Ezekiel 39
Army of Gog to be defeated by the LORD verse 1- 6
THEREFORE you son of man – prophesy against Gog
and say
Thus says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD I am against you – O Gog
the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal
I will turn you back – and leave but the sixth part of you
and will cause you to come up from the north parts
and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel
and I will smite your bow out of your left hand
and will cause your arrows to fall out of
your right hand
You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel
you – all your bands – the people that is with you
I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort
and to the beasts of the field to be devoured
You shall fall upon the open field
for I have spoken it – says the Lord GOD
I will send a fire on Magog
and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles
and THEY SHALL KNOW
THAT I AM THE LORD
LORD wants the nation to know HIS name verse 7
So will I make MY holy name known
in the midst of MY people Israel
and I will NOT let them pollute
MY holy name any more
and the heathen shall KNOW
THAT I AM THE LORD
the Holy One in Israel
Weapons will be turned into fuel for Israel verse 8- 10
BEHOLD – it is come – and it is done – says the Lord GOD
this is the day whereof I have spoken
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth
and shall set on fire and burn the weapons
both the shields – bucklers – bows – arrows
hand staffs – spears
and they shall burn them with fire seven years
SO THAT they shall take no wood out of the field
neither cut down any out of the forests
for they shall burn the weapons with fire
And they shall spoil those that spoiled them
and rob those that robbed them
says the Lord GOD
Seven months will be needed to bury the dead verse 11- 13
AND it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY
that I will give to Gog a place there of graves in Israel
the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea
and it shall stop the noses of the passengers
and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude
and they shall call it
The valley of HAMON-GOG
And seven months shall the house of Israel by burying of them
that they may cleanse the land
YEA – all the people of the land shall bury them
and it shall be to them a renown the day
that I shall be glorified
says the Lord GOD
Clean up crews will be established verse 14- 16
And they shall sever out men of continual employment
passing through the land
to bury with the passengers those that remain
upon the face of the earth – to cleanse it
after the end of seven months
shall they search
And the passengers that pass through the land
when any see a man’s bone
THEN shall he set up a sign by it
till the buriers have buried it
in the valley of Hamon-gog
AND also the name of the city shall be Hamonah
Thus shall they cleanse the land
Birds and wild animals will feed on the dead verse 17- 20
And you son of man – thus says the Lord GOD
Speak to every feathered fowl and to every beast of the field
Assemble yourselves – and come
Gather yourselves on every side to MY sacrifice
that I do sacrifice for you
EVEN a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel
that you may eat flesh and drink blood
You shall eat the flesh of the mighty
and drink the blood of the princes of the earth
rams – lambs – goats – bullocks
all of them fatlings of Bashan
You shall eat fat till you be full
and drink blood till you be drunken of MY sacrifice
which I have sacrificed for you
Thus you shall be filled at MY table with horses and chariots
with mighty men – with all men of war
says the Lord GOD
Testimony to world regarding the LORD verse 21- 24
And I will set MY glory among the heathen
and all the heathen shall see MY judgment
that I have executed
and MY hand that I have laid upon them
SO the house of Israel shall KNOW
THAT I AM THE LORD their God
from THAT DAY and forward
And the heathen shall KNOW
that the house of Israel went into captivity
for their iniquity
BECAUSE they trespassed against ME
THEREFORE I hid MY face from them
and gave them into the hand of their enemies
so fell they all by the sword
According to their uncleanness
and according to their transgressions
have I done unto them
and hid MY face from them
Pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Israel verse 25- 29
THEREFORE
thus says the Lord GOD
Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob
and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel
and will be jealous for MY holy name
AFTER THAT they have borne their shame
and all their trespasses whereby
they have trespassed against ME
WHEN they dwelt safely in their land
and none made them afraid
WHEN I have brought them again from the people
and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands
and am sanctified in them
the sight of many nations
THEN SHALL THEY KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD their God
WHICH caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen
BUT I have gathered them unto their own land
and have left none of them anymore there
NEITHER will I hide MY face any more from them
FOR I have poured out MY SPIRIT upon the house of Israel
says the Lord GOD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isle: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (983 “carelessly” [betach] means safely, securely, assurance, boldly, confidence, unsuspecting, or naïve)
DEVOTION: In the book of Judges the tribe of Dan was looking for somewhere to live. They came upon a group of Sidonian who were living careless and conquered them. They thought that they were protected by keeping to themselves. They were wrong.
