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
Sell Your Soul – by Grammatrain
As you might be noticing, I come back to Grammatrain often in this series. Their lyrics and energy always hit me.
Sunsets fade to night And flowers die away The world is turning ’round And you are turning grey Money burns a hole Inside the wealthy’s heads Why do you insist Pretending you’re not dead?
Sell your soul, sell your soul for Sell your soul, sell your soul for free Sell your soul, sell your soul for Sell your soul, sell your soul for free
Bottles always empty Leaves their prey alone Lovers often leave you Waiting by the phone Nothing seems to satisfy The need for peace Jesus stands before you Wanting you to see
Sell your soul, sell your soul for Sell your soul, sell your soul for free Sell your soul, sell your soul for Sell your soul, sell your soul for free Sell your soul, sell your soul for Sell your soul, sell your soul for free
The song speaks of the never ending desire to find fulfillment in anything or anyone other than Jesus. Giving your life away, in an attempt to find fulfillment, only to realize
He is standing before you, wanting you to see
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
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.
Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s Lineage
2 Samuel 7:18-22 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
David has just been told he will have an everlasting kingdom, with a son on the throne forever. How would you respond to such news? Can we consider his reaction to God’s message in this prayer to God.
First off, may I suggest David’s reaction is one of a God fearing man, a man who considers himself a servant to God, though a king with an eternal lineage promised to him. I bring up the servant topic, because in the prayer David prays, he refers to himself as a servant of God ten times.
Ten times.
For those of us in the modern world, when a preacher gets in front of an audience, and speaks of receiving a message directly from God, it is as if he was “chatting with a friend” A couple buds considering each others opinions. This is not David’s witness! I have mentioned this contrast previously in other posts, where men of God have received a promise or direction from God and the reaction is one of self deprecation, lostness and an utter confession of worthlessness. Consider multiple Old Testament saints as I sought to describe in Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.00.
The man who speaks of meeting God in a casual off handed manner does not reflect the reactions we find of the saints in the Word.
David begins his prayer being astounded by how far the Lord had brought him thus far. After becoming king, he sought to provide an offering of thanksgiving to God in the form of a temple, a glorious offering to the God who had made him the king. This “obvious”‘” assumption on the part of David, though a noble gesture, was not in the mind of God, for God was looking for an eternal kingdom, an eternal temple, an eternal city and an eternal people, all centered in the Eternal King.
David was a lynchpin in this plan to build God’s will in this world, and David’s bloodline would produce non other than the Messiah, King Jesus.
I suppose the best thing David speaks of is that all of this is dependent on God’s promise, on God’s heart, and the revealing of God’s eternal plan to David. Nothing in this prayer speaks to me of David’s accomplishments, but only of God and His will to perform His work.
Although this prayer continues for a few more verses, and the topic changes to the people of God, it is good to see such a prayer as being relatively short. In my reading of the prayer, my watch clocked in at 59 seconds. Under a minute. David had just been given one of the greatest promises revealed to any man, and he spoke for one minute before his God.
Does this observation provide an excuse for short prayers?
Yes and no.
Yes – for if all we do is ask, ask, ask, provide flowery statements and repeat requests over and over, some may consider that to be as the gentiles pray.
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
No, for if in our prayers we are humble in our confessions of weakness, focused in our communication of praise and adoration, specific in our requests and remain God centered (as opposed to us centered), the length of prayer may not be a factor.
As a matter of fact, true prayer before the Lord may erase the time factor totally. For if I am thinking of the time, I am not thinking of Him.
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.
281
HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
Matthew 21:9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
To come in the Name of the Lord.
What does that mean? What did it mean when these crowds shouted out “in the name of of the Lord”
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
IDENTITY
Did the crowds understand this Rabbi’s true identity? Were they openly confessing He was Emmanuel, God with us?
Some identified His person clearly and without hesitation.
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
As He was heralded by the crowd as coming in the Name of the Lord, His disciples must have been beaming. They had hitched their horse to a winner! Little did they understand the extent this Rabbi would go to display the heart of God, revealing the identity of our God beyond what we and they could have imagined. Jesus identified the True God as a sacrificially loving Servant to those who despise and would crucify Him.
Who could have identified God in such a way, providing to all such a glorious act of love to those who hate Him, even to death. None other than the One who came in the Name of the Lord. He revealed the identity of God in a manner beyond any of our imaginations.
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
CHARACTER
Surely, after watching His miracles, listening to His message and seeing His life amongst them fully on display, the crowd most surely associated this Rabbi as God’s prophet. The Rabbi lived a life that could not be condemned and though He was sentenced to death, it was through deceit and malice. His character was stellar, without a blemish, and perfect for a sacrifice.
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Perfect, without blemish as a sacrifice.
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
AUTHORITY
Authority is the right to command an action without being challenged. Of course, the Lord is the Almighty, the One who spoke and galaxies began their existence, a small blue ball grew a garden and He granted life to two souls. He parted the waters, and defeated the enemies. Jesus, as He came down to be with His people, continued exhibiting His authority, over and over again. We see Him exercising His authority over the laws of nature (calming the wind and sea), the laws of physics, (walking on the water) the laws of biology (healing the blind and deaf), and the law of sin and death (raising multiple dead people). He displayed His authority over and over again, yet not for Himself. Throughout His time with us, He did not exercise His authority for His own sake, from not in creating bread for His hunger, through to deliverance from His suffering.
The One Coming in the Name of the Lord truly exhibited God’s identity, character and authority more than any in the crowd could have imagined.
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.
280
HE THAT WORKS MIRACLES AMONG YOU
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–
I am going to confess to those who follow and read my rants, that I am a cessationist. A hardcore cessationist? It is a conviction I have developed over the last four decades, in my studies and in outworking of those who propose the continuation of the gifts in this age.
Before I go any further, let me explain. To be a cessationist is to say that I do not believe prophecy, speaking in tongues, and apostolic healing have continued throughout the church age. These gifts to the church were provided to establish and authenticate the church, and once established as God’s Temple, was no longer required. We have the apostolic teaching, and the very present Spirit of the Lord with us each and every moment. The sign gifts are no longer required.
Is this a stance that should separate true brothers and sisters in the Lord? Absolutely not, for I know I have things in my life many may consider “blind spots”, areas that may need correcting or at least discussion.
Let each man have his faith, as long as it is in the Messiah!
Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
So when a passage describing the “One who works miracles among you” comes up in my reading, do I automatically refer that to the old days, to the times when God was establishing the church, authenticating His new Temple?
Yes and no. You see, I have lived under His leadership and care for over forty years, and have seen His gracious provision in many quiet miracles in my life. The restoration of my grandson from a drowning, to the timely supply of 87 cents needed to feed my first born for a night. I might claim there is no global need for miracles, no global need for signs, no global need for establishing the church. The church is here and the church is established globally.
But that does not restrict the Lord from providing miracles out of a gracious heart to His people. The time of providing authentication has passed. His Body is alive and active globally, triumphing over His enemies.
