In my journey out of Calvinism, I discovered some you tube shorts from Dr Leighton, teacher at Soteriology 101.
As I may have spoken of earlier in my posts, I spent many years consumed with the Calvinistic teaching, only to break free because of men like Dr. Flowers, who offer alternative views that make more sense and glorify God, making Him purer, and more loving.
This particular short is a plea to the Calvinist to consider releasing some preconceived ideas, and to consider an alternate approach to understanding God. In my own journey, to allow considering an alternate approach to understanding God was a fearful thing, for I had been convinced that I was right.
Yet the truth does not need to be protected. If we truly want the truth, we should expect to be challenged occasionally by the Lord to repent, to revise and to reconsider.
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 REMEMBERED US IN OUR LOW ESTATE
Psalm 136:23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;
In our psalm this morning, if we were to read the entire 136th Psalm, we would find the psalmist referring to the Lord’s mercy and steadfast love in the past for His people.
Over and over again the psalmist recounted the many acts of the God of Israel for His people. From creation through the deliverance of the exodus, along with battles fought to gain and maintain their time on the promised land, the Lord had proven His steadfast love to the nation in the past.
Our verse this morning speaks of the current time, of the times the psalmist lived in. It was no longer recounting days of old that the Lord proved His love, but the very time the psalmist lived in, the present situation.
And the psalmist claims the Lord remembered.
Now of course the psalmist is not merely referring to the fact that the Lord, who is all knowing, has a set of facts about His people before His eyes. The psalmist isn’t speaking of the Lord’s ability to recall He has a people. Does that even make sense, knowing the God we serve?
When the Old Testament speaks of the Lord remembering, it is not merely that God recalls his people. God never “recalls” a fact or a situation. He is all knowing. When the Old Testament speaks of God remembering, it is telling us that God is acting for His people, delivering them from a trial, or even refraining from a justified discipline. Examples are many.
Noah is a good example.
Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
God remembered Noah and acted. Another example was Rachel, and her childbearing.
Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
God remembered Rachel and acted. An example of God remembering not, (or not acting) may be found in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 34C… For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
God’s act of remembering in this instance, or should I say His active non-remembrance, entailed the death of His Son, the torture and crucifixion of His Only begotten.
Even in His promise to not remember, God acted.
So for our passage this morning, the psalmist speaks of the Lord remembering His people. For us today, we need the Lord to act on our behalf, to bring to life the Body of Christ that is dormant, quiet and self satisfied.
The psalmist speaks to us today, for if we are to see God “remember” us, it will be due to our lowly state, a time of humility, of lowliness.
A people of God that is proud, self sufficient and haughty will not see God remember them, acting on their behalf.
Yes it is likely the psalmist was speaking of an inflicted lowliness for God’s people, a difficult time for the people of God due to outer forces being unleashed on them. They had been humbled, and in the humbling, God acted.
The humbling of the people of God continues to be the playbook of the Lord, that those who are humbled are ready for grace, they are open to God “remembering” them. It is a consistent truth we would do well in remembering!
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
The psalmist may have spoke of an inflicted humbling, yet for us today, we have the command to humble ourselves.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
In both of the verses above, the humbling comes with an exaltation, with the Lord remembering and acting on behalf of the humble.
Our God hasn’t changed. He is the God Who remembers us in our lowly state. May we experience the exaltation, understanding it is through humility and seeking the low estate!
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
Prayer Leads to Persecution
Daniel 6:11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Daniel 6:13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Daniel 6:16a Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions.
John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. John 18:3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
Daniel prayed every day, in the direction of Jerusalem, to the God who sustained him, directed him and protected him. For decades, he had established this habit, and as his enemies had witnessed this man of God live his life, they had found one activity that they could make illegal.
We have spoke on how it was envy of Daniels peers that fueled this persecution, that the king was unwilling to prosecute the judgement, and that the death sentence was completely unjust. In all of this unfairness, this contradiction of righteousness, Daniel did not abandon his practice of reaching out to the God he served.
He could have adjusted his time to pray, prayed in his “closet”, or justified a break in his prayers due to this act of persecution. After all, it was simply for 30 days this law was in effect. In allowing a break in his faithful duties in prayer, he would be succumbing to the persecutors more devious plot. They were seeking death, either by his obedience or disobedience/
In Daniel’s obedience, he would be gulped by the lions. In his disobedience, the plotters would successfully compromise Daniel. His God was not the primary motivator in his life, and the plotters found a way to manipulate him.
Persecution seeks death or control. Nothing else. Daniel’s prayer provided the strength to enter persecution, and triggered the persecution to commence.
Jesus also entered the garden, knowing His time had come. He, like Daniel, knew that the time of prayer He was to enter into would provide His plotters the opportunity to execute their plot to destroy.
Both men, in their prayers, would enter persecution. Both men, as they sought their God, knew their prayers would lead into persecution and death.
And both men prayed!
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.
A few days back I discovered some additional shorts from Dr Leighton, teacher at Soteriology 101.
As I may have spoken of earlier in my posts, I spent many years consumed with the Calvinistic teaching, only to break free because of men like Dr. Flowers, who offer alternative views that make more sense and glorify God, making Him purer, and more loving.
I do hope you will consider the teaching with an open mind.
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.
289
HE WHO RAISED CHRIST JESUS
Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Notice how clear Paul is in his description of the God who gives us life. He brings to the believer’s attention a number of clarifications that may be worthy of considering.
First, Paul speaks of the God who raised Christ Jesus as Spirit. His emphasis is on the person of God, not any moral codes, regulations, rules, bylaws or religion that we may be associated with. It is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, dwelling in each of us that Paul speaks of.
Which brings to our attention a second point to consider, that is the dwelling of the Spirit of God in the believer. Some may refer to this as the indwelling, and is an emphasis of the apostle Paul in this passage. His first reference to “dwelling” is in 7:17, where he speaks of sin dwelling in the body.
Romans 7:17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
For the remainder of chapter 7, he speaks repeatedly of sin dwelling in the body, but shifts gears in chapter 8.
Now in chapter 8, we are not considering death and sin in the body, dwelling and destroying, but the Spirit of God dwelling and enlivening the body.
