Considering the Bible

Psalms for Psome – Ps 57.01

2024-01-27

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 57:1-3

1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

This psalm is in the same general history of David’s life as our previous one, though instead describing his appearance before king Achish of Philistia and acting insane to escape being held by the Philistines, he is speaking of his flight from Saul being hot on his trail.

As the psalm begins, we find him in a cave, hiding from Saul. The future king of Israel had nothing to lay his head upon, no comforts or bounty. He was in survival mode, and I imagine the conditions were as rough as they will ever be for this man of God, running from the earthly powers chasing him.

As his first cry out to God, he is seeking mercy from the Lord. He has not abandoned the promise of God, in that he knows this “storm of destruction” will pass. He is actively requesting mercy, and yet he is resting in the promise God has provided.

This is amazing, for as a young believer, I often looked down on those who struggled with life conditions, and yet they claimed to know the Lord of glory. I confess my silliness as a youth, for I have come to realize that this condition, that is of having the peace of God in combination with a heart requesting mercy, is not an uncommon state for the believer.

As a matter of fact, it is the heart of living a life of faith.

When difficulties, even persecutions are upon you, crushing you, it is the heart of the believer to reach out to our Father, asking Him for protection, relief, direction, wisdom, – any type of mercy that He may provide.

For David, he is looking for refuge in the Lord, and as we have considered this topic in an earlier post (Psalms for Psome – Ps 43.01), his desire to take refuge reinforces the reality of this ever present danger in his life.

He finds true refuge in the Lord, and not in the cave, or in his ability (so far) to escape from his enemies. His refuge is in the One he cannot see, but that he knows.

He knows God has a purpose for him and the nation of Israel. He knows that eventually God will send from heaven the salvation he so desperately needs, for this condition cannot remain if his purpose is to be fulfilled.

David again refers to his enemies trampling on him, and as we saw in our last Psalm, this term speaks of his enemies panting in the chase, expending all their energy in the chase. The enemies were real and determined to get David, to put him to rest, to get him out of the equation. David must die!

Two wills are being described in these verses, that of God’s will and man’s will. God’s will is to rescue David, but man has determined to kill him.

Thankfully, David was rescued, delivered to reign as the second king of Israel, becoming one of the greatest men in the Old Testament and expanding the kingdom to it’s largest borders! He had a destiny and God brought him through the storm.

His Son, the greater David, experienced the same conflict, that of rescue or death. He entered into death without the rescue David experienced. To all appearances, man’s will succeeded in getting Him out of the way.

How must Jesus have had such greater faith in going through death to get His and our deliverance?

David finishes this short passage with the phrase

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

How can we not see that God has sent out His steadfast love and faithfulness for us?

His name is Jesus.

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Names of God – AUTHOR OF LIFE – 43

2024-01-26

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.

43

AUTHOR OF LIFE

Acts 3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

The Spirit has fallen on the church, and Peter has preached his first sermon with thousands coming to faith. In chapter 3, Peter takes part in the healing of a crippled man, similar to the good works Jesus had performed as He walked amongst them. This miracle continues the wake up call to the people of Israel, grabbing their attention in the very heart of their religious life at the temple.

Peter had their attention, and he had an opportunity to preach, and preach he did.

Can you imagine Peter’s opportunity here to threaten or coerce those who did not believe in the previous sermon. But let us not consider Peter’s motivation to be such, for although he spoke harsh truth, his message was cushioned with an admission of ignorance on the part of those hearing.

As I mentioned, Peter spoke harsh words to those who were present, revealing the contradiction of actions they were committed to just a few months back when they killed the Author of Life. Some translations speak of the Lord’s name as Prince of Life and there may be justification for this, yet to hear Peter describe Jesus as the Author of Life rings true for me.

He had just described the audiences earlier desire to have one who ended life, a murderer, to be released, and now Peter describes Jesus as the One who is the Author of Life, speaking of Him as the originator of Life, the One who created life. As if He created life only to be denied life by those He “authored”.

The Greek term for author (ἀρχηγός archēgós) in this verse speaks of One who goes ahead, is a chief leader, One who leads by example.

In all this contradiction, the Author of Life can’t help but to continue to offer life to those who are ignorant, to those who seek death and reject life.

He is the Author of Life, no matter what we think or do. He is seeking you and will not give up, for He not only has life to share, but is the very Author of Life.

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

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

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Conditional Security – 1 John 5:4-5

2024-01-25

1 John 5:4-5

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The faith we live is the victory we are granted to walk in and I understand the victory to be a daily occurrence, a battle with the influences of this old world.

A personal story may help me explain my thoughts.

My wife and I were recently out for a meal with some folks and a lady requested if I had seed a recent movie. I understood this movie had an agenda, and I mentioned this to her. Now before we go any further, let me confess this lady is a believer, she attends a conservative church, does many charitable works and confesses the Lord. Yet she found my understanding of the movie to be offensive.

I made a comment to the effect that the movie appealed to her since it fit her worldview. It did not “fit” my worldview as it was peddling what I considered a radically progressive worldview, seeking to normalize an offensive lifestyle unto the populace.

We are both believers, but I would suggest that if my estimation of “the world” is correct, she may not be overcoming “the world” in this area. Now before someone think I am judging harshly, I readily admit my own worldview, or how I perceive truth, is not any better, for I have blind spots and opinions that are in opposition to the faith I confess.

With this being said, I would suggest the faith we have is to be in opposition to the world, that as believers we are to be a counterculture, a people that tests the thoughts being offered to us, filter those thoughts through the Word, and reject all that do not line up with the general teaching of the Word.

But let us not reject out of a position of pride, but handle the position we take out of humble spirit, always seeking to provide a loving answer, a solid response and to act in grace with mercy to those who oppose.

In my study of this verse, I tripped over a Matthew Henry quote that seems to capture many of my suspected thoughts on this verse.

