My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
205
GOD WHO HAS BEEN MY SHEPHERD
Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
Let’s remember who is speaking in this verse.
It is that rapscallion Israel, the one who lied and cheated through out his life, causing strife and turmoil in the family, breaking his mother’s heart in having to run for his life, tearing apart his connection with his brother, creating division within his own family by favoring Rachel, deceiving his father, conning his Uncle Laban, and unwilling to let Benjamin go to Egypt to acquire food for those of his family.
Israel has the nerve to speak of God as being his Shepherd all his life. Yet this should not surprise us, for we know of the mercies of the Lord, of his gracious leadings, and of how he bends down to us, reaching out to us in our state of sin and pulling us out of misery.
But there is one thing to note in Israel’s statement regarding God as his Shepherd. He doesn’t declare himself as a particularly good sheep, or of any type of sheep.
No this statement doesn’t take into account the goodness of the sheep, but only the faithfulness of the Shepherd, the Shepherd who is faithful to His sheep.
God who has been my Shepherd.
To think that Israel considered God and not himself at his final moments on earth speaks volumes, for he had come to a place where he recognized the goodness of God in spite of his own actions, and that was worth focusing on!
It is wise to focus on the God who has been our Shepherd!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
204
GOD WHO GIVES GENEROUSLY TO ALL
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Specifically, James is referring to God’s lavish giving of wisdom in this passage.
But let it be known by all who read this, I want to give witness that God gives generously to all in more than just the acquisition of wisdom.
He has been providing for my family in so many ways and at unexpected times that I simply want to say thank you to Jesus for His many mercies, for His continual faithfulness, for His overarching reach down into our lives even today, and for His continued work in us in the future.
Yes His is faithful, and His faithfulness has convinced me that He will continue to grant mercies and grace to this family, a family that may not recognize it, that are somewhat erratic and worrisome, that get too easily distracted from His person. We are not what He deserves! And conversely, He is so much more than we deserve.
May we honor Him more today than we did yesterday.
As mentioned initially, before I couldn’t resist in praising Him for His grace to us, James is speaking of saints who need. Saints who, in this instance need wisdom. James is speaking of one characteristic of the saint that is a required tool in our lives, yet if we are honest with ourselves, we are much needier than simply lacking wisdom.
We are such needy folks, and we sometimes do not want to admit this, for it strikes at our pride. And pride is the very problem for the believer! Pride keeps us cold, hard and unreachable! But James returns to this message of abundance available for the saint, (a spiritual abundance, not the adulterated message of physical abundance), but that which truly satisfies the soul.
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James spoke of our God as One who gives generously to all. There is no restriction on God’s part, for my imagination see’s Him “just itching to give” to those who will set their pride down, and lift their heart and voice to Him and ask.
He is the God who gives generously.
May we not only recognize this in our God, but also find ways to reflect a generous life to others! And that is a skill that requires much wisdom!
But we know who provides! Thankyou Jesus for your life!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
203
GOD WHO FULFILLS HIS PURPOSE FOR ME
Psalm 57:2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
Purpose.
What is it to have purpose?
An end goal to strive for? A reason for a process to be performed? An intention of an effort to be expended?
We all need purpose, but this verse isn’t directly addressing our purpose. Note that David is crying out to God who fulfills His purpose.
For David, he wasn’t questioning of or considering his (David’s) purpose in life, though it certainly might be related to the purpose of God. As we can agree, a believer naturally seeks to have the same purpose as God, to embrace the same will and to aim for the same goal.
And what is that purpose or goal? As Jesus answered Pilate, His purpose was to bear witness of the truth.
John 18:37 …… For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world–to bear witness to the truth. ….
He spoke of God’s Kingdom coming, of God’s will being done.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
David, in Psalm 57 is referring to God’s purpose and not David’s purpose (strictly speaking), and yet this purpose of God is to be completed in David. This interaction of God’s purpose being fulfilled in David is a truth that David leans on, that he depends on and finds great comfort in.
It is that God is, at the time of writing, fulfilling His purpose in David during trying times. Yes David speaks this way during difficult times, and to remember that is so comforting. For you see, Psalm 57 is a psalm of David as he flees from Saul, the most powerful man in the nation, and his arch enemy. David is on the run, and at times he is but a hairbreadth from being caught by the king.
David knew of God’s ultimate purpose in his life, that he had been anointed to be God’s king over Israel, but the circumstances were yelling something else. By all appearances, Saul would be successful in catching David. The circumstances appeared that he may not make it another day. His enemies were surrounding him, his soul was in the midst of lions, and he was lying down amid fiery beasts! (vs 4)
Is it not reasonable that in the midst of trying times, the saint should look to the purpose of God in our lives, and not our own circumstances, our own condition or situation.
God is the God who fulfills His purpose in the saint. This truth is a great comfort for the saint as we meditate on it.
He has an end goal for us! He has a reason for our lives to be lived. He has an intention for the efforts we expend.
It is good to know that our God is the God who fulfills His purpose!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
202
God Who Comforts the Downcast
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
I sometimes have a hard time relating Paul’s experience with my own. After all, for him to speak of being downcast, after considering his experience as an apostle of Christ. Consider his recent battles in verse 5.
7:5 …our bodies had no rest, ….afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within.
A bit later in the letter, he speaks of the many trials he had suffered up to that point. Consider his experience as found in 2 Corinthians 11:24 -28
Five times forty lashes less one Three times beaten with rods. Once stoned Three times shipwrecked A night and a day adrift at sea On frequent journeys Dangers from rivers from robbers from my own people from Gentiles in the city in the wilderness at sea from false brothers in toil and hardship through many sleepless nights in hunger and thirst often without food in cold and exposure
After all the description of his life experiences above, he tacked on the one that always seems to be the greatest stress for this man of God
…the daily pressure of my anxiety for all the churches.
So when Paul speaks of being downcast, that is of being humbled or depressed in status or position, he is speaking a language I don’t quite understand. His life experience has taken him to internal and external struggles and battles few can imagine. I can’t!
Paul has been taken from a life of the elite Pharisees, suffered as described above, and become a pariah to his own people. The shame and humiliation he experienced in his ministry was a constant and severe (if I may say so) experience he endured to provide us the gospel truths we sometimes flippantly regard.
Yet as he was downcast, He was also comforted. The comfort he experienced was also in such a different league than I can imagine.
But as I go through this thought process, and take you along, I may be doing a great disservice to the God we worship, and the teaching this apostle provided us.
As Paul spoke of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 4, he wrote
12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Paul did not speak of his ministry in order to shame his people. He is speaking of the various paths each believer has been granted to walk, and that as believers we are not to compare our walk with God with others. This principal of not comparing with one another is somewhat a theme in Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, and I think in the early part of this post, I was slipping into comparing Paul’s experience with mine,(and maybe yours?)
Let us not compare, but consider that the God who comforts the downcast is not only Paul’s God, but as we may experience a humbling, a lowering of position for God’s will, He is also our God who comforts us.
