In Stillness Comes Knowing

 

“Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted by every nation. I will be exalted throughout the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Note in this verse the verbs: be still and know. One is a verb of being and the other verb leads to action. Let us consider them as we study this verse.

First, as you read Psalm 46, you recognize that the voice—the person from whom the words came—changed. David spoke (wrote) through the first nine verses and the last verse of this Psalm in praise and worship of God. He invited listeners and worshippers to join him with this psalm.

The next thing we should consider is what God said in verse ten. The first part of this verse tells us God gave two commands. These commands are “be still” and “know.” God commands our innermost being—heart, mind, spirit, and soul. If these parts of ourselves are in conflict, frustration, or turmoil figuring out how to end the difficulty or get through it, then we cannot be attuned totally to, be with, and love God with our whole being. Our being is distracted and unable to be with God. Remember, God said we are to love Him with our whole being—heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Mark 12:30). If we are in turmoil for whatever reason, we cannot love God with our whole being; it is being occupied by other matters. God deserves and, in this verse, commands that our relationship—genuine relationship—with Him be with our whole being.

The next command God gives, an in the same breath, is “know.” This command God gave about knowing makes us ask three questions. What or whom are we to know? How are we to know how or by which ways to know God in heart, mind, or spirit? What did "know" signify initially?

Let's tackle questions in reverse order. This English verb, “know,” comes from the Hebrew word of yada’. Yada’ means to perceive, hear, listen to, and obey (act upon what you heard from the speaker). Anything we hear calls us to an action/reaction. We think about what we heard and either agree or disagree with it. This then leads us to talk about it as good or bad; that is an action. This may prompt bodily action by saying or doing something, such as doing what the person, in this case God, said to do. Yada’ involves intentional relationality.

God, in Deuteronomy 6, and Jesus, in Mark 12, tell us how we are to relate to God, to be in a relationship with Him. They tell us we are to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Matthew records Jesus’ teaching on this as loving God with our heart, soul, and mind. Luke records it as loving God with our heart, soul, strength, and mind. This means we are to love God with our whole being. To be related to God requires all our selves. That requires willing ourselves to attune to God with our whole being. We are to know God in the same way we are to love God.

Carrying this thought further leads to answering the final and supreme question. Who or what are we “to know”? Psalm 46:10a, tells us the whom or what we are to know, God. In this verse, God says we are to “be still and know that I am God.” Knowing God, being in a relationship with Him, requires intentionality, determination, faithfulness, and love. This relationship requires knowing each other, which requires intentionally getting to know, then loving the other person. From this devotion, who we are changes; the relationship changes us. Here, God changes us as we become still and know He is God. Intentional relationship leads to love that leads to actions and reactions that change us. The relationship with God, the getting to know and knowing God, leads us to change within our selves and act based on the relationship and change in our being from that relationship.

Now, returning to the entire command in verse ten, we must acknowledge who gave the command. We recognize the “voice” of the command changed from the rest of this psalm. David did not speak these words. God spoke through David in his worship of God. Verse ten comes from almighty, sovereign I AM God, the One whom no other can reach or attain to be. The sovereign I Am, the God who was, is now, and will be after time, commands anyone who perceives, hears, and listens to His voice to obey Him. God has authority. We have 100% relationship with Him as worshippers alongside of David. God speaks to us. His commands cause us to choose to listen and obey Him. Or, if we walked away from Him, we hear God and disobey Him either with inaction or counteraction. No matter how we choose to act after hearing Him, it remains an action caused by hearing God. Hearing always causes action-obedience, inaction, or counteraction.

In verse ten, what did I Am, God, tell His people to do? God commanded them then and us. He commands our hearts, bodies, minds, spirits, and souls, by which we totally have a relationship with God and by which we worship Him, to “be still in heart, mind, body, spirit, and soul. God commands us to know Him with our full being. Work to know Him better so that your whole being is involved in a relationship with Him can perceive, hear, listen, and obey Him and be still—have complete and perfect peace.

What was God’s impetus for intervening in David’s worship of Him in verse ten? David was proclaiming about God, then God reminds him, when David faces assumed unmovable mountains, earthquakes, storms, enemies, and wars, that He is still God. God still stands there with Him amid those tumults. He reminded David to still his entire being, sink into God’s peace, and remember, perceive, hear, and listen to/for God’s voice and take heart. Obey God’s voice, then you will find and return to peace because you are rightly related to God.

Finally, at the end, God foretells and reminds His people of the certainty of life…God will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth. God did not say He would probably be exalted or that He may be exalted. He said He, God, will be exalted. That is future tense. David proclaimed what God had done in verses one through nine. God spoke and commanded him and all His people in the present tense. Then, God proclaimed the certain eventuality in the future. Truly God is I AM, existing before time, in time, and after time ends.

Why does the third part of verse ten sound as if God said the same thing twice? God just said he would be exalted among the nations. Why did He say He would be exalted in the earth/world? First, Bible writers and other writers through the millennia repeat a line with a slight change to emphasize a point. In God’s first “exalt” sentence in this verse, He spoke of humanity. In this second one, He said the whole earth/world would exalt Him. That includes all people, mountains, oceans, rocks, plants, animals, and all creation exalting him. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 98 spoke of this in verses seven and eight. Isaiah 24:14-16, 35:1-2, 42:10-12, 44:23, 49:13, and 55:12, Luke 19:40, Romans 8:19-22, and Revelation 5:13 speak about nature exalting God. The third line of Psalm 46:10 emphasizes and expands on what God said in the second line of verse ten. All creation will shout for joy and exalt the Lord.

