Judges 5
Song sung by Deborah and Barakverses 1-9
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day
saying
Praise you the LORD for the avenging of Israel
when the people willingly offered themselves
Hear – O you kings
Give ear – O you princes
I – even I – will sing to the LORD
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel
LORD – when YOU went out of Seir
when YOU marched out of the field of Edom
the earth trembled – the heavens dropped
the clouds also dropped water
the mountains melted from before the LORD
even that Sinai from before the
LORD God of Israel
In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath – in the days of Jael
the highways were unoccupied
the travelers walked through byways
the inhabitants of the villages ceased – they ceased in Israel
until that I Deborah arose – that I arose a mother in Israel
they chose new gods – then was war in the gates
was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
my heart is toward the governors of Israel
that offered themselves willingly among the people
Bless the LORD
Recount of the victories of the LORDverses 10-11
Speak – you that ride on white asses – you that sit in judgment
and walk by the way
They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of
drawing water – there shall they rehearse the
righteous acts of the LORD
even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of
HIS villages in Israel
then shall the people of the LORD
go down to the gates
Time to wake upverses 12-13
AWAKE – AWAKE – Deborah
awake – awake – utter a song
arise Barak – and lead your captivity captive
you son of Abinoam
Then he made him that remained have
dominion over the nobles among the people
the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty
Indecision of tribes not fightingverses 14-18
Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek
after you– Benjamin – among your people
Out of Machir came down governors
out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer
And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah
even Issachar – and also Barak
he was sent on foot into the valley
For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart
Why abode you among the sheepfolds
to hear the bleatings of the flocks?
for the divisions of Reuben there
were great searchings of heart
Gilead abode beyond Jordan – and why did Dan remain in ships?
Asher continued on the sea shore – and abode in his breaches
Zebulun and Naphtali were the people that jeoparded their lives
to the death – in the high places of the field
Nature helped Israel defeat Siseraverses 19-23
The kings came and fought – then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach
by the waters of Megiddo – they took no gain of money
They fought from heaven the stars in their courses fought against Sisera
the river of Kishon swept them away – that ancient river
the river of Kishon – O my soul
you have trodden down strength
Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the prancings
the prancings of their mighty ones
Curse you Meroz – said the angel of the LORD
curse you bitterly the inhabitants thereof
because they came not to the help of the LORD
to the help of the LORD against the mighty
Jael kills Siseraverses 24-27
Blessed above women shall Jael – the wife of Heber the Kenite
Be blessed shall she be above women in the tent
He asked water – and she gave him milk
she brought forth butter in a lordly dish
She put her hand to the nail – her right hand to the workmen’s hammer
and with the hammer she smote Sisera – she smote off his head
when she had pierced and stricken through his temples
At her feet he bowed – he fell – he lay down
at her feet he bowed – he fell
where he bowed – there he fell down dead
Sisera’s mother looks for his returnverse 28
The mother of Sisera looked out at the window
and cried through the lattice
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
Wise women comfort Sisera’s motherverses 29-30
Her wise ladies answered her – yea
she returned answer to herself
Have they not sped? – have they not divided the prey
to every man a damsel or two
to Sisera a prey of divers colors
a prey of divers colors of needlework
of divers colors of needlework on both sides
meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
Prayer that all enemies die the same way as Siseraverse 31a
So let all YOUR enemies perish – O LORD
but let them that love him be as the sun when
he goes forth in his might
Peace in Israel for forty yearsverse 31b
And the land had rest forty years
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Praise you the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. (5068 “willingly” [nadab] means to impel, to volunteer, to present spontaneously, or offer freely)
DEVOTION: One of the habits of the children of Israel is to write songs regarding their actions. When there is a victory there was a song written by Miriam regarding the crossing of the Red Sea. Songs help people to remember what has happened in the past, so that, in the present they can trust the LORD.
