Considering the Bible

Pay for Pew – Deuteronomy 12:17

2026-09-20
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

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

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

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

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

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

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

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

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

This post will consider Deuteronomy 12:17

Deuteronomy 12:17 – You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present,

Whoa whoa whoa. Stop the presses!

What is this about eating the tithe? Surely this refers to the Levitical priesthood receiving the tithe from the faithful Israelite

We are being introduced to a teaching in this verse that stumped me when I first considered it. To eat of the tithe by the family bringing the tithe was so unexpected.

As we continue in this study, we will find that to tithe for the faithful Israelite was to include this second tithe. We have already considered the first tithe, or the tithe that the Levites received in Numbers 18:28. This tithe is the tithe that is provided to the Levites for their consumption, and support. What we are being introduced to, and which shall be later developed in Deuteronomy 14:22-29, is that beyond the Levitical tithe, a second tithe is required. (Hold on to your hats my friend, there will be a third tithe also required.)

This second and separate tithe of the faithful Israelite to the Lord was to be consumed by the family and our verse prohibits the eating of this tithe at home.

As we have considered a number of verses in Deuteronomy 12 in relation to the tithe, let’s remember the chapter repeatedly refers to “the place that the LORD your God will choose”, where the tithe was to be presented before the Lord. A quick search reveals that this phrase turns up 4 times in Deuteronomy 12 alone. (See verses 5, 11, 18 & 21). The chapter gives specific direction as to the faithful Israelite bringing a tithe, one that he would eat with the rest of the faithful to a future location, where ever that might be.

This second tithe was NOT to be presented to the Lord in the city they resided in, as in the first tithe.

This second tithe was NOT to be given to the Levite, as in the first tithe.

This second tithe was to be eaten by the ones providing the tithe, and was to be eaten with all the faithful, away from their home, and before the Lord.

This is such a fantastic teaching, not only that it renewed my mind regarding tithing, but more so, that this tithe speaks of the type of God we serve, that He seeks to have His people interacting with each other, developing community and enjoying each other and the Lord in group.

Not only does our God direct the faithful to a community life, He also gives commands that directly benefit us. These Israelites consumed the tithe that God required of them.

For the New Testament believer, the Lord also seeks for us to come together in community, and enjoy a meal. In my mind, this second tithe speaks of the Lords Supper in two ways. The community the Lord’s Supper is to encourage, and a shared meal with the community before the Lord.

As Paul berates the Corinthians about abusing the Lord’s Supper, he speaks of drunkenness, and their rudeness of eating before community is gathered.

1 Corinthians 11:21-22 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

It appears that the Lord’s Supper was an actual meal, a gathering where everyone joined in, where (I assume) many brought food to a central home for sharing with others. Note that Paul mentions drunkenness, indicating there was enough wine at the meal that drunkenness was a problem. The meal was more than a cracker and a tiny cup. It was a supper, possibly a multi course meal, where the saints gathered to break bread, share stories and speak of the glories of the Master.

There is something special about sharing a meal with the saints. It has been to long for me!

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 – HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND – 313

2026-09-19
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.

HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND

Psalm 89:13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.

When I work out, specifically in a gym, my first exercise is the curl. You know, that exercise when you take a 2 lb. weight in both hands, anchor your elbows near your hips and lift the weight to your upper chest. I have been known to do up to 5 curls at a time before I need a wipe down from all the effort expended!

I speak of my mighty power in order to introduce the concept that even in our modern culture, as it was in old days, the physical strength of a man is often indicated by the biceps, that visible, “in your face” arm of a real man! I have known a few men that have massive arms! I have a son in law whose arm is the size of my leg. Thankfully he likes me!

As we read this Name of God in the psalm, the psalmist draws our attention to the might of the Lord in a very understandable, human picture. He speaks of the strength of the Lord by relating all His acts in creation to a common experience for all men. Arm strength communicates the might of the person, and the psalmist is giving us a picture of the Lord in His might!

Yet this last phrase in the verse, as the psalmist refers to a HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND, becomes the crown of the verse, a fantastic expression full of meaning. Yes the Lord has His “mighty arm” and “strong hand” but let’s consider “HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND”.

Two thoughts come to mind.

His Skill

My reader will agree that the arms of a man picture his general strength, but by the psalmist focusing on the Lord’s right hand, I think he is seeking to draw our attention to the idea of skill, control, the ability to fine tune an action, possibly including the idea of dexterity.

Is this not an accurate picture of the Lord in the working out of His will. Even when all around were screaming “Crucify, Crucify”, He set about the scene multiple pointers speaking of His authority in the circumstance for those who came behind, providing pictures of His control and ability in the most dire of His trial At the worst of times, He knew who was directing the play!

His Authority

Am I imagining to much to think the psalmist is also expressing, in this short phrase, not only the skill of the Master, but His authority, as we read of His hand as high, exalted (as in other translations).

This attribute is the well loved possession of the Mighty One, the King of Kings, and though beaten by men and buffeted by the kingdom of darkness, His cross became a throne, His suffering became His glory and His submission the foundation of His ultimate authority.

Philippians 2:8-9 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

If I am honest with my readers, this short phrase somewhat intimidated me at first glance. However, after mulling it over, considering some implications and relating to the Lord Himself, I have come to understand HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND as a tightly packed description of the One who has all might, all control, and is over all.

The more I have time in the Word, the more I come away amazed, at not only the Word, but utterly flabbergasted at the One who is the focus of the Word. My friends, the Word is incredible, and the One who provided the fabulous message is greater still.

He is One whom we will never comprehend. And I thank you Jesus, for being so much more than what we can comprehend!

Praise His name!

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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Proverbial Thoughts on Labor – B

2026-09-18
THOUGHTS ON THE TOPIC OF LABOR FROM THE BOOK OF WISDOM

In my last posting on the topic of labor, I spoke of a fella that is a talker. He could talk an Eskimo into buying ice! Talk talk talk. For our verses this morning, there is a slightly different slant to the topic of labor that I would like to discuss.

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

That topic is the “get rich quick” scheme, and the bright shiny promises that entice some to chase after this dream. I would suggest that those who seek the get rich quick dream are fundamentally those who fear a consistent and determined effort in life. To work seems to be a curse for us who look to schemes to rescue us financially.

This is a perversion of a good understanding of work/labor as described in the first chapters of Genesis, for it is good to note that the Lord instructed Adam in the work of the garden prior to the fall.

Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Remember, the fall didn’t occur until Genesis 3. Work is not a part of the curse! Of course, the curse brought upon us pain, sweat and toil in the work, (which I have personally experienced in the Texas sun of August this year), but to work is a part of the original creation!

But as I mentioned, there are some who seek an easier, quicker way, and there seems to be some temporary success in these schemes. But as Proverbs 13:11 reminds us, that riches quickly acquired dwindles away, for as we intuitively know, money is simply a tool to represent our labors in life.

If we put little labor into the acquisition of this money, the value of the money becomes less, and our management of the easily gotten funds falls victim to the same attitude of laziness. Note that when the Lord spoke of Adam working the garden, he spoke of working and keeping (or guarding) the garden.

