I found a book called “Judas Iscariot: Revisited and Restored” by Ivan Roger, and though I have read it once before, this time the authors points seem to be sinking in a bit more.
The general theme of the book is that much of the popular understanding of Judas, and his relationship within Christianity, is colored by theological presuppositions and general bias against Judas.
In our previous discussion, we considered the Greek word translated as “woe” within the gospel of Matthew, along with a grammar lesson on pronouns, and who they belonged to.
In this post we will consider John 13:27, where the Lord commands Judas to quickly do what he needs to do. Let’s take a moment to read the verse.
John 13:27 ESV – Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Our author makes the point of Jesus statement as being a command to Judas, to go do it quickly. The word “do” is a Greek word that means “to ordain, to appoint or to deal”. It does not have any implication of rejection, as if Jesus was “kicking him out of the upper room”, as it sometimes is communicated to me by well meaning friends. No, per the language, it appears Jesus is actually commissioning Judas to perform his task. A task of “delivering the sacrificial lamb” to the priest. The author’s detailing of this deliverance is worth the purchase of the book and I shall not expand on it here.
Note also two additional items to consider.
Warning?
Jesus gave Peter advance notice of his impending failure and denial. When other disciples were in the midst of failing a particular task, the Lord corrected them. In this instance, Jesus commissioned or encouraged(?) Judas to perform his assignment. No discouragement, no warning, no statement from Jesus that would restrict Judas from his endeavor. Judas was told to do it quickly!
Woe?
As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus spoke the following.
John 13:31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
Jesus understood Judas’ mission. If I was in the room, knowing the same, I would expect “Woe is me” from the Master. But after Judas left the room, setting in motion the deliverance of the lamb to the high priest, Jesus spoke of glorification, both of Himself and of God. Glorification, in this context is speaking of the crucifixion, and the wheels had begun to turn. Judas set the stage for the priests to begin the process.
And God is glorified!
So help me in understanding from this passage where Judas is standing in relation to Jesus. Is he the enemy? Is he Satan? What think ye? Leave me a comment below.
I look forward to your return for our next posting on this book at Considering the Bible, and if you have found my ruminations to be a blessing (or a challenge), invite your friends to join us.
I found a book called “Judas Iscariot: Revisited and Restored” by Ivan Roger, and though I have read it once before, this time the authors points seem to be sinking in a bit more.
The general theme of the book is that much of the popular understanding of Judas, and his relationship within Christianity, is colored by theological presuppositions and general bias against Judas.
In our previous discussion, we considered the Greek word translated as “betray” within the gospel of Matthew, and offered the possibility that it could be translated as deliver, as opposed to betray.
In this post we will consider Matthew 26:24, where the Lord speaks of “woe” on the one who will deliver Him to the high priest. Let’s take a moment to read the verse.
Mat 26:24 ESV – The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
The author of the book provides two questions to consider. Does the term woe carry with it a sense of responsibility? And secondly, what is the message “…would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”?
Woe
As Jesus comes to the end of His ministry, He begins to pronounce His woes on those who will enter into judgement. The Pharisees, the Scribes, Judas, pregnant women and young mothers. What? Pregnant women and young mothers? Entering into judgement? Am I assuming something I shouldn’t?
Mat 24:19 ESV – And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
The word “woe” (or “alas” as translated in this verse) is a translation of οὐαί ouaí and is a primary exclamation of grief. I have always introduced the idea of judgement with this word, but that is an additional concept Carl brings into the verse, especially when I hear it about those dang Pharisees! (Don’t forget your pharisaical tendencies Carl!)
The term strictly carries with it the idea of grief, and not necessarily that of responsibility. The Lord expresses His grief, even when it comes to those opposing Him. Jesus, in pronouncing woe on those who would be instrumental in His crucifixion, was expressing grief over their future. And He was pronouncing grief over the future of Judas, but is He pronouncing an eternal judgement of hellfire and condemnation on Judas? I have to admit that I find it difficult to see this interpretation as a clear teaching from this verse. His heart is breaking over the suffering His disciple was going to experience in the future. Like those pregnant women and young mothers. But Carl, the next phrase is where we get the judgement and condemnation poured out on Judas! So let us consider the phrase “better for that man if he had not been born”.
Better for that man if he had not been born.”
The author associates “that man” with Judas, which I also have as I read through this passage. He refers to Judas as a representative man, a man that stands in the place of all humanity in being a traitor to the Messiah, and that each of us deserves judgement. I get this, yet it didn’t seem to make a difference for me in my understanding of Jesus statement.
A few years ago, I was looking at this verse and stumbled over an alternate translation that associates “that man” with Jesus. Hold up now before you think I have flipped my lid. Consider a literal translation, such as Youngs Literal Translation.
Matthew 26:24 YLT – the Son of Man doth indeed go, as it hath been written concerning him, but wo to that man through whom the Son of Man is delivered up! good it were for him if that man had not been born.’
Did you catch the difference in who “that man” is?
…good it were for him (Judas) if that man (Jesus) had not been born. That is a completely different message!
Consider all that is going on in this portion of the verse.
First off, it speaks of life, and not simply existence. There is a difference. It is not that “that man” was never conceived, but that he had not been born. A still born baby existed, but never lived outside of the womb. I am not sure if this fine point makes a difference, or if this is simply a Hebrew prophets way of describing no existence better than having existed, even for a short duration. Yet even with that, to assign the hell fires of eternal condemnation to Judas based on this turn of phrase, seems like we just can’t wait to get Judas into hell. We sure like to hate him!
Secondly, the turn of phrase, that of “better to not have been born”, may not be referring to Judas if I am understanding the literal translations. No matter, based on both my preconceived ideas of “woe” and identifying who should have not been born, this verse is not so clear as I thought regarding Judas’ destiny of eternal torment.
What think ye? Leave me a comment below
In my next posting, we will consider the command Jesus gave to Judas at the last supper. Somewhat of a challenge to our (my) thinking, to say the least.
