Considering the Bible

Names of God – BREAD – 57

2024-03-15

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.

57

BREAD FROM HEAVEN

John 6:32
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

Our next two descriptions of God are related to bread.

Our first passage hears Jesus speaking of the life giving food of the Bread from Heaven.

Notice that He speaks in the past when referring to Moses and the physical bread the Israeli’s received from the heavens for close to 40 years. They received the bread from heaven, but as Jesus is speaking to those hearing, He is referring to the present, the time He was on earth. He clarifies that the Bread they have access to is the Bread from Heaven, and delegating the manna of old as a simple physical symbol of things to come.

The Bread from heaven is a life giving sustenance that is to be consumed daily, to receive strength for the battles of the day, to have power to perform the tasks at hand and to be a blessing to others.

The Bread from Heaven speaks of Its (His) origin and therefore also implies that the strength, power and blessing is not of a physical source but of a heavenly source.

Are you finding daily sustenance for your Christian life in the Bread from Heaven?

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.

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Paradoxical Passages – 2 Corinthians 8:9

2024-03-14

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Through His poverty to our wealth? Dat don’t make no sense!

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.

When I think of riches, automatically I resort to the number of greenbacks I possess or to the value of my estate. Such a poverty driven way of thinking of riches!

When Paul is teaching the Corinthians, he is speaking to a congregation that surely had the same problem. Paul uses this settled mindset and twists it back to correct thinking. He is the excellent teacher, taking his students from where they currently think to a better place, a better focus, a better understanding of reality.

This is the intent of many of the paradoxes we see in the Word, for as the Lord or His apostle provides a paradox, it first off, at least for me, arrests my thinking and causes me to consider what the message is really intended to be.

We must remember that our thoughts are not necessarily correct in our current condition, even if we have been walking with the Lord for decades.

For this paradox, Paul is comparing the original state of Jesus prior to the incarnation, in that He was rich. To say that simply is somewhat of an understatement. Yes – He was rich for He was of the Godhead, creator and owner of everything. Yes – He was rich, but as my first reaction to assign things to this “richness”, this may have been the very intent Paul had to grab the Corinthians attention.

Paul uses this to return to the gospel, to explain that the riches were not merely physical things, but spiritual things.

Many in the modern church use this verse to adulterate the blessings God has provided through the Savior, denigrating them to merely gold and houses. The richness Jesus willingly gave up was far greater.

He accepted a sinner’s death, so we might have the Savior’s life. He accepted a criminals fate so we might have a righteous standing. He suffered through complete isolation from the Father so we might have Him with us always.

His richness that He gave up has nothing to do with physical wealth. As believers, we are rich, but not in the worldly sense. No our richness is in knowing the True God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Does knowing the Lord satisfy you? Is this verse still a paradox? Reconsider what true richness is!

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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Life of David – 5.08

2024-03-13

David and Goliath

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 17:28-30

28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”
30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

No matter how you cut it, Eliab is a piece of work in this passage. He fully exposes himself in front of the army, and before his brothers face, his attitude of superiority over David, his condescending tone, his judgement of intent. Eliab does not look good in this passage.

First off, He rejects David’s attendance. Why have you come down? Why are you here? Never mind that David was sent, Eliab assumes David came to stir the pot, to cause trouble, that David came of his own volition.

Secondly, Eliab tries to shame David, by speaking of “those few sheep in the wilderness” that he cared for. If it was but a few sheep, this speaks of David’s faithfulness, yet we do not know if there was any truth to this slur of Eliab’s. Was it a few sheep, or dozens of sheep. Not the issue to be honest, for Eliab was working the same warfare as Goliath at this point, a warfare that attacked and denigrated the opposition. But the difference here is that Eliab is family! At least in the physical sense.

Finally, Eliab judges David’s intentions, his heart, the motivations that drove David to come to the battle field. Remember, David came at the behest of his father, to provide sustenance for his brothers. David came to the battlefield as a servant, but Eliab assigned evil intentions to his younger brother, while in the middle of frustrated soldiers that were being shamed.

Truly, Eliab was rejected by God as the next king, based on character traits that may not have been obvious at the time. It seems these character traits are starting to become evident, and Eliab has no problem expressing his disfavor of his own brother in the midst of a gang of soldiers. Yes Eliab had his issues. And it seems his rejection by God was well warranted. He simply was not good leadership material. Gosh – he wasn’t even good brother material!

After David’s declaration of taking on the giant, and Eliab’s tongue lashing of David, the rumor mill cranked up in activity and the news reached the king.

We have a soldier willing to take on the giant! Bring him to the King!

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Aaron 7

2024-03-12

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

Chosen

Exodus 40:13
and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.

Hebrews 5:1
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.

Moses was instructed to bring Aaron to the entrance of the tent of meeting in order to display before the nation His choice of Aaron as His High Priest. Aaron was to receive the holy garments, not due to a successful political campaign, or to some bribe that provided him this privilege, but due to the choice of God for his life.

