Old Testament – Page 6 – Considering the Bible

Names of God – GLORIOUS ARM – 168

2025-04-11

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.

168

GLORIOUS ARM

Isaiah 63:12 who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name,

As New Testament believers, we have the privilege of understanding the Old Testament from the standpoint of being in Christ. The entire Old Testament open up for us as we have found the key of understanding, the Person who is the focus of all that happened in the former days.

I previously pictured verses like our topic passage, exhibiting a massive, literal and muscled arm that Isaiah describes in this verse. I am way too literal at times but I fear that we sometimes interpret the Old Testament as 21st century believers and not as the ancient Hebrew recipients.

So how would an ancient Hebrew believer, contemporary to Isaiah understand this passage? How would the Old Testament Hebrew understand Isaiah’s use of “glorious arm?”

Throughout the passage, Isaiah is speaking of the Lord’s mercy to the nation, and uses word pictures, even metaphors of strength to describe God’s saving work for the nation.

I understand the Hebrew prophets to write in a poetic form, and to make use of figures or images that provide dual meanings for those reading the message. The prophets of old would also use a form of poetry called parallelism. This form of poetry would be developed by repeating the same message as the previous line, but with greater force, or with a richer picture to wedge itself in hearer’s mind.

When Isaiah started the portion of Scripture for our verse, He mentioned the Holy Spirit (twice) and of course God the Father was the subject of the deliverance of the people of God. When the deliverance was attributed to God’s Glorious Arm, it seems obvious to my understanding that Jesus is the subject.

He is the One who executed the deliverance, who completed the work, who was the One who accomplished the feat of rescue, who fulfilled the work planned. To further identify the Glorious Arm in this passage, the Savior is referred to in verse 8, and the Angel of His Presence in verse 9.

Consider the One who compared Himself as meek and lowly, as the Glorious Arm, the One who is able, and has performed the work of our salvation.

He is the Glorious Arm.

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.

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Life of David – 20.04

2025-04-09

David Spares Saul Again

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 26:17-20

17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”
18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?
19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

David has demolished Abner with words. He has nothing left at this time, being shamed in front of his men, and in fron t of the king, whom he is directly responsible for. A terrible situation for Abner.

Saul now takes the lead in conversing with David.

David lays the base complaint out. Why are you after me? What have I done to you to make this way? What evil have I performed? Make it make sense King Saul, for I am still unsure what I have done to deserve this.

And without waiting for response from Saul, David continues with an either / or statement that leaves Saul in the dust.

The Lord is stirring you up to chase me.
Men are stirring you up to chase me.

A simple either / or argument. Nothing brought into the discussion that is emotion laced, with feverish arguments, personal attacks, screaming, shouting and cursing, (although being separated by the fields, I am sure the voices were raised to be heard). I get the impression that David is addressing King Saul from a standpoint of logic. Not a discussion based on emotion, as all dependence of David being related to Saul, and of their personal relationship has been clearly jettisoned at this point!

The Lord Stirring Saul

First suggested reason David provided to Saul, as to his reason for hunting him down, is that the Lord is behind this action. Did David seriously consider this to be a possibility, for he had been crowned by God, had been informed of Saul having lost the kingdom, and was being led by God through this persecution.

But consider the wisdom of David in this offering. Saul must come to a point where he is to be shaken from any assumption he is doing the Lord’s work. If David has done anything offensive to God, and Saul is seeking the Lord’s will, a sacrifice may be performed to make things right.

The solution in David’s mind was based on the revealed will of God. For Saul, this option was simply unacceptable to agree to, since a sacrifice would allow David to live, and provide Saul no righteous opportunity to eliminate this young upstart!

Men stirring Saul

Only other option was that men were stirring up Saul to take David out of the picture. When I say men, I am including Saul as a source of the stirring up, and think David is simply offering this argument to honor the king.

If this continual effort to cut David’s life short is “of men”, of which Saul is providing ample evidence of being controlled by, the option is only worse for Saul.

v 19 …may they (whichever man is responsible for this injustice) be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

Both David and Saul understand that the war is strictly between two men, two kings, a worldly king and a non-worldly king. Between righteousness and non righteousness.

And David makes it clear.

If this continual persecution is of man, they are to be cursed of the Lord, for this aggression towards David is the commitment of extreme prejudice, jealousy, envy, hatred and self preservation. Nothing righteous or of God can be found in this action, for it drives a man of God away from the very God he is to worship. David is forced to leave the promised land to enter foreign lands, and if he is able to be in Israel, he can not be near the temple.

For David, all things centered around God. His argument before the king of Israel was logical and plain, provide straight forward conclusions to the two options provided, and left Saul without any response.

Consider the strength of David in his communication to the most influential men in Israel, Abner and Saul, and how he stripped them both of any ability to defend themselves in their actions.

The Son of David was only greater in His delivery of questions, of His provision of options within a situation, and of His conclusions to situations faced by those who hunted Him. He strictly and consistently appealed to truth, and left His opponents without response.

All of this is so awesome, for I too love to strip those who may be my enemy of any response to an argument. I often thought of myself as one who brought the gun to a knife fight, metaphorically speaking, when entering a discussion with one I may disagree with.

This is sin. Note that David showed respect to the King, and sought to dull the argument when possible without taking the sting out of the point being made. (I refer to David speaking of “men” goading on Saul when all knew the motivation was sourced from Saul himself!

For the believer, the weapons of our warfare are not characterized by pride, self worship, competitiveness, or the abuse of truth.

We are to speak the truth in love, even when addressing our enemy, realizing we are fighting for the person we are speaking to, and not against him or her.

Remember my friend, we follow the One who is full of GRACE and TRUTH. A massive challenge to present the truth in grace can only be met when we are constantly listening to His guidance and voice.

Are you listening or formulating arguments?

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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Amos – 06

2025-04-08

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

Amos

Knowledge of God’s Secrets

Amos 3:7 “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Ephesians 3:5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

There is an element of Christianity that claims God almost requires their permission to act, that they are the creators of their own prosperity. One of the verses that this group rely on is our passage above, wresting it out of context and using it for their own benefit. The leadership of this group claim privilege beyond any saint or prophet of old. God is looking to warn His people of the judgement coming, and with this intent, Amos speaks of God revealing this secret to his prophets. Nothing more than that for Amos.

Ephesians 3:5 speaks to this limitation of the Old Testament saints and prophets. For the New Testament era, Paul does provide teaching regarding the knowledge revealed to His apostles and prophets. This greater revelation though is of the mystery of Christ, but Paul defines this mystery. This mystery is of the combining of the Gentiles and Jews into the Body of Christ.

For us who have readily accepted this truth, to call it a mystery seems to be dated since it is such an established truth. Yet even in the era we live in, God has not revealed everything to His people. The Word has provided revelation beyond anything we deserve, yet there are many things God is still holding close to the chest from us.

We are to be thankful for His revealing of the One who can and does share in the knowledge of God’s secrets. for He is worthy, and rightly to be considered the One who is the Knowledge of God’s Secrets.

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.

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Names of God – GLADNESS OF YOUR NATION – 167

2025-04-07

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.

167

GLADNESS OF YOUR NATION

Psalm 106:4-5 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them
that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

Psalm 106 is a psalm in which the author recounts the many instances of Israel’s rebellion. In verse 6 and continuing for 40 verses, the psalmist speaks of Israel’s failure. Psalm 105 speaks of God’s mercy and mighty acts for 40 verses, and this chapter speaks of the many times Israel has forgotten God wandering into sin.