Here we find that those who think that their world is secure. There seems to be a time of peace. They are living as if they don’t have a care in the world.
Then comes destruction. Their world is torn apart. They are defeated by the LORD for their involvement with a nation that wanted to destroy Israel. The LORD didn’t allow that to happen.
In fact, the destroyer was destroyed and all those who were his allies were destroyed as well. The slaughter was complete. The LORD caused there to be so many dead that it would take seven months to bury them all. The animals would feast on their bodies. It was a great victory for the LORD in HIS protection of Israel.
This battle confuses many Biblical scholars. Some think that is related to Revelation 19 where we have an account of the battle of Armageddon. The slaughter is described the same. So it would be the end of the Tribulation period and would introduce the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Others think that it is going to happen earlier in the Tribulation period. It is hard to say. It seems to me that it is the battle of Armageddon.
Nonetheless, we are going to warn people who think that they don’t have a worry in the world to beware. There can be judgment at the door. Their world could be turned upside down.
Our security should be based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. If this is true nothing that comes our way could give us grief. We could have peace in the midst of a storm.
If our peace is based on human alliances it could be taken away. The peace that the LORD gives is different.
CHALLENGE: Realize that there is a battle coming. The LORD is going to be the victor. We are going to be caught in a battle that HE has promised to help us through. HE will never leave HIS people alone.
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6 And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. (NKJV)
DEVOTION: Do we sometime think that everything is going well in our life? Do we think that nothing can happen to change this time period in our life? Sometimes there can be a feeling that everything is good and we have nothing to worry about.
This time period can be one that is reality is not faced. There is never going to be long periods of time in our life where we can let our guard down and think that our enemy will leave us alone.
God warns throughout Scripture that we have to put on the armor of God to face all the fiery trials of the devil. Adam and Eve faced them in a perfect environment. They had a time period each day when the LORD walked with them in the Garden of Eve. They could talk to God face to face. HE would answer their questions and give them instruction.
All it took is them letting their guard down and the enemy won the day. He only won a battle not the war but we are facing battles each day that only the LORD can help us through.
The people around the nation of Gog thought that everything was going their way but then suddenly their world ended.
CHALLENGE: Don’t fall into a false sense of security without the LORD by your side each day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against ME, therefore hid I MY face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. (5641 “hid” [cathar] mean conceal, secret, close, denotes displeasure, cover, withdraw, be absent or shelter.)
DEVOTION: We see that the LORD withdraws from those of HIS people that continue to sin without repentance. This withdrawal also means that no blessing will be coming from the LORD. It also means that those who were HIS people are open to being attacked by their enemies because the LORD is not protecting them.
The heathen or unsaved nations know when the LORD is blessing HIS people and when HE has withdrawn HIS protection. They chose to be used of God to judge HIS people for their sins. The LORD allows them for a time period to have victory over HIS people.
We might not understand how God can use those who are not HIS followers to judge HIS followers but HE has done that throughout the history of the world. Once the followers of the LORD draft away from the LORD they open themselves to judgment.
Today we find that those nations that honored the LORD are now not honoring HIM and there is judgment happening. Has God removed HIS hand from those nations that once served HIM? Are we seeing a change in the attitude of nations toward Christians? Is this because Christians have wandered from the teaching of the Word of God and followed the world and worshiped their gods?
It is sad to see the example of what happened to the children of Israel and not learn from it. Yet we have many times throughout their history that the LORD has shown us the lesson of what happens to them when they disobey HIM.
They are not willing to repent and so HE allowed them to pay the consequences of their sins. Can this be happening even today to the “church”? Is the church turning to the world for leadership instead of the LORD?
