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.
228
GOD OF THE WHOLE EARTH
Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
I will never forget the day I discovered the Hebrew word for earth. That word alone ignited a change in my thinking that I completely was unprepared for.
You see, when the Old Testament prophets used the Hebrew term אֶרֶץʼerets, I did not know that it is sometimes translated as land, as in “the promised land”, and sometimes translated as ground or soil, as in the material that makes up the earth, and sometimes translated as earth, referring to the planet we reside on, as it is here in our verse.
To make matters worse, (at least for me), the same nebulousness occurs in the New Testament. But that will be for another day, for I want to focus simply on how this impacts the name of our God in this passage.
Isaiah is declaring to all who will listen of the restoration of Israel in this passage. He is looking down the corridors of time to a time when barrenness would no longer be associated with Israel. Let’s read the introductory verse to this amazing prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah 54:1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD.
He speaks of the barren one having more children (meaning greater honor in ancient Israel) than the married one.
What in tarnation is Isaiah talking about? Who is the baren one? Who is the desolate one? Who is the married one? I am so confused!
Thankfully the apostle Paul provides apostolic teaching in Galatians 4:27, referring to this verse in his discussion of the church in relation to Old Covenant Israel.
Galatians 4:27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
Paul continues with his discussion in Galatians, defining those in the New Testament Church, as being the subject of this prophecy.
Galatians 4:28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
Thank you Paul, for I was so unsure of where Isaiah was going with this verse, but in New Testament understanding, when Isaiah speaks of “enlarging the place of your tent”, he is speaking of the expansion of the church.
If I follow you Paul, when Isaiah speaks of expanding to the right and to the left, he is referring to the impact of the gospel beyond the restricted borders of the nation of Israel. When Isaiah writes of the barren one inheriting the nations, he is describing the influence of God on all nations, the complete unleashing of the truth of God throughout the earth.
All of this future honor, replacing the shame of captivity will occur due to the Lord Himself. The gospel of the resurrected Jesus is the message, and the power of the Spirit of God has multiplied the people of God, fulfilling the expansion Isaiah spoke of when he wrote that the “place of your tent” will cover the whole earth.
Now I get it! Isaiah saw it, knew it and taught it. Paul saw it, knew it and taught it!
He is the God of the whole erets! There is no opportunity for any confusion in the term erets in this verse. Isaiah may have used erets in this verse, but the intended message is that the whole erets will be impacted, the totality of the erets will be reached with the message of God.
Yes – He is the God of the whole erets, the God of all of creation, having exploded out of the land (erets) of Israel with the message of His resurrected Son, impacting all and every part of the created erets!
Let there not be any mistaken assumption on the readers part that God is some local deity restricted to a small patch of land far, far away from most of us.
He is the God of the whole 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.
For the past few years, my wife and I have prayed over and asked for guidance from the Lord on major decisions as we developed a plan of actions for our remaining years. This “plan” we developed required, at least in my mind, two actions to occur within a couple weeks of each other. We had some control of the timing, but in the end, the specific timing would rely completely on the hand of God.
Yes, I am sure we had (most likely) prayed that we wanted His will and not ours. Yes, we surely (most likely) were willing to accept His will. Yet when I got the call, having the first action completed, and the second still in progress, I was not ready for the disappointment.
Our timeline would not go as we had planned. Many situations played into this, including one of the actors in this plan loosing her employment, and another the inability to get a prompt answer from a government type committee, but all of that needs to be brought into focus. The Lord has His hand in the mix, and that night as my wife lovingly cooked me some cheesy eggs, I finally found a peace about the situation. It is the Lord’s will at this time!
Is it fixed? Not at all! Is there a way out? Maybe, and we are pursuing alternate plans, but in the midst of it all, it is good to know the Lord and His caring guidance in all of this.
This willingness to allow the Lord’s will to actively be accepted is a lesson I have not been especially good at learning.
It was a few years ago, when one of my five children had been picked up by customs officials, and sent to immigration detention within our city, that we prayed for His power to save. We spent countless hours begging the Lord to provide His deliverance from this prison time for my daughter. Yes, my daughter was dropped into a federal prison, waiting for determination of deportation.
Hours of begging, negotiating and pleading with God in prayer for her release. Buckets of tears flowed again over the injustice we were experiencing in our lives, for this is the third child who has experienced this crisis in our lives.
It was a testing that I would wish on no one.
What is my point in telling this second story? I remember well the couch I was kneeling at in prayer, when I finally gave my daughter up to Him, releasing her to His will. If the Lord wanted her to be away from us, may the Lord’s will be accomplished.
My friends, I would like to tell you my daughter showed up on my doorstep that morning, but that was not the outcome. After two court appearances, my daughter was asked to stay behind. The judge was like a machine with all the other subjects, spitting out decisions rapid fire, sealing the fate of many. When it came to her, the judge cleared the room, leaving only my wife and I with her. He proceeded to upbraid the injustice that had occurred in this incarceration, and declared her to be freed immediately.
She was coming home!
By sharing both of these stories, I would like to encourage all who are in the midst of disappointment and disillusionment to give up your self imposed expectations, to lay down the struggle and submit to the obvious, immediate will of God in your life. Disappointments, I have found, are often an indicator of a wrong focus in my life, of setting up expectations that I depended on instead of on the Lord.
Regarding the plans above, I realize I was depending on my timeline. In my heart, our plans were set in stone, and God was to act as our magic genie, providing His power to supply our wants. How could a believer think this way?
Regarding my daughter, I realize I had elevated family above Him, and He graciously taught this ol’ fool, providing her back to us.
In all of life, even in the disappointments, we are called to give thanks. Let me tell you, I have found it impossible to truly give thanks as I struggled with missed expectations from God. The key is to submit to the will of God. It is our calling.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus 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 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.
227
GOD OF THE SPIRITS OF ALL FLESH
Numbers 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
Let’s get some background to this name of God.
Numbers 16 is the chapter describing Korah’s rebellion against Moses in the wilderness. It was a sizable rebellion, where Korah had assembled 250 chiefs of the congregation (vs2), and brought a complaint against God’s man!
Now remember, at this time, Moses has been established as the prophet of God to lead the twelve tribes out of Egypt and into the promised land. We all know of the miracles in front of Pharoah, and that the tribes had experienced, not only in Egypt, but as they fled their captors.
And what was Korah’s complaint? His complaint is as follows
Numbers 16:3 …“You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
A common attempt to divide by a false prophet.
Korah’s argument? Since the entire nation was holy, (in theory, but not necessarily in practice), it is obviously unnecessary for one man to lead. Do not all the people know God, making your leadership unnecessary Moses? You only seek leadership because you want to exalt yourself!
So many contradictions and falsehoods in this claim, but the groundswell of opinion was growing on Korah’s side. A few verses later, (vs 13) Dathan and Abiram refused to respond to Moses, claiming Moses was exalting himself.
Something had to be done, or Korah would cause much damage, even the destruction of the mission of Moses!
It is interesting to note that Korah stood in the place of honor prior to his rebellion. Not only was Korah a close relative of Moses, but he was the head of the Kohathites, of the order of the Levites, charged with the solemn duty of transporting the things of the tent of meeting. (Numbers 4:15).
He had honor and prestige, yet it wasn’t enough. He led one of the most effective rebellions against Moses in the wilderness, and is famous for the eventual judgement that fell on him and his family.
And this is where Moses and Aaron fell on their face and called on the God of the spirits of all flesh? The prayer centered on personal responsibility, of how one man’s sin would not consume the relatively innocent caught up in the frenzied message of a man gone mad.
The prayer identified God as the God who knew each individual, who would account for each one’s actions, and that would separate those of rebellion from those of simple foolishness. Those of the congregation, who had blindly followed Korah in the rebellion, got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, prior to the coming destruction.
The Lord showed up that day, directing His prophet to separate the fools from the rebels, and after the separation, proved AGAIN that Moses was His representative.
Moses spoke of the fate of these rebels, and the Lord opened the earth immediately after Moses informed the congregation of their fate. A direct and immediate demonstration of Moses as the undisputed leader of the nation!
God is the God of the spirits of all flesh, and He knows each of us. If this passage speaks of any truth, it speaks of how the Lord knows of the rebellion in His people, and of those who are simply foolish enough to listen to them. It also speaks of the Lord able to “clean house” when He deems necessary. He is not One who shies away from protecting those who are on His side!
