Jonah 1
Assignment for Jonah verse 1- 2
Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah – son of Amittai
saying
Arise – go to Nineveh – that great city
and cry against it
FOR their wickedness is come up before ME
Jonah goes in opposite direction verse 3
BUT Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish
from the presence of the LORD
and went down to Joppa
and he found a ship going to Tarshish
so he paid the fare thereof – and went down into it
to go with them unto Tarshish
from the presence of the LORD
Storm frightens mariners verse 4- 5
BUT the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea
and there was a mighty tempest in the sea
SO THAT the ship was like to be broken
THEN the mariners were afraid – and cried every man unto his god
and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea
to lighten it of them
BUT Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship
and he lay – and was fast asleep
Captain wakes up Jonah verse 6
SO the shipmaster came to him
and said unto him
What meanest thou O sleeper?
Arise – call upon your God
if so be that God will think upon us
that we perish not
Lot falls on Jonah verse 7- 8
AND they said everyone to his fellow
Come – and let us cast lots
that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us
SO they cast lots – and the lot fell upon Jonah
THEN said they unto him – Tell us – we pray you
for whose cause this evil is upon us
What is your occupation? – Whence come you?
What is your country – Of what people are you?
Jonah’s testimony verse 9
AND he said unto them – I am an Hebrew
and I fear the LORD – the God of heaven
which has made the sea and the dry land
Mariners want to know what to do verse 10- 11
THEN were the men exceedingly afraid
and said unto him
Why have you done this?
For the men knew that he fled
from the presence of the LORD
BECAUSE he had told them
THEN said they unto him
What shall we do to you
that the sea may be calm unto us?
FOR the sea wrought – and was tempestuous
Jonah tells them to throw him overboard verse 12
AND he said to them
Take me up – and cast me forth into the sea
SO shall the sea be calm unto you
FOR I know that for my sake
this great tempest is upon you
Mariners pray before throwing Jonah overboard verse 13- 14
NEVERTHELESS the men rowed hard to bring it to the land
BUT they could not – FOR the sea wrought
and was tempestuous against them
WHEREFORE they cried unto the LORD
and said
WE beseech you – O LORD – we beseech you
let us not perish for this man’s life
and lay not upon us innocent blood
FOR YOU – O LORD
have done as it pleased YOU
Storm stops verse 15- 16
SO they took up Jonah – and cast him forth into the sea
and the sea ceased from her raging
THEN the men feared the LORD exceedingly
and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD
and made vows
Great fish swallows Jonah verse 17
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish
to swallow up Jonah
AND Jonah was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (6440 “presence” [paniym] means face, sight, countenance, away from, before, or in front of.)
DEVOTION: The LORD had given an assignment to Jonah that he didn’t want to do. He was a servant of the LORD. He understood who the LORD was. He had served the LORD in the past. Here he was being told by the LORD to go to a place that Jonah wanted to have nothing to do with.
So what was his decision? He decided to disobey the LORD and run in the opposite direction. He didn’t want to obey the LORD. He didn’t like the people. He might have been afraid of them but we will learn that he really didn’t want the LORD to spare them when we reach the end of the book.
What are we going to do when the LORD puts us in a place we don’t want to be in? Are we going to try to run away too? Is that even possible? With the LORD we can never leave the face of the LORD. HE is omnipresent. Jonah knew this but still thought he could head in a different direction.
We know this as well yet we sometimes try to not be obedient to the LORD in our life. These types are called sins of omission when we quench the Holy Spirit in our life. HE gives us an assignment to witness to someone on a plane and we don’t do it. HE gives us an assignment to take some cookies to someone who is hurting and we tell HIM we are too busy. We can come up with excuses when we don’t want to obey the LORD. Jonah did.
He was quenching the Holy Spirit by not going to Nineveh where there were people willing to repent and follow the LORD. It is sad but true of us today too. There are people HE wants us to reach and sometimes HE has to do drastic things to get our attention, so that, we will do what HE tells us to do.
CHALLENGE: Listen to the Holy Spirit as HE gives you assignments and then do them. Don’t fight HIM. None of us can win that battle.
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: 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. (3372 “afraid” [yare’] means fear, terrible, dreadful, to fear God, be frightened of, or to stand in awe of.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever heard someone tell you that if you do something wrong your conscience will bother you and you won’t be able to sleep? It is thought that the LORD would keep you awake until you settled the issue. This didn’t happen with Jonah.