This chapter is a Hebrew song. They were celebrating their victory over Jabin, king of the Canaanites. He reigned in Hazor. His captain of his army was Sisera. He had nine hundred chariots at his disposal. He had a large army ready to fight when the Israelites rebelled against Jabin.
Deborah was told of the LORD to call up Barak to fight with the Canaanites. He was reluctant. This reluctance caused the glory of battle to go to a woman named Jael. She killed Sisera while he was sleeping.
They were celebrating the LORD delivering them from under the control of another nation. The people had had enough and were volunteering to serve in the army to defeat him. They were willing to serve the LORD, no matter the cost. There was a common enemy. The army of Deborah and Barak was completely voluntary.
Deborah and Barak used the voluntary army with the help of the LORD to defeat their enemy. This song starts and finishes with praise for the LORD. They know who really gave victory. The LORD used not only the people to bring about victory but HE is able to use even nature itself against HIS enemies. HE created the world. HE is still in control of the world. There is no “mother nature.” The heaven declare the GLORY of God.
We need to praise the LORD for HIS helping us defeat our enemies. We are part of a voluntary army to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has called us to do this for HIM. HE has given us help through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life. We need to praise the LORD for people who are willing to volunteer to serve the LORD in the local church. The mission of the LORD moves forward with every volunteer who serves the LORD.
Are we one of those people? If we are a follower of Jesus Christ, we are in the army. The problem is: Are we willing to serve? Each and every person can either move the church forward or backwards by their attitude and actions.
We need to be willing volunteers in our service to the LORD. Others will follow our lead. Barak was willing to follow Deborah. There always needs to be a leader before there can be followers.
CHALLENGE: What is the LORD calling you to do? Lead or follow? While we are doing this are we praise HIS name? Do we praise HIM for each victory?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 They chose new gods – then was war in the gates was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? (977 “chose” [bachar] means man’s choice, approve, select, prefer, or give preference to.)
DEVOTION: We all make choices each day. We know that sometimes we make wrong choices that lead to sin in our life. The children of Israel made some bad choices throughout their history. During the time of the judges we find that there was a cycle that goes through the book: sin, repentance, deliverance, rest. This cycle happened throughout the book and they never learned from their past sins.
God loved HIS people. HE would listen for their cry for help and give them help. HE always knew it would not be the last time they would make bad choices. HE still loved them.
Sometimes we are not as patient with people around us that we say we love. We sometimes think that we are better than them because we don’t think we sin as much as they do. This is wrong. Our attitude should be one of grace not judgment. If we are judgmental we will be judged for that attitude.
We have to make sure that we are serving only the God of the Bible. It is a daily challenge to obey HIM. The children of Israel found it easier not fight but to try to get along with their neighbors. They worshiped their false gods.
CHALLENGE: We are not to fall into the trap of worshiping any god of our age.
: 11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his village in Israel, then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates. (8566 “rehearse” [tanah] means to recount, to give/offer/receiver a gift/ payment/fee, to recruit, celebrate in song, or commemorate)
DEVOTION: The rich people road on white donkeys while the poor walked along the road. All groups could sing songs of praise for victory over the enemies.
The LORD acted in the Old Testament through leaders that were willing to lead. Also the people had to follow their lead in order that there could be victory through the acts of God in their life.
We need to realize that we can have victory over any enemy if we realize that it is the LORD who give us the victory. This is true whether it is individual victory or group victory over an enemy.
Our responsibility is to ask the LORD for help in any trial we face and then give HIM praise when we have the victory. Too often we think we have done it with no help from the LORD. This is wrong thinking
Songs of praise should be sung in our hearts on a regular basis as the LORD give us daily victories over our trials. It is good to bring this praise to the church and have other believers sing praises to the LORD on a regular basis.
Our hearts have to be in the times of praise in the worship services of our local church to give a testimony of the greatness of our God to our society.
God still keeps HIS promises to HIS people today just as HE did in the Old Testament. HE has many promises throughout the New Testament of victory over our enemies.