To recieve funds quickly, or easily, implies the effort applied to the management of the funds will also be less than appropriate. This scenario is often found in the victims of lottery winners. How often have we seen those who have been provided a large winning, only to be poverty stricken within a few years again?

What is it my momma used to say. Easy come, easy go?

Proverbs 12:11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

Proverbs 12:11 provides the balance we need. The writer speaks of “pleanty of bread”, not plenty of wine, and milk, and honey, and bacon, and steaks! Forget that bacon thing – this is the Old Testament!

But my point is that a diligent worker will continue to find he has the basics of life, As a amatter of fact, the verse speaks of him having plenty of the basics. One additional observation is that if we consider the last fella of the verse as a contrast to the first fella, we can note that he who works his land has plenty of bread and sense!

Does that make sense?

To labor is a blessing, and to labor for the Lord is the calling of all of His creation!
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Song Squawk – Cleansed by Fire

2026-09-17
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 Cleansed by Fire, by Alice Cooper.

I was chatting with a peer at work yesterday, speaking of the trememdous advances in the life sciences. I had heard that some discoveries were promising a reversal of the aging process, and as a theoretical discussion, asked him if he would ever consider living for a thousand years. After all, this is what the science is promising.

After a somewhat surprising discussion, especially regarding the potential fallout of such a discovery, I mentioned that as I walk through the last half of my journey on this planet, I have found that the promises of technology, even of this old world, seem hollow and full of disapointment.

Alice seems to be discovering the same in this song, and the subject of the sang is fighting against the promises of the world.

Consider the second stanza, for it rings of the very topic my work peer and I were discussing.

Cleansed by Fire – by Alice Cooper

I don’t know but I’ve been told the streets of hell are paved with gold
Crazy, crazy
You told me that nothing’s free except my own insanity
Crazy, maybe
Wake me, shake me
Wake me, shake me

You offer me the world and all its wealth
All for myself
You promised me a life eternally
And drink to my health
I may seem only half-glued but I can see right through you

Burn it up, burn it down
Burn this sucker to the ground
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Going, going, going, gone
There’s a party going on
And on, and on, and on

Do you think I don’t know who you are
A fallen star
When I feel my soul scream out at night
I know you’re not far
You need a better disguise, this one won’t win any prize

Burn it up, burn it down
Burn this sucker to the ground
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Going, going, going, gone
There’s a party going on
And on, and on, and on

Cleansed by fire
Cleansed by fire
I may seem only half-glued but I can see right through you

What about dark, what about light?
What about wrong, what about right?
What about death, what about sin?
What about the web you’re trying to spin?
What about truth? What about life?
What about glory? What about Christ?
What about peace? What about love?
What about faith in God above?
What about war? What about Hell?
What if I stumble? What if I fell?
What about blood? What about greed?
And all of these things you’re offering me

Yeah, what about me
Little me
You lose
And I win
You couldn’t suck me in
It’s over
You have no power
You’re lost
And I’m found
And I’m Heaven bound
Go back to where you belong
To where you fell
Go to hell, no

What think thee?

Have you found the promises of the world fulfilling, or are you feeling empty, aimless and without purpose? The one promising cannot fulfill, for the Savior is the truth, and the life and the way. He is the One we can trust, and that will complete all the promises He has spoken! He is the Lord!

Take a listen to the song.

Let me know what you think, eh?

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

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Let Me Tell You a Story – Preconcieved Ideas

2026-09-16
Preconcieved ideas rob us of opportunities and blessings.

It was a week or so ago when my wife and I, on our way home from a work weekend, slipped by my son’s home for supper. It was an invitation we couldn’t resist, for we hadn’t seen him and his family for a few weeks, we needed time with family, and he was cooking BBQ. Oh man – his barbeque is perty dang good, and when he does it up, he invites friends and family over for a good ol’ feed.

This time was the same, for he invited extended family and co-workers over, and everyone was enjoying satifying thier tastebuds.

As I mentioned, he sometimes invites co-workers and this specific night a fella from the islands came over by the name of Kyle. To my shame, I had forgotten if I had ever met him before. It turns out, I had enjoyed a meal with Kyle a number of times previously at my son’s home, and had simply not paid attention.

After a bit of awkwardness, we started speaking of general topics in the news, and eventually landed on a topic of social change in our culture. I was anticipating one word type responses, for my preconceptions of Kyle that he was a man who stayed within his own world, not concerned with culture or world happenings.

Again, to my shame, I sat surprised as this bright young man discussed social paradoxes and troubling trends in the world with those in the room. He spoke of how those in the developed world worry about non-essentials and that in so doing, create a destructive environment, a society that is eating itself from the inside out.

He articulated his argument, spoke of concerns, and provided opportunity for responses. Again to my shame, I had assumed much too little of this young man.

And then he mentioned the name of Jesus. He broke the glass wall and the subject matter changed from temporary things to things eternal.

It turns out he had been involved in a church on the island, and after a period of time, questions arose in his mind that he needed answers to. Questions involving certain teachings that seemed prominent in the church. The response he got from the church leadership was one of dismissiveness. No effort was made to enter into a discussion, or to consider his questions seriously.

This appeared to have soured Kyle regarding formal church attendance and membership. He seemed to come away from this experience understanding that each church is to be content to stay in it’s own thinking, and not to be challenged with questions or concerns.

Eventually He spoke of believers approaching him, telling him that “God told me to tell you…” This rubbed him the wrong way, and I heartily agreed. It seems self proclaimed prophets and seers are everywhere, pushing hobby teachings that they feel the need to add God’s authority to, and to spread it to others to whom God has not yet talked to.

But something started to bother me. I understand that for the believer, if thier ears are open, God can and does speak to them, through the Word, through loved ones, through fellow believers or even through folks you meet when you are having BBQ with your son.

But does not the Word speak of believers declaring the need for repentance?

Luke 24:47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Do we not have the authority of God in declaring the resurrected Son, and that repentance and faith is to be exercised?

Acts 26:20 … they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Attaching the authority of God to pet teachings seems to be missing the boat. Is it not the resurrected Son who is to be the focus, topic and Person that we declare to others by the authority of God?

Kyle seemed to connect with this message, and I hope we can have many more visits together in the future.

I entered my son’s home that afternoon tired, sore and hungry, looking forward to a feast of BBQ. I left renewed in my spirit, preconcieved ideas corrected, and with a challenge from a man who I will not forget.

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 – HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS – 312

2026-09-15
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.

HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS

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)

We have considered Jesus as our HIgh Priest, in Hebrews 3:1, specifically in relation to His apostleship. When the Hebrews author spoke of this Name of God, he directed our thoughts to the dual mission of Jesus, that of being sent out as an apostle to mankind, and of the priestly ministry of facing God the Father for mankind. Two missions wrapped up in one glorious Messiah.

But the author of Hebrews spoke of the faithfulness of the Messiah in his dual missions, and used this description in comparision with Moses, a servant of God who was faithful to God.

In our verse this morning, we find the author speaking of another characteristic of Jesus in His priestly role before the Father. He speaks of God as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

The author is directing our attention, or should I say the original readers attention to the High Priest of the good things that have come. For the original readers of this letter, the author spoke of present realities. This is where I, in my initial glimpe of the verse, fell down, for my mind authomatically though of end times, of our eventual entering into His presense at the end of our days.

