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
Daniel
Bones Not BROKEN
Daniel 6:24 – And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
John 19:36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
First off, please notice that our passage in Daniel speaks of those who plotted against Daniel suffered the breaking of all thier bones. This is one more evidence of the ferocity of the lions in the den, the same den that Daniel resided in for an entire night, and was pulled (slowly I like to think) out of the den.
Daniel suffered no physical wound or broken bone, and resided with the instrument of death through the night.
When I considered the impact of the lions breaking all the plotters bones, it reminded me of John 19:36, and how the Son of God also was spared the breaking of bones, not unlike Daniel.
Yet as the passage in John speaks of the fulfillment of Scripture in the keeping of the Messiah’s bones, I must refer to alternate Scriptures to see of the prophecy and how it fits the Messiah. The Old Testament passage that John refers to is found in Exodus 12, where Moses speaks of the preparation of the passover, and of the prohibition of breaking any bones.
Exodus 12:46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
Again, Moses reiterates this requirement for the passover lamb in Numbers.
Numbers 9:12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.
In the Psalms, David speaks of the righteous being afflicted, yet not one bone would be broken.
Psalm 34:20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Jesus was (and is) the Passover Lamb, the True and once slain Passover Lamb. There is no substitute for Him, and Daniel, by the providence and loving care of the Father was able to be like the Master in this particular instance, providing us one more glimpse into the picture of the Messiah provided in the Old Testament (and New Testament) for His people to reflect on.
May the Lamb be honored today, in our lives thoughts and actions!
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 attend a fantastic Sunday School when I am in town and last week was no exception. The people there have a heart for the Lord, pray consistently for thier classmates, acquantenances, those in need and those they have never met.
Really enjoy speanding time with them!
It so happened that the passage we were scheduled to study was on the death of Samson. The class readily admitted this is a tragic story, and that the last few weeks in Judges had been difficult, since it reflects our lives so clearly. The failures and the pleading with the Lord when we fall is just too familiar. The cycle of freedom to bondage hits hard!
Our passage was in Judges 16, and of course we meet Delilah, with her tempting ways. Eventually Samson caved to Delilah’s crafty ways, and he revealed the truth of his strength, that he was a Nazirite to God all his life. He was chosen!
Judges 16:17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
Prior to moving through the remaining passage, I asked the question regarding Samson’s status, or relationship with the Lord. It seemed to be the consencus of the class that Samson had a relationship with the Lord, though quite weak, and was somewhat refective of the nation as a whole.
Then we continued reading the passage.
Judges 16:20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
The verse contained a statement that left a bit of a pause for many in the class, as this class leans to the eternal security teaching. They are very gracious towards this ol’ fool, as they know I lean the other way. Like I said, they are a great (and patient) class to be in.
Nevertheless, when verse 20 was read, I couldn’t help but to make a point.
If Samson was in relation with the Lord, did he loose whatever that relationship entailed in this sin? Some mentioned that it was a difficult passage, that it was an Old Testament passage, and that it was Samson’s perception of the Lord leaving him, (but not actually leaving him).
I read the passage once more, and reiterated that the Lord leaving Samson was something Samson didn’t percieve, but that the verse provides the information as a fact.
At this point, I shut down and the conversation picked up, turning in a different direction, except for one fellow who asked me for further discussion. At this point I relented, for the point was made, and sometimes to repeat a point is to loose a point.
The class is a great class, and every believer I have ever met, struggles with certain passages within the Word. I certainly have struggled with many many passages, and the story of Samson has plenty of anomolies and conundrums, but for a minute in that class, there may have been an opportunity for some to consider what the Word says compared with what a formal doctrine teaches.
And for that I am thankfull, for the Word is to be the authority!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HEAD OVER ALL
Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
Did you catch it? Who did God give to the church here? Let’s replace the pronouns in this verse with proper names and try to get a picture of what is going on
And God put all things under Jesus feet and gave Jesus as Head over all things to the church
God has given to the church Jesus as the Head over all things.
Now as I glibly read some of these passages in the past, I came away thinking Ephesians spoke the same truth as Colossians. I wonder about that assumption now.
Colossians 1:18 speaks of Jesus as the Head of the Church
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
This is a statement of fact, and defines Who Jesus is in relation to the church. Ephesians 1:22 has a different message, with Paul’s focus in Ephesians being the Body of Christ, the church. In Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the Head over all.
Jesus is not restricted to being the Head of the church as in Colossians, but the Head over all, providing to the church the confidence that Jesus has all authority.
Did not Jesus speak the same?
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Recapping, Paul is revealing to the gentile Christians of Ephesus the Headship, or authority of Jesus over all things. He goes on to describe the “all things” in Ephesians 6, 10-18, speaking of the evil forces behind the foolish actions of lost men and women.
Jesus is HEAD OVER ALL.
But the snippet of truth that struck me this morning, is that God gave Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL – to the church.
Now there are a number of ramifications if we consider this for a moment.
To give is an act of sacrifice. Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL, being a gift to the church is a truth I have rarely considered. We don’t deserve this type of Savior – surely we do not deserve Him, yet He is granted to us, not merely as a Savior, but as the HEAD OVER ALL.
The Father gave to the church. Again, we often think of our salvation as being Christ centered, and that is very true, yet the Father is the One who sacrificed His own Son for the church, and in this verse the Father is providing Him as the HEAD OVER ALL to the church.
As the church, we are a people who are very highly favored by having One over us that is the HEAD OVER ALL, over all governments, religions, philosophies and
He is not equal to any, has no competitor, and there are non equal to Him.
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?
ALL things are subject to His will, and as the church we have access to the King of Kings, the One with all authority.
What more can be said? He is HEAD OVER ALL!
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
outraged the Spirit of grace
This last of three actions by the one who has committed the deliberate sin of verse 26 is outraging the Spirit of grace. Some translations speak of insulting, or disdaining the Spirit of grace. With this phrase, the apostle caps off his description of the deliberate sin he is warning us of.
During our discussion of this passage, I have asked myself whether the apostle is speaking of a one time action, a situation in a believers life that might comprise of one sin, one deliberate action that brings about such a terrible outcome. Something that is so heinous, that it would fit into the apostles description above.
My answer seems to be back in verse 26, where the apostle speaks of “deliberate sinning” as an ongoing process in the believers life, something that is a continual attitude/action bringing about the apostacy the apostle is warning us of.
The tense and voice of “sinning” in the Greek is present active, indicating, as the English translation teaches, the continual action of this deliberate sin.