As the God of the spirits of all flesh, we are to stand in awe of the One who knows each of us, but not only that incredible truth. He knows of my rebellion, of my turning from Him at times of weakness, of my listening to the wrong message and wandering off.
He is the God of the spirit of my flesh, and as that, I need to be committed to His Man, His Prophet, His Chosen Leader. I need to be committed to the Son, who has led the way, all the way to the cross and through the grave.
May we all seek to renew our commitment to our Greater Moses, rejecting the message of all the Korah’s in the church!
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 wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Before we begin this psalm that refers of the true king, pictures the Messiah, and describes the ultimate kingdom, it may be good to mention there is some discussion on the author. Per the ESV, verse 1 seems to speak of this psalm as originating (humanly) from Solomon, David’s son. There is an argument that the psalm was written by David himself (see the last verse) and he wrote it “of Solomon” in his reign, as David looked into the future potential of his son.
Although I am of the opinion David wrote this psalm, no matter how you see this topic, let us delve into this psalm that speaks over and over again of the greater Son of David, the true King of all.
Psalm 72:8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! Psalm 72:9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! Psalm 72:10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! Psalm 72:11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
As mentioned previously, this psalm may have been intended to describe Solomon’s kingdom as David was in the Spirit, but for goodness sake, even David knew the seeds of destruction were resident in the kingdom he had built under God.
Speaking of sea to sea, David may have meant from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. But David had already bequeathed that region to his son Solomon. What pray tell may he have truly anticipated? What else may be implied by this phrase?
I assume this is the very implication we discussed in the previous post on Mark 12. David meant all the seas throughout creation, and that seems obvious with the next phrase he interjects into his plea to God. From the River to the ends of the earth.
It is no coincidence (is it?) that the True King of Israel, the Greater David, used this same terminology when He commissioned His subjects to spread His Kingdom to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
His enemies would lick dust, reminiscent of the words of the curse, and the beginning of the end for the accuser of the brethren. As an enemy would approach a victorious king, they would typically kiss the earth in a show of humility before thier conqueror. Those who approached the True King would not only kiss the earth, they would lick the dust. A true sign of complete domination.
David speaks of His Son as the One whom all would fall before, even those distant from the promised land, no matter their standing, even kings of other nations. To mention Sheba and Seba, Tarshish and the isles, represented some of the farthest countries from Israel, and this implied total dominion over the known world.
All nations shall serve Him. This is the truth, for the Resurrected One is reigning even now, and though not all have bowed the knee, it is only the patience and loving kindness of God that is providing time for repentance to erupt, for each one to realize the truth of the Person of Jesus.
He is the King. It is best we acknowledge this truth, love the King and serve Him with our heart mind and soul.
May He be praised in all our lives, and throughout His everlasting reign!
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.
226
GOD OF THE LIVING
Mark 12:27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
What a coincidence.
I hadn’t looked ahead on the topic for this mornings post, and as I was travelling to work this morning, I just so happened to be in the Gospel of Mark.
Now as the heretic that I am, I was listening to what many consider a paraphrase of the Word, as it often brings up shades of meaning that I pursue in studies later on. Yes – I was listening to the Message, and have found it to be a refreshing take on truths I think I am familiar with.
This time, my familiarity of the passage was way, way off base!
Let’s read the short response of the Lord in the Message.
Mark 12:24-27 (MSG) Jesus said, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know what God said; two, you don’t know how God works. After the dead are raised up, we’re past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don’t you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You’re way, way off base.”
Can you imagine any respected Bible teacher in a debate, using this type of language? Even more so, to think the Lord Jesus may have used this type of non-formal response to the “highly respected” Sadducees only makes Him to be more of a hero to me.
He is awesome in His response, and spoke the truth.
They were way, way off.
1. They Just Don’t Know Gods Word
He told them they don’t know God’s Word.
These religious practitioners boasted about their understanding of the Word, and though they disbelieved much of it, they certainly had knowledge of the words in the Book.
So how can Jesus make such a claim?
It is because of their approach to the Book, looking for “outs”, trying to find a way to fit the Word into their lives and culture, instead of fitting their lives and culture to the Written Word.
2. They Just Don’t Know God’s Works
They knew the facts, but they didn’t know the facts. I know it seems confusing and I have tried to explain this difference in a previous blog (Inherit the Kingdom? Who Knew?)
It is the difference between experiencing God’s works and simply knowing facts about His works. There is a massive difference, and I am speaking to those who experientially know the work of God in their lives, even on a daily basis as He proves Himself over and over again, for He is the God of the Living.
The Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection), coming to the Scriptures with that bias, completely miss the fantastic implication of the burning bush Moses faced. For God spoke of being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not that He was their God, but that He is their God, even at the time Moses was before the burning bush, hundreds of years after the Patriarchs passed.
Don’t they ever read the Bible?
Someone with a bias against resurrection truth would be blind to this implication. They would be way way off.
So sad. So blind. So unnecessary!
Imagine being way, way off base!
Thankfully, for those of us who have experienced the work of God in our lives, and seek to follow after Him in a daily walk, we are privileged to find these implications everywhere!
It is wonderful to travel the Word and trip over these implications as we seek Him.
I would love to hear from some of my readers of their experiences in the Word and how their eyes lit up when they discovered an implication they had not experienced before.
For He is the God of the Living, even on this very day, and all who worship Him, either living or having passed from our view, have experienced the wonder of His Word and Works.
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.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Caleb
Leader
Numbers 13:30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Luke 5:8, 10 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Caleb took charge of the situation. Even in the midst of Moses. And remember Joshua was most likely standing beside him!
Quiet
As a leader, he first controlled the situation, quieting the people. He hushed them. Quit running about with your heads falling off, taking in all the fears that have been imagined! Be quiet, and realize the truth of the matter.
He too experienced the fear mongering we are so often the victim of in our modern society, a fear mongering that is easy to fan into flames for those who have little to do with the True God!
Nothing has changed, for one of the enemies greatest weapons against the people of God is to whip us up with rumors of destruction, fear of the future and the dread of death. It is a common tactic, and if we understand the designs of the enemy, we are better positioned to battle our thought lives properly!
2 Corinthians 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Judge
He was a man who could judge a situation quickly and respond naturally for the purpose of directing the people toward God. He didn’t have to get volumes of data and analyze the situation though multiple processes to come to a decision. He knew in his soul of the dangers of this fear mongering report, of the doubt that was raging through the camp.
He surmised the situation, diverted the crowd from their natural, initial reaction to the findings and spoke of their resources, the ability of the tribes of Israel to “overcome it”
Provide a Plan
Although Caleb provided a skeletal plan in this verse, I would like to emphasize the aspect of timing. He was ready to go NOW.
Let us go up at once!
In our analytical world, with studies and reports needed for decision making, it is refreshing to see a man of confidence make a decision, control a situation, and expect the best of the people. Caleb was a leader, in the midst of leaders.
Jesus also was a take charge type of man, a leader who exerted tremendous influence on those who had ears to hear.
When he was dealing with Peter and the catch of fish, He also quieted His subject – Peter fell down at His knees – and provided a plan for Peter. Peter, you are going to catch men! He had a plan for Peter’s life and He provided it to peter without hesitation. Jesus was well prepared to lead His men with decisive decisions as at this calling, and with decisions that turned fatal later in His ministry.
His depth of leadership has no competitor, for He is the only One who is the Ultimate Leader, the Lord.
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.
225
GOD OF THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL
1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
David didn’t differentiate did he?
He wasn’t unable to see how heaven and earth coexisted together, even on a battle field. After all, David was the one who worshipped God in the field, as he was tending his sheep, or who expected direct communication with God, even apart from the Tabernacle.
The Word speaks of his dependance on God through his defense of the lambs he was responsible for. He had a connection with the Almighty that is more like the modern believer than the Old Testament Jewish adherent in many ways.
The concept of heaven and earth coexisting in the same area, at the same time, and for the same purpose speaks of the faith and insight of this young man who would become Israel’s second greatest king, coexisting as he uses two names for our God.
When he speaks of the Lord of Hosts, he is referring to the many mighty angels swirling about the throne of heaven, spread out over the earth and crowding around the tiny nation of Israel, especially on standby as this plucky teenager makes such claims to this formidable opponent.