Let’s rejoice in that as periods of humbling come from the hand of God, his hand is covered with a silk glove, a hand that is guided by a comforting heart, comforting His people in the midst of difficulties and trials
He is our God who Comforts the Downcast! May we praise Him in the midst of our trials!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
201
GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE
1 Kings 18:24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”
We know the story. Elijah takes on the prophets of Baal, and Asherah, a total of 950 prophets that are lined up against him. Image the intimidation, the shear volume of enemy, and yet Elijah stood.
You know, it is an easy thing to say that with God, we are a majority, but when push comes to shove, to live that out in front of a hostile government (Ahab really hated Elijah) and a hateful religious society is truly an amazing feat!
Elijah stood alone, without any support from those in Israel. His perception of the nation at this time was that he was the only one faithful to God. The Lord instructs him later, but God allowed Elijah to live in his perceptions of being alone at this time.
And what type of test was offered by Elijah? A test that puts each prophets life to be dependent on the response of the Gods they trusted in. And beyond that, the fate of the national religious life hung in the balance, depending on the outcome of a miracle.
You know, Elijah could have claimed the inherent truth of the message from God, or of the past miracles performed by God, reminding the nation of God’s guidance and protection over the centuries. But he didn’t at this time. No, it appears Elijah read his crowd, understood the situation, figgered this was a “do or die” situation. Years had passed where he preached and warned, but to no avail.
No it was show time! By that I mean, the people had to have a very real, very personal experience of God. But this experience was not to be like that of Moses, who was able to talk to God face to face, nor like Samuel, where God whispered his name, calling him into the ministry of prophet as a young boy.
The people were going to face fire!
He is the God who answers by fire, and as I read this passage, and think of Elijah’s situation, facing a culture drowning in lies and idolatry, it seems this response speaks to the peoples condition more than simply defining the true God. The miracle certainly defined the true God, but it also communicated a message that was with fire, a message tinged with judgement and anger.
And a message crouched in a miracle. A miracle for an idolatrous people. Centuries later, the Master also faced an idolatrous culture, who fought against God, and referred to signs in relation to their “faith”.
Matthew 12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 16:4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.
A sign was provided for that generation, in that the sacrifice on the altar, before their very eyes was consumed (as it were by God), and by a far greater miracle, was raised from the dead.
For both cultures, fire came down on the sacrifice. Though Elijah saturated his sacrifice, dowsing it with water, the fire consumed it all to communicate the “above and beyond” character of God.
He was more than what the people may have expected.
For the Savior, the sign was the resurrection. Though completely sinless and worthy of honor and esteem, Jesus suffered the worst of punishments, in all areas of His life, as the fire of God came down to consume Him into the realms of death.
Elijah’s sacrifice was completely consumed to produce change in a nation for the short term, for they fell into idolatry again. The Messiah’s sacrifice produces life upon life as we look to Him for our daily needs.
He is much more than what we could have expected.
He is the God who answers by fire.
May we bless Him and thank Him always for His never ending care for us!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
200
GOD THE FATHER
John 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.
For on Him God the Father has set His seal.
What is it that Jesus is trying to tell us in this brief statement, as He speaks of God as “God the Father”.
First off, He is not speaking of God His Father, though it be very true, but of God the Father, leaving the ownership of God’s Fatherhood to those who truly want it.
Next, note that we are in the middle of a passage that speaks of Jesus being the Bread of Life. Eventually the Messiah will experience large scale rejection by the crowds due to His teaching in this passage. In this passage, He is answering questions with teaching that cuts to the heart, and in the middle of this teaching, provides encouragement to those who “hang on” to His words.
One way He encourages those listening to remain with Him, is when He speaks of the sealing of His ministry by God the Father. Whether this sealing is understood by the many miracles Jesus provides or the voice from the heavens during His baptism, declaring Jesus to be “God’s beloved Son”, it is of key importance to note that God has provided the church verifiable evidence of the Messiah’s identity.
For the folks during this message, it may have been the miracles, or as I suggest, the baptism of the Messiah.
But Carl, that was for them. What about us?
We have such a more sure proof of sealing, to know that Jesus is the Christ, that He is the Messiah promised from of old, for He is the only One who has left His grave!
He is the Risen Messiah,
Remember Paul’s statement in Romans 1:4, where he describes Jesus as …declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ‘
God the Father is the One who not only sent but sealed our Messiah, giving us verifiable evidence for our faith to rest in. This is good news for the weary soul!
A final reminder.
Though God spoke of Jesus as “His Son”, Jesus spoke of God, in this instance, as God the Father. He did not speak of God as His Father, somehow implying God was His and His alone. God the Father is for all who seek Him and hang on during those times when things get tough, when times are hard and things are confusing, as it must have been for the disciples in this message.
Hang on, for God the Father has sealed His Son!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
199
GOD THE LORD
Joshua 22:22 “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today
A little context for this verse may be helpful.
Moses has passed, and Joshua is in charge, bringing the Israelites into the promised land. In an earlier decision between Moses and the Ruebenites, the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh, these tribes were able to claim the land to the east of the Jordan as thier portion of the promised land, but were to assist in the domination of the land for the other tribes. At the completion of the battles and the possession of the land of Canaan by the Israelites, Joshua allowed them to return to thier portion across the river.
This separation from the main nation by a geographical marker, such as a river, brought about a concern related to national and religious unity of this new country.
It also provided an opportunity to build an altar, a really big altar.
Joshua 22:10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
Right away, it appears this nation is splintering, breaking apart in the most fundamental way, for this altar would develop it’s own commitments, thinking, devotions and divisions.
Yes divisions, for the remaining tribes saw this and gathered together to make war against them.
Joshua 22:12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
Did I mentioned the breach of faith that the remining tribes considered this altar to represent? Yes this was a dangerous situation between brothers, bring to remembrance the days of Peor. Idolatry was rebuked harshly by the Lord in those days, and many had died!
AS we venture through this passage, we find this altar was not an altar of burnt offering or of sacrifice, but an altar of witness. Remember this river concern I mentioned earlier? The 2 1/2 tribes on the east of the river understood that the river separated them from the rest and they didn’t want this to occur. They sought a way to minimize the impact of the river, and with this desire to maintain unity, they built an altar of witness.
In the midst of this retelling of their times, the 2 1/2 tribes set up an altar and gave verbal ascent to the God they wanted to continue following. In this plea before their brothers, they called on the name of God the Lord twice, in order to maintain unity amongst their brothers, in spite of geographical distances and obstacles, seeking to reduce divisions amongst the next generation.
Should we not consider those across “the river” those who, along with us, claim the name of God the Lord? Geographical barriers or obstacles are not meant to provide an opportunity for division, but the chance to reinforce our unity in the Living God, that is God the Lord.
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.
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.
198
GOD OUR SAVIOR
1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
This verse needs context.
1 Timothy 2:1-4
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
When Paul refers to God our Savior in this passage, some teach that it is expressed in the midst of a discussion on public prayer. After all, Timothy is a leader in the church, and Paul seems to be directing him regarding the priority (first of all) of reaching out to God on behalf of those in civil leadership and high positions during a church service.
In my mind this is not a debatable issue, and as we come together to worship God our Savior, it is appropriate to pray for those who have governmental authority of their people.
