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
Boaz
Preeminent
Ruth 4:1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
In the book of Ruth, one would think she is the important character, the one who is spoken of, noted, and referred to the most. It’s all about her!
Or is it?
Yes, Ruth is the reciever of blessing, but in a strictly quantitative review of the book, Ruth, by name is only referred to 13 times. Boaz, on the other hand is referred to more than twice that! Twenty-eight times!
Boaz is not only described as a worthy man, an obedient Jew, a Kinsmen Redeemer, a Redeemer of all, expressing acts of kindness, providing for the less fortunate, accepting a foreigner for a wife, a judge and the resurrector of a families hopes, but his name is referred to more than twice Ruth’s is. He is the one who is preeminent in this book, that rises to the top.
In reading the book of Ruth, I find great comfort in seeing Boaz as a type of Christ, and Ruth as a type of the church. As the church, we are the widow who is rescued, the poor who is provided for. We are the recipients of all of our Boaz’s great qualities and His acts of kindness.
Boaz is the preeminent name in the book of Ruth.
Jesus in the preeminent name in the church, and throughout creation.
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.
206
GOD WHO HAS MERCY
Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Warning warning warning!
We are in a passage that is full of controversy, that fuels a theology that, in my opinion, locks a person away into a fatalistic future, either elevating them to a special status, or condemning them to a hopeless destiny.
This controversy is not to be considered in this post. (But Carl – you just did!)
Let both sides of the discussion put down their arguments, their opinions – yes – even the opinion expressed above is to be put down, to be put aside in the attempt to think of our merciful God.
Again, to be clear, our name here speaks of God owning a characteristic. He has mercy.
But Carl – He is the King, the rightful ruler who has no competition, no equal. He is all powerful, and is able to do whatever His will allows. He is the Judge of all of creation, and in this position, has no one to effectively attack His decisions. No one could mount an effective argument over what ever He decides.
We all agree that He is above and beyond all our reach, that we have no defense against His decisions, that we are without any argument in His acting out of His will.
Paul – why are you bringing up this mercy thing? Not that God knows of mercy, or that He may exercise mercy, or that He thinks mercy is good, but that He has mercy.
Mercy is of God’s character. In relation to judgement, God makes judgements. He determines justice. Out of the perfections of His character, God makes determinations. These decisions are based on His character, but are not of the unchangeable character of our God. Let us not forget that mercy is an integral part of the perfections of His character.
Consider.
God is love. 1 John 4:8 God has mercy (our verse today) God is true. John 3:33 God is faithful 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is light 1 John 1:5 God is righteous Daniel 9:14 God is just Deuteronomy 32:4 God is a consuming fire Hebrews 12:29
My friend, I cannot find in the Bible a like description of God’s character being that of condemnation. Granted Psalm 50:6 contains the phrase “God is judge”, yet I am not convinced this speaks of a condemning heart. Simply that He makes determinations or judgements! God is described as just, or righteous, and for that we can be thankful. He seeks not to judge, in the manner of condemning.
It isn’t in His heart, yet because God is righteous, and we rebel, judgement (condemnation) proceeds from the throne based on His character, as a result of our rejection.
But judgement (condemnation) is a just reaction to our rebellion, not the core of His nature!
Do you see God as being primarily a condemning judge, One who actually seeks to condemn, that His very nature is to reject that which is not pure?
Consider Jesus, for in Him, we have witnessed the heart of God, the nature of God, the character of God. He took condemnation so we may find God, so we may find mercy.
Our God has mercy. Seek Him while He may be found, for He is a merciful God!
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.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
Error
It has been s few weeks since we spent some time in 1 Thessalonians, so it may be wise to remind ourselves that Paul is in the middle of responding to the slurs and slander being slung around in the sanctuary.
Enough of the alliteration!
He was addressing the claim of those in the church that were charging multiple offences against the apostle, before his very church! In our last verse he spoke of his defense against the implication of his previous suffering. If he suffered under the authority of the city of Philippi, he surely was not to be listened to. Dang – he was “corrected” by the city government of Philippi when they put him to the rods!
For our verse this morning, he again speaks out against the enemies of the church by bringing to light a claim against him associated with the message he brought them. Specifically, the claim he is addressing is the moral character of the content of his message.
Impurity
First off, Paul speaks of his exhortation, his message to the Thessalonians as an encouragement, a supplication and of a persuasive discourse. This exhortation of pleading with the Thessalonians brings to mind a messenger that seeks the best for others, and has the best on intents.
But the detractors are not spreading a message of Paul seeking the best for the church. They are claiming that Paul’s message is sourced of impurity.
What is Paul speaking of? Is it that they claimed he was in error, that he simply was deceived? This would be a very effective claim since all intuitively knows that nothing pure can come from the impure. If this claim of those in the church stuck, Paul’s gospel becomes polluted, and is not to be trusted.
Attempt to decieve
But the detractors were not done. Paul goes on to to add the defense that his message of the gospel did not spring from any attempt to deceive.
Both of these claims center around error or deception.
The first speaks of Paul as impure, possibly unknowing of his error, teaching what he thinks is true, but because he is impure, the message is impure. His intent may be good, but because he is mistaken, his message is wrong.
This claim is attacking Paul’s attempt to deceive. It is as though Paul knows the truth, but decides to lie to the Thessalonians for some hidden reason.
That simply doesn’t make sense, and as we follow the Lord, we too will come up against inconsistencies of the enemies of the gospel over and over again.
Let me try to explain.
Paul has just suffered in Philippi, having been beaten by the rod, humiliated, and run out of town. He enters Thessalonica, and a crowd erupts in anger against him. He again is rejected by the masses, having to abandon those few that believed his message of a rejected and crucified Savior.
If his message is fueled by deception, where is the gain for this apostle? Why? If he is wrong, or his intent in delivering a message is to deceive, why go through all the trials and troubles he has went through.
The very claim of his being a deceiver, or of being deceived has to pass one sniff test. There are other tests of course, but for this short verse we are addressing the claim of deception in Thessalonians.
What is the sniff test?
Why suffer for a lie?
His detractors are silent in this regard! They wouldn’t suffer for their message. As a matter of fact, their message is compliant with the enemies of the cross. They are towing the line of the world in fighting against God and his Savior! No suffering for them. They have picked their camp!
But Paul knows the truth and in spreading the truth, he is attacked, defamed and tore down by those who fight against God. Paul experiences a constant barrage of pain and trial, yet he stays the course, holding desperately onto the truth, for in a world of detractors dealing in deception, Paul found his only sanity in looking to the way the truth and the life!
It is true for us today also. Look to the truth of Jesus, and detractors will come. But Jesus is the truth. Trust Him only.
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 71 is a psalm written by an aged saint, a man who had walked with the Lord through many trials and triumphs. Some think this psalm represents David’s thoughts as he approaches the grave, as he ages and finds his life coming to a close.
One thing that is obvious in this psalm, that whoever wrote this psalm had an intimate experience with the Word of God. I have heard the claim that in the 24 verses of this psalm, there are up to 25 references, allusions and hints of other psalms within this reflection of an old saint. He has saturated his life with the Word, to the point that even phrasing of the old book comes through this old man’s message.
It is truly a witness of the wisdom to engage in an early and consistent immersion into the Word of God for every saint.
Let’s take a moment to consider
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. Psalm 71:15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. Psalm 71:16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
Remember our psalmist is in the midst of a battle that is possibly going to consume him, take his life and snuff him out! Was it not just a few verses previously, that he spoke of his enemies consulting to take his life?