But if we read this passage slowly, this is not the timeframe he is referrring to.

Note that his audience, being Hebrews, were inextricably linked to the earthly temple, and as the author takes these Hebrews through this letter, he is constantly comparing thier sources of religious comfort and security with the Greater One. He has compared Jesus with angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, the Levitical priesthood, the sabbath and now the Temple.

The precious temple every faithful Jew could boast of, cling to, rely on and glory in. He spends 10 verses, prior to our passage, describing the temple/tabernacle, along with the priest who performed thier earthly ministries only to make little of it in comparison with the current tent/tabernacle Jesus has brought to the faithful.

When the Lord is described as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS, the author is speaking directly to the faithful Jew who was placing thier trust in an earthly temple, along with the ritual duties of the priests. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS that have come through the flesh of Jesus, through His incarnation. Jesus is our temple, and He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS each believer has access to every minute of the day.

The author is reminding the faithful Jew, the believer in Jesus, that as the HIGH PRIEST, no further sacrifice is required, the existing temple is no longer required and that Jesus, through His own body (the perfect tent/tabernacle), provided our redemption. He is the Temple. He is the Sacrifice. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS. He is everything for the believer.

The author is also reminding the faithful Jew, that in previous times prior to the Savior’s appearance, the high priest could not enter the holy place without blood. This provided a symbolism Jesus has fully accomplished in His shedding of His own blood. In His entering once for all the Holy Place of the eternal temple with His own blood, He abolished any efficacy of the earthly temple, the earthly priesthood and the earthly sacrificial rituals.

For the faithful Jew, and the modern Christian, we have in Jesus that which the earthly temple, priesthood and scarifices merely pointed to.

For we have Jesus, the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS now!

How could I have thought this verse was speaking of times to come, when the very passage speaks of all we need having come!

For Jesus is our HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

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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Proverbial Thoughts on Labor – A

2026-09-14
THOUGHTS ON THE TOPIC OF LABOR FROM THE BOOK OF WISDOM

My wife and I have entered a time of “industry”. By that I mean we have a few irons in the fire, and one of those irons includes developing a property to retire to. A few years back, we picked up a piece of land with a cabin on it, and have been in the process of building the site into a working homestead.

I would like to emphasize the term working, for this property, with all the dreams we have for it, has become a work project my wife and I have gladly taken on.

Whether it be 116 degree heat index while working outside – yes when my wifey told me that, we went inside immediately, or the continual battling with completing sub projects on the weekends, I have come to cling to a few verses in Proverbs that speak of the importance of labor.

I suppose my favorite Proverb in relation to our project is Proverbs 14:23

Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

You know, I met a fella lately that talks talks talks. He repeats a message multiple times (in the same discussion), as if we didn’t hear or understand the first three times he spoke of it.

He is a young fella, and I have just met him, so my estimation may be completely unjustified, but he is a talker. Now when I say he is a talker, I am speaking of my first impression, the dominant impression that I come away with when I visit with him. He is a talker. Talk talk talk.

I suppose this desire to talk talk talk may be a sign of insecurity, or a nervousness of “being in the quiet”, or a need to own a running monologue, control the discussion, hear his own voice. I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter in this discussion other than his life, from what I have observed, is tending to poverty.

I want the best for him, and hope I am wrong in my estimations, yet there tends to be a pattern, a trend that seems to be evident. A poverty, and I am not necessarily speaking only of financial assets, but of a general poverty in his life and relations.

And the Scripture speaks of the poverty of the talker! We would do well to consider.

One additional verse that motivates me in the midst of all the projects at our home is that many of the projects are in varying degrees of progress. The work site sometimes appears unsightly or unorganized. If it wasn’t for my wife continually helping in managing the site, it would appear catastrophic.

But a clean worksite, completely orderly and without some “mess” is not a producing worksite.

Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

I am not advocating for a unsafe worksite – don’t get me wrong – but for projects to get done, there has to be a messy manger!

This passage also should hang over my desk at work. It does become a “massy manger” at times.

Let me ask you a question. How important is labor in your Christian life? Do you see any benefits of taking on projects to gain a tenacity in life, to take on challenges that are beyond you, knowing you have a Father in heaven who provides health and strength for the work?

Thoughts to consider. But I gotta leave now, for I have some drain pipe to bury on the site!
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Prayers of an ol’ fool – Miles

2026-09-13
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.

Miles

When I speak of Miles, I am not speaking of a unit of measure but of a neighbor next door. I introduced my reader to this neighbor back in Psalms for Psome – Ps 7, in describing how the intents of a evil man backfires, as they lay traps for others and yet fall in them themselves.

At first Miles was a neighborly fellow, waving as we walked by, nodding occasionally, even stopping us on the sidewalk to take a peak at our littlest one, and speak of how cute our little “wabbit” girl was.

It was – for a short time – an ideal situation, and the neighborhood seemed to be at peace.

Until my wife called me at work and asked me to come home. The police were in our back yard with Miles, and there was some sort of trouble!

Let me take you back to the weekend previously. My sweet wife asked for a clothes line and I thought a twelve foot pole would be sufficient for the task. And since we lived in Canada at the time, the hole needed to be at least 4′ 6″ deep to avoid the frost line. So for the better part of the Saturday, yours truly dug that hole for my wifey, wasting the spoils near the hole.

Some of the soil from the hole fell onto public land behind our home.

Once Miles saw this travesty, he set off to correct this criminal action. He resolutely entered our yard, filled in the hole, and called the police. By the time I got there, it seemed things had calmed down, and that Miles was satisfied with the result. I still had to redig the hole, so I wasn’t all that happy, but this was the beginning of 3 years of incredible activity by a man that I can only assume was a paranoid schizoid.

He placed barbwire in the small fir trees behind his yard – on the public property – knowing my kids played out there. He strung barbed wire along the fence line between our homes. He wrote disgusting letters, trying to break up families in the neighborhood, signing my name to the letters. We were in court 3 times with him. primarily due to him accusing my sweet wife of threatening him.

I could go on and on about this poor man.

To make matters worse, I was in the midst of furthering my education, and would be away from home for extended times six days of the week, and my sweet wife, with our five kiddos, lived under the shadow of Miles.

Make no bones about it, my wife was intimidated continuously, either by his truck facing the master bedroom in the home, with his high beams on, or by kicking the hedge as my wife was doing her gardening. I could go on and on.

Ok Carl – this post is supposed to be about answered prayer, not a whine fest about a lousy neighbor.

That be true, and as we asked for protection from the Lord above, and sought to pray for Miles instead of seeking revenge, we found the Lord ever present in His care for us.

As a matter of fact, through the years of oppression under Miles, we found many instances where we saw the humor of God shine through, relieving the stress of our situation.

But more importantly, in all our interactions with this man, we found the Lord’s protection to be a continual answer to prayer.

To this day, when I think of that period in our family’s life, I am so thankful for the Lord’s mercies over such an extended period of time and from a man who was clearly unbalanced.

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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Pay for Pew – Deuteronomy 12:11

2026-09-12
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

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

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

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

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

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

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

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

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

This post will consider Deuteronomy 12:11

Deuteronomy 12:11 – then to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the LORD.

