epcblog

Psalm 95

2012-02-17T06:47:00.003-05:00

God did not sleep last night. He was not cynical ordepressed this morning. He does not have anything unanticipated thatHe really needs to learn today. His love for His people and Hiscontrol over everything He has created are perfect again thismorning. We should turn to Him. It would be right for us to forgetourselves for a moment, and find ourselves again in the wonder ofHim. We should all worship the Lord.

He is worthy of our heartfelt praise. It is only sane,if we believe in the God who is, the God who alone deserves the titleI-AM, the God who is the Creator, the God who redeemed us through Hiseternal Son taking on our flesh and dying for our sins... it is onlysane, if we believe in the true and living God, that we shouldworship Him.

This great God has saved us. He is coming again with thefullness of salvation. Even right now, He is saving and keeping us.God knows us. He loves us. We should thank Him for His manyblessings.

There is a heavenly host of powerful angelic beings, butthe Lord is far above them all. There are many powerful rulersthroughout the nations of the earth, but they cannot compare with theAlmighty One. He is the King over every power among men and angels.Nothing can be a god over Him.

If we go up to the highest mountain and are able to makeit to the top, He is God there. If we were able to travel to thebottom of the deepest ocean, at that lowest point, the Lord is God.

To think that He counts us as His treasuredpossession... Why would He bother with us? But He does love us. He isthe Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for His sheep. We are stillHis chosen flock today. He has promised to stay with us, to keep us,and to feed us.

What is outrageously shocking is that we would hardenour hearts toward Him.

Today if you hear His voice, you should receive His Wordwith a full heart of devotion, and you should love and obey Him.

His voice goes out all over the earth. It is present inall that He has created. He created you. His voice is in you. He madeyour body and your mind. He gave you a soul, a heart, a will, and aconscience.

He also spoke by His Holy Spirit through the prophets.He caused His Word to be written down, copied, and preserved throughmany centuries. Even this psalm is a part of His Word, so He isspeaking a word to you as you read this ancient song.

In His written Word, He tells us about His people Israelas they were led through the wilderness. He warns us that they wouldnot hear His voice, but hardened their hearts. An entire generationwould not listen to Him, though they had seen His signs and wonders.

These were our forefathers in the faith, the people ofthe Lord, but in their time of distress and testing, they would notfollow the Lord. This psalm says that the Lord loathed them for fortyyears. How is that possible? We know that they died in thewilderness. They were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Whereare they now?

Even Moses himself was one of them. Even he was notallowed to enter Canaan. He went to heaven instead.

How is it that someone who was denied entrance into theland of rest on earth would be received into the land of rest inheaven? It could only be because of Jesus.

Moses came back to earth at the transfiguration ofJesus. He and Elijah spoke to the Lord about His coming departure.That departure would take place in an awful death. A perfect atoningsacrifice would be offered for the Lord's sheep. That was how Moseswas saved. That was also how you and I were saved. The just wrath ofGod was taken for us by His beloved Son, Jesus.

We should worship the Lord today.

We should hear His voice and follow Him. That is theonly way that we can grow in the knowledge of the One who made us andsaved us.

Psalm 94

2012-02-16T06:29:00.003-05:00

“Vengeance is Mine,” says the Lord.

Understanding the Creator/creature distinction is a keyto clear thinking about God, humanity, and life. Proud oppressorsthat pursue and kill the weak have to answer to God. Civilgovernments are supposed to be God's agents on earth for good. Butwhat can be done when those powers become agents of evil and abuse?

We can cry out to the God of vengeance to step in andhelp us. This does not prohibit a Stephen from praying at his death,“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Others might have saidwords that were more like the start of Psalm 94, “O LORD, God ofvengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of theearth; repay to the proud what they deserve!” The Lord of justiceand mercy is able to sort this out. We cry out to Him rather thanassuming that the only justice and mercy in this world will come fromus. Sometimes we may not even know what to say. God knows.

The Lord will judge the wicked. This psalm urges godlessoppressors to give up on their foolish belief that God does not seeor understand what they are doing when they murder the innocent. Theyhave taken to themselves God-like powers. If they choose to kill,they kill. They imagine that they give life and take it away. Theyimagine that they are wiser and stronger than God. But they are “abreath.”

The righteous are different than the wicked.

We know that there is no one righteous before God, andthat we cannot approach God without the mercy that has come to usthrough the merit of our Redeemer. But the Lord who saves us is ableto change us. He has turned our arrogant rejection of Him into ahumble receiving of Him. That new humility toward God produces fruit.Those who are righteous in Jesus Christ are actually different thenthe wicked.

Who are the wicked? Some who reject God oppress the weakwithout any shame. They do not believe that God will judge. Otherswho cannot imagine that they would ever abuse anyone refuse toconcede that there is a distinction between good and evil. A thirdgroup believes that they are on God's side and that they are servingHim best when they stand against His loved ones who cry out to Himday and night. A forth group is complacent in the face of all evil,refusing to take action among men or to cry out to God for help forthose who are being persecuted. All of them will have to stand beforethe King of the Ages.

Our only plea on that day will be Jesus.

Until the final judgment comes, the Lord will guide Hispeople in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. He willdiscipline them in love and teach them the way to go. He will hearour requests for forgiveness and He will have mercy. He will savethose who call upon His Name, but He will also judge the wicked.

Even if everyone abandons the righteous person, God willbe with him. Even when Jesus was atoning for our sin as our sinoffering, God heard His cries and answered His prayers.

It is hard for us to understand the mystery of the cross– the perfectly righteous One dying in the place of the many whowould be counted righteous in Him. Did the Lord bring vengeance uponJesus that we deserved? Did He ever hate His Son? How can we speakthat way? But whatever else can be said, we know that the Fatherheard the cries of His Son and answered. The resurrection of JesusChrist from the dead is the fullness of divine vindication for theMan who knew no sin.

Now we who are in Christ find that in the day ofdistress, consolations come to us from the Almighty. God is ourstronghold. He is our Rock of Refuge.

He will judge the wicked who oppress us. What can we sayabout that? A day of judgment is actually coming. After all, He isGod. The only safe place for anyone is to be found in Jesus.

Deuteronomy 27

2012-02-15T07:01:00.003-05:00

By the time that the Lord inspired Moses to preach thesemessages to Israel, the nation had been traveling through thewilderness for forty years. One period of their life was about toend. Another was beginning. Would they seek the Lord and follow Himin the land that He was giving to them?

These words that Moses proclaimed were to be carved instone, “all the words of this Law.” On the very place where theLaw was written, on a plastered altar of uncut stone, animals wouldbe killed. In this celebration of a blood-bought peace offering, thejust demands of God's Law would touch the mercy of God flowing fromthe blood of the sacrifice.

What followed was a solemn ceremony marking thesanctions of the Law, with six tribes standing on one mountain forthe blessing and six tribes standing on another for the curse. TheLevites would pronounce from their place on one mountain twelvespecific curses of God for disobedience, and the tribes would replytogether, “Amen!”

The sanctions for disobedience were not the civilpunishments that allowed for penalties that were lesser or greater tofit the offense. They were all the ultimate curse by God fordisobedience to His commandments. “Cursed be the man...” or“Cursed be anyone...” twelve times.

The man who made an idol like Aaron had in thewilderness was cursed by God. By this point Aaron had died. Was hecursed? What about those who kept their idolatry private, confined totheir secret thoughts? Would they be safe?

The person who dishonored his mother or father wascursed by God. How much dishonoring was God talking about? What aboutthe thoughts and actions that were unknown to the community but knownby God? What about the justifications that people use to explain awaywhat they did when they were young and foolish. Would those count foranything?

The one who took some of his neighbor's land by moving alandmark, or who took advantage of a blind person, or denied justiceto the weak in the community, that person was cursed by God. What ifyou recognized your error years later and said that you were sorry?Would the curse be lifted?

Four kinds of sexual sins were specifically mentioned.The ones who did these things were cursed by God. No exception wasgiven.

Two types of murderous action were next. Cursed.

Then these final words, the twelfth curse, that shouldhave answered every question that Israel could have asked in anyattempt to evade the justice of God by excuses. “Cursed be anyonewho does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.”

Every curse was to be heard by the congregation andaffirmed by a resounding “Amen!” There could be no claim thatIsrael did not know the seriousness of the Law. This conquestgeneration had seen what had happened to those who died in thewilderness. Now they had heard the words that could only confirmtheir own desperate condition.

How could there be blessing for anyone who had notperfectly obeyed the Law? The specific answer to this question wascovered in some measure of mystery for Israel at that hour. But theseriousness of the Law was fully revealed.

It would only be through the blood-bought mercy of Godthat there could be any hope for any of them or for any of us. Theonly honest way to rejoice on a day like this would be by faith in alaw-keeping Substitute who would give His blood for His people.

We live after the death of the Jewish Messiah. For us,the answer to our need for grace need not be unknown.

The Law-Keeper has come, and He has made peace with Godfor us through His death, His resurrection life and His Holy Spirithave brought us a new and living hope, He is the only credible answerto the tremendous danger of the justice of God. We have been rescuedfrom the curse of the Almighty.

Deuteronomy 26

2012-02-14T06:46:00.003-05:00

Stage 1: Eternity Past, when God already had His eternalplan for His glory and your good.

Stage 2: Old Testament Preparation, when the Lordprepared His people for the coming Messiah. The laws in Deuteronomyare a part of that period.

Stage 3: New Testament Gospel Life, when we who havereceived Jesus are given the privilege of following the SufferingServant. You are here now.

Stage 4: Eternity Future, when we dwell in the fullnessof blessing together forever in accord with the eternal purpose ofGod. This is your hope, but you get to taste it and live in it today.

Got it?

We live in Stage 3 with the hope of Stage 4 as a dailyimminent reality to us. This hope “does not put us to shame,because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the HolySpirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

Back in Stage 2, the time of Old Testament Preparation,God commanded Israel to give to the Lord the first and the best ofthe harvest. This was an act of faith. God could be trusted to bringin the fullness of the harvest. We need to live this way ineverything, giving away our lives to the Lord, in the sure hope ofthe coming day. As we wait in joyful/tearful hope of the comingresurrection, we give out of our poverty to the Lord.

We cry out to the Lord, and He hears us and helps us. Wealso declare to the Lord our thanksgiving. We are grateful that weare already tasting the new life in our souls, and we proclaim ourexpectation that what Christ has won for us through His cross andresurrection is surely coming.

A testimony of suffering was a part of the experience ofIsrael. But they were delivered from bondage in Egypt and broughtinto the promised land. We who follow Christ face a cross ofsuffering that we must bear today, but we must not forget that wehave a promised land far better than Canaan, and it is coming soon.Don't give up. Talk to God. Ask for a taste of heaven. Ask for Him.

We have the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, and our Kingis the firstfruits of the resurrection. Whatever we have we give toGod as our testimony before Him that all that we have has come to usby His grace based on the merits of Christ.

In this same Spirit, we bring frequent gifts to the Lordout of what He has granted to us. In the earlier stage of OldTestament Preparation, there was a tithing year, and storehouses forthe tithes of the people. Their proportional giving (the more that Heblessed, the more you gave) was used to care for the Levites who wereserving the Lord, and the destitute who were strangers, widows, andorphans; those without the protection of family support. There was averbal declaration in worship that all of the “sacred portion”had been given, and a petition to the Lord to bless the people andthe land.

But our Lord gave Himself entirely on the cross.

We have been purchased by Him, bought back, redeemed byHis blood. We are not our own.

We give ourselves in worship all the time. Then we giveourselves in service. And the invisible heavenly kingdom of God onearth is made visible.

This kind of obedience in giving and serving, thisdeclaration of faith and need in prayer, is not merely a duty tothose who are counted as sons of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.It is our privilege because Christ is our delight. The obedience thatsecured our salvation has been provided by Jesus. We commit ourselvesto love in grateful devotion to the One who loved us before we wereborn. We are His treasured possession. We are “a people holy to theLord.” He came to serve. We come in His Name as a giving andserving people.

One word of caution: Do not waste your passion todayjudging others who don't seem to get this yet. If they belong toJesus Christ, they will soon grow in the family resemblance. He knowshow to save the weak. He knows how to deliver people that are caughtin many entangling affections. If you do feel led to give a word ofencouragement, make it something like this: “This is the way I lookat it – We love because He first loved us.”

God is able to save. After all, He saved you and me.Thank you, Lord!

Deuteronomy 25

2012-02-13T06:03:00.002-05:00

Our ignorance is palpable when we consider some of thestipulations of God's Law. The life of Israel under the Law of Mosesis foreign to us.

We need to understand the Lawgiver who cared for Hispeople by granting to them this system of public life. As we do that,principles emerge that can help us to love justice and mercy, and towalk humbly with the Lord who saved us.

The God of Israel taught His people that there needed tobe limits to the physical pain inflicted upon a guilty man. Thepunishment needed to be proportional to the seriousness of theoffense, but the dignity of the guilty man was important. Theexpectation behind such a law was that this man would be restored tothe people of Israel.

Even an ox in Israel needed to be able to eat of thefield in which the animal worked. If that was God's will for a beast,how much more for a human being?

The death of people entered the world through sin. Butthe death of a man did not need to mean the end of his family line.His brother was commanded to carry on the name of the deceased bydoing his part to provide offspring for his sister-in-law. The Lordcared for the widow, and for the name of her deceased husband. Toreject these duties would be a matter of public shame.

Barriers of decency and human dignity were not to becrossed lightly in Israel. The hidden parts of the body were treatedwith appropriate respect and protection, even in dire circumstances.

Dishonesty in commerce could not be tolerated. To stealthrough the deception of false weights and measures was something theLord hated.

The Most High cared for the weak. Enemy nations were notto attack the faint and weary like wolves. Amalek would be blottedout forever.

These laws are worthy of our meditation. They reveal aGod who concerned Himself with the intimate details of the lives ofhuman beings. He created them in His image, and He expected them tobehave toward one another with His care for His people first in theirminds.

What kind of God cares about what a wife does when twomen are in a brawl? What deity would want a man to be ashamed for notproviding offspring for his brother's wife once she had become awidow? Why would the Lord bother Himself about the name of a deceasedman in Israel, or the honor of a man who had done something sorepugnant to community standards that he needed a public whipping?

The God of Israel, the God and Father of our Lord JesusChrist cares about human beings. How much does He care about us? Hesent His own Son to pay the penalty that would restore to us theeternal dignity that He intended for us.

You may be ignorant of the details of a culture thatexisted thousands of years ago in a very different world than yours.That is understandable. But you need to know something about theirGod. You must not be ignorant of His love. He cares about the detailsof your life. He has made a way for you to walk with Him forever in asociety of peace.

Psalm 93

2012-02-12T07:25:00.002-05:00

There is a great battle raging, but it is not alwaysclear that the church is aware of it.

The Apostle Paul understood this battle, and he usedsuffering as a gift from God to fight the good fight of faith. Listento the seriousness of what he wrote in Romans and Galatians:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has comefor you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now thanwhen we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. Sothen let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor oflight. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies anddrunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not inquarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord JesusChrist, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.(Romans 13:11-14)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratifythe desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are againstthe Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, forthese are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the thingsyou want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not underthe law. Now the works of the flesh are evident:sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as Iwarned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit thekingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;against such things there is no law. And those whobelong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions anddesires. (Galatians 5:16-24)

We want what we want so badly that we do not recognizethat we are allowing ourselves to be ruled by various passions. If weremember that God is in charge, and that He is working all things forour good and His glory, could it be that our sufferings now areweapons to aid us in putting to death our various eager desires ofthe flesh that are actually crippling our walk in the Spirit?

That's a long introduction to Psalm 93.

When you received the worst news of your life, theopening words of this psalm were still true: “The Lord reigns.”

How are we to understand the brutality of murderousattacks against the people of God? How can we fathom thedisappointment of earnest prayers that do not seem to achieve what wewant? I don't know. But I know that the cross of Christ speaks themost powerful word of divine love known to man, and that we arecalled to be suffering servants who follow the One Suffering Servant.

And I know this: “The Lord reigns.”

The majestic Creator of life who works out all thingsaccording to the counsel of His will, for His eternal purpose, forthe glory of His Name, loves you. He has never been pushed off Histhrone. But He did willingly come from heaven to earth to save youthrough suffering love and to teach you to follow Him in sufferinglove. He knows about the battle of the ages, and your part in thatbattle, and He wants you to put to death the deeds of the flesh bythe power of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5.

There is a Psalm 93 flood of evil that is lifted upagainst the Lord and His people, But the Lord who suffered for uswalked on water. He is mightier than the raging sea of enemies insideus and outside us.

The Lord reigns. His decrees are sure. He has decreednot only that you would have eternal life, but that you would beholy. Those who will only be ruled by their eager desires, whetherfor food or fame, will be of very little use in the formidable battlein front of the church in this present hour. They will do more damagethan good. They will have an appearance of godliness, but deny thepower. Such people must be avoided. See 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Listen to how Psalm 93 ends. “Holiness befits Yourhouse, O Lord, forevermore.”

God is serious about holiness. Your eager worldlydesires are not your friends in the battle for holiness. It is notsafe to make any provision for them.

And suffering? Suffering is not God's punishment foryour sin. Christ took that on the cross.

Suffering is a gift of God, a loving discipline for youfrom the One who reigns over all things. It is weapon for you in abattle that the Lord will win in you and through you. It is a weaponfor good in the hands of faith. And that is why Paul says this aboutsuffering in Romans 5:

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that sufferingproduces endurance, and endurance produces character, and characterproduces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's lovehas been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has beengiven to us.

(Romans 5:3-5)

Psalm 92

2012-02-11T07:28:00.002-05:00

If we want to stay on track in our walk of faith we needto gather together regularly to worship the Lord. God commands us toworship Him, but apart from that duty, we can say with the psalmist,“It is good to give thanks to the Lord!” This is what we weremade to do.

But what can we do when we face deep troubles and havealmost nothing left to give to our Most High God? Then we can give toHim out of our poverty like the woman who put two small copper coinsinto the temple treasury in the days of Jesus. Are you almost out ofjoy entirely? Take the two copper coins of it that you have left andgive them to the Lord. Is your wisdom or courage failing you? Takewhat little you have of these gifts from God and give to Him out ofyour poverty.

The Lord is not lacking in anything. We do not give Himour peace, our joy, our wisdom, and our courage because He needsthese. We give these to Him because it is good to honor Him. Hisworks are great! His thoughts are deep. When we praise Him inworship, we remember that the Lord will accomplish His holy will, andthat our salvation is very near.

The Lord will not be a debtor to a humble worshiper. Hewill repay you many times over for whatever you give to Him.

How much money does a poor widow have left when shegives her last two copper coins to God? Nothing. How much joy do youhave left when you give that little bit of joy to Him right now? Youcan say to Him, “Lord, you know I have a poverty of joy right now,so I have decided to spend it all on you. I give you this joy inprayer.” He is able to give food to the widow, and He is able togive surprising help to you as you give yourself to Him as one who ispoor in Spirit.

The righteous will flourish. They may be weak now. Theymay be assailed by the Lord's adversaries, but they will find newstrength as a gift from Him. Even if they die at the hands of aviolent and deceived mob, they will live with the Lord forever. Theywill bear fruit in the house of the Lord.

How rich was Jesus on the cross? How much joy did Hehave left? How much courage? How much strength to think and to feel?I may never know how to answer those questions. But I know this: Onthat dark day, He spent whatever He had left to the glory of HisFather. Finally, He committed His Spirit into the hands of the MostHigh. Now He is flourishing as our King forever.

Come and worship the Lord with me. It is good to do whatHe commands. Let us declare together that the Lord is upright. He isour rock. There is no unrighteousness in Him.

Psalm 91

2012-02-10T07:26:00.004-05:00

“In Him, we live and move and have our being.” Thatis true of everyone, even for those who do not acknowledge the Lordas God. But some have called upon His Name, and are eager to receiveHis promises. They “dwell in the shelter of the Most High,” andthey will live a fruitful life, abiding in the One who said, “I amthe Vine; you are the branches,”

God is able to protect us from enemies seen and unseen.We can trust Him even in a day when it seems like all is lost. He isthe God of eternity.

“No plague shall come near your tent.” But you mustremember that you are passing through a dying world, and for some ithas been granted not only to believe in His Name, but also to sufferfor His sake. But even if you die in this fleeting world, you will goto be with Him in a world where you shall never die. That's the deal.And then one day you and all of the heavenly host will come down uponthe earth, and the Most High God will renew all things. This is thehope that millions have embraced; and in that hope they are able toface the present affliction with the grace that God supplies.

Some reject this vision of present suffering with grace,and future grace without suffering. Their captain is an adversary whoquoted this psalm to see if Jesus might be among their number.

He was not. Jesus resisted the temptation of Satan.

Then the devil took him to the holy cityand set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "Ifyou are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'Hewill command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their handsthey will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put theLord your God to the test.'"

With those simple words, our Lord led the way for allwho would take their refuge in the true Suffering Servant. Satan hadnot dared to quote these words from the very next verse: “Theserpent you will trample underfoot.”

When you step on the head of a deadly serpent, it maybite your heel. See Genesis 3:15. The plan of the ages was beingaccomplished through the love of the cross. The sins of His peoplecame upon Him in His death, and the plague of death and hell upon uswas averted.

But more was accomplished there than the avoidance ofhell. A pattern of life for the gospel era was established in thepower of the cross, and the promise of a world beyond death and sinwas secured for us.

The Son of God held fast to the Father in love throughthe worst trial. He finished well.

But His finish on earth was not the end. The Lordanswered His Son who died for us and gave Him resurrection life. Godhas honored Him and given Him the Name that is above every Name. Weworship God now through Jesus Christ our Lord. We take refuge underthe shadow of His wings.

Psalm 90

2012-02-09T06:31:00.002-05:00

Jesus told a parable in Matthew 13 that began with thewords, “A sower went out to sow,” meaning that a farmer went outinto the fields to plant seed by casting it on the ground. Theparable talks about four different types of soil. One type of soil isthe soil full of weeds or “thorns.” He explains the meaning ofthis soil later to His disciples: “As for what was sown amongthorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of theworld and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it provesunfruitful.”