Psalm 71:10-11 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”
I bring this to our memory, for he begins this portion with hope and praise. He has not won some lottery, or received a promotion at work, but is experiencing a life changing, life altering, possibly life ending event in this passage, yet has the eye of faith that will hope and praise God.
He has a history with God, and is entering his last days, but though weakened, he has a history with God, knowing that God is a faithful and loving God. With this history and the knowledge of the faithfulness of God in his life, he has the strength of spirit to raise up praise in the midst to trial, to hope in a seemingly hopeless situation!
And he isn’t shallow in his experience with God, for he speaks of “talking up” God all day long! He has a deep well of experiences to draw from, of a life where God showed up on a consistent basis, providing a deliverance for the saint, whether small or great, exhibiting His faithfulness.
But let me settle on verse 16, for that is a verse that speaks of the Lord Jesus.
16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
Did He not come to rescue us?
Did He not come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD? So many miracles! So many chances for the soul to admit He is the One!
Did not the Lord Jesus declare the righteousness of the God of Israel, the God of the fathers, the eternal God?
Did not the Lord Jesus remind us of the “onlyness” of God’s righteousness? Granted, I don’t think “onlyness” is a proper word, but hopefully you get my intent. Jesus spoke of God’s righteousness alone, and not of any others, but God’s alone! He minced no words in declaring that God alone is truly righteous, and that all others are not!
He spoke the truth for us, and though it is difficult to hear, His words are a balm for the weary soul, even as we submit to the truth that only God is righteous, and that we are not.
Jesus came with mighty miracles, reminding us of such a righteous God and our need for Him.
And He provided us the way, the truth and the life!
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.
205
GOD WHO HAS BEEN MY SHEPHERD
Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
Let’s remember who is speaking in this verse.
It is that rapscallion Israel, the one who lied and cheated through out his life, causing strife and turmoil in the family, breaking his mother’s heart in having to run for his life, tearing apart his connection with his brother, creating division within his own family by favoring Rachel, deceiving his father, conning his Uncle Laban, and unwilling to let Benjamin go to Egypt to acquire food for those of his family.
Israel has the nerve to speak of God as being his Shepherd all his life. Yet this should not surprise us, for we know of the mercies of the Lord, of his gracious leadings, and of how he bends down to us, reaching out to us in our state of sin and pulling us out of misery.
But there is one thing to note in Israel’s statement regarding God as his Shepherd. He doesn’t declare himself as a particularly good sheep, or of any type of sheep.
No this statement doesn’t take into account the goodness of the sheep, but only the faithfulness of the Shepherd, the Shepherd who is faithful to His sheep.
God who has been my Shepherd.
To think that Israel considered God and not himself at his final moments on earth speaks volumes, for he had come to a place where he recognized the goodness of God in spite of his own actions, and that was worth focusing on!
It is wise to focus on the God who has been our Shepherd!
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.
18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.
Moses, in declaring God’s message for the nation warns them of those whose hearts are turning away from the Lord. Be it man or woman, clan or tribe, the warning is given in order to preserve the nation from apostacy.
He warns the nation of this one who is turning away from the covenant, even as this soul convinces himself of his security. Note in particular verse 19, where the soul who is becoming a “root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” is convincing himself of his own security.
What is even more difficult to stomach is that this one who is becoming a “root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” is convincing himself, blessing himself, as he hears the words of this sworn covenant, the very covenant that God graciously provided to the nation through the prophet Moses. He isn’t merely convincing himself out of a vacuum, or when he is with his friends at a bar or bowling alley, but as he hears the very words of the covenant that he refuses to submit to.
Excuse me for this leap of logic, but I can’t help but find a parallel with our current conditions, where believers may be in church, hearing the Word, and yet possibly be on the edge of turning from Him.
Even worse, to think that some teachers of the Word provide no warnings of “heart turning”, or deny this possibility of becoming a “root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit”. Or worse yet, some may teach that it is impossible to turn from the Lord, saying that a prayer at an altar will forever seal your fate.
Thankfully we may identify those who have turned from the Lord, in that they are a source (root) of poison and bitterness. Let’s consider both those terms.
Poisonous
רֹאשׁ rôʼsh is found in the Old Testament and refers to a poisonous plant or the poison of a serpent. Obviously associated with death!
Bitterness
The Hebrew word translated as bitterness in this verse is לַעֲנָה laʻănâh. We find it translated as wormwood also, and it speaks of a noxious and poisonous root. It has the connotation of cursing, and is also associated with death.
Now what?
Moses provides a warning at the start of this passage for the nation in his day, and the church in our day, to identify those who may become a “root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” To identify those the Lord warns us of in the passage above, we require discernment to see the fruits of their lives. Moses warns us of the one who is confident in his profession of faith, and yet, from the root of his life, in his very heart, death ensues.
For death is this soul’s denial of the Lord Jesus, whether it be active denial or passive denial. Of course it is easy to identify the actively denying soul, the one who rants and raves against the person of Jesus, and it is wise to understand our relationship to that soul.
The soul that is difficult to discern is the one who is still in the passive denial of truth, that is the soul convincing himself of his security, yet seemingly proceeding down a path of death. As believers, we would be wise to heed the apostles advise when addressing those who may be slipping away, for we are also a weak and fragile people.
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
May we have roots found in the Lord Jesus, full of life and the sweetness of His character!
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
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 30:26-31
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” 27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
In our last post, we see David healing a very real split amongst his men. Those vocal “wicked and worthless” men of David were on the edge of dividing David’s men, diminishing greatly the unity and camaraderie developed through all the strain and struggle they had experienced together.
David wisely reacted to the threat within his army!
In our post here, we find David doing the exact same thing, that of healing relations, but in this passage he is seeking to heal relations with his nation. Surely they thought of him as a traitor, for had he not “abandoned” them as he lived and pillaged in Philistia? Surely this sentiment is at least part of David’s motivation for distributing spoils to the elders of Judah.
Now before I go on, there is an assumption that I think we need to make in this short passage.
This assumption is that the spoil sent to his friends, those of the elders of Judah was of the Amalekites and not of the recovered spoils of his men.
If the cities of Judah were to receive of the spoils of his men, this would have only aggravated relations between David and his men. I can hear the rumors flying throughout the ranks that he was seeking to buy others favor at the expense of his own army! We know this is a common action of some in power, even in todays political world, but I believe David is in the healing business in this passage.
This decision to send to the elders of Judah also effectively addresses the greed of those wicked and worthless men among his soldiers.
Can you imagine those wicked and worthless men returning from their victory, just “licking their chops”, thinking they could gain from not only their brothers at the Brook Besor, but all the spoils of the Amalekites. This was to be a great bounty for those wicked and worthless men. Wow, so much stuff!
David is in this action, providing the soldiers an opportunity to consider their future. This action laid the groundwork for the long term goals of the future king of Israel. They who had been faithful throughout all of David’s trials, temptations and threats, are on the cusp of becoming the future king of Israel’s core fighting men, as the ascension of David to the throne is on the horizon!
As David ascends, the soldiers will benefit in their association with the king. The spoils are a distraction, a short term gain with a long term loss for these soldiers!
David was the rightful king from the day of his anointing. Though estranged from his people, David had a small group of Israeli men who had developed into a rag tag fighting force that stuck with him. Through trial and trouble, these men had developed into David’s men, saw God work miracles and followed David’s leadership into numerous battles they humanly shouldn’t have won, little lone survived.
Jesus also is the rightful King, and though His fighting force is but a fraction of the population of his potential Kingdom, those of us who have followed Him while He has been defamed and ridiculed by the world, need to look long term also.
