Considering the Bible

Names of God – EL ROI (GOD OF SEEING) – 9

2023-09-29

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

9

EL ROI (GOD OF SEEING)

Genesis 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

Knowing what we know of the LORD (Jehovah / Jahweh), it seems obvious that He is an all-seeing God. But for a proud woman (Hagar), rejected by her mistress (Sarai), and given up by her husband (Abraham), this verse speaks of the revelation of God who she had heard of from Abraham.

Abraham had taught his household the fear of the Lord, and in this teaching, Hagar must have experienced some influence in her life. Hearing of a God that Abraham knew was one thing. Having this God visit you at your deepest point of sorrow and rejection is another.

What we know of Hagar is that the God who revealed Himself was One that had seen her plight. Few women in this time had been delivered a message from God, and this Angel of the Lord provided her guidance that may not have been too enjoyable.

Sarai had dealt harshly with her, so harshly that Hagar sought refuge out of the camp, away from the community she had been associated with for many years. Yes she had found a spring, and it may have been her hope to find a rescuer at the spring, but the Angel came to visit her before she found an option to choose from.

The stranger brought new that was bad and good.

The bad news was that she had to go back to her mistress, the one who death harshly with her, and was required to submit to her. It seems that the status of being Abraham’s wife went to Hagar’s head, and verse 4 speaks of her looking down on Sarai with contempt. This child she conceived was her opportunity to elevate herself in the tribe, being the only wife able to provide for Abraham a seed. Such an important opportunity provided her a status she had never known, and didn’t quite handle properly.

A continual humbling may be ahead for Hagar, a reminder that she was a second class wife, (at least in Sarai’s eyes), and difficult relationships between the two continued for many years.

The good news was that a young child would be born, that he would be called Ishmael, and that he would be the father of many. The nation of the Ishmaelites grew from this seed, and have been a thorn in Israel’s side for much of her history.

Hagar called the God of Abraham the God of seeing, for He not only saw her affliction at the present, but also her past and future, of her child’s future, and of the leader he would become over his kinsmen.

She saw the One who sees! In her deepest affliction, (brought on by her own contempt and pride), her eyes were ready to see the One who Abraham had spoken of. And she returned to the camp, with a humbled spirit and a willing attitude to do as instructed, for she experientially knew of the God who sees, instead of simply hearing the story of Abrahams God

God is a mysterious One, who uses affliction to open our eyes, and suffering to release the wax from our ears. He is a good God that does not seek to waste any pain we experience in this life, but is willing to take our loss and provide greater good than we can imagine.

Although not directly associated with our name of God for this post, when I think of loss in the believers life, and God’s gracious provision, I usually think of Joel 2:25

Joel 2:25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.

God is good and He is the God who sees, not only our good intentions (few as they may be) but also our weakness, pain, rejection, abandonment and loneliness. He sees us, and for this we must be thankful, for He watches over us, working His good will in the midst of this messy life!

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

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

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Conditional Security – Colossians 2:4-8

2023-09-28

Paul is writing to a church he has never visited but he has heard of some troubling teaching in this church, and he sets out to provide these believers the correction we find in this epistle.

It seems there were those who entered into the young church in order to influence believers into a life of religion, or a way of rule keeping on the surface as opposed to cultivating a heart that seeks to listen to God’s spirit. It is so common, for there will always be those gospel gunslingers that seek to put another notch in their belt when they can influence one more soul into their way of minimizing the Christ and maximizing their way of life. With that said, let us consider the passage below, and see if it has any relevance to the “Conditional Security” teaching that we are discussing in this series.

Colossians 2:4-8

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.
For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

First, let us all agree that Paul is addressing believers, and not just any believers, but that are firm in their faith in Christ. They are solid, and depending how long they had been following Christ when Paul writes this, may be considered mature believers. They had received Christ Jesus the Lord in the past. Sometime in the past, they had entered into life by confession of sin, repentance and faith in the crucified One.

Paul then provides some teaching, even a command for these believers to follow.

So walk in Him. Does Paul provide any guidance on the way to walk in Him? Yes of course, for we are to walk in Him in like manner that we entered into life with the Son. By confession of sin, repentance and faith.

You know I was very surprised when I performed a study years back, a study on the word repentance, and I sought to find out all I could about the term. Although I am convinced that repentance is fundamentally a “change of mind”, this “brain switch” brings about a life change inevitably. What shocked me in my study was that the preponderance of times repentance was preached, it was directed to those of the community of faith. Not to ordinary dirty sinners! What? Sinners are to repent, and they will upon their realization of who God is and of His authority. But so much repentance preached to those of faith!

Yet the Word seems to emphasize the need for the faithful to repent of sinful attitudes and actions. I understand that when Paul says to walk in Him, he is directing us to a life a repentance and submission to Him, and that is how we “So walk in Him”.

Have you went through a period of repentance towards God in some attitude or action recently? A life of repentance is a life of holiness, realizing the dominance of sin in your life, and a life of humility, realizing your utter dependency on the Savior.

So, Paul says, as you have received Him, so walk in Him. This action of walking speaks of a day to day experience, a continuation of that initial seed of faith.

It was of concern to my previous OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) way of thinking that after he speaks of faithfully walking with the Messiah, Paul mentions the danger of being taken captive. The term captive speaks of being taken away as booty, to be lead away from the truth.

Now I don’t want to make too much of this term, for I know some consider this phrase as describing the believers condition as being restricted from his full potential, even held back from living the true life, of being held under the sway of bad teaching.

As the mind goes, so goes the life!

Nevertheless, the term does speak of the one deceived as being led away as a captive, even as a slave. Might the implication be that the ownership has changed? To become a slave implies an ownership exchange.