The word of the kingdom comes to us. Will we receive it,or will the tyranny of urgent worries and the discouragement ofpresent disappointment be like weeds in the field of our hearts,choking out what could have been a very fruitful harvest?

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in allgenerations.” Even before the world was made, God had an eternalpurpose that He is now accomplishing in Jesus His Son. We cannotpermit our worries to be bigger than this eternal God. We need to useeven our biggest concerns as a road of prayer that leads us back hometo the eternal God.

We live and die at God's command. He sweeps away even1000 years as if they were just a few hours. The morning comes againat His command and it is new and fresh. This God of eternity has madea way for regular people to have communion with Him!

This world is passing away because of the sentence ofjudgment upon us that has come from the Almighty. He is not happy with our sin, and He has placed limitations on the life of mankindhere below. Every death reminds us of the anger of God against sin.But this same God has given us Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sightof the LORD is the death of his saints.”

Through this eternal God, a way has been made for us,not only for present daily communication and encouragement, but foreternal life. His wrath against us has been spent on His Son. Whileour years here may come to an end, when we die we go to be with theOne who has loved us with an everlasting love.

Our years here below are brief... 70, 80, 100, even 120years, these life spans are still so short in the sight of the Lord.We need a heart of wisdom about the brevity of our lives if we are tolive them well now in the presence of the Eternal One.

Every day counts, but every anxiety is not your friend.Every day counts, but not for you to spend it worrying about tomorrowor obsessing over yesterday.

Live this day with an ear to the voice of the Lord. Askfor His help. Ask Him to have pity on you in your weakness. Ask Himfor gladness that would overwhelm your previous experiences of evil.

The Apostle Paul writes this instruction to the church,“Rejoice in the Lord always.” If you want to find gladness in aworld of death, you are going to have to rejoice more in the God ofeternity Himself than in His determination to give you an immediatehappy ending to your every present care.

It is not that the Lord is insensitive to your sorrows.Far from it. He carried those sorrows for you on the cross, and Hebids you now to believe Him and to love Him. He can establish thework of our hands. He can take our present labors and give usfruitfulness in a world without sin and death.

Come to Him now. Tell Him what ails you. Then ask Him totake your tears and your labors of love. Ask Him to bless themabundantly for eternity. He alone is able to do this. He is the Lord.

Deuteronomy 24

2012-02-08T06:39:00.003-05:00

In Genesis 2, God said that it was not good for Adam tobe alone. The solution to that “not good” came in the creation ofthe woman. At the end of the day, the Lord spoke the words “verygood” over all His works of creation.

But the world changed in Genesis 3 as the man and thewoman became partners in hearing the voice of an enemy rather thanthe voice of God. With the fall of mankind, sin polluted everyrelationship, even marriage. Various lusts began to carry thedescendants of Adam and Eve in ways of life that brought more death.

Yet the Lord's eternal purpose for His people was life,not death. Another marriage would eventually be made by a much betterhusband, That relationship between Christ and the church would befree of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride oflife, for Jesus would sanctify His bride. One day she would bewithout spot or blemish or any such thing, for Christ would fullycleanse her by His Word and Spirit.

In the days of preparation for the coming of this greatHusband, God gave Israel a Law which could have worked for greatblessing in the land if the people of God had followed it. But theywould not limit their passions. They pursued entangling affectionsdespite His warnings that they would pollute the land by theirunbridled desires.

By the time the Messiah came, Israel had such a casualattitude about divorce, that the religious leaders seemed to havelost sight of what marriage was. They had forgotten about the gift ofEve for Adam in the beginning, and they were using Moses' prohibitionagainst repeated divorce and remarriage as if it were a blanketendorsement of divorce.

Even today in the church, evil is sometimes celebratedas the greatest good, and the promise of the eternal marriage betweenthe Son of God and His bride seems very distant. Some are preachingboldly about the blessings of fleshly desires, while ordinaryChristians are a little embarrassed about having an eager affectionfor Christ as their ultimate Husband. In the world outside of thechurch, lust is openly celebrated as the frank theme of so muchentertainment, and shame has become the enemy. Holy faithfulnessseems unnatural and even unhealthy.

How can we recover from such depravity? We need a newspirit growing in us, the Spirit of holiness. This will not come fromthe Law of Moses but from the gift of our faithful covenant Husbandwho has a perfectly chaste love for us as His bride.

The joy of a new marriage was guarded in the Law ofIsrael. A young man was protected from military service and otherpublic duties for one year, so that he could love his wife and behappy together with her in the fruitfulness of this new relationship.There is something beautiful here that testifies to a world of lifeand a newness of love that will never fade away.

Here below as we try to manage the sad damage of sinupon a dying world, Israel had laws against taking a poor family'sway of providing food for themselves. The Law warned about thepenalty for stealing a fellow Israelite. There were laws to containdisease, greed, and abuse of all kinds.

But who can heal our diseased hearts that glory in ourshame? How do we recover purity when we are convinced that everyeager affection is good?

Have we forgotten the consequences of Adam's sin?We needto remember what that one sin, and our many sins that followed, meantto our faithful eternal husband. His young life was cut off from theface of the earth. The cross reminds us of the seriousness of ourimpurity.

But our loyal Husband has come to save us. He defeatedevery enemy that threatened the blessing of His new bride. Hisresurrection power can defeat enslaving sin within us, and restore usto the holiness that He is giving to His family today and forever.

Ask Him for the gift of holy wisdom for living a newlife. Your life on earth does not have to be a perverse carnivalcelebrating every fleshly impulse. By the power of Jesus Christwithin you, you can live a life of willing submission to the perfectHusband who saved you by His death.

Deuteronomy 23

2012-02-07T06:08:00.003-05:00

God is the King of the kingdom of heaven from alleternity. One day we will see Jesus reigning over everything in arenewed earth, where the wicked will no longer be nearby to oppressthe righteous.

In between that eternity past and the coming eternityfuture the Lord is working out His sovereign purposes. In the OldTestament era, He gave Israel laws of the kingdom. In the NewTestament age we follow the King by the Spirit of the Kingdom.

We are people of the Holy Spirit, but we can makeexcellent spiritual use of the Law of Israel. That Law teaches usabout the coming King who has now come and who is reigning over us.When we find His heart for what is true and just and good, we can askthe Spirit of the living God to mold us more and more into the imageof Jesus Christ, not just for a surface religious show, but with thepower and integrity of a renewed heart and life.

The Lord Jesus loves purity within His body. That wasonce expressed with outward regulations for the worship assembly thatkept the Israelites as a separate people until the coming of the Kingof the Ages. Now we have a holiness that no commandment could everbring, and that no system of exclusion could ever produce.

Even today, there are some who must be prohibited fromfully participating in the communing assembly of the Lord. There areothers who have the appearance of godliness, but deny the power. Theyare not safe mentors of others. People are removed from positions ofleadership in the church and even from the membership in the body ofChrist not based on who their parents and grandparents were orbecause of some outward deformity, but because they will not repentwhen they are confronted with their own sin. Even their exclusion isan act of the grace of Jesus Christ with the sincere desire that theywill reconsider their lives and be brought back into the fellowshipof those who walk in the light.

In the Old Covenant ceremonies, the community of Israelwas cleansed from external filth by bathing in water and waiting agiven period according to the Law. In the gospel age, all kinds ofpeople are sanctified with the renewal of a growing walk with theKing by His Word and Spirit.

Jesus, God with us, has come. He became the unclean andexcluded One for us. There was no sin in Him, but He was cut off fromthe assembly of the Lord in order that we might be brought in.

Under His present reign, we experience a freedom fromthe enslaving power of evil that could only be symbolized by outwardordinances in the days before the coming of the King. The slave isfree. The prostitute is forgiven and cleansed, and eats with the Manof purity. The debtor is released from the bondage of what he owedbut could never repay.

This is happening even now in the lives of those whoknow the power of the kingdom. The King has made a vow. He haspromised to knit together a body of purity and truth by the power ofHis own atoning blood. To live in the light of His reign now is towalk in the power of eternity future. We are poor and needy, but theKing bids us to go through His garden every day. We eat bread fromHis fields of peace and receive fruit from His tree of righteousness.We grow in Him, and His Name is glorified.We have hope in a world of grief.

Deuteronomy 22

2012-02-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

Israel was the creation of the Lord; how much more thechurch of the Jewish Messiah, now comprised of Jews and Gentiles fromall over the world who have been granted faith from on high. We needto be in the light, as He is in the light, and to shine forth momentby moment with the glory of our resurrection Savior.

The resurrection life does not obsess with self, butsees the need of another, and brings the lost home again. Thefollower of the Lord regularly experiences restoration and is lookingto be an agent of the peace of God everywhere in ways that are greatand small.

The life of Jesus in us is not interested in ourexploring confusing and enticing patterns of sin. The disciple of theLord sees the creation of God in the environment of the earth andfeels the new creation within his renewed soul, and then goes forwardto repair what is broken by sin and neglect for the joy of the Lord.Isn't that the way you want to live today, to see brokenness andalienation and to be led by God to help and to heal?

People on fire for Jesus touch the world in thousands ofways as a delightfully robust expression of the Lord's sovereign carefor all those who are weary and hopeless. We see unsafe situationsand fix them. We discover new opportunities for fruitful enterprisesand put them into practice. We do all of this with prayer and withattention to the voice of the Lord, expecting that the worship of Godwill make a very practical difference in our lives.

Our lives are to be a constant reminder of the Lord'ssalvation and a continuous reflection of His powerful presence amongus. We are not looking to manifest a mixed message in anything we do,with some advice from hell and some direction from God. We earnestlyseek the whole will of our God in heaven over all of life on earth.

How will the Lord use you today? Why not turn to Jesusevery moment? His law reveals His sovereignty over all that your handwill touch and your mind will pursue. He wants you to seek peace andpursue it; to find what is good and to cling to it.

If you find this vision of spiritual living in thepresent creation to be refreshing, you need to reject every lust thatwould derail you today. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can hatethe unclean proposals of an enemy who comes to steal, to kill, and todestroy.

The Lord who defeated sin and death for you is very ableto purge the evil that turns you away from a chaste and joyful life.Ask Him for help all the time. He will change you.

Purge the evil from your midst. Help the church to abhorevil. Love the Lord with all your everything, and bring the power ofthe life of Jesus to the world today.

Psalm 89

2012-02-05T07:13:00.002-05:00

Cynicism is always the critic. Cynicism disbelieves allthings. It is the continual impulse to find the secret story thatwill show why everything anyone ever thought to be valuable isactually an unworthy disappointment to be scoffed at. Cynicism ripsdown, but steadfast love and covenant faithfulness build up.

The Lord is full of covenant love. I will sing of thatlove forever, even if cynicism declares me the fool for believing.The Lord has established an eternal community of promise-keeping lovein the heavens. At the very center of that community is the King oflove, Jesus Christ, the Lord's chosen One, the promised Son ofDavid.

Jesus died at a young age. He was not married. He had nodescendants. But when He gave His life for us on the cross, He becamea Cornerstone of the eternal temple of God. Those who believe in Himare sons of God and living stones in the temple of the Holy Spirit.We are His offspring by the Spirit.

We live now in a world of cynicism, and it corrodes ourhearts until praise seems foolish and extreme. But this cynicismmakes no sense for the Lord's children who believe in God and whoacknowledge that they have faith in Jesus, the Son of God. How can wenot praise God? If even God and His praise must be a target forcynical thoughts, what is left in all of existence that couldpossibly be praiseworthy? Oddly enough, cynicism is all too willingto take that number one spot. Cynicism convinces people that Godcould not possibly be known, and that He should not be praised. But asystem of thinking that rips everything apart can seem like the onepraiseworthy passion left for the cynic. What a strange perversion!The God of creation must not be spoken of too much or acknowledged asGod outside of a worship service, but making fun of everything is soright, that memorizing cynical quips and even singing cynical songsis more than permissible. Cynicism has become the only remainingcommendable virtue.

How can we recover the beauty of covenant love again inthis toxic environment? Should we get cynical about cynicism? Whatwill be left standing when we make fun of cynicism? We need to haveour eyes opened to Someone who is worthy of praise. The answer for usmust come as a gift to us from the King of love, from His throne onhigh in the new creation of steadfast faithfulness.

Men and angels in heaven know that the being who createdthe vast array of stars is worthy of praise. They know that the Godwho has given Himself in covenant love to Israel is far above them.They sing of His power and wisdom. They are able to observe Hissovereign care over everything on earth, and they exalt Him.

Only this God of gods can safely demolish our cynicism.When He makes that enemy flee, we find ourselves in His gloriouspresence. When we try to destroy cynicism by being cynical, nothingis left for us but death.

Only the Lord, with His perfect grace and favor can saveus and protect us. He is with us in the midst of His praise.

But how can we find God? This psalm tells us that He hasrevealed to us the way to Himself in a person. Writing after kingDavid lived, this song records that the way for the world to find theGod of Israel will come through an anointed “David.”

This Christ would be able to demolish every enemy, Hewould have the steadfast love of the Lord, and extend that love toall who would call upon His Name. He would call the Almighty“Father,” and reign far above all the kings of the earth. TheFather would keep steadfast love with His holy Son, and we would findperfect safety and blessing in Him.

Jesus is this Son. He is the way to life. God will treatus as His Sons, even disciplining us for our good, but He will nevertake His steadfast love away from us because of Jesus. We shall liveforever, because we have become His offspring.

Between the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and therevealing of the resurrected Son of David more than 600 years later,the promises of God to bless His people through a kingly Son of Davidwere a great wonder. It was very easy then to be cynical about Hiscoming. But then Jesus rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate attack oncynicism. If the resurrection is true, death is not the final storyfor us. If the resurrection is true, we need to hear what Jesus saysand believe it. We need to embrace the Father through the resurrectedSon, who made a lasting peace for us by His own blood. Jesus ofNazareth, the Son of David and the Son of God has delivered our livesfrom the power of hell. He is more than able to demolish our cynicismand give us a lasting hope.

What can we say in the face of such worthy covenantfaithfulness that has comes to save? What can we sing about thesinless substitute who endures the cross in order to secure for us akingdom of love?

“Blessed be the Lord forever!” Sing about Him todaywithout shame. Do not be silenced.

Psalm 88

2012-02-04T05:40:00.003-05:00

We need God to hear us today. The battle within oursouls is intense, and we cannot win that fight in our own strength.The Lord is the God of our salvation. He will hear us and help us.

Are you and I even aware of the enemies that comeagainst us?

The spirit of the age is knocking on our door all thetime. He insists on entry into the temple of your soul. Will youyield to his lies, or cling to the Christ, who called you to befilled with a different spirit?

That popular spirit, embraced by so many people that itdefines an era, is just one of the enemies of your soul. You alsohave a battle with your flesh that would defeat you with unworthyeager desires. Then there is the sin that so easily besets you,fueled by habits of the heart that you have been unwilling to morefully confront. All around is the hopeless life, the joyless life,the loveless life that insists that you accept the lowest spiritualattainments as all you are every going to possess.

God, the living God, stands against all these. Won't youcall out to Him to defeat this array of lying spirits?

On top of this massive soul struggle, you may faceformidable troubles in your body. Pain, weakness, and disease havemade their mark on your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Will yougive in to bitterness and despair, or will you put on the whole armorof God, and embrace the Lord who faced suffering for your sake? Hehas prepared a place for you in the heavens, that where He is, youmay also be. He will hear you when you talk to Him.

Despair is stealing from you right in front of yourface. Sin and the wrath of God claim to be unsatisfied, pointing tosupposed evidence that God is unwilling to bless you. Fear of theunknown insists that he is your oldest friend and that you will neverbe able to throw him out of your life. But you can remember the crossof Christ again even now. You can fight the good fight of faith. Youcan point to the death of your Savior as evidence that sin can nolonger have dominion over you, and that the wrath of the Almighty hasbeen satisfied through the sacrifice of the Lord on your behalf. Youcan hear and believe the promises of God. You can banish fear throughthe love of God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But then loneliness in this godly path of thought andlife pays a visit. You feel all alone in the way of faith. You havebeen hurt by people in the past, and you would rather just be alone.Where are the ones who used to be beside you? Sickness, weariness,and despair have insisted on isolation. Your house feels like a cell,but you are not sure that you have the strength or desire to leaveit.

The sovereignty of God does not comfort you. Instead youwonder, “Why have you done this to me, O Lord? Why is my life amess? Why am I so weak? Why won't you save me?” You think, “Ihave prayed and prayed and prayed. I have cried and cried and cried.”But you call out to God again. “Lord, can this body do anything forYou when I am in the grave? Am I just going to die? Is there nothingmore left for me? Is that Your plan for me, O God?”

Morning comes, and you talk to God again. But soon thesame enemies are all around you. No sense of God's presence, no realmemory of life without disaster, terrors of the present and fears ofthe future, no sense of any help from God, only His wrath, only Hisassaults against you that will be your destruction, loneliness anddistance from the ones you love, and darkness all around you...

And that is where this psalm ends.

Can you relate to that? Then this psalm is God's specialgift for you. Others may not be able to understand, but the Lord hasgranted to you in a very personal way the privilege of comprehending at least a portion of what our Savior felt as He continued faithfulto the very end.

Your life is not easy. He understands that as someonewho experienced a life of trouble ending with a horrible death.

Remember the power of His cross. Keep on crying out toGod. Commit your Spirit to Him. Believe again in the resurrection ofJesus Christ. And in just a little while, you will be home with theone Person who knows what you are going through more than anyone elsein this world.

Psalm 87

2012-02-03T06:46:00.002-05:00

God caused Jerusalem to be founded as His holy city onearth. He placed the seal of His divine pleasure on the entirepromised land, but especially on Zion, where He let His people builda great temple.

This was the city of God, but it borrowed that titlefrom a better Jerusalem, a Jerusalem that is above, the Jerusalemthat will descend upon the earth when the Son of God comes in glory.

Glorious things are rightly spoken about the true cityof God! Think about it! Sing about it!

Throughout the centuries of the Lord's saving work, Hehas used even the sufferings of this present life on earth to drawHis children away from an inappropriate affection for all glory thatfades away. The marks of death around us remind us that this world isdying. Our souls long for that city that is not infected by theplague of sin, where the permanence of the Lord's highest blessingsare firmly established forever.

Who do you know in heaven? That Jerusalem above has manysurprising inhabitants.

Rahab is there, that hero of the faith that God speaksof in Hebrews 11:31. “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perishwith those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendlywelcome to the spies.” In Joshua 2:9-12 God recorded her words offaith and her plea for His deliverance through the messengers ofIsrael. “I know that the LORD has given you the land, … The LORDyour God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindlywith you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house...”

The faith of Rahab produced the fruits of obedience, andthis was a testimony on earth of her genuine inclusion in the eternalcity of God. Her works of faith testified to us that this resident ofthe vanquished city of Jericho, though once lost, had now been found.

Even places that seemed to be so far from the Lord wouldone day be brought to her. Babylon (Iraq), Philistia (the GazaStrip), and Tyre (Lebanon) are mentioned by name. Even Cush, the landof the Ethiopians, would hear the word of the Lord, and see new lifein a court official of the Queen of their nation. See Acts 8:26-39.

With the coming of the gospel era, the word of theJewish Messiah has now been proclaimed in places far beyond theborders of Jerusalem. Iraq will be counted in the Lord's holydominion, and so will Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Millions ofEthiopians show forth the faith of Rahab today. They have been bornfrom above.

The Lord Himself records the inhabitants of heaven asthose who are residents in the new Jerusalem by birth; not the firstbirth that comes from an earthly father and mother, but the new birththat can only come from above. By the Spirit of God, people fromancient enemies of Israel are being marked as Sons of God throughJesus Christ our Lord. Through faith in Him they have been born inthe better Zion. Consider carefully the marvel of God's grace, andthe depth of His wisdom in saving Gentiles and Jews even in thispresent hour!

We should thank the Lord that we are numbered in the newJerusalem as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior.This hope of the Holy Spirit is the glory of God that makes thedarkest dungeon of grief or pain bright. Even when our bodies cannotrise from bed and our mouths are forced shut by cruel captors, God isable to bring forth praise in groans too deep for words. There is anew dance, a new song, that comes to us from the best city. Heaventouched the life of Saul of Tarsus. That dedicated Pharisee whowanted to eliminate Jesus-following Jews met the Captain of his ownsalvation on the way to persecute others. He was changed. This is anundeniable historical fact. Something changed the Pharisee Saul intoa man who soon preached the message that he had once despised. Aworld beyond this material existence must be real.

This belief in heaven and the resurrection of heaven'sKing from a bleak grave changes everything for us. It is the work ofthe Holy Spirit, and a spring from heaven's great river implantedwithin our souls. May that spring well up within us and bring forththe fruit of love today in the lives of all who hear the word of Godand believe. And may the Lord who died for us and rose from the dead,the King of Glory, be glorified among us.

Psalm 86

2012-02-02T06:55:00.002-05:00

“I am poor and needy.”

Jesus said in Luke 6:20, “Blessed are you who arepoor.” Can you embrace that message? It is a new way of thinking.He goes on to give His reasoning, “for yours is the kingdom ofGod.”

Worldliness will not allow for this kind of blessing.Godliness receives the fact of poverty, and the more general truth ofour neediness, and looks to God for supply. Supply may come today,but supply will surely come. Godliness believes in the promise ofGod. “Yours is the kingdom of God.”

Godliness is honest about today's need, trusts in God,and calls out to Him.

God's love is steadfast. He is good. He is veryforgiving. Remember the cross? Jesus will not abandon you in yourtime of trouble. You can call out to Him, and He will answer you.

“Jesus knows our every weakness.” You can approachHim with that confidence. He knows everything, but He knows weaknessas someone who experienced the depths of it. The words “I am poorand needy” are not only something He hears when you say them. Theyare His own experience. He is able to understand your trouble as onewho carried your sorrows on the cross.

His intercession for you is powerful. According to Hisperfect love for you, He has both sympathy for your weakness andsalvation for your deliverance.