So, my concerns about one sin being enough to take the believer out of the loving care of the Savior’s hands are not valid at all. It is a continual, creeping action/attitude that pulls us from the Lord. It is the same message the apostle has been warning us of since the second chapter.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
A drifting. A slow, departure. Death by a thousand cuts, each cut at the time a seeming scratch, but the repeated scratches indicates a downward spiral.
Is this not the very condition we fight against each day, to follow Him in the little things, those things that come to mind but seem insignificant.
Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…
Therefore, consider those little things we are faced with each day. Speak with grace. Regard others as better than yourself. Honor your parents in thier wisdom. Have patience in trials. Accept reproach to protect others. Show hospitality. Live in harmony with one another.
Need I go on? Each of these actions or attitudes, along with many more, are the witness of the Spirit in our lives, guidance from the Lord that is outside of ourselves. We are naturally bent to avoid the life of self sacrifice, of discipleship, of following the One who gave instead of took.
We are “tookers”, not givers be nature!
So when we come to our last phrase, and the apostle speaks of outraging the Spirit of grace, might he be talking of this general, extended, continual rejection of the Lord in His guidance, of insulting the Spirit of grace by simply ignoring His voice?
Now some may think this to be an extreme position, to be somewhat far fetched. The issue many clamor for is the actual break with the Lord, the point of apostacy.
When does the believer become apostate? Is that important? Is it such that we would be comforted by knowing the specific details and characteristics of the point of departure in order to find some comfort in it?
Story Time
It was decades ago when my brother told me this story. It turns out that during the building of the United States Postal Service, the pony express were hiring men to deliver mail across the mountainous regions of this great land.
In interviews, the USPS would ask applicants of thier driving skills, and as such, one proud driver spoke of his skill to drive within inches of cliffs and precipices with a covered wagon, at speeds that ensured fast and efficient delivery. He spoke of his skills as legendary, and he left the interview sure that he had impressed his future employer.
As he closed the door leaving the interview, little did he know that his resume, and any hope of having a position with the USPS was thrown into the dust bin. For you see, the USPS was looking for surety of delivery, not how close the driver could get to danger and yet avoid it. They would be happy with thier drivers staying away from the edge, staying away from danger!
Is it not very much like us, as we seek to “have our cake and eat it too”? Let us not be of those who outrage the Spirit by ignoring Him, by considering His direction to be of no importance. We have today to hear from Him, even in the “little” things as mentioned above. If we hear and obey the “little” things, – those daily actions and attitudes described in the Word as the believers character, we can enjoy the Lord’s presence in our lives.
There will be no creeping up of any “fearful expectation of judgement” if we stay away from the edge, listening to His Spirit speak!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
But Carl, are you not merely repeating the same truth we just reviewed, that is Jesus as the HEAD OF THE BODY?
Somewhat, but I am a believer that words have meanings, and for the apostle Paul to use both HEAD OF THE BODY and HEAD OF THE CHURCH as distinct descriptions for the Messiah, I am convinced there must be a nugget of truth to consider. Of course, for our time here, it will only be a nugget, for I will attempt to restrain myself to a short discussion.
For Paul to call the Master the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, is to call Jesus the Master, the Authority of the Ekklēsia.
Let’s remember the core thought of the term church. In Greek, the term is ekklēsia. To be of the ekklēsia is to be of a gathering, an assembly drawn together for a purpose. This gathering, this grouping of people – not a building, but the people – is the ekklēsia. Some ekklēsia (in the general sense of the word) gather for various purposes, but the ekklēsia that Paul describes gathers because Jesus is the HEAD. There is no other reason for a bunch of misfits, strangers, oddballs, lollygaggers and ne’er-do-wells to gather together other than to worship and hear from the Lord Jesus.
Some ekklēsia come together for volunteer work, self help meetings, gossip sessions or complaining contests. If any gathering (ekklēsia) gathers without Jesus firmly set as the HEAD, it is a gathering that has no eternal value, nor of any lasting real benefit for those coming together.
As discussed in HEAD OF EVERY MAN, I lean to the Complementarian view of headship, which states that to be HEAD is to imply authority, leadership, or preeminence. Our passage this morning reinforces this concept as the apostle describes Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. Paul is focusing on one truth, a truth that is critical for believers.
Jesus is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It might seem super obvious to some, but consider. Jesus is not merely the source of life for all, as He is the Creator of all, but as the Redeemer of the ekklēsia (church), and as the LORD over the church, He has been granted all authority over the church, and by no contest, He is to be considered preeminent in all things, for He in truth is.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
No other person is to be vnereated in the church than Jesus Himself. He is to be the only focus of the true ekklēsia.
My friend as you read this short consideration of the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, and if you attend an ekklēsia that is not focused on the HEAD, consider your ways.
He is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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
Daniel
Justice PrevaIls
Daniel 6:24 – And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
1 Timothy 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
It seems to be a fair observation that both Daniel and Jesus suffered unjustly. Although Daniel was entrapped by an unjust law system, and Jesus entered freely into our existence under a law system that would require His death, both men were righteous men, and both ended up under a law that condemned them to death.
For Daniel, his time of trial, of being thrown to the lions, was an extended period of the mercy of God in the shutting of the lions mouths. After one night, the king had the faith to actually visit the den of lions where Daniel was last seen, and to call out to him. That act alone is a testament to the life of Daniel, in that a pagan king might call out the name of Daniel even though he had been with lions all night.
As the king in awe and wonder, witnessed Daniel pulled from the lions den, an opposite reaction occurred in his mind.
Justice for Daniel would be exacted. A vindication of Daniel’s righteous cause by the judgement of the wicked men who put him there. Let all those who planned this treachery suffer the same they intended for Daniel. The lions were satisfied this time, feeding on the wise men.
Daniel was vindicated, not only in the miracle of God in his time with hungry lions, but also in the decision of the king in his taking vengeance on those who tricked him and condemned his closest servant. Daniel’s vindication seemed complete.
In a manner of speaking, Daniel’s vindication was complete, yet it wasn’t near as incredible as the vindication the Lord Jesus experienced. He was raised from the dead, not merely raised from a potential death. He was raised out of the grave to a new life, not merely raised from a dangerous situation to continue a previous life.
Jesus was vindicated in His resurrection, God the Father declaring Him to be the Son of God in power.
Romans 1:4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
No – Jesus was vindicated in His resurrection, God the Father declaring Him to be the Savior of all mankind.