No that can’t be what Paul is teaching, for then he would be in error, because (as I used to think) the Bible teaches OSAS, and any verses that may seem like a challenge must be ignored, or at least understood under the OSAS teaching.

Dang – It sure was easy when I let a man tell me what to believe!

What think ye?

Might Paul be hinting around, warning these mature believers, those who are firm in their faith, that they may need to consider their standing before God? He has been of this concern before with some in his churches…

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

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Life of David – 1.04

2023-09-27

Saul Chosen, Anointed and Proclaimed to Be King

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.

Today Saul meets Samuel, and things start to change for this man.

1 Samuel 9:11-14

11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.”
14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

Saul and his servant are so close now. By chance, as they were climbing up the hill to the city, they met some young women, and asked about the prophet. Sure – he is here, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place

Sacrifice on the high place? What is going on there? We must remember that Jerusalem and the temple were not the center of worship at this time, but the tabernacle. By the time of Samuel’s call into the ministry as a young child, the tabernacle may have been replaced with a permanent structure in Shiloh, since it was referred to as the temple of the Lord

1 Samuel 1:9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

Ok, so the temple was available for worship, yet we find the prophet going to a small city for a sacrifice. On a high place no less. The prophets condemned this behavior multiple times in later years, as we see in 1 & 2 Kings.

1 Kings 3:3 Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

2 Kings 17:11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the Lord had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord.

So, some may think of this as an inconsistency in the message of the Bible, that one prophet sacrifices on a high place and other prophets condemn that action. But consider the expanding knowledge God provides, revealing greater and deeper truth as His people grow. What yesterday was not revealed and “allowed” at a later time is revealed and restricted. It is a common theme through the Word, and best described in a passage by another man called Saul at one time.

Romans 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

So, let’s get back to our original passage in 1 Samuel. We see Saul and his servant climbing the hill, and as soon as they enter the city, Samuel appears, heading toward them, on his way to the sacrifice. Saul’s meeting the prophet was that quick. No hunting through the city, no delay or avoidance by the prophet, even though it is a mission that is based on the nations rejection of God.

Samuel comes out to them, obedient to God’s command, as we will see in our next passage. He obeys what I would consider to be a very discouraging task, that is to meet the man who will replace God, and by association his prophet, by the nation of Israel. To do that which is displeasing in order to please the One sending him is part of the believer’s life.

Is there something that is ahead for you that is displeasing to you, yet you know it needs to be dealt with? Unless it is time dependent, that is, it is something that cannot be done until a specific time, take care of it today.

One of my favorite verses on this topic is Proverbs 22:13

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside;
I will be killed in the streets!”

Today is a good day to do what you need to do.

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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Let Me Tell You a Story – Fellowship

2023-09-26

I’ll admit it. As a young believer, I grew up in the Lord in a Baptist church and when we spoke of fellowship, we all knew what it meant! Pot providence. (Christians don’t dare believe in luck, therefore pot providence.) A typical gathering in the basement of the old church with Miss Betty’s best rhubarb pie, fried chicken and of course casseroles of exceeding abundance and variety. Looking back, I am shocked at the number of varieties of casseroles that would show up.

Yes – Baptist fellowship was, for a large part of my young church going life, centered around food. Of course, we all know that fellowship is to be centered around the Lord Jesus, but sometimes the breaking of bread, that is munching on casseroles, fried chicken, multiple pies and cakes, hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, green beans, – must I go on?) actually enables a bonding that the Lord desires with His people. The logic, I think, was that having a meal with another believer is a means to an end, and that is of sharing with others what we have, taking time to be with others around the table. Jesus broke bread with His disciples and during these times, He spoke some of His deepest and richest teachings, sharing His heart with His disciples.

Yes, fellowship still is a food thing for me, and I want to let you know that if a brother invites you to a meal, be thankful. I know – that is so obvious, but my story for this post involves a group of believers that attended our home Bible study years ago. We had about 4 or 5 families coming pretty regular, enjoying a couple hours chatting about life and reading the Word.

After a few months, my wifey wanted to host a meal with the group on a Sunday after church, just to let our hair down a bit with everyone. Thought it was a great idea, and since we usually got together around 3 on a Sunday afternoon, we asked all if a couple hours early would be good this one time. All agreed, and my wife started planning.

Barbecue, tater salad, pies, french fries, salads, and a couple casseroles, if I remember correctly. She really done it up good, and I was anticipating a real good feast with folks around the table. Except, that isn’t what happened. Most of the families that came enjoyed the taste of the food, but two of the families refrained from eating. The stood off in the distance, sat on the couch, and waited for the remainder of the group to finish.

I need to let you know that the two families belonged to a denomination that I wasn’t familiar with, yet in their studies, they seemed very earnest, very passionate. One topic seemed to get stuck in their throat as we had been getting together, but that is something that we all understood and realized they had their convictions. No problem.

Yet when they declined to break bread with us, that became an incident that was telling of a general attitude of those committed to this church. We were not worthy to share a meal with.

How hurtful for the young church after the resurrection, to be split in factions due to religion! How that burned in Paul’s heart, and I somewhat understand. It has been decades since this incident, but Sweetie and I came away from it hurt, shocked and somewhat disbelieving it even happened. In the end I think we have come to understand that doctrine is not the be all and end all. For you see the Word states that without love, we are nothing. A judgmental attitude towards those who claim the name of Jesus, though in a different denomination, is a damaging, destroying attitude that simply brings death to a body of believers.

Galatians 5:14, 15 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

When a brother offers you something, be grateful, share in it, and bring the love of God into it. It is the best way for both giver and receiver to maximize the blessings available!