Yet this instruction is for the general Christian populace also and not only to a Christian leader in a congregation. By that I mean, that believers may and should pray for their leaders even if they do not experience this exhortation in a formal setting in a church service.
But consider the larger context for a moment. Paul is speaking of God our Savior. It is assumed, and for good reason, the people Paul is thinking of when he speaks of “our” Savior is the Christians in the Body. God is their Savior.
No debate about that at all. He is the Savior of the saved.
But consider that the passage speaks of governmental authorities, of a peaceful life for the believer, and then Paul described God’s desire for all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. In the flow of the context this seems a bit unexpected, other than Paul wants to communicate something other than my assumption.
Ok, so God desires all to be saved. God desires all to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Could God our Savior be Paul’s way of describing our God who not only is the God of the saved at the time of writing, but that in some mysterious manner, in some future condition or situation, God would become God the Savior of all?
Oh for this to be the case. That all of creation would be reconciled to the Living God and to each other!
As I have mentioned in previous posts, this teaching of Universal Reconciliation has more Biblical support than I first considered. Of course I considered this teaching to be heresy previously, hopeful dreams of those not schooled in the Bible, so I never dug into the topic until the last few years of my study.
If some of my readers have an interest in some of the Bible passages considered in this vein of topic, Considering the Bible has a number of posts that my be referred to, specifically the series “Book Look – Jesus Undefeated”, a ten part series of posts, or “Book Look – Heavens Doors”, a thirteen part series of posts on this topic.
Nevertheless, barring all controversy, God is our Savior and for that we can be thankful. He did not “farm out the task” of saving our souls to any third party contractor or assign the task to some heavenly being, but HE himself took on the task.
He is God our Savior! May we be the people of God who reflect His desires!
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.
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.
197
GOD ON HIGH
Micah 6:6 “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Micah is asking the question of the Israelites? What does God want from us? How can we appease God to avoid His wrath?
Chapter 6 starts out with a complaint from the Lord, an indictment of the Lord, against His people, contending with Israel.
Micah 6:2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
The Israeli’s are a thankless people, and many scholars think this passage relates to Balak’s discussion with Balaam. You remember Balak, that king of Moab, as described in verse 5. It seems verse 6-7 is recorded by Micah as Balak’s introductory request to Balaam.
To think that Micah is using a heathen king’s question as a response to the Lord’s indictment against Israel is a bit surprising, but the topic of today’s verse is that he referred to God as God on High.
Get that?
The heathen king Balak referred to God as God on High. Now Micah is using this discussion, this question from a heathen God to instruct the people of God, a people who had forgotten God and were thankless to God.
Of course Balak’s request extended to and absurb logic, for he suggested the need for the sacrifice of human flesh to satisfy God on High. How utterly disgusting for those of us who have come to know of our God, and of His saving grace, His holy standards, and His ultimate sacrifice for each of our lives.
How could this God we know accept a disgusting sacrifice as child sacrifice, yet Balak, understanding God as an ultimate God, a God very lofty and on High, logically may require the ultimate, most costly sacrifice.
Logic can take a person to dangerous places!
This is not the God of the Bible, for our God does not require the death of any, for the Word declares He finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked. How much more does He seek safety for the innocent, and for those seeking His face. No – He seeks to save, to restore, to enrich and to guide.
The only death He has required is the death of His Son for the sake of His enemies. How can we understand such a God, a God who sacrifices for His subjects, dies for His creation, suffers for His people. And we forget Him in our actions and attitudes.
In conclusion, what “sacrifice” are we to give to the God on High? Balaam, as I understand, responded accordingly to Balak’s extreme, somewhat logical question in Micah 6:8.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
When the believer understands the God we worship is the God on High, the lofty, supreme God, and that His desire is that we humbly walk with Him, this truth is life changing.
Has it changed your life?
The God on High requires something from you. Consider.
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.
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.
196
GOD OF OUR FATHERS
Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
In our most recent posts, we have considered each of the previous names in the verse above on an individual basis, each time relating to one of the patriarchal fathers.
In our post this morning, we find Peter grouping the three names of God associated with the patriarchs of Israel, a common grouping together, and defining this group of names as the God of our Fathers.
This is Peter’s second sermon, and it is the result of the miracle of a healing cripple at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. The people saw him walking, the cripple man that is, and were filled with wonder and amazement.
Peter takes advantage of the situation and starts to teach. He speaks to “men of Israel”, as verse 12 tells us, and proceeds to speak of how they delivered Jesus to the government, denied Jesus in front of Pilate, (though Pilate he sought a way to release Him), and how they killed the Author of Life.
Acts 3:15 and you killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
They killed Him.
Peter pulls no punches. And to make things worse, (if that is possible), he speaks of how God, the God of their Fathers, regarded this One they killed. The God of their Fathers glorified his Servant Jesus.
They killed Him.
Of course, Peter is referring to the resurrection, for that act alone is the pinnacle of God’s opinion of who Jesus is. But before this declaration of God’s attitude of Jesus, the God of their Fathers spoke audibly to witnesses of His Servant. It is not as though the Men of Israel had not been given witness of God’s opinion of Jesus.
They killed Him.
Not only had God, the God of their Fathers provided verbal witness of His pleasure in Jesus, the many miracles He performed amongst the Men of Israel spoke of His union with the God of their Fathers.
They killed Him.
Jesus gave witness of His union with the God of their Fathers in His teaching, explaining over and over again of how He was One with God, the God of their Fathers, of how He was the chosen One, the Messiah, and of parables providing truths that gave ample witness of the truth of His Person.
They killed Him.
These Men of Israel surely had watched the city in an uproar during the triumphal entry, been part of the whipped up crowd calling for His death, witnessed the crucifixion and then heard rumors of an empty grave. Rumors that could easily have been verified, and that was spreading through the city like wildfire.
These Men of Israel had Fathers who knew this God, patriarchs that knew of the God they spoke of, of the God who was being worshipped even now by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but these Men of Israel did not know God.
They killed Him.
But the God of their Fathers would not give up, and provided opportunity for these Men of Israel to know the God of their Fathers, the God who is the God of the Living and not of the dead. Peter was reminding them that He is the God of resurrection, for when the reference to God as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is used, it is always associated with resurrection.
Jesus was raised from the dead and was seen by many. His resurrection is the proof of His Messiahship, proof of His saving power, and proof that He is the God of their Fathers.
God provided this witness of the Servant of God, the God of their Fathers, raised up from death, to the Men of Israel who killed Him.
Acts 3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
The Men of Israel could know the God of their Fathers. Even though they took part in such a heinous crime, the God of their Fathers was providing them an opportunity to know the God of their Fathers.
To those reading, who come from a family where faith was evident, from parents or grandparents that walked with the Living God, it is incumbent in your own life to know the God who raised up Jesus.
To depend on being related to those who came before you, who knew the Living God themselves, can turn out to be very very dangerous!
Each person on their own has to face God for the sins they have committed and for the sinful stance they take against God. The faith of other people is of no help.
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
Jesus is the One, the God of their Fathers, the God of our Fathers, the forgiving God, who forgave those who killed Him, who is reaching out even now to you.