1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
Jesus was vindicated in His resurrection, God the Father exalting Him to the right hand of God, with the resultant pouring out of the Spirit as a witness.
Acts 2:33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
Jesus was completely vindicated.
He is the King of Kings, without peer or competitor. No man has ever been vindicated in such a glorious manner as the God man Jesus.
He is the One who is totallt vindicated, and in His vindication has provided forgiveness to those who made Him suffer, eventually killing Him.
Daniels vindication resulted in the death of his enemies. Consider how much greater the Suffering Servants vindication is in that He seeks and saves those who persecuted and killed Him.
He is so much better!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HEAD OF THE BODY
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
We spoke of the significance of the term “head” in an earlier post, and of alternate ways of understanding the word. For a refresher, or if interested in the findings, see Names of God – HEAD OF EVERY MAN.
As discussed earlier in the previous post, I am of the complimentarian camp – see my post for explanation – and the definition discussed in that post that complies with the complimentarian point of view is that kephalḗ (the greek word for head) implies authority, leadership, or preeminence.
This perfectly fits our context in Colossians and provides support for the view discussed earlier. But that was then, and our post this morning is about the Head of the Body, the Risen Christ.
In using this metaphor, Paul provided truths that are abundant for the believer to consider. As the Head of the Body, Jesus is
The DIRECTOR OF LIFE
Many times I default to the position that the heart of the physical body is that which provides life, but is it not more accurate to think that the head, specifically the brain, (or even more specifically, the mind), is the source of life. The mind is the “machine” that directs actions to and from each component of the body, controls movements of the body separately and in relation to each organ, limb and complex system, manages and minimized damages to the body, directing healing to areas in need and supports the complete functioning of the body in unison with each part.
I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.
The Center of Vision
My physical head contains two eyes, complex organs that accepts light, interprets vision, discerns objects and obstacles, provides primary information for the body and reveals the life that exists in the Body. Though many suffer the loss of sight, for the Church of Christ, our Head has perfect vision and He has no weakness in providing clear direction and goals, through His vision for the Church.
I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.
The Mystery of Sences
Though the Lord is invisible to our earthly sight, He provides us the Spirit Who impresses our senses, speaks to our hearts, directs the mind of the church, (and of it’s individual saints) and protects the Body as we venture through this dangerous world. He deals with the mystery of life without any difficulty, and is in control of His Church, through His directing us via Word and prayer.
I think this metaphor is perty dang good when we take a few moments to consider the Lord as the Head of the Body, His church.
He is truly the HEAD OF THE BODY. It is amazing that Paul called Him who is over all of creation as the Head of the the Body, the Church, after speaking of His preeminence over all created things
Colossians 1:16, 17 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
It is as if to be the Head of the Body was the cap stone of achievement for the Crucified One. May His name be praised, even as we recognize Him as the Head!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HEAD OF EVERY MAN
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
We are entering a topic that has become a hot topic for the last half century in the church. We will be thinking about headship in this verse, and I want to confess I have been influenced by conservative churches as to what headship means.
One church we were associated with was an open brethren, which allowed no women to speak in the service, with the women wearing head coverings, showing submission to the husband as per 1 Corinthians 11.
During our time there we enjoyed great times of fellowship and made wonderful friends, but we never “made it “converted” to the head covering practice. As a matter of fact, one of the elder’s wives, (who publicly wore a head covering to show her submission to her husband) told her husband, the elder of the church to come talk to my wife about this “sin”. I was not in the discussion at all! He visited my wife, and when I got home that night from work, I questioned even more the reason for the doilies on wives “of submission”. Too much to discuss in this post, but do you see any problem here?
Two views are raging in the church regarding the teaching of headship. A brief review may be of help.
Complementarian
In 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23, kephalḗ implies authority, leadership, or preeminence. Some may assign an inequality in the husband / wife partnership when this view is considered but I fear they may think different positions in life equal different values before God. This is preposterous in my mind. Each of us have our talents and calling, and each of us are equal before God, with the value of the blood of Christ assigned to each sinner!
Egalitarian
Using Genesis 2, the egalitarian (equal) view leans into the meaning of kephalḗ as source, origin, or progenitor. It is as the husband is the “source” of the wife, and not her ruler.
I have noticed that this view seems to be gaining steam in the last half century, coincidentally with the rise of feminism. Coincidence, or simply the revelation of truth completely apart from the massive cultural shift we have all experienced? I will leave that to my reader.
Nevertheless, I will admit this view has not made sense to me, since the argument might be made that if the man is the source of the woman, he has the right of ownership, or can at least claim management over her. This also is preposterous, so I must be understanding the egalitarian view incorrectly.
One other claim by the egalitarian view is to equate the head of a family to a “boss”. This is bringing the worlds view of business management into the Lord’s institution of a godly family. Of course this is preposterous. To be the head of a family is to mimic the Savior (who is our Head) in leadership servanthood, dying for others within the family, and showing concern and loving care for those in the family instead of himself.
To be the “boss” in the family is a distortion of the headship teaching, for our great example and Savior, the HEAD OF EVERY MAN, is the suffering Savior, the meek and gentle One who has all authority over heaven and earth.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
Who is the subject of this phrase in the middle of this verse? This is the common question that seems to be the lynchpin of this passage. It all centers around the identification of who “he” that was sanctified is.
There are three possibilities to consider.
A Professor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the church out of curiosity, one who has not become a true believer but has joined the group externally through actions and rule keeping, not internally, by faith and love.
This identification hinges on other passages outside of the book of Hebrews, where a person is considered “sanctified” but is obviously a non-believer.
A popular example is in 2 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy (sanctified) because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy (sanctified) because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (sanctified).
This passage in 1 Corinthians raises a number of questions in my mind, but since we are in Hebrews this morning, I will leave this passage for my reader to consider on their own.
A Possessor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the body out of a repentance of sin, of acknowledging the person of Jesus as the expected Messiah, and is living as an organic member of the congregation.
I suppose identifying the one “sanctified” as a true believer finds support in the passage itself, with the author including himself in the audience, when he offers the phrase “If we sin willfully..”
Also, within the book of Hebrews, we find the author repeatedly referring to believers as sanctified.
Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
The Christ
Both of the previous identifications take the “he” as being a member (in some way) of the church. There is the possibility the One who was sanctified by the blood was the Christ Himself.
Consider the Messiah sanctified Himself for the purpose of our sanctification.
