Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ADAM
IN HIS IMAGE
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Luke 3:38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Both Jesus and Adam were in His image.
Of course Adam’s creation was all encompassing. Everything about Adam at his creation was in the image of God.
At the visit with Mary by the Spirit, Jesus earthly body was also created, and with that creation, the image of God had taken a physical form. Adam kept the image untarnished for a matter of hours, maybe a day. Jesus is the image of God, in all His glory, and has retained that image spotlessly from the very beginning.
Definitely Adam was a refection of the Lord, though the duration was fleeting. But He is the eternal image of God, and knowing that makes all the difference!
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
20
JEHOVAH TSIDKENU (THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS)
Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
How New Testamental can a prophet get?
Notice that Jeremiah is not defining the LORD as righteous, though God is. No no no. The name we are looking at today is The Lord our Righteousness. God Himself is our righteousness, and none other. So what is Jeremiah telling us in this name.
When I think of righteousness, I sometimes fall into the thinking of sinlessness. Is that a correct understanding? Possibly. Could there be more to righteousness than just sinlessness? I am not sure but would like to offer my understanding, that hopefully will honor the LORD, in that He is our Righteousness.
In the English language, to be righteous is to act in accord with divine or moral law. It has implications of being virtuous, true, good and decent. All of these characteristics are gained by “keeping the rules”. And that is the rub! What rules? You see, the rules define righteousness acts. If the rules stated I need to skip instead of walk, walking would be considered sinful. (And girls would naturally be more righteous than boys – lol)
Therefore, if there are two sets of “rules” existing in a culture or society, there will be two sets of righteousness, both in conflict with one another. Does that make sense?
Let’s consider this concept another way. Some examples of two righteous ways of life are exhibited in the times of the Messiah. One righteousness was performed via the law of God, or at least the law of God as interpreted by centuries of men analyzing, arguing and reinterpreting someone’s interpretation. The folks that had mastered this righteousness were called the Pharisees.
The other righteousness was exhibited perfectly by a lone preacher that was connected with His Father, with eyes that read the Word with light, understood the heart of God, saw that up was down, light was dark and right was wrong. He persistently understood the Old Testament in ways that shocked the experts, and from that understanding lived a life of sacrifice, not of religion, of denial, not of reputation, of service, not of self.
And these two righteousness clashed. One took the path of violence and envy, the other the path of peace of love.
The LORD our Righteousness speaks of our rejecting one righteousness, and a daily clinging to another righteousness, that is the LORD (a person, not a set of rules) as our righteousness. He is the One who is “the rule”, and by His very character defines what righteousness is, and then came to earth to exhibit that righteousness in front of our eyes.
What does this righteousness look like?
Watch a humble preacher teaching life altering words in simple stories, washing his friends feet, teaching the worst of sinners of the love of God, and then bleeding for His enemies.
His name is Jesus and He is the Lord 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.
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 55.01
1 – To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 2 – Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, 3 – because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
The history of this psalm is unknown, but we can deduce a few items from the psalm to give us David’s situation. First off, it appears David is speaking primarily of a good friend who has turned on him, a betrayer, even called out as a covenant breaker!
Secondly, this is no idle threat, for David describes his condition including the “terrors of death”, and of horror overwhelming him.
David was in deep trouble, with his life on the line, not knowing how close he was to being destroyed. A constant stress, a continual pain and agony of mind and soul. A period of time when the Lord did not answer his prayers, for his repetition of seeking God to give ear, to not hide, and to attend to David, smacks of disappointment in previous efforts of prayer to God. The stress builds, and the heart is failing, and the LORD seems to be quiet.
Note that the basis of his prayer is depending on the mercy of God, that he realizes he has no other claim at this time. He is an experienced man of God, realizing his failings in front of God and depending on God’s mercy for his rescue. As the Lord had promised his kingdom to be forever, it was not promised to David that he would live a long and extended life and as such, David understood that his life could be cut short without any blemish on the Lord’s promises to him. Yet he calls on the mercy of God for deliverance in this time of terror.
What was the source of this terror you may ask? David gives us the reason in verse 3.
Noise of the enemy/Oppression of the wicked
As we have mentioned in earlier posts, the Old Testament prophets, when writing in poetry, would use a method of “rhyming” thoughts as opposed to our method of rhyming the last words in a couplet of phrases. In two verses, the author would say the same thing with a slight expansion or clarification of the previous phrase. I think this is happening here.
The oppression of the wicked is equivalent to the noise of the enemy. Threats, verbal attacks, intimidation causing a sense of imminent danger produced the stress residing in David’s heart. Words are powerful, and our words, whether intention or not, may cause tremendous stress in other’s lives. David’s enemies were certainly taking advantage of this type of warfare. Our enemy also does this!
An interesting connection, that will undoubtedly increase the readers understanding of David’s stress level is the two following phrases he uses in describing the type of stress he is undergoing. This is conjecture, but I find the connection interesting, and plausible.
When David speaks of the enemy “dropping trouble on him” this has a similar sound as when he was escaping from the City of David, from his own son Absalom’s treachery.
1 Samuel 15:14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
David continues with the description of the enemies motives, calling it a grudge. Both Absalom and his chief counsellor Ahithophel may be described in this manner.
We know the background to Absalom’s grudge, and his ability to hold a grudge for extended periods. When Amnon rapes his sister, he holds a grudge for two years before acting on it! But then his grudge comes to fruition (as unforgiven grudges always do) in his planning and executing the premeditated murder of his brother. Absalom’s next grudge is exercised when he spends 4 years after returning to Jerusalem, grooming the populace for his rebellion against the king. Grooming the populace to accept him in order to take the kingdom from his father. Right in the City of David, right under the nose of his father!
As for Ahithophel, David’s actions in having Uriah murdered in battle may be coming back to bite him. Consider Ahithophel’s relation to Bathsheba.
2 Samuel 23:34 – Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
2 Samuel 11:3 – And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
Catch it? Bathsheba, it appears, was the granddaughter of Ahithophel. Consider the ramifications of that.
This psalm may be speaking of David’s condition in the potential loss of his kingdom, and if the kingdom was lost, surely his life was forfeit! At the hands of his son and/or his friend.
Treachery, mirroring the very treachery of an apostle who turned on the Messiah. David was spared from experiencing the results of the enemies threats, but for the Messiah, the threats were realized, for He was crucified, He was put to death by His enemies.
He experienced so much more than we can imagine, and His cause was to rescue us from those who hate us. We are to walk in the same manner as He did, loving His enemies and proving it through His sacrificial life and death.
