Considering the Bible

Conditional Security – James 3:14-16

2026-03-19

James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
James 3:15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

James hits hard!

It is an easy task to establish that James is speaking to believers. He continually speaks of his audience as brothers.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers….

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers….

James 2:1 My brothers….

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers….

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers…

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers….

So when we get to verses 14-16, it must be obvious that James continues with addressing the believer. The true believer.

Granted this may be James’s way of showing to each one in his audience the character of a true believer, and allowing them to self judge. But he may also be addressing those who have, in thier actions, show a change in their allegiance, boasting and being false to the truth.

Does it not make sense that to be “false to the truth” demands that the truth was known at some point in the life of the reader.

Is that a fair assumption?

If this assumption is correct, some who read James text may have in the past shown good conduct in works of wisdom, but now are entertaining bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. This passage hits hard for that man, that believer. Has he in some manner apostatized from the truth?

James continues with a description of the source of this wisdom that produces jealousy and selfish ambition, and calls it earthly, unspiritual, even demonic. And he describes what this wisdom produces as disorder and every vile practice! What an incredible statement to consider for those in the church who are accepting, even encouraging, jealousy as a “godly” motivation and selfish ambition as a “spiritual” pathway in the Christian life.

How did the church become so willing to promote jealousy and selfish ambition in believers? Self promotion (selfish ambition) and ministry comparison (a form of jealousy) is rampant in the modern church! Where did the family of God disappear to? We are brothers in the family of God, not competitors with each other.

Our God is a God who is

James 3:17 …first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

My apologies for that little rant, for the topic is to be our personal relationship with the Almighty God, and not a commentary on the idolatrous church we see evidence of in our modern culture! Nevertheless, for our own personal application, it is wise for each of us to check our actions. Are we producing disorder, confusion and instability. Or are we working vile (worthless) practices? If so, we are listening to the wrong wisdom!

Let us be as the Master, who is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James tells us that a jealous and self promoting man will not comply with this self abnegating life! He is listening to the wrong voice!

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Life of David – 37.01

2026-03-18

Uzzah and the Ark

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 6:5-15
5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.
8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.
9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”
10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

A famous story of God supposedly killing a servant whose heart was right. After all, was not Uzzah simply trying to protect the Ark from falling? He was doing right, was he not? This story is one that unbelievers like to refer to, claiming God is a meany. I think they may not understand the story very well.

In our last post on the Life of David, we saw that the Ark had been with the house of Abinadab for years, even decades. Abinadab’s sons, Ahio and Uzzah had lived around the ark for possibly their entire lives. In their minds, this Ark may have become common, ordinary, of no special purpose, even a relic of days long gone, stored away and forgotten.

But now the new king has come to get the Ark. Everything was going as planned. All the people of Israel were celebrating and having a great time. The king was celebrating. Everyone was in high spirits!

Well, most everyone. One small issue would snowball into this tragic event of Uzzah falling before the God of the Ark of the Covenant. The issue that snowballed into tragedy was the fact that no one considered God’s will for the transporting of the Ark of His Presence.

So what is the harm of transporting the Ark on a wagon? The Ark was to be carried by men, using special poles slid through rings attached to the side of the Ark. The Ark was to be carried by men, but not just anyone, but men of the family of Kohath, a priestly family designated to perform this task. And the Ark was to never be touched!

How was the Ark transported in this story? On a wagon, bulled by oxen. The Ark on a wagon? Pulled by oxen? Where did that idea come from? It seems those who knew not the Lord – the Philistines – had provided the example. Seems the Israelites were paying attention to the wrong teachers!

It may seem strange to think of these regulations as important, but the Ark was God’s Ark. It was His Ark and His will for the treatment of the Ark were to be obeyed. The Israelites were not to copy the Philistines manner of transporting the Ark.

These folk should have known better!

It was just a matter of time before the Ark moved, for the trail to Jerusalem was over rugged terrain. Uzzah saw the Ark move, grabbed/touched it to “protect” it, and died. Good intentions? Possibly? But lets consider this situation from God’s point of view. I think we should consider the mercy and patience of God in this story.

First off, some questions. How did the Ark get on the wagon? Was it always on the wagon? Was the Ark on the same wagon it had been delivered on? As the people of God, had anyone considered the will of God in the transporting of the Ark?

I mentioned the patience of God in this story, only due to the amount of traveling the Ark endured prior to this judgement. At the very beginning of this story, way back when the Philistines returned the Ark, we find an indifference in the people of God. Consider the people of God had not only stored the Ark somewhere – obviously not the tabernacle – that the Ark had been ignored for decades, and that the Ark was now being jostled about on a “man approved” method of moving. Consider the patience of Almighty God in allowing this unrestrained indifference!

When Uzzah touched it, a specific individual would die for a specific well defined act of disobedience. If the nation had known the will of God this would not have had to happen. And note the kindness of the Lord in that the nation in their general disregard for the Ark survived. Only one individual died, and his death reminded the nation the Ark had an Owner. Dang it, the nation had an Owner and the Owner needed some waking up of His people!

And once Uzzah died, the nation woke up!

This tragedy of Uzzah’s death reestablished the Holiness of God in the minds of the nation, and especially in the mind of King David.

The eternal God is holy. It is for our benefit that we understand His has standards. Granted, it is difficult to understand some portions of the will of God.

Some portions of the will of God are very clear! For specific disobedience against the will of God, (whether we understand that specific will of God or not), judgement will fall, and may be fatal, instant and appear harsh. Harsh, if we do not consider God and His purposes in the situation.

As a nation, our indifference to the will of God is evident all around. No that is a wrong statement. We had indifference to the will of God decades ago. It is no longer indifference. We are now in a nation of defiance against the will of God.

May God have mercy in His waking us up.

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Let Me Tell You a Story – Driving on I-45

2026-03-17

It was early yesterday morning, and I had hours of driving ahead of me. It was dark, leaving the house just after 5 am, and the highways were light for traffic – light for Houston that is.

On long trips like this, I like to pop the Bible on, and listen for extended times, sometimes paying attention and at other times – because I’m driving, being a bit distracted.

It was halfway to my destination, travelling a bit over 75 mph on the interstate heading north, that the following miracle came over the radio speakers.

Mark 2:4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
Mark 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
Mark 2:7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Mark 2:8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?
Mark 2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the paralytic–
Mark 2:11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
Mark 2:12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Very early in the career of Jesus, we come up to this amazing miracle, where Jesus displays abundant proof that He is God.

Note the progression of logic.

Jesus forgives sin.
Scribes complain that only God can forgive sin.
Jesus opens up the question, by addressing their lack of heart faith. (Remember – this is early in His ministry)
Scribes reinforce the teaching that only God can forgive sins.
Jesus provides the Scribes a logical test.
- Which is easier?
  - For Jesus to forgive sins?
    - Impossible in Scribes mind.
  - For Jesus to heal paralytic?
    - Also impossible in Scribes mind.

Jesus then provides a purpose for this challenge. He clearly states that this upcoming impossible act of healing will validate the past impossible act of forgiving sins.

Jesus simply by His words heals the paralytic.

Nothing is said of the Scribes in this passage, but the crowds went wild! Amazed with the miracle, the crowds glorified God, speaking of how they had never seen anything like this before.

All of that interaction with the Scribes and the paralytic is amazing, yet during my drive, I was struck with the silence of the Word in Jesus taking a victory lap.

You know what I mean. We all do it. When we perform well in a crowd, find success in an endeavor, accomplish something that no one thought we could – we tend to find some way to bask in the accomplishment, revel in the astonishment of others, or we simply take a victory lap, accepting the praises of the crowds.

There is nothing in the text that speaks of Jesus’ reaction after this miracle. Each of the gospels immediately tell of His calling of Levi.

