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.

HIM WHO IS TO BE FEARED

Psalm 76:11 Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,

There are many Hebrew words in the Old Testament that translate to fear in the English Bible. As a matter of fact, there are 25 Hebrew words interspersed throughout the Old Testament that are translated as fear.

So when we try to understand an Old Testament authors use of the general term of fear, we have a range of understandings that may apply.

Everything from an understanding of awe and dismayal, through to trembling and horror.

For our name this morning, “Him who is to be feared”, we find the Hebrew word מוֹרָא môwrâʼ. This word typically speaks of a dread, terror or a terribleness.

Just a couple verses earlier, the Psalmist uses a different word for fear.

Psalm 76:7 But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?

This term is the Hebrew word יָרֵא yârêʼ. It also speaks of a dread, but tends to communicate an awe inspiring act that brings fear.

Why the word study Carl?

Well my friend, I think the Psalmist is making a point that our God is to be feared. The background to this psalm is generally associated with the great deliverance of the City of Jerusalem from the Assyrian attack, where the Angel of the Lord swept through the Assyrian forces one night and killed 185,000 soldiers.

That is awe inspiring. It is also fear inducing! There is a power, better described as the All Powerful God that can wipe out close to 200,000 soldiers during the night. Consider that for a moment.

If those in the City of Jerusalem were not in a right relationship with this power, this All Powerful God, what makes them think they are safe? Yes, they are in covenant with God, but would you not agree that the Assyrian army coming this close to capturing the nation is a sign of the nation’s rebellion against this All Powerful Person?

Remember the Psalmist questions who can stand before the Him, implying that no one can stand before Him.

Psalm 76:7b ..Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused

As believers, we know this too well, for our sins and rebellion caused us to become enemies to Him, and our old man is continually raging against Him.

So how can we explain the fear of dread, rightly described for those who have no right to stand before Him, and then hear the Psalmist speak of those “around Him” bringing gifts to Him.

…..let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared.

Is He to be feared, with the result being our hiding and running from such a fearful, dreadful powerful God? Or is there a place of safety that provides us the opportunity to be “around Him”

My friends, there is One who is worthy, One who can stand before God, One who is “around HIM WHO IS TO BE FEARED”.

His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the God Man, in heaven for us before the throne. There is no other, for He is our only Hope. In Him is life, and even the most vile sinner can approach Him, for His arms are wide open for all.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE

Job 37:16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,

Job has suffered. He has suffered at the hands of man, at the hand of God, and at the hands of his counsellors. At this time, he is being upbraided by Elihu, a young man who has been quiet up until now, but during his discourse with Job, addresses him with counsel that at times rings true.

Our verse this morning is one of the shining examples of Elihu’s wise counsel, for he asks a question to Job, not unlike the Lord does in the final chapters.

Do you know…?

As a matter of fact, when God begins his talk with Job, he continues the very topic of challenging Job about his knowledge of the heavens.

Job 38:33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Let’s be honest about our knowledge.

As men and women in the 21st century, with technology providing massive amounts of facts concerning the physical universe at our fingertips, with the ability to search for facts and figures at the touch of a keyboard, we are being lulled into a feeling of all knowing.

What is actual is that our knowledge is infinitely small.

With the many tools we use to access information, we all should admit that the information we have access to is fraught with error, is outside of us, and is creating a false sense of independence in our lives.

Consider a world without the tools we have access to. We surely should begin to realize that our knowledge is incredibly limited. We also may begin to realize that the so-called knowledge we depend on is factual, cold and limited.

Now don’t get me wrong. The knowledge gained over the centuries through the efforts of men and women toiling in study, experimentation and reflection has provided us a life of tremendous prosperity, ease and temporal blessing. But this knowledge has blindsided us, giving us a confidence that has left the Lord out of the picture.

The knowledge of God is the only truly valuable knowledge each of us may seek, and Elihu has approached Job in a manner that we need to accept. It is a knowledge admittedly that we will never fully attain to, yet in the seeking, we encounter the Creator and Redeemer of all.

Elihu addresses Job in the arena of nature, in the topic of the heavens, even the clouds above. To consider the heavens above us is a worthy effort for all.

As a personal witness, I have recalled two recent instances in my life (Montana & Blue Skies) when the heavens have humbled me, when I have understood in a tiny way, that whatever knowledge I may claim to own is infinitesimally small. And in these humbling times, I found a peace, a comfort in knowing that the One who created all, even the clouds that are full of mystery, (though we can explain them scientifically).