But let it be known that our deliverance may not be as David’s deliverance, but nevertheless, we can and should trust Him in the times when the noise of the enemy is loudest.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
19
JEHOVAH SHAMMAH (THE LORD IS THERE)
Ezekiel 48:35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.”
Let us remember the circumstances Ezekiel is writing under. The nation has been decimated by the Babylonians, Jerusalem sacked and the temple, the magnificent temple of Solomon has been cut down, destroyed. The people of God have been either killed in battle, underwent starvation and subsequent death, or carried off to a strange land to the north, amongst those who speak with a different tongue and worship a different god.
According to my research, Ezekiel receives this revelation of God’s name 25 after the deportation of the Jews into the strange land of Babylon. Two and a half decades of living in shock and confusion, for being away from the temple meant there was no ability to provide sacrifices to God, no priests performing the required rituals for the people.
And recently the people had been alerted that any hope of returning quickly to Jerusalem to be near the temple, well – that wasn’t going to happen! The Babylonians destroyed the Temple, and even the prophets were speaking of a long captivity, of 70 years away from the land!
Many of the Jews understandably may have lost heart, seeing that they would never survive the captivity, and then finding out that the temple was destroyed, accepted their destiny was to grow old in this strange land. With all the established physical connections with God broken, and experiencing the disciplinary hand of God, the Jewish people’s faith must have been crushed. A people without a home, a land, and seemingly without a God.
So when Ezekiel starts to describe a future city, the people’s ears must have perked up. Ezekiel has already spent considerable time in earlier chapters describing a temple to be constructed after the captivity, but in our passage today, Ezekiel is describing a city, not a temple. And the name we are considering this fine day is “The LORD is There”. This is curious, for the careful reader will recognize that the name is not associated with a temple, as most would expect, but with a City, where day to day life happens.
My understanding is that Ezekiel is not only trying to encourage the remnant, but to expand their understanding of relating to God. No longer is a faithful one to meet with God in the temple on holy days, but that the faithful one would be living life, minute by minute, in the presence of God. Such a tremendous promise. The promise of permanence of God’s presence is provided to the faithful here, for the verse speaks of a city having this name “from that time on.” The city where the LORD is!
This series is not on eschatology, on when this blessing will occur, but is seeking to provide a vehicle for those reading to consider who our God is, through his names and descriptions. Personally, the understanding I have tried to explain above fits with our current church age, in that He is the ever-present One, the LORD who is There in the City of God. He is building this city, stone by stone, and He is There.
Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Hebrews 11:16 …. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
What city do you dwell in?
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
18
JEHOVAH SHALOM (THE LORD IS PEACE)
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Peace.
I often think of peace as merely the absence of war, and to a point that is accurate, depending on the war we are considering. International war is the predominant topic when the topic of peace is tossed about in discussions.
Why can’t we have peace? As Gideon has described our God in this verse, the LORD is peace!
So how do we make sense of this? Even the Lord in one of His final discourses warned us of wars in the future.
Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
So it seems evident that He didn’t come to immediately put an end to physical wars between nations. And yet He is peace. This is the nature of our God, and by providence, our last study in the Names of God was the LORD of Hosts, or the Lord of the armies! This is a conflict surely!
As mentioned in the introductory, we need to remember the context of the conversation. What war is being referred to, and does the peace spoken of merely refer to the absence of war?
I believe that God is One who works in the nations through changing the people within the nation. Of course He can change the “heart of the king” when His plans demand it, or in response to His peoples prayers, but at this point in my pilgrimage, I understand His ways are primarily with individual hearts and minds.
If this is true, we can see the LORD of peace fully displayed in the Lord Jesus. And per His teaching, His intent was not to rule over the kingdom of this world. No – this world, or world system must be destroyed
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
So when we read of peace in the Word, we should be careful to understand the Word is not primarily speaking of international peace amongst nations. When we read of peace in the Word, we should hear a fuller picture, a mental image including completeness or wholeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment.
Much more than simply the absence of war! As a matter of fact, one of the many blessings of being a believer is the fact that we can have this peace in the midst of outer turmoil, of international wars, of upheaval in our own nation.
Peace in the midst of war. Only the LORD of peace can provide this!
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. Our last portion of Psalm 54 is David’s response to the rescue of God from the betrayal of the Ziphites.
Psalm 54
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good. 7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
A short review may be in order.
God has provided the nation of Israel a king, one who is in effect a replacement for God. This replacement has now become a rogue king, in rebellion against God disobeying direct commands from the prophet, and has been formally rejected by God as being the king. Ever the faithful one, Saul does not step down, but forges ahead, seeking to maintain his position in front of the people. A true politician, instead of finding his authority in God, seeking approval from the people.
Enter David, a youth obviously destined for the throne, being chased down by the rogue king, under persecution by his own father in law! Yes, Saul was David’s father in law when he married Saul’s daughter Michal! Death was David’s future if he was caught by Saul, for Saul’s intentions were made clear when he threw the javelin at him in his home, in front of Jonathon.
1 Samuel 20:33 But Saul hurled his spear at him (David) to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
Beyond the hatred of a father in law, consider David’s clansmen, the Ziphites. Seemingly, David hid in the hills of the Ziphites land, due at least in part to a level of trust he had in his fellow clansmen of Judah. A man on the run doesn’t hide amongst his enemies – at least not yet! Out of this trust in his fellow Judahites, betrayal reared its ugly head, and his very clansmen give him up to a politician!
In summary, put yourself in David’s shoes (sandals?) Your father in law wants to kill you, The nation is under the rogue king, recognizing you as his greatest threat, and as the ultimate authority in the nation, has resources everywhere within the land of Israel. The citizens of Israel are seemingly following the current authority, at least passively. Brothers in your tribe actively inform this king, who is hunting you down, of your whereabouts, even going so far as telling king Saul they will give him up. Finally, your continual condition of being on the run, in hiding, away from your family, on the edge of death, must be taking a toll on you. Darkness and despair is an option for David at this point, and certainly a very real temptation for David to fall into at this time in his life.
As David writes this psalm, I want to think he is writing it as the pressure is on. Writing the psalm prior to the deliverance of God from the clutches of that king. If my assumption is correct, when David speaks next, his desire to offer a freewill offering is quite shocking.