Jesus is the God-King of Israel. It should be a verynatural thing for His people to call out to Him as their Messiah. Yetit was the intention of the God of the Jews that the reign of His Sonwould extend far beyond the descendants of Jacob.

There is no other god that could say with credibility toa person in need, “Yours is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus saidthese words, and then proved His claim through His own resurrectionand ascension. He reigns as the true Son of God from the Jerusalemthat is above. All the nations shall glorify His Name.

It has been granted to you not only to believe in HisName, but to follow Him, even in your present suffering. He has givenyou His Word and Spirit to guide you along the path that He has foryou.

The pathway of life that Jesus has for His disciples isa way of sincere devotion and obedience. He will teach us the way ofthe cross. This good road leads to the city of light, where Christshines forever. Consider where you have come from, the city ofdarkness, and where you are going, the celestial city! God will helpyou today in your greatest need.

The life of dependence upon the Almighty does not denythe reality of trouble. But God is stronger than every enemy, evendeath. Through the death of His Son for you, death was defeated. Youcan call upon His Name now. He is merciful and gracious.

“I am poor and needy.”

Ask Him to save you in your poverty and in your greatneed. Ask Him to grant to you a sign of His eternal favor today. Askthe One who loves you with an everlasting love to comfort you andhelp you in this present hour.

Deuteronomy 21

2012-02-01T06:24:00.003-05:00

Heaven is a place without murder. We pray, “Thykingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” TheLord hears and answers prayer, and surely this prayer that Jesustaught His disciples to pray is agreeable to the will of God. But wedo not see everything on earth in perfect conformity to His will, atleast not yet. “But we see him who for a little while was madelower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honorbecause of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God hemight taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)

Heaven is not a place of unsolved murders, captives ofwar, unloved spouses, and rebellious sons. The world has manyexamples of all of these sad situations.

Israel was to be the one place on earth that would be adisplay to the world of heaven, where the Law of the God of heavenwas practiced. Yet the Law could not remove the curse for sin. Onlythe righteousness and blood of the Messiah could do that.

At the return of Christ, we will see the full power ofHis work displayed. Then the prayer that Jesus taught His disciplesto pray will be most fully answered, and the will of God will becompletely accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.

Until the time when the Messiah first came and broughtrighteousness to earth and salvation through His blood, the Lord gaveHis people laws and rituals that testified to the seriousness of sin,and the hope of a better day. But how would righteousness actuallycome to the earth?

As the people of God waited, they could not considermurder a light matter. Murder brought guilt upon the land. Murderrequired a penalty. But what if the murderer could not be found.Could the blood of a heifer really make things right? Even if thatmight purge the guilt of innocent blood in a ceremonial way, at leastfor a time, would there ever be a better solution without any murderat all?

In Israel, there would be a curb on the power of asoldier's lust. But we are looking for a land without lust, where oureager love for the Lord is the source of every holy delight.

In Israel, it was unlawful for a man to deny hischildren just because he no longer loved their mother. But we areexpecting a better end to the story of broken family life than a mererestraint on evil. We want everyone to experience the love of aperfect husband, and the provision of a fully devoted father.

In Israel, a village did not have to be terrorizedforever by a rebellious undisciplined young man who would not listento his parents. An unruly drunkard would be stoned to death on thetestimony of his parents. But who would comfort the mother and fatherin their loss? Could this be the Lord's best solution to theirheart-breaking problem?

A new and better day arrived for the whole earth whenthe Son of God came in person to take away the curse for all whowould believe in Him. According to the Law, a man who was exposedbefore Israel on a tree was cursed by God. But when God's perfect Sontook the curse that we deserved, something new and very powerful cameupon the earth.

That perfect Son has risen from the dead. He haspromised us a much better day. That day is already reserved for us inthe heavens and will surely come here soon with great power. Then themeek shall inherit the earth, and that is a much better end to thesaving work of God than a law that manages and restrains evil.

Deuteronomy 20

2012-01-31T05:29:00.000-05:00

Cynicism and despair are not our allies. When we feeltheir presence, we can turn to our loving Commander, and ask for Hishelp. The Man who cast out demons with a word will defeat them andevery other enemy.

If we fear the Lord, if we seriously consider that Jesusof Nazareth is the true Son of God and the only powerful Messiah, wewill look on powerful adversaries in the right way. We will not beafraid of them.

Cynicism listens to the lies of the devil who would haveus doubt that God is good or that the Lord is powerful to save.Despair would have us focus on our own weakness and run away. When wereceive the Lord again as our powerful Friend in every trial and asour merciful God who is full of compassion, our hearts are revivedand we can go forth in the triumph of the cross.

“Let not your heart faint.... The Lord your God is Hewho goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give youthe victory.”

This was to be the message of the Lord's priest beforethe assembled armies of Israel. Before leaders were chosen,distracted and fearful warriors were dismissed. Our captains who leadus forward in prayer and service must not be cynical or fearful men.At the head of the Lord's people, is the one Captain of our salvationat the right hand of the Majesty on high. We look to Him and findcourage.

As the Israelites were led in war by God, they were tomake a distinction between those enemies that were in the land ofconquest and other more distant cities who would stand in their way.Those in the land of Canaan were to be destroyed. If they were leftalive, there would be great danger that they would entice Israel inpathways of evil. But those who were not in the land could be giventerms of peace, and could surrender to Israel and serve them. If theyrefused this entreaty, all the males of that city would be killed,but the women and the little ones would live, and would be taken asplunder. These were the uncompromising rules of conquest warfare thatMoses gave to Israel.

Imagine what this fighting force had been through. Theyand their parents had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. God gavethem bread from heaven and water from the rock in the wilderness. Buttheir parents did not walk in faith, and that whole generation diedas a result of unbelief. Now the next generation was listening to thecommands of God through Moses, and was ready to obey the Lord ofheaven and earth.

The God of Israel is the one Lord over all. He gave Hispeople instructions about their care even for the fruit trees of thecities they would defeat. He was certainly Lord over every body andsoul that the fighting men would encounter both near and far.

The Captain of our salvation who died for our sins isthe only Messiah. He is not lacking in power, authority, sovereignty,and glory. His commands are not less binding than the word of Godthrough Moses.

This Jesus calls us to an uncompromising victory in thelight of His cross. He does not lead His church to take up theweapons of this world in order to take heaven by storm. We follow Himin the way of suffering love.

There is a strength in our weakness that is morepowerful than the sword. We will not compromise with cynicism. Wewill not follow the lies of those who see our Savior as just onespiritual leader among many. We will honor Jesus as our King, notjust with an outward form of religion, but with the power ofgodliness that is willing to turn away from worldly lusts that wouldquickly destroy us.

We will follow our all-powerful Commander in faith. Heis leading us to the Jerusalem that is above via this war-torn earth.His terms to nations near and far are clear. “Repent and believe,for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Receive this Word and you willbe servants of the Lord and even sons of God through Jesus Christ.

Every other choice, no matter how safe, intelligent,sophisticated, or advantageous it may seem, is actually a road thatleads to death. Christ and His cross lead to the victory ofresurrection life. No more cynicism. No more worldliness. No moredespair.

Deuteronomy 19

2012-01-30T07:19:00.003-05:00

The Law of God for Israel had a very unusual provisionthat only made sense for a world of unintended negative consequences.A scheming group of people that murdered an innocent man had to facethe death penalty. But a man who had been working with his friend inthe forest who was swinging his axe only to have the unintendedresult that the axehead flew off and his friend was hit in the headand died, that man was not a murderer. He was guilty of manslaughter.No one wanted this to happen, and everyone was asking, “Why?”

In the Law of Israel, that man who swung the axe couldrun to a city of refuge, and find safety from the grieving relatives.The next of kin to the dead man was a “kinsman-redeemer” whowould see to the requirements of justice and who would also care forthe land, family, and name of his relative. He was to make thingsright in this matter in name of the deceased, and in this case wascalled an avenger.

But how would you make things right, when no one wasable to make sense of this death? What about the man who would nowdie for the unintended manslaughter? Who would avenge his death?Where would it end?

The Lord provided a city of refuge. In that city, theelders, would have to decide the case. They could not harbor amurderer in their gates, but they could protect a manslayer who hadno intention of taking the life of his neighbor. As the conquest ofthe land progressed, the Lord would provide additional cities ofrefuge, so that the nearest city would be close enough to be aneffective safety net in a sad world.

How do you receive this unusual decree from Israel'sGod? Just for a moment, don't evaluate it as a judge, or catalog itas a researcher of legal customs. Receive it like a child of someyears who heard these words for the first time from a father whocould tell the story clearly and well. That child would be able toget the point.

One man died in an accident. In God's land, the nearestrelative could run after the man who killed him. That nearestrelative could demand the life of that man. But the Lord provided aplace of safety, since the man did not mean to kill his friend. Thatman who swung the axe had to run fast, faster than the man who mightbe chasing after him. He had to get to the city of refuge first. Ifhe did, the leaders in that city would protect him.

That story might come back to the mind of that child inyears to come when someone urged him to run for safety again toJesus. It is a powerful idea, a city of refuge, but it only goes sofar. We need a much more comprehensive solution to the sadness oflife all around. Our misery is not merely a result of unintendednegative consequences.

Even in Israel, there might be those who had stolen. Forinstance, a neighbor might try to move the stone that marked hisproperty line, and end up taking some land that really was not his.He also might lie about another neighbor as a malicious witness, andbring horrible trouble upon many lives. Evil could not be tolerated,but how would anyone survive? Two or three witnesses could rightlybring a man to his death. What can be done for people like us. We areguilty. How can we meet our Maker? Is there any place of eternalrefuge for the guilty? Can the guilty man ever find forgiveness? Canpeople covered with shame ever find cleansing?

There is a Kinsman-Redeemer for us in the Messiah. He isour closest brother. He died not just for our careless mistakes. Hegave His righteous blood for our worst sins. Even Saul of Tarsus, achief of sinners, a man who had hated the innocent just because theybelieved that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah, even that manfound forgiveness through the blood of his kinsman-redeemer that Hehad hated without a cause.

There is a new story that is very powerful. Receive itlike a child. You are guilty, and not innocent. Where can you go? Theman running after you is the Son of God, and He runs faster than youdo. He has every right to punish you forever. He comes in the Name ofHis Father, and you have stolen and lied in ways that have offendedthe Most High God.

But what does that closest relation of God do when hecatches you? He does not destroy you, He grants you life in Hisblood. He has taken the penalty for you. The Kinsman-Redeemer of Godthat could have demanded justice from you forever has become yourBrother and Redeemer. He has paid Justice for you. He has become yourCity of Refuge. Now that's a powerful story! And it's true.

Psalm 85

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The history of Israel is full of deliverance. But thereis a land that God loves more than Canaan. There is a Jerusalem abovewhere righteousness dwells. The descent of that great bride fromheaven will mean the renewal of the whole earth.

Today, the kingdom of heaven upon the earth isespecially known through the church of the Jewish Messiah. How is thebride of Christ faring upon the earth? She is in constant need of theLord's continued deliverance.

We remember the fact of the cross as the greatestdisplay of the grace of God toward us. God forgave the iniquity ofHis people. He covered our sin. He withdrew His anger because of ourSubstitute.

But now and every day we need restoration. We feel thediscipline of the Lord, and we wonder how much we can take. Will thecross, the resurrection, and the presence of Christ in us by the HolySpirit be a present salvation for us again today? This is our plea.It is also the Lord's promise that we need embrace again by faith.

Even when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians andthere was so much suffering in the land, the Lord's prophet was ableto remember this in Lamentations 3:21-26:

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

Thesteadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to anend; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “TheLORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope inhim.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul whoseeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvationof the LORD.

Yes, it is good for us to wait quietly for the Lord, butit is also good for us to cry out to Him in an honest lamentationwith faith. And it is good for the Lord's people to find the way tosincere rejoicing.

We need to hear what He will say to us today. We need tobelieve that Jesus is the Son of God and the great Messiah. We needto believe again in heavenly glory and to ask for glory in the churchas a present supply from above. May the Lord's salvation be near tous! May the Lord's glory dwell in us now!

Steadfast love and faithfulness have met in the cross ofChrist. The righteousness that insists on the fullest obedience tothe Law of God and the shalom that comforts the weak have found theonly way to live with each other in Him.

Because of the blood of this one Lamb, there is a newland where faithfulness springs up from the ground and righteousnesslooks down from the sky. The Lord will give us good gifts. Thekingdom of God will yield its increase today. A way has been made forus in the footsteps of our Redeemer who endured the cross and who nowreigns in the heights of heaven.

Psalm 84

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So much of the passion of human beings is spent on thosethings that quickly perish. One of the best ways to gain a good senseof perspective on what lasts is by listening to the dying words of aperson who has schooled his heart in what really matters. SamuelRutherford died on March 20, 1661, but his final words still strike avery responsive chord in the hearts of those who love the Lord andHis kingdom with an undying love. He said, “Glory, glory, dwellethin Emmanuel's land.”

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!”What wonderful words to sing, and what a wonderful blessing it is toset your affections on things that are above, where Christ is seatedat the right hand of the Father.

Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens. He doesall that He pleases.” During the days of Old Covenant life, thereplica of what Moses saw on the holy mountain was a moveablestructure of worship called the Tabernacle. This became a model for amore glorious Temple that Solomon built on Mount Zion. That temple isno more. But there is a temple of God still on earth today, a templeof persons in the New Testament church, a living tabernacle of theHoly Spirit. That church has its most perfect portion in the heavens,where God reigns. The Head of the body of Christ is there and so isthe glorious body of Christ, His forgiven people who have gone to bewith Him. When He returns to earth, so will they. Heaven is theperfect land of Emmanuel. I would rather live there than set myaffections on impressive structures here below that will not last.

What makes a temple glorious is the glory of the Spiritof the Lord that fully dwells in it. Yet even now, God is with us,and we can have joy unspeakable and full of glory here. But those whoare more interested in the lusts that preoccupy the sons of men haveno taste for heaven.

Setting your heart on things above is the only safe wayto enjoy the good gifts of God that we can receive with thanksgivingnow. We find our strength in the Lord of glory. If you love heaven'sriver and are filled with that Spirit, then you can travel throughthe most dry places on earth along your journey to the glory ofEmmanuel's land, and they become a spring of water for you in theholy contemplation of the One that your soul loves.

The things that we worship have a corresponding realitythat cannot be seen. If you have an idolatry of family, you will befilled with the spirit of what your family is all about. If you lovea prostitute who sells her pictures for voyeurs to gaze at, you willbe joined to that unclean spirit. If you decide to yoke yourself to abook of false religion, what is the demonic spirit that you arewelcoming into your soul? But if you love the God of the Psalms, ifyou love the suffering servant of the Hebrew Scriptures who died foryour sins, if you love the apostolic words that unlock the mysteriesof all the earlier Scriptures, the spirit that you will love is theHoly Spirit, and you will live as a citizen of heaven.

What should you do if Psalm 84 does not move you? Askthe Lord of the Psalms to reveal Himself to you, and to cast out fromyou every idol that has captivated your heart. Ask the Lord to hearyour prayer. He will give you the Holy Spirit that makes the Biblecome alive to the hearts of God's people. Then you will love heavenand heaven's King, and you will say to the Lord Jesus, “A day inyour courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be adoorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents ofwickedness.”

The Lord who died for our sins and the Father who gaveHis only-begotten son for us, will give the Holy Spirit to those whoask Him, to those who are willing to repent of their devotion tolesser gods. Your idols have spiritual reality. Though an idol itselfis nothing, when you have an eager desire for it, you worship ademonic spirit, and your unclean speech and life become a reflectionof that unclean mess that you have permitted to have too much sway inyou. Let God smash the idol, and find life again. See 1 Corinthians6:16-17, 8:4-6, 10:14-22.

“The Lord God is a sun and a shield.” The idol youplace before Him is no such thing. “The Lord bestows favor andhonor.” Your idol of acceptance by others will not bring youanything good. “No good thing does (the Lord) withhold from thosewho walk uprightly.” Your lusts will only destroy you. They cangive you nothing of lasting value. Please give them up now, beforethey destroy you.

“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts inYou!”

Psalm 83

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The world is full of controversy, and the people of Godhave always had detractors and persecutors. We long for God todecisively speak, to settle every matter, and to restrain everyenemy. The Lord's congregation sings out to Him, “O God, do notkeep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!”

God may seem very silent to His people, but our enemiesare clearly not quiet. They are making an uproar. In case we are nothearing them, they wave their arms with aggression so that we cannotice them by sight.

The evil that we hear and see is the fruit of secretscheming. Their goal is to destroy Israel, or to destroy the peopleof the Jewish Messiah.

We are people of a covenant. The Lord is faithful to usforever. His faithfulness and compassion will never fail, though Hedisciplines those He loves.

The enemies of the Lord have made a covenant as well,but it is very different from the covenant of God that we celebrate.They have made a covenant to destroy the Lord's people. Among thenations listed in this covenant are neighbors to Israel and nomadicenemies within Israel. Some are connected with historic individuals,identifying themselves with Esau, Ishmael, or Lot. Some were probablynomadic peoples that were against Israel, such as the Hagrites,Gebal, and Amalek. Ammon is a country identified with its chief city,Rabbah, site of the modern city of Amman, the capital of Jordan. Philistia refers to the cities of the Philistines that are in thearea today known as the Gaza Strip, bordering on Egypt to the south.Tyre was in the area of modern Lebanon to the north. Asshur refers tothe Assyrian empire to the north and the east. The children of Lotwere the ancient nations of Moab and Edom to the east and south. Ifall of these people groups are placed on a map, we would return tothe most obvious observation, that they comprise all the neighboringnations and even people groups within Israel without an establishedhomeland that together consider themselves covenant allies againstIsrael. Their cry has always been, “Let us take possession forourselves of the pastures of God.”

The people of the Lord cry out to Him for help againstall who would destroy them. They remember back to the period ofJudges in the early history of Israel when Deborah and Barak led thepeople by God's strength to defeat Sisera, or when God used fearfulGideon as a mighty man of valor and led His people to victory againstMideon.

They do not sing about there own ability to defeat thenations united against them. They call on God to humble those foes inthe dust, and to fill their faces with shame. And for what purpose?Amazingly, “that they may seek Your Name, O Lord,” and “thatthey may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the MostHigh over all the earth.”

As these allied people groups pursue their hatredagainst the Lord's people, many will perish. But the hope of therighteous is that some will seek the Name of the God of Israel.

The psalm is not a plea for our own military strength sothat we can annihilate the foe. The cry of the righteous is for Godto come and work His saving purpose. The goal is for the nations tobow before the God of Israel, not merely to be left alone to live andpractice our religious customs in peace.

Many have rejected Jesus as the Jewish Messiah becauseHe did not bring the victory they were expecting. That day will come.They ignore the many prophesies that have to do with a sufferingMessiah. The first such word is not in Psalm 22 (“My God, My God,why have You forsaken Me?”) or Isaiah 53 (“Surely He has borneour griefs and carried our sorrows, but we esteemed Him stricken,smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for ourtansgressions.”). The earliest Word was in the Torah, in the centerof Genesis 3, when the Lord pronounced judgment upon the serpent. “Iwill put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruisehis heel.”

The longed-for offspring of the woman, the Son of Davidthrough a woman, and the eternal Son of God, has come to defeat ourworst adversaries through His death. He is the Passover Lamb.

Now He is on high, directing the fulfillment of everydetail of His promises, including the events of Psalm 83. If you wantto see Him fulfill the prophesies of a strong and victorious Messiah,you should not have to wait very long.

He is the Word. He speaks. His sheep hear His voice.They know Him, and they follow Him. He will deliver His people fromall of their enemies.

Psalm 82

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The use of the Hebrew word “Elohim” (pronouncedeh-lo-HEEM), translated here “God,” is a very common way to referto Yahweh, the only true God and the Lord of the universe. But Elohimcan be used to refer to false gods (though they are either demonic ornothing at all), to angels, and even to rulers among men. There is amajesty and dominion that is borrowed from the Almighty God evenamong men made in His image that demands that we use the authoritythat we have been granted to pursue His great purposes alone. When weuse power for selfish gain and glory, we are rightly condemned asoppressors who will one day face the real Elohim in person.

The true God takes His place in the midst of all theheavenly council as the Almighty One. Father, Son, and Holy Spiritare there before all the angels and now, before all those humanbeings who have been granted eternal entrance into the place ofhighest rule and authority through the blood of Jesus Christ. In themidst of that great assembly, the Lord our God reigns.

He considers the tyrants on the earth, and challengesthem. “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?” Even if thievesand enslaving men among the earth's corrupt rulers were able todeceive everyone around them, which is not easy, they cannot foolGod. He knows what evil rulers do in the secret meditations of theirhearts. They are looking for their own gain, and have decided tojudge controversies among their subjects based on who can pay them abribe.

By this system the weak and the destitute suffer. Rulersshould judge justly. Has the poor man been wronged by a richoppressor? A ruler should use the authority that he has been givenunder God to set things right. He should rescue the weak and theneedy, and deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Not only will Christ and the heavenly host judge peopleone day, but even we will also judge angels. Think of the power andmajesty of fallen angels on the earth. Consider the temptations thatSatan was allowed to bring before Jesus of Nazareth. Yet our Lordresisted Him with the Word.

We are warned that this fallen angel still roams aboutas a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour. How is it that such apowerful being will flee when the church prays together to resisthim? The answer is found in Elohim, and in the Son of God, the Lionof the tribe of Judah, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Meanwhile, corruption seems to be everywhere among men.As the restraints of moral absolutes are rejected by those who havedecided that they are smarter than any possible god, societies areunraveling. Nothing has improved in the soul sickness of arroganthumanity. There is still much wickedness among the men and women ofthe earth, As the restraints of godly standards of conduct areremoved, righteousness is first denigrated and then redefined. Truemorality fades more and more among men, while wickedness prospers.

Though people who have neither knowledge orunderstanding have determined that they are their own little I-AMs,they actually walk about in darkness. Lust is exalted. The poor areoppressed, both by the rich, and by those who are trying to get richby claiming to be the defenders of the weak. Those who should benoble leaders have decided to manage mobs of fools for their owngain, and the foundations of honorable conduct among mankind areshattered.

