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.
112
ENLARGER OF MY HEART
Psalm 119:32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!
In our last post we considered the description of God as the enlarger of Gad, specifically in the geographical opportunities provided that tribe centuries ago.
In this post, we see a personal plea to God for enlarging of the psalmist’s heart. To enlarge is to widen, to expand, and the psalmist speaks of his need to be more than he is.
Consider that the heart is the seat of our emotional life, and as such, for our heart to be enlarged would speak of a expanded commitment in God, a larger swath of our lives to be under God, willing to let Him have His way.
This enlarging of heart is a great thought, a high ideal, a noble goal, but what does it look like when a saint’s heart is enlarged? I would suggest that one possible evidence is the possession of wisdom and knowledge, and I would refer my reader to the following passage.
1 Kings 4:29.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore,
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, or in other words, God enlarged Solomon’s capacity and possession of wisdom and understanding. This wisdom and understanding would be evident in a believers life daily, for this is the hallmark of a wise one, continually exercising truth and grace in his life in practical ways.
For God to enlarge our heart will include (but not be restricted to) a growing outworking of practical wisdom in our lives for ourselves and for others. This wisdom will be borne from our widening commitment to God, our trust in His will and our desire to do His pleasure.
And in all that we plead – God – be the One who enlarges our heart!
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.
111
ENLARGER OF GAD
Deuteronomy 33:20 And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp.
Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and Leah, and as the tribe of Gad was led to the promised land by Moses, they became one of the tribes that settled on the east side of the Jordan, the other being Rueben and half the tribe of Manasseh.
This choice by the tribe of Gad was commended by Moses, for there was no restriction for expansion on the east side of the Jordan. Each of the other tribes of Israel would end up with land allocations between a sea and the Jordan river, providing little if any opportunity for geographical expansion.
This choice of land allocation by Gad is a result of God’s blessing on Gad, on God providing opportunity to Gad in their location to settle. This tribe would also provide valiant soldiers for the later King David in his battles, and their expertise in fighting may be the result of having an open border to the east, always needing to be defended.
God provided Gad the blessing of opportunity, but with opportunities came along responsibilities to guard the land, possibly expand it, and provide skills for the greater good of the entire nation.
It is like that for us today also. Consider the opportunities God has provided you, the associated responsibilities and the skill sets developed for the greater good.
God enlarges Gad, and He seeks to enlarge us in our opportunities, responsibilities, privileges, and blessings to others.
Blessed is the One who enlarges!
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.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 21:7
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
A certain man
In our last post we found David lying to a godly priest named Ahimelech, and receiving sustenance for himself and his supposed company of soldiers he was going to supposedly meet. All lies, and yet Ahimelech provided for David the food that he requested.
In this post, we meet a certain man. He was of the servants of Saul. His name is Doeg, and he was an Edomite. We know that Edom had always been in enmity with Israel, and that Saul had vanquished the Edomites in a battle per 1 Samuel 14:47.
When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them.
So it is likely Doeg was either a captive of king Saul, or a traitor to his own country, seeing an opportunity to side with Saul. I will let the reader consider which is likely.
In some of the non biblical literature describing Doeg, it appears he may have been more than just a turncoat, more than just a man who took advantage. Some of the ancient writings speak of Doeg as being scholarly, a brilliant debater, yet without any piety towards God. He may have considered himself an equal to David, one that was in competition for status before the king.
His name actually means to be fearful, anxious, concerned. To be considered the chief of the kings herdsman may have simply referred to his character, and not a formal office. To be chief in this instance, referred to Doeg as being stouthearted, mighty, even obstinate. He was a self willed man, determined to acquire favor of a madman who was king.
For Doeg to be detained before the Lord implies he had been proselytized into the Jewish faith, at least in ritual, and that he was taking care of some responsibility before the Lord. Disciplinary or ceremonially it is uncertain.
But he was there at the right time in order to take advantage of David’s pleas to the priest! Doeg must have recognized the hand of God in this coincidence! Of course, as a man who sought the favor of the king, it would not turn out to be beneficial to anyone!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ABRAHAM
NEW NAME
Genesis 17:5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
Revelation 3:12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
Abram wasn’t looking for a new name, and when the Lord changed it on him, the name change signified something incredible, unbelievable. The name God gave him represented the promise he had just been given by God.
Of course, at the time of the name change, Abram had no children by Sarai, and his only offspring was a young man named Ishmael. Sarai was barren and as a last resort, Sarai struck a bargain with (nagged?) Abraham to lay with Hagar her maid. She must have really wanted a child in the worst way!
Thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael to Abram, God appeared to Abram to cut a covenant with him. A covenant with the promise of a multitude of nations to come from his loins. He had one child at this time, a child of a servant not of his wife. And his wife, who would provide a child without dispute, was barren. Old and barren. Quite the promise!
God had the audacity to promise that nations would come from Sarai. Why not Ishmael? In Genesis 17:15-16, God made it clear that Sarai (not Hagar) would produce the nations, that kings would come from her. And Abraham, before any children from Sarai would appear on the scene, would go by the name of Abraham – Father of multitudes, Father of nations!