Are we telling others of HIS victories in our lives on a regular basis to those we meet and those who need to know how great a God we serve? Or are we silent regarding all the blessings we are receiving from the LORD. Our testimony is important to the LORD and to others.
CHALLENGE: Share what the LORD is doing in your life today. Remember in your memory all the things the LORD has done for you in the past and will do in your future.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 28 The mother of Sisera looked out at a window: and cried through the lattice, Why, is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? (2980 “cried” [yabab] means to lament, to utter aloud, cry shrilly, cry out, or lament in a loud voice, as a verbal communication)
DEVOTION: Mother’s love is something we all know about who has had a mother that loved them. Mothers want the best for their children. This mother was proud of her son. She wanted him to come home. He was not coming home. The LORD put him into the tent of a woman who treated him like the enemy he was to the LORD and HIS people.
Today we have many women that are not ones to love their children. Some decide to not allow their babies to even be born. Some give them up because they don’t love them. There are some that love their children but they were too young to raise them.
Mothers who love the LORD should make sure that they raise their children to love the LORD. It is not easy in our culture. As my grandchildren start to reach the teen years it is very scary. There seem to be more things to draw them away from the LORD. Even going to Christian schools don’t guarantee that they will find the right friends to hang out with.
The guard of parents today needs to always asking questions regarding what children are learning. We need to ask who their friends are. We need to watch how our children are being treated by other children and teachers.
Our children went to a Christian school. It was better than public school but there were inconsistencies in the treatment of our children compared to the children who attended the church that sponsored the school. This not only happened to our children but another friend sent their children to another Christian school sponsored by another church and their children receive the same treatment.
CHALLENGE: It is important for parent to never assume what is going on in the life of their children. Ask questions. Stay close.
: 31 So let all your enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (341 “enemies” [‘oyeb] means foes, a personal enemy, be hostile to, or one in open opposition and hostility to another)
DEVOTION: Those who are enemies of Israel are God’s enemies. The LORD loves HIS people and will fight them throughout the ages. When HIS people repent of their sins and turn to HIM, HE is always available. HE is only available to HIS children.
In the Old Testament HIS children were the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament HIS children are only those who make a genuine commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
There are many who claim to be believers but their lives show that that is not true. God looks at our hearts. There are many genuine Christians who struggle in their growth in Christ.
Our responsibility is to help every believer we know to grow in their faith, even if, it is just with a good greeting each Sunday morning. If someone asks you to pray for them do it right away with them. If they have a Biblical question, we need to find an answer as soon as possible and give it to them. We have to show that we care just like the LORD shows that HE cares for HIS people.
Our goal is to help fellow believers to “rise like the sun in all its power.” We should wish every believer to have power to serve the LORD. The sun is powerful when we think that it holds us in its grip. God wants to hold us in HIS grip each day.
CHALLENGE: Who are you going to encourage today?
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)
Pen of the writerverse 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)
Song of Praiseverses 1, 11
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer regarding presence of the LORDverses 4, 5
Prayer against enemies of the LORDverse 31
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sangverses 1, 3, 12
Praise to the LORDverses 2, 3
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant-keeping, Personal)verses 2-5, 9, 11, 13, 23, 31
Praise to the LORDverse 2
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 3, 5
LORD God of Israelverses 3, 5
Righteous acts of the LORDverse 11
People of the LORDverse 11
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Angel of the LORDverse 23
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)
Seirverse 4
Edomverse 4
Shamgar – the son of Anathverse 6
Days of Jaelverse 6
Amalekverse 14
Kings of Canaanverse 19
Siseraverses 20, 26-30
Stars fought against
Mother of Sisera
Wise ladies
Meroz – cursedverse 22
Enemiesverse 31
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
New godsverse 8
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Sing to the LORDverse 3
Bless you the LORDverses 9, 24
Rehearse righteous acts of the LORDverse 11
Dominion over the mightyverse 13
Love the LORDverse 31
Restverse 31
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Deborah – sings praiseverses 1, 7, 12, 15
Mother of Israel
Barak – leader who needs Deborah alongverses 1, 12, 15
Israelverses 2, 7, 8, 11
People willingly offered themselvesverse 2
Governors of Israelverse 9
Offered themselves willingly
People of the LORDverse 11
Noblesverse 13
Ephraimverse 14
Benjaminverse 14
Zebulunverses 14, 18
Issacharverse 15
Reuben – great thoughts of heartverses 15, 16
Great searchings of heart
Danverse 17
Asherverse 17
Naphtaliverse 18
Jeoparded their lives
Jael- wife of Heber the Keniteverses 24-27
Blessed
Nailed Sisera
Israel rested forty yearsverse 31
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
5:23 The stanza concludes with a command by a messenger of Yahweh (malʾak yhwh) to curse Meroz because they did not support Yahweh against the Canaanite heroes (NIV, “mighty,” gibbôrîm). The verse is awkward for several reasons. In the first place it would have been more appropriate after the complaints about Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher in vv. 16–17.