David was about to become king, at least of Judah, but he is on his way to find the recognition he richly deserved by the people he was intended to reign over. The soldiers needed to see this future and not be driven by the immediate acquistion of booty and spoils.
Jesus will be recognized by all as the King soon. As those who have followed Jesus before His revelation to the world, we also need to look long term.
My friend, if you are beginning to fall into the wicked and worthless mindset, seeking good for yourself, even at the expense of your brothers things, repent and think long term!
More importantly, think of Him who lived His life as an example for us, to think of others and not ourselves only. He is coming, and our hearts are to be for Him and not of others possessions.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Boaz
Resurrector
Ruth 4:10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”
Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
In this passage, we find Boaz finalizing the transaction with the closer redeemer. And as Boaz felt that it needed to be clearly stated, he identifies Ruth, the foreigner, as also being included in the trasafction. Boaz, in redeeming the land of Elimelech, Naomi, Chlion and Mahlon, also bought Ruth.
Now at first glance, and by impression, it seems Boaz had a thing for this young woman. He was impressed with her character, her bravery, and her faithfulness to Naomi. So it is fair to think that Boaz went through this effort and cost simply out of love, and I want to think that. ‘Cause I think it is true!
Boaz doesn’t say anything like that in his only public statement regarding his taking Ruth as his wife. Verse 13 simply states
Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife….
But let’s take a second look at verse 10. Boaz provides his public motive for redeeming the family and land of Naomi. He explains clearly that his reason for this redemption.
All his efforts and the cost associated with this transaction was to enable him to
to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance,
that the name of the dead may not be cut off
In Israel, according to the laws given by Moses regarding inheritance, land was to remain in the name of the family. My assumption is that Mahlon was the eldest son of Elimelech and Naomi, for in those days, the land of Israel passed down the family line through the eldest son. But to be a childless widow in Israel meant the end of the line for that family. There was no hope.
Ruth, in this instance clearly provides a picture of the gentiles prior to entrance into the Body of Christ. Alienated. Stranger. With no hope. Without God
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
This condition of hopelessness, of no continuing life, was addressed by God in the laws given at Sinai, in that a close relative could take the place of the elder son in the family, and produce offspring to perpetuate the name. This option within Israel essentially provided new life to a family that had experienced the loss of hope for a continued lineage.
Boaz was all about declaring that he would perpetuate the name of the dead. He would perpetuate! To “perpetuate” is typically translated in the Old Testament as “rise up”, “arise” or “raise”, providing us a picture of Boaz reflecting the One who raises up.
How clear it is that Boaz is a picture of Jesus. Jesus also took a foreigner to the covenant, and by entering into covenant with her, raised her up to have life and hope in the Kingdom.
Jesus, in a far more powerful and extremely deeper way, provided life for His Bride, and the hope of a continual lineage in the Kingdom.
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.
204
GOD WHO GIVES GENEROUSLY TO ALL
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Specifically, James is referring to God’s lavish giving of wisdom in this passage.
But let it be known by all who read this, I want to give witness that God gives generously to all in more than just the acquisition of wisdom.
He has been providing for my family in so many ways and at unexpected times that I simply want to say thank you to Jesus for His many mercies, for His continual faithfulness, for His overarching reach down into our lives even today, and for His continued work in us in the future.
Yes His is faithful, and His faithfulness has convinced me that He will continue to grant mercies and grace to this family, a family that may not recognize it, that are somewhat erratic and worrisome, that get too easily distracted from His person. We are not what He deserves! And conversely, He is so much more than we deserve.
May we honor Him more today than we did yesterday.
As mentioned initially, before I couldn’t resist in praising Him for His grace to us, James is speaking of saints who need. Saints who, in this instance need wisdom. James is speaking of one characteristic of the saint that is a required tool in our lives, yet if we are honest with ourselves, we are much needier than simply lacking wisdom.
We are such needy folks, and we sometimes do not want to admit this, for it strikes at our pride. And pride is the very problem for the believer! Pride keeps us cold, hard and unreachable! But James returns to this message of abundance available for the saint, (a spiritual abundance, not the adulterated message of physical abundance), but that which truly satisfies the soul.
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James spoke of our God as One who gives generously to all. There is no restriction on God’s part, for my imagination see’s Him “just itching to give” to those who will set their pride down, and lift their heart and voice to Him and ask.
He is the God who gives generously.
May we not only recognize this in our God, but also find ways to reflect a generous life to others! And that is a skill that requires much wisdom!
But we know who provides! Thankyou Jesus for your 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.
Thoughts on the topic of money from the book of wisdom
The book of Proverbs has much to say about the topic of money. Very much! So many verses that I have created categories that will help me focus on particular topics related to money, such as worth of money, value of money, effect of money, greed for money and money and the Lord.
Let’s dive into the wisdom of Proverbs for a few moments.
In our first post on the topic of money, I had an extended introduction on the intangible assets such as instruction, knowledge, understanding and wisdom that is compared with money in the proverbs, along with a short discussion on each of these intangible assets. I also tried to define the difference between worth and value in the first post. If there is interest in this topic, please see Proverbial Thoughts on Money / Instruction.
Otherwise, our topic in this post is money in relation to righteousness.
4 Worth of Money
Worth Less than Righteousness
Proverbs 10:2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.
What can be said when comparing money, (treasures in this instance) with righteousness. Much in every way! Yet I want to be careful, for I would like to remind my reader that Solomon qualifies the attainment of treasures in this verse. He speaks of treasures gained by wickedness. He does not condemn the gaining of treasures through righteousness, for in chapter 15:6, Solomon clearly speaks to this truth.
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
Let’s also be clear that when Solomon speaks of great treasures, he may not have tangible assets (money) in mind, but intangible assets, like wisdom, and knowledge, even the fear of the Lord! Yet this verse may aptly be referring to physical treasure for the second verse speak of “income”. I will leave that with my reader to consider!
This first half of Proverbs 10:2 is instructive in itself, for though the treasure is gained through wickedness, motivated for profit, Solomon says there is no profit. That phrase alone should alert us that Solomon may not be speaking of possessions primarily.
The second half of Proverbs 10:2 speaks of righteousness delivering from death. When coupled with the first half of the verse, it appears that treasure gained by wickedness not only provides no profit, but is of no use in the end. Death can not be paid off with wicked cash, for it cannot deliver the soul.
In a culture rife with transactions, with contracts, deals, pacts, financial promises, agreements, purchase orders, terms, conditions, pledges and accords, it is very easy to forget that death does not deal with funds, money or treasure as we think of it. Redemption is often thought of in our world as the cost required to purchase something. Yet the cost for true redemption cannot include the funds we so often handle on a day to day basis! True redemption comes from One source, One person, One act of love that is beyond our imagination.
1 Peter 1:18 -19 …. you were ransomed (purchased) from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable (tangible) things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Italicized inserted by author
Solomon continues this thoughts on the worthlessness of money in relation to death in Proverbs 11:4.
Proverbs 11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Money is worthless in the end. Worthless, even full of disappointment and sorrow, for what is worse than depending on something and finding out it is a complete disappointment. How shocking for those who trust in money. Disappointment awaits them!
Money, or the acquisition of possessions is often “sold” to the public as the way to find satisfaction in this life. Solomon addresses this erroneous thinking in our next verse.
Proverbs 13:25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
The righteous are described as satisfied without quantifying any treasure. Righteousness in the saint provides satisfaction. Note that in Proverbs 13:25, the topic of acquiring treasure (money) is not brought up. Satisfaction without considering the acquisition of treasures? Amazing!