Talk about wearing your faith! Abraham was now to be known as a father of many, but in experience the father of none, at least by Sarai! (Might Abram hear some mockery when the neighbors are told of the name change?)
Jesus also has a new name, one that we do not know yet. He promises that as we overcome, He will make us a pillar in the temple of God. As a pillar, He will write on us His own new name! Too many mysteries are beyond me in this description of the Lord’s doings, but we do see that a new name is provided to those who have greater things promised in the future, as in Abrams case. How that applies to the Lord Jesus is beyond me.
Yet He will have a new name, and we may find out some day, for the name is written on the pillars (overcomers) of the church for all to see!
He does everything for us, even giving us His new name.
Praise Him for His loving mercy!
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.
110
DWELLING PLACE
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’
God is described as a place for us to dwell in. To dwell – what may I ask does my reader consider when the term “dwell” occurs in a passage? To find permanence in? To live in, and to be familiar with?
To be described as a dwelling place is to be likened to a habitation or even a refuge, implying a place of safety from danger. The term is sometimes used of an animals den or lair, a place that provides protection from an enemy, a place of permanence for the animal to resort to. Many times, this description implies a place of refuge from danger, and in this passage also, it is in the context of finding protection. It is not simply a place of familiarity and comfort, though a secondary message for the believing one to find encouragement in. The primary message is that of God providing safety for the saint from an enemy.
The fact that He is described as a possession of the saint – He didn’t say “a” dwelling place, but “your” dwelling place – should be a constant encouragement and comfort for the saint.
Remember, the Eternal God is your dwelling place. The eternal 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.
109
DREAD WARRIOR
Jeremiah 20:11 But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
Out of all the names of God I have considered, this one name has caused me a bit of reluctance to consider.
Why you ask?
To be honest I really don’t know. I look forward to considering the character of our God in these short posts, but to consider God as a dread warrior initially shook me.
I say that as an encouragement to my readers that even if the Word seems to say hard things, things we may not want to look at, it is to our benefit to understand to the best of our ability the truth of His message to us for His sake. We are not to simply try to protect ourselves from a predisposed assumption of what the verse may be saying.
With that said, let us consider this passage and try to understand it’s message for us.
A bit of background for this verse will give us some context.
Jeremiah was called a prophet by God in the midst of a nation that was in the final throws of a death sentence. Judgement was coming onto Israel, and Jeremiah had been preaching this message. Pashur, a leading priest of the nation had struck Jeremiah and thrown him in stocks for this message. Upon his release, Jeremiah declared judgement on Pashur, very specific judgements that would have definitely set a bullseye on his back. Pashur would not allow this to stand and Jeremiah knew what was coming.
In this condition, Jeremiah resolves to quit his prophetic work, stating that he will not make mention of God, nor speak anymore in His name. (Jeremiah 20:9). His inner struggle was great, and he admits that the Word of God was more powerful than his own self interests. God was at war with His prophet!
In this context, we have this statement
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior.
My initial thoughts were that God was a dread warrior against Jeremiah’s persecutors, and the immediate portion of the verse after this phrase lends itself to this understanding.
But as I consider this passage, I wonder. The previous portion describes God’s effective battle in Jeremiah’s heart, and verse 12 speaks of the Lord’s testing of the righteous.
May Jeremiah be realizing that because God won the victory over his will, that he now understands the God of Israel as a fierce, mighty and awesome God that will accomplish His will, in the righteous first and then the unrighteous? God will win in the righteous one’s heart as with Jeremiah. God will also win (in some manner) with those who fight against God. If those who are against God will not willingly accept the will of God, they to will come to understand that God is a fierce warrior, a dread fear inducing warrior. He is not a negotiating God.
It is to the benefit of all to understand that God is a dread warrior, that He is a warrior for our benefit, though it is often a painful process. May we see Him as the Dread Warrior for our souls, for our lives, for our good, and for His glory.
I am glad I faced this verse, this name of God, and this fear I had. He is a Dread Warrior, fighting for us, and not against us.
May His name be honored in our lives.
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.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 21:1-6 1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread – if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
For the remainder of the book of 1 Samuel, David is a hunted man, on the run, constantly looking over his shoulder. He does gather a small militia in his travels, and becomes a military force in his wandering, but for this passage, David is unfed, unarmed, unprepared, unable to plan and unwilling to speak the truth to a man of God. David begins a life of running, a life of seeking to simply survive!
Deceit
David, by this time in his career with the royal house of Israel, had attained a position that afforded him a company of soldiers with him as he was sent by the king on missions. He was no mere singular soldier. This is the background that Ahimelech understood when he saw David that fateful day. Based on this understanding, for David to be alone, without soldiers accompanying him was suspicious.
When Ahimelech came to David trembling, my first understanding was that Ahimelech was trembling. Of that I am not sure, for Ahimelech had no cause to tremble, but David had just begun a life of running, of hiding from the king, of living with one foot in the grave, not knowing who he could trust. I suggest David was not only alone, but was also trembling, possibly looking rough from three days of hiding in the rocks, waiting for Jonathon.