But when he refers to the Lord as the God of the Armies of Israel, he speaks of the army that was cowering in the corner, turning their eyes from that giant, whispering about what to do. He speaks of the earthly army, supposedly at God’s disposal to enter into God’s plan for the nation.
Given this understanding, David didn’t look at the situation he knew of, for he had just came from the camp, where all the knees were knocking. He knew the reality of the situation, yet he also knew the God of the Armies of Israel was the One who led, the One who was able to work in the midst of weakness and doubt.
Of course that army of Israel needed to be brought to understand the absolute truth of heaven and earth being one and the same when it comes to knowing God, and when it comes to facing the enemies in our lives.
What was the missing component, the information that was lacking for this army, in that they were not “in the know”, according to David? He spoke to his nation’s army prior to approaching that giant of his shock at their reluctance to approach and dominate this soon headless foe!
Now he was on the field, expressing to the enemy the truth of Israel’s armies calling, if not exactly the condition of their experience. And in moments, he was about to act to provide the missing motivation to enliven an army that was standing still.
Once he stepped toward the lumbering enemy, the die was cast and soon the armies of Israel would be reminded of their calling and abilities as they look on God, the maker of heaven and earth. One stone, and the lifting of the enemies sword over that giants neck provided a reminder of the amazing privilege the army of Israel resided in, and the motivation to pursue the enemy to dominate.
It all hinged on David describing God for not only the enemy to understand, but also to remind his people of their tremendous calling. Notice just a verse later, David speaks of the importance of the army of Israel experiencing his victory.
1 Samuel 17:47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
David stepped forth, describing the coexistence of heaven and earth, and spoke many parables to enhance this truth. Oh – did I make a mistake in calling Jesus David? How could I slip likfe that? After all, they both were men who understood the coexistence of heaven and earth in the same place, same time and for the same purpose.
For Jesus, He also stepped forward amongst the people of God and pronounced the same truth, and was to provide to the people of God, who sometimes (often?) forgot this seeming contradiction of heaven and earth being one. God and man inhabiting the same space and time. The intended plan of both God and man enjoying the same purpose!
David defeated the enemy, that giant opposed to the nation. That enemy fell, and he fell hard, for all the world has heard this story. He lost his head and his reputation, becoming the giant who was taken down by a teenager. How embarrassing!
Jesus also defeated the enemy, the giant opposed to all of creation! The enemy fell, and he fell hard. Paul describes the shame of those Jesus defeated.
Colossians 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
This victory of Jesus didn’t look like a victory though. Battered and bleeding, He suffered shame, and died the death of a lowly criminal. He very life was lost in an apparent defeat. How disappointing.
Until heaven and earth could not accept the death, could not maintain the process of death and decay upon the most Righteous One. He arose to show us all of who He actually was, and who He did battle with. And heads rolled!
How utterly shocking! How dumbfounded those disciples were to be met with the Risen Savior after such a seeming decisive defeat.
Yes, heaven and earth do coexist. As the current physical army of the Lord on earth, commonly thought of as the Body of Christ, we also have seen our David approach the enemy, take out the enemy and become the King of all, both in heaven and on earth.
Let us remember our calling, remember who is leading us, and take our motivation for holy living from our Master, living a contagious joy as we spread the knowledge of the Lord to all the world.
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 wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Before we begin this psalm that refers of the true king, pictures the Messiah, and describes the ultimate kingdom, it may be good to mention there is some discussion on the author. Per the ESV, verse 1 seems to speak of this psalm as originating (humanly) from Solomon, David’s son. There is an argument that the psalm was written by David himself (see the last verse) and he wrote it “of Solomon” in his reign, as David looked into the future potential of his son.
Although I am of the opinion David wrote this psalm, no matter how you see this topic, let us delve into this psalm that speaks over and over again of the greater Son of David, the true King of all.
Psalm 72:5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! Psalm 72:6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! Psalm 72:7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
In our last post on Psalm 72, we found that David was speaking of righteousness as the basis of the Kingdom.
Even as I remind my reader that, I can hear a “little voice” arguing with me. But Carl, is not the Kingdom to be based on love. Does Paul not mention love as the overarching guiding principle of the kingdom?
1 Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Yes he does, and the question is valid, little voice. So how does righteousness and love relate in the believers life.
As mentioned previously, righteousness is the acting out of all of God’s characteristics without the diminishing of any. It is unlike that of the worlds righteousness, such that it favors no person. Righteousness in my little world often favors my interests, my desires, my wants and delegates the needs, or even rights of others to a lower standard of consideration in the outcome of righteous judgements. This is the worlds righteousness.
To practice righteousness is to know all the facts of a situation, understand the actions taken by all, discern motivations, and execute judgement, all without departing or diminishing the character of God. To practice righteousness is to not favor one characteristic over another, like favoring mercy over holiness in the decisions made.
For our verses this morning, we shall consider the eternal fear of God’s righteousness, the universality of God’s righteousness, and the peace and prosperity of God’s righteousness.
Eternal Fear
Note in verse 5, as David hopes for the fear of the king to endure while the sun endures and as long as the moon is in the sky, he is looking for a kingdom to provide a continuous “fear of the King” for it’s people.
In God’s Kingdom, there is rightly to be described the element of fear, whether you are experiencing deep respect for the King due to His greatness, or a dreaded fearful expectation due to foolish actions. Fear is a valid and correct response to God’s righteousness being exercised in the Kingdom.
Consider though that David’s description of this Kingdom is ultimately referring to the reign of the Son. His reign is forever and ever through the resurrection from the dead, and the Father’s setting of Him on His holy hill.
Note the direct link between the raising of Jesus in Acts with the passage in Psalm 2. To be begotten refers to the resurrection in verse 2 per the apostles teaching!
Acts 13:32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, Acts 13:33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
Psalm 2:6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” Psalm 2:7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
From that day forward the Kingdom exhibited the righteousness of God to all, and the King was set on His throne for all eternity. May all fear the True King of all creation, for godly fear is a natural outgrowth of knowing the King, and following after Him.
Universality
Since the King has be enthroned, the truth of God’s universality in the Kingdom has been exhibited. Now be careful for I have not said the universality of the kingdom began with the appearance of the Son, for we see evidence of God’s working outside of His people often prior to the gospels. But it seemed rare, indicating glimpses of favor to those “outside” for those who were in the chosen people.
Not so as the Messiah appeared. God’s universality, His desire for all to know Him, was one of the most offensive aspects of the Son’s ministry, for He often spoke of those outside as being accepted!
David expresses the universality of God’s righteous kingdom through the picture of rain falling on the earth. Consider the inescapable nature of a rain shower. Every inch of the fields are impacted by the falling rain, and for the one who is caught in the rain, shelter is the only escape. Rain is often considered a universal blessing to those who receive it, and the withholding to be the sign of God’s displeasure.
Yet it is more than simply indicating the pleasure/displeasure of the Lord, for did not the Lord speak of rain as being sent to the just and the unjust?
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.
For the kingdom to be described as rain falling speaks of the blessing of God on the Kingdom, and of the universality of the gospel invite. Those outside of the Kingdom may and do experience the blessing of God, providing a motivation to enter the Kingdom, and to know the King the One who blesses!
To think of the King favoring those outside of the Kingdom in order to expand His Kingdom is just the type of King we worship. He sees no distinction between any people groups, for we are all needy, broken, blind and crippled up.
Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
His love is universal for a lost people!
peace and prosperity
In David’s Kingdom being described, he is speaking of a kingdom that does not principally consider the ones in power, those who by association with the powerful may have gained power or authority to be experiencing peace and prosperity. It is the righteous, those determined by their actions and not associations are those who experience the benefits of the Kingdom, namely peace and prosperity in this passage.
Notice that David speaks of flourishing as being associated with righteousness, and not necessarily as we often see is this worlds kingdom. This worlds kingdom provides flourishing depending on personal association with those in power. This is absent in God’s Kingdom, at least in relation to varying degrees of flourishing.
It is obvious that to be in the Kingdom requires the righteous ones to be related to the Ultimate authority, that is King Jesus. This is the assumption within this discussion! Beyond that, earthly associations pay no dividends, and may hurt the righteous in that our dedication to the King may be weakened.
Nevertheless, it is instructive to note that this world’s authority structure is rejected in the Kingdom of God.
Luke 22:25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. Luke 22:26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.
