God Does Miracles To Speak To The World - Joshua 1-5

Joshua 2:8-14 (ESV)

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

The news of Israel was not hidden from the world.   When reading the above passage we have to marvel that Rahab still remembered the crossing of the Red Sea.  The above event is taking place 40 years after that miracle.   Rahab, and the people of Jericho she seems to represent, were still in awe of a miracle performed decades previously.   In the next chapter, Israel will cross the Jordan river on dry ground, like they did the Red Sea.  Imagine the fear this would strike in everyone, again.   Remember, this 1.5 million or so people who had wandered in a wilderness near Jericho, about the size of Virginia, for forty years.  In the process they had conquered kings. In the process God made it so their shoes didn’t wear out.   In the process God feed them each day with manna from the sky.  In the process God gave them water from a rock.  In the process God guided and protected them with a cloud by day and fire by night.  Although they were wandering, they were also professing before the world (Jericho included), with their lives, the mighty acts of God.   This put fear into the hearts of those who observed and heard about their conquest.  God uses His power, through His people, to speak to the lives of the non-believer.   We don’t know how old Rahab is.  She is a harlot and others came to her.  This is why the rulers of the city knew she would know where the spies were.  Her house was on the city wall, which means it must have had both access to the passing world (a great place to run a house for harlots) and visibility of those passing by.   She feared for her parents and siblings.  Her asking in faith for mercy and grace was her act of coming to God.   It all started by her hearing of the great things God had done for His people.   We might like miracles ourselves, but in reality God often sends miracles to, also, convince the world around us of the His power and grace in the lives of those He loves.  God uses miracles to draw others to Himself, not just to make the lives of His people easier.   

God’s Grace Covers Sin With Blood Atonement - Genesis 1-3

Genesis 3:20-21 (ESV)

The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Up to this point in the book of Genesis Eve was referred to as the woman.   She did not have a name in Genesis 2 or 3.  At this point she was just the rib from the side of man.  Her identity was established after the sin of eating the fruit.  There is nothing that significant here, other than her identity is established post sin.  She is still going to be the mother of all living, but now all living would be born in sin.   This is the curse in practical terms.   

We also read that God made garments of skin and clothed them.   Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed.  Their fig leaf undergarments would not be sufficient.  Now that they were leaving the confines of the garden, they would need to be covered.  Although implied, this is the first mention in the Bible of a sacrificial death.  Some animal in the Garden lost their life for this skin garment.   This is an expression of both God’s sacrificial atonement and His grace.   He killed an animal to cover them.   This is a picture of the coming atonement of His Son.  God would send His Son to give His life to cover man’s sin, that began in the Garden.  In all the stories of the Bible there is this seed of God’s grace.   He will send Adam and Eve out of the garden, into the world, covered by the blood of a sacrifice.   This is God’s grace.   Their prior man-made clothing was not going to cover them.  So, too, man’s works do not cover them.  From this point forward man will attempt to cover himself with man-made works.  But it is only the grace of God, covering man with blood sacrifice, that will sufficiently take away man’s sin.  

Reject God - God Rejects You - Jude

Jude 1:7 (ESV)

just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Some things were created to be an example for us.   When Paul was explaining the sovereignty of God in salvation to the Christians at Rome, he said this: 

Romans 9:22-23 (ESV)

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

We don’t like to put much thought into things that make our heads hurt.   But this truth might be one of them.   We have this vision of God that He is the God of love.   That would be a proper vision.   When studying the truths theses above verses speak about, we must never forget the following:

John 3:16 (ESV)

For God So Loved the World

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Those who believe in John 3:16 have eternal life and experience the blessings of His divine love.   However, there is more to the story.   In God’s sovereign rule, He has created vessels to receive His love (those who believe in His Son, Jesus) but He has also created vessels who receive His wrath, because they don’t believe in His Son.   The peoples of Sodom and Gomorrah (and the surrounding villages) all underwent punishment for their rejection of God and divulging in acts of gross sin.  These people rejected the God of the universe and He gave them over to their own devices of sin.  Note:

Romans 1:24-28 (ESV)

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Those who reject God will be rejected by God.  These serve as an example for us and the world around us.  God will punish sin.  He gives people over to their own desires because they reject Him.  Therefore He rejects them and they become examples of His divine wrath rather than His divine love.  

