Bible – Page 22 – Considering the Bible

Names of God – ANGEL OF THE LORD – 32

2023-12-18

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. At this point in our study, we will begin with “A God Merciful and Gracious”, the twenty-third Name of God on my list. 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.

32

ANGEL OF THE LORD

Gen. 22:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, Here I am.”

The Angel of the LORD. This Angel is the first angel that I came across in the Old Testament, that I thought might be special, set apart from the others, different.

Only later did I come to understand that others thought so also, and that most (if not all) Bible scholars consider this reference to be associated with Jesus, in what they call a Theophany, or a Christophany. This is the technical term of describing this appearance as being a visitation from God, and not simply from a servant, a flaming minister sent from God.

The Angel of the Lord shows up in unexpected circumstances, but our verse above is instructive in that He arrived at the point where Abraham was going to slay his own son in obedience to God’s message.

Consider that the Angel of the LORD is a pre-Christian appearance of Jesus, and that He
stopped the slaying of Abraham’s son. No one would arrive to stop the slaying of the Son of Man. Yet the Son of Man stopped the slaying of Abraham’s son.

He is a God who treats us better than we deserve, and that is willing to take our punishment, our trials, our troubles, and any that we must go through, we can be assured He is with us, for He promised that He would be with us to the end of the age.

Praise God.

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

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

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Names of God – ANGEL OF GOD – 30

2023-12-15

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

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

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

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

30

ANGEL OF GOD

Judges 13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name,

This is the first of four names within our list that includes the term “angel”, with the most popular, or should I say the most familiar being the Angel of the Lord. For this post we will consider the Angel of God.

For the Name of God we are considering today, some may reject this suggestion as referring to Jesus, since it implies He is simply a messenger of God and not God Himself. In my mind, that strikes at the very heart of the Godhead, for the very nature of the Godhead, as we see in the life of Christ, is to serve.

Some also may reject this name for Jesus, yet would accept “the Angel of the LORD” as designating the Son. This distinction seems arbitrary and simply incorrect, for the Angel of God in this passage is described as the Angel of the Lord just three verses earlier. The Angel of God is the Angel of the LORD. The difference in the name is simply that Manoah’s wife described Jesus as the Angel of God to her husband, when recounting the Angel’s visit.

The background to this passage is the birth of Samson, a very special man – a man chosen from birth to be a Nazarite, a man that would save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. I am tempted to discuss Samson, for certain aspects of his life reflect the Son of Man, but I will save that for the Jesus in the Old Testament series.

Jesus, as the Angel of God, took on the appearance of an angel in order to bring specific messages to certain people in the Old Testament. Consider the explosion of information provided for us as the Son of Man delivered His message to the entire world, to all generations, throughout time for all to hear. His designation of Angel of God symbolized a microcosm of what was in store for those of us in the future!

Note also that His appearance was as an angel, yet as we focus on the Old Testament in these Names, we need to remember that He did not take on the appearance of a man when He came to rescue us, to deliver us from ourselves and our sin, but that He took on the likeness of men, and was found in the form of a human.

He appeared as the Angel of God, but He became the Son of Man.

He is truly the Servant of God we do not deserve, that we cannot comprehend, that we thank to little, and that we will forever praise.

Praise the Name of God.

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

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

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Conditional Security – Hebrews 12:10-13

2023-12-14

Hebrews 12:10-13
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

The apostle continues in this passage with an exhortation to endure, and not only endure but to be strengthened by the very outcome of the discipline being experienced. Truly this is a challenge, and yet knowing the intent of the Father’s discipline should spur us on. It is not that the Father is disciplining us out of anger or frustration, or that He is simply considering His own reputation. His intent is to bring about peaceable fruit of righteousness in His children. But is that what the apostle wrote? Let us read it again. His intent is to bring about “peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”.
That qualifier is what grabs my attention.

You see, all who claim Christ go through trials, and as I glibly read this passage, it appears that all believers gain from these trials. At least that is what I used to think, for I did not consider those who may not be trained by the trials they are going through.
Consider one who may be experiencing a difficult trial, even a discipline from the Lord, and though may struggle and doubt for a period of time, at one point they simply say – that is enough. They make the internal decision to “not be trained.” To reject the discipline. What might the apostle be referring to in this instance, and yes I do understand this is inference to our topic! Yet the statement is qualified by our active participation in the discipline.

Where does that leave the one who refuses to enter and remain under the discipline of the Lord?

Verse 12 and 13 speak of the apostles hope for the believer who is struggling with understanding the discipline of God in their lives. We all need to understand the motivation of God (love) , and the outcome of the endurance (peaceful fruit of righteousness), and from these two truths, be encouraged, strengthened and renewed to continue in our faith, to endure doubts and struggles, even to the point of shedding blood as he refers to in verse 4.

Be trained by the discipline my brothers and sisters. There is great love bringing this time of testing to you and a great outcome will be realized after the trial has passed and you have endured. Therefore, endure for the current time, and during this time of trial, look to Jesus, who set the example, who …

endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is good and He is good all the time.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below

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Life of David – 3.01

2023-12-13

David Anointed King

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.

David Anointed King

Samuel has been notified that Saul is no longer the future for Israel. In God’s eyes, Saul is no longer king over Israel, due to rebellion. As we will see in our future posts, it will take a period of testing and struggle to get to the point where the people of Israel catch up to the truth of Saul’s true condition.

Israel is a nation that is divided, in that two kings are present. The visible King Saul, who is in appearance to the people, the king of Israel, and a young teenager, an “invisible” king who has the seed of greatness in Him and the call of God on him.