Rulers and judges on the earth should be better thanthis. They are Elohim, sons of the Most High. But like any prince orusurper, they will die the death of mortal men. The best of them willbe remembered with monuments. When the worst die, the monuments theyforced men to build in their honor will be torn to the ground. Eventheir graves will be dishonored. Soon other wicked people are waitingto take their places at an opportune time.

But now a Son of Man has come in the Name of the MostHigh God. He has not come to make Himself wealthy, but to give Hislife for us as the best of all gifts. He is highest Elohim in Histrue divine nature, but now He is also Elohim as a Man who will ruleperfectly over redeemed mankind for the glory of God and for the goodof His glorious subjects. He reigns in the assembly above, and weworship God through Him in the assemblies below.

When He came to die for us, false religious authoritiespretended to be offended that He was making Himself equal with God.As John records in John 10:31-36,

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesusanswered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father;for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answeredhim, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you butfor blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesusanswered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you aregods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—andScripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Fatherconsecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

The true Son of God has come to save us by His death andresurrection. He is reigning on High now as King in the heavenlyassembly. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.“Arise, O Elohim Jesus, judge the earth; for you shall inherit allthe nations!”

Deuteronomy 18

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What is it that gives you your identity, your worth,your sense of belonging to something that is true and good? For manypeople, their possessions define them, particularly their land andhousing that they own and can pass on to the next generation.

It could not be that way for the Israelites. The Lordwas the ultimate owner of the land that He gave them to live in. Butespecially the Levites, the tribe of priests and tabernacle servantsin Israel, had a different arrangement concerning the land. They didnot have a triba1 territory of their own. The priests had aparticipation in the Lord's offerings and all the Levites had theLord Himself as their inheritance.

When the Messiah came, He testified to the fact that theSon of Man had no place to lay His head. His Father was His portion.So many who were not descendants of Jacob have now found theiridentity and portion in Him. He has won a new land for us, and we arecitizens of that land, heaven. We would rather be servants of theLord in that country than have the most opulent mansions in a citythat will one day perish. Jesus is our High Priest forever, and thegreat Servant of the Lord.

In this dying world, we cannot take all our directionfor spiritual living from the customs around us. The Lord, ourProphet, Priest, and King, has told us how we should live.

The people of Israel could not safely imitate theCanaanites that they would soon dispossess. The Canaanites offered uptheir own children as burnt offerings to God. They inquired intospiritual realms through the use of diviners, enchanters, fortunetellers and those who communicated with the spirits of the dead. Allof these defiling practices were prohibited by God.

The way to know the will of God and the truth aboutspiritual realms would come from the Lord's Word. As Moses gave thisexposition of the Lord's will to the tribes of Israel, he was theappointed prophet of God, the authoritative spokesman of God's Word.But his days on earth would soon be done. He pointed Israel toanother prophet who would one day came.

This coming prophet would come from their own number,“from your brothers,” the Israelites. Moses recognized theobvious possibility that a fellow Israelite might arise claiming tobe this great prophet presumptuously. How were they to tell whetherthis man was the true prophet?

“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if theword does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lordhas not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You neednot be afraid of him.”

The true prophet would speak the truth. If he spoke ofwhat would come, claiming to speak for God, and what he promised didnot come to pass, he was not the one to come.

Think of the promises that Jesus made. He told Hisdisciples about His suffering, death, and resurrection on the thirdday. He told them about the establishment of His church, that thegates of hell would not prevail against it. He told them about thedestruction of the temple in Jerusalem. He told the disciples thatthey would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to theuttermost parts of the earth.

These things have all happened.

This Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the fulfillmentof thousands of Old Testament expectations concerning a coming Onewho would be Savior and Lord.

Anyone claiming to be the prophet of Deuteronomy 18,though he may speak well of the Law and the Gospels, if He does notacknowledge the promises of Jesus that have already been amplyfulfilled, he loses all credibility of being a true prophet in theline of Moses. If that man is not even a descendant of Jacob, he isobviously not the prophet of Deuteronomy 18.

You need not be afraid of him.

Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is our portion. He isour life.

Deuteronomy 17

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The Lord demanded that Israel be holy, and that thosewho would lead His nation would serve in accord with His oracles. Wehave a Leader over God's people now who is not only full of wisdomand power; He is also the Lord our Righteousness. He is all that aKing could ever be, and we must offer Him pure worship. What a reliefthat this same Jewish Messiah who is our King in the heavens is alsothe one Mediator between God and man. This holy Jesus was an offeringwithout spot or blemish, making peace between God and His people. NowHe purifies our worship and brings it to His Father as a perfectoffering.

The land of Israel was to be a place of moral andspiritual purity. The ethic of the land was a rule of completeconsecration, an image of the purity to come when the true King ofIsrael would establish the glory of the Lord's reign over a renewedand resurrected world. There could be no tolerance of false worshipin that land that God gave to His people. The entire community had aresponsibility to stone those who would go after other gods.

In the gospel era, we bring the Word of heaven, theChristian hope, to the entire world. We do not stone anyone. Wesuffer for the Name of the One who died for our sins, and we proclaimHim to all people. We plant, we water, and God gives the increase.

But the community of the redeemed in the midst of adying world, the church, is to be holy in Christ. Though we must nottolerate false worship in the church, the Lord of the harvest hasinstructed us not to be too aggressive in pulling up plants that looklike weeds, lest we inadvertently throw out wheat in the process. Heis coming again with a host of men and angels, and he will judgerightly.

In Israel, God appointed priests and judges to decidedifficult cases of justice. These all served for as many days as theLord granted. They served temporarily and imperfectly, eventuallyjudging so wrongly that they determined that Jesus was guilty ofblasphemy because He presented Himself as the Son of God. Theydetermined that He was worthy of death. This Jesus that theycondemned is now the Judge of the living and the dead. He is thePriest who offered up His own body as an atoning sacrifice thatcancels our guilt. He is still our High Priest and King over thehouse of the Lord. He is coming to finally purge the evil from thechurch that bares His Name and to establish forever His perfectedkingdom of righteousness and peace. He will reign forever and ever.

Even in the Law, the Lord made a provision for Israel tohave a king. The king had to be an Israelite, and not a foreign rulercalled in because of what he could offer the nation. He was not tobecome king for what he could get from the people in an effort toaccumulate his own wealth and glory in this dying world. He was notto lead the people back to Egypt to fall into the hands of a greaterimperial power, as if the hope of the nation was in the power of men.He was not to collect many wives from the peoples of the world, lestthey turn him away from God.

There was one other requirement for the coming King: Heneeded to write out a copy of the Law approved by the Leviticalpriests. He was to keep it close to him and to read it and follow itall the days of his life, for the Lord God would be the king's King.

Now the best king has come. This true Son of David isalso the Son of God. He is not impressed with the powers of men andempires. He did not come to earth in order to gain wealth from Hissubjects. He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give Hislife as a ransom for many. The Law of God was in His heart, and Hefully obeyed, not only the commandments given to Israel, but the callof His Father to die for our salvation. He is the Lord of love, thetrue King of Israel, and the Head of His body, the church. There isno other Name given among men by which we must be saved.

Deuteronomy 16

2012-01-23T06:56:00.000-05:00

The Old Testament calendar included three major clustersof festivals surrounding Passover, Pentecost (the feast of Weeks),and Tabernacles (the feast of Booths). As Moses prepared the peoplefor life in the promised land, he called upon the congregation ofIsrael to gather together for these central feasts, and to call uponthe Name of the Lord together.

Though these festivals are part of the Old TestamentLaw, they testified to the grace of God. They gave the community anannual rhythm that celebrated the deliverance of God, thefruitfulness of His continued provision, and the faithfulness of theLord in moving His people toward a day when they would dwell with Himin peace forever. Passover was a new beginning of grace, Pentecostwas a middle point of encouragement along that road of grace, andTabernacles and beyond was an end or fulfillment of the Lord'spromises of grace.

Passover was an early spring feast. The Lord'sdeliverance through sacrifice, through the blood of a lamb, andthrough His own powerful hand was all grace. A system of substitutionwhere guilt was removed and righteousness was supplied by another hadto be based on grace. This grace that saved us and purchased us alsodemanded a consecrated life for those who were delivered frombondage. We were freed from the bondage of sin through the Passoverdeath of the Lamb of God not to be enslaved again by the leaven oflust and idolatry, but to live the unleavened life of sincerity andtruth. See 1 Corinthians 5:8. The beginning of the life of grace forthe children of God can only be in the Passover cross of Christ. Thatcross claimed us for a new life in the resurrection of Jesus, who isHimself the firstfruits of the resurrection.

Seven weeks after Passover, the middle of the annualjourney began with the feast of Pentecost. The worship that theIsraelites offered as they gathered together was an acknowledgment ofthe growth that the Lord was providing. Though the fields are whiteunto harvest, and the Lord uses our hands in the process of bringingin His bounty, and though one man plants and another waters, only Godcan bring the growth. The fruitfulness of the gospel is all of grace.To gather in worship on Pentecost was a communal recognition of themercy of God. As the Spirit of God hovered over the waters inanticipation of the powerful Word of God in the first creation, anynew creation must come by the Spirit and the Word. Throughout thisPentecost era, the grace of the Lord is gathering in the fruitfulnessof the growth that God has supplied.

The Lord's servants were to gather a third time incovenant assembly for the feast of Tabernacles. This was a feast ofthe joy of the Lord. One day the gospel harvest period will be over.Our union and communion with the One who came to tabernacle with uswill become the fulfillment of our holy longings. No longer will webe assaulted by enemies within and without. No longer will uncleanlusts molest the sacred purity of the Lord's true congregation. Wewill dwell with Him forever.

The land that the Lord ultimately provides for Hispeople, the renewed heavens and earth, will be the perfectenvironment of full peace and provision. Injustice and oppressionwill not have any foothold there. The worship of false gods will befar from every heart. That will be the life! Therefore we worship theLord now in the Passover Lamb who is our life. We praise Him and livefor Him by the power of the Spirit of Pentecost. Finally, we wait forthe revealing of the fullness of God's promises in His coming again.This is the new rhythm of our lives, a pattern of the grace of Godthat was anticipated for centuries in the ancient Jewish festivalsduring the time of the Law.

Psalm 81

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“Sing aloud to God!” This is the Lord's call to Hispeople throughout the ages. The suffering servants of God hear thatcall, and ask for strength to keep on going. Heartfelt praise is thebest prescription for us in our weakness, for the joy of the Lord isour strength. But the Lord Himself must help us from heaven, lest wesimply drag our weary hearts through the motions of pretended praise.

Not only is the joy of the Lord our strength, but GodHimself, who visits us in our distress, is strength for us in person.“Come quickly, Lord!”

God has made a decree. He will deliver His people fromevery trouble. He brought them out of bondage. He led them throughthe wilderness. He gave them the Land according to His promise. Wemay be overwhelmed by the present moment, but if we consider theLord's saving work beginning with His great promise to Abraham inGenesis 12:1-3 and continuing down to the present day with millionsof assemblies that call upon His Name all over the earth, we cannothelp but be impressed with His faithfulness and power.

Along this amazing journey of many centuries, the Lordhas tested His people. Will you be faithful today to the Lord whogave His Son for your salvation? Will you turn to Him and ask forbread from heaven and water from His chosen rock? Are you hungry? Areyou thirsty? Come to God. He will lift you up.

Is there some better alternative for you than to humbleyourself in the sight of the Lord, and to listen to His voice? He hasprovision for you in His hand. Won't you receive His embrace in thecross and resurrection of His Son? He knows you and calls you by Nameagain today. You came to the garden of burial early in the morningwanting only to show some respect to a dead body, but you are greetednow by a living Savior and Friend. See John 20:11-18.

Some who were called by His Name have refused to listento His voice. They have even preferred strange gods that cannot save.Even now, He is here. He bids Israel to come to Him again, as so manyhave, not only from the Jews, but from all the nations. He bore yourgriefs on the cross and carried your sorrows. See Isaiah 53:4-6. Whyshould you refuse to sing to Him who draws you near with love sostrong and so true, a love that was willing to die for you?

There is an enemy who is against you. He urges you tostay in the grave of despair and self-pity, telling you that life isnot better in the light. But Jesus extends His hand and lifts you outof that deep pit. He has a refreshing meal for you that will bringlight to your eyes. He has delightful bread for you made from thefinest flour. He has provided you with honey from the rock of Hiseverlasting presence. He has what you need to satisfy the deepestlongings of your soul. What are you missing today that is not in Hishand?

Come. “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joyto the God of Jacob!” Come with your weakness. Come with yoursadness. Come with your sickness. Come with your tears. He will helpyou. He is able to sympathize, and His Holy Spirit will bring you,fill you, and keep you forever.

Psalm 80

2012-01-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

The people of God have a Shepherd.

The Old Testament people of God, Israel, called out totheir Shepherd, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Shepherdmade promises to them, disciplined them, and led them.

The New Testament people of God, the church, iscomprised of Jews and Gentiles throughout the earth who call on thissame Shepherd through Jesus, our Redeemer. We who recognize Jesus asthe Son of God and the King of the Jews have now taken up the psalmsof Israel as they worship the God of the Jews. The God of Moses isour God. He is the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He hearsus, and He leads us.

But what about those Jews who rejected Jesus? We look tosee many coming to faith in Him even now, just as Saul of Tarsus didso long ago. As he wrote, “the gifts and calling of God areirrevocable.”

We cry out to the God of Israel to save us, just as Jewshave for so many centuries. Why should they be left out of theassembly of the Lord when it is their own Scriptures that Jesus hasfulfilled?

They need to be restored again to His assembly,worshiping together with new brothers from among the Gentiles. TheLord is able to restore them. See Romans 11.

The Jews have suffered so much over the centuries. Theirnew brothers and sisters from among the Gentiles who are feeding onthe Law and the prophets and singing the psalms of David should bepraying for the Lord's salvation for the Jews. We should cry out toGod for them, that He might shine His face upon them in accord withHis ancient promises.

We have the record in the divinely inspired books ofhistory that show us the care of the Lord for the Jews. We have heardof the exodus and the conquest under Joshua. We know of the Lord'sprovision of the great king David and his son Solomon. We know aboutwhat happened to Jeremiah at the time of the exile. We have heard thestories of Ruth and Esther. God is the God of the Jews. Should theirsuffering continue forever?

Look at the facts of what has taken place to the Jewsover these centuries since the closing of the canonical books. Lookat the movement of so many of the descendants of Jacob back to theland of Canaan. But even now ancient enemies are still bent on thedestruction of God's people, both in the church and among the Jews.

Sometimes in our relationships within families we needto extend unilateral forgiveness because the other party is notasking to be forgiven. The time has come for us to care about thepeople from whom the Apostle Paul and even Jesus came, even if theychoose to persecute those who love their Messiah. We want them backin the family worshiping beside us. The dividing wall of hostilitybetween Jew and Gentile has come down. The war is over.

We are all together, and we all are in need of thesalvation of God.

Let us sing together, Jew and Gentile, as one body inChrist. Let us say with one voice, “Restore us, O Lord God ofhosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!”

Lead your people home, O Shepherd of Israel!

Psalm 79

2012-01-20T06:40:00.003-05:00

What can we say to the Lord when the worst has actuallyhappened? How do we cry out to Him in faith and truth? The Lord hearsthe desperate prayers of those who call upon His Name with sincerehearts.

In the days when He sent the Babylonians into Jerusalemand so many of His people went into exile in a foreign land, itappeared that all was lost. Invading armies had defiled the templebuilding. So many young people had been killed. Jerusalem was theridicule of surrounding nations.

God was disciplining His people for a time. It was rightfor them to call out to Him with cries and tears. Our Savior didthat, and He was heard.

In the depths of despair it may seem that the Lord willnever have mercy again. We can even sing about that sentiment to Him,and He will hear us. “How long, O Lord?” You can sing that. Justdo not stop coming to God in song and prayer, and do not pretend thatthere is no problem. Keep worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

The Lord will not be angry at His children forever. Butthe way of those who do not know Him and who do not obey the gospelis a very dangerous path that leads to eternal destruction. See 2Thessalonians 1.

At just the right time the Lord will come and rescue Hispeople from their tormenters who imagine that it is safe to abuse andpersecute the Lord's children. The people of faith and love will bevindicated in the righteousness that comes from their Savior on high.He will openly claim us as His own on that great day.

We remember our own sins when the worst happens to us.We accuse ourselves, and forget that the Lord who disciplines Hischildren, loves us. But now we humbly ask the Lord that He would notremember our transgressions. We have a very strong reason for thisgood request. Christ died for our sins.

Because of Jesus, our plea to God in the year of ourdespair has a firm and just foundation. The sinless Man died forsinners who would call upon His Name. The best thing we can do whenit seems that all is lost is to call out to Him again. Find strengthfrom above, and remember the Rock, which is Christ.

When we ask for the Lord's compassion for us, we canmake our plea not only based on His great mercy, but also on theglory of His Name. We are known as His children. Why should ourpersecutors claim that our God is not powerful or loving enough tosave us? Why should they imagine that God is justly allowing us tosuffer because even He is against us forever.

No, in Christ we are more than conquerors. Nothing canseparate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus ourLord. God will vindicate the glory of His Name, and the gates of hellwill not prevail against His church.

May our groans come before Him, even when we sing thatall is lost. But all is not lost. The Lord raises the dead. The Dayof the Lord is near. The Lord will save us forever. We are His sheep.We give Him thanks from generation to generation. But what will thewolves do when the great Shepherd of the sheep returns?

Psalm 78

2012-01-19T06:10:00.000-05:00

Can you understand the dark and mysterious events ofeven one life? How about the motions of God's love and justice withan entire people?

But God is still good, powerful, and wise, even when wecannot fathom the pathway of pain. He moves His people to worshipHim, though they may not receive what they feel that they earnestlyrequested of Him. There is something very impressive about Hiscovenant-keeping love and our genuine response of reverence andadoration that He has placed inside us and has nurtured up within Hisworshiping people as they come to desire Him more than anything Hecan give them. There is some unfathomable goodness in the way Heleads us home to Him.

God is a good Father. The pathway of His providence mayseem dark to us, but His deeds are glorious.

Israel's (and our) stubborn sin is an important part ofthe story of the Lord's discipline that we dare not forget. The Lordrescued His people from Egypt with great signs and wonders. Yet theyrebelled against the Most High in the wilderness and spoke againstGod.

The fatherly discipline of the Lord toward Israelcombined both provision (meat from heaven) and frighteningconsequences (the death of many strong young men). What can anyonesay about events such as this in the history of the Lord's specialcare for His people? We cannot deny His power? Dare we deny Hisgoodness and wisdom?

Why was the sin of His people so deep? He showed Hiswonders, even in judgment. Why did people forget Him and return topaths that only led to death? What would it take for His belovedchildren to stay on the pathway of blessing and life? Only the Spiritof the King of heaven Himself living within us could adequatelychange us and keep us in the way of truth and peace.

Without the increasing power of a true renewal withinthe Lord's nation, they would repeatedly bring Him the offerings ofhypocrisy. But a willing people in His day of power will truly cometo Him. See Psalm 110:3.

The Lord was very patient with Israel. He provided asystem of ceremonial atonement for them. Through the blood of thesacrifice they could admit their sin and their need for atonement.But God is no hypocrite. He required that His people would be trulyholy.

He gave them a clear testimony of His judgments in theplagues that He brought upon Egypt, and in the way that He drove theCanaanites out of the land. How could the Lord forever tolerate evilamong His own, the people of Israel? How would the story of theirelection combine with the story of His holy justice and end well?

Over and over again they provoked Him to anger withtheir high places of idolatry and their pursuit of depravity. Howyoung were you when what should have been rejected as disgustingbecame first intriguing, then enticing, then addictive, and finallyenslaving? What happens when the people of God become locked in theprison house of spiritual adultery and immorality? Who can save usfrom certain destruction?

There must be a strong Deliverer who will be ourstrength and shield. Our strength and shield, the best Son of Davidhas come. His home was in that Mount Zion which is above. He camefrom heaven to save. He has rescued us with better blood than that ofthe old sacrifices. His resurrection is the key fact for all meneverywhere to seriously consider. Is it true? What does it mean? Ithas provided for us the beginning of a good end to the story of God'srighteousness and His covenant-keeping love. This story is not onlyfor the Jews, but even for the Gentiles.

The King has come. By His death and resurrection we havea true ground for hope. By His life within us we experience thathope, and are filled with compassion even for those who have wrongedus.

Israel wronged God. But God gave His Son for thesalvation of Israel. And now people throughout the earth have beencaught up into this amazing song of love that is so deep andbeautiful and good. In the words of the John Newton hymn, “Let uslove and sing and wonder! He has hushed the law’s loud thunder. Hehas quenched Mount Sinai’s flame. He has washed us with His blood.He has brought us nigh to God.”

Deuteronomy 15

2012-01-18T06:58:00.000-05:00

Seven years seems like a long time to me. What if aperson had to wait seven years to have an accurate diagnosis of apainful medical condition? What if a woman had to wait seven yearsfor her husband to love her again? What if a young person had to lookfor a job for seven years after losing one that seemed so promising?

But seven years is not forever. God calls us to know thedifference between a little while and eternity. He calls us to waitwith hope for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord gave a law for Israel that every seven yearsthere was to be a year of the Lord's release. The God of Israelannounced the forgiveness of debts among His people, and the nationwas supposed to obey Him by forgiving the debts of their fellowIsraelites.

It would be different for a foreigner, because the Lordwas making a distinction between Israel and the rest of the world.Among the Israelites there was to be no permanent class of poorpeople imprisoned by the debts that they owed to their countrymen.

The Lord would bless the land that He was giving to thechildren, if only they would listen to His voice and keep Hiscommandments.

The Lord who had redeemed His people from the slavery ofEgypt and who was giving them this land, insisted that those amongHis people who were able should lend freely to those in need, despitethe fact that the year of release was very near. What an unusualrequirement of generosity! Is there any other law like this among allthe people of the earth?