But for the individual saint, the one who is following hard after Him, or for that saint who may be struggling, considering his options and in a place of weakness, the Lord provides miracles according to His wisdom, according to His kindness and care for His people, according to His mercy.
Is He a God who works miracles among you? Definitely! Open your eyes and be willing to see the work of God in your life!
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.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Galatians 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, Galatians 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul has raked these folks over the coals.
From claiming they are listening to angels/teachers that are to be cursed (1:6-10), to retraining them in the fundamental teaching of justification by faith (2:15-21), to calling them foolish, and being bewitched (3:1), to describing the inability of the law to justify anyone (3:10-14), calling them slaves as opposed to their rightful status of sons (4:1-7) and decrying his heart for them in their errors (4:16-20), Paul was astounded at the condition of this church.
We have previously considered Galatians 5:4, where Paul comes right out and says they are severed from Christ. Severed! Attached at one time, and now severed!
Now we come to a passage that provides proof of the life these “believers” were exhibiting, with the fruit of the Spirit being evidence of the Spirit controlled life.
As an aside, to be Spirit filled, or led by the Spirit, or to walk by the Spirit is the equivalent of Spirit controlled! Any who claims to be Spirit filled and yet is not exhibit self control is suspect. Those who insult and abuse others in an effort to “show how spiritual” they are, are not impressing Paul, and should not impress us!
Paul begins to list a number of life characteristics that he describes as “the desires of the flesh”. The list is extensive and Paul indicates these “works of the flesh” are evident, easily recognized by those observing!
Works of the Flesh are evident!
sexual immorality
impurity
sensuality
idolatry
sorcery
enmity
strife
jealousy
fits of anger
rivalries
dissensions
divisions
envy
drunkenness
orgies
Paul provides such a list, so daunting and all encompassing. How many believers that may be reading are not susceptible to at least one of the vices above? To make matters worse, Paul opens up the list of problem vices with the general description of “things like these”
Oh my goodness! Is there no hope? If I fall into one of these vices, is it all over for me?
My friends, it is critical, at least in my thinking, that Paul is describing the outcome of two types of life. One of dependence on the Lord Jesus, of waiting and listening, learning from the One who is meek and lowly, One who is forgiving, good and patient.
The other life Paul is describing is the life that depends on the fulfillment of the law based on their own efforts. The Law is not (never was) the focus of the truly faithful, but a teacher, showing us how weak and disobedient we naturally are. To trust in that school teacher, and to refuse the One who the schoolteacher is pointing to is truly foolish.
Paul provides this list to give the believers in Galatia a check list, or a guide as to the root of their actions. Bad actions means a bad root! The next list, describing the fruit of the Spirit, not only describes only the highest of good characteristics in a person, but attributes the effort and work of producing the fruit to the Lord. They are not the works of our efforts, or the fruit of our labor. They are the natural out growth of our commitment to learning of the One who leads us.
Paul finishes this passage with a warning.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
To reiterate, when Paul mentions “do” in this verse, he is describing a continual practicing of these horrible characteristics.
As believers, maturing in the faith, we all fall into periods of weakness or times when we struggle with some of these works of the flesh. To actively pursue these characteristics, or to ignore the warning signs these evidentiary works provide us is to find ourselves the subject of Paul’s warning. He warned them once. He warns them again in the passage. Hopefully the warning took and many in the Body of Christ repented of their dependence on the false teachers in their midst, and the Law for their salvation.
Trust in the Person of the Messiah, and refuse any teacher or spirit that pulls you back to a performance/law based life. Follow Him, and in the following, find joy, peace, love and the fulfillment of the law in your life.
Romans 8:3-4 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
To be Christian is great! May His name be praised for all His mighty works.
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 7:11b-17
11b Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
We continue in the passage describing God’s efforts, His plans to build a house, an empire for David, through his lineage. What started out as a well intentioned dream to build a temple for God, becomes God’s plans to build the church through the Son of David.
A continual refrain throughout this passage is the “foreverness” of the kingdom God will establish through the line of David.
But David would have to pass away, enter into death, prior to the realization of this kingdom. And so he entered the grave for a thousand years, waiting to see his Son arrive on the scene. Waiting after multiple sons came and went on the throne, eventually becoming corrupt and worthy of the discipline spoken of above.
This covenant with David (the Davidic Covenant) spoke of the Lord’s training of David’s lineage, and though privileged highly, would not escape the need for discipline when the king sins.
It is not a given that all David’s sons sin, for the passage speaks of discipline “when” those in the house of David sin. As a lineage that had the inherent capacity to veer from obedience to the Father, this inevitably became a reality in each of David’s sons.
Until One came on the scene who obeyed. He obeyed the law, fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law, and was not required to suffer for His own disobedience. Yet He suffered, a terrible beating, a whipping that should have in itself killed the Man, and then the humiliation and suffering of being nailed to a cross, experiencing the taunting, the ridicule, the helplessness of His experience, the abandonment!
He was disciplined “with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men”, but not for His own iniquity, for He was spotless. His suffering was vicarious, in our place, for our rebellion and sinfulness.
Yet there is a portion of this passage that makes me stop and think.
When Nathan is told that God “will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” gives me no pause. Surely there was never a father /son relationship that was clearer, cleaner and consistently based from love than that of the Father and the Son.
What shocks me is that the next verse speaks that the father’s “steadfast love will not depart from him.”
A verse to consider that may impact this promise.
Matthew 27:46 …Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Even in the Father’s abandonment of the Messiah on the cross, as the Messiah cries out to His Father of abandonment, are we to consider this equal to the Father removing steadfast love from Him.
Can this abandonment, this turning of the Father away from the Son while He carries our sins, can this be combined in the heart of God. Can the Father turning from the Son, and the Father’s everlasting love for the Son be one and the same? Is the love of the Father large enough, complex enough, committed enough to allow pain to enter the Son for the sake of the outcome?
Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
The depths of God’s love for His Son is beyond us, and will always be beyond our understanding. Thankfully we do not need to understand everything that happened that horrible day. We simply need to accept the truth of the One who hung for our sins, and that rose from the dead, providing us salvation and security!
He is the Great Son of David, the One who has established the forever Kingdom God promised David.
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.
Convictions
We were at a point on our lives, having to leave mission training due to lack of support, where we were unsure where we were to head next. We asked the Lord, and then requested each of the churches we had established relationships with to pray for direction for our little family. Most churches agreed to pray, but one church that we had visited the year before, in Rouyn-Noranda, called us back. Come up to work in the ministry up here. The pastor, Richard, was a brother we knew from our days in London Ontario.
After the initial invitation, we understood we would be assisting Richard in building up a protestant church amongst the good people of this Quebecois town. Little did we know that once we were on our way, Richard decided to move south to London Ontario to further his education. This decision caused a full blown hollowing out of the church congregation, for many of those in the church also left once Richard, the pastor, announced his relocating to London.