John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
It is also interesting that of these three phrases regarding willful sinning, this is the only one that has an additional description attached to the action of sin.
One who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,
One who has profaned the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified,
One who has outraged the Spirit of grace?
However my reader considers this passage, it does leave us with questions that may never be answered. It may be wise to hold to our understanding of this passage with velvet gloves, showing grace to those who understand differently.
Yet I cannot esccape the fact that it is one of five warning passages we find in the book. When we consider the book is focused on the believers estimation of the Christ, their faith in His work, and the continuance of their faith in Him, it is difficult to image the author directs his argument to those who are unbelievers.
For this post, let us focus on the action we are being warned about. To profane the blood of the covenant.
The word profane is the Greek word κοινός koinós, and is often translated as common, as something that belongs to all.
Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Notice that κοινός koinós (common) is sometimes coupled with the idea of uncleanness, implying that to be common is not necessarily to be unclean.
Acts 10:14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. Acts 11:8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Ok, so to be profane is to imply ordinary, of no special ownership or use. It is something that is available to all, or in other words, associated with nothing that is outstanding, specific, or particular. Ok – so profane or common is “nothing special” in my vernacular.
What about holy? Usually profane and holy are considered opposites, and rightly so, but why? As a young believer, I automatically assumed holy meant sinless, and it certainly includes that concept, but there is more to the term. A principle definition of holy is to be separate. God is separate from sinners, separate from creation, separate from everything. He is holy, and because He is holy, He is different.
Now to drag He who is completely separate into the common is an afront to Him, is it not? To consider He who is apart from everything, apart from every created thing, as “one of the common, of no special category or class” is surely an insult of the highest degree.
He is not “nothing special”.
The Holy One entered a sinful world, resisting every temptation, was tortured for His identity, and finally shed His blood, blood that no other man shared in.
But let’s remember that the profanity in this verse is associated with the blood, the holy (separate) blood of the covenant.
My friend, how special is that blood, the blood that the Holy One shed. To consider it common is surely, without a doubt, an afront of the highest degree to the One who is Holy..
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY
Colossians 2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
As I quickly read what Paul claims here, I have not been too discriminating. I have read this verse for decades (not continuously, mind you) but as I go through the book of Colossians, I usually breeze by this verse without asking any questions.
Today, I’m a gonna ask questions!
What is the difference between rule and authority? Is there a difference? What is Paul talking ’bout?
Paul uses these two descriptions earlier on in this epistle, when he pens Colossians 1:16.
Col 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
So let’s do a quick review of these two terms.
Rule
The Greek word is ἀρχή archḗ, and is commonly used in an absolute sence, speaking of beginnings. This term is used in reference to the Lord Jesus throughout the New Testament, for He is the ultimate First Person.
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
But in our verse this morning, the application cannot be referring to Him, as Paul declares Jesus is over this “archḗ”.
Paul is referring to a leader, one who is first in his class or category. It goes without saying that since Jesus is over this one described as “archḗ”, He is over all of the “archḗ’s” minions and subjects.
Paul describes both rulers and authorities as created in verse 16, we can suppose these are spiritual beings. Of course this verse alone does not identify them as wicked, and it may be a disservice to the verse to restrict these as wicked. Is not the Lord the Master of All?
Relating to His dominion over wicked spirits, we would refer to Ephesians to get that clarity. Paul provides no doubt that is in his thoughts as he uses these two terms relating to the enemies of our soul in Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In summary, Jesus is over rulers, those created beings that are first in their class or category, those who rule over others, even the highest rulers, whoever they may be, in this created world we live in.
Authority
The Greek word is ἐξουσίαexousía, and speaks of power, the ability or liberty to do as one pleases. This word is used often in the New Testament, many times relating to the power or authority of the Lord Jesus.
Take a gander at a great example.
Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Every time I read this verse, it gives me a chill to think the Lord told those around him, including those hunting Him down, that he had the power, the freedom to forgive sins! Unbelievable! No wonder the darkened mind of those around Him were shocked. He is simply a shocking Savior!
Back in our verse in Colossians, this term speaks of the power resident in those whom Jesus is over. Those that are created, the “archḗ” (rulers) down through the ranks, have a delegated power, a freedom to inflict their will on those they are allowed to harm.
Our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY. He is over each and every created being, no matter where that created being sits in the hierarchy. He exercises limitations to the delegated power each of those created beings are allowed to exercise. Paul speaks of Jesus being over the created beings and over their delegated power.
He is the HEAD, or MASTER of all. Given that, it should be no surprise that He could say He had the authority to forgive sins on earth.
That one incident is still so shocking though. But it shouldn’t be since our Savior is HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL
Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
I love this verse, and the fact Paul clarified the manner of God’s working in the church. He does not react to outside forces, current events, or problem situations due to an outside influence.
The work of God is not reactionary. He is first in the causing of all work related to our salvation, sanctification and glorification. He has predestined the Body of Christ, the church, (not individuals within the Body) to be predestined according to the counsel of His will. It is his plan, His counsel and His will that is preeminent in relation to the Body of Christ.
Now I used to be fatalistic in relation to the passage above, thinking that the predestination is related to individuals in the church, having been influenced by teachers within the church, and the individualistic leanings of our culture. Me me me, it is all about me!
For some reason, God had chosen me as opposed to Fred or Wilma, or Frank. Why, and how could I relate humbly to those God did not chose? And if God did not choose Fred or Wilma or Frank, was I wasting my time on them? Was I frustrating the will of God in loving them? How could I “love my enemy” when it seemed that God was purposely passing them by, allowing them to enter destruction?
I found the concept of “individual election and predestination” caused me untold conflict upon realizing the implications of the teaching. But the teaching was widespread, and seemingly very popular.
Thankfully, as I attended a church that subscribed to this teaching, an elder was bold enough to lay it on the line. He openly preached from the pulpit, that which was mostly left unsaid, that God was pleased to see the unelected destroyed, that it glorified God in the destruction of souls, and predestination applied to the individual for salvation AND damnation.
I walked out of that service stunned, and realized I had a problem. A huge problem that I needed to come to grips with. Thankfully, as I found myself unseated from my previous understanding of fatalism – some call it Calvinism or the “doctrines of grace” – I began to understand an alternate “heretical” position. It really didn’t take too long, for I found a clue in the very next two verse’s verses from Paul’s pen. Yes, Paul speaks of how individual saints in Ephesus entered into the counsel of God’s will in verse 13.
Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Notice when Paul speaks of individuals, he does not say that God chose each individual in eternity past, forced the Spirit on each individual and locked each individual into His will. (I am being extreme here!) He speaks of individuals hearing truth, and believing IN HIM.
Which is the topic of Paul’s discussion. Being in HIM.
The counsel of God’s will determined that being in Him was the manner of salvation, the work of God predetermined by the counsel of His will was the group, the Body of Christ. Not individuals, though individuals join by hearing the truth and believing in HIM, but the Church itself as the Body of Christ.
What a freeing realization that God’s will is not restrictive, exclusionary and limited. His care and love for the most heinous sinner is active, open and unlimited, offered by the hand of Jesus, though it is a bloodied, pierced hand.
No, our God is active in all of creation through the Body, with the Body and for the Body in bringing about His will, for it is He only WHO WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL, in bringing about the honor and glorification of Him who is the head of the Body, Jesus Christ the Lord.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART
Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
It is a common saying. He is walking about with such a heavy heart.
In our vernacular, that is usually a statement that speaks of deep sorrow, or sadness in the life of the subject.
When we read this verse, the weighing of the heart is not related to sorrow or sadness, as may be implied by our common saying.
In the proverb we are considering, we are considering the inner knowledge each man lives with and how God relates to it. For God to weigh the heart is another way of say God searching the soul.
One important consideration is that the passage is not making a neutral statement, a simple fact that God knows our inner thoughts. The verse speaks of God not disuaded from the facts by our denials. As fallen men and women, we are easily disuaded from the truth, convincing ourselves of stories that make us feel better, that increase our confidence (in self) and that comfort our weak hearts.
I think Solomon knew this deeply, as he reflected on his own life/ There is wisdom in considering this, for as he told himself many stories, excusing his life before God, he knew God was “weighing the heart”.
Yet he rebelled against this knowledge.
Knowing that God is alive and active in our very inner core should motivate us to perform good works, to “not deny” the truth, to admit our sin and weakness and to understand God is a just God. Consider the verse as it speaks of “rendering to each man according to his deeds”. The Word is explicit.
Psalm 62:12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
Some may claim that this teaching is an Old Testament teaching, that it is not valid under the New Covenant. I often thought this way until I considered a sampling of verses below.
Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:
2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
Of course this teaching has to be balanced with the understanding we can do nothing apart from the Master and that all that is good comes from our connection with the Lord Jesus.
And out of the self sacrifice of our Savior, we have the privildge, opportunity and strength in the Spirit to do good deeds as He directs. Yes, HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART, is the same who provided the Savior to draw us to Him, to give us strength, to direct us into good works, and to glorify Him.
And in the midst of all His blessings, He continues to weigh our hearts, helping us to live in the truth, in Jesus.
May we reap blessings, and honor God from being rooted in Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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
Daniel
Law Fulfilled
Daniel 6:12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.”
Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Each of the men in our post this morning were the subject of a law.
For Daniel, a specific, temporoary law was intended directly for Daniel, crafter by his peers and subordinates in the kingdom, and ratified by the king of the Medes and Persians. This law was created specifically to address Daniel “in connection with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5)
Although an unjust law, Daniel was immediatley impacted by the law, and was in defiance of the law as soon as he knew of it. He valued his connection with his God, and would accept the unrighteous result of the government’s rule over him as he sought to know God.
For Jesus, the eternal law of God (not the Medes and Persians) were not only written of Him, but specifically described the unrighteous result of a governement’s rule over His life as He sought to obey His Father.
Both Daniel and Jesus were the intended recipients of a law, and in thier obedience to the One above, fulfilled the law written specifically for thier lives.
There are numerous wrinkles to the similarities in this picture of Christ in Daniel, yet the fact remains. Both men, in thier obedience to the God they worshipped, fulfilled a law, each man entering into a death sentence. Both entered “death” and both were rescued out of death.
For our post this morning, consider that a law was fulfilled in both of these men’s lives. For Daniel, the law was developed by a human government out of spite and maliciousness, and was used to condemn him to death. For Jesus, the law was a reflection of His own perfections, and in order to rescue Daniel (and us), He willingly took the place of condemnation, as One who was guilty of breaking His own righteous standards.
How can we not be a thankful people? Everything about Jesus is better!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT
Galatians 3:5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith–
Paul provides the Galations a progression of the experience of the Spirit in the beginning of chapter 3.
Galatians 3:2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
Paula begins his argument for the necessity of a Spirit filled (controlled) life with the initial meeting of the believers with the Spirit. Upon the hearing of the gospel, those who believed received. They were not required to perform any works, such as a circumcision or a baptism, or a compliance with any works that may be required by those trying to influence them after Paul left.
They received upon belief in the crucified Messiah.
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Next, Paul emphasizes the beginning of the faith of these believers. Though this may be a reiteration of the initial act of faith that brought them into the Body of Christ, I understand it to be directed to the initial days/weeks/months the believers were walking in the Spirit prior to the “influencers” arriving, and confounding these saints.
Then we get to our verse of consideration. Paul closes his initial argument of the necessity of the Spirit controlled life as the norm for the believer by reminding the believers of the source of this tremendous gift, that the Spirit is given by God, and that the means of provision is by faith and not works.
He provides Scriptural proofs of this truth for the remainder of the chapter, and I would encourage my reader to take time to reread the passage.
For this morning, let us dwell on the gift of the Spirit provided by God, through a heart faith in the Messiah. Whether we are new in the faith by an hour, a decade or half a century, each of us has that blessing to know the Lord through the Spirit in our daily lives.
Story Time
I am just returning from visiting my northern grandchildren. Really a good time! We had a special time with my youngest grandson we were visiting. During the visit, a small dispute with his sister erupted and we had a chance to discuss the issue of the dispute and that to be a believer is a daily challenge to exercise forgiveness towards even those we know best.
It is a daily challenge to live the Christian life, and we can be thankful that it is HE WHO SUPPLIES THE SPIRIT is none other than the God we worship.
He provides all our needs!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS
Psalm 136:17 to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;
We are in a psalm this morning that has the constant refrain of “for His steadfast love endures forever”. The psalmist begins with statements of praise toward the Lord, the God of God’s and the Lord of Lords, and transitions to the mighty acts of creation for 6 verses, each act of creation displaying His steadfast love.
Starting in verse nine, the psalmist focuses his description of the steadfast love of God to the nation of Israel, and how He brought the family of Abraham out of slavery and through the Red Sea.