Isn’t this the condition we find ourselves in today. God has enthroned a King and there are those who still follow after a usurper king, a king that has been dethroned from all authority and power. Yet some still regard him as the one to follow.

1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”

In our portion of the Word this morning, we see Samuel being charged with the task of anointing a new king, even while Saul is still the reigning monarch, the man who knows his time is up, and that a competitor in on the sidelines, called by God to take his place! Given Saul’s history, and if we didn’t have the knowledge we have of his downfall, should we expect any type of peaceful handover of power? No – it seems obvious that this would end up being a life and death competition. One of these men would have to die.

And Samuel is in the midst of this struggle.

If I was Samuel, I may think this may be the perfect time to inform the nation that their idea of having a “king like all the nations” is a horrible idea (which it was), and that the true King will resume His rightful position in the nation (which He should). Yet in the wisdom of God, this request for an earthly king by the people would have to run it’s course, and it will be over 400 years until the nation enters captivity. The nation seemed to find success under David and Solomon for many decades but even during this time, cracks and failures seemed to spell the end for Israel’s period of having an earthly king like all the nations around them.

Samuel will need to visit Jesse, a Bethlehemite, a man with a son who will replace Saul. Surely this will be a man of statue, a fighting man, impressive as Saul was in physical prowess and bearing. But Samuel wasn’t granted any further information regarding Saul’s replacement, but he was provided a cover for the trip. The Lord considered Samuel’s concern and provided a reason to show up at Jesse’s town. Samuel knew that Saul would have spy’s following him, and informants willing to “rat” on him, in order to gain Saul’s approval. The relationship of prophet and king had soured and will never be restored.

A cover was provided, a reason was supplied to Samuel for this visit that would formally start the transition from the kingdom of Saul to some future.

Take a heifer for a sacrifice. As we will see in a future post, this was not a common occurrence for the prophet to bring a heifer to a town for a sacrifice, as the people questioned Samuel as he arrived. But for the purposes of anointing the new king in a secretive manner, this would suffice.

The new king would be anointed, with David’s family and the elders of Bethlehem present. Could we assume other inhabitants of the small village attended? Most likely, but the text doesn’t say. Nevertheless, the new king was anointed in the midst of a small group of people. Enough for just one of them to get back to Saul possibly.

Another King was anointed in the midst of a small group of people, and His reign has continued as foretold. The anointing of Jesus was with the true oil of the Spirit, during a baptism that connected Him with those who He would seek to destroy, with those would seek to destroy Him. He was and is the true King!

Former citizens of the old kingdom are still turning to Him. Have you realized He is the true King?

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Abel 1

2023-12-12

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

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

SEEING JESUS IN

ABEL

A Shepherd

Genesis 4:4
and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Abel was a shepherd. Jesus was a carpenter. But in reality, Jesus was a Shepherd, a good Shepherd, not of those four legged wooly critters, but of a more stubborn and cantankerous type of “sheep”.

Yes, both were shepherds, but Jesus was the Shepherd of all Shepherds, and is the One who not only was murdered due to anger and envy, but His mission was to lay His life down. As far as I can imagine, Abel did not have an inkling of the darkness in Cains heart when they went out to the field. Abel never saw it coming!

Jesus came to die. It was His end goal, His target to hit, the will of God for Him. For Abel, his death was a consequence of living a God honoring life, of seeking to do good. He was the first martyr, and his end would be repeated by many others before the good Shepherd would experience the same vitriol of hatred. But for all the martyrs that have come and gone, the good Shepherd has joined in the same suffering, and provided us a salvation from the enemy of our souls, the one who desires to murder our souls!

Similarities between Abel and Jesus exist, and they are awesome to find as we venture through the Old Book, as we consider not only the similarities, but also the differences.

Can you think of any other similarities?

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

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Names of God – ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE – 31

2023-12-11

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

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

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

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

31

ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

This passage is found in a chapter of Isaiah that recounts the Lord’s Day of Vengeance, and of the Lord’s mercy. After describing the vengeance of the Lord, of God trodding the winepress alone, of trampling them in His wrath, and of their blood staining His garments, Isaiah reminds the audience of the Lord’s mercy, of the steadfast love of the LORD.

This steadfast love of the LORD is described in our verse as a love that took action, joining those who deserved suffering in the suffering. This love of God took part in the affliction. He was afflicted with them in all their affliction.

Does this refer to the cross alone, or to the ever-present pain the Godhead experiences due to our consistent and stubborn rejection of His Kingship over us? This I cannot answer and may not be of any practical significance to us, for if we take anything away form this short consideration, we should realize that our God is a suffering God, and that He is present in our suffering.

But this is not the only activity Isaiah brings to our attention, for God is not simply suffering with us, but that in the suffering, His presence saves them, redeems them, lifts them up and carries them.

He is with us, in our suffering, providing deliverance, redeeming those who are “irredeemable”.

He is good, and He is good all the time. May the Name of the Lord be praised.

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

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

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Names of God – ANCIENT OF DAYS – 29

2023-12-08

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.

29

ANCIENT OF DAYS

Daniel 7:9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

Who is this “Ancient of Days”?

We find our passage in Daniel as he is in the midst of describing his vision of the four beasts, coming up out of the sea. Four beasts, with descriptions given that mix animals with birds, or animals with men. Each of these beasts had characteristics that were frightening, even as you consider the first one, which was given the “mind of a man”. Consider the mind of a man, without the conscience or a soul connection with God. Truly terrifying if true!