Self-denial is required, but true Christians have a principle which carries them above all hindrances. Though the conflict often is sharp, and the regenerate may be cast down, yet he will rise up and renew his combat with resolution. But all, except believers in Christ, are enslaved in some respect or other, to the customs, opinions, or interests of the world. Faith is the cause of victory, the means, the instrument, the spiritual armor by which we overcome. In and by faith we cleave to Christ, in contempt of, and in opposition to the world. Faith sanctifies the heart, and purifies it from those sensual lusts by which the world obtains sway and dominion over souls. It has the indwelling Spirit of grace, which is greater than he who dwells in the world. The real Christian overcomes the world by faith; he sees, in and by the life and conduct of the Lord Jesus on earth, that this world is to be renounced and overcome. He cannot be satisfied with this world, but looks beyond it, and is still tending, striving, and pressing toward heaven. We must all, after Christ’s example, overcome the world, or it will overcome us to our ruin.

Are you overcoming the world, or is it overcoming you?

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you would like to receive daily posts from Considering the Bible, click on the “Follow” link below

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Life of David – 5.01

2024-01-24

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.

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.

Our first three verses speaks to us of the Philistine nation and the location chosen for this fateful clash of nations.

1 Samuel 17:1-3
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

It appears the Philistines were confident in approaching Israel, for they had already ventured into the tribe of Judah’s land, had set up camp at Ephes-dammim near Socoh, and waited for the nation of Israel to appear. They were truly the thorn in Israel’s side during and prior to Saul’s monarchy.

If you recall, they were the nation that took the Ark of the Covenant from the nation, suffered debilitating disease in various of their cities and eventually sent it back the Israel.

In thier next battle with the nation of Israel, they met with Israel at Mizpeh, and as the battle was raging, the Lord “thundered with a mighty sound against the Philistines” confusing the enemy and securing a victory for Israel.

Now both of these instances had provided the Philistines proof of a miraculous intervention of the Israeli God, yet we we see them taking on the nation again.

From their first appearance in Judges, with battles over the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron, through Shamgar’s killing of 600 Philistines, Samson’s suicidal domination over the nation, and now into Samuel’s and Saul’s time, they were a confident lot of a nation.

Tenacious.

Determined.

I would suggest their determination is best summed up in 1 Samuel 4:7-9

7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.
9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

The Philistines were determined, yet in the face of all the miraculous victories, this determination may be also considered stubbornness. A blind stubbornness that refuses to consider their history with Israel. Wisdom for them may have not been their strong suit.

Nevertheless, here they are, knocking on Israel’s door, picking a fight, using a giant as their secret weapon. This approach has to work, right?

The Philistines chose the location of the battle field, having encamped on the slopes north of the stream cutting through the valley of Elah, in between Azekah and Socoh.

This epic battle took place at Ephes-dammim, so called for the battles waged here. Ephes-dammim actually means “boundary of bloods” and is also referred to as Pas-dammin elsewhere in the Scriptures. The area consisted of a flat valley with two hills running east west along the stream.

Valley east of Azekah.
The Philistines would have been encamped on the left, with Israel on the right

As mentioned above, the valley was cut with a stream running through it, though the modern pictures above do not show it. Might this be the stream that David resorted to for his stones? In the very sight of the Philistines?

But who was paying attention to a young teenage Israelite when the Philistines had such might and power by the name of Goliath. Surely the Philistines were confident in their chances against the little nation of Israel, with such a mighty giant on their side.

But we know where their confidence lies, don’t we? (Hint – Not in the Living 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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Aaron 2

2024-01-23

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

Anointed with Water & Oil

Exodus 29:4, 7
You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed–

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Aaron (and his sons) were to be washed with the water prior to taking on their priestly robes and the office God called him to. This was one of the actions to be performed on Aaron in their consecration to the Lord. A washing with water, not simply to take the dust off from the day of milling about the camp, but to represent the cleanliness required for the minister if they were to be accepted before God.

A time of dressing the priest, with robes, breastplates, turbans and the ephod prior to the second “anointing”, this time with oil. The oil was to be applied to the head, and we don’t know exactly how much oil was applied. I often think of the oil as coming from a small vessel, possibly only a few ounces, but that is conjecture at best.

One reference in the Psalms speaks of the oil being applied to Aaron’s head and it running down the beard. The Psalmist likens this to unity amongst brethren, but we will leave that discussion for a later time

Psalm 133:2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!

No matter, for the picture of Aaron receiving the water and the oil typifies our Greater Aaron, who took a baptism to identify with His people, and was immediately anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit, for the ministry He would enter into for the souls of men and women.

His consecration with water was not required to cleanse Him of any filthiness, but to associate with those He came to save. The oil from heaven, the Spirit of God lighting on the Son of Man, signified the power He would minister in, providing proofs of His amazing claims.

He is the Greater Aaron and truly a High Priest, beyond our imagination!

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 – ARM OF THE LORD – 42

2024-01-22

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.

42

ARM OF THE LORD

Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?

In our last post on the Names of God, we considered “Arm of Redemption”, with the psalmist referring back to the deliverance of the nation from Israel

In our current verse, Isaiah cries out to the Arm of the Lord, and in his cry, refers back to the days of old, and the generations long ago, who experienced that same deliverance from Egypt.

Instead of the psalmist referring to the capability of the arm, Isaiah speaks to who the Arm is. It is no angelic arm, though God has angels that are more than capable to cut down entire armies, such as the Assyrian army in the days of Hezekiah. This Arm is OF the Lord. and Isaiah is the only one in the Old Testament who uses this phrase.

The only other place in Isaiah that this name comes up is in the most famous of his chapters, describing our Messiah.

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Isaiah’s question as to whom the Arm of the Lord has been revealed is answered for us today, for all believers have had the revelation of the Messiah, and may I suggest, the Arm of the Lord has been revealed to all who know the story of the resurrection.

True, believing the message brings tremendous benefits – nay – it brings life and light. Those who have heard the message of the resurrection and rejected it – to them the Arm of the Lord has also been revealed, and it is to their harm and destruction that they reject.