Physical vs Spiritual Needs - Acts 27-28

Acts 27:33-38 (ESV)

As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

Being on a ship in the midst of a tumultuous sea is a very bad spot to be.  There is a saying from those who own boats:  “It is better to be in here (land) wishing you were out there (sea), than to be out there (sea) and wishing you were in there (land).   The above passage, Paul and the rest of the rest of the passengers had not eaten in 14 days, while in this longstanding storm.   Although Paul had warned the captain of the ship not to sail, they never-the-less did.  They have already jettisoned much of the cargo.  Now they were worried about their lives.  Paul, even though he is highly bent toward the spiritual end of life, is concerned about their physical needs.   Like Jesus at the well and needling water from the Samaritan woman, he speaks to them about food and sustenance.   He will, in time, speak spiritual truths to them.  But he wants to help them care for their physical needs first.    There are times that the priority order of the physical and spiritual can change, but this time he wants them to have strength for the task God had told them they would have.  Earlier an angel appeared to him about how the boat would be saved, and all of them.   He used that spiritual knowledge to encourage them physically.   He would later turn their focus, once again, to spiritual matters.  In our care for the world around us we might think it is bold to speak up about the spiritual needs of those around us.   And, indeed, it is!   But we must not neglect to notice their physical needs, as well.   Note:

James 2:14-17 (ESV)

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

With all this being true, in the middle of meeting their physical needs, Paul breaks out in prayer.  Imagine the other prisoners, the sailors and soldiers response!   Here, in the midst of a storm, a spiritual man is meeting their physical needs first, but still focusing them on the God who controls the storm and provides the food.  Awesome!! 

New Heaven and Earth - New Citizens - Revelations 18-22

Revelation 21:5-8 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The Bible is coming to an end with the above passage.  The old earth and old heaven are being destroyed.   The new heaven and new earth are now built and the above verses describe the citizenship.    There are three aspects of these occupiers of this new heaven and new earth:

1.  They are those who thirst.   This speaks toward those who have thirsted for righteousness and are now having the fulfillment of Jesus’ beatitude:

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

2. They are those who conquer.   It is by faith they have conquered. Faith in the blood of the Lamb:

Revelation 12:11 (ESV)

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

3. They are no citizens in heaven that are living in unrepentive sin.  Note what John will write in the last chapter:

Revelation 22:14-15 (ESV)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Those on the outside are those who never submitted to Christ on the inside.   For all those who believe that God changes His character and out of love changes His mind on moral qualities, the above verses are a reality check.  The immoral and the false and the arrogant will not be citizens of heaven.  It will only be for those who put their trust in the blood of the lamb and who faith in the risen Savior.  

God Gives Us Support to Aide in Our Protection - Song of Songs 7-8

Song of Songs 8:8-9 (ESV)

OTHERS

We have a little sister,

and she has no breasts.

What shall we do for our sister

on the day when she is spoken for?

If she is a wall,

we will build on her a battlement of silver,

but if she is a door,

we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

The above verses are at the end of the poem of love between this wedded couple.   Somehow, at the end of the poem and, presumably, after the wedding, we are hearing from the bride’s brothers.   We assume (not wise, however) that she is remembering something they told her in her youth, when she was not yet developed as a woman (she has no breasts).   We are not sure if the terms used in these two verses (wall and door) are to be used in contrast to each other, or in a complimentary way.  Here are some options:

#1 - Contrast Interpretation:

• If we used them in contrast, one interpretation might be that the brothers will  build a battlement of silver for her if she keeps herself chase (becomes a wall to the approaches of men).  But, if she is a door, indicating a more permissive character toward men by letting them into her life, the brothers would have to work to enclose her, themselves (rescue her ... with boards of cedar.) Cedar being the wood of choice for security and safety.   The point being that either she protects herself, or the brothers will do it for her. 

#2 - Complimentary Interpretation:

• If we use them in a complimentary way, we would believe that the wall and the door are both ways to keep the unwanted out.  If their sister, in her later life, becomes a wall and a door to the advances of immoral men, the brothers will reward her with a battlement of sliver and with boards of cedar.   (If she is faithful in the little, she will be rewarded in much.)  The point being that if she protects herself from impurity, the brothers will reward her for that. 

#3 - Spiritual Interpretation:

• Perhaps both have a sense of truth to them.  The takeaway might simply be that God has given her brothers to both protect and reward her as she grows older.   They are given to her for support.  Now that she is married she is recalling this support and protection.  In a spiritual sense, if you interpret Song of Songs ONLY in spiritual terms and the poem is about our marriage to Christ, you would believe that God has given us support from our brothers and sisters in Christ to be there for us.  As we walk in obedience they are there to protect and support us. 

Whatever way you interpret the text, support and care and protection from others is a Biblical truth God wants us to understand.  I personally believe #2 is probably the best way to view the text.   The wall and the door serve the same purpose.  They are protecting her from unwanted advances.   The brothers are there to assist in that.   We have people in our lives that God has put in place to protect us and watch over us and makes us walls and doors to the advances of evil.  

Praise God Personally - He is a Personal God - Psalms 149-150

Psalms 149:1 (ESV)

Sing to the LORD a New Song

Praise the Psalms 149:1 (ESV)

Sing to the LORD a New Song

Praise the LORD!

