Considering the Bible

Pay for Pew – Nehemiah 10:37

2026-11-11
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.

Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.

Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.

1 Timothy 6:10 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.

Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important commmittment of the believers relationship to the church body.

Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.

This post will consider Nehemiah 10:37

Nehemiah 10:37 – and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.

Let’s consider the last few chapters of Nehemiah, prior to digging into this particular verse.

Nehemiah 8 and 9 has the following recounting

Ezra, the great scribe of Israel, reads the Word to the people.

Nehemiah 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people…

Repentance was evident in the people

Nehemiah 8:9 …..For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

Encouragement was provided by the leaders

Nehemiah 8:10 ….for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Confession of sin was expressed

Nehemiah 9:2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

A history of Israel’s rebellion was pronounced, with the end result being the slavery of the people of God.

Nehemiah 9:36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.

A reaffirmation of the covenant with God was made.

Nehemiah 9:38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

All of this introduction provides us the background and condition of the nation. The nation was ready to obey, and Nehemiah focused in on a number of specific commitments.

No intermarriage with the nations.

Nehemiah 10:30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.

Honor the Sabbath

Nehemiah 10:31 …we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forgo the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

Support the Temple work

Nehemiah 10:35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD;

Then we come to the verse we started with this morning. In the middle of the verse there is a break in thought. Consider.

Nehemiah 10:37a and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God…..

The first half of our verse is continuing with the material goods required for support of temple maintenance and work. These material goods were not support for the workers, but for the temple and it’s needs.

One other thing that may help provide some clarity. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. All the priests of Israel were of the family of Levi, so this commitment of material goods – dough, contributions, fruit, wine and oil was intended to be received by the priests, who were Levites, but these material goods were for the Temple.

But as we approach the topic of tithing, the subject receiving the material goods – the tithe – is changed from priest to Levite.

Nehemiah 10:37a …..and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.

And of course, the designation of the material goods is now designated as the tithe.

Nehemiah had spent time in the Word, for he knew that the will of God for the nation of Israel was for the Levites to collect the tithe, and from that tithe of the general population of Israel, the Levite was to tithe of that tithe to the priests. The system was established to provide an orderly collection of goods for the support of both the Levites and the Priests.

One additional reminder from the book of Nehemiah.

Tithing, to be strictly per the Word, was “from the ground”. In the Israelite society of old, tithing was agrarian based, and not related to the work of our hands. Granted, the harvest included the work of the farmer, on the land where they labored, but note that the tithe is related to the ground. The material to be offered by the people to the Levites/priests was associated with the goodness of God in providing a fertile earth, a land that produced goods.

For us today, there are those who associate tithing with the New Testament covenant. Might I suggest that those who do so, should consider the example of the Old testament and conform the tithe to that as seen in the Old Covenant, a sacrifice that is land based, that which comes from the earth. It seems Nehemiah made it clear. That which was to be tithed, was that which was produced from the ground, from the earth.

Some free advise for those who love the tithe. It might be good to start purchasing storage containers for the time when the tithe is offered properly!

Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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Names of God – HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE – 324

2026-11-10
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.

HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE

Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might

Chapter five of the book of Revelation is a chapter preparing the reader for the horrible judgements to come in the next 13 chapters.

John is reminding his readers that the judgements are coming directly from God, through the Lamb of God, His Son, and John takes a moment here to describe the source of the judgements, the One who has the right to perform the terrible and awesome judgements to come.

It is one thing for terrible times to come upon the world, and when horrible, crushing catastrophes fall on the general populace of this world, many lift the fist toward God, cursing Him.

Revelation 16:9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
Revelation 16:11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

When we dwell on Revelation chapter 5, we are entering into the enthronement of the Messiah, and the subsequent worship and praise due to HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE. Verses 1 -8 speak of the identity of the One who is worthy to open the scroll, and who took the scroll from the One on the throne. The One worthy is the Lamb, the One who was slain for the sins of the world.

If I understand this passage, John actually witnesses the enthronement of the Messiah, at a historical point in time, within the heavens. He witnesses the One who would oversee the coming judgements, for Jesus Himself has said that the Father has given to Jesus the right to execute judgment.

John 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
John 5:27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

Jesus is the Lamb of God, the One able to execute judgement, and the One who rightfully receives all praise and worship from all those “in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them.”

John takes great pains in defining the extent of the worship from all of creation. The Father, who is on the throne within this passage, for Jesus takes the scroll from Him, is the One who receives all worship, from every created being in heaven or on earth.

But let us not forget that in the coming chapters, there are those who curse. They curse God, though God has every right to bring judgment, as John clearly describes in Chapter 5.

We may make claims that those in Revelation 5 only describe the “world” of the redeemed, and John meant to describe only those “in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them” as those righty related to the God of all the universe. This may be the intended meaning.

Yet John did say the worship and praise was from all “in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them”. He labors to include all in his descriptions of those praising God.

What happened to those cursing God?

Have they repented somehow? The passage in Revelation 16 speaks of their cursing, and of their not repenting. How does my reader understand this seeming difference? Is there hope, even for those who curse God, for those who reject repentance and throw the fist up before God, for those whose lives had always been in rebellion? Is the glory of Revelation 5 describing the eternal state, and that of Revelation 16, a time on earth, a specific period of time when judgement fell?

Let us remember that HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE is the One who sent His Son to be slain for the sins of the world. He has proven His love for those who were His enemies by the sacrifice of His Son, and the resurrection from the death He entered.

John labors to include all in the praise and worship of HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE in the eternal state, but we have the privilege of entering this praise and worship of HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE even today.

He is worthy, and as we enter His presence, let us remember He is one the Throne, is over all, and is the Great King.

May His name be praised by all!

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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1 Thessalonian Bits – 5:6

2026-11-09
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Paul has just affirmed what believers are not in – we are not in darkness – and what we are – we are light.

He described us as those not in a certain situation, that is, in darkness, and then spoke of believers as a source of light, presumably within the darkness.

As he reminded the Thessalonians and ourselves, we are the light, he was not afraid of somehow puffing up the Thessalonians, as if they were better than others in the society they lived in. His intent, as I understand, was to provide them not only the state of their lives, but but a responsibility to live out this truth.

In summary he not hesitate to lay responsibility on the believers by identifying them as a source of light. His emphasis was identifying who was light in the society they lived in.

He continues in our verse this morning with a specific, expectation of this truth. If we are the day, sleep is not the anticipated activity for the believer.

Now before we go super literal, this verse does not condemn a nap in the afternoon. As you know I love a good nap, and in earlier days, found this verse to trouble my conscience. Of course, the Word is to trouble our conscience if we understand and seek to obey, but I see my previous understanding to be a bit too literal.

I don’t understand Paul as micromanaging believers in regards to napping on a Saturday afternoon. Of course if the napping becomes habitual, extended and a way to avoid responsibilities as opposed to recovering from a period of work, I think Paul may have something to say about that!

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

Paul is speaking of sleeping, not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense, as we relate to the life we are to lead. We are not to be ignorant, blind as it were, to the environment we are in – darkness – and the responsibilities – to be light – we have accepted as we follow the Lord.

Paul adds the idea of soberness to this verse, a seemingly specific add on to general pictures of light/darkness and sleep/awakeness in the passage. He will speak of this again in another two verses.

As a teenage alcoholic and one who was rescued from a life of destruction, when I see sober in the Word, my first association is the absence of alcohol in my life.

The mercy of Jesus took this desire to be drunk and high completely from me over 4 decades ago. To be accurate, He replaced a dependance on alcohol and drugs for surviving this life, with a joy and desire to make Him happy. If you are experiencing the empty life of one dependent on substances to survive life, bend the knee to Him, submit to His Lordship and will. Resist temptation, and follow after His desires.