When our family of four arrived in Rouyn-Noranda, we were directed to a rental home by our pastor friend, and proceeded to unload our stuff from the U-haul we rented. Before he left, Richard told me he would drop by in the morning to help me get set up with the provincial government offices. Government offices? That seemed strange to be a priority, but we had just travelled from south Ontario into northern Quebec, and the trip had us a bit frazzled.
True to his word, he showed up in the morning, and took me down to the provincial offices, setting me up to receive welfare/unemployment.
Ok – bells started ringing off in my head. At this point, I don’t recall if Richard had informed me of his intentions to leave the city, or that the church had shrunk down to one small family and an elderly woman, but to look to the government to support the work of the Lord seemed so foul, so offensive. At that moment in that office, I asked for a rescue, a deliverance from being dependent on the government.
Bad news continued to be provided in the next few days, and the situation we had entered started to become clearer. We were a family of anglaise in the middle of a francophone society, without a church to support us, without a mentor to guide us, without any believers we could confide in.
Most of that first week is a blur in my mind now, other than the continual disappointments we were informed of. I immediately began to look for work, and as the Lord is the great provider, I found two jobs to support the family for the next two years. Yes we had committed to two years in this church and we were determined to keep our word.
Flyer delivery in the mornings, and transport truck unloading after that. Both of these “career choices” allowed me to experience the temperature drops of the city we lived in, falling to -40 F in the winter. But we were able to survive, and we saw our two little boys begin to grow up. We experienced the birth of our third child in Rouyn-Noranda, (which is another answer to prayer for later), but found the work to be very challenging.
Additional prayers the Lord answered in relation to the work in this church will be offered in future installments on this series, but for this post, I want to thank the Lord for providing the support we needed as we sought to serve Him in a strange land amongst a foreign people.
He provided work for a “dirty anglaise” to keep his family fed and warm during our time in the church. He answered our prayers for support, giving me enough work to bring home the bacon! Yes we entered into a difficult situation, yet he protected our little family and provided me an opportunity to work amongst those we lived among.
He is good.
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.
279
HE MAKES THE CLOUDS HIS CHARIOT
Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
He rides His chariot.
This word “chariot”, is only found in the Word once, in this verse and no where else in the Old Testament. It is from a root word that speaks of riding, and the implication is that the One on the chariot is riding, even driving the chariot.
Also, the common chariot during ancient Israel’s days was that of a one man cart, hooked up to a horse, or a couple of horses, with a front wall protecting the soldier, giving him a a somewhat caged area to stand in while riding.
It was a form of transportation that was utilized primarily by soldiers, entering into the battlefield to wage war.
In this set of verses that we have dwelled on in the last few posts, we see a picture of a King who is in His lofty chamber. A chamber that is near His people.
We also saw that the King was surrounded with those bent totally to His will, those that are “happy” even taking on less than desirable services for Him as He wishes. For the sake of those He is near.
In this short phrase, we see a King who is on His chariot, riding, even driving the chariot. My assumption is that He is entering into battle, as He is on His chariot, entering in a war that has the destiny of those He is near to at stake.
Each of these descriptions of the King speak to the actions He has entered into for those He is near to, for those He wants to be with, to minister to and in this case, fight for.
His chariot is of the clouds, and from that point of view, He can see all that is going on in the battlefield below. He has the information required to make accurate strategic battle plans, that will surprise the enemy, completely defeating those who enter into battle with Him.
There will come a time when the clouds will no longer be His chariot, where we will see the clouds break open, and the King will abandon His chariot to ride on the victors horse, a white stallion that will complete the battle.
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Even so Lord Jesus – Come.
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.
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Let’s remember that Paul birthed this church, ministered in this church longer than in many of the churches he was associated with. If Paul could claim to know those of his churches, the Corinthians would be the top of his list.
He is not writing to believers he had never met. No no no. These were people that he lived amongst, prayed over and struggled spiritually with. His first epistle was basically a letter of shock and correction, as to the issues that the Corinthians allowed in their midst.
Now, in this epistle, he is defending his apostleship from those in the Corinthian church that are defaming him, false apostles that are providing the fleshly Corinthians excuses to indulge in their wants.
Paul pleads with his people, and eventually pulls out the stopper. Get off the fence. The Corinthians can not partner with the enemy and consider themselves right with God. He calls believers the temple of the Living God, not only in this passage but twice in the previous letter.
His first reference to the temple of the Living God is referring to the congregational body as the temple of the Living God.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
His second reference is to the physical body of each believer, being the temple of the Living God.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
The Corinthians were taught of this privilege and in our verse this morning, Paul reminds the Corinthians of this truth, starts to ask some tough questions.
What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?
What fellowship has light with darkness?
What accord has Christ with Belial?
What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols?
Paul is really drawing a line in the sand, and I want to remind my reader of the context this passage is found after.
The previous verse speaks of Paul
2 Corinthians 6
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
The Corinthians need to make a decision. Paul is closing his plea to the believers regarding his apostleship, and to whom the believers are to listen to. He has opened his heart to them, speaking things of his suffering and his experiences that have been reluctantly provided for the believers to consider.
Now they need to decide. Righteousness or lawlessness. Light or darkness. Christ or Belial. Believer or unbeliever. Temple of the Living God or idols. They, and we, cannot have both.
Considering the context, it appears Paul is not mincing words. The false teachers are the enemy, and to bend the ear to them is to join with them, restricting their affections to the apostle Paul, and his message.
These believers, at least some if not many, having turned to the false apostles, whom Paul called angels of light earlier in the letter, are now on the outskirts of the church, with the invitation from God that if they repent, He will welcome them back.
These believers are being called to reject the false teachers, go out from amongst them, and return to the Living God. They were in a very precarious position before the Lord and Paul needed them to know of the danger!
For us this morning, one truth stands out! Let us not be drawn away from the truth of the apostolic teaching the Lord has provided us by listening to fancy pastors, showy personalities, humorous teachers, or lecherous men who make excuses for sin. These agents of the enemy will pull us away!
The written Word, with the enabling of the Spirit of God is sufficient for the believer to remain in the Temple of God. Teachers that seek to draw us away fron the Temple will attack the authority God gave His apostles, and the teaching they left us.
Is the Word and His presense sufficient for you?
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 7
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11a from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The Lord is continuing to speak to Nathan, telling His side of the story after the king and the prophet both assume He wants a massive, impressive temple. It makes sense doesn’t it, for the Lord to want a house that will impress all the nations and the people of Israel.
No, not from the Lord’s point of view. The Lord is about to illuminate Nathan in relation to David and the people of Israel. And it is all about the Greater David. But I am getting ahead of myself.
This initial portion of the great prophecy of David’s Greater Son, begins with the work the Lord has performed in David’s life, taking him from humble beginnings and making him a prince over His people. Because of the Lord’s work, enemies fell before David, and Israel’s second king will become a man of renown, famous not only in the major religions of the world, but on the national scale, a historic figure.
Through David, the nation will be secure.
