Isaiah 28:16 (ESV Strong's)
therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
A Sure Foundation in the Midst of Turmoil
They only way to really understand and appreciate the power of the above verse is to understand the times and events Isaiah is prophesying about. Isaiah is pronouncing dome on the surrounding nations and on Israel, for their disobedience. Yet, in the in the midst of this prophecy God is calling out a remnant of believers. That remnant is going to see that Christ is the “cornerstone” and the “sure foundation” for them. God must punish sin. But, He makes way for those who want to put their trust in Him to have assurance of salvation. Christ will come and be the cornerstone. Here is how Paul would use this same text for his theology:
Ephesians 2:20 (ESV Strong's)
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Jesus Christ is our cornerstone. We have a firm foundation. We can go through the dangers of life know that our feet are on solid ground.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Repentance Does NOT Change Situations - Job 11
Job 11:15-16 (ESV Strong's)
Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
you will be secure and will not fear.
You will forget your misery;
you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
Repentance Does NOT Always Produce New A Situation.
The last of Jobs three “friends,” Zophar, finally gets his time to talk. He, however, is the harshest of them all. He has little patience for Job and takes the track that Job has sinned and he needs to repent. He states that “if” he repents (Job 11:13, 14), then God will restore him. The above verses are, according to Zophar, what that restoration looks like. Although repentance is the avenue for restoration to God is not the parade that comes before situational change. A young, unmarried, girl who finds herself pregnant can repent and find peace in God’s grace, but she is still pregnant. Zophar is harsh. He believes that all suffering is a direct aspect of sin. He thinks that if we sin and reprint, God will usher in not just a spiritual peace but physical manifestations of that repentance. When Zophar tells Job he will “lift up your face without blemish,” he is referring to Job’s physical disfigurement due to the afflictions he was hit with by Satan. Zophar is a typical religious person today who simply tells people to repent and all will be okay physically. Repentance can care for the penalty of sin we have between God and us, but it does not always care for the physical ramifications of sin in the world. Remember, we know that Job is not suffering this demise because of his sin. We read that in chapters one and two of the book. But, Zophar’s philosophy is simply locked in that people who suffer must be sinners and those who suffer as bad as Job must be grave sinners. The truth is that some suffering comes about from our sin (think of Jonah in the big fish). But it is equally true that suffering comes form evil in the world (think of an airliner shot down by an evil regime and the passengers on board all die as no fault of their own expect that they were on the flight). We have to start helping people understand that in the midst of suffering confession, repentance play a part for sin in our lives, but it is not the end, it is simply a pathway to God’s grace ... of which He WILL extend to our hearts and MAY extend to our situation.
Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
you will be secure and will not fear.
You will forget your misery;
you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
Repentance Does NOT Always Produce New A Situation.
The last of Jobs three “friends,” Zophar, finally gets his time to talk. He, however, is the harshest of them all. He has little patience for Job and takes the track that Job has sinned and he needs to repent. He states that “if” he repents (Job 11:13, 14), then God will restore him. The above verses are, according to Zophar, what that restoration looks like. Although repentance is the avenue for restoration to God is not the parade that comes before situational change. A young, unmarried, girl who finds herself pregnant can repent and find peace in God’s grace, but she is still pregnant. Zophar is harsh. He believes that all suffering is a direct aspect of sin. He thinks that if we sin and reprint, God will usher in not just a spiritual peace but physical manifestations of that repentance. When Zophar tells Job he will “lift up your face without blemish,” he is referring to Job’s physical disfigurement due to the afflictions he was hit with by Satan. Zophar is a typical religious person today who simply tells people to repent and all will be okay physically. Repentance can care for the penalty of sin we have between God and us, but it does not always care for the physical ramifications of sin in the world. Remember, we know that Job is not suffering this demise because of his sin. We read that in chapters one and two of the book. But, Zophar’s philosophy is simply locked in that people who suffer must be sinners and those who suffer as bad as Job must be grave sinners. The truth is that some suffering comes about from our sin (think of Jonah in the big fish). But it is equally true that suffering comes form evil in the world (think of an airliner shot down by an evil regime and the passengers on board all die as no fault of their own expect that they were on the flight). We have to start helping people understand that in the midst of suffering confession, repentance play a part for sin in our lives, but it is not the end, it is simply a pathway to God’s grace ... of which He WILL extend to our hearts and MAY extend to our situation.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Do They Not Have Knowledge? Psalms 12-14
Psalms 14:4 (ESV Strong's)
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
Do They Not Have Knowledge?
Psalms 14 seems to be written to atheists. The song begins with expressing that a “fool ahas said in his heart, there is no God.” David is writing to these atheists. But, he is also writing to the nation of Israel. David is expressing his thoughts on those who have knowledge, but do not respond in faith toward that knowledge. The nations (as well as Israel) have the creation of God as knowledge about God. The nation of Israel, also has creation. But, they also have the Torah; the written word of God. Neither the nations or Israel respond in faith toward God. This is the cry in the song. This is the concern David has. The point of the song is to decry those who are given knowledge about God but never respond in faith. Knowledge about God is not enough. God wants us to respond in faith toward God. God wants us to respond to the knowledge of him through faith. Knowledge without faith simply puffs us up. This is what happened to the church at Corinth. They simply had knowledge but did not put faith with it. They did not put love with with it (which is faith in action). We have to respond to the knowledge with have in faith.
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
Do They Not Have Knowledge?
Psalms 14 seems to be written to atheists. The song begins with expressing that a “fool ahas said in his heart, there is no God.” David is writing to these atheists. But, he is also writing to the nation of Israel. David is expressing his thoughts on those who have knowledge, but do not respond in faith toward that knowledge. The nations (as well as Israel) have the creation of God as knowledge about God. The nation of Israel, also has creation. But, they also have the Torah; the written word of God. Neither the nations or Israel respond in faith toward God. This is the cry in the song. This is the concern David has. The point of the song is to decry those who are given knowledge about God but never respond in faith. Knowledge about God is not enough. God wants us to respond in faith toward God. God wants us to respond to the knowledge of him through faith. Knowledge without faith simply puffs us up. This is what happened to the church at Corinth. They simply had knowledge but did not put faith with it. They did not put love with with it (which is faith in action). We have to respond to the knowledge with have in faith.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
God Chooses Us So that We Can Choose Him! - Joshua 21-24
Joshua 24:2-3 (ESV Strong's)
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.
God Chooses Us So that We Can Choose Him
In the above passage Joshua is about to die and wants to give the nation of Israel his last thoughts. He is about to ask them if they are willing to choose God or choose the way of the nations around them. To set the stage, he starts in the beginning (above text) that states that Abraham, their father was in the land of Torah and “served other gods.” This is a necessary truth for them to know and remember, because Abraham did NOT choose God. God chose Abraham when we he was worshipping other gods. So, later in this “last-words-of-Joshua” text it is important to know that truth. Joshua, later in this chapter, will make the following challenge to Israel:
Joshua 24:15 (ESV Strong's)
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua lays before them a choice. But, their “ability” to make that choice and have that choice, first lies in the truth that God choose Israel to be His people. God directed them and gave them the power to choose Him. God always gives man the power to choose Him. But, it is initiated by God and completed by man’s hearing truth and responding in faith that he has nothing to offer God. God wants us to choose Him and will, first, give us the power to make that choice in faith.
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.
God Chooses Us So that We Can Choose Him
In the above passage Joshua is about to die and wants to give the nation of Israel his last thoughts. He is about to ask them if they are willing to choose God or choose the way of the nations around them. To set the stage, he starts in the beginning (above text) that states that Abraham, their father was in the land of Torah and “served other gods.” This is a necessary truth for them to know and remember, because Abraham did NOT choose God. God chose Abraham when we he was worshipping other gods. So, later in this “last-words-of-Joshua” text it is important to know that truth. Joshua, later in this chapter, will make the following challenge to Israel:
Joshua 24:15 (ESV Strong's)
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua lays before them a choice. But, their “ability” to make that choice and have that choice, first lies in the truth that God choose Israel to be His people. God directed them and gave them the power to choose Him. God always gives man the power to choose Him. But, it is initiated by God and completed by man’s hearing truth and responding in faith that he has nothing to offer God. God wants us to choose Him and will, first, give us the power to make that choice in faith.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Where do Children Learn to Sin? Genesis 16-19
Genesis 19:36-38 (ESV Strong's)
Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Where do Children Learn to Sin?
Lot, how wife and his two daughters originally lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. That city had become so evil that God rained down fire from heaven and destroyed it. Lot had lived there many years and had had no fruit to introduce the city to Yahweh. Now, fleeing from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot lands in a cave outside another great city and his daughters practice evil by getting him drunk and laying with him to become pregnant. All these girls knew was the sexual depravity of their youth. Despite being rescued from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, these cities were still in their heart. They were still practicing the same things they learned. Remember, when Lot was confronted with the men of Sodom wanting to have sex with his guests, Lot offered these same two daughters to the men of the city as a substitute for his guests. Is it any wonder the girls would later get their father drunk and have sex with him? The Moabites and the Ammonites would soon be one of the nations that Joshua would fight against in securing the promise land for Israel, Abraham’s descendants. The reason was that their inquiry was so evil, God would destroy them. This continued cycle of sin would repeat itself generation after generation. Lot introduced his daughters to sin and they would introduce their children to sin. Only the grace of God can stop this cycle. Only faith in God can stop this cycle. Even then we don’t stop the cycle. But, we can make sure that the external penalty for the sin is removed by the blood of Christ. Children learn sin from their parents; who learned it from their parents. Only Christ can intervene and stop the penalty for sin. Only Christ can intervene by His death on the cross and stop the power of sin from corrupting families and nations. But, when we reject God, as Lot would do, only sin and corruptions and destruction remain.
Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Where do Children Learn to Sin?