In one verse, God gave a command that reminded people who He is and that He is greater than anything they may face. He reminded them of the perfect peace He gives them. God reminded David and all others of His children after that time how to being in a close relationship with Him.

Be still in your heart, mind, body, spirit, and soul.

Know this in your entire being because you are rightly related to God and will obey His voice.

Then watch and participate with David, the nations, and the world in praising and worshipping Me (God).

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. (Psalm 46:11)

Gift of Joy

You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy:

They will rejoice in Your presence as with the joy of harvest,

As people rejoice when they divide the spoils. --Isaiah 9:3, NASB

Remember, in the first lesson of this series, Isaiah spoke to the northern kingdom of Israel about their soon upcoming captivity at the hands of the Assyrians. This captivity included both Jew and Gentile residents of Israel. This meant the prophecy for the near and distant futures was for Jews and Gentiles, not merely the Jews. In chapter eight, Isaiah used the analogy of dark and light. He used it again in Isaiah 9:2. The light referred to the release of the captives—Jew and Gentile—from Assyria in the future. This prophecy referred to the Messiah, who would come to rescue and redeem everyone held in captivity in the distant future. More, yet, comes from the Isaiah 9:1-7 prophecy.

 Through his words in Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah tells the people of the northern kingdom of Israel and people in the future, God would do more than give them joy by His light shining in the darkness (vs. 2). God does not just offer joy to weary hearts, minds, spirits, and might. He gives everything a person needs for their whole being—heart, soul, mind, and strength. God recognizes the whole being of each human, His creation. He recognized it when He commanded the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:5 to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might. Jesus reiterated this command and called it the greatest commandment when He taught it in Mark 12:29-30. He said in reply to the scribe, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your mind, and with all your strength.”

For God to expect a person to love Him with the totality of his or her being, He provides what is necessary for each of those parts of a person. God’s light would shine in the darkness; so, keep hoping and trusting in Him. God’s light is not there to tease people; it gives hope for the near future to escape whatever persecution, torment, calamity, or difficulty a person encounters. His light also gives hope for the distant future, the future hope of which Isaiah would tell. With the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-7, God revealed what—Who—that future hope of hopes is. That hope was, is, and will always be the Messiah, of whom God told and revealed, and whom believers now eagerly await His second coming.

Consider, in this week and the next four weeks, with verses three through seven, how God’s light was joy and more. Remember, in Isaiah 9:1, Isaiah said the prophecy from God came for both Jews and Gentiles who lived there. In the second verse, Isaiah declared this prophecy is meant for “the people who walk in darkness.” Notice, he did not say the prophecy is only for the Jews who walk in darkness. God intended the prophecy for Jews and Gentiles—each person.

Isaiah said the prophecies of God were for Jews and Gentiles in verse one, then the occurrences of verses two and three would happen. Since we studied verse two last time, this study is on verse three. God said He would “multiply the nation.” This multiplication would occur through population and geography. Population is the numerical counting of heads. The population of Israel’s northern kingdom would increase by the returning of the captives to their homes. That would be the near future hope about which verse three prophesied. The distant future hope included a population increase of people who believe in the Messiah. The number of God’s children would increase because more people receive salvation through belief in the Messiah. Jesus’ righteousness given to believers increased the population of the heirs of God’s promise to Abraham’s (Genesis 15:2-6 and Hebrews 11:8-10). The Messiah came for all people, not just the Jews.

Consider now the geographical part of this prophecy. To increase the geography of a nation, the borders must expand. God’s multiplying the nation of Israel gave the Jews the near future hope of expanding their national borders, like when King Solomon reigned. The Jews regarded Solomon as the greatest king of all Israel. During Solomon’s reign, the kingdom encompassed more land than at any other time. The geography of the nation would increase in the distant future when people worldwide believed in the Messiah. The multiplying boundary spoke not of a literal physical national border expansion only, but of a growth in the number of people around the world who worshipped God because of belief in the Messiah. These two aspects—population and geography—with their near and distant future hopes, encompassed the multiplication God would bring to the nation.

God multiplied the nation, and He increased the people’s joy in this prophecy through Isaiah. By God’s shining His pure light on the people of the nations, He would “increase their joy” (vs. 3b). Verse two relayed the change agent. Though verse three sounds like the result/reaction of the change agent (God’s actions), only parts “c” through “e” are the results/reaction. Parts 3a and 3b continue to show God’s work, His gifts. His actions are the change agents. The increase of the nation and of joy of verse three are change agents. Why? The answer is because God is the One who gives the light in the darkness (vs. 2) and Who increases the nation and the joy of the people (vs. 3a & b). These gifts from God of pure joy, light, and the multiplication of the nation (God’s actions) would cause the people to respond/react with an outbreak of rejoicing. How would people show their reaction to the light, multiplication, and joy God gave them? Today, people explode with joy by dancing, singing, testifying about what God gave to them, praising God, and thanking God. In the Bible, King David did the same in 2 Samuel 6:14 while the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple. Rejoicing leads to a festive celebration of worship and praise for God among people. These gifts from God and the resultant rejoicing would cause people to love God with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, just as God commanded in Deuteronomy 6 and Jesus taught in Mark 12.

God does not give a message merely to increase hope. His hope is based on Himself—His faithfulness to humanity, the people He created. God does not give hope, then take it away. He does not tease people. The basis of the hope God gives comes from Himself, which He fully fills into each person with His hope. With this prophecy of near and distant future hope, God fulfilled the prophecy with the life of Jesus, the Messiah.