Note that the security promised is not necissarily immediate. When I read this passage, I assume the promise will be within David’s lifetime, or at least within his immediate son’s life. But it is important to understand that a son, in the Wordm may refer to a grandson, or a greatgrandson, or any of his lineage. Solomon was a son. So was Joseph. And so was Jesus.
Why do I belabor this point? The prophecy speaks of the future, and it may be months, it may be years, it may be decades or it may be centuries before the promise is realized.
So when Nathan hears verse 10, where the Lord’s promise includes the appointment of a place for my people Israel and that He will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more, it sounds awsome. The Lord continues with the promise of violent men not afflicting them, as formerly.
This is incredible news for Nathan to communicate to David. The assumption is for the promise to be immediate. Let me remind you that although there was a short period under Solomon that the nation enjoyed a security and peace, it was short lived, and the earthly kingdom split apart. Violence continued through Davids reign, Solomon’s reign, through the Babylonian captivity and past the time of Jesus.
That is for those who were of national Israel. For those of the remnant, the faithful, those who followed after the Lord, the promise was real even if physically the promise seemed to be unrealized. Centuries passed and a Teacher arrived, One who would appoint a place for God’s people, and plant them that they be disturbed no more.
For the One who would effectively complete this promise for the people of God was the very One who became the place of residence and rest for the people of God. He is that place where the believer is planted, and where the believer is no longer afflicted by evil men, without the protection of the Master’s permission.
We will go on in our next passage finding out that the Lord not only reminds Nathan of His work in David’s life and his reign over Israel, but more importantly, declares the line of David to be an eternal dynasty, a house of David that will be reigned over by His Son.
It is truly amazing that the promise given to a king in Israel over 3,000 years ago has developed into the full blown expansion of the Body of Christ, the New Testament church where believers find securty and peace in the Son, and have a place of rest under His reign.
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.
277
HE MAKES HIS MINISTERS A FLAMING FIRE
Psalm 104:4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
Our last post sat on the previous verse, and I took the opportunity in that verse to consider the type of writing we encounter in the Psalms. Picturesque, image producing word phrasing that appeals to our imagination.
The psalmist spoke of beams on the water, and hearkened to the image of a great chamber of God’s finding it’s foundation on the water.
Here, we find that the created beings called angels, are at His beck and call, being His angels and His ministers. Those that when we encounter, tend to continually tell us to “fear not” since they are so incredible, so intimidating and so otherworldly, in their original state.
And yet they are His servants, His ministers, waiting to be of service to Him.
Coupled with the previous verse, we find the Lord in His upper chamber, in a place of solitude and calmness, established on the waters, His created world, overseeing those He created and ready with servants to provide Him service.
Is it that He needs help in the management of all things? Absolutely not, for He is the Almighty God, eternal and all knowing. The servants, His ministers speak of His Royal Court, of His authority within His creation, of His otherness, that He is above even those that are beyond our own imagination!
The psalmist saw a majestic vision of the glory of the Lord, of the residence of the Lord on the waters, and of His servants, His created angels at the ready to perform to His pleasure.
Hundreds of years later, a man wrote a letter to the people of the Hebrews, and provided them (and us) some clarity on this verse. He specifically defined who the Lord was in this picture.
Hebrews 1:7-8 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
As the Psalmist describes the One in the chamber, the One who is on the waters, the One who has His servants ready to do His bidding, whether as flames of fire or mighty winds, we find that the author identifies this One who rules amongst us.
The entire book of Hebrews is a treatise on the superiority of Jesus. Chapter 1 speaks of His ruling over the angels, of Him not being of the angels (as some may propose) but of Him ruling over them from His throne, ruling over His created angels from an eternal throne!
The author of Hebrews reveals to us the Psalmist’s God.
His name is Jesus and He makes His ministers a flaming fire..
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.
276
HE LAYS THE BEAMS OF HIS CHAMBERS ON THE WATERS
Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
This is ridiculous. Didn’t the psalmist understand basic physics. The concept of loading and bearing capacity, of distributed loading to allow for structural stability.
Water, unless restricted within a form, or completely enveloped in a leak proof container, is the most unstable, unreliable material to construct a chamber on. To make matters worse, as the Psalmist was describing this chamber, he used a word that often referenced an upper chamber, a roof chamber, a secluded area for reflection and solitude. We may describe it as a loft.
Ok, so to continue on with the absurdity, if the structure was constructed on water, having the room elevated above the foundation only makes this “chamber” more unstable. One good wave and over the structure falls!
And great will be the fall of it.
That is if we think literally, woodenly and without the influence of the poetry that is so rife within the Word. Passages such as this one was completely out of my understanding when I refused to consider some (much?) of the message as figurative, messages that produce pictures in the mind and imagination. Now, don’t start thinking that I am suggesting the Word is only figurative, that passages can be interpreted willy nilly, or by any standard. I am still of the opinion that the Word interprets itself beautifully, and this passage is a fine example.
The psalmist is describing the lofty chambers the Lord resides in in the heavens, chambers that can not be touched by mankind, chambers that are not restricted by our physical laws, by forces such as gravity or actions such as waves or wind.
But Carl, he speaks of the chambers “on the waters” How should we consider this reference? Is it a reference to the water we experience in a lake or the ocean. I say yes, for this very mixture of the non physical beams of His chamber supported by our physical environment (the waters) speaks of His omnipresence, His very closeness with those He created.
His is a chamber of solitude, a restful place for His person, yet He is on the waters, in our surroundings, amongst those who, for the most part, do not realize or appreciate His company.
Yes our God is He who lays the beams of his chambers on the waters, He is One who chooses to be in His loft amongst us, and not afar off, distant and away.
He is near, even beside us, in His chamber. And He has provided a way into His chamber, through a curtain, by the blood of His Son.
Hebrews 10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
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.
Don’t let the title fool ya. This is your friendly neighborhood blog “Considering the Bible”, but for this morning I am going to ask for a wee bit of feedback from those who follow this blog, from those who read occasionally, or even from those who merely trip into this blog by providence.
You see, I have been writing this blog for 76 months, or 334 weeks, or 2,345 days. Wanna know how many hours? Don’t ask! Remember I am a numbers guy!
Nevertheless, I am truly enjoying my journey’s through the Bible, and was curious if my readers would offer me their feedback.
Currently, I am enjoying two book studies (Psalms and 1 Thessalonians) one life study (Life of David) three topical studies (Names of God, Conditional Security and Jesus in the Old Testament) and one personal prayer series, testifying of how good the Lord is to an ol fool like me.
Let me know if one or more of these series have been of benefit to you in your walk with Him.
Thanks again for following, reading and being a part of “Considering the Bible”
Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, Matthew 13:39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Matthew 13:40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, Matthew 13:42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
I sometimes fear, as my thoughts wander around in that hollow space above my neck, that some may read this series and understand each post as an effort to induce a fear of loss, or to communicate a risk in the walk of faith, or to produce an uncertainty in the heart of the believer. After all, to speak of the conditionality of our security in Christ it may be understood that our relationship implies some weakness in our God, some inability in our Father’s work, or some lack in His planning.