I look forward to your return for our next posting on this book at Considering the Bible, and if you have found my ruminations to be a blessing (or a challenge), invite your friends to join us.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
18
JEHOVAH SHALOM (THE LORD IS PEACE)
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Peace.
I often think of peace as merely the absence of war, and to a point that is accurate, depending on the war we are considering. International war is the predominant topic when the topic of peace is tossed about in discussions.
Why can’t we have peace? As Gideon has described our God in this verse, the LORD is peace!
So how do we make sense of this? Even the Lord in one of His final discourses warned us of wars in the future.
Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
So it seems evident that He didn’t come to immediately put an end to physical wars between nations. And yet He is peace. This is the nature of our God, and by providence, our last study in the Names of God was the LORD of Hosts, or the Lord of the armies! This is a conflict surely!
As mentioned in the introductory, we need to remember the context of the conversation. What war is being referred to, and does the peace spoken of merely refer to the absence of war?
I believe that God is One who works in the nations through changing the people within the nation. Of course He can change the “heart of the king” when His plans demand it, or in response to His peoples prayers, but at this point in my pilgrimage, I understand His ways are primarily with individual hearts and minds.
If this is true, we can see the LORD of peace fully displayed in the Lord Jesus. And per His teaching, His intent was not to rule over the kingdom of this world. No – this world, or world system must be destroyed
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
So when we read of peace in the Word, we should be careful to understand the Word is not primarily speaking of international peace amongst nations. When we read of peace in the Word, we should hear a fuller picture, a mental image including completeness or wholeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment.
Much more than simply the absence of war! As a matter of fact, one of the many blessings of being a believer is the fact that we can have this peace in the midst of outer turmoil, of international wars, of upheaval in our own nation.
Peace in the midst of war. Only the LORD of peace can provide this!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
17
JEHOVAH SABAOTH (THE LORD OF HOSTS)
1 Samuel 1:3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.
The LORD of Hosts. Jehovah Sabaoth.
At first glance, I associated this name with the sabbath, but this is not correct. This name has nothing to do with rest, for the term sabaoth refers to armies!
No, this description, this name of God defines Him as One who commands the armies of heaven and earth. The verse above includes the first occurrence of this name of God in the Word. But not the last. The prophets refer to God as the LORD of Hosts over 200 times in the Old Testament.
Prior to Samuel’s arrival on the scene for the Israeli people, the nation was likely experiencing a sense of inadequacy, where all the neighboring nations had armies that were stronger than the little fledgling nation of Israel. In writing this as a history for the nation, Samuel may have recorded this name in order to bolster the faith of those in the nation.
Of course the Lord has always been a warrior God, and for the men of Israel, this translated into dominance over other men, peoples and nations. This requirement of dominance over others was for two purposes.
The primary purpose I suppose many would guess at, but let us first consider the secondary purpose of the nation of Israel to exist, which required physical battles. The nation, per God’s intent, was to be a blessing to the nations. Remember Gods promise to Abraham?
This intent was not fully realized in the nation itself, for the nation fell into idolatry and sin. Sadly, the goal of blessing the nations by the nation of Israel was not fully realized.
So let us consider the primary purpose of the establishment of the nation. To establish the nation of Israel would provide a focused environment for prophecy to be displayed. And the focus of this prophecy? The Messiah of all of creation of course!
Yes – the purpose of the nation was to produce the Messiah, the Savior for all. And for that nation to be used of God in protecting the physical lineage of the Messiah.
But once the Messiah arrived, the motivation of the LORD of hosts became clear, in that our warrior God’s actions were not to accomplish physical dominance, but to shed grace and mercy fueled by His never ending love to all who would look to Him.
When we speak of the Lord of Hosts today, we should not imagine a god who revels in bloodshed, death and destruction. This was never His overarching intent, and as we see in the Messiah, not of His character. His armies have fought to preserve the lineage of the Messiah, so that the Messiah could come and display the greater power, the power of love for His enemies.
The LORD of hosts is the warrior God who is fighting for our souls, as opposed to against our physical “enemies”.
He is our LORD of Hosts, and we are blessed to be led by Him in a triumph of victory through sacrifice, humility, peace and love. Praise His name
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
I found a book called “Judas Iscariot: Revisited and Restored” by Ivan Roger, and thought I have read it once before, this time the authors points seem to be sinking in a bit more.
The general theme of the book is that much of the popular understanding of Judas, and his relationship within Christianity, is colored by theological presuppositions and general bias against Judas.
In our introductory post on this book, I mentioned some presuppositions that color our understanding of Judas. With this post, I would like to consider the description of Judas as the betrayer.
In each of the listings of the apostles, Judas is always the last named, and is usually described as the one who betrayed Jesus.
Betrayal. Such a loaded term! But is this a required translation of the Greek? The word translated as betrayal, in the gospel of Matthew is from the Greek word παραδίδωμι paradídōmi (Strong’s G3860).
A number of the verses that have G3860 in them follows, with the translation of the term underlined for the readers convenience
Mat 26:15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. Mat 26:16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Mat 26:21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Mat 26:23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. Mat 26:24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Mat 26:25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Mat 26:45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Mat 26:46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Mat 26:48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” Mat 27:2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Mat 27:3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, Mat 27:4 ESV – saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Mat 27:18 ESV – For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Mat 27:26 ESV – Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Notice that throughout the previous verses the Greek word paradídōmi has been translated as betray or deliver. Are these the same concepts in the original intent of the author?
Let’s take for example Matthew 27:26 and replace deliver with betray.
Matthew 27:26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, betrayed him to be crucified.
Does that make sense? Might the translators be taking a liberty that is not necessarily justified? The same might be said of Matthew 27:2.
Mat 27:2 And they bound him and led him away and betrayed him over to Pilate the governor.
Yet, if the term paradídōmi is consistently translated as “delivered”, the verses above continue to make sense, and open up an allowable scenario for Judas to perform a task that is not so emotionally charged as with the word betray, and in my opinion reinforces the Kingship of Jesus. For you see, this understanding may elevate His complete control over a situation that was at all appearance completely out of His control. Even at the time of seeming defeat, God was orchestrating a deliverance of mankind that no one saw coming, and had a depth of old covenant teaching in it I had never realized.