Consider what we have discovered in this brief series on money. Money is worth less than each of these intangible assets:
instruction
knowledge
wisdom
righteousness
We will continue this series on the worth of money for the saint, but at this time, consider the worth of money in the end. One that last day, money (or treasures) will provide no profit, will not deliver, and supplies no real satisfaction.
There is one “commodity” that delivers in the end, and that was shed by One who delivers throughout all of life, providing satisfaction as we walk with Him, and life eternal to those who trust Him.
His name is Jesus, and He is Righteousness personified, even becoming our righteousness, providing redemption, the purchasing of our meager lives, for His glory!!
1 Corinthians 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occasionally I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Undivine Election – by Grammatrain
Grammatrain was a band that produced cutting lyrics with a signature tune that would grab me and hold me. They put out too few albums, and this particular tune speaks to those who make judgements on others, sitting alone on their moral throne.
Sitting all alone!
Take a listen!
Undivine Election – by Grammatrain
Unholy judge on high above Unholy finger you point at every one And you sit alone on your moral throne None do you serve so you’ve become your own
You must have died You must have died You must have died To have your foolish pride
Black cross within, imagination While you rid the world of your every sin So have you become our redemption A self-righteous master of undivine election
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
203
GOD WHO FULFILLS HIS PURPOSE FOR ME
Psalm 57:2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
Purpose.
What is it to have purpose?
An end goal to strive for? A reason for a process to be performed? An intention of an effort to be expended?
We all need purpose, but this verse isn’t directly addressing our purpose. Note that David is crying out to God who fulfills His purpose.
For David, he wasn’t questioning of or considering his (David’s) purpose in life, though it certainly might be related to the purpose of God. As we can agree, a believer naturally seeks to have the same purpose as God, to embrace the same will and to aim for the same goal.
And what is that purpose or goal? As Jesus answered Pilate, His purpose was to bear witness of the truth.
John 18:37 …… For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. ….
He spoke of God’s Kingdom coming, of God’s will being done.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
David, in Psalm 57 is referring to God’s purpose and not David’s purpose (strictly speaking), and yet this purpose of God is to be completed in David. This interaction of God’s purpose being fulfilled in David is a truth that David leans on, that he depends on and finds great comfort in.
It is that God is, at the time of writing, fulfilling His purpose in David during trying times. Yes David speaks this way during difficult times, and to remember that is so comforting. For you see, Psalm 57 is a psalm of David as he flees from Saul, the most powerful man in the nation, and his arch enemy. David is on the run, and at times he is but a hairbreadth from being caught by the king.
David knew of God’s ultimate purpose in his life, that he had been anointed to be God’s king over Israel, but the circumstances were yelling something else. By all appearances, Saul would be successful in catching David. The circumstances appeared that he may not make it another day. His enemies were surrounding him, his soul was in the midst of lions, and he was lying down amid fiery beasts! (vs 4)
Is it not reasonable that in the midst of trying times, the saint should look to the purpose of God in our lives, and not our own circumstances, our own condition or situation.
God is the God who fulfills His purpose in the saint. This truth is a great comfort for the saint as we meditate on it.
He has an end goal for us! He has a reason for our lives to be lived. He has an intention for the efforts we expend.
It is good to know that our God is the God who fulfills His purpose!
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.
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
The “Conditional Security” theology of King David in a verse. Seems clear and concise, to the point and without much chance to misunderstand or misapply.
Yet as one who vehemently clutched on the the “Once Saved Always Saved” (OSAS) teaching for decades in my Christian pilgrimage, when I came across this verse, or so many others, I would mentally respond in a number of ways.
Ignore it
This verse is rarely tripped over by the rank and file believer, since it is couched in an Old Testament book, primarily populated with genealogies and depressing histories of a nation in decline. That might not be a fair assessment of 1 Chronicles, but it is a common assessment for the average believer, so this verse is rarely considered.
Isolate it
David was speaking to Solomon only. This call to fear God for his son was a special situation that David considered worthy of adding his own spin on the need to fear God. If OSAS is a Bible truth, is it a fair assumption that it is a Bible truth throughout God’s redemptive relationships with mankind?
One of my best defenses for this type of thinking was that God had somehow changed in His dealings with New Testament believers, providing them an unconditional security when they enter into the faith. Of course there are many passages in the New Testament that seem to state this as a truth, and that may be referred to. But as I read the Old Testament, there are many verses that seem to state an unconditional security for those of the faith in the Old Covenant.
This seeming conflict is generated, in my opinion, by delving into a “proof texting” of the Bible, providing or depending only on snippets or verses that support a certain teaching. We all are – at least I am – guilty of this type of defense of our cherished doctrines, and it is incredibly difficult to be honest with the text if the cherished teaching is more important than the sacred text.
Nevertheless, to honestly consider a text that confronts a cherished doctrine is not for the faint of heart.
Infidel
Is David speaking to Solomon as an unbeliever? Is he setting forth before Solomon a gospel call, an invitation to get right with God, to “invite Jesus into his heart” (whatever that may mean).
Consider the following experiences in Solomon’s life, provided in chronological order.
1 Kings 3:3,5,7-10
3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
Seems like this passage in a favorable light for Solomon in relation to God.
1 Kings 11:4,9,11
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
Granted, this last portion speaks of his reign, and of his loss of the kingdom. Yet the condition of his soul is evident. Note that verse 9 above speaks of Solomon turning away from the LORD. Is there a difference between the turning away in 1 1 Kings 11:9, and David’s warning in 1 Chronicles 28:9 of his forsaking God.
Consider. Might David be warning him of what became his future?
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As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 30:21-25
30:21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 30:22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 30:23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 30:25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
This passage delves into a popular passage that many missionaries use to speak of believers not moving on into foreign fields, staying behind on the home front and not continuing on in global evangelism. I have heard a few messages on this topic, but I don’t recall being taught of the extent of exhaustion these soldiers may have experienced.
Let’s try to understand the setting.
We have two groups being referred to in this passage. Our topic group are those “lazy good for nothings” that stayed behind at the brook, with the second group, those “wicked and worthless fellows” claiming they should not receive any of the spoils from the victory.
Those Lazy Good for Nothings
The text states that those soldiers of David that were exhausted stayed at the Brook Besor. After the battle to retrieve the wives, children and livestock, the army reunited with these exhausted remaining at the Brook Besor. Given that this battle took a full day per 1 Samuel 30:17, and that some additional travel to the battlefield was required, we can assume those at the Brook Besor may have had two days of recuperation available.
1 Samuel 30:17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day,
In my mind, I imagined these soldiers laying by the beach, with umbrella’s shading them from the harsh sun, being attended to by beach waiters bringing them drinks and snacks. Now this is surely ludicrous, for I am implying that they claimed exhaustion to avoid responsibility. I think I may be thinking like that other group, those wicked and worthless fellows.
Now before we come down hard on these “lazy good for nothings” as the wicked and worthless fellows in verse 22 seem to do, let us consider these soldier’s claim.
The army had been in Philistia, prepping for war with Israel, when they were told to stand down. David led them back to their base, back to Ziklag where they found it burnt and smoldering. Could some of these “lazy good for nothings” have been impacted by the raid on Ziklag? Might they have lost family and possessions? Even the wicked and worthless admit these “lazy good for nothings” had lost wives and children.
Let me ask of these “lazy good for nothings”, regarding their past fighting with David. Had this “excuse” been used before? Was there a portion of David’s men that typically tired earlier than the rest? If so, why were they still with David and his men?