I have recently posted on Psalm 64, and noticed that David had learned an important lesson on spiritual warfare. In that particulat Psalm, David prayed that he would be preserved from the dread/fear of the enemy. David had not learned that yet, as he was running based on knowledge granted from Jonathon, but also out of fear. He had no knowledge of the extent Saul would go to snuff him out. no knowledge of the web of spies about him. He would soon find out of the extent of Saul’s hatred!
At this time, he was running somewhat blind, and his first stop on his long period of running was at the tabernacle. He has said farewell to his best friend and confidant Jonathon, and now he visits the tabernacle, the house of God, for what most likely will be the last time for the foreseeable future.
And he lies. He uses deceit with the priest to get food and a weapon. He openly lies, not in the corner of the tabernacle so that only the priest understands his predicament, but he openly states he is on a secret mission, with soldiers meeting him in a rendezvous location.
This lie will come back to haunt David, and will expose the commitment of Saul’s hatred towards David. It will also show David that this life of running will impact more than his own existence! No man is an island.
Bread
David’s first request (or demand) of the priest was for sustenance, for any food that he may have. Had David been without food during his time waiting for Jonathon’s return? His need of food speaks of his unprepared condition to enter into a life of being a fugitive. No one, neither David or Jonathon seemed to consider this possible situation.
Ahimelech had one condition of supplying the show bread to David. Sexual abstinence. For this condition to be met, David had no problem, for he was away from family, seeking to find hiding from the powers that be. A woman was the last thing he could afford at this time. As for the soldiers that he claimed to be meeting, the women were as real as the soldiers were. One more lie shouldn’t matter!
But consider the Lord in His reflection of David’s situation at the tabernacle. David had obviously lied to the priest of God, and yet Jesus commended Ahimelech.
Matthew 12:3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: Matthew 12:4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Matthew 12:7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
I don’t see Jesus commending David, but Ahimelech in the actions he took in providing David food of the tabernacle. I understand the guiltless to be Ahimelech in this story, for he had no knowledge of the current situation, trusted a man who was a faithful Israeli, and provided a need instead of simply following a dogma or religious rule. After all, though the Word does state that the priests are to consume the holy bread, it does not say only the priests are to consume it. This may have given Ahimelech the allowance to provide David the food without conflict. Ahimelech was a man driven by love and not strictly law in this act.
Leviticus 24:9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the LORD’s food offerings, a perpetual due.”
An important principle is provided in this passage. God desires mercy and not sacrifice. He desires we take care of those who are in need, above and beyond the religious duties laid out in the Word.
How does that work out in your life? Are you committed to a religious process over the needs of others? I know for myself it is much easier to think God wants church attendance over helping someone on a Sunday morning.
In this passage, David lies, and Ahimelech shows mercy. David gets sustenance and Ahimelech has visitors a few days later. It may be surprising to find out who is the protected party, which of the two men are delivered from the hand of the king!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ABRAHAM
SACRIFICER
Genesis 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
Hebrews 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
We are looking at the character of Abraham is relation the sacrificing for God. There are multiple passages where Abraham made sacrifice but I have chosen the greatest sacrifice he sought to provide His God for our text to review this time.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice his Son, and we often, rightly so, consider Abraham to be a type for God the Father. There is some room to consider Abraham to be a type of Jesus in this passage also, for as we consider Hebrews 10:12, notice that Jesus Himself offered a single sacrifice. He was acting as the One making the sacrifice, very similar to Abraham.
Upon this offering on the altar, He not only made the sacrifice, He was the sacrifice. This is too much for me to comprehend, and yet the Word speaks of this dual activity by the Master.
So not only was He the sacrifice, He was the Sacrificer, and proved to be the Greater than Abraham even in Abraham’s greatest sacrifice!
He is beyond comprehension, when considered in light of the Word’s testimony of His life and death, His love and grace to us, and His commitment to the Will of God!
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.
108
DOOR OF THE SHEEP
John 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
In our last post, we spoke of a general message presented when the term “door” is mentioned. We looked at the fact that a door represents an opening to an area or place that would otherwise be restricted.
The same is true with this descriptor of God, and without repeating myself, I would like to consider the aspect of the sheep in this description of our God.
But before that, note that Jesus is very restrictive here in His self Description. No other way into the sheepfold other than Him. He is the Door. But He is the Door for the sheep.
He had just finished explaining His identity of being the Good Shepherd, and repeats the general teaching, modifying it to represent himself as the door of the sheep. His earlier teaching spoke of the sheep having entered and leaving the sheepfold (vs 3) so this passage isn’t necessarily speaking of a salvation experience, but of maintaining a relationship with God through Jesus. The Sheep follow Jesus, they know His name, and they enter their safe environment through His person.
He is the Good Shepherd leading the sheep and the Access/Door through which the sheep enter into the sheepfold, a safe environment for the sheep.
