Beginning With God

“GOD SAW ALL THAT HE HAD MADE, AND BEHOLD, IT WAS VERY GOOD” (GENESIS 1:31).

“In the beginning, God…”  and so begins the story of God and Man.  Not the beginning of God’s story, but the part where Man comes into the picture.  In fact, Genesis means “beginning” or “beginnings”.  The latter being the more accurate representation, because as Homer Hailey put it, Genesis (or beginnings) “is exactly what this book sets forth.  It tells of the beginning of creation, the beginning of man, the beginning of sin, and the beginning of God’s plan for the redemption of His creation.”  Those last two carry a consistent theme throughout all of scripture.  In every single book of the Bible, that theme is interwoven for us to learn about God and our purpose in this world.

Chapter one is the story of Creation (i.e. how all this “stuff” got here).  Since it deals with heaven and earth, oceans, light, plants, trees, all kinds of animals, and the creation of Man, you might expect it to read like a science book, but it doesn’t.  God wants us to learn about who He is so that we can have a relationship with Him.  

So, what is God telling us in Genesis one?

If there’s one thought we should take away from Genesis one, it is summed up nicely by the first and last verses of the chapter: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…[and] God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good.”  That also happens to be a consistent theme throughout the chapter.  Seven times in Genesis chapter one God looks back over His creation and “saw that it was good” and twice he explicitly blessed it after He’d created it (v. 22, 28).  This is the baseline by which we should view the world today. 

Can we see the good (and God’s glory) in His creation still today? 

Paul says we can – “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).  In context, that means the natural conclusion for anyone who observes nature is that there is a Creator, and those who would suppress that obvious conclusion are “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness” (v.18). 

Are there bad things in the world today? Yes, but they didn’t come from God. What God made was good. And God spoke these things into existence. Genesis chapter one serves as a reminder to us of how powerful the word of God is, whether it be Him speaking the universe into existence or us reading it in the Bible.

The Creation account shows us God’s infinite power over all things that exist.  In it, God tells us that He created the universe and everything in it.  He did so in a way that continuously sustains life in a state of equilibrium, where all things work together in harmony.  The inspired word of God spends thirty-one verses discussing the creation of the universe and everything that has ever existed since.  With the rest of scripture, God chooses to tell us about His love for us and His plan to redeem us from sin.  

If man had written the content for Genesis chapter one, I’m sure it would have been a lot longer than thirty-one verses. It is comforting to know where God’s focus is, and that of course begins in Genesis chapter one. Paul summarizes it well in Colossians 1:13-20.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth…all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  He is also head of the body, the church…For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

Clay Whittemore

Source Quote: Hailey, Homer.  Hailey’s Comments vol 1. Nevada Publications. p18.

The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth

In other words, man.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4).

“the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it…the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him’…She shall be called Woman…And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:15,18,23,25).

Here we read of the beginnings of mankind, the beginnings of a generational pattern that continues today. Much like God’s pattern of “there was evening and there was morning” constitutes one day.

BUT, WHAT WAS GOD’S PLAN FOR FAITH AND OBEDIENCE TO PASS FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT?

In the garden of Eden, God spoke directly with Adam and Eve.

Even after being cast out, we read of their children Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God (Genesis 4). Cain’s was rejected by God, while Abel’s was accepted. We can conclude based on Hebrews 11:4 that Abel’s was offered according to God’s instructions. Therefore, outside the garden, God was still communicating His will to the offspring of Adam and Eve.

11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Even prior to the destruction of mankind in the Flood and God making a covenant with Noah, God waited 120 years (1 Peter 3:20; cf. Genesis 6:3) desiring that Noah’s preaching (2 Peter 2:5) would bring people to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Reading through Genesis it is clear that God made His will known to mankind and held them accountable to His will. Even after God gave the ten commandments and the statutes and ordinances that made up the first covenant (often called the Law of Moses) to the nation of Israel, His will was still being made known to the Gentile nations as in previous times (e.g., time period of the books of Genesis and Job). Evidence of this is God sending the prophets Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah to Gentile nations with a message to repent or face judgment.

God has always been the God of all.

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [Jesus] will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all” (Romans 10:11-12a).

However, it is clearly seen in the Law that was given to the nation of Israel God’s plan for faith and obedience to pass from one generation of the heavens and the earth to the next until Jesus returns.

Moses wrote to Israel:

4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Did we catch that? Parents are to teach their children God’s word as a way of life. It is to permeate throughout our day each and every day.

First, we are to love God with our entire being. He must sit on the throne of our heart and therefore our thoughts, speech, and actions are directed by our love for God and our recognized dependence upon Him.

The word of God, therefore, is on our heart and we teach it DILIGENTLY to our children.

If I am diligent with something, it means I am serious. I have a plan and I am executing that plan every day. Verses 7-9 illuminate the degree of diligence that is being commanded.

We are to talk to our children and teach our children the word of God when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up. Verse 9 even alludes to us having it posted and visible for all to see.

Moses is not describing a family of lukewarm Christians or practical atheists, you know those who confess God with their mouth, but live their life as though He does not exist.

When we diligently train our children in the word of God and we shepherd their hearts and give them the daily example of a passionate disciple of Jesus, I am confident that faith and obedience will pass from one generation to the next.

As for me, my goal is to light the fire in not only my children’s hearts but my children’s children. As long as the Lord would have me to be here upon the earth I will proclaim Him and strive to raise up passionate disciples to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How about you?

Trent Dean

It's Not My Fault

The age-old excuse for any issue we see around us: “It’s not my fault.” We almost despise responsibility. We never want to be blamed. This starts when we are children and carries on through adulthood. We often accept positive attention but we never want negative attention.

Look around our communities and it is commonplace to see people balk at accepting responsibility for their wrongdoing. “Yes, I have been a political leader for multiple decades but all the bad issues are the new guy’s fault” or “No, I don’t always get to work on time but my boss is out to get me.”

Unfortunately, I could write of many times I was unwilling to accept responsibility for my actions. We must realize when we have messed up and be willing to make it right and learn from it. When wrong is done God is well aware of who is responsible for the wrong. When we refuse to accept responsibility a wall is placed between us and Him. God cannot help us right our wrongs if we refuse to admit our wrongdoing. Holding ourselves accountable is the first step to being right with God.

The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." - Genesis 3:12

Listen to Adam. Not only is he saying the sin in his family is not his fault but he also puts it back on God. “The woman YOU gave to be with me.” The fall of man started with a lie from Satan to Eve and led to a man unwilling to accept responsibility. There is truly nothing new under the sun! This cycle continues today and God is still heartbroken but willing to forgive if we will turn to Him. Let’s quit putting up walls between us and God and accept responsibility for our actions. For Adam, his sin was not God’s fault nor Eve’s fault and today we cannot pass the buck either.

Interestingly, Jesus prophesied that many in the last day will be making excuses as well.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:21-23).

Yes, they did great works but either their motives (heart) were not right or they did not do the works according to God’s word. Let’s quit making excuses and let’s start being completely honest with ourselves and God.

Devin Allen

Are You Ready?

“When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth”  (Genesis 9:16).

God sees the bow and remembers.

It is important for us to recognize and remember a couple of things that we can learn about God from the Flood.

1. GOD IS PATIENT AND DESIRES FOR ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE, NONE TO PERISH.

From the time, God told Noah (Genesis 6:13ff) that He had determined to put an end to all flesh and gave him instructions for building the ark, to the flood was at least 60 years. Maybe as long as 120 years.

Now, let’s make some connections with the writings of Peter since he references the flood and Noah in his letters.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed (2 Peter 3:8-10).

2. THE JUDGMENT IS REAL AND IT IS COMING.

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:27-28).

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

THEREFORE,

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:11-13).

Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace (v. 14).

Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability (v. 17).

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (v. 18).

Just like with Noah and the Flood, the patience of God will come to an end at some point.

Are you ready?

Peter said the end will come like a thief in the night meaning we won’t expect it.

Therefore, let’s live today mindful that it could be our final day upon the earth. Let’s make sure to stay sober in spirit, alert, and eagerly awaiting Jesus.

Do not be overly distracted by the things of this world.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

He is coming.

Trent Dean

The Birth of All Nations

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words” (Genesis 11:1).

After the Flood and a period of time, the people migrated east and found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. Their intention was to build a tower reaching to the heavens and to stay there and make a great name for themselves.

God desired that they spread over the earth and multiply so he confused their language so that they could not understand one another’s speech. They, of course, separated and joined with those they could understand and began dispersing over the face of the earth.

When man is speaking one language and is of one intent together, we can accomplish great things. However, for it to be truly great it needs to be pleasing to God.

Within our local congregations, we need one language and the same intent in order to accomplish great things for our Lord Jesus.

Our language is the Word of God. It is to be spoken in love, with all patience and humility. Even when we deal with outsiders in defending the faith, Peter instructs that we do so in gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). How much more so when dealing with our own family?

Do not let familiarity breed contempt! We must be united in the one faith (Ephesians 4:5).

Our intent primarily is to (1) seek and save the lost, (2) encourage and equip the body among us, and (3) meet the physical and emotional needs of the body among us.

It is common for man to get distracted, lost in squabbles of opinion, and to lose sight of the big picture. It is common, but not wise. Wisdom calls aloud. Let our local congregations speak and act in wisdom. One language, one intent, working with great zeal to accomplish much for our Lord Jesus while our time here remains.

May God bless us, for with Him all things are possible.

Trent Dean

Abraham, Father of Israel

“The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants, I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:7

In Genesis 12:1-3 we read of God’s threefold promise to Abraham, calling him to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house to a land the Lord would show him (Promise #1 - LAND). The Lord would make Abraham a great nation (Promise #2 - NATION), and in Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Promise #3 - BLESSING).  Then in verse 4, we see the masterful obedience of Abraham as it says he “went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.” That’s a big deal. It’s not as simple as moving to another state for a better job offer. Abraham was leaving security, comfort, and stability all for land and promises that were unseen. It was complete faith in action.  Hebrews 11:8-9 puts it this way, “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” It’s a hard thing to be a stranger in a foreign land where there are no fortified walls to protect you. Abraham had to trust God completely.

In verse 7, we read of Abraham arriving in this land (Canaan) that God promised for his descendants.  As I imagine the scene, Abraham strolls out of the wilderness and onto some scenic overlook, drops his suitcase and carry-on items, and says, “So this is the place, huh?” with a sigh. But, of course, it wasn’t quite like that.  Abraham wasn’t a poor man, but he certainly didn’t have the means to fulfill the land promise on his own.  

THERE ARE TWO ISSUES CONFRONTING ABRAHAM.  

First, this land that is supposed to be for Abraham’s descendants was already home to the Canaanites (v. 6).  Ever tried to plant a garden where there are already weeds, thorns, and privet growing? These Canaanites aren’t simply going to uproot and leave. Second, where exactly are these “descendants” going to come from?  Abraham is seventy-five years old and his wife is only ten years younger and they have no children.

If you’re the type that likes to skip ahead in the story, then you know God’s promises to Abraham were eventually fulfilled. In regard to the NATION promise, Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 10:22, “Your fathers went down to Egypt, 70 people in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.” After Abraham’s grandson, Jacob’s family went down into Egypt to survive the famine under the care of his son Joseph who had risen to second in command in Egypt, there eventually arose a Pharaoh that did not know Joseph. He grew fearful of their large numbers, enslaved them, and after over 400 years God used Moses and his brother Aaron to deliver what was the family of Jacob into what had become a nation of people that God was going to separate from Egypt and all other nations and make His own. Based on Exodus 12:37 and the census taken shortly after leaving Egypt (Numbers 1:17-46), their army numbered well over 600,000 men, which would imply a total population of over 2 million. That would be a staggering population for this era and certainly large enough to help us understand the magnitude of Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 10:22.

Abraham was the first of three patriarchs (Fathers) of Israel. Because of Abraham’s faithful obedience to the LORD, God reaffirmed the promises made to Abraham with his son Isaac (Gen. 26:2-5), and Isaac’s son, Jacob (Gen. 28:13-15). In Genesis 32:28, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, meaning “one who strives with God.” It was through Jacob’s sons that the Nation of Israel was divided into tribes and would lay claim and finally take the land of promise for their own. The descendants of Abraham knew themselves to be God’s chosen people and heirs according to the three-fold promise. Therefore, being able to trace one’s lineage back to Abraham was of the utmost importance. That’s a significant reason the gospel of Matthew, which was written to an audience of descendants of Abraham (or as they came to be known Jews), begins by tracing the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1).

Abraham began the line of people that would eventually become God’s chosen nation that He would use to bring about the Messiah, a Savior. It was Jesus that God “made both Lord and Christ” (Greek word for Messiah) that would bless all nations through His saving work on the cross (Promise #3 fulfilled).

However, during Jesus’ ministry, he often struggled with the descendants of Abraham (Jews), a particular group that was very strict called the Pharisees. The Pharisees had allowed their God-given privilege as His chosen people to fill them with extreme pridefulness. For example, in John chapter 8, the Pharisees rejecting Jesus say, “We have Abraham as our Father,” and twice they seek to undermine Jesus based on the authority of Abraham as their father. But Jesus tells them, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me because My word has no place in you…If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham” (v37, 39). Jesus would go on to tell them, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad…Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (v56, 58). The Pharisees’ primary goal was not to do God’s will (John 7:17) and therefore God’s Son was before them and they simply could not accept it despite all the evidence in the Scriptures and all that Jesus did and said among them.

Abraham did, indeed, become the father of the nation of Israel just like God promised in Genesis 12 and the Pharisees hung their hat right there. But Jesus made it clear that it takes more than a lineage to Abraham to enjoy the fullness of God’s promises.

In Matthew 3:8-10, John the Baptist said, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.  The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  

In God’s third promise all the families of the earth would be blessed. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. The land and nation promises were specific to the nation of Israel, descendants of Abraham, but now through Jesus Christ, all people can become heirs according to promise.

26 For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:26-29).

Clay Whittemore

Believe the Lord

“And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

As Abram is aging and worried he says to God, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir” (Genesis 15:2,3).

This provoked the Lord God to take Abram outside and to have him look toward the heavens and count the stars and He then said, “So shall your descendants be” (v. 5). Then it says Abram believed the Lord, and God counted it to him as righteousness (v. 6).

Paul, when writing “to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” used this example of God crediting Abraham as righteous because of his faith.

Paul makes the point in Romans chapter three that the righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ (v. 22), but concludes the chapter with an important question and answer that then sets up his example using Abraham. “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31).

4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 

This is just a snippet of Paul’s overall message to the saints at Rome and we would definitely need to read the entire letter to better understand, but one thing is clear even having read just this snippet:

If we are going to be made righteous by God it is only going to come through obedient faith. Hebrews 11 gives us numerous examples of those who heard God and acted with obedient faith, including Abraham.

Believe the Lord and do all things with the faith of Abraham and God will count it to you as righteousness!

Trent Dean

Trusting the Promises

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" (Genesis 17:17)

In Genesis 17, God is speaking with Abraham, affirming and reassuring him that Sarah will indeed be blessed with a son. 13 years prior, Abraham and Sarah’s impatience led them to try to solve the matter themselves. Sarah gave Abraham her Egyptian servant Hagar, Abraham laid with her and bore Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-2).

And now Ishmael is 13 years old and Sarah is still barren.

Abraham needed assurance that God would indeed keep his promise. Often, we forget that God’s understanding and His ways are above our own and therefore we must trust in His ways and His TIMING. If God says it will be done, it will be done. We mustn’t waiver in our belief, but rather remain steadfast, trusting the LORD God always.

Too often we want everything now. Too often we are unwilling to wait on God. Our impatience proves a level of mistrust and hurts our relationship with God.

“This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you” (Genesis 17:10).

Between me and you; meaning the promises of God are in place for a reason. This reason is His desire to have a relationship with us. We too, long to be in communion with God. The foundation of any relationship is TRUST. Thus we must trust all that God has promised. We need to put away thoughts of creating our own plan but be willing to trust in God’s plan.

Was Sarah too old to conceive? Medically YES. Was Abraham too old to Father a child? Most likely yes. But was God, who created man and woman, able to deliver on His promise despite human frailty and limitations? YES.

GOD WAS FAITHFUL IN BLESSING ABRAHAM WITH THE SON OF PROMISE. “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

This was in fact the seed that would bring Jesus to us.

He is faithful no matter the circumstances. Let us trust Him today. Let us stand in awe of His faithfulness to all generations.

Devin Allen

God Will Provide

Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together (Genesis 22:8).

After God had finally given Abraham a son through his wife Sarah, thus continuing Abraham’s lineage and making a way for the three-fold promise to be fulfilled through Abraham, God was now going to test Abraham (Genesis 22:1).

God tells Abraham to go and sacrifice his only son Isaac in the land of Moriah.

According to the Scriptures, there is nothing in the words or expression that even hints at Abraham being troubled by this. Matter of fact, Abraham’s mind, and heart appear to be right on point, perfect execution, and obedience.

Abraham makes all the proper preparations, they travel multiple days, and once they reach the land and they are making their way to the specific site, Isaac asks his father Abraham, “Behold, the fire and the wood, where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7).

Abraham responds, “God will provide” (Genesis 22:8—-full verse above ).

In the following verses, and even upon Isaac being bound and Abraham beginning to stretch out his hand with the knife in order to slay his son, there is nothing in the text that shows resistance or hesitancy from Abraham or Isaac.

Abraham believed that God would provide in one manner or another.

It would seem that Abraham was confident that God would raise Isaac, but instead, the angel of the LORD calls to Abraham to stop.

“Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:12).

Then Abraham raised his eyes and behind him, a ram was stuck in the thicket. They used the ram for the burnt offering. Then the angel of the LORD spoke again to Abraham declaring that the LORD would indeed greatly bless Abraham, multiply his seed as the stars of heaven, and in his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed, “BECAUSE YOU HAVE OBEYED MY VOICE.”

If God will test Abraham, will he test us?

I would think so. John 15 reveals that God will prune us so that we can grow and become capable of bearing more fruit. Hebrews 12 reveals that God will discipline us “so that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11).

Therefore, let us be like Abraham.

Trust God. No matter what comes at you in this life, trust God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Obey God. No matter what comes at you in this life, trust and obey so that you may share God’s holiness and forever be united with Him through Christ Jesus, our Lord, and Savior.

As hard as it may be, we cannot withhold anything from our Creator. He has proven that He loves us, so we can know without a doubt His plans for us are for good, so no matter what comes at you in this life, trust and obey God.

He will provide.

Trent Dean

Trust and Obey

Genesis 26:1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 

2 And the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 

Isaac was the child that God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. And in Genesis 26:2-5 God reaffirms the three-fold promise that was made to his father Abraham:

(1) God will give all these lands to his offspring.

(2) God will greatly multiply his offspring (as the stars of heaven).

(3) God will bless all the nations of the earth through his offspring.

But God concludes here with Isaac by making the point that he will do these things “because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac hearing these words from God then obeyed.

(v. 6) Instead of going to Egypt to survive the famine, Isaac trusted God and obeyed God by settling in Gerar. Matter of fact, Isaac never left the land of promise and God provided abundantly for him and protected and blessed him in the land (Genesis 26:12-14).

The fact that we MUST trust and obey God can never be overemphasized. God desires to use us for His kingdom service and bless us in our efforts, but we MUST trust and obey Him. We cannot be self-serving and prideful and seek to make our own way and expect the blessings of God. We MUST lean on God and trust not in our own understanding, but seek God’s way with full commitment and servitude.

For Isaac, it was logical to make plans to go to Egypt to survive the famine. That was a good plan. That is until God told him to stay, and that He would provide. What a test of faith! And like his father Abraham, by faith, he stayed in Gerar and what was the outcome?

God blessed Isaac tremendously!

Trust and obey God today and every day, forever and ever, amen.

Trent Dean

Jacob, the Transformed Brother

“THEN JACOB AWOKE FROM HIS SLEEP AND SAID,

‘SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE, AND I DID NOT KNOW IT’” (GENESIS 28:16).

Jacob did not have the easy life one might presume for a patriarch of God’s chosen people, Israel. From Genesis chapter 25 through 37 we read of unfortunate dealings, famine, deceit, land conflict, more deceit, family conflict, and even the bitterness of hatred. In chapter 28, God appears to Jacob in a dream and reaffirms the threefold promise (Genesis 12). Now, that is encouraging, but in the very next chapter, more problems begin.

Jacob meets Rachel. Jacob loves Rachel. However, Rachel’s father, Laban, is not an upright man. He takes advantage of Jacob’s love for Rachel by concocting a scheme to have Jacob work seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage. And when Jacob fulfilled this obligation, Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah, Rachel’s older sister instead. When confronted, Laban, makes Jacob work another seven years for him in order to have Rachel, the one whom he loves, as his wife.

Jacob works the additional seven years and is given Rachel’s hand in marriage. Jacob lives in the same land alongside his father-in-law with Leah and Rachel and after some time it becomes clear to Laban’s sons that God has blessed Jacob’s flocks over Laban’s. The relationship turns bitter (31:7) and Jacob has grown tired of his father-in-law’s shenanigans and so he takes Rachel and Leah and their children and their livestock and all that they own and they leave. Laban pursues Jacob as though to do harm, but thankfully God intervenes on behalf of Jacob and by the end of chapter 31 they make a covenant and part ways.

MORE TROUBLE

Now that Jacob is going to return home, his concern turns to his brother Esau, whom he fled from in chapter 28, for fear of his life. Jacob now wonders how his brother will receive him.

Jacob devises a plan of appeasement for his brother, but when Esau and the four hundred men with him are finally approaching Jacob didn’t know what was about to happen, but it says “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” Esau met Jacob’s family and it was a beautiful reunion, thankfully.

MORE TROUBLE

Jacob eventually comes to Shechem, buys land, and builds an altar to the Lord.  A local prince sees Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, and forces himself on her.  When Jacob tells his sons what happened, they are furious.  The prince’s father even tries to restore honor to Jacob (and Dinah) by arranging a marriage between Dinah and the prince.  Jacob’s sons pretend to agree to the proposal, on the condition that all the males of the prince’s household be circumcised, to which they agreed.  When they’d complied, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, slaughtered all the males of the city (who were still in painful recovery and unable to defend themselves).  Revenge or not, Jacob’s sons had broken their word.  Fearing reproach from among the other inhabitants of the land, Jacob goes on the move again, traveling to Bethel, then Ephrath (Bethlehem), and finally back to his father, Isaac, at Mamre (Hebron).  As a last and final (and bitter) detail of that journey, Jacob’s wife, Rachel, dies giving birth to Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin.

GOD WAS WITH JACOB

Jacob has endured much. It would serve us well to consider why Jacob continues to press forward with faithfulness to God. Remember in chapter 28, the Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream (v. 13-15) and reaffirmed the three-fold promise of Genesis 12, just as He’d done with Jacob’s father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. No doubt, Jacob knew that promise. No doubt he’d heard his father and grandfather tell and re-tell the stories surrounding their faithfulness and yearning for the fulfillment of God’s promise. And this helps us better understand Jacob’s response in verse 16, “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’”  God was with Jacob, even when he didn’t realize it.

What a powerful lesson for us all. When the storms of life are trying to toss us to and fro it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose our senses. It is easy to feel alone and weak and be afraid as though God is not near and as if He does not care.

Consider when Jacob was attacked in the night and wrestled with his aggressor until daybreak and refusing to relent without a blessing, he was blessed with a new name — Israel —- because Jacob had “striven with God and with men and prevailed.” Jacob’s life seemed to be a long series of wrestling matches, and Jacob was relentless in his fighting and pressing forward.

Finally, in Genesis 35, after trial upon trial and difficulty upon difficulty, the Lord appears to Jacob and says, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name…I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.  The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you” (v. 10-12). 

It is interesting that Jacob’s story in Genesis 28-37 is book-ended by God’s promise.  It seems as though Jacob was armed with the promise of God and while holding to God’s promise, Jacob emerges on the other side to be given a new name, and the three-fold promise reaffirmed. 

And so  Jacob became Israel, who had twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin. God’s three-fold promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) is taking shape.

REMEMBER

First, God doesn’t forget His promises.  He will not let them fail.  If you are an heir to the promises of God (Galatians 3:26-29), you can know that He is faithful.  And lastly, when we find ourselves in turbulent and difficult times and all it seems we have to hold onto are God’s promises, we can be sure that’s more than enough.

Clay Whittemore

Joseph, Beloved Son of Jacob

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

In Genesis 37, we learn that Jacob (Israel) loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age (37:3). Obviously, this was not wise on the part of Jacob (Israel), and it brought Joseph’s brothers to hate Joseph so much that they could not even speak peacefully to him.

Further, when Joseph reveals a dream to his brothers that includes them bowing down to him it became the tipping point. When the opportunity arose, they sought to kill him. If it weren’t for Reuben interceding with a plan that allowed Joseph to keep his life, but be sold into slavery then Joseph’s other brothers would have killed him that day.

This eventually brings Joseph to Egypt and into the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, as a servant. From here we repeatedly read that “the LORD was with Joseph.” This did not keep Joseph away from persecution or even prison. It did not mean that his life was easy or his struggles easily understood at the moment, but it did mean Joseph had all that he needed to sustain himself through the trials and keep pressing forward to the good that God had planned (Genesis 50:20).

God blesses Joseph with the ability to interpret dreams and this specifically, but not immediately allows Joseph to rise to second in command in Egypt, only behind Pharaoh.

In this new position, Joseph’s dream that he told his brothers long ago when he was seventeen years old came true. They did, in fact, come to bow before him in great need for there was a famine in all the lands. Joseph tested his brothers to see if they had changed and upon passing the test he revealed himself with great emotion and joy. Then, Joseph had his entire family including his father Jacob (Israel) come and Pharaoh gave them land in Goshen for them to dwell.

This allowed Jacob’s (Israel) family to survive the great famine and to multiply in great number while remaining a separate people from the Egyptians, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians, and they multiplied from the family of Israel into the nation of Israel in this land.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

Hundred of years later, the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon that after 70 years, God would visit them and fulfill His promise and bring them back. God specifically said, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

God loves His creation, He loves us, and we must trust the LORD God that He does have these good plans for us. Too often we get tunnel-vision or we become short-sighted or we begin feeling sorry for ourselves. We cannot allow these things to happen, not if we want to realize those good plans God has for us.

We must learn to put our mind on stories such as these in the word of God in order to remember to trust and obey God and keep pressing forward. God will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

He walks with us through it all and delivers us unto His good plans if we will allow Him to.

Trent Dean

Held Captive

Being held captive is a situation none of us would like to be in.

No one wants to be under the full control of another. We like to be able to choose where we go and when we will go. We like to choose what we will do. Captivity virtually takes who we are away from us. It would seem we are no longer who we want to be but rather a version of ourselves based on the captor’s control.

In Exodus 1, we find the children of Israel in captivity, held against their will and unable to do as they please. Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. - Exodus 1:11

13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves (Exodus 1:13-14).

Not only were they in captivity, but their rulers were ruthless. God heard their cry and He would ensure their deliverance in His time.

It is true, that God can oftentimes find us today in captivity. It becomes true of us when we relinquish our self-control and allow ourselves to be slaves to evil habits and the consequences of those habits.

God has not left us as permanent captives but has given us a way of escape.

CONSIDER

13 No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, [e]so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him (Romans 6:6-8).

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:12-13).

Bondage is not a state we desire but oftentimes it is a state we find ourselves in. Let’s allow God to free us. Let’s no longer be lead by the passions of the flesh but rather the grace of God. 

Devin Allen

Learn To Do Good; Seek Justice

Moses, a leader in a moment of crisis – having the faith to be obedient to God’s command; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward…By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (Hebrews 11:26-27).

Moses demonstrated strong conviction and faith in his obedience to God and he saw the unseen (Jesus Christ). He showed faith by returning to a place of conflict and oppression to serve justice by the hand of God. Moses was commissioned by the Almighty to save the Israelites. He was committed to them (Israelites) but of greater significance and importance was his commitment to God.

The story of Moses is very well known and Jews hold Moses in the highest regard among men. He was hidden as an infant to avoid being killed until his mother could hide him no more and placed him in a small waterproof basket that was set in among the reeds by the bank of the Nile (Exodus 2:3). Further in the passage, we find that the daughter of Pharaoh had pity on the crying baby and called a Hebrew nurse to come and take care of the child. Consequently, the nurse that is called is the biological mother of Moses. In God’s time, He would use Moses (80 years old) to save His people from the oppression of the Egyptians.

Oppression creates an opportunity. The people being oppressed can no longer coast through life in a comfort zone. They are forced from their comfort and have to decide how they will respond and if they will take action against the oppressors. However, will the oppressed turn to their own devices, or will they draw closer to God. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them (Exodus 2:25). Not only did God take notice of the suffering, but God had a plan to deliver them from it. As Pharaoh’s daughter had compassion on the crying Hebrew baby – God had compassion on the suffering of the Israelites. God’s plan worked. In fact, it always works – because God is faithful to keep His promises…” abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6).

Moses learned all the wisdom of Egypt (Acts 7:22) but he would soon learn the superior wisdom that God had to offer. Moses could have stayed in Egypt and lived in Pharaoh’s palace with all its luxuries and entitlements. But the intent of his heart was to see that the Israelites got justice and freedom from the oppression they were suffering. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:24-25).

Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless; defend the orphan, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:17).

Today, we too can have freedom from the oppression of sin and a sin-sick world. As Moses went back to Egypt, to save his people, Jesus came to this earth to seek and save the lost.  There is no comparison to the salvation of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Author of our salvation, wants us to be saved and His desire is for us to have a relationship with Him.  Will you choose Jesus today and cast off the oppression of sin and death?

But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Hank Allen

Here I AM

Moses is 80 years old.

After God had called to him from the midst of the bush and identified Himself (Exodus 3:4-6), God says, “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10).

How would you respond if you were in Moses’ situation?

Moses looked at himself and felt incapable. “Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11)

God corrects Moses’ perspective and turns Moses’ attention to the One who has called him. Yes, Moses is incapable, but God can literally do all things. Nothing is impossible for God.

“And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you’” (Exodus 3:12a).

If God is going to be with Moses, then nobody, not even Pharaoh, the major world leader of that day, can “stand” in his opposition. Those opposed to the will of God will in their appointed time be brought low.

Moses was concerned that the sons of Israel would ask for the name of the God of their fathers. “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-14).

Moses was 80 years old and 80 years on the earth is 80 years. That is quite a grind. And yet God is ready to use him in a big way.

So number one, we must be ready and stay ready all the days of our life here on this earth for when God calls, we are to say, “Here I am. Send me.” Paul wrote to the Galatians not to grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6). At no point in time should we seek to “retire” from using our God-given abilities and skills to serve Him. It is a lifelong pursuit. God is my master and I shall seek to be useful to Him all my days.

And number two, we must look to God knowing He is fully capable and put our confidence in Him. Looking to ourselves and putting our confidence in the flesh will only lead to disappointment and destruction. William Henley said, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” I sure hope Henley repented of this nonsense. Our Creator is the master. Let us look to Him in all things and humbly submit to Him in prayer throughout our days. It is God that is in control, not me. I need Him. I depend on Him. And with Him, I can accomplish all that He would have me do and I can feel His pleasure. Oh, what a great feeling!

On the final day, every knee will bow before the great I AM. It is He that I serve. Oh, how wonderful it is to be a child of the King. Rejoice! Rejoice! I say, Rejoice! Let us praise Him forever and ever!

Trent Dean

Moses, Leader Of Israel

“And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness’” (Exodus 5:1).

When Moses was a child in Pharaoh’s house, I wonder what he wanted to be and do when he grew up? Whatever it was, I doubt those plans came to fruition or at least were spoiled after killing one of the Egyptians that was mistreating a Hebrew. Moses fled Egypt and was living in the land of Midian. Many years pass in the land with his wife Zipporah, and son, Gershom, until one day he is called by the LORD from the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-9). The ‘leader of Israel’ was probably not what Moses aspired to be when he grew up, but here he is at 80 years old and that is exactly what God is calling him to be. Israel is in bondage, and God wants Moses to lead the people out of Egyptian slavery and bring them to the land of promise (Exodus 3:7-9).  The Lord saw the suffering of Israel under the Egyptians, and He “remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them” (Exodus 2:24-25).

After the miraculous experience with the burning bush, Moses has legitimate concerns as to why he shouldn’t and can’t take this mission from God. In Exodus 3-4, he brings these concerns before God, and each time God deals with him patiently and directs Moses’ attention to Himself ensuring that Moses can do this job. However, after Moses’ last concern he tells God to send someone else. God responds in anger, and yet He still helps Moses overcome his lack of confidence and fear while insisting that Moses and Aaron will go together.

In Exodus 5 Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to travel three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord.  The request is as much an insult to Pharaoh as it is unreasonable.  “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2).  The Egyptians have their gods that they worship, and the God of Israel isn’t one of them.  Pharaoh isn’t about to take orders from a God he doesn’t know or respect. Instead, Pharaoh believes the Israelites are lazy and looking for an excuse to avoid work.  His answer is to increase the burden on the Israelites, believing the heavier the burden, the less attention they will be able to give to “false words” (5:9). 

The heavier burden imposed on the people causes them to turn against Moses, and we can sense that Moses’ original fears are gripping him strongly.  But God is reassuring.  He knows that Pharaoh is too prideful to let Israel go without intervention.  He reaffirms His commitment to the promises he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses tries to inspire hope in the people of Israel, but they are too despondent to listen.  It is going to require something extraordinary to compel Pharaoh to let Israel go.  Pharaoh doesn’t fear God, so God will make Pharaoh fear Moses, and beginning in Exodus 7 the ten plagues against Egypt begin.

Moses has just begun his work as leader of Israel and yet, he has learned much. Consider the following three lessons:

(1) FACING ADVERSITY

Moses was rejected by Pharaoh as well as despised by his own people when doing God’s will made things more difficult for them. We should be able to relate to Moses here on some level. Pharaoh didn’t have much of an appetite for God, and neither does “the world” around us today. When affliction and persecution arise due to our obedience to our Lord Jesus we must endure and keep doing the will of God.

(2) WHEN DOING RIGHT ISN’T POPULAR

When Moses’ meeting with Pharaoh results in heavier burdens for the sons of Israel, they call for God’s judgment on Moses (Exodus 5:20-21).  It is enough to make Moses go back to God in the following verses and ask God, “Why did you ever send me?” (v. 22).  It seems like Moses only made things worse, and now Moses has enemies on all sides – first with Pharaoh, and now his own people have turned against him.  It now seems as though the LORD is Moses’ only ally. Doing God’s will rarely if ever makes us popular. Later, the prophet Elijah felt this way when the wicked Jezebel was after him, and even Jesus felt this when His own people despised Him. When we feel this way, we must remember that God is able to deliver us, and He will not forsake us.

(3) GETTING OUT OF GOD’S WAY

Moses was overwhelmed by the task of leading Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. Even after the initial signs that God performs for Moses and gives to him, he is still intimidated by God’s plan. There is a hint of despair in Moses’ voice in Exodus 5:22-23 when he laments to God that things seem to be getting worse.  “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land” (Exodus 6:1).  But even then, Moses wonders how he’s going to convince Pharaoh (6:10-12, 28-30).  Moses eventually understands that it is by God’s power that Pharaoh will be convinced and Moses is just simply the messenger.

When we shine the light of Jesus and point others to Him, we must remember the power of God is through His word and that it is all-sufficient. Therefore, we should not let our own limitations hinder our willingness to be a messenger of light.

Sure, it matters how we talk about God to others – a spirit of love, patience, and gentleness is important, but the power to change people’s lives rests in God’s word, not us.  Paul said the gospel “is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes” (Romans 1:16). 

In Exodus 3-7, Moses is learning to be the leader of Israel and through this extremely challenging mission, he is learning that it is by God’s power, not his own, that the sons of Israel will be delivered from slavery. Moses is learning to expect adversity when man rejects the will of God and lastly, Moses is learning to follow the LORD and obey Him even when it is not popular, and all others have grown weary and impatient.

Moses will continue to grow as the leader of Israel because he continues to trust and obey God. There will come a day that the people of Israel will revere Moses and consider him above all men, but that, of course, didn’t happen overnight.

Let us come alongside Moses and learn from God as well.

Clay Whittemore

The Changing of Minds and Hearts

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment (Exodus 6:6).

How do you change people who have a broken spirit?

Perhaps if they had a vision, something to believe in that promises a better future, freedom, and hope for a better life.

Solomon wrote that without a vision the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).

Israel, however, did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery (v. 9).

Israel, however, rejected the vision. They currently did not believe a better future, a better life was possible or at least they didn't think Moses could deliver such things.

Now what? Israel won’t listen to Moses and although God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses is reasoning with God that since Israel won’t listen then Pharaoh is not going to listen either.

Moses thinks Israel and Pharaoh’s response to him is going to be based upon his skill of speech. “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?” (v. 30)

But remember God said that He would deliver them from slavery and redeem them with an OUTSTRETCHED ARM and with GREAT ACTS OF JUDGMENT.

The power of God can change minds and hearts.

In the first century, the apostles continually drew from the power of God to convert skeptics to believers and followers of Jesus. We should do the same today.

For example, in Acts 17, when Paul had been brought to the Aeropagus (Athens, Greece) to be heard by the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and others, he proclaimed to them “the God who made the world and all things in it” (17:24) and ultimately arrived at the point that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed,” (17:30-31).

How did God furnish proof that this was so?

Raising that “man” [Jesus] from the dead (v. 31).

The power of God can change minds and hearts.

When the people at the Aeropagus heard this, some sneered, others wanted to hear Paul again concerning this, but there were others who joined Paul and believed.

Do not think your skill of speech matters. Instead, rely on the power of God to change minds and hearts. Pray for courage and boldness. Seek those who are seeking truth and share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Trent Dean

Seeing His Power

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

All that He has created speaks to His power. We see His nature in His creation. We see His desire for order, His love for providing, and we see His dependability all by looking at creation. 

God has made Himself known to us and all people, the question is do we recognize what He has revealed to us? Many see a sunrise and sunset and never acknowledge God. Many see the rain helping produce grain that helps feed the cattle, but they never acknowledge God. Many take for granted God’s providence and take all the credit for what He has blessed them with. 

What is the difference between those who see and recognize the power of God and those who don’t? Perhaps those who see and recognize the power of God possess humility and faith, whereas those who do not see and recognize the power of God are blinded by pridefulness and lack faith.

His power is plain to see but will we acknowledge Him? 

Pharaoh (ruler of Egypt) allowed his pride to blind him to the power of God. 

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness." But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood (Exodus 7:14-17).

21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart (Exodus 7:21-23).

A truly awesome and amazing display of power was unable to penetrate the heart of Pharaoh. God’s attempt to make tender the hardened heart of Pharaoh was unsuccessful.

What is God trying to show us today? What of His power is He putting before us? What is right in front of us that our own pride and perhaps lack of faith are keeping us from being able to see?

His power is revealed to generate faith. God is not obligated to reveal Himself to us but by grace, He has chosen to do so. His power is in His gospel. His power must be believed by us or we will pay the same price Pharaoh paid. 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

The power of God unto salvation is before us.

Will we believe today and respond appropriately?

Devin Allen

Christ Our Redeemer

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Exodus 12:1-28

In an effort to free the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery it was necessary that blood be shed.  As Americans, we often refer to the blood that was shed on the battlefields of the past, for our freedom. Corresponding to that – for one to receive the ultimate freedom from sin, it was necessary that our Lord and Savior (Jesus the Christ) would shed His blood. God has made the provision for us and there is power in the blood! The power found in His blood defeats sin, defeats the devil, defeats death, hence there is victory in Jesus! When we yield to Jesus in obedience, God is glorified. When Egypt was finally defeated and the children of Israel were making their exit, they experienced victory over death and God was glorified!

Egypt had suffered through nine of the ten plagues brought down by God Almighty in an amazing demonstration of His power. Pharaoh’s heart had been hardened and Egypt, one of the strongest nations in existence at that time, was about to be brought to its knees. It was necessary that blood be shed so that God could be glorified, and the Israelites could realize freedom from 430 years of slavery. The blood of an unblemished male lamb or goat would be shed and wiped on the doorpost. The children of Israel had victory over death because of the blood of the lamb. Today we have victory over sin and death because Jesus shed His blood on the cross. There is power in the blood!

Egypt was set-up by the Creator of the universe for failure and they were paid in full for the centuries of oppression that had plagued God’s people. “And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead” (Exodus 12:30). The Israelites were to be “girded up, ready to walk, with their shoes on” (12:11). The final plague would unequivocally convince Pharaoh to comply with God’s command to let His people go.

It is so easy to forget how sin can oppress us and hold us captive. How Satan can hold our mind captive with the cares and distractions of this world. It may even distract us to the point we forget the power that is found in the blood of Jesus Christ. His blood has been shed so that we can possess and realize freedom from sin and have victory over death. The children of Israel were instructed to always remember the Passover event that gave them their freedom and victory. We must continually remember the blood that was shed on our behalf for the ultimate freedom, freedom from sin, once and for all.

“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).

Hank Allen

Let Your Faith Go Forth

The LORD shall reign forever and ever (Exodus 15:18).

After the institution of the Passover and the children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, they find themselves in what appears to be a fatal predicament.

The children of Israel are encamped by the Red Sea and Pharaoh thinks they are bewildered by the land and that the wilderness has closed them in (14:3). This is enough to harden Pharaoh’s heart and move him to pursue them. When the children of Israel saw the Egyptians marching after them, they became very afraid and cried out to the LORD (14:10).

God delivers the children of Israel and judges Pharaoh and the Egyptians in miraculous fashion by dividing the sea for Israel and allowing it to return upon the Egyptians. “So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore” (14:30).

Having seen the totality of God’s great work in Egypt the people feared the LORD and believed the LORD and His servant Moses (14:31).

Consider the magnitude of this triumph. The children of Israel have been slaves in Egypt for 430 years and NOW they are free!

However, they are in the Wilderness of Sin. This is a rough place and even after this great triumph, the harshness of the wilderness is enough to make them wish they were back in slavery. All of them were complaining and grumbling against Moses and Aaron about their hunger (15:2-3).

In such a short time, they moved from fearing and believing the LORD to complaining and not trusting that the LORD would provide. Why would God deliver them only to let them die in the wilderness? Have some faith, right? Well, that’s the point, but easier said than lived in the moment.

The time they spent in the wilderness was a necessary test and period of training for the children of Israel. If they were going to be able to take the land that had been promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) then they were going to have to learn to trust and obey God.

It’s very easy to read this part of the story of Israel and be extremely hard on the children of Israel, but we would be better served to consider the following:

1. The nation of Israel enslaved by the Egyptians vs. Me enslaved by sin.

2. God delivers Israel and gives them freedom from the Egyptians vs. God has set me free from the slavery of sin through Christ Jesus

3. Israel wandering in the wilderness vs. Me during this time while I “wait” on Jesus to return

4. Israel enters the land of promise vs. Me entering the final rest upon Jesus’ return

Right now, we are in the wilderness wandering stage. I would encourage you to read these chapters and instead of being hard on the children of Israel, examine yourself and let it admonish you, let it motivate you to become a better version of yourself, one like Joshua and Caleb, who are allowed to enter the land of promise while everybody else was laid low in the wilderness.

Paul wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica telling them that their faith had gone forth in a manner to where people declared how they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

Do not let the word “wait” mislead you.

