Exodus 17
Moses deals with more complainingverses 1-4
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
wilderness of Sin – after their journeys
according to the commandments of the LORD
and pitched in Rephidim
and there was NO WATER for the
people to drink
WHEREFORE the people did CHIDE with Moses and said
Give us water that we may drink
Moses said to them
Why CHIDE you with me?
wherefore do you TEMPT the LORD?
The people thirsted there for water
and the people MURMURED against Moses
and said
Wherefore is this that you have brought us up out of Egypt
to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Moses CRIED to the LORD – saying
What shall I do to this people?
they be almost ready to STONE me
LORD gives him instructionsverses 5-7
The LORD
said to Moses
Go on before the people
and take with you of the elders of Israel
and your rod – wherewith you smote the river
take in your hand – and go
BEHOLD – I will stand before you there on the ROCK of Horeb
and you shall SMITE the ROCK
and there shall come water out of it
that the people may drink
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel
and he called the name of the place Massah – and Meribah
BECAUSE of the CHIDING of the children of Israel
and BECAUSE they TEMPTED the LORD saying
Is the LORD among us or not?
Israel fights with Amalekitesverses 8-13
THEN came Amalek
and fought with Israel in Rephidim
And Moses
said to Joshua
Choose us out men – and go out – fight with Amalek
tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill
with the ROD of God in mine hand
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him – and fought with Amalek
and Moses – Aaron – Hur went up to the top of the hill
And it came to pass – when Moses HELD UP his hand
that Israel prevailed – and when he LET DOWN his hand
Amalek prevailed
BUT Moses’ hands were heavy
and they took a stone – and put it under him – and sat thereon
and Aaron and Hur STAYED UP his hands
the one on the one side
and the other on the other side
and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun
And Joshua DISCOMFITED Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword
Record of battle requiredverses 14-16
The LORD said to Moses
Write this for a memorial in a book
and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua
FOR I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek
from under heaven
Moses built an altar – and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi
FOR he said
BECAUSE the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have
war with Amalek from generation to generation
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why chide you with me? wherefore do you tempt the LORD? (7378 “chide” [riyb] means strive, contend, debate, to institute legal proceedings against, quarrel, or make a charge)
DEVOTION: We live in a society that is more interested is suing other people to get something they don’t deserve. One of the parts of our old nature is to want to get rich any way we can. We want to have everything and blame others because we don’t have it.
Moses was in the hot seat with the children of Israel. He kept leading them to places that didn’t have any water. The problem was that he wasn’t doing the leading. The LORD was the one who was leading, and in the process testing the children of Israel. They continued to fail their tests.
The people wanted it easier than they had it in Egypt. They were slaves but they had enough water to drink and food to eat each day. They expected the same when the LORD was leading them. They didn’t want any hard times just easy living.
Moses continued to tell them that they were quarreling with him but with the LORD. They were giving the LORD a hard time because HE was trying to deliver them and keep a promise HE made to Abraham. They wanted the land of milk and honey right away. No work just blessing.
The LORD was trying to strengthen them for their time in conquering the Promised Land. They were not passing HIS strengthening program. Are we passing the LORD’S strengthening program in our life?
Each day is a new adventure with the LORD. HE wants us to be Christ-like in our attitude and actions. HIS goal is to bring glory to HIMSELF through us. If we bring glory to the LORD others will see their need for HIM in their life.
CHALLENGE: We can be negative about what is happening in our life or we can trust the LORD to deliver us from any testing HE sends our way.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, What shall I do to this people? They be almost ready to stone me. (6817 “cried” [ tsa ‘aq] means to shout, call out, to muster, to cry out with an appeal for something or some action, often done in desperation or difficulty, call for help or to raise a cry of wailing)
DEVOTION: When there is a battle to fight what should we do? The children of Israel were good at complaining if they didn’t get what they wanted right away.
Does that sound like many of God’s children today? Does it sound like the children that are raised in a Christian home? Should it sound like a believer who is trusting in the LORD?
The answer is NO!!
When people complain about what we are doing and we are doing what the LORD wants us to do what should we do? We should be like Moses and go before the LORD in prayer and tell HIM what is happening and ask HIM for a solution.
He was at his wits end. He was probably very tired of their complaining all the time. He was only trying to do his best in leading them but they were never satisfied.
Some Christians I know say they don’t believe in prayer because God already knows what we need and we should just wait for HIM to provide it. They think there is no sense in prayer.