He is the One who is perfect in knowledge. He is the One who created all, and not simply compiled and organized facts, calculating the properties of clouds and their movements. He created all, with purpose and understanding, establishing the laws of nature.

Elihu directs Job to the balancing (or layers) of the clouds, to introduce the “wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge”.

We in the modern age, have an attained knowledge, a knowledge that puffs us up, inflates our ego, and often distracts us from the One who is all knowing. With the Lord, all knowledge is resident in Him, and in this knowledge of all, in this infinite and complete knowledge, He in His understanding and wisdom sought us, rebels against Him, to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Is that a knowledge of God that you have? Is that not a knowledge worthy of seeking?

As Elihu asked Job in our verse this morning,

Do you know of HIM WHO IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE?

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

Four verses after our chosen passage, we find the same name referred to.

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Lord God is declaring His name as Alpha and Omega, who is and who was and who is to come. It is apparent that this name of God applies to the Risen Savior, as some of the last verses in the the Revelation assign the same name to Jesus. (Check the context of the verses)

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Present

The Revelator refers to the present first, reminding us of His presence with us, His active participation in the time creation of His. Let us remember that He created time and entered into it to relate to His people. Time is not a restriction for our Savior and we should not limit Him to the constrictions of time that fall on us.

Take a moment to consider the Lord as the One who is always in the present.

Past

The Revelator speaks of the past, and of course this is in relation to our experience, our time frame. Throughout history, the Lord has been Sovereign in all.

But let me ask a pointed question.

Does the word sovereign speak of control, or authority? I ask this question, for I was linked to a teaching that assumed sovereignty was synonymous with control. This thinking necessitated that all things past were in the will of God, and forced the assignment of sin to the will of God. This caused no small storm of confusion in my mind, until I reconsidered the term sovereign.

To exercise sovereignty, One is in the place of the Ruler, the King, the Sovereign. Do Kings control all the subjects they rule over? Or do Kings generally set limits, policies, rules and laws for their citizens to come under.

Does a King over a nation of law breakers make Him less of a King? Do the actions of those in the kingdom reflect the King’s character or wisdom?

A bit of an aside, but as we consider the Lord as the One who was, it is good to consider that His character while reigning over His Kingdom is not sullied though His people may be rebels.

Take a moment to consider the Lord as the One who ruled over His people with wisdom and righteousness.

Future

The last phrase in this name is “who is to come”, and it speaks of the return of the Lord. For those receiving this revelation in the first century, is it possible the recipients understood the One to come as appearing at least two thousand years later? Possibly. There do not seem to be any time limits implied on the timing here.

Or are there?

One passage that speaks of His coming is found in Revelation 16:15. It is interesting that the future coming is now described as a present reality for those who received the letter.

Revelation 16:15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Also, as I researched for this blog, I came across a resource that challenged my understanding of His future coming. (See Sunday Morning Greek Blog.) In summary, the author speaks of this phrase as being in the present tense, and may be translated as “Who is already coming”.

He is actively coming for the church, even as a thief in the night as Rev 16:15 declares.

Take a moment to consider the Lord as the One who is at the door, on the cusp of history, ready to break through into our lives in a very real way.

O Lord, help us be awake and ready for when You appear!

---

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO IS ABLE TO STRENGTHEN YOU

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages

In our last post we emphasized that when the Scriptures speak of God’s ability, it is speaking of the available resource we have in God, and is not necessarily describing our response to the resource.

His strength is available to us. It is for us to avail ourselves of His power.

There is a caveat! Paul describes the availability of receiving strength as being “according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ”.

Paul is not flippant in his description of Who the ultimate power is. He does not simply provide a general reference to some god who is not well defined, or a nebulous power of the universe. Paul clearly directs us to the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and no other.

God is able to provide strength through the Lord Jesus Christ.

I often hear of people speaking of God in the generic sense, not referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. I assume it is a common occurrence for my reader also, for I fear the culture is slowly accepting a homogenous generic boring religious faith. One that quietly excludes any reference to Jesus, God’s sacrifice for sinners and the Lord of Glory. Paul will not allow the Roman believers to understand this thinking as acceptable.

Jesus made this point also, when speaking to the Jews, making it clear that knowing Jesus is knowing God. If you do not know Jesus, God is unknown also.

