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 8
13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.
David made a name for himself.
Yet a passage just prior to this small set of verses, David dedicated all the spoils to the Lord, all the silver and gold from all the nations he subdued.
11 These also King David dedicated to the LORD, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued,
This difference brings to light a verse that shocked me when I first sat down and considered the ramifications of what Paul was saying.
2 Corinthians 6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Paul had the audacity to claim that he and his team were working together with God.
Together!
At the time I “tripped” over this verse, I was in a church that emphasized the immutable will of God, the undeniable full predestination of every action of all souls on earth. How then could Paul say he was working together with God? If my understanding was correct at the time, I would have to correct Paul, and tell him he was to say he worked FOR God.
To say “together” smacks of teamwork, cooperation, fellowship, discussion and a pliability within the team. That cannot be applied to the eternal God, the One who planned all things out prior to the foundation of the world, even every persons choices and decisions. It was ultimately uber confusing for me.
In our passage this morning, the Scriptures teach that the Lord provided all the victories, and that David ascribed the victories to God, providing the spoils to Him as witness of this truth. Yet David made a name for himself.
All of these victories brought influence to the throne of David, and as David confessed of God’s power in the victories, David’s influence also grew.
It is as if God and David were “working together” to bring about the theocracy the nation of Israel entered into at Sinai. A willing king and our powerful God working together to overcome obstacles, consolidate the kingdom, extend God’s influence and make His name known among the nations
Notice that though David made a “name for himself”, the last phrase of our passage indicates God’s favor continuing on David.
…And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.
It is an amazing fact that the Ruler of the universe, the Creator of all, the Redeemer of lost sinners, and the Lord (Master) of not only the Body of Christ, but of all creation, would willingly enter into a cooperative team environment with broken, crippled up and blind sinners.
When I think of it, as the One over all, as the Lord over all enters into this cooperative environment with His servants, this willingness reinforces the image of One who is leading by loving, serving by sacrificing and exhibiting a humble meek character.
It is beyond all imagination that our God is of a meek and gentle heart, and to think that after all the victories He provided to David, He allowed, (or better said) was pleased that His servant made a name for himself.
What type of God do we know? He is much more than we can think or even imagine
Yes, Jesus is better! Better than we can imagine!
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 believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.
As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.
Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.
Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important commmittment of the believers relationship to the church body.
Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.
This post will consider Numbers 18:21
Numbers 18:21 – “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting,
Our last post was concerned with what was to be tithed, and hinted at the recipients of the tithe.
Our passage this morning is explicit as to the proper recipients of the tithe. The tithe was for the Levites. Full stop. No other recipient is included per the Law of God. All tithes were to be directed to the Levite, as an inheritance. Only the tribe of Levi was to receive the tithe instead of a land allotment.
Deuteronomy 18:1 “The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD’s food offerings as their inheritance. Deuteronomy 18:2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them.
Now I could close this post, having provided the obvious recipients of the tithe, but let me consider the ramifications of this specific identification of the recipients of the tithe.
Throughout the age of the Law, through Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah and Malachi this command for directing tithes to the tribe of Levi was valid and was to be obeyed to comply with the covenant Israel had entered into. Heck, even as the Lord Himself, born under the Law, walked this earth, the command to tithe to the Levites was to be obeyed. We shall eventually get to passages addressing His teaching on tithing, but let’s focus on our verse this morning. To comply with this command, the Levite was to belong to the tribe of Levi. Again, I am stating the obvious, but bear with me.
Consider the situation of a disgruntled Israelite, who questioned everything. You know the type! If one of those Israelites from another tribe were to question a specific Levite’s qualifications for receiving a tithe, the Levite could easily answer the challenge by taking that troubling Israelite to the temple, entering the library of records and showing the lineage from Levi that he claimed to be of.
To be a Levite was a recordable fact in the nation of Israel. The priest did not resort to a dream or vision to justify his recieving tithes, or of claiming a calling to serve as a Levite, though he may be of another tribe. Nothing was subjective in this command to provide tithing to a recipient.
And no other tribe was to receive the tithe. No matter how spiritual, or important, or “called” a man of Judah or Issachar felt, tithes were not to be received by him.
Now my poor reader must be saying to himself by now, what is your point Carl? Why are you laboring over what is an obvious point of the verse?
Thanks for the question, for I was just about to get to it.
To those who claim the Old Testament justifies the collection of tithing for the support of a ministry, I would ask if this verse is of the same authority as those passages that speak of tithing generally.
If so, and I can’t imagine any that would deny this claim, I request the qualifications of any who receive a tithe. Are they Levites? Can any provide proof of lineage, that they are in the blood line of a son of Jacob named Levi?
Of course not, for all the records they would require were set to fire as the Temple was plundered in AD 70. No man (or woman) can claim a lineage that would justify the receiving of tithes.
Now of course, if we want to generally understand this teaching as a guideline or principle to provide for the ministry of the church, that is still problematic, for taking from the Old Testament and applying to the New Covenant (Testament) is the purview of the apostles, and they spoke nothing of applying this command of tithing to the Body of Christ. Nothing!
But some may say, tithing is generally a method sort of, kinda like, a way God provided for His priests in days of old, and we can generally apply it today for the local church.
I say that would be fine as long as we agree to forget about the establishment of a New Covenant, the abolishment of the Old Covenant, the destruction of the old temple, the raising of a New Temple (Jesus Christ Himself) and the utter silence on tithing per the apostolic teaching. Yes – that should be all we need to do to justify the reception of tithing by any man (or woman) for the sake of ministry.
May I humbly submit that if that is the way the Body of Christ finds God’s will for the church, we are in a heap of trouble! (By the way, we are in a heap of trouble!)
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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.
HE WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL
Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
I love this verse, and the fact Paul clarified the manner of God’s working in the church. He does not react to outside forces, current events, or problem situations due to an outside influence.
The work of God is not reactionary. He is first in the causing of all work related to our salvation, sanctification and glorification. He has predestined the Body of Christ, the church, (not individuals within the Body) to be predestined according to the counsel of His will. It is his plan, His counsel and His will that is preeminent in relation to the Body of Christ.
Now I used to be fatalistic in relation to the passage above, thinking that the predestination is related to individuals in the church, having been influenced by teachers within the church, and the individualistic leanings of our culture. Me me me, it is all about me!
For some reason, God had chosen me as opposed to Fred or Wilma, or Frank. Why, and how could I relate humbly to those God did not chose? And if God did not choose Fred or Wilma or Frank, was I wasting my time on them? Was I frustrating the will of God in loving them? How could I “love my enemy” when it seemed that God was purposely passing them by, allowing them to enter destruction?
I found the concept of “individual election and predestination” caused me untold conflict upon realizing the implications of the teaching. But the teaching was widespread, and seemingly very popular.
Thankfully, as I attended a church that subscribed to this teaching, an elder was bold enough to lay it on the line. He openly preached from the pulpit, that which was mostly left unsaid, that God was pleased to see the unelected destroyed, that it glorified God in the destruction of souls, and predestination applied to the individual for salvation AND damnation.
I walked out of that service stunned, and realized I had a problem. A huge problem that I needed to come to grips with. Thankfully, as I found myself unseated from my previous understanding of fatalism – some call it Calvinism or the “doctrines of grace” – I began to understand an alternate “heretical” position. It really didn’t take too long, for I found a clue in the very next two verse’s verses from Paul’s pen. Yes, Paul speaks of how individual saints in Ephesus entered into the counsel of God’s will in verse 13.
Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Notice when Paul speaks of individuals, he does not say that God chose each individual in eternity past, forced the Spirit on each individual and locked each individual into His will. (I am being extreme here!) He speaks of individuals hearing truth, and believing IN HIM.
Which is the topic of Paul’s discussion. Being in HIM.
The counsel of God’s will determined that being in Him was the manner of salvation, the work of God predetermined by the counsel of His will was the group, the Body of Christ. Not individuals, though individuals join by hearing the truth and believing in HIM, but the Church itself as the Body of Christ.
What a freeing realization that God’s will is not restrictive, exclusionary and limited. His care and love for the most heinous sinner is active, open and unlimited, offered by the hand of Jesus, though it is a bloodied, pierced hand.
No, our God is active in all of creation through the Body, with the Body and for the Body in bringing about His will, for it is He only WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL, in bringing about the honor and glorification of Him who is the head of the Body, Jesus Christ 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.
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
As many who follow may know, I have had the privilege to know the Lord for over 40 years. During those decades, He has proved Himself to be a faithful, kind and loving Savior. And as I have learned to lean on Jesus, He has shown Himself to be a merciful Savior, never wavering, even in some very dark times.
This topical series will try to provide a snapshot of an ol’ fools prayers, the weakness and selfishness of his prayers, and the ever increasing goodness of God in His responses the those prayers.
I hope my witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God will be an encouragement to those reading, and will spur us all on to a deeper, more consistent time of being in the Lord’s presence.
Please visit with me as I tell the story of a faithful God and His care for an ol’ fool. Though David considered himself a poor man, I freely admit, I am just an “ol’ fool” looking to the Lord.
A Drowning
It was many months ago, as I was relaxing on the couch after work that the news came. I was waiting for my wife to come home for supper, but that afternoon is as vivid in my memory as if it occurred ten minutes ago. It is one of those moments in life in which everything is acutley focused, time somewhat slows down, life becomes so very serious, and the future seems to hinge on the seeming unknown.
As I said, I had come home from work and decided to take a few moments to relax on my favorite couch, when I got a frantic call from my youngest daughter.
“Dad – Theo drowned”. Then she hung up.
Now before I go any further, I need to provide some backstory.
Theo is my oldest daughter’s second child. The family is very outdoorsy, very health conscious, and very loving. The afternoon had started out at the local swimming spot, a man made lagoon, with a shallow sand beach for the kids. The family had been there often, and it was a perk of the development they had moved to. For some momentary slip of time, Theo ended up in the water face down. The father was immediate in retrieving him, and began to give his son resuscitation. (Thankfully, he is a fireman, and is skilled in this!) 911 was called, and the ambulance arrived.
But Theo was not responding.
His mother rushed from work, calling her sister – they are very close – and told her of the tragedy. Her sister called me, as Theo was rushed to the hospital, being worked on as they sped to the hospital.
And I was simply lying on the couch. All of a sudden, the perfect world of my daughter’s family was on the brink of disaster. The repurcussions of this tragedy would be far reaching. All I could do was pray. And believe me when I say that there was no formulaic rote prayer that was uttered out of my mouth. No coming before the Lord in any formal or taught manner of giving praise and thanks, honoring His name, and listening for His voice. Not at all.
SAVE HIM. SHOW YOUR MERCY TO THIS FAMILY AND LITTLE THEO.
Even as I write this, I tear up. Death is not a stranger to this family, and we have suffered in the loss of loved ones. But I ran to Jesus, as everyone in the family was running to Him, and begged Him to save this little boy. To save this family. To show His authority over life and death!
My wife got home and we headed to the hospital, not knowing the condition of the boy. We got to the hospital, and eventually talked to our daughter, hearing that Theodore was back, that he was coherent, and that the hospital wanted to keep him for observation.
My daughter and son-in-law were frazzled, but little Theo lay in the hospital bed as if he had just ate a candy, and was wanting to play a game. No effect on the boy. At least that is what we thought. We were just so glad that he was back.
Now as to the question of whether he had simply been unconscious, (yet he was not breathing) or had actually left this life, we dare not say at the time. It is not as if it was pertinent at the time, since we had the little imp back.
But a few days later, he came up to his momma, and told her that he had seen God. My little grandson, Theodore is one of many that Jesus has raised, not unlike that son of a widow, thousands of years ago.
Luke 7:13-16 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”
My friend, as I read that passage, I can now say I have experienced a hint of what that crowd, and especially that widow experienced when they witnessed the authority of Jesus in His command to that boy.
How can I express anything less than to thank Him for His many mercies, and to let those reading this post know that…
Jesus is better!
Yes He is better than anything you might be following after, chasing to get, learning of or wanting in your life.
Jesus is better!
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Are We Feeling Comfortable – by Guardian
The whole song is a testament to our reluctance to look at our lives, especially as believers!
Welcome, dear listener Are you comfortable? Put your feet up, close your eyes, let your senses dull Float like a beachball Wearing cordless phones Let the tide take you, groove to the mellow tones Groovy
Who switched the intro? Ah, but I digress Do you ever get that feeling you’re ‘not so fresh’?
Do you hang out nights at the launderette? Dreaming of the cure for stubborn stains? Wanna climb into the big machine? Wonder how it feels getting really clean?
I know you know more than What you’re coming clean for God is skin on mohair Just admit you itch there
Shift to the left, shift to the right Fidget, lock knees, cough cough Fidget, don’t scratch, don’t break out in a sweat Are we feeling comfortable yet?
I know you know more than What you’re coming clean for God is skin on mohair Just admit you itch there
Ever sweat bullets At the sight of blood? Ever drag a half-ton cross through spit and mud?
Wouldn’t want to plan too far ahead Wouldn’t want to dwell on what’s beyond Pondering death is a dirty biz Makes you wonder when your appointment is
Shift to the left, shift to the right Fidget, lock knees, cough cough Fidget, don’t scratch, don’t break out in a sweat Are we feeling comfortable yet? Loosen your tie, loosen your belt Clear your throat, fidget, cough cough Fidget, don’t scratch, don’t break out in a sweat Are we feeling comfortable yet?
Fidget to the left, fidget to the right Lock knees, cough cough Fidget don’t scratch, don’t break out in a sweat Are we feeling comfortable yet?
I remember when I got the compact disc this song was on. Every song had a hook that got me, but this one was the first, probably since I was squirming about something before God!
Take a listen!
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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.
HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART
Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
It is a common saying. He is walking about with such a heavy heart.
In our vernacular, that is usually a statement that speaks of deep sorrow, or sadness in the life of the subject.
When we read this verse, the weighing of the heart is not related to sorrow or sadness, as may be implied by our common saying.
In the proverb we are considering, we are considering the inner knowledge each man lives with and how God relates to it. For God to weigh the heart is another way of say God searching the soul.
One important consideration is that the passage is not making a neutral statement, a simple fact that God knows our inner thoughts. The verse speaks of God not disuaded from the facts by our denials. As fallen men and women, we are easily disuaded from the truth, convincing ourselves of stories that make us feel better, that increase our confidence (in self) and that comfort our weak hearts.
I think Solomon knew this deeply, as he reflected on his own life/ There is wisdom in considering this, for as he told himself many stories, excusing his life before God, he knew God was “weighing the heart”.
Yet he rebelled against this knowledge.