Psalm 106 is a psalm that speaks of the nation’s weakness and tendency to wander. The psalmist knows his content and cry of admission, but before he recounts the failed history of the nation, and his own life, he begins with verse 4 &5. He cries out to God in verse 4 for national help, for a national salvation and for favor to be shown to His people.

The psalmist cries this out for three reasons in verse 5. He is asking for the favor of the Lord that he (the psalmist) may…

1. look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
2. rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
3. glory with your inheritance.

He knows that though God has been offended by their rebellion, the only hope they have is the mercy of God. Once granted by God, the psalmist will take part in experiencing the prosperity, gladness and glory of the nation, of the people of God.

Hundreds of years after the psalmist passes, God provides this mercy in the person of the Lord Jesus. He is the personification of all of God’s mercy towards Israel, in the midst of their sinful behavior, and as believers today, we know that in His coming and dying for the nation, He is, for those who will see, the very Gladness of Your Nation.

He is the Gladness of His Nation, the church spread throughout the earth!

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.

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Names of God – GIFT OF GOD – 166

2025-04-04

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.

166

GIFT OF GOD

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Can Jesus raise a curious mind? Can He bring interest to the forefront. Does He not draw people out of their self involved little world to see bigger pictures?

The Samaritan woman is one of my favorite characters in the early chapters of John, only for the sake of Jesus choosing her to openly confess His Messiahship. Dang – He hadn’t even told the disciple as yet, though they openly expressed their suspicions.

A question for my reader. Is Jesus asking her one question or two? Is it the same question?

Is it equal in intent to say that the gift of God is He that is asking for water? Is He equating in this verse that He is the gift of God? I realize He uses the word “and”, expressing commonly the addition of a thought.

But might He be a Hebrew prophet (and much more) and follow in the tradition of speaking one truth, and then clarifying that truth with another statement. It is very common in the proverbs, and in the prophets.

I had a chance to discuss this form of communicating in a post a few years back called Did Jesus go to Hell? When you arrive to that post, do a quick search for poetry and the paragraph will pop up.

Nevertheless, as we know from passages later in John, and throughout the New Testament, and Old, Jesus is the gift of God to undeserving saints and sinners.

This woman was simply the first to hear it from His own lips. What a fantastic story of her redemption and release from bondage.

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.

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Life of David – 20.03

2025-04-02

David Spares Saul Again

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 26:13-16

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.
14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.
16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”

David’s beef is with Saul, but in this portion of Scripture, David takes on Abner.

Let’s take a moment to consider who Abner is.

First off, he is the “general”, or commander in chief of Saul’s troops. He is first cousin to the king, and he it is who brought David to Saul after his giant killing! He eventually became a king maker when Saul’s army was defeated at Gilboa, and setting up Saul’s (weak) son Ish-bosheth, he essentially became a power broker in the Northern Kingdom.

It is assumed he was at the battle of Gilboa, in which his king died, and for a period of 7 years, was the military leader David would have to face when war broke out between Israel (Ish-bosheth) and Judah (David).

One other item that seems pertinent to this short time considering Abner is the type of culture he existing in. Israel, and the surrounding nations were based on an honor/shame based society. Throughout the Word, shame appears twice as often as guilt. Honor appears over 115 times in the Old Testament. All this to provide a background to David’s message to Abner – not King Saul.

David – “Will you not answer, Abner?”

Although this is the literal translation, and provides us the formal request from David to discuss the previous (unknown) entrance and theft of the Kings spear and water bottle, I really like the NLT, where it catches, what I think was David’s intended message

David – “Wake up, Abner!” (NLT)

Of course Abner responds, hopefully understanding that the camp had been infiltrated with the spear and jug gone!

Abner – “Who are you who calls to the king?”

Again, the NLT brings out a possible intent of the response from Abner.

Abner – “Who is it?”

Having opened up a line of communication, David brings his volleys of questions, all based on the shame associated with failing to guard the king.

David – “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.

Abner, David implies, you have a reputation of being a man’s man, a fighter, a general, a leader. Is this true? You have a reputation that is unlike any other in Israel. You are the top of the pile, the confidant of the king, the protector of the throne! No one in Israel is like you.

If that is true, why did you let down the guard, ignore the safety of the King. As a matter of fact Abner, by allowing the enemy in the camp, it appears the enemy has more respect for the king than you. The enemy, (David and his cohort), only took a weapon, which could have easily been used against the king, and a jug of water. They respected the king’s life, even proving their allegiance to the king over your own.

What shame! What an utterly devastating attack on Abner!

David continues with Abner, pronouncing a death sentence on him, depending on the Lord for the timing and occurrence. Death was deserved.

David was kicking sand in Abner’s eyes and he did it very effectively. All the camp of Israel, all 3,000 soldiers of Ahab, may have heard this message. If not, the rumor mill would provide the details for all to know.

Abner received a gut punch to his life at this time is his military career. I wonder how it all washed out in the end, as Abner and David face off in future conflicts.

Let me ask my reader. Golly – let me as my reader a bunch of questions!)

Do you think we as a society have walked away from a honor/shame based society?
How about as God’s people?
Do you personally relate to the social valuation of honor and shame for your life?
Might the assigning of shame perform any benefit to the bearer of it?
Could this shift be related to the hardening of our conscience as our society slips further and further from the Word of God?

Thoughts that keep me up at night. Have a good day, and be thankful for a God who is honorable, and seeks to keep us from shame! May His name be praised!

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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Amos – 05

2025-04-01

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

Amos

Tradesman

Amos 7:14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Amos had no qualifications for the position of prophet, at least in the eyes of the ruling class. His message to Jeroboam, the king of the Northern Kingdom had been relayed to king Jeroboam by Amaziah the priest of Bethel. See Amos 7:10-13. The message contained harsh judgment on the king and that the northern kingdom would be taken away captive.

Amaziah, the priest then took the position of protecting the apostate king, and warned Amos off to Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Go cause trouble to the south, for that is where you come from. Don’t bother us in the north!

Amos response? I’m a nobody Amaziah. A simple herdsman, and a picker of fruit. A farmer, not professional priest with all the adornment and pomp. A simple man, who has been called by God to head north, to provide a warning to this nation, to supply a Word of the LORD to the people who have walked away from Him. I am no danger to you! How dangerous can a farmer be? I am here to provide a message of deliverance from doom!

How like the Master, who until He took on His ministry of warning and providing the Word of the LORD to His generation, was a simple carpenter, a builder of “things”, a man who worked with His hands.

He acquired no institutional learning other than the mandatory training of all Jewish boys. He learned of the Torah, the Law and Jewish history from His family, and some formal schooling where He may have learned the three “R’s”, that is reading writing and ‘rithmetic.

Other than that, Jesus was untrained (thankfully) of any institutional process. His training came from time with the Father. Copious focused times with the Father, receiving His mission, not unlike Amos, to provide warning and the Word to a nation in trouble.

Amos and Jesus were untrained tradesmen, who heard the call of God and did not let some man made requirement for earthly education stop them from fulfilling their God given ministry.

Are you a highly trained professional Christian? Be thankful for your training, for God can use it, but understand from the example of Amos and Jesus, the crucial training for ministry is directly from the Lord.

Are you a tradesman, possibly a layman in the church? Be thankful for such an example as we see in Amos and our Lord. Be careful in dwelling only under the LORD’s direction. For we also need to understand from the example of Amos and Jesus, the crucial training for ministry is directly from the Lord.

