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.
87
CORNERSTONE
Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Jesus is referring to Psalm 118:22 when He speaks of the cornerstone being rejected by the builders.
This is a stinging prophecy Jesus is applying to the first century Jewish leadership. Although He speaks of Psalm 118, He also could have brought Isaiah 28:16 to the attention of the leadership.
Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
Of course this passage doesn’t speak of rejection. May I suggest, this is the emphasis of Jesus using Psalm 118 when addressing those who were seeking His death.
Not only was it their responsibility not recognizing the Messiah, and that in rejecting the chief cornerstone, they rejected the very stone the building relies on, but Jesus also declares the Lord is in the midst of this.
God will use the wrath of man, the rejection of these leaders, to do a marvelous thing, a supernatural salvation, in front of their very eyes.
He is the cornerstone, the key to the church, the first of all stones to be laid, the sure foundation and the only One to provide the salvation promised.
As Psalm 118:24, the very next verse in the Great Hallel, states
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The day the Lord takes the rejected stone, and makes Him the cornerstone – this is the day that we are to rejoice in.
The day of salvation, of His work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
The Lord’s doing is truly marvelous! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
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.
Revelation 2:18-26 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
This is a difficult passage! My first question is …
Who is the subject of this rebuke?
I am going to add my understanding to the verses on this passage below, to try to make sense of the intended audience, and then from that exercise, make some conclusions. Hopefully it brings some clarity and not confusion!
20 But I have this against you (Thyatirian Church Body), that you (Thyatirian Church Body) tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants (Thyatirian Church Individuals) to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her (Jezebel) time to repent, but she (Jezebel) refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her (Jezebel) onto a sickbed, and those (Thyratirian Church Individuals) who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they (Thyatirian Church Indiviuals) repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children (Jezebel’s followers) dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you (Thyatirian Church Individuals) according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira (Thyatirian Church Individuals), who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
As I have went through this passage trying to identify who Jesus is specifically calling out to, my issue becomes two fold. Is he speaking to the body of believers, or to individuals within the body?
Body
Is he talking to the church as a body alone, and as the church body, speaking of their survival as a witness in the city of Thyatira?
This approach is the way I approached the passage in my days when I clung to the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) teaching. I referred to verse 22 as a passage that spoke of a Great Tribulation coming upon the church in the end days, and was able to save my OSAS thinking, delegating those who follow this Jezebel to a small group within a church – not believers – in the last few years prior to eternity.
As you may know, this is not my thinking now, for why would the Lord speak to the first century church in Thyatira of a small group of people 2,000 years in the future?
Individuals
Or is he talking to the church, addressing individuals within the church, informing them that as they follow Jezebel, they are not following Him?
This makes more sense, though it is scarier for the individual if you are following the prophetess Jezebel. Those in verse 22 are responsible to repent of Jezebels works, responsible to change their thinking, their faith and their allegiance to this prophetess.
Note that verse 23 speaks of Jezebel’s children. May I suggest that those, in the church, who have fully given over to her teaching, are now classified as Jezebel’s children.
The very next verse, Jesus continues with .. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, (helping me understand that the audience is still the church in Thyatira) … this verse connects these children of Jezebel as a some part of the church of Thyatira. And the judgement upon these children is final!
Jesus will strike these children dead.
I find it interesting to say the least that a few translations refer to this death as a plague or pestilence.
‘And I will kill her children with plague, NASB
‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, LSB
‘I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, NET
‘And I will kill her children (followers) with pestilence [thoroughly annihilating them], AMP
No matter how you understand this last phrase, it surely is not associated with those who are actively seeking and following after the Savior.
If you are listening to any teacher that advocates any other god than the True God, a teacher that is alluring you away from Jesus and towards a spiritually adulterous faith, advocating sexual immorality in the believers life, and providing “grace” to eat foods sacrificed to idols – telling me of Jezebel’s advocating participation in idol worship, this is dangerous.
No matter how you understand this passage, whether you are simply loosing out on rewards (OSAS thinking) or walking towards death, take the Lord’s warning seriously, test your teacher’s doctrine and way of life, compare those you follow with the Word of God.
If those you follow are not of the Word, immediately run as far as you can from them. Cling to the Word and trust in the Savior only.
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
Abraham
Foreigner
Genesis 23:4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
In our last post on Abraham we considered his accepted status as a a sojourner, or a tempory inhabitant of the land.
In this post lest us consider Abraham as a foreigner. One who is not like those he lives amongst. Someone who is different than the general public, than the masses.
This surely was Abrahams condition, being a monotheist in a land of polytheism, a stranger wandering about. It may have seemed to those he rubbed shoulders with that he may be running from something, or trying to hide from something. Being a foreigner, brings a suspicious eye from the populace.
He was so different!
This also is so true of our Savior, for though he arrived amongst those of His own, He was looked upon with suspicious eyes, seeing that He was different, so different that the average Israelite. As he revealed who He was for those who would accept it, His differences, when compared with the common Joe only increased!
