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Names of God – CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL – 85

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.

85
 
CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL
 
Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
The Consolation of Israel.

Consider Simeon. He was a righteous and devout man, and my assumption has always been that he was a priest, but when I read the passage above there is no indication he was of the priestly line.

He was, I suppose, a simple man who followed the Lord, and was given an opportunity to see his salvation, to hold his salvation, and to speak of his salvation’s mission to the nation of Israel and the gentiles.

But let us not forget that the Gentiles Simeon spoke of included the very people who were oppressing the people of Israel. Simeon’s waiting for Jesus, the Consolation of Israel, was in the midst of living under oppression. And yet Simeon had the foresight to describe Jesus, the Consolation of Israel, as the One would be a light of revelation to the oppressors, those gentiles that dominated the people of God.

Even before Jesus could speak, His life was described by Simeon as the One who would provide for His enemies a light for the Gentiles.

I can’t help but think that Simeon had recently, by the providence of God, read from the scroll of Isaiah, where the Lord speaks of the Servant of the Lord, our Messiah.

Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Simeon saw the writing on the wall, and though the physical nation of Israel was under oppression, a new nation would erupt due to the light extending to the nations, and that salvation would reach the ends of the earth.

For God had much bigger dreams for His creation than many had considered, and for that we should be eternally grateful.

We have a Consolation that provides light to those who oppress, to those who are enemies. Are we mimicking the Great Consolation?

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

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

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Conditional Security – Luke 8:11-15

Luke 8:11-15

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

We all know this parable, or at least I think we do. I know that when I come to this passage, I tend to feel a bit sheepish toward it in that I am not a world evangelist, or the leader of a million person church.

But let us be sure that we all have levels of faith, and this passage speaks of life, (not faith) and the fruit that is the evidence of life.

It seems obvious that verse twelve speaks of the one who hears but is not impacted by the Word, one who is the victim of the devil’s thievery. No salvation for this one.

This situation seems obvious.

It also seems obvious that verse fifteen speaks of the fully mature believer, holding fast to the message, and refusing to let go, exercising a good and honest heart, which over an extended period of time develops mature fruit, which is the evidence of new life.

That seems obvious.

When we get to verses 13 and 14, the obviousness of the condition of the one being described becomes a little less obvious.

Let’s consider verse 14, for Jesus speaks of a life being choked, and that any fruit from this life does not come to maturity. He mentions fruit with this group and I understand that to indicate there is life resident in this group. A stunted life to be sure, a life that is less than hoped for, that may be a disappointment to the gardener, but a life none the less.

I know I have approached this passage with the verses out of order but it is verse 13 that is of interest to me and serves my purposes with this topic. Verse 13 actually speaks of one receiving the message with joy. Of course the debate over what it means to receive has caused much discussion, as to whether life had been received or simply a message, but this isn’t the main point I would draw your attention to in this passage.

The main point is the reference to a falling away that Jesus speaks of. I naturally assumed the Greek word would be related to, or would be the basis of our term “apostacy”, but I was wrong.

The Greek word used here when Jesus says “falling away” is ἀφίστημι aphístēmi, and it has multiple descriptions associated with it. Luke seemed to like this term, for he used it more than any other writer in the New Testament.

It speaks of deserting, withdrawing, leaving, shunning, fleeing, removing…. One shade of meaning coming out of this term is to “actively instigate to revolt”.

This is so interesting to me, for it helps me understand that conditional security isn’t a teaching that should be applied to one who has had a lapse in faith, or is struggling with faith – (which in my opinion is the essence of faith), but it speaks of a settled, active refusal to follow after, to reject that which was once precious as being refuse, that which is to be abandoned.

Note that this condition is not related to the victim of the devil (vs 12), or those who are distracted by cares and pleasures (vs 14) and it goes without saying that it does not apply to the victorious believer in vs 15.

This decision is made by those that “believe for a while” and then refuse, reject and run away.

My friends, stay active in your faith, for times of testing will come and may provide you opportunity to reject the Savior. Cling to Him at your every opportunity, so that when hard times come, it will only be “natural” to seek His aid.

Does this message not seem to be the obvious intent of the Word? Is that not an obvious benefit to us and an obvious blessing to others?

Obviously!

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Life of David – 8.03

David Marries Michal

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

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

1 Samuel 18:30

30 Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Let’s remember what has just occurred in the life of David. A madman named king Saul demanded 100 foreskins of the Philistines to secure the hand of the royal princess Michal, that would bring David into the royal family through marriage.

What kind of dowry is that? This is the legacy of the princess Michal, that her worth in front of her father was that of the death of 100 Philistines, and then the mutilation of those men, shaming them in their death.

Out of this exercise of death and mutilation, David exceeds the request and brings 200 foreskins back to king Saul, doubling the request. (Michal must have felt such sensitive love towards her future husband!).

Yet out of this exercise of senseless death, the unintended(?) consequence would be the raising up of the Philistine army, responding to such a flagrant display of shaming, mutilation and death. So here come the battles with the enemy, all because of a madman’s desire to take David out of the picture.