If this is your understanding, please be reassured the love of the Father, and the salvation of the Lord Jesus is as secure as the breath we breathe, stronger than the grave and greater than all our enemies.
The message to be understood is the challenge before us as weak, blind and beggarly people to continue to seek Him, to look to Him for our strength, to keep our eyes on Him, to trust Him and to rest in Him. He is all and everything we need, and to walk away from that is to put ourselves in dangerous territory. His mercy extends beyond our understanding, and His kindness continually reaches out to our hardened hearts. But we do have the option to jump from His care, to apostacize from His loving call, and to abandon all hope in running from the hound of heaven.
The passage we breach this morning is a tough one, a passage where some in “his kingdom” will be gathered out and thrown into the fiery furnace.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
Jesus is speaking a parable in this instance, and I am of the opinion, as if that matters, that He is directly speaking of the theocratic kingdom of Israel as He presents this parable. Some in the kingdom (national Israel) will not be spared.
Although there are very many questions I would love to delve into regarding what “his kingdom” refers to, what the fiery furnace is speaking of, and a discussion on “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, I will refrain for later posts. (And after I have thought, prayed and studied much more!)
But for now, it is the general message that some in the kingdom will be removed that has alerted me and is why this passage is associated with the topic of conditional security in my mind.
There were some that the Lord may have been speaking to during this parable that were sure of their kingdom status, their belonging to rule of God, and yet the Lord has the nerve to say they will be yanked out, and tortured in fire!
Note that the passage refers to some in the kingdom as weeds, son’s of the evil one in verse 37. Yet in verse 41, the Lord simply refers to “all causes of sin and all law-breakers”. Now obviously the weeds are included in this judgement, but this last phrase possibly allows for more than just the weeds.
Possibility of more than just the weeds. Yes this is not explicitly stated, yet there is a possibility that those who feel safe may not be.
As I am thinking through this passage and all the implications, all the unknowns and all the questions rising in my mind, I cannot help but resort to one passage in Hebrews that provides a comfort, a place of security that each believer can rest in.
Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Seek the Lord in your life. Hear His voice and strive to do His will. Run from any “cause of sin” in your life, from any law breaker that seeks to influence you.
Be the righteous that will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father, that will reflect the glory of the Lord in the daily grind of life, being kind as the Father is kind, being merciful as the Father is merciful, being patient as the Father is patient.
Jesus summed it up so well, for the life of the righteous is not a life of a false security, but of an active life of love towards our enemies, being kind to the ungrateful and and the evil!
Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
The Message is a paraphrase I especially like to listen to, as it turns a phrase often and it catches something in my mind, like a spur under a saddle. Luke 6:35, 36 is such a passage in the Message.
35-36 “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Simple and direct. Our Father is kind. You be kind.
Replace “kind” with any characteristic you rejoice in, that our Father has expressed through the crucifixion of His Son, and be that.
Did I not mention this series was intended to be a challenge. This passage is a challenge that is beyond our strength, and as we look to Him, seek Him, striving for peace and holiness, you will shine in his kingdom!
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
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
Think Twice – by Petra
It is amazing that I have missed providing the original Christian rock group – at least in my mind – until now. Petra was cutting edge in the contemporary Christian market and was world wide known for their faith based songs.
This particular song was based on 2 Timothy 2:2
You can think of times When you had the right chance You could make a choice When nobody could see You could think of ways Of defending your deeds Justify the way That you wanted to be
Wait just a minute Wait just a minute
Hey, did you ever think twice Something inside says stay away Hey, did you ever think twice When there’s still time You can go the other way Hey, did you ever think twice If you don’t bother Gonna pay the price Hey, did you ever think twice
You can think of things That you wanted to try You can think of things That you wish you could see You could go a way That would seem so right Thinking of a place That you wish you could be
Wait just a minute Wait just a minute
Hey, did you ever think twice Something inside says stay away Hey, did you ever think twice When there’s still time You can go the other way Hey, did you ever think twice If you don’t bother Gonna pay the price Hey, did you ever think twice
Face to face with sin You better think again You better think again Take another look For a second time And give a second thought To where you draw the line
Wait just a minute Wait just a minute
Hey, did you ever think twice Something inside says stay away Hey, did you ever think twice When there’s still time You can go the other way Hey, did you ever think twice If you don’t bother Gonna pay the price Hey, did you ever think twice
Hey, did you ever think twice If you don’t bother Gonna pay the price
Hey, did you ever think twice
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.
275
HE GIVES RAIN ON THE EARTH
Job 5:10 he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields;
No matter where you look in the Word, God continually shows up as a giving God. From the “natural” giving of rain, to the supernatural provision of the Son of God for our life, God is a giving God, a God of provision, of grace, of abundance and of life.
For those souls who ignore the Word, or may just believe what others say of it, or assume the message of the Lord is only one of demands, commands and requirements, I would encourage them to crack the Book and find the Father of Giving. To be of a different opinion regarding the Father is to exist in a life of denial, and lies.
The Lord, as He entered our world and taught us simple truths, reminds us that God is an indiscriminate giver, the God who cares not for who receives the gift, but gives both the sun and the rain to both the evil and the good.
Matthew 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
He is One who pulls from His storehouse and provides for all, for those who ignore Him, for those who deny Him, for those who defame Him and for those who call for His crucifixion. He gives rain to all, and though Job (and the Lord) refers to the general grace of physical rain falling on the earth to provide sustenance for us, the Word also uses it as a metaphor for His work amongst us and in our lives.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
God’s Word is as rain falling on the earth, with a purpose of providing for those in need. Isaiah is not listing all the religious requirements for those who hear the Word, but of provision of life, of the Word’s accomplishments in our lives, and of the Words success in our hearts.
I spoke of those who have ignored the message of the Word earlier, and of the need to crack the Book, to find the Father and to live in the love of the Father. For those who may think of God as a demanding ogre, a killjoy, an authoritarian of oppression, you need to consider the truth of our passage this morning.
God gives rain on the earth. It is a simple truth, an obvious truth, but in considering this simple provision, the honest soul will come to the conclusion that God is a giving God, One whose nature is to provide.
God is a Giver of Rain. If this is a difficult truth to accept for you, the continual and abundant giving nature of our God, I submit you are listening to the lies of the taker.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
The one who steals, kills and destroys will only defame the Great Giver, distract us from His goodness and direct our eyes from this truth.
Crack the Book, find the Giver of Rain. Sit before Him. Understand His nature of giving and let Him provide life to your thirsty soul. Humble yourself before Him and receive from the One who Gives Rain on 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.
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.
Daily Bread
We were living in Rouyn-Noranda, just a few feet south of the Arctic circle (I jest), trying to discern our next steps in following the Lord. We had been invited to this small city to help in a church, but I will relent from discussing some of the many prayers the Lord answered in those years in this post.
Except for one.
For some, this answered prayer may seen insignificant, even coincidental, but when I got the call, all I could do was thank the Father in heaven for watching out for a young family that was in a bit of a bind.