Knowing that God is alive and active in our very inner core should motivate us to perform good works, to “not deny” the truth, to admit our sin and weakness and to understand God is a just God. Consider the verse as it speaks of “rendering to each man according to his deeds”. The Word is explicit.
Psalm 62:12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
Some may claim that this teaching is an Old Testament teaching, that it is not valid under the New Covenant. I often thought this way until I considered a sampling of verses below.
Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:
2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
Of course this teaching has to be balanced with the understanding we can do nothing apart from the Master and that all that is good comes from our connection with the Lord Jesus.
And out of the self sacrifice of our Savior, we have the privildge, opportunity and strength in the Spirit to do good deeds as He directs. Yes, HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART, is the same who provided the Savior to draw us to Him, to give us strength, to direct us into good works, and to glorify Him.
And in the midst of all His blessings, He continues to weigh our hearts, helping us to live in the truth, in Jesus.
May we reap blessings, and honor God from being rooted in Him.
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.
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.
9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 These also King David dedicated to the LORD, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
In an earlier posting, I made mention of the text we considered as not indicating the extent of damage on the army of Hadadezer. I was incorrect, for if I had simply read a bit further, the text tells us that Hadadazer’s army was completely defeated.
Considering Hadadezer’s multiple efforts to attack and subdue David, it seems obvious that his army had been decimated.
Enter the scene a king who had been carefully watching the destruction and subjection of the Syrian kingdom by a young upstart out of Israel. As can be noted on the map provided to the left, Davids kingdom was expanding to the north, and it was just a matter of time before Hamath experienced the forces under David’s command.
This king who had been watching exercised wisdom in his approach to the King of Israel, by not resisting the inevitable, but by befriending the power to his south.
He sent his son to begin a period of alliance, and diplomacy with Israel, with gifts that certainly would have been lost if in war with David. Nevertheless, the fact that Toi, and his son Joram, initialted the contact with David is commendable, not only for thier own continued existence but for the welfare of the people under their protection.
This alliance existed for the entire length of David’s reign.
An Aside
As an aside, I find it curious that upon Solomon’s reign, he extended his reach to the north to include Hamath, seemingly fullfilling the promise of God to Abram regarding the northern extent of the promised land up the the Euphrates!
Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
As a matter of fact, there are other indications in the Word that the nation attained the extent of the promised land, as a possession for the people of Israel, multiple times.
Joshua 21:43 Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. Joshua 21:44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Joshua 21:45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
Many years later, it turns out that Solomon understood the promise fulfilled during his reign also, as he mentioned the rest given to the people of Israel during his reign.
1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.
Under the covenant with the God of Israel, it appears the promise of land for the people of Israel was fulfilled again under Solomon. Of course, the promise was conditional upon the nation keeping the covenant they entered into with the Lord!
Make note of the conditions set for the possession of the land in the following texts.
Leviticus 18:28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
Leviticus 20:22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
Joshua 23:16 if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”
Of course the land was a conditional promise, being conditioned on the covenant they entered into as a nation with God.
For those who know some of the history of the land, the nation was vomited out of the land at the Babylonian captivity, only coming back under the permission of a gentile King. It could easily be said that the nation from that time forward was under the earthly authority of a gentile nation or kingdom, specifically Rome at the time of Jesus.
Did the promise apply during the time of Jesus, or was the initial removal from the land at the Babylonian captivity the fulfilment of this “perishing quickly from off the good land that He has given you? However you may understand the previous removal from the land, temporary as it may be argued, it surely was not the worst transgression of the nation against the Lord.
The crucifixion of the Lord Himself must be considered the ultimate transgression of the covenant. For if a death of a covenantal partner dispels the contractural agreements entered into, the murder of One of the covenantal partners by the other covenantal partner must surely seal the end of the covenant, including all of it’s conditional promises.
Yet the good news is so much better, for He has provided a kingdom to all that cannot be shaken.
Hebrews 12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
Back to the passage
That was surely one of my longest “asides”, so forgive me if I seemed to be off the topic too long. Back to the topic at hand, and the wisdom of Toi in connecting with King David.
He surely saw the writing on the wall, and in his foresight found it wise to align with this powerhouse of a regional nation. David’s victories were piling up, and his reputation was causing the surrounding kingdoms to bow the knee to him.
David rightly directed the goods from all the nations he subdued to the LORD. He knew where his power was coming from and had not yet succumbed to considering himself the power of the nation. It was the LORD who was providing the victories.
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.
HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT
Galatians 3:5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith–
Paul provides the Galations a progression of the experience of the Spirit in the beginning of chapter 3.
Galatians 3:2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
Paula begins his argument for the necessity of a Spirit filled (controlled) life with the initial meeting of the believers with the Spirit. Upon the hearing of the gospel, those who believed received. They were not required to perform any works, such as a circumcision or a baptism, or a compliance with any works that may be required by those trying to influence them after Paul left.
They received upon belief in the crucified Messiah.
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Next, Paul emphasizes the beginning of the faith of these believers. Though this may be a reiteration of the initial act of faith that brought them into the Body of Christ, I understand it to be directed to the initial days/weeks/months the believers were walking in the Spirit prior to the “influencers” arriving, and confounding these saints.
Then we get to our verse of consideration. Paul closes his initial argument of the necessity of the Spirit controlled life as the norm for the believer by reminding the believers of the source of this tremendous gift, that the Spirit is given by God, and that the means of provision is by faith and not works.
He provides Scriptural proofs of this truth for the remainder of the chapter, and I would encourage my reader to take time to reread the passage.
For this morning, let us dwell on the gift of the Spirit provided by God, through a heart faith in the Messiah. Whether we are new in the faith by an hour, a decade or half a century, each of us has that blessing to know the Lord through the Spirit in our daily lives.
Story Time
I am just returning from visiting my northern grandchildren. Really a good time! We had a special time with my youngest grandson we were visiting. During the visit, a small dispute with his sister erupted and we had a chance to discuss the issue of the dispute and that to be a believer is a daily challenge to exercise forgiveness towards even those we know best.
It is a daily challenge to live the Christian life, and we can be thankful that it is HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT is none other than the God we worship.
He provides all our needs!
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.
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.
HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS
Psalm 136:17 to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
We are in a psalm this morning that has the constant refrain of “for His steadfast love endures forever”. The psalmist begins with statements of praise toward the Lord, the God of God’s and the Lord of Lords, and transitions to the mighty acts of creation for 6 verses, each act of creation displaying His steadfast love.
Starting in verse nine, the psalmist focuses his description of the steadfast love of God to the nation of Israel, and how He brought the family of Abraham out of slavery and through the Red Sea.
All the previous statements regarding God’s works may be considered positive and generally a blessing. That is until verse 15, where the psalmist speaks of “shaking off”, or overthrowing the Pharoah of Egypt. The psalmist them continues speaking of those who had to be “dealt with” in order to establish and protect His new nation.
Dealing with a nation in our verse speaks of striking down great kings. Remember that when a king is struck down, the people he ruled over fall into turmoil. Sometimes the turmoil is minor, and sometimes it is a major upheaval in the nations life. Consider Egypt. Their history after the exodus was impacted greatly. For those kings that were not compliant with God’s will, they also fell and the people associated with the king suffered.
How can the psalmist claim that God’s steadfast love endures forever, when the action includes secondary impacts that are detrimental to those around the nation?
Two thoughts come to mind.