The Bible states that we are to be a people that pray without ceasing. If we are commanded to communicate our needs to the LORD should we obey the command?
Moses did talk with the LORD about everything. He even debated with the LORD over his inability to be HIS representative to the children of Israel for their release from Egypt.
God doesn’t seem to mind if we come to HIM with our thoughts as long as we are willing to listen to HIS answers.
CHALLENGE: Sometimes those answers might not please us but we should obey them.
: 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? (5254 “tempted” [nacah] means to test, adventure, assay, put to the proof or try)
DEVOTION: Have we ever trying to test God? Have we ever complained that HE wasn’t providing a need? Have we ever been impatient with the leaders HE has placed over us? Even when they have proved faithful in the past? Do we get discouraged easy?
The children of Israel had moved to a new location that had NO WATER. They were thirsty. They wanted water and they wanted it NOW! They came to Moses with their complaint.
Moses turned to the LORD for an answer. God gave him the answer. He was to take the ROD of God and strike the ROCK. This occasion is used regarding Christ on the cross in the New Testament. Moses struck the rock and water gushed out.
The second trial in this chapter was the war against the Amalekites. They were coming and the LORD helped them with the Rod of God again. Moses needed help holding up the ROD and we are introduced to a man named Hur on this occasion. He and Aaron helped Moses hold up the ROD. Joshua is introduced in this chapter as the army leader who fought against the Amalekites. The battle was won through the power of God.
The LORD commanded Moses to record the events in a book for future generations. We have the book of Exodus.
How are we going to deal with this word “tempt” in this passage? When this Hebrew word is used in relation to the LORD it is saying that people are telling God to prove HIMSELF to them. They made it a challenge to God. God doesn’t like being challenged by HIS people to prove HIS existence. In the last chapter we find the LORD proving the people regarding obedience. Here we have the people challenging the LORD by their complaints.
Do we sometimes challenge God to prove to us that HE exists? Do we have enough proof by looking at creation and the changed lives of those Christians around us and HIS past history with us? The “heavens DECLARE the GLORY of God.” Are we challenging or believing? Challenging was a sin in this case.
Realize that the LORD has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We are HIS children once we become followers of Christ through confession of sin and a turn around to follow HIM. HE has also promised to provide for our every need.
CHALLENGE: Believe HIM!! We need to stop our grumbling and complaining.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (530 “steady” [‘emuwnah] means steadfastness, trustworthiness, faithfulness, fidelity, security, reliability, duty, firmness, or duty)
DEVOTION: Helpers in ministry are important people. Here we have two men who helped Moses with the lifting of his rod. Seems like the LORD could have given him enough strength to lift the rod during the battle but HE wanted Moses to be helped by other human beings during the battle.
The children of Israel had to do the fighting but it was the rod of God that gave them the victory. Aaron and Hur were called to help Moses. This is our introduction to a man we have not met yet but he held an important position as the helper of Moses.
Joshua was the general in the battle but he needed the help of the LORD to win a victory. We need the LORD in all of our battles to give us the victory but we also need to have helpers at our side during each battle to encourage us.
The church is supposed to support those believers that attend their church. We are called to a fellowship not only with the LORD but with other believers to encourage and strengthen them as they face the daily battles of life.
Are there a few people who have helped you with some of the battles in your life? If there are, have you thanked them lately for their encouragement and strength during those battles? I am sure that Moses was thankful for Aaron and Hur during this time period.
We need to remember that we are going to face many battles in life and so we should have people come alongside us to help with prayer and physical strength to get us through the battles that need others at our side.
Are there some people you can call for prayer or projects when you need them done for the LORD?
CHALLENGE: Remember the LORD uses fellow believers to encourage us. We need to encourage others. We all need encouragement and help in times of testing!!!
:14 And the Lord said unto Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” (2146 “memorial” [zikrown] means memorial, reminder, remembrance. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: About fifteen years ago, when our children were still young, my wife was into scrapbooking. She put together some beautiful memories of us as a family and the things that we had done together. It was a way of preserving something from our lives for our future recall. We still enjoy looking at these albums.
God also writes books of remembrance. One very important one is the Lamb’s book of life, and God promises that He will remember the names of all those who are written in it (Revelation 13:8). These are His children that He promises to give eternal life to. God, however, also promises that the books of our lives will be opened, and that there will be those who go into eternal punishment based on what is written in these books (Revelation 20:12). God promises that those who are disobedient to Him will be punished.