But the biggest indicator that something non-typical was occurring in this story is the strangeness of soldiers not seeking revenge for this kidnapping and destruction of their homes. When was the last time a man, a soldier at that, would not seek to rescue his family. These “lazy good for nothings” had lost family and possessions, and because they wanted a nap, they stayed behind? That does not ring right.
Those wicked and worthless fellows
I also came away from many messages, thinking those who rescued the wives were the heroes, spotless in their allegiance to God and David. They gave what was required to take down the Amalekites, and proved victorious.
And for many in that group, they fought bravely, successfully and experienced the salvation of God. But those few vocal soldiers coming back from the battle, they tried to take advantage of a situation. They spoke out against those exhausted soldiers – I refuse to call them “lazy good for nothings” after considering the situation – those wicked and worthless fellows tried to split the group and get more of the spoils.
Wicked and worthless? These are winning soldiers, who have suffered the long march, fought for David, and returned with the victory. Is it fair to call them wicked and worthless? For those few that were vocal, I think it is very fair to consider them wicked and worthless.
Consider
First off, they sought to create an “us vs them”. How many armies can be successful divided against itself? This effort was divisive and against the will of God.
Secondly, they sought their brothers livestock. This would definitely leave a lasting social and economic impact between this fledgling group of Israeli’s who were to become the greatest army in the region under God. There would be a group within the army that would be left destitute of all livestock. Thankfully the wicked and worthless were going to provide the women and children back to their husbands/fathers. Mighty kind of them!
Thirdly, this request/demand exposes a dark side in some of David’s men, a dark side that seems to be ruled by greed, and not God. Now I am not so naive to think these men were praying three times a day as David may have, but the greed of these vocal soldiers comes into clear view in this passage.
Those vocal soldiers are aptly described as wicked and worthless, and David sees through this logic, for it did have a sense of logic upon it, and instructed his army in a manner that would continue to solidify their team/group dynamic.
In all of this story, When I heard the preaching based on this story as an appeal to go forth into the very ends of the earth, it rocked my world. It appealed to my wicked and worthless side, for the implication was that to be a missionary, a foreign missionary at that, was to be able to acquire others possessions since they didn’t work the harvest fields. I realize somewhat better now that the only reason to enter into service for the Master is strictly and only out of a love for Him.
Self interest and a desire to acquire booty, though it be “spiritual”, is not a holy motivation, could not maintain a faithful service and would only cause heartache and pain in the end. My wife and I sought to enter the mission field at one point, and was refused the honor to serve. When I read this passage, I think the roadblocks we faced may have been placed in front of us due to my impure motivation to serve Him.
In this vein of thought, I often hear Jeremiah’s advise to Baruch in the 45th chapter of Jeremiah, where he admonishes
Jeremiah 45:5 ….do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not….
Jeremiah and Baruch were undergoing massive upheaval in their lives and this admonition to Baruch involved many issues not directly related to my life, but the admonition is sound.
Seeking the spoils, whether those spoils be possessions that rightly belong to your brother in arms, as these wicked and worthless fellows were seeking, or the desire for self elevation as Baruch may have been desiring, is never the proper way to behave in the Body of Christ.
May we find peace in our desires to serve the Risen Lord, whether in prosperity or poverty, whether in fame or obscurity.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Boaz
Judge
Ruth 3:10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
John 8:26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
When I insert the description of judge, it may be taken two ways.
The first way my reader friend may think of Boaz based on being described as judge is that Boaz was an actual judge in Israel during the time of Ruth. I understand that of the 12 judges in the book of Judges, Boaz isn’t named, but there seems to be a link, a possible connection that a minor judge by the name of Ibzan was one and the same as Boaz. The ancient legends of the Jews certainly link the two, informing us that Ibzan, in his old age, was known as Boaz. This interesting claim has many rabbit trails to fall into, but I shall leave that for another day.
The second way my reader may think of Boaz will be the topic of this morning’s post.
Boaz judged Ruth. Now again there may be an assumption on the part of the reader that I am trying to describe Boaz as one who judged or condemned Ruth. Any quick reading of the book of Ruth certainly argues against that claim. Boaz certainly did not take that position. He actually was her redeemer!
So when I mention Boaz as judge, I suppose I could also use words like discerner, as Boaz was an Israelite who made a proper judgement of Ruth’s character. He did not consider her outside circumstances (foreigner, poverty stricken, widow, childless) as defining elements of who she was, but watched her actions. Note that the verse referred to above speaks of Ruth’s actions of choosing an older man, and not a young man for a possible mate.
Boaz had already considered her faithfulness to Naomi, of Ruth’s long days in the field’s providing for her mother in law, and of her struggles to integrate into her new nation. Boaz had been watching, and now as she connects with Boaz on the threshing floor, Boaz sees her character shine forth again.
She is not allowing her passions to control her life, in that she sought a young man, but in these actions she is showing a submissive spirit to Naomi’s direction, a submissive spirit to the laws of the land, and is willing to become Boaz’s wife. Willing to become Boaz’s wife. This is quite the act of commitment, for it is generally understood that Boaz may have been as elderly as 80 yrs old at this time, and Ruth half that age.
Boaz sees Ruth’s character shining forth, culminating in the actions she takes according to Naomi’s plan for her on the threshing floor with Boaz. Boaz made a correct judgement on Ruth, dismissing the circumstances she lived, and judged Ruth based on the actions she performed.
John 8:16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. John 8:26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
Boaz was a judge, as our Master also is. Our Judge, in like fashion as Boaz, also does not regard our outward circumstances as determining His opinion of our lives. We know His opinion of His broken creation! He is the ultimate One who judges our lives, knowing what our circumstances are and delivering us out of our bondage and sin.
He is also looking for our actions that prove we seek relationship with Him. Let us show to all that are watching that we are seeking the One who knows us and loves us!
I just got home from a busy week, putting in my regular hours at the office, and then travelled to northwest with my wife to paint the inside of a home.
Of course, as we were cleaning, repairing, and painting this dwelling, we found we were both a bit sensitive to each other’s moods and tempers.
Don’t get me wrong, for when I mention “temper”, many may think I am referring to uncontrolled emotional outbursts of negative passion (how is that for wordsmithing that term “anger”).
At this point in our journey together, anger has become a rare commodity between us. As a matter of fact, with my favorite, she has this anger thing seemingly controlled most times, except when a puppy dog had been ignored, a little baby has been mistreated, or a person of weakness has been taken advantage of. She tends to find her anger in these circumstances, and rightly so! (Ephesians 4:26)
But anger isn’t the topic of my post today.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
My wifey and I have been together now close to 45 years, and she is the love of my life, but I will tell you that as we travel this life together, I have found that we are becoming more one than two. We tend to be thinking the same thoughts, sometimes at the very same time. We seem top need less words to explain ideas and generally aim at the same targets in both our efforts and plans.
Yet we are two different souls, one of us a bit of a self serving, “I’m important” type of person, while the other exhibits the traits of a listening ear, an understanding heart and a gentle soul. We will leave the identification of each to our readers judgement, but I may drop a hint later to help you identify that self server!
As I mentioned early on in this post, we put in a full week at work and then took on this additional task. The painting of the interior of a home. Ceilings, walls, doors, trim, repair of sheetrock, fan repair, shower cleaning, tub scrubbing etc. etc. Let me just state that when we got to bed, it was with a larger dose of gratefulness than usual!
