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.
64
BRINGER OF LIGHT
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
As I read this verse, I notice a curiosity that had not occurred to me earlier. There is no mention of the quality of the things hidden in the darkness. I automatically assume that anything hidden in the darkness is evil, wicked and sinful. This assumption if valid for many passages in the Word for the association seems clear.
Yet in this passage, when both the hidden things and the purposes of the heart are disclosed, the believer will receive a commendation. Commendations are reserved for those things that are good, and right, and just, even for those things that are lovely true, honorable, pure, commendable, of any excellence, or worthy of praise. Commendations are not dished out for those times when evil actions or thoughts were committed.
I so often think that at the end, when my time comes and I stand before the Lord – actually bowing with my face down – I will hear of my sin and rebellion, how I was a disappointment or a failure, how I could have done better, or that I lost opportunities, or focused on the wrong things.
Our Master is One who will bring to Light the things hidden! My hidden things and thoughts will include those actions fueled by the Spirit in gratitude for His saving love.
After all, He will bring those things to light, revealing the truth of our existence, clarifying even for ourselves the truth of our time with Him.
I am so thankful that we have such a gracious and loving God who will be the Bringer of Light into my life. Consider the goodness of the Bringer of Light for your own life my friend.
We truly have a life we do not deserve!
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.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
I admit it. I’m a bit overweight. I could use loosing about 15 lbs. I have struggled a bit with my weight to be honest with you. Oh I can drop it as I have occasionally, but currently I have been enjoying the snacks a bit much!
So is my belly my god? Is that where Paul is headed with this verse? Let’s consider where this verse takes us.
Paul starts with destruction. This is the inevitable completion (or end) of the enemies of the gospel. I wrote on the term Paul uses in this passage (apōleia, destruction) in a post a while back here, and on the general topic (apollymi, perishing) here. With this said, the general idea of this word is not “eternal conscious suffering”, as I had assumed my entire Christian life. It carries the meaning of loss, uselessness, misery, nonexistence, and ruination.
So, these enemies do not have a future! That may be fair to state. Is that because they eat a few too many chips and salsa? Yes and no.
I read Paul here as saying that their belly is their god in the sense that they comply with their sensual natures, with no regard to the commands of God for their lives. It is as if they have taken the grace of God and turned it into license, allowing any and all their desires to rule in their lives. The idea of sacrifice for the sake of the Master is not in their thoughts.
The succeeding result of allowing their desires to rule is that they have to convince themselves that the actions that should bring shame, they glory in this.
How accurate for the society we live in today! But those outside of the church are only following what they know, as opposed to those in the church who have learned of a better way, a way of sacrifice, of rejecting their base desires for the sake of others.
Paul finishes this verse, referring to the mind of the enemies. Now where did the mind come up in Paul’s thoughts before. Oh yes – back in Chapter 2, where he tells believers to “mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”, in the context of exercising a mind of humility and unity. Note that the enemies have their mind set on earthly things. Nothing mysterious about this. The term speaks of things on the earth. Like physical, material, actual items resident on the earth.
So, are you eating too much? Are you loving this life a bit too much, taking every pleasure that is available, seeking satisfaction in the here and now?
Are you focused on things of this earth? Are you worried about your accumulations, your financial securities?
How about your status in front of your peers, your reputation in your career or amongst your friends?
As Paul has challenged other believers, this may be a good time to reconsider his challenge to the Corinthians when he wrote…
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
David, in our last post, spoke of his enemies, those bloodthirsty dogs prowling and howling, speak great swelling words of destruction on the shepherd boy. Everything was mounted up against David, and all appearance of deliverance evaporating in front of his very eyes.
His physical eyes that is. He saw the state of things, his situation. He didn’t minimize the problem. He described it without hesitation and laid it all out in front of the Lord.
When we are in a stressful situation, even a dangerous situation, we mimic David well most times. We speak to God about all the troubles we have, the danger that may (or may not) be out there. All the negative aspects in our life comes out of our heart and into the airspace.
Yet David did not stop there, and neither should we. He recalled who God is, for David claimed God as his..
Strength
David claimed God as his strength, his power , his might. As a young man with the government after him, he must have surely felt helpless. No hope of escape or of a path to freedom and security. David looked to God for his strength.
As an aside, it is very interesting that at the coronation of David, another Psalm was written, with a phrase that is reminiscent of David’s thoughts in Psalm 59.
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
David’s experience in Ps 59 may have led to the fantastic passage describing the kings of the earth and the rulers being against the True King. He speaks of the Lord as laughing in the heavens, as both those of the nations and of Israel fight against the Anointed. He reveals to us that this effort to stop the Anointed from His mission must be mock worthy in God’s eyes. How foolish it must seem for anyone to fight against God!
David looked to His strength and realized God was not wringing His hands with fret and worry. His strength was simply shaking His head and laughing! Amazing
Fortress
David claimed God as his fortress. David returns to the concept of elevation or height here, for the term fortress speaks not only of a refuge, but of a high place, a high fort. We visited this concept earlier when David spoke of his enemies rising up against him in verse 1, and David looked to God to protect him, or to lift him up over the reach of his enemies.
For our God to be our fortress in the way David is thinking, is to be beyond the reach of our enemies. Danger may be present and visible, but if we are looking to God for protection, we are looking for His ability to keep us out of the reach of our enemies influence and capture.
This begs the question regarding how believers experience suffering and persecution. Yet we need to recall that the protection God provided His Son was deliverance out of death, not from it. This refocus of deliverance is what gives the believer the ability to endure, for the protection God provides may include physical, emotional or mental suffering. This does not negate the protection God provides, and if we see this as a lack on God’s part, we need to refocus our faith.