For the Thessalonians, when they saw this term, they understood it as a restriction to the abuse of alcohol, but the term also carried with it a description of a life of calmness, being collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate, and/or circumspect. (See Strong’s Dictionary for more information.)

This term makes sense as we have spent the last four chapters watching Paul settle the believers in a number of topics. In chapters 2 and 3, Paul encouraged the believers in relation the the persecution they were experiencing.

1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

1 Thessalonians 3:3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

As we saw in chapter 4, Paul was calming the fear of the believers regarding the brothers passing on before the Lord’s return.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

In chapter 5 Paul was addressing the believers acquired uncertainty (due to false teaching) and the resultant anxiousness, in relation to the coming of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Paul was seeking to develop in this body of believers, a group of souls that were steadfast in truth, resulting in a calmness of spirit, a people temperate in their thinking. Believers are to be controlled by the Spirit of God, exhibiting the fruits thereof.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In summary, let us remember that soberness, whether related to the absence of a physical or a spiritual intoxicant, is synonymous to self control. The only influence in our lives that is to guide us is the Spirit of God directing us in the Word of God.

May we be sober in these days, exhibiting faith in the One who is in control.
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Conditional Security – Isaiah 1:18-28

2026-11-08
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
Isaiah 1:20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 1:21 How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
Isaiah 1:22 Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.
Isaiah 1:23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.
Isaiah 1:24 Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes.
Isaiah 1:25 I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.
Isaiah 1:26 And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
Isaiah 1:28 But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

I sometimes find it difficult to read through the Old Testament prophets and understand the personal application of each message being delivered to the nation of Israel.

Questions that rise in my mind follow a trajectory as follows.

No Application

Could the message the prophet delivers to the covenant nation of God, prior to Christ’s appearance, be a limited message, a message that is dated and not to be applied to the believer at all under the New Testament faith?

As one who was deeply committed to the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) teaching for much of my life as a believer, this was the stance I took when I read the Old Testament, especially the harsh judgements of the prophets on the apostate nation of Israel.

It was for me, a convenient and easy method to avoid a very sticky situation.

Body Application

Might the message the prophet delivers to God’s people be best understood as a message to the body of God’s people and not necessarily an individual believer?

This approach to understanding the message of the prophets provides a common type of audience for the message. We are the nation of God today.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (Italics mine)

What I mean is that the nation of God in the New Testament – the Body of Christ, may find application in messages God has delivered to the nation of God – Israel – in the Old testament.

This approach seems reasonable to me, given that we filter the message through the higher privileges and responsibilities of the New Testament nation of God. Yet, the New Testament provides numerous warnings of apostacy within the church. I suggest Isaiah’s passage this morning, along with multiple other Old Testament prophets, may find direct application to the New Testament age.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

As a foil to this teaching, we must remember that no matter the age, the remnant of God will continue. In the New Testament, we find the Lord speaking of this truth in His teaching to the disciples.

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The remnant of Israel, even as the nation fell into grave apostacy, continued before God. An example of this remnant may be clearly seen in the days of Elijah, as he thought he stood for God all by himself.

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

There is also a remnant, if you would, in the visible church of our day. The visible church, in the acceptance of many ungodly and deceptive teachings, seems to be chasing after apostacy before God, heading for judgement. Yet there are many individuals that are remaining faithful to the Word of God in the midst of this rebellion.

Might the application of Isaiah’s message to those headed for destruction be directed to the visible church that has walked away from God?

Individual Application

Is it correct to understand the prophet’s message to a falling nation, the apostacy Israel was living in, as something that is applicable to the individual believer?

I think Paul may provide instruction regarding this issue in the book of Romans. As we read Romans 15, consider who Paul is writing to. Is it to the individual believer within the church at Rome, or is Paul’s intended audience the congregation of believers in Rome?

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
Romans 15:6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have included verse 6, when Paul’s refers to them (individuals) being together (as a congregation), to help in the determination of Paul’s intended audience. It seems to clarify for myself that his targeted audience is the individual. If my understanding is correct, the verse prior to the passage above provides the clarification I referred to earlier

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Paul is indicating that the message of former days – the days prior to the cross – were written for our (individual) instruction.

Though the body application seems very apparent, the personal individual application also seems to be a correct understanding.

If you are still with me after that extended introduction to our passage this morning, let us consider the text of the passage. Isaiah speaks throughout the passage of national apostacy, and of the future redemption of Zion.

Note that the prophet ends his message to the nation by speaking to individuals within the nation, who through repentance and godly living, will be redeemed. Their departure from the covenant may be healed through repentance – accepting the truth of a departure from the covenant – and godly living – living a life of faithful obedience to the known will of God.

Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
Isaiah 1:28 But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

Rebels and sinners will simply be broken and consumed. No salvation for those who continue down the road of apostacy.

As I close, I cannot help but provide an exhortation as Paul did for the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

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 would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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Song Squawk – Serve Sombody

2026-11-07
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.

(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)

I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.

The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.

To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.

Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!

This post will consider the song

Serve Somebody – by Johnny Q Public

I remember when I first heard Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming album, and specifically this song. It was the album that told the world Dylan was going to follow Christ.

His ability to write a signature song about two choices in life was enough to communicate the inevitability of having a lord in every ones life. He had finally found the Lord, and understood this truth.

I bought the album, primarily because it was Dylan, and enjoyed the songs, but this one stuck out. Years later, a band named Johnny Q Public, a band I have introduced my readers to, covered Serve Somebody. In my humble opinion, the group did a better job in delivering the message, and I rather listen to their rendition. To be truthful, I have never been a fan of Dylan’s voice, but he sure knows how to write a song!

What follows are the lyrics of this tune.

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

You may be a rock and roll addict prancing on the stage
Money and drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high DBV
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
May be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be livin’ in another country under someone else’s name

You may be a construction worker, working on a home
You might be living in a mansion, you might be living in a dump
You may own some guns, and you may even own some tanks
You may be someone’s landlord, you may even own a bank

You may be a preacher preachin’ spiritual pride
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
May be working in a barber shop, you might know how to cut hair
You may be someone’s mistress, maybe someone’s heir

You might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk
You might like to drink whiskey, you might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You might be sleeping on the floor, You might be sleeping in a king-sized bed

These guys only produced on album as far as I know, but I keep coming back to it. The band was “perty dang” good

Take a listen!

Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!

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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Let Me Tell You a Story – Questions

2026-11-06
As my wife and I slowly transition to country living, the move has required us to find a local body of believers to join with. Thankfully, we have found a very welcoming group and we look forward to each Sunday when we can study, discuss, pray and care for one another.

Recently we have been travelling through the book of Romans, and last week we covered chapter 10, which was a good study.

And how do you define a good study Carl.

A good study is one that is concerned with what the Word says, how it applies to our day to day lives, provides open discussion amongst believers, even to the voicing of various opinions.

During our study, one in the class referred to Ephesians 2:8, seeking to reiterate the classes accepted truth that Paul is referring to faith as the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

This is a very common understanding in many of the churches we visit. It is an understanding I held to for many years, until I considered other possibilities. And it all hinges on what “it” refers to when Paul writes “it” is the gift of God.

Some considerations follow for my reader to consider.
1. “It” refers to the grace of God as the gift of God, not faith that is a gift of God. Expanding the verse with this understanding would produce the following.
  - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; “the grace of God” is the gift of God.
  - Some may say this makes Paul to be repeating himself to no benefit to the reader, and I get that.
  - There is the possibility he is referring to the “grace of God” as the gift of God simply as a reiteration of the bountiful gift God has bestowed.
2. The method of salvation is the gift of God. The verse fully fleshed out would be as….
  - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; “for being saved by grace through faith” is the gift of God.
  - This is an interesting approach to understanding the message of the verse.
3. The last understanding I would provide is that the term “it is” is supplied by the translators as they try to provide an understanding of Paul’s message. Looking to the KJV, which italicized all inserted English words, it is apparent the “it is” is not in the original text. Consider.
Ephesians 2:8 KJV – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
- This wrinkle adds another consideration to our understanding. Could Paul be emphasizing that the gift of salvation through faith is not of yourselves.
- A possible rendering may be…
  - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves – the gift of God, that is.
- Is he simply reminding the Ephesians that this salvation we have is not of ourselves?
I list these options only to communicate that to be dogmatic with such a passage may not be the wisest approach, and may inadvertently reveal a desire to fit a teaching into a verse, instead of pulling truth out of a verse.