Both Abraham and Jesus were foreigners amongst their neighbors, but how much more for Jesus!
Upon arriving on this globe, Jesus also lived a life of a temporary inhabitant, though He possessed all things, and would eclipse all authorities and powers through His ministry and sacrifice.
He has established a new nation. Don’t be a foreigner!
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.
86
CONSUMING FIRE
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
A consuming fire. Moses wrote this by inspiration in relation to the topic of idolatry in the life of the faithful Israelite. Moses recounts to the faithful, in verse 15, that the nation “saw no form” when God spoke to them at Horeb.
There was no reason to resort to idolatry, for they had no form to duplicate. Of course they had the influence of their national neighbors, and of course a darkened heart that would expose itself as they sought to obey the law. These times of idolatry were inevitable without the faith that God was looking for.
Out of an idolatrous life, God would appear to be the consuming fire Moses warns them of.
The author of Hebrews resorts to this phrase, describing our God in relation to our refusing to hear Him who speaks (Hebrews 12:25).
In both of these verses, for the faithful Israelite and for the faithful believer, God is described as a consuming fire. Once in relation to idolatry, and once in relation to refusing to hear Him. Might I suggest that idolatry, evil as it is in many forms, has one effect on the believer. A decision to elevate one authority over another.
In this context, when a believer falls into idolatry, he is considering that which he worships (the idol) to be more authoritative than God Himself.
This is a logical thought toward idolatry.
The fuller and more powerful thought regarding idolatry comes down to one thing.
Who ya gonna love?
Who will you choose to love? In the culture I live in, 21st century America, there are multitudes of idols seeking my attention. I would hope my reader would agree that this culture is no friend to the sole worship of our God.
It is a battle of the mind to decide to worship Him. This is the warfare we sometimes do not recognize being in the midst of. Let us remember that our allegiance, our loyalty, our attention and our devotion is to be directed to the Lord Himself.
It is also important to recognize this does not demand we generate a warm fuzzy feeling all the time, for even when we are not “feeling it”, to express our love and gratitude to Him, and to act in obedience to Him because we want to no matter the feelings – that my friend is a very real expression of rejecting idolatry.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming 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.
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.
85
CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL
Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
The Consolation of Israel.
Consider Simeon. He was a righteous and devout man, and my assumption has always been that he was a priest, but when I read the passage above there is no indication he was of the priestly line.
He was, I suppose, a simple man who followed the Lord, and was given an opportunity to see his salvation, to hold his salvation, and to speak of his salvation’s mission to the nation of Israel and the gentiles.
But let us not forget that the Gentiles Simeon spoke of included the very people who were oppressing the people of Israel. Simeon’s waiting for Jesus, the Consolation of Israel, was in the midst of living under oppression. And yet Simeon had the foresight to describe Jesus, the Consolation of Israel, as the One would be a light of revelation to the oppressors, those gentiles that dominated the people of God.
Even before Jesus could speak, His life was described by Simeon as the One who would provide for His enemies a light for the Gentiles.
I can’t help but think that Simeon had recently, by the providence of God, read from the scroll of Isaiah, where the Lord speaks of the Servant of the Lord, our Messiah.
Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Simeon saw the writing on the wall, and though the physical nation of Israel was under oppression, a new nation would erupt due to the light extending to the nations, and that salvation would reach the ends of the earth.
For God had much bigger dreams for His creation than many had considered, and for that we should be eternally grateful.
We have a Consolation that provides light to those who oppress, to those who are enemies. Are we mimicking the Great Consolation?
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.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
We all know this parable, or at least I think we do. I know that when I come to this passage, I tend to feel a bit sheepish toward it in that I am not a world evangelist, or the leader of a million person church.
But let us be sure that we all have levels of faith, and this passage speaks of life, (not faith) and the fruit that is the evidence of life.
It seems obvious that verse twelve speaks of the one who hears but is not impacted by the Word, one who is the victim of the devil’s thievery. No salvation for this one.
This situation seems obvious.
It also seems obvious that verse fifteen speaks of the fully mature believer, holding fast to the message, and refusing to let go, exercising a good and honest heart, which over an extended period of time develops mature fruit, which is the evidence of new life.
That seems obvious.
When we get to verses 13 and 14, the obviousness of the condition of the one being described becomes a little less obvious.
Let’s consider verse 14, for Jesus speaks of a life being choked, and that any fruit from this life does not come to maturity. He mentions fruit with this group and I understand that to indicate there is life resident in this group. A stunted life to be sure, a life that is less than hoped for, that may be a disappointment to the gardener, but a life none the less.
I know I have approached this passage with the verses out of order but it is verse 13 that is of interest to me and serves my purposes with this topic. Verse 13 actually speaks of one receiving the message with joy. Of course the debate over what it means to receive has caused much discussion, as to whether life had been received or simply a message, but this isn’t the main point I would draw your attention to in this passage.
The main point is the reference to a falling away that Jesus speaks of. I naturally assumed the Greek word would be related to, or would be the basis of our term “apostacy”, but I was wrong.