Those who opposed God and His will suffered due to their refusal to join into the work of God. Many times in the history of Israel we find a foreigner being accepted into the nation of Israel, avoiding judgement and falling under the covenantal blessing of God. Rahab is an example.
Though the psalmist is focusing on the nation of Israel, and how God has acted in the formation and continuation of the nation of Israel, the psalmist takes an interesting turn as the passage closes. The last few verses do not use the term “Israel”, but describes those who…
were of a low estate,
were helpless (rescued from foes)
receive food from Him (gives food to all flesh)
The psalmist spends time narrowing down on the acts of God specifically for the nation of Israel, but finishes with God’s general “steadfast love” for all.
Our selfish “my kingdom” reactions to the will of God may place us on the hurting side of life, but the steadfast love of God endures forever.
HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS is still on the move throughout the earth, conquering each man’s will, taking out those who oppose His will, and offering forgiveness through manifold and multiple opportunities for those who will be of a low estate, willing to admit their helplessness and receive the good news of a God who STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS, even our greatest enemy, death and destruction.
Let us remember the priorities of our God. He is a long term Planner and intermediate impacts along the way (that are surely difficult for our sensitivities), should not consume our perspective.
He is One whose steadfast love endures forever!
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
Who is the subject of this passage? This is the common question that seems to be the lynchpin of this passage. It all centers around the identification of who “he” is
There are three possibilities to consider.
A Professor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the church out of curiosity, one who has not become a true believer but has joined the group externally through actions and rule keeping, not internally, by faith and love.
This identification hinges on other passages outside of the book of Hebrews, where a person is considered “sanctified” but is obviously a non-believer.
A popular example is in 2 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy (sanctified) because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy (sanctified) because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (sanctified).
This example raises a number of questions in my mind, but since we are in Hebrews this morning, I will leave this passage for my reader to consider on their own.
A Possessor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the body out of a repentance of sin, of acknowledging the person of Jesus as the expected Messiah, and is living as organic member of the congregation.
I suppose identifying the one “sanctified” as a true believer finds support in the passage itself, with the author including himself in the audience, when he offers the phrase “If we sin willfully..”
Also, within the book of Hebrews, we find the author repeatedly referring to believers as sanctified.
Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
The Christ
Both of the previous identifications take the “he” as being a member (in some way) of the church. There is the possibility the One who was sanctified by the blood was the Christ Himself.
Consider the Messiah sanctified Himself for the purpose of our sanctification.
John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
It is also interesting that of these three phrases we are looking at, this is the only one that has an additional description attached to the action.
One who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,
One who has profaned the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified,
One who has outraged the Spirit of grace?
However my reader considers this passage, it does leave us with questions that may never be answered. It may be wise to hold to our understanding of this passage with velvet gloves, showing grace to those who understand differently.
Yet I cannot excape the fact that it is one of five warning passages we find in the book. When we consider the book is focused on the believers estimation of the Christ, their faith in His work, and the continuance of their faith in Him, it is difficult to image the author directs his argument to those who are unbelivers.
It may be wise to reintroduce the first phrase of the authors writing for the Hebrews.
“If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth”
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.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
Hadadezer was shooting to expand his reign, to increase his territory. One problem was that this territory was next to king David, and David had the same goals.
Our passage speaks of a defeat that was consequential for the people of Hadadezer, and the king suffered a serious blow to his army. TI have found no information on the total size of his army, but to have 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers taken from him is likely a serious blow to Hadadezer.
But Hadadezer was not a quitter. After the defeat and humiliation David provided him, he attained the services of one of David’s other enemies, the Syrians. This alliance did not bode well for Hadadezer nor the Syrians, for David again routed the enemy, striking down 22,000
Strategically, David established outposts in the region to maintain control of the area. Also, those who came to Hadadezer became vassal states of Israel, with Hadaezer also providing “gifts” for the conquering king.
Did I mention that Hadadezer was not a quitter? We will find his name pop up in chapter 10, where he joins with the Ammonites in a coalition to defeat David.
2 Samuel 10:8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
Unfortunately for Hadadezer, David also was not a quitter, and as David expanded his kingdom, Hadadezer, and all who joined him in his efforts to hold back David, became victims to the unrelenting success of this king of Israel. Unrelenting, for there was no stopping David in his pursuit of expansion.
6 …. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.
There are those who will succeed no matter what is thrown at them. Certain men or women that seemingly cannot be stopped in their pursuits. Some are unstoppable simply due to their selfish desires, fueled by an unconquerable will power, and the allowance of God. Some are led by God into victories for a temporal purpose, to provide safety and success for their people and to display a picture of a future event in the providence of God.
But there is One who has been chosen to be the Ultimate King, One who was completely successful in establishing His Kingdom, is unstoppable in expanding His ecclesia, and offers all His citizens the perfection of safety and success .
His battles were not fought as any other king, and His victories were not anticipated by the powerful. His methods of conquering those who fought against Him were completely unconventional. He had no supporting armies in His strategies, other than the guidance of His Father, and the strength given Him by the Spirit.
His name is Jesus and He is the unstoppable, unrelenting King of all of creation, head of the church!
Colossians 1:15-18 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
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.
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Flying – by Grammatrain
Last night I dreamt a strange, peculiar dream A child slept underneath a great bird’s wing Laid on the ground where warmth was found Until he woke and crawled away on hands and knees
Flying in my dream Flying in my dream
A snake told stories to the child untrue The child bent down and felt its poison tooth Started to die, the bird did fly Swallowed the snake to save the child, and then he died
Flying in my dream Flying in my dream
The dead bird laid, for three whole days Then spread its wings and flew away
I woke up early while the sun still slept This strange dream circulating in my head Stared at the ceiling, pondered its meaning The dream would not leave me although I left my bed
Flying in my dream Flying in my dream
The dead bird laid, for three whole days Then spread its wings and flew away
In my dream In my dream My dream
Take a listen!
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
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.
HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS
Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
As a refresher, Isaiah is speaking to the people of God as he compares their God with the idols they have chased after. In this passage, and specifically with this name. Isaiah provides a picture of One who stretches out the heavens.
Though the ancients didn’t have telescopes, radar satellites, or rockets into space, they did spend time under the stars. The life of the ancient Hebrew was not a life of ignorance regarding the heavens, for they spent much more time under the stars than the average modern. We may talk of light years, and galaxies beyond any distance we can comprehend, but the ancients, dare I say, comprehended the skies even as we do. With our eyes. And our minds, as much as possible.
Ask yourself – what is a light year? What impact is that on your life? Dare I say that one night under the stars, will communicate the vastness of the heavens better than a number that cannot be comprehended.
As some may know, I am an early bird, waking in the morning before 5 always, and sometimes before that. If it isn’t a work day, and I have the opportunity, I will venture outside to get in my hammock, and simply star gaze with the naked eye. The longer I stare, the greater the mystery of the heavens, the beauty of the stars, and the littleness of me. Stargazing is a very humbling experience!
How could Isaiah explain this other than to speak of the act of stretching out the heavens as a merely human activity, as if the wife was stretching the curtain over the window. A seemingly effortless task, and that is the point. Isaiah is describing a God who is not worn out by this impossible to imagine task, but completes it as if it was the simply pull of a curtain.
One additional item occurs to me. Isaiah mentioned our God stretches out the heavens, as if it was a current action on behalf of the Lord. Did he understand the idea of an expanding universe? Is this another incidence that the prophet spoke a truth that he may not have even understood in his day? The Scriptures are wild, and to find these nuggets of truth buried in the Word is truly a blessing to consider.