A difficult passage once you start to dig in.

But alas, I did not mention any of this during class for I am not there to raise difficult questions this early in our visiting with these fine folks. So the class generally reaffirmed that it is God who provides the faith, and that without faith, one cannot be saved. No one can exercise faith towards God, unless God wakens him from spiritual death and then provide the faith to trust in the crucified Savior.

This teaching is fraught with questions, but I was quiet. My wife was so proud of me!

Back to Romans 10. As we ventured though the passage, we eventually arrived at Romans 10:17.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Ok, now we got more questions.

Is it God that gives faith as Ephesians 2:8 seems to say, or does faith come from the hearing of the Word of God? Is there a conflict here? Can faith come by hearing the Word of God, as Paul seems to communicate? Is there a possibility that even the lost man or woman, when presented with the Word of God, can recognize truth, and in humility admit to the truth, surrender to Christ and find eternal life?

Is that possible? Or must the soul wait to be awakened by God, before they can receive faith from God, in order to attain to eternal life through God?

Man, do I have questions.

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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Pay for Pew – 2 Chronicles 31:12

2026-11-05
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.

Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.

Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.

1 Timothy 6:10 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.

Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important committment of the believers relationship to the church body.

Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.

This post will consider 2 Chronicles 31:12

2 Chronicles 31:12 – And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, with Shimei his brother as second,

This passage follows the previous post, where the people of God brought offerings and tithes “and laid them in heaps.”

Now before we begin to imagine the “heaps” were simply piles of offerings and tithes stacked in the corner of the temple, maybe 6 or 7 feet tall

No, this is not what happened. Let’s consider the description provided by the Word in understanding the volume of offerings and tithes brought to the Temple

2 Chronicles 31:7 In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.

The people delivered support for the Levites and temple maintenance for four months! After the Passover the impact of the celebration continued for 4 months. During this period of renewed fervor of the people of God, a logistical problem arose. What to do with the abundance?

2 Chronicles 31:9 And Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps.

Surely the questions included the volume of the offerings and tithes remaining after the Levites taken their support, the food they required for their service.

2 Chronicles 31:10 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the LORD, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left, for the LORD has blessed his people, so that we have this large amount left.”

Even after the Levites accepted the support, there was a large amount left. This is an incredible response of the people, but it does raise some questions.

How were the Levites existing prior to this show of obedience? They had no land, and no opportunity to produce their own food, for they were assigned to live a life of dependance on the people’s tithe and offering. Prior to this abundance, the Levites must have suffered much, living in a poverty inflicted by the nation’s indifference to the God of Israel.

Now that a period of resurgence of the people’s obedience rose, the Levites were experiencing an abundance they had never seen, and by the wisdom of Hezekiah, he had previously appointed the priests and Levites into their divisions and service.

2 Chronicles 31:2 ESV – And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister in the gates of the camp of the LORD and to give thanks and praise.

It seems, if I am reading this right, that some, if not many of the Levites had abandoned their positions. If this wasn’t the case, why is Hezekiah having to “appoint” them in their divisions and service? Is it correct to state that the lack of offerings and tithes had actually decimated the Levitical order?

If my assumptions are correct, this texts speaks to the people of God to be faithful in supporting those called to minister. Though the tithe is not of the New Covenant, the principle of providing to those who have consecrated themselves to the ministry is still applicable.

For the New Testament believer, this passage provides a reminder to the faithful to support those who are living a life of service for God, a life that focuses on God’s call, whether they are supported or not.

Paul, as an example of a man called by God, continued in his calling whether he was supported or not.

Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content.
Philippians 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Do you know a man or woman who would serve the Lord full time, even if the funds dried up, even if any contract he may have entered into for a salary to minister evaporated?

As you may know, I am of the opinion salaries for ministers, and contracts for ministry is not the ideal for the church. We are to support those in ministry, but not be contractually bound. Nevertheless, this passage reminds me that believers are to provide free will support for those committed to the work of the Lord.

What think ye? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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Names of God – HIM WHO RIDES IN THE HEAVENS – 323

2026-11-04
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.

HIM WHO RIDES IN THE HEAVENS

Psalm 68:33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

When I first saw this verse this morning, I imagined Him Who Rides in the Heavens as on a galloping horse, racing through the heavens at a fever pitch.

Once I realized I was applying my own love for speed onto this picture of the Lord riding His steed, I reconsidered. Is this not a a stately picture of the One who rules over all, viewing His kingdom as He passes by His subjects?

He is not One in a hurry, trying to get somewhere as fast as He can. He is the eternal, omnipresent One, the One who needs n passage of time to be observed in order to view Hs kingdom. The psalmist is providing us a picture of the Lord as if He was constrained in time and space, acting in the manner of a mere human king. But that is so awesome, for the Lord, even in communicating to us of His rule over all, is willing to be pictured as a mere earthly king.

He is providing His subjects with pictures they can relate to, they can take and view in their imagination, allowing the picture of the king to be an image to pursue in their imaginations.

The Old and New Testament is rife with pictures of the Lord that provide His subjects the opportunity to imagine their Master in the society they exist in, within the culture they live in.

Yet for myself, I cannot grant myself the image of the Lord racing through the heavens, for it smacks of One who is late, One who has missed an appointment. This is not the Master I have learned of, for He is always on time, without worry, and with a calming influence as I learn of His presence.

We are to train our imaginations to be in alignment with the full message of the Word. Though my imagination may want to see Him racing at full tilt through the heavens, that is simply Carl projecting his love of speed onto the Master. This is simply foolishness, and strips the Lord of His Kingly Majesty. So wrong!

With that guidance, we can see HIM WHO RIDES IN THE HEAVENS as the stately, all-wise and authoritative King who is surveying His people. He is One who is always on time, overseeing his subjects, for He is the Almighty God who inhabits eternity.

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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Let Me Tell You a Story – Priorities

2026-11-03
I was driving to work the other morning when the following passage was delivered through the car speakers.

Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
Exodus 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
Exodus 32:27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”
Exodus 32:28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.
Exodus 32:29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

For some context, this passage speaks of the time Aaron “allowed” a calf to come out of the fire, and he had “allowed” the people of God to break loose in idolatrous worship.

Upon hearing of this idol worship, God was ticked. He was about to destroy the people He had rescued from the Egyptians.

Exodus 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

Moses implored the Lord not to destroy the newly established nation, and was successful in averting a richly deserved judgement. Moses reminded the Lord of His promise to the patriarch’s, and the fury of the Lord was averted. This truth is also applicable today, for we need to be reminded daily, that we must not depend on our works or efforts, but on the promise of God in Christ.

Now when Moses made it down the mountain, and saw what was going on, he blew a gasket!

Exodus 32:19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

He had advocated for the people of God in front of God, but once he saw the condition of the people, all bets were off. And this is where we enter the passage this morning.

As Moses enters the camp, he seeks those who are on the Lord’s side, with the Levites rallying to Moses. He then arms the priests with swords, and commands them to go kill their brothers, companions and neighbors.

For some reason, over the 45 years of reading the Word, this passage had never hit home like it did that morning. Moses was telling the religiously faithful to kill their relatives, their friends and their neighbors.

Consider this command on the Levites! The Levites would have to count the cost of being on the Lord’s side, for they would be using a sword against those they were nearest to. Moses directs them to those they knew, not strangers. This action would leave a permanent impression of the Levites ultimate devotion to the Lord, beyond any family or loved ones within the nation.