Mark 2:13-14 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Luke 5:27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.”

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

This omission of Jesus reaction to His own miracle spoke volumes to me on interstate 45.

He is Messiah, and we are not.

He is of a completely different identity than us “regulars”. Yes – He took on the flesh and blood of His brothers and experienced the human condition, but His identity was not only of us “regulars”. He is God amongst us, and He did not need to exhibit or perform any act to maintain that knowledge by the support of us “regulars”. His identity is a fact of truth in His Person, and He was perfectly secure in that. His relationship with the Father was the only relationship that mattered.

His was not on a mission of self aggrandizement,

Of all the men or women that have walked this earth, One man could justly speak of how much greater He was than others. This did not occur. He described Himself as humble, gentle and lowly in heart.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

I have not found another self description of the Person of Christ in the Word other than this particular one, and it is perfectly reflected in this healing. I can imagine – only imagine – that as Jesus healed this paralytic, that He was gentle with the man, and lowly in heart with the circumstances of proving that He is God!

Did you grasp that? In this miracle He proved that He is God, able to forgive sins! Is that not worthy of a swelling pride, a movement of victory in the soul? And yet all is silent, and Jesus progresses to His next task of calling Levi to follow Him.

He is completely beyond my imagination. Who could make this up? Every hint of the gospel, every action He took speaks volumes for each of us if we are honest with ourselves.

He is God. He has not only proven to the Scribes of His day of His identity, but has provided the ultimate act of service and deliverance to a lost people. His resurrection is the very capstone of His Messiahship, and we are fools to ignore the evidence of who Jesus is!

We see the very same gentleness and lowliness of heart as He exits the grave. Though He has done the impossible, He is “simply” the eternal and almighty God, the God we have the opportunity to serve, worship and adore.

Is He calling you?

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Names of God – Greater and More Perfect Tent – 263

2026-03-16

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.

263

GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TENT

Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

Hebrews is a book that speaks of better things, of greater things and in this verse of perfect things.

The authors intent throughout the book is to compare Jesus with all other distractions for the religious soul. He is better than Moses, Joshua, angels, the priesthood and the temple. Yes, even the temple of God, of which would soon be destroyed by the Romans when they lay siege to the city.

Can you not hear the author begging those to flee to the true temple, the temple that is eternal? But I am speaking of a temple, and am unsure if the temple was ever intended by God to be erected.

Men of God, with good and true intentions, erected a temple in the name of God in the City of David, but prior to the construction of the greatest religious structure known to mankind in those days, the Lord of all creation resided in a tent. He had provided instructions for a “tent”, that was highly mobile, temporary and full of teaching, even in the materials and methods of construction. But that discussion is for the series Jesus in the Old Testament.

I am looking forward to that topic, but for now let us consider the Greater and More Perfect Tent.

Even in this verse, the author is emphasizing that the Christ came “with” the Greater and More Perfect Tent” and directs me to the times the Lord’s body is spoken of as a tent, or a tabernacle.

Of course the first passage that comes to mind is where Jesus is described as “tabernacling” (dwelling) with us.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

To dwell, as used in this verse, speaks of living in a tent, a temporary situation. It is the same meaning as used in relation to the tabernacle described in the book of Exodus, where the glory of the Lord was dwelling in the midst of His people. Jesus, in His desire to be amongst us, took on our limited bodies, weaknesses, appetites and weariness in order to be amongst us.

The very thought of God dwelling in a tent was first expressed back in Exodus 25:8,9.

Exodus 25:8-9 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

The term sanctuary refers to a consecrated place, and in this description in Exodus, the consecrated place is a tent, a moveable temporary type of structure. A structure that could easily be relocated in order to remain with the people. He really wanted to be in the midst of the people!

First a tent that was able to be relocated. Then a body for the God man, in order to experience our lives and to provide an identity we could stand in, rejoice in and live in.

The Greater and More Perfect Tent is the Messiah, and by the indwelling of His Spirit, the mystical body of true believers throughout the world, for believers currently are the tent for the Spirit of God to dwell in for the sake of the world.

All because He is the Greater and More Perfect Tent. He is not only the sacrifice, but also the place in which we can meet with Him in unity with others.

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 – 3:6

2026-03-15

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 3:6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you–

A simple verse speaking of Paul receiving Timothy from the Thessalonian body of believers.

If you remember, Timothy was originally on his way to minister to Paul as he was working as a tent maker, while preaching and teaching in Corinth. Paul simply couldn’t resist giving up the assistance f Timothy, in the midst of a large church expansion in Corinth, in order to find out about the folks in Thessalonica. It seems the massive success of the Corinthian ministry did not weigh on Paul’s heart as much as those he had left behind in Thessalonica.

And what great news Timothy brought. It was literally the gospel, for when Paul describes the good news that Timothy brought, he used the very same word that he used in relation to the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and of the coming kingdom of God.

And in this sole location, Paul uses the very same word – εὐαγγελίζω euangelízō, the announcement of good news – in relation to the Thessalonians.

Should we make much of this abberation of the focus of this term? Or might the relationship between a Christian leader and those whom he cares for be on the same footing as the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lord?

It is a curious use of the term, and granted, the depth of the love is found in the object of the good news, yet to see Paul pull that word to describe the news of the Thessalonians relationship with their apostle speaks volumes for me.

Story time

I was recently chatting with a fine Christian lady about many things and eventually discussing the concept of why we pay Christians for ministry in our lives. It was a time of curiosity on my part, and as I delved into her thinking, she mentioned that her pastor would answer the phone at 2 am if she needed help with something, would pray with her as needed, and would provide counselling when required.

I admitted I understood the concept of paid service, but still I had a comment for her, for I know this ladies mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law is a fine, sacrificial Christian, who would gladly wake at 2 am to help in any way, prays for this lady (without request), and has provided biblical counsel, though spurned at times. Without pay, without salary, without guilt or compulsion, this mother-in-law loves her, and wishes God’s best for her.

Where are those who will minister to others, instead of referring others to the hired clergy to “do their job”? Are you of the disposition that you would give up comfort for the sake of someone else? Would you let an unexpected interruption disturb your plans for a weekend? This is commonly considered Body Life, where all believers have the privilege of understanding God’s will, and are expected to share not only the written will of God, but their life experiences with others. Life experiences of errors and encouragement, not just facts but real life truths that reach not only the mind but the hearts of others.

Paul was an apostle who worked with his hands, staying up late, getting up early and in the midst of the labor, spent time serving others by teaching and leading others into the life of Christ, a life of service for others and a life of sacrifice for God.

Might we be missing out by depending on some professional clergy to do their job, thinking we have no responsibility? In this thinking, are we actually convincing ourselves we couldn’t minister to others, and therefore not even try?

I fear we all are too comfortable with the current church situation. May we as individuals seek to mimic the relationship of the apostle and his saints in Thessalonica.

A relationship that gives and gives for the other. I think the term is “love one another”, and I’m pretty sure God is happy when we love one another.

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 74.05

2026-03-14

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

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

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

Psalm 74:18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name.
Psalm 74:19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever.

It has been too long since I have spent a few moments in the Psalms for this blog. I have been busy with a new series regarding prayer, and have enjoyed bringing the answered prayers to my mind, to think on the many ways our Lord has delivered a poor ol fella like me.

But I must not abandon the Psalms, for everytime I enter these pages of the Word, I come away refreshed, challenged and comforted in the knowledge of a saint going before me, expressing his deep heart for us to meditate on.

For our passage this morning, consider the context of the psalm, a psalm that speaks of the desecration of the temple/tabernacle and the sense of loss experienced by the author. It is the complete loss of the center of the Jewish faith, the core identifying building for the Israelite and the physical location of all the priestly activity to approach the most Holy God!

