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.
61
BRIGHT MORNING STAR
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Jesus, in His last communication to the ones who follow Him, speaks of the Bright Morning Star. Many scholars and Bible teachers link this description with Venus, as the planet appears in the morning, prior to the full sunrise. As Venus rises on the horizon, it indicates that the night is soon past and the full light of the sun will arrive next.
Yet the Bright Morning Star is present in the early morning hours, while it is still dark. Let us not loose hold of this truth, for as the Lord gave His last message to his people, His message not only contained hope, for the star does proceed the full light of day, but the star also provides a point of focus. We are to consider Jesus as the focal point of our lives as we wander in this darkness of our pilgrimage on earth.
One last note. Jesus does not say He will be the Bright Morning Star, but that He is the Bright Morning Star. In this world of darkness, His light may be seen if you search for it. Yes the sky is immense, and there are many other stars, acting as distractions, but the Bright and Morning Star is shining for all to recognize
He is our Bright Morning Star!
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
Aaron
Ordination/Appointment
Exodus 29:44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
Hebrews 5:4-6 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
In Exodus 29, God defines the many ways and reasons the priests were to offer up sacrifices for themselves and for the people they represented. As a summary of the chapter, verse 44 speaks of God’s consecration of the priests for service in His tent of meeting.
Let’s remember that this is the tent of meeting, a humble edifice that is meant as a place to represent God. Aaron, at least should be a humble example of the people he represents. Nothing in this picture speaks of worthiness, or being qualified, of being good enough for the position.
God spent a full chapter speaking of how the priests were to undergo a consecration, dealing with their condition before a holy God.
In no text of the Old Testament can I find any mention of Aaron seeking this position. Of course, once he had been appointed to the position of high priest, he forgot his humble beginnings and sided with his sister in seeking more privilege, but that is for another time!
No, Aaron did not seek this position – It was granted by the choice of God, not dependent on the actions of the one chosen. His consecration (or ordination) spoke of his need to be fit for the work. He didn’t seek this position since it seemed obvious he was not capable of fulfilling the job description!
Jesus on the other hand, was fully qualified (and yet maintained humility!) to perform the position of High Priest, and His ordination, though of a different priestly order, was granted through the resurrection of His body.
He is of the eternal order of the Melchizedekian priesthood. Notice that the Word states that Jesus was appointed by God, who said to Him
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”
We all know that this verse speaks of the resurrection. His appointment to the Melchizedekian priest hood was through the grave, never again requiring another consecration.
Incredible Savior!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
60
BRIDEGROOM
Luke 5:34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
Was not Jesus a single man? For Him to speak of a bridegroom must have been somewhat surprising for those who heard Him. Some may not have connected Him as the bridegroom, but they surely refused to connect any importance to this Rabbi, for it seems obvious that He is referring to Himself.
So a single man refers to Himself as a bridegroom. One more time where the Master teacher shocks our sensibilities, our expectations, our assumptions.
To be a bridegroom brought with it a number of assumptions that the Jewish culture accepted.
A bridegroom would provide a gift to initiate a betrothal for His bride. Well, that is not quite accurate. The Father of the Bridegroom would provide this gift, called a mohar in the Old Testament, for the bride. Once this transaction occurred, the betrothal was entered into, and a wedding was planned for. This time period between betrothal and the formal wedding was as binding as the formal wedding, but lacked in the intimacy the formal wedding would allow.
An example of this expectation of the betrothal is the Lord’s earthly mother and father. When Joseph was informed of Mary’s pregnancy, he considered divorce, since they were “merely” betrothed, and she could not be having his child as they had not been intimate yet.
Since the Bridegrooms family paid for the bride, it was understood that the newly founded family would live with the Bridegroom’s father/family.
One other interesting tidbit regarding this practice was the negotiating between families for the betrothal. The future bride had very little, if any input in the negotiations. The betrothal was a period of time where the bride would become acquainted with the Bridegroom
Can we see the Father and the Son working out the picture of the betrothal and wedding for His bride? Did not the Father provide a gift to the bride in the sacrifice of the Son? Is not our current time of knowing the Lord reminiscent of this betrothal period? Finally, when the marriage occurs, as the bride we will be taken to the Father’s house.
How often the disciples must have marveled at the teaching of Jesus, possibly confused at first, maybe somewhat frustrated, but they continued to seek truth. When this picture of the betrothal and wedding was understood spiritually, it must have been a tremendous blessing to those disciples.
He is our Bridegroom, and He has bought us. Take time getting “acquainted” with 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 wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
David continues in our passage speaking of his enemies as lying in wait for his life. These enemies have been previously described as bloodthirsty, and in following verses as fierce, even as dogs. They are on the hunt for a victim, but not just any victim. They aren’t seeking blood of just any victim. They have their eye on the future King of Israel. They are looking for innocent blood, blood that has no cause of death in it, but that he is the future king.