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise in the assembly of the godly!

These last groups of Psalm have been redundant, to say the least. For a number of Pslams we have read the phrase, "Praise the Lord." In the Hebrew the "LORD" is the word YHWH, or Yahweh. The Hebrews were so sensitive that they might offend God they purposely left the vowels out and would not pronouce the name. When you see "LORD" capitalized in your Bible it is typically YHWH. When you see "Lord" (without capitalization) it is the Hebrew, "Adonai" which is a name for God that He is the ruler of man. YHWH is the "name" of God. "Elohim" means "supreme diety" and is the designation that God is God, but His real name is YHWH (Yahweh). So, in this Psalm and the many we have been reading in this section states that we should praise the LORD, YHWH ... we are praising a personal God who deserves and wants our priase. The word "praise" in this text means to be "boastful" about. We are to boast about YHWH! We are to remember that He is to be praised in every corner of the earth and in every place we may travel. In the mountains, In the sanctuary, ... in every place, not just in "church." We are also praise Him in every way ... with dancing, with singing, with musical instruments, with trumpets ... not just in church with a choir, or with a praise team, or with a traditional hymn. We are also to praise Him for multiple things ... for His great deads, for His creation, for His judgments ... not just for the good things He does for us. If you don't get the theme of this section read it again. We are to Praise YHWH!!

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise in the assembly of the godly!

God is Sovereign of Logistics - Esther 6-10

 Esther 8:9-12 (ESV)

The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud, saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

If you are not familiar with the story of Esther, you might not realize the importance of the above verses.   The book of Esther is a great story to show God’s sovereign rule over the world and especially His chosen people, Israel.  Israel is in captivity at this point.  Assyria is their current captor.   King Ahasuerus is the ruler.   A man named Haman is the villain.   He wants all the Jews destroyed.   He tricks Ahasuerus to declare an edict that all the Jews were to be killed.   Queen Esther, who is a Jew and Mordecai, who is her uncle, are able to foil Haman’s plans.   Haman is hung on the very gallows he had hope to hang Mordecai.  But his edict is still outstanding.   The king then issues a second edict that will allow the Jews to defend themselves.  This edict needs to be sent to the Jews living throughout 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. That is almost 3,000 miles.  God has so arranged the events at this time in history that Ahasuerus puts out a message for all 127 provinces to allow the Jewish people to not only defend themselves against those who would still want to follow Haman’s original plan, but also to preemptively strike down any of their enemies.   Wouldn’t it have been nice if King Ahasuerus would have had email or text messaging for this task.  He didn’t.   Instead he had to use mounted couriers (i.e. the pony express) to spread the news.  Wouldn’t it be great if they had a copy machine to print this new edict on the kings own stationary.   They didn’t.   Instead they had to hand write 127 copies in the language of all those in each providence.  They also had to have a copy for all 127 providences in Hebrew, for the Jew’s living there (most likely as slaves).   This is a massive undertaking.  It all had to be accomplished before the day that Haman designated as, kill all the Jews in your midst day.  This is a wonderful example of God using man’s ingenuity (a gift from God) to accomplish a major logistics task.  God is in the business of logistics and uses man’s skills (gifts from God) to accomplish this.  This would have taken scribes, curators of writing material, equestrians, stable crew, meal prep, etc to accomplish this task.   God does it all to display to us His sovereignty, even over logistics.   Praise Him!  

God Disciplines All Disobedience- Deuteronomy 32-34

Deuteronomy 32:15-18 (ESV)

15 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;

you grew fat, stout, and sleek;

then he forsook God who made him

and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.

16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;

with abominations they provoked him to anger.

17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,

to gods they had never known,

to new gods that had come recently,

whom your fathers had never dreaded.

18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,

and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

As Moses reaches the point of his death he writes one more poem/song for Israel.  God has instructed him that he will soon die. He will see the promise land from the mountain he will die upon, but he will not enter the promise land.  He won’t enter in because of his sin of not trusting God surrounding the story of God supplying water to the nation of Israel in the desert.   He was told by God to speak to the rock, but Moses struck the rock with his staff.  That one difference would keep him from touching one foot on the promise land.   The irony is found in the above verses.  They are a portion of the song he wrote about Israel.   It tells us that the nation of Israel sinned and turned their back on their God.   That is why they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.   God would keep them out of the promise land, as well.  Only their children would enter.   God does not tolerate disobedience, of any kind.   The nation had turned their back on Him.   They turned to idols, that were not gods, at all.  They worshiped the creature and not the Creator.   This would bring about God’s discipline.  As with the author of the poem.   God disciplines leaders and followers for disobedience.   A new nation will enter the promise land and they, too, will sin against God and do these same things.  God will discipline them and put them into captivity.   Disobedience is always meet with discipline.   