Jesus, in His arrival and life, pleased the Father and was described as the One chosen by the Father.

Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

Both Aaron and Jesus had the privilege of being chosen for a priesthood. Of course the Son was chosen for the highest priesthood, and will remain in the priesthood forever, always serving as priest. As Hebrews 5:1 reminds us, His Priesthood before the Father is on our behalf in relation to God. He is our High Priest before God and provides His people the privilege of being in the presence of the Father, having become our sacrifice for sin.

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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Names of God – BRANCH – 56

2024-03-11

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.

56

BRANCH

Zechariah 6:12
And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.

The Word refers to “the Branch” a number of times and I struggled with which verse to use for our post this morning.

Isaiah 11:1 identifies the Branch as from Jesse’s family, and in chapter 4:2, the prophet refers to the Branch of the Lord, identifying the Branch as from the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 and 33:15-17 associates the Branch with Righteousness.

Zechariah mentions the Branch prior to our verse above in chapter 3:8-9.

Each of these texts are fantastic verses to dwell on for the believer, but for this post, let us consider Zechariah 6:12, for Zechariah speaks of the Branches activities, or actions.

First off He will branch out from His place. Some scholars speak of this clause as describing the Branch’s growth as being from Itself, not dependent upon His conditions or environment. His growth is not expected, or of a natural result.

Secondly, the Branch shall build the temple. As Zechariah is preaching this message, the physical temple is being built in Jerusalem. Joshua, the High Priest, who is initially being referred to here, is associated with the physical temple, and many in the audience may have understood this declaration as being directly for him and the immediate circumstances.

Yet, if any Israeli worshipper knew his Old Testament, when Zechariah used the term “Branch”, they knew he meant much more than the immediate priest named Joshua. This was the Messiah being referred to in this passage, and that this Messiah would branch out, spread His influence/authority/knowledge throughout the land.

For the New Testament believer, this passage speaks of the Messiah’s influence/authority/knowledge spreading farther than the small nation of Israel, but throughout the earth.

The temple of the Lord is being built by the Branch, and may His name be praised!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Philippian Bits – 3:15

2024-03-10

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.

3:15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

Paul again refers to perfection when he speaks of mature, (for it contains the same root Greek word as “perfect” in verse 12). I stumbled over this concept a few verses ago, when my mind went to a “sinless perfection” idea, when really he was speaking of the completion of a goal or task.

In those verses he claimed he was not perfect or mature, but in this verse he is grouping himself with those who are mature. What gives?

As we age in this present life, we have stages of life that are obvious to all. A baby, a toddler, a little boy or girl, a tweenager, and then a teenager. A young adult, a middle aged person, an old man and finally a fully mature being. In each of these stages, a certain maturity is reached before passing onto the next stage. My grandson, as a baby, left that stage of life when he took his first steps, thereby becoming a toddler.

I think Paul may be considering this idea as he speaks here. There is a certain maturity (an intermediate maturity) a believer should grow into within the Christin faith that becomes obvious for all to see. It was obvious in the Philippian church, for Paul was reaching out to those younger in this verse.

So much practical wisdom may be gleaned from the Word. Paul, in this verse recognizes that some within the church of Philippi may think different than Paul. Does Paul demand conformity to his thoughts? Does he rant and rave, assuming others have to think as he does in all things? Is that Paul’s concept of maturity, of a unity within the Body of Christ?

I think not. An example may suffice in describing my thought. Remember in 1 Corinthians, when Paul was requiring Apollos to perform what he wanted?

1 Corinthians 16:12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

Paul strongly urged Apollos, yet Apollos would not bend his will to Paul’s. Can you imagine saying no to Paul? Where is the unity? There is no unity if we consider our leaders to be the one we are to circle about, for they are not the Lord.

Similarily here in Philippians, where Paul appeals to the Lord as the One who is the revealer, the One we are to be united under.

As I mentioned above, there is so much practical advise provided in the Word, and this is one place I woould do well to practice more.

When in a discussion with a peer, does their opinion offend you, cause you to want to defend your position, upset you or irritate you. It didn’t seem to bother Paul in this instance, for he simply referred back to His (and our) Master.

Of course this can’t be said about the preaching of the gospel to the lost, for as we share, we are obligated to state the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Pleading for their soul may be warranted, but sowing and reaping entails many different types of effort. But allowing them to wander off thinking they can safely have another opinion about God other than the truth of Jesus is not where Paul is coming from.

But we all know that, right?

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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Psalms for Psome – Ps 58.04

2024-03-09

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.

David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.

Psalm 58

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Throughout this psalm we have seen David battle with his frustration, with injustice, with crying out to God for action. Let’s remember David’s situation. He has been recently declared by God and His prophet Samuel, in the presence of his family, to be the next King of Israel. He has saved the nation from extreme embarrassment by defeating the giant Goliath. He has served both father and King with multiple tasks. And now he is on the run, being chased by the King and ignored by his family.