Paul had laid a framework in our minds regarding the concept of dwelling in the previous chapter, helping us identify a parallel condition. Sin dwelled in our bodies. Dwelled throughout our lives, deeply in our innermost being, permanently in our actions and thoughts (seemingly), and without any respite or rest from it’s ravages.
It is that type of dwelling that we carry over into the next chapter, yet all the negative aspects of this dwelling will be turned on it’s head. It is not death dealing sin that dwells in our body as believers, but life giving Spirit permeating our lives.
Easy to say Paul, for you surely are using flowery words to build up your teaching. Au contraire, mon ami, Paul is not one to make a claim and then hope for the best. Paul is linking the life giving Spirit in our lives with the Life giving Spirit that RAISED JESUS from death. He refers to the most astounding, historically proven, evidentiary phenomenon ever witnessed on earth. The raising of the Son of God from a cruel torturous death.
Story Time
We had our grandsons out on the farm this weekend and as I was reading the Word to them as a bedtime story, I so happened to be in John 11, with the story of Lazarus.
As I provided more and more expression to the story of Jesus amongst those crying at the death of His friend, I ended the story as Lazarus came out of the grave, and then closed the Bible. I looked at my oldest grandson, and emphasized that no one has done this before. A man was dead and Jesus simply said to come forth. And he did!
His eyes expanded a wee bit, and though he has not experienced death in his young life, his expression reinforced the wonder of this miracle.
Yet as I considered the Messiah’s resurrection, I was reminded again that it is unlike Lazarus in many ways. Lazarus was raised to die again. It was as if he was resuscitated from death. Now I do not want to make light of the miracle of Lazarus, but in comparison to the raising of Jesus from the dead, it was a mere shadow of the reality.
Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again. Never. Death has been killed, dying by the hand of God as the Messiah was called forth from the tomb!
This is the God we serve.
HE WHO RAISED CHRIST JESUS is the Spirit that resides in us, dwelling in our lives and providing guidance, compassion, strength and love.
He is good!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My 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.
288
HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.
Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
The concept of control is emphasized in this verse, of access to opportunities, to privileges and to greater blessings by the use of this terminology. It is somewhat common in the Word to find this over explanation of the authority over a situation.
Consider the Old Testament passage in Job
Job 12:14 If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.
Centuries later, Isaiah picked up on this saying, expanded the emphasis and described the Messiah and His authority to provide access (or restriction) to the kingdom.
Isaiah 22:22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
This passage is the very passage John was referring to in our verse this morning. Isaiah is initially speaking of His “servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah”, and of how this man would be a “peg in a secure place”. It is a wonderful passage, speaking of the steadfastness and security of the Lord, that all the promises of God hang on God’s “Peg in a secure place” – that is the Lord Jesus in His ministry to His people.
A reiteration of a similar truth, that is of one having complete authority over a situation is recalled in Matthew when the Lord speaks to Peter this amazing promise.
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
For our passage, the Lord is describing Himself with this name in the context of the Philadelphians being rejected from the synagogue. These young believers were being barred from the only religious community they had known, that they had grown up in, and that may still had many of their loved ones in.
Man, and any religion he is controlling, have just a few tools to influence their adherents. Peer pressure, fear and guilt are common, but their most powerful weapon is exclusion.
Take it from one who has been asked to leave a church body, a church body that we served in, we taught in, we gave to and we prayed for. People that we loved and prayed with, joined together under the church leadership and asked us to leave. It was heartbreaking, destructive and painful.
For these Philadelphians, they were rejected due to their allegiance to the Suffering Savior. The Jewish synagogue was committed in their denial of their Savior, and pain was the result.
Pain for the the Philadelphians, for they lost connections with loved one. Yet in the midst of this pain, they maintained a faith in the One who has the keys to the Kingdom, and not merely power over membership in a religious “club”. The Body of Christ is the greater good, the greater blessing, the greater connection. He is the One we need to look to for access that matters.
It is good to remember that the Body of Christ is a living organism that is not dependent on man’s rules, laws or organizations.
All of man’s religions have no authority like HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.
Let’s be so thankful, that though we may pass through some rejection from those around us, He who is above us has provided us access!
May God’s name be praised.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My 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.
287
HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION
Amos 5:8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name;
Amos is struggling with the people of Israel. He is pleading for them to repent, to consider the God they have abandoned.
His refrain throughout the first portion of chapter 5 is for Israel to “seek God and live”. Amos refers to Pleiades and Orion, major constellations referred to a number of times in the Old Testament and he speaks of the Lord making these two constellations. His hope is that the nation will understand the mighty Creator they have abandoned.
I’m afraid Israel did not “seek God and live”. Amos’ ministry was between 750 and 760 BC. Israel fell to the Assyrians, never to rise again, in 722.
They did not seek the One who made Pleiades and Orion, but another saint was challenged with these two constellations in his confrontation with the Creator God. That man was Job, and his encounter is worth considering, as we think of the Creator who made Pleiades and Orion.
God, in His response to Job’s whining, asks questions. A lot of questions. For our purposes, lets dwell on Job 38:3.
Job 38:31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?
Notice that God is asking Job if he can “bind” Pleiades, or “loose” the cords of Orion? In my imagination, these were simply poetic declarations of the Lord when speaking of Job’s inabilities. Simply a statement regarding Job’s inabilities when compared to the Creator of all.
I understood that no further details were intended for Job. But thousands of years later, astronomers have found that Pleiades, a grouping of 7 stars sometimes called the seven sisters is considered a “gravitationally bound” grouping of stars. These seven sisters are always together, always in the same position with each other. They are a stable constellation.
Now when I read that verse in Job, and consider His question to Job, I no longer simply think He was demonstrating Job’s inabilities. He was provided Job information that that he may not have understood. Did the ancients know of this trait of Pleiades?
Well, sit down, for the loosing of the cords of Orion also has additional truths revealed to Job and his friends they may not have known.
For you see, Orion with it’s seven stars, is unlike Pleiades, for it is a constellation that is drifting away from itself, gradually “falling apart” from its form. It is as if the cords keeping the seven stars together are being loosed.
Now doesn’t that make you thank God for being the Great and Awesome Creator that He is. He not only made the great constellations, but has revealed to his saints details beyond our comprehension.
For our Savior, the One who bled and died for us, is HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION.
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.