Like the Christians at Thessalonica let your faith go forth. Live in such a way, as to bear fruit for the kingdom of God and bring Him glory as He leads you in righteousness (Psalm 5) from day to day until His Son Jesus returns.

Trent Dean

The Law Given at Sinai: Exodus 19-24

“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5).

In Exodus 19 Moses is back at Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God.  He was first here in Exodus 3 shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep when God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush (v. 1-6) and gave him his commission to lead the people out of Egyptian bondage (v. 10).  Fast-forward to Exodus 19 and Moses is at the mountain of God again, except this time he has the entire nation of Israel in-tow.  

Back in Exodus 3, Moses was unsure of himself when God called him to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt, so God promised Moses a sign that He would be with him: “And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this Mountain.”

Not only does Exodus 19-24 contain the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (Horeb), but it also brings to pass the sign that God promised Moses back at the burning bush.  By this, Moses knew God was with him; it is God's way of showing Moses that His word does not fail.

THE LAW

God wanted to make Israel His own possession among the peoples of the earth.  Certainly, He is God of all the earth, but Israel would be His own special people, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Egyptian slavery was still fresh in the minds of the children of Israel, and in the verse prior God reminds Israel just what kind of blessings a covenant relationship with God can mean, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.”  So when Moses relates God’s proposal for a covenant relationship with Israel, it is no wonder “all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!’” (19:8).

But, covenants are like zip-lines, they only go well when held up by both ends.  Israel’s end of the covenant was to obey the voice of the Lord and keep the laws and ordinances of the covenant that He would give through His servant, Moses.  As long as they followed the voice of the Lord, all the blessings of the covenant would be theirs.  God makes it clear that the blessings and promises available in a covenant relationship with God hinge on obeying the voice of the Lord.

MOSES SPEAKS WITH GOD

Moses gathered all the people together at the foot of the mountain, and then went up to talk with God.  The Lord wanted Israel to witness Moses speaking with God up on the mountain to show the people that God was with Moses (19:9).  When the presence of the Lord came down upon Mt. Sinai, smoke, thunder, and lightning flashes surrounded the mountain and it shook violently, and Israel decided they’d had enough, telling Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, or we will die” (20:19).  The Israelites had never experienced God in this way before, and He certainly had their attention now.

God starts by giving Moses the Ten Commandments in chapter 20 and then moves to more detailed laws and ordinances concerning both criminal and civil matters in chapters 21-23.  For our purposes here, we’ll look to Jesus to understand the Law: “’ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the prophets” (Matt 22:37-39).  That’s Exodus 20-23 in a nutshell.  The root of everything we read in these chapters comes back to loving the Lord with all one’s heart, and being kind (loving) towards our neighbor as we would our own selves.  Try to think of a problem or issue that couldn’t either be prevented or resolved by these two principles.  

If you read Exodus 19-24, though you’ll notice neither of these two commandments are explicitly listed in these chapters.  Jesus is actually quoting from Deut 6:4, 13 (Deuteronomy features a repeating, or second-giving of the Law). 

In order to see the two greatest commands in Exodus 19-24, we must notice some key themes:

Redeemed Out of Egypt – Four times in this text God alludes to Israel’s bondage in Egypt and God’s redemption of them.  The first two (19:4, 20:2) are given to get Israel’s attention.  God reminds Israel of His favor and mercy towards them by bringing them out of Egypt – the nation of Israel knew God first as a Redeemer.  The next two (22:21, 23:9) are laws for Israel to show kindness to strangers, for they themselves had been strangers in the land of Egypt.  They were to treat others with the same kindness they wanted from others.

Warnings Against Idolatry – This is one of the most dominant themes in God’s covenant with Israel.  EIGHT TIMES in our text for today God specifically warns the children of Israel against idolatry (including the first three of the Ten Commandments).  In other words, thirty percent of the Ten Commandments deal explicitly with the prohibition of idolatry.  The nation of Israel was in its infancy, and they would be brought to a land surrounded by nations worshipping false gods, and the Lord set many laws and ordinances in place to protect the Israelites from the harmful influence of idolatry.  The covenant relationship between God and Israel made no allowance for the worship of anything other than the one, true, living God.  To bring idolatrous worship into the nation of Israel was to profane the covenant relationship with the God who first redeemed Israel out of Egypt.  Throughout the prophets, idolatry is equated to adultery of God’s covenant with Israel.  Both idolatry and adultery are forms of unfaithfulness to a covenant relationship.  If Israel wanted to keep this special covenant relationship with the Lord, there would be no room for idolatry.

Clay Whittemore

The Strenuous Life Yields Eternal Rest

“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exodus 33:14).

Despite Israel saying, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 24:7) they quickly show themselves to be an obstinate people. When Moses was with God upon Mount Sinai receiving the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God (31:18), Israel grew impatient and called Aaron and told him to make them a god that would go before them.

Unfortunately, Aaron agreed.

The making of the golden calf angered God and His intent became to destroy them and make a great nation from Moses, but Moses’ reasoning caused God to change His mind (32:14).

When Moses came down from the meeting with God, it was his turn to boil in anger, and yet Moses brought his wrath on the people.

1. He made the sons of Israel drink the golden calf that had now been ground into powder.

2. He also called all those who were “for the LORD” to come to him in the gate of the camp and instructed them to go from gate to gate in the camp and kill every man his brother, every man his friend, every man his neighbor. About 3000 men fell that day.

Then Moses went back up to the LORD to try and make atonement for the sin of Israel. The LORD initially decided He would not go up in the midst of the sons of Israel, lest He destroys them, but again Moses’ intercession brings God to declare, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).

With Moses' unique circumstances and responsibility, I’m certain he valued greatly the presence of God. After all, he was leading millions of people that had a tendency to be obstinate and stubborn. God’s presence was probably reassuring and I’m sure it had a tremendous positive effect upon the behavior of the people.

Secondly, Moses’ circumstances and responsibility were extremely burdensome, and therefore he certainly would cherish the idea of God promising rest.

IN WHAT MANNER SHOULD WE LIVE OUR LIVES TODAY SO THAT WE VALUE THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND HIS PROMISED REST?

A comfortable life steered by our selfish desires?

I doubt it. These traits of Moses were forged in adversity. If we are going to be true disciples of Jesus and value drawing near to the presence of God and yearn for His promised rest then we must be serious workers in the kingdom of God. Not casual workers. Mission-oriented workers. Waking up each morning with the intent and purpose to serve God and living a life that exemplifies loving God with our entire being and our neighbor as ourselves.

What abilities has God given me? What do I need to work on and develop in order to be more useful to the Master? We need to push ourselves with courage and boldness to do hard things for our Lord and lean on Him to accomplish these works. In doing so, we will be compelled in the same manner as Moses to greatly desire God’s presence and yearn for His rest.

Trent Dean

Abounding in Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7).

God is Love. What is Love? God.

Yes, that is a rhetorical question right after having given the answer but it is a concept that needs to sink deep into our minds. Hollywood did not create love. Practicing love does not mean practicing your version of love. Practicing true love is not working within the limitations you have set. Practicing true love is an imitation of the Creator.

One of the best pictures of God’s love is at Mt. Sinai.

6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).

Steadfast, faithful, and long-suffering. God spoke these words after His ransomed people had been anything but faithful, steadfast, and long-suffering.

These people suffer short. I mean after a few days in the wilderness they started complaining and now barely removed from slavery by the mighty hand of God they turn to an idol fashioned by themselves. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL. In the same manner, it is true to say God IS love, it is true to say God IS faithful.

God, because of who He is desired a relationship with His people. While they were yet sinners God was willing to call them back.

Moses gave the proper response.

And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped (Exodus 34:8). “Quickly bowed his head and worshiped.” Too often we fail to bow to Him and too often we are not compelled by God’s love and faithfulness to worship Him.

And he said, "Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you” (Exodus 34:10).

God is faithful even when we are not. This is not a New Testament or Old Testament concept but rather a God concept. Therefore we are to be humble worshipers.

Let us praise Him for His steadfast love. Let us worship as unworthy servants. May we strive to practice true love in our lives. May we be quick to forgive others and even in the heat of the moment remain steadfast in love.

Devin Allen

That I May Dwell Among Them

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Corinthians 6:16).

Exodus 25:1-35

When we examine the detailed stipulations that were commanded of the children of Israel in building the tabernacle, we might think that God is an unloving God who makes demands and has no compassion for His people.

As a boy, I was raised by a coal miner of 35 years and, I often thought of him as a man who did not love me but made demands of me every day. Before the beginning, God has loved us. Let there be no misunderstanding. God gave His only begotten Son for my salvation. God wanted to dwell among His people and to have a relationship with them and God wants that today. But that won’t happen without our obedience to His commands and without our adherence to the pattern that has been established by Him.

My grandfather, the coal miner, had certain things he wanted to be done in a certain way and he wanted me to live under the same roof with him. You might say, he wanted to dwell with me and he wanted me to dwell with him. “And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). God very much desires a relationship with us, the question is – do we desire a relationship with Him?

We should be willing to do whatever it takes to have a relationship with our Creator. We should be willing to submit to Him and His teachings in humble obedience. The children of Israel were instructed to construct a tabernacle, according to the pattern so that God could dwell with them (Exodus 25:9). There were stipulations that had to be met to have a relationship with God.

One might ask, does the New Testament church have a pattern, and do we have to adhere to that pattern? Well, what were the children of Israel told? They were told to construct the tabernacle, and every piece of furniture, and every item that went into the tabernacle according to the pattern.

V.8 and let them construct a sanctuary for Me,

V.9 according to all that I am going to show you,

V.10 they shall construct an ark (ark of the covenant),

V.11 and you shall overlay,

V.12 and you shall cast,

V.13 and you shall make poles,

V.14 and you shall put the poles into the rings,

V.17 and you shall make a mercy seat,

And the list could continue on and on. Why so much attention to detail? Why are so many demands being made?

Because in obedience to God’s command we learn to respect and we find there is love. There were so many times growing up with my grandfather that I wanted to ask, “why?” Why was he so demanding and, why would he give so much attention to detail and, why did he want me to do things a certain way, to follow a pattern per se?

Because he loved me, he wanted to have a relationship with me, and he wanted to dwell with me and me with him.

Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary (Hebrews 9: 1). V. 2 there was a tabernacle prepared…

V. 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; v. 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Since so much attention to detail was given in the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 25, it’s hard to believe that there is a greater and more perfect tabernacle. The children of Israel in adhering to God’s commands show us a pattern. They show us how to respect and love our heavenly Father.

I didn’t know at the time, but a coal miner was teaching me how to respect and love my heavenly Father just as I had learned to respect and love him as my earthly father. We must pay attention to His commands, the details, and the pattern.

Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from a evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24).

Hank Allen

As The Lord Had Commanded Moses

The book of Exodus concludes with the construction of the Tabernacle. In chapter 35, Moses assembles all the congregation of the people of Israel (millions of people) and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do” (35:1).

After explaining to them the Sabbath rest, Moses instructed them in bringing a contribution to the LORD. “Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution” (Exodus 35:5) and then Moses lists the materials and people that will be needed to complete this work. After this, the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses (35:20).

And here comes the beautiful part. If you noticed in Moses’ instructions he didn’t command certain people to give certain things, he left it open for people to give according to what they had, but more importantly as their heart and spirit compelled them.

“And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments” (Exodus 35:21). Twice more it mentions those whose heart was willing came and brought (35:22; 36:2).

It is a beautiful thing when we obey and do and give out of the stirring of our own heart and spirit.

Now that the people had provided the materials and the skilled craftsmen had volunteered themselves to do the work, it was a matter of execution.

Would they be willing to work according to all that the LORD had commanded or would they go about this their own way, perhaps an easier way?

Seventeen times over the next few chapters to the end of the book of Exodus it describes the work being done and then says the following phrase: “as the LORD had commanded Moses”.

What a beautiful conclusion to the book of Exodus. The people of Israel, hearing the commands of their LORD Jehovah and then with a willing heart giving and providing all that was needed and then constructing God’s tabernacle to the finest detail according to the commands He gave Moses.

And when the Tabernacle was erected, a “cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (40:34). Because the glory of the LORD had filled the tabernacle, Moses was not able to enter.

Now, because the people of Israel had respected and honored the holiness of God, throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night (Exodus 40:36-38).

This brings us to a significant characteristic of God: He is holy and must be respected and honored as such. As we continue into the book of Leviticus, Moses will teach the people of Israel in this regard so they can understand what is necessary in order to dwell with our holy God.

Thank you for joining us here each Monday through Friday as we focus on telling the story of Israel up through its climax in Jesus Christ being crucified and resurrected by the power of God and then as the story continues with Jesus as the head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18) from its first day until now as the work of Jesus’ church continues until His return.

The story continues, even today.

Trent Dean

Leviticus: A Holy People To A Holy God

“For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45).

Leviticus and Deuteronomy (which means, “second-giving of the law”) are books that get into the finer details of the Law given by God through Moses to the nation of Israel. They are not narrative-driven books like Exodus and certainly don’t carry the suspense of a 1 and 2 Samuel. No children’s Bible stories come from the book of Leviticus.

But Leviticus is one of the most important books of the Old Testament.  It dates back to the infancy of the nation of Israel, and though the book has taken the name of the priestly tribe of Levi, it isn’t just a book for the priests – it was actually meant for all of the people of Israel.  In fact, Leviticus is “bookended” with verses that tell us its commandments were given to Moses by the Lord for all the sons of Israel (1:1, 27:34). 

Leviticus is God’s way of teaching Israel how to be His chosen people, to be set apart from all the nations, how to be holy and sanctified.  Leviticus can be challenging, but God knew Israel needed to learn how to be holy.  According to the apostle Paul, it better equips us to live under the law of faith in Christ (Galatians 3:24-25).  Even if we don’t live under the law of Moses today as Christians, there are still important lessons for us today.  Let’s look at a few of them together.

A Holy People to a Holy God (Holiness and Atonement)

One of the recurring themes in Leviticus is God’s call for Israel to be a holy people.  “You shall be holy, for I am holy” is repeated over and over again.  It showed the Israelites what was important (being holy), and why it was important (because God is holy).  God has called Israel out of Egypt to be a people for His own.  They were set apart from other peoples to enjoy God’s blessings (20:24, 26).

We learn from the prophets that “it is not in man that walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).  Instead, God guides and teaches them how to be holy through the Law given by Moses.  Holiness is akin to purity and clean-ness, and the Law given by Moses is chock-full of details on the sort of things that causes impurity and makes one unclean.  The Israelites were surrounded by pagan nations who gave no regard to unclean things that defiled the flesh or unholy, idolatrous worship that defiled the spirit.  God’s instructions to Israel were to avoid all forms of unholy worship (idolatry) and all things unclean. If the LORD God was going to dwell with the nation of Israel they were going to have to be holy and regard Him as holy.

So when you find yourself neck-deep in the various commands and ordinances of the Law given by Moses, remember, it’s important for God’s people to know how to be holy.  That principle is still true today.  God’s people must always strive to be a holy people.

But what happened if Joe Israelite became unclean and unholy? This is where another major theme of the Law given by Moses comes in: Atonement.  In it, we can see God’s love, mercy, patience, and grace.  More than a dozen times atonement is mentioned in direct connection with the forgiveness of sins through the various offerings that were to be made at the Tabernacle.  Atonement is the restoration of the relationship between God and man that is broken by sin.  That’s what sin does – it separates and breaks apart.  To be reconciled, there must be atonement. 

There was even an annual atonement sacrifice performed by the priests of Israel for all the sins of the people (on top of all the individual ones that were already taking place).  It was to be a “permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year” (16:34). It takes a loving, gracious, and merciful God to preemptively provide means for atonement.  It showed the Israelites that the Lord wanted a relationship with Israel so much that He was willing to make provision to restore it even when the Israelites stumbled over and over again.  The Lord doesn’t want anything between Him and His people, and He made provision accordingly.  We know that the Law given by Moses was a “mere shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17) and that Christ fulfilled the Law given by Moses (Matthew 5:17) by offering Himself up as a perfect sacrifice, far surpassing those of bulls and goats under the Law given by Moses to obtain eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 7:26-28, 9:11-14).

How to Worship a Holy God

In reading Leviticus, there should be no doubt that God knows how He wants to be worshipped.  And, if man knew all this already, God wouldn’t need to explain it in the granular detail that He does.  But that’s the problem, Israel doesn’t know how to worship God.  More than a dozen times are sacrifices offered in accordance with God’s instructions described as “a soothing aroma to the Lord.”

The message is simple: worshipping God must be on God’s terms.  Why else would the Lord be so prescriptive about worship?  The Lord had this to say to Moses and Aaron regarding worship: “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored. (10:3).  The message is clear.  How we worship God matters.

There’s something else that stands out, though.  Worship offered to God must be excellent.  Over fifteen times the Lord specifically mentions that sacrifices offered to Him must be without blemish, including an entire set of instructions in chapter 22 that emphasize sacrifices must be without blemish to be accepted: “Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord for a burnt offering – for you to be accepted – it must be a male without defect from the cattle, sheep, or goats.  Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you...it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it” (22:18-21).

God hasn’t changed His high standards for worship.  Sure, the what, when, where, and how may be different for the Christian today, but the standard of excellence is still the same.  God wants our best.  The Israelite couldn’t offer a sick or injured animal.  Why not?  Because that’s not a true sacrifice.  That’s giving to God today what would be left in the ditch to die tomorrow.  To the Israelite, herds and flocks were the means to support the family, it takes trust and commitment to the Lord to offer our best out of our need.  Like the Israelites, we must worship God how He says we are to worship Him, and the standard of our worship must be excellent.

The Need for a Mediator

Aaron and his sons are consecrated as priests in Leviticus chapter eight.  Priests were mediators between Israel and God and their work was never finished.  Imagine the volume of animal sacrifices that was needed for the burnt offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings for one individual, then multiply that times one million or more.  Aside from that, the fire of the burnt offering was never allowed to go out (6:12-13).  Sinful man cannot approach the Lord while in his own guilt.  He needs someone to offer atonement on his behalf.  But Aaron and his sons are people, too.  They have their own sin to worry about.  That’s why they were consecrated as priests in chapter eight and offered their own sin offerings for themselves, and then the people of Israel in chapter nine.  It’s another way Jesus fulfilled the Law given by Moses (Matthew 5:17).

The Hebrew writer, showing Jesus as our high priest under the New Law, hones in on this in several places.  He says Jesus is our high-priest worthy of more glory than Moses (3:3), and that He can sympathize with our weaknesses though He Himself was not overcome by sin (4:15).  He is the perfect high priest, “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those [former] high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins [ref. Leveticus 9:2-7] and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.  For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law appoints a Son [Jesus] made perfect forever” (Hebrews 6:26-28).

The what, when, where, and how are different for the Christian today vs. the Israelite under the Law given by Moses, but studying God’s Law under Moses helps us know God and develop an authentic relationship with Him.  Today, we are under a new Law of faith through Jesus, but our God has not changed.  As we move through the book of Leviticus in the story of Jesus, let’s remember these principles:

1.      He is holy, and His people must be Holy. 

2.      He is loving, gracious, and merciful by providing a way of atonement for His people.

3.      How we worship God matters – it must be as He prescribes and the standard is excellence.

4.      We need (and have) a mediator in Jesus, who is our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).

Clay Whittemore

The Laws Of Leviticus

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24).

The many laws which appear in the pages of Leviticus are of different kinds: general or specific; ceremonial, social, or moral; temporal or timeless; punitive or reparative.

Burton Goddard elaborated when he wrote, “By means of the ceremonial law, God spoke in picture language of the salvation He was to effect through the life and death of the Incarnate Son…The social legislation governing Israel was designed for a particular culture at a given period of history and so it…was but for a time, yet the principles which underlay it are timeless and applicable to all generations. God’s moral law is in force everywhere and at all times, for it is a reflection of His very being (“Law,” in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 480).

All the laws of Leviticus were designed by God for His glory and for man’s good. Paul wrote that “the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). God’s law shows man his corruption and is intended to bring conviction of sin.

An improper perspective on the law will lead a person to legalism, but the proper perspective along with self-examination will lead a person to seek grace. Therefore, a person of pridefulness often finds themselves entangled in legalism, whereas a person of humility will read the Law and seek grace and forgiveness.

Where do you find yourself?

Paul asked the question, “Why the Law then?”

“Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made“ (Galatians 3:19).

And then Paul brings us through a more complete understanding of the purpose of the Law given by God through Moses to the nation of Israel.

20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:20-25).

Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled the first covenant between God and the nation of Israel and through His death and resurrection, He enacted a better covenant that all people can enter into with God through Jesus Christ. He became our mediator. He sits at the right hand of God mediating on our behalf (Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 8; 9; Romans 8).

Does Law lead you to legalism or the grace of God through Jesus Christ?

Trent Dean

Making It Right

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering (Leviticus 4:1-3).

In Leviticus, God lays out a plan for the created to be right or at peace with the creator. What a humbling concept. God is outlining a covenant for His precious people.

In the beginning of the book of Leviticus God outlines different offerings:

Burnt (1:3-17;6:8-13)

Meal/Grain (2:1-16;6:14-23)

Peace (3:1-17; 7:11-34)

Sin (4:1-5:13; 6:24-30)

Trespass (5:14-6:7;7:1-10)

Why did God do this? Simply put, to give unholy people an opportunity to be at peace with a holy God.

At peace: “all good,” “I forgive you,” “I love you.”

These are phrases over the last 15 years that I have longed to hear my wife say. See I’ve been married for 15 years. My marriage is not unlike any other marriage in the fact that we have had moments where we angered or hurt one another. On occasions, I’ve “messed up” so badly that I really didn’t know how to make it right. I’m thinking… flowers? Ice cream? Dinner? Poems? Beg for mercy? What could I do to say “I’m sorry?” How can I get things back to where they were before I messed up?

No matter what I thought was an appropriate apology I was willing to offer it because I longed to be at peace with my wife.

Yes, ladies I know..... it doesn’t matter what I give her, she just wants to know I’m sincere and my apology is from the heart. But as mortals sometimes it is hard to know the full motives of another person.

I have learned in my marriage that Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream goes further than flowers.

But wouldn’t it be easier to move on from some of my mishaps if she had just told me in the beginning what she wanted? Or if she knew the true intent of my heart? Then I would know it was all good or I was forgiven.

Well, why did we learn about my struggles as a husband this morning?

Because I’m in a voluntary covenant relationship with my wife. Like us and God. With God, we have voluntarily entered into a relationship with Him. Thus on occasions, the flesh will falter and the covenant will be broken. For Israel living under the Law given by Moses, there’s an outline for atonement. The sacrifice paired with a pure heart makes things right.

Was this a “legalistic” law? No, this was a relationship law. A way for His people to know they were at peace with the Almighty.

So when we put it that way, following the demands of the law is not burdensome.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2-3).

It is a joy to follow what he has outlined. Just as I joyfully work to be at peace with the Love of my life, God’s people should joyfully follow all aspects of His covenant.

Devin Allen

Law And Order

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether (Psalms 19:7-9).

The psalmist David reveals to us the law that is above all others, the law of the LORD. It is indeed, righteous altogether and the basis of our present-day law:

Alfred the Great, (871–899) king of the Anglo-Saxon of Wessex, issued a law code that was arranged in 120 chapters. The significance of 120 is that it was the age of Moses when he died. It was Moses who was given the law by God. The basis of present-day law had regard for God’s Word. God’s Word shaped the way they thought about law and they had respect for His word and the law of the land. I have often wondered if we today have the proper respect and regard for the law of the land. Appropriate and adequate law and order is a significant contributor to the success of any society and country.

Leviticus Chapters 8-10

In compliance with God’s command in Exodus 40:1-16, Moses set up the tabernacle and started the process of consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses, the lawgiver, the one who lived to be in compliance with the law of the Lord properly respects God’s law by ensuring it was carried out and sanctified.

In verses 6–13 of chapter 8, Moses took the specially prepared anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all the furniture. He sprinkled the oil upon the altar of burnt offering seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them. Thus Aaron became a functioning part of the tabernacle and its system (You Shall Be My People, Waldron, 2007).

Moses did not get to this point of the process without having a high level of respect and regard for God’s law. Today, for law and order to be successful, the people, the government, and lawmakers themselves must have a degree of respect for the law and order of the land. We must trust the system because the beginnings are from God’s law and adjacent to the thought, God rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4:17).

There is a connection.

When the children of Israel were unsuccessful they lost respect for God and they no longer trusted the system. What happened? The people looking to their own resources sought another god to serve; they regarded their ways better than God’s way. They rebelled, they rioted, they disregarded God’s Law and they fell away. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the Hands of a Living God (Hebrews 10:31).

Now the tabernacle had been set up and consecrated. The priesthood had been consecrated and had offered their first sacrifices. Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, appear on the scene and offer something different than what God had commanded. Strange incense would be something different from the way God had instructed that it be done (Exodus 30:9). The sons of Aaron were guilty of doing something that God had not commanded. The level of respect for attention to the details prescribed had cost these men their lives (Leviticus 10).

Today we see varying degrees of respect for God’s law and therefore I believe it affects our respect for the law of the land. God made it a point to address the sin immediately. Today we tolerate the disregard for law and order and allow people to resolve that it’s okay to riot and rebel with violence.

God is in control and He keeps His promises. Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? God has established His law, God has demanded that we, at the highest level, regard His law and live to glorify Him. Have we glorified Him today? Do we live each day to His glory and the way He would have us live?

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness (Psalm 37:3).

Hank Allen

Atonement Through Jesus Christ

Atonement is necessary when man violates God’s law and therefore separates himself from a holy and righteous God. In order to make atonement, man must do as God commands in regard to making atonement, for it is God alone that can cleanse man and reconcile man to Himself after man has separated himself from God.

Each of the five types of offerings described and explained in Leviticus has the ultimate purpose and result of making atonement with God. God gives the instructions as to how to make the offering and if man responds in faithful obedience then the result is atonement, man being reconciled back to God.

In Leviticus 16:1-34, there are a lot of instructions and details in regard to Aaron, the high priest making atonement for the nation of Israel on the annual day of atonement in the first covenant, the Law given to Moses for the nation of Israel.

Is there power in the instructions alone? Meaning, if God says wash yourself with water, is there power in the water? No, the power comes from God through our faithful obedience to the commands and instructions we are given. Otherwise, the water is just like any other water and there is nothing special about the actual water.

There is no magic involved, no special pattern or recipe that brings about the desired result. We must have faith in God and obey Him and it is by His power and righteousness that we are made clean and righteous before Him.

16 He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities (Leviticus 16:16).

Aaron, the high priest must “make atonement” for the people of Israel according to all that God commanded Moses “because of the impurities [uncleaness] of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins”.

Another critical element of atonement is blood.

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ 12 Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood’ (Leviticus 17:11-12).

From here, please take the time to read Hebrews chapters 8-10. We are not under that first covenant between God and the nation of Israel. Jesus Christ fulfilled this covenant and we are now under a better covenant through its mediator, Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapters 8-10 explains all this in detail as well as makes very important connections from the first covenant to help us better understand our position now before God through Jesus Christ. Read Hebrews chapters 8-10. Here are some major points that will be explained by the Hebrews writer:

• Jesus is now our high priest, seated at the right hand of God.

• Jesus mediates this better covenant, better because it was enacted on better promises.

• It’s a new covenant, which makes the old covenant obsolete.

• Through our high priest, Jesus Christ we can secure eternal redemption by His blood.

• Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

• After death comes judgment. Jesus will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.

• By Jesus’ offering of His own blood in His once for all sacrifice, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (set apart by God).

1 Peter 2:4-10

We must come to Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, and us as the living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

Those who stumble do so because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Trent Dean

The Second Greatest Commandment

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).

In Matthew 22:23-33, we read of the Sadducees testing Jesus and Jesus’ response astonishing the crowds. Word came to the Pharisees that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees so they gathered themselves together to prepare a test for Jesus. This is what prompted the question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets”(Matthew 22:37-40).

Jesus says that the covenant relationship with God relies on two things: 1) love for God, and 2) love for our fellow man.  It seems overly simplified, but it makes sense when you consider that all of God’s instructions to Israel deal primarily with their relationship to God, and secondarily how they were expected to reflect God’s attributes (holiness, mercy, peace) as a people. 

Jesus first references Deuteronomy 6:5 (remember, Deuteronomy means second giving of the law).  God gave His law to the children of Israel to teach them how to maintain the covenant relationship with Him that was established at the Exodus, when the Lord delivered Israel out of bondage in the land of Egypt.  God’s law called Israel to be holy and set apart from all other nations.  Keeping that law without a love for God would have been very burdensome, but as we know from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, love is the ultimate motivator.  That’s why the scriptures rightly say his commandments are not burdensome for those that love the Lord  (1 John 5:2-3).  

But making the case for loving God is easy.  For the Israelite, God gave them their heritage, delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and made them His chosen people.  For the Christian today, we can have a relationship with God because of the gift of His Son to us in a sacrifice for our sin.  We can leave the burden of our sin behind and instead find joy in the peace we have with the Creator.  

Making the case for loving our neighbor can be difficult sometimes, depending on the neighbor (just being real, here).  Other times, it’s probably more difficult through the fault of our own. For those instances, it’s not necessarily that we don’t love our neighbors so much as that we don’t love them as much as we love ourselves. Seeking relief on a technicality, the lawyer in Luke 10:29 countered Jesus’ teaching on this second-greatest command by asking, “And who [exactly] is my neighbor?”  Again, without realizing, the lawyer asked precisely the right question – and because he asked, we have the parable of the good Samaritan.  The message was simple: Loving your neighbor isn’t about your neighbor, it’s about your heart.  

Incidentally, the world refers to this “second-greatest-command” by what we know as the golden rule – treat others as you would like to be treated.    If the “second-greatest-command” is now the Golden Rule, where then has the world left what Jesus said is the “greatest-command” – Love the Lord with all your heart?  It seems to me, a subtle clue to the slip in spiritual focus we see in the world, today.

If everyone “loved thy neighbor” as we read here in Leviticus 19:18, the world would look much different than it does now.  It would look much safer and more kind.  We’d be able to see mercy, grace, patience, and forgiveness given to one another unbegrudgingly, and selfishness, greed, envy, and strife would dwindle.  That’s the kind of people God wanted His people to be.  Sure, it makes for a stable, healthy society, but God’s focus here is more on the heart of His people.  Despite our best efforts, we can’t simply compartmentalize our lives into having a “loving heart” toward God while being merciless and unforgiving towards our fellow man.  God was calling Israel to embody the grace, mercy, and compassion that they had themselves received from Him.  God wants harmony between Himself and His people, and He wants His people to have harmony with each other.  God is a loving God, and He wants His people to be a loving people, a living manifestation of the unselfishness He determined to demonstrate in sending us Jesus.  So, we shouldn’t be surprised that in the giving of the law, we have here in Leviticus 19:18 the “second-greatest command” that Jesus emphasized continuously throughout His ministry.

I think we realize by now these two “greatest-command” principles transcend the Old Law.  Our God is still a God of love and God’s love for us should cause a change in our heart that reflects an attitude of love and unselfishness toward others…neighbor or not.  

So, start your day with this word of encouragement.  God has given us the ultimate example of love in giving us Jesus.  As Christians, we have God’s gift of love that frees us from the burden of sin and gives us joy in a world that is full of suffering and void of compassion.  We can be the people God wants us to be by showing compassion towards one another.  Let’s prepare our hearts so that God’s love can be seen in us, today.

Clay Whittemore

Holy Times

God instituted holy times (cf. holi-days) in the calendar of the Israelites so that His people would set aside many days of the year to meditate on who He is and what He had done for them. The convocations had a wholesome, positive purpose about them, to emphasize that believers were to be separated unto the Lord, as well as separated from evil. And what the Israelites learned and experienced at these holy times, they were to practice daily, throughout their life.

For example, the Sabbath was every 7th day (Leviticus 23:3) and the Israelites were to rest from their labor and worship God. It mirrored the pattern of God working six days in the creation and then resting on the seventh. It reminded the people that God was the Creator and their LORD.

Each holy time (e.g., Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles, Sabbatical Year, Jubilee) had a specific purpose as well as demonstrated an important aspect of God. Further, these holy times were spread throughout the Hebrew calendar so that they were continually being reminded who God is and what He had done for them.

We as humans need reminders continually. We are too easily distracted, forgetful, and stiff-necked. God knows this.

Has God instituted this for us today in Jesus’ new covenant?

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

“do this in remembrance of Me”

“as often as you drink it”

How often should we partake and do this in remembrance of Jesus?

In Acts 20:7, we read “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.”

They came together to break bread, meaning partake in the Lord’s Supper as described in 1 Corinthians 11.

“On the first day of the week” implies every first day of the week so it was done weekly. This makes perfect sense because as humans we need to be reminded often and with consistency.

For those that object to this frequency, I would ask what is the grounds for your objection? If the text said, “On the first day of the month,” would you not conclude that they broke bread on the first day of every month? If the text said, “On the first day of the year,” would you not conclude that they broke bread on the first day of every year? Further, the Israelites drew the conclusion that they were to observe the Sabbath on the 7th day of every week and the language from God was the same in this regard.

We have been given a holy time in the breaking of bread and must do so in the correct manner.

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup (1 Corinthians 11:27-28).

Therefore, let us rejoice weekly in the breaking of bread with our brothers and sisters in Christ, having fellowship with Christians throughout the world!

It is our weekly reminder that we have the victory in Christ Jesus, who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Keep fighting the good fight of faith, and hold steadfast to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Satan, nor any other force can separate us from the love of God.

Keep the faith today and live it with boldness.

Trent Dean

Blessed By The Faithful One

I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land (Leviticus 26:6).

Peace (freedom from disturbance).

As you read this in 2021 amidst all we see around us. How does an offer of peace sound? 

God promised His people they would be free of all who could make them afraid. 

In later generations, David would write:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

Paul would tell Timothy: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

Peace and bountiful blessings are promised for those who are God’s people and those who do His will. God will keep His promises. He is faithful. The question is: Will we be His people? Will we be faithful? 

But... the same Faithful One who promises good to His elect also promises wrath to those who are not His. He promises wrath to the ones who choose to walk not according to His ways. 

14 But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heartache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it (Leviticus 26:14-16).

He will keep the promises of Peace and of Destruction. He will offer the blessings of peace and the sorrow of destruction. 

30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, "The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31).

As we journey with the Israelites we will see them conquer those whom they had no real ability to conquer. We will see them as small in number but great amongst all Nations. But we will also see them turn from God and face His wrath. As we see their story unfold we will see God keep all of Leviticus 26. The promises of peace and the promises of destruction. 

What we should learn from this is that God is Faithful in all.

Then we shall ask, “Will I be faithful to Him?”

Devin Allen

Numbered Among The Righteous

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry (Psalm 34:15).

NUMBERS 1

As we look at the book of Numbers we, of course, often think it is about numbers, right? And, we quickly realize in the opening verses of the 1st chapter that it is about numbers. It’s about God requiring a census of the people. In 2020 we were required to become familiar again with the term census (numbering of the people). However, what we find in God’s word is that it is God who requires the numbering and it is done with the specifications that God commands. God instructed specifically as to who would be counted and who would not. Count every male above the age of twenty who is able to go to war (Numbers 1:3). This census was taken at Mt. Sinai and each tribe was counted in this manner except for the tribe of Levi. The total number of soldiers counted was 603,550. This number is a significant force and doesn’t include women, children, old men, and the disabled. So they did all that God had commanded and in the way God commanded.

Further, specific instructions are given as to how the tribes should be assembled around the Tabernacle and how they should move from place to place. The Levites were the keepers and caretakers for the Tabernacle. Not to protect it but to take care of it. The armies of the tribes would be equipped and a capable force to provide protection. The children of Israel were now embarking on the journey that would require forty years and several thousand lives because of their sin. But, God prepares them for the journey and God once again provides the specific organization and instruction necessary for such a large group traveling together.

Fast forward to chapter 26 of Numbers (40 years later) and we find that God requires yet another census. In the plains of Moab now…Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel  (Numbers 26:2). The first census was taken before the children of Israel left Mount Sinai, at the beginning of their second year after exiting Egypt. The total number of soldiers in the second census was 601,730 again a significant number, right? What is the purpose and why is the second numbering of the people necessary? Well, the obvious reason is God commanded it, and secondly, the total amount of land for the tribe depended upon the number of men within the tribe.

Now, what about the significant numbers, and why have an entire book to discuss the numbering of the people?

Sin made it necessary and it ended up revealing the righteous. In that case, the more significant number is two. When the count was complete, it was found that there was not a single man left of the men numbered by Moses and Aaron at Mount Sinai except for Joshua and Caleb, for God had said, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous!

God can number His people every day if He so chooses and beyond that, God knows our heart continually.

Will I be numbered among the righteous when Jesus comes again? Will I be found walking in the light seeking to bring glory to God?

2 out of 603,550… now which numbers are more significant to God? Would you be found walking in the light and pursuing the righteousness of God? God chose us, now shouldn’t we choose Him today and every day?!

“And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve:  whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

 Hank Allen

Learning God's Way

24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ 27 So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them” (Numbers 6:24-27).

These words were given by God to Moses to Aaron and his sons to speak to the sons of Israel.

The sons of Israel are currently at Mount Sinai receiving final instructions from God for their way of life in the new land God would give to them. A census was taken and the second Passover was celebrated, marking one year of freedom from slavery in Egypt.

Within the final instructions, key directives were communicated to the people:

Put out the unclean (5:1-4).

Judge the guilty (5:5-31).

Separate yourselves (6:1-27).

Offerings to be given to the LORD (7:1-88).

Cleanse the Levites (7:89-8:26).

Keep the Passover (9:1-14).

Follow your leaders (9:15-10:10).

Not only is this a way of life, but it is a reconditioning of the mind and heart. These were a people that had lived in slavery for centuries. This station in life can be very damaging to the mind and heart of a people. And now they have been given the Law and instructions at Mt. Sinai that will teach them to think, speak, and live in a manner that is pleasing to God, for God is a holy God, and therefore His people must be holy and treat Him as such.

They are learning and being reconditioned. They are being taught and ultimately prepared for Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:24). Will they stumble? Yes, of course. But if they will just lean on the LORD God, trust and obey Him then He will bless them and keep them and be gracious to them.

In life, we can be very successful and do anything within God’s will if we will simply do the following:

1. See the vision of what it is we want to do or accomplish or become within God’s will.

2. Define what it takes to get there. The process.

3. Exercise the discipline on a daily basis to work the process until we achieve, accomplish, or become, all to the glory of God.

The promises that were given to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) had created a vision for the people of Israel. God is providing and defining the process for them. He is with them by day and night (Numbers 9:16) as well as through Moses and Aaron and the sons of Aaron.

What is left?

Perhaps the most difficult part for human beings. The discipline to do what we need to do on a daily basis in working the process that God has defined for us.

Therefore, what can we do to grow in discipline?

First, let’s understand that discipline is being able to make yourself do things you need to do, but don’t necessarily want to do. It is also being able to keep yourself from doing things you want to do, but know that you should not do.

You can increase in discipline by making yourself do good things. Start small.

• Make yourself make the bed every morning.

• Make yourself clean the dishes every evening.

• Make yourself eat a vegetable at every meal.

• Make yourself read God’s word for 5 minutes every day.

• Make yourself pray for 5 minutes every day.

• Make yourself write one thank you letter every week.

As you make yourself do good things each day, your discipline increases and you will be able to do harder things and will become more useful to the LORD God.

It reminds me of the Master’s response to the faithful servant in Luke 19:

15 When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. 16 The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ 

We have to be faithful over very little things before we will be given the opportunity to be faithful over much. Life is about growth. Let us grow in a knowledge of the way of God and strive to increase in discipline so that we may walk with our LORD God in a manner pleasing Him so that like Joshua and Caleb we may enter God’s rest (Hebrews 4:1-11).

Trent Dean

To What End?

SOME FINAL DETAILS BEFORE LEAVING SINAI

“So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night…Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out” (Numbers 9:16,22).

Since Exodus, we have been dealing with God’s law given to Israel to show them how to live holy and sanctified to the Lord.  Why should the final instructions before leaving Sinai be any different?   We see these final instructions in Numbers 5-9, and the themes are familiar: clean apart from unclean, judgment of the guilty, sanctification to the Lord, the Passover memorial feast.  It all sounds (and reads) very methodical, but to what end? 

The answer comes in two key points.

Early in chapter five (vs. 1-4) we see instructions for Israel to put away the unclean outside the camp “so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst” (3).  That’s the first point God is teaching His people.  If Israel expects God to dwell among them, they must not defile themselves.  You may remember the Lord emphasizing this principle repeatedly in Leviticus: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Lev. 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:6, 8)  We can see the theme of sanctification continuing from these verses all the way through the end of chapter nine, which is where we find our second key point.

At the end of Exodus when the tabernacle was erected, a “cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (40:34).  The cloud covering the tabernacle represented the glory of the Lord, and Israel knew that God was with them.  That’s the focus of Numbers 9:15-23, and it is a fitting conclusion to God’s instructions to Israel before leaving Sinai.  These instructions to Israel would help them remain sanctified to the Lord and maintain their covenant relationship with Him.  In keeping their covenant, God’s presence would be with His people.  And, Israel knew how incredibly important God’s presence was.  If ever the cloud lifted, Israel packed up and followed. “At the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped” (v. 18).  A good way to think about that is, Israel didn’t move without the Lord.

In a way, that’s the point of all the commandments and instructions the Lord has given Israel since leaving Israel.  God wanted to emphasize to Israel that the blessings of a covenant relationship with God were only found in following the Lord, and by Numbers chapter nine Israel well-understood God’s point. “Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out” (v. 22).  To put words in Israel’s mouth, “If God isn’t going, we ain’t going nowhere.”

I think that’s the attitude we should have today, as Christians.  No, we don’t live in tents, and we aren’t nomads like the patriarchs of Israel were.  But, we are all on a journey, and we need to make sure God is with us.  I think the last verse in chapter nine shows us the approach we should take in seeking God’s presence with us as we journey through this life: “At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord’s charge, according to the command of the Lord through Moses.”

Let’s make sure we set out at the command of the Lord while we journey together here. Do so today and then if tomorrow comes continue to wait on the Lord and follow Him at His command.

Clay Whittemore

Having The Mind Of God

The time had come for the sons of Israel to possess the land that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. God had reaffirmed this promise again and again through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). God had delivered the sons of Israel from the Egyptians and given them a Law that would separate them from all other nations allowing God to be among them. And now, the moment is close at hand. They can receive the land.

God tells Moses (Numbers 13:1 ff) to send a leader, one of the heads of each of the 12 tribes to spy out the land. Moses gave them specific instructions as to what to look for and what information to bring back along with some of the fruit of the land (13:17-20).

When the spies had returned, at the end of forty days, they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel (probably over 2 million people) at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran.

Then 10 of the 12 spies proceed to give a bad report. They reference the size of the people in the land and their words insight fear and negative emotion among the sons of Israel. They all start crying and grumbling and speaking nonsense about being better off in Egypt and worried that their wives and children will become plunder (13:32-14:4). Caleb and Joshua on the other hand knew that God would give them victory over the inhabitants and tried to persuade the people, but the people would not listen. The people chose to spurn God, and not believe in Him despite all the signs which God had performed in their midst (14:11).

How can this be so?

It reminds me of a time many years later when Paul was writing the Christians at Corinth providing them counsel after being told that there was jealousy, strife, and division among them. How can that be so? Surely not in the family of God. But it was so.