I get the message of verse 10, and the joy of seeing vengeance on an enemy. I really do! There have been times in my life when we have been treated poorly and unjustly, and eventually the Lord brings about a turnaround in the situation, with the persecutor becoming a victim. I found joy in the rescue of the Lord, and to be blunt enjoyed seeing the one suffer.

For some reason, I am finding that even though justice is deserved, and may be meted out, that in those circumstances when I see a fairness exacted I experience less joy, less happiness, less satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong – to have the Lord rescue me or my loved ones is an exhilarating experience, but if it entails a required discipline on another, even an enemy, my relative joy is diminished.

To see my enemy suffer is not a joy. I am not sure where David’s head was when he wrote this, especially referring to bathing his feet in the blood of the wicked. It may have some oriental implication I don’t understand, or he may be simply expressing the natural response of a man under tremendous pressure.

It is beyond me, and may reveal my immaturity in the Lord.

But lets stand back and consider these last two verses, that the joy may not necessarily be in the bloody foot bath, but in the fact that there is a God who judges the earth. There is a judge who will defend the helpless, and put right those actions that are evil.

And yet there is a higher thought that nags at me.

Is it not the same Judge of all the earth that was judged, condemned, tortured, mocked, ridiculed, and crucified by those who are the wicked, unjust and cruel of the land.

And yet He asked for their forgiveness.

Yes He is the Greater David, the One who pulls all of us to higher ground, who reveals the merciful heart of the Father, who provides forgiveness to us who should identify with Saul more than David.

We are truly a blessed people to have the Greater David as our Guide, Leader, Savior and Teacher.

He is good!

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Names of God – BLESSED HOPE – 55

2024-03-08

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.

55

BLESSED HOPE

Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Our Blessed Hope.

Jesus is described as our Hope.

Hope is a term in our culture that may mean anything from a wish (I sure hope I get a Maserati for Christmas) to a sense of desperation (Mary is so sick now we only have hope).

The Bible uses this term differently, for when we see the word “hope”, we are to think of a joyful and confident expectation. This term is also associated with a pleasurable expectation, an experience of goodness and joy.

So when Titus adds the modifier “blessed”, he is strengthening the base message of a pleasurable expectation for the one hoping. He is describing Jesus, the subject of the hope, and not merely the experience of the one having the hope.

Jesus is the Hope of the believer, and what a great promise to look forward to. Yet Titus goes one step further, reminding us that He is the Blessed Hope.

Consider the implications of using the term blessed in relation to this description of God. To be blessed speaks of satisfaction, to be fully satisfied, to be in a happy condition. He is blessed and due His being in a blessed blessed condition at His coming, we should also reflect on this truth. If He is blessed (happy) at His coming for His saints, how does that change the way you think of that coming day? When He appears, He will be in a blessed condition, in a joyful attitude as He rescues us.

Do you see His coming in that way?

Is He your “Blessed” Hope?

Is there an anticipation of His arrival or is His delay acceptable to you?

Jesus is our Blessed Hope

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.

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Conditional Security – Luke 12:41-48

2024-03-07

Luke 12:41-48

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.
48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Who is this story for? Peter askes for clarification on a previous parable about readiness, with Jesus providing this portion of Scripture in response. Is He speaking to believers, servants of the Lord, or everyone? Personally, I don’t see it as everyone, for there would be no degradation of an unbelievers actions, for they are by nature without a manager, they do not submit to a Master.

It doesn’t seem to apply to the unregenerate.

Yet if this parable is meant for believers, this poses another problem. What is it to be cut in pieces?

To be cut in pieces refers to a cruel punishment of the Hebrews, very similar to what our Lord suffered prior to the crucifixion. To be cut in pieces is actually what the original punishment meant, to be cut in half – a form of execution, but in our passage, it likely refers to a scourging, or severe whipping.

If it is a believer/servant Jesus is referring to, and the believer/servant considers he has opportunity (since in his estimation the master will not return very soon), he transitions from servant to tyrant, abusing his fellow servants, and indulging in his fleshly desires. This servant ignores his responsibility of feeding the Masters servants and instead indulges himself instead.

So was he never a servant? Notice that after the scourging, the Master places this servant/believer with the hypocrites. It is interesting that the term hypocrites in Luke is the term ἄπιστος ápistos. With the “a” before the common term pistos, (meaning faith or faithful), this word refers to a unbeliever.

So this servant/believer who was not ready, He is severely punished and then associated with those who do not believe.

Is this “servant” still a believer? If not, when did this transition from believer to non believer happen? In his actions or his thoughts?

Or was he a hypocrite/unbeliever throughout the parable, with the opportunity to indulge merely showing off his inner desires?

Who then is the faithful and wise manager?