Some people believed in God before Jesus came to earth. God credited their faith as righteousness before the Messiah’s arrival: Abraham, David, Noah, and others listed in Hebrews 11. They received the distant future hope by faith because of God declaring them right. When they died or God took them to His heavens without an earthly death, like Enoch and Elijah, they experienced the distant future hope. Their joy in God stemmed from His nature, not from having seen the Messiah. Likewise, Isaiah’s prophecy caused many of the captive people in Assyria to rejoice in God with the pure joy God gave to them. They rejoiced because of the hope of Him fulfilling His promises. God promised multiplication and pure joy (vs. 3). He promised light in the darkness (vs. 2). God gives these to any person today who believes in the Messiah.

Believers in Jesus can rejoice at their salvation given by Jesus, the Messiah. This evidences the “now” part of salvation. The “not yet” part of salvation, for which people rejoice with hope, is the future return of the Messiah to earth, His second coming. Jesus’ future return and taking believers to His kingdom for eternity is about what they can rejoice about now and about what they can continue to rejoice throughout eternity.

At that time, in God’s kingdom, every person who believed in God before the Messiah’s advent on earth and those who believed in the Messiah, since His advent, will rejoice eternally in His presence. In Isaiah 9:3d & e, Isaiah gave two human examples of great joy to which the hearers and readers could relate. In 3d, Isaiah said their rejoicing would be like when they finished bringing in the harvest. They rejoiced at their bounty with celebration, often as a party among the tribe members and as a thank offering to God. Having harvested, they had enough in storage for them to rest and to provide for their needs. They thanked God and each other. At those times, the people would wholeheartedly love the Lord God with all they were and owned. They quickly rose to help and love others when they were in high spirits and received a bounty. Like this reaction to an exceptional harvest, the people would rejoice now and forever to God’s promise of Light in the darkness, and His gifts of multiplication and joy.

Isaiah 9:3e, Isaiah said the people would rejoice like when they celebrate the defeat of their enemy and counted and divided the spoils of the war. Because their victory resulted in wealth, the people would rejoice. They would celebrate and give thanks to God for helping them defeat their enemy. The celebrants would give a tithe to God and help other people, resulting from their bounty. They would often love God and people more readily when they received something unexpected, a windfall of wealth. As with a surprise bounty from the spoils of war caused rejoicing and praise to God, the people would celebrate God’s promises Light in the darkness, and His gifts of joy and multiplication from that time throughout eternity.

 Isaiah spoke, in Isaiah 9:3, to the people of the northern kingdom. He prophesied God would multiply the nation and increase their joy. Because God caused these, when people realized these things came from God, they would rejoice by acting out the joy God put into them. That rejoicing would cause them to celebrate and worship. Celebrating and worshiping God would show their love to Him and to people. Like with the harvest, God provided food for their bodies and joy for their spirit. Additionally, God provided for all physical needs with the unexpected wealth from the spoils of war. In acknowledging God with celebration and worship, God cared for their hearts, minds, spirits, and bodies. With their hearts, minds, and spirits attuned to God, loving God with their whole being became possible. Love for God often leads to love for others. Loving other people is the second greatest commandment Jesus taught in Matthew 22:39 when He said, “The second (commandment) is like it (the Greatest Commandment), ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The whole of the Bible shows the scarlet thread of God. From when God created the world and humanity sinned, God sought a renewed relationship with the people He created. He planned for it when He gave humans the ability to reason and make their own decisions. God knew they would disobey Him, so He created the perfect plan to cleanse them of their sins. With the cleansing Jesus provided by dying on the cross, His sacrifice makes it possible for whoever trusts in Him to be declared righteous by God. When God makes a person righteous by his or her belief in Jesus, that person can be in a right relationship with God and live forever with Him now and in His kingdom.

From creation through Jesus’ triumphant second coming, God seeks a relationship with each person. Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter nine highlights God’s plan. God’s plan is for every person. He is the Light and will shine on them. He will multiply their nation and give them joy. Those who believe in the Messiah will have an unfettered relationship with God, which results in love for other people.

Isaiah said more in this prophecy. He began by including all people—Jews and Gentiles. Isaiah spoke of the Light and hope they could have in the darkness. He explained God would take them home and fill them with joy because of who He is, His faithfulness to Himself, and His faithfulness to them. Because of God’s love, promises, hope, and joy, people would love Him with their whole beings, resulting in rejoicing. These would result in God’s children loving others like they love themselves, too.

How would God break into the darkness? How would He release the people from captivity to the Assyrians and whatever would have kept them from Him? What would He do and what price would He pay for an eternal relationship with His created people? Isaiah has more to teach us, just as He instructed the people of Israel.

Anticipate.

Be filled with joy.

Celebrate with rejoicing as the coming days to Christmas roll closer.

 

 

Your Acceptable Sacrifice

 

“Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Romans 12:1 BSB

 

Fellow believers, because of the mercy and grace God gave you from His love and because it cleansed you, offer your consecrated (set apart by and for God) bodies as living sacrifices—ones revived, cleansed, and given of your free will because of your love of God. 

 

Your offering of this sacrifice is holy (because God consecrated you when you believed in Jesus for salvation) and pleasing (because you willingly offer your living [not dead] and rejuvenated [by Christ] selves) to God. 

 

Your offering of your redeemed self to God out of love for Him is your spiritual service of worship. 

 

Remember God redeemed you. He consecrated you. Therefore, you can go into His presence. Your offer of yourself to Him is accepted because He cleansed you through Jesus’ redemption of you. God did the work so you could be with Him and so your service and offering would be acceptable to Him. 

 

God asks for nothing greater than your whole being because of your love and obedience of/to Him. That is relationship. That loving obedience is worship. It is spiritual and service to/for God. 