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.

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Names of God – GENTILES HOPE – 165

2025-03-31

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.

165

GENTILES HOPE

Romans 15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

I have developed a listing of names to pull from as I write this series and last night as I glanced at the next name to consider, I saw our topic – Gentiles Hope. For some reason I was thinking of the mystery made known to the Gentiles, found in Colossians.

Doh.

Maybe it was that the term “Gentiles” may be a mysterious word to some of my readers. To be a gentile is to be a non-Jew. I’m a Gentile – at least I was. (Biblically, there are three types of folk on earth. Consider 1 Corinthians 10:31 )

You may be a gentile. If so, and we had been born over 2,000 years ago, we had no direct link to God Almighty unless we submitted to the Jewish faith. Some Gentiles knew nothing of the Jewish faith, being so distanced from the land of promise. (Somewhat like today, with so many lost unknowing of the Christ and His church). So to be a Gentile was to be a non-Jew. And Jesus is the Hope of the Gentile.

Paul, as the Apostle to the Gentiles, begins a portion of Romans 15 developing the Old Testament promise of God bringing in the Gentiles into a living relationship with Him.

Let’s get the flow of Paul’s message in the previous verses.

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.“

10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Our name this morning is the capstone verse of Paul’s argument, after tripping off many Old Testament verses that speak of Jesus being the answer to God’s promise given to the patriarchs regarding the Gentiles.

Hold up. The Gentiles were always in God’s plan, even within the promise to the patriarchs?

Let’s go way back in time to Genesis, and see what Paul is speaking of.

When God chose Abraham, the promise of the Gentiles Hope was provided.

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

That promise refers to the Gentiles, even before they were separated from the Jewish nation. All of the families of the earth!

Consider also, that God narrowed down to One Man the Gentiles Hope, that through the verses above, God doesn’t mention that the Gentiles will have hope in a religion, or a system of approaches to God, or a law, or even a specific lifestyle. The Hope of the Gentiles is a Man, and that Hope has been realized for many Gentiles.

Thank you Jesus for providing not only the Hope of the Gentiles, prior to your arrival, but Hope for the Gentiles even as we have come to know You.

From one Gentile to my fellow Gentiles. Hope in Jesus, for He is your only hope of eternal life!

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

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

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Names of God – FULLNESS OF GOD – 164

2025-03-28

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.

164

FULLNESS OF GOD

Colossians 1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell

God dwelling with man. He has sought many ways to dwell with man.

Creation comes to mind. God provided an idyllic environment (‘cept for one tree) that would provide both man and woman opportunity to be with Him, to know Him and to love Him.

Man rejected the offer of dwelling with God.

Oh but then there was the opportunity to obey, or to be in tune with that fragile conscience, and to seek God through prayer. During the time of Seth, people began to call on God. Promising for a time, yet in the background the general population was deteriorating. Did you know that at Seth’s death, Noah’s birth was only 14 years later? That is incredible, and speaks of the seeming downgrading of the population, to the point that full scale judgement was to fall during Noah’s time.

So it seems that man rejected the offer of dwelling with God again.

Ok, so with Noah a new arrangement, a new start, a realization that rejecting God and His presence ends in catastrophe. And yet by the time God was about to call out a nation for His own name, only one man was found that seemed intent to know God.

What is going on? I though we were generally good people?

So mankind rejects the offer of dwelling with God again.

That man I just mentioned, Abraham, well he wanted to follow God, and He is considered the Father of our faith, rightly so. He was groundbreaking in his relationship with God, and God found someone that sought Him

But as we all know, he lived in a time when most around him rejected God, knew nothing of God and they mocked Abraham as he seeking God.

So mankind rejected the opportunity to find dwelling with God. Again.

From Abraham, a family began, a dysfunctional family (like mine) made up of men and women that wandered and rejected God for the most part. As the family grew into tribes, a young man was rescued from the reeds in order to provide another opportunity for God to dwell with man. Eventually God rescued the tribes through this man, delivered them to a new land and provided them a tabernacle. The tabernacle housed the very presence of God. This was truly a huge step on God’s part to take, and the privilege the Israelites were granted was beyond any nation on earth.

Yet we know that the nation rejected the dwelling of God, rejected all the counsel, became apostate, was taken into captivity, rescued and brought back to the land. Mercy upon mercy, yet the nation became hardened, trying to create a sense of dwelling with God, all the while rejecting Him.

So mankind rejected the opportunity to find dwelling with God, even upon privilege and the exhibition of tremendous mercy. Rejection again.

A baby born to a young girl. A highly unlikely solution to the problem, for He had no training, no status, no riches or obvious advantage. Yet this little child actually was the dwelling of God. And let me make this a bit clearer. It pleased God to dwell in this child, even as He grew into a young man.

Man generally rejected the opportunity to dwell with God, and yet God was continually reaching out to man in so many ways. It wasn’t simple indifference on the part of so many, but outright rejection of the opportunity to experience the dwelling of God.

Granted, there were saints in the Old Testament that experienced God dwelling with them, being with them, training, teaching, comforting, guiding, feeding them. Yes there were many great men through the ages.

But I can find nowhere in the Word a statement describing any saint as experiencing all the fullness of God. Not only that, but that God was pleased to dwell fully in the man.

Oh the Spirit may have been with David and Isaiah, Moses and Jeremiah in mighty ways, empowering them to do mighty acts for God. Yet at times it seems the Spirit was willing to pull back, to leave for a period of time. Even David was fearful of the Spirit leaving him.

Nothing like that with Jesus though.

God was completely comfortable in the body of the Lord, residing in Him. Jesus – God and human. Consider what it means when Paul states that it pleased God to dwell completely and without reservation, fully in the flesh and blood body of the man Jesus. No reluctance, no hesitancy, no struggle. To dwell completely and fully. Not a portion of the Spirit, but without any doubts or uncertainty.

It has been the intent and desire of God since creation to dwell with man. That Man is Jesus, and He is the only One who has experienced this. Only as we seek Jesus, do we have opportunity to experience God’s dwelling, for God’s dwelling may only be found in Jesus.

Are you pleased to dwell with Jesus?

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

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

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Life of David – 20.02

2025-03-26

David Spares Saul Again

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 26:6-12

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

A deep sleep. Oh what a wonderful gift from God to have a deep sleep. Especially for Saul, for this provided an opportunity for David’s expression of mercy to be performed.

Imagine David and Abishai sneaking into the camp, and one of Saul’s 3,000 men stirs, wakens and alerts the camp. The entire army is about to wipe David and Abishai off the earth! All of David’s intentions would go up in smoke! But let us start the passage starts. David is looking for a volunteer to enter the camp of the enemy. Abishai, a willing soldier, and David’s nephew jumps on this opportunity.

Now a bit of understanding of who Abishai was. He was a most honored commander of the second rank of David’s officers, a giant killer like his uncle (2 Samuel 21:15-17), the brother of Joab and Asahel, and eventually took part in the killing of Abner, which David condemned, even pronouncing a curse on him. He was a mighty man of valor and was experienced in battle, to the point of wielding his spear to kill 300 men in battle (1 Chronicles 11:20, 2 Samuel 23:18). In one battle, Abishai killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt (1 Chronicles 18:12). Talk about your killing machine – this guy was an ultimate soldier!

So naturally it is safe to assume that by entering the camp of king Saul, Abishai was intending to spill some blood! As this is the first time Abishai shows up in the narrative, he may not have been in the cave when David showed mercy to the king previously.