As an aside, it seems coincidental that Paul brings into the passage above the concept of biting and devouring. Could he be referring to the same problem in the Galatian church? No matter – I just know that I am gonna sign off get myself a burger – this talk of food has got me hunnery!

Remember – God is good, and His children are to mimic Him.

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 – EL GIBBOR (MIGHTY GOD) – 8

2023-09-25

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

8

EL GIBBOR (MIGHTY GOD)

Jeremiah 32:18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,

Out of the many names I have found in my research for this series, this particular name is one I have not considered in the past. To see the name “El Gibbor” strikes an unfamiliarity to my thinking. Yet I have often read of the mighty God.

In my research this term is often associated with action or reputation. When speaking of men, the term refers to a champion, a warrior, even a tyrant in some instances. Each of these descriptions speak of one who is not only strong, but uses his strength in battle to win wars.

God is a God of war, and as soon as I say that, most may think of blood, death, destruction and horror on a battle field. I would like to suggest that the Lord Jesus has described our warfare in different terms.

Death to self, and life for others. Loving our enemy. Seeking to be peacemakers, (not just peacekeepers!)

He is the Mighty God, who entered into battle for our souls, voluntarily suffering for others. To submit to this suffering in order to obey His Father and win our souls exhibits great strength of will and power of love.

He is El Gibbor, the Mighty God, mighty in His nature and in His doings, showing steadfast love to thousands upon thousands of His enemies, rescuing them through subjection to suffering.

The strength of our God is not to be lightly considered.

Let us thank Him for Him mighty love that broke through our doubts and fears!

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

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

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Philippian Bits – 2:22

2023-09-24

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.

In the previous posts, I have suggested that Paul is reintroducing Timothy to the Philippians, speaking of Timothy as a mature servant of Christ, genuinely caring for the interests of others. In this post we are going to consider Timothy’s gained worth to Paul!

2:22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.

Paul speaks of Timothy’s proven worth. The Greek word for proven is the root word for first word I ever did a study on a hundred years ago. It is the Greek word δοκιμή (dokimē) and it speaks of a specimen (Timothy in this case) going through a trial and coming through the affliction with gained experience and faith intact. The term refers to a test that was given and that Timothy overcame. Out of this test, Timothy increased in worth to Paul.

Increased in worth?

Whoa Carl, you need to put the brakes on here! Are we not worth so much greater than we can imagine, based not on our works, but on our being made in the image of God? How can our worth increase if it is based on our being made in the image of God?

The inherent worth of a person, based on his being made in the image of God is a very popular teaching nowadays, and there is much truth in it. We are a marred image, but an image of God none the less!

For our topic today, we also need to consider how we may find increased worth in front of God. And that is where trials and testing comes to the rescue! As believers we are either entering a test, currently in a test or coming out of a test, hopefully overcoming the challenge. God provides testing for believers in order for us to mature, to become in our experience what He seeks for us in our destiny. With every test we face, we are given the opportunity to acquire increased worth in the eyes of man and God.

To be faithful to God in our testing will provide greater opportunities in our future. Later in Paul’s ministry, he wrote to Timothy, exhorting him to do his best, to make every effort to be before God as one approved (tested and accepted), with no need to be ashamed. I have much to say about my understanding of this verse, but for the sake of brevity, will address it in an alternate post!

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

The inherent worth of the believer, based on his being made in the image of God is not the idea in this teaching, precious as it is. It is what the faith of the believer produces through the Spirit of God in their character through trials. There is an old Dutch reformed saying that at one time I considered heresy, yet as I study, am finding there may be valuable truth found in it.

It goes something like this…

What we are is God’s gift to us, what we become is our gift to God.

What think thee? Have you an understanding of the various ways our worth is “calculated” in our lives? Even as I type this, I wish to remind the reader (and myself), that this understanding of gained “worth” is to be held with kid gloves, and that we are to understand this teaching in a spirit of humility. He is the One who provides the strength, endurance and encouragement we require to pass through tests, and out of this testing to increase in our worth to man and God.

He is worth it, for He is good and He is good all the time!

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 53.02

2023-09-23

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.

We are visiting Psalm 53, which upon even a cursory review, sounds very familiar. So it should, for it is almost identical to Psalm 14, and with that similarity, I would like to consider the similarities and differences each Psalm is communicating. This post will consider verse 2 of both Psalms.

Psalm 14 Psalm 53
2 – The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 2 – God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

Verse 2 provides a striking difference between the two Psalms. Who is looking down from heaven on the children of men? Psalm 14 speaks of the LORD looking down, whereas Psalm 53 speaks of God looking down on the children of men. What shall we make of this difference?

I have coincidentally just begun a series on the names of God and of course these two primary names of God are considered.

At this time, let us consider if the difference in using two names for God in these psalms may indicate different intended audiences. When we see that God is addressed in Psalm 53, we may understand the audience to be of the more general audience, those not only in the Siniatic covenant (Israel) but of all who have consciousness, alive within this created world. In contrast, when Psalm 14 addresses God with the revealed covenantal name of LORD (Jehovah/Yahweh), David may be targeting the covenantal people of God

Given that in Psalm 53:1, David described the works of the fool as abominable iniquity, and not simply abominable deeds in Psalm 14, may also support this difference in who is looking down on the children of men. Psalm 53, in being directed to a general audience, and may reflect the authors desire to make a point with those outside of the community of faith. Their deeds are incredibly offensive to God. Those outside the community of faith need to understand their plight, for they may not have access to the law of God that provides guidance for their lives, (and conviction of sin).

Are you in a covenant with God, and do you know Him? To avoid the stigma and condemnation / judgement of doing abominable deeds, we must find life in the Son and hold fast to His leadership in our lives.