CHALLENGE: The LORD is longsuffering but HE will withdraw HIS pleasure from any group of people who claim to follow HIM and are not.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my SPIRIT upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. (8210 “poured out” [shaphak] means lavish, bestow, give an object in great abundance, as a figurative extension of pouring out liquid from a container or gush out)
DEVOTION: Gog is mentioned again in this chapter. Most of the chapter tells of the defeat of Gog and his allies. There is going to be such a battle that the birds and wild beasts will have a feast on the remains of the army. It will take the Israelites seven months to bury all the bodies. They are burying the bodies to cleanse the land. The LORD calls it the great sacrifice.
The nations thought that the LORD had turned HIS back on HIS people because they had gone into captivity. HE wanted the nations to know that HE had not turned HIS back but was judging them for their sins. Once HIS punishment was done, HE was going to restore the people to the land.
These last couple of chapters has been a prophecy against the heathens. They are going to be judged by GOD. They are going to be judged because of their treatment of Israel. Israel was judged for their sin against God. HE is going to restore them to a place of favor. When HE was judging them, the LORD hid HIS face from them.
This verse instructs us that the judgment is over and they are going to see HIS face again. During this time of blessing, the LORD is going to fill the house of Israel with HIS SPIRIT.
This is the Holy Spirit. This is going to be a time of blessing for Israel. When we choose to follow the LORD Jesus Christ, we are filled with HIS Spirit. We are indwelt with HIS Spirit. The filling can leave because of our personal sin. The indwelling will not leave us.
During this future time, the children of Israel will be gushing over with the Holy Spirit. Israel is going to be blessed. They are going to be sanctified. The LORD’S presence will be among them.
Are we presently gushing over with the Holy Spirit, so that, we are not grieving the Holy Spirit with our sin or we are not quenching the Holy Spirit by not following HIS leading in our lives? Remember the four signs of the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives: speaking Scripture, singing, thankful, and submissive. Let’s have the face of the LORD shining on us today!!!
CHALLENGE: The Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost for the church. This is a time when the church grew. We need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit to cause HIS church to grow again.
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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)
Neither will I hide my face any more verse 29
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)__
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Thus says the Lord GOD verse 1, 17, 25
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29
GOD – Jehovah verse 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29
Lord GOD verse 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29
Judgment of LORD on Gog verse 1- 29
I am against thee, O Gog, the chief
prince of Meshech and Tubal
I will smite your bow out of your left
hand and will cause your arrows
to fall out of your right hand
I will give you to the ravenous birds of
every sort, and to the beasts of
the field to be devoured
I will send a fire on Magog and among
them that dwell carelessly in the
isles, and they shall know that
I am the LORD
I will make MY holy name known in the
midst of MY people Israel
I will not let them pollute MY holy name
any more, and the heathen shall
know that I am the LORD, the
Holy One in Israel
I will give graves …
I hid MY face from them (Israel)
I gave them (Israel) into the hand
of their enemies
I have spoken it verse 5, 8
Heathen will know the LORD verse 6
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 6, 7, 22, 28
Holy name verse 7, 25
Holy One in Israel verse 7
God’s great sacrifice to the feathered
fowl and every beast of the field verse 17- 20
I will set MY glory among the heathen verse 21
My judgment verse 21
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 22, 28
LORD their God verse 22, 28
Hid I MY face verse 23, 24, 29
I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have
mercy upon the whole house of Israel
and will be jealous for MY holy name verse 25
Jealous verse 25
I led them into captivity among the heathen verse 28
I have gathered them unto their own land verse 28
I will not hide MY face any more from them verse 29
I have poured out MY spirit on the house
of Israel verse 29
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
I have poured out MY SPIRIT verse 29
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)
Gog verse 1, 11
Meshech verse 1
Tubal verse 1
Magog verse 6
Heathen verse 7, 21, 23, 28
Enemies verse 23, 27
Many nations verse 27
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Dwell carelessly verse 6
Pollute verse 7
Heathen verse 7, 21, 23, 28
Rob verse 10
Iniquity verse 23
Trespassed verse 23, 26
Uncleanness verse 24
Transgressions verse 24
Shame verse 26