Let’s remember Jesus spoke this truth to the disciples due to the turmoil their ego’s were creating within themselves and the group! No prosperity, no peace! Simply self promotion was being exercised in the group, and for peace and prosperity to be realized, self promotion was to be rejected in the Kingdom .
One caveat in relation to the the peace and prosperity I am seeking to describe. Let us not think the teaching of prosperity in the Word refers strictly to worldly wealth, to riches and dollars, bricks of silver or vaults of possessions. This is a beggarly way of understanding prosperity as found in the Word.
Prosperity speaks of abundance, of greatness, of a life blessed. There is much more to life than the acquisition of possessions. Paul provides corrective teaching to the modern outbreak of greed being glorified in the church, by speaking of the uncertainty of seeking riches, and directs us to seeking God, who provides us “with everything to enjoy”.
1 Timothy 6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
David links this prosperity, this abundance with peace in this verse. Might he be speaking of a prosperity that is linked, or that is associated with inner and outer peace that can be found in the Messiah’s Kingdom?
Return to my question
In all of this discussion it is important to understand that there has to be another element brought into any circumstance, that will allow God’s righteousness to be exercised. I referred to love at the beginning of this post as the guiding overarching principle of the Kingdom, and then proceeded to describe righteousness as the foundational character of the Kingdom.
It is the expression of love, of a self sacrificing love that is the act that provides for the experience of righteousness, God’s righteousness in the believers life.
His self sacrifice opened the doors to the Kingdom for each of us. Without His sacrifice, the holiness of God could not allow His mercy and grace to be provided to such a group of sinners as we.
Even on a daily basis, to be of the self sacrificial mindset, to think of others more highly than ourselves, is to be of the correct mindset.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
David’s kingdom described in these three verses provided me an opportunity to translate my thoughts to the reader in a very open way. I look forward to comments, and would appreciate your input.
In all of our studies, and in day to day our lives, may we see Jesus just a bit clearer, and understand that which we are granted to comprehend.
Ephesians 3:18 – 19 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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.
224
GOD OF OUR SALVATION
1 Chronicles 16:35 Say also: “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
We live in a very individualistic, self focused world. It is me and the Savior. My Savior. My personal Savior. Me and God.
Even the last three posts in this series on the Names of God have emphasized the personal, singular relationship a saint has with the Lord.
Now this post does not intend to ignore the very truth of God being the God of My Praise, or the God of My Righteousness, of the God of My Life. The fact that we have a God that is so personal, so intimate, so close to us in our pain, our misunderstandings, or trials and our joys is an incredible blessing.
Yet this verse speaks of God as the God of OUR Salvation. I would encourage us to consider this truth for a moment. Christianity is a group movement, and is a body of believers that work together in the ministry of the Christ for this sin sick world.
God is the God of our Salvation, and as such, we should expect, even look for times of giving thanks and praise, that is only appropriate in a group setting.
David’s psalm is recounted here in Chronicles. It is hundreds of years since he wrote this portion of Scripture, and as the exiles were returning from Babylon, this passage must have meant much to them. A ragtag group of Jewish exiles, returning after 70 years of immersion in the Babylonian culture, returning to an abandoned, and desolate promised land.
And yet in the midst of all the trials, and troubles, it was obvious that God was bringing them out of captivity, saving the nation from their captives, providing them a second chance even though the judgment of captivity was fully deserved.
Note the psalm refers to the saints being delivered from the nations. As believers in the Risen Christ, we have been delivered out of this world and provided great freedoms, freedoms that include escaping from the grasp of those who want to pull us back to the old life.
But in each of these individual deliverances we experience, we have a responsibility to give thanks and praise in a group setting, as a Body of believers that understands God is in the business of making a kingdom of saints, not individual islands of proud lonely saints.
Without experiencing the group environment, it can sometimes appear we have little to be thankful for. Doubts, fears and crazy exaggerations can erupt in our mind – it is as if we are lone targets getting picked off by a spiritual sniper. The fact of the matter is that many of these errant thoughts are so untrue, and that is where the Body of Christ is most relevant, for the saints feed each other in encouragement, exhortation, correction, comfort and when necessary, some good old rebuking! But it only happens in the group environment, where God is the God of OUR Salvation.
Community, group dynamic, fellowship, congregational spirit. However you may want to describe it, let us not abandon the times we can be together in giving thanks and praising the God of OUR Salvation.
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.
Colossians 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
If you have followed my blog for any time now, you will understand that I am a Civil Engineer, an engineer that designs and manages transportation projects.
I am very thankful for the second law of thermodynamics, for this law describes the world we live in, a world that is going from order to disorder. Simply put, this second law of thermodynamics speaks of the world progressing into greater disorder and randomness.
Things fall apart, and engineers get to rebuild them, or provide maintenance processes that extend their life by slowing the process of decay, or in some circumstances, covering over the decay – but that is not preferred, and you didn’t hear it from me!
Nevertheless, the process of decay is unstoppable.. It does not only effect the world around us, it is a principal force that impacts our lives everyday. The creaking of my back, the weakening of my eyes, and the decreasing muscle mass makes entropy a minute by minute reality in my life.
For those who may be young and fit, enjoy these days of freedom. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics is coming for you! But I digress.
In the world around us, I find the destruction of high strength concrete, the type that is often used on highways and byways by the lowly weed to be instructive.
As concrete ages, microcracking occurs due to the constant variation of temperatures it goes through, expanding and contracting. Microscopic cracks become tiny cracks, which become small cracks. At some point the temperature variations become less of the problem, and the mighty “weed” takes over. Oh, it is just a little dandelion, or some other weed seed that settles in a welcoming crack, but as the weed sends out it’s roots, it continues the decay process.
Given enough time, the concrete will have been defeated by the lowly weed.
Engineers have sought to fight against this decay system for centuries. There have been some amazing breakthroughs in concrete technology, but alas, concrete will break, and weeds will dominate. It is merely a matter of time!
But let’s cut to the chase. This entropy that I speak of, that all the fancy physicists describe, is simply the result of sin entering creation.
But as an engineer, I am trained to find solutions for problems, and I spend my days in “solution” mode. Before I was trained as an engineer, I also sought to solve problems. Problems that were not necessarily of the physical world, but of the spiritual world. Let me explain my failure.
As a very young believer in the Messiah, I became very religious. I fell into very good churches and had amazing folk teach me truth. I am very thankful for the patience of the saints when it came to dealing with me. I was (am) a piece of work!
But as I grew in the Lord, I also took on religious habits that, though beneficial for my knowledge of the Lord, also became a target for my faith. I walked a little bit away from the Lord and a little bit toward religion, thinking I could solve the sin problem with rules. A little more dedication at Bible study, and few more verses to memorize, attend one additional church service, teach one more Bible class. The list seemed endless.
Now don’t get me wrong – all of these practices are good and were meant to honor the Lord, but I began to trust them as opposed to the Savior.
I think I was falling into a trap somewhat like the Colossians. Yes, they were not touching, handling or tasting, thinking that the ascetic lifestyle would present themselves in a better light before the Savior.
Colossians 2:21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” Colossians 2:22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)–according to human precepts and teachings?
Their refusal to take part in certain activities, and my dedication to certain activities resulted in exposing our loss of focus.
Entropy / sin is in our very veins and both myself and our brothers in Colossae were trying to create a stronger concrete than that which had provided. We sought to build a concrete structure in our lives which would not crack, which would not allow any weeds to settle in.
I depended on habits that indeed appeared to have wisdom, but in all of my efforts, weeds continued to grow in my life. Eventually my whole family were sprouting weeds all over the place. The weeds were out of control, and my solution? More rules, more strictness. Heavier concrete!
Engineers build better concrete, and the result is cost savings, and less construction interruptions on the highway hopefully. Better concrete reduces the rate of decay, but we live in a world of decay. Stronger concrete simply stalls the decay slightly.
Personally, in my relationship with the Lord, I am thankful for the disciplines I was introduced to early in my faith. The disciplines became a focus of my faith, and became rules that lorded over my spirit. Yet the very rules I trusted in did not stop my flesh from indulging in it’s desires. Even as I applied stricter and stricter rules, my old flesh simply found other cracks in my concrete!
As I close, I want to be clear that the disciplines I spoke of were noble, right and provided my life great guidance and knowledge of the Lord and His ways, even as I was pursuing a sanctification that was leaving the Lord behind. I had chosen rules to control my life and the concrete got heavier and heavier. So heavy!