We have spoke of the location to bring tithes to the the Lord in a previous post. (See Pay for Pew – Deuteronomy 12:6) The passage was intended to direct the faithful Isrealite on a future location for the offering of his tithe.

Moses continues in this chapter regarding this location as being the place faithful Israelites were to bring the tithe. But there is a slightly minor adjustment with this passage that may be of interest.

Deuteronomy 12:6 – and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

Did you see the difference?

Our passage is lacking in the last three offerings to be brought to this place the Lord will reveal. Of course, both lists include tithes, for that is the topic of our study.

But notice the company tithing keeps. It is associated with burnt offerings, sacrifices, contributions, offerings (vow and freewill) and the firstborn of your flock and herds.

As we consider tithing for the New Testament church, and it’s relevance for the New Testament believer, I have some questions. After all this verse does not provide much additional information regarding tithing other that the place to bring the tithe.

But I am curious, if tithing is to be practiced in the New Testament church, as to why we do not also have burnt offerings behind the pulpit. A sacrifice – remember we are speaking of animal sacrifice here most likely – in front of the pulpit might be a nice add on to the service! Surely the Lord will accept the firstborn of our pets, for since we are no longer an agrarian society, where most of the the society raise herds and flocks, we need to have something living to sacrifice.

Ok – that pet thing was a bit of a stretch! But was it really, for to introduce a burnt offering into the Christian life and worship, is to slap the Lord Jesus in the face. To replace the real with a shadow is nothing less than an insult, a blasphemy, an abomination.

Hebrews 10:12, 14 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

We have rejected the animal sacrifice rightly so, for our Savior is the ultimate and only one time sacrifice that atones for the souls of His people. Yet stuck in the middle of these two verses in Deuteronomy is the topic of tithing, and the modern church seems to cling to it for some reason. (Guess what that reason is and you win a cupie doll!)

Let us reconsider the place of tithing in the church.

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 – HIGH PRIEST – 311

2026-09-11
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.

HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

We have considered this verse before, when we looked at Jesus as the Apostle of our confession. That was over two years ago, and as a refresher, I have provided a link for your convenience. Names of God – APOSTLE – 36.

Short of that, let us remember that to be an apostle is to be sent out, and with Jesus, that meant from heaven above to earth below. It was a massive “sending out”, from the pure to the impure, from the holy to the unholy, from a place of ultimate peace to a war stricken world full of enemies.

Let us remember His being sent to sinners when we consider Him as our HIGH PRIEST, that as HIGH PRIEST, this speaks of His representation before God on our behalf. As the apostle, He was sent from God to us. As the HIGH PRIEST, He is ever and always before the Father, pleading for us in His ministry to God.

One more aspect that warms my heart is that to be the HIGH PRIEST we confess, it is His very Apostleship that qualifies Him to be such before the Father

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

The Lord God is our Savior, our Apostle, our HIGH PRIEST. He is all in all to us who could do absolutely nothing to gain favor before the Holy One.

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 18

2026-09-10
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

Daniel

A FRUSTRATED STONE

Daniel 6:17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

Matthew 27:60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

There are invisible fingers orchestrating the details of the Lord Jesus’ life and death, the smaller things that no one could orchestrate other than the One over all.

Some who dismiss the multitudinous prophecies of the Lord found in the Word decry that He knew of the prophecies and then, in order to deceive His followers, simply performed some slight of hand or trick of the eyes to satisfy a prophecy.

It is a ludicrous claim for the most simple of deniers to make, but the small detail we find in Daniel here, though not specifically claiming to be prophetic of the Lord’s burial, speaks of a coincidence, one of many, that points to the ultimate One.

A great stone was to seal both men in their respective tombs, and a great stone was moved to allow for the unheard of. Hundreds of years before Jesus, Daniel was lifted out of a lions den after a full night with them. The stone was placed there to seal him in, to allow no escape, yet the stone was moved.

As for Jesus, the stone was also placed on His tomb to allow no escape, , to seal Him in, allowing no retrieval of His body by His disciples. Yet the stone that was placed there was moved.

Alright you caught me. It wasn’t moved to allow Him out, but to let us in. As the resurrected Savior, mere stones were of no impediment to Him in His resurrected body.

We needed to see where He lay, and to see that He was gone, that He was not there, that He is risen.

Both men were sealed in a tomb by a great stone. It turns out both men frustrated that stone!

As for those deniers, how could either of these men orchestrate the sealing of their tomb with a stone? There are truly invisible fingers working in the background, always pointing to Jesus.

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 – 4:16 – B

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

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

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Our last post spoke of the Lord Himself coming to retrieve His people, of the noise that will be accompanied this event. Let’s take a moment to consider.

cry of command

In the old KJV, which I used for decades, the term is translated shout, and as such, I understood it as a generic loud voice, possibly of an announcement, but was somewhat generic. The term in the New Testament is κέλευσμα, κελεύσματος, and is only used once in the New Testament.

There is a Proverb, translated into the Greek (the Septuagint) that uses this term and it is somewhat enlightening.

Proverbs 30:27 The locusts have no king, and yet march orderly at one command.

The term speaks of a command or an order. Strong’s dictionary, along with Thayer’s Greek Lexicon both speak of this term as a stimulating cry, an order that rouses up animals to move, or even a signal given to the rowers of a ship or of soldier to obey.

It is not simply a shout as I understood previously, but a noise that communicates the need for an arousal from sleep, or a command to be obeyed, as if in a war, or battle. It is more specific than I first imagined.

voice of an archangel

There is one question I have for this phrase. Is Paul emphasizing the one who is making the announcement, the archangel, or the voice of the announcement? Does he want us to understand that Jesus is using the voice, as if from an archangel, or that some unidentified archangel is making this announcement?

There are fine believers that are in both camps, but I tend to think the voice is coming from an archangel, much like in the nativity, when an angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds, (quietly albeit) to the of the coming of the Messiah.

Luke 2:9 – 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Yes there is a difference, in that this is the archangel’s’ voice, and the announcement of his first coming was an angle of the Lord. Yet if I understand the coming of the Lord for His church, it is as the King is returning from a victorious battle to His people. It was common for a herald to come before the Great King, announcing his victory.

And a victory it is for those who are asleep!

sound of the trumpet of God

Remember, this verse is specifically speaking of the resurrection of those who are asleep already. It is kind of a silly thought that the trumpet will be needed to wake those in the graves! That is a ludicrous thought. Just ignore it!

As for the trumpet of God, a passage in Exodus 19:16-17 may provide some light in understanding the intent of Paul’s reference to the Trumpet of God.

Exodus 19:16-17 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.

Notice that upon the loud trumpet blast, the first act of Moses was to bring the people of God to meet God. Now please remember that this was a terrible, frightening day for the Israelites, with thunders, lightening’s and a thick cloud on the mountain. Not a natural storm to say the least!

To gather together may have been the last thing on the Israelites minds. But gather they did, and they met God!

The dead in Christ will meet God, the Almighty One, the One who is over all, who answers to no-one and He will judge the living and the dead!

Acts 10:42 ….he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
2 Timothy 4:1 …Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
1 Peter 4:5 … him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

He will wake those who have died in Christ, rouse them from any slumber they are in, announce His victories, and will finally meet their Savior and Judge.