Lot, how wife and his two daughters originally lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. That city had become so evil that God rained down fire from heaven and destroyed it. Lot had lived there many years and had had no fruit to introduce the city to Yahweh. Now, fleeing from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot lands in a cave outside another great city and his daughters practice evil by getting him drunk and laying with him to become pregnant. All these girls knew was the sexual depravity of their youth. Despite being rescued from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, these cities were still in their heart. They were still practicing the same things they learned. Remember, when Lot was confronted with the men of Sodom wanting to have sex with his guests, Lot offered these same two daughters to the men of the city as a substitute for his guests. Is it any wonder the girls would later get their father drunk and have sex with him? The Moabites and the Ammonites would soon be one of the nations that Joshua would fight against in securing the promise land for Israel, Abraham’s descendants. The reason was that their inquiry was so evil, God would destroy them. This continued cycle of sin would repeat itself generation after generation. Lot introduced his daughters to sin and they would introduce their children to sin. Only the grace of God can stop this cycle. Only faith in God can stop this cycle. Even then we don’t stop the cycle. But, we can make sure that the external penalty for the sin is removed by the blood of Christ. Children learn sin from their parents; who learned it from their parents. Only Christ can intervene and stop the penalty for sin. Only Christ can intervene by His death on the cross and stop the power of sin from corrupting families and nations. But, when we reject God, as Lot would do, only sin and corruptions and destruction remain.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
The Spirit Prays for Us - Romans 7-8
Romans 8:26-27 (ESV Strong's)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The Spirit Prays for Us
In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His answer was what we now refer as, “The Lord’s Prayer.” That answer gave them the “technical” side of praying ... “how” to do it. But, in the above passage, Paul teaches us “what” is happening during our coming to God in prayer. Paul tells us that when we pray, the Holy Spirit is actually praying through us. When we pray, as the passage states, the Holy Spirit knows what the mind of God is and, as we pray in faith, the Spirit of God “intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” The Trinity has their own language. When Paul states that the Spirit talks to God on our behalf, He does so with words we do not even understand. This is not “our groaning,” as though we can somehow talk in a gibberish that the Spirit can use to create some form of dialect for God to know what we want. No, it is the other way around. The Spirit takes our asking, seeking and knocking and translate that into an unknown Inter-Trinitarian language, only understood by the three persons of the Godhead. When we pray all three of the Godhead are present. We don’t know what to pray for, so the Spirit takes our payers, done in faith, and through the ministry of the Son and His sacrifice the destroyed the barrier between us and God and cries out to God, who hears the Spirit and gives us His will in the thing we asked for. That is what it means to pray in the Spirit.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The Spirit Prays for Us
In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His answer was what we now refer as, “The Lord’s Prayer.” That answer gave them the “technical” side of praying ... “how” to do it. But, in the above passage, Paul teaches us “what” is happening during our coming to God in prayer. Paul tells us that when we pray, the Holy Spirit is actually praying through us. When we pray, as the passage states, the Holy Spirit knows what the mind of God is and, as we pray in faith, the Spirit of God “intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” The Trinity has their own language. When Paul states that the Spirit talks to God on our behalf, He does so with words we do not even understand. This is not “our groaning,” as though we can somehow talk in a gibberish that the Spirit can use to create some form of dialect for God to know what we want. No, it is the other way around. The Spirit takes our asking, seeking and knocking and translate that into an unknown Inter-Trinitarian language, only understood by the three persons of the Godhead. When we pray all three of the Godhead are present. We don’t know what to pray for, so the Spirit takes our payers, done in faith, and through the ministry of the Son and His sacrifice the destroyed the barrier between us and God and cries out to God, who hears the Spirit and gives us His will in the thing we asked for. That is what it means to pray in the Spirit.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Who We Love More Matters - Matthew 8-10
Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV Strong's)
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Who We Love More Matters
Jesus is not holding back His teaching in this section. In these chapters (8-10) we see Jesus doing many miracles for the purpose of demonstrating He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is the Son of God. As the Son of God He demands complete devotion. We live in an era where many mothers and fathers love their children so much, they worship them. They love them above their love for Christ. In practical terms that means they put the needs of their children more than they put the needs of the Jesus Christ. In our era men and women love each other more than they love Christ. That means the needs of the woman can become more important to the man, then the needs of Christ. Note Paul’s words to married couples:
1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (ESV Strong's)
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
We can, very easily, be distracted by the world. The world wants to entice us and get our focus onto the shining things it offers. Jesus wants total allegiance to Him. That is what total love us. We can love two things the same. Note Christ’s words, spoke earlier in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:24 (ESV Strong's)
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We have to have a single minded mindset for God. Yes, we need to love our spouse and our children. But, we cannot put their needs about the needs of Christ and our allegiance to Christ.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Who We Love More Matters
Jesus is not holding back His teaching in this section. In these chapters (8-10) we see Jesus doing many miracles for the purpose of demonstrating He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is the Son of God. As the Son of God He demands complete devotion. We live in an era where many mothers and fathers love their children so much, they worship them. They love them above their love for Christ. In practical terms that means they put the needs of their children more than they put the needs of the Jesus Christ. In our era men and women love each other more than they love Christ. That means the needs of the woman can become more important to the man, then the needs of Christ. Note Paul’s words to married couples:
1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (ESV Strong's)
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
We can, very easily, be distracted by the world. The world wants to entice us and get our focus onto the shining things it offers. Jesus wants total allegiance to Him. That is what total love us. We can love two things the same. Note Christ’s words, spoke earlier in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:24 (ESV Strong's)
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We have to have a single minded mindset for God. Yes, we need to love our spouse and our children. But, we cannot put their needs about the needs of Christ and our allegiance to Christ.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Great Nations Fall - Isaiah 18-22
Isaiah 21:8-9 (ESV Strong's)
Then he who saw cried out:
“Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,
continually by day,
and at my post I am stationed
whole nights.
And behold, here come riders,
horsemen in pairs!”
And he answered,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
and all the carved images of her gods
he has shattered to the ground.”
Great Nations Fall
In chapter 21 of this prophecy, Isaiah is proclaiming God’s message against Babylon. We really can’t understand the above couple of verses because, today, we don’t know the power, prestige and dominance of Babylon, as it was in this day. We might think of our own country, or China, in regard to the power it holds. But, that does not take into account how ruthless Babylon was. They destroyed other countries and people for sport. At the time of this writing, Babylon was not just the world power, it was the only power. No one could stand against it. This is what makes chapter 21 so amazing. The only power on earth is about to be judge by the Omnipotent God of the Universe. God will bring them to so much ash that they will NEVER rebuilt again or heard from again. The Egyptians were this way once, but God brought them low. Babylon was this way, but will be brought low. Soon, Greece will be this way and, eventually, brought low. Rome was this way and finally brought low. God controls the power of this world. No country, party, government is in power unless God allows it. Any nation who does not have God at the center will be brought low and destroyed. That is the essence of Isaiah’s prophecy. It is agains Israel, yes. But it is also against the nation of the day that reject the majesty and sovereign power and control of God.
Then he who saw cried out:
“Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,
continually by day,
and at my post I am stationed
whole nights.
And behold, here come riders,
horsemen in pairs!”
And he answered,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
and all the carved images of her gods
he has shattered to the ground.”
Great Nations Fall
In chapter 21 of this prophecy, Isaiah is proclaiming God’s message against Babylon. We really can’t understand the above couple of verses because, today, we don’t know the power, prestige and dominance of Babylon, as it was in this day. We might think of our own country, or China, in regard to the power it holds. But, that does not take into account how ruthless Babylon was. They destroyed other countries and people for sport. At the time of this writing, Babylon was not just the world power, it was the only power. No one could stand against it. This is what makes chapter 21 so amazing. The only power on earth is about to be judge by the Omnipotent God of the Universe. God will bring them to so much ash that they will NEVER rebuilt again or heard from again. The Egyptians were this way once, but God brought them low. Babylon was this way, but will be brought low. Soon, Greece will be this way and, eventually, brought low. Rome was this way and finally brought low. God controls the power of this world. No country, party, government is in power unless God allows it. Any nation who does not have God at the center will be brought low and destroyed. That is the essence of Isaiah’s prophecy. It is agains Israel, yes. But it is also against the nation of the day that reject the majesty and sovereign power and control of God.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Mental Illness is NOT Sin; But it is Impacted by Sin - Job 8-10
Job 10:18-22 (ESV Strong's)
“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not my days few?
Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
before I go—and I shall not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness.”
Mental Illness is NOT Sin; but it is Impacted by Sin
When people suffer they like to read the book of Job to get some clarity. Job goes through a lot of suffering but, in the end, he is double blessed. That is probably the part of Job we all like to dwell upon. Job becomes our inspiration ... our hope. However, few who turn to Job for clarity, read the above passage for inspiration. There is no doubt that Job is depressed. He is having a mental illness challenge. His friends are not helping because they are seeing Job’s issue as sin he needs to repent from and about (see chapter eight). Job’s mental challenge is not from his sin. Job’s mental challenge is, however, a result of sin ... but, not HIS sin. Sin in the world is here because Adam disobeyed God. Sin impacts us all. So, when we have suffering, illness and struggles, sin gets invited by default. We only have suffering, illness and struggles because sin entered the world. Job is slipping into mental illness and his friends are interpreting it all as sin in his life. Job is having a crisis of faith. He had interpreted his life as “righteous.” In chapter one we see that God interprets his life as “righteous.” Job, in a false interpretation of life, believes those who live righteous will NOT have suffering. That is the mistake of Job’s belief structure. We won’t see him sort this out until late in the book of Job. Job will come face to face with God and that solves his faith challenges. Job finds a way in the end to put suffering in a better belief structure. But, until then, the God allowed suffering in Job’s life is fully open to sins power. Job only gets through it by exercising his faith toward God. Note how Paul tells us:
Ephesians 6:16 (ESV Strong's)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Faith can quench the darts of sin. Job’s faith leads him out of his mental challenge.
“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not my days few?
Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
before I go—and I shall not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness.”