John 8:19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

And simply referring to God without acknowledging Jesus shouts out to the believer that they know neither God nor Jesus. He is the only name given amongst men whereby we might be saved. This truth reaches into every aspect of the believers life, for we have life in the Son, and in Him only.

My friend, if you refer to God only in your life, freely speaking of God this, and God that, step back and consider the Word. Without confessing Jesus, any god you speak of is suspect. Jesus is the sum total of all access to God, and is the only Mediator between man and God.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Back to our verse. In this passage Paul is wrapping up one of the most glorious epistles ever penned, declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ and of His sacrifice for all, to these Roman believers.

Throughout this epistle to the Romans, Paul hints at, and eventually teaches these believers of unity in the church. It seems the believers in this church were divided by cultural and religious opinions.

Paul is closing this book, directing the believers to look to Jesus for strength. Is it to much to assume the strength they needed was to fuel a love and care for others in the church in the unity of the Spirit?

Maybe, but even if this wasn’t Paul’s intent, it surely is a desire of the Lord to have unity under the Son. In the Son we can find the strength of resolve to seek unity under His Lordship, instead of fighting over cultural and religious opinions! May God give us the strength we need through the Lord Jesus as we conform to the life we have in Jesus.

God is able through the Son to do this.

Are we availing ourselves of this power?

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

It was years ago, when I had the priviledge to teach an adult Sunday School class, that this verse, or more specifically one word in this verse, caused a bit of a commotion.

You see, at that time, I was a committed OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) disciple, and clung to this teaching. So many verses supported my thinking that I simply disregarded any that might challenge it. I was in a church that was committed to the teaching. Most, if not all the folks in the class were followers of this teaching. It was a safe environment!

Until we welcomed a new friend into the class. I still remember she sat at the back in the center, and was very excited about the Lord and His love for the church. I was thrilled to have her.

She participated in the class, and as we were venturing through 1 Corinthians, for some reason she referred to this verse we are considering this morning, specifically associating it with OSAS.

Ever the trouble maker, I challenged her in her understanding of one word. I sensed she was open to discussion! Little did I know I was touching a nerve in my very own understanding of God’s salvation of sinners!

That word you ask?

Able.

He is able. What a great term to describe the Lord of glory in relation to our lives down here. He is able to keep us from stumbling. He is able.

But let us consider the message of Jude. You know what, let’s do a quick study.

Able

Judes uses the Greek term δύναμαι dýnamai in this verse, a very common greek term used in the Word. This term speaks of the power one has to perform a work. It speaks of possibility, of the strength to perform a potential act.

Of course God is able. He is the Almighty.

But is Jude communicating to his audience that believers never stumble or fall? Is that his message? Or might it be that we have such a strong God, that His power provides us the potential life of not stumbling?

Jude is describing our powerful ABLE God. But is Jude describing our life experience, or the potential life we may have? Let ‘s also consider the two phrases connected to God’s abilities.

God’s Abilities

In Our walk with Him

He is able to keep us from stumbing. I take this as referring to our current walk with Him in this current life.

As for me, I have stumbled. I have fallen. I have slipped and tripped. His ability in those times are not questioned. My sin is the problem in those times. He was able, but I did not trust, did not seek, did not rely and follow after Him.

Is Jude speaking of our day to day life on this blue ball, of our connectedness to God and His strength pouring through us to walk properly? Me thinks so.

In Our presentation before Him

He is able to present us blameless before His glory with great joy.

I initally thought this description of God’s ability referred to the future presentation of our lives before the King at our going home. And it may be so, but the verb used “to present” is in the aorist tense, which does not define past, present, or future. The verb also is active in voice, speaking of the subject (God) performing an action.

Ok, so God is able to keep us from stumbling, but we sometimes do. God is able to present us blameless. Though we stumble, God is still able to present us blameless before His presence.

Back to our new friend in Sunday School. Once we discussed this topic, and questions were raised, (which is a sign of a healthy Christian life), the conclusion was that this verse does not directly support an OSAS thinking. It does focus on God’s ability. Our resource in God, and not our responses are discussed in this verse.

God’s abilities, great and powerful, are referred to in this verse. He is able!

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA

Psalm 136:13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;

In our last post, we considered HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS, found in Psalm 136:4. One of those great wonders in this psalm is the dividing of the Red Sea, and is called out as a specific act of God highlighting the exodus.

The dividing of the Red Sea is an epic act of God in the deliverance of His newly rescued people out of Egypt. They had been released after considerable plaugues forced the hand of Pharoah, yet he would not give up, even after his own son died in the last plague.