Our author is pleading with our God regarding the reproachment of the name of God. It is the loss of the tabernacle that is effecting the saint, yet his greater concern is how this desecration of the temple impacts the honor of the Lord.

Scoffing and reviling of the name of the Lord. This is the burden of the saint, the revulsion each saint experiences as he gets closer to God and yet lives in this old sinful world. And as we become sensitive to this scoffing and reviling, are we to lash out, to defend the name by attacking our assailants, our spiritual enemies?

Consider the psalmist’s next phrase, where he refers to the life of God’s turtledove. The psalmist begs that the wild beast, likened to the ones who destroyed the temple, not have the opportunity to destroy the turtledove.

Now what is this old saint speaking of? To think of a dove is to think of a harmless animal, a defenseless bird that is often used in the context of peace. In verse 19, the psalmist describes this turtledove in the second phrase as “God’s poor”.

Both the dove and the poor are perfect pictures of the helpless, those who cannot defend themselves. They are at the mercy of the enemy, and the saint is begging that God spare them from the enemy, the ones who desecrate and destroy.

Two things to consider.

Is not the God we worship the God who is for the orphan and the widow? He protects those that are the weakest in our society. Are we not also called to do the same? Are we not, in our following of the Messiah, to mimic the nature of God and provide a protection for those most needy in this?

Secondly, if God is the protector of the helpless, and He surely is, then how is it that the most peaceful of all was torn apart on the whipping post, nailed to a cruel tree and left to die a horibble death.

The very character of our Holy and Caring God was denied in the crucifixion, when the Father of the widows and orphans turned His face from His very own Son.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

How can the heart of a Father turn from His Son? He not only turned away, but the Word speaks of the Father crushing Him, the fairest of the fair, the most peaceful of the turtledoves.

The suffering on the cross was beyond understanding. There was abundant suffering in the heavens also, for the heart of the Father was broken, having let the turtledove be crushed by the enemies of the sanctuary.

Such is the mystery of the love we live in, the love we exist in and are enveloped in. He is beyond description, both Father and Son, and the Spirit of grace that speaks far greater things than this.

May we be listening, learning and living the kind of life that pleases our Father and His Son.

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Conditional Security – Matthew 24:13

2026-03-13

Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

This blog has touched on this famous passage two times, once in a posting describing a paradoxical passage (Paradoxical Passages – Matthew 24:9, 13) and once in a conditional security post called Conditional Security – Exodus 32:31-35.

To address this verse properly, I feel the need to focus on this passage directly in relation to this topic at hand.

Should we yank this verse out of context and consider the verse as a standalone message to be applied “willy nilly”? Maybe, if the Word speaks of this topic consistently, speaking of the priority of faithfulness in relationship to the Person of the New Covenant.

If we are to faithful in our Christian life, to refuse apostacy in our lives, in our decisions and in our actions, then this passage may be considered a key passage that warns against the absense of endurance. Endurance, or faithfulness is the key component of the Christian life, for we are saved by faith, walk be faith, fight for the faith and know the Lord through our faith.

Better yet, let’s consider the message Jesus was providing the original listeners, and by trying to understand His message, hopefully apply His message to our lives with confidence.

Chapter 24 starts with the disciples having questions. Questions about the temple, when the temple will be torn down, and some information about some sign of Jesus coming, (whatever that meant for them) and the end of the age, (whatever that meant for them).

Matthew 24:1 ESV – Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
Matthew 24:2 ESV – But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:3 ESV – As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

As you can tell, I want to confess ignorance on the exact questions the disciples had at the time, especially regarding the sign of Jesus coming, and what the end of the age was referring to.

But when it comes to the question “When will these things be?”, I am confident the disciples were questioning about the destruction of the temple. After all, it is the very topic Jesus brought up in verse 2.

Though the first question is regarding the temple, Jesus seems to address His coming first, and speaks of the deception in the future, by many coming on the scene and speaking as though they were the Messiah.

Jesus speaks of deception, wars, famines and earthquakes in various places occurring prior to His coming. The disciples will be delivered up to tribulation, exposed to deceptions, hated by the nations, and experience an apostacy prior to Jesus coming. The disciples listening in on Jesus message will experience all these difficult trials, whether it be persecution, discouragements, or deceptions. The time before the Messiah comes will be difficult for the believer. Whatever time that may be.

Could Jesus have been referring to 70 AD? I think there is a lot to be said for considering that time to relate to this teaching for the disciples.

Could it be some other time in the past that Jesus may be referring to? Maybe. There are passages in the book of Revelation that speaks of His coming to individual churches. Could that be the reference that makes sense?

Might the coming Jesus refers to still be in the future? Definitely. There is a teaching in the church that speaks of all prophecy having been accomplished, even the second coming of the Lord. I absolutely consider that to be of no value, full of error, and detrimental to the hope filled life of the Christian.

No matter the timing of His coming to separate the sheep from the goats, to take His church away, to raise the dead out of the grave – no matter when that may occur, each of us will have a very specific time that we will meet with Him, that we will come before Him.

We might not see the global return of the Messiah, (hopefully I am wrong!) but no matter His timing, our time is approaching. Until then we are to endure to the end. We are to remain faithful, and looking at the context of this verse, we are to remain faithful in the most dire of situations.

We are to endure! We are to be faithful to Him. To the very end!

It really shouldn’t be a surprising requirement. The Christian life is a life of faith! Let us be faithful!

May His name be honored in our lives!

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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Life of David – 36.01

2026-03-12

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

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 6:1-4
1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.
3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,
4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

David was in the midst of gaining authority over the nation, having been inaugurated in Hebron/Judah, and eventually being lifted up to the throne of a united Israel. His military prowess was displayed in routing the Jebushites out of the City of David (Jerusalem) and he sho’ nuff put the hurt to the Philistines – twice!

On the way to the throne though, he had suffered for years, having lost his family, loved ones, nation and homeland. Early in his life, even as a teenager, at his initial inauguration under the hand on Samuel, his future looked bright, full of hope and expectation. Little did he know he just acquired a target on his back, and would be on the run for over a decade. Many a man who had went through the injustices he went through may turn bitter, or angry at the trials he went through.

David did not.

David may have slipped into some difficult times, especially when he became a mercenary for the Philistines, even deceiving the king who was protecting him. But David did not remain in his rebellion. He realized that throughout all the trials his God had protected him, even though it appeared at times that he was moments from death. His descriptions of his impending doom are recorded in numerous places in the psalms. Psalm 18 is just one example.

Psalm 18:4-5 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

No – David did not remain hardened to the experience of his early years, but sought to honor the God who rescued him from all his dangers.

There was only one thing for him to do. Bring the ark to Jerusalem.

I understand David was seeking to honor the Lord, yet throughout the history of the nation, the ark had been in a temporary, highly mobile “tent”. I can not find any instructions from the Lord as to a desired final resting spot for the ark of the covenant. It appears that God’s presence amongst His people was the intent. (It always has been.)

David sought the ark for His capital city, and to think of this from a political viewpoint, it makes sense for him to do this. So David takes three thousand men to a the home of Abinadab, a man who had two sons, and was in possession of the ark. It turns our Abinadab had the ark since the Philistines had sent it back to Israel on a cart. You remember that time, when the Philistines were struck with tumors in each of the cities the ark was taken to within their nation.

Eventually, they had had enough and sent it back on a cart, pulled by two young ox. For a little background on this story, refer to Simple Thoughts – 1 Samuel 6.

Given this history, David and his men (or possibly Abinadab and his family) though it best to transport the ark in the same manner the Philistines had. After all, it worked for the Philistines!

Yet the Word gives instruction on the manner of transporting the Ark, along with the penalty for touching the ark.

Exodus 25:13-14 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.

Numbers 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.