But He has been revealed

It is a question for us all, for the Arm of the Lord in Isaiah’s mind and his message is the Messiah, and He has been revealed.

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 – 3:8

2024-01-21

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.

3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Paul counts everything as loss, and then speaks of having suffered the loss of all things as rubbish. I understand “these things” as that which his detractors still clung to, the reputation and religious pride afforded them in the pharisaical religion.

Some translators replace rubbish with “dung”, that which is the refuse of an animal. Paul counts “those things” as not simply something that has no value, but that it is of a detrimental value. If I understand Paul, he is describing a balance sheet of worth to the Philippians. He is a bit of an accountant in this and the following verses. That which was highly prized is now considered a negative, a burden, a debt, a hindrance on the balance sheet of his life.

Notice how this also provides a slap in the face to those who cherish the life of a committed pharisee, who considered themselves the chosen of God, and that the dirty Gentiles were as such to God. A good pharisee would consider a gentile to be of worth equal to an off scouring of an old plate, or the refuse of a dog.

Things have completely flipped for Paul, and there is only one reason for this radical change in lifestyle and faith.

Jesus.

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 56.04

2024-01-20

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 56:12-13

12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Our final two verses in this psalm provides David’s summary of Gods rescue from the danger he is in. The first phrase, speaking of his vows to God is an obligation to God on David’s part. It is a requirement to perform his vows that he has spoke to the Lord.

Vows are a very stigmatized, old fashioned concept in our modern world, and for that we are the worse off. To be one who keeps vows is a rarity in our culture, even to the point that vow breakers are heralded as brave and daring, heralded by other oath-breakers as being hero’s! Does anyone out there hear Romans 1:32 ringing in their ears?

Romans 1:32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

To be cheered on by oath-breakers should alarm us!

Although the vow David mentions is surely related to His commitment to provide a thank offering to the Creator, the application for the modern Christian is easy to provide. What vows are you keeping? The most common vow that Christians struggle with is the marriage vow.

A quick story time to depict this condition.

When we first moved to Texas, we landed in a small town in the panhandle, east of Amarillo. It seemed everyone went to church in that town, and two of my boys were in high school at the time. One afternoon, one of my boys came home and began to question if we as a couple would remain married. This came out of left field for my wife and we later found out that our son was the only student in his class that had not suffered through a divorce within the family unit.

This is incredible, and shocked us, since it seemed to be an acceptable way of life in that little town to break vows. Now I realize that it takes two to tango, and the culture feeds on division of relationships, but every family was broken! So sad! Surely we are a broken people in such a terrible need of the healing of our Savior!

When I consider vows, David has written on the topic back in Psalm 15, where he describes a vow in verse 4

Psalm 15:4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

It is easy to swear to something that is pleasurable. That is the definition of hedonism. I will only do that which pleases me. I am committed to that which I enjoy. What type of person does this create? One that cannot be trusted, that can not maintain a relationship, either human or divine, and one that ultimately destroys his own soul.

My friends. If things are stressed between you and your spouse, start to fix offences in the relationship, ask for forgiveness for wrongdoings, (perceived or actual) and communicate your heart to your partner. Open your heart and mind to them, be willing to suffer accusations and reproaches that need to be voiced.

Romans 15:3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Keep your vows, even when it hurts and the struggle is real. Find ways to communicate with those who need it most. Trust God and love those who you are committed to!

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Names of God – ARM OF REDEMPTION – 41

2024-01-19

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.

41

ARM OF REDEMPTION

Psalm 77:15 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

The psalmist is speaking of the deliverance of the nation of Israel from the Egyptian bondage they suffered under for four centuries.

It was not simply God who performed a few miracles to deliver them from the furnace of Egypt, but it was God with His arm.

Seems like a strange description of how the people of Israel were delivered, and I would like to suggest a few possible understandings of this passage.

First off, I made the assumption that the arm referred to the Messiah, and that it was a connection of the Messiah with God in the deliverance of Israel. This may be valid.

My second consideration was that the arm represented strength and as such, it was the strength of God that provided Israel deliverance from Egypt. This may be valid, but I would like to suggest one additional perspective.

Could the Psalmist be describing the deliverance as something that God performed without even breaking a sweat. Hear me out my friend, for it is only the arm of God that is referred to. Could the psalmist be saying something like – You only needed to flex your arm in providing deliverance for the nation.

Did God stand up to deliver Israel? Did He put his back into the effort? I speak as a fool in describing these actions as if God had a back, or even an arm, but as the Psalmist gets specific, it tends to make me ask some silly questions.

Nevertheless, when it comes to the strength, or the power of God, the deliverance of Israel, mighty as it was, is dwarfed when compared with the deliverance supplied through the Messiah, His sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension.

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 – 1 Corinthians 3:18

2024-01-18

1 Corinthians 3:18

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Become a fool? To become wise? Something just didn’t add up at first glance,

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.

Early in my faith, when I came across a passage such as we are considering today, I would read it, “believe it” and move on. After all, as believers we are to trust the Lord and the message He has provided. It was my desire to believe it, for the Word has the message of eternal life, the story of the Christ who died and rose again.

How could I not believe the Word?

Yet, as I tried to understand faith, I always was a bit nebulous about my approach of to the message reading and “believing”. Years passed and I accumulated head knowledge, and the Lord was kind to his child. And then I heard a fellow speak of what faith was. And it blew me away – which speaks volumes of my ignorance, but so be it!

Faith is reading the Word, understanding the Word and then finding application of the message for my situation. For this verse, when it came to the added step of understanding the Word, this is where this verses paradox came to fruition.

Become a fool to be wise? What is Paul saying there? Remember I am one of those analytical goofs, always seeking to use a logical framework for my understanding. Things have to add up for me to feel like I understand something.

The Lord was also teaching me at the time about the kingdom spoken of by the Messiah, and of His apostles. So much relearning of what the gospel was communicating, but for this verse, the critical piece of information was that we exist in the middle of two kingdoms. The kingdom of the world, which is fading, and about to be rolled up, and the eternal kingdom, which has secure foundations, never to decay.