Each of the four beasts exhibited aspects that instilled fear, power and dominion over others!

Then Daniels attention is grabbed by some commotion out of his line of sight.
The true reigning monarch shows up.

He, the Ancient of Days, took His seat, His throne, and His appearance was that of purity, of a fiery judgement or cleansing power, with millions at His feet, serving Him. The formerly described beast that was so mighty, was simply killed, and that not of any active judgement from the Ancient of Days, but by His sheer presence, and the record of the books.

He was the Supreme Ruler, the Ultimate King over all, until…

Until the son of man was presented before the Ancient of Days.

At that point, in my understanding, at the point of the Lord’s ascension, the son of man was …

given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

The Ancient of Days, the Father of Glory gave to the Son the Kingdom. A Kingdom that will never end, and that shall not be destroyed. In the end, as Paul tries to explain, (or at least I try to understand), the Kingdom will be brought to the Father.

1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

Somehow, in some manner beyond my comprehension, the Kingdom will transfer to the Father, with God becoming all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

All will be subject to the Son and to the Father. Harmony will be reestablished in creation, and we shall be happily and wonderfully subject to the true King.

May the Ancient of Days be honored in our lives today

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

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

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Conditional Security – Hebrews 12:6-9

2023-12-07

Hebrews 12:6-9
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

In the book of Hebrews, the author gives us 5 warnings as believers throughout the book. We are entering the fifth warning here and the author is developing the Father/son relationship, emphasizing the corrective posture of both our earthly father and our heavenly Father.

Within this particular passage, it is possible to understand the authors intent to simply spur on believers in the midst of trials. Many of the exhortations may focus on spurring on believers, and not enter into any conditional security topic. And yet, some of them may breach our topic of consideration in this series. With that said, for the next few posts, we are going to sit in this chapter and consider a few of the author’s messages in Hebrews 12 to the first century Hebrew believer.

In our first entry into this amazing chapter, we come to verse 6, where the author lays down the topic of discipline for the believer, and the reason believers experience this painful turn of events in their lives. He is quick to define the Lord’s motives, and that is not out of anger or frustration, which many earthly father’s experience, but out of pure love for His children. Don’t get me wrong – a good father, though angry and frustrated, will attempt to correct his son out of a foundation of love for the child. A non child, a neighbors child, or a young one he comes across in the grocery store does not affect the father as his own son’s bad behavior. No – it is the relationship that is emphasized in this passage as the motivating factor of discipline, and out of that, the proper response we are to exhibit towards our heavenly Father.

The exhortation to endure is a key element in this passage from the author. To endure takes on many descriptions throughout the book of Hebrews, but for brevity of this post, note the varied ways the author speaks of enduring just in chapter 12.

12:5 do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him
12:9 shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live
12:13 so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed
12:15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God
12:15 See to it ….that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
12:16 See to it …. no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal
12:25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking

Some of these phrases we will deal with in later posts, but for our current passage, note verse 8 & 9, where I believe the author speaks of living in relation to discipline. Our mental and spiritual repose before the Father, that of respect and subjection to His authority over our lives, provides assurance of our continuing in the life He has provided us out of grace and mercy.

Be subject to the Father and live.

Does this ring of an ongoing relationship with the One who saved us? Of a continual ongoing respect to the Father that is required in order to live?

Of course, if my thinking is correct, I have to consider the apostles reference to “live”” as being alive in Christ, to be of a resurrected reborn man or woman of God, one who has claimed and practiced the Christian life. This seems obvious to me at this time, for why would the apostle simply speak of physical life. If only physical life, the very discipline of the Father, which may end in martyrdom, would be contradictory.

For example, might the apostle be trying to say – Endure discipline, to the point of physical death so that you may live (physically?) It doesn’t make sense to me, but I am open to your comments, and hope to hear your thoughts on this passage.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below

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Life of David – 2.06

2023-12-06

The Lord Rejects Saul

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.

Saul’s Repentance

1 Samuel 15

24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the LORD.”
26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
28 And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

Saul, hearing of the his loss of his kingdom from God’s prophet, repents. Sort of.

He admits to sin before the Lord, though not specifically of any one act of sin, and even now may be trying to convince Samuel that it was the peoples fault for this act of rebellion.

His act of repentance/regret illustrates the motivation of the typical politician, that is to seek the favor of the people and not the Lord. How often have you heard of a politician changing his stance on a topic due to a change in the general consensus of the ones he governs? So typical. So unwise for a leader to be led by the people as opposed to the Lord.

This was the third time Saul had fallen into this trap of being a man pleaser, and his time of having the blessing of God on his Kingdom rule was closing up on him.

Saul was finished. Desperate to maintain some control over the situation, Saul turned to physical violence. Tearing the robe of Samuel was no accidental occurrence. Saul was desperate to keep Samuel near, and Samuel was done with Saul, wanting to leave a man he had anointed before God to be the king of Israel.

Two wills are pictured in this narrative, with a torn robe the outcome. This robe refers to a garment worn over the tunic, usually representing a man of rank or authority. In Samuel’s case, his robe identified him as the man of God, and Saul’s grasping and tearing of the robe was a desperate act of gaining Samuel’s attention. Saul was successful in gaining Samuels attention, but it only reinforced the message of rejection.

Your kingdom is torn from you Saul.

At this point in history Saul’s kingdom ceased to be, yet he still sat on a throne. The true king was in the background, and when Samuel informs Saul that the kingdom has been given to a neighbor that is better than him, I am sure David came to mind. If the thought was not fully formed in Saul’s mind at Samuels declaration, it would be very soon, for the people would speak of David as one better than Saul.