Without Him, we are all without hope.

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Names of God – EL OLAM (THE EVERLASTING GOD) – 7

2023-09-22

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.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

7

EL OLAM (THE EVERLASTING GOD)

Genesis 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

This name also uses the primary name El in conjunction with Olam, which, as translated speaks of God’s eternality, or His self existence, without beginning and without end.

As Isaiah speaks to the people of God, he asks rhetorical questions to those who have been under the tutelage of the law. Have you not known? Have you not heard?

My goodness, during the days of Isaiah, if any of creation knows of the God of Abraham, and the God of Moses, it must be the nation of Israel, for they have received the written word, describing the God they are in covenant with, the God who has no beginning and has no end.

It is so easy to condemn those in the past as having dropped the ball when it comes to understanding who God truly is, but I will confess that much of my day is sometimes consumed with the here and now and not the inevitable future where God resides.

I understand I can change nothing about the past, other than to seek forgiveness from those whom I may have hurt, but while in the present, after considering the eternality of God, I can change my future.

Let us reflect on the everlasting nature of our Living God, that He will ever be with us, will never “not be” and has provided His Son, separated from Him for a time, so we may continually abide with the everlasting One.

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

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

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 41 – 50

2023-09-21

As we have been venturing through the Psalms, getting lost in the volume of the book, and the many nuggets of truth laid out for believers, I have come to realize (again and again) the beauty of the book, the depth of the book, the expanse of the human experience the book describes and allows us to join into.

We started with a quick dip into one of the most amazing chapters in the Word, one that has impacted my life in various stages of my Christian faith. It is a psalm that spoke to my wife and I as we were reading that night, but it began a journey through the psalms that has continued for over a year, and I suspect may continue to hold me.

With that said, I would like to offer those who read my bumbling efforts to understand one of the great books of the greatest book ever delivered to the human race, an ongoing summary of the findings and blessings I have enjoyed discovering.

Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 41.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 42.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 42.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 42.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 42.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 43.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 43.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 44.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 44.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 44.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 44.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 45.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 45.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 45.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 45.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 45.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 46.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 46.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 46.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 47.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 47.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 48.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 48.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 48.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 48.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 49.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 49.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 49.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 49.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 49.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 50.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 50.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 50.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 50.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 50.05

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Life of David – 1.03

2023-09-20

Saul Chosen, Anointed and Proclaimed to Be King

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.

Saul is hunting some donkeys. Let’s see what we can glean from this passage.

1 Samuel 9:5-10

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.”
6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.”
7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.)
10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

In our last post, I suggested that Saul and his assistant had been sent on a hunt for his families donkeys, and that it may have been quite an extensive journey. With the start of verse 5, we are introduced to the land of Zuph, where most think it was just to the north of the land of the Benjaminite’s. When Saul and his servant entered this area, Saul had had enough of the search and wanted to turn around. No food and gone so long! Yet so close to the prize, though he knew it not.

Nevertheless, his servant spoke of a prophet that might help in completing the task, and after all of Saul’s reasons not to go, he relented.

Notice that the servant was the motivator to take Saul the last few yards to the finish line. How important to have those around us that provide encouragement to pursue the end game, to be the voice that pushes us to the last few steps we need to take. It seemed Saul had a good reason for turning back, since his father may being worrying that they had been so long. But a nameless servant with a good argument and a quarter won the day, and the nation of Israel was never the same!

Be an encourager for someone today. Someone may be getting ready to turn back, to give up, to throw in the towel, and your kind words and offer of help may make all the difference.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Adam 11

2023-09-19

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN

ADAM

LORD OF CREATION

Genesis 1
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Colossians 1
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.

Adam was provided the right to have dominion over all of creation. He was the master or lord over the creation provided to him from God.

Jesus is the Lord of lords, and as such is seen in Adam in the early pages of the Old Testament. He is the One who has dominion over all dominions, thrones, rulers and authorities!

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Names of God – EL ELYON (THE MOST HIGH GOD) – 6

2023-09-18

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

6

EL ELYON (THE MOST HIGH GOD)

Psalm 78:35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.

This name of God speaks of His loftiness, His elevated status over all of creation. As the creator of all, He is above all of creation by the fact He is outside of the creation, eternal and everlasting. The term also is used in comparison to false idols and gods, in that they can not compete with the Most High.

The term speaks of one elevated, lofty or supreme. There is no other like the Most High God.

It may be that the Canaanites referred to their local gods as el (god), but for the Israeli’s as they understood the truths that had been delivered to them through the revelation of God, would refer to the true God as the most High God, in comparison with the idols in the land.

Our God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and is the Most High God, reigning over all other gods, high above all other beings. He is the only One worthy of this name, and we are privileged to know Him through His death on the cross.

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

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

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Philippian Bits – 2:21

2023-09-17

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.

Our topic today is the continuation of Paul’s introduction of Timothy to the Philippian church. As mentioned earlier, the Philippians had met Timothy very early in their lives as a body of believers. He was with Paul and Silas at the very birth of the church, albeit not one who was recognized as a leader. The leaders (Paul and Silas) were hauled off to prison, but Timothy was left behind, supposedly of no threat to the municipal government.

Paul is reintroducing Timothy to his church because he had matured greatly and become a trusted confidant to the apostle, not simply a warm body occupying space!

2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Adding others

Let’s get some context to this short statement from Paul. Earlier in the chapter, Paul has admonished the church to show concern for others interests

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Paul is informing the Philippians of the natural tendency of all to seek their own interests, or their own concerns. We all seek our own interests! But in this verse, he is admonishing the believers to add to their concerns, the concerns of others. This is beyond the self care that we all tend to cherish. Admit it – we like taking care of ourselves! But Paul is telling the believers to reach out to others, invest time in their lives, find out what is of concern in their lives and get involved in those interests.