The Lord peppers throughout His message the dangers of strangers, thieves and robbers attacking the sheep. His Self description typifies His saving nature for His people.
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.
Our next set of names (#4 through #22) are considered His compound names, which typically uses His primary name and attaches a specific descriptor to it. These are the names that originally got me chasing this topic, and now it has developed into a much bigger study than the original intent, but I digress, for I have already mentioned this!
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly was a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
107
DOOR OF FAITH
Acts 14:27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
Our next two names or descriptions of God speak of a door. Although obvious, it may be good to consider what a door is.
A door is an opening. An opening to a specific area or place that cannot be entered without use of this door. A door implies walls (or restrictions of some type) everywhere else, walls that restrict one from entering an area or place. A door can also be temporarily closed to restrict from entry into an area or place.
The Jewish church was gathering, and hearing reports of the missionaries journeys and adventures, and the news was huge! God has provided a door to the Gentiles.
Gentiles were becoming believers! No mention of the Gentiles becoming Jews though, for the message was that they were not being circumcised, or that they were building synagogues, or that there was a need for teachers of the Torah.
No – the message was as simple as it was radical. They were entering into the family of disciples, the family of God through a door of faith!
God was not providing them any other way into the family other than through the Door of Faith. No other way than through faith in the Risen Son of God. No other door is mentioned of. The only door was the door of faith, and this door of faith, is the crucified and risen Savior.
He is the Only Way, the Only Door!
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.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 20:35-42
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Communication.
This communication of a message through the use of a code that Jonathon developed and deployed, with the help of a nameless young boy, appears to be for the benefit of David.
Yet David was convinced that he was on the edge of the grave. Remember early in this chapter, beginning with David expressing his conviction to Jonathon that Saul was going to murder him.
1 Samuel 20:3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”.
David didn’t need this message. The young boy didn’t know what the message truly was. The only one this message truly was intended to benefit was Jonathon himself. But Jonathon knew the content of the message before coming to the field, for he came close to dying in order to find out the direction Saul was going with David.
1 Samuel 20:33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
Ok – David knew, Saul knew, and the little boy didn’t need to know. Jonathon finally knew, for he came to believe the worst of his father and the danger for David. This covert meeting in a field was not necessarily for the sake of David as it turns out, but for Jonathon. He was the one who was convinced of his fathers intent, and realized the danger not only David was in but also himself.
Yes, he conjured up a clandestine meeting with this arrow code, with David hiding for days in the field, and with this hapless boy running after some arrows. The danger was real, and in this realization, it is the more impressive for Jonathon to send the boy home, and pursue a time with David.
This is the last time David and Jonathon see each other. With the young boy returning to the city, David comes out from hiding and the future king of Israel bows before the crown prince of Israel. He bows three times, weeping. At no time does David speak in this story, for he simply weeps and shows his deep care for Jonathon. He is patient with Jonathon in completing this exercise of communication, for the sake of his friend. He could have been travelling away from his enemy for the times he spent waiting on Jonathon, but he remained behind for Jonathon’s sake. He remained out of love for his friend.
Jonathon finally knew the danger. David knew of the danger previously.
39 But the boy knew nothing.
In all this communication, the young lad had no ears to hear! Oh, he had ears to hear the words, but he didn’t have ears to hear the message. He wasn’t able to understand the message Jonathon shouted through the use of words.
Jonathon’s message reached it’s intended target. David had ears to hear, for he knew the one speaking, he had spent time with the one speaking, and he had relationship with the one speaking.
Centuries later, Another came to speak messages using words (and miracles), and yet many did not have ears to hear. The young lad during Jonathon’s time didn’t understand the message, and he held no malice in his heart towards any. Not so with those hearing Jesus words. Much malice was brewing in the hearts of those who heard the words but not the message!
David came out from amongst the rocks to escape the danger of a murderous government. Jesus entered the danger of a murderous mob, accepted the death sentence of a murderous government, and came out from the rocks, His grave, victorious.
Jonathon never saw David again. We will see our David again, for He has not, nor will He abandon us. He came out from the rocks in order to save us from the danger we are in the middle of.
Decades after His earthly time of teaching, He asked His church if they had ears to hear.
What is the message His words communicate to you today?
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
SEEING JESUS IN
ABRAHAM
UNIVERSAL BLESSINGS
Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Galatians 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Abraham was a channel of blessing to the nation of Israel, in that he was the father of the nation, and was the friend of God, establishing a relationship that the nation of Israel has depended on most of their existence.
He became a divider of the nations, in that any who blessed Abraham would be blessed, and any who cursed Abraham would be cursed. Two groups of nations, based on the reception they had to Abraham.
Yet as we read this passage, it is important to notice that the blessing is personal, not necessarily national. Some may think, as I used to, that if a nation acted favorably to the nation of Israel, those of the physical family of Abraham, it would have the blessing of God. This may be true, but I am not sure this verse specifically states that.
It is a personal promise of a person blessing Abraham, or cursing Abraham. Sure, Abraham will become a great nation, but it is the singular person that this promise refers to. This positive attitude towards Abraham opens up a “blank check” type of promise from God of an undefined general blessing. Reread the verses and consider!