Paul initially addresses the issue in his letter in chapter one but goes on to discuss wisdom and spiritual maturity before coming back to the issue of division. Paul’s discussion sheds light on how the sons of Israel as well as these Christians at Corinth could behave in such a way before our Almighty God, who is completely faithful at all times and in all ways.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:12-3:4

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

The 10 spies that gave a bad report along with the sons of Israel are people of the flesh and therefore foolishly reject the wisdom of God. They look out at big people and fortified cities and become afraid because they are living in the flesh. Caleb and Joshua, however, are spiritually mature and have the mind of God. When they look out and see the people and the fortified cities, they see their Almighty God, who delivered them from the Egyptians with many mighty signs and had complete faith that He would do so here just as He had already promised.

Now, we must bring this to our own mind and heart, hands and feet.

The fleshly people were judged by God and laid low in the wilderness. For every day they spied out the land, they were to bear the guilt for a year. Therefore, they were sentenced to 40 years in the wilderness, prior to their appointed death. The women and children that they were so worried about would have to suffer as shepherds in the wilderness during these 40 years, but God chose to bring them into the land so that they would know the land that their fathers and husbands rejected. And the very men who gave the bad report and caused all the people to grumble against God were killed by a plague before God (14:26-38).

If you walk in the flesh and have the mind of the world you will die in the wilderness of this life and suffer an eternity away from the presence of God.

If you will become a spiritual person and walk by the spirit of God, having the mind of God, then God will keep you forever and ever. Amen.

Trent Dean

We Need An Anchor

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD your God” (Numbers 15:41).

This is a message that the Israelites must hold to and never forget. I am your God. I delivered you. The people wandered aimlessly because they lost sight of this message. But today it’s possible for us to lose sight in the same manner of the Gospel message despite its simplicity. And if we did, where would that leave us?

Lacking direction. Lost. Seeking. Wanting. Aimlessly wandering, perhaps?

Sadly, the Israelites were delivered from bondage by the mighty hand of God only to fall back into a bondage that comes from a lack of faith.

God is keeping His promises to the people. He promised discipline if they did not trust Him and discipline is what they must now endure. He did not leave them without hope, however. The people still benefited from the hand of God. God still provided food and water. He showed them one of His greatest attributes in that He is “always faithful.” And God still had His law in their midsts:

1 So the LORD said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony (Numbers 18:1-2).

They had an opportunity to repent but they would indeed pay the price of their unfaithfulness. This generation of unbelievers would die in the wilderness and God would lead a new generation into His promised land. New people in a new land full of hope. 

Romans 6:4

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.

Ephesians 4:22-24

22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

The old man of unfaithfulness must die before the new man of hope and faith can be united with God. 

Are you wandering aimlessly? Do you lack direction? Discover Faith in the one true living God and you will find your way! 

Devin Allen

A Great Man Has Fallen In Israel

Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?” (2 Samuel 3:38)

King David used these words to define Abner as a noble and honorable man. The journey to the promised land is soon coming to an end and so is the life of Moses in Numbers chapter 27. I don’t believe it would be wrong to use the following words to describe Moses, a commander, and a great man. A man who showed unequivocally his love for the people of Israel. 

However, Moses was not perfect. He made mistakes, just as we do. In one instance, Moses sinned against God by striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock. Moses had allowed his anger and frustration to keep him from obeying what God had commanded him to do. 

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank ( Numbers 20:9-11).

In contrast, earlier in Exodus 17, God had commanded Moses to strike the rock. What’s the difference and do we still consider Moses a commander and great man after this incidence of disobedience? I would say yes.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).

Jesus Christ is our Rock and our Redeemer and that’s the picture God intended to paint when he told Moses to strike the rock (the first time). Moses then disrupted that picture when out of anger he struck the rock when God commanded him to speak to the rock (the second time). Obedience to Christ and what He commands us to do today is of utmost importance to our eternal home. It is also a fulfillment of the promise given in the wilderness that the Rock was Jesus Christ!

Moses was a warrior, a leader, and a courageous follower of God’s commands. Moses would soon die as the journey comes to an end. We can learn from his obedience and his mistakes. But, God makes no mistakes and the torch would be passed to one like Moses. 

So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him” (Numbers 27:18).

Joshua too would prove to be a commander and great man. We must be ever mindful of what God commands us and be willing to act in humble obedience. God has chosen us a holy people – the Creator of the universe desires us to be His possession and hungering and thirsting after His righteousness.

Would you learn of Him today?

Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses (Numbers 27:23).

Hank Allen

Entering The Promised Land

The old grumbling generation of Israelites that lacked the faith necessary to trust and obey God and be able to enter the promised land has died in the wilderness as God appointed and a new generation is poised and ready to enter. However, there is a great temptation for Israel to begin worshiping other gods.

Evidence of this comes through the story of Balaam, a sorcerer that the king of Moab wanted to use to place a curse on Israel—-hoping that, by magic, God would turn against His people. Neither Balaam nor Balak had any idea whom they were dealing with! This was the one true LIVING God, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Much like God used wicked Pharaoh to accomplish His will in Egypt (Exodus 10:1), He uses Balaam to deliver a chosen message to the Moabites. When God works in this manner it demonstrates His ultimate sovereignty over His creation, the good and evil.

Numbers 33:50-56

50 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

In God’s wisdom, He told Moses before the Israelites settled in the promised land they should drive out the wicked inhabitants and destroy their idols.

In Colossians 3, Paul encourages the Christians at Colossae to do the same in regard to their own lives. Get rid of the old way of living and move ahead into a new life of obedience to God and faith in Jesus Christ. In order to possess new life in Jesus Christ, we must drive out the sinful thoughts and practices. There is not room for both. 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 (Matthew 6:24).

The Israelites failed to get rid of all the wicked inhabitants and idols before settling in the promised land and just as God said, they became as barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides, and they troubled them in the land from that time forward continually. And yes, unfortunately, God had to keep His promise from verse 56 (e.g., Babylonian captivity, Assyrian captivity).

Let us not be so foolish.

Let us drive wickedness and idols far from us and draw near to God and walk in His ways continually.

Trent Dean

For The Record

A HISTORY LESSON FOR ISRAEL

DEUTERONOMY 1-4

Deuteronomy is a pivotal book in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses).  It signals the transition from Israel’s wandering in the wilderness to their taking possession of the promised land of Canaan.  It also signals a transition in leadership from Moses to Joshua.  Since the Exodus, Israel has known Moses as their leader, and they knew the Lord was with him.  Moses and Israel have a history, and by the end of Deuteronomy Moses’ leadership will transition to Joshua as he is appointed to lead Israel into the promised land.  But Moses knows firsthand that Israel can be fickle-hearted.  Moses remembered well Israel’s murmuring in the wilderness when times were difficult and uncomfortable, and he knows Israel’s tendency towards double-heartedness will lead them into God’s judgment.

So, it is fitting that as Moses’ time in scripture begins to sunset, he takes some time to set the record straight.  Moses knew that if left to their own devices, the stubborn, fickle-hearted children of Israel would soon forget their heritage and forsake their covenant with the Lord.  A people who follow after their own desires will selectively forget (or even re-write) their history.  If the children of Israel fell away, it wasn’t going to be for lack of thorough warning from Moses.

Deuteronomy actually means “second-giving of the law”, but it isn’t all about “law re-giving”.  In the first few chapters, Moses recounts the history of the children of Israel since the Exodus, starting at Horeb (Mt. Sinai).  It isn’t simply a history lesson, though.  Moses uses Israel’s history as a way to show how their survival as a nation depended on their covenant relationship with God.  The recurring theme in Israel’s history to this point is summed up like this:

When Israel followed after God, they enjoyed His providence and blessings.  When they rebelled against God, judgment and suffering resulted.

It's impossible to build a sturdy house without a firm foundation, and in this case Israel’s foundation is their covenant relationship with the Lord.  It’s important for Israel to remember where they came from.  Chapter one’s chief reminder of this is the people’s rebellion at the report of the twelve spies.  They heard the report of the formidable inhabitants of the land and were fearful in their hearts.  They’d seen the Lord destroy the Egyptian army in the Red Sea after they’d passed through it on dry ground.  But the Israelites began to grumble, saying, “Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us” (1:27).  That wasn’t true at all.  Moses even tried to encourage them, “Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son…” (1:29-31).  Israel had forgotten where they came from.  Their fears caused them to rewrite history.  Moses is setting the record straight.

Chapter two begins to recount the consequences of that rebellion.  Since Israel was so fearful they’d be defeated by the giants in the land, the Lord caused them to wander forty years in the wilderness until all the fighting men of that generation died.  The only two men of fighting age that survived to enter the land were Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who gave a faithful report.  Ironically, God would give the promised land to Israel’s “little ones who you said would become a prey” (v39).  The ones who were too small to fight would be the generation to carry-out the conquest of the land because the fighting men who were able did not trust in the Lord.  Chapter three continues the story of the wilderness wanderings, and Moses continues to bring to memory all the many times the Lord shielded and protected Israel from their adversaries.  Moses summarizes it well, “For the Lord you God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing” (2:7). 

This is the real story of Israel.  The feeble, infant nation brought out of bondage by the mercy of a great God, unable to defend itself against formidable enemies, nomads in a vast wilderness, completely dependent on the Lord.  Israel encountered a number of kings and enemies during their wandering, and when they were in good standing with God the results were exactly what you’d expect.

It may seem repetitive, but I suppose that’s part of the point.  If Israel misses this point, things are going to go poorly, and Moses knows it.  His charge to Joshua sums it up well: “I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross.  Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you’” (3:21-22).  And that’s what the ten spies didn’t get, and their lack of faith caused an entire generation of Israelites to miss the promised land.

Moses knows Israel is stubborn and fickle, and if we’re being honest with ourselves, we can be that way, too.  Moses has been the leader of Israel long enough to know that they will fall short and become corrupted by the pagan nations around them. He also knows when that happens, God’s judgement awaits, and it will not be pleasant.  They would be scattered among the nations and taken captive to other lands. The good news for Israel (and us) is that God is merciful, and He’s always willing to be found if we will look for him.  And so Moses gives these words of encouragement for Israel to remember when they found themselves in exile due to their rebellion against God: “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (4:29). 

There’s nothing so good as mercy and compassion when you need it most.  For Israel, it was when their rebellion caused them to be exiled into captivity.  For us, it’s when sin gets in the way of our relationship with God.  That’s what sin does.  It separates.  But Moses says it is in those times that Israel must remember God’s mercy and compassion, “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.  For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them” (4:30-31).

God looks at our new-covenant relationship with Him similarly to how He viewed His covenant relationship with Israel.  He is merciful, compassionate, and faithful.  Let’s remember that He wants the same from us.

Clay Whittemore

How Are We To Pass Faith From One Generation To The Next?

The Israelites. The nation of Israel. We are most likely talking about over 2 million people that have descended from Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac. When Jacob, the son of Isaac brought the entire family out of Canaan and into Goshen, Egypt so that his son Joseph could provide for them there were 70 people. It was basically the family of Israel (Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel). During that famine, the Egyptians suffered greatly and came to owe all that they had to Pharaoh, even themselves, but God blessed His chosen people and they were fruitful and multiplied and it was during this time they grew into the nation of Israel, with over 2 million people.

Now the nation of Israel is about to take the promised land for their own possession. God has given them permission to drive out its inhabitants and the land will be theirs. If they will be faithful and obey God they will prosper in the land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

This generation understands or at least they should. The law has been given and now here is “Deuteronomy,” which stands for the second-giving of the law. This generation wandered the desert 40 years awaiting this opportunity.

But what is God’s plan for passing faith from one generation to the next? What is going to ensure that the next generation and the next understands and lives in the land according to God’s will?

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

1. Foremost, they were to love God with their entire being and their way of life was to be that of teaching their children the Law of God and making sure that they knew God (6:5-9).

2. They were to fear God. With this being the case they would not chase after other false gods and idols (6:13-16).

3. Remember God’s deliverance of them from Egypt and teach their children as well as be able to explain the meaning of the Law to their children in this regard (6:20-24).

WHAT ABOUT TODAY?

Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 28 to make disciples.

Let’s make sure we are focused on making disciples at home with our own children first and foremost, and then moving through our sphere of influence from there. In the home, we have the most excellent opportunity of showing and teaching our children how to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves as well as teach them the word of God so that by the time they leave our homes they are mature disciples of Christ that can then lead others, especially their own household when that day comes.

One of the major weaknesses of our country today is the low expectations of our youth.

In this devotion, I won’t go into the long explanation as to why, but think about how many parents are satisfied with so little from their teenage children. They expect rebellion and allow their children to be consumers in the home rather than the producers that they are capable of being. It is a far cry from the time of America’s forefathers who in their 20s liberated a nation and set up an effective government. Young people are capable of the work of adults if they are raised continually doing hard things and their parents have proper expectations for them. After all, that term teenager is only about 40 years old.

.In many homes, parents are more concerned with what their children don’t do (e.g., drugs or alcohol), rather than what they do, which should be serving God mightily and doing hard things so that they can grow. In many homes, children hardly have any work to do. They have way too much leisure time and spend it on all these different forms of entertainment. It is not wise. They are being trained not to be useful when they should be trained to be “a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

I’m an educator in a public school system so I see this in so many kids year after year. Time magazine wrote about it decades ago in an article titled “Kidults". I’ve read about it in other sources (e.g. “Family Man Family Leader” by Philip Lancaster) as well including from that of young people who are fed up with the low expectations and want to rise above it (“Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris & “This Changes Everything: How The Gospel Transforms The Teen Years” by Jaquelle Crow).

“The greatness of America lies around the hearthstone.” - Calvin Coolidge

Our families are of the utmost importance and God gave us a pattern for passing faith from one generation to the next. Do not get distracted and forget to make disciples in your home and make sure the expectations and the work you put before your children are in keeping with raising true disciples of Jesus and not American consumers that are gluttons for entertainment and hardly useful to anyone.

They are our children. God gave them to us. We mustn’t make excuses. With man some things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Trent Dean

Because Of Grace!

Too often we do not realize that all we have is by God’s grace. 

We are not blessed by our own efforts or greatness. Our accomplishments are not our own. 

“Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are”

-Casting Crowns

This is the proper outlook on life. Because of who He is and because of what He’s done. 

In Deuteronomy 7 Israel is ready to inhabit the land of promise. God through Moses speaks of the armies that will be defeated by the hand of the Israelites and the land that they will inhabit. 

But they are to understand the victories in battle and the taking of a land is not because of their might but rather His. 

7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).

We must be careful not to walk around boastful of our resumes and accomplishments. Instead, let us walk thankful of His love and grace demonstrating it to others in our walk and our speech.

Not because of what I’ve done but because of who He is! 

Devin Allen

Remember The LORD Your God!

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way (Psalm 119:103-104).

How much did the children of Israel hate every false way? How much do we hate every false way? The children of Israel left captivity, oppression, slavery, and harsh and cruel working conditions, in the midst of false ways (Egyptian religion). How could they not hate every false way? How could they not see God for who He is and realize that obedience to Him was far better than being oppressed in a foreign land?! God is real and the only source of truth, salvation, and grace that gives us hope and life. The Israelites would prove through time that to completely put away every false way would be a challenge, and much is the same for us. Idol worship was as rampant in their day as pornography is in our day.

But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18).

It is indeed He who gives us the means and power to make wealth. Have we given Him our heart in gratitude? Upon exiting Egypt God required one thing of the children of Israel, their heart. He required, without reservation, the heart of each individual that made up His people then and He requires it of His people today.

For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 14:2).

In sports, we call them the fundamentals of the game, the basics, and in doing so we “bark” a lot of specific orders or instructions to accomplish desired results. God’s law is no different. It requires the fundamentals of obedience and for full genuine obedience to happen we must involve our heart. It is a requirement and a pleasing aroma to our God.

In Deuteronomy 5:1, God says for Israel to hear the statutes and the ordinances that are being spoken in your hearing that you may learn them and observe them carefully. God is serious about obedience. In sports, it is the basis of good play and execution of a series of plays. And so, with God, it is the basis of our obedience and evidence as to how much our heart is involved.

Deuteronomy 5:4 - The command is given as to have no other gods before Him and to love God and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 - Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Notice how significant our heart is to God and how much He desires our obedience. God is serious about us getting the fundamentals right and giving Him our heart!

God also has requirements when it comes to worship and holy living. He wants us to give careful attention to things He requires of us.

Deuteronomy 12:5 – But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God shall choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. A central location was established for certain sacrifices to be brought in a specific way. God desires that we bring our heart when we come to the house of the Lord and that we do so on the day He designates and with proper reverence and respect.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 – Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.

God wanted His people to worship Him and be obedient to His commands and Him alone. He wants us to worship in spirit and in truth (with a true heart / John 4). He desired a people for His own possession then and He desires the same today. God requires our heart and He wants us to remember Him daily in our relationship with Him.

Will you give Him your heart today in humble obedience to His commands?

Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

Hank Allen

Like A Child You Must Listen To Him

“The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you [Moses], and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Deuteronomy 18:17-18

“Since then [referring to Joshua replacing Moses] no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:10-12

This “prophet” was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth.

“Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant…but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house —-whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” Hebrews 3:1-6

Let us not lose sight of God’s over-arching plan.

God is bringing His chosen people into the land He had appointed for them to have. In this land, among these people, God will bring about this prophet.

This prophet cannot be any other than Jesus of Nazareth.

“The LORD God will raise for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him." Deuteronomy 18:15

Are you listening to Jesus? Do you know the real Jesus? The Jesus of the Bible?

If not, I challenge you to read the New Testament as a child. Cast aside all you think you know about the Bible and related subjects and read the New Testament afresh just like a child.

Matthew 18:1-4

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Trent Dean

Choose Life: Moses' Plea To Israel

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity…choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19-20).

“But I want to make bad choices!”  It was a Sunday after morning worship.  My wife and I were at Panera Bread with another couple from church. That afternoon their three-year-old daughter was having trouble sitting (and staying) on her bottom in her chair at the table.  After several warnings her mother gave her one last chance: “You can make good choices and get to play outside with your friends when we get home, or you can make bad choices and you won’t get to play at all today, do you understand?”  It was a much more diplomatic form of discipline than what I was afforded growing up.  Kids are squirmy sometimes, and she didn’t like the ultimatum, so as she slid back down into her seat with a big frown she mumbled “But I want to make bad choices…”  Her mother stood firm, “Well, if you make a bad choice you will be punished because of that bad choice, do you understand?”  The stakes were too high, and on her bottom, she sat. It was as simple as that. That was an awesome learning experience for me, partly because I’d never seen anyone talk to a three-year-old like that before.  It was also impressive to see how well that little girl understood choices and consequences at such a young age.  It was obvious it wasn’t the first time her parents were teaching her about choices and consequences.

Deuteronomy 27-30 is kind of like that.  Israel is knocking on the door of the Promised Land and Moses gives them instructions for a special ceremony to acknowledge the blessings of good choices and the consequences of bad ones.  The tribes of Israel were to be divided into two groups positioned on two mountains opposite one another that formed a natural amphitheater around the town of Shechem.  Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh), and Benjamin were to stand atop Mount Gerizim to confirm the blessings of keeping the Lord’s commandments.  Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand atop Mount Ebal to confirm the curses that would come upon the nation of Israel if they chose not to keep God’s law.  The Levites would recite the law and the accompanying blessings (and curses for disobedience) and the tribes of Israel would answer in acknowledgment.  These instructions were left for Joshua to fulfill after they’d crossed over the Jordan (Joshua 8).

Here are a few important observations for us to make.

Consistent Focus on Choices and Consequences

When we see something repeated over and over and over again in scripture, it’s a clue for us that God is telling us something important and we shouldn't miss it.  I’ve heard it said this way: “God doesn’t waste inspiration-paper.” No less than eight times in these chapters does Moses specifically emphasize obedience to God as Israel’s requirement to receive God’s blessings (or the lack of obedience being the cause for punishment and suffering for Israel).  He even takes a break during the listing of blessings (v9) to make sure Israel understands they are accountable.  It’s always been that way for Israel ever since the promises made to Abraham back in Genesis 12.

A constant theme in Moses’ second-giving of the law has been the focus on keeping God’s law.  In chapters 27-30, Moses dials up the emphasis even more.  Chapter 27 mostly deals with the curses that would come upon Israel if they failed to keep God’s laws. “Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them. And all the people shall say, Amen” (v26).  Chapter 28 deals with the blessings that God would show Israel if they kept His commandments and statutes, and importantly, at the beginning (v1), middle (v9), and end (v13-14) Moses emphasizes obedience to God’s commands as the determining factor of whether Israel received blessings or curses.  

This isn’t to take away from God’s grace in making these blessings available.  There are some who object so much to “works” that they refuse to believe man's choices have a trying to do with God's blessings at all. God is gracious just by giving Israel the opportunity to receive His blessings.  However, the bible-text also points to the obvious conclusion that man’s choices do have an impact on whether God’s blessings will be realized.

God has expectations for Israel (and us).  Period.  The bible teaches that (and our passage today is one example. “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth” (v1).  “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways” (v9).  “…if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe the carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them” (v13-14). Coincidentally those passages are all found in the “blessing” portion of Moses’ instruction to Israel.

God doesn’t move the goal post – He never has.  God’s message to Israel was plain: You can make good choices and enjoy God’s blessings, or make bad choices and be punished for those bad decisions.  God’s grace is the reason the blessings are even an option.  God knows that if we can’t truly choose God, we can’t truly love Him, either.  That’s what God wants from us.

Mercy and Grace

It’s important to realize that man’s choices don’t negate or overpower man's need for God’s grace.  God’s plan for Israel (and for us) involves both.  Remember, God’s grace is the reason why His blessings are even available to man at all.  We can never be righteous enough to deserve them.  But, this isn’t about earning God’s blessings, and we certainly can’t add to God’s holiness by doing good works.  For Israel (and us), God has placed those blessings within the bounds of obedience.  Our obedience doesn’t force God’s hand to bless us.  Instead, God tells us where to find His blessings.  Works of faith (not merit) are a part of that.  The bible says so, and that shouldn’t scare us into thinking that we’ve kicked God’s grace out of the bible.

That’s why Moses repeatedly emphasizes obedience to the Lord’s commands throughout the book of the law.  But he also knew that Israel had a stubborn and rebellious streak.  So he warns Israel not to be surprised when they find themselves being punished for turning away from God (ch29).  But he also offers hope for Israel when they come to their senses and “return to the Lord…and obey Him with all your heart and soul” according to all Moses had commanded, then God would “restore [Israel] from captivity, and have compassion” on them (30:2-3).

Clay Whittemore

Jehovah Is Salvation

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Then Moses called Joshua to him in front of all Israel and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (31:7-8).

Then Moses wrote the law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, and gave them instructions in regard to reading the law before all of Israel at the Feast of Booths every seven years and then the LORD God gave Moses further instructions including the commissioning of Joshua and Moses’ imminent death.

Before Moses gave all Israel his song as a witness for the LORD God, he commanded them to place the book of the law he had written beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD their God, that it may remain there as a witness against them.

After the giving of the song, Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho and the LORD showed him all the land that God had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses died there in the land of Moab and was buried in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

Moses’ successor Joshua’s original name was Hoshea (Numbers 13:8; Deuteronomy 32:44), which literally means “salvation.” During the wilderness journey, Moses changed the name to Jehoshua (Numbers 13:16 KJV), meaning, “Jehovah is salvation.” (Joshua is a contracted form Jehoshua.) This was a great act of mentoring where Moses changes a name to help reflect or reinforce the fact that salvation is in God, not man. Being the leader of such a nation could lend itself to becoming puffed up or boasting in oneself. After all, Moses did not treat God as holy when he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock (Numbers 20:10-13) and this is the reason Moses was not allowed to bring Israel into the land that God had given them.

Joshua was a young man when Moses appointed him as one of his ministers or attendants during the wilderness journey and Joshua served in this role faithfully (Exodus 17:8-16; 24:12-13; Numbers 13:1-16; 14:26-35). At the end of Moses’ career, God chose Joshua to be his successor (Numbers 27:18), and Moses then transferred the mantle of leadership to his faithful attendant and friend (Deuteronomy 34:9).

Joshua feared God, believed God, obeyed God, and glorified God. He was a great ruler, commanding the respect of all his subjects, maintaining order and discipline, putting the worship of God central in the nation’s government, encouraging his people to press on to claim God’s best. He was also a great military leader, using his God-given traits of wisdom, confidence, and courage, and a strong spirit to lead his army in strategies that consistently led to triumph. And lastly, Joshua was a humble man who thought highly of others and held God in His place of supremacy.

May we walk in the ways of Joshua and live a life that serves as a witness for the LORD our God that He is salvation.

Trent Dean

Be Courageous

When God laid responsibility on the shoulders of Joshua, He did so with a resounding message. Be Courageous!

He spoke these words rather emphatically. As we read Joshua 1, it is as if Joshua is being commanded to be Courageous. Paul wrote to the Corinthians of his daily courage.

6 So we are ALWAYS of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him (2 Corinthians 5:6-9).

Paul not only speaks of his courage but also gives us insight into how to walk courageously. The path to courage is a clear and focused mind. Paul writes of a singular mindset, to please God. He writes of having a focus, not on the world around him but rather the God above Him. True courage comes from Faith.

Why was God so consistent with His command of courage? Well, Joshua was going through a period of change. Joshua was headed for unfamiliar territory. Often when life changes we become afraid and often new places generate fear in us. There was certainly much about the future that Joshua did not know but the call was to rely on a God whom he did know. Not only did Joshua know God but God knew the place He was sending him. Joshua was to walk by faith and not by sight. He was to walk by courage and not fear. That which he could see may have been scary but the unseen God was in control.

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. (Joshua 1:3).

You’ve never been there BUT I have!

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).

You’ll have enemies but I will conquer!

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8).

I’ve given you the guide to life.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

I AM WITH YOU!

Today let’s not get distracted by the circumstances of life and the circumstances of the world around us or the flaws of our current society. Instead, let’s focus on the powerful phrase Jehovah spoke to Joshua:

I AM WITH YOU!

Put on Faith and Walk Courageously.

Devin Allen

Believing In God

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41: 10).

What is our belief system and what is at the core? Do we believe God when He says, “do not fear for I am with you”? The book of Joshua can easily be divided into two sections: the first 12 chapters are the conquering of the land and the second 12 chapters involve the division of the land among the tribes. When the children of Israel went in to take the land it required them to check their belief in what God had done for them and what He had promised. It required that they believe and that they trust and obey.

Joshua chapter six is a very familiar story of the walls of Jericho coming down. We know and realize that the success they had in taking the fortified city was only accomplished because of God. God was with them, He gave them the city so they really didn’t take it but they exercised obedience in faith, and because of that they were saved from defeat. Certainly, Joshua was a strong leader and a quality military leader but one quality Joshua exhibited was trusting in the Lord. We too must trust in the Lord and believe Him when it comes to tearing down walls that might stand between Him and us. We cannot harbor a spirit of timidity, nor lack confidence in God’s power and strength.

Joshua chapter ten is an extremely powerful chapter because of a statement that is made in verse 10; “And there was no day like that day before it or after it.” God and only God was able to make time stand still! To ensure victory God held the sun in its place and the moon stopped. God is glorified when men see the power of God and realize that He is the God of creation and the God of the universe. V. 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” Our God is an Awesome God! Believe it and trust in Him! V. 10 He confused them and He slew them with a great slaughter. Joshua overthrew five kingdoms with God’s help and glorified God with the great victory. The example for us is to believe in God, trust, and obey.

The many victories we find in the book of Joshua can be attributed to one thing – God is involved. When we leave God out of the equation there will be no victories. No real victories that will sustain us in this life and prepare us for the life hereafter. We must involve God in our decisions and allow Him to help us have victory over our giants and help us to tear down walls that stand between others and us. God is faithful and God keeps His promises. It’s all about faith, and as the children of Israel’s faith was challenged in the battles they faced, so is ours’ today. We must choose the same attitude that Joshua chose – with God he could overcome anything! Choose to have faith in God and choose to serve, trust and obey Him every day.

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (I Timothy 1:7).

Hank Allen

Full Adoption

The activities of Israel during the years of chapters 1-12 was seven years of fighting after having crossed the Jordan River in order to conquer the land. It was said that “Joshua took the whole land” and that he could now divide the land “for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes” (11:23). The necessary wars were the prelude to the tremendously gratifying business of the allotment of the lands to the Israelites. This was a climactic moment in the young nation of Israel. This was the first time they could claim land as their own, given by God. The hour had finally come for them to claim the land, build homes, and live with God in peace. The day of land allotment was truly a happy day for Israel.

However, for us to be able to fully understand the allotments as they were distributed among the tribes we must go back to the book of Genesis, and within lies a beautiful message for us today.

In Genesis 48 it records Jacob beginning to give his blessings on the family as he is about to die. Since it is the end of Jacob’s life, his son Joseph has come to Jacob to see him before he dies. Joseph brings his two sons. Remember these two sons were born in Egypt to his Egyptian wife, whom he named Manasseh and Ephraim. But listen to the words of Jacob:

“And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are” (Genesis 48:5 ESV).

Jacob says that these two sons of Joseph do not belong to Egypt. They belong to Israel. They are to be treated equally in the family of Israel just as Reuben and Simeon are, the first two children of Jacob. They are not to be treated as outsiders but as full-blood like the rest of Jacob’s sons. Manasseh and Ephraim, children born outside the land, outside the covenant, to a foreign woman are adopted into Israel, God’s family. All the descendants of Joseph will belong under the rights of Manasseh and Ephraim.

Then to confirm this amazing picture, Jacob lays his hands on the two sons. The firstborn should be under the right hand of Jacob as he begins the blessing. But Jacob crosses his hands as he starts to bless them. Joseph is displeased with this and takes Jacob’s hand off of Ephraim and begins to uncross his arms so that his right-hand moves to Manasseh. But Jacob refuses (48:19). The younger brother is going to be greater than the older and then Jacob pronounces his blessings. Not only are Joseph’s children fully adopted into the family of Israel, the latter child, not the firstborn, continues to receive the blessings. God keeps doing this in the book of Genesis. Remember that Isaac receives the blessing, not Ishmael the firstborn. Jacob receives the blessing, not Esau the firstborn. Judah is going to receive the blessing, not Reuben the firstborn. Of Judah’s children, Perez will receive the blessing, not Zerah the firstborn (38:27-30). Now Ephraim receives the blessing, not Manasseh the firstborn.

Do you see the picture?

Order is not the deciding factor in receiving God’s covenant blessings. God is teaching a subtle message that the electing grace of God does not follow the natural order. The second receives the blessing not the first and God is able to bring outsiders into his covenant of grace. This is God’s foreshadowing in Genesis which is fully realized in Christ. The message of salvation, election, and grace in the New Testament is that the second, the Gentiles, rather than the first, the Jews, would be adopted into God’s family and receive full covenant blessings from God. We get to be like Ephraim, with no right to belong to Israel, the people of God, but now fully adopted. Gentiles, outsiders who are full of sin, can come into God’s kingdom and be full participants and full heirs of the promises of God. You can be adopted as God’s child and receive all of God’s blessings and mercy.

Therefore, no longer set your heart on this earth for we are merely in Egypt. Set your heart on eternity with Christ and see the rich provisions of God that can be received as His children. This is God’s grace to you so that you can overcome the trials, suffering, and pain that comes in this life. Our hope is in eternity and not in the affairs of this earth.

Rejoice in the grace of God!

Trent Dean

Consecration

JOSHUA 22-24: LIVING IN GOD’S PROMISES

“choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (24:15)

Other than Proverbs 22:6 (the one about training up a child), Joshua 24:15 is probably one of the most popular passages used for Bible-themed home décor.  But while Proverbs 22:6 was written specifically with family life in mind, Joshua’s defining stand in chapter 24 is a challenge to the entire nation of Israel in an impassioned farewell address. 

It’s a great time to be an Israelite in the book of Joshua.  The tribes have received their Promised-Land inheritances, having seen remarkable success in their conquest of the Land (by the help/hand of the Lord).  Israel’s history often highlights their tendency towards rebellion and idol-worship, but here at the close of Joshua’s days, Israel has their head on straight.  In chapter 22, we see the tribes of Israel ready to battle even against their own fellow tribesmen of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh at the mere appearance of rebellion against the Lord.  It might seem a little over-zealous or even hypocritical to us, knowing Israel’s tendency towards idolatry and adulterated worship.  Fortunately, the altar was intended to be a non-functioning replica for memorial purposes…idolatry-crisis averted.  It seems like an odd side-story to lead into Joshua’s farewell address in chapters 23-24, but the point is simple and important:  Israel had a unity of heart towards following the Lord and stood at the ready against even the appearance of rebellion toward God.

That really sums up Joshua’s farewell address.  It follows a similar pattern to Moses’ back in Deuteronomy 27-30.  Before he gathers all of Israel, Joshua convenes with the elders and leaders of the families of Israel and encourages them to “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left…but you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day” (23:6, 8).  Here, Joshua tells the elders of Israel the secret to Israel’s success in their conquest since entering the Promised Land, “for the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you” (v3). For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you…for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you” (v10).  He then tells the elders that the Lord would continue to fight for them so long as they loved Him and followed Him.  Israel would rise and fall with their own faithfulness to the Lord.  In chapter 24 with all of Israel assembled at Shechem, Joshua recounts Israel’s history and God’s deliverance out of many dangers, toils, and snares, beginning with Exodus through the conquest of the Promised Land. 

Like Moses, he sets the record straight with Israel, and there aren’t any objections.  Everyone is on the same page.  This is where Joshua makes his famous declaration – a “last-stand” of sorts.  Israel can go after other gods to their own destruction if they choose.  Or, they can stand like Joshua, and serve the Lord who has delivered them out of every distress.  The children of Israel are primed to respond: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for the Lord is our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage…who preserved us through all the way in which we went …We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God” (v16-18).  As a final measure, Joshua calls on the people to be a witness against themselves of their covenant to serve the Lord that day, and once more the children of Israel confirmed, “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice” (v24).

Of all the last words Joshua could have given the children of Israel, he implored them to serve the Lord.  The book of Joshua ends happily, sort of.  “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel” (v31).  The foreshadowing in verse 31 tells us there’s a bookend to Israel’s obedience to the Lord, and we know enough by now to understand that means rough times are ahead for Israel.  But Joshua’s message was clear enough to Israel on this day that they remained faithful at least until the remainder of Joshua’s regime died out.

Joshua’s farewell address to Israel is super simple.  If Israel will consecrate themselves to the Lord, He will continue to bless them.  In that way, Joshua speaks to us today in his farewell message.  In the book of Joshua, Israel inherited the Promised Land according to the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12.  When we consecrate ourselves to the Lord, Jesus tells us that our inheritance is the kingdom of Heaven (Matt 5).  Said another way, we find God’s blessings when we seek Him according to His word, and to be sure, those blessings are there to be found in the first place because God loves us.  John the apostle wrote, “how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).  Later in that same chapter, he would write “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him…by this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother (v9, 10).  These words echo Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 11: “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (v50).

Joshua’s farewell message to Israel sounds much like God’s message to us today.  The message is simple and consistent.  God wants His people to seek Him in faith according to His word and receive the blessings and inheritance that He has promised.

Clay Whittemore

Let Us Learn From Israel

There is a remarkable correspondence between the experiences of Israel, from their bondage in Egypt to the conquest of Canaan (the land promised to them by God), and the spiritual experiences of the individual soul.

In Exodus, we read of (1) Israel’s condition in Egypt (bondage, poverty, imminent death), which corresponds to the spiritual condition of an individual’s soul before regeneration (being born again); and (2) Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, typifying God’s deliverance of a soul, bringing salvation.

In Numbers, we read of Israel’s backslidden condition in the wilderness (unbelief, disobedience, discontent, weakness), picturing a soul regenerated but out of fellowship with God.

The close of the book of Joshua shows the commencement of Israel’s life in Canaan to be one of peace, joy, wealth, power, and victory, typifying a saved soul wholly surrendered to God.

We also notice three prominent types in the book of Joshua:

1. Joshua, leader of the host of Israel, is a type of Christ, the “captain of…[our] salvation.”

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:10-11); cf. Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 1:10; 2:14.

2. The crossing of the Jordan River is a type of the Christian dying with Christ.

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:6-11); Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 3:1-3.

3. Israel’s conquest of Canaan (the promised land) typifies the Christian’s victories over the enemies of his soul.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

In conclusion, we must remember that when we are in the Old Testament reading the story of Israel everything is building towards the climax of the story which is Jesus the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek) being raised from the dead and becoming the foundation for His church, which we can continue as a part of today. These types and symbols are part of God teaching and preparing us for faithfulness in Jesus’ new and better covenant. This is why Paul was able to admonish the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:6) about the purpose of these examples being given to them as well as us today.

Let us learn from Israel’s mistakes and walk in fellowship with God daily surrendering all to Him.

Trent Dean

Seeing God

7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel (Judges 2:7-10).

Who did not know the work of the Lord? How could people not know the work of the Lord? His mighty hand delivered them from bondage, freed them in the wilderness, and took them into the promised land.

Maybe the oral tradition of the earlier generation was not as it should have been but still, the peace of the land could be attributed to One and only One. I presume if those people were anything like our present generation they simply took the credit for prosperity. The peace they enjoyed was in their minds from themselves. Instead of the time of peace opening their hearts to thank God, they looked to themselves and to the false gods around them. They refused to see God. Therefore in the book of Judges, we will see a vile pattern of a people turning from God. But God’s mercy grants them leaders intended to open their eyes to the power and love of God.

The blindness of the Israelites is apparent in the story of Gideon.

The LORD said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me” (Judges 7:2).

God was concerned that the people would actually see “their” power and not the power of God. Thus He sent a small group to fight (300) a very large number of Midianites.

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance (Judges 7:12).

Then with only a small army, Gideon was able to win many battles. God’s hand was apparent. But still, some refused to see God.

THEN THE MEN OF ISRAEL SAID TO GIDEON, "RULE OVER US, YOU AND YOUR SON AND YOUR GRANDSON ALSO, FOR YOU HAVE SAVED US FROM THE HAND OF MIDIAN” (JUDGES 8:22).

Insert “Rolling eyes” emoji.

Many credited Gideon with the victories. They were blind.

Am I blind in the same manner? What am I not seeing today? What blessings from God am I taking credit for or attributing to someone or something other than God?

Am I seeing God in my daily life?

GIDEON SAID TO THEM, "I WILL NOT RULE OVER YOU, AND MY SON WILL NOT RULE OVER YOU; THE LORD WILL RULE OVER YOU” (JUDGES 8:23).

Let’s open our hearts and eyes to the Glory of God!

Devin Allen

To Not Know The Lord

“And there arose another generation after them – who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).

How could this be? How is it that there would have been direct descendants of the children of Israel, that came out of bondage, saw the power of God numerous times, but did not know the Lord?

The children of Israel had experienced being freed from oppression, freed from slavery. They had witnessed the power of God, the mighty hand of God like no other nation had ever witnessed! Yet there arose a generation that did not know the Lord.

How could this decline have happened?

Deuteronomy 4: 7-9

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”

As parents, we have a very serious responsibility to convey the message of God’s power and saving grace to our children. Our children’s children need to know and their children, but that won’t happen unless we are deliberate, consistent, and committed to teaching our children.

Children need to see you loving the Lord, praying to the Lord, and having a relationship with our Creator. Godly parents are in great demand in this country. We must be committed to our children, to our spouses, and most importantly to our God. People in the day of the judges experienced this same problem especially when it came to their commitment to God. If God is not in our lives then the way is hard and the burdens will be many. The battle to win our children’s heart is an everyday challenge but one we must be willing to fight! If not, we too will jeopardize their souls and contribute to a generation that knows not God.

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

So, if we find ourselves not teaching our children we might also find that we are not teaching future generations. In this, we ourselves fail to learn and heed God’s word. We might be falling away and looking for other gods, as did the people in the day of the Judges. We search for meaning and we cannot find it because we leave God out of our lives and do not know God. We fall into sin and find ourselves trapped by circumstances that we are unable to overcome. The book of Judges is all about the cycle of sin, the need for forgiveness, and the need for a savior.

Judges 2:16-19

Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. Whenever the LORD rose up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and He saved them from their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

I am afraid the cycle the children of Israel found themselves in—we today find ourselves in, with the same attitude of ungratefulness and indifference. People did what was right in their own eyes. Sound familiar? Moral relativism. How easy is it to falter and decline spiritually?  Man falls away. He rebels. Then there has to be retribution or oppression to wake people up to their sin. Then man needs repentance and deliverance or restoration and finally, man needs peace (rest).

And who can deliver this? God. Man is in need of a Savior and He’s always there because of His greatness and His goodness. We serve an Awesome God and we must never forget Him nor turn our back on the truth of His word. Seek Him today and learn to do good to all men. With open arms, Jesus Christ our Savior awaits our repentance and our return.

And on His robe and on his thigh he has a mane written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

Hank Allen

Godly Leadership

Within the cycle of Judges and the pattern of rest, rebellion, retribution, repentance, and restoration we are given the example of a tremendously effective leader and it is important that we understand this leader’s effectiveness derived from her Godliness.

The leadership of Deborah is recorded in Judges 4 and 5.

Deborah did a masterful job of working through other people such as Barak. She saw and understood the big picture, which helped her be effective in her mediation, advising, and planning. But more important than these things she had a remarkable relationship with God. And in turn, God gave her extraordinary insight and confidence.

The recorded events show that she was not power-hungry. Her underlying motive and passion was to serve God. Whenever praise came her way, she gave God the credit. She did not deny or resist her position in the culture as a woman and wife, but she never allowed herself to be hindered by it either.

Her story shows that God can accomplish great things through people who are willing to be led by Him. Her story challenges us to put God first in our lives and to be available to others. Her story challenges us to spend our efforts and energy (physical and mental) on what we can do rather than worrying about what we cannot do or even worse, complaining or grumbling or making excuses.

Deborah challenges us to be wise leaders that reflect God. Her story demonstrates what a person can accomplish when they let go and let God, when they acknowledge God is in control, and follow Him with full commitment.

We are all leaders in the sense that we all have influence on those around us.

Will you heed the example of Deborah and give yourself to Godly leadership?

Trent Dean

Sheep Without A Shepherd

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The book of Joshua ends on a high note as Israel transitions into the period of the judges.  During the days of Joshua (and the days of the elders that served under him), Israel followed the Lord and was blessed.  However, early in the book of Judges, we are met with a passage that casts an ominous shadow over Israel:

“and there arose another generation…who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” (2:10)

The book of Judges ends with our key verse for today, Judges 21:25.  Taken together, these two verses are a pretty fair representation of the period of the judges.  The story is rocky and mediocre.  Israel’s cycle of peace, sin, punishment, repentance, and deliverance is repeated over and over, and by the third or fourth iteration, we find ourselves wondering if Israel will ever figure things out.  There are bright spots, for sure, but Israel so often finds their proverbial “cart in the ditch” that these bright spots feel more like flashes in a pan.  The book of Judges is simply a messy book, beginning to end.  It is par for the course for a people who don’t know the Lord (more on that later).

These judges were military-type deliverers that were raised up to bring Israel out of oppression from all sorts of peoples: Mesopotamians (3:7-11), Moabites (3:12-30), Philistines (Shamgar), Canaanites (Debra/Barak in ch4-5), Midianites (Gideon in ch6-8), and most notably the Philistines (Samson in ch13-16).  With all this “delivering” going on, we have to ask ourselves why and how Israel seemed to constantly find themselves oppressed.  Like that trouble-making kid in elementary school, we wonder why they can’t seem to keep themselves out of the principal’s office. 