Mental Illness is NOT Sin; but it is Impacted by Sin
When people suffer they like to read the book of Job to get some clarity. Job goes through a lot of suffering but, in the end, he is double blessed. That is probably the part of Job we all like to dwell upon. Job becomes our inspiration ... our hope. However, few who turn to Job for clarity, read the above passage for inspiration. There is no doubt that Job is depressed. He is having a mental illness challenge. His friends are not helping because they are seeing Job’s issue as sin he needs to repent from and about (see chapter eight). Job’s mental challenge is not from his sin. Job’s mental challenge is, however, a result of sin ... but, not HIS sin. Sin in the world is here because Adam disobeyed God. Sin impacts us all. So, when we have suffering, illness and struggles, sin gets invited by default. We only have suffering, illness and struggles because sin entered the world. Job is slipping into mental illness and his friends are interpreting it all as sin in his life. Job is having a crisis of faith. He had interpreted his life as “righteous.” In chapter one we see that God interprets his life as “righteous.” Job, in a false interpretation of life, believes those who live righteous will NOT have suffering. That is the mistake of Job’s belief structure. We won’t see him sort this out until late in the book of Job. Job will come face to face with God and that solves his faith challenges. Job finds a way in the end to put suffering in a better belief structure. But, until then, the God allowed suffering in Job’s life is fully open to sins power. Job only gets through it by exercising his faith toward God. Note how Paul tells us:
Ephesians 6:16 (ESV Strong's)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Faith can quench the darts of sin. Job’s faith leads him out of his mental challenge.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
God is the Place to Go for Safety - Psalms 9-11
Psalms 9:9 (ESV Strong's)
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
God is the Place to Go for Safety
We might not fully appreciate the above verse in the context of our lives, today. When David penned those words, he was probably on the run from King Saul, who wanted to kill him. The word for “stronghold’ is a word that would indicate a “high cave.” Probably the closest we can get to imagine what David was seeing when he wrote this is the visuals we get of our soldiers in the Mountains of Afghanistan. We often see screen shoots of such places and the numerous caves available for hiding and for safety and for shelter. Today we might run to our homes for safety. Maybe a little child crawling under the covers when they hear a strange norm. Or, better, running to their parents room for safety. That is who God should be to believers. He should be the Father we run to for safety and shelter. When we are oppressed and hurting, we need to remember we have that place to go. We often run to friends, our jobs, our counselors, our finances, our hobbies, our physical fitness activity. When people are ask, “How do you handle stress,” very few will say, “I run to the stronghold of God!” Yet, that is what the above verse tells us to do. God is our stronghold in times of trouble. When we are with Him He will not allow anything to happen to us that He does not have under control. And, if it is happening to us, it is completely in His control so we have no reason to fear it.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
God is the Place to Go for Safety
We might not fully appreciate the above verse in the context of our lives, today. When David penned those words, he was probably on the run from King Saul, who wanted to kill him. The word for “stronghold’ is a word that would indicate a “high cave.” Probably the closest we can get to imagine what David was seeing when he wrote this is the visuals we get of our soldiers in the Mountains of Afghanistan. We often see screen shoots of such places and the numerous caves available for hiding and for safety and for shelter. Today we might run to our homes for safety. Maybe a little child crawling under the covers when they hear a strange norm. Or, better, running to their parents room for safety. That is who God should be to believers. He should be the Father we run to for safety and shelter. When we are oppressed and hurting, we need to remember we have that place to go. We often run to friends, our jobs, our counselors, our finances, our hobbies, our physical fitness activity. When people are ask, “How do you handle stress,” very few will say, “I run to the stronghold of God!” Yet, that is what the above verse tells us to do. God is our stronghold in times of trouble. When we are with Him He will not allow anything to happen to us that He does not have under control. And, if it is happening to us, it is completely in His control so we have no reason to fear it.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
God Sets Our Boundaries - Joshua 16-20
Joshua 16:5-6 (ESV Strong's)
The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah,
God Sets Our Boundaries
At first glance it might not see as those there is much in the above passage for us to learn. However, the key word to settle into today is the word “boundary.” This is the Hebrew word “gebul.” The word is used 227 times in the Old Testament and over 20 times in these chapters we are reading for today. In the immediate context it means that, as Joshua was dividing up the land, each tribe received a portion of the Promise Land and had their boundaries set by God. God sets the boundaries of His people. God sets the boundaries of all people. This might be the hardest truth for the non-believing and the believing world to grasp. God sets all boundaries. We don’t have what we have unless God has allowed it. We may not appreciate the boundaries He sets for us and we may want more in our boundaries, but this is what God has given us. We have to come to the understanding that we can rejoice in the fact that God is in control of such things. That does not mean we can ask God for more. Note the following:
1 Chronicles 4:10 (ESV Strong's)
Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
We can ask God to enlarge our boarders. But, we need to affirm that God is in control of our boarders. When Hosea’s wife sought other lovers, it was God who told him to pray this way:
Hosea 2:6-7 (ESV Strong's)
Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’
God hems us in and out. Non-believers reject that truth. Believers need to live in victory in light of that truth.
The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah,
God Sets Our Boundaries
At first glance it might not see as those there is much in the above passage for us to learn. However, the key word to settle into today is the word “boundary.” This is the Hebrew word “gebul.” The word is used 227 times in the Old Testament and over 20 times in these chapters we are reading for today. In the immediate context it means that, as Joshua was dividing up the land, each tribe received a portion of the Promise Land and had their boundaries set by God. God sets the boundaries of His people. God sets the boundaries of all people. This might be the hardest truth for the non-believing and the believing world to grasp. God sets all boundaries. We don’t have what we have unless God has allowed it. We may not appreciate the boundaries He sets for us and we may want more in our boundaries, but this is what God has given us. We have to come to the understanding that we can rejoice in the fact that God is in control of such things. That does not mean we can ask God for more. Note the following:
1 Chronicles 4:10 (ESV Strong's)
Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
We can ask God to enlarge our boarders. But, we need to affirm that God is in control of our boarders. When Hosea’s wife sought other lovers, it was God who told him to pray this way:
Hosea 2:6-7 (ESV Strong's)
Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’
God hems us in and out. Non-believers reject that truth. Believers need to live in victory in light of that truth.
Monday, January 20, 2020
The Meek Inherit the Earth - Genesis 12-15
Genesis 13:14-17 (ESV Strong's)
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
The Meek Inherit the Earth
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, had a large flock, as did Abraham. So, Abraham asks Lot to separate and take whatever portion of the land he wanted for his flocks. Abraham said he would take what was left. There are a lot of fathers who would not offer the best choice of a pie to their sons, let alone offer them land and possessions, as Abraham has done. Abraham acted in a very meek manner, allowing his nephew to choose what he wanted.
Note the character of Lot, revealed by his choice:
Genesis 13:10 (ESV Strong's)
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
That means Abraham received the lessor portion of the land. Why would Abraham do this? Because of the above truth. Abraham was already promised ALL the land. Whatever Lot choose for his own, was really Abraham’s anyhow. Abraham could be meek because this was his inheritance, from God, already. He did not have to “claim” his own, or speak about this “rights,” or even claim “entitlement.” This was his land and he had faith in God about this choice. This is what Jesus meant when He said:
Matthew 5:5 (ESV Strong's)
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
We, as believers (like Abraham), can be meek because we know that, in the end, we will inherit the new heave and the new earth. The world can choose the “best” of the land and possessions now, but this is not their earth and their possession. God is going to destroy this earth and this heave and make a new one. We do not have to “look and see that the land is good” as Lot did. We already know what God has promised us and we can be meek as a result. Meekness is the knowledge of knowing you don’t have to flex for something. It is power under control because you know the ONE in control. We can be meek in this life because we belong to the one in control.
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
The Meek Inherit the Earth
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, had a large flock, as did Abraham. So, Abraham asks Lot to separate and take whatever portion of the land he wanted for his flocks. Abraham said he would take what was left. There are a lot of fathers who would not offer the best choice of a pie to their sons, let alone offer them land and possessions, as Abraham has done. Abraham acted in a very meek manner, allowing his nephew to choose what he wanted.
Note the character of Lot, revealed by his choice:
Genesis 13:10 (ESV Strong's)
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
That means Abraham received the lessor portion of the land. Why would Abraham do this? Because of the above truth. Abraham was already promised ALL the land. Whatever Lot choose for his own, was really Abraham’s anyhow. Abraham could be meek because this was his inheritance, from God, already. He did not have to “claim” his own, or speak about this “rights,” or even claim “entitlement.” This was his land and he had faith in God about this choice. This is what Jesus meant when He said:
Matthew 5:5 (ESV Strong's)
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
We, as believers (like Abraham), can be meek because we know that, in the end, we will inherit the new heave and the new earth. The world can choose the “best” of the land and possessions now, but this is not their earth and their possession. God is going to destroy this earth and this heave and make a new one. We do not have to “look and see that the land is good” as Lot did. We already know what God has promised us and we can be meek as a result. Meekness is the knowledge of knowing you don’t have to flex for something. It is power under control because you know the ONE in control. We can be meek in this life because we belong to the one in control.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Newness of Life - Romans 5-6
Romans 6:4 (ESV Strong's)
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Newness of Life
It is always refreshing to get a reset. We reset at the beginning of the new year. We are able to declare new habits and new paths and push the old in the back of the mind as a “last-year” memoir. We can, sometimes, do that same mental clarity on a long weekend. A long vacation in the summer can do this. A great spring break trip and rest us. The problem with these type of mental gymnastics is they are only mental in nature. The above passage talks about a spiritual reset that is centered on the sin in our lives. When Jesus died for us He made it possible to give us a mental, psychological, physical AND, MOST OF ALL, a SPIRITUAL reset. God’s Word teaches that believers, even before they came to faith to recognize the work of Christ, were IN Christ when He died. Our sinful lives were IN Him when we He died and rose again. Our sin, always with us, was “crucified” with Christ. We still suffer from the smell of it in our lives and it hangs around like a dead body, but we have had our sin crucified and we have be risen with Christ in NEWNESS of life. When Christ took OUR sin and died with it, He rose again, defeating death (and subsequently sin) and rose to a new life. In so doing He took our sin and He gave us, by grace, His righteousness. Paul says it this way in his letter to the church at Corinth:
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV Strong's)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We “became” the righteousness of God. That gives us a legitimate NEW life. God took away our old life and killed it in death. He, in turn, gave us Christ’s righteousness in our life. We have a new life in Christ. That is a true, spiritual, reset!!! When we hang onto the sins of the past and allow them to dictate our lives we fail to recognize what Christ did for us. That is like having a dead corpse chained to our bodies all day and the smell of that dead corpse dictate our decisions. We are NEW in Christ. We must claim this every day.
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Newness of Life
It is always refreshing to get a reset. We reset at the beginning of the new year. We are able to declare new habits and new paths and push the old in the back of the mind as a “last-year” memoir. We can, sometimes, do that same mental clarity on a long weekend. A long vacation in the summer can do this. A great spring break trip and rest us. The problem with these type of mental gymnastics is they are only mental in nature. The above passage talks about a spiritual reset that is centered on the sin in our lives. When Jesus died for us He made it possible to give us a mental, psychological, physical AND, MOST OF ALL, a SPIRITUAL reset. God’s Word teaches that believers, even before they came to faith to recognize the work of Christ, were IN Christ when He died. Our sinful lives were IN Him when we He died and rose again. Our sin, always with us, was “crucified” with Christ. We still suffer from the smell of it in our lives and it hangs around like a dead body, but we have had our sin crucified and we have be risen with Christ in NEWNESS of life. When Christ took OUR sin and died with it, He rose again, defeating death (and subsequently sin) and rose to a new life. In so doing He took our sin and He gave us, by grace, His righteousness. Paul says it this way in his letter to the church at Corinth:
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV Strong's)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We “became” the righteousness of God. That gives us a legitimate NEW life. God took away our old life and killed it in death. He, in turn, gave us Christ’s righteousness in our life. We have a new life in Christ. That is a true, spiritual, reset!!! When we hang onto the sins of the past and allow them to dictate our lives we fail to recognize what Christ did for us. That is like having a dead corpse chained to our bodies all day and the smell of that dead corpse dictate our decisions. We are NEW in Christ. We must claim this every day.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Persistent Prayer Pays - Matthew 5-7
Matthew 7:7-10 (ESV Strong's)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Persistent Prayer Pays
It could be widely assumed that all believers have spent some time in prayer. It could be assumed that most people, non-believers alike, have spent time in some sort of meditative prayer ritual. It is doubtful most, even believers, in today’s society, have done what Jesus is talking about in the above passage. In our English translation we lose something in the above text that can only be realized in the original language. The phrase, “ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you,” is lacking, as written in English, the Greek imperative tense. The Amplified Bible does a great job to capture the Greek tense intended by Jesus:
Matthew 7:7 (AMPC)
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find;keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.
