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
Crawl to China – by Tourniquet
These guys are complex musicians, very hard core musically, each member very strong in their position within the band. The leader of the group is Ted Kirkpatrick, a highly celebrated drummer within the Christina community.
He was the lyricist for many of the songs they produced, including the one you may listen to on this blog. Beware though, for this band is considered “thrash metal” and may not appeal musically to some of my readers. For those not leaning into the head banging life style, I provide the lyrics for your reading pleasure.
Is God asking you to crawl to China – or just to cross the street? to trudge through the desert through Arabian heat or to accomplish the impossible – an Herculean feat or maybe just trade in bad thoughts obsolete
Is it the concentration camps at Dackow? is it Joan of Arc revisited? Niagara Falls in a barrel? or to mend a broken relationship instead?
Crawl to China
He is faithful – it remains in His hands from the cold barren Arctic to the war stricken lands from the place in your heart where despair takes its hold to the lairs of the demons where deceptions are told is God asking you to crawl to China or just to cross the street?
Crawl to China
With emotional rigormortis freezing your step you won’t be going far at all it feels pretty safe but the danger is real you won’t grow until you face the fear that you feel
Crawl to China
Micah 6:8, Matthew 17:20, Deuteronomy 7:9, Luke 16:10
Take a listen!
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes – if you dare!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
We are entering Book three of the Psalms, and as discussed in out previous post, Psalms for Psome – Ps 72.06, this section of Psalms has a theme that is similar to the book of Leviticus, and emphasizes the correct approach to our God, holiness in the believers life and actions and proper heart felt worship of the Lord.
We also will be missing the pen of David in this portion, with his input decreasing. New authors we may have never encountered in the Psalms will appear, even Moses in the 90th Psalm. For this Psalm, we meet again the author of Psalm 50, and we will be reading his writings from Psalm 73 through to Psalm 83.
He served as a chief musician and prophet during the reign of David, and produced some of the most difficult passages in the Psalms to understand. His influence was not quelled by his passing, for there was a group of musicians and poets that came behind him, calling themselves the sons of Asaph, continuing in worship even through the days of Ezra.
With this short introduction to our author, lets consider Psalm 73, a psalm that speaks of the importance of focus for the believer!
Psalm 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. Psalm 73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Asaph begins his message with a claim of the goodness of God, but he wants to be understood clearly. He may have simply stated “God is good to Israel”, but that was not clear enough for Asaph. He needed to define who Israel was that God was good to.
To those who are pure of heart.
We have previously discussed the concept of the remnant in this blog, and I simply want to remind my gentle reader that within the nation of Israel, within the population of the nation of Israel, there existed those who loved and followed after God. Those who had the faith of Abraham, and not simply some biological tie to the man of faith by claiming the blood of Abraham was coursing through their veins.
The only blood that mattered in God’s eyes was the blood of His Son. Bloodlines of the patriarchs of old, were only important in order to identify the Son, to provide a way of defining through which family of man the promised Messiah would come.
It has always been about faith, and any claim to superiority through some blood line has always been an affront to God, even in the days of the Messiah.
John 8:37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
The very bloodline that was a claim to superiority before God was the same bloodline that crucified the God they claimed favored them.
Asaph is making clear that those who are of faith in God will experience the goodness of God. Yet even as I say that, those whose hearts are pure have times of weakness, times when focus is blurred, distracted and our minds wander into dangerous thinking. Such was Asaph’s experience in this Psalm.
To think that a man of God such as Asaph came so close to stumbling in his walk with God is so sad, and yet in his stumbling, he recounts for us his mistake, his error in his thinking, his error in focus.
And he get’s to the problem immediately in verse 3.
Envious of the arrogant
As a quick reminder, envy and jealousy are not synonyms, though they are related. To be jealous is related to the fear of loosing something one already has, be it a possession or a person. Envy is associated with what others possess, and is the act of desiring to have what they have. Envy is linked to covetousness, and is associated with idolatry.
Asaph is in trouble here!
One question I do have for my reader.
Is Asaph envious of the things the arrogant have, or might he be admitting to being envious of the ability to be arrogant. For those who can freely exhibit an arrogance tend to not hesitate to acquire, to obtain and to seek all they can.
Is he simply wanting things, or is he wanting the ability to get things?
What thinkest thou? Leave me a comment below if you have an opinion.
For our time this morning, Asaph provides us a warning, and the warning is for the believer to maintain correct focus, to look to the goodness of God, not the abundance of garbage the arrogant obtain!
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.
236
GOD THAT MADE THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT
Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
A Christian and a evolutionist got together one day and began chatting about the beginning of creation.
The evolutionist made a bold claim, stating that science has actually created life in the lab. The Christian could not believe this statement and challenged the evolutionist to duplicate the miracle of creation we read about in the book of Genesis.
In an act of sheer pride, the evolutionist went on to accept this challenge and stated he would bring back evidence of life after a time in the lab. He would replicate the experiment he had spoken of, taking hydrogen and energy, and produce life.
With this bold claim, the Christian clarified the challenge. The evolutionist was to create life out of nothing, not simply rearrange and/or manipulate God’s creation.
I often think of this story when I consider the creation of the world, and everything in it. All that we see, feel, and sense in our lives, even our lives, is the result of God initially creating the cosmos out of nothing. To go further, things we cannot see, that is the building blocks of all matter was created by the Lord God. Atoms, quarks and protons all created out of nothing. Also, things we cannot see that is beyond the limits of our reach, beyond the furthest satellite and space probe was created out of nothing.
There are some in this age that think because they have studied matter, and may understand a process of nature, have actually explained away the need for God in understanding this world. This is sheer poppycock, for as the scientist delves deeper into the study of creation, the evolutionist continues to loose ground in his supposed logical rejection of a God.
Paul, as he addresses those of Athens, those who side with the evolutionist, was not shy in declaring the God we serve as the God that made the world and everything in it. In declaring God as the creator, he left no stone unturned for the Athenian to make excuse. He could not say that this God Paul preached simply rearranged preexisting matter into this world, that maybe God relied on material He found elsewhere.
God made everything is a stunning statement, declaring to a group of philosophers a truth that needed to be accepted by men that already had a systematized way of thinking regarding the existence of creation.
He is the God that made the world and everything in it.
Everything.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
“For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Covenants. Agreements. Contracts. Treaties.
All of these terms describe a state of being of two or more parties having one opinion about something. As two (or more) enter into a covenant or agreement, it is accompanied with some sort of written or public announcement. Such is the special covenant of marriage.
Malachi, throughout his second chapter is discussing the marriage covenant, and has some very interesting points he wants to communicate to the priest of his day, and to the priests of our day – folks who take the name of Christ as their identity.
1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
In Malachi’s day, the priests seemed to think it was an allowable action to ditch the wife of their youth, and to pick up some young foreign woman as a wife. Where did this allowance come from in their thinking?
Malachi provides and answer and is blunt.
Malachi 2:8 But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,
Malachi goes on and describes Judah as “faithless”, and with an abomination having been committed in Israel.
Malachi 2:11a Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem.
Tell us Malachi – What is it that Judah has done to exhibit faithlessness, or what is it that is considered an abomination in Israel?
Malachi 2:11b For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
Now as I mentioned above, the priests had abandoned the wives of their marriage covenant, and found themselves a young “mail order” bride of sorts, a woman of foreign descent.
And the Lord is talking of cutting off from the tribe any descendant of the man who does this. This is the equivalent of excommunication!
Let’s take a moment to review the Lord’s attitude towards marriage.
#1 God loves Marriage
Malachi 2:11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
We have briefly considered the verse above, but it may be good to remember that it teaches of the LORD’s love for the sanctuary, and that the marriage of a foreign woman, which would require the divorce of the priest first wife, profanes this sanctuary. For you see, God’s love for the sanctuary carries over into the actions of those who serve in it.