What might some of the interests be of others? Health issues springs to mind, or financial concerns. But it might start out by finding someone in the body of Christ (or outside of the body of Christ) and asking what type of motorcycle they like, or if they are coffee drinkers, or maybe something else that seems insignificant, but informs them that you are interested in them, and not simply using them to speak of yourself and your interests. After all, we do tend to like taking care of our interests!

Seeking Christ

Paul speaks of “all seeking their own interests” not those of Jesus Christ. Ok Paul – now it seems you have changed subject matter. Is it others or Christ that we are to seek the interests of?

Is there a difference? If we genuinely care for others welfare, are we not also seeking the interests of the Lord Jesus? Yet Paul provides focus for the believer, by redirecting our sights to Christ, and not to others. If we focus properly on Him, (and not get lost in some side interest), our nature will change into one that is genuinely concerned for others.

But beware! If I understand my nature correctly, there is a danger that some who are reading this may come away from this discussion, thinking that if they care for others, that is the same as seeking the interests of Christ. Is that correct? Could some think this way, and actually work themselves into a state of pride? Look at how much I care for others! Wow – Carl you care a whole lot!

I am thinking this may be getting the cart before the horse, as my momma used to say. The order is critical and Paul reminds us of this when he redirects us to the source of true humility, of true deference to others. Jesus is the only true source of humility and by focusing on His sacrifice for us, on His character and teachings, we can be transformed into one who genuinely cares for others.

Seek the interests of Jesus and as you do, you will become one who genuinely cares for the interests of others.

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 53.01

2023-09-16

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.

We are visiting Psalm 53, which upon even a cursory review, sounds very familiar. So it should, for it is almost identical to Psalm 14, and with that similarity, I would like to consider the similarities and differences each Psalm is communicating.

The first item to review is the topic of a fool. Both psalms speak of the “fool” and in our modern way of understanding, to call someone a fool implies one who is deficient in understanding, judgemnt or sense. One who is easily tricked, or made to look foolish/stupid. This is not the primary meaning of when the Hebrew mind read this word.

The term found in both psalms is nāḇāl, and if you think back in David’s life, you will recognize this noun as a proper name of one of David’s enemies.

1 Samuel 25:3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.

Note that the Scripture gives us a character description of the man named “fool” as being harsh and badly behaved. Nothing to do with intelligence directly, but a commentary on his lifestyle and behavior. To be a fool (nāḇāl) in the Hebrew mind was to reject God’s authority and influence, being controlled by the baser elements of the earthly life.

David is not making a commentary on the intelligence of the one rejecting God, but on the moral standing of that one. With that short introduction, lets consider our first verse.

Psalm 14 Psalm 53
1 – To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 1 – To the choirmaster according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Note that Psalm 53 has the additional instruction of “according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David”. Mahalath, from what I have found, refers to an instrument, possible a harp, along with the description of David the psalm as a maskil. This is another mysterious word, but many scholars lean to the idea that this word describes a contemplation or an instructive message.

For Psalm 53 to include this addition may emphasize the seriousness of the message, since Mahalath also may have a sense of mournfulness, sadness or entreaty.

The fool contemplates the existence of God in his heart. During this contemplation, he concludes that there is either no God, (as the translation records – “There is no God”) or that the fool rejects God’s authority over him, by saying “No God”. For you see, the Old Testament text does not include specific words that may be translated as “There is” – see snippet from the Blue Letter Bible to the right.

Either an athiest or a rebel – Which my friend do you consider to be the worst fate?

This is the beginning of becoming the fool, for without God, there are no lasting standards defining right from wrong, and therefore all things are relativistic, according to multiple authorities, with inevitable conflicts. Truly a foolish way to live!

Corrupt

David continues in the first verse of both Psalm 14 and 53 to describe the outcome of this contemplation. Both Psalms speaks of corruption, of a spoiling or rotting, even of a perverting of their very nature. Their very nature or character is being destroyed by this thinking, falling to baser and baser levels of existence. They are literally rotting on the inside. After David’s description of the fool’s character, he goes on to to describe the works produced by this fool.

Abominable Deeds/Iniquity

This is where we find a difference in the Psalms we are looking at. You see, Psalm 14 speaks of deeds, whereas Psalm 53 brings the darker concept of iniquity into the equation.

Psalm 14	Psalm 53
they do abominable deeds	doing abominable iniquity

Psalm 53 raises the stakes in speaking of abominable iniquity. Both describe the activities as abominable, that which is abhorrent, but with the added concept of iniquity, Psalm 53 becomes an even darker description of the fools works. Iniquity speaks of injustice, including violence, which if considered, will always become the end result of a life with no standards. This is the end result of saying “No God”

Uniform in not Doing Good

A final description within both Psalms speaks of this group of fool as being homogeneous, pure and without any deviation in their work of doing good. That is, no-one that contemplates the non existence of God, or that refuses to bow before Him, performs any good. To say that no one does good, for some, implies that the fool cannot even understand goodness or righteousness. Yet, let’s remember that David is speaking of actions when he speaks on no one doing good, based on the contemplation of the heart.

Yes, the heart, if hardened beyond reach, this condition sets the fools actions into inevitable evil and injustice. Yet, I am not convinced the contemplation of the heart is necessarily complete in any fool, for I too (as you may be) lived a fools life and contemplated a life of the rebel, saying no to God. In His mercy, He invited me into a living relationship with Him, and by His grace, He is pulling me out of a life of injustice and violence.