The Lord promised that if Israel followed this provisionfor such extraordinary generosity, that He would grant them a greatposition when compared to the many other nations around them. Theywould lend to those nations, but not borrow from them. They wouldeven rule over other nations, but other nations would not rule overthem.

But if the people of Israel resented the needs of theirbrothers, if they were unwilling to lend to the poor because of theproximity of the year of release, God would know, and it would not gowell for Israel. Throughout the world people who believe the JewishMessiah will say these words today that He taught His disciples:“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This prayer ofChrist brings those who call upon His Name to an even more profounddemand of our merciful God. Not only has God freed Israel from thebondage of Egypt, He has freed us from the bondage of sin. His mercyis forever. He calls us to forgive now.

There would always be poor people among the Israelites.Therefore there would always be opportunities to give freely askingfor nothing in return. You can give and forgive today.

The year of the Lord's release was not only for theforgiveness of debts, but also for the freedom of slaves. The way ofcaring for the poor in Israel was for a person of means to freelytake in someone who had lost everything, paying their debtors. Thepoor man would work at the will of the one who had paid for hisrelease, but not forever. In a little while, in the year of release,all Hebrew slaves would be set free with a generous gift from theirformer masters to help them to be reestablished in life. Again, hasany other land had such a law as this?

But if the slave wanted to stay forever in the home ofhis good master, rather than face the challenges of a dangerous worldoutside his protection, the Lord made provision for a permanentrelationship of a good master and an obedient servant living togetherin one household. Yet this was never to be done against the will ofthe poor man.

This entire amazing system of personal care among therich and the poor in local communities was based on that greatest ofall relationships of authority and love. The Lord was the God ofIsrael and they were to be His obedient people. The Lord owned Israelby redemption. He was their Rescuer. They were to be reminded of thatevery time a firstborn among their flocks was granted life. If theanimal was without blemish it was offered up to the Lord. Thefirstborn among the Egyptians died. The Israelites lived because ofthe Lord's strong salvation.

But now the Son of God has come to provide for oureternal redemption. He came as God's only begotten, in order to saveall who would be sons of God in Him. We, of all people, should carefor the poor among us, especially in the church. We should givefreely, demanding nothing in return. Our year of release has come inthe death and resurrection of Christ. We are His forever. We come toHim with joy and confidence, for He will never let us go. He treatsas more than slaves, for we are His sons, and we rightly call Him“Abba, Father.”

And yet we wait. And seven years seems like a long time.But it is not forever. We wait for the ultimate expression of freedomand blessing that will be more fully present among us in the returnof Christ. It will only be a little while more. Take heart. The yearof the greatest release is coming soon.

Deuteronomy 14

2012-01-17T06:41:00.003-05:00

These words should ring in our ears continually andproduce good fruit: “You are the sons of the Lord your God.” Notonly do they comfort us; they also call us to hear the voice of ourheavenly Father and to follow His Word.

The church is the Lord's holy possession today, boughtby the blood of His only-begotten Son. Like Israel of old, we are tobe a people distinct from the world around us in our dedication tothe Lord's ways. This consecration of life is no longer expressed inthe old distinction between clean and unclean foods, for Christ hasmade all foods clean. See Mark 7:19.

As we review the list of foods that Israel could not eatduring the Old Covenant era, we are reminded that these outwardregulations were preparatory for the coming of the Messiah. The oldlaws were powerless in bringing new life to the consciences of theguilty. They testified to the difference between life and death, butthey could not raise the dead or make anyone alive spiritually.

The power of death is all around us in this dying world.God's Word is a Word of life for His people. That Word has come inperson in the gift of His Son. He is able not only to make all foodsclean, and to signal the coming of a new era in the New Covenant. Heis also able to bring us new life with a cleansing that comes withthe forgiveness of sins. This is why the Apostle John writes to thechurch that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just toforgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Not only that, but we have received the sure promise ofa new life in Christ where death no longer has dominion. We look forthe fullness of life to come in the resurrection of the dead, and wewalk in that heavenly life even now.

The promise of God, secured for us in the death ofChrist, calls us to a much deeper holiness than can be accomplishedby the old distinction between clean and unclean foods. As theApostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Since we have thesepromises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement ofbody and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

Another Old Testament regulation that God spoke toIsrael through Moses regarded the collection and distribution oftithes for those who cared for the Lord's sanctuary and for thedestitute among them. The tithe was ten percent of the increase thatthe Lord gave to His people. Every three years, the actual produce,or the monetary equivalent, was to be brought to the central place ofworship to celebrate before the Lord and to care for His people.

The concept of tithing goes all the way back to thepatriarchs in the book of Genesis. All tithing is a recognition thatthe Lord owns us entirely. Jesus did not merely buy the right to tenpercent of what we are. He bought us completely with His blood.

The giving of tithes was to be a great celebration forthe people of Israel. How much more should we now give our gifts tothe Lord with a joyful heart. We still support the work of theministry, but now that ministry is not the carrying of the tabernaclethroughout the land of Canaan, but the proclamation of the good newsof the kingdom of heaven throughout the world.

It is our joy to give to the Lord, and to see that theorphan and the widow are cared for. But nothing can be compared withthe 100 percent gift of the Son of God when He gave Himself for oureternal well-being.

This is what makes the people of God rejoice today. TheApostle Paul, who was brought from a dedication to fading outwardreligious ceremonies to an new Spirit-empowered love for thelife-giving Messiah expresses in 2 Corinthians 9:15 the true heart ofall the sons of God when he writes, “Thanks be to God for Hisinexpressible gift!”

Thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus Christ. He hascleansed us from all our sin. In Him, we are a new creation forever,the possession of the Lord who bids us draw near to Him as His sons.

Deuteronomy 13

2012-01-16T05:58:00.000-05:00

False prophets, however spiritual they may seem, are notsafe for us to follow. Even if they perform miracles, if they wouldlead Israel away from the Messiah toward the worship of other gods,they are not helping the Lord's cause. We must not listen to thesedeceptive spiritualists, no matter how much they amaze us with theirmarvels.

The Lord does test His people. He trains us up indiscernment. He expects us to turn away from evil by His grace. Ourprayer is still the one that Jesus taught His disciples: “Lead usnot into temptation.” Where we have already tarried too long ashearers of what God hates, we say, “Deliver us from evil.”

False prophets in Israel were to receive the deathpenalty. Those who led people away from the worship of God and awayfrom his commandments were not safe for the life of the Lord'speople. The people of conquest needed to purge them from their midst.

Even if a close relative urged an Israelite to worshipother gods, it would not be charitable or loving to overlook thedanger of his suggestions. The law of God for Israel was clear. Thatperson was to be killed. Your hands, the hands of the witnesses whobrought forth the evidence, was to be first in stoning this familymember or friend.

If this false word ever took hold in one of the citiesin Israel, the rest of the nation was to take decisive action againstthat place. After due examination, the city was to be devoted todestruction. All the people, all the cattle, all the spoil,everything in that city, was to be a whole burnt offering to the LordGod, and that city was never to be built again.

What nation of the world could survive under this law?Yet this teaches us what we deserve. It tells us of the holiness ofGod who will come in judgment.

What city, what family, what individual could standbefore the Lord in His anger against sin? Our God is a consumingfire.

What then becomes of the promises of the Lord to Israel?What becomes of his covenant faithfulness and His mercy that enduresforever?

But now one Man has been found who kept the Law of God.He did perform great signs and wonders, but He never enticed Israelin the direction of any sin. Even the weightiest matters of the Lawwere kept by Him with a full obedience of heart and life.

This same obedient Messiah then faced the wrath of HisFather that Israel (and we) deserved. Without His death as oursubstitute, no one could survive the justice of God. In the glory ofHis resurrection, we have an abundant hope, and power for living now.

False teachers are still dangerous, and we cannot allowthem to have a place of authority within the Lord's congregation. Butthe new era of the gospel has come. If we reject Jesus, and seek toput to death faithful preachers of salvation, how will we standbefore the Lord when He comes to judge the living and the dead?

When Jesus came to die for us, He spoke woes againstfalse teachers, but He did not organize His disciples to stone thePharisees. Something new has come with the coming of our MessiahKing. The miracles He performed were in accord with the Scripturalsigns of the true Messiah. See Isaiah 35. See also Isaiah 53 andPsalm 22, and admit honestly that His death was in accord with theprophecies that God had given to Israel so that they might recognizethe true eternal King when He came.

He has given us a new kingdom. We do not stone falseteachers today, or burn cities where false religion has had an undueinfluence. We take every thought captive in our own hearts, and wesuffer for the Word of the King. This is the way of the cross and theresurrection.

Our God is surely able to change even a persecutor ofthe church into an ambassador of grace and truth. This is His gloryand our hope. See Acts 9.

Jesus died for me. He is the true teacher. He is not afalse prophet. It is safe to follow Him. He is the way to life.

Psalm 77

2012-01-15T06:47:00.002-05:00

The Lord is with us. He wants us to be continuouslyaware of this, so much so that He prepared us for the coming of HisSon by referring to our Savior by the name “Immanuel,” God withus.

If we remember that God is with us, than we may be morereadily moved to acknowledge His presence, and to cry out to Him,trusting that He hears us. When we wake up in the morning, we cansimply say, “Abba, Father.” We can say “Jesus” and weremember. In the middle of the night, if we wake we can say, “Youare with me.”

Though we may know the presence of the Lord, troublesmay so overwhelm us that we actually refuse to be comforted for atime. It may seem that our sense of abandonment lasts forever. But wesay the Name of the Lord and we moan in the very ear of Him who is soclose. “Help me, Lord!”

We remember the past, and we are unable to sleep. Yeteven then, in that past moment that seems to have invaded thepresent, we can say, “You were with me even then.” Have you beenso distressed that words will not come? Just start with one word.“Father.”

Eventually the Lord who is with us will remind us of thesimple truths that our hearts know. The Lord has not abandoned Hiseternal purpose. The present affliction will not actually lastforever. The Lord who died for us, the Father who gave Hisonly-begotten Son, the Spirit who lives in us, the One God, He willnot forget His steadfast love. “Gracious Lord.” “CompassionateJesus.”

Think of the years of the Most High God. Consider allHis great acts of power and love for Israel. Consider the way that Hehas kept His promise in providing a Messiah. “Holy God... You arealways with me.”

The God of Israel has made His Name known all over theearth. The Name of the Jewish Messiah is being proclaimed everywhere.Surely our struggles will be over soon.

The Lord who led His children through the sea is withus. Jesus, who walked on the water is with us. The waters all aroundyou may be overwhelming, but this can be your continuous comfort:“Lord, You are always with me.”

Psalm 76

2012-01-14T05:37:00.003-05:00

What is the real priority in your life? What is yourstrong desire? The Lord can help us to focus on Him and to long forHim. This will lead us to different decisions about prayer andservice. We can actually change even today by the grace of God.

In the place where God dwells, among the people that Hehas chosen, God is known. (Why not me, Lord? Come quickly, and showyourself to me!)

God dwells in the Jerusalem above, but He also “lived”in the temple on Mount Zion. Now in the New Testament age, He stilllives in His heavenly sanctuary, where Christ has cleansed the wayfor us with us blood, but He has a new temple on earth: thegatherings of His worshiping people, and even the individuals whocall out to Him.

These heaven and earth dwelling places of God areclosely related, as if heaven is dwelling within us since heaven'sGod is in us. By the Holy Spirit we have Christ in us, the hope ofGlory. His gift is also called the “earnest” of the Holy Spirit,the taste today of tomorrow's heavenly life in the Lord.

The One God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is with younow. Seek and you shall find. God brings us peace that passesunderstanding. He has the power to end war. The first great step ofworldwide shalom has taken place through the shedding of Messiah'sblood on the cross. The power of peace is spreading. There is noreason why we can not ask the Lord with confidence for His gift ofthe sensation of peace today.

The place where the Lord dwells is glorious! What enemycan ultimately win there? The proud will be humbled before the Lord.He speaks new life from the heavens. His sheep hear His voice notonly in heaven, but also on earth. They know Him and they follow Him.The enemy of worldliness in distracted souls must yield to Him likeevery other enemy. His Word can dwell all the more richly within Hisliving temple everywhere. (This can't just be for others Lord. I amyour child also.)

The Lord hears the cry of the humble. He opposes theproud, but He saves His people with His mighty grace, the grace ofour Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is so powerful that He can make the wrath of Hisenemies to praise Him. Every day we read about powerful nationshoping to extinguish the flame of Christ from their lands. They willfail. Even some of the individuals who are His persecutors today willbe His servants and worshipers tomorrow. See Acts 9 and think aboutwhat He did to Saul of Tarsus. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today,and forever. The chosen of the Lord, though acting like enemiestoday, will soon be a part of the body of Christ. What a mighty Godwe serve!

Have you promised yourself to the Lord in earlier days?Fulfill your vow to God by receiving His love and forgiveness now andrising up to love Him with newness of life as He gives you strength.Stronger than your own vow is the promise of Jesus who died for you.He has vowed to the Father to bring the praise of the nations intoHis holy temple. He will do it.

Resistance really is futile. Smile. Joy unspeakable andfull of glory is yours because of the sufferings of your Savior. Evenyour trials must work today toward the accomplishment of His eternalpurpose. Fear the Lord, and then let His perfect love cast out allfear. Rejoice, the Lord is King, and He loves you!

Psalm 75

2012-01-13T04:25:00.003-05:00

The people of the Lord who call out to Him throughprayer are a community with an eternal bond. Though we do not allknow each other by name or recognize every face in that multitude, weare connected to millions throughout the world and across everygeneration because of our union with Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Thiscommunity includes the faithful from Israel so long ago who calledupon the Name of the Lord as they waited for the coming of theeternal King of the Jews. Together we are the “we” referred to inthe Scriptures, “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, foryour name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.”

There is so much to thank God for!

His Name is not far away from us, but near to all inheaven and on earth who call upon Him in truth. All who call upon theName of the Lord are saved by Him and kept for Him through all kindsof sins and trial. Do you imagine that Jesus has forgotten to keepyou or someone you love who has truly called upon the Name of theLord? The Lord is near.

We should thank Him and recount His wondrous deeds. Tothink that the Messiah has come and atoned for our sins. How manylambs are still slaughtered throughout the world in ritual sacrifice?Yet the Lamb of God has come and died for the sins of the world. Whata work He accomplished on the cross!

Then think also of those empty grave clothes in the tombof Joseph of Arimathea. John writes about that morning when He andPeter saw the evidence: They “saw the linen cloths lying there, andthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with thelinen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.” Soon the risenLord was speaking to a woman who saw Him through her tears. He calledher by name. “Mary.” The resurrection! What an amazing work ofGod!

Yet the most amazing work of Christ for anyone to beholdis yet to come. If one man's resurrected body is a thing to beholdwhat will it be like for the whole earth to be renewed and formillions to be raised? This too will be the work of the King of theJews. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Is thatcoming real to you today?

He says that it will be “at the set time that Iappoint.” Imagine that. He has a time set. He will judge withperfect fairness. If it were not for the blood of the Lamb thatsatisfies the just demands of God, there would be no hope for any ofus.

The earth is tottering even now under the weight ofiniquity and death. But God keeps its pillars steady. With a simpleword He stops the arrogant. Others pretend to be high and mighty, butGod alone is the Mighty One.

The Lord reigns even now. One person is lifted up for atime; another meets his end at a time that is unexpected by thosearound him. Why would anyone want to face the end without theassurance that comes from the death of the One Lamb of God?

But I will praise the Lord today! And you will praiseHim with me! And we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whowill praise the Name of Jesus! For God will lift us up in Christforever, and we will dwell in peace with the Most High. We willpraise His Name forever and ever!

Psalm 74

2012-01-12T06:23:00.001-05:00

Why do some of God's most faithful servants suffer sodeeply? What can we say to them as their children face great pain andtrouble? What kind of prayers can they bring to the Lord?

“O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does youranger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?”

Israel sang these words as the Lord's specialcongregation. We still sing these words today. It is good to continueto cry out to God, even when we cannot get an answer to ourquestions. He is the best answer.

We read today of churches throughout the world burneddown by those who want Christians out of their neighborhoods. Even inIsrael we hear of Jews killing other Jews simply for the offense ofbelieving that Jesus is the Messiah. In days of old the very templeof the Lord was overtaken by enemies. They swung their axes againstthe carved wood in the sanctuary. How much more do we call out to Godin desperation when children are hurt who are the living temple ofthe Most High God.

The worshiping congregation throughout the world whocome to Jehovah God through the mediation of the Messiah are thetemple of the Lord. They have been baptized in the Name of theFather, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They eat the bread anddrink of the cup at the table of the Lord. They are the Lord'sbeloved. But they face the hatred of those who hate the Name ofChrist or who consider it their service to God to bring harm toothers.

But where is our God in this day of distress? Where isthe Word of His prophet?

We do have the words of the prophets of old recorded forus in the Scriptures. They walked with God and were moved by the HolySpirit. We still hear the voice of the Lord through their writings.Each person, young and old, must take responsibility to hear from theLord. It is not enough to let others explain the words and then toignore our own need to hear from God. We need to cry out to Him. Allof us. “How long,O Lord!”

Then the Lord will meet with us. We will remember who Heis and what He has done. We will consider the cross and theresurrection of Jesus, and the mystery of His own cry from the placeof atonement. We will see again the certainty of His promises, and wewill decide again today that we must not trade what we know for whatwe do not know.

What we know... We know Jesus. We know His love for Hispeople. We know His power to save. We know His word of promise. Weknow that heaven is real. We know that our God reigns.

What don't we know? We don't know why those we love havefaced the specific suffering that they face.

We can cry out to the Lord about these horrible attacksagainst His living temple. We can ask Him to remember His covenantpromises which are so secure for us in the resurrection of His Son.We can seek Him and find Him. And we can ask Him to come again inperson to rescue His people in their day of distress.

Deuteronomy 12

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The worship of the Lord was the defining purpose ofIsrael on earth. Could worship somehow be less important to us? Allthe days that we live upon the earth, we should seek to obey the Onewho is worthy of worship.

The promised land was to be a small piece of heaven. Inheaven there could be no false worship. The people of God were toremove every other way of worship from Canaan.

The idea that Israel should imitate the devotionalpractices of the Canaanites was to be abhorrent to the faithful.

The Lord would choose for them a central place forworship in the land. They were to seek this central place forsacrifice and festal celebration. They were to go there to obey allthe ways of worship that the Lord had revealed through Moses.

Eventually the Lord would reveal Jerusalem and MountZion to Israel, and the people would build the temple of the Lordthere. But when Messiah came in person, He was revealed as the newtemple of the Lord, and in Him, the gathered church became the templeof the Holy Spirit. The ascended Jesus is our place of worship. Weare called to worship in Him, in Spirit and in truth.

God commanded the people of Israel to make a distinctionthe holy things that He told them to bring to the one central place,and the other common gifts of blessing that they could enjoy in theirhomes. Today, when we gather in Jesus as the body of Christ, we dowhat He has commanded. We celebrate the presence of the Lord withbread and the fruit of the vine which have been set apart from theircommon use by the Word and prayer. We have homes to eat and drink inevery day as we choose. But we gather together in the living templeof God to obey the word of the Lord who said, “Do this inremembrance of me.”

If Israel adopted a compromising plan of worship,accommodating a variety of cultural practices that came from theCanaanites, they would be violating something very central to theLord, something very sacred, something at the core of their existenceas a people. This would be a trap that would ensnare them.

Worship and life are one whole.

The Canaanites had many ways of approaching their godsthat the Lord could never even remotely countenance. The evensacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Itcould never be safe for Israel or honoring to God to incorporate thatkind of abomination into their religious practices.

Israel could not dream up worship from their own heartsor discover worship from the people of the land. God had revealedworship to them.

Now the Lord has revealed worship and life to us in Hischosen temple, the Lord Jesus Christ. We gather together on the firstday of the week and mark His death and resurrection. We are empoweredby His presence and enlivened by His truth. He is the land. He is thetemple.

Deuteronomy 11

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The true life of loving the Lord God in this present ageis a battle. The people of God can expect continual assaults urgingus with every enticement that can be imagined, sometimes whisperingand sometimes screaming in the ears of our hearts, “Take me,instead of your God! Why do you have to be any different than anyoneelse? Why not satisfy your flesh now?”

We need to be disgusted by what God finds disgusting,and we need to love the Lord our God with all our hearts. This battlethat we have today was also the battle of Israel as the Lord's peopleprepared to take the land. The temptations they would face would beurged upon them by the example of those who were in the land, butthere would be any inner enemy in their own flesh, and a legion ofvoices from proud spiritual realms pressing them to find theirsatisfaction in everything that perishes, and not in God.

In opposition to that chorus of accommodation of theirflesh and surrender to base desires, the voice of the Lord insiststhat we should love our Creator and Redeemer. Fitting hand in gloveinto a dying world will not be the answer for us. As the Apostle Paulwould urge upon the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome 1500 yearsafter Moses, “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. Forsalvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The nightis far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works ofdarkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as inthe daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immoralityand sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the LordJesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify itsdesires.” (Romans 13:11-14)

As an inducement in the direction of faithful obedience,Moses urged the Israelites to consider the power of God against theEgyptians and even against the wilderness generation of Israel. Asthey now prepared to go into the promised land, this was no time forhalf measures. They needed to keep the whole commandment of the Lord.

The chorus of inner and outer voices, both then and now,would continually suggest that keeping the whole commandment of theLord is too extreme, abnormal, unnatural, and even harmful to yourhealth. But having the earth open up and swallow the arrogant isworse.

They needed to consider the goodness of the Lord's giftto them in the land of Canaan. But we have been given heaven itselfthrough the blood of Christ. And we have been assured that the meekwill inherit the earth. Is this any time to decide in favor of ourflesh and against the Lord who died for us?

Moses also reminded Israel of the Lord's promise ofgreat blessings in the land if the whole community of faith wouldfollow the whole commandment of the Lord. But the eternal promisesthat we have are so much bigger. Should we not be willing even tosuffer greatly in this life with an eye to the eternal weight ofglory that the Lord has promised to all who walk not according to theflesh, but according to the Spirit?