Yet this must have pleased Saul, at least initially, since each battle with any enemy, offered the opportunity for David to breathe his last. One stray arrow, one swipe of a sword, and Saul’s troubles would all vanish, or so he thought. How foolish!

As the battles wore on, David’s reputation grew and Saul’s frustration intensified.

Young’s Literal Translation actually translates the last clause of this verse as

…his name is very precious.

Other translations speak of David’s renown, or his increasing notoriety, of his fame increasing, and his name being held in high esteem, but this may not be limited to only the nation of Israel, over whom he would eventually rule. I imagine even his enemies, the Philistines recognized his military prowess.

Granted, the Philistines surely did not consider his name precious, for he continued to win battle after battle against them. But for the nation of Israel, who have only king Saul to compare with as king material, David must have seemed like a ray of hope in a dark dark time.

With all this attention being focused on David, Saul must have been having fits. Not only was the king experiencing envy over David’s success, verse 29 of this chapter spoke of Saul’s fear increasing. He was even more afraid of David.

What is the result? Saul became David’s enemy continually. No let up, no reprieve, no allowance. Saul was set on destroying David.

Does that remind you of One, who is Precious in our sight, and yet had enemies committed to His destruction, without cause and without reason. He seeks our best and yet there are those who rail against Him. When they rail, remember, they are captive to the spirit of Saul, helpless in their rage and fear.

Let us be more like the Greater David, seeking their best in spite of their fear and envy. Maybe even love our enemies – What a novel idea!

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 – Abraham – 01

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
 
Abraham
 
Sojourner
 
Genesis 23:4
“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
 
Matthew 8:20
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

When Abraham was called out of his native land, he immediately became a sojourner, a temporary inhabitant. As he ventured through the land that would eventually provide his inhabitants nationhood, Abraham considered himself, even at the end of his travels, to be a “newcomer” in the area, one who did not exercise any rights over the land as yet. The promises were sure, but Abraham lived as having no rights.

Upon arriving on this globe, Jesus also lived a life of a temporary inhabitant, though He possessed all things, and would eclipse all authorities and powers through His ministry and sacrifice.

He was a temporary inhabitant, but now the Eternal King! May His name be praised!

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 – COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD – 84

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.

84
 
COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD
 
Joshua 5:14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
Moses assistant became a great leader, leading the infant nation into many battles, finding victory after victory, until he had secured the extent of the national boundaries for the fledgling country. A truly amazing man, but in our verse here, we find one of Joshua’s greatest character reveals.

He was a mighty general, a terror to those who opposed him, because of his relation to the True Commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua had approached this unknown man, and immediately took to determine his stance before the nation of Israel.

Are you for us, or for our adversaries?

The theophany’s answer was amazing. He did not answer Joshua’s direct question, but described Himself as the Commander of the Lord’s army. He would not align Himself simply with either the nation of Israel or their adversaries.

Yes – Israel was the chosen nation to enter the promised land, and yes, God’s will would be to provide success to the armies of the Israelites as they conquered the land.

But here in this verse, the Lord describes Himself, not as the commander of the armies of the nation of Israel, or of any other nation, be they friend or foe, but of the otherworldly forces He led. He is not some national god that is competing with some other national god, warring and fighting to gain prominence.

He is the True God, over all and will not be relegated to a lower position, simply standing by to support the goals of a portion of His creation, against another portion of His creation. How ludicrous to think that of Him.

This concept, that the Lord is above our national interests, and that it up to us to decide to follow Him, and not for Him to align with our current desires, is repeated over and over again throughout the Old and New Testament.

The first time this idea became very clear to me was in Exodus 23:20-22. See The Lord’s Enemy for some additional thoughts on this topic

No matter, when we come to the Lord, we are to consider His will, and not how He is to conform to our wishes or goals. Joshua immediately took the correction, and we would be wise to follow his example.

After all, centuries later, we can hear the Master telling a woman at the well, that He is not a Messiah of the Jews only but of the entire world. She also sought to claim God as her national god, or at least questioned the truth, and Jesus would have nothing of it. He clearly described salvation as not being only for the nation of Israel, but for all who worship Him in spirit and truth.

He is the Commander of the Lord’s Army!

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

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

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Philippian Bits – 4:9

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

4:9   What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul is recapping his previous teaching here and laying responsibility on the believer for his level of joy in the Lord.

Since verse 4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice, Paul has been laying out certain Christian practices that he has written down for the believers, and here testifies that these practices are not merely theoretical. He has lived these practices in front of the believers; the church themselves witnessing the outworking of the practice of prayer, and the filtering of Paul’s thought life.

Prayer and the inner life. Paul speaks of how his witness was fully evident to the Philippians. They had learned of his lifestyle and dedication. They had received of his ministry. They had heard of his sacrifice. And finally, they had seen how God had worked in his person. He was a believer that practiced what he preached, and out of that practice, no one could deny the evidence!

One final item on this short passage from Philippians 4:8-9. Prior to his expression of gratitude for the Philippians gift, he provides the promise of the presence of God with them as they practice these disciplines.

In the midst of this promise, Paul defines our God as the God of peace. The God of peace will be with those who practice these things.