And we, as believers are in a transition, from the decaying world order into the glorious kingdom of His dear Son! In this transition, we are required to give up (or per Paul’s language – put off) the old worlds thoughts, attitudes, and actions that we lived in. No longer lie. No longer cheat, or steal or covet, or hate. In positive terms, to live in the Spirit as He transforms us to the people we are to be.

This is the framework Paul is speaking from when he speaks of becoming a fool. A fool to the ways we lived in prior to knowing the Messiah. We are to become ignorant of the old ways, abandon the conventional wisdom, consider old thoughts suspect, even dangerous to our soul.

To become a fool to the old ways is to replace that wisdom with the wisdom that is available from God, the wisdom found in the Messiah, in His ways, in His humility, grace, servanthood and sacrificial life style.

As you read of the life we are called to, a life of forgiveness and love, and if you consider it outdated or not applicable, please realize this may indicate which kingdom you consider worth pursuing. For where your treasure is, there will be your heart!

In what kingdom are you wise?

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Life of David – 4.02

2024-01-17

David in Saul’s Service

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.

Our current portion of Scripture speaks of David, the newly anointed King of Israel, being chosen by Saul’s servants as the One to serve the deposed King. How curious that of all within Saul’s kingdom, David is chosen to be a blessing to Saul. Let’s continue with the passage begun last week

1 Samuel 16:20-23, 17:5

20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.
21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

In our last post we began to see the circumstances that Saul fell into in order to provide David the conditions required to prove himself as a warrior and future king, in the very king’s court that he will someday assume. Incredible, but Saul invites the very person into his circle that will become his successor!

As a short review, Saul, in order to provide some relief from a troubling spirit from the Lord, sent his servants to Jesse requesting the service of his son David. Consider Jesse, fresh from coming off experiencing his son being anointed the next king of Israel, and then the current king has his men show up on his doorstep! Talk about suspicious coincidences!

Surely this must be bad! Very bad news for the son of Jesse! No wonder Jesse sent a donkey laden with gifts, along with the son he may never see again. How this must have confused Jesse, not to mention David himself. He had just received a promise form God about his destiny, and now he is entering the very lions mouth!

Nevertheless, David entered Saul’s service , and he served Saul to the point where Saul gained great affection for him, to the point of loving him, and appointing him to be his armor bearer. David was pulled into the inner circle quickly, with Saul seeking to keep him, that Jesse would allow him to remain.

Saul could have kept David, for he was king and had the authority to take as he pleased, but his actions speak of the respect he had for David at this time, and the desire to keep him in his service willingly. This is a redeeming trait in Saul’s life at this time, though it may have been somewhat selfish in order to satisfy his own needs. Whatever motivated Saul, David was becoming the one that Saul depended on in areas of mental health and general service.

Yet note that our last verse speaks of David splitting his time between his father and his king. David did not use this opportunity granted him of being called to a higher position to ignore his previous duties. He did not forget his father’s sheep. He was a shepherd at heart and though he would become a man of war, and a powerful king, his heart is exposed in this little verse. When he could pull away from formal duties for the king, he would seek out the welfare of his father’s sheep.

There is another Shepherd, that in His many duties, is still seeking out His sheep, for that is where His heart is. He is a Savior that is not constrained by time limitations as David was, but our Savior is constantly tending to His Father’s sheep.

He is the True Shepherd, the Greater David, a Kind and Loving King who has bled and died for us. May His name be praised for all that He is and for all that He does!

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 1

2024-01-16

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

High Priest

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

Hebrews 4:14-15 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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.

Although Aaron is never specifically called the high priest, he is the one chosen by God after the fiasco of the rebellion of Korah. His confirmation of the office of priest was provided through the budding of Levi’s staff, as opposed to any other tribes staff. Aaron was the first confirmed priest to minister before the Lord for the nation of Israel.

As we all know, Aaron experienced a number of faux pas events in his life. The golden calf comes to mind, along with his teaming up with his sister Miriam, in their complaining of Moses and his wife, and of their importance. Did Aaron and Miriam not speak as if they were equal with Moses? Surely God has spoken through Aaron and Miriam also! Pride and competition in ministry. How vulgar as we think of it, and yet we all, if we have served in any manner of ministry, have experienced the very same attitude.

Yet there is One who has not entered into this pride, though as we read He has been tempted as we have been. As we consider Him, He is the One through whom we hear the Word of God clearest, for He is the spoken Word walking amongst us, living as a simple rabbi, teaching and ministering to others. He could rightly speak of His greatness in comparison with others, and many times He did, yet without sin. Without any attitude of competition, or pride or one upmanship. Truly amazing that He exercised humility as He informed others of His true identity as the Messiah. The temptation to speak out of pride must have be immense!

He spoke the truth in humility and in the message gave us the opportunity to either agree or dismiss. He is the High Priest of our confession, having experienced the worst and come through it with honor and perfection. May His life be an example for us to follow, and that humility would be a mark of His people.

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Names of God – AQUAINTED WITH GRIEF – 40

2024-01-15

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.

40

AQUAINTED WITH GRIEF

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

As I contemplated this verse, giving some thought to the experience of grief, and the willingness of our Savior to accept this lot in His life, I found myself being pulled to the absolute unfairness of it all.

He is only good and righteous, full of joy and is the author of peace. At no time, prior to creation, was grief or sorrow a portion of His. Only at the fall was grief possibly entered into by the Godhead.

Then, as creation continued to course down the path to destruction, I imagine grief continued to be present in some way within the Godhead. I say imagined, for I am thinking as a parent, and translating my experience to the Godhead.

How unfair, how unjust for grief to be resident within the Godhead, and yet Isaiah is drawing us to the Messiah, focusing our thoughts on the human Jesus, the Savior who would live His life acquainted with grief.

To be acquainted with something is to know that experience, to enter into the experience and to understand, not theoretically but practically, actually sensing the grief. Jesus entered into grief, and this picture we have of the Messiah is supported many times in the Gospels.