One such example of this was the children of Amalek, who was a grandson of Esau. There was constant rivalry and war between the children of Amalek and the children of Israel. The war described in this chapter is an illustration of this. God promises the bless the children of Israel such that in His eyes the children of Amalek will be destined for destruction for the rest of history. This is a frightful prospect, especially in view of the peace that appeared to have happened between Esau and Jacob when Jacob returned his father’s home. Yet God sovereignly decided to reward Jacob and his descendants even when they were disobedient to him. One day this book will culminate in God sending those who are not the elect into eternal punishment.
Thankfully this is not the ultimate destination for those who are God’s children. We are told that we are His elect from the foundation of the world. He will continually remember us, and we need to continually remember that we are His.
CHALLENGE: What do you need to remember about God’s dealings with you today? Can you stop and thank Him for His grace toward you? (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Memorial in a bookverse 14
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Moses cried out to the LORD for waterverse 4
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Built an altar: Jehovah – nissiverse 15
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentverse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 14, 16
Commandment of the LORDverse 1
Tempt the LORDverses 2, 7
Is the LORD among us, or not?
God (Elohim)verse 9
Rod of Godverse 9
Jehovah-nissi [LORD is my banner]verse 15
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Wilderness of Sinverse 1
Rephidimverses 1, 8
No water
Rock in Horebverses 6, 7
Called place: Massah and Meribah
Amalekverses 8-11, 13, 14, 16
Fought with Israel
War with from generation to generation
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Chideverses 2, 7
Temptverses 2, 7
Murmuredverse 3
Killverse 3
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Obey commands of the LORDverse 1
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Congregation of the children of Israelverses 1, 7
Mosesverse 1
Complained against because of no water
Murmured against
Cried to the LORD
Rod
Smite the rock
Held up his hand: victory
Write memorial in book
Rehearse it in the ears of Joshua
Elders of Israelverses 5, 6
Joshua (general over army) verses 9, 13
Discomfited Amalek
Aaronverses 10, 12
Stayed up Moses’ hand
Hurverses 10, 12
Stayed up Moses’ hand
Built an altar: Jehovah-nissiverse 15
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
15–16 Whether “The Lord is my Banner” (yhwh nissî, “Yahweh Nissi”) is the name of the altar (cf. Jacob in Gen 33:20) or a title for God himself cannot be known for certain. The result is the same in either case. The word for “banner” (nēs) reflects the root “to be high,” “raised,” or “conspicuous.” The allusion would be to lifting up the staff as a standard and a testimony to his power. The victory, then, was the Lord’s, just as the war had been his. There was no such thing as a “holy war” in the OT, but there were “wars of Yahweh.”
The true interpretation of v.16 is most difficult because of the unusual spelling for the word “throne” (kēs). Most scholars emend the text (following the seventeenth-century commentator J. Clericus) to read nēs (“banner”). Cassuto (p. 207) supposes the meaning “plan” for kēs (from the root kāsas, “to count, reckon”). The problem is that some (e.g., the Samar., Syr., Vul., Onkelos, Pseudo-Jonathan, Neofiti I, and medieval Jewish commentators) read “throne,” even though it should have been spelled kissēʾ; and the grammar of the present text does not fit easily. The best solution (taking the more difficult textual reading) is to see kēsyāh as a shortened form of kissēʾ-yāh (“throne of Yah[weh]”). The text would then read “truly [kî], the hand is towards [ʿal] the throne of the Lord,” i.e., in a supplicating position. An alternate rendering would be “because [kî] a hand is against [ʿal] the throne of the Lord” This latter reading fits the context of v.14 better. (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s BibleCommentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 409). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The defeat of the Amalekites was something God wanted Joshua to remember. The Amalekites remained a persistent, harassing enemy of Israel (cf. Num. 14:45; Jud. 6:33; 1 Sam. 14:48; 15:7; 27:8) until they were finally destroyed by King David (1 Sam. 30). Moses commemorated the victory in his day by building an altar which he named the Lord is my Banner. An interesting sidelight is that Exodus 17:14 includes the first mention in the Bible of the writing of official records, though Moses did keep some type of a diary of the sojourn (Num. 33:2). God proved Himself faithful in preserving and protecting His people. (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 136). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
17:15 The Lord is My Banner. By titling the altar with this designation for the Lord, Yahweh-Nissi, Moses declared the Lord Himself to be the standard of His people. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 17:15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
17:15 Moses then built an altar there and named it. The practice of building an altar to commemorate a significant blessing from God (which can take the form of a rescue, a calling, a reassurance, or any other blessing) began already with Noah (Gen 8:20) and continued with Abraham (Gen 12:7–8) and the patriarchs (Gen 26:25; 35:7). Altars were for worshiping God, and worship always involves the expression of gratitude for blessing, whatever else it also properly includes. The patriarchs tended to build altars wherever they located because they understood their obligation to worship consistently. Moses was carrying on this tradition in building the altar at Rephidim to express thanksgiving to God for delivering the Israelites.