This is a typical Bible teaching, that the one who serves God is to serve according the the Word and will of God. A life of no restrictions brings about a restriction from the service of God. These priests decided they wanted young wives and in so doing, departed from God.
#2 God seeks holy offspring
Malachi 2:15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.
Why is marriage so important before God? An initial thought is that it provides a man a chance to die, to give up his desires for the sake of another. Another facet of marriage for the man is that he can display, in real time and through continual actions, a fidelity to his promise to his wife.
Malachi provides another reason. Holy offspring. In this context, Malachi is referring to pure Jewish offspring, not combined with those of the nations. To think of a priest of the Lord’s sanctuary producing offspring that are not – cannot be – of the holy lineage is an affront to the plan of God.
For us today, nationality, race and ethnicity mean nothing. The requirement to satisfy God’s seeking godly offspring is faith in the Christ for both partners. Parents that are not in agreement concerning the identity of the Christ, or that have not committed to His will, can not intentionally produce godly offspring.
#3 God hates divorce
Malachi 2:16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
If any of this post get’s me in trouble, this will be the portion that does!
This verse was a favorite of mine in my early Christian faith, and I used it “willy nilly” around a lot of hurting people. Now I will not deny that God hates divorce – it is clearly a teaching that is provided here. But He hates all sin, and we have to live amongst and minister to a lot of sinful, hurting people. Judging someone’s past is not in my wheelhouse (anymore!). I have also come to understand there is a nuance to the marriage covenant that I had not considered until I needed to.
Someone very close to me suffered abandonment by her husband. He simply got up and left her with all the bills, all the trouble and no answers. In this case, is she to remain unmarried, tied to a treacherous man that is faithless? Consider Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.
Paul has much to say about marriage, and how the believer is to respond to a faithless, or unsaved partner. In the above case, I understand the brother or sister is not bound to the original covenant. It has been broken by the faithless partner.
Although this has been more of a short study on God’s attitude towards marriage than a discussion on conditional security, it does relate to the original topic.
Malachi, throughout this passage, warns the priest of his day that they are faithless five times in this six verse passage, from verse 10 through 16
Twice, at the end of this passage, Malachi advises the priests to
….guard themselves in their spirit…
Now of course, some may see that this description of being faithless as referring to the priest’s commitment to his first wife, and that may very well be the emphasis of Malachi’s teaching. Yet, for a man of God to abandon his covenant promise to his first wife, to walk away from one who he promised to protect, love and provide for, speaks of a character that may abandon other covenants that are also holy, precious and life long.
No matter, it is wise counsel that in our commitments to agreements, covenants and contracts, we are to be men and women of our word.
Matthew 5:37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Let’s be men and women of our word, faithful to the covenants we have freely entered into.
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.
2 Samuel 3:17-19
17 And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18 Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’” 19 Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.
Abner is a busy bee in this little passage! Can you imagine the appointments, the scheduling, the conference calls and the backroom discussions?
Of course I am being a bit sarcastic, but it goes without saying that Abner, the chief of staff and lead general for Ish-bosheth, the king of the northern tribes, is focusing on the dissolution of his masters authority over the northern kingdom in this passage.
To think of Abner as a traitor, as a Benedict Arnold, seems fitting in my thinking. He was a man who sought his own desires first and foremost, and this activity only reinforces what we know of him.
He realizes he was on a loosing team, and now that his feelings have been hurt because Ish-bosheth tried to put his foot down in relation to Saul’s concubine Rizpah, he convinces himself he has a reason to turn on his master. To be honest about this whole scene, it appears he simply was using the interaction with Ish-bosheth concerning Rizpah as a smokescreen to betray his master.
He saw the writing on the wall, and was looking for a reason to figuratively stab ol Ish-bosheth in the back. And what is even worse, if this scenario can become worse, is that Abner set Ish-bosheth on the throne. Now he is going to abandon him.
Kind of a scummy guy if you ask me.
I have a disdain for this man, even though he was used by God to bring the nation together under the anointed king David.
In the end, Abner presented himself in front of David to provide the kingdom to him. Abner took it upon himself to be in charge of David’s team of negotiators, while he was taking a paycheck from Ish-bosheth.
It really astounds me that this man was trusted by anyone in the land.
Beyond the scummy aspect already described, one additional layer of despicableness that seems to top of this man’s character is in verse 18, where he seems to associate himself with the Lord’s plans for David and all of Israel.
Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
He refers to the promise of the LORD to David as a reason to bring about his own plans to present before David. It is one thing to waver from one position to another for convenience sake, or for self advantage, or even for his own survival. But now he is all righteous and holy, bringing about God’s plan for the nation.
I can just imagine that as he lays his head down at night, he has dreams of his victory parade, with him in the most prominent spot, all the people cheering him and thanking him for being so instrumental in delivering Israel from it’s enemies. By golly, he may even allow David in the parade, just to show how magnanimous of a fellow that he is.
As you can tell, I am struggling to find a positive thing to say about this man.
Nevertheless, in the end, David is one step closer to reigning over the nation, and the nation is on the brink of entering a golden age.
And Abner will be taken care of.
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
Cyrus
Shepherd
Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
John 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
As I look into this gentile king, I am surprised in the elevated position God placed this man, that God anointed him, chose him and now is described as a shepherd.
Obviously, God meant this term in a governmental context, but as I look into other passages that refer to one being a shepherd, it primarily describes one who cares for sheep, one who is pastoral.
Yes kings were called out, or as taking on the responsibility as shepherds in various places in the Old Testament, such as 2 Samuel 24:17; 1 Kings 22:17; Jeremiah 2:8.
But the intent of these messages was to remind those in power of the importance of giving up something for their people.
Consider David, willing to take accept the anger of the Lord upon his own house for the sake of others in this passage.
2 Samuel 24:17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
Or of the prophet Micaiah, as he saw the effect of no shepherd on the nation of Israel. The nation was suffering, and it was due to the lack of a shepherd!
1 Kings 22:17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”
Or, what may be worse is that those called to be a shepherd may be acting more as overlords, taking from the flock and not caring for the flock.
Jeremiah 2:8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.
Each of these three passages speak of a king’s place to be connected with the characteristic of a shepherd. A shepherd that cares for and leads his people.
But in this verse, God is calling a gentile king to care for and protect the nation of Israel. Their own kings brought them to ruin, and now a king that was not of the blood of Abraham is called to care for them, to protect them and to lead them back home.
Although Jesus was physically a Jew, He too was a foreigner in a sense, having come down from above, and was called to lead, protect and care for a people who were in trouble.
Not only did Jesus shepherd the people of Israel, a people who were in a captivity far greater than the captivity Cyrus released them from, Jesus went farther still, and sought those beyond the bloodline of Abraham, determined to shepherd those even outside of the covenant of Sinai.
Cyrus was called to be a shepherd of strangers.
Jesus is the Shepherd of all.
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.
235
GOD THAT GAVE YOU BIRTH
Deuteronomy 32:18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
The Lord is described as a Rock, depicting strength, stability and constancy. This terminology speaks of characteristics typically associated with the male, even a father figure. One who is an anchor and can be relied upon.
We considered this general description of our God as a ROCK in a couple of posts in this series.
Our name to consider this morning speaks of the female experience of birthing. I cannot speak first person on this action, but as I have been with my wife during each of the births of our children, I can tell you speak of that time for the mother as….
Agonizing, all consuming. A point of connection. Complete compassion.
When I consider the names of God, the descriptions He provides us in helping us understand His person, I sometimes relate to my own experiences in this life, I always, after considering the passage, come away thinking my experience is a dim shadow to the the Lord’s reality.
An example to help explain my thoughts
If I have experienced sorrow, a deep and painful sorrow, it cannot be compared to the sorrow He experienced in the rebellion of His creation, in the complete rejection of His mercy and forgiveness, of the sorrow He went through as He saw the destruction coming upon the city of Jerusalem, as He lamented over the city as He accepted their rejection. The sorrow He experienced as He died on the rugged cross, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
He died all alone, with even the Father looking away.