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

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Life of David – 5.07

2024-03-06

David and Goliath

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 17:24-27

24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

I can imagine that at this point, in David’s mind, he had decided he was going to kill Goliath. It was a settled conviction for David, a decision he made when the giant defied the armies of the Living God. Note that the men amongst him (his brothers?) merely referred to the armies being defied, without any reference to the Living God. This is what separated David from the rank and file of the nations armies.

But David also had a strategy for this opportunity. Yes he would kill the barbarian, the uncircumcised giant. No debate on this outcome. He would face the giant and with God’s help defeat him.

But the news of three benefits from the king were freely shared amongst the army. I am sure King Saul reminded the army of this opportunity, hoping someone would step forward. The men of Israel spread the news – the reward the king would offer was three fold, and it was a generous offer!

Great riches
The kings daughter in marriage
The family’s house free in Israel. – no taxes

So great were these rewards, that David needed some clarification, so he asked again what would be granted to the man who defeated this enemy. Can you imagine what this news would do for the young shepherd? First he is anointed king, and now he has the opportunity to gain riches (become a name in Israel), marry into royalty (which would become a hindrance eventually) and provided tax free living for his father.

This opportunity to gain wealth, connections and status in the nation must have signaled to David that God was continuing to guide him into great things.

Of course this is not completely parallel for the believer today, for we are not to be enticed by the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes or the pride of life. In no way am I suggesting David was fueled by these desires, but the rewards may position him to be on a trajectory to fulfill (at least in his mind) his future coronation into the Kingship of Israel.

No matter, for David’s mind and heart were set. We cannot see all the ruminations within this young mans mind, but one thing was certain. He was going to take care of this problem!

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Aaron 6

2024-03-05

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

Behind the veil

Exodus 28:29
So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.

Hebrews 6:19-20
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

As Aaron represented the children of Israel for a very short period of time before the LORD into the earthly Holy Place, His actions depicted the Greater Aaron, as our High Priest entering before the Father in reality.

Both entered behind the veil, into the Holy Place.

Aaron, as a type of Christ in his representing the children of Israel, was to remain for a short period behind the veil, performing his priestly duty and then returning to the people he represented. (Jesus too will be returning to His people but that is a separate topic for another day!)

Although Jesus is of a different priesthood, His entrance into the Father’s presence provides our future access, for not only does our author not speak of His leaving the Father’s presence, but that Jesus is described as a forerunner, One who is sent before those who follow.

Yes they both entered behind a veil, but only Jesus went behind the veil to remain behind the veil, and to provide access for those who He represented forever.

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Names of God – BLESSED AND ONLY SOVEREIGN – 54

2024-03-04

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.

54

BLESSED AND ONLY SOVEREIGN

2 Timothy 6:15 which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

For this name of God, I would like to concentrate on the concept of Sovereign. It is not a word that is commonly used outside of the Christian culture (or Britain), but the term refers to one who serves as a chief of state, or more applicable in our study, One who exercises supreme authority.

In my past studies, when I read Sovereign in relation to the Lord, the principal image of control rose in my mind. That is, He is in control of all things, from the time we are born, to the time we die. He is the creator and sustainer of all life and has provided a Savior that has redeemed us, rescuing us from damnation and loss.

For a period of time, my ruminations on the concept of control as Sovereign, in my mind, elevated God to the highest plane, to a point where every decision, act and attitude could be attributed to God. For a period of time this became a passion of mine, until I sensed a personal lack of concern for my own responsibility in front of Him. After all, in this scheme of thinking, He is the One who controls everything in His kingdom. And eventually, I felt I was slipping into a void.

Until I heard a man speak of a sovereign in a silly story.

He asked me to imagine a family going to a park, with three or four children tagging along. Prior to getting to the park, the father informed the children they were to stay within eyesight, not climb too high, and to care for each other. Upon arriving, the mother and father sat down, reminded the children of the instructions, and let them have some fun. As the children played, the father and mother were on constant watch, but the children had tremendous freedom to play within the boundaries set.

I ask you. Could this father be considered a sovereign? Did He have control over his “subjects”? If they rebelled, did he have the authority to discipline? If the children did right, exercising the freedom they were provided, did he become less sovereign?

My friends, the Sovereignty of God is a massive truth, and I take no credit for this story, but for the wise man who told it to me, I am thankful. I have come to understand that God is good, He has set limitations for us in the “park” and that He is always watching us, walking with us, and giving us guidance as we look to Him.

He is confident in Himself to allow His creation to work together with Him, to make mistakes (and learn from them) to provide a measure of freedom for His children, and yet still get the glory only He deserves.

He is good and He is good all the time!

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.

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Philippian Bits – 3:14

2024-03-03

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.

3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If Paul is carrying the topic of resurrection from amongst the dead through the last few verses, that is his completion of his service and life upon the earth, then he gives us additional descriptions of the goal of his life.