Here we find that the LORD has spoken to Jonah about preaching to a group of people that Jonah didn’t want to be saved. He didn’t like them. He was prejudice.
So he ran in the opposite direction and boarded a ship to head as far away from those people as he could get. The LORD caused a storm to come up so that the sailors were afraid and started praying to their god.
What was Jonah doing? He was asleep in the lowest part of the boat. The captain had to wake him up to tell him to pray to his God about the storm.
It seems that his conscience was not bothering him. He was willing to see a large group of people spend eternity in hell because he didn’t like them.
We are given an assignment from the LORD to reach those in our neighborhood and our families for the LORD but it seems that we are happy to head in the other direction. Yes, many of our neighbors and family members will not listen to us but that doesn’t relieve of our responsibility to try. We are supposed to at least pray for them and look for opportunities to talk with them when they are willing to listen.
CHALLENGE: Don’t fall asleep on the assignment!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12 And he said to them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is on you. (8367 “calm” [shathaq] means quiet, silent, subside, settle down, or die down.)
DEVOTION: Do we understand that the LORD has full control of the weather? HE can cause a storm and HE can end a storm. HE uses the weather to get the attention of HIS people and those who don’t believe in HIM.
Here God uses a storm to cause Jonah to be thrown overboard, so that, he can complete the assignment God has given him. The sailors didn’t know what was happening. They were just scared. They didn’t want to die. They wanted to live to continue sailing. They had a divine appointment with the LORD.
They woke up Jonah and asked him what to do. He told them that the storm was his fault and they needed to throw him into the water and the storm with end.
They didn’t want to do it. They were afraid that God would punish them for throwing him overboard. They prayed for the first time to the LORD and asked HIM not to punish them. They had the fear of the LORD in their life for the first time in their life.
God can cause storms to happen in our life to get our attention. When a storm comes do we turn to HIM or try to settle it without HIM? Jonah thought that once he was thrown overboard he would probably die and go to heaven and not have to go on the assignment the LORD had for him. That was not the case. Sometimes that will not be the case in our life.
CHALLENGE: Storms are one way to get our attention. Are we listening?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. (3372 “feared” [yare] means revere, afraid, to stand in awe of, reverence, honor or respect.
DEVOTION: Jonah was given a command by the LORD. He didn’t like the command. He tried to run from the LORD. He went on a ship and fell asleep. It is thought that those who are followers of Christ would not be able to sleep if their lives were not in tune with the LORD. Here we find that Jonah was trying to run from the presence of the LORD and was sleeping through a storm. He had to be woke up and told to pray. Once he told the mariners who he was and what he was doing they were afraid. They tried to save Jonah by getting to land but could not. They threw him overboard after they prayed to the LORD not to punish them for their act. After the storm ended this verse comes into action. Their reaction to the end of the storm was threefold. They stood in awe of the LORD. They had worshiped false gods before this event, now they were worshiping the LORD. They offered a sacrifice to the LORD. They made vows to the LORD. This was a life changing experience for them. Jonah had won followers of the LORD by his running from the presence of the LORD. He was a prophet heading in the wrong direction. Has the LORD call and we have gone in the wrong direction? Are we willing to turn around? Or does the LORD have to turn us around?
CHALLENGE: Do the storms of life cause us to reverence the LORD more or less?
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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)
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)
Shipmaster told Jonah to cry to HIS GOD verse 6
Mariners cried to the LORD verse 14
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Mariners offered a sacrifice to LORD verse 16
Mariners made vows verse 16
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17
Word of the LORD verse 1
Presence of the LORD verse 3, 10
Sends a great wind verse 4
Fear the LORD verse 9
LORD prepared a great fish verse 17
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)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 6, 9
God of heaven verse 9
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nineveh verse 2
Tarshish verse 3
Joppa verse 3
Mariners verse 5
Shipmaster verse 6
Cast lots verse 7
Mariners feared the LORD verse 16
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickedness verse 2
Flee from presence of the LORD verse 3, 10
Afraid verse 5
False god verse 5
Evil verse 7, 8
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Cry against a city verse 2
Fear of the LORD verse 9, 16
Innocent blood verse 14
Offer sacrifices verse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jonah – son of Amittai verse 1, 3, 5, 7- 12, 15, 17
Hebrew verse 9
Jonah three days and nights in fish verse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
1:16 The verb for “fear” occurs first in v. 5 of the sailors’ fear of the storm, then in v. 9 of Jonah’s claim to reverence the Lord, then in v. 10 of the sailors’ terror of the Lord, and finally here of their profound awe before the Lord (cf. Luke 8:22–25). The expression (literally) “feared the Lord with a great fear” is the same as in v. 10 with the addition of “the Lord.” The obvious difference is that fear for their lives had turned to submissive awe, which apparently manifested itself in some degree of repentance. These pagan sailors recognized the awesome capability of the God of Israel (cf. Isa 59:19; Mic 7:17; Zeph 2:11; Mal 1:14; 3:5).