Now a freewill offering is a offering of thanksgiving, an offering that is not required. It is simply an offering to God because of a thankful spirit, understanding the goodness of God and his provision and protection. Note also that his first reason for this freewill offering is the goodness of God’s name. Yes, David also speaks of the deliverance to be provided in the next verse, but the first thing on David’s mind is the name of God, the character of the God he worships. At this particular time of betrayal by the Ziphites – remember they tried twice to give up David to Saul, – God gave David respit from his enemy by pulling Saul away from the chase in order to fight against the Philistines.
So close to being caught by the enemy! I like the sentiment Spurgeon provides when he speaks of David’s life. “David lived a life of dangers and hair-breadth ‘scapes, yet was he always safe.”
Not so for the greater King, the Lord Jesus, for though He was persecuted by the politicians of His day, and was betrayed by His friend, as David was, He was overtaken by death. Yet the deliverance of God that was to be provided, was not protection from death, but the provision of life through death.
He was delivered from this enemy through the resurrection. God has truly delivered Jesus out of all trouble, and in this deliverance, secured provision and protection for 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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
17
JEHOVAH SABAOTH (THE LORD OF HOSTS)
1 Samuel 1:3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.
The LORD of Hosts. Jehovah Sabaoth.
At first glance, I associated this name with the sabbath, but this is not correct. This name has nothing to do with rest, for the term sabaoth refers to armies!
No, this description, this name of God defines Him as One who commands the armies of heaven and earth. The verse above includes the first occurrence of this name of God in the Word. But not the last. The prophets refer to God as the LORD of Hosts over 200 times in the Old Testament.
Prior to Samuel’s arrival on the scene for the Israeli people, the nation was likely experiencing a sense of inadequacy, where all the neighboring nations had armies that were stronger than the little fledgling nation of Israel. In writing this as a history for the nation, Samuel may have recorded this name in order to bolster the faith of those in the nation.
Of course the Lord has always been a warrior God, and for the men of Israel, this translated into dominance over other men, peoples and nations. This requirement of dominance over others was for two purposes.
The primary purpose I suppose many would guess at, but let us first consider the secondary purpose of the nation of Israel to exist, which required physical battles. The nation, per God’s intent, was to be a blessing to the nations. Remember Gods promise to Abraham?
This intent was not fully realized in the nation itself, for the nation fell into idolatry and sin. Sadly, the goal of blessing the nations by the nation of Israel was not fully realized.
So let us consider the primary purpose of the establishment of the nation. To establish the nation of Israel would provide a focused environment for prophecy to be displayed. And the focus of this prophecy? The Messiah of all of creation of course!
Yes – the purpose of the nation was to produce the Messiah, the Savior for all. And for that nation to be used of God in protecting the physical lineage of the Messiah.
But once the Messiah arrived, the motivation of the LORD of hosts became clear, in that our warrior God’s actions were not to accomplish physical dominance, but to shed grace and mercy fueled by His never ending love to all who would look to Him.
When we speak of the Lord of Hosts today, we should not imagine a god who revels in bloodshed, death and destruction. This was never His overarching intent, and as we see in the Messiah, not of His character. His armies have fought to preserve the lineage of the Messiah, so that the Messiah could come and display the greater power, the power of love for His enemies.
The LORD of hosts is the warrior God who is fighting for our souls, as opposed to against our physical “enemies”.
He is our LORD of Hosts, and we are blessed to be led by Him in a triumph of victory through sacrifice, humility, peace and love. 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.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
16
JEHOVAH RAPHA (THE LORD YOUR HEALER)
Exodus 15:26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”
This name of our God speaks of the Lord’s ability to control disease over His creation. After having just reviewed His name as Jehovah Naheh, The Lord that strikes, this name also is somewhat related to disease and His people.
Moses speaks of the Lord not placing any of the diseases on His people that He placed on the Egyptians. It seems Moses is placing the responsibility of the Egyptians being diseased on the Lord and that God controls who receives disease. I do not often think of the Lord as the One placing disease on anyone, and yet the passage here speaks of Him doing that very thing!
Let’s remember the context of the passage that gives us this wonderful name. It is immediately after the Israelites are delivered from the Egyptians, when they saw the Red Sea collapse on their enemies, drowning Pharoah and his armies. The people of God, not yet in covenant relation with the Creator of the Universe, have experienced a rollercoaster ride of experiences, from being kept safe from ten plagues, to escaping from the most powerful nation on earth and being delivered (again) by the hand of God from certain capture at the shores of the Red Sea. This was incredible! The hand of the Lord had been exposed over and over again in miraculous ways, favoring this family of a wandering shepherd named Abraham.
After all the action and tense rescues, the people of God venture into a journey to the promised land. Three days into the journey, the people of God again come to a “fork in the road”. They have not had any water for three days, and when they did find water, it was bitter.
At this point the Lord allowed a circumstance to occur that would reinforce a needed revelation. Not so much a revelation of the nature of God as the great Healer, though precious as it is, but a revelation of the people themselves in relation the the One who has rescued them. The people easily forgot God. The people of God easily, or shall we say naturally, turned bitter against God.
This reaction of the people is a revelation of their hearts, if they were so inclined to receive it, of their relation with the One who rescued them. Upon coming to an oasis that provided a false hope of relief from thirst, the people did not go to the Lord, as Moses did, for direction or deliverance. They went to Moses to complain.
I believe this occurrence was provided to the people of God as a way of exposing to them their own bitterness. And they were a bitter, grumbling people, complaining of the immediate circumstance, looking short term and not to Who was guiding them. Let’s admit this of ourselves, for we often complain to someone of God’s dealing in our lives, as those in our passage did, when we should go directly to Him with our concerns.
The passage continues, emphasizing obedience to the will of God, but note that it is after the miracle was performed, after the bitter water was made sweet. God, in His ever patient manner provides a solution after the people’s leader cries out to Him. After the solution is provided, obedience is spoken of.
For obedience would become the central theme of discussion in a short time. The fledgling community would come to a mountain called Sinai soon, and enter into a covenant with God based on obedience. Out of obedience will come success, for Moses is teaching the people here of a general truth of the blessing resulting from hearing God’s Word and doing it.
In closing, and in relation the the name of God we are looking at, please note that the log that Moses was shown, and that he threw into the bitter waters, could be translated as a tree. This reference to a log/tree being used to heal the water, leads me to think of the crucifixion, of Jesus hanging on a tree, and that the bitterness of our lives has been healed if we look to Him. The tree/cross of Christ is the instrument God has used to provide us with sweet water, the solution to our bitter lives. We may be a complaining lot, but God has acted, He has provided the solution, He has given us the sweet water of salvation in it’s greatest sense. 1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Yes our God is JEHOVAH RAPHA (THE LORD OUR HEALER) When Moses spoke of this name, it was in the immediate context of water for physical existence. We now know that as the healer, He had a much greater salvation than simply provided drinkable water for a thirsty nation. He is good!
