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.
108
DOOR OF THE SHEEP
John 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
In our last post, we spoke of a general message presented when the term “door” is mentioned. We looked at the fact that a door represents an opening to an area or place that would otherwise be restricted.
The same is true with this descriptor of God, and without repeating myself, I would like to consider the aspect of the sheep in this description of our God.
But before that, note that Jesus is very restrictive here in His self Description. No other way into the sheepfold other than Him. He is the Door. But He is the Door for the sheep.
He had just finished explaining His identity of being the Good Shepherd, and repeats the general teaching, modifying it to represent himself as the door of the sheep. His earlier teaching spoke of the sheep having entered and leaving the sheepfold (vs 3) so this passage isn’t necessarily speaking of a salvation experience, but of maintaining a relationship with God through Jesus. The Sheep follow Jesus, they know His name, and they enter their safe environment through His person.
He is the Good Shepherd leading the sheep and the Access/Door through which the sheep enter into the sheepfold, a safe environment for the sheep.
The Lord peppers throughout His message the dangers of strangers, thieves and robbers attacking the sheep. His Self description typifies His saving nature for His people.
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.
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.
4:21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
Paul is bidding farewell to his church and in this verse he is encouraging a relatively healthy church to greet EVERY saint in Christ Jesus.
How are they to know the true from the false brethren? How can the church at Philippi be sure they are not encouraging false brothers. Folks that travel through the area may claim to be Christians, but as per some churches today, they should accept someone as a believer only upon the acceptance and passing of some test, or by some commitment to a certain dogma or specific doctrine.
Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi to greet every saint says much about the attitude of a healthy believer. Suspicion takes a back seat to acceptance. Trust and a hopeful, expectant attitude towards others is a standard that is implied with this command.
Accept those who come into your circle of friends, care for them, give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, as you get to know them, and there may be something of concern, the best approach to take may be to simply chat with them, ask pertinent questions, and teach the Word to them in order to find common ground. A judgement is to be a very last resort, and even if a concern cannot be worked out to continue in fellowship, hatred and animosity is not to be a part of the separation.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. He is all about accepting those who are less than Him. We should do so also.
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
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 64:7-10
Psalm 64:7 But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly. Psalm 64:8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads. Psalm 64:9 Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done. Psalm 64:10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!
David has just spent the better part of this psalm, describing what he can’t control, the tongue lashing and murderous lips, the evil thoughts and plans of his enemies. He is, in the first few verses, declaring his utter helplessness over controlling his enemies thoughts and plans. We noted that he sought the Lord in finding strength, in seeking relief from the fear of his enemies. He couldn’t control his enemies, but he knows where to find strength to control that which he can control.
In these few remaining verses, David speaks in similar terms regarding God’s protection over him. He refers to the arrows of God wounding the enemies suddenly, and that their evil tongues are turned back on them. How often those who seek evil have the very same evil turned on them!
He speaks of the fear coming upon all mankind, once they see the enemies of David being turned upon. It will be obvious of the judgement of God falling on David’s enemies, as it is obvious of God’s judgement falling on Jesus’ enemies in our current day.
Back in verse 5, the enemies were bold in their endeavors, steadfast in accomplishing their evil plans, since no one could see them!
Psalm 64:5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?“
It turns out, the enemies of the upright will not only have their plans folded back onto their lives, but all mankind will see their plans backfire and their lives impacted with judgement. The end of David’s enemies, as with the end of Jesus’ enemies will become an example of God’s justice for all men to reflect on, to consider, and to take as a warning!
In all of this psalm, as David seeks God’s will, the conclusion is clear. The righteous have a refuge in God, and have every right and privilege to rejoice in their circumstances. Even as the Apostle Paul wrote.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
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 was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
107
DOOR OF FAITH
Acts 14:27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
Our next two names or descriptions of God speak of a door. Although obvious, it may be good to consider what a door is.
A door is an opening. An opening to a specific area or place that cannot be entered without use of this door. A door implies walls (or restrictions of some type) everywhere else, walls that restrict one from entering an area or place. A door can also be temporarily closed to restrict from entry into an area or place.
The Jewish church was gathering, and hearing reports of the missionaries journeys and adventures, and the news was huge! God has provided a door to the Gentiles.
Gentiles were becoming believers! No mention of the Gentiles becoming Jews though, for the message was that they were not being circumcised, or that they were building synagogues, or that there was a need for teachers of the Torah.
No – the message was as simple as it was radical. They were entering into the family of disciples, the family of God through a door of faith!
God was not providing them any other way into the family other than through the Door of Faith. No other way than through faith in the Risen Son of God. No other door is mentioned of. The only door was the door of faith, and this door of faith, is the crucified and risen Savior.
He is the Only Way, the Only Door!
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.
Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Is it hard or easy? In Matthew 7:14, Jesus speaks of the way as being hard, and yet in Matthew 11:30, He encourages us by stating the yoke is easy.
It just didn’t make sense for me, and, as a paradox is wont to do, it took me outside of my usual way of thinking.
Is it hard or easy?
First off, lets take a moment to consider what a “way” is, and after we understand this, we can compare Matthew 11:30 with our understanding of His yoke.