I love it where Abishai asks so politely to murder the king. He is so committed to David, that even the actions he wants to do, for the sake of David, is subject to David’s wishes and not his own nature of the “killing machine” we find later in his life!

1 Samuel 26:8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”

David stops Abishai, relating his decision to the anointing on Saul as being a government ruler, a king over Israel. Saul’s life continued on this occasion based on the status, or calling he received from God, and not his personal character or righteous/unrighteous acts.

David saw three viable options of Saul’s death.

The Lord will strike Saul
His day will come to die
He will go down in battle

Remember now, that David has received the anointing to be the next king. Could he not reason that Saul had lost the status of rightful king, no longer being the anointed? That as the called of God, David represented God and may act as the Lord’s representative, striking Saul?

Maybe. I know many may use this reasoning, in order to get an end result they wish for, but David was exercising faith in God in this act of mercy, and establishing the importance of stability within his own kingdom based on God’s will for the nation. God would raise and lower kings on His timetable and manner.

David, in the middle of 3,000 men, and with the king, his greatest enemy at his feet, took the time to explain his faith to his nephew. Again, David establishes his faith in front of his men, a faith that allows for mercy, a faith that is counter cultural, and that seems ridiculous. Why waste this opportunity?

David took the spear and the water jug. The Lord kept the army of Saul asleep. And I can just imagine Abishai scratching his head as he follows his Master through an army intent on killing them.

There will be times in our lives, at least in my life, where I have been completely flummoxed at what God was doing. As I sought to follow Him through an army of enemies (both physical and spiritual), I scratched my head bald for trying to understand.

But He is the Master and though some experiences may be confusing, some experiences may be counter cultural, some experiences against our nature, and some experiences seem to be opportunities lost, there is One whom we need to follow, whether we understand or not.

After all, Jesus is the anointed, ever living King! Let’s trust Him as we are in the midst of multiple enemies, living for Him.

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.

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Names of God – FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH – 163

2025-03-24

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.

163

FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is full of grace and truth.

To be full is to be complete, lacking in nothing, thoroughly permeated, filled to the brim, perfect.

He is spoken of as being full of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.

To be full implies there is no room for anything else in the vessel. In our verse, John speaks of Jesus as being full of two characteristics, and by stating this, he may be thinking of an Old Testament passage that refers to the same two characteristics that God described Himself as being.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Steadfast Love. חֶסֶד cheçed. Kindness, favor, mercy. As God passed by Moses, one of the descriptions he heard was of the kindness and mercy of God.

Faithfulness. אֶמֶת ʼemeth. Faithfulness, firmness, truth. The second descriptor of our God that Moses heard, that John recounts to us of Jesus is that of reliability, sureness, faithfulness and truth, that which confirms to reality! He must conform to reality, for He is the source of all reality, and as the fruit so is the tree!

So as John was describing the Prophet from Nazareth to his readers, He continued linking Jesus with the eternal, calling Him out as the Lord of Lords, the God of gods. Linking Him with the God Moses wrote of, abounding in grace and truth, unable to fit anything else into His nature. Abounding, full of grace and truth.

In all of Jesus actions, the base motivator is grace and truth. Combined, for without truth, the actions have no lasting stability, and without grace, the actions become harsh, hard and without life.

No, He is a God who loves, acting out of a gracious, truth based nature! He is Full of Grace and Truth. He proved it while walking amongst us, and if you know Him, He continues to prove it to us daily in our lives for His glory.

Thank you Jesus!

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

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

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Names of God – FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB – 162

2025-03-21

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.

162

FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB

Luke 1:42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

What is it to be “Fruit”.

A simple question, no? Fruit is that which comes from something, a positive (usually) effect of some originating source.

Consider an apple. No an orange – Let’s consider an orange – I like oranges better! Where do oranges come from? An orange tree of course. The orange is the “fruit” or product, or natural result of the orange tree.

This is the general definition of fruit, but of course in this instance we are speaking of a ladies womb.

For the creation of life within a womb, when fertilization occurs, the baby is fully potential, having a genetic code that is complete, and the tiny cells immediately and rapidly divide and multiply for 9 months within the womb. At some determined time, the aggregated cells (I call it a baby!) are ready to be physically separate from the mother, although still completely dependent on her. This child will mimic the mother, or father in many ways, carrying characteristics that cannot be denied. Strengths and weaknesses, sinful tendencies and selfish leanings.

As we all know, the fruit is the product of the source, right?

The womb is a small, but expandable, completely dark, warm environment that is protected by the mother. The womb is a place where miracles happen, life erupts and grows, a newly created soul is created.

A created soul, a spark of life created, right?

Except for one singular time. One solitary time, an exception is made regarding the creation of a soul.

I would offer to my reader that in this case, the soul was not created. He – Jesus – has been from everlasting to everlasting and is no created soul. He is the giver of life to each and every person on earth.

He resided in a safe warm environment, the womb of Mary, the source of life for each of her other children. Under the care of Mary, He was protected, growing as everyone of us did in the womb, increasing in physical size, yet with a self that had been severely limited (by His own choice) in order to be the Servant Messiah, the Son of Man, and Son of God. For a time on earth, He was safe and secure from those who would hunt Him down. Protected for a period of time, only to be born to die, to face an inevitable crucifixion.

The incarnation, on it’s own, is an incredible truth, that when meditated upon, and should foster a spirit of humility within each of us.

So many questions arise in my mind, that cannot be answered, and that may never be answered, but let us be content to consider one thing. He is the Fruit of the Womb, the perfect Fruit, the eternal Fruit of Mary’s womb.

He entered this world though the womb of a needy servant, growing into the Man that would be crucified for our sins.

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.

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Life of David – 20.01

2025-03-19

David Spares Saul Again

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 26:1-5
1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”
2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,
4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.
5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

The Ziphites are at it again. They want the kings favor, and have travelled once more to Gibeah to rat out David. See Life of David – 16.02 for the Ziphites earlier effort to provide information to King Saul of David’s whereabouts. As a matter of fact, David and his men are very close to the previous location in 1 Samuel 23:19. were he and his men were hiding amongst the Ziphites in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?

This time, the Ziphites reveal that David is east of Jeshimon. I add a map to let my reader remember that to rat out David required a sizable effort on the part of the Ziphites to travel to Gibeah where the King resided. They had to travel over 26 miles (as the crow flies) to deliver David.

For some reason (desperation, or indifference) Saul did not require verification of the Ziphites information. Last time he sent them home to get more information. This time he simply gathers his 3,000 man army to take on David.

This story is so reminiscent of the earlier effort on David’s life. In that “battle”, David showed mercy to Saul when he had provided an opportunity of vulnerability. Do you remember Saul entering the cave to “concentrate”, in the very cave David and his men were in. Do you remember David stealthily cutting a piece of the kings robe off? Do you remember how Saul reacted to this mercy of David?

Repentance.

Saul repented of his actions based on the mercy of David. So why is he going to do the very same thing he repented of, supposedly repenting in front of his army not long before. As mentioned earlier, Saul was driven by jealousy, and was uncontrolled in his actions. Obviously Saul was not the leader he should be, and this encounter would also provide a chance for Saul to be humbled in the sight of his army.

David had spies actively checking the area for trouble, and sure enough, they found Saul and his army in the general location, providing information to David of the danger. Remember last count, David’s men number 600. Saul has 3,000. Saul has 5 times the men David has. Obviously the wisest action on David’s part is to flee, to find a location other than next to Saul. Saul didn’t stick to his word from the previous encounter. Surely his words were empty, and this constant harassment would never end until one of these men had passed on.