The Greek word used here when Jesus says “falling away” is ἀφίστημι aphístēmi, and it has multiple descriptions associated with it. Luke seemed to like this term, for he used it more than any other writer in the New Testament.
It speaks of deserting, withdrawing, leaving, shunning, fleeing, removing…. One shade of meaning coming out of this term is to “actively instigate to revolt”.
This is so interesting to me, for it helps me understand that conditional security isn’t a teaching that should be applied to one who has had a lapse in faith, or is struggling with faith – (which in my opinion is the essence of faith), but it speaks of a settled, active refusal to follow after, to reject that which was once precious as being refuse, that which is to be abandoned.
Note that this condition is not related to the victim of the devil (vs 12), or those who are distracted by cares and pleasures (vs 14) and it goes without saying that it does not apply to the victorious believer in vs 15.
This decision is made by those that “believe for a while” and then refuse, reject and run away.
My friends, stay active in your faith, for times of testing will come and may provide you opportunity to reject the Savior. Cling to Him at your every opportunity, so that when hard times come, it will only be “natural” to seek His aid.
Does this message not seem to be the obvious intent of the Word? Is that not an obvious benefit to us and an obvious blessing to others?
Obviously!
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
Abraham
Sojourner
Genesis 23:4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
When Abraham was called out of his native land, he immediately became a sojourner, a temporary inhabitant. As he ventured through the land that would eventually provide his inhabitants nationhood, Abraham considered himself, even at the end of his travels, to be a “newcomer” in the area, one who did not exercise any rights over the land as yet. The promises were sure, but Abraham lived as having no rights.
Upon arriving on this globe, Jesus also lived a life of a temporary inhabitant, though He possessed all things, and would eclipse all authorities and powers through His ministry and sacrifice.
He was a temporary inhabitant, but now the Eternal King! May His name be praised!
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.
84
COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD
Joshua 5:14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
Moses assistant became a great leader, leading the infant nation into many battles, finding victory after victory, until he had secured the extent of the national boundaries for the fledgling country. A truly amazing man, but in our verse here, we find one of Joshua’s greatest character reveals.
He was a mighty general, a terror to those who opposed him, because of his relation to the True Commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua had approached this unknown man, and immediately took to determine his stance before the nation of Israel.
Are you for us, or for our adversaries?
The theophany’s answer was amazing. He did not answer Joshua’s direct question, but described Himself as the Commander of the Lord’s army. He would not align Himself simply with either the nation of Israel or their adversaries.
Yes – Israel was the chosen nation to enter the promised land, and yes, God’s will would be to provide success to the armies of the Israelites as they conquered the land.
But here in this verse, the Lord describes Himself, not as the commander of the armies of the nation of Israel, or of any other nation, be they friend or foe, but of the otherworldly forces He led. He is not some national god that is competing with some other national god, warring and fighting to gain prominence.
He is the True God, over all and will not be relegated to a lower position, simply standing by to support the goals of a portion of His creation, against another portion of His creation. How ludicrous to think that of Him.
This concept, that the Lord is above our national interests, and that it up to us to decide to follow Him, and not for Him to align with our current desires, is repeated over and over again throughout the Old and New Testament.
The first time this idea became very clear to me was in Exodus 23:20-22. See The Lord’s Enemy for some additional thoughts on this topic
No matter, when we come to the Lord, we are to consider His will, and not how He is to conform to our wishes or goals. Joshua immediately took the correction, and we would be wise to follow his example.
After all, centuries later, we can hear the Master telling a woman at the well, that He is not a Messiah of the Jews only but of the entire world. She also sought to claim God as her national god, or at least questioned the truth, and Jesus would have nothing of it. He clearly described salvation as not being only for the nation of Israel, but for all who worship Him in spirit and truth.
He is the Commander of the Lord’s Army!
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.
83
CLUSTER OF HENNA BLOSSOMS
Song of Songs 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.
In the Song of Songs, Solomon writes of the passion between a farm girl and the mighty King of Israel. Often the love between the two is described in words of beauty and grace, speaking of their unrelenting desire for each other.
In this verse, the farm girl is describing her love as a “cluster of henna blossoms”. At first glance, I thought this may describe a beautiful flower, a flower that provided a scent that was irresistible, a flower that was favored above all other flowers.
All of that may be true, but when I did a bit of research I found the Hebrew word translated as henna blossoms is כֹּפֶרkôpher, ko’-fer, and is primarily describing a cover, and by extension describes a redemption price, a ransom, even a sum of money.
Early in the Old Testament, this term was used to describe the pitch that covered the ark.
Genesis 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
In our verse today, the farm girl refers to the King as her redemption, the ransom she needs for her life, her protection from danger and as a covering to keep her safe.
So much more than simply a favored flower, but the very protection only the King could provide her, for she speaks of the Kings redemption as for her, that is .. to me He is a cluster of henna blossoms.
This is her estimation of her lover. All the world might think something else of the King, but she knew He was her hope and life.