What is surprising is that the word “grief” spoken of by Isaiah refers to sickness or afflictions within the body, and not only an emotional condition. Surely the grief we often think of within this verse was a very real experience of the Master, but Isaiah may be trying to draw our attention to one of the reasons for this sorrow.

Is Isaiah speaking of a sickness within the Master’s body, an ailment that He experienced? No where in the gospels can I recall where this is mentioned. His acquaintance with grief (sickness) is with the sickness of others, the pain and suffering others lived in while He was with us. The very next verse speaks of His bearing our griefs (sickness), and surely Isaiah is speaking of the spiritual sickness of those He rubbed shoulders with.

Some may suggest he is speaking of physical sickness here, yet in my understanding, this has always cheapened the cross, that His suffering was for some temporal benefit, for physical relief of pain. Don’t get me wrong, for our God is a merciful God who very often provides physical relief of us in our pain. For that we should be very thankful, but I do not see that as the emphasis of this name we are considering.

He has bore our sins, and became acquainted with our spiritual sickness in His ministry, On the cross He bore that spiritual sickness, experiencing the result of our sin in front of the Father.

He was surely acquainted with grief! How unfair! How unjust!

How like our Savior to take on the repercussions of our sin!

May His name be praised as we think on His life!

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

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

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Philippian Bits – 3:7

2024-01-14

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.

3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul has just declared his gain (or advantage) in relation to those whom he lived amongst. His national, tribal, lingual, and religious history was impressive. Granted, all of this was based on his comparison of himself with others. We all do it, but for Paul, he was miles ahead in the competition business, in his efforts to find acceptance before God based on his granted and achieved attributes.

But, when compared with the Christ, reality came crashing down and he realized his advantage over others was actually detrimental to his soul. Upon gazing on the Christ, and as a result of this gaze, that in this realization that the Messiah had come in the name of Jesus, he could only see his own vileness. No gain. No advantage. Only selfishness, foolishness and division resided in this way of thinking.

It is interesting to consider the two terms gain and loss.

Gain

Paul has brought up the idea of gain earlier in the letter when he spoke of the gain of going home. This gain he would have realized if he had be executed, but he sought to stay if the Lord willed, to minister to those the Lord took him to. The gain in this verse is addressing Paul’s perceived advantage based on his competitive nature with others. He had a gain, or an advantage, but when seen with the right eyes, it was all loss, and not just loss, but worse than that, but I am getting ahead of myself!

Loss

The term “loss” in interesting, especially considering the theme of competition that Paul has used to describe his former life. The term “loss” has a component in it that may communicate damage, and the root of this Greek word had a sense of dominion associated with it. That which was gain, or was an advantage to Paul, actually suffered a death blow by Paul’s decision to align with Christ. He counted, or considered his advantage in the sight of man to be a detriment, and he counted it as such.

As believers, I fear we hang onto our humanly advantages too tightly, or at least I fear I do. This may be in direct relation to my understanding of who the Christ really is, and that my eyes are not as open to the wonders of His grace and person as they could be.

May we see Him a bit clearer today, because we want to!

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 56.03

2024-01-13

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 56:8-11

8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

David speaks of the personal record the Lord is maintaining of his king, though he is but a wreckless fugitive from the current monarch.

The term “tossings” is interesting in that it may also be rendered as wanderings. This seems to fit the situation David is in, for at this point in his escape from Saul, I am not convinced he has a plan, a strategy of getting the upper hand. David is in reaction mode and the Lord is keeping track, noting the history David is making, recording his actions and paths.

Not only is the Lord recording the way David is taking in flight from Saul, but also the emotional burden he is experiencing. David was not a man that shied away from his emotions, for he spoke of his tears numerous times in the Psalms. David speaks of the Lord keeping his tears in a bottle, and recording both his physical and emotional journey in “your book”.

Surely to mention a book is a poetic description of God’s memory. A book, when referring to God’s record of our actions or attitudes, or of our destinies, is not for God’s benefit but for ours. We are the ones with weak memories and incapacity to store knowledge. A book is simply a crutch for us. God needs no such thing, but when David brings this word picture to our mind, we should think of it as the record God has at the time of writing.

A quick question for my reader. Does God blot souls out of His book? Consider Exodus 32:33.

Exodus 32:33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

My apologies for veering from the Psalm we are considering, but the question is puzzling.

No matter, for this Psalm admonishes us to trust in God, in fear and in praise, for what can man do unto us? As a matter of fact, Paul took this concept and expanded it to anyone (including spirit beings) as being impotent against us in our victory in Christ.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

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Names of God – APPOINTED JUDGE – 39

2024-01-12

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.

39

APPOINTED JUDGE

Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Our last post we saw that Jesus is the appointed heir of all things, and we are now presented with Jesus as the One named the appointed Judge of the living and the dead.

Yet this appointed position, if I understand correctly, is the position the Son of God shared with the Father in His preincarnate state. Was He not the One who spoke to the people of Israel previous to Bethlehem? Was He not actively involved in determining the actions of the Godhead in bringing judgements upon the nation as they fell into sin over and over again.

I would suggest that the Son of God, from creation to the cradle has been judge.

The difference in this passage, where Peter preaches to the Gentiles of the good news, is that the Gentiles did not clearly understand the truth of the eternal God as judge. An even greater mystery now being declared by Peter was that the eternal God has now taken flesh, and through His death and resurrection, has been provided the sole responsibility of performing judgement upon both the living and the dead.

No longer do we have to wonder about the character of our Judge, for He is the One who was crucified for us, who not only was buried, but was raised again to take on the judgement of the world.

The term appointed also describes the limits, or boundaries of the “office” He has attained to. He is the judge of both the living and the dead.

It is one thing to judge a situation theoretically, but we can not claim this is the manner in which Jesus judges the living and the dead, for He has entered our life condition, and passed through the experience of death.