He is the protector and our fortress!
God
David finally claims the God of Israel as his God. He is not one of many, but the only one in front of God now, and has the attention of the King of the universe. This, if it were not so common in David’s life and throughout the New Testament, should shock us. That the eternal God of creation, the One who is over all things, may be considered to be My God.
Beyond this astounding fact, David claims that his God has a steadfast love for him. How audacious! How presumptive! Who do you think you are David?
But this is not the point! It has nothing to do with who David is, but who our God is. This speaks of the nature and character of the Creator / Redeemer.
His nature is to love. To express steadfast love. His love is not the type that considers if the recipient is worthy of His love. Does He count all the good as opposed to the bad of the recipient, and then judges whether He will shed His love on him? This isn’t the God of the Bible. When we were without strength, even as enemies, He died for the ungodly.
David is getting his eyes off himself and back on who his God is.
One last item to consider in this passage.
David speaks of meeting with God in a previous passage, and now recalls this time he needed for a huddle, for a review. He speaks of God, out a steadfast love, meeting with him, to review the conditions he is experiencing and to see the state of affairs he is in. How this worked out with David is unknown, but we can confidently say that He has come down, He has met with us, He has experienced our condition on earth and He has lived through it!
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.
63
BRIGHTNESS OF YOUR RISING
Isaiah 60:3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60 is a chapter describing a new day for the nation, in the midst of a depressing and disheartening situation. The nation was had been over run by the nations, and the people of God had just returned from exile.
The temple had been destroyed, along with the capital city. Some passages in the Old Testament speak of jackals roaming the amongst the streets. A rebuilding effort was on the way, yet enemies from without were threatening any progress they made, little lone their existence.
The times – they were difficult, and discouraging. The few of the faithful that did return, fell into sins, lacked any motivation for the temple, and struggled to come together as a nation under God.
Isaiah has the gall to speak of this nation as being a light to the nations, and that kings would come to the Brightness of their Rising.
Not only that, but Isaiah says they are the only light, for the verse prior, he speaks of darkness covering the earth, and thick darkness over the peoples.
How audacious for Isaiah to “taunt” the people, to “tease” them.
You know, some of my brothers may consider this passage as prophetic of a future time, even a time for us that we have not experienced. This may be true, but I seem to recall a time when this passage would have been appropriate to relate it to.
There was a Rabbi who came to the tiny nation of Israel, who claimed to be the Light. He appeared for the nation when the peoples were in great darkness, and by His actions, exhibited the glory of God. The people of God were indeed insignificant at this time, with only a few who believed. Many were the ones who were in darkness, even to a point of hostility to the One who shone upon them.
Yes they crucified Him, but in that act of violence, the glory of God was fully revealed, and the nations have been flocking to Him, with Kings bowing the knee to His reign.
The Brightness of His Rising is the light of God for all to see.
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.
9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
To be led away.
What is the apostle speaking of when he makes this remark
Well let’s consider the context of this passage.
First off, I do not want to appear to ignore a passage that would speak against conditional security! You see, the once saved always saved (OSAS) adherent would appeal to verse 5 in their defense, and I will be the first to agree with them in the faithfulness of the Lord. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Yet this is not spoken out of a vacuum, for the reason the apostle speaks thus is to challenge the Master’s followers to be likewise, to not forsake the Master, to never leave the ways of the Master. The verse speaks of the great faithfulness of the Lord as an encouragement to His followers to be likewise faithful.
This thought continues through verse 7, speaking of the Lord’s faithfulness, and now includes our previous faithful leaders.
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
The Great Example of faithfulness is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostle summarizes his though in verse 8.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!
Out of this context, the apostle begins a warning for his readers. Granted this is not one of the major warning sections most scholars consider to be hubs in the argument of the book (see below for list of 5 warning passages), yet we know the tenor of the book – that is the Lord is better than any religious competition – and the repercussions for the believer to this truth is to remain faithful. And why would the believer not remain faithful to Him? His is the best!
So let us consider the passage we are looking at today.
The apostle speaks of diverse and strange teachings the Hebrew believers may be tempted to go after. But the apostle speaks somewhat stronger than the believers simply going after them.
The believers, it seems to me, have the potential of being carried away by these teachings. To be diverted from the good path we have been granted, that is of being strengthened by grace. It is of interest that the apostle speaks of the “foods” not benefitting those devoted to them. For the Hebrew believer this must have brought to mind those who were committed to the diet of the religious Jew.
Now I am of the opinion that this book was written just prior to 70 AD, just prior to the time when the Romans would come in and completely destroy the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of God.
Yes – those devoted to these strange and diverse teachings surely did not benefit from them. Destruction awaited them as the course of history has testified.
My friends, this passage speaks of our need to separate from teachings that will drag us off in the wrong direction, to a path that misses the altar we have been provided. To follow after strange and diverse teachings allows us to stay in the camp, “safe” amongst those who also adhere to them.
But that is not our call, for we are to go outside the camp, escaping this city of destruction, and head to the city that is to come (verse 14).
My friends, to follow after strange and diverse teachings, teachings that are not founded on the rock of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the teachings of His apostles, is to abandon the way. To seek other teachings is to allow yourself to be carried away from the truth of Jesus and His Word. And strange and diverse teachings will surely carry us away from Him!