She represents the ones who have trusted the Messiah for their hope and life. May we constantly be of the same desire as this lowly farm girl.
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.
82
CLOUD OF THE LORD
Exodus 40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
What blessings can we find in our current name we are looking at today? What truths may we take from this verse that will elevate and honor the name of the Lord?
This verse associates a cloud with the Lord, which was very common in the Old Testament, not only during the exodus and wanderings, but also during the days of Solomon’s temple.
For our verse today, we read that during the day, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle. In many depictions, the cloud appears to be a large, expanding pillar of smoke over the tabernacle, specifically over the holy of holies. Similarly, the fire is depicted as being in the same general configuration.
This may be true but I would like to offer my reader an alternative depiction of the cloud. You see, this particular text says the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle, and the fire was in the tabernacle at night.
In my imagination, which sometimes runs amok, I imagine the cloud was actually enveloping the tabernacle, actually covering the tabernacle. One of the effects of this situation may be the hiding of the tabernacle from view.
Why might I suggest that? Often in the Word, clouds are used to veil something. A passage depicting that action may be found in Exodus 24:15-16
Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
Later, when the tabernacle had been constructed, we find that a few verses prior to our verse, the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and that Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting.
Exodus 40:34-35
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Yes, there are descriptions of the cloud being a pillar when the Israelites are being led to a destination, but when the camp had settled in an area, it seems the cloud took on a different “form”, that the cloud covered the tabernacle.
This understanding brings a different perspective for myself, for instead of the cloud simply designating the location of the presence of God, the cloud may actually be revealing the holiness and righteousness of God.
Let me explain.
In Psalm 97, the psalmist speaks of a cloud and thick darkness in the context of how unapproachable God is.
Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Later in the Psalms, the psalmist speaks of a cloud covering the tabernacle, and fire providing light in the night.
Psalm 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
This passage recounts our verse above, and provides two subsequent verses where God provided answers to prayer, or should I say demands of the people. The Lord provides for them according to their desires.
Psalm 105:40-41 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
In my understanding, the Cloud of the Lord speaks of His righteousness, His holiness and His justice, even in the midst of His very presence with His people. In the presence of a people who would not conform to His will, and yet He stayed with them, caring and exhibiting His gracious love and mercy to them.
We truly do not deserve our merciful God, and we would do well to remember His “otherness”, how He is not like us, but so much more.
As Paul stated in one of His letters to Timothy, God
…alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
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.
81
CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD
Romans 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is our last description of God, referring primarily to the Christ, His Anointed One, in our list of Names of God. Later on, we shall come across the name “Christ” in additional descriptions of our God, but we will wait until they occur for discussion on them.
For our current consideration, we have “Christ Jesus the Lord”.
This name combines the human name of the Christ, along with the reference of the Lord, designating Jesus as the Master.
We spoke of the use of “Lord” combined with Christ in our last post, and with this post we have the added clarification of who the Christ is.
Jesus, the lowly preacher from Bethlehem, associated with Nazareth, and considered a troublemaker and false prophet, even the illegitimate son of Mary – He it is that is the Christ.
He was not the typical teacher. Many would listen and walk away befuddled, or challenged by the message like they had not been challenged before. Even when describing Him amongst His peers, those who were rabbi’s and teachers of the law, He did not fit into any conventional party line.
As a matter of fact, His teaching often offended those steeped in the laws and teachings of the ancients, and caused many times of heated questions being thrown at Him by his fellow rabbis.
But that is just the point. They were not fellow rabbis, for He was (and is) Christ Jesus, the Anointed One, the One chosen of God to provide grace and truth to those most in need. They were not His peers, but His students, yet they knew it not, and would not submit to the Christ, since God’s choice was Jesus.
But Jesus was not their choice!
Yet the truth stands and God’s choice, His Anointed is Jesus. The Master. The teacher and instructor for those who will recognize Him.
Christ Jesus the Lord.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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
Absalom
Suspended between heaven and earth
2 Samuel 18:9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
John 8:28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Back in the fourth installment of the Absalom series, we discussed how Absalom was hung on a tree, being a shadow of the Messiah.
This post will focus on the spatial location of the men as they hung on a tree. To be specific, both men hung between heaven and earth. The significance for Absalom hanging between heaven and earth seems to be somewhat strange. Why would the author bring this phrase into the story line? That is an unknown in my mind, other than for the author to show Absalom’s utter helplessness, that he had no where to find support from, or that he belonged neither on earth or in heaven. Pure conjecture on my part regarding Absalom.
Regarding Jesus, the image of Him suspended between heaven and earth is much more obvious to me. The only support He had was the nails through His body, and His determination to complete His mission while on earth. He was (and is) the perfect God man, representing both earth and heaven. He was (and is) the only One who bridged the gap between heaven and earth for us while on He hung on the bloody cross.
He sacrificed Himself for the likes of Absalom and myself. He is so good and He is calling out to you, even today.
Consider Him, hanging between heaven and earth in order for you to know the true God and His Son Jesus Christ.
May His name be praised today.
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.