Peter was declaring to the Gentiles the single Judge they would have to come before, and that this lone Judge was One who had experienced both life and death. Judgement for both the living and the dead must be entered into, and while we are alive and breathing, we have the opportunity to come before the Judge to seek His mercy, experience His correction and find understanding and direction for our lives.

He is our appointed Judge, and we should thank the Lord every day for such a compassionate and loving Savior. We have come before the Judge of all and the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Listen to Him.

Hebrews 12:22-25a
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

Listen to Him. He is the appointed Judge.

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 18:7

2024-01-11

Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

Is Jesus telling us that it is necessary that temptations come, but then the responsibility for the temptation, and associated judgement (woe), is assigned to the one who brought the temptation? Is Jesus telling us that there are some who will be required to provide temptations and then will be responsible for the damage the temptation causes?

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.

You know that this type of paradox had tripped me up for years, and though I can not claim to have resolved it entirely, I do approach this type of statement with a different perspective than some of my Calvinist brothers.

As we read this verse, Jesus doesn’t seem to designate any particular person with the temptations being provided. He is simply stating an obvious fact, something everyone has experienced while walking amongst our own kind. We are those who, at best, unintentionally bring temptations to sin into others lives, and dare I say, in our worst moments, actually lay traps of temptation for those we know, and even care about.

As believers we know this is sin. We are to walk in the Spirit, depending on His guiding love to keep us from exercising that which shames us, and hurts others.

Yet, if we provide temptations, will woe be pronounced upon us, even as we confess Christ as our Savior? We need to keep short accounts with the Lord, and confess our sin before Him to keep our relationship healthy with Him. There are those who may bring temptation simply because they have yet to know the Lord, or do not understand the importance of avoiding the act of bringing temptations to others. They, like us, are in a period of maturity and with that, confession before Him will cover the sin, and avoid some, if not all of the repercussions of this act of sin.

Those who know not the Lord, they only pile woe upon woe in their lives, as they offend and reject the Savior, the only One who can deliver them from the sin they live in and the consequences of their acts.

I don’t see Jesus telling His disciples that specific people are required by God to cause temptations to others, and suffer for that. In other words, that specific people are destined to bring temptations into the world and for that they will incur (without exception) the wrath of God for those actions they are destined to perform.

We are all guilty of this act of offense and it is our calling to mature into adult believers, to understand the importance of relationship with others, to avoid providing even the appearance of temptation for others and to gently guide those who may not understand the Lord’s desire for His people in this regard.

Let us not be those who trip others up, but that we would help each other walk properly.

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 – 4.01

2024-01-10

David in Saul’s Service

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.

Our next portion of Scripture speaks of David, the newly anointed King of Israel, being chosen by Saul’s servants as the One to serve the deposed King. How curious that of all within Saul’s kingdom, David is chosen to be a blessing to Saul.

But before I go any further, let us read the passage.

1 Samuel 16:14-19
14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him.
15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.
16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”
17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.”
19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”

Notice that right off in this passage, the Lord had informed Saul of his loss of authority. Yes Samuel had pronounced the loss of Saul’s kingdom due to his rebellion, but at the beginning of this passage we are informed that Saul had the inner witness of the Spirit of God departing from him. And as the Spirit departed, we find a harmful spirit from the Lord tormenting him. The passage speaks three times of this harmful spirit coming from the Lord! The term actually speaks of a spirit that produces an ecstatic state of frenzy and violence, per BDB Lexicon.

As a side bar, is this not instructive to the common man, that a life of increasing frenzy and violence indicates a loss of connection with the Holy One. He is our peace and we, if wise, would do well to seek the True David, to provide contentment and peace in our lives.

But let us continue in considering the troubling spirit from the Lord. It is puzzling to say the least, yet as we will all confess, He is sovereign and mysterious in the working out of His will. Not only are those spirits who are compliant and subject to His authority available for His service , but also all spirits who have rebelled and bring trouble to our souls. He has a purpose that is beyond my comprehension, and in these situations, we must be willing to simply trust Him that He has a higher purpose, a reason to bring about this condition.

In this historical instance, an obvious reason for the troubling spirit upon Saul is to bring the newly anointed king into the royal environment, to provide training for the young shepherd boy, to give him experience as a soldier and to become a confidant of the king, and to finally prove himself as the more worthy one in the eyes of the nation.

But again, I am getting ahead of myself. Our passage speaks of the “circumstances” that God provided Saul into in order to have David brought into the royal circle by the choice of the deposed king. No one could say that David was forced upon Saul – no – he was invited, requested and desired in order to serve Saul, to provide relief to his soul, and eventually to supply deliverance from the enemies of the nation.

The “harmful” spirit from the Lord initiated a desire by Saul’s servants to find relief for their master, and in this back and forth with Saul, David’s name was brought forward. A young man had heard of him. This shepherd boy had quite the resume. His skill set, along with his character and abilities were truly impressive.

Skillful in playing
A man of valor
A man of war
Prudent in speech
A man of good presence
The Lord is with him

David was a young man that had excellent qualities and he was being spoken of through out the nation. Even as a shepherd boy, out with his father’s sheep, the news of his abilities were being voiced abroad to others. It is of interest that, even as he was a young man, David had the reputation of one who was prudent in speech. The six descriptions of his life by this young man i Saul’s service deserve consideration, but I would life to focus on the prudent in speech for just a moment.

To be prudent communicates intelligence, a discerning mind, (which is different than “mere” intelligence) and one who understands situations clearly. David was prudent in speech, which requires the formulation of correct understanding in his thoughts prior to his communicating to others. He had a discerning mind, and with that, the boldness to speak it at the right time and in the right manner. Surely the Lord was with Him, for at an early age (many think he was still a teenager at this time) David was head and shoulders, metaphorically speaking, over of his contemporaries.

The new king would stand above his competition, but not based on physical appearance, but based on that which pleased God.

Our King also is head and shoulders above all others, prudent of speech. His words are full of grace and truth towards us and we are only right to seek Him out.