The patriarchs also sometimes named altars, particularly in the case of Jacob (Gen 33:20; 35:7). Moses here follows that example as well, by including a divine name in the name of the altar just as Jacob, for example, had done. Moses chose the name, lit., “Yahweh is my Signal Pole” (niv “The Lord is my Banner”). The Hebrew word nēs, here translated “banner” in the niv, does have that meaning in later Hebrew in the sense of a ship’s ensign (Ezek 27:7), but in all earlier texts it refers not to something made of fabric or cloth but of a decorated pole held high and used as a signal marker or signal pole (Isa 5:26; 11:10, 12; 13:2; 18:13; 30:17 [where it is parallel to a word meaning “flag staff”]; 31:9; 49:22; 62:10; Jer 4:6, 21; 50:2; 51:12, 27; Ps 60:4). It can also have the more generic sense of “sign/warning” (Num 26:10) and can as well mean just “pole” (Num 21:8) or “ship’s mast” (Isa 33:23). Most often it is used in military contexts, where the nēs is a signal pole around which an army or army unit can rally, regroup, or return for instructions. Accordingly, Moses’ name for the altar makes use of those connections. Because Yahweh had supplied the sign of his favor/presence/power by the staff—in effect a small military signal pole given to Moses—and had done so in the context of a military encounter, Moses stated by the name of the altar that the staff he had held high during the battle was the signal pole of Yahweh, a visible rallying point for the army of Israel in holy war. (Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 400). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
15. Jehovah-nissi] See the margin, “Jehovah my banner.” As a proper name the Hebrew word is rightly preserved. The meaning is evidently that the name of Jehovah is the true banner under which victory is certain; so to speak, the motto or inscription on the banners of the host. Inscriptions on the royal standard were well known. Each of the Pharaohs on his accession adopted one in addition to his official name. (Barnes, A. (1879). Notes on the Old Testament: Exodus to Ruth. (F. C. Cook & J. M. Fuller, Eds.) (p. 48). London: John Murray.)
Ver. 15. And Moses built an altar, &c.] On Horeb, as Aben Ezra; on the top of the hill, as Ben Gersom, where sacrifices of thanksgiving were offered up for the victory obtained, or however a monument erected in memory of it: and he called the name of it Jehovahnissi; which signifies either the Lord is my miracle who wrought a miracle for them in giving them the victory over Amalek, as well as, through smiting the rock with the rod, brought out water from thence for the refreshment of the people, their children and cattle; or the Lord is my banner: alluding to the hands of Moses being lifted up with the rod therein, as a banner displayed, under which Joshua and Israel fought, and got the victory. This may fitly be applied to Christ, who is both altar, sacrifice, and priest, and who is the true Jehovah, and after so called; and who is lifted up as a banner, standard, or ensign in the everlasting Gospel, in order to gather souls unto him, and enlist them under him, and to prepare them for war, and encourage them in it against their spiritual enemies; and as a token of their victory over them, and a direction to them where they shall stand, when to march, and whom they shall follow; and to distinguish them from all other bands and companies, and for the protection of them from all their enemies, see Isa. 11:10. These words were inscribed upon the altar, or the altar was called the altar of Jehovah-nissi, in memory of what was here done; from hence it has been thought, that Bacchus, among the Heathens, had his name of Dionysius, as if it was Jehovah-nyssaeus. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 414). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
The banner, I suppose, to us English people, suggests a false idea. It suggests the notion of a flag, or some bit of flexible drapery which fluttered and flapped in the wind; but the banner of old-world armies was a rigid pole, with some solid ornament of bright metal on the top, so as to catch the light. The banner-staff spoken of in the text links itself with the preceding incident. I said that Moses stood on the mountain-top with the rod in his hand. Now that rod was exactly a miniature banner, and when he lifted it, victory came to Israel; and when it fell, victory deserted their arms. So by the altar’s name he would say, Do not suppose that it was Moses that won the battle, nor that it was the rod that Moses carried in his hand that brought you strength. The true Victor was Jehovah, and it was He who was Moses’ Banner. It was by Him that the lifted rod brought victory; as for Moses, he had nothing to do with it; and the people had to look higher than the hill-top where he sat.