Seek the Lord Jesus, and discover Him in the Word. The Word is truly abundant in teachings of grace for the believer and contains a wealth of blessing we abandon at our own risk.
As mentioned above, find the five warnings of Hebrews below.
Five Warning Passages of Hebrews
Hebrews 2:1-4
Hebrews 4:12-13
Hebrews 6:4-8
Hebrews 10:26-31
Hebrews 12:25-29
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As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.
41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
We would do well to remember that warfare during David’s time was completely different than warfare today. These days we do some saber rattling, but for the intent of testing the waters, or to get some allowance from the enemy.
In David’s time the battle was established, and the combatants faced each other, with both men given the opportunity to speak of their battle plans, or at least of their intent in battle. Such is the case in this instance. Goliath, the Philistine speaks first, with derogatory statements, calling David a “dog” and speaking of his fighting methods as “sticks”. After this slight cast upon David, the intelligent Philistine falls to the calling of curses upon David. It is always a sign of weakness when a man (or woman) reverts to cursing. It is as if they have no argument of substance and fall back to simply attacking the person and not the cause.
It is interesting to say the least that when we read that Goliath “cursed” David, the term has roots in meaning to be slighted, or trifling. Goliath, when he cursed David, it was to his person, not his methods, and the cursing brought out Goliaths contempt for David. He considered David of little consequence, of no threat, no significance.
Goliath simply underestimated his enemy, for he made two mistakes.
First he looked at the size of David. This is a common mistake for those who defy God, for God chooses the weak, the insignificant, the unimpressive.
Secondly, he looked at the physical enemy when he should have looked at who David represented! The God of Israel, the One who took on the nation of Egypt and utterly destroyed them, who provided for a nation through the desert travellings, and who established a nation in a foreign land.
Those who do not understand who God is underestimate who they are responsible to. Dear reader – Do you consider Goliath one who ignored the God of the Bible, or was he honestly ignorant of who David represented? Let me know your thoughts in the comments
Planning & Faith
It occurred to me this morning that David was very well prepared for this meeting. Not only did he retrieve his stones at the brook (in full view of the enemy), but was ready with a battle plan, specific to the situation he was facing, with not only the actions he would take, but he would also speak of the purpose of his actions.
David intended to strike Goliath down, and to cut off his head. David would then provide a feast for creation of the bodies of the armies of the Philistines. Ever the overachiever, David was not satisfied with victory over his opponent, but also over his nations enemy. This wasn’t a grudge match in David’s mind – it was much bigger!
David laid out his actions simply and to the point, but the bulk of David’s message to the giant was of his purpose in the battle. The nation of Israel was to have one purpose and David understood this. Israel was to be a shining light for the nations, drawing them to the God of Israel. To draw men, truth has to be understood, and David’s battle would expose to all that the God of the Bible, the God of the nation of Israel is real.
You see – claiming a truth and living a truth may be separate activities for a believer. David was providing evidence that the God of Israel was knowable
1 Samuel 17:46 …that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
David intended one more outcome from this confrontation. Not only would the knowledge of the Lord be provided, but that the knowledge of His ways would also be evident. God saves unconventionally, for our manner of warfare (such as sword or spear, or in our culture, fighter jets or Abrams tanks) is not the way God works.
1 Samuel 17:47 …all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear
It is interesting that David seems to indicate two audiences. First – all the earth would know there is a God in Israel. Secondly – that all this assembly would know of the Lord’s ways, the manner in which He saves.
Is there a knowledge that is reserved for those in the assembly, for those who have come to know the God of Israel, entering into the assembly/congregation? Only upon knowing the God of Israel, can we begin to know of His ways.
As a believer, I entered into the assembly decades ago, and have been learning of His ways ever since. It is good to remember that it is a privilege to enter into the workings of the Lord, to watch His ways and to seek to follow.
Is this not the Lord’s will for each of us to know the God of Israel, the One who came to earth and suffered for us? As we watch Him walking amongst His people, teaching simple (shocking) truths, and serving those who would hurt him, we should come away realizing we have far to go in truly imitating Him.
If you are ignorant of the Lord, reach out to Him. Call on the name of Jesus.
If you know Him, seek His ways, learn of His methods and how He related to those He rubbed shoulders with.
The only thing I ask for you is to not be a Goliath! A seeming winner in the eyes of the world, but in reality, what a looser!
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
Aaron
Dealing with Sins
Leviticus 16:34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Whereas Aaron was to make atonement for the people of God, the gospel tells us that we have been provided purification of sins. The general picture of a high priest dealing with the sin problem of the people he represents is the point in this post, yet the differences are worth pointing out in their effectiveness.
To make atonement is to cover over, to pacify. A great physical picture of this term is that the same word was used of the pitch covering the gopher wood in 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.
A bit later in Genesis, this same term was used to describe Jacob’s hopes in meeting with his brother.
Genesis 32:20 And you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”
Of course once the term was used in the sense of sacrifice before God, it took on a far greater importance, but it never lost the idea of covering over.
The sins in the Old Testament, through the sacrificial temple system, were covered over.
Consider the difference when Hebrews 1:3 states that the sins were purified! This term speaks of washing off, a cleansing. This is a totally different response to and result of His sacrifice in dealing with sin!
According to the book of Hebrews, our sins are no longer simply covered over, someday to be revealed again, (as the Hebrew nation expected every 365 days) but the sins Jesus dealt with have been purified!
I can hardly grasp this concept, that our sins have been washed away, and not simply covered over.
Consider the difference and thank the Lord who suffered for you and I, in order to clean and purify us!
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.