Is it not even truer for the Lord Jesus. One person’s attitude toward the Lord Jesus opens up untold blessings, greater than we can imagine, and as Galatians states, this blessing that was through Abraham can be found in Christ Jesus.
Abraham was a conduit for blessing from God, but once Jesus Christ the Lord lived and died for us, even resurrecting three days later, the conduit of Abraham for blessing from God was no longer needed, for all blessings may only be found in the Messiah.
Consider the difference.
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.
106
DIVINE BEING
Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
Paul is addressing the men of Athens, having arrived there directly from Berea, an area where Paul was challenged with every teaching he provided by his audience checking the Word, to see if his teaching aligned with their authorities.
Arriving in Athens, his audience is not of the Jewish flavor, but of the Athenian philosophy bent, an audience that was not steeped in Jewish law but in human reasoning and philosophy. He doesn’t have a foundation of Old Testament understanding in the audience to teach from, so he uses what connection he can find with these men, and builds his message from there. There is wisdom in this approach for our use!
He speaks of his travels within the city, and refers to idols that have been constructed, especially an idol to the unknown god, and he latches onto this to begin his teaching. Note that he does not condemn these people for idolatry. Something to remember as we share the gospel with those in our world!
Foundational logic, the language of the philosopher, was being used for the sake of communicating to the audience, speaking of the creator God as necessary for their worldview, and then their own philosophy to leverage the audiences thoughts to a personal God.
“In him we live and move and have our being” is likely a portion of a poem by the Cretan poet Epimenides, and “For we are indeed his offspring.” is taken from a poet by the name of Aratus. Both of these authorities would have been well known to the audience and made a connection for them with Paul’s thoughts.
Logically speaking, if these poets message, generally accepted by the audience, the outcome would be there is a God out there that is not created as an idol is, but is a being. There would be similarities to human beings, but this God would of course be divine. as an extension of this argument, based on their very own accepted teaching, a greater being than us has to be present, has to exist.
Paul uses “divine” to introduce this God to the audience, for he is trying to build a logical connection for the audience of a personal God that exists. For the Greek philosopher, to refer to a divine being is similar to our cultural understanding of the same. Generally a very nebulous descriptor other than being greater than us.
Paul does not let the audience think “generally” about this god for long, for immediately, after laying a foundation of connection for the Greek audience of a living God, he introduces judgement on their ignorance (not idolatry) and a call to repent. And the basis of this judgment and call to repentance is a Man who has risen from the dead.
Paul presents a lot of specific doctrine to the audience after establishing the existence of the Divine Being!
The Divine Being is a patient God, overlooking ignorance, a God who expects repentance upon information provided, a God who is righteous, a God who will judge the world properly, a God that supplies facts, for He has not only appointed a specific Man to perform the judgement, but has provided a series of eye witness historical occurrences backing up the claim of the resurrection of this Judge. He has given assurance of the Judge’s identity by the resurrection!
Upon the resurrection news, the audience split. A Divine Being who raises a man from the dead was unheard of, and this teaching cannot be the result of simple logic or reasoning. To go from a Divine Being to a Judge (Jesus Christ) raised from the dead requires repentance and FAITH, not simply logical reasoning only. Some in the audience were not ready to explore this line of reasoning!
But the true Divine Being has raised Jesus from the dead. The audiences response is like that of today. Open to hearing more, or mockery.
Are you open to hearing more?
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.
105
DISTINGUISHED AMONG TEN THOUSAND
Song of Songs 5:10 [She] My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.
To be honest with you, I find the Song of Solomon rich in descriptive names for the Lord, much richer than I first imagined, and I am thankful for this study that I have the privilege to consider the names and descriptions of our God from the Word.
This particular name speaks of a quantity, and as you may remember, I leaned to a woodenly literal interpretation of the Word for many years, having been influenced by a modern interpretation of eschatology.
Nevertheless, this passage would have brought to mind a group of men, specifically 10,000, of which her beloved would be the fairest, would be distinguished within that group. How foolish to force my technical mindset on this poetic expression of wonder.
Her lover is the most distinguished of all. The note of ten thousand was essentially the same as someone in our our society speaking of trillions, or even a googol (ten duotrigintillion). Sorry – I slipped into my tech head again!
This poor farm girl was elevating her lover to the highest honor. You see, to be distinguished is to be raised above others, to be eminent, celebrated or well known based on past achievements. This poor farm girl, that had caught Solomons eye, must have thought of the king as out of this world.
As the church, we have a King that is so much more than simply an earthly ruler, but who truly is out of this world, has been given all authority, who is resurrected, never to die again, and that truly is raised above all contenders for the title of distinguished!
He is DISTINGUISHED AMONG (more than) TEN DUOTRIGINTILLION!
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.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 20:30-34
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
In our last post, Jonathon informed the king of David’s absence, of David requesting to “celebrate the new moon with his family.” In this post we will consider Saul’s response to Jonathon. Saul definitely provided Jonathon clear direction on the future of David!