1 Samuel 18:7 -8 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?”

After all, Saul, being the one who listened to the people, must have immediately heard in the back of his mind their estimation of David’s skill and Samuel’s description of his competition for the throne. Of course, there was no actual competition for the throne, for when the Lord declares a judgement, it stands. No human manipulations, severe as they may be, will affect the outcome. Unless….

Unless we seek the Lord’s favor, humble ourselves before Him, and seek His mercy, admitting to the authority of God’s will over our own. In Hs mercy and wisdom, His tremendous grace towards us, He has previously relented from judgement upon a deserving people. In other instances the judgement has fallen. He is kind and good to those He loves, even in difficult trying times!

May His will be done.

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

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Names of God – AMEN – 28

2023-12-04

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

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

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

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

28

AMEN

Rev. 3:14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

Our God is named Amen. But other than our using this word at the end of a prayer, do we understand what it means? Prior to doing any further reading, take a second and consider what you think “Amen” means.

Take a look at the Hebrew word translated as amen in the Old Testament – אָמֵן ʼâmên, aw-mane. Ok now take a look at the Greek word translated as amen in the New Testament – ἀμήν, Hebrew אָמֵן.

See any similarity?

You should since the Greek word is the Hebrew word. The similarity is that the Hebrew word is the Greek word, it did not go through a transformation to be included in the Greek vocabulary.

Take a second look at the Greek term – ἀμήν. By replacing the Greek letters with the English equivalent, we get amen. The word refuses to change or to be morphed by the sands off time. And that is somewhat typical of the word meaning itself, for it has a root meaning of firmness, faithfulness.

To be the amen, is to be the faithful one, the one who is firm, unshakable, true and trustworthy.

The Laodiceans were to understand that God’s name, the name of Jesus Christ, is trustworthy, firm, and faithful. The phrase immediately after our Name of God being considered, is reiterates the very same thought.

He is the Faithful, Firm and Trustworthy God, who is the faithful and true witness.

Can we trust 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.

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Names of God – ALTOGETHER DESIRABLE – 27

2023-12-01

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.

27

ALTOGETHER DESIRABLE

Song of Songs 5:16 His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

This passage is found in the Song of Songs, otherwise known as the Song of Solomon. It is an erotic poem between a young woman and a man, likely Solomon. As a literal poem it speaks of the physical love experienced between and man and a woman, and in parts, becomes very explicit.

Yet, as a believer, if we consider the Word to always represent Christ, to picture Him, to foreshadow His person or mission, it is not difficult to see this forgotten book as a wonderful expression of the intimate love God desires with His people.

This should not shock my reader, for Israel was considered the wife of Yahweh, and we are the Bride of Christ. Our lives are but a shadow of the reality, and the relation a man has with his wife includes not only a friendship that surpasses any earthly competitor (or at least it should) but a sharing of our bodies with each other. This is a tremendous blessing from God and only because of the warped society we live in do we shy away from this truth.

After her beloved had attempted to find her, and yet missed meeting with her, she lamented His disappearance. Her heartbreak in not being with Him pored out in a description of His person.

Take a few seconds and consider this love struck ladies description of the only one she wanted.

Song of Songs 5:11-15
His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool.
His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires.
His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.

After this description of her lover, she speaks the verse we are considering today.

He is altogether desirable.

She found nothing in this man undesirable, and the combination of all his attributes only increased the total effect He has on her. She was awestruck, and as she expresses earlier on, she is sick with love. He consumed her attention so she saw no one else.

Jesus is altogether desirable, if we have eyes to see!

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

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

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Life of David – 2.05

2023-11-29

The Lord Rejects Saul

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.

Saul’s Rejection

1 Samuel 15
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
22 And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Can anyone hear Adam in Saul’s voice? Saul did all the good stuff, and those “people” did the bad stuff. It is called blame shifting and Saul is adept in this artform of communication. Can you hear Saul boasting of his obedience, his uprightness, his stellar estimation of himself?

I have obeyed
I have gone on the mission
I have brought Agag
I have devoted

And of course, if he is going to elevate himself, someone has to take the fall, someone has to assume responsibility for an action that is not right.

But the people took….

Even as Saul brings this to Samuel’s attention, I am starting to think Saul may have realized he was in the wrong before God, and was seeking to deflect blame, to place it on the “people” You know how it goes – she gave me the apple!

We will consider his reason for throwing “the people” under the bus shortly, but for now, Saul was about to get an earful from the prophet of God. There was no getting away with the consequences of his decisions. Samuel would see to that!

But first, lets consider the passage as it speaks of two men and two ways of relating to God. Saul and Samuel. Sacrifice or obedience.

First off, take note that Saul’s sacrifice cost him nothing. He wasn’t sacrificing his personal property, or possessions. This which was to be sacrificed was someone else’s property. If anything, this act of “sacrifice” only elevated his estimation of himself in his own mind. Look how I go above and beyond the call of God. Saul takes the truth of the sacrificial system, warps it to his own desires, and tries to come off smelling like a rose.

Samuel, on the other hand, even though living under a sacrificial system, is speaking of the source motivation of any sacrifice. Samuel is not saying that sacrifice is wrong, for the Lord had commanded a sacrificial system through Moses. No – the sacrificial system was not the problem if understood in the light of God’s desire for His people. The sacrificial system was to be performed out of a heart seeking to obey the Lord, to seek to please Him and not I. To sacrifice included a personal cost!