Your worship of God should occur as your response to His loving mercy and forgiveness of you.

 

Give your redeemed self lovingly and in obedience to God for His purposes. Love Him with your redeemed offering of yourself.

Peace

Paul wrote this passage in Romans 8 for us and others for such a time as this. Read what he wrote to encourage the Roman believers.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 [NLT])

Nothing can ever separate us from the Love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not coronavirus. Not lack of ventilators. Not slowness of a countries' leadership. Not lack of medicine or lack of beds. NOTHING can separate from God those who have been cleansed by Jesus' death, those who have believed He is the Son of God, who came to take away the sins of the world.

What are you letting cause you distress and inner turmoil at this time? That is just Satan trying to make you forget Who is mightier, most faithful, most loving, most merciful, most gracious, ever-present, all-knowing, and almighty. Don't forget about YAHWEH God, the Alpha and Omega, from before time and beyond time. He is greater than anything Satan throws at you. YAHWEH GOD is our KING, LORD, SAVIOR, CREATOR, PROVIDER, HEALER, REDEEMER, FATHER, SHEPHERD, and the ONE AND ONLY GOD! There is no other God!

So, what is bothering you and unsettling your mind today? Pray to God. Ask Him to help you cast Satan away from you. Pray Scripture. Read God's promises. Proclaim them aloud. Listen and sing songs of praise and worship to God. Proclaim Him your GOD! He is with you in every breath your lungs take, in every beat your heart makes, in every breeze that blows across your arms, and in every sight of His creation you glimpse. Praise GOD for even the rocks will cry out, "Hosanna to the King of kings!"

If you are struggling with the overwhelming news from this pandemic and are worried about now and the future, you can message me, and we can chat. If you want to pray with me, we can pray. If you just want to know you are not alone, write to me and we can talk. God is with us, for us, and in us since we are His children by His grace and mercy given to us through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

May God bless you today as you

seek Him,

find Him, and

gain His strength to walk through your day.

Jesus told His disciples, "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27 [NLT])

Accept His peace. It's right there, just accept it.

The Importance of Temple Time

Why were looking for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house? Luke 2:49b [NASB]

Such simple words. We each could have said them when our parents wondered where we were and found us at a neighbor’s house. We would have said, “Didn’t you know I would be at the neighbor’s house? Where else would I be?” Our child could have said these words when we looked for them and he or she was with his or her best friend. He or she would have said, “Didn’t you know I would be with my friend? Where else would you look for me?”

Such innocent words, but the heart of each person is in them. If a parent knew the heart of the child, that parent would know if that child was not with them, he or she would be with the person who is second most important to them.

Jesus took it a step farther, and helped his parents grow in understanding. After his parents left Jerusalem, they could not find him among the caravan going to Galilee. They returned to Jerusalem searching for Jesus for three days and found Him in the temple answering and asking questions of the teachers. If His parents understood in their heart what was most dear to Him as a child after themselves, they would have known exactly where to find Him. Near His Father, His closest relationship besides them.

Take this a step farther. If someone is looking for you, where would they find you? Would it be in your quiet place or in the church in God’s presence? What is most important to you? What holds your heart? For Jesus, it was being with His Father.

Craving You

There's a craving in my soul,

A cry comes out from me

To meet You in this day

To connect deep to deep.

This yearning deep within

Assuaged it cannot be

By trifling songs and mere deeds,

By thoughts without You I see.

This desire within my soul

Bubbles, gushes uncontained

As praise and worship I sing

For only You worship should aim.

This overflowing fountain,

This ecstasy within me

Draws me ever closer

To the Savior of whom I sing.

No force can pull me away 

From God's love that draws me in.

No sin can separate me

From His presence in which I live.

Though death, pain, persecution

Try to draw me away from Him,

God's strong arms, Jesus' love, 

No, nothing, can take me from Him.

Neither height nor width nor breadth 

Can keep me away from God;

Neither demons, powers, no, nothing

Will quench my love, nothing at all.

This craving for His presence

To meet Him face to face

Ends not with Sunday service,

But continues day to day.

A keenly desired communion,

A humbling within my soul

To come before gracious God

The true lover of my soul.

No act or words can express

The depth of love o'erwhelming me.

No thoughts or exclamations

Make my love of Him plainly seen.

This life God has given me

Is all I can give to Him;

To Him I offer all I am 

For it's what means most to me.

This craving deep in my soul

To be with You each new day

Calls within as deep to deep

Beckoning me to stay.

Worshiping, praising, communing

As offering up to You,

Closer to You my heart yearns 

The utmost, I give my whole self, too.

Fin'ly the craving to draw near,

It's impulse to closer be,

Is fulfilled with greatest gift

My self to You - Deep to Deep.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. (Philippians 3:10 [NIV]) 

’Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24 [NIV])

 ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plants to give you a hope and future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 [NIV])

Conspire, Contempt, or Confidence: A Psalm 2 Devotional

“How blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 2:12b

From the Bible’s beginning in Genesis 1 and 2, we hear of God’s plan for a Savior of humankind. David was familiar with this. He advanced God’s plan for a Messiah - a King and the Son of God, in Psalm 2. For David, the Messiah, presented in first and second person, is the bringer of judgment and refuge. He exemplifies the other side of God’s righteousness – justice.

David experienced non-Hebrew nations’ rulers and kings’ conspiring to usurp God’s decrees. These rulers felt His decrees were bondage and chains and they stood against Him. God, from His throne, with this prophecy, declared through David His contempt for them with laughter and scoffing. He told of His anger and consuming fury terrifying the rebellious people.