All the previous statements regarding God’s works may be considered positive and generally a blessing. That is until verse 15, where the psalmist speaks of “shaking off”, or overthrowing the Pharoah of Egypt. The psalmist them continues speaking of those who had to be “dealt with” in order to establish and protect His new nation.
Dealing with a nation in our verse speaks of striking down great kings. Remember that when a king is struck down, the people he ruled over fall into turmoil. Sometimes the turmoil is minor, and sometimes it is a major upheaval in the nations life. Consider Egypt. Their history after the exodus was impacted greatly. For those kings that were not compliant with God’s will, they also fell and the people associated with the king suffered.
How can the psalmist claim that God’s steadfast love endures forever, when the action includes secondary impacts that are detrimental to those around the nation?
Two thoughts come to mind.
Those who opposed God and His will suffered due to their refusal to join into the work of God. Many times in the history of Israel we find a foreigner being accepted into the nation of Israel, avoiding judgement and falling under the covenantal blessing of God. Rahab is an example.
Though the psalmist is focusing on the nation of Israel, and how God has acted in the formation and continuation of the nation of Israel, the psalmist takes an interesting turn as the passage closes. The last few verses do not use the term “Israel”, but describes those who…
were of a low estate,
were helpless (rescued from foes)
receive food from Him (gives food to all flesh)
The psalmist spends time narrowing down on the acts of God specifically for the nation of Israel, but finishes with God’s general “steadfast love” for all.
Our selfish “my kingdom” reactions to the will of God may place us on the hurting side of life, but the steadfast love of God endures forever.
HE WHO STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS is still on the move throughout the earth, conquering each man’s will, taking out those who oppose His will, and offering forgiveness through manifold and multiple opportunities for those who will be of a low estate, willing to admit their helplessness and receive the good news of a God who STRUCK DOWN GREAT KINGS, even our greatest enemy, death and destruction.
Let us remember the priorities of our God. He is a long term Planner and intermediate impacts along the way (that are surely difficult for our sensitivities), should not consume our perspective.
He is One whose steadfast love endures forever!
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
Who is the subject of this passage? This is the common question that seems to be the lynchpin of this passage. It all centers around the identification of who “he” is
There are three possibilities to consider.
A Professor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the church out of curiosity, one who has not become a true believer but has joined the group externally through actions and rule keeping, not internally, by faith and love.
This identification hinges on other passages outside of the book of Hebrews, where a person is considered “sanctified” but is obviously a non-believer.
A popular example is in 2 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy (sanctified) because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy (sanctified) because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (sanctified).
This example raises a number of questions in my mind, but since we are in Hebrews this morning, I will leave this passage for my reader to consider on their own.
A Possessor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the body out of a repentance of sin, of acknowledging the person of Jesus as the expected Messiah, and is living as organic member of the congregation.
I suppose identifying the one “sanctified” as a true believer finds support in the passage itself, with the author including himself in the audience, when he offers the phrase “If we sin willfully..”
Also, within the book of Hebrews, we find the author repeatedly referring to believers as sanctified.
Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
The Christ
Both of the previous identifications take the “he” as being a member (in some way) of the church. There is the possibility the One who was sanctified by the blood was the Christ Himself.
Consider the Messiah sanctified Himself for the purpose of our sanctification.
John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
It is also interesting that of these three phrases we are looking at, this is the only one that has an additional description attached to the action.
One who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,
One who has profaned the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified,
One who has outraged the Spirit of grace?
However my reader considers this passage, it does leave us with questions that may never be answered. It may be wise to hold to our understanding of this passage with velvet gloves, showing grace to those who understand differently.
Yet I cannot excape the fact that it is one of five warning passages we find in the book. When we consider the book is focused on the believers estimation of the Christ, their faith in His work, and the continuance of their faith in Him, it is difficult to image the author directs his argument to those who are unbelivers.
It may be wise to reintroduce the first phrase of the authors writing for the Hebrews.
“If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth”
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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
Daniel
Vindication by God
Daniel 6:25-26 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.
1 Timothy 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
To be saved out of a terrible situation is one thing. Daniel was protected by God until the morning when the rope dropped down to pull him out from amongst the lions. The king, his closest servants and the guards at the pit witnessed this deliverance of God.
It all could have ended with Daniel being rescued from death, with the gossip mill spreading a story in the palace. Eventually the story may spread amongst the locals, resulting in some twisted narrative being repeated, eventually watered down and relegated to a fable.
But this was not to be. Daniel was unjustly accused, convicted and condemned by the government he served faithfully. Immediately after Daniels deliverance, the King wrote a decree, declaring Daniel’s vindication. The king informed the entire empire that all the charges against Daniel were wrong and that the God of Daniel was the True and Living God.
Daniel was vindicated by God and the king before all the empire. He was delivered from certain death by His God, and was vindicated before all the people by the king.
Is this not an incredible picture of the resurrection of Jesus? Jesus entered death defamed, that He was a criminal, a rebel rouser, a revolutionary and worthy of death. His resurrection was God’s public vindication that He is the True and Living Savior of all mankind, that He is Who He said He was. The story that was used to condemn Him was a lie, and all the people would find out!
The resurrection provided clear and abundant proof of Jesus’ identity, of His mission and of His claims being based in truth. Jesus was vindicated before all of creation, being brought back from the dead.
To be vindicated. To be proven right after condemned. Yes, both Daniel and Jesus were publicly vindicated, but only Jesus was vindicated through a physical resurrection, with the message spreading even until this day.
Jesus is the King, and He is the Lord.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS
Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
As a refresher, Isaiah is speaking to the people of God as he compares their God with the idols they have chased after. In this passage, and specifically with this name. Isaiah provides a picture of One who stretches out the heavens.
Though the ancients didn’t have telescopes, radar satellites, or rockets into space, they did spend time under the stars. The life of the ancient Hebrew was not a life of ignorance regarding the heavens, for they spent much more time under the stars than the average modern. We may talk of light years, and galaxies beyond any distance we can comprehend, but the ancients, dare I say, comprehended the skies even as we do. With our eyes. And our minds, as much as possible.
Ask yourself – what is a light year? What impact is that on your life? Dare I say that one night under the stars, will communicate the vastness of the heavens better than a number that cannot be comprehended.
As some may know, I am an early bird, waking in the morning before 5 always, and sometimes before that. If it isn’t a work day, and I have the opportunity, I will venture outside to get in my hammock, and simply star gaze with the naked eye. The longer I stare, the greater the mystery of the heavens, the beauty of the stars, and the littleness of me. Stargazing is a very humbling experience!