For Judas to be a “deliverer” has old covenant implications that I found quite astounding, and is expanded in the book. For those who have an open mind, I would suggest picking up a copy. I am confident you may read it more than once.
In my next installment, we will consider another of the presuppositions the author brings to the table, (the woe of Matthew 26:24). I hope you get a chance to visit and let me know your thoughts.
I found a book called “Judas Iscariot: Revisited and Restored” by Ivan Roger, and though I have read it once before, this time the authors points seem to be sinking in a bit more.
The general theme of the book is that much of the popular understanding of Judas, and his relationship within Christianity, is colored by theological presuppositions and general bias against him.
It is a difficult book to take seriously at first, for my opinion of Judas has been established via cultural and religious teaching from the very first time I heard of this wicked evil betrayer. As the author notes, within the western world, no-one names his child Judas due to the association of evil the name carries with it. He is the ultimate betrayer, a toxic man of shear evil.
Somewhere in Dante’s Inferno, the writer describes Judas’ place in the lowest bowels of hell, being feasted on by Satan himself for all eternity! Surely there is no place for Judas amongst the redeemed! Such is my opinion, and to be honest, I do not know why I purchased this book. But I did, and I am thankful for the challenge it has put in front of me
As I venture through this book, I will occasionally bring to the reader some interesting points to consider. For those who have an open mind to consider alternate Christian views on this most hated of the apostles, I would suggest picking up a copy. I am confident you may read it more than once.
In my next installment, we will consider one of the presuppositions the author brings to the table, and helped me begin to consider an alternate view of and for Judas.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
16
JEHOVAH RAPHA (THE LORD YOUR HEALER)
Exodus 15:26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”
This name of our God speaks of the Lord’s ability to control disease over His creation. After having just reviewed His name as Jehovah Naheh, The Lord that strikes, this name also is somewhat related to disease and His people.
Moses speaks of the Lord not placing any of the diseases on His people that He placed on the Egyptians. It seems Moses is placing the responsibility of the Egyptians being diseased on the Lord and that God controls who receives disease. I do not often think of the Lord as the One placing disease on anyone, and yet the passage here speaks of Him doing that very thing!
Let’s remember the context of the passage that gives us this wonderful name. It is immediately after the Israelites are delivered from the Egyptians, when they saw the Red Sea collapse on their enemies, drowning Pharoah and his armies. The people of God, not yet in covenant relation with the Creator of the Universe, have experienced a rollercoaster ride of experiences, from being kept safe from ten plagues, to escaping from the most powerful nation on earth and being delivered (again) by the hand of God from certain capture at the shores of the Red Sea. This was incredible! The hand of the Lord had been exposed over and over again in miraculous ways, favoring this family of a wandering shepherd named Abraham.
After all the action and tense rescues, the people of God venture into a journey to the promised land. Three days into the journey, the people of God again come to a “fork in the road”. They have not had any water for three days, and when they did find water, it was bitter.
At this point the Lord allowed a circumstance to occur that would reinforce a needed revelation. Not so much a revelation of the nature of God as the great Healer, though precious as it is, but a revelation of the people themselves in relation the the One who has rescued them. The people easily forgot God. The people of God easily, or shall we say naturally, turned bitter against God.
This reaction of the people is a revelation of their hearts, if they were so inclined to receive it, of their relation with the One who rescued them. Upon coming to an oasis that provided a false hope of relief from thirst, the people did not go to the Lord, as Moses did, for direction or deliverance. They went to Moses to complain.
I believe this occurrence was provided to the people of God as a way of exposing to them their own bitterness. And they were a bitter, grumbling people, complaining of the immediate circumstance, looking short term and not to Who was guiding them. Let’s admit this of ourselves, for we often complain to someone of God’s dealing in our lives, as those in our passage did, when we should go directly to Him with our concerns.
The passage continues, emphasizing obedience to the will of God, but note that it is after the miracle was performed, after the bitter water was made sweet. God, in His ever patient manner provides a solution after the people’s leader cries out to Him. After the solution is provided, obedience is spoken of.
For obedience would become the central theme of discussion in a short time. The fledgling community would come to a mountain called Sinai soon, and enter into a covenant with God based on obedience. Out of obedience will come success, for Moses is teaching the people here of a general truth of the blessing resulting from hearing God’s Word and doing it.
In closing, and in relation the the name of God we are looking at, please note that the log that Moses was shown, and that he threw into the bitter waters, could be translated as a tree. This reference to a log/tree being used to heal the water, leads me to think of the crucifixion, of Jesus hanging on a tree, and that the bitterness of our lives has been healed if we look to Him. The tree/cross of Christ is the instrument God has used to provide us with sweet water, the solution to our bitter lives. We may be a complaining lot, but God has acted, He has provided the solution, He has given us the sweet water of salvation in it’s greatest sense. 1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Yes our God is JEHOVAH RAPHA (THE LORD OUR HEALER) When Moses spoke of this name, it was in the immediate context of water for physical existence. We now know that as the healer, He had a much greater salvation than simply provided drinkable water for a thirsty nation. He is good!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
15
JEHOVAH NAHEH (THE LORD THAT STRIKES)
Deuteronomy 28:22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.
This one is heavy!
Moses is speaking to the nation of Israel, recounting their failures as they journey to the promised land, and speaking his last formal message to the people of God. This name of God is found in the middle of a discourse that defines the curses that will be laid on the people of God due to their disobedience.
Starting in verse 15 of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses starts with the results of not obeying the voice of God, speaking of how these curses will overtake them, as if they could run from judgement. It is a sobering passage that does not make for light reading!
Nevertheless, the character of the Lord is further defined in this passage, and it is in relation to His covenant people. To strike, or as some Bibles translate it, to smite, in relation to God and His people, is usually referring to physical ailments, plagues and such.
Wasting disease refers to consumption, or in our terminology, a lung disease. It has the image of emaciation associated with it, and brings to my mind the picture of a starving man on the side of the road.