God told David’s hearers and readers a greater King than earthly kings reigns. He installed His King on Zion, then Jerusalem and His heavenly home, the New Jerusalem upon Christ’s return. God gave as His King’s possession the nations to the very ends of the earth. His anointed King has dominion over earthly leaders. This King shall break with His strength the rebellious nations. He will shatter them until they become dispersed among all the peoples of the earth and have no nation to which to be a citizen. Just as the Father, Son, and Spirit created humanity from the earth, the anointed King of God can smash and shatter the earthenware, humanity made from earth.

David spoke to the rebellious kings and judges and to every person of all time. He commanded:

·         Show discernment. (to the kings) – have insight into who you are and Who God is and be prudent.

·         Take warning. (to the judges) – receive this instruction and chastening from God.

·         Worship the Lord with reverence. (all people) Reverence is mental and heart action. It comes from fear and respect of God due to His great might and knowledge – Who He is – and because of His love of all people.

·         Rejoice with trembling. (all people) Trembling is a physical reaction. It comes from fear and awe of God – Who He is, what He’s done, and what He can do.

·         Do homage. (all people) Homage is an intentional public physical action. It is bowing or kneeling before God. Homage gives special honor and respect publicly.

Much better than these commands, David reveals the covenant God has with His people who worship, praise, and honor Him. He cried out, “How blessed (happy) are all who take refuge in Him!” The Messiah redeems the souls of these people and saves them from condemnation – eternal separation from God (Psalm 34:22).

What David proclaimed about God’s anger against the kings, rulers, and judges who schemed to rebel against God, applies to each of us today. Whenever we rebel against God and His truths, we become like those rebellious leaders. God laughs in contempt at us for daring to think we could overrule and overpower Him and His decrees. We are just earthen vessels, whereas He is the Creator. God condemns rebels with His burning fury and wrath. He destroys them. The LORD's provision of His Son as the sacrifice for our sins means we will not receive eternal punishment and separation from Him.  God made Him our refuge from eternal punishment, and from temptation and sin. We can worship God with reverence and rejoice with trembling when we have a relationship with Him that recognizes His greatness and love and our finiteness and sin. When we come before the Lord with this kind of relationship – as our Refuge, Savior, and King – then we understand and gladly show homage to Him.

To which do you relate -

conspiring against God, 

contempt of God, or 

the confidence of God as His child?

Post-Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is over. 

         Turkey and its tryptophan are ingested, making you sleepy. 

                    Belts are loosed. 

                              Appetites are sated. 

Your physical bodies are happy.

Is your spiritual body as well taken care of? 

Thanksgiving day is over, but thanks to God should never be over. Just as we must feed our physical bodies and give them rest, we must feed our spiritual selves and rest in the LORD.

How do you feed your spiritual body?

• Read God's Word, the Bible.
• Pray to God in adoration, thanks, confession, and supplication.
• Sing and shout joyfully about who God is and what He has done.
• Proclaim the LORD so others hear about Him, see Him in your life, and desire to know Him as you know Him.
• Minister to other people during their times of need. By this they will receive blessings from God and know of God's love.
• Join together with other people in worship of the LORD.

By this you will feed your spiritual body.
By this you will draw close to God.
By this you will become more Christlike and closer to completion/perfection (teleios).

Blessings and God's grace be on you today.

Religion and True Worship: A James 1:26-27 Devotional

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:26-27 [NASB])

James spent the entirety of his epistle teaching and reminding Jerusalem Christians and later Christians that faith without works was dead. Works for James included actions and words, just as he expressed in this passage with regards to bridling the tongue and visiting the orphans and widows..

In these two verses, James spoke about both actions and words. He equated the Christians’ religion to his or her words and actions. Religion, as James spoke about and as the world considers it, are two different things. Religion, no matter the faith system, always requires the worshipper to perform acts to prove the person’s faith and obedience, acts such as sacrifices, good works, and attendance at places of worship. Each of these must be visible for the person to be considered religious.

The difference between the Christian faith and other faith systems is that a person does not become a Christian by doing these things - actions, whereas in the other faiths they hope to attain to true faith and gain forgiveness and life after death by these things. Christians act and speak in obedience to God because of their love and gratitude to Him for saving them from their sins and giving them abundant and eternal life.

For James, being a religious person meant fearing and worshipping God with awe. Obedience to God and His laws comes from this awe and love of God. Therefore, when a person’s actions or words are not what God calls holy, pure, and undefiled, the person must question whether he or she is truly a Christian. If the person determines his or her faith is genuine, then he or she must adjust his or her life – actions, words, and thoughts – to reflect his or her faith in Jesus Christ. The ability to adjust one’s life so that it reflects the new life Jesus Christ gave the believer comes through the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gave each person when he or she became a believer.

When James said, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart,” he meant living out the new life Jesus gave them because of His conquering sin and death. James meant the faith the person’s mind assented to did not affect his or her words. That person’s unbridled tongue showed he or she was not renewed in all way by Jesus. His or her tongue showed he or she was deceived in his or her heart. A person who finds this to be so must grow to become more like Christ. Jesus spoke about this when He said in Matthew 15:11, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” A person cannot truly worship God when he or she allows his or her old, sinful person to lead his or her life. That person’s tongue deceives his or her heart, the heart that thought it was worshipping God. When that occurs, the person’s worship is worthless. Something came between God and the person – sin and the old way of living.