A “way” is a road, a path, a track, a route or a course upon which one travels from point A to point B. Each and every day, we are experiencing opportunities to choose different “ways”, or paths to an end result or place. Each and every person has these opportunities.
What I have come to realize is that without an end goal clearly identified in my mind, I will always choose the easy way, the way of no difficulty, the way of no confrontation, the way of no conflict, the way of no problems. The easy way. So you see, if I have no goal, no problems! The way is easy, not hard!
Jesus, in this passage of Matthew 7, is speaking of a principled life, of the difficulty of living a life that has a goal. Not just any goal, but one that is focused on the narrow gate, the path that leads to life.
In Matthew 11:30, I believe He is now focusing His disciples (and us) on the specific goal of a believers life. Matthew 7 speaks of a general goal and the hardness of the path to get to life. It doesn’t speak of the motivation, the strength, the guidance of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus that is with us in travelling the hard path.
We must admit that if we have come to understand the proper goal, that is to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, the path will be difficult. The path, to be blunt, will be impossible! We are weak, crippled people that have the pension to wander, to be distracted, to fall off the path.
In Matthew 11:30, Jesus is providing Himself. It is no longer a teaching of the path, but of the One who carries us along the path, and of the character of the Savior.
As we come to know Him as the gentle and lowly Servant, we recognize many of the hardships along the hard path are taken up by Him. He is good, and we desperately need to consider His invitation
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The path is hard, but the burdens of the path are lightened by our Servant Savior!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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 20:35-42
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Communication.
This communication of a message through the use of a code that Jonathon developed and deployed, with the help of a nameless young boy, appears to be for the benefit of David.
Yet David was convinced that he was on the edge of the grave. Remember early in this chapter, beginning with David expressing his conviction to Jonathon that Saul was going to murder him.
1 Samuel 20:3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”.
David didn’t need this message. The young boy didn’t know what the message truly was. The only one this message truly was intended to benefit was Jonathon himself. But Jonathon knew the content of the message before coming to the field, for he came close to dying in order to find out the direction Saul was going with David.
1 Samuel 20:33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
Ok – David knew, Saul knew, and the little boy didn’t need to know. Jonathon finally knew, for he came to believe the worst of his father and the danger for David. This covert meeting in a field was not necessarily for the sake of David as it turns out, but for Jonathon. He was the one who was convinced of his fathers intent, and realized the danger not only David was in but also himself.
Yes, he conjured up a clandestine meeting with this arrow code, with David hiding for days in the field, and with this hapless boy running after some arrows. The danger was real, and in this realization, it is the more impressive for Jonathon to send the boy home, and pursue a time with David.
This is the last time David and Jonathon see each other. With the young boy returning to the city, David comes out from hiding and the future king of Israel bows before the crown prince of Israel. He bows three times, weeping. At no time does David speak in this story, for he simply weeps and shows his deep care for Jonathon. He is patient with Jonathon in completing this exercise of communication, for the sake of his friend. He could have been travelling away from his enemy for the times he spent waiting on Jonathon, but he remained behind for Jonathon’s sake. He remained out of love for his friend.
Jonathon finally knew the danger. David knew of the danger previously.
39 But the boy knew nothing.
In all this communication, the young lad had no ears to hear! Oh, he had ears to hear the words, but he didn’t have ears to hear the message. He wasn’t able to understand the message Jonathon shouted through the use of words.
Jonathon’s message reached it’s intended target. David had ears to hear, for he knew the one speaking, he had spent time with the one speaking, and he had relationship with the one speaking.
Centuries later, Another came to speak messages using words (and miracles), and yet many did not have ears to hear. The young lad during Jonathon’s time didn’t understand the message, and he held no malice in his heart towards any. Not so with those hearing Jesus words. Much malice was brewing in the hearts of those who heard the words but not the message!
David came out from amongst the rocks to escape the danger of a murderous government. Jesus entered the danger of a murderous mob, accepted the death sentence of a murderous government, and came out from the rocks, His grave, victorious.
Jonathon never saw David again. We will see our David again, for He has not, nor will He abandon us. He came out from the rocks in order to save us from the danger we are in the middle of.
Decades after His earthly time of teaching, He asked His church if they had ears to hear.
What is the message His words communicate to you 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.
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
UNIVERSAL BLESSINGS
Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Galatians 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Abraham was a channel of blessing to the nation of Israel, in that he was the father of the nation, and was the friend of God, establishing a relationship that the nation of Israel has depended on most of their existence.
He became a divider of the nations, in that any who blessed Abraham would be blessed, and any who cursed Abraham would be cursed. Two groups of nations, based on the reception they had to Abraham.
Yet as we read this passage, it is important to notice that the blessing is personal, not necessarily national. Some may think, as I used to, that if a nation acted favorably to the nation of Israel, those of the physical family of Abraham, it would have the blessing of God. This may be true, but I am not sure this verse specifically states that.
It is a personal promise of a person blessing Abraham, or cursing Abraham. Sure, Abraham will become a great nation, but it is the singular person that this promise refers to. This positive attitude towards Abraham opens up a “blank check” type of promise from God of an undefined general blessing. Reread the verses and consider!