It will be a day like no other! The next verse will consider the ones who are still walking and talking.

May we be found in Him, ready for His return!
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Psalms for Psome – Ps 77.02

2026-09-08
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 77:4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
Psalm 77:5 I consider the days of old, the years long ago.

Asaph, in our last post, spoke of his seeking out answers, of being irreconcilable until he hears from God. He is not going to accept any comfort until he gets to the truth.

What a passion for answers, a man who seeks to know at all costs, as opposed to a man who seeks to find comfort. Or is this passage describing a desperate man, one who is struggling to simply believe, feeling he is slipping and is becoming desperate.

However we may see this passage, he is suffering and seeking, and this is a man to be honored, for he is seeking God, (and not simply an escape) in the midst of trial.

Our verses this morning are somewhat shocking in my mind, for Asaph is charging God with keeping him awake, of inducing insomnia.

Surely the insomnia is not merely a restlessness, a time of simple wakefulness, but a time of facing trouble and trial, a time when he remembers the past, and those times seem distant, almost forgotten.

And the Lord is “holding his eyelids open”, keeping him awake. What fuels my surprise is that the term “hold” in the Hebrew (אָחַז ʼâchaz) may be translated as seize, or took hold of.

Exodus 15:14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. (italics mine)

The example of this term in Judges implies a forced taking hold of, of acting against another’s will.

Judges 20:6 So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.

Is this Asaph’s intended message? Is Asaph speaking of God as the One who will not let go, not allow Asaph to ignore some issue or problem? This seizing of Asaph’s eyelids is associated with such trouble in Asaph’s life that he cannot speak!

Asaph is under the grip of the Almighty. Both parties in this battle are actively taking their stand. Asaph is crying out to God for answers, and God is “waking” him to issues of trouble and trial.

Our God is a comforting, loving God, but as my friends who may be reading may have already experienced, there comes times when issues in our lives can not be turned away from. Constant reminders, or “nagging” memories haunt us of better times with the Lord. The Lord seeks those times, and yet we may need to face some trouble.

And in the midst of facing trouble, a danger exists, a danger of thinking of the the Lord incorrectly. As we continue in our psalm, we will find that Asaph considers some of these dangers, considering difficult questions and frightening outcomes.

For now, let us consider that some nights of insomnia, with troubled thoughts, may be times of the Lord waking us to difficult decisions. Let us remember in those times the faithfulness of the Lord, and His goodness to those who deserve none of it!
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Names of God – HIGH AND LIFTED UP – 310

2026-09-07
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.

HIGH AND LIFTED UP

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah is speaking of the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP.

To be high is to be in a position above, or over others. It is usually a relative term, but I would argue that this “high” is an absolute, a highness that cannot be disputed or challenged.

To be lifted up has the idea of bearing up, of endurance, even of the act of carrying.

But Isaiah speaks of this One who is both HIGH AND LIFTED UP multiple times in his book and he is the only one in the Old Testament that uses this phrase.

A quick review of those three occurrences are in order. The first time he speaks of the Lord is in his call to ministry amongst the Israelites.

Isaiah 6:1 ESV – In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (italics mine)

Isaiah was strongly influenced by this first vision of the Lord. This vision provides the image of extreme loftiness, absolute authority and otherworldly existence.

The second time Isaiah uses this phrase is in Isa 52:13, at the very beginning of his description of the Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 52:13 ESV – Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. (italics mine)

It becomes obvious, especially in the hind sight we have in the church age, that to be lifted up in this sense was to be lifted up, bearing the cross, carrying our sins. In incredible act of sacrifice, being lifted up on the cross, His suffering and humiliation became the focal point of the greatest glory of God exhibited in all of time.

His crucifixion, in His being lifted up, was displaying His greatness, His character of sacrifice, and His motive of extreme love towards those who rebel and reject.

Then consider our verse this morning. He is the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP, yet in this highness, in this lifted up position He is comfortable with those who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP bends down to the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP joins the contrite and lowly in spirit. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP seeks to revive the spirit of the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP looks to revive the heart of the contrite.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP is the One who spoke of being gentle (meek) 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.

We do not understand the HIGH AND LIFTED UP One we serve. He is much to much to understand, to comprehend. The mysteries of our Lord are very real, and His constant care, His deep sacrificial acts and the proof of His person is beyond question.

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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Life of David – 43.0

2026-09-06
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

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 9:1-13
1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

It is a common occurrence. One king rises, and the competing kings family is decimated. The rise of David meant the downfall of King Saul, along with all of his descendants. At least that was the expected outcome of a king rising to power in the shadow of a competing monarch.

Such appeared to be the fate of Saul’s bloodline. In the battle of Gilboa, King Saul, along with three of his sons – Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua all perished under the hand of David. Saul’s heir to the throne, Ish-bosheth was assassinated by his own captains in order to gain privilege with David. Finally, in an effort to appease the Gibeonites, David gave up seven of Saul’s descendants, finally clearing out the bloodline, except for a 5 year old boy who escaped the death sentence. Mephibosheth, a little boy who had suffered under the hand of David, being dropped in his nurses attempts to escape

And now he was being summoned by this very same king, surely to be finished off.

Did Ziba tell him that David intended to show the love of God to him. David surely spoke of his intentions to Ziba. Might Ziba have conveyed this information to Mephibosheth? Does it matter, for the news of David searching for Mephibosheth must surely mean his own death sentence. This speaking of the kindness of God must surely be a cover up to draw this crippled young man into a trap.

And yet he came. Mephibosheth, against all odds, faced his fears, or at least understood the long arm of David in retrieving him from where ever he might hide, and approached the man who was the single source of destruction in his family.

He came understanding he would die, yet there may have been a hope, a glimmer of possible mercy based on David’s friendship with his father.

My momma used to say it is all about who you know, not what you know Carl! How right she was!

Mephibosheth was granted pardon due to David’s relationship with Miphiboseth’s father. It was nothing that Mephibosheth did, or any sacrifice he performed, or any great attitude that he expressed. Nothing that was of Mephibosheth, other than who he was related to, which – need I repeat it – was nothing Miphiboseth could boast of.

Mephibosheth is us., a people who are broken and deserving of judgement due to our being on the wrong side. Our allegiance with the world, the flesh and the devil convinced us we would be destroyed, and yet there appeared a competing King, One who dethroned our king, searched for us, found us, called us to His throne, and though we knew judgement was inevitable, He shewed us mercy.

A full pardon, and yet so much more. Mephibosheth gained all his father’s land back, was invited to the kings table, and lived under the favor of Israel’s greatest monarch,

Yes Mephibosheth is us. We are Mephibosheth. And the King is ever merciful to a broken people.

Long live the King. For Jesus, this saying is eternally true, and we can be eternally grateful.

2 Samuel 9:9-13

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

How big of an estate are we talking about here? Is this “estate” a nice little three bed two bath on a quarter acre corner lot on John Street, in one of the better neighborhoods?

Let’s consider Saul’s family condition before he was called to reign. He was the son of a man who the Word defines as wealthy.

1 Samuel 9:1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.

Saul’s father was a wealthy man of lineage, one who was important in the nation, and whose son was destined to be king. Based on his background, Saul was a man set for life before he rose to power.