Are you contemplating saying no to God? My friend, consider you ways, for a life of rejecting God will lead to a life of injustice. A life of walking with Him will produce love and peace, both internally and as an outworking of the heart into the lives of others.

Don’t be a Nabal!

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Names of God – EL SHADDAI (ALMIGHTY GOD) – 5

2023-09-15

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.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

5

EL SHADDAI (ALMIGHTY GOD)

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

We have considered Elohim in post #1 of this series, and I would like to consider the secondary term in this compound name, for I have discovered an aspect of “Shaddai” that I had never understood before.

The Hebrew transliteration of the term for Shaddai is šaday, and as I was “rootin’ about”, I clicked on the root word etymology of this term. Blue Letter Bible took me to H7703 – šāḏaḏ.

To be a root word means that all derivatives of the root finds some truth in the root word. Shaddai, as we are considering today, is rooted in the šāḏaḏ.

This is where I became somewhat shocked at what I found, for until this finding, I had always assumed Shaddai was simply referring to God (El) as being powerful, most powerful, all powerful or almighty. And I have no doubt of this fantastic truth.

When we explore the root word šāḏaḏ, it refers to one who spoils, wastes, assaults or deals violently. The term describes the apparent outcome of the power. An example of šāḏaḏ found in the Word, in relation to God’s power being exercised is Jeremiah 25:36

A voice–the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the lords of the flock! For the LORD is laying waste šāḏaḏ their pasture.

Now before anyone starts calling me a heretic, I am not claiming that the blessed God, who is the Almighty, has evil intent or uses His great abilities simply for destruction! There is no way I believe that. Yet His power may bring about violent happenings, as Jeremiah notes in the verse above, and that which when the shepherds witnessed, brought about crying and wailing. For we must remember that the same God who is described as Almighty, is also described as all knowing, and full of wisdom. He exercises His power in perfect righteousness, without staining His character, though we often struggle with that!

We all will admit we want things to always be peachy keen and for every day to be full of sunshine. We know this is a pipe dream. Bad things happen, and yet our God is the Almighty. Though some of His acts may bring about destruction (from our point of view) faith rises above that and recognizes the God of the Bible as the One hanging on the cross, bearing the suffering we deserved, accepting the shame resulting from our sinful decisions.

He is the Almighty, yet He voluntarily hung on that instrument of death, “powerless” to free himself but for one reason. The power of love, greater than all His suffering and shame, shone forth on that ol’ rugged cross, when the Almighty became weak for our sake.

He is the Almighty God (El Shaddai), mighty in power and love to His creation. Praise His name today!

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

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

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Conditional Security – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

2023-09-14

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

As a hardcore OSAS, this is one of the first passages that I figgered Paul got wrong.

Since I am eternally secure, and my initial faith equaled a one time contractual negotiation with God, how could the apostle Paul say such a difficult saying that seems to bring question to the remainder of the Word. A number of items arise in this passage that just scrambled my brain as an OSAS adherent.

Brothers

Paul called them brothers. Why would he call them brothers if they had not given evidence of their faith in the Living God? His time with them gave him ample evidence of the Spirit of the Living God residing in them. Remember that Paul was with this church for 18 months, not three weekends like the Thessalonians, or the very short time he had with the Philippians. He witnessed first hand what the gospel produced in these people.

Received

Paul declared that they received the gospel. To receive is to take, acquire or accept. Paul understood that at the preaching of the gospel, these brothers took the gospel, accepted it as truth and received the message into their lives. I may be overreaching to say that they did not merely accept it intellectually due to the time the apostle spent with this congregation. To receive the gospel is to become the brother he referenced them as earlier.

Note that this verb is aorist tense, that is that they received the gospel at a point in time in the past.

Stand

Paul wrote that they stood in the gospel. When I read of standing in the gospel, I am reminded of Paul’s use of the term in Ephesians 6:14, speaking to believers concerning their responsibility in their Christian life, to be firm in their convictions, to be active in their faith, to be established in the faith.

Note that this verb is perfect tense, that is the Corinthians live in the gospel, they are active believers in the Messiah.

Being Saved

Paul said they were being saved by the gospel. Now this was where I started to go off the rails in my thinking with Paul. It is amazing that he could slip from the truth of OSAS so quickly, but I would be forgiving towards him, in that I would simply “ignore” his mistakes, like he is slipping into here!

Yet the passage speaks of being saved. Describing believers (who are saved) as being saved! Why are you muddying the waters of my OSAS mind, Paul? What are you saying? It seems the salvation we received, and as believers, are standing in, is an active living salvation, that the salvation we have is working in our lives, bringing us to a maturity that is not only expected, but that God will perform in our faith.

If

Then comes that dreaded word. IF.

Some may think Paul intended to say since, instead of if here. In my research, I have found no support for this term to be translated as since. The word “if” speaks of a conditional state, dependent on someone to perform an action. “If’” is a primary particle of conditionality. Something Paul’s writes next will be what the brothers will require to perform in order to maintain their current status as brothers.

Hold fast to the word Paul preached. Do not let it slip away, as the author of Hebrews describes the falling brother in chapter 2.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Of course, if the brothers do let the gospel slip from them, if they do not hold fast to the message Paul preached, – well what does that mean? Paul’s conclusion is that they believed in vain. Did they not really believe at the initial preaching of the gospel? Is that what believing in vain refers to?

Of might it mean that they believed “in a random” sort of manner, to no purpose, to be void of result, empty. To be void of result, to not complete the initial faith they exhibited in the Messiah. Might this be where Paul is taking us. The believers in Corinth had placed their faith in the Messiah, yet it appears this “faith” may not produce the end result intended.