62
BRIGHTNESS OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD
Ezekiel 10:4 And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
Ezekiel had the gut wrenching experience of witnessing God leaving His temple in Jerusalem. For a priest to witness this must have been additionally heartbreaking.
My impression is that previous to this exiting, the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah was limited, or somewhat subdued when between the cherub over the mercy seat of the ark. I am in no way diminishing the presence of God, but as Ezekiel continues to write, it seems he describes the court as being filled with the glory of the Lord.
Could it be that God was making a point, that His presence was somehow larger, brighter, greater than previously witnessed? That in His leaving, He was exhibiting in the clearest possible terms, the loss that the nation would experience?
This departure, based on the rejection of the nation, was a precursor to another fatal rejection by the nation of Israel. I would suggest the reader compare Ezekiel’s description of the glory of God’s departure with the rejection of Jesus, leaving the Temple the last time and heading to the cross.
Similarities abound and the greater glory was seen as He left the second time. His compassion for the people, His willingness to suffer for their rebellion, His patient endurance through the mockery.
When you consider Who Jesus Christ is, and the utter ridiculous and hateful treatment of the Son of God by His own creation, it isn’t difficult to see that He is the Brightness of the Glory of the Lord.
He is the Brightness, the Shining, the Light of the Glory of 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.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
3:18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Have you ever pictured Paul preaching, getting all fired up, preaching hell and condemnation, yelling about the fires of destruction falling on those lousy sinners! How if they don’t turn, they were going to burn, that every sin deserves eternal everlasting judgement. How he relished the destruction of those who didn’t toe the line. Or that he emphasized the punishment of hell, the suffering that we deserve, the constant reminder of our rebellion?
Whoa – slow down Carl – Let’s think about this. There are two audiences we should consider when we try to understand the attitudes of the apostles, and how they relate to those outside and inside the church.
When Paul was preaching to the lost, count how many times he brought up eternal judgement. Now be careful – I am asking you to search the New Testament where he was preaching to those who had not heard the gospel yet, so you are restricted to the book of Acts for this research. While you are at it, check out the other apostles message, of how often they used a turn or burn message.
Secondly, check out the Apostles attitude when teaching the church, as he is here in this passage. Those who have turned from the cross, walking as enemies must surely deserve hateful condemnation of their actions, and yet Paul by his own admission, speaks of tears flowing. What gives here?
He should be condemning them, tearing those enemies up in order to build up those who are still faithful to the message. A little bit of condemnation might actually keep the faithful faithful! By the way – If you think that, you many need to read the New Testament again.
Paul’s heart was broken for those who had walked away from the cross of Christ. He wasn’t better than them, throwing a hate filled monologue on them, pushing them further into destruction. He described the plight of those who walked away, and shared his brokenness with those who rubbed shoulders with them.
How often do we find it easier to judge than to love?
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips– for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
David’s enemies, those bloodthirsty men, came back each evening, diligently searching for their victim, howling like dogs! Howling as a frustrated hunter, these men of blood are reduced to the actions of a mere animal, growling and howling to gain some advantage. They are seeking an advantage to find their victim, hunting throughout the city, disturbing others and bellowing with thier mouths.
For these men to “bellow” is descriptive, for it includes the image of belching, of vomiting up a sickness that is internal to each of these hunters.
Is it not true that a man’s speech reveals his heart? That which is in a man comes out in his speech. For these men, to vomit out a message reveals their heart. How true the words of the Master when He taught such a hard truth!
Mark 7:21 -23
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
And what was the message these hunters spoke?
“Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
Their speech further confirms the state of their heart, for they are claiming that no one will hear them in their efforts to chase down and kill the innocent shepherd boy. Their question (out of their heart) is revealing that in their opinion their is no God, that there is no one that could hear them making their plans of death, that though they speak with daggers in their lips (murderous words!) they are safe from any repercussions.
As we consider this, let us remember that those with murder in their hearts did not only exist in the time of David.
Again I refer my gentle reader to the Lord’s message above, speaking of the source of murder, and that it is a heart issue.
from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder
In Matthew 5, He provides us the truth of how anger is equivalent to murder, how we all have this tendency resident within us.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
My friends, consider this sobering truth, that our hearts, though redeemed, continues to have a darkness that needs to be resisted through the power of the Spirit of God.
And we must remember, those outside of the Body of Christ need rescuing from this horrible existence. May the Lord guide us to meet with those who are in need of the gospel today.
Though they may speak murder, we are to speak peace.
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.
61
BRIGHT MORNING STAR
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Jesus, in His last communication to the ones who follow Him, speaks of the Bright Morning Star. Many scholars and Bible teachers link this description with Venus, as the planet appears in the morning, prior to the full sunrise. As Venus rises on the horizon, it indicates that the night is soon past and the full light of the sun will arrive next.
Yet the Bright Morning Star is present in the early morning hours, while it is still dark. Let us not loose hold of this truth, for as the Lord gave His last message to his people, His message not only contained hope, for the star does proceed the full light of day, but the star also provides a point of focus. We are to consider Jesus as the focal point of our lives as we wander in this darkness of our pilgrimage on earth.
One last note. Jesus does not say He will be the Bright Morning Star, but that He is the Bright Morning Star. In this world of darkness, His light may be seen if you search for it. Yes the sky is immense, and there are many other stars, acting as distractions, but the Bright and Morning Star is shining for all to recognize
He is our Bright Morning Star!
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.
Proverbs 11:24 ESV – One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Y’all know I’m an engineer by trade and that I deal with “mathy” things all the time. 2+2=4 type of stuff.