The constant threat of Saul and his army must have been so tiring for David. The temptation to cause pain or suffering to the king surely would be escalating. David had a choice to make.

End it here, take a stand and fight, or run.

But that is a false dichotomy. There is another option for David in this instance. We will get into that option in the next post, but for now, let us remember that when faced with a seeming decision between two choices, it is often true that other options are available. It is not always an “either/or” condition that we are restricted to for decision making. Implied limits on choices actually harm us in our decision making efforts

David was not restricted to two options, but was open to a third, bolder move. Can you guess what it was?

In our daily lives, when we may be presented with an either/or choice, take a moment and consider alternative actions, alternative actions that would honor God, exercise wisdom and reflect a love for your neighbor.

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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Amos – 04

2025-03-18

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

Amos

Booth of David

Amos 9:11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Amos is preaching to the Northern Kingdom, and bringing judgement as a message. The Northern Kingdom was about to fall to the Assyrians, and in the midst of this message, Amos provided hope, a message that spoke of the future kingdom of God, and the tabernacle of David.

The ESV uses the term “booth” to translate the Hebrew סֻכָּה sook-kaw’, and it is typically describing a temporary shelter. Amos is not speaking of the temple built by Solomon, but of a tabernacle.

Consider – Is Amos bringing to the Northern Kingdoms attention the old days, when the ark of the covenant would reside in a collapsible tent, constructed under the care of Moses, with the glory of God manifesting as a pillar of fire or a vertical cloud over it.

For this passage in Amos, the tabernacle (or the booth) of David had fallen. Note that he refers to the tabernacle of David, but I assumed (wrongly) that the tabernacle was associated with Moses in this verse. I need to read the Scriptures for what it says!

Yes, the original tabernacle was built and managed by Moses. The tabernacle of David is something far different.

1 Chronicles 15:1 David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

David, even while the original tabernacle (associated with Moses) stood, took the ark of the covenant from the Holy of Holies, brought it to Mount Zion, pitched a tent, and began a completely new order of worship.

1 Chronicles 16:37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required,
1 Chronicles 16:38 and also Obed-edom and his sixty-eight brothers, while Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers.
1 Chronicles 16:39 And he left Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon

Notice that Zadok the priest was in Gibeon, while Asaph and his brothers were to minister before the ark of the covenant, the very heart of the original tabernacle. (Somehow, if I had been Zadok, I think I would have felt ripped off!)

There is so much more to speak of, but Amos is speaking of a tent/tabernacle/booth containing only the ark of the covenant, in Jerusalem, with direct access to the ark for worship.

When James speaks of the tabernacle of David in Acts, there is much more to the word picture than I first imagined. The tabernacle of David represented direct access to the ark, representing God Himself. The tabernacle of David was a simpler, much more humble tent than the original tabernacle. The tabernacle of David was approached by many in Jerusalem, and singing was a large component of the worship.

During the reign of David, the tabernacle of David was a beautiful picture of Jesus, being the approachable Messiah, humble in appearance, available for worship, and lastly, a temporary structure, for the day would come that the tabernacle of the body of Jesus would be tore down!

Thankfully, God raised Jesus from the dead, and from the empty grave, the Messiah restored the tabernacle of David, which we humbly call the church nowadays.

The tabernacle of David, the body of Christ, is open for the remnant of mankind, and for all the gentiles called by the name of the Lord. May the increase of the David’s tabernacle be great, and may we remember that like David’s tabernacle of old, the New Testament tabernacle of David is to be approachable, humble and realize it’s own temporary status on earth.

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.

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Names of God – FRIEND OF TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS – 161

2025-03-17

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.

161

FRIEND OF TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS

Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Our last post dealt with God considering Himself as a Friend of Abraham. We spoke of how rare it was for someone to be called a Friend of God in the Old Testament , and that only Moses was somewhat considered the same as Abraham in this select club, that is of being a friend of God.

To be a friend of God in the Old Testament seemed to be linked with trustworthiness, in that both Abraham and Moses were faithful to the call of God on their lives.

As mentioned in the previous post, all that went loosey goosey in the New Testament, for as Jesus rubbed shoulders with those in the nation, He presented Himself as a Friendly One, to the point that the religious leaders of Israel tried to use it against Him.

They noticed that He liked to be around “low life’s”, the “dregs of society” and “losers”. Little did they know that it is those very people who do not have some self imposed understanding of who the Messiah is that actually creates barriers to seeing the truth.

Jesus was called a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Little did the enemies of Jesus understand that to openly be friendly with “sinners” would blow up the church! Flocks of “losers” would rush to be accepted by a God who would exhibit friendliness with then.

The Pharisees had it all wrong. Their pride and obstinance blinded them to the greatest power to influence someone else. Although the Lord’s enemies described Him as a friend of tax collectors and sinners, this didn’t go far enough. As he strode amongst the “unwashed” He cared for them, healing them, listening and teaching a radical love of God, of a simple repentance and faith in God (and not in man)!

Yes, Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners, but it goes far deeper than that. His death of the cruel cross proved that He was a friend of “tax takers and sinless religious judges” – those who hated Him, those who mocked Him and spread slander about Him.

Yes a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But so much 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.

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Names of God – FRIEND OF ABRAHAM – 160

2025-03-14

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.

160

FRIEND OF ABRAHAM

Isaiah 41:8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

Abraham was a friend of God. No – sorry, but that is wrong – I have my tenses mixed up!

Consider that the prophet Isaiah is speaking of Abraham as being God’s friend, present tense. Isaiah, hundreds of years after Abraham, is declaring, as so many of the prophets do, that those who have fallen asleep are not without companionship, and that companionship is God Himself.

Abraham is the only person in the Word declared to be a friend of God. Well, sort of. Moses was described as one to whom God would speak to as a friend.

Exodus 33:11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

These two men are the only two men in the Old Testament that are called a friend of God. Amazing.

Consider what it means to be a friend. It must be understood that to be, or to have a friend, two people are involved. Also, I cannot state that I am a friend to someone who hates me. At least I can’t in all honesty call my enemy a friend unless I am seeking to turn them to my friend.

A friend is someone who seeks my best and will avoid inflicting pain on me. A friend is someone I can trust, and that should be able to trust me.

Was it not such with both Abraham and Moses. God requested actions from them, and they sought to comply, and out of a Master/servant relationship, friendship grew. God could, in a sense trust Abraham. He could sort of trust Moses.

But things get all loosey goosey when God comes down to earth. He is not calling anyone friend based on whether He can trust them. Granted, He does speak to His apostles as friends, having experienced a Servant Master relationship with them for a period of time. I think there was an element of trust between Him and His men.

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

This relationship of friendship though, seems to be dependent on information provided to them, and not specifically their trustworthiness, as it was with Abraham and Moses.

Things in relation to being a friend of God are morphing a little bit here. But consider Jesus next statement, when His betrayer approaches Him with armed guards.

Matthew 26:50 Jesus said to him (Judas), “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.

Jesus knew what was about to happen, and yet He called the man who would become the poster boy of betrayal a friend. This is simply astounding, that He extended friendship to a man who was stabbing Him in the back.

Jesus is the Friend of God, the true Friend of God, in that He has shown by His actions the attitude God has toward those who love God, those who are learning of God, and to those who despise God.