80
CHRIST THE LORD
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Here we have the Christ being defined as the Lord.
At first glance we may assume Luke is combining Christ with the primary name of God as LORD, as in Genesis 2:4, using the Tetragrammatron JHVH.
Not so.
If I had been in Luke’s shoes, I would have emphasized the connection of this young baby with the eternal One, the Creator of heaven and earth, the omniscient One who is all powerful.
But we can be thankful that I was not in Luke’s shoes at the time, writing this passage of truth. I would not have done this passage justice.
No.
Luke brings to our ears the message that Christ is the Master. To say that may seem redundant, for as the Jewish nation was awaiting their Anointed King to arrive, it should have been obvious to all that He would be the Leader, the Master, the One who would be obeyed.
That is the expectation of the masses. The Christ was the One who would be the Master, the One to follow after and to go behind as He conquers those who were oppressing the nation, and that they would eventually become the nation above all other nation. What heady expectations!
Yet Luke provided this description of the lowly baby, for He would turn out to be completely beyond the expectation of the crowd, as He would be the Servant of prostitutes, the Teacher of the tax collector, and the self sacrificial Lamb of God.
To understand the Christ as being a servant, a teacher and a martyr, Luke wisely reiterated the Christ as the Master, for without that description no one would understand, no one would bend the knee to such a “disappointment” of their expectations.
He was a totally different type of Master than expected!
As you have walked with the Anointed One, have you morphed in you understanding of who He is as a Master? Do you understand His way of life, his method of conquering His enemies through service, sacrifice and selfless love?
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.
79
CHRIST OUR LIFE
Colossians 3:4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Our life does not consist of hours and minutes, for that is simply a period of time that allows us to serve and self maintain.
Our life does not consist of consuming bread, for that only extends our physical life.
Our life does not consist of labor, for that only enables us to buy the bread we consume.
Our life does not consist of the vanity of pride, which we are caught up in and that distracts us from truth.
Our life does not consist of acquisition of things, such as cars, homes and clothing, for that only provides shelter for us as we live on this globe.
Our life, according to Paul, consists of the Anointed One, the Christ.
Our life is actually invisible to us currently, but there shall come a day when we shall see the centrality of Him, that He is our life.
Until then, we walk by faith, and seek to know Him better, in order that He may consume us, weaning us from those things we so often consider to be our lives.
Let us thank Him for all He is to us, that He is our life, and that we may live in Him, content and finding Him sufficient for all our needs and wants.
He is the Christ, our 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.
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
It all depends on “them”. Who are the “them” in verse 16.
I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
I can see that this passage may refer to them as being teachers not in the Body of Christ, but allowed by the Body of Christ to hear their teaching. Teaching that provided justification for sin, and of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans teaching is unclear in my mind, and at this time, I do not think I should explore this specific topic. Sufficient for the topic at hand is that the church of Pergamum was allowing heretical teachers into their fellowship.
Who is the “them”?
So when the Lord speaks in verse 16, stating that He will “war against them”, a couple of questions rise up.
Believers?
Are these teachers believers? Have they wandered from the truth, and need to be retaught with the Sword of the Lord, which often speaks of the truth of the Scriptures. After all, in the introductory verse to this church, Jesus describes Himself as the One who has the sharp two edged sword.
Revelation 2:12 ESV – “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
Previously, in the book of Revelation, Jesus is described as the One from whom a sharp two-edged sword came out of His mouth, representing His words.
Revelation 1:16 ESV – In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Finally, we all recognize the passage in Hebrews where the Scriptures are associated with a two edged sword.
Hebrews 4:12 ESV – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
If they are believers, they stand in a precarious position, and hopefully the truth of the Scriptures will bring them back into the narrow way. We know the Scriptures have that power and with the help of the Spirit, we know that those who have taught error can repent and return to the faith.
Unbelievers?
If these “them” are unbelievers, it is uncommon to use the “sword” image as a weapon against unbelievers.
If these teachers entered into the fellowship without bending the knee to the Lord, the fault may lie at the doorstep of the church itself, for accepting those who know not the Lord. This is pure conjecture on my part, without any judgement from myself as I have often been deceived by those who say they are believers but have taught error!
Nevertheless, if these “them”, upon whom the Sword of Jesus mouth will be weilded, are unbelievers, will come upon them if the church does not repent.
The command is for the church to repent.
If the church does not perform corrective action upon these false teachers, thereby instructing the false teachers of their error, Jesus will come to the church.
To the church of Pergamum, which harbors false teachers, accepting them in a spirit of inclusion and diversity(?).
As you can tell, this passage is not clear in my mind as to the recipients of the judgement, and it’s intended result. No matter though, for the picture presented is not a desirable situation and as the church, we need to be vigilant in who we accept as teachers for our sometimes “itchy” ears.
If, as you read this post, you have suggestions to assist in understanding the message, I would appreciate your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks again for joining me in this series.
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
Absalom
Pierced in the side
2 Samuel 18:14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. …
Both Absalom and Jesus suffered the piercing of the side to ensure their death.