When they returned to Moses, he described the extent of their devotion, and the resultant consecration they underwent by their actions.

Exodus 32:29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

Initially, when I heard this, I found confusion entering my thinking.

I have been hearing the message of loving others, of giving in service to those who are in my midst. The Word speaks of loving my neighbor as I love myself. Throughout the New Testament, the Word reminds us to love one another, to serve one another, to sacrifice for the brother or sister.

How critical is it to lay down our lives for our friends? Is this not the Christian life, to consider others more significant than ourselves? I heard Paul as I thought through this conundrum.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Hours later, in the cool on the evening, as I mentioned my reading of the morning to my wife, and as I voiced my thoughts out l, it suddenly occurred to me.

This is the call of God on each of us! Let me explain.

I have been mixing up the priorities we are to maintain in our lives with the outflow of that priority.

What is the tantamount priority of the believer?

Matthew 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Our top priority in life is to put God first, even over the closest of our friends, siblings, children and spouse. The Levites, through bloodshed, established, or confirmed their priority that day.

For us in the Body of Christ, this is no license to kill those who chew gum, smoke or go dancing! The outflow of our priority of placing God first in our lives is that we serve and love our enemies. We do not place them before God in our devotion, but out of that devotion to the Savior, we sacrifice for them, as He sacrificed for His enemies.

Let us remember our priorities!

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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What Jesus Probably Didn’t Mean –John 16:16-17

2026-11-02
Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Nowadays, to be my flesh and blood is to be of my biological family. My children are my flesh and blood. My parents and grandparents are my flesh and blood.

There is another way we use flesh and blood, and that is in the general sense of humanity. There is no physical lineage between my wife and I, so when I speak of her being of flesh and blood, I may mean it generally as her being a part of my family, but more often it may be understood that she is of the same species, of Adam. This understanding brings with it the idea of physical limitations, or one who is prone to errors.

A typical usage may be as

“But I am only flesh and blood”, communicating that no one should expect perfection from me. (An accurate estimation if I may say so!)

When the Lord speaks of flesh and blood, the idea of frailty, or fallibility may be included, but in this case, Jesus seems to indicate that “the Lord was “flesh and blood” was describing a source for the revelation he had received, not simply a description of Peter’s blood lineage, or the general moral strength of humanity.

When Peter blurted out this amazing truth, Jesus wanted to clarify that Peter had no credit in developing this truth, understanding this truth, or enunciating this truth.

This truth was sourced from the Father above. The implication is that flesh and blood could not produce this truth, that flesh and blood is limited in spiritual understanding, and that flesh and blood does not have the capacity to provide enlightenment regarding who the Messiah is.

Jesus wasn’t speaking of Peter’s bloodline, but may have breached the idea of flesh and blood being fallible. I think the core message was that flesh and blood was not the source of revelation. The Father revealed Jesus to Peter, not as a man that was a good teacher, but the very Messiah promised of old.

Peter may have thought he had figgered it out. Jesus wanted to make sure he understood that he was not responsible for developing or finding this truth on his own abilities.

The truth came from the Father.

It is as such today, for if we understand the Person of the Lord Jesus, it is because the Father is revealing Him to us through the Spirit of God, and not by some intellectual effort or ability. As flesh and blood, we just can’t compete, and we would do well to accept that fact. The better approach is, to ask the Father to reveal the Son in the Word for our good.

I understand He loves to reveal the Son!
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1 Thessalonian Bits – 5:5

2026-11-01
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

In our last post, we considered what believers aren’t. We aren’t in darkness. We aren’t as those who are in darkness, blinded to the truth of God, and of His mercy and kindness to us in Jesus the Messiah. We aren’t in darkness.

Now if verse 5 had not been written, my first thought would be that Paul is going to refer to Jesus as the Light of the World, and that since we know Him, we have light, and can see reality as opposed to simply making assumptions, guesses or estimations about life on this earth. What a horrible condition to depend of guesses!

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

But Paul wrote our verse this morning. My assumptions of where he was going are worthless, and we find that he is speaking of believers – you and me – being the light.

After a few moments considering this statement, the statement begins to reveal in a small way, the genius of Paul, the pastoral heart of Paul, the desire of Paul to see his people walk properly. By identifying the believers as light themselves, Paul is assigning personal responsibility to each believer to transmit light.

Yes, Paul was much like his Master, for the Lord Himself, though He spoke of being the Light of the World, He also looked at His disciples and declared the very same message Paul has to the Thessalonians.

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world….

But consider one more point. Even with the Lord’s declaration of being the Light of the World, He also spoke of the limitations of this claim. When He ascended into heaven, His direct influence was also relocated to the heavens.

John 9:5 ESV – As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Ok – Final exam time.

Who is the light of the world today?
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Names of God – HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER AND EVER – 322

2026-10-31
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.

HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER AND EVER

Revelation 10:6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,

John is recounting his vision of the mighty angel who will eventually provide him a message he cannot reveal and a book that was sweet to his mouth but bitter to his stomach.

And this angel, as he is standing on the land and the sea, raises his hand to heaven and swears by God. It is the name of God that we are considering this morning that deserves a few moments reflection, for the name speaks of the Lords eternality, His existence beyond time. Yes, John speaks of the Lord as One who lives for ever and ever, but it is wise to understand that John is communicating a truth in a way we can understand.

Let me ask you something. Define eternity, and don’t use the terms eternity or infinity. Forget defining it – try to understand the concept of eternity.

This exercise of trying to understand the concept or truth of eternity is a struggle I entered years back, and found no meaningful success but simply more questions, more bewilderment, and eventually a surrender to the unknowableness of the God we serve. (A post of my sparse findings may be found at A Study of Eternal / Everlasting)

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, ….

He inhabits eternity, and though He enters His created world of time – remember – time is a created “thing” – His throne is in eternity, and His person belongs in the everlasting.

So to recap regarding the name of God this morning, the Mighty Angel swears by the God of eternity, and the message that is sworn to relates to the time of the end.

Revelation 10:7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

The days of the trumpet, and the fulfillment of the mystery of God would be accomplished at a certain time. The time would come. The end was a dated occurrence.

Our God is HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER AND EVER, who is outside of time, Who knows the past, the present and the future, and Who provides us knowledge of His will for our comfort, encouragement and growth.

HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER AND EVER is One Who is beyond our wildest imaginations, existing in a world we know nothing of (yet) and has entered our world to bring about a salvation for rebels and sinners.

It is impossible to understand His Person or His place of residence. It is also impossible to understand His pursuit of us. But let us not be sidetracked. Understanding isn’t the issue. Accepting the truth of an Ultimate Being, God in the eternities, trusting in His Savior, the Crucified One, and following is the issue.

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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Let Me Tell You a Story – The Fear I Hate

2026-10-30
As some may know, my wife and I have a weekend project and as I tell a story, I sometimes relate lessons of life I experience on the farm.

As we are retiring, we have taken on a project of expanding a cabin in the woods for our retirement home. Currently we have built an addition on the cabin, and are in the process of building the shell for a 500 sf “tiny home” for those who may need shelter in the future. (I’m thinking of you Katy.)

I tell you that because this story is directly linked to the tiny home construction.

It was a few months ago, when my wife and I were discussing the design for the tiny home that she latched on the idea of a loft in the shelter. I thought it was brilliant and began to draw up plans for the floorplan and wall elevations.

Back in May, the foundation was put in, floor beams and joists came along soon after. Floor decking took a bit of time, but it is good shape now. As for the walls, since it is only my wife and I out here, we typically build the wall on the floor, sheathe it and then lift it in place. First floor under the loft was a bit of a challenge, especially when we decided we could lift a 20′ wall. Twelve foot side walls were a breeze, and the floor joists for the loft were completed. Easy peasey.