Say It Face-To-Face - 3 John

3 John 1:14 (ESV)

I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

We might ask if John was familiar with Zoom and/or other video conferencing limitations. Somethings can’t be done in letter, email, text, or carrier pigeon.  Some things need to be discussed face-to-face.   The translation actually, figuratively, states, mouth-to-mouth.  John is writing this little letter to an elder in a church named Gaius.  We know letter about him, however.  We do read that he is a faithful representation of Christ.  He is honoring those who honor Christ.   We can say of him what was said of the unmovable man: 

Psalms 15:4a (ESV)

in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

John has also, in this brief letter, addressed two other men. One is Diotrephes.  He was a selfish and rebellious man in the church, where Gaius was the elder.   Even though this letter is brief, it does not lack content, power and authority.  John is not happy with Dieotrephes.  So, coming to see Gaius and talking to him face-to-face, might also be a time to do the same with this rebellious member of his church. 

The other person mentioned by name in John’s letter is Demetrius.    He is the opposite of Dieotrephes.  He is a great example to the church.  Perhaps John wants to meet this person and reward him publicly for his Christ-like behavior.  

Whatever the reason for John’s desire, he knows that somethings can’t be said unless you are with the person you want to talk with.   Today’s emails are often abused by those who avoid a face-to-face meeting.  Today, keyboard warriors tarnish the internet with their hatred.  They would seldom, if ever, confront a person face-to-face about an issue they are having.   John is like any other human being who sees the need to confront one and to comfort the other, in a personal manner.   He wants to visit with them to handle the situations surrounding them.  We have no idea if this meeting ever took place.  But John tells us his plans and that is enough to know his heart.   Some things need to be said face-to-face.  Perhaps, even this communication!

Convey the Message of the Gospel with Power - Acts 25-26

Acts 26:4-8 (ESV)

“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

In the above passage we are reading Paul’s words when he was brought to trial before the governor of the province, Porcius Festus and King Agrippa.   Festus had little knowledge about the Jewish faith, but King Agrippa was well informed.    Paul is standing trial for false accusations made against him by the Jewish leadership.   He is claiming that Christ has risen from the dead and the Jewish leaders oppose his teaching.  Mostly because He is stealing converts from their synagogues.  Paul, in his defense narrative, is outlining for King Agrippa his background.   King Agrippa knows the Jewish faith.   Paul begins with that connection they both have with the Jewish faith.  It is interesting that here, Paul is claiming some connection with the Jewish leadership.  He is doing so to establish credibility with men.   When writing, later, to the church in Philippi, however, note what he says about this type of resume:

Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Paul is not articulating his resume because he believes it matters to God.   He knows that God sees all that we have accomplished in life as rubbish.  But Paul does see that mankind often needs a resume.   Man looks on the outside.  God looks on the inside to our faith in Him.   Agrippa will be forced to look inside, as well, as Paul unfolds his defense.  But he starts with the known and then moves to the unknown; the resurrection of Jesus.   In our work with mankind we, too, should be able to defend the faith.  But we also might want to connect what we can with the person we are speaking to.  It is not stated in these text if anyone came to Christ as a result of Paul’s message.  But we do know that the message of the Gospel was explained.  That is the point we are to learn in these passages.  God gives the fruit.  We are to simply deliver the seed in the best way possible for the seed to be used by God for fruit.   

Never Underestimate Man’s Hatred Toward God - Revelation 12-17

Revelation 16:10-11 (ESV)

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

Joel 2:1-2 (ESV)

The Day of the LORD

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;

sound an alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

2 a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains

a great and powerful people;

their like has never been before,

nor will be again after them

through the years of all generations.

Joel 3:14-15 (ESV)

14 Multitudes, multitudes,

in the valley of decision!

For the day of the LORD is near

in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

Exodus 10:21-22 (ESV)

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

When God brings judgment He often turns out the lights.  When Jesus stated He was the light of the world, He did so to show their spiritual darkness.   When man rejects God he lives in darkness.   During the last days, God’s final judgment will be the pouring of His wrath out onto mankind.  These are known as the Seven Bowls in The Revelation.   This fifth bowl will be once again bring darkness.  Like in Egypt, with Moses, the land is plunged into utter darkness.  The previous pain and suffering from the first four bowls of judgement are not able to be addressed because of this physical (and spiritual) blindness. Yet, the response of mankind?   They refuse to repent.  They are inflicted with all this pain and suffering and still refuse to acknowledge God and bow the knee to Him.   This is the plight of man.  Because of their spiritual darkness they refuse to cry out to God for mercy in this time of physical darkness.  We should never underestimate the evil hearts of mankind in their response to God.   Note what happens after all seven bowl judgments are poured out:

Revelation 16:21 (ESV)

And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

Mankind is evil and hates God.  Never forget that truth as we proceed to navigate our world.