The Ark is to be transported only by a special class of priests, the sons of Kohath, and only by using poles covered in gold. The ark was not to be touched!

It seems that when the judgement fell on Uzzah, as we will see in our next post, the men of Israel decided to carry the ark in the prescribed manner. I assume this severe judgement on Uzzah, drove the men of Israel to “check the instructions” on how to transport the ark!

But for now, in this passage, we see two brothers, Ahio and Uzzah, who had been around the ark for most, if not all their lives. Someone decided to use a method of transport that made sense to them, due to their understanding of a traditional story or by their own experience, to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. The method? Use a cart pulled by oxen, traversing over fairly rugged terrain, up to Jerusalem. Yes it was a method they had heard of, and it seemed to make sense. Both the moving of the ark to Jerusalem, and the way it was moved seemed to make sense to those in this story.

We will see in the following post that actions that seem to make sense and actions that follow God’s instructions are not the same.

This story teaches us of how important it is for us to know His will in our lives, and to act in the way that pleases Him. Uzzah is about to find out that certain actions, whether he knew or not, will instantly deliver judgement!

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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Song Squawk – Curses

2026-03-11

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

Curses – by Steve Talor

Family curses. Are they intended for those who have a family history of rejecting God? Are they the natural result of personal choices? Can a man’s decisions break a pattern?

However you feel about this topic, Mr. Taylor has a tune to consider. As what must seem obvious to many, I have a real admiration for Mr. Taylor and his song writing ability.

Enjoy the tune and consider.

Sworn to love and cherish always
Sworn as their provider all your days

You’ve seen that look in each of their eyes
So helpless, so demanding
You feel the strain of labor in vain
The curses rain
And few are left standing

CHORUS

Never have I seen the righteous forsaken
Never abandoned in the floodlands
Never have I seen their children out begging
Never have I seen the slip through your hands

And as we watch the family die
An orphan choir rehearses
Their daddies left without a goodbye
Will you, my man, buckle under these curses?

(CHORUS)
And the curses fall on another deserter
And the curses fall on another deserter
And the curses fall on another deserter

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 15

2026-03-10

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

Cyrus

Subdue Nations

Isaiah 45:1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:

Romans 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

Back in post 6 of this series, (Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 06) I suggested that Cyrus was a type of Christ in that he was undefeatable. In our lesson this morning, I would like to suggest that Cyrus is a type of Christ in that he subdued nations.

Some may consider this a duplication of typology, but I beg to differ. To be undefeated speaks of battle, of war, of victory over an enemy.

To subdue nations is much more than simply finding victory on the battlefield. There have been many a war in which the victorious army could not contain or govern the vanquished nation.

In our passage this morning, we find that to subdue may be translated as “conquer,” “defeat,” or “overthrow” The term has the meaning of “to beat down”. Cyrus was given the authority to defeat the nation militarily (to be undefeated) and also to control a population. He was able to subdue the people, even as he won his victories over the armies of the people.

I do not know of how he performed this act of dominance over all the nations he defeated, but with regards to the Jewish people, he subdued the Jewish nation (what was left of it) by acting out the command of God for his people. He freed them, and provided protection, and gave direction to reconstruct the city and the temple.

Cyrus’ method of subduing, or as our verse teaches, of “beating down” a people was certainly not the common method of controlling a defeated population. To beat down a people

Cyrus is known as a progressive leader, providing freedom to people groups that was unheard of prior to his arrival in history. There have been archeological findings that indicate he forwarded the rights of individuals, of providing the first declaration of human rights, giving religious tolerance and humane governance. He truly was one who subdued in a manner unheard of previously.

And yet, Cyrus’ profound and progressive manner in dealing with people groups to establish a kingdom, and to maintain his position of leader over them is only a dim comparison to the Christ.

He is the One who subdues His people by dying to give us life, providing the freedom of choice to be His people. He “beat us down” with a relentless love, a continual beckoning to peace, and the drawing of our mind and heart to the truth.

Cyrus was a man who lived a different style of leadership. His subduing was unlike any before him. Jesus also exhibited a different style of leadership, unlike any religious leader that may appear to be in competition for the attention of lost souls. His leadership has been demonstrated in the resurrection, providing to any who seek the truth ample evidence of His Lordship.

As we follow Him, we find that His leadership over His people is primarily that of grace, of a merciful King who desires the benefit of His subjects, and in doing so, shows His glory and greatness!

He has subdued nations, is subduing nations and will subdue nations! He is the only True King!

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 – Great, Mighty, and Awesome God – 262

2026-03-09

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.

262

Great Mighty Awesome God

Nehemiah 9:32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.

Can you see a progression in our names of God recently?

Two posts ago, we considered our “Great God”, and in our last post, we spent a few moments on the “Great and Mighty God”.

From previous studies, we understand that to be great is not a matter of comparison against something or someone. To be great is not necessarily the opposite of bad, or poor, or weak. Each of those terms have their compliment.

And with “mighty”, we understand this describes God’s abilities, and it goes without saying that in describing His abilities, His abilities are also without comparison. It is not as thought we could say God could perform this action but not that action. (Of course we know He is limited to within His own will, but again – that goes without saying!)

So when we come to the term “awesome”, what are we to understand?

Back in the nineties, awesome was a byword that everyone used for anything that was above average, kinda cool or somewhat likeable. It kind of degraded the English word awesome, at least in my mind.

The term awesome, when we find it in our verse here in Nehemiah, relates to fear. Yes, our modern culture pushes the idea of respect and reverence in relation to God, and of that, this word has some meaning. To be sure, we need a healthy dose of godly reverence towards our God in our modern way of thinking!

But the term also carries with it the element of bone jarring fear, of a fear that overrides all other emotions. This term “awesome” is the same term that describes our ancestor’s first emotion after falling.

Genesis 3:10
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Adam was afraid.

This completely new emotion for God’s creative masterpiece must have been excruciating. The Lord had become One to fear, due to Adam’s actions. Let us remember that the Lord had not changed. We had. And we invited massive fear into our lives. To go from a state of innocent bliss with the eternal God, to the internal knowledge that the Creator God who walked with you in the cool of the garden is now offended – well that must have been such an incredible shift in reality!

Nevertheless, the fear described in the fall of man is of the same fear each of us have lived under if we honestly face our destiny. To be alone before the Great and Mighty God is to be in a fearful place, a place of utter aloneness and nakedness before Him.

Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

He is God and we are but His creation, a creation that is fallen and in rebellion, with nothing to offer Him, nothing to placate the Holy God we stand before. Let us not dull the sharp edge of truth, even in our desire to give us some sense of comfort, some sense of false security or safety. As we stand, we are not great. We are not mighty. And we are to fear.

As believers, we are compelled, even by the love of Christ, to consider the Lord in the all encompassing manner we are responsible to Him. In that meditation and in realizing we fail Him in so many ways, a dread or fearfulness should rise up in our consciousness. A sense of complete hopelessness in our soul, a fearful looking over our shoulder, realizing we fall so short.

We are a sinful people in such a desperate situation!

If not for our Savior.

If it wasn’t for the massive sacrifice of His unmatched life to provide a ransom for a people who spat on Him, rejecting His counsel, and taking part in the spirit that crucified Him.

If it wasn’t for Him, we would be without hope. Crippling fear with no hope would be our experience.

As believers, Jesus has provided the right to be considered children of God, having removed the crippling fear we deserve. He has opened the door to the throne room of God’s kingdom, and we have the right to enter by the blood of Christ.

At such a cost, should we not continue to carry a fear that is rightly associated with such a Great and Mighty God, even our Great and Mighty, Awesome God!

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

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

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Song Squawk – Psychedelic Super Jesus

2026-03-08

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

Psychedelic Super Jesus – by Bride

It’s all about our perception of who He is. Do we get the information of who Jesus is from the original source, or from nebulous thoughts and unfriendly influencers?