How could Isaiah explain this other than to speak of the act of stretching out the heavens as a merely human activity, as if the wife was stretching the curtain over the window. A seemingly effortless task, and that is the point. Isaiah is describing a God who is not worn out by this impossible to imagine task, but completes it as if it was the simply pull of a curtain.
One additional item occurs to me. Isaiah mentioned our God stretches out the heavens, as if it was a current action on behalf of the Lord. Did he understand the idea of an expanding universe? Is this another incidence that the prophet spoke a truth that he may not have even understood in his day? The Scriptures are wild, and to find these nuggets of truth buried in the Word is truly a blessing to consider.
Let us be thankful to HE WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS, for His mighty creative work, and the sacrificial blood He spilt for our lives. He is an incredible God that we will never be able to fully understand, or come close fathoming His incredible love for us.
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Last we visited on this passage, I had provided some background to the passage and my current understanding that this passage was intended for those who had entered into following after the Messiah. The author himself, most assuredly a believer, includes himself in the warning.
For the next three posts on this passage, I hope to consider each of the phrases the author provides in expanding his understanding of “sinning willfully”.
A very serious condition that has dire consequences!
trampled underfoot the Son of God
To be trampled underfoot. It seems obvious the intended meaning, that the object being trampled underfoot is that which is spurned, treated with with rudeness, disrespect and neglect.
This term is used elsewhere in the New Testament and is helpful in considering the impact of our authors intent.
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Jesus Himself used this term in His teaching, and this first verse provided indicates the worth associated with anything that is trampled underfoot. It is “good for nothing” other than to be thrown out and trampled under foot.
To be trampled underfoot is an expression of worth. Specifically, it is the estimated worth of an object in the minds of those considering it.
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.
The true value and the estimated value of an object can be radically different amongst those considering it. In this verse, the true value of the object is precious, holy and likened to pearls. The estimated value is worthlessness in the way it is used, or distributed. The holy was distributed to the unholy.
And what was the reaction? The holy object was trampled underfoot by the unholy. The unholy also estimated the value to be of no value. But with the unholy, they not only trampled underfoot the holy, they turned on the one who did not estimate the object as holy, and protect it from abuse. They cast the holy to the unholy. And because of this error in estimating the value of the object, the unholy turned on them.
Consider this in relation to our passage in Hebrews.
The verse speaks of a judgement, even by the unholy, on the one who initially did not estimate the true value of a holy object.
Our author asks..
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God.
In our earlier verse, it was the unholy performing the judgement. In the passage of Hebrews, we face the Holy One in the punishment.
The trampling underfoot is a severe estimation of worthlessness of the object, and this estimation of worthlessness brings consequences.
But the object in our verse in not some precious commodity, or some costly truth, or a valuable piece of wisdom, but the very Person of the Christ. Not an object with holiness assigned to it, but the very Holy One, the Person who embodies and provides the standard of holiness.
He is the One who has given everything to rescue us. What a complete and utter failure to estimate the true worth of Him, which will take an eternity to understand.
May we trample underfoot every effort, thought or action in our lives that would diminish our estimation of Him who is Holy.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA
Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name:
It seems like forever since I published on this general set of verses back in 2020. I was addressing the outworking of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the continual existence of Israel despite the obvious destruction and decimation of the nation in AD 70.
If this seeming unfulfilled promise of God to national Israel disturbs you, or fuels your unbelief in the God of the Bible, it may be to your benefit to consider what took me 20 years to figure out. The post should only take a few minutes to read, and hopefully my explanations make some sense for those who want to understand. Anyway, venture over to Nation or Church – Jeremiah 31:35-37 if I have piqued your interest.
For our verse this morning, we want to focus in on how the Lord is called the One WHO STIRS UP THE SEA. Is this phrase simply a description of the tumult on the seas during vicious storms, how the winds and rains pummel the sea and make it a monstrous enemy for those on the sea? Is Jeremiah communicating to the saints of old the mighty power of God as demonstrated on the seas?
Yes, I want to say that is the message, and yet as I have learned in the past, the words chosen in this verse may pack more than simply a picture of the mighty power of nature.
There is a pattern in the Old Testament that represents the people of God as the “land” and the nations being the sea. A stable people as compared to a restless people. A people with foundation as compared to a people who have no support.
A few verses to review to make this point. First, let’s consider Isaiah. He speaks of the abundance of the sea as compared to the wealth of the nations. A very common Hebrew parallellism!
Isaiah 60:5 …the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
Isaiah also likens the wicked to the foaming sea, with the mire and dirt being thrown on the shore.
Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
Again, whne Isaiah likened the wicked, or the nations to a tumultuous sea, bringing it’s filth to the land, is it not picturesque of the influence of the nations on the people of God?
Even with this very short study, we can see the connection of the nations with the sea. Might we extend that thought in our phrase we are considering? (Hang on folks, for this gets knotty!) Is the picture of the Lord stirring up the nations an accurate picture? Might we see that the Lord is active in the tumult of the world for His will to be accomplished? This is difficult stuff, but consider.
Like Jeremiah, Isaiah also describes our God as HE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA.
Isaiah 51:15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD of hosts is his name.
Consider the image and the impact of his name, for we certainly see much tumult in the world today. Thankfully, we know that as the people of God, we have a refuge in Jesus, a place where confusion is absent, where peace of heart and a quiet mind can rule the life of the saint and reside in the family of God.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,
No matter how you see this verse in relation to the nations, let us thank God for the Savior Jesus, who is the ONE WHO STIRS UP THE SEA.
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.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This is a fearsome passage, and must be considered with a spirit of grace and humility, for the message has been interpreted in many ways, defending a number of teachings within the Body of Christ.
The larger issue in this passage is the intended audience. Is this intended to address those who have yet to enter the salvation provided by the Messiah, but are simply looking in from the position of the Old Testament faith? Hebrew faithful who are still considering the claims of the Messiah?
In my current understanding of the Word, to be a faithful Hebrew was to be a follower of the Messiah when (or shortly after) first coming into contact with Him, for He provided varied, ample and timely evidence of His office and ministry of Messiah. The faithful Hebrew, (sometimes called the remnant throughout the Old Testament) looked for the Messiah, and to have Him displayed so prominently, with so many evidences, none the less than the resurrection from the dead, tells me that to remain outside of the community of faith was to show evidence of unfaithfulness as a Hebrew.