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 54
4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them.
We discussed the Ziphites, and the type of character these clans men of David had in these men in our last post. In this current writing, we will consider how David understands God.
God our Helper
He begins with a description of God as his helper. This particular word provides the image of the helper surrounding the helpless one, of protecting the one in need. Our God is One who is a helper, One who protects those who fear Him. I can not help but think of Psalm 91:4 as a similar sentiment in this description of our God as our protector, helper.
Psalm 91
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
As a mother eagle covers her helpless chicks, so our God covers his people with his love. Consider that the mighty eagle has far greater abilities (as does our God) than to simply provide a defensive cover for her chicks, but the protection described here is an act that gives security, a sense of safety, a nearness of strength and an experiential comfort for the chicks.
Also, this position of covering by the mother eagle is a stance of self sacrifice. Any intruder or attacker will have to go through the mother before they get to the helpless chicks!
God our Upholder
Not only is God David’s protector, but God is the upholder of his life. A term that is synonymous with upholding is sustainer. God is not simply protecting his children that have no other needs. He is not simply a protector, but He sustains us. We can claim nothing in us as independent of God, for He is the source of life. Not only is He the source of life, but the continual provider of life, for He is as a river of life providing a continual source of life for his children. He is not One who provides life to His child and then says “Good luck with that”, or “Hope everything turns out while I look the other way”. He sustains us, upholding our heart, soul and body for His pleasure.
Regarding verse 5, David declares, based on the faithfulness and righteousness of God, that evil will return on these foreigners, these men who claim to be of the nation of God. There is little said in the future passages of King David’s reign regarding the Ziphites. One passage recounts these treacherous, ruthless men trying a second time to betray David – yes they betray him a second time – (See 1 Samuel 26:1-4) but after that disgraceful act, Scripture seems silent on this family of the tribe of Judah.
History though, speaks of the land of the Ziphites becoming a royal estate/vineyard. The true King redeemed the land from these treacherous men, just as our King will redeem this earth from the clutches of betrayers, becoming a fruitful vineyard and a place for royalty, as it should be, for the King has the right to rule over His Kingdom!
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
15
JEHOVAH NAHEH (THE LORD THAT STRIKES)
Deuteronomy 28:22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.
This one is heavy!
Moses is speaking to the nation of Israel, recounting their failures as they journey to the promised land, and speaking his last formal message to the people of God. This name of God is found in the middle of a discourse that defines the curses that will be laid on the people of God due to their disobedience.
Starting in verse 15 of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses starts with the results of not obeying the voice of God, speaking of how these curses will overtake them, as if they could run from judgement. It is a sobering passage that does not make for light reading!
Nevertheless, the character of the Lord is further defined in this passage, and it is in relation to His covenant people. To strike, or as some Bibles translate it, to smite, in relation to God and His people, is usually referring to physical ailments, plagues and such.
Wasting disease refers to consumption, or in our terminology, a lung disease. It has the image of emaciation associated with it, and brings to my mind the picture of a starving man on the side of the road.
The next three descriptors of the “striking” the Lord lays on His people, and are all associated with a fever, each becoming a greater threat to life. A fiery heat may imply a violent heat. Violent, as the fever makes the body react in a violent manner!
The term translated as drought may also be translated as sword. Here we start to see that it is not merely a striking of the body, but also of the land, in not producing crops for the sustenance of the people. If sword is the correct translation, the effect is the same, for when war comes, so comes severe lack of resources, primarily food.
Blight is a disease that is readily associated with grain, and speaks of a sudden wilting and dying of part of all of the plant. Mildew is associated with plants, usually due to drought. Both of these terms speak of the loss of sustaining food for the population.
No matter how you look at some of these descriptors, the “striking” is serious. So serious, that in our verse above, Moses tells the people of God that there will be no escape. Once the condition of rebellion is established, once the choice is made to not obey the voice of the Lord, the curses will pursue you.
The curses will not simply pursue you at arms length, giving you the opportunity to escape, but for these people hearing the voice of God through the prophet Moses, they are told they will not be able to escape.
No escape! The curses will pursue them until they perish. Perish!
This is a heavy, serious and dangerous name to consider in our thinking. He is the All-Powerful, and He deserves our obedience, yet in the midst of it all, in seeing our desperate condition, He provided an opportunity.
A man hanging on a tree, accepting the curses in our place. The curses are real, and the curses will consume us, unless we flee to the One who tasted death for us, the One who became a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
He did not simply accept the curses we deserve, but He became a curse for us. He is the One who only and always is a blessing to the Father, a blessing to His creation and the bearer of all good gifts to the one who follows.
Praise His name, for He is good. He provides to the rebel and the sinner, the hater and the liar, an opportunity to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent.
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
ADAM
HIS DESTINY
Genesis 3 24 He drove out the man…
John 12 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Consider.
One was driven from his place of honor and dignity, restricted from being able to return. The second Adam, instead of being driven from the presence of God, came to draw all men to the Father.
One was acted upon, in that he had no choice but to leave. The second Adam acted to provide access to the presence of God. He had choice and used it to our benefit.
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
14
JEHOVAH NISSI (THE LORD MY BANNER)
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner,
This name of God comes out of a bloody war with the Amalekites, a nomadic tribe, with the men of Israel led by a young man named Joshua. It is actually the first time we come across this young man, who is destined to bring the Israelites into the promised land.
Joshua was the physical arm of God in the fight, but the source of power and authority over the Amalekites is to be recognized in the actions of Moses on the hill. Joshua, as he was fighting would see Moses pleading with God for victory. Even in the act of prayer for victory, we find that Moses needed assistance from Aaron and Hur, in holding up his arms in prayer, so that Joshua would recognize the continual effort of prayer being performed.
Eventually, Joshua gained the victory over the Amalekites by the sword.
The victory was to be recorded in a book, in front of Joshua, declaring that the Amalekites would be destroyed from under heaven. The last verse of chapter 17 insinuates the war with the Amalekites would continue through multiple generations. In addition to the written declaration of continual victory over the Amalekites, witnessed by Joshua after his first military campaign, Moses built an altar. This altar is called Jehovah-nisssi.
As I have been under various teaching through my pilgrimage on this ol’ planet, teachers have described this banner as a long cloth like flag, used as a commemorative display in the marching of the troops. As I have done a bit of study, it seems there was no physical banner or flag referred to here, but that the altar is commemorated, or named after the Lord, and the character of the Lord that is emphasized at this altar is that He is the standard or rallying point the Israelites were to recognize in their battles.