So all of this is told to provide a background to a telling moment with my favorite. Remember my sweetie does not shy away from seeking justice when someone is wronged, and after completing our self inflicted tasks for the week, we still needed to sort out a (minor) wrong we had experienced. As I sought to iron out this problem with a certain service provider, I tried to tell them my concerns, and I suppose my favorite thought I missed an important fact. She couldn’t resist inserting a fact, and in so doing, I shut down. I stopped my story so she could complete it.
All is well until we are away from anyone who could hear, and I explained why I shut down. All typical fare for my wife and I as we try to speak of things of concern between us. But in this particular instance, after the long hours of the week had wore us down, I expressed my complaint without considering her as the weaker vessel. I expressed it as from my need and not hers! Did I mention a self server above? A bit of a hint there who I was referring to!
Yes, married folk have the privilege of becoming one flesh, and this privilege is a gift of the Lord that we may enter into if we understand our mate as a different soul, a different person, a person who has different needs and perspectives.
We are becoming one flesh, and this joining together has it’s mystery in the church, for we believers are His bride, and as I need to take my wife’s needs into consideration to minister to her, to express my love and commitment to her, I am reminded that my fractured effort to relate to her is but a weak reflection of the Lord and His commitment to the church, and to each believer as they seek to follow Him is a weak.
As we were painting last night, both of us covered in white paint, I let her know that there was no one on earth I would rather be painting with.
I wonder what the Lord’s thoughts are?
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
Thoughts on the topic of money from the book of wisdom
The book of Proverbs has much to say about the topic of money. Very much! So many verses that I have created categories that will help me focus on particular topics related to money, such as worth of money, value of money, effect of money, greed for money and money and the Lord.
Let’s dive into the wisdom of Proverbs for a few moments.
In our first post on the topic of money, I had an extended introduction on the intangible assets such as instruction, knowledge, understanding and wisdom that is compared with money in the proverbs, along with a short discussion on each of these intangible assets. I also tried to define the difference between worth and value in the first post. If there is interest in this topic, please see Proverbial Thoughts on Money / Instruction.
Otherwise, our topic in this post is money in relation to wisdom.
3 Worth of Money
Worth Less than Wisdom
Proverbs 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
As it is with knowledge and instruction, wisdom far outweighs the worth of money. Whether Solomon is referring to money when he speaks of “buying” truth, and “not selling” truth, the image of money comes is immediate for myself.
Of course he may be describing the efforts of staying under instruction (see Proverbial Thoughts on Money / Instruction) and the tasks of accumulating knowledge (See Proverbial Thoughts on Money / Knowledge). Either way, he is directing us to take things of some worth, be it our time or our possessions, and use them to acquire wisdom.
But we all know that money in the hand of a fool will not acquire wisdom, instruction or godly knowledge, yet it seems the image of money in this passage must be speaking of something of earthly worth. Something that may be tangible in the hands of a God fearing man, that can be used to increase his instruction, knowledge and eventually wisdom. Given that understanding, we all know we exchange one commodity for a more favorable commodity. No one buys rotten apples! (Except for a compost heap, but let’s avoid the exception to this thought!)
So as he speaks of buying wisdom, he is declaring that money (or effort) is a tool to acquire wisdom, and not necessarily more money, which seems so popular in today’s culture!
Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Proverbs 16:16 speaks the same message, declaring wisdom much better than gold! Much better!
As we go through this life, and learn from the Master, the lessons available to us are far beyond the worth of some possessions that will be stripped from us in the near future. Wisdom, instruction and knowledge are intangible assets we may acquire and find tremendous benefit in as we serve the One who provides these very tools!
Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
I mentioned the acquiring of more money with money in today’s society, and that the big sell on TV, radio and the internet is financial planning, retirement planning, investments and such. As this is pushed in advertising I am constantly remined that those pushing this upon us have a vested interest in gaining our business.
My personal opinion is that we need to prepare our families for the future, exercising the very wisdom (not greed) offered us in this passage.
One instance that come to mind, as mentioned in an earlier posting (see Conditional Security – 1 Timothy 5:5-8), I understood that insurance was a method that would assist a poor man to provide for his family in the future in the event of his going home. Prior to that experience with the Word, I considered my refusal to purchase that option as an expression of faith, of great trust in the One who can provide. When I read the above passage, wisdom came flooding in, pride took a dowsing, and I did what was right for my family.
Wisdom is required to give us a future. As we venture through this life, keep your eyes open in the Scriptures for that very wisdom we need, the wisdom that may take time to acquire through the experience of receiving instruction, and that of accumulating knowledge.
Remember that our pilgrimage is more of a marathon than a a sprint race. We need to seek it continually, patiently asking Him for wisdom, that we may find it and therefore secure a future for our soul.
In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occasionally I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Smug – by Steve Taylor
You may notice that I have provided Steve Taylor a number of times in this series but his music always speaks to me, especially of the hypocrisy within the Body of Christ. When I was younger, I sang with Steve. As an older fella, I think he is singing to me. Nevertheless – he has some great music!
Take a listen!
Smug – by Steve Taylor
Strike this little pose Chin up in the air Lips together tightly Nostrils in a flare Now look like you care Ooh, very nice!
Practice in the mirror Brushing back a tear Very sincere A promising career could begin right here at home If you’ve got that smug That smug
Hey mama, hey mama look at what your little babies all have become Hey mama, hey mama, don’t it ever make you wish you’d been a nun? Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle? Is it in our blood? Rome is burning, we’re here turning smug
Strike another pose Power politics Swallow their conventions Get your power fix We love to mud wrestle We love to be politically caressed
Practice that smug Post it like a man One part Master Limbaugh Two parts Madame Streisand Now pretend you’re in a band My, my, we’re looking smug Very, very, very, very
Hey mama, hey mama look at what your little babies all have become Hey mama, hey mama, don’t it ever make you wish you’d been a nun? Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle? Is it in our blood? Rome is burning, we’re here turning smug
All you smug-starved millions in the thick of the search Welcome to our church Whatcha wanna solve? We can help you evolve From merely self-righteous To perfectly smug
Strike the proud pose of our country-club brethren Friendly as a tomb Fragrant as the bottom of a locker-room broom Now what’s the matter? Hey, get off your knees That part don’t come ’til later God will not be pleased
Hey mama, hey mama look at what your little babies all have become Hey mama, hey mama, don’t it ever make you wish you’d been a nun? Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle? Is it in our blood? Rome is burning, we’re here turning smug
Hey mama, hey mama look at what your little babies all have become Hey mama, hey mama, don’t it ever make you wish you’d been a nun? Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle? Is it in our blood? Rome is burning, we’re here turning Rome is cooking, my, we’re looking smug
[Outro: Phil Madeira] I wanna talk today about smug people! They think they’re so good. They ain’t good! No, they ain’t good at all, I tell you what! You wanna be a good man, you look at me! I’m gonna talk to you about humility–’cause I got it! I wanna talk to you about righteousness–’cause I got it! I’m good! I’m humble! I’m better than you! You wanna be a humble man, you look at me, you say, “Brother, how can I be humble?” I don’t know how you can be humble! It took me a long time to get this way! But thank God I’ve arrived! Let’s pray
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
202
God Who Comforts the Downcast
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
I sometimes have a hard time relating Paul’s experience with my own. After all, for him to speak of being downcast, after considering his experience as an apostle of Christ. Consider his recent battles in verse 5.
7:5 …our bodies had no rest, ….afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within.