The emphasis in this text, as opposed to what Jesus had previously said about prayer (see chapter six), is the persistence we are to have in prayer. Prayer is NOT a one time, brief, drive-up or mobile order to engage God in Heavenly Customer Service practices. Jesus is once agin teaching us something that was contrary to the form of the day. The general world does not really believe in prayer and certainly not persistent prayer. They might offer up pleas to the universe, but they are NOT coming to God on a regular basis in sincere, reverent prayer, expecting God, in His time to respond. Many believers do not even do this type of prayer.
Notice what the response of God is to a persistent approach to prayer:
Matthew 7:8-10 (ESV Strong's)
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
God is not a cruel God who wants to withhold blessings from us. He is a God who wants to bless us!!! That is the point of the first words spoken in this Sermon on the Mount. Eight times Jesus says, “Blessed are ..”. God wants to gives us bread and not stone. He wants to gives us fish and not a servant. Our persistence in prayer is not because God needs urging to bless us. Our persistence in prayer is God’s avenue to shape us to His image and to help us learn His heart and His love for us. The last verse of this section reads:
Matthew 7:11 (ESV Strong's)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God wants to give us “good” things. He just wants to use our persistence in prayer to accomplish His act of giving.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Persistent Prayer Pays
It could be widely assumed that all believers have spent some time in prayer. It could be assumed that most people, non-believers alike, have spent time in some sort of meditative prayer ritual. It is doubtful most, even believers, in today’s society, have done what Jesus is talking about in the above passage. In our English translation we lose something in the above text that can only be realized in the original language. The phrase, “ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you,” is lacking, as written in English, the Greek imperative tense. The Amplified Bible does a great job to capture the Greek tense intended by Jesus:
Matthew 7:7 (AMPC)
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find;keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.
The emphasis in this text, as opposed to what Jesus had previously said about prayer (see chapter six), is the persistence we are to have in prayer. Prayer is NOT a one time, brief, drive-up or mobile order to engage God in Heavenly Customer Service practices. Jesus is once agin teaching us something that was contrary to the form of the day. The general world does not really believe in prayer and certainly not persistent prayer. They might offer up pleas to the universe, but they are NOT coming to God on a regular basis in sincere, reverent prayer, expecting God, in His time to respond. Many believers do not even do this type of prayer.
Notice what the response of God is to a persistent approach to prayer:
Matthew 7:8-10 (ESV Strong's)
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
God is not a cruel God who wants to withhold blessings from us. He is a God who wants to bless us!!! That is the point of the first words spoken in this Sermon on the Mount. Eight times Jesus says, “Blessed are ..”. God wants to gives us bread and not stone. He wants to gives us fish and not a servant. Our persistence in prayer is not because God needs urging to bless us. Our persistence in prayer is God’s avenue to shape us to His image and to help us learn His heart and His love for us. The last verse of this section reads:
Matthew 7:11 (ESV Strong's)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God wants to give us “good” things. He just wants to use our persistence in prayer to accomplish His act of giving.
Friday, January 17, 2020
God’s Judgement is Supreme and All Encompassing - Isaiah 12-17
Isaiah 16:14 (ESV Strong's)
But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”
God’s Judgment is Supreme
Isaiah 16 is about the judgment on Moab. The Moabite were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. The most famous Moabite, was probably Ruth. She was a Moabitus. She is also found in the Genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1. Although Isaiah’s prophecy is primarily about Israel’s discipline and then coming Messiah, in the above passage we have the summary of God’s coming judgment on Moab. The book of Isaiah has many judgments on Israel, but, also on many of the surrounding nations. The truth for us to learn here is that God’s Judgement is supreme and all encompassing. Those who believe in God ought to fear His judgement. Although we are redeemed we still should live in the holy fear of God’s judgement as it is poured out on the world around us. We are free from the judgment to come. But, our neighbors are not. The surrounding nations are not free from the judgment of God, whether they believe in God or not. God is going to judge all nations. Those who are hight and might and those who are few and feeble. All nations will submit to God’s sovereign rule.
But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”
God’s Judgment is Supreme
Isaiah 16 is about the judgment on Moab. The Moabite were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. The most famous Moabite, was probably Ruth. She was a Moabitus. She is also found in the Genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1. Although Isaiah’s prophecy is primarily about Israel’s discipline and then coming Messiah, in the above passage we have the summary of God’s coming judgment on Moab. The book of Isaiah has many judgments on Israel, but, also on many of the surrounding nations. The truth for us to learn here is that God’s Judgement is supreme and all encompassing. Those who believe in God ought to fear His judgement. Although we are redeemed we still should live in the holy fear of God’s judgement as it is poured out on the world around us. We are free from the judgment to come. But, our neighbors are not. The surrounding nations are not free from the judgment of God, whether they believe in God or not. God is going to judge all nations. Those who are hight and might and those who are few and feeble. All nations will submit to God’s sovereign rule.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Life is Brief - Job 6-7
Job 7:7-8 (ESV Strong's)
“Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.
The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
Life is a Breath
To understand the above passage we have to remember some things about the context of Job:
1. Job is suffering. He is suffering because God allowed Satan to touch Job’s life ad Job’s body.
2. Job is not in a good place. In chapter 3-4, Job was asking God to take his life. His suffering was, is, so bad, he does not want to live anymore.
3. Job is responding to his friend, Eliphaz, who, in the previous chapters was accusing Job of sinning so badly that this resulted in his current condition. Job disagrees with this assessment and wants to respond back. In chapter six he directly responds to Eliphaz.
4. In this chapter Job switches his thoughts and speaks out toward God, although his friends are nearby, listening to his complaint.
In the above passage, Job speaks about how short life is. He is confessing to God he realizes the brevity of life and that, once gone, no one will see him anymore. He has come to realize, during this time of suffering, that not only does he NOT want to live, he knows, that once he is gone, few will remember him. To say that Job has reached a point of fatalism, would be an understatement. Job is really at the end of his breaking point. He simply wants to slip off into eternity and be at ease. Perhaps this is the lesson we are supposed to learn from Job’s plight: Life is short and the suffering in life seems to make it much too long. Job wants redemption from the suffering. He is eager for the suffering to end. However, it might be wise for us to come to the same place, minus the bitterness. Life is, indeed, short. It is, indeed, full of suffering. Our suffering ought to point us to God for comfort, but also to simply want to be in God’s presence. Note what David said in the Psalms about something similar:
Psalms 16:8-11 (ESV Strong's)
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
We should rejoice that Job has God to turn to. His friends are not going to help him. Job turns toward God at the lowest point in his life. But, his pain is so bad, he can’t seem to say what David says in the above passage. We are to remember, that in the midst of our pain, we have God as our comfort. God wants to comfort us. Job knows that his life is but a breath. He has lost his comfort from God. This is the plight of Job. He will not find it for 30 more chapters. He will find it. But, in the process he has come to realize that life is brief. We should remember that before the suffering.
“Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.
The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
Life is a Breath
To understand the above passage we have to remember some things about the context of Job:
1. Job is suffering. He is suffering because God allowed Satan to touch Job’s life ad Job’s body.
2. Job is not in a good place. In chapter 3-4, Job was asking God to take his life. His suffering was, is, so bad, he does not want to live anymore.
3. Job is responding to his friend, Eliphaz, who, in the previous chapters was accusing Job of sinning so badly that this resulted in his current condition. Job disagrees with this assessment and wants to respond back. In chapter six he directly responds to Eliphaz.
4. In this chapter Job switches his thoughts and speaks out toward God, although his friends are nearby, listening to his complaint.
In the above passage, Job speaks about how short life is. He is confessing to God he realizes the brevity of life and that, once gone, no one will see him anymore. He has come to realize, during this time of suffering, that not only does he NOT want to live, he knows, that once he is gone, few will remember him. To say that Job has reached a point of fatalism, would be an understatement. Job is really at the end of his breaking point. He simply wants to slip off into eternity and be at ease. Perhaps this is the lesson we are supposed to learn from Job’s plight: Life is short and the suffering in life seems to make it much too long. Job wants redemption from the suffering. He is eager for the suffering to end. However, it might be wise for us to come to the same place, minus the bitterness. Life is, indeed, short. It is, indeed, full of suffering. Our suffering ought to point us to God for comfort, but also to simply want to be in God’s presence. Note what David said in the Psalms about something similar:
Psalms 16:8-11 (ESV Strong's)
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
We should rejoice that Job has God to turn to. His friends are not going to help him. Job turns toward God at the lowest point in his life. But, his pain is so bad, he can’t seem to say what David says in the above passage. We are to remember, that in the midst of our pain, we have God as our comfort. God wants to comfort us. Job knows that his life is but a breath. He has lost his comfort from God. This is the plight of Job. He will not find it for 30 more chapters. He will find it. But, in the process he has come to realize that life is brief. We should remember that before the suffering.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Worth of our Praise - Psalms 6-8
Psalms 8:9 (ESV Strong's)
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Worthy of our Praise
God is majestic. The word for majestic first appears in the Exodus to proclaim how great God is and was over the gods of the Egyptians:
Exodus 15:11(ESV Strong's)
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
In this case it means “superior.” The word is used 29 times in the Old Testament and mostly in the poetry books, like the above. The writer of this song is trying to tell us that we should stop and praise God because He is might and powerful and superior to anything we can imagine.
We should stop to see how we use this word in our own day and age. We might say a mountain is majestic. We might say a man-made building is majestic. We might say a tornado or hurricane is majestic ... if it were not for their destruction. But, nothing on this earth compares to the majesty of God. This is why the writer ends this psalm with that word. The Lord, the Lord is MAJESTIC.