286
HE WHO MADE GREAT LIGHTS
Psalm 136:7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
We are visiting Psalm 136 again, and it is fitting that we do, for the psalm is a repetition of God’s great love for His people.
Throughout this psalm, the author has a refrain for every act of the Lord He has performed for His people.
That refrain is “His steadfast love endures forever.”
This must surely, I thought be the same psalm that in other translations speak of “His mercy endures forever”. But I am mistaken! The psalm I am thinking of is Psalm 118, where the psalmist picks up the same refrain, praising God for His steadfast love (again!)
Throughout the Old Testament, the scoffer and unbeliever focus on tragic history that occurs in the narrative, some of which occurred to accomplish God’s plan. This is a common, (and somewhat justified) complaint of those who have never met the Messiah. It is a method of deflecting blame from their own sin problem, blaming God for something they (and I) don’t fully understand!
Yet, it is repeated over and over again, not only instatements, but in His actions, that the Old Testament describes our Master as the One who is steadfast in His love for His people. Once the soul has tasted that the Lord is good, all complaints of prior history fades, for He suffered more than any, and He suffered for all.
We must remember that those who may have seemed to have died prematurely in a battle, in a war, or in fights that extended an earthly theocracy, were souls that belonged to God, that He is sovereign, and though I personally have struggled with some of the stories revealed in the Old Testament, it is of the will of God that has not only allowed or directed difficult times, but the same God who has revealed these actions to His people.
It is wise to not sit in judgement on the Creator!
Nevertheless, to Him who made the great lights, the great lights are referring to the sun, moon and stars as the following verses describes.
Psalm 136:8,9 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
I could speak of the sheer magnitude of His creation of the lights, especially the sun. How massive in size, and critical for our existence is the sun. Yet the sun is simply one of a hundred billion million gazillion (alot!) stars spun out into space, that the psalmist could not have known of, yet the Creator provided.
This alone should stop us in our tracks, considering the incredible, unimaginable vastness of the creation! Yet the psalmist speaks of these creations, these great lights as they relate to the day to day order for lowly men and women on the earth.
Each day, the sun provides light, heat, and specific time periods for mankind to have order and experience a consistency of expectations. Each day, the sun will provide light, each night the stars will provide guidance and beauty. God’s people can rely on the Lord’s creation, and this provides a comfort to the saint, knowing God has provided a faithful creation, reflecting a faithful God.
But the psalmist speaks of steadfast love being the reason for this faithfulness in the performance of the great lights. It is the motivation of the Lord that the psalmist highlights, and that which we might do well to dwell on this morning.
His intention to us is fuels by a great steadfast love through creation, through our daily lives, through the food He supplies and the rest He provides. God has made the great lights because of His great love for us, even though we go about without recognizing this great blessing
Take a moment this day, in your travels, in the quiet, in that alone time and consider the great lights, whether daytime or nighttime, and give the Lord the recognition He so richly deserves.
For He is the God who made the Great Lights, and has given us the Light of Life to know Him.
Thank you Jesus.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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
Sentenced to Death Unjustly
Daniel 6:4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.
Mark 14:1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,
For the last two posts, we have considered the sentencing of Daniel to the fate of death in two different aspects. First was the sentencing to death by an unwilling judge, and secondly the sentencing to death by envious enemies. Both foreshadowed the Messiah’s experience.
This post will consider the legality of the sentencing and not necessarily the connected emotions of those involved in the dastardly deed.
Now when I speak of the legality of the sentencing for Daniel, it just so happened in Daniel’s case that his life long practice of prayer became illegal though the passing of a temporary injunction. Yes formally, Daniel was sentnenced to death “legally” but in all appearances this was simply a method to exact the desired out come of an evil group of government ofificials.
Of course, for the Lord, the illegality of the sentencing is shocking. As I ventured through my research, I found a list of 21 of the Sanhedrin’s laws broken in order to condemn and crucify their Messiah. (Thanks to By Faith for this summary)
1. No arrest by the religious authority was to be arranged by a bribe.
2. No criminal proceedings were to be taken after sunset.
3. Judges and Sanhedrin members must not participate in an arrest.
4. No trial could take place before the morning sacrifice.
5. No secret trial was allowed – only in public.
6. Charges are not to be sought from a man after his arrest.
7. Trial procedure – first the defence, then the accusation.
8. All may argue for acquittal – all may not argue for a guilty verdict.
9. Any two witnesses must agree on every detail.
10. No allowance is made for the accused to witness against himself.
11. The High Priest is forbidden to rend his garments.
12. No charges are to originate from the judges.
13. A charge of blasphemy must involve the name of God.
14. No condemnation of the accused is allowed on the basis of his words alone.
15. A verdict could not be announced at night.
16. In cases of capital punishment, the trial and verdict cannot occur on the same day.
17. Voting for the death penalty is by individual vote – from the youngest to the eldest.
18. A unanimous verdict for guilt shows innocence.
19. The sentence for a guilty verdict must be given three days after the verdict.
20. The judges are to be humane and kind.
21. The person condemned to death must not be first beaten or scourged.
My friends – though Daniels sentencing was formally legal, the trap that was laid for him was not unlike that of the Messiah. Both men were brought before a wicked ruler and condemnation was declared unjustly.
Both men suffered though they did nothing illegal. The laws were ignored or twisted to gain the result of a wicked group of men!
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.
285
HE WHO KEEPS WATCH OVER YOUR SOUL
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?
Feigning ignorance is so common. In this world of knowledge, access to knowledge, abundant facts and figures, calculations, methods of analysis and data accumulation, to claim ignorance is a difficult sell.
Yet the argument can easily be made that with the abundance of knowledge available to the modern man, two results can occur.
With the flood of data pouring into our eye sockets, we may be numb to the impact of any specific piece of knowledge. We often do not have the time to consider the data, the impact of the data of our lives, and the proper response, if any. By the time we have consumed that morsel of information, another piece of information is knocking at the door of our minds, screaming to get in.
It is all a bit of an information overload!
Beyond the sheer over-abundance of information available to the modern man, we have an additional problem. Crappy data.
Information that is simply worthless, merely a distraction at best. I would suggest this is the bulk of information that is available today, and the motive is to gain the attention of a consumer, that soul who may not discriminate the data or the claims of the salesman, and simply be led into an agreement that will cost them more than the purchased product is worth.