Is it not even truer for the Lord Jesus. One person’s attitude toward the Lord Jesus opens up untold blessings, greater than we can imagine, and as Galatians states, this blessing that was through Abraham can be found in Christ Jesus.
Abraham was a conduit for blessing from God, but once Jesus Christ the Lord lived and died for us, even resurrecting three days later, the conduit of Abraham for blessing from God was no longer needed, for all blessings may only be found in the Messiah.
Consider the difference.
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.
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.
106
DIVINE BEING
Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
Paul is addressing the men of Athens, having arrived there directly from Berea, an area where Paul was challenged with every teaching he provided by his audience checking the Word, to see if his teaching aligned with their authorities.
Arriving in Athens, his audience is not of the Jewish flavor, but of the Athenian philosophy bent, an audience that was not steeped in Jewish law but in human reasoning and philosophy. He doesn’t have a foundation of Old Testament understanding in the audience to teach from, so he uses what connection he can find with these men, and builds his message from there. There is wisdom in this approach for our use!
He speaks of his travels within the city, and refers to idols that have been constructed, especially an idol to the unknown god, and he latches onto this to begin his teaching. Note that he does not condemn these people for idolatry. Something to remember as we share the gospel with those in our world!
Foundational logic, the language of the philosopher, was being used for the sake of communicating to the audience, speaking of the creator God as necessary for their worldview, and then their own philosophy to leverage the audiences thoughts to a personal God.
“In him we live and move and have our being” is likely a portion of a poem by the Cretan poet Epimenides, and “For we are indeed his offspring.” is taken from a poet by the name of Aratus. Both of these authorities would have been well known to the audience and made a connection for them with Paul’s thoughts.
Logically speaking, if these poets message, generally accepted by the audience, the outcome would be there is a God out there that is not created as an idol is, but is a being. There would be similarities to human beings, but this God would of course be divine. as an extension of this argument, based on their very own accepted teaching, a greater being than us has to be present, has to exist.
Paul uses “divine” to introduce this God to the audience, for he is trying to build a logical connection for the audience of a personal God that exists. For the Greek philosopher, to refer to a divine being is similar to our cultural understanding of the same. Generally a very nebulous descriptor other than being greater than us.
Paul does not let the audience think “generally” about this god for long, for immediately, after laying a foundation of connection for the Greek audience of a living God, he introduces judgement on their ignorance (not idolatry) and a call to repent. And the basis of this judgment and call to repentance is a Man who has risen from the dead.
Paul presents a lot of specific doctrine to the audience after establishing the existence of the Divine Being!
The Divine Being is a patient God, overlooking ignorance, a God who expects repentance upon information provided, a God who is righteous, a God who will judge the world properly, a God that supplies facts, for He has not only appointed a specific Man to perform the judgement, but has provided a series of eye witness historical occurrences backing up the claim of the resurrection of this Judge. He has given assurance of the Judge’s identity by the resurrection!
Upon the resurrection news, the audience split. A Divine Being who raises a man from the dead was unheard of, and this teaching cannot be the result of simple logic or reasoning. To go from a Divine Being to a Judge (Jesus Christ) raised from the dead requires repentance and FAITH, not simply logical reasoning only. Some in the audience were not ready to explore this line of reasoning!
But the true Divine Being has raised Jesus from the dead. The audiences response is like that of today. Open to hearing more, or mockery.
Are you open to hearing more?
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.
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.
4:20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul is closing this letter to his dear friends and begins his sign off to the church without any defense of his apostleship, as with the Corinthians, or warnings as with the Galatians. He is simply bidding them farewell with final remarks that should represent each and every believers heart towards those in the family of God.
Our lives, weak, crippled, deaf and blind as we are can be instruments to bring glory to God, if we reflect the only Glorious One, as Paul refers to in our final verse.
As we reflect the mercy, grace, wisdom, patience, love, joy, longsuffering and peace of the Spirit of God, glory can be translated to the Father. But as we receive glory, might we be in the way somewhat to the only deserving beneficiary?
Remember that glory belongs to God, and that we are simply recipients of grace, love and mercy from the only Source of life!
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
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 64:1-4
1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, 3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, 4 shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. 5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?” 6 They search out injustice, saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.” For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
How dare David complain to God. He is addressing God, bringing a complaint to Him. Does he not have faith? Does He not understand that to submit to God means no complaining or whining? Ok – I may have been a bit sarcastic with “whining”, but I think you get my point.
I would suggest that David has strong faith, a faith that has developed an understanding of the Living God allowing for this freedom to express his concern (complaint?) before the King.
I remember the first time I came across a saint complaining before God in the book of Jeremiah. It was shocking to think Scripture would allow a complaint to God be recorded!
Jeremiah 12:1 Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
Even though it appears that David is bringing a complaint before the Lord, the word is more akin to meditation or musings. He is, as it follows in the psalm, in dire need of protection, and that against the intangible enemy of others thoughts and plans. David’s enemies have secret plots (vs 2), tongues like swords (vs 3), words like arrows (v3), they hold fast to (won’t give up on) evil purposes, (vs 5), talk of laying snares (vs 5), and searches out injustice (vs 6). He can’t use a sword against his enemy to defeat this situation.