In this passage he claims that it is the “name” of the Lord that is Majestic. You can say a lot of peoples names, rulers from the past and present, but no one’s name carries the majesty of the Lord. We are to be the ones that proclaim His Majesty.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Worthy of our Praise
God is majestic. The word for majestic first appears in the Exodus to proclaim how great God is and was over the gods of the Egyptians:
Exodus 15:11(ESV Strong's)
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
In this case it means “superior.” The word is used 29 times in the Old Testament and mostly in the poetry books, like the above. The writer of this song is trying to tell us that we should stop and praise God because He is might and powerful and superior to anything we can imagine.
We should stop to see how we use this word in our own day and age. We might say a mountain is majestic. We might say a man-made building is majestic. We might say a tornado or hurricane is majestic ... if it were not for their destruction. But, nothing on this earth compares to the majesty of God. This is why the writer ends this psalm with that word. The Lord, the Lord is MAJESTIC.
In this passage he claims that it is the “name” of the Lord that is Majestic. You can say a lot of peoples names, rulers from the past and present, but no one’s name carries the majesty of the Lord. We are to be the ones that proclaim His Majesty.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
I am STILL Strong - Joshua 11-15
Joshua 14:6-11 (ESV Strong's)
Caleb's Request and Inheritance
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.
I am STILL Strong
In the society we live in we are all being impressed to save our money and get ready for retirement. When we think of retirement, as it is painted by or marketing gurus, we see shuffle board, bicycling, and relaxation. In the above passage we read the story of Caleb. We have to remember that Caleb was one of the men who originally spied out the promise land, 45 years earlier. Moses sent out twelve spies and ten came back with negative reports. Two, Joshua and Caleb, came back, ready to take the promises land by storm through faith. As a result of the ten the entire nation was punished with 40 years of walking in the wilderness. NOW, finally, Caleb was able to “conquer” his piece of the promise land. When Joshua begins to hand out the portions of the land, Caleb wants a big piece. He didn’t think he was “entitled” to this, as a retirement bonus. He thought he had more work to do to “conquer” this in his later life. He was ready to take on the mountain of the Anakim (the giants of the land). Caleb, at 85, was not ready to retire. He did not think he was entitled to anything. Caleb, at 85, thought his strength was the “same as I was in the day that Moses sent me.” At 85 he thought he was as strong as he was 40. That is the way to face “retirement” if you are believer in Christ. You might have a different location, but your occupation is the same: Conquering for God. That is the way to end your life. Caleb found another mountain to conquer. He was not going to let the years of his life hinder the growth and purpose of his life.
Caleb's Request and Inheritance
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.
I am STILL Strong
In the society we live in we are all being impressed to save our money and get ready for retirement. When we think of retirement, as it is painted by or marketing gurus, we see shuffle board, bicycling, and relaxation. In the above passage we read the story of Caleb. We have to remember that Caleb was one of the men who originally spied out the promise land, 45 years earlier. Moses sent out twelve spies and ten came back with negative reports. Two, Joshua and Caleb, came back, ready to take the promises land by storm through faith. As a result of the ten the entire nation was punished with 40 years of walking in the wilderness. NOW, finally, Caleb was able to “conquer” his piece of the promise land. When Joshua begins to hand out the portions of the land, Caleb wants a big piece. He didn’t think he was “entitled” to this, as a retirement bonus. He thought he had more work to do to “conquer” this in his later life. He was ready to take on the mountain of the Anakim (the giants of the land). Caleb, at 85, was not ready to retire. He did not think he was entitled to anything. Caleb, at 85, thought his strength was the “same as I was in the day that Moses sent me.” At 85 he thought he was as strong as he was 40. That is the way to face “retirement” if you are believer in Christ. You might have a different location, but your occupation is the same: Conquering for God. That is the way to end your life. Caleb found another mountain to conquer. He was not going to let the years of his life hinder the growth and purpose of his life.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Food Matters to God - Genesis 8-11
Genesis 9:1-3 (ESV Strong's)
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
Food Matters to God
After the flood, God opened up, by a decree from Him, the possibility of man eating any and all meat that roamed the earth. We can only assume, up until this time, that either men did not eat meat (unlikely), or did so without a decree from God. IF man regularly ate meat before the flood, why would God make the above decree? We have to remember that before the flood the earth was a like a green-house. There was a canopy around the earth that was filled with water. When he was created, mankind was supposed to eat the fruit of the garden. When he was created, mankind experienced no death. After the eating of the forbidden fruit, there was death, as God clothed mankind with the skin of an animal God killed to cover them. After the flood, the eating of an animal NOW has God’s blessing. At creation God said the following to Adam:
Genesis 1:28-29 (ESV Strong's)
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
After the flood, God has now decreed His blessing meat for man to eat. This is carried over into the New Testament in the following passage:
1 Timothy 4:4-5 (ESV Strong's)
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
When Peter went into his trance and was being encouraged by God to eat, notice the buffet God prepared for him:
Acts 10:9-12 (ESV Strong's)
Peter's Vision
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
We could go on and list verses where Jesus bless the fish and the loaves for 5,000 and 4,000 people. Or, we could read where the priest were to eat of the sacrifice and it was blessed by God. There is no doubt that God blessed man in this manner. Perhaps the take-a-way from this passage might be:
1). God is in control of the world we live in and decrees what we should and should not eat.
2). Eating is a big deal to God. He forbid eating in the Garden of Eating and Adam breaking that oath caused sin to enter the world. God makes laws and rules about eating. Eating is a big deal to God.
3). When we follow God’s decrees, in faith, he produces the benefits He wants. God gave us food for sustainability. He warns us about taking food for mere pleasure and mere desire:
Proverbs 23:20-21 (ESV Strong's)
Be not among drunkards
or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Food matters to God and what we eat matters to God. He blesses us if we obey His decrees about anything ... including food.
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
Food Matters to God
After the flood, God opened up, by a decree from Him, the possibility of man eating any and all meat that roamed the earth. We can only assume, up until this time, that either men did not eat meat (unlikely), or did so without a decree from God. IF man regularly ate meat before the flood, why would God make the above decree? We have to remember that before the flood the earth was a like a green-house. There was a canopy around the earth that was filled with water. When he was created, mankind was supposed to eat the fruit of the garden. When he was created, mankind experienced no death. After the eating of the forbidden fruit, there was death, as God clothed mankind with the skin of an animal God killed to cover them. After the flood, the eating of an animal NOW has God’s blessing. At creation God said the following to Adam:
Genesis 1:28-29 (ESV Strong's)
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
After the flood, God has now decreed His blessing meat for man to eat. This is carried over into the New Testament in the following passage:
1 Timothy 4:4-5 (ESV Strong's)
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
When Peter went into his trance and was being encouraged by God to eat, notice the buffet God prepared for him:
Acts 10:9-12 (ESV Strong's)
Peter's Vision
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
We could go on and list verses where Jesus bless the fish and the loaves for 5,000 and 4,000 people. Or, we could read where the priest were to eat of the sacrifice and it was blessed by God. There is no doubt that God blessed man in this manner. Perhaps the take-a-way from this passage might be:
1). God is in control of the world we live in and decrees what we should and should not eat.
2). Eating is a big deal to God. He forbid eating in the Garden of Eating and Adam breaking that oath caused sin to enter the world. God makes laws and rules about eating. Eating is a big deal to God.
3). When we follow God’s decrees, in faith, he produces the benefits He wants. God gave us food for sustainability. He warns us about taking food for mere pleasure and mere desire:
Proverbs 23:20-21 (ESV Strong's)
Be not among drunkards
or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Food matters to God and what we eat matters to God. He blesses us if we obey His decrees about anything ... including food.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Knowing the Nature of Man - Romans 3-4
Romans 3:12-18 (ESV Strong's)
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Knowing the Nature of Man
The above passage is Paul’s description of the nature of man. Whenever we deal with other human beings we have to take into consideration our own philosophy of mankind’s nature. In this text Paul makes the point, in the last line, that there is “no fear of God before their eyes.” Solomon tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the “fear of the Lord.” That would mean, according to Paul, that no man has any wisdom, since they do not “naturally” fear God. The inward nature of man rejects God. This is why mankind needs God’s intervention in his/her life. God must initiate work in the life of man because man would not and does not naturally seek after God. When we have interaction with others our own inward belief about their nature is the rudder of our behavior toward them. Those who believe mankind is basically good and kind and desire Godly things have a different view than those who might hold to the above text. God loves the world and wants to save them. But, He must FIRST intervene in their lives. Note what we read here:
John 6:44 (ESV Strong's)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Man has so rejected God that only God’s power turning man’s heart toward God will save him. Man can’t save himself. When left to himself, mankind will deceive, lie, look for ways to hurt others and never find peace; although they find ways to redefine peace. Knowing the nature of man is fundamental to how we approach them.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Knowing the Nature of Man
The above passage is Paul’s description of the nature of man. Whenever we deal with other human beings we have to take into consideration our own philosophy of mankind’s nature. In this text Paul makes the point, in the last line, that there is “no fear of God before their eyes.” Solomon tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the “fear of the Lord.” That would mean, according to Paul, that no man has any wisdom, since they do not “naturally” fear God. The inward nature of man rejects God. This is why mankind needs God’s intervention in his/her life. God must initiate work in the life of man because man would not and does not naturally seek after God. When we have interaction with others our own inward belief about their nature is the rudder of our behavior toward them. Those who believe mankind is basically good and kind and desire Godly things have a different view than those who might hold to the above text. God loves the world and wants to save them. But, He must FIRST intervene in their lives. Note what we read here:
John 6:44 (ESV Strong's)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Man has so rejected God that only God’s power turning man’s heart toward God will save him. Man can’t save himself. When left to himself, mankind will deceive, lie, look for ways to hurt others and never find peace; although they find ways to redefine peace. Knowing the nature of man is fundamental to how we approach them.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Everyone Will Be Baptized, Eventually ... But How? Matthew 3-4
Matthew 3:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Everyone Will Be Baptized, Eventually ... But How?