And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus
And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus

These guys sound alot like Stryper, Bloodgood and Saint.

Take a listen!

Psychedelic Super Jesus – by Bride

Well, you say, “He’s weak, he’s a super freak”
Don’t believe that he came
You said, “God is dead”
You lost your head, you’ve got him swinging from a chain.”
You can be saved but you’re digging your own grave
I’m begging you to come back, to come back
“King of kings”, the angels sing
I think the sky has cracked

And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus

Get high to remember, take a drink to forget; it’s all profanity
Still got him on a cross, your heart is lost
You nail him to a hippie tree
You say, “Light my fire” full desire
Don’t you die on me, babe, don’t you die
The rope is slipping and you’re voodoo tripping
And you’re not a pretty sight to see

And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus, yeah

(Yeah, this ain’t 1969 in U.S.A.,
Southern California on a hot day
And I don’t look good in bell-bottoms, you know what I mean?
No, I sure don’t, and I don’t wear tie-dyed shirts either
No, I sure don’t, and I don’t dif those funky head-bands that they used to wear
I don’t like none of that stuff
You know what?
I don’t even know what a eucalyptus tree is.)

God is love
Power in the blood
Seek and you will find
Today is the day, better give it away;
There’s no better time
Will you learn he will return?
It’s no small thing to me, it’s no small thing
I tell you now, I show you how
The shining glory

And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus
And that’s the way you see him
That’s the way you see him
That’s the way
Psychedelic Super Jesus

(Freak out Go Oh, oh
It’s 1960 all over again, we got tie-dyes again, oh no.)

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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Prayers of an ol’ fool – Potatoes

2026-03-07

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.

Potatoes

My wife and I had just started to establish our home, having been married less than a year when we met a lady by the name of Anne. She was such a sweet lady, and seemed to have such a heart for the Lord. We naturally gravitated to her.

There was a small concern though. She seemed to have been radicalized by a errant thought going around in Christianity about evangelizing the lost.

Yes yes yes, I know. It is common doctrine, an acceptable mental position for the believer to agree to, but she was way out there – way out there in left field.

You see, she was in missions training to reach the untouched, to share the good news with those who had never heard, groups of people who lived a tribal life, hunters and gatherers, even to the extreme of cannibals.

Unheard of. But she was such a servant, and my wife and I listened. Eventually we went to a conference her mission board was putting on. That is where I heard of the importance of good decision making by a man preaching of Daniels choice of food consumption.

I was convinced! My wife – not so much.

So I entered into convincing mode. I made all the arguments, all the pleas, all the demands and every effort to convince her. I realize now my error, but I thought I could “wrestle” her to submission by my efforts, my authority, my desires.

Thankfully her hesitation in joining me in my excitement was to teach me the importance of waiting on God, the power of prayer and the priority of unity in Christian ministry. Her concerns were real, honest and to be considered (if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with my own desires). Eventually it became obvious my efforts to convince her were becoming a point of division between us.

What to do? What ever shall a believer do when an unyielding force meets an immovable rock?

The thought came to me in a flash.

Shut up. Quit trying to convince my wife and leave it with the Lord. My thought was that if God was calling us to this mission, He was able to talk to her about it. I would shut up, – a key element in this effort, for my constant nagging had only worsened the situation – and I would pray each night for 30 days. I would pray that God would open up her mind and heart to leave our family and country, enter a nation where we could not support ourselves, study for two years in a school, and then prepare for the next stage of entering mission work.

Oh – and by the way, we were expecting our first child!

Thirty days of pleading before the Lord. Thirty days of being content before my wife, without mentioning the topic – not even once. Thirty days of uncertainty in my mind as to the outcome, for I had been convinced that the Lord would provide an answer. Therefore I would understand the Lord’s voice in any direction that came out of this effort.

Thirty days passed. I was anxious in my heart – I will not lie. I came home from my day at work to see my wife peeling potatoes for supper. I sat at our little two chair dinner table, looked up at her and asked “Have you thought about missions?”

She looked over to me, peeling a potato, and said “Let’s do it.” She confessed she still had fears and concerns, and they were very valid. We talked. We laughed and we started the application process. We prepared for an adventure that would change our lives forever.

Four weeks after giving birth to our first child, we were on the road to a foreign nation, to a school we had never visited, to a group of people we never knew, and to a situation that promised many many challenges.

There will be other posts of how the Lord provided for this small family, how he taught us difficult lessons – mostly to a hard necked husband that needed the training – and of how He showed Himself as a merciful and kind God, a Savior that knows our weaknesses and yet guides us in His way.

If you are in the midst of a struggle with a friend, a loved one, a son or daughter, even a spouse, where you may be seeking to guide that one into a spiritual decision, take counsel from an old fool.

Human arguments and logic often hardens hearts. Prayer changes hearts. For those who are prayed for, and for those who pray.

May God be looked to for His leading in our lives, even if it isn’t what we think best.

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 – Great and Mighty God – 261

2026-03-06

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.

261

Great and Mighty God

Jeremiah 32:18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,

Jeremiah is watching the complete decimation of his beloved nation, falling under the judgement of the hand of God. He is praying for understanding in this passage, even as the Babylonians are at the doorstep of the city of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 32:24 Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it.

Jeremiah was living in circumstances that would provide abundant fuel for a critical, complaining spirit. Jeremiah was not of that spirit however, having lived a life of the prophet to the nations, and after calling the nation to repentance, experienced the beginning of the captivity of his people.

He is commonly known as the “weeping prophet”, and in many ways lived a life in similar circumstances as the Lord Jesus. Both men were prophets calling Israel back to the Lord, and both prophets saw the rejection of their message.

For all of this disappointment, discouragement and despair, Jeremiah had his eyes beyond the circumstances as he prayed for understanding.

The circumstances he lived in did not change who he worshipped, for as he prayed, he prayed, not to the God who was wringing his hands in desperation, or the god who had lost control, or even the god who was surprised by the situation, but by the Great and Mighty God, the God who is without comparison.

We worship the Great and Mighty God. Remember that He is on the Throne when things are crashing about in your life, when everything seems unstable and on the brink of disaster.

Jeremiah was in the midst of the greatest catastrophe in the life of his nation. And he prayed to the Great and Mighty God, the One who not only delivered the Israelites from Egypt, from Babylon and eventually from Rome, but was the flesh and blood Son of God who took our sin away.

In the grand scheme of all of God’s great and mighty works, we can delegate to a secondary level the building and falling of nations as Jeremiah was seeking answers to. The great and mighty work of our Great and Mighty God is the removal from the sinner of the guilt of sin, the power of sin, and eventually the sinner from the very presence of sin.

That is the great work of our Great and Mighty God, a God who bled and died to accomplish such a feat!

Praise God!

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

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

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Conditional Security – 2 Samuel 12:10-14

2026-03-05

2 Samuel 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
2 Samuel 12:11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
2 Samuel 12:12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
2 Samuel 12:13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
2 Samuel 12:14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.”

David fell hard.

He was at the pinnacle of success, and the chosen king of Israel. God had given him direction, protection, wisdom and victories over his enemies. He had attained to the throne and united the kingdom!

Over and over again, his life provided to all watching him the sun the witness of a man after God’s own heart. If any man in Israel was a walking talking believer in the God of Israel, David was the man!

Deception, lust, adultery and murder came fast for this king. It was no accidental occurrence of sin. He was the man who gave the orders to bring that woman to him, to send that husband into the battle, to ignore the Lord.

I suppose it is the way of sin isn’t it? To fall into sin, to chase after sin is to ignore the Lord in the daily battles and temptations we face. Some may say David should have been in the battle instead of at the palace, but he has fallen, and by the law, is to be condemned to death!