The next three descriptors of the “striking” the Lord lays on His people, and are all associated with a fever, each becoming a greater threat to life. A fiery heat may imply a violent heat. Violent, as the fever makes the body react in a violent manner!
The term translated as drought may also be translated as sword. Here we start to see that it is not merely a striking of the body, but also of the land, in not producing crops for the sustenance of the people. If sword is the correct translation, the effect is the same, for when war comes, so comes severe lack of resources, primarily food.
Blight is a disease that is readily associated with grain, and speaks of a sudden wilting and dying of part of all of the plant. Mildew is associated with plants, usually due to drought. Both of these terms speak of the loss of sustaining food for the population.
No matter how you look at some of these descriptors, the “striking” is serious. So serious, that in our verse above, Moses tells the people of God that there will be no escape. Once the condition of rebellion is established, once the choice is made to not obey the voice of the Lord, the curses will pursue you.
The curses will not simply pursue you at arms length, giving you the opportunity to escape, but for these people hearing the voice of God through the prophet Moses, they are told they will not be able to escape.
No escape! The curses will pursue them until they perish. Perish!
This is a heavy, serious and dangerous name to consider in our thinking. He is the All-Powerful, and He deserves our obedience, yet in the midst of it all, in seeing our desperate condition, He provided an opportunity.
A man hanging on a tree, accepting the curses in our place. The curses are real, and the curses will consume us, unless we flee to the One who tasted death for us, the One who became a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
He did not simply accept the curses we deserve, but He became a curse for us. He is the One who only and always is a blessing to the Father, a blessing to His creation and the bearer of all good gifts to the one who follows.
Praise His name, for He is good. He provides to the rebel and the sinner, the hater and the liar, an opportunity to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
What a fantastic passage on the purpose of the law. When I first came to know the Lord, this basic truth, that the law was provided for sinners, law breakers, rebels and such, stunned me. I thought it was to provide guidance for the morally upright, and to a point this may be true, but external standards are provided to show we cannot maintain the standard without help, without inner strength, without the desire to please someone.
Yes, the law is good and holy, but as Paul mentions, we have to use it lawfully, or for the purpose for which it was given. It provides condemnation! But before I delve into that topic, let us consider how the passage above applies to the topic of this series.
How does 1 Timothy 1:5-11 read in relation to conditional security? I have read this passage many times, and confessedly, always dwell on the law topic within the verses, but let me refer you to verse 5 & 6.
First off, Paul speaks of the goal of his teaching or instruction. He aims to direct believers into love. This love comes from a pure heart. This love comes from a good conscience. This love comes from a sincere faith. Love is the aim of the apostles teaching. Not a spurious, feely touchy love that ebbs and flows with emotional highs and lows. This love is to be a consistent, nature based loved, a love based on character, a character developed by knowing the Lord, as opposed to knowing a law.
I hope this isn’t shocking to any of my readers, for love is the core of Christianity. Love that is found in and sourced out of the Lord Jesus, and His self sacrificial life. Paul saw the destination (or was aiming at) this condition for the believers as he taught them.
But what if believers decide this isn’t to be the focus of their faith, the target to shoot for as they live amongst others? Paul speaks of these that have swerved from this target, wandering into vain discussion. They have swerved! I understand this to mean they were on course at one time, they had caught sight of the target and was well on the way. Until. Until something pulled them away. Something distracting, tantalizing, shiny and bright!
The law.
Oh how the law feeds to the pride we live in. If (when) I focus on the law, I become a judge. A judge that has to condemn, and that conveniently turns a blind eye to my own rebellion. Love has to be jettisoned from our focus in life, for the law has no room for mercy, love or patience.
These believers that Paul refers to as swerving are not understanding what they are dabbling in, becoming those who teach (instead of learning?) and disassociate from the just, turning to the lawless to provide guidance for life. Yet the law was intended to condemn. My friend, the law either condemns, or feeds a self righteous heart.
I don’t know about you, but I want to know of the grace of God, the love of Jesus, the consolation of the Spirit, the encouragement of the saints.
Decades ago, I heard a preacher quote this diddy
The law commands but gives me neither feet nor hands, A better thing the gospel brings, it bids me fly and gives me wings!
Trust in the Living God, and out of this trust, from following the Messiah, the law will be worked out in your life, without focusing on it.
Focusing on the law will not provide the growth, encouragement or joy the gospel provides. It will not! This passage reminds me of many passages in the New Testament that speak to this topic, but to close, I offer Galatians 5:7-10.
Note Paul’s warning of the teacher in verse 10
Galatians 5:7-10
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
Thanks for reading, and I pray that the Spirit will give illumination to each of us as we seek to follow.
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
ADAM
HIS DESTINY
Genesis 3 24 He drove out the man…
John 12 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Consider.
One was driven from his place of honor and dignity, restricted from being able to return. The second Adam, instead of being driven from the presence of God, came to draw all men to the Father.
One was acted upon, in that he had no choice but to leave. The second Adam acted to provide access to the presence of God. He had choice and used it to our benefit.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
14
JEHOVAH NISSI (THE LORD MY BANNER)
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner,
This name of God comes out of a bloody war with the Amalekites, a nomadic tribe, with the men of Israel led by a young man named Joshua. It is actually the first time we come across this young man, who is destined to bring the Israelites into the promised land.
Joshua was the physical arm of God in the fight, but the source of power and authority over the Amalekites is to be recognized in the actions of Moses on the hill. Joshua, as he was fighting would see Moses pleading with God for victory. Even in the act of prayer for victory, we find that Moses needed assistance from Aaron and Hur, in holding up his arms in prayer, so that Joshua would recognize the continual effort of prayer being performed.
Eventually, Joshua gained the victory over the Amalekites by the sword.
The victory was to be recorded in a book, in front of Joshua, declaring that the Amalekites would be destroyed from under heaven. The last verse of chapter 17 insinuates the war with the Amalekites would continue through multiple generations. In addition to the written declaration of continual victory over the Amalekites, witnessed by Joshua after his first military campaign, Moses built an altar. This altar is called Jehovah-nisssi.