It is a Goal

Again Paul refers to this idea of perfection, or as I now understand it as a completion of a task. It is something he has not “attained” yet but he is pushing to it

It is a Prize

The “prize” also has the connotation of being an award to a victor in the games. It is an accomplishment, something that is tangible and may be remembered to prove talent or energy expending, of the ability to excel and complete a task or race.

It is an Upward Call

It is upward, not downward. This seems obvious but consider your actions in the past day. Have your actions and attitudes been on a higher scale than last year? Last month? We are to be changing, growing and straining to a better witness of our Savior. I am becoming convinced that much of this witness is never seen by man, that our witness if true, is a continual lifestyle of service, and even as we are alone with our thoughts and Savior, we are to seek higher thoughts, higher motivations, higher attitudes, that reflect the nature He has given us.

Also, note that is is a call, an invite. You don’t have to serve, sacrifice or suffer if you don’t love Him. Walk away.

It is of God

The call came from God. Incredible. An invitation from God to a sinner, a man of weakness and frailty, a man that has been distracted, disillusioned and depressed, and yet the call goes out to this man that has no claim to deserving this call. Other than the radical love of the Savior, always seeking and saving!

It is in Christ Jesus.

How fitting for Paul to finish this description of the prize as Christ Jesus. How appropriate! How good to be reminded that He is the prize, and the resurrection from amongst the dead is not a final goal of the believer but a channel through which we will enter into His presence for all of eternity.

Consider your call my friend.

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 58.03

2024-03-02

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.

David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.

Psalm 58

6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

In our last post, David described the wicked one, the one who refuses correction, the one who is fully loaded with venom, ready to attack, the one who seeks their own desires above all else.

David turns a corner with this portion, for he is now seeking justice on those who are persecuting him. He is asking the Lord for retribution on the wicked for the suffering he has experienced due to their wicked plans against him. Can you feel the frustration he is experiencing. He faithfully served the King, saved the nation from the Philistines in slaying Goliath, ministered to Saul in his sickness, and is now on the run for his life.

Persecuted, not due to anything he has done, other than the Lord choosing him for the throne of Israel. David’s heart for God, and God’s response in anointing him for the throne of Israel brought about his life of being on the run, of being but a step from the grave.

Can you feel his frustration? What is going on? Surely being chosen by God will only bring blessing and honor into David’s life. Surely there is something wrong with this picture! Surely God is not acting correctly, not providing the justice needed, and David begins to describe to God the ways these men are to be treated. David is looking for his God to deliver him, to execute justice upon those who are unjustly smearing his name, chasing him down and ruining his life.

In these verses, David writes numerous descriptions of how God should judge the wicked, all of which lead to their destruction. Note that David is pleading with God, but David’s actions reflect his faith in God, his belief that God truly is the Judge of all the earth, and that even the timing of justice is in God’s hands.

I can’t help but think of a time I chatted with my best friend and she spoke of her desire to lash out at her boss over an injustice. There was no doubt about the injustice, and yet she had not said anything, nor taken any hasty actions. This situation, though a microcosm of David’s experience, has some parallels. And thankfully, as she is wont to do, just needed to express her feelings, share how she felt, and then reconsidered how Jesus would respond. (She took donuts to work with her to be a blessing!)

As we face injustice, it is good for us to be honest with the Lord in our prayers. Trying to come to God with a “face on” will help no one, and God is not deceived. David fully expressed his desires for these wicked men, yet would not hurt the Lord’s anointed.

David expressed his anger and frustration with God, yet was under God’s control in his day to day life. He was under persecution for doing right, for being right, and yet no retaliation, no seeking of revenge against Saul.

Consider the Greater David. Consider His actions toward those who unjustly mocked Him, ridiculed Him, defamed Him, beat him, whipped Him and crucified Him. Did He seek justice, or ask the Father to forgive them?

How will He act towards you?

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Names of God – BELOVED SON – 53

2024-03-01

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.

53

BELOVED SON

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus is called the Father’s beloved Son.

Beloved is the Greek term ἀγάπη agápē.

As many know, there are a number of terms in the Bible that refer to love, but this is the term that was not in use in the Greek language at the time of the first century. It is a term that reflects the character of the One loving and not of the one being loved.

With that said, when God so loved the world, this term seems appropriate, for the One loving is God and the one being loved is those in rebellion. The ones receiving this love were not deserving, they were actually enemies of God. Yet, out of the character of God, He loved them. God expressed His love to them because that is the character of God. The recipients had nothing to do with it other than being contrary to the love, refusing and fighting against the hound of heaven.

When Paul states that the Son is beloved, and uses the same Greek term, we are to understand that the love the Father has for His Son is the same love He has for us, as we are in the Son and He is the Beloved Son.

The Father’s love for the Son came out of His own character, and though there was nothing between the Father and Son (except while the Son was on the cross), the love was pure and unrelenting.

Jesus is the Beloved Son.

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.