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 – Abel 5

2024-01-09

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

ABEL

Reason of Death

Genesis 4:4-5
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

1 John 3:12
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Cain killed Abel out of anger.

It is good to remember that anger has a source, it is not a condition occurring out of a vacuum. The New Testament gives us the reason for anger in Cain’s life.

Darkness wants to snuff out light. Evil has to rid itself of goodness. Even in the rejection of God, of accepting evil as a standard operating procedure for life, the conscience, until hardened to sin, witnesses to the wrongfulness of sin. We have all been there, when we slip away and try to ignore the voice calling us back. The voice seems relentless, constantly beckoning the sinner to return. Yet some may seek to dull the voice, reject the call, ignore the love, and this will result in performing acts inline with rejecting good. The only type of life those who reject the voice is a life of performing non righteous deeds. Evil deeds. Two options only. Neutrality does not exist in this case.

As we venture into darkness the light becomes dimmer, and we seek to snuff it our entirely, to not experience the tension of truth in relation to experience. The constant calling back has two potential reactions from the soul. Repentance or Rage.

Cain chose the rage because he had a history of evil actions. He rejected the witness of his brother and decided to live differently, to perform deeds that were non righteous, or as described in our verse, evil.

Thousands of years pass, and the condition remains, where those who reject God are those who practice evil. Abel’s witness is replaced with the witness of the Son of Man. Instead of a flickering candle providing light to a darkened man’s life, the true light, an absolute explosion of light, appears on the scene, where those who will experience it have the same choice. Only for some, the history of performing evil deeds has been set, having become a comfort to those who practice evil.

Those who practiced evil have no choice but to rage, for if they refused to repent, they would default to rage. We know some repented. We know some raged.

The death of Christ was in the eternal plan of God, in order to secure a salvation we could enter into. Don’t reject, for the only option remaining results in destruction and death, and the path is littered with regrets.

Don’t reject and then regret!

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 – APPOINTED HEIR – 38

2024-01-08

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.

38

APPOINTED HEIR

Hebrews 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

To be the appointed heir of all things speaks of the Master’s sacrificial humbling from His rightful throne to that of joining a people that He created. Prior to creation of all things, He was equal within the Godhead, self existent, and all powerful, all knowing and eternal.

Let’s begin by considering that to become an heir is to introduce two concepts. First, that of receiving a lot or portion by the right of sonship, but also the concept of death.

Prior to His self humbling act of becoming a man, and then further humiliation to the shame and suffering of the cross, He existed in the glories of heaven, in perfect harmony with the Father. His status and position could not be better, or higher. Was He not the Son prior to His taking on human flesh and bone? Did He not have all authority and wisdom, knowledge and strength? He, along with the Godhead knew of His identity! There was no question!

But to become an heir introduces, as I mentioned before, the idea of a death. Let us remember that Jesus death, in the apostles teachings, was required in order to become heir of all things. As the apostles and prophets have taught in in other portions of the Word, it was His resurrection that finally identified Jesus as the Son to all of humanity. See Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, 5:5. So many other’s have claimed to be the Messiah, but God the Father gave us proof of Jesus’s claim through the resurrection.

He is the appointed heir of all things. Appointed in the witness of His creation!

The man Christ Jesus became the heir of all things through His resurrection, requiring His suffering and death. The man Christ Jesus is the appointed heir due to His self subjugation and suffering under the hands of men, and the Father raising Him up to be the Lord of all.

His suffering and death was required in order for Him to be resurrected, and through His resurrection, to provide us the life God has given all to provide! He is Heir (or owner) of all things, and as believers, we have the privilege of knowing 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.

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Philippian Bits – 3:6

2024-01-07

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.

3:6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Paul continues with his listing of reasons he had confidence in the flesh prior to meeting Christ. As we saw in our previous post, many of his reasons for boasting in the flesh were conditions he was born into, such as of the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eventually he begins to write of his own efforts in the competition game of getting right with God, for it had become something he trusted in, something he could compare with others and feel he was on the right side of the curve. Of course, after having met Jesus, this desire to find worth in comparing himself with others was jettisoned into the dustbin.

2 Corinthians 10:12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

The only One we can rightly compare ourselves with is the One who is incomparable. We are simply (redeemed) sinners, those who are unworthy of His grace, mercy and love.

The last two descriptors of Paul’s efforts to find worth in the eyes of God, through his own efforts are as follows

Zeal

His claim to fame in the zeal department included murder. Wait – What?? He was a persecutor of those who worshipped God in the Spirit, and his desire to chase down, persecute and haul to prison was a mark of zeal that few if any had in Jerusalem.

Imagine, the mental gymnastics Paul must have had to go through to chase fellow Israelites down, in foreign lands and haul them back to Jerusalem.

His zeal was unaccounted for. The church was growing exponentially and the more he persecuted, the stronger it seemed to be getting. Frustration level for this poor man must have been off the chart! Without this zeal, this desire to “keep the faith pure” by rooting out this heresy, Paul would have simply been a general fanatic for the Pharisaical branch of Judaism.

Righteous

Paul has mentioned the law in the previous verse, speaking of his chosen branch of dedication in relation to the law. He wasn’t a Sadducee, or heaven forbid an Essene, like John the Baptist. In this reference to the law, Paul speak of not his association, but of his righteousness under the law, and that he was blameless in this law.

Come on Paul, how can you say that?

No one is sinless, and your obedience to the law in which you trust speaks over and over again of the sinfulness of even the best of the faithful. But my friend, let us not read into this verse something that is not there. He states he was blameless, not sinless. There is a difference, and we have discussed this topic in earlier posts. An example post for my reader to consider may be Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.04.

In Paul’s listing of attributes that he was either granted or that he “worked” at, he surely had the right stuff to go up against any of the flesh mutilators that were troubling the Philippians. He had authority to have influence based on his person, his lineage and efforts that lifted him above others! Yet in comparing himself with the Christ, he simply bent the knee.