We had finished our commitment to the church in Rouyn, and had decided to pursue a career in Civil Engineering at a college in Kirkland Lake. Paperwork had been filed, student loans had been secured and my first day would be within a week if I recall.
The problem we were living under was that my last pay at Transport Rapide, a truck terminal I had worked at during our time with the church, had dwindled away, and the student loans would not be available for a week or so. My sweet wife reminded me that the food stock was dropping, and would soon be depleted.
Very soon Carl. What to do?
It seemed obvious to me that no one was going to hire me, given I had was heading off to school in the very near future. The church we had ministered in was not able to assist.
Our boys were growing, and their hunger was never satiated, and for that I am thankful! Yet the challenge was provision, and I set out walking the streets, going in any business asking for work. As I visited each business, my “anglais” roots were clearly evident, for though I had gained in my ability to communicate with the French, I was not by any stretch of the imagination fluent!
So as I walked that road, I prayed. I am sure my dear wife was also praying. Praying that the Lord would provide as He did in the Old Testament, and as He had when we ventured south for our training. He was, and is a faithful God, and we prayed.
Miles up the road from our apartment, as I trudged along, I entered Manitoulin Transport, a company that unloaded trucks just like my former employer Transport Rapide. If I recall, I entered the business and asked for the manager, informing him I was on my way to school but was in need of a day or two of work until I started my new path as a student.
He took my number, as had some of the previous businesses, and sent me on my way. I got home before dark. We had a small supper, read our Bible story with the boys and went to bed.
I seem to remember that I fasted the next day, but I can’t claim it was with pure motives. I was trying to minimize the impact on the food stores that remained. The morning was quiet, but as the boys woke, I got a call from the truck company I had visited with earlier.
“If you can make it down this morning we got work for you.”
Some may see this as the natural outcome of a fellow seeking work. Some may see it that way.
I don’t. I see the hand of God in all of the circumstances involved in providing a dependent family with enough to continue on.
What was it that timed this companies need for one day of labor from an “anglaise”? I may never know, but that morning was a good morning as I kissed my favorite before heading off to my new task. And later that day, as they paid me my cash, I went home, knowing my wifey would be dragging her wagon to the grocery store to stock up for the next few days.
He is an Almighty God, but He is also the God of the details, the small stuff, and of the poor and needy.
He is good!
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.
274
HATER OF WICKEDNESS
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
Wickedness.
Some Bibles translate wickedness (Gk ἀνομία anomía) as iniquity, lawlessness and sometimes evil. Note the letter “a” at the start of the word anomía. When we find this condition in the ancient texts, it is usually the same as we would use “non” in front of an English word.
The base of the word, “nomos” simply means law, and combining these two thoughts, we come up with understanding anomía as meaning “without law”, or “no law”.
Now when we read the verse, with this understanding, we could come to the conclusion the author is speaking of one of two cases. Possibly, those without law may refer to those who are ignorant of the law, that are without the law. Of course, a more natural understanding in my mind is that anomía is referring to those who violate a system or rule of law.
I find it at least interesting that this epistle is written to the Hebrews, those who have been given the law, the greatest set of moral guidelines ever provided. And it is true that without the law, transgression is not attributed
Romans 4:15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Now before I go down a rabbit hole that I din not intend for this post, I want to return to the general truth of our God being One who is the Hater of Wickedness. My first thought is that it is good to recognize the author did not say God is a hater of wicked people, but of wickedness. It is still amazing to think that God loves the sinner, the ungodly, the weak and unrighteous soul.
No – God is a hater of that characteristic in a person that isolates them from Him. He is the Hater of Wickedness, and it is seen in the extent of His efforts to separate us from wickedness, to provide us the opportunity to live righteous lives before Him in the Son.
Not only should we see that God is a Hater of Wickedness due to the effect of wickedness on the soul of His people, but even more so, that God is a Hater of Wickedness as it reflects His character.
He is holy, innocent, unstained and separated from sinners, One who provides the eternal priesthood that established righteousness, conforming to all the glories constantly and without fault within the Godhead.
He Hates Wickedness, not only for our sake, but also since it is a complete afront to His character, a complete negation of His order, eternal principles and being.
When I first considered this name of God, I automatically fell into a negative mind set, thinking this name was associated with judgement, fear, condemnation and the such. There are such names of our God that include these truths, and should not be avoided, yet as I considered this name, I come away thinking this name of our God provided very very good news.
In hating wickedness, He protects and maintains His righteousness, refusing any hint of lawlessness. Beyond that, He has suffered under His own hatred of wickedness to deliver us from it’s judgement, providing us the privilege and power, in following Him, to live a life of righteousness.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, Matthew 12:37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Last post, we considered the unpardonable sin in relation to conditional security and I suggested the next portion of the passage may support my initial suggestions. So lets get back to this difficult passage.
Note the first word in verse 33! Either. A term providing a choice between two thoughts or concepts. When I see this word, I think of a decision to be made!
In relation to this passage, Jesus is calling out the Pharisees to make the tree good or make the tree bad. Might the Lord be referring to the Pharisees estimation of His power when speaking of these “trees” and it’s fruit being good or bad?
It is simple logic. Good fruit means a good tree. Bad fruit means a bad tree. The Pharisees have just witnessed an exorcism of a demon possessed man, a man who was blind and mute. Don’t miss the enormity of this miracle, and the resulting fruit! This demon possessed man, who was blind and mute, spoke and saw!
Matthew 12:22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.
But lets remember who the Lord is speaking to? The men He is telling to make a decision are the very ones who are claiming He is in league with the devil! Although an aside, to consider the Master maintaining a logical argument for the sake of these Pharisees in the middle of such a defaming claim is so appealing, so evident of truth, and of such a peaceful stance, it make Him all the more amazing.
Back to this “either” command of the Lord towards the Pharisees, (and any listening) in verse 33. He is laying out the logic that this good result of healing the demoniac (a good fruit) must be from a good source, (a good tree). The Pharisees logic of the power Jesus resorting to diabolical forces to perform this miracle forces the resulting healing into the bad fruit category, and that simply makes no sense.
Even as the Pharisees spread a slurring accusation against the Lord of mercy, He is still reaching out to them, proving His truth, His identity, His mission to them.
And yet He continues with the logic a tree being known by it’s fruit in relation to the Pharisees themselves, stating that their very illogical claim must be evil, since they are evil! He has publicly called the most visibly religious men amongst God’s God’s chosen people evil!
Ok Carl, all your argument follows the text (hopefully) but what has that to do with the topic of conditional security? I am glad you asked, for I want to return to the first word again.
Either. Jesus, after having been defamed by the most powerful men in Israel, places a challenge before them. It is not as though it is too late to revise their estimation of this Rabbi. Yes, they are of the chosen people, and yes they are under a covenant with God. Personal relationship with the most High has always been dependent on faith in God, and not performance of religion, but these men may have some flicker of faith still resident in them. They may, under all the religiosity of their life, have a dim, smoldering faith of some type that the Lord is reaching out to.