This gift of the Holy Spirit for us is a great NewTestament blessing that has been poured out upon the church,beginning on the feast of Pentecost in the year when Jesus died asthe Passover Lamb. This gift of the Spirit will enable us to live alife of holiness in a more fruitful way. Merely hearing the Law withour ears and applauding it with our minds has never been enough. Butnow we have the mind of Christ in us. Will we just give in to theflesh? How can that be? How can we turn aside to other lords andserve them? That would only lead to death. But we are not people ofdeath. We have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The conquest generation was to bind the Law of God andthe preaching of Moses upon their bodies. But now that the Word wasmade flesh, freeing us from the power of sin, we can do somethingthat will prove far more victorious and enduring. We can put on theLord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to satisfy itslusts. We can let the living Word of Christ dwell within us morerichly, for we have the prophetic Word made more sure living withinour souls.

As Israel of old, we can teach this Word to ourchildren, and we must. But they must let that Word dwell within themas an inner power of divine love and holy conquest, and not merely asan outward command that condemns them. They need Christ in them justas surely as we do. If they will not yield to Him, how will theyavoid yielding over and over again to every temptation?

Moses reminded the conquest generation of the blessingand the curse of God. We remind ourselves today that the Lord hascome. He has taken our curse and has granted us an eternal hope. Thatdoes not mean that the warfare for holiness in our life is over. Itmeans that the battle is on, and that the victory belongs to theLord.

What voice are you listening to today? Hear the voice ofYour Redeemer and King, and give Him glory in worship. He camebecause He loves you. Enjoy Jesus today as you follow Him in the wayof the cross and the resurrection.

Deuteronomy 10

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Even under the Law, God gave Israel a second chance. IfGod were not merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfastlove, Israel would have been utterly destroyed by His justice longbefore they reached the promised land. God used the intercession ofMoses to save His people. The people needed to survive. He would senda Messiah from the descendants of Jacob. Furthermore the calling ofGod is irrevocable. The Lord still has plans to save many Jews. Whynot today when so many Arabs are being claimed as new chosen peoplethrough the Jewish Messiah?

Back in the days of Moses, the Lord commanded Hisservant to cut a second set of tablets, and the Lord Himself againinscribed the Ten Commandments with His own finger upon thosetablets. The tablets would be kept in the arc of the covenant at thecenter of worship and life for Israel.

The time of the Law continued, but one generation passedaway and another came of age. Aaron died in the wilderness. Eleazarministered in his place. The account of death that began after thefall continued to make its way even through the ranks of the chosenpeople. Yet from this nation, Life would one day be born. That lifewould not come from Law, but from Christ. Law exposes sin; sin leadsto death. But Christ brings righteousness; and righteousness confirmslife. How? God has given us life and peace through the death of theonly Righteous One.

God called Israel to circumcise the foreskin of theircommunal heart. Just as the church is a person, Israel was a person,the chosen servant of the Lord. Israel was created to obey thecommandments with a heart that was fully ready to hear and to followthe voice of God.

The evidence already in the wilderness did not giveanyone any reason for optimism that this way of national obediencewould ever work. An entire generation had died. The provision of asingular substitute for the nation was required. Today if you hearHis voice, the voice of that appointed Substitute, do not harden yourhearts as Israel did in the wilderness. The way to enter the securerest of God would come to us through the Voice of the Messiah, thenew Israel, and the Savior of the world.

He alone has had a circumcised heart. He heard the Voiceof His Father, and He obeyed. His submission even included His deathon the cross as the Lamb of God. His keeping of the Law has brought apermanent grace to Israel and to all the nations who will hear Him.All who receive Him, who believe in His Name, have all the rights ofthe sons of God. In Him they have become one body, both Jew andGentile together, as the new servant of the Lord, the church. Christlives in them by His Holy Spirit, and they have the circumcision ofthe heart.

The Lord loves the stranger, the sojourner. The God whogave a new beginning for Israel over and over again is not only theGod of the Jews; He is the God of the Gentiles. But whether Jew orGentile, the way of life only comes through a Jewish Messiah.

God will never be bribed. But He will accept a ransompayment in the blood of the only Law-Keeper who gave Himself for theungodly. This is what Jesus has done for you. He is your God. He isyour praise.

Israel started as only seventy people going down toEgypt. By the days of Moses they were over 600,000 fighting men. Inour day there are millions of Jews all over the earth, But more thanthat, they have become a new Israel of millions upon millions whohave bowed the knee to an everlasting Jewish King, the true Son ofDavid and Son of God. In Him you have been given a second chance thatcan never fail.

2 Timothy 3:4 - Reckless

2012-01-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

“Reckless”

(2Timothy 3:4)

1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times ofdifficulty.

2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud,arrogant, abusive, disobedientto their parents, ungrateful,unholy,

3heartless, unappeasable,slanderous, withoutself-control, brutal,not loving good,

4treacherous, reckless,...

reckless,

Ourword tonight has a physical meaning and a spiritual idea that comesfrom that meaning. The physical meaning is “to fall forwardsheadlong.” The spiritual idea is to be rash, or as our translationsays “reckless.”

Recklessbehavior is associated with youth. Some people are more cautious thanothers. Others surprise us with the risks they take at every stage oflife. We expect even those who are risk-takers by personality tolearn. We expect that as they get older, they will gain theself-control to give up on reckless behavior

Manyexpect that the world has been getting better for thousands uponthousands of years, that the survival instinct within individuals andeven cultures should lead us away from dangerous behavior. Theenlightenment of mankind should bring about the self-improvement ofpeoples and nations, so that we might expect that these late daysthat we live in could never be characterized by people beingreckless, but mature and sensible.

ButPaul says that in the last days people will be reckless. And this iswhat we see. Despite our ability to pursue technological and artisticimprovements of every kind, we find that even our best technology andartistry seem to be at war with our humanity. The problem is that wehave not been able to improve our souls. This must come from God, inthe form of new life by His recreation in us. For that reason, itshould not surprise us that this old world, a world that shouldreally know better, is very reckless.

Recklessnessis not only associated with youth, but also with a mob mentality. Theother use of this word in the New Testament is from the mouth of acivil official in Ephesus attempting to calm down a crowd that wasready to do something reckless: “Seeing then that these thingscannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.” SeeActs 19:36. The world we live in will be like a an unruly, immaturemob. But what about us?

WasJesus reckless when He willingly went to the cross?

Thechurch follows a Savior whose behavior may seem reckless. It was not.Jesus went to the cross according to an immortal plan of divine love.He did not kill Himself; that is always reckless. He gave Himself forour sake, knowing that His death was serving the eternal purpose ofGod, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things onearth.

Wefollow Jesus. We do not throw our lives away. We give away our livesto God as a living sacrifice. We suffer with a sense of divinepurpose. We are not reckless. We go where the Lord would have us go.We do what He wants us to do. We say what He teaches us to say. Thatis not recklessness, even if we face danger every day, or even diealong the way. This is the life of a Christ-follower. It issober-minded. It is self-controlled. It is faithful. It is joyful,even though, for a little while, we face various trials.

Psalm 73

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God is good to Israel. He does not bless anyone becauseof their pretense of religion, but He is a Father to those who arepure in heart.

“But as for me,” the Psalmist sings, “my feet hadalmost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.” What was his crisis?He was envious of the arrogant when he saw the prosperity of thewicked. They were doing fine. How could that be?

Who are the wicked? Like all who live, the wicked werecreated by God. They were made in His image. How are they differentfrom the righteous? They will not humble themselves before the Lord.They wear their rejection of God like a necklace. They are not thesame as those who may be very weak in faith, those who are plagued bydoubts and spiritual assaults. The doubter may be very meek, but thewicked man is violent, foolish, malicious, and oppressive.

The worshiper almost fell because he envied people likethis. He saw them in their immoral boldness, openly claiming that Godcould not know what they were doing. Yet they seemed to prospercontinually!

The righteous man began to feel like a fool. He wasfacing the rebukes of mockers. He was suffering. He was greatlytempted. He was ready to say something that would have been bad forhim and bad for others who were counting on him.

His transformation back to spiritual peace came inworship. When he went into the sanctuary of God he remembered thatthe prosperity of the wicked would not be forever. In the suddennessof a moment the wicked man would be destroyed, and would be “sweptaway by terrors.” He would not be able to face his inevitable endwith true peace.

This insight came to the worshiper in the sanctuary.Then he admitted his fault before the Lord. His soul had beenembittered. He had been walking in ignorance. He was sorry for hisfoolish envy, and he repented. He remembered that even if the wickedman had everything on earth, the righteous man, though he be poor,had God.

To have God is better than any other pleasure. God holdsyou. He counsels you. At just the right time, when your days on earthare done, He will receive you into glory. This is what the OneRighteous Man, the Messiah, has won for you with His blood, and it isworth more than anything else that this fading world can offer toyou.

When you realize this truly, when you put away all thepretense of false religiousness, and remember what this truehistorical person, Jesus of Nazareth, has won for you, you will singa better song than the bitterness of envy.

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothingon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Do not envy the wicked man. Pity him, though he may be unwilling to receive your honest concern for him. One day he willperish. What then?

But as for you, stay near to God. Make the Lord yourhonest refuge always. Tell of His works. Suffer now for a littlewhile, if it be His will. He is with you now and forever.

Psalm 72

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All the lonely, sick, and grieving people in thisworld... All those who have no particular fame, and who feel like noone even knows who they are...

Is there anyone in charge who cares about them?

There is a Son of David, a King, who reigns. He came tosave, and He is coming again with perfect justice. We pray for Hisrole as the true Ruler over all the earth, and we ask that He wouldnotice all of those that seem to miss the attention of people aroundthem, all of those who long for love and have not found it. We askthe Father to glorify David's Son in a very personal way to thehearts of many people over the entire earth. May Jesus do what onlyHe can do to reach the lost.

Jesus hears the cry of the poor. Jesus can movemountains. Jesus can deliver the needy from oppressive addictions andhopeless patterns of thought and life.

The dominion of Jesus of Nazareth is far above anyearthly ruler. He knows what is happening in Galilee today, but healso knows the widow who feels so alone in Kuala Lumpur, Malasia, andin the little village of Newmarket, New Hampshire in the UnitedStates. He hears the desperate heart of someone in Russia, who needsto know that God has not forgotten her. Jesus lives, Jesus knows,Jesus reigns.

The Name of Jesus is powerful all over the earth inevery generation. His servants have brought His Word everywhere. Evenif the Scriptures have not been translated into every heart tongue,people all over the globe mark time from the year of his birth, andthe message of His death and resurrection is going everywhere. OurGod reigns! The King of the Jews lives forever as the Son of the MostHigh. He is as present as the rain that falls from heaven. There isno power on earth so fierce, and no despair so deep, that can stopthe progress of His righteousness and joy.

An oppressed man can call out to Him today from solitaryconfinement in the darkest prison, and Jesus will hear. He saves thatman's life. Though he die, yet he lives. The blood of the one who issuffering in a hospital bed matters to Him. He remembers His owncross and He knows the meaning of it.

Jesus will live forever. He will bring a world of lifeupon this tired earth, and he will renew the world. We should bringHim our tribute today. Spend your money and your time for His glory.Serve “the least of these” in His Name. Do your work today withHim in mind. Enjoy His gifts and think about His pleasure. PublishHis Name in your life today until all the nations praise Him.

Bless Him who blesses the sick and the grieving! Blessedbe the Lord God, the Son of David, and the Son of the Most High God!Bless His Name forever! May His glory fill the whole earth! Amen andAmen!

Psalm 71

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The Lord works through our weakness and displays Hisstrength to His own glory. We can expect that He will use oursuffering in ways that we may not be able to understand or explain.

In suffering we learn to take refuge in the Almighty.The Lord changes us there. Through it all we know that we have beencredited with the righteousness of Christ. We will not be put toshame.

What is deliverance for you today? It may not be thateverything will go the way that you want it to go, even though manysincere worshipers of God are praying for you. God's gift for you maybe something else, something better that you did not even know how toask for.

We keep coming back to Him. He is our Rock. He rescuesus.

The Lord uses people to bring His message to the ends ofthe earth. Some do not receive the message or the messengers withjoy. The King of the Jews changes and challenges all nations andpowers. People that we want to serve in the Name of the Lord may bewicked, unjust, and cruel. They may be very threatened by the idea ofa personal God who will be nothing less than King of kings and Lordof lords.

God can rescue us, even through suffering. We hope inHim, This inclination to hope needs to become the habit of ourhearts.

Through every trial and in the face of every fear, wegather together in the Name of the Lord and bring Him our sincerepraise. Broken people can worship. The Lord looks upon His belovedservants. He remembers the cries of His Son for us. Even now Jesusintercedes with the Father on our behalf. What a Friend and Helper!God will not abandon us.

We need the Lord to give victory to His message for thesake of Jesus Christ. People who need Him desperately may not yet beable to receive Him. They may be violent. We call on the Lord to stopthem, but we also ask Him to forgive them, and to change them.

Yet the people of Israel asked for something different.That asked for the Lord to consume their enemies. What happened tochange this message?

When Jesus was suffering for our sake at the hands ofcruel adversaries, He offered up this prayer, “Father, forgivethem, for they know not what they do.” When the martyr Stephen wasbeing stoned for telling the truth about Jesus, he fell to his kneesand cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Our Lord, who suffered for us in order to bring ussalvation, leads us now in suffering for others who have not yetreceived Him. The blood of Christ has brought forth the mission ofcostly mercy for the church, which is His body.

But the Lord will judge one day. That is His to do.

Our plea is that we will remain faithful despite thethreats of those who do not grasp the beauty of the love of Christ.We need to remember our only hope, and to proclaim the goodness ofthe Lord. We need to tell the world that the Lord alone is righteous,and that in His death and resurrection there is peace for those whohave rebelled against Him but will now repent and believe the Lord.

Now is the time for everyone to receive the Son of God.Therefore we proclaim the Lord's truth to a people that have notheard, and we speak to the next generation of those among us.

If we are brought very low in His service, we rememberwhat we believe. We are united with Christ. After death there isresurrection. He will revive us again. We will praise the Lord. Hehas made us see troubles and calamities, but He will raise us up,even from the depths of the earth.

There is a pattern for living here that repeats itselfeven throughout the course of our brief lives. Death andresurrection, death and resurrection, suffering and reviving.Suffering and reviving...

And worship. Always worship. Now and forever. And maythe whole world be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Psalm 70

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The need is right now. God help us!

What is the enemy that is right at the gates of yourheart? Despair? Doubt? Distraction? Entangling Desire? Depression?The Devil and his allies? Enemy combatants? Evil adversaries tryingto bring you down? Disappointing situations involving those you love?Or even Death itself?

Despite all the trials that you face today, your Lordhas come. He has conquered every foe, even hell itself, for yoursake. He is near you in the day of disaster. Morning will come.

I wait eagerly for the coming of the Lord!

On that day, the Lord will finally turn back the mostawful oppressor. On that day, all that stands against Him and Hispeople will be cast into the lake of fire.

Yet I have found mercy in Christ. I have found the powerof God for me in the cross and resurrection of Jesus, His Son.Amazing grace!

I will be safe in Jesus, along with all who have calledupon the Name of the Lord.

Therefore I will call upon His Name right now togetherwith all who love Him. I love His salvation! The Lord God is greatforever, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

But do remember me today, Lord. Some of the giants arestill at the gates...

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Deliver me from every evil.

Psalm 69

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The dangers that the Lord's worshipers face in this lifeare substantial. We cry out to God best when we are aware of ourgreat need; when the flood is up to our necks and we have no otherplace to turn.

The best worshiper of God sweat drops of blood infaithful anguish, knowing what was ahead of Him. He asked His Fatherto provide another way to work the plan of salvation, if that werepossible, but then He committed Himself again to the plan of theages. The eternal counsels of the Almighty brought Jesus to the crossthat secured our hope.

He was hated without a cause. We have faults and folliesthat we can own up to in any trial, but He had none. The death Hedied, He died for us.

Now we will not be put to shame. Our trust in Christ iswell-founded. We seek the Father through the Son and are notdisappointed. In facing reproach for us, Christ has willingly obeyedHis Father to the very end. The plan of our redemption wasaccomplished to the glory of Almighty God.

The time came when even His family tried to stop Jesusas He fulfilled the miraculous signs of Messiah in the midst ofoverwhelming crowds. See Mark 3:20-21, 31-35. But zeal for the newtemple of the Holy Spirit, the house of God, consumed Him.

He put His trust in His Father. Through death He foundlife again, not only for Himself, but for us. He was not saved fromdeath; He was vindicated through resurrection.

The flood of our sin came over Him. Even the gravereceived Him. Yet this was all in perfect fulfillment of the eternalplan of both the Father and the Son, and now He has been glorified onhigh at the right hand of the Father. His death has become ourransom.

As those who sinned, we were His enemies, and deservedthe curse of the Law that could have justly been heaped upon us. Whatis our plea, “Yes, guilty; but Christ died for me. The curse that Ideserve fell on Him. This is His love for me.”

With this love, this innocence, this righteousness ofChrist in mind, we turn toward the Lord now with grateful hearts. Werecommit our lives to worship, and we are lifted up above the floodof deceptions and distractions all around us. In the house of theliving God, in the worship of God through the Messiah, we offer upour lives and the praise of our lips in joyful song. The humblerejoice, and God is pleased.

Understand the mystery of Psalm 69:32 which reads, “Whenthe humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let yourhearts revive.” What do the humble see? We see the suffering ofMessiah as a historical fact that fits in with verse 29: “I amafflicted and in pain.” We hear His plee, “Let your salvation, OGod, set me on high!” The Father has set Him on high! We confessthe fact of the cross, but His resurrection from the dead in threedays and His ascension into heaven are also facts that we confess.Therefore, knowing that Jesus lives and reigns, our hearts revive inthe midst of our present afflictions. He suffered and was helped. Wetoo shall rise.

Now may heaven and earth praise the Lord forever! Godhas saved Zion through the death and resurrection of the King of theJews. His land shall be firmly established, and those who love HisName shall always dwell with Him in peace.

Psalm 68

2012-01-03T06:39:00.003-05:00

God must lead us forward if we are to walk as Hisfollowers. When He rises up to lead Israel, He is not weak. He canremove His adversaries in a moment. His people will be filled withjoy worshiping Him forever, but those who hate Him will perish.

Do you believe what God says about final judgment andabout heaven? Exercise that faith right now, Worship the Lord withjoy, for He will rescue you. He led the descendants of Jacob throughthe wilderness and brought them into the promised land. More thanthat, He has rescued us from eternal judgment through the blood ofHis Son, and He will bring us to our heavenly home.

Not only do we praise Him for His great acts ofredemption that are the most important facts of history, and for thecomplete fulfillment of His promises that will be the great finale ofthe future; our God rescues people right now! He brings thefatherless and the widow into His own family, and in His house ofworship they find that they are not alone. Prisoners are grantedtheir freedom in Him, but the rebellious who will not repent “dwellin a parched land.” They do not taste the waters of heaven. But weask Him for the freshness of the Holy Spirit right now! He sent waterdown from the sky upon His thirsty Israel. Send us the Spirit now, OLord, as we call out to you!

God has rescued us so fully in Jesus Christ. The news ofHis birth was first announced to shepherds. After his resurrectionand ascension, the church was given the special charge to proclaimthe good news of peace with God through the blood of Christ. Thisnews was received by people. The Lord gave the word, and His chosenwomen who worship him night and day became a holy host, announcingthat news everywhere. Like those who have been delivered from theviolence of an occupying army, they could not help but rejoice in theglory of God.

We should see the victory of the Lord more clearly everyday. He gives us gifts of the Spirit that are better than silver orgold. He scatters the foe who was prowling about like a roaring lionseeking to devour. We have an enemy who wanted to sift us as wheatuntil there was nothing left of us, but Christ has prayed for us. Weare saved, and we have a mission to pursue by His grace.

Let the world deride or pity us, we will glory in theName of the Lord. We are on a journey to the heavenly Jerusalem,together with all who have heard and received the joyful news of thekingdom of God. We are His radiant prisoners, going up the mountainof the Lord, following His ascended Son as those who are foreverunited to Him. He ascended on high, and we have ascended with Him.

The followers of Jesus are going where our Captainleads. We are in His train, not as those who are in chains againstour will. We are singing and dancing in the praise of God. Those whowill not bow the knee to the Lord Jesus think our joy strange, but weare headed toward our heavenly dwelling and we follow our Husband,the King.

We rejoice in the Lord, both Israel of old and thechurch of the Jewish Messiah throughout the earth. We want theJerusalem that is above. Yes, there are tribulations and even enemieswho would destroy us. But we call upon the Name of the Lord, andpeople all over the world stretch out their hands to God. All overthe earth, the sound of singing voices rises up to heaven. And Godspeaks His Word from heaven; His voice is heard among men in thepreaching of the Name of His Son. What power! What majesty over Hispeople; over us! He gives us power to live and power to praise Himthrough Jesus today! Blessed be His Name forever and ever! Blessed beGod!

Come now, my soul.

Look up.

Get up.

Worship and serve the Lord.

Follow Him.

The One who died for you is alive.

He is with you.

Psalm 67

2012-01-02T07:02:00.002-05:00

Divine distraction... Not that God would be distracted,but that He would distract us from our unproductive struggling bycalling us to focus on something that is important to Him... Thisdivine distraction is a most wonderful blessing. We listen to thevoice of the Lord in His Word, and our minds are kept for a momentfrom being conformed to this world, we take every thought captive,and we are renewed.

There are two ways to focus on the world. You can focuson the world with the world leading the way, or you can focus on theworld around you with heaven and heaven's God leading the way. Thispsalm demands the latter.

We start with God's grace to us which has come throughHis own engagement in the world. The Lord did what only He could do,not only in creation but in redemption. He saved. Those who imaginethat man can rescue Himself are allowing the world's thinking to leadtheir way. God saves, from beginning to end. Even all our doing, ifthere is good in it, comes from the fountain of the perfection ofJesus Christ and His cross. This one blood sacrifice, anticipated inthe Old Covenant and realized at the beginning of the New Covenant,has brought life to light through the gospel. In Christ, God has beengracious to us, He has blessed us, He has made His face shine uponus.