This thought puts stress on the first word of the phrase instead of on the last, as in my previous remarks. ‘The Lord is my Banner,’—no Moses, no outward symbol, no man or thing, but only He Himself. Therefore, in all our duties, and in all our difficulties, and in all our conflicts, and for all our conquests, we are to look away from creatures, self, externals, and to look only to God. We are all too apt to trust in rods instead of in Him, in Moses instead of in Moses’ Lord.
We are all too apt to trust in externals, in organizations, sacraments, services, committees, outside aids of all sorts, as our means for doing God’s work, and bringing power to us and blessing to the world. Let us get away from them all, dig deeper down than any of these, be sure that these are but surface reservoirs, but that the fountain which fills them with any refreshing liquid which they may bear lies in God Himself. Why should we trouble ourselves about reservoirs when we can go to the Fountain? Why should we put such reliance on churches and services and preaching and sermons and schemes and institutions and organizations when we have the divine Lord Himself for our strength? ‘Jehovah is my Banner,’ and Moses’ rod is only a symbol. At most it is like a lightning-conductor, but it is not the lightning. The lightning will come without the rod, if our eyes are to the heaven, for the true power that brings God down to men is that forsaking of externals and waiting upon Him which He never refuses to answer.
In like manner we are too apt to put far too much confidence in human teachers and human helpers of various kinds. And when God takes them away we say to ourselves that there is a gap that can never be filled. Ay! but the great sea can come in and fill any gap, and make the deepest and the driest of the excavations in the desert to abound in sweet water.
So let us turn away from everything external, gather in our souls and fix our hopes on Him; let us recognize the imperative duty of the Christian warfare which is laid upon us; let us docilely submit ourselves to His sweet commands, and trust in His sufficient and punctual guidance, and not expect from any outward sources that which no outward sources can ever give, but which He Himself will give—strength to our fingers to fight, and weapons for the warfare, and covering for our heads in the day of battle.
And then, when our lives are done, may the only inscription on the stone that covers us be ‘Jehovah Nissi: the Lord is my banner’! The trophy that commemorates the Christian’s victory should bear no name but His by whose grace we are more than conquerors. ‘Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (MacLaren, A. (2009). Expositions of Holy Scripture: Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers (pp. 78–80). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Expository Preaching: Its Definition
Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the Word of God, the test of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets for the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the Word of GOD establishes the identity and world-view of the church as the people of God.
Each part of this definition is important, and each part helps us to understand more fully how to follow Ezra’s example in explaining the text of Scripture to our congregations. (He IS Not Silent by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)
IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE by Os Guinness
Achieving this balance and maintaining this tension is difficult and it requires three things of Christians: first, engagement with the world; second, discernment of the character of the world; and third, the courage to say no to everything in the world that contradicts the truth and calling of our Lord. (p. 202)
This challenging demand means we need to know the world we are engaging. We have to assess where it is good, true and beautiful, so that we may celebrate it and use it freely and with gratitude. But we also need to know where it is evil, false and ugly, so that, we may avoid the damage of its temptations and evils, and then counter or seek to replace them. (p. 209)
Therefore, like Samuel, we must say the following with boldness and with sorrow to our generation: Leaders and peoples of the West, these are your choices, and these will be your consequences. The choice is yours, but so also will be the consequences. At some point the consequences of your settled choices will be your own judgment, and beyond a shadow of a doubt you will know that you have chosen the consequences. Will that day bring evident justice for the millions of your slaughtered unborn? Will it repay measure for measure the shattered lives of children whose families you have destroyed with your foolish alternatives to the natural family? Will your great god mammon collapse and leave his devotees destitute? Will all the magic arts of your best technology fail and land their worshipers back in a state of Hobbesian raw nature? The future is yet unseen, but you are sowing the wind and you will reap the whirlwind. (p.220)
Holiness that is born of living before the absolute presence of God, and not humanly devised cultural boundaries and theological checklists, must be the core of the character of God’s impossible people. (p. 222)
Ezekiel 37
Ezekiel has a vision of a huge valley filled with dry bones.