Years later, another king, in a time of trial and seeking the Lord’s favor, came to the realization he needed to provide a sacrifice to the Lord. During that time of testing, this king was offered real estate and livestock as a gift from a subject, without any cost, with no strings attached. This king knew better!

2 Samuel 24:24

But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Saul was short-circuiting the system to gain favor for himself. He sought to use religion to gain influence with God, and reputation with the people, even to impress God’s prophet. Saul was about to sacrifice that which cost him nothing, to please a God he didn’t love or trust. Saul was self deluded and Samuel could not have been clearer, but alas it was too late, for Saul’s kingdom was finished.

It was years before Saul actually was physically off the throne, but his kingship before God came to a crashing halt that day.

It occurs to me that another king had a kingdom come crashing to a halt one day, and yet he still has tremendous influence over many. Two millennial ago, a usurper king was stripped of his kingdom when the true King rose from the dead, giving the old king the boot and receiving authority over all to Himself. As with Saul, the enemy of our souls still seeks to influence his previous kingdom even though the True King is in the background.

David has been in the background for much of Saul’s story, being prepared for his time as King, going through suffering and trials to build him into the man Israel needs.

Hebrews 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

The true King is sitting on His throne, and though it appears the old king still has authority, it is only through deception and distraction. The true King is on His throne and for that we can be thankful, praising His Name in front of that old serpent!

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Adam 18

2023-11-28

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

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

SEEING JESUS IN

ADAM

His Death Provided Her Salvation

Genesis 3:6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Hebrews 2:14
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

Adam joined his wife in death, but was not the one to deliver her. In his decision to join her, he sacrificed his life for her, as did Jesus for us.

Although it is hypothetical, consider the ramifications for Eve if Adam had not joined her in this decision. If he had not joined her in death – she would have had no hope of any offspring and therefore no deliverer to rescue her. No – in joining her in death he suffered for his decision. He, as we all are, was impotent to save himself, little lone his wife. Yet even in this act of joining her in death, it reflects the Lord’s heart for His bride, in that He suffered through death to be the Deliverer, the Savior of 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.

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Names of God – ALPHA AND OMEGA – 26

2023-11-27

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

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

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

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

26

ALPHA AND OMEGA

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Recently we were considering this verse regarding the description of Jesus as the “Almighty, the One who has authority over heaven and earth.

In this description of God, John is speaking of the Lord God’s message, for both of alpha and omega are letters of the Greek alphabet, the beginning and end letters of the Greek alphabet.

When we think of the alphabet, we are considering the very building blocks of all written communication. To reveal that He is the Alpha and Omega is to speak of Him as the foundation of God’s written communication for us.

John speaks of Jesus as the Logos in an earlier writing. Jesus is the Word, the message that we need to hear, the full communication of God to man.

God’s full message in living form!

Matthew 17:4,5
And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (emphasis mine)

Jesus. Listen to 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.

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Names of God – ALMIGHTY – 25

2023-11-24

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.

25

ALMIGHTY

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

We have earlier considered the Old Testament reference to “Almighty” in our fifth post in this series, as in Names of God – EL SHADDAI (ALMIGHTY GOD) – 5. The passage we considered was in the early narrative found in Genesis 17, when God spoke to Abraham at 99 years old!

This Greek name bears much of the same message, yet I sense an expansion of the thought.

Let me try to explain.

The term for almighty in the Greek is παντοκράτωρ pantokrátōr, made up of πᾶς pâs, referring to each, all, any or everything and κράτος krátos, referring to dominion, power and strength. Now at first glance, you may ask what is the difference in this description beyond that in the earlier post, when Abraham was spoken to. And granted there may not be much, for I do not want to go beyond what the Word is trying to communicate to us.

Yet when Abraham was spoken to, it was in relation to his own life, his progeny, his offspring. It was in relation to a single individual, a man of faith, following God to the best of His knowledge.

In our current study, this message is given to multitudes of believers, and speaks of national, even global dominion as the One who was crucified has been granted all authority on earth and heaven.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Although I cannot speak for how Abraham understood the self revelation of God in relation to being almighty, we New Covenant believers have no reason to limit the extent of His control of the universe. As John records, multitudes are now expressing the truth of His reign over all!

Revelation 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

All things are within His sight and as the King, He has control over all things. He decides to allow or to redirect, to permit or to restrict, to let happen or to force change.

He is the Sovereign King and as the King, He is the Almighty. Can we rest in that truth?

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

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

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Conditional Security – Galatians 5:1-4

2023-11-23

Galations 5:1-4

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. –

In Paul’s writing, I do not recall a time when he is harsher, more blunt or shocking than in this passage. There may be a passage in Romans or 1 Corinthians, but I gotta remind myself – this isn’t a competition. This passage is simply a tough one to take in no matter how you approach it.

Tough Issue 1

Paul is in the midst of reprimanding the church in Galatia for their desire to use the law for a basis of sanctification, for living correctly in front of God, for maintaining a relationship with the Lord. The first issue that is tough for me to understand is the fact that Paul does not speak of sanctification in this passage, but justification. The same justification the same author speaks of in Romans 3:24

…justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

or how about Romans 5:1

…since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

My point is bringing these two (out of many possible verses) to our discussion is that Paul refers to justification as a past act, not a continual act. That is, when I repented, and placed my faith in the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice for me, I was (past tense) justified. At that point, as I understand the Word, the process of sanctification began, a continual process of becoming like Him, of following His and His will for me, frail and incomplete as that is.