David is speaking relatively, for he is not claiming sinless perfection in front of God, but that in relation to the current king of Israel, he has brought no reason for this persecution. He has committed no sin against the current king. He has no way to remedy this situation, for the entire cause of this persecution is sourced out of a man of jealousy, an insecure man who has walked away from God. David has no opportunity of resolving this conflict since Saul will not seek peace.
Saul wants David’s blood. And David wants God to come see.
Now of course God sees the situation. He clearly sees the situation, from every conceivable vantage point and in every possible way. But David is asking for a conference, a time to get together for a “huddle”, a time of communication and review. David needs to get his head straightened out, to hear of the situation from God, to know of God’s accompaniment with him in this endurance run.
David even goes so far as implying that God is asleep and that He needs to rouse Himself. What audacity of the man to speak to God in such a way.
And yet when trials come our way, do we not question God’s attention. It is so common for us to claim that God is missing, that He is somewhere else, or that He is not paying attention to our experience. We may offer up formal prayers acknowledging His presence, but sometimes couched within those prayers are hints that we have our doubts, even though the promise of His being with us in scattered throughout the written Word.
David made his concerns crystal clear. You are my God, and I need you. I need Your attention in this matter. Come to deliver me oh my God. Deliverance was provided, for David received God’s protection from death in multiple instances and in various ways. Over an extended period of time. Yet David was entering a time of persecution and of being on the run, all the while under God’s protection.
Sometimes the protection provided does not look as we may have wanted, but God is faithful.
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.
59
BREAST PLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
As believers, we of all people should realize we have no absolute righteousness within our nature. We are a people that leans to evil, have tendencies to seek wrong, desire the unholy and look for trouble. It is deep within us to be selfish, self centered and concerned with our own comfort and interests.
We understand that the extent to which He was sacrificed has in some way defined the depth of our sickness, our brokenness, our bent to things not of God. His crucifixion is the proof of His sacrificial love for those who are through and through of the wrong stuff.
Oh Carl – You are exaggerating the human condition to make a point. That may be, but I would challenge you to prove your righteousness instead of simply claiming your righteousness.
Obey every command delivered to us through the Word. Do not allow yourself any leeway, but commit wholeheartedly to continually obeying every command God has given us. You can choose either the Old Testament Law – the decalogue – or the New Testament teaching from Christ. Decide on either the easy one (decalogue) or the tough one (NT teaching). But once decided, commit to continually obeying every principle with 100% precision and commitment.
I would suggest two outcomes are possible if you take on this discipline.
One – You will convince yourself that you continually obey every command the Lord has spoken, and from that inner knowledge, a huge shadow of pride and arrogance will dominate every action, emotion and interaction with your peers, family and friends.
Two – You realize there is no hope, that you don’t have the strength to obey, or the ability, or even the desire to follow after the Lord with every strength possible, and you become disheartened.
Both of these results are not acceptable, and not intended by the Word, other than to show us our desperate need to look to our only Righteousness.
Paul provides the truth of the breastplate of righteousness, the righteousness as a breastplate protecting our heart. Our own heart, though redeemed, is continually bombarded with temptations, and if we look to our own heart for righteousness, we will loose heart. The Breastplate of Righteousness is a protection for our lives, protecting the most vulnerable part of our life.
He is the Breastplate of Righteousness, since the truth of His sacrifice is beyond our own understanding or experience. His sacrifice is a fact we can lean on, where our hearts find solace, comfort, encouragement and strength.
As we continually look to Jesus as our Breastplate of Righteousness, we will eventually learn what it means to walk properly, to think correctly, to understand humility and grace, and to mimic Him (in some small way) in His acts of Righteousness. Realizing our heart has been protected by His never changing righteousness, will also create a heart trained to righteousness. This heart will eventually produce a likeness to His Spirit in your day to day activities.
One more thing if I may be so blunt – My understanding of His Righteousness has totally morphed from my first days as a believer. It is much deeper, much stronger, much more subtle (at times), so dependent on the Spirit, rooted in the thought life, and full of mercy.
He is our Breastplate of Righteousness. Is He covering your life? Is he protecting your own heart, no matter it’s condition?
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
Aaron
One who Offers Sacrifice
Numbers 15:25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their mistake.
Hebrews 5:1-2 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
Seeing Jesus as the High Priest pictured in Aaron has some fantastic similarities. Yes, Jesus is not of the Aaronic priesthood, but for that we must be thankful, for His priesthood is a never ending priesthood based on an unending life.
Yet He was chosen from amongst men to offer sacrifice to God for men. A priest that was not of “another creation”, but one who could relate to the condition of the people he represented before God.