All of David’s concerns are of his enemies thoughts, words and plans. That which he has no power of and has no real specific knowledge of, other than that they are malicious!
And yet let us reconsider the original plea from the king. He is requesting God to “preserve my life from his enemy” correct? Not quite. His plea to God is to “preserve my life from dread of the enemy” (emphasis mine)
As a victim of the fear monster myself, I can relate to David’s plea. At times I am frozen with fear over what actually is a minor problem, and which actually resolves itself most times. It is truly ridiculous the things that paralyze me, but not so with David, for he has serious men seeking his life and he needs boldness to think straight, a clear mind to make wise decisions and a willingness to take action instead of simply feeling a victim! He needs to be delivered from the dread of the enemy! It is not a garden variety fear that David speaks of, for he speaks of a heightened sense of fear, that of terror, dread, or a sudden alarm. This is no simple Carl-style fear situation going on here! He is in serious lock down and he isn’t afraid to admit it to God! (no pun intended!)
An old preacher by the name of Morgan once spoke the truth of David’s focal plea of this psalm
“We need to pray as the psalmist does, not so much for the deliverance from enemies as for deliverance from fear of them.” (Morgan)
At the end of this section David provides a summation of the mind and heart of a man, which is the very thing he dreads through the previous verses!
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
To be deep does not necessarily carry a moral distinction with it – although in this instance it surely does, but to be deep simply describes a relative amount or “volume” the mind and heart has to contain something. It also carries with it the implication of mysterious, or unknown, unsearchable.
May the Lord help us to somewhat understand our own mind and heart as we walk with Him, seeking cleansing and forgiveness as He reveals our depths of heart and mind!
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.
105
DISTINGUISHED AMONG TEN THOUSAND
Song of Songs 5:10 [She] My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.
To be honest with you, I find the Song of Solomon rich in descriptive names for the Lord, much richer than I first imagined, and I am thankful for this study that I have the privilege to consider the names and descriptions of our God from the Word.
This particular name speaks of a quantity, and as you may remember, I leaned to a woodenly literal interpretation of the Word for many years, having been influenced by a modern interpretation of eschatology.
Nevertheless, this passage would have brought to mind a group of men, specifically 10,000, of which her beloved would be the fairest, would be distinguished within that group. How foolish to force my technical mindset on this poetic expression of wonder.
Her lover is the most distinguished of all. The note of ten thousand was essentially the same as someone in our our society speaking of trillions, or even a googol (ten duotrigintillion). Sorry – I slipped into my tech head again!
This poor farm girl was elevating her lover to the highest honor. You see, to be distinguished is to be raised above others, to be eminent, celebrated or well known based on past achievements. This poor farm girl, that had caught Solomons eye, must have thought of the king as out of this world.
As the church, we have a King that is so much more than simply an earthly ruler, but who truly is out of this world, has been given all authority, who is resurrected, never to die again, and that truly is raised above all contenders for the title of distinguished!
He is DISTINGUISHED AMONG (more than) TEN DUOTRIGINTILLION!
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.
15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Two verses arrest my reading of this passage when considering conditional security. Both of these verses employ the English word destroy. Lets take a look at these verses for a few minutes.
15 For if your brother is grieved …By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
“Destroy” in verse 15, is the Greek word ἀπόλλυμιapóllymi. I have provided a survey of this word through the New Testament in an earlier post (See Perishing in Eternal Torment). In that post I tried to correct my then current understanding of perishing, as this is one of the ways apóllymi is translated.
Paul is speaking in verse 15 of our walk of love towards those for whom Christ died. The general context is that of mature believers behavior for the sake of the immature, those who may still require foundational stability in their walk with the Master.
Is Paul describing a hypothetical situation where a mature believer impacts a young convert by his actions (fueled by a mature understanding of the gospel and it’s impacts on our lives!), and the result would be that the young convert would walk away from Christ? That in the young believers decision to walk away, (based on the behavior of the mature believer), this young believer would be destroyed? Is this what Paul is saying?
Let us move on to the second verse we find “destroy” in this passage.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
In verse 15, we find the one destroyed as “one for whom Christ died”. Here Paul associated this destruction with the work of God. Different? Possibly. I tend to think Paul is referring to a singular believer and his response due to the mature believers behavior that is questionable in the young converts life.
Nevertheless, this “destroy” is a different word than in verse 15. In verse 20, Paul uses the Greek word “καταλύωkatalýō“. This term is translated as destroy (obviously) but also has the meaning of to subvert or overthrow, to render vain or to deprive of success.
What are we to make of this difference? Whatever the finer points of the different words, it is obvious to me that as a mature believer I need to consider my behavior when near younger believers.
For a younger believer to be influenced by my allowed actions, to a point of destruction, is a perilous situation for not only the younger believer, but also for myself. When the outcome of my allowed behavior is translated by others to their harm, I am not walking in love.
For the immature believer to be grieved (v15) or to stumble (v 20) by my actions, (though they may be perfectly allowed before God), is a restriction that I should thoughtfully and willingly take on as a light burden. We should remember that the Lord continues to take on our misunderstandings, errors and confusion in order to grow us.