The author does not attempt to explain the type of sacrifice offered by these sailors or the nature of the vows. D. Stuart makes a reasonable point that the sacrifice “could hardly have occurred on board the ship, denuded of its cargo.” He explains further that “the transportation of edible animals on ocean-going ships was as infrequent in ancient times as in modern” and that “in all the religions of the ancient Near East, as far as the evidence is known, sacrifices took place at shrines or temples.” Therefore they probably made vows to offer sacrifices and fulfilled those vows after they reached land (cf. Pss 76:11; 116:17–18). The Midrash understands this to mean that they threw their idols into the waves, returned to Joppa, went up to Jerusalem, and became proselytes. This is not impossible, but we must be careful not to go beyond the text. While some would associate these actions on the part of the sailors with true worship of Yahweh,55 it is not clear whether these mariners had a conversion experience to Israel’s God. No doubt they became cognizant of the power of the Lord and learned to respect that power. Whether they went further than that we do not know. D. Stuart argues that the statement that they “greatly feared” the Lord “would hardly mean to the ancient audience that the crew had been converted to monotheistic Yahwism. They had, however, been so convinced that Yahweh really could do ‘as he wanted’ (v. 14) that they added Yahweh to the god(s) they already believed in.” It is sad but true that there are some who seem to recognize the power of the Lord but refuse to receive him as Lord and Savior. It would be wonderful to know that these sailors continued in their fear of the Lord and ultimately came to “know” him, but their ultimate end is unknown. (Smith, B. K., & Page, F. S. (1995). Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Vol. 19B, pp. 237–238). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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15–16 So far as the sailors knew, Jonah had been dealt with by his angry god and master. Even had they seen him swallowed by the fish, which is highly improbable and not suggested by the story, they would never have guessed that it was the instrument of God’s mercy. But the immediate cessation of the storm after they threw Jonah overboard showed them that Yahweh really had control of the sea. So “they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.” It is quite likely that the Targum gives the sense in the rendering “They promised to offer sacrifices” as soon as they reached the shore. The Midrash understands this to mean that they threw their idols into the sea, returned to Joppa, went up to Jerusalem, and became proselytes. This is as fanciful as the modern idea that Jonah had become a missionary, even against his will. Certainly there was a new respect for the God of Israel, a new understanding of his power; but there is no suggestion that these Phoenician sailors renounced their ancestral religion or made any efforts to discover what, apart from power, distinguished Yahweh from Baal and Ashtoreth. In other words, they had been brought to the position envisaged by Paul in Romans 1:19–20, and that was not inconsiderable. But there is no evidence that their spiritual apprehension went further.
Polytheism and syncretism have always gone hand in hand. (Jesus is reverenced by millions in India today but all too often it is as one divine figure among many.) In the action of the sailors, we find nothing of the concept of the “jealous God” who tolerates no division of loyalty. Because Jonah believed implicitly and wholly in the sovereignty of God, the sailors were brought to a realization of his power. So when such faith is sincerely held, it should affect others. In the book as a whole, however the sailors’ faith plays a very minor part. In accordance with its terse style, the story does not tell us what the vows were, nor the size and number of the sacrifices. (Ellison, H. L. (1986). Jonah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 373). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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1:15–16. Following the prophet’s instructions (v. 12), the sailors threw Jonah into the raging sea and it became calm. This showed them the reality and power of the God of Israel. They stood in awe of (feared) the Lord. He had done what their gods could not do. The sudden calm was an answer to the sailors’ prayers (v. 5). The calm also revealed that the storm had resulted from Jonah’s disobedience and that an innocent life had not been snuffed out in casting him overboard. Utterly amazed at the sudden calm, they offered a sacrifice in praise to the Lord (Yahweh, Israel’s God) and promised (made vows) to continue their praise. Again the sailors are seen in contrast with their former passenger. Whereas Jonah was disobedient to God, they were praising Him! (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Jonah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1467). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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In desperation, seeing that all their efforts are unavailing, the mariners inquire of Jonah as to what they shall do, in order that the storm may cease. He accordingly directs them to throw him into the sea, owning that he knows the tempest was sent for his sake. Conscience is evidently rousing now, but to what extent it is hard to say. The men hesitate to carry out his word; but when at last all their efforts to bring the ship to land proved unavailing, they prepare to do as he has directed them. Crying to the Lord not to lay it to their charge, and owning that sovereignty which Jonah had virtually denied (“Thou, O Lord, hast done as it hath pleased Thee”), they took up Jonah and cast him into the sea. Immediately the waters became calm, and “the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.” Dark and ignorant though they were, their hearts responded to the mercy of God who had thus granted them so signal a deliverance.