Aaron, as High Priest chosen from amongst men, offered sacrifices for the congregation, of which he was a part. True – he offered a sacrifice that belonged to someone else. And his sacrifice had limited effectiveness. But the sacrifice was presented unto God, and Aaron (or his descendants) represented a nation who needed mercy and forgiveness for an immediate sinful action. Whether it was for a specific sin or the collective blot of disobedience the nation incurred for the entire year, Aaron (or his descendants) offered up a sacrifice to represent the nation in front of God.
It is the act of offering up a sacrifice that draws our attention to the Lord this morning. Both Aaron and Jesus, offered up sacrifices unto God for a people they represented.
Yet how much greater is the Lord in His offering for the people, not only in the effectiveness of the offering, but also in the duration of the satisfaction the offering provided to the God of all creation. His offering was not from someone else’s flock, or that belonged to a neighbor, but was of His own life, a spotless life that He offered unto God.
Consider the offering of Jesus, and be thankful.
He was chosen to be the sacrifice, and in that choice, He brought to reality the picture of Aaron slaying a sacrifice for the people He sought to represent before a holy God.
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.
58
BREAD OF GOD
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
In our last post we spoke of Jesus as the Bread from Heaven, and His self description in John 6:32. The very next verse, Jesus continues the description of the Bread, speaking of the nature of the Bread here, and not simply it’s origination. Jesus is giving those who hear tremendous truth as to the One who is speaking to them!
When Jesus speaks of the Bread of Heaven, He speaks of the location of the Bread’s origination, or where the Bread came from. For Jesus to speak of the Bread of God is revealing the nature of the Bread, the identity of the Bread. It is not a physical bread, but it is of God.
To refer to the Bread as being from Heaven may leave His listeners thinking He is an angel, or a spiritual being. In this verse He clarifies who He is (not His point of origin). He does not speak of Himself as being Bread from God, which would allow others to default to the angel understanding, but the Bread of God.
He came down from Heaven to provide us the Bread of God, Himself and that as the Bread of God was broken, we have the privilege of finding our life in Him.
He speaks of even greater life giving capabilities than simply providing life to a simple believer sitting at his desk typing this morning, but of providing life for the world. The world!
How audacious!
How like the One who spoke truth though our understanding is far from complete. He spoke the truth though hard for us to comprehend. He spoke truth for us not to struggle with, but to accept and to believe.
Do you believe?
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.
Psalm 59
1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
The psalms of David’s heart are sometimes not associated with a specific time in his life. Not so with this psalm. This is specifically the time when the assassination plot was initiated against the shepherd boy by the King of Israel. Let us consider the passage that describes the condition David is in when He pens this psalm.
1 Samuel 19:11-12
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
David is on the run! This is unbelievable in David’s mind, totally unexpected, for as he speaks with Saul’s son Jonathon after this, he reveals his confusion.
1 Samuel 20:1
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
Psalm 59 is David’s heart after this shocking development in his life. From becoming a national hero, and the future king of Israel, David plummets to a fugitive, on the run from his own people, expecting a spear through the heart or a sword falling on his neck. He is a dead man.
Except for one hope! His God.
Twice he looks to God, to his God for deliverance, once for defending and finally for salvation. Each of these verbs are telling!
Deliver
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God… (v1)
deliver me from those who work evil (v2)
David’s request for deliverance from his enemies (those who work evil) may be understood as David requesting God to snatch him away from the situation, or to take him away from the danger. His request has the sense of being without any self assistance, as one who is without any resource to perform the escape. David is helpless in this request, and he looks to God for his deliverance.
Protect
Protect me from those who rise up against me (v1)
To “protect” in this verse is a surprising concept for a 21st century believer, for it speaks of the one being protected as being set on high, to be in accessible, to be too high for capture.
Notice Davis is asking to be lifted up (protected) against those who are rising up against him. They are seeking to find advantage in their position over David, and yet David seeks God to being him to a higher point, a position of being unreachable, beyond their grasp
Save
save me from bloodthirsty men. (v2)
David cuts to the chase in this verse, for he speaks of those men who are against him as bloodthirsty. His enemies are rising up against him and working evil, are doing so from a blood lust, a desire to kill.
David clearly understands the situation. He is looking to God, his God for deliverance, to cheat these bloodthirsty men from any success. And we know that God, his God came to his rescue. David eventually became king. Eventually! You see, David may have been as young as 19 on the night Saul’s men came to get him. Eleven years later, he ascended to the throne. Over a decade of protection through numerous close calls, near misses and terror inducing events.
God’s protection and deliverance in David’s life was in the midst of many trials.
It may be good to remember this as we enter into trials and struggles in our own walk with the Master.
God protects and we trust. And we are called to continue to trust, in the midst of the trials, the close calls and the terror inducing events, for God is good, and He is good all the time!