We as believers can never say that we are totally alone, for He has promised to never leave us.
As I mentioned earlier, I cannot speak first person in relation to experiencing child birth, but as our five children entered this world, standing beside my wife as she was going through the agony, I sensed a connection between this lady who loves me and these children who share her DNA.
Agony
First, lets consider the agony of the experience in relation to the birth of the nation from the standpoint of God and Israel. He underwent continued pain, disappointment and trials relating to the people He sought to create a nation out of. Even as they entered into covenant with the Lord at Sinai, accomplishing (in my understanding) the birth of the nation, the trials continued on. His mercy to the nation never wavered and He sought to protect, guide and care for them even as they wandered.
Connection
Consider the connection, not simply due to the agony experienced in giving birth, but also on the biological/spiritual level.
There is no connection that is stronger than that of a mother with her child. As one of many possible points of discussion, it has been discovered that during gestation, there occurs a two way exchange of cells between the mother and the child. I am no scientist, so I will refer my reader to their own research, but this exchange of cells speaks of a deep abiding physical connection a mother and child experiences.
The child has his/her mother’s cells for life. To think of this foundational connection in relation to God is somewhat mind numbing. How that connection may be described in the Old Testament is beyond this ol’ fellow, but we know in the New Testament, we have the very Spirit of God residing in our body. Our birth in Christ brought about the very presence of God in our lives.
John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Compassion
Consider the connection on an emotional level. As mentioned previously, I understand that whatever I experience is but a shadow of that which the Lord goes through. He is the God who experiences emotion, for we see the Word speaking of God experiencing grieving, jealousy, anger, etc.
For this specific passage we are considering this morning, I cannot comprehend the trial He went through in the birthing of the nation of Israel. The waiting while His people suffered, the delays because of unbelief, the frustrations with self centered leaders, and the never ending leading of a reluctant people into a life that is full and abundant!
Paul describes a primary characteristic of a mother as gentle.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
He uses this same Greek word, translated as kind, when speaking of the Lord’s servant in 2 Timothy.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil.
When the Lord walked the ways and crossroads of the land of Israel, He also exhibited this trait, for of course, this is the way of the Lord in relating to His children.
He is gentle.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
He has suffered agony as in birthing. He has connection with those He has birthed He has compassion as a mother with her birthed ones.
He is the God who has birthed 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.
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 2:14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
For the next three verses, we are going to read of the life of the Thessalonian church in relation to persecution. A persecution that has followed faithful churches as local, regional and national authorities seek to control the life of individual believers, and congregations of the faithful.
One item to note in this passage is that the persecution is due to the competing authorities that exist. Two kingdoms. One kingdom of this world, seeks to control by power and fear, and one kingdom that seeks to lead by love and sacrifice.
As I read this passage this morning, I want to compartmentalize the “church” away from the day to day authority of the local/regional/national political power. I am not convinced this is Paul’s intent as he used the term ἐκκλησία ekklēsía. The common interpretation of this term in the first century, prior to becoming associated with religion, was “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into a public place”
The term is used in the secular, common way of the first century in Acts, where a riot breaks out in Ephesus and the local method of governing is referred to as “an assembly”. This is a helpful passage that speaks of ekklēsía as the term describing civil bodies of authority in the first century term.
Acts 19:32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Acts 19:39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. Acts 19:41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Assembly is a great translation of this Greek term, and Paul uses this term in describing each group of believers in local areas that leave their homes in their desire to partake in their “civil meetings” in relation to the kingdom of God. Paul was intentionally describing each group of believers as an alternate government, an alternate authority, and as having an alternate King, that just so happened to exercise great authority, even over the other kingdoms leaders.
It was not religious verses civil. It was kingdom vs kingdom. A direct challenge to the existing authority of the region.
As an interesting side bar to this discussion, during the translation of the Greek New Testament into the English language, I understand King James instructed the translators of his famous KJV Bible to use “church” instead of assembly in every instance ekklēsía described Christian meetings.
The word church is from a Greek word “kuriakos”, a word not found in the Greek manuscripts. It means “pertaining to the Lord”.
Though an arbitrary and somewhat confusing insertion into the translation process by the king, (the ultimate governing authority of the nation), he may have desired to dull Paul’s intended association of the faithful as belonging to an alternate authority, pigeonholing the church into a portion of the world’s culture, and not as a direct competition for the obedience of each man’s soul and heart.
This sidebar may have seemed to wander from the purpose of this verse, but I would remind my reader that the apostle is describing the persecution of the Thessalonians. Persecution arose because of the Thessalonians faithfulness to an alternate King, King Jesus, and that the governing civil authorities are reacting to this loss of control over a part of the population.
An obedient church will face persecution, in various ways and in various forms. This passage speaks of how the Thessalonian believers imitated the assembly in Judea in their obedience to Christ. For those in Judea, the powerful countrymen, the Jews, rose up and persecuted the faithful. In Thessalonica, the local countrymen also persecuted the faithful believer.
Two kingdoms. One kingdom, ruled by a resurrected Savior, and one kingdom, failing, fading and loosing it’s authority over its population. It must seem obvious that the fading kingdom needs to persecute, for it has no other method to retain it’s citizens. Power and persecution, fear and the power of the sword are the only tools this fading kingdom has at it’s disposal.
King Jesus, in His resurrection, has disarmed the local authorities of even this power over it’s citizens.
May the King continue in expanding His Kingdom, even as the competing, fading kingdom of this world thrashes about in it’s last days.
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.
Before we begin this psalm that refers of the true king, pictures the Messiah, and describes the ultimate kingdom, it may be good to mention there is some discussion on the author. Per the ESV, verse 1 seems to speak of this psalm as originating (humanly) from Solomon, David’s son. There is an argument that the psalm was written by David himself (see the last verse) and he wrote it “of Solomon” in his reign, as David looked into the future potential of his son.
Although I am of the opinion David wrote this psalm, no matter how you see this topic, let us delve into this psalm that speaks over and over again of the greater Son of David, the true King of all.
Psalm 72:18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Psalm 72:19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! Psalm 72:20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
This last few verses contain the doxology of the second book of the Psalms. This idea of the psalms being comprised of “books” was not mentioned before in our studies, but it is an interesting concept to consider.
For my readers interest, I have provided a simple table to describe the concept and for your consideration.
Prior to digging into the doxology, it is good to remember that when David ends this psalm, he refers to it being the end of the prayers of David. So an obvious question I can hear my reader offer is – How can that be, if we find David’s writings in later psalms, such as 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 121, 133, and 138-145. There are a number of possible explanations.
The author may simply be speaking of the end of his prayers in Psalm 72. He may also be referring to the end of a collection of David’s psalms. Psalms added to the book of Psalms may not be in the authors mind at the time of writing.
Nevertheless, David has provided us a Psalm that includes his hopes and prayers for the Solomonic kingdom, and in so doing has given us a Psalm that shows us Jesus Christ as King.
In the final doxology, the author expresses his desire and hope for not only his son, but that the name of the Lord God of Israel be blessed forever, and that the whole earth be filled with His glory.
David knew the end game, for he expressed God’s will perfectly in this last passage, even as Moses and Habakkuk spoke of their desire.
Numbers 14:21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
My question for my reader to consider this morning is this.
While David, and the other prophets were expressing this great desire of the saints, would they have understood it included the death of the Son of God to accomplish the will of God?
My friends, we know how serious God is in completing Hios plan for all of creation, for it took the death of His Son to seal the deal. We have this truth, and we have this confidence, that as the Father brought the Son out of the grave, He also will accomplish His will in spreading the glory of God throughout the whole earth.
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.