Both Absalom and Jesus suffered this at the hands of their enemy.
Both men were struck in the heart by a piercing.
It is said that the spear entered Jesus side and pierced the heart, and this can be seen by the blood and water that flowed from His side.
Both men were pierced while helpless to defend themselves. One of them never expected this type of death. One of them fought to undergo this humiliation.
It is truly amazing that we have a Savior that would be so humbled, even to the point of being identified with a man such as Absalom.
Or myself.
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.
78
CHRIST OF GOD
Luke 9:20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Our name of God this morning is found in the gospel of Luke, and comes as an answer to Jesus direct question to Peter.
Who am I Peter?
This is the question of the ages for everyone to answer. Many confessed willingly, without being challenged, such as the woman at the well in John 4. The woman was clearly taught by the Master that He is the Christ.
John 4:25-26 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
With Peter, Jesus had spent a couple years with the Master and had seen or been a participant in all of the Master’s miracles so far. Not only that, he had been the recipient of his wife’s mothers healing and an amazing amazing catch of fish.
Who am I Peter?
The conversation started out as a simple request from the disciples about the rumor mill amongst the crowds on who Jesus was. Of course as we read the verses prior to Peter’s confession, Jesus was praying alone, and the Lord simply stopped in His prayers, asked a general question about the crowds, and then focused in on Peter.
Who am I Peter?
The Christ of God.
The Anointed of God.
Note the definite article “the”. He is not a Christ of God, one of many. He is the Christ of God, the One anointed by God to fulfill all the promised of God throughout the Old Testament, that would be the deliverer, the King of Israel, and the King of Kings.
Immediately after this confession, Jesus forbid them from speaking of it, and began to tell them of his future sacrifice. How utterly unexpected! I tell you we often do not consider the astounding multiple shocks these disciples underwent to follow after Him. Speaking of death when He should be speaking of reigning. Speaking of silence when they should be shouting from the rooftops.
But He was the Christ, the Anointed One, and His directions were to be followed. Thankfully, the apostles, confused as they were, continued to follow.
And Peter was the one who confessed, after the Christ of God had finished prayer.
I wonder who Jesus was praying for?
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
77
CHRIST JESUS
Romans 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
When my list of the names of God revealed todays topic, that is the name “Christ Jesus”, I want to be honest with you – I was intimidated with addressing the Master’s name in a proper, accurate respectful and loving manner.
Not that His majesty would be affected by my failure in properly describing Him, for His being cannot truly be tarnished by a lowly believer trying to do his best for Him.
After all, He is the One who can take a cripple and make him walk, or find a mute deaf man and provide communication skills to him. He is the One who is always showing grace, exhibiting His mercy, providing patience and longsuffering to His disciples, bringing them from glory to glory.
He is the Anointed One (Christ), the Savior (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.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
When we last got together on John 15, we were discussing verse 2 and 3, and the relationship of pruning and cleansing. We saw the two types of branches, and the actions taking on them based on their fruitfulness. Of course we considered what Jesus meant for the non-fruit bearing believer when He used the term “take away”, and couldn’t come to a conclusion as to His meaning given the verse we were looking at. Did it mean to raise up, as in raising the branch our of the dirt , or did it mean removal of the branch form the vine?
Hopefully the next few verses will assist in our understanding.
Verse 4 is a defining verse in this passage, for Jesus identifies who the branches are. It may have been assumed previously, but now there is no doubt. The branches are disciples.
Their responsibility? Abide in Jesus. This is a command that is to be obeyed, and out of this obedience, a fruitfulness occurs. Don’t get this backward though. Working at being fruitful is not the intent of this passage. Jesus isn’t saying that we should force fruitfulness out of our lives, as if that were possible. No. He says to abide in Him.
To Abide
The Greek term is menō. Synonyms for this word include remain, dwell, continue, tarry and endure.
For the disciple to continue having the life of God course through his (spiritual) veins, he has to remain in Christ. His responsibility is to stay put, to continue with Christ and not to “not abide”.
Yet in this passage Jesus brings to the disciples thoughts what are the consequences if anyone does not abide in Jesus….
This is the picture of the one who started as a branch, but decided to move on to something “better”. This disciple did not abide, he did not stay in Christ.
What is the reaction of the Father? As a Master Vinedresser, He tends the vineyard, finding unconnected branches, possibly with green leaves and fruit hanging from it, and throws the unconnected branch away. The unconnected branch may have the appearance of life, but since it is not connected to the life giving source of the True Vine, it is only a matter of time before the leaves turn brown, and the branch dries out.
The one who chooses not to abide in the True Vine is thrown away, eventually to be gathered together with other unconnected branches, to be thrown in fire.
Now that is some harsh teaching!
When Jesus brings the picture of burning and fire into the monologue, might Jesus be referring to hell as we modern believers understand it? A fire of eternal torment? This particular passage does not address this topic fully of course, and other Bible passages may provide alternate understandings of fire in a believers existence.