Make a decision based on logic, and understand Who is standing before them. Either call Jesus good or call Jesus bad, but their decision will either justify or condemn them.
Matthew 12:37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus is the Messiah, the full expression of the truth, evidenced by logic, by miracles, by the Spirit and by His message. Those who may have some faith in the Living God are dangerously close to condemning themselves by their illogical claims.
A dangerous position to be in, and yet the Lord reaches out to those who have openly and publicly expressed an obviously outrageous claim of His abilities. He is kind, and in His kindness, is very blunt with these men, seeking their repentance and acceptance of Him as the “Good Tree”!
I like to think some in the crowd took heart and rekindled their faith in the Living God of Israel and His Messiah, Jesus. I am hoping someone reading may also rekindle their faith in the Risen One. He has provided all the proof we need, in order to know who He is, the greatness of His love and His completed mission for lost, blind and mute sinners such as us!
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.
4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘
In our last post on this passage, we spoke of how illogical God’s will may appear to us. Some things are so obviously right to do in our thinking that prayer and seeking God’s will seems to be unnecessary. I can’t tell you how often I have fallen into this erroneous thinking.
Our passage this morning speak of how David and Nathan, both men of God, never considered God’s silence in His desire for a “great house” to reside in. Although a difficult topic to enter into, (for one can sometimes prove anything out of a vacumm), it may be good to consider the silence of God regarding His “residence amongst men”
Now, for a little background chronology, the Lord refers to the time between bringing the people up out of Egypt up to David’s day, and per many timelines, we are looking at at least 4 centuries. The Lord had four hundred years to provide notification, and instructions on building a permanent structure in Jerusalem for His house. Not to labor the point too much but that is approximately 15,000 days to provide instructions.
Moses was never instructed. The Judges were never instructed. Prophets were never instructed. Priest’s were never instructed. Up till the peace of David’s kingdom, no one considered this possibility. David was never instructed. Nathan was never instructed. No one was told to build God a temple, a fixed building in a certain location.
But Moses was instructed that to make an altar of hewn stone was to have a polluted altar.
Exodus 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.
As an aside, how many hewn stones would be required for Solomon’s temple in the future?
Aside from that, David’s good intentions were corrected, and as we will see in the next segment of this passage, God provided a covenant with David that spoke of the kingdom of God, and David’s place in this Kingdom. His Son would be King forever, and though David may have understood that to be Solomon, we know better.
But for our passage this morning, let us remember that the silence of God may be instructive for our lives also. We sometimes want to add religiosity to our lives that has never been commanded upon us from on high.
To consider the silence of God for our own lives demands a maturity and a commitment to the will of God prior to addressing this topic. Coming to a clear understanding of the impact the silence of God has on our lives may surely be difficult, time consuming and spiritually dangerous, for you see, it may easily be abused for selfish and fleshly reasons. And yet the Lord reminds these two men of His silence and what that was to mean to them.
In relation to this very passage, where might the silence of God be found helpful in relation to our own methods of worship, congregating and living the community of Christ in our culture?
Questions concerning the silence of God relating to His current desire for His Temple that may come to mind may include.
Instructions regarding the need of dedicated buildings for church
Instructions for the order of church services
Instructions for the extent of church employment
Instructions for provisions within the church body
Instructions to support it’s leadership
There may be more silence regarding the church that I have not touched on, and there may be various ways to address this silence. Yet, as we seek to honor the Lord, we should consider the silence of God as a viable method of understanding God’s priorities for His people.
The Lord reminded David and Nathan of His silence, and even in this silence, God redirected His king to the future reign of the greatest King, the One who is ruling even now!
May we listen to all He say’s (and doesn’t say!)
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.
273
HAND OF THE LORD
Joshua 4:24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”
Anthropomorphism. What a word!
It’s a fancy word that describing a deity with human characteristics. It is a very common method of describing our God in the Word.
God is sometimes described as having – eyes (Amos 9:4), – ears (2 Kings 19:16), – feet (Isaiah 66:1), – a mouth (Jeremiah 9:12), – and a back (Exodus 33:23),
Sometimes His actions are as if He is a man, as though He – walks in the garden (Genesis 3:8), – smells a pleasing aroma (Genesis 8:21), – comes down to see the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:5).
In our passage this morning, we find He is described as the hand of the Lord. We find this thought also in Exodus 7:5
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
In both of these instances, it is good to note that in the description of the hand of the Lord, both are in reference to dominating or overpowering an adversary or abuser.
Though this term is often used in relation to warfare, it is also used to describe the enabling of a man by his God.
1 Kings 18:46a And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah… Ezra 7:6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia….for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
Though these men were enabled in their ministry by the Hand of the Lord, it is John the Baptist that experienced the Hand of the Lord even at his birth.
Luke 1:66 ESV – and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
John had the Hand of the Lord on him from birth. Can you imagine? Surely, he was, as the Lord described, the greatest of the prophets!
Two other times this term is used in the book of Acts describe either the power of God on the saints, or a judgement on a magician in Cyprus.
Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
Acts 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
The Hand of the Lord defeats an enemy and empowers the faithful.
Is this not a great picture of the One who is King?
He is the One who has defeated His (an our) enemies, even through His own death, and leads His people to victory, empowering us as we seek to follow Him.
Jesus is the Hand of 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.
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.
272
Guarantor of a Better Covenant
Hebrews 7:22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
Better. A most common word in the book of Hebrews. It pops up so many times, I thought it wise to provide a list for our review prior to focusing in on our verse this morning.
Regarding our verse for this morning, it is good to get a bit of context for our understanding. The author of Hebrews is taking his audience through all the “betters” of Jesus, and in chapter 7 is addressing the priesthood. Jesus is described as of the Melchizedekian priesthood and not of the Levitical priesthood, linking Jesus with the eternal office of priest through the promise found in Psalms 110,
Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
This isn’t the first time our author refers to this passage, as he has mentioned it in Hebrews 5:6 and Hebrews 7:17. He really wants to communicated the eternal priesthood of our Savior.
So let us be thankful, since our Savior is not one that will ever die again, and that because of his eternal life, He also has an eternal ministry.
But that is not the only aspect of this passage that is making Jesus better in relationship to His priestly duties and office. For that nugget to be understood, it is necessary to consider the two previous verses.
Hebrews 7:20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, Hebrews 7:21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
The issue in our passage is not simply that Jesus is our eternal priest, never to pass from His ministry for and to us, but for those in the Old Testament economy, to compare the basis of the preisthoods.
For a Levitical priest to serve in the Temple, his lineage was critical, for no priest was able to continue in his service. The priest needed replacements, because of this thing called death. They kept dying. Since the replacements were of the tribal lineage, there was never any oath or promise associated with the installment of a priest into his position. Born a Levite, be a priest.
With Jesus, His placement as priest is not only based on His eternal life, but on an oath. An oath taken by God almighty, in which God swore in giving the oath, and added that nothing would change His mind.
This is an incredible statement, for it was an oath given from the Father to the Son.