David is going to die!
As is obvious, Saul has completely lost any sense of control, for he verbally attacks Jonathon. First off, Saul attacks Ahinoam, Jonathon’s mother. At no place in the Word is Ahinoam, Saul’s wife spoken of as unfaithful. This was simply the ravings of a man who was out of control, realizing his own son was favoring David.
After speaking so roughly of Jonathon’s mother, and of his choice of favoring David, Saul blurts out the real issue. The kingdom would not be established through Jonathon.
But Saul had been told this by God, and the message was being acted out in front of his very eyes. Yet Saul would not give up, even as he was falling apart. No – David must die, and Jonathon would have to go bring him to Saul.
How illogical a man is when he is facing such loss that he has been warned of! He spoke of Jonathon favoring David, and yet expects Jonathon to deliver David to him for his death!
Jonathon had his answer but he was not willing to give up on his efforts of reconciliation.
“Why should he be put to death?”
This sent Saul over the edge. Saul had to kill someone – he was determined to hold on, rejecting the message God had given him. No – his rage was uncontrollable, and after Jonathon challenged him on his reasoning, that was it. Saul flung a spear at his own son.
Can you imagine this? Saul attempted to kill his own son! Saul was a determined man in his madness, not counting the cost to his own family in his effort to fight against God.
David had to die. Saul was willing to kill his own son in his rage. Jonathon finally was convinced.
David had to run for his life. He no longer had any hope of finding peace with the king, and had a price on his head, even the life of the crown prince!
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.
104
DISCLOSURER OF THE PURPOSE OF OUR HEARTS
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
What a wonderfully scary blessing we find in this verse. Scary? Yes if you read it the way I expect Paul to write it!
You know ..”each one will receive his condemnation from God” You know – He will disclose the purposes of our heart! How could He not condemn us!
No no no – the text says commendation, which granted, it does sounds like the word I expected, but has such a different message associated with it.
This verse, though describing hidden things being revealed and purposes of the heart being disclosed, does not go to the naturally expected message of judgement and condemnation, but is a grace filled promise of commendation from the very One who will reveal hidden things, even the purposes of our hearts!
And yet we know that He currently knows the things hidden in darkness, and He currently knows the purposes of our hearts! So what is Paul trying to teach us and the Corinthians?
Only that this revealing of our hidden things, and the revealing of our hearts purposes to us will only increase our love for Him, our understanding of the depth of our position before Him, of our stability before Him, of understanding His deep commitment of grace to us.
He truly is One who is beyond our understanding! How can He be so full of grace and yet continue to exhibit acts of constant grace, grace upon grace!
May His name be praised, and lifted up!
He commends those who do not deserve to know Him and yet He finds opportunity to commend 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.
103
DEW TO ISRAEL
Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
The prophet Hosea had a tough calling, not only in speaking truth to power, but his own personal life was laden with sorrow, humiliation and heartbreak.
Of course each heartbreak that Hosea experienced represented the heartbreak God suffered as his wife lived a life of adultery, turning to idols instead of the true God.
With this background of pain and disappointment being experienced by Hosea, and more so by God, we come to a passage in Hosea that speaks of the dew to Israel. Some translations refer to this wetness as a night mist, and it is that moisture that resides on the ground after a cool night, with the humidity falling out of the air and settling gently on the ground, the grass and the leaves of the foliage.
Yes, the dew can be explained by the hydrological cycle, but to experience it is another matter. My wife and I have a small home north of us where we go to escape, and the grass is longer, wilder, and (in my opinion) greener than anywhere else I know. In the early mornings, after a scorching hot day before, the night mist settles, and as the sun comes up, glistens on the droplets. It is a sight for the tired and weary, showing the beauty of God’s creation.
God is describing Himself as a dew for Israel, even though they have broken His heart, disobeyed His will and acted the adulterous wife. His dew is refreshing, cooling, beautiful and undeserved.
Yet that is the God we serve.
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.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 20:24-29
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Before we get to Saul’s response on David’s absence in our next post, I find it interesting that Saul, the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people, would have his seat up against the wall.
If there are any law enforcement readers, I think you will recognize this practice. I have a friend who has two sons, both with careers as police officers. When they go to a restaurant, or any social event, they tend to find seats up against walls. This is typical of those who are concerned with safety, for it provides no opportunity for someone to come from behind.
If this is Saul’s condition as king of Israel, he is showing signs of suspicion, which we should expect from a man who is losing all confidence in his reign. He is taking precautions even in his choice of seating!
God has told him his days are numbered, and each day is a day of watching, worrying and waiting. It is as if his efforts to remain safe are not supplying the intended effects.
How sad for those who know their time is limited, even for those who seek to deny it!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
102
DESTROYING TEMPEST
Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.
We have had a few storms in our city this year, mostly associated with hurricanes and derocho wind storms. Yes – derocho wind storms, which are very similar to hurricane storms, but create destruction in relatively straight swaths. Yes, even in the last few weeks, we have experienced tornados, not more than a few miles away.