The Lord is the rallying point that the armies of the Lord were to look to. A tremendous lesson for a young, impressionable man named Joshua as he prepares (unknowingly) for battles with the Canaanites in the promised land.
Look to the Lord! He is the rallying point for His people in the midst of war!
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.
In our introduction to this psalm, we considered the Ziphites, those treacherous, man pleasing Israelites who sought to rat out David to king Saul. Since then, I have found that the Ziphites were a clan of one specific tribe of Israel. The tribe they belonged to was of the tribe of Judah, David’s own tribe!
This betrayal reminds me of the betrayal of Judas, in that David surely expected to have confidence in his own tribal family, and yet we find David once more reflecting the future greater King Jesus in his betrayal by a confidant. Truly the Ziphites are a picture of Judas, in that both were in close association with David/Jesus, and both the Ziphites/Judas used sensitive information for their own act of betrayal. They gave up their “friend” to a godless authority, who was a replacement for God in their lives.
But alas, I need to focus on the Psalm, for that is the purpose of our time together. Let’s consider David’s thoughts.
Psalm 54
1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?” O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah
David calls out to God in prayer, seeking salvation from the treachery of his clansmen. From those who were his very family! How this must have added to the emotional pressure to drive David into despair! Yet, he seeks salvation by the name of God, which is in my mind, a fantastic turn of phrase for David to record.
Save me by your name.
I am currently enjoying, by the providence of God, a study in the Names of God as revealed in the Scriptures, and when the term “name of God” comes up, multiple characteristics of our Savior are brought to mind. David, in looking to God for his rescue in this betrayal, depends on the character of God, the God he has understood, the God he has experienced. A saving God, not only from a bear and lion when he was in the fields, but from a giant named Goliath. He experienced God as a saving God, and to that “type” of God he called out to. It was no theoretical deity he was calling out to!
He also looks for vindication by the might of God. Vindication is an interesting term, for when I think vindication, I think revenge. Earlier in the Psalms, David has requested vindication (See Psalms for Psome – Ps 43.01). Based on these earlier studies, I am not convinced David is simply looking for a one sided judgement against the Ziphites, for though he states “vindivcate me”, using the term vindicate is a request to judge, or to execute judgement. David is allowing God to make a judgement on who is the guilty party, and though David may have a clear conscience in the circumstance, yet he is allowing God to teach. He is not simply pointing a finger to the Ziphites and seeking God to condemn them, to pass some sentence on them. He is asking for God’s judgment on both parties!
Centuries later another man seeking God’s will, provides this humble attitude for our instruction, reminding us that God is the ultimate Judge, and that we all shall be judged by Him, and not by our own feelings, confidence or reasonings!
1 Corinthians 4
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
But who were those whom David sought salvation from? How did David describe his fellow clansmen?
Strangers
Those Ziphites were strangers. David, how can you say that? They are men of Israel, even of your own clan of Judah! Yet even in this description, we are given a chance to remember that bloodlines mean nothing in the family of God. True, they came from the same father, from Israel’s fourth son Judah, many years ago, but that did not guarantee their standing before God. Numerous passages in the Old Testament contain this Hebrew word, and the word is translated sometimes as “foreigners” with some ominous implications. Two passages, from the prophet Isaiah, may provide this understanding.
Isaiah 1:4, 7
Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
Note in the first verse, the very nation of Israel is called out a utterly estranged. They have become as foreigners the the very covenant of God they belonged to. Not three verse later, the same term describes the foreigners/strangers are those who devour the land. The Ziphites are described in the same manner as the Babylonians who destroyed the nation of Israel, taking them into captivity.
Ruthless
David continues to describe the Ziphites as ruthless men. These men had sensitive information for the king of Israel, and calling them ruthless describes their intent and actions. They we influential, and had the information to destroy the future king of Israel. As we often hear nowadays, “Information is power”! So true for the Ziphites and they used this information ruthlessly.
David’s last description in verse 3 simply states the source of this decision by the Ziphites to betray their own brother. They do not set God before themselves! Selah, or take a moment to consider this statement!
Those who seek favor from a God replacement must not be setting the True God before themselves. How could someone seek a man’s favor when they know God actively in their lives? David is giving us the source of the Ziphites core condition in this short phrase. They have decided (whether actively or passively) to not set God before their eyes!
Conversely, the believer will set God before their eyes in a purposeful, intentional way. Without this core action on the part of the believer, we will fall into justifying socially acceptable deeds, such as informing on an enemy of the state, or simply gossiping about a work mate, instead of understanding God’s ways and seeking to follow His will.
As believers, we need to know the will of God and be willing to reject the attraction of socially acceptable behavior. What think ye?Shall we not, as believers, seek to avoid looking like strangers to the covenant God has provided, and acting as ruthless men?
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
13
JEHOVAH MEKODDISHKEM (THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES YOU)
Leviticus 22:32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you,
To be sanctified.
This is the Lord’s work in our lives and it is His character that motivates this work in our lives, His nature to sanctify us, to make us holy and set apart.
When I first became a believer, I carried with me the thought that to be holy meant to be sinless. Now of course our Holy God is sinless, but I as a believer understand I am not. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I am sure of my sinnin’ tendencies!
Yet He sanctifies his church, of which yours truly is in. How can that be?
A good friend and brother in the Lord once described sanctification with the following anecdote.
As a youngin, he and his brother would work to make a few pennies during the week and wait with baited breath until the ice cream truck would pull into the neighborhood. Each week, the two boys would have their pennies in their sweaty little hands, but this one particular afternoon, my friends brother had lost his coins.
Around the corner came the truck and my friend got himself a nice fresh ice cream cone, but in the back of his eye, he noticed his brother yearning for it, and maybe coming to get it.
What did he do?
He sanctified that ol’ ice cream cone. He licked every part of that ice cream, and if I know him at all, he probably licked the cone two or three times. There was no chance his big brudder was gonna eat any of that sweet frozen treat.
He sanctified that treat. He made it his own. He set it apart from everyone else, especially his brudder!
Of course this story leaves much to be desired in deep theological renumerations, but hey – it has stuck with me and when I think of our God in this way, I am reminded that He is the God Who sanctifies His people
And in that sanctification, He draws us into a life of peace and holiness, a life of love and sacrifice, a life that is a natural response of someone who is so “licked”!
Praise His name for His kindness and continual working in our lives. He is so good!