Now, don’t get me wrong on this point, as the worthless data that I refer to is not simply associated with goods and services in the practical, physical world. Worthless data may also be information that is intended to distract the reader from better, wholesome, spiritual information.
Of course worthless data may be lumped in with data that is intended to deceive, to lead astray or to destroy.
Nevertheless, to feign ignorance in this modern age is a hard sell for the average person. Too much information is available, and our problem nowadays is sifting through to find the correct, factual and edifying information to build a correct and godly life upon.
Of course the data we can rely on is the Word, but as we read this passage above, I do not think Solomon is addressing scientific facts, mathematical equations or general truths all who breathe can know.
Solomon is talking of the responsibilities we have to live properly in relation to those around us. To love those whom we know, to care for those we may not know well, and to relate properly to those who may be our enemy.
After all, Solomon mentions our soul and heart, those containers of our lives that hold the important “stuff”, the stuff that we cannot feign ignorance of if we care about God and men.
If we are honest with ourselves, and avoid the distracting relentless barrage of data, we can know what Solomon is referring to. I suggest the Word provides guidance in this area through a prophet called Micah.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
We know inside and the Lord provides the external data to confirm our responsibilities before Him and His people.
He is the God who keeps watch over our soul, and though we know the best, He is the One who provides strength, guidance and external verification of our internal data, so we may be sure before Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
284
HE WHO IS MIGHTY
Luke 1:49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Grade 4, and Lyle was my bully. As a matter of fact, he was everyone’s bully. As I try to remember the times of grade 4, I can’t remember a time when Lyle actually proved his might, to establish this bully persona. He was all talk and never exercised any of the bravado he spoke.
What a great talker, and the threats he made to keep his people in order were poetic, majestic and terrifying. Remember – I was in grade 4 and Lyle was my first bully, (other than my two big brothers).
In that little mind of grade 4 Carl, Lyle was mighty. He had the power , the authority and the right to rule over all the kids in Miss Claxton’s class.
But was he mighty? Or is the secret of the bully fear induced submission? I think so, and there are a multitude of religions that are based on this model. Fear induced submission, from a bully type God.
The problem for the bully is that when push comes to shove, the bully usually collapses. His reign of fear begins to crack, and eventually those under him realize it was a might not based on fact but on fear!
Not so with the God of Israel, for He is mighty, and He proves it. The write of this verse confesses that God has “done great things for me”.
There are some in the Christian community that would view God as a bully type of deity, one who demands rule keeping, using threats to create obedience in his people. Is this the God we serve? Is this the message we see in the Messiah as He walked amongst us?
In this verse the Lord is one who is doing great things for his people. No hint of threatening, or danger of “being beaten up” if not compliant to his wishes. Nothing like that is mentioned in this verse. It is not the Lord who is speaking great swelling words, seeking to induce a fear based obedience, but the recipient of God’s goodness declaring the might of God because of God’s actual work the saint experienced.
So different than Lyle. Bullies have no might other than fear. God’s might is actual, experiential and evident.
We need to understand He who is Mighty is the God who shows His might by providing for His people, doing mighty things for those who love Him and even for those who don’t know Him.
He who is Mighty is better than Lyle. So much better, in so many ways!
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.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The book of Hebrews has always been a challenge in my reading, as I am not a first century Hebrew, a saint who may pick up on nuances of truth the ancient saint might see.
But then again, those folk have passed long ago, and as long as we see Jesus in the book, I think we do well, for the book of Hebrews is brimming with statements, claims, truths and passages teaching of the superiority of the Christ over Old Testament saints, Old Testament covenants, Old Testament Temples, Old Testament rules, Old Testament promised lands, Old Testament Sabbaths…. Need I go on?
He is the culmination of all Old Testament teaching, the principal and only King over God’s Kingdom. There is no truth greater than we find in Jesus, and the outworking of His kingdom will only magnify Him more and more.
Our passage speaks of two results of His sacrificial offering on the cross, that He has provided for His people. Two results of His sacrifice are that we, an undeserving group are now able to enter before the Lord.
With confidence due to His blood
Through a new and living way due to His flesh
We have access before the Lord, the Holy and All-Powerful God of creation. This, at least in my life, has become such a “common” truth, I sometimes (most of the time) do not realize or appreciate the tremendous honor it is to have access before the throne of God.
Beyond that privilege, we have acquired through our faith in the Son, the Great Priest, One who rules over the house of God, One who represents us before the highest throne. He is not only the One who offered the greatest sacrifice, but became the sacrificial Lamb, and now stands before the Father, representing His brothers and sisters.
The apostle has laid it out once again in this book. God has performed His mighty work. He has lined out three blessings provided to us.
What are we to do?
He provides us three directions, each of them with the familiar “Let us”
Before we dive in to the three “let us”, I want to suggest this direction is given primarily for the church body to exercise as a body, and not as I often think of as direction primarily to individuals. Throughout these injunctions, the apostle continually address “us”, “we”, “our” and “one another” A definite injunction for body life.
So how does this apply for conditional security Carl? Good question my friend. As these injunctions, or commands are aiming for the outworking of faith in a body life, the claim may be made that any individual that is not partaking in Body Life (of some sort) is not exhibiting a grateful heart towards the One who has provided the previous blessings.
Let us consider the apostles three “Let us” commands.
Let us…
Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Draw Near.
This is the response we are to have in realizing the blessing He has provided. A response, but also a responsibility, the appropriate response of the heart, mind and body towards the Great Priest.
Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hold Fast
This is the ongoing protection, and ownership of this blessing we have been granted. The term used translated as “hold fast” in this passage is defined within Strongs Dictionary as “to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of” This speaks of responsibility on our part. We are to keep firm possession of this blessing!
Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another
Consider How.
To hold fast speaks of maintaining or keeping a position or possession. To consider how speaks of advancing the position, spurring others onto greater works of love. The apostle is not content to have these folk maintain. The march is to go forward!
Each of these “Let us” phrases speak of our responsibility before the Great Priest over the House of God who has provided us access to the Throne of God.
Let us hear His direction and respond accordingly!
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
Sentenced to Death out of Envy
Daniel 6:4-5 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
Matthew 12:13-14 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
If there is anything in the life of Daniel that reflects the life of the Lord Jesus, this one aspect stand out!