Not afraid of God’s judgment verse 26
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophesy verse 1
Cleanse the land verse 12, 14, 16
Glorify the LORD verse 13
Know the LORD verse 22, 28
Mercy verse 25
Safety verse 26
Sanctified verse 27
Pour out Holy Spirit verse 29
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 1, 17
Prophesy against Gog
Mountains of Israel verse 2, 4, 17
Israel verse 7, 9, 11, 12, 22, 23, 25, 29
Cities of Israel verse 9
Burn fire of weapons for seven years verse 9, 10
Valley of Hamon-gog verse 11- 15
place to bury
City Hamonah – cleanse the land verse 16
House of Israel
shall know that I am
the LORD their God from that
day and forward
Went into captivity for their
Iniquity because they
Trespassed against ME verse 22, 23
Jacob verse 25
None make them afraid verse 26
Sanctified in the sight of many nations verse 27
They shall know I am the LORD their God verse 28
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that day verse 11
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QUOTES regarding passage
To pray, “Hide thy face from my sins” (Ps. 51:9), is to ask God to ignore them. But when the prophet says, “And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob …” (Isa. 8:17), he means that God’s favor has been withdrawn. Similarly, Judah’s sins have “hidden” God’s face from her (Isa. 59:2). (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 1, p. 111). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
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In the more frequently attested Hiphil, the basic idea of “hiding” comes forth. Perhaps its most significant use is in the idiom to “hide the face,” symbolizing broken communion, such as between God and sinful Israel (Isa 59:2). The most tragic example of broken fellowship is man’s rejection of Messiah (Isa 53:3, where the derivative mastēr occurs). Conversely, not to hide the face beautifully pictures open and full communion (Job 13:20). Perhaps the most crucial instance of this is in Psalms 22:24 [H 25]. Wedded to the call-answer motif (which speaks of fellowship, cf. Ps 102:1–2 [H 2–3]), the connotations in the idiom and an exegesis of the whole of Psalm 22 bear greatly on a full understanding of Messiah’s relation with the Father in those climactic hours when he effected the propitiation on the cross (cf. Heb 5:7).
Experientially, God himself will be a shelter for the believer, not only on that day of the Lord’s wrath (Zeph 2:3), but from the storms of everyday living (Ps 17:8; 27:5; 31:20 [H 21]; 64:2 [H 3]]. (Patterson, R. D. (1999). 1551 סָתַר. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 636). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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These six messages have stressed God’s covenant promises to Israel, especially those concerning the land. When Israel experiences God’s marvelous faithfulness in restoration and protection against Gog, she would know without question from that day forward that the Lord was her God, the only true God, and there was none other (vv.22, 25, 28). In turn the nations would know that the Lord had not been a weak God when he sent Israel into exile, rather they would observe that he cared enough to set his face against Israel because of her sin of unfaithfulness to him (vv.23–24). Likewise, the nations would observe that it was God’s grace and faithfulness that brought Israel back from among the nations, gave her her promised land, and enabled her to live safely on that land without fear of oppression. In this way the Lord would show himself holy in the eyes of the nations (v.27). He was jealous for his name not to be profaned as when the nations construed him to be as other gods (v.25). The Lord would never again turn his face from Israel and allow someone to oppress her! No one would bring terror on Israel again (vv.26, 29a)! God would cleanse Israel, removing her shame and sin and then pouring out his Spirit on her in accord with the new covenant (vv.26, 29b). All Israel’s covenants would be fulfilled. She would live secure forever under the peace covenant administered by her king, the Messiah! (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 942). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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39:21–24. Two results will come from the battle: (a) the nations will see God’s glory (cf. comments on 1:28) and (b) Israel will turn back to her God (39:22; cf. v. 7). God’s stunning defeat of Gog will force Israel to acknowledge His power. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1302). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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But the victory over Gog and his hordes will say something to the Gentile nations about Israel (vv. 23–24). It will tell them that the Jews are indeed the people of God who were chastened by God in the past but now are destined for a kingdom. There will come a day when this rebellious nation will be cleansed and forgiven, and the Lord will pour out His Spirit on His people. That will happen when they see the Messiah, repent of their sins, and trust Him for their salvation.