As we read passages that describe his time from his sin to his restoration, we see a man who had died inside, who was dried up, torn down and without comfort. Even as Nathan came to David in our passage this morning, he came to David with the message of death. Only upon David’s confession of sin was the sentence of death lifted, and that not by legal determination, but by grace, and mercy from the hand of the Lord.

David confessed. He received pardon, for the Lord put away his sin. Yet for the remaining days of David’s life, all under the sun would witness David’s sufferings under the temporal judgement of shaming the Lord in private.

So may I ask my reader – What condition before the Lord was David in prior to his confession? He was surely a man after the heart of God prior to the fall. He was surely a man after the heart of God after this period of rebellion.

But what condition was he in between the sin and the confession?

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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Life of David – 35.02

2026-03-04

David Defeats the Philistines

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.

22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”
25 And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

You gotta hand it to the Philistines. They were suckers for punishment!

Didn’t they just come up on the valley of Rephaim to take on this new king of Israel? Did they not just become defeated, quite decisively buy this new king of Israel?

How did David describe the previous victory of the Philistines?

2 Samuel 5:20…The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.

A breaking flood is not the description of a non decisive battle, but of a complete domination over another army.

And yet here they are again!

But the amazing thing about this passage, and that which I want to dwell on, is that though David found great success in his previous battle with the Philistines, he wasn’t about to simply repeat the method he was successful at earlier.

He saw the same scenario developing, the same enemy approaching the same battleground geography, and the same potential outcome if he simply attacked as before. Sure the Philistines may be better prepared for them but David could claim the earlier direction from the Lord as still being relevant, still applicable!

But he didn’t! He went to the Lord for fresh orders.

At this time in his kingdom, he didn’t rely on old orders or human assumptions. And because he sought the wisdom of the Lord in fighting the Lord’s battles, he found success.

Success that included an extended victory, all the way from Geba to Gezer.

As we considered the first battle, it was a quick and decisive strike against the Philistines. A show of superiority force against the power of a neighboring nation.

With this battle, strategy came into play, with a rear attack timed perfectly with the help of the Lord, removing any possible conventional escape plans the enemy may have had. Not only no escape, but David did not simply break through and disperse the Philistines this time. No – he chased them from Geba to Gibeon, a distance of over 12 miles!

An excellent resource for maps of David’s exploits may be found at https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bm-maps-david/

David and his men accomplished a decisive and prolonged victory over the Philistines in this battle. This battle set the tone for David’s domination over the Philistines, eventually bringing the 5 major cities (Gaza, Gath, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron) of the Philistines under his control.

David was on the path to becoming a world power, and would bring Israel to her greatest political and military influence over the region. His desire to know and do the commands of the Lord for each situation and challenge he faced brought about this ascendency over the region.

We too are to be listening for the voice of the Lord for His direction, even asking for His leading. And as David was told to go around behind, requiring much additional effort on his part, and to be patient in the waiting for the “the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees”, we too may expect some of the guidance of the Lord to be unexpected and require additional effort.

I suppose that is part of the calling of the believer!

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 14

2026-03-03

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

Cyrus

Rebuilder

Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

John 2:20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

We have seen this verse before, back in our third installment in the Cyrus study, looking at him as a shepherd, Of course his call to shepherd the people of God was a dim reflection of the Great Shepherd we have in Jesus, but he pointed to the Master.

For this post, we shall consider the description of Cyrus as a rebuilder, a servant used by God to build, and in his rebuilding, again pointed to the Master.

Both Jerusalem and the temple were to be rebuilt under the guidance of Cyrus according to our passage this morning. And as we may have mentioned earlier, when Isaiah is prophesying of this man, he lines out Cyrus’ mission quite clearly.

Imagine for a moment that you are Cyrus, that as you are dominating the nations, overpowering whole people groups and conquering vast areas of the world, you become aware of this prophecy of Isaiah. It would be hard to ignore, since Isaiah named you out in this very verse!

And while you are on a rampage of conquering, you find out you are destined to build. And not only to build a small outpost for a historically passive people, but your mission is to free a rebellious people , provide them passage back to their holy ground and then give them the right to rebuild the temple that provided the Babylonians, (a mighty world power at the time), such resistance to conquering over 70 years prior!

No wonder Isaiah clearly identified him. Calling him out by name was so necessary, for any “run of the mill” conquering general could not imagine this to be his purpose in life!

He rebuilt the temple, and the city of Jerusalem. A massive undertaking, and his leadership provided the Jewish people the freedom, resources and conditions in which they could flourish.

He took on a massive project in the rebuilding of the Temple, but in comparison to his anti-type, Jesus the Savior, it is but a dim reflection of the scope of work accomplished. Yes, Cyrus provided the conditions to enable the rebuilding of a physical temple, but how far greater the task to raise a greater Temple in only three days. To raise a Temple that would house all the people of God? To raise a Temple that would become the source of strength for a people to love their enemies, to pray for those who persecute them and to give witness to the God who went through the grace to build the true temple of God, the Body of Christ.

Our Temple is not made with hands. Jesus is the very Temple of God we belong to. May we honor His name by living as He want His people to live.

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 – Great God – 260

2026-03-02

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.

260

GREAT GOD

Ezra 5:8 Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

This passage needs some context.

Ezra was a priest of the Most High during the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem. As we may remember, Cyrus the Persian King gave orders to release the Jews from captivity, returning the vessels of the temple to the people of God, and enabled the return to Jerusalem to build the temple of God.

A tremendous act of salvation, and restoration on the part of our God.

At first the Israelites were diligent in the rebuilding of the temple, but as many projects go, a delay here or there and a distraction over there caused the temple to be put on hold. And where there is a vacuum of religious purpose, self directed activities rise tot he surface.

Such was the case with the Jews. There began to redirect their efforts and materials to the construction of their own homes. Years passed until a prophet started asking some questions. His name was Haggai, and he wanted to know why the building of the temple had ceased.

He stirred up the people, and they got back at the temple building, but in this delay, a new king sat on the throne on Persia by the name of Darius, and a new Persian governor over the region Jerusalem was located.

That governor was a fellow named Tattenai, and from what I can tell, he seemed to be a fair type of Governor. In his research of the situation in Jerusalem, he found that the Jews claimed they had royal Persian authority to reconstruct their temple. Surely Tattenai had heard of the rebellious nature of Israel, and the focal rallying point of the temple for this nation.

He had the option to put the reconstruction on hold until he found out more on the rights these Jews enjoyed, but he seemed to be impressed by his trip to Jerusalem. Not only did he allow the men of Israel to continue in their rebuilding of the temple as he provided his report to Darius, he spoke highly of the God they Jews were dedicated to.

He allowed them to rebuild though he still needed to find out if they were granted authority under the throne of Persia. This is impressive, and not only in his actions, but in his communication back to the throne, he spoke of the temple as the house of the great God.

Was he a convert to Judaism? Did he begin to follow after God? How impressed was he of the object of Israel’s faith? He certainly, for the sake of the report could have simply referred to the temple as the house of a god, but he didn’t. He wrote a letter of record to the king of Persia regarding the temple in a foreign land as the house of the Great God!

Amazing.

For us in our daily lives, let me ask my reader. Do we live such lives that give evidence to those watching us of the Greatness of our God?

Do we have a message of the Greatness of our God that will turn the heads of those who are watching? I dare say we do!

We all have Tattenais in our lives and by the grace of God we can give witness of our God, hopefully impressing on those we interact with of the Great God we love and serve.

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 – 3:5

2026-03-01

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 3:5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

Paul was so human. Many times in my walk, I thought of this apostle, this great man of God, as one who could do no wrong, who could walk on water if he wanted to. But he didn’t! Only One did that, and we know Him. He was so human also, yet so much more!