234
GOD READY TO FORGIVE
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
As some of you who may have read my testimony, this name was foreign to my understanding of God for all of my childhood, teenage years and even as I wandered through my walk of faith.
My overarching understanding of our God was that He is a judge (which He is), and that He is holy (which He is) and that He is unapproachable (which might be true).
At no time did I think of God Almighty as a God who is ready to forgive. Oh I may have hoped he would forgive if I was really good, or if I begged enough, or turned over a new leaf (whatever that means), but a God who is ready to forgive? No that didn’t enter my mind.
The term used here to describe God is that He is a God of סְלִיחָה çᵉlîychâh, and although the modifier of “ready” is not a word for word translation, the idea behind our Hebrew word is that the forgiveness available is abundant.
It is the same term used in Psalm 130
Psalm 130:4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
Note that the forgiveness is such that it produces fear in the recipient. Forgiveness in my world, in my everyday experience is such that it produces thankfulness, relief, a clearance of conscience. In my day to day, as I experience the forgiveness of my wife, my children, my coworkers, my friends and my acquaintances, fear is not the general outworking of this forgiveness.
So may I suggest that the forgiveness I experience in my day to day life is a forgiveness granted from one fallen person to another fallen person, both of the participants broken and weak, susceptible to offending and hurting each other. In no way am I implying the forgiveness is not deep felt, genuine and true. It is from an equal, a person who is of the same “stuff”.
Our God who is ready to forgive, or as in another translation, our God of forgiveness, is not of the same “stuff”. He is the Judge, the only Rightful Judge, the Holy One, A God who dwells in unapproachable light. He is the eternal God who has never, and will never experience the failures we succumb to. He is perfect, and has every right to condemn, and yet the Word speaks of Him being ready to forgive, of an abundance of forgiveness ready to be bestowed on the repentant.
He is not of the same “stuff” as us, and the forgiveness does not have a potential transactional component. It is not as if He forgives in order for some future need to receive forgiveness. His forgiveness is not only one sided, but when truly comprehended, produces the fear that the Psalm speaks of.
What type of God do we serve? Will we ever comprehend the depth of His mercy, His grace to us in Jesus the Christ?
He is altogether different than I, and for that I am so thankful!
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.
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
Let’s take a moment to remember who Hosea is.
Hosea is a prophet of the northern kingdom, who was called to marry a prostitute, suffer the indignities of her unfaithfulness, and in the end rescue her from her own sinful life. His life was a picture for the sinful northern nation to recognize what they were doing to the God who had married them in the Sinai covenant.
Throughout the book, Hosea pleads for the northern nation to return to God, even as he is seeking to keep his own marriage together.
What a terrible inner conflict this man must have suffered! And what a high calling for this man to be called to. To love a bride who is treacherous, who is unfaithful, who proves her indifference and disloyalty to their covenant of marriage.
This very condition is found in many homes today, and though it may be expected in those who have not bowed the knee to the Lord, to find it amongst the saints is a sign of a treacherous partner, a sign that the commitment (to the spouse and to the Lord) has been abandoned.
Nevertheless, to return to the main point. Hosea is preaching to a nation that has walked away from God. As always there were individuals who were of the remnant, that still sought the Lord and looked to Him, but the vast majority of the northern tribes had fallen away.
The nation as an entity had walked away! As Gomer had betrayed Hosea and shunned his commitment to her, Israel mirrored this very same stance in relation to Jehovah.
The amazing thing that Hosea states in this verse is that the Lord has torn, and that He will heal.
To us the term “torn” in this verse cannot be sugar coated, for it speaks of tearing, even of tearing to pieces, being ripped apart. This same word was used when Isaac heard of Joseph’s apparent death.
Genesis 37:33 …”It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”
Might this be referring to the tearing away of the northern tribes from the southern kingdom? They tore away from the God ordained lineage of King David, setting up an opposing king, government, and accepting a completely different God requiring a different worship system.
No wonder the passage speaks of the Lord tearing it, for as the people, and the leadership pulled away, the Lord also tore them from the true theocracy. This may be a situation where the cause and effect may be the same action, as it so often appears in the works of God.
Nevertheless, the people of the northern tribes had walked away, they were torn, and Hosea, instead of speaking of condemnation, brings a message of hope, of healing, and a few verses later, or reviving and resurrection.
This is a fantastic passage, given the horrible situation Hosea found himself in. To offer the northern tribes the hope of life after this persistent betrayal is way beyond a response that may be expected. A response I would expect is to let the betrayer suffer for her sins. The Lord offers healing.
In the middle of this passage, I can’t help but to see that the Lord performed this ultimate healing by Himself being torn, by Himself being struck. His suffering and acceptance of the cross provided the healing required, not only for us as we have been the betraying wife at times, but for the nations also.
There is tremendous mercy to be found in the Lord. May we be faithful to such a great God, and as needed, exercise a humility to admit our own betrayal of Him.
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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.
2 Samuel 3:12-16
12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.” 13 And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.
So the negotiations begin. Abner, the power broker has initiated his intent to the new king David, with an open question.
To whom does the land belong?
We must remember the promise of God for this nation was a land that the tribes of Israel could possess. Although it was never in the will of God to have a man rule over the people as a king, (although it seems it was in the permissive will), for Abner to speak of the land as belonging to someone implies it belongs to the king.
In this assumption, or this request as to who owned the land, I feel Abner may have been appealing to David’s desire to rule/own all of Israel. Some translations read the Hebrew to reflect this
Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”
When David receives this message, I imagine his thoughts go to the land being God’s, and that as the anointed ruler, he desires it to be unified. Abner appealed on the level of David’s thirst for power. David received the offer understanding the importance of a unified nation for the sake of the Lord.
Given my assumptions of altruism with David, we should also understand that David was a strategist, and sought to take advantage of the position of power he was in.
Having had his wife taken by Saul was an act of shame and a show of power by Saul. David wanted his wife back. Not only because of their relationship being torn apart by Saul, but also to strengthen his position as king. Remember he was ascending to Saul’s throne, and as Saul’s son-in-law, the reestablishment of his marriage to Saul’s daughter would strengthen his position before the nation.
I love the fact that David responded to Ish-bosheth, taking the message from Abner but responding to the king instead. Not only was this the proper channels to follow, it did not allow any claim of deception on the part of David. Abner was lurking behind the scenes under Ish-bosheth’s rule, but David was having no part of it!
David simply made a demand to Ish-bosheth. Give me my wife. I paid for her and she is mine.
By now, Ish-bosheth must be quaking in his boots. Abner, his general is a threatening force in his kingdom, and the opposing forces were making legitimate demands that would weaken his own position. And what was Ish-bosheth to do? He stood up to Abner and was put in his place. David was no less a man of war.
Ish-bosheth was done. He sent Michal, his sister back to David, reestablishing David as a rightful heir through Saul’s daughter.
The final portion of this passage continues to reveal the type of man Abner was. Seemingly at the drop of a hat, Paltiel, Michal’s second husband, has his wife is taken from him. His devotion to this woman is admirable, and yet in his weakness and loss, Abner observes the man’s devotion and simply tells him to “Go return”. Although there was no other option for this poor man, Abner’s command seems to sum up his general hardness!
In summary, three men are considered in this passage.
Abner, a man seeking advantage wherever he may find it. It doesn’t seem Abner considers fidelity an important aspect of life. He simply seeks advantage. How can he control a situation, and find dominance. He is always clawing to the top of the heap!
Ish-bosheth, a man who has no hope. It turns out that his greatest fear of Abner’s mutiny will be realized, and yet in the near future, he finds Abner’s death only to increase his fears. It is as if his only hope was Abner, and Abner was his greatest threat. What a terrible position to be in!
David is the man ascending to the throne. He is being given a path without bloodshed that will establish his kingdom and bring Israel to it’s greatest physical glory!
It is amazing that varied objectives from these three men all come together to bring about a purpose that will provide good to the nation, power to the king, and glory to the God of Israel.