Upon Saul’s rise to power, it appears, he remained near Gibeah, in the tribal land of Benjamin. An archeological dig has identified his estate, and it has been called Tell el-Ful (translated as “Hill of Beans.) It is located on a prominent hill in the area, and provided a vast view of the surrounding areas.

It appears Saul had delusions of real estate grandeur during his reign, for at a time when David was ascending in influence, he began to speak of offering to the people of Benjamin fields for all.

1 Samuel 22:7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,

Whatever his real estate holdings, it was a sizable estate, and most likely, it was completely assumed by David at the fall of King Saul’s house.

For David to willingly give this estate up to Saul’s grandson was a grand statement of generosity. Beyond that, for David to provide this land to Saul’s grandson, and with it the memory of King Saul, was the act of a king seemingly not considering a potential threat. Yes, Mephibosheth was crippled, and yes he was humble before David, but tables often turn, and this story is not the last we hear of Mephibosheth and his new servant Ziba in the life of David.

For this passage, we find Ziba being directed by King David to manage all the land of Saul for Mephibosheth, even while Mephibosheth sat at the kings table. Ziba became the servant of Mephibosheth, along with his sons and their servants, and Mephibosheth became a wealthy man by the word of King David.

Now catch that! Mephibosheth did not gain riches by his talent, or by his wisdom, or by his personality or appearance. Nothing of Mephibosheth – other than the fact that he was born into the family of Jonathon – was of any value to the King of Israel.

It was all about relationship. And Mephibosheth was a child of Jonathon, a man that David made promises to.

God made promises in Jesus. As a matter of fact, ALL God’s promises are in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

For us to benefit, we have to assume the same place as Mephibosheth. We need to be related to the Greater Jonathon, in whom all God’s promises are found.

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

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Pay for Pew – Deuteronomy 12:6

2026-09-05
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

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

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

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

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

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

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

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

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

This post will consider Deuteronomy 12:6

Deuteronomy 12:6 – and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

Deuteronomy 12 speaks of the Lord’s chosen place of worship, the manner in which the faithful Israelite was to worship, and the rules and statutes which are to be observed in order for worship to be acceptable before the Lord.

We will see in the 12th chapter, the reference to tithing three times, with this one being the first one.

Moses is introducing to the people of God as to where the tithe was to be brought. Now at the time of Moses, the location for a permanent temple had not be revealed.

Deuteronomy 12:5 But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,

The nation would need to seek out the location from the Lord, that location where the Lord would dwell amongst the tribes, and that all the tribes would be required to bring thier tithes to. For the nation at the time of this message, the tabernacle was the location of the Lord’s presence. Yet there seems to be a future permanent (?) location that is intended in this message.

Now you may wonder why I question the permanent state of the Lords dwelling (habitation in our verse). As I have been studying in the life of David, I have found that as David sought a permanent structure for the Lord, the Lord seemed to be reluctant to accept “putting down roots” in a manner of speaking.

A bit of a side bar for a moment.

When David sought to honor the Lord in the building of a temple, the Lord instructed Nathan to disuade David.

2 Samuel 7:5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
2 Samuel 7:6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
2 Samuel 7:7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘

In 1 Chronicles, the Lord is quite direct with his king.

1 Chronicles 17:4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. (italics mine)

A temple is promised in Deuteronomy. A little later, in the life of David, the Lord promises that David’s offspring shall build a house for the Lord’s name.

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

So David previously assumed he was to build a temple, surely based on an Old Testament passage such as Dt 12:5 but he was rebuffed by the Lord. Then both David and Solomon assumed Solomon was the offspring to do this task of building a temple.

Was that a good assumption?

My question is meant to lead the believer to see that the offspring of David referred to in this passage is blatantly Jesus Christ, for David’s throne has been established forever through Him.

2 Samuel 7:16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

In all of this quick discussion on the habitation of the Lord that the nation was to bring the tithes to, much depends on some assumptions on future locations for His habitation.

So what are we to make of this passage? To be honest, there is little instruction regarding tithing in this passage other than it’s inclusion in the worship of the faithful Israelite at the temple.

No matter how you look at the place where the Lord’s habitation was to be for the nation, whether it be a temporary (moving) tabernacle, or a permanent (static) temple, this verse speaks of the tithe to be brought before the Lord.

The point of the passage isn’t really a discussion on the tithe, but on the location it was to be presented before the Lord at. Up until this passage, Moses, had provided guidance on the tithe for the faithful Israelite as we have seen in passages considered previously. He taught them well, and he could safely assume they understood.

As we continue in this series, I pray we will understand the place of the tithe in the plan of God. Hopefully, in our next verse within Deuteronomy, we will be provided additional instruction on our topic.

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 – HERALD OF GOOD NEWS – 309

2026-09-04
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

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

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

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

HERALD OF GOOD NEWS

Isaiah 41:27 I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!” and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

In the 41st chapter of his book, Isaiah is declaring the “I wills” of God, and by the time we get to verse 27, he has provided numerous promises of the future actions of God to the nation of Israel to be comforted by.

For our verse this morning, the “I will” of God is no longer a future promise but a present action, in that God gives to the nation, by using the capital city as it’s descriptor, a herald of good news.

The context demands this is Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persians that would conquer Babylon, release the captives and assist those who sought to go home to the promised land.

Good news indeed!

Many of the captives took advantage of this great turn of events, yet not all. Some provided support for those leaving the Babylonian/Medo-Persian lands. Some stayed behind, continuing to live in the land they were taken captive to.

But all were provided the good news as Cyrus entered the vanquished city and eventually granted all the Jewish captives freedom.

Now I realize this series is on the Names of God, but the typology of Cyrus is ridiculous. He is in many ways become – for the time being – one of my favorite types in the Old Testament, providing a picture of the Lord Jesus. For some typological discussions on Cyrus, check out the 13 posts regarding Cyrus in the Jesus in the Old Testament series on this blog. We started with Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 01

Isaiah spoke of the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and the immediate reference was Cyrus, but we know in hindsight that Jesus is the greatest HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and not only did He HERALD/PREACH the good news, He is the good news.

He is the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS.

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 17

2026-09-03
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

Daniel

Blameless

Daniel 6:22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Back in Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 6, we offered the type of Christ found in Daniel as righteousness. In our passage this morning, we are looking at both men as being described as blameless. I would suggest there is a difference, there is a nuance that may be important to consider.

To be righteous is to balance all the requirements of the law perfectly within your life, obeying all commands without favoring any command, or slighting any command. Complete and perfect obedience. For the Christ this was an absolute and as a disciple of the Lord, Daniels life appeared to be righteous, even though he prayed for his own forgiveness.

Remember Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9? He included himself in the nations sin!

Daniel 9:5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

And yet he was righteous in the eyes of man.

To be blameless is to be without blame. Now for some, that may be synonymous with righteousness, but I beg to differ. It was close to a year back when I published 1 Thessalonian Bits – 2:10, describing a time when I punched Fred in the gut at church – Go read the post if you think I am to blame.

It turns out, I was blameless – well eventually I was blameless, for after this horrible act of mine within this story, I repented, confessed my sin, approached Fred, begged forgiveness and was granted my relationship with him again. I was then blameless before Fred, and before the entire church. No one could blame me for the act of violence I unleashed on Fred in the story, for I had been forgiven, and no one could blame me for the act. (Now I am not suggesting that if this really happened – for it is only a story – that though blameless, I would still be one that many would be careful around.) But I was blameless!