Paul could bear it no longer! Paul has previously directed his converts, I should say those who follow the Lord, to refrain from all anxiousness. I can hear him telling me not to worry!

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

But Paul, who has provided this direction for the believer in his epistles, shows his humanity here. He speaks of his concern, his anxiousness over the condition of those in the faith.

This is the human Paul, the mighty man of God who could not contain his concern for others. He was stricken with concern about others.

And there lies the solution to the apparent confusion between Paul’s direction to believers regarding worry and of his own admission of worry in this passage.

In Philippians, might Paul have been discussing personal concerns, private issues, items that are related to the needs of the person? I’m not sure I want to limit Paul’s use of the term “anything” in the Philippians passage to some small segment of a believers life, whether it be financial concerns, employment opportunities or relationship issues, even though verse 6 is smack dab in the middle of a passage describing two women fighting.

Euodia and Syntyche surely needed reasonableness (vs 5) and possibly Paul was directing this specific restriction of rejecting anxiousness to the relationship between these two women.

Nevertheless, there are abundant passages to consider the believers relationship to anxiousness and worry, directing us to refrain from worry! I am sure my readers are thinking of some of the passages even as I type this sentence!

But could there be a situation where anxiousness is possibly fueled by good motives, not necessarily selfish motives?

Maybe, for I assume those who read this will agree that any anxiousness that is due to greed, or anger or disputation, or any other evil action or thought is surely forbidden. That type of anxiousness is born of evil desires.

But in this case, Paul’s heart is breaking, thinking of his young church that may be falling victim to some trap of the enemy. His anxiousness is born out of a love for someone other than himself. He is tore up over the condition of his people and he just needs to know of their faith. He so wants to hear that his labor has not been in vain, that these folk are not victim to the ravages of the enemy.

Was Paul worried in a selfish way? Did Paul exhibit an anxiousness that was solely to satisfy his own needs? Maybe – I know I want to see him satisfy Philippians 4:6, and yet it is also good to see the great apostle weak and worried over his people.

Oh – the tensions we as believers experience in our lives. No wonder it will take all of eternity to understand the ways of the Lord. Hopefully, that will be enough “time” to give thanks to a Savior who rescues us from the enemy, and even from our own worries!

Praise God.

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Song Squawk – Cash Cow

2026-02-28

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

Cash Cow – by Steve Taylor

If you have followed me in this series “Song Squawk” you will undoubtedly recognize my affinity to Steve Taylor. He was a great lyricist, commenting on the condition of the church in the 80’s A great song about the pull of money on the believer. It rings a bell for me every time I listen to it!

I love the reference to Robert Tilton!

Move
Move in closer
Move in closer to the
Move in closer to the middle of the frame

It was a morning just like any other morning
In the Sinai desert, 1200 B.C
It glistened, it glowed, it rose from the gold of the children of Israel
And most of the adults
The cash cow!
The golden cash cow had a body like the great cows of ancient Egypt
And a face like the face of Robert Tilton
Without the horns
And through the centuries, it has roamed the earth
Like a ravenous bovine seeking whom it may lick
Cash cow! Cash cow!
From the valley of the shadow of the outlet mall
To customized petwear boutique
From the trailer of the fry chef to the palace of the sheikh
The cash cow lurks
The cash cow lurks
The cash cow lurks, hahahahahaha!

Who loves you, baby?
Who’ll give you good credit?
Who says you’ll regret it?
Aaa-ooooooo
Who loves you, baby?
Who’ll give you good credit?
Who says you’ll regret it?
Aaa-aaa-aaa-oooooo

I was young and needed the money
I had money and needed more money
I was filthy rich and all I wanted was love
And a little more money
Woe to you, proud mortal
Secure in your modest digs
You think you’re immune?
You, who couldn’t finger said cow in a police line-up with the three little pigs?
Cash cow! Master of disguises!
Who’s gonna change shape at will?
Who’s the eye on the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill?
Who loves power lunchin’ from Spago to the Sizzler?
Guess who’s coming to dinner! Hahahahahaha!

Who loves you, baby?
Who’ll give you good credit?
Who says you’ll regret it?
Aaa-ooooooo
Who loves you, baby?
Who’ll give you good credit?
Who says you’ll regret it?
Aaa-aaa-aaa-ooooooo
Who loves you, baby?
Who’ll give you good credit?
Who says you’ll regret it?
Aaa-ooooooo
One yank on that udder
Will land your butter
In a sling
First one’s free
Cow junkies, take heed

Cash cow, comin’ to get ya!
Why?
‘Cause you think this is stupid, don’t you?
The cash cow will not be mocked!
The cash cow’s planning a coup!
The cash cow chews cud bigger than you!
Woe, woe, woe to you
Who blow off this warning
Perhaps you’ve already been licked
I, too, was hypnotized by those big cow eyes
The last time I uttered those three little words
“I deserve better!”

In my opinion Steve Taylor had his finger on the very pulse of corruption in the institutional church and in the Body of Christ,

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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Names of God – Great Shepherd – 259

2026-02-27

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.

259

Great Shepherd

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant

We considered Jesus as the Good Shepherd in post number 240. In that particular post, we found it convenient to consider the Good Shepard in relation to the bad shepherds so often described in the Word.

For our post this morning, to consider the Great Shepherd is not to consider Him in comparison to a bad shepherd. That is the task of calling Him the Good Shepherd.

For Him to be called the Great Shepherd is to isolate Him, to consider Him, not in relation to any inferior shepherd, but for who He is in his person and work.

He is the Great Shepherd, having been raised out of the grave. No one can claim the status of being the Great Shepherd other than the One who has accomplished two feats of salvation

1. He passed through death and out from the grave after three days.

No other religious leader, teacher or instructor has ever claimed to be able to perform this feat, yet we know our Messiah not only repeatedly prophesied of His own death and resurrection, He proved His deity by walking out of the tomb. He is a man of His Word!

2. He erupted out of the tomb through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Now I am not sure if “everlasting covenant” is a synonym for the New Covenant, emphasizing its eternal longevity, continuing on into eternity. The “everlasting covenant” may speak of a covenant entered into prior to the fall of mankind, prior even to creation. Some think this term refers to a council within the Triune Godhead in eternity past, with all three members of the Godhead entering into to accomplish the salvation of rebel sinners, and to provide the greatest glory to the Person of God.

Either thought only lifts up the incredible work of the Lord in offering salvation to a people who were dead, blind and deaf.

He is the Great Shepherd, and as such, He provides us the promise of Life, since He has triumphed over death, and an ongoing covenant that will continue throughout out the ages.

He is the Great Shepherd!

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 – Romans 11:22

2026-02-26

Romans 11:22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Context is everything. And I think I understand the hotbed of Calvinism I enter into by looking at anything in Romans 9-11, but these passages are not to be held captive by a teaching I consider to be misguided.

As I mentioned at the start, context is everything, and we must remember that Paul is writing his magnum opus to a church that is comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts.

The particular passage we are addressing this morning is discussing the remnant of Israel, a faithful within the nation that God maintained even during periods of complete apostacy within the nation of Israel.

Within the physical nation of Israel, there were a pocket of faithful folk that were right with God. They lived by faith, and did not rely on any bloodline or heritage. The rest of the nation of Israel, those who did not exercise faith in the Living God, but on bloodlines, rules, laws or traditions, were not of the family of God.

Romans 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,

Paul repeats this teaching over and over again within this portion of Scripture. The nation of Israel was made of a social order that sought righteousness through works, while a portion of the nation of Israel understood the grace, kindness and most importantly the Person of the Savior. Yes they didn’t have a name for the Messiah yet, but when He stepped on earth, those who had listened to the voice of God in years past, recognized it in Jesus, and proved themselves to be of the remnant.