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.
57
BREAD FROM HEAVEN
John 6:32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Our next two descriptions of God are related to bread.
Our first passage hears Jesus speaking of the life giving food of the Bread from Heaven.
Notice that He speaks in the past when referring to Moses and the physical bread the Israeli’s received from the heavens for close to 40 years. They received the bread from heaven, but as Jesus is speaking to those hearing, He is referring to the present, the time He was on earth. He clarifies that the Bread they have access to is the Bread from Heaven, and delegating the manna of old as a simple physical symbol of things to come.
The Bread from heaven is a life giving sustenance that is to be consumed daily, to receive strength for the battles of the day, to have power to perform the tasks at hand and to be a blessing to others.
The Bread from Heaven speaks of Its (His) origin and therefore also implies that the strength, power and blessing is not of a physical source but of a heavenly source.
Are you finding daily sustenance for your Christian life in the Bread from Heaven?
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
Aaron
Chosen
Exodus 40:13 and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.
Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Moses was instructed to bring Aaron to the entrance of the tent of meeting in order to display before the nation His choice of Aaron as His High Priest. Aaron was to receive the holy garments, not due to a successful political campaign, or to some bribe that provided him this privilege, but due to the choice of God for his life.
Jesus, in His arrival and life, pleased the Father and was described as the One chosen by the Father.
Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
Both Aaron and Jesus had the privilege of being chosen for a priesthood. Of course the Son was chosen for the highest priesthood, and will remain in the priesthood forever, always serving as priest. As Hebrews 5:1 reminds us, His Priesthood before the Father is on our behalf in relation to God. He is our High Priest before God and provides His people the privilege of being in the presence of the Father, having become our sacrifice for sin.
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.
56
BRANCH
Zechariah 6:12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.
The Word refers to “the Branch” a number of times and I struggled with which verse to use for our post this morning.
Isaiah 11:1 identifies the Branch as from Jesse’s family, and in chapter 4:2, the prophet refers to the Branch of the Lord, identifying the Branch as from the Lord.
Zechariah mentions the Branch prior to our verse above in chapter 3:8-9.
Each of these texts are fantastic verses to dwell on for the believer, but for this post, let us consider Zechariah 6:12, for Zechariah speaks of the Branches activities, or actions.
First off He will branch out from His place. Some scholars speak of this clause as describing the Branch’s growth as being from Itself, not dependent upon His conditions or environment. His growth is not expected, or of a natural result.
Secondly, the Branch shall build the temple. As Zechariah is preaching this message, the physical temple is being built in Jerusalem. Joshua, the High Priest, who is initially being referred to here, is associated with the physical temple, and many in the audience may have understood this declaration as being directly for him and the immediate circumstances.
Yet, if any Israeli worshipper knew his Old Testament, when Zechariah used the term “Branch”, they knew he meant much more than the immediate priest named Joshua. This was the Messiah being referred to in this passage, and that this Messiah would branch out, spread His influence/authority/knowledge throughout the land.
For the New Testament believer, this passage speaks of the Messiah’s influence/authority/knowledge spreading farther than the small nation of Israel, but throughout the earth.
The temple of the Lord is being built by the Branch, and may His name be praised!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.
Psalm 58
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
Throughout this psalm we have seen David battle with his frustration, with injustice, with crying out to God for action. Let’s remember David’s situation. He has been recently declared by God and His prophet Samuel, in the presence of his family, to be the next King of Israel. He has saved the nation from extreme embarrassment by defeating the giant Goliath. He has served both father and King with multiple tasks. And now he is on the run, being chased by the King and ignored by his family.
I get the message of verse 10, and the joy of seeing vengeance on an enemy. I really do! There have been times in my life when we have been treated poorly and unjustly, and eventually the Lord brings about a turnaround in the situation, with the persecutor becoming a victim. I found joy in the rescue of the Lord, and to be blunt enjoyed seeing the one suffer.
For some reason, I am finding that even though justice is deserved, and may be meted out, that in those circumstances when I see a fairness exacted I experience less joy, less happiness, less satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong – to have the Lord rescue me or my loved ones is an exhilarating experience, but if it entails a required discipline on another, even an enemy, my relative joy is diminished.
To see my enemy suffer is not a joy. I am not sure where David’s head was when he wrote this, especially referring to bathing his feet in the blood of the wicked. It may have some oriental implication I don’t understand, or he may be simply expressing the natural response of a man under tremendous pressure.
It is beyond me, and may reveal my immaturity in the Lord.
But lets stand back and consider these last two verses, that the joy may not necessarily be in the bloody foot bath, but in the fact that there is a God who judges the earth. There is a judge who will defend the helpless, and put right those actions that are evil.
And yet there is a higher thought that nags at me.