Exodus 14:6-7 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

The Pharoah, leading 600 of his chosen chariots, along with all other chariots of Egypt, and his army, chased after the fledgling nation, blocking them into a trap up against the Red Sea. The Pharoah must have been ecstatic! Such an easy retrieval of his slaves.

Such a short freedom for the children of Israel.

For the nation of Israel, the act of splitting the Red Sea was a pivotal act of deliverance by God. Yes, God had provided them physical escape from the land of Egypt, but to be truly delivered from Egypt, the power of Egypt had to be destroyed. And at the shore of the Red Sea, the power of Egypt seemed insurmountable, with the Pharoah advancing towards them against the sea shore. Yes, the power of Egypt was very evident, for the people knew the former slave owners were after them.

It is good to remember that One other power was on the scene. The presense of the Lord in the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day was with the freed slaves.

Exodus 14:19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,

And night fell. The Israelites, under a stong east wind, had one light to reference to. The pillar of God’s presence moved from leading them to the Red Sea, to being between the Egyptians and their former slaves.

Exodus 14:20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

During the night, the strong east wind blew, and the people of God ventured between walls of water. Now stop right there and think about this situation. The wind blew all night, the waters parted, the Israelites walked between walls of water, and the Egyptians pursued them. Did this wind separate the water? Was the wind simply a physical occurence that accompanied the splitting of the sea. Verse 16 indicates the Lord split the sea by command through the prophet Moses, with the wind possibly drying up the sea bed.

Exodus 14:16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

So in my mind, the parting of the sea happened at command, with access for the Israelites to the path early in the evening. Though physically dark, the light of God in the pillar of cloud was between them and their pursuers.

And Egypt thought it wise to follow.

Though I have often considered the Red Sea miracle to provide deliverance to the children of Israel by escaping the impending doom of the Egyptian armies, it is very much the deliverance of God’s people in the destruction of the armies of Egypt.

The path of salvation for one became the path of destruction for another.

Exodus 14:28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

In the destruction of the power of Egypt, the Isrealites were truly freed from their former masters. They had the opportunity to forge a new life and a new future beckoned to them.

HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA provided not only access away from the dominating power they had been under for centuries, but also eliminated the influence of Egypt over them in the present.

More so today, as believers, we have been provided the path of Salvation, having trusted in the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is our path through the Red Sea, and for those who rebel against Him, find Him to be their judge.

As the dead Egyptian soldiers lay on the shore before the Israelites, they had proof of the ruination of their former masters.

We also have experienced the death of the world to our hearts. The believer has been given new life, with the influence of the old life, like Egypt over the Israelites, dead on the shore.

Galatians 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (italics mine)

Let us seek not to go back to the old life. We see in the life of the nation of Israel the utter disaster it is to return to the ways of the world, to our old desires and habits.

We need to continue to follow HIM WHO DIVIDED THE RED SEA, in our desires, thoughts intentions and actions.

Is He not worthy?

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS

Psalm 136:4 to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Great wonders. As we read through this psalm, we find that in this verse the Psalmist speaks of great wonders, and then immediately describes the Lord’s great wonders of creation for verses 5 though 9. Verses 10 through 16, the Psalmist speaks of God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, and then continues through verses 17 through 22, speaking of the Lord’s placing of Israel in the promised land, defeating those who stood in the way.

In all of these great wonders of the Lord, the common refrain of “his steadfast love endures forever” is repeated as the basis of each and every work of God.

In all of these great wonders of the Lord, it is He alone who works these works. No one is guiding Him, helping Him, leading Him or supporting Him. It is HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS, and the Psalmist tells us this in our verse, proceeding to describe the wonders and also to give us the motivation for each of these great wonders, which is so wonderful.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS is motivated by His steadfast love, His mercy towards His creation.

The depth of His mercy in our psalm provides us a picture of God who is surprising, unlike any god that religion produces. A God of mercy and love Who is reaching out, but the picture is incomplete in this psalm.

Paul speaks of the mercy of God in Romans, describing God’s actions in the condemnation of all, in order that all may have mercy.

Romans 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS has provided a salvation that reaches all, His mercy that is extended to all. The wonders of our psalm are truly overshadowed by the GREAT WONDER of His resurrection from the tomb. His mercy in providing the Suffering Servant to rescue us out of condemnation is His GREATEST WONDER.