So why does Paul bring up justification, as opposed to sanctification? He is addressing his message to believers, and he is going back to the very foundation of their Christian life, the point of rebirth! Are we to see this dependence on the law, circumcision in this particular instance, to be so serious that justification is nullified?

Ok, might Paul be referring to those who simply think they are Christians in the Body, and trying to reveal to them their utter error in never trusting Christ? Why would Paul address them as believers if they are not? Does that not introduce confusion into the passage, especially for those who truly are believers? I don’t understand Paul shifting gears in relation to who he is talking to in this passage.

Tough Issue 2

To be severed!

Tough issue number two. When Paul speaks of “severed” from Christ, he is referring to one who had not been severed earlier. Let me try to explain my thought.

When my son is cooking chicken for his ol’ dad to enjoy a good supper, I see him with his cleaver “severing” the leg from the body. The leg was attached, but upon the act of severing, it is no longer attached. For something to be severed speaks of it being attached previously. For Paul to use such a term speaks of separation from Christ (by their choice – for it surely is not the Lord’s choice), that by choosing to trust in some religious act instead of in Him, they are in reality choosing that religious act over finding life in Christ. It is an either/or situation, not a “let’s improve the Christian life with the law” type of situation!

Tough issue 3

Fallen away from grace.

Either the reader of this letter trusts in Christ or trusts in an outward act of religious show, but out of this decision flows the issues of life and death. To be fallen from grace, by attaching oneself to the Law, is an act that for Paul has dire consequences.

The term used for fallen away is ἐκπίπτω ekpíptō, and it is in the aorist tense. Since I am no Greek guru, I understand from my research this is typically considered to be an act in the past, a completed act, as the English translation communicates. It isn’t a process of falling, but of having fallen. Although it may seem I am laboring with tenses in many of the points I bring up, it is my desire to be clear with the text, to try to take the text and understand his original message.

And that message is a tough one!

If I were to summarize Paul’s message, I would have to say. Trust Christ and do not trust religion! Religion will kill you!

And if you teach that religion is the way of life, take a gander at Galatians 5:12. Surely there was no love lost between Paul and those who would unsettle believers from their trust in the Savior

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below

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Life of David – 2.04

2023-11-22

The Lord Rejects Saul

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.

Todays passage is a very popular passage on the topic of obedience, found in the middle of Saul’s Judgement

1 Samuel

17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.
18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”

Saul just came back from putting up a monument of himself and Samuel has the grace to say – “Though you are little in your own eyes”. But does he?

Some versions translate this phrase as a past tense action on Saul’s part, as in “Although you were once small in your own eyes” which makes some sense. Saul was small in his own eyes at one time, when he was out looking for the donkeys, or hiding in with the equipment. But those days are gone.

Saul was given the privilege and honor of being the first monarch in Israel, the first man to be given a throne. As we have mentioned earlier, his position was demanded by the people, and was provided by the Lord. But the power got hold of him. And we all know that power has a corrupting influence on the human condition.

So, let’s consider how power brought this man to this point in the story. What is the effect of power on a man or woman? One effect of power is a lack of understanding of how much power is actually granted to you. In this instance, Saul assumed he had more authority, more power than God by openly disobeying a clear command.

Try to understand Saul’s situation. Folks around Saul would succumb to his wishes, to his demands, sucking up to him to get his favor. He was the one to be pleased, to be honored. A whole nation would bend the knee to him. It was all about him!

This false image of power Saul lived in, giving him the allusion of being the center of the universe, also brought out the covetousness that resides in every human heart.

Notice Samuel’s question – Why did you pounce on the spoil… Samuel uses the verb pounce, not describing a military action, but could be translated as to “dart greedily”. Saul was exercising his “right” to take what he wanted. This is typical of those in power, for the expansion of wealth of those in power is common.

This action of not obeying the voice of the LORD was evil in the sight of the LORD. Saul’s self image of ultimate authority and of covetousness was something that could not be tolerated in the first king of Israel. In any king of Israel.

Except One!

The only King of Israel that will never be dethroned is the One who had all the power, all the authority and yet relinquished His position, suffered for us and became poor for our sakes. His every actions are so anti-typical of Saul, and provide believers another support in our understanding that His kingdom will never fall, His kingdom will never loose her King.

He will reign forever!

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Adam 17

2023-11-21

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

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

SEEING JESUS IN

ADAM

DEATH IN A GARDEN

Genesis 3:23
therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

John 19
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

When I speak of death in the garden, I am not referring to the act of dying in a garden, for we know that Jesus did not die in a garden, but on a rugged hill named Calvary, the place of the skull. Not a picture of life and abundance, but of death and suffering.

Yes, John says there was a garden “in the place where He was crucified”. My understanding is that the garden was close by and could be generally considered to be “in the place” where He was crucified. The garden would be His final resting place, until He ruined the plans some had.

For Adam, his rebellion was in a garden, and the judgement of God came down upon Adam in the garden, for the Lord sent him out of the garden to work in a broken world. Jesus entered the broken world, being judged and condemned by sinners, only to enter death willingly through His obedience in a garden. His prayer to the Father in the garden set Him on a path of suffering and death that Adam had once experienced in kind. You see, Adam lost his unending fellowship with God, which is all he had known, and his fall into sin must surely have been horrific!

Jesus in all of eternity past, had never experienced any loss of fellowship with the Father ever. After the garden, Jesus entered into a death march.

Adam in a garden due to rebellion resulted in rejection from a garden into judgement and death.

Jesus in a garden, due to obedience, resulted in a judgement and death on a cross and into a tomb, representing death, in a garden.