Our key verse today (Judges 21:25) points to the real problem.  There was no consistency in the line of leadership like Israel had under Moses and Joshua to continually guide them in righteousness.  And often the judges that were raised up to deliver Israel were not without serious issues. 

Take Samson, for example (and yes, I know Samson is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 along with Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah).  Samson judged Israel for twenty years and was instrumental in alleviating the Philistine oppression of Israel.  He destroyed Philistine crops and fought victoriously against many Philistines (killing over 1,000 at once).  When surrounded by the Philistines in the city of Gaza, Samson waited until midnight and burst through the city gate, uprooting and carrying it, bars and all, all the way to the top of the mountain opposite of Hebron in his escape.  In his final act, he famously killed 3,000 Philistines when he pushed apart two supporting pillars of a large house where thousands of Philistines had gathered to celebrate his capture.  For these mighty acts of valor, Samson certainly achieved legendary status, but if you know Samson’s story well, you know that he was far from the spiritual leader that Israel needed.  To be sure, Samson did many mighty works and did much to alleviate the Philistine oppression of Israel, but I don’t know of many parents who pray their little boys to grow up to be just like Samson one day.

What are we supposed to learn from all this? 

First, remember the period of the Judges began with a generation that did not know God and things got worse from there.  Israel benefitted tremendously from the strong spiritual leadership of Moses and Joshua, who helped keep Israel focused on following the Lord and keeping his covenant.  But with Moses and Joshua gone, Israel became like sheep without a shepherd and the roots that grounded them in the covenant of the Lord simply weren’t there anymore, so they were set adrift.

What do sheep do when they have no shepherd?  Easy – they wander.  And so it was with Israel – each man became his own judge and did what was right in his own eyes.  It wasn’t complete anarchy, there was still some form of order within the tribes, but spiritually speaking each man became his own standard, and God’s covenant was forgotten (that is until Israel needed God’s deliverance). 

Lastly, after reading the book of Judges, I think we can all agree that what Israel needs most is a good shepherd.  Sure, there are a few times where Israel showed glimmers of promise, but overall the lack of strong, consistent spiritual leadership set Israel aimlessly adrift. Sheep without a shepherd will surely struggle, or worse, perish.

Despite man’s best efforts, we see repeated examples of blemished spiritual leadership – imperfect shepherds – during the period of the Judges.  In a way, the story of Judges tells us to look on to something greater, something better.  It’s no surprise then how frequently the picture of a shepherd is used in the New Testament in reference to the church and Jesus.  John 10 tells us that we find that Good Shepherd in Jesus:

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (v11-12) “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (v14-15) “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father” (v18)

In the period of the Judges, every man did what was right in His own eyes.  They were like sheep without a shepherd.  But Jesus said He is the Good Shepherd.  He is the firm, unwavering anchor that prevents His church from being sent aimlessly adrift.  Our Good Shepherd conquered what His sheep fear most by demonstrating perfect obedience to the will of God. 

Let’s learn this important lesson from the period of the Judges and resolve ourselves to stay anchored to the Good Shepherd!

Clay Whittemore

The Love Of God

16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (Ruth 1:16-17).

The story of Ruth is a beautiful love story and account of a godly family from Bethlehem during the period of Judges. It reveals God’s mysterious and wonderful ways of sovereign grace in fulfilling His divine purposes through a faithful remnant. Beyond this a chief purpose of the book is found in the genealogical table at the end (4:17-22): “And to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.” God was soon to allow Israel to have kings, and so, by way of preparation, the book of Ruth introduces the kingly line, Boaz and Ruth being the ancestors of King David, through whom came the Savior-King, the Messiah, Jesus.

The beautiful passage quoted above (1:16-17) is spoken to Naomi, who has left Bethlehem in Judah with her husband and two sons to sojourn in Moab due to the famine in Judah. The husband dies. The two sons take Moabite wives. Ten years pass. Both sons die. Naomi is now without her husband and two sons living in a foreign land. Naomi hears in the field one day that God has visited His people and has given them food and so she is going to return to Judah.

Verse 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 

The daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth do not want to leave Naomi, but Naomi reasons with them that she has no husbands for them and even that she has no husband, referencing her lack of provision for them, and even that she sees her circumstances as the Lord’s hand having gone out against her and wants to free them of that.

They both weep and the one daughter-in-law Orpah leaves, but Ruth clung to Naomi.

15 And Naomi said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.

And then Ruth reveals a type of love that can only be understood by the love of God (agape). She is devoted to Naomi and will not leave her.

It reminds me of a time later when Israel was in captivity by the hands of the Babylonians and thought God had forsaken them, but God spoke these words through the prophet Isaiah:

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
    my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:14-15).

The love of God is demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ and the fact that He has shown us over and over again through His holy word that He will never leave nor forsake us.

Let us make sure that we reflect that same love to our God and those around us.

Trent Dean

Are You In Need?

Are you in the “bread line”? Most likely not. But would you answer the question yes? Are you willing to admit your need for help in this life? We are all in need of help. We are not perfect on our own. We are not complete within ourselves. Too often our pride leads us to believe that we can be whole alone or that we are great on our own. 

Naomi thought she was well on her own. She thought the world around her made her well. A few sad events lead her to the realization of who she really was. She was awakened to the fact that she was empty and in need. 

“I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?" (Ruth 1:21)

Oh, that we could come to the Lord with this attitude. We need to come to him broken by looking in His word to see who we are. We need not wait on trials to remind us of who we are. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Due to the death of all the men in their lives Ruth and Naomi find themselves in great need. They find themselves in a new town without the people they love around them. They need a redeemer. 

And in Bethlehem, they find their redeemer!

“Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel” (Ruth 4:14).

They found the redeemer because they were searching for a redeemer. Too often redemption is not obtained because we are not seeking to be redeemed. Why be redeemed? We have all that we need, we want for nothing. From what do we need redemption? 

We need a Savior/Redeemer more than we will ever realize. He will be found if we will search. 

Ruth recognized her need for help. She was humbled even more when her earthly redeemer was found. 

“Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’" (Ruth 2:10)

Her attitude was noticed by Boaz and Jehovah.

But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before” (Ruth 2:11).

“The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (Ruth 2:12)

Refuge was given to the one who was seeking refuge. The same is true today. Are you in need? Do you need refuge? Do you need a redeemer?

He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (Ruth 3:9)

The Lord is looking to spread his wings of refuge around us. 

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)

Are you willing to take refuge? Or do you have the ability to navigate through life in your own power?

Thank God for our Redeemer!

Devin Allen

The Redeemer, Seeing The Heart

And now my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence (Ruth 3:11).

The redeemer, Boaz in the book of Ruth sees something that is different when it comes to the Moabite woman, Ruth. He sees the extreme purity of Ruth’s heart and her incredible character! He sees a woman who works hard, is kind and requires nothing in return. And in seeing her heart, Boaz is spurned to show her kindness and consideration above and beyond measure. The heart of a servant is pure, kind, conscientious and considerate. Attributes we don’t often see in society today because everyone desires that others first serve them and see no need to have the same attitude. We should notice the significance and heritage of a servant’s heart by two people that chose to call their son “a server”. Who does that, especially in our society today? “And they called him Obed (meaning “Server,” from the Hebrew verb, to serve). I just can’t believe that was done by accident or that the name Obed was pulled out of the hat. 

And the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:17).

The woman who came from Moab with her mother-in-law Naomi would become the great grandmother to king David. Ruth, the servant would be a part of the Messianic linage of our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ! Ruth found herself in a foreign land with not many friends at all, besides Naomi. Ruth was different in a lot of ways but the thing that really made her stand out was her purity and humility of heart. That was attractive to Boaz and those are characteristics that are attractive to our Lord. Ruth required a redeemer, being in a foreign land and having no friends she worked to honor Naomi and the traditions of the Lord’s people and in doing so she honored God. We find ourselves in a foreign land, for this world is not my home – do we honor God in the way Ruth honored God? 

May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11).

The son of a harlot, the daughter of a Moabite became salt-of-the-earth people in the time of the judges, and because of a servant’s heart, they would continue to build the house of Israel…and be named in the linage of our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. Let us have no doubt we are in need of a redeemer just as Ruth was. We also are in need of possessing a heart that is tender, filled with humility and willing to serve. God requires our heart! The fulfillment of the promise of the coming Savior is our greatest blessing! Our God is an awesome God!  Because we find in Him, what Orpah, who went back home, could not find in her god. How sad when we turn to other gods and things expecting to find a redeemer. 

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel (Ruth 4:14).

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27). 

All we like sheep have gone astray, and we are in need of a redeemer, Jesus the Christ! Let us possess a servant’s heart that is willing to serve others and in doing so we will honor and serve the Messiah. Becoming salt-of-the-earth people is a process that is worthy of the effort. Will you not know Him today?

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12).

Hank Allen

New Leadership

When we are incapable, God will often make that His starting point. Hannah was barren. She faced painful ridicule and mockery from her husband Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah for she had children and treated Hannah with contempt for having none.

Hannah prayed earnestly for a child and promised God that if He would “give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life" (1 Samuel 1:11). The LORD God answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a son and they named him Samuel. After he was weaned (which could have taken 3 years), she brought Him to Shiloh to live with Eli the priest, and work under him.

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1). Yet, God called Samuel in the night. Samuel was confused and thought it was Eli three times, each time going to Eli and saying, “Here I am, for you called me,” but after the third time Eli discerned that it was the LORD God calling him and so he told him to lie back down and the next time God calls to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” Samuel did just that and God told Samuel of the punishment that was to come on Eli’s house. This was a difficult thing for Samuel, but the next morning Samuel was faithful and delivered the message to Eli and this was the beginning of God working through His faithful and true servant Samuel. “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19).

Samuel is not only growing in wisdom and stature, but he has been eliminating the old regime and helping Israel grow as well and come to repentance (chapters 4-7), but we often learn lessons by making mistakes and Israel was no different.

Israel had gone out to battle against the Philistines (4:1) and they were losing and defeat seemed inevitable and so the elders got this idea that they would go and get the Ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh where it resided with the two sons of the priest Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, and the elders brought it into the camp with Israel and all Israel gave a mighty shout.

For you see the Ark of the covenant of the LORD represented Yahweh Himself. His ruling, His speaking, His forgiving. It was even a sign of Him leading His people (Numbers 10:35; Joshua 3-4; 6). But this was wrong thinking. This was not seeking God by faith. This was trying to use God. They wanted the desired outcome and God wants them to be holy. They wanted success and God wants them to repent. Therefore, God allows the Philistines not only to defeat Israel but also to take the Ark of the covenant that belongs to Him.

Israel learned that day that God will suffer shame rather than carry on a false relationship; He will allow us to be disappointed with Him if it will awaken us to His true self.

God then uses Israel’s wrongdoing to bring judgment upon Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. God is fulfilling His words in regard to the punishment that was to come on Eli’s house and in grace removing false shepherds and with the death of Eli, the old regime is completely gone.

New leadership and a new era with Samuel at the helm, as the faithful and true servant of the LORD had come. Praise Yahweh!!

Trent Dean

Samuel and Saul: Transition To The Kings

“Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways.  Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 7:5).

If Samuel was one of the seven dwarves, I think he’d be Grumpy.  Maybe that’s just the shade of my lenses as I read through Samuel’s story, and admittedly, I could be totally wrong.  But, my justification in Samuel’s “Grumpy” label comes from what I believe was a lifetime spent judging a people with an attitude we see in 1 Samuel 7:5.  In verse six we read that “the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’”  “What’s so bad about wanting a king?” we might ask.  Well, the Lord knew Samuel took it hard, and so He explains things a little more in verses 7-8:

“The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.  Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day – in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also.”

“Welcome to the club – we have t-shirts” God says to Samuel.  The nation of Israel was so concerned with being like the nations around them that they forgot who they were.  They were the people of God.  He was their king.  But Israel was concerned with physical things, carved wooden images, foreign gods made of gold and silver just like the pagan nations around them.  The desire for a physical king was the logical next step in mirroring their pagan neighbors.  It’s not that Samuel isn’t good enough, God says.  Instead, Israel is rejecting the Lord as their king.  And God knew this would happen, too.  Remember in Deuteronomy 17:14-20?  God totally called it.  Not only has Israel forgotten the Lord in asking for a king, but they’ve also forgotten where they came from.  That’s why God throws that little snippet in there about “since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day” (v8).  It wasn’t a physical king that saved Israel, it was the Lord.  And, this isn’t a new thing with Israel.  Imagine Samuel’s role as a judge over Israel.  A man of God trying desperately to pull the people of Israel out of a spiritual nose-dive – continuously – but to no avail.  

And so, the Lord leads Samuel to the man who would be anointed Israel’s first king in 1 Samuel 10.  Saul starts out well.  He shows humility and meekness, and in chapters 11-12 Saul is announced publicly and confirmed as king.  At the end of chapter 12, Samuel warns Israel, despite having a king, that they must “Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away” (v24-25).  

But in chapter 13 we see the problem with earthly kings – they are human just like the rest of us.  The Philistines had assembled themselves against Israel in Michmash, and the men of Israel were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.  There, Saul was to wait on Samuel to arrive and make burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.  But, seven days went by and the people were hard-pressed by the Philistines and were beginning to scatter from Saul, and he grew impatient.  Instead of waiting for Samuel to come, he panicked and simply made the offerings himself.  Instead of waiting on Samuel, he took matters into his own hands.  Maybe he figured he could sort things out with Samuel and the Lord later.  At a minimum, it was a lapse in Saul’s judgment, but Samuel indicates there’s a heart issue with Saul.  Saul made a decision not to follow the commandments of the Lord, believing his own ways were superior or at least sufficient.  Samuel calls it foolishness (v13) and says because of this, Saul’s “kingdom shall not endure” (v14).   

It may seem a little harsh for making one mistake, but Saul’s mistake in chapter 13 points to a larger problem in Saul’s heart.  The bottom line is, Saul thought his way was better than the Lord’s.  Besides, Saul was in a pinch, so God would just have to make an exception.  This isn’t the only time we get a view into Saul’s heart.  Later, this same attitude causes Saul to make another egregious blunder.  In chapter 15, the Lord uses Israel to bring judgment against the Amalekites for their wickedness.  Saul’s instructions were clear: “Go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not pare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (15:3). And so, Saul summons his army and utterly destroys the people with the sword (v8).  But, he spared the king and the best of the sheep, oxen, and all that was good.  The Lord saw what Saul had done, and said to Samuel, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands” (v11).  When Samuel arrives to meet Saul, Saul is all smiles: “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”  Au Contraire – says Samuel, asking Saul where all the noise from the spared sheep and oxen are coming…seeing as how Saul was supposed to utterly destroy everything.

But don’t worry, Saul is ready with his excuse (or should I say, reason).  “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen,to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”  Once again, Saul thought he knew better than God, and called an audible at the line of scrimmage.  In sports, that’s OK, but the lesson for us here is that it is NOT okay with God’s word.  Let’s read what Samuel says in response to Saul’s play-calling: 

“Is it not true…the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the snners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated?’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” (1 Samuel 15:17-19)

Saul then claims that in keeping part of God’s commands, Samuel should give him credit for keeping all of God’s commands.  In our words today, Saul said, “Oh come on, Samuel, isn’t this close enough?  Why can’t we just call it good and celebrate the win?” He even made rationalization – “to sacrifice to the Lord your God” (v21).  In Saul’s mind, it was acceptable to disregard God’s commands as long as there was good reason.  God says there are no good reasons.  Let’s look at Samuel’s response in vs. 22-23:

“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Well, that’s interesting.  Idolatry and divination are sins we readily admit are abominable, but the scriptures say that insubordination (disobedience) and rebellion (also disobedience) are just as bad!  Samuel was addressing the heart of the issue by addressing the heart of Saul.  Saul’s heart wasn’t truly seeking after God, and it was for that reason God tore the kingdom away from him and gave it to David, a man after God’s own heart.

Jesus agrees with Samuel.  In Matthew 12, Jesus tells the Pharisees, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice” (v7).  Jesus isn’t telling the Pharisees under the Old Law that sacrifices weren’t important.  They certainly played an important role under the Old Law and we “sacrifice” differently today under the New Covenant.  But, the principle remains the same under both laws – we must have a heart that completely desires to follow God.  Saul was missing that.  A heart that is partially loyal to the Lord (except for when we think our way is better) is the same as a complete rebellion to God.  That’s how David would be different from Saul.  David wasn’t perfect, but he had a heart that was continually turning to God in obedience, submission, and repentance when he fell short.  Saul obeyed the Lord if/when it was convenient and seemed important.  Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37).  That’s a different heart than what we see in Saul, and it’s why the Lord rejected Saul from being king. 

Let’s make sure we have a heart fully devoted to God. If we do our manner of life will reflect a carefulness to obey Him in all things as well as a penitent heart like David’s when we fall short.

Clay Whittemore

The Life Of A Shepherd

God tells Samuel to quit grieving over Saul’s rejection (1 Samuel 16:1) and sends him to Bethlehem to Jesse “for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Jesse had presented his choice, Eliab. Nope. Then God spoke the words of verse 7 above. Then Jesse presented Abinadab. Nope. Then Jesse presented Shammah. Nope. Then Jesse presented 7 other sons. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Then Samuel says, “Are all your sons here?” Jesse says, “There remains the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And of course, it is David he is referencing and when David comes the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he” (1 Samuel 16:12).

God chose His leader based on the heart.

A partial examination of my heart may look like the following:

Do my prayers show concern and love for others and for God or are my treasures tied up in material pursuits and desires that are to my primary benefit? Do I truly enjoy my wife and children or am I allowing inconveniences and servitude to become a burden and duty-some rather than acts of love derived from thankfulness and gratitude? Are my days filled with serving and helping others or do my days revolve around me, myself, and I? Do I weep? Do I allow my heart to be moved by the pain, trials, tribulations, and tragedies that other people are suffering or going through? Is my heart actively engaged in walking by faith with Jesus? What does the way I currently spend my time say about the state of my heart? What changes do I need to make? Adjustments? Improvements?

So much as it is possible, I implore you and me to look upon the heart. See as God does.

We must continually examine our own hearts and look upon the hearts of others in order to better understand them and therefore improve our ability to live with them in gentleness, love, and respect.

Now continuing the story, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul (1 Samuel 16:14) and Saul began to be tormented by a harmful spirit. This is what created the opportunity for David to come into the service of Saul, for Saul wanted a man skillful in the playing of the lyre to come and comfort him. David became that man and David’s skill with the lyre refreshed Saul and made him well (16:23) continually.

Other the next five chapters, we come to know David’s tremendous faith and loyalty.

His tremendous faith, for example, is seen in the handling of Goliath the giant Philistine. For days many of the Israelites listened to Goliath blaspheme God and did nothing but quake and tremble in his presence. David hears Goliath blaspheme God one time and is ready to call him on his error and fight him. For David had learned shepherding his sheep that if you put your faith in God and ask for His intervention then he can deliver you from the lion and the bear and certainly an unrighteous giant. David kills Goliath and becomes a hero and celebrity among Israel and Saul grows jealous of Him.

David gains a great friendship in that of Saul’s son, Jonathan and it is through this relationship as well as Saul’s pursuit of taking David’s life that reveals David’s tremendous loyalty and faithfulness to God and Jonathan.

Although Saul tries to kill David multiple times, David refuses to harm Saul even when the opportunity is presented to do so easily. David refuses to transgress God by striking down His anointed and thereby is willing to wait patiently upon the LORD and His timing to exalt David.

We would do well to contemplate how David’s time as a shepherd helped him to become a man after God’s own heart. There is much to be said for the way David spent his days and how it helped him cultivate the heart, faithfulness, and loyalty that are so admirable here in this part of God’s story.

Perhaps we would do well to bring elements of David’s life as a shepherd into our own.

What would that look like in your life?

Trent Dean

Refuge

“David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him” (1 Samuel 22:1).

The anointed has to escape? The anointed needed refuge? 

This doesn’t sound right. God has anointed him to be the future king and he’s hiding in a cave? 

Too often we lose perspective and set our mind upon our own expectations of what God’s plan should be. We forget our plans and ideas pale in significance to God’s plan. God promised David the throne but he did not promise him an easy path. 

Just because we’ve been anointed by the blood of the lamb does not guarantee an easy path. He promised us citizenship in the kingdom but not an easy path. Notice what God did provide when the path was difficult. REFUGE! Too often we blame God instead of going to God for help. Too often our pride keeps us from asking God for shelter. God not only provided cover but by the way of his family and a few fighting men God provided companions. Companions, courage, and shelter. With the proper perspective, nothing else is needed in times of distress. 

“And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me" (1 Samuel 22:3).

David knew that in time God’s deliverance would arrive. He was unsure of when but not unsure of it coming. 

So today we know not when but we have Faith that it will.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

We SHALL be exalted. When? In His time. 

Take shelter if needed and wait on Him.

Devin Allen

God Expects Obedience

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus; And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2: 5,8).

The attitude should be, not me, but Him. Jesus Christ, the Son of God said, not My will but His be done. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, so shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we be willing to empty ourselves, surrender totally and rely on Him and serve with faithful obedience? If Saul had lived in total and complete submission to God, he would have lived without fear of the future and left a legacy of obedience. God expects obedience and desires us to be in submission to Him. 

Back in first Samuel 15, we remember how Saul did not carry out God’s instructions. Saul was instructed to leave nothing in the camp of the Amalekites alive. He was to utterly destroy everything that breathed air. That did not happen and when asked about it Saul made excuses and blamed the people for his actions. Saul was disobedient and thought it would be okay with God. Saul did not accept responsibility but rather placed blame elsewhere. If only Saul could have known he was placing a death sentence on his sons by his actions. If only he could have asked what the future held for him then instead of waiting to ask when it didn’t matter. Saul’s kingdom was rejected because Saul felt God did not expect total and complete obedience. 

We fast forward to Chapter 28 of first Samuel and find a man that is defeated and living in fear. He fears the Philistines and the outcome of the battle because God is no longer with him. Saul seeks counsel from the witch at Endor and expects her to tell him what the future holds. She is incapable and besides that, she was one among few that had survived Saul’s command to destroy all the wizards and witches he could find in the land. The woman offered services to call up the dead and then she would “throw” her voice to speak for the dead. The woman was utterly shocked when she was by the power of God able to call Samuel from the dead. Samuel’s news to Saul was not good…

“Moreover the LORD will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the LORD will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines” (I Samuel 28:19).

Saul did not receive this information well, even though he had asked for it. Saul fell to the ground and there was no strength in him. The disobedience in not destroying the Amalekites would be Saul’s legacy. God rejected Saul because Saul had disregarded God’s instructions. Saul was tormented by the news he had received from Samuel and lived in shock and dismay during his last hours on earth.  

We must ask ourselves, what is my attitude toward obedience to God? How do I stand when it comes to humbling myself and surrendering to God and being totally submissive to His will and not mine? Our attitude should be, not me, but Him—not my will, but His. We are nothing without Him. Saul learned that the hard way. Saul left no legacy for his children’s children or their children. Saul died a very sad and awful death and because of his disobedience, he caused his sons to suffer the same. We must be willing to live for Him who died for us and let people see Christ in us by our obedience. God expects it! 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:  fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

“For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).  

Hank Allen

God Can And Will Forgive

As 2 Samuel begins, David and his men were living in Ziklag, a Philistine city because Saul had driven them out of Israel, but when Saul died they mourned and wept and fasted until evening (1:11-12). These actions showed genuine sorrow over the loss of their king, David’s beloved friend Jonathan, and the other soldiers of Israel who died that day.

Now after years of running from Saul, David is finally crowned king over the tribe of Judah. The rest of Israel, however, followed Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son. David did not attempt to take the tribes by force, but instead placed the matter in God’s hands and waited patiently upon the LORD. After a few years, Ish-Bosheth was assassinated and the rest of the tribes finally put their support behind David.

Now David is king over all of Israel. David moved the capital to Jerusalem, defeated the surrounding nations, and even showed kindness to Saul’s family. Everything in David’s life is trending up. God’s favor is upon Him.

Until one day, “in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle,” (11:1) David did not go. When evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.

(1) David abandons his purpose by staying home from war.

(2) He focused on his own desires (11:3).

(3) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it (11:4).

(4) He sinned deliberately (11:4).

(5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (11:6-15).

(6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (11:15, 17).

Eventually, David’s sins were exposed (12:9) and punished (12:10-14). The consequences of David’s sins were far-reaching, affecting many others (11:17; 12:11, 14-15).

If you love David as I do, then you are disappointed with him. I wish things could have been different. Reading of all the troubles that follow David and his family and Israel after this series of sinfulness is gut-wrenching and heart-rending.

But please read Psalm 51 below. David was sorrowful and truly sorry for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew that his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented of those sins, God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too great to be forgiven!

Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin.

While God will forgive us, however, He does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin—-David’s life and family were never the same as a result of what he had done (2 Samuel 12:1-23).

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right[b] spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Trent Dean

King David: The Rest Of The Story

“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’  And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die’” (2 Samuel 12:13).

2nd Samuel is a book of two halves, and David’s sin with Bathsheba is certainly the turning point in the story.  Spiritually speaking, 2 Samuel 12:13 was the end of David’s sin with Bathsheba as far as God was concerned, but for David the rest of his story is pretty rough.  Because of David’s sin with Bathsheba, in 2nd Samuel 12 the Lord tells David through Nathan the prophet that “the sword shall never depart from your house” (v10) and “I will raise up evil against you from within your own household” (v11).  That doesn’t mean David wasn’t forgiven (fully and completely), but God does say there will be future issues that David would have to deal with in his life because of his sin.  Not only did evil arise against David from within his own family because of his sin, it almost certainly inhibited his ability to effectively rule his kingdom and judge against wickedness.  David was Israel’s anointed king, but great as he may have been, his own struggles with sin kept him from being the perfect ruler and judge that Israel needed.

David’s family struggles after his sin with Bathsheba begin with his firstborn son, Amnon, whose uncontrolled lust causes him to rape his half-sister Tamar.  If we know anything about David thus far, we know to expect decisive, God-focused judgement.  Instead, all we see is that “when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry” (13:21), and that’s it. It is difficult to say whether David showed partiality to his firstborn son, or if David’s own uncontrolled lust with Bathsheba caused him to feel hypocritical in judging Amnon for his sin against Tamar.  Either way, David’s response to Amnon’s sin is highly uncharacteristic (and lacking).

David’s third son, Absalom, was also unimpressed by David’s non-response toward Amnon.  For two years Absalom held a grudge against Amnon and eventually murdered him to avenge his sister, Tamar.  When David hears of Amnon’s murder, he is grief-stricken.  Absalom flees to the vassal-state of Geshur (where his grandfather ruled) and stayed three years.  Similar to David’s response to Amnon, any action or pursuit of Absalom is somehow subdued in David’s heart, and he seems to be torn between the desire for reconciliation and acknowledging that justice and judgement that is due Absalom.  David had lost the respect of his son, Absalom.  Eventually Absalom returned to Jerusalem and after confirming he was back in King David’s good graces, Absalom began laying the groundwork for a takeover of David’s throne.  In chapter 15, Absalom’s coup begins, and David flees Jerusalem with his loyalists.

In chapter 18, David’s loyalist army and Absalom’s rebel forces are staged for battle.  Absalom may be David’s son, but he is also a rebel against God’s anointed.  Earlier in David’s life, we’ve seen David deal harshly with those who would do harm to the Lord’s anointed (even when the Lord’s anointed was an enemy to David, i.e. Saul). Here, David seeks protection for the one who would do harm to the Lord’s anointed: “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom” (v5).  David is trying to cure a misbehaving child with candy.  But why?  It may be that David is reluctant to deal justly with his own family, like with Amnon.  Or, David’s dealings with Amnon and Absalom may have deeper roots.  Perhaps he remembered the words of the Lord from Nathan the prophet, about the sword not departing from his house, and his enemies being raised up against him from within his own family.  In remembering those words, David could be placing ultimate responsibility for these tragedies on himself.  How can he judge Amnon for uncontrolled lust when David fell victim to that himself?  And, in knowing he didn’t deal justly with Amnon, David could be placing responsibility for Absalom’s rebellion on his own shoulders.  Absalom inevitably falls in the battle, and instead of acknowledging the justice in Absalom’s death, David weeps bitterly as if the battle had been lost, to the point that it begins to appear David wished he’d been defeated.  “None of this would be happening if I’d only…” he may have thought.  David’s own imperfections prevented him from dealing objectively (and effectively) with his own family.

With Absalom’s death, the rebellion is quelled, David is restored as king in chapter 19, but the peace doesn’t last for long. In chapter 20, Sheba’s rebellion causes another division in the kingdom.  This time, David’s reaction aligns more with what we’d expect: “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight” (20:6).  This is kind of decisive action we’re used to from David.  Did David learn his lesson with Absalom’s rebellion? Or, David able to reason sensibly now because his family isn’t at stake?  We can’t be absolutely sure, but maybe a little of both and Sheba’s rebellion is quickly suppressed.

David is one of our bible heroes, and no other king of Israel is described as being a man after God’s own heart.  But however hard we may pull for David, he wasn’t the perfect king that Israel needed.  In the time of Christ, the Jews were looking for a deliverer-king like David to establish Israel’s dominance once again on the earth.  That’s one reason why they rejected Jesus.  As He told Pilot, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).  David may have been the best Israel could offer in 2 Samuel, but the takeaway for us is that King David points us to our spiritual King: Jesus.  Instead of conquering physical kingdoms and establishing earthly dominance, Jesus conquered spiritual death for us in dying on the cross and shedding his blood for our sin.  Being a part of His kingdom means we are freed from our sin: “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  He is also our great high priest, according to Hebrews.  Unlike David, whose own imperfections kept him from being the perfect king Israel needed, Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.”  That means Jesus doesn’t use His own perfection to look scornfully down upon us when we fail.  Instead, His own life on earth as God in the flesh means he understands our struggles and longs to give us mercy and grace, if only we will walk with Him.

David was Israel’s greatest king, but his story only points us onward to One who is the ultimate, perfect King, who by giving himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, conquered much more than any earthly king could ever hope.  Jesus conquered spiritual death and separation from God for us in His death on the cross.

We can take encouragement from David’s triumph’s and learn from his mistakes.  But most importantly, let’s remember that David’s greatness is only a shadow that points us to our true King, Jesus!

Clay Whittemore

Solomon, Son Of David

Entering 1 Kings, we step into the deceptive plot of David’s son Adonijah trying to take the throne from King David and his son Solomon. David was old enough, advanced in age to the point where covering him with clothes was still not sufficient to keep him warm. King David did not have his full faculties. Thankfully, Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, and Nathan the prophet worked together to ensure the rightful heir to the throne, Solomon was anointed and took his rightful place.

As David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son, Solomon, “Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, "‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” Then David charges Solomon in regard to Solomon putting things into order and ridding the kingdom of unfaithful and unloyal leaders. After David dies, Adonijah is executed, Joab is executed, Shemei is executed, and then Solomon decides to consolidate power by forming a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter.

“Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places” (1 Kings 3:3).

In Gibeon, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.”

Solomon requests an “understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

This answer pleased God and because Solomon did not ask for long life, riches, or the life of his enemies God gave him a wise and discerning heart along with all the things he did not ask for including both riches and honor (3:12-13). Chapter 3 concludes with a story about two harlots exemplifying Solomon’s wise and discerning heart and when “all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice (3:28).

Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. He had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided for the king and his household. Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. Solomon was “wiser than all men” and his “fame was known in all the surrounding nations” (4:31). Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Solomon has great power, wealth, and wisdom. No king in all the earth can compare. God has truly exalted Solomon. But it is circumstances such as these that opens the door for our human nature to pull us away from God. The tendency is to become complacent and puffed up, liberal with our thinking and therefore our decisions and actions.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 provides instruction for these future kings of Israel, and Solomon’s disobedience here is the gradual unraveling of Himself and the united kingdom of Israel.

Therefore, in times of plenty, we must be content and praise God, recognizing Him as the source of all good. In times of few, we must be content and praise God, recognizing Him as the source of all good. So whether in plenty or in few, we are blessed and thankful and praising God that He is the source of all that is good in our lives.

Trent Dean

Worthy Of Praise

3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! 

4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! - Psalm 148:3-4

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 

12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children! - Psalm 148:11-12

All that we see praises God. His work of creation praises Him. From the morning sun to the evening moon Jehovah God is praised. 

In the early years of Solomon, he recognized God for who He was and also wanted to honor Him with praise and worship. 

2 And Solomon sent word to Hiram,

3 "You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune.

5 And so I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD said to David my father, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.'

6 Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians." - 1 Kings 5:2-6

Solomon invoked the labor of his allies and uses wood from all over to honor his God. Solomon used the resources of his land and the resources of others to build a temple to the Lord. As we praise God let us not limit our praise to Sundays but rather use all we have around us to praise God. 

What is interesting about this temple is the fact that God did not command that Solomon erect such a temple but the idea came from a sincere and wise heart. 

God would speak to Solomon during the construction process and have a direct message for him.

11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon,

12 "Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel." - 1 Kings 6:11-13

This grand construction was not enough to punch Solomon’s promise land ticket, however. God wanted Solomon to walk in His statutes and commandments. 

Today we need to use all that is available to us for honoring God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17

Every word, every deed, every resource is for His glory and His honor. 

May we as Solomon did humbly beg of His blessings.

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven,

23 and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart; - 1 Kings 8:22-23

Even after this great work of human hands was complete, Solomon cried to God for grace. Solomon’s attitude was not I am grand and have done a grand work but rather; I am your servant and you are my King. 

May we humbly serve Him today!

Devin Allen

The Splendor Fades

So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom (I Kings 10:23).

It is almost an understatement to say, Solomon had everything. If we were to put a pencil to it, as they say, it would be utterly astonishing! Estimates of Solomon’s wealth put it in the multi-billion-dollar category. Solomon had riches and wealth that astonished the Queen of Sheba:  “Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.” (I Kings 10:7).  It would seem that Solomon was blessed beyond measure, and that his kingdom and life, which many desired, would be perfect. But, a more careful examination of his heart reveals that the beautifully painted picture was not as pretty as it appeared. 

I Kings 9:4 – God appears to Solomon the second time. “And as for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.”  This is certainly not the first request from God that one of His servants give Him their heart. In fact, that’s exactly what God requires of us today no matter what our social status and riches look like. Solomon’s problem is no different than our problem today. We are very blessed to be living in the situation most of us find ourselves. But, are we counting our blessings, being thankful to God? Our dependency on God is paramount to any relationship we have with anyone or anything. Are we to believe with all of Solomon’s riches and wisdom that he would not be distracted in his walk with God? Are we distracted? I am, and I don’t have 1 percent of Solomon’s wealth or wisdom. It is a continuous and daily battle. 

Our world is a constant distraction when it comes to surrendering our heart wholly to God. And you can be for certain that the world doesn’t care if you get that right or not. But we must be willing to develop the determination that this day, I will serve the King because He has chosen to call me His son! What an incredible thing to be called a child of God. 

I Kings 11:1-3

Now king Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: from which God had said, “You shall not associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, for they shall surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. Solomon was setup for success but he was doomed to fail because, his heart was not in the right place. 

I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me (Ecclesiastes 7:23).  Solomon would say also in Ecclesiastes that this kind of lifestyle was, “striving after the wind”.  Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, Vanity of vanities! All is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). We must learn from Solomon’s mistakes that the most important thing is not chasing riches and wealth of this world, but see the greater benefit in knowing the wealth of God. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Mark 8:36). It pays no dividends like that of the Kingdom of God. Let us seek it first.

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah17: 9). The heart caused the splendor to fade. The splendor of this life should be focusing on a Christ centered home. 

In a kingdom such as Solomon’s it would not have been filled with roses and butterflies. No, it would have been a kingdom filled with oppression and things being done to benefit the individual instead of the greater good. Plus, the people had turned to other gods as well, and it was an unsettling situation. It would have been a life of oppression and inequality with the absence of God centered homes and that forced the kingdom to head in a different direction. An unfortunate rebellion. 

(931 B.C.) The Divided Kingdom:  So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day (I Kings 12:19).

Hank Allen

A Prideful Leader Will Divide

Upon Solomon’s death, all Israel had come to Shechem to make his son Rehoboam king. Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this and came out of Egypt and with “all the assembly of Israel” (12:3) they came and spoke to Rehoboam saying, “Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you” (12:4).

Rehoboam told them to depart and return in three days. Rehoboam’s decision is of great magnitude. This is going to be the difference between a united kingdom and a divided kingdom. And not just any kingdom. These are God’s people. They are supposed to be a light to the surrounding Gentile nations.

Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon and they told him to grant their petition, speak good words to them, and they will be your servants forever.

Then Rehoboam consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. They told him to tell Jeroboam and the people that he would make their burden even heavier and his discipline would be even harsher than his father Solomon’s.

When Jeroboam and the assembly of Israel received this decision they decided they had no part in David, the son of Jesse and departed from the kingship of Rehoboam. They made Jeroboam king over them and none but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David (Rehoboam), which was including the tribe of Benjamin.

The kingdom is now divided due to the foolishness of Rehoboam!!

He chose foolish counsel over that of wise counsel. He chose pride over humility and he divided the kingdom.

Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.”

And in this case, Rehoboam’s foolish companions brought harm upon all of Israel. We must be extremely careful with those that we surround ourselves with. John Maxwell’s “Law of the Inner Circle” says that a leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. Rehoboam had a great inner circle: the elders who had served his father Solomon, but he rejected his inner circle, and consequently, Israel rejected him.

This was such a costly mistake that it set God’s people on a course they would follow the rest of the Old Testament days.

In the North, Jeroboam immediately set up idol worship in order to keep God’s people from turning their hearts back to the Lord, when traveling to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. He made two golden calves and placed one in Bethel (southern end of his Northern kingdom of Israel) and one in Dan (northern end of his Northern kingdom of Israel). He made houses on high places for pagan worship and even made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.

No effective leader is a lone wolf. We all need an inner circle. Let’s make sure our inner circle is full of wisdom and let’s make sure we have the humility to accept wise counsel and ultimately do what is best for the people we are serving.

Trent Dean

The Legacy Of A King

“For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.  He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 14:15-16).

It seems a little harsh of the Lord to punish an entire country because of the sins of one man, doesn’t it?  These are the words of the Lord to Jeroboam through Ahijah the prophet.  Only three chapters earlier, this same Ahijah was telling Jeroboam that the Lord would make him king over the Northern kingdom after Solomon’s reign was over (1 Kings 11:29-40).  What happened?

Jeroboam was a builder.  Under Solomon, Jeroboam was a supervisor over forced labor that built many of Solomon’s elaborate construction projects.  Once named king over the Northern kingdom, Jeroboam quickly sought to establish and strengthen his kingdom by making significant changes to how Israel worshipped God.  He implemented idol-worship of golden-calves.  He changed the time and place of worship from Jerusalem to Dan and Bethel (the remains of Jeroboam’s altar in Dan can still be seen today).  And, Jeroboam also changed the roles in God’s worship by allowing anyone/everyone to become a priest for his kingdom, ignoring God’s explicit designation for the Levites to serve in the various roles of the priesthood.  His motivation was simple – kingdom security.  Jeroboam was a builder, but he forgot whose kingdom he was building. 

That’s a little surprising for us readers – to see God give Jeroboam “the keys to the kingdom” only to send the nation into a spiral of idolatrous and profaned worship.  But that’s what happens when we forget whose kingdom we’re building.  The same thing happened to Solomon, which is why Jeroboam is king of the Northern tribes in the first place.  There’s a lesson here for us to remember whose kingdom we’re building with the blessings God has given us.  If it can happen to Solomon and Jeroboam, it can happen to us, too.

But, back to the “striking Israel as a reed” business…isn’t that unfair?  Here, God is foretelling the Assyrian captivity, which wouldn’t happen for another couple hundred years.  So, does that mean God might punish me for something my ancestors did a long time ago?  Why can’t God just punish Jeroboam and spare everyone else?  After all, he’s the one that started it.  Since Jeroboam’s idolatrous changes to God’s worship back in chapter 12, he and Ahijah haven’t exactly been on speaking terms.  It is only because Jeroboam’s son has fallen gravely ill that he sends his wife to Ahijah as a last resort.  Ahijah doesn’t have good news about the boy or Jeroboam’s kingdom.  He says, “you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back” (v9). 

So, he makes sure Jeroboam knows why God is displeased, and then he explains the consequences: “Therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person…and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone” (v10).  And then regarding Jeroboam’s son: “Now you, arise, go to your house.  When your feet enter the city the child will die (v12). All Israel shall mourn for him and buy him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam” (v13).  Then, Ahijah concludes with our key verse predicting the eventual captivity of the Northern kingdom – all because of Jeroboam’s sin.  Thanks a lot, man…

In this chapter, we have both judgment and mercy, and both need some explaining.  Let’s start with mercy.  Ahijah just gave a prophecy that foretold the annihilation of all of Jeroboam’s family and descendants in very explicit detail (v10-11).  It would not be pleasant, and no one would be spared.  So, where’s the mercy?  God gives it to Jeroboam’s son.  I know, I know, he dies.  But consider that the Lord spared him the slaughter that awaited the rest of Jeroboam’s family, and the same of being eaten by stray dogs and wild birds, not to mention having to witness the slaughter of one’s own family.  Instead of that fate, he was the only one of his family that would receive an honorable burial “because in him something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam” (v14).  Jeroboam’s son was the only good part of Jeroboam’s family in God’s eyes, so the Lord took him and left the rest for annihilation.  If we think purely in worldly terms, that doesn’t sound like mercy at all.  But if we view this story with a spiritual lens, Jeroboam’s son was the only one spared the terrible judgement that awaited Jeroboam’s descendants and the nation of Israel.  There’s a lesson for us here on remembering how important spiritual mercy is – even if it comes at the expense of physical blessings, it’s still worth it.

 Then there’s the judgment.  Why does God judge an entire nation for the sins of one man?  The reason is that the sins of Jeroboam didn’t stay with Jeroboam.  His idolatrous perversion of worship, disregard for the Lord’s established feasts, and profaning of the role of the priests were embraced by the Northern tribes and were continued after Jeroboam’s death up until the Northern kingdom was carried away into Assyrian captivity.  Jeroboam didn’t make the children of Israel sin involuntarily.  Instead, his perversion of God’s law was adopted by choice by the Northern tribes, which led them into a downward spiral of idolatry and rebellion against God as a nation.  In fact, of every single king over the Northern tribe after Jeroboam, the scriptures describe them with some variation of this phrase: “and he continued in the sins of Jeroboam, in the ways which he made Israel sin, doing evil in the sight of the Lord.” 

That was Jeroboam’s legacy: Idolatry and Rebellion.  Jeroboam didn’t cause Israel to sin by force, he did it by influence.  There’s a lesson for us there on influence, and we must be mindful that our choices and influence can span far beyond our own personal lives.

Clay Whittemore

Will You Walk Like David Or Jeroboam?

The prophecy against Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14 controls the whole history of the northern kingdom and climaxes in 2 Kings 17 with the fall of Israel. The writer wants us to remember so he creates the refrain “the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned, and which he caused Israel to sin” over and over with the rise and fall of each king one after the other in the northern kingdom for 180 years. All of the kings in the northern kingdom walked in the sins of Jeroboam. All of them!

When we choose to forsake commandment #1 to love God with our entire being we damn ourselves and our descendants.

In the southern kingdom of Judah, why is there still a kingdom?

“Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:4-5).

Grace still remains. There is a kingdom in Jerusalem on account of David’s faithfulness as well as Yahweh’s faithfulness.

Do you see the contrast between Jeroboam and David and the effect it had on those who came after them?

Not all the kings of Judah during the time of the divided kingdom were faithful to Yahweh, but some were. In 1 Kings, we have a record of Asa doing what was right in the sight of the LORD and making reforms to eradicate pagan worship (15:11-15). Asa’s son Jehoshaphat also reigned 25 years in Jerusalem and walked in all the ways of his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD (22:43).

Remember, obey commandment #1 to love God with your entire being and do what is right in the sight of God, and His grace and mercy will be sufficient for you!

Trent Dean

He Alone Is Holy

Too often we make room for other gods in our lives. Whether it be a hobby, job or friends we put that before God. We probably don’t come out and word it quite like that. It’s more so that our actions do not show that God is preeminent. God is not happy to be second in our lives. Better yet God does not deserve to be second in our lives. God notices our priorities and our desires. God saw Israel in the days of Elijah putting Baal ahead of Himself. 

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. - 1 Kings 18:21

God through Elijah let the people know there is only room for one God in their lives. 

God showed mercy on the people by giving a sign of His power. God wanted the people to see God for who He truly is. Not an optional “Genie in a bottle” but an all-powerful jealous God. Since the heavens declare His majesty God was not required to prove anything, rather he graciously displayed His power. 

23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.

24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken."

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it."

26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.

27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." - 1 Kings 18:23-27

“No one answered” 

Of course, no one answered. There is no other living god than Jehovah Himself. 

32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."

34 And he said, "Do it a second time." And they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time." And they did it a third time.

35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. - 1 Kings 18:32-35

Elijah confidently soaked the sacrifice knowing the God of Heaven would send a consuming fire. And that He did! Can you imagine? Can you see it in your mind’s eye?

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God." - 1 Kings 18:39

Please see Jehovah for who He Is today. Bow down today! As He did in the days of Elijah, God desires to be seen and worshiped. 

On that day Elijah showed faith in the mighty God. By his faith and through God’s power others saw God as well. 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

Be a light!

Devin Allen

Double Portions

Now it came about when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” (2 Kings 2:9)

What an incredible compliment Elisha was giving to Elijah when he simply asked for a double portion of his spirit. We tend to like double portions. If ever my wife serves hot mashed potatoes I like double portions. And if we have vanilla ice cream for dessert I really like double portions. Life is just better with double portions. However, Elisha request was much different when it came to him asking for a double portion. He wanted what Elijah had spiritually. Elisha wanted to please God, he wanted to honor Elijah and he wanted to serve the Lord with all reverence and sincerity of heart. Elisha could have asked for anything else but he chose a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. He valued what would make a difference spiritually and in serving God.

Have we ever considered asking God for twice as much wisdom, kindness, diligence, or the humility that someone else possesses? What about godliness that others might possess? Shouldn’t we want those things that give the increase spiritually? Or, is a double portion of vanilla ice cream more attractive? We sometimes place too much emphasis on double portions in this life with less emphasis on what prepares us for eternal life. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father expect through me (John 14:6). Are we seeking Him? Are we longing to do those things that please Him and serve Him with sincerity of heart as Elisha did?

The power of God is an incredibly awesome thing that baffles the human mind. It is that supernatural power that man cannot duplicate nor comprehend. God oversees the prophets of His Kingdom and He oversees the salvation of the world and of every individual. Even still, people doubt the power of God and doubt the stories of the Bible that reveal His power so vividly. We too, often deny our need for Him, and the need for salvation working in our life. Elisha, took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there and Elisha crossed over (2 Kings 2:14).  A double portion of Elijah’s spirit would prove to be a good thing in the life of Elisha. Elijah’s God was Elisha’s God and that commitment would prove to serve him (Elisha) as he served God in all that he did.

2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha increases the widow’s oil and shows the power of God. The widow had nothing except a jar of oil. And Elisha asked, “What can I do for you?” When the widow had borrowed every vessel available and more were being brought to her they managed to fill the vessels with oil completely. And it came about when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel”. And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.“ and the oil stopped. Incredibly, the oil that had increased miraculously would be enough for her to sell and repay all of her debts.

2 Kings 4:18-37

The Shunammite’s son is raised from the dead.

(32) When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on the bed. (33) So he entered and shut the door behind them both, and prayed to the LORD. (34) And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. (35) Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him; and the child sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes.

The Greatness of God is far greater than one can phantom. The power of God begs acknowledgment and faith in what is real and eternal. There is none like Him and absolutely none can compare. Would you not ask for that double portion that can make a difference your spiritual life today?

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:2-4).

Hank Allen

The Prophet Amos

In 2 Kings 15 and 16, a picture forms and it is dark.

Azariah, king of Judah reigns 52 years in Jerusalem beginning at age 16 and did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. This, of course, is good. But meanwhile, in Israel, God’s judgment is becoming imminent as the depravity of Israel continues to abound.

In the 38th year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jeroboam did. After only 6 months, Zechariah was assassinated in front of “the people” by Shallum the son of Jabesh and Shallum reigned in his place.

Shallum only reigned 1 month because Menahem son of Gadi went up to Samaria and assassinated him and so Menahem reigned in his place and did evil in the sight of the LORD reigning for 10 years. Menahem even gave money from Israel to Pul, king of Assyria in order to appease him and keep Israel safe.

Things got so bad in Israel that later Pekah, king of Israel besieged king Ahaz of Judah with the help of Rezin king of Aram. Israel is working in alliance with a foreign nation to overthrow Judah. Ahaz, king of Judah is willing to take silver and gold from the house of the LORD to send as a present to the king of Assyria so that he would come to his aid. Ahaz was even willing to bring elements of pagan worship into the Temple (2 Kings 16:14-15) and even closed the Temple (2 Chronicles 28:24).

These are dark and ugly times. Israel was supposed to be a light to the Gentile nations. They are supposed to be God’s chosen people, a people set apart, holy like their God. But instead, they have sunken into the same depravity and darkness as the surrounding nations.

God calls a shepherd out of Tekoa (a village 10 miles south of Jerusalem) to preach in Bethel. This prophet was Amos. Bethel was a center of idol worship and the residence of the reigning king, Jeroboam II.

Amos issued an urgent call to repentance as the only escape from imminent judgment. Israel’s privileged position, he declared, should have provided the motivational thrust to live righteously, but instead, they used it as an excuse for sinning.

Hear the reprimand of Amos to the entire nation (Amos 6:1-14):

1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to Calneh, and see,
    and from there go to Hamath the great;
    then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 O you who put far away the day of disaster
    and bring near the seat of violence?

4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
    and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
    and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
    and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 who drink wine in bowls
    and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
    but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
    and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

8 The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:

“I abhor the pride of Jacob
    and hate his strongholds,
    and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For behold, the Lord commands,
    and the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
    and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
    Does one plow there with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
    and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,
    who say, “Have we not by our own strength
    captured Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,
    O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
    to the Brook of the Arabah.”

The judgment of God is imminent.

Repent!

May we never forget “all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Therefore, “having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again…through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:22-23).

Trent Dean

Not My People

“AND THE LORD SAID, ‘NAME HIM LO-AMMI, FOR YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE AND I AM NOT YOUR GOD’” (HOSEA 1:9).

The Prophet Hosea (2 Kings 15-17)

Most parents spend a lot of time thinking about what to name their children.  Sometimes, like in the case of family-names, we may already have them picked out ahead of time.  Some of the more popular books and google searches among expecting parents are about baby names.  It’s an important decision.  It’s what the world will know our children by.  We want it to be perfect.

Now consider the names that the Lord tells Hosea to name his children.  There’s Lo-Ruhamah, which means “she has not obtained compassion” and then there’s Lo-Ammi, which means “not my people” (v6, 9).  These names are representative of God’s relationship with Israel due to their continuous rebellion and pursuit of idolatry.  Can you imagine at the end of a family day in the park having to yell out “Come here, Not My Children and Without Love! It’s time to go home now!”  You’d get lots of odd stares from the other parents for having chosen such horrible names for your children.  But for Israel, God uses these names to illustrate what Israel had become.  It’s what the world knew them by.

Hosea had a rough life.  He was commanded to marry a woman of harlotry (1:2) and was told to name his children these terrible names.  Later, his wife would rebel against him and return to her harlotry to Hosea’s shame.  Hosea condemns her rebelliousness but mercifully calls her back to him and a restored relationship.  Her adultery takes her into a decayed and bankrupt state, and Hosea is told to “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes” (3:1).  Hosea follow’s the Lord’s lead and buys her out of slavery, “So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.  Then I said to her, ‘You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.’” (3:2-3).  That’s a pretty sweet deal considering what kind of shape Hosea’s harlot-wife was in.  In this story of Hosea’s life we are supposed to see a reflection of God with Israel (and of course, God with us).

Hosea outlines some of the grievances God has with Israel:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (3:6)

“My people consult their wooden idol and their diviner’s wand informs them; for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray” (3:12)

“A spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know the Lord.  Moreover, the pride of Israel testifies against him” (5:4-5)

“For your loyalty is like a morning cloud and like the dew which goes away early” (6:4)

“For they sow the wind (nothingness) and they reap the whirlwind (destruction)” (8:7)

So maybe the representative names given to Hosea’s children aren’t such an unfair reflection of Israel, after all.  The story of the divided kingdom is riddled with kings who continued in sins of idolatry and rebellion against God.  Though the Southern kingdom did have some good kings, the Northern kingdom continued in their downward spiritual spiral all the way into Assyrian captivity, which was God’s judgment for their rebellious hearts.  But it isn’t for God’s lack of mercy and longsuffering that Israel would be led into exile.  A few verses in 2 Kings offer a good summary:

“Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” (17:13)

“However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant…they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.” (17:14-16)

“The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets.  So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria.” (17:22-23)

That sums up Hosea in a nutshell, and all the minor prophets, really.  God patiently sending His messengers to His children calling for their repentance so they can be restored.  Instead of a penitent heart, Israel’s pride will not let them repent and return to the Lord, where mercy awaited.  Instead, they stiffened their necks and continued in rebellion to God until finally they were carried away into exile.  “Not My People” and “Without Love” seem like harsh names for God to give His people, but they came by it honest.

It didn’t have to be that way.  All Israel needed to do was repent and return to the Lord.  Pride can have that effect on us if we’re not careful – it can keep us from admitting our error and returning to the Lord to find mercy.  Jesus calls us to have humble hearts.  Let’s make sure we learn from Hosea’s message to Israel, and remember that rebellion and pride will never lead us to God’s mercy.

Clay Whittemore

The Fall Of Samaria

The beginning of 2 Kings 17 relates a historical explanation for why Assyria conquered the land and besieged Samaria, the capital city for three years until they captured it and carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17:6).

But then the text reveals that the true reason for this occurring is “the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God…had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 17:7-8).

Then it goes on to list specific things that Israel did sinning against the LORD, and that God sent them prophets to warn them, but they were stubborn and would not listen. “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only” (2 Kings 17:18).

Then the king of Assyria resettled Samaria with people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim. They did not fear the LORD, therefore, the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. The king heard this and was told that the god of the land had sent lions among the people because they do not know the law of the land. So the king of Assyria took one of the priests of Israel that had been carried away and he was sent back to Bethel and was supposed to teach them how to fear the LORD.

But what came of this was a group of people that added the LORD God to their list of gods and sought to fear Him along with the other gods. “So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away” (2 Kings 17:33). And these people would not depart from this practice. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children also sought to fear the LORD as well as serve their carved images. They would not fear the LORD God alone and follow His statutes or the law or the commandment that the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:34-39).

From the outside looking in, the perspective on all the commandments, statutes, and ordinances of the covenant God made with the children of Jacob (Israel) is that it’s complicated and burdensome. But what we have to realize here is that Israel was not just forgetting to cross the “t” or dot the “i.” They were transgressing the first and foremost command to love and honor God as the one true living God and give Him their entire being.

They were supposed to be a light to the surrounding nations. Set apart and reflecting the image of God. Rather they are treating a holy God, the one true living God as though He is ordinary and of the same worth and value as a carved image. When we see it for what it really is, we come to realize the tremendous patience, mercy, and kindness on the part of God. These are stubborn and stiff-necked people that even refused to listen to God’s warnings through the prophets for decades.

Wake up! Learn from the foolishness of the Israelites. Am I making the same mistake? My idolatry may not look exactly the same as the Israelites, but if I am letting something or someone else become my God as reflected by the way I spend my time, talents, and money or I try to fear God as well as those other gods so to speak I am still acting in the same foolishness as the Israelites. He is God alone. Jesus must be on the throne of my heart and nothing or no one else. Everything else must be in submission.

Please take some time today or tonight or tomorrow morning where you can be alone with God and think and talk with Him intently about your true desires and what you are striving for each day, what is getting your attention, what your goals are, and search yourself out from head to toe and deep into your soul.

Satan, our adversary, is very good at subtly and gradually pulling us off the path so that we don’t notice until we get hit between the eyes with a huge problem or tragedy or trial. And some people get so far off the path and let their conscience become seared to the degree that they never return.

Beware!

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Trent Dean

Hope

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."

9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 

10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." - Isaiah 6:8-10

Isaiah was called by God to speak to his fellow countrymen in a time of stress. By this point in the history of Judah there hearts were not bent to God. Because of their weakness God was forced to send punishment to them. Soon Judah would be like Israel to the north and taken in to captivity. Thus Isaiah spoke of coming peace. Isaiah spoke of the days of the Messiah. Isaiah offered some hope in the present days but greater hope to come in the days of the Messiah.

13 And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:13-14

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 

2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 

4 but with righteousness, he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. - Isaiah 11:1-4

The people were given hope for the future but also Isaiah was proclaiming a timeless message. A message that we today can take comfort in. 

2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 

3 and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. - Isaiah 2:2-3

We are now living in the latter days. Days Isaiah proclaimed as peaceful. But we may say, “Where is the peace?” The peace is not in the kingdoms of men but rather in the Kingdom of God. Thus we are called as God’s people thousands of years ago were; look not at the world around you but the Promises of God. 

Thousands of years ago Isaiah offered hope to a godless nation and today the words of Isaiah offer hope to us! 

Devin Allen

Listening To God

For thus said the LORD GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

Previously in the Divided Kingdom, the storyline is the same:  worshipping idols and other gods besides the true God, and the people would not listen. The people by not listening to God created a recurring problem and it caused suffering. The inability to listen affects us all and we ourselves are guilty of not listening to God’s word today. For people of the divided kingdom, this became so much of a problem that they found themselves in a cycle of ungodly living. The influence of a parent is powerful no matter if the influence is right or wrong, good or bad. Children listen and watch their parents and once that chain is built it takes incredible courage to break the chain. 

But you shall fear the LORD your God, and He will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. However, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner. So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day (2 Kings 17: 40-41).

But, in walks the 25-year-old son of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hezekiah. And, he would be the chain-breaker for the 29 years he was king of Judah. The one that said no to worshipping deaf and dumb idols, but he would courageously say yes, to listening to God. It’s hard to stand against the majority, to say no to drugs, alcohol, immodest dress, and unhealthy entertainment. But, that’s what a lot of people are involved in today. In fact, the majority of the people in our society had rather listen to social media, television, friends and ungodly wisdom than listen to God. If that sounds familiar that’s because it’s very similar to what 25-year-old Hezekiah saw in his day. Again, it takes courage to stand up against the crowd that includes our friends. Human nature tells us to go along with the crowd but God’s wisdom tells us to act differently. 

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done (2 Kings 18: 3).

Hezekiah tore down the high places, broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah…he broke into pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made. Already we can see that Hezekiah was serious about “cleansing the temple”. Hezekiah valued God’s law much more than what the people valued. Hezekiah cared more about pleasing God than he cared about pleasing anyone else. Hezekiah wanted to glorify God and serve Him. 

He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses (2 Kings 18:5-6).

It takes courage to break the chains of the past and it also requires sacrifice. We sometimes have to sacrifice friendship over doing what is right in God’s eyes. People can make anything right and unfortunately, we have a society that calls good evil and evil good. We have many gods in these United States and we also see many choosing to serve those gods. We just can’t be one of them. We must be a Hezekiah. We must make the commitment to serve the LORD our God with all of our heart soul and mind. We have to be courageous in the present age!

Hezekiah was willing to break the chain of idolatry and serving other gods. You might say, well yes, but Hezekiah was a king, he could do anything he wanted to do. But, he still had the people to contend with and they could have rebelled. That did not stop Hezekiah and it can’t stop us from believing that if we are so different nobody will like us. So what, they rejected Jesus Christ and nailed Him to a cross—should not we too be willing to receive some rejection as we serve the LORD. Determine in your heart that you will serve the Lord today. Be a chain breaker, not a crowd follower, and be ready to listen to God’s word!

And the LORD was with him (Hezekiah); wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city (2 Kings 18: 7-8).

Hank Allen

A New Covenant

For 40 years Jeremiah served as God’s spokesman to Judah (during the last five kings of Judah); but when Jeremiah spoke, nobody listened. Consistently and passionately he urged them to act, but nobody moved. He was poor and suffered severe deprivation during his ministry as a prophet of God to the people of Judah.

He was thrown into prison (Ch. 37) and into a cistern (38), and he was taken to Egypt against his will (43). He was rejected by his neighbors (11:19-21), his family (12:6), the false priests and prophets (20:1-2; 28:1-17), friends (20:10), his audience (26:8), and the kings (36:23).

Throughout Jeremiah’s life, he stood alone, declaring God’s message of judgment and doom, announcing the new covenant, and weeping over the fate of his country. And regardless of opposition and personal cost, Jeremiah courageously and faithfully proclaimed the word of God. He was entirely obedient to his calling.

Notice the significance of the following two messages from God through Jeremiah to Judah:

JEREMIAH 18:5-11

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah]: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’

It was not a popular message, but a true message nonetheless. If Judah does not turn from their evil ways disaster is going to come upon them. Jeremiah told them.

And Judah did not turn. Destruction, Exile, and Captivity are before them.

But Jeremiah would also deliver a message from God that spoke of restoration for Israel and their mourning being turned to joy.

JEREMIAH 31:27-34

27 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord. 29 In those days they shall no longer say:

“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children's teeth are set on edge.’

30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

A NEW COVENANT

This new covenant that Jeremiah speaks of is the one that came through Jesus Christ.

 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

The Hebrew writer quoted Jeremiah 31 (Hebrews 8:8-12) making it clear that the first covenant that was brought through Moses had been made obsolete and now through Jesus, “the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6) we have forgiveness of sins.

Jesus was “manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Let us not walk in the ways of Judah’s stubbornness before God and Jeremiah.

Instead, let us be obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ, walk faithfully, and eagerly await His second coming.

Trent Dean

Destruction Of The Temple

“Please obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, that it may go well with you and you may live.” Jeremiah 38:20

Jeremiah’s plea to Zedekiah in Jeremiah 38 is not unlike the message from all of God’s prophets to the children of Israel.  God’s message to His people has always been a plea for them to listen and obey his voice so that it would be well with them.  When the people listened, God’s blessings followed.  But, unfortunately, Jeremiah 39 and 2 Kings 25 are parallel chapters telling the story of the capture of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah had a strained relationship with Zedekiah (and was generally rejected by the people, just like God’s other prophets who came before him).  Jeremiah was even hesitant to give Zedekiah advice for fear that Zedekiah would “shoot the messenger” in anger. 

Here, Jeremiah is advising Zedekiah, king of Judah, on how to handle the Babylonian army who has come up against them.  Jeremiah says that if Zedekiah will go out to the Babylonian officers, the city would be spared, and his household would survive.  If not, then the city would be burned with fire and Zedekiah would not escape.  In 2 Kings 24:19, it is said of Zedekiah that “He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.”  So, why should we expect Zedekiah to start listening to God’s prophets now?

In 2 Kings 25, we see the Babylonians besiege Jerusalem and break into the city.  Judah’s army fled by night but were soon captured in the plains of Jericho.  Zedekiah was also captured and was brought to Riblah where the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes and then blinded Zedekiah himself, leading him away to Babylon in fetters of bronze.

Later, a military captain named Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem and set fire to the city.  The house of the Lord, the King’s house, and all the great houses of Jerusalem were destroyed with fire, just like Jeremiah foretold.  The Babylonians left the poorest of the land to tend it while the rest of the people were taken away into captivity.  To the poor of the land, this would have felt like an upgrade, encouraging loyalty to their Babylonian conquerors.  The remainder of the people were kept on a short leash, back in Babylon.  

The Temple complex was also pillaged.  The bronze pillars in the house of the Lord were broken apart and carried back to Babylon, as well as the stands and the bronze sea (pool) that were a part of the Temple complex.  Everything bronze that was used in Temple service was also taken, even the firepans and silverware.  Then, Nebuzaradan gathered key individuals of spiritual and military influence and killed them all at Riblah as a measure of insurance against future rebellion. And with that, “Judah was led away into exile from its land” (v21). 

That’s a lot of pain and misery that could have been avoided by listening to God.  Agree?  I think that’s one of the lessons here for us.  And, Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed for lack of mercy or patience.  Both Israel and Judah both had more than 200 years of rebellion and idolatry leading up to their respective exiles.  The other lesson here is that God is patient, but He’s also true to His word.  When He warns of judgment and punishment that awaits those who rebel against Him, He’s being serious.

But, chapter 25 isn’t without a glimmer of hope.  At the end of the chapter, we see Jehoiachin, Judah’s exile-king being shown mercy by a new king in Babylon.  He released Jehoiachin from prison and gave him suitable clothes.  He also provided food for him and he ate regularly in the king’s presence all the days of his life.  He was even given a regular allowance by the king, “a portion for each day, all the days of his life” (v29-30).  It is a small glimmer of hope at the end of a long, dark chapter in Israel’s history.  All seems lost, and the kingdom of Judah has fallen, but somehow, this seemingly minor flicker of light at the end of this dark story tells us there is more to come for God’s people.

Clay Whittemore

The Meaning Of Israel's History

Ezekiel, like Isaiah received his prophetic calling in a vision from God, which put him on his face in the dust before his creator (1:26-28). Ezekiel, like Isaiah responded with humility and obedience.

Initially, Ezekiel was given the same message that Jeremiah was given to deliver to Israel about the impending destruction of Jerusalem. The difference is that Jeremiah was in Jerusalem telling Israel and Ezekiel was in Babylon telling the Israelites there.

Once Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., God loosed Ezekiel’s tongue to speak the new message of restoration to come, for those who would turn to the Lord. The seventy year captivity as it was foretold would first be fulfilled, and then there would be a return to the land on the part of a believing remnant of a new generation. The Temple would be rebuilt, and the glory of the Lord would come down to Israel again.

Jeremiah had previously revealed that God is like the potter and Israel the clay (18:6) and with that the following verses spoke of God’s sovereignty in the affairs of all men and nations and kingdoms. God is at work.

Remember that the prophets Jonah, Obadiah, and Nahum were all sent to nations other than Israel. Jonah was sent to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. Obadiah was sent to Edom, a hostile kingdom southeast of Judah. And again, over one hundred years after Jonah, God sent Nahum to pronounce doom upon Nineveh.

We shouldn’t doubt God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises, nor should we doubt that God is in control and working things for the ultimate good of those who are willing to trust and obey Him.

As we continue to read the story of Israel through captivity and a return of a faithful remnant it would serve us well to consider the promise that awaits us today.

JESUS WILL RETURN AND THIS TIME IT WILL NOT BE TO DEAL WITH SIN, BUT RATHER TO SAVE THOSE WHO EAGERLY AWAIT HIM (HEBREWS 9:26).

When we consider the history of Israel or the history of all mankind without recognizing God’s hand at work, we will fail to fully comprehend the MEANING of history. “There must be a meaning to history, or else existence is an incomprehensible enigma.” - Charles Carleton Coffin

Therefore, remember history is not just about names, dates, and events, but rather God’s over-arching plan to reconcile man to Himself through the coming Messiah. The Messiah was to come from that faithful remnant that would return to Jerusalem.

Ezekiel’s message of restoration and the Messiah to come would be just the hope that would draw the faithful back to Jerusalem after the appointed 70 years of captivity would be fulfilled.

What will be waiting for them in Jerusalem?

The story continues.

Trent Dean

Held Captive

Well the time of prophecy arrived and the people of God found themselves in a foreign land and under foreign rule.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. - Daniel 1:1

The king whole heartedly determined to turn all of the captives to the Babylonian way of life. 

The king intended to turn the hearts in various ways. One route was to incorporate Israelites in to the government rankings.

A few men were to be immersed in the culture of the king. They were to be changed by literature and diet. There names were even changed by the King. In this foreign land, Daniel had a message for the king. 

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. - Daniel 1:8

Resolve: a firm decision that leads to determined actions. 

His mind was towards God, Daniel was ready for any distractions because he had resolved to do the Lord’s will.

How do you make it through a moment of crisis or stress? You make it with a deep unwavering resolve. Your mind is made up before the stress arrives. Your mind is set firmly in the message of your creator. Jehovah’s ways are your ways and now no situation or group of people can change you.

Daniel’s friends had the same resolve and thus they too remained faithful. “Semper Fi” as our Marine Corps calls it. Always faithful no matter the circumstance.

4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,

5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." - Daniel 3:4-6

By way of great resolution, Daniel’s friends refused, even in the eye of death, to bow to any other than Jehovah. 

“There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." - Daniel 3:12

These men found themselves in a foreign land but not without a familiar God. God was still on His heavenly throne and specifically on the throne of their hearts. Today Satan wants to take your mind captive. He wants to manipulate your actions. Resolve to remain faithful to Him alone. No matter the circumstances you will be faithful to the Almighty. Your ability to survive any outcome begins with daily resolve. 

Semper Fi

Devin Allen

Two Dreams, One Hope

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories (1 Peter 1:10-11). 

Daniel chapter 2 and 7

In these two chapters we have two men with two different perspectives, but similar dreams. In chapter two we have king Nebuchadnezzar, in chapter seven we have the prophet Daniel. These two men were dreaming dreams they didn’t understand, even Daniel, but both dreams were about world kingdoms crumbling and a Kingdom that would stand forever. They needed help in interpreting these dreams and on both occasions Daniel, with the help of God, is the one that does the interpreting. Obviously God grants Daniel the power and understanding to interpret the dreams. In doing so, it would seem to others that Daniel is in control—it is of course God who is in control. Because God rules in the affairs of men…”That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind”(Daniel 4: 17).  

In chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar is in a state of total frustration. Because he cannot remember his dream and it leads him to an array of negative emotions. The king has no memory of his dream but he knows it is a dream of significance nevertheless he has no answers. This leads him to an array of emotions and demands. In verse 3 he finds himself anxious, in verse 5 he becomes angry and demanding that he have some answers, and in verse 8 he has succumbed to the frustration and is easily agitated. King Nebuchadnezzar is so frustrated that he tells his “advisers and wise men” in his circle that they will be “torn limb from limb” if they cannot find an answer to the dream that he cannot remember. 

Then enters a man of God, Daniel the prophet, and he indeed has the answer. Because he has talked to God in prayer, and God answered his prayer that gave him the ability to interpret the dream. Daniel’s life and that of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were at stake. Due to the decree the king had made to his advisers, that included Daniel and the trio be killed. But Daniel has prayed to God and now Daniel informs the king that he has knowledge of the dream and the interpretation. Daniel told the king what he saw and the destruction that would happen to the kingdoms of earth. Which included, the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. Gods answer, “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever (Daniel 2:44).

This interpretation hit Nebuchadnezzar like a sledgehammer! He fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Our God is an awesome God and He was glorified that day because of His power and greatness (Daniel 2: 46-48). 

Looking to Daniel chapter 7 we find that Daniel is the one that experiences this dream. Again, the dream vividly depicts four world empires being devoured, crushed and trampled down of this earth. But, in the end the Kingdom of the Most High will stand forever and ever. “An everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him” (v.27). 

As we compare the dreams we can understand how frightening this would have been even to Daniel. Daniel could not go to a book of the future to find the events of which he had dreamed. He had to trust in God and to remain faithful to Him to understand this revelation. He was one of those of which would have “enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you” (1 Pet.1: 10-11). God uses the kingdom of men to accomplish His will and the scheme of redemption throughout history. 

When the fullness of time was come Jesus was nailed to the cross (Galatians 4:4).

The predetermined plan from before the beginning of time was done for my salvation. The remedy is always Jesus Christ and His Kingdom will stand forever and ever! May we look to that Kingdom and seek to be grounded in Him forever and ever.

This Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. And God raised Him up again putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power (Acts 2:23-24). (1 Peter 5:11) To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Hank Allen

The Faithful Shepherd

After Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C. God allowed Ezekiel the privilege for fifteen years to quote the Lord as saying,

“Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God…I…gathered them again to their own land…And I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel” (39:25, 28-29).

Ezekiel would also deliver powerful messages about the Lord’s glory and majesty as well as the Messiah to come.

The LORD has been their sanctuary even while scattered (11:16-20).

The LORD’s metaphor of the cedar sprig and the faithful remnant that he will bring back to Jerusalem (17:22-24).

The LORD reassuring them that things will not remain as they are and that the rightful King will be exalted (21:26-27).

The LORD being the faithful shepherd will seek and find his sheep and will rescue them from all places and feed them justice (34:11-31).

The LORD will bring about a great purification cleansing them from all their idols, giving them a new heart, and put within them a new spirit that they walk in the LORD’s statutes and be careful to obey His rules. They shall dwell in the land that the LORD gave their fathers, and they shall be His people, and He will be their God (36:25-35).

Ezekiel also delivers messages of a great resurrection (37:1-14) and reunion (37:21-28), as well as the overthrow of Gog (38:1-39:29) and a life-giving stream that would flow out of the temple (47:1-12).

As we will read in the following days there is much work to be done for the faithful remnant and many trials to overcome, but God is faithful and He will see that it comes to pass.

Let us be willing in this day to abound in the work of the Lord and be overcomers, people that stare all circumstances of life in the eye without fear knowing that with the Lord we are victorious.

Trent Dean

Post-Exilic Israel

Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther

“He [Nebuchadnezzar] deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian kingdom.  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Jeremiah and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until 70 years were fulfilled.” 2nd Chronicles 36:20-21

We like it when everything seems to come together, particularly in stories and movies.  Nobody likes a disorganized story-teller.  But, what if you have many story-tellers telling the same story from different points of view, all in the same book?  It can be frustrating trying to piece all the different stories together so that we understand the big picture.  In the New Testament we are given a clear picture of the work and geographies of the apostles, and they even refer within themselves as contemporaries.  Seeing the big picture of the 1st Century church is quite clear.  That can be a little more challenging in the Old Testament, particularly in the period of the judges and after the kingdom divides in 1 Kings.  Sometimes the scriptures give us “anchor points” that tell us exactly where we are in the story and give us a picture of how God’s prophets worked together each telling their own part of God’s story.

The last few verses of 2nd Chronicles and the beginning of Ezra are like that, mirroring each other almost exactly.  These verses conclude the story of pre-exile Judah, and they let us know that in these events the prophecies of God’s prophet, Jeremiah, were fulfilled as God promised (Jer 27:7, 29:10).  Those prophecies point to the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of God’s people.  But Jeremiah also points to a future return after 70 years of captivity.  That’s where Ezra and Nehemiah come in.  They, along with Esther, are the post-exilic historical books of the Old Testament.  They give us significant historical details that help us see God’s plan for His people continually coming to fruition – a reminder and comfort to us that even in exile God will not forget His people.

Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians but would later be rebuilt by efforts of three separate groups each returning from exile after Babylon was conquered by the Persians (Jer. 27:7, 2nd Chr 36:20-21).  Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of these returns from exile and rebuilding of Jerusalem as prophesied in Jeremiah (29:10-11), while Esther shows us God’s providence in helping the Jews survive persecution for those who were still living under Persian jurisdiction (by the time of Esther, the Temple work had already been finished, but rebuilding the city wall would not be finished until ~35 years after Esther’s story).

In Ezra we read about two groups of exiles returning to rebuild the temple, beginning with Cyrus’ decree in 536 B.C.  The first group was led by Zerubbabel, taking with them articles of silver, gold, and livestock, as well as the articles from the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem as plunder.  Rebuilding the temple under Zerubbabel took 20 years.  The Jews faced opposition from their neighbors, who even tried to undermine their efforts by false warnings to the king of Persia.  Nevertheless, the temple was eventually finished and rededicated and sacrifices were reinstated, and there was great rejoicing among the people even though the rebuilt temple did not attain to the glory of Solomon’s.

A second group was led back to Jerusalem in 458 B.C., 80 years after Zerubbabel’s first group (Ezra 7-10).  Something worthy to note about Ezra, “Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).  There’s a lesson there for us in that we should have a heart like that for God’s word.  Ezra was given political authority by Artaxerxes to implement and enforce God’s laws in His return.  Ezra didn’t need political approval to obey God, but it certainly would have helped reduce the flak from the non-God-fearing neighbors who would antagonize the rebuilding efforts.  Ezra ends oddly: “All of these (Jews) had married foreign women, and some of the wives had given birth to children” Ezra 10:44.  There’s a little bit of foreshadowing there for the bible student who remembers God’s instructions to the Israelites on marrying foreign women due to their harmful influence of idolatry.  And, it was idolatry that landed the Southern kingdom in Babylonian (and now Persian) captivity in the first place.  There would be little appetite for that with Ezra.

Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. and completed rebuilding the wall around the city.  He was a man about his work.  He quickly organized and mobilized the labor efforts and used various strategies (physically and spiritually) to counter the mockery and opposition of Israel’s neighboring regions.  But rebuilding the city is only half the story in Nehemiah.  Ezra was his contemporary, and the second half of Nehemiah details Ezra’s work in renewing the covenant and instituting spiritual reformation in Jerusalem.  In chapter eight Ezra reads the law from daybreak until noon to men, women, and “all who could listen with understanding” (8:2).  Ezra and the appointed men from the tribe of Levi explained the law to the people and offered instruction.  At the reading of the law, the people knew they were far away from God’s covenant.  The people confessed their sin (9:2) and vowed faithfulness to the Lord (ch10), but Nehemiah’s reforms were continually needed to keep the people aligned to their renewed covenant with God.

We haven’t talked much about Haggai and Zechariah.  They were contemporaries of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel, too.  Haggai and Zechariah’s special roles in post-exilic Israel were to exhort the people in keeping their focus on rebuilding (Haggai) and to give the people messianic hope that reached beyond the rebuilt temple and city walls (Zechariah).

Clay Whittemore

Be A Finisher

200 years before it came to pass, Isaiah said, “who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid’” (Isaiah 44:28).

Then Ezra 1:1 reads, “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem” (1:1b-4).

Then God’s people began making preparations for their journey home.

Once they had returned they did so to their cities, but when the seventh month came the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. They restored the altar and began offering burnt offerings to the LORD, but the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.

In the second year of their coming, after they appointed appropriate overseers to the workmen in the temple of God the builders completed the foundation and there was great rejoicing and praising God.

Then enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard of the work being done and through multiple strategies successfully frightened them from building and thwarted their progress. The work halted for 14 years.

God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to instruct the people to again continue in the work of rebuilding the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and these prophets of God stayed with them and supported them (5:1-2).

Enemies came again to thwart their work, but this time God’s hand was over the affair and the work was not prevented. The Temple of God was completed and dedicated, and the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles celebrated with great joy.

Even the exiles were able to observe the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month for the priests and Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. And so the people were made separate from their former nations and all were joined to seeking the LORD God of Israel. They then observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy. God even turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel (6:19-22).

It is easy to start.

It is much more challenging to sustain and finish what we start.

Therefore, I want to encourage us to either be or become great finishers.

Have the mindset that whatever project that I start I do so with the conviction that it is a good work, my conviction coming from a knowledge of God through His Word, and if it is a good work it needs to be completed. It needs to be finished.

I know a man once that took a stone and did something that others thought was impossible, all because he had the faith and courage to start and finish.

I’m not saying it is going to be easy, but it will be worth it.

Remember “our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Whatever we must endure here will be worth the riches to come in the kingdom of God beyond our existence here in the flesh.

Keep your eyes on the prize and walk with the sustainer of your faith and courage this day and every day.

Trent Dean

For Such A Time As This

While in Captivity Esther ascended to a very influential place in the Kingdom. Esther was living in a foreign land without her parents thus being raised by her cousin. Girls like her do not ascend to places of power without the providence of God. Most Jews were looked down on by the ruling class. They were seen as disposable. But Esther was loved by the King and given influence over the land. 

8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them.

9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries."

10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.

11 And the king said to Haman, "The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you." - Esther 3:8-11

Mordecai (who had raised Esther) was rightly distressed about the decree. There seemed to be no hope for the Jews. The only option was to let the newly appointed Queen beg the mercy of the king. 

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" - Esther 4:14

As the story unfolds, Esther did not keep quiet. She indeed approached the King. She persuaded the king to show mercy on the Jews. Thus God used Esther to save His people. 

When does God use “providence”? When do we attribute a matter to the providential hand of God? Well the most easy definition is divinely provided for. Thus we need to answer, how often does God provide for His people? The answer is daily. In the days of captivity God used Esther as a means of providing salvation for His people. Who is He using today? 

As Esther was told in the moment: you do not know! Thus we must courageously walk in His way and be used by God as He sees fit. As we reflect on our blessings let us not take credit for all we have but rather humbly thank God for His providence. 

10 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,

11 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,

12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. - Esther 8:10-13

God ALWAYS provides! 

Devin Allen

Study, Do, And Teach

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach His statues and rules in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

In the game of football to rid ourselves of old, unproductive habits we must study—do and teach the right way to do things so at the time of execution there is a desired success. What we find in the book of Ezra, chapters 7-10, is that to execute properly Ezra was committed (set his heart) to study, do and teach God’s Law. It is an ingredient that we cannot overlook in our daily walk on this earth. Properly and effectively putting our task on earth into a perspective of priority will help us to serve God efficiently and with all humility. 

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we set our heart to do the right thing, always. Also, it is of equal significance that we study God’s word with the right attitude and heart. And, that we teach others and ourselves, thus showing our commitment to the Lord as we go about doing the things of the Lord. Football is a game of execution – we as Christians must be willing to execute our faith so that God’s word can be revealed beyond that of our congregational circle. 

Now, before we make too much of an analogy between football and our faith we must realize another significant difference is that the hand of God was upon Ezra. This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him (Ezra 7:6). We must not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit if we are committed to practice, do and teach according to the will of God. In our faith being vigilant to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this (whatever Ezra requires of you it shall be done diligently v. 21) in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me (Ezra 7:27-28). Don’t underestimate the power of God, the providence of God and the grace of God!

Ezra with confidence and boldness proceeded to restore the temple, to establish and execute God’s Law and to rid the people of joining themselves with the surrounding nations and the abominations thereof. Ezra had an incredible task before him but he was committed. Ezra was thankful to be serving God and putting God’s Law into the lives of the children of Israel. “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him” (8:22). There is a God, He is alive and active in our lives and we must be willing to acknowledge Him in all that we do. 

8:21 – “humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones and all our possessions.”

8:31 – “and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and ambushes by the way.”

Chapter 9

Failure cannot be an option in our service to God. In verse one of chapter nine God’s word tells us, “The people of Israel and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the land according to their abominations.” Unfortunately the children of Israel did not influence others around them to the good but rather, were influenced to be participants in ungodliness. V. 6 – and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.” No matter how embarrassing our situation may seem to us, we have a God that will hear our pleas and our prayers. We must possess the willingness to go to Him as we see in Ezra.

Now, therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples for the land and from foreign wives” (Ezra 10:11). Because He lives we can face tomorrow redeemed! Be willing to study His word, do what His word says and teach others the truths of His word.  

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Hank Allen

Courage And Vision

Not long after God led Israel out of exile back to Jerusalem, the people became satisfied and began to neglect the things of the Lord. They were building houses for themselves, but hardly a soul was grieved that the Temple-building project was at a standstill. It was to this stagnant situation, Haggai was sent with God’s message.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,’ says the LORD. ‘You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.’ Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce’” (Haggai 1:7-10).

The people needed to be shaken from their complacency and improper priorities. Therefore, God sent Haggai as well as Zechariah to incite Israel back into proper focus and action.

But more than this, it will serve us well to notice what else God did, perhaps more subtley.

God told the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, and the high priest, Joshua, to “take courage”…” and work, for I am with you” (2:4). He then goes on to reveal that “once more” He would “fill his house with glory” and bring peace to this place (2:6-9).

When God gives a task He supplies us with everything that we need to complete the task.

Notice in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives the disciples a great task: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;”

But Jesus doesn’t stop there.

Jesus concludes, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Just as Jesus would be with the disciples in the pursuit of that task, God would be with Zerubbabel and Joshua in the completion of the temple project.

Further, God supplied them with a vision.

When we have a vision that we are working towards it allows us to more effectively stay focused on the vision instead of the daily circumstances that tend to distract and discourage us. It allows us to overcome the daily grind and keep pressing forward to the vision.

With no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).

Today, we have not been commanded to rebuild the temple, but Jesus’ commission to the disciples in Matthew 28 still applies to us as His disciples, and being “created for good works” (Ephesians 2:10) means that as we live in Christ, our faith, should be evident by our good works.

Therefore, it would serve us well to establish a vision for our good works, to take courage and know that God is with us, and to relentlessly press forward until the work is finished.

To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen.

Trent Dean

The Revelation Of The Old Testament

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation”  (Zechariah 9:9).

Zechariah was a contemporary of Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and Ezra, and prophesied during the same time as Haggai to the exiles who had returned to the promised land from Babylonian captivity.  The return from exile was hardly pleasant and almost immediately met with opposition. Work to rebuild the temple and walls stalled and required intervention by men like Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah to drive the work to completion.  Both Haggai and Zechariah’s messages to the Jews were to encourage the completion of the temple, but Zechariah’s message points beyond the physical Jerusalem temple with powerful Messianic prophecies that are used many times in the New Testament in reference to Christ.  

In reading through the stories of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah we can see that there were a certain number of people who were fiercely dedicated to the Lord, but Zechariah’s opening in chapter one tells us there were still those who needed repentance.  This call for repentance is not unlike God’s messages to Israel from every other prophet sent before Zechariah and Haggai.  The problem is, those warnings didn’t work.  Not because the warnings of judgement weren’t legitimate (we are, after all, are talking about post-exilic Israel).  The problem was that Israel (and Judah) chose not to listen to the Lord.  “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?  But did not My words and My statues, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers?” (v5-6)  Point well taken, the word of the Lord does endure forever.  Peter reinforces this principle in his first epistle (1 Pet 1:25) when he quotes Isaiah 40:8. The first-half of Zechariah feels like a rapid-fire succession of visions (eight-total), but it’s interesting that Zechariah opens first by calling the people to an attitude of repentance.  With Zechariah, it’s first things first.  To have a heart ready to receive God’s word, we must have a heart of repentance.  There’s a lesson there for us.

The series of eight visions in chapters 1-6 tell us two things.  First, we learn about God’s intentions, whether it be justice and judgement for the wicked nations, God’s acknowledgment of the suffering righteous, or His new “spiritual Jerusalem” where the offices of high priest and king would both be fulfilled in the Messiah.  The Jews who had returned from exile could take encouragement from these prophecies because they point to a future day of God’s glory returning, even if the temple they were rebuilding wasn’t as glorious as it once was back in the days of Solomon.