May we walk in that truth, continually remembering HIM WHO ALONE DOES GREAT WONDERS performs His wonders out of sheer love and mercy towards us.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIGHEST OF THE KINGS

Psalm 89:27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

You know the story. A Sunday School teacher was teaching the 3-4 years olds about Noah, and she noticed little Johnny looking a bit left out. Her next question was directed to the little boy, specifically asking Johnny who built the ark, and Johnny’s face lit up with a big ol’ smile.

“Jesus. It was Jesus.”

When I first heard that story as a young believer, I chuckled. How silly for little Johnny to make such a blatant error.

As an older believer, I’m not chuckling. I think Johnny hit on something in that answer that took me decades to comprehend. The Word is chock full of Jesus, in type, image, foreshadowing, prophecies, etc. He is the sum of all the Word and the only true interpretation of the Scriptures.

But when I think of little Johnny, if he were to read this verse this morning, he would be correct in stating – “Jesus. It is Jesus”, for our name of God this morning – HIGHEST OF THE KINGS – is synonymous with the New Testament description of the Messiah as King of Kings.

1 Timothy 6:15 which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

Revelation 19:16 ESV – On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

But beyond that observation, consider the term “highest” in our in our verse. This word is the translation of the Hebrew עֶלְיוֹן ʻelyôwn, el-yone, and is typically translated as high, or most high.

But as you look at the transliteration of our term, what does it remind my reader of? Might it not be related to the compound name of God we considered years back in Names of God – EL ELYON (THE MOST HIGH GOD) – 6. Is our psalmist providing more of a hint of the Messiah’s true identity than we first understood.

Jesus – It is Jesus, and He is the HIGHEST OF THE KINGS.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIGH YOUR RIGHT HAND

Psalm 89:13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.

When I work out, speicifically in a gym, my first exercise is the curl. You know, that exercise when you take a 2 lb weight in both hands, anchor your elbows near your hips and lift the weight to your upper chest. I have been known to do up to 5 curls at a time before I need a wipe down from all the effort expended!

My point is that even in our modern culture, as it was in old days, the physical strength of a man is often indicated by the biceps, the arm of the fella. I have a son in law whose arm is the size of my leg. Thankfully he likes me!

As we read this psalm, the psalmist is speaking of the strength of the Lord, by relating all His acts in creation in relation to arm strength, in order to communicate to his fellow Israelites a picture of the Lord in His might!

Yet this last phrase in the verse

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS

Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

We have considered Jesus as our HIgh Priest, in Hebrews 3:1, specifically in relation to His apostleship. When the Hebrews author spoke of this Name of God, he directed our thoughts to the dual mission of Jesus, that of being sent out as an apostle to mankind, and of the priestly ministry of facing God the Father for mankind. Two missions wrapped up in one glorious Messiah.

But the author of Hebrews spoke of the faithfulness of the Messiah in his dual missions, and used this description in comparision with Moses, a servant of God who was faithful to God.

In our verse this morning, we find the author speaking of another characteristic of Jesus in His priestly role before the Father. He speaks of God as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

The author is directing our attention, or should I say the original readers attention to the High Priest of the good things that have come. For the original readers of this letter, the author spoke of present realities. This is where I, in my initial glimpe of the verse, fell down, for my mind authomatically though of end times, of our eventual entering into His presense at the end of our days.

But if we read this passage slowly, this is not the timeframe he is referrring to.

Note that his audience, being Hebrews, were inextricably linked to the earthly temple, and as the author takes these Hebrews through this letter, he is constantly comparing thier sources of religious comfort and security with the Greater One. He has compared Jesus with angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, the Levitical priesthood, the sabbath and now the Temple.

The precious temple every faithful Jew could boast of, cling to, rely on and glory in. He spends 10 verses, prior to our passage, describing the temple/tabernacle, along with the priest who performed thier earthly ministries only to make little of it in comparison with the current tent/tabernacle Jesus has brought to the faithful.

When the Lord is described as the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS, the author is speaking directly to the faithful Jew who was placing thier trust in an earthly temple, along with the ritual duties of the priests. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS that have come through the flesh of Jesus, through His incarnation. Jesus is our temple, and He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS each believer has access to every minute of the day.

The author is reminding the faithful Jew, the believer in Jesus, that as the HIGH PRIEST, no further sacrifice is required, the existing temple is no longer required and that Jesus, through His own body (the perfect tent/tabernacle), provided our redemption. He is the Temple. He is the Sacrifice. He is the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS. He is everything for the believer.