Is it not the same Judge of all the earth that was judged, condemned, tortured, mocked, ridiculed, and crucified by those who are the wicked, unjust and cruel of the land.
And yet He asked for their forgiveness.
Yes He is the Greater David, the One who pulls all of us to higher ground, who reveals the merciful heart of the Father, who provides forgiveness to us who should identify with Saul more than David.
We are truly a blessed people to have the Greater David as our Guide, Leader, Savior and Teacher.
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.
55
BLESSED HOPE
Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Our Blessed Hope.
Jesus is described as our Hope.
Hope is a term in our culture that may mean anything from a wish (I sure hope I get a Maserati for Christmas) to a sense of desperation (Mary is so sick now we only have hope).
The Bible uses this term differently, for when we see the word “hope”, we are to think of a joyful and confident expectation. This term is also associated with a pleasurable expectation, an experience of goodness and joy.
So when Titus adds the modifier “blessed”, he is strengthening the base message of a pleasurable expectation for the one hoping. He is describing Jesus, the subject of the hope, and not merely the experience of the one having the hope.
Jesus is the Hope of the believer, and what a great promise to look forward to. Yet Titus goes one step further, reminding us that He is the Blessed Hope.
Consider the implications of using the term blessed in relation to this description of God. To be blessed speaks of satisfaction, to be fully satisfied, to be in a happy condition. He is blessed and due His being in a blessed blessed condition at His coming, we should also reflect on this truth. If He is blessed (happy) at His coming for His saints, how does that change the way you think of that coming day? When He appears, He will be in a blessed condition, in a joyful attitude as He rescues us.
Do you see His coming in that way?
Is He your “Blessed” Hope?
Is there an anticipation of His arrival or is His delay acceptable to you?
Jesus is our Blessed Hope
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
Aaron
Behind the veil
Exodus 28:29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.
Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
As Aaron represented the children of Israel for a very short period of time before the LORD into the earthly Holy Place, His actions depicted the Greater Aaron, as our High Priest entering before the Father in reality.
Both entered behind the veil, into the Holy Place.
Aaron, as a type of Christ in his representing the children of Israel, was to remain for a short period behind the veil, performing his priestly duty and then returning to the people he represented. (Jesus too will be returning to His people but that is a separate topic for another day!)
Although Jesus is of a different priesthood, His entrance into the Father’s presence provides our future access, for not only does our author not speak of His leaving the Father’s presence, but that Jesus is described as a forerunner, One who is sent before those who follow.
Yes they both entered behind a veil, but only Jesus went behind the veil to remain behind the veil, and to provide access for those who He represented forever.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
54
BLESSED AND ONLY SOVEREIGN
2 Timothy 6:15 which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
For this name of God, I would like to concentrate on the concept of Sovereign. It is not a word that is commonly used outside of the Christian culture (or Britain), but the term refers to one who serves as a chief of state, or more applicable in our study, One who exercises supreme authority.
In my past studies, when I read Sovereign in relation to the Lord, the principal image of control rose in my mind. That is, He is in control of all things, from the time we are born, to the time we die. He is the creator and sustainer of all life and has provided a Savior that has redeemed us, rescuing us from damnation and loss.
For a period of time, my ruminations on the concept of control as Sovereign, in my mind, elevated God to the highest plane, to a point where every decision, act and attitude could be attributed to God. For a period of time this became a passion of mine, until I sensed a personal lack of concern for my own responsibility in front of Him. After all, in this scheme of thinking, He is the One who controls everything in His kingdom. And eventually, I felt I was slipping into a void.
Until I heard a man speak of a sovereign in a silly story.
He asked me to imagine a family going to a park, with three or four children tagging along. Prior to getting to the park, the father informed the children they were to stay within eyesight, not climb too high, and to care for each other. Upon arriving, the mother and father sat down, reminded the children of the instructions, and let them have some fun. As the children played, the father and mother were on constant watch, but the children had tremendous freedom to play within the boundaries set.
I ask you. Could this father be considered a sovereign? Did He have control over his “subjects”? If they rebelled, did he have the authority to discipline? If the children did right, exercising the freedom they were provided, did he become less sovereign?
My friends, the Sovereignty of God is a massive truth, and I take no credit for this story, but for the wise man who told it to me, I am thankful. I have come to understand that God is good, He has set limitations for us in the “park” and that He is always watching us, walking with us, and giving us guidance as we look to Him.
He is confident in Himself to allow His creation to work together with Him, to make mistakes (and learn from them) to provide a measure of freedom for His children, and yet still get the glory only He deserves.
He is good and He is good all the 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 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.
David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.
Psalm 58
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
In our last post, David described the wicked one, the one who refuses correction, the one who is fully loaded with venom, ready to attack, the one who seeks their own desires above all else.