John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance prior to Christ. He was the voice in the wilderness calling for repentance. He would be likened to a street preacher today; somewhat curious, but not well accepted. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to meet him, he challenged their motives. He actually “called them out” for even being curious about him and his message. But the real strength of his “talk” with them in seen in the above passage. He informs them (and all men) that Jesus is coming and he will, in the future, be baptizing with the “Holy Spirit and with fire”. We understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We know that those who come to Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit of God to guide us, protect us, care for us, revel truth to us and much, much more. Jesus speaks in depth about this in John 15. To interpret this passage we have to remember that he is speaking to the religious leaders of the day who will, eventually, crucify Jesus. He is telling them that Jesus will baptize with two types of baptism. One is the Spirit of God and the other is “with fire.” The best way to understand the “fire” baptism that John talks about is to understand that “fire” in God’s word speaks of God’s judgement and God’s wrath. Although there are some interpretations that the “fire” John speaks about is the fire like baptism on the Day of Pentecost, it is probably more accurate to understand that John was talking to those he wanted to see repent. He was telling them that Jesus was coming to do two types of work: One was the saving grace that was offered to all who would repent and turn to Christ. They other was the judgment that Jesus would bring on all those who will not repent and turn to Him. There is going to be a baptism for everyone, someday. It is either the baptism of the Spirit that happens when anyone comes to Christ, or is it is a later baptism of fire when Jesus will judge all those who reject Him. Everyone will be baptized. It only is left to determine if someone will be baptized by fire in judgment or if they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. One promises destruction and retribution for rejection of Christ. The other promises peace and guidance for believing in Christ. Everyone WILL BE baptized ... it only is left to determine which.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Everyone Will Be Baptized, Eventually ... But How?
John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance prior to Christ. He was the voice in the wilderness calling for repentance. He would be likened to a street preacher today; somewhat curious, but not well accepted. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to meet him, he challenged their motives. He actually “called them out” for even being curious about him and his message. But the real strength of his “talk” with them in seen in the above passage. He informs them (and all men) that Jesus is coming and he will, in the future, be baptizing with the “Holy Spirit and with fire”. We understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We know that those who come to Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit of God to guide us, protect us, care for us, revel truth to us and much, much more. Jesus speaks in depth about this in John 15. To interpret this passage we have to remember that he is speaking to the religious leaders of the day who will, eventually, crucify Jesus. He is telling them that Jesus will baptize with two types of baptism. One is the Spirit of God and the other is “with fire.” The best way to understand the “fire” baptism that John talks about is to understand that “fire” in God’s word speaks of God’s judgement and God’s wrath. Although there are some interpretations that the “fire” John speaks about is the fire like baptism on the Day of Pentecost, it is probably more accurate to understand that John was talking to those he wanted to see repent. He was telling them that Jesus was coming to do two types of work: One was the saving grace that was offered to all who would repent and turn to Christ. They other was the judgment that Jesus would bring on all those who will not repent and turn to Him. There is going to be a baptism for everyone, someday. It is either the baptism of the Spirit that happens when anyone comes to Christ, or is it is a later baptism of fire when Jesus will judge all those who reject Him. Everyone will be baptized. It only is left to determine if someone will be baptized by fire in judgment or if they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. One promises destruction and retribution for rejection of Christ. The other promises peace and guidance for believing in Christ. Everyone WILL BE baptized ... it only is left to determine which.
Friday, January 10, 2020
False Teaching Destroys Nations - Isaiah 7-11
Isaiah 9:15-17 (ESV Strong's)
the elder and honored man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
False Teaching Destroys Nations
The above passage is taken from a paragraph and section where Isaiah is explaining the reason for the destruction of Israel. False teaching had lead the nation astray. As the above passage states, false teachers were the “head” and the “tail.” Those who have the charge of “guiding” the people have “led them astray.” This is the failure of all nations. Those who teach can make or break a city, a country, a nation. When those who teach do not honor God then the people they teach will soon live without God. This was the plight of the nation of Israel. Their teachers did not honor God in their teaching. We can think that armies are what makes a nation strong. We can think that the economy of a nation makes it strong. We can think that the morality and integrity of leadership are what makes the nation strong. But, the reality is, those who teach the doctrine of the day are what makes a nation stand or fall. If we think a nation can go forward in strength without hearing the word of God and honoring God as a result, we fool ourselves. This is why Paul warned Timothy to be a good teacher. Notice what he warns Timothy about in regard to the last days. Note the end of the section and the emphasis on “learning” and therefore, good/bad teaching:
2 Timothy 3:1-9 (ESV Strong's)
Godlessness in the Last Days
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
When bad teaching enters the ears of the listener they will never honor God. When we fail to honor God we can only incur His discipline.
the elder and honored man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
False Teaching Destroys Nations
The above passage is taken from a paragraph and section where Isaiah is explaining the reason for the destruction of Israel. False teaching had lead the nation astray. As the above passage states, false teachers were the “head” and the “tail.” Those who have the charge of “guiding” the people have “led them astray.” This is the failure of all nations. Those who teach can make or break a city, a country, a nation. When those who teach do not honor God then the people they teach will soon live without God. This was the plight of the nation of Israel. Their teachers did not honor God in their teaching. We can think that armies are what makes a nation strong. We can think that the economy of a nation makes it strong. We can think that the morality and integrity of leadership are what makes the nation strong. But, the reality is, those who teach the doctrine of the day are what makes a nation stand or fall. If we think a nation can go forward in strength without hearing the word of God and honoring God as a result, we fool ourselves. This is why Paul warned Timothy to be a good teacher. Notice what he warns Timothy about in regard to the last days. Note the end of the section and the emphasis on “learning” and therefore, good/bad teaching:
2 Timothy 3:1-9 (ESV Strong's)
Godlessness in the Last Days
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
When bad teaching enters the ears of the listener they will never honor God. When we fail to honor God we can only incur His discipline.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts - Jobs 3-5
Job 3:1-5 (ESV Strong's)
Job Laments His Birth
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said:
“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it.
Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
In the beginning of the Book of Job we read that God considered Job a “righteous” man. This does not mean that he was “righteous” in the aspect of never had committed a sin. Man is only righteous because God declares him so. By studying other portions of Scripture we must understand that Job’s faith in God enabled God to declare him righteous, since that is the only way righteousness is imparted to a believer (Romans 5-6).
With that thought in mind we have to consider the above passage. Job has had his entire world turned upside down. NOT, however, because of a sin he committed!! NOT because he was unrighteous in his living, but because he WAS righteous. Job is beginning a road of suffering because he was singled out by God, as a challenge to Satan, because of His righteousness. What would be the response of a righteous man to unfair and unjust suffering? If God singled you out and you lost everything, what would your response be? In our false sense of self we might think that a “righteous” man would always be at peace and have great strength. Yet, this is not the case. Job is actually depressed and suicidal. The facet is that the human body and human emotion, even with a righteous soul, will still feel suffering and pain. We are in unrighteous because we feel suffering and pain. There are plenty of examples in Scripture of those who felt depressed and, even suicidal (Elijah, David, Jacob, Peter, Judas). We need to realize that our response to suffering is both normal (in a physical and emotional way) but also something we have to deal with in a spiritual manner. If we hit our hand with a hammer it is foolish to think we should not feel pain ...for many days. So, when bad things happen, we are expected to feel pain and have emotional heights and lows ... especially lows.
The key lesson to learn from Job, in addition to the retaliate of the suffering, is to realize that God designed this suffering for Job to bring Job to a deeper walk and understanding of Him. We won’t read this until chapter 35, however. God will bring Job through this. God brings us through the suffering. We ought to remember some truths as we go through it. Notice what Solomon stated:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (ESV Strong's)
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Job did express his frustration. There is no sin in that. However, Solomon warns us to be careful with our words. Do not be rash in what you say in suffering.
Solomon also stated:
Proverbs 25:20
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
When we respond to those who are suffering we need to realize they ARE suffering. Job’s friends did not heed this advice. Eliphaz will, in the next chapter, condemn Job and say he is suffering because of his sin.
Depression and suicidal thoughts are a real thing, even for the believer. We are NOT less believers when we are found in this state. But, we do need to realize that the end of the story is not written and others may be idiots in regard to our fate. God is taking us through the suffering to bring us to a better understanding of Him, so we can know His power, grace, and mercy.
Job Laments His Birth
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said:
“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it.
Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
In the beginning of the Book of Job we read that God considered Job a “righteous” man. This does not mean that he was “righteous” in the aspect of never had committed a sin. Man is only righteous because God declares him so. By studying other portions of Scripture we must understand that Job’s faith in God enabled God to declare him righteous, since that is the only way righteousness is imparted to a believer (Romans 5-6).
With that thought in mind we have to consider the above passage. Job has had his entire world turned upside down. NOT, however, because of a sin he committed!! NOT because he was unrighteous in his living, but because he WAS righteous. Job is beginning a road of suffering because he was singled out by God, as a challenge to Satan, because of His righteousness. What would be the response of a righteous man to unfair and unjust suffering? If God singled you out and you lost everything, what would your response be? In our false sense of self we might think that a “righteous” man would always be at peace and have great strength. Yet, this is not the case. Job is actually depressed and suicidal. The facet is that the human body and human emotion, even with a righteous soul, will still feel suffering and pain. We are in unrighteous because we feel suffering and pain. There are plenty of examples in Scripture of those who felt depressed and, even suicidal (Elijah, David, Jacob, Peter, Judas). We need to realize that our response to suffering is both normal (in a physical and emotional way) but also something we have to deal with in a spiritual manner. If we hit our hand with a hammer it is foolish to think we should not feel pain ...for many days. So, when bad things happen, we are expected to feel pain and have emotional heights and lows ... especially lows.
The key lesson to learn from Job, in addition to the retaliate of the suffering, is to realize that God designed this suffering for Job to bring Job to a deeper walk and understanding of Him. We won’t read this until chapter 35, however. God will bring Job through this. God brings us through the suffering. We ought to remember some truths as we go through it. Notice what Solomon stated:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (ESV Strong's)
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Job did express his frustration. There is no sin in that. However, Solomon warns us to be careful with our words. Do not be rash in what you say in suffering.
Solomon also stated:
Proverbs 25:20
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
When we respond to those who are suffering we need to realize they ARE suffering. Job’s friends did not heed this advice. Eliphaz will, in the next chapter, condemn Job and say he is suffering because of his sin.
Depression and suicidal thoughts are a real thing, even for the believer. We are NOT less believers when we are found in this state. But, we do need to realize that the end of the story is not written and others may be idiots in regard to our fate. God is taking us through the suffering to bring us to a better understanding of Him, so we can know His power, grace, and mercy.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
God Hates the SIN and the SINNER - Psalms 3-5
Psalms 5:4-6 (ESV Strong's)
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
God hates sin AND the sinner.
The thought that God hates sin AND the sinner is probably hard to fathom. We are being taught in our society that God is LOVE and LOVE WINS and MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUSTICE. The truth, however, stated in the above passage is that God “abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” We are constantly taught that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. The above passage would stand in judgment against such a thought.
According to the above passage God hates people who practice:
1. Arrogance - (boastful)
2. Deceitful - (those who lie)
3. Bloodthirsty - (those who harm others)
God is a God of Love. And, He IS a God of mercy. But, God does hate. Notice how Solomon stated it:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV Strong's)
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.’