Consider which rules in your life are taking the place of faith in the Living God. Don’t put this self review off, for though I speak of entropy as the decay in our daily life, we all know the trendline of entropy is death!
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He even saves us from entropy. Trust Him, and not your rules. He is the Savior, and not yourself! He is much better at dealing with entropy than we are.
Now I need to go put some ointment on my shoulder! Ooooo the pain!
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.
223
GOD OF MY LIFE
Psalm 42:8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Throughout my Christian life I have heard the call to obey the commands of God, to be a disciple, to seek Him with all my heart, soul mind and strength. This is the call of any who would seek to know the Living God, the Redeeming God, the God who provides, guides supplies and comforts.
It is the clarion call for the believer, for the saint who seeks to honor the One who loves him and gave himself for his life.
It is the expression of our acts that proves that God is the God of my life, and with the remaining portion of this post, please try to hang onto that truth.
Hang on now, for we are going to consider our verse above, and at first blush, I see no call to obedience in this verse. No sacrificial love demanded for the saint to practice. David focuses on the Lord’s actions, His commanding of steadfast love to be on the believer, and His song over the believer at night.
David is dwelling on the goodness of God when He speaks of the God of his life. He isn’t speaking of our response to this incredible love provided, but simply dwelling on the person of God, on the actions He supplies to the saint.
This concept, I believe is fleshed out clearer (for myself at least) when Paul writes the following.
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Did you catch it?
We, as believers, are doing nothing in this verse except beholding the glory of the Lord. It is that beholding, that looking at, that staring at the glory of the Lord that has transformative impact on the believer.
The transformation is being done to us!
Our looking at each and every of the glories of the Lord will have two effects on the believer.
Effect #1
The first is that we are so undeserving, so far from the mark, so unworthy of any recognition by the Master that His kindness towards us becomes unfathomable. To become more familiar with all His beauty and grace, with His matchless character and humble kindness, is to find our place in this universe.
Effect #2
The second is like that, in that whoever we honor, whoever is our ideal, our model, our god, is who we actually aspire to be. It is a characteristic of the human psyche to aspire to be like our hero, and our consistent gazing at our Risen Savior, at His patience with sinners, at His kindness to those who persecuted Him, at His suffering even for His enemies, which places the challenge before each of us to be like Him.
For God to be the God of our Lives does not require perfection, does not require obedience to a set of rules, does not require faithfulness to specific doctrines or teachings that may be found in the Word.
It is to follow a Person, to know the Living God in all His perfections, in all His character, as described in the Written Word.
Take time to look to Him today, and in the looking you will be changed. If He is the God of our lives, and as we gaze upon Him, we will be transformed, for He is the God of our lives.
He is the One who saves, provides, guides, supplies and comforts and from this verse, we find He also transforms us little by little into more of His likeness!
Now that is good news!
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.
222
GOD OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalm 4:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
David is in distress in this psalm. As I have been dwelling in David and his writings for a time, it has become evident that David was in distress often, almost constantly it seems.
The distress he is in is often related to the struggle to rise to the throne promised to him by God, and the obstacles to attain the throne seem insurmountable. Obstacles not only physical, regarding his very existence, but the slander and lies that were spread by his enemies that would (humanly speaking) derail any chance of his gaining the throne.
This psalm speaks directly of David undergoing some serious slander. Consider the next two verses for some context.
Psalm 4:2-3
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
David’s honor was being turned to shame. The very things that David did in obedience to God were being upended and twisted by the enemy, with many lies being spread to diminish his character.
And David calls upon God. He refers to God as the God of his righteousness, for he is in the midst of a “righteousness reputation” battle, and he knows that it may end up badly for him. Some lies may stick in the population’s perception, some of the slander may remain in the peoples mind’s.
That is the condition we all live in! No matter how desperately we seek the Lord, and how dedicated we are in obeying His will, we should not expect our names to be lifted high amongst our enemies, those who attack the Risen One and His people. This is the fallout of being in a battle with a worldview that accepts the use of lies instead of truth.
But as each of us may go through unjust character assassination, let us remember that our God is the One to look to for our righteousness, that we need to pursue His character and His nature, His desire to be of the truth, and to live in a gracious, forgiving and loving manner to both our brothers and sisters, and our very enemies, those who may be actually tearing us down.
For our God is the God of our Righteousness, even as we may be defamed by the enemy. We need to recognize that the enemy will not advance any description of “rightness” of our lives in following God, for that would be an admission of their own error.
They will not willingly admit their position to be in error, so they must lie about the truth.
But our God is the God of our Righteousness, and He has prevailed in the resurrection, and shall prevail in our lives!
He is the God of our 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.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Caleb
Victorious
Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Titus 3:7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
In our past post’s on Caleb we have considered him as a man with a different spirit, a devoted man, an overcomer of others doubts, one who depended on God’s promises, a man of conviction, and a man convinced of his purpose for God.
With our passage this morning, let us draw out a truth about Caleb that is not expressly stated, but is evident in his life throughout his journeys and trials.
He was victorious, and though the comparison with the Lord Jesus is accurate, it is accurate in description, but not in extent, for Caleb “simply” won his mountain, but Jesus won the world. His is victorious over the grave, and because of God’s deliverance, has been openly declared to be the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He is simply greater than all the pictures we consider in this series.
Caleb was victorious because he followed the Lord, and the Lord provided the success, the victory. This is the walk of faith, that is not to seek victory based on our desires, our will, our wants, but to put the will of God ahead of ours.
Caleb certainly was tested, tried in the fire of adversity, peer pressure, and mob opinion. Yet his decision to trust God’s will when all seemed to be going the wrong way is a testament to his faithfulness, and the reason God provided him the victory.
Now I wont go so far as to think the Lord ever had it easy as He rubbed shoulders with those who plotted his death. For even from the very beginning, the cross overshadowed Him. He spoke amazing truths, claimed an astonishing relationship with the God of the Jews, challenged the powers that be and spoke of the kingdom of God breaking forth even as He was on earth. He did not come asking permission from those in charge. He simply came to us, declared the time had come, and rebuffed every argument those threatened by his pronouncements brought to Him. If Caleb had challenges, (and he did), Jesus faced many more, deeper and stronger temptations to veer from His appointed path.
But Jesus never veered. He only performed the work assigned by the Father, and did not go beyond the will of God, or fail to complete the will of God.
John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Jesus never veered from the will of God and His victory was such that His closest friends were astonished. Even to this day, the Messiah’s resurrection is doubted by too many. Admittedly, it is an incredible story, but the Man Jesus was incredible in every way. His works and words have no competition, and His victory is completely without comparison.
And by the sheer grace of His compassion for lost souls, He grants us entry into this very victory. A victory over death and the grave.
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Caleb was victorious in his life and God provided this victory due to his continuing faith in the midst of difficult times. His victory became his possession and that of his posterity.
For the Lord Jesus, His victory has also been passed to His posterity, and all who seek to find this victory should look no further than the Son of God.
Titus 3:7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
His victory was due to His faithfulness, but our victory is based on relationship with the One who has overcome all obstacles, even the death of the cross!
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.
221
GOD OF MY PRAISE
Psalm 109:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Be not silent, O God of my praise!
I occasionally attend a church my daughter and her family attend, and it is a growing church, filled with young children, young adults and young families. With such a mix of folks making up the congregation, it is full of energy.
It is a church that I have found to be filled with the Spirit and upon every attendance, during the praise session, I almost invariably shed tears, trying to offer up praise with the congregation. I typically can’t express my emotions during the praise songs, but when they bring out the old hymns, I totally break down.
To hear the old hymns in this day and age of the church is so refreshing, so Christ centered, so historic for my own walk with Him.
It is a church that I have begun to learn to praise the Lord Jesus for all He has done in a outward, emotionally manner that has somewhat taken me aback. To actually try to sing, despite those around me being affected by my out of tune, out of time, out of tone type of singing. (I can hear my voice and trust me – it is awful!) has not been a typical expression of my faith in my four decades as a believer.
He has become more than ever the God of my praise, and yet as we read this passage, David doesn’t relate this name to the times of rejoicing amongst the faithful, of singing songs to the Lord to the point of tears, but is facing enemies that are overwhelming him.