As I have been under various teaching through my pilgrimage on this ol’ planet, teachers have described this banner as a long cloth like flag, used as a commemorative display in the marching of the troops. As I have done a bit of study, it seems there was no physical banner or flag referred to here, but that the altar is commemorated, or named after the Lord, and the character of the Lord that is emphasized at this altar is that He is the standard or rallying point the Israelites were to recognize in their battles.
The Lord is the rallying point that the armies of the Lord were to look to. A tremendous lesson for a young, impressionable man named Joshua as he prepares (unknowingly) for battles with the Canaanites in the promised land.
Look to the Lord! He is the rallying point for His people in the midst of war!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
13
JEHOVAH MEKODDISHKEM (THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES YOU)
Leviticus 22:32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you,
To be sanctified.
This is the Lord’s work in our lives and it is His character that motivates this work in our lives, His nature to sanctify us, to make us holy and set apart.
When I first became a believer, I carried with me the thought that to be holy meant to be sinless. Now of course our Holy God is sinless, but I as a believer understand I am not. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I am sure of my sinnin’ tendencies!
Yet He sanctifies his church, of which yours truly is in. How can that be?
A good friend and brother in the Lord once described sanctification with the following anecdote.
As a youngin, he and his brother would work to make a few pennies during the week and wait with baited breath until the ice cream truck would pull into the neighborhood. Each week, the two boys would have their pennies in their sweaty little hands, but this one particular afternoon, my friends brother had lost his coins.
Around the corner came the truck and my friend got himself a nice fresh ice cream cone, but in the back of his eye, he noticed his brother yearning for it, and maybe coming to get it.
What did he do?
He sanctified that ol’ ice cream cone. He licked every part of that ice cream, and if I know him at all, he probably licked the cone two or three times. There was no chance his big brudder was gonna eat any of that sweet frozen treat.
He sanctified that treat. He made it his own. He set it apart from everyone else, especially his brudder!
Of course this story leaves much to be desired in deep theological renumerations, but hey – it has stuck with me and when I think of our God in this way, I am reminded that He is the God Who sanctifies His people
And in that sanctification, He draws us into a life of peace and holiness, a life of love and sacrifice, a life that is a natural response of someone who is so “licked”!
Praise His name for His kindness and continual working in our lives. He is so good!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul exhorts his true son in the faith to continue in his acquired learning, in that which he has believed. If, as I understand the OSAS (once saved always saved) teaching, this continuance in the faith must be delegated to the rewards teaching. And that may be the correct understanding. But it is an option of understanding, even an understanding that brings into the text some presuppositions.
Lets take a look at the context, starting in 3:10.
2 Timothy 3
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra–which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Paul is reminding his young disciple of his past commitment to his teaching, and out of that teaching, the non-didactic character of the apostle, of Paul’s purpose, faith, love, steadfastness, and his persecutions
His persecutions! He settles on the persecutions topic in the next verse, expanding his description of his sufferings, by reminding Timothy of Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. Let’s remember with Timothy of those incidents in those cities.
Antioch
Paul’s time in Antioch may be found in Acts 13:13 – 52. Paul and Barnabas had success in Antioch, even to the point that the people begged that these things might be told them the next sabbath. The people were hungry for the truth, and eventually a church grew in the city. This was bad news for those who enjoyed a tendency towards jealousy. Yes, the Jews, upon seeing the crowds following after Paul’s teaching, grew jealous, and as 13:50 states, they stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, eventually driving them out of the city. The text doesn’t describe the persecution, whether it be political, social or physical, but only the reason for it. Jealousy controlled the Jews, and the Jews drove the apostles out!
Timothy wasn’t present in Antioch, for we don’t meet him until Acts 16, but the stories swirled about and the witness of the believers included the story of the Antioch persecution.
Iconium
Iconium was Paul and Barnabas’s next stop after Antioch, and the passage referred to may be found in Acts 14:1-21. After a period of preaching, a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. Paul and Barnabas were quite successful in reaching out to the Greek population. But the text also relates of the success of the Jews in reaching out to the Greek population. The unbelieving Jews reached out to the Greeks, influencing their minds against Paul. They actually became somewhat zealous in their actions for the Greeks. Nevertheless, the city became polarized over the teaching, leading to an attempt to stone Paul and Barnabas. Upon finding out the population’s intent, Paul and Barnabas headed for the next city.
It turns out Paul and Barnabas just put off the inevitable!
Lystra
Lystra was the next stop for Paul and Barnabas, (Acts 14:8-23) and again the message was received, albiet with some misunderstanding. For Paul and Barnabas, they had to correct the Lystrian population from understanding they were gods having come down to them. After some corrective teaching, the Lystian’s settled down, but still had too high of a view of the apostles. Nevertheless, the Jews from Antioch and Lystra arrived on the scene, ready to fix that. After a short period of persuading the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city.
How fickle these Lystrian folk were!
Summary
Paul experienced the physical persecution we most commonly associate with the apostle Paul’s missionary journeys in Lystra. Yet these three cities are brought to Timothy’s mind in describing persecution, and it appears not only that of physical persecution. Prior to the stoning, it is obvious that intimidation, gossip, backbiting, malicious rumors, emotional blackmail, and numerous other non physical efforts at derailing the gospel were tried. Persecution is not only physical, and in mentioning these three cities as a group, Paul may be bringing this to Timothy’s mind.
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
The core issue! All who live godly shall suffer persecution! This is the subject of this passage. Timothy – get ready, for if you continue in the faith, as you have seen Paul in his faith, persecution will be your reward, your companion in your ministry. Now that we have a context somewhat established, let’s continue with the portion we began with.
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Some will go from bad to worse, while you Timothy, you need to go in the opposite direction. There is no neutrality here, for Paul’s introduction of these evil people and their moral degradation, is a contrast to Timothy’s expected growth in the Lord. But in this growth, there will be resistance, and that resistance may take some form of persecution.