INSIGHT
The apostle John writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1, 4). God is life–and not just life for today–but forever. Timothy writes that God alone possesses immortality (1 Timothy 6:16). God is life, and He is the giver of life. He can make dead things live. In Ezekiel’s vision, a huge valley is filled with dead men’s bones. Then God begins to move. The bones form skeletons upon which form flesh and clothes. Then God breathes into that valley of bodies the breath of life, and the bodies come alive. That is a picture of what God will do with Israel: give her life again. That is what He will do with anyone who believes in Him and asks Him for life. Have you asked God for eternal life? (QuietWalk)
The security guard found and removed a piece of tape that was keeping a door from clicking shut. Later, when he checked the door, he found it had been taped again. He called the police, who arrived and arrested five burglars.
Working at the Watergate building in Washington, DC, the headquarters of a major political party in the US, the young guard had just uncovered the biggest political scandal of his lifetime simply by taking his job seriously—and doing it well.
Nehemiah began rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem—a task he took very seriously. Toward the end of the project, neighboring rivals asked him to meet with them in a nearby village. Under the guise of a friendly invitation was an insidious trap (Nehemiah 6:1-2). Yet Nehemiah’s response shows the depth of his conviction: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (v. 3).
Although he certainly possessed some authority, Nehemiah may not have rated very high on the hero scale. He wasn’t a great warrior, not a poet or a prophet, not a king or a sage. He was a cupbearer-turned-contractor. Yet he believed he was doing something vital for God. May we take seriously what He’s given us to do and do it well in His power and provision. (By Glenn Packiam, Our Daily Bread)
GOD’S OMNIPOTENCE
…him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Ephesians 1:11
Another of God’s attributes is His omnipotence. God is all-powerful. The omnipotence of God is that by which He brings to pass everything He wills. The omnipotence is the will of God being put into operation. How often we read in the Bible about the will of God. For example, Paul writes of “him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” What is the will of God? It is the final ground of everything, of all existence. It is the final explanation of everything that has ever happened or everything that will happen. And the Bible teaches that the will of God is sovereign; in other words, it is not determined by anything but by God Himself. It is the expression of His Lordship, His absolute being.
But remember, His will is never arbitrary. It is never exercised except in perfect harmony with all the other attributes of God’s great and glorious being. It is the same God who is glorious and wonderful. It is the same God who is love and compassion and mercy. We must not divide these things, though we distinguish them for the purposes of thought and understanding.
Furthermore, you will find that the will of God expresses itself in two main ways. He declares certain things that He Himself is going to do; that is called the decretive will of God. He also prescribes certain things for us to do; that is the prescriptive will of God. The terms are not of great importance, but constantly in the Bible you see these two aspects of God’s will. God tells us what He Himself is going to do, and He gives commands to us about what we are to do.
A Thought to Ponder: The omnipotence of God is that by which He brings to pass everything He wills.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 66-67, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Return to the Upper Room
“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room….These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts 1:13-14)
What a myriad of thoughts must have been swirling through the believers’ heads as they walked back to Jerusalem after Christ ascended into heaven. They had many enemies in Jerusalem, but they walked fearlessly because He who claimed “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) promised that “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (v. 20). They obediently assembled in “an upper room” (literally “the” upper room) to wait and pray.
Notice who is present. The list includes the 11 remaining disciples, reassembled after scattering. Peter, who had denied the Lord, had gained sweet forgiveness; doubting Thomas had his skepticisms answered; and John was there, the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” But even he had deserted his Lord in the garden as the soldiers came.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there. She had raised Him as a completely loving and obedient child, only to see Him ridiculed and opposed. She anguished as only a mother could, to see Him hanging on the tree, but her anguish had been quelled. At least two of her other sons were there, presumably New Testament authors James and Jude. Earlier, they had scoffed, but now they understood. Other women were also present, those who were the last ones at the cross and the first to see Him once the tomb had yielded up its dead. The entire group can be pictured as a trophy of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
They gathered together in perfect “accord,” a common bond of faith and purpose, praying and petitioning God for His will and power. Might we not see many examples for our lives and prayers in these verses?
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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