Nevertheless, for our verse this morning, we must address Paul’s warning. It was not a warning to those who were not of the faithful, for they would not hear it. Those of the remnant, even those of the gentiles, would recognize this warning, for it was the voice of the Lord through His apostle.

Paul speaks of kindness and severity.

Severity

This severity, I believe, relates to God’s handling of the (physical) nation of Israel, those who were not of the remnant. God directed severity to those who belonged to the faith of Judaism, a system of teaching that was to direct the adherent to God but seemed to become a deterrent, an actual impediment. This faith produced a people who did not recognize the Messiah. A religion that actually condemned the Son of God to the cross.

What was the Lord to do with a people like this? They were to be cut off, removed from the rolls of the righteous.

It is somewhat coincidental that this concept comes up in this study, for I recently posted on the topic in Conditional Security – Psalm 69:27-28. In that psalm, David is speaking of those who were against his call to Kingship. His prayer spoke of those within the (physical) nation of Israel as being blotted out of the book of the living. I will not repeat what I wrote there, but it may provide some context to this message if interested.

Kindness

The kindness Paul speaks of, based on the context of this passage seems to be related to the grafting of the Gentiles into the faith, a faith that is rooted in the life of God. Yet even in this discussion of kindness, Paul acknowledges that branches were broken off because of unbelief.

Note the connection of kindness from God as a result of continuance in faith. Some of the nation of Israel, who had faith at some earlier time, fell into unbelief. They were broken off! Cut off. Blotted out of the book of the Living. Again refer to the link above for (hopefully) some clarity on this topic.

As Paul closes this discussion on the conditional security of both the Jewish and the Gentile in this passage, he directs the warning of being cut off to believers. Personally, I think it is specifically for the Gentile believer, but I am splitting hairs here, and dulling the point of the message.

God’s kindness is directed to us, provided we continue in his kindness. Otherwise we too will be cut off.

What is the Lord to do with a people that abandon Him?

My friend, look to the Lord for His direction in your life, tell Him of your commitment to His will and ways, and cling to the Savior, for He is our only hope!

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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Life of David – 35.01

2026-02-25

David Defeats the Philistines

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 5:17-25
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
19 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.
21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

For our next few posts, we are going to follow David’s routing of the Philistines. I think it may be beneficial to consider the history this nation has with our new King.

Initially for David, his first encounter with the Philistines were in the defeat of their giant Goliath. A seminal moment in the history of both nations. Something that resides in the collective conscious of both people groups!

Next on our David timeline, the Philistines actually became a haven for this young rebel of Saul, for when his own father in law and current king of Israel sought to kill this young upstart, David fled to the nation of the Philistines. Philistia became a temporary haven for David, having found refuge with King Achish, Saul’s nemesis. Not only did David find refuge under the protection of Achish, David presented himself as a useful soldier for Achish. Of course it was all deception, for David was not cleaning up the southern boundaries of the land of Philistia, ridding the area of the Jewish population, but actually gutting and destroying small Philistia posts.

All of this deception led Achish to position David in his own Philistine army, potentially bringing David and his men against the nation he would rule over! Circumstances, that is God, overruled in this, and David was relieved of having to fight with Achish against his own people.

It was obvious the Philistines knew of the prowess of this new king, for they sought to us him in their own battles. Now that David was on the throne, and the massive victory of Jerusalem was behind him, the Philistines had to make a decision. Attack, or wait to attack.

Obviously waiting was only allowing David to increase in strength. They had to attack now. So the Philistines set us camp in the valley of Rephaim, a valley likely located a few miles northwest of the new capital.

Note also that this location for the Philistines to set up camp was in (or at least near) a valley. That surprises me, for though I am not a military type of guy, I would think any army would naturally look for the high ground. But I am not a military guy.

But let us consider there may have been some advantage for the Philistines in choosing this location. Maybe they could elevate a statue of their idols on a perched area of the slopes, so that they may see the battle, or they may see them during the battle. Or maybe, since there was a stream in the valley, there would be special water to wash their idols of any dust accumulated during the travelling to the battle site. Maybe in their deliberations, their idols somehow informed the Philistine leadership the valley of Rephaim was a strategic location, a location where their idols had some influence.

Somehow, in some way, the valley of Rephaim was chosen and the Philistines brought their idols.

David though inquired of the Lord. His inquiry included two topics. Both of these questions reveal important aspects of David’s trust in the God of the nation.

1 Shall I go up against the Philistines?

Our first question is a simple request for direction. Yes or no. This question has nothing to do with outcome or impact to his kingdom, whether or not this will be a stunning success or a dismal failure. David is just wanting to know the Lord’s will.

2 Will you give them into my hand?

This question addresses the result of the battle if the Lord directs him to fight. Note though, that David makes an assumption of victory based on the Lord’s involvement in the battle. He does not flat out say “Am I going to win?”. He is looking for assurance that the Lord will be with him in the midst of the battle, that the Lord will “get the credit” for the win.

Though the victory is assumed, it seems the import of the question was that God would be with him. Is David repeating the concern Moses had as he led God’s people into the promised land?

Exodus 33:15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

Different circumstances but the same heart of the leader. And David received the answer in the affirmative for his concerns. God will place the Philistines in the hand of David.

It seems the victory was quite decisive, for David expressed the win by describing his army, (the arm of the Lord), as breaking through like a breaking flood.

The Israelite army overwhelmed the Philistines, even as a flood of waters destroys every resistance it comes upon.

I suppose the Philistines idols were distracted that day.

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 13

2026-02-24

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

Cyrus

Restorer

Ezra 1:7 Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

When the Babylonians rose to power, the nation of Israel sensed a hopelessness. They knew as a nation that without the hand of God actively taking the enemy out as He had with the 185,000 Assyrians centuries before, it was just a matter of time before they were completely defeated.

That time came, about 600 years before the Lord walked on earth, when the Babylonians entered the city of Jerusalem by force, capturing all the population, ransacking the heart of the city, and pillaging the Temple, gutting the Temple of all the holy instruments. All the holy tools used for the worship of their God was taken, simply for the value of the metal. The significance of the tools, in that they were used in the worship of the Most High God was of no difference to the Babylonians. The holy was treated as the unholy, eventually used in parties or debauchery by the royalty of Babylon. That very act of using holy utensils for a party seems to be the trigger on the very night of Babylon’s fall.

Although the passage we refer to speaks of the restoration of the vessels of the Lord, it is a fitting picture of how the Lord Jesus also restores us.

Now when I first came across this term restore, I imagined it spoke of simply returning something back to usefulness, back to it’s original purpose. And surely that is the core of the meaning. Cyrus took the defiled vessels that had been used for common, ordinary use by a heathen nation, and returned these vessels to the proper custodians, those of the Jewish nation who had some recollection of their use and purpose.

Jesus also took a defiled people, returning to them a purpose and usefulness in glorifying God throughout their lives.

But I would argue that beyond the mere restoration of physical vessels as Cyrus had, Jesus not only restored a people who had a defiant will against His love, He lifted each of us to a restored purpose, a restored usefulness and a higher calling that we had prior to the fall. For prior to the fall, our first parents Adam and Eve were merely innocent before the Lord. After our Lord’s rescue, He has restored us to a higher place, giving us a standing of righteousness far greater than mere innocence.

It is for us to take that standing of righteousness and work it out in our lives to produce a practical righteousness, a righteousness that mimics our Savior’s life.

We are not simply physical vessels of gold and silver. We are a complex, broken people having been restored by the Great Restorer, Jesus Christ.

Everything Jesus does is so much more than those who show us the shadow of His Person.

May His name be praised today.

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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He is Messiah, and we are not.

His was not on a mission of self aggrandizement,

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Story time

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Potatoes

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Severity

Kindness

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