Second, we see that the might of the nations and the power of wickedness (Satan) are not enough to overthrow the Lord’s will.  In each of these visions the will of the Lord is fulfilled in spite of all obstacles.  He wins in His time, every time.  This is a key message to early Christians in the book of Revelation, too.

In the second half of Zechariah the pace of Messianic prophecies and references increases.  We see phrases like “they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness” (8:8) and are reminded of Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 6:16, “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Or, in Hebrews 8:10 in context of the new covenant, where the Hebrew writer quotes Jeremiah 31:31-32.  

We remember the story of Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-5 and realize it as the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy in 9:9.  In chapter 11 Zechariah plays the part of a shepherd who is rejected by the people and valued at a price of thirty shekels of silver.  The Lord then tells Zechariah to “throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which [he] was valued by them” (v12-13).  This strongly parallels Jesus’ role as the shepherd whom the people rejected.  In Matthew 27:9 we find out this is actually another prophecy fulfilled when Jesus is betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, which was used to buy the Potter’s field after Judas forfeited Jesus’ bounty out of guilt.  

Two other New Testament references for us to key in on towards the end of Zechariah.  The nation of Israel had “pierced” the Lord figuratively through their idolatry, rebellion, and pride.  The only path to reconciliation was through God’s mercy and grace met by a heart of repentance and godly sorrow by the people.  The Lord describes the feeling of remorse and sorrow for their piercing (or rejection) of God as one mourns for their own firstborn.  In the New Testament John (19:37) ascribes this text as a reference to Jesus on the cross.  What Israel had done figuratively to God (rejection), the Jews would do literally to the Messiah (crucifixion).  It seems no good can come of something like this, except that we remember God’s mercy and grace.  In Zechariah 12:10, it is explained that God would pour out a spirit of grace and supplication on the inhabitants of Jerusalem so as to be led to a spirit of repentance and mourning for their sin.  In a similar way, God’s spirit of mercy and grace should bring us to an attitude of repentance over Christ’s piercing (crucifixion) for us.  

Zechariah is a challenging book for many of the same reasons that Revelation is challenging.  It contains powerful figurative imagery used to illustrate God’s power and plan for His people.  However, when we view Zechariah from the New Testament side of the cross, it helps us see God’s answer for a people struggling against the nations and against themselves in pursuit of the blessings of the Lord.  Zechariah points to Jesus as the answer for all who would seek to be a part of the “new Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22) and the New Testament writers point back to Zechariah’s fulfilled prophecies in the life of Christ and His sacrifice on the cross.  Zechariah says Jesus is the High Priest and King of the new Jerusalem, or as Hebrews 12:22-24 describes it: Mount Zion, the city of the living God, and the church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven.

Clay Whittemore

Nehemiah The Prayerful Leader

Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer in the palace of Artaxerxes, king of Persia when he received news of the affliction and reproach of the remnant of Israel in Judah, and the most recent desolation of Jerusalem’s walls and gates. His heart began to burn with a sense of urgency that something must be done. God stirred Nehemiah to lead his fellowmen in rebuilding what had been broken down—-but not only the city’s walls, more importantly, the people’s faith.

Under the leadership of Nehemiah, the walls were completed in just 52 days despite serious opposition from within and without.

There are several things we can learn from the leadership of Nehemiah, but perhaps the most important thing we should realize is that Nehemiah prayed.

He did not try to do things of His own accord or act first, pray later. He continually went to the LORD God in prayer and because He did God established Nehemiah’s plans and ways, helped him overcome the opposition, and provided for him so that God’s own will could be accomplished.

We must remember the providence of God works through faithful men and women that are willing to trust God and obey Him no matter the circumstances. We would be wise to pray continually and allow God to supply us with what we need to complete the work before us.

When Nehemiah first heard the horrible news of affliction and reproach upon his brethren in Judah, he prayed (1:4-11):

4 Now when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments: 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, please, the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to have My name dwell.’ 10 They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and please make Your servant successful today and grant him mercy before this man.”

When Nehemiah took this horrible news before King Artaxerxes, and the king said, “What would you request?” Nehemiah prayed (2:4): “So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah continues to be a man of prayer and God continues to provide all the way to the completion of the building project.

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Let us go to the LORD God continually through prayer and may God help us accomplish the work.

All to His glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Trent Dean

Pressing On

If we will think back to the beginning in the garden of Eden. Good had opposition. The right way had opposition. Satan is against progress in the Kingdom. 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” - Matthew 21:42

Jesus let them know that He (the centerpiece of the kingdom) was going to be opposed.

His followers would be opposed as well. But because they would be opposed as kingdom citizens, they were to rejoice. 

"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” - Matthew 5:11

It’s almost as if the struggle is confirmation of doing Kingdom work.

When the Jews were finally released back to Jerusalem they still needed to rebuild the beloved city. Step one was to build a protective wall around the city. A wall to provide a barrier from outside people. Nehemiah was charged with leading this worthy effort. As we have observed worthy efforts often have opposition. The opposition can not put a stop to the worthy work. 

Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. - Nehemiah 4:1 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Yes, what they are building-if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!" - Nehemiah 4:3

The people could not allow this mocking to stifle the work. Thus they cried to God for help. Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. - Nehemiah 4:4

We need to know this day that just because the work is worthy does not mean it will be easy. In fact some of the most worthy efforts bring about the greatest struggles.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:9

In spite of opposition, the reward is still in sight. God’s promises are greater than earthly pushbacks. 

Our works for good serve as a testament to the goodness of God. 

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. - Nehemiah 6:15-16

Don’t let opposition stop you today, let the opposition encourage your good works. 

The wall was completed because God was greater than the adversary. 

Devin Allen

Honor With Gratitude

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:11-13). 

My Creator, the Creator of the universe, God Almighty, the Great I AM, will hear me. That thought, within itself, is an incredible thought! Just to know that my Father in heaven is waiting to hear me and if I seek Him, He will allow me to find Him. Our God who is worthy to be praised—is worthy of our gratitude. His plans for my welfare include a future and a hope…He cares for me and I am thankful. It is His desire that I seek Him with all my heart and we should honor Him with gratitude. 

In the thirteenth chapter of Nehemiah there was a priest by the name of, Eliashib who had prepared a room for another man in the courts of the house of God. The room that was prepared for his relative, Tobiah, was a room designated for the grain offerings and other items. There was no gratitude for what God had done for them and for a Temple and the appointment he was given over the chambers of the house of God. We should be thankful for the responsibilities God has assigned to us and begin our day in a spirit of thanksgiving. 

Nehemiah also had to address the marriages that took place to Pagan women and keeping the Sabbath holy. Gratitude for our spouses and gratitude for the day of worship to God—should be on our daily list of things for which we are grateful. Nehemiah asked God to remember him and to not blot out his loyal deeds that he had performed for the house of God (v.14). Nehemiah was grateful that he could do this thing for God and for the people, as God’s faithful he corrected the wrongs that they had committed. Being thankful for what we can do for the Lord can only help our faith and be an encouragement to our fellow Christians and our fellow man. 

In the book of Malachi we find a similar need to honor God with gratitude, but also to honor Him with proper reverence and respect. Observe My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD (Lev. 19:30).  God requires and deserves our gratitude and honor for what He provided for us in Jesus Christ. Falling down before the LORD encompasses honor, reverence and gratitude toward our God. 

Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29). 

To simply respect Him is not strong enough. We should fear to disappoint Him because He is the Holy God—thus revere—worship—honor—be grateful—for Him, for His Holiness and His greatness!

Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling (Psa.2: 11). 

It is unfortunate that our society has a very distorted view of reverence, honor and gratitude toward God. As we causally refer to God as “The Man Upstairs,” and even some believers who see Jesus as their “Bud,” “Homeboy,” or even “Boyfriend”. Are you kidding me? I have a hard time writing that down as an extremely sad and unfortunate reality. Reverence for God is elevating Him far above a mere exclamation like OMG, but rather approaching Him with an attitude of awe, reverence and gratitude for God the Creator, God the Almighty! 

Practice reverence and gratitude daily. It should be reflected in our morning, midday and evening prayer. We should value His greatness and the provisions He has made for us. When we use God’s name in vain, like OMG, we are saying His name meaninglessly and without honor and gratitude. 

To fear the LORD your God, to keep His statutes and His commandments (Deut. 6:2).

The fear of the Lord is a holy, reverent respect for God. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! Fearing the Lord can transform our thinking; instill a realization that we are accountable to Him and Him alone. 

The writer of Malachi describes a people that did not have proper reverence, honor and gratitude for God. In so much that the priests had to be disciplined by God. Jehovah God tells them in verse two of chapter two, that they should take it to heart to give honor to His name. It is a serious, sobering approach to a very serious matter, honoring Him who is worthy of all honor and praise. 

One of the most encouraging and uplifting prophecies is that of the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist, in the third chapter of Malachi. The people had robbed God but God would reward them with a Messiah. “But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall” (4:4).

Let’s praise our God with honor, reverence and gratitude! Be thankful, though not deserving, we have a Savior in Jesus Christ. And, most importantly we have a Redeemer! Glory to God in the highest! 

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry (Psa. 34:15). Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments (Psa.112:1). 

Hank Allen

Revival

After Nehemiah and Israel complete the wall some other things of physical nature take place such as the setting up of doors and gatekeepers and other people in places of leadership to take charge of Jerusalem. Then God put it in Nehemiah’s heart to assemble the nobles and a census was recorded (7:5-73).

Then a major turn occurs.

The shift is from the physical and material rebuilding to building for spiritual security. The reading of God’s Word is given no higher honor than in chapter 8.

“All the people gathered as one man at the square…Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. He read from it …from early morning until midday…and all the people were attentive to the book of the law” (8:1-3). Further, the people worshiped God and the certain Levites “explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” (8:6-8).

Perhaps this is the greatest moment thus far in the history of Israel. Thanksgiving and penitence are blended together in sublime and startling proportions in the prayer of chapter 9; and the people’s determination to prove the sincerity of that prayer by action is wonderfully exemplified in chapter 10.

The people solemnly covenanted “to walk in God’s law,” which they were proud to claim as having come to them through “Moses, God’s servant” (10:29). Among other things, they said, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (10:39).

In decades past, it was common to hear of revivals, and perhaps what we read of here in Nehemiah is in the spirit of a revival. An event focused on drawing us to our first love and putting first things first.

We all need this.

God gives us remembrances and instructs us to remember often in His word.

Therefore, let us notice here that they (1) read the word of God, (2) worshipped, (3) prayed, (4) and then took action in keeping with the first three. And all these things were done according to God’s revealed will. It was done in a manner aiming to please Him.

This is a recipe for not only being steadfast, but for growth, and increased usefulness in the kingdom of God. We are not here on this earth to build nicer homes, accumulate more stuff, grow more comfortable, find more ease and pleasure, and seek out the life that we would have.

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it (Luke 9:23-24).

Let us provoke a revival in our hearts each and every day.

Let us read and meditate upon His Word, worship, pray, and be doers of the Word every day.

Trent Dean

Malachi - My Messenger

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.  He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

Malachi 4:5

In Malachi, we cross the finish-line of the Minor Prophets and the Old Testament.  The message is plain, simply written, and mostly familiar.  Malachi has been dated hundreds of years before the time of Christ (most agree on the 400 B.C. timeframe).  And, it was the last of the Old Testament books to be written, which means our next stop will be Israel in the time of Jesus.  Malachi’s message balances a strong condemnation of some fundamental, but serious issues in post-exilic Israel with prophecies about the time of Jesus and the forerunner of Christ who would prepare the way for the Messiah. 

Since Malachi points to Christ (through His forerunner), it’s helpful to think about his message in terms of Jesus’ teaching.  When asked to name the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets.’” (Matt 22:36-40)  Malachi (like Jesus) addresses the neglect of these commands in his message.

There are a few problems that Malachi points out.  The first rebuke is directed at the sins of the priests (1:6-2:9).  They were under condemnation for despising the Lord by offering the lame and blind of their flocks as sacrifices to God.  Knowing what we do about God’s expectations for sacrifices, we understand why there’s a penalty flag on the priests for illegal procedure (Leviticus 22).  But Malachi’s rebuke seems to dial it up a notch, saying they despise God by offering sacrifices that even their own governors wouldn’t accept (1:8).  God responds, “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you…nor will I accept an offering from you.” (1:10)  The Lord says He’d rather someone lock the door to the temple than for the priests to offer sub-par sacrifice.  This boils down to more than a few lame goats, though.  This points to a heart issue in the priests.  A priest who loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind would not dare offer lame and sick sacrifices to the Lord.  There’s a lesson in there for us in how we worship the Lord.

Later Malachi addresses how the Jews have misused the institution of marriage, whether it be marrying pagan wives that introduce idolatry in the family, or by the mis-regulated acceptance of divorce.  For a people whose life is supposed to be centered on following the Lord and keeping his commands, a flippant and negligent attitude towards marriage indicates underlying heart issues.  It seems like there is an overall attitude of spiritual indifference in the people.  The end of chapter alludes to a possible reason for that attitude.  To the people, it appears that wickedness goes unjudged by God, saying among themselves, “Where is the God of justice?”  Israel is accustomed to a God that defeats their enemies in battle and judges the nations that have acted treacherously towards them. 

God’s response to the people’s challenges of His justice begins in chapter three.  Instead of prophesying the next major military conquest to make Israel a world-power, He says that He Himself would come and be “like a refiner’s fire” (v3).  He says he will purify the priests so that acceptable offerings may be made once again in righteousness.  He promises swift judgement against the adulterers, sorcerers, false witnesses, those who oppress the poor, widows, and orphans.   Toward the end of chapter three God says that He will spare those who fear Him and esteem His name: “They will be Mine…I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him” (3:17). 

This purified priesthood referenced in Malachi is what Peter calls New Testament Christians in 1 Peter 2:5, “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  The Lord will redeem His people, but it won’t be in the form of an earthly nation like Israel would expect.  It will be in the form of a spiritual kingdom.  Jesus said so Himself when questioned by Pilate before His crucifixion, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).  Peter continues his description of New Testament Christians as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” and references another Old Testament prophet, Hosea, by further explaining “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9, 10). 

This all may seem like a long way from Malachi, but the final verses of the book show us this message points us toward Christ without a doubt.  The Lord warns about a great and final destruction of all wickedness but promises to prepare a way of deliverance for those who fear God.  Then comes verse five: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”

Here is a great example of the unity and harmony of scripture.  It is also a great example of how a strong grasp of the Old Testament is critical for understanding the New Testament as God intends for us.  If we stopped right here, we’d think God’s plan was to raise Elijah from the dead, as did many of the Jews in the days of Jesus (as the disciples explained to Jesus at Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 17). 

Instead, we understand from all four gospels that this “Elijah” was in fact, John the Baptist.  Elijah’s mission in Israel under king Ahab was to turn the hearts of the people back to God (1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2).  In a similar way, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord by preaching a message of repentance (Matt 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:4, & John 1:23) as foretold by the prophet Isaiah (40:3).

The most definitive link of John the Baptist to this prophecy in Malachi comes from an angel of the Lord in Luke chapter one.  He was both the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the answer to his parents’ prayers.   They’d prayed earnestly for a child but were both advanced in years.  An angel appeared to Zacharias while he was performing his priestly duties and told him his prayers had been heard by God, and that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would be blessed with a son, whose name would be John.  We know him today as John the Baptist, who was the fulfillment of Malachi’s Old Testament prophecy.

To use the angel’s words to Zacharias about his son, “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.  It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:16-17)

Clay Whittemore

The Baptism of Jesus

John the Baptist not only fulfilled the words of Malachi (4:5), but Isaiah (40:3) as well.

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight” (Matthew 3:3).

Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan were going out to John and being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins (Matthew 3:5-6). The Pharisees came to him wanting to know why he was baptizing if he was not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet. “John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:26-27).

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me’” (John 1:29-30).

Jesus came to be baptized by John, but John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:14-15).

After Jesus came up out of the water, “behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).

We see God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son unified in the baptism of Jesus “to fulfill all righteousness” as the time for his ministry is drawing near.

This is a great reminder to us and strikes my mind to the words of Paul in the closing of his second letter to the Corinthians prior to his third visit:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Through the tensions and conflicts of this life as well as the times of ease or prosperity, let us keep our eyes on Jesus, walking by faith, and holding fast to the grace of our Lord, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Trent Dean

Tempted In All Matters

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

An understanding judge and a compassionate mediator. While Christ was living on earth he was not immune to temptation. Yes He was the son of God but he was man as well. He went through all the struggles we do, so he may better know us.

Early in the ministry of Jesus he was in a desolate place all alone. He was speaking with God through prayer. As a way to grow more dependent on God and be better focused in the moment He was also fasting. It is in this moment of deep worship and prayer that Satan confronts Jesus. It is interesting that not even a time of devotion is off limits to Satan. Satan is always seeking to derail us and especially the promised Messiah. If Satan can derail Jesus this early then all hope for mankind has ended. Satan tempted the pride of Christ, he tempted him with food and he tempted him with all that He could see.

3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'" - Luke 4:3-4

7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."

8 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" - Luke 4:7-8

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, - Luke 4:9

And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" - Luke 4:12

Satan pulled out all the stops, he used every angle possible and Jesus really only had one response; “it is written.” The same simple yet powerful phrase we need today. The answer to every temptation is “it is written.”

In the third temptation Satan himself used scripture that he had twisted. Knowledge and love for God and God’s people kept Jesus sinless. That same formula is available for us today.

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:13

Satan does not take defeat well. He will be back to tempt again and again. Thankfully all that is written remains true again and again.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12

Let’s hold to the Word today and everyday. If he tempted our Lord, he will certainly tempt us. If by chance we fall we have an understanding Savior waiting to pardon us.

Devin Allen

Water To Wine

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).

That we might believe He is the Son of God. And seeing the miracles, why was it so difficult for them to believe? Maybe the same reason we find difficulty in believing today. “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say “Rise, take up your bed and walk?” (Mark 2:9). Those who witnessed this miracle believed in the miracle but did not believe in the Man, Jesus the Christ to have the power to forgive one of his sins. We have a hard time believing in a Savior, Redeemer and worker of miracles just as those who were eyewitnesses of the miracles.

We as a society are more familiar with the miracle of turning water to wine than any other miracle because of what it represents. Jesus turned the water to wine that they might believe not that we should argue that this was or wasn’t done in support of social drinking. Jesus had not yet named his disciples but they were at the wedding feast to witness the miracle. The mother of Jesus was there and had made the need known to Jesus but He did not perform the miracle because His mother had voiced the need to Him. He performed the miracle that His disciples might believe and that His glory would be manifested (John 2:11). Jesus asked that we believe and not get caught up in the social habits of serving and drinking wine in the first century or this century. 

The “sign-post” of the Old Testament are there for prophecy of the coming Messiah and to establish His Glory and His Power. That we might believe.

Gen. 3:15 – I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. This is the first promise of Christ. 

Isaiah 7:14 –Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call His name Immanuel. 

Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

2 Sam.7: 12-13 – When your (David) days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish His kingdom. He is the One who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. 

Isa. 53:5 – But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. 

These prophecies are only a small portion of the many prophecies of the coming Messiah. They were written so that the Jews might believe, so that the Gentiles might believe, so that all men and we might simply believe. If we argue the point of the wine being fermented or not we miss the point of the miracle and there is a good chance that we too don’t believe He is the Son of God. Jesus Christ performed many miracles to affirm His deity and power. To reveal His glory and to glorify the Father and that we might believe in Him. The first miracle is no different from the last in that they were all done to affirm the word and the word is Jesus the Christ. 

In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus again would go to Cana of Galilee where the first miracle was performed and perform another. He would heal a man’s son who was a royal official. So that they might believe and in verse 53 the Bible tells us that he and his whole household did believe. I wonder if the miracle had not been performed if he would have believed. 

What will it take for us to believe? Truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. There are numerous miracles that we can read and see the power of God, but would that help us to believe. Provisions were made for our salvation through Jesus Christ. He was and is the predetermined plan from before the beginning of time—so do we believe? How can we know the way?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). 

Hank Allen 

Jesus And Nicodemus

Being a child of God through the nation of Israel had everything to do with being born into the right family. What mattered was being a child of Abraham. This is one of the reasons Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, began his gospel account with a genealogy tracing Jesus' genealogy back through David to Abraham.

Nicodemus was “a man of the Pharisees,” which is the strictest sect of the Jews, “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). He comes to Jesus by night. His questioning reveals that he knows Jesus to be a teacher from God for Nicodemus says, “for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

So here is this highly respected leader of the Pharisees that suspects Jesus may, in fact, be the Messiah and wants to investigate. He goes to Jesus by night and Jesus cuts straight to the heart of the matter for Nicodemus.

“Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3).

Nicodemus does not understand. “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?" (3:4)

Jesus responds: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ (3:5-8).

Nicodemus perfectly represents the aristocratic well-intentioned but unenlightened Jew of his day. He is a leader of God’s people, the nation of Israel, whom the Messiah would come from, and yet the Messiah is before Him and he does not recognize Him. The Prophets speak of Him and the scriptures purposefully prepared them for His arrival and now He is here.

What prevents Nicodemus and others like him from seeing?

Consider the one who has their life all tidied up, labeled, and sorted into neat piles. Their life is just the way they want it and anything that might interrupt their current understanding or cause them to have to CHANGE their life, CHANGE their ways, and follow Jesus is beyond what they are willing to do. They would rather stay comfortable in their neat, tidy, comfortable way of life.

May it never be!

Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:23).

Well, what does Jesus mean exactly in his response to Nicodemus?

One must be born of water and the Spirit in order to be able to enter the kingdom of God.

Notice John (1:12-13) says those that believed in Jesus were given “the right to become children of God.”

The right. Believing Jesus does not make one a child of God. James said, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (2:19). Further, John accounts (8:31-59) Jews whom Jesus was teaching that believed Him but did not belong to God.

The being born of water part references one being baptized, being immersed in water. In Romans 6 Paul explains what is happening when one is baptized and Peter gives another illustration to illuminate its role in one’s salvation (1 Peter 3:20-22). But more important than our understanding of why, Jesus commanded it, (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16) and therefore it is clearly essential.

The conjunction “and” being used, “being born of water and the Spirit” shows that in connection with baptism, the Spirit is involved.

In Acts 2:37-38, after Peter has preached the gospel to thousands of Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, some were pierced to the heart, and asked: “what shall we do?” Peter tells them “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Further, Paul relates consistently in his writings, that the Holy Spirit dwells inside those who have received it through baptism (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

Now coming back to John’s gospel account, after Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus, He and his disciples go into Judea and are spending time together and baptizing (3:22). Further, 4:1 relates that Jesus was making and baptizing disciples. So even then Jesus had already begun to demonstrate to his disciples how to make disciples and that they should be baptized (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).

Nicodemus wants to investigate Jesus. Jesus tells him “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

What Jesus and His disciples were doing was not done in secret. He was openly teaching and baptizing, making disciples.

Nicodemus had a choice to make.

He could continue in his current life where he has prestige, power, authority, and great comforts or humble himself before this Jesus, whom God had made both Lord and Messiah, and accept Him as the One God sent.

Nicodemus would need to lose his current life, but he would gain eternal life through Jesus.

I had to make this same choice. Those of you reading this that have not already repented and been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) have to make that choice as well.

Will you obey the gospel of Jesus?

Will you deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him?

I’ll never say it is easy, but I can promise you it is worth it. It is a better way, but it will require you to put aside human nature and walk in the wisdom and the Spirit of God.

Repent and be baptized and you will arise to walk in newness of life today!

Trent Dean

Living Waters

“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Years ago I was in the foyer of a church building after a Wednesday night bible study discussing a few points from class with a couple of friends.  We noticed a few children running around in the back playing games when one of them called “time out!” to get a drink from the water fountain.  Another of the youngsters, quickly replied, “Okay, but that’s not living water, so you’ll just be thirsty again later!”  My friends and I lost it in laughter and unanimously agreed that the children’s bible class teacher should win teacher of the year!  Teachers live for moments like that. Sometimes it can feel thankless and discouraging pouring effort into teaching (and preaching).  Explicit signs of spiritual progress and growth aren’t always as easily measured as win-loss records for coaches, or an annual income statement for CEO’s.  (Though, I would count the youngster’s quippy response as a “win” for the children’s class!)   Often teachers are left wondering, “is any of this really getting through to these kids?”

I think Jesus probably felt this way often during his earthly ministry to the multitudes and even with His own disciples.  To the multitudes, Jesus’ constant focus was on the transformation of the heart through a spirit of repentance and self-denial.  To His disciples, Jesus frequently needed to refocus their perspective on the spiritual nature of His kingdom.  In some ways, we have a leg-up on the multitudes and disciples since hindsight is 20-20.  We know from Jesus’ own words that His kingdom “is not of this world” (John 18:36).  We know exactly what He meant when He said “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep…I lay down My life so that I may take it again.  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father.” (John 10:11, 17-18; cf. Heb 7:26-27).  But we need to be fair to the disciples and multitudes.  Jesus’ message was different than what they were used to hearing or expecting.  The Jews in the time of Jesus lived in a vassal state of Rome.  Their freedom and independence only existed within the tolerance of the Roman government appointed over them.  There was a healthy appetite for a restoration of Israel as a physical kingdom.  To the multitudes, the standard of righteousness observed in the scribes and Pharisees had been firmly established by generations refined tradition.  Jesus said, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:20).

John chapter four gives us a good example of how seeking after God requires us to think about the world through a spiritual lens.  Jesus is on His way to Galilee from Judea by way of Samaria.  About noon, Jesus stops at Jacob’s well in Samaria (near the foot of Mt Gerizim, a significant place in Samaritan religion, and to Old Testament bible students as the mount where the blessings of obedience to the Lord were given to the children of Israel in Deut. 28).  Resting there, a Samaritan woman approaches to draw water, and Jesus asks her for a drink.  The Samaritan woman is surprised that Jesus, being a Jew, would even acknowledge her presence, much less ask her for water, having nothing to draw from the well himself.  Jewish custom would have forbidden social interaction between men and women (to prevent unfavorable misperceptions), not to mention Samaritans and Jews held each other in distaste as a matter of culture.

The woman challenges Jesus’ disregard for cultural norms.  Instead of taking offense, Jesus whets her spiritual appetite.  “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water’” (v10).  This play on words is familiar in John’s writing.  Living water to the herdsman or shepherd would have indicated running water as in a stream or brook.  “Living water” was preferred over stagnant water found in a small pool or cistern, since stagnant water is prone to turn bitter.

The woman is intrigued, and asks where she can get this living water?  She knows there is something special about Jesus.  She found him sitting, tired and thirsty, at Jacob’s well, where He asked her for a drink.  But now, after a reference to the gift of God, he is offering her living water, and furthermore, it’s the kind of living water that you can drink and never be thirsty again (v14).  For someone who can’t walk into the kitchen and turn on the faucet for a cold glass of clean, fresh water, this is a huge deal, and she’s sold.  “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw” (v15).  Like the multitudes (and frequently the Jesus’ disciples), she’s thinking solely in terms of physical and earthly needs.

What Jesus does next may seem puzzling.  He goes from talking about living water to the woman’s less-than-illustrious life choices with marriage (v16-18).  What He’s really doing is preparing her heart to shift focus away from physical things and toward spiritual things.  To do that, she needs to have a heart prepared for transformation through a spirit of repentance and self-denial, which is exactly the focus Jesus continually stressed to the multitudes.  In telling the woman the brief summation of her life-story, she is convinced Jesus is a prophet.  

It’s hard to tell if what happens next is a defensive attempt to change the subject by a sinner exposed, or an earnest remark on a core fundamental Samaritan religion.  Instead of debating her checkered marital record, she asks Jesus whether Mt. Gerizim is the appropriate place of worship (as Samaritans believed, based on Deut. 27:11) or whether Jerusalem is the center of worship.  I tend to hear a defensive tone when I read her words in verse 20, but that’s just me.

Instead of starting a spiritual debate on Jerusalem vs. Mt. Gerizim, Jesus responds to her divisive remark in v21-23 by saying that’s soon to be irrelevant.  

“Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”   

Historically speaking, the temples on Mt. Gerizim and at Jerusalem were both destroyed altogether.  But never fear, because Jesus says that the Lord’s kingdom will have no physical locale, and it certainly wouldn’t be bound to any earthly temple.  Instead, it will be in the hearts of the people who seek to be true worshipers of God.  In other words, for those who are seeking a relationship with God, the starting place is the heart, not Mt. Gerizim or Jerusalem. 

Jesus’ teaching here should help us in remembering to view the world (and God’s kingdom) through a spiritual lens, just like He intended for the Samaritan woman.  We live in a physical world with physical needs, but Jesus tells us that our purpose is rooted in a spiritual kingdom not bound or limited by earthly things.  So, the next time we turn on the kitchen faucet for a cold drink of water, remember, we’ll soon be thirsty again.  Let’s use the temporary nature of the things in this world as a constant reminder of the everlasting spiritual things God has planned for us.

Clay Whittemore

My Grace Is Sufficient For You

When Jesus came to Galilee (John 4:45), after having left Samaria, He was well received because the Galileans had seen all the things Jesus had done in Jerusalem at the feast. Jesus was in Cana of Galilee when a royal official whose son was sick in Capernaum, 20 miles away, came to Jesus imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death (4:46-47). The royal official again said to Jesus, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.

As he was going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better and they said, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him” (4:52). So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.”

He and his whole household believed.

Jesus had told the father previously (4:48), “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” Jesus healing the royal official’s son from 20 miles away was the second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee (4:54).

It would be easy to think that Jesus only healed those who had faith. People that knew Him and the demonstration of their faith earned them healing or a sign or a wonder, but that is not the case.

Case in point.

After the previous events in Galilee, Jesus went up to a feast in Jerusalem (5:1) and He heals a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years by the sheep gate called Bethesda.

The Jews were upset at the man because he was walking with his pallet on the Sabbath day and they told him it was “not permissible for you to carry your pallet” (5:10). When they asked him who it was that healed him and told him to “pick up your pallet and walk” the healed man did not know who it was that had healed him, for Jesus had slipped away.

Jesus later finds the man in the temple and tells him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you” (5:14).

The point is that Jesus healed the man prior to the man even knowing who He was and without the man demonstrating any faith or belief. Jesus looked upon the man’s condition and chose to heal him.

The reason I point this out is that there are many false teachers today that seek to take advantage of sick and desperate people telling them the Bible teaches that if you have enough faith Jesus will heal you.

And this is not true.

Whether one is healed or not does not have to do with the degree of faith one has.

Case in point.

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan that tormented him in order to keep Paul from exalting himself. Paul implored the Lord three times that it might leave him (2 Corinthians 12:7-8).

What was Jesus’ response?

No! “He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (12:9).

Do not fall victim to the false teachers of this world.

Instead, read the gospels, digest every word, and let them run through your mind and heart relentlessly. Then you will come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

He is the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6).

Do you know Him?

Trent Dean

Will You Receive Jesus?

But passing through their midst, he went away. - Luke 4:30

He was right in the midst of His hometown. The Son of God was right in front of them. He was showing signs of power and speaking the truth of the gospel. Unfortunately biased eyes were unable to see Him for who He was. The bias blinded His fellow towns people so much that they were willing to kill Him. Did an innocent man proclaiming truth and demonstrating power deserve to die? Of course not. He came offering salvation and peace but their blind rage would not allow them to accept salvation and peace.

How often do we allow our biases to distract us from the truth? How often does our lack of inward peace drive us to wrath? Daily we need to be certain that we do away with all biases.

Listen to what Jesus would later tell a people also full of bias.

32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Luke 12:32-34

Give them the kingdom! WOW. What a blessing! How is this possible? A true and undivided Heart. Verse 34, there your heart will be also. Will most of the world continue in a biased frame of mind? Yes. Thus because of our sincerity we will be at division with the world. But thankfully we will be at peace with God.

Thus the simple application is this. CHECK YOUR HEART.

Devin Allen

Nevertheless, Because You Have Said It

And Simon (Peter) answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at Your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).

These fishermen were hard workers. They were conscientious about their work and they had invested much of themselves and many hours to have empty nets. It is a difficult thing to accept complete failure doing something in which we are good at doing. In coaching, we kind of thrive on success and survive on failure and the latter is not fun, and you don’t always survive it. People in general like to experience success in whatever they do in life. On this day, when the Lord tells Peter to put his nets back in the water it’s the last thing Peter wants to hear and do.  

On this day, Peter had rather be going home, perhaps to get some needed rest, food, or any number of things but not put his net back in the water? We are vulnerable when we are tried. Nolan Richardson said, “Fatigue will make cowards of us all”. Peter didn’t have much patience at this point for advice coming from someone that didn’t know about fishing for fish. But, Peter was in need of the Lord just as we are and Peter needed to believe just as we do. Can we imagine how Peter must have felt, having to put his boat back in the water, and put his clean nets back in the water where he was convinced because of the night’s failure, there were no fish! 

Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch (Luke 5:4).

And so, even though Peter was willing to let down the nets there may have been some reluctance in him. We sometimes say, O’ I’ll do it but its not going to do any good, but I’ll do it. We need Jesus when we are empty. Because, if we don’t find Jesus, Satan will find us and he will devour us because of our vulnerability in a weakened state of mind. We need to get out of the way, humble ourselves, and wait on the Lord. There is no need to change anything except us. We need to pray for patience, wisdom and humility to lean on the Lord and not on our own understanding. When Jesus is left out of the equation that is truly where we fail. It is profitable to teach ourselves to trust in the Lord with all of our being, and without reservation. God is faithful to keep His promises. 

Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness (Psa. 37:3). 

(V.6) – And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. (V.7) They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. (V.8) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (V.9) For he and all that were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, (V.10) and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” (V.11) And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

We need to be astonished at the power of the Gospel! Jesus Christ can fill our nets full! If only we will empty ourselves and seek Him in sincere-obedient faith. Yield to Him and surrender all. Trust in Him to fill our empty cups and nets!Allowing Him to dwell in our hearts, ready to make a defense of the hope that is within us! 

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God 

(Eph. 3:17-19). 

Hank Allen

Jesus Teaching In Galilee

23 Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 And the news about Him spread throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, demon-possessed, people with epilepsy, and people who were paralyzed; and He healed them. 

CAPERNAUM OF GALILEE

During this time in Galilee, Jesus went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Mark 1:21-22).

23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!” 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 After throwing him into convulsions and crying out with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee.

THIS IS BUT ONE GLIMPSE INTO THE MANY THINGS JESUS DID AND SAID AND WHAT THE DISCIPLES WERE EXPERIENCING AS THEY FOLLOWED JESUS DURING THIS PART OF HIS MINISTRY. THIS IS NOT COMMON. THIS IS AMAZING!!

Still, in Capernaum, and after leaving the synagogue, they enter Andrew and Peter’s home. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. They spoke to Jesus about her and He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she served them (Mark 1:29-31).

CAN YOU IMAGINE FOLLOWING JESUS AND EXPERIENCING THE THINGS RECORDED ABOVE AND THEN HAVING HIM COME INTO YOUR OWN HOME AND HEAL YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW?

This is not common. This is amazing!!

I encourage you to not only read the gospels and these devotions about Jesus, but study them with the purpose of investigating Jesus, pursuing Him in a manner to know Him. When you read the text, ask yourself, what does this reveal to me about God?

Read John 1:1-18 and understand that Jesus is God in the flesh. If you want to know God put your eyes on Jesus and draw near to Him.

Consider that the following question is the most important question of your life.

What are you going to do with Jesus?

Treat Him as common or realize that He is truly the Son of God and we need to live according to that amazing truth!

Trent Dean

No Sick People Allowed

“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12).

Can you imagine a doctor’s office with a sign on the front door that said, “Sorry, no sick people allowed”?  If you are well, that sounds plain silly, but if you are sick, it sounds downright ridiculous.  Jesus would agree with you.  That’s the point Jesus is making to the Pharisees in Matthew chapter nine when He comes under criticism for eating with tax collectors and sinners.  Tax-collection took various forms during the time of Jesus, and whether Matthew was a simple toll-collector or a “tax-farmer” who collected taxes directly from individuals on behalf of the Roman government isn’t perfectly clear (or what’s most important).  To the Pharisees, it didn’t really matter what kind of tax-collector a person was – they were regarded as lousy scoundrels and lumped together with the shameful umbrella-term of “sinners”.  The New Testament uses the phrase “tax collectors and sinners” numerous times as an unfavorable description of those regarded as religious derelicts.  Nobody likes paying taxes, but tax-collection was highly susceptible to corruption and abuse with little recourse for the taxpayer in New Testament times (though, simply collecting taxes isn’t inherently sinful, ref. Luke 3:13).  Yet, here we have Jesus having a meal with a group of tax collectors and sinners in Capernaum (Matt 9:10). In fact, in the verse before, Jesus had just made a tax collector one of His disciples – his name was Matthew.  

By Matthew chapter nine, Jesus’ public ministry was accelerating.  His sermon on the mount left the crowds in amazement.  He spoke with authority that surpassed the scribes and let the multitudes know Jesus was no ordinary Teacher.  By now He’d cleansed lepers, cast out demons, and had even calmed a storm on the sea of Galilee.  By our standards, Capernaum was a small town on the coast of the sea of Galilee, and word travelled fast.  So, when Jesus took notice of a tax collector named Matthew sitting in a tax booth, it makes sense that when Jesus called him, he “left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him” (Luke’s account, Luke 5:27-28).

There is no “magic” in the words “Follow Me” without knowing who it is that says them to you.  Matthew’s decisive reaction indicates it is highly probable that he at least knew about Jesus and His ministry, if only from the outside looking in.  The Pharisees made sure people like Matthew knew their spiritual status (deplorable).  He was accustomed to being tossed in with the other “sinners” of society, regardless of how “honest” of a tax-collector he may have been.  So, when this lowly tax-collector hears the words “Follow Me” from the One who has power over demons, can heal the sick, calm the sea, and even forgive sins, there is no question in Matthew’s mind.  He hangs a “CLOSED” sign on the tax booth and follows Jesus.  I don’t think Matthew left any accounts unsettled, per se, (that certainly wouldn’t have made very credible discipleship), but this shows us where Matthew’s desires and priorities were. I think there might be a lesson there for us, don’t you?

If you are a tax-collector like Matthew, you aren’t used to being treated like this.  The only religious leaders you know have made it clear that you are not welcome in their company.  Not to mention, being a tax-collector is sort of like being an auditor…it makes it really hard to make friends.  So, it’s no surprise that Matthew gives Jesus a large reception at his house, and wouldn’t you know Matthew’s tax-collector friends and other sinners show up, too.  

The Pharisees are critical of Jesus to His disciples, saying, “Why is your Teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?
(Matt 9:11).  To the Pharisees, tax-collectors and sinners weren’t worth saving – better to keep a safe distance and let them die in their sin.  They had a “NO (SPIRITUALLY) SICK PEOPLE ALLOWED” policy.  But Jesus says that’s ridiculous.  

His response is barbed and compassionate at the same time.  I like the way Luke’s account says it:

“It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32

That last part catches me.  While it is true that righteousness needs no repentance, somehow I doubt this is Jesus acknowledging the righteousness of the Pharisees.  Actually, it seems more like the opposite.  The constant criticism of the Pharisees by Jesusthroughout his ministry focuses on their pride and self-righteousness.  Here, Jesus tells the Pharisees that He is here to help those people who have a heart of repentance! In a way, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that unless they have a heart of repentance, He can’t do much for them.

The other side of the coin is this: If you have a heart of repentance, Jesus says you’ve come to the right place.  He is in the business of saving lost sinners, and He does it for one reason only.  He loves us.  Consider these passages:

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

“We know love by this, that He [Jesus] laid down His life for us” 1 John 3:16

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins” 1 John 4:10

“We love, because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19

It’s difficult for the doctor to help if you don’t believe you are sick, but that wasn’t a problem for the diseased (Matt 8:1-4), lame (Matt 9:5), or demon-possessed (Matt 8:28-32).  I don’t think it was a problem for the “tax-collectors and sinners” crowd, either. Fortunately for them (and for us), Jesus understood His purpose.  Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus knew that even “tax-collectors and sinners” weren’t beyond saving when they have a heart of repentance, just like He explained to another well-known tax-collector named Zaccheus, “Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”  Luke 19:9-10  

Let’s be thankful we have a Savior that understands His purposeand shows compassion on those who have a heart of repentance.

Clay Whittemore

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus and his disciples were walking through grainfields and His disciples became hungry so they began to pick the heads of grain and eat. It was lawful for them to do so (Deuteronomy 23:25). However, this occurred on the Sabbath.

When the Pharisees saw this, “they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” The Pharisees were charging His disciples with breaking the law that they should not do any work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10). The Pharisees had gone beyond the Law of Moses and defined “work” in many specific ways and “they,” not God had decided that picking grain on the Sabbath to satisfy hunger was unlawful.

Jesus sought to help them understand more clearly His relationship to the Sabbath.

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28; Matthew 12:8).

He provides them the example of David as well as the priest who worked on the Sabbath, and both remained blameless. And here before them, is the “Son of Man,” “something greater than the temple.” Jesus is showing Himself to be the Messiah.

They are questioning God in regard to something God made for man.

They, the clay, are telling The Potter, what is right, and how He should conduct himself with the clay.

The creature is questioning The Creator.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you…” (Matthew 23).

Let us be careful lest we too fall into hypocrisy and allow our hearts to drift away and honor God with only our lips producing vain worship (Mark 7:6-8) as the Pharisees did.

Jesus was and is the Lord of all.

Let us follow Him and seek to learn from Him daily with all humility and reverence.

Trent Dean

Help For The Mission

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. - Luke 6:12

The mission of salvation to the whole world was a grand and important task in Luke chapter 6 we find Jesus engaging help from different angles. First in verse 12 we see Jesus in prayer to His father. Wow, so much can be learned here. First there is nothing wrong for calling in support and help for our mission. Secondly there is no better place to start than in prayer to the maker. He is willing and able to answer. Lastly this routine of short prayer is probably not the solution we are looking for. Deep, long prayer is the best approach. Jesus here prayed ALL night. He of all people had the wisdom and insight to go at life alone. But he knew the limitations of the flesh and called upon God for hours.

And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: - Luke 6:13

Now the men who would set the world on fire had been chosen. The men who would take the Gospel world wide were selected. Later in the ministry of our Lord, He would say of them: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8

These men would be His witnesses. They would serve as a mouthpiece to many. But before they were ready to serve as the Apostles of the church teaching was needed. Growth was needed. Throughout the gospel accounts we will see Jesus bring out the best in a few ordinary men.

Devin Allen

Think About How You Think

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that that you and your descendants might live! (Deut. 30:19). 

A person can totally rewire his or her brain by thinking about what we think and considering the how and why of what we think. We must commit to filling our minds with that which is good and godly. With that said, I find there is a huge disconnect in society about the idea of thinking. For one, people don’t and secondly it is easier to let someone else think for us. The Bible tells us, “to think on these things”, (Phil. 4:8) that which is good, wholesome and right. We must understand the moral instruction our God wants us to hear. Because that is exactly what Jesus is doing in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is giving moral instructions for our good always and if we adhere to that instruction – we change our thinking to what it needs to be for Him. Are we listening? He that has an ear let him hear the words of our Savior. 

Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge (Pro. 23:12).

The Bible teaches that God’s word is sure and steadfast and will never fade away. We must be willing to challenge our thinking so that it aligns with His word. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was not preaching to take away the Law, He was preaching to fulfill it. In doing so, the thinking and ideas of the scribes and Pharisees was counterproductive to the teaching and stood in opposition to His message. 