Oh, by the way, did I mention I had a fear of heights? Even on the first floor, with the one corner being a mere three foot off of grade, my stomach flipped as I got within the a few feet of the edge. Now I got to lay flooring on joists that are eleven feet above ground. Let me tell you that there was a lot of nailing while on my stomach!

Next came the loft walls, which of course, we built on the loft floor. Remember the loft floor? That floor which is eleven feet above the terra firma? Again, the 20 foot wall for the loft was lifted, pinned and braced in place, all the while my gut running laps, and my mind swirling. The fear was irrational. It took hold of my mind and body. Periods of sweating like a pig washed over me. It was as if someone was pouring buckets of anxiety over my head.

This morning, my wife and I were putting up the last side wall on the loft, and a 20 minute job turned into 3 hours of avoidance, distractions, excuses and delays. Once we got on the loft floor, and began to lift the wall, I was shaking like a leaf. Eventually, we pinned the wall to the back, pinned the plate to the floor and braced the wall.

During this fiasco of fear, I let it out.

“I hate this fear”.

It is irrational, ridiculous, debilitating and all consuming. And very real.

During my 3 hours of avoiding the task I feared, I asked for courage (and safety) to complete this task. And then I simply began to do it. Did the fear disappear? Not at all. I described the stress I entered into earlier. Did the Lord forsake me in this prayer? Not at all. He gave me enough strength to match the fear, and accomplish the task.

Two take aways.

Courage and Fear

Fear can be a crippling condition. And for many of my days on this earth, I thought of courage as being the opposite of fear, but I am not convinced anymore. Of course in those areas where we are placed in a position to preach, with the Spirit of God in control, the fear is replaced by the boldness He provides.

At other times, when day to day fears come up, courage is the strength to exist despite the fear, even though the fear seems so dominant and pervasive. Almost paralyzing.

Compassion and Fear

As my dear wife has reminded me, we each have our fears, and many of them are irrational but very real to the victim. Her fears are completely different than mine. This “lofty” experience has humbled me, and hopefully provided my with one more ounce of compassion for those who confess of a fear they endure, and that I don’t suffer from.

My friends, we are a broken people, laden down with fears and worries and envies and grumblings and gossips and hatred and …. You get the idea.

To walk with the Lord is to find strength in our weakness, to find courage though the fear is rearing it’s massive head.

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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Prayers of an ol’ fool – Covid Courage

2026-10-29
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

As many who follow may know, I have had the privilege to know the Lord for over 40 years. During those decades, He has proved Himself to be a faithful, kind and loving Savior. And as I have learned to lean on Jesus, He has shown Himself to be a merciful Savior, never wavering, even in some very dark times.

This topical series will try to provide a snapshot of an ol’ fools prayers, the weakness and selfishness of his prayers, and the ever increasing goodness of God in His responses the those prayers.

I hope my witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God will be an encouragement to those reading, and will spur us all on to a deeper, more consistent time of being in the Lord’s presence.

Please visit with me as I tell the story of a faithful God and His care for an ol’ fool. Though David considered himself a poor man, I freely admit, I am just an “ol’ fool” looking to the Lord.

covid courage

My son called his mom and I in late 2019, telling us of a new disease that had broke out in China, and that it was going to become a world shattering pandemic the likes of which the modern had never experienced. Now my son is not one taken to speculation or wild imagination, so both my wife and I took the news seriously.

As the pandemic grew, it seemed to become a media frenzy, and the reaction of those in power also seemed to reveal a desire to control as opposed to protect. But this general feeling was not apparent to us in the early stages. The initial attitude we took was that this would have a major impact on our family.

And we prayed.

Reports became regular that the Covid 19 disease was the culprit of millions of people dying throughout the world. No medical intervention could be provided those struck by the Covid 19 virus, and massive quarantines were implemented. Initial government lock downs of mom and pop stores were required, and need to work designations were distributed to the population. Both my wife and I were allowed to continue work, and for that were were thankful.

But as the months passed, something seemed off. At one point, my wife and I viewed a commercial where a government leader offered a free hamburger to those who would take the miracle healing vaccine. What? Another report spoke of free “lap dances” for those who would take the vaccine. I kid you not! What in the world is going on? Yet the march to get everyone vaccinated was passionate, and seemingly all consuming.

Now, what ever you think was going on, I will leave to you, but the prayer that I want to witness of is the prayer I shot up when my boss came into my office and told me I would be required to take the shot if I was to remain working.

I want to admit that particular prayer was the quickest, shortest prayer I think I have ever lifted to the King. Give me courage.

I simply told him I will not take the vaccine.

My wife and I had chatted about this very potential challenge and we agreed that the Lord is good, that He has always protected us, and that the vaccine had too many unknowns to be considered safe.

Dang, the last vaccine my family had taken was over 40 years ago in Canada. We are a family that considers the occasional cold or virus caught can be fought off with the immunity system the Lord has provided us.

Back to my story though. My boss, a good man, was under pressure, and came back to my office a couple of times with sound, logical, arguments that from his position made sense. The Lord provided the courage and I continued to politely decliine.

The Lord protected my position, and I continue working in the same office, for which we are very thankful.

Regarding the Covid 19, it was a year and a half later, after the birth of little Theodore, my 9th grandchild, that I fell sick with the Covid. I sincerely believe it was the visit to the hospital that provided my contact with the virus.

This was no simple cold or virus. I was out sick for two weeks, lost close to 30 pounds, and was taken care of my wife, who studied and researched possible treatments.

In the end, the Lord provided courage to accept a possible unemployment due to convictions, and the strength of body to fight off a terrible virus. For all His mercies, I want to thank Him and praise Him for His goodness.

By the way, I found that 30 pounds again.

Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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1 Thessalonian Bits – 5:4

2026-10-28
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

In our previous post, we tried to understand the metaphor Paul uses of the woman in labor and I suggested two conditions for those related to a woman in labor. The end result of a woman’s labor – that is a child being born – is both anticipated and inevitable. Anticipated by the woman in labor much more passionately than the old husband, but that is beside the point!

For our passage this morning, Paul speaks his message directly to the believers, reminding them that they are not in darkness, as those outside of the church are. In our verse this morning, we have the beginning of Paul’s description of who these believers are. In our next verse, we will see the positive description, but for our verse this morning, Paul provides what these believer are not.

They are not in darkness.

Darkness can come about in various ways.
- One born blind has only experienced darkness.
- Those with perfect eyesight experience a blindness, or darkness (to a degree) every 24 hours.
Both of these conditions produce an ignorance of the surroundings due to the darkness each experience.

Paul is not referring to a physical blindness though. Yet the similarities of spiritual darkness carries over into the believers life.

We all were born blind, in a darkness that was common, and easily accepted. We knew no better. And there were some who sought to keep it that way.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Paul is specific in defining the light we were provided while in darkness, and as believers, our eyes have been opened, the light has been provided, and we can now see. Ignorance of our surroundings has instantly evaporated and we are able to begin comprehending the true nature of our surroundings, our situation in this life.

Yet there is a darkness that even those with perfect eyesight can experience. It is that darkness that is imposed on us by an obstruction of light, possibly obscuring our surroundings. That is a condition that some, if not all believers, sometimes experience. I confess that though the Lord has provided this ol saint light and the sight to see it, I retain an ignorance that is somewhat astounding at times. (The paradoxes of being a Christian!)

Yet Paul tells us we are not in darkness.

Even at times when we don’t quite understand the specific will of God for our lives, we are not in darkness. We know who the Savior is, that He is coming back, and that He has rescued us from our sin, and will soon rescue us from this fallen world.

That light alone is blinding, and has opened our eyes. But Paul has more than that to teach us in our next verse.

Hope to “see” you then.
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Names of God – HIM WHO IS TO BE FEARED – 321

2026-10-27
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.