The message of this word picture is that a garden was originally a place of life for Adam. Though he lost that life, a new (and better) life has been restored to us by Jesus, for in the garden, Jesus brought life and immortality to all of creation.

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

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Names of God – ADVOCATE – 24

2023-11-20

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.

24

ADVOCATE

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

An advocate is an old term we don’t use often in our society, as we commonly think of one who argues in our favor as a defense attorney, a lawyer that we pay to defend us in front of a judge. The lawyer performs his duties being motivated by a paycheck at the end of the week, as one who stands before a condemning judge, physically apart from us, pleading before the judge, seeking to the judge of our innocence, sometimes by revealing a partial truth, or by exposing only some of the facts. Of course, I may be a bit jaded towards lawyers, for I am sure there are some who seek to do right, speak the truth and desire justice to be performed.

Our Advocate in heaven is quite different.

He is the truth, and will not shy away from expressing the “guilt” of our actions, for John notes that “if anyone sins”. Jesus is our advocate, and John reminds us that He is righteous, not us!

He is in relation with us, and not simply seeking a paycheck. He is not motivated by “filthy lucre”, as the old KJV sometimes refers to money.

He is beside us, associating with one of God’s children that has sinned, standing beside me, representing me as the Righteous One before the Father.

No – let’s reread that passage once more – the passage says we have an advocate with the Father. Our advocate in not merely standing in front of the judge, representing his client, but is an advocate with the Father. Am I pressing this too much to think that the personnel relationship Jesus has with the Father, that this relationship also bears weight in our representation before the Father?

Not only has He died for our sins, and out of that tremendous gift of grace towards us, have the right to defend us before a judge, but on top of that advantage, Our Advocate is with the Father.

One final thought to consider in this passage is that John does not refer to our Father as a judge in this passage. Our advocate is with His Father.

Truly, I am sure that as we consider the descriptions of the Lord, we will find more than we expect, as we slow down and consider the ramifications of the passages we sometimes gloss over.

Our Advocate is much more that a legal representative before a judge due to our sin.

So much more!

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

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

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Names of God – A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS – 23

2023-11-17

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. At this point in our study, we will begin with “A God Merciful and Gracious”, the twenty-third Name of God on my list. 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.

23

A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

What a good way to start out with on our third phase in the Names of God series. Merciful and Gracious. As I new believer in the church, I was told that grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting what I deserve.

Does that make sense?

Yet, this merciful term has a bit more to it that just not getting what we deserve, as if that didn’t provide enough to be blessed by. This word “merciful” also includes the concept of compassion and somewhat surprised me when I think of merciful. Remember, merciful, in my mind, speaks of the refrain of some action or judgement upon a person that deserves it. To add the idea of compassion brings to mind the motivation behind the my concept of mercy.

When I consider the mercy of God, I commonly think only of the actions of the Lord (or better said, the refraining of rightful actions) and not His motivation in refraining from a judgement. Yet our God is a compassionate God, a God whose heart is that of a Father, seeking the best for His children, teaching, guiding, warning and loving His children.

The second term only strengthens this thought, for the psalmist reminds us of the graciousness of our God, a descriptor that blows up for us in the New Covenant. But for God to be understood as gracious is definitely not only a New Testament descriptor, for there are multitudinous passages referring to our God as gracious in the Old Covenant.

Moses, the law giver, did not understand God to be a harsh, dictatorial God, but when Moses met God, after he destroyed the first two tablets of the law, God began His self revelation to Moses, with the very same description we are considering today

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Moses, out of anger in seeing the Israelites sinning, through down the tablets of the law, a picture of us all “breaking the law”. And God reveals Himself as a God merciful and gracious.

Our God is a most surprising God and His name is to be praised

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

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

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Conditional Security – Hebrews 2:1-3

2023-11-16

Hebrews 2:1-3

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Hebrews 2:2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

We have been working through multiple passage under this series and it is somewhat surprising that this passage has been neglected till now. It is such a powerful passage warning us of our tendency to drift away from the message of the grace of God, and the great salvation He has provided!

When I embraced the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) teaching, I looked at this verse as a passage that was delivered to the lost, and the danger of their rejecting the great salvation the Lord provided for the world. This was the result of reading the third verse only, with a set of OSAS goggles on, interpreting the verse the way I was told to interpret it.

Lets consider the immediate context, and the specific message of the third verse.

Context

The author is speaking to Christians, including himself! Notice how he refers to “we” a couple of times in the first verse. Yes I have heard that the we could be referring to Hebrews, and not Christians since the author may have been Jewish, but honestly, this seems to be such a stretch to avoid the obvious. Consider the author’s fear of drifting away in the first verse. The direction of movement is away from the gospel, which implies there may have been a time when the audience (and the author) were closer to the message.

The entire book of Hebrews is speaking to believers who are on the edge of abandoning their faith, and for the author to change the audience in this small passage makes no sense for me. There will be a number of these passages in Hebrews, where the author addresses the audiences dangerous position. His audience contains Christians, those who believed in the Jewish Messiah, leaving behind a dead religion, a religion whose purpose was to bring them to faith, not to be a competition to the truth!

Specific Message

Again, as an OSAS adherent, I read the third verse thusly.

Hebrews 3:3 how shall we escape if we ~~neglect~~ reject such a great salvation?

How often have you heard a preacher or teacher read this verse, and then go on as if he is teaching it to an audience of lost souls, that they are rejecting the gospel? As if the church is full of lost souls, and that if any believers are in attendance, they are allowed to listen, but it doesn’t really apply to them.