To see the destruction invisible wind can produce is shocking, every time I see it. I should be use to it by now, for we have lived near the coast of Texas for decades now.
Nevertheless, the Lord has one who is a tempest, a storm, a hurricane, a derocho, a tornado, that is inevitably on a path of destruction.
In the passage above, Isaiah speaks of the immediate situation the people of God will experience with the Babylonians coming down from the north, an army that will completely strip the land of life and destroy any memory of a peaceful society.
Hundreds of years later, the Lord sent another Destroying Tempest to the land of Israel, and this Destroying Tempest spoke radical messages and performed miraculous acts, destroying the current society, tearing down the temple, decimating the priesthood and annihilating the sacrificial system the society was built on.
The Messiah brought light and truth to the nation, to a nation that was set in stone, rigid in religion and unrelenting in it’s man made dogma. Within a generation, our Savior, as a Destroying Tempest removed the old system, and built a new body, a body of believers that spread amongst all of God’s creation, bringing light and love to all.
Almost like the bright skies after a destroying storm, the church is meant to be the blessing God desires for His people.
May we be the blessing after the storm. For we do not have the wisdom and positive intent or wisdom to create good out of destruction, for only the Lord God has that ability.
Let us be content with being a blessing to those we meet along the way!
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.
101
DESPISED BY THE PEOPLE
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
Our previous name of God was from Isaiah 53, describing our God as being despised and rejected. With this name, we get definition of who it is that is despising the Lord.
Notice that the verse speaks of mankind scorning the Master, and that the people despised Him.
Now, the question I have for you is this. Is the psalmist describing two different groups in this verse? In other words, are “mankind” and “people” synonymous?
Could we read this passage interchanging these terms and be faithful to the text?
This question arises in my mind as I understand that poetry in the Old Testament did not depend on rhyming words, as typical of simple poetry in the English language.
You know what I mean with the child’s poem I heard way too often.
Roses are red, Violets are blue; you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too.
For the ancient Hebrew prophets, they often “rhymed” in thoughts instead of sounds.
A good example is found in Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
The psalmist is saying the same thing, only using two ways of describing the same truth.
If this form of poetry applies to the verse we are considering today, then I would agree that “people” and “mankind” are describing the same group that despise the Lord. The only reason I am hesitant to sign off on that, is the use of the term “people”, and the common association of this term with “God’s people”.
No matter, for in the end, the cross shows us that we all have despised Him. Whether we were of a chosen class of humans or not, we are guilty of this attitude of despising the Creator and Sustainer.
We are not deserving of any mercy, as we have despised the One who deserves so much! And yet He extends His hand to us, ever faithful in His care for us.
Truly His is good, and He is good all the time!
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 20:18-23
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”
Jonathon directed David to “go down quickly” to a place, and yet it might be three days before he can get the information he needs to give to David. What is Jonathon trying to do here? Is he beginning to get paranoid of the situation? Possibly, and we will get back to that idea in a moment, but I would like to address this “time” condition Jonathon is laying on David.
To go down quickly might not have the idea of time, i.e., get down to the place immediately, but is an adverb the speaks of extent or amount, even describing effort. Other ways this Hebrew word is translated includes “much”, “greatly”, “very” and “diligently”. As you can see, the idea of quickly isn’t associated elsewhere with this word. May I suggest this term is describing the distance Jonathon is describing David should travel to a hiding place. And this place seems to have been known by both men. A place near the stone Ezel. Nowhere else in the Word is this stone described, but it was a known place between the men, a place where David had hid before, and that was enough.
Now regarding the paranoia Jonathon may have been experiencing, previously when making general plans, Jonathon had implied he would communicate directly with David on the intent of Saul towards David. (See 1 Samuel 20:12-13). With each passing day, it seems Jonathon is taking extra precaution, for he introduces a young servant to be the vehicle of communication to David in the wilderness.
For all appearance, even to those who may be following Jonathon for the King’s sake, Jonathon will be simply performing target practice in the woods, and yelling out to his servant where the arrows have flown. I think Jonathon knows that the time is short, as David does, and that extra precautions are needed.
This discussion between to two men happens to be one of the last times they ever see each other, for in three days, Jonathon has to send his best friend on the run from his father.
David is convinced of his situation, and Jonathon is beginning to see the writing on the wall. With this realization, Jonathon must have have incredible inner tension, turmoil and confusion. His loyalty to David would mean the end of his Father’s reign, and yet his responsibility to honor his father brought him into a turmoil many of us have never experienced.
David would be on the run in the next few days, and Jonathon had three days of anticipating the worst. Little did he know it would be worse than he anticipated!
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.
100
DESPISED AND REJECTED
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
To think that the Lord, the God of Glory would be despised and rejected makes no sense!
Let’s think of Isaiah’s situation.
As religious Jews during the time of Isaiah (and for religious folks today), it would be common to generally voice an opinion of seeking the Lord. Would they not have confessed they wanted the knowledge of the Lord, that they only trusted God and none else. The Old Testament prophets reveal to us, they drew near with their mouth, honored God with their lips, but in reality, their (our) hearts are far from God.