Paul’s exhortation then to continue is in the context of persecution, not simply believing in some fact of the gospel in some past decision. Is it fair to say that Timothy’s expected growth will include persecution, and if denied, growth will not occur? If so, does this imply that a deadness has settled on Timothy’s life and witness?
My friends, be honest with the text and consider Paul’s thoughts here. Is he simply speaking of rewards, and that if persecution is avoided, we only loose some rewards? Or might it be that if no persecution occurs, this may speak of greater things than what we want to admit? If we avoid every possible hint of persecution, is this a red light that should be going off in your mind, alerting us to a truth we naturally want to avoid?
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for considering these thoughts and may the Lord teach us all that which we need to know!
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
ADAM
CREATED
Genesis 2 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
1 Corinthians 15 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
In our last post, we considered the fact that both Adam and Jesus were created, or that they “became”. At a point in time in history, both men, Adam and Jesus came into existence.
Adam became. Jesus became.
In this post, I would like to consider that the similarities for these men ends at that point. Adam became a living being. He was a recipient of life. To be alive was not of any meritorious effort on his part. He simply became a living being.
Jesus, in his humanity, became a life giving spirit. Consider the difference for a moment. The one who received life lost it all. The One who provides life, voluntarily gave His life up to provide for the betrayer! How unequal! How unfair! How gracious is He! So much to meditate on, and a fantastic thought to carry through the day!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
12
JEHOVAH JIREH (THE LORD WILL PROVIDE)
Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
What a God we have!
Most of my readers will recognize the background to this famous verse, where Abraham is provided a sacrifice to replace Isaac, his son of promise. Such a wonderful picture of a replacement for our sakes, and a picture of the Father, not only providing a sacrifice for our sakes, but actually becoming that sacrifice, in the person of Jesus Christ.
This self sacrifice that God rescued Abraham from He took upon Himself. He provided the Lamb of God for the sacrifice that was required!
And in the midst of this self sacrifice, He has provided a life line to His creation, being able to provide for us in very specific ways that we can now realize come the the very hand of God. These reminders of His care for us come at just the opportune time, and if in prayer for these specific needs, provide great encouragement to the saint.
As a personal story, my wife and I were living in the USA many years ago, without the ability to work, being in a school for training. We had one child, less than a year old and our food supplies were dwindling at the time. Due to that, our little boy was not receiving the sustenance he needed from his mother and she prayed that night, without my knowledge, that God would provide food for little Josh.
The next day as I was picking up my mail, I noticed an envelope with some coin in it. A very unusual occurrence! As I was pondering what was going on, the finance manager for the school walked by and noticed my puzzlement. He was a super friendly guy and let me know that there had been a currency exchange error with the last gift from our friends in Canada. It was a bit of change in our favor.
If I recall it was $0.87. Ever the complainer, I grumbled that there wasn’t more to help us in our need, but nevertheless I headed home to see my little family. Upon arriving I told wifey of the “cash fall” we just fell into, and she asked me to go to the school snack stand to pick up some milk for little Josh.
Can you guess how much that milk cost for our little boy? I think you know!
Our God is the God who provides in more ways than we recognize, but in those times when He gets specific, it creates an encouragement to trust in His loving care.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
11
JEHOVAH EL GEMUWAL (LORD GOD OF RECOMPENSE)
Jeremiah 51:56 for a destroyer has come upon her, upon Babylon; her warriors are taken; their bows are broken in pieces, for the LORD is a God of recompense; he will surely repay.
A bit of background will help in considering this verse
Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem by the nation of Babylon, and at this time in his ministry, the nation had realized the truth of his message. They had been conquered, and much suffering had been experienced by the people of Israel. In their sufferings, doubts and questions kept rising to the surface for those undergoing this terrible time. One of these questions may have been…
How could a righteous God allow the continuance of this marauding nation to so brutally abuse His people?
In this verse Jeremiah delivers an answer to the people of God in His very name. Remember, a name of someone, in the Word, typifies their character, their essence or identity as to who they really are.
God is a God of recompense!
Jeremiah speaks of a destroyer coming upon Babylon, and that she will experience the very capture and defeat she brought upon Israel. She is not invincible, though we often think of world powers this way. Babylon was on her way out and she would be be shamed and defeated because God is a God of recompense.
When I first found this name, I associated recompense with vengeance, and there is some overlap.
Consider
Deuteronomy 32:35 – Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
And yet, the term for recompense has an additional component of reward that provides another angle I hadn’t considered.
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
Notice that Isaiah speaks of vengeance and recompense and associates it with “coming and saving His people”.
My association of recompense with personal judgement against myself may be bad thinking, for the recompense is for those who reject the Living God, who walk away from Him, who refuse to trust Him. For those who cling to the hope of God, as Isaiah promises,
… He will come and save you
Understanding His recompense depends on where you stand in relation to His presence and person.
He is a God of Recompense and because of that believers may rest in the truth that in the end, His purposes will be accomplished and those who love Him will be saved through trusting His heart of love, as seen in the One who hung on the cross for you and I.
Jesus is the God of Recompense and for that I thank Him and praise His name.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
The Word often uses physical realities to describe spiritual truths, and this evident in phrases such as “Lamb of God” or “Bread of Life” when describing the Messiah. Any one versesd in the Old Testament will understand the association of the Messiah with the Lamb of God designation, not only from Genesis 22, but the millions of lambs sacrificed in the Temple service to God for the covering of sin. Another example is the Bread of Life, again hearkening back to the journey through the wilderness for the children of Israel, and the manna that came down to give them sustenance for the day. The Messiah is the sustenance believers need and using the metaphor of “Bread of Life is a fantastic way to communicate this truth.
But when I come to Colossians 1:15, I am not following the same thinking. It just didn’t make sense for me, and, as a paradox is wont to do, it took me outside of my usual way of thinking.
OK – So the issue is the phrase “image of the invisible God” How can we as earthbound believers understand this? The truth of God’s invisibility is not the issue for the Word constantly speaks of His invisibility. A couple of verses will suffice to support this thinking.