James said worship of God only occurs when it is pure and undefiled. Pure and undefiled worship means the person is free from sin, guilt, falseness, insincerity, and anything that defiles the person and God. To be able to worship God this way, a person must be clean before God. That means a person must live a godly, Christ-filled life. Now none of us is perfect and we all sin; therefore, when we go to worship the Lord, we must begin with confession and genuine repentance of our sins so that God may cleanse us from our sin and guilt. Only then will we be clean enough to worship before God. That is what the word “religious” means for Christians. A religious Christian person is one who strives to walk daily with God becoming more like Christ, who obeys God in action, word, and thought so that his or her love for Him is evident, and who confesses and repents of sins so that true worship of the Lord can occur. The Christian faith is different in this way. We obey Him because of love for Him and what He did for us. Add that with reverential fear and true Christian faith is real and evident to others.

When worship of God affects our daily lives in ways that affect our words, thoughts, and actions, then we can say we are truly worshipping God.

One Sanctuary, One God, One Holy People (part 1) Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12

            From Deuteronomy 12 through Deuteronomy 25:19, Moses gave Laws from God about one sanctuary, one God, and one holy people. In the Bible passage of this study, Moses expounded on the law of the single sanctuary. Before we study this though, I must bring a theological theory about the authorship of Deuteronomy to light. Many modern theologians believe Moses did not write all or part of Deuteronomy. The modern theologians of this group state that parts of Deuteronomy are included in the writings of a few of the prophets’ later in the Bible. They give eight other points to back up their belief that several writers added to what Moses preached in Deuteronomy 5-11. Other modern theologians believe Moses wrote all of Deuteronomy except the ending that tells of Moses’ death. I agree with the latter stance. I believe that where parts of Deuteronomy are included in later Old Testament texts the authors of those books of the Bible used Moses’ writing for their teaching. As to the other eight arguments for multiple authors of Deuteronomy, this Bible study is not the vehicle for discussing historical theological matters. This Bible study is aimed at teaching what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy, for whom, and for what purpose. Moses, in Deuteronomy, revisited for the Israelites their covenant with God and all His statutes, laws, and judgments. By doing this, they would remember their covenant with God before they took possession of the Promised Land. As Moses did for the Israelites, later biblical authors did for the people of their era. They edited and reapplied God’s commands to the people of their time so that its truth was not lost, but was applicable to the people. That is the job of every Bible teacher today.

            Because the love and reverence of God through worship and obedience to His laws and commandments is the supreme purpose for the faith of the followers of the LORD, the place and method of worship was of supreme importance. Moses commanded the Israelites often to “utterly destroy” the nations in the land to which God was giving them. He restated this again in 12:2. Moses further told them completely destroy the Canaanite places of worship (Deuteronomy. 7:5, 12:3, Numbers 33:52). Why would a God of love, who wants relationship, demand whole nations of people and their worship sites be annihilated? People often query how God can be loving and yet destroy a people/nation. This is a quandary to them. To understand this, one must understand about the gods of Canaan that the people worshipped. In ancient Canaan, the people worshipped a Mesopotamian deity associated with agriculture, but who later became their greatest god, the giver of life. This god’s name was Baal, which means “lord” or “master.” Baal had three mistresses - Anath, Astartem, and Asherah, sisters. These goddesses governed fertility and war. In the Old Testament, Asherah appeared as the goddess by the side of Baal. Most biblical references to Asherah point to a cult object of wood. The gods required of their devotees many things that Yahweh considered abominable - sacred prostitution for fertility of the land, flocks, and herd, sacrifices of bulls and sheep, and sacrifices of first-born children who were burnt alive (Leviticus 18:23-24, 20:3). Instead of people enjoying their sexual nature in ways God planned, the Baals and Asherim required the licentious use of the sexual nature the LORD gave them. These actions used and abused people. The attractiveness of the licentious character of the worship of these gods would be a temptation for the Israelites so they would stop following the LORD. As to the burning alive of the first-born, the Old Testament often told of the burning of people alive by saying the victim “passed through the fire” (1 Kings 16:3, 21:6). These were common acts of obedience and a reverence to Baal and Asherah in Canaan from fear, not respect, honor, and awe. The Ugaritic texts uncovered at Ras Shamra speak of these gods of Canaan and their required acts of worship. Because of the detestable acts of the Baal and Asherah worship and the worship of false gods (broken first commandment), God judged the Canaanites. Added to this, because the Canaanite people did not turn to the LORD God after seeing His actions with and for  the Israelites for the forty years of their wandering, God’s judgment fell on them. These explain why God commanded the Israelites “utterly destroy” the people and their places of worship. It was not impossible for the Canaanites to see God’s hand guiding and protecting the Israelites. Rahab saw God’s hand and believed (Joshua 2:10-14). As we read further in the Bible of the Israelites’ history, we note they succumbed to the attraction of the fertility rituals. This led to a weakened faith in YAHWEH and a weakened ethic. The LORD told the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land that they may wonder what god made the land so fertile and the people wealthy and be tempted to worship the god of the Canaanites because of it. God said, though, that He is the one who watered the land (Deuteronomy 11:2-7). He is the one who led, protected, and fed them from Egypt until the Promised Land and He would continue to be their great, mighty, and awesome God. So why did the God of love command the Israelites utterly destroy the Canaanites? The Canaanites were to be dispossessed from the land to prevent Israel and the rest of the world from being corrupted (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). They worshipped false gods and committed detestable sins.