Jesus is a priest forever! This is a promise, an oath from the Father to the Son. Not only a positive oath, but also a statement declaring God would never recant.
To be a guarantor is to be the One who is responsible in an agreement, in a covenant.
So let’s recap.
Jesus is a better priest than the Levitical priest due to His eternal state, living forever, always in the priestly position and office, and that the Father has promised His right to Priesthood in an oath that is of the strongest language. On top of all of that, Jesus is the Guarantor, the One who is responsible for the Covenant, the New Covenant that is in His blood. The Levite was simply a religious butcher, cutting an animal provided by someone else.
When the author makes this statement of Jesus being better, there is so much more than a simple comparison with a Levite. He is the One who is in charge, Who is our Priest, Who will never be replaced, Who needs not provide and additional sacrifice and Who has been made perfect forever!
My oh my – Jesus is better!
As believers I think we know deep down that He is better, but it is so good to take a moment sometimes to remember how much better He is!
And He truly is so much better.
Thank you Lord! You are the Guarantor of a Better Covenant!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Matthew 12:31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
This is a difficult passage and to consider it under the topic of conditional security may at first be difficult to justify. Let me give you my thoughts on why this passage may be addressing this topic.
I am of the opinion that this particular passage is very specific to the time frame in which it was spoken. Consider the audience and the hingepoint of history we find it spoken in.
Jesus, The Messiah, the Gift of God to all mankind is again discussing God’s truth with those Pharisees. By the time we get to this morning’s interaction with the Pharisees, Jesus has dealt with them a number of times.
Interaction with the money changers – John 2:12-25
Interaction with Nicodemus (a Pharisee) – John 3:1-21
Interaction, rejection and attempt to murder Jesus in Nazareth – Luke 4:16-30
Interaction and rejection of Jesus claims of equality with God -John 5:16-47
Interaction on Sabbath importance – Matthew 12:1-8
Interaction concerning John the Baptist – Matthew 11:2-24
Interaction based on the Pharisees claiming His power is from the devil– Matthew 12:22-32
We are seeing from this brief list that things are getting very tense from the standpoint of the Pharisees. To pull out the non-logical argument that this Rabbi is depending on Satan to perform His life giving, healing ministry is a stretch by any account.
And Jesus does not mince words.
He openly confesses that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. Did you get that? Will be forgiven, not may be forgiven! He is telling these religious men that all sins will be forgiven. That must have tied their knickers in a knot!
He did place a caveat though as he addressed these men who would deny the obvious work of God through this Rabbi. If you will defame and lie against the work of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit in God’s Messiah, there is no hope for you. You see, He continues in his address to these men, declaring the sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit as being applicable in two ages. This age, or in the age to come.
I have often wondered what the “age to come” refers to, for it is not necessarily the next age, though it may be. I do not struggle when the Lord mentions “this age”. He is referring to the time in which he was living and breathing, talking to the men who opposed Him.
So here is how I understand this passage. Jesus is seeing the Pharisees becoming more and more desperate in denying His rightful place as Messiah, going to the incredible extreme of associating Him with Satan! As the people of God during the age of Moses, (prior to the resurrection and the wide spread explosive dispersion of the Spirit amongst the Gentiles) these Pharisee’s knew the truth of the Messiah, and understood that Jesus fit many, many of the required prophecies regarding the coming Savior.
As a matter of fact, there have been many studies revealing that the generation Jesus appeared in was the last generation a Messiah could appear to the people of Israel.
One specific prophecy that the Pharisees surely studied was that found in Daniel 9. A very detained and definite prophecy of the Messiah’s appearance within a certain time frame based on the captivity of the Jewish nation. Jesus was right on time. The Pharisees would not have it. He wasn’t working with them on their plans and objectives!
Nevertheless, the Pharisees knew Jesus was the Messiah, but out of envy and a refusal to submit to truth, refused Him and the witness of the Spirit!
Now as I mentioned earlier, these men were amongst the people of God, but at this point, it appears that all privilege assigned to the faithful Jew, though rejecting the message of the Spirit, would not receive forgiveness! In a word, privilege would be revoked from those who would not submit to truth!
Prior to this interaction, where did the Pharisees stand with God? Classed as of the Jewish nation, and as such, in the age of Moses, these men were in covenant with the God of Israel. Yet in this age, these men would be cast out, even as spoken of in numerous parables later in Jesus ministry!
Matthew 22:13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
In our next post, Jesus continues with His message to the Pharisees, speaking of fruit and trees, hopefully understanding the message we find in Matthew 12.
Let me know your thoughts.
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 7:1-17 1 Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
Assumptions. Even awesome kings and great prophets make assumptions.
David’s Assumptions
David assumed that since he was in a great palace/house and that there was nothing to do – he had been given rest from all his adversaries – that it was time to honor God, to express his thankful heart and to bring attention of the nation to their God by building Him a temple, instead of simply letting the God of all Creation dwell in a tent.
At first blush, this all appears to be most honorable on the part of David. Sure he had to build his own house first, and he couldn’t build a temple while at war with his neighbors. But now that things are settled down, and his authority and position is established with the nation, it is logical given the many times God has provided guidance, and miraculous victories, that His house within the nation becomes greater, bigger, shinier, flashier and oh so awesome. An impressive house for such an impressive God, in such an impressive kingdom!
Yes, for David this all made sense, and he talked about it to Nathan, the prophet of God, the man that would provide guidance from God in relation to decisions of national interest, and personal life choices for the king.
Nathan’s Assumptions
Nathan seemed quick to agree. After all, David had just experienced a run of successes that proved that the Lord was with him. With a track record like David’s, and the idea of honoring God being presented to him, it must have seemed like a slam dunk type of question.
Get at it David. Your a winner and your idea is such a God honoring idea! How could this backfire, or displease God?
Well, as you may know, there was one other person that wanted to be involved in this decision. In our next post, we will see that making assumptions about God’s will can bring about some surprising responses from God.
For today’s passage, it is good to remember that God’s will is many times completely opposite to logical reasoning.
For instance, an easy example of God’s will being opposed to logical thinking is that of turning the other cheek.
If Bobby slaps me around, either physically, or emotionally, or even spiritually, it only makes sense that I provide a response in like kind. Logically, if I do not respond in like kind, this shows weakness, and may invite more violent actions against me. Of course, the Lord’s command was to provide another cheek, or to carry a load another mile.
That is even crazier!
Until you win your enemy through acts of sacrificial love. But you see, that is not the thinking of the world! That is not logical, for there is no satisfaction for myself in getting retribution, nor is there any guarantee that my act of self sacrifice will win my enemy over. It may very well open the door for greater abuse.
My assumptions of using logical reasoning to find God’s will is faulty at best. Many believers may think it wise to take the world’s logic, and patch God’s name to it to justify their actions, but this does no honor to the God we say we worship.
The Word and the Spirit provide guidance, and we do well if we refer to the sometimes illogical call of God to lay our lives down in a self sacrificial manner to honor Him.
Jesus did. And boy, did He ever honor God!
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