The term the apostle uses is neglect, and refers to an attitude of negligence, carelessness of disregarding the truth we have been given. A few chapters later, the apostle uses this same Greek word in a bit different way, for he speaks of God showing no concern.

Hebrews 8:9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.

The same Greek word (ἀμελέω ameléō, G 272), but the one “neglecting” is God, and the ones being neglected are the very ones who considered the truth they had been provided as unimportant. Note that the author reminds the Hebrew believers that the Hebrews of history did not continue in the covenant they had been provided! Might it be that the Hebrews of old neglected the covenant, made light of the covenant? Surely this is the authors intended message!

Don’t make light of the gospel. We are in a life and death battle, a battle that will have consequences.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below

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Life of David – 2.03

2023-11-15

The Lord Rejects Saul

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.

Today’s post we will review Saul’s Justification.

1 Samuel

14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

Notice Adam in this verse anywhere? Blameshifting on steroids! THEY brought the sheep.. THE PEOPLE spared the best…. Regarding that which was in obedience to the command, Saul joined in on that activity – WE have devoted the rest to destruction.

Stop! Samuel had had it.

He knew Saul was going to loose the kingdom, and this was the trigger that set off the announcement. Samuel had just spent the night hearing from the LORD, and it wasn’t good news. The man that was to be the replacement for God in the nation of Israel has lost his position, is being kicked “out of the garden”. There are some minor similarities of Saul with Adam, but then again, there are some similarities of Saul with me!

Saul was brought short by Samuel, in the midst of his blameshifting and justification of his actions. So religious, wanting to sacrifice the best of someone else’s sheep and oxen! Quite a sacrifice! No matter, for this is the beginning of the end for Saul, and he falls hard!

Our next post will review the judgement that was to fall on this man named Saul.

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

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Adam 16

2023-11-14

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

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

SEEING JESUS IN

ADAM

HIS DOMINION

Genesis 1
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Matthew 28:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

In Adam’s creation, God granted him dominion over all created beings, even over “all the earth”. Did Adam do anything to deserve this tremendous act of benevolence? Dang, the only thing he did was to “become”, if you know what I mean. He was completely passive in his own creation, and all of creation previous to his own. He came into this creation with nothing but the love of God shining down on him, and the beauty of creation encircling him.

Within this condition, God provided Adam the kingdom of the earth, for that is what dominion is speaking of, that is Adam was granted the right to rule over the entire creation. This appointment of ruling was granted out of absolutely nothing Adam did. Please understand my point for it may seem I am laboring to make it.

I assume by now you understand though Adam and Jesus were both granted dominion, Jesus far excels the example of Adam, for He did not have a perfect creation to rule over as Adam, but took a broken world, and suffered to redeem it, and out of a sinless life and vicarious death for our sake, was granted all dominion (authority) in heaven and earth.

A picture they say is worth a thousand words, but the picture of the “dominion of Adam” over earth barely scratches the extent of Jesus’ kingdom. And to return to the thought of deserving the kingdom, as we said with Adam, he did nothing to deserve the dominion over God’s creation. Jesus did everything to deserve the dominion He has been granted. And why? Because He is worthy!

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

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Names of God – EL QANNA (JEALOUS GOD) – 22

2023-11-13

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

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

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

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

22

EL QANNA (JEALOUS GOD)

Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

Whenever the concept of jealousy comes up in relation to the LORD, I fear we bring to mind the image of a drunken, insecure man wearing a “wife beater” shirt, ready to blow up at the hint of any disappointment or challenge in a relationship. Granted, this is how much of our experiential jealousy works itself out in our world (minus the shirt thing!) but as I found out in a previous study series (A Jealous God), for our God to be jealous is everything we should ever want.

He is jealous for our sake, not out of an insecurity of his worth, for He is certainly worthy, He is jealous for our sake, not out an emotional dependency He has, for prior to our creation, He was in full harmony within the Godhead. No, this jealousy, if I understand the Word properly, is a burden the Lord has taken upon Himself for our sakes, and not some knee jerk emotional reaction to the actions of others.

In our verse above, the context is the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the name He provides us is in relation the His people worshipping idols. Throughout the history of the Old Testament, for a father to allow idols usually plays out in the son worshipping the idol.

An example may help.

The patience of the Lord in the Old Testament regarding His people’s continual attraction to idols seems outrageous, for even King Manasseh – the king who typifies the idol worshipping king of Israel in my mind, was granted forgiveness, and restoration.

2 Chronicles 33:10-13
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

This amazing repentance of Manasseh and personal restoration from idolatry by God for the king did not stop the degradation of the nation into captivity, for the children of the nation were on a course of self destruction, with each generation hardening against our Jealous God. Eventually, the beneficial aspect of God’s jealousy (that is, the actions of the Lord, intended for the for the people’s sake) became extremely harsh, for the nation who was granted this love continually spurned it.

Even in the Babylonian captivity, our jealous God continued to show His commitment to His people, using the captivity, not as a final judgement on the nation, but as a learning period for His people as a nation. He exercised the discipline the sons required in order for the restoration of the nation, knowing that the very nation would include those who would condemn the Messiah.

Yet out of this horrific exercise of hardened sinners, the jealousy of God was fully manifested, in that even in the rebellion of men, the grace of God provided for our benefit the gift of eternal life, the privilege of the Spirit of God, and the comfort of the Father’s love for the church.

He is good, and out of His jealousy for us, He has provided all good things!

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

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

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Category: Bible

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David Anointed King

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Tough Issue 1

Tough Issue 2

Tough issue 3

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Context

Specific Message

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