God was on the march, taking a young man through suffering, and sitting him on throne of Israel.
Does this remind you of anyone?
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
Cyrus
Chosen
Isaiah 45:1a Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped.
Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
The very same verse we looked at last week is providing another similarity for us to consider with the shadow King Cyrus when we look to the reality of King Jesus.
Both were chosen.
For the God of heaven to state centuries before the birth of this gentile king that He would grasp this kings hand speaks of His chosing him for the task ahead.
It is good to remember that to be chosen is usually in reference to a particular task or mission. Yes sometimes is may seem to refer to the ultimate destiny of a nation, as it was with Israel, and as some believers may think, it is a designation for some individuals ultimate destiny also.
That is an issue I will not address in this post, as I have discussed it in numerous earlier posts. A short study on the purpose of being chosen.
Chosen To Perform
1 Chronicles 15:2 Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever.
Chosen To Become
Deuteronomy 14:2 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Chosen to Bear Fruit
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Chosen Not Because
For myself, I sometimes confuse the act of being chosen as signifying somehow being worthy of being chosen.
Deuteronomy 7:6 …..The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 7:7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
The Israelites were not chosen because they were numerous or great when compared with the neighboring nations. As a matter of fact, the smallness, the insignificance of Israel only brought about the strength of the Lord God to be seen. It is a recurring theme, that those chosen for a task are wholly incapable of performing the task, of becoming the person they are called to be, or of bearing fruit on their own.
My I have somewhat stayed from the original topic this morning, but it all applies to Cyrus, for he was chosen to perform a task, he was chosen to become a king, and he was chosen to bear fruit (build a temple) for God.
In his confession of the God of heaven providing all the kingdoms for his reign, he may have also grasped that this choice was not because he was great, but that God provided.
As for the Son of God, His was the original choice by the Father, the only choice that could perform the gargantuan task of salvation, the only choice of the perfect sinless sacrifice and the only choice to bear the fruit of the church, constantly bearing fruit in new and growing believers.
He is the Chosen One!
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.
233
GOD OF HEAVEN
2 Chronicles 36:23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.
There are numerous passages in the Word that provide us our name of God this morning, but I chose this verse out of 2 Chronicles due to my recent studying of Cyrus as a type of Christ. (Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 01).
Beyond that reason, I find this verse to be comforting for our day, in that it contains a truth that hopefully will settle the heart of the faithful.
As I said, it is difficult times we live in as we see this old world crumble away, with cultural and societal degradation surrounding us, with national leadership being exposed for deeper and deeper corruption, and an ever-growing open hatred of the Christian faith.
The church seems to have entered a type of captivity, accepting the cultures social norms, (shifting as they are), as acceptable norms to conform to. As the ancient Jewish nation experienced their captivity in Babylon, the church – at least in the western world – has also lost touch.
But as we see in this verse, and understanding the background of King Cyrus, we see that the God of heaven is not limited by His location, or that He is only in charge in heaven. King Cyrus, a non-Jew, and an unexpected Savior for the people of Israel, readily admits to the authority and actions of the God of heaven on earth. This pagan king not only admits that the God of heaven provided him his success, giving him “all the kingdoms of the earth”, but that God has given him a charge.
King Cyrus – build the God of heaven a house in Jerusalem.
A charge was given to the King, and an allowance was provided to the people of God. They were granted freedom by this king, and supplied to those who had a heart for God, the very highest gift of the faithful saint, The king would build the temple of the God of heaven, and the people of God could see him do it!
Also, take note that the people of God, though given freedom to return, are a secondary item. By that I mean, they are allowed to get involved if they want, but the King will build the house for the God of heaven whether they choose to get involved or not.
The God of heaven rules over the kingdoms of the earth, and to rescue His people, (or better stated, to provide a salvation to those who seek it), He may rise up a man or woman that is totally unexpected, in order to fulfill His desires. And the people of God can watch the wonder of this saviors work, taking part if they want.
The Greater King, our Living Savior is building a temple for the God of heaven in our day also. Have you been granted freedom? Are you wanting to get involved? The opportunity, the blessing, maybe better yet – the obligation is in front of the saint to get involved in the work.
Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
He is the God of heaven, and He is working on this earth to build His Temple.
Wanna help?
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 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Let’s try to remember what Paul is thanking God constantly for in this verse. The previous two verses spoke of how he as thier father figure in faith, spoke to them, that he exhorted them, encouraged them and charged them.
For this he was thankful. Now of course he may be referring to the following message within this verse, but I think his flow of thought goes something like this.
I acted as a father to you, sometimes saying difficult things, challenging you to make life choices, to do hard things! But you realized that though I am a mere man, the message was from God, and it carried great authority!
One reason, I fear, that the church nowadays is quite shallow, is that the message is simply a message of man, and we know it. We do little challenging, rebuking or charging due to the knowledge that the authority is our own.
For the Word of God to be “unleashed”, I understand that in a number of ways.
We are to know the Word enough that when we come to a situation we can unsheathe the Word and make a statement, using the bare Word of God.
I admit that this is easy when it is a time of encouragement, but when the difficult truths have to be expressed, I tend to want to soften the blow, dull the cut, and explain away some of the toughness of the Word.
If I am honest with myself, it is for my own comfort. I will have to face hard difficult truth first! For any truth to be communicated correctly, for the Word to be “unsheathed”, the truth has to go through the vessel, through the messenger. The Word has to be active in the messenger before it can intentionally and effectively be communicated to another.
Not only does the Word have to be acting in the messenger, the Word has to have the priority. Priority over your own thoughts, feelings, sensitivities and concerns. The Word is to be understood as having come from God, through a man. The truth is originating from God, and as we understand this, the Word should become more and more of a priority in our lives.
A final thought as to why I may not speak the Word in difficult situations or as a challenge to others is that I fear I will loose the one I am speaking to. In the culture we live in nowadays, many are easily offended. Feelings are hurt and people shut down, refusing to communicate. Believe me when I tell you that I have experienced decades being outside of a loved ones life, simply because of an offence, and sad to say, it was not due to the gospel. This is wasteful, sinful and so unnecessary!
I consider this as simply a wrong focus if I am honest about it. Consider the teaching of the Lord. He is teaching us
to love one another
to serve those in need
to be meek and lowly for those who are around us
to live in peace with our neighbor, as much as we can
to not place (personal) stumbling blocks before others
and yet not fear the offense of the gospel
I suppose in the end, we all need to prioritize the Word in our lives, accepting and speaking of hard things when necessary. As Paul started out this passage, even the difficult things need to be spoken as a father to his child. He had authority as the great apostle, but he did not describe this interaction with the faithful as a judge to a criminal. Let us remember that the Word is over all of us, we are all under the Word. As those of us who may be maturing, we need to recall this truth. Maturity does not set us up as judges, pouring commands on those “below us”. What a foolish, religious stance!
Difficult truths, as they work in us as believers, will produce a patience, an understanding of others struggles and in my own life personally, recognizing my very deep weakness before Him.
Consider thought that if the Word is creating a hardness in you, an impatience with others, even a disdain for those who haven’t attained to your level of spirituality, consider your position before God.
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
Secret Trees – by Johnny Q Public
Johnny Q Public was a band put out two albums and found a following, especially after the success of their first album. They only put out two albums, and this particular tune speaks to those who want to judge, but find in the judgement, a self condemnation, reflective of John 8.
Take a listen!
Secret Trees – by Johnny Q Public
You can’t see Specks beyond the trees But I’ll forgive If you forget Throw your first stone You’re a big man, make your stand You’ve done nothing wrong Are you sure, think again ‘Cause I know a secret I know a secret
I know a secret that you think that I don’t know I’m writing in sand Hoping it will remind you All have sinned Let the water wash you clean ‘Cause I know a secret I know a secret I know a secret that you think that I don’t know
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.