David begins this psalm with an expression, a confession of his faith regarding who his God is and how he relates to Him. God is the God of his praise, the only one who receives the praise he offers up. But this psalm speaks of difficulties, of threatenings, of dire possible consequences on David’s life if God doesn’t show up. David is on the edge, but no matter, he is not about to forget that God is still in control, that God is worthy, no matter the circumstances he finds himself in.
Is he expressing the same emotion and heart felt praise I mentioned above? Possibly, but I think David may be praising God out of his will as opposed to the emotion I experience in church on Sundays.
And there is a difference I fear, for when a believer comes to a time of difficulty in his or her life, is God still worthy of praise? Note that I refrain from asking if it feels good to praise God in difficult times, for I think that a poor motivator. There are times when it hurts to praise God, when things are falling apart, and it seems many enemies are surrounding us, and there may seem to be no escape.
Is He the God of my praise then? When lies are spread about your character, do you look to Him and praise His name? When struggles come, and pile up in your life, is He still worthy of your expression of praise, your commitment to praise His name, even in a whisper to Him, a prayer asking for help?
Don’t get me wrong. I love to go to my daughters church, for it is a time with her and her family, and a time I can express my faith openly in the midst of the congregation. Good times and a good life, and I am so thankful for what the Lord has done in my family.
The challenge though, as hard times may be around the corner, is will I continue to praise His name, even though struggling with serious challenges, disappointments and discouragements?
This is the backdrop of David’s expression in our psalm today, and I pray for this type of will in our soul to conquer over difficult times with praise to the God of my praise.
May He gives us strength to be the men and women that praise Him at all times, and in all circumstances.
We truly need Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
220
GOD OF LOVE AND PEACE
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you
I was born before the hippy movement, and I will admit it – I wore bell bottom blue jeans in my high school years. I listened to the music, took part in the rejection of a stiff conservative culture and experimented with mind altering drugs. Even to this day, the music catches me and takes me back to “good” intentions and a carefree attitude.
The cultural revolution was breaking forth on the western world and it’s impact on our society has been catastrophic.
One example will suffice, for I do not want to delve too deep in the problem and not consider our Lord in this post. Back in the day there was a popular song about the sharing of land.
Maybe I’ll be there to share the land That they’ll be givin’ away When we all live together, we’re talkin’ ’bout together, now
As a teenager, who could argue of the merits of such a culture, where all are sharing and there is togetherness, love and peace?
I listened to this song a while back, and realized it was normalizing a socialist / communist condition, describing it as full of togetherness, with peace and love. A culture that provides love and peace without God.
What I was experiencing was a relentless barrage of this message, along with a complete twisting of what true love and peace really is. Lust was called love, and forced pacifism (by the end of a gun) was named peace.
This is not the message of the Word, and it certainly does violence to the name of God we are considering if these twisted messages are considered when we read of the God of love and peace.
The God of love represents the very opposite of lust, of the unbridled release of the wants and desires of a sin sick heart, of a self satisfying seeking of all things no matter the damage causes. The God of love provides motivation and strength to live a life of constraint, of be self controlled, to consider others instead of being a slave to our needs and wants.
The God of peace provides the believer a calm in the midst of a storm, a freedom of the soul in the midst of trials, a release of concern over those circumstances that are beyond our control.
The world tried to convince me of the benefits of its definition of love and peace. It only took a few years of following after that elusive promise that I realized it was an empty, hollowed out promise that provided disappointment, despair and eventually death.
And then one day, a young lady asked if I would like to sit with her on a bus ride to Toronto. As we spoke, she testified of Jesus, and of His saving actions in her life. She had recently been in a car crash that should have taken her life, but the God of love and peace preserved her. The God of love and peace kept her so she could introduce me to this same God, the God of love and peace that shattered my understanding of love and peace.
No longer did the message of lust and pretend peace have control over my thoughts, and my outlook on life took a complete turnaround.
Do you understand God as a God who allows lust and provides a pretend peace? Consider who the God of love and peace is, for He is a self sacrificing God, a God who considers others first, who came to serve and to give His life for others.
To understand the gospel is to be shocked at the difference between the message of the world and the message of the Messiah, for He is the very embodiment of who the God of love and peace is.
And the world crucified Him as they sought their “love and peace”.
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 wife and I attended a new Sunday School a wee back, as we were away from home. The people were very friendly, and the class was very relaxed. Welcome cards were provided, with the proverbial contact information requested, and study books were handed out to the strangers.
It was a well established class, with mature believers discussing what the church offers while some stragglers came through the door.
Eventually, we prayed and the study guide was opened. We were in Numbers this morning, discussing the rebellion of the Israelites prior to entering the land. Some of the guide was read to us, with the occasional discussion pursued.
As a little background, I have promised my wife that if we attend a new group, that I will not offer up questions concerning the Word until we know the people and become part of the group. It has too often occurred that I ask a question, especially if I have been studying an epistle or topic, a “discussion” ensues. That is a polite way of saying that the question I throw into the middle of the room may upset the faith of some of the attendants, or simply not comply with the particular churches standing on a certain teaching.
I refrain from this practice since it can seem divisive, and upset some. It also fed my pride, for I thought I was smart! I though I would let everyone know about Carl.
Again with the elevation of self! Somewhat disgusting!
But I digress. This class was going along well, with light discussion and occasional reference to the study guide, when all of a sudden someone pulled a “Carl”.
Let’s call him Joe. I don’t know Joe of course, having visited this class only once, but to say the least he is an interesting fellow.
As you may recall, we were discussing Israel entering the land, and Joe mentioned the Israeli / Palestinian conflict, and his estimation of the tumult in the Middle East. It seems he had great respect for the leader of the Jewish nation, speaking of how he had every right to do as God leads.
This took me aback, since the immediate context of his message was how Israel was treating the Palestinians, even those who live within the West Bank and Gaza strip. Now I want to be careful in recounting what he said, but his message seemed to be that whatever the Israeli leader did to expand the land of Israel was in obedience to God.
Alarm bells stared ringing off in my head. How could a believer say that? Now before we go any further, I want to provide full disclosure. Thirty years ago I would have sided with this fellow, for I was of the opinion that national Israel was destined to reclaim their land. I was strongly within the pre-tribulation dispensational camp, thinking that God was picking up in 1947 where He left off with national Israel in 70 AD.
Not so anymore, and one of the main reasons is my understanding of the righteousness of God, the gospel of God.
Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
Paul speaks of the righteousness of God as having no distinction, that it is available for all. How is it that I considered God to be working in two people groups, the Body of Christ, AND a geopolitical nation? How is it that any geopolitical group of people could claim God’s blessing, little lone the nation God specifically stated would be “vomited” out of the land if continuing to sin.
Leviticus 20:22 You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
My understanding is that the land vomited Israel out of the land through the captivity of Babylon, and though God showed mercy, the nation was once again, and finally dismantled upon the Roman siege of 70 AD.
Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
We have discussed this teaching previously, and considered the impact of the dissolution of the old covenant. With no land, no priestly line and no temple, Israel were a people without an identity. To be of the original Jewish faith was impossible, for the sacrificial system and the practice of the priesthood was gone. A Better had arrived and those in the nation who recognized the majesty of the Crucified One understood God’s greater promise, His holy “nation” of the Body of Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God has one people, the Church, and all are welcome to enter into it. Canadians, Russians, Japanese and Jews are all allowed to enter, and many have. Even Palestinians have joined the Messiah, becoming one with the Body of Christ.
And this is where the idea of God having two people groups becomes difficult to understand simply from a practical standpoint.
If national Israel is performing the righteousness of God in their goal to expand their geopolitical influence through the west bank and Gaza strip, along with expanding their borders eastward, how can this be accepted as the righteousness of God by the believer?
If national Israel is a people group directed by God, we find ourselves in a sticky wicket. For national Israel has been in war mode, having placed the West bank and Gaza Strip under a military occupation since 1967. A military occupation for almost 60 years!
Are God’s “two” peoples enjoying the love and peace admonished by the apostle?
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Palestinians and Israeli’s are dying at each others hands due to this aggression. How can we represent the God of peace and love when God’s “two” people groups are in conflict. What is worse, is that national Israel is killing Palestian believers.
Is God divided? Having shown His people His self sacrificing love for others in the giving of His Son, are we now to understand that God want’s one of His people groups to kill His other people group?
We left this Sunday School somewhat conflicted. I was a good boy in not bringing up questions that may cause confusion, but if we attend on an ongoing basis, I hope to get to know the people, understand their needs, care for their circumstances, pray for them and possibly discuss this conflict.