Do not depend on other peoples faith. He needs to the the God of our hearts and lives today.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
195
GOD OF JACOB
2 Samuel 23:1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
David is on his last legs. He is about to take his last breath. At the end of life, it is well known that as a man looks back on his life, he doesn’t waste words or speak of frivolities, of nonsense and of things of no importance.
David describes himself in four ways.
The son of Jesse The man raised on high The anointed of the God of Jacob The sweet psalmist of Israel.
It is the third description that catches me this morning. To associate his anointing with the God of Jacob.
Jacob, the liar and cheat. A man willing to sacrifice family to get ahead. A man who would stop at nothing to take what didn’t belong to him, that would break relationship with his older brother, tearing him away from his parents. He had his eye on the goal and let nothing stop him.
Morally reprehensible.
Jacob, a man who was self willed, never backing down, even as he wrestled with God. In some ways, he was the perfect antithesis of the True Follower of God, The Son of God, by living by the “Not your will but mine” life!
And yet David associates God with Jacob. Granted, this is not the first time God is associated with such a terrible man, but for David, who is the great king of Israel, a prophet of God, and such a clear type of Christ, to refer to himself as the anointed of the God of Jacob, surely implies David’s own sense of wickedness in his own heart.
David identifies with the God of Jacob, the God who accepts “less than perfect” men. As I have read the Word for the last 40 some odd years, I have regarded the general story of David, and of his “Bathsheba” incident as the great sin, the affront against God that David entered into.
Yet as we are going through the life of David in our Wednesday series, we are currently considering David’s backsliding years before the Bathsheba event.
It is simply a terrible condition that David entered into. To be committed to the “arch enemy” of Israel, even willing to go into battle with the Philistines against his own people, just seems so wrong.
Beyond being disloyal to his people, he became a cut throat rebel, killing and stealing, turning into a vicious mercenary, killing every living soul in towns he raided. (See Life of David – 21.03 for more information).
Yes David could relate to Jacob. David was a fallen man, that actually pursued his fallen nature, even to depths that Jacob may have shied away from.
David clung to the God of Jacob, as well we must, for He is a God who redeems the “less than perfect”, who bends down to pick up, who reaches out to help.
Be thankful, my friend, for God has rescued Jacob, and God has rescued David.
And God can rescue us, as we also admit our poverty, our “less than perfect” status before a holy and righteous God!
Less than perfect? Such an understatement!
But the God of Jacob is the God we worship!
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.
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.
194
GOD OF ISAAC
Exodus 3:6 ESV – And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
In our last post we considered the name “God of Abraham”, and how Isaac was encouraged as a man of peace by the Lord.
Centuries later. a young man who would become the lawgiver of Israel was addressed in the wilderness by God. Moses was simply out tending his sheep, when a strange sight caught his attention.
As Moses decided to turn aside to see this great sight, the Lord took notice of his interest, for verse 4 speaks of the Lord seeing Moses turning to the burning bush.
Exodus 3:4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Moses decided to turn to see this sight, and that decision triggered a series of events that has changed the world, created nations, produced a renown leader, and furthered the plan of God for the salvation of the world.
After Moses turned to the bush, the Lord identified Himself as the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”. Moses knew this was the God of the fathers, and hid his face. Eventually Moses became a man who could talk to God face to face.
Exodus 33:11 …the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
For now, in this passage, Moses hid his face.
Nowhere in the Word is the God of Isaac referred to without his father and son being included. For God to be referred to as the God of Isaac, we always find Abraham and Jacob included.
As we consider our next name, related to Jacob alone (the God of Jacob), it becomes almost a standard name to refer to when discussing Israel’s existence and standing, but with Isaac, his association in the names of God is always with his father and son. He is a part, or portion of the description of who God is.
His name is added to the description of God to show continuity, to provide to Moses that God is the God of the patriarchs, and of the promises provided to these men as they learned and walked with God.
Moses needed to be reminded that this sight he saw, this voice he heard, was not some trick of the mind or new message, but was related to the same God that spoke to the patriarchs. Not one of the patriarchs, but all three.
This surely provided Moses the background and history of God’s relationship with the patriarchs, giving Moses information on who God is, what God is like, and the future of the people of God. Little did he know that the future of the people of God would become his driving motivation for the last 40 years of his life.
Moses was called into service as God identified himself thus, and many centuries later, another great teacher brought this name to the attention of His hearers.
Jesus spoke of “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” as He rebuked the Sadducees about their denial of the resurrection. After the Sadducees provide a question that supposedly supported their position of no resurrection, Jesus laid them flat. He spoke of resurrection as a fact and corrected these “teachers of Israel” in front of the entire audience.
Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
For Jesus to pull out the truth of the resurrection from the use of the present tense first person singular of “be” is amazing.
For Moses to hear the name of God we are looking at not only identified God as the historical God associated with the patriarchs, but since the patriarchs are now long in the grave, and God speaks of being (not was) the God of these men, speaks of these men as being alive also!
Thought they are in the grave, God is their God, centuries after their death, even as Moses heard the message, and even much later as Jesus addresses the Sadducee’s heresy.
An amazing truth pulled from the name we are considering this morning.
When we think on the name of the God of Isaac, we can be reminded of the historicity of our God, that is, that He made a historical continuous contact with multiple men in the past, and that this relationship with these men continues even to this day, for it also speaks of the resurrection!
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.
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.
193
GOD OF ABRAHAM
Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
For the next few posts, we will be seeing our God as the God of specific people. Abraham and his offspring have the honor of being associated with the Almighty God in His naming, and it may be beneficial for a moment to consider the reason each of these names were used.
For our name this morning, we have God speaking to Isaac, peaceful Isaac after he had given up another well to his neighbors.
A little history may help.
Upon Abrahams death, Isaac ventured on his own in the land of Abimilech, and after a period of time, sowed on the land, and reaped 100 fold.
What a return on investment!
But jealousy got hold of Abimilech, and Isaac was pushed him off the land.
He then settled in the valley of Gerar. His servants unplugged the wells his father Abraham had dug, while his sojourn through the area. Not only did Isaac unplug old wells, he and his servants dug new wells, finding plenty of water.
Again, his success brought out the worst in those around him. The inhabitants of the valley of Gerar, herdsmen by trade, quarreled with him, speaking of the water as it belonged to them. Twice. Isaacs men dug two new wells, and the neighbors demanded the use of both of them.
Just before Isaac recieved this message from God, he claimed that by leaving the wells behind, and digging a third well, it was God’s way of making room for them in the land.
Now let’s get this straight. He gave up his fathers wells, he gave up the two new wells his servants had dug, and now he is saying God has made room for them.
What an attitude!
At first, I am thinking what a wimp, what a weak kneed fellow to not stand up for his possessions. But he is looking for peace, and in the effort to get peace, he is willing to give “things” up.
And then I “stumbled” on this passage in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 6:5-8 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud–even your own brothers!
Strict parrallels might not be evident, for some may think, as I do, that Paul is speaking of quarrels in the church, and Isaac is looking for peace amongst those without faith.