David turns a corner with this portion, for he is now seeking justice on those who are persecuting him. He is asking the Lord for retribution on the wicked for the suffering he has experienced due to their wicked plans against him. Can you feel the frustration he is experiencing. He faithfully served the King, saved the nation from the Philistines in slaying Goliath, ministered to Saul in his sickness, and is now on the run for his life.
Persecuted, not due to anything he has done, other than the Lord choosing him for the throne of Israel. David’s heart for God, and God’s response in anointing him for the throne of Israel brought about his life of being on the run, of being but a step from the grave.
Can you feel his frustration? What is going on? Surely being chosen by God will only bring blessing and honor into David’s life. Surely there is something wrong with this picture! Surely God is not acting correctly, not providing the justice needed, and David begins to describe to God the ways these men are to be treated. David is looking for his God to deliver him, to execute justice upon those who are unjustly smearing his name, chasing him down and ruining his life.
In these verses, David writes numerous descriptions of how God should judge the wicked, all of which lead to their destruction. Note that David is pleading with God, but David’s actions reflect his faith in God, his belief that God truly is the Judge of all the earth, and that even the timing of justice is in God’s hands.
I can’t help but think of a time I chatted with my best friend and she spoke of her desire to lash out at her boss over an injustice. There was no doubt about the injustice, and yet she had not said anything, nor taken any hasty actions. This situation, though a microcosm of David’s experience, has some parallels. And thankfully, as she is wont to do, just needed to express her feelings, share how she felt, and then reconsidered how Jesus would respond. (She took donuts to work with her to be a blessing!)
As we face injustice, it is good for us to be honest with the Lord in our prayers. Trying to come to God with a “face on” will help no one, and God is not deceived. David fully expressed his desires for these wicked men, yet would not hurt the Lord’s anointed.
David expressed his anger and frustration with God, yet was under God’s control in his day to day life. He was under persecution for doing right, for being right, and yet no retaliation, no seeking of revenge against Saul.
Consider the Greater David. Consider His actions toward those who unjustly mocked Him, ridiculed Him, defamed Him, beat him, whipped Him and crucified Him. Did He seek justice, or ask the Father to forgive them?
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.
53
BELOVED SON
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus is called the Father’s beloved Son.
Beloved is the Greek term ἀγάπη agápē.
As many know, there are a number of terms in the Bible that refer to love, but this is the term that was not in use in the Greek language at the time of the first century. It is a term that reflects the character of the One loving and not of the one being loved.
With that said, when God so loved the world, this term seems appropriate, for the One loving is God and the one being loved is those in rebellion. The ones receiving this love were not deserving, they were actually enemies of God. Yet, out of the character of God, He loved them. God expressed His love to them because that is the character of God. The recipients had nothing to do with it other than being contrary to the love, refusing and fighting against the hound of heaven.
When Paul states that the Son is beloved, and uses the same Greek term, we are to understand that the love the Father has for His Son is the same love He has for us, as we are in the Son and He is the Beloved Son.
The Father’s love for the Son came out of His own character, and though there was nothing between the Father and Son (except while the Son was on the cross), the love was pure and unrelenting.
Jesus is the Beloved Son.
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
Aaron
Tempted
Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
We all know of Aaron’s failure before the Lord in succumbing to the pressure of the Israelites. He actually created (or oversaw the creation) of Israel’s first idol, while Moses was speaking with God on the mountain.
Aaron was tempted, and as he fell in this temptation, he produced a situation that spread far beyond his own life. The repercussions of falling into this temptation was the potential wiping out of the entire nation. Yet Aaron, and the nation, due to Moses intercession, escaped judgement.
Obviously Moses is a type of the Lord in this instance, and we shall get to him, but in Aaron, we find a man who was tempted. He felt the pressure of the crowd, the influence of the multitude, and fell to the coercion, rejecting the truth Moses spoke to him.
Jesus also was tempted, not only in the wilderness all alone, for 40 days, in a weakened condition, but also in the multitudes, in large groups and gangs that had death on their minds. He stayed the course, even to death, knowing that the temptation to save His own skin would doom not only the nation, but the created world.
He was tempted, yet without sin!
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.
52
BEGINNING OF WISDOM
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
This description of our Savior is the third time He is associated with a beginning.
In the last two posts, we have seen that when “beginning” was referring to the Christ, it was related to the new creation, the church, and to His mission and sacrifice.
Not so here for Psalmist speaks of the beginning of wisdom as the attitude of the fear of the Lord.
We understand the fear of the Lord is the Old Testament motivation for all obedience to the commands of God. Whether it is a holy reverence or a soul quaking fear is not the focus of this post.
The focus of this post is to consider the ultimate “beginning of wisdom” to be best displayed in the Savior Himself.
We know He is the sinless Son of God, obedient in all his actions and attitudes before Hs Father. His fear of the Lord was consummate, for He never looked to the right or to the left. Only on the Father.