As for His unworthy servant, for him too there was mercy; but nevertheless government must have its way, though the final result shall be that God will magnify Himself in the deliverance and restoration of the wanderer. “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (ver. 17). Dispensationally, it is Israel who, because of their failure as God’s witnesses in the earth, have been cast into the sea of the Gentiles, but who, despite all their vicissitudes, have been marvelously preserved by the Lord, and are yet to become His testimony-bearers to the whole world. (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 202–203). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 16. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, &c.] This was not a natural fear, as before, but a religious one; and not a servile fear, or a fear of punishment, but a reverential godly fear; for they feared him, not only because they saw his power in raising and stilling the tempest, but his goodness to them in saving them: and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord; a spiritual sacrifice; the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for a safe deliverance from the storm; for other sort of sacrifice they seemed not to have materials for; since they had thrown overboard what they had in the ship to lighten it, unless there might be any thing left fit for this purpose; but rather, if it is to be understood of a ceremonial sacrifice, it was offered when they went out of the ship, according to the gloss of Aben Ezra; or they solemnly declared they would, as soon as they came to land; to which sense is the Targum, “and they said they would offer a sacrifice:” and agreeably to this the words may be rendered, with what follows, thus, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, that is, they made vows; they vowed that they would offer a sacrifice when arrived in their own country, or should return to Judea, and come to Jerusalem. So the Hebrew ו, vau, is often used as exegetical and explanative; though many interpreters understand the vows as distinct from the sacrifice; and that they vowed that the God of the Hebrews should be their God, and that they would for the future serve and worship him only; that they would become proselytes, as Jarchi; or give alms to the poor, as Kimchi; as an evidence of their sense of gratitude to God, the author of their mercies. If these men were truly converted, as it seems as if they were, they were great gainers by this providence; for though they lost their worldly goods, they found what was infinitely better, God to be their God and portion, and all spiritual good things with him; and it may be observed of the wise and wonderful providence of God, that though Jonah refused to go and preach to the Gentiles at Nineveh, for which he was corrected; yet God made this dispensation a means of converting other Gentiles. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 538). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
From: TozerSpeaks by A. W. Tozer
No, my friends. Sometimes, having anything is worse than having nothing. Frankly, I would much rather have no religion at all than to have just enough to deceive me. (p. 212)
The defensive attitude of “moral” men and women is one of the great problems confronting Christianity in our day. Many who are trying to be Christians are making the effort on the basis that they have not done some of the evil things which others have done. They are not willing to honestly look inot their own hearts, for if they did, they would cry out in conviction for being the chief of all sinners. (p. 216)
Oh, how wrong he was. The very fact that he could remember that he had kept any of God’s laws disqualified him instantly for eternal life. He trusted in his own moral defense rather than acknowledge his sin and his need.
No man has any hope for eternal salvation apart from trusting completely in Jesus Christ and His atonement for men. Simply stated, our Lord Jesus is the lifeboat and we must fully and truly be committed to trusting the lifeboat. (p. 217)
It is actually true that many people engage in earnest prayers on their road to perdition. In a way, they want God, but they don’t want Him enough. They are interested in eternal life, but they are still more interested in other things. They know that they should follow Jesus in true faith, but other things keep them from that decision. (p. 220)
Here is the caution, brethren: if you could see all the seekers who are in hell today who were seekers while they were on earth, you would know that many have sought and found out what they had to do – and then refused to do it. (p. 221)
He had to pay a great price to keep what he loved most. Actually, he had to sell Jesus even as Judas Iscariot sold Him. Judas sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. We have no idea in terms of money and land and possessions what the rich young ruler paid in his refusal to follow Jesus. (p. 224)
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From: PREPARE: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly HOSTILE CULTURE by J. Paul Nyquist
This gain prevents us from knowing Christ better because we don’t want to give it all up through suffering. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings normally means gains get sacrificed. We lose our status. We forfeit our possessions. We sacrifice our reputation. (p. 85)
Persecution brings blessing because it allows us to know Christ more. But there is also a second way persecution brings blessing. (p. 86)
In God’s economy, persecution means we’re blessed, not cursed. (p.90)
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Proverbs 1
Solomon writes a metaphorical warning from the perspective of “Wisdom.”