As Paul so aptly states in verse 16
.. do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.
Let’s be a bit more like the Master today, and consider those who need a model of service and not be a master of my own circumstances only.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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 20:30-34
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
In our last post, Jonathon informed the king of David’s absence, of David requesting to “celebrate the new moon with his family.” In this post we will consider Saul’s response to Jonathon. Saul definitely provided Jonathon clear direction on the future of David!
David is going to die!
As is obvious, Saul has completely lost any sense of control, for he verbally attacks Jonathon. First off, Saul attacks Ahinoam, Jonathon’s mother. At no place in the Word is Ahinoam, Saul’s wife spoken of as unfaithful. This was simply the ravings of a man who was out of control, realizing his own son was favoring David.
After speaking so roughly of Jonathon’s mother, and of his choice of favoring David, Saul blurts out the real issue. The kingdom would not be established through Jonathon.
But Saul had been told this by God, and the message was being acted out in front of his very eyes. Yet Saul would not give up, even as he was falling apart. No – David must die, and Jonathon would have to go bring him to Saul.
How illogical a man is when he is facing such loss that he has been warned of! He spoke of Jonathon favoring David, and yet expects Jonathon to deliver David to him for his death!
Jonathon had his answer but he was not willing to give up on his efforts of reconciliation.
“Why should he be put to death?”
This sent Saul over the edge. Saul had to kill someone – he was determined to hold on, rejecting the message God had given him. No – his rage was uncontrollable, and after Jonathon challenged him on his reasoning, that was it. Saul flung a spear at his own son.
Can you imagine this? Saul attempted to kill his own son! Saul was a determined man in his madness, not counting the cost to his own family in his effort to fight against God.
David had to die. Saul was willing to kill his own son in his rage. Jonathon finally was convinced.
David had to run for his life. He no longer had any hope of finding peace with the king, and had a price on his head, even the life of the crown prince!
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.
The last few weeks I have had the opportunity to visit two different churches in other communities outside of our local area. It just so happens that in both of these churches, a female has taken the position of Lead, or Executive, or Head Pastor.
Before I make any comments, the message provided by both of these lady ministers had truth in it, referred to the Word, contained an element of passion and I found some encouragement in the message.
But prior to each female taking to the pulpit, both ladies introduced her husband. Now I cannot believe both lady ministers introduce their husbands each week to the congregation, so it was a curious coincidence, and it caused me to consider the husbands situation during her lecture/preaching.
We have a believer, a man who is to lead his family, sitting under his wife as she takes the lead, declaring her leadership over the church, speaking of her wisdom in guiding the flock and telling everyone she has been called to this ministry. I couldn’t help thinking – how does the husband process this environment each week?
During the last church meeting I attended, the lady minister actually felt she needed to remind the congregation of Debra and Barak, speaking of how men refuse to step up and take the lead. This I heartily agree is a problem! She certainly mentioned a hot topic, of how she is “forced” to lead because of inactivity of the men in the Body! And again, she is declaring this complaint to her own flock of men, even her husband – how does the husband process this environment each week?!
You see, I think women leaders (such as Debra/Barak) in the Old Testament, or even the New Testament are examples that have been allowed by God.
Never mind the verses that you may have expected me to trot out on this subject, that relate to the topic of female leadership within the church body, and that deserves a fuller treatment than I intend to provide in this short post. Verses such as 1 Tim 2:11-15 & 1 Cor 14:34-35,1 Timothy 5:2, 9-10, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9.
This post is simply asking a question. How does the husband process this environment each week? How does a believing man handle the apparent conflict inside when his wife, whom he is to lead, places him amongst those she leads?
At my current stage in the Christian life and my current understanding of the Word, I would personally have inner conflict and turmoil if my wife were to assume a position of leadership over me. Thankfully my wife is a lovely, quiet lady who loves the Lord, seeks to serve her family, and sacrifices her wants and desires for those she meets.
What does my reader think?
Leave a comment, and let me know if this topic may be a subject we should talk about.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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.
104
DISCLOSURER OF THE PURPOSE OF OUR HEARTS
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
What a wonderfully scary blessing we find in this verse. Scary? Yes if you read it the way I expect Paul to write it!
You know ..”each one will receive his condemnation from God” You know – He will disclose the purposes of our heart! How could He not condemn us!
No no no – the text says commendation, which granted, it does sounds like the word I expected, but has such a different message associated with it.
This verse, though describing hidden things being revealed and purposes of the heart being disclosed, does not go to the naturally expected message of judgement and condemnation, but is a grace filled promise of commendation from the very One who will reveal hidden things, even the purposes of our hearts!
And yet we know that He currently knows the things hidden in darkness, and He currently knows the purposes of our hearts! So what is Paul trying to teach us and the Corinthians?
Only that this revealing of our hidden things, and the revealing of our hearts purposes to us will only increase our love for Him, our understanding of the depth of our position before Him, of our stability before Him, of understanding His deep commitment of grace to us.
He truly is One who is beyond our understanding! How can He be so full of grace and yet continue to exhibit acts of constant grace, grace upon grace!
May His name be praised, and lifted up!
He commends those who do not deserve to know Him and yet He finds opportunity to commend us!