Isaiah 28:5 In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
Therefore, I am of the opinion this passage is directed to the faithful Hebrew, the remnant of His people. The passage is for the one who has seen the evidence, believed the message and has followed after the Christ, abandoning the old system of relating to God through animal sacrifice and temple worship. And this passage supports this understanding. The author includes himself in this warning, as he begins this passage.
… if we go on sinning deliberately
First, the author speaks of sinning deliberately. This may be translated as sinning willfully, acting in opposition to the knowledge of the truth.
Now I don’t know about my reader, but I want to humbly confess that I have known the will of God in certain times of my life and yet failed to perform that known will. I have been weak, obstinate and without excuse.
Is the apostle addressing this condition, this state of belief in the saint? Possibly, but at the risk of seeming to justify my own weakness to maintain my citizenship in heaven, I am thankful the apostle defined the “willful sinning” in a following verse.
As we consider the following three phrases in verse 29, I think we will appreciate the clarification of the “willful sinning” referred to earlier.
Our next posts in this series will address each of these phrases. I am looking forward to finding out more about them and trying to communicate my findings to you.
Until them, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and make us a blessing to others!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
I always liked this verse, but probably for the wrong reason. Hopefully it isn’t with evil intent, imagining our God in heaven, rubbing his hands together, laughing out loud because he knows the traps He has set for the “dirty sinners’ out there. Of course, I do not include myself amongst the intended victims. Maybe something wrong there! Yes there is something wrong when this old fellow thinks others deserve judgement but he is exempt from the fate.
This passage is dealing with the kings of the earth, those earthly rulers who seek to usurp control from the rightful King. In this context, the Lord on His throne and from that perspective, is reflecting the utter futility of the efforts of mere men, though they feel they rule over others.
When our passage speaks of the Lord holding them in derision, it speaks of a mockery of the situation. He is not concerned over any effort of man to dethrone Him. He is the Lord!
Yet the leaders of this world are drunk on power. They seek more and more authority over God’s creation, and in the process, reveal their mismanagement, and selfish motivations. Any desire of man to replace God as the King over any of creation is fraught with unassailable obstacles, most of which is the man’s own evil heart and wicked imaginations. Nothing good and meaningful can rise out of the self serving motivation of man.
Consider – even the King of Kings was a sacrificially serving man, One who sought out others, seeking their good as opposed to His will. Only the One who followed after God with all His life is worthy to lead, the One who showed His leadership by serving, His love by dying and His authority by rising up from the grave.
Yes, God mocks, laughing in derision those who oppose Him. Not in the manner I imagined, but in the futility of the effort. Mere man a king to replace Jesus.
He has risen and is the ONE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
HE WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH
Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
Isaiah is in the process of comparing the God of Israel with idols, by way of questioning his people.
Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Questions are a great way to stimulate a discussion. Jesus often asked questions. Questions are a fantastic teaching tool!
Don’t you think so?
As a question is provided, a recipient naturally builds a defence in thier mind. Once a question has been understood, hopefully a discussion can occur, an argument can be entered into, and minds can be changed. And when I say minds can be changed, I am referring to the Biblical concept of repentance! This obviously is the intent of Isaiah and he is brutal!
One question would be sufficient for Isaiah to deliver to the saints, considering the topic of the discussion. One well placed question about the God of Israel should “stop thier mouths”.
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
Of course, when Isaiah “machine guns” multiple questions to God’s people, the recipients will not only be speechless, but dumbfounded. That is, if they are honest with themselves, with Isaiah and with the God they are related to.
Four questions were blasted to the saints regarding the difference of thier God compared with idols.
Do you not know?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks knew God was unlike idols!
Do you not hear?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks heard God speak, unlike an idol!
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks had been introduced to God at the beginning of their formation as a nation! Idols were to be rejected by this people from the very beginning.
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Of all the people of the earth, these folks understood God hated idols.
Yet they worshipped idols.
Isaiah then begins to describe – once more for this people who knew and understood thier God – of the God they had walked away from.
Thier God is the One who is over, or above the circle of the earth.
He is over creation, not a part of it.
Whether the word “circle” can be describing the earth as a sphere or simply the horizon each man sees, the point is clear. The God they had abandoned, the God they were being called back to, the God who was leading, guiding, disciplining and teaching is not of this creation, but above.
And when Isaiah says above, though the immediate message is that God is in the heavens, above the creation in relation to distance, I want to consider it is more applicable that Isaiah is referring to God as being over the circle of the earth in relation to His authority over all.
God is in authority over all of His creation. He is in charge, unlike the idols that are merely stone and wood, made of the creation God created.
Yes, our God is more than any idol, much more! He is on His throne, and not only reigns by the authority of His creative acts, but more so through His defeat of death. Though the creation was plummetted into death by our decision, He has rescued it by defeating death itself. Death itself has died, and He rules!
Yes – Jesus is better! He is the One WHO SITS ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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
Daniel
SEALED TOMB
Daniel 6:16,17 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
Matthew 27:64, 65 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
There are unbelievers and skeptics that claim fulfillment of Biblical prophecies were orchestrated by the Lord Jesus in an attempt to “prop up” His claim to the status of Messiah.
How patently foolish!
Though this particular fullfillment does not directly address the person of the Lord Jesus, His undeniable righteous character, His vicarious death for sinners, His complete obedience to the Father, even to the point of death, this typological fulfillment of His tomb being sealed in like manner of the saint Daniel is one more picture for the saint to consider.
Notice that in both instances, the tomb (or in Daniel’s case, the intended tomb) was sealed by a reluctant authority. Darius provided a seal via his own signet ring, even as he begged for Daniels God to rescue him, and Pilate provided guards to effectively seal the tomb of Jesus, though he tried to release Him to the mobs.
It turns out the sealing of the tombs were for naught, for as Darius saw the next morning, Daniel was alive and well, even as he stood amongst the lions. For Pilate, it was three days later that his seal was proven to be of no effect.
How could mere humans resist the resurrected One. As proven that death had no hold on Him, it is foolishness to think mere Roman guards were of any effective sealing.
Both tombs were sealed to no lasting effect, other than to identify death. The sealing of each tomb provided the necessary statement for all to witness that death occured.
The only problem is that when God is involved, and the picture of the Lord Jesus’ victory over the grave was to be displayed, seals were of no import.
Daniel and the Lord’s tomb were sealed but for a very short time!
Thank you Jesus for giving us a picture of your death in the life of Daniel!
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 