A bit later in the letter, he speaks of the many trials he had suffered up to that point. Consider his experience as found in 2 Corinthians 11:24 -28
Five times forty lashes less one Three times beaten with rods. Once stoned Three times shipwrecked A night and a day adrift at sea On frequent journeys Dangers from rivers from robbers from my own people from Gentiles in the city in the wilderness at sea from false brothers in toil and hardship through many sleepless nights in hunger and thirst often without food in cold and exposure
After all the description of his life experiences above, he tacked on the one that always seems to be the greatest stress for this man of God
…the daily pressure of my anxiety for all the churches.
So when Paul speaks of being downcast, that is of being humbled or depressed in status or position, he is speaking a language I don’t quite understand. His life experience has taken him to internal and external struggles and battles few can imagine. I can’t!
Paul has been taken from a life of the elite Pharisees, suffered as described above, and become a pariah to his own people. The shame and humiliation he experienced in his ministry was a constant and severe (if I may say so) experience he endured to provide us the gospel truths we sometimes flippantly regard.
Yet as he was downcast, He was also comforted. The comfort he experienced was also in such a different league than I can imagine.
But as I go through this thought process, and take you along, I may be doing a great disservice to the God we worship, and the teaching this apostle provided us.
As Paul spoke of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 4, he wrote
12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Paul did not speak of his ministry in order to shame his people. He is speaking of the various paths each believer has been granted to walk, and that as believers we are not to compare our walk with God with others. This principal of not comparing with one another is somewhat a theme in Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, and I think in the early part of this post, I was slipping into comparing Paul’s experience with mine,(and maybe yours?)
Let us not compare, but consider that the God who comforts the downcast is not only Paul’s God, but as we may experience a humbling, a lowering of position for God’s will, He is also our God who comforts us.
Let’s rejoice in that as periods of humbling come from the hand of God, his hand is covered with a silk glove, a hand that is guided by a comforting heart, comforting His people in the midst of difficulties and trials
He is our God who Comforts the Downcast! May we praise Him in the midst of our trials!
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.
31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin–but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” 35 Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
Chapter 32 starts off real bad.
The children of Israel directed Aaron to take over, to cast a golden calf to worship.
As an aside, for them to build a calf is such a sad commentary on their commitment to religion, for as they had left the country of Egypt, they left behind the worship of Apsis, a sacred bull worshipped by the Egyptians. They built a calf!
The Israel people sinned a great sin in constructing this calf, and then committed even greater sin in the worship of the calf. But in all their efforts to sin against God in the casting of the calf, its apparent their idol was simply a reduced version of the idol of the people they were escaping from. Even in their sin here, they showed their hearts were held by their abusers! Amazing.
The Israeli people sought Aaron to lead them in the idolatrous worship of this calf, in direct disobedience to the very first of the commandments given to the nation by God.
Exodus 20
3 You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God…
The very day of the giving of the commandments, in the midst of the thunder and peals of lightning, with the mountain smoking, the people admittedly confessed their fear. And rightly so, since the mountain was smoking!
Moses informed the people that this display was to instill fear in their hearts, that they may not sin!
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
Then to ensure the people understood the importance of this first commandment, God repeats Himself.
23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
So what do the Israeli people do? They go right ahead and make for themselves gods of gold.
Ok – after that background information, we have some context for our Exodus 32 passage. Verse 33 is the focus of our text for the purpose of our topic today.
32:33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
Now there are a number of ways to understand “my book”, and I keep promising myself that I am going to do a series on this topic. But for now, my understanding is that individual Israelites are being addressed, they currently are in the book of God, and due to sin, God will blot them out.
Is this referring to eternal salvation? National citizenship? Physical life? Too many questions to address in this post, but the principal is put before us.
How may I describe my understanding? Each person in a relationship with God has the opportunity (freedom) to loose this relationship.
One thought that I hope I have developed is that the sin that causing this loss is not some errant thought, or accidental falling into sin, but a deliberate (and constant?) refusal to follow the clear and obvious will of God.
That will of God in this day and time, is to follow after the One who has delivered us from the curse, that has provided us strength to obey, who is patient and loving towards us, and that has become our sacrifice. No longer are we to bow to the idols of this world’s culture, or the idols of the religious devotees surrounding us, but only to follow after the Crucified One.
Will you follow?
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As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 30:16-20
1 Samuel 30:16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 1 Samuel 30:17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 1 Samuel 30:18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 1 Samuel 30:19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 1 Samuel 30:20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
In our last post on David, we found him taking the time to show mercy to a rejected Egyptian. Turns out this Egyptian, this stranger was a slave of the very army that had ravaged Ziklag and taken all of David’s men’s wives, children and livestock. David also lost his two wives!
David showed mercy to this unknown person, exemplifying the character of God residing in him, and of his return to the God of Israel.
In this passage, this Egyptian slave turned out to be the real deal, the one who led David and his men right to the camp of the Amalekites. How coincidental!
Now as a quick reminder, the Amalekites were a real thorn in the side of Israel, for they were the nation group that God had instructed Saul to completely annihilate, and yet Saul hadn’t. Saul eventually succumbed to great suffering due to his treatment of the Amalekites, for he did not obey God in the destruction of this nation when he was commanded to.
Now, David was on the edge of the Amalekite camp, knowing God’s desire for this nation, and of his own motivation to rescue his people. The passage speaks of David striking those in the camp down.
He literally slaughtered them!
David knew what he was doing, for he had practice in the wholesale slaughter of a people in an area. Prior to David’s return to the Lord, he had a practice of decimating small populations. Under King Achish, David would enter a land area, and kill all he encountered to get the spoil of the area and to keep his actions secret!
1 Samuel 27:9 ESV – And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.
Imagine the fervor David had in striking the Amalekites, for they were sworn enemies of Israel, and had kidnapped his loved ones. What he learned in the south of Philistia, he practiced with passion in this instance! He took them on for a full day, fighting through the night, and the following day, after having marched from Philistia to Ziklag and then chasing the Amalekites. Where did this endurance come from?
Four hundred Amalekites fled, but the mission was successful, for the wives and children were rescued with all the livestock. An amazing feat for a man who just a chapter previous was on the edge of mutiny by his men!
It is truly an amazing story and a great tale to reflect on. David took a skill set he developed as he was away from God, the ability to effectively slaughter a people group, and when he returned to God, was able to use this skill set under the hand of God.
For years, David had been trained under the harsh mercy of God, even in his rebellion, and became an tried and true leader, one who was able to do the bidding of the Master. He was now on the precipice of leading the nation of Israel into world domination under the Headship of God!
As we follow God, we may consider some of the skill sets we have acquired to be of no use to the God we serve. Let this thought be banished from our thinking, for our God is not One who only has His servants in sanctuaries, but also in service throughout the nations, as doctors, wives, accountants, bakers and factory workers. He is able to take what we may consider worldly skills and use those skills for those both inside and outside the church.
He is so much bigger than we let on!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
Boaz
Husband to an Outsider
Ruth 4:5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Ruth the Moabite. Throughout the book of Ruth, Ruth is described 7 times as a Moabite. Even when Boaz was negotiating for Naomi’s land, and consequently “acquiring Ruth”, she was described as other than Israeli.
A Moabite.
They were a people that resulted from drunkenness, for both Moab and Ammon were fathered by a drunken Lot, having lain with his own daughters.
This nation was the one that persecuted Israel when they travelled to the promised land, making themselves to be enemies of Israel. They were the people associated with Balak, the king of Amon, bringing Balaam into the story, trying to separate Israel from their God!
They sought to curse Israel!
Moses blocked them from entering the assembly of the Lord. I have understood this blocking of any Moab to be Moses’ way of ensuring no Moab entered into a government position in the nation of Israel. There should be no Moabite in any leadership position within the nation.
They were to be rejected from participating in any civil matter!