So when my eyes crawl over this verse, the little red lights start to go off in my head.
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.
As mentioned in an earlier post on Paradoxical Passages (Paradoxical Passages – 2 Corinthians 8:9) this verse is an example of mixing two topics in the same thought.
My initial problem was that I was equating the giving and the wealth (or the hoarding and the poverty) with the same medium. How could I not gain riches by hoarding cash or securities or real estate or things things things!
You see, that is the problem. Solomon, as Paul describes centuries later, speaks of giving away that which is merely physical to gain that with is non physical.
A good real life example is that of a friend of mine when I first stated going to church. His name was Tommy Devine, a small elderly man with one old suit to wear to church, who lived in a tiny apartment on a tiny government allowance. He constantly shared what little he had with others, usually with teenagers that made fun of him. He loved sharing the love of Christ with those in his neighborhood and looked for opportunities to help anyone he could.
I do not recall one time when he wasn’t the happiest man I had ever come across. When I would sit with him, and ask him how he was, he would always respond – “Fine as frogs hair!”
He was a wealthy man in my eyes, with nary a care and always expressing a thankful heart.
He gave freely, yet grew all the richer. He truly is a great example to look back on. He loved the Lord and reflected the grace of his Savior.
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
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 17:38-40
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
Saul did what every king would do. Seek to protect his investment. Provide what he could to help. Give his new soldier every worldly advantage.
What struck me this morning is that David allowed him to provide these supposed benefits. Saul clothed David with armor. Heavy armor for a young teen who was not experienced in wearing it!
There is one additional place in the Bible that speaks of a helmet of bronze and a coat of mail. It was the description of what Goliath wore when he entered into battle.
1 Samuel 17:5 He (Goliath) had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
King Saul sought to level the playing field for David. The king supplied the same protection and weaponry the enemy had.
But David put it off. He actually took the king’s armor off. What a strange thing to do in the eyes of the king. He rejected the king’s protection. But you see he had to take the armor off in order to retain the protection he sought.
He had not tested this new fangled armor. But he had tested the sling and staff. His hours of being all alone in the field with his sheep afforded him time to master his skills and gain confidence in his chosen method of warfare. He was not a carbon copy of every other man on the field that day. He was one who was comfortable being different! This speaks of David’s stability and self knowledge, of his willingness to stand on his convictions.
Don’t be afraid to be different! Do not be conformed to the giant!
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
Aaron
Ordination/Appointment
Exodus 29:44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
Hebrews 5:4-6 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
In Exodus 29, God defines the many ways and reasons the priests were to offer up sacrifices for themselves and for the people they represented. As a summary of the chapter, verse 44 speaks of God’s consecration of the priests for service in His tent of meeting.
Let’s remember that this is the tent of meeting, a humble edifice that is meant as a place to represent God. Aaron, at least should be a humble example of the people he represents. Nothing in this picture speaks of worthiness, or being qualified, of being good enough for the position.
God spent a full chapter speaking of how the priests were to undergo a consecration, dealing with their condition before a holy God.
In no text of the Old Testament can I find any mention of Aaron seeking this position. Of course, once he had been appointed to the position of high priest, he forgot his humble beginnings and sided with his sister in seeking more privilege, but that is for another time!
No, Aaron did not seek this position – It was granted by the choice of God, not dependent on the actions of the one chosen. His consecration (or ordination) spoke of his need to be fit for the work. He didn’t seek this position since it seemed obvious he was not capable of fulfilling the job description!
Jesus on the other hand, was fully qualified (and yet maintained humility!) to perform the position of High Priest, and His ordination, though of a different priestly order, was granted through the resurrection of His body.
He is of the eternal order of the Melchizedekian priesthood. Notice that the Word states that Jesus was appointed by God, who said to Him
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”
We all know that this verse speaks of the resurrection. His appointment to the Melchizedekian priest hood was through the grave, never again requiring another consecration.
Incredible Savior!
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.
60
BRIDEGROOM
Luke 5:34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
Was not Jesus a single man? For Him to speak of a bridegroom must have been somewhat surprising for those who heard Him. Some may not have connected Him as the bridegroom, but they surely refused to connect any importance to this Rabbi, for it seems obvious that He is referring to Himself.
So a single man refers to Himself as a bridegroom. One more time where the Master teacher shocks our sensibilities, our expectations, our assumptions.
To be a bridegroom brought with it a number of assumptions that the Jewish culture accepted.
A bridegroom would provide a gift to initiate a betrothal for His bride. Well, that is not quite accurate. The Father of the Bridegroom would provide this gift, called a mohar in the Old Testament, for the bride. Once this transaction occurred, the betrothal was entered into, and a wedding was planned for. This time period between betrothal and the formal wedding was as binding as the formal wedding, but lacked in the intimacy the formal wedding would allow.
An example of this expectation of the betrothal is the Lord’s earthly mother and father. When Joseph was informed of Mary’s pregnancy, he considered divorce, since they were “merely” betrothed, and she could not be having his child as they had not been intimate yet.
Since the Bridegrooms family paid for the bride, it was understood that the newly founded family would live with the Bridegroom’s father/family.
One other interesting tidbit regarding this practice was the negotiating between families for the betrothal. The future bride had very little, if any input in the negotiations. The betrothal was a period of time where the bride would become acquainted with the Bridegroom
Can we see the Father and the Son working out the picture of the betrothal and wedding for His bride? Did not the Father provide a gift to the bride in the sacrifice of the Son? Is not our current time of knowing the Lord reminiscent of this betrothal period? Finally, when the marriage occurs, as the bride we will be taken to the Father’s house.