There is a difference.

Now for the sake of this post, let us consider that Daniel has the boldness to say to the king that he was found blameless before the Lord. He had kept short accounts with the Lord, confessing his sins, admitting his wrongdoings, agreeing with God that he had transgressed. And he was blameless.’

Consider the Lord Jesus, who “offered himself without blemish to God”. This term “without blemish” is translated blameless in many many other verses. The passage in Hebrews may be nodding towards the passover lamb, speaking of no blemish, but the writer is translating this to His moral character. Yes Jesus is Righteous, perfectly balanced in the keeping of all the laws of God. And He is blameless also.

Did He have to confess for any wrong He had committed to attain to blamelessness? Of course not, but He did come to rescue us, to deliver us and to take upon Himself our sins.

Consider the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance, that Jesus submitted to. He sought to fulfill all righreousness.

Matthew 3:13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Jesus, in effect may have been providing to the audience a proof of His commitment to God prior to His ministry, an act that would provide a “blamelessness” later on as His ministry exploded. No one could come and blame Him with avoiding John’s ministry. He was all in, and though not required for Himself, this act of baptism was required for others to see.

Daniel was blameless of His own transgressions. Jesus was “without blemish” primarily due to His own perfectly righteous life, and per His association with John’s baptism of repentance.

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 – 4:16 – A

2026-09-02
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 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

There it is. The Thessalonians were concerned about their brothers in the faith not remaining, for those who have fallen asleep. Here we have the apostle speak to this concern. Remember Paul’s beginning remarks for this passage? How he was wanting to relieve the Thessalonians ignorance, and therefore their sadness, and grief?

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Paul’s intent with this verse was to provide comfort for the fledgling church, to give truth to the believers so they may not grieve as others who have no hope. He provides his motive for providing this truth a little later on, in that they are to encourage each other, but for now, let’s consider what we can glean from Paul’s message.

He Himself

Paul gives us the best truth first. The One who entered our suffering troubled world, walked amongst us for over thirty years, revealed to us the glory of God amidst terrible persecution and was murdered by the very ones He came to save will come to us.

It is He who will be coming back for those who love Him. And He will not be silent.

The next three actions or descriptions speak of volume, noise or an announcement. The One who entered our world previously came silently, with only a few shepherds being informed. A message to a select few, a group of shepherds on a hill.

This time many more will hear of His coming!

My question for my reader is how many will hear? Will it only be the church, those who follow after Him, or will the entire population of the earth hear?

I will leave this question for my reader to respond to, but would hint that Paul gives us a clue later on. If you think you have an answer, please provide in the comment box below. I would love to see someone “steal my thunder” and suggest a reason why it is only believers who will hear, or the entire population of the earth.

For now, I will leave the three phrases that accompany the return of Christ for our next post. Hope to hear from you!
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Psalms for Psome – Ps 77.01

2026-09-01
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

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

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

Psalm 77:1 To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.
Psalm 77:2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
Psalm 77:3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

Psalm 77 speaks to us in the dark nights of our seeming ineffective prayers, when the Lord is apparently no where to be found. Days of “feeling” the Lord close by are mere memories. We know deep down something is missing, something is wrong.

This is the psalmist’s experience, and more so. He knows there is something wrong, and he refuses to accept any imitation, any replacement, any form of consolation or comfort.

This psalmist is Asaph, and he is one who has lived through some very disappointing periods in the life of the nation of Israel. Whether or not this psalm reflects some national crisis, or is more of a personal inner conflict remains to be known, but Asaph is struggling.

He speaks of God, that He will hear. Is this an act of the will on God’s part, that is, does Asaph have confidence that God will at least listen to his cries of complaint in the future? Is Asaph expressing a faith that his cries will be heard, (and answered) in the future?

Or is Asaph declaring that God is actively hearing his prayers and answering his prayers immediately, as we find the same phrase in Isaiah.

Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

I am of the opinion (somewhat worthless) that Asaph is speaking of God hearing him, that is answering him in the future, for Asaph speaks of a continual crying out to God. He speaks of days of trouble and weariness in the night, of stretching out his hand and refusing to be comforted.

No periods of praise or thanksgiving, but only the sad moaning and fainting spirit of a troubled saint.

Where is all the joy, all the praising and positive feelings associated with the modern Christianity? Where is the “best life now” that is promised to the masses? Messages of continual ease and prosperity may be popular, but for Asaph, he wants truth, he wants reality, he needs God to show up. And this trial, whatever he is going through, is causing a deep desire to well up.

He won’t be comforted until he get’s a response from the Lord, and he will know it when God answers.

Asaph speaks volumes to the modern Christian, to me especially, for there have been times when the silence of God has been deafening. When I have struggled with apparent insurmountable trials, with delays mounting up, and problems festering. An inner hollowness that nagged.

For my friend that may be struggling, take hope in the fact that Lazarus was resurrected. All of Mary and Martha’s hopes had come crashing down at the death of their brother, and the Lord intentionally waited.

For Mary and Martha, the wait created a situation that only God could resolve. And resolve He did with a miracle so beyond the expected! This is the God we worship, One who not only has all authority, but even in our struggles, is setting our situation for His mercy to be evident.

Our struggle is the wait.

As for Asaph, he was in the midst of a trial that was crushing him. Yet he said God will hear. In the midst of a trial, to have the faith of stating God will hear, though there is no answer yet, is the faith we are to reach for. Emotions, fears, emptiness and doubts can assail us, but hang on.

Jesus will deliver. He is that One whose nature it is to deliver, and in a most miraculous way. But the wait can be a struggle of faith. Look to Him, and in the struggle, He will provide to get you through. For the remainder of the psalm, we may find hints as to how the Lord pulls us through trials and troubles!
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Names of God – HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS – 308

2026-08-31
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

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

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

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

HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS

Psalm 10:14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.

It is a common refrain throughout the Old and New Testament of God’s compassion and the believers responsibility to care for widows and orphans. It is such a common couplet that I assumed is was consistent through the Word, at least until this verse popped up.

David speaks of the Lord as the HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, without any reference to a widow. This is not an uncommon statement in the Word, for a reference to the fatherless without the term “widow” occurs 11 times in the Old Testament.

For our verse this morning, I think David was merely focusing on the Lord’s protection of the fatherless, as a metaphor for the most vulnerable of God’s people.

Now, as some of my readers may know, I was a young 6 year old boy when I became a fatherless child, having lost my loving father to a tragic automobile accident. We were not a Christian family, were instructed to not talk politics or religion and if there was a Bible in the home, the pages were never cracked open.

I can’t speak of the mercies of God my brothers have experienced over the past 6 decades, but I can witness of the many mercies God has showered on me. And as I have witnessed of His goodness, I am finding that even in the most difficult of times, His mercies are ever present. But beyond the mercies He has shown, He has given direction, and energy to forge into challenging tasks, even in the face of certain failure. At least we were told we would fail.

Story Time.

I met my wife as she began her 17th year, me being a 21 year old boastful fool. We fell hard, and within 8 months were were hitched.