Are you struggling with peace in your life? Do you have a sense of upheaval and stress? Back in verse 7, after an admonition to prayer, speaks of the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds. In this verse, we are offered the God of peace to be with us.

The peace of God and the God of peace! In the midst of an admonition for the believer to pray and think properly, Paul gives us great encouragement to practice the disciplines of prayer and Christian thinking.

May the Lord help us in our lives to honor Him and to follow after the commands Paul provides us for our good!

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

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 61.04

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 61

8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

In our previous post, I skipped over the concept of vows. He had mentioned vows in verse 5, and I find this repetition to be worthy of a short discussion. Let’s read verse 5 once more.

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;

David had earlier mentioned that God had heard his vows. In our final verse, he speaks to the Lord, reminding Him that he will perform his vows.

It is interesting that the vows are not connected with the results he is requesting. It isn’t a tit for tat type of discussion here. David isn’t entering into a bargaining stance with the Creator of all, hoping to get one over on Him.

We have all heard of the fox hole vow – Get me out of this trouble God and I will serve You the rest of my life. Yet this rarely sticks, and as soon as the trial is over, so is the remembrance of the vow.

But notice that is David’s final statement to the Lord, the cause and effect seems to be turned on it’s head. My common understadning of vows in relation to God goes something like …

I will continually and constantly, out of a previous legal obligation, perform my promise as a payback for a previous rescue! (I know it sounds crass, but that is how my little brain works!)

No, notice that David states that he will sing praise, in order to perform his vows to God.

God does expect us to keep our vows, especially our vow to follow Jesus, but we cannot follow properly simply out of a spirit of obligation. Now don’t get me wrong, we are obligated to Him due to His great sacrifice, yet in the goodness of God, He has provided the power, the energy, the strength to perform our vow, to follow after Him as we sing praise to Him. As we have a spirit of joy in our lives, thankful for His goodness and mercy, may we be faithful “singers’ of His goodness.

Even for those of us whose natural singing voice leaves much to be desired. Yikes!

May our lives honor the One who is good!

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

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Names of God – CLUSTER OF HENNA BLOSSOMS – 83

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.

83
 
CLUSTER OF HENNA BLOSSOMS
 
Song of Songs 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.
In the Song of Songs, Solomon writes of the passion between a farm girl and the mighty King of Israel. Often the love between the two is described in words of beauty and grace, speaking of their unrelenting desire for each other.

In this verse, the farm girl is describing her love as a “cluster of henna blossoms”. At first glance, I thought this may describe a beautiful flower, a flower that provided a scent that was irresistible, a flower that was favored above all other flowers.

All of that may be true, but when I did a bit of research I found the Hebrew word translated as henna blossoms is כֹּפֶר kôpher, ko’-fer, and is primarily describing a cover, and by extension describes a redemption price, a ransom, even a sum of money.

Early in the Old Testament, this term was used to describe the pitch that covered the ark.

Genesis 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

In our verse today, the farm girl refers to the King as her redemption, the ransom she needs for her life, her protection from danger and as a covering to keep her safe.

So much more than simply a favored flower, but the very protection only the King could provide her, for she speaks of the Kings redemption as for her, that is .. to me He is a cluster of henna blossoms.

This is her estimation of her lover. All the world might think something else of the King, but she knew He was her hope and life.

She represents the ones who have trusted the Messiah for their hope and life. May we constantly be of the same desire as this lowly farm girl.

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

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

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Song Squawk – Drown

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”.

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

This post will consider the song Drown – by Grammatrain.

These guys only lasted a few albums and that is a shame. I find myself going back to them even after decades of first hearing of them.

Take a listen!

Drown – by Grammatrain

my spirits take me to another place
i never have to know my real face
in my brown bag i know i cannot die
my sour breath to you will testify
hey man do you wanna drown
while your bottle drinks you down
(i hear you say) save me, save me
hey man do you wanna drown
my treasured poison, you control my days
you spin my life while i forget my name
i’m in a prison of my own demise
see no escaping through my red-lined eyes

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

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

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Life of David – 8.02

David Marries Michal

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

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

1 Samuel 18:20-29

20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.”
23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?”
24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”
25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.'” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired,
27 David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife.
28 But when Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,
29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

Ok, so last we met, we saw King Saul invite David into his royal family via marriage to his elder daughter. Of course, David was to be granted this priviledge due to his taking on Goliath and defeating him, but Saul forgot about the gift’s he promised and negotiated another agreement with David for the hand of Merab, his elder daughter.

But lo and behold, on (or very near) the day of the wedding, Good ol’ King Saul took this benefit away from David, bringing shame upon his name and confusion to his heart. How could David understand what was going on? The king was surely mad, and by that I mean both mad (angry) and mad (insane).

With our passage this morning, we are going to experience a bit of deja vu, in that Saul and his henchmen take advantage of his daughters feelings to put David in the path of certain death.

Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and with every bit of news that crosses the kings desk, Saul seeks the good of his daughter. No that is incorrect!! He seeks how he may take advantage of a situation for his own advancement, and this time is no different.

Let’s offer David another opportunity to join the royal family, and in the offer, provide a situation that may eliminate Saul’s greatest threat. The previous offer, for Merab, was to fight the Lord’s battles for Saul. Saul wanted to have control, provide direction to David, get in the mix, interfere and potentially direct David into dangerous situations, raising the likelihood of death in battle.