My friend, if you find yourself comparing yourself with anyone other than the Christ, take a lesson from Paul. It is a fools errand to chase self worth, to be in competition with those we ought to simply love and serve.

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 56.02

2024-01-06

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 56:5-7

5 All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

Let’s remember where we find David in this psalm. He has been on the run from the king of Israel, lied to a man of God to get food, and then pretended he was crazy in front of his nations enemy. Not a good time for David! As I mentioned, for I can identify with him, that I believe he is in flight mode, running away from his problems, much like Jonah, (and myself).

The reason for being in flight? Is it because he has forgotten God and His promises? I think not, for it is a refrain within this psalm that He trusts God.

The reason He is in flight mode is because of his enemies constant and continual intent to destroy him, not just physically, but to destroy his cause, his purpose. He has the promise of God on his life and the enemies don’t like it one little bit. Both God and his enemies claim to be faithful to their plans for David, and David is in the middle, sometimes listening to the wrong side a bit too much. He speaks of their thoughts being against him, and of their stirring up strife, twisting his words, causing confusion.

He is, at this point in his life a man on the run, with his thoughts colliding with each other in his mind, thoughts of the enemies plans and how to avoid falling into a trap. Thoughts of how God will rescue him. Thoughts of why God hasn’t rescued him yet! Thoughts of when the enemies may catch him.

David gets to the point! Will the enemies of God escape justice?

Isn’t this a question that is shouting out for an answer even today? So many enemies rising up against God and His anointed, twisting and tearing at the social fabric of our nations. Not only are God’s enemies seeking the degradation of the social order, but note that the religious and spiritual desires of modern man continues to plummet to new lows.

Will those nameless enemies, those who are seeking our destruction, escape justice? How long O Lord before your wrath falls upon them?

My prayer is that they do escape justice, that they do escape the wrath of God, for the Messiah has paid for those who have evil thoughts, for those who stir up strife and for those who lurk about, seeking to hurt, steal and kill others. He has paid for my evil thoughts, intents and actions!

He is a forgiving God, full of grace and mercy. To follow Him may result in our seeking to help our very own enemies escape justice!

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Names of God – APPLE TREE – 37

2024-01-05

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 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.

37

APPLE TREE

Song of Songs 2:3 [She] As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Years ago I heard of a preacher who, in the midst of a blistering heatwave, and without the modern convenience of air conditioning, delivered his sermon by simply approaching the pulpit, pulling out a ripe orange, and taking his time, began to peel it.

The congregation was melting in the heat, but this didn’t seem to bother the preacher, for when he had finished peeling the orange, and breaking it apart, he simply took the first segment and slowly consumed it.

Now I don’t know about you, but a cold juicy orange – well there is nothing better! As the preacher finished his first segment, and looked out to his congregation, he simply told them that the fruit was thirst quenching, cooling and delicious.

After a second segment of enjoying the cool juicy orange, he opened the Bible, turned to a passage and read out loud.

O taste and see that the Lord is good.

To taste the goodness of the Lord is an individual experience, one that cannot be communicated exactly, but in the tasting, in the experience of sensing the Lord, others can see that it is a desirable, enjoyable and delightful experience.

As it is with our verse above. The Song of Songs is a love poem speaking of the love between a king and a field girl, or between the Lord and His humble ones. To sit in His shadow, and to actually taste the Lord is a privilege for those who love Him and seek Him.

To some He is one tree among many trees, one teacher among many, one religious leader amongst so many others, and that is to the loss of those who consider him such. To sit in His shadow, (and not in the shadow of others) is to find the blessing He seeks to provide us, to supply to us, to bless us with and to delight us in.

He is the One who provides the fruit of the Spirit, in that when we are in His shadow, under His influence, we will experience the sweetness of the fruit.

He is our Apple Tree.

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 10:39

2024-01-04

Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What does it mean to loose or find your life? How come those who find it loose it, and those that loose it find it?

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 understand the focus of this quote of Jesus is that He is the purpose of life, and yet the paradox remains. I sometimes try to hard to understand this paradox, and even as I write, my mind is somewhat whirling in the way to approach this verse.

To lose your life? Is it ultimately speaking of physical death? No – that can’t be, for to physically die would not produce life, at least not in the disciples understanding such as it was.

To lose your life? To be restricted from your personal desires, wants and aspirations? To give up on dreams and hopes, to abandon my wishes and goals? We often hear of the modern preacher speaking of how God loves us and wants to fulfill all our personal desires, so that can’t be what Jesus meant.

But wait a minute – let us consider the first phrase that Jesus starts the paradox with. He who finds his life will lose it. If the life Jesus speaks of equates to the personal desires, hopes and aspirations of a soul, then to exercise those selfsame desires would result in loss of life. And yet this again is what the modern preacher preaches.

Someone has it all wrong. I would suggest the modern preacher, suggesting we can have it all! That God wants us to have it all!

After this paradox has been whirling about in my head, I am starting to think that the message Jesus provided isn’t too hard to understand, but that I don’t want to understand it. Let’s be honest about this – I simply don’t want to drop my dreams to pursue His will, I don’t want to give up on my hopes in order to live a life of sacrifice, of dying to myself.

Of course, to die to one’s dreams and aspirations is not something that Jesus calls us to in the future. I often think of this action as something required in the future, that I will perform some type of large singular sacrifice for Him, all the while not even considering His will during the day to day grind.

The day to day grind, when the constant calls for your attention wear on you, dragging you down and pulling you to a selfish decision, a decision that serves self as opposed to serving others.

Isn’t that a large part of this call of Jesus on our lives? To serve others, and by serving others, serve Jesus?

May I suggest a 2 minute re-read of a post (Dying to Self) I published back in February 2020, just as the Covid crisis was bearing down on us. To lose your life is a moment by moment decision we are called to, in order to serve others by laying down our wishes for other’s needs.

To choose other’s, because we worship Him, is the intent of this paradox. And it is a difficult “paradox” because of the application for our lives, not the message itself.

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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Gain

Loss

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Zeal

Righteous

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