John 3:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen
So what is your problem Carl? Paul refers to an image! What is an image if it isn’t visible? What makes this an even greater challenge for my little literal head is that the Greek word translated as image is εἰκών eikṓn, sometimes may be describing a physical person, such as a man, in 1 Corinthians 11:7
1 Corinthians 11:7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is theimageand glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.
Why is that an issue Carl, for Paul is describing a physical man in Colossians 1:15, when He is writing of the Lord Jesus.
I suppose my issue, my confusion, is that I want to be literal in my understanding of “image”, that what I see is what is there! I admit that at times in my thinking, I was literally wooden in my understanding of this verse, thinking that the physicality of Jesus, His body, the way it appeared to the human eye during His time on earth, communicated the image of the invisible God. The term “image” was one I took literally and I did not allow for any other way to look at it.
Story Time
When my family and I were visiting with my brother a few years ago, after being apart for over two decades, something occurred that makes this verse a bit less paradoxical! We were all enjoying getting together, and many of my family took interest in my oldest son Josh, for he was in a rock band, had made some cross country tours and put out a couple albums by then. He was in his twenties, slim as a rail with dreadlocks and the whole look! Meanwhile, overweight Carl is sitting in a chair, with his super short hair and super conservative look.
And the funniest thing happened. My brother came up to me and said that Joshua is just like me!
Now as I have described, it is obvious that we do not appear to be alike, and he is the more handsome of the two of us. Yet in that moment, I think a little light went on, and this verse became a bit clearer. Joshua, as an image bearer of myself, since he is my son, expresses that image in his personality, his manner of expression, his character, his emotional reaction to items, etc….
He doesn’t look like me (and for that I think we are both thankful!), but he looks just like me!
So in all my wrestling over this paradox, these concepts and ideas, I am starting to see I should not consider “image” to be a literal physical object, but that it may simply represent non tangible items that can be seen. This has been a difficult subject to try to explain, (if I explained it at all) and if any of my readers have a discussion point to bring up, it would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ADAM
CREATED
Genesis 2 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
1 Corinthians 15 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Adam became. Jesus became.
Though both of these men are alike in one manner, in that they both “became”, (were brought into existence at a point in time), the similarities end at that point. We shall consider the differences in our next post, but for this particular post I would like to settle on the thought that both these men “became”. The man Adam, and the man Jesus, both became flesh at a point in time, and lived in a flesh and bone body on the face of this earth, both experiencing the temptations and trials of life in a damaged creation.
Both were “created”, and though both would walk entirely different paths in relation to God, they are the two men in this creation who have influenced this world the greatest.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
10
JEHOVAH ELOHIM (LORD GOD)
Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
Two primary names of God combined together.
We have considered both of these primary names earlier in our thoughts. Elohim and Jehovah (Jahweh)
In combining these two primary names, we have a personal God, as revealed to Moses, yet the strong God of the creation of all things.
Remember that El speaks of power, might, even authority, and when Moses combines the personal name of Jehovah with Elohim, he introduces a tension for the believer to live in.
Is He the almighty, supreme Elohim that is unapproachable, intimidating, beyond our understanding and above all of our thoughts and understanding?
Yes He is!
Is He the eternal, self existent Jehovah (Yahweh) that reveals Himself to men, making the move to open relationship with a broken world, eventually becoming the self sacrificing Messiah willing to die a cruel death for our sakes?
Yes He is!
Brothers – How can we reconcile in our understanding this spectrum of our God? It is too wonderful and beyond comprehension! And yet the Lord promises the believer peace in their understanding, (even if there is tension), a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
9
EL ROI (GOD OF SEEING)
Genesis 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
Knowing what we know of the LORD (Jehovah / Jahweh), it seems obvious that He is an all-seeing God. But for a proud woman (Hagar), rejected by her mistress (Sarai), and given up by her husband (Abraham), this verse speaks of the revelation of God who she had heard of from Abraham.
Abraham had taught his household the fear of the Lord, and in this teaching, Hagar must have experienced some influence in her life. Hearing of a God that Abraham knew was one thing. Having this God visit you at your deepest point of sorrow and rejection is another.
What we know of Hagar is that the God who revealed Himself was One that had seen her plight. Few women in this time had been delivered a message from God, and this Angel of the Lord provided her guidance that may not have been too enjoyable.
Sarai had dealt harshly with her, so harshly that Hagar sought refuge out of the camp, away from the community she had been associated with for many years. Yes she had found a spring, and it may have been her hope to find a rescuer at the spring, but the Angel came to visit her before she found an option to choose from.
The stranger brought new that was bad and good.
The bad news was that she had to go back to her mistress, the one who death harshly with her, and was required to submit to her. It seems that the status of being Abraham’s wife went to Hagar’s head, and verse 4 speaks of her looking down on Sarai with contempt. This child she conceived was her opportunity to elevate herself in the tribe, being the only wife able to provide for Abraham a seed. Such an important opportunity provided her a status she had never known, and didn’t quite handle properly.
A continual humbling may be ahead for Hagar, a reminder that she was a second class wife, (at least in Sarai’s eyes), and difficult relationships between the two continued for many years.
The good news was that a young child would be born, that he would be called Ishmael, and that he would be the father of many. The nation of the Ishmaelites grew from this seed, and have been a thorn in Israel’s side for much of her history.
Hagar called the God of Abraham the God of seeing, for He not only saw her affliction at the present, but also her past and future, of her child’s future, and of the leader he would become over his kinsmen.
She saw the One who sees! In her deepest affliction, (brought on by her own contempt and pride), her eyes were ready to see the One who Abraham had spoken of. And she returned to the camp, with a humbled spirit and a willing attitude to do as instructed, for she experientially knew of the God who sees, instead of simply hearing the story of Abrahams God
God is a mysterious One, who uses affliction to open our eyes, and suffering to release the wax from our ears. He is a good God that does not seek to waste any pain we experience in this life, but is willing to take our loss and provide greater good than we can imagine.