The argument comes down to this.

Never Brothers

Is Paul graciously calling these folks brothers, (though if OSAS is correct, Paul fears some are not) and these “never brothers” are falling away from Christ because they had no (a vain) faith? In other words, is Paul just being kind calling them brothers, but in reality have never believed in the Savior?

Currently Brothers

Is Paul accurately calling his audience brothers, and is expressing his fear of their slipping away, a danger of leaving the faith, of an apostacy within the church? Is Paul expressing a fear of their not holding fast to the word that was preached unto them?

How do you see this passage?

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Life of David – 1.02

2023-09-13

Saul Chosen, Anointed and Proclaimed to Be King

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.

A short review of Saul’s call to be King!

1 Samuel 9:3-4

3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

Saul was on a journey. A journey to destiny! Little did he know of the life changing meeting he would have with a prophet of God while searching for his father’s livestock.

I suppose the first thing I am curious about is the route he took in looking for his animals – through the hill country of Ephraim, through Shalishah, though Shaalim, and through the land of Benjamin.

Best I can tell, the map to the right provides demarcation of the Hill Country, and lands of Benjamin and Ephraim. This journey may have been as much as 100 miles round trip, traveling through hilly country, looking for donkeys.

Donkeys!

When I think of Old Testament Israel, I think sheep, not donkeys, yet these animals were common in the land, even used to transport royalty in the very near future. And Saul, with an assistant was out looking for a heard of donkey’s upon assignment from his father Kish.

Let’s think about this. A prominent, wealthy family looses a herd of donkeys. Does this speak of bad livestock management practices? We need to give Kish and his family the benefit of the doubt as this occurrence was used of God to direct Saul to a fateful meeting with Samuel. To be anointed the first King of Israel, continuing the rejection of God as their King!

What are you talking about Carl – Israel’s rejection of God? You see, Saul was out searching for lost donkeys, spending a considerable amount of time and effort chasing after them. It turns out he never did find them. But he was led to a prophet that had been told of Israel’s rejection of God, of God giving the nation He created, saved and established what they wanted. And what did they want? A replacement leader. Someone instead of God. We will see this as a consistent truth as we venture through the Old Testament, but it is good to understand how this impacts not only Samuel’s life, but more importantly God’s interpretation of Israel’s desires.

1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Sobering thoughts on the desires of a nation, when it simply wants to be like the nations around it.

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 – Adam 10

2023-09-12

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

ADAM

HIS WIFE

Genesis 2
22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Revelation 19
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

Revelation 21
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

In placing Adam into a deep sleep, God took from Adam a rib to make his wife. Adam received a wife out of the experience of death, out of His very body.

How so much more did the Lord create a wife for the Son out of the death He experienced?

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 – ADONAI JEHOVAH (LORD GOD) – 4

2023-09-11

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.

Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered Hs compound names, which typically use His primary name and attach a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

4

ADONAI JEHOVAH (LORD GOD)

Genesis 15:2 ESV – But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

Our first compound name is the combination of two primary names. As an aside, I am thankful that when Jehovah (or Jahweh) is found in the text, the translators provide a clue and capitalize all letters in the English translation. Such is the case in this instance.

He is the Lord (Adonai), One who has authority and power, in the ultimate sense, and GOD (Jehovah), the self existent One, dependent on no one.

In our text, Abraham has been provided a promise by God, but it hadn’t been realized yet. He had been promised a son but had remained childless, and time was running out! Yet in addressing God, Abraham combined two of His personal primary names to emphasize his trust in the Living One.

Abraham had used both these names in addressing the Father before, but not in the same manner as here. In this passage he combined them into one name, specifically emphasizing the power and independence of the Lord. In God’s independent power, He was able to provide “results” based only on His own good will and the requests of those who had his ear.

Abraham had entered into this understanding, and was speaking to God freely, concerning His promise of an heir. He is listening today.

Do you have a sense of his independence and power, that He is free (beholding to no one) and able (powerful) to perform that which is within His will for those who have His ear?

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 – 2:20

2023-09-10

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.

2:20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.

Our current topic is the young man Timothy, and his character as described by no less than the apostle Paul. The Philippians had encountered Timothy a number of times and yet Paul describes him to them as if they had never met.

Of had they? Timothy had been a young convert when he had joined Paul in Lystra, and one of the first stops on Paul’s journeys with Timothy was the city of Philippi. This Philippian church was a sort of baptism of ministry for Timothy, and his youthfulness in the Lord may have been evident. Note that Timothy was not in the prison with Paul and Silas, possibly implying that Timothy may have been more of an observer than active minister/leader amongst the apostles.

Since that initial contact with the church, Timothy had continued with Paul and Silas through Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth and back to Antioch. Missionary journeys had come and gone. Years passed and Timothy stuck it out with Paul, being sent to Corinth as Paul languished in prison, visiting the church and reporting back. Even early on, Timothy was gaining gracious reviews from Paul.

1 Corinthians 4:17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

By the time Timothy was being sent to the first church plant he had experienced, Timothy had become a very trusted disciple. Some suggest Timothy may have been with Paul for close to twelve years by the time he is sent back to Philippi. Twelve years under the tutelage of the apostle Paul. Obviously Timothy was not the same man. The Philippians may remember a young “wet behind the ears” convert, but the believer Paul was sending had matured and become a cherished helper of Paul, often being sent out in Paul’s absence.

Timothy was not the same man. Paul may have provided this description of Timothy to reintroduce him to the Philippians. Paul was not sending an inexperienced disciple from the fringes of his associates , but a man who had proven himself in the trenches of ministry.