232
GOD OF GLORY
Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.
Glory. It is the winning of the Boston marathon, or the receiving of an Oscar. It is often thought of as an ultimate victory, a great display of honor. For those who seek it, it is the attainment of fame and splendor. of an honor amongst their peers.
When it comes to how it is associated with God, we often think of a radiant light, a manifestation of God’s presence, or a recognition of His worth and beauty. He as God is the Only One worthy of glory in the most absolute sense.
For the verse we are considering, David associates the God of Glory with His message, specifically His voice in the world of nature, even a thunderstorm.
David, I would suggest, is watching a great thunderstorm, where the heavens are opening up and unleashing a power that cannot be resisted. Vast areas of the land, and in this case the waters of Israel, may be experiencing high winds, torrents of rain, fire from heaven and thunderous noise shaking the earth.
David is trying to express the might and power of the Lord in relation to the world about him. Throughout this psalm, David speaks of the “voice of the Lord”, and this is the first instance.
Yet I must consider the term glory before I finish this post. /I recall discussing a somewhat surprising association with the term glory with heaviness. (See Names of God – BEAUTIFUL AND GLORIOUS – 49).
I found also, that though the term “glory” not only had a sense of honor and esteem, and a sense of heaviness, (even fatness), associated with it, this term is also linked with suffering.
This particular word we see in this passage comes from the root word כָּבַד kâbad. We find this root word in the following passages, where I have italicized it’s use.
Genesis 18:20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,
Note that the root word we read as glory in the Psalm is translated “grave” in Genesis 18. Some translations use grievous or serious.
Nehemiah 5:18 Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.
Nehemiah rejected the opportunity to enjoy great abundance due to the heavy burden placed on the people that required it.
2 Samuel 13:25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing.
David did not want to be burdensome to his son.
1 Samuel 5:11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
The term associates directly with suffering in 1 Samuel, where the hand of God was causing an uproar amongst the Philistines.
Psalm 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
But lest we think this suffering is only for those who know not God, we find it used by David when he is under the judging eye of His Master.
All of this is to simply admit that my concept of glory is too weak, too shallow. Bright lights, beauty and honor are the thoughts that typically rise to the mind when we think of glory, but let us not forget that it is a complex thought, a complex idea that has much greater meaning than first considered.
The God of Glory has Himself provided the greatest display of His glory in the man Christ Jesus, as He displayed His patient, kind, meek and loving interaction with those who had ears to hear. His character was a blinding glorious light in a very dark land.
He also displayed His authority, His heaviness amongst some lightweight religious authorities, literally tearing their arguments to pieces without breaking a sweat!
But if you ask me, the greatest display of the God of Glory for all to see was the Man Christ Jesus, bloody and broken, nailed to a cross, exposed to the public as if he were equal to a mere thief, suffering the indignities and insults of sinful man, all to rescue a thankless and hateful people.
He is the God of Glory and though many may look to the cross as simply an instrument of justice, for the believer, that cross provided the greatest display of who the God of Glory truly is!
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.
Psalm 85:4-5 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Restoration.
It is a consistent refrain in the Word, where the people of God, having slipped (or run headlong) into sin, have fallen victim to bondage and captivity. When Israel finally came to it’s senses, the plea to God was always for restoration, for the Lord to rescue the people who knew Him, back to a place of favor before Him.
I am not sure of when this Psalm was written, whether after the captivity of Babylon, or possibly during one of many spiritually low spots previous to the captivity. Either way, it is a telling psalm of the nations knowledge of their standing before their God.
The people of God needed restoration. They called out to the God of their salvation, seeking restoration to their salvation experience. They were a people of covenant, who had broken ties with their God and reaped the result of having no hope! The people of God understood they were experiencing the anger of a holy and righteous God – which if truth be told, is an enviable position to be in.
Now hold on Carl. To be under the judgment of God is an enviable position to be in? Are you smoking crack? Let me repeat my thought. It is an enviable position to rightly understand their position before God. It is that we are in an enviable position if we know the truth of our position before God.
Many in our day think they are in a great standing before God, and yet live a life of utter disregard to the will of God, the Word of God and the Son of God. The folk in this psalm, of whom we read this morning, understood their position before God and reached out the the only One who could restore them.
A short phrase in verse 4 catches my eye, when the psalmist admits that even their best efforts are of no use before the Mighty God. Do you see what I speak of?
put away your indignation toward us
The psalmist is not claiming that they will do better, that the people of God could earn their position back with the Eternal Father, that some action on their part could assuage the anger of God.
He begs God to put away His own anger, the anger that is towards His own people. God only can put away His own anger. Amazing!
Does that not scream of the crucifixion, of the Father smiting the Son, striking Him, crushing Him and placing all the iniquity on the Servant of God. God did put away His own anger. Jesus carried the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:4,5,6
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Is Jesus the restoration provided by God? Is the crucifixion the very solution God has provided for those needing salvation, revival and restoration?
To ignore Him and to turn to religion, or good morals or to be socially acceptable is simply to spit in the face of God. We are stating by our actions of religion, morals or social graces that His solution is not good enough for us! How repugnant it must be in the nostrils of our God for us to abandon His solution for beggarly efforts such as those!
Think about it, for if those in the Old Testament, having the light they had and yet rebelled, knew of the anger of God and the need for His mercy, how much more do we who have come after the resurrection need to turn to Him for our restoration and salvation.
My friend. Jesus truly is the answer to this Psalmist’s request for God putting His anger away. That anger was consumed in the cross, in the death of the Messiah.
It is truly an enviable position to understand your position before God. Can you admit of your weakness, your poverty, your inability before Him? Do you understand the separation between Him and you, the gulf that can’t be crossed by your own efforts?
If you are of this condition, knowing you will have to answer to Him someday, are you seeking to put away God’s anger on your own? Are you trying to be good enough? Are you rejecting the very solution God has provided?
My friend, without a living faith in the One who has consumed the anger of God, having come out of the grave to prove His victory, there is no safety. Without God’s provision, there can be no true restoration, no true salvation, no true life.
Realize your need, understand your position before God. Consider the tremendous gulf between the Holy One and yourself. Understand your true condition before God. Agree with that ol’ hymn ” Amazing Grace”.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!
God reveals not only our dire situation, but also of the complete and full rescue He has provided in His Son Jesus, the Resurrected One.
Run to the One who has put away His own anger!
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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.
2 Samuel 3:6-11
6 While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” 8 Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 9 God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the LORD has sworn to him, 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
Rizpah, at my first reading of this text, seemed to be the trigger for Abner to abandon Ish-bosheth. I assumed that Ish-bosheth was becoming overly sensitive to Abner’s personal life, or that he wanted to lord it over Abner, trying to control the man that controlled him.
Let’s back up a bit. Rizpah was the mother of two of Saul’s sons, and effectively Saul’s wife, though specifically described as a concubine in this passage. Her two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth were of the royal lineage of the house of Saul. This positions Rizpah in a powerful position, and for Abner to be connected with her, only amplifies his position of power within the northern tribes.
We understand Ish-bosheth as a man of a weak temperament, one that was placed into the position of a king by Abner, not that he had taken the throne by force, or even by assumption. It did not appear that Ish-bosheth had any inner motivation to aspire to be king. Abner placed him on the throne.
Now Ish-bosheth is in a sticky wicket. His life is dependent on remaining on the throne, for any successor will need to eliminate him to secure their own kingship. With this unsettling understanding creeping up into Ish-bosheth’s mind, every suspicious action flared into a threat.
Abner and Rizpah? Definite threat in Ish-bosheth’s mind! Was it a real threat? No one knows the mind of Abner, but for Ish-bosheth, this had to be dealt with, which is a surprising show of strength from a man who seemed to be so sheepish. But Ish-bosheth’s accusation became his very downfall! Abner was the power behind the throne, and for Ish-bosheth to slur him, turned out to be worse than the current situation!