What is truly amazing is that David retains his humility through this emotional roller coaster ride, again referring to himself as not worthy of entering the royal family. He considered himself a “poor man” having “no reputation”.

What was David thinking when the king’s servants spoke of Saul’s love for David, and of all his servants loving him? The king had just recently thrown two spears at David, and shamed him in front of the nation by reneging on the marriage to Merab?

Whatever David thought, the offer was provided to him. The price of Micah’s hand for marriage? One hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

This was an attainable, specific, measurable goal for David, so he set out to complete his side of the bargain and “force” king Saul’s hand in providing Micah as his bride. And to make a point, good old David, when asked to walk a mile, walked two miles. He brought back two hundred foreskins, which meant two hundred Philistines had met their maker.

Saul got what he said he wanted, yet his frustration level must have been boiling over. Of course the Phillistines weren’t the problem! The Philistines were the solution, but they did not come to Saul’s request, and in loosing two hundred soldiers, only elevated David in stature, causing Saul greater fear of his dominance.

And now, he had two of his children committed to the enemy. It was bad enough for Saul when Jonathon had shown allegiance to David, but now it appeared that his daughter was also seeing the benefit of being associated with a believer in the Lord, a man who was led of the Spirit, and of a humble heart.

So it is with the kingdom, for as we exercise a humbleness, and desire to love our enemies, even after two spear throws, and a show of disgrace, the kingdom will expand, one by one.

Or the enemy will only slip into greater darkness, with more bile rising in his throat, and a commitment to fighting the believer! So it was with Saul, and he continually set himself as David’s enemy, even as his father-in-law.

Truly, this passage speaks of the division of family due to deeper allegiances that are offered, deeper even that blood. Micah made the wise choice, as did her brother Jonathon. They followed David.

Centuries later, Jesus, the Greater David, described this realignment of family in the following words.

Matthew 12:48-50

But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Who is your sister? Who is your brother? It all depends on who your Father is!

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

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Song Squawk – Deeper

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”.

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

This post will consider the song

Deeper – by Alice Cooper

Every time I think of Alice, I am amazed that he has confessed Christ and the life he has lived. In my mind, he is the rock equivalent of Johnny Cash, and both men lived a hard life, turning to Jesus for their sanity and salvation.

This song comes off of his 2nd album, Dragon Town in his trilogy of creation, the fall and redemption. Take a read and listen below!

Deeper

We must complete the trip
Try not to lose your grip
No sight of solid ground
And never look straight down

Deeper, deeper
Deeper, deeper

Your claustrophobic brain
Sucking you down the drain
The walls are closing in
The air is gettin’ thin

The elevator broke
It went right through the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go

We’re in a deadly spin
Hating this spin we’re in
Our helpless panic grows
Down and down and down we go

Daylight is at an end
You’ll never see again
You’ll soon embrace the sight
Of this cold eternal light

The elevator broke
It went right through the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go

We’re in a deadly spin
Hating this spin we’re in
Our helpless panic grows
Down and down and down we go

The elevator broke
It went right through the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go

We’re in a deadly spin
Hating this spin we’re in
Our helpless panic grows
Down and down and down we go

The elevator broke
It went right through the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go

We’re in a deadly spin
Hating this spin we’re in
Our helpless panic grows
Down and down and down we go

Alice is a entertainer and instructor!

Take a listen!

Deeper – Alice Cooper

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

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

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Names of God – CLOUD OF THE LORD – 82

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.

82
 
CLOUD OF THE LORD
 
Exodus 40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
What blessings can we find in our current name we are looking at today? What truths may we take from this verse that will elevate and honor the name of the Lord?

This verse associates a cloud with the Lord, which was very common in the Old Testament, not only during the exodus and wanderings, but also during the days of Solomon’s temple.

For our verse today, we read that during the day, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle. In many depictions, the cloud appears to be a large, expanding pillar of smoke over the tabernacle, specifically over the holy of holies. Similarly, the fire is depicted as being in the same general configuration.
This may be true but I would like to offer my reader an alternative depiction of the cloud. You see, this particular text says the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle, and the fire was in the tabernacle at night.

In my imagination, which sometimes runs amok, I imagine the cloud was actually enveloping the tabernacle, actually covering the tabernacle. One of the effects of this situation may be the hiding of the tabernacle from view.

Why might I suggest that? Often in the Word, clouds are used to veil something. A passage depicting that action may be found in Exodus 24:15-16

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

Later, when the tabernacle had been constructed, we find that a few verses prior to our verse, the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and that Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting.

Exodus 40:34-35

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Yes, there are descriptions of the cloud being a pillar when the Israelites are being led to a destination, but when the camp had settled in an area, it seems the cloud took on a different “form”, that the cloud covered the tabernacle.

This understanding brings a different perspective for myself, for instead of the cloud simply designating the location of the presence of God, the cloud may actually be revealing the holiness and righteousness of God.

Let me explain.

In Psalm 97, the psalmist speaks of a cloud and thick darkness in the context of how unapproachable God is.

Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Later in the Psalms, the psalmist speaks of a cloud covering the tabernacle, and fire providing light in the night.

Psalm 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.

This passage recounts our verse above, and provides two subsequent verses where God provided answers to prayer, or should I say demands of the people. The Lord provides for them according to their desires.

Psalm 105:40-41 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.

In my understanding, the Cloud of the Lord speaks of His righteousness, His holiness and His justice, even in the midst of His very presence with His people. In the presence of a people who would not conform to His will, and yet He stayed with them, caring and exhibiting His gracious love and mercy to them.

We truly do not deserve our merciful God, and we would do well to remember His “otherness”, how He is not like us, but so much more.

As Paul stated in one of His letters to Timothy, God

…alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. 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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Philippian Bits – 4:8

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

4:8   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

As I was considering the approach to this verse, my automatic first thought was to provide a definition and example for each word within this list of thought contents Paul is describing here for the Christian. That may have been a good approach, but then I started to think about the layers of meanings within the list. You know, the foundational thought contents, such as truth and honor that Paul was providing for the believer, and that as the list progressed, each of the couplets of thought contents only became rarer, possibly harder to find in this old world.

Let me explain. We, as believers, should have a grasp of the truth, for we are to be students of the Word and the Word is truth. Out of that truth, we surely can find honorable things to think on.
From the precepts and principles of the Word, our task is to understand the truth to determine what justice and purity is, and from that determination, judge that which is lovely and commendable. Further refinement of our thoughts include a test of excellence and praise, the highest form of Christian thought.

You may notice that as the topics a believer is to think on are described, the range of correct thought content narrows. This should be of no surprises to the believer, as we are not to have an “open mind”, accepting all messages about all topics, but to have a discerning mind, not only filtering out unacceptable thoughts, but also refraining from accepting those thoughts we have been exercised to reject.

A simple example may help.

As I have come to know a friend, I have found that he has many qualities about him that define him. Each of these qualities, by my determination are true. He is a giving man, a man of compassion, a man of service. And yet if I am honest, the truth also bears witness that he is a man who exaggerates the truth, who tells stories and “amplifies” his message unnecessarily. Each of these qualities are true, and if Paul stopped the list with only “Think on whatever is true” I would be justified in dwelling on not only his good but bad character traits.

Paul does not allow us to do that, for he filters out those things that are not honorable, not just, not pure, not lovely, and not commendable.

In providing this list, Paul has two things in mind per my understanding. Filter out that which is non-Christlike in our thinking, and Focus on Christlike thoughts.

When I dwell on this verse, an Old Testament verse comes to mind in providing the result of this type of thinking.

Proverbs 23:7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you….

The true quality of the man is found in his inwardly calculating, not in his outward message. If we change the way we think, we actually come into harmony with the will of God and become the people of God that He can use.

And yet, this is a restricted, might I say self guarded way of thinking, that is our responsibility to perform and maintain. The exercise of thinking this way is surely reflected in what we consume and dwell on during the day. Our consumption of true but negative things surely misses the mark, as the consumption of true but ugly things misses the mark.

Yes this is a restricted, some may even say a closed mind approach to our thoughts, yet we all know that there are evil, sinful and destructive ideas floating in our world that are only intending to pull us down.

Consider what you feed your heart and mind my friend. It will be either a blessing or a burden to you, in your efforts to dwell on those things described in our passage today.

One more thought. This list is truly an amazing list of filters for the believer, but consider this list in the description of the thoughts of our Lord. His thoughts are continually dwelling on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise.

Are we in tune with Him, and is He finding your life one of truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness… It would be to our benefit, not only to practice this for our life on this old globe, but also to provide our Master with content from our lives to dwell on.

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

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 61.03

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

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

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

Psalm 61

6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

When we last read David’s prayer, he had turned a corner, due to his looking back to the faithfulness of God and the promise he had received of the kingdom.

Our first verse, verse 6, when I initially considered it, made me think of David himself, how he was stating that the Lord would prolong the king’s life in the midst of this emergency. God would prolong the kings life, and then he begins to state the impossible.

The kings life would extend to many generations? He already was an aged man, and he has the audacity to state the Lord would extend his life for “many generations”? Never mind that – consider the next statement, that the king shall abide before God forever!

OK, so we have a shift in the topic from the immediate rescue of David by prolonging his life, to one of two topics

First topic that came to my mind is that he is referring to his eternal state, that he would abide before God forever, no matter his time of death on this old earth.

And yet the subject seems to change in verse 7, where David looks to another king, whom he asks God to prepare mercy and truth to preserve the King.

Can anyone imagine who that King is? When I see mercy and truth, I automatically think of John’s gospel, where he speaks of grace (mercy) and truth in the person of Jesus

John 1:17b … grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Does it not make sense that David, in his time with God, at a dark, deeply difficult time, would be caught up with the promised King who would reign forever.

It is only through the reign of Jesus that any of us can expect to have our lives extended through many generations, even forever.

Jesus has been enthroned forever, according to David’s prayer. David was restored to his throne, as the promise of God was maintained for David.

Not only was David restored to the throne for his final days, but in the big picture, his life has been extended through the power of the resurrected King, who was full of mercy and truth.