Yet the desire for peace, as Paul speaks of, should be of greater priority than things.
Again, I stumbled onto a New Testament teaching that speaks somewhat in similar manner.
Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Isaac wasn’t weak kneed or lilly livered, but strong in the desire to live at peace with everybody.
Isaac sought to live peaceably with all. This may cost him some inner peace, for it opens him up to abuse, possibly that the neighbors may think of him as an easy target, a soft touch.
The Lord, I think, addresses this very concern when He comes to Isaac.
“I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
No rebuke, but only an encouragement, a statement that God is with him for Abraham’s sake, and that his life will be blessed. Isaac is going to have many offspring.
And Isaac has met the God of Abraham, even as he lives the believers life of self sacrifice for the sake of others. God will bless that life, and multiply that life, even as that type of life provides for some to take advantage. But God tells Isaac not to fear.
Thought there seems to be reason for fear from those around, God is with him. Isaac sought to be peaceful, and in that effort found his father’s God.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
192
GOD OF PEACE
Romans 15:33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In our last post on this name, I left for my readers an opportunity to suggest the reason Paul used this name of God when speaking of CRUSHING Satan
Why didn’t Paul speak of God as the God of Warfare, or the God of Battles, or the God of Domination, when he speaks of God soon crushing Satan?
Crushing in the New Testament is a word used 7 times, and is related to complete crushing, breaking, treading down, being broken in pieces, to be conquered and trampled on. This term is not associated with peace.
Given that concept of crushing, I still have the image of blood and guts, broken bones, humiliation of the enemy, domination and defeat. I may be providing differing images in that last list that may not be intended in Paul’s mind.
Defeat of Satan. Yes that seems obvious.
Conquering of Satan. Yes that seems obvious.
Humiliation of Satan. Yes, but through the wisdom of God, and not by exercising a competitive spirit that usually fuels a humiliation of an enemy.
Ok – Now we may be starting to see that the means of crushing may be my point of confusion. When I think of crushing, I think violence, force, physical warfare.
When Jesus finally conquers a man, it is not by threat, or by impending judgement, by through logical dominance – all of which may play a part in some conversions – but the hinge upon which every true conversion swings is the love of God, the self sacrificial life and death of the suffering Servant.
His methods of conquering include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is the nature of His person, the very Spirit we have been granted.
To consider the crushing of Satan to include violence and domination as I think of it in this world, twists the very character of our Savior. Am I saying Jesus loves Satan and that Satan will be conquered by the love of God? That is a hill far away, and though the love of God may extend there, I certainly cannot claim I know of it.
That is not for me to know. One truth is for me to know.
It is the means of God to conform to His very nature and to provide victory as the King of all, is that through peace, through love, through joy.
Jesus is the God of peace. In the working out His will, the way of peace will be the means and goal, even in the defeat of Satan.
May we also be conquered daily by the God of Peace.
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.
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.
192
GOD OF PEACE
Romans 15:33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
We have been in Romans 15 for the last 3 names of God, and though the chapters are man made, the 15th chapter has one more jewel of a name for us to consider.
Granted, it appears that Paul’s final appeal to the God of peace for these Romans shows up in the last verse of chapter 15, he returns to this name again in Romans 16. This is where I would like to settle for this post.
So let’s consider that out of all the names Paul had opportunity to use in this context, he choose the “God of Peace”.
A name that brings to mind gentle flowing waters, scenes of quietness, contentment and harmony, a state of security and safety where there are no threats, no quarrels or disturbances. Peace, in the Hebrew mind, included the concept of wholeness, wellness balance and health.
We know of this term for even today as we hear some speaking of “Shalom”.
So let me ask my readers a silly question.
Why didn’t Paul speak of God in this context as the God of Warfare, or the God of Battles, or the God of Domination, when he speaks of God soon crushing Satan?
That just seems a bit odd in my mind.
So my mind needs to be taught! That is the proper result of finding an apparent confusion in the Word. I am to conform my thinking to the message provided.
My thinking is to be continually challenged by the Word and dang it all, I think we found something here to do just that!
Now, before I provide a possible solution to this conundrum, (and to provide me a bit of time to think, meditate and ask God for help), I am going to open this post to my readers to comment, to provide a suggested solution, or to supply direction for my thinking.
I shall return to this topic shortly. Hope to hear from you!
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.
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.
191
GOD OF HOPE
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Hope is mentioned twice in this verse. Once in referring to God as the God of Hope and then of the experience of abounding in hope.
Surely the connection is obvious. But wait. Hope doesn’t come directly from God, at least according to Paul in this verse.
Paul does not write to the believers in this verse…
May the God of hope provide abounding hope to you believers.
A little background may be helpful, at least for me to develop what I think is going on here.
The church at Rome was a multicultural church, a church of Gentiles and Jews, and though the book of Romans is one of the richest theological letters ever written, the purpose seems to include addressing the division between these two groups.
A high level review of the last half of the book for my reader.
in chapters 9-11, Paul discusses the Jewish question, entering chapter 12 with an appeal to self sacrifice in the Christian life (12:1-2) speaks of humility (12:3) then unity in the body (12:4-5), opportunities to serve others in the church (12:6-8), and then continues with various exhortations on how to live with others, in the church and outside of the church.
Standard fare is it not? But let us see if there is a continuing thread of thought.
Although he provides a portion of chapter 13 on the believers responsibility to worldly government, he just can’t help but return the the believers obligation to love others (13:8-10), and the calling to walk in the light (13:11-14)
Chapter 14 continues the thought of walking in the light under the topic of receiving a weaker brother. This chapter speaks of dietary laws, and the foolishness of judging our brother. A whole chapter on the topic of relating to a brother of different opinions.
A whole chapter my friends!
This letter was written to confront a division that seemed to be growing within the church at Rome, a division between the Jewish and the Gentile believer.
Chapter 15 begins with the call to care for those who are weak, and that we are not to please ourselves. We are to edify our brother, which is just a classy term for saying we are to build up our brother in the faith.
Now why would Paul feel it is important to spend so much time on relationships between believers, between believers of different opinions, if it were not for the fact that things were getting stressed in the church. Things in the church might have been unravelling!
Enter verse 13, and the God of hope.
As mentioned earlier, I don’t see Paul offering these believers an abundance of hope merely because God is the God of hope. There is a process, a “system” if you will.
Paul’s looks to the God of hope to fill them with joy and peace in believing. What two elements are sorely absent in a church that is split? A church that is in tension, a church that has “groups”, a church that contains friction, judgement and attitudes of superiority surely does not enjoy joy and peace.
A long time ago, in a world far away (yes I am referring to Canada), a brother once coined the phrase “the divine human cooperative”, and it shocked me. He explained that through obedience to (or believing in) the commands and will of God, God can perform great things in and by the believer. If the believer decides not to cooperate, so be it.
For many of my readers, this is not a radical idea, for it permeates the Word, but for a young believer with even more wrong ideas about God than he currently has, it was eye opening!
For hope to abound in these believers, peace and joy had to be evident in these believers lives. They were to be filled with joy and peace, through the obedience to love, not judge. Love that is realized by receiving the brother that is of a different opinion. Love that determines not to please ourselves but to build up our brother and sister, instead of tearing them down.