Let us be thankful to HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS, for His mighty creative work, and the sacrificial blood He spilt for our lives. He is an incredible God that we will never be able to fully understand, or come close fathoming His incredible love for 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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Last we visited on this passage, I had provided some background to the passage and my current understanding that this passage was intended for those who had entered into following after the Messiah. The author himself, most assuredly a believer, includes himself in the warning.
For the next three posts on this passage, I hope to consider each of the phrases the author provides in expanding his understanding of “sinning willfully”.
A very serious condition that has dire consequences!
trampled underfoot the Son of God
To be trampled underfoot. It seems obvious the intended meaning, that the object being trampled underfoot is that which is spurned, treated with with rudeness, disrespect and neglect.
This term is used elsewhere in the New Testament and is helpful in considering the impact of our authors intent.
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Jesus Himself used this term in His teaching, and this first verse provided indicates the worth associated with anything that is trampled underfoot. It is “good for nothing” other than to be thrown out and trampled under foot.
To be trampled underfoot is an expression of worth. Specifically, it is the estimated worth of an object in the minds of those considering it.
Matthew 7:6 Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
The true value and the estimated value of an object can be radically different amongst those considering it. In this verse, the true value of the object is precious, holy and likened to pearls. The estimated value is worthlessness in the way it is used, or distributed. The holy was distributed to the unholy.
And what was the reaction? The holy object was trampled underfoot by the unholy. The unholy also estimated the value to be of no value. But with the unholy, they not only trampled underfoot the holy, they turned on the one who did not estimate the object as holy, and protect it from abuse. They cast the holy to the unholy. And because of this error in estimating the value of the object, the unholy turned on them.
Consider this in relation to our passage in Hebrews.
The verse speaks of a judgement, even by the unholy, on the one who initially did not estimate the true value of a holy object.
Our author asks..
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God.
In our earlier verse, it was the unholy performing the judgement. In the passage of Hebrews, we face the Holy One in the punishment.
The trampling underfoot is a severe estimation of worthlessness of the object, and this estimation of worthlessness brings consequences.
But the object in our verse in not some precious commodity, or some costly truth, or a valuable piece of wisdom, but the very Person of the Christ. Not an object with holiness assigned to it, but the very Holy One, the Person who embodies and provides the standard of holiness.
He is the One who has given everything to rescue us. What a complete and utter failure to estimate the true worth of Him, which will take an eternity to understand.
May we trample underfoot every effort, thought or action in our lives that would diminish our estimation of Him who is Holy.
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
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
As many who follow may know, I have had the privilege to know the Lord for over 40 years. During those decades, He has proved Himself to be a faithful, kind and loving Savior. And as I have learned to lean on Jesus, He has shown Himself to be a merciful Savior, never wavering, even in some very dark times.
This topical series will try to provide a snapshot of an ol’ fools prayers, the weakness and selfishness of his prayers, and the ever increasing goodness of God in His responses the those prayers.
I hope my witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God will be an encouragement to those reading, and will spur us all on to a deeper, more consistent time of being in the Lord’s presence.
Please visit with me as I tell the story of a faithful God and His care for an ol’ fool. Though David considered himself a poor man, I freely admit, I am just an “ol’ fool” looking to the Lord.
Praise Alone
Three in the morning, on a quiet street in London Ontario. Not a vehicle on the streets, and I was out doing my newspaper deliveries, waiting for my firstborn to enter the world.
It was a great job for a young married man, who was in transition, not knowing where to go or what to do for God. I had been in school for a degree program in the Architectural discipline when I met my future wife, and subsequently the Savior Jesus Christ.
Everything turned upside down, or should I say everything turned itself right side up. Leaving my degree program, I found myself walking the streets delivering over 400 newspapers every night of the week, spending my time memorizing the Word and being quiet.
Looking back on those days, they were great, and I am thankful the Lord placed me in that position. The work only required a couple-three hours each night, and I could spend the remainder of the day with my wife, establishing our family. I had read in the book of Deuteronomy of the importance of that first year with the wife. I can attest to the blessing!
Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.
But I am getting sidetracked to the purpose of this post, for that night in London at 3:00 am, as I walked about those lonely streets carrying 80 pounds of papers, I began to thank God for His working in our lives, for His direction, for His salvation. Then it slipped from being simply thankful for what He has done for us, and for me specifically, to praising Him for who He is.
This shift in prayer was not a part of some scheduled required exercise as a disciple, but one of the purest times of praise to the God above that I had ever entered into as a young believer. I don’t recall asking for anything, asking for anyone, asking asking asking. My prayer of praise slipped from thankfulness for things in my life, my experience, my needs being fulfilled, my my my, into simply considering who our God is, and His amazing character, His spotless life, His complete abandonment for His people, His entering into a life of poverty and trial, His fight to get on the cross and to provide a totally selfless sacrifice for those who loved and hated Him.
That night was a foretaste of being before the throne someday. Nothing ’bout me, all ’bout Him.
As it should be!
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.
As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.
Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.
Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important commmittment of the believers relationship to the church body.
Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.
This post will consider Leviticus 27:30-32
30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge between our last instance of tithing and this particular reference. To be fair, there are some believers that may include Jacob in his reference to giving 10 percent as an example of tithing prior to the giving of the law.
Genesis 28:22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
I have left the passage out, for it was a promise from a negotiator, a business man seeking an edge. The Word does not indicate he followed through. Jacob made a vow, but it rings of an effort to give if he gets.
I love how he vows a full tenth. That is cute! Pass on that example.
It is somewhat amazing that a cardinal teaching such as tithing in the modern church finds so little support prior to the law being given, the sacrifices established, the priesthood being ordained and the nation being established in the land of promise. Of course one instance of a clear command is sufficient for the believer to heed unto, yet so far, that command has not been evident.
Let’s see how we fare with this passage in Leviticus.
It has been over 400 years since the prior incident with Abram, when he conquered a victorious army to bring back his nephew, and meeting up with the King of Salem. Mighty momentous times for Abram, and an offering of 10% of his plunder may be considered a perfectly acceptable offering to the God who provided the victory. (PS I think Melchizedek was Jesus!)
400 years have passed, with the establishment of the nation of Israel, based on the covenant “cut” on Mount Sinai between God and His nation. At this time, tithing becomes a teaching that attains to the status of a command.
Under this covenant, which included animal sacrifice, the existence of the tabernacle and the ordination of a priestly class, (many of which could own no land), God’s people were commanded to tithe.
As an aside, I recently asked myself about the way of life for the ancient Israelite, especially in regards to the taxation he suffered under. Back at my computer, and try as I might, I can’t seem to find the term tax or taxation in the Old Testament, nor the concept of taxation until we get to the kings of Israel.
God warned them that a king would exact a “taxation” and that it would be burdensome. He counselled them to not ask for a king. But they did, and they acquired a tax burden like they had never experienced.
So if there was no taxation prior to the era of the kings, how did the priests support themselves. They had no land, and their major skill was butchery, the slaying of animals. Thankfully they could consume some of the offering, and some of the fruits and seeds were available for them. So was the tithe established to support the priests of Israel in their work for the people before God? Is that a fair assumption?