Daniel was a stellar man. The enemies of God admitted they could find nothing of a convictible nature in this man’s life. They would have to create a law that drove Daniel away from his God, and therefore corrupt him, or better yet, use the law to condemn him, and put him to death.
It had to be a trap that included a capital offence. Nothing less would do, for these men were frustrated with this Hebrew. He was rising through the ranks, and was fast becoming a favorite of the King. Take him out and the paying field is leverls out again.
It is amazing the twistedness of envy, for as envy sinks it’s hooks in a mind, the resulting thinking is completely without reason. These men would risk their own standing before the king in an effort to condemn a good man, a man favored by the king, and that would become obvious to the king of their intent after the trap had been laid.
This is absolutely crazy on the part of these “wise” men, but they had had enough. Envy had gripped thier minds and they were committed to killing Daniel in any way availalbe, and since they could not find a just reason, an unjust conviction suited them just fine!
Centuries later, the Greater Daniel was not rising in the ranks amongst government officials. That was not a condition Jesus ever experienced. But in the midst of rising in the ranks of the peoples admiration, the Pharisees of His day also sought a way to kill Jesus.
It was right after Jesus had healed the withered hand of a man, that the Pharisees had had enough. They let the demon of envy eat away at all sense they may have had, throwing caution and reason out the door, and ventured onto the path of lunacy.
They killed him using the Roman laws, twisting Pilate to their will by fear of exposing his lack of loyalty to Caesar. Political power. Religious envy. A righteous man. These three are always destined to a conflict, resulting in death.
May we be on the right side!
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.
283
HE WHO HAS PITY ON THEM
Isaiah 49:10 they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
How often have we watched a poor sucker on the silver screen yell out “I don’t want your pity”, or “I don’t need your pity”? Admit it – even as this character is expressing his rejection of any pity, we tend to identify with him.
No one that I know seeks pity. Pity is a somewhat negative expression in our current understanding, toward those in a trial or difficulty. Pity in the English dictionary is defined as “sympathetic or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another”.
In our culture, to receive pity may be perceived as an expression of helplessness, of an inability to resolve a problem. It also places the one expressing pity as somewhat superior over the one receiving the pity, though I think this may be unintended many times. Nevertheless, the one receiving pity often considers the pity to be coming from someone who may never experience trials or troubles, and therefore cannot identify with them.
So when we see a passage such as today’s we may have incorrect thoughts regarding it. Let’s consider if this is a correct reaction.
First, for one to show pity, as expressed in this verse is to express compassion, as in a sharing of the burden. Per Gesenius’ Hebrew – Chaldee Lexicon, the term “pity” in Isaiah 49:16 has the idea of “cherishing, soothing, and in a gentle emotion of the mind, to behold with tenderest affection, to be compassionate”.
There doesn’t appear to be any expression of superiority in this display of pity over the one needing help. It is an expression of love. That is perty dang good news, if it was only in relation to those of our own peers. The simple understanding of “pity” in our verse as expressing “being with someone” in a trial is comforting to say the least.
To further assist in our correct reaction to this somewhat negative word is to consider the One offering compassion (pity).
He is superior, far above our condition and status, greater in every way, and if our understanding of pity was correct in the original discussion, we could assign it to the One above and it would correctly fit in expressing His possible reaction to those of us in trouble. All of us, that is!
But for the only One who is actually superior to us, He uses a different concept of pity, a pity that is better expressed as compassion in our understanding. He is “with us” in our trials. To have compassion is to be moved with the pity, to take action instead of simply feeling bad.
As the Lord walked this earth, He expressed compassion on many. Note that when He expressed compassion, actions accompanied this emotion.
Mark 8:2, 8 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
So in summary, God truly is greater than us and in our current understanding of pity, could rightly express this emotion. Yet there is much more to this passage than applying our incorrect understanding of pity to our God.
He not only enters into our trial, but He takes action. It is not only an expression of emotion, but a solution provided, an action taken to assist in the trial.
For those Isaiah was preaching to, this assistance from the hand of God was His leading and guiding them through the wilderness and to the springs of water.
As I grow older in the Lord, this leading and guiding is becoming much more critical in my faith. To think the Sovereign of the Universe is willing, no, not only willing but desires to guide us is an incredible truth.
I will take His pity! I will seek His compassion. For HE WHO HAS PITY ON THEM has had much pity (compassion) on me.
May you find the compassion of God in His leading also. It is a blessing that should not be ignored nor rejected.
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.
282
HE WHO GIVES FOOD TO ALL FLESH
Psalm 136:25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.
We find this Name of God in a psalm that begins by thanking God for His enduring, steadfast love.
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
I have been considering what it means for His love to endure forever, and the implications are somewhat disruptive to my current thinking of our God, but for this post, I would like to consider one expression of this enduring, steadfast love of God.
This one expression of the steadfast love of God towards His creation (all flesh) is His continual provision of food.
Some may argue that this provision is simply the “circle of life” or the ongoing process of nature. For the non-domesticated animal, the wildlife all around us, God’s provision is evident.
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
These non-domesticated animals are wholly dependent on the Father, and all of creation exhibits this truth.
For the domesticated animal, farm critters that is, humans get involved, and these animals existence is directly dependent on a human intermediary. Of course this implies in both the man’s thinking, and the animal’s thinking (I assume) that man is the source of all provisions.
This passage forces us to reconsider that assumption. We will let the animal think what it wants, but for us who know the Lord, two things grow out of this statement.
A Thankfulness.
This is the natural, obvious result of a man or woman who understands all provisions come from the hand of the Lord. Whether it is through the sweat of our brow, (as a tradesman) or the pain of our brain, (as an office geek) or the reward of our labors (as a retired soul), each of us have been given in measure the ability, the energy, the desire and the work ethic to accumulate provisions for ourselves and for others. And we are thankful!
A Challenge.
In the day to day push and shove of all the trials in gaining our necessary provisions, we easily fall into the trap of thinking it is all about us. We go through the stress and worry (which is unnecessary and wrong), we go through the grind of employer’s and client’s expectations, and of course we endure the constant peer pressure of others. On top of all that, we may tend to want to escape, just to have a short time when the pressure has been removed.