Given the expectations of Paul, and the opportunity of the believers to come together, joy and peace was a very real potential experience for these believers.
If the potential was realized, if each believer loved their brother and sister, and by doing so experienced the joy and peace of God in their congregation and personal lives, hope would grow. Expectation would increase. An anticipation of God working in others would increase, and the atmosphere would be permeated with a positive confidence of God’s presence with them. These brothers and sisters would eventually abound in hope, having given the Holy Spirit the freedom to provide hope.
Church division, or in other words, holding onto a personal offense is such a killer of joy, peace and hope.
If you have a brother or sister that you would not give something up so they may be built up, consider your ways. The seeds of division comes in many colors and shapes. We are called to a higher calling, a calling of forgiveness and love towards others and not of judgement, of an attitude of tearing down or of a life of pride.
Consider.
Jesus is the God of Hope, and His mighty prayer of unity is certainly worth remembering as we walk our day out today.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
190
GOD OF ENDURANCE
Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus
In the fifteenth chapter of Romans, Paul refers to God in four different ways.
God of Encouragement 15:5 God of Endurance 15:5 God of Hope 15:13 God of Peace 15:33
We have previously considered God as the God of Encouragement, and for this post we will consider God as the God of Endurance.
Now before we look specifically at this particular name, I think it wise to simply consider the combination of these two monikers of God being linked together. This very specific thought is one reason I looked at encouragement first, for endurance of the believer is very much dependent on the encouragement received.
Well, maybe.
Consider the believer who receives little to no encouragement, the believer who finds no one amongst his peers and family that share in his faith. This may be a very real world experience for some in countries that persecute the faith, or that are saturated with a faith that is not in the true God.
Encouragement may be lacking from the outside, that is from those amongst us, yet as we see in this passage, Paul is not depending solely on an outside influence of our brother’s and sister’s in the faith in this particular passage.
Please do not get me wrong. We, as believers in our Father, are to encourage our brothers in the Lord in every godly way, in their efforts to serve the Master and His people.
But again, this is not Paul’s specific topic in this verse.
His focus is that the believers may receive strength and perseverance to live in harmony with others. Harmony ios the goal in Paul’s mind, and he appeals to the God of encouragement (a strength giving God) and the God of endurance (a persevering God) to lead the saints accordingly.
Encouragement and endurance are characteristics of our God and are provisions of our God to the believer for the sake of creating a harmonious environment for the family of God. Encouragement and endurance for our own lives are not the end goal of this prayer to God, but that the result is that of harmony amongst the saints.
Now I have already hinted at the nature of endurance, that it is the ability to persevere, to be faithful, to be steadfast. To remain in the truth when the rubber hits the road, when things go wrong, when troubles come along, when disappointments and discouragements hit over and over again.
To be provided endurance from the God of Endurance is to imply we have an uphill slug, a fight ahead, disappointments and discouragements. In the very context of Paul’s passage, this may relate to interpersonal affairs within the body, but it certainly is not limited to that in our every day existence.
To remain in the context is challenge enough, for there are many times when relationships with the body are strained, when circumstances arise in the fellowship that are difficult, uncomfortable and strained. It is for each believer to find encouragement and endurance from the Lord, for the purpose of finding peace in the body amongst the saints, for the purpose of maintaining harmony within the family of the saints.
We certainly need the God of Endurance, to provide us all a steadfastness in ministering to the body an appearance of harmony amongst us all.
No – the challenge is even greater than simply creating an appearance, for the God of Endurance is also the God of Truth, not simply a god of appearance, and He is seeking and has provided the ability for the church to experience true harmony amongst themselves in the Person of Jesus Christ.
As mentioned earlier, we certainly need the God of Encouragement and Endurance to lead us on in working toward a true harmony with our brothers. As believers, we have been granted this challenge. Let us take it up, and seek to be a people who are peacemakers, builders of a harmonious environment, a place that lifts up the Lord Jesus.
For He is the God of Endurance. He endured for us on the bloody cross. He endured to the very end.
Hebrews 12:2, 3 looking to Jesus … who endured the cross, … Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
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.
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.
189
GOD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus
The apostle Paul is wrapping up his greatest treatise on the gospel, a letter written in a jail cell to saints he has never seen, having provided glimmers of truth expressed in letters to other churches, but in this letter, he holds nothing back.
He expresses the truth of the gospel clearly, directly, boldly and without any hesitation. He voices the most difficult arguments the enemies of the gospel provide, and then openly proceeds to demolish them with Scripture, logic and reasoning.
He takes us through character studies, such as Abraham and David, speaking of foreshadowing’s of the gospel, of truths that lead one to see the root of the Old Testament to flower into the beauty of the New Testament.
Now, as he proceeds to close this letter, he describes God in four ways. God is the..
God of Encouragement 15:5 God of Endurance 15:5 God of Hope 15:13 God of Peace 15:33
Our name of God to consider today is God is the God of Encouragement.
To be encouraged is to be strengthened, comforted, motivated and even exhorted. The Greek term is παράκλησις paráklēsis, and it literally means a “calling to one’s side”
Para = beside Kaleo = to call
To be encouraged is to be given strength. It is a spiritual transfer of strength, mainly through some form of communication from one who has went through a similar experience. The transfer of strength is not a zero sum condition, meaning that the strength received is equal to the strength given.
Let me put that another way.
If I am encouraged by my son in some area of my life, he doesn’t walk away discouraged in similar measure. Typically to encourage someone actually provides a similar effect on the giver. It is a win win situation!
It may be applied in times of grief, when life is difficult and loss may be the only experience we are walking in. God is the God of Encouragement. This very name speaks of the reality of grief and loss in the believers life, and that due to this experience, we can know of God’s encouragement
It may be applied in times of weakness, when we have given all we have, or we are experiencing a time of hopelessness, when there is no obvious upside in our thinking, when all feels dark and without meaning. God is the God of Encouragement. Again this name of God infers the Christians very real experience of weakness, hopelessness and loss of meaning.
At times when we go through valleys, whether mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually, we can run to the Father, knowing that He is One that is a strengthener, an encourager, an advocate for the believer.
This strength is provided for a specific purpose, as the verse above states. Encouragement from God is intended to provide the strength to live in harmony with one another in the church, in the manner Christ Jesus would desire, in unity and peace with one another.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus
Please do not think this verse relates only in our relations to those in the church, that is, that God only provides encouragement in order to have harmony in the church. No, I am convinced God can provide encouragement to His people every minute of the day as they seek His Son and look to follow Him.
For you see, God Himself is our Helper, our parakletos (a derivative noun of our word we are considering), even as we walk on this earth. He is the One who is called to our side, to aid us in following Him.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
We surely do not deserve such a loving, helpful, strengthening encouraging God as we have in Jesus.
May His name be lifted up as we look to Him, and as we look to Him, may we find that His encouragement makes each of us people of encouragement.
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.
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.
188
GOD OF BETHEL
Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’”
God knows our weaknesses, better than we ourselves.