In all of this, it is important to remember what it is to be righteous. To be righteous is to be consistent in all the attributes of God, to exercise each of the characteristics of our God without conflict. To be righteous is to follow after the Christ, for He alone is our righteousness.
1 Corinthians 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
To be of a certain blood line, or to claim to be of a certain physical lineage has no influence with God. For there is no distinction.
Romans 3:22 …For there is no distinction:
There is one Body, and it is open to all.
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–
God has killed the hostility between national peoples through the gospel. Those who enter into the Body of Christ find there is no basis for hostility with each other.
Ephesians 2:16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Let’s live as though there is a real peace within the people of God, and exhibit the righteousness of God as the Messiah has demonstrated.
Ephesians 3:17-19 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
As believers, we are to have our eyes on the Messiah, not a patch of land in the Middle East. And let us remember those who seek to fight, even against the Body of Christ are without the Messiah, having no hope and without God in this world.
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Caleb
Purpose of God
Joshua 14:10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.
John 18:37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
God had a promise and a purpose for Caleb. His faithful spirit attained to a promise from God, that God would keep him through the times of the rebellion in the wilderness, into the promised land, through the battles to take the land and now, after God’s will has been accomplished, the promise is to be realized for Caleb. Yes he is 85 years old, an aged man no matter how we look at it. But even as his age was creeping up on him, he did not consider the promise of God to be less attainable. It was the promise of God, not some self promise, some vow that depended on his stamina or strength! It was the promise of God! Caleb held the promise and it was his purpose to attain this promise!
Is it not so, but even more so, in relation to the promise and purpose of God in the life of our Savior. As a matter, Paul speaks of Jesus as the One in whom all promise is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
The purpose of the Savior was to be elevated to king, as He spoke to Pilate. He is King having completed His eternal purpose and having sat down on the right hand of God the Father!
Though Caleb provides a likeness of Jesus in his desire to attain the promise and fulfill his purpose, we must admit that there is a substantial difference.
God kept Caleb alive for 85 years to provide him the ability to attain the promise given him. For Jesus, the promise was attained by God crushing Him!
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Caleb provides us a glimmer of the One who is the promise of God, and of His heart to go through trials, temptations and eventually scourging and a horrific death to complete His purpose before God.
Let us not frustrate our King by forgetting the extent of suffering He experienced in order to become the King of all Kings. He is the King who provides a benevolent righteous reign over those who follow after Him.
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.
219
GOD OF KNOWLEDGE
1 Samuel 2:3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
As we venture through the Names of God, it should become obvious of how great and awesome our God is, of His multifaceted, unfathomable depth of character, of His ability to address every one of our needs, concerns and questions.
Each time we consider a certain characteristic of the Lord, we by necessity exclude other characteristics of His Person simply because we cannot plunge the depth of His goodness, grace, justice and love.
Out of each of these short studies, I tend to come away thinking of Him in a slightly different way, and find my understanding of Him to somehow expand. He is really beyond our imagination.
One additional outcome of these short posts is that the God we learn about in each study is also teaching us of our own condition, our weakness, our inabilities and our sin. We are not God, and every time we consider the greatness of our God, we consider our own “not greatness”. We are not God!
In our passage this morning, a woman has suffered years of provocation, sadness, distress
1 Samuel 1:7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
1 Samuel 1:8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
1 Samuel 1:10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
Hannah suffered for years, being taunted and without child, praying at the temple with such deep emotion that the priest assumed she was drunk.
1 Samuel 1:13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
Hannah received answers to her pleadings before the Lord, and a son was born to her that would grow to be one of the greatest prophets Israel has known. After the arrival and weaning of the child, Hannah gave back to the Lord that which she prayed for. A tremendous sign of self sacrifice for the Lord’s sake. She gave her only child up to be dedicated to the Lord, being separated from him for most of his life.
1 Samuel 1:28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.
After all of this, Hannah prays again, and we find she describes the Lord as the God of Knowledge. After all her struggles before the Lord, she brings up the topic of arrogance and pride in relation to our God. Now I know it is easy to relate this statement to Peninnah, her husbands other wife, and likely this is the aim of the claim, for she speaks of her mouth deriding her enemy.
1 Samuel 2:1 And Hannah prayed and said, …My mouth derides my enemies…
She provides counsel for the arrogant and the proud, a rebuke to those who speak great pompous words.
But Hannah speaks of God as a God of Knowledge. Now it may be said that Hannah is not referring to God’s ability to perform calculus, or His knowledge of number of stars in the sky. No – she is speaking of God’s knowledge of a souls actions, even of His knowing of our reasonings, motivations and desires that produce our actions.
Now there are often times when I have thoughts or desires to perform some action, but after consideration (or by distraction), I do not complete those actions. Truly Jesus knows my heart, but Hannah speaks of His knowledge as it pertains to our actions, our work. That which I do, not what I think.
Now there is no denying that what and how I think is critical in my life to perform works that may be judged positively, but for our verse this morning, Hannah is not considering only motivations or secret thoughts, but actions that are evident to all. Nothing is hid.
Jesus spoke of the eventual revelation of our actions while He was walking amongst us.
Mark 4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
Luke 12:2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
The proud and arrogant are to recognize this truth, but as the proud and arrogant, they reject our God of Knowledge, sometimes with great violence, and pursue selfish goals.
But no matter our reaction, whether by violent rejection or in a peaceful acceptance, He is the God of Knowledge. He knows our lives, our works, our actions, and it is the wise one who recognizes the God of Knowledge in a spirit of humility.
To know the God of Knowledge, to walk with Him, demands a humility before Him. We need to recognize Him as much greater that us, as the One who knows and who judges our actions.
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.
218
GOD OF GODS
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
Moses is speaking to the nation, describing the tremendous privilege and benefit they possess being the people God has called out from the heathen, from those whom Abraham, Isaac and Jacob rubbed shoulders with.
God needs the nation to know what is required of them to maintain this blessedness, to experience the goodness of God in their national experience. He is not asking them to swear allegiance to some tribal god who rules over a patch of land, or some family spirit that favors only those of the bloodline of Abraham, or to bow to a god who controls the weather or the flood of a river.
Moses understood that this ragtag group of whiners and complainers had been extracted from the land of bondage, a land they had become accustomed to, a culture they naturally relate to, including gods who have some power, some authority, some seeming control over circumstances. They lived in this culture all their lives in Egypt, and understood, not just theoretically but in experience the worship of many gods strewn through the land of the Egyptians.
Moses needs them to understand the God they are required to serve as the God over all these other gods, and rightly so, for during the plagues, God showed Himself over the Egyptian gods in each plague, and during the escape He showed Himself dominant over nature with a fiery column leading them, a pillar of smoke directing them, provision of food from heaven, and the splitting of the sea for their safe passage, even with the nation witnessing the collapse of the Red Sea on their enemy.
God is the God of gods, and for those Moses spoke to, they had ample proof, ample evidence of the superiority of Jehovah Elohim over the paltry powers of their previous masters.
God is the God of gods, and He is proving that to us as we see His power working through the world, frustrating the powers that be, bringing life through the gospel and healing to the nations.
God is the God of gods. And due to His elevated position over all gods, Moses calls upon them to do the bare minimum.
Deut 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?
As indicative of the love of God, note that all the requirements prescribed to the nation are not necessarily for God’s benefit. He is God of all gods and requires nothing from us for His benefit. No, these requirements of obedience bring us into the experience of God He wants for us, and that we desperately crave for.
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.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Caleb
Devoted
Joshua 14:8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. Joshua 14:9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
We considered this set of verses out of Joshua 1 in our previous post as it related to Caleb in his dependence on God’s promises. As we consider this same passage this morning, I would like my reader to consider the devotion Caleb expressed to God during the 45 years of wandering and suffering due to his neighbors unbelief. We noted that he came out the 45 years of delay, depending on the promises, exhibiting a faithful spirit.
May I suggest, this dependence on the promise of God was possible only because he was devoted to God. He followed the Lord, and the term “followed” found in the Old Testament passages speaking of Caleb speak of being behind, of being in the rear, after the one being followed. Now even as I write that, I can hear some saying – Carl that is so obvious!
Well for myself, it is not that obvious in my own devotion to God, for I often seek to get off the path with distractions, or get ahead of God, being the impatient one that I am. Caleb knew his place, and that was behind God, and was willing to stay behind, following as God led.