Timothy had proven himself to be a man who naturally cared for the church, for those individuals in the church, and that gave of himself for the church. To care for believers was not in his job description, nor was it a task that had been assigned to him. His activities did not include among many items caring for believers as one of his responsibilities. Timothy cared for them in the same way he breathed. It was natural, involuntary, and consistent. It was natural for him to care. Paul was sending a man to the Philippians that he trusted and had blossomed as a disciple in front of Paul’s eyes.

A rare man!

Time with the apostle, meant time with a man of influence, under the Kingship of Jesus. Change had occurred, and Timothy had entered the life of change into the image of Christ.

Let me ask a question – If you met an old friend you hadn’t seen for a decade, would they meet a different person, a person influenced by the Christ, naturally caring for 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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Psalms for Psome – Ps 52.03

2023-09-09

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.

Psalm 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
Psalm 52:9 I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

David has just described the doom of the mighty man, along with the reaction of the humble man to the “breaking” of the mighty man.
We considered what it meant to be broken and what seeking refuge in his own destruction may be describing. (Who in their right mind would seek refuge in their own destruction).

David, in our portion this time, describes his own experience in relation to God. He is like a green olive tree, and when I hear the term olive tree I think of God’s covenant relationship with His people. See Jeremiah 11:16 for an example.

Jeremiah 11:16 – The LORD once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.

Not only does the green olive tree remind me of the relationship God had with His nation Israel, it also reminds me of the new covenant we enjoy under the Lord’s authority today.

But beyond all that, I think of the wonderful oil that is produced from the fruit of this tree. The olive oil that is produced by the crushing of the olive fruit. A crushing of the fruit that hearkens to the crushing of the Savior, the crushing of His body to bring about the spiritual oil that anoints those who seek the Master. But we must not forget that it was a crushing that was required to produce this blessing, and as he hung on the cross, taking the punishment we – I – deserved, He was also undergoing a crushing that would produce the fruit of life to those who sought Him.

How often Jesus may have recounted the second portion of verse 8 while suffering.

I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

No one in the history of all of creation has experienced the depth of the truth of that verse but for him. At the very time of His suffering, He only had His trust in the steadfast love of God, in the faithfulness of His Father, even as He was abandoned for the first (and only) time of His existence.

Upon His resurrection, may I suggest that Jesus entered the truth of verse 9.

I will thank you forever, because you have done it.

Consider how Jesus is thanking His Father. God the Father rescued Him from death, for He could not behold it. Is it any less incumbent for us who know nothing of His depth of suffering to be any less thankful for His tremendous grace towards us?

Let us have a thankful spirit and give thanks unto the Lord for His mighty acts of rescue!

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Names of God – ADONAI (LORD) – 3

2023-09-08

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.

Our first three names are considered His primary names!

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

3

ADONAI (LORD)

Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

In our last post, we spoke of the Tetragrammaton, in other word the 4 letters that we understand represents the name Jehovah, or Jahweh.

In this post we are going to consider the Hebrew word Adonai, as the third and last primary name of our God. Adonai is the Hebrew word for Lord, referring to someone who has power and authority.

As discussed in our first post, Adonai is also used to refer to earthly rulers frequently in the Word, but of course not in the absolute sense as when referring the our God.
The Creator and Sustainer of all things is by His very nature the Lord (Adonai) and Master (Adonai) of all things.

We may fight this truth, deny this truth, ignore this truth, but until we submit to this truth, we will never find peace. And the truth of His lordship is not dependent on our opinion of this claim He makes. He is Lord whether we like it or not.

My advice you ask? Submit to the truth, as far as you understand it, that Jesus is Lord (Adonai) and that you want to be a disciple, a learner of what that means in every area of your life.

Peace will find you when you submit. And it is a glorious peace, for you see, He is Lord 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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Psalms for Psome – Ps 31 – 40

2023-09-07

As we have been venturing through the Psalms, getting lost in the volume of the book, and the many nuggets of truth laid out for believers, I have come to realize (again and again) the beauty of the book, the depth of the book, the expanse of the human experience the book describes and allows us to join into.

We started with a quick dip into one of the most amazing chapters in the Word, one that has impacted my life in various stages of my Christian faith. It is a psalm that spoke to my wife and I as we were reading that night, but it began a journey through the psalms that has continued for over a year, and I suspect may continue to hold me.

With that said, I would like to offer those who read my bumbling efforts to understand one of the great books of the greatest book ever delivered to the human race, an ongoing summary of the findings and blessings I have enjoyed discovering.

As you can tell from the expanding list of posts, the Psalms have got a hold on me!

Psalms for Psome – Ps 31

Psalms for Psome – Ps 32

Psalms for Psome – Ps 33.1

Psalms for Psome – Ps 33.2

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.1

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.2

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.3

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.4

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.5

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.6

Psalms for Psome – Ps 34.7

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.06

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.07

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.08

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.09

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.10

Psalms for Psome – Ps 35.11

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.00

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.06

Psalms for Psome – Ps 37.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 37.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 37.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 37.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 37.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 38.00

Psalms for Psome – Ps 38.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 38.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 39.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 39.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 39.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 39.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.01

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.02

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.03

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.04

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.05

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.06

Psalms for Psome – Ps 40.07

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Life of David – 1.01

2023-09-06

Saul Chosen, Anointed and Proclaimed to Be King

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.

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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Psalm 14	Psalm 53

2 – The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.	2 – God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

Psalm 14	Psalm 53

1 – To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.	1 – To the choirmaster according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

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Adding others

Seeking Christ

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Corrupt

Abominable Deeds/Iniquity

Uniform in not Doing Good

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Brothers

Received

Stand

Being Saved

If

Never Brothers

Currently Brothers

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