He has done this for the glory of His Name, that His waymay be known on earth, His saving power among all nations. Do you seethe divine distraction for you in these words? God intends you tofocus on Him. He directs you to the great project of the glory of HisName going to all the nations. It is His determined plan, and itshould be our earnest desire, that all the people groups on the earthshould worship God.

This is not to be achieved through abusive compulsion.The God of Israel is a great God. When people of the earth see whatHe has done through His Son, the Jewish Messiah, they will praiseHim. They will be glad and will sing to Him with joy in their hearts.This has happened and is happening now. From Jerusalem to the junglesof Irian Jaya and back to Jerusalem again people all over the earthare praising Jehovah God through the name of the Lord Christ. ThisPsalm is being fulfilled now. Through centuries of gospel preachingthe world has been brought to see the truth of the Hebrew Scriptureswhich so amply testified to the plan of God to save the world.

God loves the earth. He made it. He made the peoplesthat populate it. He has a plan for its complete renewal with Christat the head. You are a part of that plan today. Look up to Him withthe joy of worship. Look out upon the fields of human endeavor andlife. They are more than ready for harvest. Be engaged all over theearth on God's terms.

He alone will win. The testimony of all the centuriessince the cross and resurrection should make it abundantly clear thatthe King has come. Look at the facts: The message of Messiah couldnot be killed. The more the messengers were persecuted, the more themessage has thrived. It first spread throughout Judea and Samaria,and then quickly throughout the Mediterranean world and the rest ofEurope. Because of zeal for the God of the Jews and the message ofthe Jewish Messiah, a missionary force from Europe and the UnitedStates have sent so many messengers all over the earth. Now placeslike Korea, China, and the rest of Asia, together with Africa andSouth America are sending messengers with the love of Christ to everytongue and tribe. All of these diverse peoples who have been touchedwith what was originally seen as a troubling sect of Judaism gathertogether every Sunday and celebrate their union with Christ in trueworship before the Lord of heaven. This is the Pentecost harvest. Itis undeniable. It is time for all, Jew and Gentile, to see theundeniable victory of the love of the God of the Jews in thesalvation of the earth and the peoples of the world.

As of 2012, there are about

13,000,000 Jews in the world and approximately

2,500,000,000 followers of the Jewish Messiah.

That means that for every 1 Jew in the world, there are about 200 people that follow the Jewish Messiah.

The Jewish Scriptureswere right:

All the peoples of the earth are praising God!

They haveheard the good news of divine distraction that draws us lovingly awayfrom fruitless self-preoccupation. Victory is at hand, thoughpersecutors may even still increase in their zeal against Jesus andHis flock in their last blind gasp, but even among them the blind arebeing given sight. God, our God, the God of the Jews, the God andFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall bless us. Let all the ends ofthe earth stand in awe and worship Him!

Psalm 66

2012-01-01T06:13:00.001-05:00

Every day, a new day of the Lord's heaven dawns forthose on earth who are awake to the Lord Himself. Jesus, who died foryou, “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint ofhis nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”This Son of God made “purification for sins” for you. Then He“sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Are you awake to the this Lord, who reigns above? He hasheaven's gifts for you now, and has secured for you the fullness of aworld of blessing. If you see this great God, you will want to shoutfor joy to Him, and with the Psalmist, you will call the earth tojoin you in the adoration of the Lord.

The praise of God is a very good song on the lips of Hisbeloved. His Name is above every name, far above the angels, and farabove the best gifts of creation. The deeds of the Lord are great. Ofcourse. You need to sing about it today. All the earth will come toHim in worship. Even His enemies will come cringing to Him. There isno need to wait for the final day. Come to Him now and every day.

The God of Israel demonstrated His greatness in theexodus of His people through the sea. How much more has He redeemedus through the blood of His Son. He is working all things now for oureternal good to bring us home to Him.

It was never enough that God should redeem only Israel. See Isaiah 49:6. All the peoples of the Lord are called to bless theGod of Jacob. The history of His great works among His chosen nationtell a story of His faithfulness. The descendants of Jacob are stillwell-known throughout the earth. Their history is recorded for us inthe Scriptures. The Lord tested and disciplined His people, but Hecan bring them through all their trials and persecutions into a placeof heavenly abundance even now.

It is time for heaven to come down upon the earth. Theword of the King of the Jews has gone forth to the ends of the earth.So many Gentiles have been saved by the Jewish Messiah! Now is thetime for many Jews to see that their Scriptures have been fulfilled,that the Lord has saved them as well, and that Jesus is theirs. It istime for millions to come into a place of abundance.

The house of God is bigger now than it ever has been. Itis not only one impressive building made by the hands of men. It is aworldwide temple built by the Holy Spirit Himself. When we gathertogether to praise the God of Israel, we are in His house, no matterhow humble our surroundings may seem to us or to others. We do notbring Him the blood of animals. That day is fulfilled in thesacrifice of the Son of God for us. But with all the heavenly host wedo offer up a sacrifice of praise, and we bring to the Father whatHis Son has promised, the obedience of the nations.

This is not only the testimony of the redeemed as agroup. It is also the testimony of the individual worshiper of theLord. I cried out to Him with my lips. He heard me. He listened tome.

I need Him to hear my voice still today. Therefore Iwill not cherish sin in my heart. I repent and believe again today.

As Paul wrote at the end of Romans 13, “The hour hascome for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us nowthan when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is athand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on thearmor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgiesand drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not inquarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and makeno provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

With the psalmist we cry out, “Blessed be God,because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast lovefrom me!” And now the steadfast love of the Lord has been revealedto us all the more convincingly in the gift of Jesus and in His deathand resurrection. “Shout for joy to God, all the earth!”

Psalm 65

2011-12-31T08:46:00.000-05:00

Man has his own sense of order, timing, and priorities.God calls us to worship.

Praise is due to God in His heavenly Zion. It shall begiven to Him. His people, the payment of Christ's vow to the Fatheron the cross, will bring all their everything to Him forever.

The Lord has purchased us through the atoning blood ofJesus. He who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the worldis now drawing us homeward in our affections. We will be wellsatisfied there.

The Lord has displayed His signs all over the earth. Heis the God of our salvation, who hears us when we call to Him.Through His Son He has become not only the hope of Israel, but thehope of all the ends of the earth.

He who established the mountains and who stills thewaters and the threatening tumult of his enemies makes Himself known.His Word has gone out with signs and wonders everywhere. What more isleft now for this tired globe, tottering under the weight of sin andmisery?

It is time for God to reign, not only in the heights ofheaven, but with grace and peace over all the earth. Then will theriver of God from on high renew all things.

What will it be like in that day?

Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard... Yet we have thistestimony given in this psalm and so many other Old Testamentpassages of a land of blessing, a well-watered country, where theearth will give forth the fruitfulness for which it was made.

Think of it... The hills and valleys of a renewedcreation will shout and sing for joy to the glory of the Lord!

Since this is our sure hope, it is our first joy (andobvious duty) not to fill our bodies with intoxicants, but to fillour hearts every day with the Holy Spirit, and to worship the MostHigh God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 64

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

“Help!”

This is the cry of the worshiper. This is my cry. Canyou relate to that?

It's just reality. We need help from Almighty God. Jesusknew this. He said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” Healso added these great words: “Be of good cheer. I have overcomethe world.”

A cry for help does not necessarily mean that a personis exaggerating the danger that he faces. Think of how accuratelyJesus could have sung this psalm as a petition to God. There wereenemies who wanted to kill Him. The cross is not a myth. The way thatJesus died and the association of His death with the name of Pilateare matters of historical record even outside the Bible, not just asobscure facts, but as a matter of central importance to large groupsof people in the first century that rulers were trying to silence orcontrol.

He knew what was coming. The petition to be kept fromdread of the enemy makes perfect sense in His case and in yours. Younot only need the Lord's protection from enemies seen and unseen. Youespecially need to walk in faith today, and not in dread. You can askthe Lord to protect you from dread.

Jesus did face secret plots. He did hear the taunts of awicked mob. Why did God allow this to happen? The Scriptures tell usthat the suffering of the Messiah was part of the plan of God for oursalvation.

The problem of the inward evil of mankind is deep. Onlythe Lord knew what remedy was necessary for people to have peace withHim. This remedy was what the coming of the Son of God was all about.

It is time now for everyone to ponder the great works ofsalvation that God has accomplished. A day of divine judgment iscoming. Either we embrace the gift of Christ's death for us, or westand before God to face the penalty that our rebellion deserves.

There is no good reason to ignore the Savior of theworld. Association with His Name may mean hardship or death at thehands of enemies, but ignoring His gift brings eternal tribulation.

“Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and takerefuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!” Those who takerefuge in Him find joy now. He knows how to comfort and protect Hispeople. He hears their cries for help. He takes away their dread ofman and their fear of death.

2 Timothy 3:4 - treacherous

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

“Treacherous”

(2Timothy 3:4, January 1, 2011)

1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times ofdifficulty.

2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud,arrogant, abusive, disobedientto their parents, ungrateful,unholy,

3heartless, unappeasable,slanderous, withoutself-control, brutal,not loving good,

4treacherous, ...

treacherous,

WhenStephen spoke in Acts 7:51-53 against the leaders in Israel, Hecalled them treacherous. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised inheart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathersdid, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of theRighteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you whoreceived the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Thebetrayal of entrapment is part of the horrible evil of treachery. Itis an inside job, accomplished by a friend who waits for the rightmoment, and then abuses a relationship of trust.

Judas, the man oftreachery

JudasIscariot, one of the twelve, is the prime biblical example of thisevil behavior. In Luke 6:16 this disciple of Jesus is described withthis word, here translated with the noun “traitor,” “JudasIscariot, who became a traitor.” His kiss of Jesus at the arrest ofthe Messiah will stand forever as a supreme act of treachery, asecret “handing over” of the Son of God to those who weredetermined to put Him out of the way.

A culture of treachery

Whatis striking about the apostle's use of this word in 2 Timothy 3, isthat he is not merely describing the work of one bad individual. Hesays that in the last days, the New Testament era, people will betreacherous. We rightly despise traitors. What would a culture oftreachery look like? We do not need to use much imagination.Missionary Don Richardson describes his work among the Sawi people ofIryan Jaya, where this attribute was valued. When Richardson was ableto communicate the gospel story to this tribe, they celebrated openlywhen they heard what Judas did. They could not relate immediately toJesus. Judas was their hero.

A world of treachery

Whatif the whole world cheered when people were treacherous toward Godand his people? In the last days, as the message of Christ is goingforth throughout every tribe and tongue and nation, people will betreacherous. Sad. Traitors will look for opportunities to do whattraitors do, even within the church.

The Lord, the faithfulOne

Jesusis the polar opposite of every vice that can be imagined. If all theearth is treacherous, Jesus of Nazareth is nothing but faithful. Thetreacherous man is the one who secretly receives 30 pieces of silver.The faithful One is publicly exposed on a cross as a vile object forour sake. How do you communicate that to people who love Judas? Godleaves a witness everywhere. Richardson found a way. Jesus was the“Peace Child” who alone can end the most deadly war. A majorityof the tribe was converted by the word of the ultimate Peace Child,and treachery lost its demonic grip on many lives.

Psalm 63

2011-12-28T07:09:00.002-05:00

Godless religion brings death. The more serious apractitioner a man is of the theology, liturgy, and laws of godlessreligion, the more eager he is to fill his mind and mouth withmurderous hatred. We live in the era of Immanuel, God with us. Everyone who thinks that he has God, but who does not have the Son, has nolife. It is time to walk further away from godless religion, and tobe filled with the Spirit of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ.

People who are filled with the Son of God and the HolySpirit will be full of gentleness. Religionists that are only full oftheology, liturgy, and laws will soon be filled with hatred and willbreath murderous threats against others.

The true worshiper of God says, “My soul thirsts forYou.” He wants God. In worship he finds the power and glory of theLord. In the praise of God he finds the steadfast love of the Lord,His covenant faithfulness, and is moved to more heartfelt and vibrantworship. Finding God, he knows that he has the supreme Good that willlast forever. He lifts His hands to heaven, as a child lifts up hisarms to the father or mother in whom he fully trusts.

The child of God knows then that the Lord will watchover him. He knows that heaven is real, and that the future of bountyand blessing that he has with his god is secure. Even now he beginsto taste heaven's fruit in his soul and life. Even when he is byhimself, even in the middle of the night, he remembers God, he thinksabout God, because his soul clings to the God who is with him. He hasthe everlasting protection of the Almighty, and he sings for joy.

Yet just as Jesus faced the murderous hatred of thosewho were dedicated only to theology, liturgy, and law, but whorejected the Son of God and were devoid of the Spirit of gentleness,even today the lover of God may feel the hatred of others who haveonly idea constructs that lead to death. They sought to destroy theHoly One of God. Yet through His death on the cross, our life hasbeen established. He is risen indeed, and we are full of life andlove when we are full of Him.

Those who have only threats and murder in their serviceof God will one day face their own last day. Herod, Pilate, andCaiaphas all died. But Jesus lives. And all who truly rejoice in theFather and the Son live forever in Jesus in a place where the mouthsof all the proud abusers and false religionists no longer trouble theLord's beloved people.

Today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart.Today is a good day to move away from death by asking God for the Sonof His life to live within you.

Psalm 62

2011-12-27T08:19:00.001-05:00

We live in a troubled world where one unexpected wordcan change everything and one unpleasant encounter can destroy thepeace that was taken for granted between close friends and brothers.Where is security in this world of bad news?

God speaks to us from a place of certainty and gives ussecurity in Him as His gift. There is no other Rock for my soul. Heis the reason that we can wait. We wait for Him. We expect Hisgoodness and His salvation. This is the way that we learn how to havea more settled heart though we live in such a changeable world.

The perfect sovereignty of a good God who is committedto our eternal well-being does not make all of our enemies vanishinstantly. Jesus was surrounded by foes who were against Him. Many ofthe Lord's servants prior to the cross and many after theresurrection have faced the most troubling attacks. Even when theyfelt that they had no strength left, trouble continued, even fromfalse friends. Yet God was still their sure hope.

Something different was happening in the case of Jesus.His purpose in facing suffering was ultimately to take the judgmentof God due against us for our sin. Yet even then, he committedHimself to His Father. He said, “Into Thy hands I commit myspirit.”

We need to trust in God at all times, together with allwho call upon the Name of the Lord. Are you alone? Are enemies tryingto devour you? Wait for the Lord. Trust in Him.

While you wait for deliverance, talk to the Lord. Hehears. Pour out your heart to Him.

Do not entrust yourself to the wicked rich or to the mobthat claims to be on your side. If they are compared to the Almighty,they are nothing. They will not help you through the day of yourgreatest need. They cannot bring their own souls to heaven. Theysurely cannot take you there. Jesus can.

God has power. God has steadfast love. He will render toevery man according to His works. But now, through the life and deathof Jesus, and through faith in His Name, we have been credited withthe perfect righteousness of Christ. This is good news from heaven,and it is perfectly certain.

Psalm 61

2011-12-26T07:46:00.001-05:00

Followers of the Lord will cry out to Him. It is assimple as that.

We may wander for a season, but the seed of life isstill there, and eventually we can't stand all the madness of deaththat seems to define us. And so we cry out to the Lord. And He hearsus. He listens to our prayer.

We could be so far away from His Jerusalem, and yet Hewill hear. We could have only the last breath of strength in us. Ourweak soul, He still knows.

And He will lead you to Himself, to the Rock that ishigher than you.

This One God has already delivered His people from thegreatest enemies that were ever arrayed against us. Sin, death, hell,the demands of His holy law... These were all coming hard against us.We did not stand a chance. But Christ has conquered them with Hisrighteousness and blood. The Lamb of God has rescued us.

Now He has established a New Jerusalem above where wecan dwell with Him forever. No enemy can harm us there.

The Lord has heard the vow of Christ, to bring to Godthe praise of the nations. He will do it.

You have made your solemn promise in Him, to believe inHim, and to follow His voice. You have called upon the Name of theLord. You are coming to Him even now.

Worship the King of kings! His heritage in heaven hasbecome your inheritance. May the King live forever. He certainlywill. “Jesus lives and so shall I. Death, thy sting is goneforever.”

The steadfast love and the faithfulness of the Lord Godthat watched over His own dear Son watches over all those who aresons of God in Him. This is the love of God for you. This is yoursecurity and safety today as you walk through the valley of theshadow of death.

This is why you worship. This is why we sing.

Psalm 60

2011-12-25T06:57:00.002-05:00

It is a challenge to hear stories of abundance and joywhen you are lonely or facing severe difficulties. If this is yourstory today, you do not need to pretend that everything is alright.Bring your honest lament before God. He hears the cries of theafflicted.

“O God, you have rejected us.” These are the sincerewords of a troubled Israelite. They sound improper to the religiousear. But then what can we say about the cry of the Servant of theLord in Isaiah 49:4, “I have labored in vain; I have spent mystrength for nothing.” Or who can forget His words from the cross(quoted from Psalm 22): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The truth is sometimes complex. God has not utterlyrejected His Israel. Yet who knows what to say to the deeply troubledpeople of the Lord when it would appear that all is lost? In allsituations we want to keep talking to God and we want theconversation to be honest.

God does use His enemies to discipline His beloved children. Yet the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Thereforewe have courage to add to our lament this good request: “Oh,restore us!”

When the whole land or even a solitary life is shaken,we can only turn to the One who said in Haggai 2:6, “Yet once more,in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the seaand the dry land.” We recall the next verse as well, “And I willshake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall comein, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.”If the Lord has made the land to quake, He can also repair itsbreaches.

God has set up a banner in Jesus Christ to those who aresuffering. He understands what it is to be alone, to be in pain, tobe without clothing or shelter, to be hungry and thirsty, to grieve,and to wonder how long it will all last. He did all this, and wasalso without sin. The suffering servants of God can flea to the Onegreat Suffering Servant. You will not find Him today as a baby layingin a feeding trough, though it is so good to celebrate His birth. Heis not on a cross, though there is glory in that for those who haveeyes to see what He accomplished there. His body is not dead in aborrowed grave anymore. Today, as foretold in Isaiah 11:10, “Hisresting place shall be glorious.” These words have been fulfilled.He who suffered far more than we have, inhabits the highest gloriesof heaven, and He also dwells in the praises of His people. He willhear you when you cry to Him. He is able to sympathize with all whosuffer. His beloved ones will be delivered soon. He will answer usand will give salvation by His mighty right hand.

In days of old, He fulfilled His promises to Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob, giving them the land of Canaan. Now He has gone waybeyond this as He foretold so long ago in Isaiah 49:6. “"It istoo light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up thetribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I willmake you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach tothe end of the earth.”

God has done this by the Jewish Messiah. It is time forHis people to find Him again. Imagine... The Law and the Prophetswere right! The Suffering Servant has come and won an eternal victoryfor His suffering servants. Isn't it obvious by now that the Jewishprophets that foretold this worldwide victory of the Servant of theLord were correct? Why should the Jews be left out of thiscelebration, when Egyptians and Iraqis are finding life in Him? It istime to take “Yes” for an answer. The Lord's suffering childrenwill see Him who was pierced for us, and they will find Him who hasloved us with an everlasting love.

He has not utterly rejected us. Sometimes it just feelsthat way, but the facts do not bear out that conclusion as God's lastword to us. He will keep His covenant love forever. His cross is anundeniable badge of His determination to fulfill every promise madeto His people in His Word. He who has defeated sin and death willbring you help against every formidable foe. Even now, He will bringyou a little hope, and will revive your wounded soul. Trust in Him.He will heal. He will bless.

Psalm 59

2011-12-24T05:44:00.002-05:00

What can explain the evil that insists on entrappinganother person with the purpose of killing him? Yet the first twobrothers that were born, Cain and Abel, instruct us, one with hislife and another with his death, that this deep evil is possible.

After sin entered the world through Adam, there havebeen many dangerous enemies among men, and we have needed men toprotect us. But this story of enemies and protection goes beyond thehistory of mankind, and required a solution more mysterious thanhiring a well-armed night watchman.

Someone existed before the first man was created who wasready to sow weeds in God's garden. Jesus calls him an enemy. He cameto steal and to kill and to destroy. We need help from the One whodefeated this ancient enemy through His own death. God disarmed thefallen angelic rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, bytriumphing over them in His Son. All human allies of these enemiesand their larger human associations of corrupt and oppressivegovernments have been put on notice through the resurrection of JesusChrist that a new order of powerful righteousness is coming and iseven already among us.

God's people have anticipated that ultimate victory fromheaven for many centuries. They cried out to Him when the powers ofdarkness swirled all about them. At times He intervened through aprotector who provided a way out in this life. At other times herescued His children by bringing them out of this life into His armsof eternal safety, even through the agency of murderous men andangels.

The great salvation that Jesus won for us, that victorythat secured our presence in a world without evil, did not come bythe avoidance of death, but by the willingness of God to enter intothis creation and to save many through one death.

What was it like for Christ to suffer for us. The psalmsgive us a glimpse of what He was up against. Those who suffer at thehands of evil and injustice taste some of His experience personally.

Fierce men stood against Him. They stirred up troubleagainst Him. They come out at night like a pack of wild dogs. Theyimagined that no one could stop them in their hatred and lies. Butthere is a God who hears.

Who is this God? He is the God of creation who made allthings out of nothing. He is the God of salvation, who came to saveby becoming God with us in Bethlehem. He is the Son of God who diedon a cross, and the Spirit of God who was poured out on the youngchurch at Pentecost.

He, by His power, created worlds, and brought new lifeto stony hearts. He is the God of heavenly hosts and the Lord of Hischosen nation, Israel. He laughs at nations that imagine themselvesmore real and powerful than the only I-AM. He rules over His peopleto the ends of the earth.

He has strength enough to keep His servants and todestroy their adversaries forever. He has steadfast love for us whichshall never be taken away. He is our refuge in the day of ourdistress.