The term “beginning”, though often denoting the first in time, may also speak of the first in place, order or rank. Given this, it would be easy to understand that the beginning of wisdom was best exemplified and lived out in the Messiah.
He is the beginning of wisdom.
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.
David provided the core, foundational problem of mankind in last weeks post, of the heart of the ruler, and the violence that flows from the rulers heart through his hands and to the victims.
In todays post, David will continue to describe wicked man, those men who sought him out, chased him with the intention of death, those who hated him without cause. He is also describing those amongst whom we live, those who have gained breath from birth, those we love and cherish, even ourselves – if we are honest with ourselves.
Although uncomfortable, let us read the following passage.
Psalm 58
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.
If we are honest with ourselves.
It is a difficult message, when I see my little grandchildren cooing and gurgling, to believe that within those cute little ones, their lies a heart that is bent to selfishness.
It is hard to admit that each of us, as we gain breath, have a desire to satisfy own own heart and none else. Though David’s description is speaking of those who were in full bloom of their sin, they began with a self centered spirit. These enemies of David had potential to either follow after or fight against their estrangement, their isolation from others, and especially from God the Father. These particular men followed after their estrangement. We all do. It is natural. It is normal. It is inevitable.
If we are honest with ourselves.
The wicked come fully weaponized. The wicked have venom. They do not need to gain a source of venom, but come fully equipped with poisonous intent.
Story time
As I was walking though my office yesterday, a peer had his radio on, volume low, and barely discernible, but I caught a phrase in a song that we repeat to ourselves constantly.
I believe people are good. I believe I am good.
Even as I heard that, I felt good. I enjoyed that message. I thought highly of myself. I have done some good things in life, therefore I am good, right?
My friends, I am not trying to say every human is as evil as Hitler in their actions, but we all are capable of great self deception, and easily able to justify evil acts, all the while thinking we are good.
If we are honest with ourselves.
Note that the wicked do not hear the voice of the charmers, or the enchanter. They refuse any counsel or direction. They stop their ears, intentionally refusing to hear of any alternate message, of any correction or rebuke.
At this point, David’s description of mankind is desperate. A fully weaponized individual that refuses any direction, being directed only by a heart that seeks it’s own desire
Let’s be honest with ourselves my friend. If we have ever veered from the perfection of God, (and we all have), we belong to the group David is describing here. Venomous individuals seeking their own. Individuals with a heart that spews out violence.
Is there no hope? Surely we are without any ability to correct our ways, for our only influence is the heart we were born with, that we are controlled by, that devise our plans and direct our actions. No wonder Paul cried out…
Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Let us remember that the main issue in this Psalm is the search for the true Judge of all the earth. David is describing a judge (or ruler) vying for control over our lives. In his description of those against him, he condemns us all, for his description is the description of my own heart.
But am I being to harsh, too judgmental, to negative? Jesus himself sealed this truth when He described the heart of man in Matthew 15:18-19
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
We have a heart that seeks it’s own. The true Judge is One who has the heart we think we have, that is, a heart that is the very definition of right, that has been pieced for us, that has drawn us to Him.
Seek Him. Listen to Him. Do not stop your ears from His counsel. Seek His heart, for His heart is a heart of mercy, forgiveness, love, patience, kindness wisdom.
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.
51
BEGINNING OF GOD’S CREATION
Revelation 3:14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
In our last post we considered Jesus as the beginning of the church, as Paul was writing to the Colossians.
In this portion of Scripture, John is describing our Savior as the beginning of God’s creation. Again. let us be careful to not assume Jesus had a beginning (other than as a man) and was not One of the eternal persons in the Trinity.
As the audience is the church of the Laodiceans, I have always considered the creation John refers to here as the church, very much of the same vein of truth as Paul expressed in Colossians 1:18
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
Aaron
A Brother
Exodus 4:14 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
It is interesting that Aaron is first called out as a brother of Moses. Earlier we met a priest by the name of Melchizedek, which for reasons beyond our topic today, was not chosen to represent the nation of Israel as high priest. Some may think Melchizedek would have passed on by now, but I tend to think differently!
Aaron was a man that had two descriptions the Lord noted for Moses. One that he could speak well, which addresses Moses claim to limit his ability to represent before Pharoah, and that he was a brother. The fact that he was a Levite comes into the equation later for the priesthood!
Aaron was a brother. One who was of the same “stuff” as Moses, coming from the same family, the same time, the same location, the same history. He knew what it meant to be of the population of an oppressed people. He had heard of the promise of a new land.
Jesus is also of the same “stuff” in that He took on a physical body, experienced hunger, anger, frustration and remaining gamut of emotional impacts a man experienced in the first century, under an oppressive ruler, and yet He knew the promise of a new land.