Might the fire refer to a fire of consumption? That is a fire that consumes whatever is thrown into it?
Another possible understanding is that the fire is a fire of purification, intending to burn off waste in order to cleanse.
Whatever the fire means in this passage cannot be something to look forward to. And it surely is not the intended end of a believer.
John 15 is very comforting to believers of all stripes, and I used to love reading it, skipping over the “difficult” parts, but it may be wise to tackle those very parts, in order to truly enjoy the comforting parts.
What are your thoughts on this passage? Have you a comment to offer on this passage and the provided teaching? I would love to hear anything you may say, especially from those who may disagree.
Nevertheless, may the Lord give you peace and strength to stay put in Christ, to abide in Him. He is the True Vine!
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
Absalom
No Blemish
2 Samuel 14:25 Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
No blemish.
This likeness is typical of the way Jesus’ character is sometimes reflected in the Old Testament, by describing what a man may physically see. Absalom was without blemish. Stunning in stature, a handsome hulk, a real attractive he-man!
The word “blemish” in the Old Testament can speak of a spot or defect, either in the physical or the moral. This reference to Absalom is surely speaking of him as having no physical blemish in him since the verse speaks of no blemish from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. The passage speaks of his handsomeness, and to his entire body being without blemish. The author was making a point! He was a looker!
Now, we all know of those amongst us that have that physical quality that draws your eyes to them, that is not only the most handsome man in the room but also has the personality and charisma that draws people to them. Based on appearance and personality. What they look and sound like.
Not so with the Lord. He is described elsewhere in the Word as ordinary, without the appearance of majesty, without beauty and nothing of outward appearance that would draw us to Him.
Isaiah 53:2
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Two men without blemish. Two men without defect or spot. We understand Absalom was described this way in the physical, and yet we know he had a very large and dark blemish in his character. Nothing spiritually stands out about this man, other than he is not godly, not spiritually appealing, not without spiritual blemish.
But consider Jesus, who is without blemish in His character, without blemish in His relationship with God the Father, without blemish before man, though they seek to find fault! This is simply a reflection of their own darkness, for darkened hearts seek to reject the light.
Yet His unspotted character cannot be denied, and though some try to deny, the Father validated His Son through the physical resurrection.
He is the spotless Son of God, a lamb without blemish, that was sacrificed for our souls! May His name be praised!
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.
76
CHOSEN PORTION
Psalm 16:5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
In our last post, we considered “Chosen One” as a name for God, and spoke of the contrast between the use of the name. Essentially the name “Chosen One” refers to God’s decision to pick the Messiah, that is was an action between God and the Son.
With our name of God in this post, we have a different dynamic being described. As David mentions the LORD as his “Chosen Portion” He is speaking of his choice to prioritize God over all else. The emphasis is on the elevated relationship the believer decides on between him and the Messiah.
In the Old Testament, the portion often referred to an allotment, or part of the family inheritance. That which each son could look forward to due to his being in the family. As I read David, I sense he is prioritizing the LORD over any family inheritance, or even His Kingly estate. All of David’s priorities lies with the LORD, and his future condition depends not on landmass, or status as the king of Israel, but on the LORD alone.
Truly a fantastic declaration from the king of Israel.
How are your priorities today?
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.
75
CHOSEN ONE
Luke 23:35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”
It is amazing the amount of truth that came from the rulers mouths during the time of Jesus being on the earth! Yet the truth that came from the rulers mouths, that Jesus was the Chosen One, was filled with contempt and vitriol. The rulers scoffed at Him at His weakest moments, but as the Chosen One He was delivering them from the very hatred they poured forth. For Jesus to be called the Chosen One at this time was not an isolated event. Back in Luke 9:35, as Jesus was transfigured in front of three of His disciples, Jesus was called out as God’s Chosen One.
And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
What a stark contrast for those three disciples who saw the transfiguration, where they witnessed the Lord in His glory, and were told of God’s choice of Him as His King.
Now the disciples were witnessing His utter rejection and humiliation. And to hear the rulers use the same title while He hung on a cruel cross!
He is the Chosen One. We have the witness of the Word, and though the rulers rejected Him, the truth stands.
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.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Looking over my list of future Bible passages that speak to our topic of conditional security, I have come across the very passage that was one of the big ones that made me reconsider OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) may not be without debate.
John 15, along with a passage in Colossians and a smattering of verses in Hebrews and Revelation all were instrumental in turning my eyes to this topic. After having worked through over 100 passages or verses in the Word in relation to conditional security, I was amazed that I had never addressed this particular passage.
Let’s consider the audience. Jesus is speaking to 12 men, men who have been following him for close to 3 years. Men who have committed to Him their lives, as much as they knew how to. Little did they understand the future revelations that would come to them, but at this time, these men showed every evidence of being true and faithful to Jesus.
Well – maybe one may show some lack of faithfulness in the near future, but that is an unknown to the group as we find them in this passage.