The Gentile nations and the people of Israel will experience great suffering during the seven years of Tribulation. But the Lord in His mercy will seal 144,000 Jews to be the nucleus of the promised kingdom, and will also save a great multitude of Gentiles to share that kingdom with them (Rev. 7). The last temple the Jews ever build will be defiled by Antichrist and ultimately destroyed. But God has promised His people a new land and a new temple, and Ezekiel will describe these to us in the closing chapters of his book. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 178–179). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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Ver. 23. And the Heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, &c.] Before this they thought the captivity of the Jews, and all their distresses, were owing to their own weakness, and the weakness of the God they served, and to the superior strength of their enemies, and the power of their gods; but now, by this strange and amazing destruction of Gog and his army, they’ll see that it was not owing to those things, but to the sins and transgressions of the people of the Jews: because they transgressed against me; prevaricated with him, acted a perfidious and treacherous part to him, as the word signifies; which they did, when they delivered Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, into the hands of the Gentiles, to be crucified; it is their disbelief of Christ, and rejection of him, and mal-treatment of him, that is here more especially pointed at; and which is the cause of their present long captivity and exile, and of all the afflictions and troubles they have since met with: so the Targum renders it, “they dealt falsely with my Word;” the Word made flesh, the incarnate Saviour: therefore hid I my face from them; took no notice of them, shewed them no favour, took no care of them; disregarded their prayers and cries, and removed his presence from them, and all the tokens of it. So the Targum, “I caused my Shechinah (or majesty) to remove from them;” and thus it has been ever since, and now is: and gave them into the hand of their enemies; the Romans, who took away their place and nation; which they feared would be the case, should many believe in Christ; but the true reason of it was because they did not believe in him, John 11:48: so fell they all by the sword; that is, through the sword of the conquering Romans; they fell into their hands; some perished by the sword, and others were carried into captivity; and all were punished for their iniquity, trespass, and perfidy. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 206). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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Jehovah’s glory will be manifested among the nations when they see the judgment that shall be executed upon Gog. The house of Israel, too, will recognize then that Jehovah their God had intervened on their behalf, and they will turn to Him as in the days of their fathers when He brought them out of Egypt. The nations will understand then that all the sufferings that the house of Israel has endured through the many centuries of its captivity and the scattering among the Gentiles, was because of its iniquities. The people had trespassed against God, and therefore He had turned His face from them and given them over to the hand of their enemies; and so throughout all the centuries they had fallen by the sword, and because of their uncleanness and their manifold transgressions, God refused to intervene for them but turned away His face when they cried to Him. But in the coming day all this will be at an end, for they will turn back to Him in repentance, and He will turn His face upon them in blessing. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (p. 275). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
1 Kings 6
Solomon oversees the temple construction, making it a work of art glorifying God.
INSIGHT
The temple that Solomon builds for the Lord is spectacular. The stonework is magnificent; the tapestry work is glorious; and nearly everything inside is overlaid with gold.
Why such opulence? Because the temple is to be a physical representation of the beauty and glory of God. One is supposed to be able to look at the temple and be reminded of the beauty of God. It is not beauty for beauty’s sake, but for the glory of the God of beauty.
(Quiet Walk)
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ENTHUSIASM
Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
A characteristic of dead orthodoxy is a dislike of enthusiasm. If you like it in more biblical terms, I could put it like this: It is to be guilty of quenching the Spirit. To dislike enthusiasm is to quench the Spirit. Those who are familiar with the history of the church, and in particular with the history of revivals, will know that this charge of enthusiasm is the one that has always been brought against people who have been most active in a period of revival.
This has been a common accusation throughout history. Read, for instance, the stories of the men of the eighteenth century. A charge that George Whitefield constantly had to answer and rebuff at the hand of bishops was this charge of enthusiasm. They said, “Look here, we’re not objecting so much to your doctrine—it is the way you are preaching it, it is the way you are doing it.” John Wesley was constantly charged in the same way, even by his own mother, Susannah Wesley. Why could he not preach like everybody else? What was he so excited about? Why all this disturbance? Susannah Wesley was a very godly woman, but she could not understand this son of hers, who suddenly had become an enthusiast. One of the things that comes out very clearly as you read the literature of the eighteenth century in terms of the Christian church is that this charge was constantly brought forward.