Make no mistake, God hates the sin and the sinner. God destroys, or will, eventually, destroy, those who practice wickedness. Note how this Psalm ends:
Psalms 5:9-10 (ESV Strong's)
For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
God is a God of peace, love and truth. But, those who practice the opposite of His character are hated by a righteous God. We certainly need to remember that Jesus Loves the World. John 3:16 tells us that God “so loved” the world, that He gave us His son. We need to realize that God’s love and God’s judgement are in perfect harmony. God does hate those who sin. But, in love, God offers love to the very world that rejects Him. That is the harmony between God’s Love and God’s Wrath.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
God hates sin AND the sinner.
The thought that God hates sin AND the sinner is probably hard to fathom. We are being taught in our society that God is LOVE and LOVE WINS and MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUSTICE. The truth, however, stated in the above passage is that God “abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” We are constantly taught that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. The above passage would stand in judgment against such a thought.
According to the above passage God hates people who practice:
1. Arrogance - (boastful)
2. Deceitful - (those who lie)
3. Bloodthirsty - (those who harm others)
God is a God of Love. And, He IS a God of mercy. But, God does hate. Notice how Solomon stated it:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV Strong's)
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.’
Make no mistake, God hates the sin and the sinner. God destroys, or will, eventually, destroy, those who practice wickedness. Note how this Psalm ends:
Psalms 5:9-10 (ESV Strong's)
For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
God is a God of peace, love and truth. But, those who practice the opposite of His character are hated by a righteous God. We certainly need to remember that Jesus Loves the World. John 3:16 tells us that God “so loved” the world, that He gave us His son. We need to realize that God’s love and God’s judgement are in perfect harmony. God does hate those who sin. But, in love, God offers love to the very world that rejects Him. That is the harmony between God’s Love and God’s Wrath.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
God Does Great Things Through Us and Produces Fame for Us!! Joshua 6-10
Joshua 6:26-27 (ESV Strong's)
Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.
“At the cost of his firstborn shall he
lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son
shall he set up its gates.”
So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
God Does Great Things Through Us and Produces Fame for Us!
Joshua was second to Moses for almost 40 years. Few, outside Israel, would have known him. Since many dis-reacted Moses, it is a safe bet that many inside the camp of Israel either did not respect him, and maybe just knew he was Moses’ second. In our day and age most don’t stay second very long. Look at the countless assistant coaches in sports leave to become the “head” coach. People want to be the “head.” Joshua was content for those 40 years in the wilderness to be Moses right hand man. But, Moses was now gone and Joshua was the man in charge. As they enter the Promise Land God gave Joshua two miracles to establish his fame and power in the eyes of others. Like Moses leading the nation through the Red Sea, Joshua was given the power to lead them through the Jordan River. Like Moses’ plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt, Joshua was given the victory over Jericho without even lifting a finger. Because Joshua was willing to simply follow in faith, God gave him power and, eventually, fame. Joshua was simply a man who leaned into God’s promises and realized God would always come through. God can do great things (like the Jordon and Jericho) if we but lean into His promises via faith. In the very next chapter Joshua would fall and fail because of his pride. He was a man just like us. But, he knew that when he trusted in God’s promises and God’s Word there was nothing that could not be done.
Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.
“At the cost of his firstborn shall he
lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son
shall he set up its gates.”
So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
God Does Great Things Through Us and Produces Fame for Us!
Joshua was second to Moses for almost 40 years. Few, outside Israel, would have known him. Since many dis-reacted Moses, it is a safe bet that many inside the camp of Israel either did not respect him, and maybe just knew he was Moses’ second. In our day and age most don’t stay second very long. Look at the countless assistant coaches in sports leave to become the “head” coach. People want to be the “head.” Joshua was content for those 40 years in the wilderness to be Moses right hand man. But, Moses was now gone and Joshua was the man in charge. As they enter the Promise Land God gave Joshua two miracles to establish his fame and power in the eyes of others. Like Moses leading the nation through the Red Sea, Joshua was given the power to lead them through the Jordan River. Like Moses’ plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt, Joshua was given the victory over Jericho without even lifting a finger. Because Joshua was willing to simply follow in faith, God gave him power and, eventually, fame. Joshua was simply a man who leaned into God’s promises and realized God would always come through. God can do great things (like the Jordon and Jericho) if we but lean into His promises via faith. In the very next chapter Joshua would fall and fail because of his pride. He was a man just like us. But, he knew that when he trusted in God’s promises and God’s Word there was nothing that could not be done.
Monday, January 6, 2020
God Shows Mercy to the Wicked - Genesis 4-7
Genesis 4:13-15 (ESV Strong's)
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
God Shows Mercy to the Wicked
Cain is a picture of wickedness. Cain was the fist murderer. Cain took his own brother’s life (Abel). He do so out of envy. When Abel had prepared a sacrifice that was acceptable to God, Cain was angry because his was not. Abel became the first believing martyr. As a result of Cain’s sin and wickedness, God punished him by rejecting him and putting a curse on him. Here is what God said to him:
Genesis 4:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
God punishes Cain, but, Cain complains that the punishment is too harsh. Cain cries for mercy and receives it. God gives him a mark that warns the world around him that Cain is “protected” by God. Most readers of the above passage focus on the “mark” God gave him; trying to identify what it was and/or what it looked like. However, the real point of the passage is that, even in wickedness, God grants mercy. Cain was being punished for killing his brother. But, God still shows mercy. The fact that wickedness is not destroyed immediately on the earth demonstrates that God is a God of mercy. He withholds the punishment wickedness deserves, always showing His marvelous character. God is a God of mercy. The irony is that God gives Cain the mercy that Cain refused to give to his brother. This may be the most striking lesson in this passage. Mankind seldom wants to give mercy to their fellow mankind. Yet, God, who is perfectly just, does so, without fail. God is a great God of mercy. So, too, should we be. Cain killed his brother. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that holding anger toward someone is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21,22). When we don’t show mercy to those who wrong us we are not acting like God, we are acting like Cain. God is a God of mercy.
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
God Shows Mercy to the Wicked
Cain is a picture of wickedness. Cain was the fist murderer. Cain took his own brother’s life (Abel). He do so out of envy. When Abel had prepared a sacrifice that was acceptable to God, Cain was angry because his was not. Abel became the first believing martyr. As a result of Cain’s sin and wickedness, God punished him by rejecting him and putting a curse on him. Here is what God said to him:
Genesis 4:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
God punishes Cain, but, Cain complains that the punishment is too harsh. Cain cries for mercy and receives it. God gives him a mark that warns the world around him that Cain is “protected” by God. Most readers of the above passage focus on the “mark” God gave him; trying to identify what it was and/or what it looked like. However, the real point of the passage is that, even in wickedness, God grants mercy. Cain was being punished for killing his brother. But, God still shows mercy. The fact that wickedness is not destroyed immediately on the earth demonstrates that God is a God of mercy. He withholds the punishment wickedness deserves, always showing His marvelous character. God is a God of mercy. The irony is that God gives Cain the mercy that Cain refused to give to his brother. This may be the most striking lesson in this passage. Mankind seldom wants to give mercy to their fellow mankind. Yet, God, who is perfectly just, does so, without fail. God is a great God of mercy. So, too, should we be. Cain killed his brother. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that holding anger toward someone is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21,22). When we don’t show mercy to those who wrong us we are not acting like God, we are acting like Cain. God is a God of mercy.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
There is an “Obedience” Factor to Faith - Romans 1-2
Romans 1:5 (ESV Strong's)
... through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
There is an “Obedience” Factor to Faith
Paul starts out the book of Romans outlining his purpose. That outline culminates with the above verse. He, Paul, received his apostles in for the purpose of bringing about “the obedience of faith.” This is how he STARTS the long book of Romans. But, unlike many authors today, Paul does not lose his focus. After fifteen chapters, note how he ends the book:
Romans 16:25-27 (ESV Strong's)
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
In Paul’s doxology to the book, he also speaks and states the purpose: “To bring about the obedience of faith ...”.
Faith is putting all your assurance in something. In this case we are putting all our trust and assurance in the fact that Christ died for our sins. That is the focus of our faith. But, our faith also has a component of obedience as we trust the promises and precepts of His word and “obey” them. We can’t have “faith” without “obedience.” There is no such things as faith without obedience. Having faith in God means we trust Him and will do as He tell us to do in life. The obedience is the evidence of our faith. But, the “Power” behind the obedience is also God’s work. We simply trust that He will give us the power to walk in faithful obedience to our faith. Paul said it this way to the church at Corinth:
1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV Strong's)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Faithful obedience is the norm for the believer. Anything else is just fake.
... through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
There is an “Obedience” Factor to Faith
Paul starts out the book of Romans outlining his purpose. That outline culminates with the above verse. He, Paul, received his apostles in for the purpose of bringing about “the obedience of faith.” This is how he STARTS the long book of Romans. But, unlike many authors today, Paul does not lose his focus. After fifteen chapters, note how he ends the book:
Romans 16:25-27 (ESV Strong's)
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
In Paul’s doxology to the book, he also speaks and states the purpose: “To bring about the obedience of faith ...”.