For God, there has only been One who is completely trustworthy, only One who knows all from the Father, and the only One who has exhibited God’s love to the worst of sinners.

Abraham and Moses were called friends of God, only in that they reflected the true Friend of God, Jesus the Messiah.

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.

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Life of David – 19.08

2025-03-12

David and Abigail

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 25:39-42

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

Consider the last 2 to 3 weeks for Abigail. She was the wife of a wealthy, though foolish man, who was in the midst of harvest, bringing in bounty from the fields. She lived the life of privilege, having five young women tend to her every need. Since no offspring is mentioned, she may have been a very young woman, with much to look forward to.

Her husband appeared to be completely in control of his business. He had many workers providing help for the harvest and seemed to experience every good thing God could provide.

When resistance, or difficulty came to the household, she could rest easy, for Nabal was not one to let anyone simply take advantage of the business or household. It was just a few days back when she witnessed her husband upbraiding some young soldiers as they came “begging”, and may have thought nothing of it.

Then a servant comes to her and shatters her idyllic life. An army was approaching, 400 men with swords, being led by a man that was highly successful at winning battles against experienced armies. What chance did Nabal’s household have? And this approaching army was coming for blood, simply because Nabal spoke foolishness.

Her actions showed her to be wise, acting quickly to head off a massacre. She led a small contingent of Nabal’s household, taking with her gifts of food, into a confrontation with the approaching army. Things may have turned out very poorly for her, but she met a man that could be reasoned with.

Her actions impacted David’s resolve to inflict massive damage and death on her masters household, and allowed God to bring about a focused, end result. Nabal’s death was at the hand of God, and the household was spared the bloodshed it seemed at one point destined to experience.

Abigail had kept her household safe. Although she lost a husband, there is no record of her assuming the property rights and taking over the business. It was a possible outcome that she would then take Nabal’s place of leadership in the business. Rare but possible.

Now shift over to David. He had been a man on the run, and his family life was simply non-existent. He witnessed a woman who exercised great wisdom and humility, having saved him from a huge mistake. He had been denied his first wife, Mical, by his father-in-law, and realized that Abigail had recently become a widow.

Does it not make sense that he take her as his wife, for the very simple reason of relieving her of her widowhood? He initiated the death march on Nabal, and though God finished the work, Abigail experienced the fallout of widowhood.

Consider the courtship of David and Abigail. Servants told her to be his wife. That’s it. No wooing, no romance, no mystery of relationship. Get over here woman – be my wife!

Abigail submitted to the servants message and became David’s wife. It seems this action of taking wives was to become an issue for David. In our very next verse, we find that David found another woman and he “took her” also.

1 Samuel 25:43-44

43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

Herein begins the wife taking life of David.

Michal	1 Samuel 18:20-27 1 Samuel 19:11-17 1 Samuel 25:44 2 Samuel 3:13-14
Ahinoam of Jezreel	1 Chronicles 3:1 2 Samuel 3:2 2 Samuel 2:2
Abigail of Carmel	1 Chronicles 3:1 2 Samuel 2:2 2 Samuel 3:3
Macaah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur	1 Chronicles 3:2 2 Samuel 3:3
Haggith	1 Chronicles 3:2 2 Samuel 3:4
Abital	1 Chronicles 3:3 2 Samuel 3:4
Eglah	1 Chronicles 3:3 2 Samuel 3:5
Bathsheba	2 Samuel 11 – 12 1 Kings 1

These are his wives that we know of. Concubines were part of David’s life also. This “taking of wives” caused David much heartache in his future reign. Where did he get this idea that it was an acceptable way to live before the Lord? Did not Samuel provide guidance for this part of his life.

Deuteronomy 17:17 And he (the king) shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Could David have been ignorant of this direction from his God? Did he see multiple wives as the “normal” lifestyle due to his spiritual mentor Samuel having many wives? That is not possible since there is no mention of Samuel having any wife little lone multiple wives.

So where did the future king get this idea? Was it just that he was virale, needing the attention of more than one wife? Was it a power play to extend his influence over other nations? (Notice Maacah, was of the kingdom of Geshur)

Was it that Saul provided an example of multiple wives? For all of Saul’s weaknesses, he restrained himself to one wife, Ahinoam, and one concubine Rizpah.

David took Abigail, and followed suit with seven other women. Who knows how many concubines. Why he took so many wives we may never know, except for Bathsheba, but we will get to her eventually. Family strife was the norm for David, and eventually it would bring him to the brink of loosing his kingdom.

David and women. A point of weakness in this man 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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Amos – 03

2025-03-11

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

Amos

Lion

Amos 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?
Amos 3:8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

Revelation 10:3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

Amos is a prophet in the Northern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom is about to vanish, disappear from the face of the earth (as a nation).

Amos begins this passage defining the exact intent of his message. God is against the people of the Northern Kingdom.

Amos 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt

The Northern Kingdom, as long as it has existed, had been completely sold out to idolatry, and judgement was about to fall. In this judgement, the Lord is likened to a lion, roaring in the forest.

Lions are also considered to be at the top of the food chain, the rulers of the savannah, the king of the cats. It would not be an exaggeration to consider a lion’s roar as a deafening, frightful noise. A lion’s roar is so intense, that it can be heard as much as five miles away, and has been measured to over 110 decibels. The lion will belt out such a frightening roar in order to protect their pride, (that is their family not their ego!).

The flip side of this is that the roar is bellowed out to scare of intruders to their territory. Yet interestingly, a lion does not roar prior to the taking of prey. This makes sense for an animal that depends on stealth to capture prey.

Yet for Amos, the lion was an apt picture of the Lord at that time in the Northern Kingdoms history. Hosea, a contemporary of Amos, though somewhat later than Amos, preached to the Northern Kingdom, and refers to the Lord as a lion also.

Hosea 13:8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.

But notice one thing different between the two. For Amos, who was prior to Hosea, the message was of a roar of the lion. For Hosea, the lion is decribed as devouring the victim, in this case, the Northern Kingdom.

But Carl, what might that difference signify? What’s the point of noticing this?

The roar of the lion is not sent out prior to the hunt, prior to taking prey. The roar of the lion is to intimidate, to declare of territory they own, to communicate to those in the forest that there is danger. There is potential death, and the ones in the lions territory need to understand the threat.

Of course, looking in hind sight, we know the Northern Kingdom was devoured by the Assyrians. Yet at the time of Amos preaching, couched in the message of the roar of a lion, there may have been one last effort to reach the Northern Kingdom, to bring them back to the covenant.

Amos was providing a warning to the Northern Kingdom. A warning intended to produce godly fear in the nation.

Amos 3:8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

Amos directly connects the lion’s roar to God speaking, definitely directing Amos prophecy to the Northern Kingdom. For Amos’s immediate audience, it wasn’t too late for the Northern Kingdom, as it would be by the time Hosea was preaching. The roar may be described as a severe mercy, seeking to get the nation to turn around. Yet without the intended result. So sad.

Although some debate the identification of the mighty angel in Revelation 10, I am of the opinion that it is no other than the Risen Christ. Consider how He is described, and compare that with the earlier descriptions in the first chapter. Nevertheless, the Lion roaring in Revelation 10:3 speaks of another warning, of a coming judgement.

That this judgement hasn’t fallen yet speaks of His patience and love towards His people, towards those who are in His territory, and that need to hear His message.

The Lord is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and in His roar is a message for all to heed.

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.

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Names of God – FRIEND – 159

2025-03-10

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.