In Genesis 31, we find Jacob on the run after scamming Laban.
At least that is how it appears to Laban, after he looses much of his flock to Jacob though a payment scheme Jacob devised. It turns out that Jacob, after making the deal with his father in law, made out like a bandit!
Any sheep that were born striped, spotted or mottled would become Jacobs. Surely the hand of God enabled the birthing marks of the flock to favor Jacob over Laban.
Now that he has his flocks, Jacob looks for the next phase in his life, having served Laban for 20 years. Fourteen years for his wife Rachel, gaining another wife through that period, and then serving another 6 years for the flocks. He is set to move on and the Lord, after having given him direction on the goats, directs him to return to Bethel.
So why refer to Bethel? What is so special about Bethel, and why is God relating to this place called Bethel?
Let’s go back to Genesis 28:18-22 for a moment.
Genesis 28 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Bethel is the place where Jacob first met God, the location where he spoke – “the Lord is in this place and I did not know it”.
It was during this encounter with the Living God that Jacob was promised the land, offspring like the dust of the earth, and God’s promise of being with him.
When God speaks of being the God of Bethel, there is only one God that Jacob could think of. The God who made promises and spoke of His commitment to Jacob.
Speaking of commitment, Jacob made a promise to God at Bethel also . Yes yes yes, something of a promise, but mostly a conditional commitment, for he spoke of his following God if God would give him food, provide clothing, supply passage back to Isaac… Then the Lord would be his God.
No matter how I view Jacob, he is always coming off as the negotiator, the one seeking the best of a deal, looking for an advantage. Though this tendency was engrained in his personality, even when faced with God, nothing changed.
He worked a deal with God.
God is reminding him in this passage. God is reminding Jacob of his initial meeting with God, of the first time Jacob experienced God, of the start of his walk with God.
God had kept His part of the bargain. Wives, children, wealth, safety. God had provided all.
Was the Lord his God? Would Jacob follow through? Did Jacob remember that night God came down, made promises, heard Jacob’s response?
It is good to remember our initial point of contact with the Eternal God. February 19, 1981, at 7:30 in the evening, in a house in Bracebridge Ontario. The single most eventful night of my life. (Testimony) My Judge had become my Savior!
Can you remember meeting God the first time? Take some time today to remember.
If you haven’t met Him, you are surely missing out. He is a wonderful Savior that keeps His Word, guides the wanderer, comforts the brokenhearted and provides for His people. Give up you sin, admit your rebellion to Him and ask for forgiveness.
To know Him will change your life!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
187
GOD OF THE SPIRITS OF THE PROPHETS
Revelation 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
I was writing a proposal for a small engineering task this morning and as I was writing, I began to insert multiple nouns into the sentence, connecting them with words such as “associated” or “with” or “of the”.
I find I am very susceptible to typing long winded sentences describing various conditions or situations, defining requirements of a project that is associated with the location of the site relating the parameters of the scope to the expectations of my client.
Did you understand my gobbledygook? Did I ramble on and on about something that made no sense? Did I thoroughly confuse you, leaving behind my poor reader with no clear message, and a blurry feeling of “What was that?”
We can be thankful that the Word is not susceptible to this weakness, that the words used by God in communicating to us a truth can be understood with a little patience, a little diligence and little effort.
For me, this passage presents a small challenge. I got more than one noun in this passage. How do they relate to one another?
Shall I understand this phrase to mean “God of the spirits (which are the spirits) of the prophets”, or God of the prophets, each prophet having the Holy Spirit?
You see how I struggle with communicating a simple truth?
Let me see if I can clear up my self inflicted confusion by comparing two phrases within this passage.
God of the Spirits
Two verses in the Old Testament use this English equivalent.
Numbers 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
This verse is describing Moses and Aarons plea to God for reasonableness in judgement, that the whole nation not be consumed due to Korah’s rebellion.
Numbers 27:16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation
This second verse speaks of the appointing of Joshua over the congregation of Israel, after the passing of Moses.
What may we understand from the two uses of this phrase in the Old Testament? Is there a common situation that we might gain in these two verses?
One truth is that Moses is the only one who referred to God in this manner, that the phrase is connected to “all flesh”, and most interesting to myself is that both are related to the separation of a man or group from the congregation. Granted, one is for destruction, and one is related to consecration of service. Nevertheless, when this phrase is used, it is in the context of separation
Spirits of the Prophets
Two verses in the New Testament use this English equivalent. One is the passage we are in now, and the second is
1 Corinthians 14:32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
Paul is addressing a church that is out of control on the “gift of the Spirit”, seeking the flamboyant and ignoring the humble gifts, such as service and giving.
How like our own lives!
Paul’s message to the church is that the spirits of the prophets are controlled (subject to) the prophets.
Consider a typical church service, where a number of prophets may be in attendance, and one stands to give a message. This message is judged by the prophets. Note that the word “prophets” denotes more than one, implying the other prophets judge the the message, determine it’s validity, and join in declaring the truth to the congregation, or declare it to be false.
Now, after I have initially claimed I was seeking to simplify this study, I find I have travelled two rabbit trails, so let me try to being this home.
God is the God of the spirits, a God who separates, a God who classifies groups from other groups, a God who creates structure or order by separating one group or situation from another. We see this in our own lives, as we are all somewhat different in our talents, our ministries, our abilities and even in our weaknesses. God is a God of order and structure.
God is also the God of the prophets, those whom He allows to seek Him, to pursue after Him. Prophets seeking truth by being together, by declaring a message to others, and by submitting to the judgement of the spirits of the (other) prophets.
He separates and He gathers.
God is a God of the spirits of the prophets, and in the Book of Revelation, we find He separates those who do not seek Him from those who do seek Him, and gathers together both in their respective groups, or destinies.
I have to admit to my readers that I have never felt so inadequate in explaining my thoughts, and I pray that this short study might even irritate you to dig deeper into this name of God.
He is truly a wonderful God seeking to fulfill His purpose in those who seek Him with a humble heart.
Even with an ol’ fool who struggles to explain a simple concept!
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.
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.
186
God of Shem
Genesis 9:26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.
I will be honest with you. When I first saw this verse, the three stooges popped in my head, and I had a picture in my mind of Shep.
Let me tell you first off, that that this mental picture is not helpful, and it is absolutely not true. Well, let me take that back, for it may be true that God is the God of Shep if he had trusted in Christ during his life, and generally, that God is the God of all, (and therefore the God of Shep). but I am going down a rabbit trail.
Let me get back on topic. Who is Shem?
Shem is the first son of Noah, brother to Japheth and Ham, and the father of the line of the Shemites, or as we say it today, the Semites. Yes, he is the father to Abraham, who produced the people of Israel, along with the the Arab nations.
Shem was the eldest of the brothers, and showed respect to his father, (along with his brother Japheth), when Noah fell drunk and lay naked in his tent.
Shem, along with his brothers were associated with Noah in the building of the ark, a massive endeavor to complete. Nowhere does the Word speak of these sons receiving direction or any message from God directly, and this speaks of the honor these men showed to their prophet father Noah.