Seed or Fruit
Verse 30 speaks of tithing the seed or fruit of the land. But it is interesting that God does not make a command, but states “every tithe of the land” implying that any tithe given should be given in this manner. Or might it be better to consider that the phrase does not say “every piece of land” is to be tithed of it’s seed or fruit. Is there a difference? I will let my reader consider.
But consider being directed by this passage at harvest season. What if the land produced both seed bearing plants and fruit bearing trees. Seeds and fruit. Now how is the Hebrew to tithe that? Base it on the square acreage, the percent of land covered by the trees as opposed to the plants, then prorate the 10% tithe based on the coverage of the trees as compared to the plants on the land? And what if the trees produced much but the plants withered? Too many arguments to muddy the water!
In all of this the motivation to tithe is the kicker. The tithe, (however the details were worked out) was holy unto the Lord. This seemingly minor phrase is the hinge point for the obedient Hebrew.
If the tithe is the Lord’s and it is holy, no faithful Hebrew will seek to find excuses or reasons as this author did above. He would gladly provide his tithe, and provide enough to safely satisfy the intent of the command, and not argue with the law as I did previously. (Am I not the worst?)
To tithe of the seed and the fruit is to tithe of the future goods the farmer needs to continue in his life. It is an expression of obedience, and an expression of his faith in a God who provides.
As the risk of appearing as a hard nosed literalist, it is good to recognize that the tithe consisted of seed and fruit. It was not the assined value of the seed or fruit converted into a denarius or shekel. The faithful Hebrew was to bring food stuffs to the tabernacle, and later by extension to the temple. Food stuffs. That minor fact might be important later on.
Redemption
Now this one was unexpected when I first read it. When a faithful Jew provided his tithe, the Lord gives the option to recover it. A bit of a price to add to it, being a 20% markup, and it would be certainly a strange occurrence to redeem a basket of fruit or a sack of seeds. But the next verse may give a clue as to the reason this particular practice was allowed.
Herd or Flock
The faithful Jew was to provide the best of his herd and flock. This is the message of the Old Testament, and we often consider the spotless lamb as the typical perfect sacrifice for the Hebrew to bring for one of the required sacrifices.
For tithing, it is a different. This tithe was indescriminate. If a herdsman were to tithe, the method of choosing the tithed animal was to let the herd pass under a staff. The tenth animal was to be the tithe. Pure chance. The best or the worst animal, if it passed as the tenth animal under the staff was to be chosen.
Consider a man with nine sheep. No tithe required. Ten sheep? One is to be offered as the tithe, a true 10%. Nineteen sheep. The herdsman provides one of his nineteen sheep, or 5.2% of his herd. The rate of tithing was varying, and not a simple 10% portion of the flock. That is until the herdsman approaches massive flocks. At that point, the tithe approaches an exact 10%.
But consider the herdsman that loves a specific sheep. Let me offer a case in point.
My wife and I have a couple goats and one of them (Sir Poopsalot!) is her favorite. If we had eleven goats, and we were under this covenant, and as our herd passed under the staff, and Sir Poopsalot was chosen, my wife would gladly pay the 20% extra to redeem that stubborn, entertaining, silly goat.
This command, or maybe I might better describe it as an allowance, exhibits the mercy of God in the law. He considers our frailties, our emotions and connections we have in our lives, provides allowances to minimize unnecessary hurt as the believer obeys.
I can’t help but close this short study on the tithe command of the old covenant with the consistency of the Messiah’s mercy as He spoke of His yoke.
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This is the same God who provided an allowance in the regulated tithing, that has also expressed His severe mercy in the giving of His life for all.
He has rescued us from the old covenant and provided us life in Him. Could it get any better than that? He is so good!
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.
HE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA
Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name:
It seems like forever since I published on this general set of verses back in 2020. I was addressing the outworking of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the continual existence of Israel despite the obvious destruction and decimation of the nation in AD 70.
If this seeming unfulfilled promise of God to national Israel disturbs you, or fuels your unbelief in the God of the Bible, it may be to your benefit to consider what took me 20 years to figure out. The post should only take a few minutes to read, and hopefully my explanations make some sense for those who want to understand. Anyway, venture over to Nation or Church – Jeremiah 31:35-37 if I have piqued your interest.
For our verse this morning, we want to focus in on how the Lord is called the One WHO STIRS UP THE SEA. Is this phrase simply a description of the tumult on the seas during vicious storms, how the winds and rains pummel the sea and make it a monstrous enemy for those on the sea? Is Jeremiah communicating to the saints of old the mighty power of God as demonstrated on the seas?
Yes, I want to say that is the message, and yet as I have learned in the past, the words chosen in this verse may pack more than simply a picture of the mighty power of nature.
There is a pattern in the Old Testament that represents the people of God as the “land” and the nations being the sea. A stable people as compared to a restless people. A people with foundation as compared to a people who have no support.
A few verses to review to make this point. First, let’s consider Isaiah. He speaks of the abundance of the sea as compared to the wealth of the nations. A very common Hebrew parallellism!
Isaiah 60:5 …the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
Isaiah also likens the wicked to the foaming sea, with the mire and dirt being thrown on the shore.
Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
Again, whne Isaiah likened the wicked, or the nations to a tumultuous sea, bringing it’s filth to the land, is it not picturesque of the influence of the nations on the people of God?
Even with this very short study, we can see the connection of the nations with the sea. Might we extend that thought in our phrase we are considering? (Hang on folks, for this gets knotty!) Is the picture of the Lord stirring up the nations an accurate picture? Might we see that the Lord is active in the tumult of the world for His will to be accomplished? This is difficult stuff, but consider.
Like Jeremiah, Isaiah also describes our God as HE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA.
Isaiah 51:15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name.
Consider the image and the impact of his name, for we certainly see much tumult in the world today. Thankfully, we know that as the people of God, we have a refuge in Jesus, a place where confusion is absent, where peace of heart and a quiet mind can rule the life of the saint and reside in the family of God.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,
No matter how you see this verse in relation to the nations, let us thank God for the Savior Jesus, who is the ONE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA.
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This is a fearsome passage, and must be considered with a spirit of grace and humility, for the message has been interpreted in many ways, defending a number of teachings within the Body of Christ.
The larger issue in this passage is the intended audience. Is this intended to address those who have yet to enter the salvation provided by the Messiah, but are simply looking in from the position of the Old Testament faith? Hebrew faithful who are still considering the claims of the Messiah?
In my current understanding of the Word, to be a faithful Hebrew was to be a follower of the Messiah when (or shortly after) first coming into contact with Him, for He provided varied, ample and timely evidence of His office and ministry of Messiah. The faithful Hebrew, (sometimes called the remnant throughout the Old Testament) looked for the Messiah, and to have Him displayed so prominently, with so many evidences, none the less than the resurrection from the dead, tells me that to remain outside of the community of faith was to show evidence of unfaithfulness as a Hebrew.
Isaiah 28:5 In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
Therefore, I am of the opinion this passage is directed to the faithful Hebrew, the remnant of His people. The passage is for the one who has seen the evidence, believed the message and has followed after the Christ, abandoning the old system of relating to God through animal sacrifice and temple worship. And this passage supports this understanding. The author includes himself in this warning, as he begins this passage.
… if we go on sinning deliberately
First, the author speaks of sinning deliberately. This may be translated as sinning willfully, acting in opposition to the knowledge of the truth.
Now I don’t know about my reader, but I want to humbly confess that I have known the will of God in certain times of my life and yet failed to perform that known will. I have been weak, obstinate and without excuse.