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.
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.
4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
If my memory serves me right, this is the first bible verse I ever memorized as a Christian. Of course John 3:16 was burned in my mind as I was taken to Sunday School for a year or so as a youngster, but it never connected.
Philippians 4:19 was precious to my wife and I as a young couple, for we spent years struggling to make ends meet. After a couple of years as newlyweds, we had the crazy idea of living in a different land without any known support for two years. And then move to a church hundreds of miles away to help the Pastor as he was planting a new work. (Little did we know that he was to run off after we arrived, and the church shrunk to one family and an elderly lady!)
Nevertheless, this short verse was referred to in our prayers often, but I would like to admit we only referred to this verse and ignored the context.
The Philippians sacrificed for Paul. They gave till it hurt, and then gave some more. The sacrifice given was a pleasing aroma unto God, and out of this context, Paul gave this promise.
Am I saying we were wrong in depending on the grace of God for his supply. Absolutely not, for He is gracious to all. But the context of this verse is also important to remember when the Lord calls on us to give till it hurts for those we love.
He is able to provide, in ways that is astounding. If I had a year, and three keyboards, (for I would definitely wear out two of them ), I would write some of the miraculous ways God has provided.
But my intent with this post is to encourage you to be a Philippian for the sake of love and not recompence, or the miraculous, to love someone and to sacrifice for them, even to their abundance, simply to please God (and not to congratulate yourself!)
Be a Philippian!
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
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 63:9-11
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Back in our first post on Psalm 63, (Psalms for Psome – Ps 63.01) I suggested the situation David found himself in was running from his own son, as Absalom led a rebellion against the chosen King of Israel.
The next few verses that we are in this morning may be difficult to grasp if my suggestion of David’s flight truly is from Absalom the rebel. Nevertheless, whether those who David refers to as seeking his life is Absalom or King Saul, David’s prayer is for revenge!!!
Are you sure Carl? Are the words of David dripping with bloodthirsty revenge, intent on inflicting the maximum punishment upon whomever is seeking David’s life?
Notice that David makes statements in verse 9 and 10, statements that appear to be provided as facts as opposed to desires.
Let me try to explain. David does not write the verses with any description of his desires or wishes, as I suggest below.
But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth, where I want them to suffer incredible pain without end; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; hopefully with each cut of the sword providing excruciating pain and agony, they shall be a portion for jackals, with the jackals tearing them limb from limb if it was up to me!
(italicized/underlined text added by author – my apologies to david)
I can’t be certain that David was not looking for punishment on his enemy, whether it be King Saul, whom he honored as he lived and upon his death, or his son Absalom, whom he mourned when he found out he was a victim of the war he started.
But as I read the passage, I am led to believe David was providing the inevitable result of anyone who seeks to destroy any man or woman. One who seeks to destroy a human life should expect to have their life taken from them. Is that not the expected outcome of a life of violence, deceit and malice? He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword. He who sows to the flesh shall reap corruption. I suggest that David is simply, and quite possibly with tears in his eyes, stating a fact about the eventual outcome of a man’s decision to destroy other lives.
David eventually finds that his son died in the battle, and this would cause him additional pain, beyond the murder of Amnon, and the rebellion of Absalom, yet he looks forward in faith, declaring he would rejoice in the victory God provided.
Brother and sister – recognize that our King rejoices even now! The King of Kings has proven to be the one who seeks to save lives and not to destroy, to rescue lives and not to kill, to provide life and not to provide barely but abundantly. Is not joy the expected outcome of a life of blessing? Surely the King of Kings will rejoice as no other, for He has been the absolute polar opposite of the one seeking to destroy!
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.
103
DEW TO ISRAEL
Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
The prophet Hosea had a tough calling, not only in speaking truth to power, but his own personal life was laden with sorrow, humiliation and heartbreak.
Of course each heartbreak that Hosea experienced represented the heartbreak God suffered as his wife lived a life of adultery, turning to idols instead of the true God.
With this background of pain and disappointment being experienced by Hosea, and more so by God, we come to a passage in Hosea that speaks of the dew to Israel. Some translations refer to this wetness as a night mist, and it is that moisture that resides on the ground after a cool night, with the humidity falling out of the air and settling gently on the ground, the grass and the leaves of the foliage.
Yes, the dew can be explained by the hydrological cycle, but to experience it is another matter. My wife and I have a small home north of us where we go to escape, and the grass is longer, wilder, and (in my opinion) greener than anywhere else I know. In the early mornings, after a scorching hot day before, the night mist settles, and as the sun comes up, glistens on the droplets. It is a sight for the tired and weary, showing the beauty of God’s creation.
God is describing Himself as a dew for Israel, even though they have broken His heart, disobeyed His will and acted the adulterous wife. His dew is refreshing, cooling, beautiful and undeserved.
Yet that is the God we serve.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
1 Corinthians 2:15 – The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
1 Corinthians 6:2 – …do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
Are we to judge or not? (I tend to lean toward one side of this seeming contradiction)
It just didn’t make sense for me, and, as a paradox is wont to do, it took me outside of my usual way of thinking.