On the day before our wedding, my wife’s neighbor told us it would last 6 months. My future brother in law sought to counsel me from gettin’ hitched. Friends and family mocked me, saying this was too fast, too impulsive, to early, to unplanned and not according to their expectations.

Yet I loved this girl, never knowing what that felt like before, and without a father to counsel, I was cast by necessity upon the Father above, who provided direction, and just enough backbone to get hitched to this sweet young lady.

Next month, that sweet young lady and I will celebrate 45 years of “hangin’ out”. Five children, and nine grandchildren along the way, and the Lord has been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS from day one.

He is faithful, gracious, merciful and is the best HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, providing expectations and supplying the strength to meet them. And He sure knows how to pick a sweet young lady for a boastful fool. Thank you Father, You have truly been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS.

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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Life of David – 43.01

2026-08-30
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

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 9:1-13
1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

It is a common occurrence. One king rises, and the competing kings family is decimated. The rise of David meant the downfall of King Saul, along with all of his descendants. At least that was the expected outcome of a king rising to power in the shadow of a competing monarch.

Such appeared to be the fate of Saul’s bloodline. In the battle of Gilboa, King Saul, along with three of his sons – Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua all perished under the hand of David. Saul’s heir to the throne, Ish-bosheth was assassinated by his own captains in order to gain privilege with David. Finally, in an effort to appease the Gibeonites, David gave up seven of Saul’s descendants, finally clearing out the bloodline, except for a 5 year old boy who escaped the death sentence. Mephibosheth, a little boy who had suffered under the hand of David, being dropped in his nurses attempts to escape

And now he was being summoned by this very same king, surely to be finished off.

Did Ziba tell him that David intended to show the love of God to him. David surely spoke of his intentions to Ziba. Might Ziba have conveyed this information to Mephibosheth? Does it matter, for the news of David searching for Mephibosheth must surely mean his own death sentence. This speaking of the kindness of God must surely be a cover up to draw this crippled young man into a trap.

And yet he came. Mephibosheth, against all odds, faced his fears, or at least understood the long arm of David in retrieving him from where ever he might hide, and approached the man who was the single source of destruction in his family.

He came understanding he would die, yet there may have been a hope, a glimmer of possible mercy based on David’s friendship with his father.

My momma used to say it is all about who you know, not what you know Carl! How right she was!

Mephibosheth was granted pardon due to David’s relationship with Miphiboseth’s father. It was nothing that Mephibosheth did, or any sacrifice he performed, or any great attitude that he expressed. Nothing that was of Mephibosheth, other than who he was related to, which – need I repeat it – was nothing Miphiboseth could boast of.

Mephibosheth is us., a people who are broken and deserving of judgement due to our being on the wrong side. Our allegiance with the world, the flesh and the devil convinced us we would be destroyed, and yet there appeared a competing King, One who dethroned our king, searched for us, found us, called us to His throne, and though we knew judgement was inevitable, He shewed us mercy.

A full pardon, and yet so much more. Mephibosheth gained all his father’s land back, was invited to the kings table, and lived under the favor of Israel’s greatest monarch,

Yes Mephibosheth is us. We are Mephibosheth. And the King is ever merciful to a broken people.

Long live the King. For King Jesus, this saying is eternally true, and we can be eternally grateful.

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

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Pay for Pew – Numbers 18:28

2026-08-29
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.

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

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

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

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

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

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

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

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

This post will consider Numbers 18:28

Numbers 18:28 – So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD’s contribution to Aaron the priest.

Are we having a translation problem in this verse?

The reason I ask is that it appears at first glance that the priests, who received a tithe from the people, were to tithe to Aaron. I have always thought the priest’s tithed of their tithes, but in this verse, the only reference to tithing is that which the priest receive.

Yes, just two verses earlier, we find the phrase “a tithe of the tithe”. I get it. The contribution that the priest were to offer up to Aaron was a tenth of a tenth, a tithe of the tithe they received.

Numbers 18:26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.

But in our verse this morning, the only time the word “tithe” is mentioned is in relation to what the priests received from the people. When it comes to the offering the priests were to offer up to Aaron, the High Priest, our translation uses the word “contribution”.

Is there some translation hiccup here, that the translators used contribution instead of tithe when referring to that which was to be given to Aaron, the high priest?

The term “contribution” is not a translation hiccup, for the Hebrew term is תְּרוּמָה tᵉrûwmâh, and is usually translated as offering. The word does not describe a specific amount or percentage of some goods, as the word tithe does. Remember, the word tithe is simply another way of saying tenth. Offering does not have that connection, other than by inference in verse 26.

Ok, so again you are laboring over an insignificant issue Carl. Get to the point.

This verse refers to the tithe described in the previous verse we have studied in Numbers, that portion of goods that the people were to provide to the priests. From the priests, the act of supplying to Aaron is considered an offering, described as an offering.

Why the difference?

At this point, I am simply thinking of a New Testament corollary. As priests in the New Testament, we are to offer up to our High Priest offerings. Not simply tithes, nor an amount restricted to a tenth, not even properly described as tithes, but an offering, a living sacrifice unto our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Himself.

Is this difference in Numbers 18:28 a nod to this truth? Does Moses provide a hint that we might find here, that directs our minds to the freedom of heartfelt offerings, and not a bind us to a strict percentage, a legal requirement, or even a taxation on a people in a true theocracy?

That I will leave with my reader. For one, I am thankful that God, through His prophet Moses provided this hint to a better way. And the blessing of living under this better way is due only to the One who gave Himself up, to deliver us from under the bondage of the law.

Thank you Lord for your continual goodness to a people who barely understand your grace towards us.

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 – HELPER – 307

2026-08-28
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.

HELPER

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The order of our series is strictly alphabetical, and yet our current Name of God comes immediatedly after HEAD OVER ALL.

Is it not a great reminder that though God is the ultimate authority, the HEAD OVER ALL, the King of Kings, we are providentially reminded that He is also the HELPER, our paraklētos, the One who comes alongside us, the Humble and Meek One.

Truly He is over us, and over all things, and this is a truth I seem to accept readily. A truth that I sometimes stumble over is that He also, though a King, comes along side us, as if we are the focus of His heart.

It is as if He not only provided life eternal, but will not leave us to our own devises.

It is as if the Spirit of God takes the role of a teacher, reminding us of who the Lord Jesus is, of His teaching, of the peace Jesus provides.

It is as if He understands our weakness, our frailty, our tendency to wander and is willing to be beside us, even within our lives, suffering the garbage we allow in our lives.

It is as if He cares so deeply that He will not give up, will not walk away, will not let go of those He seeks and saves.

It is as if He is the sum of all good, the total (and beyond) of all our imaginations, both of His mighty authority and power, and of His humble and meek service, a service that is seemingly “squandered” on His people.

It is as if this love He pours out is meant to draw us closer to Him, to want to know Him, and in this desire, eventually to become like Him, to be the servant to others, even to those who hate us.

It is as if He meant it that when He said to follow Him, it was a call to humble and quiet service to others, and in that service, our devotion to Him would be evident to all.

Enough! – too many “ifs”! We know Who the Great One is, and though difficult to comprehend, He is the Helper. And as the Helper, His aim is to make His people more and more like Him, the HELPER.

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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