May His name be honored in our lives this day!

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

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Names of God – CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD – 81

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.

81
 
CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD
 
Romans 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is our last description of God, referring primarily to the Christ, His Anointed One, in our list of Names of God. Later on, we shall come across the name “Christ” in additional descriptions of our God, but we will wait until they occur for discussion on them.

For our current consideration, we have “Christ Jesus the Lord”.

This name combines the human name of the Christ, along with the reference of the Lord, designating Jesus as the Master.

We spoke of the use of “Lord” combined with Christ in our last post, and with this post we have the added clarification of who the Christ is.

Jesus, the lowly preacher from Bethlehem, associated with Nazareth, and considered a troublemaker and false prophet, even the illegitimate son of Mary – He it is that is the Christ.

He was not the typical teacher. Many would listen and walk away befuddled, or challenged by the message like they had not been challenged before. Even when describing Him amongst His peers, those who were rabbi’s and teachers of the law, He did not fit into any conventional party line.

As a matter of fact, His teaching often offended those steeped in the laws and teachings of the ancients, and caused many times of heated questions being thrown at Him by his fellow rabbis.

But that is just the point. They were not fellow rabbis, for He was (and is) Christ Jesus, the Anointed One, the One chosen of God to provide grace and truth to those most in need. They were not His peers, but His students, yet they knew it not, and would not submit to the Christ, since God’s choice was Jesus.

But Jesus was not their choice!

Yet the truth stands and God’s choice, His Anointed is Jesus. The Master. The teacher and instructor for those who will recognize Him.

Christ Jesus the Lord.

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

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

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Let Me Tell You a Story – Great is thy Faithfulness

let-me-tell-you-a-story.jpg

Many on the news and internet are speaking of very difficult times coming for those of us in the western hemisphere. Those in the east have been experiencing difficult times for decades, and we need to remember them in our prayers. Whether it be the Uyghurs in China or believers in North Korea, there have been difficult times for many that we in the west simply can not imagine.

Difficult times are not a recent development for believers, or have not been experienced by believers before. Difficult times are what this post is about. A specific difficult time, in the days of Jeremiah.

With all that said, I want to recount last Sunday during worship service, where the church was led through the great hymn – Great is thy Faithfulness. As we sang this hymn, it occurred to me that this truth was taken from Jeremiah’s pen, when he wrote it in the saddest book of the Bible.

Lamentations 3

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations is a book describing the horrors of a war with the Babylonians, and the eventual conquering of the nation of Israel. The Babylonians defeated the nation of Israel, destroyed the city of David, desecrated the temple, and was deporting all those Israeli’s that had not yet been murdered.

Get a grip on that my friend. Jeremiah saw the temple go down and the people of God decimated, with the land becoming barren, and in the end, he was hated by those few that remained.

And yet he declared

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.

In Jeremiah’s eyes there must have been nothing but discouragement, disappointment, and despair. Yes – he had been promised the nation would rise up again, but that would be seven decades later.

Yet Jeremiah wrote.

his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;

The nation had been corrupt, the priesthood had been compromised and was worse than the neighboring heathen. The people sinned and blamed everyone else for the nations condition. No one was following the Lord, but only following their own desires and wants. There was no earthly help for the nation, for the people who made up the nation were sick, nearing death and had refused any spiritual help.

And yet Jeremiah penned the great passage

they (God’s mercies) are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

In the midst of trials, difficult times and possible future devastation in our lives, let us practice this discipline of Jeremiah, recognizing the mercies of God in our lives, and realizing His faithfulness to us.

He truly is good, and He is good all the time!

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

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Life of David – 8.01

David Marries Michal

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

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

1 Samuel 18:17-19
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

Ok Saul, you promised your daughter to any man who would take on the Philistine giant, a chapter back, in verse 25. Riches and tax free status for the family, along with the hand of the kings daugther, actually becoming of the royal family. Haughty rewards for knocking ol Goliath down.

1 Samuel 17

25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

It is a good thing David didn’t depend on the word of the King to motivate him to take Goliath out. This reward of a kings daughter (and the other rewards) obviously had not been granted to David as yet, and as it turns out, this promise from the Israeli King was quickly be forgotten. An unfaithful party always wants to renegotiate!

Now to get the kings daughter – forget the riches and tax free status – David had to perform more tasks, life endangering tasks, tasks that would seemingly accomplish Saul’s not too secret desire for David’s demise. Saul offered his eldest daughter Merab, IF David would fight the LORD’s battles for Saul. Notice that little phrase that Saul inserted into this agreement David was offered.

Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.

What is this all about. Of course David was on the team, and had shown himself to be sold out to God in his life, in battles that he would be called upon to fight, and service to his king. Is Saul seeking to hide his intentions, or rather reestablish his authority over David, and by doing so, hoping to control his actions, maybe directing David to more dangerous areas of battle.

Was he seeking to increase his influence over David, through obligations that this marriage would create? Was Merab in love with David or a tool for Saul? We may never know!

What a dastardly fiend this Saul is turning out to be! Let’s be clear. This is not Saul coming good on a promise he gave David earlier. This is an alternative offer for him, that brought with the hand of the king’s daughter, added responsibilities to the king. A new agreement! What a loving family David is offered to join!