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Conditional Security – Colossians 2:18-19

2024-02-29

Colossians 2:18-19 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

Disqualify Christians?

Who is Paul talking to here? Is he speaking to those on the fringe of the church, those who may not be totally committed to the Savior. Maybe this passage is intended for those on the outside looking in, those who have not made a commitment, that are not believers yet. No – that can’t be since Paul has addressed this letter to the saints and faithful.

Colossians 1:2

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

No this warning can’t be for those on the fringe of the church. Since we have established this warning to true believers, then we must understand what it means to be disqualified for a believer?

First, what is it to be “disqualified”? What does the Greek word actually mean? Let us refer to Strong’s definition to begin.

It is a compound word in the Greek, made up of kata – “against” and brabeus – “an umpire”, and refers to those false teachers in the church who are acting as judges or umpires regarding the truth, fighting against the teaching Paul has provided.

Disqualified from Christian leadership?

Some may approach this verse in conjunction with Paul’s teaching in other passages where the apostle (or any other Christian leader) would be disqualified from further service due to sin or lapse in faithfulness. This certainly is a truth in the Word, but I struggle finding this theme in this passage. It appears Paul is talking to all the saints and faithful in Colossae

Disqualified from Christian rewards?

To be disqualified in this verse is to loose the opportunity for some (or all) the rewards possible for a believer when he passes from this earth. This is the common fall back position I took when I was invested in OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved). This may have some connection to the previous topic of service, and may be the correct interpretation, if the theme of rewards may be found in the earlier verses. Can you find the theme of rewards in this passage?

Disqualified from Christian life?

Although the grimmest of end results, that is the apostacy of the believer being referred to here in verse 18 , the very next verse may direct me to this conclusion. Paul speaks of being disqualified, and then speaks of the believer “not holding fast to the Head”

Colossians 2:19

and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

When might we think that not holding fast to the Head would be an acceptable condition for salvation?

Although I typically use the ESV throughout my posts on this blog, I do refer to other translations occasionally, and in this instance found two translations that speak of an apostacy.

Colossians 2:19 NIV

They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Colossians 2:19 NLT

and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

Also, though my understanding of the English word disqualified may not be worth much, when I see the term “disqualified” I understand the word to mean that the participant is ejected from the competition, that he or she is no longer allowed to be involved, that upon some decision or act of the participant, a rule was broken (or in my understanding a relationship was rejected).

Rejecting the Head for an alternate method of reaching God. Foolishness yet a very real threat in this age, as we have multitudinous false teachers seeking to pull us away from the truth of the gospel.

Jesus is the only way, and any teacher that distracts you from the simple truth of Jesus the Messiah, crucified for you is a deadly distraction.

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Life of David – 5.06

2024-02-28

David and Goliath

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 17:19-23

19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers.
23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

David was a responsible young man, always ensuring those assignments to which he could not attend to, were taken care of. Note that prior to leaving for the front, he left the sheep with a keeper. As he entered the encampment area, he assigned a keeper to care for the provisions he brought for his brothers.

Note also, that David rose early, indicating a willing spirit, for he didn’t stay in bed, sleep in, act the sluggard, but rose early and performed his assigned tasks. This enthusiasm, it turns out was instrumental for David to arrive at the camp, just in time to hear Goliaths rant. To be with his brothers as they were subjected to psychological warfare.

The soldiers were being worn down, with this assembly of the ranks before the enemy required with a daily formation and approach, only to pull back, to take the mental hit and go back to the camp, licking their wounds.

This time a young man, a teenager, a future king, a shepherd, heard the rant from the enemy. At this point, everything changes! And Goliath might better start measuring his coffin, for he is a dead man!

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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Jesus in the Old Testament – Aaron 5

2024-02-27

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

Tempted

Exodus 32:1
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

We all know of Aaron’s failure before the Lord in succumbing to the pressure of the Israelites. He actually created (or oversaw the creation) of Israel’s first idol, while Moses was speaking with God on the mountain.

Aaron was tempted, and as he fell in this temptation, he produced a situation that spread far beyond his own life. The repercussions of falling into this temptation was the potential wiping out of the entire nation. Yet Aaron, and the nation, due to Moses intercession, escaped judgement.

Obviously Moses is a type of the Lord in this instance, and we shall get to him, but in Aaron, we find a man who was tempted. He felt the pressure of the crowd, the influence of the multitude, and fell to the coercion, rejecting the truth Moses spoke to him.

Jesus also was tempted, not only in the wilderness all alone, for 40 days, in a weakened condition, but also in the multitudes, in large groups and gangs that had death on their minds. He stayed the course, even to death, knowing that the temptation to save His own skin would doom not only the nation, but the created world.

He was tempted, yet without sin!

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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Names of God – BEGINNING OF WISDOM – 52

2024-02-26

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.

52

BEGINNING OF WISDOM

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

This description of our Savior is the third time He is associated with a beginning.