No matter how much you may love your job, pressures mount, and we may very (very) easily fall into thinking it is all about us, that everything is dependent on our performance, our efforts, our work.
It takes a focused heart to reject that thinking and to see in each of our situations the hand of God providing (through our efforts) the good things we are provided.
Let me share a short story of my learning this truth a few years back.
I was fired from a job due to my wife being sick. A bit of a long story, but I gave my employer short notice, since the sickness did arrive abruptly, and he told me to get in to the office in 30 minutes or not come in at all. I lived 40 minutes away, but beside that, I was not about to leave my wife’s side!
For the next two months, we saw the Lord provide our needs, though we told absolutely no one of this situation other than Him. He was the One we prayed to, and He was the One who provided. In the end, He also provided a position with a firm that has given me opportunities beyond my imagination.
I am thankful for His provisions, whether it is through the sweat of my brow, the pain of my brain, or the direct intervention of the Father above.
He is good, and He is the One WHO GIVES FOOD TO ALL FLESH.
By the way, I saw that old boss at a conference lately. He thought I had died. (He is 15 years older than I!) Nevertheless, it was good seeing him and reconnecting!
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
Sentenced to Death by an Unwilling Judge
Daniel 6:14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.
Matthew 27:24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
As those who were hunting for Daniel’s life finally delivered Daniel up to the king, they found the king an unwilling participant in his own laws and edicts.
Yes the laws of the Medes and Persians, once codified could not be rescinded or changed, and this was the strength of those who plotted Daniel’s destruction.
But it fell on the king himself to actually pass judgement on the “crime” Daniel perpetrated, and how it must have struck King Darius’s conscience and heart to think he was led into this trap through his pride and arrogance.
King Darius must have had his own “night with the lions”, after having failed to rescue Daniel, and then spent the night struggling with his thoughts.
Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
This trap haunted King Darius, for Daniel was a trusted servant, one who deserved nothing remotely like this! And the king was the first to approach Daniel’s “tomb”, and it appears he had hope, for he called out to Daniel.
Daniel 6:20 …. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
That night changed King Darius.
Centuries later, a Roman official by the name of Pilate also was forced to condemn an innocent man by the pressure of the people. He used multiple methods to rescue Jesus, but to his utter shock, the death was demanded, and the people used the laws of the Romans to make it happen!
Pilate might not have been changed by this event, for we only have the lightest of records that may hint he might have converted. Most historians think not, although it appears his wife did seek to follow the Crucified One.
Might she have prayed him into the Kingdom? Would that not be a trophy of grace?
Nevertheless, we see both Daniel and Jesus condemned to death by unwilling judges, having their lives snuffed out by those without authority pressuring those in authority.
The more things change, the more they stay the same!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
281
HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
Matthew 21:9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
To come in the Name of the Lord.
What does that mean? What did it mean when these crowds shouted out “in the name of of the Lord”
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
IDENTITY
Did the crowds understand this Rabbi’s true identity? Were they openly confessing He was Emmanuel, God with us?
Some identified His person clearly and without hesitation.
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
As He was heralded by the crowd as coming in the Name of the Lord, His disciples must have been beaming. They had hitched their horse to a winner! Little did they understand the extent this Rabbi would go to display the heart of God, revealing the identity of our God beyond what we and they could have imagined. Jesus identified the True God as a sacrificially loving Servant to those who despise and would crucify Him.
Who could have identified God in such a way, providing to all such a glorious act of love to those who hate Him, even to death. None other than the One who came in the Name of the Lord. He revealed the identity of God in a manner beyond any of our imaginations.
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
CHARACTER
Surely, after watching His miracles, listening to His message and seeing His life amongst them fully on display, the crowd most surely associated this Rabbi as God’s prophet. The Rabbi lived a life that could not be condemned and though He was sentenced to death, it was through deceit and malice. His character was stellar, without a blemish, and perfect for a sacrifice.
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Perfect, without blemish as a sacrifice.
In the Name of the Lord, we may understand the Lord’s…
AUTHORITY
Authority is the right to command an action without being challenged. Of course, the Lord is the Almighty, the One who spoke and galaxies began their existence, a small blue ball grew a garden and He granted life to two souls. He parted the waters, and defeated the enemies. Jesus, as He came down to be with His people, continued exhibiting His authority, over and over again. We see Him exercising His authority over the laws of nature (calming the wind and sea), the laws of physics, (walking on the water) the laws of biology (healing the blind and deaf), and the law of sin and death (raising multiple dead people). He displayed His authority over and over again, yet not for Himself. Throughout His time with us, He did not exercise His authority for His own sake, from not in creating bread for His hunger, through to deliverance from His suffering.
The One Coming in the Name of the Lord truly exhibited God’s identity, character and authority more than any in the crowd could have imagined.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
280
HE THAT WORKS MIRACLES AMONG YOU
Galatians 3:5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith–
I am going to confess to those who follow and read my rants, that I am a cessationist. A hardcore cessationist? It is a conviction I have developed over the last four decades, in my studies and in outworking of those who propose the continuation of the gifts in this age.
Before I go any further, let me explain. To be a cessationist is to say that I do not believe prophecy, speaking in tongues, and apostolic healing have continued throughout the church age. These gifts to the church were provided to establish and authenticate the church, and once established as God’s Temple, was no longer required. We have the apostolic teaching, and the very present Spirit of the Lord with us each and every moment. The sign gifts are no longer required.
Is this a stance that should separate true brothers and sisters in the Lord? Absolutely not, for I know I have things in my life many may consider “blind spots”, areas that may need correcting or at least discussion.
Let each man have his faith, as long as it is in the Messiah!
Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
So when a passage describing the “One who works miracles among you” comes up in my reading, do I automatically refer that to the old days, to the times when God was establishing the church, authenticating His new Temple?
Yes and no. You see, I have lived under His leadership and care for over forty years, and have seen His gracious provision in many quiet miracles in my life. The restoration of my grandson from a drowning, to the timely supply of 87 cents needed to feed my first born for a night. I might claim there is no global need for miracles, no global need for signs, no global need for establishing the church. The church is here and the church is established globally.
But that does not restrict the Lord from providing miracles out of a gracious heart to His people. The time of providing authentication has passed. His Body is alive and active globally, triumphing over His enemies.