Notice David’s attitude, in that he exhibited a humble spirit in the face of his enemy, in the face of a man who had reneged on an earlier promise! Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel…?

David was in a great place in this circumstance, having not been self elevated by the honors he had been granted. He was a humble servant.

In David’s humility, it appears the agreement for marriage was completed, and the plans for David and Merab’s wedding were progressing quite nicely. Expectations were established, and the nation most surely have heard the rumors, that a lowly shepherd boy, turning into a valiant warrior, was now entering into betrothal with the kings daughter, and soon to be a part of the royal family!

If it wasn’t for a settled humility that David lived in, this may have become a most heady time in his life.

Up until the wedding day that is. I can imagine Saul playing this game up until the very day of the wedding, keeping David in an elevated place of distinction before the entire nation.

Comes the wedding day, and Merab is no where to be found. Or is it that David is restricted from the wedding? And who is this Adriel the Meholathite? Where did he come from? His name will show up later in the story of David, but we shall be patient until then for any further information on this fellow.

Saul had successfully pulled the rug out from under David, and the shame that cascaded down on David must have been excruciating. How could he show his face amongst those who he led and fought with, and how could he explain the circumstances, the actions of this mad man who was king of Israel, and who was to be honored by all.

David was placed in a very difficult position by the king, and yet his commitment to God gave him the strength to keep his focus on higher things.

David’s depth of character shines bright in these passages.

He truly was a man after God’s heart, and provides such a great shadow of the True, Greater David, the One who would take our shame and disappointment!

Let us remember His faithfulness, his commitment, and His surety of promise to us. Let us be thankful the reneging spirit of Saul is not the Spirit of the Lord!

For He is faithful, and He is good.

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Absalom 7

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

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

SEEING JESUS IN
 
Absalom
 
Suspended between heaven and earth
 
2 Samuel 18:9
And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
 
John 8:28
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Back in the fourth installment of the Absalom series, we discussed how Absalom was hung on a tree, being a shadow of the Messiah.

This post will focus on the spatial location of the men as they hung on a tree. To be specific, both men hung between heaven and earth. The significance for Absalom hanging between heaven and earth seems to be somewhat strange. Why would the author bring this phrase into the story line? That is an unknown in my mind, other than for the author to show Absalom’s utter helplessness, that he had no where to find support from, or that he belonged neither on earth or in heaven. Pure conjecture on my part regarding Absalom.

Regarding Jesus, the image of Him suspended between heaven and earth is much more obvious to me. The only support He had was the nails through His body, and His determination to complete His mission while on earth. He was (and is) the perfect God man, representing both earth and heaven. He was (and is) the only One who bridged the gap between heaven and earth for us while on He hung on the bloody cross.

He sacrificed Himself for the likes of Absalom and myself. He is so good and He is calling out to you, even today.

Consider Him, hanging between heaven and earth in order for you to know the true God and His Son Jesus Christ.

May His name be praised today.

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

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Names of God – CHRIST THE LORD – 80

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.

80
 
CHRIST THE LORD
 
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Here we have the Christ being defined as the Lord.

At first glance we may assume Luke is combining Christ with the primary name of God as LORD, as in Genesis 2:4, using the Tetragrammatron JHVH.

Not so.

If I had been in Luke’s shoes, I would have emphasized the connection of this young baby with the eternal One, the Creator of heaven and earth, the omniscient One who is all powerful.

But we can be thankful that I was not in Luke’s shoes at the time, writing this passage of truth. I would not have done this passage justice.

No.

Luke brings to our ears the message that Christ is the Master. To say that may seem redundant, for as the Jewish nation was awaiting their Anointed King to arrive, it should have been obvious to all that He would be the Leader, the Master, the One who would be obeyed.

That is the expectation of the masses. The Christ was the One who would be the Master, the One to follow after and to go behind as He conquers those who were oppressing the nation, and that they would eventually become the nation above all other nation. What heady expectations!

Yet Luke provided this description of the lowly baby, for He would turn out to be completely beyond the expectation of the crowd, as He would be the Servant of prostitutes, the Teacher of the tax collector, and the self sacrificial Lamb of God.

To understand the Christ as being a servant, a teacher and a martyr, Luke wisely reiterated the Christ as the Master, for without that description no one would understand, no one would bend the knee to such a “disappointment” of their expectations.

He was a totally different type of Master than expected!

As you have walked with the Anointed One, have you morphed in you understanding of who He is as a Master? Do you understand His way of life, his method of conquering His enemies through service, sacrifice and selfless love?

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

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

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Philippian Bits – 4:7

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

4:7   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If my readers remember our last post, I had mentioned that Philippians 4:6 was a favorite memory verse, I often resorted to when I was anxious and troubled. I suppose the command was last post and the benefit is this post.

Have you noticed that under the grace of God, when He gives a command, He also provides a blessing associated with it. Case in point with this pair of verses.

Command – Don’t be anxious but pray about everything

Result – Peace of God guarding our heart.

What a great God we have when He provides a command to honor Him and to help us and it turns out the result is a blessing. Amazing, yet let us look at this passage for a moment to “understand” our blessing.