In the last two posts, we have seen that when “beginning” was referring to the Christ, it was related to the new creation, the church, and to His mission and sacrifice.

Not so here for Psalmist speaks of the beginning of wisdom as the attitude of the fear of the Lord.

We understand the fear of the Lord is the Old Testament motivation for all obedience to the commands of God. Whether it is a holy reverence or a soul quaking fear is not the focus of this post.

The focus of this post is to consider the ultimate “beginning of wisdom” to be best displayed in the Savior Himself.

We know He is the sinless Son of God, obedient in all his actions and attitudes before Hs Father. His fear of the Lord was consummate, for He never looked to the right or to the left. Only on the Father.

The term “beginning”, though often denoting the first in time, may also speak of the first in place, order or rank. Given this, it would be easy to understand that the beginning of wisdom was best exemplified and lived out in the Messiah.

He is the beginning of wisdom.

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.

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Philippian Bits – 3:13

2024-02-25

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.

3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

In our last post we spoke of Paul’s attitude of accomplishment, and he continues to flesh this out in this verse.

He again speaks of the sacrificial life, in that he forgets his previous service, the sacrifice and the suffering he has experienced in ministry to the Lord. To forget in this verse has the added meaning sometimes of not caring about, or neglecting something.

In your walk with the Lord, do you find yourself comparing your ministry with that of your peers? Doesn’t feel like you are forgetting what lies behind you Carl!

How about in your estimation of the service you have provided? Is it something that you remind yourself of, roll it about in your mind and find comfort in? Is that a healthy way to think Carl?

Every moment we spend in the past, whether if be in remembering our successes (or failures) we are not pressing forward, as Paul speaks of in the passage.

He is straining to what lies ahead, and in this phrase he may be referring to the resurrection from the dead that he spoke of above. He is keeping his eye on the prize, for to strain for what lies ahead – the resurrection from the dead – is to look to Jesus.

It is our privilege to concentrate, focus and strain to see the One who has been resurrected from amongst the dead, into a new life. His works are the only service we are to remember, and all other service can be forgotten, if it feeds a heart of pride, consumes our limited time or distracts us from our focus.

Let us not forget Him and yet forget us!

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 58.02

2024-02-24

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.

David provided the core, foundational problem of mankind in last weeks post, of the heart of the ruler, and the violence that flows from the rulers heart through his hands and to the victims.

In todays post, David will continue to describe wicked man, those men who sought him out, chased him with the intention of death, those who hated him without cause. He is also describing those amongst whom we live, those who have gained breath from birth, those we love and cherish, even ourselves – if we are honest with ourselves.

Although uncomfortable, let us read the following passage.

Psalm 58

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.

If we are honest with ourselves.

It is a difficult message, when I see my little grandchildren cooing and gurgling, to believe that within those cute little ones, their lies a heart that is bent to selfishness.

It is hard to admit that each of us, as we gain breath, have a desire to satisfy own own heart and none else. Though David’s description is speaking of those who were in full bloom of their sin, they began with a self centered spirit. These enemies of David had potential to either follow after or fight against their estrangement, their isolation from others, and especially from God the Father. These particular men followed after their estrangement. We all do. It is natural. It is normal. It is inevitable.

If we are honest with ourselves.

The wicked come fully weaponized. The wicked have venom. They do not need to gain a source of venom, but come fully equipped with poisonous intent.

Story time

As I was walking though my office yesterday, a peer had his radio on, volume low, and barely discernible, but I caught a phrase in a song that we repeat to ourselves constantly.

I believe people are good. I believe I am good.

Even as I heard that, I felt good. I enjoyed that message. I thought highly of myself. I have done some good things in life, therefore I am good, right?

My friends, I am not trying to say every human is as evil as Hitler in their actions, but we all are capable of great self deception, and easily able to justify evil acts, all the while thinking we are good.

If we are honest with ourselves.

Note that the wicked do not hear the voice of the charmers, or the enchanter. They refuse any counsel or direction. They stop their ears, intentionally refusing to hear of any alternate message, of any correction or rebuke.

At this point, David’s description of mankind is desperate. A fully weaponized individual that refuses any direction, being directed only by a heart that seeks it’s own desire

Let’s be honest with ourselves my friend. If we have ever veered from the perfection of God, (and we all have), we belong to the group David is describing here. Venomous individuals seeking their own. Individuals with a heart that spews out violence.

Is there no hope? Surely we are without any ability to correct our ways, for our only influence is the heart we were born with, that we are controlled by, that devise our plans and direct our actions. No wonder Paul cried out…

Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Let us remember that the main issue in this Psalm is the search for the true Judge of all the earth. David is describing a judge (or ruler) vying for control over our lives. In his description of those against him, he condemns us all, for his description is the description of my own heart.

But am I being to harsh, too judgmental, to negative? Jesus himself sealed this truth when He described the heart of man in Matthew 15:18-19

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

We have a heart that seeks it’s own. The true Judge is One who has the heart we think we have, that is, a heart that is the very definition of right, that has been pieced for us, that has drawn us to Him.