INSIGHT
To be free to sail the seven seas, you must make yourself a slave to the compass. Every freedom has a corresponding slavery. We can be free from the toothbrush and a slave to cavities or a slave to the toothbrush and free from cavities. For everything we want, we must give up something else. Wisdom calls us to slavery. If we become a slave to wisdom, we must heed the Word of God and shun sin. If we neglect these, distress and anguish will come. We will experience the natural consequences of our actions. There is no escape from this cause-and-effect law. Rededicate yourself to becoming a “wise” person. Wisdom begins with “fearing” (respecting) the Lord. It is to His glory and also to our best interest.
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Slavery has been practiced since the fall of man. It is not a a product of “racism”; it is not an issue of skin color; it is a product of man’s sinful heart because of which he practices far more hatred toward his fellow man than love of neighbor. Jesus described man’s condition with perfect accuracy:
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).
Slavery has been practiced by the white man, the black man, the red man, and the yellow man, and every other kind of man.
That is a fact of history.
Slavery was practiced by the Babylonians, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Persians, the native Brits, the Dans, the Romans, the African kingdoms, the South American kingdoms, the Chinese, Indians, Nepalese, Burmese, Native Americans, the Muslim kingdoms.
That is a fact of man’s wretched history, and it is a reflection of man’s fallen condition.
It is also a fact of history as to who was at the forefront of the war against slavery. It wasn’t the Muslims. It wasn’t the Hindus or the Buddhists or the Anamists or the Atheists or the Humanists. It wasn’t Roman Catholics. It wasn’t the black African nations or the Asian nations or the South American nations or the Eskimos. It was (mostly) white Protestant and Baptist Christians in England and America.
This is a fact of history. (Way of Life Literature, Inc)
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GENERAL REVELATION
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20
According to the Bible, God has revealed Himself in two main ways. The first is what we call general revelation; the other, obviously, is special revelation. So first let us look at general revelation. What is this? The Bible tells us that God has revealed Himself, in general and first, through creation and nature. Paul made a most important declaration on this subject to the people of Lystra. He said, “[God] left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Immediately before that, Paul had said, “God…made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein” (Acts 14:17, 15).
The other classic statement on that same point is to be found in Acts 17:24: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” Again, you find the same thing stated in Romans 1:19-20: “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse”—another momentous passage. All those statements remind us that God, after all, has left His marks, His imprints, in nature and creation; they are “the works of his hands” (Psalm 111:7). “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).
Everything that has been made is in itself a revelation of God. That is the first definition of general revelation.
A Thought to Ponder: Everything that has been made is in itself a revelation of God.
(From God the Father, God the Son pp. 13-14, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Know and Walk in Truth
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” (1 Timothy 1:5)
Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical “doctrine” in favor of an emphasis on “love” and “fulfillment,” the “pursuit of happiness,” “sharing and caring,” and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on “confident living,” “self-improvement,” “personal success,” and the like.
Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and “works” are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. “Doctrine” is simply “teaching,” and true teaching must come from God’s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk.
As the apostle Paul reminds us, “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “Profane and vain babblings . . . increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16). We cannot escape being taught doctrine somewhere. If we will not receive true doctrine from God’s Word, we will inevitably become indoctrinated with the world’s humanistic deceptions, for these impinge upon our thinking continually, from classroom and journal, from television and (unfortunately) sometimes even from the pulpit.
If we are really concerned about love and happiness and such things, we must acquire them from the right source, the doctrinal truths of the Word of God. It is knowing and obeying the commandment, as our text says, that generates pure love, a faithful heart, and a daily life that supports a clear conscience.
When we “know the truth” (John 8:32), then and then only can we “walk in truth” (3 John 1:4). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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(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!!)
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