When I think of peace, I often think of a cessation of hostilities between two warring factions, whether it be two neighbors or two nations. Peace that is established for the most part out of fear that the alternate is not desirable.

Is this what is communicated with us in this passage? Simply a cessation of hostilities? Let us remember that within the Godhead there is and never has been any type of “war” within the fellowship of the persons of the Trinity.

This peace of God is much more than simply a truce amongst parties. When Paul speaks of the peace of God, I sense he is speaking of the tranquility and harmony found within the Godhead. What else might the peace of God represent? He is not describing some type of peace found by the the cessation of any warlike activity within my own heart and mind. This peace is otherworldly, found only in the Godhead and is amazingly offered to the saint.

I would have been content to simply have the lack of anxiousness that is replaced by the activity of prayer. This would have been sufficient in my mind, but the Lord does not skimp on His blessings to the believer. We often – too often – run past the blessings in our hurried lives, only to become anxious and worried. What a rat race!

Yet let us continue considering the blessing of the peace of God entering our lives. No – that is not what Paul is speaking of now, is it? He says the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

To Guard

The specific word Paul uses is not found very often in the New Testament. As a matter of fact it is only found in three other verses.

2 Corinthians 11:32

At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,

This passage speaks of closing up all exit points in a city to restrict Paul from escaping. We get a general idea here that this guarding is not primarily against an outside attacker, but to restrict the release of one who is already within the city. There is a difference, and it may come up again in our little study.

Galatians 3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

Here we see Paul teaching of the purpose of the law, and that we were “held captive” under the law. Again this concept of a prisoner occurs in our brief study on the word “guarded” Paul uses. Interesting. Lets quickly review our last verse.

1 Peter 1:4-5 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This passage is somewhat more interesting and I included verse 4 to get a sense of where Peter is headed with this passage. Notice that Peter refers to believers being guarded through faith, and that our inheritance is being kept (or guarded) in heaven for us. Although the two actions of guarding use different Greek words, this passage speaks of the Lord watching over not only our lives but our inheritance. He is truly a perfect Father.

But let us refocus on Philippians 4:7. Paul tells us that this otherworldly peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Might Paul continue to use the image of restriction in the guarding, as in 2 Corinthians and Galatians? Is it that the peace of God actually restricts us from falling into anxiousness and worry?

In all of this, we may have missed the most important part of the verse. Notice that the peace of God guards our heart and minds in Christ Jesus.

As we pray, offering up our requests to God, we are actually conforming to the image of Christ in a small way. Of course, as believers, our standing is in Christ Jesus, but Paul is describing an experience we may enter into as we practice the Christian life.

What thinkest thou? Does the peace of God guard us from outside enemies, or in the midst of trials, simply keep us secure in Christ 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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Psalms for Psome – Ps 61.02

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

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

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

Psalm 61

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

First, lets remember that I am approaching this psalm as from the hand of David, during a most dangerous time in the reign of the King. Rebellion had broken out and his very son had committed the treason. To make matters worse, it looked very promising for Absolam, and that David may be facing his last days on earth.

In David’s cry to God, he speaks of dwelling forever in the tent of the Lord. At this time in the life of the nation, the Temple had not been constructed, and the tabernacle was still a temporary structure, per the wishes and will of God. So when David uses the term “dwell”, he uses a term that sometimes has the connotation of dwelling for a time, to temporarily dwell. This makes sense if the context of the Psalm is as I have suggested. He may only have a few days left in the land. Things were looking very dark.

But notice that he uses the term dwell, sometimes signifying a temporary sojourn, with a qualifier. He wants to stay forever in the tent. Forever in the tabernacle, that would soon be taken down, for the construction of the Temple.

So what gives here?

David is more than a five year planner, figuring out things that need to be accomplished in a set time frame. He is looking long term here, speaking of his eventual demise and permanent state with the Living God.

We also see that he is not only looking to the Lord for his permanent dwelling, but that he is requesting permission to reside under the Lord’s protection, seeking refuge from danger. With this very next phrase, is David requesting protection from the danger that is on his doorstep, and that may bring him to the gates of his grave?

I cannot imagine the strain he is going through, and the multiple conflicting thoughts racing through his head and heart. Yet in the midst of the confusion, he looks to the Lord for his help, whether it is by life or through death.

At this point, starting in verse 5, David turns a corner and begins to remember his God, and the promises he has received from the hand of God.

The very promise David recalls is the promise that seems to be hanging in the balance with this rebellion. David recalls that God had given him “the heritage of those who fear your name”. He is referring to his rule over the people of God, those who fear God’s name.

How could Absalom frustrate the will of God? It seems this very contradiction is a comfort to David in the midst of his present circumstances. Wherever David was during this trial, he resorted to his past experience with the Lord and looked away from his circumstance that seemed so dark. This is the practice of the saint who has walked with the Lord, has seen His faithfulness, and trusts in the midst of a trial that the Father’s heart has not changed.

He is the faithful One, and as we sojourn through our lives down here, it is wise to consider His faithfulness in the midst of trials that come upon us.

For He is the faithful One, and He is Good!

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

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