Second, Meroz, which is mentioned only here in the Old Testament, cannot be located. It must have been located within a triangle whose apexes are marked by Mount Tabor on the east, where Barak assembled his troops (4:6, 12, 14), the Kishon in the west, and Megiddo or Taanach in the south, perhaps near Sarid, though a closer identification is impossible.430
Third, what is the envoy (traditionally rendered “angel”) of Yahweh doing here? We have not heard from him or any such figure since 2:4. In view of the similarity of roles between prophets and messengers in this book and elsewhere, this verse could be considered a prophetic utterance, Deborah being the most likely candidate for speaker. Accordingly, she who had announced the arrival of Yahweh to fight for his people (4:14) would hereby invoke a curse on this town at God’s command.
On the other hand, Neef has recently associated this angelic figure with the malʾak yhwh, “messenger of the Lord,” who appears elsewhere in texts involving the conquest of Canaan. In Exod 23:20; 32:34; 33:2 the “angel” is the one sent by God to go before Israel, guide them through the desert, and lead them into the promised land. Since these references occur within contexts where Israel is not to turn away to the gods of the Canaanites (Exod 23:23) and to refuse to enter into any agreements with them, lest they become a snare to Israel (Exod 23:28–33; Judg 2:3), the messenger’s involvement may provide the clue to the Meroz problem. The people of Meroz have violated the divine command specifically. They seem to have arrived at agreements with the Canaanites who lived in the vicinity and adopted their gods. By invoking this curse on Meroz, the town is presented as an example for the rest of the nation. This interpretation is rendered all the more plausible in view of the juxtapositioning of the reference to the curse next to Jael. As noted earlier, the verse seems awkwardly placed until one recognizes the contrast. Meroz represents those Israelites who have taken their stand on the side of the Canaanites; Jael represents those non-Israelites who have taken their stand on the side of Israel. (Block, D. I. (1999). Judges, Ruth (Vol. 6, pp. 238–239). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
23 The city of Meroz, perhaps the same as Khirbet Maurus, seven miles south of Kedesh Napthali, came under God’s curse for failing to fight. The curse was pronounced by the angel of the Lord, who is mentioned here for the first time since 2:4. Meroz was undoubtedly located in the heart of the oppressed area; so the condemnation of that community was more severe than that of the distant tribes. Since elsewhere in Judges cities refusing to participate in urgent battles were destroyed by the Israelites (8:15–17; 21:8–10), Meroz may have shared the same fate. (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 414). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
5:23–27. A curse was pronounced on Meroz (perhaps located on the route of Sisera’s flight) for failure to aid in the battle, but a blessing was pronounced on Jael for her act of slaying Sisera (cf. 4:21–22), an act apparently regarded as expressing faithfulness to the covenant people of Israel with whom her clan had been identified through Moses. The vivid picture of Sisera’s death (5:26–27) was not intended to narrate the steps of the physical action, but to describe metaphorically and in slow motion, so to speak, the fall of a leader. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 390). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Deborah and Barak didn’t curse the people of Meroz; it was the angel of the Lord who did it. It must have embarrassed Barak to know that a town in his own tribe of Naphtali had refused to send volunteers to assist in this important battle. “Meroz stands for the shirker,” said Phillips Brooks in a famous sermon; “for him who is willing to see other people fight the battles of life, while he simply comes in and takes the spoils.” Note that their sin wasn’t simply failing to assist Israel; they failed to help the Lord! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (p. 43). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