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
ADAM
CREATED
Genesis 2 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
1 Corinthians 15 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
In our last post, we considered the fact that both Adam and Jesus were created, or that they “became”. At a point in time in history, both men, Adam and Jesus came into existence.
Adam became. Jesus became.
In this post, I would like to consider that the similarities for these men ends at that point. Adam became a living being. He was a recipient of life. To be alive was not of any meritorious effort on his part. He simply became a living being.
Jesus, in his humanity, became a life giving spirit. Consider the difference for a moment. The one who received life lost it all. The One who provides life, voluntarily gave His life up to provide for the betrayer! How unequal! How unfair! How gracious is He! So much to meditate on, and a fantastic thought to carry through the day!
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
12
JEHOVAH JIREH (THE LORD WILL PROVIDE)
Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
What a God we have!
Most of my readers will recognize the background to this famous verse, where Abraham is provided a sacrifice to replace Isaac, his son of promise. Such a wonderful picture of a replacement for our sakes, and a picture of the Father, not only providing a sacrifice for our sakes, but actually becoming that sacrifice, in the person of Jesus Christ.
This self sacrifice that God rescued Abraham from He took upon Himself. He provided the Lamb of God for the sacrifice that was required!
And in the midst of this self sacrifice, He has provided a life line to His creation, being able to provide for us in very specific ways that we can now realize come the the very hand of God. These reminders of His care for us come at just the opportune time, and if in prayer for these specific needs, provide great encouragement to the saint.
As a personal story, my wife and I were living in the USA many years ago, without the ability to work, being in a school for training. We had one child, less than a year old and our food supplies were dwindling at the time. Due to that, our little boy was not receiving the sustenance he needed from his mother and she prayed that night, without my knowledge, that God would provide food for little Josh.
The next day as I was picking up my mail, I noticed an envelope with some coin in it. A very unusual occurrence! As I was pondering what was going on, the finance manager for the school walked by and noticed my puzzlement. He was a super friendly guy and let me know that there had been a currency exchange error with the last gift from our friends in Canada. It was a bit of change in our favor.
If I recall it was $0.87. Ever the complainer, I grumbled that there wasn’t more to help us in our need, but nevertheless I headed home to see my little family. Upon arriving I told wifey of the “cash fall” we just fell into, and she asked me to go to the school snack stand to pick up some milk for little Josh.
Can you guess how much that milk cost for our little boy? I think you know!
Our God is the God who provides in more ways than we recognize, but in those times when He gets specific, it creates an encouragement to trust in His loving care.
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 54
1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?” O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah
As we begin in Psalm 54, some background information is critical to consider. Even David, at the time of his writing this psalm, provided the reason for this psalm of thanksgiving, and it will do us well to understand his situation.
David was on the run from king Saul. He had been anointed king of Israel, and Saul was having none of it. As the king of Israel, Saul had the resources of the government, and of those who seek his allegiance as the authority in the nation.
As an aside, this is one of the fallouts when we replace God in our lives with a human leader. The transferred allegiance to a mortal leader can divert from God’s will, even becoming a tool to persecute those who seek to follow God. So treacherous and yet such an appearance of godliness!
Let’s take a moment to review the passage in 1 Samuel 23, where the treacherous Ziphites approach king Saul to inform him of David’s whereabouts.
1 Samuel 23
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
I am curious if the king required his subjects to “rat” on David. Had an edict, or law been passed that required citizens of the nation of Israel to report on David’s whereabouts? I haven’t found anywhere in the text where Saul formally distributed an edict amongst the citizens of Israel, requiring the citizens to inform on David’s whereabouts. Yet it must have been common knowledge that Saul was after the future King. Hearing of the King’s desires can be as powerful as a formal law for those who seek the Kings favor. And of course, as we read in this background passage, the Ziphites were definitely seeking the king’s favor.
The Ziphites were from the area defined in the map to the right, which also provides the location of Horesh, where David was in hiding, and where the Ziphites were able to locate him. Yet notice the distance to Gibeah, where the Ziphites had to travel to inform Saul of this development. It is close to 25 miles as the crow flies, approximately a days journey for the Ziphites to get to Saul. A days journey there and a days journey back! These folk were determined to get on Saul’s good side!
They bring him good news, and then he, as king of Israel, sends them back for verification. Never enough eh? Give me more information says Saul. This is the spirit of a bossman, a man who is never satisfied, a proud man that uses people.
Notice also that king Saul blessed these folk, but as we well know, these men were treacherous men, seeking to find favor with a king that has had the kingdom taken from him. Did the Ziphites know of Saul’s loss of the kingdom? That is uncertain, but Saul’s vengeful character, his selfish manner and his desire for power should have given the Ziphites guidance on the wisdom of sharing this information.
They should have considered who they were telling secrets too, for I was once told that if a man complains about someone to me, he will complain about me to someone. It is a rare man (or woman) who considers the person’s character he reveals info to, instead of simply looking for instant gratification, as the Ziphites seem to be seeking. Certainly, the Ziphites were ignoring Saul’s character, being deceived by his godly platitudes and were not recognizing the type of man they were revealing sensitive information to.
It is our wisdom to understand those we share sensitive data with, as the Lord himself has informed us in the gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Definitely the need for wisdom is paramount for us as believers in today’s treacherous world, and yet we can have confidence in sharing the love of God with those we come in contact with. He is good, and provides direction in our lives as we look to Him. In all our discussions with those we come in contact with, let us not seek the favor of anyone other than the Lord Himself.
I have spent a bit of time reviewing the context of David’s condition as he writes this Psalm. We shall return to our Psalm in our next post, where David pours out his heart concerning the impact these Ziphites were causing in his attempt to stay alive.
May God bless you as you seek his way this wonderful day.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
11
JEHOVAH EL GEMUWAL (LORD GOD OF RECOMPENSE)
Jeremiah 51:56 for a destroyer has come upon her, upon Babylon; her warriors are taken; their bows are broken in pieces, for the LORD is a God of recompense; he will surely repay.
A bit of background will help in considering this verse
Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem by the nation of Babylon, and at this time in his ministry, the nation had realized the truth of his message. They had been conquered, and much suffering had been experienced by the people of Israel. In their sufferings, doubts and questions kept rising to the surface for those undergoing this terrible time. One of these questions may have been…
How could a righteous God allow the continuance of this marauding nation to so brutally abuse His people?
In this verse Jeremiah delivers an answer to the people of God in His very name. Remember, a name of someone, in the Word, typifies their character, their essence or identity as to who they really are.
