the creative force behind every house that is designed and constructed.

Why would this obvious truth not apply to all of creation? How is it that logical men and women would not be able to extend this experiential truth to it’s logical end, and find that the Builder of all Things is God?

It is completely beyond me that logical men and women, reject a greater truth, even though they admit to the lesser truth. But professing themselves to be wise, they become fools. A dark heart makes for a blinded mind.

Opinion of man is to be put aside, and we are to worship the Builder of all Things. He is more than simply good, and we are the recipients of His bounteous grace each day.

Praise Him for His mighty works!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Philippian Bits – 3:20

For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

3:20   But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul has been comparing true believers with those who have become enemies of the gospel, those who have taken the teachings of the grace of God and turned them into license to chase after the base desires we all are susceptible to.

Each person on this earth is dragging about the desires of the old man, those desires of self satisfaction, earthly confidences, material abundance and high reputations in this world. It is the natural way of a darkened heart.

The blessing those of us that have decided to follow Jesus is that we have choice in this battle with the old man. The reason we have choice is because we belong to a different world, and we have our citizenship in heaven.

Citizenship has rights and responsibilities, and as a Canadian who has taken on the privilege of American citizenship, I readily admit that where you decide to claim as home has a bearing on your relationships, attitudes and obligations.

As Paul reminds us of our heavenly citizenship, he does not tell the Philippians to renounce their earthly citizenship of being in a Roman colony, which definitely had its perks! No, but he does prioritize the heavenly citizenship.

And based on our citizenship, we have the obligation of obeying “the law of the land”, or in other words, to walk after the principles the Lord laid out for His followers while on this enemy planet.

One of the principles that has been challenging myself is the forgiveness we are to exercise to those who have hurt me or my loved ones. This is not in my base nature and I need to ask Him for help with this very obedience.

Do you have a struggle you are experiencing? Hopefully, for only dead people do not struggle!

Reach out to Him and seek His strength, His grace and His kingdom.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 59.05

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 59

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah

David is on the brink of death, with one foot tottering over the grave. He has assassins pursuing him, lurking about, working with spies throughout the nation, hunting him down and seeking his death.

And yet David speaks of his enemies mouth, their lips, and their pride. This fact, at face value confused me, for I would have thought David would bring to God the actions these bloodthirsty men were in the midst of doing against him. Yet reference to their speech is scattered throughout the passage.

Consider

  • vs 3 fierce men stir up strife against me.
  • vs 5 those who treacherously plot evil
  • vs 7  bellowing with their mouths
  • vs 7 with swords in their lips
  • vs 7  “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” .. speak out plans of destruction

David is looking for God’s recompence upon those who speak evil towards him. This recompense comes in two forms for David.

The first is that those planning and speaking of his destruction are to be scattered. He is looking to God for their plans to come to nought. The first request is that they not be killed, but to be scattered. The evil plans are to be frustrated and those planning his destruction to wander away from this focus of their existence

The second recompense is for those planning David’s death to be consumed. When I see the word consumed, I automatically think of something used up, to be spent, eaten up. To consume in my culture is to use a finite product to its useful end, with it being of no use (or of no existence) upon consumption.

Is that David’s thought here? Somewhat, but what I understand is that this term in the Hebrew (כָּלָה kâlâh, kaw-law Strongs H3615), speaks also of completion, finishing or accomplishment.

So when David is looking for God to consume them in wrath, what is the message? Is David hinting at the idea that God has placed these men in David’s life on purpose, as training material for the future king, and that God will bring about a completion of the work these bloodthirsty men are allowed to perform, in order to train David?

Is that the message?

If so, this speaks of David’s understanding of God as much more than a singular relationship with himself, but that God is also One who orchestrates the entire creation to perform His good will.

No matter how you understand verse 13, it is difficult. If I have captured in a small way the actual understanding David had, it speaks of David’s faith in a greater way than simply seeking protection and deliverance from God in his present circumstances. David is expressing an understanding of a New Testament believer, with a revelation that few Old Testament saints were privy to.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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