HIM WHO IS TO BE FEARED

Psalm 76:11 Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,

There are many Hebrew words in the Old Testament that translate to fear in the English Bible. As a matter of fact, there are 25 Hebrew words interspersed throughout the Old Testament that are translated as fear.

So when we try to understand an Old Testament authors use of the general term of fear, we have a range of understandings that may apply.

Everything from an understanding of awe and dismayal, through to trembling and horror.

For our name this morning, “Him who is to be feared”, we find the Hebrew word מוֹרָא môwrâʼ. This word typically speaks of a dread, terror or a terribleness.

Just a couple verses earlier, the Psalmist uses a different word for fear.

Psalm 76:7 But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?

This term is the Hebrew word יָרֵא yârêʼ. It also speaks of a dread, but tends to communicate an awe inspiring act that brings fear.

Why the word study Carl?

Well my friend, I think the Psalmist is making a point that our God is to be feared. The background to this psalm is generally associated with the great deliverance of the City of Jerusalem from the Assyrian attack, where the Angel of the Lord swept through the Assyrian forces one night and killed 185,000 soldiers.

That is awe inspiring. It is also fear inducing! There is a power, better described as the All Powerful God that can wipe out close to 200,000 soldiers during the night. Consider that for a moment.

If those in the City of Jerusalem were not in a right relationship with this power, this All Powerful God, what makes them think they are safe? Yes, they are in covenant with God, but would you not agree that the Assyrian army coming this close to capturing the nation is a sign of the nation’s rebellion against this All Powerful Person?

Remember the Psalmist questions who can stand before the Him, implying that no one can stand before Him.

Psalm 76:7b ..Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused

As believers, we know this too well, for our sins and rebellion caused us to become enemies to Him, and our old man is continually raging against Him.

So how can we explain the fear of dread, rightly described for those who have no right to stand before Him, and then hear the Psalmist speak of those “around Him” bringing gifts to Him.

…..let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared.

Is He to be feared, with the result being our hiding and running from such a fearful, dreadful powerful God? Or is there a place of safety that provides us the opportunity to be “around Him”

My friends, there is One who is worthy, One who can stand before God, One who is “around HIM WHO IS TO BE FEARED”.

His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the God Man, in heaven for us before the throne. There is no other, for He is our only Hope. In Him is life, and even the most vile sinner can approach Him, for His arms are wide open for all.

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 – Matthew 10:24-28

2026-10-26
Matthew 10:24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
Matthew 10:25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
Matthew 10:26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Matthew 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

At first glance, with a cursory review of the Scripture provided, my reader may be concluding that Carl is simply not paying attention. Do you even know what you are talking about Carl? This passage has nothing to do with conditional security Carl, but more with the topic of how those outside of the church will treat His followers, and the correct Person the disciples are to fear.

That may be accurate.

Or the teaching may be multileveled, providing some truth that is applicable to this subject. What I would like to offer my reader is to provide an edited passage, following the Lord’s teaching, trying to identify who He is referring to in our passage this morning. For the sake of this exercise, any inserts I add to the passage will be italicized.

Matthew 10:24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
Matthew 10:25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they (those outside the church) have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they (those outside the church) malign those (disciples/servants) of his household.
Matthew 10:26 “So have no fear of them (those outside the church), for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Matthew 10:27 What I tell you (disciples/servants) in the dark, say in the light, and what you (disciples/servants) hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those (those outside the church) who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him (GOD) who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Now as we read through this passage, with the inserts as seem obvious to me, we find that Jesus is speaking towards His disciples of the correct person to place their fear in. God alone is the One to fear. But I find it curious that the Lord defines the God whom the disciples are to fear as the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Of course Jesus may be speaking to the disciples/servants of the fate of those outside the church. This is a possible interpretation, especially if we are committed to a once saved always saved position.

But I wonder. Might He be speaking of the fear of God to the disciples as a possible reality for them? Might this reference to the destruction of both body and soul in hell be directed to the believer who may bow out, may walk away, may apostacize?

No – of course not Carl – You don’t know what you are talking about.

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 would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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Pay for Pew – 2 Chronicles 31:5-6

2026-10-25
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.

Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.

Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.

1 Timothy 6:10 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.

Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important commmittment of the believers relationship to the church body.

Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.

This post will consider 2 Chronicles 31:5-6

2 Chronicles 31:5 – As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
2 Chronicles 31:6 – And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps.

From the time of Moses, which we considered in our last post, until the time of Hezekiah, as we read in our passage this morning, we do not find any reference to the tithe in the life of the nation of Israel.

Even during the times of David, the tithe is conspicuously absent in any description of the nations life, or any reiteration of the command to tithe. Out of this general observation, it would be unfair to think the tithe completely disappeared out of the life of the faithful Israelite. After all, it is a common truth that the Lord has continued a remnant throughout the ages, even in the most dire apostacy of the surrounding culture.

But the fact remains, the Scripture does not provide any teaching regarding tithing between Deuteronomy and 2 Chronicles. That is an astounding thousand years between Moses to Hezekiah. One thousand years!

And when we next see the topic of the tithe come up in the Scripture, it is during Hezekiah’s re-establishment of the Passover, and the restoration of the priestly support through the tithe. (Maybe some of the faithful were not as faithful as required for supporting the priests.)

Hezekiah couldn’t wait to reestablish the Passover, for as soon as he ascended to the throne, he sent out invitations to the norther tribes to join in the celebrations. He provided 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the celebrations. In his fervor to obey the Lord in keeping the Passover, he allowed the celebration to occur one month after the defined time commanded, instead of waiting the required 11 months. And when those of the northern tribes arrived, they did not have time to perform the ritual cleansing to partake. Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were forgiven.

I provide this quick snapshot of Hezekiah to describe the spiritual health of this king. He was seeking God with a passion, and his passion initiated a response from the people.
- the people of Israel gave in abundance
- they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
- Those who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep,
- Those who lived in the cities of Judah brought in the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the LORD their God,
Amazing.

Hezekiah’s command to obey the Passover brought a religious system that was suffering from a lack of priestly support, to a vibrantly supported system, even to the point where the goods brought in were “laid in heaps”. The image I see in my mind is that so much was brought in by the people, that an orderly receiving of the goods were abandoned, and the people simply shoved the goods into piles!

The people tithed. Abundantly. Piling up goods that could not be contained.

It is instructive that each of the tithes were livestock or the fruit of the field. Even those in the cities of Judah brought the tithe of cattle and dedicated things to the celebration. And it is also good to see that this expression of worship to the God of Israel included goods beyond the tithe. The passage speaks of the people giving in abundance, and then speaks of the tithe. These people were ripe for revival, and the giving of tithes was the outgrowth of the three following experiences.

The experience of Joy in Obedience

2 Chronicles 30:23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness.
2 Chronicles 30:26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.

Hezekiah oversaw a people who came together in obeying the Lord’s command of keeping the Passover. Upon this obedience, great joy broke out, and the people didn’t want it to end.

The Experience of Tearing down idols

After this Passover celebration, the nation entered a period of idol destruction. This is the natural outgrowth of meeting the true God. After worshipping the true God, all idols appear repulsive, for they truly are worthless waste of time, effort and devotion, false gods who destroy a those committed to them.

The people spread out and destroyed the idols.

2 Chronicles 31:1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

The experience of Listening to a Godly Leader

After the celebration of the Passover, remembering the goodness of God in their deliverance, and after the pulling down of the idols, proving they had understood the goodness and mercy of the Lord, at that time, the people listened to the command of the godly King in relation to tithing. The result? They gladly gave, even in abundance, in their tithing and in their offerings, as an expression of their worship of the God of Israel.

This is as it should be. Any giving to the Lord is to be an expression of how we understand the Lord of Glory, and not be degraded to a religious act of compulsion, or the reluctant sacrifice of a soul seeking to pay off a deity.