God is a God of recompense!
Jeremiah speaks of a destroyer coming upon Babylon, and that she will experience the very capture and defeat she brought upon Israel. She is not invincible, though we often think of world powers this way. Babylon was on her way out and she would be be shamed and defeated because God is a God of recompense.
When I first found this name, I associated recompense with vengeance, and there is some overlap.
Consider
Deuteronomy 32:35 – Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
And yet, the term for recompense has an additional component of reward that provides another angle I hadn’t considered.
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
Notice that Isaiah speaks of vengeance and recompense and associates it with “coming and saving His people”.
My association of recompense with personal judgement against myself may be bad thinking, for the recompense is for those who reject the Living God, who walk away from Him, who refuse to trust Him. For those who cling to the hope of God, as Isaiah promises,
… He will come and save you
Understanding His recompense depends on where you stand in relation to His presence and person.
He is a God of Recompense and because of that believers may rest in the truth that in the end, His purposes will be accomplished and those who love Him will be saved through trusting His heart of love, as seen in the One who hung on the cross for you and I.
Jesus is the God of Recompense and for that I thank Him and 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
ADAM
CREATED
Genesis 2 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
1 Corinthians 15 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Adam became. Jesus became.
Though both of these men are alike in one manner, in that they both “became”, (were brought into existence at a point in time), the similarities end at that point. We shall consider the differences in our next post, but for this particular post I would like to settle on the thought that both these men “became”. The man Adam, and the man Jesus, both became flesh at a point in time, and lived in a flesh and bone body on the face of this earth, both experiencing the temptations and trials of life in a damaged creation.
Both were “created”, and though both would walk entirely different paths in relation to God, they are the two men in this creation who have influenced this world the greatest.
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
10
JEHOVAH ELOHIM (LORD GOD)
Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
Two primary names of God combined together.
We have considered both of these primary names earlier in our thoughts. Elohim and Jehovah (Jahweh)
In combining these two primary names, we have a personal God, as revealed to Moses, yet the strong God of the creation of all things.
Remember that El speaks of power, might, even authority, and when Moses combines the personal name of Jehovah with Elohim, he introduces a tension for the believer to live in.
Is He the almighty, supreme Elohim that is unapproachable, intimidating, beyond our understanding and above all of our thoughts and understanding?
Yes He is!
Is He the eternal, self existent Jehovah (Yahweh) that reveals Himself to men, making the move to open relationship with a broken world, eventually becoming the self sacrificing Messiah willing to die a cruel death for our sakes?
Yes He is!
Brothers – How can we reconcile in our understanding this spectrum of our God? It is too wonderful and beyond comprehension! And yet the Lord promises the believer peace in their understanding, (even if there is tension), a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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.
We are visiting Psalm 53, which upon even a cursory review, sounds very familiar. So it should, for it is almost identical to Psalm 14, and with that similarity, I would like to consider the similarities and differences each Psalm is communicating. This post will consider verse 3 of the two Psalms.
Psalm 14
Psalm 53
3 – They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
3 – They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Psalm 14:3and Psalm 53:3 are identical in all aspects but for one. Is there a difference between turning aside and falling away? Let’s consider this difference in today’s post.
Psalm 14
Psalm 53
turned aside
fallen away
Strongs H5493, סוּר çûwr, soor
Strongs H5472, סוּג çûwg, soog
Genesius’ Hebrew Lexicon defines this term as – to turn aside, to go away, to depart.
Genesius’ Hebrew Lexicon defines this term as – to go away from, to draw back. This term is sometimes associated with backsliding, or moving away
TWOT #1480a
TWOT #1469
I gotta admit something. I am trying to find a difference between Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3, but I can’t!
Though the action taken by the fool is defined by two different Hebrew words in the verses, the Hebrew words are very closely associated (synonyms?). The translation given also provides similar, if not identical actions. The fool turns away from God. The fool falls away from God. Granted, as I took my preliminary read of the two verses, I started thinking falling away is less of an intentional act than turning back, but again the Hebrew words do not allow me to follow that seeming difference.
All that to say, the message is the same. The fool departs from God! This is simply a logical outworking of the contemplation of the heart – no God! No restrictions, and no responsibilities to behave properly with our neighbor! I gotta admit that I sometimes pull a magnifying glass out and try to study little differences in words, when I really just need to pull back and look at the big picture.
Note that David is returning to the concept of corruption. Remember in verse 1, David stated that “They are corrupt”. In this verse, David is describing the group of fools as having “become corrupt”. Which is it David?. They are corrupt or they are becoming corrupt?
Individual or Social?
Although I have no authority in backing up this suggestion, I would like to offer a thought for your consideration. In verse one, might David be referring to an individual fool, and that as an individual, the corruption is a fact. The internal heart condition is in a state of corruption, the degree of which may be different for each fool. Is the corruption evident? Possibly, even probably to a degree, but as the fool continues in his heart contemplation of rejecting God, the evidence of corruption becomes clear.
In verse 3, David includes the descriptive term “together” which I think may hint at the corruption of a group, in contrast to the individual. Is it not true that as an individuals inner corruption becomes evident, it emboldens others to reveal, even boast in their their corruption, allowing for the social fabric to show forth its total corruption. Notice that the verse starts out with this group inclusion thought, by stating “They have all fallen away”.
The last phrase may also support this idea of a group of fools being addressed, in that David emphasizes a singular fool in the midst of the group when he states… “there is none who do good, not even one.” Let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.
With all this analysis, let us remember that the departure from God, corruption that follows and eventual evil acts produced, flows from a heart that rejects God. Every day that we ignore God and His will, we slip towards corruption, to falling away, and to evil acts. This ought not to be, for as the people of God, He has called us to life (not death & corruption), to walking uprightly (not falling away), and to being fruitful believers instead of workers of iniquity.
Spend some time with the One who gives life, righteousness and the fruit of love. He is the fountainhead of all blessing!
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
9
EL ROI (GOD OF SEEING)
Genesis 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
Knowing what we know of the LORD (Jehovah / Jahweh), it seems obvious that He is an all-seeing God. But for a proud woman (Hagar), rejected by her mistress (Sarai), and given up by her husband (Abraham), this verse speaks of the revelation of God who she had heard of from Abraham.
Abraham had taught his household the fear of the Lord, and in this teaching, Hagar must have experienced some influence in her life. Hearing of a God that Abraham knew was one thing. Having this God visit you at your deepest point of sorrow and rejection is another.