How often the disciples must have marveled at the teaching of Jesus, possibly confused at first, maybe somewhat frustrated, but they continued to seek truth. When this picture of the betrothal and wedding was understood spiritually, it must have been a tremendous blessing to those disciples.
He is our Bridegroom, and He has bought us. Take time getting “acquainted” with Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Can you imagine the challenge this passage was for the Philippians, for though we read of Paul’s exploits, habits, sacrifices, sufferings, preaching, teaching, disappointments, and dedication, the Philippians actually saw this man in action.
They saw a man who had been whipped and jailed but had shown forgiveness to the jailor, who spoke to women at the river, who supported himself for their sakes while sharing of a crucified One. They watched Paul in his daily life, the way he related to the believers, encouraging and exhorting them. They observed him when he left his friends for the sake of others, and the emotional turmoil he exhibited.
Do you have a Paul that you can observe? Can you be a Paul, that others might observe and see Christ in? Is someone watching you and coming away thinking the right thoughts?
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
David continues in our passage speaking of his enemies as lying in wait for his life. These enemies have been previously described as bloodthirsty, and in following verses as fierce, even as dogs. They are on the hunt for a victim, but not just any victim. They aren’t seeking blood of just any victim. They have their eye on the future King of Israel. They are looking for innocent blood, blood that has no cause of death in it, but that he is the future king.
David is speaking relatively, for he is not claiming sinless perfection in front of God, but that in relation to the current king of Israel, he has brought no reason for this persecution. He has committed no sin against the current king. He has no way to remedy this situation, for the entire cause of this persecution is sourced out of a man of jealousy, an insecure man who has walked away from God. David has no opportunity of resolving this conflict since Saul will not seek peace.
Saul wants David’s blood. And David wants God to come see.
Now of course God sees the situation. He clearly sees the situation, from every conceivable vantage point and in every possible way. But David is asking for a conference, a time to get together for a “huddle”, a time of communication and review. David needs to get his head straightened out, to hear of the situation from God, to know of God’s accompaniment with him in this endurance run.
David even goes so far as implying that God is asleep and that He needs to rouse Himself. What audacity of the man to speak to God in such a way.
And yet when trials come our way, do we not question God’s attention. It is so common for us to claim that God is missing, that He is somewhere else, or that He is not paying attention to our experience. We may offer up formal prayers acknowledging His presence, but sometimes couched within those prayers are hints that we have our doubts, even though the promise of His being with us in scattered throughout the written Word.
David made his concerns crystal clear. You are my God, and I need you. I need Your attention in this matter. Come to deliver me oh my God. Deliverance was provided, for David received God’s protection from death in multiple instances and in various ways. Over an extended period of time. Yet David was entering a time of persecution and of being on the run, all the while under God’s protection.
Sometimes the protection provided does not look as we may have wanted, but God is faithful.
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.
59
BREAST PLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
As believers, we of all people should realize we have no absolute righteousness within our nature. We are a people that leans to evil, have tendencies to seek wrong, desire the unholy and look for trouble. It is deep within us to be selfish, self centered and concerned with our own comfort and interests.
We understand that the extent to which He was sacrificed has in some way defined the depth of our sickness, our brokenness, our bent to things not of God. His crucifixion is the proof of His sacrificial love for those who are through and through of the wrong stuff.
Oh Carl – You are exaggerating the human condition to make a point. That may be, but I would challenge you to prove your righteousness instead of simply claiming your righteousness.
Obey every command delivered to us through the Word. Do not allow yourself any leeway, but commit wholeheartedly to continually obeying every command God has given us. You can choose either the Old Testament Law – the decalogue – or the New Testament teaching from Christ. Decide on either the easy one (decalogue) or the tough one (NT teaching). But once decided, commit to continually obeying every principle with 100% precision and commitment.
I would suggest two outcomes are possible if you take on this discipline.
One – You will convince yourself that you continually obey every command the Lord has spoken, and from that inner knowledge, a huge shadow of pride and arrogance will dominate every action, emotion and interaction with your peers, family and friends.
Two – You realize there is no hope, that you don’t have the strength to obey, or the ability, or even the desire to follow after the Lord with every strength possible, and you become disheartened.
Both of these results are not acceptable, and not intended by the Word, other than to show us our desperate need to look to our only Righteousness.
Paul provides the truth of the breastplate of righteousness, the righteousness as a breastplate protecting our heart. Our own heart, though redeemed, is continually bombarded with temptations, and if we look to our own heart for righteousness, we will loose heart. The Breastplate of Righteousness is a protection for our lives, protecting the most vulnerable part of our life.
He is the Breastplate of Righteousness, since the truth of His sacrifice is beyond our own understanding or experience. His sacrifice is a fact we can lean on, where our hearts find solace, comfort, encouragement and strength.
As we continually look to Jesus as our Breastplate of Righteousness, we will eventually learn what it means to walk properly, to think correctly, to understand humility and grace, and to mimic Him (in some small way) in His acts of Righteousness. Realizing our heart has been protected by His never changing righteousness, will also create a heart trained to righteousness. This heart will eventually produce a likeness to His Spirit in your day to day activities.
One more thing if I may be so blunt – My understanding of His Righteousness has totally morphed from my first days as a believer. It is much deeper, much stronger, much more subtle (at times), so dependent on the Spirit, rooted in the thought life, and full of mercy.