He is so much more than some god we can pay off. He is the Lord of Glory who suffered for our salvation. He is worthy of our devotion, even in the manner of our giving.

Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 24

2026-10-24
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

Daniel

Fate of the Enemies Families

Daniel 6:24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions–they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Matthew 27:25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
Luke 21:22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
Luke 21:23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.

This is a sobering topic, for it speaks of what we may consider an injustice, a judgement falling on those who may not have taken part in any wrongdoing.

For the enemies of Daniel, the judgement was swift. Being related to political counsellors carried with it inherent risks, for the position was linked to the one in authority, and if that authority, the king that is, was assassinated, those associated with him may also fall under judgement.

Given the tendency of family members seeking justice for the death of their elders, it was common for the entire family to be put to death to remove any risk of retaliation on the new king. Such was the risks of one choosing a political life. It wasn’t simply a job to earn a paycheck, but a commitment to a specific king and his family.

Daniel’s enemies did not consider the risk of failure, for they were blinded by envy, and their families suffered the consequence of their treason against the kingdom.

As for the enemies of the Lord, they were so desperate to kill the Messiah, they willingly offered up the lives of their children. This is an incredible window into the desperation of these men who fought against the truth.

Eventually, the offspring of those who sought the Messiah’s death would be swept up into a judgement unimaginable. Yet in the midst of this judgement, the Lord’s mercy was extended for forty years to the descendants of those who hung Him on the cross!

Forty years for the families to consider the death of the Messiah. Forty years for those who heard the stories of a resurrected Savior, to decide to follow or reject. Forty years of miracles, signs, and the witness of many believers for those to get right with God.

Jesus provided a time frame – a generation – for judgement to fall. Even the severe mercy of the Lord allowed judgement to fall on the nation, but for individuals who considered the Messiah’s claims and trusted in Him, they found safety and security when Israel fell. The story goes that just prior to the siege of Jerusalem, the church was directed by God to leave the city. Those who did not know the Lord, and did not trust the apostles message, remained in the city and were doomed to a judgement beyond imagination.

The family members of Daniel’s enemies died due to their relation to the plotter. This was the common practice of a monarchical society, where nations leaders would protect their bloodline by exterminating the enemies bloodline.

The descendants of Jesus’ enemies were provided time, the message of the gospel, miracles, the witness of the apostles and the Spirit of God to decide for Jesus, and to escape the rash and foolish commitments of the Messiah’s enemies.

They did not have to suffer “His blood on them” as the outcome of their parents rash statement. Each could escape the coming judgement on the nation by their faith in the blood of the Crucified One.

Such is the kindness of the Lord, that even as His enemies confessed their commitment to His death by offering up their children, the Lord would look beyond this sinful act and provide salvation to those who would follow Him.

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. 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 – HIM WHO IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE – 320

2026-10-23
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.

HIM WHO IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE

Job 37:16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,

Job has suffered. He has suffered at the hands of man, at the hand of God, and at the hands of his counsellors. At this time, he is being upbraided by Elihu, a young man who has been quiet up until now, but during his discourse with Job, addresses him with counsel that at times rings true.

Our verse this morning is one of the shining examples of Elihu’s wise counsel, for he asks a question to Job, not unlike the Lord does in the final chapters.

Do you know…?

As a matter of fact, when God begins his talk with Job, he continues the very topic of challenging Job about his knowledge of the heavens.

Job 38:33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Let’s be honest about our knowledge.

As men and women in the 21st century, with technology providing massive amounts of facts concerning the physical universe at our fingertips, with the ability to search for facts and figures at the touch of a keyboard, we are being lulled into a feeling of all knowing.

What is actual is that our knowledge is infinitely small.

With the many tools we use to access information, we all should admit that the information we have access to is fraught with error, is outside of us, and is creating a false sense of independence in our lives.

Consider a world without the tools we have access to. We surely should begin to realize that our knowledge is incredibly limited. We also may begin to realize that the so-called knowledge we depend on is factual, cold and limited.

Now don’t get me wrong. The knowledge gained over the centuries through the efforts of men and women toiling in study, experimentation and reflection has provided us a life of tremendous prosperity, ease and temporal blessing. But this knowledge has blindsided us, giving us a confidence that has left the Lord out of the picture.

The knowledge of God is the only truly valuable knowledge each of us may seek, and Elihu has approached Job in a manner that we need to accept. It is a knowledge admittedly that we will never fully attain to, yet in the seeking, we encounter the Creator and Redeemer of all.

Elihu addresses Job in the arena of nature, in the topic of the heavens, even the clouds above. To consider the heavens above us is a worthy effort for all.

As a personal witness, I have recalled two recent instances in my life (Montana & Blue Skies) when the heavens have humbled me, when I have understood in a tiny way, that whatever knowledge I may claim to own is infinitesimally small. And in these humbling times, I found a peace, a comfort in knowing that the One who created all, even the clouds that are full of mystery, (though we can explain them scientifically).

He is the One who is perfect in knowledge. He is the One who created all, and not simply compiled and organized facts, calculating the properties of clouds and their movements. He created all, with purpose and understanding, establishing the laws of nature.

Elihu directs Job to the balancing (or layers) of the clouds, to introduce the “wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge”.

We in the modern age, have an attained knowledge, a knowledge that puffs us up, inflates our ego, and often distracts us from the One who is all knowing. With the Lord, all knowledge is resident in Him, and in this knowledge of all, in this infinite and complete knowledge, He in His understanding and wisdom sought us, rebels against Him, to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Is that a knowledge of God that you have? Is that not a knowledge worthy of seeking?

As Elihu asked Job in our verse this morning,

Do you know of HIM WHO IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE?

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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1 Thessalonian Bits – 5:3

2026-10-22
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

It was years ago when our family attended a small church just down the road from our home, when a young high school student preacher got the opportunity to speak on a Sunday night service. This church was very good at getting the youth involved with the adults, and for challenging them with out of the box ministry.

This young man, whom I will call Joe, for I forget his name, delivered a message that I have not forgot. In that regard, he was very successful, for how many of us want the message to be more memorable that ourselves?

Nevertheless, he used this verse as a jumping off passage for a topic that was near and dear to him. He wanted each believer to know the Lord was coming back very soon, and this verse was timely, for it was the early 90’s and Russia had shown it’s weakness, the West had won the cold war, and great things were on the horizon.

Surely this was the peace and safety Paul referred to. Surely this was a harbinger of the Lord’s return. I gulped this revelation down like a starving man, having never considered Paul had the 1990’s in mind when he wrote to the Thessalonians in the first century.

As mentioned before, Paul was careful not to identify a time or season, little lone a specific year or decade, but this young man’s heart was burning, and I relished the thought of the Lord’s return.

But in the following days and weeks, I started to consider what Paul was trying to communicate to the Thessalonians. He was talking to a first century church when he said

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,”

What did the Thessalonians hear when Paul mentions “peace and security”? Was Paul saying something to them that we might not catch in the 21st century.

I would suggest he was referring to the Roman propaganda of pax et securitas. The Roman empire promised it’s citizens peace and security through the intimidation and domination of different people groups, strict compliance to the Almighty Caesar and the never ending presence of military power within their society.

It was a promise that had been kept by the empire for decades. The people who trusted in Caesar had reaped the benefits of this worldly peace the empire promised. Might I correct myself when I say the empire did not provide peace, but simply held back destruction and war by their military power.

Nevertheless, when the Day of the Lord comes, so will sudden destruction. Per Paul’s metaphor of a woman in labor, he may have tried to teach his church of two aspects of the Lord’s coming.

Inevitable

His coming will be inevitable, like the birth of a child. When i hear this metaphor, I automatically think of my wife and her labor with each of our kiddos.

When my lovely wife was pregnant with our first child, we did not understand the complete loss of control we had over the delivery. When Josh was to come was when Josh was to come. My dear wifey could not have delayed, put of or ignored the inevitable. How much more powerless will we be at the time of His coming. Nothing will stop His coming!