The author is also reminding the faithful Jew, that in previous times prior to the Savior’s appearance, the high priest could not enter the holy place without blood. This provided a symbolism Jesus has fully accomplished in His shedding of His own blood. In His entering once for all the Holy Place of the eternal temple with His own blood, He abolished any efficacy of the earthly temple, the earthly priesthood and the earthly sacrificial rituals.

For the faithful Jew, and the modern Christian, we have in Jesus that which the earthly temple, priesthood and scarifices merely pointed to.

For we have Jesus, the HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS now!

How could I have thought this verse was speaking of times to come, when the very passage speaks of all we need having come!

For Jesus is our HIGH PRIEST OF GOOD THINGS.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

We have considered this verse before, when we looked at Jesus as the Apostle of our confession. That was over two years ago, and as a refresher, I have provided a link for your convenience. Names of God – APOSTLE – 36.

Short of that, let us remember that to be an apostle is to be sent out, and with Jesus, that meant from heaven above to earth below. It was a massive “sending out”, from the pure to the impure, from the holy to the unholy, from a place of ultimate peace to a war stricken world full of enemies.

Let us remember His being sent to sinners when we consider Him as our HIGH PRIEST, that as HIGH PRIEST, this speaks of His representation before God on our behalf. As the apostle, He was sent from God to us. As the HIGH PRIEST, He is ever and always before the Father, pleading for us in His ministry to God.

One more aspect that warms my heart is that to be the HIGH PRIEST we confess, it is His very Apostleship that qualifies Him to be such before the Father

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

The Lord God is our Savior, our Apostle, our HIGH PRIEST. He is all in all to us who could do absolutely nothing to gain favor before the Holy One.

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HIGH AND LIFTED UP

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah is speaking of the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP.

To be high is to be in a position above, or over others. It is usually a relative term, but I would argue that this “high” is an absolute, a highness that cannot be disputed or challenged.

To be lifted up has the idea of bearing up, of endurance, even of the act of carrying.

But Isaiah speaks of this One who is both HIGH AND LIFTED UP multiple times in his book and he is the only one in the Old Testament that uses this phrase.

A quick review of those three occurrences are in order. The first time he speaks of the Lord is in his call to ministry amongst the Israelites.

Isaiah 6:1 ESV – In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (italics mine)

Isaiah was strongly influenced by this first vision of the Lord. This vision provides the image of extreme loftiness, absolute authority and otherworldly existence.

The second time Isaiah uses this phrase is in Isa 52:13, at the very beginning of his description of the Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 52:13 ESV – Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. (italics mine)

It becomes obvious, especially in the hind sight we have in the church age, that to be lifted up in this sense was to be lifted up, bearing the cross, carrying our sins. In incredible act of sacrifice, being lifted up on the cross, His suffering and humiliation became the focal point of the greatest glory of God exhibited in all of time.

His crucifixion, in His being lifted up, was displaying His greatness, His character of sacrifice, and His motive of extreme love towards those who rebel and reject.

Then consider our verse this morning. He is the One who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP, yet in this highness, in this lifted up position He is comfortable with those who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP bends down to the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP joins the contrite and lowly in spirit. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP seeks to revive the spirit of the lowly. He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP looks to revive the heart of the contrite.

He who is HIGH AND LIFTED UP is the One who spoke of being gentle (meek) and lowly in heart

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

We do not understand the HIGH AND LIFTED UP One we serve. He is much to much to understand, to comprehend. The mysteries of our Lord are very real, and His constant care, His deep sacrificial acts and the proof of His person is beyond question.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HERALD OF GOOD NEWS

Isaiah 41:27 I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!” and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

In the 41st chapter of his book, Isaiah is declaring the “I wills” of God, and by the time we get to verse 27, he has provided numerous promises of the future actions of God to the nation of Israel to be comforted by.

For our verse this morning, the “I will” of God is no longer a future promise but a present action, in that God gives to the nation, by using the capital city as it’s descriptor, a herald of good news.

The context demands this is Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persians that would conquer Babylon, release the captives and assist those who sought to go home to the promised land.

Good news indeed!

Many of the captives took advantage of this great turn of events, yet not all. Some provided support for those leaving the Babylonian/Medo-Persian lands. Some stayed behind, continuing to live in the land they were taken captive to.