But for the individual saint, the one who is following hard after Him, or for that saint who may be struggling, considering his options and in a place of weakness, the Lord provides miracles according to His wisdom, according to His kindness and care for His people, according to His mercy.
Is He a God who works miracles among you? Definitely! Open your eyes and be willing to see the work of God in your life!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Galatians 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, Galatians 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul has raked these folks over the coals.
From claiming they are listening to angels/teachers that are to be cursed (1:6-10), to retraining them in the fundamental teaching of justification by faith (2:15-21), to calling them foolish, and being bewitched (3:1), to describing the inability of the law to justify anyone (3:10-14), calling them slaves as opposed to their rightful status of sons (4:1-7) and decrying his heart for them in their errors (4:16-20), Paul was astounded at the condition of this church.
We have previously considered Galatians 5:4, where Paul comes right out and says they are severed from Christ. Severed! Attached at one time, and now severed!
Now we come to a passage that provides proof of the life these “believers” were exhibiting, with the fruit of the Spirit being evidence of the Spirit controlled life.
As an aside, to be Spirit filled, or led by the Spirit, or to walk by the Spirit is the equivalent of Spirit controlled! Any who claims to be Spirit filled and yet is not exhibit self control is suspect. Those who insult and abuse others in an effort to “show how spiritual” they are, are not impressing Paul, and should not impress us!
Paul begins to list a number of life characteristics that he describes as “the desires of the flesh”. The list is extensive and Paul indicates these “works of the flesh” are evident, easily recognized by those observing!
Works of the Flesh are evident!
sexual immorality
impurity
sensuality
idolatry
sorcery
enmity
strife
jealousy
fits of anger
rivalries
dissensions
divisions
envy
drunkenness
orgies
Paul provides such a list, so daunting and all encompassing. How many believers that may be reading are not susceptible to at least one of the vices above? To make matters worse, Paul opens up the list of problem vices with the general description of “things like these”
Oh my goodness! Is there no hope? If I fall into one of these vices, is it all over for me?
My friends, it is critical, at least in my thinking, that Paul is describing the outcome of two types of life. One of dependence on the Lord Jesus, of waiting and listening, learning from the One who is meek and lowly, One who is forgiving, good and patient.
The other life Paul is describing is the life that depends on the fulfillment of the law based on their own efforts. The Law is not (never was) the focus of the truly faithful, but a teacher, showing us how weak and disobedient we naturally are. To trust in that school teacher, and to refuse the One who the schoolteacher is pointing to is truly foolish.
Paul provides this list to give the believers in Galatia a check list, or a guide as to the root of their actions. Bad actions means a bad root! The next list, describing the fruit of the Spirit, not only describes only the highest of good characteristics in a person, but attributes the effort and work of producing the fruit to the Lord. They are not the works of our efforts, or the fruit of our labor. They are the natural out growth of our commitment to learning of the One who leads us.
Paul finishes this passage with a warning.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
To reiterate, when Paul mentions “do” in this verse, he is describing a continual practicing of these horrible characteristics.
As believers, maturing in the faith, we all fall into periods of weakness or times when we struggle with some of these works of the flesh. To actively pursue these characteristics, or to ignore the warning signs these evidentiary works provide us is to find ourselves the subject of Paul’s warning. He warned them once. He warns them again in the passage. Hopefully the warning took and many in the Body of Christ repented of their dependence on the false teachers in their midst, and the Law for their salvation.
Trust in the Person of the Messiah, and refuse any teacher or spirit that pulls you back to a performance/law based life. Follow Him, and in the following, find joy, peace, love and the fulfillment of the law in your life.
Romans 8:3-4 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
To be Christian is great! May His name be praised for all His mighty works.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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
A Righteous Life
Daniel 6:13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
Those of the king’s court, buttering up the king, had him sign a decree of worship for the king, and then leveraged this specific decree into a weapon against a man they could find no dirt on.
Daniel was of such a stellar character these men, peers within the court of the king, those who rubbed shoulders with Daniel, or knew those who knew him, understood Daniel’s righteous living, his righteous character, his stellar relationship with the king and could only lay a trap out of His allegiance to the God of Israel.
Of course this is the lynchpin of all traps that the righteous “fall” into, and once fallen into, find the Lord is sufficient to provide the strength, the wisdom, the patience and the outcome that honors Him the greeatest.
For Daniel, this trap was known by him, yet he went home and did that which had moments ago had become illegal, to the point of a death sentence.
A righteous life is not a life that considers the outcome of an action, other than how it affects the God we worship.
Daniel’s obedience in his prayers are but a shadow of the complete obedience of the Savior, of His utter disregard of the consequences His decisions would have on His own earthly existence, seeking only of pleasing the God of Israel, His Father above.
One difference between Daniel and the Master is that Jesus actually described the manor of His death, the method His enemies would use to cause His death and the motivation of those who pursued His death.
Daniel may not have been surprised by these circumstances. Jesus actually described His entrance into death!
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.
279
HE MAKES THE CLOUDS HIS CHARIOT
Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
He rides His chariot.
This word “chariot”, is only found in the Word once, in this verse and no where else in the Old Testament. It is from a root word that speaks of riding, and the implication is that the One on the chariot is riding, even driving the chariot.
Also, the common chariot during ancient Israel’s days was that of a one man cart, hooked up to a horse, or a couple of horses, with a front wall protecting the soldier, giving him a a somewhat caged area to stand in while riding.
It was a form of transportation that was utilized primarily by soldiers, entering into the battlefield to wage war.
In this set of verses that we have dwelled on in the last few posts, we see a picture of a King who is in His lofty chamber. A chamber that is near His people.
We also saw that the King was surrounded with those bent totally to His will, those that are “happy” even taking on less than desirable services for Him as He wishes. For the sake of those He is near.
In this short phrase, we see a King who is on His chariot, riding, even driving the chariot. My assumption is that He is entering into battle, as He is on His chariot, entering in a war that has the destiny of those He is near to at stake.
Each of these descriptions of the King speak to the actions He has entered into for those He is near to, for those He wants to be with, to minister to and in this case, fight for.
His chariot is of the clouds, and from that point of view, He can see all that is going on in the battlefield below. He has the information required to make accurate strategic battle plans, that will surprise the enemy, completely defeating those who enter into battle with Him.