What we know of Hagar is that the God who revealed Himself was One that had seen her plight. Few women in this time had been delivered a message from God, and this Angel of the Lord provided her guidance that may not have been too enjoyable.
Sarai had dealt harshly with her, so harshly that Hagar sought refuge out of the camp, away from the community she had been associated with for many years. Yes she had found a spring, and it may have been her hope to find a rescuer at the spring, but the Angel came to visit her before she found an option to choose from.
The stranger brought new that was bad and good.
The bad news was that she had to go back to her mistress, the one who death harshly with her, and was required to submit to her. It seems that the status of being Abraham’s wife went to Hagar’s head, and verse 4 speaks of her looking down on Sarai with contempt. This child she conceived was her opportunity to elevate herself in the tribe, being the only wife able to provide for Abraham a seed. Such an important opportunity provided her a status she had never known, and didn’t quite handle properly.
A continual humbling may be ahead for Hagar, a reminder that she was a second class wife, (at least in Sarai’s eyes), and difficult relationships between the two continued for many years.
The good news was that a young child would be born, that he would be called Ishmael, and that he would be the father of many. The nation of the Ishmaelites grew from this seed, and have been a thorn in Israel’s side for much of her history.
Hagar called the God of Abraham the God of seeing, for He not only saw her affliction at the present, but also her past and future, of her child’s future, and of the leader he would become over his kinsmen.
She saw the One who sees! In her deepest affliction, (brought on by her own contempt and pride), her eyes were ready to see the One who Abraham had spoken of. And she returned to the camp, with a humbled spirit and a willing attitude to do as instructed, for she experientially knew of the God who sees, instead of simply hearing the story of Abrahams God
God is a mysterious One, who uses affliction to open our eyes, and suffering to release the wax from our ears. He is a good God that does not seek to waste any pain we experience in this life, but is willing to take our loss and provide greater good than we can imagine.
Although not directly associated with our name of God for this post, when I think of loss in the believers life, and God’s gracious provision, I usually think of Joel 2:25
Joel 2:25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.
God is good and He is the God who sees, not only our good intentions (few as they may be) but also our weakness, pain, rejection, abandonment and loneliness. He sees us, and for this we must be thankful, for He watches over us, working His good will in the midst of this messy life!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
I’ll admit it. As a young believer, I grew up in the Lord in a Baptist church and when we spoke of fellowship, we all knew what it meant! Pot providence. (Christians don’t dare believe in luck, therefore pot providence.) A typical gathering in the basement of the old church with Miss Betty’s best rhubarb pie, fried chicken and of course casseroles of exceeding abundance and variety. Looking back, I am shocked at the number of varieties of casseroles that would show up.
Yes – Baptist fellowship was, for a large part of my young church going life, centered around food. Of course, we all know that fellowship is to be centered around the Lord Jesus, but sometimes the breaking of bread, that is munching on casseroles, fried chicken, multiple pies and cakes, hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, green beans, – must I go on?) actually enables a bonding that the Lord desires with His people. The logic, I think, was that having a meal with another believer is a means to an end, and that is of sharing with others what we have, taking time to be with others around the table. Jesus broke bread with His disciples and during these times, He spoke some of His deepest and richest teachings, sharing His heart with His disciples.
Yes, fellowship still is a food thing for me, and I want to let you know that if a brother invites you to a meal, be thankful. I know – that is so obvious, but my story for this post involves a group of believers that attended our home Bible study years ago. We had about 4 or 5 families coming pretty regular, enjoying a couple hours chatting about life and reading the Word.
After a few months, my wifey wanted to host a meal with the group on a Sunday after church, just to let our hair down a bit with everyone. Thought it was a great idea, and since we usually got together around 3 on a Sunday afternoon, we asked all if a couple hours early would be good this one time. All agreed, and my wife started planning.
Barbecue, tater salad, pies, french fries, salads, and a couple casseroles, if I remember correctly. She really done it up good, and I was anticipating a real good feast with folks around the table. Except, that isn’t what happened. Most of the families that came enjoyed the taste of the food, but two of the families refrained from eating. The stood off in the distance, sat on the couch, and waited for the remainder of the group to finish.
I need to let you know that the two families belonged to a denomination that I wasn’t familiar with, yet in their studies, they seemed very earnest, very passionate. One topic seemed to get stuck in their throat as we had been getting together, but that is something that we all understood and realized they had their convictions. No problem.
Yet when they declined to break bread with us, that became an incident that was telling of a general attitude of those committed to this church. We were not worthy to share a meal with.
How hurtful for the young church after the resurrection, to be split in factions due to religion! How that burned in Paul’s heart, and I somewhat understand. It has been decades since this incident, but Sweetie and I came away from it hurt, shocked and somewhat disbelieving it even happened. In the end I think we have come to understand that doctrine is not the be all and end all. For you see the Word states that without love, we are nothing. A judgmental attitude towards those who claim the name of Jesus, though in a different denomination, is a damaging, destroying attitude that simply brings death to a body of believers.
Galatians 5:14, 15 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
When a brother offers you something, be grateful, share in it, and bring the love of God into it. It is the best way for both giver and receiver to maximize the blessings available!
As an aside, it seems coincidental that Paul brings into the passage above the concept of biting and devouring. Could he be referring to the same problem in the Galatian church? No matter – I just know that I am gonna sign off get myself a burger – this talk of food has got me hunnery!
Remember – God is good, and His children are to mimic Him.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
8
EL GIBBOR (MIGHTY GOD)
Jeremiah 32:18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,
Out of the many names I have found in my research for this series, this particular name is one I have not considered in the past. To see the name “El Gibbor” strikes an unfamiliarity to my thinking. Yet I have often read of the mighty God.
In my research this term is often associated with action or reputation. When speaking of men, the term refers to a champion, a warrior, even a tyrant in some instances. Each of these descriptions speak of one who is not only strong, but uses his strength in battle to win wars.
God is a God of war, and as soon as I say that, most may think of blood, death, destruction and horror on a battle field. I would like to suggest that the Lord Jesus has described our warfare in different terms.
Death to self, and life for others. Loving our enemy. Seeking to be peacemakers, (not just peacekeepers!)
He is the Mighty God, who entered into battle for our souls, voluntarily suffering for others. To submit to this suffering in order to obey His Father and win our souls exhibits great strength of will and power of love.
He is El Gibbor, the Mighty God, mighty in His nature and in His doings, showing steadfast love to thousands upon thousands of His enemies, rescuing them through subjection to suffering.
The strength of our God is not to be lightly considered.
Let us thank Him for Him mighty love that broke through our doubts and fears!
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 