5:19–23 The victory proper is now described in vivid terms, and a curse is pronounced on Meroz, a site otherwise unknown (v. 23). The stars themselves were fighting against Sisera (v. 20), a vivid metaphor of God’s intervention. The prose account says, “And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak” (4:15). The frantic pounding of the horses’ hooves, their galloping, galloping, suggests the chaos caused by the waters of the River Kishon (vv. 21, 22; 4:7). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 313). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 23. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, &c.] Not Barak, as the Targum and Jarchi, but Deborah herself said this under a spirit of prophecy, not from her own spirit in a revengeful way, but from the spirit of God; or this was suggested to her by an angel, not a created, but the increated one, the Angel of the covenant, by whom she was inspired, and an impulse made by him on her to denounce a curse on Meroz; which some say was a star, Sisera’s star; others the name of a mighty man, so Jarchi; but rather it is some name of a city or place near where the battle was fought, so Kimchi, Ben Gersom, and Ben Melech: some take Meroz to be the same with Merom, at the waters of which Joshua fought with Jabin, Josh, 11:5 and supposed to be the same with the waters of Megiddo, and the river Kishon, where this battle was fought; and Jerom, under the word Merom, observes, that there was in his time a village called Merrus, 12 miles from the city Sebaste near Dothaim, and that Meroz here is the name of a place is clear from what follows: curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; or curse cursing; repeat it, give them curse upon curse, curse them most vehemently: the reason of which follows: because they came not to the help of the Lord; that is, of the people of the Lord, whose cause was the Lord’s; for though he stood in no need of their help, yet their negligence and neutrality were highly resented by him, and therefore repeated: to the help of the Lord against the mighty; the mighty Canannites, and their mighty kings, and mighty hosts; or with the mighty, Barak and his 10,000: now though others, who did not come into their assistance, are only discommended, being at a distance, yet those are cursed, being very near, and saw the peril their brethren were in, and yet would not lend an helping hand. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 304). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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!!)
Hebrews 13:4 says that the marriage bed is holy and “undefiled.” In his commentary on the Song of Solomon, A Song for Lovers, Craig Glickman writes: “No artist could have fashioned two people better suited for one another. He was the king of their great nation; she, his chosen bride. Spring had seen their love blossom like the flowers in the palace gardens. Their love was destined to be a song for the world. And, in fact, so ideal was their love that the song about them was chosen as one of the books of sacred Scripture. It became the only one of the entire collection devoted exclusively to courtship and marriage.” The Song of Solomon gives us God’s perspective on marriage and love. (Daily Walk)
OUR LORD AND SCRIPTURE
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till, heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-18
The most vital testimony about the authority of the Bible that we must adduce is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Read your Gospels, and notice the way in which He constantly quotes the Old Testament. Notice the way in which He assumed that it is authoritative, that it puts a matter beyond argument and beyond any dispute whatsoever. He just says, “It is written,” and that is final (see, for example, Luke 19:46; John 6:45). He obviously accepted the Old Testament in toto as authoritative, final, and supreme.
There are also certain specific statements that He made: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till, heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18). And in a sense that is the whole of the Old Testament–Moses and the prophets. “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Then you will find Him, for example, saying, “And he answered and said unto them, Have, ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4). That quotation alone is sufficient to show that our Lord regarded what we read in the early chapters of Genesis as being authoritative for the whole question of man and woman and their appearance in the world. So if you begin to play fast and loose with the authority of the Scriptures and with the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, you are of necessity involved in difficulties about the person of the Lord Himself.