Is the apostle addressing this condition, this state of belief in the saint? Possibly, but at the risk of seeming to justify my own weakness to maintain my citizenship in heaven, I am thankful the apostle defined the “willful sinning” in a following verse.
As we consider the following three phrases in verse 29, I think we will appreciate the clarification of the “willful sinning” referred to earlier.
Our next posts in this series will address each of these phrases. I am looking forward to finding out more about them and trying to communicate my findings to you.
Until them, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and make us a blessing to others!
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.
2 Samuel 8:2 And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
In our previous verse, David made an offensive strike against the Philistines, changing the course of the nation. The Philistines were a thorn in the side of Israel since day one, and David put them in thier place.
This mornings verse addresses the nation of Moab, a nation that descends from Abraham, through the union on Lot and one of his daughters.
Moab also fought with Israel during the reign of Saul. But for David to continue fighting the Moabites is difficult to understand, for David had connections with these people.
His grandmother, Ruth was a Moabitess, and though she converted to the faith, her roots were of the nation of Moab. David had a family connection with the nation of Moab.
Matthew 1:5,6…Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king…
Not only did David have a Moabite in his lineage, the nation harbored Davids parents during the persecution of Saul.
1 Samuel 22:3,4 ESV – And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab…
So for David to attack Moab as decisively as he does seems overdone in my mind. Of course my mind is infected with human reasoning and a logic that wants to overrule the will of God, so I need to consider reasons that David turned on the relation that existing between him and the Moabites.
First, it is well known that David was a man after God’s own heart and that he was zealous for the God of Israel. Moab did not adhere to this same dedication. As a matter of fact, the daughters of Moab were instrumental in bring Baal worship into the Lord’s people.
Numbers 25:1-3 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
David was placed on the throne of Israel by God and David’s zeal to cleanse the nation of idol worship was a natural outgrowth of his committment to God. Moab’s influence must be diminished.
Centuries after David, God issued commands to destroy Moab through the prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah and Amos. but during the time of David, no specific command had been issued. David may have seen the idolatry of Moab, which included the worship of Chemosh, as reason enough to subdue the people of Moab. His zeal to cleanse the nation and spread the news of the One True God was second to none.
There may have been one additional motivator for David. Centuries prior to David’s rise to power, a prophet of God rose and prophecied of Moab’s destruction. This prophet’s name is Balaam, and the King of Moab, seeing the threat of Israel entering the land, hired Balaam to curse the people of God. Though Balaam turned out to be a “hired gun” for the king of Moab, Balaam did provide very explicit prophecies of the nation of Israel.
One of Balaam’s prophecies included the fate of Moab, which must have shocked his employer. Nevertheless, this prophecy speaks of a king rising out of Jacob, crushing the forehead of Moab.
Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
David fit the bill. He came on the scene over four centuries after Balaam, rose out of Jacob and was granted the scepter over Israel by the Lord. David may have accepted this prophecy as pertaining to hiself, and sought to perform the Lord’s will. It may explain David’s harsh treatment of the Moabite soldiers, killing two thirds of the army, but not quite.
The prohecy speaks of crushing the forehead. Does the implication of this phrase include the subjugation of a nation, or the obliteration of the nation.
One other passage in the Old Testament also speaks of the bruising of the serpents head.
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis speaks of the Messiah bruising the head of the serpent. If Balaam’s prophecy links a similar treatment of the Moabites as we find Jesus in crushing the serpents head on the cross, we might conjecture that David reduced the influence of Moab on Israel while allowing them to exist as a slave of the nation.
How my reader understands the current existence (and usefulness) of the enemy in relation to the New Testament saint may provide an opportunity to consider how David, in decimating the army but allowing Moab to exist may mimic our current situation.
In all of this, let’s remember the Son of David is the One who perfectly fulfilled both Balaam’s and Moses’ prophecy of crushing the enemies head.
Jesus is the King and His crushing of the head of the serpent has provided salvation for all. All god’s who sought influence over the creation have been publicly reduced to mere puppets under the hand of the Messiah, for His resurrection has proven His superiority over all.
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.
HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
I always liked this verse, but probably for the wrong reason. Hopefully it isn’t with evil intent, imagining our God in heaven, rubbing his hands together, laughing out loud because he knows the traps He has set for the “dirty sinners’ out there. Of course, I do not include myself amongst the intended victims. Maybe something wrong there! Yes there is something wrong when this old fellow thinks others deserve judgement but he is exempt from the fate.
This passage is dealing with the kings of the earth, those earthly rulers who seek to usurp control from the rightful King. In this context, the Lord on His throne and from that perspective, is reflecting the utter futility of the efforts of mere men, though they feel they rule over others.
When our passage speaks of the Lord holding them in derision, it speaks of a mockery of the situation. He is not concerned over any effort of man to dethrone Him. He is the Lord!
Yet the leaders of this world are drunk on power. They seek more and more authority over God’s creation, and in the process, reveal their mismanagement, and selfish motivations. Any desire of man to replace God as the King over any of creation is fraught with unassailable obstacles, most of which is the man’s own evil heart and wicked imaginations. Nothing good and meaningful can rise out of the self serving motivation of man.
Consider – even the King of Kings was a sacrificially serving man, One who sought out others, seeking their good as opposed to His will. Only the One who followed after God with all His life is worthy to lead, the One who showed His leadership by serving, His love by dying and His authority by rising up from the grave.
Yes, God mocks, laughing in derision those who oppose Him. Not in the manner I imagined, but in the futility of the effort. Mere man a king to replace Jesus.
He has risen and is the ONE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS.
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.
As believers, we are called by God to follow after Jesus in all our actions and attitudes. How we relate to money in included in our following after Him.
As mentioned in my introduction to this series, my family and I have been impacted a number of times in our church attendance by what appears to be the pull of money on church leadership. During our Christian pilgrimage, a number of churches, through thier leadership, have made decisions that directly impacted our status within the body of believers.
Some of these instances provided us reason to dig into the Word, to find correction in our own personal relationship to money, to try to understand the wisdom of a church leader’s decision, and in the end to apply God’s will for our own finances.
Little did we know the tremendously corrosive power the love of money has over our own hearts, and by extrapolation, the church as a whole. This should not surprise the believer for Paul provided a harsh truth on this topic.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Alternately, the writer of Hebrews also provided no better command, (and for some believer’s no harder command) than found in Hebrews 13.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Many of our experiences have included the topic of tithing in the church. Personally, our denominational background considers tithing to be Biblically mandated on the New Testament believer. I understand many denominations consider tithing to be an important commmittment of the believers relationship to the church body.
Let’s take a look at this topic, and consider each passage that contains a reference to tithing.
This post will consider Genesis 14:20
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
What a great verse to begin our study. It surely teaches us that tithing is not simply a teaching that is mandated by the Law of Moses, but was practiced by Abram the father of our faith. As such, we are following in the steps of Abram in giving a tenth (a tithe).
Note that Abram, a non-Jew. gave him (Melchizedek) a tithe of everything. This example of Abram surely teaches us a practice that applies to all who have faith.
But let us consider a bit of the context of this verse.
Genesis 14 is the recounting of Abram rescuing Lot from the kings of the region. The region was ruled by nine kings, and as power structures are defined, four of these kings, led by the king of Elam, waged war on the remaining five kings. After the battle, in securing the possessions of the victor, the armies swept though the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, picking up Abram’s nephew Lot.