Note that the apostle speaks of Jesus “made like His brothers in every respect”. We can not claim He did not experience what we go through, both internally and externally, or that we undergo trials beyond His understanding.
He is a Brother.
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.
50
BEGINNING
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
He is the beginning.
Some may think this refers to Jesus as being created, and would assign to Him an existence other than the truth of His eternality.
This thinking does not makes sense, for in the very verse we are looking at, Paul is speaking of Him as He relates to the church, not of His nature. He is the beginning of the church, the trailblazer, the Apostle sent to rescue us.
We cannot think of Paul or Peter as the ones who started the church.
He is the beginning.
As a man, He began His earthly existence in a cradle, for He needed a body to sacrifice for our rebellion. In a body, He related to those around Him, led by example, showed His character, and finally offered up the body created for Him.
He is the beginning.
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.
This psalm is a psalm answering the question “Who is the rightful Judge/Ruler of all the earth?” and the complaint concerning the unjust ruler comes from a prophet named David.
A generally accepted background to this psalm is rooted in the early days of David’s relationship with Saul, when Saul became mad (crazy), and sought out David’s life. It seems Saul gathered those of his inner circle and codified his intentions to seek and destroy David, a young man who had only served Saul in his court.
In the loss of his kingdom, Saul must have heard of David’s anointing, for he had eyes throughout the land. Given notice that he was destined to fall from power, Saul sought to frustrate the plan of God, and persecute the one who was rightfully the king.
During this persecution David wrote this psalm, and some think it may have been in the very cave of Adullum, where David was a hair breadth from being caught and hauled off.
David’s poetry is harsh in this passage, and as we live in a time of unjust rulers, there may be some out there who can relate to David’s frustration, anger and eventual release of joy.
But first, let us read David’s initial complaint.
Psalm 58
1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David. Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.
Immediately, David describes the heart of the rulers, and their unjust ruling over men. His frustration over the corruption within the ruling class is brimming over. Some may think David is referring to spiritual powers when he mentions “gods”, but this passage is addressing the culpability of the men in leadership, making decisions.
His complaint rests in the fact that though the ruler has been granted power to exercise influence over his people, this power can be abused. This abuse is dependent on the nature of the ruler, his heart condition, his desire for either his own good or the good of the people. This difference can be justified easily if the heart of the ruler is not leaning on God constantly. David, as the one who is the target of a ruler who is not leaning on God, sees the extent to which a man without God can fall.
Does the ruler indeed decree what is right?
Indeed. The sarcasm is heavy, for in David’s very question the answer rests, for the very definition of right is being defined by the ruler.
Yes – the very definition of right is defined by the ruler. David understands the motivation of the ruler (his heart’s desire) will define the actions being classified as “right” by the ruler in power. A ruler with evil intent can justify gross sin as a righteous act.
David cuts to the heart of the problem by exposing the intention of the ruler chasing him. Verse 2 describes the source of this corruption.
In your hearts you devise wrongs.
The king has a goal, something born in his desires, and in his heart, he devises actions to bring to fruit his desires. Never mind that some (if not all) of the actions are selfish, sinful and destructive. It can easily be justified by the dark heart, claiming whatever actions he takes, it is for the greater good!
The ruler’s decisions that impact his people are highly dependent on the condition of his heart. Out of the self centered desires of his heart, evil actions flow while he smiles at his people, telling them of his good intentions, of his saving efforts for the future. Some difficult times may come, but it is for a glorious time ahead.
Difficult times do come from a ruler whose heart devises wrong, for out of this heart, David correctly describes the outcome.
Violence on the earth.
The Hebrew term for violence speaks of injustice, of both ethical and physical wrongdoing, of unrighteous gain, cruelty. The term is châmâç, transliterated as ḥāmās.
Saul wanted David out of the picture and he had the authority to put into action his desires and devices. He was granted authority and abused it. Of course we know the mercy and goodness of God in the outcome, but in the meantime, David is experiencing the blunt force power of an evil heart in a jealous ruler.
Violence is what flows from an evil heart, and we must consider it for our own lives, for we all influence others, and though our authority may be small, the heart is still the issue.
We must be those who seek the heart of God, for out of His heart true righteousness flows. His heart is the very definition of “right” for it cannot be otherwise. Anyone who devices “right” apart from God, is fooling himself and will cause violence in their circle of influence.
As a judge/ruler, we shall see that Saul fails miserably, along with all those who sought to follow his plans. The power granted to him was abused, and God through His mysterious will, allowed it for a period, for training of a man of God, and for our instruction.
We also have rulers with evil intent. Let us not forget David’s actions when faced with unjust persecution. If persecution comes, remember the heart of God, the One whose heart was pierced so that we may be forgiven of our evil desires, actions and violence.