Happy are you if you do these things – blessed are you if you mourn, if you are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker. How much thinking is required ofus to change to what would glorify God? Jesus offers divine moral instruction as to how we should serve and please Him, while living on the earth He created. We must think thoughts that are pleasing to Him, before we can live a life that is pleasing to Him. 

You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, therefore let your light shine before men and glorify God (Matt. 5:13-16). Jesus is speaking as the ultimate moral instructor and commands us, and the crowds that were listening that day, to think about what they think and how they think. The Creator of the world desires that we be lights in this dark world and workers in the Kingdom. The question still—are we thinking enough about how to be a light, be a blessing, and glorify God? 

The all-encompassing “Sermon on the Mount” is one of the most important sermons we could ever hear or read. We are told so many good things we are to be and specifically how we should behave. Beware of practicing our righteousness just so somebody can see us do it. For that, God has no reward. And, don’t sound the trumpet when helping those in need. Jesus is calling us to think more about what we think, what we do, how we do it and why we do it than being like the scribes and Pharisees. 

Jesus teaches us how to pray, how to forgive, how to fast, how to lay up treasures and what are the true treasures. Jesus teaches us how to treat others and to bear fruit we must be a healthy tree. We must work toward spiritual maturity with a focused-deliberate effort with a purpose to please God. 

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teachings, for He was teaching as one who had authority, and not as their scribes (Matt. 7:28).

Isn’t it time that we became astonished at the teaching of Jesus to the point it changes our lives. Changes the way we think about our thinking. Jesus married the Law and the New Testament and the new teaching for the people of His day and forever, in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was living in a time of change and transition. At Jesus’ death, the Law of Moses would no longer be in effect and the new law would come into being. The way Jesus taught the crowds explained the change and transition that was happening. Jesus gave precise clarification as to what the Old Law really taught (as opposed to what people had come to believe about the Law). Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount was able to reveal how the new law would or would not change various aspects of the Law. Will you change your thinking for Him today?

And, You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end (Heb. 1:10-12). 

Hank Allen

Come To Me

“For John came neither eating nor drinking,” and Jesus “came eating and drinking, and they say”…”Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Matthew 11:18-19). People were rejecting both John the Baptist and Jesus, although their styles were the opposite. Eventually the wisdom of both would be justified.

Jesus then denounces certain cities where He had done many miracles because they did not repent. His culminating condemnation was of Capernaum, “for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless, I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you” (Matthew 11:23-24).

Jesus then goes on to say, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

This invitation, extended TO ALL, is threefold: (1) come and receive salvation; (2) learn in discipleship; and (3) serve in yoke with the Lord, which in contrast to the scribes, Jesus’ yoke is easy.

This invitation still stands today.

Are you tired of being tired and trying to make it in this life? Are you stuck in a vicious cycle where there is no satisfaction, no joy, no love, no peace? Are you empty, lacking fulfillment? Are you lost and wandering, hopeless?

Come to Jesus and learn from Him. He will show you the better way, God’s way.

He can and will transform you from the inside out, but you must come.

Trent Dean

Jesus Teaches In Parables

“All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and he did not speak to them without a parable.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.’” Matthew 13:34

Sometimes, things are just easier to understand with a story.  Parables are like that – short, simple illustrations that help explain something to the listener.  Sometimes parables and illustrations are needed to explain something new or difficult, or when previous attempts to explain have been unsuccessful. Here, using illustrations that are structurally familiar can help the listener internalize a message in relatable terms, like in Matthew 5:13-16.  Other times, parables are used to circumvent pride or unbelief.  In these cases, the listener observes the lesson safely from the third-person point of view, without the distortion of self-bias.  Such is the case with David and Nathan the prophet in 2nd Samuel 12, and between Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 21:28-45.

Matthew 13 is comprised almost entirely of Jesus teaching in parables to explain the nature of God’s kingdom to the multitudes.  Not only do these parables make great children’s bible class material, they are helpful to us in understanding how to think about God’s kingdom, and our place in it.  Here, Jesus talks about seeds, soil, wheat, treasure, pearls, fish, and dragnets – relating each to important principles about the kingdom of God.  Let’s consider some key principles found in these parables.

It’s Made of the Right Stuff

What do a farmer, a mustard seed, and leaven all have in common?  Well, usually nothing, but in the parables of Matthew 13 they each are used to show what happens when God’s word finds a home in the heart of a person who is honestly seeking the truth.  The parable of the sower (13:3-9,18-23) shows us what happens when God’s word is met with various attitudes in the heart of man.  The seed in this parable is the “word of the kingdom [God]” (v19), and the various soils on which the seed is scattered is the heart of man.  Seed that is sown on incompatible soil cannot grow, as any farmer will tell you.  But soil that is properly cultivated and fit for purpose will yield results many times over.  The point is simple and the conclusion inarguable: The word of God will not have its intended unless it is received with a humble, honest heart. It must be a heart that is made of the right stuff.

What has that to do with mustard seeds (1313:31-32) and leaven(13:33)?  These two parables have a very similar point and form a “double-teaching” – a commonly used devise in Jewish writing to emphasize something important.  They both take something that is small and demonstrate its ability to grow exponentially larger and have a significant influence well beyond the small scope of its original existence.  A mustard seed can be grown in the same soil as a tulip or sunflower, but tulips and sunflowers will never grow into a tree large enough for the birds to call home.  Why not?  They simply aren’t made of the right stuff.  

In other places we’ve seen leaven used as an example of evil (e.g. “beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” Matt 16:6).  Consider another place scripture mentions leaven – Galatians 5:9, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.” In that context, the apostle Paul is talking about the harmful effects of false doctrine.  What is so harmful in Paul’s context is that false doctrine doesn’t sit quietly by, minding its own business.  Like leaven, it spreads and has an influence significantly larger than the place it started.  But here, leaven is used in reference to something good – the kingdom of heaven.  Because of the properties of yeast (leaven), even a small amount would be able to work through a very large amount of flour until it was all leavened.  There isn’t anything magical about the leaven in this parable, it’s just leaven doing what leaven does.  That’s the nature of the kingdom of God.  It certainly had small beginnings in the hearts of a few believers, but the righteous influence of the kingdom of God has persisted since the New Testament church was established in Acts chapter two. That’s the nature of God’s kingdom – it’s simply God’s kingdom doing what it’s meant to do – grow.  I think there might be another lesson in here for us on making sure we are the “right” kind of leaven, but we’ll save it for another time.

Now, you may be wondering, what if I’m not the good soil? Or, where do I fit in terms of leaven and mustard seeds?  Remember, these parables are teaching us about God’s word, our hearts, and God’s kingdom.  The good news is, we get to decide what kind of soil we are, and the good thing about parables is that they make the right choice obvious.  If the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom 1:1), we need to be sure we have honest, sincere hearts ready to receive it.  If we do, then God’s word will produce fruit in us, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (Matt 13:23).  So, a change in one person who obeys the gospel can (and should) have a positive influence on many people.  I’ve heard it said, “real disciples make disciples.”  That was certainly the expectation that Jesus set in Matthew 28:18-20.  Jesus gave the great commission to a small group of believers 2,000 years ago and the kingdom of heaven has been existing and expanding ever since.  That sounds a lot like leaven and mustard seeds, if you ask me.

It’s Worth Everything We’ve Got (and more)

There’s another double-teaching in Matthew 13.  In verses 44-46 Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to treasure and pearls, which probably seems a little more appropriate than yeast and mustard seeds, but that’s the beauty of parables, right?  In one example, a man finds a treasure in a field, hides it, and joyfully goes and sells all that he has in exchange for the field, so that he may have the treasure that he found.  In the next example, a merchant in the pearl-trade finds a pearl of significant value and is willing to exchange all that he has in exchange for it.  

The implication here is, the worth of the treasure and the price of the pearl are far in excess of what was given in exchange.  If there was parity between the two, then why bother trading at all?  In this parable, Jesus is telling us that when we understand the true value of the kingdom of God, the decision becomes a no-brainer.  Jesus isn’t teaching that upon conversion we must turn over our bank accounts to the church treasury, but He is trying to get us to change the way we think about our lives from the purely physical to the eternal and spiritual.  Jesus would later teach in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Jesus wants us to view the world through a spiritual lens, first.

It’s a Special Kingdom for a Special People

There are two remaining parables in this chapter that complement each other well, and even though the one doesn’t directly follow the other in order of scripture, we might also consider the parable of the wheat and tares with the parable of the dragnet as a double-teaching.

The parable of the tares (v24-30, 36-43) depicts a final judgement that will separate the good (wheat) from the bad (tares), though both are allowed to exist and grow together until the time of harvest (judgement).  Initially, tares are indistinguishable from wheat, but eventually the differences between the two become evident, making it easy to separate the two at the time of harvest.

The parable of the dragnet (v47-50) is similar in principle.  A dragnet was not like a net thrown from a boat.  Instead, it was a huge net let down between two boats (or more) that would be dragged to shore, pulling in any and all fish along the way.  Once ashore, the good fish would be kept (preserved) and the bad fish would be cast aside (commended to judgement).  

Both parables are highlighting scenes of judgement and the separation of good and evil.  Judgement is a rightfully scary thought, but, remember what we have already learned in the parable of the sower – the soil represents the heart of man and we can choose to be good soil by having honest, sincere hearts ready to receive God’s word. The same applies to these last two parables. The point is that the righteous have no reason to fear judgement in the same way as the wicked, so let’s make sure we have a heart fully receptive to God’s word and eyes that continually view the world through the spiritual lens we find in scripture.

Clay Whittemore

Are You Amazed?

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep” (Matthew 8:24).

His disciples come rushing to Him and wake him, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”

Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.

The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Exactly! Who is this?

Later, Jesus would send His disciples ahead of Him in a boat, while He sent the crowds away and then went to the mountain to be alone and pray. In the early hours between 3:00-6:00 AM, He came to them, walking on the sea (Matthew 14:22-25). After Peter tried walking to Him and became frightened and sank, Jesus got into the boat and the wind stopped.

And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Exactly!

When Jesus came to the other side of the sea after the time he rebuked the storm and it hushed to calm waters, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way (Matthew 8:28).

But Jesus did. Jesus passed by that way.

The demon-possessed men cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Jesus cast the demons into a herd of swine and the entire herd rushed over the steep bank, into the sea, and perished.

Jesus demonstrates power and authority over nature and evil spirits. He is truly God in the flesh (John 1:14). For only the Creator has this degree of control over His creation. We are truly witnessing the Potter and His clay (Jeremiah 18).

Will you allow yourself to be amazed?

How does one watermelon seed create a large watermelon full of watermelon seeds?

Will you allow yourself to be amazed?

Jesus is the Son of God.

What will you do with Him? Your response to that question means everything.

Trent Dean

The Mission

Mission: a strongly felt aim, ambition, or calling.

The disciples were given a divine mission by the creator himself. It started with GO (Matt.10:5-6). This is the same exhortation given to Abraham to begin his divine mission (Gen. 12:1).

Go! That’s the start of our divine mission today. Go. Do not be comfortable where you are, rather go to the place He desires you to be. Too often we become complacent with where we are forgetting the task at hand (Matt 28:19).

Go and be discipled yourself and have a heart to disciple others.

On the the divine mission of Matthew 10, Jesus asks them to be less concerned with their own well being and more concerned with others.

Verse 10 he says no bag for your journey. Jesus also says the task will not be easy. In verse fourteen he tells them to move on and not worry about self pity, continue with the mission. The mission given the disciples was one needing wisdom and observation. The mission also demanded courage (Matt 10:16-19).

Thus today in our Mission at hand we need to first go. Second forget about ourselves. Thirdly acquire and apply wisdom. Lastly we need to be courageous.

The mission before the disciples is often referred to as the limited commission. Their faithfulness in this mission to go to the Israelites would prepare them for the Great commission of evangelizing the entire world.

Your mission today is preparing your for future missions. Have no fear, the task is at hand.

Devin Allen

Feed The Followers

Now when Jesus heard this, (the beheading of John the Baptist) He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place (around Bethsaida) by Himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed Him on foot from the towns (Matt. 14:13).

Generally referred to, as the period of retirement, or a matter of necessity of withdrawing from the crowds is taking Jesus away from Galilee. Thus, we leave the Great Galilean Ministry and enter the period known as the Retirement. In this time of Jesus’ ministry the crowds were running to Him and that is causing problems for our Savior. He and His disciples would find themselves in a series of withdrawals from the multitudes. They were continually trying to stay ahead of the crowds of people and often they did not have time to rest or eat. The crowds of people wanted to be with Jesusbecause of the miracles, because of the healings,and because they realized He spoke as one with authority not of this earth.

So, as we consider the feeding of the 5,000 and then days later the feeding of the 4,000 we must realize that the people were not following Jesus to receive a “free lunch”. They were following Jesus because they were beginning to have a believablerealization that there was indeed a Messiah among them! And, unfortunately some wanted to make Him an earthly king. The reason we have the Bible today is so that we can experience the same belief. Not only that we believe, but that we, with assurance, believe that He was in the tomb three days and arose so that we might live. The Bible is clear as to what Jesus’ mission and ministry was all about, to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). If we tried to duplicate what Jesus did on those two occasions we would find ourselves woefully inadequate and inept in our attempt?

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19; Isa. 61:1-2) 

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Feeding the followers was done because of the compassion of our Lord. Not to be the forerunner of a ministry to feed the multitudes hungry for physical food. Jesus offers spiritual food that if we receive it with believing hearts; we will never have to eat again. I’m not saying that there is never a time when it’s not needful for us to have compassion, and if we have the means, feed as many as we can. But, that is not the main point Jesus is trying to make when He fed the followers on those two occasions. He taught them many things on those days besides how to recline on the grass and have a meal. His mission was to glorify God and to reveal the power of God with “signs and wonders” to affirm the word. The power of the Gospel is to convict the unbeliever. To receive the blessing of a Savior in our life and renew our belief every morning that He is the only one that can grant me redemption. 

Jesus fed the followers, of that we can be certain. But, when the twelve baskets were collected after feeding 5,000, and the seven at the feeding of the 4,000. Jesus sent them away. He sent them away because they had been fed physically and spiritually. The later feeding was of more significance and offers eternal life. And, there was much more left for Him to do before He would go to the cross. But, Jesus would continue to have towithdraw Himself from the crowds of people. At this time in His ministry He is now less than a year away from His death.

I believe in the one they call Jesus. I believe He died on mount Calvary and I believe that He’s the answer for me. Jesus is the answer for us all. We all are in need of a Savior and one that can feed us spiritually so that we will never be hungry again. Would you not believe in the healing power of the Gospel and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, today?

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isa.61: 10).

Hank Allen

You Are The Christ

In Mark’s gospel account, there is a clear pattern that builds towards 8:27-33 and then the narrative turns.

27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.

“YOU ARE THE CHRIST.”

Reading through the gospel according to Mark up to this point reminds me of the following words that Jesus spoke to a group of Jewish leaders that were seeking to kill him:

“I say these things so that you may be saved…For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about Me that the Father has sent Me…You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5: 34b; 36b; 39-40).

In this conversation, Jesus explains to these Jewish leaders that not only did John the Baptist bear witness to who He is, but God the Father does by the works that Jesus was performing, and further, the Scriptures bear witness to who Jesus is and specifically He points out Moses as well bears witness to who He is.

The gospel accounts of Jesus bear witness to who He is.

One of the Jewish rulers, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).

Have you considered the evidence?

Have you examined John the Baptist’s witness? The witness of the gospel accounts? The witness of the prophets and Moses?

Who is Jesus?

If you, like myself and Peter, believe that He is the Christ, then you are ready to walk in newness of life. You are ready to be born again.

And just like the convicted Jews who were cut to the heart in Acts 2 you will do well to ask the same question: “Brothers, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37).

And just as Peter responded, I tell you, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Trent Dean

Sage Advice

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, an behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’”

Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7 & Luke 9:35

“Don’t just do something, STAND THERE!”  You’re probably thinking I got that backwards.  I thought the same thing when I heard my economics professor use that phrase in a lecture about the 2008 financial crisis.  He was making the point that, often when people (and governments) don’t know what to do, impulsive (and irrational) decisions can result from fear and uncertainty.  When faced with fear and uncertainty, that little voice in the back of our minds always seems to pipe-up and say, “Don’t just stand there, do something!”  Regardless of one’s political view on the 2008 financial crisis, sometimes “Don’t just stand there, do something!” isn’t the best advice.

That lecture always makes me think of the apostle Peter (bless him!).  Whether he’s rebuking Jesus’ foretelling of His suffering and death (Matthew 16:21-23), signing Jesus up to pay temple taxes (Matthew 17:24-27), or cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest during Jesus’ arrest (Matthew 26:37), when we read through the gospels we often find ourselves mentally urging to Peter: “Don’t just do something, stand there!”

Matthew 17 has another instance of that.  After leaving Caesarea Philippi, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain and is transfigured before them, “and His face shown like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (17:2).  Suddenly the three disciples saw two other men, Moses and Elijah (v3), talking with Jesus.  Luke’s account of this event in Luke 9:28-36 tells us they were speaking with Jesus about “His departure [death] which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (v31).  How the Peter, James, and John knew it was Moses and Elijah, I have no idea.  Moses lived over a century before the time of Jesus, and Elijah lived during the reign of King Ahab and Jezebel in the period of the divided kingdom.  It could be that they understood Moses and Elijah’s identities by overhearing Jesus talk with them, or it could simply be a part of the miraculous experience altogether.  Maybe they had name tags…who knows.  How they knew isn’t important.  What is important is that we recognize the significance of these Old Testament characters.

Peter immediately understood he was in choice company.  Moses and Elijah have legendary status to the Jews.  If you remember your Old Testament, Moses was the Law-Giver to Israel.  In fact, it is frequently referred to as the Law of Moses.  The “Law” in its specific sense, would have referred to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament).  Elijah was a major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his resistance to the idolatrous worship of Jezebel and her 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. He, like so many other prophets of God, tried desperately to turn Israel away from idolatry to back to God.  He was used in God’s final prophecy to Israel before the time of Jesus (Malachi 4:5) in reference to one sent from God to prepare the way for the Lord.  In Luke 1:17 we learned that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of that prophecy, and we are reminded of that again here in Matthew 17:13. 

Together with the Law of Moses, you have the Law and prophets; collectively, these represent the body of holy scriptures to the Jews.  In Luke 24:25-27, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus explained that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and enter into glory, “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets…[He] explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (v27).  Jesus was saying that all scripture (the Law and the prophets) pointed to Himself as the Messiah.

So here with the transfiguration in Matthew 17, we have Jesus with Moses and Elijah – the Law and the prophets.  I like that Luke’s account tells us they were talking specifically about Jesus’ “departure” that would take place “at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).  If Moses and Elijah represent the “Law and the prophets” and all scripture points to Jesus as the Messiah, what else would be more relevant to discuss than Christ’s death and resurrection?

As Moses and Elijah begin to leave, Peter interjects, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah – not realizing what he was saying” (v33).  But Jesus doesn’t answer Peter, God does.  “While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying ‘This is My Son, My Chosen One; Listen to Him!’” (Luke 9:34-35).

Poor Peter, another impulsive interjection, yet again.  The detail in Luke’s account seems to indicate that Peter simply wanted to honor Jesus, Moses, and Elijah before the two Old Testament heroes left.  Some suggest perhaps this is an attempt by Peter to persuade them to stay longer (though Peter, James, and John would have also needed a tabernacle, too, if that were the intent).  It seems like a noble cause to pay homage to Jesus, the Law, and the Prophets, but scripture says Peter doesn’t understand the implications of what he’s suggesting (v33). To build a tabernacle to honor Moses and Elijah alongside Jesus was equivalent to putting the Law and prophets on equal footing with Jesus. 

This event makes for an important application for us today.  God’s response to Peter reaffirms what you and I already know – Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets.  Moses and Elijah had significant roles in bringing God’s word to God’s people, but God’s message to Peter eliminates any possible misdirection of praise and honor – it solely belongs to Christ. Both Moses and Elijah were prophets of God, but Jesus is the Son and has no equal among men. 

The children of Israel were a nation of God’s people who enjoyed blessings of God’s promises and were a witness to the nations of God’s love for His people.  Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins replaced the old covenant (the Law and Prophets) with a new covenant that allows us to realize God’s blessings in His kingdom today.  We cannot rely on the Law and prophets to justify ourselves before God.  It is only by faith in Christ that we can draw near to God.  Like Peter, we must listen to Him!

Clay Whittemore

Go To The Scriptures

After Jesus fed the 5000, not including women and children (John 6:9-15; Matt. 14:21), He withdrew Himself so as to avoid their desire to take Him by force to make Him king. Jesus went to the mountain alone and sent his disciples into a boat to cross the sea to Capernaum. Later by night, Jesus walked to them over the sea and upon Him getting in the boat, they were immediately at land on the other side.

The multitudes could not find Jesus the next day so they sought Him out in Capernaum and when they found Him they questioned Jesus, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” (John 6:25) This led into a discourse including some difficult teachings from Jesus. Many of his followers departed from following Him.

“After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him” (John 7:1).

Things have become complicated. Jesus is very popular among many, yet most don’t understand who He is and or what He has come to do (John 6:14-15). However, there is strong opposition as well that wants to kill Him. Jesus is choosing His time and place and actions carefully so as to direct his path to the cross at the right time according to the will of His Father.

“Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near” (John 7:2).

Jesus says initially that He will not go, but eventually goes with the apparent plan to remain in secret, but He ends up teaching publicly in the temple (7:14). His teaching astonishes the people and ignites an array of responses:

“The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?’” (7:20)

“Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” (7:25-27)

“But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, ‘When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?’” (7:31)

“This certainly is the Prophet. Others were saying, ‘This is the Christ.’ Still others were saying, ‘Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?’” (7:40-41)

THEN FINALLY…

“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (7:42) “So a division occurred in the crowd” because they could not agree.

It is just like humans to talk and argue of their own mind instead of going to the appropriate source.

If you want to know if Jesus is the Christ, go to the Scriptures. They bear witness to the Christ. And then follow Jesus. You will have overwhelming evidence in which to base your faith that God has indeed made Jesus both Lord and Christ.

If you are reading this and you have not decided where you stand with Jesus, then let me encourage you to NOT listen to what men have to say. Forget what you have heard and read the Scriptures. They bear witness to the Christ and give overwhelming evidence to the fact that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ.

But don’t take my word for it. If you do, you may agree with me, but that is no way to establish or build the faith of a true disciple of Jesus and to discover salvation in Christ by obedience to His gospel.

Jesus is calling.

What will you do?

Trent Dean

The Resurrection

Giving hope to a grieving sister, Jesus said: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, - John 11:25

He was about to bring her brother back to life but the hope he offered her in that moment was not, “you will see him soon”. The hope was an all inclusive message WHOEVER believes in me shall live. Today Jesus offers us the same message of hope. Whoever believes can have life beyond the grave. Life with Him. He raised the body of Lazarus to prove His power.

Mary and Martha were much like many of us. They knew Jesus and they believed in Jesus but their faith was a bit limited. Jesus was ready to expand their faith. He received word that Lazarus was sick but He did not rush to Bethany to heal him. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. - John 11:6

Jesus had a mission all along of strengthening the faith of the disciples. In His earthly mission Jesus was laying out a path of belief for those around Him and those to read of Him latter. Reading of and knowing Jesus will produce faith and also offer hope beyond this life. Hope beyond the need for a Covid vaccine. Hope beyond being separated by death. Hope beyond the value of our bank account. Jesus is the other of Hope. We too often are the disrupters of hope. Mary and Martha both seemed distraught about their dear brother all while seeing Jesus face to face. The author of life, love and hope was right beside them and they were still grieved by all else that they could see.

Jesus would help them on their journey of faith, Jesus knows the faith starts as a seed and grows into a fruit bearing tree. Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" - John 11:40

Their current faith, though somewhat weak was able to lead them to seeing the Glory of Jesus. 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."

43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."

44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." - John 11:41-44

Unbind him! The bonds of death were broken. Man’s most fierce enemy shattered by mere words. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, - John 6:68

The word will triumph. The word has all the power. The word has all hope. The word deserves our utmost attention.

May our belief lead us to behold the Glory of Jesus.

Devin Allen

Total Commitment

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26).

We’ve all heard, and we may have said it ourselves, when children use the word “hate” we reply, don’t say hate. So the verse above begs the question, why does Jesus use the word hate? Love less would be an answer, but, if we examine it closer I think we could see that the love I have for Jesus Christ must make all other love look like hate. The love I have for my Savior must be first and foremost and being totally committed to Him and Him alone. I must love my family and my life far less than I love Jesus the Christ!

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).

There will be sacrifices that we will have to make if we are totally committed to Jesus Christ. Today’s society doesn’t know much about commitment because it takes away from our selfish desires and ambition. The charge in these verses is to deny self totally. In a serious effort to know Jesus Christ as our Savior we have an obvious challenge to surrender all. Surrender all, do His will, be His servant no matter the cost. No matter the sacrifices. Any commitment will cost us something but not committing to Jesus Christ will cost us our soul. 

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28) 

Because of our selfishness in this country and we are afraid of commitments. Making a commitment to something or someone takes something away from me. No one should have to sacrifice anything, right? Selfishness will kill a marriage, separate friends, turn people away and damage a pure heart beyond repair. Selfishness is the real epidemic in this country and causes much more damage. But we continue to close our eyes to the ugliness of selfishness and open our eyes to the temporal, self-seeking pleasures of this life. How utterly ignorant can we make ourselves. The materialistic temple we worship in this country blinds us to what really matters! Having an unadulterated relationship with Jesus Christ! Renew and fuel it every day with God’s word and live with a deliberate purpose to glorify Him!

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33).

To hear the words, we cannot be His disciple should certainly make us sit up and take notice of our life. Because, He desires that relationship and desires that all would come to repentance. If selfishness is coming between Jesus Christ and us then now is the time to change. One step in the right direction can and will motivate us to take the next step in the direction toward Him. Would you not take that step today to know the Savior and give Him complete and total commitment that will give you eternal life abundantly? 

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:34-35).

He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; “do this, and you will live.” (Luke 10:26-28)

What will your answer be and will you answer correctly?

Hank Allen

Receiving The Kingdom Like Children

Being 35 years old and working daily with middle and high school-aged students as well as having a 5-year old, 4-year old and 1-year old-son in the home provides me a great spectrum of behavior among human beings. I am immersed in the adult life of working, caring, and providing for my family and seeking to be like Jesus in all aspects of that work.

Through my daily life, I get to experience the everyday behavior of young children, young adults, and adults.

Raising three boys with my wife is challenging, but it is a work I am so thankful for and would literally NEVER wish for anything different. I have envisioned this role for many years and it is my goal to be a great (from God’s perspective) husband and father. Children are a true blessing and gift from God (Psalm 127).

Working with young adults is challenging as well but in a much different way. I am also extremely thankful for this work and love the young people I work with very much. Sometimes the more challenging ones I come to love the most (not always though).

There is something important that these two previous groups have in common. They have a huge capacity to learn and grow. They are super hungry to learn and grow and BECOME. Some kids have to have this hunger and the delight for learning and growing awakened, but it is there lying dormant and the right person or group can bring it to life, and of course, God plays a huge part in that.

The third group of people I get to be around on a daily basis are adults. I am blessed to be around great adults for the most part, but I still have witnessed over the years that it is common for adults to lack the qualities mentioned previously. And remember the basis for a hunger to learn and grow and BECOME is the humility and willingness to submit to a teacher(s) to help you as well as a vision to strive for. Oftentimes adults are so engrained in their sins that they are numb to them and their pride creates the equivalent of a bull in a china shop. They wreak havoc in their relationships everywhere they go. They struggle to be at peace with others. They struggle to continue learning and growing. They struggle to be amazed at the works of God and treat Him with awe and adoration. They struggle to serve others and care for others. They struggle in these many ways because they are NOT like children.

Mark 10:13-16

And they were bringing children to Him so that He would touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

Remember I said that some young adults have to have their hunger and delight for learning and growing awakened. The same is true for many adults, but the difference is that in many adults it has been lying dormant for years, I mean decades for some, and they are often filled with some of Satan’s most powerful traits, such as pride, and that pride has become DEEPLY engrained in their way of life.

I once read from writers Brenda Ueland and William Blake that our creativity comes from our imagination, which is created and given by God. Children so easily bask and play with their imagination. Oftentimes completely present and in the moment. Not worrying about what is to come or what happened before. This is a wonderful place to be. Adults, too, can find this place, but it doesn’t come as naturally for us.

Further, we must realize that constantly being connected to electronic devices robs us of this opportunity as well as dry and dutiful obligations. From Brenda Uellan’s experience, her child-like imagination is best cultivated when she is outside taking walks and observing God’s creation. I have discovered the same is true for me in regard to being outside and immersing myself in God’s creation. I have also found that it is extremely nourishing to that of my soul as well as my children. They love it. I promise you I can nourish my children’s heart, mind, and body far better by taking them on a hike in God’s creation than using anything that can be bought at Wal-Mart or Toys-R-Us.

I say all that to come to this point. If you are an adult, I plead with you to examine yourself. Be hard on yourself. See yourself from God’s perspective. See yourself from the perspective of your spouse or your parents or your best friend. Who are you? How do you think of others? How do you treat others?

Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these” in reference to the children. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

A great piece of advice I’ve heard from parents advising their daughters in dating is to watch the way a young man treats his mother and children because it is often an indicator of the way he will treat them. How do you treat those who are vulnerable to your words and actions?

Again, who are you? What kind of person are you?

Are you like a child and able to enter the kingdom of God?

Trent Dean

What Am I Still Lacking?

“Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30

If you could ask Jesus any single question face-to-face, what would it be?  Whatever your question would be, it probably relates to whatever is most important to you.  If we are honest with ourselves, we’ve probably all had times in our lives when our question to Jesus would have centered on something physical or secular.  Should I take that job in another state? Will I be able to retire on time?  Will I have a long, healthy life? Will my children grow up to be happy?  

But, if we are being spiritually minded our question would probably be closer to what the rich young ruler asked Jesus in Matthew 19:16: “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”  Isn’t that the ultimate question?  I mean, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters, right?  It is a blatant question placed squarely at the feet of Jesus with nowhere to hide.  The rich young ruler wants to get down to business (spiritually).

At first, we might be tempted to think dishonorably of the rich young ruler.  Is he trying to trap Jesus in His own words like the scribes and Pharisees?  I don’t think that’s the case.  He shows a keen interest in eternal life, and he tells us later that he’d diligently kept the commandments Jesus mentions ever since he was a boy (Matt 19:20).  Mark’s account tells us ran to Jesus and knelt before Him.  But, even if the rich young ruler did have ulterior motives, it doesn’t change what we can learn from Jesus’ answer:

“You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother’” (Mark 10:19).

The rich young ruler counters, “I’ve kept all these things from my youth up” (v20).

And so, Jesus gets down to (spiritual) business. “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’” (v21).

I like Mark’s account for the reason that it tells us that Jesus felt a love for Him.  The rich young ruler isn’t claiming perfect obedience under the entire law.  Jesus knows this, just like He knows the rich young ruler has kept those commandments since his youth.  But those commandments aren’t the problem for the rich young ruler.

Jesus says there’s something missing.  I suspect the rich young ruler knew there was something missing, too, else why would he be talking with Jesus about what other “good things” he needs to do to inherit eternal life?  The commandments that the rich young ruler is struggling with have nothing to do with lying, stealing, adultery, or murder.  They don’t really even have that much to do with the young man’s riches.  In fact, in so far as I can tell, there isn’t a commandment anywhere (old or new testament) that requires followers of God to sell everything they have and donate it all to the poor.  

So, is Jesus just making up new commandments on the fly, here?  No.  We can see what Jesus is doing by observing the rich young ruler’s reaction: “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property” (Matt 19:22).  

Jesus would later explain to scribes and Pharisees the “greatest command” in Matthew 24:27-38, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great and foremost commandment.”  I think that’s the principle that Jesus is getting at here with the rich young ruler.  He isn’t making up special rules.  Jesus is showing the rich young ruler what he really loves most, and turns out, it isn’t the Lord.  He leaves Jesus grieving because he knows the cost is too high.  He loves his wealth too much to give it up, even for eternal life.  We don’t know whatever became of the rich young ruler, whether he eventually came around or not.  But we do know at this point, he wasn’t ready to leave the world behind and follow Jesus.

It had nothing to do with money or property or possessions.  It had everything to do with placing God above his treasures here on earth.  The rich young ruler excelled in righteousness when obeying God caused no interference with what he cared about most – his great possessions.  When given the invitation to accompany Jesus and the twelve, he simply could not leave behind his earthly possessions.  A significant contrast to what we see in Jesus’ twelve disciples who left everything to follow Jesus.

Jesus then said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt 19:23-24).  It’s not impossible (v26).  But, I suppose what makes it difficult is that wealth and material possessions are so easy to love (and love more than God, especially).  To pursue wealth and possessions is to pursue society’s definition of happiness.  Want to be labeled as successful? Become rich.  Want to be happy? Make lots of money.  Want to enjoy life? Build financial security for yourself.  That’s what a secular-focused society will tell you.  But Jesus would tell you to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 5:33).  He would tell you to follow the greatest command.

So, what do we lack? Rich or poor, I think we can all relate to the rich young ruler in some way.  We can probably all understand how the pursuit of wealth can be an “idol” that we pursue above the Lord, but there can be other things, too.  This is where we have to be honest with ourselves.  The rich young ruler probably seemed “above reproach” to his family and friends, but Jesus knew his heart, and He knows ours, too.  We shouldn’t look down with scorn upon the rich young ruler as if he’s the only one who ever came to a spiritual crossroads and failed.  

Instead we should read this story with humility and heightened awareness. Here I see a young man who is trying to seek the Lord, but deep down knows there’s something standing between him and God.  When his fears are confirmed by Jesus, he is heartbroken, and goes away grieving.   If it can happen to the rich young ruler, it can happen to us, too.

We would do well to ask ourselves “What am I still lacking?”every now and then; better still, make that question a part of our prayers to God.  If He asked you to give up something you love in this life in order to be what He wants you to be, would you deny yourself and follow Him, or would you go away grieving?

Let’s make sure there is nothing in our lives more important than our pursuit of God.

 Clay Whittemore

The Path To The Cross Is Approaching

“Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead” (Mark 10:32-34).

This was the third time Jesus told them of His death and resurrection (see 8:31; 9:31). But they did not understand.

“The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said” (Luke 18:34).

The time was almost at hand and though he tells them three times the meaning remained hidden from them. Jesus was about to walk a lonely path that only He could walk. He knew this and would not turn back.

Jesus is the bravest, most courageous, most loving, most selfless Lord. He is my Lord and Savior. He is the name above all names and I will praise and glorify His name forever and ever. He is worthy!

When you are lonely or troubled or hurting or despairing please remember the following words:

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Trent Dean

Wanting Rank

Too often we want rank or we want recognition. We need credit for all that we have done or we need others to honor us.

Unfortunately to be in the Kingdom it takes the willingness to be a servant. The desire to serve rather than be served. Probably what prevents many hearts from being transformed is their unwillingness to be a servant. Weather it be at an all inclusive hotel or at our favorite restaurant we Americans are generally on the lookout to be served rather than give service.

Two dear disciples of Christ along with their mother were seeking position in the kingdom. They were seeking authority. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." - Matthew 20:21

This was the mother of James and John and in some respects a fair request. James and John were diligent workers in the Kingdom. Normal government rules would say that the most prominent members become rather exalted. Jesus takes this line of questions as an opportunity to remind them just how different the Kingdom of God is.

Jesus answered them with two profound reminders. First the pathway of Jesus’ exaltation was not a path many could follow. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, - Philippians 2:8-9

Jesus was indeed exalted He was placed on the throne but an examination of the process shows us He was first obedient to death and then glorified. Jesus’ let’s James and John know that they can not endure this path. It is only the perfect one who can endure the gruesome pathway.

The second reminder is the fact that none are exalted as rulers in the Kingdom but rather servants to others. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: - 1 Peter 4:10 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Galatians 5:13

The call of the heavenly kingdom is a call to servitude. We must follow the example of the ultimate servant (sacrificed His own life) and serve others. For the areas we are week Christ is serving as our mediator to God. We can pray for our weaknesses to be strengthened.

May we endeavor to serve more and rule less.

Devin Allen

Entrusted

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:13-14)

Luke 19:11-27 – Parable of a long journey and the ten pounds (silver/money) the nobleman gives his servants. 

In this passage of Scripture we find the parable of the ten servants. We also find Jesus in His final days on earth leaving Jericho making His way to Jerusalem. Jesus begins telling the people a story in parable form, as He had done many times before, to get His point across concerning the kingdom of Heaven. The crowd was listening; they wanted to hear what the Messiah had to say to them. Which I think is a significant point in our relationship to Jesus Christ is that we listen, to what our Savior has to say, as if we are on the same road from Jericho to Jerusalem with Him. He who has an ear let him hear. 

Jesus tells them a parable because He was nearing Jerusalem and wanted to give specific guidance tothe impression that this might indicate His kingdom would begin immediately. Some may have even believed the relatively short journey to Jerusalem – His kingdom would begin then and there. This is not to be. 

V.12 – He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. V.13 – Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of *silver, saying, invest this for me while I am gone.” 

• In other versions, ten pounds of silver (NLT) is referred to as ten minas. A mina is equal to about 100 days’ wages. This would have been a significant amount of money.

The nobleman, who in the parable is Jesus, would entrust the use and investment of this money to his servants. Today our Savior is entrusting His Kingdom to our servitude on earth to Him. He is telling us that we need to be workers in the kingdom. That we should work, invest and spend time in the Word of God so that we are always growing in our relationship with Him. A worker is to be engaged, having a focused attention to the growth of their spirituality and the act of bearing fruit. In other words, servants are given responsibilities and duties while the nobleman is away to which they must attend. 

Christ’ coming will be sudden and at an unexpected time. And the nobleman went on a long journey to a distant country thus again indicating this would not be immediate. The Almighty has scheduled the second coming and His time is not our time, nor can we conceive exactly what that says or especially when that is. It is our duty to prepare. Too often we try to think through how God thinks and we quickly find that it is not profitable or beneficial. Our sole concern should be to invest our time wisely in service to our King. 

Every tongue will confess and every knee will bow in confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom. 14:11). Of that we can be certain and, in His time. We are responsible for showing gains in our daily Christian walk. Jesus Christ must be at the forefront of our thoughts, goals and aspirations. He must be our King and we should be longing to know Him and freely engage in a relationship with Him. 

When the Crowned King returns He will want to know what our profits are. In fact, every secret thing will be revealed on that day and we will give an answer for all our deeds whether good or bad. We will desire, on that day, to hear those words spoken by our Crowned King, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

There will be no rooms in heaven prepared for worthlessness. The worthlessness that the servant showed when he chose to not make a profit. He had rather hide his abilities and keep them safe. To which Jesus will reply, you wicked and worthless servant. How can we have a single thought ofdesire to be worthless to our Savior? It will prove to be an unprofitable endeavor and life. And, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a Living God! (Heb. 10:31) Would you not know Him today and become a fruit-bearing servant that belongs to Him? 

And this I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly, and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:35). 

Hank Allen

Preparing For Burial

“Now the Passover of the Jews was near…” (John 11:55).

In John’s gospel, he mentions the Passover numerous times because he wants his readers to know and understand the significance of what was to happen in Jerusalem during the Passover.

Many Jews were already in Jerusalem and were searching for Jesus in the temple, and wondering whether he would come or not. The chief priests and Pharisees also sought Jesus, but their reasoning was malicious.

Instead, Jesus went to Bethany (located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than two miles from Jerusalem) to the home of Simon the leper (nothing specific is known of him), but Martha was there serving, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised was at the table reclining with Jesus, and Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with costly perfume (John 11:55-12:11; Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9).

The disciples, and apparently Judas, in particular, wanted to know why this costly perfume was not rather sold and the money used to help the poor. John, looking back and able to reflect on all the events that transpired provides us with insight that Judas was not concerned with the poor, but was a thief and would pilfer from the money box.

But hear Jesus.

“Let her [Mary] alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (John 12:9).

Of greater importance.

The disciples did not understand when Jesus foretold of His death and resurrection and here the understanding appears to still remain hidden from them.

But we must recognize that what Jesus is preparing to do is of GREATEST importance. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). We may be poor on this earth. We may not have much, but if we are in Christ we have everything. We are God’s child and God has promised us an inheritance. We are rich if we are in Christ. Jesus’s saving work is of GREATEST importance and Mary’s role in His preparation is not to be undermined by Judas or any of the other disciples’ lack of understanding.

It would be inappropriate and a misunderstanding to conclude from this passage that we are not to be sympathetic, compassionate, and generous to the poor, vulnerable, and needy. Jesus taught that when we do good unto these people, we do good unto Him (Matthew 25:40-45).

Therefore, rather than draw a wrong conclusion about helping the poor, let us see the significance of Mary preparing Jesus for His death.

Imagine how troublesome and difficult it would be to have the knowledge and understanding of Jesus and be just days away from the pain, suffering, ridicule, humiliation, mockery, and excruciating torture of death upon a cross. Pause and imagine that. See it before you and imagine it is you that must endure it. Is your heart beating a little faster now? Are you beginning to perspire? You would if you truly crawled into His skin and felt as He would feel.

Being here in Bethany with people that He loved was an important aspect of Jesus preparing Himself to endure what was to come with masterful obedience.

What do you do when difficult times are coming? And remember you don’t always know they are right around the corner.

Do you handle them like Jesus? Do you continually prepare yourself? Are you prepared now? Are you ready for the return of Jesus? Are you in a saved condition?

Do not take lightly the gospel of Jesus. My life, your life, all of our lives depend upon it.

Trent Dean

The Triumphal Entry

“The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!’”

Matthew 21:9 (cf. Mark 11:9-10, Luke 19:37-38, John 12:12-13)

What is your purpose in life?  Having (and finding) purpose in life is important.  Without it, we can find ourselves living life adrift, without a sense of meaning.  It can make for a hollow existence.  Understanding our purpose and keeping it keenly in focus helps us navigate through the speed-bumps and challenges of life.  Without a sense of purpose to anchor us in life, we are tossed to and fro by every wind and wave. 

One of the most remarkable observations about Jesus, especially in the final week leading up to His death on the cross, is His laser focus on His mission and purpose.  Here in Matthew 21, Jesus has departed from Jericho and is approaching Jerusalem.  Jews from all over are en-route to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover, but for Jesus, Jerusalem something much greater than the Passover feast awaits.  In the previous chapter, He explained to His disciples that He would be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and that He would be condemned to death, scourged, mocked, and crucified, and would be resurrected on the third day (Matt 20:17-19).   That was His purpose.  He would later explain it to travelers on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24: “‘Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (v26-27).  Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.  The “law and the prophets” refers to the collective law of Moses and writings of the prophets that we think of as the Old Testament.  Throughout it we find the consistent theme of a Savior, the Messiah, who would fulfill God’s plan of redemption for mankind.  Jesus said of himself in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  Jesus certainly did fulfill the Law in living in perfect obedience and giving His life in submission to God’s will on the cross for us.  He also fulfilled the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament prophecies given to the nation of Israel about the coming Messiah.  