There will come a time when the clouds will no longer be His chariot, where we will see the clouds break open, and the King will abandon His chariot to ride on the victors horse, a white stallion that will complete the battle.
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Even so Lord Jesus – Come.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Let’s remember that Paul birthed this church, ministered in this church longer than in many of the churches he was associated with. If Paul could claim to know those of his churches, the Corinthians would be the top of his list.
He is not writing to believers he had never met. No no no. These were people that he lived amongst, prayed over and struggled spiritually with. His first epistle was basically a letter of shock and correction, as to the issues that the Corinthians allowed in their midst.
Now, in this epistle, he is defending his apostleship from those in the Corinthian church that are defaming him, false apostles that are providing the fleshly Corinthians excuses to indulge in their wants.
Paul pleads with his people, and eventually pulls out the stopper. Get off the fence. The Corinthians can not partner with the enemy and consider themselves right with God. He calls believers the temple of the Living God, not only in this passage but twice in the previous letter.
His first reference to the temple of the Living God is referring to the congregational body as the temple of the Living God.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
His second reference is to the physical body of each believer, being the temple of the Living God.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
The Corinthians were taught of this privilege and in our verse this morning, Paul reminds the Corinthians of this truth, starts to ask some tough questions.
What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?
What fellowship has light with darkness?
What accord has Christ with Belial?
What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols?
Paul is really drawing a line in the sand, and I want to remind my reader of the context this passage is found after.
The previous verse speaks of Paul
2 Corinthians 6
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
The Corinthians need to make a decision. Paul is closing his plea to the believers regarding his apostleship, and to whom the believers are to listen to. He has opened his heart to them, speaking things of his suffering and his experiences that have been reluctantly provided for the believers to consider.
Now they need to decide. Righteousness or lawlessness. Light or darkness. Christ or Belial. Believer or unbeliever. Temple of the Living God or idols. They, and we, cannot have both.
Considering the context, it appears Paul is not mincing words. The false teachers are the enemy, and to bend the ear to them is to join with them, restricting their affections to the apostle Paul, and his message.
These believers, at least some if not many, having turned to the false apostles, whom Paul called angels of light earlier in the letter, are now on the outskirts of the church, with the invitation from God that if they repent, He will welcome them back.
These believers are being called to reject the false teachers, go out from amongst them, and return to the Living God. They were in a very precarious position before the Lord and Paul needed them to know of the danger!
For us this morning, one truth stands out! Let us not be drawn away from the truth of the apostolic teaching the Lord has provided us by listening to fancy pastors, showy personalities, humorous teachers, or lecherous men who make excuses for sin. These agents of the enemy will pull us away!
The written Word, with the enabling of the Spirit of God is sufficient for the believer to remain in the Temple of God. Teachers that seek to draw us away fron the Temple will attack the authority God gave His apostles, and the teaching they left us.
Is the Word and His presense sufficient for you?
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
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
Willing Sacrifice
Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
John 10:17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
Daniel knew. He knew his death sentence had been signed, and the the king had been duped into legislating his death by envious men he oversaw.
Remember, Daniel had been elevated to the position of overseer of the wisemen. He had authority over these men and thought the law could not be changed, one option for Daniel was revenge. He could have went to the Kings house, berated King Darius, exposing the evil of those who entrapped him, and caused an uproar within the royal court. He too could provide a law, in like manner, for the king to sign, and to exact some justice upon those evil counsellors.
But he didn’t go to the king’s house. He went home, as was his practice. He went home to enter the very trap these evil, envious men laid for him. He remained faithful in his practice of worship towards Jerusalem, towards his homeland, towards the God who had called and equipped him. And by being faithful, willingly entered the death trap.
How can we not see the Lord Jesus in this act of willingly entering circumstances that would lead to His own death. Envious men had been plotting against the Lord from the start, and the Lord had frustrated their plans numerous times. But on that night when Judas provided assistance in identifying the Master to a group of soldiers, He entered a death trap not unlike Daniel.
One difference though. Daniel was rescued from death, for God secured the lions from touching him. Jesus suffered, bled, was nailed to a cross, and hung to die.
Daniel was pulled from the pit, having never entered a physical death, but providing us a picture of the reality of the Lord’s resurrection.
Daniel was a willing sacrifice, and was rescued from death. Jesus was a willing sacrifice, and was rescued through death.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
277
HE MAKES HIS MINISTERS A FLAMING FIRE
Psalm 104:4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
Our last post sat on the previous verse, and I took the opportunity in that verse to consider the type of writing we encounter in the Psalms. Picturesque, image producing word phrasing that appeals to our imagination.
The psalmist spoke of beams on the water, and hearkened to the image of a great chamber of God’s finding it’s foundation on the water.
Here, we find that the created beings called angels, are at His beck and call, being His angels and His ministers. Those that when we encounter, tend to continually tell us to “fear not” since they are so incredible, so intimidating and so otherworldly, in their original state.
And yet they are His servants, His ministers, waiting to be of service to Him.
Coupled with the previous verse, we find the Lord in His upper chamber, in a place of solitude and calmness, established on the waters, His created world, overseeing those He created and ready with servants to provide Him service.
Is it that He needs help in the management of all things? Absolutely not, for He is the Almighty God, eternal and all knowing. The servants, His ministers speak of His Royal Court, of His authority within His creation, of His otherness, that He is above even those that are beyond our own imagination!
The psalmist saw a majestic vision of the glory of the Lord, of the residence of the Lord on the waters, and of His servants, His created angels at the ready to perform to His pleasure.
Hundreds of years later, a man wrote a letter to the people of the Hebrews, and provided them (and us) some clarity on this verse. He specifically defined who the Lord was in this picture.
Hebrews 1:7-8 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
As the Psalmist describes the One in the chamber, the One who is on the waters, the One who has His servants ready to do His bidding, whether as flames of fire or mighty winds, we find that the author identifies this One who rules amongst us.
The entire book of Hebrews is a treatise on the superiority of Jesus. Chapter 1 speaks of His ruling over the angels, of Him not being of the angels (as some may propose) but of Him ruling over them from His throne, ruling over His created angels from an eternal throne!
The author of Hebrews reveals to us the Psalmist’s God.
His name is Jesus and He makes His ministers a flaming fire..
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Considering the Bible 