Faith is putting all your assurance in something. In this case we are putting all our trust and assurance in the fact that Christ died for our sins. That is the focus of our faith. But, our faith also has a component of obedience as we trust the promises and precepts of His word and “obey” them. We can’t have “faith” without “obedience.” There is no such things as faith without obedience. Having faith in God means we trust Him and will do as He tell us to do in life. The obedience is the evidence of our faith. But, the “Power” behind the obedience is also God’s work. We simply trust that He will give us the power to walk in faithful obedience to our faith. Paul said it this way to the church at Corinth:
1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV Strong's)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Faithful obedience is the norm for the believer. Anything else is just fake.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
God Watches and Warns - Matthew 1-2
Matthew 2:13 (ESV Strong's)
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
God Watches and Warns
The “they” in the above verse is referring to the wise men who had come to worship the Messiah. Jesus would be several months, if not two years old at this time. The wisemen had asked King Herod for directions to where Jesus was and Herod saw it has a threat to his rule and reign. He vowed to kill Jesus and in the next few verses we would read that he sent soldiers to Bethlehem to kill any male child under two years old. But, we see that God knows all the evil in man’s heart, even before man does the evil. He knows the thoughts and intent of the heart:
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV Strong's)
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
God watches over those He chooses to be His own. He not only sees the evil Joseph, Mary and Jesus might experience, but God also acts. God spoke to Joseph in a dream and warned him to flee the country. We can rejoice that we have a God who watches and who acts on our behalf. We have no idea what may befall us without the sovereign working of God in our lives. From the insignificant to the most major intervention, God is working in our lives to fulfill His plan for us. What if Joseph would not have been listening that day? What if he was so preoccupied with his wants and his plans that he missed the dream? Joseph was sensitive to the voice of God. God, therefore, spoke to him and rescued the family. As we read God’s word that is His method today to warn us from the dangers of the life around us. As we obey God’s written word He will find the ways to protect us from the destruction of the wicked world.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
God Watches and Warns
The “they” in the above verse is referring to the wise men who had come to worship the Messiah. Jesus would be several months, if not two years old at this time. The wisemen had asked King Herod for directions to where Jesus was and Herod saw it has a threat to his rule and reign. He vowed to kill Jesus and in the next few verses we would read that he sent soldiers to Bethlehem to kill any male child under two years old. But, we see that God knows all the evil in man’s heart, even before man does the evil. He knows the thoughts and intent of the heart:
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV Strong's)
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
God watches over those He chooses to be His own. He not only sees the evil Joseph, Mary and Jesus might experience, but God also acts. God spoke to Joseph in a dream and warned him to flee the country. We can rejoice that we have a God who watches and who acts on our behalf. We have no idea what may befall us without the sovereign working of God in our lives. From the insignificant to the most major intervention, God is working in our lives to fulfill His plan for us. What if Joseph would not have been listening that day? What if he was so preoccupied with his wants and his plans that he missed the dream? Joseph was sensitive to the voice of God. God, therefore, spoke to him and rescued the family. As we read God’s word that is His method today to warn us from the dangers of the life around us. As we obey God’s written word He will find the ways to protect us from the destruction of the wicked world.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Sin in a Life Impacts a Life
Isaiah 1:5-8 (ESV Strong's)
Why will you still be struck down?
Why will you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even to the head,
there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
and raw wounds;
they are not pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.
Your country lies desolate;
your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
foreigners devour your land;
it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
And the daughter of Zion is left
like a booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
Sin in a Life Impacts a Life
The above passage speaks God’s message to the nation of Israel in regard to their rejection of Him and embracing anything not Him. The sin of the of the nation impacted the lives of the people. The description we read above is to make sure the nation realizes that when they sin there are consequences for that sin. It is impossible to miss the way sin played havoc on their lives. Look what Isaiah mentions:
1. Their whole head is hurt.
2. Their heart is faint.
3. The sole of their feet to the top of their head is impacted. There is NO soundness in their entire body.
4. They have bruises, sores and raw wounds.
5. The wounds were not able to heal ... not pressed out, bound up, or softened by oil.
The sin did not just impact their bodies, notice what he says about the land:
6. The country lies desolate.
7. The cities are burnt with fire.
8. Foreigners devour their goods ... right in front of them.
9. Jerusalem is like a desolate city in the desert.
If we ever thought sin did not cost us, this is a great passage to dwell upon. The issue is, when we sin, we first experience immediate joy from it. When Eve at the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam it first and foremost test good. It was not until later that the sin showed how ugly it really is. When David commits adultery with Bathsheba, there is no doubt there was immediate pleasure. But, soon, a pregnancy took that pleasure away. Before the baby would eventually die, there was the death of a soldier, husband and loyalists. Sin is ugly. It destroys. We miss this truth int he middle of the instant pleasure.
Why will you still be struck down?
Why will you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even to the head,
there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
and raw wounds;
they are not pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.
Your country lies desolate;
your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
foreigners devour your land;
it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
And the daughter of Zion is left
like a booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
Sin in a Life Impacts a Life
The above passage speaks God’s message to the nation of Israel in regard to their rejection of Him and embracing anything not Him. The sin of the of the nation impacted the lives of the people. The description we read above is to make sure the nation realizes that when they sin there are consequences for that sin. It is impossible to miss the way sin played havoc on their lives. Look what Isaiah mentions:
1. Their whole head is hurt.
2. Their heart is faint.
3. The sole of their feet to the top of their head is impacted. There is NO soundness in their entire body.
4. They have bruises, sores and raw wounds.
5. The wounds were not able to heal ... not pressed out, bound up, or softened by oil.
The sin did not just impact their bodies, notice what he says about the land:
6. The country lies desolate.
7. The cities are burnt with fire.
8. Foreigners devour their goods ... right in front of them.
9. Jerusalem is like a desolate city in the desert.
If we ever thought sin did not cost us, this is a great passage to dwell upon. The issue is, when we sin, we first experience immediate joy from it. When Eve at the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam it first and foremost test good. It was not until later that the sin showed how ugly it really is. When David commits adultery with Bathsheba, there is no doubt there was immediate pleasure. But, soon, a pregnancy took that pleasure away. Before the baby would eventually die, there was the death of a soldier, husband and loyalists. Sin is ugly. It destroys. We miss this truth int he middle of the instant pleasure.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Would God Offer Us as an Example? Job 1-2
Job 2:3 (ESV Strong's)
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
Would God Offer Us as an Example?
God has shown us that He is willing to offer His servants to Satan for testing. That is an awesome thought to consider. The fact that the battle between God and Satan includes the beloved of the Lord is an amazing truth. God and Satan are in an arm wrestling context and mankind is smashed between their two hands. Yet, at the same time, God will not allow Satan to do anything God does not want. Note what Solomon stated about God’s care for His saints:
Proverbs 2:8 (ESV Strong's)
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
But, the test is not to prove God’s care. The test is not to prove the character of the tested, either. The test of Job’s character is for us, who come later, and need to know the righteous care of God ALWAYS displayed during suffering. One commentary stated it as follows:
(UBC OT) God’s words here confirm that the test has never been for God’s sake. God knows the righteous character of his servant, Job, and has no need to test it. The test is always for the sake of the reader, for whom alone the possibility of disinterested faith in God has any meaning.
The book of Job and Job’s experience was written to give us guidance, assurance and instruction for our own suffering. Job is the example of the experience we might have at a teaspoon level. It is doubtful that many have their children die, their riches destroyed and their health mangled, all at one swoop. To some, yes. To most, no. So, Job lives out in front of us and gives us insight into God’s care and concern for us. God offers Job to Satan because God ALREADY knew Job’s character. God is not proving if Job is truly full of character. God is showing us what happens when we have the righteousness of God within us and suffering comes to attack. God was so sure that Job would pass Satan’s test that He offered up Job to Satan as an example to us. Imagine the power of God that He know that the righteousness He placed in Job would pass the test of suffering. This is why Paul can write with confidence about God’s finish work in us:
Philippians 1:6 (ESV Strong's)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
Would God Offer Us as an Example?
God has shown us that He is willing to offer His servants to Satan for testing. That is an awesome thought to consider. The fact that the battle between God and Satan includes the beloved of the Lord is an amazing truth. God and Satan are in an arm wrestling context and mankind is smashed between their two hands. Yet, at the same time, God will not allow Satan to do anything God does not want. Note what Solomon stated about God’s care for His saints:
Proverbs 2:8 (ESV Strong's)
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
But, the test is not to prove God’s care. The test is not to prove the character of the tested, either. The test of Job’s character is for us, who come later, and need to know the righteous care of God ALWAYS displayed during suffering. One commentary stated it as follows:
(UBC OT) God’s words here confirm that the test has never been for God’s sake. God knows the righteous character of his servant, Job, and has no need to test it. The test is always for the sake of the reader, for whom alone the possibility of disinterested faith in God has any meaning.
The book of Job and Job’s experience was written to give us guidance, assurance and instruction for our own suffering. Job is the example of the experience we might have at a teaspoon level. It is doubtful that many have their children die, their riches destroyed and their health mangled, all at one swoop. To some, yes. To most, no. So, Job lives out in front of us and gives us insight into God’s care and concern for us. God offers Job to Satan because God ALREADY knew Job’s character. God is not proving if Job is truly full of character. God is showing us what happens when we have the righteousness of God within us and suffering comes to attack. God was so sure that Job would pass Satan’s test that He offered up Job to Satan as an example to us. Imagine the power of God that He know that the righteousness He placed in Job would pass the test of suffering. This is why Paul can write with confidence about God’s finish work in us:
Philippians 1:6 (ESV Strong's)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Christ Will Reign - It Is A Promise - Psalms 1-2
Psalms 2:8-9 (ESV Strong's)
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Christ Will Reign
Psalms 2 is a Messianic song. It is written to tell Israel about their future King. Some historians date the Psalm during David’s Kingship and written by Nathan the prophet. God is telling the nation of Israel that He will send a King to them and that King will have power. The Psalm opens by saying, the nations” rage and plot vain things. The ruler’s of this world imagine and take counsel together and boast about destroying God’s chosen people. But, God promises a King that will do what the above passage tells us. God will give ALL the nations to Christ. God will give Christ all the earth’s possessions. This was what was so profound about the temptations of Satan to Christ. Note:
Luke 4:5-8 (ESV Strong's)
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
Satan wanted to tempt Christ to become the king of the earth, but without the path of the cross. He “offered” the “reign over the whole earth” without being obedient to God’s plan of the cross. That is what temptation is all about ... getting something God had already promised, without being obedient to
God’s plan. When Satan tempted Christ, Christ defeated Satan by telling Satan you “shall shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Jesus relies on this promise from Psalm 2, written over one-thousand years prior, to defeat Satan’s temptation. God promised to give Christ reign. Christ relied upon God’s promises to defeat sin. Shouldn’t we do the same thing?
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Christ Will Reign
Psalms 2 is a Messianic song. It is written to tell Israel about their future King. Some historians date the Psalm during David’s Kingship and written by Nathan the prophet. God is telling the nation of Israel that He will send a King to them and that King will have power. The Psalm opens by saying, the nations” rage and plot vain things. The ruler’s of this world imagine and take counsel together and boast about destroying God’s chosen people. But, God promises a King that will do what the above passage tells us. God will give ALL the nations to Christ. God will give Christ all the earth’s possessions. This was what was so profound about the temptations of Satan to Christ. Note:
Luke 4:5-8 (ESV Strong's)
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
Satan wanted to tempt Christ to become the king of the earth, but without the path of the cross. He “offered” the “reign over the whole earth” without being obedient to God’s plan of the cross. That is what temptation is all about ... getting something God had already promised, without being obedient to
God’s plan. When Satan tempted Christ, Christ defeated Satan by telling Satan you “shall shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Jesus relies on this promise from Psalm 2, written over one-thousand years prior, to defeat Satan’s temptation. God promised to give Christ reign. Christ relied upon God’s promises to defeat sin. Shouldn’t we do the same thing?
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