One of those messianic prophecies is here in Matthew 21.  Bethphage is a city near the Mount of Olives (and Jerusalem).  When arriving there, Jesus sends two of His disciples into the village on an errand.  He says, “Go into the village…and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.  If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them” (v2-3).  

Now, look what verses 4-5 say:

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

That prophecy is from Zechariah 9:9.  If you’ve read through Zechariah, you remember what a prophecy-rich book it is.  Though Jesus met frequent resistance from the scribes and Pharisees, He did have many who believed in him and followed him.  After His disciples brought back the donkey and her foal, they used their coats as a make-shift saddle and others spread their coats and palm branches into the road ahead of Jesus as a way to honor him.  As He rode, the people ran ahead of Him, shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” The word Hosanna means “save now”, which is a phrase found in Psalm 118:25.  It’s the same psalm that reads “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone” (v22), which you may remember is quoted by Jesus in reference to Himself later in Matthew 21:42.

There’s also something important about the phrase “Son of David” in verse 9.  Yes, we know that Jesus was a descendant of David, but they aren’t saying that to prove their ancestral-expertise.  David’s lineage is important because of the covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7:8-16.  Part of that covenant is pointed toward David’s son, Solomon, but in that covenant God promises David that his house and his kingdom will be established forever(v16).   When Jesus’ followers call Him the “Son of David”, they are saying that Jesus is their King. Mark’s account says it plainly, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!”  These people recognize Jesus as the Messiah and are calling for the establishment of the messianic kingdom.

We can see where the Davidic-kingdom part is significant, but what is so important about the donkey and her colt? (Or is it?)  It makes a good children’s story and movie scene, but I wonder whether Jesus’ riding this colt atop the coats and palm branches laid in the street is more for us than it is for Jesus.  I personally think Jesus could have made it without the colt.  He walked everywhere He went, and there was that time in Matthew 4 where He fasted in the wilderness for forty days and nights. He’d already walked most of the way from Jericho to Jerusalem (15 miles).  The Mount of Olives was only a short trip across the Kidron valley from Jerusalem.  Jesus didn’t need the donkey and colt to get where He was going.  So, why bother?

For me, this goes back to Jesus’ laser-focus on His purpose – to fulfill His role as the Messiah.  The cross was the culmination of Jesus’ mission here on earth, but all along the way Jesus leaves His disciples (and us) evidences in the form of fulfilled prophecies that show who He was.  Simply put, this is the Messiah doing Messiah-things, and fulfilling messianic prophecy is certainly part of that.  I like how John’s account says it: “These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him and that they had done these things to Him.”  

Riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey, doesn’t seem like much.  It is incredible to me that Jesus knew the crucifixion awaited Him in Jerusalem in only a matter of days, yet here, He takes care to see that this seemingly minor messianic prophecy is fulfilled.  Why? He did it for His disciples, and for us. That’s why He’s the Messiah – for us.  We are the ones who need saving, and it is for us that He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets about Himself, even as He turned His face toward Jerusalem and the cross.

It was God’s plan for Jesus to be our Savior, and Jesus’ focus never left God’s will and purpose for Him as the Messiah.  Let’s follow Jesus’ example and make God’s will the focus and purpose of our lives, too.

 Clay Whittemore

Cursing The Fig Tree And Clearing The Temple

Yesterday Jesus had entered the temple in Jerusalem, looked around, and then left for Bethany with the twelve since it was already late (Mark 11:11).

The next day, Jesus had left Bethany and was heading for Jerusalem and saw a fig tree with leaves (meaning the figs would likely be produced as well). Jesus approached and found that it did not have figs and said, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” (Mark 11:12-14)

This incident with the fig tree is a lesson (“His disciples were listening”) for His disciples that correlates to what is about to transpire in the temple in Jerusalem.

When they came to Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple. Jesus would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple and He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” (Mark 11:15-17)

The temple was supposed to be a place of worship, but true worship had disappeared. The fig tree showed promise of fruit, but it produced none. Jesus was condemning religious life without substance. If you claim to have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the barren fig tree, producing no fruit. Genuine faith has great potential to bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Further, we must notice that Jesus rightfully was angry about the sin and injustice that was taking place in the temple and He took a stand against it.

After the events of day two, the chief priests and scribes began seeking how to destroy Jesus, although they were afraid of Him, for the crowds were astonished at His teaching (Mark 11:18). Come evening they went back to Bethany and spent the night there (Matthew 21:17).

Jesus is carefully controlling His path to the cross just as He has been all along.

May we be careful to obey God in all things and bear fruit from our genuine faith as well as be strong and courageous in the world standing against sin and injustice as our Lord Jesus did.

Trent Dean

The Power Struggle

As the earthly ministry of Jesus reaches a climax the rulers of Jerusalem are making plans to rid the land of Jesus the king. This idea of the masses following Jesus and listening to Him frightened the people in power. It wasn’t so much that they disagreed with Jesus it was more so that they were fearful of His power. Thus they asked the question: “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" - Mark 11:28

They were looking to make is power illegitimate. If He had no real authority then they could keep there reign of authority. Today we often ask a similar question. “ Does the Bible really say that” or we say “that’s just your interpretation” as a way to make the Biblical judgment against us illegitimate. See we still want control and power over our lives and we are unwilling to give full control to Jesus as His word. In AD 36 there was a power struggle in Jerusalem and in 2020 there is a power struggle in our hearts.

Jesus responds to them as He often did, with a question. He asks the question to get their minds engaged. 29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me." - Mark 11:29-30

They all knew the true answer. But they knew admitting the true answer had consequences in there lives. I have seen many people walk away from the truth of the gospel because they were afraid to change and afraid to give total control to the King. 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

32 But shall we say, 'From man'?"-they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." - Mark 11:31-33

“We do not know” was a total lie. Just as today when we say “we can’t understand the Bible” we lie. It’s easy to understand the Bible on marriage and divorce but we live in “ignorance”because we fear the consequences of truth. It’s easy to understand how the local church needs to be organized but we live “ ignorant” because we want to do it our way. I pray that we will fully give power and authority to Jesus. It was His desire for us to know His word and thus we can. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:21”

We know Him or can know Him but too often we will not submit.

10 Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" - Mark 12:10-11

The crux of the final week was this: the foundation of the kingdom was before the Jews. God placed a perfect foundation in front of them but instead of building a life on the rock of Christ they stumbled to their own demise.

Let’s give Him the power and authority over our hearts and minds. Let’s build our lives on the rock of Christ.

Devin Allen

Wonderful Counselor

“Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, what will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver (Matt.26: 14).

Betrayal at any level, any time and in any form is awful. But, the betrayal of the Wonderful Counselor is utterly repulsive and unthinkable! To think that one of the “inner circle” (the chosen 12) would betray our Savior. Nevertheless, prophecy must be fulfilled but that doesn’t make the reading any easier. There would be no way to know how many times Judas would have heard Jesus speak against betrayal. Jesus spoke concerning love of your brothers, your enemies, your neighbor as yourself and any numerous subjects that would have left no doubt that betrayal in any form was wrong. Satan entered Judas and possessed his heart so that his thinking was turned upside down and the course was set. It is sad but Judas would never wavier from that course until he hung himself and took his own life. Judas the disciple of Jesus was now a servant of the devil and thirty pieces of silver would be his instant gratification but the reality of this awful deed would take his life. 

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heal against me (Psa. 41:9). 

It would have been difficult for the other disciples to conceive the sin that Judas would commit because of the magnitude of the corruption. They did not understand. They had also heard for months of Jesus’ approaching death and the atrocities associated with that act but because of the enormity of that deed they failed to understand. Just as they could not conceive the wicked plan Judas had devised they could neither conceive that Jesus would be arrested and killed in the fashion He had described. 

Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? (John 14: 8-9)

“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (John 12: 38)

The disciples were with Jesus more than anyone and they too did not conceptualize the death and betrayal of our Savior. Their eyes have been blinded and their hearts hardened from the facts and reality of what was happening. We can get in this same situation if we are blinded and our hearts become stubborn to the facts of the incredible Deity of our Savior. If we fail to realize that He came to earth for one purpose and one purpose only, and that was to grant me salvation. But, what if I am blinded to the point that I love the glory that comes from men more than I love the glory that comes from God. Instant gratification we will have and that will be our reward. The accolades we love to hear especially when my name is attached can cause us to be on a similar course as to where we find Judas. We can gain the whole world but lose our soul and if we miss heaven we’ve missed it all. 

There is danger in hearing how great I am over and over again. We forget who really is great, Jesus the Christ. We give opportunity for Satan to enter and possess our heart. We all are in need of a savior and He is always the answer. The disciples were challenged with believing just as we are today. We must believe, truly believe and accept Him as our Savior and King! Blessed be the Lord!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6)

Hank Allen

Are You Prepared?

The following events and content happened on the fifth day of Jesus’ final week leading up to his death and resurrection.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (Matthew 26:17) This is the day that the Passover lamb was being sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John (Luke 22:8) and gave them very specific instructions, which they followed, and they were able to find the “large, furnished upper room” and they prepared the Passover there.

Peter and John’s preparation would have included setting the table and buying and preparing the Passover lamb, unleavened bread, sauces, and other ceremonial food and drink.

It would seem Jesus stayed in Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem on the opposite slope of the Mount of Olives until the time to go and partake of the Passover meal. The time is at hand and things begin moving very quickly in the coming hours and days. This is reminiscent of the calm before the storm.

And it is with this notion of “the calm before the storm” that I want us to ponder.

Jesus knew and was controlling his path to the cross, but we often do not know the storms in our life that are about to fall upon us. Therefore, we must live in a way so as to always be ready, prepared.

Being ready and prepared does not mean living with anxiety and continually anticipating trials and suffering. It has more to do with our life being an honest reflection of true discipleship.

For example, a runner who trains daily is ready to be tested at any time. The runner is fit and strong and ready to run the given distance and handle the difficulties of the race. On the other hand, the runner who trains sparingly and is inconsistent or only trains when they feel like it is not ready to be tested. They will not perform well. They are not prepared.

This example parallels that of true discipleship.

But consider it from Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25):

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Is your daily life a reflection of true discipleship to our Lord Jesus?

Are you ready for His return?

Trent Dean

The Purpose Of Jesus

“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name.”

John 12:27-28

Yesterday was Sunday.  Sunday has been a special day for Christians since the first century because it is the designated day in scripture when local Christians assemble to worship the Lord and observe the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7).  Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper on the night he was betrayed.  The gospels record this in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13.  I like that we have the separate gospel accounts to tell us about the first Lord’s Supperand the events surrounding Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.  Rather than being redundant, they give us different perspectives that help make our understanding of Jesus life and teachings more complete.

One example is in Matthew’s account.  In Matthew 26:28 as Jesus passed the cup to His disciples, He said “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (v27-28).  This is consistent with what the apostles taught the first century church after Jesus ascended into heaven: “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7); “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13).

In another example, Luke includes Jesus’ instruction to “do this in remembrance of Me” in sharing the unleavened bread with His disciples (Luke 22:19).  Scriptures like Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 show us that the first century Christians continued to assemble for worship on the first day of the week as regular practice.  Earlier in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Paul’s writings are consistent with Jesus’ instructions in the gospel accounts of the Lord’s Supper.

But through the unique perspectives of the gospel accounts we still see the consistent message and theme around Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross.  Matthew and Mark both quote the messianic prophecy from Zechariah 13:7, “I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.”  Luke and John read more directly:  “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15), and “Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father…” (John 13:1).

Yesterday, as I was focusing on the Lord’s Supper and these passages, I found myself coming back to these two key points:

1. Forgiveness is in the Blood

Jesus makes it easy for us to understand.  He flat out tells us His blood is “of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” (Matt 26:28)  Under the old law, animal sacrifices were required as a result of sin, but the writer of Hebrews tells us that it is “impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:4).  Instead, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (v10). Here’s another one from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us” (Eph 1:7-8).  The purpose in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is to make possible the forgiveness of sin and reconciliation of man to God.  Said differently, if we want forgiveness of sin, then we need the blood of Jesus.  We won’t find forgiveness anywhere else.

2. Jesus Died for Us On Purpose

Shortly after instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus led his disciples out to the Garden of Gethsemane, separated Himself a short distance and began to pray, being grieved over His suffering He was about to endure.  Not long after, Judas, one of the twelve, led a large crowd out to arrest Jesus, scattering His disciples.  Jesus was brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, the scribes and the elders, where they continually sought false witness against Him, but those efforts were unsuccessful.  Finally, the high priest asked Jesus plainly to admit once and for all whether He was the Christ, the Son of God.  He responded, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds in heaven” (Mark 14:62).  At this, the high priest tore his clothes.  To claim to be the Christ, the Son of God, was to make oneself equivalent to God and was considered blasphemy, except, for Jesus those things were true.

For the Jews, blasphemy was punishable by death, which required Roman authority.  After a mock-trial before Pilate (Roman governor), Jesus was scourged, severely beaten, and crucified.  If we were to ask Caiaphas the high priest, or any of the Pharisees, they would say that their plot to kill Jesus had finally worked.  They’d finally won against Jesus.  But if we look at what Jesus taught in the scriptures, we come away with a different understanding about who is in control – and it isn’t man.  On a side note, I think there might be a lesson in there for us today on remembering who is in control – don’t you?

Jesus, however, understood where things were headed from the beginning.  In fact, He teaches us that His purpose in coming to earth was to be a sacrifice for us – to suffer.  In John 10 He says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (v11).  And then later, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father.” (v17-18) In John 12 when Jesus was foretelling His death, He said, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name.” (v27-28).  Jesus knew things were about to get hard, but He knew He had to remain true to His purpose.

He also could have stopped the whole thing altogether.  When being arrested, Jesus called a halt to his disciples who drew swords in His defense, saying, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (Matt 26:53-54)  And, just for reference, remember that time in 2 Kings 19:35 when the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers encamped against King Hezekiah in one night?  Jesus isn’t here by mistake. Jesus hasn’t been tricked into checkmate.  Nor did He die on the cross due to an unplanned, unfortunate escalation of events at the hand of a mob during the Passover feast in Jerusalem.  It wasn’t that He took things a little too far in his transformational ministryand over-stepped His bounds.

Jesus knew His purpose was the cross from the beginning.  

Jesus died for us on purpose – He meant it when He did it.

He could have changed His mind, if He wanted.

But He didn’t.

Instead, He resolved in Himself to carry out God’s plan of redemption for all of mankind.  Let’s go back to the Garden with Jesus in Matthew 26:39, 42, and close there.

v39: “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”

v42: “He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.’”

It was God’s plan for Jesus to be our Savior, and Jesus’ focus never left God’s will and purpose for Him as the Messiah.  Let’s be thankful that we have a Savior who was resolved to carry out God’s plan for our redemption.  Let’s follow Jesus’ example and make God’s will the focus and purpose of our lives, too.

Clay Whittemore

Was Jesus Really Raised From The Dead?

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of Christianity. If Jesus was raised from the dead, we must conclude there is a God. How else could he have been raised? Thus, the resurrection of Christ proves that God exists. If Jesus was raised from the dead, Jesus is indeed the Son of God (Romans 1:4). If Jesus was raised from the dead, the word of God is true.

The resurrection of Christ is the “hub” of the gospel. All that Christianity involves revolves around that “hub.” Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15:14-18 that if Christ is not raised, preaching is vain, faith is vain, the apostles are false witnesses, and we all are still in sin. A Christian’s faith, salvation, and hope all center on the resurrection of Christ.

What evidence is there that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead?

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The link just above will help you consider important evidence, but what follows is specifically what is recorded in the gospel accounts.

Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-9

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened (Luke 24:1-12).

The angels reminded the women that Jesus had told them that all this was to happen and it has now come to pass (9:22, 44; 18:31-33). After this Luke records Jesus appearing to two believers on the road to Emmaus as well as Jesus appearing to the disciples behind locked doors as well as in Jerusalem and in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul writes of some of Jesus’ other appearances after His resurrection and prior to Him ascending back to heaven.

Reading 1 Corinthians 15 also helps us better understand the kind of body we will be given at the resurrection of the dead.

If like me, you have come to know that Jesus is the Son of God and that He was truly raised from the dead then it is time for you to respond in obedience to the good news. Reach out to me and ask, “What should I do?” I will point you to the Scriptures and allow them to instruct you in your obedience to the good news of Jesus Christ.

And to my fellow brothers and sisters, I exhort us with 1 Corinthians 15:58.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Trent Dean

A New Regime

Joe Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States.

A new administration, new policies. Different cabinet members. I’m sure a lot of changes in the capital city. However, we still have three branches of power, a system of checks and balances.

Some two thousand years ago there was an inauguration of different sorts in a different capital city. The kingdom of our Lord was established in its complete and predestined state. King Jesus had taken His seat at the right hand of God and the statutes of the kingdom were to be delivered. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, - Hebrews 1:3

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8

The King was in place and all that was needed was an invitation of the citizens. Jesus had given the chosen twelve the power and authoritative words of His kingdom and the first words of this new kingdom were to be spoken on the Day of Pentecost.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:19

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. - Isaiah 2:3

Isaiah, Joel and Daniel all spoke clearly about this glorious day and that great Pentecost crowd was there to witness the power of God and hear the power of His word. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. - Joel 2:28

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, - Daniel 2:44

The days “of those Kings” had arrived the culmination of so many prophets was at hand. Out with the old and in with the new. Out with the old law and in to the era of Grace. No not much will change a week from today but very much changed on that Pentecost.

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. - Acts 2:1-4

Pete would exclaim that the prophesied days were at hand. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: - Acts 2:16

He would exclaim that the great kings of old were mortals but this new king was immortal. "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. - Acts 2:29

As he speaks of the immortality of Christ and His authority to serve as an everlasting king, he reminds them of their guilt. He exclaims that they killed this King. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." - Acts 2:36

Hearing of their guilt and fearing the wrath of the King, those gathered asked a very important question. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" - Acts 2:37

Peter gave a simple answer Peter gave the way to satisfy the wrath of the King and the avenue to be added to the kingdom. And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. - Acts 2:41

They would continue to walk in the paths laid out by the apostles and the rest of the New Testament will detail further the ways of the kingdom. The New Testament will also show us the struggle many had accepting the new kingdom.

Are you ready to avoid the wrath of the King and be added to His kingdom? If so ask the same question those did thousands of years ago and obey the same statutes they did.

Glory to the King!

Devin Allen

Face Of An Angel

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6: 7-8)

Stephen is one of the seven selected by the Apostles to address a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews (non-Palestinian Jews who normally spoke Greek). The complaint was that their widows were being overlooked by the daily serving of food. This problem had to be resolved by those selected, so the Apostles could continue preaching the Gospel without hindrance. And these (the seven) were brought before the Apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6). Stephen, now full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Stephen was a great asset to not only the Apostles, but more importantly, in the cause of Christ and the furtherance of the Gospel.

Stephen was a man full of the faith and was strongly committed to the cause and ensuring that Christ and Him crucified was preached. Grecian Jews were present in the synagogue and this group began to debate Stephen. They had no understanding as to what they were up against. In fact, this group was unable to answer Stephen’s arguments. They resorted to giving false information about Stephen and secretly inducing men to say that Stephen was guilty of blasphemy against Moses and against God. 

And fixing their gaze on him (Stephen), all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel (Acts 6:15). It is somewhat difficult to say exactly what the council saw and equally what they were expecting to see. They may have expected to see fear in Stephen’s face since Stephen would have been greatly outnumbered. But, if we were to examine Stephen’s speech there is zero evidence that Stephen would have had any fear for these men. We can with confidence know that Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and God fearing. Stephen had one thing on his side that these men failed to see and that was the power of God. 

As the confrontation continues Stephen takes over and is like an extremely skilled defense attorney that leaves those in the courtroom speechless. Stephen convicts them with a complete and specific discourse of the faith beginning with Abraham. Stephen held no punches and because of his compelling address to the Sanhedrin is the first to die for his faith. Stephen was a defender of the faith, intent on preaching truth and because it is truth—it successfully convicts his listeners. 

Stephen gives the council a history lesson and reveals the Messiah and Savior in one short sermon. In Acts 7:2-8 Stephen tells the council of God’s calling of Abraham and the land he promised Abraham’s descendants. He tells them of the slavery God’s people would suffer and then of their deliverance. The sign of that Covenant given would be circumcision. Isaac was born, then Jacob, then the 12 patriarchs and their rejection of theirbrother (Joseph) God had selected as their deliverer (Acts 7:9-16). Joseph is sold into Egypt to be a household servant, he was then wrongly accused and sent to prison. But, by the hand of God, Joseph was made ruler of Egypt and saved his people from famine; which included his brothers that had sold him into Egypt many years earlier. 

The Law did not add a new condition to the Abrahamic Covenant of faith. It would be by faith that Abraham obeyed and went to a foreign land that he would receive for an inheritance. He left his home not knowing where he was going. (Heb. 11:8)

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord (Heb. 13:20).

What I am saying is this:  the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise (Gal. 3:17-18). 

Then there arose a Pharaoh that knew not Joseph.  (Act 7:17-38) Time approached for God to fulfill the land promise. God’s people multiplied and increased in Egypt and it caused the leaders of the land to be afraid. They oppressed the people and demanded that their babies be put out to die. Moses was born about this time but he was rescued as a baby. Moses felt compassion for his fellow Israelites and at 40 years old, was committed to deliver them. But, he was rejected and he left Egypt to avoid further ridicule. God sent the rejected Moses back, years later to be the ruler and deliver of God’s people. 

This would not be the last time that the people would reject Moses and in essence, reject God. In Acts 7: 39-50, Stephen says, “Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him (Moses), but repudiated him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They enlisted Aaron to make a golden calf so as to worship. The children of Israel were more interested in seeking a god than seeking The God. 

In Acts 7: 51-60 Stephen ramps up his argumentby making a direct charge to the Sanhedrin council as, “You men who are stiffed necked and uncircumcised in heart”. With this, he also tells them that they were just like their fathers in that they rejected the Holy Spirit. This was the straw that broke the camels back, as we say. V.55 - They were “cut to the quick” and began gnashing their teeth and enraged to the point that the only remedy for them was Stephen’s death. 

Stephen was the first person killed for having faith in the resurrected Savior. The charges brought against Stephen were erroneous and therefore killing Stephen was wrong and without any merit. The thing that cost Stephen his life was exactly what he signed up for—he preached the Truth! When the heavens opened and Stephen saw his Savior he was at peace and he knew without a doubt he was going home. The people that stoned Stephen laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul (future Apostle). Ironically, the Apostle Paul preached the truth with the same passion as his brother Stephen, and it too would cost him his life. Let us with passion preach Christ and Him crucified every day we live. To God Be The Glory!

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). 

Hank Allen

The Conversion Of Saul

While Stephen was being stoned, the robes of the witnesses were laid at the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58). Acts 8:1 says Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death and in Acts 9:1 we learn that Saul was breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord Jesus. Saul went to the high priest to receive authority to go to Damascus and bring any disciples of Jesus back to Jerusalem bound (Acts 9:2).

It was on this trip to Damascus that a sudden light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” And Jesus said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with Saul stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank (Acts 9:3-9).

Jesus spoke to a disciple at Damascus named Ananias in a vision telling him what he must do in regard to Saul. Ananias was initially hesitant due to Saul’s reputation as one who persecuted Jesus’ disciples, but Jesus told Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:10-16).

Ananias did as he was told by Jesus. Immediately there fell from Saul’s eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight. Saul got up and was baptized, and he took food and was strengthened (Acts 9:17-19).

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus and immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed and were startled by his dramatic conversion and transformation into a disciple of Jesus. Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews by proving that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 9:19b-22).

Saul carries right on with proclaiming Jesus to Jews and eventually Gentiles. As he begins spending more time in Greek-speaking regions, he uses the Greek name, Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul relates to the disciples of Jesus at Corinth details of his ministry:

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Paul truly did suffer greatly for Jesus’ namesake. Paul saw himself as owing a great debt to the Lord and because of that, he had a tremendous drive to serve Him faithfully. And herein lies a critical lesson for us all. If we are arrogant and self-righteous we will not recognize the tremendous debt we owe the Lord and we will lack being compelled in the manner Paul was, but on the other hand, if we understand the great mercy and grace that has been bestowed upon us and see ourselves for the wretched sinners that we are, and truly realize the astounding gift of forgiveness from our Lord then we will be driven to serve Jesus mightily. We will be driven to sacrifice for Him. We will be driven to set aside our selfish desires, discover His will, and aim to please Him in all things. We will even be willing to suffer much if necessary as Paul did. We will do whatever our Lord, our Master demands of us and we will do it with a joyful heart.

May Saul’s conversion inspire the lost to turn from their ways and follow Jesus. And may the strength and courage of the same man later called Paul inspire all disciples of Jesus to recognize the tremendous debt we owe and with gratefulness serve Jesus mightily.

Further, consider the weighty evidence that Saul’s conversion carries to convince the skeptical that Jesus is in fact the Son of God.

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Trent Dean

The Gospel Is For All

“Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.’”

Acts 10:34-35

Imagine yourself as a Gentile in the days of the Old Testament.  As bible students, we immediately race back to God’s threefold promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and His covenant relationship with Israel at Mount Sinai in Exodus (19, 24, 34).  Israel enjoyed a special covenant relationship with God under the Old Law.  But that was for the nation of Israel – not Gentiles.  The children of Israel took great pride in their religious heritage, of which Gentiles were excluded, a fact not lost on the Gentiles or their Israelite neighbors who regard them as unclean and unholy altogether.  Listen to how the apostle Paul describes Gentiles in the days of the Old Testament, before the Messiah: “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” Eph 2:12.  Pretend for a moment those words described your relationship with the Lord – separate, excluded, strangers, no hope, and without God. 

But we interrupted Paul; he goes on: “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broken down the barrier of the dividing wall…so that in Himself He might make  the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross…” Eph 2:13-16. 

What Paul is talking about here is the final fulfillment of the threefold promise that God made to Abraham all the way back in Genesis 12:1-3.  It is the third promise that God makes to Abraham that reads: “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (v3).  We can be certain that “all families of the earth” means the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan of redemption by Paul’s words on this topic in Galatians: “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.  The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Gal 3:7-9) 

A return to Ephesians only cements matters further, “when you read you can understand my [Paul’s] insight into the mystery of Christ…to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Eph. 3:4-6)

In some ways, we are a little spoiled in that we have the complete revelation of God’s word in scripture, though there are times I wish I could have heard Paul’s freshly-written epistles being read aloud to the churches in the first century.  (Well, except for Galatians… but that’s an article for another day).  Today, we can simply read Paul’s words to the Galatians and Ephesians, flip back to Genesis 12:3 for a quick cross-reference and the matter is settled – the gospel of Jesus Christ is for all who will believe in Him as the Son of God, Jew and Gentile alike.  Come to think of it, that’s what Romans 1:16 says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].”

I think it’s easier for us to grasp because it’s always been this way (at least, for us), but if we put ourselves in the shoes of the Jews in the first century, it is a significant change from how things had been for thousands of years.  It wasn’t until Acts 10 that the gospel was even preached to the Gentiles by Peter in Caesarea to a man named Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.  Days before meeting Cornelius, Peter received a vision from the Lord (Acts 10:9-20) where he was shown all kinds of animals, clean and unclean, alike.  In the vision, a voice came to Peter saying “Get up, Peter, kill and eat” (v13).  Peter resisted, citing the Old Law which forbade Jews from eating any unclean animal.  The voice from the vision answered, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (v15). 

The vision confused Peter until a few days later when he found himself before Cornelius, a Roman (Gentile) centurion who the scriptures say was a “devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually” (Acts 10:2).  That’s when it clicked for Peter, and he opened with the key text for today:

“Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.’” Acts 10:34-35

And Cornelius certainly feared God.  Peter’s message (sermon) to Cornelius in the verses that followed (v37-43) wasn’t unlike the one he gave in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.  He simply told Cornelius who Jesus was, and what He did.  That’s the gospel message in simplest terms, isn’t it?  I think there might be a lesson there for us in maintaining the simplicity of the gospel message, today.

As for the rest of the story, Peter had some explaining to do when he returned to Jerusalem.  Word had gotten out how the Gentiles had received the word of God (thanks to Peter), “and the [Jews] took issue with him, saying, ‘You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them” (11:3).  Keeping company with Gentiles was a no-no, never mind sharing the gospel with them.  But Peter sums up his defense well, “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as he gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (v17)  We can’t blame Peter, and neither could the Jews in Jerusalem: When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.’” (v18)  

We can take example from their response to Peter.  What he said was different than what they were expecting in terms of “God’s plan” but we don’t see any hint of prideful disappointment.  Instead, they simply glorified God that He’d made salvation available to all men, even the Gentiles.

Clay Whittemore

Paul The Missionary

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said to His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This verse becomes an outline for the book of Acts: Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

In chapter 13 of the book of Acts (The Acts of the Apostles), Antioch replaces Jerusalem as the base of operations for the church, and Saul (soon to be known more so as Paul) replaces Peter as the central figure of the narrative. The mission field becomes that of all races and religions, while the Jerusalem church continues to minister primarily to Jews. The work of evangelism continues on the home-front (Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria), but the breadth of their evangelism is now expanding to Asia and Europe and ultimately “to the end of the earth.”

For about ten years (A.D. 47-56) Paul led this venture of evangelism abroad in three missionary journeys with only one major interruption—-the Jerusalem Council—-between the first and second journeys (15:1-35).

Journey 1 (A.D. 47-48) Southeast Asia Minor (Acts 13:1-14:28)

Journey 2 (A.D. 49-52) Macedonia, Achaia (Acts 15:36-18:22)

Journey 3 (A.D. 52-56) West Asia Minor (Acts 18:23-21:17)

Notice in Acts 13:2 that it was not Saul (Paul) or the church, but the Holy Spirit who took the initiative to begin this work of evangelism beyond the home-front.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). It was God’s plan, and it was God’s work. The missionaries were to be His instruments in the work (cf. Acts 14:26-27).

Of important note is that it was during Paul’s missionary journeys that the apostle was inspired to write some of the New Testament letters, and it is clear from them that the interpretations and implications of the ABC’s of the gospel message were becoming deeper and more advanced by revelation from God.

And with the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul and other disciples of Jesus, the gospel message spread “to the end of the earth.” In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colossae, he wrote that he had not moved away from “the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which, I, Paul, was made a minister” (Colossians 1:23). Paul wrote this letter A.D. 61. Therefore, in roughly thirty years from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit through His apostles and disciples, they took the gospel message and proclaimed it throughout all of God’s creation under heaven.

Let us join in this great work and proclaim the gospel message each and every day in word and deed.

Trent Dean

It Doesn't Always Go As Planned

Paul had plans to journey to Rome via a planned mission funded by himself. But those plans were derailed a bit. Of course the mission of spreading the gospel and strengthening those in Rome was accomplished. The work was done but the journey was not as planned. 1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.

2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. - Acts 27:1-2

This decision was not directly a decision of Paul but rather a decision by Agrippa.

Paul’s preaching had such an influence on the world around him that the only way to stop him (so they thought) was to imprison him.

35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,

36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, "Away with him!" - Acts 21:35-36

Because of political games and levels of bureaucracy, Paul’s appeal for a fair trial would last years. Appealing to governors and kings Paul would finally get an all-expense paid trip to the world capital. 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." - Acts 9:15-16

Paul’s imprisonments would allow him to carry out his God ordained mission of preaching to kings. Again folks sometimes God has grand plans for us but the journey is not as planned. Notice as well the conversations Paul has with the kings. Number one he did not treat them any different. He was bold in his speaking with them as he was with others. He was concerned not with his own interest and how the kings could help him but rather how the gospel could help the kings.

Secondly we see him re-tell his own story on two occasions with kings. In Acts 22 his defense is simply his personal conversion story and in Acts 26 his defense again is his own conversion story. So what we learn is the fact that it doesn’t matter the audience, the gospel is needed and secondly people will connect with your own story. Thus the challenge to us is to always trust in God especially when life isn’t going as planned. We also need to understand that it doesn’t matter someone’s title or position they need the gospel. Lastly we need to become comfortable telling our own salvation story. May we trust God more and may we tell our story more.

Devin Allen

The Plan Of God

“Men of Israel, hear these words:  Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:22-23) 

By these verses we can readily see that God had and has a plan for His church. That God has a plan for me. God wants us to be saved and He wants us to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior of the world, and all who would come to Him. So, should we not ask ourselves, what is God’s plan all about and what is it that should concern me? Should I not be willing to investigate His plan and search the truth and allow it to penetrate my heart? I mean He is the Savior of the world, the Messiah, Lord of lords and King of kings. Right?

God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it (Acts 2:24).

Death had no power over Jesus Christ and the stone was rolled away for you and me. Our Savior lives and the simple truth of the Gospel is because of the resurrection we are granted salvation and the hope of heaven. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Pet. 1:3). Because He lives (was resurrected) we enjoy the spiritual benefits of His church. Now, how or why would we want to be part of that church and what does that have to do with me?

“And to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence in Him.” (Ephesians 3:9-12)

The message is clear; God had and has an eternal plan that includes everyone, and that includes me!Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of truth and He authored our salvation. So how is the plan carried out? “So that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known.” The church is the vessel to spread the Gospel and Jesus Christ is our Head. He is the only Head and He is the One that we should answer to as well as looking to the Scripture that tells us how His church should be established and organized. First century is an important time period for Christians (followers of Christ) because of the significance it has for the church. First century Christians should worship and be a part of a first century church,because that is when our Head, Jesus the Christ established the church. 

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). 

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

In the last passage here Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders of that local congregation. Paul is at this point, headed to Jerusalem in route to Rome, his final destination. He will never see these men again; this is among his final instructions he leaves the elders. Paul is telling them that he is not to be their concern, but rather, of utmost importance is their care of the church. God established a plan and a purpose and the great commission was to be executed through the church (the local congregation). Not a worldwide mission institution but a local congregation with elders to oversee the work and the use of the Lord’s treasury. Remember, we are to use God’s plan and not ours nor any that man might possibly conjure up. 

And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in every thing He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:18-20). 

The church belongs to our Savior, our Redeemer. Should it not wear His name? Jesus Christ gave His life for the church so that the gospel could be preached to the uttermost part of the earth. And that is God’s plan that we are charged to carry out. His plan, His purpose that was predetermined before the beginning of time, and it remains His church. 

In the Bible we do not see an assorted number of churches, nor do we see Paul in his journeys establishing different churches. Paul establishes a New Testament pattern and through it we see where people were baptized into Jesus Christ and then became a part of His church. Today we have the privilege to follow the New Testament pattern and using God’s word as our guide we can know the truth. Jesus Christ gave His life so that the church could be established. Does He not deserve for His church to wear His name? In the New Testament it was simply called, the church of Christ, under His authority God placed the church, calling it the bride of Christ. Should it not be the same today—simply, the church of Christ?

Be added to His church today:  “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). 

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you (Romans 16:16).

Hank Allen

You Too, Can Be A Christian

Matthew 10:25; Acts 11:26

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:25-26).

1. BEING A CHRISTIAN IS A MATTER OF THE HEART.

Matthew 13:13-15, 18-23; 15:8-9; 22:37

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

The heart must be right!

And a right heart will be careful to obey God in all things. Matter of fact, a right heart will seek to do God’s will above all else (John 7:17).

2. SCRIPTURE IS THE BASIS FOR SALVATION.

Matthew 7:21-23; John 12:48; 2 Peter 3:2

If our foremost aim is to please God, then we recognize that we must know what He has revealed for us so that we can learn and obey and grow in our usefulness as His servant.

20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:20-22).

3. GOD ADDS THE SAVED TO THE CHURCH THAT BELONGS TO JESUS.

Acts 2:41, 47; Matt. 16:18; 1 Peter 4:11; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4; Heb. 12:23

There is no such thing as joining the church of your choice. When a person obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ they can wear the name Christian as they are now in Christ. The scriptures, however, teach us that it is God that adds the saved to the universal body of Christ.

But how does one obey the gospel?

What about all these “churches” in every city and town?

Our next devotion will address these questions.

Trent Dean

You Too, Can Be A Christian Continued

Remember, “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26) and that is why I am using the term Christian here to describe someone who has obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and is now seeking to follow Him and BE His disciple daily.

With that understanding, let’s consider the following question:

Which local church should a Christian join?

“And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:1-3).

Perhaps even the very first local church made up of disciples of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem did not all meet together in one location to worship God each first day of the week. Perhaps. After all, there were three thousand added to Jesus’ universal church on Pentecost (Acts 2:41) and they continued to gain people daily (Acts 2:47). Each of these people would need to join themselves in the local body of disciples so as to work within the spiritual mission of Jesus’ church.

1. YES, WE NEED TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN A LOCAL CHURCH.

It is the next step after becoming a Christian (Acts 9:26; 14:21-23; Gal. 1:2; etc.).

But, which local church should I join?

We could expound here further, but the bottom line is that we need to join a local church that is striving to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). A local church that is sound in the revealed New Testament pattern (organization, mission, and doctrine) as well as sound in attitude meaning they love one another and seek to do all things aiming to please God.

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT THE HEART AND GENUINE EMOTION FOR GOD IS JUST LOGIC.

EMOTION WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING IS CHAOS!

Neither is acceptable. Further, we should be careful to not play the game of hypotheticals. Such as, would you rather be a member of a local church that is sound in doctrine, but without emotion, or a local church full of emotion and energy, but that upholds the traditions of men above the commandments of God?!

The answer is neither! Neither is acceptable.

This principle is present in Jesus’ discourse with the scribes and Pharisees: “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (Matthew 23:23).

We should be striving to arrive at that right balance of knowledge and understanding guiding a heart that is overflowing with genuine emotion for God and His children.

Therefore, we should NOT just pick any local church. We should not pick the local church that pleases our personal fleshly desires and entertains us. We should not pick the local church that provides the most convenience for us and our family.

INSTEAD, EXAMINE WHAT THEY TEACH AND WHAT THEY PRACTICE WHILE TAKING THE AFOREMENTIONED CHARACTERISTICS IN MIND.

Do not ask the elders what the congregation has to offer you and your family.

INSTEAD, BE READY TO TELL THE ELDERS WHAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE READY TO OFFER IN WAY OF SERVICE TO JESUS CHRIST AND ASK WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO KNIT YOURSELF TOGETHER IN LOVE WITH THE BRETHREN THERE AND FULFILL THE SPIRITUAL MISSION OF JESUS’ CHURCH DAILY AND WEEKLY TOGETHER.

2. THE SPIRITUAL MISSION (1 TIMOTHY 3:15; ACTS 2:42, 45; 8:4; 14:22)

We will demonstrate our faith by our works (James 2). The church is the pillar and support of the truth. The truth will sound forth from a sound local church like a gong for all to hear. A sound local church will be focused on evangelism, the edification of the brethren, as well as benevolence. They will not be distracted or consumed with entertainment, a social mission, or any non-Biblical strategies that focus on just attracting as many people as possible. Read John 6 and you will quickly see that that is contrary to the ways of Jesus and His teaching.

3. THE LOCAL CHURCH IS A FAMILY —- THE FAMILY OF GOD. (ROMANS 12:10, 13; GAL. 6:10; HEB. 2:11-13; MATT. 25:34-40)

What pattern do we discover in the New Testament for those who obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and God added them to Jesus’ church?

If you have not read the entire New Testament recently I recommend that you do so starting today with the purpose of discovering the New Testament pattern that has been revealed for those of us striving to live daily as disciples of Jesus Christ.

1. Hear (John 6:45; Acts 2:37; 4:4; 16:14).

The good news of Jesus was always preached. Someone has to preach or teach so others can hear. God could have done it differently, but this is the way in which He chose. We should trust God and follow His way.

2. Believe (John 3:16; 8:24; Rom. 10:17).

However, this is beyond an intellectual agreement for “the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:19-20) Further, read John 8:31ff to hear Jesus speaking to a group of “Jews who had believed Him.”

But with that being said, we must remember that strong faith has to begin with just a little faith. There are numerous stories of where a little faith prompted God to respond in amazing ways (eg., 2 Kings 5:1-14; Mark 7:24-30). Therefore, if you have a little faith then do not be discouraged. Bring that to Jesus and follow Him with all of your being. Your faith will grow stronger, especially if you join yourself in a sound local church that is fully and genuinely striving to worship God in spirit and truth.

3. Repent (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31).

Turn from your old self where you were mastered by your own will and desires. This change of heart and mind, if it is complete repentance, will result in a change in action. Therefore, the renewing of your mind and heart will produce a change in the way you think, speak, and act. You will gradually become a reflection of your new master, Jesus Christ.

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Further, consider Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast: “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness” (Matthew 22:11-13). The point is that we must change for God. We must put on Christ and become like Him in discipleship.

4. Confess (Luke 12:8-9; John 12:42; Acts 8:37).

Jesus said, “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9).

5. Baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16).

Although this is debated among different groups it is crystal clear to me that God has revealed in the New Testament pattern that we are to be “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. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:4-5).

Further, and to understand the connection back to Abraham and God’s three-fold promise (Genesis 12:1-3) being ultimately fulfilled in Jesus and how we become heirs of Abraham, despite, not having physical lineage: “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:23-29).

THEREFORE, as the family of God let us abide faithfully in the teachings of Jesus and God’s revealed New Testament pattern so as to walk daily as a disciple of Jesus bearing fruit and bringing glory to God the Father in all that we do.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46).

Count the cost of discipleship. If it is worth everything to you then become a Christian today, and then we can help you join a sound local church that belongs to Jesus.

Trent Dean

Knit Together In Love

After having obeyed the gospel and the Lord adding you to His church (universal) and then having joined yourself to a local church we then come to understand that the overarching goal that lays the proper foundation for all other work within the church is to become knit together in love with our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3).

BECOMING and BEING knit together in love.

1. Love is the basis of all commandments (Matt. 22:36-40; Gal. 5:13-15).

2. Love is the “acid test” of discipleship (John 13:35; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:16-19).

3. Love is “the more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31-13:8,13).

31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Trent Dean

Excel Still More

9 Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12).

The Christians in Thessalonica loved one another and also all those in Macedonia, but Paul and company urged them to excel even more in their love for one another.

This should press upon us the great importance and priority we should place upon our love for one another. It should be a foremost pillar in our mind as we daily and weekly fellowship, worship, and serve with our brothers and sisters.

We cannot become complacent. Instead, we must create a manner of life, a way of life that allows us to “walk in love” just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us (1 Thess. 3:11-13; Eph. 5:1).

A COUPLE REMINDERS

1. True Love Is Costly (Matt. 6:12; 18:6-7, 12-15, 21-22).

Forgive others. Be thoughtful, sympathetic, understanding, and compassionate towards others. Always considerate, thinking about how what I do affects those around me. Don’t cause others to stumble, but instead be a blessing to those around us. Speak kindness and give courage to others. Inspire others with our steadfastness, courage, zeal, and boldness in the Lord.

2. Be A Humble Servant (Eph. 4:2; 2:14-19; Phil. 2:1-8).

Every day put on humility and wear the mindset of a servant. Desire the seat of least importance. Seek to lift others up rather than self. Continually deny self for the benefit of others. Control your thoughts to that of being positive, selfless, egoless, and patient. Truly carry with you mindfulness of Christ and His manner and imitate Him in all things.

Couple your love for one another with a steady diet of God’s word and learn to pray diligently and you will grow in the Lord and become more useful to the Lord gradually as well as a mighty blessing to all those around you. This is the good life. The life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. And this is the way that leads unto the greatest reward, eternal life in the presence of our Almighty Creator.

It will not always be easy, but it will always be worth it.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Trent Dean