But all were provided the good news as Cyrus entered the vanquished city and eventually granted all the Jewish captives freedom.

Now I realize this series is on the Names of God, but the typology of Cyrus is ridiculous. He is in many ways become – for the time being – one of my favorite types in the Old Testament, providing a picture of the Lord Jesus. For some typological discussions on Cyrus, check out the 13 posts regarding Cyrus in the Jesus in the Old Testament series on this blog. We started with Jesus in the Old Testament – Cyrus – 01

Isaiah spoke of the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and the immediate reference was Cyrus, but we know in hindsight that Jesus is the greatest HERALD OF GOOD NEWS, and not only did He HERALD/PREACH the good news, He is the good news.

He is the HERALD OF GOOD NEWS.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS

Psalm 10:14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.

It is a common refrain throughout the Old and New Testament of God’s compassion and the believers responsibility to care for widows and orphans. It is such a common couplet that I assumed is was consistent through the Word, at least until this verse popped up.

David speaks of the Lord as the HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, without any reference to a widow. This is not an uncommon statement in the Word, for a reference to the fatherless without the term “widow” occurs 11 times in the Old Testament.

For our verse this morning, I think David was merely focusing on the Lord’s protection of the fatherless, as a metaphor for the most vulnerable of God’s people.

Now, as some of my readers may know, I was a young 6 year old boy when I became a fatherless child, having lost my loving father to a tragic automobile accident. We were not a Christian family, were instructed to not talk politics or religion and if there was a Bible in the home, the pages were never cracked open.

I can’t speak of the mercies of God my brothers have experienced over the past 6 decades, but I can witness of the many mercies God has showered on me. And as I have witnessed of His goodness, I am finding that even in the most difficult of times, His mercies are ever present. But beyond the mercies He has shown, He has given direction, and energy to forge into challenging tasks, even in the face of certain failure. At least we were told we would fail.

Story Time.

I met my wife as she began her 17th year, me being a 21 year old boastful fool. We fell hard, and within 8 months were were hitched.

On the day before our wedding, my wife’s neighbor told us it would last 6 months. My future brother in law sought to counsel me from gettin’ hitched. Friends and family mocked me, saying this was too fast, too impulsive, to early, to unplanned and not according to their expectations.

Yet I loved this girl, never knowing what that felt like before, and without a father to counsel, I was cast by necessity upon the Father above, who provided direction, and just enough backbone to get hitched to this sweet young lady.

Next month, that sweet young lady and I will celebrate 45 years of “hangin’ out”. Five children, and nine grandchildren along the way, and the Lord has been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS from day one.

He is faithful, gracious, merciful and is the best HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS, providing expectations and supplying the strength to meet them. And He sure knows how to pick a sweet young lady for a boastful fool. Thank you Father, You have truly been my HELPER OF THE FATHERLESS.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HELPER

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.

The order of our series is strictly alphabetical, and yet our current Name of God comes immediatedly after HEAD OVER ALL.

Is it not a great reminder that though God is the ultimate authority, the HEAD OVER ALL, the King of Kings, we are providentially reminded that He is also the HELPER, our paraklētos, the One who comes alongside us, the Humble and Meek One.

Truly He is over us, and over all things, and this is a truth I seem to accept readily. A truth that I sometimes stumble over is that He also, though a King, comes along side us, as if we are the focus of His heart.

It is as if He not only provided life eternal, but will not leave us to our own devises.

It is as if the Spirit of God takes the role of a teacher, reminding us of who the Lord Jesus is, of His teaching, of the peace Jesus provides.

It is as if He understands our weakness, our frailty, our tendency to wander and is willing to be beside us, even within our lives, suffering the garbage we allow in our lives.

It is as if He cares so deeply that He will not give up, will not walk away, will not let go of those He seeks and saves.

It is as if He is the sum of all good, the total (and beyond) of all our imaginations, both of His mighty authority and power, and of His humble and meek service, a service that is seemingly “squandered” on His people.

It is as if this love He pours out is meant to draw us closer to Him, to want to know Him, and in this desire, eventually to become like Him, to be the servant to others, even to those who hate us.

It is as if He meant it that when He said to follow Him, it was a call to humble and quiet service to others, and in that service, our devotion to Him would be evident to all.

Enough! – too many “ifs”! We know Who the Great One is, and though difficult to comprehend, He is the Helper. And as the Helper, His aim is to make His people more and more like Him, the HELPER.