Matthew 7:1 is one of the most quoted verses of the Bible in our culture, and is used to disarm Christians in virtually every situation, saying Jesus commanded us to “Judge NOT”. And we should take this, along with every word of Jesus very seriously, but we need to try to understand what he meant and not necessarily what some may have wanted Him to say.
You see, in Matthew 7:1, when Jesus commanded followers to “judge not”, He was using a word for judge that is associated with condemnation. It is the same word found in the famous verses of John 3 – which is next to the most quoted verse in the Bible – John 3:16.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus mission was not to condemn, and so it should be with believers.
Ok Carl, then what about the other verses that tell believers they are to judge, like the two verses above found in 1 Corinthians?
It helps me to differentiate the two general commands by remembering that we are not to condemn, yet we are discern.
A good example would be if my neighbor was telling me he never drinks alcohol, and yet I see him in the bars on Friday and Saturday night, I can rightly discern (judge) that he is a liar, and possibly a drunk!
What I cannot do is to condemn him, judge him as unworthy of the gospel, either by ignoring what I see (not hear) or by rejecting him, assuming I am better than him.
The difference is critical, for we are to discern the environment we live in, the people we associate with and the lives we ourselves live, and yet we are to always seek the good of others, not condemning any one, for that is the Lord’s prerogative only!
Be wise as serpents (discerning!)
Be innocent as doves. (non judgy!)
As I mentioned at the start, I imagine you understand where I tend to end up in this paradox, for I have often taken to using the gavel on those around me, building walls, making myself feel good, and ending up lonely. Not the choice of the wise!
What side do you prefer?
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
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 20:24-29
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Before we get to Saul’s response on David’s absence in our next post, I find it interesting that Saul, the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people, would have his seat up against the wall.
If there are any law enforcement readers, I think you will recognize this practice. I have a friend who has two sons, both with careers as police officers. When they go to a restaurant, or any social event, they tend to find seats up against walls. This is typical of those who are concerned with safety, for it provides no opportunity for someone to come from behind.
If this is Saul’s condition as king of Israel, he is showing signs of suspicion, which we should expect from a man who is losing all confidence in his reign. He is taking precautions even in his choice of seating!
God has told him his days are numbered, and each day is a day of watching, worrying and waiting. It is as if his efforts to remain safe are not supplying the intended effects.
How sad for those who know their time is limited, even for those who seek to deny it!
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.
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
Such is the following post. The following post describes the Psalmist casting judgement down on his enemy, and the passage is found in the psalms. Get ready, for this guy is fuming, and he is laying out curses fast and furious!
Psalm 109:6-15
6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! 8 May his days be few; may another take his office! 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! 10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! 11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! 12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! 13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
The passage you just read is Scripture. How do you read a passage like this? Does your mind lock into a vengeance mode, thinking this fellow deserves judgement, that he must have been a sinner, that he is getting what he deserves, that since God is just, the person described in this psalm must be deserving of this curse?
Just a few psalms later, (Psalms 118) we hear of the steadfast love of God enduring forever. Surely, God has His favorites and the loving mercy of God doesn’t apply to evil men like this “sinner”
After all, the Decalogue, the ten commandments, spoke of obedience to the moral code being required, and since such curses are assailed on the subject, it must mean this sinner performed acts deserving the punishment.
Or, in the final book of the law, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, the curses of failure in obeying the law are graphically and specifically spelled out. It is a long passage and define the outcome of the one who would disobey the voice of the Lord.
How can we as believers read these passages, and come away thinking we have any hope of walking properly. Either we become judges of everyone who appears to break the moral code of God, (and in so doing become a judge of others, and a hypocrite ourselves), or we simply ignore the strict laws laid out by our God and go on our merry way. Both are unacceptable outcomes for the believer who seeks to please God and to know the truth.
There is One who gave us light and hope in this conflict of understanding. As a matter of fact, He not only resolved this dilemma with His teaching while on earth, He actually used the moral code and the standards expected by God in order for us to be hungry for a solution. If you find these concepts make you a judge, or have hardened you to the point where you ignore the friction the law creates, then understand that you may not be seeking truth, and therefore the solution may not be satisfying.
But, if this seeming conflict of messages in the Old Testament is a sore spot for you, that the harshness of the law and the tender mercy of God seems contradictory, I have good news for you.
Jesus has provided us the outlook on all those we come across. No more deciding who deserves judgement, or who deserves more judgement that another, or that we have to determine any outcome for those we are around. No – there is a simple, all encompassing, never ending, non exclusive, over arching, non determinative, fully functioning, all satisfying and simple statement that He made to give us guidance in all the confusion and complexity of life.
It truly is revolutionary.
Matthew 5:44 … Love your enemies …
It is so freeing to put down the gavel and take up a hammer!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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.
102
DESTROYING TEMPEST
Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.
We have had a few storms in our city this year, mostly associated with hurricanes and derocho wind storms. Yes – derocho wind storms, which are very similar to hurricane storms, but create destruction in relatively straight swaths. Yes, even in the last few weeks, we have experienced tornados, not more than a few miles away.
To see the destruction invisible wind can produce is shocking, every time I see it. I should be use to it by now, for we have lived near the coast of Texas for decades now.