When we consider Noah’s drunken incident, it occurs to me that Shem is revealing his true colors, his actual faith in God by honoring God’s prophet. He had been faithful prior to the flood in construction efforts and the shame associated with that He had been faithful during the flood, since he was carried through the flood in the ark!
This final act of reverence to the prophet Noah, who has “exposed his nakedness” in some manner, describes the ongoing character of Shem as a righteous man, a protector of his father’s reputation.
Shem is mentioned only a few times in the Old Testament, but from those few times we can deduce that he was a man who worked for his father, who accepted shame for his father, who endured hardness for his father and protected the name of his father.
As Noah spoke these words over his son Shem, the actions of Shem in his past provided Noah a basis of character for this prophecy. Was it clear to Noah that Shem would carry the lineage of Jesus? Maybe. It surely is clear for us, for the chronicler listed a lineage of Shem to include Abraham.
1 Chronicles 1:24 -27 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu Serug, Nahor, Terah Abram, that is, Abraham.
Shem’s character showed who he trusted, and Noah declared that God was the God of Shem.
May we hear the Father speak the same of 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.
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.
185
GOD OF MY SALVATION
Psalm 18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation
We spoke of the God of Salvation in an earlier post, recounting the nature of the God we worship. This passage speaks of the personal ownership of such a God.
I understand David wrote this psalm in his old age. He wrote this passage after having been rejected by king Saul, hunted by king Saul, ran out of his country by king Saul, rejected by the nation and having only a small portion of Israelites trust him. He had to hide in caves, run at night, have cities that he rescued turn on him. Those he protected rejected him, and those of his family he lost. Wives were taken from him, his best friend was torn from him, and all the comforts and recognition he once enjoyed, was ripped from him, replaced with suspicion, deception and slander.
By the time Saul passed, David had been through the wringer. His testing had proven to be severe, and by the grace and mercy of God, he came out alive, rising to the throne of Judah. Yet his struggles were far from over. Seven and a half years of war with his own people to establish one nation, having to struggle against Saul’s son Is-bosheth and Abner.
Once on the throne of Israel, he experienced a period of personal quietness, while the nation took to warring against their enemies, and eventually becoming the dominant power in the region. If David led the battle, the nation won. God was doing amazing work through a man that had been crushed, chased, hunted, ridiculed, slandered and threatened.
Once he found comfort, he stumbled. This stumble brought great pain and severe consequences to his life, family, and the nation. He lost multiple children to the sin with Bathsheba in the immediate and long term, his daughter was raped by a son who found license by example, and the kingdom of Israel was torn apart, leaving David in his old age, teetering between the grave and the throne. Rejection by the nation he led though the treachery of his own son, and betrayal by his best friend pained David. Even on his death bed, forces were acting in the kingdom, in his very own family, to take his legacy away.
A short history of David is offered here to remind us that the God of Salvation can be the God of My Salvation, and that to experience the God of Salvation requires difficulties, struggles, pain and disappointment. It is in the battles and wars we fight through with the God of Salvation, that allows us to experience the God of My Salvation.
As we walk with Him and taught by Him, we need to keep our eyes on Him as He leads us. He can be the God of My Salvation as we wait on Him each day.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
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.
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.
184
GOD OF SALVATION
Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
I once heard a preacher challenge the saints to a thought experiment.
Consider God differently than the Bible teaches.
Hold on a moment. Consider if God was not as the Word teaches. We know He is not for the Scriptures are abundant in the claims of the love, patience, mercy, humility and saving nature of God. We can be thankful for such a God who is for us and not against us!
Yet consider the thought experiment.
What if God’s nature, His personality were grounded and based in hatred, of despising all that were not perfect, providing no hope to those who sought Him.
What if His character allowed, or even championed the trait of deception. No trust could be developed, suspicion would constantly fester and grow within all of creation.
This is painful to consider!
What if God’s character demanded not only perfect obedience to all His demands, but also allowed no delay in that perfect obedience. Instant compliance.
What if God was proud, arrogant and haughty? No encouragement of approaching Him for assistance! No possibility that He might bend down to us, but our only expectation was that He exhibit scorn and contempt towards those below Him.
Can you imagine?
But alas, some want to think of Him in this way. Those who know not the Suffering Savior want to consider Him as the worst possible God.
In fact, as believers, we also tend to sometimes imagine Him this way in our lives, forgetting the message of the Word, the beauty of the God we serve, the mercy He shows, the patience of His love, His willingness to bend down to us in our condition of weakness.
God is a God of love, not hate, a God of truth, not lies, a God of patience, not of agitation, a God of meekness and lowliness, not of scorn and contempt.
We have a God, who by His very nature is a God of Salvation, who can not help but by His very own nature seek to save. Deliverance from death is His game plan, His goal and we are simply the recipients of such a God’s desire.
It is out of this nature of love, truth, patience and lowliness that we find He is the God of Salvation.
He is the God of Salvation, bringing salvation to us through the death of His own Son, proving Him to be the loving, truthful, patient and lowly God we don’t really understand or can fully comprehend.
He is the God of Salvation, and His very name speaks of salvation, for His name is Jesus!
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.
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 Peace
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have just considered the name “God of Love” in 2 Corinthians 13:11, in which Paul added this very description near the end of the verse.
2 Corinthians 13:11 …and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Paul brought this name to bear in the Corinthian passage speaking of the potential of the God of love and peace being with the Corinthians, if they mend their ways.
For the Thessalonians, this name of God is focused solely on peace, and Paul is praying that the God of Peace sanctify these believers completely. There were some issues that the apostle brings before the saints that needed some work.
There appears to be ethical standards, specifically sexual norms, and work ethics that needed addressing. This is common for religious groups that think the end of the world in upon them. Some in the church were definitely preaching His coming, even that he had come. The Second Coming will be addressed in chapter 4, along with Paul’s admonitions to sexual purity and personal responsibility.
One additional item of concern was the attitude of the Thessalonians towards their spiritual leadership. There may have been confusion as to who the leadership was that the believers were to listen to. There were others speaking alternate viewpoints that caused some confusion.
Paul calls on the God of Peace to sanctify these folks. To sanctify means to set apart.
Whenever I hear that term, I recall a message I heard over 40 yrs ago by a dear brother who became a missionary in Bangladesh. He told the story of his brother with an ice cream cone, and that he wanted a bite. The brother decided the best way to avoid any loss of ice cream to his bothersome brother was to lick the entire cone, ice cream and all. He sanctified that cone, and was not bothered again for a bite.
He did not lick a portion of it, allowing a portion still available for my preacher friend. He licked it all. He effectively owned that ice cream cone, and no one else. That cone was set apart for the brother, and no one else.
Although crass, in a very weird way, this analogy strikes a chord in me. Obviously that is true since it has been over 40 years, but it also makes a great point.
God wants us all, and Paul is asking God to accomplish this! Are you not thankful that Paul did not describe God as an all-consuming God? (Especially when thinking of this analogy!)
The God who wants to sanctify us, who wants to set us apart from the world, our sin and our pain is a God of Peace.
Jesus is the God of Peace and He brings peace into our lives, taking the confusion and stress away as we seek His ways.
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 