159

FRIEND

Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Recently, in our series “What the Bible Probably Didn’t Mean, I considered this verse, explaining how my thoughts on the intent of this verse had changed as I understood the verse’s message. I was challenged in the concept of the first phrase of “many companions.

For this post, I would like to consider the friend referred to in the second phrase, the friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The term “friend” in this verse is the Hebrew word אָהַב ʼâhab, and in the Old Testament, it is translated as friend 12 times. But of the 208 times it is found in the Word, the preponderance of translation choice falls upon the idea of love.

The relationship is different from that of a companion, an associate, who may be somewhat of a fair weather friend, one who is in your life for their own benefit. Solomon is contrasting this friend with a companion, and to emphasize the “friendliness” or love of this friend, he goes above and beyond and says this friend is closer than a brother!

This friend has a love that is greater than that of a brother. This passage depends on our own understanding of friends and brothers, and how we relate to them. Some may be estranged from their brothers and sisters at this time in their lives. (If so, and there is any action the believer can take to reconcile, be at it!)

But Solomon is describing a person who loves greater than a brother, who is ever faithful. If there is a soul out there reading this post, and is experiencing a perfect relationship with their physical brother, the passage still elevates God’s love beyond that.

He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother. His love is greater than the best love available on earth!

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.

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Names of God – FREE GIFT- 158

2025-03-07

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.

158

FREE GIFT

Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Paul is describing the salvation provided by Jesus as a free gift, and as believers we understand that there is no way we could pay our way out of the rebellion that is in our heart and that we have practiced in our lives. The only option we had before a holy and righteous God was that of a free gift of salvation to be provided.

In this passage he is contrasting two men and their actions, along with the consequences of those actions.

The first is Adam, and the trespass of Adam, along with the resulting fall of all of mankind. He represented both you and I in that action, and as the child of Adam, we have that same rebellion of heart.

But some would decry – That is not fair. Why should I suffer due to the actions of another, so long ago. We ”know” we could have done so much better than Adam, and complain (at least internally) that we got the short end of the stick in this deal.

What might the Old Testament saint have thought? The mud and mire they were sinking in as they carried the burden of rebellion due to someone else. Might it have seemed unfair for some? A source of complaint against God? Surely it was.

In the midst of this seeming unfairness, God had established a legal system that would provide consequences for all from the heads of their families. As Adam did wrong, all following in Adam’s lineage would suffer, owning the rebellious heart along with the judgement of death to be passed on each.

But this system of consequences being passed onto family members is a two edged sword. Yes, Adam provided a “free gift” of death for his lineage, but this also provided an opportunity for God to start a new lineage, a lineage that could receive a different free gift, a more extensive free gift.

It occurs to me that even in those systems and processes that God has ordained, that seem to be to our detriment, those same processes and systems may be turned around by the Lord Himself and provide greater blessing than we can imagine.

But that still may provide us opportunity to complain about His ways and His will. It is for us to be thankful in all things.

Paul’s message is much deeper than the scratching I have feebly entered into, but the fact that Jesus has created a new lineage for the many who are experiencing death by Adam is an amazing statement.

Death for the many due to Adam.
Life for the many due to Jesus.

May we who are of the many praise the name of Jesus for His ever expanding grace to the most undeserving of 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.

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Life of David – 19.07

2025-03-05

David and Abigail

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 25:36-38

36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

She saved the day. Abigail saved the day for Nabal and his household. David had been turned back. David’s rage had been assuaged. Nabal and his foolishness might seem to have been given a pass, at least from his view point.

He may have felt that he was invincible, that David would not so much as attempt to retaliate. After all, he was Nabal, a wealthy man, not unlike a king, and that that by the mere complaint of his voice he could set a standard, avoid his cultural responsibility, and not fear a resulting backlash. No one would dare to hurt Nabal!

Nabal was about to face reality after the wine faded, for after the party, where he was enjoying the multiple fruits of his, (and others) labors, Abigail spoke truth to him. The judgement of an army coming to wipe out the house of Nabal shook Nabal, and the Word speaks of his heart dying within him becoming as stone. Surely this was not the end for Nabal, for the passage tells us he died ten days later.

So what happened to Nabal when Abigail told him of the gift given to David, and of his brush with death. How did Nabal handle the near extermination of his household? What went on in his mind when he realized a woman saved his life? Did he go off sullenly? Did he act out in a childish way, pouting over the happenings of the last 24 hours, in conflict over not having his own way?

It is often true that a fool, when danger is avoided, will continue on in his foolishness. Unless a fool becomes wise, he is a fool. Was he simply upset with the loss of control of Abigail? Of the lost assets that she took to David? Of his inability to lead the household safely? Of his selfishness in his decisions?

Or did he taste in truth the reality of his close escape, the danger he and his household came so close to experiencing, the result of his foolish, rash and proud remarks against the future king of Israel? Might he have suffered a stroke from the stress of the news?

The Word simply states

37 … his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

How to interpret this may be beyond the intent of this post. But the vengeance David was about to exact on Nabal was performed by the Lord, for he had ten days left. Death was on his doorstep, and would provide another instance where the future king of Israel would see the work of God on his behalf.

38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

Nabal’s death also provided an opportunity for Abigail that may not have been expected when she first thought of her saving effort. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Nabal’s death is a grim reminder that living for self is a path to destruction. A fool can (and is) courting death without realizing the danger he is in.

There are many that reject the counsel of God Almighty to their own detriment, living a life of self assured safety, but ignoring a message of a real danger, a very real declaration of judgement, and that has couched within the judgement, the greatest news ever offered.

This message is a message that resulted in the death of the Only Wise One, to convert fools into followers. As my grandchildren often say, that is a pretty sweet deal.

That is true!

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.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Amos – 02

2025-03-04

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

Amos

Plumb Line

Amos 7:7-8 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.
And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them;

Romans 3:23-26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

What in tarnation is a plumb line?

One dictionary defines it as a piece of string with a weight attached to one end, used either to test if something vertical, such as a wall, is exactly straight, or to find the depth of water.

For Amos, the first portion of the definition applies for us. The plumb line would check for straightness, but more specifically to test for vertical trueness. The plumb line does not cause the crookedness, nor nor can it be blamed if poor workmanship is to be blamed.

The plumb line is used to show that the wall is not vertical. The plumb line is used to show whether the wall was constructed properly and remains. It is an impartial judge.

In this instance, Amos saw that the plumb line was not giving the nation good news. When the nation was compared with the plumb line, crookedness became evident.

Now specifically, the vision was as depicted, yet I can’t help to see that the outworking of the vision may have been the application of the law of God against the people of God. When the law of God is brought forward to to judge whether the people of God were upright and straight, the law is strict, harsh and impartial.

Yes, the people were continually under the law, with expectations of living under the law. Failure in both the northern kingdom, which Amos is addressing, and the southern kingdom was common, with the mercy of God being extended over and over again.

This mercy was not available for the norther kingdom this time. When the plumb line was consulted, the verdict was given. The Lord said,

vs 9 I will never again pass by them

For the northern kingdom, judgement had been given, with no mercy available. Not one chapter later, this judgement is reiterated, stating

Amos 8:2 And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them.

God will never again pass by them. Interesting terminology. Pass by them. Hmmmm

Exodus 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.

The Israelites were witness to a deliverance that crippled their masters in Egypt, and the night of the passover, that effected their freedom, Moses wrote of the Lord passing through the land of Egypt, executing judgement.