Whether we commit our souls to Him today with our finalbreath, or whether He pushes our adversaries away from us that wemight continue to serve Him here below for another day we cannot say.He is God, and the length of His servants' lives is in His hands. Weknow that it is far better to go to be with Him, but often we arepersuaded that He has more for us to do before He calls us home.

In our distress He may seem to be sleeping, but He doesnot sleep. We cry out to Him asking Him to wake up because we do notknow what to say, and we need a Savior to act right now if we are tostand for Him on the earth in the morning. Therefore His holy oneshave always cried out to Him, and He hears their cries.

He heard the cries of Jesus. Through His death, not onlyhave evil men and angels been defeated, but the people of God havebeen saved. His resurrection is our assurance that our Lord will beour Help forever in the land of the living.

Deuteronomy 9

2011-12-21T06:19:00.002-05:00

Who can stand before the sons of Anak? They were big,frightening people, and some of them were still in the land of Canaanat the time of the conquest. They stood as living examples of themultitudes of adversaries that stand against the purposes of God eventoday.

God had given the land of Canaan to Israel. But theAnakim stood in the way of the accomplishment of that purpose.

God had an eternal purpose to bring back a reunitedheaven and earth, full of his people who would be perfectly directedby the Holy Spirit, not out of compulsion, but by the perfect renewalof their wills. But sin, death, and hell stood in the way, enemiesthat were far bigger than the Anakim.

Only the Lord could give Canaan to the Israelites. OnlyGod could secure the new heavens and earth for the people of theMessiah.

The Lord wanted the Israelites to know for certain thattheir deliverance did not spring from their own perfectrighteousness. It was grounded in the Lord's own covenantfaithfulness, and had more to do with the unrighteousness of theCanaanites than with any assessment of merit that could be awarded tothe descendants of Jacob. That was a humbling message that needed tobe repeated many times throughout the pages of the Law and theProphets.

The Israelites were not a shining example of what theinhabitants of heaven would look like. They were stubborn. They wouldnot hear and obey the voice of the Lord. Their persistentunrighteousness would eventually lead to their exile.

Were the nations of the Gentiles any better? Not at all.Both Jew and Gentile needed a truly righteousSubstitute. Through faith in His Name we have life and peace and arighteousness that is not our own.

The record of the church has revealed our own stubbornhearts. If our hope was in our own righteousness apart from JesusChrist it would be groundless. But our hope is in the righteousnessof Christ.

As with the history of the Jews from Egypt to the plainsof Moab and beyond, the history of the church is weighed down withexample after example of our misguided zeal, our petty squabbles, andour prideful resistance to the ways of the Lord. Yet God hasdetermined to preserve a people in Christ from both the Jews and theGentiles.

The episode of the golden calf was a reminder to thedescendants of Jacob of their own failure to keep God's Law. As soonas the Law was inscribed on tablets of stone by the finger of God,Israel was already worshiping an idol.

At that time the Lord used the intercession of Moses,their mediator, to save them, and to continue in His commitment tothem. How many times has our Mediator, Jesus Christ, interceded forus? His blood, the blood of the eternal covenant which was shed onthe cross, still speaks a saving word for us before the throne of theAlmighty.

The Israelites also rebelled against the Lord at Massahin the wilderness. They would not believe Him or obey Him.

Our record of faith and righteousness is not good inthis day of testing. We should yield all of our failures offaithlessness up to the Lord. We should lay our sins again today onJesus, just as the Old Testament priests laid their hands on goatsyear by year on the Day of Atonement confessing the sins of Israel.But there is eternal healing for all the people in the blood of theLamb of God.

Our unrighteousness, our unbelief, and our willfulrejection of the ways of God stood against us. These enemies withinwere formidable foes. But Christ was able to fell these sons of Anakin our hearts. One day we will have no more traces in us of the oldman of the flesh, though still today we feel that death within. Yetthe life of Christ is in us, and He will win the battle.

Deuteronomy 8

2011-12-20T06:25:00.002-05:00

God had promised Israel the blessings of a virtualheaven on earth if the nation would obey His voice. While the Lordhad revealed Himself as merciful, slow to anger, and abounding insteadfast love, this did not mean that He would be satisfied withpartial obedience. “The whole commandment that I command you todayyou shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go inand possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.”

God led Israel through the wilderness for these manyyears, providing daily bread from heaven. But man does not live bybread alone. The nation needed to pay close attention to the voice ofthe Lord, hearing and obeying every Word that came from the mouth ofGod.

For Israel to ignore the voice of the Lord would be toforget God. The Lord warned His people about this danger, a dangerthat they would particularly face in any future days of prosperity.It would be very tempting for God's people to come to this incorrectconclusion: “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me thiswealth.”

The consequences of this national sin would be dire: “Ifyou forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve themand worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surelyperish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, soshall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lordyour God.”

This voice of God in the Law of Moses came with apromise of blessing for obedience, but also with a solemn warning ofcurse for disobedience. How could any nation of sinful and weakpeople keep the whole Law of God in this fallen world?

There could be no doubt that Israel would need aRedeemer. This Savior did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfillit. He kept the whole Law of God, even the eternal covenant betweenthe Father and the Son that commanded the obedience and love of thecross.

This Savior had such a full obedience to His Father,that He had the power of an indestructible life. He rose from thedead, and He lives forever to intercede for us.

We now have a better word than the Law, better for usbecause the Law can only bring life to the one who wholly obeys allthe commandments. We have the word of the gospel that Christ died forthe ungodly. We have the healing word from the lips of Jesus Christ,who brings the dead to life.

Deuteronomy 7

2011-12-19T06:58:00.001-05:00

The Lord, the God of Israel, was bringing His peopleinto the land, the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac,Jacob, and their descendants forever. By His command they were totake possession of it.

But there were people already living in that land. Godpromised to clear away many nations before the Israelites, nationsthat were were more numerous and more powerful than them.

God would give these nations over to Israel, and Israelwould defeat them. When this took place, Israel was to devote them tocomplete destruction. This was the judgment of God upon thesepeoples, and Israel was His agent to bring about what He haddetermined to do.

We may not like this. Yet we should acknowledge that Godis the Lord Almighty. He raises up kingdoms and shatters them. Hebrings desolations upon the earth, and He will bring peace, exaltingHis holy Name all over the world. See Psalm 46:8-11. His command todestroy these nations was an expression of His much more extensivepower over all of life and death. The Lord gives and the Lord takesaway. Who can stand against Him. He is the Lord. He has a purpose inHis mercies and His judgments. He will glorify His Name throughoutthe earth.

God was setting up the land and the nation of Immanuel,God with us. From Israel would come the Messiah.

Israel was to be a distinct people, following the Law ofGod. They could not have a mixed system of faith and life with thepeople groups in Canaan. They were to sweep them away from this smallland in preparation for the coming of the One Answer for all thenations of the earth. Israel was to kill now, but Israel's divineMessiah would one day be killed in this land, not just for Israel,but for the world.

The conquest is more than many can take, though it isonly a small portion of the judgment of God against mankind for sin.Many also reject the message of the cross, where the Innocent Christdies for the guilty. Both conquest and cross would come not bypopular demand, but according to the eternal purpose of Almighty God,who is is determined to bring peace on earth. Yet before heaven andearth are together in permanent grace and holiness, there will be aday of judgment for mankind.

Israel could not just blend into the world of theCanaanites, intermarrying, bowing down to their idols, followingtheir religious and moral customs. The people of the world's Messiahwere to be holy to the Lord, His chosen people.

Israel was not chosen because they were great. Theywould be great because they were chosen. The love and covenantfaithfulness of God always comes first. He brings blessing, even to athousand generations. But would Israel obey Him?

Christ came as the One obedient Israel. Thousands ofgenerations are blessed in Him. Those who violate His commandmentsmerit his hatred and the destruction that is expressed in theconquest. But on the cross the Son of God faced the judgment ofconquest for His people from every tribe and tongue and nation. Towalk away from Christ and the cross is to lose all rational basis foreternal blessing from the Almighty. Christ is the one atoningsacrifice for us.

If Israel would obey the Lord, they would have blessingin the land. But if they coveted the silver and gold on Canaaniteidols they would be ensnared in the destruction that has come uponthe earth.

God would bring about the conquest for Israel. They didnot need to fear the peoples of Canaan. But they did need to fear theLord, and to follow His commandments.

The Lord does not come to us to learn what is right. Heis the Almighty One. There is no one good but Him. The conquest ofCanaan, the destruction of the Canaanites, the eradication ofCanaanite religion; these were all to be accomplished through Hisdirection. Yet salvation for the earth would not come from thisconquest. Many generations later, Jesus would die for us. The messageof His death and resurrection has become good news all over theworld.

Psalm 58

2011-12-17T07:15:00.000-05:00

The Almighty One has given mankind a god-like responsibility to judge and to rule. Some are granted special positions of authority to be used for the good purposes of the one God who created the heavens and the earth. The Lord calls such human judges “gods” in this psalm.

Yet these “gods” are not the ultimate God. They themselves will face judgment.

Over the many centuries of human existence rulers and officials have come and gone. So many have oppressed the weak for their own purposes. Is there no answer from God on high? Does He exist? Does He see this wickedness? Will there be a day when powerful oppressors are judged by God?

We have forgotten even the names of thousands of petty officials who used their places of service to serve themselves and to pursue unrighteousness. God has not forgotten. He will judge.

Some powerful rulers have pretended to bring heaven on earth, at least for those who will be in league with them. Yet they spread violence upon the earth, pursuing their own agenda of hate. The Lord will judge them.

We might suppose that such wicked rulers were once innocent babies who only took a wrong turn. This is a mistake. The wicked ruler was wicked from birth. He eventually learned the technique of lying, but the will to lie in order to gain his own desire was there before he knew how to lie. From the beginning he would not follow the voice of God.

Eventually the wicked man grew in subtlety of mind and in power of arm or persuasion of mind and tongue. Once he secured his position of authority and removed those who threatened his power, he began to express his own wicked plans, and to press them forward with the agreement of trusted associates who had unquestioning loyalty toward the great voice. But if any “friend” looked at him the wrong way, told a joke at his expense, or simply made a convenient example to others of why they should all fear the despotic ruler, it was off to the gulag with such a man.

Where can mankind turn when they are under the thumb of such a monster who insists that he is a comrade, but who controls others as a god, yet is not good? There is a real God who will judge justly. The fortress of the wicked might seem insurmountable, but like all mankind, he too will face his Maker. On that day he will tremble.

Yet how have I fared with the power I have been given? Have I been easily captivated by dark unseen powers that whispered in my own ear, “You will not surely die.” When I was in the position of a god, as one created in His image, and charged with dominion, have I been good?

Jesus was called good by men, but even He said to them the secret that unlocks the true story of my great need: “There is none good but one, that is, God.”

I must find my goodness in Him. I must hear the voice of the one truly righteous Ruler. Pilate had the words “King of the Jews” written above the cross of Christ. The only truly good man, was the Son of God who came to die for me.

If I am counted as among the righteous, that can only be the goodness of God applied to my record. In myself, the sad record of abuse of power can be found. In Christ there was not one rebel thought, word, or action against the Law of His Father. He was full of goodness and love. He lived out His kingship during His brief days on earth in the fullness of holy love. Let me be found in Him.

To stand all on my own and to be judged as a god would be certain eternal death. I will gladly take my place with those who hear the voice of the Son of God and live.

Lord, let me never abuse the weak. Let me follow the Son of God.

2 Timothy 3:3 - not loving good

2011-12-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

“The Lover”

(2 Timothy 3:3, December 11, 2011)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ...

not loving good,

Jesus spoke of the generation at the end of the Old Testament era as a “wicked generation.” When a society is facing moral decline and insists on being separate from God and His ways, that society will begin to fall apart. This may be the case in a particular place when the decline is just a regional or national development. But eventually the time will come for the entire New Testament era to be over. Throughout the labor pains of this era, there will be problems with people, even inside the church. But when the entire structure of international society is falling apart, shouldn't we expect to see an intensification of difficulties? Abnormal developments are associated with societal disintegration. What will it be like just before the return of the Lord? Sane people should love what is good, but when everything is falling apart, people will not love what is good.

What is good? Jesus said that only God is good. Surely God must be the ultimate judge of what is good. In the ten commandments we have a statement of His moral law, but if ten categories are two many to think about, how about two? Love God with your whole being, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the good way. But what will a society do when the love of God is seen as a moral evil, and when the language of sacrificial living for another comes into conflict with a perceived higher duty to self? What if the church, which worships God through the Christ who led us in the way of self-denial, becomes so confused, that self-denial no longer even seems right?

The Lord, the premier lover of good

Jesus loved the good. He loved His Father with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength. He also loved His neighbor. In fact, He was willing to give up His life for those who would be counted as the children of God. His life and death were a fulfillment of the Law of love.

How can the Lord love me?

But I have not been good. How can the Lord love me? What does He see in me?

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ is the Lover of the church.

We are called now to follow Him. We, of course, are called to do what should come naturally, to love what is good. This may be increasingly difficult in a world that rejects this concept.

But we must go beyond this, we must love when goodness seems to be evaporating away from our marriages, our families, our churches, and our communities. We must remain committed to serve those who may be very confused about loving God and neighbor. We must serve others out of reverence for the One who died for unlovely me.

Deuteronomy 6

2011-12-14T06:31:00.001-05:00

Israel did not choose the nature of the arrangement that the nation had with God. The Lord gave the Law through Moses, and He commanded that His people obey in order to keep right standing with Him in the land.

But many years prior to the giving of the Law, God gave Abraham the Promise. The Law did not annul the promise of God. That promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The Law of Moses could not bring life because of Israel's sin. The voice of Christ, calling into being what once was not alone brings life. This miracle of life could only come from the Voice of God. We who hear, need to believe, and to follow. This is a very different arrangement than “do and live.”

Israel had the Law, but they also had the Promise. And from Israel, the Christ would come. He would speak, and the dead would receive life.

The Law was never a mere outward system of ceremonial observance. The one God commanded the complete obedience of His people, the fullness of love for Him. This is what the Messiah accomplished.

God is One, but the One God is complex, without sacrificing His oneness. This complexity allowed for God to be with God, and for God to come from God to satisfy the demands of God on our behalf. Without this complexity, there could be no salvation. Without the Son of God coming, we would be left with a do and live system, which can only yield death for those who lack perfect obedience; death for Israel under Moses, death for any generations that would follow, and for any others who would bind themselves to the God of Jacob through the Law.

The commitment to obey perfectly may sound possible if we do not understand the fullness of love that God requires and if we have not yet faced the depth of testing that would reveal our faults. For those who have been caught in the accommodation of idolatry, the just anger against us for our sin is an insurmountable obstacle. We need a Savior to come. We need to hear His voice, a voice that is something more than the Law of Moses.

The Lord demonstrated our failure to win right standing through Law more than once. Beginning with Adam's fall, we have had repeated opportunities to walk before God and to be blameless. Until Jesus, came and worked out the fullness of love on the cross, no man was found who passed the Lord's many tests.

We need the Redeemer who rescued Israel out of bondage to come for us and to save us. Over many centuries, the inability of the Lord's beloved people to remain with Him based on a do and live covenant was amply displayed. The gift of Jesus Christ takes us beyond the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, beyond the golden calf, beyond the failure of Moses himself to enter the promised land, and beyond generation after generation of idolatry and disobedience. His powerful saving voice of obedience is our only secure hope.

Deuteronomy 5

2011-12-13T07:36:00.001-05:00

Israel was to hear the Law, and then to do the commandments of God and live. We have found the commandment to do and live to be death for us because of our sin.

This does not mean that we can replace “do and live” with “do what you want.” Licentiousness will not be freedom for us, but a slavery worse than the bondage of Egypt was for the Israelites.

We need to hear the voice of the Son of God calling us to a new resurrection life. Hearing His voice, we come to life, and we follow Him. If we follow Him by the gift of the Holy Spirit, we will have the fruit of the Spirit in increasing measure, and there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit. This is how we will “do.” If we dedicate ourselves to “do and live” we will die. If we dedicate ourselves to “do what you want” we will be just like a crooked and perverse generation, and we will die with Adam's world. But if we hear the voice of Jesus that raised Lazarus from the grave, then we will live, and even do, by the work of the Spirit who teaches us to follow Christ, and to keep the law of love.

Knowing this, we use the law, not as a way to life, but to hear of our need for the voice of Christ. Our Redeemer loved and kept the Law for us. He alone accomplished the “do and live” paradigm for uour sake. Now we hear Him and rise from the grave of hopelessness, sin, and death.

He heard the Law of His Father, even all the way to the cross. He knew His Father's will to deliver us from bondage, and He accomplished that will with the fullness of love and the Holy Spirit. He knew and obeyed the One God.

Idols had no hold on Him. He knew His Father, and heaven was His home.

He loved the Name of the Almighty, though those who claimed to be law-keepers dishonored His Name, the Name of the Messiah. He kept the Name in His heart in the perfection of the best filial obedience.

He made a way for us to eternal Sabbath rest, and became for us Sabbath. When the law was first given in Exodus 20, remembering the Sabbath was grounded in God's work of creation, where He rested on the seventh day. In the second giving of the Commandments in this chapter, that rest is grounded on God's mighty work of redemption and the mercy that we need toward those who are still enslaved. Christ has worked out our redemption, and now we are free. We begin our weekly life with His Word to us that calls us to rest in His resurrection, and our work proceeds every week from the power of His redemption and calling.

He obeyed His earthly parents, but much more than this, He heard the voice of His Father from heaven. He said what His Father told Him to say. He did what His Father told Him to do.

He was far from murder. He had the words of life.

He kept Himself from all adultery. He died for His bride, the church, composed of Jew and Gentile. His cross was the fullness of a husband's faithfulness and love.

He did not steal. He gave instead. He who had the riches of heaven, for our sake, became poor, that in Him we might have an eternal inheritance.

He gave a true witness with His life. In everything that He said and did, He was and is the true Word. Speak to us today, O Lord!

He did not covet. The devil tested Him, but He would not believe the tempting lie.

We have violated every commandment, in thought, word, and action. But Christ has obeyed for us, and then He died to pay our debt, and even to carry our sorrows.

Now we hear His voice and live. We do not come to Mount Sinai any more, that frightening place where we lost all hope in ourselves. We come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the company of myriads of angels, to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Our inheritance is safe in heaven, and with Jesus, we shall inherit the earth.

Deuteronomy 4

2011-12-12T07:05:00.000-05:00

God had given His people through Moses the written Word at Sinai in the form of ten commandments. As they were preparing to enter the promised land, Moses instructed them to keep the commandments of God.

This was the way that life under the Law would work: Do them and live. Do the commandments and take possession of the land. Do them and keep the land. Don't add to them. Don't take away from them. Do them and live. This turned out to be a burden that neither we nor our fathers could bear.

At Peor, Moses reminded Israel, they had not done the Law. Their disobedience brought death.

This must not be the way in the land. The people needed to keep their souls diligently. They needed to teach their children the ten commandments; how they came from God, and how frightening it was when the Lord gave the Law to Israel.

The account of disobedience in the wilderness, the failure of idolatry at Horeb, must never again be committed. They must not worship the stars, They must remember their deliverance by God from Egypt and do the Law. They must not forget the Lord's covenant. Their God, the God who loved them with a holy jealousy, was a consuming fire.

Yet the same God who was a consuming fire, was and is a God of mercy. Even if they faced exile, even if the few that remained in the land worshiped Gods of wood, they could still remember the Lord, and call out to Him in their desperation. They could seek Him and find Him if they searched for Him with all their heart and soul. How much more should you be assured that Jesus, who died for your sins, will hear you when you cry out to him with hatred of your sin and a sincere devotion.

It is time, even now, to return to the Lord your God, and to obey His voice.

We have a God who speaks. We have a God who delivers His people from bondage. We have a God who is more powerful than our enemies.

Who is against you today? Even your own flesh, which is a very stubborn and powerful adversary to your soul, is not able to withstand the power of the Spirit of the living God. That Spirit is continually being poured out upon the church by the exalted Son of God in our day. We have a Helper who has the power of victory over sin and death. We have a new way to follow the Lord, for God has provided for us an everlasting city of refuge in His Son Jesus Christ who is in us.

Do this and live will never work for us without the cross-bought gift of the Holy Spirit. Do and live has now become live and do. By the mercies of God we live, and by the Spirit of God we follow the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:3 - brutal

2011-12-09T05:35:00.002-05:00

“The Last Days and Better News than Brutality”

(2 Timothy 3:3, December 11, 2011)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, ...

brutal,

The Lord has given all of us human society, and especially relationships of obedience and love within family and governmental structures. These gifts are for our good, providing us with some social limitations to aid in resisting our worst impulses.

But in the last days people will be brutal, fierce, and very difficult to restrain. This will be shown forth not only as individuals resist the moderating influences of God's gift of oversight, but even in the social structures themselves. Not only will individuals be brutal, but brutality will be readily identified in many families and among many nations.

Even churches can become places where people employ speech and actions that are course and abusive. This should not be, but we are warned in this passage that the first coming of the Messiah will not immediately bring the fullness of heaven upon the earth.

Like John the Baptist, we may express some surprise at the result of the coming of our King. “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect another.” But the signs of Messiah and the kingdom were displayed before the people. Jesus is Lord, but during this age, the just must live by faith. Too often, even in the church, people will be brutal.

The Lord's kindness and severity

This is not the way of the Lord, who tells us to follow Him through this wilderness into the promised land of heaven. Jesus is not brutal.

But it is fair to acknowledge that Jesus was unwilling to be tamed by false doctrine and brutal leaders who demanded His obedience. He did confront abusive and immoral spiritual authorities without compromise.

It is also a fact that His coming again as Judge will not be tame. But in Him, the requirements of God's holiness and mercy meet, and a life and death are offered up to the Father.

Kiss the Son, and His wrath will turn. See Psalm 2. And consider Romans 11:22 where the apostle warns Christian Gentiles, “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”

If we will bow before the King of the Church, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, we will not increase in brutality. We will be gentled. Yet we will also see that the way of God has a severity to it that must be acknowledged and respected.

We do acknowledge brutality, even within the church, and we mourn. But the story of His coming has given us the better news of perfect love. Come soon, Lord Jesus!