Rizpah became a fulcrum that was used to bring Ish-bosheth’s kingdom to it’s knees. Later in the story of David, we shall find Rizpah to be quite the woman of conviction and of commitment to her family, but for now, we see that she was a passive participant in the expansion of David’s kingdom.
Abner also makes note that Ish-bosheth charges him with a fault concerning Rizpah. What might that fault be? It seems Ish-bosheth accused Abner was seeking to acquire the kingdom of Saul through a relation with Rizpah.
And I love how Abner, though seeming to be insulted, claims his own goodness, and uses this charge of Ish-bosheth’s as the reason for his abandoning the very man he set up as king! He speaks of his steadfast love to the house of Saul, even as he intends to abandon Ish-bosheth. He speaks of how he has not given Ish-bosheth into the hands of David, even as he plans to give him up. Abner goes so far as to say he will accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn for him, as though Abner was the key to the will of God.
Abner was quite the self righteous pompous blowhard!
And Ish-bosheth had set his future in motion, realizing his days were numbered, and completely controlled by the man who he tried to control.
Abner, as we shall see in the next post, started immediately to work his “magic” in transferring the kingdom over to David. Though full of hypocrisy and pride, Abner was in a very specific way, used of God to bring the kingdom back together again. Of course the country was split in two due primarily to his actions of setting up a competitive kingdom to the north, even as he knew David would be the rightful king!
No matter the situation, Abner sought to find advantage for his own position in life. He was the center of the universe, and all things, and actions needed to surrender to his will.
He is a stunning picture of the one who has not identified with Jesus, who has not accepted “not my will but thine” as a life commitment before God.
Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Abner knew of God’s promise, yet he sought his own will, even though Abner’s desires used and abused a helpless man that was unlucky enough to be a son of Saul. For the immediate future, Abner was the power broker, the most influential man in the land. Nothing could stop him!
Nothing at all!
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
Cyrus
Anointed One
Isaiah 45:1a Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped..
Acts 4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
I will admit it, I started looking at Cyrus, thinking that if I found one or two likenesses to the Lord, I will have plunged the depths of the similarities this gentile king had with our Lord. After all, my next subject is Daniel, and I can hardly wait. My attitude, (sad as it was), was to get the gentile king out of the way so I can dig into the life of Daniel and see the Lord in that great saint of old.
Was I wrong! Cyrus is quite surprising as a great Gentile King, but even more so as a typology of Jesus. Although I am reluctant to define the number of similarities I have found so far, suffice to say it is not just one or two. (A hint to my readers – It is less than 100!)
For this post, lets consider the fact that Cyrus was called the anointed of God. Yes, it is true that there were many anointed in the Old Testament, including the kings of Israel and Judah, prophets of Israel, priests of Israel, and many leaders, such as the judges, or different leaders that were within the theocracy of Israel.
But Cyrus stands out amongst these anointed in that he was a dirty Gentile, a foreigner to the covenant and a man that was outside of the regular domain God worked within.
Not only that, but Cyrus was called God’s anointed prior to performing any good deed, or before even sucking breath. Isaiah’s prophecy was given a century prior to the Gentile king arriving on the scene! Not many of the “rank and file” of the anointed in Israel can claim that status.
And yet, even as Cyrus stands out from amongst all those who were of the anointed class in the old theocracy, the True Anointed One is head and shoulders above Cyrus. Though Cyrus was a great and victorious king over all the known world in his day, His anointing may be considered his greatest privilege, a privilege granted by God.
For Jesus, to put it bluntly, to be the Anointed was simply a matter of fact. He is the Anointed, the Only One Who was and is the Anointed One, not due to a privilege granted by God, but because of His Person, of Who He truly is.
There is a difference! He is the Christ, the Anointed One!
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.
231
GOD OF FAITHFULNESS AND WITHOUT INIQUITY
Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
Our God is a God of faithfulness and without iniquity.
It is a common truth that believer’s rely on throughout our walk with Him, and yet when trials come or trouble rise up, our first inclination is to question his faithfulness.
Of course that is simply our rebellion rising up, blaming God for that which might be occurring due to our poor decisions, or maybe simply misunderstanding God’s way in our lives.
As I was reviewing this term for faithfulness, I found it to have a somewhat special meaning. It refers to being steady or firm. A very good example of how this term pictures the steadfastness of God is found in Exodus, when Moses was overseeing Joshua fight the Amalekites.
Exodus 17:12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Moses hands were “faithful” until the going down of the sun. They didn’t move, and were not subject to any weakness that Moses was experiencing.
God is steady, firm and unmoving, and unlike Moses, did not require assistance from others in being so. He is faithful, and His nature of being so is a great comfort to every believer.
But this name of God we are considering this morning is not simply the God of faithfulness , but the God of faithfulness and without iniquity!
Faithful, unmoving, firm, resolute. God is the God of faithfulness. He is the ultimate expression of firmness, of unmoving adherence to His Word and Will. Then Moses adds the “without iniquity” description, as further emphasis on who God is.
May I suggest this double description of God works to bolster the image Moses was trying to get across to the Israelites by describing a positive attribute, and then further describing that attribute by negating any idea of unfaithfulness.
Let me try to explain my thoughts.
If God at any time and for any reason, was not faithful, and because He is known and described as faithful, this act of unfaithfulness would introduce iniquity into our thoughts. At any time, if God was not steady, firm in His nature and promises, iniquity could be claimed to be found in Him.
How preposterous, for it is His nature that defines righteousness, and there is no iniquity to be found in Him. And that is the point!
Moses is doubling up on his description of the faithfulness (firmness, steadiness) of God. No iniquity of unsteadiness, or unfaithfulness may be considered.
Don’t even think it!
Unless of course, you turn your eyes to see the Man on the cross, where a spotless God, firm in His will and in the keeping of His word, accepted iniquity into His own body. The mystery of One who, due to His faithfulness, became sin (iniquity), accepting the just punishment of sin within His own body.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Out God is a God of Faithfulness and Without Iniquity, even as He exercised His faithfulness to His own saving promises. To His own great hurt, that is His own death, He was faithful. No iniquity of His own may be found in Him, even as we see Him hanging on that cross, receiving the just punishment of our iniquity being placed on His sinless Body.
How can we understand such a faithful God, One who is without iniquity, and yet taking on our sin to maintain His faithfulness? It is not for us to understand, but only to bow before Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Let’s remember this is the completion of the previous verse, where Paul describes himself as a father to this group of believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:11 For you know how, like a father with his children,
Paul continues his thoughts on how he has treated these young believers as a father in the faith.
At the risk of beating a dead horse (again), make note of Paul’s emphasis on the individual in each of these actions. He starts his thoughts with “exhorted each one of you“. Now, of course he may be speaking in the manner we are accustomed to when some one gets behind a pulpit, and speaks to mass audiences, saying “I am speaking to each one of you”, but for some reason, I think Paul meant he spoke individually to each one of his children, exhorting them, encouraging them and charging them in a singular, personal way. Every one equally, and constantly, I can’t imagine, but I lean to the thinking that he was involved in their lives in a one on one relationship, short as that was.
Now, leaving behind my minor little rant, lets consider the three ways Paul related to these believers as a father
Exhorted
As a father Paul exhorted (παρακαλέωparakaléō) each one. Note the greek term, where includes “para”, typically speaking of by the side, along side or with. Kaleo is to call out, to call a name, to be called.
Putting it together, this term is a calling of the one spoken to as an invite to be with, an invite to walk together. Paul was not in an ivory tower, telling them to do this or that. He was in the midst of the Christian walk and actively exhorting those who claimed the name of Christ to walk in like manner with him.
Encouraged
As a father Paul encouraged (παραμυθέομαιparamythéomai) them. This word speaks of a range of meanings, from consoling in failure to admonishing from errors, with encouragement being the basis of each. Note again the prefix “para”, emphasizing the togetherness Paul intended, that as a Father he was not standing above them, but with them in the walk of faith.