This passage centers around the picture of a vine, and the upkeep of the vine by the Father. Jesus begins by likening Himself to the vine, yet He qualifies the type of vine He speaks of. He describes Himself as the True Vine. This must surely have raised the eyebrows of the disciples, for they knew from their childhood teachings, that Israel was the vine of God. For Jesus to describe Himself as the true vine had some serious implications.
Israel the nation was not the true vine. This truth may have been predominant in the apostles minds. The second implication may have been that Israel the nation was simply a symbol of a reality. Now, this symbiology of Jesus being the reality of a shadow in the Old Testament would be fleshed out in future experiences with the disciples, but this is a typical teaching from the Lord while He walked with us on earth. Jesus is the True Vine, the True Shepherd, the True Temple, the True Israel. He is the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament pictures provided.
Let’s take a moment to gain some knowledge of how Israel was described as a vine in the Old Testament. God had brought the people of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph out of Egypt and planted them in the land as a vine in a vineyard. He prepared the land for the vine to grow and eventually it filled the land.
Psalm 80:8-9
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
Sadly, even under the care of the Master Vinedresser, after hundreds of years of testing and failure, Israel had proven that they, the vine, had turned wild, producing wild grapes instead of cultivated, fruit.
Isaiah 5:1-2
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
Further into Israel’s history, God spoke of Israel as a choice vine, a vine of good stock, yet it had become degenerate.
Jeremiah 2:21
21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?
Surely there was a Vine that would not fail, that was of pure seed and that would be fruitful. Jesus is claiming this calling, and by that claim, knocked the nation of Israel out of contention for this title. But let us not forget the history of the image of the vine in the Old Testament, for Jesus is using this knowledge base when teaching His men at this time.
With Jesus establishing Himself as the True Vine, He continues with this image, describing the Father as the vinedresser. This should not be shocking to the disciples, for the Old Testament speaks of God as the One who planted the vine, cultivated it and watched over it.
Jesus then takes the picture of the vine and extrapolates the image to include branches, and begins to speak of two types of fruit. This is where is gets very interesting.
Fruit Bearing
Let’s consider the fruit bearing branch first. With this type of branch, He prunes it. To prune the branch is to kathairō. It speaks of cleansing, and when used in relation to vines, speaks of clipping useless shoots off the branch.
What I find interesting is that Jesus speaks of the disciples as already pruned, for the term for “clean” in our very next verse is katharos. Can you see a similarity of this word to the Greek word used previously?
The disciples had been pruned (cleaned) because of His teaching that He provided earlier. A pruning action had been performed on the disciples, through His teaching, that had born fruit in the disciples lives.
A question for my reader. How would you describe the fruit that was produced? What is it in the disciples lives that exhibited a fruitfulness?
Non Fruit Bearing
For those branches that are non fruit bearing, the Father will “take away”. Now it would be easy to associate this “taking away” with judgement, loss of life and condemnation, but after a bit of review, I found that this term can refer to two actions.
The first action would refer to moving something from it’s place, to take away, to remove, or to carry off. The translators use of “take away” fits this description.
A secondary interpretation of this Greek term is to lift up, to elevate or to raise upwards. As the vinedresser, the picture is that of God lifting up branches from the dirt of the field, in order to give them opportunity to thrive. This is appealing to consider yet for the sake of our discussion, it would be wise to consider both meanings as we venture through Jesus’ teaching.
With that, I will let my reader ruminate on the two different meaning of “take away” in this passage and we shall close, for this post has become a bit longer than I expected. Let’s get together again to finish up this passage. Until then, may the Lord bless you and make you a fruitful believer.
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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
Absalom
Hung on a tree
2 Samuel 18:9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
Acts 10:39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
What a humiliating death for the mighty Absalom. After realizing the revolt had failed, Absalom took off through the forest of Ephraim, a heavily wooded forest, on his mule. As he was fleeing, his head caught in the tree, and the mule continued on. He must have experienced at least a concussion, or possibly a broken neck, with his head stuck in some nook of a branch, since it appears he didn’t seek to escape the situation.
Yes he was as good as dead, hanging from the tree. It was just a matter of time before good old Joab came by and thrust him through with 3 javelins. Talk about overkill!
There was a period of time for Absalom to be helpless, without the power to escape and yet realizing what he had sough to do to his own father. What a horrible condition to be in, and to know that it was just a matter of time before one of his father’s soldiers came by to finish him off. Yes – just a matter of time!
We know another who hung between heaven and earth, and the time he spent hanging there must have been horrific. Absalom hung between heaven and earth by a fluke accident, a situation he would most surely have wanted to avoid, to continue his battle against his father.
Jesus fought to get on the tree, for He knew this was His Father’s will. Jesus, in order to please His Father, fought to hang between heaven and earth.
Again, we see a glimmer of Jesus, at least by accident, in Absalom’s story, and yet when we compare the shadow with the reality, there really is no comparison.
Jesus on the tree was the gateway for His resurrection and our salvation. Absalom was simply an evil man who died alone.
May we consider Jesus act of sacrifice this day as we go about our business, as we seek to represent such a loving, giving and caring God.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Considering the Bible 