Did he argue with God when told they would not be allowed to enter the promised land? Where was Caleb when the nationes leaders decided to go ahead and take the land even though God restricted them?
Amazing that the Israelites thought they could go ahead of God, even in rebellion against his prophets direction.
Numbers 14:39-45
When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, when that will not succeed? 42 Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. 43 For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.
I will lay my last dollar down (if I was a betting man!) that Caleb stayed behind, devoted to the will of God. He knew his place of following God, and in knowing that, he was successful!
Jesus also was the servant of the Most High, devoted to God, obeying the will of God, even to the point of death. He did not get ahead of the will of God, nor seek to perform any acts other than directed by the Father.
John 5:19
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
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.
217
GOD OF ALL GRACE
1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
I am beginning to see a theme in the last few passages that I have wrote on. The idea of suffering before comfort is granted is a theme that is throughout the Word, and by coincidence, the theme has erupted in the midst of a few passage we have recently toured. (2 Cor 1:3).
Passages such as when Jeremiah in his purchasing of the land in chapter 32, not experiencing the land but a sign for the future in the midst of trial. I will let my reader consider others they may remember!
It is the same in 1 Peter, a letter Peter writes to dispersed believers, believers who may be on the run due to persecution by authorities, persecution by enemies, persecution by friends that have turned on them. Peter speaks of the sufferings they would or were presently enduring. Note the time factor “suffering a little time” added by Peter, giving the believer hope. Again we see the cross before the crown teaching we so often find in the Word.
How long is a little time? Forever, for when suffering comes upon a soul, time creeps by, seemingly creeping by to allow for every sorrow or pain to be experienced fully. Time stretches out to infinitum and as the hope of relief fades, it is common to experience the wearing down of the soul’s inner man, a fragile heart being beaten down, discouraged and depressed.
How is the time element instructive for us as it relates to the name of God we are considering? The God of all grace is the God of yesterdays, today’s and tomorrows needs. He is the God of all grace in the midst of trials and sufferings. He is the God of all grace, able to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish each of us no matter the condition we find ourselves in.
All grace.
He is not the God of partial or just enough grace. Elsewhere, the Word speak of His grace as sufficient to our needs.
Have I not seen grace as being described as abundant?
In this passage, Peter speaks of God as the God of “all” grace. Might he be stretching the truth, or are we the type of people that want to limit our God.
As life may bear down on us, let us seek to rest in the God of all grace, even as some difficult trials come upon us “for a little time”.
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.
216
GOD OF ALL FLESH
Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Jeremiah is living in the midst of the downfall of Jerusalem. As he had been preaching for years, the captivity was upon them. No-one could deny the inevitable catastrophe facing the nation of Israel.
Jeremiah 32
24Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”
In the midst of this total decimation of God’s people and their country, and most importantly of the Temple, Jeremiah was instructed to buy a plot of land.
25Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans
Utter foolishness, for it would not be long before all the land would be trampled over by the Chaldeans, and the few “lucky” Jewish people left alive would be dragged to Babylonia, a strange land with a strange tongue, strange gods and strange customs.
What good would buying a piece of land do for Jeremiah. If he survived, and he had confidence he would, the land he purchased might simply be taken by the victors.
But that is the very point. Jeremiah is watching his nation go up in smoke, and he invests in it. He invests due to the Word of God instructing him to, to lay a claim that showed other’s, and in a special way himself, that the current circumstances are not final.
Jeremiah’s act of obedience showed that though terrors and trials were surrounding the nation, God was the God of all flesh, that He not only had his hand on Israel, but also Babylonia, for He is the God of all Flesh.
God has His hand on the Babylonians, and the time they have to oppress Israel is limited. Seventy years of captivity is allowed by God, as Jeremiah prophesies in the book. That is the extent of abuse the Babylonians will exert on Israel, and then those who hears God’s voice to return will return. A mere blip on the screen in God’s timetable.
This land purchase of Jeremiah represented God’s faithfulness to the remnant, and personally of Jeremiah’s trust in God. He made a tangible exchange of funds (which might be of much greater value during a time of famine) for a piece of land he may never experience.
But Jeremiah trusted that God’s people would return, that God would have the remnant come back. And that because God was the God of all Flesh, God would not be frustrated with the decisions or acts of Israel or Babylon.
God id the God of all Flesh, and even today, as the world seems to be burning, God is the God of all Flesh! And we can rejoice in His guiding hand as we seek to follow such a good and powerful God.
Praise His Name.
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.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Caleb
Overcome Doubt of Others (Negativity)
Joshua 14:8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.
Matthew 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
For Caleb, he fought through the doubters, and without a doubt, sought to convince those he travelled with as they carried back such a damming report. Joshua records Caleb’s claim of how his own peers, as they reported on what they had seen in Canaan land, was a message of doubt, a message of defeat and that had caused the melting of the young nations heart.
This passage doesn’t address how Caleb sought to convince those bringing back such a deadly doubt-filled message, but surely a man who was committed to the work of God, he sought to convince them before they delivered the poisonous message. This is my assumption. Joshua simply states the fact that Caleb wholly followed the Lord in the midst of doubters. Now I am not knocking Caleb in this instance. No not at all, for it is no small task to believe the Word of God when the world is yelling that you are wrong, but Caleb held tight. He held tight!
While on earth. the Messiah also had close associates that were infected with the doubt disease, a disease that we all suffer from. Numerous times, He spoke to those of little faith, asking them of their doubt.
Now I used to think this was Jesus way to get a dig in, to mentally slap his apostles around, but as I understand the person of Christ more, I don’t see Him like that anymore. What I was actually doing was mirroring my heart onto the Messiah in these interactions with the apostles, for I tend to cut those who need encouragement. I want to assume failure instead of success. I naturally think the worst rather than the best.
Jesus’ heart is wholly different from my heart, and I safely will assume different from your heart, unless of course you have deceived yourself.
Jesus was (and is) in the midst of doubtful friends, surrounded by saints that struggle with faith, and working on believers who just don’t understand. This is the fact of the church and is in my mind a huge mystery of how He gets anything done working with men and women who sometimes just don’t get it. But then I forget who I am dealing with!
He remains faithful to the will of God, as Caleb did, and yet He also successfully pulls us out of the depths of doubt to prove His care and guidance.
We need to look to Him for our strength, for I doubt we have any!
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.
215
FATHER OF MERCIES
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
We recently considered this verse, speaking of the name God of all comfort, and found this passage to be couched in the middle of an extended discussion on affliction.
I will not repeat the discussion on that funny sounded word used in the Greek, describing the affliction, for many who read this blog certainly have a remembrance. For those who have tripped over this post without this background, consider Names of God – GOD OF ALL COMFORT – 214
For the sake of this post, I want to share a realization of a difficult time experienced in our family. For the sake of those still reeling from this event, I will not describe it other than to say it was a life and death event. Nothing more serious could have been experienced by all.
As my wife and I were travelling to be with family, to be of help of some sort, any sort, I began to realize that every soul touched by this tragedy was hurting. Now that may seem obvious to many, but it became crystal clear that night.
The hurt was multi-layered, with each soul affected deeply and differently. I was convinced that each soul would be ministered to by the Father of Mercies, in very different manners and methods. It was good to remember that though I was hurting, God calls believers to heal the hurt, to provide a balm for the pain and to acknowledge the various types of suffering each soul was going through.
And in all of this, a story came to me of Steven Curtis Chapman, and the accidental death of his 5 year old daughter. She passed away because Steven’s teenage son did not see her as he backed the family SUV over her. A tragic event!
As I heard Steven tell the story, he made a point of yelling out of the window as he took his daughter to the hospital, of yelling out the window to the son who struck the little girl, of yelling out that he loved his son. Steven openly ministered to the pain of the son, in the midst of his own heartbreak.
This is the heart of the Father of Mercies, where the Father of Mercies calls out to his children as they accidentally (or intentionally) inflict pain on each other.
In the midst of suffering affliction, let us be more like the Father of Mercies, seeking to minister to those we are in pain with.
Active love is like that. Remember, it isn’t all about us, for every soul in hurting, and if we know the Lord, we have His Spirit to guide us, His Spirit to provide the strength and His Spirit to direct us in the way to minister to the hurting.
Let us think of others instead of ourselves.
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.
Considering the Bible 