            Now that the religion in Canaan and Deuteromonic authorship is understood, let us look at Deuteronomy 12. There is an outline in this chapter which begins with the common statement to the Israelites that these are God’s commands and they “shall carefully observe” them in the land where the LORD was taking them (Deut. 12:1). Before we go further into this Bible study, notice that Moses used the word “shall” repeatedly when preaching this chapter to the Israelites. He used the word “may” in just three verses, 15, 21, and 21. Moses was adamant the Israelites knew the commands from God. From verse one’s command to “carefully observe” (shamar- hear, listen, and obey; to take heed), the general command comes to “utterly destroy” the places where the Canaanite nations served their gods (vs. 2). Next God told them what to do to the places of worship. Moses said it in Deuteronomy 7:5, too (Deuteronomy 12:3). After the destruction of the Canaanites’ gods’ altars and temples, Moses taught them how to worship the LORD God, including what and where they could eat flesh (12:4-14). He further explained what flesh they could eat (12:14-16, 20-22). In this section, regarding the eating of flesh outside the temple, Moses used the word “may” instead of the command “shall.” Further in this passage, Moses re-emphasized what was not to be eaten except in the temple (12:17-19, 26-27) and what to do if the temple was too distant too travel to often (12:21-25). At the end of the chapter, Moses gave them a final warning about inquiring after and becoming ensnared by other gods. He told them not to act before the LORD God like the Canaanites do before Baal and Asherah. Moses gave a final imperative, like at the beginning, with an addition. Now, let us dig deeper into this chapter.

Moses began with the basis of the first commandment - there is only one true God - and expounded and extrapolated it for the immediate future benefit of the Israelites. He gave them rules by which to worship and serve God. Moses began by saying the Israelites should carefully observe God’s statutes and judgments in the land He gave them to possess for as long as they live (12:1). For their immediate present, when they overtook the Canaanites, that meant removing the temptation to follow the gods of those seven nations. Moses commanded them saying,

You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods…You shall tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherim with fire and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.

These acts were intentional, not accidental, while they took over the Promised Land. To “tear down,” in this passage, means to break and cast down the altars - their temples and holy places. They were to smash (break into pieces and crush) the sacred pillars (monuments and places where the idols stood). The Israelites were to burn the Asherim (the wooden image of Asherah or the groves where idol worship occurred). They were to chop into two the engraved/graven images and idols of their gods. Numbers 33:52 and Deuteronomy 7:5 give these instructions, too. We know from Judges 2:2 that the Israelites did not destroy all the Canaanites and the angel of the LORD rebuked them. One added instruction Moses gave them was to obliterate the gods’ names from Canaan. The Israelites did not do this either. Read Exodus 23:13, Psalm 16:4, and Zechariah 13:2 to confirm this.

            Moses commanded them that the way the Canaanites served and worshipped their gods was not the way they were to act toward the LORD God (vs. 4). God did not want their abominable rituals and rites to taint the true worship of the true LORD, Himself. Moses taught them how to worship God in verses five through seven. First, Moses said, the LORD would choose the place from the midst of the Israelite tribes to make His dwelling (shakan – residence). The Israelites would worship Him there (12:5). “Establish” in verse five comes from the Hebrew word suwm and means to appoint, make, or place. God appointed the place for His glory to rest and for the worship of Him. Judah was to be the place of His temple (Psalm 78:68). To God’s place of abiding, Moses commanded the Israelites bring six kinds of offerings – burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, contributions of your hand, votive offerings, freewill offerings, and the firstborn of their herd and flock. Each of these offerings to God had importance. The “burnt offering” is called olah in Hebrew. This offering was for atonement of which God received the whole thing - the body and blood. The Israelites were to offer the body of a ritually clean animal on the altar completely for God. “Sacrifices” are zebach in Hebrew and were sacrifices of righteousness where the priest slaughtered an animal brought by the person and offered it to the LORD for the forgiveness of sin (Leviticus 17:11). This sacrifice was like what the Israelites did at the Passover in Egypt. Moses instructed about tithes in Deuteronomy 14:22. Tithes were to be one tenth of what the head of household earned. God instructed His people to give back to Him first as His due and as thanks. The “contributions of your hand” were called teruwmah in Hebrew and were the heave offering. This offering was a present made to the temple or priest for the priests. The “votive offering” was a neder offering. This offering was a vow a person made to abstain from enjoying specific things. The “freewill offerings” are nedabah and were voluntary offerings. The offerings of the firstborn of the herd and flock were like the tithe. Even though the Israelite did not earn money from having his flock or herd increase in number, God commanded he give the firstborn of each animal to Him. After offering the firstborn animal to God and pouring its blood out on the altar, the family and servants could eat from it with the LORD while rejoicing in what their hand did and how God blessed their work. Verse 17 explains what of the offerings the Israelites could eat at the temple – the tithe, the firstborn animal, the votive offering, the freewill offering, and the heave offering. The final instruction Moses gave the people was they must not do what “was being done” at that point in time, each man worshipping in whatever means they thought best. When they arrived in the Promised Land, God mandated the way the Israelites were to worship Him. Before then, while the Israelites were not in the land of their resting place and inheritance, God did not command a particular method of worship. This implies then that when they arrived in the Promised Land and God chose where His name would abide, the Israelites were to worship Him at that place in the prescribed way of verses five through seven. This verse shows a unification of worship practices to one God at one place. There was to be one sanctuary worshipping, eating, and rejoicing with and to the one true God.

            From this point in the sermon, Moses reiterated in verses ten through twelve what he said in verses five through seven. This time though, Moses spoke about when the Israelites rested from their enemies and lived in security (vs. 10-12). When people feel secure, they are more apt to let their worship of and obedience to God lapse. Moses told them not to let that happen. Instead, God required them to bring the offerings and sacrifices mentioned in verse six to the temple to worship and praise God. Moses expanded the command this time by including the head of household, his family, servants, slaves, and the Levite in his town or city’s gate. God required each of these people together to rejoice before the LORD. Earlier Moses told the Israelites to rejoice with their household. God provided for His chosen priests, the Levites, by giving them food as they rejoiced with their neighbor in the temple. With this command came a warning, this time at the end. Moses said, “Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, but in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribes. There you shall offer your burnt offerings and there you shall do all that I command” (vs. 13-14). The word Moses used for our English interpretation of “careful” was shamar, which means hear, listen, and obey; to take heed. Take heed, Moses said, that the Canaanite worship sites not be used to worship God. Instead, go where God will choose and do everything Moses commanded regarding sacrifices and offerings.