He is our Breastplate of Righteousness. Is He covering your life? Is he protecting your own heart, no matter it’s condition?
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.
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
Stability. Quite the concept for the Apostle Peter to bring up, and yet it is fitting, for he is writing as one who had obtained a faith of equal standing with those to whom he wrote. He was intimately knowledgeable of instability, of how the Lord had brought him back from having denied his Master.
As Peter is closing his last epistle to his brethren, he describes the patience of the Lord, and commends Paul’s writings, that were hard to understand. Even for Peter?
Nevertheless, Peter describes Paul’s writings as Scripture, and that there are some ignorant and unstable readers twist the scripture to their destruction.
Twist or distort. The term “twist” has the connotation of to be tortured, to twist or pervert. In my thoughts (which are worth less than the wind), I imagine these ignorant and unstable readers taking a truth from Paul’s writings and forcing it to say something it never was meant to convey. Can you imagine the picture Peter is trying to form in his readers mind. A truth provided by an apostle being tortured until a different message is understood!
This speaks of the willingness of our hearts to accept what the text says, after comparing with other texts within the Word. Is there something in the Word that you have to explain away in order to feel comfortable? Can you hear the text being tortured?
It is good to remember that the text is sometimes offensive, difficult to understand, upsetting to our sensibilities, even disturbing at times.
Peter is careful to describe those ignorant and unstable as twisting the text to their own destruction. Now I can hear many say that these ignorant and unstable are not believers, for their end is destruction, and I would have nothing to argue with you on this point.
The issue is that Peter is warning his people, believers who had obtained a faith of equal standing with Peter (verse 1) of the message the ignorant and unstable were providing, the error of the lawless people. The message they tortured out of the text was bringing about their destruction. Is Peter warning his people of their own destruction? He certainly is warning them of staying away from the wrong message and thereby avoiding the same end the ignorant and unstable will experience.
And what is the cure, what is Peter’s last message for the church?
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Instead of listening to those who torture the text, or to your thoughts when they are wanting to hear something instead of the truth, seek after the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to increase in His knowledge and grace, to come to understand who He is and what He has done.
Focus on Him and the truth provided through the Word. Stay away from the ignorant and unstable, for they produce a destroying message! (Note that the ignorant and unstable will often make glorious claims of deep or new understandings in order to “justify” their tortured message!)
Just let the Word speak without torture!
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As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 17:31-37
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
First thing to notice in this passage is the humility and servanthood of the next king of Israel. His concern is with the hearts of the soldiers out there facing this degrading situation. Unlike Eliab, who tore down his own brother in front of strangers, David seeks to build up strangers in front of the king. So many differences between those two son’s of Jesse!
We see David’s attitude of willingness to take care of problems as we saw earlier in this passage, when he rose up early to come the the front. He didn’t drag his feet, or find ways to avoid unpleasant tasks. My goodness – he is committing himself to go fight a giant here!
The giant that Saul and his army experienced was much much larger than the giant David saw. For the army, Goliath was invincible. The army had the attitude much like the 10 spies who came back from spying out the promised land, and spoke of large grasshoppers. It is not possible!
Yet David did not. Remember three things about David that he has in his life that those in the army lacked.
Experience
David was not a trained warrior, and for that we can be thankful. He had found his niche in combat skills by watching over his father’s sheep. His experience was with hand to hand combat if necessary, and had practiced with the sling in order to protect his sheep. He took his responsibility over his father’s sheep very seriously, and was prepared for when the enemy came, whether it be a lion or a bear!
Passion
His experience was worthy of impressing the King, but what stands out for myself is the passion young David communicated to the king. He chased after the bear and the lion, not willing to give an inch when it came to his sheep! His passion for the sheep garnered their protection and the killing of any enemy. This passion easily and naturally escalated when it came to His God. He was one who would not allow the giant to defy the armies of the Living God!
Spirit of God
Most importantly, and without a doubt the major influence in David’s reaction to this uncircumcised giant, was that David was filled with the Spirit of the Lord since his anointing. How could he not be aghast at the defamation of God by this heathen giant? How could he not seek to strengthen those who were cast down, who were shamed and hurting? He was of a different nature, more than simply a shepherd boy with skills and passion, but the one who would lead the nation to heights of dominance they had never experienced!
David cared for his fellow Israeli’s, even those who had mocked him, attributed evil intentions or shamed him.
Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath). David had many motivators for this challenge, but the one that warms my heart is the concern he had for his fellow Israeli’s.
How much more has the Greater David expressed His love for us as we are downtrodden, overwhelmed and discouraged. He has taken on the giant of death and the devil, and in our daily lives provides encouragement and strength.
He will not let any man’s heart fail because of a giant.
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
Aaron
One who Offers Sacrifice
Numbers 15:25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their mistake.
Hebrews 5:1-2 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
Seeing Jesus as the High Priest pictured in Aaron has some fantastic similarities. Yes, Jesus is not of the Aaronic priesthood, but for that we must be thankful, for His priesthood is a never ending priesthood based on an unending life.
Yet He was chosen from amongst men to offer sacrifice to God for men. A priest that was not of “another creation”, but one who could relate to the condition of the people he represented before God.
Aaron, as High Priest chosen from amongst men, offered sacrifices for the congregation, of which he was a part. True – he offered a sacrifice that belonged to someone else. And his sacrifice had limited effectiveness. But the sacrifice was presented unto God, and Aaron (or his descendants) represented a nation who needed mercy and forgiveness for an immediate sinful action. Whether it was for a specific sin or the collective blot of disobedience the nation incurred for the entire year, Aaron (or his descendants) offered up a sacrifice to represent the nation in front of God.