Although not directly associated with our name of God for this post, when I think of loss in the believers life, and God’s gracious provision, I usually think of Joel 2:25
Joel 2:25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.
God is good and He is the God who sees, not only our good intentions (few as they may be) but also our weakness, pain, rejection, abandonment and loneliness. He sees us, and for this we must be thankful, for He watches over us, working His good will in the midst of this messy life!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Paul is writing to a church he has never visited but he has heard of some troubling teaching in this church, and he sets out to provide these believers the correction we find in this epistle.
It seems there were those who entered into the young church in order to influence believers into a life of religion, or a way of rule keeping on the surface as opposed to cultivating a heart that seeks to listen to God’s spirit. It is so common, for there will always be those gospel gunslingers that seek to put another notch in their belt when they can influence one more soul into their way of minimizing the Christ and maximizing their way of life. With that said, let us consider the passage below, and see if it has any relevance to the “Conditional Security” teaching that we are discussing in this series.
Colossians 2:4-8
I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
First, let us all agree that Paul is addressing believers, and not just any believers, but that are firm in their faith in Christ. They are solid, and depending how long they had been following Christ when Paul writes this, may be considered mature believers. They had received Christ Jesus the Lord in the past. Sometime in the past, they had entered into life by confession of sin, repentance and faith in the crucified One.
Paul then provides some teaching, even a command for these believers to follow.
So walk in Him. Does Paul provide any guidance on the way to walk in Him? Yes of course, for we are to walk in Him in like manner that we entered into life with the Son. By confession of sin, repentance and faith.
You know I was very surprised when I performed a study years back, a study on the word repentance, and I sought to find out all I could about the term. Although I am convinced that repentance is fundamentally a “change of mind”, this “brain switch” brings about a life change inevitably. What shocked me in my study was that the preponderance of times repentance was preached, it was directed to those of the community of faith. Not to ordinary dirty sinners! What? Sinners are to repent, and they will upon their realization of who God is and of His authority. But so much repentance preached to those of faith!
Yet the Word seems to emphasize the need for the faithful to repent of sinful attitudes and actions. I understand that when Paul says to walk in Him, he is directing us to a life a repentance and submission to Him, and that is how we “So walk in Him”.
Have you went through a period of repentance towards God in some attitude or action recently? A life of repentance is a life of holiness, realizing the dominance of sin in your life, and a life of humility, realizing your utter dependency on the Savior.
So, Paul says, as you have received Him, so walk in Him. This action of walking speaks of a day to day experience, a continuation of that initial seed of faith.
It was of concern to my previous OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) way of thinking that after he speaks of faithfully walking with the Messiah, Paul mentions the danger of being taken captive. The term captive speaks of being taken away as booty, to be lead away from the truth.
Now I don’t want to make too much of this term, for I know some consider this phrase as describing the believers condition as being restricted from his full potential, even held back from living the true life, of being held under the sway of bad teaching.
As the mind goes, so goes the life!
Nevertheless, the term does speak of the one deceived as being led away as a captive, even as a slave. Might the implication be that the ownership has changed? To become a slave implies an ownership exchange.
No that can’t be what Paul is teaching, for then he would be in error, because (as I used to think) the Bible teaches OSAS, and any verses that may seem like a challenge must be ignored, or at least understood under the OSAS teaching.
Dang – It sure was easy when I let a man tell me what to believe!
What think ye?
Might Paul be hinting around, warning these mature believers, those who are firm in their faith, that they may need to consider their standing before God? He has been of this concern before with some in his churches…
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
8
EL GIBBOR (MIGHTY GOD)
Jeremiah 32:18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,
Out of the many names I have found in my research for this series, this particular name is one I have not considered in the past. To see the name “El Gibbor” strikes an unfamiliarity to my thinking. Yet I have often read of the mighty God.
In my research this term is often associated with action or reputation. When speaking of men, the term refers to a champion, a warrior, even a tyrant in some instances. Each of these descriptions speak of one who is not only strong, but uses his strength in battle to win wars.
God is a God of war, and as soon as I say that, most may think of blood, death, destruction and horror on a battle field. I would like to suggest that the Lord Jesus has described our warfare in different terms.
Death to self, and life for others. Loving our enemy. Seeking to be peacemakers, (not just peacekeepers!)
He is the Mighty God, who entered into battle for our souls, voluntarily suffering for others. To submit to this suffering in order to obey His Father and win our souls exhibits great strength of will and power of love.
He is El Gibbor, the Mighty God, mighty in His nature and in His doings, showing steadfast love to thousands upon thousands of His enemies, rescuing them through subjection to suffering.
The strength of our God is not to be lightly considered.
Let us thank Him for Him mighty love that broke through our doubts and fears!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
7
EL OLAM (THE EVERLASTING GOD)
Genesis 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
This name also uses the primary name El in conjunction with Olam, which, as translated speaks of God’s eternality, or His self existence, without beginning and without end.
As Isaiah speaks to the people of God, he asks rhetorical questions to those who have been under the tutelage of the law. Have you not known? Have you not heard?
My goodness, during the days of Isaiah, if any of creation knows of the God of Abraham, and the God of Moses, it must be the nation of Israel, for they have received the written word, describing the God they are in covenant with, the God who has no beginning and has no end.
It is so easy to condemn those in the past as having dropped the ball when it comes to understanding who God truly is, but I will confess that much of my day is sometimes consumed with the here and now and not the inevitable future where God resides.
I understand I can change nothing about the past, other than to seek forgiveness from those whom I may have hurt, but while in the present, after considering the eternality of God, I can change my future.
Let us reflect on the everlasting nature of our Living God, that He will ever be with us, will never “not be” and has provided His Son, separated from Him for a time, so we may continually abide with the everlasting One.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ADAM
LORD OF CREATION
Genesis 1 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Colossians 1 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
Adam was provided the right to have dominion over all of creation. He was the master or lord over the creation provided to him from God.
Jesus is the Lord of lords, and as such is seen in Adam in the early pages of the Old Testament. He is the One who has dominion over all dominions, thrones, rulers and authorities!
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.
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