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HEAD OVER ALL

Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Did you catch it? Who did God give to the church here? Let’s replace the pronouns in this verse with proper names and try to get a picture of what is going on

And God put all things under Jesus feet and gave Jesus as Head over all things to the church

God has given to the church Jesus as the Head over all things.

Now as I glibly read some of these passages in the past, I came away thinking Ephesians spoke the same truth as Colossians. I wonder about that assumption now.

Colossians 1:18 speaks of Jesus as the Head of the Church

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

This is a statement of fact, and defines Who Jesus is in relation to the church. Ephesians 1:22 has a different message, with Paul’s focus in Ephesians being the Body of Christ, the church. In Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the Head over all.

Jesus is not restricted to being the Head of the church as in Colossians, but the Head over all, providing to the church the confidence that Jesus has all authority.

Did not Jesus speak the same?

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Recapping, Paul is revealing to the gentile Christians of Ephesus the Headship, or authority of Jesus over all things. He goes on to describe the “all things” in Ephesians 6, 10-18, speaking of the evil forces behind the foolish actions of lost men and women.

Jesus is HEAD OVER ALL.

But the snippet of truth that struck me this morning, is that God gave Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL – to the church.

Now there are a number of ramifications if we consider this for a moment.

To give is an act of sacrifice. Jesus as HEAD OVER ALL, being a gift to the church is a truth I have rarely considered. We don’t deserve this type of Savior – surely we do not deserve Him, yet He is granted to us, not merely as a Savior, but as the HEAD OVER ALL.

The Father gave to the church. Again, we often think of our salvation as being Christ centered, and that is very true, yet the Father is the One who sacrificed His own Son for the church, and in this verse the Father is providing Him as the HEAD OVER ALL to the church.

As the church, we are a people who are very highly favored by having One over us that is the HEAD OVER ALL, over all governments, religions, philosophies and

He is not equal to any, has no competitor, and there are non equal to Him.

Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?

ALL things are subject to His will, and as the church we have access to the King of Kings, the One with all authority.

What more can be said? He is HEAD OVER ALL!

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

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

Come join us at Considering the Bible

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.

HEAD OF THE CHURCH

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

We have considered our Lord as the HEAD OF ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY, HEAD OF EVERY MAN, HEAD OF THE BODY, and for this post, spend a few minutes considering Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

But Carl, are you not merely repeating the same truth we just reviewed, that is Jesus as the HEAD OF THE BODY?

Somewhat, but I am a believer that words have meanings, and for the apostle Paul to use both HEAD OF THE BODY and HEAD OF THE CHURCH as distinct descriptions for the Messiah, I am convinced there must be a nugget of truth to consider. Of course, for our time here, it will only be a nugget, for I will attempt to restrain myself to a short discussion.

For Paul to call the Master the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, is to call Jesus the Master, the Authority of the Ekklēsia.

Let’s remember the core thought of the term church. In Greek, the term is ekklēsia. To be of the ekklēsia is to be of a gathering, an assembly drawn together for a purpose. This gathering, this grouping of people – not a building, but the people – is the ekklēsia. Some ekklēsia (in the general sense of the word) gather for various purposes, but the ekklēsia that Paul describes gathers because Jesus is the HEAD. There is no other reason for a bunch of misfits, strangers, oddballs, lollygaggers and ne’er-do-wells to gather together other than to worship and hear from the Lord Jesus.

Some ekklēsia come together for volunteer work, self help meetings, gossip sessions or complaining contests. If any gathering (ekklēsia) gathers without Jesus firmly set as the HEAD, it is a gathering that has no eternal value, nor of any lasting real benefit for those coming together.

As discussed in HEAD OF EVERY MAN, I lean to the Complementarian view of headship, which states that to be HEAD is to imply authority, leadership, or preeminence. Our passage this morning reinforces this concept as the apostle describes Jesus as the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. Paul is focusing on one truth, a truth that is critical for believers.

Jesus is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It might seem super obvious to some, but consider. Jesus is not merely the source of life for all, as He is the Creator of all, but as the Redeemer of the ekklēsia (church), and as the LORD over the church, He has been granted all authority over the church, and by no contest, He is to be considered preeminent in all things, for He in truth is.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

No other person is to be vnereated in the church than Jesus Himself. He is to be the only focus of the true ekklēsia.

My friend as you read this short consideration of the HEAD OF THE CHURCH, and if you attend an ekklēsia that is not focused on the HEAD, consider your ways.

He is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

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

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