Abram would have none of this. He gathered his army of 318 men to chase after this victorious army in order to retrieve Lot. Surely Abram was outnumbered, outskilled and unfamiliar with the task of defeating experienced soldiers. Yet he defeated the army, retrieved his nephew and returned home. Abram did not intend to simply steal Lots away from the army under cover of darkness, but he led his men in a defeat of an experienced and recently successful army.
He was motivated to retrieve his nephew and his family. In this endeavor, he brought back “all the possessions”
Genesis 14:16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Genesis 14:21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”
It seems that based on the King of Sodoms request, that Abram rescued the vanquished people also, and not merely his nephew.
After the victory and return to camp, Abram was visited by two kings. The king of Sodom and the king of Salem.
King of Sodom
It is good to consider the King of Sodom’s request in light of our topic. Seemingly the king of Sodom was so grateful for Abram’s rescue of his people, he offered Abram all the goods that were retrieved in the battle. He only wanted his people back.
Abram refused, for he spoke of his dedication to God, and that since God is the possessor of heaven and earth, it is to be God that provides Abram’s wealth. Abram would not take any funds or possessions from this king in order to clearly maintain his faith in the God who possesses everything! Quite a stellar faith! When freely offered possessions for a service to others, Abram refused.
King of Salem
During this meeting, the king of Salem, Melchizedek, brought out bread and wine. Melchizedk blessed Abram in the name of God Most High, the possessor or heaven and earth. Melchizedek claimed that it was this God who delivered Abrams’s enemies into his hand.
Note the difference between these two kings. Sodom offered Abram possessions, possibly as an act of payment for his mercenary efforts. Abram reacts by rejecting this offer, not wanting to be associated with the offering of the king of Sodom.
When it comes to Melchizedek, he provides Abram a truth claim (not possessions) that Abram embraces. In embracing this truth, Abram reacts by giving Melchizedek a tithe, or a tenth of everything.
Now, an issue rises in my mind. What in tarnation is “everything” that Abram tithes of referring to. All of Abrams possessions? Did Abram have an accounting of his net worth performed and then provide a check to the King of Salem? I jest of course, but when the passage refers to Abram giving a tenth, it is good to consider what the tenth is related to. I would suggest the context demands the “everything” refers to the spoils of the battle.
A few more observations I feel are pertinent.
Although Abram gave a tenth, which suggests this was a common percentage to offer to a god in his culture (which speaks loudly to Abrams understanding who Melchizedek is), the text does not indicate this was an ongoing practice.
In summary, in this passage, I find the description of a man who is committed to the Most High God who possesses all heaven and earth. He provided what most likely was a cultural offering back to the King of Salem, whom I understand to be the Lord Jesus. Abram’s gift implies the same identification of the King as the God who provides.
This passage does not provide a prescription for any tithing practice for modern day believers after the cross. It is good to remember that descriptions of the saints lives does not translate into prescriptions of activities for the Christian.
But if there are saints who seek to emulate Abram in this practice, I would suggest they consider the other descriptive activities we find in the passage also occur. Therefore, based on this passage alone, if a believer conquers an army, rescues a blood relative, rescues a people group of another king, acquires the bounty of a battle, and is approached by at least one King, the saint will be able to also mimic Abram in providing a tithe.
Again I jest, for under our covenant, we may meet the King at any time, and our offering is not simply a tithe of some spoils of battle, but of our heart, mind and soul.
By the way, if you are headed out to conquer an army this week, you can call your accountant and tell him you don’t need a full audit of your possessions. Whatever spoil you take in your victory will be easily calculated!
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
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.
HE WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH
Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
Isaiah is in the process of comparing the God of Israel with idols, by way of questioning his people.
Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Questions are a great way to stimulate a discussion. Jesus often asked questions. Questions are a fantastic teaching tool!
Don’t you think so?
As a question is provided, a recipient naturally builds a defence in thier mind. Once a question has been understood, hopefully a discussion can occur, an argument can be entered into, and minds can be changed. And when I say minds can be changed, I am referring to the Biblical concept of repentance! This obviously is the intent of Isaiah and he is brutal!
One question would be sufficient for Isaiah to deliver to the saints, considering the topic of the discussion. One well placed question about the God of Israel should “stop thier mouths”.
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
Of course, when Isaiah “machine guns” multiple questions to God’s people, the recipients will not only be speechless, but dumbfounded. That is, if they are honest with themselves, with Isaiah and with the God they are related to.
Four questions were blasted to the saints regarding the difference of thier God compared with idols.
Do you not know?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks knew God was unlike idols!
Do you not hear?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks heard God speak, unlike an idol!
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks had been introduced to God at the beginning of their formation as a nation! Idols were to be rejected by this people from the very beginning.
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks understood God hated idols.
Yet they worshipped idols.
Isaiah then begins to describe – once more for this people who knew and understood thier God – of the God they had walked away from.
Thier God is the One who is over, or above the circle of the earth.
He is over creation, not a part of it.
Whether the word “circle” can be describing the earth as a sphere or simply the horizon each man sees, the point is clear. The God they had abandoned, the God they were being called back to, the God who was leading, guiding, disciplining and teaching is not of this creation, but above.
And when Isaiah says above, though the immediate message is that God is in the heavens, above the creation in relation to distance, I want to consider it is more applicable that Isaiah is referring to God as being over the circle of the earth in relation to His authority over all.
God is in authority over all of His creation. He is in charge, unlike the idols that are merely stone and wood, made of the creation God created.
Yes, our God is more than any idol, much more! He is on His throne, and not only reigns by the authority of His creative acts, but more so through His defeat of death. Though the creation was plummetted into death by our decision, He has rescued it by defeating death itself. Death itself has died, and He rules!
Yes – Jesus is better! He is the One WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH
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.
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Gimme – by Alice Cooper
As you might be noticing, I come back to Alice often in this series. He is such a surpise and has had such a consistent witness for the Lord for decades now.
I know all your desires Your heart is so full of pain Is there something I can provide? When you feel like life’s passed you by I’m on your side
Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that
Please don’t ask me my name Does it matter? I’m just here for you Trust me, just let yourself go And that’s all you need to know
I’m on your side Sincerely I’m your only friend Yes I’m on your side Sincerely
Don’t you wish you had it all? Don’t you deserve to have it all? Kneel down and tell me what you need Fame and money all for you, I can make your every dream come true
Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that
Tell me who’s more important than you? You’re the apple of my ancient eyes How could the world be so cruel? I’ll make you my own precious jewel
I’m on your side Sincerely I’m the only one that cares Yes I’m on your side Sincerely
Don’t you wish you had it all? Don’t you deserve to have it all? Kneel down and tell me what you need Fame and money all for you I can make your every dream come true
There is one thing I mean, everything has a price I really hate to repeat myself, but nothing’s free
Yes I’m on your side Sincerely I’m the only one that cares Oh, I’m on your side Sincerely
Don’t you wish you had it all? Don’t you deserve to have it all? Kneel down and tell me what you need Don’t you wish you had it all? Don’t you deserve to have it all? Don’t you wish you had it all? Don’t you deserve to have it all? Kneel down and tell me what you need Fame and money all for you I can make your every dream come true
Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that Gimme this, gimme that
The song screams give me everything, fame money, status! Anything to avoid the hole in our heart that can be satisfied and completely filled (to overbrimming) by the person of Jesus.
How much stuff do you want? Someone may give it to you.
Take a listen!
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
Considering the Bible 