A Thought to Ponder: The most vital testimony about the authority of the Bible is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 31.by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Genesis 27
Jacob deceives Isaac into blessing him rather than his older brother Esau.
INSIGHT
This chapter is a low point in the life of a chosen family. It is difficult to justify the behavior of anyone. Perhaps the deepest, most helpful lesson we can learn from this chapter is that since God was able to make a saint out of someone like Jacob, God can take our lives — with all of their sin and failure — and make something out of them for His glory.
Jacob lied; we lie. Jacob failed to trust God; we fail to trust God. Jacob became a man of God; we can become men and women of God. Jacob was used by the Lord; the Lord can use us, too.
For a child of God, there is always a future; and that future can bear fruit. If God can use Jacob, God can use us. (Quiet Walk)
All Roads?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
John 14:6
“Don’t get on the expressway!” That text came from my daughter one day as I was leaving work. The highway home had become a virtual parking lot. I began trying alternate routes, but after experiencing gridlock on other roads, I gave up. The trip home would have to wait till later in the day, so I drove in the opposite direction to an athletic event my granddaughter was involved in.
Discovering that no roads would lead me home made me think about people who say that all roads lead to an eternal relationship with God. Some believe the road of kindness and good behavior will get you there. Others choose the road of doing religious things.
Relying on those roads, however, leads to a dead end. There’s only one road to take to God’s eternal presence. Jesus clarified this when He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He was revealing that He was going to die to open the way for us to enter His Father’s house—to His presence and the real life He provides for today and eternity.
Skip the blocked highways that don’t lead to God’s presence. Instead, trust Jesus as Savior, for “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (3:36). And for those who already believe in Him, rest in the way He’s provided. (by Dave Branon) (Our Daily Bread)
REGENERATION
…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6
What is regeneration? It is the implanting of a principle of new spiritual life and a radical change in the governing disposition of the soul. The important thing to grasp is the whole idea of disposition. In addition to the faculties of our souls, there is something at the back of them that governs them all, and that is what we refer to as our disposition. Take two men. They have the same faculties, but one lives a good life, one lives a bad life. What makes the difference? The answer is that the good man has a good disposition, and this good disposition, this thing that is behind the faculties and governs them and uses them, urges him to use his faculties in the direction of goodness. The other man has an evil disposition; so he urges the same faculties in an entirely different direction. That is what one means by disposition.
When you come to think of it, and when you analyze yourself, your life and your whole conduct and behavior and that of other people, you will see at once that these dispositions are, of course, of tremendous importance. They are the condition, if you like, that determines what we do and what we are.
There is in every person a disposition that seems to determine the kind of person he or she is. It is this that directs the faculties and the abilities so that one person is artistic and the other scientific and so on. I am making this point to show that what happens in regeneration is that God so operates upon us in the Holy Spirit that this fundamental disposition of ours is changed. He puts a holy principle, a seed of new spiritual life, into this disposition that determines what I am and how I behave and how I use and employ my faculties.
A Thought to Ponder: Regeneration is a radical change in the governing disposition of the soul. (From God the Holy Spirit, p. 79, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Whosoever Will
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)
One could not imagine a more clearcut invitation to receive God’s free gift of eternal life than this final climactic invitation of the Bible. Anyone who is thirsting for the water of life may come and drink freely, for Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Whosoever will may come! “There is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11, plus about seven other references), and the Scriptures abound with “whosoever” assurances.
“Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26). “Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).
“Jesus Christ the righteous:…is the propitiation…for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). Therefore, “by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18)
Such promises as these (and many more in the Word of God) make it very clear that the substitutionary death of Christ is sufficient to “[take] away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), that salvation and eternal life are offered as a free gift of God’s grace to anyone who will accept it, and that anyone who will may come! It is only the voluntary act of our own wills that is required, but there are many of whom Jesus must say: “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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