Nevertheless, the Lord has one who is a tempest, a storm, a hurricane, a derocho, a tornado, that is inevitably on a path of destruction.
In the passage above, Isaiah speaks of the immediate situation the people of God will experience with the Babylonians coming down from the north, an army that will completely strip the land of life and destroy any memory of a peaceful society.
Hundreds of years later, the Lord sent another Destroying Tempest to the land of Israel, and this Destroying Tempest spoke radical messages and performed miraculous acts, destroying the current society, tearing down the temple, decimating the priesthood and annihilating the sacrificial system the society was built on.
The Messiah brought light and truth to the nation, to a nation that was set in stone, rigid in religion and unrelenting in it’s man made dogma. Within a generation, our Savior, as a Destroying Tempest removed the old system, and built a new body, a body of believers that spread amongst all of God’s creation, bringing light and love to all.
Almost like the bright skies after a destroying storm, the church is meant to be the blessing God desires for His people.
May we be the blessing after the storm. For we do not have the wisdom and positive intent or wisdom to create good out of destruction, for only the Lord God has that ability.
Let us be content with being a blessing to those we meet along the way!
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.
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.
4:18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
Full payment for the services he has provided for the church? Full payment for his speaking itinerary? Full payment completing the contractual agreement the church entered into to support him? What is Paul receiving full payment for?
I do not understand why this translation includes the concept of payment. I am a simple fellow, but after Paul writes such a kind and subtle letter of thanksgiving, he introduces a concept of funds being supplied as a payment?
Something just doesn’t make sense here.
As I review some of the common translations of the modern era, I find that the concept of “payment” is introduced in the NIV, the RSV and the ESV. Of the 16 translations reviewed (see here), three introduce the concept of payment.
You see, a common thought associated with payment is that of money given to pay a debt, or in exchange for services rendered. After having travelled through Philippians with me now for close to 100 weeks, have you ever been impressed with Paul’s effort to require anything from this church? Remind me of a verse, or a phrase, where Paul speaks of a debt they owe him, that can be solved with money.
Paul is telling them he has everything he needs, and not only that but he has an abundance. He is specific regarding the current gift Epaphroditus has carried to him from the church, and begins to go full blown spiritual on these kind folks.
He confirms that this sacrifice of goods delivered to him through Epaphroditus is not simply a temporal support for their friend and apostle, but an offering unto God, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to the Father.
Paul has enough – more than enough. God is pleased.
There is no mention of book keeping, tax records, hours worked, holiday pay, vacations or sabbaticals. The entire book is about a man called by God who has introduced a small group of people to Jesus, and their continued acts of love toward each other.
It can’t get any simpler than that.
We tend to find ways to make rules and laws, guidelines and stipulations, negotiations and bartering practices between brothers and sisters for service to each other.
Lord – help us to love without contracts and fee schedules!
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
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 63:5-8
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Through the beginning passages of this psalm, David recounts his great thirst, both physical and even more so, his spiritual longing for God. He is not restricted in this expression of love due to location, for though he is in a most inhospitable location, thirsty and weak physically, he speaks of his soul being satisfied with fat and rich food.
In our culture, we tend to have a negative connotation over “fat” and “rich food”. Unhealthy. Artery clogging. Weight gain. Let us leave that behind in our thoughts, for David is not thinking such. The sustenance he speaks of is for kings and the wealthy, for those who have an abundance. The image is not of simple sustenance, just enough to keep the body going, but of the finest nourishment, of top class grub that provides much enjoyment in the consuming of it.
But Carl – he is speaking of spiritual nourishment when he speaks of fat and rich food. That is the truth, but he is trying to describe his spiritual heart to those who understand physical experiences.
Yes – his actions of lifting his hands, and his offering of praise is the result of God providing an overabundance of sustenance to a dry and parched soul. Is speaking praise not a natural, expected response to such an overproviding God?
Previously, he spoke of his physical condition, and of his reaching out to God, comparing his desire with a thirst. In our verse above, he speaks of remembering, and meditating on his bed during the night. Again, he is speaking of times when he directed his mind and thoughts to the person of God, of His nature, His character, His actions and His saving efforts to a simple man. With joyful lips, singing for joy, David blurts out a most intimate statement.
His soul clings to God.
Now we could analyze this statement, saying that David is simply stating the obvious, since the Creator is the natural center for our souls to return to. But I don’t think in this psalm, David is making any logical argument, for his writing is full of emotion, full of desire and longing. He is beyond logic, beyond facts and now driven by shear desire.
His soul clings to God.
Clings דָּבַקdâbaq
For David to use this word speaks of a most intimate experience. The first time this term is used in the Word, it describes the relation between a man and his wife. (Genesis 2:24).
David is an open book, revealing his deep connection to the Creator of all. No shame or embarrassment of his relation is evidenced in this expression of his desire with the Lord, even in the midst of this terrible trial, that should naturally cause bunches of inner complaining – at least for me!.
In our trials, we may be exposing (to ourselves and everyone around us) our very relationship with the Creator if we turn to complaining as opposed to commitment to Him. As David teaches us, our previous interactions with the Lord will prepare us for trials that will result in singing with joy, and praising Him, even with parched dry lips.
Considering the Bible 