For Israel, the Lord had “passed by”, had provided mercy to the nation in their sin. This was to stop, and judgement was to be executed. He is the Lord. The nation was dispersed, with many put to death by the Assyrians. The nation never recovered.

When we look to the Law of God, the standard is the person of God. It reflects His holiness, and by doing so, reveals all unholiness and unrighteousness. No wonder it is maligned, despised and ignored by the masses. It judges! It condemns!

In the days of the theocracy of Israel, mercy was provided, and it seemed the law of God was not applied evenly, even seemingly making the law of God of no effect. For the Law of God to be executed consistently, continually and with legal force, none under the Law would survive.

Yet the nation of Israel, at least the southern nation, though sinful, continued to be protected, carried through a captivity and returned to the land to bring forth the Law of God in human form, the Messiah.

He truly was a plumb line for the nation to experience. He lived the Law of God perfectly, and because of that was condemned by sinners, and experienced the outworking of the Law of God,

His death completed many actions for the salvation we so richly enjoy, but for our post today, we can be reminded that His death also showed that the law of God was satisfied, even though it appeared to be applied unevenly, and that any mercy shown to the people of God previously was to be satisfied at the cross. All sin was dealt with at the cross, past present and future, and though Jesus acted as a plumb line in the land during His sojourn, He also provided the satisfaction of justice the plumb line revealed was necessary.

He is the plumb line, He that is the perfect representation of the Law of God, showing us how far we have fallen, and thankfully, showing us how far He will go to redeem us.

Thank you Jesus for being the standard, and satisfying the standard set. You are truly everything we could hope for!

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.

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Names of God – FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS- 157

2025-03-03

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.

157

FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS

Jeremiah 2:13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water

In our last post, we considered Zechariah 13:1, in which God calls the Messiah a fountain, a fountain whose purpose was to supply cleansing for an individual upon repentance. Zechariah made much of the individual responding to the piercing of the Messiah.

He gave us a beautiful picture of the sinner coming to the Lord, realizing the cost Jesus paid to provide a cleansing from sin and responding in repentance, finding the cleansing so desperately needed.

It is coincidental that Zechariah’s verse came before Jeremiah’s in our study, for it seems that it reflects the general order of salvation for all, even for us millennia later. As Zechariah may be describing the initial act of getting right with God, that initial repentance, resulting in justification before a holy God, Jeremiah may be describing the life after the initial cleansing. All of this supposition is simply my thoughts, the thoughts of a fellow that has been taught a certain salvation process.

Could Zechariah’s passage be applied to a believer as he continues on his walk with God, seeking to keep his life clean, resorting to that fountain of cleansing as we follows the Lord (1 John 1:9) Of course. Might Jeremiah’s description of a fountain of living water be the reality of first salvation? Of course!

But consider Jeremiah’s message. His verse is of a people who walked away from their God, they had known God and departed from Him. Jeremiah is crying over their departure, of the apostacy of the people of God. He described their former blessing, that of God as the living water. Jeremiah is emphasizing the nature of the water when he describes it as a fountain, and as living. Both these descriptions speak of movement, of life, of energy.

We have addressed the thought behind God being described as a fountain in our previous post, but Jeremiah goes on to describe this bubbling, spring of water as living. To be described as living has the same general message as a fountain, that is that God is alive, fresh, and full of energy, providing life and renewal, even of revival.

It seems Jeremiah can’t describe God as the source of life enough, he can’t emphasize the life provided from God enough. Movement and energy, life and renewal is his message, and that it can only be found in God.

Yet those who are of the people of God sought to make their own god, a lifeless and death dealing source that could not hold “dead water”, for a cistern holds non-moving dead water. No, the people of God could not even build a working cistern, for their “cistern”, their god they trusted in, was dry as a bone, lifeless and broken.

An illusion of hope for the thirsty soul, a distraction and a trap, for the thirsty soul might never consider an alternative, a much better and lively source of water. That broken cistern may become a weight about that thirsty souls neck, requiring much work to constantly maintain and repair that cistern, the hauling of water to it, the disappointment of it’s inadequacies in providing any hope.

Such is the condition Jeremiah found himself in.

Are you servicing a broken cistern? There is an alternative, and He is full of life, abundant in energy and is not only a cleansing fountain, but the provider of His own life for you.

The apostle John speaks of living water in two discourses of the Lord. The first is with the Samaritan woman, and speaks of life provided by the Son.

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Even greater, John picks up on this concepts chapters later, and describes the one who has believed in Jesus, who has taken the water offered to the Samaritan women, as a source for others, a continual source for others.

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Living water doesn’t stay put. He is constantly moving, providing life and energy to the saint and to those who interact with the saint.

Consider the source and type of water you rely on. Is it active, alive and full of energy? Is the water fresh, and life producing? For if your water is stale, bitter and sparse, you may be building a broken cistern. He is waiting for your return. Full of life and ready to cleanse.

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.

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Names of God – FOUNTAIN – 156

2025-02-28

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.

156

Fountain

Zechariah 13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Can you imagine what the Old Testament saint thought when this passage was read? I know the picture in my mind is of some ornate sculpture that spouts water in the air, or of a large pool of water with some type of moving water being shot in the air.

If this is the picture that forms in your mind, take the eraser out and wipe it clean, for this is not the picture Zechariah is trying to communicate to his listeners.

To speak of a fountain in the Old Testament referred to a spring of water, a bubbling brook or simply a well of fresh water. Nothing that is flamboyant, or necessarily appealing to the eyes, other than the hope of life that is represented by seeing the moving water.

This verse follows after (or may be considered part of) Zechariah’s great prophecy of “Him whom they pierced”.

Zechariah 12:10-14
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves;
and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

I added this long passage for our reading to remind my reader that the image of pouring, or of releasing a spirit of grace feeds directly into our image of a fountain in the next very next chapter.

One other truth that I surely skipped over in my previous readings of this passage is the individuality of the mourning for each as they look on the One them they have pierced. Notice the repeated reference to “by itself” or “by themselves” Individual mourning is the message, and this action is the precursor the the fountain of cleansing God provides.

Even greater is the truth that the mourning is a result of God pouring our this “spirit of grace and pleas of mercy” in order that this mourning may occur. Reread verse 10 above. The spirit of grace was needed in order to or “so that” they shall mourn at the sight of Him whom they pierced.

Zechariah speaks of God providing the spirit of grace to individuals, enabling them to mourn the death of Him whom they pierced. This leads to a fountain opened for cleansing.

Such a rich description of the crucifixion, of a time when those who looked to the Messiah, gazing upon the One who hung on a torturous cross, dying in front of all. He was pierced, bleeding out His life, and Zechariah speaks of it as a cleansing fountain.

Again, this picture of a fountain that I started this post with is so offensive to the truth of this vision that Zechariah is trying to communicate.

The Fountain is a cleansing fountain, with the living water actually the blood of God flowing from His body. His cleansing blood flowed due to the beatings, the whippings and the excruciating death His judges exacted upon Him.

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
John 19:37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

The Fountain was opened for us, never to be closed. He is the Fountain which provides the cleansing, a cleansing of those who mourned of His death, a cleansing from sin and uncleanness.

Next time I think or read this verse, my thoughts will not turn to some garish sculptured fountain, but steered to the cross, to a Man who is all alone, tortured, bleeding out and dying, in order to provide for my cleansing.

May our thoughts be centered on His love for us, and lead us to a more holy and cleansed life to honor Him who bled for us.

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

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

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Tag: Old Testament

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The Lord Stirring Saul

Men stirring Saul

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