Did Boaz realize the damaged goods he was “acquiring” when he chased after this Moabite? How shameful for a honorable Israeli to associate with one of the Moabite race!
Yet he did, and in this action of seeking an outsider he typified the Master, in that Jesus also reached out to those who were His enemies, those who had questionable heritage, those who cursed God and rejected His people.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Jesus chased after damaged goods – sinners – when He chased after you and I.
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
He chased after “strangers” to the covenant, those who had no connection to God and were outside.
Boaz acquired a wife of questionable national origin, of questionable national prejudice towards God’s people, and of a questionable religious leaning against the God of Israel.
Jesus also took a wife, comprising of strangers, sinners and enemies.
Boaz reflects in a small way the character of God. Jesus blazes out God’s character to the extreme, for He is the brightness of the mercy and grace of God!
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.
201
GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE
1 Kings 18:24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”
We know the story. Elijah takes on the prophets of Baal, and Asherah, a total of 950 prophets that are lined up against him. Image the intimidation, the shear volume of enemy, and yet Elijah stood.
You know, it is an easy thing to say that with God, we are a majority, but when push comes to shove, to live that out in front of a hostile government (Ahab really hated Elijah) and a hateful religious society is truly an amazing feat!
Elijah stood alone, without any support from those in Israel. His perception of the nation at this time was that he was the only one faithful to God. The Lord instructs him later, but God allowed Elijah to live in his perceptions of being alone at this time.
And what type of test was offered by Elijah? A test that puts each prophets life to be dependent on the response of the Gods they trusted in. And beyond that, the fate of the national religious life hung in the balance, depending on the outcome of a miracle.
You know, Elijah could have claimed the inherent truth of the message from God, or of the past miracles performed by God, reminding the nation of God’s guidance and protection over the centuries. But he didn’t at this time. No, it appears Elijah read his crowd, understood the situation, figgered this was a “do or die” situation. Years had passed where he preached and warned, but to no avail.
No it was show time! By that I mean, the people had to have a very real, very personal experience of God. But this experience was not to be like that of Moses, who was able to talk to God face to face, nor like Samuel, where God whispered his name, calling him into the ministry of prophet as a young boy.
The people were going to face fire!
He is the God who answers by fire, and as I read this passage, and think of Elijah’s situation, facing a culture drowning in lies and idolatry, it seems this response speaks to the peoples condition more than simply defining the true God. The miracle certainly defined the true God, but it also communicated a message that was with fire, a message tinged with judgement and anger.
And a message crouched in a miracle. A miracle for an idolatrous people. Centuries later, the Master also faced an idolatrous culture, who fought against God, and referred to signs in relation to their “faith”.
Matthew 12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 16:4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
A sign was provided for that generation, in that the sacrifice on the altar, before their very eyes was consumed (as it were by God), and by a far greater miracle, was raised from the dead.
For both cultures, fire came down on the sacrifice. Though Elijah saturated his sacrifice, dowsing it with water, the fire consumed it all to communicate the “above and beyond” character of God.
He was more than what the people may have expected.
For the Savior, the sign was the resurrection. Though completely sinless and worthy of honor and esteem, Jesus suffered the worst of punishments, in all areas of His life, as the fire of God came down to consume Him into the realms of death.
Elijah’s sacrifice was completely consumed to produce change in a nation for the short term, for they fell into idolatry again. The Messiah’s sacrifice produces life upon life as we look to Him for our daily needs.
He is much more than what we could have expected.
He is the God who answers by fire.
May we bless Him and thank Him always for His never ending care for us!
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.
Thoughts on the topic of money from the book of wisdom
The book of Proverbs has much to say about the topic of money. Very much! So many verses that I have created categories that will help me focus on particular topics related to money, such as worth of money, value of money, effect of money, greed for money and money and the Lord.
In our first post on the topic of money, I had an extended introduction on the intangible assets such as instruction, knowledge, understanding and wisdom that is compared with money in the proverbs, along with a short discussion on each of these intangible assets. I also tried to define the difference between worth and value in the first post. If there is interest in this topic, please see Proverbial Thoughts on Money / Instruction.
Otherwise, our topic in this post is money in relation to knowledge.
2 – Worth of Money
Worth Less than Knowledge
Proverbs 24:4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Which of the assets are worth more to the owner? To answer this question make the assumption that the source or ability to produce something is of far more worth than that which is produced.
This concept was personalized one day in my own life, in a very short conversation with a friend of mine, discussing the best use of our funds and efforts in this life. The discussion came down to how to invest effort and funds in the short term to realize the best return. Now for the sake of context, I was in school for training in the engineering field, while my dear friend was considering an investment in purchasing a small business.
The crux of the argument fell to a short pithy conclusion by my friend, stating that an investment in knowledge would produce greater returns than an investment in a “thing”, though it had inherent value in and of itself.
Though this is merely a worldly example that for my own life has proved true, the principle for this post is that knowledge is worth more than money. With knowledge, money may be earned. Without knowledge, money may be available for a time, but may also be lost quickly. The proverbs are rife with sayings that typify the adage – A fool and his money are soon parted.
Though it is a merely worldly principle, I assume Solomon was providing this proverbs to be extended into all parts of life, especially related to the knowledge of God. Is it not of much more worth to know God and out of that knowledge accumulate rooms full of precious and pleasant (intangible) articles?
Also, to know God, as opposed to simply having rooms of articles is obviously the very plight we have in the modern world. How many have sought, without appealing to the God of all creation, to increase their rooms and have died lonely, sad and heartbroken.
Many may claim they are happy with full rooms and no God, but I suspect, based on, personal experience with those without, that an honest confession of their lives would produce a far different message.
Understanding that knowledge produces articles, and that articles are not produced in the absence of knowledge, provides us the inestimable worth of knowledge when compared with money.
Beyond the base comparison just considered, introduce the benefits of the knowledge of the Most High, producing precious and pleasant (intangible) articles, while also giving opportunity to enjoy precious and pleasant riches in this life.
Money is worth less than knowledge!
Proverbs 20:15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
Solomon goes on to compare costly stones and gold with a precious jewel. This one seems to equate money with knowledge, as they both are described as costly stones or jewels. Is that the intent of Solomon?
The Hebrew word used for jewel in this verse is typically translated as a vessel. The word may be one that is so general, the translators associated this word with the previously mentioned costly stones. This is mere conjecture on my part, yet the verse may speak of the lips of knowledge as a precious vessel. Beyond this possibility, some translations bring into the verse the comparative worth between the two items, namely money (good and costly stones) and knowledge.
Consider.
Proverbs 20:15 (NLT) Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies.
Proverbs 20:15 (NASB) There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But lipsof knowledge are a more precious thing.
Proverbs 20:16 (YLT) Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, Yea, a precious vessel, are lips of knowledge.
Note that the Young’s Literal Translation, though difficult to get a flow of message, actually translates jewel as “vessel” while providing the comparison. It is as if Solomon is speaking of substance gold and rubies as something that is available, but how precious are lips of knowledge.
And given the term precious in our verse, this term brings with it the concepts of honor and esteem. This, as we have discussed many times in this blog, was the ultimate goal in the honor/shame based society the Old Testament saint lived in.
With this verse packed with a message that goods are inferior to knowledge, let us remember our priorities in the midst of this culture that speaks otherwise.
To “know” is a source of wealth, and to “know” is a source of honor. Money simply acquires things that will burn up, and at death will be left behind.
Whether in the physical or the spiritual arena of life, knowledge far outweighs the mere possession of things, be they little or be they much.
Considering the Bible 