Anticipated

Some may think this metaphor speaks of the unexpected aspect of His coming, but again, I would relate to the last few weeks of my wife’s days with child.

We witnessed the belly moving, and the early Braxton Hicks contractions, the sudden energy burst, and the eventual burst of water. It was obvious we were on the cusp of one of the greatest events a couple can experience. A child was about to enter this old world.

I would suggest Paul is describing to the Thessalonians the inevitable and properly anticipated Day of the Lord. In this declaration, Paul is clearly revealing that the pax et securitas boasted of by the Caesar, and by many nations today, will be shown to be the farce that it truly is.

Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

I remember Joe and his message, and though I tend to think Paul was primarily speaking locally and of his time, I still love his zeal and excitement. And I will admit that Paul’s message to the Thessalonians is also for us, even in the 21st century.

For there are many who trust in world governments. They trust in the power structures of men who wield earthly power to provide an earthly temporary peace. Sadly, they look to those who domineer over them for protection from other’s and are content with the false peace provided.

As believers, in peaceful or difficult times, we can and do experience the peace of God, and as we wait for the Son, we are to remember that this old world provides a false peace and security that will fail.

But He will not fail, nor forget, for our God is good and He is good all the time!
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Song Squawk – The Water is Fine

2026-10-21
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.

(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)

I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.

The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.

To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.

Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!

This post will consider the song

The Water is Fine – by Guardian

Talk about a song that speaks on the reluctance to commit. This is the one that I remember when someone is making excuses!

You know he’s somewhere
But you don’t know if he cares
About the way you live
So you throw him up a prayer

You hope he hears you
But the odds are even split
That when he answers
You’ll be ready to commit

You’ve got a hobby and you play it every Sunday
A little fire insurance keeps you coming back for more
Nice man in the suit says you should live it every weekday
You forgot by Monday
Who knows, maybe someday
You know he’s somewhere
But you don’t know if he cares
About the way you live
So you throw him up a prayer

You hope he hears you
But the odds are even split
That when he answers
You’ll be ready to commit

Afraid to tell your friends
You know what they’d be saying
“Lost another buddy to the Jesus Lover’s Club
We knew him when he used to hurl at all our parties”
Factory liquidation
What a reputation
You know he’s somewhere
But you don’t know if he cares
About the way you live
So you throw him up a prayer

You hope he hears you
But the odds are even split
That when he answers
You’ll be ready to commit
One foot in the ocean and the sand is getting hotter
Do you need a “JUMP” sign?
Come on in, the water’s fine
You know he’s somewhere
But the odds are even split
That when he answers
You’ll be ready to commit

These guys were a favorite of mine, and when this album/cd came out, I played it till the grooves wore out!

Take a listen!

Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!

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 – 44.04

2026-10-20
David Defeats Ammon and Syria

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.

2 Samuel 10:15-19

15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together.
16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.
17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.
18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.
19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

So Joab defeated the Ammonite threat, but out of this defeat another threat rose against the nation of Israel.

Though the Ammonite mercenaries were pushed back by Joab, those pushed back included the Syrian armies paid by the Ammonite’s.

At this time in the nation of Israel’s history, the Syrians were a serious threat in the region. If we recall, back in chapter 8 of 2 Samuel, we met Hadad-ezer, king of Zob, an Aramean nation within the Syrian coalition of nations.

2 Samuel 8:3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates.

Hadad-ezer was a man who wanted to dominate Israel, and after this last fiasco with the Ammonites, was going to try again.

In this chapter, we found him trying to defeat David through a coalition with the Ammonites, but he simply found failure. Pulling back and regrouping with additional Syrian related forces was his only hope, and having been recently defeated by David’s men must have goaded this king. He had to have victory, though he had yet to see any success.

There is much to consider in this passage for the New Testament believer.

First off, our enemy, as Hadad-ezer was, is relentless. Though our enemy has been defeated at the cross, he has not given up. There is much damage he desires to inflict on the believer, and he is relentless, much like this king of Zobah.

We see this very attitude in the days of Jesus, when his enemies sought to enter battle with Him, even though His wisdom defeated them over and over again.

Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

Secondly, there is the danger for the believer to think that one victory provides respite from vigilance. Joab crushed the Ammonite resistance, and drove back the Syrian threat. Surely they had learned the lesson of dealing with Israel but this was not the case. The Syrian forces, though still licking their wounds, rose up to challenge Israel again. And David responded, even as the enemy was preparing. David didn’t wait, but took the battle to them.

Much in the same way we should move forward in our faith, taking the battle to the enemy as opposed to simply waiting to be attacked, even after a great victory is a strategy that continues successful Christian living. Though our battles are not with flesh and blood, we can apply this attitude to the battles we have in the spiritual world, even as it appears the evil is gaining strength.

Let us not fall into compliance and spiritual satisfaction. It may come back to bite us! We may witness this very condition in our next chapter, as we see David letting others lead his army.

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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Let Me Tell You a Story – I’m So Special

2026-10-19
Exodus 19:5 ESV – Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

I tend to sarcasm at times. It comes out of me at times of tiredness or frustration. So I must have been tired last Monday as I was on my way to work. I found my mind wandering a bit, and as the narrator was reciting Exodus 19, he came to verse 5, (in the Message translation below) and as he recited the verse, I repeated, in a sarcastic manner – “But your special”

Exodus 19:3-6 Message – Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the People of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’

The phrase “you’re special” reminded me of the common message heard in the modern church of how each believer is so special to the Lord. That every believer is very special to the Lord. Each of us is so very special to the Lord. Each individual believer, apart from any devotion or commitment, any acts of obedience or sacrifice is just soooo special.

The term actually becomes meaningless in my mind!

Am I saying that individual believers are not special?

Sort of, for this passage does not speak of individual believers, but of the nation of believers, of the community of believers before God. The church in the wilderness before the Lord was a community God saved out of the prison of Egypt, and that was the only community that had seen the works of God in their salvation as described in the passage.

This group of believers saw what God did to Egypt and how God carried them on eagles’ wings and brought them to Him. This group of believers were the generation that witnessed the works of God that following generations only heard of.

May I suggest this group were special at least for that reason, but there may be more.

Note that the Lord speaks of His ownership of the entire world and that this group of people had been culled out of the world population by a promise to a man many, many years previously, which would provide the ultimate blessing of the Messiah to the world.

They were chosen by God, and that alone is what made them special. Was it due to their obedience to the Lord? Duh – think again, for they were a rebellious stiff necked people. Was it due to their inherent specialness? Again, that story doesn’t sell!

Note that even within our passage, the Lord speaks of their required decision to follow, of their ongoing commitment to the Lord, when He speaks

….if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, (ESV)

…If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. (Message)

Can you see the if/then argument provided in this passage?Their specialness is dependent on their obedience.

Sometimes the message I hear in the modern church is that there is something in our lives, in our soul, in our personality or character, independent of God, that make us so special to God. Let us remember that we were enemies of God when He delivered us from the selfish life, and that our “self”, (especially the polished up religious self) is not appealing to the Lord, but actually set against the Lord. Paul makes this abundantly clear in Romans.

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Yet the Scripture speaks of His love for us, even despite ourselves. The Lord chose a group of ragtag men and women millennial ago that would rebel and rebel and rebel. His love was steadfast, constant and faithful. Their commitment to Him was sometimes thin, sparse and occasionally convenient.

Moses gives us additional input, correcting our thinking in Deuteronomy 7, defining our specialness, not based on our talents, character, personality, sacrifice, or nice perfume.

Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
Deuteronomy 7:8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Nothing we do, nothing we are, nothing we own can attract the Lord to us. We are dependent only on the love that is resident in Him alone. It is simply because the Lord Almighty loves us. This is the bedrock of our relationship with the Everlasting God!

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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