In a perfect world (which will come) our hearts will be completely sanctified and in that condition, the times of God being despised and rejected will be a fading memory, for He will wipe away all our tears.
He was despised. He was rejected. He entered this foreign world on a mission of love, never having experienced this hatred, but knowing full well our despising, rejecting hearts would eventually kill Him.
To be despised. To be looked down upon. To have disdain towards. To be revulsed of. To loathe. And why was this attitude expressed towards One full of grace and truth? A result of some inner judgement by the “righteous” upon their only hope.
To be rejected. Not simply to be ignored, but to be considered an outcast, a pariah, one who was worthy only of getting rid of, considered trash and waste.
How could we be so blind?
And yet He holds His hands out to us.
The Despised and Rejected One.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
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.
99
DESIRE OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
Right off the top, when we read this passage, we see a stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
Additionally, I assumed that the term “expectation” would have negative associations throughout the Old Testament. This is not a correct understanding. I couldn’t replace expectation in this verse with dread, or fear, as I assumed by my cursory reading.
The term תִּקְוָהtiqvâh, translated as expectation is often translated as hope, of things hoped for, even a ground of hope. What is surprising is that this term is used in the story of Rahab, and refers to the scarlet cord (tiqvâh) that she was to tie to the window, indicating her home and hope of deliverance. See Joshua 2:18 and Joshua 2:21
This is so very surprising to me. I fully expected the “expectation” of the wicked to be associated with doom and gloom, with wrath and destruction. So what is going on with this verse, and how does this relate to our topic of God’s Name?
Is this term used out of it’s natural, or normal manner? Possibly. It is beyond me to be certain, but one option that intrigues me is that the verse does not refer to who the wrath is inflicted upon. Might it be, that the expectation of the wicked, the hope of the wicked is that wrath falls on someone else? Is that what this verse may be teaching?
Am I twisting the passage’s meaning? Hopefully not, but let us put the first phrase, containing the “desire of the righteous” to the same interpretation. Might the desire of the righteous seek for good to fall on someone else?
Surely as believers, we are taught the the Lord seeks the best for mankind, seeking their salvation, security, and safety. His nature is to love, to protect, to call together and to comfort.
The Desire of the Righteous – His name is also Jesus Christ, and He seeks the best for all, especially those who seek Him.
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
1 Samuel 20:12-18
12 And Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
On the eve of informing King Saul of David’s absence, Jonathon and David continue to work out their plan to safeguard David’s life. In an earlier post, we spoke of Jonathon’s plan, of informing Saul of David’s absence during the new moon festival and based on Saul’s reaction, informing David if he is safe or in danger of his life.
We will address how Jonathon will inform David of his situation in our next post, but for this part of the story, there are some other items worth considering.
May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.
As Jonathon is developing the plan and speaking of the possible outcomes, he hopes and prays that the Lord is with David as He is with his father, King Saul. Obviously Jonathon is speaking of Saul’s past experience of walking with the Lord. and experiencing the blessing of God. Or might he be hanging on to a delusion, thinking the Lord is still working in Saul’s life for Saul’s benefit.
It is obvious that Saul is experiencing two different conditions, one of a harmful spirit from the Lord, where his actions are manipulative, angry, sullen and murderous. Surely Jonathon is not referencing this experience.
Saul has also experienced the Spirit of God, but in a restrictive sense, where the Lord does not allow Saul to fulfil his desire to harm David.
Both are not situations that are enviable, and that makes me think that Jonathon is hearkening back to the early days of Saul’s kingdom, when Samuel was with him, and Saul was experiencing peace with God.
There is one more option. Might it be that Jonathon was a bit self deluded, and couldn’t come to grips with the actual status of his father before God. This is very likely in my estimation, for I know I want to think the best of those I care for, that things are better than they might be.
the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth
Jonathon continues with a declaration, a statement that David’s enemies will be vanquished. Every one of David’s enemies will be defeated, cut off from the face of the earth.
This is a bold statement, for the result of the test tomorrow may reveal Saul as belonging to this group who will be defeated. Nevertheless, Jonathon speaks the truth, even though it may cost him family and friends, believing that David was destined for the throne.
May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies
Jonathon now enters into a request to the Lord, asking the Lord to take vengeance on David’s enemies. The earlier statement could be considered a simple truth statement, whereas in this clause, Jonathon enters into the will of God, denying his own will, that is the safety of his own family.
With these three clauses considered, let us not leave this passage forgetting that Jonathon is seeking to continue the covenant with David, and not only with him personally, but with his progeny. Verse 14 & 15 speaks of Jonathon’s request to continue in the covenant with the future king, and that his children would not be impacted negatively by the new sovereign of Israel.
1 Samuel 12: 14-25 …show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever
Not only that his progeny not be affected negatively, but that they would experience the steadfast love of God on his house forever!
Jonathon had some hutzpah, and he sought the best for his future family. But I am sure he carried the burden of his current families decisions with a heavy heart!
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 