So, then, we must look at this subject because clearly this opposition to what is called enthusiasm can be one of the greatest hindrances to revival. And it is the particular danger of people who are in a state of dead orthodoxy. As I understand the matter, there are two great principles laid down in the New Testament for our help and guidance. The first principle is that everything must be done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). But there is another statement: “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
A Thought to Ponder: To dislike enthusiasm is to quench the Spirit. (From Revival, pp. 72-73, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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A Very Present Help
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
The modifier “very” in this verse is a strong word. God is an intensively present helper in time of trouble. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Those who hold a deistic philosophy argue that God is far away, leaving the earth and its inhabitants to work out their own evolutionary salvation after He first started it going billions of years ago. But they are wrong, for God is right here, right now! “The LORD of hosts is with us” (Psalm 46:11).
There had, indeed, been a time when the earth was removed (literally, “the ground was changed”), and even the mountains had been eroded away and washed into the oceans. The waters swelled higher and the mountains quaked until finally, in the words of the apostle Peter, “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Peter 3:6).
This was the great Flood in the days of Noah—the greatest “trouble” in the world’s history. Even then, God had provided a refuge for His people—the Ark that He instructed Noah to build. When the Flood came, “the LORD shut him in,” and throughout the height of the cataclysm, “God remembered Noah, and every living thing” (Genesis 7:16; 8:1). There are great judgments coming on the earth in future days as well (Psalm 46:6-9), when the earth itself will be melted (literally “dissolved,” 2 Peter 3:10).
Again, the Lord’s people in that day can still say: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:7). From the beginning of creation to the end of the age, God is a very present help to His people. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Catholic schools in Brisbane will soon begin teaching their students gender-neutral pronouns for God and will stop using “Lord,” “Father,” and “Son” in prayers. The Daily Mail reports that schools such as All Hallows, Stuartholme, Loreto College, and Stuartholme School “are leading a push towards a feminist interpretation of the Christian Bible.”
A spokeswoman for the schools told the Sunday Mail that, “’As we believe God is neither male or female, Stuartholme tries to use gender-neutral terms in prayers … so that our community deepens their understanding of who God is for them, how God reveals Godself through creation, our relationships with others and the person of Jesus.”
This commitment to gender-neutrality has shown itself in a number of different ways at the schools. Loreto College took the word “Lord” out of their prayers because it is a “male term.” Families at Stuartholme School will pay almost $40,000 a year for their children to learn to use “Godself” instead of the pronoun “himself.” St Joseph’s College, a Catholic boys’ school in Brisbane, replaced “brothers” with “sisters and brothers” and “brotherhood” with “international community.”
Loreto College’s principal, Kim Wickham, said the prayers the college uses don’t assign a gender to God. She said the school has a commitment to inclusive language, but “admitted there were instances where gendered language is appropriate.”
Leaders in Catholic Education in Australia seem to be happy with the changes. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference suggested that schools “use gender-neutral terms where appropriate,” but the Queensland Catholic Education Commission has not been specific about the instances which meet the criteria for “appropriate.” The Catholic Office for the Participation of Women heralded the decision. Director Andrea Dean told the Sunday Mail that she was “thrilled” and found the move away from male language for God “terrific.” Scott Slayton writes at “One Degree to Another.”
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Christ’s Call TO REFORM the Church by John MacArthur:
While Scripture is clear that good works do not contribute to our justification, righteous behavior is nonetheless the essential reality produced by salvation. (p. 185)
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Christians need to get in the habit of asking, “How will this decision, this actin, this conversation, along with everything else I do today, bring glory and honor to the LORD?” (p. 191)
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Many in the church refuse to let the gospel offend sinners. They think, You can’t tell people they’re wrong about the gospel. You can’t tell them they’re going to hell. Instead they want God’s Word to be accommodating of error and open to broad and wildly varied interpretations. (p. 192)
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