Charged
As a father Paul charged (μαρτυρέωmartyréō) them. No it does not refer to a fee that he places on each of them for his services. It’s not that kind of charge!
To be “charged”, in Paul’s mind, and in the mind of the Thessalonians, was to be a witness, to speak of what you know, to bear record of the life you live and to openly speak of the One from whom this life originates. You may have noticed, the Greek for this word looks alot like martyr in the English. It has morphed into a word that describes one who dies for his faith, but this is not how it would have been understood in Paul’s day. The term simply meant to give evidence of the life you now live, to give testimony.
Did I hear you ask why the term morphed? Because early believers took the charge seriously, and the local and regional governments couldn’t handle it. Those who testified were put to death, and the link between the action of testifying and the ultimate result – death – has morphed that word into what we know today. To be a martyr used to mean to simply give testimony is now identified as an act of testimony to death!
This is the call Paul speaks of when he describes God calling us “into his own kingdom and glory”. It is not the way of the world, but the way of the cross.
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.
Before we begin this psalm that refers of the true king, pictures the Messiah, and describes the ultimate kingdom, it may be good to mention there is some discussion on the author. Per the ESV, verse 1 seems to speak of this psalm as originating (humanly) from Solomon, David’s son. There is an argument that the psalm was written by David himself (see the last verse) and he wrote it “of Solomon” in his reign, as David looked into the future potential of his son.
Although I am of the opinion David wrote this psalm, no matter how you see this topic, let us delve into this psalm that speaks over and over again of the greater Son of David, the true King of all.
Psalm 72:15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! Psalm 72:16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! Psalm 72:17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
This portion of the psalm speaks of the abundance of the Kingdom, prosperity flowing throughout the Kingdom with the focus rightly so on the King Himself. The poor and needy that was previously spoken of in the previous post is under King Jesus, offering up gifts of gold to the King.
I take the subject of these verses to be the King, and specifically King Jesus prophetically. As throughout this psalm, so much is provided to correspond with the Son in His reign that it over shadows the possible immediate intent of David’s desire for His own son Solomon’s earthy reign.
Gold is given to the King, not silver or some inferior metal, but only the finest of materials.
The fields are so heavy with grain, when the wind blows, the grain acts as the cedars of Lebanon, the cedars of Lebanon that were so famous. The agricultural prosperity spoken of here describes the waving action of the grains to not be unlike the wind whipping through the massive cedars of Lebanon. A picture in my mind of oversized grain stalks so large that as they move in the wind, a cracking occurs as with the cedars in their movements.
This picture of prosperity is incredible, but the psalmist goes further. He speak of the waving action of this grain to be on the tops of the mountains. Not the valleys, where all the lush rich earth is, but on the top on mountain tops, where the rain and wind typically erode the good soil and create a barren area. No successful farmer sought out the top of mountains or hills for farming, yet under the King, even the top of hills or mountains brought forth abundance.
And yet when I sat down this morning, my focus was not on the prosperity of the land, great as it is under the King, but on the King Himself, as David describes Him, for he speaks of the King living, or as he starts this portion out as – Long may he live. Let’s take a moment to consider.
Live
Live is the translation of the Hebrew word חָיָהchâyâh, to live or preserve, even quicken recover or retore to life. This term may simply refer to life, to the standard meaning we all accept, but it also was used of the restoration of life. Consider the following passages where we find it being used.
2 Kings 13:21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come.
Isa 26:14 They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.
1Kings 17:22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
Ezekiel, as he is questioning the Lord in the famous chapter on dead bones, uses this term multiple times to describe life coming back onto the carcasses he sees.
Even the apostate king of Israel, most likely Jehoram, knew of God’s ability to raise up from the dead.
2 Kings 5:7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
Again and again in the Old Testament, this term is used revivification, of quickening, of restoration.
Is David speaking of the resurrection of the King, of the eternal life that He accomplished for mankind at His resurrection? How could a believer not see David’s claim here describing the greatest feat of Jesus, and of his continual “long living of the King”, describing the Kingdom ruled by Him who lives forever!
But there is more. (Man this passage is great!) He not only speaks of the length of the Kings life, but of the Kings continuance. To describe the Kings continuance is not specifically speaking of the length of His reign but more so the manner of the Kingdom’s increase!
Increase
Increase is the translation of the Hebrew word נוּןnûwn, to propagate, or increase. The term is only used once in the Old Testament, and it has the meaning of to propagate by shoots, to multiply, as many plants do by shoots!
The increase of the King’s fame, and of His Kingdom is described as the propagation of His life in the same manner that a plant does through shoots.
Can anyone hear the Lord speaking of this increase in John 15, where we are the branches and He is the Vine. Without Him, we can do nothing. Consider the message the Lord is sharing with His disciples in this. In Him, we propagate out the Kingdom.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
David may be describing in one word a concept the Lord expanded on with His disciples! Though a grain of wheat was buried, the life that exploded out of that burial produced the greatest fruit imaginable. All increase through each believers connection with the King, the natural propagation of life through the shoots finding their life in the root!
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
All of the previous actions, the life from the dead and the propagation, or increase of His fame has the fallout of blessing on the people, and that all nations are blessed.
Again, as I have been studying in the Old Testament, I have come to see the many times the nations are included into the plan of God, that from the very beginning, all of creation was to experience the blessing of God.
Here again, the promise of God to Abraham echoes, speaking of the nations being blessed through Abraham.
Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
In Abraham, all the families of the earth will be blessed, and we know that the complete fulfillment of this blessing is found in and only through Abrahams Greatest Son, King Jesus who truly lives forever, escaping the grave and reigning as His Kingdom continually expands, increasing His fame throughout the world.
What a great piece of Scripture! May the Lord increase His fame in each of our lives, so that we reflect it to those we rub shoulders with each and every day.
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.
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GOD OF YOUR FATHERS
Exodus 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
It was decades ago when my wife and I were in training for missionary work, hoping to reach unreached people groups to a far off land the Lord wanted us to go to.
Those were exciting days, and as Canadians in a US school, we lived by faith, and saw the Lord provide in many mighty and awesome ways.
He is truly a good God.
During those times, I listened to stories of missionaries that had ventured into perilous areas, breaking barriers with people groups who had never heard of the Master, living amongst them, learning their language and culture, waiting for the day to communicate the gospel to a people who had never met the God of Resurrection.
One particular missionary team, after spending years in tribe, eventually were able to share the gospel, finding much fruit in the tribe. Many came to know the Lord, and a vibrant small body of believers began growing weekly.
Exciting stuff.
During church services, these missionaries would introduce hymns, (translated into the tribes mother tongue), giving the young believers a chance to praise God with the classic hymns such as Amazing Grace, It is Well with My Soul and such.
One such hymn that could not be introduced immediately was the classic “God of our Fathers”, a hymn written in 1876 by Daniel C. Roberts. The hymn speaks of the blessing of a people that have history with the God of Creation, and since this particular people group had just come to faith, it just didn’t make sense to add it to their hymnology.
This story is provided to my reader to simply remind us of the rich blessing we have as a people group, of a history with the Living God. God has led our fathers, whether we speak of those directly related to us in our immediate family, to those who have been instrumental in shaping our Christian culture, or the very Patriarchs of the Old Testament, that led the way in understanding the Lord’s ways.
You know, in a way, these new converts could have sung this song in truth, for in following Jesus, we all, as the Body of Christ know the God of our Fathers, those who came before us in the faith.
It is such a blessing to live in a historically Christian culture, but I fear we are slipping away from a full and living faith in the God of our Fathers. May we live our days in a thankful and expressive way, sharing the truth of the gospel in any way possible, seeking to allow those who follow us to sing this song also.
May the God of our Fathers be praised!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Considering the Bible 