Seek Him. Listen to Him. Do not stop your ears from His counsel. Seek His heart, for His heart is a heart of mercy, forgiveness, love, patience, kindness wisdom.

He is the only One we can run to for His heart.

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Names of God – BEGINNING OF GOD’S CREATION – 51

2024-02-23

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.

51

BEGINNING OF GOD’S CREATION

Revelation 3:14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

In our last post we considered Jesus as the beginning of the church, as Paul was writing to the Colossians.

In this portion of Scripture, John is describing our Savior as the beginning of God’s creation. Again. let us be careful to not assume Jesus had a beginning (other than as a man) and was not One of the eternal persons in the Trinity.

As the audience is the church of the Laodiceans, I have always considered the creation John refers to here as the church, very much of the same vein of truth as Paul expressed in Colossians 1:18

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.

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Paradoxical Passages – Matthew 23:11

2024-02-22

Matthew 23:11

The greatest among you shall be your servant.

As many who read this blog are believers, to see this verse is to simply accept it at face value. We have accepted it since it is in the Word and not been shocked as the disciples must have been when they first heard it.

Considering the original audience, it is a paradox, and in trying to understand the message as the original hearers, – well – it is a difficult saying!

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.

I suppose the easiest way to understand this paradox is the throw myself under the bus. It isn’t the saying that is the problem but my false concept that to be great means to accept the world’s definition of greatness. My nature is such that I to want to have power over others, and that power over others somehow is evidence of greatness in my life. To be over someone, to have someone serve me, can be heady, it feeds the pride, makes my self estimation blow up, and allows the self deception of my own importance grow.

So why is it that power over someone makes me think I am of more worth, have greater value, or simply am a “better” person. If we consider some of the most powerful men in history, they have been despots, dictators that have taken their power over others and abused it, causing suffering and death. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Jesus’ truth in this verse, if considered in the opposite, shows the truth of His statement. Those who have had the more “servants” have actually become lesser people, loosing moral guidance and ethical anchors, their very souls to the drive for more power.

Yes, this verse is a paradox, but only due to my upside down thinking of what it takes to be great. As we watch those who have incredible power over others in this age, we must remind ourselves that they have lost everything in order to gain this temporal condition. They are truly to be pitied, for they have fallen for a lie, and will suffer due to their success!

If we seek greatness (an imitation of Christ in us), the only path is through service to others.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Life of David – 5.05

2024-02-21

David and Goliath

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 17:17-18

17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

Jesse sent his youngest son into a war zone. According to my calculations, Jesse still had five sons at home, of whom David is the youngest.

Why send David?

Jesse sent the future king of Israel into a war zone. How long ago had it been that David was anointed to be King of Israel?

Why send David?

Jesse sent the family shepherd into a war zone. Were the other four brothers busy working for the father?

Why send David?

Jesse sent David into a warzone to provide supplies for his brothers and superior, and to “spy” on the conditions of the army of Israel. ”Spy” may be too harsh a word for this errand but the result is the same. Jesse was curious about the conditions his sons were experiencing, and Jesse’s concern for his older boys brought David into an unsafe situation.

So why send David. Did not Jesse have a servant that was trustworthy, but somewhat expendable? It turns out in our next passage, we find that David, prior to leaving on this mission, found a keeper for his sheep. Jesse had servants!

Was Jesse revealing how he saw David, not as the future King, or as his youngest son, but just as another servant, one whom was already busy performing shepherding tasks for him and service to the king. Note that David had just been described as having returned from the king’s service in our previous passage.

In all of this conjecture, I find that David’s anointing made no difference to those about him. Nothing changed in the eyes of the family towards the youngest son of Jesse. The promise of God on David may have only created further friction within the family.

Forgetting motivations and family interactions within David’s family, it is always good to see the Lord Jesus pictured in the Old Testament. In this very passage, we see the Son being sent by the Father into a warzone for the sake of His own. We see the Son providing sustenance for those of His people. We will see that He was rejected by those he came to serve, and entered into a battle all alone, was mocked and ridiculed and faced certain death in front of the enemy. He entered battle without the conventional defensive and offensive battle gear, but that which was simple and effective.

This story of David and Goliath is truly amazing as a historical incident in the nation of Israel, a time that set the nation on a course of great success both politically and militarily. Only more so is this story worth considering if we see Jesus in the midst of it, and consider how these stories of a young shepherd boy pre-shadowed the true King of Israel.

His story is the greater story, for He is the Greater David.

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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It is a Goal

It is a Prize

It is an Upward Call

It is of God

It is in Christ Jesus.

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Disqualified from Christian leadership?

Disqualified from Christian rewards?

Disqualified from Christian life?

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If we are honest with ourselves.

If we are honest with ourselves.

If we are honest with ourselves.

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