It is the act of offering up a sacrifice that draws our attention to the Lord this morning. Both Aaron and Jesus, offered up sacrifices unto God for a people they represented.
Yet how much greater is the Lord in His offering for the people, not only in the effectiveness of the offering, but also in the duration of the satisfaction the offering provided to the God of all creation. His offering was not from someone else’s flock, or that belonged to a neighbor, but was of His own life, a spotless life that He offered unto God.
Consider the offering of Jesus, and be thankful.
He was chosen to be the sacrifice, and in that choice, He brought to reality the picture of Aaron slaying a sacrifice for the people He sought to represent before a holy 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.
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.
58
BREAD OF GOD
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
In our last post we spoke of Jesus as the Bread from Heaven, and His self description in John 6:32. The very next verse, Jesus continues the description of the Bread, speaking of the nature of the Bread here, and not simply it’s origination. Jesus is giving those who hear tremendous truth as to the One who is speaking to them!
When Jesus speaks of the Bread of Heaven, He speaks of the location of the Bread’s origination, or where the Bread came from. For Jesus to speak of the Bread of God is revealing the nature of the Bread, the identity of the Bread. It is not a physical bread, but it is of God.
To refer to the Bread as being from Heaven may leave His listeners thinking He is an angel, or a spiritual being. In this verse He clarifies who He is (not His point of origin). He does not speak of Himself as being Bread from God, which would allow others to default to the angel understanding, but the Bread of God.
He came down from Heaven to provide us the Bread of God, Himself and that as the Bread of God was broken, we have the privilege of finding our life in Him.
He speaks of even greater life giving capabilities than simply providing life to a simple believer sitting at his desk typing this morning, but of providing life for the world. The world!
How audacious!
How like the One who spoke truth though our understanding is far from complete. He spoke the truth though hard for us to comprehend. He spoke truth for us not to struggle with, but to accept and to believe.
Do you believe?
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.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
3:16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Paul has just described his advancement in the gospel, careful to inform the Philippians that he had not that I have “already obtained” or was “already perfect” back in verse 12.
He has then went on to describe his state of being in the Christian life, careful to inform his brothers that he hasn’t “made it” yet. That he has growth to go through.
As mentioned in verse 13, he is focused on forgetting and straining. Forgetting what lies behind (accomplishments and failures) and straining forward to Christ likeness. He is in the process.
In verse 16, he is reminding the rest of us that we are in process. This process of moving forward includes holding onto the progress already achieved.
This is a practice that is not to be ignored. How often have I been diligent in my studies, and then got lazy? How often have I sought to pray more and then followed some other goal? How often have I sought to be a peacemaker, and then gossip about a brother? How often have I sought to serve, and then in the midst of service, been distracted.
My friends, Paul is asking us to hold true to those characteristics of Christ that we have already assimilated into our lives. To practice the heart of God in day to day interactions with those we rub shoulders with.
As I consider this short verse, I find it holds a great challenge. A good question to consider might be…
Have you maintained what you attained?
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
The psalms of David’s heart are sometimes not associated with a specific time in his life. Not so with this psalm. This is specifically the time when the assassination plot was initiated against the shepherd boy by the King of Israel. Let us consider the passage that describes the condition David is in when He pens this psalm.
1 Samuel 19:11-12
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
David is on the run! This is unbelievable in David’s mind, totally unexpected, for as he speaks with Saul’s son Jonathon after this, he reveals his confusion.
1 Samuel 20:1
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
Psalm 59 is David’s heart after this shocking development in his life. From becoming a national hero, and the future king of Israel, David plummets to a fugitive, on the run from his own people, expecting a spear through the heart or a sword falling on his neck. He is a dead man.
Except for one hope! His God.
Twice he looks to God, to his God for deliverance, once for defending and finally for salvation. Each of these verbs are telling!
Deliver
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God… (v1)
deliver me from those who work evil (v2)
David’s request for deliverance from his enemies (those who work evil) may be understood as David requesting God to snatch him away from the situation, or to take him away from the danger. His request has the sense of being without any self assistance, as one who is without any resource to perform the escape. David is helpless in this request, and he looks to God for his deliverance.
Protect
Protect me from those who rise up against me (v1)
To “protect” in this verse is a surprising concept for a 21st century believer, for it speaks of the one being protected as being set on high, to be in accessible, to be too high for capture.
Notice Davis is asking to be lifted up (protected) against those who are rising up against him. They are seeking to find advantage in their position over David, and yet David seeks God to being him to a higher point, a position of being unreachable, beyond their grasp
Save
save me from bloodthirsty men. (v2)
David cuts to the chase in this verse, for he speaks of those men who are against him as bloodthirsty. His enemies are rising up against him and working evil, are doing so from a blood lust, a desire to kill.
David clearly understands the situation. He is looking to God, his God for deliverance, to cheat these bloodthirsty men from any success. And we know that God, his God came to his rescue. David eventually became king. Eventually! You see, David may have been as young as 19 on the night Saul’s men came to get him. Eleven years later, he ascended to the throne. Over a decade of protection through numerous close calls, near misses and terror inducing events.
God’s protection and deliverance in David’s life was in the midst of many trials.
It may be good to remember this as we enter into trials and struggles in our own walk with the Master.
God protects and we trust. And we are called to continue to trust, in the midst of the trials, the close calls and the terror inducing events, for God is good, and He is good all the time!
Considering the Bible 