            God provided animals for meat to eat for the Israelites, just as he did plants for food. He provided for them to eat meat within their town/city gates so they could eat meat more often than when they went to the temple. Verses 15-19 tell of this part of God’s law. God allowed the Israelites to slaughter any meat within their town’s gates, as they desired with the LORD’s blessing. He warned them, though, that they must not eat the blood, but instead, pour it out on the ground. Blood represented life. By it, they atoned for their sin. The Bible states this in Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 7:26 and 17:10-12, 1 Samuel 14:33f, and Acts 15:20 and 29. As a reminder to the Israelites, Moses said the items set apart for God as sacrifice or offering in verses six and eleven must not be eaten within the gates of the Israelites’ towns/cities, but be saved for temple worship (vs. 17). God permitted them to eat all other flesh. The holy things set aside for God must be eaten in God’s presence by the head of the home, His family, servants, slaves, and the Levite who resided within in town’s gates. While eating those things, they would rejoice at the LORD’s blessing their endeavors. Moses gave a reminder warning here, too. He told the Israelites, “Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land” (vs. 19). Moses commanded the Israelites not to forsake the commands of God about the holy things set apart for Him and not to forsake the Levite whose inheritance came from the things of God, just as the temple priests received their inheritance from God.

            As God extended the boundary of the Israelites’ land with the gradual conquering of the Canaanites, the distance between Judah (Mount Zion – Psalm 78:68) and the homes of many of the Israelites was too far to walk often. God knew this and provided an exception to eating flesh in verses twenty-one through twenty-five. He reiterated what he said in verses fifteen and sixteen. The Israelites could eat meat within their gates, but not the blood. God added in verses twenty-six and twenty-seven the caveat He commanded in verses seventeen and eighteen about the holy things set apart for God. The Israelites must not eat the things set apart for God as sacrifice and offering as Moses stated in verses six and eleven. As in the last two commands, which involve the eating of meat, Moses warned them at the end of this command to be careful (vs. 28). This time the warning came with a promise. Moses said, “Be careful (shamar - take heed to hear, listen, and obey) to listen to all these words which I command you so that it may be well with you and your sons forever.” The promise of joy and pleasantness awaited the people who obeyed God’s commands. On top of that was the reward of doing good and right in the LORD’s sight. The other reward was the LORD’s pleasure at His children’s obedience. Imagine how parents feel when they watch their child do the right thing. There is satisfaction, contentment, and gladness when a child does right and good. God feels that way when His children follow His commands.

            Moses closed this sermon about the one sanctuary and the worship of God with a final warning and command in verses twenty-nine through thirty- thirty-two. He said, “Beware that you are not ensnared to follow them (the Canaanites they destroyed) after they are destroyed before you and do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’” Moses commanded them completely follow the commands of the LORD God. Be rid of the corrupting influence of the Canaanites and their culture, including their gods. There was a reason God dispossessed them. The Canaanites were abominable and detestable to the LORD because of their service to their gods and because of their choice of Baal and Asherah, not the LORD God. The Canaanites saw for forty-years the LORD God’s hand protecting, leading, and providing for the Israelites as they wandered. They could have been like Rahab and admitted the Israelites served the one true God. The Canaanites continued to worship detestable gods in detestable ways. They did not value God’s gift of life when they murdered people for sacrifice. The Canaanites showed no value for human life when they corrupted the purpose God gave for sexual relations. This people filled their cup with sin and God’s judgment came upon them. Moses commanded them not to become ensnared/trapped into following them and asking about their gods. God commanded the Israelites remove every trace of the Canaanites from the land and their lives. Moses said in verse thirty-one, “You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates, they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” In case the Israelites considered how to stretch the laws of God, Moses added in verse thirty-two, “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” This makes it plain with no wiggle room. Do not ask after or serve other gods of whichever land you call home.

            The Israelites were not the only people ever to encounter foreign gods. Our world is shrinking because of the mobility we have in the twenty-first century. We do not even have to move physically to encounter ideas about gods in other countries. We just have to turn on the computer or television to face them. There is good news though. The LORD God of the Israelites in 1400BC is the same God who is supreme today. No matter what or whom a person chooses to be god to them, the LORD God is greater. He made the whole world and keeps it in balance so we have rain and sun, night and day, and summer and winter. God keeps us from floating out of control in the universe so we are not too close to the sun and burn up or too far from the sun and freeze. This same awesome God is the one who chooses to love each one of us from the moment He thought and breathed us into being. He continues to choose us. He made a way for us to return to Him through His holy and blameless Son, Jesus Christ. As Moses taught and told the Israelites about the one true Lord God, and as Joshua told them to choose whom they would serve (Joshua 24:14-15), we can choose whom we will serve, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the God of humankind. God leaves the choice to us to turn to Him. He promises that when we ask and seek for Him with all our heart, He will be found by us (Matthew 7:7-8). What is keeping you from seeking God and following Him? Jesus made the way for us to return to Him, what excuse gets in your way. Maybe today is the day to surrender all yourself, your plans, and your ideas to God and His best plan. Seek Him with all your heart and come to know the LORD of lords and the KING of kings forever.